Abstract | Ensuring good environmental outcomes from major infrastructure projects by working more effectively with other disciplines across the project development cycle

Government Agencies and their delivery partners have responsibility to design, build and operate major infrastructure in a manner that minimises environmental impacts. They also have responsibility to ensure that the project is constructible, meets its operational objectives, and is adaptive and maintainable within a constrained social and economic framework. Because of this, all major projects follow a project development process starting at inception through planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance.

Traditionally, within this process, environmental input has focussed on environmental assessment and approval at the planning phase and environmental compliance at the construction phase. Often, by these stages of project development the potential to influence project outcomes is limited to small gains with minimal opportunity for major change.

This presentation uses lessons learnt from recent major infrastructure projects in Australia to propose a better model that builds environmental input in collaboration with other disciplines at all project stages. It involves effective and legitimate engagement of environment professionals with transport policy professionals, economists and business case specialists, project development professionals, traffic and transport specialists, communications specialists, cost estimators as well as the traditional civil and construction engineers. It also involves sharing our specialist environmental knowledge with these other disciplines so that the knowledge can become a core part of that disciplines work in their component of the project development cycle.

Bio | Kevin Roberts MEIANZ

Kevin has 30 years of experience in the management of environmental issues across a range of technical disciplines. For the last 3 years Kevin has led the environmental services area in Cardno and has been the environment lead for a number of major projects including Woolgoolga to Ballina detailed design and Albion Park Rail Bypass.

Before joining Cardno, Kevin was the Principal Environment Manager with the WestConnex Delivery Authority and a senior environmental specialist with NSW Roads and Maritime Services. In these roles he was responsible for environmental assessment and providing specialist environmental advice at strategic, development, construction and operational stages of projects including managing environmental incidents and delivery of training packages.

Kevin was previously responsible for managing conservation planning and natural resource management reform teams within the then NSW Departments of Environment and Conservation, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Land and Water Conservation.

Kevin is an accredited Biobanking Assessor under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act and has managed the referral of many infrastructure projects requiring consideration or approval under the EPBC Act.