Conference Agenda

Ministerial Address

The Hon. Danny Pearson, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Transport Infrastructure, Minister for Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for WorkSafe and the TAC, Member for State District of Essendon

Speed Networking

Introduce yourself, swap business cards, and form new and lasting business connections during a series of one-on-one exchanges with fellow conference delegates. 

Keynote Presentation by Rail Projects Victoria
Metro Tunnel

• With five new underground stations and twin 9 km rail tunnels from Kensington in the west of the city to South Yarra in the southeast, the Metro Tunnel is the biggest upgrade of the Melbourne’s train network and will provide turn up and go rail services that are the hallmark of the world’s greatest cities.
• Latest project updates

Peter Wills, Senior Precinct Manager - Parkville, Metro Tunnel Project, Rail Projects Victoria

Port of Melbourne Major Projects 

• Port of Melbourne is Australia’s largest capital city container and general cargo port, handling more than one third of the nation’s container trade
• Overview of current projects

Sarah Browne, Executive General Manager - Corporate Relations, Port of Melbourne

Inland Rail

• Inland Rail is a 1,600km freight rail line, which has been under construction in Victoria for over 12 months.  It will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and will help Australia keep pace with the increasing freight demands of our growing population.

Ed Walker, Delivery Director Beveridge to Albury, Inland Rail

Infrastructure Digital Twins - The Future of Project Delivery and Asset Performance
The Digital Twin involves clarifying the concept of creating digital replicas of physical entities or processes. The key question is determining the specific and distinctive starting point for developing your individual digital twin. In simpler terms, it’s about understanding and unravelling the complexities of digital twin technology while creating good workflow processes that enable’s automation of data through connected data environments (CDE) on Major Infrastructure project. How and When do you control “single source of truth” data between the Consultants, Contractors and Owner/Operators.

Stewart Smith, Solution Architect, Solutions Engineering, Civil, Bentley Systems

Update on the Suburban Rail Loop

• The Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) will deliver a new 90km rail line circling Melbourne, via Melbourne Airport, and up to 15 new stations in key employment, health, education and retail centres.
• Update on the significant SRL East progress – including construction, procurement and planning.

Lissa van Camp, Executive General Manager, Land, Planning, Environment and Sustainability, Suburban Rail Loop Authority

Victoria’s Big Build and the future of delivering sustainable transport infrastructure

• The operating environment we are delivering major transport infrastructure is changing, which means projects need to adapt to ensure we continue to deliver high quality assets that minimise impacts for future generations.  
• This presentation will explore how Victoria’s $100 billion Big Build is adapting to global challenges like climate change and innovating to deliver more sustainable transport infrastructure by prioritising the use of recycled materials and embedding a culture of innovation.

Dr Scott Taylor, Director, Engineering and Innovation, Major Road Projects Victoria

Building the Next Generation of Trains and Trams for Victoria

• This session will explore the challenges and opportunities associated with building the next generation of trains and trams for Victoria, including the use of new materials and technologies, the integration of smart systems, the need for flexibility and modularity, and the importance of stakeholder engagement.

Loulou Hammad, Customer Director, Alstom

The Value of Data for Public Sector Assets

Discover the transformative power of data in the construction industry with Autodesk’s Brett Casson. Uncover how data can elevate every stage of the built environment lifecycle, from initial planning and design to long-term operation. Learn about the essential role of procurement methodology in managing projects of all scales, a key driver in the efficient management of public sector assets.

Delve into the dual nature of assets, existing both physically and digitally, and explore the importance of standardisation, validation, and delivery of data in unlocking value and delivering assets sustainably. Understand how the appropriate procurement strategy can ensure the seamless execution of any public strategy. Join us for this compelling discussion that promises to redefine your perspective on data's integral role in the construction industry.

Brett Casson, Senior Manager, AEC APAC Market Strategy, Autodesk

Fireside Chat:
Shaping Victoria's Transport for the Future

• Paving the way for a future-ready transport network
• Integrated and sustainable transport system that contributes to an inclusive, prosperous and environmentally responsible state.

Professor Graham Currie FTSE, Chair of Public Transport; Director - Public Transport Research Group, Institute of Transport Studies - Monash University
William McDougall, Independent Transport Planner, Victoria

Drones and Infrastructure, opportunities, benefits and limitations

• In the past 10 years drone technology has evolved from a niche curiosity to an industrial tool. It is now rare to plan and implement a project that does not have some drone-related data capture. From the basic marketing and promotional data, to comprehensive digital representations, this session examines the current application, limitations and future technological developments that will facilitate major infrastructure in Victoria.

James Rennie, Managing Director, AUAV

• At ICN Victoria, we are proud of our 40-year legacy supporting Victorian businesses and fostering sustainable growth in transport infrastructure. This presentation will share insights into how we identify and connect local capabilities,support projects, and facilitate collaboration to build resilient supply chains.

Tariro Makwasha, Customer Strategy and Development Executive Manager, ICN Victoria

Speed Networking

Introduce yourself, swap business cards, and form new and lasting business connections during a series of one-on-one exchanges with fellow conference delegates. 

Getting better value from Melbourne's Bus Network

• How getting more people to use buses can ease congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve access to transport.

Allison Stewart, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Infrastructure Victoria

Making the Right Moves Early: Designing Sustainable Corridors for Time and Cost Efficiency

Will Fooks, National Market Leader - Transport Planning and Advisory, Stantec

Powering Victoria's Electric Transport Future

Ross de Rango, Head of Energy and Infrastructure, Electric Vehicle Council

Using collective wisdom to lift road safety practice across Australia and New Zealand

Austroads, as the collective of Australian and New Zealand transport agencies provides high-quality, practical and impartial advice, information, tools and services to help our members to deliver safe mobility to their customers. Austroads’ Road Safety & Design Program is creating the path to eliminating road trauma by 2050. This presentation will highlight Austroads recent practical contributions to delivering on this ambitious goal through oversight of temporary traffic management and training and accreditation of safety barrier installers, and will share new developments on road safety auditing and road risk assessments.

Michael Nieuwesteeg, Road Safety & Design, Program Manager, Austroads

Victoria's Freight Decarbonisation Strategy

• Working with the ports, freight, and logistics sectors to develop policies, regulations, infrastructure and technology so freight transport can reach zero emissions by 2045

Andrew Newman, Director - Ports, Freight and Intermodal, Freight Victoria - Department of Transport

Michael Kilgariff, Chief Executive Officer, Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia

The Use of EME2 to Increase Sustainability of Roads in Victoria

EME2 was first developed in France and is a high fatigue resistant asphalt with superior deformation resistance and a binder content of approximately 6%. The Western Roads Upgrade (WRU) project has some of the highest volume heavy vehicle roads in the state. While maintaining the strength and deformation resistance, the use of EME2 has reduced the thickness required by 25-40% compared to the conventional SI asphalt. It is also more workable and easier to compact, resulting in less construction time and the reduction of maintenance in the future causing less delays to transport. Due to EME2 being stronger than SI Asphalt, there is a reduction of the pavement thickness and of existing pavement material to landfill. Its increased lift thickness reduces the construction time and lowers the carbon footprint thus creating a more environmentally friendly solution for asphalt pavements. Ventia’s Western Roads Upgrade (WRU) Project team was the first to commercially place EME2 asphalt in Victoria. The initiative by WRU saw the placement of EME2 in two sections of Doherty’s Rd, Laverton North and Duncans Rd, Werribee. This use has continued in 2024 with nine additional roads paved with EME2 totalling 20,500 tonnes of asphalt (17 lane km’s). This has reduced the CO2 emissions by an estimated 28,623 tonnes (47%), 11,000 tonnes (35%) of land fill reduction and the reduction of the use of non-renewable resources by 9,500 tonnes (30%). Throughout Victoria in all the major towns these pavement design and CO2 assessment have been repeated with similar results. EME2 is the sustainable option for our future.

Matt Noonan, Senior Pavement Engineer, Ventia

Panel Discussion:
Sustainable Transport Infrastructure Planning for Victoria: Looking Towards the Future

• Taking a long term and sustainable approach to the state’s infrastructure planning.
• Delivering infrastructure that is flexible, resilient and highly attuned to community needs.

Crystal Legacy, Associate Professor of Urban Planning, The University of Melbourne
Vani Naidoo, Executive Director, Infrastructure Advisory Group

Transport Infrastructure to Support New Housing Developments in Outer Growth Areas

Bronwen Clark, Chief Executive Officer, National Growth Areas Alliance (NGAA)