An interview with Andrew Ryan, Executive Director Infrastructure Services, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Queensland
“Asset management is a fundamental part of Local Government,” said Andrew Ryan. “We often refer to the roads, rates and rubbish functions of councils, but we could almost add assets and services to that in terms of what we’re about and what our communities need.”
Andrew Ryan said that although we have seen some great infrastructure backlog benchmarking studies over the past five years, particularly in New South Wales, it remains a national issue.
“The quantum is still bigger than our capacity to pay,” he said. “The problem is not just something we are experiencing now, but it is something that will continue into the future.
“Funding programs such as the Regional and Local Community Infrastructure Program (RLCIP) are good in their intentions, but they are adding to the backlog burden. They add to the list of assets and infrastructure that we need to maintain without providing additional funding or solutions to do so.
“It is a case of the Government spending in haste and repenting at leisure.
“What we need from all levels of government is a longer term commitment to whole of life costs so that we can continue to look after our assets well into the future.”
Andrew Ryan said that the Roads to Recovery (R2R) program is a much stronger and appropriate funding model.
“This program aims to eliminate/reduce the road backlog by providing funds for maintenance and renewal,” he said.
“There are talks of a similar program being implemented for old bridges. This would be enthusiastically welcomed by all councils, particularly smaller, regional councils that have a large number of older wooden bridges in need of attention.”
Andrew Ryan said that the 2008 amalgamations of a large number of Queensland councils has seen many return to the drawing board, revisiting old ground to align their assets and recreate foundations.
“They now know what they have got, what condition it is in and so forth,” he said.
“The Queensland Government has been proactive in this process, requiring, through its new Local Government Act, that all councils have ten year asset management plans in place.
“This is the first time that Queensland councils have been required to do so by law. It ensures that councils are looking after their assets and it forces them to look at where they are spending their money.”
Andrew Ryan said the Queensland Government has also instigated a series of financial sustainability indicators that councils are required to report on annually. These include asset management expenditure levels, which will provide a basis for ongoing review and focus on effective funding for assets into the future.
He said that his council is going one step further than long term planning, aiming to include sustainability in all its asset management plans.
“We want to assess what each asset’s carbon footprint is in terms of what it is made from, how much of it is recyclable, how is it constructed and so forth,” he said. “Including this in our considerations could take us in a completely different direction than if we were assessing financial aspects alone.”
Andrew Ryan said that collaboration, resource sharing and learning from each other will continue into the future, and tools like the IPWEA’s NAMS.PLUS process and website are key to this.
“There is no need to reinvent the wheel, but you do need support from the executive and councillors,” he said.
“Asset management is first and foremost a corporate function, so while it requires specialist knowledge for its implementation, plans need to be developed in a way that can inform decision makers. They must be clearcut and to the point, and tools like the NAMS.PLUS planning templates can assist in achieving that.”
