Infrastructure Report Card - Challenges and Solutions in Victoria

1. Prof John L Wilson EA Infrastructure Spokesman Swinburne University of Technology

2. EA Report Card Objectives • Raise the community’s awareness of the importance of infrastructure • Generate debate on the quality and level required to meet society’s needs • Identify the state of infrastructure and the future challenges • Encourage the implementation of best practice

3. RATINGS SUMMARY * Fitness for purpose is evaluated in terms of the needs of the community, economy and environment using criteria of sustainability, effectiveness, efficiency and equity.

4. INFRASTRUCTURE RATINGS

5. Infrastructure Planning and Performance • Future planning • Future population estimates • Future land use plans ******* • Long lead times • Funding $$$ • Growing population • Victorian population increasing 2%pa • Melbourne population 3.9M in 2009, 5M in 2025? • 60% of new residents greater than 20km from CBD • Existing infrastructure • Ageing ranges from 1-100+ years • Service level • Meets society’s expectations • Demand < capacity • Enjoy the benefits or suffer the consequences

6. Transport - Roads • 200,000 km of roads • Report Card Rating 2010 • National Roads (C+) • State Roads (C+) • Local Roads (C-) • Sustainability Issues • Congestion: cars and freight • Possible Solutions • Integration of transport modes • Park and ride • Congestion tax and user pays • Intelligent transport systems

7. Transport – Local Roads • Report Card Rating 2010 • Local Roads (C-) • 130,000 km of local roads • Sustainability Issues • Maintaining road quality • increasing freight and traffic volumes • Unsealed roads and maintenance • Acceptable access, but limiting traffic volume and speed • Congestion, increasing demand greater than supply • Maintaining bridges, particularly old timber bridges • Eg. Gippsland 600 local bridges, 75% timber deck

8. Transport - Rail • Report Card Rating 2010 • Rail Overall (D) • Rail Freight (D) • Sustainability Issues • Fragile and tired system • Rail track, rail network, rolling stock, signalling • Congestion with only 10% patronage • Service and maintenance • New lines for new outer suburbs • Rail gauge and connectivity • Poor freight movement

9. Transport – Rail Rail Solutions – System Modernisation • Less spin and significantly more funding $$$ • Vic Government has reacted slowly • Rail network improvements and expansion • Expand the rolling stock and staff • Modernise the signalling and control systems • Increase the frequency and level of service • Effective integration of public transport modes • Metro vision • Passengers will not need a timetable • Turn up and in ‘x’ minutes a train will arrive • Trains run reliably, high frequency and high capacity

10. Transport - Ports • Report Card Rating C+ • Sustainability Issues • Capacity restraints • Lack of inter-modal integration • Possible Solutions • Intermodal facility • Channel deepening • Rail connectivity

11. Water Network • Water supply • 60,000km (22,000km urban and 38,000km regional) • 200 Dams (16 for Melbourne metropolitan) • Waste Water • 32,000km sewers (Melb 20,000km, Regional 12,000km) • Stormwater • 36,000km • (MW 1100km, Metro Councils 25,000km, • Regional Councils 11,000km)

12. Metro Water • Report Card Ratings • Wastewater (B-) • Potable water (C) • Sustainability Issues • Water availability • Growing population • Possible Solutions • Demand management • Drinking treated wastewater *** • EDUCATION!!! • Desalination ???

13. Metro Stormwater • Report Card Ratings • Stormwater (C-) • Old suburbs • 5 year storm design prior to 1970s • Densification of suburbs • Difficult to retrofit and upgrade • WSUD • Flood risks • Stormwater harvesting • Large tanks 5000+ litres • New Suburbs • WSUD • Better land use and design

14. Energy - Electricity • Report Card Rating C- • Sustainability Issues • Lack of reserve capacity • Growing population • Ageing power stations • Greenhouse emissions • 80% brown coal generation • Possible Solutions • Demand management • New generating plant • Renewables ? • Carbon capture? • Distributed systems? • Nuclear? • Urgent investment $$$$

15. Funding Issues • Only short-term budgetary commitments to critical infrastructure elements • Reluctance to utilise public debt funding • Opportunities for increased private sector funding • Provision of grants for capital works only, with no allowance for ongoing maintenance • Immediate need for increased funding for maintenance and renewals

16. Skills Shortage • Current skills shortage in engineering • Significant retirements over the next decade could result in knowledge gap and widen the skills shortage • Secondary education in the enabling subjects of Maths and Science essential – current shortage of teachers in these fields • Great opportunities for graduate and migrant engineers

17. Recommendations • Increase quantum of funding • Long term infrastructure planning • Invest in project planning and consultation • Address population growth and climate change • Establish a new strategic advisory body • Partner with the private sector • Delivery models must allocate risk appropriately

18. INFRASTRUCTURE RATINGS