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Highly regarded across the industry, Consult Australia’s Future Leader Program has been running annually for more than fifteen years.Through sixteen sessions delivered over eight months the program builds on existing personal strengths, identifies, and develops new strengths and skills and broadens networks.Winning project teams are selected based on both a public vote and their presentations to a panel of expert industry judges.
Participants of the Consult Australia 2024 Future Leader Program were split into 5 groups and worked on the same project. This year the project was to undertake a feasibility study to Develop an approach to a data-driven capability for assessing the resilience risks to nationally significant infrastructure from climate-related hazards.A big thank you to the team at Infrastructure Australia for their support of this project.Voting is limited to one vote per person, and voting is open to anyone. The poll will close at mid-night on Friday 21 February 2025, (AEDT).Support your industry future leaders and join us at the Consult Australia Awards Gala Dinner, details can be found here .
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PROJECT BACKGROUND
Australia’s Investment in Climate-Resilient InfrastructureThe Australian Government has committed to investing over $110 billion in infrastructure projects over the next decade (2021–2031) as part of a broad initiative to strengthen the nation’s resilience and enhance its infrastructure capabilities (Infrastructure Australia, 2021). This investment underscores the government's dedication to building and upgrading critical infrastructure across various sectors, including transport, water, energy, and digital networks. The goal is to create infrastructure that not only supports Australia’s economic growth but also withstands the growing impacts of climate change.Central to this initiative is the Infrastructure Priority List, which identifies over 200 nationally significant projects and initiatives worth more than $60 billion. These projects are strategically selected to address Australia’s most pressing infrastructure needs, with approximately 20% of new projects specifically designed to mitigate climate risks (Infrastructure Australia, 2021). These include flood control systems, bushfire-resistant structures, and upgrades to transport and energy networks to improve resilience to extreme weather events. The Priority List ensures that investment is directed toward projects that will have a lasting impact on Australia's sustainability and resilience.In line with its focus on climate adaptation, the government has allocated over $15 billion specifically for climate resilience initiatives. This funding is intended to support infrastructure projects that mitigate and adapt to the increasing frequency and severity of climate-related events, such as bushfires, droughts, and floods. These projects not only protect vital infrastructure but also help to safeguard communities and reduce the long-term costs associated with climate impacts (Australian Government, 2023).A critical target of this investment is the stabilisation of disaster recovery costs at 2019 levels. As climate related events are expected to increase in both frequency and intensity, this goal reflects the government's proactive approach to managing future expenses by enhancing resilience now (Productivity Commission, 2022). Through strategic investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, Australia aims to minimise the financial burden of disaster recovery on future generations. Read on …Download project report
Natural disasters are costlyDamage and downtime of infrastructure can cost billions of dollars a year to the economy and can severely affect the day-to-day lives of people and communities who are acutely affected. A key source of this damage and downtime is caused by natural disasters, some of which are expected to get worse over time as the effects of climate change cause more extreme weather events. Funds for repair and resilience of infrastructure need to be prioritisedInvestment in infrastructure can be made to improve the resilience to these natural disasters but it is difficult to decide where to best spend the available resources. This is further important because the severity and frequency of some types of natural disasters is increasing as a result of climate change. Infrastructure assets can be quantitatively prioritised using a ‘FortiFactor’We propose a framework to assess the relative risk of a range of infrastructure assets in order to provide an easy metric, the “FortiFactor”, to form a first-pass assessment on where to allocate funds for detailed review and investment. Improve existing open-source digital toolkits developed by leading researchers. This method is proposed to be developed into a web application, building off existing digital infrastructure which has been developed by Oxford University and various worldwide governments. The aim of this tool is to provide user-friendly, visual breakdowns of large datasets to aid engineers and Ministers in rapid and informed decision making. Read on …
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Executive SummaryThis report presents the Infrastructure Climate Risk Assessment (ICRA) framework, developed to enhance the resilience of Australia’s nationally significant infrastructure against climate-related hazards. The framework integrates data from multiple sources to evaluate the vulnerability and criticality of infrastructure assets across key sectors, including Transport, energy, water, and telecommunications. Using a robust scoring system, it quantifies exposure to risks such as bushfires, floods, and extreme heat, enabling prioritisation of interventions to strengthen resilience. Aligned with Infrastructure Australia's strategic goals, the framework supports evidence-based decision making and Investment planning. A proof-of-concept application demonstrates its practical value, offering clear insights to guide resilience-building initiatives. This approach highlights the importance of data-driven methodologies in safeguarding critical infrastructure and ensuring its long-term sustainability amid increasing climate risks. Read on...
Executive SummaryThis report presents the development of a comprehensive climate risk and resilience assessment framework for Infrastructure Australia (IA). Designed to address the challenges posed by climate change, this framework integrates data-driven methodologies to evaluate and quantify climate-related risks to nationally significant infrastructure assets. The framework aims to guide IA and its stakeholders in prioritising investment decisions, ensuring Australia's infrastructure remains resilient in the face of increasing future climate hazards.A risk assessment framework has been developed along with a detailed methodology and risk matrix. The Risk Matrix documented within this report includes quantifying key risk criteria using publicly available data and aims to provide a platform which can be used by different parties to provide a consistent analytical approach.The framework addresses three critical drivers for IA:
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This report presents a framework for assessing the resilience risks from climate hazards to nationally significant infrastructure assets. Designed to provide a structured and scalable approach, the framework evaluates asset vulnerability by quantifying exposure and sensitivity to climate hazards. The framework has been developed to be operated by advanced technologies, including digital twins for real-world simulations and AI systems to bridge and harmonise data sets.The framework's applicability is demonstrated through a pilot study on nationally significant road infrastructure in Victoria. Scaling this framework for use on a national scale would enable consistent and systematic evaluations across geographies and asset classes, enabling Infrastructure Australia to provide informed advice and quantifiable recommendations to government bodies and stakeholders.A key challenge identified in implementing this framework is the inconsistency of available data across different asset classes, geographic locations, and climate hazards. Variations in data quality and availability, along with discrepancies in climate hazard projections highlight the need for national collaboration to address these gaps and establish standardised methodologies. Read on ...