Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to follow Ms Prentice, who did a wonderful job chairing this very important inquiry. I wholeheartedly support the comments that have been made by the former chair of the committee. This was a very interesting inquiry to be involved in. It highlighted for all members of the committee the importance of the government taking a proactive approach when it comes to encouraging the use of smart ICT, particularly building information management systems, in the procurement of work associated with the government but also the benefits for the private sector. There is no doubt that a greater uptake of smart ICT and BIM in planning and in building and construction, both in the private sector through the construction of private facilities and in the public sector, particularly through the construction of infrastructure, will deliver great productivity benefits to our nation and grow our economy.

I was pleased to be involved as the deputy chair in this inquiry. The 10 recommendations contained in the report are precise and thorough and have bipartisan support to move forward. I support the comments of the former chair in saying that the government should give wholesome consideration to these recommendations and adopt them in full because they will make a difference to the way in which we plan and produce in particular infrastructure in this country that will deliver productivity benefits.

I note that, in recommendation No. 2, the committee stated that the Australian government proposed that the smart infrastructure task force take responsibility for the national coordination of the development of national protocols for the release of infrastructure related data in both the government and private sectors including creating mechanisms for the brokerage or sale of private data, and the development of standards for the collection and management of infrastructure related data including metadata standards and an objects library. The issue of information and what we do with it, who it is available to and how it is accessible came before the committee. The issues associated with security of that data information and how we deal with it is why the committee has recommended that a smart infrastructure task force be responsible for dealing with these issues and recommended to government how we proceed in the future. The committee has also recommended that the Australian government recognise the public safety communications systems as critical infrastructure and continue to support the development of these systems including funding research, promoting implementation and providing national coordination.

In terms of encouraging the uptake of smart ICT in our community the committee has recommended that the Australian government lead the formation of a suitably qualified and resourced smart ICT task force led by Infrastructure Australia—and that is an important link—on the model of the UK BIM Task Group, representing governments at all levels, academia and industry, to provide for the coordination and implementation of smart ICT in the design, planning and development of infrastructure and in the maintenance and optimisation of existing infrastructure. This task force would act as a coordinator or conduit for the development and implementation of policy nationally, including the development of industry and product standards and training and education. The task force would have responsibility for the development of a national strategy to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and innovations and engage Australia with international experience and global best practice.

Further, to encourage the uptake of smart ICT, the committee recommends that the government, as part of its infrastructure procurement processes, require BIM, building information management, systems on all major infrastructure projects exceeding $50 million in cost that receive Australian government funding, including partially funded federal government projects in partnership with state, territory and local governments. That is a proactive mechanisms to ensure that Australia is doing all it can to encourage greater uptake of smart ICT, particularly in the development of infrastructure. The evidence that came before the committee was that the process that has been put in place in the UK through their BIM Task Group has been successful in encouraging a greater uptake. Figures were presented on the productivity benefits that have flowed to the UK economy through the development of such mechanisms.

I might add that this is an issue that Labor have been conscious of for some years. I know that the former Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, the member for Grayndler, spoke in this debate prior to me and mentioned some of the reforms that Labor undertook whilst we were in government. I see these recommendations as building on that foundational work that was done by Labor. Labor have announced that any submission to Infrastructure Australia in respect of an infrastructure project should have a smart ICT element to it, particularly BIM and other reports that support the recommendations made in this committee through the uptake of smart ICT.

On the whole, this was a very interesting inquiry to be involved in and one that provides great opportunities for the Australian government to unleash productivity in our economy and to unleash a greater uptake of smart ICT to grow our economy. It has the wholehearted support of the Labor Party and I commend the report to the parliament.

See this speech in context