SECRETARY'S OVERVIEW
 
The past year has seen substantial progress made on many of the Department's major initiatives, especially in the areas of energy supply and road safety.

Apart from the many achievements highlighted in this year's Report, feedback from our end users and stakeholders continues to be very positive.

Our corporate philosophy, The Will and The Way continues to drive cultural change within the Agency. It represents a recognition of the fact that we need to put as much effort into how we undertake our work as in actually doing it. At the heart of The Will and the Way is a focus on ensuring that we meet the needs of the end users of our services.

New sources of energy supply
The Department's Office of Energy Planning and Conservation has worked in close consultation with industry and other government agencies to facilitate the development of new energy supply options for Tasmania. This work has included the development of a regulatory environment appropriate for the establishment of new energy options, including the proposed Basslink cable linking the Tasmanian electricity grid with that of the south-eastern mainland states and the introduction of natural gas via Duke Energy's natural gas pipeline.

Both projects will result in increased diversification of Tasmania's energy supply, attract new industry and allow existing industry in the State to expand. These projects, with a combined investment of over $1 billion, will also introduce competition into the State's energy sector.

Release of the Tasmanian Road Safety Strategy 2002-2006
Following extensive consultation with key stakeholders and the wider community, the Tasmanian Road Safety Strategy 2002-2006 was launched on 12 November 2001. The three key elements of the Strategy are safer road users, safer vehicles, safer roads.

Within these three strategy objectives are 12 strategy areas - Speed, Drink and Drug Driving, Fatigue and Inattention, Novice Drivers, Older Drivers, Restraint Use, Motorcyclists, Pedestrians and Cyclists, Vehicle Design, Vehicle Maintenance, Heavy Vehicle Safety and Road Improvements. Under each strategy are a range of initiatives. Some implementation action has already begun on a number of key initiatives, including novice driver reform, red light cameras and automatic disqualification for excessive speed.

Automatic Disqualification for Excessive Speed
On 10 December 2001 automatic loss of licence for speeds in excess of 37 km/h above the speed limit was implemented. Immediately following the implementation Tasmania recorded its first fatality-free Christmas-New Year period in 20 years. December 2001 was the first fatality free month on Tasmanian roads since November 1997.

50 km/h General Urban Speed Limit
The 50 km/h general urban speed limit was successfully introduced on 1 May 2002. This represented the culmination of a significant road safety initiative that will reduce the number of road casualty accidents in urban areas. Before implementation, there was extensive consultation with councils to identify the busier roads that would retain a 60 km/h speed limit. A comprehensive public education campaign was undertaken, emphasising that motorists must assume the speed limit is 50 km/h unless signed otherwise. The project was a finalist in the 2002 Project Management Achievement Awards.

Novice Drivers
On 1 March 2002, the first stage of Tasmania's new car learner and provisional licensing system was implemented. It requires car learner drivers to log at least 50 hours of on-road driving experience in a compulsory logbook and to hold their licence for six months before they can apply for their provisional licence. This stage has been well received by the community and stakeholders. The next stage to be implemented will include a new practical on-road driving assessment to replace the existing assessment and a new computer based knowledge (road rules) assessment.

Intelligent Access Project
Tasmania has led Australia and championed the use of "e-services" for the transport industry through its development of the Intelligent Access Project. The project focused on "e-compliance" against permit conditions to monitor the access of heavy vehicles to the transport network as a first step in developing public/private partnerships for the provision of a range of information services for road users. During 2001, interest in the Tasmanian Intelligent Access Project team's work reached a point where all members of Austroads committed to elevating the project to full national status.

Infrastructure and Resource Information Service (IRIS)
The Department continued development of the Infrastructure and Resource Information Service (IRIS). This leading edge technology provides access from a single website to integrated information required for infrastructure planning and investment to support the economic development of Tasmania. IRIS is being implemented as a series of major releases, with development scheduled for completion in December 2002.
An internationally renowned consultant and expert on information engineering, Clive Finkelstein, has compared the approach taken by IRIS and that adopted on similar projects elsewhere in Australia and overseas. He considers that IRIS has achieved a breakthrough, as it has been able to deliver the benefits first, upfront, instead of requiring considerable work over many years, with associated high costs, before any specific benefits can be achieved.

Abt Railway Project
The Department is responsible for the administration of the design and construct contracts for the siteworks construction and locomotive refurbishment for the Abt Wilderness Railway project on the West Coast. Train services have been operating from Queenstown to Rinadeena, a distance of some 11 kilometres, since February 2001, and it is anticipated that passenger-carrying train services over the full 34 km of the Railway will be in operation by the start of the 2002-2003 tourist season.

Southwood
The Department is continuing to work closely with Forestry Tasmania to identify the most appropriate transport solution for the movement of finished product from the Southwood integrated timber processing site. As part of the process, extensive consultation has been undertaken with local communities, transport operators and councils. A decision has yet to be made about the transport route. In recommending a route the following factors will be taken into account: the existing road network, environmental and heritage issues, travel times, and impact on the road users and the local community.

National Highway Forward Strategy
This strategy, released early in 2002, proposed a five-year program of planning, maintenance and construction projects to improve the National Highway. The report also proposed several Roads of National Importance (RONI) projects, including the Arthur Highway, Bass Highway - Burnie to Smithton; North-East Tasmania Access; East Tamar Highway; Lyell Highway between Granton and New Norfolk; and Illawarra Main Road. The Commonwealth Government has acknowledged the Arthur Highway and North-East Tasmania Access as warranting RONI status and will fund these projects on a 50/50 basis with the Tasmanian Government.

Mapping our Mineral Wealth
The collection and presentation of information on Tasmania's mineral wealth and geoscientific nature continues. Fifteen 1:25 000 scale geological maps were prepared for digital capture compared with the target of twelve sheets, and data capture/output was completed for twelve of these areas.
A series of maps, designed to provide information to land use planners in an easily understood format, has been prepared. The information will allow local government and land and infrastructure planners to make informed decisions relating to development, zoning and land use activities.
The maps include information on mineral prospectivity, location of mines and quarries, location of current exploration licences and mining leases, construction material locations and areas subject to land stability problems. Information on groundwater prospectivity is also being gathered. Forty-nine 1:100 000 scale maps, in three themes, cover Tasmania.

The Collapse of Ansett Airlines
Before its collapse, Ansett provided passenger services to five Tasmanian airports through a subsidiary (Kendell Airlines). It also provided substantial night airfreight services to Tasmania. Its collapse on 14 September 2001 therefore resulted in considerable disruption to the carriage of passengers and airfreight to and from Tasmania.
The Tasmanian Access Taskforce, consisting of officers of the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources, Tourism Tasmania and key tourism industry representatives, worked closely with the TT-Line, the Federal Government, Qantas, Australian air Express, Virgin Blue and Ansett's administrators over several months to address the issues associated with the movement of passengers and airfreight to and from Tasmania.
The Airfreight Working Group, consisting of representatives of airfreight consolidators and forwarders, exporters of perishable Tasmanian produce, Australian air Express, the Tasmanian Export Council, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and industry and departmental officers, specifically addressed the efficient movement of airfreight.

The Will and The Way Program
The Will and The Way program has seen a number of significant achievements this year. The inaugural Corporate Plan for DIER has been launched and the program for developing, influencing and negotiating skills (Negotiating the Way) has now involved 353 people in one, two or three-day programs. Interest is evidenced by demand for advanced and refresher programs.

The Reference Group, consisting of Divisional Representatives from across the Agency, has developed a comprehensive Action Plan and has already implemented key parts of it. This group has taken a very active role in engendering and maintaining interest and commitment in the principles of The Will and The Way across DIER as well as publicising examples of these principles in action. Activities have ranged from arranging and facilitating mass meetings of Divisional Representatives, working with Divisional Representatives on local issues relating to The Will and The Way and preparing discussion papers on key areas of concern.

Local contractors
The Department ensures that Tasmanian businesses are given every opportunity to compete for the agency's business. It is DIER's policy to support Tasmanian businesses whenever they offer best value for money for the Government. A total of 37 contracts valued at more than $34 million were awarded locally during the year under review.

In conclusion, I wish to thank officers throughout the Department for their continuing efforts over the past year and the enthusiasm with which they have worked to help the agency fulfil its vision.

Mark Addis
Secretary