Reports

The increasing demands on civil infrastructure due to urbanisation require sustainable and resilient solutions involving collaboration between various stakeholders. Integrating civil infrastructure into public open spaces is crucial for environmental benefits and urban adaptability. Victoria faces substantial population growth, necessitating a focus on public infrastructure to meet the rising demand. Climate change poses serious challenges, leading to extreme weather events and species loss, emphasising the importance of sustainability and resilience in public infrastructure. Public spaces are essential for social interaction and community well-being.

Economies across the planet rely on extracting resources and/or making things from them in order to create value and satisfy many of humanity's needs and desires. This report contains 12 recommendations in relation to applying the circular economy concept to municipal infrastructure.

This paper sets out an argument for local governments in Australia to encourage and foster more innovation for the benefit of their local communities. The paper covers the basic drivers and barriers to innovation in the public service and in the unique context of a local government authority. It also examines how local governments across Canada and the USA have successfully developed innovations using technology and considers what lessons these experiences provide for local governments in Victoria.

To improve long term financial sustainability we need to improve our asset management and we need to give our Councillors the information they need to make strategic decisions which will often be hard to make. The goal of this study tour is to investigate innovative international approaches to engagement with the community and asset management.

Smart maintenance and asset management of key infrastructure

The objective of this study topic is to investigate various Smart City technologies and
initiatives with the aim of assisting Victorian municipalities with the management of key infrastructure through improved methods of maintenance and asset management. Of particular interest is innovative technology, autonomous vehicles and smart sensors within key infrastructure.

Will a computer take my job? As a young professional in the public works field the uncertainty about the impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on my future in the profession and industry led me to ask this question. This report explores how the public works profession is responding to other technological disruptions and drill down on how an Engineer’s role might change with AI.

Developing and retaining skilled professionals who have both technical and leadership capabilities is crucial for ongoing success. This report explores frameworks to guide career development in foundation skills across a broader spectrum of capabilities to better preparing our sector leaders of tomorrow.

The introduction of Advanced Waste processing for the management of municipal solid waste

Advanced Waste Processing for the treatment of Municipal Solid Waste is rapidly gaining momentum in Australia, with many states in various stages of planning, design and construction. This report studies the learnings from such facilities in the USA and Canada.

Engaging with the community has always been a key function of local government, widely regarded as the level of government ‘closest to the people’. This report explores participative engagement processes and what the community need from their local government representatives

The purpose of this report is to focus on the flood mitigation and water quality challenges State and Local Governments face as a direct result of urban development and climate change. The USA and Canada share many of these challenges and both claim to implement world best practice in terms of flood mitigation and water quality treatment.

The objective of this report is to convey the identified benefits of Complete Streets and Placemaking initiatives to understand how to apply these concepts in Victoria as potentially low-cost retrofits. It seeks to exemplify the importance of community engagement and the vital role the local community plays to support and lead the change to implement successful projects.

Local government often experiences problems in integrating policy into capital works planning and delivery. This is generally due to poor communication, unclear policy direction, or department and organisational silos, which reduce the chance of collaboration, sharing of information and working together towards a common goal. This report makes a number of recommendations to further integrate policy into capital works planning and operation.