With so many major infrastructure projects underway or planned across the country, plus recent funding announcements, and continual advancements in technologies and processes, it’s fair to say that it’s an exciting and challenging time for Australia’s infrastructure industry.
Here is some of Infrastructure’s most read content over the past six or so months, which is good intel on what the industry is excited about, and where we see things headed.
Some of our biggest stories were about the NorthConnex project, as one of the major road projects in Australia, readers were very interested in any updates, milestones, and behind the scenes looks into this project.
Other major megaprojects that interested our readers included the Pacific Highway, Sydney Metro, Inland Rail, Western Sydney Airport, Melbourne Airport Rail Link, as well as the Coffs Harbour bypass.
Funding announcements and articles about the future project pipeline were also important for our readers, who were obviously keen to know where funding was being directed for the next 12 months and what projects should be on their radar.
The 2021-22 Federal Budget was released in mid-May and outlined a $110 billion, 10-year infrastructure pipeline, which included an additional $15.2 billion in new commitments to infrastructure projects, supporting an estimated 30,000 jobs across Australia.
These funding commitments focused on major nation-building infrastructure projects, water security, national freight challenges, and road safety.
Some of the key projects to be funded include:
- A new Melbourne Intermodal Terminal
- Great Western Highway Upgrade – Katoomba to Lithgow
- Inland Freight Route (Mungindi to Charters Towers) Upgrades in Queensland
- Truro Bypass in South Australia
- Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements in Western Australia
- National Network Highway Upgrades in the Northern Territory
- Bass Highway Safety and Freight Efficiency Upgrades in Tasmania
- William Hovell Drive Duplication in the Australian Capital Territory
Generally the infrastructure industry is engaging with content that can help provide more certainty on what the future holds and where the next opportunities lie, which is understandable after the disruptive year we’ve had.
Given the impact of the pandemic, articles about COVID and the infrastructure-led recovery were also very popular, as they are some of the biggest challenges the sector has been dealing with.
Some of the industry’s current trends, found both in the budget and from key industry reports such as Infrastructure Australia’s Priority List released in March, include:
- Improving the capacity and efficiency of ports and freight
- Investment in new energy sources – including renewables and hydrogen
- Water security
- Development in regional and remote communities – including increasing digital connectivity and digital health services
There is a lot of activity in the industry at the moment and plenty of work in the pipeline, particularly within road and rail.
People in the infrastructure industry are engaging with any content looking at the project pipeline, what’s being funded, any major contracts that have been awarded, and updates to the big ticket transport projects.
If you’d like any help getting your message out to Australia’s infrastructure industry through Infrastructure’s channels, download the media kit here.
