CIVIL CONTRACTORS FEDERATION

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:44): I rise to speak about the new premises of the Civil Contractors Federation (SA Branch). On 16 and 23 February I had the privilege of visiting the new headquarters of the South Australian branch of the Civil Contractors Federation. These premises at Thebarton were completely refurbished by CCF and incorporate their Hall of Fame, Work Safely Centre and Centre for Excellence.

The South Australian CCF Hall of Fame is a first in Australia. Individuals or organisations are inducted into the hall of fame to publicly award and acknowledge exceptional achievements and/or contributions to the South Australian earthmoving and civil contracting industry.

The Hall of Fame inductions are held annually after a rigorous selection process. Inductees' names are added to the Hall of Fame board, which is proudly exhibited in the front entrance of the CCF building. There is also a President's Lifetime Achievement Award which is presented to those who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry but are ineligible for the Hall of Fame induction. Again, this is a great way to publicly acknowledge exceptional contributions and/or achievements to the civil industry.

The Work Safely Centre is an innovative area developed in conjunction with industry to provide safety training in a controlled environment. The centre replicates real worksites and allows for hands-on, real-life exposure to potentially dangerous situations. The centre then teaches appropriate safety procedures to avoid unsafe work practices. The centre shows and explains good and safe work practices, demonstrates the consequences of not following these practices, and instils in students the importance of safety, particularly on civil construction and other high-risk industry sites. Qualifications obtained from the Work Safely Centre are nationally recognised, and South Australia's Work Safely Centre is the third in the country.

The Centre for Excellence provides an interactive learning environment for pre-training. The centre is a world-class facility and houses the largest civil construction simulator environment in the world. Many of these simulators are motion-based and provide the user with a lifelike experience of operating a range of machinery used in civil industry, including excavators, wheel loaders, articulated dump trucks, bulldozers, graders and scrapers. My staff and I all experienced what it would be like to operate an articulated dump truck. Luckily for all nearby, this experience was through a simulator, otherwise there would have been mass carnage on these civil construction sites.

The Centre for Excellence also incorporates a virtual construction site. The virtual construction site allows students to apply their knowledge by allowing them to experience a real operating site. Students can attempt to resolve potential issues and can see the effect of a bad or inexperienced decision. For example, a construction site on the side of a road requires traffic control to slow down traffic. This is to protect workers and also ensure that road users maintain control in unexpected road conditions. Students need to identify that slower speed signs are required. If slower speed signs are not placed correctly the virtual site will show that workers and the public can be placed in danger.

The new CCF building is a fantastic Green Star energy rated centre which provides world class training facilities. It is a great way for those interested in a career in the civil industry to be exposed to vocations, to gain an understanding of what is required within the profession, and to see what can be achieved in civil construction. I urge all members to organise a visit to the centre, and congratulate the SA branch of the CCF on its achievements.