Flagstaff Principal Steve Abson, who is the outgoing Chief Executive of the Infrastructure Association of Queensland (IAQ), moderated a lively and insightful discussion on Mega-projects at the 2019 Annual IAQ Infrastructure Summit, held in Brisbane on 11 October 2019.
Taking place in IAQ’s 25th anniversary year, this highly anticipated event brought together the most influential decision makers and respected infrastructure leaders from across Australia’s infrastructure landscape.
See event wrap up video here.
Steve is actively involved in major projects around Australia and regularly conducts independent assurance reviews on major projects for Government agencies. In 2018 & 2019, Steve was part of the Gateway Review Team for the $5.4billion Cross River Rail project. He is also an experienced Dispute Board practitioner and is a current member of two Dispute Boards in Queensland on a major airport upgrade and also a mega road project. Steve is also the Independent Chair of the Project Leadership Group on the first Inland Rail Project between Parkes and Narromine and also the Independent Certifier of the New Brisbane International Cruise Terminal being constructed at Luggage Point.
During the debate, mega-project panellists were invited by Steve to take a deep dive into four critical areas.
- Are Governments being realistic about Mega Projects?
- Are Contracts being used to deliver Mega Projects ‘fit-for-purpose’?
- Have we reached peak project size?
- Are Mega Projects or Programs getting an unnecessary bad wrap?
