A Friday Note - 31 March 2017

Dear all

Autumn has finally graced us with a cool change sweeping across the state and a scattering of showers throughout the week.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by Cyclone Debbie and her aftermath, as devastated communities in far North Queensland start to assess the damage.

SAFETY

While you enjoy an extra hour sleep in this Sunday – as daylight saving ends and we wind our clocks back from 3am to 2am – a reminder to all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to adjust your commuting habits to compensate for less light and poor weather conditions as we head into winter.

Thanks to those who have contributed to-date on our new internal collaborative forum, sharing your ideas on how can we improve the safety of pedestrians and cyclists wearing headphones within the vicinity of the rail network. The rail safety campaign runs until Friday 7 April 2017, so visit the staff forum now and have your say.

The road toll, as of midnight 30 March, is at 17 fatalities.

HEALTH IN ALL POLICIES

The Government of South Australia, in partnership with the World Health Organization, has hosted an international conference in Adelaide, marking the ten year commitment to implementing Health in All Policies – an approach to public policies that takes into account the health implications of decisions, in order to improve population health and wellbeing, improve health equity and address the social determinants of health.

It has an important impact on the work of our department – from optimal planning for roads, transport, housing and infrastructure, to providing more active transport opportunities – as we look to build safer, healthier and more liveable communities, reduce environmental degradation and improve social cohesion.

NORTHERN CONNECTOR PROJECT

A graduation ceremony was held at the Northern Connector Project last Friday, where six participants were awarded a Certificate II in Civil Construction.

The course was offered to a number of project employees who had made the transition to the construction industry from other industries, including automotive, plumbing and carpentry trades. 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

The Freedom of Information Act 1991 require agencies to determine applications within 30 days of receipt. To meet this requirement the DPTI FOI team requests information from sections with a five day turnaround. Please ensure this turnaround is met. The FOI team is happy to meet with sections to outline the FOI application and determination process. 

MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENT

Ana Glavinic has been appointed Manager, Technical Services. With a strong strategic, scientific and analytical background, Ana’s key focus in the role is to enhance Technical Services by providing clear direction and leadership to a strong team of multidisciplinary professional staff.  

IN THE COMMUNITY

Kate Raftery, Team Leader DPTI Information Management, has been battling bravely against a highly aggressive form of acute myeloid leukaemia. Kate has made a public plea to try and find a matching bone-marrow transplant donor. Help Kate find a donor.

One of our many great rail infrastructure guys has also been battling cancer. Staff started a collection for him a couple of weeks ago and with the generosity of all at Mile End, a total of $2,655 was raised. Well done to all in Rail Maintenance and Rail Infrastructure Management.

WELL DONE

Commuters on the Grange line have written in to our department, providing thanks and gratitude for the recent work done on the Albert Park Station upgrade, commenting “…it has lifted the value and pride in the area!  It looks AMAZING, and will service the community much more safely!”

Well done to the Property Directorate and Information Services staff on successfully moving the first of our staff to 50 Flinders Street. The transition went very smoothly and is a reflection of the hard work the teams have done to prepare the site and our staff for this move.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Take a trip down memory lane, with content from the archives, as a tribute to the changing face of South Australia.

This week, we take you back to circa 1940s, where works were undertaken on Anzac Highway, Camden Park.

Have a good weekend

Michael Deegan