During 2019-2021, Australia has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, a record-breaking bushfire season, geopolitical risks, extensive flooding and drought, and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure networks.
These events demonstrated how critical infrastructure is for maintaining community safety, biodiversity and a functional economy. Shocks and stresses are growing more frequent, interconnected and severe.
There is an opportunity to take stock of lessons learned and make communities more resilient and sustainable.
1. National leadership - prioritising resilience. In a time of rapid change, uncertainty and risk, new practices are needed to ensure infrastructure plays an enabling role in contributing to community resilience. This requires a nationally consistent approach to resilience with clear, cross-sector policy priorities to inform resilience planning and prioritisation of policy and reform decisions.
2. A systemic approach - coordinating responsibility. An all-hazards systemic approach to resilience considers the interrelationship between shocks, stresses and future trends while identifying infrastructure interconnections, interdependencies and vulnerabilities.
Effective governance will coordinate and allocate responsibility to build resilience across assets and networks, places and systems.
3. Valuing resilience - evidence-based investment decisions. To make more informed decisions, the value placed on resilience through the infrastructure lifecycle must be consistent.
A national approach to quantifying the risks, costs, benefits and performance of resilient assets would embed the economic case into the business case for investment, along with commercial whole-of-life cost considerations.
4. Community trust - a vital ingredient for change. The ability to deliver change is highest when communities trust government and institutions. Reform during periods of complexity and uncertainty will only be accepted and effective where citizens trust decision-makers to act on their behalf and in their best interests. Doing this requires successful engagement and effective, transparent decision-making.
5. Sustainability - an inter-generational commitment. Integrating sustainability into planning and decision-making will allow Australia to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. A sustainable approach to infrastructure with a focus on economic, social, environmental and governance outcomes is outlined in Infrastructure Australia's Approach to Sustainability12 and embedded throughout the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan.
6. Long-lived infrastructure - contribution to a net-zero future. Infrastructure is long-term. Investments made today must consider a net zero future, including investing in technology that enables it. A more comprehensive understanding of each sector's emissions profile will help to coordinate national action, identify opportunities and plot a comprehensive short-and long-term emissions reduction pathway.
7. Creating certainty - supporting private investment. Certainty about policy settings help investors to see value. Being clear that Australia is prioritising long-term sustainability outcomes will attract investment that supports new and emerging industries, create jobs, and assist the nation's recovery from the pandemic.