Infrastructure Magazine September 2021

Monkey Media Enterprises

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Editor Jessica Dickers

Associate Editors

Imogen Hartmann

Eliza Booth

Journalist Michelle Goldsmith

National Media and Events Executives

Rima Munafo

Brett Thompson

Design Manager

Alejandro Molano

Designers

Jacqueline Buckmaster

Danielle Harris

Client Services Manager

Stephanie Di Paola

Publisher Chris Bland

Managing Editor

Laura Harvey

ISSN: 2206-7906

EDITOR’S WELCOME

The impacts of COVID-19 are still very much present across different sectors around the country, with several Australian states under some sort of lockdown restriction as we send this edition to print. I don’t know about you, but with the pandemic dominating news coverage, sometimes it’s good to focus on the positive progress the sector is making.

Luckily for us, there are lots of exciting developments and projects moving forward in infrastructure, with asset owners and companies continuing to push the boundaries of innovation. This issue celebrates this by looking at opportunities in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning; intelligent transport systems (ITS); cybersecurity; asset management; and sustainability, among other areas.

There are a number of projects underway in the road space when it comes to AI and machine learning, from using this technology to accurately predict congestion, to assessing road conditions and defects for maintenance. We’re also seeing some significant benefits from smart freeways in Western Australia.

These are only a few of the ways that digital technologies are impacting the infrastructure sector. The digitisation of the industry is arguably the biggest area of opportunity but also creates the most challenges, and is the topic that we think industry professionals need to be the most up to date with.

The team at Infrastructure believe this digitisation is having a major impact in two distinct ways: 1) technology implemented in physical assets is changing the way infrastructure is planned, designed, built and managed, and 2) digital infrastructure/cloud computing has become indispensable to the functioning of society.

These two topics will be explored in depth at our upcoming virtual event, the Critical Infrastructure: Digitisation Series. Many of you attended our virtual Critical Infrastructure Summit back in April, and this new event sits under the Summit umbrella and features two online conferences – Digital Infrastructure: Implementing digital in physical assets on October 5, and Cloud Infrastructure: The systems behind the new virtual economy on October 7.

For more information, and to register, visit www.critical-infrastructure.com.au.

Also in this issue, we talk about sustainability; from the increasing opportunities for procurement reform in the construction industry, to the approaches rail, transport and utilities are undertaking to implement sustainability in their operations.

For example, we look at how Parramatta Light Rail is creating an inclusive workforce and using recycled materials to reduce carbon dioxide output, while Sydney Water is leading the way in resource recovery through an Australian-first biogas-to-grid project.

There are of course, still many challenges asset owners are facing, with one of the biggest threats being the increasing risk of cyber attacks. PwC’s article in this issue dives deep into these concerns, as well as what the infrastructure industry needs to know about the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020.

With only a few months to go until the end of 2021 (where did this year go?!), it’s nice to take a moment to reflect on all of the incredible work the industry is doing to meet increasing demand, and the steps being put in place to plan for future changes.

Drop me a line at jessica.dickers@monkeymedia.net.au

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HEADING

INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA’S 2021 ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

Infrastructure Australia has released the 2021 edition of its Assessment Framework. Developed over an 18-month period and involving close consultation with government and industry stakeholders, the Assessment Framework is designed to support better infrastructure decisionmaking in Australia.

RAIL NOISE AND VIBRATION TOOLS FOR ASSET MANAGERS

Managing the noise from railways is becoming an increasing issue along major rail corridors in Australia – particularly those within close proximity of housing and offices. Often, industrial solutions involve unsightly concrete walls to manage noise, but there are more appealing alternatives.

THE CHIEF ASSET MANAGEMENT OFFICER: THE MISSING PIECE OF THE C-SUITE?

THE BIG BENEFITS OF INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

HOLISTIC IOT MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT

WELCOMING THE NORTHERN TERRITORY’S NEW INFRASTRUCTURE BODY

7 WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR STAKEHOLDERS

GETTING INFRASTRUCTURE MEGAPROJECT COST ESTIMATES RIGHT

CROSS RIVER RAIL MEGA PROJECT TAKING SHAPE

SHAPING A CONNECTED

PREDICTING CONGESTION BEFORE IT HAPPENS

We’d all like to spend less time sitting in traffic, and now a new Artificial intelligence (AI) application offers hope for congestion-weary commuters.

INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR VICTORIA ROAD IN SYDNEY

MACHINE LEARNING: KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE VIA EARLY DETECTION OF ROAD DEFECTS

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) NSW and ACT Division has collaborated with four councils to trial the use of machine learning, video and Artificial Intelligence in the assessment of road conditions. Here are their findings.

SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITIES IN AUSTRALIA

It only takes events like the Suez Canal blockage or the COVID-19 pandemic to show that the worst can happen. Putting supply chain resilience in perspective, a poor-functioning supply chain (and henceforth less resilient) can see delays on imports and exports, increases in costs, and reduced fuel security, all potentially resulting in burdening Australian businesses and weakening the economy

SHARED, SMART AND SUSTAINABLE: THE TRANSPORT NETWORK OF THE FUTURE

LESSONS LEARNT FROM WA’S SMART FREEWAYS

BUILDING CYBER RESILIENCE IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

LIGHTING THE INDUSTRIAL JOB SITE

Having reliable lighting is critical on industrial job sites to protect workers and ensure projects can move forward regardless of conditions. Portable, battery-powered lights are best practice to eliminate the danger of electrical connections in wet or flammable environments, and to allow for easy moveability around a job site.

ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE PROJECT BLITZ

MITIGATING THE RISKS OF REMOTE WORKPLACES

SUSTAINABILITY

LIMITED WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PROCUREMENT REFORM

When it comes to sustainability, government and industry all largely agree on the problems that need to be addressed and we even agree on what needs to be done to fix them. We just need to find a way to fast track their implementation.

PARRAMATTA LIGHT RAIL: ON TRACK TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE TARGETS

GREEN GAS FROM WASTEWATER – AN AUSTRALIAN FIRST

SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE: FROM IMPOSSIBLE TO INEVITABLE

REGULARS

2 EDITOR’S WELCOME

6 CONTRIBUTORS

80 ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

80 FEATURES SCHEDULE

NEWS

8 FIRST GLIMPSE AT GOLD COAST LIGHT RAIL DESIGNS BEYOND BURLEIGH

9 NORTHCONNEX TUNNEL WINS INTERNATIONAL AWARD

10 WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT TERMINAL CONTRACTOR ANNOUNCED

11 NEXT STAGE FOR SYDNEY METRO WEST’S NINE NEW STATIONS

12 PREFERRED BIDDER SELECTED FOR NORTH EAST LINK TUNNELLING PACKAGE

13 NEWLY PRIORITISED TRANSPORT SKILLS WELCOMED BY INDUSTRY

14 WORK BEGINS ON THE BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN SA’S HISTORY

14 NEWCASTLE PORT TO PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN AUSTRALIA’S FUEL SECURITY

15 SAVE THE DATE – CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: DIGITISATION SERIES

HEADING

Interim Infrastructure Commissioner, NT Infrastructure Commission

Louise has over 20 years’ experience in the transport and infrastructure sectors. She is also an award winning Chartered Engineer in both civil and structural engineering and is also Chartered as an Engineering Executive.

Preamble

Over the 16 years Louise has worked in the Northern Territory, she has been involved in planning, delivery and management of some of the Territory’s largest and most complex infrastructure projects. She has been instrumental in securing Australian Government funding for a significant number of road upgrades across the Northern Territory.

Recently, Louise was appointed the interim Infrastructure Commissioner to establish Infrastructure NT. She also represents the Northern Territory on several national boards, committees and working groups, including as the Deputy Chair of Austroads, Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), the Infrastructure Investment Forum and I-Body National Forum.

FPaul Fletcher

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Federal Government

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Paul Fletcher is Federal MP for Bradfield, in northern Sydney, and the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts in the Morrison Government. He entered Parliament in December 2009, joined the Ministry in 2015, and was appointed to his present role in December 2020.

Before entering Parliament, Paul was Director, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, at Optus for eight years. Earlier in his career Paul was Chief of Staff to the Minister for Communications in the Howard Government, Senator Richard Alston.

He has dual first class honours degrees in law and economics from The University of Sydney and an MBA from Columbia University, in New York, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

Dr Helen Fairweather

Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)

Helen's research over her career has included a diverse collection of projects encompassing agriculture, hydrology, irrigation and climate research in a number of universities as well as Government agencies in NSW, QLD, Canada and the United Kingdom.

On her return to Australia, Helen worked for the NSW Government, where she delivered on a range of climate and agricultural projects for various funding agencies and a State Government research grant to develop a climate change adaptation tool in a GIS framework.

Before joining USC, Helen led the development of the science component of a project to revise the flood risk assessment methodology to take account of climate change in the relevant Queensland State Planning Policy.

Contributors

Graeme has 30 years’ experience as a senior executive in the infrastructure sector, leading large and complex, high profile, multi-billion dollar projects within the private and public sector.

His vast experience and industry expertise has seen him awarded both the National Award for Excellence and the QUT Outstanding Alumni Award. Graeme was appointed by the Queensland Premier in 2011 as the first Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.

Over the years, Graeme has worked in a range of infrastructure leadership roles including as Director-General for the Department of Infrastructure and Planning. In addition, he was appointed as Coordinator-General under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (QLD) and has also worked for Deloitte Australia as Lead Partner for the Queensland Government.

In his current role, Graeme is leading the delivery of the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.

Penny

of Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation, Governance and Assurance, Sydney Water

Penny joined Sydney Water in 2013 as a Business Planning Manager, having previously worked in several transformational roles in the solar and aerospace industries. She is currently Head of Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation, responsible for leading a range of programs designed to enhance the reliability, quality and security of Sydney Water’s products and services in the face of a diverse range of challenges.

Most recently this has included overseeing the organisation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring a robust approach to delivering world class water services for staff and customers alike. Penny has a Bachelor of Engineering (first class honours), and a Master of Business Administration.

Robert Di Pietro

Partner, PwC Australia Cyber Security, National Lead for Critical Infrastructure & Operational Technology

Robert Di Pietro is a Partner within PwC’s Cyber business with over 15 years’ experience helping organisations and government to manage information security risk and build cyber resilience. Robert has proven experience in delivering cyber security services to global organisations in areas such as incident response, threat and vulnerability management, DevSecOps, cyber threat intelligence and cyber risk and compliance management.

Robert has deep expertise working in cyber security for Operational Technology (OT) environments and has spent several years working with organisations in mining, utilities, energy, transport and critical infrastructure industry sectors.

The Queensland Government has published a first look at a potential future light rail route beyond Burleigh as community consultation begins.

Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said major transport infrastructure projects like the light rail were an important part of the state’s COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan.

FIRST GLIMPSE AT GOLD COAST LIGHT RAIL

DESIGNS BEYOND BURLEIGH

“We’re investing in public transport on the Gold Coast to create jobs, stimulate the local economy and take cars off the roads into the future,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We want feedback from locals. We want to hear what they think of the designs – that’s what today’s all about.”

Community consultation as part of the development of a preliminary business case for Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4 is now underway, giving businesses and residents along the alignment and the wider Gold Coast the opportunity to have their say about the planning project.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, invited the community to comment on the 13km, Stage 4 extension of light rail proposed south of Burleigh Heads.

“We are still very much in the early stages of considering what a future stage of light rail past Burleigh might look like,” Mr Bailey said.

“The flythrough video has been created to give Gold Coast residents a more realistic conception of how a future extension of light rail to Tugun could operate.

“For the next three months, the project team will be at seven locations across the southern Gold Coast to answer questions and provide face-to-face information to residents interested in learning more about the project.

“The community can also provide feedback online via the project website.”

Member for Gaven, Meaghan Scanlon, said, “Our city is growing and moving at a rapid pace – that’s why we’re upgrading the M1, building the Coomera Connector, building light rail stage 3 and delivering three new stations on the coast."

“Linking light rail to the airport – together with the M1 and heavy rail –means the Gold Coast will be better connected and less congested.

“We’ve seen people vote with their feet on light rail with more than 50 million trips taken on the existing system since it opened, and this extension will provide greater connectivity and accessibility for all Gold Coasters.”

The proposed Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4 extension will service Burleigh Heads Village Centre, Palm Beach Village Centre, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast Airport and Coolangatta shopping and business precinct.

The Queensland Government has committed $1.5 million to undertake the Gold Coast Light Rail (Tugun to Coolangatta) transport planning study, while $5 million has been jointly committed by the State Government and City of Gold Coast to complete a preliminary business case for Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4.

To watch the animations on the design concepts, visit www. yoursay-projects.tmr.qld.gov.au/gold-coast-light-rail-stage-4.

NORTHCONNEX TUNNEL

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Sydney’s NorthConnex motorway tunnel has received a prestigious award at the International Association of Lighting Designers Awards.

The Excellence Award recognises the Sydney tunnel’s lighting as design that represents excellence in aesthetic and technical design achievement. It was designed not just for aesthetic reasons but to also keep drivers engaged.

Transurban NSW Group Executive, Michele Huey, said the award puts the 9km tunnel on the global map.

“Since it opened in October 2020, drivers on our city’s newest motorway have loved driving under the lighting displays, and now the experts agree,” Ms Huey said.

“The Excellence Award recognises lighting design that reaches new heights, moves beyond the ordinary and represents excellence in aesthetic and technical design achievement.

“Not only has the lighting turned up the safety and experience of drivers, it has also created a recognisable brand and identity for NorthConnex.

“There are five brilliant installations, three white or blue backlit forest silhouettes in the northbound tunnel, and starry skies and speed lines heading south.”

Ms Huey said the radiant lighting displays were installed after extensive research to help keep drivers alert and engaged.

“Designing not only for aesthetics but as an active safety measure has never been done like this elsewhere in tunnel environments,” Ms Huey said.

“The partnership was years in the making, involving the Australian and NSW Governments, Transurban, Transport for NSW, Austroads and the University of NSW, and involved driving simulators and the largest worldwide survey of tunnel users to examine driver behaviour.”

The tunnels are equipped with an innovative advanced LED lighting system to ensure motorists can safely transition from bright daylight to the darker interior tunnel section.

PEDESTRIAN & VEHICLE DETECTION

WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT TERMINAL CONTRACTOR ANNOUNCED

The construction contract for the terminal at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport has been awarded.

Multiplex Constructions will construct the terminal.

Multiplex is an established global construction company that has delivered over 1,000 projects across the world and has an outstanding track record of successfully delivering complex projects in Australia.

The final design of the airport’s passenger terminal has also been unveiled.

NSW Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the contract award was an important step in the development of Sydney’s new airport.

“Today’s announcement and unveiling of the final designs of the new Western Sydney Airport is a major milestone towards the delivery of one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Australia,” Mr Fletcher said.

“After several years of preparing the airport site, including moving 18 million cubic metres of earth to date, construction is on track to commence on the integrated passenger terminal at the end of the year, which will have the capacity to handle up to ten million passengers a year once it opens in late 2026.

“This project is a unique opportunity to build an airport from the ground up – allowing us to deploy the latest technology to ensure the passenger experience is smoother and easier

than today’s airports, and the security systems more effective but less intrusive.

“The new terminal will not only be a state-of-the art piece of infrastructure but a driver of jobs and economic growth for the region, and form an integral element of the surrounding aerotropolis and the broader Western Parkland city.

“In its own right, Western Sydney would be Australia’s fourth largest city and third largest economy, which is why the Morrison Government has committed $14 billion to the airport and vital metro rail and road links that will transform the region.”

NSW Minister for Finance, Simon Birmingham, said the awarding of this major contract meant activity on the site would further ramp-up and the delivery of Western Sydney International Airport was now really becoming a reality.

“The awarding of this contract now paves the way for construction to

start on what will be one of the most advanced passenger terminals in the world,” Mr Birmingham said.

“With the contract for the passenger terminal now locked-in, billions in economic activity can kick-off and many more of the 28,000 direct and indirect jobs set to be created from the project can start to flow.

“The integrated passenger terminal will be the centrepiece of this project and when completed will give Australians and travellers from all around the world a first-class experience when they pass through the airport.”

The design is an evolution of the initial concepts released two years ago. While key design principles have been retained, the final design delivers the best customer outcomes in the context of a strong regional identity that is unmistakably at home in Western Sydney.

NEXT STAGE FOR SYDNEY METRO WEST’S NINE NEW STATIONS

Construction plans are in motion for the next stage of the Sydney Metro West project, involving nine new metro stations between Westmead and Hunter Street in the CBD (pictured) and their surrounding precincts.

The project will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD, with a travel time between the two centres of about 20 minutes.

Work on the project began in 2020 at The Bays, to allow tunnel boring machines to be in the ground in 2022.

In March 2021, the project received its first major planning approval for the project concept between Westmead and the Sydney CBD, station excavation and tunnelling between Westmead and The Bays.

A Scoping Report, lodged with the Department of Planning, Industry and

Environment, is seeking approval for major building works including: fit out of the twin railway tunnels, construction of the new stations and service facilities, building the station precincts, and operating the new underground metro line.

The report provides information on proposed works and outlines the

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next steps in preparing a detailed Environmental Impact Statement, which will be open for community feedback in early 2022.

Sydney Metro will continue to engage with stakeholders and the community throughout the process trying to make Sydney Metro West project information as easily accessible as possible.

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PREFERRED BIDDER SELECTED FOR NORTH EAST LINK TUNNELLING PACKAGE

The Victorian Government has chosen a preferred bidder to construct twin three-lane tunnels and key interchanges as part of the North East Link tunnelling package.

Spark – comprising WeBuild, GS Engineering and Construction, CPB Contractors, China Construction Oceania, Ventia, Capella Capital, John Laing Investments, DIF and Pacific Partnerships – has been selected as the preferred bidder to deliver the tunnelling package.

The tunnelling package will be delivered as a Public Private Partnership.

The Victorian Government will work with the preferred bidder to negotiate a final contract and finalise the concept design for North East Link – and will be ready to share details with the community before the end of 2021.

Once the tunnelling package is awarded, the project will go out to market for other key elements of North East Link including a massive overhaul of the Eastern Freeway, Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, the completion of the M80 Ring Road and more than 25km of new and upgraded walking and cycling paths.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said this was another important step for Victoria’s biggest road project.

“The North East Link is a significant road project that will create thousands of local jobs, cut travel times for commuters and freight, and take trucks off local

roads, improving congestion and safety particularly for communities in Melbourne’s northern and eastern suburbs,” Mr Fletcher said.

“This project is one of many critical infrastructure projects to receive funding from the Morrison Government as part of its record $110 billion, ten-year infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive Australia’s world-leading economic recovery.”

The new tunnels will protect homes and sensitive environmental areas including the Yarra River, Banyule Flats and Warringal Parklands.

North East Link will connect the M80 Ring Road to an upgraded Eastern Freeway, slashing travel times by up to 35 minutes, taking 15,000 trucks off local roads.

It will link key growth areas in the north and south-east, providing an efficient connection for up to 135,000 vehicles each day and allowing travel from Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs to the airport without a single traffic light.

A big focus is on creating local jobs for local people, with more than 10,000 jobs on the project and ten per cent of total work hours to be done by apprentices, trainees or cadets as part of the Victorian Government’s Local Jobs First Policy.

This $15.8 billion project is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments, with construction on the tunnelling package to begin after contract award later in 2021.

NEWLY PRIORITISED TRANSPORT SKILLS WELCOMED BY INDUSTRY

The transport industry has welcomed the Federal Government’s recent occupation additions to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL), which are set to support the delivery of major road and rail construction projects.

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and Roads Australia (RA) said the Federal Government’s decision to include a range of engineering roles on the list would enable industry to more effectively deliver the significant pipeline of work underway or planned across Australia.

ARA Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Wilkie, said the Federal Government’s confirmation of 22 new occupations on the list followed extensive consultation with industry.

“We expect to see increasing demand for skilled workers as new road and rail projects get underway and the addition of these key occupations will help ensure the industry can meet this need,” Ms Wilkie said.

RA Chief Executive Officer, Michael Kilgariff, said the addition of the new occupations reflected industry views put forward in a joint submission by RA and the ARA to Federal Parliament’s inquiry to skilled migration in March 2021.

“The fact that so many of the new occupations are relevant to the transport sector is an appropriate recognition of the significant work the sector is undertaking to deliver critical new road and rail projects across the country,” Mr Kilgariff said.

The 22 new occupations are:

♦ Accountant (General)

♦ Accountant (Taxation)

♦ Accountant (Management)

♦ External Auditor

♦ Internal Auditor

♦ Electrical Engineer

♦ Civil Engineer

♦ Structural Engineer

♦ Geotechnical Engineer

♦ Transport Engineer

♦ Mining Engineer

♦ Petroleum Engineer

♦ Surveyor

♦ Cartographer

♦ Other Spatial Scientist

♦ Medical Laboratory Scientist

♦ Orthotist/Prosthetist

♦ Multimedia Specialist

♦ Analyst Programmer

♦ Software and Applications Programmers

♦ ICT Security Specialist

♦ Chef

WORK BEGINS ON THE BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT IN SA’S HISTORY

The Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project, part of the North-South Corridor upgrade, is set to begin in coming months – with $85 million in early enabling works now underway, bringing 157 jobs to the region.

Enabling works on the T2D project include relocations for water, electricity, gas and telecommunications services for the southern section of the project, a required precursor to construction of the Hybrid+ design.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said getting on with these early works in June 2021, will ensure the project stays on track for main construction of the southern tunnel to start in 2023.

“We know these utility services need to be relocated to make way for the tunnel, so we are getting that done while we continue finalising the reference design,” Mr Fletcher said.

“These early enabling works are estimated to be worth around $85.6 million, supporting employment for more South Australians during the very early phases of this important project.”

South Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, the Hon Corey Wingard MP, said the works getting underway in 2021 are the first package of the overall enabling works for this project, which are estimated to cost in excess of $350 million.

“By doing these early works now, we’re making sure the project progresses as smoothly as possible in the future,” Mr Wingard said.

“These 157 jobs are on top of the more than 200 that have been supported by the design, planning and ground investigations phase of the project.”

The Federal Government has announced a $260 million diesel storage investment to boost Australia’s fuel reserves and support fuel security – with the Port of Newcastle playing a key role in fuel storage.

The investment is part of the Boosting Australia’s Diesel Storage program and is a key part of the Government’s comprehensive fuel security package – announced in the 2020-21 Budget, promoting job growth and fuel security.

Port of Newcastle CEO, Craig Carmody, said, “Port of Newcastle is thrilled it will play a vital role in boosting

Australia’s fuel reserves following the Federal Government’s announcement of a $260 million package to boost longterm fuel security across the country.”

Mr Carmody said the port was thrilled to be in a position to strengthen Australia’s fuel security, through investing in the expansion of diesel, petrol and aviation jet fuel reserves at the dedicated bulk liquids facilities operated by Stolthaven and Park Fuels.

“Port of Newcastle welcomes the Federal Government’s funding investment in the fuel storage capability of the region, the creation of jobs in Newcastle, the strengthening

NEWCASTLE PORT TO PLAY CRITICAL ROLE IN AUSTRALIA’S FUEL SECURITY

of Australia’s fuel security and the increase of fuel trade through the Port of Newcastle.

“The Federal Government announcement will support critical infrastructure investment at the Port and see current tankage capacity across the Port’s three bulk fuel terminals grow from 266ML to 624ML at the completion of the construction phase,”

Mr Carmody said

Port of Newcastle currently handles 4,400 ship movements and 164 million tonnes of cargo annually, including dry bulk, bulk liquids, ro ro, general and project cargoes and containers.

SAVE THE DATE – CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: DIGITISATION SERIES

The Critical Infrastructure Summit is back with two free-to-attend Virtual Conferences on 5 and 7 October 2021, exploring the ways that digital technologies are impacting the infrastructure sector.

October 5

Digital Infrastructure: Implementing digital in physical assets Conference 1 will explore how technology can help deliver a more profitable, resilient infrastructure industry and a better built environment. We will look at how tools and technology like BIM, big data and analytics are changing how infrastructure is planned, designed, built and managed.

October 7

Cloud Infrastructure: The systems behind the new virtual economy Conference 2 will dive deep into the digital infrastructure that has become indispensable to the functioning of society and the quality of life of its citizens. We’ll be looking at the physical resources that are necessary to enable cloud computing, data centres and computerised devices; and the methods, systems and processes being used to build these networks and keep them safe and secure.

Both Virtual Conferences are FREE TO ATTEND for infrastructure asset owners, government and not-for-profits.

More than 900 industry professionals registered for the Critical Infrastructure Summit in April. Join your industry colleagues again in October for an in-depth look into one of the biggest opportunities and challenges of Australia's infrastructure sector –digitisation.

For more information, and to register, visit www.critical-infrastructure.com.au. If you were interested in getting involved and connecting with delegates through sponsorship, please email events@monkeymedia.com.au.

Talk to us about how we can help your transformation.

INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA’S 2021 ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

Infrastructure Australia has released the 2021 edition of its Assessment Framework Developed over an 18-month period and involving close consultation with government and industry stakeholders, the Assessment Framework is designed to support better infrastructure decision-making in Australia.

Infrastructure Australia’s Chief of Infrastructure Assessment, David Tucker, explains how the Australian Government’s infrastructure advisor has broadened its approach to assessing business cases for major infrastructure proposals and incorporated new guidance on sustainability and resilience.

THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK PROMOTES HIGH-QUALITY DECISION-MAKING

Investing in infrastructure can improve quality of life and productivity, but the outcomes delivered by individual projects depend on the quality of planning and decision-making. To achieve outcomes that benefit the community, projects need to be carefully designed, rigorously assessed, and appropriately timed.

Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework provides governments and industry with a national standard for best-practice infrastructure development. It also outlines a structured, evidence-based, and objective approach to decision-making. Taken together, the guidance in our Assessment Framework supports the development of high-quality business cases, enabling proposals that are deliverable, aligned to government policy and that maximise societal benefits.

We apply the Assessment Framework when assessing proposals for inclusion on the Infrastructure Priority List and when evaluating proposals that have received $250 million or more in Australian Government funding. This ensures that the Priority List provides the community with a national pipeline of beneficial investment opportunities and that our advice to government is robust and evidence based.

FOCUSED ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

To ensure the Assessment Framework remains fit for purpose and continues to reflect the latest thinking, we are committed to updating it periodically. This helps us to reflect contemporary approaches, incorporate our own expertise and respond to the needs of stakeholders.

For the 2021 edition, in addition to incorporating the latest thinking, we also focused on improving transparency, useability and alignment with state and territory requirements. To do this, we undertook a comprehensive review of the Assessment Framework to identify areas of improvement or opportunities for new guidance. Importantly, to support Australia’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, we also explored further opportunities to streamline processes.

With clear objectives for the 2021 Assessment Framework, we have made several significant updates including:

♦ A simpler four-stage process that aligns with state and territory frameworks

♦ Broadening our Assessment Criteria, enabling proposals to be considered holistically

♦ Providing a clear definition of national significance

♦ Adopting a pragmatic approach for defining the project base case

♦ Recommending, but not requiring, at least two options and a base case in a business case

♦ An updated cost–benefit analysis (CBA) methodology

To strengthen our technical advice, we also developed four separate technical guides to support the Assessment Framework. These four new technical guidelines will help our stakeholders in the development of their proposals by providing best-practice guidance in the areas of: risk and uncertainty analysis, program appraisal, multi-criteria analysis, and economic appraisal.

We believe that through taking a collaborative approach, we were able to maximise opportunities for alignment and develop an Assessment Framework that adds value to the infrastructure investment decision-making process in Australia.

AN UPDATED APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT

– GOING BEYOND THE BCR

One of our most significant updates is the significant steps we have taken to broaden our assessment approach. The Assessment Framework now includes a more detailed definition of our Assessment Criteria, enabling a more holistic review of a proposal’s potential benefits. We have detailed 15 themes that underpin our Assessment Criteria and account for a range of technical, economic, and broader social considerations.

2021 ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK – ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Strategic Fit

‘Is there a clear rationale for the proposal?’

Societal Impact

‘What is the value of the proposal to society and the economy?

Deliverability

‘Can the proposal be delivered successfully?’

Case for change

• Alignment

• Network and system integration

• Solution justification

• Stakeholder endorsement

• Quality of life

• Productivity

• Environment

Sustainability

• Resilience

• Ease of implementation

• Capability and capacity

Project governance

• Risk

• Lessons learnt

Our updated Assessment Criteria enables us to better take account of benefits such as sustainability, resilience, and quality of life. Although the Assessment Framework still requires the use of cost–benefit analysis (CBA) to produce a benefit-cost ratio (BCR), this approach means that we now explicitly recognise and promote broader social factors alongside the CBA results.

Despite our new holistic assessment approach, we are still committed to ensuring rigour remains an essential component of the project development process. As such, the Assessment Framework clearly defines our information requirements for broader benefits and includes detailed guidance on how proponents can consider them in a structured manner.

To support this, we have provided new guidance on:

♦ How to capture broader benefits quantitatively

♦ How to present and structure benefits qualitatively

♦ Demonstrating benefits for proposals in regional and remote areas, with a focus on health and education benefits

♦ Analysing equity and distributional effects as a supplement to economic analysis

♦ The criteria for national significance to better consider alignment with strategic policy goals.

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE IN THE ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK

With a changing climate and increased global uncertainty, the sustainability and resilience of infrastructure networks and assets is of growing importance for governments, industry, and the broader community. In line with this, we have embedded sustainability and resilience throughout the Assessment Framework, including in our holistic assessment approach.

To promote the consideration of sustainability and resilience in project development, we have provided proponents with an array of relevant technical guidance including:

♦ How sustainability and resilience might be included in CBA and how it is considered qualitatively

♦ How to measure the long-term benefits of sustainability and resilience, considering the short-term costs

♦ High-level guidance relating to the consideration of sustainable and resilient design features

♦ How to account for risk and uncertainty throughout project development – including specific guidance relating to climate change

♦ High-level guidance relating to sustainability and resilience in the delivery and operations strategy

Crucially, we explicitly define the different characteristics of resilience and sustainability and outline how they apply to infrastructure. This is an important consideration as sustainability and resilience are different concepts, which require distinctly different treatments.

For instance, infrastructure is sustainable when it is planned and designed to optimise social, economic, environmental and governance outcomes efficiently and responsibly. On the other hand, infrastructure is resilient when it enables communities to anticipate, resist, absorb, recover, transform, and thrive in response to shocks and stresses.

We hope that by including this guidance, we will start to see a step-change across the industry whereby sustainability and resilience becomes a first-order consideration in the development of infrastructure proposals.

Now that the Assessment Framework has been released, we are pivoting towards its implementation through the assessment of proposals for the 2022 Infrastructure Priority List, to be released in February next year. We hope that the updated Assessment Framework will help influence the development of high-quality proposals that will deliver broad benefits to Australian communities, including positive sustainability and resilience outcomes.

WELCOMING THE NORTHERN TERRITORY’S

NEW INFRASTRUCTURE BODY

The Territory is shifting. In the wake of COVID-19, the Northern Territory Government is serious about making the Territory the comeback capital of Australia. With enviable natural resources, unbridled opportunity for growth, and an entrepreneurial spirit, the NT Government is on a fast track to grow the Territory to become a $40 billion economy by 2030.

Actively facilitating and winning more investment in the Territory was at the core of the recommendations made to the NT Government by the Territory Economic Reconstruction Commission (TERC). To create the right environment for investment, the Territory Government has established three new Commissioners for Investment, Major Projects and Infrastructure.

Infrastructure NT, led by the Infrastructure Commissioner, will deliver strategic infrastructure planning and development which coordinates and aligns infrastructure needs with industry and population growth.

Similar to I-bodies around Australia, Infrastructure NT will lead the development of a new Territory Infrastructure Framework, including a re-focussed Infrastructure Strategy and Infrastructure Plan to create an infrastructure ecosystem which supports economic growth. This will build on the work the NT Government has already undertaken to create jobs and plan for the future.

THE ROLE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSIONER

The interim NT Infrastructure Commissioner, Louise McCormick, was appointed to the role earlier this year. Ms

McCormick is the former General Manager of Transport and Civil Services for the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics for the Northern Territory Government. Ms McCormick, currently the Deputy Chair of Austroads and a Fellow of Engineers Australia chartered in Civil, Structural and Executive Engineering, is in good stead to prioritise and deliver on these nationally significant infrastructure projects.

The Infrastructure Commissioner’s role is to actively pursue investment, and drive major projects in the Territory. The NT Infrastructure Commissioner champions the needs of the Territory for infrastructure funding at a national level, to deliver the public infrastructure needed to secure the critically important job-creating projects, providing a crucial link to achieving the NT Government’s goal of a $40 billion economy.

“A key aspect of Infrastructure NT will be to work with Australian Government agencies, including Infrastructure Australia, to deliver nationally significant infrastructure projects and have a seat at the table with other Australian jurisdictions when it comes to prioritising national infrastructure projects,” Ms McCormick said.

“The Territory has boundless potential, which is not always well understood or recognised by non-Territorians – particularly the value the Territory can add to the national economy and

resilience. I think COVID-19 has highlighted that the Territory has a role to play on the national stage with our agile and flexible approach serving us, and the nation, very well.

“There is an infrastructure deficit in the Territory which often creates a deterrent for investment. However, there is a real opportunity right now to invest in the right infrastructure, to not only realise the Territory’s potential, but to add to the nation’s economic resilience.”

Ms McCormick said working collaboratively with Australian, State and Territory Government colleagues is crucial to increasing the visibility of what the Territory has to offer – particularly in regards to what the right infrastructure investment can achieve.

“Infrastructure NT will also work closely with the Investment and Major Project Commissioners to win projects and make them happen, for the benefit of not only Territorians, but all Australians,” Ms McCormick said.

DELIVERING ECONOMIC ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE

A point of difference for Infrastructure NT is that the Infrastructure Commissioner will also play a lead role in the delivery of NT Government sponsored major projects that deliver economic enabling infrastructure such as the Ship Lift and Marine Industry Facilities at East Arm.

“The NT Government has been undertaking significant work on a number of game changing projects including the Ship Lift, Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct, Beetaloo Sub-Basin and the Adelaide River Off-stream Water Storage (AROWS). Many of these projects are now investment ready,” Ms McCormick said.

“I have every confidence that the Territory will embrace what is to come – we have done it before with the successful delivery of the $35 billion Inpex Onshore facility and the Darwin LNG plant before that. These mega projects can only be successful if governments and industry work together.

“There are also many opportunities to create more value, and jobs, with our world-class natural resources and opportunities for advanced manufacturing in Australia.”

THE TASK AHEAD

The immediate challenges for the Infrastructure Commissioner include:

♦ Establishing a strategically focussed professional team to represent the Northern Territory in national discussions, ensuring the Territory’s public infrastructure requirements have Commonwealth and broader community support, including submissions to Infrastructure Australia for priority project listing

♦ Developing a new Territory Infrastructure Strategy incorporating annual Infrastructure Plans, ensuring the right infrastructure is built at the right time in the right place to support productivity, economic growth and regional sustainability, bolstering the Territory’s private sector

♦ Overseeing business cases and concept plans for ‘shovel worthy’ government projects, underpinned by appropriate community engagement and planning through the regional recovery committees

♦ Reviewing and defining processes to assess and prioritise all major publicly funded infrastructure investment proposals

It’s no easy feat, but a task that Ms McCormick is eager to progress.

“Now is the time to deliver the next wave of projects to create positive transformational change in the Territory,” Ms McCormick said.

7 WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR STAKEHOLDERS

Stakeholder communication is a key contributor to a major project’s success. In some ways, the implementation of the physical aspects of the project is easier than engaging with, and winning over, the key stakeholder groups required to make the project both a physical and PR success.

When it comes to stakeholder communication requirements, transparency, accuracy and communication are key. In addition, identifying and engaging with your stakeholder groups at an early stage will help to keep the project on track.

Stakeholder engagement refers to the communication between project leaders and individual stakeholders. While stakeholder management is the broader process you adopt to manage your stakeholders’ needs and expectations.

7 TIPS ON EFFECTIVE STAKEHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS

1. Identify key stakeholders and plan communications

Use your stakeholder communications plan to identify stakeholders and plan communications. This is especially effective if you have a number of stakeholders with different requirements.

2. Email and e-newsletters

Email is one of the most popular tools for stakeholder communication. Its benefits include the immediate delivery of information, customisable content, and reporting on engagement and open rates. This makes it very effective in managing communications with each stakeholder.

Try using a weekly digest to inform stakeholders of the top-level information from the week. This can include: budget updates, photos, news of the week, contact information, next steps, top-level project plans and more.

3. Communication automation

Regular (e.g. daily) automated email updates sent out to each stakeholder can also be effective. Automating your BAU information delivery reduces administrative load and increases consistency.

Using email automation, you can customise your emails with dynamic content and send each stakeholder information specific to their needs. Visually appealing templates also make information easier to digest.

Looking for a new communications platform?

4. Presentations

These can be physical or online. Online has the distinct advantage of being able to span large geographic areas quickly and effectively. If online, you can opt to use video presentation software. Once you have completed your online presentation, save the slides and send them off to your stakeholders so they can refer to them in their own time.

5. Project Summary Reports

One of the more traditional methods that is still very effective is the Project Summary Report. Having performed your stakeholder identification research and discovered what information they require, you can tailor these reports to each stakeholder, making this report much more useful and unique.

6. Group video call or ‘screen to screen’ meetings

Schedule group video calls (e.g. weekly) to give a summary of the project. These are good to get quick responses to sudden obstacles that need to be addressed immediately.

7. Leverage informal stakeholder communications

When done right, informal stakeholder communication is often more effective than formal approaches.

ENTERTAINMENT – LUNCHES, DINNERS AND EVENTS

Don’t discount old school corporate entertainment. Lunches and dinners are very useful for obtaining causal feedback and can serve a real purpose when it comes to relationships and building trust. These are often as effective as formal stakeholder communication so don’t rule them out. Sporting events, team building etc. also help build on your relationship and improve communication and trust.

Swift Digital works with public and private sector companies, including the utility and infrastructure sectors, and government organisations, to help improve their communications and stakeholder management. For more information contact them today on 1300 878 289 or email info@swiftdigital.com.au.

Make sure you cover your needs with Swift Digital’s Stakeholder Communications Platform Checklist. Get yours at https://digest.swiftdigital.com.au/infrastructure-overview-checklist or scan the code.

GETTING INFRASTRUCTURE

MEGAPROJECT COST ESTIMATES RIGHT

In 2015, a business case for the Melbourne to Brisbane

Inland Rail project estimated it would cost $9.9 billion, and that in a ‘worst case’ scenario it could cost $10.7 billion –that is, eight per cent more.

Fast forward to now, and the Federal Government says the 1,700km freight rail project is now expected to cost $14.5 billion, after design changes to improve safety and overcome community objections. That’s not eight per cent more, it’s 46 per cent more.

The worst case scenario in that 2015 business case was way out, and recent Grattan Institute analysis shows that business cases for big transport projects in Australia are way out way too often.

Typically such business cases include an estimate of the expected cost, or ‘P50’, and the worst case, or ‘P90’. In business cases produced in recent years, the difference between P50 and P90 cost estimates has generally been about seven per cent (as shown in the below chart).

But our analysis of projects completed over the past two decades shows that the actual difference between the P50 and P90 costs was on average 49 per cent. That is, ten per cent of projects went over their estimated costs by 49 per cent or more.

LOOKING TO PAST PROJECTS

One way to make project cost estimates in Australia more realistic would be to ensure cost estimators can learn from Australia’s history of cost overruns, but there is a lack of available data on past projects. This means neither central estimates of cost, nor allowances for worst case scenarios are as accurate as they should be.

Rigorous cost estimation should include ‘reference class forecasting’ – comparing cost estimates for a project to the cost of similar projects already built. Unlike most other cost estimation techniques, reference class forecasting includes an allowance for unknown risks and does not suffer from optimism bias because it relies on objective historical information.

But without high-quality data on past projects, it can’t be done.

A NATIONAL DATABASE IS THE WAY FORWARD

This is hardly a new idea. Road experts, the Productivity Commission, and the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities have all recommended cost estimators have access to data that would enable reference class forecasting.

Australia needs a national database on major projects. Data on completed projects should include the eventual cost of each component of the project, as well as the cost estimates at different stages.

Key project characteristics, such as type of road or track, number of lane or track kilometres, length of any tunnel, and location (CBD, urban, or rural) would enable estimators to identify comparable projects.

At present, information about project cost estimates and results is not always clearly captured, much less is made available in a consistent, usable form.

Cost estimators are flying blind if they can’t properly incorporate past experience into their estimates. And now that Australia is in the age of transport megaprojects, it’s more important than ever that they have every chance to get it right. Governments must collect usable data so we can have cost estimates based on the real world.

CROSS RIVER RAIL MEGA PROJECT TAKING SHAPE

Queensland’s highest priority infrastructure project is making significant progress, with more than a dozen active worksites now established across Brisbane and two massive Tunnel Boring Machines carving through hard rock beneath the CBD.

Construction is forging ahead on Cross River Rail – a new 10.2km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9km of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and CBD.

More than 2,700 people are working on the transformational project, including across 14 separate active worksites.

When complete in 2025, it will include four new underground stations at Boggo Road, Woolloongabba, Albert Street and Roma Street, and upgraded stations at Dutton Park and Exhibition. Six stations on Brisbane’s Southside will also be rebuilt, and three new stations will be constructed on the Gold Coast.

Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO, Graeme Newton, said while Cross River Rail still has significant construction works to go, the sheer scale of the project is becoming easier for people to grasp as it takes shape.

“Cross River Rail will transform the way we travel to, through and from Brisbane in the future,” Mr Newton said.

“But right now, we’re right into the thick of construction and things are progressing really well.

“You would be hard-pressed to go anywhere in Brisbane at the moment, and not come across a Cross River Rail worksite or hoarding – and just as

impressive is the sheer scale of work going on out of sight underground right beneath our feet.”

Station boxes and caverns are forming across the project’s four underground stations, work is ongoing in the rail corridor to prepare the wider network for Cross River Rail, and at a specialist facility at Redbank, trains are being fitted out with world-class signalling technology required for safe operation in the twin tunnels.

2021: THE YEAR OF TUNNELLING

But the most tangible example of how Cross River Rail is coming together is the relentless progress of its two massive Tunnel Boring Machines, which have been making their way below Brisbane’s CBD.

At 165m long and 1350-tonnes each, TBMs Else and Merle – named after trailblazing engineer Else Shepherd AM and pioneering feminist Merle Thornton AM – are excavating the bulk of Cross River Rail’s twin tunnels.

The mega machines launched from Cross River Rail’s Woolloongabba site at the start of the year and will break through at the project’s northern portal near Normanby by the end of 2021, while two roadheaders travel south from Woolloongabba towards Boggo

Road to excavate the southern section of tunnels.

“2021 is really the year of tunnelling for Cross River Rail,” Mr Newton said.

“Our TBMs are about halfway through their journey, and are currently making their way beneath people’s feet in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD, which includes traversing through our Albert Street station site before breaking through at Roma Street station.

“Our tunnelling crews have been making incredible progress, particularly when you consider some of the engineering challenges involved in moving such massive machines through hard rock beneath a river and a city.”

Mr Newton describes the TBMs’ recent journeys below the Brisbane River as one of the project’s most challenging technical aspects so far.

“While tunnelling underneath the river, crews undertook probe drilling around 35m in front of the TBMs, which allowed our workers to determine the type of geology they would be passing through,” he said.

“Our TBMs can change to single-shield mode, which allows them to excavate more safely in areas of potentially low rock strength, and there are systems in place to ensure the machines and tunnels are watertight.”

“Thanks to this technology, as well as the proficiency and skill of our crews, our lead TBM, Else, was able to safely travel under the river in about three weeks – a massive milestone for the project as it meant Cross River Rail had officially crossed the river.”

At their deepest point, the twin tunnels are 42m below the river’s surface.

ON TRACK DESPITE COVID-19

Mr Newton said the feats of engineering are even more remarkable when you consider they have taken place against a backdrop of COVID-19 uncertainty.

“Our major contractors have implemented a range of protective measures including social distancing to limit contact among co-workers and ensure all our worksites could remain operational,” he said.

“Because of this, the project’s delivery schedule was not impacted, and we have had zero cases of COVID-19 on our worksites.”

Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey, said the project’s ability to remain on track during the COVID-19 pandemic means it is able to keep delivering real economic benefits for Queensland when they are needed the most.

“The benefits of Cross River Rail for commuters are extensive and will be enjoyed for decades,” Mr Bailey said.

“There will be four new high-capacity stations in the inner-city core, upgrades to eight above ground stations with significant accessibility issues, the installation of a new rail signalling system and integration with new bus services like Brisbane Metro.

“But what is not often as widely appreciated or understood are the real economic benefits being delivered for Queenslanders right now.

“As we unite and recover from COVID-19, this transformational project is injecting more than $4 million a day into the economy and more than 1,350 Queensland suppliers and subcontractors have benefitted from the project so far.

“About 7,700 people will work on Cross River Rail during the life of the project, and 450 apprentices and trainees will have got their start on Queensland’s biggest infrastructure project.”

Major construction on Cross River Rail is set to be completed in 2024, with services expected to begin in 2025 following a detailed commissioning and testing program.

SHAPING A CONNECTED

CITY

Anyone who watched the State of Origin Game One in Townsville saw the benefits of a City Deal first-hand –the spectacular Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

This stadium is the flagship project of the Townsville City Deal, an agreement signed by all three levels of government – Commonwealth, State and Local. It is just one of 154 commitments being delivered through eight City Deals. To date we have invested $8 billion through City Deals around Australia.

This new facility enabled Townsville, at short notice, to host this nationally important event, attracting visitors, dollars and attention. It is a good example of how investing in a city can boost local economic activity, and create extra vibrancy in the lives of its residents.

Through the Coalition’s City Deal framework, we are working in partnership with local leaders and state and territory decision makers to shape cities that are more active and better connected, digitally and physically, giving them a stronger sense of place and purpose.

PRIORITIES BASED ON SPECIFIC CITY NEEDS

City Deals have been agreed to date for Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Townsville and Western Sydney. We are working on future City Deals for South East Queensland, and North West Melbourne.

Each has benefited from the input of local leaders, informed by their day-today knowledge of their communities. Likewise, the momentum that builds

when all levels of Government pursue a shared goal creates confidence in the private sector to get on board.

City Deals are specific to each city, as every city will have its own priorities and strengths.

In some City Deals, university campuses are a key element. The University of Tasmania and Edith Cowan University have grasped the opportunity to collaborate with others on campus relocations, as part of the Launceston and

City Deals are partnerships between the three levels of government, community and the private sector to work towards a shared vision for liveable cities. In the June issue of Infrastructure, Shadow Minister Andrew Giles declared that we need a new vision for cities. Here, Minister Paul Fletcher responds and outlines why the eight City Deals currently underway around Australia have been highly advantageous.

Perth City Deals. The urban renewal focus of the Hobart City Deal has played a role in encouraging the University of Tasmania to commit to a long-term master plan for the relocation of its campus from Sandy Bay into the Hobart CBD.

In Adelaide, an Innovation Hub, as part of the Entrepreneur and Innovation Centre, will bring together entrepreneurs, industry, universities and the public to support greater commercialisation of ideas and technology.

Townsville City Deal is delivering much more than a world-class sports stadium. For instance, an upgrade to the Port of Townsville approach channel will allow larger ships to service a growing export industry, positioning Townsville to become the economic gateway to Asia and Northern Australia.

WESTERN PARKLAND CITY

The Western Sydney City Deal has gained commitment from all levels of government to develop a highly connected Western Parkland City. That goal is supported by commitments such as a Digital Action Plan, a Smart Western City Program, a 5G Strategy and Trials, and Openly Available Data sets. There is good progress on all these commitments.

The key to this is crafting a new Western Parkland City, a vision that is set out in the Western Sydney City Deal and supported by major investments such as the Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport rail link.

This will integrate with the new airport itself, a $5.3 billion Australian Government investment that is well on track for official opening in late 2026. By 2031, the airport is expected to support around 28,000 jobs in areas as diverse as manufacturing, retail, professional, scientific and technical services.

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTING CITIES

While each of our City Deals are uniquely tailored to local needs, they all share a commitment to shaping a connected city. Transport infrastructure is core to creating connected cities.

In Perth, the new METRONET will better connect Perth’s suburbs, reduce congestion and meet the city’s future planning needs. This ambitious project will help pave the way for new urban communities, adding to the vibrancy of the greater Perth metropolis.

In Geelong, the Australian Government is investing $20.85 million

into ‘Revitalising Central Geelong’ projects, with the creation of pedestrian and bike-orientated environments that will foster vibrant new spaces.

While the pandemic still poses a threat right around the world, the Australian economy is recovering strongly thanks to the policies of the Morrison Government.

Record spending on infrastructure is central to our Economic Recovery Plan; this includes our $8 billion investment in City Deals, which has leveraged an additional $8.8 billion in contributions from states and territories, local government, and private sector partnerships.

Curiously, the only solid suggestion about City Deals put forward by Andrew Giles in the June issue of Infrastructure magazine, was to re-name them City Partnerships.

Meanwhile the Morrison Government is sitting down at the table with local communities and state decisionmakers, and achieving practical results. These are genuine partnerships, not just in name, and around the country they are already delivering substantial results.

3D ON DEMAND WITH AEROMETREX

Changing the way infrastructure companies buy spatial data

Expanding and diversifying the use of spatial information is challenging traditional models of buying, selling, accessing and using that data.

As a result, spatial data specialists Aerometrex have launched a new store, MetroMap 3D, to meet the needs of modern spatial users. The company’s success in MetroMap 3D’s initial few months has vindicated the store’s development, and Aerometrex will be expanding its domestic and international capabilities in the coming months.

3D DATA ON DEMAND

The MetroMap 3D store is a fully interactive experience with Aerometrex’s Australian 3D city models displayed in a browserbased Cesium platform. Users zoom from high altitude down to city level, navigate to their point of interest, and then use a clipping tool to select the piece of data they want to buy. OBJ, FBX, SLPK, and Cesium Tiles are all available through MetroMap 3D at the point of purchase. The checkout system is in line with online retail, and the 3D files are delivered via email to the purchaser.

The process takes spatial data and sells it like any digital product or software purchased online.

The MetroMap 3D store’s design recognises that the modern spatial data buyer can range from an individual to a large corporate client, and the same sales process will not suit them all. MetroMap previously offered on-demand models and subscription-based data access for its 3D products. Now users can buy custom areas at any time with models starting at $10.

It’s now a zero-touch, contract-free process where the buyer has complete control of how and when they

make purchases. Spatial teams now invest in data pieces as needed, rather than buying the entire 3D dataset or negotiating for manual extraction of specific areas. In addition, they can now see what 3D data is available and the product cost within the MetroMap 3D platform as the price displays once area and formats are selected.

AVAILABLE DATA

The MetroMap 3D store already has nearly 5,000km² of data ready for users to choose from across Australian capital cities and major urban areas, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast. The model resolutions range from 2cm for high resolution to 7.5cm for standard resolution.

MetroMap’s 3D capture program adds new models regularly throughout the year. The first quarter of 2021 saw new models of Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and the Sunshine Coast added, and more models will be coming in the second half of 2021.

WHO IS BUYING?

So far, architecture, engineering, and construction specialists (AEC) dominate the MetroMap 3D store sales. Professionals from those sectors are buying models on-demand to ingest into their 3D platform of choice. In addition, public sector bodies are frequent buyers because the MetroMap 3D store is simple, cheap, and saves time.

Additionally, MetroMap 3D data has been sold to an exciting variety of end-users. Tech, unmanned vehicle companies, and advanced visualisation companies purchase regularly. Expanding spatial data user bases means the MetroMap 3D model’s appeal will grow in future.

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SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITIES IN AUSTRALIA

On the flip side, we have a strong-functioning supply chain and that sometimes goes unnoticed because of the standard we’ve become accustomed to as a result of its performance in modern times. We’ve become accustomed to quick delivery times and a strong Australian export market, and that’s good! We should enjoy those luxuries, but if we want them sustained, there are some challenges we must address.

Earlier this year, Ports Australia provided input to the Productivity Commission’s Vulnerable Supply Chains Interim Report. This article will look a little closer at the issues we think are most important to the Australian supply chain’s resilience.

Before anything else, I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank the workers across our sector who often go unnoticed despite the criticality of what they do. From the peak body for ports around Australia, your service is appreciated, and we will continue to serve you as best we can.

POTENTIAL OF COASTAL SHIPPING

Diversity of transport modes and options will be essential for resilience and its necessity comes in many forms across the ports and supply chain industry. For many years, Ports Australia has loudly pushed the government to review the potential of coastal shipping.

Australia’s freight task is anticipated to increase by 25 per cent to 962 billion tonne-km between 2018 and 2040, which is a staggering number. We importantly acknowledge that coastal shipping is not the sole answer to securing our supply chain for that increase, as we are not going to secure our supply chain by trying to score points for our own industry.

However, we do not want to see the potential of our Blue Highway overlooked with its undoubtable potential to unlock greater diversity in transport routes with more cost-effective and environmentally friendly outcomes.

The pandemic has lifted awareness of our reliance on shipping to maintain and provide for our nation. The time is right for a broader conversation on how we inoculate our country from the potential for future supply chain disruptions.

If resilience is what we want, we need to foster a holistic approach to planning which embraces diversity in shipping routes and lines that service our nation. In Australia, we rely heavily on foreign flagged vessels for the bulk of our imports, exports, and coastal shipping.

There are now only 15 major Australian-flagged vessels in operation. If we’re to secure our supply chain, the government’s going to need to consider how we sustain our current model, which relies on international shipping lines, while better incentivising Australians to enter the ring, creating a more diverse landscape of transport modes.

SEAFARERS ARE ESSENTIAL WORKERS

At any moment, there are 50,000 vessels and 1.2 million seafarers navigating the world’s waters, making four million port calls per year. Needless to say, we are no longer resilient without seafarers. International trade has continued over the past 18 months but at what cost?

Hundreds of thousands of seafarers who bear the load of roughly 90 per cent of world trade have been stranded

It only takes events like the Suez Canal blockage or the COVID-19 pandemic to show that the worst can happen. Putting supply chain resilience in perspective, a poor-functioning supply chain (and henceforth less resilient) can see delays on imports and exports, increases in costs, and reduced fuel security, all potentially resulting in burdening Australian businesses and weakening the economy.

aboard ships throughout the pandemic because of the widespread inability for crew changeovers to occur or for shore leave to be granted.

All seafarers should be deemed as essential workers because that is what they are. What should that mean for them and for resolving this crisis? This determination is a catalyst for stronger COVID-19 testing regimes, health standards, access to vaccines and crew-changeover regimes for seafarers worldwide, increasing their well-being and securing global trade.

It’s a necessity that should extend far beyond this pandemic and become common practice for the international industry.

ROADMAP DRIVEN BY TECHNOLOGY

Technology and the innovation it offers will be integral to carrying our industry into the future. COVID-19 and the crew changeover crisis has highlighted the need for transparent, accessible data which shows the flow of our trade systems.

We’re encouraged by the Federal Government’s investment in a National

Freight Data Hub and its rollout will be crucial. The Federal Government cannot allow state and territory jurisdictions to enforce their own protocols on top of what comes from the National Freight Data Hub.

We’ve seen this throughout the pandemic and it has created a myriad of problems for supply chain connectivity. We need strong leadership from the Federal Government developing this roadmap driven by technology and it must be agreed to by all sides of government and industry.

AN AGING INDUSTRY PRESENTS CHALLENGES

The ports sector is host to some incredibly talented, highly skilled people. Every worker is essential to our supply chain, but there are some whose expertise is critical to operations. Pilots, harbour masters and tug masters, are just a few which without, some ports would simply be inoperable. These roles require highly skilled and experienced professionals with a deep understanding of the port they service. Often, these workers have been in the industry for decades.

Unfortunately, the maritime industry is aging fast. If we do not find a holistic solution to Australia’s maritime skills challenge, this country will struggle to find the skilled personnel to operate its most vital trade and economic infrastructure in the future. To ensure the sustainability of our current trade systems, those critical roles will need to be filled by young people coming up through the ranks.

Young people are being fostered through institutions like the Australian Maritime College and being welcomed into cadetships by Australian ports, but the challenge is keeping them here for the long haul. Governments must set their sights on industry reforms designed at keeping these young people in Australia so they can learn the necessary skills to one day fill these critical roles.

AUSTRALIA’S ROLE AS A TRADING NATION

It’s important to remember that many of the challenges we face are flow-on effects of an international supply chain under pressure. Ports Australia is on the journey of strengthening our ties with international partners like our newest international members across the South Pacific, or other peak bodies like the International Association of Ports & Harbors, or American Association of Port Authorities, to get a closer look at what is happening across the water from our island nation.

We should, and will, analyse these issues from an Australian perspective, but it’s vital that they’re also understood in the context of a complex global system.

The key challenges we’ve addressed with the government, and the ones other supply chain partners have raised, will not disappear with the end of the pandemic, or like the unblocking of the Suez Canal. Our current and future resilience relies on our ability to service the needs of our country’s international role as a trading nation.

Our ports continue to invest in the necessary infrastructure to meet the challenges of the changing freight transport environment. We have introduced best health practises at our facilities to minimise the risks to our people and the wider nation during a time of crisis, and continue to work with the Government seeking ongoing improvements to border and biosecurity protection.

As a maritime nation aware of its vulnerabilities and reliance on the international movement of goods and materials from all parts of the globe, we need a national conversation on our country’s resilience to deal with the challenges exposed during this ongoing pandemic. Failure to do so is simply not an option.

FACILITATING A HYDROGEN FUTURE

When the Queensland Government’s 20192024 Hydrogen Industry Strategy earmarked Gladstone as Queensland’s hydrogen highway, Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) knew it would be playing a significant role in driving the state’s hydrogen revolution.

It was no surprise the port city was chosen, as GPC’s location ticked all the boxes with its existing infrastructure, deep water harbour and adjoining large landholdings, including State Development Area approvals.

Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy shows three of Australia’s top four trading partners, including Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, have already made clear commitments to use clean hydrogen to decarbonise their energy systems.

According to Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy, hydrogen makers globally now produce about 70 million tonnes of hydrogen per year. The International Energy Agency and International Renewable Energy Agency are among those predicting significant growth in global demand for hydrogen.

The region is already home to major industries including LNG, but hydrogen is expected to offer a unique opportunity for Gladstone to be part of a global energy transition. In March 2021, Hydrogen in the Gladstone region became one step-closer to becoming a reality with the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for an H2Ecosystem.

The MoU was signed by four groups including one of Japan’s leading trading and investment companies, Sumitomo Australia (Sumitomo), as well as the Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC), Gladstone Regional Council (GRC), Australian Gas Networks (AGN) as part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), and CQUniversity Australia (CQU). The signing was a breakthrough for new energy in the region, signifying the beginning of exploring opportunities to develop a hydrogen ecosystem in Gladstone.

A HYDROGEN ECOSYSTEM

The ecosystem will initially pursue domestic offtake and mobility solutions before moving to enable large-scale export. GPC Chief Operating Officer, Craig Walker, said Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy and Queensland’s Hydrogen Strategy sets a vision for a clean, innovative, safe and competitive industry that benefits all Australians.

Mr Walker said GPC has been working around-the-clock to facilitate new energy and new technology, and has started exploring what a hydrogen ecosystem will look like for the region.

“It's all part of our 50-year plan,” Mr Walker said. “We do expect that demand will grow rapidly beyond 2030 for Green Hydrogen.

“Trade at our port is diversifying and hydrogen will be a new speciality focus which will meet the needs of our customers who are turning to renewables.

“At GPC, we are thought leaders focused on supporting the region and the state’s future.”

DEVELOPING RENEWABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

Within the Gladstone Port, Fisherman’s Landing has been identified as the premier precinct for renewables development. It is located directly adjacent to the 27,000 hectare

Gladstone State Development Area, and the facility has capacity to expand to 11 berths. The Gladstone Port is one of Australia’s premier-multi commodity ports, which prides itself on having a competitive advantage due to its proximity to Asia.

“Gladstone has decades of experience providing energy to the markets in Japan,” Mr Walker said.

“And with the renewable revolution on the horizon, GPC is focused on the region continuing to be Japan’s port of call well into the future.

“We have excellent, long-term working relationships with large multinationals with the ability to collaborate and innovate together for the future.”

It’s undeniable that as Queensland’s premier multi-commodity port and one of the largest multi-commodity ports in Australia, GPC is well-positioned to be Australia’s leading hydrogen export location by 2030.

“We have an exceptional port and exceptional facilities and infrastructure and we are ready to take on new energy and new technology to export to markets all across the globe,” Mr Walker said.

As well as Sumitomo, the Gladstone Ports Corporation is also working with other exciting proponents to facilitate hydrogen in the region.

RAIL NOISE AND VIBRATION TOOLS FOR ASSET MANAGERS

Managing the noise from railways is becoming an increasing issue along major rail corridors in Australia – particularly those within close proximity of housing and offices. Often, industrial solutions involve unsightly concrete walls to manage noise, but there are more appealing alternatives.

Communities don’t want to see large graffiti-covered concrete walls to manage noise, but finding alternate ways to mitigate noise is just as important as other sustainability efforts in the infrastructure sector.

The more people benefit from noise attenuation, the more funding that can be found to assist railway authorities to reduce noise. For example, TfNSW Freight Division has a budget to double glaze buildings and insulate them in critical areas of the network. The next step is to reduce the noise at its source.

STRAILastic offers a “noise attenuation tool box” for dealing with sound and vibration from railways for acoustic engineers and asset managers to choose from, in new and existing transport systems.

INSIDE THE “NOISE ATTENUATION TOOL BOX”

Acoustic engineers first determine the level of noise at the boundaries using noise maps. STRAILastic products are designed to trap and reduce the noise where it is generated inside the railway corridor and, more importantly, as close as possible to the source.

It then works with the acoustic engineers to establish which combination of mini sound walls and web dampers will most cost-effectively reduce noise where it is generated – typically achieving approximately a 50 per cent noise reduction. They can be retrofitted into existing sleepered tracks with steel extensions to the sleepers, to support the walls outside the tamping area. Alternatively, the walls can be bolted to their own foundations such as mini piles or concrete foundation using fully integrated steel frame moulded into the product.

AN AESTHETIC SOLUTION

Although it isn’t always possible to substitute high noise barriers everywhere, in many locations such as high embankments, viaducts and bridges, mini sound walls can replace the need for these highly-engineered structures.

Mini sound walls have a very low visual impact which can be further reduced by attaching screen printed local scenes on the obverse side. These walls don’t need planning approval to be installed, which can be another major challenge with panel concrete walls.

The new mSW 730 high noise absorbing panels can substantially reduce noise from the wheel rail interface and corrugation vibration from the top of rail before it reaches the boundary of the rail corridor. STRAILastic typically suggests a combination of rail web dampers using its INOX 2.0 dampers with the various mini sound walls as appropriate.

STRAILastic offers its panels in three forms:

♦ The mSW 390 mini sound wall, which attaches to the sleeper ends that can be built with gates

♦ A vertical IP panel which can be attached to a bridge railing or stacked, or a flexible flat ribbed sheet to attach to the face of a parapet

♦ A modified Strail level crossing unit to deck a transom top bridge, further improved by replacing the timber transom with polymer rubber sleepers to absorb the passing of trains

New STRAILastic_mSW 730

mini soundprotection wall with high absorbing surface

The new version of the STRAILastic_mSW adds a higher wall to the product range. This version is used for train speeds of up to 120 km/h.

Benefits at a glance

¬ No foundation required for installation

¬ easy and quick installation

¬ Short delivery times > noise hot spots can be supplied with products quickly

¬ Closer to the noise source than any other sound protection

¬ Break-proof due to bre-reinforced rubber compound with a cover layer of virgin rubber > UV and ozone resistant

¬ No material fatigue caused by vibrations or pressure and suction forces

¬ No problems with oversized loads

STRAILastic - sound protection

Due to the higher design, it gains even more e ect in the area of the wheel.

STRAILastic_mSW 730 is fastened to both rails with an insulated, decoupled substructure or directly in the subsoil using ground screws.

STRAILastic_mSW 730 > mini goes maxi.

1. STRAILastic_mSW 730 new version of the mini sound protection wall

2. STRAILastic_IP the infill panel

3. STRAILastic_mSW the established mini sound protection wall

4. STRAILastic_A inox 2.0 rail dampers

THE CHIEF ASSET MANAGEMENT OFFICER: THE MISSING PIECE OF THE C-SUITE?

Julian Watts explores the role of a Chief Asset Management Officer in the infrastructure sector, and how the position can create a more holistic approach to asset management by bridging the gap between senior executives and on-the-ground asset operations.

Organisations that leverage physical assets to provide a service operate in increasingly complex environments, requiring senior executives to have their finger on the pulse of the asset base.

This is driven by technological advances and continually changing ways of working, but also, the need to demonstrate operational excellence (maximising shareholder value), and mounting pressure to comply with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) expectations in order to secure capital and long-term investor confidence.

It is perhaps timely then, to consider the necessary interdependencies of asset management across organisational business units, the impact of these on strategic outcomes and the need for a holistic vantage point, bridging the gap between the Board and business unit.

A HEIGHTENED LICENCE TO OPERATE

While alignment with ISO55001, the international standard for Asset Management, supports an overarching asset management strategy at the organisational level, competing business unit priorities and incomplete understanding, or lack of transparency, around organisational interdependencies of outputs, in practise, hampers maximisation of stakeholder value.

Further changes to modern organisational design, with vertical separation between the asset owner, custodian and operator, sees a trend for each workforce role to have a subsequent requirement to hold ISO55001 certification to demonstrate their relevant competency. Compliance thus shifts from desired state, to a mandatory part of the business model.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CHIEF ASSET MANAGEMENT OFFICER?

The role of a Chief Asset Management Officer (CAMO) is one of translation. That is, the CAMO is an interconnector between organisational senior executives, to translate and prioritise business unit KPIs and budgetary requirements with a holistic view of asset outcomes.

This enables companies to maximise economic value and asset lifespan, along with clearly articulating risks associated with productive capacity (including resources required for operation). This role delivers an enduring asset function beyond the asset lifecycle, and continually delivers desired outcomes for interested parties in line with overarching organisational goals.

RELATIONSHIP WITH THE C-SUITE

The C-Suite executive is designed around the objectives and maturity of the organisation it serves. For example, customer-centric organisations benefit significantly from the insights of an experienced Chief Customer Officer to inform campaign direction and achieve the desired brand position, while the transformational expertise of the Chief Data Officer is critical to those requiring advanced data architecture and cyber security.

Common to all, however, is the need to acquire and manage assets. As organisations transition from early stages of asset procurement, to a realised portfolio of fully operational and maturing assets, the role of the CAMO comes clearly into view.

The CAMO serves to optimise C-Suite outcomes, with insights gained from the respective specialties applied to better inform asset decisions. The table below outlines where the CAMO would interface with other executive roles from an asset-centric lens, in a way that cannot be delivered by any traditional executive alone.

The Chief Asset Management Officer is accountable for: Traditional C-Suite support

Achieve line of sight through an asset value framework to provide balance, assess whole of life trade-off, and enable whole of system outcomes.

Inform the asset investment trade off, assist decision making, and estimate whole of life cost.

Inform requirements for asset operations, workforce, resources/plant and training/upskilling.

Decision support tooling, mobile solutions, asset analytics and modelling.

Ensure asset data quality, precision, accuracy, coverage, access and refresh.

Match levels of service with delivery outcomes for an agreed price point.

Set requirements for supply chain thresholds, lead times, spares, inventory, material reuse.

Criticality driven asset and operational safety risk for awareness of business risk exposure.

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Operating Officer

Chief Information Officer

Chief Data Officer

Chief Customer Officer

Chief

Chief Risk Officer

THREE REASONS WHY YOU NEED A CHIEF ASSET MANAGEMENT OFFICER

At the most basic level, informed asset decision making leads to sound investments, improved cash flows and effective tax management practices. Of course, to optimise investment decisions, a high degree of technical knowledge of an organisation’s physical assets and their interdependencies is required.

1. Singularity of focus to align assets to the business and operating model

Organisational business units need to be operating and reporting optimally and would benefit from the CAMO’s management of key assets, in alignment with organisational objectives. The CAMO should be closely connected to business unit leads, allowing clear identification of key data points indicative of current state, and likely future asset performance, maintenance requirements and useful life.

Coupled with critical understanding of the overarching organisational strategy, competitive, regulatory and compliance environments, the CAMO is a conduit for proactive resource management (including training and upskilling), timely capitalisation of investment opportunities, the adoption of new technologies, and clear communication of asset transition timelines and obsolescence management to both Board and business units.

2. Optimising business risk exposure and opportunities from physical assets

Absenting such oversight, key elements of the decisionmaking process risk being unconsidered or excluded. Further considerations of market demand and the impact of technology investment, corporate governance and asset risk management processes are instrumental to organisational performance.

For instance, the automation of asset management processes affords increased efficiencies, ranging from the strategic sampling of large asset bases and early identification of asset degradation and site hazards (and associated cost savings). This will lead to quantitative measurement of carbon offsets, likely to be a mandatory component of future regulatory reporting as investors, supply chain managers and customers become increasingly socially conscious.

3. Driving consistent customer centricity through asset delivery and operations

From the customer perspective, a holistic view of organisational assets and the allocation of capital leads to reduced risk of downtime and service interruption, supply chain and inventory optimisation and enhanced brand permission. The latter, not only in terms of product, but the timely upskilling of resources and employment opportunities, as organisational asset requirements change.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

The CAMO forms a pivotal role within asset intensive organisations. Rather than conflicting with, or overlapping, existing C-Suite roles, the CAMO offers a fundamental opportunity for organisations to evaluate whole-of-business objectives and align asset investments with the broader organisational strategy and compliance frameworks. Successful firms of the future will be those with the transparency of process to ensure optimal allocation of resources and capital, reducing asset risk and downtime to realise maximum return on investment.

KPMG Australia’s new business unit: Infrastructure, Assets and Places

Infrastructure, Assets and Places will bring together strategic, commercial and technical capability from across the firm, assembling a single group of 450 specialists. The group will work with clients to meet their challenges at any stage of the asset lifecycle and deliver projects that are environmentally sustainable, socially impactful and drive economic growth.

The team will also draw on the full range of capabilities from across KPMG to meet broader advisory needs as well as deep sector expertise in areas including real estate and places, transport, social infrastructure, energy, mining and defence.

For more information, please visit: http://www.kpmg.com/au/iap

THE BIG BENEFITS OF INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

I constantly observe project owners and client-side project management firms having issues implementing internallydeveloped software and performance controls across projects and programs.

Whether it’s a spreadsheet, SharePoint, or custom software, the struggle is real for users who aren’t specialised in this capability. The result is:

♦ A singular use platform: These systems are typically difficult to deploy as all projects involve many different parties and vary in use cases across sector, discipline, size and complexity.

♦ No one else wants it: Given the project-driven nature of the industry, nearly all client-side PM firms and owners are competitors. As a result, firms are reluctant to share innovations or improvements with each other.

From this standpoint alone, it’s clear that software systems should not be the property of, or controlled by, an existing single party in the transaction. For all parties to benefit, the system should be operated by a neutral third party.

A NEUTRAL, INDEPENDENT SYSTEM NOT OWNED BY CONSULTANTS OR OWNERS

An independent platform can enable trust and efficiencies of scale to drive the successful management of an owner’s capital and infrastructure project.

Users of the system needn’t worry about how, when, and by whom, their data is accessed or controlled. The system should be secure but enable transparency and the ability to easily share information between the parties.

EVERYONE BENEFITS

Owners and client-side PM firms can save time and money, and increase the bottom line by using neutral systems. Those who’ve discovered this have benefitted from the significantly higher levels of efficiency that a licenced, independent SaaS platform offers, including:

♦ Continuous improvement: Ongoing access to upgrades and enhancements

♦ Immediate start: Turn-key same-day deployment; there is no need for owners or consultants to have their own dedicated hardware or software

♦ Lowest possible costs: Lower cost of ownership than developing systems internally and lower whole-of-life costs due to economies of scale

♦ It can be free! For PM consultants, using a client’s neutral SaaS solution costs $0 and saves time — it’s a win-win

CONSIDERING A SYSTEM?

If you’re an owner or client-side PM firm evaluating a system for your project, program or portfolio, please consider these seven key areas:

1. Licencing: A neutral third-party application provides benefit from economies of scale and lower costs of ownership

2. Singular focus on software: An experienced software vendor with industry experience will have complete Focus On Your System’s Success

3. Experience on a similar project: What experience does the neutral software vendor have? Has their solution been validated across industry sectors?

4. Tech: Modern software has virtually no limitations, whereas legacy systems and databases can limit functionality, security and service downstream

5. Vision: What’s the long-term development roadmap? Make sure your partner is developing their system for the long term, not just today

6. Data security: Who can access the data? Could this fall into the wrong hands to give an unfair advantage?

7. Collective benefit: Will a neutral third-party application benefit all of your network, clients and consultants or cause supplier attrition if others don’t adopt it? A platform should build trust with your clients, consultants and vice versa

Mastt builds better capital works software for infrastructure owners & PMOs. Request a free demo at hello@mastt.com

HOLISTIC IoT MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT

Madison Technologies recently introduced the Captis range from mIoT into its product portfolio – giving customers in industrial sectors easy access to asset-to-asset Cat-M1 and NB-IoT compatible communication capabilities. Here, mIoT CEO, Paul Calabro, talks about the opportunities in IoT, this new partnership, and how the range provides a holistic solution for customers.

IoT IS AN EMERGING TECHNOLOGY – HOW IS IT TRANSFORMING THE WAY COMPANIES DO BUSINESS?

Australia is really leading the IoT charge and adopting the technology quite rapidly. Further benefits and support for critical safety information that has previously been unable to attain through lack of capable technology or expense, has seen a number of customers adopt IIoT to transform their important safety KPIs, save on wastage, and improve assets or mobility.

Captis is a proven technology and we’ve been operating successfully in this sphere for the last four years. Our range of devices were the first certified to operate on Telstra’s IoT networks. So while IoT is an emerging technology specifically gaining momentum in the mass-scale deployment of battery operated devices, many of our customers are early adopters and have been reaping the rewards for quite some time.

MADISON TECHNOLOGIES HAS RECENTLY BECOME A RESELLER OF THE CAPTIS RANGE – WHAT WILL THIS PARTNERSHIP BRING?

Captis is a complete IoT stack incorporating field-based devices capable of monitoring and measuring environment requirements, connectivity capability over a multi-mode operation, platform layer insights, and APIs that allow data

The Internet of Things (IoT) creates new business ecosystems while simultaneously streamlining business operations. At scale, the technology can go further than enhancing the operations of one business, it can significantly improve the productivity of an entire industry.

to be directed to an end client’s solution. We have had great success over the last few years with our range of Captis data loggers, and are looking to offer a holistic solution to customers: device, cloud and connectivity.

It was an organic next step to appoint Madison Technologies as a value-added reseller for Captis. We are proud to join an impressive portfolio of communications and network technology vendors, and excited to provide a complete IIoT solution to customers. Building on our work with industry leaders over the last few years, we are keen to expand our reach within the mining, utilities, rail, telco and manufacturing sectors.

THE CAPTIS RANGE WAS RECENTLY CERTIFIED AUSTRALIAN MADE – WHY WAS THIS IMPORTANT?

Our team of expert engineers have been developing Captis firmware in-house since inception, and we have always strived to source components locally for the hardware. We are proud to officially wear that badge now, particularly in 2021, when it represents so much more than a manufacturing standard. Australian Made means supporting local jobs and helping to rebuild the economy in the wake of a pandemic.

WHAT’S NEXT?

In addition to continuous improvement of our product range, we have a genuine commitment to long-term sustainability for our customers and the greater community. There is so much that Captis can offer in terms of environmental monitoring and sustainable practices, so we are excited to explore those verticals with Madison Technologies.

Your complete IoT monitoring & measurement solution.

Asset-to-asset communication over Australia’s Cat-M1 and NB-IoT networks .

Connect with confidence.

Madison Technologies is an Australian owned and operated business that innovates, distributes and supports a range of high-quality products from globally recognised brands. Our team is dedicated to helping partners find practical and reliable solutions for communications and networking challenges, with technical support engineers and stock held locally across our national supply chain.

We’d all like to spend less time sitting in traffic, and now a new Artificial intelligence (AI) application offers hope for congestion-weary commuters.

Peak hour driving, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, can set even the calmest among us on edge. It’s no wonder, with freeway speeds regularly slowing to around 30km per hour and journeys taking around 50 per cent longer than they would in freeflowing traffic.

Governments are pumping billions into much-needed infrastructure upgrades, but these improvements will take years. Fortunately, new ways to speed up the roads we already have, right now, are also emerging.

AI AND MACHINE LEARNING ANALYSING TRAFFIC PATTERNS

A particularly promising tool is a new AI application developed in Melbourne that can predict traffic up to three hours in advance. It provides detailed information customised to any route, and could help future commuters avoid hotspots, and governments ease traffic jams before they happen.

Unlike commonly used tools like Google Maps, the new application uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to understand traffic patterns. It learns and adapts as it goes to ensure its predictions are as accurate as possible.

The new tool is the result of a collaboration between the University of Melbourne’s Australian Integrated Multimodal Ecosystem (AIMES), the Victorian Department of Transport,

Telstra and Melbourne-based AI firm, PeakHour Urban Technologies, who developed the core AI engine and its predictive capabilities. AIMES brought together the project partners.

Professor Majid Sarvi, from AIMES, said that most of the time tools like Google Maps get it wrong because they use historical data, which is often inaccurate and vague.

“There’s such a build up with traffic congestion, by the time you’re on the road the travel time is wrong,” Professor Sarvi said.

FIVE YEARS OF RICH DATA

The difference with this tool is that its predictions change dynamically based on what’s happening on the road, making it reliable across a whole transport network.

“It uses machine learning in a way that we couldn’t have dreamed of, even two years ago,” Professor Sarvi said.

“But this system is self-learning and its predictions are beautifully accurate.”

In a city like Melbourne that’s no small feat, with its road network comprising around 20,000 unique links like junctions, roundabouts, slip roads and more.

Its development relied on real-time data gathered through AIMES’s ‘testbed site’ – a network of over 2,000 data sensors located across 100km worth of inner-Melbourne streets. The site has been operational for five years now.

The data gathered at this site is among the richest in the world, and it provided developers with the kind of information they needed in order to understand how traffic behaves under a wide range of different scenarios. And it doesn’t just apply to inner Melbourne.

PREDICTING CONGESTION BEFORE IT HAPPENS

“The data can be extrapolated out to other areas. It shows the possibilities when you have access to the right data,”

Professor Sarvi said.

GLOBAL INTEREST IN THE TECHNOLOGY

Indeed, while the tool is up and running in Melbourne now (although not yet publicly available), it only takes five days to learn traffic patterns in other cities. The team is already fielding interest from overseas.

This adaptability is thanks, in part, to being hosted in the cloud and able to operate using minimal data. The application uses whatever data is available to it, with Amazon Web Services providing the scalability to ingest, store, and process large amounts of traffic data.

With the quality of mobile-derived traffic information growing fast, the developers are anticipating even more data will be available in the next few years. Smartphones, connected cars, vehicle-to-everything and vehicle-toinfrastructure technologies, are likely to account for an increasing proportion of its real-time data in years to come.

But even using current data points, the new tool offers hope for congestion-weary commuters. The university’s researchers have found it could improve efficiency within the transport network by 20 per cent.

“Shaving one fifth off travel time would be welcome news for commuters, but it also could improve the bottom line for freight operators and fleet managers,” Professor Sarvi said, suggesting the new tool could help them optimise their networks and increase efficiencies.

HELPING CITIES MAKE TRAFFIC DECISIONS

Perhaps the most enthusiastic users will be governments, who will be able to use the tool to improve how they manage congestion. Currently, most cities rely on humans monitoring traffic networks and making real-time decisions about traffic flow to try and control congestion, for example by changing traffic light sequences.

“The idea of people sitting in a control room, watching live video feeds and making decisions to keep traffic flowing, is just not sustainable,” Professor Sarvi said.

Instead, he said the new tool’s prediction capabilities will mean cities can proactively manage traffic, rather than only responding once congestion has already started to build up.

“It highlights the hotspots so the traffic can be cleared in those corridors and everyone gets home faster.

The next steps will be handing end-to-end traffic management over to AI.

“That’s the holy grail. I would imagine very soon AI can also optimise the traffic signal for us and provide full end-to-end prediction management. AI is simply much better at it than us humans,” Professor Sarvi said.

With the technology working so well, the team sees their biggest challenge in getting it adopted for real-world use. They have been working closely with the Victorian Government and are hoping to see it in action in Melbourne soon.

“We could get this up-and-running in Melbourne as a world-first; if we don’t, some other country will beat us to it,” Professor Sarvi said.

“We’re really hoping to see it here first.”

INTELLIGENT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT FOR VICTORIA ROAD IN SYDNEY

Victoria Road is a pivotal part of the NSW government's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure investment program. One of Sydney's busiest commuter corridors, it is a daily challenge to keep it functioning, but a new partnership of behavioural-based simulation from Aimsun and data analytics from Data61 has the potential to set a gold standard for how agencies manage urban corridors.

DEALING WITH NON-RECURRENT EVENTS

The Victoria Road corridor from James Ruse Drive to the central business district (CBD) is one of Sydney's busiest commuter corridors, carrying over 130,000 vehicles on the Western Distributor to and from Sydney's CBD on an average weekday. With current traffic flow only six per cent down from prepandemic highs, the corridor has been operating over capacity for more than a decade. It has more latent demand than could be satisfied by significant infrastructure upgrades.

The already constrained corridor will be at the heart of Sydney's future motorway network, as traffic from the M4-M5 link, the WestConnex M4, and the Western Harbour Tunnel/Beaches Link converges at the underground Rozelle Interchange. This traffic will then connect to Sydney's CBD via the City West Link, changing the transportation dynamics of the Victoria Road corridor.

The increasing complexity in the corridor environment is compounded by the need to deliver journey time reliability to all travellers. As end-to-end

journeys often include multiple modes of transport, network operators need to process a large volume of information from various dynamic sources and make decisions quickly.

When dealing with regular or recurring situations, this is not an issue, as operators draw on experience. However, this can be challenging when dealing with non-recurrent events, as the operator has limited time to respond.

In high volume and sensitive corridors like Victoria Road, simultaneous recurrent and non-recurrent events

create compound impacts on multimodal journeys in the networks. As recently as December 2020, a weather event closed one lane of Victoria Road, creating queues over five kilometers long and extensive disruption to commuters and businesses.

AI AND PREDICTION TECHNOLOGY

The solution to the problem is a Decision Support System (DSS). This intelligent transportation management platform dynamically utilises disparate data sources from cloud platforms to inform the network manager of potential network events and provides Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that recommend possible responses.

The DSS combines artificial intelligence approaches from the Data61 digital research network with simulation and prediction technology from simulation experts Aimsun. Aimsun's behavioural-based simulation predicts future network performance quickly and accurately, emulating faithfully the operational aspects, including the SCATS traffic signal logic or the deployment of replacement buses in case of train track closure. The DSS compares and ranks a range of possible responses (“what-if” scenarios) to any traffic situation to help operators make the best decisions.

THE DSS SOLUTION

The pilot area covers four principal arterials: the A3 (Macquarie Park to Centenary Drive); the A40 Victoria Road (James Ruse Drive to City West Link); and the A44 Great Western Highway A4 City West Link (Paramatta Road to the Western Distributor), covering 180km2 of Sydney. Within the pilot area, 575 SCATS-controlled intersections are emulated, including 43 on Victoria Road from James Ruse Drive to the City West Link. There are hundreds of public transport lines represented in the DSS in this corridor, carrying tens of thousands of passengers daily.

The DSS has three primary functions to support the network operations: supporting the daily management of the transport network, assisting in planning approvals for major events and road works, and offering multiple response

plan evaluations in parallel and fasterthan-real-time. The response plans can include any combination of detours, SCATS plans, change of ramp metering rates and variable message signs (including tidal flow), Road Occupancy Licensing rescheduling, rail replacement bus service and more.

THE NETWORK MANAGER

The network manager views the system through a custom-defined dashboard that functions in different modes:

♦ An operational mode shows the predicted KPIs such as speeds, queues, travel times, congestion, and delays. The system compares predicted patterns against historical patterns, alerting the network manager if there is anything out of the ordinary.

♦ A response plan evaluation mode that provides information and KPI-based recommendations. The network manager can monitor the situation and test different response plans.

♦ A planning mode that can assess network performance up to six months in advance. This is useful for planning special events and assessing longer-term network impacts of construction and associated traffic management.

THE FUTURE

The DSS is designed to be geographically extendable and configured to interface with numerous data feeds that can accelerate the deployment to a city-wide network. This data could include air pollution, freight efficiency, emergency vehicle access and passenger journey time reliability.

The DSS platform can support the needs of longer-term transport planning as well as day-to-day network operations by providing a calibrated Aimsun simulation model for infrastructure development, design, and construction modelling, which is often costly to develop. This is achieved by leveraging the Data61 data platform and Aimsun's behavioural-based models as the means for scenario creation and simulation.

As a pilot, the DSS is a stand-alone solution; however, as a dynamic system support solution, it can be integrated into any operational management platform as it is specifically system agnostic. As a planning tool, it can be accessed and operated on any computer or laptop.

THE WRAP

Aimsun has deployed predictive modelling in over 15 cities globally, and it is an industry-leading solution. The partnership with Data61 has enabled the best of both behavioural-based simulation and data analytics paradigms to provide a solution to support the management of one of Sydney's most complex and dynamic transportation environments.

The Victoria Road DSS pilot has demonstrated the significant benefits of combining these technologies, compared to the more traditional solution of relying exclusively on artificial intelligence, setting a new standard for how agencies manage our complex and highly constrained cities.

For more information, please visit www.aimsun.com or www.data61.csiro.au

MACHINE LEARNING:

KEEPING OUR COMMUNITIES SAFE VIA EARLY DETECTION OF ROAD DEFECTS

Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) NSW.

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) NSW and ACT Division has collaborated with four councils to trial the use of machine learning, video and Artificial Intelligence in the assessment of road conditions. Here are their findings.

In their roles as road operators, councils deliver safe and reliable road infrastructure to the community. Detecting and repairing defects like potholes, pavement cracking, damaged guardrails and fading line marking, is essential to achieving this, with councils repairing thousands of defects each year.

Defects are reported by the community or by council staff inspecting the network. As a result, defects are only known when they already pose a risk to the community. Early detection of road defects will improve maintenance planning, reduce risks for road users and ultimately assist Council to deliver better road infrastructure to the community.

Currently, no systems are implemented that automate this process effectively.

The implementation of artificial intelligence-based defect detection technologies is an emerging market that will have wide ranging impacts to the management of road and pavement assets, particularly for local government agencies tasked with their maintenance and upkeep.

In this trial, we tested technology including video footage and machine learning algorithms for asset identification and for detecting road defects.

The cameras were mounted to council vehicles such as garbage collection trucks and vehicles from inspectors or rangers, that already drive the network route on a regular basis.

This initiative is a collaboration between the Roads and Transport Directorate and Canterbury Bankstown City, Georges River, Blayney Shire and Central Coast Councils.

WHY IS THIS TECHNOLOGY NEEDED?

There are 128 local councils in New South Wales that deliver a wide range of services, influenced by population density, demographics, the local economy, technology, geographic and climatic characteristics.

The combined net value of NSW local government assets was $166 billion*. The gross value of NSW regional and local roads, bridges, and ancillary assets e.g. footpaths and other road assets, was estimated at $60 billion in June 2019. Roads and transport assets are the most valuable assets managed by local government.

Evidence collected by the Roads and Transport Directorate shows that the annual shortfall for maintenance is $350 million.

Utilising artificial intelligence provides an extensive view of asset condition in a time-efficient manner, capturing real-time data on the condition of the entire road network.

This allows councils to detect and address defects in a timelier manner and without reliance on customer complaints. Early intervention repairs saves costly repairs if not addressed.

This network-wide visibility ensures all defects are captured, including those that are unreported by residents. It can also be used in an assessment of needs for planned asset renewal.

THE TRIAL

Better understanding of the assets and early intervention will reduce the shortfall as available funding could be spent more effectively.

Early detection will allow for a defect to be repaired before it becomes a risk to the community, at significantly reduced costs. Increased efficiency will ultimately help councils to deliver better road and transport infrastructure to the community.

Overall customer satisfaction will increase if there are less unrepaired potholes and other defects on the network, and so will the amount of damage to personal vehicles, bicycles and, potentially, people.

The trial included routes within each of the four local government areas and a reference loop in Revesby Heights. The target length of the roads surveyed are shown in the table.

The data collected was evaluated by all partners, including visual inspection. Pavement Management Services was engaged for further data analysis and to compare the results with existing condition data.

Seven suppliers of the technology were identified: Black Moth Vision Systems, Retina Visions, Vaisala RoadAI, Frontline Data Systems, Mobileye, RoadBotics and EagleSoft.

*Source: Audit Office of NSW, Report on Local Government 2019.

RESULTS IDENTIFIED DEFECTS

The technology tested is suitable to detect many of the defects included in the Road Inspection Manual.

Visual assessment and validation of the data showed over 70 per cent accuracy in defect identification, which will be compared more closely in future evaluations. Based on the evaluation, each of the systems offers potential applications to which they could be suited. Further developments will improve the outcomes generated for each system.

The current viability of machine learning technologies for council implementation is explored in this project. Whilst feedback from participating councils included improvements of user experience still to be made, the interest and potential to implement these systems into existing council practices were expressed overall.

The technology tested is suitable to detect many of the defects included in the IPWEA Road Inspection Manual, with online training available soon.

THE NEXT STAGE AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

For the next stage, we aim to deliver a digital platform ‘AssetAI’. AssetAI will utilise real time data and artificial intelligence to help governments make better, evidence-based decisions about how to improve the productivity, liveability and resilience of public assets.

The implementation of new data sources does not come without challenges. It is a new data source that produces a significant volume of data. Current data standards will need to be updated to accommodate data from new and additional sources. This is a general challenge for the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) and big data concepts.

Having more information about the condition of the network could have a significant impact on the financial sustainability of councils. Current estimates of the value of public assets are only partially based on the actual condition of assets. If the calculation of the asset values is based on actual condition data, this could change the fair value significantly.

About the Roads and Transport Directorate

The Roads and Transport Directorate is a joint initiative between the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia NSW Division and Local Government NSW to optimise roads and transport outcomes. The Directorate is funded by all 128 NSW councils.

The purpose of the Directorate is to support our member councils to deliver an improved local road and transport network.

To succeed in this task, the Directorate undertakes leadingedge road and transport research which underpins our input to policy development, our advocacy initiatives and our published guidance on the design, construction and management of the

network and its associated infrastructure.

Efficient, accurate and

road maintenance insights for Local Councils

roadMX AI

Imaging is captured and detected with on the edge with AI technology and machine learning algorithms autonomously assess and detect possible road defects. Data is then sent to the cloud for Black Moth experts for review

Camera

Black Moth’s cameras sit outside vehicle cabins to capture a clear, up to 360-degree view of streets and assets. By placing on waste collection fleets, data will never be more than a week old.

roadMX IA

Black Moth Intelligent Assistants assess the images, data, and alerts collected before feeding them into a council’s existing asset management systems fully vetting the data to prevent any false alerts.

The data gathered from all councils is fed back in to continually improve the system

Councils

A complete digital twin of a council’s region is provided to the local government for asset management teams to access on an as-needed basis. With roadMX, alerts are provided to teams about actual road defects before they become problems.

While Back to the Future's vision of a world with hoverboards and flying cars has yet to come true, transport is changing, and Intelligent Transport Systems are the driving force behind these developments. A new research partnership between the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and the Queensland Government will help prepare the state for futuristic transport that uses emerging technologies to better connect people and goods in more sustainable, efficient and convenient ways.

USC Senior Lecturer in Environmental Engineering, Dr Helen Fairweather, said the three-year Transport Academic Partnership, including the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ funding support, was not only exciting for the university’s students and academics, but would also have a profound impact on the wider community and environment.

“Transport is changing rapidly, and we need more research that targets the interface between civil infrastructure and the Internet of Things (IoT),” Dr Fairweather said.

“The key questions are: How do we move people and goods without relying on systems for fuel-emitting cars, and how can technology help us achieve that?

“It’s not just about electric cars and light rail. It’s about how telecommunications and advanced analytics can change how our transport network operates and how more sustainable service can be provided.”

Dr Fairweather said that the specific research projects will be jointly developed with the Department of Transport and Main Roads once a foundation USC Chair of Sustainable Transport Engineering has been appointed at its Moreton Bay campus. However, initial areas of focus would include the use of big data analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in smart transport.

The Moreton Bay campus will become a field site for testing cutting-edge transport innovations, such as:

♦ New IoT sensor technologies for Intelligent Transport Systems

♦ Advanced video imagery for providing information about vehicle movements and assessing areas of traffic congestion

♦ Access to vehicle-based data to analyse driver and passenger behaviour

♦ Advanced AI to understand differences amongst distinct road user groups in typical traffic situations

Dr Fairweather said that Intelligent Transport Systems have delivered important but incremental changes to Australia's transport systems, and the momentum to advance Australia's transport technology industries is only growing.

“We are already seeing major changes in terms of the way traffic moves in the cities, e.g. using sensors, CCTV footage and AI to better control traffic lights and variable speed signs to improve traffic flow. This is providing a 20-30 per cent uplift in capacity for the same infrastructure, supporting more sustainable outcomes,” Dr Fairweather said.

“Electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles will be the single biggest transformation over the coming decade as the technology is proven now, and scale and affordability will come as the volume of sales increase.

“Full situational awareness of the transport network will become more customer focused, enabling customers to make more informed choices around whether to travel, what mode of transport to use, when to travel and what on-trip changes are necessary to optimise their journey.

“There are some innovations in terms of maintenance using video captured by vehicles and AI to improve the response to road maintenance needs. Flooding alerts in regional areas are becoming more sophisticated which is critical for road users, particularly in preventing motorists from entering flooded roads.”

PREDICTIONS FOR FUTURE TRANSPORT TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS

According to Dr Fairweather, futuristic transport technologies are not far on the horizon as we start to see vehicles with connected and autonomous technologies emerging over the next couple of decades.

“Connectivity of vehicles to roadside infrastructure and the ability for vehicles to exchange information and data (talk to each other) is already emerging in Europe, USA and Asia. These technologies will be critical in improving safety and will be important in the roadmap to full automation,” Dr Fairweather said.

“Depending on how this is rolled out between industry suppliers, government regulators and road authorities, this is likely to blur the current distinction between private vehicle ownership and public transport.

“The Mobility as a Service (MAAS) model, where people subscribe to a suite of transport options and pay a monthly fee as opposed to having to own anything, could therefore become a viable service offering. This subscription package would include access to everything – public transport, e-transport (e.g.. electric scooters), cars, buses, trains etc.

“I do see a time when we will be able to use personal mobility options for first and last mile transport between major bus and rail networks, though active transport (e.g. cycling and walking) provides a better option in terms of public health outcomes."

Dr Fairweather said one potential technology of the future could consist of multi-purpose on-demand freight/passenger options with ‘capsules’ linked to a trackless tram-type system.

Each business might be able to call for a ‘freight capsule’ to go past their door, or use drones to transport lighter freight to the nearest capsule. Perhaps the capsule can be configured quickly to change from a transport to a freight option to optimise its use.

“Overall, autonomous public transport options will be cheaper to run and will become more accessible to regional communities, lessening their reliance on private vehicles, while big data analytics and AI will provide for more optimum traffic networks in the future,” Dr Fairweather said.

“In terms of sustainability, I think there will be a greater focus on the fuels and construction materials we’re using, Building Information Modelling (BIM) to conceive, design, build and manage transport infrastructure, transition to more active transport and better understanding of the socio-economic aspects of equity when it comes to access to public transport options.”

COLLABORATION KEY TO IMPROVING AUSTRALIA’S TRANSPORT NETWORKS

Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, said the Queensland Government welcomed the opportunity to work with USC and look ahead at new, innovative ideas that would enable all Australians to move more safely, efficiently, and sustainably through the nation’s transport networks.

“This partnership will enable USC to research and provide insights into the type of technologies we will use to move from A to B in the next few decades,” Mr Bailey said.

“Queensland is well placed to be at the forefront of transport innovation. I look forward to the team’s work exploring how future technology can boost our capability to deliver a single, integrated transport network accessible to everyone.”

Dr Fairweather agreed that Queensland is well placed to be at the forefront of transport innovation compared to other states because the Department of Transport and Main Roads understands the importance of partnering with academia to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that will shape the future of transport.

“The department has positioned itself to undertake and make use of the latest cutting-edge research in the transport field through their investment in a Transport Academic Partnerships across Brisbane Partner Universities, with the intent to extend that to other regional universities,” Dr Fairweather said.

“They are very mindful that the skills required of their workforce is rapidly changing and the university partnerships will be critical to providing the courses for this upskilling.

“They also make an active investment in applied research programs so they can continue to improve, adapt and adopt new ways of doing things.”

As part of a Transport Academic Partnership, Department of Transport and Main Roads will provide advice on their research needs to ensure the research projects align with their strategic plan and the Queensland Government priorities of supporting economic activity and job creation, improving community safety and protecting the environment.

“Through this research partnership, civil infrastructure and IoT will become better integrated by developing and deploying the appropriate and fit-for-use technology and communication protocols to protect individual privacy and maximise cyber security, while providing the analytics to make a major shift in the development and operation of our transport infrastructure,” Dr Fairweather said.

TrafiCam™ AI

AI-Powered, Vehicle Presence Sensor

Designed to reliably detect and classify road users, the TrafiCam AI is an intelligent HD visible sensor for traffic monitoring in complex urban environments. Featuring a low-light HD visible camera and AI algorithms built on 25+ years of traffic detection, TrafiCam AI offers detailed vision and data collection for safer, more efficient cities. Capable of tracking multiple objects, the advanced edge-based AI effectively controls intersections and gathers detailed traffic data for better city planning decisions.

ThermiCam™ AI

AI-Powered, Integrated Thermal Traffic Detector

Designed to reliably detect and classify road users, ThermiCam AI is an intelligent thermal imaging sensor for traffic monitoring in complex urban environments. Featuring AI algorithms built on 25+ years of traffic detection and best-in-class thermal imaging, ThermiCam AI delivers continuous vision and data collection for safer, more efficient cities. Capable of tracking multiple objects in any lighting condition utilising thermal imaging.

ThermiCam2™

Integrated Thermal Traffic Detector

ThermiCam2 is an intelligent thermal sensor capable of detecting vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians for dynamic traffic signal control and data collection. Integrated Wi-Fi technology allows simultaneous thermal detection, travel time, and delay time calculation. Since the ThermiCam2 relies on thermal energy rather than light, it offers 24/7 traffic monitoring and can detect road users at night, through glare and in harsh weather conditions.

TrafiOne™

Smart City Sensor

FLIRTrafiOne is an all-round sensor that tracks waiting and crossing pedestrians and bicyclists in urban environments. TrafiOne uses thermal imaging technology to reliably detect in all weather conditions and even in total darkness. The sensor includes a HD visual C-MOS camera for streaming video.

LESSONS LEARNT FROM WA’S SMART FREEWAYS

Main Roads delivered Western Australia's first smart freeway in 2020, designing a journey that reduces congestion and improves safety for drivers. It is located on the northern part of the Kwinana Freeway, running northbound from Roe Highway to the Narrows bridge. Now, Main Roads has ambitious plans to transform the Mitchell Freeway southbound with the same technology by 2023. Here are the lessons it learnt from the first project, the results seen so far, and plans for future implementation.

The Smart Freeway Kwinana Northbound (SFKN) project is a state-first in Perth. Having been open for one year, the freeway is currently shaving off an average of five minutes travel time for commuters, and accommodates an average 13 per cent traffic increase across the Narrows Bridge during morning peak periods.

Main Roads spokesman, Dean Roberts, said, “The Smart Freeway has continued to deliver on its promise to provide more reliable journeys, a safer driving experience and reduced travel times.”

The Smart Freeway construction included the installation of traffic signals at five northbound on-ramps, converting an emergency lane into an additional traffic lane (from Canning Highway to the Narrows), installing electric message boards, coordinated ramp signals, overhead electronic signs, and training Main Roads staff to direct traffic.

The next smart freeway project in Western Australia is already underway, with Main Roads beginning works in June 2021 to convert part of the southbound Mitchell Freeway into the SFKN’s successor.

The southbound Mitchell Freeway services 180,000 motorists daily, and this 36km stretch of the Mitchell will include similar smart technology features to its Kwinana Freeway counterpart, with works already beginning on the Hester Avenue to Warwick Road sector.

The Smart Freeway Mitchell Southbound (SFMS) project will feature 16 entry ramps with Coordinated Ramp Signals (CRS) along its length. Overhead gantry mounted electronic signs, which will be able to display speed reductions and lane closures, while informing motorists of changed conditions ahead, will be part of the SFMS closer to Perth’s CBD.

HOW DOES THE TECHNOLOGY WORK?

The Smart Freeways’ use of ITS, applies modern technology and communications to monitor traffic conditions and adjust contributing factors accordingly. Road sensors installed on

the Freeway and on-ramps inform ramp signals to make merging safer, whilst gathering and feeding information to a state-of-the-art Road Network Operations Centre (RNOC), so staff can alter speed limits and manage traffic flows in times of congestion, and open and close lanes in the event of an incident.

The Smart Freeways are monitored 24/7 by CCTV and managed by RNOC, which provides data collected from the in-road technologies to skilled operators.

These operators manage traffic flows and radars to immediately alert them when a vehicle is stopped in an emergency bay or on the freeway itself. This allows Main Roads staff to protect stranded vehicles on the road, manage traffic flows around the incident and send help to drivers.

BUSTING CONGESTION

Traditional forms of easing congestion are not always feasible, which is why Smart Freeway technology is crucial to growing cities as it allows new ways of dealing with traffic issues resulting from population growth.

The Kwinana Freeway Northbound was plagued with congestion before the smart technology was installed, especially at the point of the Canning Highway northbound on-ramp.

To ease this, the emergency lane running from Canning Highway to the Narrows Bridge was converted to a full time traffic lane, removing the need to immediately merge into freeway traffic.

At five other on-ramps, traffic signals that act similar to traffic lights were installed, allowing one car per lane at a time to join the freeway, preventing stop-start merging.

“Servicing a greater volume of traffic with improved travel times, this section of the Kwinana Freeway is now more productive and efficient than ever before,” Mr Roberts said.

TESTING THE TECHNOLOGY AND BUILDING TRUST

As this project was a state first, the SFKN was a new experience for locals, which added an extra element to the construction – building the communities trust.

Mr Roberts said that testing of the technologies is a critical part of the delivery of these ITS projects.

“We are asking drivers to trust and follow the system to allow for better traffic outcomes and the safety and well-being of those who use our freeways. They need to know that the technologies work to build that trust,” Mr Roberts said.

Mr Roberts said that some challenges arose during the construction of Kwinana, one of which was understanding the accessibility and condition of existing communication infrastructure in the project footprint, prior to project commencement. The project was also undertaken during COVID-19 restrictions which created another obstacle to overcome.

“Training the users of the technology during COVID restrictions required new and flexible approaches, including creating a training simulator,” Mr Roberts said.

“A successful driver education campaign was launched with the project.”

As with all new technology, delivering the information in an easy and accessible way was an integral part of the project’s success.

IMPROVED INCIDENT RESPONSE INCREASING SAFETY

Reducing congestion and monitoring traffic in real time leads to direct improvements in safety, with the SFKN, and the SFMS both featuring emergency stopping bays.

The bays are fitted with traffic sensors and all weather thermal imaging cameras that are monitored by RNOC operators. There are also dedicated Incident Response Service teams available at all times to respond as needed.

The technology also enables motorists to know which lane is closing or which lane to merge to, improving driver safety.

The ITS is also able to reduce speed limits when an incident occurs or during busy periods to ensure congestion doesn’t start forming.

BENEFITING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Main Roads completed the Kwinana Freeway in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, leaving the experts delegated to work on the project homebound, and requiring local contractors to step up to the challenge.

Mr Roberts said, “In addition, the ITS used on our Smart Freeway required technologies and equipment that were not readily available in the state.”

COVID-19’s impact on the project had a silver lining for local contractors as the Kwinana project created hundreds of local jobs, with COVID-19 affecting out of state contractors who were destined to work on the project. The new Mitchell Freeway project is expected to provide similar opportunities to the State’s workforce.

“During construction, the SFKN project supported 245 jobs, and it is expected that the SFMS project will also support up to 500 jobs during construction,” Mr Roberts said.

“COVID-19 complicated the build during 2020, and instead of consultants and technicians coming to Perth from overseas or at times from over east, local technicians and companies had to step up, educate themselves and work remotely with the experts that could no longer get to WA.

“This knowledge transfer and experience gained by WA-based providers will assist with the delivery of future Smart Freeways.”

The Smart Freeways has not just improved the quality of life for busy Western Australian drivers, cutting congestion and allowing for more home-time for drivers, but has created, and will continue to create, hundreds of jobs for locals – in a time when steady employment is more important than ever.

Benefits of the SFKN become more apparent as it settles into the Perth landscape. The project has been hailed as a success, creating roads for Western Australians that get them home safely and smashing congestion easing goals to allow drivers more quality time at home – not stuck in the daily commute.

BUILDING CYBER RESILIENCE IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

AN INCREASE IN ATTACKS ON OUR KEY UTILITIES

The national conversation about the cyber threats faced by Australian governments and businesses is ramping up. In May 2021, Mike Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs and one of Australia's top national security figures, said cyber attacks against Australia's critical infrastructure were his “most pressing and immediate concern” – going so far as to call the threat of a breach that could take down the nation's electricity network "realistic", "credible", and “deeply concerning.”

This comes less than a year after Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, revealed that entities at all levels of government, industry, politics, education, health, and essential services had come under targeted cyber attack by a sophisticated state-based actor.

Australian organisations are no strangers to the consequences of a successful cyber attack. The system outages, financial loss, and reputational damage resulting from a ransomware infection or data breach are now part of the weekly news cycle.

What concerns an increasing number of people is the catastrophic possibility of a successful cyber attack on Australia’s critical infrastructure. After all, the consequences of a breach in critical utilities go far further than financial loss. They include the potential for prolonged outages of essential services and, subsequently, impacts on health, safety, and even national security.

RECENT GLOBAL AND LOCAL INCIDENTS

After discovering a cyber intrusion within its IT systems, the operators of the Colonial Pipeline in the United States proactively took systems offline

to contain the threat, grinding its operations to a halt in the process.

As the largest refined oil pipeline system in the US, the outage resulted in widespread shortages of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and heating oil along the south-eastern US coast. Some analysts described the incident as “the most significant, successful attack on energy infrastructure we know of in the United States.”

On the local front, government entities including NSW Health and Transport for NSW were impacted by the worldwide attack on approximately 100 organisations on a file transfer system owned by US technology company Accellion. Whilst medical records in public hospitals were not affected, hackers exploited a security loophole which resulted in sensitive NSW documents, including health-related personal information, being stolen and posted on the dark web.

The NSW Government launched its refreshed cyber security strategy in May 2021 including significant investment to further enhance overall cybersecurity resilience to ensure the safety and security of citizens and communities online.

THE TIGHTENING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

The Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act 2018 brought welcome focus to the security of essential industries, including electricity, water, gas, and ports. But it quickly became clear that those industries alone were not enough.

The Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020 intends to expand the SOCI Act to mandate obligations on companies across a broader range of critical sectors, reflecting the changing security priorities identified in the Australian

Cyber Security Strategy 2020. The Draft Bill is expected to begin enforcing its obligations from mid-2021.

The enhanced regulatory framework brings additional clarity to the steps required to strengthen cyber resilience, enabling industry and government to work together more effectively. For some organisations, the additional SOCI obligations will be simple to implement and will complement activities they’re already undertaking.

For others, uplifting cyber capabilities to meet proposed regulatory requirements will involve more significant cost and effort. Organisations should place equal focus not only on meeting new obligations, but also on ensuring resources are put in place to maintain that progress through increased headcount and annual OPEX budget.

MOVING BEYOND SECURITY TO BUILD RESILIENCE

So, where to start for critical infrastructure providers, including utilities? First, it’s important to ensure you’re aware of your organisation’s obligations under the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020, as well as other state cybersecurity legislation such as state-based license conditions.

The traditional view that we can isolate critical systems is becoming outdated as businesses increase levels of connectivity and adoption of technologies like cloud and Industrial IoT. Many organisations are still looking to the Purdue Model as a framework for segregating operational technology (OT) environments, which was developed before the advent of contemporary technology such as the cloud and IoT.

While this can offer a helpful lens through which to assess an organisation’s security, it should instead be considered just one piece –a technology-centric piece – of a bigger puzzle that cannot be solved by technology alone.

As the lines between physical and digital disruption are blurred and attacks become more of an inevitability than a possibility, there is a growing need to shift from a preventative mindset to a more holistic, resiliency-based approach across people, process, and technology.

Our ability to detect and respond to attacks in a manner that minimises disruption to services is even more urgent in the case of critical infrastructure providers such as utilities, whose provision of services can have health and safety or national security implications.

The key is to make your approach consistent across every aspect of how your business assesses, detects and responds to disruption, either digital or physical. Consider that the attack on the Colonial Pipeline did not hit the operational technology or gas pipeline assets themselves, but instead started with a phishing email.

As Colonial began to fear the attack would spread and they would lose control of their systems, the business shut the pipeline down themselves. This failure to adequately protect mission critical systems (such as a gas pipeline) from events impacting lower-security environments (such as email systems) is a glaring example of a need for greater resilience.

We as humans regularly take steps to build our own resilience, so that in the event we become ill or catch a cold, we can recover as soon as possible and carry on with our most important tasks. We accept, despite our best efforts, it’s not always possible to guarantee prevention, and similarly, critical infrastructure organisations must accept that cyber incidents will occur – the measure of success isn’t stopping them, but how they respond and recover from them.

LIGHTING THE INDUSTRIAL JOB SITE

Having reliable lighting is critical on industrial job sites to protect workers and ensure projects can move forward regardless of conditions. Portable, batterypowered lights are best practice to eliminate the danger of electrical connections in wet or flammable environments, and to allow for easy moveability around a job site.

Milwaukee Tool is cutting the cord on industrial job site lighting with its new MX FUEL™ Tower Light/ Charger (MXFTL-0). This portable, high-output battery-powered light is designed to withstand the harshest job site conditions.

As part of the revolutionary MX FUEL Equipment System that goes beyond the limitations of petrol and corded units, with no emissions, no pull start and no engine maintenance, the MX FUEL Tower Light/Charger was engineered to solve safety, power and performance challenges for the world’s most demanding trades.

Chris Parker, Product Manager for Milwaukee Tool Australia and New Zealand, said, “For years high output task lighting options have always been tethered to a cord. Users have to spend time setting up generators in remote applications and are dealing with lighting that is difficult to move around the job site.”

The MX FUEL Tower Light/Charger has four multi-directional LED light heads that can cast up to 20,000 lumens of task and area lighting when equipped with an MX FUEL REDLITHIUM™ XC406 battery (MXFXC406). It also gives users the option to plug in to AC power, if available, to output up to 27,000 lumens.

“We’ve integrated the MX FUEL Charger (MXFC) into the light that acts as a battery backup solution for an MX FUEL battery charger and a great added functionality on site,” Mr Parker said.

ADAPTABLE TO ANY CONDITION

By offering high output with DC power, the MX FUEL Tower Light/Charger eliminates the danger and frustrations of needing to make electrical connections in wet construction or flammable environments. Battery power means fewer trip hazards on site, and reduced worries about damaging cords.

“Not only are we bringing cordless technology into a space where it’s relatively unavailable, but we are solving the problems of portability and stability in these environments as well,” Mr Parker added.

The Tower Light/Charger features four outriggers that can be effortlessly deployed for levelling on uneven terrains and 8” rubber wheels make it easy to move across uneven ground. This telescopic lighting tower can be set up in seconds and extends to a maximum height of three metres with a motorised mast. It can then collapse back down for transportation and storage, with easy carry points for a twoman lift — a better option than large tow-behind lights that are difficult to store and position around a site.

The MX FUEL Tower Light/Charger will assist users across a variety of jobs, from night works on suburban rail lines roads to major infrastructure maintenance in occupied areas.

While deployed, the light can withstand up to 56kph winds. It’s as effective outdoors and above ground as it is indoors or underground, adaptable to suit the toughest conditions, and can be used in construction, plumbing and electrical or industrial work.

Committed to its focus on the user and investment in game-changing technology, the MX FUEL Tower Light/Charger is the latest lighting solution from Milwaukee Tool that can adapt, perform and survive the demands of professional use. The company is dedicated to delivering trade solutions that help users run efficient, safe operations.

To find out more or to request a demonstration with an MX FUEL™ Specialist, visit https://www.milwaukeetool.com.au/system/mxfuel/#mxfuel-signup or call 1300 645 928

ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE PROJECT BLITZ

Federal and state governments have been pooling their funds recently, to green-light more and more road projects that secure the safety of our nation’s roads while also stimulating state economies. With the 2021–2022 Federal Budget’s announcement of a $1 billion booster shot to the existing Road Safety Program, here we take a look at some of the road safety initiatives happening around the country.

It’s no coincidence that the Australian Government has pursued a blitz in road safety projects, to the tune of $3 billion, ever since the national COVID-19 crisis took hold last year. Indeed, the federal Road Safety Program, first announced in June 2020, is just the opening move in a ten-year-long federal infrastructure pipeline, priced at $110 billion, that will alleviate the economic losses of our ongoing health crisis.

The 2021-2022 Federal Budget signaled continued support for road safety infrastructure, delivering a $1 billion booster to the Road Safety Program that has already funded nearly 700 projects. Now secured until June 2023, the program adopts a “use it or lose it” funding approach to ensure fast action from states and territories, who must use their allocated funding within each six-month delivery period, or see the money returned to a federal pool for other jurisdictions.

THE STORY SO FAR

Australians have already done incredible work to significantly reduce road deaths and serious injuries in the past ten years. A report from the Office of Road Safety found that the number of deaths per one-hundred thousand Australians dropped by a massive 30.3 per cent when comparing 2008-2010 baseline levels to 2019. The report also uncovered a significant drop in deaths associated with illegal Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BAC).

These achievements speak to the work of countless road safety improvements, uptake of higher safety-rating vehicles, and no shortage of public health campaigns aimed at behavioural change.

Unfortunately, the work to make Australia’s roads safer isn’t finished. Our regional roads are still overrepresented as hotspots for death and serious injury, while safety projects in urban areas must find solutions that look out for vulnerable road users like cyclists and motorcyclists.

ROAD SAFETY PROJECTS AROUND THE COUNTRY

Since 2020, the Federal Government has bolstered road safety funding around the country through:

1. The Road Safety Program ($3 billion), which delivers funding to states and territories in six-month stages

2. The Targeted Road Safety Works Program ($500 million), an initiative to green-light critical projects that have safety benefit returns within 12 months

3. The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program ($2.5 billion), which directly supports local government initiatives like the Black Spot Program

NEW SOUTH WALES

From just the first six-month tranche of the Road Safety Program funding, the NSW and Federal Governments have already pooled together over $400 million for road safety projects.

The NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Paul Toole, said that 150 of the 261 priority projects delivered across NSW were regional road projects.

“These projects will help prevent the loss of more than 538 lives and serious injuries on our roads over the project life – that’s the difference between 538 people making it home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

A notable federal contribution in NSW is $23 million for a massive rollout of rumble strips, or audio–tactile line marking (ATLM). The statewide rumble strip rollout, delivered through the Targeted Road Safety Works program, is considered a “low-cost, high benefit mass infrastructure treatment” that could prevent as many as 394 fatal and serious injuries.

In the state’s capital, works are underway to address infamous levels of congestion. The Pinch Point Program, a three-year collaboration between state and federal governments priced at $240 million, uses small-scale road improvements such as intersection upgrades and the creation of new turning lanes to improve road safety while cutting congestion and travel times.

QUEENSLAND

In Queensland, almost $300 million in federal and state funds has been launched into the first tranche of the Road Safety Program, $267 million of which was dedicated to regional Queensland.

Upgrades such as shoulder sealing, rumble strips and lane expansions on key regional arterials, will add to the already growing number of infrastructure projects in the state, including a jointly funded transformation of the Bruce Highway.

Queensland’s then-Acting Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Ryan, noted in January that, “These projects will add to the record $26.9 billion in roads and transport projects being delivered by the Queensland Government over the next four years.”

The Federal Government has also announced that Queensland will receive $20.8 million for the Black Spot Program during the 2021-2022 period. Administered by local government, the Black Spot Program has been lauded for its tangible effectiveness.

Federal Member for Wide Bay and Chair of the Queensland Black Spot Consultative Panel, Llew O’Brien, suggested that the program reduces the number of “crashes causing death and injury by 30 per cent on average”.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

In the nation’s west, the first tranche of the Road Safety Program unlocked $250 million in federally funded upgrades led by the cost-effective safety techniques of shoulder sealing and laying down rumble strips.

The Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport, Scott Buchholz, emphasised how regional roads truly underpin the economy of Western Australia.

“From Western Australia's world-class wool to the thriving iron-ore exports, local truckies work hard travelling the regional road network to keep the economy ticking along and businesses running by getting goods to markets," Mr Buchholz said.

"By funding road safety programs like this, we are continuing to support the economy-shaping work while ensuring they make it home safe at the end of each trip – nothing is more important than that."

With coverage of approximately 4,000km of regional roads, WA’s far-reaching approach to road safety includes projects on the Great Northern Highway, the North West Coastal Highway and the Albany Highway.

VICTORIA

In Victoria, combined federal and state funding to the tune of $245 million has launched more than 100 road safety projects in the first tranche of the road safety blitz.

Regional projects have included upgrades for the Midland Highway between Daylesford and Guildford, for PortarlingtonQueenscliff Road at Portarlington, as well as improvements to safety barriers on the Western Highway.

In urban areas, works have included upgrading traffic signals on Plenty Road, and on Bridge Road near Yarra Boulevard in Richmond.

Since 2020, local government areas around Victoria have also benefited from $38.7 million of federal funding through the Load Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCI).

This program covers the 2020-2021 rollout of the Black Spot Program, which has targeted 92 dangerous crash sites in Victoria, placing particular emphasis on addressing hazards in regional Victoria.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The South Australian Government has benefited from more than $100 million under the first tranche of the Road Safety Program.

The Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, recognised the two-fold benefits of the program earlier this year.

“Getting work underway on these projects now means we are delivering safer roads and supporting around 500 local jobs through economic stimulus at a time it is needed most,” Premier Marshall said.

A major Road Safety project currently being deployed in South Australia is the Regional Road Network Package, which targets corridors like the Stuart Highway, the Yorke Highway, the Dukes Highway and the Riddoch Highway.

The project involves pavement treatments, shoulder sealing, and other safety enhancements, to the advantage of both the freight industry and regional South Australians. The package benefits from $41.6 million in Australian Government funding, with works due to finish in 2022.

TASMANIA

The Federal and State Governments together committed $45.6 million in road safety projects for Tasmanians under the first round of Road Safety Project funding.

Funding will involve upgrades like shoulder sealing and rumble strips to achieve road safety outcomes.

One under-construction project in Tasmania, the $10 million State Road Network Enhancements project, focuses on road surfacing of priority areas of the Bass Highway, Arthur Highway, West Tamar Highway, Channel Highway, Bell Bay Main Road and Bridport Main Road.

Tasmanian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Michael Ferguson, noted that while the upgrades undoubtedly boost local jobs and the state economy, everyday Tasmanians stand to benefit, too.

“The projects being funded – no matter how big or small –could make the difference in someone getting home safely to their loved ones, which is why we continue working to move closer to zero fatalities through these investments.”

A recent safety project targeted towards pedestrian road users is the Campbell Town Pedestrian Underpass, which empowers pedestrians, including school students, to safely navigate this intersection of the Midland Highway.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

The first six-month tranche of road safety projects in Australia’s north saw a federal contribution of $33.3 million matched by $13.7 million from the Territory Government.

A leading project of this funding has been the construction of a new overpass at the Tiger Brennan Drive/Berrimah Interchange, a busy intersection that has tragically seen fatal crashes.

Other ongoing works in the Territory include the strengthening and widening of both urban and regional sections of the Stuart Highway, as well as the replacement of deteriorating asphalt surfaces in urban areas like Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs.

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Canberrans are also starting to experience the benefits of joint federal and territory road safety projects.

The $10 million Intersection Upgrade Package is a state and federal funding collaboration in the ACT, aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety for all.

Intersections included in the package, which is scheduled to complete works in late-2021, include:

♦ Belconnen Way/Springvale Drive

♦ Launceston Street/Irving Street

♦ Southern Cross Drive/Starke Street

♦ Kuringa Drive/Owen Dixon Drive

Territory and Federal Governments have each contributed $1.6 million to the Targeted Road Safety Works program. One project under the program aimed at combating congestion is the installation of variable speed signs, CCTV cameras and other technologies on the Tuggeranong Parkway, to allow the enforcement of a variable speed limit system.

EMERGING CHALLENGES

Despite renewed federal funding, the delivery of a road safety blitz during a global health crisis will be met with challenges. CEO of Roads Australia, Michael Kilgriff, urged federal regulators in May to consider a shortage of skilled international laborers as a constraining factor on economic rescue via infrastructure spending.

“If we want to realise the benefits these major infrastructure projects can deliver, there needs to be greater flexibility offered to industry to secure skilled workers.”

Responding to industry concerns about laborer availability, the Federal Minister for Immigration, Alex Hawke MP, announced in June that 22 new occupations would be added to the Priority Migration Skilled Occupation List (PMSOL).

The safety of laborers has also been called out as a required assurance of the Federal Government’s ten-year infrastructure pipeline.

Mr Kilgriff, believes it’s “imperative that more is done to make sure on-site workers who construct and maintain our roads can do so in a safe environment”.

“Our industry’s workforce is firmly focused on keeping the community safe… it is only fair that this commitment is repaid by ensuring their exposure to danger is minimised and they get home to their families safely at the end of each working day,” Mr Kilgriff said.

The federal infrastructure pipeline will also need to rise to new standards of environmental sustainability, such as through use of recycled materials in construction projects, to satisfy state targets and pass community scrutiny.

MITIGATING THE RISKS OF REMOTE WORKPLACES

Infrastructure projects in remote Australia present unique challenges to managing site risks and creating safe worksites. Australian Private Networks (APN) connects remote worksites and employees with the outside world through fixed and portable business satellite internet and WiFi.

APN’s internet and phone services ensure critical business communications can be maintained, site safety and performance can be monitored, and workers can stay connected with their families.

Constant internet and phone services are critical to the safe operation of projects, meaning remote sites without mobile phone coverage and fixed-line internet are inherently more risky than metropolitan projects. For instance, lacking the ability to communicate with emergency services in times of emergency provides a significant risk. With nearly two decades of experience providing remote WiFi, internet and phone solutions to Government and Enterprise, APN has identified some of the key reasons how a satellite internet service minimises organisational and staff risks.

BUSINESS CONTINUITY ASSURANCE

Satellite offers a perfect backup to primary microwave or fibre internet connections. Network downtime can be relatively common due to the isolated nature of the sites and are extremely costly – potentially resulting in service or production downtime.

The risk of disruptions from primary network downtime can be minimised using a DRP satellite solution. With DRP specific service options minimising standby costs when not in use, satellite internet is a cost-effective way of guaranteeing connection to external networks.

WORKSITE SAFETY COMPLIANCE

Providing an effective means of communication for remote or isolated

workers means ensuring they can access assistance from emergency services, a key requirement for a safe workplace. For permanent or semi-permanent remote sites, communications can present a costly challenge. APN’s services provide remote crews with the ongoing communication required to keep them healthy and safe.

ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT

In today’s world, workers' access to online content and to contact family and friends is a crucial requirement in attracting and retaining employees. APN’s portable solutions are easily transportable for road crews or continuously moving sites. Mobile teams in the most remote locations can have a continuous internet and phone service.

IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY AND WORK QUALITY

Productivity is a large concern for employers, and effective off-site management of remote work sites

presents many challenges. APN’s user-friendly fixed or mobile satellite communication solutions present a costeffective off-site management solution to even the remotest of locations. Studies show satisfied employees are not only more productive but also have a higher quality of work.

SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE

Satellite communications solutions are available for permanent, semipermanent or mobile sites with varying data packages depending on requirements. Hardware can be mounted to a permanent structure, vehicle or trailer and is also available as a standalone unit.

For more information on how APN’s satellite internet solutions can reduce your business risk, visit apn.net.au or call us on (03) 8566 8312.

Satellite Internet for Remote Operations

Australian Private Networks supplies fixed and portable internet for remote operations, anywhere in Australia.

Our solutions include:

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O Our solutions overcome the communications limitations of operating in remote locations

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No matter your communications challenge, we can design bespoke solutions to meet your unique requirements.

For more information contact our Corporate Sales team or visit: apn.net.au

When it comes to sustainability, Government and industry all largely agree on the problems that need to be addressed and we even agree on what needs to be done to fix them. We just need to find a way to fast track their implementation.

LIMITED WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PROCUREMENT REFORM

Everyone wants to see a more sustainable construction industry. That is the key message I have found having engaged extensively with industry stakeholders while in the role of CEO of the Australian Constructors Association these past 12 months.

Developing and sharing best practice is one way this can be achieved and there are many positive examples from collaborations such as Construction Industry Leadership Forum and Construction Industry Culture Taskforce.

The greatest challenge is achieving consistent and widespread adoption of best practice across all the states, territories and delivery agencies. This can only be achieved through Federal Government leadership and, dare I say it, a carrot and stick approach.

THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY

The Australian Constructors Association believes that a sustainable construction industry is built on the three key pillars of equitable and aligned commercial frameworks, a positive industry culture, and sufficient capability, capacity and skills to execute the projects it is called upon to deliver. Each pillar is interlinked. Improvement in industry sustainability requires improvement in all three pillars.

While there is no silver bullet, the way in which projects are procured is a major contributor to the sustainability problem and it can be readily addressed if all parties agree on the need for reform. The current system favours lowest price over best value. It works to political deadlines rather than construction schedules. It assumes risk can be transferred with no comeback and it promotes a focus on winning shortterm commercial battles rather than developing long-term partnerships that foster innovation and improved outcomes. Capability and capacity constraints are unlikely to be addressable through skilled migration for the foreseeable future, and given it takes over six years to train an engineer, large-scale training initiatives are not an option either. The main options to address skills shortages are to use procurement to drive changes in industry culture and attract back those that have left the industry in recent years, particularly women.

We can also use procurement to reduce waste and improve project productivity. Just a halving of the productivity gap between construction and other industries would enable an extra $15 billion of infrastructure to be built every year for the same budget.

WALKING THE WALK

Since joining the Australian Constructors Association, I have been advocating for the Federal Government to step up. The Federal Government is uniquely placed to coordinate reform and has many reasons to do so, not least of which is the desire, as noted in the updated Intergenerational Report, to see greatly improved productivity in our industry and the wider economy.

With Infrastructure Australia soon to release its updated Infrastructure Plan, we again run the risk of the nation’s independent infrastructure advisor providing great recommendations that remain just that – recommendations.

The real challenge is ensuring these recommendations are actioned. With Infrastructure Australia also working on

a deliverability report to address how the recommendations should be implemented, many signs again point back to the Federal Government.

While calling out the Federal Government, I am mindful that all stakeholders have a role to play and in working collaboratively we will be far more successful. One of the Australian Constructors Association’s most significant and strategic collaborations is the Construction Industry Leadership Forum – a joint collaboration with the governments of NSW and Victoria.

The Construction Industry Leadership Forum is targeting initiatives that will seek to redefine value for money, improve collaborative framework selection of appropriate commercial models, and enhance capability, capacity and attractiveness of the industry.

WELLBEING AND CULTURE IMPROVEMENTS

While the momentum for procurement reform gains pace, improving the culture of the industry also needs to become more of a priority. In an international first for the construction industry, a draft Culture Standard will soon be released for public consultation. Based on academic research, the Culture Standard will seek to build the foundations for an improved culture, such as by defining actions that will improve the wellbeing of people employed in the construction industry.

With many construction sites operating six to seven days per week to meet delivery timeframes, the Culture Standard recognises the challenges of long work hours and the need for people working in our industry to have adequate time to rest and pursue life activities outside of work. We not only need to support the physical health of our workforce but also its mental health.

The Culture Standard is an initiative of the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce – another Australian Constructors Association partnership with the governments of NSW and Victoria. It has the potential to have a significant impact on the entire industry, and I encourage everyone to provide feedback when the draft is published.

UNITE FOR REFORM

If we are successful in our reform efforts, we would see procurement frameworks selected based on project specifics rather than market cycles, projects awarded based on best value rather than lowest cost and compliance with an industry culture standard being a mandatory requirement of any procurement process.

These changes would not only benefit the players in the construction industry, but also the wider community, because ultimately, we could build more infrastructure with less money, with a productive and healthy workforce.

A feature of 2021 has been the way the whole of industry has come together to respond to COVID and unite for reform. There is a broad coalition of individuals, associations and organisations all seeking to leverage the opportunity COVID presents to create a more sustainable industry. I am extremely proud to be part of this coalition with the support of the Australian Constructors Association. The window of opportunity created by COVID will not stay open indefinitely –the time for action is now!

PARRAMATTA LIGHT RAIL: ON TRACK TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE TARGETS

Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail is one of the NSW Government's latest major infrastructure projects being delivered by Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to serve a growing Sydney. The light rail will create new communities, connect great places and help both locals and visitors move around and explore what the region has to offer, with approximately 28,000 people using the Parramatta Light Rail every day by 2026.

Stage 1 of the Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a two-way track spanning 12km and is expected to open in 2023. The route will link Parramatta’s CBD and train station to the Westmead Health Precinct, Cumberland Hospital Precinct, the Bankwest Stadium, the new science, technology and innovation museum Powerhouse Parramatta, the private and social housing redevelopment at Telopea, Rosehill Gardens Racecourse and three Western Sydney University campuses.

Conscious of the impact traditional construction work can have on the environment and aligning with the objectives of the TfNSW Environment and Sustainability Policy (2020), the Parramatta Light Rail is pioneering innovative sustainability solutions, focused on maximising the social, economic and environmental benefits.

CREATING AN INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE

The first area of sustainable practice – social sustainability – has been an integral part of the project. Set in the heart of the diverse and growing Western Sydney community, the project is dedicated to building a workforce that is inclusive and skills focused.

Through initiatives and programs, such as the Indigenous Participation Program, the Industry Skills Legacy Program (ISLP), the Pre-Employment Program and Learning Workers, the Parramatta Light Rail is compelling delivery partners to increase workforce diversity and inclusion.

A stepping stone into the workplace, these programs help participants from a range of underrepresented backgrounds to develop the necessary skills and qualifications to gain work and experience in the construction industry. At a community level, the programs achieve increased job growth and economic development of disadvantaged and diverse NSW communities and businesses.

The current Parramatta Light Rail workplace targets focus on ensuring:

♦ Five per cent of the overall project workforce are from disadvantaged, disabled, and underrepresented groups

♦ 1.5 per cent of the total estimated contract value spent is supporting Indigenous participation

♦ 20 per cent of all trade positions are to be apprentices

♦ Eight per cent of the overall workforce are aged under 25 upon engagement on the project

♦ 20 per cent of the total labour force are made up of trainees

♦ Two per cent of the workforce are to be women in nontraditional roles

The economic benefits that flow on from the social and workplace programs have seen 1.5 per cent of the total estimated contract value spent supporting Indigenous participation and social enterprise businesses, as well as providing employment opportunities to new humanitarian entrants in Australia.

By collaborating with Green Connect and CareerSeekers, Parramatta Light Rail are able to assist refugees who have the right skills and aptitude to be matched with a project, and to give them the opportunity to showcase their work and experience.

BEST ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES

Along with social sustainability, the project has an equally strong focus on environmental sustainability. The light rail network is a more sustainable transport option for the community and is expected to take the equivalent of 25,000 cars off the road by 2041, and see more than 3,500 trees planted in Parramatta’s streets that are most susceptible to heat.

The project is pledging a 15 per cent reduction in overall water use and at least a 15 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during construction. By combining the light rail track with an Active Transport Link to create shared pathways for light rail users, pedestrians and cyclists alongside three key sections of the alignment, the community can benefit from staying active while accessing transport options.

Through innovative and considered initiatives, the Parramatta Light Rail project has worked in collaboration with its partners and subcontractors to engage in construction practices that will achieve the best outcomes for the environment and the light rail design.

Across different sections of the alignment, wire-free operation and green track will be installed. The wirefree sections, the first running from Westmead to North Parramatta and the second section operating through the Parramatta CBD, will be free of poles and overhead wires to help preserve the heritage values of the areas.

Green track, where grass is grown in and around the light rail track, will cover up to one kilometre of the light rail alignment across three zones: Cumberland Hospital, Robin Thomas Reserve and Tramway Avenue. The use of green track along the Parramatta Light Rail alignment is a NSW first. Already used worldwide, including in France, Portugal and Spain, green track is seen as an aesthetic and sustainable urban design solution that contributes to increased biodiversity, noise reduction and urban cooling – a much needed element for the high temperatures often reached in Western Sydney.

RECYCLED MATERIALS REDUCING CARBON DIOXIDE OUTPUT

The team has demonstrated that staying on track does not always require new tracks to be used. More than half of the ballast, 60 per cent of the rail tracks and 50 per cent of the sleepers removed last year from the original single-track T6 Carlingford Rail Line is being reused to convert the five kilometre Carlingford to Camellia corridor to the new Parramatta Light Rail.

In preparation for its reuse, more than 8,000 cubic metres of ballast was washed and re-screened to meet specifications for the light rail. The reuse of these materials will reduce the Parramatta Light Rail’s carbon dioxide output by more than 3,500 tonnes, and demonstrates the project’s commitment to achieving environmental and sustainable outcomes for the community while delivering the project. Further construction initiatives taken by the project include:

♦ LED operational street lighting with smart dimming controls

♦ Native plantings and smart irrigation systems fitted with moisture and rain sensors to reduce water use

♦ Alternative concrete types

♦ Improving drainage infrastructure through permeable pavers that absorb and retain rainfall and stormwater runoff and mitigates ‘heat island effect’ in high density urban areas

Through social, economic and environmental sustainability initiatives, Transport for NSW is ensuring it delivers new light rail infrastructure that is fit for purpose, meets the needs of the community it serves and the space in which it exists.

GREEN GAS FROM WASTEWATER – AN AUSTRALIAN FIRST

Climate Change Adaptation, Governance and Assurance, Sydney Water

Sydney Water is leading the way in resource recovery and circular economy practices and is currently implementing an Australian first biogas-to-grid project that will provide renewable natural gas to Sydney houses and businesses.

Partnering with Jemena, and with support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the project will generate zero-carbon emissions and high-quality biomethane gas from the wastewater treatment process and inject it into the gas grid for heating, cooking, and hot water. Sydney Water expects to start biomethane production in the first half of 2022 to enhance New South Wales' energy resilience and contribute to establishing a sustainable green gas market in Australia.

WHAT IS BIOMETHANE?

Biomethane is a purified version of biogas. Biogases are derived from organic matter that is broken down by bacteria in an oxygen-free environment, a natural process called anaerobic digestion. Anaerobic digestion occurs in wastewater treatment plants to break down our waste products, producing methane that can be captured and refined into a sustainable and green bioenergy source. Biomethane is common and growing, providing thousands of jobs, and reducing the carbon footprint of cities.

WHAT IS THE MALABAR BIOMETHANE PROJECT?

Jemena is constructing the Malabar Biomethane Injection Project to be installed at Sydney Water’s Malabar Wastewater Treatment Plant. Currently, the biogas from the wastewater treatment plant is used to power cogeneration engines that produce electricity to reduce the overall energy of the plant, with some excess biogas being flared. In the future, at least 95,000GJ will go to the new biomethane production, with the rest used for onsite operational use.

The Malabar Biomethane Injection Project will redirect raw biogas into a Biogas Upgrader System and convert it into biomethane – turning waste into clean, green energy. The Biogas Upgrading System is easily integrated into a biogas plant, providing a refined and efficient method of gas cleaning that can recover up to 99.5 per cent of methane.

The biomethane will be refined to Australian standards before ultimately ending up in the gas grid as a green gas alternative. Complementing the existing biogas electricity generators, this project will enhance Malabar Wastewater

Treatment Facility’s performance as a clean and renewable bioenergy producer, creating more energy than is needed to run the entire facility.

WHAT WILL THIS PROJECT ACHIEVE?

Sydney Water's role extends beyond providing world class water services. Sydney Water is committed to managing the environment, improving waterways, and contributing to a liveable city and a circular economy. The Malabar Biomethane Project will remove 5,000 tons of carbon emissions each year, with the capacity to remove up to 11,000 if scaled to its full potential.

It will become a major contributor to the NSW Government’s target to cut emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels and achieve zero emissions by 2050. From 2022, approximately 95,000 gigajoules of biomethane will be generated each year through the Malabar project, enough to meet the gas demand of 6,300 homes. The move towards renewable gas will help with the transition to a 100 per cent renewable energy economy, by providing a renewable energy source for those industry sectors that are more difficult to electrify, such as heavy industry and heavy transport.

This Malabar Biomethane Project has the potential for expansion to more Sydney Water sites and other biogas producing facilities around Australia and avoid up to nine million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE: FROM IMPOSSIBLE TO INEVITABLE

“All revolutions are impossible until they happen. Then they become inevitable.”

Albie Sachs can teach us a thing or two about the risks and rewards of revolution. Twice detained in South Africa for his anti-apartheid activities, Sachs was forced into exile in England and later lost an arm and eye when he was blown up by a car bomb. In 1990, Sachs returned to South Africa to help write the Constitution of South Africa.

As someone born in South Africa, Sachs’ quote resonates with me personally. And as someone who has spent a career championing sustainability in decision-making, these words mean a lot professionally. Sustainability, especially in the infrastructure space, can seem like two steps forward, one step back. But what can at first appear impossible, through increments, becomes inevitable.

QUADRUPLE BOTTOM LINE BENEFITS

ISCA has been certifying sustainability performance across Australia and New Zealand now for nearly a decade. We have registered over 180 projects valued at over $206 billion. We assess infrastructure across the full spectrum of the asset lifecycle and we measure impact across the quadruple bottom line of economic, environmental, social and governance. From that we have built a strong evidence base that brings into sharp focus just how sustainable infrastructure delivers better outcomes for people and the planet. We’ve tracked a 68 per cent reduction in energy consumption, a 34 per cent

reduction in water consumption and an 11 per cent diversion of waste from landfill from just 38 projects in the last reporting period. The impact on people is just as profound – 1.2 billion customer experience improvements though transport and utility provision, and nearly 1,600 jobs in construction and operations. Our data on the broader benefits of sustainable infrastructure shines a light on both incremental and exponential improvements. For every $1 of investment in a project undertaking a sustainability rating, up to $2.40 is returned. We know this is a conservative estimate as some benefits are not easily monetised, like cultural and social outcomes, health impacts and human capital development.

We know pursuing an IS Rating upskills the workforce, encourages innovation and drives process improvements.

People learn to think more strategically across the asset lifecycle, which in turn enhances procurement and supply chain efficiencies. IS ratings also de-risk assets and boost economic performance.

THE DECADE FOR DECARBONISATION

However, with infrastructure enabling 70 per cent of Australians emissions, we have the enormous opportunity to do more.

This is the decade for decarbonisation. The infrastructure assets built today will still be operating in 2050 when countries like Australia are expected to reach net zero emissions under the Paris Climate Agreement. Infrastructure unable to meet net zero targets risks a future as ‘stranded’ assets.

At ISCA, we are driving emissions reduction by rewarding resource efficiency, design optimisation and lifecycle assessment. But the real opportunity for significant emission reduction is through our planning and early decision making –deciding if, what and why we build.

We need to keep our eyes on the prize – this is a systemwide revolution which needs to align policy, planning, procurement and practice. But all of the levers of sustainability are aligning: policy, planning, procurement, investment and

insurance. We have never had this level of synergy before.

In April, Infrastructure Australia launched new sustainability principles that balance economic, environmental, social and governance, or ESG, outcomes. According to Infrastructure Australia CEO, Romilly Madew, these principles signal a new determination to “put sustainability front and centre”. The principles, which will now be embedded in Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework, align with the IS Rating scheme, which itself is in lockstep with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

THREE CALLS TO ACTION

Also on the policy front, many state government departments now contractually require sustainability performance to be measured using IS. As just a few examples, New South Wales is mandating IS on all critical state-significant infrastructure. Down south, the Victorian Government is delivering IS throughout the Level Crossing Removal and Melbourne Metro programs, while Queensland has embedded it into the detailed business case development.

Investors are now on the hunt for sustainable assets with more than US$1.2 trillion in green bonds issued. Money is pouring into socially-responsible funds as investors look to capitalise on the outperformance of ESG-aligned funds over the last 12 months.

Meanwhile, the insurance industry is redirecting its efforts towards a more sustainable and resilient future. Take just one example of Swiss Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurers, which started benchmarking its assets against an ESG framework in 2017. Today, ESG criteria is applied to nearly 100 per cent of its USD$130 billion portfolio.

Christian Wertli, Swiss Re’s Head Infrastructure Solutions, is on record saying that the long-term risk adjusted investment performance of infrastructure assets is “more favourable when ESG criteria are taken into account”.

The signs are positive, and much of Australia’s infrastructure industry is now singing from the same song sheet. So how can we scale our impact? I have three calls to action:

1. Measure what matters: We know measurement leads to better management. It is never too late to look for longterm social, environment and cultural benefits, alongside the economic ones.

2. Think both big and small: ISCA is commencing the pilot of IS Essentials – sustainability certification that supports smaller projects of between $5 and $50 million in value. With the right support, sustainability can be embedded into every local government, precinct and social infrastructure project.

3. Collaborate to innovate: ISCA is currently working to progress Reshaping Infrastructure (with ASBEC, ClimateWorks), which set the scene to recalibrate Australia’s infrastructure agenda around net zero emissions. State collaborations include the NSW Government, Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders' Alliance, Queensland Infrastructure Co-Lab, Roads Australia, and at the Federal Government level, we are partnering to improve the national uptake of low carbon and recycled materials. These are just two examples of how industry and government are working together, because a problem shared is a problem solved faster. Together, we can step up to the challenges of the coming decade and deliver infrastructure that supports resilient, inclusive and low carbon lifestyles, communities and economies. Together, we can turn the impossible into the inevitable.

ROAD MATERIALS UNDER THE

MICROSCOPE PART 3

– GRANULAR AND RECYCLED MATERIALS

The materials used in construction are of vital importance to a road’s safety, performance, maintenance requirements and longevity. They also significantly affect the construction costs of a road project and the total lifecycle cost of the asset. In the third and final article in our series on road construction materials, Infrastructure takes a closer look at unbound and stabilised granular materials, as well as some of the applications of recycled materials in roads.

UNBOUND GRANULAR MATERIALS

Unbound granular materials can feature in any layer of a road, although the exact materials, particle sizes and other properties often differ depending on the type of road and which pavement layer they comprise. Common granular materials that may be used unbound include crushed and screen quarried products, natural sands and gravels.

Generally, unbound granular materials are only used on the surface of the road as a wearing course in very low traffic applications, such as minor rural roads. Desirable qualities include skid-resistance, load-spreading ability, wet and dry stability and low water permeability.

The grades of materials used must be appropriate for the application. While larger particles may risk damage to cars and make the road rougher and noisier to drive on, too high a proportion of finegraded silts, sands or clays can make the road overly dusty or result in material being washed away during rain.

Unbound granular materials can feature as the basecourse and/or subbase of sealed or unsealed roads with light traffic. Usually, the subgrade

layer beneath a road is composed of unbound in-situ granular material, unless a demanding application requires further modification for stability.

To create a modified unbound granular material for any pavement layer, a second granular material can be added to the first in order to alter the particle size distribution, plasticity or other characteristics.

Additionally, modification can include adding a small amount of stabilisation binder to the mix to increase bearing capacity or stiffness, or to decrease moisture sensitivity. At these small amounts the binder does not provide the tensile strength characteristic of a lightly bound or bound material, so the granular material is still considered unbound.

STABILISED GRANULAR MATERIALS

A granular material may be stabilised in a variety of ways to make it more suitable for use within any layer of a pavement structure. Stabilisation treatments improve the material’s performance by altering its strength, permeability, volume stability and durability. For instance, stabilising the granular material used in the wearing

course of a road will result in a more erosion-resistant road surface with improved load transfer, compared to leaving it unmodified.

Stabilisation can be achieved by methods including adding lime, bitumen, cementitious binders, chemical additives, geotextiles or geogrids to the granular material. The amount and type of stabilisation agent used will depend on factors such as parent material composition and properties, traffic loads, climate, road importance, cost and allowable risk.

Cementitious binders are used to make the bound or lightly bound granular materials that comprise the basecourse and/or subbase layers of many roads with moderate or heavy traffic. The cement binder increases tensile strength and decreases moisture susceptibility. Whether the material is classified as bound or lightly bound depends on the degree of tensile strength gained by adding the binder. Lime stabilisation is another common stabilisation method. Different amounts and types of lime can be used depending on the degree of stabilisation required. However, the tensile strength

conferred by stabilising a material with lime is much less than that given by a cementitious binder. Lime stabilisation is commonly used on the subgrade level of a pavement to increase the strength of the in situ material that will provide a foundation for the layers above.

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN –RECYCLED MATERIALS

In recent years, using recycled materials in roads has become more popular around the world. In some cases, using an appropriate recycled alternative rather than a raw material offers an excellent opportunity to reduce material costs, meet sustainability objectives and find a use for waste materials. However, the suitability of a given material to any given application and its properties as a construction material must remain a foremost consideration.

Many industry or consumer waste materials show promise for use in road infrastructure. Depending on

their properties, they may be used as aggregates in asphalt or concrete mixes, as fillers, to provide drainage or more. Some options include:

♦ Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP)

♦ Crushed recycled concrete (CRC)

♦ Construction and demolition waste (C&D)

♦ Crumb rubber from shredded tyres

♦ Commingled and crushed glass

♦ Plastic shredded

♦ Industrial wastes such as slags, fly ash and tailings

♦ Toner

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is commonly recycled back into construction applications. In Australia, about half of the asphalt reclaimed from old roads is re-used within hot mix asphalt (HMA) applications, as in low amounts it has little impact on the properties of the mix. As a result, HMA including recycled asphalt can be used on the wearing course, basecourse and subbase layers of a road, or as a spray seal surfacing aggregate. Much of the

RAP not used this way is used as a granular base or subbase material.

Crushed recycled concrete (CRC) from demolished infrastructure can be used as an unbound granular base or subbase material in road construction. It can also be used as an aggregate in new concrete mixes, with appropriate consideration of particle size and the mix of other ingredients to achieve a concrete mix suited to the application.

Nevertheless, in any of these uses the traceability and potential for contamination of the recycled material must be considered. Any other materials present with the recycled material may alter its performance, and therefore must be taken into account in design.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Another vital consideration is whether any harmful contaminants may be present that pose a risk to workers during construction or could leach from the road into the surrounding environment. Tight restrictions are placed on certain metals, pesticides or carcinogens (like asbestos fibres or fragments) and appropriate controls must be in place to prevent harm to people or the environment.

Recycled rubber or plastic can also potentially be incorporated into asphalt mixes, potentially providing benefits such as increasing durability and temperature resistance or reducing noise.

However, there are significant safety concerns regarding the fumes released during construction and the potential for chemicals to leach from the road under certain conditions. Similar consideration is required for the use of certain plastics as aggregates within concrete mixes, or in spray seal mixes.

Using crushed glass as an aggregate in HMA or concrete mixes, or as a granular material, has occurred for many years. However, the performance of the mix can vary substantially with the purity of the glass and the size and shape of the particles. These must be taken into consideration in formulating a mix, as must the properties of any potential contaminants.

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AusRAIL PLUS returns as a physical conference and exhibition from 30 November - 2 December.

The event will champion the outstanding contribution of the rail industry in keeping people, goods and the economy moving. From Inland Rail and Cross River Rail in Brisbane, to the Metro in Sydney and rollingstock upgrades in Victoria. The number of transformative rail projects underway across Australia and New Zealand highlights the important role rail will play to support our economic recovery.

For sponsorship, exhibition and advertising enquiries, please contact: Deborah.Bocock@informa.com.au

Due to exceptional interest, space and sponsorship opportunities are limited. Book soon!

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