Member Profile, Monica Accornero

Monica Accornero

Monica is the Infrastructure Assets Manager at Hinchinbrook Shire Council, where she has worked since 2010, initially as a Technical Assistant splitting her time across the Assets and Water and Sewerage Departments. Starting out as a Cadet Technical Officer working on infrastructure projects at AECOM in Townsville set the foundations for her civil design career.

Studying externally through the University of Southern Queensland, Monica earned an Associate Degree in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering Technology, before gaining her Master of Engineering Practice (Civil) in 2019. She also has RPEQ registration. The mother of two children Abby and Kurt with Herbert River district cane farmer husband Brenden enjoys spending time outdoors boating, fishing or swimming in the region’s freshwater creeks.

What have been your career highlights?

I have had the opportunity to be involved in various infrastructure projects throughout my career at HSC. One of my career highlights was in 2015 as the project manager for the Forrest Beach Security Project. The project consisted of 11 m of 250mm pipeline for a supplementary water supply for a beach community in the Hinchinbrook area. I was required to manage various aspects of the project including the design, construction management and community consultation. This project was a significant steppingstone in my career and helped me obtain my current role.

I am currently project managing the Palm Creek Culvert Crossing project (Dutton St), which is funded under the National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program. This is a $5.75 million project which will connect the north and south sections of Ingham during flooding. Construction phase will start in late 2021 and consist of major culvert crossing involving 44 cells of 3600mm wide RCBCs and link slabs ranging from 900mm to 3000mm tall. Each of the main culvert cells are 10.8m or 12m wide with an additional 3.6m wide driveway cell.

Do you have a particular mentor who has made a big impact on you and/or your career?

Having worked with many skilled engineers and managers at HSC, it is hard to pick just one mentor. However, Peter Martin, Council’s Utilities and Waste Manager, has dedicated 44 years to HSC and he took the time to mentor me for the first six years of my career at HSC. Council’s former Infrastructure Operations Manager, Jenna Devietti, has been an inspiration to me since I joined HSC in 2010. She completed her PhD while working and having a young family at home and juggling a management role at Council. She is an idol for any mother trying to juggle full-time work and a family. Lastly, James Stewart, Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Utility Services, has guided me through my career and given me opportunities to develop in my field. He is an example how working hard and applying yourself leads to success.

Baillies Road Culverts.

What has been the most valuable advice you’ve received?

One of my former CEO’s once said, ‘don’t worry until there is something to worry about’. For some reason that has always stuck with me.

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

Resourcing in local government in recent times has been very challenging. We have been having difficulty securing qualified staff particularly in our Design and Technical Services area. With limited funds available it makes it difficult to obtain staff with the necessary skills to continue the development of Council’s forward works planning and asset management. We’re

Kirks Bridge.

moving towards developing new staff through traineeships and cadetships to try to overcome the skills shortage. This itself can be resource intensive, but it is hoped that it will put Council in a better position in the years to come.

What common mistakes do new graduates tend to make when starting out in the industry?

Starting off in the industry can be overwhelming, especially when reality isn’t quite what was expected. Sometimes I find graduates can take on too much work in the hope of making a good impression. Knowing what to do is different to understanding what you have done, and this is something important for any graduate to remember.

What common misconception do others have about what you do when engineering solutions for communities?

I find that the community doesn’t always understand what planning goes into a project and they wonder why things take so long or question why it wasn’t done a certain way. Public consultation is an important part of any project to ensure the community understands the planning process.

What do you enjoy most about your job and the location in which you work?

The Hinchinbrook region is a beautiful part of the world, and I

Monica with her children at the opening of the Rotary Park.

wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. Working for HSC gives me the opportunity to contribute to the development of the region and I have a sense of pride when I see a project being enjoyed by the community. A great example of this is the most recent installation of a new playground in the town centre, where I was lucky enough to assist the project team in delivering the construction phase of the project.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

In five years from now, I can see myself staying within the local government sector. I’d like to expand on my knowledge in asset management and would hope to develop processes that will assist small communities in delivering effective asset management.

What inspired you to join IPWEAQ and what services are of most value to you?

IPWEAQ offers a range of training and resources that are relevant to the local government space. It helps bring together local government officers who are facing the same struggles via forums and conferences. The value gained by these resources is what inspired me to join IPWEAQ.

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Up to 9 CPD hours

Bridges and culverts form critical links in the infrastructure network and are vital for the economic prosperity and amenity of our communities. As our bridge and culvert infrastructure ages, critical issues such as asset integrity, asset capability and safety need to be managed in considered way that ensure capital and operational expenditure is optimised while maximising performance but still controlling the risks.

Join us for the inaugural IPWEAQ Bridge Management Symposium to learn from experienced practitioners addressing bridge management fundamentals, planning, design and construction of new assets, bridge operations and bridge maintenance and repair.

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN!

Program includes Dr Neal Lake, Dr Tim Heldt, Luke Gericke (TMR), Kieran Dibb (QRA) and more – see program