Industry News

The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) has wrapped up the successful trial of its near field communications (NFC) trial that saw dozens of customers trial technology that enabled them to make payments using their mobile phone.

The four month trial saw participants using the specially equipped mobile pghones to make contactless payments at two innter city cafes in Auckland and Wellington, with customers making transactions by waving their phones in front of terminal.

Andy Symons, BNZ Director of Retail, said the trial was an outstanding success with the technology working seamlessly.

“People really enjoyed the ease of not having to carry around cards or cash to pay for such small amounts. Since our trial was limited to small transactions for which no PIN was required, it really sped things up at the point of sale. This is something both the customer and the retailer said they loved,” Mr Symons said.

“This convenience factor for both retailers and customers is at the heart of all the technology. Making things simpler, faster and more convenient is what we’re trying to achieve through innovations such as this. We look forward to working with all parties to help make this a reality.”

BNZ conducted a survey of the participants of the trial, finding:

• 97% of respondents were likely to use the service if it was launched in the future. 3% were undecided
• 62% of respondents expect the service to be free (14% willing to pay up to $3 per month)
• 100% of respondents reported a positive experience using the service
• 100% of respondents were likely to recommend the service to friends, with 46% indicating they would be “very likely”
• 95% enjoyed the convenience of not having to enter a PIN for low value transactions
• 78% enjoyed receiving a digital receipt on their phone instead of paper
• 81% enjoyed not having to carry a wallet
• 85% would prefer PIN-less transaction were limited to values of $80 or less.

The third major suite of works on Queensland’s Bruce Highway has been completed, with three new bridges and 12 new kilometres of new highway section now finished.

“All that remains to do is finish building the new Traveston interchange and Mary Valley Link Road as well as the realignment of Traveston Road and the Skyring Creek bridge connection,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese said.

“Recommended by Infrastructure Australia and funded in our recession-busting Economic Stimulus Plan, the project is being delivered as part of the massive capital works program which right now, both direct and indirect, is putting more than 3,500 people to work building a better, safer Bruce Highway.”

Begun in late 2009, the realignment and fully duplication of the Bruce Highway between Sankeys and Traveston Roads—also known as Cooroy to Curra, Section B—is being jointly funded by the Federal ($388 million) and Queensland ($125 million) governments.

The Federal and South Australian Governments have taken the next step to establishing a National Safety Regulatory framework after the appointment of Rob Andrews as the country’s inaugural National Rail Safety Regulator.

The new National Rail Safety Regulator will be based in Adelaide and will oversee Australia's urban passenger rail networks and interstate freight operations.

Mr Andrews will be responsible for ensuring rail transport operates more seamlessly and safely by reducing unnecessary red tape and duplication.

“He is a highly experienced rail safety regulator from the United Kingdom, having worked for the Strategic Rail Authority, the Office of Rail Regulation, the Health and Safety Executive, and most recently held positions as Program Director for Crossrail and Thameslink at the London Underground.  He has also been a member of the UK Rail Safety and Standards Board,” Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese said in a statement.

Mr Andrew’s appointment comes after the South Australian Parliament passed the Rail Safety National Law that establishes the new regulator, which will replace seven separate regulatory authorities and 46 separate pieces of legislation.

A recent report published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows that while the number of dentists is growing throughout Australia, supply outside of major cities remains low.

The Trends in the Australian dental labor force, 2000 to 2009 report shows an overall increase in the supply of dentists across Australia in the decade 2009, recording an increase from 46.9 to 54.1 practising dentists per 100,000 people.

Despite the good news, it was shown that the number of dentists per 100,000 people in major cities was double that of outer regional areas, and almost triple that in remote/very remote areas.

“While the number of dentists in regional and remote areas is still well below major cities, there have been increases in the number of dentists in all remoteness areas between 2000 and 2009,” said AIHW spokesperson Professor Kaye Roberts-Thomson.

These increases have ranged from 9% in Outer regional areas to 40% in Remote/Very remote areas.

Supply was highest in the Australian Capital Territory and lowest in Tasmania and the Northern Territory, with all other states around the national average.

Dentists tended to work slightly fewer hours per week (37.4) in 2009 than they did in 2000 (39.3)

“In 2009, the Australian dental labour force was dominated by general dental practitioners, with 11,900 dentists making up 67% of the workforce. Among these, 4 in every 5 worked in the private sector,” Professor Roberts-Thomson said.

The average age of dentists has increased from 44.3 to 45.2 years between 2000 and 2009.

The number of female dentists increased from 2,042 to 3,869 between 2000 and 2009.

The report can be found here

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737421917&libID=10737421917

An RMIT University research project is examining intergenerational patterns of health attitudes and behaviour in Melbourne's community to help improve health services across Victoria and assist national health policy development.

Dr Stavros Ktenas, who is conducting the research as part of his doctoral thesis in the School of Health Sciences, said the study would also identify integral health needs, situated in broad cultural and social contexts.

Volunteers aged 18 up from all groups were being encouraged to complete the survey, which takes less than 40 minutes to complete.

Dr Ktenas said the study would examine attitudes toward both mainstream health care and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

"There is currently no data for how and why Melbourne's community, across multiple generations, use different elements of the health care system," he said.

"While everyday medicine, offered in the main by general practitioners, provides the backbone of health management for most Australians, CAM therapies are gaining both acceptance and higher use. It is estimated that $2.3 billion is spent annually in Australia on CAM-related health services."

Dr Ktenas said that attitudes and knowledge about health services largely drove people's behaviour in managing their own health and wellbeing.

"This study – in the context of a theoretical model for predicting behaviour based on individual and psychological variables – will provide valuable understandings for improving the health behaviours of the Victorian community," he said.

The RMIT co-chief investigators on the project are Associate Professor Andrew Francis, Associate Professor John Reece and Dr Sophia Xenos.

Associate Professor Francis said the study would help inform the development of health care policy in Australia as it relates to the behaviour and needs of people from different age groups.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone (03) 9925 7782.

The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) and the Council of Capital Cities Lord Mayors (CCCLM) has published the Local Action for a Low Carbon Future discussion paper, identifying ways for the Federal Government to work more closely with local bodies to bring about the country’s low carbon future.

The paper establishes a policy position on the role of local government and reflect a consensus view on the role local government organisations will play in the country’s low carbon future.

The paper’s findings reveal that the federal government’s Clean Energy Plan can reach further into residential and business communities by working with the local government’s key strengths, and, that local government has had two decades of experience in responding to the challenges of moving to a low carbon future.

The paper identifies four major strengths that the local government sector can bring to unlocking the country’s low carbon potential:

• collaboration (effectiveness in building partnerships and working collaboratively at multiple levels);
• proximity (councils connect frequently and directly with citizens, local businesses and a range of community stakeholders);
• unlocking investment capital (and embarking on innovative and transformative practices and projects); and
• knowledge using local data (councils have unique access to increasingly fine-grained land use and employment data to assist in carbon emission reductions).

A summary of the report can be found here

 An effective new weapon in the fight against the spread of cane toads has been developed by the University of Sydney, in collaboration with the University of Queensland.

"This is the first powerful tool we have created to control cane toads," said Professor Rick Shine from the University's School of Biological Sciences and the lead author of the study which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society on Wednesday 13 June.

The new research shows that the same powerful poisons cane toads use to devastate native species can be used as a weapon against the toads themselves - by using the poison as 'bait' in traps set in waterbodies to catch toad tadpoles.

"A chemical 'bait' created from the toads' poison is a real magnet for toad tadpoles," Professor Shine said.

The biggest obstacle to getting rid of cane toads is that a single clutch (the amount of eggs laid at a time by one female) can contain more than 30,000 eggs.

"This means that even if you catch and kill 99 percent of the adult toads in an area, the few that are left can produce so many offspring that before you know it you are back to where you started - just as many cane toads as ever," Professor Shine said.

The only way around the problem is to stop the toads from reproducing, Professor Shine explains.

The study discovered the secretion from the shoulder (parotoid) glands of dead toads can be used as bait. It is cheap, easy to obtain and highly attractive to toad tadpoles - but repels the tadpoles of native frogs.

"This is perfect to use in funnel-traps in ponds to catch toad tadpoles. Other native fauna such as fishes and insects aren't attracted to this chemical but toad tadpoles are incredibly good at detecting it, and they search for its source as soon as they encounter it," Professor Shine said.

"When we use this chemical as bait in a funnel-trap we catch thousands of toad tadpoles and almost nothing else. In one natural pond, we collected more than 40,000 toad tadpoles in less than a week. And I think we got them all - over the next few weeks, not a single toad emerged from that pond."

The researchers hope to train people from local 'toad-busting' community groups in the proper methods of collection. Until then, even a dead toad inside a funnel-trap can serve as an effective 'bait' for toad tadpoles, without requiring any risky squeezing of poison glands.

The toad's poison is very dangerous to humans as well as many native species (and pet dogs, etc) so collecting it must be done very carefully, and by someone who has been trained in the right methods; and is wearing suitable protective equipment.

"In continuing work with our collaborators at the University of Queensland we are developing an even stronger, safer, and easier-to-use bait," Professor Shine said.

"To do this, we will isolate the active agent in the toads' secretion, and use it in pure form without all of the associated poisons."

Cane toads (Rhinella marina) are spreading through tropical Australia with a devastating impact on native species. Predators that try to eat toads are killed by the invader's powerful poisons; in some local populations of crocodiles, goannas and quolls, more than 95 percent of the animals are killed within a few months of the toads' arrival.

An emerging biomarker may eventually lead to new approaches for treating diabetics at risk of developing nerve damage, UNSW researchers have found.

The researchers say neuropathy in diabetic patients is under-diagnosed and early identification has been problematic. It is estimated that up to 50 per cent of diabetics end up with nerve damage.

They tested nerve excitability in diabetics with and without neuropathy and found those without irreversible nerve damage still showed excitability abnormalities well before the development of clinical symptoms.

“Excitability testing provides a biomarker to identify the early development and severity of diabetic neuropathy,” the key researcher Dr Cindy Lin said.

The research was led by UNSW and the School of Medical Science’s Dr Cindy Lin and is published in the journal Diabetes.

Professor Matthew Kiernan from UNSW says the research may lead to new therapeutic approaches for treating patients with diabetic neuropathy early.

“It may yet prove possible to initiate therapy in diabetic patients well before they manifest the neurological symptoms and disability that inevitably reflects the presence clinical neuropathy,” Professor Kiernan says in his commentary, also published in Diabetes.

“Pharmacological manipulation of axonal membrane channels seems likely to provide further new therapeutic approaches for treating patients with diabetic neuropathy,” he says.

There is growing evidence of the need for a separate approach to men's and women's health, according to a men's health expert at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Gary Wittert, from the University's School of Medicine, has been appointed the new Director of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health, starting on 1 July.

Speaking during Men's Health Week (11-17 June), Professor Wittert says: "The provision of health services specifically to men, especially preventative health services, is critical. It is very important to have a gender-specific approach to healthcare.

"It is incorrect to assume that men are not interested in their health, but as health professionals we need to better understand how to engage with men," he says.

"There is a common misconception that men's health relates only to sexual or lower urinary tract issues. In reality there are significant biological and behavioural differences between men and women that result in susceptibility to and prevalence of a wide range of diseases. These demand specific approaches to both treatment and prevention," Professor Wittert says.

The Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health - a joint venture between the University of Adelaide and the Freemasons Foundation - is dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of men through innovative scientific and medical research.

Established in 2007, the Centre was the first of its kind to take a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to men's health issues. Research areas include male ageing, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, male androgens (hormones), sexual and reproductive health, and mental health.

"Significant advances have already been made by the Centre's researchers in understanding: the biology of prostate cancer; how men engage with the health system and use health services; the links between obesity and sexual and lower urinary tract symptoms in men; and the benefits of weight loss in improving and preventing these common disorders," says Professor Wittert, who over the past 18 years has secured more than $19.5 million in competitive research funding for studies into obesity and men's health.

Professor Wittert will succeed Professor Villis Marshall AC, General Manager of the Royal Adelaide Hospital, who has been the inaugural Director of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health for the past five years.

A new field study by researchers from Swinburne University of Technology suggests that the effect of wave activity on oceans should be incorporated in long term climate and weather prediction models.

Mixing of the upper ocean directly affects the air-sea exchange of heat, momentum and gases, but currently wave physics exists only as a remote factor in most climate models.

"Large waves that occur in tropical storms and cyclones, can contribute in mixing a wider layer of the upper ocean with the cooler deeper parts, exchanging heat and carbon dioxide with the atmosphere which affects weather and climate," said lead researcher Dr Alessandro Toffoli from Swinburne's Centre for Ocean Engineering, Science and Technology.

The study analysed oceanographic data supplied by Woodside Energy Ltd from the North Rankin A Gas Platform over the North-West Shelf about 135 kilometres off the coast of Australia between January and April 2006.

The period includes six tropical cyclones, whose wind speed at the location was above 10 metres per second and maximum significant wave heights were greater than three metres.

The study found that during summer periods the mixed layer depth and its variability is strongly affected by the injection of wave-induced turbulence, especially during cyclone seasons.

The analysis of wave activity confirms theoretical modelling that the rapid intensification of wave activity in tropical cyclones forces the production of wave-induced turbulence twice as deep as the average mixed layer depth, producing a quick and substantial deepening of the latter.

"Right now small-scale wave physics and large-scale climate modelling exist separately," said Professor Alexander Babanin, Director of the Centre for Ocean Engineering, Science and Technology. To improve prediction, wave modelling should be incorporated in larger climate models."

As these integrated models are improved and refined, Professor Babanin hopes they can be used in other oceanographic disciplines like marine biology.

The study has been published online in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

The University of Canberra Union (UCU) has appointed former Wallabies and Brumbies player Joe Roff as its Chief Executive Officer.

The position has been created as a result of UCU's new strategic plan and direction, to invest in campus life at the University of Canberra. The first task of the revitalised union will be to look at new services that might be provided, either directly or in partnership with leading community, sporting and cultural organisations.

Mr Roff is moving from Lifeline Australia, where he has held the position of Director of Workforce Development since 2010. Prior to that, he was a consultant with The Nous Group. Mr Roff spent 10 years playing professional rugby union in Australia, France and Japan before retiring at age 29.

He attended Marist College Canberra and has a Bachelor of Applied Finance from the University of Southern Queensland. He also has a Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, and was involved in the Oxford Union, including the chess club, rowing and college activities.

Mr Roff will begin his new role at the UCU next month.

In a year-long study funded by the Australian Solar Institute, CSIRO, together with the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Energy Networks Association have investigated the concerns around solar intermittency and its impact on electricity systems.

During the project it was found that in some cases local utilities do limit solar power generation because they fear that adding solar power to the grid will make it harder to manage their electricity system.

The report, Solar intermittency: Australia’s clean energy challenge, is now available and demonstrates that there are no insurmountable barriers to increasing the use of large scale solar energy in the national grid. The key findings included:  

1. We can ‘fix’ intermittency. With knowledge and tools, such as solar forecasting and energy management, CSIRO can provide the information required to manage solar intermittency.
2. We need a customised approach. There is no global consensus on managing solar intermittency. It is not uniform and different sites, regions and countries require individual solutions. Local research and demonstration pilots are required. Australia has a unique electricity network and we need unique solutions. 
3. We need a highly flexible electricity grid. If large amounts of solar energy are to be used as a power source in the future, the electricity grid has to be designed or adapted for renewable energy sources, while keeping network costs low.

From this study, CSIRO now has the foundation research required to help Australia’s electricity and solar industries cost effectively manage solar intermittency.

Solar intermittency: Australia’s clean energy challenge was a comprehensive study that included a review of world-wide research, collection and analysis of high-quality solar data and consultation with a range of industry experts from utilities, power system operators, large-scale renewable system operators and other industry players.

Download the report: Solar intermittency: Australia's clean energy challenge.

The Federal Government has announced the formation of the world’s largest network of marine reserves, upping the country’s such reserves from 27 to 60. The reserves will cover over a third of Commonwealth waters and is roughly the size of the Northern Territory.

"The maps I have released today are most comprehensive network of marine protected areas in the world and represent the largest addition to the conservation estate in Australia's history,” Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke said.

"This new network of marine reserves will help ensure that Australia's diverse marine environment, and the life it supports, remain healthy, productive and resilient for future generations."

The expansion will see the overall size of the Commonwealth marine reserves network to 3.1 million square kilometres, by far the largest such network in the world.

The national marine network features:

• The Coral Sea Region is the jewel in the Crown and covers an area of more than half the size of Queensland. It supports critical nesting sites for the green turtle and is renowned for its diversity of big predatory fish and sharks. The network includes protection for all reefs in the Coral Sea with the final proposal adding iconic reefs such as Osprey Reef, Marion Reef, Bougainville Reef, Vema Reef, and Shark Reef included as marine national parks.
• The South-West Marine Region extends from the eastern end of Kangaroo Island in South Australia to Shark Bay in Western Australia. It is of global significance as a breeding and feeding ground for a number of protected marine species such as southern right whales, blue whales and the Australian Sea Lion. Features in the South-West region include the Perth Canyon – an underwater area bigger than the Grand Canyon and the Diamantina Fracture Zone – a large underwater mountain chain which includes Australia's deepest water.
• The Temperate East Marine Region runs from the southern boundary of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to Bermagui in southern New South Wales, and includes the waters surrounding Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. It is home to the critically endangered east coast population of grey nurse shark, the vulnerable white shark and has important offshore reef habitat at Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs and Lord Howe Island that support the threatened black cod.
• The North Marine Region includes only the Commonwealth waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea extending as far west as the Northern Territory-Western Australian border. Globally important nesting and resting areas for threatened marine turtle species including flatback, hawksbill, green and olive ridley turtles will be protected. As will important foraging areas for breeding colonies of migratory seabirds and large aggregations of dugongs.
• The North-west Marine Region which stretches from the Western Australian - Northern Territory border through to Kalbarri, south of Shark Bay in Western Australia is home to the whale shark which is the world's largest fish and provides protection to the world's largest population of humpback whales that migrate annually from Antarctica to give birth in the water off the Kimberley.

The announcement follows an exhaustive 12 month long consultation process with marine and tourism business representatives, environmental groups and members of the public through 250 meetings across the country.

“Our aim is to protect our unique marine environment, while supporting coastal communities and marine industries around the country,” Mr Burke said.

"Over the coming months, the Government will consult the fishing industry and fisheries management agencies on the design and implementation of a fisheries adjustment assistance package.

"We now go through one final 60 day consultation period. It's too late for people to say I want this line shifted or I want this zone painted a different colour. The question now is very straight forward. Do we go ahead with the most comprehensive marine park network in the world or do we not?"

It is expected that the final marine reserves will be declared before the end of the 2012.

ANZ has announced it will lower its interest rate for variable rate mortgages and small businesses by 0.25 per cent P/A following its monthly interest rate view. The cut sees last Tuesday’s cut to the official cash rate passed on in full.

ANZ’s new standard variable mortgage rate will be 6.80%pa (6.90%pa comparison rate). New small business rates are also effective from 15 June.

ANZ CEO Phillip Chronican said that while funding costs remain high as a result of the ‘deteriorating economic situation in Europe’, the bank was pleased to be able to pass on the rate cut to its customers.

“The bottom line is that while deposit customers are receiving very competitive deposit rates, many of our borrowing customers are under pressure from a range of other costs. We felt that reducing interest rates by 0.25%pa for home borrowers and for small business was the right decision in these circumstances,” Mr Chronican said.

“This decision recognises that, although we need to be realistic about funding costs and the challenges the global economic situation is presenting, ANZ also needs to absorb its share of the burden. Hopefully this decision will help relieve some of the pressures that we know homeowners and small businesses are facing at present.” 

International credit rating Moody’s has announced the outlook for Australia’s Aaa foreign and local currency rating ‘remains stable’. 

The rating is based on Australia’s ‘very high’ economic strength; ‘very high’ institutional strength; ‘very high’ government financial strength; and ‘very low’ susceptibility to event risk. 

Moody’s concluded that the country’s economic strength is based heavily on its overall diversity, as well as its overall performance during the last two decades, Australia’s relatively good growth prospects and high per capita income.

“The outlook is for some acceleration in the rate of economic growth, supported by the mining sector. In the next few years, investment in the mining sector (including LNG, iron ore, and coal) should remain strong, while private consumption continues to grow at about 3% annually, supported by a relatively strong labor market,” the agency concluded in its report.

The agency has backed Australia’s growth prospects, saying it expects the country to record a solid 3.0 to 3.5 per cent GDP.

“Moody's assesses Australia's institutional strength as very high, a classification shared by all Aaa-rated countries, and reflecting overall governance, rule of law, effective monetary and regulatory institutions, and transparency. And, in Australia's case, these features are reinforced by a strong commitment on the part of the major political parties to sound government finance and low public debt levels, an important feature for a highly rated government.”

The report cited a strong and stable political institution as one of the main reasons behind the country’s ongoing economic stability as well as strong investment from the resources sector.

The report can be found here

http://www.moodys.com/loginredirect.aspx?lang=en&cy=global&ReturnUrl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.moodys.com%2fviewresearchdoc.aspx%3fdocid%3dPBC_142921%26lang%3den%26cy%3dglobal

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has announced it has appointed Lynley Marshall as the group’s new CEO, ABC International.

Ms Marshall previously served as the group’s leader of ABC Commercial operations, leading the company’s retail arm.

Prior to her role in ABC Commercial, Lynley led the Corporation’s then New Media and Digital Services team in creating many innovative projects including the ABC's first broadband and mobile services and the establishment of the its first digital television channels. 

The appointment follows an ‘extensive international search’ to fill the position following the retirement of Murray Green from the position.

ABC Managing Director Mark Scott said: “International broadcasting is a central part of the ABC Charter and with Lynley in this role, we will be well placed to take advantage of new media platforms, expanding Australia’s reach in radio, television, online and mobile. Lynley has the knowledge and experience to identify other opportunities to take existing ABC content into international markets.

The Western Australian Government has announced the appointment of Kieren Kinsella as the chief executive officer of the recently established Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA).

State Planning Minister John Day welcomed the appointment of Mr Kinsella, formally the CEO  of the Midland redevelopment Authority, saying he will bring considerable experiencing in planning, development and Government activities to the role.

“Mr Kinsella’s experience at the Midland Redevelopment Authority - and in roles with Tourism WA, the Indigenous Land Corporation and the Gascoyne Development Commission - will be invaluable at this crucial time for the MRA,” Mr Day said.

The South Australian Government is seeking nominations for appointments to the South Australian Aquaculture Advisory Committee (AAC).

The AAC is the state’s statutory body responsible for advising the Minister for Fisheries on acquaculture policy, regulation and administration matters in the state.

Minister for Fisheries, Gail Gago, said the opportunity exists for anyone with relevant expertise in aquaculture to play an integral role in setting the future direction of the industry.

“South Australia boasts some of the most diverse aquaculture in the country and the AAC plays a vital role in informing and advising government to ensure the ecologically sustainable development of this important sector,” Ms Gago said.

“We are seeking people who can provide high level, forward thinking to contribute to the management of aquaculture in this state. “Applicants from a variety of backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including those with appropriate practical knowledge and experience in the aquaculture industry, relevant research and development expertise or knowledge of environmental conservation and advocacy on environmental matters on behalf of community organisations.”

For information about the role of the AAC or to obtain a nomination form, contact Kylie Leppa of PIRSA on 08 8226 8103 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Applications close Monday 2 July 2012

The South Australian Government has announced $7.6 million in funding to be delivered to the state’s local councils to improve public spaces throughout the state.

“These grants build on the tens of millions of dollars provided during the past decade by this Government from the Planning and Development Fund to local councils to beautify and reinvigorate public spaces such as plazas and town squares, public parks and linear trails,” State Planning Minister John Rau said.

Successful projects in the latest round of funding are:

• $1 million to City of Mount Gambier to fund Stage 1 of the Railway Lands Redevelopment
• $800,000 to the Charles Sturt Council for linking Coast Park between Henley Beach and Semaphore;
•  $800,000 to City of Marion for the Oaklands Wetland Development
•  $749,814 to the City of Holdfast Bay for Stage 2 of Tramway Park
•  $571,000 to the City of Marion for Stage 5 of Tramway Park
•  $564,211 to the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters for St Peters Civic Plaza
•  $500,000 to the Town of Gawler for the Gawler Periurban Rivers Project
•  $400,000 to the City of Marion for the Railway Terrace Streetscape – Greenway Demonstration Project
•  $300,000 to City of Onkaparinga for land acquisitions to support the Sturt River Linear Park
•  $271,750 to City of Port Adelaide and Enfield for Stage 2 and 3 of the Water Sensitive Urban Design Bio-Retention Demonstration Project and;
•  $251,143 to District Council of Elliston for the Elliston Sculpture Park and Great Ocean View
•  $250,000 to the Rural City of Murray Bridge to Revitalise Murray Bridge Town Centre.
•  $164,478 to District Council of Mount Remarkable for the Port Germein Foreshore
•  $150,000 to City of Tea Tree Gully for the Dry Creek Linear Park
• $150,000 to the Adelaide City Council for Stage 7 of Adelaide Parklands Trail
• $141,000 to City of Port Lincoln for the Port Lincoln Linear Trail
•  $135,500 to City of Mitcham for land acquisitions to support the Sturt River Linear Park
•  $100,000 to District Council of Robe to fund the Obelisk Walking Trail at Robe
•  $40,000 to the City of Onkaparinga for detail design work to support the Sturt River Linear Park
•  $35,000 to Barossa Council for the Tanunda Urban Design Framework
•  $32,000 to City of Port Lincoln for the Parnkalla Trail Foreshore Extension
•  $31,250 to Mid-Murray Council for the Morgan Riverfront Precinct
•  $30,000 to the Rural City of Murray Bridge for an Open Space Strategy
•  $30,000 to District Council of Yankalilla for the Yankalilla, Normanville and Carrickalinga Urban Design Framework
•  $20,000 to the City of Onkaparinga for the Noarlunga Centre Health and Education Precinct Master Plan
•  $18,000 to District Council of the Copper Coast for the Kadina CBD Revitalisation Urban Design Framework
   $15,000 to the City of West Torrens for the Brickworks Market Precinct Market Plan and;
•  $15,000 to Renmark Paringa Council for an Open Space and Public Realm Strategy

The Victorian Government has announced it will defer the transition to the National Energy Retail Law in a bid to safeguard the state’s consumer protection laws.

"Victoria has the strongest consumer protections in the country and we are not prepared to accept a dilution of key Victorian consumer protections as a result of this reform," State Minister for Energy and Resources Michael O'Brien said.

The National Energy Retail Law forms part of the energy market reform outlined by the Council of Australian Governments in a bid to form a single regulatory framework for energy retail regulation.

Mr O’Brien said his Government had consistently maintained that it would only agree to the reform if suitable safeguards were put in place to maintain preexisting consumer protections.

"Victoria is working to reach an acceptable agreement with the Commonwealth, so that we can deliver the potential benefits of a national framework," Mr O'Brien said.

"However, despite our best endeavours, a resolution of outstanding issues has not occurred in time for us to implement the new laws from 1 July 2012 as previously proposed.

"The Essential Services Commission will continue to regulate the Victorian Energy Retail Code while Victoria undertakes further work with the Australian Energy Regulator regarding the administration of certain key state-specific retail regulations," Mr O'Brien said.