Russel is a Gamillaraay (Kamilaroi) man with an extensive history of working across multidisciplinary teams, especially in relation to cultural heritage and liaison with traditional owners and Indigenous communities. Russel was the Aboriginal Affairs and Participation Consultant with Pacific Complete— The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade, which is a joint venture between Lang O’Rourke and WSP in partnership with Transport for NSW.  

Can you tell us about your role on the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade? 

The New South Wales legislation, Aboriginal Participation in Construction Policy (APiC), had been passed in 2015, and I believe this was the first major programme to use this legislation. Therefore, as planners, the project needed to deliver 1.5 per cent participation, which was passed on to the contractors.  

Overall, my job was to assist the contractors in meeting their obligations to APiC, which eventually exceeded the target of 1.5 per cent to nine per cent Aboriginal participation. 

I was also tasked with engagement of local Aboriginal Nations along the project area, including Gumbaingiir, Yaegle, Bundjalung and Bandjalung People, to ensure they were informed and ready for when the project kicked off. I had organised several workshops or ‘roadshows’ introducing community, TAFE, job service providers and other stakeholder groups to the various contractors with the view to employment, upskilling and training of participants. 

Why is it important to liaise with Traditional Owners and First Nations communities on engineering projects? 

As our President and CEO of WSP Guy Templeton has always said: “each of the projects that WSP works on is on Aboriginal Country”. And therefore, early engagement and co-design is essential to delivering a successful programme. 

There have been numerous pieces of legislation over the years that affect my people, and the APiC legislation was a wonderful tool to obtain buy-in for Aboriginal people to strive for autonomy and have their say with what is happening on their land. It allows for them to contribute to positive outcomes through employment and training in the construction field. 

For the first time Aboriginal people are assisting and having their voices heard on our engineering projects and introducing Aboriginal co-design elements to the projects. 

What have you found interesting about First Nations people and communities’ participation on engineering projects? 

Incorporating Indigenous knowledge and culture in the designs of important infrastructure and built environment projects helps create strong and culturally respectful relationships with Indigenous communities. 

This, in turn, generates meaningful opportunities for Indigenous people, businesses, and communities across project life cycles. WSP has built a team of people across the business to advance this important approach. 

How have you found the experience of balancing First Nations knowledge with today's technology?    

Aboriginal people were the first engineers, building fish and eel traps and utilising thermoplastic resins to set spear tips and axe heads into place, using methods of carving aerodynamics into boomerangs to return... or not. 

I find the whole concept of balancing Aboriginal peoples aspirations and contributions to today's technology refreshing, because we are also contributing to Australia’s search for identity. 

The Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Highway upgrade exceeded Aboriginal participation targets with more than one million hours worked, 300 employed during the peak month, and 20 Nations represented at the project's peak.