Looking ahead: greater services for members in 2009/10

The 2008/09 financial year is now behind us, and as is customary at this time, we have developed our plans and budgets for the next 12 months. I thought in this article I would highlight some of the activities and initiatives that the CCF will be rolling out in 2009/10.
Firstly we will continue to build our profile, as the voice of the civil construction industry, to government and other stakeholders. Importantly in 2009/10 we have joined forces with Engineers Australia (EA), the Infrastructure Association of Queensland (IAQ), the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association (AAPA) and the Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA), to undertake an update of the 2004 Building Our Future Report.
For those of you who were not around in 2004, or can’t recall the details, it exposed the chronic underspend on infrastructure in Queensland in the preceding 20 years. It attracted widespread media attention and ran as a feature in the Courier Mail over several days. Five years on we feel the time is right to examine what has really changed in terms of the infrastructure spend and its relationship to the backlog in Queensland. We expect this report to be released in the coming weeks.
We have also nominated 2009/10 as a year where we want to achieve substantial membership growth across the state. We have a target of 30 new contractor members over the year. If you know of an organisation that isn’t but should be a member of the CCF, let us know and we will happily talk to them about the benefits of being a member.
In 2009/10 we will also be stepping up our “on-site” presence with members. Obviously our Civil Train trainers will continue to be out and about assisting you with your training needs. However we will also be focused on other important areas.
We have recently appointed Sheila Donaldson as our environment and sustainability manager. Sheila will join Belinda Binnington, workplace health and safety manager, Chris Mountford, member services manager and I, in a program that will see at least one of us visit every member over the 12 month period.
Members would be aware that the CCF recently upgraded our Contractor Management Systems to make them more user friendly. Driving greater uptake of this across the membership will also be a major focus throughout the year. These systems provide small and large contractors with a management tool that will give you confidence to grow your business and also pursue third party certification should you wish.
We will also be working with local governments, to look at certified contractors as an option to undertake greater work for councils, than has historically been the case.
On the training front, I am leading a national project across the CCF, to update our entire certificate III in civil construction training resources. These will be rolled out progressively over the next 12 months beginning with plant operations very shortly.
This will ensure that Civil Train is at the leading edge of training in our industry. We will also be engaging a business development manager to provide members with a direct contact when it comes to training.
We will of course continue to provide members with opportunities to learn and network at CCF events right across the state. From breakfast to the golf course we will have something for everyone. Importantly these events play a critical role in our relationship with our sponsors which is never taken for granted.
It is important as we look forward to also look back and see how far we have travelled. 2009/10 has been a very busy year, and a difficult one for many of our members. Certainly what will forever be known as the ‘GFC’ swiftly and directly impacted many members.
Following our AGM in September, we now move into our next phase with a new board. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the contributions of the 2008/09 board. It is always important to remember that these gentlemen volunteer their time to take up these positions which play such a critical role in setting the strategic direction of the CCF. Thank you all for your time and contributions over the 2008/09 year.