ISCA Farewells Longstanding Chair and Welcomes Energy Sector Leader.
The Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) Board has appointed energy sector leader, Alison Rowe, as Chair of the Board.
Alison will be replacing long-serving Chair, David Singleton AM, who is stepping down as Chair at the Annual General Meeting on November 14 and retiring as an Independent member director from the ISCA Board when his tenure is up in April 2019.
“Alison is a seasoned executive and non-executive leader in the energy, communications and transport sectors as well as having a strong background in member-based Not for Profits, across the value chain. Plus, as a former member of ISCA’s Board, she will bring the experience and skill needed to continue leading this impressive organisation,” said David.
Alison has worked in the sustainability space for fifteen years, as the CEO of Moreland Energy Foundation and previously has led the Future Business Council as Chair.
“With a strong focus on developing relationships and establishing clear accountabilities; she understands how to drive transformational change. A dual strategy of advocacy, governance and collaboration is required. I couldn’t be more delighted with my successor,” David added.
Speaking today, Alison is looking forward to her position as Chair on the ISCA Board and thanks her predecessor. “David has left some big shoes to fill and I am honoured to be given the opportunity to help lead ISCA into delivering and driving long-term impacts for people and planet through sustainable infrastructure”.
David joined ISCA’s Board of Directors as Chair in November 2011 when it was then known as the Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC). David was part of the change that saw AGIC evolve into ISCA in 2012 and has held the position of Chair since then.
“David’s wisdom, experience and passion were a great contribution to myself and the Board. He has extensive experience and expertise in Smart Cities, Infrastructure and the built environment. Thank you for the guidance and mentoring,” said ISCA CEO, Ainsley Simpson.
Known for being a strong advocate for the advancement of women in the engineering industry and throughout his career David is proud to have influenced the introduction of supportive initiatives and policies, including paid maternity leave and flexible working schemes.
The infrastructure industry is responsible for more than 50% of Australia’s green-house gas emissions. ISCA enables sustainability in infrastructure through a third-party rating program, training and knowledge sharing and creating a community of practice around sustainable infrastructure. To date, more than $100 billion in infrastructure projects is engaged in the IS rating scheme across Australia and New Zealand. Collectively IS rated projects have saved enough energy to power the households of Brisbane for a year and saved enough water to fill 67,000 Olympic swimming pools.
Written by Robert Wood (General Manager Group Sustainability, Virgin Australia)
Sustainable aviation fuels derived from biomass (plants, trees, algae, waste and other organic matter/bio-oils) offer the single largest opportunity to reduce emissions for airlines in the medium term whilst ensuring long-term fuel security for the industry.
At a global level, the aviation industry is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and has set a target of carbon neutral growth from 2020. The use of sustainable aviation fuels will significantly contribute towards achieving this target.
The Virgin Australia Group (the Group) has been actively supporting the development of sustainable aviation fuels since 2008, including:
participating in domestic and international policy discussions;
working with State and Federal Governments, along with industry groups, on ways to stimulate the production of these fuels in Australia;
undertaking studies on fuel production pathways and feedstocks; and
holding direct negotiations with sustainable aviation fuel producers.
However, despite these efforts, and those of many others in the industry, sustainable aviation fuels are not currently produced in Australia. The Group consulted with a number of sustainable aviation fuel companies and identied that providing a strong demand signal combined with a long-term off-take arrangement was the best way to attract investment to sustainable aviation fuel projects in our region.
In March 2016, the Group, in partnership with Air New Zealand, released a Request for Information (RFI) to procure 200 million litres of sustainable aviation fuels for a period of 10 years, starting in 2020. The RFI generated strong local and international interest. Many submissions were received and assessed through a detailed due diligence process to short-list companies.
Following initial discussions with these organisations, further detailed technical analysis and financial due diligence was conducted. Given that the cost of traditional jet fuel today is not the only appropriate measure to benchmark these sustainable aviation fuels against, the Group looked at the overall value that sustainable aviation fuels would bring to our business between 2020-2030, and has created a new contracting approach for the supply of these fuels.
Through the RFI process, the Group began to develop a clear understanding of the total costs of these fuels, however the re-certification of the fuel before incorporation into the fueling infrastructure, as well as the logistics of the blending method, remained a barrier.
Following this identified gap in knowledge, the Group entered into a partnership with the Queensland Government and a sustainable aviation fuel supplier, Gevo Inc. to test the supply- chain readiness for sustainable aviation fuels in Australia. This project will see the supply of sustainable aviation fuel into the Port of Brisbane, which will be received over the course of the next 12-24 months. This will be the first time that any airport in Australia will have sustainable alternative fuel supplied through the regular fueling infrastructure.
This fuel is produced using the Alcohol (Isobutanol) to Jet fuel pathway and will be certified to ASTM D7566. The insights generated from this project will enable the Group to move forward in our procurement of sustainable aviation fuels, as well as increasing the attractiveness of investment in this industry in Australia. This project will also identify opportunities for improvements in the current processes and infrastructure to ensure Australia is ready for these fuels, making our region attractive to investors.
The purpose of this project is to help us better understand the logistics and cost of supplying sustainable aviation fuel into the current fuel infrastructure at Brisbane Airport. This includes blending and certifying the fuel to Jet A-1 and transporting it into the Joint User Hydrant Installation (JUHI), which is the infrastructure that holds the fuel at Brisbane Airport.
This infrastructure is jointly owned by four fuel companies (VIVA, AirBP, Caltex and Mobil) and Viva manages the JUHI that supplies domestic, international and military aircraft at Brisbane Airport.
Over the past several months, the Group has been working with multiple stakeholders to ensure that sufficient infrastructure, process design and skills exist to allow this industry to develop moving forward. The key to the success of the project will be in identifying the safest and most cost effective way to blend, certify and supply these fuels into the JUHI and ultimately into all aircraft uplifting fuel.
Dr Martina Girvan was an international speaker at ISCA’s 2018 Annual Conference. Martina is a Chartered Ecologist with over 20 years’ experience in the UK. The integration of biodiversity with society is a lifelong passion, she is currently developing the Natural Capital approach within Arcadis to ensure that their projects deliver benefits for biodiversity and business.
I was delighted to be invited by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) to present and participate in the discussions around the integration of Green Infrastructure (GI) into their sustainable infrastructure metrics at the 2018 ISCA Conference in Sydney.
Green Infrastructure is also called living infrastructure and it is comprised of plants, soil and water that have a functional role in our built environments. Examples of these GI elements are green roofs, living walls, rain gardens, pocket parks and street trees. You may also hear the terms Green Blue Infrastructure, Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), Sustainable Drainage Solutions (SuDS) and Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD) used in the context of GI.
Green Infrastructure (includes Blue (water) and Brown (soil) elements), unlike Grey Infrastructure, is multifunctional in terms of benefits and as a living infrastructure can respond to change and provide resilience. These benefits are often termed Ecosystem Services. The urban benefits include:
Improving health and wellbeing; by encouraging an active population that engages with nature for improvements in both physical and mental health;
Providing water management; GI can hold onto storm water to reduce or prevent flooding but also filter that water to minimise pollution;
Amenity, recreational and tourism benefits; by providing attractive environments that people want to spend time in;
Providing cleaner air; as air quality issues continue to impact upon health primarily due to burning of fossil fuels and the particulate matter in the atmosphere, localised air quality improvements from GI, by removal of particulate matter from the air can benefit health, including improved mental development in children; and
Supporting and maintaining biodiversity; it may be surprising to learn that, according to an article in Global Ecology and Biogeography , the average Australian City is home to 32 threatened species (supported in gardens, public open spaces and other building integrated GI). This is three times as many threatened species per unit area as rural environments so GI has a vital role to play in maintaining their populations.
Green Infrastructure can also often cost less than Grey Infrastructure to install and maintain so over the life cycle of a development, GI elements can actually deliver a return on investment.
The launch of the IS version 2.0 Green Infrastructure category in Australia (similar to CEEQUAL in the UK) includes GI for the first time and so presents an opportunity to implement GI more widely than ever in built infrastructure. ISCA recognise the importance of capturing GI’s functionality for the resilience of our built environment via the Ecosystem Services they deliver (Image below). The metrics reinforce the importance of maximising the synergies GI has with other IS credits such as Resilience, Energy and Carbon, Heritage and Ecology to name a few. This is achieved by linking the GI elements with the other credits and providing appropriate targets for those credit categories. For example, by integrating green roofs and walls one could set an energy usage reduction target, due to passive summer cooling and winter insulation. It is a truly holistic and multidisciplinary approach which will facilitate interaction between the many disciplines (biodiversity, civil engineering, water designers, air quality, noise, cost consultancy etc.) to take advantage of opportunities and maximise efficiencies. The approach has the potential to produce a better design which delivers more benefits to the public at minimal additional cost.
As the global lead for driving the integration of the Natural Capital approach into Arcadis design and consultancy work, I was grateful for the opportunity to share my experiences of delivering GI and Natural Capital design strategies with the ISCA Conference audience. I was also able to share a case study for the Arcadis designed North West Bicester Eco-Town that will deliver 6000 homes on a greenfield site to the north of Oxford. In addition to delivering 40% net gain, we calculated the benefits of the GI at around £780 per annum, per home (based on an assessment of 393 homes on the exemplar site), delivering tangible benefits both to business and the wider public.
This presentation was followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Adam Beck from the Smart Cities Council. The panel companions were Professor Barbara Norman, author and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Canberra (who recently received the ACT Planning Award for Cutting Edge Research and Teaching), Lisa McLean CEO of the Open Cities Alliance and Tim Watson from Edge sustainability consulting. Adam challenged the panel to consider “do we know whether our cities are sustainable or not.” The panel was in unanimous agreement that while we have indicators such as the sustainable cities index, more quantitative information on performance would be useful. However, it is clear that action is needed and needed now.
Our cities are not sustainable, nor are our communities. Lisa was clear that the influence of local people was significant with the change in philosophy towards prosumers as opposed to consumers. This can be very powerful and will pay a big part in driving cities to deliver a different model of energy, transport and water supply. Barbara advocated for the refocus and re-empowerment of planners to ensure GI is integrated into design. The barriers to implementing GI were agreed to be around the perceived risk around the loss of developable areas, effective design and the cost of maintenance. I reinforced that the value of the benefits GI bring far outweigh their capital and operational costs and compare much more favourably to that of Grey Infrastructure, it’s just that different funding models are required. Using tools such as the CIRIA Benefits of SuDS Tool (BEST) or a bespoke Natural Capital assessment, one can actually monetise the benefits of GI. This can be used to contribute to private/public funding mechanisms as well as stakeholder engagement to ensure successful implementation of those mechanisms.
Whilst further research would be beneficial, it appears that there are benefits from GI maintenance, maintaining green assets provides healthy, stimulating jobs that are in many ways more attractive and less onerous than Grey Infrastructure maintenance. Tim was encouraged by Melbourne’s recent efforts of greening the city and its delivery plans. He discussed how if Melbourne realises the value in GI it could make the city more attractive and therefore more competitive in the tourist, retail and recreation markets.
Melbourne is actually building their own 2 mile long elevated Skypark, linking Federation Square to Southern Cross Station which will provide a high profile piece of multifunctional GI. An idea inspired by the High Line, a great example of the successful integration of GI into a city. High Line is a 1.45 mile long elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. Since opening in 2009, the High Line has become an icon of contemporary landscape architecture. The project has spurred real estate development in adjacent neighbourhoods, increasing real-estate values and property prices along the route. As of 2017, the park had seven million visitors annually. The High Line is a public park programmed, maintained, and operated by Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
To summarise, within a city GI can play a large part in delivering climate, social and economic resilience. Climate resilience through storm water management, passive cooling and insulation, waste water purification and soil stabilisation. Social resilience by providing better air quality, increased biodiversity and amenity to provide a more attractive environment to encourage greater mobility in residents promoting health. There is also clear evidence that interaction with quality GI improves mental wellbeing. Economic resilience is delivered through greater recreational opportunities and retail footfall and attracting people to visit and stay in the city. There are however barriers to implementing GI, usually due to potential loss of developable space and concerns over effective design and maintenance costs.
By providing the framework for infrastructure engineers to identify and capture GI benefits more tangibly, the ISCA GI metrics have provided a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration to maximise the value of a development. They are aligned to the world Sustainable Development Goals and by incorporating the functionality of GI put Australian infrastructure projects at the forefront of sustainable thinking.
With these benefits, the future will not only see new developments that include quality GI as standard but should also result in existing developments being retrofitted due to the business benefits from the added value. In addition, this approach could spread throughout the commercial and public sectors, making development and management of land portfolios more resilient and productive without degradation. Australia has the opportunity to use this period of enormous capital expenditure to integrate climate resilience, maximise economic values and secure environmental benefits for future generations.
Cardno NZ’s Technical Director of Infrastructure Strategy Antony Cameron gives a 101 on water supply resilience.
More people, more frequent climate extremes. Modern infrastructure is under pressure to perform, but funding for infrastructure upgrades and renewals is stretched. Water infrastructure is one of many groups completing for funding to meet these challenges, especially in the emerging field of disaster resilience.
Access to sufficient quantities of fresh water is also a key ingredient in preventing major outbreaks of disease following a significant disaster. The Wellington region is not alone in sharing competing infrastructure challenges. Driven by a global need to develop smarter outcomes against the backdrop of financial and time based constraints, Cardno decided to challenge traditional resilience thinking. This led to the development of a low-cost, twelve-month water resilience strategy that has achieved a major step change in levels of service for more than 400,000 residents in the Wellington Region.
Continuous improvement of water services through latter parts of the 20th century has led to both complacency that water will always be available, and complete dependability on emergency services to provide an alternative when it isn’t. This dependability is the Achilles Heel for many communities where few or no alternatives exist to the normal reticulated water supply. Problems are exacerbated in Wellington where water treatment plants are located significant distances from major urban centres. In-between lies hundreds of kilometres of pipeline, susceptible to many natural hazards including landslides, liquefaction, fault rupture and urban debris.
How long should communities be prepared to wait for basic water services?
WWL Ministerial Visit to Truscott Park drilling rig
“The typical approach to water supply resilience in many cities is one of ‘we must be there in the event of a disaster.’ The problem with this approach is people fundamentally dislike being let down, especially when we’re talking critical infrastructure”, says Antony Cameron, Cardno NZ’s Technical Director of Infrastructure Strategy. “We decided to approach things differently. What if we communicated pragmatically? And said ‘we can’t, and won’t be there in the event of a disaster.’”
Cardno turned to the use of leading cellular analytics to understand how people moved in and around the region based on real cellular data. This data helped confirm that the lack of transport across the region would effectively create 17 miniature ‘islands’ until these transport routes were restored. The team further found that people may be walking home for up to four days.
This information was a key to informing the community-centric approach of the Community Infrastructure Resilience Programme. “The data told us we can’t be there, and even if we could the response may be patchy. This was a key foundation in our community-centric approach,” says Antony. “We recognised we needed to empower communities with resilient water services within each island, while also planning for a utility-led response”.
This led to the first phase of resilience work to investigate and establish water sources in each island. Cardno first completed extensive hydrogeological investigations into the regions ground and surface water. We were targeting a service level objective of providing 20 litres of water for every person, every day, within 1,000 metres of every Wellington home. This meant we needed to identify around 22 new water sources each capable of producing water at a rate of roughly 350,000 litres per day.
Once suitable water sources had been identified, Cardno worked with local suppliers to design and build 22 containerised water treatment systems called “Community Water Stations”. Each system is self-contained, sitting in hibernation at the site, awaiting rapid setup following a significant earthquake. Each unit can also be transported around the region to support other areas if it is not required at its own site.
The final piece of the puzzle involved procuring over 400 water bladders for transport and storage of water after an earthquake. These water bladders are normally stored in water stations or around islands, each about the size of a large rolled up sleeping bag. Their small size and light weight make them ideal for emergency applications. The bladders will be accessed after the event and filled with water from reservoirs and water stations, creating an ‘above ground’ mobile water network. They form an integral part of the requirement to provide water within 1,000 metres of every Wellington home.
How does this empower communities?
Normal infrastructure services will cease operation for an extended period of time following a significant earthquake so the community will naturally turn to local alternatives. The combination of assets and integrated emergency planning delivered by Cardno provides communities with the tools and information they need to get by, with or without emergency services.
Together, these communities can access existing water reservoirs as well as work with limited emergency services to open and operate Community Water Stations. This means that each island is able to provide the 20 litres per person of water needed to get through the emergency. The community will also access stored water bladders, unrolling them in vehicles such as trucks or utes, and filling them with water. These vehicles are then used like a water tanker, transporting water to larger stationary water bladders that are set up around each community. Water mobility also means the community can adapt to specific needs; maybe a rest home or medical facility needs water which it would otherwise be unable to access.
Cardno’s innovative approach to resilience challenged the way cities can deliver high-value, low-cost, resilient infrastructure against the backdrop of many emerging infrastructure challenges. No matter the size of the earthquake, and no matter the location, each community within 17 ‘islands’ can access tools and maintain emergency water supplies until network services are restored to homes around the region.
During a resoundingly successful evening of celebration in Sydney last week, the winners of the 2018 IS Awards were announced.
Four of the awards were adjudicated by a panel of five highly esteemed judges, and the Outstanding Achievement awards were based on the projects which achieved the highest IS Score in the previous 12 months.
The event was hosted by Logie-Award winning comedian Dilruk Jayasinha, and catered by Doltone House Hyde Park. To start off the evening, ISCA presented IS Rating certificates to:
Wickham Transport Interchange (As Built, Excellent
The IS Organisational Leadership Award was presented by John Holland. The three finalists for this award were:
CPB Contractors & EIC Activities (CIMIC Group)
Main Roads WA
Sydney Metro
The winner of the 2018 Organisational Leadership award was Main Roads WA. In collecting the award, Leo Coci congratulated his team for their hard-work, perseverance and great achievements this year. This is the second time Main Roads WA have won this award, having previously won it in 2014. Other previous winners include Aurecon, Edge Environment, and Level Crossing Removal Authority.
The IS Individual Leadership Award was presented by Lendlease. The three finalists for this award were:
Jim Appleby (Downer Group)
Rebecca Miller (AECOM)
Trevor Cohen (Downer Group)
The winner of this award was Rebecca Miller. Infrastructure resilience expert Rebecca acknowledged AECOM in the acceptance of her award. In the past 12 months, Rebecca has been pivotal in the development of the resilience category of the ISv2.0 rating scheme, and has worked on Paramatta Light Rail, Sydney Metro and Parkes Water Treatment and Sewage Treatment Plants. Rebecca has been involved with ISCA since the very beginning, and has shown leadership across the sector.
Previous winners of this award include Katrina O’Mara (formally of AECOM), Scott Losee (Losee Consulting), Glenn Hedges (EIC Activities) and Nicole Neal (Cardno).
The IS Emerging Young Leader Award was presented by McConnell Dowell. This was the first time this award has been presented, and celebrates the person aged 30 years or younger best demonstrating leadership in infrastructure sustainability.
The three finalists for this award were:
Duncan Blackburn (Arup)
Sam Donaldson (Laing O’Rourke)
Laura Pritchard (Sydney Metro)
The winner was Laura Pritchard, Sydney Metro’s sustainability officer. In her acceptance speech Laura acknowledged the amazing mentoring from Jo Haggerty and the team at Sydney Metro, and recognised the importance of female leaders as role models and mentors for the next generation.
Laura was nominated for her work in streamlining the application of the ISCA rating tool to Sydney Metro City & Southwest project and because she goes above and beyond in driving innovation including partnership with Social Traders, research into low carbon concrete and research into modern slavery.
The IS Innovation and Impact Award was re-imagined this year, having previously been the IS Impact Award. This award now celebrates the project which has best implemented an innovation. With 13 submissions, this award saw the greatest uptake from the community.
The three finalists for this award were:
Metro Tunnel Early Works (The Energy Foundations Pilot Program)
Level Crossing Removal Authority (Training for the future)
Western Program Alliance (Reuse of PFAS impacted soils)
The winner of this award was the Level Crossing Removal Authority. Training for The Future (TFTF) is an innovative Victorian Government skills and industry development program creating a sustainable and inclusive talent and supply chain pipeline for major rail infrastructure projects in Victoria. Capitalising on the infrastructure boom to maximise impact for prosperity, people and planet, the program was created in response to the impending labour requirements and opportunity for economic inclusion of our most disadvantaged communities.
The IS Outstanding Achievement Award was split in two this year, as demanded by our members. The first of these awards was the Design Award. The three projects which achieved the highest Design score this year were:
Metro Tunnel Early Works
Northwest Rapid Transit: Operations, Trains and Systems
WestConnex – Stage 1b: M4 East
The winner was Metro Tunnel Early Works. The project achieved a Leading IS Design Rating, and demonstrated great sustainable outcomes with a predicted energy reduction of 39%, showed a creative approach to heritage assessment and interpretation, and demonstrated a forward thinking supply chain engagement strategy.
The $324 million Early Works Package for the Metro Tunnel Project is the first major expansion of Melbourne’s underground rail network since the City Loop was constructed 30 years ago.
The Outstanding Achievement Award (As Built) celebrates the completed project which achieved the highest IS Rating score in the past 12 months.
The three projects which achieved the highest As Built score this year were:
Sydney Metro North West: Surface and Viaduct Civils
The winner was Level Crossing Removal Project: Bayswater Alliance. The project achieved a Leading IS As Built Rating. Highlights included a 44% reduction in energy use, a comprehensive approach to climate change risk and adaptation measures and the successful implementation of indigenous heritage through the collaboration of three local groups into a beautiful mural.
The Bayswater level crossing removal project involved the construction of a brand new Bayswater station and the removal of two dangerous and congested level crossings at Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road.
This project won the outstanding achievement award in 2016, with its leading design score. Other previous winners include the Gold Coast Light Rail, Sydney Metro Northwest, and Northlink WA, Southern Section.
A congratulations is in order to all of the 2018 IS winners, finalists, and submissions.
Transport for NSW: Platinum Sponsors for the 2018 IS Conference and Awards
Transport for NSW are platinum sponsors for the 2018 Annual Conference and Awards. We caught up with the team at TfNSW prior to this week’s event:
Why did you decide to partner with ISCA for the Infrastructure Sustainability Conference ‘Accelerating Positive Change for People and Planet’?
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has been a long-time supporter of ISCA. The NSW Government, including TfNSW, provided initial funding to support the development of Version 1.0 of the IS Rating scheme. We’ve continued to support ISCA financially, and numerous employees have provided technical support, to develop version 2.0 of the scheme, in conjunction with other Government and industry partners. Further, with an extensive pipeline of NSW largest infrastructure projects, TfNSW recognises the importance of building infrastructure that conserves our natural resources, is built to adapt and be resilient, while also improving social outcomes. Our close and long-standing partnership with ISCA will help us to achieve our sustainability objectives. By supporting this year’s ISCA conference, we’ll continue our contribution to building valuable industry knowledge and innovation.
Which of this year’s Conference themes/topics are TfNSW most passionate about?
TfNSW is committed to driving industry and sustainability advancements in all themes represented the ISCA conference. Three key themes we’re actively working on are: the road to carbon neutrality; regional investment in infrastructure; and social sustainability and the supply chain.
What are some of the other ways TfNSW is demonstrating sustainability leadership?
At TfNSW, we’re working hard to embed sustainability into the DNA and culture of our organisation. Our long term strategy ‘Future Transport 2056’ identifies sustainability as one of six key outcomes. We’re taking a whole-of-life approach, incorporating sustainability early in the strategic business case, and addressing sustainability by applying IS Ratings to all projects above $50 million. We’re focussed on training our supply chain and staff on sustainability, and committed to demonstrating real and meaningful outcomes.
TfNSW is currently delivering the largest transport infrastructure program Australia has ever seen. There’s a huge opportunity to have a positive impact for people and planet; what are some of the ways you’re achieving this?
At TfNSW, we’re proud to say that we were one of the first to mandate IS Ratings in our projects. Our contractors on Sydney Metro Northwest were tasked with achieving a minimum IS score of 65 (excellent ratings). We believe this set the benchmark within the industry, with many others following in our footsteps by mandating IS Ratings and minimum scores in projects across Australia.
Beyond the IS Rating scheme, TfNSW applies its own Sustainable Design Guidelines as a requirement for projects. So, whether projects pursue an IS Rating or apply our Guidelines, all TfNSW projects have a minimum requirement to apply sustainability approaches. Additionally, we’re working closely with other government agencies to implement social procurement and workforce targets. Along the way, we’re sharing our learnings with each other, and the broader industry, to ensure that we continue to learn and improve.
What role do you see infrastructure playing in how we respond to climate change?
The transport sector is ranked globally as the third highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming. TfNSW is currently delivering the largest transport infrastructure program Australia has ever seen. Therefore, we have a significant role to play in how we design and build and operate those projects. Our first step has been to gain a deep understanding of our climate risk early in the design process for each project. By using the best available scientific data, we can make informed decisions to adapt the design, and therefore operation, of each unique project to ensure that they are resilient for the future. We’re also working with other government agencies to pursue alternative energy as a means of reducing our operational impacts.
What does the industry in Australia need to do to realise the SDGs by 2030?
IS Version 2 embeds the SDGs – so as projects use this rating tool, then industry will work towards the realisation of the SDGs in infrastructure projects in Australia.
How are you currently deploying the IS tool on your projects and what have been the challenges. Learnings and successes?
We’re working closely and collaboratively with ISCA to incorporate the IS Rating scheme across many of our projects. Through this collaboration, we’ve been able to use the IS Rating scheme to identify gaps and opportunities to continuously improve our management systems and practical opportunities. This approach is enabling us to improve sustainability performance on our projects. Some example projects that have applied the IS rating scheme are:
Wynyard Walk,
New Intercity Fleet,
Newcastle Transport Interchange,
3 Light rail projects including – Newcastle Light Rail, CBD South East Light Rail, & Parramatta Light Rail,
Regional Rail,
Transport access projects,
Sydney Metro Northwest and Sydney Metro City and Southwest
Which project are you particularly proud of and why?
All of our projects are making contributions to Sydney’s modern and integrated transport system, which includes trains, buses, light rail and active transport. The project we’re most proud of to date is the Sydney Light Rail. Despite the challenges in construction, once complete, it will showcase our commitment to innovation and sustainability, as well as transform the CBD.
How has using the ISCA framework helped to drive more sustainable outcomes for TfNSW?
Since the launch of Version 1.0 of the scheme, we’ve certainly seen the benchmark for best practice in sustainability lift in all our projects and within the industry. We see the scheme as invaluable in helping us drive sustainability internally and on our projects. Even better, a rating certainly helps us to communicate our achievements to a variety of stakeholders, including our valuable customers.
What’s next for TfNSW?
We’re continuing on our steep learning curve and having to learn quickly in a fast-paced environment. Like many in the industry, we know there are certainly areas for improvement, but we welcome that challenge to drive better outcomes for our organisation, people and the planet. Through our ‘Future Transport 2056’ strategy, we’re committed to embedding sustainability into our organisation and culture and aspire for it to become business as usual.
Liberty: Gold Partners for the IS Annual Conference & Awards
Why did you decide to partner with ISCA for the Infrastructure Sustainability Conference ‘Accelerating Positive Change for People and Planet’ and Awards Dinner?
ISCA’s annual conference is an ideal platform to showcase the sustainability credentials and opportunities for the construction sector and the aligned supply chain. As such it is a natural fit for Liberty and our core value of Sustainability.
ISCA is driving profound positive change in the built environment and the construction sector in general. As approximately 80 per cent of the steel Liberty manufactures is used by the construction industry, the company is on the front line in the delivery of resilient infrastructure that meets recognised sustainability targets. ‘Sustainability’ is one of Liberty’s core values and aligns with ISCA’s core value of ‘Improving the productivity and liveability of industry and communities through sustainability in infrastructure’.
The ISCA framework provides a platform for early engagement and collaboration at all levels of the supply chain which, in turn, provides opportunities to develop and deliver more sustainable outcomes for projects and for steel. Liberty takes a proactive approach to sustainability by striving for continuous improvements in environmental performance and by taking its social responsibilities seriously.
Which of this year’s Conference themes/topics are Liberty most passionate about?
Liberty is passionate about all themes but in particular, collectively, we have a key role to play in:
Resources, Materials & The Circular Economy
Social Sustainability and the Supply Chain
Resilience and Climate Change Risk
The Road to Carbon Neutrality
What are some of the other ways Liberty is demonstrating sustainability leadership?
In Australia and around the world, GFG Alliance, Liberty’s parent entity, supports local communities by investing in local industry. The company’s mission here in Australia is to transform metals manufacturing, engineering and mining by building on local resources, sustainable energy, new technology and enhanced skills.
Liberty Steel also makes it easy for its industry partners to understand the sustainability impact of using steel in construction projects by supplying Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) with its range of hot rolled structural, rail, merchant bar and reinforcing products.
Liberty Steel’s EPDs provide transparent information about the environmental impacts of the company’s steel products throughout their life cycle. Liberty Steel’s construction partners can boost their projects’ sustainability ratings by procuring Liberty Steel’s products and services, and leveraging these EPDs.
Liberty is Australia’s largest manufacturer and supplier of structural and reinforcing steel, boasting over 5,000 Australian employees. There’s a huge opportunity to have a positive impact for people and planet; what are some of the ways you’re achieving this?
Liberty focuses on increasing the use of renewable energy, promoting greater use of recycled materials and operating facilities close to key markets.
The results of that strategy can already be seen with Liberty increasing the proportion of energy from renewable sources it uses in its manufacturing mix, and by investing significantly in renewable energy assets through GFG Alliance company SIMEC ZEN Energy. Earlier this year SIMEC ZEN Energy signed a 15-year power purchase agreement to take most of the output from French renewable energy company NEOEN’s Numurkah Solar Farm in northwest Victoria. The landmark deal will supply sufficient renewable energy to operate the Liberty Steel Laverton steelworks in Victoria.
What role do you see infrastructure playing in how we respond to climate change?
ISCA is driving profound positive change in the built environment and the infrastructure construction sector in particular. As approximately 80 per cent of the steel Liberty manufactures is used by the construction industry, the company is on the front line in the delivery of resilient infrastructure that meets recognised sustainability targets. ‘Sustainability’ is one of Liberty’s core values and aligns with ISCA’s core value of ‘Improving the productivity and liveability of industry and communities through sustainability in infrastructure’.
How has using the ISCA framework helped to drive more sustainable outcomes for Liberty?
The ISCA framework is central to the drive for more sustainable outcomes for steel.
Liberty Steel will continue in its collaboration and communication efforts as it seeks to invest in renewable energy, support local communities, and embed and enhance the company’s core values of Family, Sustainability and Change.
What’s next for Liberty?
SIMEC ZEN Energy – a member of GFG Alliance – has launched its landmark US$1 billion, one‐gigawatt dispatchable renewable energy program in the Upper Spencer Gulf, unveiling details of its first project – the exciting Cultana Solar Farm project.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall, Whyalla Mayor Lyn Breuer, and SIMEC ZEN Energy Chairman Sanjeev Gupta were on hand to launch the first of many renewable energy projects planned for the region by SIMEC ZEN Energy, including cogeneration at GFG’s Liberty Primary Steel operations using waste gas; the world’s largest lithium‐ion battery; and trailblazing pumped hydro projects at GFG’s Middleback Ranges mining operations.
Mr Gupta believes there is a great future for energy‐intensive industries in Australia, with this the first step in GFG leading the country’s industrial transition to more competitive energy.
The project boasts an impressive 600GWh of energy generation per year – enough to power almost 100,000 average homes – drawn from 780,000 solar panels across an area 550 times larger than Adelaide Oval.
Mr Gupta said this project – together with SIMEC ZEN’s second solar project, in development to be built nearby – will make this one of Australia’s largest solar farms, with even larger projects to follow in other states.
“All of these projects will not only improve reliability and greatly reduce the cost of electricity in our own operations, they will also provide competitive sources of power for other industrial and commercial users, while at the same time playing a key role in the market’s transition towards renewables,” he said.
“We have a strong conviction that traditional carbon‐intensive generation sources do not have a long‐term future as the predominant source of power in Australia and globally.”
We caught up with Dilruk Jayasinha, the host of the 2018 IS Gala Awards. The Sri-Lankan born Melbourne based stand-up comedian and Utopia star recently came back from touring Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Edinburgh. Dilruk won the 2018 Outstanding Newcomer Logie Award for his roles in series 3 of ABC’s Utopia and Channel Tens’ CRAM! Inspired by Ricky Gervais’ The Office, Dilruk began his working career as an accountant before taking the plunge into full-time comedy.
What does sustainability mean to you?
Not to throw Sri Lanka under the bus, but there certainly wasn’t a big focus on sustainability growing up – I lived there during the civil war. When I came to Australia as a 19-year-old, recycling was a fairly new concept. I’m a sheep when it comes to changing behaviours – I trust the experts. You guys tell me to use a keep cup, I’ll use one. We’re not using straws now? Cool! Plastic bags, ditched. You keep the rules coming, I’ll keep following them. I guess we take it for granted that someone else is looking out for us.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself; your background, your transition to comedy?
I came from Sri Lanka to Melbourne University to study accountancy, which was pretty tough, but I was quite studious and hardworking.
My first job out of Uni was as a corporate tax consultant. I spent most of my time with my head in Australian tax legislation books, reading small print, and having little human interaction. That’s just not me though, I love people.
In hindsight, it was lucky that they let me go after 6 months. Maybe I wasn’t performing to the optimum level. I was just doing it for the money anyway.
I thought to myself, ‘What would I do if money wasn’t my motivation’, and the answer was simple. Comedy.
I remember my first gig. I was so bad. It was a five-minute set at an open mic night in Melbourne, at a venue with a capacity of 400. Only 20 people turned up in the audience. I pretty much choked on stage. It was embarrassing. However, I really enjoyed the whole process.
After that I just immersed myself fully in stand-up comedy. I knew that I was going to be in this for the long run, I was happy to see success in 15-20 years. I went to the comedy show every night, hung around with the other comedians. It took me a long time. My peers were funnier and were better writers, but I had conviction.
I draw parallels with learning a new language – I was in and around comedians day in day out, so I just eventually learned to speak ‘funny’ better. The gigs went from 5 to 10 mins, to 20, to half an hour and then headlining for an hour. I started to get a name for myself at the comedy festival.
My first TV role was in an ABC Comedy with Sammy J and Randy, I was a recurring minor character.
Two years later I was invited to be on the panel for ‘Have You Been Paying Attention’. That was awesome. It’s great to be on TV and being able to be yourself, not acting. It really grew my following too. HYBPA is produced by Working Dog, who also produce Utopia, so that’s how I made the transition there.
They asked me if I wanted to go on Utopia, and I tried not to squeal when accepting. I’m such a fanboy.
In order to prepare for Utopia, did the cast receive any ‘work experience’ in the infrastructure industry?
Absolutely Zero – All the research about infrastructure and all the gags around it were written by the producers. We may take a lot of the credit, but they’re the real funny guys. They trust us to play the characters that they’ve created.
The humour is driven by the human element. It’s the macro and minor frustrations associated with office life. New office initiatives, difficult people, egos in the hierarchy.
I drew on my years as an accountant, there were always new regulation being introduced. There was one scene where my character was asked to introduce an online tax app and got so bugged down with irrelevant minor details. The over explanation frustrates everyone in the room as well as the audience at home, and that’s Utopia.
What were your highlights from the Utopia series?
As I said, I’m a total fanboy of the show. I first met Kitty Flanagan as Kitty, my colleague on set. But then she went away and got her hair and makeup done, and came back as Rhonda, I got a bit star struck – I’m not watching this from home anymore – I’m starring in this too! Oh god what are my lines? It’s awesome to live in the world you enjoy consuming from afar.
Another distinct memory was of a talent show scene where I played a crap magician. There was a dance group who set off the fire alarm, and we had to evacuate the building and have the fire brigade come. The scene lasted minutes on the screen, but it was such a long, meticulously planned, fantastic day. There were so many people involved, so much planning, and so much effort.
Could you tell us a bit about your Logie award?
The Logie award was linked to Utopia and CRAM! as best new talent – I was genuinely so excited to be nominated. TV Award ceremonies are so far removed from the stand-up world set in grungy pubs. This was national TV at its best, with a room full of stars.
It was nice to be nominated, but I never thought I was going to win. As time got closer to the awards, my betting friends kept telling me that my odds were improving – and then eventually the bookies had me as a favourite. It was at that point that it became apparent that I might actually win. I wasn’t even going to bother writing a speech because I didn’t think it would see the light of day.
It was so nice to win. Lots of people and small associations I’d been involved with in the past rallied behind me – small charities, Sri Lankan social media pages – all posted such kind congratulatory messages. I always thought social media was a place for trolls – it was great to see the outpour of positivity.
My family back home in Sri Lanka somehow managed to live stream the awards. It was a special moment for me and my family. You never know how long any of this will last, so it’s important to enjoy it whilst you have it.
What are your plans for the near future; what’s in the pipeline?
Stand up is my first and number one love, and where I’m focusing my attention. I’m putting together next year’s tour – Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Edinburgh and London.
To be a successful stand-up you need to write lots of material. The creative process is a long one. I did my last show 72 times, and it was slightly different each time. You evolve as you go – you learn which jokes are better received, and how you can slightly tweak the delivery of other material in order to get a better reception. I just try to make sure people will want to come back next year.
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