Engineers Australia has endorsed the Federal Government’s review of the Infrastructure Investment Program, which will ensure nationally significant projects will continue to be delivered.
The review, which is due to commence in due course, will also assess the importance of a number of delayed and unfunded projects. Engineers Australia CEO, Romilly Madew AO, believes the review will ensure the funding is adequately spent.
“This is critical to helping ensure spending doesn’t further fuel current economic challenges,” she says.
“Australia’s construction sector is already at breaking point, rising materials costs and labour shortages have caused budgets to blow out and project slippage.
“Over the past two years, engineering vacancies have grown by 80 percent nationally. A significant contributor to this increase is infrastructure projects.
Madew says a lengthy pipeline of infrastructure projects are required, given their medium-to-long term processes.
“When reviewing the pipeline, it will be important to give due consideration to changing consumer behaviour and economic priorities,” she says.
“Fiscal policy needs to balance tackling the cost-of-living crisis currently being experienced with investment targeted to support changing societal needs. Any funding allocation should also match the importance of policy outcomes, such as sustainability and emissions reductions, rather than just individual projects.”
Engineers Australia is worried about the likes of population growth, space limitations, emissions targets and natural disasters and the potential impacts on Australia’s transport systems. The authority is currently working on
Madew says Engineers Australia is working with the Government on tackling this and investment in transport infrastructure as past ways of delivering projects will not meet the needs of the future.
“Collaborative, long-term planning of infrastructure is vital to economic prosperity and the wellbeing of the community.”
