NEWS
INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN During National Reconciliation Week, Infrastructure Australia released its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The document will serve as a public commitment to the national reconciliation movement and was developed in partnership with Reconciliation Australia. It outlines the organisation’s commitment, over the next year to learning as an organisation, exploring partnerships and enabling staff to take practical, actionable steps to contribute to reconciliation. Reflect RAP, is hoped to help Infrastructure Australia develop its knowledge base and strengthen its advice in areas that have an effect on quality of life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In its introduction to the plan, Infrastructure Australia says it will work to establish the organisation as a trusted partner of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. “We look forward to establishing strong, mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners who can help us to innovate and deliver better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,” the organisation said. Infrastructure Australia acknowledged that in preparing for the future of infrastructure,
Infrastructure Australia says it will work to establish the organisation as a trusted partner of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
it recognised the importance of learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique history of land management and settlement, art, culture and society. In the plan Romilly Madew, CEO of Infrastructure Australia states, in her message of commitment, that across the country Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations
are developing innovative solutions to improve local quality-of-life outcomes. “As an independent advisor, committed to the promotion of best practice, we look to these innovative solutions that deliver on community need,” she said. “We are grateful for the relationships we have grown in the development of this RAP and for those yet to come.”
NSW ADDS $3B COMMITMENT TO CREATE $100B INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS PIPELINE The NSW Government has committed $3 billion to its Infrastructure and Job Acceleration Fund. New funding will be used for smaller, ready-to-go jobs across the state. It is hoped the fund will provide an extra 20 thousand jobs for the NSW workforce. The State Government has also decided not to proceed with the refurbishment of Stadium Australia, which will allow them to redirect $800 million towards the fund. It said the Stadium Australia rebuild was a sensible project backed by the people in the 2019 election, but in the current health and economic climate 6
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it no longer made sense. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said infrastructure would provide a path to employment, and economic recovery, firing up the economy. “This guaranteed pipeline of $100 billion will be our best chance supporting the hundreds of thousands of people who have already lost their jobs in NSW,” Ms. Berejiklian said. As part of the fund the Parramatta Powerhouse Museum will still be delivered. This project is expected to create more than 1100 construction jobs in Western Sydney and 2400 indirect jobs. The government is also looking at more options to support the arts community
at Ultimo. Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the fast-tracking of projects would support jobs across the entire state and the government was in the process of identifying them. “The communities of NSW have been through an incredibly tough period with continued drought, horrific bushfires and now COVID-19 and the best path to recovery is creating jobs,” Mr. Barilaro said. “An unprecedented crisis calls for an unprecedented recovery and redirecting funding from Stadium Australia to job-creating infrastructure builds is the right thing to do for the people of NSW,” he said.
