Chief Executive message

Michael Deegan

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

September 2015

Looking back, thinking ahead

Just over 12 months ago I took on the role of Chief Executive of this department. My predecessors and their colleagues had achieved much for the people of South Australia and I accept and respect their accomplishments.

But the department needed to change.

For the first time in decades, we have established a zero based budget for the next 12 months. This change will help us improve the way we manage our savings targets and ensure budget allocations are directed to areas of highest government priority.

We’ve streamlined and flattened the department’s structure, collapsing the previous seven divisions into three, cutting executive numbers by nearly 50 per cent, and reducing our headcount by more than 10 per cent to date.

This Annual Report tells the story of what our department has achieved in the past year, and our ambitious agenda to bring major reforms to planning, transport and infrastructure delivery in 2015-16. We’re starting with fresh energy and knowing that we need to do things differently.

The reform process has already started. New planning, development and infrastructure legislation, which simplifies development processes and supports better community consultation, is going before Parliament. This is long overdue, with over 23 000 pages of archaic planning rules about to be overhauled.

The review of the State’s transport legislation, which in some cases is more than 50 years old, also is underway and we’re taking the lead on new traffic management technology as well as driverless cars for the future.

We have many other major projects on the go, from the $896m Torrens Road to River Torrens Project and $620m project Darlington Upgrade—vital links in the North-South Corridor—to the $160m O-Bahn extension and the new Operation Moving Traffic to get better outcomes for walkers, cyclists, public transport users and drivers. In the city centre we’re creating an Anzac Centenary Memorial Garden Walk and new public spaces around the Adelaide Festival Centre and Riverbank, and boosting ICT activities to transform Adelaide into a smart and connected city.

That’s just a sample of the projects on our slate. We have many more in the pipeline, not to mention dozens of on-going operations across the State. Partnerships with other agencies, non-government organisations, business and communities will be essential to help us deliver them in a leaner, more efficient operating environment.

Safety and engagement continue to be a primary focus for the department. People being killed and injured on our transportation system and construction sites is not acceptable. The South Eastern Freeway tragedy is just one example, with two dead and two others seriously injured. We’re rolling out a safety management system for the freeway, as well as projects to improve road safety, change driving behaviour and save lives, all with input from the community and industry.

I cannot overstate the need to improve safety in everything we do—whether it’s on our roads, rail lines and waters, or at our offices and work sites.

There is much more to be done on many fronts. The process of putting this report together helps us clearly see not only what should be done, but also what we can do better. I know we are up to the challenge. We look forward to our next year of service to the South Australian community.