The Rudd Government today announced the guidelines that Infrastructure Australia will use to select projects for the nation’s Infrastructure Priority List.

The guidelines outline the evidence-based approach that will be taken to select the transport, water, energy and communication projects that Australia needs.

All proposals will be assessed against their ability to:

•  lift national productivity


•  strengthen Australia’s international competitiveness


• develop our cities and regions


• reduce greenhouse gas emissions


•  And improve the quality of life of Australians.

In developing the assessment guidelines, Sir Rod Eddington and his team have drawn on national and international experience.

Today’s announcement provides the community with an insight into how Infrastructure Australia is going about its immediate task of developing a list of projects essential to securing the nation’s long term prosperity.

An interim report on the Infrastructure Priority List will be completed by the end of 2008 and will aim to guide investments from the private and public sectors, including allocations from the $20 billion Building Australia Fund.

The Rudd Labor Government is reforming the way Australia plans, finances and builds infrastructure.

Through a combination of national leadership, long term planning and genuine community engagement, we will reverse the decades of underinvestment in the nation’s critical economic infrastructure.