Engineers Australia compiles a comprehensive 'report card' on Australia's infrastructure every five years. The last analysis was published in 2010.51 A further review is scheduled for release in 2015. The results are necessarily qualitative. The last report card made the following key observations:
■ the overall national rating for Australia's infrastructure was described as 'adequate', although it should be noted that this term was defined to mean that 'Major changes [are] required to enable infrastructure to be fit for its current and anticipated future purposes';
■ the overall rating had not changed since the 2005 assessment, although there were some minor changes at the sectoral level (e.g. the ratings for local roads and rail declined slightly);
■ there were material differences in the ratings between sectors; and
■ in some cases, there were material differences in the ratings between states and territories.
Other Australian studies and reports also point to existing gaps in Australia's infrastructure. The studies are usually sector-specific, or deal with infrastructure in a particular location. Viewed as a whole, the conclusions paint a picture of infrastructure that is not consistently meeting community and industry needs and expectations or, in some cases, is failing to meet established standards.
Congestion in our cities is perhaps the area with the greatest gap between what we expect from our infrastructure and what is delivered. The then Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics estimated that the cost of traffic congestion in Australian capital cities in 2005 was $9.4 billion, and projected that it would rise to $20.4 billion by 2020.52
The Audit has estimated that the cost of delays on urban roads was $13.7 billion in 2011. Based on projected population growth and distribution, and in the absence of any new transport network capacity, the cost of congestion on urban roads is projected to grow to $53.3 billion in 2031.53
This work is discussed more fully in section 7.1.1 of the report.
The ACIL Allen methodology does not account for new investments in infrastructure between 2015 and 2031, apart from infrastructure which is already under construction, or for which a firm funding commitment has been made. As noted at the beginning section 7.1.1, this methodology is designed to clearly show the locations in each city's network where congestion will impose the greatest cost, to inform decision making about future infrastructure investment. As such, it is a useful indicator of what the cost of future congestion will be if we do nothing.
Table 2: Cost of road congestion - 2011 and projected 2031 ($ million, 2011 prices)
| Sydney- Newcastle- Wollongong | Melbourne- Geelong | Brisbane-Gold Coast-Sunshine Coast | Greater Perth | Greater Adelaide | Greater Canberra |
2011 | 5,555 | 2,837 | 1,914 | 1,784 | 1,442 | 208 |
2031 | 14,790 | 9,006 | 9,206 | 15,865 | 3,747 | 703 |
Source: Infrastructure Australia analysis of data from ACIL Allen Consulting (2014b) and Veitch Lister Consulting (2014a)
Recent analysis by the Department of Communications has shown that broadband quality across Australia is highly variable and that, for most premises, the quality of service needs to be improved. On a scale of A (highest) to E (lowest), around 60 per cent of premises were assessed as receiving service levels D or E.54
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51. Engineers Australia (2010)
52. Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (2007), p. xv
53. ACIL Allen Consulting (2014b), p. 381
54. Department of Communications (2013)