Engineering for Public Works - Issue 21, March 2021 by IPWEAQ

ENGINEERING

FOR PUBLIC WORKS ISSUE NUMBER

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Michael Kerr Engineering the Tropics P 50

SEQ Branch Conference Wrap-up P 94

Meet the Ives Member profiles P 26

Mareeba Shire Council Bridging the Gap P 46

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Set your career course in the right direction

This two-day intensive provides an understanding of the industry to support new professionals joining the public works sector at any stage of their career. Designed in consultation with industry, the program provides big-picture context and essential knowledge to assist professionals to competently navigate the sector. Who should attend? This program is designed for professionals working in any organisation (government and nongovernment) involved in the public works sector, in particular professionals new to the industry, including: • Recent graduates • Contractors undertaking public works projects • Professionals moving between private and public sector organisations

Contact Engagement Coordinator Daneele.McBride@ipweaq.com

Benefits IPWEAQ’s PWP Orientation program: • presents sector-wide information and knowledge, allowing employees to become familiar and comfortable with the sector more quickly than by work experience alone; • provides context on how the public works sector enhances the quality of life for Queensland communities, and how they can contribute; • increases understanding of the relationships between public and private organisations; • builds resiliency, enthusiasm, and pride for working in the sector; • supports attraction and retention strategies; • includes up to one year of complimentary IPWEAQ Membership giving professionals access to information specific to public works professionals (T&Cs apply).

07 3632 6808

Location: Brisbane Venue: Public Works Professionals, 6 Eagleview Place, Eagle Farm Date: 28-29 July 2021 Time: 8:30am to 4:00pm (each day)

Program outline Delivered over two-days at IPWEAQ’s state of the art facilities in Brisbane, the program consists of: Day one: Check Roles and responsibilities of each level of government Check Community expectations – LOS and communication Check Record keeping and governance Check Managing natural disasters Check Engineering a sustainable future – smart cities, innovation and circular economies Check Critical thinking Check Networks and involvement in the sector Day two: Check Native title and cultural heritage Check Managing infrastructure assets Check Site visit Check Career opportunities and goal setting Check Pathway to registration 3704

PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS ORIENTATION

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CONTENTS

COMING UP 2nd QUARTER 2021

ISSN 2652-6050 (online) March 2021 Issue no 21 Cover: Road Safety award winner, Warwick’s Learn to Ride Park

President’s Report

EVENTS Register Online

President’s Breakfast

CEO’s Report

Community News

Member News

Anzac Commemorations

World Water Day

Trailblazing Women

Member Profiles, Nadia and Cameron Ives

2-3 June: Rural Roads Maintenance and Rehabilitation Forum, Dalby

Member Profile, Amelia Marshall

17-18 June: NQ Branch Conference, Townsville

Member Profile, Michael Williams

PUBLIC WORKS TV

Member Profile, Bradley White

Member Profile, John Hawkes

Professional Engineers Act Reforms

18-19 March: SWQ Branch Conference, Chinchilla 20-21 April: CQ Branch Conference, Maryborough 19-20 May: Asset Management Symposium, Brisbane

Professional Registration: Highlighting Best Practice

NHVR and IPWEAQ Collaborative Agreement

Water Assets Key to Water Quality

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Accounting

Engineering the Tropics

Emerald Airport Runway - Central Highlands Regional Council

Learn to Ride Park - Southern Downs Regional

Councils Are Going Green

Post-COVID Peak Hour Traffic Demand Management

New Technical Standard for Temporary Traffic Management

Subsurface Utility Engineering (Sue) Enhanced Through Collaboration

21 April: Assessing Heavy Vehicle Access to Bridges, Brisbane

How to Protect Survey Marks

Writing and Presenting A Technical Paper

22 April: Street Design Manual for Practitioners, Brisbane

Book Review

SWQ Branch President’s Report

CQ Branch President’s Report

NQ Branch President’s Report

SEQ Branch President’s Report

SEQ Branch Conference Wrap Up

Qldwater Report

Ambassador’s Report

Meet the Teams

100

Partners and Subscribers

102

Media Kit

105

24 March: Big Picture Thinking - Asset Management 21 April: Agile Skills for Future Public Works Priorities 28 April: Improving Stabilisation Outcomes 12 May: Critical Thinking 2 June: Development Assessment- Tips and Tricks 9 June: Managing Upwards 23 June: International Women in Engineering Day PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Register Online

27-29 April: Bridge Inspection Workshop, Brisbane 28 April: QUDM Workshop, Brisbane 3 June: Street Design Manual for Practitioners, Gold Coast 16-17 June: Demystifying Extended Design Domain Applications, Brisbane E-LEARNING Register Online The next intake for IPWEAQ’s non-technical digital learning pathways commence 12 April.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

JUST LAUNCHED!

Take charge OF YOUR CPD TODAY!

trackmycpd.com.au INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

WELCOME PEAK SERVICES!

We welcome Peak Services as an Enterprise Partner! Peak Services is uniquely placed as a commercial enterprise to focus on the needs of Queensland councils and their communities. Peak are wholly owned by the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and operate as a profit-for-purpose enterprise, with all profits boosting the LGAQ’s work of advising, supporting and representing Queensland’s councils.

Become an IPWEAQ Partner! Contact Monica Robertson

Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

07 3632 6802

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

2021 Events Program APRIL

CQ BRANCH CONFERENCE MARYBOROUGH

2-3

RURAL ROADS REHABILITATION AND MAINTENANCE FORUM DALBY

20-21 ASSET MANAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM BRISBANE

19-20 MAY

JUNE

NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE TOWNSVILLE

17-18 JUNE

28-29

PUBLIC WORKS PROFESSIONALS ORIENTATION

JULY

qldwater ANNUAL FORUM

7-9 SEPT

12-14

3606

OCTOBER

ANNUAL CONFERENCE CAIRNS

Contact Events & Marketing Manager Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6802

2021 IPWEAQ EVENTS PROGRAM

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS. Join us for the inaugural Asset Management Symposium, Parliament House, Brisbane, 19-20 May 2021 A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO ASSET MANAGEMENT WITH DELIVERABLES THAT WILL IMPROVE OUTCOMES

Streams:

Speakers & Topics

Asset Stewardship Asset Accounting Asset Governance Asset Management Leadership Asset Management Foundations

Patrick Flemming, Queensland Audit Oﬃce Working Smarter

Craig Young, Somerset Council Asset Lifecycle

Joshua Seskis, City of Gold Coast Building better frameworks

Dr Tim Heldt, Structural Engineering Consultant, NAMS-Q Chair Improving Data Driven Decision Making

Local Government Finance Professionals (speaker TBC) Asset decision making - the key to local government financial sustainability

Justin Fischer, Cassowary Coast Regional Council Practical asset management leadership - case study

Other sessions: Planning for new infrastructure assets Strategic Asset Management asset types and prioritisation Asset standards: a practical approach Level of Service and Community Engagement case study

Contact Professional Development Manager Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6807

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REGISTRATIONS OPEN NOW!

Jackie Frost, Moreton Bay Regional Council Asset Performance

Stephen Hegedus, Shepherd Services Service Levels: measurable, quantifiable and real

Murray Erbs, Local Government Engineer Demystifying useful life, depreciation and asset valuation

Ryan Cosgrove, qldwater Risk Realisation

Kylie Munn, USQ PhD Candidate The human factor - improving asset management practice The Asset Management Community of Practice

Contact Professional Development Manager Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6807

• How can we improve our data driven decision making? • As a community, what must we do to advance into the future? • What are the constraints to good asset governance? • What does good asset management leadership look like? • What are the key fundamental principles of asset management?

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Interactive Discussions

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Craig Murrell

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2021 IPWEAQ President’s Breakfast in person at Victoria Park and via satellite. This time last year we had no idea what was just around the corner but maybe that rainy day in Brisbane was a sign. This year, the sun was out and we made the most of the beautiful weather. We also made the most of the opportunity to catch-up with colleagues – something we no longer take for granted – and to thank our Partners for their support for IPWEAQ last year particularly. We were delighted to have IPWEAQ’s 7th President, Gil Holmes (1984-1986) with us to receive a gift to celebrate his contributions to the Institute as President and during those formative years. The Holmes training room at IPWEAQ’s new facilities in Eagle Farm were named in Gil’s honour. We also celebrated the contributions of another IPWEAQ Past President, Peter Way. Peter was our 12th President (1993-1995). He is an Emeritus member – our highest honour – and has been instrumental in IPWEA’s global standing on asset management. Peter was featured in the June 2020 issue of Engineering for Public Works. While each of the IPWEA Divisions are independent separate legal entities which

form part of a federated structure, we do recognise the transfer of members across borders and we were delighted to recognise Phil Hawley who has been a member for 50 years with IPWEAQ and IPWEA NSW. Phil was a member of the Institute of Municipal Engineering Australia NSW Board when it resolved to join the IPWEA Group. Last month, I was pleased to attend the SEQ Branch conference in Caloundra. The program was varied and relevant. A highlight of the event was the conference dinner at the Queensland Air Museum. An auction for Rural Aid, the President’s Charity, raised $1,200 with Phil Evans from Saferoads taking home the flight simulator experience for three people, the beneficiaries being Phil’s three children. Congratulations again, Phil! I am delighted to announce that Seren McKenzie has been awarded Emeritus membership, the first female member to receive the highest award

that can be bestowed on any member. A recipient must have served Queensland communities for at least 20 years and made a major contribution to the Institute. As our first female President and one of our longest standing Board members (possibly the longest), this recognition is well earned and we congratulate Seren for once

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

again etching her name into the history books. A reminder that applications for Fellow membership will close 1 April. I encourage all eligible Members: minimum five years membership, active involvement in IPWEAQ activities eg on Working Groups, contributions to the sector and to the advancement of our Body of Knowledge. IPWEAQ Working Groups offer valuable opportunities for you to contribute your experience and knowledge in technical areas for the development of technical solutions that advance our sector. I encourage you to get involved particularly if you see a need in the industry that requires a solution. Contact Craig Moss to discuss further, Craig.Moss@ ipweaq.com. I look forward to seeing you at the SWQ Branch Conference in Chinchilla this March and/or at the Annual Conference in Cairns, 12-14 October which will be upon us sooner than we think. See you then!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

2021 PRESIDENT’S BREAKFAST The President’s Breakfast was an excellent way to start what is sure to be an exciting year for IPWEAQ. Thank you to the 100+ delegates for joining us in Brisbane and 60+ virtual attendees from across the state. A special thank you to our Partners and sponsors for contributing to our success over the last 12 months. We welcomed councils and organisations via live stream for the third year to enjoy the breakfast and watch the presentations remotely. Thank you to those who joined us from eight satellite breakfasts in Goondiwindi, Gold Coast, Pyrmont (NSW), Noosa, Redlands, Yarrabah, and two events in Toowoomba. We were privileged to be joined by many of our Partners including: • Boral • CARDNO Ltd • Delnorth Group Pty Ltd • Department of Transport and Main Roads • Dial Before You Dig • Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd • Holcim/Humes Australia • Huesker Australia • Interflow • Komatsu Australia Pty Ltd • Leading Roles • LGIAsuper • Local Buy • McCullough Robertson Lawyers • Pavement Management Services • PelicanCorp • Saferoads

• Stabilised Pavements of Australia • Wagners CFT Manufacturing Pty Ltd • Water Modelling Solutions President Craig Murrell’s charity, Rural Aid provides support to farmers and rural communities in times of natural disaster and also supports the sustainability of our agriculture sector. We were pleased to raise $1,100 for Rural Aid through our raffle with prizes including hampers filled with local farmer’s produce.

Congratulations to John Derbyshire and Trevor Dean winners of the two hampers As is now tradition, the IPWEAQ Engineer of the Year is invited to present at the President’s Breakfast. Thank you, Ged Brennan from GenEng Solutions, for your thought-provoking presentation. Ross Ullman from Sunshine Coast Council presented on the 2020 Project of the Year and Projects over $10 million winner. The Sunshine Coast Airport

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

OUR SATELLITE BREAKFAST HOSTS

Expansion Project is the largest civil infrastructure project ever undertaken by the Sunshine Coast Council and it is the first time that a Local Government Authority in Queensland delivered a new international standard aviation facility. We launched the 2021 Excellence Awards including five new categories: Community Road Safety, Road Safety Infrastructure, Projects over $20 million, Employer of the Year (Private Sector) and Employer of the Year (Public Sector). Nominations are open until 25 June 2021 with the winners announced at our Excellence Awards Gala Dinner 12 October 2021 in Cairns.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

IPWEAQ ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SAVE THE DATE

CAIRNS CONVENTION CENTRE | 12-14 OCTOBER 2021

Please join us for the 2021 IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held at the Cairns Convention Centre, 12-14 October 2021.

DELEGATE RATED 2019 -2020

We are thrilled to welcome you to #IPWEAQ21 in Cairns in October 2021!

www.ipweaq.com/events

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available please contact Monica Robertson on 3632 6802 or Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com

#IPWEAQ21

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4.6

If you have attended an IPWEAQ conference, you would be aware of the importance of our community coming together. Our program includes three incredible keynote speakers, multiple streams, Tech Tours, Emerging Professionals Workshop, Women in Public Works Engineering Masterclass and the 2021 IPWEAQ Excellence Awards gala dinner and ceremony.

CEO’S REPORT Leigh Cunningham

In just a couple of weeks, we’ll be into Q4. It seems that again this year, time will not be waiting for us. January saw the launch of the inaugural Every Community Needs and Engineer calendar which highlights the types of projects public works engineers deliver for Queensland communities. So far this year, we’ve celebrated coastal projects (January), airport projects (February) and parklands and open spaces (March). Many of the projects featured in the calendar have won IPWEAQ excellence awards or were nominated. Given how quickly this year is passing, it is not too early for you to nominate a project to feature in the 2022 calendar, ideally, a type of engineering not represented in the inaugural calendar. It doesn’t need to be infrastructure; it can be a service, however it needs to be able to be represented by a single image. If you haven’t already, please download the calendar and post each month on the walls of your council or organisation for everyone to appreciate what public works engineers do for us. Hard copies also available. Our monthly campaigns to date promoting the featured types of projects are on pages 54-56 of the journal. Also launched this year are 16 career cards featuring the various roles available in the sector to inspire high school students and graduates and mid-career change professionals. The cards are available for high school career days which can be used with the accompanying Activities Pack which includes ideas for engaging with students in an

interactive and meaningful way. If you would like to present a set of career cards to your local high school(s), please don’t hesitate to contact us. Additionally, if you are available to present to your local high school(s), please also contact us. The 2021 Excellence Awards were launched by last year’s Project of the Year winners, Sunshine Coast Council at the 2021 President’s Breakfast. There are 13 project categories this year including two new Road Safety categories: Community Road Safety and Road Safety Infrastructure. We have also introduced a new category for Projects over $20 million given the amount of infrastructure spend likely in our sector over the coming years. In addition to our five people awards, we have introduced two Employer Awards: Employer of the Year (Private Sector) and Employer of the Year (Public Sector). We are pleased to recognise organisations and employers that have developed leading workplaces which maximise the full potential of their workforce. We expect these awards will be hotly contested with a number of stand-out councils and consultancies offering exceptional programs to support the ongoing development of their professionals at all stages of their careers.

conference papers in the Knowledge Centre. An hourmeter shows your progress towards 150 CPD hours and a chart tracks the types of hours recorded. If you have signed up for IPWEAQ’s CPD Scheme, we will auto-audit your progress to ensure you will comply with the CPD hour requirements. Ahead in the next quarter, we have branch conferences in Chinchilla, Maryborough and Townsville, an Asset Management Symposium in Brisbane and a Rural Roads Forum in Dalby – plenty of opportunities for you to connect with like-minded professionals to advance the knowledge and expertise of our sector. I look forward to seeing you at any of the above forthcoming events or at our new facilities in Eagle Farm!

And the latest launch for the first two months of the year – the new Track My CPD portal. Upload your CPD hours in any of the categories whether it is attendance at a course or conference, preparing and presenting a paper for a conference, reading Engineering for Public Works or viewing

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

COMMUNITY NEWS

CONGRATULATIONS, MR & MRS ASH

APPLY FOR RPEQ IPWEAQ has a registered assessment scheme approved in accordance with the Professional Engineers Act (2002). To apply for RPEQ, please contact Kate O’Riordan at Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com or 07 3632 6807

RPEQ RENEWALS In May 2020, IPWEAQ Ambassador, Ben Ash was to marry his fiance Christie however a certain virus struck and their nuptials were postponed. Ben and Christie finally married in December on the Gold Coast. Our best wishes to you both!

SEQ NETWORKING EVENT By popular demand following a highlysuccessful SEQ branch conference in Caloundra, we are pleased to invite you to join us for an SEQ Branch catch-up: When: Thursday 25 March 2021, 5:00pm. Where: The Plough Inn, Southbank. Cost: There is no fee to register. Food and beverages at your own cost.

The BPEQ online renewal portal will open from 1 April 2021 and close at midnight 31 May 2021. All RPEQs will receive notice of the expiry of their registration via mail or email. Visit the BPEQ website for tips on getting #RENEWALREADY

CONGRATULATIONS MORETON BAY REGIONAL COUNCIL! Moreton Bay Regional Council claimed gold at the 2020 Stormwater Queensland Excellence Awards for Excellence in Infrastructure. The winning project stabilised the banks of the South Pine River in the wake of the devastating 2011 floods and revegetated the riparian zone. Congratulations, MBRC!

Please register online. See you there!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

COMMUNITY NEWS

CAREER CHANGES Kirsty Bilton

Ben Ash

Shelley Burchett

Kristy Bilton, RPEQ formerly of Brisbane City Council, is the new Principal Engineer (Traffic), Metro Road Operations at the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Congratulations on your new role, Kirsty.

Congratulations to our ambassador, Ben Ash who is now the Project Engineer at Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Shelley Burchett, Assets Manager at Proterra Group has taken on a new role as Marketing Manager. Best wishes for your new role, Shelley.

RPEQ BOARD Our thanks to Kev Bickhoff who has contributed to the RPEQ Assessment Board since its inception until March 2020. “I found it gratifying to be able to give back to a profession, civil engineering and an industry, local government, that had given me personal and professional satisfaction throughout my 35+ year career. Even today, several years since I have been actively involved with IPWEAQ RPEQ, I get a buzz knowing I’ve contributed to ensuring we have engineers with a strong professional ethic and recognised qualifications and experience to serve Queensland into the future.”

Kev, and wife, Bev, at the 2018 Excellence Awards Gala Dinner.

LATEST RPEQ

JOHN HAYNES

We are very pleased to announce the registration of our newest RPEQ, Matthew Caughley Operations Engineer, Bundaberg Regional Council.

It is with regret that we announce the passing of former member, John Haynes in February. We extend our sympathies to John’s family.

Congratulations, Matthew!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER NEWS

Congratulations to Seren McKenzie on her appointment as the first female Emeritus member! Seren has made major contributions to the Institute and has served the community for over 20 years across a wide range of areas. She was the President from 2017-2019 and has held roles as the SWQ Branch President. IPWEAQ Vice President for four years. She has also been an instrumental member of many working groups and committees.

FIRST FEMALE EMERITUS MEMBER

Seren holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours Environmental Science), Masters Engineering Technology (Environmental) and is due to complete her Masters of Business Administration this year. Emeritus membership is the highest grade bestowed on any member.

MEMBERSHIP MILESTONES APRIL – JUNE 2021

YE ARS ARS YE • Daniel Johnstone

• Graeme Preston

• John Keays • Kevin Flanagan YE YE ARS ARS Eckard • Lawrence

Congratulations to Graeme Preston for reaching 35 years membership this year. After over 60 years working in local government, Graeme says “I love what I do, that’s why I’m still doing it. It’s challenging, interesting and I love mentoring young people.” Read more about Graeme in the March 2018 issue of Engineering for Public Works. Thank you, Graeme, for your many years of service and contribution to our sector.

• Andrew Fulton

YE YE ARS ARS SEQ Branch President, Raad Jarjees (left) presenting Graeme with his 35-year member milestone gift at the 2021 SEQ branch conference in Caloundra.

• Mark Ryan

• John Creagan • Craig Eldridge • Richard Holliday • Barry Omundson • Phuong Nguyen • Tom Jamieson • Stacey Marshman • Jason Cook • Shalika Low • Lee Goldsmith • Blake Slaven • Leon Surawski

• Ross Guppy

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER NEWS

Celebrating 25 years’ membership: Ross McPherson. Ross was featured in the December issue of Engineering for Public Works.

Celebrating 15 years’ membership: Grayden Curry.

Celebrating 20 years’ membership: Allan Hull and Darren Shepherd.

MORNING TEA WITH GIL

Celebrating 10 years membership: Larry Griffiths and Stephen Hegedus.

We were pleased to welcome Gil Holmes, IPWEAQ’s seventh President (1984 – 1986) and founding member to IPWEAQ’s new facilities at Eagle Farm in February. Gil and his wife, Marilyn joined us for morning tea to inspect the training room, Holmes, named in his honour.

5-Year Membership Milestones Pictured L to R: Raad Jarjees (SEQ Branch President), Richard Holliday, Lee Busby, Mark Atkinson, Scott Bowden, Richard Hancock.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

COMMUNITY

ANZAC COMMEMORATIONS

Evening View Heroes Walk.

Cooktown War Memorial.

This April we will celebrate Queensland’s ANZAC memorials with a Commemorative Book. Please submit details of your council’s memorial to Danelle.McBride @ipweaq.com.

The Nambour Youth Activity Precinct and RSL War Memorial In 2016, the Sunshine Coast Council received IPWEAQ’s Project of the Year award for the Nambour Youth Activity Precinct and RSL War Memorial. The project transformed an underused site into a significant social community asset.

Military bollard and historical cog.

The Heroes Walk pays tribute to the regions fallen heroes and incorporates a passionate message for all to pay heed – “We gave our today for your tomorrow.”

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

COMMUNITY Emu Park Anzac Memorial The Emu Park Anzac Memorial is a historic landmark on the Capricorn Coast, and a focal point to honour both the spirit of ANZAC. The Emu Park Anzac Memorial includes silhouetted figures of Australian soldiers grouped in twos and threes and ‘walking up the headland’. Anzac Square and Memorial Galleries Anzac Square in Brisbane is Queensland’s pre-eminent war memorial, commemorating the Australian armed forces’ contribution and particularly, the service of Queensland’s men and women in overseas conflicts since the Boer War. For 87 years, Anzac Square has stood as a living memorial to those who served our nation.

Emu Park.

In recognition of this memorial’s importance, $21.98 million was invested in a staged project to restore, protect, and make respectful enhancements. Cooktown War Memorial A tall sandstone column, the Cooktown War Memorial is located to the north of ANZAC Park, and was unveiled in 1888 when Australia celebrated its centenary. The memorials feature two granite boulders with metal plaques, the largest of which commemorates all who served in WWI and WWII. The second boulder is a general war memorial. A Leopard I tank is displayed near the boulders. The Public amenities block features a mural commemorating the local men and women who served during WWI.

Emu Park.

LEST WE FORGET

Anzac Square World War I Memorial Crypt Image courtesy of Lightwell. Project developed in collaboration with Brisbane City Council, State Library of Queensland and Lightwell.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

WORLD WATER DAY

VALUING WATER On 22 March every year we celebrate World Water Day, to reflect on the importance freshwater. The theme for 2021 is Valuing Water. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis, focusing on achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. Economic development and a growing global population mean agriculture and industry are getting thirstier and waterintensive energy generation is rising to meet demand. Climate change is making water more erratic and contributing to pollution. As societies balance water resource demands, many people’s interests are not being considered. How we value water determines how it is managed and shared. The value of water is much

more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource. SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for everyone’s benefit. VALUING WATER: FIVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES 1. Valuing water sources – natural water resources and ecosystems. All water is generated by ecosystems. And all the water we abstract for human use eventually returns to the environment, along with any contaminants we have added. The water cycle is our most important ‘ecosystem service’. Higher value must be given to protecting the environment

to ensure a good quality water supply and build resilience to shocks such as flood and drought. 2. Valuing water infrastructure – storage, treatment and supply. Water infrastructure stores and moves water to where it is most needed and helps clean and return it to nature after human use. Where this infrastructure is inadequate, socio-economic development is undermined and ecosystems endangered. Typical valuations of water infrastructure tend to underestimate or not include costs, particularly social and environmental costs. It is difficult to recover all costs from tariffs (known as full cost recovery). Only part or all of the operational costs are recovered in many countries, and public funds cover capital investments. 3. Valuing water services – drinking water, sanitation and health services. The role of water in households, schools, workplaces and health care facilities is critical.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

WORLD WATER DAY change can push up costs and disrupt supply chains. Corporate mismanagement of water can damage ecosystems and harm reputations and affect sales. Traditionally, the EIB sector has valued water by the volume used, plus the costs of wastewater treatment and disposal. More organisations are adopting integrated water resource management (IWRM) planning approaches as they improve their sustainability. 5. Valuing socio-cultural aspects of water – recreational, cultural and spiritual attributes. Water can connect us with notions of creation, religion and community. And water in natural spaces can help us feel at peace. Water is an intrinsic part of every culture but the values we attribute to these functions are difficult to quantify or articulate. Economics often considers water to be a resource for practical human usage and pays little or no attention to its socio-cultural or environmental, value. There is a need to fully understand water’s cultural values by involving a more diverse group of stakeholders in water resources management.

Furthermore, WASH – water, sanitation and hygiene – services also add value in greater health, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. WASH services are often subsidised, even in high-income countries. However, untargeted subsidies can benefit people with existing water connections rather improve poor and underserved communities. 4. Valuing water as an input to production and socio-economic activity – food and agriculture, energy and industry, business and employment. Agriculture places the most significant demand on global

freshwater resources and is a major contributor to environmental degradation.

On World Water Day, we invite you to give some thought to the value you place on water, and how we can all work towards SDG6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Despite being fundamental to food security, water in food production is generally given a low value when assessed purely through the economic lens of value produced in relation to water used. Many of the wider benefits – improving nutrition, generating income, adapting to climate change and reducing migration, are often not reflected in water costs. For the energy, industry and business (EIB) sector, waterrelated threats such as water scarcity, flooding and climate

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING

TRAILBLAZING WOMEN HONOURED AS CROSS RIVER RAIL GOES UNDERGROUND Tony Moore Senior reporter at the Brisbane Times

Two groundbreaking Queensland women have been recognised as part of Brisbane’s $5.6 billion Cross River Rail project as it moves into the construction phase. Else Shepherd AM was Queensland’s first female engineering graduate, going on to become the chair of Powerlink, while feminist Merle Thornton AM, who introduced women’s studies at the University of Queensland in 1973, is best known for a protest at the Regatta Hotel. Transport Minister Mark Bailey with Queensland’s first female electrical engineering graduate, Professor Else Shepherd AM. Ms Thornton and Rosalie Bogner chained themselves to the hotel’s bar in 1965, protesting against the exclusion of women from public bars around Australia. Now two multimillion-dollar boring machines used to carve out the Cross River Rail tunnels will be christened Merle and Else in recognition of the women’s achievements. The machines will be lowered into the ground at Woolloongabba in early 2021, with each digging a tunnel under South Brisbane, the Brisbane River, the Queensland University of Technology and Albert Street towards Roma Street.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey with Queensland’s first female electrical engineering graduate, Professor Else Shepherd AM. Credit: Tony Moore

The Merle and Else will eventually emerge at Normanby late in 2021. Transport Minister Mark Bailey said he was following a 500-year engineering and mining tradition for naming large pieces of heavy equipment after women. “They pray to Saint Barbara as a way of recognising good luck and safety,” Mr Bailey said. “Today we are naming these two groundbreaking machines after these two groundbreaking women in Brisbane and Queensland.” Mr Bailey paid tribute to the women, saying Professor Shepherd joined the Institute of Engineers Queensland at a time when the group met in a men’sonly club. “It was Else’s membership that made them move their venue so women could participate further,” he said.

Professor Shepherd was disappointed that Ms Thornton, now 90, could not join them for Tuesday’s launch, saying she inspired her greatly in 1965. “Merle has been one of my champions all my life. By changing the laws, she made a huge difference to my life,” Professor Shepherd said.

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WOMEN IN ENGINEERING “Nothing stopped me. “Things like having a drink in a pub, as an engineer, I wanted to have a drink in the pub. Well, she made it happen. “Women had very low pay in 1965. She worked hard to get better pay for all of us, so I am really sorry that she is not here as well.” Ms Thornton did, however, provide a statement saying she always envisaged cutting through on social issues.

Rosalie Bogner (left) and Merle Thornton (mother of actor Sigrid Thornton) chained to the Regatta Hotel bar in 1965.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve had a ‘boring’ life, but I have always tried to cut through on various social issues, so perhaps it is fitting to have my name on one of these massive tunnelling machines,” she quipped. Ms Thornton established the Equal Opportunities for Women Association in 1965 and as its president, she led a successful campaign to end the “marriage bar”, which required women to give up their jobs in the Australian public service when they married. Professor Shepherd also challenged workplace norms in the 1960s.

Merle Thornton, who chained herself to the bar at the Regatta Hotel on March 31, 1965, poses with a pint of beer at the same bar 50 years on in March 2015. Credit: Michelle Smith

“When I graduated, I went to Mackay, where it was not expected that women like I should actually work,” she said. “I wanted to work in sugar mills and they said that was not very appropriate.” At Tuesday’s media conference, Professor Shepherd’s eyes were drawn to the young women standing behind the news crews. The women work for the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority and the Department of Transport and Main Roads. “When I see the women over there who are working as engineers in a big project like this, this could not have happened when I started in 1965. It is so exciting for me,” she said.

Professor Else Shepherd AM (right) poses with female engineers working on Brisbane’s Cross River Rail project: (from left) Alena Conrads, Kylee Bishop, Megan Wood and Bridget Goldsworthy. Credit: Tony Moore

This article first appeared in the Brisbane Times on 22 December 2020.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

SAVE THE DATE

FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN ENGINEERING DAY! ENGINEERING A PATHWAY: A LUNCH WITH

Else Shepherd INCLUDES A KEYNOTE PRESENTATION WITH ELSE, FOLLOWED BY A NETWORKING LUNCH. More details to come.

WEDNESDAY 23 JUNE

Else Shepherd and another student were the first women to earn electrical engineering degrees from the University of Queensland in 1965. What she has achieved since has been outstanding with little regard for gender imbalances.

12pm – 2pm

3919

LEVEL 1, 6 EAGLEVIEW PLACE | EAGLE FARM

www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Join us as we strive to make Queensland great!

• Save up to $600 on your IPWEAQ Annual Conference registration • Save up to $550 on branch conference registrations, with four branch conferences annually held in CQ, NQ, SEQ and SWQ • Save up to $300 per course/workshop when undertaking your ongoing Professional Development with our program tailormade for our sector • Save up to $300 when purchasing access to our leading-edge technical products and publications • Save $300 on your RPEQ application with IPWEAQ • Receive invitations to member only networking events such as our annual President’s Breakfast, branch Christmas gatherings, fundraising events etc • Eligibility to sign up to our CPD scheme, we will track and audit your CPD hours • Access member-only content in our globally recognised Knowledge Centre - IPWEAQ publications, proceedings, papers and presentations delivered at our events are searchable by subject matter, author etc

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Membership subscription fees to 30 June 2021 From 1 July 2020 1 October 2020 1 January 2021 1 April 2021

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* Graduate rates are applicable up to 5 years post-graduation (Bachelor’s degree). * Complimentary student rates are applicable only for full-time students enrolled in civil engineering or related disciplines (urban planning, surveying etc) for the duration of their studies.

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• Complimentary attendance to all Public Works TV (PW-TV) episodes, regular presentations on issues affecting our sector and continuous professional development (value, $30 per episode)

• Member post-nominals and seals:

BENEFITS

• Advocacy, we represent your interests to government ensuring your voice is heard

Membership is open to anyone actively involved in the delivery of public works and services in Queensland including technical officers, supervisors, ﬂeet managers, project managers, finance and HR professionals, councillors and consultants. Criteria: you must be a person of good character and agree to comply with the terms of the Constitution including the Objects of the Company.

• Receive industry-specific updates with our quarterly e-journal, Engineering for Public Works (catalogued in university libraries) and our monthly issue of Connect.

WHO

• Be considered for member profiles published in our quarterly e-journal, Engineering for Public Works (EPW).

As an IPWEAQ member, you’ll have all the networks, resources, support and representation to succeed and grow in your career in the public works sector.

WHY

• The opportunity to enhance your reputation and profile participating in one of our technical Working Groups and committees delivering solutions for Queensland communities

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

MEET NADIA AND CAMERON IVES Married engineers Nadia and Cameron Ives are currently both directors at GenEng Solutions, an Engineering Consultancy company located in Toowoomba. They have experienced long careers in the engineering industry, simultaneously working for the same organisations, and have each been awarded IPWEAQ’s National Emerging Leader Award, among other awards. A decade ago, Nadia and Cameron both worked for Toowoomba Regional Council. Nadia was the Principal Engineer – Construction and Maintenance (South) and Cameron, the Senior Technical Officer Project Services. At this time, Nadia became the inaugural recipient of the IPWEAQ Women in Engineering Award, while Cameron was awarded the IPWEAQ Technical Officer of the Year. Throughout the past 10 years, Nadia helped establish and chair the Darling Downs Women in Engineering group and has been an industry representative for the GoWest Annual Awards. Nadia is a coveted guest speaker, delivering presentations at USQ Engineering and Surveying, USQ GoWest and the 2019 Engineers Australia event, Three Wise Women. More recently, Nadia participated in the 2020 USQ Open Day as a panellist on the topics: Why more women should consider a career in engineering and why recessions are good for engineering employment. During her tenure at GenEng Solutions, Nadia has continued to broaden her interest in Traffic, Transport, Road Operations,

Nadia and Cameron at the 2013 Cairns Conference Awards Dinner.

and Stormwater drainage. She has worked on several large developments in Toowoomba and assisted Scenic Rim Regional Council, Cassowary Coast Regional Council and Southern Downs Regional Council in traffic and road operations, drainage and future planning and flood recovery works. Nadia is currently assisting the Department of Transport and Main Roads in completing the RPEQ certification for designs to upgrade four heavy vehicle interception sites in the Darling Downs District. Cameron completed a Master of Engineering Practice at USQ and achieved Chartered Status and RPEQ. In 2012, Cameron was the inaugural State Chair of YIPWEA QLD and established the young members network across QLD. He was also on the committee for the 2013 and 2014 IPWEAQ Annual Conferences. In 2017, Cameron was awarded Fellow Membership and recently joined the IPWEAQ South West Branch Committee.

For several years in Planning (DA Engineer) and Engineering Services, Cameron assisted the Western Downs Regional Council and was part of a team to deliver $140M upgrades and maintenance to council roads during the Coal Seam Gas boom. He then undertook a placement with Southern Downs Regional Council as the Principal Engineer Water and Wastewater and Principal Engineer Development Assessment. For the past four years, Cameron has been assisting the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Resurfacing and Maintenance areas of the Darling Downs District. In March, Cameron presents a paper at the IPWEAQ SW Branch Conference in Chinchilla titled A reseal contract like no other: How external factors united in unprecedent fashion. During the 2020 COVID lockdown, Nadia and Cameron enrolled in the USQ Upskill Course – Planning on moving people. Although informative and

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE rewarding, completing a 2000word assignment and 15-minute presentation while working from home and home schooling proved challenging! Nadia and Cameron appreciate the flexibility of their current positions at GenEng that provide the opportunity to be actively engaged in their boys lives, Josh (eight) and Will (four). Cameron recently became Secretary of the newly formed TAS United Football Club Committee and is also the Under 9’s Coach for his son Josh’s football team.

Nadia & Cameron and eldest son Josh at the 2014 Caloundra Conference Farewell function.

Ged Brennan, Ben Lusk, Nadia, Cameron & Allen Christensen at the 2013 Cairns Conference Farewell Function in the now famous IPWEAQ bathrobe.

NOMINATE FOR AN IPWEAQ EXCELLENCE AWARD The awards program places a spotlight on the projects and people who deliver exceptional outcomes for Queensland communities. Nominations close 25 June with nominees and winners presented at the 2021 Annual Conference in Cairns, 12 October.

Excellence award winners 2010: Woman in Engineering.

Categories PEOPLE

• Engineer of the Year • Woman in Engineering • Emerging Professional of the Year • Team Member of the Year (non-engineers and includes Supervisors, Works Officers and other support staff) • Futures Challenge

PROJECTS

• Innovation • Projects under $1 million • Projects under $2 million • Projects $2 million to $5 million • Projects $5 million to $10 million • Projects $10 million to $20 million • Projects over $20 million NEW • Asset Management

• Environment and Sustainability • Innovation & Sustainability in Water • Coastal Engineering • Community Road Safety NEW • Road Safety Infrastructure NEW

NEW EMPLOYER AWARDS! • Employer of the Year (Private sector) • Employer of the Year (Public sector)

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

EMERGING PROFESSIONAL

AMELIA MARSHALL

Amelia is a professional civil engineer with extensive civil construction and project management experience for the local government and the private sector. Amelia gained Engineers Australia Chartered Professional and RPEQ status following seven years of construction and project management experience. She has since branched out to expand her skillset in public works engineering asset management, design management, infrastructure planning and technical engineering solution development. What inspired you to study engineering and civil in particular? I was born and raised in Townsville and I’ve always loved watching my city grow. I wanted to utilise my aptitude in maths and physics to contribute to the safety, sustainable growth, and liveability of Townsville. James Cook University Townsville has a brilliant world-renowned Engineering School and so, for me, civil engineering was the obvious decision. What projects have you been involved with to date? I have been responsible for the successful delivery of the Transport and Stormwater Renewals Portfolio. Most notably I have managed the construction of the intersection upgrade of

William Angliss and Macarthur Drive. I was the project engineer on the Townsville Recreational Boating Park (the largest boating park in the southern hemisphere), Elliot Springs (Access to Development), managed the Shoalmarra Drive and Mount Low Parkway Intersection Upgrade and the design of Dalrymple Road 4-laning. I have also worked on developing TCC’s Asset Management Capability Model and the development of our 10-year capital plan, as well as managing the delivery of the capital design program for Civil and Open Space. I’ve had various levels of involvement over five years on the multi-staged upgrade of three key intersections on Ingham Road at Everett and Weston Streets, Webb Drive and Enterprise Street in different roles I’ve held. These controlled intersections now provide a significant increase in safety of vehicle operation on Ingham Road. It was fantastic to see all the different inputs required across the organisation and externally come together to deliver the project successfully.

What do you enjoy most about working as an engineer in public works? I love knowing that the community is at the heart of every engineering decision I make. What has been your biggest challenge as you began your career and how did/do you overcome them? Trying to perform a public works engineering role as an awkward and timid female maths nerd posed its challenges almost immediately when one of my first tasks as an engineer was to get behind an asphalt paver with a shovel. However uncomfortable it was at first, continuing to work in construction and not giving up is one of the best things I could have done. I have found that effective communication in engineering is just as important as the actual engineering itself. Instead of avoiding conflict, I always seek to understand and demonstrate that I understand before all else. I am then open with the other complications I am considering and I always try to offer options. This approach has made it easy for me to

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Enterprise Street before.

Enterprise Street after.

earn the respect of my peers, stakeholders, and clients. How has your membership of IPWEAQ been of benefit to you to date and what do you enjoy most about the community? It is a fantastic community that works together to advance the skills, knowledge, and resources available to engineers in public works. I am regularly grateful for the technical notes, guidelines, and standard drawings available to me with my membership. The webinars and workshops that I have attended are always particularly relevant to public works engineering, making the

training so valuable to myself and my colleagues. More recently, I signed up to PW-TV TechTalks sessions which I think are a fantastic idea. I am looking forward to accessing iMPACT (the Native Title Cultural Heritage Assessment Tool developed by IPWEAQ) to assist in Cultural Heritage assessments. Any other comments you would like to make that will help others developing their careers? If someone believes in you enough to present a career opportunity to you, don’t be afraid to take it, even if the

opportunity doesn’t align with your specialist experience. Public works engineering is a broad skillset in being able to understand the needs of the community and being able to utilise your engineering problemsolving ability to provide solutions to help the community. You’ll be surprised to find that this skillset can be transferrable across many disciplines and career opportunities with commitment and a positive attitude and provide you with valuable personal life skills. Take the leap!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE Title compliance iMPACT tool. However, I met some great people at the 2019 IPWEAQ Conference. I discovered that the best way to make a difference is to meet the people who run the engineering industry and then try to make Cultural Heritage and Native Title compliance as applicable and understandable as possible.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS

Michael Williams is a cultural heritage officer and archaeologist. He completed a BA majoring in history and archaeology, a Graduate Diploma in Maritime Archaeology, and a Masters in Heritage Management. Michael moved to Barcaldine to become a full-time Cultural Heritage Officer for George Bourne and Associates in Barcaldine, Queensland. His role is to identify and protect Indigenous and historical cultural heritage values for local and state government civil engineering projects. How did you become involved in public works? As a sub-contracting archaeologist in NSW, I decided to become more involved in the public and private works cultural heritage compliance sector. So after completing a Masters in Heritage Management, I was lucky enough to identify a vacancy in Barcaldine at GBA for a Cultural Heritage Officer position via news from my old lecturer at Flinders University. What projects have you been involved with which have contributed to your career progression into this area? Management and delivery of cultural heritage and environmental consultation for local and state government authorities and businesses throughout Queensland, including correspondence, surveys and reports. I also produce information for local and state heritage registers,

Two Dog Dreaming.

facilitate CH Agreements, manage GIS data, software, equipment, and provide graduate CH/ENV staff mentorship. Recent projects include the Nogoa River Recreational Walking Trail, Flood Damage road maintenance works, and various road widening and rehabilitation works. What have been your career highlights to date? Becoming an Associate at GBA and being involved in archaeological excavations and cultural heritage projects both in Australia and overseas. Meeting and developing rapport with experts in the cultural heritage and archaeological sector in Australia and building relationships with local and state government authorities and traditional owners groups. What do you enjoy most about working in this sector? Getting the chance to learn more about Australia’s Indigenous and historical heritage and history while assisting the development of civil projects made to improve local and state populations wellbeing. Also, having a fantastic group of people to work and share a laugh with every day at GBA. What inspired you to join IPWEAQ and what services are of most value to you? Meeting people in the engineering sector and finding ways in which Cultural Heritage and Native Title compliance can best be applied and taught. Initially, I only joined to learn about IPWEAQ’s new Cultural Heritage & Native

What advice would you give to others about our sector and how to become involved? Communicate and learn about cultural heritage values and how to protect them. Become familiar with the people that drive the sector, and meet people with similar interests and goals. Strength in numbers! What challenges have you faced particularly in this sector and how did/do you overcome them? At first, it wasn’t easy to get consistent work and feel professionally fulfilled. I learnt that it takes good results and trust between you and your clients before work can come at a consistent rate, and it takes hard work to find professional fulfillment. For example, the better quality of work I’ve done and the better relationships I’ve built with clients, the more projects show up. I’ve realised that extra-curricular activities such as attending conferences and having conversations with academics and professionals can improve my overall outlook on the profession. Any other advice for other professionals who might consider a career in public works? Follow your passion and become involved in whatever company you work for and whatever community you find yourself in.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Winton field trip - smoko.

Tanzania - Kilwa.

Gracevale.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

EMERGING LEADER

BRADLEY WHITE

Brad White is a Civil Engineer with over 28 years of experience in both the public and private sectors. He has broad experience with a diverse and wellrounded set of skills and is a people-focused leader. Brad started his career with an engineering cadetship at Brisbane City Council, working full-time and studying an Engineering Degree part-time at QUT in Brisbane. Following small stints in waterways policy and a private consultancy, Brad joined Logan City Council as the Capital Works Engineer, where he undertook further studies gaining qualifications in project management. Over the next 13 years, opportunities were presented to work as a program leader in Road Maintenance and then management opportunities in Waste Management and Plant & Fleet Services. He was also the Chair of the Infrastructure Recovery Sub-Group during the 2017 Floods. Brad has participated in a number of formal leadership development programs at Logan City Council and the Propeller Program through the LGMA. He is currently the Parks Manager at Logan City Council. Brad is married and with two children and is a keen angler. When he isn’t working, you’ll find him fishing offshore on his boat

Doug Larsen BMX Skate Park.

or kayak in the southern Gold Coast waters. Who or what has contributed mostly to your career progression to date? Good mentors and maximising on opportunities. I am privileged to still have a few good mentors that I have previously worked for either directly or indirectly – they’ll remain anonymous, although they will know who they are when they read this article. I suggest you don’t limit yourself to one mentor either, mentors have different strengths and it’s important to see different points of view as you develop through your career. Opportunities can come when you least expect them and potentially have the worst timing. When I first moved into a role as an operational leader, I progressed from leading one staff member to one hundred staff members. The weekend before I started in the new role, my daughter had been very sick in hospital. I was tired, selfconfidence was plummeting, and I remember looking at my new organisation structure thinking what I have got myself in for. Funnily enough, it all worked

out. I think self-doubt is a natural human response to change and challenge. In my experience, most people rise to the challenge and are always better as a result. What have been your career highlights? This is a great question and encouraged me to reflect on my career. It’s interesting to consider how your own definition of a highlight changes over the years. When I first started my cadetship program it was a tough way to get qualifications, as full-time work and attending lectures at night meant long days with weekends studying. I wasn’t partying like I had envisaged at that age. The part-time course through QUT was six years. It was a major highlight to get that piece of paper and be presented with my qualification in front of my family. Reflecting on my early years as an engineer, highlights seem simpler. In one of my earlier roles as the Capital Works Engineer, I was part of a team delivering the Roads Capital Infrastructure Program. This role allowed me to lead a project to transform business systems around how the program was managed and reported. It involved the re-framing of programming and project management data, planning information and

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Flagstone Waterpark.

Logan Gardens Water Play project.

finances. While at the end of the day it was a beefed up excel document, it created a userfriendly system that resulted in significant savings in operational costs. I was proud of this result as the management team would outsource the work to a consultant, but I stubbornly lobbied for the task. Many years later I moved to an operational area and looked after a larger number of staff. Highlights start to then move towards more peopleoriented achievements with the development of a Health and Safety System and a Culture Journey project. These projects were significant pieces of work for change management and

people management. I am proud of this work, they were longerterm projects that delivered a safer, happier and more productive workplace. In more recent times, highlights arise from the opportunity to lead Logan’s Parks Branch as the Branch Manager through an exciting year of diverse challenges. Our year involved challenges associated with a very large operational and capital budget and significant weather events. Logan was under Interim Administration and one of our depots was in the process of being redeveloped with a new building displacing 100 staff over

numerous temporary locations. The branch was completing a total review of its Service Portfolio - a whole of network asset capture – with tight timelines associate with interim amendments to the planning scheme deadlines and then COVID decided to rear its ugly head. It was a challenging year; however, I have a fantastic team and am well supported by Logan City Council’s executive team. What do you enjoy most about working as an engineer in public works? Giving back to the community and job diversity are the two most enjoyable components of my career to date.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Logan Gardens Water Play project.

As a young engineer in a local government, I was proud of the opportunity to be involved in delivering on-ground projects for the local community. It allowed me to have a sense of making a positive difference in the community, which should never be taken for granted or overlooked. In more recent times I enjoy the diversity of my role. On any given day I am involved in or leading areas of engineering, leadership development, mentoring, workplace culture, HR and IR matters, policy, budgets, planning, politics and business strategies. It keeps me on my toes and I’m never bored. What inspired you to join IPWEAQ and what services are of most value to you? I was given an opportunity to attend an IPWEAQ conference and it was a fantastic experience. I made great contacts and was very impressed with the information being shared. I was keen to become part of that cohort. In terms of the services, I have always looked forward to the conferences and I value reading the Ask Your Mates forums and sharing of knowledge and experiences. The Institute also provides great services such as training and publications relevant to the local government environment which can be difficult to locate otherwise. There is a wealth

of knowledge out there and it collectively brings this together.

of work and not take to time to come up for a breath.

What advice have you received and/or would you give to others coming into our sector?

Clearing the mind to reset and manage the diversity of work is critical. To do this it’s important to plan and allocate time for work and your personal life but more importantly being disciplined enough to follow your plan.

Never turn down an opportunity to learn something new. Be humble, be self-reflective and surround yourself with good people that can provide mentorship. I would recommend that while you focus on technical skills. Also, ensure that you balance this with broader skillsets around people and culture. As young engineers work through their careers, communicating and working within a team is invaluable. As you grow as a leader you will need complement your technical skills with a completely different set of skills in the people space. The sooner you start the better. What challenges have you encountered in your career to date and how did/do you overcome them? Albeit a bit of a cliché, my work/ life balance has increased in importance to me in more recent times. As professionals, we will always be faced with too much work and never enough time. It’s important to focus on the job at hand but also to take time for yourself and family. My natural way of working can mean that I can get a little too focused and caught in the vortex

I am currently working with an excellent group of driven and committed people, however we do take time to focus beyond our projects and integrate shared discussions around how we are also focusing on work/life balance. I believe a balanced approach improves our workplace’s culture with a net positive result to output and quality of work. Is there anything else you would like our readers to learn about your journey which would benefit others? I recommend grabbing hold of any opportunity provided, sometimes you need to move sideways to move forwards. Saying yes to opportunities is daunting but the growth you experience personally and professionally is rewarding. Several the opportunities provided to me over the years tested my nerves and selfconfidence. I jumped in and gave it a red hot go and managed to come out the other end with good experience and lots of new knowledge. Get out there and push yourself!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

PAST PRESIDENT

JOHN HAWKES

John initially commenced retirement in late 2009 after a 37-year career in public works engineering, which involved employment in the State Government, Local Government and private sectors. This included almost 18 years working as a leading engineer in a large Far North Queensland Council. After two years, he suspended his retirement for a three-year period to play an active role in the restoration of public infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Yasi in FNQ, including the foreshore and Bruce Highway at Cardwell. His retirement as a Trustee with the Qld Foundation in 2019 marked the end of 25 years of continuous active service to the Institute with time on both the State and National Boards, the QLD Foundation for PWE and the RPEQ Assessment Board. Over this period, John held the positions of NQ Branch President, State President, National Secretary/Treasurer and Conference Chairman for the 2007 National Conference. He was recognised for his service with the award of Emeritus Member of the Institute in 2009. Tell us about your career. I commenced my involvement in engineering in 1969 at the Townsville Campus of UQ as a bonded scholarship holder with the then Main Roads

Presentation of the Engineers Australia National Local Government Engineering Medal 2005.

Presentation of the Overall Winner Category of the 2004 IPWEAQ Excellence Awards with then-Council Manager Project Services Michael Kahler.

Department in Queensland. I completed my BE (Civil) in 1972 as a graduate of the newly established James Cook University of NQ. The subsequent nine years involved employment with MRD in Cairns, Brisbane and Barcaldine, primarily in a construction engineer and planning and design role. Over that period, I completed a graduate degree in Commerce studying externally with UQ. I joined Cairns City Council in late 1981 as Assistant Operations

Engineer and after progressive promotions and the acquisition of a Local Government Engineers Certificate, I was appointed to the statutory position of City Engineer in 1990. Except for a two-and-a-halfyear interlude in the late 90s as a private consultant, I remained in the role of senior executive engineer with the same organisation carrying different executive/corporate titles including Director and General Manager until late 2009.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

Cairns Esplanade Lagoon Foreshore Development.

Over that period two separate amalgamations with adjacent local governments had seen the council area’s population grow from 40,000 to 160,000 and the average overnight tourist visitations reach 20,000. At the completion of my time with Cairns Regional Council, I held responsibility for a department within excess of 600 employees. Albeit unplanned, I returned to work in 2011 for approximately three years to assist DTMRQ and SKM with a $720m undertaking to restore cyclone-damaged infrastructure in FNQ, leading a delivery team of 40 professionals and sub-professionals. Then ‘the cue went firmly back into the rack’. What was your drive to get into engineering or public works specifically? The fact that GHD employed my father for 47 years in various engineering roles all around the country had a bearing in this regard. A seemingly natural affinity for science and mathematics while at school also seriously influenced my vocational choice. Notwithstanding this I

was conflicted as I approached matriculation by an equal leaning towards a career in medicine. The clincher came with the award of a generous MRD scholarship in an era of otherwise unsubsidised tertiary education. With the benefits of hindsight and the fact that I have seen my son face a similar career choice and take the other option, I have no regrets in this regard. Being bonded for several years to a State Road Authority, postgraduation, clearly locked me into early involvement with public works. What projects or experiences have you been involved in that have contributed to your career progression? I was fortunate that my first posting with MRD as a graduate engineer was to Peninsula District as a site engineer on some of the largest and most challenging road construction projects outside of Brisbane. At the time, this District had a large, well-resourced and well-trained day labour force so I gained some particularly good handson experience backed by the department’s comprehensive

graduate training program. My time in this District provided me with a good grounding in engineering and construction in the tropics and provided an interesting contrast to my subsequent, albeit relatively brief, posting to the arid central west centred on Barcaldine. After nine years of gaining considerable experience in most aspects of road transport engineering, my move to local government allowed me to broaden my experience to the many other areas of public works engineering that fall into the arena of this multi-faceted industry. With Cairns entering one of its most significant development booms, mainly associated with the establishment of its international airport, there could not have been a better time to join that organisation. My early perception of the scope for organisational reform in council, starting with my own area of operations, led me to the pursuit and implementation, with staff support, of many improvements in our structure, processes and culture. The patent success of these changes led to broader organisational

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE

IPWEAQ Board 2001 - 2003.

reform and ultimately to council being one of the first in Australia to adopt a Total Quality Management Framework to cover its operations. My interest and activity in this area served as a platform for my elevation to long-term membership of council’s executive management team including regular opportunities to head up that team as the Acting CEO. Can you identify one (or more) career highlights to date? From a project perspective, it would be my involvement in what is now regarded as Cairns’ iconic Esplanade Lagoon and Foreshore Development, photos of which now regale almost all tourism promotional material for the city and region. This $53m project received, among other accolades, the IPWEAQ Best Overall Project Excellence Award in 2004 and the Engineers Australia National Local Government Engineering Medal in 2005, both of which I had the honour of receiving on behalf of council and its project team. From a purely professional perspective, it would have been the award of Emeritus Membership of IPWEA in 2009 which, timed with my final separation from local government, was truly ‘icing on the cake’.

Adelaide 2005 promoting serious business in a spectacular location.

What did you enjoy most about working as an engineer in public works? There can be few things more rewarding than having the opportunity to create and maintain infrastructure that has a demonstrable impact on the community’s quality of life and safety in general and, even more so, of the community in which you live. No other engineering endeavour can match the dayto-day diversity of public works engineering, particularly local government engineering where many engineers have to be true general practitioners of their profession to adequately perform their roles and meet their responsibilities. I should add that being a lover of the great outdoors, at no time during my career was there never a premise to leave the office to carry out a site inspection. What do you appreciate most about IPWEAQ’s involvement in your career? I regard one of the defining days in my career as being one in February 1995. I received a phone call from the then Executive Director of IMEAQ, Ray Moore, inviting me to join the State Board as the FNQ Representative. That marked the commencement of an 11year stint on the Board which

included a concurrent four years as a Director on the IPWEA National Board from 2001 – 2005. I cannot overstate the positive impact this level of involvement in the Institute had, both on my career and my personal life. Although superimposed on an already time-demanding occupation, the rewards more than justified the challenge of finding the time required. It provided me with a network of peers (and long-term friends) both across the state and the nation and allowed me to be directly involved in high level advocacy for public works engineers and the formulation of government policies which impact on them. What key advice have you received and/or would you give to others entering the industry? My advice to young engineers entering a public works environment who have not already undertaken a joint degree involving business/ finance, is to try and add such a string to your bow as soon as possible. There is no substitute for financial literacy in most of the work you will be involved in, not to mention your everyday personal affairs, and you will find this knowledge will facilitate early career progression.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEMBER PROFILE colleagues, was the shortage of engineers in the industry. The drop in the number of students studying STEM subjects in high schools during the mid to late 90s combined with the attraction of many graduate and experienced engineers to the mining sector created a dearth of engineers in the public sector during the first decade of this century. With the requirement for many engineers in my team to deliver council’s programs, the protracted periods of less than a full complement created challenges that generally could only be mitigated by existing staff going the extra mile. Wilderness hiking, a favourite retirement activity.

To try and encourage a move back towards interest in high school STEM, IPWEAQ put together, during my time on the Board, a promotional package including a website labelled Engineering Fully Loaded for use as vocational guidance at high schools. Is there anything else you believe is important to note?

Relaxing with family post retirement.

I would also strongly advise, not only membership of the Institute, but also the first possible opportunity to become actively involved with it. My father’s words of “always be kind to the people under you’’ is my recollection of the earliest advice given to me as I was about to enter the industry which, although basic, if followed will return many dividends. What struggles have you encountered within the industry, and how did you overcome them? Although a strong supporter, in principle, of council amalgamations I have struggled

on two occasions in dealing with the fallout from the poorly managed implementation of them. Where the politics and culture between the councils involved are significantly different my experience indicates that the initial merger of pre-existing administrations would be better served under an independent administrator’s oversight rather than a newly elected council. Although challenging, I found that the associated issues were not insurmountable and could be overcome with strong leadership and perseverance. The biggest struggle I faced towards the end of my career, along with many of my

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise Suzanna Barnes-Gillard, who in joining IPWEAQ in 2001 in the role of Executive Director and the first full-time employee of the organisation, made it possible for me as President at the time and the rest of the Board to focus entirely on our intended role as directors. While the prior arrangement involving part-time executive support had delivered many positive outcomes for the organisation it placed a significant onus on the voluntary members of the Board, who, generally as city and shire engineers, already had challenging work commitments. Suzanna’s expertise, energy and entrepreneurial spirit allowed the directors to be less involved in policy implementation and more in policy creation. Her arrival in the organisation marked a true watershed moment in the history of IPWEAQ and created a platform for its development into the thriving and successful organisation that it currently is.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Street Design Manual for Practitioners

IPWEAQ’s Street Design Manual: Walkable Neighbourhoods (the Manual) is a contemporary guide for the design and development of Queensland’s residential neighbourhoods. Developed for industry by industry, the Manual recognises streets as an essential connector to multi-purpose social spaces in our neighbourhoods. It offers access options for active transport delivering safer neighbourhoods and a sense of community. This program will provide a detailed understanding of all aspects of quality contemporary residential land development that promotes healthy and safe communities, and provide a more coordinated approach to neighbourhood planning and design for councils, developers and the community.

Outcomes

Participants will gain a sound understanding of the intent and application of the Street Design Manual to assist in planning and design applications that complement current regulatory requirements.

Who should attend

This program has been designed for Industry Practitioners working in the Planning and Design of contemporary residential neighbourhoods, including those working in both private and government organisations. Typical attendees include: Planners, Designers, Engineers, Development Managers, Technicians

Learning Strategies

Lectures, Case studies, Group Discussions, Practical Activities

Topics

Part 2 Check Element 1: Introduction Check Element 2: Active Transport Check Element 3: Public Transport Check Element 4: Motor Vehicles Check Element 5: The Residential Street Check Element 6: Design Detail – Related Infrastructure Part 3 Check Practice notes

Facilitators

Introducing the Street Design Manual: Walkable neighbourhoods, An overview of the need, intent and strategies that led to the development of the SDM.

Contact Professional Development Manager Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6807

Part 1 Check Element 1: Community Design Check Element 2: Movement Network – Concept Design Check Element 3: Neighbourhood Open Space Network Check Element 4: Lot Design Check Element 5: Activity Centres

The program will be facilitated by Planning and Design professionals. Attendees will be provided with a complementary hard copy of the Manual 3752

Streets and pathways are the building blocks of every residential neighbourhood. Along with our built environment, well-planned streets and neighbourhoods inﬂuence how people move and interact, access parks and open space, walk and cycle for leisure, recreation, exercise and transport.

Up to 8 CPD hours

www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

REGISTRATION

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS ACT REFORMS USHER IN NEW REGULATORY REGIME enter places, search places, seize evidence relevant to an investigation;

Kylie Mercer, Registrar, Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland

Professional engineers play a crucial role in the design and construction of safe buildings and public infrastructure. Queensland stands out as the only Australian state or territory with a mandatory and comprehensive registration scheme for engineers. Our legislation has provided the template for other jurisdictions with New South Wales and Victoria implementing legislation that mirrors what we do in Queensland. Queensland should continue to lead and set the standard for the rest of the nation, which is why BPEQ lobbied hard for reforms to the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (PE Act) to enhance its investigative and enforcement powers. The PE Act reforms were passed as part of the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020 and come into effect on 1 March 2021. Broadly these reforms will: 1. increase the powers of BPEQ’s Legal Compliance and Investigations Unit to be able to more fully access or capture evidence; 2. allow for BPEQ to seek a warrant from a Magistrate to

3. allow for BPEQ to impose a condition on an engineer’s registration where they have been subject to an investigation without their consent. In my view, these are not controversial amendments and in many respects, simply bring BPEQ’s powers into line with other professional regulators. As a regulator, BPEQ owes it to the public and engineers to distinguish competent and qualified professionals and punish offences against the PE Act. Investigations concerning engineering activities can be highly complex. As part of any thorough investigation, a regulator must look at all components and persons involved. These reforms mean that BPEQ will have the power to obtain information or documents from other persons, not just the person under investigation. Entry, search and seizure powers are crucial tools for most regulators. A warrant to enter and search places and seize evidence can only be granted to BPEQ by a Magistrate. This reform will reduce the risk of crucial evidence being overlooked, withheld, or destroyed, hindering an investigation.

person caught drink driving does not have input into the period their licence is suspended. BPEQ also now has the power to issue Penalty Infringement Notices (PIN). A PIN can be issued for specific and identifiable offences in the PE Act and provides the Board an alternative to prosecution through the court system. However, a PIN can be disputed by the recipient and they can take the matter to court. These reforms are not controversial or onerous. During my time with BPEQ I have often heard from RPEQs that they want us to do more to protect the interests and standing of the profession. They tell us that they have earned the right to call themselves a RPEQ and expect BPEQ to take firm action against those that have not earned that right and flout the law. These reforms will make BPEQ a more efficient and proactive regulator. For more information on BPEQ, the RPEQ system or the PE Act visit BPEQ.

BPEQ is released from the requirement to seek an engineer’s agreement before imposing a condition on their registration. If someone does the wrong thing, and that is proven, the regulator should unilaterally decide what repercussions that person faces – for instance, a

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Kylie Mercer has served as BPEQ’s Registrar since 2015. BPEQ is Queensland’s engineering regulator. BPEQ is an independent statutory body and has administered the PE Act and the RPEQ system since 1930.

REGISTRATION

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION: HIGHLIGHTING BEST PRACTICE

Scott Britton, Director Policy & Partnerships, IPWEAQ

We live in a large, geographically disperse state where attraction and retention of suitably qualified public works professionals is a significant ongoing challenge. Given these challenges and thinking about professional registration specifically, what role do organisations employing engineers play? In recent months, discussions surrounding registered engineers working in local government have become a daily occurrence for IPWEAQ. Whether it be state government departments, councils, the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ), other peak bodies, or even our members, the Crime and Corruption Commission’s (CCC) recent correspondence to council chief executive officers shone a

light on what was otherwise a sleeping issue.

TMR and TRC policies are worthy of being highlighted.

The CCC’s views are clear. Council employees engaging in the delivery of professional services, as defined in the Professional Engineers Act 2002 (PE Act), while not registered, may amount to corrupt conduct under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001. The CCC’s actions have far-reaching implications across the broader public works sector.

Support for professional registration, membership of a professional body such as IPWEAQ, and ongoing professional development are common elements across these policies. However, the one thing that takes these policies to the next level is the stance on professional registration.

While there has been significant discussion surrounding registration and what constitutes supervision, the question of best practice from an organisational perspective is probably one that hasn’t had the attention it deserves. How organisations go about implementing a framework that supports the PE Act is an essential piece of a much broader picture. What does such a framework look like and are we talking about organisational structure and ongoing professional development? What is the consideration given to membership of professional bodies such as IPWEAQ? While there is probably no clearcut approach to this, the corporate policies of both the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) are exemplars to this end. Similarities between the

Professional DEVELOPMENT

Both TMR and TRC stipulate that those occupying positions at the senior engineer level or higher must be registered. While TRC prefers candidates are registered from the outset, the organisation allows a 12-month grace period for professional registration. TMR adopts a stronger, zero-tolerance stance on registration for those occupying senior engineer positions. To recognise the critical role that public works employers play in the advancement of our sector, IPWEAQ has launched two new awards as part of this year’s Excellence Awards program: Employer of the Year (Private Sector) and Employer of the Year (Public Sector). These new awards highlight best practice and initiatives that contribute to the advancement of the sector, of which engineering is just one of many disciplines.

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

PARTNERSHIPS

NHVR AND IPWEAQ BRIDGE A COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP), funded by the Australian Government, supports local government road managers to get the most out of their existing infrastructure assets. The SLGAAP team works closely with IPWEAQ to develop the Asset Assessment Framework, with NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto visiting IPWEAQ offices to talk with CEO Leigh Cunningham about the importance of their collaboration. “This project is about working with local governments and industry to

identify bridges and culverts that need engineering assessments to improve access for heavy vehicles,” Mr Petroccitto said. “It makes sense that we work closely with the representative body for engineers to make sure the SLGAAP provides the best outcomes for all stakeholders. “Many local governments look for engineering reports when determining the load capacity of a bridge or culvert, so engineers are a critical part of managing heavy vehicle network access.” Together NHVR and IPWEAQ created a project video to highlight the project’s purpose and the development of a national asset assessment approach.

IPWEAQ Chief Executive Officer Leigh Cunningham endorsed sharing resources and tools to give engineers and road managers an improved understanding of asset capacity across a range of vehicle configurations. “IPWEAQ is pleased to partner with the NHVR on this critical project. We have assisted the NHVR project team with both program and technical governance, technical advice and general support to ensure the project delivers on its intended outcomes. We look forward to giving our members access to the project toolkit and resources to support consistent decision-making and assessment practices,” Ms Cunningham said.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

PARTNERSHIPS

Round 1 Asset Selection For the recent Round 1 intake, the SLGAAP received more than a thousand nominations for bridge and culvert assessments. SLGAAP Round 1 will deliver Tier 1/Tier 2 engineering assessment for more than 200 assets in partnership with 68 local government road managers across Australia. Round 1 will also review assets nominated from the Council of

Mayors (South East Queensland), working across a cluster of assets within a region. Additionally, some assets from the SLGAAP Pilot will be carried forward for an Improvement Report in Round 1. For local governments who did not apply in Round 1 and would like to register interest in possible future rounds of asset assessments, please nominate using the Local Government EOI form.

NHVR & IPWEAQ CEO’s announce partnership. View video. For more information, visit the project website or contact the project team on roadassetproject@nhvr.gov.au. IPWEAQ is working closely with the NHVR SLGAAP team and we look forward to sharing more updates in the coming months.

Digital Stories - preserving Queensland’s engineering history This IPWEAQ series features prominent engineers and their ancestors discussing the history of seminal public works delivered for Queensland communities and how they contributed to the lifestyle we enjoy today. Brisbane Bridges is the first in the series.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

WATER ASSETS KEY TO WATER QUALITY

Desire Gralton

The Queensland water industry – and indeed water service providers across the country – are facing an infrastructure cliff that places communities’ health and safety at risk as ageing infrastructure deteriorates and needs to be replaced. Local Government owns and operates over $40 Billion of water and wastewater assets, providing services to 4.3 million people across 370 communities.

Figure 1: Over 22,000 km of asbestos cement (AC) water mains were installed between the 1960s and 90s leaving a cohort of pipes that will soon reach the end of their expected life.

The growth of the Queensland water industry accelerated after World War II and a large number the 42,000 km of water pipes and 35,500 km of wastewater pipes were installed by the 1970s. Installation has continued at a relatively steady pace since then. Recent research, funded through the Queensland Water Regional Alliances Program (QWRAP), has shown that the average expected lifetime for many pipes is around 70 years, especially the asbestos pipes that were common in the early days of Queensland’s expansion. This means that nearly 3000 km of Queensland’s pipe network is currently beyond its expected life and this number will grow to 10,000 km by 2040. Ageing pipes cause increasing breaks, blockages, bursts, sinkholes and disruptive and expensive “reactive repairs”. Without a concerted effort the research predicts that pipe

Figure 2: Modelled total annual breaks (in blue) are slightly higher than reported annual breaks (in red) but are projected to increase rapidly from the 2020s (Source: Cosgrove and Fearon, 2017).

breakages will rapidly increase over the next two decades, to be over four times higher than the present levels. Replacement of existing pipes is costly, although costs can be reduced by carefully prioritising pipes that are most at risk and careful management (e.g. through proactive repairs, pressure management and pipe relining). Ageing cannot

be avoided forever but an infrastructure cliff (estimated to exceed $3 billion by 2040) caused by leaving all replacement to the last minute, can be avoided through focused early action. Investment key to the future The Queensland Government is working with councils and other water service providers to avoid drinking water quality risks through increased investment

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

in water treatment assets, technology and staff capability. One such example is Goondiwindi Regional Council, where funding from the State Government’s 2020-21 COVID Works for Queensland (W4Q) program was used to replace the town’s water mains. The $190,000 project will improve the water quality and pressure to connected properties in Goondiwindi and the reliability and sustainability of Council’s water services more broadly. According to Goondiwindi Mayor Cr Lawrence Springborg, Council had allocated more than half of the $860,000 it received from 2020-21 W4Q funding to renew and maintain existing infrastructure across the region. “The W4Q funding complements the $500,000 that council spends each year to replace and upgrade the 186 kilometres of water mains across the Goondiwindi region to ensure our region’s infrastructure is up-to-date and sustainable for the future,” Cr Springborg said.

Collaborate approach to sewer relining Another example is provided by the sewer relining programs being rolled out in several QWRAP regions. The collaborative approach to sewer relining allows savings on contracting and establishment costs, reduced unit rates and improved contract management, resulting in better outcomes. In the WBBROC QWRAP region - which was the first to cooperate on relining in Queensland – significant benefits were realised in 2016 when collaborative relining allowed Cherbourg to rehabilitate existing pipes rather than continuing the previously recommended replacement program, saving $2.4M. Repair, reline or replace? New technology allows councils to understand better when to repair, reline or replace pipes, although figuring out the best way forward can be tricky. Over the past two years, Townsville City Council have developed a comprehensive

plan to monitor the performance of infrastructure assets across the city and plan to spend close to $1 billion dollars to replace and upgrade stormwater, water supply and sewerage infrastructure approaching the end of its operational life. Deputy Mayor and Infrastructure Services Committee chairperson Mark Molachino said the upgrades demonstrated council’s commitment to proper asset management while also providing a stimulus for the local economy through local jobs, supply material and equipment. Investing time and resources to assess the condition and criticality of assets are crucial. Still, they have to be balanced with the costs of capital works that are needed to achieve the lowest cost to ratepayers while maintaining the agreed levels of service. qldwater will keep working with its members to ensure the industry remains agile and responsive to provide safe, secure and sustainable water services to all Queensland communities.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ENGINEERING AND ACCOUNTING

Jacqueline Perkowicz, Strategic Project Officer, Mareeba Shire Council

Mareeba Shire Council has introduced a new teambased asset management framework to resource and fund the inspection, maintenance and replacement of bridges and major culverts. With many aging bridges needing replacement and limited resources, a team of operational and management staff has collaborated to ensure the Shire’s bridges remain safe and functional. The Mareeba Shire Bridges Asset Management Project was an initiative that unified accounting and engineering professionals into a team with a shared goal that resulted in a safe and functional bridge portfolio with no increase in budget. The reality is that the differing views and priorities between the accounting and engineering professions can lead to communication breakdown. However, taking advantage of these characteristics and focussing on a shared goal has provided maximum value for Mareeba Shire Council and the broader community. Mareeba Shire’s $67M bridge, major culvert and causeway

portfolio is dispersed over 53,457km2. With only one crew available to inspect, maintain and complete capital renewal projects, it seemed evident that there were insufficient resources to manage the portfolio. Like many councils, Mareeba has an aging asset portfolio, limited resources and minimal capacity to increase rates. Also, when Mareeba Shire de-amalgamated in 2014, it was assessed by Queensland Treasury Corporation as having a financial outlook of ‘very weak with a negative outlook’. Before the project commenced, aside from a handful of outsourced specialist consultant reports, the bridge and major culvert network’s remainder had not had a recent properly recorded engineering inspection. Of the 23 bridges selected for an outsourced specialist consultant report, 15 were reported to be in poor or deplorable condition and at risk of catastrophic failure. As part of the Long-Term Asset Management Plan development, it was identified that a team approach would reduce the risk of silos being created and ensure that specialist skills are brought together effectively. Within the Long-Term Asset Management Plan, Asset Management framework sub plans were identified for development as stand-alone projects. As a critical asset class with a catastrophic consequence of failure, the Bridges Asset Management Plan Project was prioritised for development. The Bridges Asset Management Project’s success has been mainly due to project planning, control and flexibly engaging relevant

stakeholders. A project plan was developed to capture the requirements of all stakeholders and document the actions required to achieve the output of individual asset management plans and the identified project outcomes. A project steering group named the Asset Management Group was formed, comprising key asset management staff and the senior operational and financial management team. The project steering group meets monthly to review progress and identify new issues. A small bridges asset management subgroup was formed to identify and resolve bridge asset management problems. Creating smaller subject matter expert subgroups to focus on specific issues has allowed the project to progress much more quickly and efficiently than would otherwise be possible and has also enabled the successful model of reporting achievements to the AM Group, which is then able to provide an oversight function. The community expects that bridges, causeways and major culverts are constructed and maintained to be safe for the public. For many councils, including Mareeba Shire Council, resources available to carry out proactive and reactive maintenance and capital renewals are limited. In Mareeba Shire, there is one crew responsible for inspections, maintenance, capital renewal and upgrade construction projects for bridges, major culverts and causeways and all general concrete work, including footpath construction. This

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

means that if the bridge crew is tasked with a bridge, major culvert, causeway or footpath construction project, there is limited spare capacity for inspections and maintenance of the broader portfolio of bridge assets for the project’s duration. As a result of the Bridges Asset Management Project, the bridges crew is now supplemented with operational staff from the Transport Construction and Maintenance teams. These staff lift pressure off the bridges crew by completing bridge inspections and basic maintenance such as spraying weeds around bridges. Our Corporate Services team has reinforced these benefits by transitioning the inspection data to our asset management software package, enabling easy analysis and works forecasting. The cross-functional steering group has demolished asset management work silos and

enhanced service delivery by adding value to existing work and identifying opportunities for improvement. Over the past six years, and with no additional resources, council has modernised its management of bridge portfolio assets with the following improvements: 1) Funding a multi-million dollar program to complete the backlog of critical timber bridge renewals; 2) Progressing from a paperbased inspection program to a “single point of truth” asset register linked to a defect capture and works order system. This now incorporates hundreds of condition inspection and defect records that can be used to prioritise bridge works; 3) Managing customer expectations around service levels;

4) P roviding training to upskill additional staff to inspect bridges to industry standard; 5) Checking and adding further details to baseline data; 6) T esting options to flexibly address staffing constraints; 7) C onfiguring the software systems to capture, monitor and report bridge condition and defect data; 8) R eporting to council on the inspection program; and 9) L inking the asset management plan actions with the Operational Plan reporting process. This success could not have been achieved by the Finance team or the Infrastructure team alone and has set the standard for future asset management plan projects. Empowering staff to innovate and improve processes

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ASSET MANAGEMENT

BRIDGES ASSET MANAGEMENT SUB PLAN 2020-2029

OVERVIEW Capital and operational resources to manage the $63M bridge portfolio are limited. This plan focuses on maintaining Council’s operational and capital service levels by:

Providing training to upskill additional staff to inspect bridges;

•

Reviewing a sample of bridge inspections against industry standard;

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Checking and adding further details to baseline data; and

•

Testing options to flexibly address staffing constraints.

GNIFIC

There is only one crew to inspect, maintain and replace the $63M portfolio of bridge assets. Additional construction and maintenance staff have been trained to complete bridge inspections. Council’s ability to program maintenance is recommended to be reviewed over the next 12 months.

SAFETY AND CIVIL LIABILITY Council is responsible for taking precautions against foreseeable and significant risks where reasonable and affordable. Council needs to continue ensuring that statutory obligations and safety related capital projects and maintenance activities are funded ahead of discretionary activity.

within their own functions has lifted pressure off the bridges crew, added immense value to council and resulted in a safe bridge portfolio that benefits the whole community. Through the Bridges Asset Management Project, Mareeba Shire Council has successfully turned the perceived weaknesses of a very small team and lack of resources into strengths. Teamwork has empowered staff and provided new opportunities. Developing an excellent asset management team has meant that all members feel ownership of processes and there is a strong sense of optimism, trust and respect within the

GNIFIC

INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE

KEY RISKS T R E ME

•

Managing customer expectations around service levels;

GNIFIC

•

BRIDGES IN POOR CONDITION There are five (5) bridge assets assessed as in poor or very poor condition. These are funded for renewal over the next two years and are being managed using load limits, condition inspections and maintenance until they are replaced. A sample of bridges will be reviewed by a third party.

RECORDS AND DATA CAPTURE All data sources for bridge records have been entered into the Technology One asset register. Officers will commence capturing formal Level 1 inspections using works orders and update the condition inspection forms.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY Sporadic scheduling of inspections and maintenance due to competing priorities reduces the information available to make informed financial decisions. Additional construction and maintenance staff have been trained to complete bridge inspections and Council’s 10 year renewals plan will be reviewed annually until confidence levels increase.

from a position in 2014 to a progressively improving financial position that in 2020 was deemed “sound with a neutral outlook” by Queensland Treasury Corporation. This could not have been achieved by accountants or engineers alone and it is only by introducing a team-based asset management framework that the outcome achieved is greater than the sum of its parts. Mareeba Shire has achieved the benefits of this initiative with no additional budget, using existing staff and a part-time role responsible for the cross functional coordination. It is a model that can be applied at any Council. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jacqueline Perkowicz has 14 years’ experience in local government and holds bachelor’s degree qualifications in business. In her current role, Jacqueline coordinates cross departmental teams to develop, implement and review asset management plans and strategies that align with the Community, Corporate and Operational plans.

group. Bringing different skill sets together to focus on bridges asset management as a subgroup of the asset management team has enabled our council to mitigate the impact of significant staffing constraints. As a result of this project, bridges and major culverts are now inspected on a regular basis and clear advice based on good quality data is provided to Council to ensure well informed bridge investment decisions with a strong focus on renewals. These improvements have significantly contributed to Mareeba Shire Council’s remarkable financial recovery

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

NORTH QUEENSLAND

ENGINEERING IN THE TROPICS

MICHAEL KERR MAYOR OF DOUGLAS

Tropical wet season deluges that throw debris and hills of mud onto our roads is an annual fixture in our little slice of paradise. Douglas Shire – famous for being where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef – has a knack for presenting a unique set of engineering challenges for council staff. Since 2017, our talented engineers have managed almost $30 million worth of disaster recovery projects consisting of significant landslips, road improvements and bank stabilisations. And I can assure you, these severe weather events do not discriminate. From our tourist town of Port Douglas, to the rural sugarcane growing areas surrounding Mossman, to the untouched World-Heritage rainforest north of the Daintree River – monsoonal rainfall has certainly left its mark on our region in the past few years. In 2018, Murphy Street in Port Douglas, also known as ‘Millionaires Row’, suffered three significant landslips during a torrential downpour which dropped almost 600mm in one night, resulting in the removal of more than 1500 cubic metres of debris from the street. Immediate clearing works and

View of Port Douglas taken from the Coral Sea off the coast of Rex Smeal Park.

temporary stabilisation of the hillslope were required before geotechnical engineers could finalise a long-term solution. Fast forward to 2021, our council crews and contractors have completed a fantastic $3.1 million repair job at the site, successfully capping off two years of road repairs, drainage improvements and slope stabilisation. The project was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA). I know the community has been blown away by the professionalism and quality shown by crews. The project was no easy feat. Hundreds of soil nails were drilled into the hill slope, followed by mesh covering which became the target of a specialised cannon shooting seeds and growth mixture to revegetate the hill slope. We also planted more than 200 plants on the street to beautify the area – an important part of the process for our tourist town. The work completed here is nothing short of tremendous

and gave our community a great deal of confidence heading into the 2020/21 La Nina wet season. What was even more impressive, it was just one of many significant repairs our small Council team has completed in recent years. The repair of a 60-metre high landslip in the Upper Daintree region and the re-building of a large section of road that fell away on the Alexandra Range in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest were among other key disaster recovery projects completed. Our Council staff are now embarking on $10 million drainage and pavement upgrades to remote unsealed roads north of Cape Tribulation, up to areas around Wujal Wujal. Sections of the road are vulnerable to seasonal flooding and can leave our northern communities isolated. Not to mention our adventure-seeking tourists can get stuck. With a resident population of just over 12,000 people, Douglas Shire Council draws on a relatively small rate base and minimal alternative revenue streams to maintain infrastructure for our

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

NORTH QUEENSLAND

MURPHY ST BRIEF Native seedlings were added to three large landslips on Murphy Street, Port Douglas in a bid to revegetate the repaired hill slopes. (Pictures below.) Douglas Shire Council completed the $3.1 Million repairs on the street, which required more than 1500 cubic metres of debris to be removed after a torrential downpour March 2018. Emergency works returned the area to a reasonable level of service within four weeks. Council secured disaster recovery funding, which covers “like for like” and contributed further funding to improve the streetscape to the normal urban standards with the installation of kerb and guttering. The project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Progress shot of the $3.1 million Murphy Street Landslip repairs when soil nails were being drilled into the hillslope.

busy tourist destination. Almost 60% of our residents live in the two main population centres of Port Douglas and Mossman. Port Douglas is the tourist gateway to the region, while Mossman is the administrative, health, industrial and agricultural hub. Other urban centres include the beachside communities of Wonga Beach, Newell Beach and Cooya Beach. The remaining residents live in small, decentralised communities scattered along the 100km stretch of coast road; tucked into the rainforest or in small rural townships in the Shire’s hinterland valleys. The economy of the Shire depends mainly on tourism. More than 400,000 people visit the region annually to explore the World Heritage Listed Wet Tropics Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef. Visitation generally peaks from June to September, outside of our annual cyclone season, creating a dynamic and challenging environment for our 150-plus council workforce.

More than 1500 cubic metres of mud and debris needed to be removed from Murphy St in Port Douglas after a heavy rainfall event.

Native seedlings were added to three large landslips on Murphy Street in a bid to re-vegetate the repaired hillslopes.

And there is no doubt about it – our outdoor workers punch well above their weight. When it comes to managing infrastructure, being a popular tourism destination isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. For example, Port Douglas has a population of about 3500, which more than doubles during peak tourist season. This leads to added pressure on our road network, water supply and is a premium expectation of how our public spaces are presented.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

NORTH QUEENSLAND

Council contractors spraying concrete to stabilise the hillslope and rebuild the damaged road on the Alexandra Range, north of the Daintree River, in 2019.

A section of road on the Alexandra Range which washed away in early 2019.

Despite living in one of the country’s wettest parts, we have a particularly challenging set of circumstances when it comes to managing our water supply and demand. This is predominantly due to the large tourist population, as well as the high number of resorts and swimming pools in Port Douglas.

Council contractors installed 150 gabions on top of the repaired hillslope to rebuild the section of the Alexandra Range which collapsed during a monsoon event in early 2019.

The Alexandra Range repairs were completed mid-2019. Civil works crews were required to suspend normal duties for eight weeks to mitigate the impact of the disaster events.

With no dams or significant water storage facilities, besides a few reservoirs, this poses a unique challenge to managing a water supply that is sourced from naturally flowing creeks in the pristine rainforest. Throughout Queensland, drought conditions and water stress are becoming increasingly frequent and more severe. In Douglas, this is exacerbated by the challenge of explaining to the public why we need to conserve water in the tropics. It is why Council staff are investigating the feasibility of a 1Gl water storage site and working towards gaining approval for a second water extraction point in the MossmanPort Douglas network. But it is not just Douglas. The wider FNQ region is susceptible to seasonal over and under water supply. Councils across the region have identified new and

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NORTH QUEENSLAND

A 60m-high landslip near Daintree Village was among a swag of severe weather-related repairs for Douglas Shire Council in 2019.

enlarged dams as a key strategic goal, bringing potential to tap into benefits of hydroelectric power, tourism, and lifestyle opportunities.

The group represents the largest and fastest-growing region in Northern Australia. Gross regional product is $16.33 Billion (NEIR2019).

In the face of real regional challenges, many of us see the unbridled potential to become a thriving economic force. Last year, I was elected to the position of Chairman of the Far North Queensland Regional Organisations of Councils (FNQROC) – an advocacy group spanning 13 councils from Hinchinbrook, north to Cooktown and west to Carpentaria. This area covers 1,235 km of the eastern seaboard with a land area of 316,663 sq km and has a population of approximately 276,700.

In this role, I hope to steer the broader region into an era of sustainable economic growth and development. I may be a little biased, I see Douglas Shire as a key player in our bid to propel FNQ forward in the postCOVID era.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr and was elected to the mayoral position for the first time in 2020. Originally from Victoria, he has lived in the region since 2002 and previously served as a Councillor from 2016. Mayor Kerr was recently elected to Chair of the Far North Queensland Organisation of Councils which represents 13 local Councils in the Far North.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS AN ENGINEER

JANUARY 2021

Coastal Engineering

ENGINEERS PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT City of Gold Coast Palm Beach Shoreline Project

Professional Development

Coastal Engineering (103 minutes) Topic

Speaker

Scenic Highway, Statue Bay - Cyclone Marcia Reconstruction Project

• Dan Toon

Flying Fish Point Rock Revetment Upgrade: The Application of ‘Green Engineering’, Fish Friendly Features and Other Innovative Measures

• Justin Fischer

Connecting Communities: Innovative fibre composite solutions for infrastructure - from Swale Bridges to Bulk Carrier Wharves

• Michael Kemp

Public buildings for post disaster function - structural engineering design experience

• Stuart Grallelis

• Anthony Folan

Knowledge Centre

PW-TV

New content in the new Coastal Engineering Community:

Paul Prenzler, Coordinator Beaches, City of Gold Coast and Giovanni Rapana, Senior Project Manager, Transport and Infrastructure

Type

Year

Title

Audio Visual Recording

2020

Palm Beach Shoreline Project

Palm Beach shoreline project (with artificial reef) and the Kurrawa seawall

Paper

2021

Scenic Highway Reconstruction Project - Statue Bay

Recording available in the Knowledge Centre.

Audio Visual Recording

2021

PW TV, Coastal Engineering

Technical Paper

2021

Coastal protection jetty with geotextile tubes core and artificial beach creation in Tocopilla, Chile

Presentation

2021

Harbours - Land Reclamation

Presentation

2021

Land Reclamation - Hydraulic/Coastal Engineering

Presentation

2021

Coastal Engineering - Breakwaters

Report

2021

Geosynthetic tubes as load bearing structural components of coastal infrastructure

Report

2021

Submerged barrier for coastal protection application built with tubes in geosynthetics of big diameter in Tuscany – Italy

Report

2020

Scarborough Cliffs Stabilisation Project, June 2020

Paul Prenzler

Giovanni Rapana

Media Industry Queensland The reconstruction of the Scenic Highway at Statue Bay in the Livingstone Shire is among the works in the spotlight in what professional body the IPWEAQ has dubbed ‘coastal engineering month’. Read more.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS AN ENGINEER

NEW EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR COASTAL ENGINEERING – NOMINATE TODAY!

PROJECT AWARD,

Coastal Engineering NOMINATION CRITERIA Project Description: Summarise the project being nominated. Please note this may be used in marketing material (minimum 200 and maximum 250 words)

Planning

10%

(maximum 500 words) • Explain how the project was developed • Were there other project options considered? • Define the project outcomes and were they achieved?

Alton Twine Director Transport & Infrastructure City of Gold Coast Winning the inaugural IPWEAQ Award for Excellence in Coastal Engineering means a great deal to the City of Gold Coast, as we are a City that has an extremely close relationship with our coastline and beaches. The City invests significantly into world-class planning, engineering and management practices around our 52km of Ocean beaches as well as our significant waterbodies, to protect and enhance our natural assets and lifestyle. Projects such as the Palm Beach Artificial Reef are significant to the City’s future, and having this recognised by IPWEAQ is enormous encouragement for our staff who work in coastal management, as well as to all those who aspire to work in this growing area of engineering.

Excellence & Innovation (maximum 700 words)

20% 10% 15% 15%

• How does the project demonstrate technical excellence and/or innovation in its approach? • Describe any other innovation (e.g. contract management) which led to savings, improved capacity for your staff or learnings which can be applied to other projects.

Stakeholder Engagement (maximum 500 words) • Describe the stakeholder consultation process (including community if appropriate), what was learnt from it and how it influenced the final design/plan?

Community & Economic Contribution (maximum 500 words) • Who benefits - Council, Community, Region? • Describe how the tangible and intangible benefits been measured?

Project (business) sustainability (maximum 500 words) • Describe how the project identified the needs of community and delivered a sustainable outcome for the community?

Regulatory environment & environmental impact and management (10%)

10%

(maximum 500 words) • What were the environmental impacts of the project and how were these risks analysed and managed? • What were the relevant regulatory drivers and how were they addressed? Is the project “future-proof” and prepared for reasonable and realistic growth?

Project Management (maximum 700 words)

20%

• Program planning & control • Financial planning & control • Logistics planning & control • Risk management; OH&S • Describe how the project will be delivered or operated on an ongoing basis, including any innovative partnership with contract service providers or staff up-skilling required • Describe the overall project implementation process including any post-commissioning evaluation and what was learnt from it

Contact Events & Marketing Manager Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com 07 3632 6802

Winners announced at the annual IPWEAQ gala awards ceremony and dinner Nominations close 25 June 2021

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

EVERY COMMUNITY NEEDS AN ENGINEER

FEBRUARY 2021

Airports Engineering

ENGINEERS ARE TRUSTED Sunshine Coast Council Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion

Professional Development

Airports Engineering (90 minutes) Topic

Speaker

Brisbane’s New Parallel Runway Project

• Paul Coughlan, Brisbane Airport Corporation

Sunshine Coast Regional Airport Pavement Challenger needs and innovation

• Dr. Greg White, University of Sunshine Coast

Lockhart River Aerodrome Rehabilitation - Keeping a Cape York Community Connected

• Joseph Estrada and Andrew Chiknaukin, GHD

Knowledge Centre

PW-TV

New content in the new Airports Engineering Community

Dean Catterall, Area Manager at Boral Construction Materials. This PW-TV session explored the Emerald Airport Runway Upgrade Project and the decision to use Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) not previously used on an Australian runway

Type

Year

Title

Audio Visual Recording

2021

PWTV - Emerald Airport Resurfacing Project

Video

2021

Lockhart River Aerodrome Project

Video

2021

February 2021 - IPWEAQ Airport Campaign

If you have project reports and learnings on airport maintenance or improvement to share with our community, please contact Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com

Dean Catterall

Airports video Engineer is one of the most trusted professions. Our airport’s video celebrates the role engineers play in the planning, development, expansion, and refurbishment of our airports and runways. Watch here

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

City of Gold Coast | Kurrawa Seawall Pictured: Giovanni Rapana (Beaches Team) and Ashley Rogers (Survey Services)

Every community needs an

Engineer

CALENDAR ENGINEERS PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT ENGINEERS ARE TRUSTED ENGINEERS BUILD COMMUNITIES ENGINEERS PRESERVE OUR HERITAGE ENGINEERS ARE LEADERS ENGINEERS ARE COLLABORATIVE ENGINEERS ARE INNOVATORS ENGINEERS ENGAGE AND PROTECT ENGINEERS KEEP US SAFE ENGINEERS ARE CREATIVE 3807

ENGINEERS ARE FUTURE-ORIENTED ENGINEERS CONNECT COMMUNITIES

www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

EMERALD AIRPORT RUNWAY, REHABILITATION AND OVERLAY PROJECT CENTRAL HIGHLANDS REGIONAL COUNCIL

Kerry Hayes Mayor of Central Highlands

The rehabilitation of a Central Queensland airport runway with ungrooved stone mastic asphalt is an award winning Australian-first project that became a valuable casestudy in innovation and collaborative management. Emerald Airport is the 34th largest airport in Australia. Owned and operated by the Central Highlands Regional Council, this airport on the edge of outback Queensland, transports approximately 208,000 passengers per year and services the main business hub of Emerald and the Bowen Basin coal region. The Queensland Government’s planning policy regards Emerald Airport as a strategic airport with a pivotal role in facilitating the state’s economic growth. The airport provides for a broad range of industries such as agriculture, business, tourism, recreation, health services (including the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Angel Flight) and regular passenger transport

The ridges between these grooves should be at least half (or more) of the pen’s height.

flights serviced by Qantas and Virgin Australia. Emerald Airport is a securitycontrolled airport overseen by the Department of Home Affairs. It is also a certified airport, meaning that it must comply with all aviation safety requirements, similar to much larger airports. Airport infrastructure investment could be described as ‘lumpy’; extended periods of routine maintenance are displaced by short periods of significant investment. The Emerald Airport Runway – Rehabilitation and Overlay Project was commissioned after visual condition inspections, deflection testing, ground investigations, preliminary geometry review and technical

analysis outcomes found the runway was several years past requiring attention. The usual average runway life span is approximately 12 to 15 years. The historic 20 to 30-year life span is rare now because of the refinement of materials and stricter aviation safety regulations. Built on black and reactive clay soils, the runway had deteriorated in several ways: oxidisation and deformations, wearing course and grooving erosion. It was uncommon to move from one groove floor to the next without encountering a height change. Early rehabilitation efforts focused on the runway ends that showed significant failures.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

Turning node deformation. The runway had given way under the weight of slow-moving aircraft turning and lining up for take-off. During construction, machines were at risk of being bogged once the asphalt layer was stripped off as a result of uncontrolled moisture ingress.

Crown on the northern side of the runway (darker colour indicates higher areas).

across the entire runway. An approach was needed to resolve the failures and future-proof the runway within council’s budget. The runway project also had to be a 24-hour operation that did not disrupt aviation while it maintained continuous safety, security and operational compliance.

This project formed part of a larger works program managed by the airport and the same project team. 24-hour works for several months resulted.

A number of approaches were generated as part of an investigation aimed at ensuring that the works would address shortcomings in the runway. Although this process delivered technically acceptable solutions, council was concerned that the

traditional approach may not deliver great value for money. A peer review of runway condition reports led Dr. Greg White of the University of the Sunshine Coast to conclude that the problems were widespread

Ungrooved stone mastic asphalt (SMA) was identified as a solution. No other airport in Australia had used this product on a runway giving rise to initial industry scepticism. Rather than blanket corrections, a combination of deep excavations, rock mattresses and shape-correcting were applied and subsequently covered with a SMA wearing course. One cost-effective solution was to add a wider non-loadbearing asphalt apron around

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND SMA is well established as having a greater anticipated service life as evidenced by research from the United States, previous trials at Cairns International Airport aprons (Jamieson & White 2018) and Sydney International Airport taxiways. SMA has an annual depreciation rate that is 25% lower than DGA based on an expected four-years longer service life associated with the SMA. Considering the cost, it was also evident that if the SMA service life is only one-year longer than DGA, then annual depreciation is still lower for SMA than DGA. Part of the high-level project communication plan prior to works starting. The above draft was prepared prior to the project go-ahead given by airport management.

Considering the challenges and risks, the council needed to ensure that the contractor could demonstrate measurably on site and deliver on the brief prior to commencing the SMA-based works. Council requested submissions for both SMA and DGA treatments. That way should production or construction not meet expectations the work could go ahead in DGA. The wearing course’s laying down was planned to provide the opportunity to gain more time for information gathering from the SMA test strips, especially the development of friction, before authorising SMA construction.

Asphalt pavers paving the first run of the runway strip in a specially constructed mud-mix. No rolling or wetting was required. Note the joint heater (not in use) carried by this machine for asphalt work, should joint temperature fall faster than desired.

areas where the runway and turning nodes have an ingress of moisture. This was an alternative to excavating the base and sub-base because the clay soils performed well under load tests while dry. In addition, legacy issues resulted in a wandering crown. It was decided that, to the extent possible, this matter would be addressed by a combination of localised profiling and a corrective layer.

SMA production and construction is more expensive than dense graded asphalt (DGA). A detailed life cycle cost analysis using international data showed that, because of SMA’s higher binder content, rejuvenations would need to be less frequent and courser aggregate should last five to ten years longer than a DGA runway. Consequently, despite higher upfront capital investment, the whole-of-life cost is expected to be lower.

Council was assisted by local firm George Bourne and Associates throughout the project’s development and procurement phase. During delivery, they were joined by a number of other expert firms such as GHD and Boral to deliver this Australianfirst project. In addition to the usual concerns, risks and considerations, the fact that the runway must be returned to serviceable condition (complete with working lights and paint markings) at short notice was front of mind. Prior to Boral coming onsite, every night’s work was planned in detail. Start and end times of every trade, team and action was mapped months in advance. For

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND engineer present during the night construction. As the main contractor, Boral provided an onsite senior manager to interact with airport management, the project, and head office on matters identified. Throughout the works, airport staff were onsite with an independent engineer’s oversight, verifying that the methodology was followed throughout the entire project.

Corrector plus SMA layer thickness. This gives an indication of the relative original high vs low spots.

Airport staff also conducted works and compliance inspections every morning from around 4.00 am, ensuring that crews could fix issues of concern before day operations commenced. The night staff had access to offsite resources at any time during the night. Any person could stop works if uncomfortable with an element of the project; this would trigger an ‘all-stop’ with the project team meeting onsite to resolve issues. Although used sparingly, this did result in a few potentially unfortunate situations being avoided; matters that would have been unknown to day staff.

Test patches about to be constructed.

instance, excavations could not be done before enough asphalt was ready to fill the excavation (mitigating the risk of plant break-down).

after works and civil crews had to bring the strip width up to compliance (levels, slopes and grade changes managed to within .10%).

The quantity and time that an amount of asphalt should be ready was planned based on the size of excavation. Because SMA has a short shelf-life, the exact time that the geofabric team started building the mattress was specified so that the paver could start and complete the pavement run prior to the SMA being drained of binder.

Council also established a consensus-based, multidisciplinary self-managed project team to plan details and manage the project. This team also reviewed the live test data (onsite NATA lab), autopsies (shifts past) and planning for shifts (shifts future). Live test reports confirmed that the methodologies and scope were communicated to the project team by an independent

Electrical crews had to remove runway lights and re-install them

The project involved the relocation of a unique asphalt plant on to the site. The size of this plant was specified to not be too large. Although cost-effective, large plants deliver minimum amounts of asphalt that would have impacted negatively on the shelf-life of the SMA considering the placement specifications. A quality control regime was set up and stockpiles managed with the local Shepton Quarry. An onsite NATA accredited laboratory allowed real-time testing of production samples and core testing only minutes after being laid and compacted giving feedback to the production and construction teams on mix, binder and roller passes. When read with results from nuke testing, void measurements and continuous level surveying looped back to the GPS controlled machines.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND •A new understanding was formed regarding the thickness that asphalt can be paved and how its qualities (and compaction) change due its thickness. •D evelopment of friction from various types of asphalt surfaces (test strips paved ahead of project commencement and friction tested periodically onsite to understand how friction changes over time) was completed in conjunction with engineering students from the University of the Sunshine Coast. Airport management set specific targets for skid resistance. The project met these on the first morning. This shows quality in specification, design, production, and construction. The above relate to the entire project at completion. Low friction numbers are mostly isolated to the moisture protection flanks and turning nodes.

• A lot-system to control the quality of aggregate was introduced by the project team at Shepton Quarry. This meant that a specific patch on the runway could be traced back in constituent parts to the production batch, the load from the quarry and the individual stockpile enabling the project to reduce variability that would have only become apparent during testing The Emerald climate, which can have a range of temperature from below 10 to 40°C+; has prolonged periods of drought (with clay shrinkage); and significant wet events (resulting in expansions), presents one of the least runway-friendly environments in Australia.

Isolated bitumen rich areas prior to construction methodologies being amended in a data driven manner.

Several innovative steps, methods and processes were created throughout the project including: • Senior leadership from each contractor was appointed to a project governance group before commencement. Airport management used this opportunity to ensure there weren’t any misunderstandings for the project’s duration. This group proved invaluable as a forum to strategically discuss allocating additional and different resources separate from the management team that focused on operational and technical issues.

• Bespoke flanking mixes with different soil types were made and incorporated with asphalt pavers in the strip (dirt area next to the runway) with numerous tests completed onsite. • Excavations did not commence until asphalt had been produced and loaded in case of a plant or shute break down. No excavation could be started if the plant and materials were not within reach to fill it again. • A new understanding was formed of the range for lime content in SMA for airports.

This project was used as a pilot to demonstrate that ungrooved SMA is a viable alternative to grooved DGA for runway surfacing in Australia. SMA is not perfect; inexperienced contractors can easily cause many negative outcomes. Of these, airport management highlighted friction loss as a particular aviation safety risk. To address this, two patches (SMA and DGA) were established on the Emerald Airport cross runway to act as test beds to signoff on mixes, production, and construction methodologies. SMA skid resistance compliance was achieved immediately following construction; a

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

CENTRAL QUEENSLAND and academically reported) makes this project worthy of consideration for all airports and airfields in Australia. For more technical analysis on the project, we urge anyone to seek out Dr. Greg White and Hayden Dutney’s paper to be presented at the 11th International Conference, on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields, Trondheim, Norway, 28 - 30 June 2022. (www.ntnu.no/bcrra/). The morning light shows freshly laid SMA.

The paper has been accepted-inprinciple, based on a previously submitted and peer-reviewed abstract. It is titled Stone Mastic Asphalt as an Ungrooved Runway Surface: Case Study on Emerald Airport. Boral also host a special project page on its website: www. boral.com.au/projects/emeraldairport-upgrade and a similar YouTube video at Emerald Airport Resurfacing Project - YouTube

Work crews await the outcome of a runway serviceability inspection.

significant advantage over grooved DGA, which usually does not achieve compliance until grooves are sawn some four to eight weeks later. Exhaustive testing showed superior performance of SMA. It would take the DGA patches months to reach the friction levels of four-hour-old SMA (and improving). The project incorporated much more than delivering an SMA runway. It also included taxiways, aprons, and a complete excavation, reconstruction and extension of the general aviation apron. SMA looks and reacts differently to DGA. As an example, the seeming movement of individual stones in the top layer of green SMA when agitated raised concerns at first with airport staff, but conventional and unconventional testing showed

this not to be an issue. Localised fatty spots were observed occasionally at the start of paver runs and dealt with when construction procedures were amended (including keeping mixes longer in shuttle buggies rather than in pavers). This proves that, although comparable, experience with road SMA is not directly transferable to airports and will stand Boral in good stead in future. The superiority of SMA over DGA has been independently tested and verified along with financial benefits due to longer periods between the need for intervention and rehabilitation. This less intensive intervention is expected to deliver significant financial savings to the council and therefore the community.

The project has won several awards, including the AAPA Outstanding Project Award for projects of its size as well as the IPWEAQ Innovation Award. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Born and bred in the Central Highlands, Mayor Kerry Hayes has owned and operated the Emerald Land and Cattle Company for more than 30 years and been active in the region’s local government since 1997. His drive and passion is to promote and enhance the Central Highlands to its full potential. As Chair of the Central Highlands Development Corporation, Cr Hayes firmly believes investment in quality infrastructure will ensure the region sustains its reputation and attraction as one of Australia’s most progressive regional agricultural and mining resource hubs.

Engineering and financial performance (measured

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

SOUTHERN DOWNS – ONE STEP AHEAD!

2020

ROAD SAFETY AWARD WINNER!

James Varughese

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Southern Downs Regional Council embarked on a project to get kids outside and start exercising! The idea was to build a Learn to Ride Park to help get kids active and provide a safe area where they can learn to ride their bikes. With such emphasis now placed on keeping active during isolation, Southern Downs proved to be one step ahead of the crowd by building this new, fun facility. The idea of a Learn to Ride Park in Australiana Park in Warwick (two hours south-west of Brisbane) has been on the wish list since 2007 when the former Warwick Shire Council adopted a Master Plan for Australiana Park. Already existing in the park were a velodrome and a BMX track, so a Learn to Ride facility would fit well with the other cycling infrastructure. As the new construction of a recreational facility of this nature may not rate highly against other local infrastructure projects funded by ratepayers, Southern Downs Regional Council sought grant funding for the project. Success came through the Queensland Government’s Works for Queensland program Round 3, which allocated $300,000 for the project. Designing such a specific

Learn to Ride Park in Australiana Park, Warwick.

product was not within council’s expertise, so it outsourced the design services to Adaptive Cycle Pty Ltd trading as 8LA. One of its Directors, Gerard McCormick was delighted to be awarded the tender to design and construct the Learn to Ride Park in Australiana Park in December 2019. The vibe of Australiana Park at that time was quite tired and seemed to be a place where travellers would briefly stop for a comfort break and then be on their way. Council initially allocated the north-western corner of the park for the Learn to Ride facility as there was sufficient space for it in that area. The southern two-thirds of the park were contaminated as the park was constructed on a former landfill site; therefore disturbing the surface of that area was not desired. When council staff met with Gerard McCormick onsite in January 2020, a totally new vision began. Gerard’s enthusiasm to place the Learn to Ride facility on the north-western corner, beside the Cunningham

Highway to attract attention, was immediately well received. Picnic shelters and a playground were already located in the area for the Learn to Ride Park to weave around. A disused water feature that visually and physically divided the park would be overcome by installing a bridge to reconnect the eastern side with the accessible western side of the park. With the ideas and suggestions from the landscape designer, the concept of a dull, flat concrete path with the odd Stop or Give Way sign had disappeared! Design and Consultation Phase Within one week of the initial site inspection, council had a concept sketch on the table. The concept included elements such as a water hazard, a bridge, a railway level crossing and a slalom track with whoops and berms. Standard road features included a roundabout, stop and give way intersections, one-way roads, pedestrian crossings and rural features such as a cattle grid and gravel road with corrugations. The need for an area where small

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

Site - before.

Social media played an important role in getting the message out to the community to provide their feedback electronically.

Existing disused water feature infrastructure.

Aerial view of the completed - Bandy Bandy.

children could learn to ride their bikes was not lost in the hype – a specific track in the shape and colours of the locally-found Bandy Bandy snake was included in the design. Numbers were also added to increase the interest for the young riders. The concept was presented to the councillors, who eagerly

embraced the concept but requested that feedback be sought from the community. At the time, restrictions on gatherings were in place due to COVID-19. Instead of presenting the concept to the community at a public meeting as council would normally have done, the feedback was gathered online.

Council sought individual feedback of key community members, such as a 10-year-old girl who had a year earlier written to the Mayor requesting that a Learn to Ride Park be built in Australiana Park. The concept design was provided electronically to the young person’s mother and then a teleconference was held with relevant council staff, a landscape designer, plus the young person and her mother. One of the key outcomes of this community engagement was the young person’s request that a manually operated traffic light be included as an important feature for the facility. Council also engaged with a member of Landcare to gather information about the appropriate planting species to feature within the garden sections of the Learn to Ride Park. As the site was particularly arid, sloping and in the current drought, the selection of drought-hardy plants was vital. The species selected were Bottle Trees, Morton Bay Ash and Flax Lilly. To keep the facility’s future maintenance to a minimum, the paths were constructed with concrete and large areas of the facility were mulched with stones or forest mulch. Once the community feedback was collated, which was very positive, council staff sought to

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

Manually operated traffic light.

Recycled manhole covers.

Roundabout.

The Black Stump.

Railway level crossing.

Simulated dry creek crossing.

bring the concept with feedback back to the councillors for adoption. At the time, council was entering a Caretaker Period, which resulted in a necessary setback to the project timeline. After the new council had been sworn in, the concept with feedback was presented and met with the same enthusiasm as was shown by the former council. Construction Phase Adaptive Cycle t/a 8LA engaged Naturform for the construction element of the Learn to Ride

Park. Site possession was handed over in early June 2020 and progressed smoothly. Particular care was taken by the contractor when performing surface earthworks to ensure that no debris from the former landfill was uncovered. Recycled items from council’s depot became feature elements within the Learn to Ride Park, including rusty stormwater covers that now appear as wheels within the roundabout garden, cracked concrete manhole covers that have started a new existence as

bike racks, old signposts with coloured caps used as bollards but appearing as flowers, unused culverts have now become a pedestrian/cycle bridge and an old tree stump has been strategically placed within the Learn to Ride Park for when riders go out ‘beyond the black stump’ to the top end of the track. With the railway line running along the north of Australiana Park, the inclusion of a railway level crossing was embraced by Queensland Rail, who kindly donated rail line for the crossing.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND Discussions are being held with the local Southern Downs Steam Railway to potentially incorporate another rail feature item at the level crossing. A minor concept design change to the construction issue plans is the amendment to all tracks being constructed out of concrete for longevity. This provided a challenge for the gravel road with corrugations. The solution was to rock salt the concrete path to provide a gravel texture and simulate the corrugations and cattle grids into the concrete. Custom made trowels were fabricated to achieve these concrete effects. In cooperation with the Queensland Government’s road safety promotion to not cross flooded roads, the inclusion of “If it’s flooded, forget it” signage at the simulated dry creek crossing to help raise awareness of the dangers of crossing flooded roads.

Construction of whoops.

For more adventurous or skilled, older riders a slalom track with whoops and berms has proved to be a real drawcard. The Learn to Ride Park is enjoyed by young and old riders. The construction of the facility has successfully brought new life back to Australiana Park. Southern Downs Regional Council hopes that park continues to be a wellutilised community facility for years to come.

Completed slalom with whoops and berms.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR James has worked in the engineering field in the Middle East and Australia for more than 15 years. He has gained much experience as a local government Civil Engineer and has an extensive background in contract administration, project management and construction techniques. As a RPEQ, James exhibits practical knowledge in professional engineering principles, skills and values. Completed Learn to Ride Park.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

COUNCILS ARE GOING GREEN, SAVING MONEY AND MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS

Paul Renals, Project Advisory Leader and Mike Fideli, Energy Consultant, Peak Services

Bulloo Shire Council has invested in a new watercooling system that is set to deliver significant benefits to the council and its community. The new project will cool the 70-degree celsius bore water supply which feeds the town, to a refreshing 35 degrees. The system will be powered on renewable energy, reduce water supply risk, provide data and control for council through its management system and has specifically been designed for reliability and ease of maintenance. Like many regional remote councils, Bulloo Shire Council’s community relies on water supply from bores. While water quality is potable, without treatment the water temperature is well in excess of an acceptable level when it comes out of the tap. For many years, the council has relied on a system of cooling towers and ponds although this system struggles through hot

Simplified layout of the cooling system.

summers, reducing the water to unsatisfactory temperatures of around 55 degrees. That is about the temperature of a hot shower, which is far from refreshing when it is over 40 degrees outside! This cooling process costs council over $70,000 annually in electricity and with much of the infrastructure nearing the end of its useful life, mounting maintenance and renewal costs have pushed the agenda for a better solution. The profit-for-purpose enterprise Peak Services, which the Local Government Association of Queensland wholly owns, has been working with Bulloo Shire Council for several years to diligently identify and evaluate the financial, technical, environmental and social benefits of numerous options. The chosen project harnesses heat exchangers and cooling towers’ efficiency to cool the 72 degrees bore water to 35 degrees at a variable rate up to 30 l/s. The cooled water is stored

in three 500 KL water storage tanks. Multiple variable speed pumps work to meet community demand for up to 45l/s at a constant pressure to meet peak demands. The project is entirely powered using renewable energy, reducing the risk of grid supply issues that are common in remote locations. This significantly reduces the cost of the operation with associated environmental benefits also achieved. The 240kW solar power plant is designed to power all system components during the day, with sufficient capacity to charge the 583kWh battery storage for uninterrupted operation during night and low solar insolation periods. The renewable energy capacity is adequate to cool, treat and deliver up to 1.5ML of potable water per day to the community. The system is managed through a water management system that constantly monitors and

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

Pump shed at the cooling ponds.

adjusts performance to optimise its use of renewable energy and maximise its battery and water storage levels. Through VPN access, council can remotely monitor and control the system and respond to alarms and alerts. The system includes fail-safe and shut-off mechanisms to mitigate any potential issues with flooding, power failure of loss or water supply. Risk and performance focused Selecting the best option to deliver this work included a significant focus on risk reduction and management. Extensive supplier engagement and feasibility assessment was undertaken to understand and consider risks such as whether the technology is proven and readily available, the cost of maintenance and operations, availability of spares, reliability and redundancy. The project also had a requirement to create opportunity for local suppliers and resource to be involvement in its construction and maintenance.

The contractor was procured using a design and construct form contract that was modified to detail the council’s project requirements, location specific specifications and rigorous performance guarantees. Tenders called for schematic design solutions, the nomination of suppliers and technical schedules to enable the tender evaluation panel to undertake rigorous analysis and negotiate best outcomes and value for money for council before contract execution. NRG Services was selected from an open tender process. Delivering in a challenging environment The effort invested in the tender documentation, evaluation process and resulting contractor selection has supported a streamlined delivery program. Aided by well-defined project performance requirements and with performance and delivery risks appropriately apportioned to the contractor, the design was finalised within two months of award. This allowed early

procurement of long-lead items and site establishment and enabled general works and highrisk ground works to commence early. Where practical, equipment was modulised to allow easier installation on site. Local resources were engaged to supply and support the main contractor in construction for a significant proportion of the project. This not only supports the local economy but also boosts local knowledge when maintenance is required. Delivery was challenged by the impacts of border restrictions and lockdowns on suppliers; however the project is currently undergoing commissioning and performance guarantee testing to achieve completion in March 2021. The project is proudly supported by Bulloo Shire Council and the Department of Local Government which both recognise the project is critical role in providing better service, environmental outcomes and greater economic benefits.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SOUTH WEST QUEENSLAND

Proposed site layout of water cooling system.

Peak Services has extensive experience in delivering energy and infrastructure-focused public works projects for the Local Government sector. Peak provided advisory services and representation for Bulloo Shire Council from the project’s inception and throughout each stage of the project lifecycle.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Mike Fideli was born in Congo (DRC) and migrated to Australia in 2005 on a humanitarian Visa. He completed an electrical engineering degree at QUT in 2013. Mike has been in the electrical industry since graduation and joined Peak Services in 2016, working on renewable energy projects and tariff optimisation. Paul Renals has over 25 years experience in delivering complex infrastructure projects in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. He has worked with Peak Services since 2014 and has an interest in supporting councils to deliver projects that provide environmental, economic, and social outcomes.

Cooling ponds site (construction underway).

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

POST-COVID PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC DEMAND MANAGEMENT - CAN WE DO BETTER?

Gleb Kolenbet, Principal Integrated Transport Engineer, Moreton Bay Regional Council This paper was delivered at IPWEAQ’s SEQ Branch conference in February.

Commuting by car is more popular than public transport (PT) in South East Queensland (SEQ). Car commuting is less efficient than PT: it significantly increases congestion during peak times and comes at various costs, including economic, health, social and environmental. While the apparent answer to fixing congestion is to upgrade road infrastructure, more roads create an ‘induced demand’ and promote more congestion. Recent events associated with the COVID-19 pandemic management in SEQ saw unprecedented measures such as restrictions on people’s movement and complete lockdowns. During the peak of restrictions in April 2020,

peak hour congestion and patronage on PT dropped significantly, while active travel participation (mainly cycling) increased. At around the same time, the Australian Government announced that the country entered a recession and began prompting the economy by introducing stimulus programs and fast-tracking infrastructure spending. A record $110 billion land transport infrastructure program was announced, spanning over the next 10 years. Local Roads and Community Infrastructure programs had a 200% ($1 billion) fund injection, totalling a $1.5 billion commitment year on year. By August 2020, many restrictions were lifted as SEQ entered a recovery mode. Most of the workforce that worked from home during the height of the pandemic began returning to workplaces and the traffic congestion worsened. February 2021 recorded higher congestion levels compared with the same period of 2020 and 2019. The recent traffic congestion data is concerning as it draws commuters to driving instead of using PT. ‘Fixing’ congestion isn’t

simple. It requires a holistic approach towards improved commuter demand management in the future. Transport planning professionals and policymakers should explore initiatives including working from home (WFH), flexible start times and double shifts for schools, and increasing investment into PT and active travel networks to manage travel demand better and encourage modal shift away from a private vehicle. Despite the transport infrastructure investment efforts by all government levels, the private vehicle remains by far the most popular mode of commuting to work in greater Brisbane and SEQ (Figure 1) (.idcommunity, 2020). According to transport planners, private vehicles are the least favourable option because every private car occupant produces an average of 11 times the congestion compared to a bus passenger (Thomson and Bull, 2006). The reliance on cars over public transport (PT) for daily commuting stems from post-war planning that re-directed many cities’ future by favouring cars (Woodcock, 2019). The population of SEQ has grown increasingly and many suburban growth corridors are spread across vast areas, making the daily commute longer, especially during am and pm peaks. PT remains a less popular choice because private

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT vehicles are affordable and offer a fast and efficient way to travel. Between 2009-2018 the per capita PT patronage on a bus and heavy rail in SEQ had decreased (Figure 2) (Moore, 2019). This is supported by Census statistics, which shows that between 20112016 the number of commuters using PT had reduced while commuting by car as the driver became more popular (Figure 3). As a result of favoured private car commuting, Brisbane was ranked the second city in Australia, after Sydney, for the longest mean daily commute (Figure 4), (Ye and Ma, 2019). Further examination of peak hour commute patterns shows that the roads become over-utilised during congested peak periods and are otherwise under-utilised (Figure 5), (Hubbard, 2009). While the peaks only last a few hours, peak hour design is common for infrastructure planning and design. Subsequently, infrastructure investment decisions are made based on the worst-case scenario and may lead to under-utilisation of the network outside of peak hours. To better understand the reasons behind the above statistics, several factors are examined. One of the main aspects influencing commuter behaviour is the infrastructure upgrades (assumed as road, PT and active travel infrastructure). The researched statistics for road and transport infrastructure investment vary. According to the Australian Government (2010), several levels of governments invested heavily into multiple congestion-busting and capacity upgrade projects in SEQ. Brisbane and its outer metropolitan areas received new busways, rail links, arterial roads and motorway extensions and upgrades. In 2018, the State Government announced a record investment in road and transport infrastructure for 20182022, exceeding previous years’ commitments. Contrary to that, another report

Figure 1. Method of travel to work greater Brisbane and SEQ derived from ABS Census (.idcommunity, 2020).

Figure 2. Bus and heavy rail patronage in SEQ for 2009-2018, linear statistics indicate a decline in passenger numbers (Moore, 2019).

in 2020 suggested that the net per capita expenditure on infrastructure in QLD and SEQ over the past few years was lower than New South Wales and Victoria (Wardill, 2020). Overall, a significant part of governments’ expenditure is on transport infrastructure. This is echoed by Australian Government announcement in April 2020 warning about the proceeding recession but also ‘prompting’ the economy by introducing stimulus programs

and fast-tracking infrastructure spending. A record $110 billion land transport infrastructure program was announced, spanning over the next 10 years. Local Roads and Community Infrastructure programs had an unprecedented 200% ($1 billion) increase, totalling a $1.5 billion commitment year on year (Australian Government, 2020). Additional data indicates that more than 77% of net debt will be accumulated by Queensland, New South Wales and Victorian

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT state governments by 2023-24 (Hutchens, 2020). This is alarming as the increasing net debt could potentially reduce the states’ ability to continue funding and expand transport infrastructure programs. Apart from the infrastructure investment factor affecting commuter mode choice, other reasons are investigated to explain why the commuters choose to drive a car to work overtaking PT and why the roads become congested despite major upgrades and new road links being constructed. A further analysis applying economics paradoxes theories is explored. The ‘Rebound Effect’ and ‘Induced Demand’ In the 19th century, the economist William Stanley Jevons observed that as coal became cheaper, consumers used more coal. The ‘Jevons Paradox’ was observed in other areas, including traffic congestion, also known as the ‘rebound effect’ (Leunig, 2010). Similarly, drivers will fill up the road infrastructure capacity over time, causing it to reach peak capacity and create traffic congestion. Later research by engineers and scientists lead to a more targeted and trafficspecific explanation of Jevons Paradox. The ‘Downs-Thompson Paradox’ further confirmed that the expansion of major highway and arterial type roads leads to increased congestion by creating an induced demand and in some cases undermines scale economies of a competing transit service (e.g. PT), leaving users of both modes worse off (Zhang et. al, 2016). Further studies by the German mathematician Dietrich Braess revealed that adding a road to an already congested traffic network increases overall journey time, which is now called Braess’s Paradox (Chen, 2016).

Figure 3. Change in travel method to work between Census 2011 and 2016, relative to % of employed people. The car/driver commute had the most significant growth while travel by train and bus decreased (.idcommunity, 2020).

Figure 4. Mean daily commute time for major cities in Australia, Brisbane commute in 2017 is the longest in the country after Sydney (Ye and Ma, 2019).

Can we just put up with traffic congestion? It is evident that congestion is a recurring event despite infrastructure investment, so how can we overcome it?

Figure 5. Peak-period congestion showing road underutilisation outside peak periods, (Hubbard, 2009).

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Figure 5. Observed congestion profile for Brisbane in May 2020, compared with 2019 and 2018. There is a noticeable reduction in peak profile (extended peak) and a change in peak time. Peal extension around school travel time is explained by increased car travel to schools instead of PT (Saunokonoko, 2020).

Can society just put up with it? Even though congestion is sometimes necessary and can’t be avoided, heavily congested networks come at a significant price to society, because of the follow-on effects. For example, the congestion on major SEQ roads alone costs the economy nearly $160 million annually (RACQ, 2020). Also, according to Zhang and Batterman (2013), in many cases vehicles emissions have become the dominant source of air pollutants and the increasing severity and duration of traffic congestion have the potential to degrade air quality, particularly near main roadways and cause adverse health effects. Another significant consequence of congestion is the infrastructure overdesign and excessive expenditure on roads and freeways. Overdesign stems from the approach to infrastructure planning and design using the worst case (peak hour) scenario as a design service standard. The social cost

of increased congestion also can’t be disregarded. Excessive time spent sitting in traffic impacts people’s personal lives including less time spend with family and friends and less time exercising and socialising. Traffic congestion also impacts people’s happiness, where they choose to live and how productive they are at work (McCosker, 2018). Traffic congestion can negatively impact our society on many accounts, so engineers and planners should find a way to manage it. But how can we ‘fix’ its persistent occurrence aside from the conventional investment into ‘congestion busting’ infrastructure upgrades? In drawing parallels with several paradox theories, it can be concluded that the rebound effect causes the traffic peak hour congestion in SEQ and the traffic demand is induced by the available (new and upgraded) road infrastructure.

As road infrastructure reaches capacity and the subsequent new upgrades are completed more consumption occurs, causing traffic congestion and undermining the alternative PT modes such as buses and trains. Similarly, infrastructure upgrades in alternative routes create temporary relief and ultimately increase overall commute time (Zhang et al, 2016). COVID-19 - effects on commute In early 2020, the world began experiencing the effects of COVID-19. Tragically, many lives were lost, and the impacts are continuing today. Aside from health and economic impacts, there were also substantial changes to the way we commute. In SEQ, changes in everyday commuting resulted from lockdowns and the introduction of flexible work from home (WFH) options and school closures. The speed with which the transport sector felt COVID-19

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

Figure 6. Observed road congestion levels in Brisbane for the first week of February 2021 show a sharp increase in congestion post-COVID compared with 2020 and 2019 records (Hosier, 2021).

impacts was significant, with road, rail and bus systems experiencing free-falling declines in customer numbers almost overnight (Johnstone et.al, 2020). A decrease in traffic demand resulted in noticeable declines in traffic delays. A reduction in traffic demand resulted in reduced congestion, especially on networks with fewer routing alternatives (Du et. al, 2020). This discovery echoes the paradox theories discussed earlier, only in reverse - less demand equals less delay, especially for less complex networks. So, what can we learn from the COVID-19 effects on traffic congestion for future planning? Working from home (WFH) Work-related commute effects on the am and pm peaks are significant as most commuters drive to work. During the height of the restrictions in April and May 2020, Brisbane’s peak hour congestion levels reduced by about 50% resulting in welcomed relief from the usual peak hour roads over-utilisation (Figure 5). School trips According to PTC (2015), school trips contribute to 5-10% of peak

hour traffic. Research suggests that over 60% of children get to school in a car either as a passenger or a driver, while only a quarter regularly walk or ride (ACT Council of P&C Associations, 2013). Even a lesser number of students take PT. Public transport (PT) PT patronage plummeted during the peak of pandemic restrictions. The main reasons were: (a) capacity - PT network becomes inefficient if the passenger capacity is reduced due to strict distancing requirements, and (b) commuter’s perception that PT is unsafe because of a higher chance of infection transmittal (which is not completely unfounded). In addition, Brisbane had switched off almost 1000 parking meters in the city areas (Daoud, 2020), while most private carparking facilities also reduced parking fees. As a result, many exPT commuters turned to driving a car. Post-COVID-19 congestion - the new normal? As the restrictions eased in SEQ in the second half of 2020, many commuters working from home began returning to work

and school and traffic numbers rose. As a result of perceived risk of potential community transmission, commuter confidence in using PT remained low. Many parents turned to car travel for school trips, resulting in an adjustment of the peak hour period and added extra car trips onto the network. School-related peak periods were extended and lasted longer (Figure 5). By February 2021, private car trips soared to record high levels. Peak hour road congestion was worse than in 2020 and 2019 (Figure 6), (Hosier, 2021). The only positive sign of the post-COVID traffic environment was a sharp uptake in active travel including bicycles and e-scooters. WFH or working remotely During the height of restrictions, Queenslanders worked from home 58% of the time. According to Global Workplace Analytics (2020) around 60% of employees have a job where at least some of their task can be done remotely including managers, professionals, clerical and admin and sales (Hensher and Beck, 2020). Further studies show that desks are vacant 50-60% of the time.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Despite worldwide devastation, COVID-19 restrictions allowed for an alternative way to managing traffic congestion - many commuters worked from home and there were significant changes to school traffic. While these measures are unlikely to continue long term, there are lessons that can be learned from this experience. The following part of the paper looks at demand management tools, which if implemented can improve congestion and encourage modal change. Each item is given a hypothetical percentage for contribution to congestion reduction. WFH can make a significant difference in reducing the number of commuters and relieving peak hour traffic congestion. According to Morse (2019), employees who can work remotely are happier and prepared to work longer hours. They are more productive and have a better work-life balance. Score: 10-15% reduction in congestion based on the reported effect of WFH during March-September 2020 (Hensher and Beck, 2020). Improved PT network coverage, service frequency and commuter safety Authorities must make PT more attractive to commuters. This includes better price point, improved network coverage and connectivity, better frequency and safety (including hygiene in line with pandemic management plans). It is estimated that 21% of car trips can be removed from networks by PT which is a significant number of trips enough to make a substantial difference to peak hour congestion. Score: 10-15% (conservative estimate) Flexible start and finish times and compressed working weeks at workplaces This is different from WFH and assumes that some employees would still travel to work outside

the peak commute times. This can be achieved either by altering start and finish times and compressing a 5-day week into 4-day week. Score: 2-5% (estimated) Flexible start and finish times schools By selectively changing a schools start and finish time, the timing of school travel (either by PT or by car) will shift outside of usual peak hour. This measure will be dependent on workplace flexibility for parents to start work later. Some Brisbane schools including Fortitude Valley State Secondary College have already adjusted start times. Score: 1-3% (estimated), akin to flexible workplace start score Double-shift schooling Double shifts (am and pm) are introduced at selected schools. The impact on traffic congestion may be two-fold: reduced peak and additional traffic at off peak due to a different travel pattern to suit the double-shift study commute. This measure may be extreme, but it has the significant additional benefit of costefficiency by utilising the existing infrastructure.

traffic, enough to improve congestion considerably. Summary Private car commuting remains a popular choice in SEQ and causes peak hour congestion, resulting in productivity loses, increased pollution, and negative health and social impacts. There is a high cost to the economy. Several theories, including Jevons, Downs-Thompson and Braess’s Paradoxes explain that investing in road infrastructure alone cannot provide long-term relief from congestion. Congestion rates plummeted during COVID-19 due to restrictions and changes in commuter behaviour including less trips because of WFH and distance education. However, by February 2021 congestion rates have soared, surpassing previous year’s levels. A holistic approach to congestion management identifies several initiatives that can significantly reduce congestion and possibly redirect some of the road infrastructure funding to PT and active travel networks to promote and support a modal shift away from private car commute. The author is happy to provide references upon request.

Score: 1-2% (estimated), although the effects of extended peak need to be examined carefully Improved active travel network and end of trip facilities This measure which has the benefits of a more active and healthier community. Score: up to 1% (estimated) Other key tools such as road pricing (congestion tax, distance or time-based fees, tolls etc.) and land use planning initiatives (increased density near PT nodes etc.) were not reviewed as part of this paper. A 25%-46% congestion reduction is derived by adding all the scores. The lower (25%) score represents a conservative estimate however, it can provide a significant reduction in peak

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gleb is a principal integrated transport engineer with diverse experience in land development planning and engineering in local government and utilities. Gleb’s interests are traffic demand management, transport planning and modal change in growth areas. He is an RPEQ, a member of AITPM and a vicepresident of IPWEAQ SEQ branch.

STANDARDS

NEW TECHNICAL STANDARD FOR TEMPORARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Temporary traffic management at road worksites is one of the highest risk activities on construction sites. A range of legislation, policy, codes of practice, and guides covering temporary traffic management at road worksites are in place across Australian states and territories. This results in inconsistent practices on worksites, makes it difficult for motorists to understand what they should expect when travelling through road worksites, reduces safety for workers and vulnerable road users and adds to the cost of doing business. New technical document framework for Temporary Traffic Management In December 2019, an updated Australian Standard AS1742.3 Traffic Control for works on roads (2019) and the Austroads Guide to Temporary Traffic Management (AGTTM) were released. Together, these documents detail the standards for temporary traffic management devices and best practice guidance for their use at road worksites. The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has aligned technical guidance for the Queensland industry to the new national standard and best practice guide. Harmonisation of Queensland’s Manual Uniform of Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) Part 3 and introduction of the Queensland Guide to Temporary

Traffic Management (QGTTM) aims to increase assurance and protection for workers and improve road user experience through the consistent implementation of nationally recognised best practices in temporary traffic management. The MUTCD Part 3 (2020) will now generally adopt (and not repeat) specifications contained in AS1742.3. The MUTCD will detail the variances to AS1742.3 for use in Queensland. The QGTTM is a new 10-part document that directly aligns with the AGTTM. Each part of the new QGTTM will generally adopt (but not repeat) the guidance contained within the AGTTM. The QGTTM will detail the variances to the practices described in the AGTTM for use in Queensland. Impact of the changes The new technical standards bring changes that need to be adopted into operational practices and organisational safety management systems. Organisations need to develop a plan to ensure staff are aware of the changes and all road worksites are compliant by 1 August 2021. Key dates In Queensland, the AGTTM will be adopted by government and industry in a phased approach: • 1 January to 31 July 2021 – Voluntary adoption • 1 August 2021 – Mandatory adoption.

Preparing your organisation for the changes This will be a significant change for many people in the industry. TMR suggests a few steps that will help your organisation through the transition period. 1. Ensure the relevant people within your organisation are aware of the changes – Perhaps assign a Harmonisation Champion to manage the process internally and ensure they have subscribed to TMR’s Temporary Traffic Management newsletter. 2. Review the relevant documents – AGTTM, MUTCD Part 3, QGTTM, as well as the AS1742.3 (2019). 3. Understand the changes and how they will impact your organisation/projects – Identify supporting business systems and processes that may need to be updated to reflect the changes, such as safety management system procedures, checklists and safe work methods. 4. Implement the changes – Develop a plan to update your operational procedures and communicate the changes to your teams. For further information, please: email tmharmonisation@tmr. qld.gov.au to subscribe to TMR’s Temporary Traffic Management newsletter email TrafficEngineering. Support@tmr.qld.gov.au for advice regarding specific technical changes.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

STANDARDS

SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING (SUE) ENHANCED THROUGH COLLABORATION Michigan on the afternoon of May 20, 1992, one man lay dead and seventeen were hospitalised from wounds received in the blast.

Rob Sansbury Principal, Infrastructure Manager at Stantec

The success of managing subsurface utilities in Australia (and in many places in the world) can be measured by stakeholder collaboration. These stakeholders include a long list of project owners, developers, project managers, State and local authorities, public utility authorities, design engineers, surveyors, locaters and last (but by no means least) the constructor on the ground. This article contends that the correct practice of SUE is very much dependent on successful collaboration among stakeholders. To reflect on a regrettable incident in the US several years ago: The tell-tale hiss and the distinctive smell of natural gas got most of the workers out of the area in time, but not all of them. When the dust had cleared from the explosion that rocked the USA town of Rochester in

It was clear what had happened: a construction crew had disturbed an underground gas line while working on a beautification project downtown. Technically, the required precautions had all been followed, the one-call (equivalent of Australian Dial Before You Dig) centre had been alerted as required by law, the gas company had made its mark on the ground showing where it thought the gas line was supposed to be. The engineer had called for excavation at the particular spot (of course with a disclaimer regarding the accuracy of underground utility data) and the construction people had “hand-exposed” as required, at the spot indicated by the engineer. But all this was small, if little consolation to the families of the dead and injured. And what’s more, no one could be held accountable for the Brobdingnagian tragedy. (Onecall - the USA equivalent of DBYD). The result of this tragedy, and many similar incidents across the USA, led the Department of Transport to develop a rulebook called ASCE38-02 that mandated the responsibility for the management of underground utilities to the subsurface utility

engineer (that is part of the engineering design team). Do we have an equivalent rulebook in Australia? Australia developed a similar type standard (AS5488) in 2013 however, it only related to Subsurface Utility Information (SUI). In 2019, an upgrade version of AS5488 was released - AS54882019 (Part 2) to include a section covering SUE. The 2019 update to AS5488 was produced under Standards Australia’s guidance, with Bruce Wilson (former Director-General of Queensland Transport) acting as Chairman. As the National Engineers Australia representative on the committee, I led the development of AS5488-2019 alongside Mark Follett, Utilities Design Engineering Construction, who provided critical advice and input. AS5488-2019 is one of six Standards (or rulebooks) across the globe. The others were designed in the USA, UK, Canada, Malaysia and Ecuador. Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE, as defined in AS54882019) refers to an engineering management process that involves engineering, geophysics and geospatial disciplines and technologies. Specific risks associated with utility mapping are managed at appropriate quality levels, including utility coordination, utility relocation design and coordination, utility condition assessment, communication of Subsurface Utility Information (SUI) utility

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

STANDARDS data to concerned parties, utility relocation cost estimates, implementation of utility accommodation policies, and utility designs. In review of SUE, it is evident that this process is only successful with good collaboration. There are many intricacies and nuances associated with developing a project, including considering what utilities may be affected and how to design around, protect or relocate these utilities. Anyone who has ever worked within an arm’s length of subsurface utilities will recall adverse outcomes and on review will most likely agree that with better collaboration, things might have ended better. It is indeed a common theme in the industry that it is better to manage subsurface utilities within the design phase than during the construction phase. Obvious imposts to time, cost and arguably most importantly, safety are often addressed too late. The USA’s Standard has been in place for many years and university studies on multiple projects have shown that there are cost savings in the order of $3 to $10 during construction for every $1 spent on SUE during the design process. Furthermore, the SUE standard improves safety because there are fewer utility strikes. There is no conceivable reason why Australia should not be on par with the world’s best approach regarding Utility management. Informing the market about AS5488 through education A key factor of the upgraded AS5488 will be if it is released to an informed marketplace. The previous AS5488-2013 wasn’t well-adopted, primarily as a result of ineffective collaboration with the marketplace. In collaboration with key industry bodies, Stantec has developed a learning program titled Introduction to Subsurface Utility Engineering to lift the understanding and importance of subsurface utility engineering across Australia.

Example of multiple subsurface utility open trench

This program provides a strong overview of SUE and details what the upgraded AS5488-2019 is aiming to achieve. Participants can provide direct input into what they think subsurface utility management should include, collaborate with other participants and engage directly through the platform with Subject Matter Experts. How can the benefits of AS5488 be realised? The significant safety and costsaving benefits that improved management of subsurface utilities brings, has been seen in countries that have had rulebooks in place for many years. IPWEAQ, along with several peak bodies are all working with industry to advocate leading practice for all involved in the construction and management of infrastructure assets by adopting AS5488-2019 as their standard of care to subsurface utilities. We encourage infrastructure asset owners to implement the use of AS54882019 for all works related to Subsurface Utility Engineering and realise the resulting benefits.

Vacuum Excavation Activity

3-dimensional subsurface utility model

For more information on this program, please email craig.moss@ipweaq.com Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Activity

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TECHNICAL

HOW TO PROTECT SURVEY MARKS ON YOUR NEXT PROJECT

Robert McCabe, Cadastral Manager and Partner, Bennett + Bennett

Interference with survey marks can be inevitable in construction and development projects, but you should never take it lightly. To safeguard the public’s interests and prevent irreparable damage to a critical State asset, you must understand the value of survey marks and take proactive measures to protect and preserve them. What are survey marks and why are they important? Survey marks can be classified as Cadastral Survey Marks and Permanent Survey Marks. It is an offence to interfere with them under Section 42 of the Survey and Mapping Infrastructure Act 2003. Survey marks placed to mark or reference a property corner become ‘monuments’ (cadastral survey marks) and are relied upon for the accurate marking or reinstatement of your property boundaries. Cadastral survey marks underpin the ongoing accuracy and integrity of your cadastral boundaries and property rights. Permanent Survey Marks are unique as they can also be classified as cadastral survey marks when connected to property boundaries. Permanent

Survey Marks are assigned a numeric identifier and are registered in the Survey Control Database (SCDB) administered by the Department of Resources. Aside from cadastral connections, other pertinent information can be registered against a PSM including coordinates, height and other administrative details. PSMs underpin the ongoing accuracy and integrity of the State horizontal and vertical control networks and are critical for the completion of your projects that require accurate geodetic position or height. What do survey marks look like? Cadastral survey marks and PSMs can take on a variety of forms. Some are buried but most are visible on the surface (painted or unpainted), and you walk over or past them every day. The disturbance or destruction of these unassuming marks can adversely affect construction and development costs and hinders the efficiency of a surveyor to carry out their professional duties. The accuracy and integrity of the cadastral framework, and State horizontal and vertical control networks can also be severely impacted.

Nail in Concrete structure

GINail in Bitumen

Screw in Concrete structure

Examples of cadastral survey marks include: Drill hole in Concrete structure

Iron Pin (Buried) Spike in Bitumen

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TECHNICAL Examples of PSMs include:

Old Brass Plaque Survey marks are decimated by any construction activity within a road corridor.

Brass Plaque

Mini Mark

How are survey marks lost? Survey marks may inevitably be disturbed or destroyed through various activities, but you should never take them for granted. Survey marks can be disturbed by any construction or development work, particularly works undertaken within a road corridor. Typical activities which can interfere with survey marks include but are not limited to restoration of kerb and channel, footpath and driveway upgrades and installations, utilities and service work, vegetation clearing, landscaping and road widenings. No Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) records currently exist for survey marks. Unlike other infrastructure across the State, you cannot carry out a search showing the location of all survey marks within an area. Yet survey marks exist in practically every street, so you can safely assume

that it is highly likely that any construction works within a road corridor will detrimentally impact on survey marks. Although survey marks are seemingly abundant across the State, they are all unique in their purpose, therefore the value and legacy of a survey mark needs to be considered on an individual basis, rather than purely considering the size of the project and the number of marks affected. Cadastral survey plans and PSM sketch plans lodged with the Department of Resources are the only record of the location and existence of survey marks across Queensland. How can you protect survey marks? You should engage a consulting cadastral surveyor to determine the likelihood of any survey marks being interfered with on a construction project. The surveyor can carry out a cadastral search and review of the proposed works and potential impact on any survey marks and property boundaries in the vicinity. If marks will be interfered with, then an Identification Survey plan (Ident plan) may need to be completed well in advance of any works commencing. This preconstruction Ident plan physically locates and verifies the existence of any cadastral survey marks and PSMs within the corridor, and places additional survey marks in safe locations surrounding the work site as recovery marks. These recovery marks preserve the legal traceability and legacy of any cadastral survey mark and the corresponding property

boundaries. This Ident plan is lodged with the Department of Resources as a record of survey available on the public register. Any PSMs shown as ‘gone’ on the Ident plan will be updated in the Survey Control Database as being ‘not found’. Depending on the size and nature of the project and once all works are completed, a post construction Ident survey may be required to re-establish sufficient cadastral survey marks and PSMs in suitable locations throughout the completed construction site to facilitate future and efficient reinstatement of property boundaries. This post-construction Ident plan would also be lodged with the Department of Resources. If PSMs are disturbed or adversely affected from construction, further surveys may be required to coordinate and/or level PSMs to suitably re-establish the preconstruction horizontal and vertical control networks. How does the protection of survey marks benefit you? Survey marks are a critical asset and the lifeblood of any construction or development project regardless of size, type, or location, across the state. The blatant or reckless interference with survey marks will adversely impact someone, somewhere, sometime in the future, and the costs will always be significantly higher than if proactive measures were implemented. The protection or preservation of survey marks needs to be

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

TECHNICAL

Example Ident Plan of Recovery Marks (no reinstatement – cost effective approach).

accepted as an investment in safeguarding the public’s interests. No one is immune to the ill effects and costs of the disturbance or destruction of survey marks. Someone will ultimately pay the price now or later. It could be a landholder wanting an Ident survey done to erect a fence, or a site detail survey for a house extension. It could be a developer carrying out a building project or land subdivision. Or the cost could be borne by a construction company or authority carrying out a largescale infrastructure project. In the long run, you will benefit from the protection and preservation of survey marks, and costs will be substantially less in time, if early proactive measures are the norm, not the exception. For further information on the protection of survey marks and how it may affect your

next project, contact your local consulting cadastral surveyor or Bennett + Bennett on ph. (07) 5631 8000. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert McCabe is the Cadastral Manager of Bennett + Bennett, a large independent privately owned consultancy based in Queensland, where he is also a partner. Robert is a registered surveyor with Cadastral and Consulting endorsements in Queensland and he is also registered to perform cadastral surveys in New South Wales and the Northern Terrritory. Robert works as a passionate advocate for the surveying industry and the protection of survey marks, through his roles in the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WRITING AND PRESENTING A TECHNICAL PAPER

Juliet Shaffer, IPWEAQ e-Learning Coordinator

As the esteemed 1980s philosopher, Ferris Bueller once said, ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it’. And while this could be true in many areas of our lives, it is true of keeping up with industry developments and remaining on the cutting edge. IPWEAQ provides many options for you to remain connected to the public works sector, such as our conferences, technical and non-technical professional development, our Engineering for Public Works journal and the Knowledge Centre. However, while keeping informed is one necessary element of understanding our sector, the opportunity to contribute in writing a technical paper and presenting at our conferences is another avenue we strongly encourage you to undertake. There are many benefits to you and the public works sector community when you write a technical paper and present at our conferences – some altruistic and some personally beneficial. Firstly, the process of researching, writing, and presenting can earn you up to 45 CPD hours – necessary either to gaining your RPEQ registration or to the maintenance of it. This

is a worthwhile process in itself at almost a year’s worth of the required CPD hours. However, the value in writing a technical paper and presenting at a conference exceeds this single benefit. Secondly, establishing a name for yourself in our sector as an accomplished and credible professional is invaluable for your career and personal standing. In

an industry that has considerable direct impact on the public, being highly regarded for your content knowledge, specific expertise and skillset allows for career longevity and improves the likelihood for promotion and broader employment opportunities. Being a published author in our highly respected Engineering for Public Works journal and Knowledge Centre

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT contributes significantly to your standing in our sector here in Queensland and beyond, which is particularly useful in times of a tight employment market. In a globally connected world, where constructing sustainable and enduring infrastructure is increasingly crucial, establishing yourself as a reliable and trusted expert helps you play a role in decision-makers making decisions based on the best available evidence from the most experienced people. While researching and writing a technical paper may be skills you haven’t used since your university days, there is a personal and professional benefit in these processes. Researching allows you to gain a deeper understanding of your topic and other established opinions on it. Some you will agree with, and some you may not, but taking the opportunity to write on that topic allows you to contribute to the broader conversation. The process of writing a technical paper, although frustrating at times, is an excellent opportunity to clarify your understanding and thinking. Technical papers require logical and reasoned expression of ideas supported with credible evidence. This process allows you to clarify and deepen your knowledge of your topic, which will help you identify further opportunities and improve your professional practice.

While having deep knowledge of a subject is useful, communicating it is even more crucial. Writing a logical and clearly expressed paper shows a different and highly sought-after skill that will further contribute to your professional standing. Sharing public works-related knowledge with a broader community benefits you, your organisation, and the community in which your work is used. Presenting at a conference allows you to connect with other professionals, meaning that knowledge is shared, discussions initiated, and networks created that will be of lasting benefit to you and the growth and progress of the sector. Lastly, sharing your particular skillset, experience, and expertise benefits the public works sector and will ultimately flow to the broader Queensland and Australian community. Queensland faces unique challenges such as natural disasters, wide variation in landscape and microclimates, population growth and variance in population densities, and the tyranny of distance, all of which impact public infrastructure and the daily lived experience of Queenslanders. Sharing what you know to enable a more sustainable and better quality existence will ultimately benefit us all. Any contribution to the collective knowledge about how to best design, construct, and

manage public assets is more broadly beneficial to society. It would be rewarding to play a recognised role in this. So, if you have a public works-related topic to share, keep an eye out for IPWEAQ communication calling for submissions of abstracts for technical papers and presentations at our branch and annual conferences. We are providing assistance in two Public Works TV Tech Talks, How to Write a Technical Paper and How to Present Confidently, both of which will be available for download from the Knowledge Centre. We are here to support you in your writing and presenting so that the wider community can benefit from your experience and expertise. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Having taught English and communication skills at high school and university, Juliet knows from experience the reward that comes from developing logical, targeted and engaging communications. Her qualifications and expertise mean Juliet has a strong understanding of communicating and how to break it down to be better practiced by others.

TEN REASONS FOR PRESENTING A PAPER AT OUR CONFERENCES 1 2

Boost your personal brand – build your professional

profile and your reputation.

Improve your ability to engage and influence

as your public speaking capability and confidence increases.

ake connections and meet new people – 6 M

delegates will want to discuss your experience with you in more detail.

ather information and feedback from other 7 G

subject matter experts and public works professionals.

nhance your knowledge as you undertake research 3 E

8 Advocate for your profession – help convey the

4 S hare your expertise and experiences with fellow

9 Increase your digital visibility – papers are

in preparation for presenting and possible questions.

practitioners to broaden their knowledge.

evelop your technical writing skills, formulating 5 D a coherent story on your project or case study and writing a succinct abstract.

importance of your work to a wider audience.

published online, building your credentials as a subject matter expert.

10 Earn up to 45 CPD hours for preparing and presenting a paper at an IPWEAQ conference.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

AMERICAN DIRT BY JEANINE CUMMINS

Review by Jo O’Brien

American Dirt is a modernday Grapes of Wrath that follows the sometimes terrifying but often uplifting journey of Lydia and her eight-year-old son, Luca as they make their way on the run to a chance at new life in America. Lydia is a wife, mother and a bookworm. She lives in Acapulco, owns a bookshop and loves poetry. On her shelves, she stocks her favorite books – mostly obscure titles. Then one day, a customer picks up not one but two of these favorite titles, strikes up a conversation and from there blossoms a warm and genuine friendship. Unbeknownst to Lydia, her charming new friend is the reigning drug cartel’s boss that has overtaken the city.

One miscalculated judgement descends into a shocking family massacre, a graphic scene of carnage that Luca and Lydia must escape. Fleeing from the brutal but innocent-sounding Cartel los jardineros and their chilling promise to hunt down and kill to the last family member - they leave their comfortable and typical suburban lives in Mexico. With few options and people to trust, mother and son are transformed into migrants. They do the unthinkable; they ride ‘The Beast’ - an unpredictable and traumatic train ride that that hope will eventually take them into the United States. The people they meet on the way change their journey and their lives for the better and worse, with kindness and grief in equal measure. In her book, Jeanne Cummins gives a face and voice to migrants everywhere who flee violence and near-certain death in search of a chance at life. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for the characters, who could easily be our own family members. This novel broadens and deepens the readers understanding about migrants.

American Dirt is a gripping book about a difficult subject; yet radiates optimism as the characters strive towards a new life with a glimmer of hope. The adrenaline-pumping story makes this a very compelling and emotional read and the sensitivity, care and complexity of the subject mean that you’ll be thinking about this book long after the last page is turned. ABOUT THE REVIEWER Jo O’Brien is a chartered senior civil engineer at Tonkin who manages Tonkin’s QLD Operations. She is a member of IPWEAQ’s SEQ Branch.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS IPWEAQ is pleased to be producing a series of six storybooks – Adventures in Engineering – showcasing Queensland-based engineering projects and the engineers involved. Covering the range of public works projects existing in Queensland, we are including coastal engineering, flood management, drought management, recycling, stormwater pipe management,

and natural disaster mitigation. These stories are aimed at children aged nine to eleven and incorporate elements of the Australian Curriculum - Science for students in Years 4, 5 and 6. We aim to promote the vital role public works engineers have in our community to primary school-aged children to inspire them to pursue a career in STEM and public works engineering specifically. We are enjoying our

collaboration with the six selected engineers and their projects to highlight the many benefits public works engineering has to the Queensland community and how rewarding a career in this industry can be. We look forward to students learning more about the care, critical thinking, research, and expertise that our public works professionals put into these projects for many years to come.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

SWQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Andrew Johnson, Branch President CEO, Somerset Regional Council

We are now just days away from the 2021 SWQ Branch conference in Chinchilla which commences with a Tech Tour of the awardwinning Chinchilla Botanic Parklands, 8am Thursday 19 March. Our thanks to Western Downs Regional Council for hosting the conference and Tech Tour with the mayor, Cr Paul McVeigh delivering the official opening. WDRC’s Open Space Strategy recognises the need to provide a ‘destination park’ in each of the major centres to promote both tourism and community wellbeing. This precinct was the winner in the category Projects $5 to $10 million at the 2020 IPWEAQ Excellence Awards and will now compete on the Australasian stage in November. Ray Hicks, Brandon & Associates will deliver a keynote on this project which is also featured this month in the Every Community Needs an Engineer (ECNE) calendar with the theme, ‘engineers build communities’.

This year’s conference program is again filled with a variety of presentations on the many areas of engineering we experience in the west of the state for example, Aaron Meehan will discuss the issues faced in Cherbourg during COVID-19 including barriers to protect their Aboriginal community, James Darcy will present on the Coopers Gap Wind Farm. We have a series of papers from TMR on harmonisation, road safety, micro-surfacing and culvert upgrades with other presenters discussing reseal contract), gravel loss on unsealed roads and Darren Shepherd (Shepherd), a finalist at the SEQ Branch conference for his presentation on Rockhampton City Council’s online unsealed roads management program. But it is not all about roads – far from it. We have presentations on bore water cooling, decommissioning council facilities, drones and asset data, data integrity, latent conditions in contracts, prefabricated building project contracts, main street upgrade issues and solutions and the constantly growing issues for councils around native title compliance. Last year, we only managed to deliver one IPWEAQ Branch conference before human

contact was erased from our vocabulary with COVID-19, and that was in Stanthorpe with a record 195 delegates. While the SEQ Branch was the first regional conference in 2021, we’re on target in the west to achieve another record delegation in Chinchilla while setting another benchmark for IPWEAQ branch conferences. And just a reminder that we are building our Body of Knowledge in specific areas of public works engineering in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre, created around each month of the ECNE calendar. If you have any reports, articles, videos etc on projects you’ve delivered for any of the monthly themes in the 14-month ECNE calendar, please submit these to Johanna.Vanling@ ipweaq.com. I am looking forward to January 2022 which features the Somerset Regional Council’s Brisbane Valley Rail Trail which also has the theme, ‘engineers build communities’. And my best wishes to WDRC competing at the Australasian awards for the Chinchilla parklands! It would be great to see the Australasian Project of the Year return to South West Queensland this year! Let’s make it a habit.

RURAL ROAD MAINTENANCE AND REHABILITATION

Forum

2-3 JUNE 2021 | DALBY EVENTS CENTRE

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WESTERN DOWNS REGIONAL COUNCIL

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

CQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Celisa Faulkner, Branch President Manager Asset Planning, Gladstone Regional Council

The Call for Papers for the 2021 CQ Branch Conference is now closed and the team are busy finalising the program for this year’s conference to be held in Maryborough, 20-21 April. Last year’s event was postponed due to COVID-19 so we’re expecting an even bigger delegation this year to make up for it. The SEQ Branch conference in Caloundra set the bar at 192 delegates with the SWQ Branch conference tracking towards 200. I’m confident we can set a new benchmark in Maryborough. However, it’s not all about the numbers per se – it’s about having a cross-section of engineering professionals from our sector from all councils and supporting organisations who can share experiences and learnings which make our whole sector stronger. And that’s why most of us choose this sector – a genuine desire to make our communities better and stronger, and we invariably leave behind a legacy for future generations which isn’t necessary visible with major pieces of infrastructure. Other CPD opportunities coming up include Erosion & Sediment Control Level 2 in Rockhampton 30 March. The Street Design Manual for Practitioners in Maryborough this month is fully booked however please contact Craig Moss to propose a venue

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2

and date which suits you and your team. All of IPWEAQ’s courses can be designed specifically to meet your needs and delivered publicly or in-house so if you have training budgets not yet dedicated to your team’s improvement, please contact Craig to identify what’s needed for your people at this time. The new IPWEAQ Track My CPD portal is now live. It has some great visual metrics displaying how you’re tracking towards your 150 CPD hours for the three-year period. If you have signed-up for IPWEAQ’s CPD Scheme, the team will also track and monitor your CPD hours for you and give you a prompt when you’re falling behind schedule. As everyone is now aware, the Crime & Corruption Commission wrote to all councils with a warning about ‘professional engineering services’ being delivered by someone other than an RPEQ or without RPEQ supervision, so I encourage you to take the steps needed now to advance towards attaining RPEQ

to be sure that you, nor your council are put at risk. Contact Kate O’Riordan [insert link] to discuss further. Our gratitude to Kev Bickhoff who served on the RPEQ Assessment Board since its inception and recently retired from his position. Thanks, Kev, for your valuable contributions to the Institute over many decades including as IPWEAQ President (1999-2001) and your time on the CQ Branch committee. Our congratulations to IPWEAQ Ambassador and CQ Branch committee member, Ben Ash who finally married Christie in December after COVID-19 caused the cancellation of their original nuptials in May 2020. Subsequently, Ben and Christie have returned to the south-east to be closer to family. We wish them the best. I look forward to seeing you all in Maryborough in just a few weeks!

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

CQ BRANCH CONFERENCE

Maryborough 20-21 April

Registration fees plus GST:

Call for Papers opens late March.

Members

$350

Members - Graduates (5 years post Bachelor’s degree)

$150

Non-members

$700

If you are not yet a member, join now and register for just $495 including membership to 30 June 2021.

Registrations open early April.

Sponsorships opportunities are available

www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

3901

Please contact Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com for more details

IPWEAQ UPDATES

NQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Glenda Kirk, NQ Branch President Director Infrastructure Services, Mareeba Shire Council

If you are fortunate enough to still have training budgets to invest in your team, there are a number of courses scheduled for NQ/NT including: • Bridge Inspections Levels 1 & 2 Townsville, 23-25 March • Erosion & Sediment Control Level 2 | Cairns, 16 March & Darwin, 31 August • Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design | Darwin, 3 September • Erosion & Sediment Control Level 3 | Darwin, 1-3 September With the NQ Branch conference cancelled in 2020, please also be sure to allocate your time and budgets to attend the NQ Branch conference to be held in Townsville, 17-18 June. The Call for Papers is now open so please submit an abstract, and also encourage your younger team members to take the step to deliver a presentation to a supportive audience. Up to 45 CPD hours are available if you are selected to present. Each of the four IPWEAQ regional branch conferences have quite different programs tailored for local issues and projects however they all offer valuable learnings relevant and relatable for all of us so I encourage IPWEAQ members to login to the Knowledge Centre to view the audio visual recordings from the recent SEQ Branch conference and the imminent SWQ Branch conference. Access is complimentary to members offering you additional CPD hours. If you are not a member, this is

yet another good reason to join. The IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre has been globally recognised in the Library Publishing Coalition which lists academic and specialist libraries across the world. IPWEAQ’s entry features our disciplinary speciality ie engineering for public works in Queensland. Also coming up, and expected to be a major event with 200+ delegates, is the 2021 Asset Management Symposium to be held in Brisbane, 19-20 May. The program has just been launched and includes Justin Fischer, Cassowary Coast Regional Council discussing practical asset management leadership. The program includes a number of interactive sessions aimed at determine our collective view to inform policy and identify needs to prioritise further initiatives. The Symposium will be held at Parliament House in Brisbane. In October, 12-14, NQ will again host the IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held at the newly-refurbished

Bridge Inspection Levels 1 & 2

Cairns Convention Centre. The excellence awards gala ceremony/dinner will be held in conjunction with the conference and submissions are now open for the awards program. Please be sure to enter your projects as all projects nominated are featured in the annual Excellence Awards Commemorative Book and this is an excellent opportunity to showcase the work you do for your community. And finally, I am pleased to have accepted a position on the RPEQ Assessment Board (RPEQ A-B). The role of the RPEQ A-B is to oversee the assessment processes established for IPWEAQ’s Assessment Scheme for civil engineering approved by the Minister in accordance with the Professional Engineers Act 2002. The IPWEAQ Board also recently approved Guidelines for the RPEQ A-B. I look forward to seeing you all at the NQ Branch conference in Townsville, 17-18 June!

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE

Townsville 17-18 June

Registration fees plus GST:

Call for Papers opens late March. Registrations open early April.

Members

$350

Members - Graduates (5 years post Bachelor’s degree)

$150

Non-members

$700

If you are not yet a member, join now and register for just $495 including membership to 30 June 2021.

Sponsorships opportunities are available

www.ipweaq.com ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

3902

Please contact Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com for more details

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

NATIVE TITLE & CULTURAL HERITAGE PORTAL AND RECORD KEEPING TOOL IPWEAQ’s new native title and cultural heritage portals help you comply with the law and avoid acts that will impact on cultural heritage and native title including impairment and extinguishment. The portals establish a methodical, documented, robust process and establish that an appropriate level of thoroughness was applied in determining whether or not to proceed with works.

i ntegrated M anagement

2. Detailed record keeping system which generates a PDF documenting all elements of the assessment including text, maps and photographic evidence which supports the reason for your decision.

P ortal for A sessment of C ultural heritage and native T itle

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Subscriptions now open for the first year of iMPACT! Annual Subscription

Plus GST

One-off Project Assessment

$1,000

Councils with less than 25,000 constituents

$3,000

All other councils, utilities, consultancies and other industry entities eg mining, pastoral.

$5,000

Access to iMPACT including ongoing capability training to meet your changing needs.

$10,000

Public Works Technical Subscription Apply a 10% discount if your council is a PTWS subscriber.

Contact Director, Information & Resources Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com 3632 6806

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

3. User friendly portal with a step by step process to ensure infrastructure and other projects comply with legislation which will save you time and money. 4. Interactive site which links to the latest information in government and other databases.

www.ipweaq.com

2955

Section 51(1) Native Title Act 1993 - an entitlement on just terms to compensate native title holders for any loss, diminution, impairment or other effect of the act on their native title rights and interests.

1. Resource to undertake complex assessments in a logical framework with templates, lists, registers and geo-spatial mapping.

i M P A C T

IPWEAQ UPDATES

SEQ BRANCH PRESIDENT’S REPORT Raad Jarjees, Branch President Technical Lead – Infrastructure, Cardno

Thank you to everyone who joined us for a record SEQ Branch conference in Caloundra! There were many highlights in the conference program however I can’t go past firstly mentioning our exceptional conference dinner held at the Queensland Air Museum. The Museum houses approximately 100 aircraft. It is Australia’s most diverse aviation museum with some significant aircraft including the F111 which delegates were able to sit in for photographs. It was a wonderful experience enjoying dinner and drinks amidst restored military and commercial aircraft. Our first keynote presentation was delivered by Ross Ulman, Project Director, Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion Project, Built Infrastructure Group, Sunshine Coast Council. This award-winning project - 2020 IPWEAQ Project of the Year - exemplifies community engagement and preservation of fauna, flora and heritage while delivering a landmark project. We are also delighted to have Ross join the SEQ Branch committee! The Best Paper award was won by Scott Young, Stabilised Pavements of Australia for his presentation on overcoming the challenges of rehabilitating thin existing pavements using basegrade stabilisation. In contention for the award

was Darren Shepherd for his presentation on the GIS mapping and cloud technology used to centralise and manage Rockhampton Regional Council’s unsealed roads network, Annette Finch, NHVR for her discussion on the effectiveness of utilising road signs to limit bridge access and public sector ethics by Patrick O’Brien, McCullough Robertson Lawyers. Scott will now present at the IPWEAQ Annual Conference in Cairns, 12-14 October. We had an exceptional program with presentations on stormwater management, an innovative solution to CBD flooding in Caloundra (SPEL Stormwater), peak hour traffic demand management, subgrade lime stabilisation, asphalt reinforcement, footpath and cycleway best practice, planning and urban growth modelling, implications of new street design regulations, practical leadership, infrastructure upgrades identifying coincident opportunities and how to replace non-renewable bearings on a 96 year old bridge. An IPWEAQ regional conference offers an excellent opportunity to experience a diverse array of topics and learnings relevant to those engineering for the public works sector. We were delighted to have 36 exhibitors and our eight sponsors for the event including our overall sponsor, SPEL Stormwater, together with Shepherd, Tonkin, Peak, CPM, ProjexPartners, Orterra and McArthur sponsoring our coffee cart. And I was delighted to have the opportunity to deliver a keynote presentation of my time as a lieutenant in the Iraqi army before emigrating to Australia.

The papers, PowerPoint presentations and audiovisual recordings are now available in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre. These are viewable by members and delegates. If you are not a member, please join IPWEAQ this month for just $145 plus GST. Next up for the SEQ Branch, please join us at the Plough Inn, Southbank from 5pm Thursday 25 March for a casual get-together. I look forward to seeing you then! SEQ Branch Conference Sponsors Thank you to our conference sponsors! Overall Conference Sponsor • SPEL Stormwater Other Sponsors • Shepherd • Tonkin • Peak • CPM • ProjexPartners • Orterra • McArthur

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

SEQ BRANCH CONFERENCE, CALOUNDRA What a conference! Thank you to the 192 delegates who joined us in Caloundra for the SEQ Branch Conference. This was our first conference of 2021 and the first SEQ Branch Conference since 2017. Ross Ullman, Sunshine Coast Council opened the conference with a presentation on the Sunshine Coast Airport Expansion Project. The airport is the largest civil infrastructure project ever undertaken by the Sunshine Coast Council and delivered a new international standard runway that will service the air travel demands of the Sunshine Coast for the next 100 years. Congratulations Scott Young from Stabilised Pavement of Australia, winner Best Paper award for his presentation on overcoming the Rehabilitation Challenge of Thin Existing Pavements using Basegrade Stabilisation. Scott will present this paper at the 2021 Annual Conference in Cairns, 12-14 October. Our events are successful due to the organisations that support and sponsor IPWEAQ. An enormous thank you to SPEL Stormwater, our overall conference sponsor. Trevor Loffel, Geotechnical Structures Consultant at SPEL Stormwater, presented remotely from Melbourne on acid sulphate soils and the 100-year pipe designs at Bulcock Street, Caloundra.

Mark Lamont. The auction was officiated by Mark Lamont, IPWEAQ’s Director Information & Resources and Excellence Awards Master of Ceremonies and raised money for Rural Aid. Congratulations to Phil Evans for winning the flight simulator for three, sponsored by Orterra! After dinner, guests enjoyed the opportunity to have their photos taken in an F-111. Only 1,200 people per year are afforded this privilege - we thank the Queensland Air Museum for extending this opportunity to our delegates.

membership milestone. Thank you for your ongoing support of IPWEAQ! See details in Community News on page 16-17.

A special thank you to our exhibitors for offering delegates an opportunity to hear about and experience what is available to improve local communities. We also thank our exhibitors for donating raffle prizes in support of Rural Aid. We raised over $1,200! Our thanks also to our conference sponsors: McArthur, Projex Partners, CPM Advisory & Project Management, Shepherd Services, Tonkin and Peak services. We were also delighted to present gifts to members who had achieved an IPWEAQ

The conference dinner was a huge highlighted. Held in a hangar at the Queensland Air Museum, guests were surrounded by historical aircraft as they enjoyed dinner and an auction officiated by IPWEAQ’s Director Information & Resources,

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

192 ATTENDEES 87

105 -

members

non members

158

male

female

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

QLDWATER UPDATES

QLDWATER REPORT Dave Cameron CEO, qldwater

Regional & Remote Communities Workshop Wrap The joint Queensland and NSW Water Directorates’ Sustainable Services for Regional & Remote Communities workshop held in Goondiwindi on 17-18 February 2021 challenged the minds of attendees. The workshop helped inform the qldwater industry roadmap and develop practical recommendations for service providers and decisionmakers, including regulators, policy makers and elected representatives at all levels.

The urge to get out of the office after the long COVID hibernation was evident in the number of in-person registrations (70+!). Still, the hybrid event attracted a strong interest in online attendance as well. The event started out with a bus tour to the Yelarbon Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), Water Treatment Plant and reservoir construction site guided by Goondiwindi Regional Council’s Manager Water and Sewerage, Trevor Seth. The Yelarbon STP services a population of under 400 residents. The plant uses an Imhoff tank and oxidation ponds with digested sludge dried on drying beds assisted by wind

and solar energy. It has no environmental discharge. The water treatment plant uses re-purposed grain silos as part of the treatment train with chlorine gas. A new bore has recently been commissioned, with high-quality source water available to augment the existing source, which had become highly vulnerable in the current drought. Yelarbon is a great example of a well-managed community water and sewerage service and also illustrates the significant challenges of supporting small towns with limited rates bases. Most recent enhancements included funding support from the Queensland Government’s

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

QLDWATER UPDATES Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program. The bus tour then returned to the Goondiwindi/Waggamba Community Cultural Centre where Trevor provided an overview of the Goondiwindi region. qldwater’s David Cameron and Rob Fearon and Brendan Guiney from the NSW Water Directorate then set the scene for day two, presenting five controversies and provocations: 1. Funding water and sewerage services responsibly and sustainably 2. Choosing fit-for-purpose technology 3. Negotiating levels of service 4. Appropriate approaches to compliance and regulation 5. Readiness for alternative supplies The first, experimental session asked a mixture of online and in-person participants to split into five breakout groups to identify opportunities and ideas and assign priorities to each provocation. This proved a bit of a challenge for online attendees and we quickly pivoted

to a different model for day two where all online attendees were grouped into one breakout room to aim for better sound quality and communications. Day two commenced with a warm welcome by Cr Rob Mackenzie, Deputy Mayor of Goondiwindi Regional Council. The program included a mix of speakers on strategic and technical solutions and panel sessions and workshops to further explore the provocations relevant to small and remote communities. Panel sessions presented food for thought on a range of topics including governance and resilience in small communities, regulatory challenges in regional areas, navigating the tech traps and more. A session on shared strategic challenges included panellists from NSW, NT, QLD and WSAA, providing a broad overview from across Australia. We also heard more about interesting research projects being undertaken by Water Research Australia and

WaterStart. Having heard and digested the information from all the speakers and panels, attendees broke into different groups to choose key messages for small communities to inform the industry’s qldwater Roadmap.+ The key messages are still being finalised, but participants indicated strong support for the idea that fundamental change was necessary to the broad strategic approach for managing small communities to have any hope of managing current and emerging challenges. We thank our hosts, Goondiwindi Regional Council, and sponsors Dial Before You Dig, GanDen Engineers and Project Manager, Royce Water Technologies, Aqualyng, Aquatec Maxcon, 360 Engineering, VEGA, McBerns, CIVILPIPES, Challenger Valves and Actuators and Hydrant Services. Thanks also to dinner sponsor Xylem who kept attendees happy and hydrated.

19-20 May Barcaldine Conference hosted by Barcaldine Regional Council Conference theme: Delivery in the West showcasing some of the activities of the Remote Area Planning and Development Board’s Water and Sewerage Alliance which is supported through QWRAP. This event will be a hybrid event with virtual and in person attendance options. Registrations will be opening soon. 21-22 July Charters Towers Conference - more information coming soon. 7-9 September Annual Forum Day 1 - Automated Metering. Day 2 includes a trip to North Stradbroke Island with a dinner in the evening. Day 3 - Roadmap and Asset Management. More information published shortly.

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

IPWEAQ UPDATES

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTING WITH INDUSTRY AS A STUDENT councils and consultancies to other students attending the conference.

Maddy Stahlhut

The first professional event I attended was the 2018 IPWEAQ Annual Conference at the Gold Coast. In my final year of studying engineering, connecting with industry wasn’t something I had placed great focus on up until my last year of study. It wasn’t until I attended IPWEAQ18 that I realised having a large and diverse network of professional contacts within the industry is extremely beneficial. Before attending IPWEAQ18, my network consisted of my university peers, lecturers and direct colleagues from my undergraduate position. In other words, it was very insular. Although daunting, the conference essentially forced me to broaden my network. I met professionals from across Queensland and other states, ranging from directors of

For most students, the goal is to find a job that you will enjoy and be successful. As a student, networking is so important; the broader your network, the more chance you have of reaching your goal. As a former student, I am happy to share some helpful hints on connecting with the industry. Find a mentor The reason everyone talks about mentoring is that it works – having a mentor as a student is invaluable. Someone you can bounce ideas off, get career advice (or life advice) from, and build your network. Mentors can be lecturers, peers a few years ahead of you, or professionals in your industry. All these people come with a network, including you. If you don’t have anyone you already know who you can approach to me a mentor, there are many formal programs where you are assigned a mentor. In some ways, this can be more beneficial as you are making a new connection – and always keep in mind that you can have more than one mentor. Join a professional body If you simply don’t know where to start then join a professional body such as IPWEAQ. Membership for full-time students through

IPWEAQ is complimentary. IPWEAQ has countless resources and an established network of professionals in your industry. Attend networking events Networking events are made for just that – networking! I used to find these events hard because I felt I had nothing ‘professional’ to talk about. Although when you’re a student, this generally isn’t the expectation. I believe that making new contacts is simply about having a genuine conversation with a new person. Try to determine if you have something in common. Starting a conversation can be as easy as asking someone about their current position, projects or professional background. As a student, don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you still aren’t sure, IPWEAQ has several resources that can help. A recent PW-TV presentation by Janine Garner - How to Create the Right Network - provided some great information on networking. As a student, it is extremely beneficial to connect with industry and start building your network and you never know where it will lead. A friend received a job offer after making a connection at a networking event. I also wouldn’t have the position I’m in now without forming my network while I was a student.

Career

CARDS 98

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

2021 FUTURES CHALLENGE

Created to promote emerging talent, IPWEAQ’s Futures Challenge invites final year students in engineering and related disciplines to present their thesis or research project at our Annual Conference. Nominations are accepted from universities, peers, or selfnomination. Submission requirements: • A 500 word abstract from which our expert panel will select up to four finalists.

Selected finalists must additionally submit: • An A1 poster board including the key elements of their thesis or research project, which clearly outlines conclusions, recommendations, including appropriate text and supporting graphics.

• A 10 minute presentation with PowerPoint to be delivered in a plenary session on day 2 of the Annual Conference. • A 500 word report on their conference and Futures Challenge experience to be published in the December issue of Engineering for Public Works.

The winner: • will be selected by conference delegates voting via the conference app following the plenary presentation session. • will be announced at the Gala Excellence Awards Ceremony on 13 October 2021. • will receive a complimentary registration to #IPWEAQ22 Annual Conference in 2022.

Benefits: Finalists will receive: • A complimentary registration to attend the #IPWEAQ21 3-day Annual Conference valued at more than $2,000. This offers an excellent opportunity to engage with the public works community and improve understanding of the sector.

• will be promoted on IPWEAQ’s website and other social media promotions.

• An invitation to present their paper at the next branch conference.

• Students must submit their 500 word abstract by 21 July 2021.

• A one-year complimentary IPWEAQ membership.

• Finalists will be notified by 4 August 2021.

• Publication on IPWEAQ’s Knowledge Centre.

• Finalists must submit their poster boards by 8 September 2021.

Due dates: • Nominations from universities, peers, or self nominations required by 30 June 2021 to daneele.mcbride@ipweaq. com.

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#IPWEAQ21 ANNUAL CONFERENCE | Cairns Convention Centre, Cairns | 12-14 October 2021

Contact Engagement Coordinator Daneele.mcbride@ipweaq.com

3632 6808

www.ipweaq.com

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEET THE TEAM IPWEAQ LEIGH CUNNINGHAM

CRAIG MOSS

DR NEAL LAKE

Chief Executive Officer  Leigh.Cunningham@ipweaq.com

Director, Professional Services  Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com

Director, Engineering Practice  Neal.Lake@ipweaq.com

MARK LAMONT Director, Information & Resources  Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com

SCOTT BRITTON Director, Policy & Partnerships  Scott.Britton@ipweaq.com

JULIET SCHAFFER e-Learning Coordinator  Juliet.Schaffer@ipweaq.com

DAVID THOMPSON

KATE O’RIORDAN

MONICA ROBERTSON

Industry Engagement Manager  David.Thompson@ipweaq.com

Professional Development Manager  Kate.O’Riordan@ipweaq.com

Events & Marketing Manager  Monica.Robertson@ipweaq.com

JOHANNA VANLING

TAMMI PETRE

DANEELE MCBRIDE

Relationship Manager  Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com

Office Manager  Tammi.Petre@ipweaq.com

Engagement Coordinator  Daneele.McBride@ipweaq.com

KATIE WRIGHT

CHLOE BEGLEY

Bookkeeper  Katie.Wright@ipweaq.com

Administrator  Chloe.Begley@ipweaq.com

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

MEET THE TEAM QLDWATER

DAVID CAMERON

DR ROB FEARON

DAVID SCHELTINGA

Chief Executive Officer  dcameron@qldwater.com.au

Director, Innovation Partnerships  rfearon@qldwater.com.au

Manager, SWIM  dscheltinga@qldwater.com.au

DR LOUISE REEVES Program Coordinator & Technical Writer  lreeves@qldwater.com.au

CARLIE SARGENT

DESIRÉ GRALTON

Project Coordinator – Skills  Carlie.Sargent@qldwater.com

Manager, Communications  dgralton@qldwater.com.au

RYAN COSGROVE

NAOMI CARRAGHER

Project Coordinator and Researcher  rcosgrove@qldwater.com.au

Project Support Assistant  NCarragher@qldwater.com.au

qldwater is a business unit of IPWEAQ

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

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PRINCIPAL PARTNERS

ENTERPRISE PARTNERS

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

SUBSCRIBERS PUBLIC WORKS TECHNICAL SUBSCRIPTION

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

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SUBSCRIBERS PUBLIC WORKS TECHNICAL SUBSCRIPTION

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ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2021

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS

MEDIA KIT 2021 ENGINEERING

FOR PUBLIC WORKS ISSN 2652-6050 (ONLINE)

ISSUE NUMBER

ROAD WORKS

Future Transport Needs Innovation P 56

Who’s to Blame for Unsafe Roads? P 48

Roads Pave a Way through COVID-19 downturn P 46

www.ipweaq.com

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS. ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MEDIA KIT 2021

IPWEAQ is the peak body representing those actively involved in the public works sector in Queensland. Our purpose is to enhance the quality of life for all Queensland communities by advancing the skills, knowledge and resources available to those involved in the planning and provision of public works and services. Our Value Propositions 1 Members enjoy a strong sense of community through our proactive branch network. 2 Our Knowledge Centre is an essential resource for anyone involved in public works in Queensland. 3 Our quarterly e-journal is valued for its technical and industry relevant content. 4 IPWEAQ technical products are widelyadopted and are leading edge. 5 IPWEAQ conferences are must-attend events. 6 IPWEAQ’s comprehensive professional development program is innovative and exceeds the needs of members and industry. 7 Our water directorate (qldwater) strengths the urban water industry to maintain and improve the safety, health, wellbeing and sustainability of Queensland communities. 8 An IPWEAQ excellence award is highly sought after. 9 IPWEAQ upholds professional standards as an RPEQ assessor. 10 IPWEAQ influences government and industry.

PUBLICATION DATES Four issues per year: • March • June • September • December (conference feature)

Special editions: • Excellence Awards commemorative book • Annual Conference handbook (November)

Artwork and editorial due 15th day of prior month eg 15 February for March issue.

WHY ADVERTISE IN EPW? Your connection to thousands of professionals delivering projects for state and local government across Queensland.

Engineering for Public Works

Articles, reports, features and news on the public works sector in Queensland with a focus on the engineering of our communities.

Distribution:

Circulated quarterly to over 6,000 contacts across the sector and around the world.

Performance:

Over 150,000 digital impressions, more than 22,000 Reads and 600 Clicks.

Readers:

Engineers, technicians, surveyors, financial professionals, planners, designers, legislators, councillors and others involved in the delivery of public works and services.

EPW reaches more than 6,000 members, industry partners and local government decision-makers.

Engineering for Public Works - Issue 21, March 2021

Articles inside

Ambassador’s Report

Qldwater Report

SEQ Branch Conference Wrap Up

SWQ Branch President’s Report

SEQ Branch President’s Report

Book Review

Writing and Presenting A Technical Paper

Subsurface Utility Engineering (Sue) Enhanced Through Collaboration

New Technical Standard for Temporary Traffic Management

Post-COVID Peak Hour Traffic Demand Management

Councils Are Going Green

Emerald Airport Runway - Central Highlands Regional Council

Learn to Ride Park - Southern Downs Regional

Engineering the Tropics

NHVR and IPWEAQ Collaborative Agreement

Bridging the Gap Between Engineering and Accounting

Professional Registration: Highlighting Best Practice

Water Assets Key to Water Quality

Professional Engineers Act Reforms

Member Profile, John Hawkes

Member Profile, Bradley White

Member Profile, Michael Williams

Member Profile, Amelia Marshall

Anzac Commemorations

World Water Day

Member News

President’s Report

Community News

Member Profiles, Nadia and Cameron Ives

CEO’s Report