2020 has certainly been a tumultuous season, what with bushfires raging rampant across the states of NSW, Victoria and Queensland and, more recently, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be tough placing your next big project when the overall economy has suffered downturn and you’ve been doing cashies for the past quarter, but with insight into what’s happening across NSW, you place yourself in strong stead to begin working apace as soon as is possible.
The total list of major infrastructure projects, 2020, has been constructed using data from over 250 submissions to the 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit, which saw state and territory governments, industrial behemoths and members of the community providing lists of investment opportunities for the following year. These projects have been founded in the energy, water, communications and social infrastructure sectors, including housing and education, and are posed to meet Australian infrastructural needs over the next 15 years.
The latest Priority List comes at a strategic time for infrastructure advancement. Unprecedented population growth has seen needs changing from new technological demands to more foundational criteria required for sustainable development. The project aims to divert public funds towards the right projects that deliver the best outcomes for all Australians.
Water
The water sector has required urgent attention recently, following compounding problems of unprecedented population growth, severe drought and other environmental change. Rainfall remains dynamic and unpredictable and infrastructure to help in the water sector is on the agenda. There are a range of solutions to be considered in the water sector, including, capturing, managing and distributing water, along with improvements in reporting and use of data in this sector.
Regional Communication
Regional Australia also emerged as a focus of the latest edition of the Infrastructure Priority List. Regional Australia is vast, and there is a continuing need to focus future infrastructure investment on supporting access to these areas as well as their continued growth. Key initiatives supporting regional Australia include water security, digital connectivity, mobile telecommunications and freight and road safety measures.
Infrastructure Metrics For Success
Resilience is the key metric being studied in the latest infrastructure Priority List. The recent Australian bushfire crisis tested the resilience of our telecommunication infrastructure and made it more evident that any projects need to be sustainable for the long-term. Future projections of socioeconomic infrastructural requirements are demonstrating that any projects need to consider the years reaching into the next decade in their planning.
Summary
Keep watching this space for news and insights into infrastructural construction opportunities across regional NSW and elsewhere. We’ll keep you up to speed with latest developments in water, regional, telecommunications and freight industries to ensure that you have work in your trade when you need it. The complete 2020 Infrastructure Priority List, complete with summaries for each project and initiative included in the current edition, is available now on the Infrastructure Australia website. The list is also available as a detailed map here: www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au.
