Report on performance

Infrastructure planning and investment decision making processes are improved in partnership with state and territory governments.

Infrastructure Australia has been established as a statutory advisory body within the portfolio. It will provide advice to Australian governments on infrastructure gaps and bottlenecks that hinder economic growth and prosperity. It will also identify investment priorities and policy and regulatory reforms to assist timely and coordinated delivery of national infrastructure investment.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Infrastructure Working Group comprises Australian Government and state and territory government officials.

Programs are administered in line with relevant legislation.

All legislative requirements were observed.

$3.3 million

The actual price of this output in 2007-08 was $0.9 million. Expenses were lower than expected because of the timing of the appointment of the Infrastructure Coordinator.

Infrastructure planning and investment decision making processes are improved in partnership with state and territory governments.

Infrastructure Australia established
The Infrastructure Australia Act 2008, which established Infrastructure Australia, was enacted on 9 April 2008.

Infrastructure Australia consists of the Chair, Sir Rod Eddington, and 11 other members, who were appointed in May 2008. Nine members (one of whom is the Chair) were nominated by the Australian Government and three were nominated by the state and territory governments. Five of the nine Australian Government nominees were required to have experience in the private sector; one was required to have a knowledge of local government.

Infrastructure Australia was established as an advisory body. It is required to advise governments, investors and infrastructure owners on a wide range of issues including Australia's current and future infrastructure needs. Its role is to support better coordination of infrastructure planning and investment, across government and the private sector, and to identify blockages to productive investment in infrastructure and strategies to remove them.

Infrastructure Working Group managed effectively
The Department provided secretariat support to the new COAG Infrastructure Working Group (IWG). COAG established the IWG in December 2007 to help develop an initial work program for Infrastructure Australia. Three meetings of the IWG, chaired by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, were held during 2007-08. The IWG met COAG timelines for developing Infrastructure Australia's initial work program and other requested tasks.

In March 2008, the IWG achieved its first assigned task, which was to develop an implementation plan for COAG agreement that included:

• the mechanisms for Infrastructure Australia's reporting to COAG;
• the terms of reference for the national infrastructure audit; and
• Infrastructure Australia's initial work program.

The IWG is now focusing on its ongoing functions, including:

• providing ongoing guidance, national coordination and support to Infrastructure Australia;
• providing appropriate advice and contextual material to accompany reports by Infrastructure Australia to COAG;
• developing future work items for Infrastructure Australia's program; and
• working in collaboration with other COAG working groups where relevant, including with the COAG Indigenous Working Group.