The Australian Government has announced their commitment of $15.2bn over 10 years for Road, Rail and Community Infrastructure projects as part of its stimulus measures to support employment in the post-pandemic economy.
Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, said the substantial new funding delivered in this Budget was a key play by the Federal Government to help Australia bounce back stronger than ever from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The record investment in infrastructure defines the success of local communities for years to come and sets Australia up for the future. Consultation Manager continues to be utilised on large infrastructure projects throughout Australia to engage, consult, listen and report on critical stakeholder information throughout the development of large Government projects.
Morrison Government announces 1.2 billion investment for the digital economy
The Australian Federal Government has allocated $1.2bn to building Australia’s digital future through the Digital Economy Strategy. Building and developing homegrown technology to support innovation, especially in community and stakeholder engagement, has been critical as we navigate through and out of a global pandemic. Digital stakeholder management tools have allowed us to engage and consult communities, communicate important information in real-time, and generate simple and intuitive reports to help guide critical decision-making in community recovery and infrastructure.
The Australian digital transformation and modernisation said to be implemented by 2030 is not merely a national transformation but a global transformation accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of quick, seamless, and intuitive online communications and management.
Colin Goudie, Chief Technology Officer of Consultation Manager and Founder of Social Pinpoint, said of the digital transformation investment, “This is a really exciting announcement, as people globally have already been connecting and participating online for many years. At Consultation Manager and Social Pinpoint, we realised early on the power of cloud-based software that enables our clients to listen, consult, inform and report on stakeholder interactions from any digital device”.
“Our tools were rapidly adopted globally through the pandemic to communicate with individuals where they already were- online! The rapid shift to digital showed engagement and planning professionals the full capabilities of our platforms, including delivering projects on time and within budget by identifying issues and common themes early on before they become a problem. This was especially helpful with many community and infrastructure projects being time-critical during the pandemic” he continued.
“The investment from the Morrison Government highlights the importance of modernising business practices in any industry, and we look forward to working with our clients on upcoming infrastructure projects as we build for a stronger, post-pandemic economy”.
Australian Infrastructure projects funded by post-pandemic recovery funds
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $167.3 million
Predicted jobs created: 200+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $26.5 million to duplicate the remaining sections of William Hovell Drive
- An additional $5 million for Gundaroo Drive Duplication
- $2.5 million for upgrades to Beltana Road in Pialligo
New South Wales
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $3.02 billion
Predicted jobs created: 6,500+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $2.03 billion for the Great Western Highway Upgrade – Katoomba to Lithgow – Construction of East and West Sections
- $400 million for the Princes Highway Corridor – Jervis Bay Road to Sussex Inlet Road – Stage 1
- $240 million for the Mount Ousley Interchange
- $100 million for the Princes Highway Corridor – Jervis Bay Road Intersection
- $87.5 million for M5 Motorway – Moorebank Avenue-Hume Highway Intersection Upgrade
- $52.8 million for Manns Road – Intersection Upgrades at Narara Creek Road and Stockyard Place
- $48 million for Pacific Highway – Harrington Road Intersection Upgrade, Coopernook
Northern Territory
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $323.9 million
Predicted jobs created: 900+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $173.6 million for Northern Territory Gas Industry Roads Upgrades
- $150 million for Northern Territory National Network Highway Upgrades (Phase 2)
- $300,000 Development Study for a Proposed Tennant Creek Multimodal Facility and Rail Terminal
Queensland
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $1.6 billion
Predicted jobs created: 2,800+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $400 million for the Inland Freight Route (Mungindi to Charters Towers) Upgrades
- An additional $400 million for Bruce Highway Upgrades
- $240 million for the Cairns Western Arterial Road Duplication
- $178.1 million for the Gold Coast Rail Line Capacity Improvement (Kuraby to Beenleigh) – Preconstruction
- $160 million for the Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade (Packages 1 and 2)
- An additional $126.6 million for Gold Coast Light Rail – Stage 3
- $35.3 million for the Maryborough-Hervey Bay Road and Pialba-Burrum Heads Road Intersection Upgrade
- $10 million for the Caboolture – Bribie Island Road (Hickey Road-King John Creek) Upgrade
South Australia
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $3.2 billion
Predicted jobs created: 5,000+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $2.6 billion allocation of funding for the North-South Corridor – Darlington to Anzac Highway
- $161.6 million for the Truro Bypass
- $148 million for the Augusta Highway Duplication Stage 2
- An additional $64 million for the Strzelecki Track Upgrade – Sealing
- An additional $60 million for the Gawler Rail Line Electrification
- $48 million for the Heysen Tunnel Refit and Upgrade – Stage 2
- An additional $27.6 million for the Overpass at Port Wakefield and Township Duplication
- $32 million for the Kangaroo Island Road Safety and Bushfire Resilience Package
- $22.5 million for the Marion Road and Sir Donald Bradman Drive Intersection Upgrade
Tasmania
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $322.6 million
Predicted jobs created: 1,000+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $80 million for the Tasmanian Roads Package – Bass Highway Safety and Freight Efficiency Upgrades Package – Future Priorities
- $48 million for the Algona Road Grade Separated Interchange and Duplication of the Kingston Bypass
- $44 million for the Rokeby Road – South Arm Road Upgrades
- $37.8 million for the Midland Highway Upgrade – Campbell Town North (Campbell Town to Epping Forest)
- $36.4 million for the Midland Highway Upgrade – Oatlands (Jericho to South of York Plains)
- $35.7 million for the Midland Highway Upgrade – Ross (Mona Vale Road to Campbell Town)
- An additional $24 million for the Port of Burnie Shiploader Upgrade
- $13.2 million for the Huon Link Road
Victoria
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $2.997 billion
Predicted jobs created: 3,000+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $2 billion for initial investment in a new Melbourne Intermodal Terminal
- An additional $307 million for the Pakenham Roads Upgrade
- An additional $203.4 million for the Monash Roads Upgrade
- An additional $20 million for the Green Triangle and $15 million for the Melbourne to Mildura Roads of Strategic Importance corridors
- An additional $56.8 million for the Hall Road Upgrade
- An additional $30.4 million for the Western Port Highway Upgrade
- $17.5 million for the Dairy Supply Chain Road Upgrades
- $10 million for the Mallacoota-Genoa Road Upgrade
Western Australia
Total 2021-22 Budget funding: $1.26 billion
Predicted jobs created: 4,000+
Key projects to be funded include:
- $347.5 million for METRONET: Hamilton Street-Wharf Street Grade Separations and Elevation of Associated Stations, including Queens Park Station and Cannington Station and an enhanced METRONET Byford Rail Extension project, with new grade separated rail crossing at Armadale Road and an elevated station at Armadale
- $200 million for the Great Eastern Highway Upgrades – Coates Gully, Walgoolan to Southern Cross and Ghooli to Benari
- $160 million for the WA Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements – Package 1
- $112.5 million for the Reid Highway – Altone Road and Daviot Road-Drumpellier Drive – grade-separated intersections
- $85 million for the Perth Airport Precinct – Northern Access
- $64 million for the Toodyay Road Upgrade – Dryandra to Toodyay
- $55 million for the Mandurah Estuary Bridge Duplication
- $31.5 million towards the METRONET High Capacity Signalling project
Australian Government Departments using Consultation Manager to deliver large infrastructure projects
iSeek Plant recently published an article on Australia’s largest infrastructure projects, highlighting the use of Consultation Manager on 10 out of 12 major projects to deliver simple and intuitive stakeholder engagement and management.
Dylan Black, Product Specialist at Consultation Manager said “The biggest infrastructure projects in Australia are using Consultation Manager to help manage all of their stakeholder relationships and meet all regulatory requirements throughout the delivery of their projects. The platform makes it easy for Government and delivery partners to collaborate and share data across projects they are working on”.
“Consultation Manager allows you to seamlessly report on trending issues and sentiment of each project as well as inform stakeholders of project updates and other important information via SMS and Email. Users can also easily manage the properties that are affected by large infrastructure projects by storing all relevant ownership information including documentation such as land agreements, in the platform” he said.
Consultation Manager has been widely adopted long-term by Government departments throughout Australia to deliver large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the Victorian Department of Transport and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure in South Australia.
To support Consultation Manager clients and the wider industry with the planning, strategy, and execution of post-pandemic infrastructure development projects, we are offering free 1-hour strategy sessions with our product specialist team. Schedule a meeting below to discuss how Consultation Manager can best support your stakeholder management strategy to deliver projects seamlessly, on time, and within budget.
