MOST OF YOU WILL HAVE HEARD OF LEARNED HELPLESSNESS. THAT IS WHEN YOUR BELOVED TEENAGER SUDDENLY FORGETS HOW TO MAKE TOAST OR PUT WASHING IN THE LAUNDRY BASKET BUT CAN MASTER THE MOST COMPLICATED NEW TECHNOLOGY. OR THE PARTNER WHO SUDDENLY “UNLEARNS” HOW TO DO ROUTINE TASKS. AT THE OTHER END OF THE SCALE IS “EARNED AUTONOMY,” AN EXPRESSION WHICH IS BEING COINED IN THE TRAINING SECTOR IN RELATION TO THOSE PROVIDERS WHO ROUTINELY MEET AND EXCEED COMPLIANCE EXPECTATIONS.
All governments are currently struggling with the demands being placed on them by the community as the resources are simply not available to monitor the private sector in the way it is currently being undertaken. The vast majority of private sector operators seeking approval are usually achieving the standards expected. By changing the approach, resources can be utilised to focus on those who routinely don’t meet the requirements or are new to the industry.
There has been discussion for many years in the development industry of providing a different pathway for professional developers and the importance of the word “earned” is that it intrinsically states that you need to have a strong record of compliance.
For the development industry autonomy will never be the outcome simply because many of the activities being undertaken create infrastructure which is then vested to another agency such as the local government, Western Power or the Water Corporation. There are, however, moves underway which will facilitate a far more pragmatic approach which will enable the various regulators to effectively manage their evaluation and approval resources whilst encouraging innovative solutions.
At a recent conference of the Institute of Public Works Engineers (IPWEA), UDIA discussed the opportunity to introduce a performance based approach for the delivery of infrastructure such as roads and drainage. IPWEA has in place guidelines which provide design standards, which is important to getting consistency and is the first step in moving towards a new approach.
The benefit of a performance based approach is that the agreement is based on outcomes rather than approval of detailed drawings which can take months of protracted negotiation. Developers would also work hard to remain eligible for this approach as it would deliver time savings which would translate to a cost advantage. This is not to say that a performance based approach would be applicable in all circumstances but it would be a useful to trial.