A submission to the Queensland Government.
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Transport infrastructure planning has lost its way – by Geoff Edwards
‘Public infrastructure’ is a term commonly used to describe the basic physical structures needed for the operation of a society or commercial enterprise. The traditional method of funding public infrastructure has been through public budgets.3 This imposes three powerful brakes upon over investment in grandiose projects: strategic land use and transport planning; oversight by a multidisciplinary, disinterested public service; and fiscal discipline at budget time.
Public infrastructure projects make a significant contribution to the economy, both in providing essential services to urban, regional, rural and remote communities and also in generating employment. Public investment is not a dead weight on the economy. Public expenditure also has multiplier effects on employment in the rest of the economy. Appropriate infrastructure creates long-term industrial capacity, so it is essential to link infrastructure planning with contemporary industry/innovation policy. Continue reading