People Summit reaches new heights

experience to talk about workplace culture, gender bias, the role of trust, and the values of doing the right thing in authentic leadership.

“IN GENERAL, LEADERSHIP defines the culture, whether it is the smallest organisation – like organising a school fair – to the largest organisation listed on the ASX,” said Julia Banks.

People are the water sector’s most important asset. Without them, the Victorian water industry would be unable to deliver world-class services to enhance the liveability of our communities.

The summit sought to showcase safety, culture and leadership and put a spotlight on all things people. Some key areas of focus included managing psychosocial impacts on staff, the water sector safety pledge, driving cultural change and leaders of the future.

was welcomed to the stage. He’s also the CEO and Chief Optimism Officer at the Centre for Optimism and a Director of Yarra Valley Water. Referencing the recent passing of Tina Turner, Perton spoke about how the people at the summit are “Simply The Best.” He encouraged the attendees to enjoy the day. Perton also set three challenges for the attendees. The first was to meet someone new and keep in touch. The second was to laugh a lot. The third was to aim to be at the best people and culture summit ever.

Keynote speaker Julia Banks Banks was the keynote speaker. She

Banks opened her presentation with the trailer for the 2022 film, She Said She spoke about how the Weinstein Company failed on all three counts of safety, culture, and leadership, compared to what it looks like on the outside. Banks pointed out that while very few organisations are perfect, she likes to think that most organisations are on the positive end of the scale. She also acknowledged that the existence of microcultures can cause problems.

Power is part of the structure of inequality. The way people use power over someone else was a key point of Bank’s presentation.

“Every CEO has two types of power, personal and positional,” she said. “Everyone in this room has personal and positional power. What differentiates the good from the bad and the ugly is how they use their personal and positional power. What makes a difference in positive and negative workplace culture is how power is used by the leaders of organisations.”

In looking back at her time in Federal Parliament, Banks reflected on the period in which she announced that she would no longer contest the seat of Chisholm in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. She spoke about the bullying and negative workplace culture she experienced in the lead into the 2019 federal election.

“Often when good women call out or are subjected to bad behaviour, the reprisals, backlash, and commentary portray them as the bad ones: the liar, the troublemaker, the emotionally unstable or weak, or someone who should be silenced. To those who say politics is not for the faint-hearted and that women have to toughen up, I say this: the hallmark characteristics of the Australian woman… are resilience and a strong, authentic, independent spirit,” said Banks on the floor of the House of Representatives on 27 November 2018.

Her discussion of workplace coercive control described the behaviour as always taking someone’s voice. Banks referred to an incident in a workplace where an emerging female leader’s potential promotion could have been stymied by one person who felt threatened by that woman’s ambition. She spoke of the CEO using their personal and positional power to stop the irrelevant conversation and focus on the essential aspects of the woman’s career path.

“You do not have to meet the stereotype of a strong leader,” she said. “You can be your own kind of leader.”

Panel discussions

There were several panel discussions throughout the day following Banks’ keynote speech. The first looked at managing psychosocial impacts in the workplace. The panellists were

Frances Anderson from the Victorian Government Solicitors, Rebecca Hanley from Coliban Water, and Danielle Nigro from Davidson.

The discussion focused on the mental health of employees within an organisation. They included topics such as how health and safety laws relate to psychological health, building strategies for change management, properly communicating crises, and holding a mirror to yourself as a leader for better interventions.

The panel concluded that leaders need to understand the risks of not addressing mental health by developing a positive workplace

Sarah Cumming from Gippsland Water, Maree Lang from Greater Western Water, Jane Brown from Salesforce and Christine Nixon

AO, APM from Leadership Victoria, discussed the topic. The key focus points for the panel were the idea of what the future leaders of the water sector might look like, what skills they will need to have, and how they need to work inside and outside of their organisations. The idea of “We don’t do that here,” as presented by Christine Nixon, was one message that reverberated through the crowd.

Individual speakers

Andrew Jeffers from Wannon Water spoke on behalf of the VicWater Safety Executive Group. He discussed its approach to safety and wellbeing across the Victorian water sector. “Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress,” he said. “What gets measured gets managed, but the question is what should be measure?”

Jeffers was followed by Deb Fankhauser from Lower Murray Water, who discussed inclusion and diversity. She spoke about what diversity and inclusion mean for the water sector, where the industry has come from and where it is going. Her closing polls provided a deep insight into what the Victorian water sector needs to do in areas such as neurodiversity. Participants also pushed for more work to be done on assessing organisational leaders on inclusion and diversity.

For more information, visit www.vicwater.org.au

Plastic pipes play a critical role in society’s life. They deliver essential services from urban to rural environments. But how are they in line with the broader sustainability goals of society?

IT’S HARD TO comprehend the vast network of plastic pipelines installed and in operation in Australia and worldwide. Most are buried and remain in service for more than 100 years. Today’s plastic pipeline systems are still in their first life cycle.

“Plastic pipe systems align with all three key principles to a circular economy – designing out waste and pollution; keeping products and material in use and regenerating natural systems. You can see why they are the preferred choice to replace and upgrade other pipe materials,” said Executive General Manager of the Plastics Industry Pipe Association (PIPA), Cindy Bray. delivering reflects the growing pressure to reduce reliance on short-lived, single-use products and the drive to increase post-consumer and preconsume plastic recycling levels.

The sustainability story Not all plastics are the same. Too often, plastic pipe systems are mistakenly put in the same category as short-lived, single-use plastics.

“As an industry that converts large volumes of virgin material into long-life products that deliver our essential everyday services to homes and communities, it’s important that we educate across a wide range of audiences on the role plastic pipes systems play,” Bray said. “This includes how they are different to other plastic products and why the manufacture of virgin material is critical for people and the planet. Our sustainability story provides these insights and context supported with data and science.”

Plastic pipes are engineered products designed to last

The plastic material used to manufacture pipes is engineered to be robust, reliable, and recyclable. They are intended and designed to last a long time, more than 100 years. The engineered polymers used are stable materials. These properties are suitable for a product such as pipes requiring long life expectancy.

“Some people may be surprised by the production plants for manufacturing plastic pipes are relatively simple,” said Bray.

The main inputs are plastic pellets or powder and electricity. Production equipment is electrically powered, and heating is electric as temperatures required to melt the plastic are relatively low. This results in a clean and enclosed process.

“No combustion or chemical reaction is required, and therefore no smoke or emissions are produced,” she said.

PIPA and its members continue showing their commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. The members are program partners to Operation Clean Sweep, playing their role in working towards the prevention of pellet loss in Australia.

”Everyone in the industry has a role and responsibility to play throughout the supply chain,” said Bray. “It’s a collective effort where every little action counts and simple measures allow for effective results.”

Through manufacturing, scrap or re-work material generated is also re-used, designing out waste therefore aligning with circular economy principles. Suitable post-consumer and pre-consumer materials can also be used to manufacture non-pressure plastic pipes. Having said that, the volume of appropriate material in the waste streams is low. The industry is always looking at ways to work collaboratively across the broader industries to collect a sufficient volume of plastic pipes viable for recycling.

Durability is a result of product design

Part of the circular economy is to design a product that can remain functional without requiring excess maintenance or repair when installed correctly under normal operation over its lifetime.

“For plastic pipes, it is intended that they can be installed and not require any maintenance or repair for decades, unlike other materials,” said Bray.

Plastic pipes withstand the forces they are subjected to. They do not corrode or crack, they resist chemical attack and abrasion while maintaining a smooth bore for easy fluid flow and better hydraulics. They are also designed not to leach secondary material into the fluid flow, necessary for drinking water applications. Plastic pipes are safe for the people and the planet.

“Plastic pipes offer clear advantages in terms of chemical resistance over other pipe options,” said Bray. “They are not affected by soil environments that are highly corrosive to metal and concrete. They are not affected by compounds that form in wastewater, such as acids that rapidly degrade iron and cement line pipes. It makes them the ideal choice for long-term infrastructure. They also have the lowest overall failure rates in water infrastructure compared to cast iron, ductile iron, steel, and asbestos cement”.

Plastic pipes are also lighter compared to other pipe materials. This has advantages during transportation – more volume per truckload – and when it comes to installation. For open trench installation, the use of plant equipment is minimised compared to heavier pipe materials, which can increase lay rates and reduce CO2 emissions.

The versatility of plastic pipe systems allows for the option for trenchless installation as well, particularly with polyethylene pipe. This allows for fewer disruptions during the installation or repair of existing pipelines allowing flexibility and cost-effective installation and lowering the impact on the environment and community.

Re-use before recover

At the end of their long service life, plastic pipe systems in buried infrastructure applications can be reused without removing them from under the ground.

“These services are likely to become a host for a new plastic pipe,” said Bray. “There is a strong focus on recycling, but reusing the pipe significantly reduces the use of energy and resources. It also reduces the environmental impact of digging up a pipeline after 100 years. There are some applications where suitable recycling streams are available such as pipe off-cuts, but it’s not for all of them.

“By using recourses responsibility through better design, we are working smarter. We’re committed. And we’re working towards creating a healthier environment and sustainable future,” she said.

For more information, visit www. pipa.com.au