A STRONGER TOMORROW: SPEARHEADING A NEW ERA OF INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA Kate Zappa | Acting Senior Communications Officer, Infrastructure WA
Since its establishment in July 2019, Australia’s newest independent infrastructure agency (‘I-Body) has established a Board, written and published a paper mapping out how it proposes to develop WA’s first 20-year planning blueprint, and travelled the state learning about different regions’ and industries’ infrastructure priorities. Embracing the “enormous appetite for change” has been key to Infrastructure WA (IWA)’s success according to its Chairperson, John Langoulant AO.
IWA’S ROLE AND REMIT IWA’s establishment was intended to enhance transparency on infrastructure matters, improve the planning process and quality of business cases being prepared in Western Australia, build greater certainty and confidence among private sector investors, and support jobs growth in the state. Under the Infrastructure Western Australia Act 2019 (IWA Act), IWA is tasked with preparing a 20-year State Infrastructure Strategy at least every five years. It will also coordinate Western Australian submissions to Infrastructure Australia, provide advice to the WA Premier on infrastructure priorities, funding and financing, and provide advice and assistance to state government agencies and Government Trading Enterprises. It will also assess major infrastructure proposals and provide advice to the government prior to investment decisions being made. The IWA Board, comprising six representatives from the private sector along with four Directors General from key state government agencies, reports directly to the WA Premier.
MAPPING OUT THE ROUTE TO SUCCESS As the State Infrastructure Strategy will serve as the foundation for IWA’s advice to the Western Australian Government, IWA’s Board and staff recognised the need to secure input from as many of its stakeholders as possible prior to its development. “Having consulted with other I-Bodies, we understood the value that could be gained by mapping out the way we thought developing a Strategy would work best, using it as a means for robust discussion,” said Mr Langoulant.
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