Infrastructure asset optimisation in local governmnents: Australia Study

Infrastructure is an integral part of the Australian Economy. With Australia's aim to be recognised as one of the advanced economies of the modern world, it must provide sufficient and efficient Infrastructure to its Communities. Governments at all levels, in particular Local Governments, should manage and monitor the performance of their Infrastructure effectively and precisely. As all Governments at all levels have budget constraints, it is imperative to be able to maintain satisfactory and adequate Infrastructure with the minimum financial requirements. Communities in general are not completely satisfied with the services provided by their Local Municipalities. Commonly, communities consider that by paying their rates and other Government charges, they will obtain an adequate level of services from their Local Government. Consecutively, Local Governments should treat communities as customers and clients and accordingly ensure that they are satisfied with the degree of services provided. The key concept in this paper is to generate an innovative process which includes optimised management and sustainable maintenance of Infrastructure to provide the acceptable level of service required by the community in a most effective manner which also strengthens service delivery. This paper investigates some of the fundamental issues in Infrastructure Asset Management such as Environmental Impact Assessment, AusLink and the Australian Road Management Act, which the Local Governments must deal with precisely.