Connect - 27 August 2021

Wear it Purple Day

Today is the day for a splash of purple as a demonstration of awareness and respect for people from the LGBTIQA+ community.

Launched in 2010, Wear it Purple Day has become a feature of the national calendar, falling on the last Friday in August. Strongly promoted by our own Rainbow Allies Community of Practice as a celebration of diversity in our department and across our community, it also demonstrates taking a stand against bullying, harassment and discrimination: behaviours which are simply unacceptable in our workplace.

Your support is greatly appreciated, whether or not you’re having a purple day. I recommend a visit to the Diversity and Inclusion intranet page for more information on the various Communities of Practice and their respective roles.

Collaborating to save iconic jetty

The heritage listed Port Germein jetty has seen better days with its outer section closed since May following an assessment by the District Council of Mount Remarkable, which is responsible for its use and condition.

Great credit to our Marine Services staff who are on the front foot, assisting the council develop a business case for works that will see the jetty re-opened. This collaboration is greatly appreciated by the council’s CEO, Sam Johnson who said in a recent ABC Radio interview, “… there is the Marine Services Division of DIT … who have been immensely helpful, probably right from when we first raised the matter to now … .”

Lending our skills and expertise to assist local government in developing solutions is a good example of collaboration in action.

5G to support rail safety

Some very exciting news with Nokia setting up a 5G Industrial Incubation Lab at Lot 14 after winning funding from the Federal Government’s $20 million Job Maker Digital Business Initiative.

Nokia will partner with the State Government on three projects, one of which is for the development of rail safety systems via camera and scene analytics using big data made possible by 5G technology.

This places our department at the cutting edge of technology development in this space and I congratulate the Future Mobility and Passenger Transport team in Road and Marine Services and former DIT staff member, John Ruciak who worked with Nokia on the bid.

Our outstanding graduate finalist

Congratulations to Jana Pickering who is a finalist for Outstanding Graduate of the Year to be announced next Tuesday afternoon at the SA Public Sector Graduation Ceremony.

Recently completing the graduates program, legally trained and also with a science degree, Jana is a valued member of the Legislative Services team after excelling in all her graduate program postings across the department.

Shown below being interviewed for the awards ceremony video presentation, Jana gave credit to her mentors, and the graduate program in general, for the breadth of experience provided at the start of what promises to be a rewarding career with DIT.

Fullarton Road travel transformed

It’s really great to see asphalt resurfacing works completed last week on Fullarton Road between Wattle Street and Avenue Road in Fullarton.

This is the fourth and final section of Fullarton Road to be resurfaced over the past 12 months, adding to sections between Glen Osmond Road and Wattle Street, Cross Road and Carrick Hill Drive and Rundle Street and the Britannia Roundabout.

Worth a combined $4.25 million, these packages of works are part of the $58 million Metro Road Stimulus Program. This complements works starting soon on two key intersections, at Cross Road and Glen Osmond Road, which when finished will complete the upgrade of Fullarton Road from end to end.

The team that planned these works is to be congratulated for taking a “joined up” view of how to transform the travel experience on Adelaide’s key arterial routes.

Driving Digital First

The Digital First project is gathering momentum with several elements progressing concurrently. These include continuing enhancement of our new TALENT training delivery system which will soon be consolidated with performance management, a new look IT Help Desk and the upgrading of KNet to enable mobile access.

This work, being driven by the team below, is all aimed at enabling our department to be 100% digital and embrace all the opportunities presented by this technology: flexible, mobile workplaces that enhance our operational and management ability for the benefit of the South Australian community.

Cindy Flower, Nadine Wessel, Andrew Seagram, Jon Poole, Richard Sheridan and Abdul Aziz

Staff spotlight is on …

With a background in child protection and the disability sector, Ben Charles has the tools for his role with SAPTA, developing its Disability and Inclusion Framework to improve public transport access for all groups that may experience challenges. The role also includes liaising with public transport contractors who will be using material Ben develops for their staff inductions.

Starting with SAPTA early this year, Ben is already making a big contribution to the way our customers experience Adelaide Metro services.

Friday Flashback

Today’s Friday Flashback shows pedestrians and cars moving along Rundle Street in the 1920s or 1930s. There is a sign for the Piccadilly Restaurant in the foreground of the photo, with the Myer building visible further down the street.