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Insider
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Transport & Infrastructure News
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What’s inside? A quick look at what’s in today’s edition: |
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1. CEO Update
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Members have their say on national freight productivity |
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2. Policy News
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Resilience now core business in Australia, New Zealand |
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3. Program
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2027 Fellowship applications opening soon |
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4. Event highlights
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Industry lunch series sharpens focus on delivery |
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5. Upcoming Events
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Annual Lunch dates coming soon |
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6. People Moves
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Latest appointments from across the transport sector |
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7. Industry News
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Latest developments across the transport sector |
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CEO UPDATE |
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We tried something new this week at our Industry Lunch with Westport Managing Director Patrick Seares in Perth.
For the first time, attendees took part in a Policy Minute – a short, structured opportunity to give us direct feedback on a policy issue.
This time, the focus was freight planning and infrastructure, a topic Patrick Seares brought to life in his keynote on the Westport program. |
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Our audiences have deep, practical knowledge across this sector, knowledge we do not always capture in the room. The Policy Minute gives every event attendee a direct line into our policy agenda, with real world insights we cannot get from a desk.
The first results are telling. Attendees rated Australia’s freight network as essential to national prosperity and security at 4.5 out of 5. But they rated current freight infrastructure, system, regulations and policy as fit for the future at just 2.4 out of 5.
When asked what would most improve national freight productivity, the room’s top priority was better coordination between existing road, rail, port and intermodal assets.
It is becoming clear that industry is asking for better rail links to ports, smoother connections between modes, national standards, not state-by-state rules, and more technology to make it all work.
We will carry these findings straight into our freight policy work and our conversations with government.
This is the kind of insight that will shape our upcoming freight policy work, including a major report we are developing on the future of Australia’s freight network. More on that soon.
The Policy Minute is something we will run at Transport Australia events going forward. Wherever TA gathers the industry in one room, we want that room to shape the industry in a tangible way. |
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Be part of the conversation. Send your news and updates to Insider.
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POLICY NEWS |
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Resilience now core business in Australia, New Zealand
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Budgets can be difficult reading, but one theme they all share in common going into the new financial year is the shift in infrastructure spending. Those who can adapt early to the changing marketing will be best placed for the next wave of investment.
The strategy is moving toward maintenance, resilience, freight rail, safety and housing-enabling infrastructure. Mega-projects are less dominant than five years ago.
Australia’s $120 billion, 10-year pipeline remains, with Victoria continuing large-scale spending, including $3.8 billion for the Suburban Rail Loop. Further announcements are likely ahead of the state election. New Zealand has committed $11 billion to transport, providing clearer visibility for businesses operating across both markets.
In Australia, near-term funding has tightened by about 10 per cent due to competing pressures. This is shifting focus from large standalone projects to smaller, faster and less complex programs.
The Northern Territory stands out, with the highest per capita transport investment in Australia, presenting emerging opportunities.
Rail freight is a clear priority. Australia has committed $1.8 billion to ARTC, while New Zealand has allocated $593 million to KiwiRail. Rising fuel costs, emissions pressures, driver shortages and road constraints are driving this shift, as both countries seek more efficient and sustainable freight systems.
Resilience is now embedded in budgets. Maintenance, renewal, safety and climate-proofing are taking a larger share of investment.
New Zealand has allocated $400 million for highway upgrades, $149 million for flood repairs and $41 million for weather damage. Australia is following suit, including $1.2 billion for Safer Local Roads and $55 million for the Transport Resilience and Capacity Kickstart pilot. |
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PROGRAM |
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2027 Fellowship applications opening soon
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Applications for the 2027 Transport Australia Fellowship will open in August, as we prepare to grow the cohort to 60 Fellows and bring more trans-Tasman perspectives into the program.
Following this year’s trans-Tasman delegation, the expanded intake is an opportunity to strengthen policy exchange, regional leadership capability and industry networks across Australia and New Zealand.
This is an opportunity for members to start thinking about candidates they may wish to nominate from their Australian and New Zealand teams and how strengthening networks across both countries can support business growth.
The Fellowship continues to show how leadership development can translate into practical industry impact. A 2023 Fellowship policy project is now being piloted by Before You Dig Australia as the BYDA Digital Utility Portal.
The 2026 Fellows reached an important milestone this week, finalising their scoping papers for their group policy projects. The quality of work is outstanding, with strong thinking emerging on the practical challenges shaping the future of transport.
Emerging Leaders Award recipient Claudia Elfar is also progressing her project on productivity, a strategically important theme for a sector facing major pipeline, workforce and delivery pressures. Claudia will be joining us in Brisbane for the Emerging Leaders Forum next month, when the group will develop peer networks and also tour the Cross River Rail project. Following the exceptional Industry Lunch this week with TMR Director-General and TA Board Director Sally Stannard this week, we can’t wait to meet the emerging leaders in the Olympic City. |
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Industry shapers
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Fellowship Alumnus Chris Turnbull celebrates milestone
Turnbull Engineering, a Sydney-based infrastructure design consultancy, founded by Transport Australia Fellowship alumnus Chris Turnbull, has just turned 10.
Chris founded the firm to design Australia’s infrastructure, but he wanted to do it differently.
He had spent years in consultancies, where decisions were slow, teams had little control over their own work. He believed there was a better way, so he built a firm where engineers could make decisions, red tape was cut, and people could enjoy work-life balance.
Under his leadership, Turnbull Engineering has worked on major projects, including the Sydney International Speedway and the Batemans Bay Bridge. What started as a small team now works across Australia, with growing work interstate and in the Middle East.
Chris joined the Transport Australia Fellowship in 2019. He wanted to move beyond the technical side and grow as a leader. The Fellowship gave him that, with a mentor who challenged his thinking, the space to step back from the day-to-day, and a network of people who understood what running an infrastructure business actually takes.
Ten years on, Turnbull Engineering is a recognised name in the sector.
Congratulations to Chris and the whole team.
From award winner to industry contributor
Emerging Leaders Award recipient Claudia Elfar is also progressing her project on productivity, a strategically important theme for a sector facing major pipeline, workforce and delivery pressures. Claudia will be joining us in Brisbane for the Emerging Leaders Forum next month, when the group will tour the Cross River Rail project and take part in a policy workshop.
Following the exceptional industry lunch this week with Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads Director-General and TA Board Director Sally Stannard, we can’t wait to meet the emerging leaders in the Olympic City.
We are thankful to our program partners John Holland and CPB Contractors for their long-term sponsorship of the Fellowship and Emerging Leaders programs respectively. |
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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS |
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Industry lunch series sharpens focus on delivery
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Transport Australia’s Industry Lunch series has brought members together across Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth for direct insight into the priorities shaping the national transport pipeline.
Across the series, common themes were clear: major programs are moving from planning into delivery, transport networks must work as integrated systems, and governments are looking for smarter ways to work with industry under tight timeframes.
In Brisbane, TMR Director-General Sally Stannard outlined the scale of Queensland’s delivery task, with almost half of the $9 billion Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Upgrade Program expected to be in market next year, alongside major works linked to Brisbane 2032.
In Melbourne, Minister Gabrielle Williams focused on integrated transport, housing growth around transport hubs and the need for a rolling program of work.
In Sydney, TfNSW Secretary Josh Murray covered reliability, maintenance, resilience, procurement reform, digital systems and the next phase of a more connected customer network.
Adelaide and Perth extended the national picture, with discussion on freight, ports, AUKUS, Westport and the road and rail connections needed to support long-term trade and growth.
For members, the series provided direct access to the leaders setting priorities and the organisations helping deliver them. Thank you to our event partners across the series, including Stantec, SMEC and Arcadis. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Annual Lunch dates coming soon
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Remember this photo?
At last year’s Melbourne Annual Lunch, hundreds of leaders stood when asked who had helped deliver the West Gate Tunnel Project or Metro Tunnel Project.
It was a powerful moment of recognition, and a reminder that transport is delivered by many hands.
Across Australia, our members are helping shape city-changing projects, freight networks, regional corridors, ports, rail, roads, buses, technology and operations.
Transport Australia champions an integrated and sustainable transport system for a prosperous Australia, one that improves safety, productivity, resilience and performance for the people, businesses and communities who rely on it every day.
Our Annual Lunches are one of the clearest expressions of that purpose. They bring government and industry together, strengthen trusted relationships, and create space for the conversations needed to solve national transport challenges.
Dates for our 2026 Annual Lunch series will be released in the coming days. Keep an eye on our website for the date in your city. |
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PEOPLE MOVES |
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Jill Rossouw is reappointed by Federal Transport Minister Catherine King as Chair of the Board of the High Speed Rail Authority. |
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Australia’s largest rail freight operator, Aurizon, has announced the appointment of Andrew Adam as a new Non-Executive Director to its Board, bringing three decades of rail and ports experience. |
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Former WA Government Minister Bill Johnston has been appointed Chair of the Freight and Logistics Council of WA. |
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Rob Clout has joined Stantec as Geospatial Growth and Advisory Lead for Australia, bringing more than 25 years of experience in spatial data, GIS and digital engineering. |
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INDUSTRY NEWS |
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Egis appointed to maintain Transurban’s southern Sydney roads
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Transurban has appointed Egis as its long-term incident response and maintenance partner for roads in Sydney’s south, following a competitive tender.
The partnership covers WestConnex, the Eastern Distributor and the Cross City Tunnel.
Egis will bring enhanced incident response, AI-generated maintenance monitoring and more coordinated approach across the network. The longer-term contract is expected to deliver more consistent service for the 150,000-plus motorists who rely on these roads daily. |
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Building resilient roads in a changing climate
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Flooding is the greatest threat to Queensland’s road network. Cyclone Jasper and the 2025 North Queensland floods showed how quickly access can be cut off, with detours stretching hundreds of kilometres, regional communities isolated for days.
The old approach is not sustainable. “Like‑for‑like” repairs restore roads to pre‑disaster condition, but not to a standard that can withstand the next event. The cycle of damage and repair keeps repeating.
Stantec Principal Civil Engineer Tracey Doyle argues the focus must shift from recovery to resilience. That means better materials, improved drainage and smarter design, using innovations like polymer‑modified binders and foamed bitumen to extend asset life and reduce long‑term costs.
Though resilient infrastructure costs more upfront, it delivers greater long‑term value through fewer disruptions and lower repair bills.
The cost of doing nothing is higher than the cost of building better. |
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Swanson Dock West remediation reaches milestone
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Port of Melbourne has completed Stage 1 of the Swanson Dock West Remediation project, securing the long-term future of
Australia’s largest container terminal.
Stage 1 work at Berth 1, one of three ship-loading spots at the dock, included installing 212 structural steel piles, upgrading bollards to accommodate larger vessels, and recycling over 7,900 tonnes of materials.
Work is now underway at Berth 3, with completion expected in late 2027. Berth 2 will follow in 2027-28, and the full project is due to finish in 2032.
The port handles more than one-third of Australia’s container trade. The project ensures it can keep pace with growing demand for the next 50 years. |
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ACCC heightens heavy vehicle fuel security monitoring
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is ramping up price monitoring across 190 regional trucking hubs to ensure the Commonwealth’s fuel excise and heavy vehicle road user charging relief is reaching commercial logistics operators.
The move follows escalating global prices and ongoing disruption from the Middle East conflict.
The regulator will track whether fuel savings are being passed through trucking operators, not just absorbed by fuel retailers. |
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Get in front of industry. Contribute to the next edition of Insider, out 16 July.
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