Infrastructure Australia (IA) has published its latest Infrastructure Priority List, identifying $55 billion worth of nation-building projects across the country.
Chair of IA, Julieanne Alroe said that based on the Agency’s audit and more than 500 submissions from Governments, stakeholder groups and the community, the new List contained nationally significant infrastructure investments Australia needed over the next 15 years.
“For the first time, the Priority List has been published alongside an interactive map which provides an up-to-date view of the nationally significant investments,” Ms Alroe said.
“In the 10 years since Infrastructure Australia was formed, the Priority List has helped establish a longer-term view of our collective needs as a nation — one that enables our leaders to look beyond elections and budgetary cycles and make evidence-based investment decisions.”
She said the List included six High-Priority Projects and six Priority Projects, as well as a further 24 High-Priority Initiatives and 60 Priority Initiatives.
“New investment-ready projects like the $1 billion Brisbane Metro and the $800 million Beerburrum to Nambour rail upgrade in South East Queensland have been prioritised because of their potential to deliver national productivity gains,” Ms Alroe said.
“We have also added new initiatives to improve rail network capacity in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to meet unprecedented demand.”
She said the Priority List identified a number of additional opportunities to improve connectivity between capitals and neighbouring cities, including improvements to rail capacity on the Melbourne–Geelong and Brisbane–Gold Coast rail lines, as well as rail upgrades on lines from Sydney to the regional centres of Newcastle and Wollongong.
“Upgrading this infrastructure will be key to enable our satellite cities to develop stronger economic and employment foundations and links to our bigger cities,” Ms Alroe said.
IA’s 128-page Priority List can be accessed at this PS News link.
