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MINUTES OF THE TWENTY THIRD COMBINED
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND COUNCIL MEETINGS
Held in the Bellarine Room at the Park Royal Hotel – Melbourne Airport Victoria on Thursday
April 30, 2015
ATTENDING:
Trevor Gosatti
Steve Apeldoorn
Jeff Pace
Chris Frangos
Ben Crosby
Chris Bland
Tori McLennon
Zelda Tupicoff
Tim Thompson
Christopher Malan
Steven Barker
1.
West Australian Councilor and outgoing ASTT Chairman
New Zealand Councilor and incoming ASTT Chairman
Secretary / Treasurer
Victorian Councilor
Queensland Councilor
Monkey Media
Great Southern Press
Great Southern Press
Great Southern Press
Ditch Witch Australia
Ditch Witch Australia
Open Meeting.
Trevor Gosatti, Chairman of the ASTT opened the meeting at 2:00pm and welcomed all in
attendance.
The agenda was reviewed, and those attending were provided with the opportunity to advise of
any items to be included in General Business.
2.
Apologies.
Apologies have been received from Dudley Jensen and Nabil Issa.
3.
Minutes of the previous meeting.
Last year’s 22nd combined Council and Annual General Meeting was held in Brisbane on the 1st
of May to coincide with AWA’s Ozwater event.
The membership was advised through the June 2014 edition of the Trenchless Australasia
magazine that the minutes of that meeting were now available and can be downloaded from the
ASTT website, refer to the following link:
http://www.astt.com.au/trenchless_technology/links/agm_minutes/. To date there has been no
comments or queries received.
The minutes of the previous meeting held in Brisbane dated May 1, 2014 were accepted as a true
and correct record.
Moved by Steven Apeldoorn and seconded by Chris Frangos.
4.
Chairman's Report - By Trevor Gosatti
International Report
The ISTT continues to grow and get stronger and 2014 was another good year for the ISTT.
I refer to Jeff‟s report as our ISTT representative to provide more detail in his report but I
summarize some highlights for the year.
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The ISTT remains strong with 27 Societies.
Derek Choi from HK continues in his role as Chairman of the ISTT.
A successful International No Dig was held in Madrid in October 2014.
The ISTT released a successful photo book on trenchless technology projects.
An upgrade of the ISTT website occurred.
I would also like to recognise Jeff Pace‟s continuing work on the Executive of the ISTT.
Australasian Report
Major items for the 2014 year. The main focus of the year from an ASTT perspective was:
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A successful trenchless technology stream as part of the NZ Water Conference held in
Hamilton, NZ. This stream was well attended and supported. Two trenchless papers were in
the top 6 with one winning best paper.
A review and update of the ASTT constitution. This review has led to :
o modernising improvements in the language of the constitution,
o the introduction of Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) to hopefully engage more members.
o Improvements in the elections of Councilors and executive positions.
Celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Trenchless Australasia magazine. The ASTT is
extremely proud of the success and benefits that this partnership publication with Great
Southern Press has achieved.
Continuing negotiations with the NASTT to bring a version of their Good Practices Courses to
Australia and New Zealand.
Planning for the No-Dig Down Under 2015 event to be held in The Gold Coast in September
2015
at
the
Gold
Coast
Exhibition
and
Convention
Centre.
Notwithstanding that the ASTT had few events in 2014, to allow the industry a period of “cooling
off” after the 2013 No Dig Event in Sydney, the ASTT still reflected a net profit of $17,167.
Membership remained relatively steady during the year. We look forward to the holding of the
Gold Coast conference and exhibition later this year.
This AGM represents my last as ASTT President, having been in the role since 2009, when the
then Chairman, Menno Henneveld, stepped down.
It has been my privilege to serve in that role since that time and I believe that the ASTT has
continued to grow and become more recognized and promoted during this period. For me, some of
the highlights have been:
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The continued growth and success of the Trenchless Australasia magazine that has become
the best trenchless industry publication in the world.
Successful National Conferences and Exhibitions held in
o Melbourne 2009
o Brisbane 2011
o Sydney 2013 (also being the International No Dig event)
Successful No Dig “Live” events held in:
o Coffs Harbour 2010
o Melbourne Showgrounds 2011
The ASTT has been managed very well and is respected highly within Australia and New Zealand
and internationally. We are financially very sound and in a strong position to pursue the Society’s
objectives.
I would like to thank Jeff Pace for his untiring assistance and contribution during my time as
Chair.
I wish the Steve Apeldoorn as the incoming President the best of success and look forward to
continuing to contribute as WA Councilor.
5.
Secretary/Treasurer's Report - By Jeff Pace
5.1
International Update
ISTT Board Meeting
Mr Derek Choi ISTT Chairman opened the ISTT Board meeting on 12 October 2014 at the
Pullman Airport Hotel, Madrid. Present at this meeting were representatives from 22 of the 25
Societies.
Key points to note from this meeting are as follows:
Jari Kaukonen (FiSTT) was elected to the ESC. Jari replaces Gerda Hald (SSTT)
The ISTT realised a nett income for 2013 of £34,903.
Yasin Torun, Chairman of TSITT, invited everyone to the 2015 International No-Dig to be held in
Istanbul on 28-30 September 2014.
The China Society (CSTT) will host the 2016 International in Beijing. Chen Yunxue, CSTT
Secretary, showed a promotional video on the host city.
Gutierrez, CISTT, reported on progress to date in preparation for the 35th International No-Dig in
Medellin, Columbia in 2017.
Kaukonen announced that FiSTT intends to apply to host the 2018 International No-Dig in
Helsinki as does the Southern African Society (SATT).
For 2019, the FSTT and UKSTT societies gave notice of their intent to apply to host the 2019
International No-Dig.
Taigo Matsui from JSTT was awarded ISTT Affiliated Society Lifetime Service Award
1 Master Class and 2 Training Summits were held in 2014 in Pretoria South Africa, Ho Chi Minh
City Vietnam and Soel, Korea. The Summits met ISTT’s objective of advancing trenchless
through education and training in emerging regions of the world. They were very professional,
highly educational and well attended.
3 Training Summits are scheduled for 2015 in Manila the Philippines and Jakarta.
I also provided a summary report on the recently held Sydney Conference to the Board. All that
attended remarked on what a wonderful and well structured event it was attended.
International No-Dig Conferences and Events
The 32nd International No-Dig was held in Madrid, Spain over 13 – 15 October 2014. The IbSTT,
Iberian Society for Trenchless Technology were the host for this event.
Of the 40 odd presentations, 4 were from Australians. These were:
Broadband electro-magnetics for assessment of engineering infrastructure by Martin Roubal, Rock
Solid Group Pty Ltd, Australia
Tunnelling for the Gas Pipeline Industry by YU Teng Fong, GHD Pty Ltd, Australia–
Understanding the role of substrate properties for enhanced adhesion of epoxy liners on concrete
by Rupika Sendanayaka Achchige, The University of Sydney, Australia
Accelerated testing of acid permeation through industrial epoxy a and novolac coatings for
wastewater structures by Mohammad Karim Nazemi, The University of Sydney, Australia
Trenchless Asia was held in June 2014 in Singapore in conjunction with Singapore International
Water Week. It has been agreed by the ESC that the ISTT will not be involved in the next event as
the return was extremely modest and we were not permitted to have our own technical streams.
ISTT/ASTT No-Dig Awards
The 2013 ASTT project of the year award: The Sydney CBD – Bennelong Stormwater Chanel
Rehabilitation, Kembla Watertech was submitted for the ISTT No-Dig Award that was presented
at the Madrid International No-Dig last October as was Coe Drillings Curtis Island Water and
Trade Waste Infrastructure Project, unfortunately neither were successful.
ISTT Website upgrade
Enrico Boi led the discussion on ISTT’s planned upgrade of its website. Boi stated that the site is
over five years old and in need of an update both in its layout, ease of navigation and appearance
(front-end) and its database management (back-end).
He volunteered to work with Kyoko Kondo and John Hemphill on this project.
ISTT Photo Book
As agreed at the last AGM, all Corporate members listed as at June 30, 2014 were sent a
complimentary copy of the ISTT’s Photo Book as appreciation for their Corporate membership
and as a membership benefit.
The ISTT Photo Book is titled The Wonders of Trenchless Technologies, A Pictorial and it
presents trenchless projects at work. The book shows over 100 colourful and fascinating photos
from throughout the world illustrate the global reach of trenchless
ISTT Glossary of Terms
The ESC wishes to enhance the educational value of the ISTT website by adding definitions of
key trenchless terms in languages other than English. The ISTT has a Glossary in English that
covers approximately 200 trenchless and trenchless related terms and would like to add definitions
in languages other than English to only the 50 or so key trenchless terms used in the Guidelines
for starters. ESC member Stanislav Lovecky has volunteered to lead this.
New Zealand Events Update
The ASTT in conjunction with WaterNZ held its Water New Zealand's Annual Conference &
Expo 2014 over 17-19 September 2014 at Claudelands in Hamilton. I thought that this event was
well patronised and was assured by the outgoing CEO Murray Gibb that WaterNZ would continue
to allow for an ASTT stream every second year. Steve Apeldoorn is to be congratulated for his coordination work on this event.
5.2
Financial Report
Jeff Pace referred to the Audit Report that was tabled outlining the financial status of the Society.
Councillors were provided a copy of this report in January 2015.
Despite the economic downturn nationally, the ASTT in 2014 still managed to reflect a nett profit
of 17,167.35 compared to the profit in 2013 of $116,504. This dramatic decrease is because the
ASTT did not hold a conference in 2014. In 2013 Sydney International No-Dig’s profit was some
$91,881
This year it is expected that the ASTT will be back in the black following the Gold Coast National
Conference and Exhibition.
The 2014 Audit Reports was accepted as tabled.
Moved by Chris Frangos and seconded by Steven Apeldoorn.
Also tabled for noting only is the budget for 2015 as requested by Council.
It should be noted that there are several estimates contained in this budget.
5.3
Membership
On 30 November 2014, some 196 membership renewal Tax Invoices were posted out to the
members. By the end on 2014, 82 of the 196 had paid their fees, 7 resignations were received and
there were 5 changes of address’s made due to member relocation.
Also at the end of 2014, membership numbers totalled (Corporate and Individual) 196 compared
to 198 in 2013 Of the 196 members that the ASTT has, 158 are from Australia and 37 are from
New Zealand and 1 is from Sri Lanka. Despite the continuing economic slowdown, membership
numbers are still fairly good although have declined a little.
It should be noted that on July 1 of last year, the ASTT undertook a special membership drive
offerring prospective members a 50% reduction on their fees for the remaining 6 months of this
year. This resulted in us attracting 6 new Corporate and 4 Individual Members.
A similar membership drive may be undertaken around July this year.
The table under reflects membership numbers over the last 10 years.
ASTT Membership
120
AUS - CORP
AUS - ORD
100
NZ - CORP
NZ - ORD
Number
80
60
40
20
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009 2010
Year
2011
2012
2013
2014
April 2015 Comment
This year is no different to past years with regards to chasing membership payments. In early
March some 34 reminder notices were sent to those unfinancial members which resulted in a few
resignations being received and several payments being made.
A follow up by Councillors was also initiated in mid March to track down the remaining 23
unfinancial members. This resulted in some members paying up.
Final Notices were posted to the final remaining 19 members that were still unfinancial as at 16
April.2014. The end date for these Final Notices is set at 12 May 2015.
As has been stated in the past, members probably do not realise that payment of the Affiliation Fee
to ISTT is directly related to the number of members (financial or otherwise) that the Society has
on its books as at March 1 of each year. Therefore the Society carries the risk of paying for
members that may end up cancelling their membership after March 1.
Members are also reminded that if they shift addresses, to forward their new address and contact
details to me. This also applies to e-mail addresses. This info will then immediately be passed onto
the ISTT.
5.4
Internet
The ASTT’s homepage traffic continues to be monitored on a monthly basis. For 2014 we
averaged 350 hits per month compared to 404 hits per month in 2013. The downturn is most due
to there not being a National Conference in 2014. The web stats for 2015 should show an increase
average with our Gold Coast national Conference being held later on this year.
ASTT - WEB STATISTICS
6000
ASTT WEBSITE
MONTHLY AVERAGE
NUCA-TAG WEB STATS
5000
MONTHLY AVERAGE
NUMBER OF HITS
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2008
5.5
2009
2010
2011
YEAR
2012
2013
2014
Member Directory
All members are requested to visit the Member Directory area of the ASTT website and confirm
that the information stated is still accurate. This link can be found by going to Membership icon.
5.6
Trenchless Australasia
10th Anniversary for Trenchless Australasia Magazine
Congratulations go out to all the staff, past and present of Great Southern Press for achieving a 10
year anniversary for the wonderful Trenchless Australasia Magazine. This magazine is now
recognised as the best trenchless magazine anywhere, well done and keep up the magnificant
work.
In September 2004, the Trenchless Australasia magazine was introduced to our members. By the
end of 2014, Great Southern Press has produced 41 magazines and 7 Trenchless Directories. This
arrangement continues to be a success story for the ASTT and I am confident that it will continue
to realise a benefit to all involved in the trenchless industry.
5.7
ASTT Database Upgrade
The ASTT’s database was developed in 1995 and is now well and truly out of date. There have
been several instances where the database has broken down in the past resulting in excessive time
being spent on its rebuild. It is now proposed to update this database so that it could be a “cloud
based” system that will
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Generate letters and membership form invoices
Be able to handle standard amounts and custom amounts
Deal with AUD and NZ currency amounts
Automated email communications
Provide for online data entry and updates for members, straight into system
Provide for online payments
An indicative amount of $7000 has been set aside in this year’s budget for this activity.
6.
Councillor's Reports
6.1
Western Australia - By Trevor Gosatti
The Western Australian trenchless technology sector was steady and “back to normal levels”
mainly due to the completion of the construction phases within the resources sector highs that had
occurred in previous years.
The Water Corporation of WA continued its programs, which affected works that allow for
trenchless technology. The Infill Sewerage program projects reduced in 2014 in comparison to
2013 due to budgetary constraints, and this affected many micro-tunneling lines that would
normally be completed as part of those works.
The Water Corporation continued its sewer rehabilitation program for a panel of relining
contractors. In March 2014, the Minister for Water announced that more than $1 million per
month had been spent on wastewater relining over the previous 20 months, in Perth. The
investment was part of a $60 million programme to reline 20km of wastewater pipes between July
2012 and 2016. Since this programme had started almost $25 million had been spent on five
projects. Other projects to be completed in 2014 were in Inglewood, Midland and Collie.
Western Power, the state power utility, has continued its significant underground power program,
which has been in place for over a decade now. This is a program that converts areas of overhead
power wires and poles to underground power. About 98% of these works are done by directional
drilling which minimizes the impacts on residents and businesses of the areas. Approx. $40
million per year is contributed towards works on the program and Western Power and the State
and Local governments share these costs. This represents in excess of 5,000 properties converted
per year under this program inclusive of 2013. In March 2014, the last of the Round 4 projects
were completed and works continue to be done on the Round 5 projects which will go well into
2015.
The use of CIPP to rehabilitate pipes in several of Perth’s local government councils who are
rehabilitating drainage pipes reduced steady during the year in comparison with previous years. In
addition the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder completed works in an ongoing annual program of sewer
rehabilitation.
The use of directional drilling for the installation of communications was steady throughout the
year, in a very competitive market with many smaller contractors. Works attached to the NBN
planned works in WA was slow and involved less trenchless works than first thought due to
procurement policy issues attached to the rollout of this program. Mainly new residential areas
(greenfields) have been done to date with works expected to increase to existing areas in 2015.
In 2014, a significant issue for the Utility Providers Service Committee (UPSC) in WA was
recognized. In recent times the potential and actual damages to assets by operators of horizontal
directional drilling (HDD) equipment has increased significantly. A sub-committee was formed
and representatives from each of the member bodies were included. The ASTT was invited to
attend these meetings to represent HDD and trenchless industry views. The UPSC subcommittee
has recommended to the UPSC that this standard (or similar) should be applied to all works
incorporating HDD or trenchless activities. In addition the competency in the identifying and
locating of underground assets was agreed to be a mandatory skill to be completed prior to all
works. It is likely that the member utilities involved will commence applying these standards to
new and existing contracts in the near future for Western Australian projects.
In March 2014, construction company Seymour Whyte announced plans to purchase WA
specialist tunnelling and micro-tunnelling operator, Rob Carr Pty. Ltd. in a transaction that
demonstrated the value of quality trenchless technology operators. The transaction reflects the
success of a private trenchless operator grown from much smaller beginnings.
Trenchless works in 2015 are again expected to remain similar in comparison to 2014.
6.2
New South Wales - – No Report
6.3
South Australia - – Report added 9 May, 2015
Trenchless Technology in South Australia has maintained a modest but consistent pace throughout
2014/2015, with the prospect of growth in response to planned future investment in state
infrastructure.
It is expected that the adoption of trenchless technology will continue to grow as asset owner’s
awareness of the technology grows and its usage is mandated across the full spectrum of
construction works. The increasing demand we have seen for Vacuum Excavation equipment
evidences this trend towards the mandating of non-destructive digging technology.
Activity seen in our HDD sector has been steady, but by no means intense, with a steady flow of
work available to select contractors across projects including the National Broadband Network
and North South Corridor.
The SA Major Projects Conference 2015 will be held on the 12-13 August 2015 at the Adelaide
Convention Centre, Infrastructure conference, which should provide insight into potential
trenchless projects in the region.
SA Water’s Water Loss Management projects
SA Water is responsible for 26,889 kms of mains pipes, and Adelaide’s reactive soils contribute to
incidences of water loss as soil movement and subsidence pulls pipe joints apart or cracks pipes. It
is claimed that each year, water volume losses from pipe bursts in SA exceed the potential
production of the completed but unused Desalination plant. SA Water has 25-year plans for main
replacements using models based on asset lives and historical burst history.
These plans and the resulting projects are anticipated to be a significant driver of trenchless
projects in urban and regional areas of South Australia.
North South Corridor - North-South Corridor Darlington Upgrade
This is a joint State and Commonwealth Government funded program that provides $620 million
over five years for the North-South corridor Darlington upgrade.
North-South Motorway (South Road Superway)
The State Government has committed $432 million over five years, which will be matched by
Australian Government funding, to build the North-South Motorway.
The North-South Motorway will create a non-stop link from Regency Road to the Port River
Expressway. The motorway will address delays to traffic and deliver substantial improvements for
freight movement.
Torrens Road to River Torrens
A 3.7km upgrade of South Road between Torrens Road and the River Torrens will address delays
currently caused by Port and Grange Roads and the Outer Harbor rail line and improve safety
along the narrow section between Torrens Road and Port Road.
It will include a new lowered road under Port and Grange roads, allowing the local community,
commuters and freight to quickly pass through the area.
National Broadband Network (NBN)
The National Broadband Network is progressing steadily with builds commenced around the
Adelaide region and continued activity expected as premises are added to the roll-out schedule and
sites progress to build phase.
6.4
Tasmania – No Report
6.5
Victoria – By Chris Frangos
Overview
Trenchless Technology in Victoria continued to grow steadily despite some setbacks during
2014/2015.
Infrastructure projects of all sizes have continued to support trenchless technologies across all
sectors.
Due to a change of Government in 2014, infrastructure delivery has slowed considerably with
only $1.3B having been invested directly by the Government in the six months to December,
2014. The new Government cancelled contracts for the controversial East – West Link and is
developing its infrastructure investment plans. Projects include rail crossing works and a new
metro rail link including a major tunnel.
It is expected that growth in trenchless solutions will continue as a necessary part of all capital
works programs to ensure sustainable solutions to aging infrastructure continue to provide value to
Victorians.
Membership
Membership in Victoria has remained strong during 2014 despite the lack of events.
Very few requests for information or assistance were received from the membership / industry
with respect to general trenchless issues.
Promotion of Trenchless Technology
In relative terms 2014 has been a quiet year after the success of the ISTT conference and
exhibition in Sydney during 2013.
Significant work has been undertaken by GSP and the ASTT to ensure the 2015 No Dig Down
Under will be bigger and better than previous events. The Gold Coast program is shaping up to be
a compelling draw card for trenchless practitioners and new entrants alike. Combined with the
launch of the ASTT’s training courses, I’m confident that this event will be successful.
ASTT Changes
Many hours of brainstorming, discussion, debate and deliberation have resulted in a number of
exciting initiatives from the ASTT. The by-laws and rules subcommittee has reviewed the ASTT
constitution and suggested potential improvements that will benefit all members and position the
ASTT for the future.
The introduction of Special Interest Groups will further engage the membership and facilitate the
identification of future initiatives for implementation by the ASTT.
At the time of writing this overview, the office bearers of the ASTT for 2015/16 have been
decided. I would like to welcome the incoming President, Steven Apeldoorn. I look forward to
working closely with Steven over the coming years.
The outgoing President of the ASTT, Trevor Gosatti has served the ASTT tirelessly over his
tenure and has overseen the significant growth of the society whilst maintaining stability and
strong foundations for future growth. Thank you Trevor.
Water Industry Overview
The Victorian water industry in 2014 has continued the implementation of their Water Plans with
the emphasis on efficiency of investment being the focus. Many authorities have implemented
new delivery models and productivity improvements.
A period of retendering term contracts by some authorities has been followed by continued growth
in renewal of both water and sewer assets with key trenchless projects being highlighted by
individual authorities across the state.
New high profile projects in the rail and road sectors are planned that will continue to see the
commencement of new tunneling projects and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure in close
proximity.
Smaller scale trenchless projects are also expected as part of the current program of infrastructure
investment.
Challenges for 2015 / 16
The key objective of 2015 will be another successful No Dig Downunder in September
incorporating the launch of the ASTT’s training courses a major milestone.
Furthermore, the introduction of a new ASTT President and Special Interest Groups will engage
the membership to create a more dynamic ASTT. Overall, an exciting year ahead.
6.6
Queensland – by Ben Crosby
Queensland Trenchless Industry Update
The past year saw a healthy start in the trenchless industry in Queensland with five major
infrastructure projects continuing: Gold Coast Rapid Transit, three sets of LNG Wells, Pipelines
and Plants and LegacyWay. These projects have required significant support from our industry in
the form of service relocations and new installations to facilitate the works. These projects
continued strongly throughout the year, however, they have significantly slowed during the last
quarter.
Trenchless work continued in the water industry throughout the year and provided continuity of
work for our industry. Work has been planned and commenced by the following larger Councils
and Water Authorities: Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU), Unitywater, Townsville City Council,
Bundaberg Regional Council, Cairns Regional Council and Seqwater. This planned and
commenced work triggers trenchless technology in the form of relining, inspection, maintenance,
augmentation and new infrastructure where open excavation has been ruled out due to site
constraints and method feasibility. QUU and Unitywater held their annual Industry Briefing and it
was well attended by contractors, consultants and suppliers. The briefing discussed their Capital
Investment Plan for the next fiscal year and forecasted activity across the next five years. This is a
good initiative by QUU and Unitywater, offering mutual benefit to themselves and companies
offering services and supplies. This initiative is encouraged by the ASTT and we would suggest
other organisations with large Capital Investment Plans adopt a similar approach for mutual
benefit.
The NBN continues to be rolled out nationally with many facilities and infrastructure being
implemented both in green and brown field situations. This governmental initiative is providing a
vast amount of work to the trenchless industry and especially the new, small diameter HDD game.
Contractors and subcontractors often find it hard to participate in the construction of this
infrastructure due to the adopted procurement model, however, it is hoped that this will improve in
the near future.
Membership
In July 2014 the Australasian Society of Trenchless Technology (ASTT) promoted membership to
encourage individuals and corporate entities to join. The membership promotion reduced
membership fees over the second half of the calendar year (2014). In Queensland this initiative
didn’t really seem to be taken advantage of. The ASTT membership in QLD started the year at 32
individuals and corporate members and finished the year at 33. I believe we should implement
another initiative to attract membership.
Queensland Trenchless Networking and Presentation Nights
This past year has seen the commencement of the QLD Chapter ASTT’s Presentation and
Networking Nights. The first one held on the 10th of December was well attended by a good
cross section of contractors, clients, designers / consultants, suppliers and service providers. The
forum saw some informative presentations on Trenchless Risk (by Bamser) and the Verification of
Competency (by Trenchless Advisor) that our HDD industry and the NBN is embracing.
The next ASTT Presentation and Networking Night was held on the 25th of February where
Vermeer’s HDD Software and Iplex’s trenchless pipe was discussed. These are working well and
the QLD members are embracing the nights with 20 – 25 attendees each time. Our next one is to
be held on the 20th of May 2015. I appreciate the continual support ASTT sponsorship on these
events as it makes the nights more affordable to our members.
QLD Trenchless Road Show
I found some time in November 2014 and I conducted a Queensland road show discussing
trenchless applications. I was accompanied by Andy Holman from Global Pipe to keep me
company and awake behind the wheel over the 1900kms. We presented information on trenchless
techniques, contractual strategies, trenchless pipe, trenchless risk and discussed GRE and GRP
pipe. We visited the following ten Councils and Water Authorities up the East Coast of
Queensland: Unitywater, Fraser Coast Regional Council, Wide Bay Water, Bundaberg Regional
Council, Gladstone Regional Council, Gladstone Area Water Board, Rockhampton Regional
Council, Fitzroy Water, McKay Regional Council and Cairns Regional Council. The
presentations went well and the general feedback and appreciation of the Water Authorities and
Councils was very positive. From my perspective the presentations were well attended and the
level of trenchless awareness and knowledge is good. In the presentations we touched on the
following topical items relevant to our industry: the ASTT its purpose / role, the upcoming No Dig
Conference 2015 and where to go when trenchless information and guidance is needed.
NASTT’s No Dig Denver 2015 and Attendance at the NASTT’s HDD Good Practices Course
In March 2015 I attended the NASTT’s No Dig 2015 conference in Denver where I attended the
NASTT’s HDD Good Practices Course. This was beneficial as we as the ASTT plan to roll out
three of the NASTT’s courses for the trenchless industry in Australia and New Zealand. I
attended this course as I have volunteered to deliver this course as the trainer. The course was
excellent and will be well received in Australia. There is a lot of content that is delivered in the
time and I might suggest that we consider extending the course time out by an hour or two. There
is not too much work to be adjusted in the course content to make it specific to the Australian and
New Zealand markets.
6.7
Northern Territory – no report
6.8
New Zealand - By Steve Apeldoorn
2014/2015 has seen a continued buoyant but very competitive trenchless market within New
Zealand. This has been supported by the on-going Canterbury earthquake rebuild, the continuing
broadband roll out, and a sustained capital works programs from the Local Network Operators.
The following outlines some of the trenchless initiatives that have occurred within the last 12
months:

WaterNZ Conference - ASTT Technical Paper Stream: In September we had a very successful
ASTT technical paper stream as part of the WaterNZ conference in Hamilton. The bi-annual
ASTT stream provides a great the opportunity for people inside and outside of the Trenchless
Industry to engage and learn about the technology, and each time this stream has been a
popular part of the conference programme.
The ‘icing on the cake’ was that both the winner of the conference paper of the year award,
and the runner-up, were both ASTT members and technical papers from the ASTT Stream.
These were: John Monro winning the Hynds Paper of the Year Award for his excellent paper,
“Design of liners for deteriorated sewers – Latest Research to make it more efficient” and also
Philip McFarlane for 2nd Place with his paper “Is that liner thick enough”. These authors, and
all of the other 13 authors and presenters made the ASTT technical paper stream a success. I
very much look forward to the next ASTT stream at the WaterNZ conference in 2016.

The New Zealand Trenchless Technology Forums. For past seven years, these forums have
continued to provide great opportunities for Asset Owners, Consultants, Contractors and
material suppliers to network while learning about trenchless technology and how these
advancing and innovative technologies are being used throughout New Zealand. Attendance
and participation at these events has continued to be excellent with up to 75 delegates
attending and presenting at these events with a good diversity of players from across the
industry from within New Zealand and internationally. In August and March we held the first
2 forums in Christchurch. The intention is to bring these forums to the main centres, in
addition to the existing regular Auckland events, as often as possible. In addition to the
Christchurch forums, 3 other forums were held in Auckland.
 Ultra-fast Broadband Roll Out: Installation of fiber has continued through the country, and a
number of HDD contractors are involved in this work.
 Canterbury Earthquake Recovery: The CCTV investigations of the drainage networks has
been completed, and the rebuilding of the utilities is well under way. Pipe Bursting, HDD
and structural lining are all methods being utilised in the rebuild. The rebuild work is
scheduled for completion by December 2016.
The following is a brief update of the trenchless technologies:
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Horizontal Directional Drilling: HDD has had an ongoing roll as part of the broad band
roll out. Companies have continued to stretch the boundaries of bigger and longer shots –
this year the new longest single drill shot was completed in Auckland for a 560 OD
wastewater pipeline 1.05km long.
Pipeline Rehabilitation (lining): This has continued to be a very competitive market.
Canterbury earthquake rebuild continues to provide a significant portion of the market. As
previously reported, there is an increasing use of fiber reinforced liners for large diameter
pipelines.
Tunneling: Auckland Central wastewater interceptor tunnel has entered the detailed design
stage, with construction scheduled to commence in 2017. The Central Interceptor is a new
wastewater tunnel proposed to run between Western Springs and the Mangere wastewater
treatment plant (WWTP). The tunnel will be approximately 13 kilometers in length and
will lie between 22m and 110m below the surface. It will cross the Manukau Harbour at a
depth of approximately 30m below the seabed. Along the proposed route it will connect to
the existing trunk sewer network to divert flows and overflows into the tunnel. The
estimated construction cost is $950 million.
Construction of the twin 14m diameter road tunnels, as part of the $1.4 billion Waterview
connection transport project, has continued with the completion of the first of the tunnel,
completed in November 2014. The ‘Alice’ TBM has now turned, and is commencing
south, constructing the second tunnel. Alice is the 10th largest TBM of her kind to be built.
Health & Safety is an issue that is on the agenda for all companies in the year ahead, with the
expected new Health and Safety legislation before parliament and expect enactment later this year.
The revised legislation will bring the H & S requirements more in line with the existing Australian
legislation and will significantly impact on the roles and accountability of company Directors for
Health & Safety in carrying out projects. Over the last year, there have also been amendments to
the Tunnelling and Mining Acts, following the 2012 Report from the Royal Commission on the
Pike River Coal Mine tragedy. For the trenchless sector, this has particularly affected the
definition of what is a tunnel, and the subsequent increased health & Safety Management
requirements of some trenchless operations, such as micro-tunnelling, that were previously not
considered as mines or tunnels. Until recently how these changes affected the Trenchless
operations has not been well understood, and this is partly due to lack of clear guidelines on this
matter. To help provide some guidance for the industry, the High Hazards unit of WorkSafe NZ
came to the Christchurch and Auckland Trenchless Technology Forums, in March, to discuss the
new regimes, in addition to the article in the November edition of Trenchless Australasia.
7.
2015 Council Structure
The ASTT Council structure for 2014/2015 was as follows:
Western Australia
Trevor Gosatti
Tasmania
Vacant
Queensland
Ben Crosby
New Zealand
Steve Apeldoorn
New South Wales
Nabil Issa
Victoria
Chris Frangos
South Australia
Chris Neate
Northern Territory
Peter Lockett
In July 2014, Chris Neate submitted his resignation as SA Councilor. As a result of this early
change, SA members were invited to nominate a replacement Councilor with Dudley Jensen being
nominated. Dudley Jensen was then appointed to the position of South Australian Interim
Councilor.
For 2015, in accordance with the Constitution, a call for nominations for election to council was emailed to all members on February 23, 2015 with the closing date set at March 18, 2015.
The 2015/2016 ASTT Council is now
Western Australia
Trevor Gosatti
Tasmania
Vacant
Queensland
Ben Crosby
New Zealand
Steve Apeldoorn
New South Wales
Nabil Issa
Victoria
Chris Frangos
South Australia
Dudley Jensen
Northern Territory
Vacant
7.1
Election of Federal President.
Trevor Gosatti Past Chairperson vacated the chair to the Secretary in accordance with the
Constitution.
Jeff Pace reported that on March 19, 2015 Councillors were invited to submit nominations for the
roles of President in accordance with the ASTT Constitutions amended Clause 7d.
Only one nomination was received for the position of President and that was from Steven
Apeldoorn, the NZ Councillor. As there were no other nominations received, Steve Apeldoorn is
appointed to the role of ASTT President for the next 12 months.
7.2.
Election of Vice President.
Jeff Pace reported that on March 19, 2015 Councillors were invited to submit nominations for the
roles of Vice President in accordance with the ASTT Constitutions amended Clause 7d
Two nominations were received for the position of Vice President and these were from Nabil Issa
the NSW Councillor and Chris Frangos the Vic Councillor. All Councillors were requested to vote
on these nominations. The successful applicant for the role of Vice President goes to Chris
Frangos from Victoria.
7.3
Appointment of Secretary Treasurer.
Also in accordance with amended Clause 7d of the Constitution, only one nomination was
received for the role of ASTT Secretary Treasurer and this was from Jeff Pace the current ASTT
Secretary/Treasurer. As there were no other expressions of interest received from Councillors for
the role of ASTT Treasurer, Jeff Pace will continue to be the Society's Secretary.
7.4
Appointment of Treasurer
As per item 7.3 above.
7.5
ASTT International Representative to ISTT Board.
At the ISTT AGM of 2013, Jeff Pace was re-elected for a 3 year term as the ASTT’s International
Representative to the ISTT Board. Jeff’s role on the ISTT’s Executive Sub Committee will cease
after 3 years at the ISTT Board meeting that will be held 2016 at Beijing, China.
8.
Appointment of Auditor.
Mr Terry Machin, Accountant continues to provide timely audits for the Society and at a
reasonable rate. Jeff Pace therefore moved a motion that Terry Machin, continue as the ASTT
Auditor.
Moved: Jeff Pace and seconded by Trevor Gosatti.
9.
General Business
9.1
Constitution Amendments
Chris Frangos briefed the meeting on the background and procedures that were undertaken to
review the ASTT Constitution. This included the establishment of a Rules and By-Laws
Subcommittee to undertake a review of the ASTT Constitution. After a considerable amount of
debate and consultation, Chris advised that this work has now been completed and agreed by
Council and are listed under for sign off by the attendees of this meeting.
The following Rules 2, 3 (b), 4, 6(A),(B), 7(a), (b) and (c) and (h), 11(c), 12(a), 13(c) have been
amended on 14 August 2014 and 9 December 2014.
Rule 2 Add – “Special Interest Groups (SIG’s)” means technical divisions within the Society
referred to in Rule 7(i). They bring together members with the same interests to liaise, share and
solve problems, promote their field of interest, distribute information, provide a forum for
discussion, and undertake to develop and maintain industry standards and policies and lobbying
external parties relevant to their field of interest to achieve the Society objectives. Each group is
led by a management committee, assisted by Council and the Federal Secretary. SIG’s assist the
Council to develop the Society’s annual plans and budgets.”
Rule 3(b) Delete - Capital City of the Commonwealth or of the State or Territory where the
Federal Secretary reside and replace with “city where the Federal Secretary resides.”
Rule 4 Delete - The Society will become an Affiliated National Society of the International
Society for Trenchless Technology. The Society shall actively support the International Society
for Trenchless Technology (I.S.T.T.).and replace with “The Society will remain an Affiliated
National Society of the International Society for Trenchless Technology.”
Rule 6(A) add “Each Ordinary Member:
Is entitled to one (1) vote; and
Is eligible to nominate for council in the state of residence
Rule 6(B) add “Each Corporate Member:
Is entitled to one (1) vote; and
To receive the entitlements of Corporate Membership as determined by Council.
Corporate Members can only nominate one (1) representative from their organization and there
can only be one (1) Councillor per Corporate membership.”
Rule 7(a) add
“The responsibilities of the Council shall include the overseeing of all matters of business of the
Society within the scope of the Objectives of the Society.
The Council shall carry on and direct the general business of the Society between Annual General
Meetings, and shall be accountable for the actions of the Society. Four members of the Council
shall constitute a quorum for Society meetings and all resolutions shall require a majority vote.
The Federal President shall supervise the affairs of the Society and chair all General, Special,
Council meetings throughout the year.
The Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in the President’s absence.”
Rule 7(b) Add –“Councillors may appoint a proxy for any meeting of Council. The notice and
Agenda of meeting shall include a proxy appointment form that sets out how proxy votes should
be directed in relation to each motion being considered. All motions to be considered at an annual
general or special meeting are to be circulated to members at least twenty one days prior to the
date of the meeting.”
Rule 7(c) Add –“The Federal President and Vice-President as well as the Federal Secretary and
Federal Treasurer shall be elected annually by Members of Council from among their own
number. These appointments shall be arranged through new elections as arranged by the Federal
Secretary at least 7 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. All nominations for these positions
must be seconded by another member of Council.
If more than one nomination is received for these positions, then the Federal Secretary will then
arrange elections for each State and or Country, where appropriate.”
Rule 7(h) Add – “Any group of 5 members or more of the Society having a common interest may
apply to the Council for its approval to form a Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Society as
the Council may agree.
All such Groups shall have regard to the applicable Guidelines or Rules as set out by the
Council for the conduct of their business.
Membership of the Special Interest Groups is open to all Society members
Rule 11(c) Add – “(c) The Federal Secretary shall circulate all business papers for an Annual
General Meeting or a Special General Meeting to council members at least twenty one days before
the date of that meeting.”
Rule 12 (a) Delete - Government and replace with “governance.”
Rule 13(c) Add – “The Federal Treasurer shall distribute to the Council a Profit and Loss report at
the end of each quarter of the financial year. A copy of these financial reports shall also be
circulated as part of the business papers for an Annual General Meeting as per 11(c).”
Jeff Pace moved that these amendments to the Constitution be accepted as tabled.
Moved by Jeff Pace and seconded by Chris Frangos.
9.2
Special Interest Groups
Steve briefed the meeting on his Draft Guidelines that have been developed in conjunction with
Nabil Issa and Dudley Jensen. He went through the purpose and objectives that are listed under.
Special Interest Groups (SIG’s) are technical divisions within the ASTT. Each SIG is established
to represent a specific trenchless sector. The SIG’s are made up of ASTT members with the same
interests and will be coordinated by a voluntary committee made up of the members of the group.
Each SIG will be responsible for identifying what activities are needed to support the members of
the group and to promote their field of interest. This may include producing information,
providing a forum for discussion, and undertaking to develop and maintain industry standards and
policies and lobbying external parties relevant to their field of interest to achieve the Society
objectives. The SIG’s will also act as the industry “Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)” and would act
to solve queries or problems that may be raised from within the society or from others outside of
the membership. Each year the SIG’s assist the Council to develop the Society’s annual plans and
budgets.
The objectives of the SIG are:
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To aid the ASTT to achieve its objective including advancing the science and practice of
trenchless technology for the public benefit;
To disseminate information to the society, industry and the wider public, related to the
specialist area;
To provide a forum for the discussion of related issues;
To promote and undertake ‘projects’ in areas of common need and interest for the
development and betterment of Trenchless Technology;
To determine the most appropriate mechanisms to further learning and skills development
within the membership of the SIG;
To develop and provide comment on national industry standards and policies;
To promote lines of communication within all sectors of the utilities community;
To promote education and public understanding of specialist trenchless issues;
To advise the ASTT of matters the SIG has specialist knowledge or advice on;
To also address the needs of people new to the ASTT and the specialist sector;
Any others matters relevant to the SIG.
Steve also referred to the areas where he believed there would be interest in the formation of these
special Interest groups, these included but not limited to HDD, Micro tunneling, Pipe Bursting,
Pipe Lining, Underground Service Location and Vacuum Excavation.
Christopher Malan suggested that the Guidelines include a clause that deals with “dispute
resolution”. The meeting agreed that this would be a good idea and to this end, Steve Apeldoorn
will modify the document and sent to Councilors for review.
It is planned that the SIG’s will be made available on the ASTT website once formed.
9.3
Verification of Competence
Trevor Gosatti informed the meeting on VOC’s mainly for HDD operators and pointed out that
currently there is no real standard set for industry to relate to. A VOC should be set at about 75%
of the Certificate 3 qualification. A draft logo has been developed that if endorsed could be
incorporated onto the RTO’s VOC Certificate that would be issued to the operator. Mapping the
VOC against the Cert 3 is being undertaken. The ASTT will be putting out details as soon as they
are available.
Christopher Malan suggested that the ASTT liaise with NULCA also on this issue
The meeting endorsed Ben Crosby as the ASTT’ VOC liaison person.
9.4
NASTT Training Initiative
The ASTT approached the NASTT to adopt their best practice training courses that can be
delivered across Australia and New Zealand. Trevor mentioned that he has almost completed the
wording for the “Agreement” and was eager to progress this as it was planned to deliver the first
series of training at the Gold Coast’s National Conference this September.
Steve sought the endorsement from Council members present for Trevor to finalise the Draft
Agreement and to send it to Councilors for endorsement, all agreed and Trevor was requested to
tidy the document up with the minor changes only as quickly as possible.
Trevor also explained that the courses would be Australianised (imperial to metric, local case
studies etc) and that we would be looking for presenters later on to assist with the delivery of the
training. To date only Ben Crosby has been to the US and undertaken train the trainer instruction
on HDD with the NASTT.
10.
Publishing partners “GSP” report
GSP Report by Tori McLennon
In the 2013-2014 financial year, magazine and event returns to the ASTT totalled $111,880,
comprised of $91,880 from No-Dig Down Under 2013 and $20,000 from the magazine, in
addition to promoting the key goals and objectives of the ASTT and cementing Australasia as a
major player in the global trenchless stage.
10.1
Magazine
In September 2004, the Trenchless Australasia magazine was introduced to the ASTT members.
As at April 2015, Great Southern Press has produced 42 magazines, 1 Trenchless Directories, 1
commemorative book, and 1 commemorative magazine.
Trenchless Australasia continues to be published quarterly. The magazine distribution sits around
2,900 copies per edition, with many more people accessing the publication online through the
digital magazine, online PDF and through reading the magazine stories on the Trenchless
Australasia website.
In addition to being sent to all ASTT members plus key industry stakeholders, the magazine is
sent to all Australian and New Zealand councils, water authorities and a range of other utilities
including telecommunications, gas and electricity.
Benefits to ASTT members
-Free resource to keep members across latest projects, developments and industry news for
trenchless
-Opportunity to contribute content and communicate their achievements to the industry
-Free listing in the annual Directory
-Revenue generated goes back to ASTT, to further ASTT endeavours.
Key facts
Income generated by the Trenchless Australasia magazine for ASTT in the last financial year was
$20,000
Quality: GSP has extremely high production values, including the design and stock of the
publication. This lets us present a high standard publication to associations, industry, government
and the public.
Content of Trenchless Australasia fulfils the ASTT’s objectives to advance the science and
practice of Trenchless Technology for public benefit, while providing a forum for interchanging
ideas and knowledge among Trenchless Technology users.
GSP is a forward thinking company, and is using social media to engage people in the
community and local government about the latest initiatives from the ASTT and the trenchless
industry.
 Digital innovation: At the end of 2013, the first Trenchless Australasia digital flipbook magazine
was released. With the digital flipbook, Trenchless Australasia is embracing the opportunities and
challenges presented in the new online landscape, and putting ourselves at the forefront of the
digital revolution. We want our readers, and ASTT members, to learn firsthand from us about
some of the incredible opportunities available to them through this digital technology.
The magazine is an appropriate vehicle to promote membership of the ASTT through advertising,
discounts to events, and the promotion of magazine subscriptions.
The Directory provides an invaluable print and online resource for promoting companies in the
industry to the wider infrastructure sector including all councils and utilities.
Events
As at April 2015, the ASTT and GSP collaboration has produced 4 national conferences and
exhibitions, 2 Trenchless Live events, 8 training roadshows and 5 seminar and networking events
The ASTT receives 20 per cent of the net profit from these events. The net profit figure is
calculated by subtracting the direct costs of an event from the revenue – before GSP’s overheads
are taken into account. Once overheads are taken into account, GSP ends up with a similar share to
the ASTT.
The ASTT’s events have continued to grow and thrive under GSP’s management and over the
course of the last four events, the ASTT has received a total return of $196,084.92.
10.2
No-Dig Down Under Gold Cost 2015
Planning is well underway for No-Dig Down Under 2015, the ASTT’s 11th national conference
and exhibition, which will be held on the Gold Coast from 8–11 September 2015.
Under the agreement 20 per cent of the event profits will be paid to the ASTT.
Submissions for the technical program were numerous and of very high quality, and a 2.5-day,
two stream technical program has been produced. This will be supported by prestigious Keynote
Speakers, special sessions and training courses.
Alongside the technical sessions runs a 4795 sqm exhibition hall. GSP has tailored the
sponsorship to meet the requests and suggestions of previous sponsors and strong financial
supporters of the ASTT. Improvements to this sponsorship level include more value for price and
highest value sponsorship items being reserved for the Event Partners. Three Event Partnerships
have been sold, as well as one gold and one silver sponsor.
Delegate prices are competitive for the industry, and for the ticket price delegates receive a fully
catered event, three high calibre social events including a welcome cocktails, harbour cruise and
gala dinner, plus access to the full -program.
Christopher Malan complimented Great Southern Press on the work they are doing.
11.
Other Business
Christopher Malan suggested that Exhibitions these days are not as good as they used to be. He
suggested that the ASTT consider combining with other organizations (ie APIA, ATS etc) to hold
combined events.
Ben Crosby raised the point relating to memberships that when he travelled up the Queensland
coast and spoke with contractors that a large number believed they were already members of the
ASTT because they were receiving the magazine. This issue was discussed at an earlier meeting
with GSP and will be addressed when the ASTT runs its next membership drive in June/July
2015.
12.
Next Meeting
The meeting closed at 4:00.
The next combined Council and Annual General Meeting will be held at a time and venue yet to
be determined.
Minutes compiled by:
Jeff Pace
Federal Secretary
May 1, 2015
SA Report added 9 May, 2015