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    Infrastructure

    Today

    Developer Ashley Williams says Victoria’s decision to cut its infrastructure pipeline will free up little capacity to boost housing construction

    House builders can’t compete with states’ cash splash

    In the race for talent and materials in Australia’s construction game, housing has consistently run in second place to the infrastructure sector.

    • Michael Bleby

    This Month

    The Victorian government has cut funding to its energy department, which includes its solar program, by more than 30 cent despite touting its “nation-leading” target of net-zero emissions by 2045, budget papers show. 

    Energy funding chopped under weight of Victoria’s debt

    Experts say this week’s state budget shows the Victorian government has prioritised major transport projects over the energy transition.

    • Gus McCubbing
    Low and medium density housing in Sydney.

    NSW, developers at loggerheads over infrastructure contributions

    Scrapping two new developer levies in NSW would clear the way for at least 50,000 extra homes over five years, according to the property industry.

    • Campbell Kwan
    ASX CEO Helen Lofthouse told staff earlier in the year she was making some “hard decisions” to prioritise the most “strategic and efficient” outcomes for the company.

    Cabal of industry super funds, led by investors, weighed ASX takeover

    The ASX is an essential piece of infrastructure, and has a quasi-monopoly position, a description that would fit Sydney Airport, for instance, which went private in a $23.6 billion takeover.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    The Kinetic Group owns bus and rail transport across the world.

    Macquarie readies sale of $450m-a-year Kinetic; seeks 10x multiple

    Kinetic recently ruled off a $1.6 billion refinancing which Macquarie reckons puts it in a position to accelerate the decarbonisation of its fleet.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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    Kerry Stokes’ Seven West Media has demanded a 100 per cent price increase to continue printing The Australian Financial Review in Perth.

    Kerry Stokes ‘cannot cop criticism’

    Teal MP Zoe Daniel has accused billionaire Kerry Stokes of anti-democratic behaviour after Seven West Media doubled the cost of printing the AFR. Here’s how the day unfolded.

    • Updated
    • Gus McCubbing
    Productivity is now in its biggest stall for six decades.

    Housing construction is collapsing around Australia. Here’s why

    Developers can charge buyers more, or the costs can come down to make apartment developments viable. It’s clear which is better, Robert Harley writes.

    • Robert Harley

    Ventia creates careers for people with disabilities

    ASX-listed infrastructure services company Ventia has increased the representation rate on some government contracts to 9 per cent.

    • Larry Schlesinger

    April

    London’s Global Switch’s up-for-sale Australian portfolio owns the only large-scale data centres located inside Sydney’s CBD.

    QIC, Partners Group eye $2b Global Switch Australia; bids loom

    Indicative offers are due May 5 and Global Switch’s owners have instructed UBS to then fast-track the auction’s binding bid stage

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Airtrunk founder Robin Khuda.

    AirTrunk’s owners set NBIO deadline for $15b sale

    Bidders have been given until the end of May to submit first-round bids, in what will serve as an early gauge of AirTrunk’s much-touted $15 billion price tag. 

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    The NSW government privatised Land Titles Registry Services for $2.6 billion in 2017. This is the first ownership change since then.

    NSW Land Registry Services’ owners acquire NatWest’s 20pc stake

    The deal was completed on Monday and is set to be announced this week. 

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    The government did not place any orders with the Vic Desal plant in the 2024 and 2025 financial years.

    Barrenjoey pumps bidders for UniSuper’s stake in Aquasure

    The desalination plant has predictable cash flows, thanks to its right to collect indexed revenues even if the government doesn’t order any water, a sales flyer says.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has taken a 49 per cent stake in Australian infrastructure group Plenary

    Plenary Group sells 49pc stake to sovereign wealth fund ADQ in $1b deal

    Founders and some executives of the infrastructure investor will receive a windfall after getting a cash injection from the Abu Dhabi investment group.

    • Jenny Wiggins
    Infra banker Richard Jones is swapping Citi for Gresham.

    Citi MD off to lead Gresham’s infrastructure advisory unit

    His deal credits feature some enviable roles, including takeover defence for AusNet Services during its $10.1 billion take-private by a consortium led by Brookfield. 

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
    Make room on the renewables circuit for a new Japanese player, Shizen Energy Group, which has put the feelers out for an equity backer for its first Aussie bet.

    Japan’s Shizen Energy seeks equity backer for Aussie solar play

    Make room on the renewables circuit for a new Japanese player, Shizen Energy Group, which has put the feelers out for an equity backer for its first Aussie play.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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    Odakyu Australia director Kanji Ochiai.

    Japan investment in Australian real estate hits $2b record

    Japanese investors are tapping Australia’s population growth through commercial property.

    • Michael Bleby
    Looking beyond the “low-hanging fruit” of AI productivity: Dave Mackenzie, the managing principal for digital at Aurecon.

    AI could ‘break the productivity cycle’ for construction

    Engineering firm Aurecon says the developing use of artificial intelligence could supercharge efficiency on big projects.

    • Michael Bleby
    The Capacity Investment Scheme is intended to support 23 GW of renewables projects and 9 GW of storage.

    Green scheme rules hang in balance as 6GW deadline nears

    The details of the Capacity Investment Scheme are still being debated just weeks before the first auction for six gigawatts of wind and solar capacity.

    • Angela Macdonald-Smith
    Alinta CEO Jeff Dimery says the easy wins are over in the energy transition and it’s harder from now on.

    ‘Australians will have to pay more for energy in future’: Alinta CEO

    Jeff Dimery called for an honest debate about the costs of the energy transition and said consumers would inevitably have to pay more.

    • Angela Macdonald-Smith
    Palisade Impact Jeremy Wernert (left) and Steve Gross (right).

    Palisade Impact raising $100m for bolt-ons, housing bets

    The proceeds would sit within its maiden fund and bring the firm’s dry powder to $230 million. That should be enough for two to three deals.

    • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

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