Trenchless Australasia, first published in 2004, is a magazine for the industry to communicate the benefits of Trenchless Technology. Publisher Great Southern Press is pleased with the ongoing successful partnership with the ASTT, which goes from strength to strength every year.

Great Southern Press is a small, family-owned business that is very proud to be associated with the trenchless industry, and aims to continue to work together with the ASTT to further communicate the benefits of no-dig technology.

In addition to Trenchless Australasia, we also publish Trenchless International for the ISTT, and other industry titles, along with associated websites and events.

Approximately 3,000 copies of each edition of Trenchless Australasia are printed and directly mailed not just to ASTT members and others active in the industry, but to all asset owners, councils and utilities and other government leaders. As well as providing a vital tool for communication within the industry, Trenchless Australasia also acts as a flagship to represent the industry more broadly, educate decision-makers and expand the industry.

Alongside the magazine, we also publish the annual Trenchless Directory, now in its fifth edition. This handy reference sits on the desks of utility engineers and asset owners across the country and is a great reference as well as a useful guide to our industry.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ASTT in 2011, a special anniversary book has been published. We hope you enjoy this reflection on the ASTT and the industry; and we thank everybody that made contributions to the publication.

As well as producing the quarterly magazine, we have enthusiastically embraced the web for what it can offer. You can read Trenchless Australasia online at no charge. Additionally, the website offers a range of other information, including the directory and news articles. The website traffic is now audited by an independent third party, with over 9,000 page views per month. Every two weeks we also send an e-newsletter, keeping readers in touch with the latest news. The e-news reaches almost 4,000 people.

Recent innovations on the website include the Trenchless Jobs portal and the Trenchless Resource Centre. You can now list a job or search for a job in the sector. The Resource Centre features the different methods of installation and renovation; a description of the technology, graphics, related news articles and companies. I encourage you to have a look at the Resource Centres and share the links with colleagues and potential clients and customers.

We are also using social media to spread the word about the industry. Join in the conversation on Twitter - @TrenchlessOz or Linked In.

In addition to our publishing endeavours, we also organise events. We are very proud to have organised the last four major ASTT Conferences in Sydney, Melbourne, Coffs Harbour and now Brisbane.

The 9th National ASTT Conference and Exhibition returns to Brisbane this year from 3–6 October. In future we will continue to hold the ASTT’s major national conference in every odd-numbered year, with the even-numbered years having a Trenchless Live event and possibly other innovations in the future as well. Trenchless Live 2012 will be held from 23–24 October at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds. In 2013 the International No-Dig Show will take place in Sydney from 1–4 September in Darling Harbour.

We will continue to work to promote Trenchless Technology to new people. Every day our team works to expand our circulation list and encourage new people to attend our events, with the aim of increasing awareness of Trenchless Technology as an infrastructure solution for all utilities – not just a niche industry.

One of our biggest goals is to preach beyond the choir and spread the word about Trenchless Technology. We are working with the ASTT about ways to take this to the next level, including government-level lobbying, getting more stakeholders and supporters on board and talking to other industry associations about the benefits of trenchless. Also on the drawing board for 2012 are plans to play a role in industry training. We are well progressed in talks with industry stakeholders and a leading TAFE about creating and promoting an expanded training package for the industry.

GSP has also established a new Infrastructure Marketing Solutions division, providing customised marketing services to businesses in the trenchless and infrastructure industries.

We will continue to work every day to ensure that the magazine and events remain the best of their kind. This year we are fortunate to welcome back the original Associate Editor of the magazine, Laura Harvey.

We’d like to thank the ASTT Councillors, members, and all of our advertisers, exhibitors and contributors for their support in making what we do possible. We are always open to any suggestions and feedback, so please feel free to contact Laura or myself anytime via the details throughout in the magazine.

2012 is set to be a very exciting year for the industry. We look forward to working with you to spread the word about Trenchless Technology – making the unseen seen!