Published in the April 2018 edition of The Australian Pipeliner.

1. The Australian Pipeliner | April 2018 Follow us on Twitter @AussiePipeliner | www.pipeliner.com.au46
I
n 2017, the University of Melbourne published the
Next Generation Engagement (Next Gen) report as part of a
wider study to improve engagement in the Australian
infrastructure sector. The Next Gen report highlights how
delivering best-practice engagement on infrastructure projects can
improve project outcomes, manage social risks, reduce project
costs and lead to greater community benefits.
As an organisation managing holistic landholder engagement
services on behalf of several upstream gas operators and
transmission pipeline owners, CNC Project Management (CNC)
has been keeping abreast of the changing dynamic of landholder
engagement and relationship management. This includes
landholder liaison and supporting activities such as contract
negotiation, compensation payments and land ownership change.
There from day one
Establishing a relationship early is essential to build trust
between a landholder and pipeline operator. Land liaison officers
act as the interface between the landholder and the pipeline
operator through the project, giving landholders a direct line of
communication to quickly solve issues or concerns as they arise.
By having a single point of contact, landholders also have the
comfort that there is always a friendly face they can turn to.
“It’s all about the relationships” says CNC Land Liaison Officer
Dan Everitt.
“I am the first point of call for any issue landholders are
experiencing on the project and that gives operators peace of
mind that issues are addressed appropriately.”
While early engagement is not a new concept for effective
landholder liaison, it is particularly important today due to the
prevalence of social media and online communities. Having
one-to-one discussions with landholders reduces the chance of
misunderstanding between landholders and operators and ensures
important project information reaches landholders.
Risk control
The construction of a new pipeline relies on access to land for
the life of the project, and there is no doubt this is a significant
risk in the minds of operators. Securing access to land for pipeline
investigative surveys and construction relies on establishing
positive relationships with landholders and maintaining these
relationships throughout the set-up, construction and
reinstatement process.
From the initial meeting with a landholder, CNC’s land liaison
officers maintain structured records of each interaction, capturing
information such as the landholder’s attitude towards land access
A single unsatisfied landholder can stop the construction of a pipeline in its tracks and lead to significant
cost and lengthy project delays. On the other hand, a strong relationship with landholders protects a pipeline
owner’s reputation, removes the risk of landholder opposition and leads to safer operation of the pipeline.
Positive relationships operate on a simple concept of respect and can be achieved through early agreement
during project planning and ongoing communication through the life of the pipeline
Next gen landholder engagement
LAND ISSUES
shutterstock © totajla

2. The Australian Pipeliner | April 2018www.pipeliner.com.au | Follow us on Twitter @AussiePipeliner 47
and the project in general. Recording this detailed information is
important to inform future interactions with the landholder and
tailor landholder liaison approaches during construction and
operation of the pipeline.
“By tailoring approaches on a case-by-case basis, the project can
develop a fit-for-purpose approach for each landholder and
reduce the risk of lengthy acquisition processes” according to Mr
Everitt.
Keeping everyone safe
Safety is the number one priority during the construction and
ongoing maintenance of a pipeline, and landholders and land
liaison officers have an important role to play. Landholders know
their property better than anyone, so it is important to involve
individual landholders in safety reviews and planning.
Land liaison officers meet with landholders at different stages
of a project to gather insight into safety risks and discuss ways to
mitigate them. These include risks from activity on the property
that could compromise the integrity of a pipeline.
According to Mr Everitt, ensuring landholders have input into
the management of their property during planning also helps the
project understand landholder concerns and ensure they are
mitigated, such as maintaining biosecurity conditions on organic
farms. Involving landholders helps build and maintain
relationships into the future and leads to safer construction and
operation of the pipeline.
Working together
All landholder agreements must be supported with legally-
binding contracts and accurate and timely payments, which is
why land liaison officers need the support of a skilled paralegal
team to ensure contracts and payments are accurate and on time.
LAND ISSUES
shutterstock © Pradeep Samanthilaka
Infrastructure Project Facilitators
COMMUNICATIONS ENVIRONMENT LAND ACCESS GIS

3. The Australian Pipeliner | April 2018 Follow us on Twitter @AussiePipeliner | www.pipeliner.com.au48
Kym Rudkin, who has worked
at CNC for more than seven years
as a paralegal, has seen changes in
the approach to landholder
management and payments as the
importance of engagement has
become more widely
acknowledged.
A dedicated paralegal team
contributes to maintaining strong
relationships with landholders
through the project by working
closely with land liaison officers
to meet individual landholder
requirements and ensure
individual agreements are met.
As part of the quality assurance and audit process, paralegals
are required to conduct a title search to detect any change in
property ownership. When a property ownership changes,
operators must establish a relationship and agreement with the
new landholder as soon as
possible. According to Kym, this
is one of the reasons why it is
particularly important for
paralegal teams to have robust
quality assurance and audit
procedures and to work closely
with land liaison officers.
The right team
As the University of Melbourne
Next Gen report demonstrates,
pipeline and gas companies must
reframe their processes and
approaches to landholder
engagement and adopt a customer-first approach, considering the
landholder’s needs and preferences above their own.
With an integrated land liaison and paralegal team who work
closely together, CNC is delivering on this new engagement
paradigm and providing positive outcomes for its clients.
LAND ISSUES
Landholders know their
property better than anyone,
so it is important to involve
individual landholders in safety
reviews and planning.
For more information on CNC Project Management visit www.cncprojects.com.au or call 1300 123 CNC.
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