I have recorded a short podcast with Pop Up Radio Australia regarding my upcoming presentation (next Tuesday) to the IAQ Queensland Infrastructure Summit, in which I will be considering the pros and cons of so-called infrastructure banks:

Podcast on my upcoming presentation to IAQ Qld Infrastructure Summit

This is extremely topical given the recent establishment of the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The concept of an infrastructure bank has been raised in Australia previously, most notably during the financial crisis, and is currently in the Australian Greens’ policy platform (see Australian Infrastructure Bank). Regular readers probably won’t be surprised by my assessment of the pros and cons of infrastructure banks, and I will make my presentation available after I have delivered it on Tuesday.

For the record, I certainly won’t be proposing the establishment of state banks similar to what we once had in Australia. Those readers who can remember the late 1980s and early 1990s in Australia will recall the troubles of State Banks in Victoria and South Australia. Who can forget the troubled merchant banking arm of the State Bank of Victoria, the wonderfully named Tricontinental? The troubles of the State Banks were all over the TV, radio and newspapers. Below is a front page from the Australian from February 1991, for example. A reminder of those challenging years of bust following the colossal boom of the 1980s.

Finally, you may also be interested in Kirsty O’Connell’s podcast on her upcoming presentation on community engagement regarding infrastructure.