The Australian Government’s national infrastructure data collection and dissemination plan needs to enable productivity growth, such as delivering evidence based road funding decisions and not undermining productivity by imposing additional regulatory costs.

Governments should progress the development of heavy vehicle infrastructure asset registers into road service standards, mandating road standards on vehicle access, safety, and specific heavy vehicle infrastructure such as rest areas. These should also be integrated with the proposed new road access indicators.

Whilst the proposal for the creation of a transport satellite account to measure the size of transport as an economic sector is welcome, the development and ongoing costs should not be imposed on industry, which is already overcharged.

Data collection from heavy vehicles under the plan should be voluntary, not apply for regulatory or enforcement purposes, maintain strong confidentiality provisions, and only by available in de-identified, aggregate form.