Building Queensland's future
Building Queensland has had a remarkable impact on the Queensland Government’s infrastructure development process, as Business Review Australia reports.
Tasked with providing impartial advice to the Queensland Government on key infrastructure decisions, Building Queensland has shown planners across the world what can be achieved in little over 12 months. Cemented into the State’s statutory body with the Building Queensland Act 2015, the advisor has already played a decisive role in government decision making.
Remit
“Building Queensland’s vision is to contribute significantly to superior infrastructure decision making for Queensland,” says Chief Executive Officer, David Quinn. “In pursuit of this vision this independent statutory body is providing strong leadership in developing a consistent longer-term approach to infrastructure proposal development and prioritisation.”
“Building Queensland is fast emerging as the pre-eminent source of independent and expert infrastructure advice to government, holding the ability to facilitate investment decisions made by the Queensland Government’s State Infrastructure Fund.”
In its advisory role, Building Queensland draws on domestic and international policy examples in order to first identify emerging issues (these could be in infrastructure planning, policy, assessment and project delivery) then prioritise and advise the correct course of action. As standard, Building Queensland identifies projects that provide the greatest value for money as well as long term benefits to communities.
Building Queensland has also purposely developed a suite of frameworks to assist in the development of quality business cases; these provide a consistent and robust approach to major proposal development.
Quinn adds: “Building Queensland is leading the charge to improve the way the Queensland Government develops infrastructure proposals having developed its own best practice Business Case Development Framework. The Framework ensures that a rigorous and robust assessment is undertaken prior to investment consideration.”
Building Queensland is also consulted on proposals pertaining to infrastructure that are part of the government’s Market-Led Proposals (MLP) framework. This is an initiative bring together innovation, private sector funding and entrepreneurship that works by contracting exclusively with proponents rather than competitive tendering.
Infrastructure Pipeline Report
So how does Building Queensland actually share its advice? Its Infrastructure Pipeline Report presents Building Queensland’s view of priority infrastructure proposals – in various stages of development – by the State Government.
Using an interactive online tool, users are able to chart the progress of sector-specific projects, as well as explore them in more detail by seeing how the need had been identified, the preliminary evaluation work, and the business case for a given project. Interested parties are also able to view proposal summaries online.
Although the first Pipeline Report was only published earlier this year, Building Queensland is already making waves, Quinn explains: “Since the release of the first Infrastructure Pipeline Report in June 2016, three of the four proposals recommended by Building Queensland as being ready for government investment consideration have secured a funding commitment from the Queensland Government.”
He also highlights that Building Queensland’s Infrastructure Pipeline Report supports the Queensland Government by developing better infrastructure proposal development; the Government is better informed while making key investment decisions because, simply put, it has a better selection of projects.
“The Infrastructure Pipeline Report is the first time independent, expert analysis has been used to assess all major infrastructure proposals, including economic and social infrastructure, in development across the Queensland Government,” he adds.
Having advised on a growing number of important projects in the State, Building Queensland has shown in a very short space of time that widening the debate is both needed and achievable. Quin concludes: “In delivering its independent advice to government, Building Queensland is also providing industry and the community with visibility of infrastructure proposals currently being considered. It is stimulating more informed debate, as more Queenslanders are able to engage in discussion on future infrastructure needs.”
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