BACKGROUND:
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (the department) has a vision for a justice and community safety system that works together to build a safer, fairer and stronger Victoria. The department has productive partnerships with more than 60 statutory entities and the support of more than 100,000 volunteers. It has extensive service delivery responsibilities ranging from managing both the state’s adult and youth custodial systems to providing consumer protection.
The environment team resides within the Assurance business unit of the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) and manages the Environmental Management System (EMS) to minimise the department’s environmental impacts, ensure efficient use of resources and comply with various legislation including the Financial Reporting Directive 24D and Climate Change Act 2017.
This document specifies a proposal for an environmental sustainability project to be undertaken by a student over four months, with the guidance of the Senior Environmental Specialist and RMIT supervisor(s).
DJCS is a significant greenhouse gas emitter with emissions expected to reach 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (t/CO2-e) this financial year. The department manages over 700 leased vehicles which emit close to 3000t/CO2-e per annum. The department is also expanding its on site renewable energy generation and would like to utilise this technology to power vehicles across the state.
AIM:
The student shall perform an analysis of the departments leased vehicle fleet, log book data and the opportunities and challenges for electric vehicle expansion in the form of a report to the Assistant Director of Environment and Climate Change. This shall include specific recommendations, anticipated pay-backs and greenhouse gas emissions saving estimations to answer the research question:
Through analysis of the departments fleet utilisation, how can the department’s vehicle fleet be fully electrified in the most cost-efficient way?
The final report shall detail energy requirements of the various electric vehicles on the approved motor vehicle list, the related charging infrastructure requirements, expected charging times, average distance travelled, fuel and emissions savings at various levels of renewable energy penetration and any other opportunities the student may identify.
This project will contribute considerably to the department’s environmental targets within the Environmental Management Plan and key goals of reducing emissions.
DELIVERABLES:
The deliverables of the project can be structured to be delivered under a staged approach. This will allow DJCS to start applying outcomes from the project as the engagement progresses rather than once it has concluded.
The deliverables of the project include:
| Deliverable | Description | Initial Timing Estimate |
| 1 | Background and market research | 6 weeks |
| 2 | Departmental baseline and analysis including asset usage and technology assessment | 6 weeks |
| 4 | Final report and recommendations | 4 weeks |
The project report shall be written up as a business case including, but not limited to, the following sections:
- Executive Summary
- Background and market research
- Departmental baseline and analysis
- Recommendations
The project deliverables shall be written for a wide audience. It should be assumed the majority do not have an in-depth understanding of energy efficiency audits.
WORK METHOD:
TBD
KEY ATTRIBUTES:
Attributes required include:
- Basic engineering and financial modeling
- Intermediate spreadsheet skills
- Intermediate energy efficiency audit knowledge
- Self-motivated.
STUDENT SELECTION:
DJCS is welcomed to join the selection of students with RMIT project team.
The successful applicant must be willing to undertake security and police checks before appointment. DJCS reserves the right to refuse any or all students applying to this Industry Engagement.
