Media Releases

We expect the group’s views to be controversial, we anticipate they will stir a wider debate within society, and we hope they will lead to a realisation that a return to public investment in infrastructure is indeed an idea whose time has come.

Speaker

Infrastructure: Why First?

In this paper Rod Fehring argues that Australia is well positioned to create a new wave of prosperity through the development of a transparent and nationally coordinated program of infrastructure investment. But time is running out.  Mr Fehring points out that urban development is a significant contributor to the nation's economic growth yet it is relatively uncoordinated at a national level.  In calling for national leadership on urban infrastructure Mr Fehring argues that it is only recognition of the importance of infrastructure, in all its forms, at the national level, that will deliver the transformation needed to ensure all Australian communities can thrive.

Water: The problem is now

The challenge of water conversation remains, unfortunately there has been little long term infrastructure planning. Desalination plants and catchment transfer schemes have significant capital expenses, and social and environmental impacts. In this paper Peter Crowley focuses on the need for an alternative approach that immediately improves water consumption. The retrofill program provides a short term solution by retrofitting establishied homes with water saving products. The medium term solution is to continue and refine BASIX and Wels and the long term solution constriction of dams.

Thinking lean about water

Australia's water infrastructure is struggling to cope with demand for this most precious of resources. In this paper, Kathryn Fagg argues that there is an answer and it is quite literally sitting in our backyards.  Harvesting rainwater in is a practical solution to meeting the growing demand for water by households that is both efficient and environmentally sustainable.

Heather Ridout

Social infrastructure: Some observations on the forgotten cousin in Australia’s infrastructure debate

Is the social aspect of the infrastructure debate – schools, prisons, hospitals, museums and art galleries – being neglected? Heather Ridout argues that unlike bridges, roads and power stations, the value of social infrastructure is often highly dispersed, intangible and difficult to value. She argues government aversion to debt, which is restricting infrastructure development, appears to be a distinctly Australian phenomenon and may partly stem from the political capital made by the Federal Government on the high level of debt it inherited on coming to office in 1996 – even though that debt was not excessive by OECD standards.

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Alan Beale

An expanded role for LPG in national energy infrastructure

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) should be playing a more significant role in Australia’s energy infrastructure. It is a clean, flexible fuel with wide applications, including remote power generation, air conditioning, fuel cells, and as a fuel for buses and truck. It also has the benefit of preparing a developing market for reticulated natural gas, as LPG appliances are easily converted. However, LPG must compete against heavily subsidised competitors, mainly electricity, in urban areas. If these price distortions are removed, a more sustainable outcome, both for the consumer and the environment, could be achieved through the greater use of LPG in regional and remote areas.

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Professor John Quiggin

Untangling the web of Commonwealth/State/Local government funding – what did your GST buy?

Problems associated with inadequate investment in physical and social infrastructure have received a good deal of attention recently, along with skill shortages that have been attributed to inadequate investment in human and social capital. Areas of particular concern have included transport infrastructure (notably ports and urban rail), electricity and water supply systems and social infrastructure such as health.

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Bernard Salt

Sydney be dammed: why can’t we debate the dam issue?

In this paper KPMG Partner Bernard Salt argues that it’s time to discuss the option of building another dam to service Sydney’s water needs over the next 30 years. In fact Salt questions why there has been no debate about the option of building new dams to service any Australian capital city in the last 25 years.
Metropolitan Australia had a culture of profligacy in its water use throughout the second half of the 20th century; the emphasis during the 1990s and earlier on water conservation was the right and proper response at that time. However new water strategies released in Queensland (May 2005) and especially in New South Wales (October 2004) make no provision for even the consideration of a substantial new dam. It’s time to debate the option of building new dams to service the expanding populations of our capital cities.

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Graham Walker

Land and Infrastructure – The Hidden Cost for Housing

Housing affordability is at the forefront of national policy debate. At first glance, this may seem strange. With a strong economy and an even stronger housing sector fuelled by low interest rates, most people would expect that conditions would be ideal for new home buyers. There is no shortage of supply – the industry has built up to 170,000 new homes and apartments each year for the last three years. Unfortunately, the opposite has occurred.
For many Australians, owning the family home is becoming unattainable.

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