Program

2026 IPWEA-QNT Annual Conference Program

Wednesday, 30 September 2026

Day 1

8:30 AM – 6:00 PM	Registrations Desk Open (Day 1)Sunshine Coast Convention Centre – Foyer
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM	Public Works Exhibition OpensWandiny Room
Conference Plenary Day 1 — Sunshine Coast Convention Centre, Minyama Hall 1 & 2
9:00 AM – 9:05 AM	IntroductionMC Richard Champion
9:05 AM – 9:15 AM	Welcome to CountryTBC
9:15 AM – 9:25 AM	Conference Official OpeningMayor Natoli, Sunshine Coast Council
9:25 AM – 9:35 AM	IPWEA-QNT Vice President's WelcomeJo O'Brien, IPWEA-QNT Vice President
9:35 AM – 10:35 AM	KeynoteTBC
10:35 AM – 11:05 AM	Morning Tea (Day 1)SPONSORED BYExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
11:05 AM – 11:35 AM	2025 Engineer of the Year AddressLachlan McMurtrie, McMurtrie Consulting Engineers
11:35 AM – 12:35 PM	2026 Future Challenge
12:35 PM – 1:35 PM	Lunch (Day 1)SPONSORED BY REDFROST PTY LTDExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
Day 1 – Breakout Session One
1:35 PM – 3:05 PM	Stream 1:Young IPWEA Workshop Breakout Room 1	Stream 2:Roads Breakout Room 2	Stream 3:Bridges & Structures Breakout Room 3
1:35 PM – 2:05 PM	Workshop	3D Pavement Data for Better Road DecisionsJohn Yeaman Pavement Management Services	Concrete vs Plastic Drainage Pipes: Abrasion Resistance, Wall Loss, and Hidden Liner Degradation under Accelerated Slurry TestingSoleyman Sahebi & Farhad Alsani Concrete Pipe Association of Australia
2:05 PM – 2:20 PM		Paving the Pathway to the Perfect PavementJohn Tannock City of Ipswich	From Funding Roadblocks to Fast-Tracked Delivery: Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration on the Mahon Bridge ReplacementKym O'Gorman CPM Advisory and Project Management
2:20 PM – 2:35 PM		Geogrid-Stabilised Pavement Design for Goondiwindi Regional CouncilWill Truong Tensar
2:35 PM – 2:50 PM		Temporary Road Design for Rural, Single Carriageway RoadsCienna Beveridge Harrison Infrastructure Group	Hinchcliffe Bridge replacement projectRichard Hancock Redfrost Pty Ltd
2:50 PM – 3:05 PM		Australian Bitumen Specifications? Are they fit for purpose?Michael He Puma Energy Bitumen
3:05 PM – 3:30 PM	Afternoon Tea (Day 1)SPONSORED BYExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
Day 1 – Breakout Session Two
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM	Stream 4:Road Safety Breakout Room 1	Stream 5:Asset Management Breakout Room 2	Stream 6:Innovation & Technology Breakout Room 3
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM	Technical Risk Management in Local Government Infrastructure DesignShane Elson Bundaberg Regional Council	Integration Roadmap Governance, Cashflow, and ServiceFloyd Graveling Toowoomba Regional Council	Developing pavement resilience through the Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF) testing programJames Grenfell NTRO
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM	Looking beyond the crashes; a Safe Systems approach to treating Blackspot IntersectionsStuart Harvey Rockhampton Regional Council	From Reactive Repairs to Resilient Communities: Quilpie Shire's Integrated Asset Management Approach for Roads, Water, Sewerage and Public Infrastructure in Remote Outback QueenslandEng Hwa Lim Quilpie Shire Council	A review of stabilising binder working times in AustraliaScott Young Stabilised Pavements of Australia
4:30 PM – 4:45 PM	Signalling Risk within Filtered Right TurnsJason Deller Transoft Solutions Australia	Review And Analysis of Post Installation Pipe DefectsRuifeng (Ray) Dong Hynds NZ	PUR-X BinderLance Simkin Neoferma Australia Pty Ltd
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM		Connecting the Field: Ventia's Asset Management Implementation Across Queensland Roads, Port and Airport EnvironmentsGareth Thomas Asset Vision Pty Ltd	Presentation of a new test method developed by Fifth Element Laboratories - Pavement Wear Tester data from road making materials from Blackall QueenslandFrank Dyrssen Five Elements
5:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Meets, Eats & Beats — The Welcome FunctionSPONSORED BY GENENG SOLUTIONS

Thursday, 1 October 2026

Day 2

7:30 AM – 5:00 PM	Registrations Desk Open (Day 2)Sunshine Coast Convention Centre
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM	Public Works Exhibition (Thursday)Wandiny Room
Conference Plenary Day 2 - Public Works Update — Sunshine Coast Convention Centre, Minyama Hall 1 & 2
8:30 AM – 8:35 AM	IntroductionMC Richard Champion
8:35 AM – 8:55 AM	Department of Local Government, Water & VolunteersTBC
8:55 AM – 9:15 AM	Department of Transport Main RoadsTBC
9:15 AM – 9:35 AM	Queensland Reconstruction AuthorityTBC
9:35 AM – 9:55 AM	Local Government Association of QueenslandTBC
9:55 AM – 10:25 AM	Morning Tea (Day 2)SPONSORED BYExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
10:25 AM – 10:40 AM	Board of Professional Engineers QueenslandTBC
10:40 AM – 10:55 AM	Queensland Water DirectorateTBC
10:55 AM – 11:25 AM	Public Works Update Panel DiscussionAttendees to move to Mudjimba Rooms for Conference Breakout Session
Day 2 – Breakout Session One
11:35 AM – 1:05 PM	Stream 7:Legal & Compliance Breakout Room 1	Stream 8:Disaster Recovery & Resilience Breakout Room 2	Stream 9:Environment & Sustainability Breakout Room 3
11:35 AM – 12:05 PM	Presentation from McCullough Robertson	Maximising DRFA Outcomes Through Better Planning, Asset Management and Delivery CoordinationJade Christensen Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA)	Sealing Without Cutters: High Float Bitumen Emulsions for Graded and Sprayed Seals on Low to Medium Traffic RoadsKanjana Yindee Colas Australia Group
12:05 PM – 12:20 PM	Transforming Capital Delivery Oversight Through Intelligent Power BI Risk AnalyticsWafaa Hamad Toowoomba Regional Council	71 Kilometres, 71 Weeks: Time-Critical Recovery in Queensland's Remote Gulf CountryJacob Landers Northlane Consulting Engineers	Low-Carbon Sprayed Seals Using a Bio-Based Polymer Modified Binder: Laboratory Performance Assessment and Field EvaluationHamidreza Sahebzamani SAMI Bitumen Technologies
12:20 PM – 12:35 PM		Resilience Starts Before the Rebuild: How Early Decisions Shape Long-Term Recovery OutcomesTanja Conners AustStab Limited
12:35 PM – 12:50 PM	Presentation from McCullough Robertson	Temporary Traffic Management in Disaster RecoveryDan Sullivan Solutions in Transport Pty Ltd	Building Resilient Waterways: Designing and Delivering Rehabilitation in Active Flood CorridorsDebbie Laporte Orterra Pty Ltd
12:50 PM – 1:05 PM		Elevating Flood Risk Analysis with LifeSim: Bridging Risk Assessment and Disaster ManagementLisa Holden HARC Services Pty Ltd
1:05 PM – 2:05 PM	Lunch (Day 2)SPONSORED BY REDFROST PTY LTDExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
Day 2 – Breakout Session Two
2:05 PM – 3:35 PM	Stream 10:Artificial Intelligence Breakout Room 1	Stream 11:Water & Wastewater Breakout Room 2	Stream 12:People & Communities Breakout Room 3
2:05 PM – 2:35 PM	Using LiDAR to give higher accuracy to road condition assessmentDavid Bell, Proterra Brian Wood, Survai Systems	Pittsworth Water Supply - New bore vs. upgrading existing infrastructureSherwin Samson Toowoomba Regional Council	Presentation 1TBC
2:35 PM – 3:05 PM	From AI Detection to Human Decision: A Practical Council Case Study in Council and RMPC Defect ManagementAngela Hanson, Toowoomba Regional Council Sujatha Rajagopalan, SHEPHERD	Using Water Balance Modelling to Optimise Regional Wastewater Effluent Management - A Case Study from Nebo, QueenslandKhalid Malik & Tahir Khan Isaac Regional Council	Good projects but tough crowds? Building trust in infrastructure delivery.Tamara Allen-Canny Wagtail Red Pty Ltd
3:05 PM – 3:20 PM	AI, Defects and Strategic Asset ManagementDevon Wilson Noosa Council	Optimisation of Sewer Pumping Networks via Pump Reduction StrategiesVysakh Somasundaran Menon Toowoomba Regional Council	Building Better Community Facilities Through Practical Project ManagementKenneth Mostyn Toowoomba Regional Council
3:20 PM – 3:35 PM	When Civil Design Software Starts to ThinkBen Hipsley Civil Survey Applications
3:35 PM – 4:00 PM	Afternoon Tea (Day 2)SPONSORED BYExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
6:00 PM – 11:00 PM	Excellence Awards Gala Dinner & CeremonySPONSORED BY NORTHLANE CONSULTING ENGINEERSSunshine Coast Convention Centre – Minyama Hall 1–3 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Pre-dinner drinks 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM: Gala Dinner

Friday, 2 October 2026

Day 3

7:30 AM – 4:30 PM	Registrations Desk Open (Day 3)Sunshine Coast Convention Centre
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM	Public Works Exhibition (Friday)Wandiny Room
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM	Brunch (Day 3)SPONSORED BYExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
Conference Plenary Day 3 – Closing Session — Sunshine Coast Convention Centre, Minyama Hall 1 & 2
10:35 AM – 10:40 AM	IntroductionMC Richard Champion
10:40 AM – 11:25 AM	The Great Debate AFFIRMATIVE: Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Speaker 3 NEGATIVE: Speaker 1 Speaker 2 Speaker 3 Moderator/Chairman: Richard Champion
11:25 AM – 11:45 AM	IPWEA-QNT CEO Address and Conference CloseJesper Jensen - IPWEA-QNT CEO
11:50 AM – 1:00 PM	Lunch (Day 3)SPONSORED BY REDFROST PTY LTDExhibition Area, Wandiny Room
1:00 PM	Public Works Exhibition (Friday) CLOSED
1:00 PM – 3:15 PM	Technical TourAssemble at 1:00 PM for 1:15 PM departure. Buses leave from Arrivals Lounge.
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM	Tech Tour 1:Mooloolaba Foreshore Revitalisation Project HOSTED BY SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL	Tech Tour 2:Maroochydore Wastewater Treatment Plant HOSTED BY UNITYWATER	Tech Tour 3:TBC HOSTED BY	Tech Tour 4:TBC HOSTED BY
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM	Tech Tours Conclude and Return to Sunshine Coast Convention Centre
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM	Afternoon Tea (Day 3)SPONSORED BYArrivals Lounge
3:45 PM	2026 Annual Conference Concludes.

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