The engineering community has welcomed the ACT Government’s promise to appoint a Chief Engineer to oversee the territory’s growing portfolio of infrastructure projects.

The position was a 2016 election commitment from the Labor government, and was called for by industry associations including Engineers Australia, Consult Australia and Professionals Australia.

In a climate where the de-engineering of local government is a growing issue, the creation of the role is a clear nod toward the vital role engineers should play in government. 

In Building Victoria Together, a joint report from IPWEA Vic and Professionals Australia, the authors found that:

“Over the years, the ‘de-engineering’ of local government has escalated, reducing councils’ capacity to be an informed infrastructure procurement decision maker. This decline has a major impact on the cost of infrastructure delivery and the productivity of this infrastructure once it is operational.”

Chief Minister Andrew Barr says the ACT’s first Chief Engineer will not only provide strategic oversight of current and future projects, but also work with engineering bodies to deliver an engineering workforce plan.

 “As our city grows and we continue to deliver major infrastructure projects like our city wide light rail network, we need high level engineering advice to government and an army of world class engineers in the private sector,” Barr says.

"Complementing the beginning of the City Renewal Authority and the Suburban Land Agency on July 1 – as well as the transformative effect of Canberra's light rail network, the city's largest engineering project – the establishment of a Chief Engineer position will ensure Canberra continues to develop as a vibrant, modern city."

The role will fall under the minister for planning and land management's portfolio, and will be filled in the next financial year.

Consult Australia, Professionals Australia and Engineers Australia will be involved in discussions with the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate on the creation of the Chief Engineer role.

“The temptation is to declare the chief engineer role a ‘win for the engineering’,” Consult Australia ACT Manager Kevin Keith says.

“It’s not. It’s a win for the yet-to-arrive students who will be better connected to all that inspires; the soon-to-become entrepreneurs who will move easier through culture-packed, creative centres; the families in yet-to-be-developed suburbs who will love even more the lifestyle that makes our city unique. It’s a win for people and the future of Canberra.”