https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8024 Fri, 22 May 2026 23:27:10 GMT 2026-05-22T23:27:10Z http://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au:80/ipweaqjspui/retrieve/31828074-60c2-4f06-b41e-2c1fac1935ce/2023 NQ Branch Conf Logo.jpg https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8024 https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8059 Title: LIGHTNING TALK - The benefits of drawing on historical observation to drive disaster management. Authors: Pulman, Andrew Abstract: With over 300 days of sunshine each year Townsville is a tropical paradise. However, during its wet season it’s not unusual for Townsville to experience intense heavy rainfall over a short period of time. Townsville is also built on the natural floodplain of the Bohle and Ross River. When you consider both of these factors it’s not surprising that Townsville experiences flooding, king tides, and the occasional cyclone on a reoccurring basis. During disasters, Temporary Traffic Management plays a significant role in protecting the public from danger. Traffic Controllers can be used to close flooded roads and reroute traffic to an alternate route, installing advisory warning signs where there are hazardous conditions, or enabling access through roads by contraflowing traffic to a higher section of the road. Two challenges that councils may face in disaster management is that mother nature can be unpredictable; and there are hidden local factors that can contribute to the severity of a natural disaster if they are not properly managed. Therefore, local councils must have an action plan in place prior to a disaster occurring so they can coordinate their response as efficiently as possible- Pre-emptive action trumps causal reaction. The Townsville City Council’s Traffic Management team have responded to a variety of disasters and emergencies - and will share some of their key findings, and strategies which have enabled them to respond instantaneously and effectively to any unplanned event. Topics Included: • What constitutes an effective response plan? • The usefulness of data collection. (SCADA, flow rates, water levels, flood cameras, guardian, historical data) • The benefits of having pre-emptive, pre-drawn TGS for areas of concern, internal TC’s and equipment • Strategies for Disaster management (Redundancy, identifying available staff, and resources, locations of resources, remote/field work capacity, work from home or tough books, traffic management plans, traffic companies on contract) • What are the consequences of being unprepared? • What unconsidered factors increase the severity of disasters if left unchecked? Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8059 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8058 Title: Construction law update – current trends and issues Authors: Rochester, Michael; Power, Alex Abstract: In this presentation, Michael Rochester, Partner, and Alex Power, Special Counsel, of McCullough Robertson’s construction law team examine current trends and issues that we are commonly seeing in procurement and delivery of projects locally. This will include looking at different contracting models and how to respond to the issues of costs escalation, contractor and supply chain demands. A regulatory update will also be provided, regarding relevant amendments to legislation impacting projects and construction, along with current reviews being undertaken by government. The presentation is relevant for anyone seeking to deliver projects in the current environment and provide a brief snapshot of procurement, project delivery and regulatory issues to be aware of. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8058 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8057 Title: Utilising the power of AI for Flood Detection on Queensland Roads Authors: Oxlade, Matt Abstract: Councils typically enter subscription service agreements with camera providers to monitor roads. In 2022, a number of these camera providers folded, leaving councils like Carpentaria Shire Council with camera hardware that no longer functioned due to the camera feeds requiring specific systems only offered by the abandoned company. Carpentaria Shire Council saw an opportunity to self-manage their camera network to future-proof their management of flooding over roads, reducing reliance on external providers. In collaboration with council, the LGAQ Lab has delivered a low-cost innovative solution for assessing flooding over roads that used artificial intelligence (AI) to undertake the detection of flooding over roads, exclusively from image reads. The LGAQ flood detection AI model can detect flooding over roads with 98.6% accuracy using only visual feeds and no bespoke hardware locked into one provider. This significantly lowers operating costs for councils and provides greater flexibility for their asset management practices. Images are scanned every 15 minutes, and once flooding is detected, the council officer is automatically notified by email. This eliminates manual checking of camera feeds (as done with traditional CCTV) and the need for in-person inspections, returning entire days of productivity to the council and increasing the safety of council officers. There are a range of flood detection providers in the market, but councils have flagged that they are expensive, require long-term service agreements and often lead to unsupported hardware when the company exits the market. That is why the LGAQ took a hardware agnostic approach to allow councils to adopt the AI detection method on camera networks self-managed by the council. This eliminated long-term risks, improved asset management capabilities, and increased council process efficiencies through automating flood detection in the cloud. In this presentation Matt Oxlade will share key insights into how an initial problem statement grew legs to become a project that will maximise the efficiency of existing council resources and improve outcomes for local communities. Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8057 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8056 Title: Lighting Talk: Mareeba Rail Trail - On track for success Authors: Kirk, Glenda Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT https://ipweaq.intersearch.com.au/ipweaqjspui/handle/1/8056 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z