Infrastructure Australia has strengthened this edition of the Plan by applying best practice methodologies in developing and assessing our proposed reforms.
They include applying a theory of change framework to ensure our recommendations follow a structured pathway to achieve our vision for 2036. Initially developed by the social impact sector, theory of change applies critical systems thinking to the design, implementation and evaluation of policy initiatives. We have used it to identify the most effective reforms to overcome issues and achieve reform outcomes.
The 2021 Implementation Pathway outlines actions for each identified reform owner over the 15-year horizon of the 2021 Plan. These actions comprise recommendations, intermediate outcomes and clearly timed activities. The Implementation Pathway provides reform owners with a summary of the reforms needing their leadership.
Multi-criteria analysis is used to articulate the trade-offs and implementation challenges associated with the reforms. It will help to inform quantitative analysis (including regulatory impact statements) that is subseguently applied to the reform proposals.
We have used this model to qualitatively assess the impacts of policy recommendations across 33 criteria and 13 impact categories (such as impacts for service users, community sustainability, ease of implementation and risks). This impact assessment is in the 2021 Reform Priority List that is published as part of the 2021 Plan suite of documents