Turner & Townsend project manager Daniel Burke has garnered industry applause for his work to integrate technical, local and Indigenous knowledge in regional and remote communities.
Burke took home the NS Group Award for Future Leader of the Year at the 2020 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards last week.
“Chuffed” with the recognition, Burke says, while he’s proud of the personal achievement, he’s even more thrilled “that the Property Council values my work in rural and regional areas”.
Burke is passionate about providing a “genuine legacy” to communities – and he emphasises the word ‘genuine’. “To work effectively and hand-to-hand with rural and remote communities takes a genuine commitment,” he says.
Burke grew up in Brisbane and was always “fascinated” by the property industry. He studied at the Queensland University of Technology, gaining a bachelor of regional and town planning and a master’s degree in project management. His bachelor degree thesis explored “knowledge integration in regional and remote communities” – or how technical, local and Indigenous knowledge can come together to create the best project outcomes.
“While there’s theoretical jargon that comes with this idea, the thesis kick-started my career and interest in Indigenous communities, and how, as a project manager, I can take my stakeholders on a journey from start to finish,” Burke says.
“In our industry we rely a lot on technical knowledge – drawings, site photos and documentation – but Indigenous knowledge of land over thousands and thousands of years sits in a different context.”
Burke began his professional career in town planning in 2014 before making the leap to project management with Turner & Townsend in 2015. Since then, he’s worked on projects that are life-changing for regional and remote communities.
Alpha Health and Emergency Services Precinct, for Central West Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Police Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, was the first modular development in Queensland to combine a hospital, fire and police station and staff accommodation. “The project, two hours west of Emerald, gave me a great understanding of how to work in regional and remote communities,” he says.
He managed the Aurukun Primary Health Care Centre refurbishment project on behalf of [Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service] and delivered the Palm Island Health Care Centre and Bwgcolman Retail and Business Precinct projects for Townsville Hospital and Health Service and Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council. “It’s been absolutely incredible to work in these communities. Each project took a lot of engagement to understand the sensitivities – something that you can never really learn until you do it.”
On Palm Island, which has a long history of mission policies that have eroded cultural identity, Burke says his biggest challenge was to create a welcoming healthcare setting that would attract wary community members.
“I walked and talked Palm Island to find local indigenous artists. Eventually I found the local art group and worked with a local employment agency to formally engage and pay these artists to complete images that told the story of Palm Island.
“For the first time, local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island resident artists were engaged to portray their history on the face of a public building in the community where they were raised.”
People who turn up for an appointment now recognise their own family history on the walls of the centre. “It starts a conversation with the doctor or nurse and people feel welcomed,” Burke explains.
“When you get it right, it’s not just a building. It’s a community asset.”
Burke says he will continue to champion knowledge integration and to help his clients create “roadmap engagement plans starting with Indigenous and local knowledge”.
This work strikes at the heart of property industry’s purpose, he says.
“We want to be building projects for people to have a better life and a better way of living. That’s the essence of our industry. Everyone can echo that message, whether you’re in the city or in a remote community.”
The 2020 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards, now in its 38th year, showcases innovative projects, pioneering solutions and inspiring leadership in Australia’s property industry. Learn more about this year’s award winners.