Industry News

The National Broadband Network Co (NBN Co) has announced it has selected Roma, in Queensland’s western Darling Downs, as the host of a new satellite ground station that will play a crucial role in providing remote communities with the NBN satellite service.

The Federal Government has announced a further 165,000 premises to be connected under the rollout of the National Broadband Network.

The Menzies Research Institute has announced the start of a world first clinical trial that will aim to find whether Vitamin D can prevent the onset of multiple sclerosis (MS). The research will be based in Tasmania, who’s population suffers the highest rate of MS in the country.

Australians spent over $6.3 billion, or $287 per head, on mental health-related services in 2009-10, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Waiting times for elective surgeries have remained stable despite a significant growth in numbers over the last 12 months, according to research released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The Federal Government has announced it will legislate to amend the Migration Act to clarify the visa requirements for workers in offshore maritime zones.

Compensated injury fatalities are continuing to decrease, but more must be done to ensure the nation’s workplaces are the safest they can possibly be, according to a new report released by Safe Work Australia.

The 14^th edition of the Comparative Performance Monitoring (CPM) report on Australia’s work health and safety and worker’s compensations for the 2010-11 year shows that the rate of compensated injury fatalities have fallen since the development of the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012.

Safe Work Australia’s Chairman, Tom Phillips, said that while the reduction is heartening, more should be done to make the nation’s workplaces safer.

“Although Australia continues to have a reduction in workplace fatalities, there were still 169 compensated fatalities in Australia in 2010-11,” said Mr Phillips.

“Furthermore in 2010-11, 11 out of every 1000 workers were injured seriously enough to require one week or more off work.

The report finds that since 2002 there has been a 28 percent improvement in the rate of serious injuries. However this is still below the target set in the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 of a 40 percent reduction in the rate of injuries by 2012. 

Other key findings in the report include:

• the injury and disease rates in the transport and storage, manufacturing and agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are still nearly twice the national average
• Australian workers’ compensation schemes expended more than $7 billion, of which around half (55 percent) was paid directly to injured workers in compensation for their injury or illness and 23 percent was spent on medical and other services
• body stressing continued to be the injury/disease that resulted in the greatest proportion of claims (40 percent)
•  work health and safety authorities undertook close to 211 000 workplace interventions and issued 58 000 notices during 2010–11, and
• employers are now paying 1.49 percent of payroll in workers' compensation premiums compared to 1.79 percent in 2006–07.

The release of the results comes in the lead up to the starting of National Safe Work Australia Week, which will run from 21^st October to the 27^th.

To mark the start of the week, SafetyCulture has released key findings of the nation’s work safety track record.

 (Image courtesy of SafetyCulture) 

The full report can be found here

Heavy vehicle safety and roadworthiness has been brought under the spotlight under a new initiative launched by VicRoads in conjunction with Victoria Police and WorkSafe Victoria.

Minerals explorer Discovery Metals has announced it has refused the $830 million unsolicited joint bid from Chinese private equity groups Cathay Fortune and China-Africa Development Fund.

The country’s largest utility-scale solar farm and biggest solar photovoltaic power project has commenced feeding energy into the State’s grid.

The Federal Government has passed legislation that will establish the Independent Expert Scientific Committee that will provide advice on coal seam gas and large coal mining to the Government.

The Conservation Council of Western Australia has claimed it has irrefutable proof that the 600-year-old karris trees are being logged for woodchips.

The Western Australian Government has announced it has granted environmental approval for the construction of the state’s first uranium mine.

The Northern Territory Government has announced it has awarded local petroleum company AUSFUEL Gull a $90 million contract to supply fuel to the Government.

The International Standardization Organization (ISO) has released its new management system standard for road traffic safety, ISO 39001.

The New South Wales Government is urging stakeholders and those involved in the construction industry to make submissions to a discussion paper recently released as part of an inquiry into the high number of insolvencies within the sector. 

All South Australian homebuyers will be eligible for a minimum of $8,500 under a new reform package announced by Premier Jay Weatherill.

The Victorian Government has announced a $5 million program to restore flood damaged catchments and improve environmental conditions for irrigators in flood affected areas.

The Federal Government has announced it will sign up to the Cape Town Convention to provide the country’s airlines with access to lower cost finance for aircraft purchases.

The Federal Government has announced it will support the Victorian Government’s attempt to position Avalon airport as the state’s second international airport.