Connect - 14 May 2021

Road Safety Week

South Australia is hosting the launch of this year’s National Road Safety Week, with leaders in road safety set to attend an event at the Convention Centre on Sunday evening at 6pm, that will be live-streamed around the nation.

National Road Safety Week is a national initiative of State and Federal Governments along with the Safer Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group and other partnering road safety organisations.

Joining the launch will be the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Michael McCormack MP, the Federal Road Safety Minister, Hon Scott Buchholz MP, SA Road Safety Minister, Hon Vincent Tarzia MP and SARAH Group President, Mr Peter Frazer.

South Australian bridges, buildings and icons will light up in yellow to honour the memory of the 1200 lives lost per year on Australian roads over the past decade. We will also have a road safety marquee in Rundle Mall for the week, with displays and giveaways.

Have your say

The I Work for SA survey is an ideal opportunity for you to let us know where you think our Department and the wider South Australian public sector is well managed and where you think improvements can be made.

To date 35% of DIT staff have completed the survey. While this is a great start, we want everyone in our team to have a say in how it feels to work with us now, and what things matter most in making the experience of working with us better.

The survey is only open for two more weeks, so join your colleagues in the video below and use this link to have your say. We will publish the latest agency participation rates next week. If you have not completed the survey yet, please take the time soon and have your say.

Great service accolade

The Road Access unit received a very appreciative email from a Queensland transport company recently, after helping to organise an urgent oversize transport permit.

Mansell Transport Services needed to move a drilling rig from Innamincka to another mine site to enable operations to continue. There was a lot riding on this for the companies involved and the unit’s Shannon Wanganeen and Paul Sarris gave this job top priority to meet the urgency.

Our team applied the “TOFU principle” … taking ownership and following up. They responded with a can-do attitude, applying skills and knowledge to help this company meet its needs safely and legally. Thank you to Shannon and Paul for the positive response in one of those moments that matter to our customers.

Shannon Wanganeen and Paul Sarris with Engineer Graduate, Talissa Craig.

National Volunteers Week

National Volunteers Week is next week, celebrating the contribution six million Australian volunteers make in donating their time to many causes and organisations that simply would not be able to function without them.

They provide vital services at hospitals, charities, support organisations, schools, every level of every sport and let’s not forget our own Rail Care volunteers and the many staff in our department who give their personal time in various ways.

Ten-year Port Adelaide Cycling Club volunteer and holder of every role from secretary to race starter, Senior Assurance Officer Paula Hollamby, even enjoys ‘herding cats’ early Sunday mornings: “It’s the camaraderie around the club and of course the sport itself, juniors to veterans, all having a go and who knows where the next National or World Champion is going to come from. We’ve had a few!”

Congratulations and well done to all of our staff who volunteer. I’m sure your contribution is greatly appreciated by your community.

Paula ‘herding cats’ at the start-line for U10 club cyclocross.

New regional upgrades

The Transport Project Delivery directorate has been very busy with 15 more regional highway upgrade projects moving from planning into delivery in the past fortnight. These road safety upgrades span 400km of roads across the state, with works including road widening, shoulder sealing and pavement rehabilitation.

We already have a significant portfolio of regional projects right across the state, and these add further momentum.

The recent budget announcements included a further road safety stimulus package for 2022-23. Tranche 1 is in delivery, Tranche 2 starts on 1 July 2021, and now we have Tranches 3, 4 and 5 secured. These will give us the opportunity to make hundreds more kilometres of regional roads safer for our community.

Thank you to all of the team represented below, and everyone else in the different areas  of DIT for combining your efforts to do the homework and keep this team very busy!

Project Managers Nicholas Nduzo and Nick Drinkwater flanking Team Leader Rob Lorimer

IDAHOBIT Day

The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia will be marked on Monday 17 May, celebrating LGBTQIA+ people globally and raising awareness for the work still needed to combat discrimination.

Acceptance of differences and understanding that every one of us is unique is what makes us better people and, together, a stronger community. Our department is committed to diversity across the workforce and we trust this important day will be honoured in the best of ways.

Friday Flashback

Today’s Friday Flashback shows a boy leaning on a post and rails fence on the west side of West Terrace in 1877. The view shown is looking south from a point a little south of Currie Street, with the Adelaide Observatory on the right, where Adelaide High School was later built.

SLSA B 9173