Intergenerational Report puts sustainable infrastructure at the heart of Australia’s future
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) has welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s Intergenerational Report 2026: Australia’s future to 2066, saying it underscores the critical role sustainable and resilient infrastructure will play in Australia’s prosperity over the next 40 years.
The Intergenerational Report identifies five major transformations that will reshape Australia over coming decades: artificial intelligence, increasing geopolitical fragmentation, the energy transition, an ageing population and the continuing transformation of Australia’s industrial base. It also highlights growing concerns about intergenerational equity.
For ISC, the message is clear: responding to these challenges will require significant infrastructure investment, and the decisions made today will shape Australia’s economy, communities and environment for decades.
Deb Spring, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the ISC said:
‘The Intergenerational Report reminds us that the infrastructure we plan and build today will be serving Australians well into the future.
‘As Australia transforms its energy system, embraces new technologies and responds to a changing climate and population, we need to focus not just on building more infrastructure, but on building better infrastructure.
”That means infrastructure that is resilient, resource-efficient, lower-emissions and delivers enduring economic, environmental and social value.’
The report highlights the scale of change ahead. Energy demand from data centres is projected to account for almost 10 percent of the National Electricity Market by 2050, while renewable-energy industrial opportunities, including green aluminium and critical minerals, could increase Australian exports by more than $68 billion by 2050.
Ms Spring said the scale of investment ahead makes credible measurement of infrastructure sustainability increasingly important.
‘IS Ratings provide a practical framework for embedding sustainability into infrastructure planning, design construction and operation, and for independently measuring the outcomes delivered.
‘Intergenerational equity is ultimately at the heart of infrastructure sustainability. Our task is not simply to leave future Australians more infrastructure, but to leave them better infrastructure.’
Download Intergenerational Report 2026: Australia’s future to 2066 here.
Media enquiries
Annie Manson
Policy & Advocacy Manager
Infrastructure Sustainability Council
+61 422 131 741
annie.manson@iscouncil.org