Industry News

The University of Wollongong has launched its StartPad ideas incubator, a joint initiative with Wollongong City Council, NSW Trade & Investment, Enterprise Connect, and RDA Illawarra local business and entrepreneurs.

With initial funding of $50,000 from NSW Trade & Investment and Wollongong Council providing the space, in iHub, StartPad has also been supported by state and local governments.

Councillor Bradbery said: “The development and nurturing of companies in StartPad shows that Wollongong is developing as a city where companies and entrepreneurs can work innovative applications and tools to deliver new businesses and employment opportunities.

“Council is keen to see this area of the city cultivated to support entrepreneurs who have ideas and foresight,” Cr Bradbery said. “This is an opportune time to support a dynamic growth industry in our city.”

“We have a tidal wave of innovation going on and we need to get involved in this evolving digital age. We may become the ‘silicon beach’,” he said.

StartPad is a component of the iAccelerate program built around entrepreneurship and fast growth businesses. The program was developed by the University of Wollongong to position the Illawarra as the capital for ICT in NSW.

The driving force behind iAccelerate, Elizabeth Eastland, Innovation and Commercial Research Director at The University of Wollongong said: “iAccelerate and its associated programs represents a turning point in the industry profile of the Illawarra and will support the growing innovation ecosystem here.

“StartPad delivers real opportunities for companies identified through the Universities Entrepreneur Club, a pipeline of highly engaged and talented graduates into the Illawarra innovation ecosystem.”

Dr Tamantha Stutchbury, General Manager of StartPad said: “Already, in the short time we have been operating, we have seen our eight companies grow and achieve some big goals. Having 16 entrepreneurs co-located in an open-plan space makes for an amazingly vibrant and creative environment.”

A call for applications from early staged technology businesses to join StartPad will begin in mid-2012. For more information about StartPad go to www.startpad.com.au

A $7 million centre, the INSPIRE Centre, designed to lead research and practice in the use of technology, has been launched at the University of Canberra.

The centre will deliver professional education and applied research in information and communications technology (ICT), and is a partnership between the ACT Government and the University of Canberra.

University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said the centre would help the University develop as a recognised leader in the field of ICT in education.

“INSPIRE provides opportunities for stakeholders to engage with cutting edge ICT spaces and facilities, and will help students and teachers learn how to get the most out of new and evolving technologies,” Professor Parker said.

Led by director Professor Robert Fitzgerald, INSPIRE is currently working with the University’s Faculty of Education on pre-service teacher education and the Centre for Teaching and Learning on new learning environments applying design-based approaches to learning.

INSPIRE includes a Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) space, studio spaces, multi-media pods, an outdoor terrace and a unique video wall using Hiperwall software, which was recently installed and is the first of its kind in the Australasian region.

The centre was funded through the Federal Government’s Capital Development Pool Program ($5 million) and the ACT Government ($2 million).

Events already hosted at INSPIRE include the 2011 Don Aitkin Public Lecture, the ACT Teacher Mentor program, 2012 Global Service Design Jam and the ACT Government’s Virtual Youth Cabinet.

Next month INSPIRE will host the Augmented Reality camp for academics, teachers and students interested in making education more engaging and active, and GovJam, a two-day event held as part of APS Innovation Week for people in the public service to learn and apply their skills and experience in designing better service delivery.

The South Australian Government has announced it will invest $38.3  million for the construction of a dedicated centre of training excellence for the mining, engineering, defence and transport industries.

The announcement comes after figures released by the South Australian Government shows expected skills shortages in those sectors to the order of 25,000 to 30,000 vacancies.

“The Mining and Engineering Industry Training Centre at Regency Park will consolidate and integrate programs previously delivered across the TAFE SA network,” Treasurer Jack Snelling said.

Expected to be completed by mid 2014, the expansion will aim to complement the pre-existing facilities on site.

The training offered at the centre is expected to include:

• utomotive and Light Vehicle Transport;
• Heavy Vehicle Transport and Diesel Mechanics;
• Geo Science and Mining;
• Mechanical and Civil Engineering;
• Surveying and Spatial Information Services; and
• Welding and Fabrication

Employment, Higher Education and Skills Minister Tom Kenyon said together these programs currently account for about 3000 students (full time and part time) a year.

“It’s anticipated that this number will increase significantly as the employment market expands and the new centre becomes fully operational. Programs expecting major growth include heavy vehicle and diesel mechanics, mechanical and civil engineering and geoscience and land information management systems,” Mr Kenyon said.

Funding of  $1.75 million has been awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to Professor Claude Bernard and his research team at Monash University to collaborate with researchers at the University of California on developing improved treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) using a new adult stem cell technique. 

Professor Bernard’s team is using skin cells from people with MS to make induced pluripotent stem cells that can be genetically reprogrammed into brain cells affected by the disease. 

Previously scientists relied on samples of blood and spinal fluid from people with MS, autopsy tissue or the study of animals with a similar disease. Current treatments are only able to slow the progression of MS in about 30% of sufferers.

The NHMRC grant forms the Australian component of international spending on the research in collaboration with US funding body, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The combined value of the international collaboration is more than $6 million.

“These researchers are using adult stem cells to produce a therapy that will not only stop on-going destruction of nerves which stimulate muscle movement – but also stimulate production and repair damaged nerves,” said NHMRC CEO, Professor Warwick Anderson said.

The South Australian Government has announced $8.3 million over four years for the implementation of an Advanced Manufacturing Strategy. The State Government announced the move after recommendations were made in the Manufacturing into the future report compiled by Thinker-in-Residence Professor Göran Roos.

“The development of an Advanced Manufacturing Strategy will help to deliver two of the Government’s priority areas; growing advanced manufacturing and releasing the benefits of the mining boom for all South Australians,” Treasurer Jack Snelling said.

“Our manufacturing strategy must be linked with opportunities to support the growing mineral and resources sector, and to driving innovation to achieve higher value manufacturing and take advantage of new business opportunities.”

State Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade Tom Koutsantonis said the strategy will be aimed at assisting local industry gear up and gain access to the benefits and opportunities emerging from the state’s mining and energy sectors.

“The strategy will support a Mining Industry Participation Office, an Advanced Manufacturing Council, industry intelligence and capability mapping, as well as improving links between research institutions and industry to drive innovation,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

The Victorian Government has officially opened the state’s new $4.8 million biodiesel at Shell’s Newport Terminal.

"The Barnawartha refining facility represents a $60 million investment in regional Victoria, which can produce up to 60 million litres of biodiesel each year," State Minister for Manufacturing and Exports Richard Dalla-Riva said.

"Shell's investment in this facility will give people in Victoria greater access to biodiesel produced in regional Victoria, which will support jobs and investment and expand the local biofuels industry."

The Newport facility will allow for the distribution of up to 50 million litres of biodiesel into the state’s retail distribution channels.

"This will improve the diversity of fuel supplied in Victoria and underpin the future of Australian Renewable Fuels' (ARF's) Barnawartha plant and its 24 employees. It will also create many more indirect jobs that support the regional supply chain," State Minister for Regional and Rural Development Peter Ryan said.

"Replacing diesel with biodiesel reduces emissions. Biodiesel is non-toxic, biodegradable and suitable for sensitive environments. It has a higher flashpoint which makes it safer to store and transport."

Mr Ryan said the Victorian Coalition Government had provided $2 million funding towards the storage facility.

Shell Vice-President of Downstream Australia Andrew Smith said after a lengthy and robust quality assurance process he was confident of supplying a B20 product of consistently high quality to the Victorian market.

"This has been a collaborative effort between Shell, the Victorian Government and ARF in Barnawartha," Mr Smith said.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has hit out at the planned introduction of a national drink container deposit scheme (CDS), labelling it as another tax that Australian families will have to bear.

“A national CDS would cost Australian families a fortune.  It would effectively impose a tax on drinks including milk, juice, water, wine and beer that would significantly increase the cost of an average shopping basket,” AFGC General Manager of the Packaging Stewardship Forum Jenny Pickles said.

“This comes at a time when many families are struggling with the rising cost of living.  A national CDS would also pose a threat to jobs, particularly in the already struggling manufacturing sector”

Currently, the scheme is being considered by the COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water in a bid to increase recycling rates. The system would see a 10-cent deposit added to every drink container in the country, including milk, wine and water bottles.

Currently, Australians consume over 13 billion such containers each year, while recycling about 40 per cent of those.

South Australia currently operates a CDS, with the Northern Territory scheduled to introduce its own scheme in 2012. The New South Wales Government has also recently introduced legislation that will see the establishment of its own scheme. 

A research study conducted by the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) has found that nearly 3 million Australians lack access to fundamental financial services.

Funded by the NAB, the Measuring Financial Exclusion in Australia report measures the lack of access to appropriate and affordable financial services and products, such as bank accounts, insurance and a ‘moderate amount of credit,'

In an alarming finding, the report shows that 17.2 per cent of the population are considered severely or fully financially excluded from affordable financial services.

“Financial inclusion has an obvious and invaluable social impact, but there is also a very strong economic case, like greater workforce participation, reduced welfare and health costs, that validate and confirm its importance,” NAB Group CEO Cameron Clyne said.

In a country with a banking system and economy as strong as ours, it is simply unacceptable that nearly three million Australians are financially excluded from affordable financial services.”

The report identified the following factors contributing to financial exclusion:

• Cost: The cost of motor vehicle and home insurance has increased at a rate higher than inflation, bringing the average premium up to $898 (compared to $855 last year). When combined with the annual cost of a credit card ($808 average) and basic bank account ($88), this represents 15% of the income for 12.7% of the country’s population.
• Demographics:  Indigenous Australians, young adult Australians, and those living in low-income outer suburban and regional areas are cited as some of the most vulnerable to financial exclusion. 43.1% of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islanders (ATSI) are considered financially excluded. 49.2% of 18-24 year olds are now considered financially excluded.
• Language and documents:Communication difficulties and a lack of appropriate identification documentation were also cited as key barriers to credit. Most study respondents seeking credit did so to cover basic household necessities, such as food, rent and utility bills.

The full report can be found here

Federal funding of almost $4 million has been announced to support the adoption of the eWater ‘Source’ platform to aid water planning and management across Australia. It is matched by a combined New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland, South Australian, ACT and Northern Territory government contribution, bringing the total funding to nearly $8 million.

Opening the Source 2012 conference at the University of Canberra, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, Senator Don Farrell said that the adoption of the eWater ‘Source’ water modelling system would formalise a 2008 COAG agreement to develop a national strategy to help ensure future water planning and management represents best practice. 

“Source links science, policy and management to help policy makers and operators consider future scenarios and alternative water management options for catchments, urban environments and river systems across the nation,” Senator Farrell said.

“It will provide national consistency in water resource planning across jurisdictions, by integrating the economic and environmental uses of water to better assist how we plan and deliver water for cities, irrigation, industry, mining, wetlands and waterways.”

 “‘Source’ is the culmination of more than 20 years of research and development and significant collaboration with governments, national water authorities, private industry partners and Australia’s leading hydrologic and ecological scientists,” Senator Farrell said.

‘Source’ and the National Hydrologic Modelling Platform support the National Water Initiative, Australia’s blueprint for water reform, by providing an integrated approach to managing surface, ground and environmental water in rural and urban catchments across Australia.

A research team led by Monash and Melbourne universities have discovered why people can develop life-threatening allergies following the treatment for conditions such as epilepsy and AIDS.

The study published in the journal Nature, revealed how some drugs inadvertently target the immune system to alter how the body’s immune system perceives it’s own tissues, making them look foreign.

As a consequence, the immune system then attacks the foreign nature of the tissues as if they were imcompatible transplants.

Professor James McCluskey of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne said this was a significant discovery uncovering the molecular basis of a group of drug hypersensitivities.

“A whole class of drug allergy is likely to be explained by this discovery,” said Professor McCluskey who led the study with Professor Tony Purcell from the University of Melbourne’s Bio21 Institute and Professor Jamie Rossjohn from Monash University.

“There are several drugs that can cause life threatening skin rashes and other symptoms such as fever, diarrhea, muscle aches and pains.

“A simple blood test may help to predict adverse reactions in the treatment of a broad range of conditions like AIDS, epilepsy, gout and infections.”

Global property development giant Lend Lease has announced it will construct Australia’s first timber high rise apartment building.

Using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), the process has been used in Europe for over a decade.

By using CLT, the project, Forté, will reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by more than 1,400 tonnes when compared to concrete and steel – the equivalent of removing 345 cars from our roads.

CLT is an engineered mass timber product and very different to a traditional wood frame. Mass timber - dense solid panels of wood engineered for strength through laminations of different layers – provides significant benefits and has the equivalent structural integrity to concrete. CLT on a weight to strength basis meets, and in some cases exceed, the performance of reinforced concrete, resulting in a very stable and durable structural outcome.

Chief Executive Officer for Lend Lease’s Australian business, Mark Menhinnitt said CLT is the most significant form of innovation in construction technology that Australia has seen in many years.

“CLT will transform the construction industry by introducing a more efficient and environmentally friendly construction process that has never been undertaken in Australia before.

“In 2001, we introduced the innovation of chilled beam technology to the Australian market which has now become the industry norm. CLT is another example of how Lend Lease is leading the way with innovations that will create value for consumers in the industry.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has recorded a modest partial recovery in new home sales in April, following a ‘very weak’ end to the first quarter of 2012.

HIA’s Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale, said the April lift in new home sales comes despite an overall pessimistic outlook in the sector.

"Even with this latest improvement, the aggregate  volume of  both  new home sales and local government building approvals imply that in the absence of a rapid and sustained recovery,  national new home building is heading to a recessionary level in 2012,” Dr Dale said.

The HIA has urged the Reserve Bank to follow up with more interest rate cuts to ensure the modest gains can be properly capitalised on.

The HIA - JELD-WEN New Home Sales report, based on a survey of Australia’s 100 largest builders, showed a  rise of 6.9 per cent in  total seasonally adjusted new home sales in  April 2012. Detached house sales rose by 6.4 per cent while multi-unit sales were up by 10.3 per cent.

The Western Australian Government has called for comment on the development of a plan to ensure continued availability of high quality drinking water in Esperance.

Department of Water Manager Water Source Protection Planning Nigel Mantle said the Esperance Water Reserve drinking water source protection plan: draft for public commentreleased today is part of a strategy that aims to protect drinking water sources throughout Western Australia.

“This is an important issue and we want to be sure everyone has an opportunity to be involved in the protection of this drinking water source,” Mr Mantle said.

When finalised, the revised plan will replace the 1999 Esperance Water Reserve water protection plan.

The update proposes amending the water reserve boundary to remove two sections from the water reserve, and adjusting the priority of three sections to reflect current zoning. No private landowners will have the priority area of their land increased.

“The draft plan outlines the location of the water reserve, existing and future land uses and potential water quality risks,” Mr Mantle said.

The draft plan:

The plan can be found here

New research has identified better ways to predict how climate change and water management practices will affect fish populations and river red gum forests in the southern Murray-Darling Basin.

Led by Professor Ralph Mac Nally, scientists from Monash University's Australian Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) developed models that linked ecology and hydrology to better inform management of Australia's river systems in the face of increasing water scarcity.

Professor Mac Nally, Director of the ACB, said the results highlighted the importance of water-management practices to the future viability of Australia's river systems, showing that management may pose a greater risk than climate change for some fish species.

"We found that the effects of different water-management regimes were more important than the impacts of a drying climate for some of the fish populations, but the floodplain forests have been badly affected by both," Professor Mac Nally said.

"Improving the ecological health of Australia’s river systems, while maintaining agricultural outputs and human use, will require careful balancing of the compromises among different water users."

Responding to the brief of 'do more with less water', the team, including Jian Yen, Danny Spring and Will Shenton from the ACB, and Nick Bond from Griffith University, contributed to the $10 million Farms, Rivers and Markets project funded by the National Water Commission. The research focused on the Murray-Darling Basin, currently the source of much controversy over the division of water to agriculture, to domestic use and to maintain healthy rivers.

“This was an exciting opportunity to bring advances in fundamental and applied ecology to bear on the social and economic well-being of the nation’s bread-basket, the Murray-Darling Basin,” Professor Mac Nally said.

"We've recently experienced southeastern Australia's longest recorded drought and predictions point to a drier and hotter future. Finding advanced ways to meet the needs of all water users is an important research area with high significance to Australia’s future."

The outcomes of the research, soon to be published in Environmental Management, will be integrated with parallel research from The University of Melbourne on farm management and the economics of water trading. It is the first project to link these three vital aspects of resource management. 

The article is available online in advance of print publication.

The Tasmanian Government has released a review into the state’s biosecurity strategy in a bid to further strengthen existing quarantine efforts.

State Minister for Primary Industries and Water Bryan Green said the strategy forms part of the government’s move to update quarantine standards over the next five years.

The release of the review coincides with the State’s budget spending, which outlined $18.6 million to maintain the State’s biosecurity efforts.

Mr Green said a comprehensive strategy had been developed to guide Tasmania's biosecurity system.

This included:

• Development and publication of a biosecurity risk analysis framework.
• Biosecurity Emergency Preparedness Program.
• Standard Operating Procedures.
• Biosecurity communications plan.
• Plant and plant product import requirements.

A draft of the updated strategy will be available in June. 

The Tasmanian Government has granted a mining lease for the long awaited Livingstone project near Tullah, in the state’s north-west.

State Minister for Energy and Resources, Bryan Green, said the proposed mine would create 30 construction jobs and a similar number when it was operational 

"Venture Minerals is proceeding with development plans and hopes to receive final approvals to allow work to start on the mine before the end of the year," Mr Green said.

The project is a forerunner to Venture Minerals proposed large scale tin and tungsten mine planned at nearby Mount Lindsay, which is expected to generate 1,000 direct jobs during construction and 200 full time jobs when the mine is operational.

“These projects are a great vote of confidence in the Tasmanian mining industry which comes on the back of record investment in mineral exploration,” Mr Green said.

"This will provide a major economic boost to the North-West and West Coasts and the broader Tasmanian economy.

Mr Green said this was highlighted by a Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics report released last week that showed hundreds of millions of dollars of mining investment in the pipeline for Tasmania.

ClubsNSW has launched a new campaign that will see high school bullies blacklisted by employers in the State’s Murray region.

The BULLYcheck, which initiative is expected to be rolled out state-wide next year, has received the support of local high schools and would see students guilty of “bullying, stalking cyber stalking or threatening” blacklisted.

ClubsNSW has deemed the following offences worthy of blacklisting a student:  

• those which were committed with the intention of causing mental or physical harm to a student or teacher
• those which cause a student/ teacher to self-harm
• those involving pre-meditated and repeated cyber bullying
• those involving threatening a student or teacher
• those where police charges have been laid

ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball said he expects the program to be adopted by clubs across the state next year once the 12 month trial is completed.

“The message for high school students is simple. If you bully or threaten other students then you are risking your own career prospects,” Mr Ball said.

Former South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, has been appointed as Chair of the Board of Lower Carbon Australia.

Mr Rann is a member of the International Leadership Council, The Climate Group (UK) and the International Advisory Board, Ecological Sequestration Trust (UK). He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Low Carbon Australia, complementing current Board members.

Mr Rann will formally be elected as Chair of the Board at its June 2012 meeting.

Low Carbon Australia was established by the Federal Government to assist businesses, public sector organisations and consumers improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and identify carbon neutral goods and services.

Mr Rann joins Board members Martijn Wilder, Linda Nicholls, Tanya Cox, Don Matthews and Anthony Coleman.

The Queensland Government has given conditional approval for the $6.4 billion Alpha Coal Project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin, the first mine in the region.

Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney welcomed the decision and said the project would produce significant economic benefits for the state and nation. 

“There’ll be an estimated $11 billion boost to the economy during the mine’s three year construction phase. 80 per cent of that will be retained in Queensland,” Mr Seeney said. 

The mine is expected to see some $80 billion in exports over its lifetime, equating to en economic boost of $1 billion per year.

Mr Seeney said the Coordinator-General had approved the mine with strict conditions and the move was a major step towards opening up the Galilee Basin’s coal deposits. 

“The proposal is for a 30 million tonnes per year open-cut coal mine and a 495km railway line from the mine to the Port of Abbot Point near Bowen,” he said.

The project is expected to generate up to 3600 construction jobs and 990 operational jobs. 

The mine site is 130 kilometres south-west of Clermont in the state’s north-east. The expected life of the mine is 30 years, with sufficient resources to potentially extend the project life beyond that time. 

The project is currently pending environmental approval from the Federal Government.

The awards have previously been administered by the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission (SRCC). This changed with the introduction of the new work health and safety (WHS) laws in January this year, as Comcare is now the sole regulator of WHS in the scheme.

The new awards (categories six and eight) will recognise Health and Safety Representative of the Year and Claims Manager of the Year.

The 2012 awards categories are:

Category one: Best Workplace Health and Wellbeing Program

Category two: Leadership Award for Injury or Disease Prevention and Management

Category three: Best Workplace Health and Safety Management System

Category four: Best Solution to an Identified Workplace Health and Safety Issue

Category five: Best Individual Contribution to Health and Safety

a) A worker

b) A worker with responsibility for WHS as part of their duties

Category six: Health and Safety Representative of the Year

Category seven: Rehabilitation and Return to Work Award

a) An organisation

b) An individual

Category eight: Claims Manager of the Year

Comcare CEO Paul O’Connor said the expansion of the awards in 2012 acknowledges the importance of health and safety in the workplace.

“I encourage as many nominations as possible for these awards which recognise excellence in workplace health and safety, rehabilitation and return to work achieved by individuals and organisations covered by the Comcare scheme.

“Many organisations and employees make a vital contribution to health and safety in the workplace.

“The awards highlight these contributions and how important they are in keeping employees safe, both physically and mentally at work,” Mr O’Connor said.

The awards will be presented at a dinner in Sydney on 20 September 2012 as part of the Comcare National Conference.

Further details on the awards can be found at www.comcare.gov.au/events.