President’s Newsletter: August 2025

Build your Knowledge, Build your Network

Dear Colleagues,

I trust everyone is staying warm, (and dry!) during this relatively mild but wet winter and looking forward to the spring months around the corner! The Board has finalised the 2025-28 Strategic Plan Refresh Project, and I will be launching this at the Conference in Brisbane. Post Conference, we will upload the summary Plan in the Resources area of the TEFMA Community Portal. The Board will now commence the activities outlined in the Plan, and we will regularly report progress as we move through the 3-year Plan. Can I take this opportunity to thank our General Manager, Matt Smith for leading the project with our Consultant, SIA Partners; the TEFMA Board, and Institutional and Business Partner representatives that contributed to the updated 2025-28 Strategic Plan.

The Board, the TAS Events team and the conference organising committee have been working tirelessly to bring the final moving parts together for what will be a fantastic annual conference in Brisbane in September. We have over 410 delegates registered at this time and the exhibition hall is at capacity. The Conference program can be found here. There is still time to register, so if you are keen to network, grow your knowledge, collaborate and hear about the fantastic things happening across the sector, please go to the Conference website and be part of what will be an amazing event.

Since the last newsletter, we convened the Space Planning Workshop at Monash University in June 2025. We had over 90 delegates attend, with many new faces to TEFMA. Many thanks to Monash University for the excellent venue, catering, tours and overall support provided. Thanks also to the Local Organising Committee, which play a crucial role in bringing this successful event to fruition, and to the expert presenters who provided attendees with valuable insights into best practice and the challenges ahead. Feedback from delegates attending the event was extremely positive.

Our annual benchmarking survey process has now closed and all participating institutions have been provided access to the portal to review and download reports as required. The data has also been provided to our Benchmark Insight publication partner, ARUP, who are collating this year’s TEFMA Benchmark Insights publication. We are on schedule to release the publication at the Brisbane TEFMA Conference in September. We have also engaged Rider Levett Bucknall (Melbourne Office) to audit four institutions to ensure our processes are sound, as we look to continuously improve the quality of the benchmark survey.

Changing of the Guard

As per the TEFMA Constitution and By-Laws, we recently completed our Board nomination process and just in case you missed our announcement in June, I am pleased to inform you of your new Board members that will take up office following the online Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 1st September 2025:

President – Shane Jennings, Flinders University
TEFMA Director – Michael Bird, University of Tasmania
TEFMA Director – Richard Pratten, Swinburne University of Technology
TEFMA Director – Tony Kavanagh, University of Waikato

The AGM will see the end of service to the Board for Kate Robertson – University of the Sunshine Coast. TEFMA thanks Kate for her incredible support over the years. We hope to see you all at the TEFMA Conference to celebrate her successes and commitment over her tenure on the Board.

Changing our governance structure
The TEFMA Executive has been progressing the transition from an Incorporated Association to a Company Limited by Guarantee. This new structure is seen as a more mature governance structure, given the national and international coverage of TEFMA. The Constitution and Bylaws are being reviewed and updated (some 5 years old) and will be put to the membership late 2025 / early 2026 for review and adoption.

Scholarships and Awards
Our scholarships and awards assessment process has been finalised, with winners to be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards night on Tuesday 17 September 2025 in Brisbane. It was fantastic to receive so many applications this year - participation is going from strength to strength.

Upcoming events

Monthly Webinars

TEFMA’s monthly webinar programme continues to be very popular, which is a credit to all members. Details of upcoming Webinars are provided below and you can register here:

Events

New Business Partners

If you have not done so recently, we encourage our member institutions to view information on the TEFMA Business Partners list on the website here to understand how they can assist you with the goals and objectives of your institutions.

I am delighted to welcome the following new TEFMA Business Partners:

Cundall – Cundall is a global, independent, multi-disciplinary consultancy delivering sustainable engineering and design solutions across the built environment. Cundall operate across a number of sectors, including higher education, having completed projects for the University of Newcastle, Deakin University, University of South Australia, Curtin University and University of Wollongong. Please visit the Cundall website and reach out to the team to discuss how they might assist you.

Melbourne Electrical Maintenance - Melbourne Electrical Maintenance is renowned for providing end to end facility and asset management services within some of Melbourne’s most complex and prominent environments. They take a proactive approach in serving their clients, delivering efficient and effective electrical solutions through innovative strategies and continuous training.

We extend a big thank you to all of our Business Partners for their continued support - you are crucial in bringing relevant services and educational offerings to TEFMA members and appreciate the contribution and value you provide to the sector.

TEFMA Community

Please remember to view the TEFMA Community portal with the aim of fostering a culture of collaboration through sharing and engaging with the resources available in the library. The information is intended to generate discussion, build relationships with peers and learn from one another.

Should you wish to contact TEFMA, please email info@tefma.com.

Kind Regards,

Shane Jennings
Acting TEFMA President

For all enquiries, please contact:

TEFMA Secretariat
E: info@tefma.com
Ph: 02 9431 8692

This email was sent by TEFMA Inc, PO Box 576 Crows Nest NSW 1585

As the recipient you have received this notice as a TEFMA member.

Update your preferences

Unsubscribe