NQ Branch President’s Report

Glenda Kirk, NQ Branch President

A shout out firstly to our colleagues in the south-east and south-west - we know what you’re going through and acknowledge the efforts you are going to in keeping your communities safe. We wish you all the best in your recovery efforts and look forward to debriefing with you at the Annual Conference in Brisbane in October.

It is that time of year when we are all gearing up for our regional branches and this year, we have the addition of the inaugural NT Branch conference in Palmerston. We wish our colleagues in the Territory every success. These events are critical for sharing knowledge and experiences and networking with likeminded professionals who best understand the challenges of our roles.

The 2022 NQ Branch conference will be held in Mackay, 10-11 May at the Mackay Entertainment & Convention Centre. The Call for Papers has closed and the program will be announced shortly with registrations opening shortly thereafter. We hope to see most of our NQ councils in attendance. If you require any financial assistance, please contact the CEO, Leigh Cunningham.

It is worth noting that Gladstone Regional Council (GRC), hosts of the CQ Branch conference have registered 23 GRC team members for their regional branch conference – a record for any host council. Congratulations, Gladstone Regional Council for setting a new record and a challenge for the rest of us.

At this time of year, there are likely to be some training budgets to expend and for RPEQs and those wishing to attain RPEQ, CPD hours to attain, particularly given that CPD audits are underway. There are now a number of online and hybrid events available: • Road Safety Audits (16 CPD hours), 15-16 March • Street Design Manual for

Practitioners (8 CPD hours), 22 March • Pavement Rehabilitation workshop (8 CPD hours), 28 March or 4 April • Road Safety Forum (6 CPD hours), 7 April • Administration of Construction

Contracts (14 CPD hours), 9 May and 16 May (2 days) • Managing Risks on Lower Order

Roads (7 CPD hours), 26 May Also coming up 20-21 April in Brisbane, is the Asset Management Symposium. This is an opportunity to engage teams involved in the management of assets across all of your organisation as interdisciplinary collaboration on asset management is key to success. Last year’s event established the benchmark for ongoing conversations regarding best practices for Queensland and Northern Territory practitioners for the next decade. In preparation for this year’s event, please download the Guidelines developed last year.

And on a personal note, my husband and I are looking forward welcoming our second son into our family in April. I’ll be handing the reigns to Natasha Murray, our Branch Vice President for the Mackay conference but look forward to seeing everyone in Brisbane for the IPWEAQ 50-year celebrations at the Annual Conference.