Presentations
July 4, 2005
Launceston, Tasmania
Speaker: Mr David Anderson, Chief Executive, VicRoads
Note: The following is a transcript of David Anderson's slideshow presented during his address.
» Download the slideshow 
(6.7 MB .PPT)
Austroads: Helping local government
Outline of presentation
- Overview of Austroads
- Austroads and local government
- Specific initiatives for local government
- State road authorities and councils
- Broader issues for local government
Austroads
Austroads purpose
- improve Australian and New Zealand transport related outcomes
- undertake strategic and technical research
- promote improved practice
- facilitate collaboration
- avoid duplication
- promote consistency and uniformity
- provide technical advice to government
What Austroads does
- strategic and technical research
- advice to SCOT and ATC
- coordination of international activities
- production of guides and research reports
Strategic research priorities:
- minimising whole-of-life cost of road assets
- addressing the future freight task
- optimising utilisation of the road network
- enhancing the security and integrity of information
- improving road safety
Austroads role in government
- Austroads provides technical and policy advice and undertakes research for the Australian Transport Council (ATC)International activities
- coordinates international involvement for Australia and New Zealand
- supports the World Road Association
- supports REAAA in Asia/ Pacific
- agreements with:
- AASHTO (USA)
- AAMVA (USA)
- TAC (Canada)
Operational model
- Austroads operates using the staff and other resources of members to undertake or manage its work
- small national office provides coordination and arranges production and distribution of outputs
- Jurisdictional forums
- task forces address strategic priorities
- review panels oversight development of guide series
Collaborative decision making
- Austroads has no directive power over its members
- outputs must be signed off by all members before publishing
- members have agreed to adopt Austroads guides rather than develop their own
Online publications
- over 360 publications
- guides and commentaries
- research reports
- technical reports
- statistical data
Online publications
Online publications
- all publications available as PDF or hardcopy
- all research reports in PDF are free
- staff of member organisations and Australian local government get guides as PDF free
- comprehensive search facility
- feedback facility
- online subscription service available
- users can register for RoadWatch to receive advice on updates
Proposed publications series
- A comprehensive library of guides is to be produced over the next four years
- These will be in nine series covering:
- asset management
- bridge technology
- pavement technology
- project delivery
- project evaluation
- road design
- road safety
- traffic management
- transport planning
Importance of local government
- Local roads are essential for access
- Councils are attuned to community needs
- Councils facilitate consultation on infrastructure proposals
- Councils play key role in land use planning and its links to transport
Austroads and local government
- ALGA is a member and sits on the board
- There is a formal partnership agreement between Austroads, ALGA and IPWEA
- There are local govt representatives on relevant jurisdictional forums
- Specific publications are produced with a major local govt audience
- Research undertaken on local govt issues
- Major New Initiative - Free guides
Partnership agreement
- Agreement between ALGA, IPWEA and Austroads signed in 2003
- Its purpose is to:
- improved linkages between organisations
- provide for local govt input into Austroads strategic planning
- include local govt involvement in Austroads projects
- Regular review and reporting to the parties
Involvement in forums
- Local govt is represented in the following areas:
- Asset management
- Road safety
- Pavement technology
- Project delivery
- Road design
- Traffic management
- Some support is provided to enable reps to participate
Publications for councils
- Many Austroads publications are especially relevant to councils:
- Traffic Engineering practice series
- eg - Local area traffic management
- Road safety engineering tool kit
- Road safety risk manager
- Heritage bridges
Publications website
- All council staff have free access to PDF versions of ALL Austroads material
- The cost to any other user to purchase this access is $990 annually
- Take up has been less than we expected
- More than 400 councils have not used their login
- More promotion is required
- Contact Austroads through the website to obtain access
State road authorities and councils
- Austroads and ALGA operate nationally
- Practical operational links are state based
- All road authorities have links with councils
- Directly
- Through state associations
Broader issues for local government
- Improving performance
- An objective and strategic approach
- Working cooperatively to address regional priorities
Maximising benefits of the partnership with Austroads
- Encourage positive engagement between your council and the state road authority
- Use and give feedback on Austroads publications
- Assist with Austroads research
- Advise state assns of your research needs
- Provide case studies
- Use Austroads training opportunities
- Through ARRB and IPWEA
More information is available from Austroads website: www.austroads.com.au
Thank you
David Anderson, Chief Executive, VicRoads
