At the end of year celebration in Perth, two Engineers Australia medals were presented to WA recipients – Barrett Moulds MIEAust CPEng NER and the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka Western Australia Chapter. 

Medal 1  

Barrett Moulds was acknowledged for his work to initiate and coordinate a member-led policy and advocacy project on valuing externalities. 

Starting in 2022, Barrett invited several people to be expert members of a working group with the aim to influence the WA state government to adopt a shadow carbon price for use in options evaluation. 

One of the Western Australian state government initiatives in support of their Climate Change Policy and net zero 2050 is called ‘Low Carbon Transition’, which requires development of sectoral emissions reduction strategies. A key aspect of making this transition will be to assign value to the carbon impact of design alternatives so that options comparison efficiently selects low carbon alternatives.  

A constraint to achieving this low carbon transition is the current understanding by Government Trading Enterprises (GTEs) of the WA government procurement rule’s requirement that GTEs minimise the cost of services they supply the public. There is a widely held view among GTEs that this requires the lowest price to be taken and therefore externalities such as climate change impacts from greenhouse gas emissions are not allowed to be considered. 

Barrett’s working group undertook background research to inform their work, including many meetings with members and stakeholders.  

This led to the creation of a discussion paper which was circulated to several industry groups and organisations for their review and further input. The working group continues to call on the WA government to adopt a shadow carbon value. 

Medal 2 

In 2023 Engineers Australia signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka to recognise its Chartered professionals at the same level with Engineers AustraliaChartered Professionals. This was signed in Perth at the annual dinner dance hosted by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka, Western Australia Chapter (IESL-WA). 

Representing IESL-WA to receive the medal was past WA President Senaka Welideniya, current President Mahesh Kariayawasam Kanathage and committee member Tharindu Weerasinghe.    

IESL-WA is a leading Western Australian Sri Lankan community organisation focussed on engineers. The group formed in 2014 and continues to provide a platform for those who have come to Perth to study engineering, who have recently migrated with an engineering qualification or who are well established in the community. The group helps to connect and support its members times of need and also supports future engineers who are looking to call WA home.  

This organisation is run by a dedicated group of volunteers and has relied on members’ commitment, resourcefulness and ability to get things done. 

As well as a highly successful annual dinner dance which attracts around 400 attendees, the group organises professional development events for engineers of all levels with local and global presenters from within the Sri Lankan community.  

In 2023, IESL-WA also co-led career guidance workshops with 60 plus new graduates and migrants in attendance, with the purpose of providing them tools and networks to find employment in Perth.  

Through the award of an Engineers Australia medal to IESL-WA, Engineers Australia acknowledges their significant work to provide opportunities for those new to WA to effectively establish industry networks, better understand what is required to gain employment and provide continuing connections for ongoing learning, mentoring and networking.