September 2025

Data driven delivery

NSW Infrastructure Digitalisation and Data Policy

The NSW Government has launched its Infrastructure Digitalisation and Data Policy with a commitment to embed digital practices across the state’s $118 billion infrastructure pipeline.

The policy, unveiled on Wednesday 24 September, “promotes agencies taking an asset lifecycle approach, which is fundamental to driving a ‘digital thread’ of seamless, reliable and interoperable data,” Atsushi Yamamoto, Director Infrastructure Digitalisation, Infrastructure NSW, told the 100-strong crowd.

Consult Australia’s National Policy Manager Kristine Banks joined an industry panel alongside Dr Anne Gibbs (CEO, Asset Management Council) and Jon Davies (CEO, Australian Constructors Association) to explore the benefits of infrastructure digitalisation.

Kristine welcomed the policy, as it aligns with Consult Australia’s own Enabling Digital by Default campaign, which was developed through engagement with 50-plus government agencies and member firms representing over 17,000 industry experts.

“Our members work across the whole project lifecycle, often creating digital assets that aren’t used to their full potential. This policy has the potential to lead a national ‘digital by default’ approach.”

Kristine noted that contractual and procurement barriers remain a key obstacle to consistent digital adoption. “The manual, paper-driven approach still leads”.

While the policy provides a valuable top-down signal, Kristine stressed that its success will depend on leaders driving cultural change across projects and project team.

“The reality is that the rapid evolution in technology means that firms will need to prioritise ongoing investment in the capability of their teams. This is a significant investment and the business case for it does rely on a forward pipeline of work.”

Consult Australia looks forward to continuing its collaboration with Infrastructure NSW and supporting the policy’s implementation over the next 18 months.