Foreword
Chairman’s foreword It is my pleasure to present the 2018 edition of Future Building, a journal of proceedings from Australia’s most prestigious gathering of infrastructure leaders, Partnerships.
Confronting these challenges and capitalising on the opportunities that technology and change present will require genuine partnerships between government and business.
This year’s programme covered the contemporary issues facing the sector, while also challenging us to keep our eyes firmly on the long-term developments and opportunities.
Working together, the professional public service, federal and state political leaders, and the wider business sector can play a critical role in driving the national debate on infrastructure reform.
The respected leaders’ panel comprising Sir Bill English, Dr Kerry Schott AO, Tony Shepherd AO and Alan Stockdale AO considered the need for leadership in restarting microeconomic reform and resolving the challenges in Australia’s energy sector. Political leaders spoke to the importance of certainty in the pipeline for industry. They also outlined their respective project priorities, and discussed how they are each confronting issues like resources and skills constraints in the sector. The panel sessions on electric vehicles and road funding, the Cape Town water crisis, social licence, and waste management invited reflection on how the sector needs to be prepared to respond to changing community expectations, as well as emerging technological and environmental challenges.
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Through national gatherings like Partnerships 2018, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia continues to provide an honest and open forum for this debate and a fertile ground for the development of leading infrastructure policy. I hope that the proceedings of Partnerships 2018 challenge your thinking and offer new insights.
Yours sincerely ADRIAN KLOEDEN Chairman Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
