Follow us:
Subscribe to our newsletter or print magazine

Build Australia: A construction Magazine logo

  • News
  • Projects
  • Grand Designs
  • Mega Structures
  • Events
  • Products and Services
  • Online Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Home
  • News
  • Projects
  • Grand Designs
  • Mega Structures
  • Events
  • Products and Services
  • Online Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Report helps break down barriers for women on work sites
  • QBCC review findings to strengthen building industry regulation
  • Australia’s social housing shrinks as demand surges 
  • NSW major projects infrastructure pipeline updated

New principles to promote sustainability in infrastructure sector

15 Apr, 2021
476



Infrastructure Australia has released new guiding principles to promote sustainability across the infrastructure sector and ensure major investments deliver the best outcomes for the community.

Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive, Romilly Madew, said: “Our role requires us to help ensure the benefits of sustainability are harnessed. With this in mind, we have developed new Sustainability Principles to guide our own approach to sustainability and drive change across the sector. Ultimately, we want to ensure that community needs are properly understood and met through the efficient delivery of sustainable infrastructure.”

“Infrastructure needs to consider sustainability due to the scale of investments, the long life of assets and the potential impact projects can have on communities. This has only been amplified in an age of increasing uncertainty, resource scarcity, disruption, climate change and extreme weather events. It is now critical that infrastructure is delivered in a manner which produces sustainable outcomes.”

“Infrastructure Australia’s view is that sustainability and sustainable infrastructure are contingent on balancing social, economic, environmental and governance considerations. Balancing outcomes across each of these four areas will help communities to be functioning and fair, while not adversely impacting future generations and the planet.”

Ms Madew said Infrastructure Australia hopes that the Sustainability Principles will provide clear strategic direction to governments at all levels and the infrastructure sector around how to promote sustainable infrastructure and better community outcomes.

She noted that sustainability is already a key consideration in their reform and investment recommendations.

“In publishing these new guiding Principles, we are making an even greater commitment to promote, support, reflect and communicate sustainability across our work,” she said.

“The Principles set clear and transparent expectations on how sustainability will be considered in future advice and publications, including the Infrastructure Priority List, revised Infrastructure Australia Assessment Framework and the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan.”


Delivering sustainable infrastructure

Sustainable infrastructure refers to the network and system, equipment and assets designed to meet the population’s essential service needs in a sustainable manner.

This results in infrastructure that is planned, designed, procured, constructed and operated to optimise social, economic, environmental and governance outcomes over an asset’s life.

The 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit emphasised the benefits of adopting sustainability enhancing approaches to infrastructure assets and the associated risks of inaction.

Key sustainable infrastructure identifiers include:

  • Protects and preserves ecological processes required to maintain human health and the functioning of natural systems.
  • Enables economic development while limiting negative effects on the environment and enhancing quality-of-life.
  • Represents the efficient use of financial resources or reduces life-cycle costs.

The Sustainability Principles are now available to view on Infrastructure Australia’s website.

Related Articles

infrastructure pipeline

Meeting the challenge of Australia’s record infrastructure pipeline

New $470-million Maitland Hospital with state-of-the art services opens

CCAA urges governments to rethink the resilience of transport infrastructure

Increase in industrial projects provides opportunities for sustainability

Comments

Leave a comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

all news all projects

Latest Posts

  • Latest News
  • Latest Projects
30 Jun

Report helps break down barriers for women on work sites

29 Jun

QBCC review findings to strengthen building industry regulation

28 Jun

Australia’s social housing shrinks as demand surges 

28 Jun

NSW major projects infrastructure pipeline updated

28 Jun

Transport for NSW launches online landuse tool to help developers plan projects

30 Jun

New $1.2-billion Bundaberg Hospital to deliver 121 new beds

30 Jun

QEII Hospital projects deliver 140 new beds in Brisbane

29 Jun

Coronation Property secures key Erskineville urban renewal site

29 Jun

$530 million for expansion of Townsville University Hospital to deliver 143 extra beds

28 Jun

Wellington Health precinct to include new $320-million high rise

Online Magazine

    Current Cover
  • Login
  • Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter or print magazine

Associations

Our Titles

  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
© Sage Media Group 2022 All Rights Reserved.
×
Authorization
  • Registration
 This feature has been disabled
 This feature has been disabled until further notice, however you may still register
×
Registration
  • Autorization
Register
* All fields required