President, Sydney Division Blog

What transport legacy?

It would be very difficult to have avoided noticing the ongoing debate about the state of transport services in NSW. Perhaps the debate has been going for so long there’s an impression that the problem is intractable.  Many engineers will have noted the Sydney Morning Herald independent inquiry and perhaps contributed as I am sure you would feel that engineers can “make it so” Sydney and NSW can have world class transport infrastructure and services for movement of people and freight.  It will require innovative thinking.

Engineers Australia has met with the NSW Department of Transport and Infrastructure which is in the process of developing a Transport Blueprint for NSW.  It is hoped that an opportunity to comment on this blueprint will arise in the next few months.

What legacy of transport do we want to leave for 20 years and beyond?  What we do now will lay the foundation for the vision we create for transport in 2030.  Is our vision still for a public transport system designed to move people to and from the central business district?  Why do we think future generations will wish to persist in this transport routine?  Perhaps if other options were available these would be preferred.  How does the government establish people’s preference for transport destinations?

Would it be better to apply the inner west metro funds to the North West of Sydney with that rail line running direct to Parramatta in conjunction with completing the Epping to Parramatta link rather than providing an overlay on the existing network? Such an initiative could fundamentally change the dynamics of Sydney’s people movement options. And has any thought been given to rail linking the northern beaches through to say Chatswood?

What is the impact of broadband telecommunications to provide transport substitution and more efficient management of transport as we endeavour to provide more sustainable solutions to the needs of society?  There is a growing role for information and communications technologies (ICTs) in all sectors including transport to improve safety as well as efficiency of our road transport systems.  How do we plan for electric vehicles as well as more cycleways? 

I hope that all these questions will be addressed in developing the Transport Blueprint to provide a long term vision, not in absolute terms but a broad plan which can adapt as the requirements evolve.

Such plans need modelling in conjunction with the economic opportunities presented by shifting the work destinations to new centres generated by new transport infrastructure. 

If you would like to contribute to the debate why not consider working with the Sydney Division Transport Engineering Panel?  Contact details are on the website. 

Please help “make it so”.

Innovation needs Leaders

When I welcomed guests at this year’s Sydney Division Engineering Excellence Awards, I noted that the need for engineering innovation has never been greater than today as we meet the challenges of environmental degradation, sustainability and the global financial crisis, and continually face the demand to “advance” our standard of living.  There were some great innovations in this year’s awards and I hope that those who were unable to be present have had the opportunity to read about the record number of entries http://www.eea-sydney.org.au/welcome.html. 

Innovation involves a degree of risk: no matter how original the idea may be, commercial success is not guaranteed and will ultimately be determined by a range of influences.  The winner of the Sydney Division Excellence Award in 2007 was the Thompson Coupling and this has been successful in export markets as a result of a great product with a market need (as well as persistence).  Such success does not come without leadership from a team that is prepared to take a calculated risk especially with innovative ideas which necessarily differ from anything previously implemented.  Such teams need to be encouraged unhindered by unnecessary regulation.

As engineers we can provide leadership including providing pathways which enable the best innovations to succeed.  Hopefully our Engineering Excellence Awards helps develop such pathways by recognition of innovation with great potential (such as the Thompson Coupling).  Engineers should be involved in the regulation process in order to facilitate the intent of good regulation and at the same time reduce the barriers for innovation.  Engineers can better evaluate and minimise risk by exploring ideas through modelling and simulation facilitated by appropriate investment in research infrastructure for that purpose (including powerful computing capabilities).  Greater recognition and encouragement (including financial) of genuine research and associated development would deliver substantial dividends.

The Ubowireless Suite which won this year’s Bradfield Award, the highest award of engineering excellence, has global potential in the wireless broadband market, with its current rapid commercial development.  I hope that the award will be a positive contribution to its success.

For the President’s Award I selected a project which will make a defining contribution to the community and provide a real contribution to sustainability.   Orange City Council with joint entrant Geolyse Pty Ltd, have demonstrated innovation and managed to allay potential community concerns regarding water quality with Blackmans Swamp Creek Stormwater Harvesting Scheme, an example for other communities to emulate in best using limited water resources.

21 October, 2009 marks 90 years since the first meeting of engineers as a national body.  A history of 90 years of engineering innovation is something for which the current generation should be very grateful.  Many do not appreciate the role of engineers in providing many facilities which are often taken for granted.  I encourage you to support the “Make it so” campaign aimed at raising public awareness of engineering and the innovative nature of engineering by registering as an advocate at www.makeitso.org.au and contributing to innovation leadership.

Acting ethically

Members of Engineers Australia will be aware that they are bound by a Code of Ethics.  Engineers are increasingly faced with ethical issues in their work and environment, sometimes the ethical dimension is not immediately apparent.  In this year’s Harricks Address  Professor Fred Hilmer (Vice Chancellor and President of University of NSW) identified ethics as one of the casualties of the compressed time frames under which many are currently required to operate.  Professor Hilmer noted that “Instead of honesty, considering others, considering the future and playing by the rules, we see deferring problems, burying bad news, transactional relationships, riding momentum, running down infrastructure and not investing in the ideas of the future. And once ethical standards erode in one area, the breakdown seems to spread to other areas.  Hence the widespread breakdown in politics, business, public administration, the church, police and even in engineering!”  Rules and regulations increasingly constrain what we can do in a vain attempt to manage ethics rather than to infuse an ethical culture.  As leaders in the community, Engineers must be vigilant to avoid lapses in ethical standards and to set an example of good ethics to the rest of the community.

You can find the Code of Ethics on the web site at http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/about-us/discipline-complaints/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics_home.cfm       The Cardinal Principles of the code are to respect the inherent dignity of the individual, to act on the basis of an informed conscience, and to act in the interest of the community.  EA has been an advocate for ethical standards in the international engineering community and in particular through the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO)

A meeting of EA’s Congress was held in Canberra in July when the Congress agreed to review the Code of Ethics and ensure that we can continue to lead in the practice of acting ethically.  A Strategic Planning Forum was also held as part of the Congress meeting when plans for the next 5 years were formulated.  Opportunities for consideration of the plan will be available leading to publication following consideration by Congress in November. When the final plan is published, based on the discussion I expect that the vision and plan set down will be a valuable driver for the organisation and its members. 

The Harricks Address was a major event of Australian Engineering Week.  I wish to extend my thanks to all those who contributed as volunteers during Engineering Week and apologise that I have not been able to thank all of you personally.  Engineering Week simply wouldn’t happen without volunteers some of whom assist for a few years others are habitual volunteers and I thank you all.  Please consider volunteering including participating in the Neighbourhood Engineers program and perhaps visiting your former school to encourage the current generation of students to take up engineering careers.  There are many other ways of assisting in Engineering Week and through the year for networking with other engineers and for professional development.  There is some information on the EA web site regarding volunteering http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au/member-services/office-bearers-and-volunteers/office-bearer-and-volunteers_home.cfm or contact the Sydney Division office.  Let’s “Make it so” and register in the new Market Awareness Campaign.

The answer is "innovation"?

With 85% of the Australian workforce already engaged in service industries (that means just 15% engaged in mining, manufacturing, agriculture and other non service employment in the economy) it’s difficult to see where more resources to satisfy the increasing demands in the services sector will come from.  Furthermore, can merely engaging more resources possibly solve in a sustainable way the challenges such as those faced by the increasing demands on our health and education sectors?

All governments are faced with the challenge of an aging population and increasingly capable health system: the challenge of increasing demand is unlikely to be solved simply by changing the governance structure for hospitals! 

What is needed is innovation and engineers have the skills to conceive and implement those innovations in their areas of expertise.  Information and communications technologies (ICTs) seem to hold the key to providing more efficient and less resource intensive delivery of services.  It does require a change from the view that engagement of additional people and physical resources can make a sustainable difference to the increasing demand for these services.  It requires a change in paradigm, a change of focus from putting more people to solve service shortcomings, to an increasing use of ICTs in support of the delivery of services.  Unfortunately the change in balance of expenditure from people to ICTs is a challenge and one that requires leadership in convincing the population that this will deliver better outcomes long term.  Innovative thinking is required.

Innovation is not simply the technology or concept, it is the way it is implemented and used, the process itself is not innovative if it simply overlays new ideas on old ways of doing things.

As engineers we need to advocate the appropriate use of technology where its innovative use leads to improved long term outcomes for the community.

Let me illustrate with an example: Governments have often turned to increasing conventional training to address improved skilling and improve safety, for instance increasing the requirements for time driving as a learner driver before progressing to testing for provisional licence (120 hours of driving).  This relies on the honour system and is hardly good environmental practice.  It would seem far preferable for a large portion of driver training to be done on a simulator (as for aircraft pilot training), readily created on a home computer with appropriate application and foot and hand controls and readily auditable including ability to respond to incidents on the road.

No more engineers?

Ever wondered what would happen if the supply of engineers dried up?  Who would ensure the safe construction, operation and maintenance of buildings, roads, water supply and power stations?  What would happen to our telecommunications systems, the internet and television?  Would not our health and education systems, the defence and emergency services, government and even financial institutions soon grind to a halt?

 

Perhaps it’s worth thinking about how you can personally contribute to the continuing supply of young engineers who will secure the future of current engineers in their later years!  Between 1^st and 9th August Engineers Australia through Australian Engineering Week gives a particular focus to promoting the profession to the community.  I encourage you to support the events and to encourage those who might be influenced to take up an engineering career to attend.  Engineers Australia realises that influencing career decisions needs to start early with strong messages about the importance of engineering for sustaining the community in which we live.  We want to influence as many students as possible to pursue science and advanced mathematics options as a foundation for engineering careers. This year we hope to have an engineer visit most high schools in NSW during Engineering Week. Our Neighbourhood Engineers scheme is designed to facilitate contact between engineers and the community, promoting engineering throughout the year.  EngQuest promotes engineering in primary schools.  Our Discover Engineering program, Honeywell Engineering Summer School and the Great Engineering Challenge, the latter held during Engineering Week, all promote engineering to High School students.  Congratulations to the Dubbo Regional Group for their support of the Science and Engineering Challenge and thereby promoting engineering careers.  What can you do to provide engineering leadership to ensure the next generation of engineers?  Please look out for the soon to be launched marketing campaign promoting engineering and try to use it in your personal promotion of engineering.

 

Unfortunately we farewell Richard Phillips as Executive Director of Sydney Division after 10 years in which he has done much to promote engineering within the Sydney Division.  Sydney Division has indeed been fortunate to have Richard provide stability in leadership over an extended period which has seen membership in the Sydney Division grow from 13,000 to over 19,500 today.  The role of an Executive Director in Engineers Australia is the point of intersection between the members, the Division staff, Division Office Bearers and the national organisation: most members would not appreciate the challenges which come with managing the sometimes conflicting demands of stakeholders involved and Richard has managed to ensure that on most occasions everyone emerges a winner.  Richard has acted with the best interests of the Division even when that has required him to put his neck on the line.  I would like to express my appreciation for the leadership Richard has given to the Division over the past 10 years and for the support he has given me as an office bearer.

Responsible management of resources?

The recent decision by NSW Government to remove water restrictions struck me as “courageous”.  Whilst it preferable to allow individuals to make their own decisions, when it comes to security of our valuable natural resources some management by government intervention may be necessary even when there is no immediate threat to supplies.  Considerable more water is required before the water supply reservoirs are filled and there is plenty of opportunity for dry weather conditions to return before they do fill.  Some parts of Australia remain desperately short of water and perhaps Sydney people will continue to show restraint.  It would seem far preferable to ensure the longer term security of the Sydneywater supply before removing water restrictions entirely.

Whilst the fallback of the desalination plant will soon be available it would be far preferable from an environmental perspective if the plant could be left on a care and maintenance basis (with the Sydney water supply well secured) until needed and the energy provided for the plant used in the meantime to reduce the energy required from coal fired power sources.

I also note that the transfers from the Tallawa Dam to the Sydney water system have been suspended for some time.  Whilst restoring greater flows to the river systems may be environmentally attractive it would seem to be more prudent to reduce rather than stop the transfers entirely, at least until greater security of water supply has been achieved.

What status?

The status of Engineers has been a vexed issue for the engineering profession for as long as I can remember.  There is a feeling that we don’t have the same level of recognition in the community as say medical doctors, lawyers, architects and accountants.  Indeed from a legislative point of view, in NSW, the engineering profession does not have the same level of protection of use of titles that most other professions enjoy.

 

EA’s national office is preparing a strategic marketing campaign which is intended, amongst other things, to raise the status of the profession.  Of course this is the type of initiative that is essential to address recognition of the profession, not by itself but with other initiatives which clearly show how the engineering profession can provide essential leadership in the community at large.

 

Meanwhile within EA we continue debates about exactly what is the profession of engineering.  Hardly surprising then that the community is confused about the status of engineers.  The Year of the Engineering team successfully provided a focus on the diversity of skills necessary to plan, design, implement and operate engineering activities and the importance of each of those skill areas.  There remains unfinished business in ensuring that the community is aware of the diversity of engineering activities and why engineering is essential component in successful outcomes.

 

Recognition within the engineering profession of all the skills that make up the engineering team is necessary before we can successfully convey that to the community.  Mutual recognition of the role played by each component of the engineering team is essential whether it be the hard earned title of Chartered Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineering Technologist, Chartered Engineering Officer etc.  The competencies earned by each of these need to be vigorously protected and promoted.  We do ourselves a disservice if we devalue them, particularly if we reduce the hurdles necessary to achieve that status. It seems that merely trying to protect the term “engineer” (or introducing the term Ingenieur) to prevent those not truly part of the engineering team from using it is unlikely to be fruitful.  For those interested in further reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_over_the_term_Engineer is a good starting point.

 

I attended the launch of the Society of Construction Law in Sydney last month.  The legal profession is made up of a diversity of groups many of whom have their own professional organisation.  I do not suggest that engineering team should similarly fragment but suggest that to work successfully the components need to be recognised mutually. The Society of Construction Law endeavours to bring together lawyers (commercial lawyers, solicitors, barristers etc) with other construction industry professionals including engineers and architects to promote education, study and research in the field of construction law: this body recognises the importance of each profession in this endeavour. 

 

Engineers must surely do the same within their profession in order to deliver the best outcomes to the community and to ensure that the community acknowledges the critical role of engineers as it seems to do for lawyers, medical doctors, nurses and so on.  At the same time we must also clearly articulate the roles of different parts of the engineering team through community leadership.

Broadband, broadband everywhere ...

The announcement of $43billion expenditure by the Federal Government for broadband infrastructure has been generally welcomed with the promise of almost ubiquitous high capacity broadband throughout the country.  This did raise a number of questions in my mind as to how this expenditure estimate was determined and whether this is appropriate use of financial resources.  Please don’t misunderstand, I am a great supporter of improved broadband communications to facilitate a digital economy, an economy critical to future prosperity.  However, the resources available need to be invested wisely and balanced across all national infrastructure (water, road, rail, energy, aviation and telecommunications) and the facilities for using that infrastructure. 

 

Without adequate information to inform decision makers about the needs for infrastructure it is difficult to be sure that the correct decisions are being made.  Infrastructure Australia is in the process of prioritising investments and has some useful material on its website www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au however I have been unable to find data which puts $43billion in context of all infrastructure spending and the economic impact of each component of infrastructure investment. I hope it is that I have just missed it.

Engineers Australia has embarked on the process for production of a new issue of the Infrastructure Report Cards.  Sydney Division is very supportive of this national initiative and will be providing assistance in particular with regard to NSW Report Cards.  Any member wishing to become involved in Sydney Division’s contribution is invited to contact me.  It is pleasing to know that the current Report cards are referenced by our Parliamentarians: the NSW Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Broadband in Rural and Regional Communities in its report “Beyond the Bush Telegraph” (March 2009) makes several references to the EA Telecommunications Infrastructure report card (2007).  Which brings me back to my concern about decision making, the information available for decision making on infrastructure is remarkably thin (especially perhaps in telecommunications).  For commercial and security reasons some infrastructure details should not be readily available however this can lead to wasteful use of resources if, as in the telecommunications case, infrastructure is more extensive than generally known and some existing investments, even if privately held, contain locked up capacity due to market breakdown. 

Undoubtedly $43 billion will address many of the inadequacies of telecommunications infrastructure identified by EA’s Telecommunications Report card especially in regional and rural areas.  Whether there is a real need (let alone an economic justification) to deliver 100Mbps in an almost universal way remains an unanswered question in my mind.  Furthermore, the economics may be further undermined where it coexists with for instance wireless broadband alternatives, especially in regional and rural areas. 

The infrastructure cost is only part of the expenditure equation, the costs associated with providing the applications and systems to use it are another.  In order to derive the health, education, environmental and other benefits also requires investment, for instance in Smartgrids for improved demand side management of energy, information systems in hospitals and schools and so on.   

 

EA’s infrastructure report cards provide us with a great opportunity to contribute to a focus on balancing of infrastructure investment.

Sustainable Infrastructure

It seems that at least some of the expenditures being considered by governments to return the world’s economies to health is being targeted at infrastructure initiatives.  This is indeed fortunate as perhaps fewer engineering positions will be vulnerable (although not immune) to cutbacks.  It was good to be able to encourage 700 aspiring engineers and 26 prospective employers at the Young Engineers Careers Expo at the Powerhouse Museum: the event demonstrated a positive sentiment for the future in engineering.

Let’s hope the proposed infrastructure investments are made wisely and built for sustainability. It is vitally important that engineers provide a leadership role in the planning and implementation of the infrastructure, recognising that the full lifecycle of the investment needs to be taken into account to optimise the return on the investment.  I recall a presentation last year by Phil Mallon of RTA discussing the importance of understanding the health of infrastructure to allow the application of timely maintenance and repair.  Many will recall the collapse of a road bridge in Minneapolis: it is important that the ability to manage and monitor the health of all infrastructure is built into the investment in order to minimise the prospect of such surprises.  Timely maintenance should also minimise the lifetime cost of the infrastructure.  Whilst consideration is given to investment in new infrastructure engineers should be conscious of the need for ongoing investment in existing infrastructure to optimise its usefulness.  Extending the effective life of infrastructure is also likely to realise environmental benefits.

I recently attended the release by The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering of its research report on Low Energy High Rise.  The report identifies a range of initiatives which can be applied to existing commercial building infrastructure to improve the energy efficiency and improve a building’s NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) rating.  Again this demonstrated how engineering can make a valuable contribution to the benefit of the environment. What is good for the environment should be good for the bottom line in particular where resources are more efficiently utilised.

Information technology provides an increasing capability to manage the health of infrastructure as well as providing modelling of what if scenarios in supporting maintenance and infrastructure development: this includes modelling of the impact of infrastructure investments to inform decision making.  Perhaps entries will be made in this year’s Engineering Excellence Awards to recognise innovation in maintenance as well as in new infrastructure?

Postscript: further to my column last month I am pleased to confirm that the NSW Minister for Planning has approved changes to the accreditation scheme under the Building Professions Act by deleting provisions which would have otherwise resulted in withdrawal of recognition of NPER registration.

 

Peter Hitchiner FIEAust CPEng

Engineers Australia, Sydney Division President 2009

What's in it for me?

How do you respond when someone asks why you are a member of Engineers Australia?  It’s a question I am often confronted with and it’s timely to consider it in these challenging economic times (unless you have been a loyal member for over 40 years). 

The question is usually asked in the context of what can be gained by being a member.  The answer is not simple and to a great extent depends on personal circumstances.  Beyond the personal dimension there is the importance of a strong profession: let me give a current example of why a strong Institution is necessary.  The NSW Government has been progressing Building Professions legislation which would preclude those on the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) from being recognised as prequalified in their field as accredited certifiers.  Following representations by EA, backed by its membership strength, this matter has been reviewed by the NSW Government and we are hopeful that by the time this column is published the matter will have been resolved to allow engineers on the NPER to continue to be prequalified.  It is essential that we remain a strong organisation to ensure that our voice is increasingly listened to and the hard earned qualification of engineer (not just the name) is fully recognised for what it provides to the community.

With many decisions to be made in infrastructure and sustainable environment initiatives, it is essential that engineers maintain a strong position to advocate sound engineering leadership.  We cannot afford to leave these matters to economists and lawyers, important though their roles are.  We can expect many decisions which will impact the urban environment in areas of transport, roads, energy, buildings and open space.  There are complex interactions and dependencies in all these areas which require the generation of information to inform the decision making.  Engineers across many disciplines must be able to provide key information and leadership in these complex matters and Engineers Australia, as the professional body representing engineers can influence only as long as it remains strong.  The strength for this also depends on people prepared to advocate engineering in their own work environment.  I encourage you to do that and gain support from fellow engineers by actively participating in EA activities, hopefully as a volunteer. 

EA

, as a multidisciplinary engineering organisation, provides the opportunity to network across a wide range of engineering disciplines.  In our heavily interconnected world it is very difficult for any engineering practice to operate in isolation from all others, in particular in infrastructure and sustainability initiatives.  EA provides a communication network in which all disciplines can interact as a team and opens up new career opportunities, which are particularly important in difficult times.   

Individually members benefit from the opportunity of broadening horizons through Continued Professional Development.  As an Information and Communications Technology engineer I am fascinated by some of the lectures organised by the Civil and Structural Panel, not just because of the importance of ICT to engineers practicing in those areas.  It also allows me to network with engineers in those disciplines. I liken EA to an Internet Protocol network, an open network which facilitates communications with the edges (the groups and members), groups can be autonomous and must conform to a set of rules including a Code for Office Bearers, a Code of Ethics and overall objectives and a strategic plan (which is being reviewed this year).

By the time this column is published we will have launched a regional group in Wagga Wagga.  There is a high level of interest and based on visits last year to our Dubbo and Nowra based Regional Groups I am confident that the members (and prospective members) in Wagga will appreciate the value of having the opportunity to join a group of engineers and the return it will provide them for the effort put in.  I would like to thank Jon Lee for being the catalyst and for the effort he has put in on a voluntary basis to make the Wagga Group launch happen and I wish the new group every success for the years ahead.

Some individually are members simply because the publications provide an important link to the profession: hopefully for most there are more reasons for belonging.  Volunteers can gain much more from involvement and networking.  It’s not just what the Institution can do for you it is also about what you can do for the profession of engineering.