A WORD FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: SECURING A SEAT AT THE FEDERAL TABLE

by Linda Scott, President of the Australian Local Government Association

The past two years have been incredibly difficult for many Australians.

The Black Summer bushfires, COVID-19 pandemic and now flooding in South East Queensland and New South Wales have had devastating impacts on our communities.

They have exposed cracks in Australia’s foundations and raised questions about social inequality, poverty and housing affordability.

At the same time, these calamities have taught us what we can achieve when we work together.

Through it all, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has championed locally led solutions to build a stronger, more inclusive and sustainable Australia.

With the 2022-23 Federal Budget just weeks away, and a federal election fast approaching, councils are highlighting all that we’ve achieved over two difficult years, and how with more federal support, we can create more jobs and deliver more projects that will benefit all Australians.

ALGA’s national plan, “Don’t Leave Local Communities Behind”, will ensure every council and community has the opportunity to participate in our nation’s postpandemic recovery.

In the lead up to the federal election, our united message to every single candidate and key decision-maker is clear: Australia’s local governments are ready to work with you to drive a locally led recovery, to ensure no community is left behind.

Together, local governments are advocating for whoever forms the next Federal Government to commit to supporting: ∞ An initial injection of Financial Assistance Grants worth $1.3 billion to drive national economic recovery ∞ A phased increase in the total value of this untied funding to at least one per cent of Commonwealth taxation revenue ∞ A four-year extension of the Government’s highly successful Local Roads and Community

Infrastructure Program ∞ An increase in Roads to Recovery and Black Spot funding, and new funding to address road transport bottlenecks ∞ Support to reduce local emissions and better prepare for emergency events

If funded, our priorities would create nearly 43,500 new jobs and add $6.46 billion to Australia’s Gross Domestic Product.

They would enable our councils to invest more in resilience and mitigation measures so communities in Queensland, New South Wales and elsewhere need not live in fear of the next “rain bomb” or extreme weather event.

Properly supported, our councils could minimise the impacts of climate change in local communities and accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

They could accelerate Australia’s transition to a circular economy and further unlock the economic potential of our local communities.

We have a long history of working with State, Territory and Federal Governments to build better communities – and we have the capacity to grow those partnerships even further.

Australians want greater Federal, State and Local Government engagement and cooperation to ensure our post-COVID recovery is effective and long-lasting.

To that end, we’re advocating for ALGA to have a seat in National Cabinet so the views and aspirations of our local communities are heard and considered when decisions affecting their day-to-day lives are made in Canberra.

Working together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable Australia on the other side of COVID-19 and ensure that no community is left behind.

Cr Linda Scott is President of the Australian Local Government Association, the national voice of local government, representing 537 councils across the country.

Bespoke Culvert Relining Delivers Engineered Solution for Major Infrastructure Project

Summary

Mainmark’s Toowoomba Bypass project has received a Good Design Award for its role in upgrading and repairing the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Bypass, one of the largest infrastructure projects in Queensland history. Good Design Australia awarded Mainmark with the prestigious accolade in the Engineering Design category in recognition of outstanding design and innovation. Mainmark designed a bespoke engineered solution to help reline, repair and future-proof seven concrete drainage culverts that were vital to Toowoomba Bypass’ 41km long dual carriageway and ring road. The bypass was designed to improve freight connections to major ports and markets and reduce the number of trucks on Toowoomba’s local roads, however, the damaged culverts threatened the structural integrity of the bypass. The Good Design Awards Jury said “Mainmark’s solution was a wonderful example of optimising on a range of parameters within constraints”. Mainmark’s proprietary product Terefil®, a lightweight cementitious grout consisting of cement slurry and pre-formed hydrocarbon foam, was a key component of the solution to remediate the compromised culverts underneath the bypass, restoring their structural integrity and ensuring suitable drainage. Mainmark tailored the Terefil solution to suit the specific site constraints and allow the entire project to remain on schedule and within budget. Good Design Australia CEO, Dr Brandon Gien said receiving an Australian Good Design Award is testament to embedding design excellence at the heart of a product, service, place, or experience.

Objectives

A solution was required that would restore structural integrity to the compromised reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) culverts beneath the road with minimal impact on construction timelines. With access to the interior of the RCP culverts limited by their size and location, the solution needed to allow for effective and efficient delivery, while also protecting the health and safety of all project operations personnel and subcontractors working in the area.

Solution

Mainmark developed an engineered solution using a multi-faceted approach to relining the RCP culverts which involved the insertion of site based custom-manufactured corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) inside the damaged RCP concrete culverts and then filling the void (or annulus) between the CMP and the original RCP concrete culverts with Terefil. The CMP solution that was adopted was designed and developed by Roundel. Mainmark’s Terefil is a highly specialised lightweight cementitious void fill solution for geotechnical applications. The proprietary, versatile solution was pumped from a single injection point, quickly and easily flowing to fill the annulus between the CMP and culverts. A custom grout mix was developed to comply with specific project requirements determined by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR). The 12m lengths of CMP were connected through custom abutment-joining metal bands, created to be rigid enough to maintain the seal between each adjoining section, and flexible enough to yield if any float occurred during the Terefil injection. Mainmark also developed a landing skid, reel, and winching system to install the custom CMP inside the concrete culverts, providing reinforcement and stability to the compromised reinforced concrete pipes prior to application of the Terefil solution. The engineered solution using Roundel’s CMP and Mainmark’s specially formulated Terefil mix successfully delivered the required project outcomes. The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, Health and Safety Manager, Leigh Mehmet acknowledged Mainmark’s standard of work and safe approach throughout the project: “The works undertaken by Mainmark for culvert relining have been excellent, and they are a contractor who is setting the standard and leading the way for safety”.

For an obligation free, expert opinion contact us 1800 623 312 | www.mainmark.com

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