The quality of people’s lives - their incomes, their work-life balance, their health, the environment in which they live, and their access to opportunities, can be broadly categorised into economic, social and environmental dimensions. Of course these aspects are intertwined and are not separate silos. There are broad trends and influences which shape the economic, social and environmental outcomes for Victoria. Some are global, other national and others can be shaped and influenced by decisions made within Victoria. One of the most powerful ways to influence these trends is via the provision and management of infrastructure.

Environmental, social and economic issues influence demand for infrastructure. It is also true that infrastructure can shape and influence environmental, social and economic outcomes. This means that infrastructure initiatives need to be conceptualised both within the context of a ‘creating the sort of Victoria we want’ and following the more conventional ‘predict and provide’ philosophy where infrastructure simply responds to demonstrated demand.

In this context, we must have a strong understanding of how the various economic, social and environmental trends have impacted on different parts of Victoria and what the future infrastructure implications are. Frameworks to understand these three areas have been developed, and indicators to represent the various issues have been selected to assess outcomes across Victoria. From analysis of these indicators there are some very clear trends which are impacting on different parts of Victoria.