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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Budget Will Be Big On Infrastructure But We Need More Than Just Roads, Garry Bowditch
The Budget Will Be Big On Infrastructure But We Need More Than Just Roads, Garry Bowditch
Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A
The Abbott government is preparing to give Sydney's WestConnex road project a A$2 billion boost in this week's federal budget, part of a broader $10 billion infrastructure package aimed at boosting productivity and private sector investment. Congestion in Sydney continues to escalate with gridlock on roads impacting passenger and freight logistics. The persistence of this situation reflects poorly on project selection and asset management processes, along with distortions that have arisen from poor interactions between the Commonwealth and the states. Reform is urgently needed where there is less focus on ribbon cutting and more use of well-targeted "pinch point" interventions. …
How To Attract Foreign Firms To Do Australian Infrastructure, Garry Bowditch
How To Attract Foreign Firms To Do Australian Infrastructure, Garry Bowditch
Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A
Australia's two biggest construction companies, Leighton and Lend Lease, control a significant share of construction - up to 75% in cases such as major rail projects. The recent Productivity Commission draft report on public infrastructure found their combined "market shares would appear sufficient to allow them to exercise market power to inflate prices and/or profits". At the same time, the Commission noted that no evidence exists to support such a proposition. A more important unanswered question remains - what conditions are necessary to attract foreign firms to help Australia deliver cheaper, faster and better infrastructure? Looking abroad for solutions can …