One of New South Wales’ foremost infrastructure project managers across rail, urban planning and placemaking has been elevated to the state’s top infrastructure job, as the Minns government moves to fill out final key appointments.
Tom Gellibrand has been named as the new chief executive of Infrastructure NSW after spending the past four years as the agency’s head of projects after playing key roles in the development of Sydney’s metropolitan rail network expansion.
These included acting chief executive of Sydney Metro, deputy program director at Sydney Metro, deputy project director of North West Rail Link, and deputy director feneral at the NSW Department of Planning, a statement from Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said.
“Mr Gellibrand brings significant experience in leading organisations, across planning, transport, built infrastructure and professional services,” Mookhey said.
“His appointment sets up NSW for success in making the right decisions on infrastructure projects which will provide enormous benefits for the people of this state.”
Gellibrand’s promotion comes after NSW Labour was forced to deflect criticism over the appointment of Josh Murray as Secretary of the Department of Transport, despite his former roles as a political operative and staffer for Labor and a background in corporate affairs rather than technical qualifications.
Labor was a trenchant critic of the Sydney Metro project whilst in opposition and cast doubt over its future, but now appears to be backing it to be completed.
Gellibrand’s elevation from within the public services ranks of Infrastructure NSW will also give that agency a degree of insight into how the delivery pipeline, which was hit hard by COVID and a skills shortage, will play out over the next few years as Labor seeks to differentiate its own builds from those the Coalition commissioned.
One challenge the recently elected NSW Labor government continues to face is that many projects started and put into the election delivery pipeline by the previous government were delayed by the pandemic — meaning that Labor is completing and opening the work of its predecessors making it harder to take credit for other than claiming mismanagement caused delays.
Conversely, some projects were accelerated because lockdowns meant people were not travelling or trading, creating the opportunity to generate job stimulus and deliver infrastructure early.
One of the big recent infrastructure access overhauls has been the addition of elevators to many older inner suburban railway stations that were otherwise inaccessible or a dangerous nightmare for the disabled, elderly and parents with strollers or young children.
One of these was Redfern, which until last week only had only one lift despite having 10 platforms, a challenge that was solved by creating a whole new overhead concourse with lifts and duplicated stairs.
Nobody is objecting to the long-awaited upgrades, especially on the 19th century-vintage Inner West line, but the fact that so many lifts have been built along the safe Labor inner-urban corridor doesn’t make for easy claims of quick wins and early victories.
Still, with dozens of major build in the pipeline, ranging from Metro to Parramatta and Carlingford light rail as well as a vow to increase urban density to take pressure off housing costs, Gellibrand will have his work cut out for him as the independent advisor who identifies and prioritises the order of play for critical public infrastructure.
A key urban planning and activation measure is the so-called precincts strategy, which divides up areas of Sydney for accelerated activity, ranging from the Bays Precinct around White Bay, Balmain and Pyrmont where the Sydney Fish Markets are being redeveloped, and the formerly derelict Balmain power station, turned into community space.
However, the biggest pressure is on the urban fringes, where entire housing commission suburbs, including Airds and Claymore, are being redeveloped to insert private dwellings into areas renowned for multi-generational poverty and disadvantage.
In a masterstroke of town planning dating back to the Wran era of the late 1970s, the Reiby Juvenile Justice facility is located literally next to the local public school in Airds.
The detention centre shot to prominence in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, where it was revealed many male detainees had been physically and sexually abused by male and female officers.
READ MORE:
NSW puts agencies on Castle Hill growth area school planning case
Any feedback or news tips? Here’s where to contact the relevant team.