Industry News

The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, has called for applications for funding under Round Three of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program over 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Round Three builds on the 236 projects delivered under Rounds One and Two of the Program, which includes 95 new or upgraded rest areas and 45 new or upgraded parking/decoupling bays.

Categories for funding under Round Three have been expanded to include:

• Rest areas;
• Parking/decoupling bays;
• Road network enhancements;
• Technology trials;
• Demonstration projects; and
• Livestock Transport Industry projects. 
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Submissions for Round Three of the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program from industry will remain open until 30 September 2012 and from States and Territories until 31 October 2012, with successful projects to be announced and commence in early 2013.

All up, the Federal Government is providing an extra $140 million for the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.

For more information: www.nationbuildingprogram.gov.au/funding/Heavyvehicles/Index.aspx

The Telstra Foundation and The Alannah and Madeline Foundation have announced an $8 million, multi-year partnership to work alongside libraries to develop and deliver eSmart Libraries. 

eSmart is a behaviour change initiative for cybersafety and wellbeing. It is an online system that provides a road map to the tools and resources that will equip the library community with the skills and knowledge they need for the smart, safe and responsible use of technology.

Both Foundations recognise that libraries are an essential community resource for supporting digital inclusion. With support from their governing bodies, they are taking advantage of new technologies and the online world. In recent years, many libraries have looked at how they can balance the opportunities of online technology while maintaining their responsibilities to set good standards and help library users.

The Telstra Foundation’s funding will upscale these efforts and provide a consistent and holistic approach and offer this opportunity to all of Australia’s 1,500 public libraries over the next five years.

The next step will be to pilot eSmart Libraries in 20 clusters of libraries in early 2013 and afterwards, roll it out Australia-wide. During this, the partnership will work further with libraries to gain insight and develop eSmart Libraries. In turn, this will support the library community to manage cyber issues and continue to embrace the positive benefits of online activity.

For more information visit the website www.amf.org.au.

The impact of stormwater management on local wetlands and urban design will be the main focus for review as State and local governments, business, industry and The University of Western Australia prepare to launch new research that will guide water management reform in Western Australia. 

At a meeting to discuss the challenges of managing and recycling urban water supplies, the group worked toward identifying specific urban water management issues confronting WA ahead of the official launch of the WA node of the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRC-WSC) in November.

The WA node, led by Professor Anas Ghadouani, from the School of Environmental Systems Engineering, has been established with the aid of a $30 million federal grant awarded as part of the Australian Government's Cooperative Research Centres program.

"What we learn from this research centre will be important to ensuring Western Australia and Australia as a whole adapts its urban design to address the pressures of population growth and becomes more resilient to the impacts of climate change," Professor Anas Ghadouani said.  

The aim of CRC-WSC is to revolutionise water management by delivering urban water policies, socio-technical solutions and education and training programs, along with active engagement with industry and community.

"This CRC will guide capital investments of $100 billion by the Australian water sector and more than $550 billion of private sector investment in urban development over the next 15 years," CEO of the CRC-WSC, Monash University Professor Tony Wong said.

UWA, Monash University and the University of Queensland will lead the nine-year $120 million nation-wide project with research support from the UWA Faculties of: Engineering, Computing and Mathematics; Science; Architecture; Landscape and Visual Arts; Law; and the Schools of Humanities and Population Health.  The international collaboration involves 74 participating bodies, including organisations from afar afield as The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Singapore.

"This is an exciting and unique initiative, linking researchers and participants from a wide range of industries, set to deliver transformative change to the way we think about designing our cities and towns in Australia," Professor Ghadouani said.

City of Subiaco Mayor Heather Henderson said the CRC-WSC was beneficial to local government and will assist the city to further its local water conservation and quality goals.

"By transitioning to a water sensitive city, we will be able to improve our ability to maintain streetscapes, parks and wetlands to a high level in a drying climate," she said.

For more information visit CRC-WSC

Northern Territory Chief Minister, Terry Mills, has announced new appointments to key positions in the Northern Territory Public Service.

The appointments follow the announcement of the new Ministry and the dissolution of Labor’s mega-departments.

 Key appointments include:

• Ken Davies – CEO Department of Lands, Planning and Environment
• Rod Applegate – CEO Department of Land Resource Management
• Ken Simpson - Commissioner for Public Employment
• Alan Tregilgas – Under Treasurer
• Alister Trier – CEO Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
• Peter Carew – CEO Department of Business
• John Baskerville – CEO Department of Housing and the Department of Local Government  
• Andrew Bridges – CEO Parks and Wildlife Commission (acting)
• Rob Kendrick – CEO Department of Regional Development and Indigenous Advancement (acting)

 “Under Labor, the mega-departments have been allowed to drift over the past decade. They have lost their focus on what is important – the delivery of frontline services and the clients within our community who are dependent on those services.

“For most public servants, I expect the new arrangements to have a positive impact on their day to day work.

“However the new arrangements will involve change for some work units such as a change in office, change in location or change in agency name.

The new government’s move brings the establishment of 33 agencies from the existing 23.

The Western Australian Government has increased its funding for the Coastal Protection Program by $4 million for the  2013-14 round.

Announcing the latest round of grants, Transport Minister Troy Buswell said total funding for the scheme had increased from $2million in 2012-13 to $6million for the 2013-14 rounds.

“$5million will be available for allocation in the 2013-14 funding round and submissions are expected to be called in November,” Mr Buswell said.

The Minister said local authorities from Onslow to Esperance had been successful in securing funding from the 2012-13 round with 16 projects sharing $1,053,500 for construction, design or investigation work.

"The largest grant was to the City of Rockingham which received $265,000 for the construction of a groyne to stabilise the beach at Point Peron, preventing future erosion and damage to infrastructure," he said.

"The Shire of Esperance received the second largest grant of $150,000 for work to maintain the beach between Norseman Road and Bandy Creek Boat Harbour and protect infrastructure."

The Coastal Protection Grants program is administered by the Department of Transport which also provides coastal engineering support and guidance to those who are responsible for the management of the WA coast.
 

Mr Buswell said the grants would ensure coastal assets were protected from the impact of ocean forces into the future.

"The grants foster a partnership between State and local government and other coastal managers to manage one of the State’s most valuable assets," he said.

Coastal managers are invited to apply for grants representing 50 per cent of the total cost of a coastal protection project. Activities include coastal monitoring, planning, investigations, condition inspections, design, construction or maintenance.

More information is here.

Bids have been opened for two new onshore petroleum exploration licences in the Otway and Cooper basins in South Australia.

South Australian Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy Tom Koutsantonis said previously offered acreage in the Cooper Basin in the State’s Far North had attracted bids with a combined exploration expenditure of more than $52 million.

Similarly, previously offered acreage in the Otway Basin in the State’s South East attracted bids with a combined exploration expenditure worth more than $40 million.

“Cooper Basin is Australia’s largest and most mature onshore oil and gas province, supplying major south-eastern markets with gas for more than 40 years and oil since 1982,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

“Otway Basin is regarded as the State’s second most prospective onshore oil and gas province.”

The Cooper Basin block on offer (CO2012-A) covers 392 square kilometres adjacent to the western margin of the province. It comprises two areas close to the western margin of the Cooper Basin where numerous oil accumulations have been discovered in recent years.

The Otway Basin block on offer (OT2012-A) covers 5,657 square kilometres capturing parts of the Penola, Robe and St Clair rift troughs.

Several prospective fields, including the recent Jacaranda Ridge discovery and the Killanoola oil accumulation, are both located within the Penola trough.

Gas has been produced and processed from eight fields in the Penola Trough since 1991.

Mr Koutsantonis said bids for the two blocks close Thursday 4 April 2013 with winners expected to be announced at the next APPEA conference in May 2013.

Winning bidders will need to prepare an Environmental Impact Report and an associated Statement of Environmental Objectives, before applying for activity approval, or giving notice of entry for on ground activities.

“The offer of two new blocks coincides with progress being made toward finalising a Road Map for developing South Australia’s unconventional gas resources,” he said.

“This Road Map is a major step toward attracting hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars, of investment to South Australia that will underpin the renaissance of the Cooper Basin

Australia will host an international symposium on regional financial market integration in 2013, bringing together private sector leaders and regulators in the financial services industry from across the Asia Pacific region.

The Symposium – to be held in Sydney in the first half of next year – will explore the proposal put forward by the APEC Business Advisory Council at the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting in Moscow for the creation of an Asia Pacific Financial Forum to strengthen and promote regional financial architecture. 

“It is important that we are prepared for the opportunities that the shift in economic weight to our region will bring,” Minister for Finance and Deregulation Penny Wong said.

“This Symposium will be an important pathway towards achieving this.”

Treasurer Wayne Swan says that while Asian economies have a high degree of integration with the global trading system, their rapid expansion into international trade has not been matched by their role in international finance.

“As economic weight shifts to the East, greater financial integration within the region will become increasingly important,” Mr Swan said.   

The Symposium will build on the Government’s commitment to promote Australia as a financial centre. Australia’s financial services industry currently employs more than 400,000 people across Australia. 

The Symposium also follows the 2009 Australian Financial Centre Forum report, Australia as a Financial Centre: Building on Our Strengths, which focussed on opportunities of a more competitive, efficient and internationally engaged financial industry with increased cross-border activities within the Asia Pacific region and beyond.  The Government has supported all 19 recommendations of the report. 

In addition, the Government has provided funding for the establishment of the Centre for International Finance and Regulation, to be hosted at the University of New South Wales. The Centre will put Australia at the forefront of designing regulatory responses to financial sector developments in the region and elsewhere.

Parliament recently passed laws that improve certainty for international investors considering using Australian fund managers. The Investment Manager Regime will make Australia more attractive as a destination for investment and encourage employment in the financial services sector.

The Australian Government has abandoned its Contract for Closure Program, announcing that  it will not be offering financial support to close emissions intensive power stations under the Program and ceasing negotiations with the electricity generators involved.

Five generators participated in the Contract for Closure Program discussions:

• Alinta Energy (Playford B in Port Augusta, South Australia);
• HRL (Energy Brix in Morwell, Victoria);
• Hazelwood Power Partnership (Morwell, Victoria) (91.8% owned by International Power GDF Suez Australia);
• RATCH-Australia (Collinsville, Queensland); and
• TRUenergy (Yallourn, Victoria).

 Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, said the Government could not be satisfied that entering into such arrangements would achieve value for money against the Contract for Closure Program objectives.

“The Contract for Closure negotiations have taken place constructively and in good faith, but there remains a material gap between the level of compensation generators have sought and what the Government is prepared to pay,” Minister Ferguson said.

“Recently published forecasts for lower energy demand in Australia presented serious questions around the value for money evaluation of proposals. The recent announcement to link with the European emissions trading scheme and remove the price floor did not alter this outcome.

“I have said throughout this process that we had a set envelope of funding and were not willing to enter into contracts at any cost – this is about the responsible expenditure of public funds.

“I recognise that there has been some uncertainty around the Contract for Closure program and appreciate the patience of electricity generators and surrounding communities while negotiations have been underway.”

Minister Ferguson said the Regional Structural Adjustment Assistance package will remain available to assist regions that may be significantly affected by the introduction of the carbon price.

Further information on the Contract for Closure Program is at www.ret.gov.au.

The Victorian Government has announced two new policies, the DataVic Access and Intellectual Property policies, that will enable unprecedented access to the state's data.

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips, who announced the new policies at the 8th Annual Victorian Spatial Excellence Awards, said that Victorian Government data was one of the state's most important public assets.

"Each year the Victorian Coalition Government invests millions of dollars in producing and acquiring high-quality data about our state", Mr Rich-Phillips said.

"Giving recurrent and reliable access to this data is a long overdue stimulus that Victorian businesses and the community will be able to finally harness in developing innovative applications that create new services or improve existing ones.

"These new, comprehensive policies place Victoria at the head of the pack in Australia on mandating access to state government data.

"In driving the release of useable, high-quality data, these new policies will stimulate significant innovation and economic activity, creating a platform on which to develop new technologies, new services and ultimately, new jobs."

"Under the Victorian Coalition Government's DataVic Access and IP Policies, it will be significantly easier to identify Victorian Government data and to access it, in most cases, at no cost," Mr Rich-Phillips said.

Mr Rich-Phillips said access to certain types of data would be restricted on the grounds of privacy, public safety, security and law enforcement, public health, pre-existing contractual arrangements or to comply with other laws.

Data will be available to users online through the re-developed Victorian Government data directory at www.data.vic.gov.au

Australian women who take paid maternity leave after having a baby aren’t suffering any long term salary loss, a new University of Melbourne study has found.

Dr Barbara Hanel, from the University of Melbourne Faculty of Business and Economics, investigated to what extent employer-provided paid maternity leave schemes prolong a mother’s absence from work, and whether their earning capacity then takes a hit.

Her work — published in the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research — determined the effect was negligible.

“There is virtually zero impact on long-term employment or wages after the child’s first birthday,” Dr Hanel said.

Under the Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme, new parents are eligible to receive the minimum wage for up to 18 weeks.

Before the Federal scheme was introduced, about 38% of all female employees were covered by an employer provided paid maternity leave policy, which can offer them up to 18 weeks off work.

Dr Hanel’s research found mothers who were not eligible for employer provided leave were almost twice as likely to return to work before the child was six months.

In contrast, mothers with employer provided entitlements usually returned to work when their child was between six months and two years old.

Dr Hanel said those women commonly returned to more highly paid jobs.

“They’re also typically older, better educated, and work more hours in larger companies,” she said.

The research found paid maternity leave cheaply achieved its goal of enabling mothers to spend time with their children.

“Short, paid maternity leave costs little and has virtually zero long-term costs in terms of mothers’ labour market position,” Dr Hanel said.

The full report is available here.

The Federal Government will provide funding for projects across Australia to create integrated aged care teaching centres.

Minister for Ageing Mark Butler said this initiative will combine teaching, research, care provision and service delivery in one location to create a learning environment akin to teaching hospitals.

“By 2050 we expect that more than 1 in 20 working Australians will be an aged care worker.”

“This means we need more than half a million new workers and we want the best possible learning environment for this wave of students.”

“We want to provide graduates studying aged care with opportunities to learn in an environment that brings together research, training and real-world practical scenarios,” Mr Butler said.

The announcement will see 16 grants provided to universities and aged care facilities across the country under the Teaching and Research Aged Care Services (TRACS) initiative.

“The projects will cover a range of disciplines including nursing, psychology, medicine, physiotherapy and occupational therapy designed to support the training and professional development of workers in aged care,” Mr Butler said.

“It is critical that as the population ages, we ensure we have a highly skilled workforce and that the career path is attractive to the younger generations who are considering a future in the aged care industry.”

Recipients funded under the TRACS initiative are:

• Aged Care & Housing Group (SA)
• Brotherhood of St Laurence (VIC)
• Deakin University (VIC)
• Griffith University (QLD)
• HammondCare (NSW)
• QLD University of Technology (QLD)
• Resthaven Incorporated (SA)
• RSL LifeCare Limited (NSW)
• Southern NSW Local Health District (NSW/ACT)
• St Johns Village Inc. Victoria (VIC)
• The University of Adelaide (SA)
• The University of Wollongong (NSW)
• University of Canberra (ACT/NSW)
• University of South Australia (SA)
• University of Southern Queensland (QLD)
• University of Tasmania (VIC/WA/TAS)

Mr Butler also announced $6 million funding would be provided to eight organisations under the Encouraging Better Practice in Aged Care (EBPAC) initiative, which focusses on improving residential and community aged care through education, training and leadership.

Organisations receiving funds under round three of EBPAC are Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE (MSIT) in Queensland, Resthaven Inc in South Australia, Royal District Nursing Services (RDNS) in Victoria, The University of NSW, Chinese Community Social Services Centre Inc, Uniting Care Community Options (UCCO), South Australian Dental Service and Alzheimer’s Australia, Victoria.

Nineteen of Australia's top scientists, science educators and science communicators have been recognised in the 2012 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

The prize winners are:

2012 NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Eureka Prize for Environmental Research: Dr Dana Cordell and Professor Stuart White from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, for their work identifying phosphorus scarcity, tracking its life cycle and developing global and regional scenarios for its sustainable production and consumption

2012 Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre at the University of Queensland Eureka Prize for Infectious Diseases Research: Dr Marc Pellegrini, with support from Jesse Toe and Simon Preston, at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, for work that has shown that interleukin-7 (IL-7), can provide a pathogen-specific immune system boost in animals, potentially clearing HIV-like infections within weeks.

2012 Google Australia Eureka Prize for Innovation in Computer Science: Associate Professor Jon McCormack, Peter McIlwain, Aidan Lane and Dr Alan Dorin at the Centre for Electronic Media Art (CEMA) at the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University, for the development of Nodal, the first software to successfully depict music graphically.

2012 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology: Associate Professor Wei Shen with support from Professor Gil Garnier, Dr Xu Li, Junfei Tian, David Ballerini, Miaosi Li and Lizi Li at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Monash University, for development of he first equipment-free, bioactive paper-based diagnostic device for blood typing.

2012 NSW Health Jamie Callachor Eureka Prize for Medical Research Translation: Professor David Kaye, Head of the Heart Failure Research Group at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, who has created and translated into clinical use a catheter-based system to control the level of medication at specific sites in the body.

2012 Defence Science and Technology Organisation Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Support of Defence or National Security: Dr Yonggang Zhu, who g, has developed a field-deployable chemical detector that can ‘fingerprint' chemical warfare agents with high sensitivity, reliability and unprecedented speed.

2012 Macquarie University Eureka Prize for Outstanding Young Researcher: Dr Asselin-Labat of the Stem Cells and Cancer Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research who has contributed profound new knowledge on the normal developmental processes within the breast and how these are altered to produce cancers.

2012 University of New South Wales Eureka Prize for Scientific Research: Professor John Webb, Professor Victor Flambaum, Dr Julian King and Dr Julian Berengut, from the School of Physics at the University of New South Wales, and Associate Professor Michael Murphy from the Centre of Astrophysics and Supercomputing at Swinburne University of Technology, for their pioneering research which challenges the conventional view that the universe is homogeneous and measurable in any direction without variation - at least in relation to the fundamental laws of nature.

2012 Voiceless Eureka Prize for Scientific Research that Contributes to Animal Protection: Professor Phillips, Foundation Chair in Animal Welfare at the Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics at the University of Queensland who has used his research to engage the world's scientific, legal and business communities in order to improve the lot of animals.

2012 Rio Tinto Eureka Prize for Commercialisation of Innovation: Digitalcore, formed in 2009 and includes Dr Victor Pantano as Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mark Knackstedt as Chief Technology Officer, Professor Tim Senden and Dr Adrian Sheppard from the Research School of Physics and Engineering at the ANU, and Professor Val Pinczewski and Associate Professor Christoph Arns from the School of Petroleum Engineering at UNSW, for developing digital core analysis, which allows scientists to perform virtual experiments faster and cheaper than conventional core analysis, and for bringing the technology to the global marketplace.

3M Eureka Prize for Emerging Leader in Science: Dr Matthew Hill, Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, For his research using smart materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)to tackle climate change and efforts in assembling a national cross-disciplinary team to confront the global issue.

2012 CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science:  Professor Suzanne Cory, for her passionate commitment to research and science communication.

2012 University of Technology, Sydney Eureka Prize for Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers: Professor Hilton, Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and Head of the Department of Medical Biology at the University of Melbourne, for his unfailing commitment to furthering the careers of young scientists.

2012 Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Australian Science Research: Dr Rob Brander, senior lecturer in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of NSW, who has worked tirelessly to promote his scientific research to a wider general audience.

2012 Australian Government Eureka Prize for Science Journalism: Gisela Kaufman and Carsten Orlt of Kaufmann Production for the documentary, Project Manta, which screened on ABC Television in March this year.

2012 New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography: Jason Edwards for his photograph, titled First Documentation of a Humpback Whale Mating.

2012 NSW Trade & Investment Eureka Prize for Science or Mathematics Teaching: Geoff McNamara, Melrose High School in Pearce, ACT, for his innovative approach to teaching and creating a stimulating learning environment.

2012 University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize: Brandon Gifford, Year 11 student at Casino High School in northern NSW, for his video entitled The Legendary Lizard  which explains how the outermost layer (the epidermis) of lizards must be shed to rid them of parasites and ticks.

 The Group of Eight has issued a statement responding to reports that the future of Australian research and innovation is under threat following the Government’s freeze on grants. The Australian reported last week that the Government plans to put on hold grants worth $2 billion in total in an effort to save a marginal Budget surplus.

Such a funding freeze would stop the research funding councils and other bodies from funding any new projects in 2013. This would slash around $320 million from universities and research institutes. If the government cancels rather than just postpones new funding commitments, the cut would be more than $1.3 billion dollars. Either way, the effect on Australian research would be dire.

According to the Go8 statement, such funding cuts would see at least 1,700 highly-trained and creative people from the higher education sector lose their jobs. This is more than the recent job losses at Toyota, Ford and BlueScope Steel combined. Our best emerging and established researchers would see their opportunities in Australia disappear and would move overseas. The skills they bring to their workplace, developed through years of training, would not be easy to replace.

“Such cuts, if made, would be unprecedented and arbitrary, and would completely undermine the Government’s rhetoric on innovation as the key to Australia’s future” said Professor Fred Hilmer, Chair of the Group of Eight.

“The Government should not allow short-term financial objectives to trump long-term efforts to build a more resilient and productive nation.”

Countries such as the USA and UK that were hit much harder by the GFC have deliberately protected research funding – even while making drastic Budget cuts elsewhere – precisely because research is vital to their economic recovery.  

At the height of the Global Financial Crisis, President Obama told his fellow Americans, “science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been.” In his 2012 State of the Union address he said America needed “a level of research and development we haven't seen since the height of the space race… I will be sending a budget to Congress that helps us meet that goal.”

Around our region, other countries are not only maintaining but lifting their investment in research.  This year, the Chinese government increased spending on science and technology by 12.4% to 229 billion renminbi (US $36.2 billion).

“Stop-go funding makes it difficult to collaborate with countries having this scale of investment, let alone compete in the world rankings” said Professor Hilmer. “Australia’s international student market would suffer as Australia loses its reputation as a country which has a world-class university system.” 

The cuts would also discourage foreign investment and lead companies to transfer their innovation activities elsewhere. This would damage Australia’s standing in the world research community and risk our international partnerships in astronomy, human genomics, and cancer consortia.

“Australia’s future, Australia’s reputation, and the wellbeing of the national innovation system and our young and developing researchers, would all be harmed if the government adopts this approach” said Professor Hilmer.

Figures released in the Banking Job Loss Survey carried out by UNI Finance, the global union for the banking and insurance industries, show that the Australian finance sector has shed more than 10,000 jobs since the GFC, and a further 6300 positions have been outsourced offshore.

Globally, over 300,360 jobs have been lost in the finance sector in 18 countries (UK, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Romania, Moldavia, Greece, Ireland, Australia, India and the US).

In 14 banks which account for almost 3 million workers, more than 121,000 people have lost their jobs or are about to lose their jobs. At the same time, the same banks made profits last year, in the range of $4-40 billion US dollars, in 2011 alone. For example, HSBC made almost $22 billion dollars of profit in 2011, but decided to cut 30,000 jobs. Deutsche Bank made $7 billion dollars of profit but lost 22,000 jobs.

The financial crisis also had several significant impacts, including the worsening of working conditions for bank employees and increased pressures on Sales & Advice practices and the off-shoring of many jobs to lower-paying countries.

The report concluded that Banks are expecting unsustainable rates of return of over 15% and are slashing jobs to maximize short-term profits.

The global survey was carried in partnership with union affiliates across the globe and also draws upon the Financial Times Banker Database (FT thebankerdatabase.com).

Philip Jennings, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, said, “The UNI Finance Job Loss Survey is wake up call to both the finance industry and policy-makers. We are entering a new season of decision-making and high level horse trading beginning with the ECB Governing Council Meeting later this week. The stakes have never been higher with the Euro’s future in question and economic turmoil spreading from Greece, Italy and Spain. Next week on the 15^th September marks the fourth anniversary of Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy. The lessons have still to be learnt. European leaders must act together to set up a strong banking union.”

Jennings added, “The global financial system needs to change the rules of the game. Bankers expectations are too high. Reaching for a rate of return of more than 15% is clearly unsustainable. These banks are still making enormous profits, paying their executives immorally high bonuses while putting thousands of people out of work. They have lost touch with reality. But without the banks, there is no economy. We need real banks that invest in the real economy. And we need them to listen to real people, including their own workers. UNI Finance is the only international network of finance unions, and our role is to make their voices heard. We have a seat at the table of the G20, the Financial Stability Board, the European Central Bank, and we use it to make these workers voices better heard: profits need to be invested in jobs and in the real economy. ”

More information is here.

David Casey has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Petrel Energy Ltd.

Mr Casey has held operational roles in a number of companies and transformed Eastern Star Gas Ltd from a junior explorer with a market capitalisation of just $30 million into a Coal Seam Gas heavyweight ahead of its acquisition by Santos Ltd for $924 million in 2011.

Mr Casey is also a major Petrel shareholder with 11.8% of the company held through his private investment vehicle, Harmony Innovations & Products Pty Ltd.

Mr Casey joined ESG in September 2005 as Chief Operating Officer, and was subsequently promoted to Managing Director in August 2007, acting in this capacity until the November 2011 acquisition by Santos.

Keith Davies, formerly chief executive of Tarong Energy and Co-ordinator General of Queensland, has been appointed CEO of Sydney Desalination Plant Pty Ltd (SDP).  

SDP is jointly owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (50%) and two funds managed by Hastings Funds Management Limited: Utilities Trust of Australia and The Infrastructure Fund (together 50%).

In a statement released on Tuesday, Sydney Desalination Plant said Mr Davies would initially focus on hiring a permanent management team, building relationships with stakeholders and ensuring the $2 billion plant is operated in line with industry best practice.

He served as Queensland's co-ordinator-general until April this year, where he was responsible for infrastructure projects worth more than $70 billion.

Mr Davies has also held senior roles at WaterSecure, a Queensland-based statutory authority, Tarong Energy and PriceWaterhouse Coopers.

A consortium took ownership of the Kurnell desalination plant after it was privatised in June.

The Victorian Government has accepted the recommendations of the independent Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission's (VCEC) final report into distributed generation and will introduce a new feed-in tariff for roof-top solar.

The Coalition Government will also extend eligibility for the new feed-in tariff beyond solar to include other forms of renewable and low emission generation.

The VCEC review found that offering over-generous feed-in tariffs to new solar customers would result in all Victorians, including vulnerable families, paying even more on their bills to subsidise households with rooftop solar.

VCEC recommended establishing a feed-in tariff that is sustainable, predictable and free from cross-subsidies.

Energy and Resources Minister Michael O'Brien said that Victorians installing solar or other renewable energy systems of less than 100 kilowatts will be able to access the new feed-in tariff from 1 January 2013.

Solar customers currently receiving the Premium Feed-In Tariff (PFIT) or the Transitional Feed-In Tariff (TFIT) will not be affected by the recommendations. PFIT and TFIT rates and scheme conclusion dates will not change.

VCEC recommended that the feed-in tariff be extended to all sources of low emission energy generation, and that the new tariff be established in a range of six to eight cents per kilowatt an hour in 2013. However, the Coalition Government has decided to initially set the tariff at the top of that range.

The new tariff will provide a minimum of eight cents per kilowatt an hour for excess electricity exported to the grid, which reflects the adjusted wholesale price of electricity. The rate will then be updated on an annual basis in line with the adjusted wholesale electricity rate.

"Solar systems are now more affordable than ever, with the cost having fallen by around two thirds since 2009 and continuing to fall," Mr O'Brien said.

"The Coalition Government supports the growth of low emissions energy sources, but that support must be fair to all, including vulnerable Victorians who pay the subsidies through higher electricity bills. Over-generous subsidies can no longer be justified," Mr O'Brien said.

"The PFIT scheme established by the former Labor Government is collectively costing Victorians an extra $41 million on their electricity bills every year through to 2024.

In line with the VCEC recommendations, the TFIT scheme will be closed to new applicants. The "one-for-one" Standard Feed-in Tariff arrangements will also be closed to new applicants.

"If you have already paid a deposit or have already had a solar system installed, you may still be considered for the Transitional rate, provided that all the required paperwork is lodged with your electricity suppliers by 30 September 2012," Mr O'Brien said.

This includes accurately completing and submitting:

• a Solar Connection Form;
• an Electrical Work Request;
• a Certificate of Electrical Safety; and
• a feed-in tariff contract application.

In addition to meeting the paperwork deadline, customers will also need to have their meters upgraded and be receiving credits from the feed-in tariff by 31 December 2012.

Customers currently signed up under "one-for-one" SFIT arrangements will also continue at their existing rate until the end of 2016.

Mr O'Brien said the continuing strong take-up of solar systems in Victoria demonstrated that the TFIT, introduced in January 2012, had supported a sustainable solar industry and jobs.

VCEC also recommended action to minimise barriers to increased uptake of distributed generation, primarily in relation to the process for grid connection.

The Victorian Government will now commence implementing these recommendations, including providing increased information to customers seeking to connect distributed generation, and working with industry to streamline the connection process.

Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission Final Report July 2012 - Power from the people: Inquiry into distributed generation  is available here at http://db.tt/sVWNrY9n

A ministerial meeting of  the Federal Government and Basin States has again failed to reach agreement over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan, although Federal Minister for Water Tony Burke said progress and some further concensus had been made on the details.

Mr Burke said that he would allow further time for negotiations before using his powers to proceed with the plan.

 “While the Act would allow me move to the next stage where I have unilateral legal powers to direct changes, I have decided to continue to seek the final elements of a genuine consensus position over the coming weeks.

“Consensus has failed for a century so I don't rule out using these legal powers in the future. But if for the sake of a few more weeks we can get an agreed outcome, then I believe it's worth the continued effort.

Mr Burke said the additional consultation with the states did not in any way compromise his determination to have a plan in place this year.

Mr Burke said there is strong support for a mechanism which allows the volume of held water to vary within limits in circumstances where water can be used more efficiently, whether that be environmental water or irrigation water.

“This puts the focus squarely on outcomes rather than volume,” he said.

"While every jurisdiction is actively engaged in finding ways to maximise environmental outcomes while minimising any negative impact on the communities, I don't want to stop that conversation short."

South Australian  Premier Jay Weatherill has warned that he is prepared to take legal action against the Plan  that does not deliver satisfactory water to South Australia, either through a High Court challenge if the plan does not meet the Water Act or through action to prevent a plan acceptable to South Australia from being dismissed in Federal Parliament.

Queensland, NSW and Victoria have also threatened legal action if the plan results in too much water being removed from irrigators.

Avionics engineers at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) are developing technology to enable remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) for use  in detecting bushfires.

QUT Professor Duncan Campbell, who heads the Australian Research Centre for Australian Aviation (ARCAA), said that the technology and the regulations to enable the small robotic planes to fly routinely in civil skies was still a few years away.

He said the ability to scout bushfire-prone country and relay back images to fire management authorities was just one of the valuable uses to which remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) could be put.

"RPA will provide life-saving information, not just in relation to bushfires but could be used for search and rescue missions either over land or sea," he said.

"They will help Australians better live and cope with the vagaries of our climate. They will be able to provide information about the impact of heavy rainfall and about the extent of rivers in flood.

"They will provide the real-time vision that disaster managers need in order to make the best decisions possible for people affected by natural disaster and will be able to help managers avert disasters such as we saw in the Lockyer Valley and elsewhere last year."

Professor Campbell said RPA would be used to fly over forests to scope weed infestations and also used to find damaged power lines in rural Australia.

"They've been trialled in whale migration data collection and found to be extremely useful," he said.

He said RPA wouldn't be routinely flying in civil airspace in Australia for some time yet.

"That will be once we've developed the technology to enable them to detect and avoid other aircraft and also to land safely in emergencies. We are not there yet, but we're working on it."

He said the ultimate uses to which the technology could be put would be up to governments and regulators but at this point it was envisaged that the technology to fly RPA safely would be available by the end of 2014.

Professor Campbell heads the $7 million Project ResQu, a project supported by the Queensland Government and involving some of the nation's top aerospace experts drawn from QUT, Boeing Research & Technology-Australia, Boeing subsidiary Insitu Pacific and CSIRO.

The NSW Government has released its 20-year vision for the state’s public transport, roads and freight network, incorporating all modes of public transport, roads, freight, cycling and walking.

The draft Long Term Transport Master Plan includes more than 200 short, medium and long term actions and recommendations.

More than $53 billion has been earmarked for transport and roads infrastructure and services over the next four years.

The draft plan builds on Sydney’s Rail Future – which includes the North West and South West rail links, a second harbour rail crossing and a new CBD line, providing the foundation for 60 per cent more trains in the peak – to deliver an integrated public transport network for greater Sydney and essential links for regional areas.

Following the completion of the final Long Term Transport Master Plan, the Government will develop transport plans for 10 regions, and integrated modal and freight strategies.

The draft Master Plan has been drawn up based on extensive consultation, which included:

• More than 1200 submissions on the discussion paper;
• Advisory groups – representing customers and community, local government, industry and transport specialists plus, in addition to freight customer consultation;
• More than 65,000 hits on the master plan website and 8,500 discussion paper downloads;
• 14 regional forums across the State, involving more than 1000 participants, both Ministers and senior Transport for NSW staff;
• Discussions with more than 130 key stakeholders;
• A dedicated 1800 phone number and Twitter feed.

The full 370-page draft Long Term Transport Master Plan and a summary are available at www.transportmasterplan.nsw.gov.au. Comments are due by 26 October 2012 and the final plan will be released later this year.