Seven private sector peak bodies and three government departments have joined together to establish Infrastructure Net Zero, a new initiative that will co-ordinate, collaborate and report on the Australian infrastructure sector’s pathway to net zero.
Infrastructure Net Zero is an initiative that will focus on aligning the development and implementation of new policy and regulations across all infrastructure sub-sectors and all Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. This idea is to build the capability of the infrastructure supply chain to meet the challenges ahead.
The initiative is led by a steering committee comprising senior representatives of its founding members. This includes the Australasian Railways Association (ARA), Australian Constructors Association (ACA), Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), Consult Australia (CA), Department of Infrastructure, Green Building Council Australia (GBCA), Infrastructure Australia (IA), Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA), Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC).
They include a federal policy-maker (DITRDCA) and its adviser (IA), the investor sector (CEFC), and private sector peak bodies for the transport and construction sectors (ARA, and RA), which own the carbon footprints that must be reduced, and the wider delivery value chain (ACA, CA, IPA) and sustainability ratings systems operators (ISC and GBCA) that support the decarbonisation process.
The launch, which was held in Sydney on 23 August, was attended by over 100 representatives of private and public sector organisations across Australia. Framing both the drivers and Infrastructure Net Zero’s response, Nicole Lockwood, Independent Chair of Infrastructure Net Zero, said the new organisation will tackle one of the industry’s biggest challenges.
“Infrastructure embodies, consumes and enables 70 per cent of Australia’s carbon footprint. The tightened targets for 2030 and 2050, the huge pipeline of new projects, and the need to adapt to increasing climate shocks, have brewed the perfect storm. The time for decisive action is now. Infrastructure Net Zero will help the whole sector go further and faster – together,” she said.
The Hon. Catherine King MP, Minister for Industry, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, noted in her keynote speech that the formation of the initiative demonstrates the Federal Government and industry’s efforts along the path to net zero emissions, in a way that supports communities.
“This builds on the recent decision by Infrastructure and Transport Ministers to establish the new Infrastructure Decarbonisation Working Group, which will explore ways to reduce embodied emissions in transport infrastructure, while strengthening the global competitiveness of Australia’s infrastructure and transport sectors,” King said.
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This keynote was followed by a panel comprising CEOs and senior leaders from the Government, construction and investor sectors. The key consensus to emerge was the need to switch the market’s focus from competition to collaboration.
Rebecca Hanley, CEO of Laing O’Rourke and Danny Elia, Director Executive Director, Global Asset Management, Infrastructure of IFM Investors shared examples of how such game-changing thinking is already delivering better outcomes.
A second panel, delivered an update on the various strands of Government policy that are currently under development and how they will fit together. These include the sector roadmap for transport and infrastructure announced by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, and three initiatives addressing embodied carbon, which DITRDCA is developing in collaboration with Infrastructure Australia and Infrastructure New South Wales.
This was followed by a facilitated discussion on the Commonwealth and New South Wales Governments’ new policies and initiatives for decarbonising transport infrastructure.
Ainsley Simpson, CEO of Infrastructure Sustainability Council, and the prime mover behind the establishment of Infrastructure Net Zero, explained the overall governance and strategic direction. Working groups of industry supporters will collaborate on initial areas of work organised around key stages of the asset lifecycle: investment, procurement, design, construction, operations and asset management.
In addition to building alignment between Government and the private sector, the initial body of work includes three key focus areas. The first is to be principles for reducing emissions in infrastructure, the second is to define the skills and capability for delivering net zero, and lastly to support policy and procurement reforms to accelerate emission reduction through planning, delivery and asset management.
Each workstream will be led by a group of Infrastructure Net Zero supporters – industry stakeholders who have invested in progressing a particular focus area. With these deliverables in place, further projects will be prioritised.
Funding and resourcing will be drawn from a mix of supporter contributions, government funding, and other third-party sources. All outputs will be made available on an open-source basis making the transition to net zero accessible to everyone.
Organisations interested in becoming supporters are invited to contact Mike Kilburn, Director, Infrastructure Net Zero at info@infrastructurenetzero.org
This article was originally published in the November edition of our magazine. To read the magazine, click here.