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We spoke with Dianne Bain, the supervisor of security at a Coal terminal, about her role, her site, and the various challenges and responsibilities that come with her position.

CPAG (CG): What is your current role? Where do you work at present?

Dianne Bain (DB): I’m the security supervisor at the an export coal terminal.

CG: And what are your primary duties? How large is your team?

DB: The team consists of Martin, Amber, Hedley, Regan, John, and myself. I see that we follow the Clients procedures and policies, carry out any required training, and ensure there’s correspondence and cohesion in how we do things. Having a Team that works well together like these Guards do, is rewarding.

CG: What kind of activity are we talking about? Is the site hard to manage?

DB: We get a lot of people driving to the SAC without permits, who we then escort offsite. There’s a sign now, warning people not to trespass—owing to the nature of the operations, we need to be constantly vigilant and manage several external patrols.

CG: Have you had to deal with any serious problems so far?

DB: No, we haven’t had any problems, and I hope we don’t. Security is so important for these operations, and for keeping people out, for their own wellbeing. It’s an industrial site, and the workers themselves have had safety training, but there are risks. Harley and Sam joined with Abbot Point organising a mock protest recently, this all went well, so I’m confident in our ability to manage any adverse circumstances. The guards inform me effectively, and we have very clear lines of communication.

CG: What do you find most challenging, or fulfilling, about your role?

DB: I find when clients alter programmes or procedures, that can be a real challenge. So, this means staying up to date with these changes, and training security in new processes to make them more effective, more capable, and ensuring they are operating as the client wishes. I love this challenge: Training my team so they have the skills and the confidence to perform their roles as effectively as possible. It’s great knowing that they want to come to work, and are enthusiastic about learning new roles and facing new challenges.  Knowing that I and the Team have the full backing and support at any time from Cris Murphy, Regional Operations Manager of CPAG gives great confidence and reassurance to succeed with our goals.

CG: And what do you do in your own time?

DB: I love kayaking, if I could only find some water that isn’t full of either sharks or crocodiles! Work has been extremely busy lately, and I’ve only been here a couple of months, but I’m sure I’ll find my way to one of the dams in the local area soon where it’s a safe place to kayak.