Infrastructure Australia will work in partnership with the states and territories to develop an overall view of the nation's infrastructure needs over coming years, and establish policy guidelines and standardised formats to facilitate these changes.

The independent statutory authority will report to the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure and present regular reports to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).

Labor said a board of directors comprising experts from the private and public sectors, including the three tiers of government, will be appointed by the Commonwealth Government.

As well as this board, the authority will receive input from the Government, the private sector and the general public to identify nationally significant infrastructure projects.

The Labor Government will provide $32 million over four years to establish staff and operate Infrastructure Australia.