3.  The Reform and Investment Framework in Detail

Infrastructure Australia's Reform and Investment Framework ("the Framework") is a top-down approach to infrastructure decision-making with seven distinct stages. The sequential stages are structured to ensure that decisions are taken in an objective and systematic way, thus leading to the adoption of the most effective and efficient policy solutions.

Provided it is properly conducted, users of the Framework will develop a clear picture of needs, problems and their causes, plus a clear and objective picture of the merits of a full range of options to meet those problems. Provided the evidence drives decision-making, this can then lead to the best possible decisions about infrastructure reform or investment.

The Framework is suitable both for an overall planning process for infrastructure that leads to a package of initiatives, and also to describe the process that has led to the identification of a particular initiative.