Engineers Australia has made a public appeal to the newly elected federal government to create a national chief engineer role to ensure the industry “is expertly informed and guided”.
Katherine Richards, who was appointed chief engineer at Engineers Australia earlier this year, has noted a $213 billion infrastructure pipeline through to 2027–28, along with a $22.7 billion Future Made in Australia agenda aimed at stimulating private sector manufacturing investment over the next decade.
“As well as working towards the target of 82 percent renewables on the grid, there is also a $60 billion industry over the next 30-50 years in the decommissioning of the offshore oil and gas infrastructure as it approaches the end of its life,” Richards said.
“These priorities require informed expertise within government, which can provide frank advice on practical implementation, the risks involved, the harnessing of new technologies, and how our national systems interact and rely on each other.”
The peak professional body is also calling on the Albanese government to set a target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates over the next decade, outline a timetable to implement the 11 recommendations of the Pathways to Diversity in STEM review, and consider an industry-informed ‘engineering surge’ plan to address critical workforce challenges in Australia’s engineering skills pipeline.
Engineers Australia welcomes new ministry appointments
While putting forward its requests, Engineers Australia has also welcomed the government’s newly sworn-in Cabinet and Ministry, specifically Tim Ayres on his appointment as Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science, as well as Dr Andrew Charlton MP who now assumes the role of Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy.
The public sector engineering workforce has reportedly shrunk by 40 percent over the last four decades, diminishing its capacity to effectively scope technical tenders and to evaluate the risks of projects, resulting in cost blowouts and inefficiencies.
Reinforcing the need for a national chief engineer role, Engineers Australia chief executive officer Romilly Madew said, “Now is the time to reverse the trend of declining engineering expertise within the public service. If we want to propel productivity growth, access to the best advice is an effective way to ensure national goals can be met or even exceeded.”
Photographs: Sourced from Engineers Australia website
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