5th State of Infrastructure and Engagement Survey opens – seeks to explain the impact of politicisation on projects
As Australia’s largest study into community engagement in the infrastructure sector enters its landmark fifth year, it turns the spotlight on the hot topic of project politicisation.
‘It’s a familiar scenario,” said Research Director, Professor Sara Bice. “A politician announces that a project is going ahead and then community members are invited to ‘have their say’ on the project in due course.”
“Our research with more than 1600 community members in some of Australia’s infrastructure hot spots last year suggests that community members are highly alert to this kind of politicisation. Of those respondents who were experiencing two or more projects, approximately 59% told us that politics influences infrastructure spending in their community.”
“This prompted us to ask, does politicisation make project delivery easier or harder? And what does it mean in terms of being able to engage community members in consultation activities?’ Professor Sara Bice said.
Professionals from across the infrastructure sector are being invited to spend around 20 minutes to share their experiences with this and other issues in this anonymous survey.
‘All infrastructure disciplines are invited to participate, from project financing to engagement, communications to construction. It’s important that we get responses from diverse viewpoints, so that we get an accurate picture of what’s happening in the industry and continue to bridge these knowledge gaps.’
The survey is open until Friday 16 September 2022.