Infrastructure Australia board lean on shipping people

The 12-man Infrastructure Australia board appeared to lack any significant shipping and transport experience, an industry expert said.

Australian Logistics Council executive Chief Hal Morris told Lloyd's List DCN it would have been nice to see more involvement from the transport and logistics industry, than the usual suspects of government officials.

Included in the mix were Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Terry Moran, Anthony Kannis, executive director of Western Australian Treasury, Federal Treasury secretary Ken Henry, and Transport, Energy and Infrastructure department chief executive Jim Hallion.

Also included is ex-Victorian cabinet minister Mark Birrell, who is also chairman of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and deputy chairman of Australia Post.

Babcock & Brown's Ross Rolfe, Australian Industry Group's Heather Ridout, Industry Funds Management's Garry Weaven, Sydney Water's Dr Kerry Schott, Professor Peter Newman of Curtin University and KPMG's Phil Hennessy make up the rest of the board, named by federal infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese yesterday.

Sir Rod Eddington, an industry veteran, was named earlier as the board's first chairman.

Mr Morris said the Government had not listened to the ALC's advice that the board should contain some industry representatives from the logistics sector.

He said he did not view this as a “snub” to his organisation.

“The level of industry representation, direct senior industry players is lacking,” Mr Morris said.

He said the board was heavily weighted with associations and government officials.

But the fact the Government had created the body showed it was serious about tackling infrastructure issues, he said.

Infrastructure Australia was a key election promise from the Rudd Government during the 2007 election.

The body has been charged with auditing the nation's infrastructure situation and investigating possible solutions to bottlenecks.

In its first budget, the Government allocated $20bn for infrastructure programs within a “Building Australia Fund”.

Mr Morris said the board should take as a starting point the funding arrangements of AusLink II and not try to “reinvent the wheel”.

Australian Trucking Association chairman Trevor Martyn was more impressed with the board's membership.

He said the inclusion of Mr Birrell would ensure the board was savvy on road transport issues.

“Australia Post is a company that unquestionably has that expertise – it has one of the largest freight transport fleets in the country” he said.