23 May 2013
Engineers Australia calls for greater certainty for Cross-River Rail project
Coming off the announcement that the Federal Coalition will not fund Brisbane’s Cross River Rail
project; Engineers Australia calls for increased transparency in the scheduling and provision of major
infrastructure projects and this needs to be kept at arm’s length to political succession.
“It is imperative that federal and state governments work together to avoid election-led boom/bust
investment cycles. Critical infrastructure projects like the Cross River Rail should go ahead, and sooner
rather than later,” said Simon Orton Engineers Australia Queensland Division President.
“Major infrastructure projects like the Cross River Rail promote employment, increase productivity and
underpin Queensland’s future economic growth
“Any delays to an infrastructure project of this magnitude will lead to labour force planning implications
and place increased pressure on the engineering profession and the Queensland economy.
“A large proportion of Australia’s 250,000-strong engineering workforce is employed in delivering major
infrastructure projects. We need to avoid acute demand spikes across specific locations and engineering
specialisations, and provide far more certainty to those employed in the delivery of major infrastructure
projects.
“Australia must avoid the boom/bust infrastructure cycles seen in recent years. Simply put, the political
cycle and the infrastructure delivery cycle need to be as separate as possible,” said Mr Orton.
-ENDS-
Media Contact:
Sara Ross | Media Manager Engineers Australia
Email: sross@engineersaustralia.org.au | Phone: (02) 6270 6565 | Mobile: 0402 419 962
Engineers Australia is the peak representative body for the engineering profession, representing more than
100,000 members from all disciplines of the engineering team. We maintain representation in every state and
territory.