Infrastructure Consultative Committee

Aim of the committee

The Infrastructure Consultative Committee (ICC) was set up in 2006 to facilitate discussions on the broad issues of infrastructure and infrastructure regulation. The committee was selected to be representative of the diversity of infrastructure interests and includes representatives from energy, telecommunication, water, rail, port and airports.

How the committee works

The ICC is an important mechanism for the ACCC/AER to gain feedback from stakeholders in the infrastructure sector. Operational issues and the specifics of decisions that are before the ACCC/AER are not the focus of this committee. Rather, the emphasis is on issues in the practice of regulation that cross the different infrastructure sectors. The ICC also commissions research studies.

The most recent work commissioned by the ICC is a major benchmarking study of regulatory practices and processes used in the economic regulation of seven key infrastructure and network industries in 11 OECD benchmark countries (and the European Union). This study is divided between a final report and detailed country-based studies that are provided as an appendix to the report.

ICC final report – Project on Benchmarking International Regulatory Processes and Practice – 5 June 2009.pdf (528.5 KB)
Project on Benchmarking International Regulatory Processes and Practice : International Insights on Design and Process for Better Economic Regulation of Infrastructure : Final Report of the Infrastructure Consultative Committee 5 June 2009

Appendix to ICC final report – Project on Benchmarking International Regulatory Processes and Practice – 5 June 2009.pdf (2.7 MB)
Project on Benchmarking International : Regulatory Processes and Practice : Country-based Research : Appendix to the Final Report to the Infrastructure Consultative Committee 5 June 2009

Report by ACCC staff to the ICC on the debt market, and the consequences of the Global Financial Crisis – February 2012.pdf (1.1 MB)

The Infrastructure Consultative Committee (ICC) undertook to examine the changes to the Australian debt market, particularly as related to financing of infrastructure companies, in order to better understand the impact of the GFC on the sector. The examination was to be done by way of a report, with research and reporting by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission staff, under guidance of an ICC steering committee. As the latest information updating exercise for the report was undertaken in September 2011, the report should be seen as current as at that time.


Current membership

The committee is chaired by Rod Sims and there are currently 20 external members. These members are:

  1. Association of Australian Ports & Marine Authorities Inc.
  2. Australian Airports Association
  3. Australian Pipeline Industry Association
  4. Australasian Railway Association
  5. Australian Communications Consumer Action Network
  6. Australian Water Association
  7. Board of Airlines Association of Australia 
  8. Communications Alliance
  9. Competitive Carriers’ Coalition
  10. Energy Networks Association
  11. Energy Users Association
  12. Grid Australia
  13. Infrastructure Australia
  14. Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
  15. Macquarie Capital Advisers
  16. NBN Co
  17. Sing Tel Optus Pty Limited
  18. Standard & Poor’s (Australia) Pty Ltd
  19. Telstra
  20. Water Services Association of Australia

The chair of the AER,  certain ACCC commissioners and some senior ACCC/AER regulatory staff also attend the meetings.