Aviation features strongly in Infrastructure Australia’s recently released 2018 Infrastructure Priority List, both in terms of airport projects and the broader picture where air cargo movement is an integral part of inter-modal transfers and cost-efficient alternatives.
Introducing the 2018 edition, Infrastructure Australia chair Julieanne Alroe commented that in the decade since IA was formed, “the Priority List has helped establish a longer-term view of our infrastructure needs – one that enables our leaders to look beyond elections and budgetary cycles to make evidence-based decisions on the best use of our limited infrastructure funding.
“It’s about building our collective capacity to deliver world-class infrastructure that meets the challenges of the future – in particular, the challenge of how to maintain our enviable quality of life in the face of significant population growth.”
She noted that Australia’s population growth is now one of the fastest in the OECD and easily outstrips the UK, Canada and the United States. “And there is no doubt that this is a significant challenge for our political leaders.
“In the next 30 years, Australia will be home to 36 million people. This rate of growth is equivalent to adding a new city, roughly the size of Canberra, each year for the next 30 years.
“We know the vast majority of this growth, about 75%, will be centred in our largest cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
“This is a challenge that we can’t afford to manage passively. We must invest our infrastructure dollars wisely to maintain our existing infrastructure and we must build new infrastructure when and where it is most needed.”
The Infrastructure Priority List http://ia-priority-list.herokuapp.com/pdf contains two broad groupings: projects and initiatives.
Projects are advanced proposals that have a fully developed business case that has been positively assessed by the independent Infrastructure Australia board, Alroe explained.
“These advanced proposals address a nationally-significant problem and deliver demonstrated economic benefits. For example, improving connectivity between Australia’s cities and regional centres, strengthening our global role as an exporter of goods and services or making our infrastructure more resilient.
“Initiatives, on the other hand, are proposals that have been identified to potentially address a nationally-significant problem, but require further development to determine if they are the best course of action.”
Western Sydney Airport is one of the six ‘high priority projects’ in the 2018 list. Preserving corridors for a WSA fuel pipeline and rail connection are listed as ‘high priority initiatives’.
Also in the ‘high priority initiatives’ listings is the Sydney Gateway – a connection between West Connex at St Peters and Sydney Airport/Port Botany.
‘Priority initiatives’ include third runways for both Melbourne and Perth airports.
Infrastructure Australia’s board has an impressive balance of hands-on and academic experience, with plenty of direct transport contact including aviation.
Alroe has a particularly strong aviation background. She was appointed in July 2009 to the position of ceo and managing director at Brisbane Airport Corporation. She had previously held a number of roles at Sydney Airport Corporation including executive management positions in the commercial, operations, corporate affairs, planning and infrastructure departments.
Among her previous board appointments were chairman of Airports Coordination Australia Ltd and Airports Council International Safety and Technical Standing Committee.