DPTI Matters - 5 June 2020

A word from the Chief Executive

If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or concerns, please email them to telltony@sa.gov.au.

Aboriginal Peer Support Officers appointed

Congratulations to Jade Wilson and Errol Lovegrove on being appointed our first Aboriginal Peer Support Officers.

The aim of the Aboriginal Peer Support Officer is to provide informal support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues who are experiencing difficulties either in the workplace or in their personal life, through providing a supportive and confidential space to discuss difficult matters, actively promoting mental health and following up and checking in with individuals as agreed.

Officers are not counsellors or mental health professionals but will be appropriately trained and provided with information on relevant internal and external resources.

Improving our regional roads

There’s some great work taking place to deliver safety improvements and community benefits on our regional roads.

Shoulder sealing has been completed on 11km of Carpenter Rocks Road in the South East, which carries an average of 1400 vehicles a day, with 140 heavy vehicles, including logging trucks. The work is anticipated to reduce road crashes by around 40%, with the shoulder sealing providing additional safety margins when vehicles run off the road due to driver fatigue or errors in judgment.

Well done to the teams involved.

A section of road before works compared to a completed section.

Welcoming (back) to DPTI

You may have seen a familiar face around our sites recently. I’m happy to advise that Paul Gelston has returned to DPTI as the department’s Chief Engineer. For many in the department, Paul needs no introduction, as he had an impact over a remarkable 40-year career here.

A welcome also to Susana Fueyo who commenced this week as Executive Director, North-South Corridor Program Delivery Office. She brings to the role more than 20 years' experience in delivering complex programs of work within the infrastructure, government, defence and aviation industries.

Delivering a cultural message by tram

It’s been wonderful to see the Kardi Munaintya (Emu Dreaming) tram running between the city and Glenelg again this week, continuing a practice that began 10 years ago.

The tram is wrapped in Aboriginal artwork and runs each year to honour National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. It was designed as a living work of art by DPTI employee, Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri landscape architect and visual artist Paul Herzich.

This year’s tram wrap is a refreshed design that recognises and celebrates the diversity of Aboriginal cultures in South Australia by acknowledging the main Aboriginal Nations that are located either fully or partly within the state.

Watch the video below to hear from Paul about the importance of this work.

Working with business for best results

The Gawler East Link Road project team has done a great job of working with local businesses to help keep trade flowing during roadworks.

Two shopping centres in the area advised they were rebranding to be more marketable and to entice customers to their centres, and the project got on board to produce Business as Usual signs featuring their new logos.

This important gesture was well received and is a great reflection of our commitment to try to lessen impacts to trade as part of DPTI’s commitment to working with small businesses.

Friday Flashback

With winter starting to make its presence felt, today’s Friday Flashback shows a group of people enjoying snow in the Mount Lofty Ranges in 1919. For the record, it’s only 88 days until spring.

SLSA PRG 280/1/15/419