Industry News

Smoking in a number of large outdoor areas might soon become illegal in a large section of inner-Melbourne outdoor areas if a proposal by Boroondara City Council us approved.

The council is seeking comment on the proposed laws that would see smoking near playgrounds, taxi ranks, bus and tram stops, Council buildings, sportsgrounds and at Council events.

"Council believes a smoking ban in some public outdoor areas will help improve the wellbeing of the people in our community," Mayor of Boroondara, Cr Heinz Kreutz said.

"We have drafted this local law, and now we are asking 'Have we got it right?'

The proposed Smoke-Free Areas Local Law will prohibit smoking of tobacco products:

• within ten metres of children's playground equipment, barbeques and picnic tables
• within ten metres of organised activities taking place at sporting fields, sporting facilities and playing fields on Council-controlled land
• within five metres of an entrance to a municipal building
• within five metres of taxi ranks and public transport stops located on Council-controlled land
• at events organised or sponsored by Council
• in areas prescribed by Council to be a smoke-free area.

The proposed law is now open for public comment and submissions close on 19 July.

Council will consider the proposed law in August. Submissions should be lodged at the Council office at 8 Inglesby Road, Camberwell or posted to Council at Private Bag 1, Camberwell, Victoria 3124.

A full copy of the proposed law is available at Your Say or Council offices.

The Australian Local Government Association’s (ALGA) National General Assembly of Local Government has unanimously backed the motion requesting the Federal Government confirm its commitment to holding a constitutional referendum of local government in the Australian Constitution.

"The issue of constitutional recognition remains a priority for local government to ensure federal funding remains available to provide essential local community infrastructure and services," ALGA President Mayor Genia McCaffery said.

"We have identified the building blocks for a successful campaign for a ‘yes’ vote in a referendum but we cannot move forward on our own."

Minister for Local Government Simon Crean responded to the sector’s calls by saying that the Government is prepared to take the issue to referendum at the next election if it is confident that it will be supported by voters.

"The Government has until October to make a decision. I would urge local government to consider this carefully and work with us to go forward," Minister Crean said.

"What history shows is our commitment alone is not enough and others need to be committed. We need to have a clear and united view."

Attorney General Nicola Roxon has given the strongest indication to date that a constitutional referendum could be imminent, after acknowledging the High Court’s ruling on the School Chaplaincy Program had complicated funding issues.

“We will be carefully considering this, that it has some consequences for the issues surrounding local Government. And of course you know that we already have on the table a question of whether a referendum would be needed to pursue and clarify that direct payments to local Government are possible,” Ms Roxon said.                                 

Mayor McCaffery said the High Court ruling shows the urgency needed to act on constitutional recognition, saying that the legitimacy of direct Federal funding of a number of key initiatives has been called into question.

“We welcome comments from Attorney-General Nicola Roxon this morning acknowledging that this is a ‘dilemma’ for the Commonwealth and that yesterday’s ruling gives local government’s case for a referendum a ‘kick along’ but we need greater commitment from the Australian Government on this matter,” Ms McCaffery said.

“This is an urgent issue for local government.  We have been arguing for years that we need to be recognised in the Australian Constitution to ensure the continuation of direct federal funding through programs such as Roads to Recovery.

The Federal Government has passed legislation through the Senate that will enable the creation of a R18+ age restriction for computer games.

The legislation now means that the country’s video game classification are now more in line with existing categories used to classify films as well as bringing the country more into line with international standards.

“These are important reforms over 10 years in the making,” Minister for for Home Affairs Jason Clare said.

"The R 18+ category will inform consumers, parents and retailers about which games are not suitable for minors to play, and will prevent minors from purchasing unsuitable material.

The introduction of an R18+ category for computer games has been the subject of extensive public consultation over recent years.

The Attorney-General's Department released a discussion paper on the introduction of an R 18+ classification category for computer games in 2009.

They received 58,437 submissions in response with 98 per cent of these supporting the introduction of an R 18+ category.

The Bill also has the support of State and Territory Attorneys-General, who agreed to this reform at the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting in July 2011.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched its new Carbon Price Claims Hotline in a bid to curtail suspected price gouging related to carbon pricing after the Federal Government’s carbon tax comes into effect at the beginning of July.

“The ACCC Carbon Price Claims Hotline, 1300 303 609, and online carbon price claim form, will make it easier for consumers and business to complain if they suspect false price claims are being made about the carbon price,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

“The ACCC is concerned that consumers may be duped into accepting a price increase for a product or service because of the carbon price, when the carbon price is actually not the cause.”  

“The ACCC hotline will make it easier for consumers and small business to alert the ACCC if what they’re seeing doesn’t look quite right. Consumers or businesses can contact us if they think a carbon price claim is false.” 

To report a claim or for further information on the ACCC’s role in relation to carbon price claims and a range of associated publications for businesses and consumers, visit www.accc.gov.au/carbon. Suspect claims can also be reported on 1300 303 609.

The Victorian Government has announced $400 million will be invested in the Port of Melbourne to boost its import and export auto trade at the Webb Dock facility.

The funding will see the facility expanded to handle in excess of 600,000 vehicles per year while delivering high standard on-dock pre-delivery inspection (PDI) facilities.

Premier Ted Baillieu said the recent announcement brings the total investment for the Port of Melbourne Expansion Project to $1.7 billion and create an additional 420 jobs during the construction phase.

"The automotive aspect of the Port Expansion Project will see the construction of 920 metres of new wharves, more than 1,000 supporting piles and 24,000 square metres of concrete decking," Mr Baillieu said.

"The auto industry employs more than 40,000 people across Victoria, and building world class automotive facilities at the Port of Melbourne helps protect these jobs and grow Victoria's economy.

"Combined with the delivery of a new container terminal and expanded capacity at Swanson Dock, this development will directly generate 1,100 jobs and secure employment for many thousands of people across the state.”

State Minister for Ports, Dennis Napthine, said the funding forms part of the State Government’s strategy for Victoria’s ports.

"Importantly, this project will provide facilities for all PDI operations to take place on-dock. This involves minor works carried out to vehicles prior to delivery," Dr Napthine said.

"At the moment, about 60 per cent of all imported vehicles are trucked across the West Gate for PDI processing in the western suburbs; with about a third of these vehicles then returned across the West Gate a second time for delivery to eastern Victoria.

The automotive component of the Port Expansion Project will be entirely funded by the Port of Melbourne Corporation with the port to undertake a competitive bidding process during the second half of 2012 to appoint the operator of the new automotive terminal and the PDI sites.

New Zealand construction giant Fletcher Building has announced Jonathan Ling will retire from the position of Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at the end of September, to be replaced with Mark Adamson.

“Jonathan indicated to the board when he was appointed to the chief executive officer position that he intended to serve for about five years, and he feels that having completed six years this is the right time for him to retire,” Fletcher Building’s Chairman Ralph Waters said.

Mr Adamson, currently Chief Executive of the company’s Laminates and Panels Division, will assume the role on the 1^st of October.  The British national holds an honours degree in finance and has extensive experience in senior financial roles .

Mr Waters said the board was unanimous in selecting Mark Adamson as the new chief executive officer, and said directors were impressed with what he had achieved in his current role, and the vision he has for Fletcher Building.

“Mark Adamson has done an outstanding job at Formica, undertaking difficult restructuring early in his tenure as global president of that business, and more recently successfully growing its earnings in developing markets particularly in Asia. His leadership has enabled Formica to deliver continued operational performance and earnings improvements year after year despite very challenging conditions in many of its markets”, Mr Waters  said.

The Federal Government has released a major review that identifies potential new ways for local governments to plan, finance and deliver infrastructure investments.

Releasing the report at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra, Federal Minister for Local Government, Simon Crean said the review will ensure the country will be more effective in meeting the infrastructure needs through closer partnerships with local government bodies.

"Nation-building does require big investment in infrastructure, but that can't be done by governments alone we need partnerships between governments, and where appropriate, with the private sector," Mr Crean said.

"That message has also been backed by other recent reports including the Business Council of Australia and our Government's Infrastructure Finance Working Group.

"Infrastructure and skills are the constraints to growth and that is why we have to find creative new ways to overcome those constraints.

"The future infrastructure needs of the nation can be met if we develop the partnerships, and as recommended in this report, consider new financial instruments.”

Mr Crean said the Ernst and Young report recommends a number of financial instruments to address these issues and argues for a national authority capable of addressing the capability and aggregation functions along with appropriate financial instruments.

The full report is available online at www.regional.gov.au

The Joint Select Committee on the NSW Workers Compensation has announced a suite of key recommendations to reform the scheme in a bid to address its increasingly dire financial situation.

“The Committee has considered several hundred submissions and evidence from over 70 witnesses, which has highlighted the complexity and scale of the NSW Workers Compensation Scheme, and the problems it faces in terms of its financial sustainability and its performance in meeting its key objectives,” Committee Chair Robert Borsak said.

"Although the views of stakeholders were diverse, particularly with regard to the options proposed in the Issues Paper released by the Minister for Finance and Services, a strong message coming out of the Inquiry is that immediate reform is needed to respond to the dire financial position of the Scheme.”

The Select Committee recommended the formation of a joint standing committee of the NSW Parliament to undertake a detailed review of the scheme.

“We believe that the complexity and size of the Workers Compensation Scheme, and the issues raised in respect of it, necessitates a considered and thorough review which, given the timeframe, has been beyond the scope of this inquiry,” Mr Borsak concluded.

More information can be found here

http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/workerscompinquiry

The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has lost its bid to prevent an employer from conducting mandatory drug and alcohol tests of its employees, with the presiding judges finding that it will help the company meet its workplace health and safety obligations.

It seems clear enough that mandatory testing is a surer method of determining who is affected by alcohol and therefore who is at risk (of injuring himself or others) than relying on self-identification or the inclination of one worker to inform on another,” said judges Anna Katzmann and Robert Buchanan in their judgement.

“Every employer also owes a duty of care to its employees to take reasonable care for their safety.”

The CFMEU appealed an earlier decision by Fair Work Australia, which found that there was nothing in employment contracts that precluded administering random drug and alcohol tests to its employees.

Leighton has announced that the scope of its required work for the Chevron-operated Gorgon Project in Western Australia has expanded, bringing the total value of work being completed to $1.85 billion.

“The scope of the jetty project being undertaken by a Leighton Contractors and Saipem Consortium has evolved since the initial award with the addition of fabrication and transportation of over 2 kilometres of pipe racks, and transportation to site of 24 pre-cast concrete caissons for the heavy lift facility berth. “ Leighton Holdings CEO

“Chevron and the Consortium have agreed a way forward which provides Chevron certainty in the delivery of the jetty facilities in October 2013.”

More students than ever are studying at tertiary level, according to the latest tertiary education and training figures.

Released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), the publication Tertiary education and training in Australia 2010 provides a broad view of educational activity across the tertiary sector.

“This publication combines data that is usually looked at separately from vocational education and training (VET) and higher education,” said Ms Sandra Pattison, General Manager, Statistics, NCVER.

“It is the second year NCVER has combined this information into a single publication and this year extends our previous work with more information on student pathways and outcomes.”

Full-time equivalent tertiary student numbers increased nationally, from 1.4 million in 2009 to 1.5 million in 2010, representing an increase of 6.7%. The rise was reflected across all states and territories, with the greatest increase occurring in Queensland, up by 8.7%.

There was also an increase in the number of equivalent full-time tertiary students in diploma qualifications in 2010, from 113 100 in 2009 to 130 600 in 2010, representing a 15.5% increase.

When it comes to pathways, similar proportions of Australian students have a prior qualification from VET before commencing higher education and vice versa. In 2010, 32 800 (7.1%) full-time equivalent VET students held a bachelor degree prior to their VET study, while in the same year 16 700 (7.0%) higher education students already had a VET qualification behind them.

The data used in this publication is sourced from the NCVER VET Provider Collection and the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE) Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Copies of Tertiary education and training in Australia 2010 are available from:www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2489.html 

A study conducted by the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) has found that a large percentage of children aged 1 – 5 are lacking in vital nutrient intake they need to maintain good health.

The study found only a minority of children achieved an adequate intake of dietary fibre and fatty acids, including omega 3, while consumption of saturated fatty acids remained high. However, the report concluded that energy intake was generally within the daily recommendations.

“Median energy intakes were within dietary recommendations for the age group. Overall energy contributions from carbohydrate, protein, fat and saturated fat intakes were 50%, 17%, 33% and 16%, respectively. The rates of inadequate intake of iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin C were low, as was the prevalence of iron deficiency (5%),” the report found.

The full report can be found here

Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke’s plan to attend the United Nation's sustainable development conference is in tatters after the Federal Opposition denied him pair to attend.

Rather than represent Australia on the global stage, Minister Burke will be forced to stay in Australia to defend the Government’s marine park expansion plan.

The move by the Opposition has drawn fire from both Federal Labor and the Greens, with Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne slamming the Opposition’s tactics as ‘absolutely disgraceful.’

"This is a once in a decade meeting - 20 years on from the original Earth Summit in Rio. This is where the world recognises the problems we have with the global environment,” Senator Milne told the ABC.

Nationals Leader Senator Barnaby Joyce defended the move, saying the move to exponentially expand the country’s marine park network would wreak havoc amongst for industry.

"What Mr Burke wants to do is create absolute pandemonium on sections of the coast, go into people's lives and make them poorer, and then fly off to Rio and brag about it," Senator Joyce told the ABC. 

The Western Australian Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien has announced a series of measures to assist the building industry and local governments to work with recent legislation changes.

“The introduction of the Building Act on April 2, 2012 was the result of several years of consultation,” Mr O’Brien said.

“However, as with any wholesale change to legislation, there is always the possibility that the need for some modifications will arise as the new processes are put into practice.

“The State Government is very aware that any processing delays have a big impact on builders and consumers and since being made aware of the drop in building applications and approvals following the start of the new legislation, we have been working with industry and local government to find a solution.”

To alleviate the immediate pressures on industry, the Minister today signed a Ministerial Order designed to expedite the flow of building work. This order, which will take effect from Saturday, will allow a builder to start work pending approvals for applications lodged after January 1, 2012 and prior to June 30, 2012.

“This temporary measure will assist builders in avoiding protracted delays before starting construction, but will not remove the industry’s obligation to meet all necessary standards,” Mr O’Brien said.

Further, in response to feedback from industry, the Building Commission has formulated a series of regulatory amendments that will simplify the approvals process and make it easier for local governments to apply the law consistently.  Redesigned standard forms aimed at removing confusion in interpreting approval requirements will be distributed to local government authorities, along with a processing checklist.

“Additional information workshops and specific information kits will provide further assistance in understanding the new system and how to benefit from it,” the Minister said.

The State Government, with the Building Commission, is now working to identify longer-term measures, including looking at any other amendments to the Act that may be required to give greater security to industry and local government.

Mr O’Brien said the Government looked forward to working closely with industry and local councils throughout this process.

While the necessary amendments and changes were being made, building surveyors were advised to use the new processing checklist, prioritise their new house applications, use electronic mail systems where possible and seek advice from the Building Commission to help speed up the applications and approvals processes.

The National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) has welcomed a decision by the Western Australian Minister for Training and Workforce Development Peter Collier to reverse the Construction Training Fund's (CTF) proposed cut to employer subsidies for electrical apprentices.

The CTF proposal would have seen employer subsidies reduced from $9,000 to $6,000 for young apprentices and from $12,000 to $6,000 for mature age apprentices from 1 July 2012.

NECA General Manager membership Ray Harris said the proposed cut in funding would have brought about a decrease in electrical apprentice commencements and further exacerbated the skill shortage in Western Australia.

"Minister Collier's decision was in-line with his reputation as a champion of the apprenticeship system," Mr Harris said.

"The Minister has been calling on industry to increase its apprenticeship training effort because of the short supply of skilled tradesmen.

"The NECA Board and our 750 members were quietly confident the Minister would reach this outcome, given the vast number of young and mature age Western Australians the electrical industry trains every year," Mr Harris said. "We support the Minister's call for increased apprenticeship training so we are pleased he has recognised this and supported the electrical industry."

"If the CTF training subsidy cuts had gone ahead it would have cost our industry $5million in employer subsidies over the training period for apprentices commencing in 2012/2013 and the same amount for starters each year thereafter," Mr Harris said.

"This cost would have been passed on to users of electrical services so the Minister’s decision is also a big win for consumers.

"As the peak industry body representing the interests of electrical contractors, NECA has been in discussion with Minister Collier about this issue for some months and we are very pleased he has given a positive response to our call."

The Federal Government has announced the formation of a working group to consult on the development of a foreign ownership register for agricultural land, following growing concerns over large swathes of prime agricultural land being purchased by foreign nationals.

“A national foreign ownership register for agricultural land would provide the community with a more comprehensive picture of the specific size and locations of foreign agricultural landholdings over and above what is currently available,” Federal Minister for Agriculture Senator Joe Ludwig said.

A government working group will formally seek stakeholder views on the establishment of a register, including:

• What ownership interests should be captured under a register;
• How the register would interact with existing state and territory land title registers, including the Foreign Ownership of Land Register in Queensland;
• Ways to monitor and enforce compliance; and
• How information would be reported on and disclosed.

“The Government will pursue a register where it will clearly improve transparency of foreign ownership in agriculture without imposing unnecessary burdens on investors or duplicating work already undertaken by State and Territory governments,” Senator Ludwig said.

“While there has been minimal change in foreign ownership levels of agricultural land in Australia since 1984, the ABARES report highlights the need for better data sources to provide a more comprehensive picture of how the landscape of foreign investment in agriculture may be evolving.”

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released a report into the health of the country’s male population, finding notable discrepancies in health based on geographical location.

The health of Australia’s males: a focus on five population groups report was released by Minister for Indigenous Health Warren Snowdon as part of Men’s Health Week.

The report examines the health of Australian men in different population groups, characterised by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status, remoteness, socioeconomic disadvantage, region of birth and age.

‘It shows that these factors can affect health for both better and worse,’ said AIHW CEO and Director David Kalisch.  

‘For example, the life expectancy among Indigenous males is 67 years—11.5 years less than their non-Indigenous counterparts.’

The report explored the different factors that contribute to porter health rates in different population areas, including lung cancer, diabetes and kidney disease.

Males in remote areas also generally have shorter life expectancy and poorer self-assessed health status. As remoteness increases, so too do several health-related factors, including rates of obesity, tobacco smoking and risky alcohol consumption. Males in remote areas also have more new cases of lung cancer, hospitalisations for Type 2 diabetes, and deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and suicide.

Rates of obesity and tobacco smoking among men also increase with socioeconomic disadvantage, as do new cases of lung cancer, hospitalisations for Type 2 diabetes and deaths from coronary heart disease, lung cancer, coronary obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and suicide.

In contrast, the report shows that some population groups enjoy better health in some areas.

Males born overseas have fewer risk factors and lower overall mortality and hospitalisations compared with males born in Australia, and older males (aged 65 and over) are living longer than ever before, and have fewer risk factors such as overweight/obesity and tobacco smoking than younger males.

The full report can be found here

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737421980&libID=10737421980

The Federal Government has increased its support for the City of Sydney's plans to roll out Australia's first large-scale trigeneration energy network.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed the $5 million funding boost, announced by Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, and Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Mark Dreyfus.

"The City's trigeneration network will drastically improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon pollution. Households and businesses connected to the network will get a cleaner and cost-competitive alternative to the rising cost of coal-fired electricity," Ms Moore said.

"Gas-fired trigeneration is more than twice as energy efficient as coal-fired electricity and our network will produce electricity, heating and cooling for surrounding buildings.

"The Federal Government's extra funding will help us reach our target to cut carbon pollution across the City of Sydney by 70 per cent by 2030 and make Sydney Australia's leading low-carbon city."

The $5 million will be added to $12 million in City funding for the installation of trigeneration plants at Town Hall House and Prince Alfred Park Pool. It was one of 63 grants totalling $42 million as part of the Federal Government's Community Energy Efficiency program.

It comes on top of a $3.75 million grant for trigeneration for the Green Square Town Centre as part of the Liveable Cities Program, announced in April.

The City's low-carbon energy network could save NSW electricity consumers as much as $1.5 billion by 2030 in avoided or delayed spending on electricity grid upgrades and new power stations.

In April, the City signed a heads of agreement with energy company Cogent, wholly owned by Origin, to build the trigeneration energy network in Sydney.

The City's interim trigeneration master plan estimates a total capacity of 360 MW by 2030 at a cost of $440 million (2010 dollars), supplying 70 per cent of the local government area's electricity requirements.

Under the agreement, Cogent will provide trigeneration services to council and privately owned buildings in four low-carbon-zones across central Sydney: Green Square, CBD North (Martin Place/George Street),CBD South (Town Hall Precinct) and Pyrmont/Broadway.

An interdisciplinary Victoria University Faculty of Business and Law research team has been awarded a $30,000 grant to develop a unique information and communications technology (ICT) program for tradespeople in Victoria.

Associate Professor Stephen Burgess (School of Management and Information Systems), Dr Rafael Paguio (School of Accounting and Finance) and Dr Carolyn Woodley (Victoria Law School) were awarded the grant by the Telematics Trust for their project, ‘Enabled Tradie’.

The Telematics Trust grants attract applications from leading educational institutes, government, business and not-for-profit organisations exploring innovative ways of using information and communications technology (ICT) for educational purposes.

‘Enabled Tradie’ will develop an educational program that combines face-to-face, online and work-based teaching approaches to build ICT awareness among Victorian tradespeople and encourage ICT usage. The pilot project will mentor a group of 12 tradespeople, supporting them in the adoption of appropriate ICT tools to help achieve business process efficiency, market effectiveness and work-life balance.

Offering an innovative alternative to the occasional training seminar format, the integrated project will take into account learners’ individual requirements and will provide practical support to successfully adopt and evaluate ICT. It will draw on Victoria University’s expertise in the use of face-to-face as well as online learning technologies. Another distinctive feature is the use of business students to provide dedicated and customised mentoring support to initiate and integrate ICT adoption.

Local councils in the Melbourne West region have been advised of the project and expressions of support have been received by the project team. Beyond this pilot phase, future plans include a wider roll-out across the region in line with VU’s Local Government Areas Engagement framework.

VU Research Grants Manager, Sandy Superina described the award as ‘fantastic news’. Sandy adds, ‘this is a prestigious grant and demonstrates how we can forge productive links between VU expertise and the educational and research needs of Victoria.’

A collaboration between the University of Tasmania, state and Australian governments and a range of industry partners promises to deliver a world-first SenseT data sensor network will utilise the National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania to mesh together historical, spatial and real-time data and make it available through the web to the community.

Over the next five years sensors will be deployed across Tasmania, measuring all aspects of activity, including energy, carbon, water, population and transport flow. Existing sensor networks will be federated into this single, large-scale system.

CSIRO is investing $10.5 million to the project over five years. The Tasmanian Government is contributing to the investment of CSIRO and UTAS.

The Australian Government has contributed $3.6 million to the project under the $120 million Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement to bring total Commonwealth investment in SenseT to more than $14 million.

Industry partners also include National ICT Australia (NICTA) and Aurora Energy.

The sensor network has the potential to create transformative opportunities for the community, for business and for government.

"SenseT is one of the biggest coordinated investments in knowledge infrastructure that Tasmania has seen," the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Rathjen, said. "It promises to have a dramatic impact on innovation and productivity in our economy, as well as supporting better decision-making on how we manage our resources and the environment."

Viticulture, the oyster and abalone industries, e-health, meteorology and carbon capture are just a handful of the areas likely to benefit from such a network.

The project has been initiated by the University of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Government and CSIRO, in collaboration NICTA, IBM and the Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society (University of Melbourne).