![](https://qmca.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nov-2018_Dryandra-Road-Underpass-in-context-of-airport.jpg)
QMCA has welcomed the release of Infrastructure Australia’s 2019 Infrastructure Audit as it explains the vital need for modern, efficient and effective infrastructure that meets the needs of our growing cities, population and society.
As detailed in the report, Infrastructure plays an essential role in the prosperity of a nation and no more so in Queensland, Australia’s most decentralised state, where infrastructure has the potential to provide water security, ease the cost of electricity and provide greater movement of people and goods across the regions through improved rail, air, road and sea connections.
QMCA CEO Jon Davies highlighted what the report means for Queensland “The report in many ways mirrors QMCA’s Major Projects Pipeline Report and picks up on the themes of pipeline uncertainty and the need for increased collaboration between Government and Industry.”
“In Queensland, we are still not doing enough to identify infrastructure need and develop business cases into shovel ready projects. Projects are ruled out early due to funding concerns rather than developing business cases that could encourage private sector investment. This is in part driven by the current impasse between the State and Federal Governments over which projects should receive funding and when.”
“With IA’s report mirroring the calls for from the industry, it is time for the state government and federal government to stop the political games and to reach a consensus that sees infrastructure projects prioritised, funded and delivered for the people of Queensland but the Queensland Government also needs to consider how they will meet their share of funding in years to come given that asset recycling has been ruled out and debt levels continue to increase.”
“We need to see the squabbling cease over funding for Cross River Rail, Gold Coast Light Rail and Beerburrum to Nambour Rail and for all tiers of government to work together with industry to help build the infrastructure the state needs.”
The report also identifies the need to improve bidding and tendering processes to ensure that projects are efficiently tendered, priced and delivered.
“We are pleased that IA has acknowledged that contractors carry the burden of tendering as we expend millions of dollars bidding for major projects with no guarantee of success or that the project will proceed as planned. As an industry, we fully agree that reimbursement of bid costs, improved skills within government and Government Owned Corporations, as well as more collaborative and less litigious contracts, will improve the tender process and project outcomes.”
“It will also help prevent fiascos like Brisbane Metro and Lake Macdonald Dam and Ewan Maddock Dam where the industry has spent millions of dollars designing and tendering for solutions only to have the goalposts moved at the last minute, wasting time, effort and precious capital.”