Connect 16 - Sustainability edition (2020) : simplebooklet.com

WELCOME TO OUR SUSTAINBILITY EDITIONIstrongly believe that as a modern organisation we need to embrace the world as it is today, and not as it was. That means being sustainable in everything we do. Sustainability, at its core, is simply doing the right thing. Doing the right thing by our employees, clients, suppliers and investors. Doing the right thing by our environment and by future generations, in terms of the legacy we leave. It’s also about building and earning the trust of the communities we operate in. By factoring in social, environmental and economic considerations, we can make considered decisions. This helps sustain us through times of challenge, such as natural disasters and COVID-19. It also provides a platform to underpin our long-term future growth.So when I looked at our Vision statement earlier this year, it was clear it needed to be updated, to reect the role of sustainability in everything we do. I’m proud to say sustainability is now an integral part of our Vision, just as it is an integral part of our business.Like most responsible organisations, we seek to align our approach with the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals – the blueprint agreed by UN member countries to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. We have developed a sustainability policy, and recently launched the Ventia Sustainability Council and a framework to further our objectives [see p. 8]. This issue of Connect focuses on what sustainability means to us at Ventia. It will give you a sense, through these stories, of how sustainability is fundamental to everything we do at Ventia, every single day. We have also shared examples of how we partner with clients to achieve shared sustainability objectives and how we are reducing our carbon footprint. I’m proud of the great progress we’re making in Reconciliation. I am also proud that we are building a more diverse and inclusive organisation. This will enhance the safety and wellbeing for our employees and communities. However, I recognise there’s much more that we can do. With your participation, ideas and enthusiasm, we can work together to achieve a more sustainable future. Enjoy reading these stories and I invite you to add to our story. David MoattExecutive Chairman & Group CEOOur VisionTo lead the way in infrastructure services by harnessing the power of technology and being sustainable in all that we do.Sustainability is integral to everything we do at Ventia, every single day.4

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76SYDNEY – NEW SOUTH WALES“Mental health is such an important issue for our industry which is why Ventia is constantly working on proactive initiatives,” says SHEQ Oicer Orla Manning, who recently presented on mental health and wellbeing at the Motorways and Tunnel Operations Forum in Sydney. AROUND THE CLOCKOUR TEAMS NEVER STOPSYDNEY HARBOUR –NEW SOUTH WALES The automated ight mode on the DJI Phantom 4 drone allows our pilot to pre-program the drone to y to multiple GPS coordinates, to capture images and be able to repeat this exact sequence with precision. SOUTH SYDNEY – NEW SOUTH WALES Technician Adam Heyhoe was part of a recent operation to replace 81 uorescent tube style lights with LED light ttings at the VBA depot in Sydney’s South, which is expected to achieve a 72% reduction in energy consumption from oice lighting. CHATSWOOD – NEW SOUTH WALESCongratulations to more than 140 of our leaders who recently graduated from Ventia’s Essential Leadership Program, a bespoke program delivered over a six-month block developing the essential skills and practices of leading and managing teams.AUSTRALIA-WIDEThe Visionstream team has been helping to build Australia’s broadband infrastructure reaching a major milestone in late December when they passed three million premises made Ready for Service (RFS) for NBN Co. SYDNEY – NEW SOUTH WALESContract Manager of our four Sydney tunnel contracts, Anthony Curry, is honoured to be part of the cohort for the prestigious 2020 Roads Australia Fellowship Program.Connect 16From connecting people to faster networks, remediating contaminated land, keeping traic owing and our hospitals and schools running, our clients never switch o – so neither do we. With an unwavering focus on safety, we operate around the clock to keep infrastructure working in our communities.ADELAIDE – SOUTH AUSTRALIAOn International Women’s Day, teams from across our operations celebrated the contributions women make to our business every day including Kylie, Maddison and Amanda from the Transmission & Distribution South team in Wingeld. AUCKLAND – NEW ZEALANDBy going out of their way to help a very appreciative elderly customer with modem issues, Visionsteam technician Tahir Ali and Site Manager Mamoon Saeed prove exceptional customer service is not always about solving complex problems. PERTH – WESTERN AUSTRALIA Celebrating the 5 year service anniversary for members of the Delron cleaning team in Perth, whose passion and commitment to their work delivers outstanding outcomes for our clients. MELBOURNE – VICTORIAVisionstream supporting Omni-Aware’s Connected and Automated Vehicle trial that utilises cameras and light detection and ranging sensors to detect movements through an intersection. It allows authorities to analyse crashes and near misses, and how they may have been caused, to make roads safer.

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8Create stakeholder value by conducting our business in accordance with high standards in corporate governanceSUSTAINABILITYAT VENTIAOur sustainability framework reflects the areas where we are focusing to deliver excellence in sustainable infrastructure services. OUR 2020 OBJECTIVES AND COMMITMENTSDeliver initiatives that continually minimise our environmental impactContinue our performance improvement in safety, wellbeing, diversity and inclusionLeverage our partnerships todeliver sustainable infrastructure solutions and positive environment,social and economic outcomes• Deliver sustained financial performance• Continue improving data integrity and collection to inform decision making and sustainability reporting• Monitor and mitigate social risk present in our supply chain• Deliver on commitments made in our Diversity and Inclusion Plan (Gender Diversity Working Group, First People’s Working Group) and Mental Health Plan• Continue to embed Critical Risk Protocols• Raise awareness and communicate sustainability initiatives across internal and external channels• Map our emissions across the business and develop a system and platform to capture required data• Develop a plan to move towards zero emissions• Develop a climate risk assessment that informs the climate threats we must protect against and the climate opportunities we will pursue• Partner with clients to deliver sustainable solutions that create value for their business and customers• Inspire and empower the business to identify and implement relevant sustainability projects• Expand our partnerships to deliver leading solutions for our clients and their customersOur sustainability framework is informed by the 17 inter-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. We have identified six SDGs that we will align to with the objective of delivering the greatest impact. CLIMATE GOVERNANCE PARTNERSHIPS PEOPLE

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Connect 16INCORPORATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO OUR BRAND PYRAMIDWe’ve restated our company’s Vision statement to reect the role sustainability has, and will continue to have, in how we full our brand promise. Our restated Vision is:“To lead the way in infrastructure services by harnessing the power of technology and being sustainable in all that we do.”VENTIA SUSTAINABILITY COUNCILThe newly formed Sustainability Council will provide leadership and governance on sustainability across Ventia, with a broad scope to reect and accelerate our sustainability priorities. The Council is chaired by Executive Chairman & Group CEO David Moatt and will build on the great work achieved by our former Diversity Council. VENTIA SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORKThe Council’s work is guided by our newly developed Ventia Sustainability Framework. The framework provides a cohesive, overarching approach to sustainability in our business. It captures and categorises our initiatives relating to indigenous community engagement, gender diversity, community engagement, waste reduction and diversion, energy reduction, and supplier diversity. Our framework is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which form the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. For detailed information about these goals visit www.sustainabledevelopment.un.orgThe six sustainable development goals that are most relevant to Ventia are: good health and wellbeing; gender equity; decent work and economic growth; sustainable cities and communities; and climate action.Based on these, there are four broad areas where we can have the greatest impact. These are areas where we can:> Deliver initiatives that continually minimise our environmental impact> Leverage our partnerships to deliver sustainable infrastructure solutions and positive environment, social and economic outcomes> Create stakeholder value by conducting our business in accordance with high standards in corporate governance> Continue our performance improvement in safety, wellbeing, diversity and inclusion.There are other initiatives in the pipeline. Stay tuned for details as these progress. OUR APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY A t Ventia, we’re passionate about making infrastructure work for our communities and we strive to do that in a sustainable way. Through every decision and action we take, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact on the people and the world around us. Having a strong focus on sustainability is not only the right thing to do – it’s what our employees, clients and communities expect from us. Clients increasingly look to partner with suppliers who share their commitment and will support them in achieving their sustainability objectives. Employees want to belong to organisations who stand for something – companies that are embedding sustainability into their culture. Communities have the right to expect to live in safe and healthy environments that are being managed sustainably.Research shows that companies with a strong commitment to sustainability perform better, attract and retain talent, are better able to manage risks and add value to the communities in which they operate. In 2019, we developed our Ventia Sustainability Policy which set out our commitment to achieve continuous improvement of environmental, social and governance outcomes by embedding sustainability principles in our business model, systems, procedures and project operations. This year we announced three additional initiatives, which further advance that commitment.9Local sustainability initiatives Employees are encouraged to go to the Sustainability homepage on theVine to share ideas, report on local sustainability initiatives and tap into resources and support required for these to succeed.

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Social Traders creates jobs for disadvantaged Australians, including people with a disability and the long-term unemployed. It does this by linking business and government buyers with social enterprises. Social enterprises are companies which have been established with the intention to tackle social problems, improve communities, provide people with access to employment and training or help the environment. Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA). This is a member-based peak body operating in Australia and New Zealand with the purpose of enabling sustainability outcomes in infrastructure. ISCA’s iSupply directory provides its members with access to suppliers who can help them to achieve sustainable outcomes. Beyond this, ISCA supports the infrastructure industry through forums, education, training, capacity building and advocacy. W e have the power to positively inuence the integrity and diversity of our supply chain through the procurement decisions we make every day. This is true whether we are acquiring products and services or engaging sub-contractors on our projects. We look to create social value without compromising on quality or cost-eectiveness, by seeking out suppliers who:> operate ethically > take environmental considerations into account > facilitate opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities within Australia > create and support employment opportunities for indigenous communities in New Zealand > enhance social inclusion by creating job opportunities for minority groups including individuals experiencing disadvantage. To do this, we’re partnering with several peak sustainability organisations. In addition to helping us meet our procurement objectives, these relationships provide us with opportunities to align with industry-best practice and learn and share valuable insights. These include memberships with:Supply Nation – a leader in supplier diversity. Supply Nation connects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and businesses with the procurement teams of government and corporate Australia.10MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH PROCUREMENTAs a company, we strive to deliver sustainable outcomes for our clients and communities by integrating sustainability considerations in our business decisions.Christian Frost, Executive General Manager SHEQ Ventia’s Aboriginal Business Partner, Harry Thorne at the 2019 Indigenous Business Expo

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PROCUREMENTSUSTAINABLEPROCUREMENTSUSTAINABLEConnect 1611INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIPSWe also seek to inuence sustainable outcomes in infrastructure through Ventia‘s memberships of industry associations. Some of these include:Australasian Land & Groundwater Association (ALGA). This provides a forum and identity for the Australasian contaminated land and groundwater industry. Ventia’s Ian Brookman is President and Director of ALGA. Two of our Environmental Remediation team, Dr John Hunt and Charles Grimison, participate on ALGA interest group committees focused, respectively, on Sustainable Remediation and Emerging Contaminants of Concern.Australian Water Association. This is Australia’s biggest water network, inspiring and driving a sustainable water future. Our involvement includes program partnership of the Western Australia Water Industry Breakfast in 2019.ITS Australia. Intelligent Transport Systems Australia promotes the development and deployment of advanced technologies to deliver safer, more eicient and sustainable transport across all public and private modes: air, sea, road and rail.Roads Australia. This peak body focuses on the planning, design, build, operations and maintenance of Australia’s 817,000-kilometre road network within our integrated transport system. New Zealand Construction Industry Council (CIC). CIC is a collaborative group for information, networking, research and advocacy towards a better built environment for all New Zealanders.“As a company, we strive to deliver sustainable outcomes for our clients and communities by integrating sustainability considerations in our business decisions,” said Christian Frost, EGM SHEQ. “Our memberships of Supply Nation, Social Traders and ISCA further enhance these eorts.” Diversity Council of Australia (DCA) is an independent not-for-prot peak body leading diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The NZ Federation of Business & Professional Women (NZFBPW) is the equivalent body in New Zealand.Our membership with these organisations provides access to evidence-based research, extensive diversity and inclusion (D&I) tools and resources, as well as the ability to procure D&I related training through workshops and other forums.“DCA and NZFBPW gives us great opportunities for connection and networking as well as credible, pragmatic resources and expertise to help further our D&I programs” said Rebelle Moriarty, EGM People & Capability.National Reconciliation Week activities in WA

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15Connect 16“We will primarily use the data loggers for customer billing. They can also provide us with a better understanding of customers’ water usage and play a role in reducing water wastage,” he says.For customers, digital metering puts an end to estimated bills and the need for Coliban Water’s meter reading sta to enter their properties every quarter. Because meter data is collected hourly and not quarterly, leaks can more easily be detected, saving water and consumption charges. Digital metering also helps to nd water losses arising from network leakages and water the. This allows for earlier rectication and reduces the cost of wasted water.With Vianet’s LoRaWAN network canopy extending across Coliban Water’s entire water district, there is an opportunity to deploy a wide variety of data collecting sensors to inform and provide insights on many aspects of the business.Another example of how Vianet is using IoT technology to help water customers is our range of sewer network monitoring solutions. For Christchurch City Council, we designed a customised low-cost device which is being installed on three vacuum sewer systems to provide real-time monitoring across 1,483 chambers.The battery-powered devices communicate data on the performance of vacuum sewer valves and send an alarm on detection of anomalies in the network, such as a valve remaining open for too long or not opening at all.As part of our end-to-end solution, data analysis is available to the client via an online management dashboard. This includes a geographic map of the network, pinpointing the precise locations where issues have been detected.Previously, the client would have to walk along each street of a suburb opening heavy pit lids in order to identify the faulty valve. Now, the Vianet data allows the client to nd issues before customers do, pinpointing precisely the sewer pit where the issue resides.“We have proven the value of IoT solutions to the water industry,” says Matthew Henderson. “IoT is at the heart of utilities digital transformation and we are excited that Vianet applications have enormous potential to be applied for Ventia clients across a range of industries.” Working as a Data Engineer in Ventia’s Internet of Things (IoT) business, Vianet, Natalia lives and breathes in a world of data science. In her role, Natalia examines big data received via sensors designed and developed by the Vianet team. Working across a multitude of elds, including telecommunications and water utilities, Natalia says she loves what she does. “I thrive on looking for patterns in data to try and uncover and resolve issues.”Reecting on the future, Natalia says, “I would like to see projects where we examine electricity consumption as the Vianet team could help to ensure consumption is more eicient and sustainable.” BRINGING THE INTERNET OF THINGS TO THE WATER INDUSTRYA small digital device attached to tens of thousands of water meters across North-Central Victoria is making a dierence to the way that a regional water authority and its customers manage water eiciently. Ventia is installing the innovative devices on existing customer meters at more than 80,000 residential properties across Coliban Water’s regional urban network. Over a four-year period, the devices will be rolled out to residential properties in 49 towns, including Bendigo and Echuca. The device, developed by our Internet of Things (IoT) business Vianet, uses low power, wide area network technology (LPWA) to record the volume of water consumption on an hourly basis. The data is encrypted and transmitted securely to a central database, providing quality information for billing and network analysis. According to Corey Bourne, Manager Infrastructure at Coliban Water, digital monitoring is “an innovative way for Coliban Water to identify cost savings and network eiciencies for its customers through the timely identication of leaks”.14IoT is at the heart of utilities’ digital transformation and we are excited that Vianet applications have enormous potential to be applied for Ventia clients across a range of industries. “Knowledge is power, and data gives us knowledge” says Matthew Henderson, Product Development Manager Vianet. “Vianet’s devices gather raw data that is extracted and categorised to identify and analyse behavioral data, trends and patterns. “The data tells a story about every aspect of a utilities’ operations and it’s these insights that have the potential to transform how utilities think about their business.” As an example, water utilities can have real-time visibility of their most valuable asset – the pipe network. Informed decisions can be made on maintenance and capital works programs and, in some cases, capital works can be deferred. Vianet can help clients leverage low power, wide area network technologies to solve a broad range of business problems, from providing more responsive customer service, to minimising carbon footprints and reducing customer rebates. MATTHEW HENDERSONMEET NATALIA SAVINOVA

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Ventia was one of the rst companies in Australia to oer environmental remediation services and has been helping clients to address contamination in soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater for more than three decades. Over that time, we’ve delivered solutions on more than 140 major projects, including some of the country’s largest and most complex sites . Notable among these is the remediation of the Homebush Bay site in the Sydney suburb of Rhodes. The site had been contaminated by dioxins used by a global chemical manufacturer in the production of pesticides and defoliants, including Agent Orange. It is still considered to be one of Australia’s largest and most challenging environmental clean-ups to date.REMEDIATION FOR A SAFER CLEANER FUTUREV entia’s Environmental Services team helps clients deliver a cleaner future by tackling contaminated legacies of the past. These legacies include the hazardous waste generated by gasworks built in the 19th century as well as contaminants, which have emerged more recently, such as PFAS (per- and poly-uoroalkyl substances) that were used in common household products and reghting foams. 16

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17Connect 16Ventia was proud to take the lead on the Cox Peninsula remediation project in the Northern Territory to enable the land to be returned to its traditional owners. The area had been used by the Commonwealth for maritime, communications and Defence purposes for 120 years, resulting in extensive contamination below ground and on the surface.The team also successfully delivered remediation excavation works of over 450,000t of contaminated ll and rock at an iconic site in Sydney’s CBD. Commencing in 2018, the project spanned two years and used one of the largest and most innovative odour control enclosures ever assembled in Australia.Our current projects include the environmental rehabilitation of a former PFAS-impacted re training facility located at Fiskville in Victoria, remediation of sediment in Sydney Harbour’s Kendall Bay, the remediation of a former gasworks in Wollongong, and remediation works for the Parramatta Light Rail project in Sydney’s West.While many of our projects are to remediate historical legacy issues, the approach we bring comprises advanced 21st century solutions. Ian Brookman, Manager of Strategy and Development in our Environmental Services team, says “international approaches to the remediation of contaminated land and water are constantly evolving. Ventia is a global leader in respect to the application of innovative tools and technologies for environmental assessment and remediation”.“For example, our remediation teams use Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology, similar to what is used in the construction industry, to digitally model remediation sites,” he says. “This means we can visualise many of the subsurface challenges at the site and also forecast the time it will take to complete the job and more accurately cost all elements of the project.”On the Fiskville site, contaminated soil is being excavated and moved into a containment cell that will encapsulate the PFAS impacted soil within a complex and multilayered base and cap lining system.At our joint venture with SUEZ in Victoria, we have developed a soil processing facility which uses the latest in direct thermal desorption treatment and stabilisation technologies to treat contaminated soil. The soil is converted into clean ll and can be benecially reused.On the Kendall Bay project we are using in-situ sediment solidication to stabilise the contaminated sediments in the bay. Globally, this is the rst application of large scale in-situ sediment stabilisation of a contaminated marine environment.Using in-house resources and expertise, we have also designed a highly eective and sustainable treatment technology for the removal of PFAS contamination from soils using our unique SourceZoneTM technology. SourceZoneTM was successfully proven at full-scale in 2019 through the treatment of clayey soil during a proof-of-performance trial at the RAAF Base Edinburgh. Additional sandy soil from the RAAF Williamtown was also treated following completion of the trial.Given that remediation oen involves the removal of toxic contaminants, there are risks that need to be managed. This includes the occupational health and hygiene of our employees who are working in close proximity to contaminants and to local communities. The safety of our people is our highest priority. Specialist PPE is provided to minimise exposure to contaminants. We also implement innovative risk control methods to reduce adverse health outcomes. For example, a network of full pan and tilt wireless cameras across site dramatically reduces the need for workers to enter contaminated zones.Community engagement is always a signicant component of any remediation project. Our team consult extensively with local communities to answer questions, share details about what the work will involve, and explain the steps for minimising noise, dust, odours and other impacts on the community.Mitchell Casey, Remediation Project Manager for the Fiskville Project.As an emerging and complex contaminant, PFAS presents challenges, but also opportunities for innovation. It’s a great experience to be leading a team delivering one of the most important projects in PFAS remediation in Australia.MEET MITCHELL CASEY

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PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES MONITORING Whether it’s measuring the quality of the air we breathe, identifying pollutants in waterways or assessing emissions from landll sites, our Environmental Services Monitoring team plays an important role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of our communities.Working on behalf of government departments, water authorities, road operators and mining companies, our team uses the best technology and systems to measure, monitor and analyse the environment.“At the heart of what we do is the delivery of safe, customer-focused outcomes that will protect the environment in which we live,” says Ventia’s Manager Environmental Services, Mark Pickles.AIR MONITORING Our air monitoring teams also use advanced technology to measure the concentration of a range of emissions including dust and volatile organic compounds. This capability enables our transport clients to monitor air quality across road and tunnel networks to ensure vehicle emissions are kept at safe levels for motorists.GROUNDWATER MONITORING The team’s expertise and strong track record recently led to Ventia being awarded a three-year contract to deliver a compliance groundwater monitoring program for one of Australia’s leading energy companies. The program involves monitoring the client’s service station sites in NSW to provide assurance around the integrity of their underground petroleum storage systems and provide early detection to eectively manage any contamination risks. In common with all our monitoring activities, innovation is a core element in the delivery of the program. Using three custom-developed apps to design optimal routes and capture data, comments and photos, information is transferred wirelessly via 4G to a database for assessment and validation of the data, then reported to the client.Meanwhile, in Victoria, our groundwater team is using a telemetered sensor network to gauge water levels and water quality on 1500 bore sites. Telemetry is an automated communication process that allows data collected at remote or inaccessible points to be transmitted to receiving equipment. The data collected is used to make decisions about water allocation for irrigators and the farming community.18Avrom Wolf

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Connect 16From a safety perspective, the use of drones helps to manage critical safety risks on our projects. Drones can reduce or eliminate risks associated with Working at Heights and Conned Space work, two of the twelve areas of work identied in Ventia’s Critical Risk Protocols. There is also the opportunity to use drones to quickly and safely assess whether power lines and critical assets are o-line aer heavy storms and natural disasters.Gary Dring, our Chief Remote Pilot, says “the potential application of drones within our industry is truly limitless.”“Currently, the high-quality data we’re gathering from our drones helps our project teams to manage infrastructure assets safely and to provide clients with data sets such as they’ve never seen before,” he says. “There is potential to do much more, especially in terms of addressing the safety and sustainability requirements of our clients.” Scan this code to watch a video of Ventia’s Aerial OperationsDRONE CAPABILITY SOARS D rones have fast become integrated into the way we make infrastructure work for our communities. Whether we’re tracking sh migration or inspecting telecom towers, we’re increasingly using drones to perform everyday tasks more safely, more eiciently, more cost-eectively and with reduced impact on our environment. It’s not that long ago that the idea of having pizza delivered by drone seemed, literally, like ‘pie in the sky’. Over the past 3-5 years, however, the commercial use of drones has accelerated rapidly, including in our own industry.20The potential application of drones within our industry is truly limitless.Gary Dring, Ventia Chief Remote Pilot21Ventia was an early adopter of drone technology and, having seen the positive safety implications and the value it could bring to clients, began building in-house drone expertise several years ago. The rst drone piloted by one of our employees took to the sky in 2017 for an environmental remediation project on the Cox Peninsula in Darwin.Today, we have 14 drones and 15 Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) accredited drone pilots – and our capability continues to expand. We are embedding drone capability into our individual businesses as another tool that can be customised to meet the environmental, safety and other needs of our clients. When a project team identies a task that can be performed more safely and cost-eectively with a drone, one or more team members are trained as qualied drone pilots. We are currently deploying and trialling drones in a variety of ways which, surprisingly, are not always ying overhead. These include to:> Check for structural damage or inspect solar panels on building rooops> Track the migration of sh aer waterways are diverted for capital works> Take water samples for a water authority> Assess the health of bushland using thermal imaging and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) cameras> Inspect telecom towers and critical infrastructure> Monitor underwater sediment remediation > Inspect water tanks and the balance tanks of public swimming pools

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DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY WITH TRANSURBAN22Our collaboration with Transurban on sustainability is already generating some great ideas that will deliver enduring and positive outcomes to our communities and environment.David McPadden, Executive Manager Transport Operations 23Connect 16Transurban is excited to be partnering with committed suppliers such as Ventia to explore what’s possible and push into new and emerging areas of social and environmental sustainability. Matthew Brennan, Head of Sustainability Strategy, TransurbanM2 roadside litter. Each year Ventia collects approximately 25 tonnes of roadside litter from the Hills M2 Motorway in Sydney. In addition to the small items of rubbish that you might expect to see on the sides of the motorway, we collect a surprisingly high number of large items such as mattresses and Christmas trees.A roadside litter waste audit is planned within the M2 motorway corridor. The results of the audit will allow us to explore options for reducing the amount of roadside litter that goes to landll by redirecting as much as possible to recycling centres or re-using organic matter as compost on Transurban sites. Additionally, we continue to improve the diversity of our teams supporting Transurban. Our targeted recruitment processes are driving a higher proportion of female applicants which has increased female participation each year for the past two years.“Our collaboration with Transurban on sustainability is already generating some great ideas that will deliver enduring and positive outcomes to our communities and environment,” says David McPadden, Executive Manager Transport Operations. “We believe there is a real opportunity to replicate this model with other clients in the future.”Partnerships like the one with Transurban demonstrate what can be achieved when we focus on the four core areas outlined in our Sustainability Framework: climate, partnerships, people and governance.At the inaugural meeting of our Joint Sustainability Governance Group in November 2019, senior representatives from Transurban and Ventia identied four areas of focus: road emissions, roadside litter, diversity and modern slavery. The Group now meets three times a year to progress our shared sustainability agenda.Although the sustainability partnership is in its early days, we have already begun work on two promising initiatives. Electric vehicles. To reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicle eet, we are investigating the possibility of transitioning to electric vehicles on our Transurban contracts. This is in line with Transurban’s own signicant emission-reduction targets. One opportunity under investigation is a switch to electric truck-mounted attenuators (TMAS). These are the vehicles used to protect the safety of our road crews and motorists by providing a cushioned crash barrier to absorb the impact of collisions.A n exciting partnership with client Transurban is helping us to identify ways we can work together to achieve positive sustainability outcomes including reducing our carbon footprint. Transurban is one of the world’s largest toll road operators, with operations in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, as well as in the United States and Canada. As an industry leader, Transurban sets high standards for its performance on social and environmental issues and invests in both areas to create social inclusion and manage environmental impacts. Ventia provides traic incident response and maintenance services to Transurban, on motorways and tunnels across Australia.

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25Connect 16The successful completion of the trials has led to positive outcomes which we are proud to have contributed to:> Food scrap recycling has now become a standard option at both Town Hall House and Pittsway Arcade. > The City of Sydney will look to extend the food recycling initiative to 10 more buildings where high proportions of food waste can be recycled.> The City is now exploring more innovative solutions, including converting collected dry waste into fuel and using dehydration to reduce the volume of wet food scraps. “The food scraps recycling trials have highlighted how much food waste can be generated in a single CBD building,” says Je Kennedy, Ventia’s Project Director. “They also demonstrate that small changes in behaviour can lead to signicant improvements.” The food waste initiative is one way in which we are supporting the City of Sydney to reduce waste at the 70+ City-managed properties where it has responsibility for waste management. The City is seeking to increase the amount of total waste diverted from landll from its properties from 30% in mid-2019 to 70% by mid-2021. Its longer-term strategy is to “leave nothing to waste”, by focusing on waste avoidance, reuse and better recycling.LEAVING NOTHING TO WASTE IN THE CITY OF SYDNEY A successful food waste recycling trial by our Facilities Management team has given added momentum to the City of Sydney’s push to achieve zero waste by 2030. The six-month trial conducted at two major properties – Town Hall House and the Pittsway Arcade food court – resulted in the collection and recycling of a signicant volume of food scraps.For the period November 2018 – February 2020, both sites collected and recycled a total of 33 tonnes of organics. This equates to a reduction of about 63 tonnes of carbon emissions that would normally be generated from food breaking down in landll.The two properties are part of the City of Sydney’s portfolio of 251 facilities for which we provide all hard and so facilities management services.24

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PARTNERING WITH MAIN ROADS WA FOR INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATIONF rom the remote and expansive Pilbara region to the multi-lane Kwinana Freeway in Perth, we’re helping Main Roads Western Australia deliver infrastructure and support for communities across Western Australia (WA). We proactively engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and companies on all our contracts for Main Roads WA, to identify opportunities for employment, procurement and subcontracting services.Alison Coey, our Transport Regional Manager for WA, chairs our First Peoples Working Group and has been a leader in deepening our relationships with Aboriginal communities.“Our eorts to encourage Aboriginal participation is integral to the work we do for Mains Roads,” Alison says. “It’s important to our client and it’s important to us. Working together with Indigenous communities, we provide the opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to build the infrastructure that serves their communities.”STATE-WIDE ELECTRICAL INFRASTRUCTURE CONTRACT Main Roads’ road network is one of the most extensive in the world, covering 18,400 kms. The breadth of its electrical asset portfolio is equally impressive, including 1,000 traic signals, 3,900 electronic school zone signs, 517 CCTV cameras and a 250,000m optic bre network.We maintain these assets across WA as part of the VentureSmart joint venture with Johnson Controls.26In addition to safe and reliable service delivery, VentureSmart is committed to building and optimising local industry participation, including with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned companies.One example of how the team are creating opportunities across the state is through the procurement of many of our supplies through locally-owned Aboriginal businesses including PPE, stationery and medical services. We are also providing opportunities to several young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including three Electrical Apprentices and a Warehouse Operations Trainee. “Our long-term goal is to help develop a quality workforce and supply chain capable of supporting all aspects of electrical infrastructure design, installation and maintenance across WA,” Alison says. PILBARA RURAL NETWORKIn the Pilbara, Ventia manages the region’s rural road network which spans almost 3000km of main roads and highways.We work closely with nine Indigenous businesses and associations to create employment and procurement opportunities. One of the companies we work with is earthmoving specialist Binbirri Contracting, which employs 63% Aboriginal people across all of its projects. “The work that we have started with Ventia is very important to our business and our local Aboriginal people,” says Binbirri’s Kevin Eckerman. “This great opportunity will provide support and stability within our community.” Lance Pickett, 4th year Electrical ApprenticeThe SmartWays Alliance team

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27Connect 16Ventia has collaborated closely with the Pilbara’s local communities for many years. We held the Pilbara Integrated Services Arrangement (ISA) contract for six years prior to winning the Pilbara Rural Network Contract in November 2018. “Through our approach of buying local and supporting Aboriginal companies, we’re helping to build skills and sustainable businesses in our industry across the Pilbara,” says Tony DiFelice, WA Business Development Manager. “We’re proud that our work with Main Roads is having a positive impact on local economies.”KWINANA SMART FREEWAYAs part of the SmartWays Alliance, we are delivering Perth’s rst Smart Freeway. Smart technology will be used to open and close traic lanes in the event of an incident and to adjust speed limits during busy periods.Indigenous engagement is a key priority for the SmartWays Alliance, as it is for Main Roads. The project has a target $1M spend on Aboriginal contractors and 10% of people hours with Aboriginal employees and trainees.The Alliance is also looking at incorporating Aboriginal public art into the design of the smart freeways project.We’re proud that our work with Main Roads is having a positive impact on local economies.Tony DiFelice, WA Business Development ManagerVariety is one of the things Tiany Blurton says she likes most about her role as a Control Room Dispatcher on Ventia’s Statewide Electrical Infrastructure Services contract. Each day, Tiany receives job alerts from the Main Roads WA Customer Information Centre which she then triages to determine which of our multi-skilled technicians will be sent to site to inspect and repair - and when. Tiany proudly identies as Aboriginal and says that when she was oered the role at Ventia, she was pleased to read about the work being done to create an inclusive work environment. Based in our Jandakot depot in the southern suburbs of Perth, Tiany interacts daily with the technicians working on the contract. Each of them is qualied to assess and repair dierent classes of assets. “It’s important that I know the team well,” Tiany says. “I need to understand everyone’s specialist skills, their availability and current job schedules.” Tiany says they’ve built a great culture that is focused on working together as a team, and she is looking forward to growing her career with Ventia. “I enjoy the opportunity to build rapport with the people I work with, whether they are clients or teammates,” Tiany says. “I also love that each day I am learning something new about the assets we manage.” MEET TIFFANY BLURTONTraditional smoking ceremony at the Kwinana Smart Freeway Project

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29Connect 16IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE The future of the resources sector lies in fully integrated and automated system enabling technologies. From the Pilbara to the Hunter Valley, Visionstream delivers critical ICT networks to resources clients that improve employee safety, increase productivity, lower energy consumption and reduce environmental impacts. We do this by designing, constructing, operating and maintaining networks and infrastructure, such as those that support autonomous haulage operations. We are also supporting eorts to improve road safety in Victoria, being involved with the Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) technology trial in Melbourne. Through this trial, technology is being used in new ways to closely analyse road crashes and near misses, and how they may have been caused.KEEPING RURAL AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA CONNECTEDVisionstream supports our clients to connect Australians living in rural and remote parts of the country through the Australian Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program. Our wireless team has built 227 black spot sites nationally, providing rural and regional Australians with greater access to online education and health services, and keeping them connected with friends and family. The Black Spot Program also promotes participation in the digital economy and supports businesses in key regional industries through improved access to technologies that rely on a fast, reliable and aordable mobile network.BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE When people don’t have access to modern technology, it can create challenges in being able to access online government, education, health or business services and means they miss opportunities to communicate with friends and family. The digital divide is the term that describes the dierence in access to fast and reliable internet between residents in our large cities and those that live in regional and rural areas. Across Australia and New Zealand, many people have experienced the digital divide.Over recent years that gap has been closing and Visionstream is playing a key role in bridging the divide. The nbn™ and the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) projects are initiatives of the Australian and New Zealand governments to provide high speed broadband access to Australian and New Zealand homes and businesses through a combination of bre, xed wireless and satellite technologies.Visionstream is a key delivery partner on the nbn and the UFB and UBF+ projects.As the key partner to Ericsson, we’ve also played a vital role in the rollout of the xed wireless component of the nbn™. The xed wireless network provides high-speed broadband access to smaller regional and rural communities across the country. Through the construction of the xed wireless network, Visionstream is helping to unlock the social, economic and entertainment possibilities through access to fast broadband for rural and regional Australia.28A cross a range of industries, and from the outback to the cities, Visionstream delivers innovative communications solutions that bring sustainable benets to clients and their customers. DISASTER RESPONSEDuring times of natural disaster, communications networks become increasingly critical. It’s also the time that these same networks can be most at threat. Each year, about 50 million hectares of land is impacted by res across Australia. Similarly, signicant parts of Australia will experience ooding on an annual basis. In many instances, these res and oods disrupt communications networks.The restoration of these services requires a unique set of capabilities and experience. Over many years, Visionstream’s eld workforce has worked hand-in-hand with our clients to provide an emergency response capability that ensures networks can be restored quickly, eiciently and safely during times of need.A crucial part of Visionstream’s emergency response capabilities is our Network Operations Centre (NOC) from where our team undertakes the critical role of liaising with clients and our extensive eld workforce. The NOC is a state-of-the-art facility that both operates and monitors live networks providing clients with holistic management of their communications infrastructure.At all times safety is the most important part of our work. We use a range of safety measures, but above all else, our people will only attend sites when it is safe to do so. KEEPING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES CONNECTED

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31Connect 16Our eorts to help NBN Co ‘bridge the digital gap’ in Australia have helped Visionstream be awarded the nbn Supplier of the Year award for the past two years. In addition to recognising our work in delivering and maintaining broadband access across Australia, the award recognises the broader contribution that our people have made, including projects that support the communities in which we operate.A great example of Indigenous engagement is our nbn team’s involvement in the delivery of a project for students at Oakey State High in Queensland under the Learning Circles program in 2019.Learning Circles is a government-led initiative that supports Indigenous students, oen from disadvantaged backgrounds, to explore leadership, and develop the condence, skills and knowledge needed to enjoy and achieve success.In partnership with Toowoomba Regional Council, Queensland Department of Education and Landcare, Visionstream had the honour of being involved in this special program, working with students to establish a traditional yarning circle, native habitat area and a 400m walking path. The business also sponsored a week-long cultural heritage camp attended by the students. The newly created space is now a special spot for the students of Oakey State High. They are responsible for the upkeep of this haven lled with Australian native ora, bush tucker and aboriginal medicinal trees where they can connect with traditional Aboriginal culture and beliefs.Visionstream also delivered a special park restoration project to the local shire council and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Kempsey, New South Wales in 2017. The project was undertaken in partnership with Real Futures, a training and employment service supporting Indigenous Australians, which we had engaged on the nbn project in the area. Working together, we upgraded the Railway Bridge Park, clearing around the footbridge that links South and West Kempsey. “It’s an absolute privilege to honour the nbn’s Reconciliation commitments and to support local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through community-enriching projects such as these,” says Visionstream Executive Director Tim Harwood.It’s an absolute privilege to honour the nbn’s Reconciliation commitments and to support local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through community-enriching projects such as these.Tim Harwood, Visionstream Executive Director

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33W e’re committed to strengthening relationships and providing opportunities for Indigenous people and businesses to share in the success of our company. It is something we strive to do in all the communities in which we operate across Australia and New Zealand. We know we can only make genuine progress if we step up, and with respect and collaboration, proactively create and support social, employment and business opportunities.RECONCILIATION IN AUSTRALIAIn 2019, we formalised our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities in Australia with the launch of our rst Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).In many ways, the RAP has built upon the good work already undertaken by our Infrastructure Services and Telecommunications businesses on projects across Australia. Projects such as the Cox Peninsula Remediation Project in Darwin Harbour, our road contracts in Western Australia, and the roll out of nbn and xed wireless networks into remote and rural areas have driven Indigenous participation outcomes by engaging with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.The RAP was developed by our First Peoples Working Group, chaired by our WA Transport Regional Manager, Alison Coey. Its members include Aboriginal Business Partner, Harry Thorne, and Group Corporate Communications Manager, Sarah McCarthy.Connect 16“Our RAP sets out our commitments and planned actions to strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to increase cultural awareness,” says Alison. As WA Transport Regional Manager, Alison Coey, has actively engaged with Indigenous businesses and communities across Western Australia. “There are vast swathes of this state where people just don’t have the same opportunities as we do in larger cities,” Alison says.“Most of the people we have met over the last few years just want a chance to provide for their families, to earn a decent wage and to contribute meaningfully to their community.” For Aboriginal Business Partner, Harry Thorne, cultural awareness is critical to our reconciliation eorts. “You need to have a strong sense of cultural awareness and the right structures in place, to enable Aboriginal employees and suppliers to be true to their culture and still meet our work commitments,’ he says.As we progress our RAP commitments, there are a number of new initiatives that are being implemented over the coming months:Acknowledgement of CountryTo show our respect for the traditional custodians of the lands in Australia on which we operate, you’ll start to hear an Acknowledgement of Country at the beginning of formal meetings and other events. This will be delivered by the leader or manager hosting the event. A Welcome to Country is dierent in that this is always delivered by Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have been given permission from Traditional Owners, to welcome visitors to their Country. This can be done through speech, dance, song or ceremony.Supporting Indigenous Businesses in AustraliaWe’ve recently extended our membership of Supply Nation to all Ventia businesses. Supply Nation brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses with corporate and government procurement teams, creating employment and economic benets to local communities.Cultural Awareness Training We’ll be rolling out online cultural awareness training for Australian employees, supported by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander-owned and operated training provider e-learning program for Ventia employees. The course covers a range of topics including history, culture and protocols, and practices to ensure a healthy, productive, inclusive workplace for Indigenous sta.RESPECTING FIRST PEOPLES IN NEW ZEALANDAlongside our commitment to reconciliation in Australia, we recognise and celebrate the Indigenous heritage and culture of the rst peoples of New Zealand where our teams engage with local iwi and communities across the country.On some New Zealand contracts, we open and close meetings or discussions (huis) with a prayer known as karakia. The karakia is spoken in the Maori language (Te Reo) by all participants together. The karakia is non-denominational and sets the tone for a positive, constructive meeting and closes the hui with an inspirational statement. We’re currently exploring the opportunity to extend the use of karakia across all of our contracts in New Zealand.In both Australia and New Zealand, we work with local traditional owners, governing bodies and our clients before commencing works in a culturally signicant area. Our telecommunications business, for example, works closely with the South-West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council in Western Australia in assessing the cultural heritage signicance of prospective telecommunications sites.MAKING AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRYThere is no set wording for an Acknowledgement of Country, though oen a statement may take the following form. What’s most important is to be authentic and respectful. “I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present.”TOWARDS RECONCILIATION 32Below: Our RAP launch was marked with a commissioned artwork by Beverley Egan, a proud Yamatji woman and well-respected Aboriginal artist from the Murchison/ Gascoyne region in Western Australia. It is titled Meeting Place (Coming Together). The RNC Maintenance team in the Pilbara RegionHarry Thorne and Alison CoeyYou can review Ventia’s RAP on theVine. Scan this code to watch our video of Executive Chairman, David Moatt explaining that making an acknowledgement is a matter of respect and heritage. He also shares some personal stories.

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37Connect 16A fundamental pillar of our brand promise is to put the safety and health of our people, our clients and our communities above all else.Whether we are connecting ultra-fast broadband to households or responding to a traic incident on a major motorway, our focus on safety is unwavering. Underpinning our approach is the belief that each of us shares in the responsibility for keeping our people and the public safe, every day and in everything we do.Being uncompromising on safety is critical in an industry such as infrastructure services, where we oen need to undertake tasks that could give rise to the risk of serious injury if not clearly understood or managed. To help us manage those risks, and to safeguard the safety of our employees and the broader community, we introduced our Critical Risk Protocols (CRPs) nearly three years ago. These are the guidelines for high-risk activities that ensure we: always put safety rst; make every eort to eliminate risk; and adhere to our systems, standards and processes.A year ago, in recognition that safety management is an ever-evolving process, we conducted an extensive review of the CRPs. As a result, we decided there was yet more we could do to embed our CRPs into the business. We also introduced a 12th CRP on Safe Driving. We provided enhanced tools, resources and training for leaders to help them to engage more frequently and eectively with their teams on safety behaviours. We continued to ensure our robust safety systems were being delivered by conducting independent audits and other checks.We also launched a Ventia-wide campaign to raise awareness which focused on enhancements to the CRPs, our new Safe Driving CRP and three other protocols: Working Around Live Services, Working at Height and Working In and Around Live Traic. The campaign included emails, posters, toolbox talks, instructional videos and online articles.In 2019 we saw our leaders focus more deeply on CRP application in the eld and our SHEQ professionals embrace the new reporting tools. Pleasingly, both our lead and lag indicators are trending in the right direction. Executive General Manager SHEQ, Christian Frost says “this was a promising outcome although, of course, when you are talking about people’s safety, we must always be vigilant”. “I believe we can all be proud of the safety culture we’re building at Ventia,” Christian adds. “From our leaders to our people on the front line, there is a genuine commitment to look aer the safety of each other and those whose lives we touch.” I believe we can all be proud of the safety culture we’re building at Ventia. From our leaders to our people on the front line, there is a genuine commitment to look after the safety of each other and those whose lives we touch.Christian Frost, Executive General Manager SHEQ

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38Mental health is a signicant issue across society and within every workplace.According to health authorities, almost half of all Australian adults will experience mental illness at some point in their life while a record number of New Zealanders are accessing specialist mental health and addiction services.Mental health conditions are common and don’t discriminate – even the most resilient person can be aected by stress related to their work and life challenges At Ventia, we have made signicant strides in promoting mental wellbeing in our organisation over the past year. A key element of this has been the launch of our mental health plan, Healthy Minds. Healthy Minds helps us to deliver on our commitment to raise awareness, reduce stigma and support those with mental health conditions. Supporting our workers through mental health conditions is not only the right thing to do, it helps individuals build self-esteem and coping skills, it creates a more productive workforce and it enables us to retain our skilled and experienced employees.Building a mentally healthy workplaceOur leaders play an important role in driving our health and wellbeing agenda. In recognition of this, we’ve been rolling out Ventia-specic mental health training to help our leaders foster an environment which supports good mental health, to identify signs of mental illness and to know what to do if someone on their team is experiencing mental health issues. Arming leaders with tools, training, strategies and, a deeper awareness of mental health issues, helps us to build a supportive environment in which our people feel comfortable discussing their health. We recently transitioned to an online delivery mode in response to the coronavirus restrictions, and in recognition of the critical nature of the training during this time. However, it’s not just our leaders who can make a dierence.In our Infrastructure Services division over the past year, more than 900 employees participated in suicide prevention training run by MATES in Construction, a charity that seeks to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers.KEY FACTApproximately 45% of people in Australia and New Zealand will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.For a copy of the Leader guide contact Karin.Gaylard@Ventia.com.au

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39Connect 16JOHN BENNETTTHE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING CARE OF OURSELVESJohn Bennett is a General Manager in our Visionstream business. From personal experience, he understands how important it is to raise awareness and to work in a supportive and safe environment where individuals can talk about their mental health.“I have a diagnosed mental health condition that for much of my adult life I chose to ignore, le unchecked and untreated, primarily due to my inability to nd the courage to ask for help,” John says. “It wasn’t so much a conscious decision, more one borne of the circumstance created by the embarrassment, fear and shame of acknowledging that I needed help. That inability to nd a way to seek the help I desperately needed almost ended in a situation where I may not have been here to share my story.” John’s experience has and continues to shape the person he is today, as well as his outlook on life. He is a passionate advocate of the importance of taking care of ourselves. He says “We need to focus on ourselves rst and foremost and I urge all of you to do one simple thing and that’s to take a moment to assess how YOU really are.”John also believes taking the time to care for each other’s wellbeing is fundamental to our ability as a society to properly function. He says, “As human beings, it’s incumbent upon all of us to not only look aer ourselves but also each other. Now more than ever we need to drop the façade and truly open up to each other in order that we can remain intact during the ever increasing levels of challenge the world is facing.”At Ventia, we have made signicant strides in promoting mental wellbeing in our organisation over the past year.

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41Connect 16Healthy employees are the greatest asset a company can have. Our Healthy Bodies program is focused on the physical wellbeing of our employees and is a partner program to Healthy Minds. Healthy Bodies comprises a range of health and wellbeing programs and regular campaigns. THE PROGRAMS INCLUDE: Early intervention injury management services and support Pre-employment and health monitoring services Medical and pandemic advisory services Overseas travel health advisory Health-focused campaigns such as annual u shots“The health and wellbeing of our people is of paramount importance. Under the banner of Healthy Bodies we are working to ensure that we’re able to provide support, education and services which meet the needs of our workforce and promote good health,” says EGM SHEQ Christian Frost. For Joe Grimes, one of our Business Management Systems specialists, the decision to complete an online survey kickstarted a transformational health journey. Joe was one of hundreds of employees who decided to take the Man Test, a health survey hosted on our intranet site theVine as part of Men’s Health Week. The survey oered our male employees the opportunity “to take a closer look into your health and wellbeing”.Joe had taken a week o work to move house and get set up. “I had meant to take the Man Test weeks before but didn’t get around to it. I put it on the list of things to do that week and promised myself I would do it,” he said. The results were a wake up call for Joe and the catalyst for him to seek out a new local doctor who would support him to get his health back on track.“The Doctor supported me with an overall health plan,” Joe says. “I saw a dietician, a physiotherapist and even had an eye test with an optometrist. I came away with good information, an eating plan, and exercise plan. Joe went on to make important dietary and lifestyle changes resulting in a 30kg weight loss over seven months. “I feel better than I ever have,” Joes says. “Compared to my initial tness test score, I am now oicially 30% tter and I feel the benets every day.Take the Man test at https://connect.ventia.com/campaigns/the-man-test/ Our Healthy Bodies Hotline has proven to be an invaluable rst point of call for leaders supporting employees with health concerns, especially for those seeking expert guidance on the Coronavirus. Christian Frost, Executive General Manager SHEQ I feel better than I ever have. Compared to my initial tness test score, I am now ofcially 30% tter and I feel the benets every day.JOE GRIMES

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Q&AA FOCUS ON GENDER EQUALITY 44Fiona McDougallQQQQQAAAAAWe need to make the issue of creating true gender equality and diversity personal to everyone, not just women.Fiona McDougall, General Manager – Pre-Contracts and Chair, Gender Diversity Working GroupG ender-diverse organisations are a force to be reckoned with. Companies with gender diversity in leadership outperform their less diverse peers and make better business decisions.Australia’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency says workplace gender equality is linked to improved productivity, increased organisational performance, enhanced ability to attract and retain the best and brightest people and enhanced reputation. We asked Fiona McDougall, General Manager – Pre-Contracts, and Chair of our Gender Diversity Working Group, about gender diversity at Ventia. What inspired you to take up the role as Chair of our Gender Diversity Working Group? Before I applied for the role, I gave a lot of thought as to whether I could see a way of making real change or whether the role would just be a source for frustration to me. Aer a great deal of deliberation, I decided that this was an opportunity to make real change. We need to make the issue of creating true gender equality and diversity personal to everyone; not just women. Was gender diversity always a burning issue for you? Actually, no. Through school, university and the early years of my career I had no cause to doubt that women could have everything. It wasn’t until I had children in my mid-30s that I started to notice the little things that made it harder to juggle a career and the additional responsibilities I had at home. What is Ventia doing to address the gender balance? I’m proud to say our company is genuinely committed to improving gender equality and diversity across our business. That’s signicant when you consider we work in a traditionally male-dominated industry. We’re building a gender inclusive culture that leverages and increases the representation of women in our workforce. The introduction of the Gender Diversity Working Group has provided an important platform from which we can promote change. What does the Gender Diversity Working Group do, exactly? The purpose of the working group is to ensure that everyone at Ventia has a fair go, and that everyone has an equal opportunity to go as far as they want and be supported in the company. Areas we’re focusing on include: ensuring gender equality is embedded into business practices and reected in our policies; removing unconscious bias, removing gender pay gaps, and supporting career advancement of women. We also seek to engage with all employees, not just our female employees. What are some of the working group’s achievements to date? We’ve been developing our emerging female leaders through training programs such as Women in Leadership. We’ve also introduced leader workshops to help leaders facilitate inclusive engagement and recognise the unconscious bias that can sometimes creep into decision making. Other achievements have included our support for International Women’s Day and our alignment with the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

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45Connect 16BUILDING CAPABILITYIf you would like further information on Diversity, please contact your Leader or your P&C Representative. Scan this code to watch our video about celebrating and embracing diversity at VentiaI am grateful to Ventia for supporting me through my transition on all levels.Taylor Cougle, Operations CoordinatorCHAMPIONING GENDER DIVERSITYTaylor Cougle is an Operations Coordinator, Gender Diversity Champion and a proud transgender woman. With a career spanning over 30 years across a multitude of industries including telecommunications, manufacturing and professional services, Taylor joined Visionstream in 2009 and worked as a Systems Programmer. When an opportunity at Ventia came up in 2017 to work on a major technology project for the business, Taylor made her move. “I had started my transition in 2016 prior to my new role and although it was not without its challenges, I am grateful to Ventia for supporting me through my transition on all levels. she said.Taylor is a passionate promoter of diversity. As a member of our Gender Diversity Working Group, Taylor has worked to help make Ventia a more diverse organisation.Outside of work, Taylor recently modelled for ‘This Is Me’, an International Women’s Day event that celebrated the diversity and power of women and raised funds for women’s support groups and shelters. Ventia invests in the development of all our employees though formal and informal development opportunities. Given the need to increase gender representation at senior leadership levels, we additionally invest in training and development initiatives such as our Women in Leadership program. Our Essential Leadership Program is open to all leaders. Ishu Gautam, Senior ITS Project Engineer in our Telecommunications business, was one of 14 current and emerging female leaders to graduate from our inaugural Women in Leadership program. The program delivers a combination of face-to-face workshops, coaching sessions and online learning to support the development of authentic leadership styles. “During the program I learnt a lot from the great leaders across our business – and I will continue to keep learning from all of my colleagues,” she says.Her takeaway advice to our aspiring talent is that while some leaders are born with competencies to handle certain situations, “it is clear that leadership can also be developed”. “That means everyone can strengthen their skills and abilities to lead and inuence,” she says. Jessica Smythe, the Workforce Planning Manager on our City of Sydney contract, is one of 140 recent graduates of our Essential Leadership program. Her manager Je Kennedy says he could see Jessica ‘grow’ throughout the program. “It has really helped Jessica to enable her team, creating a division of the business that understands its objectives and shares her drive in making things happen,” he says.Jessica says the program gave her amazing tools to lead eectively. “I’m thankful to Ventia for investing in my professional development and to my leaders supporting me and helping me get where I am today,” she says.ISHU GAUTAMJESSICA SMYTHETAYLOR COUGLE

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46EMBRACING GENERATIONAL DIVERSITYW e treasure the rich tapestry of our generational mix at Ventia. From those building their early career in the industry through to employees with decades of experience, everyone has a valuable contribution to make. “When you look across our projects and oices, you see an exciting mix of age and experience,” says Rebelle Moriarty, Executive General Manager, People & Capability. “We’ve been able to attract employees at varying stages of their career journey, introducing dierent insights and perspectives to our teams, and to the solutions we deliver to our clients.” This blending of deep industry experience and fresh, diverse thinking also leads to greater innovation. A group of new professionals in our Transport business recently took advantage of the opportunity to ask challenging questions and also learn from the wisdom of senior leaders during a day of training and development. Ellen Pollard, from our VentureSmart team in Western Australia, was one of 11 participants on the day. “It gave me a sense of pride to be working for a company so focused on the development of young professionals,” she says.Among the advice received by Ellen and the other new professionals was to treat challenges “as a building block in your career. You’ll be surprised where your career takes you.”Young transport professionals at a training day with senior leaders from across our business.

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Connect 16We’ve been able to attract employees at varying stages of their career journey, introducing different insights and perspectives to our teams, and to the solutions we deliver to our clients.Rebelle Moriarty, Executive General Manager P&CWhen Ron Ellison started his career as an electrician in the 1970s, he certainly had no idea where his career would take him… which was to become one of a few people qualied to write and verify high voltage operating procedures for a leading utility provider.Over a career spanning more than 40 years, Ron developed the technical skills and experience to become the High Voltage Specialist for Ventia’s Sydney Water maintenance contract, based at their Potts Hill depot in Sydney’s south west. Ventia’s Sydney Water contract employs 13 high voltage (HV) electricians. They are the only electricians certied to switch and operate Sydney Water’s HV equipment for the purposes of maintenance, renewals and projects.“Writing the HV switching instructions is an important role,” Ron explains. “There are signicant safety implications if things are not done the right way.”Given his extended experience in the eld, Ron’s team along with others across Sydney Water will often call on him for advice or coaching. “I like to keep up to date with all the changes to the industry, in technology and safety and other aspects of the work we do,” Ron says. “This tends to make me a good resource for the team.” MEET RON ELLISON 47(far right) Vic Hensley, Executive Manager Major Roads Bids, who started his career in geology and has had his own interesting career journey, shares his insights with the team.

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At Ventia, we’re building a culture that respects and values people’s dierences, ensuring everyone feels that they belong and have a role to play in our continuing success. Our commitment to building a diverse and inclusive environment is foundational to the values that guide how we interact every day.Research shows that an inclusive and collaborative work environment leads to employees feeling more connected to their place of work. It also leads to greater innovation through exchange of ideas and perspectives which in turn leads to better solutions for our clients.CREATING AWARENESSMany of our leaders have undertaken Inclusive Leadership and Unconscious Bias Training focused on leadership actions that facilitate inclusion. The Inclusive Leadership training supports leaders to recognise and reduce the bias they unknowingly may have brought to their hiring, promotion, performance and pay practices, and to nd more inclusive ways to manage.We encourage everyone, not just leaders, to be curious about dierent backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.The cultural diversity of our workforce is already one of our biggest strengths and reects the diversity of the communities in which we operate. In our New Zealand Visionstream team, for example, our 725 employees represent more than 30 nationalities. An important part of recognising our cultural diversity is celebrating days and events of cultural signicance. Across Australia and New Zealand, our teams celebrate a broad range of key cultural events and national days including Harmony Day, Diwali, National Reconciliation Week, and Eid al Adha. SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITIESWe’re also giving our people the support and opportunity to be the best they can be. One small but powerful example is the literacy program we’ve rolled out for some of our frontline team members in New Zealand. The program aims to upskill employees to become more condent in their oral and written communications. Developed in partnership with a learning partner, the program has successfully enhanced the skills of participants, some of whom may not have had the benet of a comprehensive secondary education. This has translated into improved customer service and greater self-condence.In our Telecommunications business, on a contract where we have a large number of migrant workers, we provide a range of work-related materials and presentations in multiple languages as well as job training and opportunities to improve their language capabilities and learn about the country’s culture. In doing this, we show our respect for the individuals and support them to carry out their roles successfully. DIVERSE CANDIDATES FOR DIVERSE ROLES We work hard to ensure job opportunities are promoted through a variety of organisations that support people from dierent backgrounds to nd work. For example, in Western Australia (WA), our so facilities management services business Delron works closely with APM, Australia’s largest provider of disability employment services. We’ve found several valued team members including Joseph, who like one-in-ve Australians, lives with a disability. Aer struggling to nd work, Joseph found an opportunity through APM who placed him into a commercial cleaning role on the Delron team.Joseph is enjoying the job and has been proled in a recent video by APM. “It just feels awesome to have a job,” he says. To learn more about Joseph’s journey, scan this code to watch the video. 48BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

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49Connect 16Also in WA, we have preferred supplier agreements with a number of (Supply Nation registered) recruitment agencies including: Zancott, Dandjoo Services and DK Kaartdijin. We work with these agencies to create meaningful employment outcomes for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers and develop long-term and trusted relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, businesses and suppliers.Veterans employment – sustainable recruitment at GMSEach year, around 5,000 Australians leave the Australian Defence force and many of these ex-serving personnel have valuable skills that are a great t for our workforce.The 23-strong incident response team Gateway Motorway Services (GMS) contract in Queensland includes seven members with an Australian Defence Force background. MEET DAVE NOBLEto civilian life,” Simon explains. “Both organisations recognise that military service experience can benet corporate Australia, and we’re keen to utilise these skills to deliver results for our client.” This recruitment program was recognised nationally this year through the Prime Minister’s Veterans’ Employment Awards – as nalists in the Category of Veterans’ Employer of the Year – Medium. Dave enjoys his role with GMS, especially the great team he works with, the variety of work locations and the structure of the shi rosters. “One of the best parts of this job is being able to help someone out of trouble,” Dave says. “The skills I learned in the military over a 14-year period have really helped in this role, and I am pleased to be able to put them to good use.” Scan this code to watch other veteran storiesFor the rst 14 years of his career, Dave Noble served in the Australian Army. For the last two years, he has been an Incident Responder and member of the Traic Incident Management Service team on our Gateway Motorway Services (GMS) contract in Queensland. Contract Manager Simon Kirkpatrick sees incredible value in hiring veterans into our business and says Dave is a great asset to the team. “Veterans perform exceptionally well when it comes to providing rst response to serious motor vehicle accidents, grass res, medical episodes and saving people at risk of harm,” he says. “They possess the demeanor and temperament to manage critical incidents and de-escalate events quickly and eiciently.”Dave was recruited to the team in June 2018 via the relationship established between GMS and the Queensland branch of the Returned and Services League (RSL QLD)“GMS has partnered with RSL QLD to provide a transitional career conduit from military L-R Alexander Baucia, George El-Hani and Babou Faye

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When it comes to our support for local communities in Australia and New Zealand, it’s our people who make the dierence. From volunteering to fundraising, to helping at community events or selessly ghting bushres, our employees regularly go above and beyond to help those in need.MENTORING FOR A BRIGHTER FUTUREOne of Ventia’s agship volunteering programs is a mentoring initiative in our Visionstream business that helps students experiencing disadvantage reach their potential. Each year, the program, run by the not-for-prot Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN), connects businesses such as ours with more than 7,000 school children from low socio-economic backgrounds for structured mentoring sessions.Since rst becoming a member of ABCN in 2017, Visionstream has experienced a strong uptick in employees wanting to help students achieve a brighter future. The number of our volunteer mentors has more than doubled since 2017 to 150 passionate mentors participating last year. Together, our volunteers accounted for an impressive 900 hours of mentoring support in 2019.Our support for the ABCN’s good work was further strengthened last year, with the appointment of Executive Director – Infrastructure Services, Richard Kelleway to the ABCN Board.Richard says our partnership with ABCN delivers valuable support both to students and our employees. “The program not only enriches students by developing skills and opening up career possibilities, it provides our employees with a rewarding experience and the ability to build leadership experience outside the normal work environment,” he says.Feedback from our employees has been overwhelmingly positive. “It has been such a pleasure to participate in the ABCN program,” says Sharmin Jahan, Project Completions Oicer, Visionstream. “The students were brilliant. All of the sessions were amazing and as a mentor I also learnt a lot.” 50EMPLOYEES AT THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTIt has been such a pleasure to participate in the ABCN program. The students were brilliant. All of the sessions were amazing and as a mentor I also learnt a lot.Sharmin Jahan, Project Completions Oicer, Visionstream

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51Connect 16SUPPORTING OUR RURAL COMMUNITIESWhen drought and bushres ravaged rural and remote communities across Australia, our employees were quick to show compassion and support. In late 2019, we asked employees to choose our People’s Choice charity for 2020. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of RuralAid, a charity which supports farmers and rural communities. RuralAid was selected from among 10 worthy charities that had been nominated by our 2019 Ventia Awards winners to receive a combined donation of $10,000. As People’s Choice, RuralAid received an additional $5,000 donation, as well as the funds we are raising through our online fundraiser page at www.ventia.com/peopleschoice/ruralaid There are also many inspiring stories from our people who supported bushre-impacted communities across the summer. This includes teams restoring critical communications networks and utilities, to members of our 24/7 Network Operations Centre, in Visionstream.Beyond their work responsibilities, many of our employees put their own lives at risk to help others by volunteering with their local rural re brigade or as an Army reservist. Some were involved in rescuing and caring for wildlife during the bushres, while others mobilised much needed resources and ‘people power’ to support aected property owners and their families.PUTTING THE FUN INTO FUNDRAISINGOur employees never miss an opportunity to don loud shirts, wear pink high vis, grow moustaches or jump on their bikes for a good cause. In locations and businesses across Australia and New Zealand, our people have generously fundraised for a range of charities, including: Breast Cancer awareness, Prostate cancer awareness, Movember, Cancer Council, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Hearing House, Giant Steps, The Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Southern Cochlear Implant Program, and Variety Children’s Charity. Visionstream’s Auckland oice was a sea of colour fundraising for Loud Shirt Day. The day is an annual appeal of The Hearing House and the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP), two charities dedicated to enabling deaf children to listen and speak like their hearing peers.At a business level, we’ve also supported, among others, MATES in Construction, WaterAid, ABCN, JDRF Australia (Juvenile Diabetes) and the Pyjama Foundation, and local community groups including Yeppoon Volunteer Fire Brigade, the 2nd Mortdale Scouts and Police Citizens Youth Clubs.We’re incredibly proud of all our employees who have supported, and continue to support, our local communities.Support Ventia’s People’s Choice charity at www.ventia.com/peopleschoice/ruralaidL-R Luke Marchewka, Nathan Veal, Ted Stanisz, David Geraghty

Connect 16 - Sustainability edition (2020)

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