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NT Chair’s Report
NT BRANCH CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
Peter McLinden, Director Member Services and Infrastructure, LGANT
I am pleased to present this inaugural NT Branch Chairman’s Report following the establishment of an IPWEAQ Branch in the NT earlier this year.
The inaugural meeting of the NT Branch committee was held 26 May 2021 with the following committee members confirmed: • Peter McLinden (Chair) • Gary Boyle (Co-Chair) • Brendan Pearce • Leigh Carnall • Usman Siddique • Nadine Nilon • Bernie O’Donnell
The NT Branch would like to acknowledge the administrative support and encouragement of IPWEA Queensland especially the CEO, Leigh Cunningham and her team. It is greatly appreciated by the committee. The first task for the newly formed committee after a briefing from Leigh was to identify possible dates for an inaugural NT Branch conference proposed for Palmerston in May 2022. A Call for Papers will be issued early 2022 and members and practitioners in the NT invited to submit an abstract to develop a program tailored and focussed on NT-specific issues and projects. The committee also identified training required for NT practitioners including a Supervisor’s program, traffic management, Lower Order Road Design and essential (soft) skills including communications, data management and effective decision making. An NT program is underway with a number of courses scheduled – see dates below.
NT practitioners with an interest in asset management are also invited to participate in the NAMS-Q Working Group. Contact David.Thompson@ipweaq.com, IPWEAQ’s Industry Engagement Manager if you would like to participate. And calling any recent graduates within five years of graduation who would like to take up the challenge of being an Ambassador for our sector. For more information on the Ambassador program including benefits, roles and responsibilities, please contact Melissa.Bradley@ipweaq.com. I am delighted to see articles and news reports in this issue of Engineering for Public Works featuring NT projects and issues including: • Artificial reef structures in the
NT: creating sustainable fishing opportunities for Territorians and tourists – see page 75 • COVID-19 wastewater testing in the NT. How it works and why it’s important - see page 72
And we are delighted to have an NT project featured in the 2022 Every Community Needs an Engineer calendar, launching at the Annual Conference in Cairns.
I invite colleagues involved in public works in the NT to register for the IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held in Cairns, 12-14 October. A 10% discount is available for anyone based in the NT to encourage you to become a part of the wider community. Contact Monica.Robertson@ ipweaq.com for the discount code.
If you would like to join the NT Branch, please contact Melissa who will be happy to assist. Members receive discounts of at least $300 for every conference, workshop, event or publication. For the IPWEAQ Annual Conference, the member discount is $500. Thank you for the opportunity to play a role in the formation of the inaugural NT Branch as the inaugural Chair. I look forward to seeing the branch grow and develop over the coming years.
Upcoming PD:
Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2
Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3
Darwin 31 August 2021
Darwin 1-3 September 2021
Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design
Sprayed Bitumen
Darwin 3 September 2021
Darwin 28 September 2021
Supervisors Workshop
Darwin 1-2 December 2021
Managing Risks on Lower Order Roads
