This ‘visionary’ approach started many years ago when the Association made the strategic decision to expand from a contractors-only organisation to include other parts of the gas transmission industry. The functions continue – although changed a little to be as inclusive as possible of the whole membership – and the influence of the Association has increased through its expanded membership.

The Safety Committee (under the guidance of Immediate Past President Mark Twycross) has established construction safety guidelines for the industry before bureaucrats tried to impose regulations. Like all APIA Committees, the Safety Committee works with government as much as possible, with view that what’s good for the industry will be good for the nation. The Pipeline Operators Group has a full program of managing operational issues, ensuring the integrity of the nation’s gas transmission infrastructure. The Research and Standards Committee has demonstrated its international influence by hosting the Joint Technical Meeting, an international conference comprising the RSC, the US based Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG). This meeting, the first in the Southern Hemisphere, brought together over 150 technical experts from around the world and was, by any measure, an outstanding success and a credit to the technical capability that exists here in Australia.

While change is continuous, it’s safe to say the Association is in its next phase of development. The Environment Committee is currently in the process of expanding to address the challenges – and definitely take up some of the opportunities – of the new focus on changing environmental conditions. At the technical level, the Committee developed the APIA Code of Environmental Practice, a document that is respected by all State technical regulators.

The changing structure of our membership has also led to a restructure of the membership categories. As we had a range of business sizes and types in Corporate Membership, that category now has three sub-categories to help account for the different sizes of these companies. Also, the Sponsoring Membership has been restructured, and now has four sub-categories.

On the regulatory front, the Association’s political influence has increased, with the Government and Regulatory Affairs Committee actively involved in the development of energy policy, as has the industry’s profile. APIA and this Committee have had real impact on the new gas law, getting agreement from government to remove some of the law’s more arduous requirements.

The Chief Executive and/or the Business Manager now participate in each and every committee meeting and teleconference held by APIA Committees, ensuring the Secretariat is up-to-date with, and prepared to act on, issues affecting all sectors of the industry. Also, in the past two years we have seen the development of the Young Pipeliners Forum, helping to expand the knowledge of the industry’s younger members and plan for the next generation of industry ‘experts’.

The Board has also agreed, in principle, to the appointment of an extra staff member at the Secretariat. The Chief Executive will expand further on this in her report, but it is a reflection of the need to increase awareness of the industry and promote the excellent work of our members. We have highly qualified and committed people in this industry who do excellent work on the various committees, and increased awareness of this work will further increase APIA’s and the industry’s influence in national issues.

Finally, the Board has commenced a number of initiatives designed to ensure that the standard of our governance remains high. As part of this, I am pleased to advise that we have introduced a number of processes to ensure clarity and consistency in governance practices of the APIA Board into the future. There will now be a six-monthly audit of the Association’s accounts, rather than once a year. We are also in the process of establishing a governance manual, and the Board will undertake an annual performance appraisal of itself and its members, giving the Association’s members greater confidence in the processes of Board oversight. Also, in keeping with modern corporate governance, a Risk Register will be established. The process for establishing this Register is underway, with input from a sub-committee to help determine the future challenges for the Association.

I am sure you will agree that your Association is in good shape to help the industry meet its future challenges.

Mark Harper

APIA President