Welcome to the last edition of Queensland Engineering News for 2023. Engineers Australia would like to thank you for your continued support. We’d like to take the chance now to look back on the achievements of our Queensland Division Committee and members groups in 2023, and their contributions to the engineering profession and community.
2023 has been a busy and productive year for Queensland, with collaboration standing out as a key highlight. Strong relations with Consult Australia, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, Planning Institute Australia, and Stormwater Queensland have led to numerous joint events and activities where we are all working towards a common goal.
We intend to continue building on these relationships and collaborations that demonstrate the importance of cross-discipline and diverse thinking.
Our engagement in being the voice for our profession has also been strong, with submissions to the government related to dams, infrastructure, embodied carbon and water strategy. Members have actively participated in these processes and have expressed the value they gained from involvement.
We are receiving more regular inquiries from members eager to give back and become more active. This underscores the significance of our Future Now program.
Our young engineers demonstrated that we have an exciting pipeline of talent emerging. This year we hosted three sold-out events and collaborations across the state, providing networking and mentoring opportunities.
Our regional groups created local chances to connect and build networks, with the Queensland Division President or committee having a presence at our Regional Forums and end-of-year dinners.
Our highly active local office bearers from our colleges, technical societies and other committees have consistently delivered valuable CPD and engagement opportunities. They are already well into planning for 2024, with new committee members confirmed and ready to go for next year.
Joseph Tam, Queensland Division President said we took pride in raising the profile of Engineers Australia this year and serving as a trusted advisor to the government on various policies.
“Through the establishment of several working groups and collaborations, we have created a framework for member engagement that will persist in facilitating meaningful interactions and support for our members," he said.
As an Engineers Australia member, you have been a crucial part of our efforts to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. The work you do to offer CPD events, elevate the voice and influence of the profession is highly impactful. Engineers Australia would like to express gratitude for your contribution to the progress we've made this year.
This year, we formed several working groups with leads and members from the Division Committee, as well as our volunteers from various groups, focusing on priority areas.
Queensland volunteers participated in a pilot program for policy and advocacy training, aiming to upskill and build capacity for creating impactful change. The feedback from this initiative has been very positive, and we anticipate rolling out more training in 2024.
Engagement with our local volunteer and office-bearer network through our regular Queensland group meetings (representing our 40 active committees) has been strong. We observed direct outcomes of collaborations resulting from this engagement, such as the Energy Leaders series co-delivered by our Electrical College, Sunshine Coast and Sustainable Engineering Society.
Regional forums and end-of-year events have achieved significant success and outstanding participation. We have been very pleased to receive excellent feedback from members who have felt more engaged and have been able to collaborate with other members from different areas of practice on advocacy projects.
The Division Committee has taken the time to gain a deeper understanding of their needs and their work, leading to more members coming forward to help in working on key focus areas that will deliver impact.
Some of our other notable activities include:
- Identifed local leaders and having more members put their hands up through EAXChange and the Future Now project
- Leading the discussion on ethics
- Created platforms to link potential employers and overseas qualified engineers looking for jobs
- Issued Engineering Excellence certificates to 179 high school students
As we conclude 2023, we reflect on our accomplishments, assess our current 2023/24 plan and initiate preparations for 2024/25.
Some of the priority areas drawing attention include the impact of technology, our people/workforce, elevating our profile in the community and ensuring the professional standards and ethics of the Queensland engineering profession.
We are excited to already have dates locked in for 2024 including:
- World Engineering Day – 29 February 2024
- IWD - Thursday 7 March 2024
- Climate Smart Engineering Conference – 20 August 2024
- Excellence Awards (QLD – September /National - November)
Engineers Australia’s holiday shutdown period will run from 2 pm Friday 22 December reopening on Monday 8 January. During this time our office will be closed and there will not be any events held.
We wish you all the best over the holiday period and into 2024.