APEM Group’s Key Contribution to South Australia’s 20-Year State Infrastructure Strategy 2025

Alyssa Giannoni, Senior Environmental Consultant at APEM Group in Australia

Infrastructure: The Backbone of South Australia’s Economy

Infrastructure is crucial to the economic prosperity and liveability of South Australia. It forms the backbone of a productive economy, impacting every aspect of daily life. Effective infrastructure planning requires a long-term perspective, ensuring that the projects we build today will serve the community for years to come.

Strategic Planning for a Sustainable Future

Infrastructure South Australia (Infrastructure SA) prepares a comprehensive 20-year State Infrastructure Strategy (the Strategy), which is updated every five years. The Strategy focuses on state-wide infrastructure needs and opportunities to drive economic growth, prosperity, and liveability through 2045.

Adelaide Riverbank Pedestrian Bridge

APEM Group’s Contribution

Infrastructure SA enlisted Alyssa Giannoni to support the completion of the Strategy. From 2024 to 2025, Alyssa was embedded within Infrastructure SA’s team, collaborating with industry experts to bring the Strategy to life. With over a decade of experience in South Australia’s environmental and infrastructure sectors, Alyssa has a deep understanding of the State’s infrastructure requirements, including major infrastructure project delivery, climate change preparedness, and infrastructure resilience.

Key Areas of Focus

Alyssa’s contributions to the Strategy were multifaceted, including:

• Climate resilience: Ensuring infrastructure can withstand and adapt to climate change impacts.
• Energy transition: Promoting sustainable energy solutions.
• Integrated planning: Coordinating infrastructure projects for maximum efficiency and impact.
• Freight: Enhancing logistics and transportation networks.

Enhancing Strategy Clarity and Impact

Alyssa applied her extensive industry experience to refine the Strategy, bringing new insights and increasing clarity. She reviewed and edited the document, ensuring succinct messaging and a well-structured format. Her scientific expertise enabled her to critically evaluate information, ensuring all Strategy inclusions were evidence-based, credible, and current.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

Alyssa fostered positive relationships with the Strategy team, project stakeholders and government agencies, promoting transparency and collaboration. She also participated in developing the mapping for Infrastructure SA’s website restructure and the Strategy stakeholder and community engagement plan.

Results and Adoption

The Strategy provides evidence-based, stakeholder-informed directions and recommendations to guide infrastructure planning and decision-making by government and industry. It targets actions that support a prosperous, liveable, and sustainable South Australia. On March 17, the Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, adopted Infrastructure SA’s Strategy. In the news release, Malinauskas was quoted: