Future Building 2021

Content Overview

P2 Chairman’s Foreword | Sir Rod Eddington AO, Chairman, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
P3 Partnerships – 2021 sponsors
P5 Premier’s keynote address | Then New South Wales Premier, The Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP 
P14 Panel discussion | Respected leaders
P28 Keynote interview | Shemara Wikramanayake, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Macquarie Group
P39 Panel discussion | Delivering major rail projects

P54 Keynote interview | The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP, Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts
P64 Panel discussion | ESG as an investment thematic
P74 Keynote address | John Pickhaver, Macquarie Capital, Australia and New Zealand
P82 Keynote address | Roch Cheroux, Chief Executive Office, Sydney Water

Chairman’s Forward

I’m pleased to present the 2021 edition of Future Building, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s annual journal of insights from Partnerships, Australia’s most prestigious gathering of infrastructure leaders.

This year’s Partnerships theme was ‘The Response’. Business, industry and government leaders came together from across the country to share their perspectives on how we can tackle contemporary infrastructure challenges and capitalise on the opportunities presented as we emerge from a deeply disruptive period. Partnerships also provided a unique opportunity to examine how we can build on the positive momentum generated by major reform achievements to secure our national recovery.

Over the course of the conference, discussions canvassed the evolving political landscape and the opportunities presented by the increasingly dominant trend of digitalisation in infrastructure. We also explored the initiatives being taken to cement a positive post-pandemic legacy, and the steps industry is taking to prioritise and accelerate decarbonisation of infrastructure projects, assets and services.

Then New South Wales Premier, The Hon. Gladys Berejiklian opened the conference with an overview of the state government’s vaccination program, its reopening plans and the critical role public infrastructure investment will play in underpinning recovery efforts. Our respected leaders’ panel, comprising Dr Kerry Schott AO, Mark Birrell AM, Jim Miller and Mike Mrdak AO, provided insights on the current state of infrastructure reform in Australia and the progress still to be made.

Co-head of Macquarie Capital, Australia and New Zealand John Pickhaver outlined how stretched government balance sheets have opened up an opportunity for record levels of unallocated private capital to be deployed into new infrastructure investments. Our investor panel also explored the challenges and opportunities for environmental, social and governance investing in Australia, and the critical need for a coherent national decarbonisation framework leading up to COP26.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities, and the Arts The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP joined the conference to share his views on Federal–State relations and the evolving telecommunications landscape; while Managing Director and CEO of Macquarie Group Shemara Wikramanayake closed the conference with an in-depth discussion on the fundamentals that make Australia an attractive investment destination and the steps we need to take to maintain our competitive edge.

Partnerships 2021 was again a timely platform for the expression of new and thought-provoking ideas. The insights contained within this journal should galvanise our collective ambition to emerge from the shadow of COVID-19 stronger than ever.

Sir Rod Eddington AO
Chairman
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia

Sponsors

Previous Editions

Future Building 2020
Future Building 2019
Future Building 2018
Future Building 2017
Future Building 2016
Future Building 2015
Future Building 2014
Future Building 2013 V4 N1
Future Building 2013 V3 N2
Future Building 2012 V3 N1
Future Building 2011
Future Building 2010

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