Industry News

Australasian data centre company, Harbour MSP, is set to commence operations from its Melbourne data centre, creating 20 new technology jobs in Victoria over the next four years.

Harbour MSP, a subsidiary of NTT Communications,  specialises  in fully-integrated co-location, private cloud and managed IT services. It has a global network of 150 data centres.

Harbour MSP is investing  capital expenditure of $15 million in the new Port Melbourne IT facility included a new data centre and a network operations centre.

The facility will offer a full suite of services including co-location, 24/7 infrastructure monitoring, management, security, networking, private cloud deployment and disaster recovery.

The Melbourne operations will help the company support its business partners and expand its customer base in financial services, ICT and cloud computing sectors.

Harbour MSP commercial director and co-founder Andrew Hardy said the new facility will allow the company to tap into demand for high quality services in Victoria, and  serve local organisations who are in need of highly accessible, secure facilities.

Further information  about Harbour MSP is at www.harbourmsp.com.au 

The Federal Government ihas announced it will provide $490 million over five years for the Medicare Teen Dental Plan.

Since 1st July 2008, Medicare has provided vouchers to eligible teenagers towards an annual preventative dental check, including an oral examination and, if required, x-rays, a scale and clean, removal of calculus, fluoride treatment, oral hygiene instruction, dietary advice, and/or fissure sealing.

Vouchers may be used through either a private dentist, or through the public oral health service.

The University of Ballarat’s Technology Park, established in 1995 as an information and communications technology (ICT) hub, is set for $155 million expansion, following rezoning of the land by the Victorian Planning Minister, Matthew Guy.

Currently there are nine buildings within the technology park and tenants include Ambulance Victoria, Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority, IBM Aust/NZ, iGlass Pty Ltd and the State Revenue Office. The park also hosts numerous small enterprises and two ICT business incubators.

The NSW Minerals Council has released a research report undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers and Monash University which claims that NSW will lose billions of dollars in mining revenue and thousands of jobs if the current draft Strategic Regional Land Use Policy goes ahead.

The  economic study carried out for the NSW Minerals Council found that under a medium impact scenario the draft plans will result in the loss of an average of around $1 billion a year in royalties for the next twenty years.

The study also found that under the same scenario, the draft plans would cut a full one percent from the State's forecast economic growth in 2018, lower consumption and investment, and result in over 8000 less jobs across NSW.

"Slowing the State's biggest export industry will have an impact that will be felt right across the economy," NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said.

“Losing a billion dollars a year is a big budget cost that will hit hard. It's funding that could be spent on better infrastructure and services for the community. It's also funding that’s needed in regional NSW where mining occurs,” Mr Galilee said.

“To put this in context, current mining royalties of $1.2 billion a year are estimated to be enough to fund 13,000 nurses or 11,000 teachers or 2,500 buses every single year,” he said.

The research found that the regions covered by the draft Plans will be hit hard:

• Nearly 16 per cent lower gross regional product of the Upper Hunter region by 2018;
• 5000 fewer coal mining jobs in the Upper Hunter in 2018, leading to an overall impact of nearly 1000 fewer jobs across the Upper Hunter region;
• 5 per cent hit to gross regional product of the New England North West region economy by 2021 and nearly 800 fewer coal mining jobs in the region over the next decade.

“This research confirms that the draft Plans are skewed against mining in NSW,” Mr Galilee said.

The research also finds that the decline in mining triggered by the draft Plans will lead to declines in other sectors, including construction, hotels and cafes and transport services.

The findings form part of the NSW Minerals Council’s submission on the NSW Government’s draft Strategic Regional Land Use Plans released for the Upper Hunter and New England North West regions in early March.

The NSW Minerals Council’s submission provides a detailed assessment of the impact of the draft Plans, including the economic cost to the State of more restrictions on the already heavily regulated mining sector.

“The Government intends to roll-out this policy across the entire State so it’s critical that we get it right. The economic price is too high to ignore the facts and get the balance wrong.”

The NSW Minerals Council has also launched www.landusefacts.com.au to outline facts about mining in NSW and dispel myths about land use and the minerals sector.

A copy of the economic modelling is available here.

Prospects for trades employment in South Australia have received a boost from the Federal Government’s announcement that the $36 billion project to build 12 future submarines will go ahead in the state, with initial funding of  $214 million to be provided for further detailed studies and analysis on the design of the submarines.

The Government’s commitment to acquire 12 new Future Submarines to be assembled in South Australia over the next three decades was outlined in the 2009 White Paper outlined the.

Mr John Coles is currently undertaking a review of the Sustainment of Australia’s Collins Class submarines to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Collins class submarine project and minimise risks.

The Coles Review involves a detailed examination of complex engineering issues associated with submarine sustainment and support from international experts and companies in this field.

The Government is considering four broad options for the Future Submarines:

• An existing submarine design available off-the-shelf, modified only to meet Australia’s regulatory requirements;
• An existing off-the-shelf design modified to incorporate Australia’s specific requirements, including in relation to combat systems and weapons;
• An evolved design that enhances the capabilities of existing off-the-shelf designs, including the Collins Class; and
• An entirely new developmental submarine.

The results of the newly funded studies will be available to the government next year and will inform its decision on the combat systems, torpedos, sensors and other weapons systems.

The studies will be conducted across three broad areas:

• Design studies;
• Scientific and technological studies; and
• Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan. The Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan will identify what is required to build and sustain the skills required to successfully deliver Australia’s Future Submarine capability. The plan will be developed by a team be led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Defence Materiel Organisation Mr Warren King. It will be supported by an Expert Industry Panel headed by Mr David Mortimer, AO. The Expert Industry Panel will include representatives of DMO, Navy, the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education, Skills Australia, unions, the CEOs of the four principal Australian naval shipbuilding companies; ASC, Austal, BAE Systems and Forgacs Engineering and the CEOs of the principal naval systems integration companies: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Thales, Saab Systems and BAE Systems. This group will consult widely with State Governments, Australian industry, industry associations, universities and other academic organisations to develop this plan.

These studies are in addition to the Government’s announcement in December that it had approved the release of Requests for Information to three overseas submarine designers (DCNS, HDW and Navantia), and that Defence had entered into a contract with Babcock for a study into a land-based propulsion site.

Second Pass approval is scheduled for around 2017 with construction expected to begin following Second Pass. 

Two Queensland councils have received top awards at the 2012 Planning Institute of Australia Awards for Planning Excellence.

Brisbane City Council's Urban Renewal Program Urban Renewal Brisbane - 20 years took out the inaugural category From Plan to Place Award.

Urban Renewal Brisbane is a program of rejuvenation started by the council in 1991. It is responsible for managing and revitalising Brisbane's inner city areas and has been awarded a dozen PIA planning awards in the past 20 years.

The project was judged to be a clear demonstration of a long-term vision being delivered in partnership with the private sector and the community over two decades.

Redland City Council played a key role in the Best Planning Ideas Award which was presented for a project called Child and Youth Friendly City. The project was classified by the judges as a case study for city planners to consider.  The project team of Redland Council, Griffith University, Laurel Johnson and Play Environment Consulting provided an important insight into how planning and design of the built environment should consider young people with exercise at the centre of child and youth happiness.

New disability support workers in southern Tasmania recently benefited from a virtual induction training session delivered from the other end of the State, through the Skills Institute’s new Mobile Training Centre (MTC), connected to the National Broadband Network.

The MTC – part of the Institute’s NBN Speed on Wheels project – aims to capitalise on the roll-out of the NBN in Tasmania to trial the provision of accessible training solutions for apprentices, trainees and employers in remote locations.

Equipped with 15 computers, it will provide a model for an alternative training strategy, particularly for remote and small workplaces that often find it hard to function without their apprentices required to attend training off site.

Skills Institute CEO Malcolm White said the MTC was visiting the three stage 1 NBN areas in Tasmania – Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point – providing the opportunity for remote facilitation in a virtual classroom environment in areas such as horticulture, hospitality, human services and natural resources.

“Today’s visit to Midway Point will provide disability support trainees with a two-hour session conducted by Skills Institute teacher, Mark Krause, who will remotely deliver the training from Smithton,” Mr White said.

“The training will be centred on two modules from the Certificate III in Disability qualification, covering topics such as dignity and respect, behaviours of concern, communication and sexuality and intimacy, through high resolution video resources.

“In addition, a live Q & A session will be held with a group of disability support workers from the Wyndarra Community and Resource Centre in Smithton, who will share their wealth of knowledge and experience in residential and community-based care, with up to 14 OPTIA students in the South.

“As both Midway Point and Smithton are Stage 1 sites for the NBN roll-out, the speed will be fast and should cope with the virtual classroom software as well as several High Definition videos, created for this project.

“Making use of the stage 1 NBN sites around the State by means of a virtual classroom will allow this type of simultaneous audio and video streaming, live questioning and feedback, virtual blackboards, workplace simulations and linkups with industry experts.

“We believe this mobile NBN training model has the potential to showcase a new VET training strategy across the Nation and improve the VET sector generally through responsiveness and flexibility to address workforce development needs.”

The NBN project was funded by the National VET E-Learning Strategy 2012-2015 to stimulate innovative approaches using the National Broadband Network to increase participation in training and improve the skill levels of the Australian workforce.

The strategy provides incentives and support for VET providers to use the new NBN system to improve and extend training opportunities, while furthering Australian Government policy objectives for greater participation and enhanced workforce skills.

The Federal Government has announced it will start work on a new Defence White Paper, to be delivered in the first half of 2013.

The Minister for Defence has asked Dr Allan Hawke, Mr Ric Smith and Mr Paul Rizzo to form a Ministerial Advisory Group to assist in the development of the 2013 Defence White paper.

Dr Hawke and Mr Smith are both former Secretaries of the Department of Defence.  Mr Rizzo is a Director of a number of major Australian corporations including the National Australia Bank and Mallesons Stephen Jacques and is the Independent Chair of the Defence Audit and Risk Committee. He led the development of the plan to address problems in the repair and management of the amphibious and support ship fleet. 

The 2009 Defence White Paper proposed that a new White Paper be produced at least five yearly, but the Government has decided to it bring forward by a year in the light of “significant developments internationally and domestically since the 2009 White Paper which are influencing Australia’s defence posture, future force structure and defence budget”.

These developments include:

The Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) operational drawdown

As recently outlined by the Prime Minister, training and mentoring forces in Afghanistan will be drawn down and return to Australia in line with the ISAF transition strategy. 

In addition, it is likely the ADF’s deployments in East Timor and Solomon Islands will potentially start to draw down during 2013.

These transitions will involve a major readjustment to ADF posture and Australia’s defence priorities.

The Australian Defence Force Posture Review (FPR)

The FPR assessed whether the Australian Defence Force is correctly positioned, geographically, to meet Australia’s current and future strategic challenges. It was the first review since work done in the mid 1980s by Professor Dibb for then Defence Minister Beazley.

The FPR also addressed the range of present and emerging global, regional and national strategic and security factors which require careful consideration for the future.

The judgments outlined in the FPR report will  be considered in the  White Paper process.

The ongoing effects of the Global Financial Crisis

The 2009 Defence White Paper noted that the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was the most serious global economic and financial crisis in decades, and that its strategic impacts were still unfolding.

Since then, the GFC has continued to have a significant impact on the global economy.

Following the GFC, the defence forces of major developed countries have increased efficiencies and reduced their budgets, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Australia’s 2009 Defence White Paper was completed before the unfolding of these events. Financial circumstances clearly present a real challenge to the 2013 White Paper.

Strategic change in our region

The Strategic change described in the 2009 White Paper has continued, particularly the shift of economic weight to our region.

Defence reform

In 2011, Defence commenced implementation of a wide ranging reform program, including in the areas of capability development, procurement and acquisition, the Defence Budget and the strengthening of personal and institutional accountability.

Australian defence industry skills

Australia needs to have the necessary skills and capacity in the Australian defence industry to support the future requirements of the Australian Defence Force, including building and sustaining new capabilities.

The 2013 White Paper will build on work already completed or underway since 2009, including:

The Defence Planning Guidance

The classified Defence Planning Guidance (DPG) is Defence’s lead strategy document. It articulates the strategic priorities that guide Defence to produce the military outcomes sought by Government.

The DPG includes analysis of the future strategic environment, identifying the contingencies Australia might face in the bracketed timeframes of 0 to 5, 5 to 15 and 20 or more years.

The DPG is updated annually to set strategic guidance for force structure and capability development, corporate planning, resource planning, preparedness management and critical enabling functions.

The update to the 2011 DPG has been completed and will be considered by Government in the near future.

The Australian Force Structure Review

In the Defence White Paper 2009, the Government determined a development process for future White Papers, with Defence to prepare, prior to a White Paper, a Force Structure Review (FSR).

The FSR will provide costed force structure options for use in developing the White Paper – assessing the equipment and capabilities the ADF needs to deliver national security and defence priorities.

Defence commenced its FSR in November 2011.

The Defence Capability Plan Review

Defence has completed a full review of the Defence Capability Plan (DCP) including an audit of the plan and the development of new frameworks and methodologies for its management.

The DCP Review was considered in the 2012-13 Budget process.

The Australian Force Posture Review

The range of strategic and security factors addressed by the Australian Force Posture Review include:

• the rise of the Asia-Pacific as a region of global strategic significance;
• the rise of the Indian Ocean rim as a region of global strategic significance;
• the growth of military power projection capabilities of countries in the Asia Pacific;
• the growing need for the provision of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief following extreme events in the Asia Pacific region; and
• energy security and security issues associated with expanding offshore resource exploitation in our North West and Northern approaches.

The Defence Budget

At the time of the 2011-12 Budget it was determined that there would be a $1.6 billion underspend for the 2010-11 financial year.

In this context, Defence has conducted a comprehensive stock take of the Defence budgeting system, taking into account all budget processes, estimation methods and underlying budget assumptions. 

This includes the way in which Defence’s Capital equipment budgets are formulated and managed, including the ongoing utility of contingency, slippage and over-programming. 

The latest Trades Report by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) has found only very modest growth in skilled labour prices, but a persistent shortage of skilled labour in some trades despite very weak housing conditions.

“The key finding of the Trades Report is that despite March 2012 representing the seventh consecutive quarter of weakness for new home building post the GFC, the availability of skilled trades people is only marginally in surplus,” said HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale.

“Furthermore, five trades – bricklaying, ceramic tiling, painting, plumbing, and ‘other trades’ – remain in short supply.”

“These results provide compelling evidence of a structural shortage of skilled labour within the residential construction industry. Otherwise a large surplus of skilled labour would have emerged by now amidst very weak housing conditions, but that simply hasn’t happened,” said Harley Dale.

“Now is the time to accelerate investment in skills and training, an area where progress is certainly being achieved. Now is also the time to reform the immigration system to support the specific skilled labour requirements of residential construction, something it currently fails to do,” Harley Dale noted.

“You can’t just turn the skilled labour tap on when new home building recovers, especially when you are competing with the resources sector for labour. Without further investment and reform, skilled labour shortages will inhibit the much-needed recovery in new home building activity, which would be detrimental to the entire economy,” added Harley Dale.

The HIA Trade Availability Index registered +0.04 in the March 2012 quarter, meaning that trades were just in the territory of moderate oversupply (a reading between 0 and 1 signals oversupply). Meanwhile the HIA Trade Prices Index increased by 1.4 per cent to be up by only 1.6 per cent over the year to the March 2012 quarter.

The High Court has ruled that seven former directors of James Hardie misled the Australian Stock Exchange about the company’s ability to fund compensation claims from asbestos victims.

In 2009, an initial decision by the NSW Supreme Court found that the directors misled the ASX and the directors were banned from serving on company boards for five years. However, that ban was overturned in 2010 by the NSW Court of Appeal, which found that a draft ASX announcement by the company was not a breach because the directors had not approved it.

The High Court’s decision, made in regard to an appeal by the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) against the decision of the NSW Court of Appeal, found that the directors of James Hardie did approve the draft ASX announcement made by the company and, in doing so, breached their duty to the company.

The President of the ACTU, Ged Kearney, has welcomed the decision, saying it was a step towards justice for the families of those who suffered at the company’s hands.

“These people were at the helm of a company which was responsible for one of Australia’s worst corporate crimes and it is incomprehensible that they sought to get off scot free,” Ms Kearney said.

“Australia has the highest death rate from mesothelioma in the world, and the death toll continues to rise.

“Unions are determined to hold James Hardie to account and ensure that James Hardie fulfils its responsibilities towards people who have contracted diseases from its asbestos products.”

The Victorian TAFE Association has called on the Federal Skills Minister, Senator Chris Evans and the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Hon. Bill Shorten to intervene in the Victorian TAFE sector following last week’s State Government budget cuts to the TAFE sector.

The Association claims the Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu is in breach of a commitment he signed off on the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform on 13th April agreeing to; “implement strategies which enable public providers to operate effectively in an environment of  greater competition, recognizing their important functions …” (source NPA clauses 6d and 29b)

It has called for the State Government to immediately review its budget announcement and restore the “full service provision” payments to public TAFE providers of approximately $150million per annum. This amount has been progressively paid over the last two decades for TAFE community service obligations, staff legal entitlements and student disability support payments.  The Federal Government contributes over $290 million through COAG agreements per annum to Victoria.

The State government has confirmed to TAFE CEOs that the budget cuts to TAFE equate to about the same amount, in the order of $290million in 2013 according to their financial modeling.

The Executive Director of the Victorian TAFE Association, David Williams said that early indications are for massive job losses in the sector.

“Early indications of the impact of the budget cuts to TAFE are job losses which will clearly exceed 500 effective full time roles, as many as 1,200 to 1,500 teaching and support staff over the coming year,” said David Williams.

“These losses are in excess of those threatened in the Victorian automotive and manufacturing industry, which the government has rightly sought to protect. It should apply no less principle to TAFE.”

“It is clear Premier Baillieu’s promise of no job losses to front-line public sector jobs has been shattered and many of these critical jobs will be in regional Victoria where alternative work options are limited, particularly for teachers and associated staff such as librarians and counseling support staff.”

“We wrote to the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Hon. Bill Shorten over a month ago outlining our concerns that the cuts to TAFE funding from November last year represented a shift of work from the public to private sector. This is in clear breach of the principles of the Federal Workplace Relations Act. We have not received a formal response from the Minister and eagerly await his response.

“The massive additional cuts in this Victorian budget call for an urgent response from both Minister Shorten and Senator Evans.”

“We will be writing to Federal Skills Minister, Senator Chris Evans over the next day or so outlining our concerns and the obvious breaching of obligations by the Victorian Government under the COAG National Partnership Agreement” said David Williams.

Legislation that requires electricity retailers in the ACT to provide energy efficiency services to households who want to reduce their carbon emissions and reduce their electricity bills has been passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly, with the support of the ACT Greens.

The ACT Government maintains that the scheme, established by the Energy Efficiency (Cost of Living) Bill 2012,  will  save more than 70,000 Canberra households up to $300 each on their annual electricity bills by 2015.

Under the scheme,  electricity retailers will be required to offer energy efficiency upgrades such as insulation, draft-sealing and energy-saving appliances, while power companies will have to subsidise or pay for energy efficiency upgrades to homes.

The  new scheme, which is similar to those in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales,  has been designed to enable transition to a national scheme which will be the subject of COAG negotiations in 2013. The ACT scheme will commence on 1 January 2013 and will cover ACT households and business.

The scheme has been criticised by the ACT Liberals who say it will drive up energy costs with little benefit to consumers,

The Queensland Government has called for community input on the role and membership of the new GasFields Commission.

Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jeff Seeney said the Government was establishing the GasFields Commission to better manage the coexistence between landholders, regional communities and the coal seam gas industry in Queensland.

“Industry and community groups and members of the public have a real opportunity to provide input into who should be represented on the Commission and what powers it should consider,” Mr Seeney said.

Mr Seeney appointed Mr John Cotter as Chairman last month and submissions from the public can be made directly to the Chairman.

He said the Commission would be based in Toowoomba with a statewide focus.

“The Commission will be formed as a statutory body under legislation to make sure we get the right balance in place between landholders, local governments and the industry itself,” Mr Seeney said.

“It will give local communities a more direct voice into government and ensure programs and services match the priorities in those areas affected by CSG operations.

“A number of skills-based commissioners will be appointed to advise and assist the Commission in carrying out its work with government, industry and communities affected.

“The Commission will be in close contact with the community and key organisations over the coming weeks and months to ensure concerns and issues about the industry’s expansion are properly addressed from the ground up.”

Feedback and suggestions about the role and functions of the commission must be made in writing directly to the Chairman and ideally limited to two to three pages with the author’s name and contact details clearly marked.

The Chairman of the GasFields Commission is also taking expressions of interest from people who wish to nominate to become a commissioner.

Commissioners need to be available at least one day each month, with potential for out-of-session work commitments.

Skills sought from interested persons include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
• land management and landholder negotiations
• land valuation
• CSG industry operations
• community development
• legal experience with CSG issues
• financial and business sector experience.

To register interest in becoming a commissioner, submit a resume (marked confidential) either by email or post. Submissions close Friday 25 May 2012.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mail submissions to the Chairman, GasFields Commission, PO Box 102, Toowoomba, 4350, Queensland.

For more information visit www.csg-lng.industry.qld.gov.au

The Victorian Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge has released a consultation paper to drive the reform of Victoria's community-based mental health services.

Ms Wooldridge said that consultation on the Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Support Services Reform Framework was the first stage of  the reform program.

"The Victorian Coalition Government currently invests more than $100 million each year in community-based mental health care, assisting more than 12,500 people," Ms Wooldridge said.

"Victoria has a diverse and vibrant community-managed mental health sector, which we see as an increasingly vital part of the mental health system. However, the way this sector is configured, funded and integrated into a broader service system needs significant reform.

"We want to better support people with a severe mental illness to manage their own mental health and make choices about their support, in partnership with services.

"The needs of people with a severe mental illness and their families have been central to the development of this reform framework."

Ms Wooldridge said the government planned to build a stronger system in which long-term recovery and support for overall health and wellbeing and social and economic participation were seen as key objectives alongside clinical treatment.

"We also want state-funded rehabilitation and support services to operate as a more integral and connected part of Victoria's broader health and human services system," Ms Wooldridge said.

The key goals of the reforms are to:

• improve equity of access and ensure services are easy to navigate across the state
• provide high quality services that are person-centred and focus on improving social participation, physical health and employment and education outcomes
• strengthen the capacity of services to respond to the needs of people with a mental illness and their families, and
• better co-ordinate care by improving planning and collaboration between and across community-managed mental health, specialist clinical mental health and local health and social support services.

Ms Wooldridge said the Government would work closely with the sector on the reform. "Earlier this year, the sector's peak body VICSERV called for reform and the Coalition Government looks forward to working in partnership with them to drive and implement these much-needed changes," she said.

The paper is available at www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealth/reformstrategy/index.htm

Written submissions can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 22 June 2012.

Global miner Rio Tinto and The University of Western Australia have signed a multi-million dollar partnership that will focus on creating a sustainable supply of graduates and expertise for the mining industry. 

Rio Tinto will invest $3 million with UWA as part of a long-term objective to foster skills for the future and build education capability.

Under the new arrangement, UWA has become Rio Tinto’s first partner in its Global Education Partnerships Programme.  The Programme will establish a worldwide network of leading universities to generate and foster an appropriate expertise base for the resources industries.

The UWA partnership will be built around a series of education-related initiatives including a strong scholarship framework that will provide support and access to mining related education for more than 40 students.  Supporting Rio Tinto and UWA's focus on building a supply of diverse talent, the scholarship framework also aims to encourage more female, international and Indigenous students into these study areas.

Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, Professor Paul Johnson, said the partnership will provide a diverse group of scholars with access to real-life work environments and work experience, and increase the University's attractiveness to potential students.

"Increasing the number of scholarships will take UWA closer to being counted among the top 50 universities in the world by 2050."

In 2012 Rio Tinto introduced more than 300 graduates into its business, joining the 4,000-plus graduate and post-graduate staff already employed in the increasingly high-tech operations.

The Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) at The University of Queensland (UQ) has formed a strategic alliance with Axiom Molecular Pty Ltd to boost radiopharmaceutical research, development and commercialisation.

Axiom Molecular will use CAI facilities to produce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis of cancer and brain disorders under the agreement facilitated by UniQuest, UQ's main commercialisation company.

Director of the CAI Professor David Reutens said Axiom Molecular will establish a specialised Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory in the CAI.

"It will be a valuable addition to the capabilities in the state-of-the-art CAI building that is currently under construction. “

Professor Reutens said UQ is the lead institution of the National Imaging Facility, and the agreement will provide researchers around the country with access to a radiopharmaceutical GMP capability to test new radiopharmaceuticals.

“This new collaboration adds considerable value to the CAI, which has received funding not only from UQ but also from the Federal and Queensland Governments.

"Strong industry collaborations mean that world-class CAI research has a better chance of being commercialised, contributing to personalised medicine around the world.”

Axiom Molecular's Managing Director Mathew Farag said the strategic alliance with the CAI, valued at million, was a key ingredient of Axiom Molecular's larger strategy to supply radiopharmaceuticals to public and private hospitals throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region.

“We quickly recognised the strengths in the capabilities and people within the CAI, and through business discussions with UniQuest, we came to see how we could realise additional value in our relationship with UQ,” Mr Farag said.

“The outcome is this innovative alliance with UniQuest, including our corporate venture investment in MoleQular, which has the potential to deliver a number of new technologies and products to the global radiopharmaceutical market.”

Axiom Molecular has also made an equity investment in MoleQular Pty Ltd, a start-up company formed with UniQuest, to research, develop and commercialise novel radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis of cancer and brain disorders.

UniQuest will license a radiopharmaceutical technology, which was discovered by CAI researchers, to MoleQular Pty Ltd.

Axiom Molecular will also fund a number of scholarships for UQ Research Higher Degree students.

UniQuest Managing Director David Henderson said the agreement was the first of its kind for both UQ and Axiom Molecular, a subsidiary of one of Asia-Pacific's largest healthcare enterprises.

“Radiopharmaceuticals are becoming increasingly important for early detection of diseases like cancer and for developing new treatments," Mr Henderson said.

"The formation of MoleQular and the strategic alliance with Axiom Molecular reflects the commitment of UQ and the CAI to work closely with private industry to make world-class university research and infrastructure available for the benefit of society.”

The University of Wollongong’s newly appointed Australian Laureate Fellow Professor Gordon Wallace has launched a new $4.7 million medical bionics research program to develop ways to regenerate damaged nerves and muscles and ground-breaking brain implants for epilepsy patients.

Professor Wallace leads the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science at UOW’s Innovation Campus.

His team is already recognised as a world leader in the field of materials and bionics, by creating specialised three-dimensional structures made from ‘smart’ materials which are accepted by the human body and can enable regrowth of damaged nerves and muscles.

Professor Wallace’s team is working with senior clinicians at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital on the medical bionics project.

“In the last couple of decades a whole new area has been developed in organic materials that conduct electricity,” Professor Wallace said.

He said the pioneering research that developed cochlear ear implants to help people overcome hearing loss had sparked interest among clinicians, who had started looking for new applications for the electrodes.

He said the new research program will focus on building better organic materials to conduct electricity through the body, to “improve lines of communication” between electronics and biology to stimulate nerve, muscle and bone regeneration.

“Cochlear implants stimulated the imagination of researchers, and now the challenge is to make 3-D structures that can be a muscle regeneration platform to facilitate and stimulate re-growth,” he said. “We will also be developing the machinery to put these three-dimensional structures together.”

The epilepsy project with Professor Cook at St Vincent’s aims to develop nanostructured materials that can be implanted in the brains of epilepsy sufferers to monitor electrical signals. The device would pre-empt an epileptic seizure and then release medication to reduce or eliminate the effects of the seizure.

Professor Wallace said the research program was a multi-disciplinary, high collaboration effort. His team of researchers and PhD students will be working with other faculties at UOW and researchers at the University of Tasmania and Deakin and Monash Universities in Victoria, as well as the clinicians at St Vincent’s and researchers overseas.

“This is a rare alignment of the planets, where we have the funding (from the Laureate Fellowship) a cracking research team and cracking people involved (from partner organisations),” Professor Wallace said.

Professor Cook said St Vincent’s Melbourne greatly valued its strong relationship with Professor Wallace and his team. He paid tribute to the team’s ability to produce the 3-D bionic materials needed for their clinical research at short notice.

“The quick turnaround in getting these materials makes all the difference,” Professor Cook said. “We have a dynamic relationship with Gordon’s team. There is a lot of interaction during production, and we are up and down (between Melbourne and Wollongong) regularly. My team really enjoys coming to UOW.”

Professor Cook and St Vincent’s head of Surgery Professor Peter Choong, along with UOW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Health) Professor Don Iverson form a high-level advisory group for the research.

Professor Iverson said medical bionics was one of three key themes in modern medical research.

“This work would have been considered almost science fiction 10 years ago, but when we look at it 10 years from now we will be astounded by what has been achieved. Over the next 10 years this centre will produce research that will resonate around the world,” Professor Iverson predicted.

The University of Wollongong (UOW) and India’s  industrial research and development organisation, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will work together to advance research collaborations and establish a dedicated CSIR Research and Development Centre at UOW’s Innovation Campus.

CSIR is India’s largest research and development organisation with nearly 40 laboratories and 50 field stations and a collective staff of more than 17,000.

The arrangement between UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings, and Director - CSIR National Physical Laboratory Professor Ramesh C Budhani on behalf of CSIR, was entered into as part of a two-day visit to Wollongong by a delegation from India led by the Director-General of CSIR, Professor Samir K Brahmachari. It also included Director CSIR - National Metallurgical Laboratory, Dr S Srikanth and Director CSIR – Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Dr Vijayamohanan Pillai.

Over the coming months the University and CSIR will develop research and development collaborations in areas including advanced steel metallurgy, lithium-ion batteries, super capacitors and polymer-based nano-composites.

Both organisations will also negotiate arrangements for the establishment of a CSIR Research and Development Centre on the Innovation Campus to work closely with the University’s research groups housed in the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials and to develop an academic exchange program for staff and students.

The attraction of India’s premier research organisation to the University’s Innovation Campus is welcomed and enhances its reputation as a global centre for world-class research collaborations.

Professor Wellings said that the relationship between the University and CSIR will make a substantial contribution to the future success of both organisations.

“This is a very exciting partnership that will allow the University and CSIR to advance our areas of mutual research interest through collaborations and through CSIR’s presence on the Innovation Campus.

“It adds to the University’s growing relationships with India, providing a strong research relationship with India’s premier research organisation to build on our relationships with Indian businesses, students and researchers,” Professor Wellings said.

Professor Brahmachari said that CSIR scientists from various laboratories already have ongoing collaborative research projects with other Australian research institutions. The partnership with the University of Wollongong, with a focus on innovation, would contribute to CSIR’s long standing vision to provide affordable health, low cost energy solutions and sustainable development for millions of people in India and in the world who need affordable science and technology solutions.

“When the delegation from the University, led by UOW Ambassador and former Australian cricket captain Mr Adam Gilchrist, visited CSIR in December last year we highly appreciated the academic strength of the University and the state-of-the-art facilities that were available on the Innovation Campus,” Professor Brahmachari said.

“We strive for global scientific impact and an important part of that is the development of a CSIR presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The Innovation Campus, the strength of the research staff and the University’s multi-disciplinary approach to research provide an excellent base to strengthen our long-term scientific objectives ,” Professor Brahmachari said.

Mr Gilchrist, who helped initiate discussions between the two organisations, said that the agreement would mark the start of a great transnational research partnership.

“This partnership will bring world-leading scientists from both organisations together in the exciting area of future materials – with a partnership of this strength the future is limitless,” Mr Gilchrist said.

International travellers, shift workers and even people suffering from obesity-related conditions stand to benefit from a key discovery about the functioning of the body's internal clock.

Professor Chris Liddle from the  Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research, the University of Sydney, worked with a team from the Salk Institute based in California, to demonstrate the importance of circadian receptors found in the brain and the liver. Their findings have been published in Nature.

"The research is important as these are the first core component of the circadian clock identified that can be targeted with drugs, which could provide relief for those affected by disrupted circadian rhythms," said Professor Liddle.

The circadian clock is an internal daily body clock that controls alertness, appetite, sleep timing and hormone secretions.

"Previously we have known that there are body 'clocks' not only in the brain but in most other body tissues including the liver, part of the focus of this study. While the brain clock is mainly cued by light, these other clocks are cued by factors such as exercise and diet as well as receiving nerve and hormone signals from the central clock in the brain."

People with circadian disturbances tend to have a higher incidence of health concerns such as obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders. It is much more than simply a problem of disturbed sleep.

"People tend to think that the clock is just something that happens in the brain but it's a whole-body issue. Literally you do not feel like exercising and your metabolism slows when you are in a certain part of the cycle. This contributes to obesity-related problems.

"When you fly overseas, not only do you wake up in the middle of the night, you probably notice you want to eat in the middle of the night, and that during the day you have reduced energy. The liver is a key player in the regulation of energy and we now understand quite a bit more how liver genes 'clock in' to the circadian cycle."

Professor Liddle, a liver expert who has worked on liver genes for more than a decade with the Salk Institute, said the team had been able to show that these receptors in the liver were important in controlling the metabolism of fats and other genes related to diet, nutrition, digestion and energy expenditure.

"This is a very exciting discovery. We have now shown that these receptors in the body's tissues do not have a peripheral role but are core components for setting our body clock that we can potentially use drugs on.

"The promise of this research for the future is that we can specifically target drug treatments at these receptors. The hope is that not only problems like jet lag and disturbed sleep can be more easily managed but other associated health concerns can be addressed more effectively," Professor Liddle said.