From Strategy to Delivery: Reflections from the 2026 Australian Energy Producers Conference
Scott Smith – Head of Strategy & Business Growth Last week, Lidiar Group’s Darren Cave, Niall Callan, Julio Bara, and I attended the Australian Energy Producers Conference & Exhibition in Adelaide, one of the sector’s most significant annual gatherings and a conference representing organisations responsible for approximately 95 per cent of Australia’s oil and gas […]
Lidiar Group Welcomes Scott Smith into Leadership Role
Lidiar Group is proud to announce the appointment of Scott Smith as Head of Strategy & Business Growth, further strengthening the organisation’s leadership capability as it continues to expand its national footprint and service offering. An Aboriginal and Veteran executive leader with more than 30 years’ experience across mining, energy, resources, industrial services, facilities management […]
The Watermelon Problem: When Safety Data Looks Good, But Isn’t
At the OHS Leaders Summit, one concept resonated strongly across industries. The “watermelon problem”. Green on the outside, red on the inside. It is a simple way of describing a complex issue: when reported safety performance looks healthy, but the lived experience of work tells a different story. Julio Bara said, “We rely on data, […]
AI in Safety: From Hype to Practical Value
Artificial Intelligence continues to dominate industry conversations, often framed as a transformational force. At this year’s OHS Leaders Summit, the most useful conversation steered away from the hype and focused on discipline. The real issue was whether organisations were adopting AI with sufficient clarity, governance, and respect for where human judgement must still sit. Julio […]
Fix the Work, Not the People: Rethinking Psychosocial Risk in Modern Workplaces
One of the clearest themes to emerge from the 2026 OHS Leaders Summit was also one of the most uncomfortable. Many organisations are investing heavily in supporting individuals, while leaving the conditions of work largely untouched. Wellbeing programs, support services and resilience initiatives all have a role to play. But the Summit kept returning to […]
The Great Safety Correction: Why WHS Must Lead, Not Follow, Digital Transformation
At the Australian 2026 OHS Leaders Summit on the Sunshine Coast, one message cut through early. Work Health and Safety is still being invited into digital transformation too late. By the time WHS is asked to review a system, platform or technology change, many of the most important decisions have already been made. Key choices […]
Seeing the risk before it stops the project
By Steve Onogbo, Associate – Environmental Consultant Environmental risk rarely announces itself loudly at the start of a project. More often, it sits quietly in approval conditions, design assumptions or materials schedules, only becoming visible when construction is underway and options are limited. By that point, the consequences are usually felt in delays, cost escalation […]
Meet The Team – Olenka Garavito Ruas
For Olenka Garavito Ruas, environmental engineering has always been about creating a better future, even if the path there was not what she first imagined. “When I first started studying environmental engineering, I thought my work would be mostly about ecosystems,” she says. “But very quickly, I realised the biggest impact happens inside industry, where […]
Fitzroy: A Growing Engine Room for Queensland’s Major Projects
Few regions embody Queensland’s industrial strength, work ethic and future ambition quite like Fitzroy. Every time I travel through Rockhampton, Gladstone and the Bowen Basin to support clients and project teams, I’m reminded of just how critical this region is to the state’s economic and infrastructure landscape. The capability here is world-class, built on generations […]
Reflecting on 2025, Building for 2026
As 2025 comes to a close, Lidiar Group reflects on a year defined by sustained performance, disciplined delivery and a clear understanding of its limits. For Managing Director Darren Cave, the defining word for 2025 wasn’t “growth”, it was sustain. “This year wasn’t about growing headcount or chasing overly ambitious goals,” Darren says. “It was […]