EXCEL L ENC E AWAR DS F eatu re article l e ga l a rt i c l e Wat e r A rt i c l e
NEW LOOK BUILDING TELLS AN OLD STORY
TRANSFORMING ROADS FOR SUPERCARS
QLD CONSTRUCTION LAWS OVERHAUL
SILVER LINING IN THE SEWERS
Cairns’ oldest public building has been restored to its original beauty as part of a $8.69 million project. p.10
Maintaining City of Gold Coast’s Surfers Paradise street circuit for the Supercar motorsport spectacular. p.22
All participants need to understand how the new laws will affect their organisation.
Better management of sewerage systems for Wide Bay Burnett Region. p.61
p.46
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
ISSUE No.9
www.ipweaq.com
PARTNERS
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
CONTENTS ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | MARCH 2018
»»Feature Articles:
»» New-look building tells 110 year story................................ p 10 »» International Women’s Day 2018 feature.............................. p 26 »» Global Day of the Engineer IPWEAQ competition.................... p 36 »» 2018 President’s Breakfast..................................................... p 38 »» Overhauling Queensland’s building laws.............................. p 46 »» Mayoral Message for #IPWEAQ18............................................. p 48 »» Perspective: QUDM and the lawful point of discharge.........p 54 »» Native Title compensation........................................................ p 58 »» Risk – what is our perception?................................................ p 68
»»Technical Focus:
»» Logan ‘Flooded Roads Smart Warning System’...................... p 14 »» Portal the key to future wastewater planning................... p 16 »» Transforming ROADS for supercar racing............................. p 22
»»IPWEAQ News:
»» President’s Report....................................................................... p 6 »» Member News................................................................................. p 8 »» CEO’s Report................................................................................ p 18 »» Meet the team .............................................................................P 20 »» Honorary Members .................................................................... p 44 »» IPWEAQ Working Groups update ............................................... p 50 »» Emerging Leader Profile........................................................... p 64 »» What’s new in the Knowledge Centre ..................................... p 66 »» CQ President’s Report................................................................ p 70 »» NQ President’s Report................................................................ p 72 »» SEQ President’s Report.............................................................. p 74 »» SWQ President’s Report............................................................. p 76 »» Young IPWEAQ Chair’s Report.................................................... p 78
»»QLDWATER NEWS
»» CEO’s Report................................................................................ p 60 »» The silver lining in the sewers................................................ p 61 Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the March issue of Engineering for Public Works (EPW); my first issue since Carlie Sargent has departed to take up a role with our Water Directorate, qldwater. It’s been my pleasure to read about some of the innovative projects taking place across Queensland and the various branch and member activities. I’ve learnt a lot about our members as we've worked to bring this issue of EPW together. Thank you to all the contributors who’ve provided interesting and informative technical and specialist articles. I’d like to draw your attention to the International Women's Day feature in this issue in particular. The infographic on page 26 provides an interesting snapshot of the statistics about women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in Australia. And the personal stories of women in STEM is reflected in the feature articles. While the trend in our sector continues to disappoint, there is some good news. We hear of wonderful programs and initiatives from within the member organisations. If you are in a position to share details of your organisation’s efforts in this space please let me know – it would be great to share the success stories within our community as we continue to #pressforprogress in our sector. Belinda Smith Editor
INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.
Become a Member Benefits
Members enjoy a strong sense of community through our proactive branch network.
IPWEAQ’s comprehensive professional development program is innovative and exceeds the needs of members and industry.
Our quarterly e-journal is valued for its technical and industryrelevant content.
IPWEAQ technical products are widelyadopted and are leading-edge.
Our water directorate (qldwater) strengths the urban water industry to maintain and improve the safety, health, wellbeing and sustainability of Queensland communities.
IPWEAQ conferences are must-attend events.
An IPWEAQ excellence award is highly sought after.
IPWEAQ upholds professional standards as an RPEQ assessor.
IPWEAQ influences government and industry.
Our Knowledge Centre is an essential resource for anyone involved in public works in Queensland.
Join Now Membership of IPWEAQ is open to anyone actively engaged in the delivery of public works and services in Queensland including technical officers, draughtsmen and women, supervisors, fleet managers, project managers, councillors or consultants. IPWEAQ members receive preferential rates for attendance at conferences, professional development, branch events, RPEQ assessments, publications, technical products.
Membership fees Half year (December 2017 to 30 June 2018) member
$137.50 plus GST under 35 members
$82.50 plus GST
Use your post nominals MIPWEAQ (Member) FIPWEAQ (Fellow)
Apply online at www.ipweaq.com /membership Enquiries Belinda Smith 07 3632 6801 Belinda.Smith@ipweaq.com
www.ipweaq.com Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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president’s Report We’ve started 2018 with a focus on the future at our Strategic Planning Day on 8 February. Held every three years, our planning day is an opportunity to bring together our representative members – Board members and members from our four branch committees – and our staff to ensure our relevance and standing in the years to come. We now have seven Young IPWEAQ members in these leadership positions on our branch committees and on our Board with several of those members taking the time from their work to attend the Strategic Planning Day. It is a courageous organisation in these ever-changing times that is not guided by their input on the type of organisation they want to belong to. Our Strategic Plan is available on our website. The March issue of Engineering for Public Works is our International Women’s Day (IWD) feature. According to an EY report, ‘building a better working world’, it will take 217 years to achieve gender parity in the workforce yet gender-diverse leadership has been proven to increase the skills businesses need to navigate the disruptive trends transforming industry. Female graduates in engineering as a whole are currently 14% while IPWEAQ has only 10% female members. We have developed strategies to improve this over
the coming years with support from programs such as the Dream Big project (aimed at high school girls) delivered by our Young IPWEAQ Chair and Ambassador, Jessica Kahl. Our IWD feature this year includes articles from TMR’s Chief Engineer, Julie Mitchell and Madeline Price, National Director of the One Woman Project, a youth-led organisation dedicated to education about and advocacy promoting global gender equality. At the state conference in October, we launched the Fourth Edition of the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM). There is now a multi-user option for councils and organisations to purchase QUDM for upload onto intranets. For subscribers of our PWTS (Public Works Technical Subscription) a 20% discount will be offered with the new subscription package to be released this month. Please contact our CEO, Leigh Cunningham for more information. Since the launch of QUDM, we’ve been rolling out a QUDM Manual workshop across the state and will soon develop another program specifically to address the controversial issue of lawful discharge in more detail. Another key publication under development is our proposed new Street Planning & Design Manual (SPDM) intended to be the most comprehensive contemporary manual for the planning and
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design of streets. SPDM will supersede Complete Streets which is widely adopted in council planning regulations across the state. Our Steering Committee comprises representatives from key stakeholder groups including engineers, urban designers, architects, consultants, UDIAQ, Department of Main Roads & Transport (TMR), local and state government. We also have buy-in from the Office of the Government Architect. The Steering Committee which will shortly break into taskspecific Working Groups to better manage the complexity of this project which is due for delivery in July 2019. It is critical for your council to be informed about this developing publication which aims to solve development issues across the state, not just in our cities, and we encourage you to register your council’s interest in updates using the form on our website. The 2017 IPWEAQ excellence awards is now preserved for posterity in our commemorative book featuring all nominees, winners, sponsors and judges. Our awards program and gala ceremony at our conference importantly recognises the people and projects that make Queensland great. The 2018 awards program opens early April so please consider nominating your projects and colleagues so we can highlight these on your behalf to our communities and councils.
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Next up, we get together to share learnings and network at our branch conferences in Cairns (1820 April) and Barcaldine (14-16 June) but firstly, I look forward to catching up with our SWQ branch members in Goondiwindi, 1516 March. Members from other
branches also most welcome!
IPWEAQ President Seren McKenzie has chosen to support MS Queensland as the President’s Charity during her term. MS Queensland’s Project Dignity 120 is raising awareness and funds to build 120 high need independent living apartments across Queensland to bridge a critical gap in the availability of high need housing with quality support services. MS Queensland’s Community Fundraising Coordinator, Clancy Feuerriegel explains more about the project.
of SDA housing that is easier to access, navigate and live in; and more cost effective to adapt when life’s circumstances change.
MS Queensland is beyond excited about the commencement of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) project with our apartment complex in Springfield well and truly underway through the MS Queensland initiative called Project Dignity 120. The Springfield development is just one of many projects delivering high need apartments that MS Queensland is planning across our state. This is a unique approach to fix the high need housing crisis and is different to any other not-for-profits’ attempts to date. The Springfield development along with MS Queensland’s future Project Dignity 120 developments meet Liveable Housing Australia – Platinum Standard - the highest standard
And finally, I would like to thank Emeritus members, John Hawkes and Ian Woodyard who have served as trustees on the IPWEA Queensland Foundation for over a decade. Thank you John and Ian for your dedication and
Nine out of ten people with MS live at home and want to stay there as long as possible. But people are being forced from their homes because their homes can’t adapt. Many end up in aged care well before their time. Queensland families, people you know, are being pushed to breaking point, robbed of their ability to care and to cope. We must do something to change this and that is why MS Queensland is going full steam ahead with Project Dignity 120 to tackle this issue, head on. MS Queensland believe that everyone deserves the right to live with dignity, with choice and control over their lives. We are not just building buildings; our care model and service focus make us different. We are changing what the future looks like for people with progressive neurological diseases and their families by providing homes with appropriate care and support, when it’s needed, so people can live safely and independently for longer. Each housing complex will feature our very latest, fully accessible “Livewell with MS” design offering privacy and safety for each
commitment! John and Ian are replaced by myself and Andrew Johnson, SWQ Branch committee member who join continuing trustees Dawson Wilkie (Chair), Patrick Murphy and David Wiskar. Seren McKenzie President
individual, with opportunities by choice to interact with other residents in an onsite gym, dining room or common areas. Project Dignity 120 is MS Queensland’s largest undertaking ever and a bold attempt to fix the high need housing crisis in Queensland, once and for all. Show your support for Project Dignity 120 and together we can build homes for real living for all Queenslanders. https://www.facebook.com/ ProjectDignity120/
Join Project Dignity 120 on Facebook and help solve the housing crisis!
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Member News
Please share your news with us including births, marriages, jobs and achievements. Contact Leigh.Cunningham@ ipweaq.com
2018 Vigoro State Champions including Seren McKenzie, IPWEAQ President (third from left)
Welcome Chris Mantell A Senior Civil Engineer at Cardno, Chris is our 700th IPWEAQ member! Chris has also joined our SEQ Branch committee. We look forward to having Chris as part of the IPWEAQ community.
eren McKenzie, State Vigoro Champion! S Congratulations to our President, Seren McKenzie who is now a state champion! The Fassifern Veterans took out the title at the Vigoro Championships in Ipswich. They will go on to compete in the Australian titles. Good luck, Seren and congratulations again!
It’s a small world! Pure chance landed two IPWEAQ Fellows in the same spot in Germany on two consecutive days in December. Gerhard Joubert, General Manager Infrastructure & Utilities at Central Highlands Regional Council and Patrick Murphy, Director Infrastructure Services at Scenic Rim Council ran into each other first at Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria and then again the next day Rathaus-Glockenspiel on Marienplatz in München. What a coincidence! Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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Is this the longest-serving engineer in local government in Australia?’
FEATURE ARTICLE
Graeme Preston commenced his career in local government as an 18 year old cadet engineer at the City of Dandenong on 31 August 1959. Graeme has undertaken numerous challenging roles during his decades-long career and has no double seen a lot of change around how councils operate.
Congratulations, Graeme, on a stellar career in engineering – so far! And thanks for being part of the IPWEAQ community.
Graeme was granted an overseas study fellowship in 1988 to attend the APWA Congress in Toronto and visit a number of North American Councils and recipient of the Inaugural EJ (Ted) Hooper medal in 1987. A past member of IPWEA in Victoria, Graeme now a member of IPWEAQ since moving to Queensland. He has also taken a role in a number of profession committee activities including: Member IPWEA review panel for registration as an RPEQ President, Local Government Engineers Association Victoria 1991 (IPWEA) Chairman, Mackay Regional Councils Technical Group Committee Member IPWEA North Queensland State Executive Member, Institute Municipal Engineering Australia 1989 - 1995 Member, Advisory Committee Australian Centre for Local Government Studies (Canberra) 1993 – 1995
Graeme Preston circa 1987 at Preston Council.
Career Path 1959 to 1964 Dandenong City Council – Cadet Engineer 1964 to 1980 Ringwood City Council – Senior Design Engineer 1980 to 1986 Prahran City Council – Deputy City Engineer 1986 to 1995 Preston/Darebin City Council – City Engineer/Assistant General Manager 1995 to 1999 Whitsunday Shire Council – Director Engineering Services 1999 to 2000 Mackay City Council – Director Engineering Services 2000 to 2006 Maroochy Shire Council – Manager Asset Maintenance/ Manager Business Units 2006 to 2016 Dalby Town/Western Downs Regional Council – various positions including Director Engineering Services, Special Projects Engineer 2017 to 2018 Acting GM South Burnett Regional Council 3 months and currently Senior Engineer Sunshine Coast Council Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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New-look School of Arts building tells 110-year story
FEATURE ARTICLE
Bruce Gardiner General Manager, Infrastructure Services More than a century after its construction, Cairns’ oldest public building has been restored to its original beauty. The $8.69 million restoration of the heritage-listed School of Arts building took twelve months, with the works showcasing a mix of heritage and contemporary design that continues the century-old story. Located in the historical heart of the Cairns CBD, the finished product is a tribute to the changing face of Cairns. The Cairns School of Arts building was constructed in 1907 and was one of the city’s first concretepoured building. It replaced a single-storey timber structure that had been built in the 1880s adjacent to the present site. Located on a prime CBD location,
it is one of four heritage buildings on the corner of Lake and Shields streets. This combination creates one of the best intersections in the Cairns CBD, demonstrating 20th century cultural, hotel, residential and commercial uses. The building showcases a range of aesthetic characteristics valued by the Cairns community, in particular its contribution to the streetscapes of Lake and Shields streets. It actually consists of four buildings, each constructed in a different historical era. Previously, the building housed numerous adult education classes,
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including photography and technical drawing in its early years. As Cairns grew and the role of the building changed, alterations and extensions were made. For 70 years, the first floor of the building housed Cairns’ only public library – a subscription library with up to 1000 members. It was Queensland’s largest library outside of Brisbane and it was run by the School of Arts Committee and financed from the rents obtained from the shops and offices on the ground floor. By the mid-1970s, the library was the sole function of the School of Arts and was struggling to meet
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a new building in Lake Street two years later. The Cairns Historical Society then opened a museum in the vacated first floor in 1980 and a full renovation of the building followed c1983, with the building added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. With the ongoing tenancy of the Cairns Museum, the Cairns School of Arts is believed to be the last of the original School of Arts buildings to have housed education-based activities continuously since its establishment.
the demands of a now much larger population. In 1977, Cairns City Council took over the running of the library and the service was shifted into
Cairns Regional Council identified the ageing building as being in need for essential remediation works. Although structurally sound, it required considerable work to bring it up to acceptable standards for public health, safety and disability access. The upgrade included restoration of the Art
Deco awning and façades, new mechanical and electrical services including an air-conditioning system and a passenger lift. An upgrade of the ground floor now features space for up to eight commercial tenancies, plus twoand-a-half floors of purpose-built space for the Cairns Museum to showcase its collection and to house the Cairns Historical Society. This new museum space is in addition to that which the organisation has tenanted since 1980, allowing the museum to significantly expand. This has allowed the addition of a purpose-built storage area for the Museum’s most delicate of items, providing far greater opportunities for visitors to explore the museum’s collection. The building also now provides a base for the Cairns Student Hub which offers a broad range of
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support services for international students. Wherever possible, original elements of the building were preserved and protected. For example, many of the external windows still contained original glasswork and this was protected with an invisible layer of UVfiltering glass. Original 110-year old timber flooring now lies alongside newer sections of flooring that mark out where repairs have been made. The original art-deco façade of the 1938 extension was recovered with photographs used to identify original components of the verandas.
Where original elements were no longer present or could not be restored, the choice was made not to artificially match the heritage. Instead, new elements were carefully designed in a modern architectural style that was respectful to the original elements. Since its completion, the project has won an IPWEAQ 2017 excellence award for design and construction of a public works project. It has also claimed the Don Roderick Award for Heritage at the 2017 Queensland State Architecture Awards. This state award followed an earlier win, with the project receiving the Eddie Oribin Award for Building
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of the Year in the 2017 Far North Queensland Architecture Awards for a most humble and respectful restoration. The multi-million dollar refurbishment project was many years in the making but it has now provided an asset that is worthy of housing and preserving the city’s history for future generations. Located in the heart of the Cairns city centre, it is a tribute to the changing face of Cairns and has transformed an under-utilised building in the city centre into a fully functioning museum, along with commercial and retail tenancies.
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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC WORKS
The Excellence Awards recognise best practice and innovation in public works projects and the people that deliver them. Nominations close 5.00pm Friday 27 July 2018 Submit your nomination at www.ipweaq.com/awards Projects must be completed when nominations close (27 July 2018) Gala Awards Ceremony and Dinner The Marriott, Surfers Paradise | Thursday, 11 October 2018 People Awards:
Project Awards:
• Engineer of the Year
• Design and/or construction of public works projects under $2 million
• Woman in Engineering • Young Engineer
• Design and/or construction of public works projects $2 million to $5 million • Design and/or construction of public works projects over $5 million
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE
• Innovation • Road Safety • Asset Management • Environment and Sustainability • Design and/or construction of water, waste water, sewerage and drought management projects
Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com 3632 6803 www.ipweaq.com/awards
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Logan Flooded Roads Smart Warning System
FEATURE ARTICLE
Michael Pattinson, Road Construction Program Leader, Logan City Council The ‘Flooded Road Smart Warning System’ (FRSWS) is reliable, low cost and improves public safety, recycling e-waste and providing work opportunities to disadvantaged Queenslanders. It saves lives by reducing the risk of vehicles being driven into dangerous floodwaters and reduces the need for emergency services personnel to undertake dangerous swift water rescues and council staff to erect temporary warning signage under hazardous conditions. The system is powered by recycled batteries (solar recharged), and assembled using 3D printed brackets by people of disadvantaged backgrounds, a true Public Works project.
Back in January 2016 Council formed a multidisciplinary Project Team to develop a warning system to minimise the risk of driving into flooded roads. No limits were placed on members of the project team to encourage innovative solutions. Following on from previous collaborations with Griffith University’s Industrial Affiliates Program, Council’s Maintenance Engineer worked with Dr. Peter Woodfield and engineering student Hayden Lewis, to realise the concept of a battery power circuit triggered by a float switch that activated flashing lanterns on the (W7-7-1B) Floodway sign, to provide advance warning to motorists.
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The secondary component of the research was to provide a text message to Council’s OnCall officer. This prototype was completed in 12 weeks with two options, flashing lanterns (W77-1B) ‘Floodway’ sign and on black board above the (G9-21) ‘Road Subject To Flooding’ sign. The delivery of a text message to the On-Call officer was also completed over the 2G network. The system employed a Lead-Acid battery, trickle charged by a solar panel, controlled by an Arduino microcontroller. The blackboard won Director approval to present to Council subject to any enhancements specified by the project team. The first enhancement was to upgrade
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to the 3G network, include email and if possible live mapping. The second enhancement was to review of the installation standards. These challenges ware undertaken in collaboration with Dr Woodfield by engineering students, Albert Lee and Gaurav Goswami. Again, delivery occurred over 12 weeks, including a basic mapping option. The communication housing was redesigned by and 3D printed by Industrial Design student Rizal Evans. This design was judged as the best of three options (contractor, workshop and student). The enhanced Flooded Roads Smart Warning system (FRSWS) was approved Council on 18 October 2016 with funding to follow subject to the flashing lanterns being replaced by the text ‘ROAD FLOODED’. Councillor Jon Raven advised that this was real innovation and that if any assistance was needed with 3D printing, Substation33, a Logan youth enterprise organisation should be contacted. Council’s Maintenance Engineer worked with our former Lines & Signs Supervisor, Darryl Richards to develop the text using cut out templates and contacted Sustaion33 regarding 3D printing. Contacting Sustation33 through Tony Sharp ably assist by Simon, Brad, Nathan and Crystal, has resulted in great improvement to the FRSWS and in the relationship with Council. The initial improvement was fourfold increase in capacity by using Lithium-Ion batteries, recycled from dumped laptop computers after rigours testing, mounted in 3D printed brackets. This was followed by presenting the ‘ROAD FLOODED’ text using a combination LED matrix boards,
then using printed circuit to minimising soldering joints and improving reliability. Substation33 also offered a radio-controlled option to eliminate the trenching between the float and the two warning signs. During this period student Jais Joseph researched the feasibility of replacing the ‘Arduino microcontroller’ with a ‘Raspberry Pi microprocessor’ for future enhancement such as managing video recording. This project has directly supported the ongoing development of others, namely five students have completed their degrees and gained real live work experience.
While this development was being undertaken, the Project Team focused on a site location map using call-out data, swiftwater rescue data, desktop flood modelling and of site prioritisation methodology and completed a data collection survey for 450 sites.
Queensland Government with a budget of $325,000. A 2018/19 Logan City Council budget of $250,000 is proposed. Awards: The Flooded Roads Smart Warning System was recognised in the Logan City Council Innovation Awards 2016, National Awards for Local Government 2017, 2017 Resilient Australia Awards, Engineers Australia Most Innovative Engineers 2017, Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia Excellence Award 2017 and 3M-ACRS Diamond Road Safety Award 2017.
Logan City Council are installing FRSWS at a cost of $20,000 per site. To date the FRSWS has been installed at 36 sites, with another four planned by 30 June 2018. A ‘Provisional Patent’ has been lodged and a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ between Logan City council and Substaion33 has been signed. The Flooded Roads Smart Warning system has been supported by Logan City Council in 2017/18 with a budget of $250,000 and by the
Further information: Greg Kelly CPEng, RPEQ, gregkelly@logan. qld.gov.au 0401 692 619
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NEW PORTAL THE KEY TO FUTURE WASTEWATER PLANNING FOR GLADSTONE REGIONAL COUNCIL
FEATURE ARTICLE
Neels Kloppers Acting Manager, Water Services, Gladstone Regional Council Gladstone Regional Council’s goal was to have the CCTV Sewer inspection data accessible by all stake holders through a single portal to aide and facilitate long term planning decision making. Over the past 15 years Gladstone Regional Council had invested considerable sums collecting CCTV condition data for maintenance, forward planning and development compliance purposes. The sewer network extends approximately 700km, most of which had been surveyed. Over this period the survey data was stored in folders, boxes and later on multiple external hard drives and corporate network drives.
Access to the data and video was limited with no real way to leverage off the investment to capture. Video storage and backup on the Council’s network drives were an additional challenge for the ICT team. Though the in-house CCTV crews had been trained there was little or no auditing of the data which raised confidence issues of the data captured. Gladstone Regional Council, Water Services engaged the services of ReticManager to undertake a data consolidation, post processing and engineering evaluation exercise, with one of the outcomes of gathering the information
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into one location and provide a cloud-based solution that can be integrated with existing or new corporate asset management software (AMS). The final solution is able to be deployed to all stakeholders. During the consolidation process, existing systems, processes and practices were identified and audited. As a result, an improvement plan was developed to gain more value during the CCTV inspection process. These discussions also provided input for internal processes moving forward. The inspection data was extracted from multiple legacy systems,
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specifications, formats and schema were determined before being imported into the new AMS. The post processing included verifying the inspection data against the existing asset register and GIS to: 1. Tag the survey to an asset. 2. Identify alignment/node errors in the GIS and asset register. 3. Identify the data quality and compliance with industry standards. Over a 24-month period 6,600 (263km) CCTV inspections has been post processed. This data would otherwise have remained dormant or lost. The new data and the cloud-based solution enabled efficient and consistent engineering evaluation and access for stakeholders to facilitate maintenance and renewal decision making and activities. Previously access to data was limited to a few key staff members as parts of a dataset. Access to the complete dataset online has enabled and improved asset decision making across all stakeholders. Adding Value This exercise of post processing
looks beyond data manipulation and reformatting and provides expert knowledge assisting in the change management of new processes, systems and the specifications and details required. The value gained from verifying the inspections is estimated at $0.6m when compared to the alternative of field investigations. Nearly 1,300 alignment/node errors have been identified. To quantify the value of instant access for the whole business and improved decision making is a little harder. However the benefit cost ratio for Gladstone Regional Council in favour of using
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
the ReticManager solution for post processing and engineering evaluation of CCTV data has been at least 4 : 1. This solution is now leading the Gladstone Regional Council sewer relining and defects maintenance programs. Gladstone Regional Council received the 2017 IPWEAQ Asset Management Award for this project. Nominations for the 2018 Excellence Awards will open soon. More information available at www.ipweaq.com/awards.
INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.
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CEO’s Report Our annual President’s Breakfast was held 9 March 2018 at the appropriately named, Captain’s Room at The Pavilion, Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The President’s Breakfast is an opportunity for us to thank our Partners and sponsors for their continued support and contribution to our many successes together with invited guests. A huge thank you to Mike Brady, General Manager, Infrastructure Services at Toowoomba Regional Council and our 2017 Engineer of the Year and Dr Rob Fearon, our Director, Innovation Partnerships at qldwater for two riveting presentations. If you were unable to attend, the presentations are available in the Knowledge Centre in the ‘Other Events & Occasions’ community. If you have not yet had an opportunity to visit the Knowledge Centre, please be sure to do so, and contact our Information Resources Manager, Mark Lamont if you have any queries. We hosted a very successful strategic planning day in Brisbane on 8 February with board members, branch committee members and staff joining together to plot our future. During the process, we undertook a review of our changing environment, current issues and what may lay ahead.
We also considered the results of the Beaton Survey which tracks IPWEA’s performance against other professional associations. My counterpart in Victoria, David Hallett undertook an analysis of the results over the past three surveys to plot the changing expectations and needs of our members. There were a few interesting observations: ‘ A sense of belonging to a professional association’ was ranked #1 in 2012 but down to #6 in 2017. T he primary reason for being a member is now to ‘develop knowledge and skills’ followed by ‘keeping up-date’ and ‘access to resources’ – all of which are directly related to professional development. Our Knowledge Centre would also seem to be considered important and a timely addition to our services. O f less importance now is ‘building member standing’ (was #2 in 2012), ‘lobbying/advocacy’ and ‘credentials’. ‘ Helping to build alliances with other members’ was #1 in 2015 but is now ranked #5. ‘ Represent member interests in the media’ has climbed from #12 in 2012 to #9 in 2017. This may continue to grow in importance as we continue to witness the de-engineering of local government.
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I’d like to welcome two new members to the IPWEAQ team: Belinda Smith, Director, Marketing & Communications and Paula Paul, Director Events & Marketing. These are essentially two new roles with a marketing focus to respond to our changing needs and strategic direction for the next three years. Carlie Sargent takes on a role with our water directorate as Project Coordinator – Skills (replacing Michelle Hill) and we wish her well. Finally, thank you to our branch committee members who took two days out of their busy lives to travel to Brisbane for the strategic planning day. There was a high level of positivity, sharing of thoughts and ideas, and clear vision for the future. There are exciting times ahead for IPWEAQ and we look forward to having you with us for this journey. Leigh Cunningham Chief Executive Officer
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PRESIDENT’S CHARITY
MS QUEENSLAND Cairns MS Swimathon – Friday 20 April 2018 The Cairns MS swimathon coincides with our NQ Branch Conference which takes place 19-20 April. This is a fantastic fundraising event where teams of at least 6 people are sponsored by friends, family and work colleagues to swim in a 12 hour relay, raising vital funds for Queenslanders living with multiple sclerosis (MS). You don’t need to be a ‘competitive’ swimmer to participate – people of all abilities can join in and take part. You can swim any style or distance that suits you; whether it be 1 or 100 laps in freestyle, breaststroke, sidestroke, or doggy paddle – it is all about participation and raising funds to help beat MS! Please lend your support to this amazing cause. Register via MSSwimathon.com.au
The Essential First Step.
Take the guesswork out of locating underground assets. Lodge a Dial Before You Dig enquiry. Engage a Certified Locator.
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meet the team - ENGINEERING LEIGH CUNNINGHAM Chief Executive Officer Leigh.Cunningham@ipweaq.com
ROSS GUPPY Director, Technical Products Ross.Guppy@ipweaq.com
CRAIG MOSS Director, Professional and Career Development Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com
PAULA PAUL Director, Events & Marketing Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com
Paula has taken over events management from Amanda (who has taken a year sabbatical) and adds ‘marketing’ to the mix. Paula recently returned to Australia after 12 years in Singapore where she worked most recently as the Brand, Marketing and Communications Manager for EY (Ernst & Young) Advisory Asia Pacific. She has organised global and exclusive events for EY including the British and Irish Lions rugby team tour of Asia Pacific. She will be the first contact for our Partners and will manage our successful excellence awards program. In addition to conferences, Paula will oversee a range of other special events.
JOHANNA VANLING OFFICE MANAGER Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com
MARK LAMONT Information Resource Manager Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com
JEANETTE SAEZ Accounts Manager Jeanette.Saez@ipweaq.com
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BELINDA SMITH Director, Marketing & Communications Belinda.Smith@ipweaq.com
Belinda joins us in this new role. She is an experienced multidisciplinary marketing professional with diverse industry experience and capabilities. She has developed and delivered an impressive array of marketing and communications strategies in transformational environments. She is well positioned to see our sector from different viewpoints to identify opportunities and issues and respond with marketing and communications solutions. Belinda is a passionate marketer and keen to work with all our stakeholders to create a positive experience for all.
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meet the team - WATER DAVID CAMERON CEO dcameron@qldwater.com.au
CARLIE SARGENT Project Coordinator – Skills Carlie.Sargent@qldwater.com
ROB FEARON Director, Innovation Partnerships rfearon@qldwater.com.au
Carlie has moved out of engineering and into water to take on the role vacated by Michelle Hill effective 22 February 2018. As the Project Coordinator – Skills, Carlie is responsible for coordinating workforce development and training programs for the urban water industry including project management of the Queensland Water Skills Partnership.
DAVID SCHELTINGA Manager, SWIM dscheltinga@qldwater.com.au
DESIRÉ GRALTON Manager, Communications dgralton@qldwater.com.au
HEATHER GOLD Project Assistant hgold@qldwater.com.au
qldwater is a business unit of IPWEQ
RYAN COSGROVE Project Coordinator and Researcher rcosgrove@qldwater.com.au
Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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GLITTER STRIP TO RACING STRIP – TRANSFORMING ROADS FOR SUPERCAR RACING
FEATURE ARTICLE
With more than 30 kilometres of golden beaches, the City of Gold Coast is renowned for sun, surf and sand. Each year, the city’s population of half a million people welcomes around 12 million visitors looking for thrills, adventure and relaxation. Tourism is an integral part of the local economy, and the local council actively maintains public facilities to support major events like the Supercars motorsport festival and enhance the visitor experience. Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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A key component of the City of Gold Coast asset maintenance includes maintenance and improvement of the Surfers Paradise street circuit that hosts the Supercar motorsport spectacular every October. This event, billed as the largest fourday street party in Queensland, attracts over 200,000 spectators and generates millions of dollars in revenue for local businesses. Concerns over pavement failures at other motorsport tracks led City of Gold Coast engineers to the Fulton Hogan R&D department where a collaborative approach to innovation has produced a new asphalt surfacing system,
MotoPhalt™, capable of sustaining the extreme forces generated in this extreme sport. CHALLENGES According to Fulton Hogan’s Pavement Manager (Northern Region), Dr Laszlo Petho, different pavement types are subject to different stresses. “The surfacing requirements of low volume rural roads are different to major arterial motorways clocking over 140,000 vehicle movements per day”, said Dr Petho. “Similarly, pavements servicing ports, airports and motorsports perform under conditions quite unlike city roads taking locals on their daily commute.”
While ports and airports have their own issues around point loads and pavement deformation, motorsport and the pressures of racing Supercars present a different challenge. Consider these numbers: Mass of a Supercar race car with driver
1500 kilograms
Torque generated by its five litre V8 engine
700 Newton-metres
Power produced at 7500rpm
635+ brake horsepower
Width of the t tyres
450 millimetres
External tyre temperatures at pavement level
100+ degrees
Top speed
298 kilometres per hour
Around the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit
15 turns
Length of Gold Coast motorsport track pavement
2.98 kilometres
Incorporated into the Main BeachSurfers Paradise track
2 chicanes
Laps completed over four days, across all races
12,000
With figures like these, and pavement failures experienced at other Supercar events, it is easy to see why the Council design engineers and race officials
take asphalt surfacing of the track so seriously. And, being a street circuit requiring minimal disruption, the roads around the Main Beach and Surfers Paradise
circuit must still carry commuter traffic 361 days of the year. INVESTIGATIONS The Gold Coast Street Circuit operates as a racetrack for only 4 days per year. It is incorporated into the city’s road network and the streets around Surfers Paradise and Main Beach must perform for commuter traffic for the rest of the year. Dr Petho says that asphalt surfacing must be durable enough to satisfy both demands while maintaining performance through its full service life. “In 2014, a number of sections of the V8 Supercar street circuit in Surfers Paradise exhibited distress in the form of raveling under high-shear racing conditions” said Dr Petho. “The City of Gold Coast embarked on a research and development project to assess performance and detailed improvements of the asphalt surfacing with a view to minimising ongoing maintenance costs.” “The asphalt mix for race conditions should be durable and stable while withstanding extreme horizontal shear forces. This can be achieved by tightly controlled in-situ air voids and relatively high bitumen content”, Dr Petho explains. “The bitumen selection was based on the benchmarking of rheological properties of different bitumen types by means of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). The complex modulus and the phase angle of the different binders as they related to race car loading frequency and pavement temperature were considered as key input parameters.” Information provided on motorsport pavement design correlated strongly with mixes already developed by Fulton
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Hogan and used in Port and Airport environments. A modified 14mm dense-grade mix was tested against alternative industry designs, with the Fulton Hogan MotoPhalt™ bitumen binder formulation, MotoBind™, proving superior to the leading industry standard.
MotoPhalt™ as the right choice for the Surfers Paradise street circuit. OUTCOMES Maintaining the street circuit pavement surface with conventional council specification and TMR specifications were used to benchmark against wholeof-life-costs. The selection of MotoPhalt™ provides superior performance under pressure and long term reliability. Improvements to the Surfers Paradise street circuit leave a legacy for competitors, fans and for commuters who now ride on a performance surface designed to last longer and cost less to maintain.
The mix design was fined tuned by Kevin Embleton and Chris Lange at Fulton Hogan in collaboration with engineers from the City of Gold Coast. In-situ testing and feedback was provided by motorsport champion Paul Morris at his Norwell Motorplex performance driving centre. Feedback from V8 Supercar drivers that drove the test mix at Norwell confirmed
MotoPhalt™ is an innovative high performance system designed to enhance pavement lifecycles, increase time between maintenance activities and reduce consumption of virgin materials. Further laboratory testing has led to the development and application of a mix using a nominal 10mm aggregate size mix. Sections of the track laid with 10mm MotoPhalt™ prior to the 2017 Supercars event have already displayed superior performance. Overall, use of MotoPhalt™ on the Surfers Paradise street circuit will minimise rework on the track and adjoining road network, allowing the City of Gold Coast to focus their resources on other areas.
Specialist pavement testing and evaluation
ROADS
AIRPORTS
PORTS
Pavement Performance Monitoring Pavement Design Construction Quality Assurance Testing Dilapidation Studies Road/Network Asset Management Road Failure Investigation & Expert Witness Testimony
Perth: 08 9240 8585
Sydney: 02 9674 9488 www.pavement.com.au
Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
QLD: 07 5357 9841
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QLD RECONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY
INDUSTRY UPDATE
We are very pleased to have presentations at our SWQ Branch conference in Goondiwindi, 15-16 March and at our NQ Branch conference in Cairns, 18-20 April 2018 from Brendan Moon, Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Agency (QRA) and Jimmy Scott, Chief Operating Officer, QRA. Brendan and Jimmy will present on recent changes to the federal government’s guidelines and the best methodology outcomes achievable. About the QRA Between November 2010 and April 2011, Queensland was struck by a series of natural disasters. Extensive flooding caused by periods of extremely heavy rainfall, destruction caused by a number of storm cells including Cyclones
Tasha, Anthony and Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasi, and subsequent monsoonal flooding resulted in all of Queensland being declared as disaster affected. In response to the disaster events, the Queensland Government established the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) under the Queensland Reconstruction Act 2011. The QRA's role was later expanded to include the administration of prior and subsequent events and it was made a permanent part of the Queensland Government in June 2015. The QRA's vision is to build a more disaster-resilient Queensland. It manages and coordinates the government’s program of infrastructure reconstruction within disaster-affected communities and
Brendan Moon
aims to deliver value for money and best practice expenditure and acquittal of public reconstruction funds. The QRA is also the lead agency responsible for disaster recovery, resilience and mitigation policy.
Commonwealth reform of the NDRRA is informed by draft documentation received from and engagement with Emergency Management Australia, and may be subject to change.
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A SNAPSHOT OF THE STATISTICS: WOMEN IN ENGINEERING Female graduates are scarce in many STEM disciplines % of domestic completing graduates who were female (2015)
16% FEMALE
OF UNIVERSITY AND VET STEM GRADUATES ARE
Fewer female STEM graduates earn in the top income bracket
■ Bachelor ■ Postgraduate ENGINEERING 14%
32% male
21%
12% Female
88% Male
Of those qualified, women are less likely to work in engineering roles^
64%
of male engineers are employed in engineering roles^
51%
of female engineers are employed in engineering roles^
29%
9%
University qualified
VET qualified
12% female
Graduates earning in the top income bracket ($104 000 or above)
The gender pay gap1 Females make up fewer than one third of total STEM academic and research staff
16%
National gender pay gap (all workers)
22%
Professionals in engineering design & consultancy services
0.5%
Engineering graduates
14%
Professionals in manufacturing
Only 17% of STEM professors are female, even though around 40% of junior STEM academics are female
23%
Professionals in construction
Female academics at:
1. Workplace Gender Equality Agency: The gender pay gap is the difference between women’s and men’s average weekly full-time equivalent earnings, expressed as a percentage of men’s earnings.
■ Junior levels ENGINEERING 9%
22%
Sourced from: *WOMEN IN STEM: A story of attrition. Australian Government, Office of the Chief Scientist. DATASHEET 2: NOVEMBER 2016 ^Engineering Australia. A profession for all: It’s time for gender diversity targets
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■ Senior levels
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CONTRIBUTING TO IMPROVING THE LIVES OF QUEENSLANDERS
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FEATURE
Julie Mitchell, Chief Engineer, Department of Transport and Main Roads I was delighted to be given the opportunity to write about my experience in engineering as part of the International Women’s Day feature. As Chief Engineer for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, I have had the chance to lead a large group of exceptional male and female engineers, contributing to improving the lives of Queenslanders striving for value for money, reduced environmental impacts and better, more resilient infrastructure. We are the largest employer of engineers in Queensland. However, just like other STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) fields, engineering is still incredibly underrepresented by women.
Gender parity is close to or has been reached in other professions, such as law and medicine, but the situation in engineering is notably different.
So why is it that only a handful of our engineers are women? One of the core issues is the perception that engineering careers are for men, not women.
The statistics are cause for action. In 2016, just 12.4 per cent of the Australian engineering workforce were women1. In 2011, the number was 11.8 per cent, which means there was only a minor increase in those five years2.
Whether overt or subconscious, these stereotypes are influencing the younger generations of girls in a belief that they should not embark in these fields of study.
Here at Transport and Main Roads, I am glad we are at least slightly ahead of the industry average, with 16 per cent of our engineers being women. But this figure is still disappointing. The proportion of the Registered Professional Engineers Queensland (RPEQ) that is women (6.7 per cent) is almost half of the proportion of women engineers. By comparison, nearly 50 per cent of Queensland registered lawyers are women.
The other issue is the experience women have while seeking employment, applying for jobs, and in the early years of their career - it is enough to deter them from staying employed in engineering positions. They have issues with inclusiveness, career opportunities and sometimes find the workplace is a bit of a boys’ club. This is something all employers of engineers need to address. Within the department, we are doing all we can to encourage young females to embark on engineering pathways, while at the same time, supporting our current
1 Engineers Australia, ‘The Engineering Profession, A Statistical Overview’, 13th ed, Institution of Engineers Australia, 2017, p. 27. 2 Engineers Australia, ‘The Engineering Profession, A Statistical Overview’, p. 32.
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female engineers to flourish in their careers. Part of this commitment is the Women in Engineering program, which I am proud to champion. I have been involved in many of the activities and events in the program, which includes the following key areas: Early awareness: This is about ensuring female primary and high school students are aware of opportunities to engage with STEM through relevant school activities, competitions, community events, forums/ conferences and children’s literature. For example, last year I presented at the official launch of a children’s book, Engilina’s Trains by Andrew King, which tells the story of a female engineer Engilina the panda. This was a great opportunity to connect with children and their parents, and talk about how important engineering has been in my life. We also sponsor a range of projects and competitions like the Spaghetti Bridge Building Competition, which has attracted 45 schools and more than 700 students in South East Queensland since 2012. Continued engagement: In 2011, 18.6 per cent of boys studied STEM subjects in their
final year of school, compared with 13.8 per cent of girls3. As part of this focus area, Transport and Main Roads aims to encourage more female high school students to consider and commit to tertiary engineering studies through the provision of career information sheets, attendance at careers fairs and STEM partnership with QUT. We also support university students, with $2000 bursaries for eight female tertiary engineering students in Queensland. These types of commitments are important as they show young women that careers in engineering are not only feasible, but supported by large government departments. Professional support and development: This area aims to retain and promote advancement of current female engineers. We celebrate the achievements of female engineering staff through career profiling activities and networking events. In 2016, we created a ‘Women in Engineering and Technology’ internal Yammer group which now has more than 200 members, and is a place for women and men to share news and support one another. Transport and Main Roads has committed to ensuring language
in position descriptions is gender neutral, competent women are given opportunities for interviews, and flexible work practices are available and successful for our staff. Technical and leadership development is also available and encouraged. The department has an incredible group of talented female engineers. So why does gender diversity matter? Diversity is not a matter of equality but an economic necessity for Australia’s future. Aside from what some may see as an ethical responsibility to ensure that women have the same opportunities as men, research has shown there is a strong correlation between diversity and financial growth4. For example, in a 2017 study undertaken by McKinsey, companies in the top quartile for gender diversity in their executive teams were 21 per cent more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the fourth quartile5. Diversity of any kind is known to increase the ability of an organisation to be innovative, solve problems and to think more broadly, and women bring different backgrounds, perspectives and attitudes.
3 M . Hackling, K. Murcia, J. West and K. Anderson, ‘Optimising STEM Education in WA Schools, Part 2: Full Research Report’, Edith Cowan Institute for Education Research, 2014, p. 22. https://www.ecu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/627133/Optimising-STEM-education-in-WA-FullResearch-Report.pdf (accessed 2 February 2018). 4 V . Hunt, D. Layton, S. Prince, ‘Diversity Matters’, McKinsey & Company, p. 9. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20 functions/organization/our%20insights/why%20diversity%20matters/diversity%20matters.ashx, (accessed 2 February 2018). 5 V. Hunt, D. Layton, S. Prince, ‘Diversity Matters’, p. 8
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There are other flow-on effects, such as broadening talent pools, which will help meet the forecast increasing demand in the field of STEM. Additionally, companies that genuinely strive to achieve gender diversity improve their public image by exhibiting social responsibility6. This in turn positively impacts the image of engineering and makes these employers more attractive to high-performing and diverse talent. Engineering is at the break point. Its image needs to change. The growing demand for STEM graduates, combined with static levels of growth and the increase of interesting career alternatives, will gradually result in a critical shortage of engineers.
At a grass-roots level, we are seeing social media campaigns like #ilooklikeanEngineer emerge, which was started by a female engineer in response to negative comments she received after being featured in a recruitment campaign8. Gender diversity in engineering is not going to happen easily. While no organisation can solve the issue on its own, we can all play a part. Organisations must accept there is an issue, and take responsibility for supporting potential and existing female engineers. In addition to this, we need to keep encouraging the young women around us to explore options and not be constrained by their perceptions.
I continue to advocate the benefits of a significant image change for engineering as a career and for gender diversity in the workplace, by championing important initiatives, such as Women in Engineering program, which aims to attract, retain and support female engineers.
References Australian Government, ‘Opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and maths’ National Innovation and Science Agenda, [website], 2018, https://www.innovation.gov. au/page/opportunities-womenstem, (accessed 2 February 2018).
It is comforting to see the Australian Government continuing to support this cause, by making a $13 million investment over five years to encourage women to embark on STEM-related careers, research and startups7.
Bates, L. ‘#ILookLikeAnEngineer – how one woman turned the tables on sexism in her industry, The Guardian, 14 August 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/ lifeandstyle/commentisfree/2015/ aug/13/ilooklikeanengineer-howone-woman-turned-the-tables-on-
sexism-in-her-industry (accessed 22 January 2018). Department of Transport and Main Roads, ‘Women in Engineering #ilooklikeanengineer #likeagirl’, TMR Blog, [web blog], 8 March 2016, http://blog.tmr.qld.gov. au/blog/2016/03/08/women-inengineering/ (accessed 24 January 2018). Engineers Australia, The Engineering Profession, A Statistical Overview, Institution of Engineers Australia, 13th ed, 2017. Hackling, M Murcia, K West, J and Anderson, K ‘Optimising STEM Education in WA Schools, Part 2: Full Research Report’, Edith Cowan Institute for Education Research, 2014, https://www.ecu.edu.au/__ data/assets/pdf_file/0004/627133/ Optimising-STEM-educationin-WA-Full-Research-Report.pdf (accessed 2 February 2018). Hunt, V Layton, D Prince, S, ‘Diversity Matters’, McKinsey & Company, https://www. mckinsey.com/~/media/ mckinsey/business%20functions/ organization/our%20insights/ why%20diversity%20matters/ diversity%20matters.ashx, (accessed 2 February 2018).
6 V. Hunt, D. Layton, S. Prince, ‘Diversity Matters’, p. 8 7 A ustralian Government, ‘Opportunities for women in science, technology, engineering and maths’, National Innovation and Science Agenda [website], 2018, https://www.innovation.gov.au/page/opportunities-women-stem, (accessed 2 February 2018). 8 L aura Bates, ‘#ILookLikeAnEngineer – how one woman turned the tables on sexism in her industry, The Guardian, 14 August 2015, https://www. theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/commentisfree/2015/aug/13/ilooklikeanengineer-how-one-woman-turned-the-tables-on-sexism-in-her-industry (accessed 22 January 2018).
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#pressforprogress for rural women in engineering
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FEATURE
Madeline Price, One Woman Project
that led to further study in these areas.
Growing up in rural Queensland, I was often confronted with gender roles and stereotypes that I thought were unique to my community – a remaining attitude prevalent in small, country towns that are a little bit set in their ways.
When I was in primary and high school, I did not know of a single engineer – let alone a woman in engineering – who I could point to and say, ‘That might be a career path that I am interested in pursuing’. These women, if they existed at all, were invisible to me growing up in rural Queensland.
In my later years, I learned that these attitudes and stereotypes were part of a wider societal problem but in my younger years, I grew increasingly frustrated. Frustrated that in primary school I was told by a teacher that Manual Arts was a ‘boy’s subject’ and I would be much more comfortable within Home Economics. Frustrated that in high school there was, instead of personal choice, the push of the young boys towards science and the push of young girls towards Humanities. And frustrated that the lack of visibility of women in these industries – in science, mathematics, technology, computer science and engineering – led to a harder fight in justifying our inclusion in the school subjects
Many young girls and women in rural regions still live through the same experiences I did ie restricted options in career choice due to entrenched gender roles and stereotypes, a lack of visibility of women in the industry to inspire and a push within communities and educational institutions to study and eventually work along strict gender lines. Research shows that these problems of entrenched gender stereotypes start within the schoolyard. According to the Australian Mathematical Science Institute, only 6.7 per cent of Year 12 girls across Australia took an Advanced Mathematics class in 2013, compared to 12.7 per cent of boys.
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And this has contributed to a massive problem within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). According to the Australian Government, only one in four Information Technology graduates are women and only one in ten engineering graduates are women. Women occupy fewer than one in five senior researcher positions in Australian institute, and women are around one quarter of the entire STEM workforce. Without progress, this is a problem only set to get worse. In 2018, the theme for International Women’s Day is Press for Progress – the idea that, while the conversations around issues of inequality may have started, there needs to be a joint effort from women and men across industry to achieve the equality we are all striving towards. And that includes equality for rural women and their engagement with STEM. If we want to encourage more young rural women and girls to pursue engineering and other pathways within STEM, there are
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two key areas we need to double our efforts on.
Secondly, the visibility of women in engineering, particularly within rural areas, needs to be increased. No young woman should be allowed to finish high school in Queensland (a state with high employment opportunities within the diverse field of engineering) without having seen or met a woman in engineering. The visibility of women in the field – the telling of their stories, the celebration of their achievements, and the connection of them with other young women starting their own career progression, needs to be prioritised in order to see progress within the wider industry of STEM.
Firstly, we need to battle the gender roles and stereotypes that still impact the career selection processes of young people in primary and high school. We need to educate, not only the students selecting their areas of study that lead to their future careers but their supervisors, teachers, the administration, their families and communities. Regardless of how progressive these students are, if these attitudes and beliefs about what roles and jobs women and men should have still exist within their institutions and communities, little progress will be made.
2018 is the year to press for progress. And it is my hope, that in a few years from now, we will see the young rural women of tomorrow knocking down the few remaining barriers to equality in engineering. Madeline Price is the National Director of the One Woman Project, a youth-led, non-forprofit organisation dedicated to education about and advocacy promoting global gender equality. Find out more at www.onewomanproject.org
‘BPEQ’s Back in the Workforce bursary helped me with the costs of attending OzWater17. By attending the conference, I am better placed to offer my clients insights to new and emerging technologies.’ Christie Cole Back in the Workforce bursary recipient
t 07 3210 3100
e admin@bpeq.qld.gov.au
To apply to the Back in the Workforce bursary visit www.bpeq.qld.gov.au
Level 15 53 Albert Street BRISBANE 4000
PO Box 15213, CITY EAST QLD 4002
www.bpeq.qld.gov.au
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WHY ENGINEERING SCHOOLS GLOBALLY NEED MORE WOMEN
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FEATURE
Ishwar K. Puri, Dean of Engineering, McMaster University Engineers are good at solving problems. We make bridges safer, computers faster and engines more efficient. Today, the profession is working on an especially thorny problem: gender equity in higher education. While other fields of study continue to make significant advances towards gender equity, engineering schools are still struggling to pull their numbers of women students past the 20 per cent threshold. This week, McMaster University is hosting a conference for more than 150 deans of engineering from schools around the world. One of the major issues we’re discussing at this Global Engineering Deans Council Conference is the gender imbalance that remains a challenge across the field. We are making progress, but we need a breakthrough. Cultivating interest in children
Our increasingly automated, mechanized world requires more engineers than ever, and demand for them is expected to grow. And the largest pool of under-utilized talent is right here: the women who would make great engineers, but choose other careers. Why don’t they choose engineering? Some turn away as early as Grade 6. Research shows that this is the point when many girls simply turn off math and science, even though they have performed as well as their male classmates until that point. We must reach kids before this juncture to show them how useful engineering is to everyday life. We need to show them how easy and interesting it is to write computer code and build apps, to help them use technology to build things and solve problems. Some say women are just not interested in engineering. Once, they said women were not capable of succeeding in engineering. Clearly that was untrue, and so now we are trying to correct the idea that they are not interested in engineering simply because they are women.
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A profession of ambiguity and creativity Could it be the way engineering has portrayed itself? For too long, engineering has presented itself as a field that recruits top brains from the abstract realms of mathematics and science and shapes them into problem-solvers. Engineering might seem more attractive to everyone, women and men, if instead it presented itself as a profession of creative, helpful problem-solvers who use math and science as some of their tools. Engineers don’t solve only cutand-dried problems. They also solve ambiguous problems, where there is no single solution. Five groups of engineers who tackle the same problem can come up with five different applicable solutions. Hence, it is crucial that we project the ambiguity of engineering problems and that their solutions demand creativity. Doing so will transmit a more compelling message to women and men alike. Replacing an antiquated culture We must also critically examine the culture of engineering. I have learned through numerous
33
conversations with women that the male-centric culture of engineering often puts them off. On average, they also earn less than their male colleagues do.
recruitment, 40 per cent of our assistant professors of engineering are now women. As they advance, our senior ranks will move closer to a true balance.
Despite sincere efforts, a stubborn nub of resistance remains in the broader engineering culture that is antithetical to women’s point of view. It is certainly not universal, but in the corners where it prevails, it is tiresome and antiquated. This old culture is even apparent in the structure of the engineering building where I work. It was designed in the 1950s and bathroom spaces for men outnumber those for women four to one. Does that send a message that old ways are changing?
At McMaster we are also working to remove the barrier that biology unfairly places in the career paths of women faculty members, by making sure they are not indirectly penalized for taking parental and other life-event leaves. We are ensuring there are resources available so their research continues in their absence, so they do not fall behind because they are having children, and so they can step directly back into their teaching and research careers after their parental leaves.
Women who might think about engineering look at faculty leaders and still see mainly grey-haired men. We are working on that. At McMaster, as a result of deliberate
Harnessing diverse viewpoints This is not only about fairness, though. Engineering needs women for another simpler, larger reason: Because solving problems needs
creativity. And creativity demands a diversity of viewpoints. Without input from women, engineers would have access to only half the total pool of creativity, constraining their ability to solve problems and limiting the applicability of the solutions they do reach. Only when the body of engineers truly reflects the society it serves — in terms of age, ethnicity, religion, physical ability, sexuality and gender — can it most effectively serve the needs of that society. Only then will it understand all the communities it is serving, harness the widest variety of viewpoints and generate prosperity for all. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read original article.
Do women make better engineers than men? Revisit the Great Debate from the IPWEAQ 2016 Annual Conference. Listen to the podcast and decide for yourself if you agree with the live poll which decided in the affirmative women make better engineers than men.
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Woman in Engineering award winners 2012-2017
2017 | Glenda Kirk
2016 | Angela Fry
2015 | Ellie Johnson
2012 | Seren McKenzie
2011 | Nicole Bichel
2010 | Nadia Ives
Nominate a colleague you admire and respect for the 2018 Woman in Engineering Excellence Awards. Nominations open 21 April 2018. For more information, please contact Paula Paul, Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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#dreambigengineering
IPWEAQ is proud to once again be associated with the Dream Big Project, an initiative of IPWEAQ's YIPWEAQ Chair and Ambassador, Jessica Kahl. Dream Big offers female students in Years 10 to 12 an opportunity to develop their understanding of what it is to be an engineer and the rewarding job prospects on offer. Activities are based on current engineering units and are aimed at developing skills in leadership and teamwork and to identify innovative capabilities. At last year's events held in Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Mackay, students had an opportunity to design and build a Pasco trebuchet, engineer a structure in the Marshmallow Challenge, program Lego robots in RobotC software, participate in a future city build design jam and be empowered by presentations from accomplished engineers. Registrations are now open for the following events: Monday 19 March
Rockhampton North Campus
Monday 30 April
Gladstone Marina Campus
Monday 28 May
Bundaberg Campus
Monday 25 June
Mackay Campus
Download the registration form from our website at http://www.ipweaq.com/dream-big-project
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GLOBAL DAY OF THE ENGINEER, 4 APRIL 2018
ENGINEERING THE FUTURE More broadly, the event is designed to put a face to the people – engineers – who are instrumental in designing innovative, ground-breaking solutions to so many of the world’s most pressing issues.
Global Day of the Engineer is a time when the engineering community around the world comes together in celebration, recognising the achievements of engineering professionals and the impact they have on our communities and way of life, and inspiring the next generation of up-and-coming engineers.
Win
an re’ ‘Engineering the Futu merchandise pack!
You can get involved by gathering your employees and colleagues for a morning tea, sharing a story on social media of what or who inspires you as an engineer, or nominating a colleague for the IPWEAQ 2018 Engineer of the Year Award or Young Engineer of Year Award. And don’t forget to enter the IPWEAQ ‘Engineering the Future’ competition!
Reasons to love engineering 1. Leave a legacy 2. Create sustainable communities 3. Love your work 4. Work with amazing people 5. Solve problems in clever ways 6. Communities thrive because of you 7. You'll never be bored 8. A lifelong profession beyond retirement 9. Your skills are transferable and relevant 10. From inspiration and imagination to implementation (Phil McKone) Or you can add another to our growing list on the IPWEAQ website.
Go in the draw to win an awesome IPWEAQ ‘Engineering the Future’ merchandise pack. The pack includes a fun range of merchandise including T-shirt, cap, coffee mug, stationery, memory stick and more!
Let the world know you’re proud to work in engineering – to enter simply follow IPWEAQ on LinkedIn and tag yourself in the comments section of the Competition notice on the IPWEAQ LinkedIn page. The winners will be announced on LinkedIn on the Global Day of the Engineer, 4 April 2018. Full Terms & Conditions are available on the IPWEAQ website. Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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PUBLICATIONS
www.ipweaq.com/technical Standard Drawings Standard Drawings for General, Drainage and Water Quality, Parks, Roads, Homeowner.
Lower Order Road Design Guide
Queensland Urban Drainage Manual For engineers and stormwater designers in the planning, design and management of urban stormwater drainage systems.
This guide offers a riskbased approach to lower road capital improvement.
Complete Streets
Supervisor’s Handbook
Guidelines for Urban Street Design
For supervisors and staff working on local government projects in the field.
Purchase and download IPWEAQ Publications at http://www.ipweaq.com/ technical
iNTELLIGENT MACHINE CONTROL
KOMATSU i-EXCAVATOR & i-DOZERS
PEOPLE POWERED TECHNOLOGY
1300 566 287 | komatsu.com.au | /KomatsuAustralia/
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2018 President’s Breakfast The annual President’s Breakfast offers an opportunity to thank those who have supported IPWEAQ throughout the year and contributed to our successes including our valued Partners, sponsors and councils. I was very pleased to welcome representatives from Lockyer Valley Regional Council to this year’s Breakfast including our mayor, Tanya Milligan, CEO, Ian Church and Myles Fairbairn, Executive Manager, Infrastructure Works & Services. Thank you all very much for your support for me as President of IPWEAQ. We were delighted to welcome special guests including: Carol Taylor, Deputy Mayor and Chair of Infrastructure Committee, Toowoomba Regional Council Silvio Trinca, Director, Road & Water Infrastructure, Logan City Council Jan Xanthopoulo from QTC – Local Government Infrastructure Services Simone Talbot, Manager Advocacy, Infrastructure, Economics & Regional Development, LGAQ IPWEAQ Past Presidents: Ged Brennan, Joe Bannan and Michael Kahler And representatives from the Sunshine Coast Council, Somerset Regional Council, Redland City Council, Brisbane City Council, Cairns Regional Council, Gladstone
Regional Council, Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Mareeba Shire Council and Moreton Bay Regional Council. Partners in attendance • Komatsu • Abergeldie Complex Infrastructures • Dial Before You Dig • EJ Australia • Fulton Hogan • Holcim Australia • ITS Pipetech • Lion Systems • Local Buy • McBerns Innovative Solutions • McCullough Robertson Lawyers • Pavement Management Services • Polynex • Premise – our 2017 and 2018 gala awards sponsor • Saferoads • Stabilised Pavements of Australia • Vinidex • Wagners As most of you know, each IPWEAQ President nominates a charity to support during our term and I’ve chosen MS Queensland. Multiple sclerosis is a condition affecting the central nervous system which interferes with nerve impulses in the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. Three times as many women have MS than men and there is currently no known cure. We were thrilled to have
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IPWEAQ President, Seren McKenzie and Mike Brady.
Natalie Walsh, the Community Engagement Manager from MS Queensland talk to us about her journey with MS and what MS Queensland does to help those suffering with MS. At last year’s President’s Breakfast, we enjoyed a presentation from the 2015 Engineer of the Year, Andrew Ryan and to establish a new IPWEA Queensland tradition, we were very pleased to have Mike Brady, General Manager, Infrastructure Services at Toowoomba Regional Council and our 2017 Engineer of the Year deliver a keynote presentation on the changes he has seen in our sector over the past 30+ years. His presentation, Rich Traditions, Bold Ambitions is available in our Knowledge Centre in Other Events & Special Occasions. Dr Rob Fearon, our Director for Innovation Partnerships at qldwater
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presented the results of research undertaken by qldwater on the state of our in-ground assets and the pending infrastructure cliff. Modelling degradation using three independent modelling approaches indicates there would be a small increase in failures to 2020 and a rapid acceleration to 2040. Thanks to those who attended this year’s Breakfast and to those who purchased MS Queensland pins and merchandise. The raffle was won by Murray Erbs, IPWEA NAMS Chair. I look forward to your assistance over the next two years as we raise much-need funds for MS Queensland. And I hope to see you at next year’s Breakfast. Seren McKenzie President
Natalie Walsh, MS Qld, Seren McKenzie, Lockyer Regional Council and IPWEAQ President, and Clancy Feuerriegel, MS Qld.
Mike Brady, Toowoomba Regional Council and IPWEAQ Engineer of the Year 2017
Dr Rob Fearon, qldwater.
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NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE CAIRNS | 18 - 20 APRIL 2018 TOGETHER TOWARDS TOMORROW
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Welcome to New Members
•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Joshua Affleck Roger Andrade Benjamin Ash Shaun Bahr Andrew Boardman Shaun Booth Hayden Brigg Duncan Brown Sophia Buchanan Rhonda Bulmer Michael Burling Leigh Carnall Joan Crawford Andrew Cresswell Jacqui Cresswell Scott Clements Aaron Cole Yolandi Cooper
•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Joan Crawford Nathan Dunning Shane Elson Bernie-anne Freeman Arkadius Feininger Jarrad Fels Mitchell Gassman Peter Greenhalgh Jason Grining Con de Groot Thulo Ram Gurung John Harrison Court Hart Atem Jok Richard Jones Nathan Kamalan Georgia Keeshan Craig Keft
•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Dale Kleimeyer Stephen Ladds Peter Lembo Brett Langtree Phil Lattimore Jamie Lee Matt Lennon Chris Mantell James Marshall Michael Matthews Darren Moore David Mullarkey Mariejo Nacario Dean Ostrofski Hayley Ovenden Nikita Pirini Mal Pringle Mike Prior
•• Mark Reed •• Hamid Reza Safi •• Chamindri Samarakoon •• Michael Seaton •• David Sechtig •• Om Prakash Singh •• Nic Smith •• James Stockwell •• Stephen Strachan •• Agnieszka Szewczak •• Daniel Torbey •• Karl Umlauff •• Daryl Walker •• Ross Wegner •• Samuel Weinholz •• Michael Wenzel •• Joe Ybarzabal
Membership is open to anyone actively engaged in the delivery of public works and services in Queensland. Join now www.ipweaq.com/membership
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Welcome to IPWEAQ Partner, 12d Solutions! With 12d Model's powerful design capabilities, difficult surveying and civil design tasks can be easily visualised and completed. It includes a powerful programming language which allows users to build their own options from the extensive 12d Model programming library for application to a variety of projects including: Road and Highways Ports and Dredging Land Development Airport Infrastructure Rail Mining Infrastructure Drainage, Sewer and Utilities Surveying Oil and Gas Construction Rivers, Dams and Hydrology Environmental IPWEAQ has proudly partnered with 12d Solutions since the inception of ADAC.XML with 12d’s commitment to integrate the ADAC process into the full cycle from design to construction, construction to ‘as built’ and for reuse in future projects. Using 12d Model’s parametric objects and hierarchical attributes, ADAC data is fully incorporated inside 12d Model so there is no data loss. The 12d Model ADAC Editors and Validators are driven directly by the IPWEAQ ADAC XSD’s which minimises any implementation errors and allows for quick upgrading to any future ADAC schemas. 12d-ADAC is integrated in the appropriate 12d Model modules and is included free of charge for all customers on annual maintenance. The Benefits of 12d-ADAC include data fidelity - the ADAC Schema is completely reflected inside 12d Model’s parametric objects and hierarchical attributes so that there is no ADAC data loss. Welcome Dr Lee Gregory and his team at 12d Solutions!
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Welcome to our newest IPWEAQ Partner, Orion Solar! Orion Solar was formed in 2004 to supply a range of solar powered LED lighting solutions for commercial applications throughout Australia. To launch the company Orion teamed up with Carmanah Technologies of Canada, pioneers in the manufacture of lighting solutions for the tough, mission-critical applications of the aviation and marine industries.
Orion Solar was formed in 2004 to supply a range of solar powered LED lighting solutions for commercial applications throughout Australia. To launch the company Orion teamed up with Carmanah Technologies of Canada, pioneers in the manufacture of lighting solutions for the tough, mission-critical applications of the aviation and marine industries. Orion’s focus is on commercial grade, off-grid lighting systems. Wherever hard wired power is unavailable or difficult to access, Orion can supply a competitive solution with successes in the mining industry for remote work, local government for public area lighting, main roads for country highways and rest areas and recreational marine areas such as wharves and jetties. Orion Solar also represents Sabik from Finland and Sol from Florida. They distribute solar bollards and architectural lighting from First Light Technologies and have a number of products developed and manufactured locally. Orion is based on the Gold Coast supporting customers throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and other regions. Welcome Orion Solar!
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Honorary members Honorary members have given outstanding service to the public works sector and/or particular assistance to the Institute. An Honorary Member may be elected for a specific period of time during which the recipient holds a particular position
William Lansbury Acting Deputy Director-General (Infrastructure Management & Delivery) | Executive Directorate Office of the Deputy DirectorGeneral Department of Transport and Main Roads As Acting Deputy Director-General (Infrastructure Management and Delivery Division), Bill oversees the delivery of the integrated program of infrastructure projects and the maintenance and operation of the state-controlled road network. This includes delivery of Transport and Main Roads’ (TMR) record $21 billion program of works over the next four years.
Dennis Walsh General Manager Land Transport Safety | Customer Services, Safety & Regulation Department of Transport and Main Roads Dennis is the General Manager of Land Transport Safety and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of a range of services providing safety and resilience of the Queensland Transport system in road and rail operations. This includes program management of $0.5B Infrastructure Program, management of the policy agenda and delivery of the community engagement and communication program.
Julie Mitchell Chief Engineer Department of Transport and Main Roads Since July 2010, Julie has held the position of Chief Engineer for Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads. Through this role she leads the Engineering and Technology Branch within the Department, providing state-wide leadership in technical governance, establishing core technical capability and expertise within the department, and delivering expert technical services for highly complex projects.
Ken Gillard Queensland Division President Engineers Australia Ken has over 35 years’ experience in the design, management and governance of major road and rail infrastructure projects for various government and private sector agencies. He has also had significant involvement in major commercial developments in both private and public sectors.
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Gil Holmes IPWEAQ President (1984-1986) Ian Read Service Manager Business Information Systems Redland City Council
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Partner Benefits ANNUAL CONFERENCE
One booth and priority allocation of location including two full registrations (value $4,000) Chair a session in a stream (value $1,000)
BRANCH CONFERENCES/EVENTS
Opportunity to exhibit at up to four regional events (either IPWEAQ branch conferences, professional development courses or workshops) including two full registrations per event.
plus Opportunity to host a Tech Tour for the SEQ Technical Series - due to limited opportunities, this is exclusive to IPWEAQ Partners
Discounted rates to purchase IPWEAQ technical products including Standard Drawings, Complete Streets, QUDM etc.
Two delegate registrations to the IPWEAQ annual conference including access to the conference proceeding (podcasts) (value up to $3,600)
Your employees may attend IPWEAQ events at member rates including the IPWEAQ annual conference and branch conferences.
Two delegate registrations for each branch conference per financial year (value up to $2,800)
Your logo is displayed in the front pages of every issue of Engineering for Public Works.
A branded community in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre 'Technical Products & Services' where you can add videos, product guides, media releases, photos and other promotional materials.
Your logo on our website linked to your website.
10% discount on all sponsorship opportunities at the IPWEAQ annual conference and branch conferences and other IPWEAQ events including the roads symposia, Australian Engineering Week, Global Day of the Engineer etc.
Your logo on our conference websites and our conference App linked to your website. Our IPWEAQ Partner logo for use on your website, marketing collateral etc. We invite you to share your content on our social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
*Due to the size of some regional venues, it may not be possible to accommodate a trade display for all Partners at each event. If we are unable to provide a trade display for you at a branch conference, we will ensure you have a presence at the conference eg as sponsor of a paper or session. Priority will be given to Principal Partners then Partners before non-Partner exhibitors.
Upgrade to Principal Partner for greater exposure... A double booth and priority position at our annual conference and a guaranteed trade display at branch conferences. Branding/sponsorship of an excellence award including your logo on the trophy and presentation of the award on stage. Chair a stream or plenary session at the IPWEAQ annual conference. Table for 10 people at our annual excellence awards gala dinner Branding of the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre with banner. One-half page advertorial in any issue of Engineering for Public Works. Your logo in a prominent position on our website linked to your website
$12,500 (plus GST)
Value $22,000
Partner | $7,700 (plus GST) | Value $12,000 Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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Bring on the BIF – overhauling Queensland’s building and construction laws
LEGAL ARTICLE
Matt Bradbury, Partner, McCullough Robertson Lawyers Just prior to the 2017 Queensland State Election, the Palaszczuk Government passed legislation to overhaul the laws that govern the Queensland building and construction industry. All participants in the Queensland construction industry need to understand how the new laws will affect their organisation. The Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) (the BIF Act) received royal assent on 10 November 2017. While certain provisions of the BIF Act are already in force, the key features of the BIF Act are yet to be proclaimed. Once proclaimed, the BIF Act will apply to all construction contracts entered into before or after its proclamation. The BIF Act significantly reforms existing construction and licensing legislation in Queensland. It repeals both the Building and Construction Industry Payments Act 2004 (Qld) (BCIPA) and the Subcontractors’ Charges Act 1974 (Qld) (replacing it with a similar scheme), and amends the Queensland Building and
Construction Commission Act 1991 (Qld) (the QBCC Act). The BIF Act also introduces Project Bank Accounts (PBAs) in a limited fashion, with scope for broader application in the future. Regulations outlining the full impact of the BIF Act have not yet been released by the Queensland Government. Why? The building and construction industry is the third largest employer in Queensland, employing around 220,000 Queenslanders and contributing approximately $44 billion to the State economy in 2015-16. Following a series of high profile collapses within the industry, the Queensland Government committed to reviewing the issue of security of payment for subcontractors.
modernise and simplify the provisions for making a subcontractor’s charge; increase ease of access to security of payment legislation; and expand the ability of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) to provide regulatory oversight to the building and construction industry in Queensland.
By initiating these reforms, the Queensland Government has aimed to:
Security of Payment Since its implementation in 2004, BCIPA has influenced the way in which payment disputes are conducted in the Queensland construction industry. The BIF Act repeals BCIPA and includes a new security of payment regime in its place. In particular, the BIF Act has overhauled the procedure for making payment claims, responding to payment claims, and the recovery of amounts claimed.
improve security of payment for subcontractors in the building and construction industry by providing for effective, efficient, and fair processes for securing payment, including the establishment of a framework to establish Project Bank Accounts;
PBAs A PBA is a bank account in which funds are held on trust for contractors and first-tier subcontractors under a building contract. PBAs are intended to provide greater security in events such as insolvency, where money
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within the PBA is effectively quarantined for subcontractors who are beneficiaries to the trust. A head contractor establishes a PBA by opening three trust accounts no later than 20 business days after the head contractor enters into the first subcontract for the building contract (though a building contract or subcontract may prescribe a different period for the establishment of the PBA). The three accounts must be set up by the head contractor, and only the head contractor and first-tier subcontractors can be beneficiaries of the funds. Retention monies, progress payments and disputed funds are to be paid into the PBA, and then from the PBA to subcontractors and the head contractor. Harsh penalties (including imprisonment) may be imposed on head contractors for failing to correctly establish and administer PBAs. PBAs will be implemented in two phases. Phase 1, commencing on 1 March 2018, will apply to State government building and construction projects between $1-10 million, excluding engineering projects. Local
Register for our new Buddy Program!
Government Authorities and private developments will not be required to have PBAs on their projects during Phase 1, though Local Government Authorities may choose to opt in to the PBA regime. Phase 2 will implement PBAs in all building and construction projects valued over $1 million. Changes to the QBCC Act To prevent ‘phoenix’ activity of building contractors, changes have been made to the provisions in the QBCC Act dealing with excluded individuals. The definition of an ‘influential person’ in the QBCC Act has been expanded to capture a broader range of individuals who exercise a degree of control over a licensed building company, including: people who directly or indirectly own, hold or control 50% or more of the shares in the company; and people who give instructions to officers of the company which are generally acted on. The Act also creates harsher penalties (including imprisonment) for unlicensed building work.
Related changes The Building and Construction Legislation (Non-conforming Building Products – Chain of Responsibility and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2017 (Qld) entered into force on 1 November 2017 and imposes onerous obligations on supply chain participants to ensure that nonconforming products are not used. For those involved in the supply chain of building products, see our detailed insight into the effects of the legislation published on 31 August 2017. What next? As at 22 February 2018, the BIF Act had not been proclaimed by the Queensland Government. Once proclaimed, the BIF Act will apply to all construction contracts entered into before or after its proclamation. We recommend keeping an eye out for our articles and upcoming industry briefings and workshops, where we will discuss the effect of the new regulatory landscape on the Queensland building and construction industry. Co-authors: Michael Rochester, Partner, Ren Niemann, Partner – McCullough Robertson Lawyers.
Attention Members and Fellows attending the IPWEAQ annual conference on the Gold Coast, 10-12 October 2018 - would you be interested in being a 'buddy' to accompany a YIPWEAQ member for the duration of the conference? We invite you to introduce your YIPWEAQ buddy to your colleagues, and assist them with choosing sessions to attend based on their career aspirations. Register online using the form on the YIPWEAQ page on our website.
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Mayoral Message for #IPWEAQ18
MAYORAL MESSAGE
TOM TATE MAYOR CITY OF GOLD COAST This year is momentous for City of Gold Coast. Hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Games is a coming-of-age for us as we stage what I am certain will be the best Games ever. As the largest event staged in Australia for a decade, the Games will test our infrastructure as never before but given we welcome 13 million visitors a year, we are confident we can manage very well. Traffic will be the greatest challenge but every practicable alleviating measure has been considered and numerous strategic and operational initiatives will be in place to assist during the competition period. Gold Coast is the first regional city in Australia to host a Commonwealth Games and the city is destined to benefit from growth and maturity. An additional 100,000 people, 6,600 athletes and 15,000 volunteers will visit and the spectacle will provide a viewing delight to a TV audience of 1.5 billion. As intended, the $2 billion investment in new infrastructure to
facilitate the Games has triggered a capital inflow in development estimated at $17 billion. This remarkable vote of confidence is delivering a make-over of Gold Coast’s face to the world. Our skyline will be dramatically enhanced over the next few years as no less than six projects each worth over $1 billion are underway or about to commence. Not all major projects are reaching for the sky, however. We are working with the Queensland Government on producing a Master Plan for the Spit at Southport. I am proposing the transformative creation of a New York-style Central Park to cultivate a green oasis stimulated by the use of previously abandoned waste water that will be treated to an appropriate level of purity. The park will provide an enticing landing stage for the offshore Cruise Ship Terminal I am committed to achieving for the City. This initiative forms a central item of consideration for the master planning process now underway. Indicative of the developments stimulated by the tourism growth here is an onsite hotel planned for the Gold Coast Airport precinct. The Preliminary Draft Major
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Development Plan has just been released and public consultation is about to begin. The project features a proposed $50 million Rydges-branded hotel, with up to 200 rooms, meeting/ conference facilities, a roof-top bar, resort-style swimming pool and a restaurant. Work is hoped to commence before the end of this year. Gold Coast Airport COO, Marion Charlton, says the iconic development will enhance the appeal of the airport as a destination providing improved convenience and amenity for passengers and visitors to the region. The attraction of the airport as a development site has been enhanced by the emphatic community desire to have the light rail network eventually extended to the terminal and Coolangatta just beyond. The first two stages of the network from Broadbeach to Helensvale (and the heavy rail connection to Brisbane from there) have proved an exceptional success. Planning for Stage 3A southwards to Burleigh is well advanced. The light rail is a beacon for public transport advocates with its significant contribution to reducing traffic congestion. Public
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transport use has increased 25% since commencement of the light rail network in 2014. This year we are delivering more than $100 million worth of transport upgrades to accommodate capacity during the Games and for future growth. This includes over $23 million worth of shared path upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists creating links to key city areas and Games venues. We are also working to ease congestion by investing in specialised technology that will improve the coordination of traffic signals on main arteries of our road network. Not all of our infrastructure enhancement is land-based. Major coastal protection works including the biggest offshore dredging program the city has ever seen will ensure our iconic beaches are in the best possible condition. A 111-metre specialist dredge from Denmark recently spent 16 weeks working along the coastline to increase the volume of sand on the beaches, improving their resilience to coastal erosion and storm
damage. While this will ensure our 57km of beaches are in pristine condition for the Games, the investment should deliver longterm erosion protection nurturing one of our greatest assets. As a city committed to innovation, we are also exploring novel options to support sustainability. An example is a trial of recycled rubber – known as crumbed rubber – as an asphalt test pilot. The process involves a Brisbane company that transforms old tyres into small balls of rubber so they can be melted down and mixed with bitumen. The 600 metre trial section will be monitored for emissions and structural integrity for an extended period. In addition to major infrastructure upgrades the City is also delivering thousands of smaller projects. Crews have been working on every aspect of the city. From resurfacing roads that will be used for the cycling race to fast-tracking our disability access upgrades ensuring public transport is accessible for everyone.
There will be plenty of technical tour options on offer for delegates at #IPWEAQ18. Since being awarded the Games, I have worked hard to ensure there is no hangover once the show leaves town. Our economy is now worth over $26 billion a year and our development pipeline will ensure solid buoyancy for the next decade. We are determined to be way ahead both before and after the Games. I do encourage you to come and see why Gold Coast is attracting global attention as a destination. It’s not by chance and our success is underpinned by the professionalism and competence of IPWEA Queensland members. As a qualified civil engineer myself, I know better than most what makes you tick and I am sure you will enjoy yourself here. We have so much to offer and I would love to make you welcome. I hope to see you at the 2018 IPWEAQ conference at the Mariott, Surfers Paradise, 10-12 October 2018. We hope it will also be your best conference ever.
SAVE THE DATE!
ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Marriott, Surfers Paradise 10-12 October 2018
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF GOLD COAST
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IPWEAQ Working Groups Update
TECHNICAL PRODUCTS
Ross Guppy Director, Technical Products
become a set and the fencing drawings would be located in a new set titled “Fences, Barriers and Public Furniture”.
Standard Drawings The standards drawings group last met on the 13th December 2017 with our next meeting scheduled for 1st March. At the last meeting the group considered the priorities for 2018 and reviewed a number of drawing updates.
A new set titled “Indices” is being considered and if agreed would contain a list of all of the indices from the various sets.
The group discussed the use of deflection bars, on bicycle paths and it was noted that many councils are moving away from these. The city of the Gold Coast has successfully used 300mm diameter bollards 1.8m high on Hope Island Road refer. The group will examine alternatives being used with a view to expanding the options available. There was significant discussion on the categories of drawings and it was noted that the current Parks set consisted of drawings relating to cyclists. It was agreed that a new group titled “Pedestrian and Cyclist Facilities” would be created and all existing Parks drawings would be moved to this set. In regards to the set titled “General” it was agreed that they should be relocated. The Landscaping drawings would
The group was advised that BCC had released an update of their drawings on 1st December. Further discussion followed on activities for 2018, including increasing the number of standard drawings, and consideration of the inclusion of design drawing notes, which would provide context around the evolution and history of each drawing. Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM) The “Background Notes” document has now been finalised and is available with any purchase of QUDM. The aims of the Background Notes are: to assist in the appropriate application of QUDM’s various design-rules and recommendations to increase the likelihood of fit- for-purpose design outcomes
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to provide, where available, the background reasoning or ‘intent’ associated with the various rules, equations and recommendations in order to allow designers and regulators to better understand those circumstances when a design rule should be treated as essential, and those circumstances when a design rule could be treated with a greater degree of flexibility t o help minimise the occurrence of technical disputes between stormwater designers and regulators, and when such disputes do occur, to assist in the resolution of these disputes in a manner that is consistent with the original intent of the rule or recommendation to help minimise unnecessary expenditure on satisfying design rules that are not applicable in certain circumstances to provide an alternative location for the educational component that previously existed within certain sections of QUDM (prior to 2016); allowing the main QUDM document to focus on its core objective of defining best practice urban drainage planning and design to assist future editors of QUDM
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to understand the reasoning and science behind the amendments made to QUDM since 1992
The updated schema has been passed on to all Tool Vendors and SAFE International for inclusion in FME Professional.
to provide a forum for the stormwater industry and regulators to provide input and lessons into QUDM without unnecessarily increasing the size and complexity of the main QUDM document
The ADAC Strategic Reference Group (SRG) last met on the 14th November 2017 with our first Technical Reference Group meeting scheduled for 20th February. The group discussed a number of items including; New Zealand Trial, Austroads Standard, BIM, Priorities for the Technical Reference Group, etc.
to facilitate future additions and other changes to background notes thereby minimising the need for a formal review of the primary document In essence, these Background Notes represent a compilation of information that may be considered essential for the appropriate application of the Manual in specific circumstances that may arise from time to time. This means that designers should consider the content of the Background Notes as being of equal value to that provided within the main document. It should be remembered that QUDM is designed to be used in partnership with other design manuals on topics such as floodplain management, total water cycle management, water sensitive urban design, and natural channel design and needs to be applied appropriately to local conditions. It should however be noted that QUDM is not intended to be a floodplain management manual. ADAC Following on from a successful launch of ADAC 5.0 at the State conference held in Townsville, we have made a few minor amendments and they have been incorporated in ADAC 5.01.
Outcomes included the agreement that all future versions of ADAC would be upward compatible from the existing version to the new schema i.e. no changing the geometry of existing assets, but rather add a new Asset with different geometry. A number of priority work areas for 2018 were also agreed and included: a review of content on the ADAC web pages, R eview Open Space Schema, including Buildings R eview and expand Communications C onduits P its C abinets Develop an Electrical Asset Class Develop additional Green Infrastructure F auna fence T ree root protection The group continues to interact positively with the Austroads project for the creation of a Data Standard for Road Management and Investment.
Computer Aid Design (CAD) Standards Working Group This group last met on 1st February and is making significant progress in the development of a Public Works CAD standard. We are looking to make the use of CAD as efficient as possible and to have a system that is uniform across councils. So drawings produced from each technician all look the same with uniform layering and styles etc. As design models and drawings are also prepared by external consultants there will also be advantages when working across local government boundaries etc. The group along with 12D have developed an IPWEA draft and have been trialling it over the last few months. The meeting focussed on feedback from the trials of the files produced by 12D and will be making some additional changes for further trialling. We hope to be in a position to finalise the standard later this year with our next meeting scheduled for 10th May. We will also be working with the Survey Group to ensure the work is aligned with their requirements. Survey Standards working Group The Survey Standards working group plans to hold its next meeting on 14th March. We are currently working to agree on a code and model naming convention first, line styles and symbology second, then the attributed information to follow. This really requires only code, model, point or line, colour, symbols and line styles as a general standard. The intention of the standard is not to water down existing
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methodologies, but to provide a common convention for all to adopt. Existing map files and code libraries utilised by the individual councils can still be adopted as long as the naming convention is adhered to. This will allow any council to supplement an fxl file, Leica code list or 12d field library to accommodate their own requirements while still adhering to the standard, without forcing those that do not require it to adopt more than what they need. This also allows platform suppliers like 12D, Stringer and TBC to
name a few, to load a naming convention standard out of the box. Separate map files and codes for ADAC may also be required as authorities don’t all have the same requirements for collection of as constructed information and this would need to be generated by each authority. A standard set of codes for underground utility locations in accordance with the AS-5488 standard has also been included. The additional underground service codes will enable those
unable to attribute field data into their CAD package and still follow the same naming convention with each utility quality label being in its own model / layer. For more information about IPWEAQ’s working groups, visit our website (http:// www.ipweaq.com/workinggroups) or contact Ross Guppy on 3632 6804 or Ross. Guppy@ipweaq.com.
Direct Debit for IPWEAQ Membership Renewals Take the hassle out of annual renewals by signing up to IPWEAQ’s direct debit arrangements
D on’t miss out on valuable membership services and benefits Reduce time and effort keeping track of your annual subscription Receipts will be automatically emailed to you M embers who sign up in March for their renewals to be paid by direct debit will receive a 20% discount on the 2017-18 subscription
Subscriptions paid via direct debit receive a 10% discount annually
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Emeritus members This award is the highest that can be bestowed on any member. An Emeritus member has served Queensland communities for at least twenty years and made a major contribution to the Institute for a minimum of ten years. Their service and contributions are outstanding in character and recognised by the membership and community generally.
Ged Brennan IPWEAQ President (2013-2015)
Patrick Murphy IPWEAQ President (2007-2009)
Dawson Wilkie IPWEAQ President (2005-2007
John Hawkes IPWEAQ President (2001-2003)
Kev Bickhoff IPWEAQ President (1999-2001)
Peter Way IPWEAQ President (1993-1995)
Derek Stringfellow IPWEAQ President (1982-1984) Captain Thomas James Abbiss IPWEAQ President (Inaugural, 1972-1974)
Raymond Moore IPWEAQ President (1974-1976) Walter Trestrail IPWEA NSW President
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Perspective: QUDM and the lawful point of discharge
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
Martin Altron, Manager of Policy, Urban Development Institute of Australia (Queensland)
a community expectation that the Council will be responsible for all neighbourhood disputes about stormwater drainage.’
The December IPWEAQ Engineering for Public Works journal (EPW) ‘New lawful point of discharge test in QUDM 2016. Do you need it?’ by Sarah Hausler and Tony Loveday provided excellent information on the state of play regarding the lawful point of discharge (LPOD) issue. The challenges associated with this issue are difficult to navigate for both local government and the development industry.
My experience of the development industry as Manager of Policy with the Urban Development Institute of Australia Queensland (UDIA Queensland) includes a great deal of concern raised by members regarding the difficulties of developing many sites that require agreement to a LPOD by a downstream neighbour/s.
The article described that applying a rigid “every development requires a LPOD" by Council can result in: ‘The quarantining of otherwise developable land results in: increased urban sprawl: inefficient use of the land bank: refusal of otherwise acceptable or desirable development. There are already some Council areas where development of land that slopes to an adjoining property has been made effectively impossible by rigid LPOD requirements that do not reflect the law. Application of a rigid approach is also likely to be associated with
As you will know, the South East Queensland region is expected to be home to 5.3 million people by 2041, an addition of nearly 1.9 million people. In Queensland, we are to expect reach 7.3 million, which is an increase of 2.4 million people. Ensuring that new residents can be accommodated with a compact, diverse supply of affordable and appropriate housing will be a significant challenge. That is why improved solutions to issues such as LPOD and infrastructure connection are critical. The smallest infill townhouse proposals can often be affected as well as larger developments. In practice many sites are avoided if LPOD is not clear or large sums are required by neighbours to obtain agreement to LPOD. Similarly, a project may be significantly delayed if the
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downstream neighbour refuses to assist. At present developers practically have no alternatives without the cooperation of neighbours. I understand applying to the Supreme Court would be necessary and costly to seek some redress but with almost nil chance of success. A similar situation applies in endeavouring to obtain sewer connection through neighbouring land. The situation for larger scale housing supply development in growth areas is often stymied, or much less efficient sewer design is the outcome, if access across neighbouring land is not provided. I understand water agencies may have less power to facilitate this infrastructure than in the past, and councils are very reluctant to use their substantial powers of land resumption. The situation regarding easements and development is also becoming more difficult with a recent court decision requiring all easement right holders to consent to any development on land. I acknowledge and support the changes made to the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM) that are closer to the underlying relevant nuisance prevention law. This is an improvement over the words that may have been leading to the rigid approach referred to
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above and preventing innovative engineering solutions to address the issue. I think however the improvements to QUDM cannot address the fundamental infrastructure access and need difficulty. In some respects, the present situation may become more difficult as council staff require the greater exercise of skill to condition proposals. What we need is a better way to provide for small and large scale LPOD and other urban infrastructure or at least another way. The UDIA Queensland has asked the State Government to investigate potential legislative change to facilitate a fair access regime to obtain infrastructure on adjoining property, and clarify that appropriate rights and circumstances are available to
authorities to develop easements and infrastructure as needed. We would seek a process that allows for developers/neighbours to fairly pursue LPOD, and then only being provided with appropriate compensation and in practical circumstances. Legislation in other places, such as New South Wales (NSW) may provide a model to assist in Queensland. The NSW Access to Neighbouring Land Act 2000 legislation provides for equitable private access, subject to fair rules. We don’t think we have yet thought of a complete solution but I raise it in this forum so that IPWEAQ members may put forward ideas and develop the conversation. You may have a solution that could work.
The Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM) is an engineering guideline that addresses the technical, legal, regulatory and environmental aspects of effective drainage systems. It provides details of appropriate design methods and computational procedures, and covers both hydrologic and hydraulic procedures. Prices (plus GST)
Member (single-user)
200
Non-member (single-user)
500
Institutions/corporates/councils (multi-user)
700
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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.
PLANNING & DESIGN MANUAL FOR SMART STREETS The most comprehensive contemporary manual for the planning and design of smart streets in Australia
Purpose: (1) Provide planning and design practitioners (urban planners, civil engineers and civil design technicians) with contemporary guidelines for use in the planning and design of streets and street networks within various landuse precinct types ie a code of practice. (2) Formatted as a development code or planning scheme policy, capable of being adopted in local government planning schemes and other planning frameworks.
The manual will provide contemporary good practice guidelines and codes of practice for the planning and design of streets and street networks for the following precinct types: 1. Transit-oriented Activity Centres 2. N on-transit-oriented Commercial Centres (such as District Centres) 3. Main Streets 4. Multi-use Precincts 5. Business Parks 6. Industrial Precincts 7. Rural Villages 8. L ower-density Residential Neighbourhoods 9. Rural Residential Neighbourhoods 10. L ower-density Private Residential Developments (where the internal roads are common property).
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Separate planning principles and objectives will be defined for each of the precinct types. Some will be common across most or all precincts and some will be specific for a precinct type. Each precinct type will contain tables of assessment, being the performance outcomes and associated acceptable solutions for the planning of the street network within the precinct and the functional layout (including typical cross section) of individual streets within the precinct.
57 For individual streets, the performance outcomes and acceptable solutions will be based on the roles and functions appropriate for that street. For each street function and each street element, design principles and objectives will be defined. Street functions may include:
P edestrian traffic, including people with a disability
N on-motorised vehicular traffic (bicycles and scooters)
Mobility scooters and segways
S treet dining
M icro-climate mitigation measures
C ommunity interaction
S treetscape treatment
S eating
T rees
E xercise activities
O ther planting
S treet entertainment
H ard landscaping
P lay
S treet art
O verland stormwater conveyance
S ignage; and
(the major drainage system)
S tormwater capture and conveyance (the minor drainage system)
Motorised vehicular traffic
S tormwater quality treatment
Public transport
S treet Planning and
Vehicular parking
Design Manual 6
Vehicular loading spaces
L ighting
Refuse Collection
U tility services (each type to be
Commercial interaction P edestrian access to premises V ehicular access to premises
considered separately)
A wnings/protection for pedestrians from the elements
P ublic transport shelters
O ther street furniture
(serving the above functions)
The appendices will provide additional commentary and explanatory material for practitioners. As far as practical, the manual will be evidence-based and supported by sound scientific principles. The basis for adoption of standards and guidelines in the manual will be included in the commentary. For inquiries, please contact Ross Guppy 07 3632 6804 Ross.Guppy@ipweaq.com
Two storey apartments with basement parking provided as part of an integrated development, Bulimba
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Native Title Compensation – Important Developments on the Road Ahead
LEGAL FOCUS
Oliver Gilkerson Legal Practice Director, Gilkerson Legal All the signs point to 2018 being another year of important developments for the emerging issue of native title compensation. The everincreasing numbers of successful native title claims and new case law about quantifying compensation, mean growing implications for native title holders, government and land and sea users. Native title compensation itself is not new. In his second reading speech on the enactment of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), then Prime Minister Paul Keating said: “In the interests of fairness for existing (tenure) grant holders, where compensation is owed to native title holders for validation of past grants, it will be government, not the grant holder, who pays. We recognise that the Commonwealth should make a proper contribution towards compensation costs. We will have further discussions with the States and Territories willing to join with us in this national approach, as well as on cost sharing for the legal and administrative regime.”
The Native Title Act went on to legally establish native title holders’ entitlement to compensation where native title had been affected by past acts involving either extinguishment or other affects on native title. For compensable acts involving past tenure grants and public works construction, claims for compensation can reach back to the commencement of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) on 31 October 1975. For locations where the native title claim process determines native title still to exist, anything after the Native Title Act commenced on 1 January 1994 that extinguishes or is inconsistent with the enjoyment or exercise of native title can be a compensable “future act”. Many local governments and other project proponents are already familiar with native title compensation as their future acts are often made valid, despite affecting native title, under Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUA). In those cases, the ILUA itself must provide for the compensation and it is usually paid by the person benefiting from the compensable act. A similar outcome applies to future acts involving a compulsory
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acquisition of native title. The proponent themselves pays the compensation. That can also be the case where the person, whether government or non-government, who does a future act fails to ensure that it is properly covered by an ILUA, compulsory acquisition or other statutory validation measure. These are called “invalid future acts”. For past acts and types of valid future acts not covered by ILUAs or compulsory acquisitions, the liability for compensation rests with Commonwealth, States or Territories. However, keep a future eye on the power under the Native Title Act for them to make laws that “provide that a person other than the Crown… is liable to pay the compensation”; the so-called “flow-through” provisions. For all these reasons, legal developments about how to calculate the monetary amount of compensation are not just relevant to native title holders and government. The resolution of the methodology for quantifying compensation will likely lead to native title compensation becoming a much more prominent subject.
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The main case is Griffiths v Northern Territory of Australia (No.3); more commonly known as the “Timber Creek” case.
compensable act occurred decades ago, the interest amount can end up exceeding the economic loss amount.
In August 2016, Justice Mansfield handed down his now wellknown decision. It found that that monetary compensation for compensable acts for one or more parcels of land involves the aggregate of three component amounts – an economic loss amount, interest on the economic loss and a non-economic loss amount.
The Full Federal Court also upheld Justice Mansfield's decision about non-economic loss. This amount is for particular impacts on spiritual attachment and things like impacts on cultural sites, amongst other things. The assessment of $1.3 million across all parcels of land was upheld.
The economic loss amount is based on the full freehold value of the land at the time the compensable act was done. Valuation evidence based on comparable sales of similar parcels of land determines freehold value. Valuations of that kind can be made even where the compensable act occurred decades ago. The economic loss amount is determined as a percentage of the full freehold value depending on whether the native title involves “exclusive possession" and whether the compensable act fully extinguished native title or not. In his decision, Justice Mansfield assessed the economic loss on the facts of that case at 80% of the freehold value. This percentage was the only significant change the Full Federal Court made in an appeal decision in July 2017. The 80% was varied to 65%. The Full Federal Court upheld the interest calculation in the particular circumstances of the case. The calculation involved a pre-judgement interest rate of 4% above the RBA cash rate of from time to time. Where the
Expect further important developments on the road to resolving the unfinished business of compensation in 2018. A High Court appeal in Timber Creek will likely be resolved with an application for leave to make that appeal set for hearing in February. In the meantime the setting of principles for quantifying compensation have already resulted in compensation applications being lodged with the Court in Queensland and other jurisdictions.
collaboration between native title holders and government about cost-effective settlements that could provide inter-generational benefits for native title holders. In his Native Title Act second reading speech, now a quarter century old, Prime Minister Keating said: "Importantly, the bill makes provision that compensation may be non-monetary, for example, the granting to native title holders of alternative land. It permits such issues to be raised in compensation negotiations…” In 2018, innovative approaches to settlement of that kind have the potential to make a big contribution to a lasting native title legacy of practical outcomes and enduring Indigenous economic development opportunities. Find out more about IPWEAQ’s new Native Title and Cultural Heritage Compliance System portal on page 67 of this issue.
On 20 December 2017, the Court in South Australia determined a compensation application on the basis of a confidential settlement reached between the Tjayuwara Unmuru native title holders and the South Australian government. Many compensation discussions now underway for ILUAs and compulsory acquisitions are based on the new methodology. Many local governments and other land use proponents also see value in developing in-house systems to help ensure their activities do not get caught out as invalid future acts, hence risking them being directly liable for compensation. Thought is also turning to the opportunity for innovation and Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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qldwater ceo’s report Infrastructure cliff for local government in-ground assets: fact or fiction? Rob Fearon, qldwater’s Director Innovation Partnerships delivered a presentation on this topic at IPWEAQ’s President’s Breakfast which has stimulated a lot of broader interest around the challenges facing future water and sewerage service provision. The presentation follows the publication of our first research report focussing on in-ground network assets with work undertaken by Rob and Ryan Cosgrove, with the expert advice of some sage industry asset managers and consultants. There are many reasons for this initial focus and at the risk of grossly over-simplifying: Economic failure has been the major driver of water reform internationally Infrastructure/capital underinvestment is the most common root cause for economic failure Pipe networks make up the largest capital value of any asset category for most water and sewerage service providers Pipe networks are hidden, inconspicuous and easy to forget. With the help of LGAQ, the research was able to gather data representing 71% of the state’s total water mains length and 67% of the total sewer mains
length to be fed into a range of failure models in order to test the “infrastructure cliff” theory – that there will be a point in time in Queensland’s future when an inattention to renewal activities will lead to significant infrastructure and economic failure. Key findings include: A high risk associated with certain pipe materials, especially Asbestos Cement with a small increase in failures from 2020 and rapid acceleration to the 2040’s. This is particularly significant when AC mains make up around 28% of the state’s networks, and carry additional challenges with renewal and disposal. Renewal is not occurring at a sufficient rate to deal with the “cliff.” The most optimistic current renewal rate estimate for Australia is 0.3%, which will mean the existing AC pipe will take greater than 170 years to be replaced. There is no magic formula to deal with renewal planning and there are countless other factors which influence degradation. I recently heard of examples including excavation of a completely depreciated cast iron pipe which was “in as good nick as the day it was installed” to an AC example with a 53 year remaining useful life where “you could poke your finger through the wall.”
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Attitudes towards potential solutions also differ widely with schools of thought ranging from a need to do more very soon to those believing that leaps and bounds advances in things like relining will lead to a technological solution. Many of the engineers in attendance commented that the research really just confirms what they have known anecdotally for ages. Therein lies the point, we see some basic, contemporary research which validates these assumptions as a crucial first step towards raising the awareness of regulators, policy makers and decision makers across all levels of government. Stage 2 will start to look at validating costs and different options, but the real challenges won’t necessarily be in finding the best value for money options to deal with the problem – they will be conveying the key messages to decision makers, politicians and communities. Water and sewerage assets have remained hidden for so long that it is hard to draw appropriate attention to emerging costs, but our communities cannot afford another SEQ water reform process or an infrastructure crisis that causes inefficient overreaction to problems that should have been addressed years earlier. Dave Cameron qldwater - The Queensland Water Directorate www.qldwater.com.au
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THE SILVER LINING IS IN THE SEWERS
WATER FOCUS
A joint regional program approach to sewer rehabilitation developed as part of the Queensland Water Regional Alliance Program (QWRAP) has resulted in significantly reduced cost, an improved understanding of network needs and better management of sewerage systems in the Wide Bay Burnett Region. The Wide Bay Burnett Regional Organisation of Councils (WBBROC) Joint Sewer Rehabilitation Program, jointly funded by the councils and QWRAP, allowed participating Councils to develop a shared procurement methodology for sewer relining services. According to Cameron Ansell, Infrastructure Delivery Project Engineer at Fraser Coast Regional Council, the program was undertaken in response to a need for ensuring sustainable and affordable management of sewerage systems across the region. “Parts of water and sewerage infrastructure installed in the 60’s and 70’s all across Australia are reaching the end of their useful life simultaneously. This ‘infrastructure cliff’ along with the difficulty many utilities face in funding rehabilitation and replacement of
buried assets means that more efficient and effective mechanisms must be found for extending their lives,” Mr Ansell said. The objectives of the program were to collaborate on a regional level to achieve an effective and efficient renewal program for the region’s sewer relining needs. The aims were to achieve: c ost efficiencies, m inimal environmental impact, h igh quality health and safety outcomes, s ustainable, long-term solutions to capital replacement, m inimal disruption to customers, and to b uild joint regional procurement and partnership processes. The $6 million program achieved 10% savings to participating councils with an additional $2.4 million saving to one council that opted to use relining technology instead of replacing sewerage assets. About the region The WBBROC includes Bundaberg, North Burnett, Fraser Coast, South Burnett and Gympie Regional Councils as well as Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council. It spans an area of 48,000 km2 with 40 communities, including some of Queensland’s oldest towns where
sewerage assets date back to the 1940s. The diversity among the participating councils meant each organisation had specific policies and plans regarding appropriate technologies, contract management, contractor oversight and works sign-off. The applicability and costs of different techniques can vary dramatically depending on location, topography and density and urbanisation of the community. While individual council procurement can allow fitfor-purpose solutions for diverse relining needs, the complexity can also increase prices and reduce the available pool of contractors. The joint procurement process provided benefits from economies of scale but more importantly from an increased focus on contract management, procurement practices and market sounding. Mr Ansell believed that the development of a large scale joint procurement process for sewer relining delivered a more efficient approach to extending the life of critical network infrastructure, demonstrating that regional collaboration on such issues can be valuable for Queensland service providers. “More broadly, the program
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Photo series: BRC component of the WBBROC – Sewer Relining.
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demonstrates the desire for the modern Australian water industry to seek the most efficient and fit-for-purpose mechanisms to provide optimal levels of service for their customers.” Innovation in Collaboration Mr Jeffrey Rohdmann, Chair of the Wide Bay Burnett Water Alliance Technical Group, said that while sewer relining to extend the working life of buried assets was common in the water and sewerage sector, this program represented the first time that multiple Queensland councils had worked together to jointly undertake relining to provide financial and operational benefits. Mr Rohdmann believes that the innovation arising from the collaborative nature of the program would not have been possible without the strong leadership shown by the political and technical groups overseeing the WBBROC Alliance and the support of QWRAP. “Significant effort was contributed by Wide Bay Water to develop agreements that provided strong contractual arrangements for effective sewer relining that also met the requirements of each of the participating councils,” Mr Rohdmann said. “Each of the councils demonstrated a high level of mature leadership in maintaining the program and allowing the flexibility and in-kind support required to develop a collaboration of this type and extent.” Mr Rohdmann said the group was already in the planning phase for procurement of the next multi-year contract and will be
utilising lessons learnt with the first contract to further enhance the effectiveness of the upcoming WBBROC sewer relining program. Transferring Knowledge The approach is already being transferred and scoped within other QWRAP regions in Queensland, with take up in other regions relying on mature partnerships among regional councils and the specific needs of the communities they manage. The clear benefits demonstrated by the WBBROC Alliance program will no doubt assist in hastening the development of these arrangements through the QWRAP. QWRAP Program Manager, Dr Rob Fearon, said that while the specific contractual arrangements developed by the region are subject to some commercial-inconfidence constraints, the general principles will be shared with other regions. “The program standardised contractual arrangement for sewer relining and established an ongoing market which will hopefully lead to improved partnerships with contractors. It clearly demonstrated the strength of regional approaches and the benefits that can be gained through critical mass and scale efficiencies without compromising the diverse needs of the region’s communities.” Multiple Benefits In addition to shared knowledge, the program benefited the region in a number of other ways. The highly useful tender and contractual documents have already been used for further joint procurement projects. It also raised awareness of sustainable principles, including:
E ffective use of funding R educed deployment costs of machinery R ecycling and reuse of assets R educed environmental impact B uilding local capacity and skills and W ater and energy efficient outcomes. From a regulatory perspective, the program delivered multiple environmental benefits including: r educed waste through reuse/ rehabilitation. e nvironmental and health protection by mitigating leaks, breaks and chokes l ess environmental impact because of less invasive methods r educed resource use in comparison to sewer replacement r educed infiltration resulting in treatment efficiencies and reduction in overflows in the networks. While the above benefits are common to all relining programs they have been promoted and extended in the current project across the WBBROC region as well as to other parts on the Queensland. The program won the 2017 IPWEAQ Excellence Award for water projects over $5 million, recognising the significant efforts of the collaborating councils and specific leadership of Fraser Coast Regional Council. *QWRAP is a collaborative LGAQ program managed by qldwater and funded by the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
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EMERGING LEADER series
aaron meehan
EMERGING LEADER PROFILE
Tell us about yourself, your interests and what makes you tick! where do I start? Most people probably see me as a relaxed guy who just talks way too much! My colleagues would say that I’m a pretty serious person when it comes to work and can push hard, I love stretch goals. My interests in local government engineering have changed a lot over the past years and are shifting away from traditional technical areas. These days I’m focused on modern business strategies aimed at asset management and efficient services through process and technology. At home I have a young family with another addition arriving in May. Last time we had a baby my wife made me sell my Xbox, I’ve already hidden my golf clubs this time… Please summarise your career to date. I didn’t really know what to
do when school finished, so I applied for a traineeship in Water Operations at Warwick Shire Council. Three years of utility construction and maintenance provided some early life experience working in local government. In that time, I probably did some of the nastiest jobs you could imagine! Let’s just say it’s much more fun working in water than sewerage! Council was really supportive in my development and one of the engineers encouraged me to seek technical roles and I decided to pack myself off to university. After 18 months of full time university, a sea change opportunity came along at Whitsunday Shire Council as a Technical Officer where I continued to study part time. I was really fortunate to be mentored and coached by an engineer who was previously an overseer. Being in a small North Queensland Council, resources were limited and it was a great opportunity to learn about works engineering both in theory and on site. A vacancy opened for a Works Coordinator and I was asked to run the works department operations on a trial, and never really looked back from there. It was daunting to be responsible for a multi-million dollar works program and a workforce twice my
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age. Many of the staff went above and beyond to help me succeed. Amalgamation came along, and to be honest I got some pretty serious life experience in people and politics. It was a hard environment to manage particularly as a young person, however I focused on doing my job as if it was business as usual and was appointed Works Manager for the southern region. I enjoyed this role for about 18 months and then an opportunity came up to move back closer to family on the Darling Downs where I took up a Works Manager position at Western Downs Regional Council. Western Downs was a great place to work and learn about managing people, infrastructure and finances. I had come from a volatile amalgamation environment and the culture of the engineering division at Western Downs under Graham Cook is second to none. Between the resource sector boom and the 2011 floods, I was looking after some once in a lifetime programs and am thankful for the support from the engineering team. Promotion into the Works Principal role came a few years ago which was a challenging management step. At the peak I was managing
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a $160M capex program and 350 staff, which was exciting but also a lot of responsibility. I loved this job and achieved my RPEQ registration. My focus as an engineer shifted and I grew my experience in business and strategic asset management. I had a great management team behind me and am really proud of what the staff achieved in moving our organisation towards sustainability. Late last year another opportunity came along and I was fortunate to be offered General Manager Infrastructure position at South Burnett Regional Council What career achievement(s) are you most proud of? The 2011 flood recovery and the business reorganisation at Western Downs were great projects and team achievements that I am proud to have been a part of. I’m actually most proud that through hard work and part time study I have gone from cleaning blocked sewers to a Registered Professional Engineer. You’ve recently moved into a new role at a new council, what’s been the most successful part of the move and is there anything you wished you’d done differently in the transition? I was smarter this time and took almost two months off between the change to have a good break. The past couple of years have been full on and when taking on a General Manager leadership position you need to be on top of your game right from the start. I’ve made mistakes in the past trying to force change at a fast pace, this time I’m conscious to be patient so that I have time to adjust to the organisation and people have time to adjust to me!
What are you looking to achieve in your role? Frontline services, asset management and financial sustainability are key strategic objectives for the Council and are areas that I focus heavily on. South Burnett has a great team and I believe my role as General Manager is about leading people and enabling staff to do their job. I believe it is also vital that early on I establish a strong working relationship between the division and the Council. What was your response to being named IPWEAQ Young Engineer 2017? Like most people I was surprised, everyone thinks I’m old because I’ve stood in the sun too long and have grey hairs! It was a great honor to receive the award particularly given that the nomination came from my team at Western Downs. To share the night with my friends who have supported me along the way, whether they be staff, consultants or contractors meant a lot to me. I was rapt when Ian Woodyard congratulated me after the presentation, given that he and Matt Sullivan gave me my first job in local government. What do you enjoy most about your involvement with IPWEAQ? The welcome functions…. I mean the networking! IPWEAQ is a fantastic way to meet a range of people and make friends in our industry. There are many members who have decades of experience and they really go out of their way to engage with younger members. Since participating in IPWEAQ, I have a phone full of contacts, who at anytime I can ask for advice and they are never too busy to help.
What do you see as the key benefits of IPWEAQ membership? The membership is great value especially for younger people in our industry. It opens up access to CPD which is industry leading whether it’s a conference program or technical training. Networking with other members is also invaluable and I encourage every young person in a technical or supervisory role to consider the benefits of joining. What would be the one piece of advice you would give to other young people considering careers in engineering and public works? I’ve been very fortunate to have gone from being a trainee to a suit and tie General Manager, but I always remember that I haven’t got there on my own - we only succeed when we work as a team, so don’t be afraid to ask for help and support when you need it.
Aaron Meehan, IPWEAQ 2017 Young Engineer.
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WHAT’S NEW IN THE KNOWLEDGE CENTRE?
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
Mark Lamont, Information Resources Manager It has been very gratifying to see a steep rise in usage and enquiries about the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre access in recent months. This has been inspired in part by the quality and scope of the presentations delivered at the 2017 state conference in Townsville, the podcasts of which have been in high demand. The PowerPoint decks for those presentations are available with general access to the Knowledge Centre, as are most other Collections including podcasts from our various branch conferences. The state conference podcasts are available by subscription and can be purchased as a package or individually on a user needs basis.
We recently created a new Knowledge Centre ‘Technical Products and Services’ Community offering access to a wide range of activities and projects undertaken by some of the organisations that work closely with IPWEAQ and the sector, including Komatsu, Boral and ITS Pipetech. These collections showcase public works and include videos, photographs, brochures and project sheets, demonstrating products, services and innovations available to assist you in your role. IPWEAQ convened 2018 President’s Breakfast in February which included two informative and thought-provoking presentations. Mike Brady, from Toowoomba Regional Council and IPWEAQ 2017 Engineer of the Year, offered broad reflections and speculations on the future of public works, touching on professional and personal elements involved in a career in
public works engineering, and emphasising the importance of a sensible and considered balance between the two. Dr Rob Fearon, Director, Innovation Partnerships at QldWater, spoke about the work being done by the Queensland Water Regional Alliances Program, which seeks to provide regional approaches to water infrastructure and asset management. These presentations can be accessed within the ‘Other Special Events’ Community, in the ‘President’s Breakfast February 2018’ Collection. Most other collections are continually updated to ensure the materials within them keep pace with contemporary developments and publications. The latest IPWEAQ and Department of Housing and Public Works annual reports, for example, have now been added to their relevant collections.
LOGIN PROCESS REMINDER: Your user name will be the email address you have provided to IPWEAQ. This email address acts as your ‘fingerprint’ identity and the system reads that to grant access (not the user’s actual name or other details). Once you enter the email address, you can create your own password and then you will be granted access to all Collections in the Knowledge Centre that are not restricted to subscribers. If you wish to subscribe to restricted materials such as standard drawings or state conference podcasts, your email identity will be added to those groups and you will immediately have access to all the subscriber materials. Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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Finally, in the December issue of Engineering for Public Works (EPW) we looked at the Native Title and Cultural Heritage Compliance System IPWEAQ are developing to assist our members and affiliates in ensuring any infrastructure and other public works they engage in are carried out in full compliance with the Native Title
Act 1993. Work on the project is progressing well and we hope to launch the Native Title Portal at the 2018 IPWEAQ state conference on the Gold Coast in October. I will go into more detail regarding the compliance system and its applications as we get closer to that event.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you encounter any problems accessing or using the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre, or if you have any suggestions of papers or other material you think would be useful to our users.
IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre The new IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre is an essential resource for anyone involved in public works in Queensland. The Centre is fully searchable by title, speaker/author, subject, keyword, event or date. Resources available in the Knowledge Centre include: 1. Podcasts of state and branch conferences (accessible only to paid conference delegates or conference proceedings subscribers). The podcasts are accompanied by the presenters’ PowerPoint presentation
so you can follow the presentation while listening to the podcast. 2. Podcasts with accompanying video of all other IPWEAQ events 3. Papers submitted for state and branch conferences 4. Articles published in our quarterly e-journal, Engineering for Public Works 5. Articles of relevance to Queensland practitioners sourced by our Information Resources Manager from other states/territories and internationally. 6. IPWEAQ technical publications including Standard Drawings
(accessible only to subscribers) 7. Podcasts of interviews of delegates taken at state and branch conferences 8. Photos of delegates taken at state and branch conferences The Knowledge Centre is only accessible to IPWEAQ members. Conference podcasts/videos are only accessible to paid conference delegates. Technical publications are only accessible to subscribers of our technical products.
Join IPWEAQ today to access this vital resource for the public works sector in Queensland.
www.ipweaq.com
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Risk – what is our perception?
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Risk and public works go hand in hand. Each project will have its own unique characteristics that make the process of identifying and managing these risks a challenge. There are many types of risks associated with public works: financial risk; contractual risk; operational risk; environmental risk; and work health and safety risk. While organisations across our sector allocate significant time and resources to developing policies, processes and procedures in an effort to mitigate these risks, we continue to see areas for improvement. One specific area that is encountered on a daily basis is managing work health and safety risk. A recent study by Safe Work Australia examined the work health and safety practices, motivations, attitudes and perceptions of employers and workers in the construction industry. This report found that implementation and use of work health and safety practices and compliance activities is high within the construction industry. At the same time, it was also identified that approximately 50% of workers believed that risks are unavoidable in construction work and that workers were more accepting of risk taking than employers. One
of the conclusions of the study was that there are differences in expectations between employers and workers in terms of accepting risk in the workplace. Some of the findings that reinforce this conclusion are: Employers by and large believed that safe work practices were used in their workplaces while the works did not share the same level of agreement 90% of employers felt that there was good communication in their workplace about safety issues and that safety information is always brought to the attention of workers, while 70% the workers agreed with this statement Almost one third of construction workers agreed that conditions in their workplace stopped them from working safely, which was much higher than reported by employers While workers and employers were equally likely to agree that risks are unavoidable in their workplace, employers were much more likely than workers to agree that they never accept risk taking even if the work schedule is tight One quarter of construction employees indicated that they accepted risk taking at work as a part of their job
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The study has highlighted while our sector has very good systems and processes in place to manage work health and safety risk, there is a very real gap in the practical implementation of these strategies. In response to the conclusions from this study, IPWEAQ has developed a Construction safety and risk management workshop. This program will explore the difference in the perception of the employer and the workers with regard to work health and safety risk. It will also provide attendees with the knowledge and skills to provide an environment that will promote the wellbeing of all people impacted by the works. Topics covered include: Your role, responsibilities and accountabilities Safe attitudes and behaviours Enforcement or cooperation Consultation Risk management strategies and tools Working in a hazardous environment Record keeping If you have any questions in relation to this or any other professional development program, contact Craig.Moss@ ipweaq.com on 07 3632 6805.
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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.
SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND TECHNICAL SERIES
If you would like to host an SEQ Series Tech Tour, please contact Craig Moss, Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com.
9209 2930 Press Release
EJ is recognised as a leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of access solutions for water, sewer, drainage, EJworld Flexes telecommunications and utility networks. Global By utilising leading ingenuity and craft, they shape molten iron products thatMuscles serve Itsinto Asia Pacific as the infrastructure of our communities.
Please note that due to limited opportunities, hosting of tech tours is only available to IPWEAQ Partners. If you would like to become an IPWEAQ Partner, please contact Paula Paul, Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com
Join us for a breakfast and tour of EJ’s new Brendale facility were you will be able to experience first-hand the innovation being demonstrated by one of our key industry partners. Press Release
Date: Thursday 3 May Host: EJ Access Solutions Tour: Brendale Factory, 2/354 South Pine Road, Brendale. Changes of Latitude Bring Time: 7:30am – 9:30am CPD Hours: 2 Changes of Attitude at EJ Cost: $50 plus GST for members | $150 plus GST for non-members OR join this month ($137.50 plus GST) and receive a complimentary registration to the next three SEQ Tech Tours. Register online OR Join online. The new EJ stock holding yard, Brendale, Brisbane. “We’re constantly innovating in composite covers The first impression you get as you arrive at the new EJ in Brendale, Brisbane, is the vastness of the stock holding. It’s and other components with the demand coming for emphasised by the fact that to get to the main office, you more versatile, long-lasting electrical pits and covers. actually circumnavigate the holding yard. For Class B rated covers, we have the range, Impressive coupled is one word to describe it, but exciting is probably the best because suddenly, you realise what this extraordinary with the ability to customise and client brand most stock holding can mean to your business: instant delivery of a large part of the inventory on offer by global giant EJ. components. They’re tough materials but they’re The scaleat of the new EJ property is an indication that EJ is comparatively light, so they’re easier to manage not only here to grow, it’s here to own this marketplace. installation and maintenance,” says Simon Bottomley, Apart from an expansive, ready-to-roll-out stock holding, the manufacturing and customising plant has been upgraded to General Manager of EJ in Asia Pacific. maximise its potential for higher demand.
“We must meet the demand for new composite covers and other components; they’re tough materials but they’re comparatively light, so they’re easier to manage at installation and maintenance,” commented Simon Bottomley, General Manger of EJ in Asia Pacific. “We’re constantly innovating in this category with the demand coming for more versatile, long-lasting electrical pits and covers. For Class B rated covers, we have the range, coupled with the ability to customise and client brand most components. We believe there’s a massive future for this category of product and for EJ.” “Moving to a larger facility gives us the ability to grow our inventory in all directions and more importantly, still be able to deliver orders fast.”
And to go one better, EJ in the Asia Pacific has enhanced its in the year and we’re moving stock already. For information or for an appointment to visit our new serviceEarly offering further with newthecollaborations for the supply of poly-concrete and composite product extensions across the Brendale, Brisbane facility, please call your nearest EJ branch or 07 3216 5000. range of pits and covers. most likely have what you need in stock in our yard. If not, our It happens. You make a move to a bigger and better facility delivery regimen is second to none. Obviously, customised and it gives you the opportunity to provide your customers
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CQ Branch President’s Report 2018 is promising to proceed at an uncompromising pace and it will be a struggle for all of us to maintain a healthy worklife balance. And in addition to ‘work’ and ‘real life’, there is continuing professional development. To become an RPEQ and to maintain it, we must complete 150 hours of CPD over a three year period. That’s not insignificant. This year also, IPWEAQ commences the compulsory audits of RPEQs including CPD. If you registered for an IPWEAQ course, this will already be recorded in the system but otherwise, you’ll need to provide evidence of your completed CPD hours. The CQ Branch conference in Barcaldine in June will offer up to nine CPD hours and the annual conference in Townsville offered 22 CPD hours. If you were not able to attend the conference, you can still purchase the proceedings and listen to the podcasts in your own time. Before you are tapped on the shoulder for an audit, be sure you have completed the 150 hours CPD and your records are up-to-date. There are number of courses being delivered in CQ over the next few months including: Managing Risks on Lower Order Roads (CPD hours: 7) Bundaberg - 13 March 2018 Barcaldine - 27 March 2018
Grants and Funding Workshop (CPD hours: 6) Rockhampton - 23 March 2018 Queensland Urban Drainage Manual Workshop (CPD hours: 7) Gladstone - 2 May 2018 Rockhampton - 1 May 2018 Bundaberg - 23 May 2018 Ashleigh Tomkins joined me last month at the Strategic Planning Day where we contributed our ideas for the future IPWEAQ. There were several other Young IPWEAQs in attendance, and we appreciated having a strong voice and having a sense of ownership of the organisation we’ll lead in the next decade or two then pass on to those still in high school making a decision on a career in engineering and hopefully public works. Our Young IPWEAQ Chair and IPWEAQ Ambassador, Jessica Kahl will be rolling out the Dream Big project this year starting in Rockhampton, 19 March followed by Gladstone, 30 April, Bundaberg, 28 May and Mackay on 25 June. The Dream Big project is designed to provide female students in Years 10 to 12 with an opportunity to develop their understanding of what it is to be an engineer and the rewarding job prospects on offer. The activities are based on current engineering units and
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are aimed at developing skills in leadership and teamwork to identify innovative capabilities. It is hoped that programs like Jessica’s Dream Big, which is proudly supported by IPWEAQ, will help bring more females into our sector – engineering for public works offers a rewarding career for those keen to make a genuine contribution to the betterment of our communities. And if you’re looking to contribute further to another good cause, MS Queensland (the President’s Charity) is holding a swimathon in Rockhampton on Saturday 17 March 2018. You do not need to be an Olympic athlete to participate – if you have a board and can kick, you are qualified for our team. This is a wider IPWEAQ family event so please invite your family members and friends. IPWEAQ team polo shirts and caps will be supplied. You can register via the website on the President’s Charity page. Plans are now well underway for the CQ Branch conference to be held in Barcaldine, 14-16 June 2018. The Call for Papers closes 22 March – submit an abstract online via the conference website. Thank you once again to our hosts, George Bourne and Associates! Celisa Faulkner CQ Branch President
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Our members enjoy a
strong sense of community through our proactive branch network.
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND BRANCH
CQ Branch conference | Barcaldine | 14-16 June 2018 https://ipweaq.eventsair.com/ipweaq-cq-branch-conference-2018/event-website
Expressions of interest to present We are currently seeking expressions of interest to present at the CQ Branch Conference, Barcaldine, 14-16 June 2018. Topics of interest include:
• Unique solutions to common problems
• Project learnings (including all sized projects even if they did not quite go to plan)
• Innovative technologies and practices
• Communication and Stakeholder engagement
• Asset management • Governance
Submit online
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NQ Branch President’s Report The NQ Branch committee is now in full planning mode for the annual NQ Branch conference to be held at the Hilton Hotel, Cairns, 18 to 20 April. The theme this year is ‘Together Towards Tomorrow’ and the program is shaping up nicely. The conference will kick off as usual with a welcome function Wednesday evening 18 April at Trinity Inlet on the water’s edge at Cairns Wharf Café. The conference program commences Thursday morning with the official opening by the mayor of Cairns, Bob Manning followed by a keynote presentation from Brendan Moon, CEO of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) on Reform of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements – a topic that will be of interest to all North Queensland councils. Other papers to be delivered include an update on the exciting $380 million Mount Emerald Wind Farm being constructed on 2,400 hectares of private land on the Atherton Tablelands. The project will see 53 wind turbines with towers standing up to a massive 90 metres and turbine blades 57 metres long. The project will produce up to 180.5 megawatts or about one third of the power needs of Far North Queensland. We are currently finalising the rest of your conference program which will include presentations on a
range of interesting topics: Lockhart River Council runway upgrade 2017 IPWEAQ excellence award winning Cairns School of Arts Building renewal Best practice techniques for managing unsealed roads Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 Sensing Cities - Smart Thermal Comfort and Climate Adaptation Regional Road and Transport Group – project prioritisation tool. The conference dinner will be held at Aqualuna, a restaurant with a shark tank as a backdrop and we’ll enjoy guided tours through the newly constructed Cairns Aquarium. The conference program will continue on Friday until lunch time to allow delegates time to travel home or better still – bring your family for the weekend to explore our wonderful region and admire our public works! Registrations are now open online for members at $250 plus GST and non-members at $350 plus GST. Or join IPWEAQ this month to receive four months’ membership complimentary (March 2018 to June 2019)! And if you’re a keen swimmer or paddler or even if you’re not, please join our team for the MS Queensland swimathon in Cairns, Friday 20 April 2018. Family and
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friends most welcome! Register your interest on the form on our website. There are several professional development courses scheduled for delivery in the north over the coming months including: Grants and Funding Workshop (CPD hours: 6) Cairns - 19 March 2018 Townsville - 20 March 2018 Mackay - 21 March 2018 Managing Risks on Lower Order Roads (CPD hours: 7) Cloncurry - 11 April 2018 Mackay - 9 May 2018 Queensland Urban Drainage Manual Workshop (CPD hours:7) Townsville - 6 March 2018 Cairns - 7 March 2018 Mackay - 4 May 2018 Road Safety Audit (CPD hours: 16) Townsville – 20-21 March 2018 Road Safety Audit Refresher (CPD hours: 6) Townsville - 22 March 2018 Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2 - Intermediate Training (CPD hours: 8) Townsville - 17 October 2018 Darwin - 5 November 2018 Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3 - Advanced Training (CPD hours: 16) Darwin - 6-8 November 2018 Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design Course Darwin - 8 November 2018
Please be sure to register early to guarantee your place for your preferred course. To maintain your
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RPEQ or to qualify for registration, you must attain 150 years of CPD over a three year period. This is not an insignificant amount
compared to other professions so be sure to devote at least 50 hours per year.
NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE
I look forward to seeing you at the Conference in April! Bruce Gardiner NQ Branch President
TOGETHER TOWARDS TOMORROW
Cairns | 18 - 20 April 2018 PROGRAM
Wednesday, April 18, 2018 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Welcome Function | Wharf One Cafe on Trinity Wharf
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Conference Registration | Hilton Hotel - 34 Esplanade Cairns
8:45 AM - 9:00 AM
Conference Opening | Cr Bob Manning, Mayor - Cairns Regional Council
Thursday, April 19, 2018 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Welcome to Country
Keynote - Reform of the Natural Disaster Relief & Recovery Arrangements | Brendan Moon, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Cooprerative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) | Department of Transport and Main Roads - speaker TBC
10:10 AM - 10:30 AM
Technology - Tried, Tested and Reviews | Gary Everson, Cairns Regional Council
9:50 AM - 10:10 AM
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM 12:20 PM - 1:20 PM 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM 2:20 PM - 2:40 PM 2:40 PM - 3:00 PM 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM 3:50 PM - 4:10 PM 4:10 PM - 4:30 PM 4:30 PM - 4:50 PM
Friday, April 20, 2018
Sensing Cities: Smart Thermal Comfort and Climate Adaption | Dr Silvia Tavares, JCU Morning Tea - Day 1 | Sponsored by Shepherd Services
Best Practice Techniques for Managing Unsealed Roads | Darren Shepherd, Shepherd Services Regional Road and Transport Group - Project Prioritisation Tool | Lachlan Rankine, FNQROC Townsville Resilience Shining Through | Danny Lynch, Townsville City Council
The Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (QLD): Get ready for BIF Matt Bradbury & Darren Williams, McCullough Robertson Lunch
Build Communication Skills, Energy Lift: Communication that leads to Collaboration John Carr, Coach Central Business Coaching
Lockhart River Council Runway Upgrade | Joseph Estrada and Andrew Chiknaikin, GHD
New-look Cairns School of Arts building tells 110-year story | Bruce Gardiner, Cairns Regional Council Afternoon Tea | Sponsored by Trinity Engineering and Consulting
Asset Management of structures - what is working, and what is not | Tim Heldt, ARRB A Journey with an Aging Reservoir | Sarah Lethbridge, Mackay Regional Council
80s Revival: Pushing Assets into the Future | Janice Wilson, Mackay Regional Council
Linking Asset Management to Long Term Financial Sustainability | Jan Xanthopoulo - QTC
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Registration
9:20 AM - 9:40 AM
Mt Emerald Wind Farm - Delivering major infrastructure in FNQ Kim Forde - Community Engagement Facilitator, Ratch Australia Corporation
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM
9:40 AM - 10:00 AM 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM 11:20 AM - 11:40 AM 11:40 AM - 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM 12:20 PM - 12:30 PM 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Munro Martin Parklands upgrade - creating a vibrant city parklands in the Cairns CBD Bruce Gardiner, Cairns Regional Council
The Community benefits when we get it right! Active Towns Program - Award winning Redlynch bike path | Cr Linda Cooper, Cairns Regional Council Details TBC
Morning Tea - Day 2 | Exhibition Area
BPEQ Update | Dawson Wilkie, Chair and Regional Representative, BPEQ
Use of Waste Recycled Glass in Concrete as a Partial Cement and Fine Aggregate Replacement Joshua Flanders, Cairns Regional Council Deep Creek Sewer Pump Station Upgrade | Peter Thoren, Cairns Regional Council Session details coming soon Conference Close Lunch - Day 2
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SEQ Branch President’s Report The SEQ Branch Committee has hit the ground running with the arrival of 2018. We had our first meeting in January where we exchanged ideas and initiatives to improve the connection with our members and other colleagues in the public works sector. One action arising from that meeting is a proposed 2019 SEQ Branch Conference which will take a different direction to all previous SEQ conferences. The idea is to collaborate with an academic institution such as USQ, UQ, QUT and Griffith to connect directly with the next generation of public works engineers offering them an opportunity to participate in the shaping of our future. In early February, I attended the 2018 IPWEAQ Strategic Planning Day with several other members of the SEQ Branch committee. The core headings in the IPWEAQ Strategic Plan were the focus of discussion: INFORMS, CONNECTS, REPRESENTS and LEADS. As the SEQ Branch President, I was very pleased to participate in developing our future direction with my SEQ Branch committee members as we shared and contributed to the overall group discussion. The following day, we attended the President’s Breakfast to offer our thanks to our Partners and sponsors. It was also an excellent opportunity to experience the
close connection that exists between public works engineers and industry leaders and representatives. I was pleased to be able to introduce our Young IPWEAQ Chair, Ambassador and SEQ Branch committee member, Jessica Kahl to Gavin Blakey, Chair of Engineers Without Borders who later delivered a presentation to the IPWEAQ Board on future collaboration between our respective organisations. In February, the Winter Olympics captured our hearts and minds and allowed us to once more be inspired by our youth and their commitment to transforming dreams into reality. We should draw more from this celebration of talent and hard work to encourage our younger members to assume leading roles in shaping public works for a better future for all our communities. The Commonwealth Games is another major event that will shortly take place at our gorgeous City of the Gold Coast, and like all other big sporting events, it will be the subject of much conversation. However, behind the scenes, we all know there is a dedicated and committed team which has worked tirelessly over an extended period of time to prepare the city for their time in the international spotlight. As is often the way with public works, a lot of what they have achieved won’t be visible on the surface to the public or media at
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large. However, when we hold our IPWEAQ annual conference at The Marriott, Surfers Paradise, 10 -12 October, we’ll enjoy technical tours and presentations from the City of Gold Coast team on all those unseen successes others may have taken for granted. We also look forward to celebrating their successes at the 2018 IPWEAQ excellence awards. February marked a milestone for IPWEAQ as we welcomed our 700th member, Chris Mantell, a Senior Engineer at Cardno who also joins the SEQ Branch committee. Now, we wait here in the south east corner for the Commonwealth Games torch as it makes its way to the City of Gold Coast. Good luck and best wishes to our colleagues at the City of Gold Coast! Raad Jarjees SEQ Branch President
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IPWEAQ ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Marriott, Surfers Paradise 10-12 October 2018
EARLY BIRD OFFER Members-only early bird registration now open until 30 April 2018 • Member $1,200 plus GST Standard registration after 30 April 2018: $1,500 plus GST
www.ipweaq.com/gold-coast
Register FIVE or more delegates and receive an additional 5% off each registration Cancellations are fully refundable up to one month prior to the event Registrations are also transferable.
Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available please contact Paula Paul on 3632 6802 or Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com
#IPWEAQ18
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S W q b r a nc h p r e s i d e nt ’s R e p or t The SWQ Branch committee has been busy preparing for our annual branch conference to be held in Goondiwindi 15-16 March. This is the first conference in the IPWEAQ program for 2018 and we invite our members to set the standard high for other branches to follow. Last year, the CQ Branch took the prize with 149 delegates and seven sponsors. A great deal of care and attention has been paid to developing a program that is relevant, local and topical. We appreciate the importance of CPD hours (6.5 hours available) and can assure you that at $30 per hour ($15 per hour for Young IPWEAQ), the SWQ Branch conference represents great value for the commitment of your valuable time. A few papers in the program include: The Road Asset Management Plan – Make it, test it, and sell it by Mike Holeszko, Southern Downs Regional Council (Best Paper winner at the 2017 IPWEAQ annual conference in Townsville)
NDRRA Funding Reforms, Brendan Moon and Jimmy Scott, Queensland Reconstruction Authority AustStab and GRC unsealed road black soil stabilisation trial, Luke Tanner, Goondiwindi Regional Council Warrego Highway Upgrade Program: Stage 2 - Pushing Learnings into Actions, Isaac Kirsch, TMR We will also be continuing the discussion started in Townsville on local government sustainability with a presentation from Jan Xanthopoulo from Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) on linking asset management to long term financial sustainability. We’re very pleased to announce our sponsors for this year’s conference: the welcome lunch is sponsored by Hunter H20, Day 1 afternoon tea is sponsored by Shepherd Services, our conference dinner at O'Shea's Royal Hotel is sponsored by Proterra Group
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and GenEng are sponsoring our morning tea on Day 2. Thank you all for your support! Goondiwindi is a great location and Goondiwindi Regional Council will certainly deliver a professional venue with well-known country hospitality. Be sure to register online and join us for a couple of days of sharing, learning and fun. We have a small branch committee of four but we are enthusiastic, committed and passionate about bringing the best public works outcomes to our region. All four of us attended the recent IPWEAQ Strategic Planning Day with other branch committee members and IPWEAQ staff. It was a day of identifying and discussing what has worked well in the past, what challenges we faced and what our organisation will look like in the future. Our branch focused on how best to represent and communicate with our members and I’ll be utilising our SWQ Branch specific portal in the Knowledge Centre as much as possible.
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The SWQ Branch committee is also in the process of developing our Branch Annual Program for 2018-2019 ie what we would like to deliver for SWQ members in the coming financial year including tech forums and tours, awards/scholarships, honorary memberships, fundraising initiatives to support the President’s Charity (MS Queensland) and Professional Development programs. Once drafted, we’ll upload this to the SWQ Branch portal and invite your feedback. Following Goondiwindi, our next major event will be the roads symposium of southern Queensland, hosted by
Toowoomba Regional Council and supported by TMR, 29-31 May 2018. This event will explore the use of locally available materials in the construction, maintenance and operations of our road assets specifically in this region. This symposium follows on from the successful Western Roads Symposium held in Longreach, August 2017. One of our key goals is to be representative of all our members across the entire region, not just those in the main towns and cities. The diversity of our membership – the skills, age, experience and nature of employment – is one of our strengths and will ensure IPWEAQ is vibrant, modern and
an essential part of public works careers. Finally, in this International Women’s Day feature, I am proud to have had a wonderful career to date in this male dominated industry. A lot has changed in the last 20 years but we still have a long way to go to achieve gender parity – more than 200 years according to a 2017 report by the World Economic Forum. None of my colleagues – male or female – believe this is satisfactory so please take the time to consider how you can make changes around you to improve on this prediction. #PressForProgress Angela Fry SWQ Branch President
SOUTHERN ROADS SYMPOSIUM 29 TO 31 MAY 2018, TOOWOOMBA MARK YOUR DIARY The Southern Roads Symposium will explore the use of locally available materials in the construction, maintenance and operations of our road assets specifically related to Southern Queensland.
In partnership with Toowoomba Regional Council and TMR
This symposium follows on from the successful Western Roads Symposium held in Longreach, August 2017. Limited sponsorship opportunities available – contact Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com on 07 3632 6802 Registrations open 4 April 2018. Please register early!
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You ng I P W E AQ Cha i r R e p ort The importance of Professional Development An open, inclusive, engaging and flexible working culture is important in helping professionals develop their careers and seize the big opportunities. Australia has experienced a productivity slump in the past decade with our long-term productivity growth ranks well below the OECD average. The quality of management and leadership is crucial to individual career progression and resource performance in organisations. Staggering statistics from the Centre for Workplace Leadership at the University of Melbourne reveals 75% of employees in Australia’s workplaces believe we need better managers and leaders. When we know our success not only depends on our own efforts but also what we receive from our manager, it’s important to find the right mentor to help elevate your career. Thankfully, if you’re moving your eyes across these words, you’ll know IPWEAQ stands to inform, connect, represent and lead – making your relationship with us a valuable one to help you become better in your profession. Our Young initiatives set to be rolled out over the coming year
2018 President’s Breakfast Jessica Kahl with keynote speakers, Mike Brady and Dr Rob Fearon.
are expected to fill the pipeline with a diverse mix of emerging professionals. In 2018, we will be engaging, supporting and empowering our emerging Queensland leaders in a number of ways. We are continuing to connect and learn from undergraduate students in the Futures Challenge where students present their research findings at the state conference (in October, Surfers Paradise). This initiative is important as it helps us to see problems in a different light, and encourages progress, new discoveries and receptiveness. The Futures Challenge nomination
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form together with the flyer is available on the website at http://www.ipweaq.com/youngipweaq-2. At the 2018 conference in October on the Gold Coast, IPWEAQ will be launching the ‘buddy program’ to match a Young IPWEAQ delegate with a more senior Member or Fellow who will introduce their younger buddy to colleagues and others in their network, and provide guidance on what sessions to attend to maximise their interests and chosen career path. The buddy system to protect colleagues working in hazardous situations. Although
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this is not a safety drill for the conference, there are a number of important benefits from the program including relationship development between our members irrespective of age, growth in confidence to network and the opportunity for future mentoring. Another initiative is the ‘Emerging Leaders’ series and we invite you to nominate a colleague to be profiled in one of the four issues of Engineering for Public Works each year. This issue features our 2017 Young Engineer of the Year award winner, Aaron Meehan of South Burnett Regional Council. Supporting and mentoring young talent extends to our involvement in activities which promote the increase of the number of females entering STEM fields. While acknowledging the significance of International Women’s day, I also acknowledge the potential economic gains from getting more women into work and closing the gap. A PwC report suggests
Register for our new Buddy Program!
the economic benefit to Australia from increasing the level of female employment could be in the order of 10% of GDP or AU$162 billion. If you are passionate about promoting and amplifying your support for accelerating gender parity, look no further than being involved in International Women’s Day. The theme for 2018 is #PressforProgress which reminds us to motivate, unite and act for gender inclusiveness while highlighting the great work in the space of advocacy activism and support. The day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere; men and women. Advocacy for women in STEM is also prominent in the Dream Big Event project I will be rolling out over the coming months on campuses across the state. In 2018, IPWEAQ is continuing to support the initiative which fosters engagement, empowerment and passion within STEM fields. In previous years, students who attended the events have been inspired to pursue work experience
with local organisations supporting the initiative. We encourage engagement, support and promotion from regional members and communities so that we can work together to inspire the next generation. If you would like to be involved in the following Dream Big events, please contact me: Monday 19 March Monday 30 April Monday 28 May Monday 25 June
Rockhampton Gladstone Bundaberg Mackay
I’m very excited, recharged and ready for 2018 and invite you to get involved with the various Young IPWEAQ initiatives throughout the year so we can continue to lead the way and encourage current and future generations to enter our sector. Jessica Kahl YIPWEAQ Chair
Attention Members and Fellows attending the IPWEAQ annual conference on the Gold Coast, 10-12 October 2018 - would you be interested in being a 'buddy' to accompany a YIPWEAQ member for the duration of the conference? We invite you to introduce your YIPWEAQ buddy to your colleagues, and assist them with choosing sessions to attend based on their career aspirations. Register online using the form on the YIPWEAQ page on our website. Engineering for Public Works | March 2018
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2018 FUTURES CHALLENGE
Final year students studying engineering and related disciplines are invited to participate in the 2018 Futures Challenge.
Presentation (finalists)
Students are asked to prepare an A1 poster board which clearly outlines the key elements of the students thesis or research project, their conclusions, recommendations and outcomes.
Delegates will then vote on the best presentation using the conference App.
The poster boards will be displayed in the trade exhibition during the conference with delegates invited to provide advice and feedback to the students.
Participating students will receive a complimentary registration to attend the 2018 IPWEAQ state conference (valued at more than $2,000). This offers an excellent opportunity for students to engage with our community and to gain further knowledge and understanding of engineering in our sector.
The poster board will: ď…Š include key elements of the
thesis or research project and clearly outline conclusions, recommendations and outcomes ď…Š include appropriate text,
diagrams, images, tables etc. ď…Š attract audience attention with a
well-structured presentation
At the close of the first day of the conference program, finalists will be chosen to deliver a 10 minute presentation to delegates in the main auditorium.
Benefits
Students are asked to submit a 1,000 word report on their conference experience including comments and learnings from the program, other conference features eg the Great Debate, Technical Tours etc and what aspects they enjoyed most. This article will be published in the December issue of Engineering for Public Works. The winner will receive a complimentary registration to attend the 2019 state conference to be held in Brisbane.
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All participating students will be invited to present their papers at their next branch conference or technical event. They will also receive a complimentary membership to IPWEAQ for one year and an invitation to participate in the Young IPWEAQ program.
Deadlines for submission Universities are invited to nominate student(s) by 30 June 2018. Students selected to participate in the program will be asked to submit details of their thesis or research project by 31 July 2018. Poster boards must be submitted by 1 September 2018.
#IPWEAQ ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Marriott, Surfers Paradise 10-12 October 2018 www.ipweaq.com/gold-coast
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Public Works Technical Subscription INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS. Full access to Standard Drawings which can be shared with constituents (value $800 per individual user)
Discounted rates to purchase IPWEAQ technical products including ADAC and QUDM (up to 20% discount)
Your employees will receive a 10% discount on their annual IPWEAQ membership subscription (value $30 per employee)
Your logo in every issue of our quarterly e-journal ‘Engineering for Public Works’ and the opportunity to publish articles
Complimentary subscription to Complete Streets: Guidelines for Urban Street Design (value $400)
Your logo on the IPWEAQ website linked to your website
Complimentary copy of Lower Order Road Design, PDF (value $400) One Council delegate to attend the annual conference (value up to $1,800) Free job advertisements in ‘Connect’ our fortnightly e-news service
Opportunity to include notices in ‘Connect’ our fortnightly e-news service
$4,100 (plus GST)
PO Box 2100 Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 4/43-49 Sandgate Road Albion QLD 4010
Phone 07 3632 6801 Belinda.Smith@ipweaq.com www.ipweaq.com
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Engineering for Public Works
MEDIA KIT 2018 IPWEAQ is the peak body representing those working 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.
QUEENSLAND URBAN DRAINAGE MANUAL
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Feature article
legal article
Wate r A r tic l e
S p e ci a l F e at ur e
F E AT UR E A R T I CLE
E xce lle n ce Awa r d
t e ch n i ca l f o cus
S p e ci a l F e at ur e
F E AT UR E A R T I CLE
E xce lle n ce Awa r d
t e ch n i ca l f o cus
CITY OF GOLD COAST’S AWARD SUCCESS
TO B-DOUBLE OR NOT TO B-DOUBLE
LAWFUL POINT OF DISCHARGE
MAREEBA’s WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT UPGRADE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
LEADING THE WASTE REVOLUTION
CREATING THE THIRD PLACE
CURING A CANCER PATIENT
CELEBRATING WOMEN IN PUBLIC WORKS
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION
PARTNERING DELIVERS SUCCESS
PREPARING COMMUNITIES FOR EXTREME STORM SURGE
The historic Sarawak Avenue Steel Footbridge awarded for engineering innovation and excellence. p.18
How a rural council is planning for its aged road network to meet current and future needs.
The updated Queensland Urban Drainage Manual removes confusion about LPOD requirements. p.78
Award winning innovation strikes the balance between environmental and financial sustainability. p.86
Equipping public works professionals for the future. p.34
Sunshine Coast’s innovative underground waste collection system. p.12
Toowoomba’s City Library and Civic Square delivers for the community. p.8
The remediation of Munna Point Bridge. p.26
Inspirational women paving the way for the next generation p.29
Findings from Andrew Ryan’s International Study Tour. p.8
Pickanjinnie North Road Upgrade Project. p.22
International best practice and lessons for Queensland. p.56
p.10
FOURTH EDITION
www.ipweaq.com
ISSUE No.8
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
www.ipweaq.com
ISSUE No.6
BRAN CH N EWS
FEATU RE ARTICLE
TECH N ICAL FOCU S
Q LD WAT E R
BR A N CH N E W S
F E AT UR E A R T I CLE
aca d e mi c F O CUS
lucinda 2016
Hon jackie trad mp
for supervisors
heavy metal fix
vale fairweather
future demand
students on high rd wasp wars
Check out our updated Supervisor’s Handbook p.42
Fit for purpose design led to award winning water p.14
A warm tribute to IPWEAQ founding member p.10
Infrastructure Australia CEO Phil Davies sets course p.12
How effective is Icarus? Danielle Lester explains p.66
NQ Branch Conference On delivering the State hosted by Hinchinbrook p.48 Infrastructure Plan p.10
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
ISSUE No.2
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ISSUE No.5
Q LD WAT E R
The ultimate benchmarking challenge p.18
ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS
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Our Value Propositions 1 Members enjoy a strong sense of community through our proactive branch network. 2O ur Knowledge Centre is an essential resource for anyone involved in public works in Queensland. 3O ur quarterly e-journal is valued for its technical and industry relevant content. 4 I PWEAQ technical products are widely-adopted and are leading edge. 5 I PWEAQ conferences are must-attend events.
ISSUE No.3
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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.
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Publication dates Four issues per year: • March • June • September • December (conference feature) • PLUS February (Excellence Awards commemorative book) Bookings due 1st day of prior month eg 1 February for March issue. Artwork and editorial due 15th day of prior month eg 15 February for March issue.
Engineering for Public Works
is the primary professional publication for the public works and civil engineering community in Queensland.
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Why advertise with IPWEAQ? Your connection to thousands of professionals delivering projects for state and local government across Queensland.
Content:
Each issue features major projects, technical articles, case studies, academic and legal articles, a member profiles and a local council feature plus reports from our state and branch presidents, CEO and our subsidiary, the Queensland Water Directorate (QWD).
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delivery of public works and services including engineers, technical officers and supervisors, procurement personnel, asset and fleet managers, mayors, council CEOs, consultants and those supplying equipment, products and services to the public works sector.
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Value-Adds As part of our Partner Program, Principal Partners are entitled to a one quarter page advertisement in every issue with all partners receiving one complimentary half page advertorial per year. Partners and Supporters also receive a 20% discount on any additional advertising. Partner and Supporter logos are featured at the front of the journal. Multi-bookings Front Cover - $3,490 per issue 10% discount for bookings in two consecutive editions Front cover image Advertorial - $1,200 per issue Double page spread with 800 word feature article in Half page 350 word editorial with one high first ten pages resolution image/photo and logo Full page display ad Circulated to up to 500 contacts provided by you EPW reaches over 5,000 members, industry partners and local government decision-makers.
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Engineering for Public Works | March 2018