IPWEA Whitepaper - Best Practice Asset Management of Essential Public Infrastructure

Infrastructure assets such as roads, bridges, playgrounds and community centres provide the foundation for local, rural, regional, and metropolitan communities, and are critical in fostering economic activity and community wellbeing. Yet there is a widening gap in Australia between the building of infrastructure and the process of planning which is undermining the optimal service delivery of these assets over the long-term.

Historically, there has been poor co-ordination between Federal and State/Territory Governments in managing the infrastructure investment for our communities. Fresh thinking is required, and hard choices need to be made.

Of the three levels of government in Australia, it is our local councils who are closest to the community. They are challenged with managing sustainable outcomes for long-life infrastructure whilst often working within tight fiscal constraints.

At the same time, there is a growing shortage in the number of skilled and educated professionals trained and available to manage the portfolio of public infrastructure assets. Within this context, the task of managing infrastructure assets and services has
become more complex in Australia due to rapidly changing circumstances such as natural disasters, shifting demographics, emerging technologies and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
These factors have disrupted planning, stretched supply chains, stressed communities and added more pressure onto infrastructure delivery programs already challenged by structural and resourcing issues.

The Institute of Public Works Engineers Australasia (IPWEA) is the leading advocate for the advancement of professional and accredited asset management practice, and believes a key solution to the challenges of managing infrastructure assets and services is to urgently ensure that asset managers have access to ongoing and accredited professional education. IPWEA argues that to achieve a better national outcome requires a skilled workforce of educated professionals with a clear purpose and career path. In 2022, there is no co-ordinated national strategy to education and skill development in the asset management profession, an absence which heightens risk around the cost-effective use of public funds and undermines the delivery of quality services to the community.

Australia needs a strong pipeline of talent which views asset management as a viable and rewarding long-term profession. Achieving this demands a strategic commitment to the professional development and accreditation of asset managers. IPWEA also recommends a collaboration between agencies and stakeholders as the best way to deliver this, combining current and future employers, current asset managers and the education sector to raise the profile, understanding and value of the profession.

One way to achieve this is for Federal government to fund educational programs that raise capacity and asset management practice. There should be commitment to an industry wide uplift of skills in Asset Management, which will deliver better value for infrastructure and delivery programs over the short, medium, and long term.

A dedicated and skilled asset management profession is critical for the optimal delivery and maintenance of public infrastructure. 

Until now, Australia’s approach has been to import skilled labour to relieve the pressure of the skills gap, however, a more sustainable approach is required.

It’s time for good asset management practice to become a priority, not just to maintain the ‘business as usual’ economy but to improve the performance of our assets, ensure safe environments for our communities, spearhead sustainable practices, reduce intergenerational inequity and build resilience for the challenges that lie ahead.
 

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