EPW June 2018

F E AT U RE AR T IC L E MEMBER NEWS BI G Q U E S T I O N S S U S TA I N A BI L I T Y

THE GOLD COAST’S GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE

MEMBER PROFILE: TOM BRADSHAW

BRIDGE ASSET MANAGEMENT

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

The Games showcased some amazing athletic feats – and the seven year marathon run by the City of Gold Coast was also an epic journey. p.10

Meet Tom Bradshaw, a specialist water infrastructure engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the public sector and private consulting firms. p.18

Bridge asset management can feel like a fire fighting exercise.

ARRB asks, is it time to consider the issue from a different perspective? p.24

Over the next 10 years, the forecasted replacement cost of local government infrastructure assets is expected to grow by 18.6%. p.59

ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS

ISSUE No.10

www.ipweaq.com

PARTNERS

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Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

SUBSCRIBERS

PUBLIC WORKS TECHNICAL SUBSCRIPTION

Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

CONTENTS ENGINEERING FOR PUBLIC WORKS | JUNE 2018

»»Feature Articles: »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»

The Gold Coast’s Gold Medal Performance .............................. p 10 Big Questions: Bridge Asset Management ................................. p 26 Industry Update: Where the Rubber Hits the Road ................. p 36 SWQ Best Paper: Safety and Freight on the NEH ...................... p 42 Mayoral Message: Graeme Schue, Goondiwindi ........................ p 44 NQ Best Paper: Technology Tried and Tested ........................... p 52 Sustainability: Long-term Financial Sustainability in LG ...... p 60 Management: How to Set New Managers Up for Success ....... p 70

»»Community News: »» »» »» »»

What’s Up?: Calendar ..................................................................... p 9 Member Profile: Tom Bradshaw ................................................. p 18 Emerging Leader: Ashlee Adams ................................................ p 20 IPWEAQ Ambassador: Joshua Flanders ...................................... p 30

»»Branch News: »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»

SWQ President’s Report ............................................................... p 39 SWQ Branch Conference .............................................................. p 40 NQ President’s Report .................................................................. p 46 NQ Branch Conference ................................................................ p 48 CQ President’s Report................................................................... p 56 CQ Branch Conference News ....................................................... p 54 Branch Portfolios Update .......................................................... p 58 SEQ President’s Report................................................................. p 64 SEQ Branch News .......................................................................... p 65

EDITOR’S NOTE: Welcome to the mid-year issue of Engineering for Public Works (EPW). A quick flick through the journal will confirm what we already know – this is an incredibly busy time of year for almost everyone!

In this issue you will find a great deal of information on recent and upcoming IPWEAQ conferences and events. And in addition to all this activity, we have been busy ensuring renewals for membership, Public Works Technical Subscription (PWTS) and ADAC are processed in a timely manner – with EOFY on approach!

While the path of our year, our focus and priorities can be seen clearly throughout the following pages, I’d like to draw your attention to our feature article, Gold Coast’s Gold Medal Performance on page 10. Alton Twine, Director City Infrastructure at the City of Gold Coast, takes a retrospective look at the massive works undertaken as part of the preparation for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

»»IPWEAQ updates:

This is extremely timely for us as we’re now in the run up to the 2018 IPWEAQ annual conference, which will be held at Surfers Paradise later this year. Please bookmark this article and review again before the conference as you’re sure to have some great questions for Alton and his team in October.

»»QLDWATER NEWS

We have also launched the associated 2018 IPWEAQ Excellence Awards which recognise best practice and innovation in public works and you can find more information on page 59.

I encourage you to consider the contributions you and your colleagues have made to the sector, it’s value to our community and potential merit as part of the IPWEAQ awards program.

»» »» »» »» »» »»

President’s Report ......................................................................... p 6 CEO’s Report .................................................................................. p 69 Portfolio Report: Technical Products ..................................... p 72 Portfolio Report: Knowledge Centre ........................................ p 77 Portfolio Report: Professional Development ......................... p 78 Meet the team ............................................................................... P 86

»» CEO’s Report................................................................................... p 80 »» Building Bridges to Successful Community Engagement ....... p 82 »» qldwater News ............................................................................. p 81 Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

Belinda Smith Editor

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

IPWEAQ Membership Join us today!

Why become a member?

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

Member benefits:

Regular updates on developments and issues impacting your career through our quarterly e-journal, Engineering for Public Works and e-newsletter, Connect

Discounts for our highly-regarded professional development program

Discounts for our must-attend conferences and events

Discounts on IPWEAQs leading-edge technical products and publications

MEMBERSHIP FEES 2018-19

Access to industry-specific content in our Knowledge Centre

Opportunities to contribute to our renowned technical Working Groups which deliver solutions that benefit Queensland communities

We represent your interests to government ensuring your voice is heard

Who can become a member?

Membership of IPWEAQ is open to anyone actively involved in the delivery of public works and services in Queensland including technical officers, supervisors, fleet managers, project managers, finance and HR professionals, councillors and consultants.

Annual $280 plus GST Members under age 35 $170 plus GST

Our Young IPWEAQ program offers opportunities for those in the early phases of their careers, to acquire the knowledge, skills and support required to advance in the sector.

APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.IPWEAQ.COM/MEMBERSHIP For enquiries, please contact Katrina Strathearn, Membership Manager 07 3632 6807 | katrina.strathearn@ipweaq.com

  

Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

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president’s Report It has been a busy start to the year with a lot happening in our sector and with IPWEAQ. The proposed new Street Design & Planning Manual (SPDM) is gathering momentum with the adoption of the governance model that will now take this project forward. I’m pleased to assume the role of Chair of the SPDM Steering Committee following on from the great work done by Ged Brennan getting us through the developing phase and everyone on the original Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee comprises representatives from IPWEAQ, the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, LGAQ, the Planning Institute Australia and UDIAQ with the first meeting of the newlyformed Steering Committee being held 4 June 2018.

Two Working Groups – one for Planning and one for Design & Standards – will be responsible for the development of the chapters and supporting technical drawings for the 10 precincts to be covered in the SPDM. We expect to officially launch the manual at the IPWEAQ annual conference to be held in Brisbane, October 2019. In the meantime, there is a lot of work to be done and this major initiative requires funding which we hope will come from various sources and stakeholders with a vested interest

Raising funds for MS Qld at the NQ Conference in Cairns.

in the outcome. This process begins with the development of the business case and that is where we need your help. We would like to hear your views and anecdotal evidence as to why this new publication is desperately needed for our sector. How do you see the new SPDM benefiting your council and planning departments and importantly, our communities?

If you would like to be involved on either Working Group, please contact our Project Manager, Trevor Parminter. A huge thank you to those whose expertise has contributed to the development of the manual to date, in particular John Derbyshire whose work on the initial review and drafting the structure of the manual has been extraordinary.

I’ve had the privilege as the IPWEAQ President to travel to Goondiwindi and Cairns to

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attend the SWQ and NQ Branch conferences both of which were a huge success with excellent representation from members in the regions. Both delivered an exceptional quality program offering unbeatable value for money for CPD hours, not to mention the immeasurable value we all place on catching up with our colleagues a couple of times a year. We say it regularly but it needs to be said – the contribution made to these events by our Partners, exhibitors and sponsors is critical to their success.

Unfortunately, I will be attending the IPWEA NZ conference in Dunedin this month and will miss the Barcaldine conference 13-15 June hosted by George Bourne & Associates (GBA Consulting Engineers) which I have no doubt will similarly be a great success.

You can read more about GBA on page 54.

7 STEERING COMMITTEE Ged Brennan (Chair) Managing Director, GenEng Solutions, IPWEAQ Past President Andrew Ryan (Deputy Chair) Principal, Sabre Consulting, IPWEAQ Board member John Derbyshire Retired Local Government and Development Engineer

Fun and fundraising for MS Qld at the SWQ Branch Conference Goondiwindi.

As you would be aware, I have chosen MS Queensland (MSQ) as the President’s Charity for my term and I am extremely grateful to the efforts of delegates, the SWQ Branch and Goondiwindi Regional Council for generating a record $5,395 for MSQ! Much of this was from the charity auction conducted by the mayor, Councillor Graeme Scheu with the major prize going to Sean Rice at Proterra for $2,000.

A huge thank you also to SMK Consultants who sponsored the charity auction for $2,000 to cover the cost of the prizes.

We are continuing to work closely with the QRA on NDRRA funding reforms with representatives from QRA presenting at all our branch conferences and the IPWEAQ annual conference to be held at The Marriott, Surfers Paradise, 10-12 October 2018. We were afforded an opportunity to review the proposed reforms, in particular the QRA Treatment Guide and

have provided commentary. Once finalised, we hope to be in a position to endorse these reforms.

Thank you to our members who assisted me with this review – that is the great value of our IPWEAQ community and how we each can contribute to beneficial changes for our sector.

Another major project in development is the native title portal which we hope to launch at the IPWEAQ annual conference at The Marriott in October. This initiative aims to assist councils reduce the significant risks of ‘future acts’ and the compensation levels awarded in a recent case in the Northern Territory.

As always, if you have any thoughts or ideas on the progress of our Institute, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Seren McKenzie President

Steve Conner Executive Director, Development Assessment Division Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Peter Smith Executive, Department Local Government, Racing & Multicultural Affairs Mark Wyer Senior Engineer, Calibre Consulting Stuart Doyle Director and Civil Engineer, RMA Engineers Craig Young Manager Civil Asset Management, Sunshine Coast Regional Council Greg Penhaligon Local Government and Consultant Civil Engineer, GHD Tony McDonald Senior Project Manager, Harrison Infrastructure Group Brad Carey Coordinator of Development Assessment, Sunshine Coast Regional Peter Richards Director, Deicke Richards (design practice) Andrew Beecroft Senior Engineer Pavement Technology, ARRB Stephen Cullinan Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads Victor Mantilla Engineering Design Services Coordinator, Sunshine Coast Council Candy Rosmarin Parks Design Coordinator, Parks Branch, Logan City Council Stephen Bowers UDIAQ & Project Director, The Avenues of Highfield Sean Sandford UDIAQ (alternate) & Managing Director, SCG Urban Leigh Cunningham Chief Executive Officer, IPWEAQ Ross Guppy Director, Technical Products, IPWEAQ

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Partner Program ANNUAL CONFERENCE

One booth and priority allocation for position before non-Partner exhibitors. (value $4,000).

BRANCH CONFERENCES

Opportunity to exhibit at up to four branch conferences. Note: due to the size of some regional venues, it may not be possible to accommodate all Partners at each event.

If we are unable to offer a trade display, we will ensure you still have a presence as a sponsor/Chair of a session or in some other way. Priority will be given to Principal Partners (guaranteed) then Partners before non-Partner exhibitors.

Upgrade to Principal Partner for greater exposure...

plus O pportunity to host a Tech Tour for the SEQ Technical Series - due to limited opportunities, this is exclusive to IPWEAQ Partners.

D iscounted rates to purchase IPWEAQ technical products including Standard Drawings, Complete Streets, QUDM etc.

T wo delegate registrations to the IPWEAQ annual conference including access to the conference proceedings (podcasts) (value up to $3,600).

Y our employees may attend IPWEAQ events at member rates including the IPWEAQ annual conference and branch conferences.

T wo delegate registrations for each branch conference per financial year (value up to $2,800).

Y our 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.

Y our logo on our website linked to your website.

 1 0% 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.

Y our logo on our conference websites and our conference App linked to your website.

A double booth and priority position at our annual conference and a guaranteed trade display at branch conferences. B randing/sponsorship of an excellence award including your logo on the trophy and presentation of the award on stage. C hair a stream or plenary session at the IPWEAQ annual conference. T able for 10 at our annual excellence awards gala dinner. B randing of the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre with banner.

O ur IPWEAQ Partner logo for use on your website, marketing collateral etc.

O ne-half page advertorial in any issue of Engineering for Public Works.

W e invite you to share your content on our social media platforms including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Y our logo in a prominent position on our website linked to your website.

Partner | $7,700 (plus GST) | Value $12,000

$12,800 (plus GST) Value $22,000

IPWEAQ PARTNER PROGRAM

Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

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calendar

OCTOBER

Flexible Pavement Design Principles & Practice Brisbane, 9-10 October 2018 Mechanistic Pavement Design CIRCLY Brisbane, 11 October 2018

CQ Branch Conference 2018 Barcaldine, 14-16 June

IPWEAQ Annual Conference Gold Coast, 10-12 October 2018

conference, hosted This year's CQ branch sociates will

by George Bourne & As projects including showcase a number of Barcaldine Solar a Technical Tour at the Farm. es what promises The program also includ morable dinner at to be a unique and me Memorial. the Tree of Knowledge

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2 - Intermediate Training (CPD hours: 8) Townsville, 17 October 2018 Brisbane, 24 October 2018

NOVEMBER

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2 - Intermediate Training (CPD hours: 8) Darwin, 5 November 2018

nsport Accommodation and public tra ss out. Register options are limited. Don't mi and book now!

JUNE

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2 - Intermediate Training (CPD hours: 8) Brisbane, 13 June 2018 SEQ Tech Tour: Komatsu, Wacol Facility Tour Brisbane, 20 June 2018 Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3 - Advanced Training (CPD hours: 16) Brisbane, 19-21 June 2018 Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design Course Brisbane, 21 June 2018

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3 - Advanced Training (CPD hours: 16) Darwin, 6-8 November 2018

Queensland Urban Drainage Manual Workshop (CPD hours: 7) Brisbane, 28 June 2018

JULY

Queensland Urban Drainage Manual Workshop (CPD hours:7) Gladstone, 25 July 2018

AUGUST

Australian Engineering Week National, 3-11 August 2018

SEPTEMBER

International Women in Engineering Day International, 23 June 2018

Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3 - Advanced Training (CPD hours: 16) Brisbane, 11-13 September 2018

Bridge Inspection Levels 1 & 2 Workshop (CPD hours:18) Townsville, 26-28 June 2018

Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design Course Brisbane, 13 September 2018

Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design Course Darwin, 8 November 2018 International GIS Day International, 14 November 2018 Erosion and Sediment Control Level 3 - Advanced Training (CPD hours: 16) Brisbane, 27-29 November 2018 Type A, B & D Sediment Basin Design Course Brisbane, 29 November 2018 Find out how you can maximise your team’s capabilities and your training budget with IPWEAQ’s EOFY professional development packages. More information on page 62.

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THE GOLD COAST’S GOLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE

FEATURE ARTICLE

Commonwealth Games race underway on Currumbin Road.

Alton Twine Director City Infrastructure, City of Gold Coast While the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (Games) showcased some truly amazing athletic feats, the seven year marathon run by the City of Gold Coast (City) was in itself one epic journey.

And like any long distance event – we trained, we paced ourselves,

made tough and strategic decisions at the beginning to ensure positive outcomes at the end and then we sprinted to the finish line when it really counted.

From my perspective when the curtain fell on the Games on April 15, it was pretty clear that as a City we had run a near perfect race.

But the truth is that we haven’t stopped running.

Our focus is, and always has been, the future of our city.

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The planning The City played a key role in ensuring the Games was a huge success.

Whilst the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (GOLDOC) and the Queensland Government oversaw the successful delivery of the sporting event itself, we had to deliver a city ready to host the biggest event it had ever seen.

This phase of the journey was significant and all Games partners

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were determined to capitalise on the opportunities this event would bring, both before, during and after the event.

With an estimated viewing audience of 1.5 billion people we knew we had to get this right. We needed the world to see our city at its stunning best, the visitors had to be able to get around, the athletes needed world class facilities and our residents had to be proud of what we delivered.

Infrastructure projects were critical to the success of the Games, while also strengthening our position as a true event city. We had to ensure the right projects were delivered in the right place and fully fit for purpose. Across different levels of government, this task required careful planning and unparalleled level of co-ordination with our partner agencies, particularly the Department of Transport and Main Roads, with whom the City has forged an excellent working relationship.

Everything has been built with the future in mind. The venues were designed for our residents and built where our local community needed them. Transport upgrades have been constructed across the City, based on years of careful planning and traffic modelling.

In total, $13.5 billion in major infrastructure projects were delivered including $1 billion worth of transport infrastructure upgrades. Some of the key projects included:  14 km of active transport infrastructure  stage two of the Gold Coast Light Rail  intersection upgrades at key locations across the network

The Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre and the iconic Gold Coast skyline.

 $42 million upgrade to the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre  $105 million Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre  $16.5 million upgrade to the Gold Coast Hockey Centre  $40 million Coomera Indoor Sports Centre  $4.95 million upgrade to the Broadbeach Bowls Club.

But the venues and major infrastructure were only one element - we had a massive task ahead.

In particular, our City team: resurfaced roads, fast tracked disability access upgrades, upgraded signage, prepared residents and businesses for the Games-time changes, undertook beach nourishment programs, focused on arts and culture, dressed city areas that would be on show and ensured that every day of the games, our city was sparkling.

And all of this on top of our business as usual deliverables that

kept the city ticking along over the past seven years. This included around $20 million of repair works after ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie caused widespread damage in 2017.

Our people So it’s safe to say that every City employee was involved in preparing for the Games in one way or another.

And we couldn’t have been prouder of their contributions.

We had staff involved in every aspect of the Games from planning and delivery of infrastructure, Games-time operations and precinct roles, city presentation, visitor information and venue maintenance. Significant effort was invested in strengthening partnerships with our fellow agencies in the state government and creating new ways of working collaboratively. Involvement of cross-agency staff in our respective operational control centres was a great example of this.

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While our City staff brought expertise to the table, in some cases, we needed to engage specialists for expertise in Gamesspecific aspects including travel demand management, Gamestime operations and international media engagement.

Each of these people brought with them experience in largescale event delivery such as the Olympics and other Commonwealth Games. Many of these people are now chasing their next big event in other parts of the world but they left our staff with a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help set us in good stead for future events.

'Get set for the games' cycling campaign urged locals to think about how they travel.

Traffic and transport.

Traffic and transport is a large program of works as the Gold Coast is a fast growing and multicentred city with a complex traffic network.

utilising this means of transport to get to venues and festival activities across the coast for the Games and will form an intergral part of our active transport offerings beyond.

In the lead up we delivered more than $100 million in one financial year in transport upgrades to accommodate capacity during the Games and future growth.

This included more than $23 million worth of shared path upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists, creating links to key city areas and event venues.

Significant attention was paid to improve the coordination of the traffic network and with the second stage of the Gold Coast Light Rail system finished in the months leading up to the Games, the network has never worked so well.

The City has also worked with the private sector to introduce a bike share service in time for the Games. The service has seen around 20,000 registered users

Business engagement This outcome was in no small part due to the City’s Travel Advice for Business Program which helped businesses prepare and understand the logistical challenges the Games would bring.

The team collaborated with more than 7,000 key businesses across the Gold Coast, from Brisbane to Northern New South Wales and helped them plan ahead for the Games. The program reached more than 150,000 employees through one-on-one engagement and workshop attendance.

The team undertook the following in the lead up to the Games:  215 Travel Advice for Business workshops across 35 industries  1,000 online workshops completed

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 200+ customised Travel Action Plans  engaged with more than 70 peak body organisations representing more than 300,000 members across South East Queensland.

This travel demand management program was critical to the successful operation of our transport network at Games time. The network performed seamlessly and this was thanks to our business community planning ahead and making changes to the way they travel.

Our transport network carried more people than ever before over the eleven days of competition.

We saw people using different routes, travelling at different times and using different modes. This was all thanks to many years of planning and engagement.

Games time Peak hour traffic barely existed during the Games-time period and it was amazing to see Gold

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Currumbin oceanway construction works included infrastructure improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

Coasters embracing public transport like never before. They really wanted to do whatever they could to help us deliver the best Games ever.  A total of more than 7 million estimated trips were taken from 4 April -15 April.  More than 5.5 million of those were made on the public transport network - record passenger numbers.  The Pacific Motorway (M1) at Coomera River saw an increase in the total volume of cars. compared with the average for a school holiday period.  Transport services were boosted with 24/7 operations on heavy

rail and light rail.  The increased services, seamless connections and free transport for ticketed spectators helped deliver a record number of journeys on the public transport network.  G:link was one of the star performers of the Games with light rail carrying more than 1.1 million passengers.  The G:link service was carrying close to 100,000 passengers per day which is over three times the daily average.  The Surfside bus network delivered across the length and breadth of the Gold Coast carried out more than 2.3

million passenger journeys.  Our new bike share scheme was used for more than 8,000 Games-time trips.  M1 and local road network exceeded expectations, with limited congestion for athletes, officials and spectators travelling during the Games.

Apart from the massive effort to prepare venues and transport routes, our City Maintenance staff deserve special mention for the huge effort spent keeping the City looking sparkling during the Games – no easy task given the increased number of visitors to the City.

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The Way Ahead There is no doubt that the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games has been a successful event in its own right as a prime international sporting event, as well as for

the host, City of Gold Coast. The images beamed around the world had not only great coverage of the events, but showcased the Gold Coast as the unique and vibrant city that it is.

Nerang-Broadbeach road shared path upgrade underway.

Surf Parade and Margaret Avenue intersection upgrade.

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We are proud of our achievements in presenting the Gold Coast as a world class host city for major events and a place that our Games visitors would want to come back to and enjoy. We hope that the legacy of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games will not be simplified to sporting venues and infrastructure improvements but just the beginning for the city as a tourist and event destination. As many of our international visitors said “If you’ve never heard of the Gold Coast before, you have now!”

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

GETTING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WITH CONSISTENT DATA ASSET DESIGN AS CONSTRUCTED

TRANSFORMS BUSINESS Consortium Members: • Brisbane City Council • Bundaberg Regional Council • City of Charles Sturt • City of Gold Coast • Gladstone Regional Council • Gympie Regional Council • Lockyer Valley Regional Council

• Logan City Council • Mackay Regional Council • Moreton Bay Regional Council • Queensland Urban Utilities • Redland City Council • Rockhampton Regional Council • SA Water • Scenic Rim Regional Council

• Sunshine Coast Council • Toowoomba Regional Council • Tweed Shire Council • Unity Water • Whitsunday Regional Council

ADAC Vendors

ADAC Implementation Partners

• 12d Solutions • Keays Software •S ofoco Pty Ltd plus Duprez Construction Services Pty Ltd (ADACX)

• Lion Systems • Door 3 Consulting

ADAC (Asset Design as Constructed) is a non-proprietary data specification and transport format (XML) for the description and transmission of asset design and as constructed data.

Incorrect, missing or redundant data can cause your organisation significant time delays and money. ADAC is a strategic solution through quality data capture and management for government and utilities.

ADAC is available for asset owners at no cost, however we encourage you to become a member of the ADAC consortium. Benefits of membership include the ability to influence the ongoing development, governance and expansion of the specification. Consortium members also receive access to documents, tools and materials developed to support ADAC implementation and an opportunity to shape the strategic direction of ADAC in conjunction with BIM. We have a panel of ADAC vendors and implementation partners which have been screened to ensure they possess the capabilities required to implement ADAC and to assist you with ongoing support.

Contact: Ross Guppy Ross.Guppy@ipweaq.com | Phone: 3632 6804

   www.ipweaq.com Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

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Welcome to New Members

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Michael Abbott-jard Kurt Baker Matthew Brennan Adam Broit Michelle Burchett Darren Carlson Natalie Chapman Jeremy Cox Heidi Day Gary Everson

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

John Falconer Joshua Flanders Steve Goodall Glen Grohn Edwin Hamill Chris Hewitt David Holstein Misti Hood-Gelman Aaron Jemeljanovs Shane Kidd

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Paul Meredith Ajay More Simon O'Brien Mark Poynter Geoff Rintoul David Ryan Luke Rytenskild Michael Saunders Daniel Schimke David Sexton

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Kieran Shirey Melissa Stark Tim Stenner Matthew Stephenson Andrew Suddards Bradley Thompson Edward Turner Peter Van Esseveld David Voss

Membership is open to anyone actively engaged in the delivery of public works and services in Queensland.

Join now www.ipweaq.com/membership

Welcome!

A very warm IPWEAQ welcome to our 750th member, Michael Abbott-Jard, Transport Planner at Logan City Council.

Michael practices in the transport planning and engineering sector specialising in public and active transport as well as strategic policy and planning.

Michael has significant experience in public transport engineering, in both the public and private sectors, including operational and infrastructure planning and design. He has 20 years’ of global experience in a wide range of consultancy environments.

Michael discovered his passion for project management while studying civil engineering and completed a Masters of Project Management at QUT, in addition to his Batchelor of Engineering (B.E), Civil Engineering, Hons.

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It’s time to renew your IPWEAQ membership Renew now to secure your membership for the 2018-19 financial year.

If you renew your membership before 30 June 2018, you will go into the draw to win a free registration to the 2018 IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held at The Marriott Surfers Paradise from 10 – 12 October, worth $1,500.

As a valued member, you receive discounts of between 20-40% off the standard rate on all IPWEAQ training, conferences and technical products. Attending just one course will offer you a discount greater than the price of your annual membership.

Keep an eye on your inbox for your membership renewals email and renew via our online membership portal, over the phone, or set up a direct debit.

For assistance and enquiries, please contact our Membership Manager Katrina Strathearn on 07 3632 6807 or Katrina.Strathearn@ipweaq.com

Take the hassle out of membership renewal with direct debit Simply fill out one form and permanently tick an item off your to do list.  You’ll never miss out on valuable membership benefits  Receipts are automatically emailed to you  Renewals paid via direct debit receive a 10% discount

DOWNLOAD THE DIRECT DEBIT FORM

Download the direct debit form from www.ipweaq.com/ members-direct-debit-form or request a copy via email from Katrina.Strathearn@ipweaq.com

Why be a member?  Regular updates on developments and issues

impacting you in your career through Engineering for Public Works and our e-newsletter, Connect  Discounts for our must-attend conferences and events  Discounts for our highly-regarded professional

development program  Discounts on IPWEAQs leading-edge technical

products and publications  Access to industry-specific content in our Knowledge

Centre  We represent your interests to government ensuring

your voice is heard.  Opportunities to contribute to our renowned

technical Working Groups that have delivered solutions that benefit Queensland communities.

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IPWEAQ member:

TOM BRADSHAW

MEMBER PROFILE

Tom Bradshaw is a specialist water infrastructure engineer with over 21 years’ experience in infrastructure planning and design, asset and project management, operations, development assessment and the construction industry.

During his career, Tom has worked for consulting engineering firms as well as for municipal and local government.

Tom recently spoke to Engineering for Public Works (EPW) talking about his personal career path,

and both the challenges faced and satisfaction received from a career in public works engineering.

EPW: Please tell us about yourself and what makes you tick.

Tom: I was born and raised in Townsville, North Queensland, where I completed my Bachelor of Engineering with Honours at James Cook University. For most of my career I’ve worked in the water industry, mainly in the implementation of major water supply infrastructure for

Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

municipal authorities and private industry. I’m driven by the sense of achievement when a major project I’m involved in is brought to life.

My son is currently a first year engineering student at university so I’m also enjoying passing on my knowledge to him.

EPW: Where has your career taken you?

Tom: I’ve been fortunate enough to attend two study tours to Europe during my career, one of which was the very first fellowship offered by the IPWEA in 2006. I

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was absolutely stoked to be the recipient and recommend my fellow IPWEAites apply for it.

I started out as a graduate engineer in Townsville with GHD in 1994 and now run my own business — BBD Water Engineering. In between I’ve worked with the likes of SKM (8 years), John Wilson and Partners (6 years) and TRILITY (4 years) and also had a taste of local government (2 years) early on in my career. Council life provided me with some solid practical skills in the water industry as well as some valued friendships and contacts. From a professional development perspective, the years working with TRILITY at the Douglas water treatment plant were a highlight but nothing beats starting my own business.

At first, thinking about the risk of a self-managed business versus the comfort of receiving a regular pay cheque as a consultant at a major consulting firm was a bit nerve-wracking. But thanks to some advice and support from a colleague and close friend of mine I managed to grab myself by the scruff of the neck and sneak a few nice project commissions and create a few client contacts. Since the initial stages of setting up the business in April 2015, my clients have supported me, for which I’m greatly appreciative. It’s rewarding being your own boss and making the decisions that impact on the development of your own business.

EPW: What challenges have you faced that have been similar to or different from having worked for both consulting engineering firms as well as for municipal and local government authorities?

Tom: I recall on many occasions working with consulting firms being frustrated as to what I could do and achieve in my role as an employee and being knocked back when I asked to do something that was not within the ‘business as usual’ model. I look back upon these times as a lesson learnt exercise and think now if I make the decision to do something, I wear the consequences if it goes pear-shaped.

In regard to local government and thinking outside the square the usual response was ‘you need to weigh up the outcome against the possibility that your solution may not be in the best interests of the community that you provide a service to’. This I could understand at the time and I became somewhat reserved in what I actually asked for. I currently attend most, if not all, of my Queensland-based IPWEA conferences and regularly ask my fellow members if it’s still the case that staff who are wanting to progress are still hindered by the community-orientated approach to engineering. The feedback is generally mixed. Some of the regional organisations are hindered by the level of funding available, which is understandable, and you need to make do with what can be afforded.

EPW: What do you find most satisfying about working as an engineer in public works?

Tom: The broad range of opportunities for engineers. In my field, I get to see projects whereby water is transformed from a disease-ridden and dirty state to a standard that’s fit for human consumption. When I see my input into projects of this nature producing the desired outcome for my client it’s a real motivator.

EPW: What advice would you give public works engineers early in their career?

Tom: Get a taste of what the various engineering industries have to offer and don’t take the first job that comes up just because it pays well. What you do early in your career generally can’t be reversed so make sure you get it right the first time.

EPW: What do you appreciate most about your involvement with IPWEA? Tom: The opportunities on offer and the fact IPWEA is always coming up with ideas that generate interest in industry and make you look forward to the next event.

EPW: Any other wise words to share?

Tom: There’s no age limit on changing or learning. The old saying that you can never teach an old dog new tricks is a myth.

Tom Bradshaw Qualifications: 

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B achelor of Engineering (Civil Engineering – Hons), JCU 1994 R egistered Professional Engineer, Qld – RPEQ 13409 M ember of Engineers Australia – MIE Aust.

C hartered Professional Engineer, Australia – CP Eng (Aust.)

N ational Professional Engineer Register Australia – NPER H azardous Areas and Confined Space Accredited, 2014

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emerging leader SERIES:

ashlee adams

MEMBER PROFILE

We’re pleased to introduce our latest Emerging Leader, Ashlee Adams. Ashlee is Principal Project Manager - Project Services at Toowoomba Regional Council, YIPWEAQ Deputy Chair and CQ branch representative for the Membership portfolio.

Ashlee spoke with Engineering for Public Works (EPW) recently, taking the time to answer a few questions and we’re pleased to share the interview with our readers.

EPW: Please tell us about yourself, where you’re from, your interests and what makes you tick.

Ashlee: I guess I would say I’m a pretty happy go lucky type of person, but also a perfectionist and highly self-critical. I love to travel, exploring new places and cultures. There’s nothing like waking up in a foreign place knowing that everything you do and see that day will be completely new. My other interests include collecting vinyl records, listening to music, hiking, riding my motorbike and spending quality time with my family and friends. Professionally, what makes me tick is doing things in a new and different way that pushes boundaries or challenges mindsets. It is the best way for us as professionals to develop along with the organizations we work for.

Ashlee’s passion project: Toowoomba City Hall Auditorium and Annex.

EPW: Please summarise your career to date.

Ashlee: I’m not your typical engineer, I’m one that loves old buildings, architecture and taking something old and giving it new life. I very nearly chose to do an architecture degree instead of Civil Engineering. But I’m very glad I chose this path.

My career started at GHD as an undergraduate. Upon finishing my degree I stayed on full time and worked as a project engineer on the Oakey Army Aviation

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MRH upgrade project. It was very much a case of sink or swim. The project was in construction phase delivering four new buildings and four new hangars in preparation for the arrival of the MRH Helicopter. The design had been undertaken across several offices so my role was to coordinate RFI responses between all of them, attend the site meetings and on occasion undertake an inspection role. It was the best start to my career I could’ve asked for, although it certainly didn’t feel that way at the time.

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Also whilst at GHD I worked on the Toowoomba Aerodrome runway extension, BHP Cannington Mine Tailings Dam Wall Lift and Lake Vermont Mine new workshop projects. But my last role there was a secondment to the Queensland Reconstruction Authority as a Value for Money Assessor. I enjoyed this role and it gave direct contact with numerous Councils across the state so I began to understand how local governments operate. I was in that role for 18 months before taking up a position at Toowoomba Regional Council as an Engineer in the Project Services Branch.

Since joining Council I have advanced from Engineer, to Project Manager and now to Principal Project Manager within the same branch I originally joined. That equated to a step up in roles roughly every 12-18 months. I am very grateful for the opportunities those advancements have given me. I now get to work on the cool old buildings I love so much.

EPW: What are you looking to achieve in your role?

Ashlee: As a Principal Project Manager I look after a portfolio of building projects ranging from $20,000 to $10 million and have a team of two delivering them with me. In my role, I’d like to improve the way we deliver building projects within council through process improvements, learning from and implementing changes from lessons learned and by engaging with those in the industry that already do this work well.

EPW: What’s been your most significant career highlight to date?

Ashlee: For me it’s the City Hall Project. I guess the most memorable moment, was when we first turned the external lights on.

Ashlee in the field.

It was the Thursday evening before Carnival of Flowers and we met on site as the sun was setting to light up the new arbour and facade.

It was one of those magical moments when the lights went on. Even though we were a few months away from full completion, it felt like we were building something truly special.

It sat dormant for quite some time. An initial concept for a redevelopment was drafted in 2010 but again the budget was not available. The concept was revisited in 2015, refined, recosted and we were very lucky to be given the budget. So then it was pretty much, all hands on deck, let’s get this thing delivered.

EPW: Can you tell us a bit about your work on the Toowoomba City Hall Auditorium and Annex Project?

Ashlee: The City Hall project was really a career making one for me in terms of showing my capability in the buildings space and also in project management.

Toowoomba’s City Hall had a theatre in the western section that was closed in 2001 as it didn’t meet access requirements and council unfortunately didn’t have the funds to be able to upgrade the compliance level.

The project involved refurbishing the theatre which was configured with raked theatre seating, a canteen under the seating area accessed via the foyer and fire escape stair out to the west onto the car park. The refurbishment works involved removing the theatre seating and returning the space back to a flat floor auditorium with a stage and a mezzanine level.

When the hall was originally built in 1900 it was a hall rather than a theatre and so we were returning a historical element but in a modern way. We chose however to return the finishes to the 1930s era of

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redevelopment as there was a good portion of heritage fabric from that era still tucked away behind the 1970s finishes.

As with any renovation project, the construction phase threw up a few surprises and we had to be adaptive and agile in our response to those. The internal TRC team did a great job and the contractor was very collaborative in their approach to the work. Although we ran over time we did come in under budget which was a great achievement for undertaking work on a heritage building of that age.

EPW: What do you find most satisfying about working as an engineer in public works?

Ashlee: I really like knowing that the projects we work on and the infrastructure we deliver gives a benefit to our community. The community we live in. With my project in particular, it is really fantastic to be able to see the community use those assets and enjoy them. It makes it feel as though all the hard work has paid off.

EPW: Are there any specific challenges for young people working in public works engineering and what do you think could be done to address those?

Ashlee: I have found that public works engineering has stereotypically been an area in which a bit of grey hair earns you a lot of respect. I find that the younger you are the more you have to make an effort to prove your abilities, which can be difficult without guidance. So I think mentoring within the industry and within each council would go a long way to helping improve this.

EPW: What would be the one piece of advice you would give to other young people considering careers in engineering and public works?

Ashlee: I would definitely say give it a go. It is a rewarding sector to work in and the opportunities are varied and diverse. Also, the more opportunities you put your hand up for, the more you will learn and grow and that is the best thing you

can do for yourself to build a solid foundation for your career.

EPW: Can you tell us a little bit about your role as an IPWEAQ SWQ Branch committee member?

Ashlee: I have only been involved on the Branch Committee for a short time now but I look after the Young IPWEAQ and Membership portfolios. So I talk to potential new members about the benefits of joining IPWEAQ and I also look at opportunities to help our young members to get involved.

EPW: What do you appreciate most about your involvement with IPWEAQ? Ashlee: I really appreciate the network I’ve been able to develop through attending conferences.

I have made such valuable connections and am able to call upon them when I find myself in need of some advice or mentoring.

That is truly priceless to any professional and to find that in an organisation that is so inviting and inclusive has been wonderful.

PUBLICATIONS Standard Drawings Standard Drawings for General, Drainage and Water Quality, Parks, Roads, Homeowner.

Lower Order Road Design Guide 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.

Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

Queensland Urban Drainage Manual For engineers and stormwater designers in the planning, design and management of urban stormwater drainage systems.

Purchase and download IPWEAQ Publications at http://www.ipweaq.com/ technical

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Young IPWEAQ Career Pathways

Contact our Director, Professional & Career Development, Craig Moss to design a pathway to your career destination including cadetships and RPEQ.

Discounts

Young IPWEAQ members receive a 40% discount on their membership subscription and 20% discount on the IPWEAQ annual conference registration and 50% discount on branch conference registrations.

Dream Big Project

Jessica Kahl’s award-winning project to encourage high school girls in Years 10-12 to consider a career in engineering.

Young Engineer of the Year

At our annual excellence awards ceremony, we acknowledge a young engineer who has achieved excellence.

Futures Challenge

Final year students studying engineering and related disciplines are invited to present their thesis or research project at the IPWEAQ annual conference. Read more about the Futures Challenge.

Emerging Leaders

We recognise four emerging leaders in public works each year. See our journal, Engineering for Public Works.

Conference Program

Members under 35 years of age (YIPWEAQ) are encouraged to submit an abstract for inclusion in IPWEAQ’s annual conference. If successful, their conference registration is complimentary (value $1,500)

Welcome Function

Join us for a special conference welcome for our Young IPWEAQ members at the IPWEAQ annual conference - Gold Coast, 10-12 October 2018.

Buddy Program

Our senior members accompany a Young IPWEAQ at the annual conference introducing them to colleagues and guiding them with decisions on what sessions and streams to attend for their particular career path and interests.

YIPWEAQ Ambassadors: Jessica Kahl and Joshua Flanders

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www.ipweaq.com

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community news

We know our community enjoy reading news from around the traps. So IPWEAQ is happy to provide our members the opportunity to share news of births, marriages, career movements, sector events and achievements through Engineering for Public Works ‘Community News’.

Let us know what’s happening in your part of the world – suggested news items of up to 200 words and a high resolution photo can be submitted to Belinda.Smith@ipweaq.com People on the move at TMR We’re pleased to congratulate Julie Mitchell on her new role as Deputy DirectorGeneral in the Policy, Planning and Investment Division of the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).

Julie joined TMR as a graduate engineer in 1985 and in June 2011 was appointed as the first female Chief Engineer. After eight years in the role of Chief Engineer and more than 30 years in professional public sector leadership, Julie is well-qualified for this new challenge.

You can read more about Julie’s remarkable career in the March issue of Engineering for Public Works International Women’s Day feature.

Congratulations to Julie Mitchell on her new Deputy Director-General role at TMR.

As Julie is moving on, John Oppes will be the Acting Chief Engineer. John’s substantive role is the Deputy Chief Engineer for the Road Operations directorate.

We’d like to congratulate both Julie and John on their recent appointments and wish them every success in their new roles.

IPWEAQ’s Johanna Vanling celebrating Global Day of the Engineer sending these ‘Engineering the Future’ prize packs on the way to Kym and Josh.

Celebrating Global Day of the Engineer Congratulations to the winners of our recent ‘Engineering the Future’ LinkedIn competition, Kym Wilkinson of Wilkinson Shaw & Associates and Joshua Flanders of Cairns Regional Council. Kym and Josh’s names were drawn as part of IPWEAQ’s Global Day of the Engineer celebrations on 4 April 2018. Kim and Josh both received these awesome ‘Engineering the Future’ merchandise packs.

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IPWEAQ President, Seren McKenzie, with her team of ‘Rebels’.

Wow, she did it again!

Congrats to IPEWAQ President, Seren McKenzie’s and her team, the ‘Rebels’, on another win. Seren also received Player of the Final with 8/19.

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ARRB International Conference Ross Guppy and Craig Moss were pleased to represent IPWEAQ at the ARRB (Australian Road Research Board) international conference and trade exhibition 29 April - 2 May 2018 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Ross commented that the conference provided a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and the broader road and transport industry.

In memoriam It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of two members of the broader IPWEAQ community.

Leslie Evans, cherished wife of our colleague and friend Phil Evans from Saferoads passed away at Easter 2018.

We would like to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to Phil and our thoughts and are with him and his family.

IPWEAQ’s Ross Guppy and Craig Moss at the ARRB conference.

“The conference was an enriching experience and attending the Industry Leader’s dinner was a particular highlight, as we discussed aspects of a connected, adaptable future and the benefits of driverless vehicles and next generation connectivity technologies,” Ross IPWEAQ’s Craig Moss and David Bobbermen from Austroads talking roads and safe systems. said.

All smiles!

It was smiles all around for Richard Holliday’s boys as they enjoy the spoils of Richard’s recent auction win. Richard – General Manager of one of IPWEAQ’s newer partners, Orion Solar – participated in the awesome charity auction at the SWQ Conference dinner in Goondiwindi. The auction raised $3,795 for MS Qld, including Richard’s generous bid on the super sports pack. We’re pleased to see the boys look enthralled with the sports pack – it looks like a win for all.

Glen Shannen, Government & Construction Equipment Sales Manager at Hastings Deering passed away suddenly at home in April 2018. Glen was a long-term Hastings Deering employee with a career spanning more than 30 years of service. His commitment to our industry was unrivalled and he took great pride in his association with Hastings Deering, the Caterpillar product and the local councils of Queensland. He will be missed by many. We offer our sympathies and deepest condolences to Glen’s wife Lisa and his family.

Richard’s boys ready to uncover the goodies contained in the super sports pack.

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IS IT TIME TO LOOK AT BRIDGE ASSET MANAGEMENT DIFFERENTLY?

BIG QUESTIONS

Tim Heldt, Neal Lake and Joshua Seskis, Australian Road Research Board Does your community expect that they can safely use the road network, including the bridges?

Reasonable expectation? What about the old bridges and those with issues – so much need, so little funding! It seems like every year new urgent problems visit at least one of our structures, driving a reactive rather than a proactive mindset. Bridge asset management can feel like a fire fighting exercise with no offseason. Is it time to consider bridge asset management from a different perspective?

The fundamental problem for the structural asset owner is scarcity of funding, and everything else needs to support making appropriate spending decisions to maintain the level of service – which needs to be defined properly and extends well beyond avoiding collapse. Engineers typically associate structural risk mitigation with avoiding collapse.

Bridge asset managers must take a much broader view centred on

level of service (which includes avoiding collapse). How might one think differently about managing bridges?

Farmers are renowned for being

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frugal and resourceful. Can we learn something from them?

A typical broad acre farmer has a good handle on asset criticality. The reliability of primary ploughing tractors and header are

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Tim Heldt

Neal Lake

Joshua Seskis

critical to the business, they are carefully selected, operated and maintained. Manufacturers advice and the farmers accumulated operational knowledge are combined to prioritise resource allocation to support these work horses. Other machines are useful, but less critical. The old tractor dedicated to slashing the paddock edges, or the old 4 wheel drive farm run-about, still get some attention, but “run to fail” may form at least part of their routine operations and maintenance philosophy. Importantly the farmer doesn’t start the year by seeking expert technical advice to plan the resourcing and maintenance for the fleet. Based on business requirements, asset criticality, and

other simple knowledge (what did we do last year), the plan is established, then modified if required. Expert knowledge is only sought when there is a clear case to do so. The good farmer tries to do the simple things consistently well, then manage the aberrations when they arise, and does not have a “one size fits all” approach to management of assets.

improved over the past 30 to 40 years. Asset registers have been developed for bridges and culverts, and we have some information about their condition.

In most cases, some historical information has been collated about their construction, and in some cases there are estimates of structural capacity – design or otherwise. Is improving the quality of technical inputs the next developmental step for structural asset management?

ARRBs regular business involves providing advice to bridge asset owners. In our experience, there is often a perception that more sophisticated inspection, measurement or analysis will facilitate better bridge asset management. Bridge asset management has certainly

If the farmer gets it wrong, the consequence is typically a production impact. If the bridge asset manager gets it wrong, loss of life is a distinct possibility.

Our experience suggests that

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this difference in risk profile of bridges motivates a different more technically focussed asset management approach for bridges compared with the broad acre farming example. So is the next step in the development of bridge asset management a stronger investment in technical inputs (inspections, measurement, analysis), or is it improved understanding and response to risk? It is the authors view that next step improvement for bridge asset management must focus on due diligence more than improving technical inputs.

“Engineering Due Diligence means the reverse engineering of the decisions of our courts. It means aligning the laws of man with the laws of nature, prior to the event with the positive support of lawyers.” (http://www.r2a.com.au/ rather publications/r2a-manualengineering-due-diligence/).

It also means systematically making (and being able to demonstrate) reasonable decisions based on common experience of a reasonable person. If the worst happens, then this test will be the starting point for enquiry - were the simple and obvious things being consistently done well? Of course when the worst happens, the forensic journey is undertaken with the benefit of hind sight when specific (possibly identified) risks have materialised into reality and the consequences are all too certain. In reality, this only further emphasises the need to do the simple things consistently well. An additional benefit of this due diligence approach is likely to be improved targeting of expert advice to the best value propositions.

As discussed above, current asset management information systems typically provide a reasonable record of historical documents, condition and capacity, but are these the most important records?

The records of most importance to demonstrate due diligence is the decision trail along with the basis for those decisions. These are typically poorly articulated and recorded in many current asset management information systems. It is possible that some stakeholders consider this ambiguity a defence against liability because it is harder to prove ‘who was to blame’.

The failure to demonstrate due diligence (timely effective decision making based on contemporary understanding) is arguably of much greater problem than being technically inaccurate (based on hindsight).

Demonstration of due diligence requires not just doing the simple things consistently well, but maintaining documented evidence of same, with the benefit that this documentation is a key input to the continual improvement process.

What does due diligence look like in bridge asset management land? Are the Level 1 inspections being consistently undertaken, and are remedial actions being appropriately resourced. Is there a clear asset strategy that matches resource availability? Are the critical assets understood in this context? Have critical decisions been identified? Is the Level 2 and 3 inspection resourcing consistent with this context? Does the asset management information system clearly articulate and represent this understanding?

Good decision planning underpins

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due diligence, particularly predetermining who makes which decisions, how they are made, when are they due, how are they communicated, and who is accountable. Decision planning needs to span from minor operational and maintenance decisions to strategic decisions integrated into network and business planning. Due diligence allows criticality to be understood by all both in terms of critical assets (those services of key importance to business outcomes), and critical decisions (high consequence decisions, even for non-critical assets).

Decision planning facilitates a network of transparent team decisions, with decisions made by those in the best position to make them. The transparency of the approach also supports organisational governance and continual improvement.

Unfortunately the human trend to avoid accountability works against planned decisions and due diligence along with the fear of being found wrong.

Accountability and due diligence is not new to the broad acre farmer discussed above, because business success relies on it. While the farmers context is different, the management principles share many similarities with the needs of bridge asset management including business aligned strategy, planned decisions, consistently doing the simple things well, targeted resource allocation and risk management.

It is time to look at bridge asset management differently? A better understanding of risk, and improved due diligence practice are the next improvement steps for bridge asset management.

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

Advocacy  Submissions to federal and state governments on matters affecting the public works sector in Queensland.

 Local Government Association Queensland (LGAQ) – sharing articles in Engineering for Public Works and Council Leader.

 TMR – Principal Supporter. Regular dialogue, sharing of information and resources, involvement with Roads & Transport Alliance.

 Our business unit, Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) is the central advisory and advocacy body for Queensland’s urban water industry.

 Joint asset management task force.

 State government – regular meetings with ministers, collaboration on matters affecting infrastructure across Queensland.

 Management of the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual on behalf of joint owners, the Brisbane City Council and Department of Energy & Water Supply (DEWS).

 Board of Professional Engineers Queensland (BPEQ) – joint presentations to councils on RPEQ.  Engineers Australia (QLD) – joint training programs, joint task force to address infrastructure pipeline.  IPWEAQ to address future demand for skilled, competent work force.

 Councils – monthly communication with mayors and council CEOs.  Partnership with industry and service providers.

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www.ipweaq.com

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NEW AMBASSADOR:

josh flanders

MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Josh Flanders, a Graduate Civil Engineer at Cairns Regional Council and second IPWEAQ Ambassador appointment.

Engineering for Public Works (EPW) spoke with Josh recently and are pleased to share this interview so you can get to know this impressive Young IPWEAQ member a little better.

EPW: Please tell us about yourself, where you’re from, your interests and what makes you tick.

Josh: I was born and raised in Cairns in Far North Queensland (FNQ). I am currently 22 years of age and have just finished my university degree last year.

I have a strong interest for engineering problem solving and love learning new skills.

What motivates me is the aforementioned problem solving and striving to be the best I can be to complete work to the highest possible quality. I don’t like to disappoint and always like being occupied.

My most recent new skills acquired include unicycle riding and solving a Rubik’s cube in less than 20 seconds. I can also juggle and am now learning to somehow combine these three skills together all at once!

Living on an acreage I love the outdoors. I am an avid mountain biker and regularly ride mountain bike trails and cycle ways throughout both Cairns and Townsville. I am also an active member of the Cairns Ultimate Frisbee Club and the Cairns Squash Rackets Association playing both sports every week.

EPW: Please provide us with a short professional biography.

Josh: Going to school in the

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beautiful city of Cairns I quickly developed interests for physics, mathematics, and engineering (which was actually a subject at my school). After finishing high school and graduating with an OP 2 I had no doubts about what I was going to study at university. I undertook my first year of engineering at James Cook University (JCU) in Cairns where the problem solving topic of statics appealed to me the most. After this first year, I applied for and successfully received a

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cadetship with the Cairns Regional Council. This cadetship was for the duration of my university degree and promised work experience during all holidays as well as a guaranteed position of employment after graduation.

receiving a university medal with an overall GPA of 6.90. Satisfied with the skills learnt throughout my degree, I was eager to enter the full time working lifestyle as a graduate civil engineer at the Cairns Regional Council.

Continuing with a chosen major of civil engineering I relocated to the Townsville campus to finish off the degree. During this three-year time frame I thoroughly enjoyed the geotechnical, structural design and analysis, project management, transportation, concrete, and water subjects.

As part of my graduate program I undertake six-month rotations at different sections within the Infrastructure Services branch.

Currently I am working with the construction team and gaining significant hands on construction experience as well as experience in construction estimates and cost monitoring on small to large projects. Other areas of my graduate program will include working with the design office as well as the pre-construction project management team. I am very eager to complete these rotations and gain as much experience as I can in these different sections to help me understand which aspect of local government engineering I would like to pursue as a career long term.

Living on campus at the JCU Halls of Residence the entire time, I developed many lifelong friends and became heavily involved in the college lifestyle. During my third and fourth year of university I was a residential assistant (RA) on college. This allowed me to develop higher leadership and motivational skills as well as management techniques, and team work and team building skill development.

Throughout university holidays, working as a cadet in a local government environment in the infrastructure planning section of the Cairns Regional Council I quickly gained professional competency in the field of civil engineering. I completed minor projects and developed experience in investigations, design, project management, asset management, and construction and maintenance. I also provided advice and support for problem solving matters through technical research and made appropriate recommendations to managers to ensure an effective and accurate service was given to customers.

I graduated from JCU in 2018

EPW: What do you find most satisfying about working as an engineer in public works?

Josh: When I was in high school, I had little knowledge about the engineering services public works professionals deliver to local communities. From managing the construction and maintenance of the road network, bridges, footpaths and cycle ways to undertaking projects relating to drainage and flooding to water and sewerage and parks and playgrounds. Providing and maintaining this infrastructure I believe is very important to the public.

From my relatively small time working as an engineer in public works, less than six months, I

am already very satisfied by the contributions I have made and feedback received from the public. Currently working in the construction section and providing the services needed in due time and to a high quality gives me and the team I work with a sense of accomplishment. This is especially true when you can observe the general public using, enjoying and providing positive feedback on the projects you contributed towards.

EPW: Please tell us about your experience at the recent IPWEAQ NQ branch conference.

Josh: Having not attended any form of conference before, I was unsure what to expect. After attending the two-day event, I left questioning when my next conference experience would be! I had a fantastic time with the other delegates, and all the exhibitors and sponsors. Hearing the experience, innovations, local projects and stories from the various presenters provided me with great insight into what my future career has yet to develop into. Presentations such as the new tried and tested smart technology being used in the Cairns region spoken by Gary Everson (NQ Conference Best Paper winner, article on page 52), and the processes and challenges in delivering major infrastructure in FNQ through the Mt Emerald Wind Farm by Kim Forde were just some of the most memorable presentations witnessed.

I also presented a paper about the use of recycled waste glass as a replacement for cement and fine aggregate in concrete. This interesting topic was the subject of my final year thesis in 2017 where we undertook strength and durability testing on a total of eight different mix designs, as

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well as an investigation into the environmental and economic benefits of using this waste product in a construction material used in the billions of tonnes every year.

Preparing for and presenting at the conference was a very rewarding experience not only for my personal development and public speaking skills but also as I was able to spread the word about the possible advantages for resource recovery and waste reduction. This caught the eye of a few councils who have since approached me for consultation to trial waste glass in concrete in upcoming footpath projects.

I look forward to attending the IPWEAQ Annual Conference to be held on the Gold Coast in October where my presentation is also included in the conference program.

EPW: What do you hope to achieve in your role as IPWEAQ Ambassador?

Josh: I am very privileged to have been appointed the second IPWEAQ ambassador and am very keen to contribute to the

community in this role. I believe in promoting the benefits of engineering in the public works sector especially to young individuals. As mentioned earlier in my youth I was unsure what public work engineers were.

Ensuring high school students, current engineering students, and even recent engineering graduates are aware of the role they play in society is vital and I hope to achieve this through current and new initiatives of the Young IPWEAQ program. By promoting engineering to children and young people, awareness can be raised for career opportunities in engineering to inspire the next generation and generations to come.

I am also very interested in assisting the delivery of the 2018 Futures Challenge at the upcoming annual conference and am encouraging as many university students as I can to take part in this great opportunity.

With social media becoming a larger part of the younger generation, I believe a potential focus for promoting the message to young individuals could be

The IPWEAQ portal is your gateway to update your contact details, register for training courses and view your course and CPD records.

Awards and honours 

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A warded the JCU University Medal, Mar 2018 A warded the Kevin Stark Memorial Prize in Environmental Engineering, Mar 2018

A warded the Port of Townsville Limited Prize in Engineering, Mar 2018 A warded the (ASI) Undergraduate Steel Design Award, Apr 2017 A warded the Steel Reinforcement Institute of Australia Prize, Apr 2017

P rofessor Lal Chand Wadhwa Prize for Civil Engineering, Apr 2016

C ollege of Science, Technology and Engineering First Year Prize (Cairns), Apr 2015 M ember of the Golden Key International Honour Society, Jan 2015

Gateway to your profile, professional development and resources

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IPWEAQ PORTAL

greater social media interaction

by IPWEAQ or public works in general.

Access the IPWEAQ Portal at: https://ipweaq.eventsair.com/ MemberPortal/ipweaq-master-contact-store/ipweaq-member-portal

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

2018 FUTURES CHALLENGE

Final year students studying engineering and related disciplines are invited to participate in the 2018 Futures Challenge.

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.

The poster boards will be displayed in the trade exhibition during the conference with delegates invited to provide advice and feedback to the students.

The poster board will:  include key elements of the thesis or

research project and clearly outline conclusions, recommendations and outcomes  include appropriate text, diagrams,

images, tables etc.  attract audience attention with a

well-structured presentation



Presentation (finalists) 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.

Delegates will then vote on the best presentation using the conference App.

Benefits

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

Participating students will receive a complimentary registration to attend the 2018 IPWEAQ annual 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.

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.

www.ipweaq.com

The winner will receive a complimentary registration to attend the 2019 annual conference to be held in Brisbane.

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.

#IPWEAQ18 ANNUAL CONFERENCE The Marriott, Surfers Paradise 10-12 October 2018 www.ipweaq.com/gold-coast IPWEAQ Futures Challenge

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

What is Public Works Engineering?

What is ‘public works’?

The design and construction of physical assets, the accompanying management practices and policies, and the people required so governments can deliver sustainable infrastructure and levels of services to ensure a high quality of life for our citizens.

Roads & Bridges We manage the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges

Road Safety Coastal Management We protect and enhance our coastline

We are responsible for providing safe roads for all users

Drainage & Flooding We undertake projects that ensure flooding can be controlled

Water & Sewerage We ensure you have water and sewerage facilities

Buildings Environment and Sustainability

We manage the construction of public buildings

We plan for future community needs

Recreation facilities Disaster Management

We manage the construction of new sporting facilities, parks and playgrounds

We respond to natural disasters and emergencies

 Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

www.ipweaq.com

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

What is Public Works Engineering?

We PLAN neighbourhoods

We DESIGN communities

We BUILD infrastructure

We MAINTAIN facilities



www.ipweaq.com

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Where the rubber hits the road

INDUSTRY UPDATE

Carlos Rial, CEO Australian Asphalt Pavement Association and Dr Erik Denneman, Executive Director Technology, Australian Asphalt Pavement Association Australia currently generates 56 million used tyres per annum, with only 10 percent of these used tyres being recycled and nearly 30 per cent exported for re-use. The rest are disposed to landfill, stockpiled, or illegally dumped.

As a material, end-of-life tyres crumb rubber boasts a number of environmental benefits as a recycled product. These benefits are increasingly being realised across a number of industrial sectors, including our roads.

Old tyres contain valuable engineering compounds that can be beneficial to bituminous binder performance - namely from natural rubber and carbon black. The latter is an antioxidant, which retards the ageing of the binder. So, the tyres we use on our vehicles that use our roads should in turn be reused to improve the performance of our road network.

The digestion of crumb rubber in bitumen improves the engineering properties of a conventional bitumen due to an increase in

Rubber particle Oil

STAGE 1

Gel

Digestion stages of crumb rubber in bitumen.

binder viscosity (resistance to flow) and elasticity. The digestion of crumb rubber in bitumen comprises of three different stages.

Stage 1: The rubber particles absorb some of the lighter aromatics in the bitumen and starts to swell and increases the resilience of the binder.

Stage 2: Over time the rubber changes into a gellike phase which is responsible for the increased viscosity and softening point of the modified binder.

Stage 3: Finally, after a period of digestion the gel-like phase changes to an oil-phase with improved durability and flexibility characteristics.

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STAGE 2

STAGE 3

Source: South African Bitumen Association (SABITA 2009) Crumb Rubber Seals - Available Long-Haul There is a proven history of crumb rubber bitumen providing improved performance compared to conventional bituminous binders when used in sprayed seals or asphalt.

Australia’s earliest trial with Crumb Rubber Bitumen (CRB) in spray sealing was carried out in New South Wales in 1951. Since then it has been predominantly used in sprayed seals, with take up predominantly occurring since the 1970’s.

However, the use of preblended CRB binder has traditionally been limited to areas within close proximity to the point of manufacture, restricting its

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This initiative follows the joint research being undertaken by:  Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)  Australian Road Research Board  Tyre Stewardship Australia and  Queensland Department of Environment and Science In collaboration with industry through the Austalian Asphalt Pavement Association, Main Roads Western Australia and Austroads exploring the potential for the increased use of crumb rubber.

Three phases are being explored: Phase 1. spray seals

Queensland rubber hitting the road, long haul.

application for remote projects.

Given the sheer size of Australia, this poses a major issue for our roads servicing our remote regions.

away – without the rubber particles dropping out of suspension or the binder properties degrading during transport

The difficulty of long distance travel is that the crumb rubber particles can settle out at the bottom of the road tanker.

Previously, if CRB binder was to be used it would need to be blended within 300 kilometres of the point of use. The newly formulated CRB binder overcomes this limitation, and is aided by the use of specially modified road tankers and special handling protocols during the material’s transportation.

With that particular challenge in mind, SAMI bitumen developed a technique to produce a CRB binder that meets the Austroads Standard, that has greater storage stability during prolonged heating and transportation.

In the summer of 2016-17, SAMI supplied approximately two million litres of this CRB binder to a Safer Roads Sooner roads resealing contract for the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), across multiple sites in the south western district of Queensland.

The material was transported from SAMI’s Pinkenba facility in Brisbane – up to 1100 kilometres

Last year, SAMI was awarded the 2017 National Australian Asphalt Pavement Association Innovation Award for the preblended CRB binder used on the project.

The award recognised that the innovation which now allows remote Australian roads to derive the sustainability benefits of crumb rubber.

This is an exciting innovation that will promote affordable more durable roads for remote Australians.

Phase 2. open-graded asphalt; and Phase 3. gap-graded asphalt.

TMR has recently changed its sealing specification to allow use of crumbed rubber in binders, as an alternative to polymer-modified binders.

Crumb rubber use in open grade demonstration projects are currently being assessed where it is expected the outcome will be longer lasting product, due to thicker binder films, which are less prone to oxidisation.

With the assessment of crumb rubber gap graded asphalt (GGA) to commence soon. There is no specification for GGA with high viscosity CRB binders available in Australia, which means that the benefits of this technology cannot readily be utilised by local road jurisdictions - yet.

This work, partnered with industry innovation as shown by SAMI Bitumen, is paving a new era of sustainably in the roads sector.

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Public Works Technical Subscription INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.  F ull access to Standard Drawings which can be shared with constituents (value $800 per individual user) D iscount for the multi-user version of the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM) (value $140)

O ne complimentary registration to the IPWEAQ annual conference for a council nominee including access to the conference proceedings (podcasts) (value up to $1,800)

 1 0% discount on annual ADAC subscription as a member of the consortium (value up to $700)

Y our employees receive a 10% discount on conference registrations for the IPWEAQ annual conference and the relevant branch conference (value up to $235 per employee)

C opy of Lower Order Road Design Guidelines, PDF (value $400)

Y our council listed on the IPWEAQ website linked to your website

C opy of Complete Streets: Guidelines for Urban Street Design (value $400)

O pportunity to include notices including job vacancies in ‘Connect’ our fortnightly e-news service

Y our employees receive a 10% discount on their annual IPWEAQ membership subscription (value $30 per employee)

$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

IPWEAQ Public Works Technical Subscription

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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 Thank you to the Goondiwindi Regional Council, our hosts for the 2018 SWQ Branch conference! The 139 delegates in attendance will confirm it was an exceptional event in every respect from the program and presentations, the organisation, the exhibition and the opportunities for networking with and sharing of ideas with our regional colleagues.

The Best Paper award was presented to Joseph Marstella from TMR for his paper on the Safety and Freight on the New England Highway - Darling Downs District's strategic approach.

Joseph will now present his paper at the IPWEAQ annual conference to be held at The Marriott, Surfers Paradise, 10-12 October 2018.

You can read more about Joseph’s paper on page 42.

As part of our ongoing dialogue regarding the long term financial sustainability of councils, Jan Xanthopoulo from the Queensland Treasury Corporation presented a paper on the linking of asset management to long term financial sustainability.

And as part of our role informing the outcome of the NDRRA Funding Reforms, we enjoyed a presentation from Jimmy Scott and Kieran Dibb and from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.

Our delegates and sponsors raised $5,395 for the President’s Charity with thanks to SMK Consultants for sponsoring the charity auction.

Winning bidders included Sean Rice from Proterra, Councillor Carol Taylor, Deputy Mayor, Toowoomba Regional Council and Carl Bacon from WDRC and Richard Holliday from Orion Solar.

Goondiwindi Mayor, Councillor Graeme Scheu not only opened our conference and participated throughout but also conducted our auction.

Thank you to all our Partners, exhibitors and sponsors including GenEng Solutions, Hunter H20, Shepherd Services, the Proterra Group and of course SMK Consultants.

Following on from our successful branch conference in Goondiwindi, we are very pleased to welcome Luke Tanner to the SWQ Branch committee. We look forward to Luke’s contribution to progressing our branch further.

IPWEAQ has also just concluded another successful event, the Southern Roads Symposium held in Toowoomba, 29-31 May which saw 160 delegates gather to discuss the use of locally resourced materials in the construction, maintenance and operations of southern roads. Thank you to the Toowoomba Regional Council and TMR, our partners for this event.

Coming up next is the IPWEAQ annual conference and excellence awards to be held at The Marriott, Surfers Paradise, 10-12 October 2018. The SWQ Branch committee would like to see a SWQ branch entry nominated for an excellence award in each of the 11 project categories (including two water awards) and the four ‘people’ categories. Please take a moment to review your recent projects and consider a nomination – even if you don’t win, the excellence awards ceremony is a great opportunity to profile the work you do and the people you work with.

Finally, the Call for Papers for the IPWEAQ annual conference will open shortly. Aside from Joseph Marstella, we would like to see a strong contingent of SWQ branch members in the conference program including some of our younger, graduate engineers.

While it is nice to hear about the big success stories, we also need to hear about the challenges and how we’ve overcome difficult situations.

I look forward to seeing you on the Gold Coast!

Angela Fry SWQ Branch President

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GOONDIWINDI GOES OFF! THE SWQ BRANCH CONFERENCE

BRANCH NEWS

Congratulations to the IPWEAQ SWQ Branch and our hosts, Goondiwindi Regional Council.

The SWQ Branch Conference was a huge success, with around 140 people coming together over two days in March in Goondiwindi.

With 16 presentations showcasing local projects and topical technical papers, multiple casual networking events and opportunities, plus the chance to catch all the latest and

greatest from the trade exhibitors, there was something for everyone.

What’s more $5,395 was raised for MS Queensland through raffles, fines and a remarkable charity auction!

Thanks to everyone who contributed – whether it be through the purchase of raffle tickets, 'donation' via our newly introduced fines or extreme generosity in the charity auction

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– to help fund MS Qld and their vision of a world free from MS and its devastating impact.

A special thank you goes to the team at Goondiwindi Regional Council and our amazing partners, sponsors and exhibitors who all contributed to make this such an interesting and successful event.

You can find all the materials from the recent conference in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre.

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Safety and Freight on the New England Highway Darling Downs District's Strategic Approach

BEST PAPER, SWQ CONFERENCE

Joseph Marstella, Department of Transport and Main Roads Born and raised on the Darling Downs, Joseph Marstella started his career with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in 2007. Joseph gained his Bachelor’s degree and started working with TMR RoadTek in 2010. Joseph worked for RoadTek as a site engineer and has more recently worked as a delivery engineer for TMR’s Program Delivery and Operations Branch.

Joseph has completed his RPEQ registration and has obtained a Graduate certificate in Business.

Background The New England Highway between Warwick and Wallangarra was rated a two – three star from the AusRap Safety Star rating 2013. In 2014 through Safer Road Sooner funding, Darling Downs District implemented some of the first Wide Centreline Treatment (WCLT) works. In conjunction with the Federal Government’s Safety Infrastructure Program, TMR’s Darling Downs District is implementing several safety initiative on this network link to improve safety.

Profile and key facts New England Highway (Warwick – Wallangarra):  i s part of the National Highway Land Transport Network 3 5km between Warwick and Wallangarra < 10m sealed width 2 7km between Warwick and Wallangarra < 9m sealed width 5 km between Warwick and Wallangarra < 8m sealed width h as traffic volumes vary between 2,200 – 4,700 average annual daily traffic (ADDT) a llows commercial heavy vehicle movements approximately 20% of AADT Roughness 1 3% has a roughness count of >100 counts/ km 7 % has a roughness count of >110 counts/ km 4 % has a roughness count of > 120 counts/ km.

Crashes 6 8 crashes recorded between 2009 to 2014 1 3 fatalities recorded between 2009 to 2014 Project need The New England Highway is a critical inland freight route.

TMR is committed to the safe and efficient transport of freight while also providing a safer road environment for passenger, commercial and tourist vehicles.

In the Darling Downs District the New England Highway varies vastly in topographic and demographic environments (from the granite belt and backpacker tourists in the southern region to the trap rock

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and grazing land in the north). The environment and local community diversity is extreme. These extremes present many challenges in terms of constructability and community expectation/requirements.

Due to a number of crashes and fatalities, Darling Downs District has undertaken a route assessment to target areas where road environments can be improved.

Safety is a priority for TMR and providing a safe network for road users is our top priority.

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Improving driver safety on the New England Highway

Implementation or initiatives In conjunction with the Federal Government’s Safety Infrastructure Program, TMR’s Darling Downs District is implementing several safety initiatives on this network link, including widening to accommodate further WCLT, overtaking lane provisions, intersection improvements and hazard zone improvement. Through a risk based approach TMR Darling Downs has secured funding at strategic locations where crash rates and network deficiencies exist, to undertake targeted safe network improvements.

One such location is the Stanthorpe Southern Bypass, where the intersection is being redesigned to omit the risk of head on crashes through the implementation of roundabout options. TMR is committed to the safety of the travelling public and maintaining an economy “open for business”. By eliminating driver confusion and stream

lining intersections (AUL, CHR’s and roundabout considerations), TMR aims to improve network efficiency. TMR also has a plan for the future to consider grade separated interchanges at intersections and improved alignment of the highway for generations to come.

Outcomes – successes or lessons learned Through all assessments and recommendations to date that have been made on the New England Highway, there is a common theme of constructability issues. These mainly being

management of traffic, provision for wide loads, work in extreme weather climates (hot and cold), availability of suitable construction materials and engagement with local industry. Through challenges such as these TMR is looking at suitable pavement design options, drainage considerations and is targeting longevity of the asset for the future.

Through planning, designing, implementing and focusing on the needs of the Public, TMR is improving driver safety on the New England Highway into the future.

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Graeme Scheu, Mayor of Goondiwindi

MAYORAL MESSAGE

It’s so rewarding to see the hard work, dedication and vision of an entire community recognised. That’s exactly what happened here in Goondiwindi earlier this year when we were named the best country town in Queensland.

The town was the cover star of the Weekend Australian and led a feature in which Bernard Salt, Australia’s leading demographer, ran the data and revealed the most liveable towns in each state and territory. Goondiwindi was named as Queensland’s pride and joy.

This is, of course, old news to me.

I’ll admit I may be biased, but to have an expert like Bernard Salt crunch the numbers and put it down on paper – well, you can’t argue with that.

To be recognised alongside towns like Margaret River in WA and Katherine in the NT is a real honour. So what makes Goondiwindi - a town of just 6,000 people - so successful?

From a council point of view, it has long been the belief of the Goondiwindi Regional Council that the best avenue for economic development in a regional area is to ensure the provision of excellent regional services. Having the necessary infrastructures in place

capitalises on our rich farming country and ensures a lifestyle that makes our district a very desirable place to live and work. As such, Goondiwindi is emerging as a vibrant regional hub.

But the key to our region’s success goes beyond that: it’s the hard work, attitude and optimism of our community. This is not something that just happens in a few years under one certain council. It’s in the dedication of our volunteers, the can-do attitude of our businesses and the passion of our service groups and sporting clubs that create such a wonderful social atmosphere in the region.

Take, for example, the recent IPEWA SWQ Branch Conference hosted by the Goondiwindi Regional Council. The two-day conference brought together 140 people and was one of IPEWA’s

most successful regional events.

But what’s more, we were able to raise an unprecedented $5,420 for MS Queensland through raffles, donations and a remarkable charity auction sponsored by local business SMK Consultants Pty Ltd. The participation and generosity of our community really shone through and the auction’s main prize – a framed picture of our mighty Macintyre River – was proudly bought by Sean Rice of Proterra Group, a local familyowned business.

So, that’s where the Goondiwindi region is now: we’re proud to be known as regional Australia at its best. So where do we go from here?

I believe there are four major requirements for regional areas like Goondiwindi to continue to grow:

The inland rail will move freight between Melbourne and Brisbane.

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– and with it, the potential to really open doors to better and cheaper logistic services.

The Inland Rail will stand on its own two feet with freight movement between Melbourne and Brisbane, but it is the rail corridor with one single-gauge rail system that will allow freight to be moved economically from point to point. The benefits of this are endless to rich agricultural regions like ours.

Recognisable regional street scenes abound throughout Goondiwindi.

power, water, connectivity and logistics. I want to focus on the last two points in regard to our region.

With the opening of the nearby Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba and the continuing improvements in digital communications, we are better connected than ever.

The NBN and point-to-point wireless connections will be a major part of our growth, and the region is urgently calling for more investment into connectivity and communications so we can keep up to speed.

For a long time, a major setback for regional areas has been the out-migration of young people.

But we are happy to see a reversal in that trend. The Goondiwindi region is rich in innovation and we find ourselves, for example, at the forefront of the mechanisation and computerisation of broadacre farming. Exciting new technologies being developed in our agricultural industries will no doubt play a large part in drawing more young people back to live on the land in the future.

The Weekend Australian named Goondiwindi Best country town in Queensland.

Goondiwindi is located at the junction of five major highways.

As the gateway to NSW, we are able to supply a vast area deep into the west and north-west NSW. There are massive acres of broadacre farming to the north, south and west of our region and the majority of that produce moves east through Goondiwindi either to export, feed production or feedlots. There’s no doubt that logistics will be key to the future of the district - let’s face it, Goondiwindi should be second only to Parkes as the logistics capital of Australia.

The majority of this freight is currently transported via road, but this is causing a massive problem for road maintenance nation-wide, not to mention the congestion caused in inner-city limits. Container transport has changed the export industry and I have confidence that packaging stations will become the norm in regional areas as the container market expands.

This is where Inland Rail comes in

There are still a number of obstacles facing the project (such as the design of floodplain crossings) but none that cannot be overcome with best-practice engineering.

However, a major hurdle remains in securing a long-term option for direct entry into the Port of Brisbane. We need all levels of governments to work together on this option. Cooperation is essential as the current freight line from Acacia Ridge into the Port of Brisbane is compromised by the already-established suburban rail network. Brisbane’s cross-river rail is essential for the future of the urban area - but equally essential to regional Queensland is the entry of freight into the Port of Brisbane.

Goondiwindi Regional Council has long been a strong supporter of the Inland Rail and recent meetings with both federal and state ministers have reconfirmed that position - but things are still a way off in finalisation. The Inland Rail will be more than ‘just’ an interstate rail project and the benefits for every region of Queensland is enormous as we strive for better freight relief for those wanting to export products.

This is an opportunity that regional Queensland simply can’t miss.

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NQ Branch President’s Report The 2018 NQ Branch conference in Cairns is done and dusted with almost 150 delegates, partners, sponsors and trade exhibitors in attendance. The theme of the conference was ‘together towards tomorrow’ which began with a Welcome function graciously sponsored by ARUP on the banks of Trinity Inlet where delegates enjoyed canapes and a cleansing ale or two.

The conference was officially opened Thursday morning with a Welcome to Country and opening speech from the Mayor of Cairns, Bob Manning. The conference program included 22 presentations across the following day and a half with the conference concluding Friday lunch time. It was great to see so many delegates there to the very end.

Feedback from delegates on the quality and range of presentations has been overwhelmingly positive with highlights from:  Reforms to the Natural Disaster Relief Arrangements, Jimmy Scott, QRA  The Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative, Nicholas Brooks, Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR)  The Role of Cities in the Driverless Technology Future by Nicholas Brook, Principal Project Engineer - Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative, TMR

 The $380 million Mount Emerald Wind Farm by Kim Forde Ratch Australia Corporation  Lockhart River Runway Upgrade, Joseph Estrada and Andrew Chiknaikin, GHD. The Best Paper award was presented to Gary Everson, Manager - Cairns Works at Cairns Regional Council, who outlined a range of smart technologies being trialled in Cairns including smart bins, parking sensors, lights, use of dash-cams and robot mowers. You can read more about this paper on page 52.

Delegates also enjoyed a session, Build Communication Skills, Energy Lift: Communication that Leads to Collaboration by John Carr from Coach Central based in Cairns.

John’s challenge was to try to train engineers in just one hour on how to communicate! Delegates enjoyed the interactive session and hopefully gained some tips for dealing with others.

The highlight of the conference social program was the dinner held at AquaLuna at the new Cairns Aquarium and sponsored

by Flanagan Consulting Group.

This dinner had a very unusual outcome – owing to the exceptional nature of the food and the quantity of it, delegates who would ordinarily head out on the town afterwards, went back to their hotels as they didn’t wish to ruin the enjoyment of their

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meal (or needed to lay down!).

And as a result, the first speaker Friday morning had a full room!

This strategy may need to be investigated further by IPWEAQ. A huge thank you once again to all our Partners, exhibitors and sponsors including Flanagan Consulting Group, ARUP, SeaSwift, Aurecon, Trinity Engineering and Consulting, Shepherd Services, PDM, and host, Cairns Regional Council. As you would all understand by now, these events don’t happen without sponsors and supporters of IPWEAQ – they are critical to our successes so please be sure to utilise their services in your role.

Congratulations also to Joshua Flanders, a graduate engineer with Cairns Regional Council who has been chosen as the next IPWEAQ (Young) Ambassador! A full profile on Josh can be found on page 30.

Does your council have an unused training budget? If so, please consider IPWEAQ’s Professional Development packages which can be tailored to your needs. More information on our professional development and training packages can be found on page 62. In the meantime, we have the following courses coming up in the NQ Branch: Bridge Inspection Levels 1 & 2 Workshop (18 CPD hours) Townsville - 26-28 June 2018

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Erosion and Sediment Control Level 2 - Intermediate Training (8 CPD hours) Townsville - 17 October 2018 And please make a diary note for the IPWEAQ annual conference to be held at Surfers Paradise, 10-12 October 2018. A Call for Papers will be issued shortly so please be sure projects in the north are represented. Similarly, be sure to nominate your projects and people for the 2018 Excellence Awards.

Bruce Gardiner NQ Branch President IPWEAQ was well represented at the Cairns Career and Employment Expo on 24 May 2018 thanks to Cairns Regional Council. This Expo is the only event of its kind for secondary school students in the region and aims to inspire students and help them with their career decision making Thanks to the Cairns Regional Council staff engineers who made this such a successful event. In particular we’d like to thank Natasha Murray – Senior Transport Engineer (and coordinator for the event), Johllin Lammersdorf – Transport Engineer, Amy Patterson – Drainage Engineer, Matthew Dillon – Engineer Development.

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CAIRNS COUP! THE NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE

BRANCH NEWS

Two days, 150 people and 22 technical papers – the NQ Branch Conference 'towards tomorrow together' held at the Hilton in Cairns in April certainly qualifies as a triumph!

In a program packed with papers by leading public works professionals and other industry thought leaders, the majority of councils in North Queensland were in attendance and knowledge and

experiences were shared amongst peers.

experience at Aqua Luna and our best conference dinner ever.

Hosts Cairns Regional Council and our incredible sponsors and exhibitors all contributed to make this such an enriching and enjoyable event.

All the materials associated with the conference can be found in the Knowledge Centre.

We’d also like to send a special thanks to the conference dinner sponsor, consulting engineering firm Flanagan Consulting, for what was an amazing underwater

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crowd eats it up in nq

BRANCH NEWS

“Best Conference Dinner EVER!”

The NQ Branch Conference dinner, sponsored by Flanagan Consulting Group and held at AquaLuna in Cairns, provided conference delegates with a truly unique and unforgettable dining experience. Those who were lucky enough to attend have not stopped raving about the event.

Just ask conference attendee, Emma Peters.

 We are all talking about the

amazing experience this morning.

This was the best conference dinner EVER! 

Flanagan Consulting Group is a Northern Australian consultancy that delivers engineering, planning and project management services.

In business more than 25 years and with a history centred on local ownership and the employment of regional staff, this milestone reflects the strong foundations created by the owners and directors of the company.

Originating in Cairns, Flanagan Consulting Group have since opened offices in Townsville (2006), Darwin (2010) and Mackay (2012). This growth has been achieved during extraordinary economic conditions and is attributable to the firm’s thorough understanding of the development needs that exist in regional Australia.

As a proud local company, Flanagan Consulting Group will continue to invest in the region and intends to grow its footprint across Northern Australia.

Flanagan Consulting Group is driven to identify and solve client problems. As technical advisors with an established understanding of the tropics, they are specialists in providing unique solutions to these unique environmental challenges.

According to Chairman, Pat Flanagan, “Our success is due to our knowledge of the market and our ability to move quickly to secure opportunities.

Agility in our business is a key point of difference against our competitors.”

We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about this conference dinner. The food was of exceptional quality and beautifully presented, and the venue itself – spectacular!

Our conference delegates have taken the time to tell us how highly valued this function was, which is greatly appreciated. I’m not sure how we will top this conference dinner. The bar has been set extremely high. In fact, the share platters were so popular we’re building this into our standard catering requests for future events.

I’d like to personally thank Flanagan Consulting Group for sponsoring the dinner, allowing our conference participants to share such an incredible underwater dining experience.

Paula Paul IPWEAQ Director, Events & Marketing Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

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Technology - Tried and Tested

NQ BRANCH CONFERENCE BEST PAPER

Gary Everson, Cairns Regional Council Gary is the maintenance manager for the Cairns Regional Council (CRC) encompassing road transport, parks, marine and drainage infrastructure.

With experience in the military, water industry and local government, Gary has developed expertise across numerous disciplines.

but also structured well enough to ensure any resulting business case contains everything required to dial in the combination to the CFO’s safe.

Trial projects There have been a range of technology-based projects trialled at CRC with some being cutting edge with a higher risk of failure.

However, most were more mature in their product development cycle. The trial projects included:

Background One of CRC’s core objectives is for every staff member to improve each process they work on at every opportunity. This has generated a range of continuous improvement programs across the departments that have trialled a range of technologies, some very successful and some not quite as successful.

Not all the systems, processes and technologies that have been trialled are directly related to engineering disciplines, however all have an application to work functions we are involved with at some point.

 Robotic mowers (automower) – used for high quality, manicured lawn settings within the city

Each technology trial requires a ‘go/no go’ for launch based on potential return on investment and likelihood of operational success. This process needs to be flexible to enable creative access,

 Portable CCTV trailer for events and crowd management

 Carpool hire systems for staff use of pool cars  Smart solar compacting litter bins (recycled materials)  In ground parking sensors – monitoring free/taken bays  Parking infringement systems – license plate recognition systems  Electric power tools – chainsaws, blowers, hedgers, etc  Drones for asset inspection

 City sweepers to clean paths with pedestrians using the space  Smart light poles with

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Local government area key facts • Area - 1687 km2 of land on a narrow coastal strip between the Great Dividing Range and the Coral Sea • Population - estimated residential population of the Cairns region was 162,451 persons as at 30 June 2016 • Gross regional product $8.37b • Total asset base – $3.5b • Employees – 1,250 • Roads – 1,253km • Paths – 450km • Drains – 768km • Rateable properties – 73,000 • Annual budget – circa $300m Source: http://www.cairns.qld.gov.au/ region/facts and https://economy.id.com. au/cairns/home

integrated sensory systems  GPS remote monitoring for fleet  Traffic management software – integrating with Apple/Google maps  Community Wifi – engaging the community  Dashcams – asset data capture

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Automower Navman mower data.

Automower trialed by CRC.

Lessons learned As these products and services cover a range of functions in multiple departments, there have been a variety of positive and some less than positive outcomes which in part relates to the product or service itself, but more often to the organisation and its ability to manage the change process that comes with new technology.

The overarching lesson learned to date is being open to change, specifically committing to risk managed investment knowing some trials and systems simple won’t pan out as hoped, but those that do can be game changing.

As is being experienced by most organisations, the rate of change or at least the amount of new technological options within the asset and services space is beyond any one supplier and any one model of deployment. This is driving rapid change in the ICT management space which is merging with mainstream engineering and service provision operations.

Some specific lessons learned include:  If you’re planning to fly a drone, check with CASA first for flight clearance in your area of operations  Carpools work really well for people who are used to public transport, but expect people in rural areas to take more time to get used to this concept  Dashcams are an excellent investment for capturing your asset data (roads, paths, etc), just make sure your IT department can handle the storage requirements for lots and lots of HD video  Not all sensors are created equal. Check the QA on sensor data to ensure the ranges of measurement meet your needs and calibration is straight forward  GPS fleet monitoring provides better return on investment when focused on labour production rates than vehicle utilisation. Improving logistics is

Solar compacting litter bins (for recycling materials) trialed by CRC.

the key to unlocking gains from GPS data.  There are lots of devices giving us lots of data but what is being done with it all? Consider using Opendata platforms to enable development of Apps and services outside your organisation  Sometimes you need to reinvent the wheel or at least bolt a community Wifi hub to it…

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Welcome to our new corporate supporter, GBA Consulting Engineers!

ENGINEERING THE OUTBACK GBA provides engineering services and specialise in roads, bridges, aerodromes, water and sewerage, drainage, swimming pools, asset management, road safety audits, cultural heritage and environmental services, flood damage submissions and repair delivery.

With a long and storied history as part of the Barcaldine community, the firm was established in 1945. Over that time the firm has amassed a vast array of experience in providing and managing civil infrastructure services throughout Central and Western Queensland.

GBA engineers use a fleet of three light aircraft in addition to motor vehicles to travel to and from job sites spread across 35% of the land mass of Queensland.

Given the vast area they cover, the team at GBA is very attuned to being resourceful and creative to ensure planning and delivery of projects under difficult circumstances of extremes in remoteness and temperature variations.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re pleased to welcome GBA Consulting Engineers as an IPWEAQ corporate supporter.

GBA Partner, Graeme Wills, accepting an award for the Outback Regional Water Alliance at the IPWEAQ 2017 Excellence Awards.

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CQ BRANCH CONFERENCE PROGRAM The program for the 2017 CQ branch conference, hosted by local consulting engineering firm George Bourne & Associates (GBA Consulting Engineers), has been now been finalised and it looks like we’re set for an interesting, informative and enjoyable couple of days in Barcaldine.

Accommodation and transportation options are limited. Register for the conference and book now.

Please contact Craig Moss, IPWEAQ Director Career & Professional Development, for more information.

Wednesday 13 June 2018 1:30pm Registration opens, Barcaldine Regional Council Town Hall 2:00pm - 5:00pm Technical Tour - Barcaldine Solar Farm 5:00pm - 7:00pm Welcome function, Globe Hotel Thursday 14 June 2018 8:00am Registration opens, Barcaldine Regional Council Town Hall 8:30am - 8:45am Welcome to Country 8:45am - 9:00am

Official opening

9:00am - 10:30am

Keynote Presentation – Behavioural Profiling

10:30am - 11:00am

Morning Tea

Cr Rob Chandler – Mayor Barcaldine Regional Council Simon Rea The Lightning Group

Andrew Wachtel An engineering challenge - building a haul road using variable quality sandstone Department of Transport and Main materials Roads Commonwealth Reform of Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements Brendan Moon 11:20am - 11:40am (NDRRA) Queensland Reconstruction Authority Michael Donald 11:40am - 12-00pm Aroona Road – Construction of a low level crossing of the Dawson River George Bourne & Associates Board of Professional Engineers of 12:00am - 12-20pm BPEQ update Queensland 12:20pm - 12:40pm IPWEAQ CQ Branch meeting Celisa Faulkner, Branch President 12:40pm - 1:30pm Lunch Public buildings for post disaster function – structural engineering design Stuart Grallelis 1:30pm - 1:50pm experience Dileigh Consulting Engineers Environmentally friendly solution to Beach Erosion: Arvind Singh 1:50pm - 2:10pm A case study of Muskers Beach Livingstone Shire Council Aramac Drainage Protection Works using Concrete Canvas - Introducing David Clague 2:10pm - 2:30pm Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mats ‘A new material for erosion control’ Geofabrics The Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld): Get ready for Matt Bradbury 2:30pm - 2:50pm BIF’ McCullough Robertson 2:50pm - 3:30pm Afternoon Tea followed by Raffle and Exhibitor Draws Intermediate Stopping Distance (ISD) on narrow seals (one-lane, two-way roads) David Ayriss 3:30pm - 3:50pm in Western Queensland Highway Civils Celisa Faulkner 3:50pm - 4:10pm Water Security – What is the risk to your network?

Gladstone Regional Council 4.10pm - 4.30pm Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) applications for the public sector Quentin Visentin | C.R. Kennedy 5.00pm - 5:30pm Chip for Charity – MS Queensland 6:00pm - 7:00pm Pre-Dinner Drinks 7:00pm - Late Dinner and movie, Tree of Knowledge Memorial– Sponsored by McCullough Robertson Friday 15 June 2018 6:45am Registration opens Good Morning Breakfast – Connect and Reflect Behavioural Profiling – The Unexpected Simon Rea | The Lightning Group Jason Winter Barcaldine Ski Park George Bourne & Associates 7:00am – 9:00am Hayley Ovenden & Ben Ash Graduate Engineers out west George Bourne & Associates Asset management of structures – what is working, and what is not Tim Heldt | ARRB Look back to look forward 9:00am Conference Close 11:00am - 11:20am

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CQ Branch President’s Report We are getting ready for the CQ Branch conference to be held in Barcaldine, 13-15 June 2018! I am really pleased to be taking our conference west again as there is a lot to learn and share in this part of our region. Our sincere appreciation to our gracious hosts and dedicated IPWEAQ corporate sponsor, George Bourne and Associates (see previous page) and thanks also to the Barcaldine Regional Council for their continuing support and official welcome by the Mayor, Councillor Rob Chandler.

We have a great opportunity to earn valuable CPD hours through an impressive technical program including a Technical Tour of the Barcaldine Solar Farm and DTMR geotechnical laboratory. And of course, as is key for IPWEAQ conferences, we’ll be catching up with mates and making new ones at our social events including dinner and a movie outback-style hosted by McCullough Robertson who will be celebrating the return of the firm to their Barcaldine origins.

The program kicks off with our keynote speaker, Simon Rea from The Lightning Group on behavioural profiling which is not to be missed. I am really very proud of the program we have compiled for you with high calibre presentations on roads, water, contract management, stormwater,

new products and everything in between. Please join us in Barcaldine and don't forget to bring your graduates and younger professionals. As we all know, these events are invaluable as we embark on our careers and forge long-lasting friendships.

On other news, I would like to warmly welcome Adam Doherty from Dileigh Consulting Engineers who has joined the CQ Branch committee. It is a pleasure to have Adam onboard! Adam and Dileigh Consulting Engineers have been long-time supporters of IPWEAQ. (You can read more about Adam below).

‘Many hands make light work' so if you would also like to join our branch committee, please let me know. I am a working mum juggling my progressing career and family but being on an IPWEAQ committee has allowed me to develop my business and leadership skills in a low stress environment which I feel is really going to help me in the long run.

Not to mention how good it feels giving back. It can help you too!

We are currently investigating some exciting opportunities for the CQ Branch including how we can better connect with you through technology as our time is becoming more and more valuable. If you also have some ideas please don't hesitate to let us know. In the near future, the

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CQ Branch will be trialling the livestreaming of a Professional Development (PD) event and we look forward to your participation in this trial and your feedback.

Our next PD event in CQ is the QUDM workshop in Gladstone on 25 July 2018. Be sure to register early. And if you still have a budget to spend on training before the end of the financial year, be sure to contact Craig Moss to discuss a PD package tailored to your council’s needs and budget.

Take care and be safe!

Celisa Faulkner CQ Branch President

Introducing Adam

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IPWEAQ is proud to once again be associated with the Dream Big Project in 2018.

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.

A series of events were held at CQUniversity campuses during April and May (with another scheduled at the Mackay campus on 25 June 2018). Participants engaged in a fun marshmallow challenge, explored STEM subjects, took part in a series of team activities, heard from industry speakers, and got involved in a Future City Build Challenge led by prominent CQUni Alumnus Patrice Brown.

Adam Doherty is the Director of Dileigh Consulting Engineers based in Yeppoon, and servicing Central Queensland and the surrounding areas. Adam is responsible for the overall management and coordination of a multidisciplinary engineering team and has over 20 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in both civil and structural engineering works and project management, having worked in both the private consulting and local government sectors during this time.

Adam is a member of IPWEA and The Institution of Engineers Australia and has a strong focus on practical and economical engineering outcomes, specifically across Central Queensland. He has developed the ability to understand clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs that result in the right management and engineering outcomes.

Adam has project managed the delivery of many community assets including landfills, sporting infrastructure, roads and drainage through to the paid parking infrastructure at Rockhampton Airport. Adam and his team also had a major role in the delivery of the Panorama Drive project in Yeppoon where they formed part of the design team in partnership with the UDP Group from Townsville.

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BRANCH PORTFOLIO UPDATE

BRANCH NEWS

Our inter-branch portfolios ensure more connectivity and sharing of ideas between our four regional branches (CQ, NQ, SEQ, SWQ). The committees are an extension of the board and play a pivotal role in progressing IPWEAQ's strategic direction.

The IPWEAQ portfolio structure and current members are outlined below.

Membership Portfolio responsible for identifying members for the Member Profile and Emerging Leader series in the journal and to inform the Director, Marketing & Communications of any member/community news (births, marriages, promotions etc).

Identify any services/initiatives needed for their branch.  Natasha Murray, Cairns Regional Council - NQ  Ashleigh Tomkins, Gladstone Regional Council - CQ  Craig Young, Sunshine Coast Council - SEQ  Ashlee Adams, Toowoomba Regional Council - SWQ Knowledge Centre/Journal Portfolio responsible for identifying relevant and interesting information sources for the Knowledge Centre and potential articles and features for the quarterly e-Journal, Engineering for Public Works.  Weena Lokuge, University of Southern Queensland - SEQ  Sophia Andary, Ipswich City Council - SEQ

Branch Events Portfolio responsible for liaising with the branch conference hosts and IPWEAQ Director, Events & Marketing for the delivery of each event including the sourcing of sponsors.  Sandra Burke, TMR - NQ  Celisa Faulkner, Gladstone Regional Council - CQ  Gleb Kolenbet, Redland City Council - SEQ  Angela Fry, GHD - SWQ Professional Development Portfolio responsible for informing the Director, Professional & Career Development of the particular development needs of the branch/ region.  Sandra Burke, TMR - NQ  Lorna Oliver, TMR - CQ  Casey Lee, Logan City Council SEQ  Andrew Johnson, Somerset Regional Council - SWQ Key Contacts Portfolio responsible for informing the Director, Marketing & Communications of changes to key personnel in councils including the CEO, mayor, councillors and the HR/training manager.  Glenda Kirk, Mareeba Shire Council - NQ  Murray Donald, Consultant - CQ  Gleb Kolenbet, Redland City Council - SEQ  Andrew Johnson, Somerset Regional Council - SWQ  Michael Pattinson, Logan City Council - SEQ

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Excellence Awards Portfolio responsible for informing the Director, Events & Marketing of projects and people within the branch to approach for the annual excellence awards program.  Danny Lynch, Townsville City Council - NQ  Ashleigh Tomkins, Gladstone Regional Council - CQ  Casey Lee, Logan City Council SEQ  Angela Fry, GHD - SWQ Young IPWEAQ Young IPWEAQ is a networking group formed to develop the next generation of leaders in our rapidly changing sector. We aim to grow the skills, confidence and influence of young public works professionals.  Jessica Kahl, Aurecon (Chair) CQ  Ashlee Adams, Toowoomba Regional Council (Deputy Chair) - SWQ  Hari Boppudi, Flinders Shire Council - NQ  Ashleigh Tomkins, Gladstone Regional Council - CQ  Sophia Andary, Ipswich City Council - SEQ

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS BENEFITS OF NOMINATING FOR AN IPWEAQ AWARD: P eer recongnition and broad exposure as leaders of innovation and excellence in the public works sector. W inners featured on the IPWEAQ website G ala awards ceremony and dinner attended by more than 450 invited guests/dignitaries  Photos of award winners available for publicity purposes M edia releases issued by IPWEAQ with publicity for people and project nominees and winners O pportunity to present nominated projects at branch conferences

IPWEAQ EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2018 The Excellence Awards recognise best practice and innovation in public works projects and the people that deliver them.

Award nominations due 4.00pm Friday 27 July 2018.

Submit your nomination at www.ipweaq.com/awards Gala Awards Ceremony and Dinner The Marriott, Surfers Paradise Thursday, 11 October 2018 Sponsorship opportunities available.

Contact Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com or 3632 6803

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Long term financial sustainability of local government

SUSTAINABILITY ARTICLE Community Plan*

Brendan Worrall, Auditor-General, Queensland Auditors Office

Long-term Financial Plan*

Asset Management Plan

Long-term Financial Forecast

Asset Register Infrastructure Capital

Revenue Policy Revenue Statement

Local Government Infrastructure Plan

Financial Capital

Debt Policy Investment Policy

Patrick Flemming, Sector Director, Local Government, Queensland Auditors Office Queensland's 77 councils provide vital infrastructure services that facilitate and grow local economies. They deliver roads, water, and sewerage services to an estimated 4.8 million people.

Over the next 10 years, the forecasted replacement cost of the assets they use to provide these services is expected to grow by 18.6 per cent to over $124 billion.

Although Queensland local governments are forecasting to reduce their liabilities and their debt over the next 10 years,

Budget

Corporate Plan

Operational Plan

* Indicates plan is not required under legislation or regulation

Good practice: planning documents to demonstrate financial sustainability

there needs to be a focus on maintaining their growing asset bases. Developing an appropriate strategy and associated policies is key to ensuring that they maintain their financial capital and infrastructure for the benefit of their communities.

Figure 1 explains how strategic and operational planning documents can underpin a council’s longterm financial sustainability. It also shows that financial plans need to align with corporate and asset management plans to

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demonstrate how council intends to remain financially stable.

Growing trends Queensland council expenditure patterns have changed over time.

Ten years ago, 26 per cent of expenditure was on infrastructure and engineering services, which primarily relates to road and bridge maintenance. In 2015, it had grown to 35 per cent and remains the largest expenditure category.

Given that councils have a limited ability to raise revenue and many

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$30

Millions

$25 $20 $15 $10 $5 $0

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Predicted Renewals (Asset Register)

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Planned/Forecast Renewals

Poor planning: Predicted vs. planned asset renewals.

rely on own source revenue and grants to provide essential services, several challenges arise to adequately manage and maintain their assets whilst meeting other operating obligations and community expectations. This emphasises the need for robust financial planning and forecasting.

Each year, councils can reset their strategic direction and this influences their long-term forecasts. There are valid reasons for forecasts moving between years. However, many council forecasts are changing significantly due to inaccuracies and poor use of indices.

A key cause of errors in long-term forecasting relates to unreliable asset condition data, which is a major determinant of when assets are renewed or replaced.

Many councils’ data indicates that their water and road assets

are approaching the end of their useful lives but are not forecasting to renew or replace them. Data accuracy and quality forecasts require an investment of time and skilled resources, which some councils either can’t afford or view as an unnecessary overhead.

Better practice Long-term financial viability demands that councils develop robust methods to accurately capture data and produce reliable information. Better practice would see councils developing asset management plans that:

Many councils roll asset valuations over and others index them using a variety of indices which may not be appropriate to the specific council assets or circumstances.

This can lead to material differences between the long-term cost of replacing assets and the associated funding that has to be raised.

 support asset planning decisions with correct information

Figure 2 is an example of poor planning at a council where the planned funding to replace or renew assets does not match the predicted renewal data within the asset register.

 provide a proper process for making asset planning decisions  promote councils engaging with their communities to ascertain community preferences or opinions on infrastructure standards (i.e. the specific levels of service the community is willing to accept).

Proposed future performance audits Given the importance of longterm financial viability of local governments, the Queensland

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Audit Office will continue to conduct performance audits in this area over coming years, including: Managing local government rates fees and charges This audit is currently examining whether councils set and administer rates and charges appropriately to support longterm sustainability. It is considering compliance with legislative requirements, the robustness and transparency of the processes used to set rates and charges, and the effectiveness of administering rates and charges.

Managing costs of local government services This audit will assess whether councils are delivering their services to the community

efficiently and economically.

Sustainability is a key factor in determining the longevity of councils all around Australia.

Limited federal funding has challenged councils to review their services and ensure their resources are used effectively to get better outcomes for their respective communities. In managing financial sustainability, it is important that councils are aware of what services they provide, the cost of these services, and how they can improve the delivery of these services to achieve costefficiency.

Strategic asset management in local government This audit will assess if councils are effectively managing their

infrastructure assets to maximise their service potential while minimising their total cost of ownership. Asset management is critical to the long-term financial sustainability of the local government sector. Without full knowledge of the type, performance, cost, and age of their assets, councils are limited in their ability to make fully informed decisions about their asset renewal, maintenance, and replacement.

Further information on our future performance audits is available on our website at QAO Strategic Audit Plan 2018-21.

QAO Report 2 2016-17: Forecasting long-term sustainability of local government

Professional Development Packages Get on the front foot!

With the end of the financial year just around the corner, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to maximise your teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capabilities and your training budget.

Book and pay for your professional development hours by EOFY to secure these sensational rates:

50 hours PD delivered in SEQ - $4,500 I.e. $90 per hour (usual price $112 per hour!)

50 hours PD elsewhere - $5,600 I.e. $112 per hour (usual price $140 per hour!)

Invest in your team â&#x20AC;&#x201C; work on strengthening existing skill sets, developing new ones and ensuring that your professional engineers undertake their 150 CPD hours every three years as audits are underway.

IPWEAQ offers a broad range of industry specific training courses and we can develop and tailor a course or certification program to suit your needs. Please see page 9 for upcoming courses or to discuss your specific needs, please contact our Director of Professional & Career Development, Craig Moss on 3632 6805.

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A recent assessment of engineers in Australia found that just 13% are women. Contrast that with law, in 2014, 63 per cent of lawyers admitted were women; or medicine where female general practitioners outnumber males 19,965 to 18,992. There is a fundamental problem not only in attracting women to a career in engineering, but also keeping them in the profession.

Kylie Mercer Registrar, The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland

The 2017 Professional Engineers Employment and Remuneration Survey found that 13.1 per cent of female engineers between the ages of 20-39 left the profession. There are many reasons women choose to leave their career, but respondents to the same survey indicated that improved workplace culture and work/ life balance, opportunity for promotion and more challenging work were factors that may encourage them to stay in engineering.

The issue of retaining women in engineering prompted the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland (BPEQ) to create the Back in the Workforce bursary. Many women wanting to get back into engineering following a career

break find it difficult paying for continuing professional development, which can cost several hundred dollars per course. The bursary goes some way to helping successful applicants with the costs of attending continuing professional development courses so that they can maintain or regain their registered status.

Initiatives like the Back in the Workforce bursary serve an important purpose, but more needs to be done to attract and keep women in engineering. In my experience knowledge sharing, mentoring and highlighting role models with lived experiences has a great impact in exposing and encouraging women to take up a career in engineering. BPEQ wants to highlight these role models in engineering to help encourage the next generation to pursue a career as an engineer. In the coming weeks and months BPEQ will be using its publications, events and website to promote the stories, successes, advice and ideas of women in engineering. If you would like to contribute in this way please contact me at admin@bpeq. qld.gov.au.

‘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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SEQ Branch President’s Report Representatives of the SEQ Branch committee – myself, Gleb Kolenbet and Sophia Andary – hosted a booth at the annual Griffith Recruitment and Careers Fair on Thursday 22 March at the Queensland Cricketers’ Club in Brisbane. The event was very well organised with over 150 students from engineering, ICT and aviation disciplines.

A large proportion of those students attended our booth inquiring about the Institute, and information about employment opportunities in our sector. Many didn’t yet understand the benefits of ‘public works engineering’ and the benefits for our communities.

And to this extent, the new IPWEAQ flyer, ‘what is public works engineering’ (on page 34-35) will help us with that message to High School students and undergraduates.

Following the Fair, I met with organisers to congratulate them on the event and for the opportunity to engage with their students. We offered our ongoing assistance providing information and resources about engineering in the public works sector, and direction and support for students wishing to understand how they can contribute and become our emerging leaders.

We are continuing discussions with SEQ universities on a proposed new SEQ Branch event that will bridge the gap between academic

life and practice attracting younger engineers looking for a mentoring platform. This event will include workshops for students and young professionals recognising that young professionals need good technical information including an analysis of ‘lessons learnt’ on a significant project. There will also be opportunities for our younger delegates to network with our more experienced senior members.

Our IPWEAQ team – Paula Paul, Johanna Vanling and Craig Moss – also hosted a trade booth at the University of Queensland Career’s Fair in March.

The Commonwealth Games are now over and the gorgeous City of Gold Coast is back to functioning as normal. Our huge congratulations to our colleagues at the City of Gold Coast for a job well done successfully presenting their city on a global platform. Come October, at the IPWEAQ annual conference to be held at Surfers Paradise, we will benefit from their learnings, challenges and experiences and have an opportunity to inspect some Games infrastructure on the Technical Tours.

There are a number of large scale projects taking shape in the South East corner lead by Brisbane City Council, City of Gold Coast and the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Brisbane, Toowoomba and Logan are now running their own

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professional development events to showcase projects and discuss engineering matters. These events are generally well attended and organised.

IPWEAQ is becoming the Custodian of Generic Local Government Standards Library of Civil Engineering and open space Standard Drawings. Many Queensland councils, specifically the SEQ councils are working hard under the IPWEAQ banner towards a common customisation of CAD and 12d and the good news is that 12d (IPWEAQ Partner) is embracing the idea to benefit all users across Queensland. This offers a wonderful opportunity to reduce the administration for councils maintaining different Standards in terms of town planning, survey, 12d customisation, estimation templates and more.

It is pleasing to see IPWEAQ continue in its leadership role for our sector bringing together experienced professionals and industry leaders to develop mustneeded products and services that serve our communities.

Our next gathering is a Tech Tour of the Komatsu Wacol facility on 20 June 2018 which is free for members and $50 for nonmembers (see over page). Please be sure to register early and I look forward to seeing you then!

Raad Jarjees SEQ Branch President

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IPWEAQ SEQ Branch committee at the Griffith Recruitment and Careers Fair in March.

IPWEAQ team at the University of Queensland Careers Fair in March.

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SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND TECHNICAL SERIES

INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

If you would like to host an SEQ Series Tech Tour, please contact Craig Moss, Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com.

IPWEAQ is inviting all of our members to join us, and our Principle Partner Komatsu to attend our upcoming Komatsu, Wacol Facility Tour free of charge on 20 June 2018.

This tour is limited to only 30 guests, so please register as soon as possible via your IPWEAQ online portal to secure your booking.

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

Date: Wednesday, 20 June 2018 Venue: Komatsu Ltd - 535 Progress Road, Wacol QLD 4076 Times: 10:00AM - 2:30PM Catering: A light lunch will be provided The Komatsu Wacol facility is a one-stop shop for local customers, with the sale, service, assembly and remanufacturing of mining and construction equipment taking place on site. The site has six main buildings across 61,000 square metres of land. Three large central buildings house office, mining and construction machine assembly, service workshop and remanufacturing functions, with a fully enclosed wash bay building, boiler-maker and track press shop, and an extensive paint-shop building. Rainwater harvesting, energy efficient lighting, temperature-controlling insulation and a bio-retention basin are all featured on site.

The site also features Komatsu's Condition Monitoring Services' oil-testing laboratories.

Tour highlights: • Tour of the Wacol Facility including the oil analysis laboratory.

Please contact Johanna Vanling on 07 3632 6803 should you have any difficulties registering or require any further information.

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10 REASONS FOR PRESENTING A PAPER AT AN IPWEAQ CONFERENCE

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

8. Enhance your own learnings as you undertake research for your paper and answer questions from delegates.

2. Advocate for your profession – public works engineers tend to underplay the great work they do. Presenting to your peers will help you to convey the importance of your work to a wider audience.

9. Public speaking is daunting for everyone but the more you do it, the better (and calmer) you will become. This will help you when presenting and influencing internal and external stakeholders in your role.

3. Increase your professional profile, build on your reputation and stand out from the crowd in a tight employment market.

10. Build connections – delegates will want to discuss your presentation with you during the conference breaks.

4. All papers delivered at IPWEAQ conferences are included in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre searchable by your name – amass a collection of papers to establish your expertise in a particular area and enhance your resume with a section on papers delivered at conferences.

5. Develop your ability to write succinctly, summarising your presentation with an abstract of up to 500 words.

6. Develop your skills at formulating a coherent story on your project or case study.

7. Share your experiences with fellow practitioners to benefit their learnings.

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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 June 2018 â&#x20AC;˘ Member $1,200 plus GST Standard registration after 30 April 2018: $1,500 plus GST

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.

www.ipweaq.com/gold-coast

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Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities available please contact Paula Paul on 3632 6802 or Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com

#IPWEAQ18

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CEO’s Report We continue to build on the strength and capabilities of our team at IPWEAQ with two new Management Accountants joining us in April to job share the role (two days each per week).

Celine Gildfind and Carla Caro are both CPAs with different yet complimentary skillsets and experiences to allow us to develop the role in two directions simultaneously. This move is to position IPWEAQ for a longer term sustainable future focussing on continued reductions in expenditure where possible while we pursue new opportunities for revenue sources. This also offers us an opportunity to automate more transactional processes which will free our Management Accountants’ time so they can focus on more strategic accounting.

Membership renewal subscription notices will be sent to members first week of June and we look forward to your ongoing participation and contribution to our community. Although we believe the value proposition for membership of IPWEAQ is very convincing, from an economical perspective, it is a simple one the cost of membership at $280 per annum is returned when you register for a single course or conference with our non-member registration fees being $300 more than the member rate. If you aim

to achieve 50 CPD hours each year, savings for you and your employer will be significant.

Another major project for us this year, in addition to the Street Planning & Design Manual is the development of the native title portal, a need which arises from the critical consequences of the landmark Timber Creek case in the Northern Territory. In summary, on appeal, the Full Court of the Federal Court, confirmed the lower court’s award of compensation to the Claim Group of $3.3 million. The Northern Territory government was held liable to pay compensation for extinguishing the Claim Group’s rights over the land and waters around the township of Timber Creek. Despite numerous cases in the past that considered the operation of the Native Title Act, the primary judge’s decision was the first to ever consider and apply the compensation scheme under s61 of the Act regarding the extinguishment or impairment of native title.

Arising from this case, it is imperative that councils ensure they take the necessary steps to avoid extinguishing or impairing native title and the portal under development aims to offer an ‘easier’ path through the very complex process of determining what action a council should take prior to deciding on a public works. We hope to launch the

portal at the IPWEAQ annual conference on the Gold Coast in October. Mark Lamont, our Information Resources Manager is currently talking with developers on the design of the web-based App. If you would like to learn more about the portal, please contact Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com.

And now for some disappointing news - Ross Guppy, our Director, Technical Products will be leaving us at the end of June to pursue an opportunity he simply could not refuse as the National Program Manager – Assets with Austroads based in Sydney. We wish Ross the very best and encourage him to influence the stature of ADAC in his new role. In the interim, we are very pleased to have John Derbyshire step into the position to allow us time to review and restructure the role to focus more on the technical aspects and critical industry-wide relationships with key stakeholders ie less administration. Are you the new Ross? If you are interested in joining our team in a relaxed, enjoyable yet professional work environment, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Leigh Cunningham Chief Executive Officer

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How to set your new managers up for success

MANAGEMENT ARTICLE

First line managers are the most critical factor in employee engagement and team success.

The 2017 State of the Global Workplace* report by research firm Gallup revealed that only 14% per cent of Australian employees are engaged, and by extension happy and productive.

Gallup's research and experience also show that a major reason for staff feeling disengaged, and for their subsequent resignation, is a poor relationship with a manager. Conversely, when looking at companies considered to be the best-managed in Gallup's database, as many as 70% of employees are engaged.

So how can we ensure new line managers have the confidence and skills they need to fulfil such a vital role in their organisation? In this article, Caroline Taylor and Stephen Fortune from global management training consultancy, The Oxford Group offer their suggestions.

Organisations often promote people into management positions based on their outstanding performance in their area of expertise, and rightly so in highly technical fields. However, they may not come pre-equipped with the management skills they need to be successful in the role. Transitioning from individual contributor to

manager can be challenging and often people struggle to let go of the ‘doing aspect’ of their previous role and slip into what is second nature – even when the role no longer requires it. Making the delicate shift from peer to manager within the same team does not come easily either.

Without an effective and robust support programme behind them, many managers flounder, and their team’s morale and productivity often fall as a result. Fortunately, there are a number of things leaders and HR professionals must do to set individuals up for success before, during and after this transition.

1. Support aspiring managers by being open about what they need to do to reach their ideal role. Providing regular, specific

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feedback to all employees, both on their technical expertise and their management and leadership behaviours, enables aspiring managers to seek out opportunities to develop their skills and breadth of experience.

They will then be positioned as the ‘best’ candidate when the next role comes up.

2. Define what skills and behaviours you need for that particular role so that you can plan relevant training and support. Not all first line manager roles are created equal, and therefore should have training that is tailored to their needs. For example, creating new products requires a manager who is adept at encouraging innovative thinking from their team, whereas an operationally focussed team

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requires a manager who is skilled at organising and planning work and ensuring accountability.

That said, there is a range of generic management skills that all good managers need:  Good communication skills, broken down into: T hree-level listening: internal listening to what it means to you, listening to the words and phrases being said, and listening to non-verbal cues B eing able to ask powerful questions to achieve clarity  Knowing the difference between accountability and responsibility.

Responsibility (for objects, tasks or people) can be delegated but accountability can’t!  Providing high-quality feedback that can be used immediately  Managing performance effectively and in a timely way  Setting clear expectations regularly  Delegating effectively by utilising the strengths and talents of their team  Motivating others to achieve professional and organisational goals  Feeling confident in having difficult conversations  Coaching others to achieve their potential and overcome challenges In addition to this list, today’s rapid pace of change in the political, cultural and technological environments means that managers also need to be able to lead virtual teams, leverage new technology, lead through change and ambiguity, and harness the diversity of thought and experience offered by employees

from a greater variety of backgrounds, ages and countries.

To achieve this diverse skill-set you may need to create an individual learning plan that combines classroom (or virtual) practical skills-based learning, onlinelearning, coaching and mentoring.

Most importantly, these skills must be underpinned by an understanding of how and why to hold meaningful, effective conversations with their team members. This can be scary for new managers but is achievable by following specific programmes and models such as the 5 Conversations model (www.5conversations.co.uk), and with plenty of practice.

3. Make a commitment to providing ongoing learning opportunities as their confidence and need for more complex skills grows. Learning shouldn’t stop after initial first line manager training. As their experience and roles develop they will need to acquire new skills and knowledge to remain effective, and as such regular training, mentoring and coaching need to be prioritised. For example, they may need to learn how to create an environment that allows people to thrive by understanding their employee’s motivations and strengths; lead virtual teams; leverage technology; coach individuals; or lead through change and ambiguity. This ongoing learning must also sit alongside continual training on the technical elements of their role to keep their expertise current.

4. Manage your managers.

Leaders themselves need to remember to be managers

too and to role-model the behaviours they are asking others to display. Leaders need to prioritise having meaningful conversations with their managers to see how they are going; be interested in them; acknowledge and appreciate them. It’s important to note that establishing management training programmes isn’t enough to produce good managers if there isn’t the support available in the implementation phase or if the leaders themselves haven’t had the training to begin with.

5. P DP and evaluation: It’s also worth considering how you evaluate your manager’s performance to encourage and promote the behaviours you are seeking. Many Human Resources Directors are introducing non-numerical performance reviews which evaluate the quality of the conversations managers are having.

Managers play a vital role in motivating front-line employees and act as the conduit between ideas and action, ensuring those actions are carried out in the right way. Managers also have the closest relationship with employees and one that has the greatest impact on engagement.

No engagement = no work. But, put the right support framework in place and you’ll have confident managers who are capable of balancing their technical and people skills leading teams of productive, engaged staff. *Source: Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report (2017), http://news.gallup.com/ reports/220313/state-globalworkplace-2017.aspx?

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TECHNICAL PRODUCTS UPDATE

PORTFOLIO REPORT

Ross Guppy Director, Technical Products

Standard Drawing Bioretention Drainage Profile – Type 4 Pipeless DS-074 was amended and updated in the IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre.

established. The next meetings for Electrical & Communications is planned for 17 May, with the Open Space meeting planned for 7 June.

Standard Drawings The Standards Drawings Working Group met on 3 May 2018 with our next meeting scheduled for Redland City Council on 5 July 2018. At the last meeting, the Group spent some time reviewing the processes used for approval and release of drawings. It was agreed to investigate the specific procedures used by Brisbane City Council and Transport and Main Roads (TMR). In particular we need to keep track of the reasons for changes together with any associated background documents that were considered.

This would provide context around the evolution and history of each drawing. Further discussion followed on the need to develop an appropriate disclaimer that the drawings are to be used under the direction of a suitably qualified RPEQ.

There has been several enquiries on the maximum allowable cross fall of a footpath. General consensus was to conform to the 2.5% figure in AS1428. It was recognised that alternative solutions would need to be engineered for difficult sites and it may be permissible to go up to 4% for short lengths.

We provided feedback on the Austroads Report AP-T333-18, Asset Data Harmonisation Stage III: BIM IFC Alignment Review. The Consortium noted that the intent and direction of the document was good but were concerned with the focus on road infrastructure and the associated asset classification structure. An example of this is the placement of “SIGNS” under Roadside. In a council signs could be in parks, jetties, on buildings etc. Similarly “Trees” would generally be more suited to a landscaping category rather than Roadside.

The Group discussed the use of deflection bars on bicycle paths and it was noted that many councils are moving away from these. It was agreed to invite a suitable expert from TMR to the next meeting to provide input from a national perspective.

ADAC The updated ADAC 5.01 schema has now been included in a number of vendor tools including SAFE International FME 2018.1 build 18428. In addition Blackbox22 have started working on incorporating v5.0.1 into their tool with completion expected around midyear. In addition there has been discussions around ADACX which works in BrisCAD and AutoCAD. Expecting to see something from them mid to late 2018.

The ADAC Technical Working Group (TRG) met on 20 February and 24 April this year and is focussing on a major review of the Open Space category and the development of new asset classes for electrical and communications.

To facilitate this development two smaller working groups have been

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In other cases, we believe it would be more logical to classify the assets based on function rather than structure. For example, the inclusion of major culverts in the Structures sub-class. The difference seems to be purely on size, which if included in the attribute data could easily sort out any size determined to be major etc. This agrees with the Scale Neutrallity concept discussed in the report.

There also appears to be a lack of any environmentally related asset types, such as fauna crossings (which technically could be a

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function under bridge/culvert etc.), Water Sensitive Urban Design features, GPTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s etc.

We are also concerned with the amalgamation of all Mechanical & Electrical assets in one subclass that is located under road infrastructure. As you can imagine both councils and water service providers have many asset classes that have sub-classes involving a diverse range of mechanical features i.e., swimming pools, water treatment plants, pumping stations, energy supply etc.

More broadly, the use of the Road infrastructure terminology could be seen to preclude the broader â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;transportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; function of streets and roads.

Consortium membership has remained steady since the last report, however IPWEAQ has recently employed dedicated marketing personnel who have commenced work on a strategy to promote ADAC. More on this in the next update.

Computer Aided Design (CAD) Standards Working Group This Group last met on 10 May 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 which has been trialed successfully in a

number of councils over the last few months. We expect to be in a position to finalise the standard later this year with our next meeting planned for August. We were advised that all 12d files are available on their forum with some of this work in the latest update (C1M) and the rest expected to be included in 12D version 14.

Following on from the finalisation of all the CAD standard files the group will work to develop the supporting documentation that will allow councils to simply refer to IPWEAQ standard documents. We envisage this document would deal with procedural issues and have examples of standard presentation and possibly standard snippets.

We will also be working with the Survey Group to ensure the work is aligned with their requirements.

Survey Standards Working Group The draft files have just been released to the Group for review and are expected to be finalised and adopted at the next Survey Standards meeting to be held 6 June. We will then have a standard IPWEAQ naming code convention.

A standard set of codes for underground utility locations in accordance with the AS-5488 standard has also been included.

Street Planning and Design Manual There has been significant progress over the last few months including the adoption of a new governance structure and the engagement of a dedicated project manager (Trevor Parminter).

The governance structure includes a smaller overarching steering committee and two dedicated working groups for planning and design. Additionally, we will be establishing an Industry Advisory Group to gain greater buy in from key stakeholders plus defined Stakeholder reference groups for planning and design to provide support and feedback.

The newly formed Steering Committee is chaired by our President, Seren McKenzie and includes representatives from the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP), LGAQ, UDIAQ, the Planning Institute Australia and IPWEAQ. The next phase for the Steering Committee is to finalise the business case and to clearly articulate the needs and benefits for the new publication.

The business case needs to include identification and quantification of the benefits to be derived under the headings below to facilitate an economic analysis.

The expected benefits of the project are: 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

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and street networks within various land-use precinct types ie a code of practice.

2. B e adopted widely in local government planning schemes and other planning frameworks as a development code or planning scheme policy that will deliver precincts that meet the future needs of Queenslanders.

It is expected that these benefits will be achieved through the following: a. Achievement of efficiencies through collaboration and innovation in whole of network planning. b. O ffering optimal safety where roads intersect with streets. c. Innovation in the development of our urban landscape including provisions for autonomous

vehicles and other futureproofing of our neighbourhoods. d. M aximising the social and environmental capabilities of future neighbourhoods through smart design. e. R eduction in local government costs in development of their individual street planning and design requirements. f. Reduction in developer costs associated with differences between the individual street planning and design requirements of various local governments.

I encourage you to provide the information needed to support the business case including expected benefits and the expected costs associated with implementation of the proposed SPDM. For any

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queries or clarification, please contact our new SPDM Project Manager, Trevor Parminter at trevor@rovertreviews.com.

On a final note, I am excited to announce that I will be taking up the Program Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Assets position with Austroads from 2 July. I am so grateful for my time with IPWEAQ and for the integral role Working Group members have played in our success. This is an exciting new chapter for me but please be assured that I will look to engage with IPWEAQ as much as possible to ensure the public works sector is well represented at a national level. I would like to personally thank the Board, all the staff and our CEO for all of the support you have given me, and wish you all the best for the future.

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RPEQ ASSESSMENT

BY IPWEAQ

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Queensland Division (IPWEAQ) upholds professional standards as an approved assessing authority for the registration of engineers (RPEQ) in the area of Civil Engineering – Public Works.

Why should I become an RPEQ? Under the Queensland ‘Professional Engineers Act 2002’, engineers practicing in Queensland are required to be registered with the Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland or must be directly supervised by an RPEQ. Registration differentiates you as a professional engineer and is confirmation that you have met certain professional, educational and competency requirements.

Who can apply?

Applicants wishing to be assessed for RPEQ registration need to meet the following criteria: A minimum four year Bachelor of Engineering degree from an Australian university. Where a degree other than this is held, or for overseas qualifications not covered by the Washington Accord, the Assessment Board will conduct an additional assessment to determine equivalency and an additional fee will be charged. A minimum of five years delivering engineering services under the supervision of an RPEQ or equivalent. T echnical Officers having completed MEPrac may also apply subject to having had a minimum of five years supervised experience. H ave completed 150 hours of CPD for the immediate previous three years.

How do I apply?

IPWEAQ can assess applications for RPEQ registration throughout Queensland.

Applications are submitted at www.rpeqassessment.com.au along with the following information: D etails of all qualifications held relevant to the discipline for which accreditation is sought. U p-to-date, detailed curriculum vitae. D etails of CPD undertaken in the immediate 3 years prior to application. R eferee statements from three referees who are RPEQ and are in a position to independently comment on the applicant’s work A statement of competency.

How much will it cost?

An assessment fee will be payable at the time of application: •$ 400 (plus GST) for IPWEAQ Members •$ 700 (plus GST) for non-IPWEAQ members

How is my application assessed?

Assessments are conducted by IPWEAQ’s expert panel of assessors and overseen by the IPWEAQ RPEQ Assessment Board.

Assessment usually takes between six to eight weeks and includes an interview with a panel of three assessors.

Successful applicants receive a Letter of Assessment which is submitted to the Board of Professional Engineers Queensland for registration as an RPEQ.

What is the review process?

RPEQs are required to demonstrate they have completed a minimum of 150 hours of CPD in every three year period and may be subject to random audits.

The IPWEAQ CPD Logbook helps you keep track of your CPD. Submit your application at www.rpeqassessment.com.au For more information, please contact: Mark Lamont Information Recourses Manager Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com

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INFORMS. CONNECTS. REPRESENTS. LEADS.

IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre The new IPWEAQ Knowledge Centre is a vital resource for anyone working in the public works sector 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.

   Engineering for Public Works | June 2018

www.ipweaq.com

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KNOWLEDGE CENTRE UPDATE

PORTFOLIO REPORT

Mark Lamont, Information Resources Manager The Knowledge Centre recently had its first birthday and it has been gratifying to see the interest in the site steadily increasing over that time. We have worked hard to make the materials contained within the Knowledge Centre relevant and fresh so that it serves the role of an essential resource for all engaged within the public works sector throughout Queensland.

One of the great advantages of having an internal information storage facility is that it allows for immediate publication of vital materials. Where once papers arising from conference proceedings would need to go through a long-convoluted publication process, we can now publish the material in various formats immediately for the benefit of our members and affiliates. That enables engineers and other infrastructure professionals to share their real world experience, gained by recent practice in the field, and have that information viewed publicly with their peers as soon as it has been reported.

A case in point is our recent NQ Branch conference held in

Cairns in April (see page 48 for a summary ‘wrap up’ of the event).

A wide range of up-to-the-minute information presented across more than twenty sessions provided important new insights into areas as diverse as road maintenance and construction, reservoir restoration, designing and creating vibrant parkland areas in our towns and cities, the autonomous vehicle revolution and the implementation of Queensland’s container refund scheme. Many other topics were covered as well, but all of them are from people working at the coalface of their specialist areas, dealing with the day to day realities of all aspects of public works engineering.

One consequence of the increased interaction with the Knowledge Centre has been a corresponding increase in enquiries around access and usage, so I’d like to offer some general tips in that direction. For those who are first time users, it is a layered space that allows for direct searching or general browsing. There are four tiers to Knowledge Centre, the top entry level being the ‘Community’. When you arrive at the Knowledge Centre homepage, it is the Community list you are first presented with. Clicking on any of those will take you into a list of Sub-communities in which

are housed the Collection level.

The individual Items are stored within those Collections. When browsing the Knowledge Centre you can move through the layers by selecting collections and items of particular interest and move back and forth through the information within them.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for files with a more particular focus, there is a central search engine called ‘search Dspace’ at the top centre of the site. A search of a term such as ‘pavement’ for example, will bring up 191 items. A refining qualifier such as ‘stabilized pavement’ will reduce the result to 31 items, and so on.

Please remember there is an instructional video and a more detailed explanation of the structure and terminology on the Knowledge Centre homepage to help with navigation.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with any queries or suggestions. I can be contacted at Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com, or on 07 3632 6806.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

PORTFOLIO REPORT

Craig Moss Director, Professional Development Focus on safety – the plant/ pedestrian interface Early on in my career, I was exposed to an incident between a worker and an item of mobile plant that resulted in a fatality.

While not directly involved, this is something that has stayed with me. The impact that a serious injury or fatality has is far reaching, impacting many people in a variety of ways. The topic of managing the risk at the plant pedestrian interface is something that I am very passionate about and I am always looking for opportunities to improve the way we manage our worksites when plant is operating in the vicinity of workers on foot.

All too often we read or hear about incidents on our worksites that involve a worker being hit, crushed by, or falling from powered mobile plant. Statistics show that this continues to be a leading cause of death and serious injury in the construction industry.

On average, each year in Australia, about 7 workers die as a result of accidents involving vehicles or mobile plant on construction sites.

A further 93 are seriously injured (Safe Work Australia).

Mobile plant and equipment accounts for an extremely high percentage of dangerous incidents on building and construction sites.

In Australia there are over 4200 claims annually involving mobile Plant. These claims can be broken down in the following categories:  50% involved sprains and strains  17% involved contusions or open wounds  13% involved fractures, dislocations or amputations  A total of 70% of the claims involved two or more weeks’ absence from work  Seven incidents involved fatalities These very real numbers highlight the dangers of working near mobile plant and equipment and the importance of focussing on this work activity and its associated hazards.

From 2011 to 2012, an industry wide study on major risks on civil construction sites was conducted.

One of the major focuses of the study was on the interaction of workers with mobile plant.

Using the Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) and traffic management plan (TMP) processes as foundation documentation for the study, the assessment aimed

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to gather information on whether each stage of the process was being completed effectively and, ultimately, whether or not the process was effectively managing risk.

The key findings from the campaign can be summarised as follows:  Most of the SWMS and TMP’s were assessed as being adequate for the task (92% adequately identified and evaluated risks, 91% identified suitable controls).  25% of activities were assessed as failing to implement the controls that had been identified in the SWMS or TMP. This figure is only slightly lower (22%) when looking at major contractors only.  Different methods of communicating the contents of safety documentation (e.g. daily pre-start, 1:1 instruction) did not have a significant impact on compliance with the documentation.  Periodic monitoring of an activity resulted in a significant reduction in compliance with SWMS or TMP when compared to other methods of monitoring (E.g. constant monitoring, team supervisor monitoring).

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 Nearly a third of the SWMSs/ TMPs assessed had been developed with no worker involvement, with the remaining two-thirds involving some discussion.  Documentation developed in discussion with workers resulted in higher levels of compliance (approximately 10% difference).  Workers reported that only three-quarters of SWMS/TMP were suitable for the task, only a third (31%) were easy to understand and only a fifth were enforced/checked by management (21%).  Workers aged 25 years and younger demonstrated a lower level of understanding of the SWMS/TMP compared to their older colleagues, and;  Very high levels of compliance were reported with regard to the provision of amenities and the management of fatigue for traffic controllers.

The key messages from this study include:  Workers and managers disagree on the effectiveness of communication and monitoring methods being used.  Workers should be engaged in

Register for our new Buddy Program!

risk management and control processes.  Critical information about risks and controls must be communicated clearly and simply.  Young and inexperienced workers are at greater risk.

Under the WHS Legislation, workers who are likely to be exposed to traffic or plant risks and anyone supervising these workers should be trained and provided with information and instruction on:  The nature of the hazards and risks associated with the plant and systems of work.  The need for, and correct use and maintenance of control measures.  Operation of plant and the procedures for safe use of the plant.  The use, fit, testing, maintenance and storage of any personal protective equipment required.  Emergency procedures in case of a plant malfunction or other incident.  The location of information relating to the safe use of the plant.

In an effort to address this need, IPWEAQ has developed a training program to provide practical information to employers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, workers and other parties involved in construction work involving traffic and/or mobile plant on how to ensure personnel are safe while working on foot in the vicinity of mobile plant and other vehicles.

This includes providing an understanding of the common hazards associated with working near traffic or plant and appropriate control measures that can be used to manage these risks.

While this training program will not be able to cover all potential situations encountered in the workplace, it will provide attendees with the underpinning knowledge and skills to be able to identify and manage potential risks associated with working near mobile plant on building or construction sites.

To find out more about this program, please contact Craig Moss, Director, Professional and Career Development on 3632 6805 or Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com to discuss your requirements.

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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qldwater ceo’s report The focus of this report is our Water Skills Partnership with 46 members currently which had its inception with a Skills Formation Strategy grant in 2009.

Carlie Sargent joined us in February and it has been a baptism of fire. Our first major Skills Forum kicked things off followed by a couple of steering committee meetings, and as the end of financial year approaches we are building our 2018-2019 work program from these engagements, as well as delivering two major projects.

Drinking Water Operator Certification has been a focus since 2011 with Wastewater/ Recycled Water Certification gaining interest more recently and development of a Certification Framework for Networks is underway. Typically participants seeking Certification will hold a Certificate III in Water Operations. Certification maps the existing units of competency held by individual operators to the processes required at the treatment plants for which they are responsible.

So Certification creates an opportunity to pick up necessary process units above the 11 in a standard qualification, as well as a chance to ‘modernise’ the qualification to include other new units which may have been introduced to the training package since training was first undertaken.

It is designed to provide internal and community recognition and build career paths for operators, formalise an ongoing professional development program, as well as give employers assurance that they are taking a proactive approach to skilling people in these job roles which are critical in protecting public and environmental health.

The Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training provided funding to support this initiative for the necessary ‘gap training’ in 2017.

We are championing modifications to the National Water Training Package which should lead to a more permanent funding solution but in the interim for 2018, the department has supported a final round of gap training which should see a further 70 operators certified across Queensland from 11 organisations, and representing an additional $140,000 state government investment to support the sector.

We have been contracted by Jobs Queensland to prepare a report on behalf of the industry regarding the skills and training issues likely to be most critical over the next 3-5 years. The report will focus on projected employment and skills growth, issues associated with the supply and demand of labour and skills, emerging industry disruption influences, demographic factors and regional variations, emerging workforce challenges

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and opportunities and potential training and skills strategies to assist in meeting future skills needs. The final report will be delivered in June and findings shared with members.

As we head into 2018-2019 we will be completing our fifth biennial workforce snapshot report. These reports analyse and monitor Queensland water industry workforce trends and issues like attraction and retention, competition from other industries and labour shortages and help to inform workforce planning activities. We have been working with the Water Skills Partnership to expand the data collection process for the 2018 report to address other common issues and concerns raised by members, particularly benchmarking of staff numbers with infrastructure services, salaries and job roles.

Surveys will be distributed to members in July with a report delivered later in 2018.

We welcome any input from you on how we address your skills and training needs. Please contact Carlie Sargent on 07 3632 6853 or csargent@qldwater.com.au.

Dave Cameron CEO qldwater - The Queensland Water Directorate www.qldwater.com.au

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QLDWATER

COMMUNITY NEWS

Farewell Heather Heather Gold departed qldwater in May and while she will be sadly missed, everyone is equally happy for her as she is acting on her long-term intention to spend part of her year with her partner in Germany and part together in Brisbane.

Within the office, Heather’s never faltering friendly smile and sense of humour will be missed. She always has her finger on the pulse and a knack for passing on information with succinct and often wry observations – a difficult task for someone who never has a mean thing to say and is openly friendly with everyone.

Heather will be missed more broadly as there would not be anyone among qldwater members who has not heard her friendly voice on the phone or in one of our training videos. In fact, we received more praise for Heather’s recordings than for many of our other products and lot of this came down to Heather’s accent and dulcet tones.

Heather is the longest acting member of qldwater staff and she has been involved in every one of our initiatives cheerfully organising, planning and making sure nothing goes wrong. There is no emergency that she has not been able to help out with and no member request too small for her to provide advice, information and assistance.

In particular her skills in managing

the eFlashes, water connections tour and other events as well as being a one-stop-shop for member queries and documents will be sorely missed.

We wish Heather well and enviously imagine her living the high life across two continents sipping German wine and enjoying their chocolate.

Zoho Connect qldwater would like to invite members to the new online forum platform, Zoho Connect.

The aim is for Zoho Connect to provide a platform to better manage online discussions and facilitate exchange of documents among members, based on similar interests and experiences.

As such, various interest groups have been established including SWEAP, QWRAP regions, SWIM, SWIMLocal and the TRG Platinum Group, to name a few.

Zoho was selected for its simplicity of use. Zoho allows groups to have discussions via email and with those conversations are then updated to the site so that others within a nominated group can view them.

Thanks to Shaun Johnston, Terry Fagg, Mark Vis and Anna Scott for helping with the initial trial. Further feedback and suggestions are invited.

If you would like to join the forum, please follow the instructions from: www.qldwater.com.au/forums Events Calendar 6-7 June 2018 43rd WIOA QLD Water Industry Operations Conference & Exhibition Logan 7 June 2018 Water of Origin Taste Test Logan 18 July 2018 qldwater Mini Conference and Best of the Best Water Taste Test Goondiwindi 26-27 July 2018 AWA NQ Conference Cairns 9 August 2018 qldwater Mini Conference and Best of the Best Water Taste Test Bundaberg

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Building bridges to successful community engagement

WATER FOCUS

The water crisis in Cape Town is a stark reminder of things to come for many communities across the world as we struggle with changes in rainfall patterns, more severe storms and also increased cost in maintaining and operating complex water infrastructure. And for regional and remote service providers lacking both financial and human resources, the challenges can be even more daunting.

Research produced by the Queensland Water Directorate (qldwater) and funded through the Queensland Water Regional Alliances Program (QWRAP), highlighted the need for better stakeholder engagement programs to address these challenges in order to build stronger, more resilient communities.

Bridging the gaps According to qldwater Communications Manager Desiré Gralton, the barriers to successful engagement in regional communities centre around limited skills and resources, with technical and/or operations staff often expected to do community engagement as well.

“We also found a lack of communication between different departments within Councils and, where Councils do employ communications and media teams,

they often lack an understanding of the challenges faced by operators, technical staff and managers.”

To help bridge the gap between Council departments, and between local and state governments, qldwater piloted a Community Engagement in Action Workshop with Southern Downs Regional Council, ultimately aiming to develop a roadmap towards effective community engagement with a specific focus on water demand management.

Why water demand management?

By influencing residents to decrease their water usage,

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Councils can effectively counteract the need for more costly water infrastructure and delay or remove the need to enter into deeper water restrictions that impact the whole community. Delayed infrastructure spending offers a strong business case to build waterwise communities, and good stakeholder engagement can contribute significantly to successful project outcomes whilst enhancing the service level provided to the community.

Ms Gralton said Water Demand Management programs needed to be carefully designed to be responsive to the broad range of attitudes within all communities,

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and the ‘political will’ to continue such programs will vary from place to place and over time driven by water availability, climate and community needs.

“By developing Management Plans in consultation with the community, service providers can be better prepared and provide a consistent, ongoing response to the drought-flood cycle so distinctive of most Queensland communities. An informed community that understands the local issues can be more supportive and provide input for more informed decisions.”

Piloting community water taste test events In the lead up to the community engagement planning workshop, qldwater trailed the concept of community water taste tests at two popular events in the Southern Downs region: one at the Stanthorpe Apple and Grape Harvest Festival, and one at the Warwick Show. The aim of these sessions was to provide key messages and gain community feedback as a third party not closely related to Council.

Participants put their taste buds to the test, selecting a winner from five samples - four from the different water treatment plants in the SDRC area and one mystery sample of bottled water.

“We asked the community which sample they liked best, and which sample they believed to be bottled water. Interestingly, fewer than 25% of participants could pick the bottled water from the other samples,” Ms Gralton said.

Water from Southern Downs Regional Council’s Killarney drinking water scheme ultimately

won the People’s Choice Award for the best tasting tap water in the region.

Mini Survey Participants were asked three more questions to go into a draw to win a water efficient sprinkler prize pack, kindly donated by Wobble Tee. We found that:  Participants were evenly divided on the question whether the Southern Downs region had enough water to supply its community well into the future;  76% of participants said they used water efficient products like low flow showerheads and sprinklers at home; and  not many people knew that Storm King Dam was the main source of water for Stanthorpe, but most people in Warwick knew where their water came from.

Ms Gralton said the taste test was a great conversation starter which allowed discussions across a broad range of water-related issues including water sources, treatment options, preparing for climate change and the value of using water efficient products at home and at work.

Exploring future engagement opportunities Following the two community events, qldwater brought together a wide range of Council staff and experienced facilitators to explore contents and options for future engagement on water security issues to underpin the development of a Water Efficiency Plan.

Speakers included Sue Larsen from the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, and

Jason Lange and Simon Igloi who brought with them a wealth of experience working on demand management strategies for Townsville City Council.

The workshop provided an overview of best practice demand management case studies ranging from cheap and simple gardening competitions based on the free Waterwise resources provided by the DNRME, to more costly marketing campaigns like Cairns Regional Council’s Thrive campaign. Some relied on new technologies, like the smart water meters installed at Mackay Regional Council which allow them to target specific messages to individual households rather than hit-and-miss mass marketing campaigns.

Making a business case Simon Igloi, Senior Officer Coastal Catchments at Townsville Water and Waste, acknowledged the fact that few Councils would spend money on environmental work, so the engagement team at Townsville had to provide a strong business case for any of the work they were planning to do.

“In the end, the delayed duplication of a $260 million pipeline clinched the deal and provided us with funding to build a better understanding of patterns of water use. The end-use analysis research showed that 70% of residents water was used outdoors, and that water use increased by an astonishing 600% during dry times - something that happens a lot in Townsville!”

The research prompted Council to look at tactics like rebates and retrofits, audit sheets and waterwise programs aimed at education, motivation and

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enabling residents to do the right thing.

Methodologies used Jason Lange from Ecocentric Services explained how Townsville campaigns combined a number of behavioural science approaches including two proven methodologies: Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) and thematic communication.

Jason Lange from Ecocentric Services talk about their experience in Townsville.

CBSM techniques were used to shortlist the targeted behaviours, which was then followed up with thematic communication to craft messages that resonated with the community. The idea around thematic communication is to provoke thought in meaningful ways and then follow up with information.

To shortlist the behaviours that needed to be targeted, Townsville started with a long list of 71 and narrowed it down by looking at impact (what volumetric gain could be achieved?), probability (how likely is it that people will do what you ask them to do?), and penetration (how many people are already doing it?).

For example, asking people to install a water tank could have big volumetric gains, but tanks cost a lot of money and other barriers like insufficient space, concern about run-off from roofs etc would mean less likelihood of uptake. Low-flow sprinklers have a similar volumetric gain and are much easier for people to make the switch to, especially through an exchange program or other incentives.

Community taste testing.

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The resulting Great Sprinkler Swap campaign proved to be extremely popular, and Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investment in more efficient sprinklers saved

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significant amounts of water without the customer having to do anything but swap something old for something new.

Townsville also trialled smart meters with 300 households, and the data obtained validated previous assumptions - when it rains the water use goes down, which wouldn’t be the case if the water was being used indoors.

Another factor compounding the extreme outdoor water use was the large amount of new developments in the Townsville region, with households struggling to establish new lawns in compacted, clay soil.

The final, end state behaviour that was selected to target in a campaign was to water no more than twice per week when dry, and never when wet. To remove the communities perceived barriers to adopting this desired behaviour ‘Bradley the Lawn Tamer’ was born.

Technical experts in water, soil, turf and irrigation worked together on a set of Townsville specific lawn training tools, videos and subsidies for efficient watering, lawn species, soils, fertilising, irrigation and leak detection.

According to Simon, it was interesting to see how different demographics responded to different messages during years of message testing.

“While older people wanted to save water, the younger generation was more interested in saving time. Bradley showed this cohort how to save 13 Sundays per year in mowing just by using a different lawn type.”

Collective Social Learning The workshop finished off with an interactive session where Jason Lange used a collective learning cycle to help the group uncover meaningful actions for themselves

with a focus question in mind.

The first stage (What should be?) involved the groups dreaming big and reimagining what the region should look like into the future.

The second session (What is?) grounded participants in reality by asking them to identify the things and people that enable and disable them from achieving the reimagined future.

“What could be?” prompted participants to explore collaboration opportunities and come up with fresh ideas for change, before finally committing to do something within their power and authority to work towards the ideals, in answer to the question “What can be?”

The final report on the outcomes of the workshop is currently being developed, and qldwater aims to share the learnings with other regional service providers.

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meet the team - ENGINEERING LEIGH CUNNINGHAM Chief Executive Officer Leigh.Cunningham@ipweaq.com

We are very pleased to welcome our first Management Accountants/CPAs to IPWEAQ after several years of outsourcing our bookkeeping functions to Bookkeeping Figured Out (with many thanks to Jeannette Saez).

ROSS GUPPY Director, Technical Products Ross.Guppy@ipweaq.com

CRAIG MOSS Director, Professional and Career Development Craig.Moss@ipweaq.com

JOHANNA VANLING Office Manager Johanna.Vanling@ipweaq.com

Carla Caro Management Accountant Carla has over 26 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience as an accountant/CPA, most recently for the Brisbane Powerhouse. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of Queensland. Carla has three children and is a member of the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron. She is married to Tim and they have a shared interest in old Moreton Bay Cruising Boats.

MARK LAMONT Information Resource Manager Mark.Lamont@ipweaq.com

PAULA PAUL Director, Events & Marketing Paula.Paul@ipweaq.com

BELINDA SMITH Director, Marketing & Communications Belinda.Smith@ipweaq.com

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Celine Gildfind Management Accountant Celine is a qualified CPA with a Master of Commerce (major in Advanced Accounting) having graduated with an Excellence Award (top 5% of graduates). She also has a Bachelor of Management and Engineering (Information Management and Information System). Celine has worked in an accounting firm as well as for global auditing and business advisory firm, Ferrier Hodgson.

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meet the team - WATER DAVID CAMERON CEO dcameron@qldwater.com.au

Diana Kislitsyna Project Administration

ROB FEARON Director, Innovation Partnerships rfearon@qldwater.com.au

Diana Kislitsyna has joined the Water Directorate to take over project administration from the irreplaceable Heather Gold, who has recently left the Directorate after twelve years of outstanding service. Diana has experience in membership administration, event management and marketing and communications across a number of industries, with her most recent role as a Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Medical Oncology Group of Australia. Diana will be responsible for supporting members, organising events and meetings, assisting in the delivery of projects and issuing e-flashes and other communications.

DAVID SCHELTINGA Manager, SWIM dscheltinga@qldwater.com.au

DESIRĂ&#x2030; GRALTON Manager, Communications dgralton@qldwater.com.au

RYAN COSGROVE Project Coordinator and Researcher rcosgrove@qldwater.com.au

CARLIE SARGENT Project Coordinator â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Skills Carlie.Sargent@qldwater.com

qldwater is a business unit of IPWEQ

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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.

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Cairns’ oldest public building has been restored to its original beauty as part of a $8.69 million project. p.10

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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

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

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Our Value Propositions 1 Members enjoy a strong sense of community through our proactive branch network.

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