Industry News

Global recruitment specialist Hays has released its quarterly report into recruitment trends for the April – June 2012 quarter.

The report finds that New South Wales is experiencing a strong demand for secondary or protection design engineers, while control specialists with strong management skills are also needed.

South Australia is also experiencing demand for design engineers, along with senior project managers following the approval of large-scale transmission works.

In Queensland, High Voltage (HV) Commissioning Engineers and Technicians, HV Transmission Line Engineers and HV Substation Engineers are sought to work on new power stations and the upgrade and continued maintenance of Queensland’s electrical grid and network.

“In Western Australia the greatest demand will be within transmission and distribution. In both the Perth metropolitan area and regionally there are major projects at the design and construction phase, including overhead transmission and distribution, underground distribution and substation construction. This along with ongoing upgrade and maintenance works on Western Australia’s network and the increase in customer funded work has created a high demand for Electrical Designers, Engineers, Project Managers and Construction Managers,” the report found.

Victoria is recording a high demand for line workers from both network owners and contractors.

The full report can be found here

Global recruitment specialist Hays has released its quarterly report into recruitment trends for the April – June 2012 quarter.

The report finds that employers are taking ‘opportunistic recruitment’ to secure top talent, including contracts administrators, project managers and site managers in NSW.

The report found that the Northern Territory is experiencing a boom in demand for OHS and HSE professionals thanks to a steep increase in construction projects.

The mining boom is continuing to drive the majority of construction work and employment demand in Queensland, generating demand for candidates to work on mining camps and associated buildings.

South Australia is experiencing a strong demand in contract administrators, cost managers, estimatros and cost engineers. While Victoria is reporting a demand in with professionals with high rise and health project experience as a number of substantial projects mature.

Tasmania is reporting a demand in steel fixers and formwork carpenters.

In Western Australia the skills shortage will be greatest this quarter in fiscal areas due to the shortfall of estimators, contract administrators and quantity surveyors. These candidates are needed in both the metropolitan and regional markets to work on modular building and commercial construction projects. Salaries are increasing for the right skill sets and for candidates with exposure to project values over $50 million.

The report can be found here

From July 2012, Australia will have a new, independent National Airline Customer Advocate to give passengers the extra help and protection they need in getting their complaints resolved.

Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways, Regional Express and Tiger Airways will participate in and jointly fund the position in response to the Government's call in the National Aviation White Paper.

The advocate's main role will be to act as a facilitator and work with the major airlines to address the complaints of any customer who has been unable to resolve them directly.

The office of the National Airline Customer Advocate will be based in a major city at a location unconnected with the offices of the participating airlines.

Flying is today five times more affordable than it was 20 years ago, thanks to greater competition, the rise of low-cost airlines and the availability of different types of fares, classes and service levels.

But cheap fares shouldn't mean cheap treatment.

Passengers are entitled to be treated fairly and decently by airlines.  And part of that service means having their complaints dealt with properly and on time.

Airline customers already have a range of rights under Australian Consumer Law. The National Airline Customer Advocate will complement existing laws and act as a link between passengers and airlines to get complaints resolved.

The advocate will also monitor and report on the major areas where airlines may be letting their customers down, including the number of complaints received and the major reasons for complaints to each participating airline.

As this is an Australian-first, the Gillard Government recognises it will need ongoing review and fine-tuning by airlines, consumer groups and the Government.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has lauded the work of the Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program in the Northern Territory, but has demanded more services to be delivered to Indigenous communities.

The program currently targets Indigenous children who received dental referrals during the Child Health Checks introduced during the intervention, but also provides dental services to those under 16 living in remote communities in the NT.

The report, Dental health of Indigenous children in the Northern Territory: Progress of the Closing the Gap Child Oral Health Program 2011, shows that between August 2007 and December 2011 more than 8,000 children, around half of the population under 16 in remote communities, were provided with nearly 15,000 dental services through the program.

‘The good news is that the oral health of children who received more than one dental service under the program is improving’, said AIHW spokesperson Dr Fadwa Al-Yaman.

‘About 60% of children who received treatment for dental caries at their first dental service had no more caries needing treatment at their most recent dental service which occurred after 9 months or more from the initial service. For those treated for mouth infections or sores at their first visit, 97% did not show the same condition subsequently.’

‘Although a large number of services has been provided since the Child Oral Health Program began, our data suggest a need for further services or continuing effort’, Dr Al-Yaman said.

At the end of 2011, of the 3,223 Indigenous children who had received a dental referral from Child Health Checks, about 2,458 had received a dental service, and 756 had an outstanding dental referral.

The full report can be found here

http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=10737421499

Australian engineer TWSP has joined forces with US based iron ore specialist Global Minerals Engineering, recently announcing a memorandum of understanding.

TWSP and GME have joined forces to target Australia's flourishing iron ore scene.

TWSP said the move would bolster its mining, processing design, operational experience and mineral resource management. The new team combines experience in engineering and developing greenfield iron ore projects, operating iron ore mines, processing, pelletizing and direct reduced iron (DRI) facilities.

TWSP chief executive, David Vink, said, “our combined capabilities bring to the Australian market unmatched experience and innovation capability and we are confident this will bring tangible value to our iron ore mining clients”.

The team includes facility optimisation experts, senior geologists, mining engineers, processing engineers, project management experts, and chief metallurgists with many decades of design, planning and operational experience.

Geoengineering is regarded as “risky” by the Office of Australia’s Chief Scientist, with the sector struggling under little governance or broader policy frameworks according to a recently published report.

In the four page report touching on methods to slow down climate change by large-scale geoengineering, concludes it present ''serious risks'' and is unlikely to replace the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“Given the difficulty in implementing global action to reduce CO2 emissions from human activities and their continued growth, geoengineering is one possible approach to combat global warming,” the report found.

The report is skeptical of the ability of the technology to offset carbon emissions saying that more research must be done in order to better understand its potential.

“The amount of carbon that can be stored by planting forests is limited by many factors, including the availability of suitable land, water and nutrients. Estimates suggest that, at best, about 2 to 4 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities could be offset in this way,” the report concludes.

The report can be found here 

Rio Tinto has announced it has pulled out from the Abbot Point additional port capacity process, citing changes to the economic climate.

The announcement comes after the Federal Government delayed a final decision on the project for six months, a decision that the Queensland Government says informed the company’s choice to pull out from the project.

“I am seeking a meeting with Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to discuss this bottleneck. It is very concerning that companies such as Rio Tinto are withdrawing from potential developments in part because of the time they wait for regulatory approval,” Queensland Minister for State Development Jeff Seeny said.

One in five, or 19% of Australian workers were casual employees in November 2011 according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This represents just under 2.2 million people.

The majority (62%) of employed people were employees with paid leave entitlements, while a further 9% were either independent contractors and a similar proportion were other business operators. 

Females were more likely than males not to have paid leave entitlements (23% compared with 16%). 

Over half (64%) of all employees in the Accommodation and food services industry did not have paid leave entitlements. Other industries where there was a high proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements included:

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing (48%)
• Retail trade (40%)
• Arts and recreation services (39%).

The occupation with the highest proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements was Sales workers (48%), followed by Labourers (46%). Occupations with a low proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements were Managers (6%) and Professionals (10%). 

The ABS also found that there were 605,400 persons (5% of all employed persons) who found their job through a labour hire firm/employment agency in November 2011, of whom 56% were males. Of these, 141,700 persons (23% of those who found their job through a labour hire firm/employment agency) were paid by a labour hire firm/employment agency.

Administrative and support services (20%) and Manufacturing (13%) were the industries with the greatest proportion of those who were paid by a labour hire firm/employment agency, while Clerical and administrative workers (21%) and Machinery operators and drivers (19%) were the most common occupation groups.

The Queensland Government has announced a proposed $500 million coking coal mine has been declared a ‘Significant Project’ by the state’s Coordinator-General. 

State Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Jeff Seeny said the project could generate up to 250 construction jobs.

“This project has the potential to operate for at least 30 years and could export 1.5 million tonnes of coking coal per year,” Mr Seeney said.

 
“The proposed mine site is freehold land owned by the Kalpowar Aboriginal Land Trust established under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991,” Mr Seeney said. 

“The project site is a partly-cleared cattle station and contains cultural heritage sites, a nature reserve and a fish habitat area. 

“Proposed exploration activities would be constrained within one kilometre of national parks and within 500 metres of the fish habitat area,” The Deputy-Premier added.

 
State Coordinator-General Barry Broe said a significant project declaration was not an indication of approval for a project but a reflection of the state and regional significance of the project and the start of a comprehensive environmental assessment process. 

“This declaration is recognition of the significant complexity of the project, the substantial economic and social benefits it may bring and the need to carefully assess its impacts and how they could be mitigated if the project is approved,” Mr Broe said.
 

Confidence in the NSW property industry is slowly starting to build, a new survey has revealed.

The Property Council of Australia-ANZ Property Industry Confidence Survey shows the confidence index rose from 105 for the March quarter to 113 for the June quarter.

The survey polled more than 2300 professionals from the property and construction sector in all states and territories, including 622 from NSW.

“The survey points to a gradual increase in confidence in NSW, as the acute concerns over global economic conditions soften,” Property Council Acting NSW Executive Director Edward Palmisano says.

Over the next twelve months, 61.1 per cent of respondents expected to increase their forward work schedule, 83.6 per cent thought that staff levels would stay the same or increase, and 43.2 per cent predict a reduction in interest rates.

The survey pointed to strong expectations about office capital growth, with 83.7 per cent of respondents predicting that commercial office capital values would stay the same or increase over the next twelve months.

Confidence in house price growth also rose, with 74.6 per cent of respondents predicting that residential capital values would stay the same or increase in the coming year.

Mr Palmisano says the survey drew out local factors affecting the property industry, with the planning system seen as a significant barrier to investment in NSW.

Almost half (49.2 percent) of all respondents thought NSW was not doing a good job in planning and managing growth.

“The slow return of confidence shouldn’t be taken for granted. It highlights the urgency and stakes involved in the review of the State’s planning and development assessment systems,” Mr Palmisano says.

“NSW needs to re-boot the planning system to make it more responsive to investment through a simpler and more efficient set of rules, as well as cultural reform.”

Reflecting concerns about the impact of the carbon price, more than half of NSW respondents (50.2 percent) thought that construction costs would increase in the state over the next 12 months.

“The property sector is critical to our economic prosperity as it drives 10 per cent of the state’s wealth and employs more people than any other industry,” Mr Palmisano says.

“The NSW Government should take care not to dampen the sector’s newly returning confidence. It should provide a policy platform that gives industry certainty, stability and leadership to build a new era of economic prosperity in NSW.”

Optus has announced the launch of a major brand campaign aimed at connecting with its  customers on a more poignant, emotional level.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a 60 second television commercial which aired for the first time on Sunday 22 April. The commercial is a love story which is enabled by the digital world despite the two protagonists being in different physical locations (Shanghai and Canowindra, New South Wales). The key message is that Optus cares about its customers by bringing them closer to the things that matter most to them.

Gavin Williams, Head of Segment Marketing said, “The message of our new brand campaign is a very simple one – we share in what matters most to you. From connecting you with the people you love, to getting the hottest phone before anyone else, it’s possible with Optus.”

The campaign will run for approximately four weeks and will include national television, online, outdoor, print and cinema advertising. The new look and feel will feature in all Optus brand and product advertising both above the line and at point of sale moving forward.

“While our advertising has traditionally been very product focused, this new brand expression is all about building a stronger connection with our customers by letting them know we care. Animals will have less of a presence in our new advertising, than was the case previously however they are still very important as they represent the glue that makes things possible. They represent Optus,” Mr Williams said.

 The advertisement can be seen here 

Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean has called on local leaders to work cooperatively in the Latrobe Valley to help identify new opportunities to assist the area transitioning to a clean energy future.

Mr Crean’s calls come after he joined Victorian Regional and Rural Development Minister Peter Ryan and regional leaders at a roundtable discussion to hear industry perspectives about the future challenges and opportunities in the Latrobe Valley.

The meeting was the final in a series of forums jointly hosted by Regional Development Australia Gippsland, Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Australian Industry Group.

Mr Crean emphasised the Federal Government remains committed to assisting the area in dealing with its transition.

"Despite political differences over carbon pricing, we are taking a bipartisan approach to building jobs and skills for the Latrobe Valley as it moves to a clean energy future," Mr Crean said.

"Gippsland will continue as an energy region, but community and business leaders agree that the region must move to a cleaner form of energy generation, value-add traditional industries and diversify its economic base.

"Today local leaders have presented practical solutions to support the region through this economic transition, including in the areas of infrastructure investment, workforce development and innovation.

The Federal Government has announced it is seeking comment after the release of a standardised Deed of Access for exploration in the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA).

The release of the Interim Access Arrangements will allow companies to access the WPA under the contractural Deeds of Access while preserving the security of Defence activities in the area.

“Industry engagement is critical to ensuring the interim arrangements are both practical for the resource industry and effective in protecting the security of Defence activities,” Defence Minister Stephen Smith said.

Comments on the Deed of Access can be submitted to the WPA Coordination Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 June 2012 to ensure they are considered.

Interested parties may also choose to attend a WPA Coordination Office workshop on the Deed of Access in Adelaide on 3 May 2012.

Once the Deed of Access and supporting processes are finalised, Government will be in a position to mark the end of the current moratorium phase of implementation. Companies will then be allowed to apply for access to the WPA based on the coexistence framework, supported by the Deed of Access.

The draft Deed of Access, registration details for the workshop in Adelaide and background information on the Review are available at the WPA Coordination Office’s website at www.defence.gov.au/woomera/.

Questions may be directed to the WPACO Coordination Office by phone at 1300 727 420 or by email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Telstra ha s announced its capital management strategy, outlining the company’s priorities and underlying principles that will guide the company’s future decision making.

The announcement comes after the company released its free cash estimates in the order of $2 to 3 billion in free cash over the next three years, subject to NBN roll out schedule and market conditions.

Telstra CEO David Thodey told a briefing that the company remains committed to best serving its shareholder and customer base.

“Telstra is focused on serving our customers through improved service, offering new products, as well as leveraging our rich set of assets,” Mr Thodey said.

He also told the briefing that Telstra was making no change to guidance for the 2012 financial year and reinforced its intention to pay a 28 cent per share fully-franked dividend in 2012 and 2013. This is subject to the Board’s normal approval process for dividend declaration and there being no unexpected material events.

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has announced it has selected Merimbula as the company’s first satellite earth station.

The first of 10 stations, the site on NSW’s Far South Coast will relay traffic between NBN’s satellite connected customers and other networks, and is expected to begin operations in 2015.

"Merimbula was chosen for a number of reasons: The climate is perfect for our needs. It’s also located close to reliable power and other infrastructure including the NBN’s core fibre transit network,” Matt Dawson, NBN Co's Satellite Project Director, said.

"There will be opportunity for local businesses to reap the benefits of high-speed broadband internet and for other residents and businesses to be drawn to the Shire, taking advantage of our lifestyle over the congestion of city living,” Mayor of Bega Valley Shire Council, Tony Allen, said.  

The United Nations communications agency has informed the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) that its current plan to launch two satellites is following the correct approval process.

The NBN Co received the advice from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU( finds that the company is not following an unduly risky process by purchasing satellites before finalising orbital positioning works.

"It is possible for a company to purchase a satellite in advance of it being put into use and the orbital slots being finalised,” the ITU said in a statement.

"In order to secure those slots the notifying authority, which in Australia is the Australian Communications and Media Authority, needs to (a) initialise the registration procedure with the ITU, and (b) resolve any major compatibility issues with operators of neighbouring satellites."

NBN Co has been proactively pursuing the ITU international frequency coordination process since August 2010.

The advice comes after NBN Co commissioned Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to manufacture two Ka-band satellites to deliver services to the 3 per cent of the Australian population who will not be serviced with fixed wireless or fibre services. 

The High Court has voted unanimously to dismiss an appeal by Roadshow Films claiming that iiNet was responsible for its customers using file sharing services.

iiNet CEO, Michael Malone, said the judgement showed that the claims were unfounded.

"iiNet has never supported or encouraged unauthorised sharing or file downloading," Mr Malone said.

"Today's High Court five-nil ruling confirms that iiNet is not liable for 'authorising' the conduct of its customers who engaged in online copyright infringement.

"This marks the end of more than three years of legal argument and challenges.”

Mr Malone said that the ruling showed that the entertainment industry should focus on providing a cheaper, lawful avenue for customers to access content, rather than pursue legal challenges.

"Increasing the availability of licensed digital content is the best, most practical approach to meet consumer demand and protect copyright," Mr Malone said.

"We have consistently said we are eager to work with the studios to make their very desirable material legitimately available to a waiting customer base - and that offer remains the same today."

Two in five Australian businesses are finding it difficult to recruit despite national job vacancies dropping to 219,000 (from 237,000 in 2010), research from Bankwest has revealed.

The second Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey, the latest addition in the Bankwest Financial Indicator Series, reports that businesses are being dealt a double blow as highly skilled candidates are harder to come by which in turn has lengthened recruitment timeframes.

Bankwest Business Chief Executive Ian Corfield said, “Australian businesses are clearly feeling the pinch of the skills shortage, with 41% reporting that it takes more than three months longer to recruit staff than it did a year ago.

“Businesses are seeing this as a significant issue and are therefore doing what they can to attract skilled performers, whether it’s improving benefits packages or recruiting workers from interstate and overseas.”

Across the country businesses are increasingly using tactics to attract the best talent, with nearly half (47.8%) increasing basic pay rates and a quarter (25%) offering additional financial incentives and benefits. Resources-rich Western Australia and Queensland are leading this trend with 63.4% and 55.8% respectively offering more lucrative salaries compared with the other states.

Businesses on the East Coast in particular are feeling the sting of the skills shortage more sharply than the rest of the country. More than two thirds (70.4%) of respondents in the Eastern states said that they are currently looking to hire or have hired staff in the last 12 months, with almost half (45.6%) reporting that they have had difficulty filling job vacancies during this period.

This compares to 60% of businesses on the West Coast looking to hire, with just under a third (32.6%) struggling to find candidates with the right skills.

This lack of available talent is having a direct negative impact on businesses. Most often existing employees have to work longer hours to make up for the shortfall in manpower, with two thirds (66.7%) of businesses reporting an increase in overtime.

The Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey also found that close to a quarter of businesses admit to error rates increasing and 33.7% are delivering late on products and services, with 22.6% being forced to turn down new work altogether due to lack of capacity.

“Businesses are in the difficult position of having to turn new work away – a tough decision to make given the uncertain economic environment,” said Mr Corfield.

Whilst a third (33.8%) of businesses nationwide are attracting workers from interstate to plug the skills gap, 41.1% of businesses in the mining states of Western Australia and Queensland are recruiting interstate and overseas workers to relieve pressure on their workforce.

The Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey anonymously surveys approximately 800 individuals in key business roles nationwide, to assess their perspective of the current state of skills shortages in their workplace. The Survey assesses various aspects of skills supply in Australia including ease of finding suitably skilled workers, as well as impacts this has on the way businesses operate.

Mining unions from around the world have applauded the Australian government's decision to tax mining profits and urged other national governments to stand up to mining companies and follow suit.

Representatives of two major international union federations meeting in Sydney said the Australian Government's decision to impose a mineral resources rent tax was a brave political decision.

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy and Mine Unions (ICEM) and the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) represent mining and metal workers from every continent with a combined membership over 50 million workers.

Mining companies worldwide sought to pressure national governments into policies that generated exorbitant profits for shareholders at the expense of national prosperity, said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. 

"If the mining companies are allowed to be successful with their attacks against government here in Australia it would send a negative signal to countries where similar measures need to be taken.

"As the mining industry grows it's critical that fair, appropriate policies are in place to manage that growth in the interests of all citizens - especially in the developing world."

A resolution passed at the Sydney conference last night noted that Rio Tinto boss Tom Albanese had claimed credit for toppling Kevin Rudd over the proposed Resources Super Profits Tax. It said mining nations should not see the mining tax as a threat but an essential means of ensuring citizens benefited from the booming industry.

Profits and revenue from mining were growing rapidly all around the world, said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

"Nowhere in the world will mining companies give back to communities out of the goodness of their hearts," said Mr Raina.

"Australia's minerals tax is fair and reasonable, it's a good model for other countries trying to manage their resources in a manner that benefits all citizens."

The unions have called on all national governments to exercise their right to maximise the benefits of mining to their citizens.  

Australian unions have joined an international campaign to stop mining multinational Rio Tinto supplying the gold, silver and bronze for medals at the London Olympics in June.

In a strong field of anti-worker, anti-environment companies in the global mining industry, Rio Tinto is worst of all, unions say.

"If there was a gold medal for abuse of human rights, work rights and the environment, it would go to Rio Tinto," said CFMEU Mining and Energy Secretary Andrew Vickers.

"All Australians will be cheering our athletes on, but our winning athletes deserve medals that aren't tainted by Rio Tinto's brutal treatment of its own workers and communities."

The campaign (www.offthepodium.org)  has been developed in support of nearly 800 Canadian metal workers locked out of a profitable smelter by Rio Tinto because they refused a plan that put new starters on insecure work arrangements with half the pay.

The workers in Alma, Quebec, have been locked out of their jobs since December 30 as the smelter sits idle, said Joe Drexler, Strategic Campaigns Director of Canada's United Steelworkers Union.

"Rio Tinto's proposal would see Alma workers unable to support their families and devastate the community," said Mr Drexler, in Sydney for an international mining union conference.

Locking out these workers in Quebec is a violation of Rio Tinto's obligations to fair play under the Olympic charter, said Manfred Warda, General Secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM).

"Rio Tinto would like to bask in the reflected glory of the Olympic Games, but it has a black record on the treatment of its own people."

International mining unions declared Rio Tinto their number one target for global campaigning, due to the company’s legendary anti-union, anti-worker, unsustainable labour, community and environmental practices worldwide.

A resolution passed at the ICEM World Mining conference in Sydney noted that Rio Tinto, like many transnational miners, was recording strong profit growth while engaging in brutal and unethical practices. The global union body resolved to commit resources to drive a global campaign against Rio Tinto well beyond the London Olympics.