Infrastructure Australia’s latest report to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) won’t give much comfort to people who hope our governments actually know what they’re doing when it comes to building the roads, railways and ports we need for the future. In a departure from the usual boring bureaucratic language that characterises Government reports, Infrastructure Australia notes:

This report is also quite deliberately expressed in stronger terms than previous reports. Whilst governments have invested a significant amount on infrastructure, they have made little progress in responding to a number of issues raised in previous reports, e.g. the need for improved planning, and the need for reforms in the areas of pricing, demand management and funding.

Public transport is one area where governments across Australia have historically performed poorly:

Australians experience the consequences of poor or inadequate infrastructure planning, investment and regulation in their daily lives. They experience the frustration of congestion in our cities, and the absence of effective public transport leaves people stranded, both figuratively and literally.

The report is titled Communicating the Imperative for Action. It certainly does that. It’s time for our politicians and bureaucrats to act. Well done to Infrastructure Australia.