1. Public Role and Professional Standing

To achieve increased recognition of the professional and leadership contribution we make to public policy and national wellbeing.

Contributing to public debate on current national issues

• Engineers Australia made 35 submissions to governments and other stakeholders on issues such as national educational goals, infrastructure, trade in engineering services, climate change, innovation, skills shortages, the digital economy and the national broadband network.


• Following the devastating bushfires in February 2009, Victoria Division established a Joint Bushfire Response Task Force with ACEA to assist the Victorian Bushfire Rebuilding Authority with advice and direction pertaining to engineering solutions for the community.


• Engineers Australia has made extensive contact with parliamentarians and public officials throughout the year, with many meetings with Federal, State and Territory government officials.


• The inaugural Engineers Australia Excellence in Journalism award was awarded in Engineering Week 2008. The award is given to a journalist for a body of work that explains a wide range of engineering and science-related issues for a lay audience, and illustrates the ingenuity and originality of Australian engineering practitioners.


• The CEO presented a televised address at the National Press club in Engineering Week 2008. The address highlighted the important role of engineering to the quality of life of all Australians.


• The sixth edition of "The Engineering Profession - a Statistical Overview" was published, as was a set of engineering construction data reports for each State and Territory.


• A Task Force produced a report, and National Council approved a policy statement on manufacturing.


• We have enhanced our professional and industry links through participation in 30 meetings and joint activities with other  associations and peak bodies.


• All public policy documents are available from the website.

Using corporate communication strategies

• Our website grew significantly throughout the calendar year. A major information architecture review was completed for a new release of the corporate website. Use of the website has continued to grow and now includes around 250,000 individual pages viewed per month. Over 500 members register their details to access members only content each month. A new website was launched 1 September 2009.


• In the lead up to the Make it So public awareness campaign it was identified that Engineers Australia needed to ensure its branding was clear and consistent. In September 2008 a new corporate style guide and a guide for developing new business unit material was released. This has resulted in the production and release of in excess of 800 separate items that support Engineers Australia. These include conference displays, membership cards, application forms, college and society brochures, banners, display ads, chartered materials and a host of corporate material supported by an online ordering and inventory system.


• 35 media statements were released from National Office, and we received strong media coverage of issues and activities at National and Division levels.

Supporting professional registration

• The National Engineering Registration Board (NERB) advises Council on public interest aspects of the delivery of engineering services and provides for the accreditation of non-members.


• There was increased engagement in several States on the issue of regulation of the profession:
  
  • Working with our Western Australia Division, the NERB made a principal contribution to a Western Australia Government discussion paper on the regulation of the profession.
  
  
  • The NERB Registrar made a submission to the South Australia Parliamentary Select Committee on private certification promoting professional registration for engineering practitioners.
  
  
  • NSW Department of Primary Industry invited Engineers Australia to offer a scheme to register Mine Mechanical and Mine Electrical Engineers to assist the mine safety regulator with improving mine safety through continuing professional development.
  
  
  • NSW Building Professionals Board advised that its Accreditation Scheme had been revised to continue to recognise NPER after 1 March 2009.
  
  
  • At 30 June, slightly over 9,000 professional engineers, engineering technologists and engineering associates were registered; an increase of about 1% on last year.
  
  
  • Nearly 240 applications for assessment of qualifications and competencies for registration as a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ) were successfully assessed.
  
  
  • The Board of Professional Engineers Queensland (BPEQ) was asked to consider a discussion paper inviting them to resolve an apprehension that civil engineers practising structural engineering may be in breach of the Professional Engineers Act.
  
  
  • The BPEQ has invited Engineers Australia, as an approved assessment entity, to offer a proposal for auditing the continuing competency of non-members on RPEQ.
  
  
  • Tasmania Division was involved with the formation of a Tasmanian Professional Bodies Council.
  
  


• Heritage and Conservation Engineering have been added to the national registers, and two eminent practitioners registered.


• Past President Rolfe Hartley has been elected to serve as Chair of NERB for a two-year term.


• The NERB recommended to Council the establishment of a National Engineering Associates Register with areas of practice in line with the Engineering Colleges.


• The College of Biomedical Engineers made representation to the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council on the need for a professional registration scheme for biomedical engineers.

Promoting the contribution of engineering

• The newly-branded Australian Engineering Week in August 2008 provided a nation-wide expo of the contribution of engineering, with a wide range of events in Divisions, widely promoted through local and national media. Victoria Division conducted an associated Engineering Industry Week with more than 50 events across the State.


• 2009 marks the 90th Anniversary of Engineers Australia, commemorated with a series of events and activities in Divisions which will continue through the year - an initial report is included in the Highlights section.


• Our College Boards, supported by their national panels and committees, continue to rate very highly their awards events to acknowledge the quality of contributions by individuals and groups to engineering practice in their respective disciplines.


• Preparation continued for the launch of Engineers Australia largest public awareness campaign, Make it So, with extensive consultation, research and planning towards the campaign launch in late July 2009.


• Despite the global financial crisis, our Divisions hosted a successful Engineering Excellence Awards program with major awards events across the country culminating in the Australian Engineering Excellence Awards in November 2008.

Maintaining public professional integrity

• In a first for occupational associations in Australia, the professional standards scheme for all States and Territories was approved and is open for membership via the Engineering, Science and Technology Professional Standards Society.


• We appraised our Code of Ethics with external expert advice, for consideration by National Congress in 2009-10 of a possible review and rewrite.


• We commenced the development of an ethics education framework.


• Contribution to Standards Australia technical committees continues to be a highly valued role by the Colleges and Technical Societies with over 250 nominees. 


• Standards Australia presented its new business model to Members at Congress and also via Engineers Australia magazine. Engineers Australia Members have expressed concern about it but also a determination to work constructively with Standards Australia to ensure Australia's capability as a standards developer and leading status in the international standards arena is maintained.


• Australian engineer, Alan Morrison has been elected to become President of the International Standards Organisation.


• Engineers Australia continues as a leading contributor to technical committees of the Australian Buildings Code Board and works closely with them in promulgating advice and training.


• 10 new complaints were processed during 2008-2009, with none proceeding to investigation.

Warren Centre

• Engineers Australia has been contributing to the University of Sydney's Warren Centre project on Professional Performance, Innovation and Risk. The project is seeking to address the distortions on engineering caused by our increasingly risk averse and litigious culture. The core of the project is an excellent protocol for assisting any engineer to establish their professional bearings in the midst of a project.


• Engineers Australia believes this project has the capacity to help put experienced heads on the shoulders of young engineers and we are pleased to be contributing to the project. We are particularly looking forward to developing training programs based on PPIR.

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