1.0 Strategic Initiatives
In March 2011, the Board held a strategic workshop to identify and discuss issues of significance to the profession. Since the March meeting the Board has continued work to fine tune some initiatives and has developed a number of actions that are in the process of implementation. These actions include:-
1.1 Registration Facilitator
The Board is aware that the profession has an age bubble with 64% of cadastral surveyors over 50 years of age, and similar percentages applying for both engineering and mining surveyors. There are currently over 300 registered surveying graduates and there is a need for graduates to progress to full registration status with endorsements. The strategy developed by the Board is to encourage employers to promote progression and for graduates to identify a clear career path, and the value in seeking full registration status.
To initiate action the Board will:-
- Seek applications for a Registration Facilitator;
- identify impediments to progression via discussion forums with both graduates and surveyors;
- offer guidance and assistance to graduates and employers where appropriate or requested;
- assist registration applicants with any issues of concern; and
- develop and facilitate training in general.
The Board is currently settling the job description for the position of Registration Facilitator and the position will be advertised shortly. If you are interested in this role and believe you would be able to offer assistance to graduates please feel free to contact the Board’s office and obtain a copy of the job description.
To align with the strategy to progress graduates to full registration status, the Board will also investigate how to attract school leavers to the surveying profession and increase the number of students at university studying for a surveying or spatial science degree.
1.2 Competency Frameworks
The Board has agreed to complete a review of the competency frameworks to ensure simplicity and suitability for purpose.
The Board proposes to seek written submissions from the profession and hold a number of workshops in Brisbane and regional centres throughout Queensland to ensure the profession is given every opportunity to participate in the review. The Board will appoint a peer reviewer to add robustness and transparency to the process.
At each venue there will be two workshops, one for graduates and one for registered surveyors. It is proposed the workshop locations will be Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Caloundra, and Brisbane x 2.
After written submissions have been received and the workshops held, draft frameworks will be developed and then they will be further workshops with members of the profession. The Board will then publish and communicate the reviewed competency frameworks.
2.0 Survey Plans and Reinstatement Issues
In 2009, as a result of concerns being raised by the surveying profession and by the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) about the standard of reinstatement of cadastral boundaries, the Surveyors Board reviewed 100 recent cadastral plans. The review identified that there were concerns with the reinstatement shown on a significant number of these plans. In response to this, the Board has undertaken ongoing consultation with representative groups regarding poor reinstatement impacts on the cadastre and potential strategies to address the knowledge and skill gaps.
As a result of this consultation, the Board has identified a number of activities that it intends to pursue to improve the standard of reinstatement. These include:
(a) support measures aimed at ensuring candidates for registration receive appropriate training;
(b) training activities aimed at further developing the reinstatement skills of registered surveyors; and
(c) monitoring measures, to enable the Board to monitor the standard of reinstatement into the future.
To enable the Board to monitor the standard of reinstatement, the Board has written to DERM, requesting that DERM keep the Board informed of instances where there may be concerns with the reinstatement on plans. This information would assist the Board in taking action to ensure that the training of surveyors addresses any identified shortcomings.
DERM has responded, advising that a preliminary assessment of the reinstatement will be undertaken on a subset of lodged and deposited plans. In instances such as the following, the surveyor may be requested to provide additional information in relation to the reinstatement:
- where the rationale for the reinstatement is not evident from the plan and/or field notes; or
- where the plan does not appear to provide sufficient evidence to support the reinstatement of particular boundaries; or
- where the extent of the survey does not appear to be sufficient to ensure that the rights of adjoining owners and the rights of the owners of the subject land are preserved; or
- where additional search is available that the surveyor did not have and it appears to affect the reinstatement.
The surveyor will be requested to provide
- a list of all plans searched in the reinstatement; and
- a written report or an annotated plan showing how the lines and corners have been reinstated, and what evidence has been used (e.g. use of previous surveys, use of occupation, allocation of excess and shortage etc); and if appropriate
- an explanation of how the rights of all adjoining owners surrounding the survey and the rights of the subject land have been preserved.
DERM will provide the responses to these requests to the Board.
DERM has not yet determined what proportion of plans will undergo this preliminary assessment.