By: Sara Bice
Posted on 31 August 2026
"Current oversight mechanisms privilege technical, environmental and financial metrics, with insufficient visibility and monitoring of social risk." ~I2S Director Professor Sara Bice
ANU I2S recently gave testimony to the 2026 Commonwealth Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee's Public Hearing on 'Financial Support for State and Territory Infrastructure Projects'.
The invited testimony, delivered by I2S Director Professor Sara Bice on behalf of submission co-authors Dr Kirsty Jones, Kirsty O'Connell and Dr Ruth O'Connor, focused on five recommendations to improve oversight and success of infrastructure financing:
1. Integrate place-based social assessment into Gateway Reviews.
2. Incentivise adoption of integrated derisking, incorporating social risks and benefits into infrastructure funding allocation and project development model selection.
3. Require measurement and reporting on social licence, social benefit-creation and community resilience to evidence how investments affect social, cultural and community concerns.
4. Introduce a Social Benefit Framework and Delivery Plan to identify design choices and delivery processes that will realise social benefit creation, early in project design.
5. Encourage projects to embed qualified social practitioners in project governance and ensure appropriate resources and budgets are allocated to social and community engagement.
Read I2S' full submission here.
Access a copy of Professor Bice's opening statement here.
Watch the Public Hearing session here.
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