Infrastructure Sustainability rating scheme unveiled in SA

The Hon Patrick Conlon MP, SA Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, and Housing and Urban Development, unveiled Australia’s first Infrastructure Sustainability rating scheme, known as the IS scheme, at its South Australian launch at Parliament House in Adelaide yesterday.

The IS system includes a formal rating certification, assessment process and education program. The tool was developed by the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC), a member-based industry association committed to the delivery of more sustainable outcomes from the design, construction and operation of Australia’s infrastructure.

Following the release of the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, and progress in updating regional volumes of the South Australian Planning Strategy, an update of South Australia’s infrastructure plan is underway to provide state-wide direction on priorities for investment or policy effort by governments and to integrate infrastructure planning and delivery by the three spheres of government and the private sector with land use planning.

Using nationally recognised frameworks such as the Infrastructure Sustainability tool will provide governments, industry, investors and the South Australian community with greater certainty in understanding the environmental, social and economic performance of their infrastructure assets. It will also enable infrastructure owners and operators to benchmark their assets against other infrastructure nationally.

David Singleton, Chairman of AGIC and the Global Planning Leader of multidisciplinary firm Arup, said the launch of the scheme represented a crucial move towards improving infrastructure by measuring sustainability performance.

“The launch of AGIC’s Infrastructure Sustainability rating scheme in South Australia is another important step in our nationwide campaign to improve Australian Infrastructure,” he said.

“With federal and state governments investing billions of dollars each year in our nation’s infrastructure, we want to be certain that it’s sustainable in the long term and that we deliver continuous social, economic and environmental improvements across the design, construction and operation elements of this industry.”

Infrastructure types that are covered by the scheme include transport, water and wastewater, energy and communication. Projects and assets will be rated on a 100-point scale. An IS rating in the range of 25-49 is Good practice, 50-74 is Excellent practice and 75-100 is Leading practice.

Singleton believes the scheme will be well suited to South Australia’s thriving infrastructure sector.

“Given the success of the scheme across the country so far, with the accreditation of over 100 professionals and the registration of the first major project for an IS rating, we’re confident that it will also be well received in South Australia,” he said.

The launch was sponsored by Parsons Brinckerhoff and Tenix, both of which see the IS scheme as an important step in transforming the infrastructure market.