The federal government advisory body Infrastructure Australia has put 12 additional projects into its $64 billion pipeline to help the country recover from a “rolling series of crises”.
The 155 projects on the Infrastructure Priority List now include the New South Wales M12 Motorway, parts of the Western Australia Metronet rail line and Queensland inland freight route capacity and safety initiatives .
However, Victorian projects as well as notable infrastructure announcement Snowy Hydro 2.0 and the expansion of the Olympic Dam in South Australia are not included.
Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew said that when selecting projects job creation before and after construction was considered, along with reducing congestion, among other things.
Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew said that job creation before and after construction was considered, along with reducing congestion when selecting projects.
“The project has to have the ability for revenue generation, so for whoever is, you know, accepting money,” Madew said in an ABC Radio National interview on Wednesday.
“We would welcome an opportunity to assess the Snowy Hydro 2.0 but we haven’t currently seen a business case, and that’s not unusual.”
Related: Rising Sea Levels, Water Security Top Priority List
Additions to the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List
| Project | Level of importance |
|---|---|
| Queensland | |
| Qld: Queensland regional road network safety improvements | High Priority Initiative |
| Qld: Brisbane northern suburbs corridor capacity | High Priority Initiative |
| Qld: Browns Plains to South East Busway public transport connectivity | Priority Initiative |
| Qld: Queensland inland freight route capacity and safety | Priority Initiative |
| Qld: Browns Plains to Beaudesert road capacity and safety | Priority Initiative |
| Qld: Mooloolah River Interchange capacity and safety | Priority Initiative |
| Australian Capital Territory | Priority Initiative |
| ACT: Australian Institute of Sport modernisation (AIS submission) | Priority Initiative |
| New South Wales | |
| NSW: M12 Motorway | High Priority Initiative |
| NSW: More Trains, More Services Stage 2 | Priority Initiative |
| NSW: Port Botany Rail Line Duplication & Cabramatta Passing Loop (ARTC submission) | Priority Initiative |
| Western Australia | |
| WA: Metronet: Morley–Ellenbrook Line Project | Priority Initiative |
| WA: Metronet: High Capacity Signalling Project | Priority Initiative |
^ Source: Infrastructure Australia
The Infrastructure Australia chief executive said this was the first time the advisory body had formally released the priority list mid-year in order to progress the projects faster.
“Australia is planning its recovery from a rolling series of crises: drought, flood, the bushfires and now Covid-19,” Madew said.
“As we look forward, the focus is on delivery and as the nation’s infrastructure advisory body, we are continuing to improve our ability to move quickly to identify investments that will improve productivity—this is about expanding the pipeline, keeping the economy growing, helping to create jobs and attract investment.”
Highly-anticipated projects already on the priority list include the inland rail from Melbourne to Brisbane via New South Wales, which was evaluated in May 2016 and is expected to be delivered before 2026.
The next Infrastructure Priority List announcement is expected in February.
