Infrastructure Australia's vision for 2036 is to have infrastructure that improves the sustainability of the country's economic, social, environmental and governance settings, improve quality of life for all Australians, and is resilient to shocks and emerging stresses.
The 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan sets out the reforms needed over the next 15 years to achieve this.
The 2021 Plan is a practical and actionable roadmap for reform that prioritises community outcomes and the delivery of affordable, high-quality infrastructure services across Australia's diverse geographies.
It outlines meaningful steps to grow the economy, maintain and enhance people's standard of living and ensure every city and region delivers world-class infrastructure for all Australians.
This edition of the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan is being published as recent extreme events have had a significant impact on the health of Australian communities, environment and economies.
During 2020 and 2021, drought, floods, bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic all impacted how Australians use and value infrastructure, and the demand for the services it delivers.
Reflecting this, the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan focuses on adaptability and how the infrastructure sector can best support the national recovery from recent shocks.
While recent events have tested the ability of Australia's infrastructure sector to handle shocks and stresses, they have also highlighted the resilience and adaptability of the sector.
It is possible to build on the lessons learned to create a more resilient Australia and embed them into a new way of operating.
Infrastructure sustainability is another key focus of the 2021 Plan. In our 2021 Sustainability Principles, Infrastructure Australia defines 'sustainable infrastructure' as 'the network and system, equipment and assets designed to meet the population's essential service needs'.3
This means infrastructure is planned, designed, constructed and operated to optimise social, economic, environmental and governance outcomes over the life of an asset.
Sustainable infrastructure does not stop at building new projects. It also includes rehabilitating, reusing and optimising existing infrastructure.
The 2021 Plan aspires to support community needs by balancing the sustainability, affordability and accessibility of infrastructure services.
Within this focus on user and community outcomes, we have identified unifying themes across each area covered in the Plan - see Table III.1.
Table III.1: The 2021 Plan's focus areas and themes respond to Australians' changing needs
Focus area | Outcome |
Place-based outcomes for communities | Unlocking the potential of every place. |
Sustainability and resilience | Balancing infrastructure outcomes in an uncertain future. |
Industry productivity and innovation | Facilitating a step change in industry productivity. |
Transport | Delivering an integrated transport network. |
Energy | Enabling an affordable transition to a net zero future. |
Water | Prioritising safe and secure water. |
Telecommunications and digital | Ensuring equality in an era of accelerating digitalisation. |
Social infrastructure | Supporting economic prosperity and quality of life. |
Waste | Accelerating Australia's transition to a circular economy. |