The findings of a progress report on plans to reform Australia’s infrastructure sector have prompted the lead Agency, Infrastructure Australia (IA) to call for a renewal of commitment by Governments.
The independent infrastructure adviser said the report looked at what had been achieved since the release of the Australian Infrastructure Plan in February 2016.
Chief Executive of IA, Philip Davies said the Australian Infrastructure Plan made 78 comprehensive recommendations to address infrastructure gaps and meet the future needs of the nation’s growing population.
“It provides a reform and investment roadmap for Australia’s Governments to ensure our infrastructure drives productivity, improves our standard of living and delivers world-class services in our cities and regions,” Mr Davies said.
“The reform agenda we put forward is ambitious and politically challenging, but these proposed changes to the way we plan, deliver and use our infrastructure will deliver enduring benefits for all Australians.”
He said that over the past two years, it had been pleasing to see progress in heavy vehicle road charging, business case development, integration of land use and transport planning and corridor protection.
“However, our progress report, Prioritising Reform, finds there are also clear instances where more action is needed,” Mr Davies said.
“The plan recommended that the Australian Government initiate an inquiry into the potential benefits and impacts of road market reform, with a view to transitioning to a fairer and more efficient user-pays approach.”
He said that while the Australian Government had signalled its support for this proposal in November 2016 when it delivered its official response to the plan, no inquiry had been forthcoming.
“Road market reform has the potential to deliver significant improvements in network performance and address fairness issues, while also establishing a secure and sustainable source of funding for our roads,” Mr Davies said.
“Given the significance of this change and the scale of community consultation and consensus-building involved, it’s vital that Governments move forward on this important opportunity for reform.”
The launch of the progress report was Mr Davies’ last major engagement before finishing his term as Chief Executive at the end of July.
The 204-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
