CEOs, councillors, government representatives and decision-makers from around the nation have added their voices to the call for a national approach to Australia’s infrastructure.
IPWEA’s National Thought Leadership Series on the future of Australia’s infrastructure has already been held in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Sydney will get its opportunity on 21 June and Adelaide on 14 July.
Presented in partnership with TechnologyOne, Australia's largest enterprise software provider, each session saw up to 60 industry leaders being challenged by international asset management expert Jeff Roorda and a panel of leading practitioners, who responded to wide and in-depth Q&A sessions.
Roorda stressed the need for a national infrastructure plan.
“As our cities and towns change, we need a plan on how to deal with that,” he explains.
“Building old infrastructure and replacing it with the same thing, doesn't make sense. We need a plan to communicate to our political leaders how we best invest in the infrastructure for the future – that's what this series is all about."
Australasian President Ross Goyne attended the Victorian session, held in Melbourne 25 May, and fielded questions from attendees as part of the panel discussion.
Goyne says attendees left the session with a realistic, but optimistic view of the challenges ahead.
“While it’s seen as quite a challenge, it is achievable, but it’s going to need a concerted and coordinated approach across the three levels of government,” he says.
The Victorian session touched on how good asset management can compliment service planning. It is currently a hot topic for the state and proves, Goyne says, that the series’ material is both timely and relevant.
The series has proven so popular that an Adelaide event, which initially was not included in the schedule to avoid clashing with the IPWEA SA State Conference, has now been scheduled, with location still to be announced.
IPWEA CEO Robert Fuller says the upcoming luncheons in Sydney and Adelaide are not to be missed.
“Don’t miss these events – those who have attended already have been forced to think very differently about their asset management appetite for risk in the future,” he says.
“Past practice is no longer going to be able to be relied upon as a valid predictor for the future.”
TechnologyOne Group General Manager for Local Government and Asset Intensive Industries Peter Suchting adds:
"TechnologyOne has teamed up the IPWEA to help promote the national conversation around infrastructure and the importance of it to our country. We very pleased with the success of the series to date and look forward to continuing the conversation in other capital cities.”
Visit the event page now to register for the Sydney event on 21 June.
For more information on the unsustainable state of Australia’s infrastructure assets, download IPWEA’s Special Infrastructure Report.