State Infrastructure Plan

Australian Infrastructure Plan
Released on 17 February 2016, the 15-year Australian
Infrastructure Plan, prepared by Infrastructure
Australia, lays out reforms focused on improving the
way we invest in, deliver and use infrastructure.
The associated Infrastructure Priority List has also
been renewed and confirms the high priority of many
Queensland infrastructure projects. The Queensland
Government welcomes the release of the Australian
Infrastructure Plan and new Infrastructure Priority List.
The plan contains 78 recommendations under four
themes:
productive cities, productive regions
efficient infrastructure markets
sustainable and equitable infrastructure
better decisions and better delivery.
The plan aspires to be a long-term strategy that lays
the foundation for a more productive Australia over the
next 15 years and beyond.
Australian Infrastructure Plan
recommendations
Many of the Australian Infrastructure Plan’s
recommendations for infrastructure reform will be
supported by the Queensland Government, as they are
consistent with our approach to smarter infrastructure
planning and investment. However, the Queensland
Government does not support asset sales and will not
support the recommendation that Queensland should
consider divesting all electricity network assets.
Cairns State High School
Infrastructure Priority List
The Australian Infrastructure Plan is accompanied
by an Infrastructure Priority List to give structured
guidance to decision makers, visibility to industry and
transparency for the community. The full list can be
found at http://infrastructureaustralia.gov.au/projects/
infrastructure-priority-list.aspx.
The Infrastructure Priority List is broadly grouped as:
Initiatives: priorities that have been identified to
address a nationally significant need, but require
further development and rigorous assessment to
determine and evaluate the most appropriate option
for delivery.
Projects: priorities that have undergone a full
business case assessment by Infrastructure
Australia and that will address a nationally
significant problem and deliver robust economic,
social or environmental outcomes.
Each project and initiative on the Infrastructure Priority
List includes a broad indication of when the project
is likely to be delivered or have a material impact on
national productivity. These timeframes are defined as:
Within 5 years (near-term)
Within 10 years (medium-term)
Within 15 years (longer-term)
Expected to be more than 15 years (future).
The Infrastructure Priority List is a ‘rolling’ list which
will be updated periodically as proposals move through
stages of development and delivery and to respond to
emerging challenges and opportunities.
Queensland’s inclusions on the
Infrastructure Priority List
The Queensland Government is pleased that the
Infrastructure Priority List includes 10 of the 12
initiatives from its September 2015 submission to
Infrastructure Australia. The list confirms Cross River
Rail as one of Australia’s highest priority infrastructure
initiatives, reinforcing the Queensland Government’s
view that it is our number one priority.
The Queensland Government will continue its dialogue
with Infrastructure Australia and the Australian
Government to ensure all of Queensland’s priorities
on the Infrastructure Priority List are progressed to
the project stage, and that the Australian Government
will play its part in helping to fund these priorities. We
will also work to ensure more Queensland initiatives
and projects are included on this list as Infrastructure
Australia makes periodic updates.
State Infrastructure Plan Part B: Program
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