inc.GST » $6.85 E NGINEERS SA U TRA LIA June 2012 6, No 84 Vol JT~ @ www.engineersaustralia.org.au .. AUSTRALIAS M OST INFLUENTIAL ENGINEERS INSIDE E A ustraLian Construction AcHievement Awaro M Recruitment ® Encineering LeapersHip ConrerEence AM ; J G | (#4) * - Ke [ess afs ‘ 3 ae R 1 - | a sew o ( 1-9 ® c c & ‘ - "‘_ - k v 19h 4 Fe ACP F. przed A h \ al #if |- C . i # jca 3 ht I-. ' 3 sh f 6 A i Emes Y v TH B S A | | sp it.: i PR AA 6 " a 0 E ngineers Australia magazine is 1 ® inviting entries for its 2012 national photo O competition a bout engineering. We are looking for photos t hat encapsulate the essence of engineering in its many facets, for example: +_ t he inspiring and exciting work engineers do +_ engineers in their sometimes exotic work environments + a structure aesthetically blending into the environment <_ engineering gone wrong. The p hotos must have been taken after 1 January 2010. Computer graphics are not eligible. Photo entries can be made by anyone, from individual engineers to company representatives and professional photographers. Australian residents working in Australia or Australians working overseas are eligible and the photo subject is not confined to Australia. The winner will be selected by Engineers Australia magazine and announced at a special function on 9 August during Engineering Week in Sydney. The winning photo, together with a selection of the best entries, will be published in the August issue of Engineers Australia magazine. The d eadline is Friday 29 June. Electronic p hotos can be sent by email to [email protected]. ® 6} Photos on CD/DVD or in print can be sent to Tim Kannegieter, x Engineers M edia, PO Box 588, Crows Nest 1585. Inquiries: (02) 9438 1533 Chance {9 C FROMHE T PRESIDENT | a @ ENGINEERS A USTRALIA Limitso t growth revisited report j ust released by the World struct h ow we value our livelihoods. For Economic Forum (WEF)' has instance GDP is totally inappropriate for strengthened my already strong our future. It does not value life itself. The conviction that we need to seriously failings of GDP were eloquently put by rethink our current reliance on economic Robert Kennedy: growth (GDP) as the indicator of national "(The G DP) counts air pollution and wellbeing. This report shows that econo- cigarette advertising, and ambulances to mists, for the first time, have recognised clear our highways of carnage. It counts that global systems are in decline, and special locks for our doors and the jails they are calling for change. for the people who break them. It counts This is not new information. The no- the destruction of the redwood and the loss tion that we simply cannot continue to of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. grow under our current economic con- It counts napalm and counts nuclear struct on an obviously finite planet was warheads and armored cars for the police first introduced in 1972 with the Club to fight the riots in our cities. It counts David H ood of Rome's publication Limits to Growth. Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the [email protected] That warning was, of course, ignored by economists of the time who won the day by television programs that glorify violence in arguing that our ingenuity (engineers and order to sell toys to our children. Yet the (GDP) does not allow for the health of our We h ave surpassed technology) would always find solutions children, the quality of their education or (eg: new materials, new energy sources, the joy of their play. It does not include earth's natural etc.). While that has been partly true, it the beauty of our poetry or the strength is becoming clear that there are limits, ability to provide and that a major rethink is now needed. of our marriages, the intelligence of our Significant recent studies (CSIRO) public debate or the integrity of our public restorative services. have confirmed that the Limits to Growth officials. It measures neither our wit nor forecasts are "on track". We can expect our courage, neither our wisdom nor our to hit the wall very soon, unless there learning, neither our compassion nor our is a major turnaround in the way we do devotion to our country, it measures eve- things and make stuff. Paul Gilding, in his rything in short, except that which makes book The Great Disruption, illustrates how life worthwhile." climate change and the loss of ecosystems Howo d we value these intangible quali- services will bring on "the end of shop- ties? Interestingly, Australia was men- ping". With our self-imposed desire to tioned at COP 15 in Copenhagen as having consume ever more material goods, we completed some groundbreaking work on have surpassed the earth's natural abil- the valuing of natural and social capital. ity to provide sufficient life support and On returning home I discovered it was restorative services. Dr Ken Henry, then Treasury Secretary, So, how are we to pull through this who had prepared a report on alternatives impending mess? Engineers can take a to GDP for measuring national wellness lead from nature. One place to commence back in 2001. Unfortunately, our current this rethinking is with Natural Capitalism®* accounting rules and standards prohibit (Amory Lovins and Paul Hawken), then innovative measurement of ecosystem ' G lobal Risks 2012 - Seventh Edition, swing across to Janine Benyus and Bio- services and social wellness. World Economic Forum, 2012, Geneva. 2 A Comparison of the Limits to Growth mimicry: Innovation inspired by nature'. What's all this got to do with engineer- With Thirty Years of Reality, Graham Turner, We are changing for the better. It was ing? Well it is our planet too, and we have CSIRO, 2008, Canberra. a great pleasure for me to present the the wherewithal to repair it, but we can't do ° The Great Disruption, Paul Gilding, Newcastle Engineering Excellence Award it alone. We must be agents of change and Bloomsbury, 2011, New York. * Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next to Elemental Energy Technologies Limited mobilise the community through aware- Industrial Revolution, Amory Lovins, Paul for their biomimicry inspired SeaUrchin ness building, rewarding and showcasing Hawken & L Hunter Lovins, Little Brown and tidal turbine power generator on 11 May sustainability, and changing the rules that Company, 1999, London. this year. perpetuate negative outcomes. And, we ° Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, Janine Benyus, HarperCollins, 1997 But we will need more than a change must do this in concert with all other (reissued 2004), New York. in how we design and build to triumph professions and callings at all levels. ° Remarks of Robert F. Kennedy at the over this mess. We will have to recon- University of Kansas, March 18, 1968. ENGINEERS A USTRALIA | JUNE 2012 3 I THE J OURNAL OF ENGINEERS AUSTRALIA COVER S TORY Australia's e ngineering leaders 7[ENGINEERS ® 2 In its ninth year, Engineers Australia's Top 100 Most Influential Engineers reveals engineering leaders in business, government and research. AUSTRALIAS M OST INFLUENTIAL ENGINEERS xinsipe a Cover d esign: Jin Liaskos ALSO... Construction e xcellence recognised 68 Australian C onstructors Association and Engineers Australia celebrated the annual Australian Construction Achievement Award in Perth last month. 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