The Spatial Industries Business Association (SIBA) has welcomed the release of the Federal Government’s White Paper for development in northern Australia as a great opportunity for spatial professionals.
SIBA National Chairman, Glenn Cockerton, said that given the extent of the infrastructure projects highlighted in the White Paper, SIBA member firms are likely to be involved from the very earliest studies through to construction and important environmental processes such as monitoring.
“While the White Paper is silent on the specific role spatial information will play, we know that the implementation can’t occur without firstly pulling together base data of the Northern regions and the most efficient way to analyse that data is spatially,” Glenn Cockerton said.
“Spatial information will then underpin the various studies that will be needed to design major infrastructure such as roads and dams thus giving SIBA members further opportunities to provide their professional expertise.
“With substantial funding earmarked in the White Paper, Northern Australia will experience a number of major construction projects in the coming years providing our member firms with opportunities such as set out surveys, as construction surveys, building information modelling, asset management and much more,” he explained.
The $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, $600m roads package, $17m investment to support freehold/99 year lease for willing and indigenous communities and the $200m National Water Infrastructure Development Fund are just some of the projects identified by SIBA requiring spatial information input by its member firms.
With responsibility of Northern Australian development being shared between the Federal, Western Australian, Queensland and Northern Territory Governments, Mr Cockerton said it was vital the four governments cooperated with respect to spatial data infrastructures from the earliest time to avoid duplication of effort and mismatches particularly where projects cross State and Territory borders.
