Australian infrastructure is highly attractive, but also highly competitive

Investor appetite for Australian infrastructure remains strong, with 90 per cent of participants ‘highly likely’ to invest in Australia in the next two to three years (equal to the 2018 result). The attractiveness of the Australian market is primarily driven by our strong track record for infrastructure delivery and the sophistication of local market participants and partners.

The strength of the Australian market also creates challenges for investors. Forty-five per cent of participants reported that competition for assets and a lack of opportunities are creating challenges in finding new investments. This has led to some investors moving up the risk curve or expanding their investment mandate to pursue opportunities in core-plus infrastructure assets such as data centres or land-titles registries. Termed ‘core-plus’ assets for their similar characteristics to core infrastructure assets, they may also exhibit shorter contracts, higher volatility and potential earnings. In fact, 64 per cent of participants showed a preference for coreplus assets, making them just as popular as passenger rail or water infrastructure from an investor’s perspective.

Some risks are symptoms of a flourishing market

A competitive market is a healthy market, and it would be anticipated for investors to move up the risk curve into assets such as core-plus infrastructure. In recent years, Australia’s strong infrastructure market has made it a destination of choice for international investors. Australian governments and infrastructure developers have harnessed private capital and expertise to accelerate the pipeline of infrastructure projects across the country.

However, Australia is somewhat a victim of its own success, with the sector feeling the pressure of a high volume of projects simultaneously entering the delivery phase. This increased market pressure is seeing risk allocation on complex projects, and capacity constraints in the construction market, begin to impact the cost of infrastructure delivery. Ninety per cent of participants agreed that the Australian infrastructure market is facing capacity constraints, with these constraints felt to a high degree in civil and tunnelling projects. While challenging, many of these risks can be traced to a flourishing market and are typically priced to match risk and reward.

Policy and regulatory risks are without reward

Not all risks in the Australian infrastructure market are matched by commensurate reward. Eighty-three per cent of participants agreed that uncertainty in Australia’s policy and regulatory settings is limiting their willingness to invest. Many investors have long investment horizons and their memories are just as long. A flurry of government interventions, tax changes and regulatory reviews in recent years has caused concern for many investors. While some risks are symptoms of a busy market, or offer rewards proportionate to the risks being taken, policy and regulatory uncertainty have little upside for investors, taxpayers or customers. Instead, policy and regulatory uncertainty dampen incentives and drive poorer outcomes for infrastructure users.

Over recent decades, Australia’s reputation as a leading infrastructure investment market has been built on stable market frameworks and rules, with ongoing uncertainty in energy policy and regulation being the notable exception. This year’s report confirms that new challenges have arrived, with the risk environment changing on several fronts. As we navigate this new environment, policymakers and regulators must work to reduce those risks which offer few rewards.

We thank each participant for their contribution to the fifth Australian Infrastructure Investment Report.

Adrian Dwyer, Chief Executive Officer – Infrastructure Partnerships Australia

David Donnelly, Partner – Allens

Richard McCarthy, Group Executive – Perpetual Corporate Trust