President's Newsletter: August 2026

Build your Knowledge, Build your Network

Dear Colleagues,

I trust everyone is staying warm during these winter months and looking forward to the spring months around the corner! The Board continues to progress the 2025-28 Strategic Plan action items while managing the day-to-day operations. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all Board and Committee members that give their time to progress TEFMA activities – they juggle their time with their institutional roles, for which I am truly grateful.

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 Melbourne at Marvel Stadium in September. We have over 440 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 Sustainability Workshop at Curtin University in June 2026. We had over 90 delegates attend, with many new faces to TEFMA. Many thanks to Curtin University for the excellent venue, catering, tours and overall support provided. Thanks also to the Local Organising Committee, which played 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. Similar to last year in Brisbane, we are on schedule to release the publication at the Melbourne TEFMA Conference in September.

TEFMA Conference 2026 - Find out more

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 voting Institutional Members in late 2026 via a Special General Meeting 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 Wednesday 16 September in Melbourne. We received a record breaking 46 submissions for the 2026 TEFMA Awards and Scholarships which was extremely pleasing.

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:

New and returning 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, and welcome back (*), the following TEFMA Business Partners:

Ventia – Ventia have over 35,000 employees and subcontractors, across more than 400 sites, in Australia and New Zealand working together, to make essential work. As a leading services provider, we operate, maintain and manage the essential infrastructure that makes modern life possible. Ventia advise that Redefining Service Excellence is their approach to delivering service excellence to our stakeholders, differentiating themselves through customer focus, innovation and commitment to sustainability.

*Veolia Energy Solutions – combine innovative technologies & technical expertise to create energy solutions & services for municipal, commercial & industrial operations. Organisations across Australia face increasing pressure to optimise their energy usage while meeting ambitious decarbonisation targets and managing rising costs. Many struggle with aging infrastructure, inefficient systems, and complex regulatory requirements, often lacking the in-house expertise to implement effective energy management programs. We are here to help.

*Alerton - Specialise in building controls and automating building processes to maximise energy efficiency, improve building quality and boost building performance. Alerton will help find options and ideas to improve your building. Alerton specialise in the latest in building technology, energy efficiency, sustainability and smart buildings.

TTW Engineers – established in 1958 in Sydney, TTW, has grown into an international, privately owned engineering consultancy, delivering some of the world’s most complex projects. TTW values are - Purpose in our thinking. Collaboration in our approach. People at the core and work is guided by four core values - Collaboration, Technical Excellence, Initiative and a Personal Approach. TTW Engineers have offices on the Australian eastern seaboard and in Singapore and Jakarta.

We extend a big thank you to all 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
TEFMA President

For all enquiries, please contact:

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

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