Victoria’s infrastructure is barely adequate, according to the 5-yearly infrastructure report card issued by Engineers Australia. Melbourne’s population has increased from 3.5 million to 4.1 million over the past decade, and much of the city’s infrastructure has become inadequate. Victoria’s rail system is rated as poor, being urgently in need of modernisation and expansion to deal with the current congestion and delays.
The state’s electricity system was given a less-than-adequate rating. The demand for power in peak periods is 10,500 megawatts, but the state’s current power generating capacity is just 9,600 megawatts, making Victoria reliant on transfers from other states. 80% of the electricity is generated using brown coal, resulting in high carbon emissions. New cleaner sources of power are urgently needed.
The state’s water resources are rated as adequate, but the government’s solutions to the water crisis – the desalination plant and the north-south pipeline – are regarded as inferior. Desalination is a lot more expensive and energy-intensive than alternatives such as recycling waste water. According to Engineers Australia’s Professor John Wilson, Victoria needs to establish an independent authority to provide long-term strategic planning advice on infrastructure.