Issue 17 December 2019

The Downer Rugby League World Cup 9s was one of the most exciting weekends of football in 2019.

Stars shine at the Downer Nines!

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2 Walkin’ in a ginger wonderland

Hydrogen: a key energy source of the future

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8 Maryborough celebrates 150 golden years

2 Issue 17 December 2019

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRACT WINS

There is no doubt that the power generation industry is the most disrupted of all industries. The unholy trinity of climate change, perceived soaring energy prices and legislative uncertainty underlined by an ageing workforce, increasing activism and changing market fundamentals have combined to create a sector facing considerable uncertainty.Many traditional energy sources are becoming unsustainable, not to mention unpopular among a growing section of the population.

The energy market is changing quicker than most expected. There are also conflicting views on which decarbonisation technologies will most likely progress, and what the current status and development roadmap of those technologies actually looks like.

One clear fact is that the journey to a zero-emissions future is both unavoidable and also fraught with unexpected challenges and risks.

I believe hydrogen is a key part of this zero-emissions future. As a fuel source, it is an obvious solution for large-scale, seasonal power generation.

But it is also only one part of the jigsaw puzzle. It is likely the world will always have a multi-fuelled environment, as we do now, where each energy source or fuel has its part to play.

On a recent visit to Japan I was lucky enough to visit the Osaki Cool Gen project, which uses coal gasification to produce hydrogen and runs it through a gas turbine. It also has a carbon capture plant installed to account for the CO2 produced during the gasification stage. It was a

clear example of the advancements being made in the development of these new technologies.

I also saw advances in retrofitting existing plant to better cope with changed operating parameters, improve efficiency, reduce emissions or even convert gas turbines to handle hydrogen.

These technologies are directly applicable to Australia’s power generation fleet and would result in considerable reductions in emissions.

I can see a future where hydrogen is a key contributor to global energy production. But there is a long way to go before that vision becomes a reality.

Much research and development is still required to enable hydrogen to be cost-effectively produced in high enough volumes by renewable energy sources and be truly emissions-free.

We must develop our own roadmap of how we responsibly transition from our existing power generation infrastructure to a new world of true carbon neutrality. Investing in pilots and trials to create capability and develop technology is crucial.

And, perhaps most importantly, we need to convince a sceptical public it can be safely stored, and used in their cars and in public transport.

For Downer, a move towards hydrogen energy would also present many opportunities. We have a strong reputation for the provision of safe and reliable operational services across a diversified range of commodities and our core capabilities can be adapted to new technologies. Our connections with government and academia, across industry and public infrastructure, as well as our strong network with technology partners, including Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, put us in a unique position to partner with our customers to help them move toward a zero-emissions future.

I don’t doubt hydrogen can be a solution to meet our Paris Agreement targets – which is to limit global warming to under two degrees by the end of the century. But we need to develop, trial and implement some of the required technologies in parallel for this to happen. We cannot wait until the whole technology is perfect and we may need to consider using fossil fuels, combined with carbon capture technology, to create hydrogen until such time as the requisite technologies are viable.

Hydrogen can be a key energy source in a zero-emissions future

In November, Downer’s Asset Services business partnered with Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Japan to host the Future Energy Forum in Brisbane, bringing together global power generation delegates to discuss challenges facing the power generation industry, and potential solutions such as hydrogen.

By Pat BurkeExecutive General Manager, Asset Services

Downer News 3

CONTRACT WINS

New contract at Goonyella Riverside coal mine

Downer has been awarded a two-year contract, valued at approximately $200 million, to provide mining and related services at the Goonyella Riverside coal mine. The contract has provisions to be extended for up to a further three years.

The mine is owned by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and is located in Central Queensland. The scope of work to be carried out by Downer under the contract is pre-strip overburden removal, with Downer to use existing capital equipment.

This contract commenced on 1 October 2019 and replaces the existing contract which commenced in 2016 and expired on 30 September 2019.

Downer scores METRONET contractDowner is a member of the NEWest Alliance, which has been selected as preferred contractor to deliver the Yanchep Rail Extension and the Thornlie-Cockburn Link for Perth’s METRONET program.The project will be delivered in a joint venture partnership with CPB Contractors, part of CIMIC Group, under an alliance-style contract. Project funding is through the Western Australian and Federal governments.

“We are pleased that our expertise in the design and construction of heavy rail, tracks, stations and rail bridges has been recognised,” Downer’s Chief Executive Officer, Grant Fenn, said.

Downer’s scope of work includes railway construction, relocation of freight lines, station platform extensions, station construction and other station modifications, construction of new road-over-rail bridges and other associated work.

Construction is expected to commence in May 2020, with the project scheduled to be completed in 2023.

Downer awarded $520m Logan City Council contract

Downer has been awarded a five-year contract, valued at approximately $520 million, to plan, design and deliver water and wastewater infrastructure for Logan City Council.Commencing in January 2020, the contract has provisions for two extensions of two years each. In total, the nine-year term is valued up to $1 billion.

Downer will partner with Logan City Council (LCC) in the Logan Water Infrastructure Program Alliance to deliver planning, design, delivery and program management services for water, sewerage and treatment assets in the region.

“This contract strengthens our position as a market leader in delivering complete water lifecycle solutions,” Downer CEO, Grant Fenn, said.

Downer has a long-standing relationship with LCC dating back to the Logan Water Alliance, which delivered $302 million of infrastructure from 2009 to 2014, and the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance, which is delivering approximately $435 million of infrastructure between 2014 and 2020.

This contract replaces the Logan Water Infrastructure Alliance and will continue to be delivered in collaboration with a fully integrated LCC team and sub-alliance partners WSP and Cardno.

Roads and Water Infrastructure Acting Director, Daryl Ross, congratulated Downer on being awarded the contract.

“We look forward to working with Downer and their alliance sub-partners on this important program of works for Logan City Council,” Mr Ross said.

4 Issue 17 December 2019

SPONSORSHIP SPONSORSHIP

Stars shine at Downer Nines!The Downer Rugby League World Cup 9s was held at Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium on 18-19 October, and was hailed a big success with nearly 30,000 fans turning out to watch the feast of football.The most exciting players from the NRL and NRLW battled it out for the title of world champions, with 12 teams competing in the men’s tournament and four in the women’s competition.

The tournament was broadcast live on Fox Sports, attracting over 250,000 viewers across the two days. This provided a great opportunity to promote the Downer brand, with our logo plastered across the ground, goalposts and corner posts, as well as on digital signage boards around the stadium.

After 28 matches and 12 hours of action, it was Australia who claimed the men’s title with a 24-10 win over New Zealand, while New Zealand

caused an upset in knocking off the previously undefeated Australian Jillaroos 17-15 in the women’s final.

Parramatta Eels star Mitchell Moses was a worthy winner of the Downer Player of the Tournament medal in the men’s competition.

There were plenty of Downer faces in the crowd enjoying the first World Cup played in the nine-a-side format since 1997.

As naming rights sponsor of the World Cup 9s, Downer was given 100 tickets to both days of the tournament, which we gave to employees who entered a competition on DownerConnect. By the looks of these photos, they all had a great time.

Downer News 5

SPONSORSHIP SPONSORSHIP

Shane Day, Head of Asset & Data Management Office, and son Harrison.

Carlos Rodriguez, Technical Integration Analyst, and son Monte.

Venkata Talatam, IT – BO Analyst.

Peter Stauffer from Agis with wife, Joanne.

6 Issue 17 December 2019

SPOTLESSSPONSORSHIP

Downer kids have a ball

This is the stuff kids’ dreams are made of.Four lucky children of Downer employees were given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to share the field with their heroes at the 2019 Downer Rugby League World Cup 9s.

As naming rights sponsor of the event, Downer was allowed to nominate four young footy fanatics to be official Ball Kids. So we held a competition for employees to enter their children or relatives to win the plum job.

As official Ball Kids, the children got to stand (and run) on the sidelines during matches and collect the footballs when they went out of play. They even got their own uniform, complete with Downer branding, and were able to meet a few of the players.

Not surprisingly, we were flooded with entries but there could only be four winners.

Budding Dragons fan, Bonnie, Tigers tragic, Declan (pictured above), and a pair of Knights fans, Blake and Ben, won the opportunity to share the turf with some of the game’s biggest stars – giving them a story that would have made them the envy of every kid in the playground the following Monday morning.

Stars come out at DownerIt’s not every day you get to rub shoulders with sporting superstars while you’re at work.The Downer Rugby League World Cups 9s trophy tour wound through Queensland and NSW in the lead-up to the tournament, with current and former players taking the men’s and women’s trophies to various junior carnivals and community events.

As Downer was naming rights sponsor of the event, we were lucky enough for the trophy tour to stop in at a few of our sites along the way, giving our people the chance to meet Australia and New Zealand Test captains, grand final heroes and Origin greats.

Queensland icon, Darren Lockyer, and current Brisbane and Cook Islands star, Alex Glenn, called into our Milton office (above). Champion Newcastle Knights hooker, Danny Buderus, spent time with our team at Hexham (below), while another of Newcastle’s favourite sons, Paul ‘Chief’ Harragon, visited our rollingstock Service Delivery Centre at Cardiff.

Legendary 1990s hardman, Mark Carroll, kept the team at North Ryde entertained with his stories of the glory days, and also joined current New Zealand Test captain, Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, and Kiwis superstar, Shaun Johnson, at our asphalt plant at Rosehill.

The tour was staged during school holidays, so we encouraged staff to bring their children along to get a photo and autograph of some of their heroes.

It was a huge success, and something our people and their children won’t forget in a hurry.

Downer News 7

SPOTLESS

Downer transitions facilities management model to Spotless

Downer and Spotless expanded our relationship in November by utilising Spotless’ facilities management expertise at our 10 largest Australian office premises. Spotless already provides a range of internal services to Downer, capturing revenue previously outlaid to external companies. These services include:

■ Cleaning and facilities management at more than 60 Downer sites around New Zealand

■ Cleaning services as part of Downer’s Sydney Growth Trains maintenance contract

■ Laundering uniforms for Yarra Trams staff.

“Spotless is a market leader in facilities management, with a proven track record of providing exceptional service,” Downer’s Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, Brendan Petersen, said. “From long-term infrastructure planning to day-to-day services, they make buildings and facilities smarter, greener, safer and more efficient. They provide outstanding service to a broad group of customers, ranging from single premises such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground, to companies with national portfolios of buildings and facilities such as Coca-Cola Amatil.

“From 6 November, we transitioned our facilities management model to Spotless for the seven major Downer premises at North Ryde, Gladesville B, Hexham (16 Galleghan Street), Milton (135 Coronation Drive), Eagle Farm (Qantas Drive), Melbourne (Level 10, Collins Street) and Canning Vale; as well as three Spotless premises at Rhodes, Melbourne (549 St Kilda Road) and Eagle Farm (Schneider Road).

“We are delighted that Spotless will now be delivering their facilities management services to these Downer and Spotless sites, ensuring our buildings and facilities run smoothly and efficiently and providing a scalable platform for further Downer and Spotless sites to transition to this model.”

Walkin’ in a ginger wonderlandWhat do you get when you give 600kg of gingerbread, 460kg of royal icing, 200kg of marzipan and 990 mini Christmas trees to some of Australia’s most talented pastry chefs? The sweetest place to be in Melbourne this Christmas, that’s what!Spotless’ EPICURE team have brought back their popular Gingerbread Village for its fourth year – and this year will be the largest yet.

EPICURE’s award-winning Executive Pastry Chef, Deniz Karaca, along with Nathalie Bamforth and our talented pastry team spent countless hours perfecting the Christmas wonderland, which is at a new location in St Collins Lane this year.

Over 54,000 people visited the village during the festive season in 2018, raising more than $30,000 in gold-coin donations to help sick children at the Royal Children’s Hospital. In total, the Gingerbread Village has raised more than $195,000 and delighted almost 400,000 visitors since opening four years ago.

Famous Melbourne landmarks have returned this year, including St Kilda beach, Luna Park, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Flemington racecourse, Federation Square, Flinders Street station, Young & Jackson Hotel and St Paul’s Cathedral.

The team has also added a few new Melbourne favourites this year, including the Royal Botanical Gardens and the Shrine of Remembrance.

In October 1867, Queensland was broke and on the brink of collapse.It had been eight years since the State separated from NSW, and it looked unlikely it would reach a decade. The harsh climate, along with vast distances and poor communication between settlements, had combined to cripple Queensland’s export industry and clip its economy.

But just when it looked like the State would fold, someone in Gympie struck gold. Loads of it. News travelled fast and sparked a gold rush, as prospectors flocked to the region to strike it lucky, and the injection of money saved the State from bankruptcy.

Word of this gold rush reached the ears of Victorian miner, John Walker, who had founded Ballarat’s Union Foundry four years earlier.

Walker joined the migration north, but he wasn’t interested in battling it out with other prospectors on the Gympie goldfields. He had other ideas.

Walker could foresee that all those gold mines would require machinery. So, along with three others, he headed north to open a manufacturing facility to supply machinery to the mines, as well as heavy castings required by the Queensland sugar industry.

They set up camp 100km north of Gympie in Maryborough, secured a site on Bowen Street and opened the doors to the new foundry in 1869. Those doors are still open today.

Since the first casting, the Maryborough factory has been a hub of industry in regional Queensland. From manufacturing countless sugar mills to building ships for the Royal Australian Navy, Maryborough is known for producing the equipment that

keeps Australia running. Rail has always been a core capability for the site. Queensland’s first locomotive – the ‘Mary Ann’ – was constructed on the site in 1873, and the factory would go on to manufacture over 900 locomotives and 1,000 rail cars, the most recent of which was completed earlier this year.

Originally known as Walkers Limited, the site was sold to Evans Deakin in 1980, and acquired by Downer in 2001.

On 6 December, staff at Downer’s Maryborough Service Centre were joined by Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, to celebrate the facility’s 150-year anniversary.

Downer now employs over 250 people at the site and is recognised across the country as a leading manufacturer and maintainer in the rail sector. Trains that travel all over Australia have been built in the Heritage City – from the Cairns Tilt Train to the entire Transperth B-Series fleet.

“The Maryborough factory is an icon of the Fraser Coast community and Downer is proud to play a part in its 150-year history,” Downer’s Executive General Manager Rollingstock Services, Tim Young, said.

“With upgrade work on Queensland’s New Generation Rollingstock fleet well underway, and 14 apprentices starting in 2020, now is the perfect time to celebrate our proud history and bright future.

“It’s an especially important time for our 250-plus employees on site. Some of them have worked here for over 40 years and their contribution to our business is undeniable.

“And with a steady flow of work over the next few years, one thing’s for certain – Downer in Maryborough is here to stay.”

ROLLINGSTOCKROLLINGSTOCK

8 Issue 17 December 2019

Maryborough celebrates 150 golden years

The start of something bigIt was an odd-looking machine, even for its time.

And Queensland’s first locomotive, built in 1873 at our Maryborough Service Centre on Bowen Street, was met with mixed reviews.

Commissioned to haul timber on the new Cooloola tramway, the ‘Mary Ann’ – named after the daughters of customer William Pettigrew – was described as “very primitive”.

“Queensland’s first locally-built locomotive was a queer contraption,” one newspaper report read. “The engine was upright on a frame of iron and wood, a flywheel on the side opposite to where the driving crank was placed was used when the locomotive became a stationary engine. The engine weighed six tonnes and ran six miles an hour.”

It may have been met with some skepticism at the time, but the Mary Ann was the start of something big. Today, our Maryborough facility is regarded as a leader in rollingstock manufacturing and maintenance.

ROLLINGSTOCKROLLINGSTOCK

Downer News 9

Downer joined a who’s who of the rail industry in Sydney from 3-5 December for AusRail, the largest rail event in Australasia.We were proud to once again be the Premium Platinum and Gala Dinner sponsor of the event, which was hosted by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and attracted over 7,000 attendees and 450 exhibiting companies.

Industry leaders from across the globe attended the event – and with so many experts together in the same place, innovation and emerging trends in the industry were key talking points.

In addition to sponsoring and exhibiting at the event, a number of people from Downer and our joint venture Keolis Downer presented on new projects, initiatives and trends that will shape the future of the rail sector. It was a fantastic opportunity to share knowledge and collaborate to help grow and support the rail industry.

“At Downer, our motto is ‘Relationships Creating Success’ – that means working together with our customers, partners and people to deliver the best outcomes across the sectors in which we operate,” Downer’s Executive General Manager Rollingstock Services, Tim Young, said.

“Events like AusRail are a shining example of this value. They are much more than a chance to network and see the latest technology. It is the collaboration and knowledge sharing that makes AusRail so important to our industry.

“In our rapidly evolving technological and regulatory environment, these relationships are vital. The rail sector in Australia is experiencing growth and change at an almost unprecedented rate, and our collective challenge is in responding and adapting to this brave new world.

“This year’s conference theme of ‘Delivering Growth. Creating Opportunity. Embracing Technology’ certainly resonates with Downer. As a provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand, we combine local knowledge and expertise with global partnerships to deliver world-class solutions for our customers.

“We’re committed to innovation, and developing cutting edge solutions that embrace new technology and ways of working. From our TrainDNA data analytics platform to Newcastle’s integrated multi-modal transport system, delivered with partners Keolis Downer, every day Downer is working to improve our public transport network for all Australians.”

Delivering growth. Creating opportunity. Embracing Technology!

Maryborough memories

Working in rail runs in Ken Aberdeen’s blood.His father, Malcolm ‘Max’ Aberdeen, worked at the Maryborough factory for nearly 50 years and today Ken and his brother still work on site.

“I finished school in Grade 10,” Ken said. “The next year was 1971. I started here as a boy labourer in the pattern shed with the pattern makers and in 1972 I got an apprenticeship as an Apprentice Fitter working in the shipyards in Maryborough.

“After the 1974 flood, when the shipyard closed, I came up to the Bowen Street works and we started building sugar mills, then in about 1978 we started building electric rail cars for Brisbane.”

Today, Ken is a Fitter in the Bogie Shop, working to overhaul train components that come in for refurbishment. It’s the sense of achievement in a job well done that’s kept him working at the factory for so many years.

“I take a bit of pride in that, to make sure everything’s right so when it leaves it looks pretty schmick,” he smiled. “That’s what’s good for me, I like seeing (the bogies) going out looking like a brand-new penny.”

Ken’s not the only one with close to half a century of service under his belt at the Maryborough site. Noel Anderson started his apprenticeship in 1973 and has seen a lot of changes over the years.

“I started as an Apprentice Boilermaker and when I became a tradesman I successfully applied for a draftsman’s position in the drawing office, as it was called then,” Noel said. “I began doing the drawings with pencils on tracing paper on a drawing board.”

These days, Senior Designer Noel works with modern computer-based packages to create what was once drawn on paper.

Ken Aberdeen Noel Anderson

10 Issue 17 December 2019

DOWNER EMPLOYEE PROFILE

Setting the standard for how we conduct our business

At Downer, we pride ourselves on our brand and reputation, and realise this is directly linked to the behaviour of our people.On 9 December we launched our refreshed Standards of Business Conduct, which outlines how our people should conduct themselves when dealing with our customers, suppliers, communities and each other. The Standards of Business Conduct stipulates what is required in relation to workplace behaviour, workplace safety, diversity and inclusion, corporate governance, engaging with stakeholders, and sustainability.

A number of important changes have been made to the Standards of Business Conduct policy, which can be found on our website. Changes include an update to the Business Integrity Policy, which sets out how to report misconduct or other illegal behaviour; clarity on the threshold for the acceptance of gifts and benefits; information on Downer’s position on modern slavery; and we make it easier to see what other policies staff are required to comply with.

“Downer’s continued success depends on our ability to deliver results for our customers and for each other,” Downer CEO, Grant Fenn, said. “In delivering these, it is also important that we adhere to the Standards of Business Conduct. This applies to every one of us, including Directors, employees, contractors and agents representing Downer and its subsidiary companies, including Spotless.”

For Spotless staff, this policy replaces the Code of Conduct. There are no material changes to what is expected of our people, but it aligns Spotless with Downer in a very important aspect of our business operations.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini.It’s an old Maori proverb, which translated to English means, ‘Success is not the work of one, but of many’.

It was an appropriate way for Downer New Zealand’s Executive General Manager – Transport Services, Craig West, to accept the Deloitte Top 200 Diversity and Inclusion Leadership award on 5 December for our Te Ara Whanake leadership program.

The Deloitte Top 200 Awards are held annually to recognise outstanding individual and management team performances among New Zealand’s largest companies and trading organisations.

“To reach the finalist stage of the Deloitte Top 200 Diversity and Inclusion section was reward enough for the amazing programs we have at Downer New Zealand,” Craig said.

“I accepted this award on behalf of Downer, Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ara Whanake (our Māori Leadership Development Advisory Board), our Te Ara Whanake facilitators, our alumni and our amazing team that manages this program on an ongoing basis.

“To win alongside well-known Aotearoa household names shows what we do makes a difference in how we see the world and our communities. My thanks also to our key partner in delivering these programs, Te Puni Kōkiri – Ngā mihi nui ki a koe.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini – Success is not the work of one, but of many.”

Te Ara Whanake has been a key initiative to help attract and retain Māori employees. The

program has proven highly successful among our people, with 197 participants completing it to date, and a further 97 nominations received for this year’s program with 66 employees scheduled to take part.

The Deloitte Top 200 judges were impressed by the approach taken to refine the program using pilot schemes before implementing it across a broader group, commenting:

“It is clear Downer has good diversity and inclusion capability, having started the initial pilot in 2014. Although the work uses ‘tried and true’ models, they have articulated how they’ve tested different approaches through pilots, before then moving to the next iteration or activity. This is how innovation works – you try something and either build on success or try something different. A progression is evident in this entry.”

The Deloitte Top 200 gong wasn’t the only big award our New Zealand team took home during the 2019 awards season.

On 21 November, New Zealand’s Chief Legal Counsel, Marion Franks, was named In-House Lawyer of the Year at the 2019 New Zealand Law Awards.

Marion has been instrumental in a number of acquisitions, including the purchase of Hawkins and Spotless, bringing a new level of professionalism and rigour to the in-house legal role.

We’re extremely proud of Marion for everything she has achieved and know just how lucky we are to have her.

Major awards for NZ

Top left: Craig West (left) shows off the Deloitte Top 200 Diversity and Inclusion award.

Top right: Downer NZ Chief Legal Counsel, Marion Franks (front row, centre), is flanked by colleagues after being named In-House Lawyer of the Year at the 2019 New Zealand Law Awards.

Downer News 11

DOWNER EMPLOYEE PROFILE

As fire engulfed the houses on their left and right, Gavin Ewer and his family ran.Fled through the smoky haze up the battle-axe driveway of his parents-in-law’s house, not knowing if the house would still be there when they returned.

That was January 1994, when bushfires ravaged Sydney’s Sutherland Shire. Gavin’s parents-in-law were lucky – while nearly every house on the street burned, theirs was somehow spared.

But the memories haunted Gavin and his family for years – lasting long after the houses that burned down had been repaired and replaced. He’ll never forget that day. It is still a painful memory, 25 years later.

“The last image I have of that time is running up the driveway and the houses on both sides were on fire,” Gavin said.

“The house at the front of my parents-in-law’s block was on fire and the fire was coming up towards their house. We didn’t know until the next morning that the house was still standing.

“It took me a good 10, 15 years before I could actually watch footage of the fires or read about it without starting to choke up. I personally didn’t lose anything and my family didn’t lose anything. But just the impact it had around the neighbourhood, and watching friends go through it… it was pretty hard.”

The memories are hard to escape. But they also inspired Gavin to join his local Rural Fire Service (RFS) brigade in Loftus in southern Sydney six years ago.

“Having been through ’94, I always thought I wanted to do something to support the community,” Gavin continued.

“I have a background in the Army Reserve and I really enjoyed that sort of camaraderie and team environment. Loftus are a really good crew, and it’s really got that camaraderie that we used to have in the

Army back in the day. What I really enjoy is they’re people from all different walks of life – a lot of white-collar people, tradies and a lot of emergency services staff.”

As some of the worst bushfires in Australia’s history raged throughout November and December this year, Gavin balanced his work at Downer as Treasury Risk Manager at our North Ryde office with stints joining his Loftus brigade battling fires.

“(The RFS) is on a fully volunteer basis, so I make myself available any time I’m not at the office – which is from around 7pm until 6am, on weekends and when I’m on leave,” Gavin said.

“Downer’s been really good – there have been times during the recent catastrophic fire events when I was lucky to be able to work from home, or work from the station. I could sit in the station and do the work that needed to be done, and by around 11am I could say, ‘I am not contactable now, because I am out (fighting bushfires)’.

“There’s also been times when I have received a call in the middle of the night (from the RFS). Generally, when you are at an active fire like that, you’re looking at a minimum 12-hour shift, so I’m not going to make it back to work the following day. In these cases, Downer has been great in allowing me to take time off.”

The recent bushfires have been relentless. But so has the determination and commitment of Gavin and many other Downer employees who have helped fight the fires.

At Downer, we’re committed to actively supporting the communities we are part of, so we’re extremely proud of all our people who have taken time out – either taking Annual Leave, or being on-call outside working hours – to protect their communities.

From Treasury to Firie

10 January – Downer’s partnership with Rio Tinto continues to grow when we are awarded the preferred supplier role for a five-year rail renewal services contract.

6 February – The NSW Government orders 17 more Waratah Series 2 trains as part of the Sydney Growth Trains project. When they are delivered, there will be 119 Waratah trains providing world-leading passenger train services for Sydney commuters.

18 February – Downer delivers the Newcastle Light Rail. Light rail is a key element of Newcastle’s integrated public transport system – also including buses and ferries – which is operated by our Keolis Downer Joint Venture.

29 March – Spotless announces we will establish four new Centres of Excellence to assist with growth in key markets such as Health and Education, Justice and Critical Infrastructure. The Centres of Excellence will be for Cleaning, Security, Hospitality and Asset Lifecycle & Engineering Services, and will facilitate a distinctive Spotless way of working and delivering for our customers.

18 April – Our New Zealand team and their partners in the Link Alliance win the lucrative Auckland City Rail Link’s C3 alliance contract – the largest package of work in what is the biggest transport infrastructure project ever undertaken in New Zealand. Downer is also preferred supplier to maintain three stations as part of the project for up to 30 years. These contracts are expected to generate over $1 billion in revenue for Downer.

24 May – Queensland Rail awards Downer two five-year contracts to conduct overhauls on key interurban and suburban rail fleets at our Maryborough Service Delivery Centre.

29 May – We celebrate National Reconciliation Week by launching our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which builds on the Reflect RAP that we introduced in 2016.

18 July – Downer joins forces with one of the world’s most iconic sporting teams to form a ground-breaking partnership. Our sponsorship deal with New Zealand Rugby for the 2019/2020 seasons sees us partnering with the Black Ferns and Black Ferns Sevens women’s teams and Māori All Blacks, becoming the first partner to support all three sides.

23 July – AusNet Services selects Downer to provide operational and maintenance services on their electricity distribution network in Victoria. The five-year contract is worth approximately $600 million, and expands Downer’s services from the current work delivered in AusNet Services’ Central region to include the remainder of their electricity distribution network in Victoria’s Northern and Eastern regions.

13 August – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits our Rosehill asphalt site to learn more about Downer’s sustainable pavement solutions. “It’s great to be here at the Downer site, which is doing something absolutely amazing about Australia’s future,” Prime Minister Morrison said.

1 October – BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) awards Downer a two-year contract, valued at approximately $200 million, to provide mining and related services at the Goonyella Riverside coal mine in Central Queensland.

18-19 October – Downer is naming rights sponsor of the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s at Parramatta’s Bankwest Stadium.

25 November – Downer and our partners in the NEWest Alliance are selected as preferred contractor to deliver the Yanchep Rail Extension and the Thornlie – Cockburn Link, part of Perth’s METRONET program.

12 December – Downer is awarded a five-year contract, valued at approximately $520 million, to plan, design and deliver water and wastewater infrastructure for Logan City Council. The contract has provisions for two extensions of two years each. In total, the nine-year term would be valued up to $1 billion.

12 Issue 17 December 2019

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DOWNER

Downer’s 2019 Year in ReviewIt’s been another big year for Downer. The services we’ve delivered during 2019 have made millions of people’s lives better and easier every day. As we look back on 2019, that’s something everyone at Downer can be proud of.

Here’s a look at some of Downer’s highlights and achievements over the past 12 months.