State Infrastructure Plan and Pipeline Updates

State Infrastructure Plan and Pipeline UpdatesThe Queensland Government has released the 2017 annual update of the State Infrastructure Plan (SIP) and latest iteration of the Building Queensland Infrastructure Pipeline Report.The SIP, first released in March 2016, outlines the Government’s strategic direction for the planning, investment and delivery of infrastructure. The SIP contains two components – the strategy and the program. The strategy will be updated every five years, while the program will be updated annually.In total, the program commits the Government to a $42.7 billion infrastructure spend over the next four years, representing a $1.9 billion increase from last year’s original iteration of the SIP.Program updates for 2017 align the SIP to other Government plans and policies, including the draft ShapingSEQ and Budget commitments around Cross River Rail. Importantly, it also provides an update on the progress of projects foreshadowed in the previous iteration of the SIP.The SIP includes a new visual representation of Queensland’s infrastructure pipeline, focusing on the opportunities within- and need for projects to progress through- the various lifecycle stages of planning, investment and delivery. It also reinforces the need for Government to foster greater private sector involvement in delivering infrastructure solutions, such as through the recently-revised Market Led Proposals framework.Building Queensland’s latest Infrastructure Pipeline Report includes seven proposals that have been fully or partially funded by Government, along with two proposals considered ‘ready for Government investment consideration’.Among the 23 priority proposals included in the Report are potential M1 Pacific Motorway upgrades at Eight Mile Plans to Daisy Hill and Varsity Lakes to Tugun, and upgrading of the Bruce Highway- Pine River to Caloundra Road Interchange.Further information on the State Infrastructure Plan can be found here.