More investment in infrastructure is required to ensure the needs of a growing Australian population are met. While some commentators lament the ‘lost decade’ of infrastructure development in Australia, there remain significant opportunities to invest and expand our infrastructure networks across the country. With the appropriate reforms, Australia now has an opportunity to increase the quality and affordability of vital infrastructure projects nationwide, invest in the future of the Australian economy, and become a world leader in infrastructure provision.

This report highlights a number of key areas that hold the potential for efficiency improvements to mitigate these high costs. The variety of policy options outlined could result in a significant reduction to the cost of public infrastructure provision for government, the private sector and the community as a whole. It identifies the positive impacts of consultative project planning and tables the problems with the inherently political nature of public infrastructure provision.