June 2020 Board meeting minutes

Appointed Members only discussion 

Item opened to appointed Members only.

Acknowledgement to country and welcome - Chair DSNSW

The Chair acknowledged the traditional owners and welcomed all in attendance.

Conflicts of Interest - Chair, DSNSW

Shane McGrath informed Members that he assisted in the consequence category assessments for dams owned by Energy Australia. The Members noted Mr McGrath’s involvement and that this was an information item only

Minutes and actions from previous meeting - Secretariat, DSNSW

Minutes and actions from the previous meeting were accepted pending minor edits to action list.

CEO Update - CEO DSNSW

CEO presented his update which included:

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Margaret Hynes provided an updated on the eNewsletter, annual report and the initial consultation with dam owners.
• Operations Team were able to reach 70% of declared dam owners. The lack of response from 30% of declared dam owners was identified as an issue requiring further attention from management. The majority of responses were positive however it was identified that more educational and guidance material for dam owners is required.
• Interview with The Land publication.
• Meetings with state dams safety regulators across Australia. Increasing alignment was identified as a key aspiration, including the development of common guidance material.
• Members agreed to the proposed development of a ‘Technical Review in Dams Projects’ Guideline.

Operations Update

• Asim Chohan presented the Operations Update.
• 13 audits of declared dams have been completed as at 15 June. The response was positive however the majority of dam owners need transition support.
• The first new works audit was undertaken on 23 June.
• Update provided on Authorised Officer training and Lead Auditor training.
• Key challenges facing the operations of DSNSW were identified and boaoptions to address challenges were discussed.

Finance and Delegations

• CEO updated Members on resourcing for the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 and provided a projection for 2021/22.
• The Chair sought support from the Members in replying to CEO Water’s letter regarding funding. Supported by Members.
• CEO updated Members on the use of Level 1 and Level 2 financial delegations

Mining near declared dams - Peter Boyd

Peter Boyd updated Members on the status of the Mining Near Declared Dams Guideline. The Guideline is now published with recommended adjustments taken into account.

Peter presented an overview of the changes in mining notification areas near dams between the Dams Safety Act 1978 and the Dams Safety Act 2015. He also presented issues surrounding notification areas related to the Mining Act 1992 and how this effects current projects.

Management advised they will be undertaking a notification area review.

Strategic Risk Deep Dive Emergency Management - CEO DSNSW

CEO presented a deep dive on the strategic risk ‘DSNSW does not respond effectively to a major safety incident’.

Members expressed a desire for these risks to be presented in greater depth and deferred discussion until the July meeting.

Interim Stakeholder Engagement Strategy - Margaret Hynes

Margaret Hynes presented the Interim Stakeholder Engagement Strategy identifying areas where adjustments were made in response to recommendations from Members.

The Strategy was accepted by the Members.

General Business 

Paradise and Michigan Dam Failures & CEO Performance Plan - CEO DSNSW

CEO presented an overview of the Paradise (QLD, Australia) and Michigan (USA) dam failures and outlined the key reasons for the failures and how DSNSW could prevent a similar incident.

The CEO presented a revised Performance and Development Plan (PDP) considering recent feedback from members.

PDP to be further assessed offline by Members

First six months in review Appointed Members only

Item opened to Appointed Members only.

Next meeting: 28 July 2020. Remote