Roads Australia

Only a handful of tickets are left for our last few Annual Lunches in #Melbourne #Canberra #Darwin and #Perth.    Book now to avoid missing out on an incredble line up of speakers -  💠 MEL | 6 December | with Minister Danny Pearson - Victorian Government 💠 CBR | 10 December | with David Pryce - Director General, Transport Canberra and City Services, Geoff Brown - Omni Executive Pty Ltd, Kaitlin Shilling - Arup, Tom Kjaer-Olsen - Cisco, Kay Salvair Smith - Fusion Advisory Pty Ltd and more 💠 PER | 11 December | with Minister Rita Saffioti MLA - Government of Western Australia 💠 DAR | 12 December | with Louise McCormick - CEO, Department of Logistics & Infrastructure NT, Dave Smith, AM, CSC, DSM - Disaster Relief Australia, Michael Houen - Hatch Tickets can be purchased here: www.roads.org.au/events

This morning Roads Australia held our second policy roundtable with Infrastructure NSW and Aurecon, where industry's preference for a nationally harmonised approach to decarbonising infrastructure was a key point of discussion.   Bringing together more than 50 professionals working across business case development, design, construction, procurement and reporting, the event explored the industry's readiness to implement the NSW Decarbonising Infrastructure Delivery Policy ahead of its commencement in April 2025.   Dena Jacobs and James Logie shared an update on the policy implementation program, including findings from INSW's recent industry capability survey and development of a toolkit of resources to assist industry in applying the policy on projects.    Dena shared that INSW had over 400 responses to its recent survey, however the survey found that over 1/3 of government and 1/5 of industry respondents have low confidence in their own capability to reduce upfront carbon. Professions core to the development and delivery of infrastructure have the lowest confidence in their ability to reduce upfront carbon, including construction managers, architects/engineers, and business case developers. You can find a summary of the results here: https://lnkd.in/gaxtCHYx.   James identified that the highest priority areas for capability uplift are:   🟢 Developing a Policy and Measurement Guidance overview 🟢 Measurement / estimation of carbon 🟢 Decarbonisation in business cases and planning 🟢 Low carbon solutions for design and construction 🟢 Decarbonisation in procurement and early market engagement   Ivona Maric from Aurecon facilitated an interactive session exploring the options associated with reducing upfront embodied carbon as a supply chain. Keep an eye on RA Insider and our LinkedIn feed, as we will be sharing an Outcomes Report on the roundtable in coming weeks.    We are grateful to Infrastructure NSW, Deputy Chair of our Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Working Group Kay Salvair Smith, Scott Smith and the team at Aurecon who were excellent hosts. You can view the full photo gallery here: https://lnkd.in/eHdRZyf7   The key objective of RA’s Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Working Group is to support national implementation of decarbonising infrastructure delivery policies. This involves: 🟢 Consulting with industry and advocating for national consistency of a policy across all jurisdictions 🟢 Supporting the interpretation and implementation of the policies across the transport infrastructure project management and delivery supply chain 🟢 Sharing best practice and celebrating what good looks like and 🟢 Continuous improvement informed by early implementation of the policy.

Last Friday, NSW Roads Minister John Graham addressed our sold-out Sydney Annual Lunch, providing an update on the NSW Government’s investment and reform priorities heading into 2025. “We've lifted the state's infrastructure budget again by billions of dollars,” said Minister Graham, reflecting on the year that’s been. “The focus for that infrastructure program is really backing in the Government's housing agenda. We are changing the nature of the projects we're building, but we are building more infrastructure in NSW.” Minister Graham also announced the successful proposals in the Government’s new Gateway to Innovate (GtI) program, which provides a pathway for organisations to trial and test innovations on transport projects to uplift productivity across our sector. Over 3,100 representatives engaged with the consultation, and following a competitive process with eight finalists, three proposals were successful – including two proposals from Roads Australia members: 💠 Altus Traffic Australia will deliver pilots for a safer, smarter work zones “by attaching sensors to road signs, cones and barriers – enhancing safety in high risk environments, like traffic management, by providing real-time mapping and monitoring for these safety road tools. 💠 Aurecon will deliver ClaRFI – an AI-powered collaboration and project intelligence tool, helping save time and reduce complexity in project management. 💠 The third successful proposal was for a new technology balancing worker safety and productivity by managing fatigue risks in real-time – FatigueTech – delivered by Ethos Health Pty Ltd. RA members are deeply committed to supporting innovation that improves safety for all road users and workers. We are delighted to see two of our members participate in these pilot programs that Minister Graham believes “will make a huge difference” in reducing the accident and injury toll on Australia’s roads. Minister Graham also announced $437 million in joint NSW-Commonwealth funding to support 230 lifesaving projects across the state’s roads, following a meeting of Australia’s road safety ministers, including new chair, Senator Anthony Chisholm. You can view the photos here: https://lnkd.in/gq4vbrAj Find out more about the GtI program here: https://lnkd.in/g-bU44bc

In his role as Regional Manager NQ – Infrastructure Services, Wayne Abrahamse is responsible for the operational and strategic management of Fulton Hogan’s Infrastructure business across North Queensland - overseeing project delivery, ensuring safety standards, managing budgets and driving business growth by supporting his team and clients. As Wayne’s role now includes leadership and strategic responsibilities, he has been grateful for the support of past and current mentors as he works to “foster a high-performing team culture.” Through Roads Australia’s Fellowship Program, Wayne “was fortunate to be paired with a great mentor, Mark Fairweather… whose mentorship has been instrumental in consolidating my perspective on leadership and navigating the complexities of the industry.” Likewise, he is thankful for the support of Peter Davies, during his time in South Africa, and more recently Brendan Cole, his current General Manager whose “guidance and leadership has been crucial in shaping my development.” With the 2024 Program now officially completed, our cohort will be moving into our alumni network and supporting one another alongside all the other Fellows. We wish them all the best as they take forward their new learnings and networks and look forward to engaging them through RA’s many activities in the years ahead. Wayne’s group project, along with our other 2024 Fellows, can now be viewed on our website: https://lnkd.in/gr5d66wc

For Peta Chehade, being paired with a formal mentor - AECOM's Kerry van Donderen - through the Roads Australia Fellowship Program, she now has “someone to rely on who offers an unbiased perspective." Peta also feels incredibly fortunate to have had several unofficial mentors throughout her life, including Noel Symons during her time at GREENHILL, and Natasha Stone during her tenure with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport. Peta Chehade is one of our Roads Australia 2024 Fellows, and a Principal Design Drafter with Tonkin, where she has been grateful to develop her strengths as a designer – “they have always believed in my potential and pushed me beyond what I thought I could achieve.” But as her role moves beyond the technical elements of design, and moved further into “mentoring junior designers, providing guidance and support to develop their technical skills and advance their careers” having a warm and supportive network of mentors of her own has supported her to ‘pay it forward’ with her younger colleagues.   Congratulations on completing the Program Peta – we look forward to welcoming you to future RA events and cheering on your successes. Peta’s group project, along with our other 2024 Fellows, can now be viewed on our website: https://lnkd.in/gr5d66wc

When Richard Boggon attended the Roads Australia (RA) launch dinner in 2008, he probably didn't imagine that he'd spend close to a decade guiding future industry leaders through RA’s Fellowship Program. Since 2016, Richard has mentored 9 emerging leaders, offering guidance and support that extends beyond professional development. The RA Fellowship involves intensive projects on critical themes such as sustainability, infrastructure, and industry innovation. Richard’s role has been to help mentees make the most of these opportunities, “You support people not only in their careers but also in life, helping them see things from new perspectives and accelerate their growth." While Richard has decided to step back from his RA role, his work at TSA Riley as General Manager Infrastructure, NSW ensures his “mentor cap” stays firmly in place—and those who know him have no doubt it always will. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gyV4h9sC #TSARiley #SideBySide #ConnectedIntelligence #TransformativeImpact #IndustryLeaders #Mentorship #TransportInfrastructure #RoadsAustralia

Our Chief Executive Adam Copp joined Verity Turner for a thoughtful chat at the Roads Australia Fellows End of Year Workshop, offering insights into his leadership journey and IA’s pivotal work. Adam reflected on his nearly two decades in public service, sharing how he navigated IA’s recent period of renewal and led efforts to become certified as a 'Family Friendly Workplace' by UNICEF Australia and Parents at Work. From steering strategic transformations in challenging times to championing gender equality, Adam’s journey highlights the importance of resilience, adaptability, and building inclusive teams. #Leadership #FamilyFriendlyWorkplace #WorkplaceCulture

“You never know where an opportunity is going to take you,” advised Alison Close to 80 young professionals at our recent #EmergingLeaders breakfast in Melbourne.   Alison is a Partner at Clayton Utz and Roads Australia Board Director with extensive experience advising participants in the construction and infrastructure sectors. Her unique focus as someone working “adjacent” to the industry is on dispute resolution, and she encouraged attendees to take a long term perspective on their approach to team and senior leadership, seizing opportunities when they arise, exploring the perspectives of other disciplines and resolving interpersonal issues with peers and stakeholders.   Alison shared five tips with people in attendance, and we’ve provided a teaser in this video. To stay up to date and catch the insights and advice our experts share with RA members through each of our programs, find out how to become a member today: https://lnkd.in/g5WWTsaP   The Emerging Leaders Program is sponsored by our partner, CPB Contractors. We acknowledge and are grateful for their ongoing support in helping us provide meaningful networking opportunities for all RA members.

Some of the Bellgrove Advisory team had the privilege of attending the Roads Australia luncheon in Auckland last week. It was great to hear the outgoing NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi CEO Nicole Rosie highlight some of the agency’s priorities around delivery of the 17 Roads of National Significance, 11 Roads of Regional Significance, tolling system review, and multimodal transport investment. Public private partnerships were highlighted as a key focus point to support the successful delivery of these priorities. As always, it was great connecting with industry colleagues. Thank you to Roads Australia, Aneetha de Silva GAICD, Ehssan Veiszadeh, Mark Sinclair, Rebecca Baker and Aurecon for hosting a great event. Barry McGrattan, Peter Hynd, Bernie Kwok

What an amazing year with the Roads Australia family! I am lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and work with high-caliber leaders in the industry. The RA Fellowship program not only offered me leadership insights but also connected me with a great mentor. Thank you, Rob Monaci, for being open and supportive of women in our industry. Your sincere feedback has been encouraging. I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside you outside the program, and I look forward to the next opportunity. I’m also thankful for the colleagues I’ve met around Australia and the great friendships built during the delivery of the project with my NSW team. WSP, thank you for the nomination and for enabling this opportunity. Nuno Muralha, thank you for your ongoing support. Congratulations, Jacqui Berry, and the other 2025 RA Fellows — you will enjoy this journey!