Australian infrastructure audit findings

AUSTRALIAN INFRASTRUCTURE AUDIT

FINDINGS:

* Australia's population is expected to grow from 22.3 million in 2011 to 30.5 million in 2031 with the majority of growth occurring in capital cities.

* Congestion threatens economic growth and living standards and could cost Australia $53 billion by 2031.

* Without action, road travel times in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra are expected to increase by at least 20 per cent in the most congested corridors by 2031.

* On average, demand for public transport in capital cities is set to almost double over the next 20 years.

* Hot spots such as freight ports in the Pilbara (WA) and Gladstone (Qld) merit close attention. By 2031 they are projected to contribute $110 billion to the national economy.

* The national land freight task is expected to grow by 80 per cent by 2031, with a large component expected to be handled by road freight vehicles.

* Maintaining and maximising the efficiency of existing infrastructure will be critical, and in many cases will be of equal or greater importance as developing new infrastructure projects.

* Institutional arrangements in the transport sector don't provide sufficient funding to address the current gaps.

MAJOR PROPOSALS

* Improving governance and modernising regulatory settings.

* Boosting transparency and project assessment processes to enable informed choices.

* Greater sharing of information on infrastructure performance and outcomes to improve long-term decision making.