EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

EA Matters
Serving our members and
the wider community

Nov 2018 Edition

Welcome to EA Matters – a newsletter aimed at

keeping our volunteers in touch with Engineers
Australia and your chance to share best practice,
lessons learned and ideas on how we can better
serve our members and the wider community.

Trish White Peter McIntyre

National President CEO

Welcome to this year’s third edition of EA Matters.
In this issue, we see an example of best practice
from the Society of Fire Safety, talk values and
explain our priorities for engineer registration.
As always, we also share Engineers Australia’s
successes in the media and our public advocacy
as the voice of the profession with government.
Over the year, we’ve travelled around
Australia and met with volunteers in Darwin,
Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Perth,
Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane,
Gold Coast, Bendigo and our UK Chapter.
The energy and commitment our office bearers
display is always truly inspiring, and we’d like
to thank you all for your contributions.

Trish White Peter McIntyre

nationalpresident@engineersaustralia.org.au pmcintyre@engineersaustralia.org.au

THIS ISSUE
PAGE 3 PAGE 7 PAGE 8 PAGE 9

Celebrating Professional
Introducing engineering Conduct AusEngCon
our values excellence Committee 2018 wrap-up

Update from the
National President
The Global Engineering Congress
In conjunction with supporting
our UK Chapter in its 40th
anniversary year, and the special
50th anniversary meeting of the
World Federation of Engineering
Organisations (WFEO), I
recently attended the Global
Engineering Congress in London.
Co-hosted by the Institution of
Civil Engineers, and with over
2000 international delegates,
the theme of the Congress
was engineers addressing the
UN Sustainable Development
Goals. The focus was on ways to
address climate change and the
role engineers play in harnessing
emerging technologies to deliver
clean water, sustainable energy
and connectivity for sustainable
and resilient ‘smart’ cities.
Engineers Australia works
to advance the science and
practice of engineering
through international alliances
of counterpart engineering
organisations globally and
as party to Accords that
EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition
facilitate the accreditation,
international recognition and
mobility of our members.
In 2018 these alliances have
committed (amongst other
things) to increase the numbers
and quality of engineering
graduates that meet the needs
of sustainable development, and
to establish policy frameworks
and best practices that also
acknowledge engineers’
responsibilities with regard
to ethical and social impacts Trish White accepting a WFEO medal of
of the digital, data and AI appreciation on behalf of Engineers Australia.
technologies we harness.
Back home, in collaboration
with industry, educators and
governments, our focus is on
what the future of engineering
should look like and what are
the shifts our profession needs
to make in order to elevate
our practice for the benefit of
the communities we serve.
The Hon. Trish White
FIEAust CPEng EngExec NER APEC
Engineer IntPE(Aus)
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 EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

Consultation
Introducing our values
Engineers Australia is united by our core purpose of
advancing the science and practice of engineering
for the benefit of the community. However,
beyond that, we have not previously articulated
the values that unite us and that we aspire to.
The board and staff have worked together
to develop a set of values, and to define
behaviours that support them.
Since volunteers work in partnership with our staff
to deliver much of what Engineers Australia does –
and we all act as ambassadors for the organisation
– it’s important that we engage with you on our
values and proposed supporting behaviours.
Please review the Values and Behaviours document
& click here to leave your feedback in the next week.

Best practice
Learned society collaborates for community fire safety
Accurately identifying buildings with non-compliant The solution was to create a protocol and a
cladding, and clearly explaining the fire risks, is a certification process for laboratories to ensure they
mammoth task. It’s also one that has been made were capable of testing materials accurately.
easier, courtesy of a new nationally-applicable
The protocol was originally issued in November
testing and reporting protocol. Engineers Australia’s
2017 and updated in July 2018 to include
Society of Fire Safety developed the protocol in
four categories of cladding material – ranging
collaboration with the Insurance Council of Australia
from high fire risk to non-combustible.
and the Fire Protection Association Australia in the
wake of the fatal Grenfell Tower inferno in the UK. The Society is now working to research and develop
remediation guidelines for building owners who
The inferno, which killed 72 people, led
can’t remove the cladding in the short term.
to audits of buildings across Australia to
identify combustible aluminium composite
panels, however early expert reports used
inconsistent sampling and testing methods.
“Before you spend money ripping cladding off,
you should know if it’s non-compliant; you need
to know how much of a risk it is,” Chair of the
Society, Dr Jonathan Barnett, told Create digital.

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Ask the
National President
Trish White | National President
In each edition of Engineers Australia
Matters I answer one or two
questions from Office Bearers.
Please submit your questions via:
surveymonkey.com/r/asktheNP
What can we do in your view to
assist the incorporation of NER into
legislation in NSW, in a manner that
adds value to the profession and use
in practice? What is the status of
engineering registration in Victoria?
Registration is an important
issue for us, and our position
is that there should be
registration in all jurisdictions,
including New South Wales.
We have taken a strategic decision
to focus our efforts on Victoria,
where Engineers Australia has been
the driving force behind a bill to
introduce registration. The bill has
passed the lower house, however
unfortunately a busy parliamentary
schedule meant it did not make it to
the upper house before parliament
rose for the state election.
Our CEO, Peter McIntyre, has met
with the Treasurer, the Hon Tim Pallas,
and secured a commitment that the
Andrews government will, if re-elected,
continue to support the bill to go to
EA Matters
the upper house. This was affirmed in
a public media release on 25 October.
As part of our campaign, we
recruited members and volunteers
in Victoria to engage directly
with politicians on registration
and make the case for change.
During the Victorian election,
Engineers Australia is calling on
all parties to re-introduce the
Engineers Registration Bill within
Parliament’s first 100 days.
When we have succeeded in
Victoria, we will articulate the
lessons from that process into
concerted campaigns elsewhere.
“campaign,
As part of our
we recruited
members and volunteers
in Victoria to engage
directly with politicians
on registration and make
”
the case for change.
Not withstanding that, at every
opportunity I and the CEO have
been advocating for registration
to government Ministers around
the country. We also stress the
necessity to increase the strength and
influence of engineers in government
departments planning and delivering
Nov 2018 Edition
infrastructure and technical programs.
Helping governments understand
the impact of their infrastructure
planning and procurement practices
on industry is a focus as well.
It is pleasing that the NSW Opposition
committed recently to registration in
NSW should it win office in 2019.
One of the main ways volunteers
can assist is by being advocates
for change within the profession,
promoting the benefits of registration,
both in terms of the status of the
profession and community safety.
It’s worth noting that Engineers
Australia has been pivotal in
other advances in registration.
The ACT Government devoted
substantial funding in its most recent
budget to start work on delivering its
commitment to introduce registration.
In addition, Engineers Australia
played a key part of the successful
multi-group campaign to get the
COAG Building Ministers Forum
to agree to formally review the
need for registration for engineers
and other professionals working
within the building and construction
sector in 2018/19 in every
jurisdiction, including NSW.
Please submit your questions via:
surveymonkey.com/r/asktheNP
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Update from the
Engineers Australia Board
The Board convenes in Engineers Australia offices across the country
so directors can meet with members and volunteers in different
areas, as well as with Government and industry representatives.
On 19 October, the Board
convened in Darwin, with the
National President and CEO
joining General Manager of our
Northern Office, Mark Monoghan,
in meetings the day beforehand
with the Minister for Infrastructure,
Planning and Logistics, Hon. Eva
Lawler and Minister for Education
and Workforce Training, Hon.
Selena Uibo. They also held
a Leadership Forum for local
volunteers that evening.
At the meeting, the Board’s
key focus was to consider and
subsequently approve and adopt
the 2017/18 FY Consolidated
Financial Statements. These
EA Matters
statements will be part of the
forthcoming Annual Report
and will be presented at the
AGM on 6 December in
Canberra, which will coincide
with the next Board meeting.
“wasThetoBoard’s
key focus
consider and
subsequently approve
and adopt the 2017/18 FY
Consolidated Financial
Statements.
” memorial award; and an update on
Directors also approved the
appointment of Prof Robert Care
AM FREng as Engineers Australia’s
Nov 2018 Edition
representative on the Board
of international humanitarian
response agency RedR Australia,
which selects, trains and deploys
technical specialists to help people
build disaster resilience and
respond to humanitarian crises.
Other agenda items included:
the organisation’s ‘Trusted Voice’
strategy and policy priorities;
the Board’s decision regarding
a number of key annual awards,
including the Peter Nicol Russell
Engineers Australia’s KPIs – which
you can read more about below.
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 EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

First quarter
KPIs on track
Engineers Australia had 100,413
members at the end of the first
quarter of 2018-19, with KPIs
mostly on target or better.
Board candidate register
More than 800 Engineers Australia
BY THE NUMBERS
members have indicated willingness
to serve on industry, government and
community boards by joining our new

67,449
online candidate register. This will help us
identify suitable people when we are asked
to nominate board candidates. Engineers
Australia advocates for engineers as
leaders, and for our profession to get a
non-student members, seat at the board table and a say when
important decisions are being made.
spot on target

19,464
people on the National
Engineering Register,
7% ahead of target

23,365
Congrats to the
newly elected
Congratulations to the successful
candidates for election to division
Chartered members, committees and college boards,
and thanks to all those who put
up 2% on target themselves forward as candidates.
Click here to see the list of
successful candidates.

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Celebrating
engineering excellence
Join us in congratulating the people behind the winning projects
recognised at the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards
CANBERRA VIRTUAL
POWER PLANT
The Canberra Virtual Power
Plant enables consumers with
solar power and batteries to
provide extra capacity to the
grid, and to mop up excess.
RETRO-FITTED SOLAR-
POWERED TRAIN
The Byron Bay Railroad Company’s
retro-fitted solar-powered train, for
which the only “emission” is excess
energy fed back into the grid.
BALCONI SMART TORCH
– GLOBAL LIVE
Developed in Western Australia,
the Balconi Smart Torch – Global
Live is a self-powered, portable
video-conferencing system that can
provide access to a virtual healthcare
professional anywhere in the world.
EA Matters
LEICA GS18T
A new surveying tool – the Leica
GS18T – has a game-changing
feature that automatically
compensates for any tilt in the
surveyor’s pole, resulting in
improved productivity and situational
awareness now that attention
need not be paid to holding the
pole straight. The product was
developed in Brisbane and exported
to Switzerland for fine tuning.
BATTERY AT NEWMAN
POWER STATION
A large commercial battery
project, Alinta Energy’s battery at
Newman Power Station in Western
Australia, reduces the number
of gas-fired turbines that need
to run, resulting in a 30% longer
operational life for the station.
Nov 2018 Edition
Victorian International Container
Terminal at Webb Dock East
CURRAWONG PROJECT
A state-of-the-art high speed digital
communications system developed
by Boeing Defence Australia and
the Australian Defence Force.
Called the Currawong project, it
enables secure wideband voice,
data and video services over
wireless and wired infrastructure
between deployed forces and
headquarters around the globe.
VICTORIAN
INTERNATIONAL
CONTAINER TERMINAL
Australia’s first fully automated
container terminal, the Victorian
International Container Terminal
at Webb Dock East, delivers
unprecedented improvements
in terminal efficiency, safety,
sustainability and security.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Professional
Conduct Committee
The volunteer Professional
Conduct Committee (PCC)
helps to uphold and protect
the standards and reputation of
members by handling complaints
of unacceptable conduct.
Unacceptable conduct
is broadly defined in the
General Regulations.
The PCC is a volunteer
committee established by the
Board, currently Chaired by
Gerry Doyle FIEAust CPEng
EngExec NER APEC Engineer
IntPE(Aus). One committee
member is an external solicitor
specialising in administrative law.
The committee’s mandate is
to consider, investigate and
make findings in respect of
complaints referred to it. The
committee’s investigative
powers are quite wide, and it
EA Matters
may inform itself as it sees fit.
The entire process is designed
to ensure procedural fairness.
In reaching a finding, the
committee must take certain
“The committee’s
mandate is to
consider, investigate
and make findings in
respect of complaints
”
referred to it.
things in to account, including
the wider public interest
(including risks to public safety),
the nature and the significance
of the conduct, to preserve and
enhance the professionalism of
engineering practice and any
views submitted by the CEO.
Nov 2018 Edition
Referred matters can be either
upheld or dismissed, and
there is an appeal process.
Findings can range from issuing
a written warning to the member
through to expulsion and
cancellation of membership.
Upheld findings can also impact
on the member’s credentials,
including listing on the NER and
the Chartered qualification.
Engineers Australia thanks
members of the PCC for their
voluntary service in what
can be a demanding role.
In particular, we would like to
recognise Matthew O’Hearn
FIEAust CPEng NER APEC
Engineer IntPE(Aus) who
was PCC Chair for several
years and whose term
ended on 1 July 2018.
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 EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

AusEngCon 2018 – it’s a wrap!

The conference by the numbers

Attendees Exhibitors Speakers

overall

1,015 28 107

Breakdown of NSW 51% QLD 15% ACT 11%

delegates by VIC 14% SA 5% WA 3%
state NT 1% TAS 1%

88% 86% 92%

of attendees surveyed thought the welcomed the
rated their overall conference introduction of the
experience as positive represented value University Zone
or extremely positive for money

Watch
the delegate
interviews

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 EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

Trish and Peter

out and about
Engineers Australia National President Trish White and CEO Peter McIntyre actively
engage with members, government and industry. Recent events in their diaries include:

• The Prime Minister’s Science Awards (where • Meeting with senior office bearers in Sydney,
Trish was snapped chatting engineering to the Perth, Newcastle and Darwin at leadership
PM, The Hon Scott Morrison MP, himself) forums. The forums are designed to support
office bearers in fulfilling their roles, and to give
• Australian Engineering Conference and
them the opportunity to communicate directly
Australian Engineering Excellence Awards
with us about the issues affecting them.
• Engineering Practice Advisory
• Institute for Future Environments Grand
Committee meeting in Melbourne
Challenge Lecture in Brisbane
• A dinner organised by the Queensland
• Australasian Structural Engineering
Women in Engineering Group, and College of
Conference in Adelaide
Leadership and Management, where a panel
debated the pros and cons of gender quotas • NSW Premier’s Prize for Science and Engineering
• The Sydney Division’s Young • UK Chapter meeting and 40th anniversary
Engineers Annual Debate
• Australian Construction Achievement
Award in Melbourne

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 EA Matters Nov 2018 Edition

Engineers
Australia in
the media
As the voice of the profession, Engineers Australia
works hard to ensure engineering perspectives are
included in public debates through the media. See
selected highlights of our advocacy below, including
appearances in print, on radio and on TV – including
a recent interview on cult SBS TV show The Feed.

General Manager, ACT, Keely The Australian Higher

Engineers Australia National
President Trish White was
interviewed by ABC Drive
Sydney’s Richard Glover on
new Australian Bureau of
Statistics data showing female
engineering graduates out-
earn men. Trish spoke about
her own experience as a
woman in engineering and the
need to change perceptions
amongst girls and parents
about how creative a career
in engineering can be. Trish
was also interviewed by online
news website Yahoo 7 about
the data.
The Sydney Morning Herald
and other Fairfax publications
profiled Roma Agrawal, a
structural engineer on London’s
tallest building The Shard, and
quoted Engineers Australia
statistics showing very few
women working as engineers
in Australia. The article also
highlighted that Roma was
speaking at the Australian
Engineering Conference.
Quinn did a live TV interview
for cult SBS TV news/panel
show The Feed. Keely was
asked about falling numbers
of young people studying
mining engineering amid
misconceptions about the
environmental impact of
mining.
Engineers Australia’s Victorian
President Alesha Printz was
interviewed for a story in
The Age on the Andrews
Government announcement of
a 30-year, $50bn rail network
plan for Melbourne.
General Manager, South
Australia, Greg Parker was
interviewed for FIVEaa
breakfast radio news bulletins,
also on the latest job vacancies
with demand for engineers in
the state showing the strongest
growth in Australia in the six
months to June 2018.
Education section ran a story
devoted to our latest university
entrance data which shows an
increase in women applying
for engineering courses but
an overall decline in numbers
of young people taking up
engineering degrees.
Executive General
Manager, Brent
Jackson, and Engineers
Australia’s Transport
Spokesman, Brendan Marsh,
were interviewed and
photographed for a prominent
story in the Financial Review on
Engineers Australia’s latest job
vacancies data and university
entrance statistics.
Engineers Australia Energy
Spokesman Neil Greet, spoke
on ABC Canberra’s Drive
program on the security of
Canberra’s energy supply as
summer approaches.

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Influencing
government
Engineers Australia continually
engages with governments at both
federal and state level. See details
including submissions, meetings
with ministers and more below.
Engineers Australia has made
a submission to the Federal
Government’s Women in STEM
Strategy, recommending more
awareness on STEM careers,
upskilling of teachers, promotion of
role models and repositioning STEM
education as being humanitarian
and problem solving. The full
submission is available here.
We have also made a submission
to the Inquiry into building
quality in the Australian Capital
Territory. In our submission,
members share their experiences
of common shortcomings including
waterproofing, fire safety and
general structural design in
residential projects, and supports
the proposal to create independent
designated inspectors. Engineers
EA Matters
Australia also recommends
improved record keeping and a
registration scheme for engineers.
The submission will be posted
by the ACT Government here.
James Purtill, the new Queensland
Director General of Department
of Natural Resources, Mines and
“Engineers Ausatralia
continually engages
with governments
at both federal and
state level. ”
Energy met with Engineers
Australia’s Queensland General
Manager, Stacey Rawlings, for a
briefing on Engineers Australia’s
public policy interests.
Minister for Mines and
Petroleum in the West Australian
Government, Hon Bill Johnston,
Nov 2018 Edition
appointed Dr Gary Bryant, a
member of Engineers Australia’s WA
Division Committee, to the Mining
Industry Advisory Committee.
The Northern Territory’s Chief
Minister, Hon Michael Gunner,
invited Mark Monaghan,
Engineers Australia General
Manager, Northern Division, to
attend the ‘Facing North’ cross-
governmental forum in Canberra.
Join the
conversation
engineersaustralia.org.au
/EngineersAustralia
@EngAustralia
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