Today I will convene a meeting of representatives from a number of key national peak organisations to explore opportunities for further collaboration in the interests of our constituents and the nation as a whole.
In May 2016, representatives from ALGA, the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Planning Institute of Australia, Australian Logistics Council, Urban Development Institute of Australia, Property Council of Australia, National Farmer's Federation and Green Building Council of Australia launched our Joint Infrastructure Statement.
The Infrastructure Statement called on all political parties to make a commitment to maintaining long-term infrastructure spending, address the growing infrastructure shortfall and improve national productivity. We urged all Federal political parties and their candidates to take a long-term, strategic view of infrastructure investment to ensure Australia's cities and regions remain competitive, liveable and sustainable.
The statement was covered in national media and helped to maintain a focus on infrastructure in the lead up to the election; it leveraged the shared interest of all peak bodies involved for better infrastructure and provided a powerful voice in our calls for greater investment in public infrastructure.
Today's meeting will build on this good start. I am particularly interested in exploring the opportunities for securing long-term infrastructure funding and taking the politics out of some of the decision making and project selection.
I strongly believe that continued collaboration between our organisations and potentially other like-minded bodies will over time become increasingly more influential. The opportunity we have here will unify the national voices of our respective organisations to lobby and support those political leaders bold enough to propose appropriate reform to improve the transparency of decision-making and funding for critical national infrastructure projects.
Mayor Troy Pickard
ALGA President