5.61 The concept of a project pipeline had been contemplated by the Office of the Infrastructure Coordinator in the approach it had taken to preparing recommendations on the Interim Priority List. In particular, the Office of the Infrastructure Coordinator had identified both priority projects and those with potential for the Interim Priority List. For the purposes of the Interim Priority List, to be recommended by the Office of the Infrastructure Coordinator as having potential, the project submission:
• was required to be supported by sufficient information for the Office of the Infrastructure Coordinator to scrutinise the profiling for the project, with the Office of the Infrastructure Coordinator's assessment then concluding that the project was, as a minimum, a good strategic fit; and
• indications were that the BCR for the project was likely to be at least 1.5, but sufficient information had not yet been provided to support the proponent's economic appraisal.
5.62 However, the pipeline projects included in the Final Priority List reflected less stringent criteria. Each had been assessed as fitting one of Infrastructure Australia's seven themes for action as being of national significance.171 In particular, the economic viability had not been demonstrated for a number of these projects at the time the List was finalised. In June 2010, the Chair of the Infrastructure Australia Council commented to ANAO that:
…the Infrastructure Australia Council used some discretion in the determination of projects to go into the Pipeline. This is entirely appropriate.
Infrastructure Australia methodologies, which have been transparent, may need to be amended to make this explicit.
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171 In reaching this conclusion, it was recognised that specific projects in a particular locality can assist in pursuing various national priorities.