Austrade’s Pacific Infrastructure Roadshow, held across Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne through March 2026, has brought renewed focus to the scale of infrastructure opportunities emerging across the Pacific, with the Australia Pacific Islands Business Council playing an active role in supporting industry engagement.
APIBC participated in all three cities, contributing to discussions on the region’s growing infrastructure pipeline and the practical realities of delivering projects across diverse island markets. APIBC President Simon Gorman and Vice President William Blank shared insights drawn from extensive on-the-ground experience, outlining both the operational challenges and the long-term value of sustained engagement in the Pacific.
They noted that while the region presents logistical, regulatory and capacity complexities, it also offers strong opportunities for businesses willing to invest in relationships and take a long-term view. The message resonated with Australian companies seeking clearer pathways into Pacific infrastructure delivery.
The roadshow, led by Austrade, brought together key development partners including the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, Asian Development Bank and World Bank, offering a coordinated view of upcoming projects and financing streams.
Asked to comment on the roadshow for this APIBC newsletter, Australian Trade Commissioner for the Pacific and Timor Leste Tim Houghton, said the initiative reflected a more joined-up approach to market engagement.
“The roadshows were a great signal of the collaboration that’s happening behind the scenes to making Pacific infrastructure easier to engage with. Sitting alongside AIFFP, ADB, World Bank and Defence all pitching Australian companies on the opportunities in the Pacific is a pretty unique privilege,” he said.
“You’ll see a lot more of this too. We’ve just launched the Pacific Infrastructure website which makes development partner pipelines more accessible than it’s ever been. I encourage all businesses interested in getting involved to take a look and register as a contractor on the site so you can partner up and deliver the wave of projects coming over the next few years.”
As part of its ongoing support, APIBC is working with chambers of commerce across the Pacific to connect businesses with opportunities and strengthen private sector participation. It is also promoting the Pacific Infrastructure Pipeline platform, which consolidates project data, contractor listings and market insights, with companies encouraged to register to improve visibility and access upcoming work.
The roadshow signals a more coordinated push to unlock Pacific infrastructure investment, with growing emphasis on accessibility, partnerships and delivery capability.
