Challenges and opportunities abound with the progression of the emerging technologies into every aspect of the automotive value chain and transport logistics. MTA Queensland has been at the vanguard, informing members of the technological transformations from collaborations with innovators in the MTAiQ Innovation Hub, and engaging with academia and stakeholders. With this comes responsibility to engender consumer confidence in the technologies that will shape future utilisation and attitudes to mobility.

A recent meeting with the Ipswich City Council (ICC) and Fire Station 101 personnel to discuss smart city public transport initiatives, demonstrated the need for public understanding of the digital vehicle solutions that will change mobility. Essential to the success of the emerging technologies and the enterprises that support them is public acceptance. One of the innovations is the Cooperative and Automotive Vehicle Initiative (CAVI) which lays the technical foundations for the next generation of smart transport infrastructure, in which MTA Queensland is involved.

As indicated in a previous From the Desk of the CEO, we’ve collaborated with the Department of Transport and Main Roads officers on this project. Ipswich City is to be the testing ground for this intelligent transportation innovation. It includes a road-testing trial and large-scale deployment of cooperative and automated technologies. It will commence in 2019 with some 500 Ipswich motorists selected to test the technologies for making roads safer and to validate their impact and benefits.

In addition to CAVI, I discussed with the ICC and Fire Station 101 personnel participation in the Local Motors Olli Global Fleet Challenge initiative. The reason for doing so is that Ipswich is ranked as one of seven worldwide smart cities by the New York based Intelligent Community Forums and has high interest in driverless technology.

The ICC, through Fire Station 101- which is Australia’s only fully local government-supported innovation hub – has the expertise to contribute to an expression of interest that may result in two driverless OLLI shuttles being located in Ipswich. It is our intention to work with them as stakeholders on this project. If successful, it will commence the process of engendering public confidence in changing mobility modes.

Meetings
I met with the Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Michaela Cash at a SAS Group policy discussion lunch. Excellent conversation ensued on the key issues that formed her portfolio with questions posed on small business, skills and vocational education policy direction. I represented the views of the motor trades and members on each policy area, particularly emphasising the need for government focus and investment in skills for the automotive value chain. I was encouraged with what I heard.

In the coming month, I’ve been invited to a boardroom lunch at which the Hon Wayne Swan MP, Federal Member for Lilley and newly elected National President of the Australian Labor Party will be the special guest. Joining Hon Wayne Swan will be Queensland Labor’s State secretary Julie-Ann Campbell. This will provide the opportunity to gain both federal and state political and policy insights that will feature over the next six months or so.

As Deputy Group Chief Executive Kellie Dewar indicates in Viewpoint, I gave evidence at the recent Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles public hearings at which I was asked to provide a supplementary submission to two Questions on Notice.

These related to federal government actions to assist the automotive value chain workforce going forward and the composition of the industry’s workforce. It is my practice, in all federal government fora and meetings, to raise the need for investment in human capital to meet the demand from both the new technologies in the automotive sector and the demands for skills that will continue to be generated from the remaining conventionally powered road transportation and private motoring inventory. The supplementary submissions enabled the provision of fulsome responses to the Questions on Notice, including strategies to address the skills shortages and to attract people to motor trades’ apprenticeships. Nationally, there is a skills shortage of more than 31,000 tradespersons which includes 6,000 from Queensland.

Challenges and Opportunities
In October’s From the Desk of the CEO, I overviewed the agreement between MTA Queensland and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University (RMIT). This set out the terms to work together on an industry integrated learning experience for students to help them develop the skills and capability for the world of work. The technology covered in the courses is the first of its kind in Australia. MTA Queensland will provide the industry context, relevance and mentoring and our RMIT Online partners will provide the content that will inform innovators on emerging technology that will disrupt our industry and business. This venture demonstrates our innovation leadership in the automotive training field and business. The agreement will expire in May 2020.
Collaborations continue with Telstra. Shortly, there will be a workshop with Telstra’s Chief Technology Office personnel to identify the strategic alignments, innovation collaboration and commercial pathways. In addition, there are preliminary discussions regarding opportunities to create value for MTA Queensland members through Telstra products or services such as corporate partnership or bundling.

Recently, I attended a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) lecture on 3D Printing: Intellectual Property and Innovation at the invitation of QUT’s Professor Matthew Rimmer, Professor of Intellectual Property (IP) and Innovation Law. I was keen to attend, as 3D printing has been a central part of the MTAiQ Innovation Hub since its establishment.

The eminent visiting keynote speaker pointed out that 3D printing was gaining a foothold as a viable manufacturing technology especially for small-series, customisable products. Patent, copyright, trademark, and design laws had not been especially adapted to consider the advent of the decentralised mode of production. As with many new technologies, 3D printing creates friction with IP laws, especially in the form of under-protection.

Professor Rimmer, in conversation with me during the event, intimated that he and a colleague, as part of their Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project, were doing empirical interviews about IP and 3D printing and, as part of that research, would like to conduct interviews with our personnel in this field and with MTA Queensland members. To that end, he indicated a week’s residency at the MTAiQ as he was keen to indicate industry engagement as part of the ARC Discovery Project. Similar work has been done in Canada (Windsor) and United States (Detroit).
We are happy to facilitate that outcome and I encourage interested members to participate in the interviews.

And the last thing
The coming month coincides with the Annual General Meeting. It marks the end of the financial year’s activities and reporting, the retirement of long-term and respected industry leader Chairman David Fraser and a new beginning based on the values, practices, innovative initiatives that has led to our current success. On behalf of corporate office staff, I thank David for his inclusive leadership and support for the executive team and welcome the incoming Chairman and Board of Directors.

And there’s a new beginning for me too. I’m the proud grandfather of Eli and his newly born brother Weston.

Until next month, as Henry Ford, the industrialist and the founder of the Ford motor company said, ‘execute ideas with enthusiasm . . . as it is the bottom of all progress’.