April 2012 issue
What’s in this issue • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
From our Director From our President A message from President of Young Engineers Engineering Education Diploma of Project Management Course Charles Darwin University Student BBQ Project Management Course Wallbridge CELM Conference CELM keynote speaker function - Keynote Speaker Shell Development Gala Dinner Report and photographs Engineering Excellence Awards Early Bird Tickets Engineering Excellence Awards Showcase Booklet People’s Choice Award Regional Engineering - a heritage article by Peter Poole Sun Visors available for purchase A letter from Past President Ian Stanley Engineering Excellence Awards Project Entrants Technical Presentations and Dinner Katherine For your Diary
May is an important month for the Engineering Profession in the Northern Territory. Charles Darwin University is having one of its regular accreditation visits and was of vital importance that the team meet with industry as part of the process. Thank you to all who attended the Darwin Sailing Club last night to meet the accreditation panel. It is expected that the CDU will be applying for 5 years accreditation for all existing undergraduate engineering degrees. The increase in students over the past few years is quite remarkable but it is, in part, due to the continued support given by our members and their businesses to the University. We have just finished a Project Management Course in Northern Division that was offered by Engineering Education Australia. This is a Diploma course and the feedback from the participants was very positive. We are planning another one but need a few more people to participate. Are you or a member of your staff interested? We do not have firm dates yet as we are waiting to coordinate this with you. Science and Engineering Challenge has crept up on us again. It has been a very complicated event this year with the University of Newcastle losing their federal funding which resulted in our costs more than tripling. We are hoping this isn’t the case for next year as we will need to change what we are doing. A team is came up from Alice Springs instead of holding a separate event there to try and get us through the difficulties of this year. It has been interesting to see the strong interest from schools but then we have had very late drop outs this week. I am sure they do not realize the costs that are involved or the inconvenience of taking up a space that then can’t be filled at such late notice. We are going to have some deep reflection before we commit to another year. CDU has been a strong supporter again as well as the Education Department. We are following up the students from previous years to see how the experience might have affected their career decisions. Bronwyn Russell Director Northern Division
Thank you to all the employers who supplied staff as volunteers for the recent Science and Engineering Challenge. Without this support we would not be able to host this event.
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In March, I attended the Presidents Forum in Canberra. The theme of the meeting was Collaboration and Consistency. However, as I sat around the table with all the new Presidents from around the country, the discussions centred on cultural change within EA. The new CEO, Steve Durkin, has introduced the first change in outlining his vision for EA. Steve is driving four key themes for the EA – Member Focus, Relevance, Commercialism and Professionalism. Member focus is just that – focussing on what EA offers members and making sure members find value in their membership. Relevance is twofold – relevance to members and relevance of engineering to the community. Steve, coming from a banking background, believes Commercialism is about being profitable – he used the mantra, “A successful not-forprofit organisation is a profitable one.” The last key theme of Professionalism relates to improving community perception of the critical role of the engineering team in the economy. Whilst I think most Northern Division members would agree with these key themes, I think the devil will be in the detail. Implementation and how members and EA respond to espousing these values as the foundation of the “new” EA culture will ultimately determine the success. The second very important change for members is the Stage 2 competencies. The competencies are reviewed every 5 years to ensure they are current. The new competencies have tried to address concerns raised by members as well as harmonise with The International Engineering Alliance, other countries such as New Zealand, UK and Canada and the new Stage 1 competencies published in 2011. There are four competency units – Self, Community, Workplace and Creating Value. SELF
WORKPLACE
COMMUNITY
CREATING VALUE
Judgement are the four areas covered by this unit. Creating Value – Creating Value is about what you add to your area of practice through advancement of knowledge, problem analysis, creativity and innovation and evaluation. The new eChartered system is another fundamental change to the way engineers, associates and technologists get chartered. It is an integrated web based system that can be accessed anywhere, making it easier for members to record and track where they are at with compiling their evidence. The professional interview is still part of being chartered. I am a test bunny for the eChartered and will let you know how the system looks and feels and how user friendly it is in the next newsletter. Lastly, I would like to discuss one very important change. This is the change of legislation to mandate that engineers, associates and technologists must be chartered. As most of you know, in Queensland it is now law that engineers supervising and signing off design and works must be registered. Recently, a discussion paper was submitted to COAG (Council of Australian Governments) encouraging legislation for national registration of engineers, associates and technologists. You can download the paper at http://www.finance.gov.au/publications/coag -future-regulatory-paper/future-coag-regulatory-reform-agendastakeholder-consultation-paper.html. I investigated this a little further to understand the Northern Territory context and process for making registration the law. The basic concept is that a NT government department must sponsor the legislation. This will be the department which will take carriage of the legislation once it is passed as law. The legislation process then comes into effect and it will take 12 months or more to become actual law. The legislation can be based on a model document such as the outcomes of the COAG process or from Queensland. I will investigate this further and report in the next newsletter. Louise McCormick President Northern Division
Self – This unit explores ethics, competent practice and a sense of responsibility for your work. Community – This unit will change depending on the nature of the work you do and deals with safety, efficiency, engagement with community and stakeholders, risk management and legal and regulatory requirements. Workplace – Communication, Performance, Taking Action and
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Congratula ons to our newest Fellows: •
Brendan Lawson
•
Peter Mill
A message from the President of Young Engineers As is traditional the Young Engineers kick off the year in March with the Welcome meeting. This year we held a BBQ down at East Point in March. The BBQ gave a chance for those who are new to the area or who just want to get more involved to meet members of the current YEAND committee and find out what we do and what is planned for the coming year. It is also a chance for the committee to listen to new ideas and find out what our new members expect from the committee. A sunny afternoon helped persuade a total of 18 people turn up to listen to music, play a bit of football and cricket, whilst munching down on some snags and burgers (salad optional). It was great to see so many new faces, and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of them as the year goes on. We’d also like to thank Wallbridge & Gilbert for their sponsorship of this event, which allowed us to buy the food and drinks. Our second event was more of a professional development type, being an evening’s talk on what life is like as a FlyIn / Fly-Out (FIFO) Engineer. Expecting a target audience of students, the event was held at CDU during the early evening. We had two speakers, Tom Gooding and Paul Marchetti, giving accounts of their experiences, covering topics such as the effects on family life, the fast pace on site, along with other pros and pitfalls of the lifestyle FIFO brings. We had an attendance of 15 people, plus, for the first time, attendance via Skype! The use of Skype is something that you can probably expect more of from the Young Engineers, as we can have up to nine other people attend meetings and presentations via the software. For those who were unable to attend, you will soon be able to download a video of the presentations, courtesy of the nice people at CDU. Two events down and plenty more to come – the Young Engineers are aiming for one event a month for the rest of the year, so keep an eye out for more social and professional development opportunities aimed at helping you work towards Chartered Status. JP Foster President Young Engineers Northern
Sponsor
Engineering Education Australia offers Diploma of Project Management Course for Northern Territory Engineering Education Australia Some (EEA) deliver Participants education and of Project training on beManagement course half of Engineers Australia, the peak body of Engineers in Australia with more than 92,000 members. Since 1989, Engineering Education Australia has delivered professional development courses and programs for the Engineering Team and in the last nine years alone has delivered exclusive education and training to 21,763 Engineers from 1,687 different Engineering Organisations, including both Members and Non-Members of Engineers Australia and all roles and responsibilities within the Engineering Team. This Diploma of Project Management Course (Full Program) is a special series of 5 x 2 day courses delivered specifically for Engineering Project Managers and the Engineering Team. The following five modules form part of this course. Module 1 – Project Management Fundamentals Module 2 – Implementing Projects Module 3 – Managing People in Projects Module 4 – Managing Project Costs, Resources and Procurement Module 5 – Managing Project Quality, Communication and Risk
as a Project Manager or have extensive experience in Project Management, the Diploma of Project Management (Full Program) provides a detailed coverage of all areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK). The Diploma of Project Management (Full Program) is endorsed by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) and aligned to both the Australian National Competency Standards and the PMBoK. EEA’s partner, The Moreland Group, is also a Registered Education Provider (R.E.P) with the Project Management Institute (PMI). If you are a member of Engineers Australia, this program is also recognised by Engineers Australia for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). For more information and to register please visit Engineering Education Australia’s web site (www.eeaust.com.au). This article supplied by Sumesh Dhir Diploma of Project Management course attendee
CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY WELCOME TO NEW STUDENTS FOR 2012
This highly popular Diploma of Project Management Course was offered to the Northern Territory engineering professions for the first time in Dawin from June 2011 to March 2011, with the first module offered on 2-3 June 2011 and the last module offered on 27-28 March 2011. All modules of this course were conducted at Engineers Australia (Darwin), 14 Shepherd Street, Darwin. Engineering Project Managers and the members of the Engineering Team from Road Network Division of Department of Lands and Planning (DLP) and Department of Construction and Infrastructure (DCI) took advantage of this opportunity and participated in this comprehensive course. All of them have found this course to be valuable and highly recommend others to attend this course. Regardless of whether you are about to take up a role
Sponsor
Project Management Course offered by Engineering Education Australia PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSE Engineering Educa on Australia is offering the Diploma of Project Management in Darwin during the 2012/13 year. The program is specifically design for engineering team members and is structured as 5X2 day workshops covering: To learn more about each of the modules and the assessment process please refer to the EEA website: h9p://www.eeaust.com.au/Diploma-of-ProjectManagement-face-to-face
Engineering Educa on Australia have sourced Na onal Workforce Development Fund monies and can provide government support for this training. The percentage of government subsidy varies with the number of employees in the organisa on (>50 = 67%, 50 - 199 + 50%, >200 34%) . To take advantage of this government funding you need to act quickly. EEA will need to know the following informa on by no later than 25 May: ·
Company name
·
ABN
·
Total number of employees
·
Number of people undertaking the Diploma
For further informa on please contact Stephen Betros 03 9274 9605 or stephen@eeaust.com.au.
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Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management - Keynote Speaker from Shell Development visits the Top End The Centre for Engineering Leadership and Management of Engineers Australia Northern Division hosted a function at Skycity Darwin on 30 March 2012. This event was sponsored by AusIndustry with the keynote speaker, Steve Kauffman from Shell Development Australia speaking on “Floating LNG – a new opportunity for Australia’s Offshore Gas Resource. Steve flew in from Kota Steve Kauffman Kinabalu in Malaysia for the luncheon and guests were very impressed with the presentation and the research and technology behind the project. Shell's Prelude Floating LNG Project will be located in Commonwealth waters off the northwest coast of Western Australia, around 475km north-northeast of Broome and 850km west -southwest of Darwin. It will be Shell's and possibly the world's first Floating LNG (FLNG) development whereby gas will be processed at the site of the gas field rather than piping gas hundreds of kilometres to a traditional onshore processing plant. Being able to process gas at the site of the gas field means you can reduce the cost and environmental footprint of development, allowing you to bring gas reserves to market that otherwise might stay undeveloped because they are not economically viable. The Prelude FLNG facility itself will be the largest offshore production facility ever built, measuring 488m long and 74m wide. Operating and maintaining such a facility in a remote location far from shore means the facility will need a number of onshore support services. Shell plans to base its aviation, drilling and tug support services in Broome, and head office support in Perth, but Darwin will be integral to the successful maintenance of the facility. In practice, this will mean equipment will be taken off the FLNG facility and transported to Darwin where it will be farmed out to local businesses for maintenance. Darwin Port will also be used for all international and domestic freight coming into the facility (except for drilling materials) and for the subsea equipment to be prepared before taking out to the site. A supply vessel travelling between the FLNG facility and Darwin will also carry other goods such as fresh food and fuel during the 25 years the Project will be operating. Over 60 guests attended this CELM event in the International Room at Skycity Resort Casino. Steve started in the LNG business in 1985 with Shell as a process engineer evaluating various liquefaction technologies. Following time in refining he joined Shell Global Solutions in 1998 as a LNG Consultant and was responsible for the technical integration of various LNG developments, including Shell’s floating LNG and electric drive concepts. Brendan Lawson and Peter Mill were presented with their Fellows certificate by Sabaratnam Prathapan from Charles Darwin University. Congratulations to Brendan and Peter on their achievements. Peter Russell presented Steve with a gift from Engineers Australia.
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Gala Dinner 2012 The 2012 Gala Dinner was held on 28th March at the Holiday Inn Esplanade. Over 150 members and guests enjoyed the challenge of making an aeroplane to fly to remote and regional areas of the Northern Territory, being that 2012 is themed “Year of the Regional Engineering Team”. Her Honour, the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Sally Thomas gave enlightening talk on the history of engineering right back to roman acquaducks and how engineering has contributed to what Darwin is today. She also judged the flights of the aircrafts and their accuracy (this was very questionable). Many of the aircraft broke up mid air. Prizes were awarded to Wallbridge and Gilbert and the Young Engineers. Kezia Purick kindly provided a tour for 10 including lunch to Parliament House. Kara Sloper from Shell Development presented the prizes to the winners and runnersup. A good fun time was had by all who attended however I think the challenge is on for next year’s dinner!
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More Gala Dinner Pics
The winning Plane
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2012 Engineering Excellence Awards - Early Bird Registration Closing soon Advertising in the 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards Showcase booklet now
Early Bird ckets for this year’s Engineering Excellence Awards are closing soon.
Want to promote your business to over 500 organisa ons, government departments and like-minded businesses? Why not adver se in this year Excellence Awards Showcase Booklet
This year’s Excellence Awards is themed around the “Year of the Regional Engineering Team” and promises to be full of surprises.
To register visit www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ northern-division/events
Adver sing rates are compe ve. Your advert stays on Engineers website for the next 12 months and booklets are circulated following the Awards Want to know more contact Karen on 8981 4137 Visit the website to see a copy of last year’s booklet Www.engineersaustralia.org.au/northerndivision/awards
Or call us on 8981 4137 and we are only too happy to help!
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People’s Choice Award 2012 Engineering Excellence Awards
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Regional Engineering - an article by Peter Poole Engineers Australia structure on the Tindal RAAF Base recently vacated by 5 Airhas nominated 2012 as the field Construction Squadron. The Plant Workshops were the Year of Regional Engineer- very substantial WWII railway workshops. ing. I was not sure how to Communication was by telephone and telex, the PMG write an article with a her- had recently installed an automatic exchange in Katherine so itage bent on this theme local calls were able to be direct dialled however any call outside until I remembered the of Katherine had to be booked through the operator; delays of good old days………….. many hours often occurred between booking the call and actualBack in the good old ly speaking to the other party. Contact with construction and days before satellite tele- maintenance crews remote from Katherine was by HF radio; phones, e-mail, subscriber each Region had its own allocated frequencies and schedules trunk dialling (STD’s?) and other modern communications tech- with a dedicated radio operator. The Department of the Interior nology was invented; regional engineering in the Northern Ter- Northern Territory Administration ran a much larger radio netritory was in its prime. The Commonwealth ran the Territory work VJY that provided a public HF radio service. and order prevailed. The Commonwealth Department of Works Office technology was basic, type writers were manual devices (CDW) was the design, construcwith carbon paper used to make a few tion and maintenance authority for copies or stencils and duplicators used the Commonwealth in the Territory for multiple copies. Photocopiers were and with some guidance from in their infancy with the one in the Head Office in Melbourne and fiKatherine office having a dedicated nance from Treasury in Canberra operator who used the machine to first CDW managed all sorts of public make a negative and then a positive works activities. copy; letter was the only size available. I’m not sure how the DarCalculators were basic electrical / mewin area was managed but well chanical machines; simple electronic south of the Berrimah Line each calculators that could add subtract area (Katherine, Alice Springs and multiply and divide were appearing at Tennant Creek?) had a Regional the time. If a calculator had a memory Engineer in charge of the CDW then it was flash! Engineering calculaCullen River Bridge with approaches 1971 organisation. (There was also a tions were carried out using a slide Regional Architect and a Senior Clerk but rule, logarithmic tables or ready reckoner. we knew who did the real work, who selected the colour Organisations developed nomographs that enabled you to idenschemes for the office extensions and who kept the funding tify the solution to complex calculations by “inserting” several flowing). known parameters and reading the solution from the chart. My first dealing with a Regional Engineer was in late Small portable mechanical calculators were available for field 1967 when I received a letter from Athol Munday the RE Kathe- use. rine confirming that I had vacation employment and that I The need for Capital works projects were identified on a should ensure I bought solid work boots with me. Athol Mun- long term basis with a system of design lists (A, B & C) and reday left Katherine in 1970 and Don Darben took over as RE. view systems that resulted in projects being developed over a (Refer article in previous Newsletter on DFD). Don moved to period of years with detailed designs and specifications being Darwin in 1974; I may need to be corrected but after Don Darben prepared in advance; once treasury provided funding construcDennis Tait and finally Kevin Jordan took over as RE Katherine. tion would occur. Each Commonwealth Department was reDennis Tait was also RE Alice Springs. After the NT was granted sponsible for preparing its own list of future projects and obtainlimited self government in 1978 Transport and Work adopted ing funding from treasury however CDW would usually be the the title Area Manager for the head person of the organisation in Department that carried out detailed designs, prepared contract each Region. Area Managers were appointed for Darwin, Kathe- documents, supervised construction and organised on going rine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs and Nhulunbuy. maintenance of the asset. CDW Katherine Region in 1967 was housed in new offices on The major works under taken in the late sixties and early the Gorge Road; the building consisted of three offices for the 70’s were the Beef Roads Top Springs Wave Hill, Willeroo TimRE, RA and the Senior Clerk, an open plan office with about six ber Creek and the WA border and the Roper Road, upgrading desks for the technical staff and another area for support staff. various sections of the Stuart Highway bridges over The Cullen, The materials laboratory was an old aluminium prefabricated King and Edith Rivers, sewering the town of Katherine and the
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Regional Engineering - an article by Peter Poole cont…….. Post Master Generals Department also had their own specialised crews to carry out construction and maintenance work. An interesting system that the Commonwealth had and still utilises to examine and review spending on major capital works was the Parliamentary Public Works Committee. Any proposed DD Smith Resident Engineer - Alice project with a value in excess of a springs certain amount would be reviewed by a committee made up of elected members of federal parliament who would conduct an enquiry into the various aspects of the project to ensure that Commonwealth money was being spent responsibly. The PWC conducted enquiries into a wide range of Territory infrastructure including Beef Roads, Stuart Highway upgrading, schools, wharves, power stations, housing, water supply and sewers. It was interesting to read that in the late 1930’s when the Military were pushing for rapid construction of a water supply system for Darwin the Prime Minister (Menzies) was reminding his Ministers not to forget that they needed to deal with the PWC.
Victoria River Crossing 1967
The Regions and the out lying areas now have secure satellite or optic fibre communications, roads are almost all weather. Radar and satellite surveillance enables weather (and illegal boats and planes) to be monitored in real time. Net worked computing systems and all the supporting electronic gadgetry have revolutionised working in the regions. Computing power carries out complex calculations in no time. (Surveying however has probably been impacted more by technological improvements in the past forty years than Regional Engineering).
Protect your vehicle while promo ng Engineering. Northern Division has sun visors for your car for sale only $20.00 each. To purchase your visor online visit: www.engineersaustralia.org.au/ northern-division/resources
Maintenance office and accommodation Balbarini 1970
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A message from Past President Dr Ian Stanley - to Director Bronwyn Russell Bronwyn, A very belated thank you for arranging the passage of my Fellowship application and a special vote of thanks goes to Peter Russell and Len Chappell who proposed and seconded my application. Having been away from Australia for quite a few years now and having attended a multitude of events with other learned societies, I came to the blinding realisation that through the intensive peer review process and the strict criterion involved, Fellowship of Engineers Australia is perhaps the most eminent Engineering Membership grade to be attain. What really distinguishes Engineers Australia above other Institutions (and in fact leading the overall profession), is its (discipline inclusive) forward thinking and strategic focus on the national and international fronts. Engineers Australia’s emphasis of promoting engineering as a core value adding profession, especially at Government level is also unique as is the sheer pride in promoting engineering success and the encouragement of learning from failures. I am hard pressed to name any other Institution with this quality of mind set. A current issue of concern especially in my current industry of work (oil and gas), something which is addressed in NETR/ NPER3, is Competency Standards. In recent times, through either the blind following of codes of practice and standards, or the “tick and flick” mentality of assurance, or the lack of “critical thinking” and challenging established practices (corporate amnesia) there have been a number of industrial incidents wherein there has been significant loss of life and/or asset and environmental damage. Two incidents which immediately come to mind are the Loss of the RAF Nimrod MR2 Aircraft XV230 (http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0809/hc10/1025/1025.pdf), and of course the Deepwater Horizon Incident (http://www.sars.org.uk/events/nosdinner2012/) In the Nimrod Review, one of the key points for Safety and Reliability professionals is Recommendation 28.4: “A single professional body should be formed for Safety Experts to set professional and ethical standards, accredit members and disseminate best practice. Currently, there are a number of different professional bodies which provide some learned-society facilities for those with some expertise in the safety field. There is a need, however, for a single professional body to provide focus, rigour and a centre of excellence.” This really sums up Engineers Australia to a tee - and how long have we had this business model for? We (www.sars.org.uk) have been taking a lead role in addressing this recommendation in the UK. There have however been significant challenges owing to the number of “different professional bodies” at hand and associated parochialism. Needless to say we have been taking a more than just a cursory look at NPER3 model! Perhaps NPER3 could be extended to include categories for Technical Safety and Reliability Engineering? So, Fellowship of Engineers Australia and Registration on NPER3, is it a desirable combination? Damn right it is and it is something to be very proud of. Thank you Northern Division for supporting my application to become a Fellow of Engineers Australia. Dr. Ian Stanley Aberdeen Scotland
Date 21 May
Ac vity Engineering Excellence Awards
Venue and Registra on Project Entries - Katherine
Technical Presenta on and Dinner 30 May—2 June
Centre for Engineering Leadership
Adelaide Conven on Centre, Adelaide
Conference
Registra on www.elc2012.org/ register.asp
TBA
Engineering Excellence Awards Technical Presenta ons
Project Entries - Darwin
20 June
Site Visit Navy
Limited spaces available
20 June
Keynote Speaker Rob Heywood
Engineers Australia
5.30pm
The Christchurch Earthquake: Experiences and lessons from the rubble
14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
21 June
Keynote Speaker Rob Heywood Gove
Pacific Aluminium - Gove
The Christchurch Earthquake: Experiences and lessons from the rubble 21 June
Technical Presenta on
Engineers Australia
Zero Carbon - Presenter Patrick Hearps, Zero Carbon Project Australia
14 Shepherd Street, Darwin
6 July
Fellows Luncheon
TBA
26 July
Engineering Excellence Awards
Fannie Bay Racecourse “Schweppes” marquee Registra on: www.engineersaustralia/ northern-division/events
7—10 August
Engineering Week
Various
10 August
Sunchase Solar Car and Boat Challenge
Royal Darwin Showgrounds From 8.00am
13—17 August
Science Week
Various
20—31 August
SMART Tours
Central Australia
14 September
Sunchase
Alice Springs
November
Annual Mee ng
Engineers Australia, 14 Shepherd Street Darwin