Page 48 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2019

FROM THE SOURCE
CRAIG LEE
“Is MSP fully embraced within all of Defence? Probably not but there are a lot of people working hard to make this program a success and major change takes time, effort and ownership.”
The work on Navy’s seaworthiness framework has been a learning experience for both the RAN and BECA.
Continued from page 47
programs like supporting the America’s Cup campaign in Auckland where we’re helping to make sure that that city is ready to go in 2021. So there’s planning, compli- ance issues, complex program management and multiple stakeholders to get on board.
In that estate space our many of our skills and experience developed here and overseas, from airports for example, are best practice. In Australia last year there were four major runway programs in commercial airports and we won two of them. This includes the airfield ground lighting. Other commercial
deliver for the National Airfields Mainte- nance Program. The experience we brought to the table there is good ‘lessons learnt and lessons applied’, not just from that program but from other programs around outside of Defence so that we can improve all the time.
ADM: What about the people side of the equation, how are you finding the work- force issues in Australia?
LEE: Yes, it’s quite difficult. I talk to CEOs and MDs in all sorts of industries and I think most people are finding that good quality people, be they engineers or
to make sure we find the right people. We look for people who want to join a values- driven privately owned company of about 3,500 people.
But more specifically, we’ve found it tough going to improve the gender imbalance – particularly in technical areas. For the past 18 months we have been working on a range of initiatives through our Diversity and In- clusion Steering Committee to improve our diversity through developing good policy to provide a more inclusive environment.
ADM: You spoke of culture before. How have you found the culture in Defence in the wake of the One Defence drive, post First Principles Review?
LEE: I think the culture in Defence has changed a lot for the better, particularly since industry became a Fundamental In- put to Capability (FIC). We’re support- ing Defence in its efforts to improve its operational effect, to do so there has to be a high level of trust so I find you can now have more candid conversations and come up with better ways to solve problems and implement change.
I do think there is room for Defence to gain benefit from less of a transactional ap- proach to tenders and dedicate more focus on the outcomes they seek. There are times when a transactional approach might be appropriate but overall a more collabora- tive approach is needed, where a company is able to respond and help shape the deliv- ery process to meet the outcome Defence seeks. For example, the Fleet Command Seaworthiness program evolved from a very prescriptive process to a collaborative effort that helped design and deliver an en- during program of work that I think is go- ing to deliver good outcomes for the Navy for years to come.
skills and experience we bring to Defence include major asset design and operational support to water treatment plants, waste treatment for things like PFAS.
Again, site planning in the estate space, we’ve got a lot to offer from our experience here and overseas, and it just takes time to position with new clients and to get your client comfortable with your approach and solutions. Just because you’ve done it some- where else, doesn’t mean a new client will accept you. You’ve got to prove your pedi- gree in each market you enter.
We also like to work with other compa- nies so we can add value to Defence. For example, our joint venture with Aurecon to
business analysts, are well sought after and there’s a number of hot industries in Aus- tralia . Defence is definitely a hot industry and in Sydney and Melbourne, anything to do with infrastructure is highly com- petitive.
We’re finding government departments nowadays have quite deep pockets as well for hiring people. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but it’s not like times in the past where private enterprise has been seen to have better wages than government; it’s not the case anymore.
Despite the competitive environment, we’re determined to maintain the right culture in our business, so we take our time
48 | April 2019 | www.australiandefence.com.au
DEFENCE