Industry News

The University of Sydney has appointed two internationally regarded experts to head up its China Studies Centre.

Dr Kerry Brown  will take up the role of Professor and Executive Director of the Centre, and Professor David Goodman will become the Academic Director of the Centre.

Dr Brown is currently Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House and Leader of the Europe China Research and Advice Network (ECRAN), funded by the European Union and offering advice directly into the External Action Service.

Dr Brown has held a number of high level diplomatic, government and think tank posts as well as holding affiliations with various academic institutions in China, at Cambridge, the London School of Oriental and African Studies and Nottingham University. He was previously Head of the Indonesia, Philippines and East Timor Section at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, Head of Policy at UK Visas, First Secretary at the British Embassy in Beijing, and worked in the China Section at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Professor David Goodman is currently the Acting Director of the China Studies Centre and Professor of Chinese Politics at the University. He was previously the Director of the East Asia Centre at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Chair of the Asian Studies Program and Director of the Asia Research Centre at Murdoch University. At University of Technology, Sydney he established and developed the Institute for International Studies and later became Pro Vice-Chancellor, and then Deputy Vice-Chancellor International. More recently, he was the Director of the University's Institute of Social Sciences and Associate Dean International within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

"With his track record of academic leadership Professor Goodman is the ideal person to steer the research and teaching programs of the China Studies Centre", said Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence. "We are delighted to have secured his expertise."

Professor Goodman has a PhD in Chinese Politics from the London School of Oriental and African Studies. He has been involved in course and program design of numerous degree programs at three different universities in the last 25 years. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate students in Chinese politics, history, language and literature.

The University of Sydney China Studies Centre is dedicated to working for the mutual benefit of Australia and China. Established in 2011, it has more than 130 academic staff engaged in the study of China and facilitates cross disciplinary research and teaching as well as extensive public programs.

 The William Angliss Institute has been announced as the successful applicant for a million dollar Strategic Tourism Investment Grant, and will develop and deliver a tailored business skills curriculum through the Indigenous Land Corporation's (ILC) National Indigenous Training Academy at Ayers Rock Resort.

The William Angliss Institute is the largest specialist single purpose provider of tourism, hospitality and foods training in the Southern Hemisphere and has experience in delivering Indigenous training in Western Australia, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

This grant builds on the work by the Institute, in partnership with the ILC, to train Indigenous trainees at the Ayers Rock Resort through the Australian Government's Indigenous Employment Program.

The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson said that using the National Tourism Accreditation Standards, the training by William Angliss will include customer service and understanding customer expectations, preparing plans for business, marketing, environmental management and health and safety.

"Importantly it also includes a mentoring program which will match students with mentors who have hands-on business experience," said Minister Ferguson.

"There is a lot of local interest in this training and over the long-term it is expected to improve the Indigenous tourism experience in the region by not only increasing a trained local workforce, but also expanding the diversity and quality of Indigenous businesses.

Strategic Tourism Investment Grants under the T-QUAL Grants program offer funding to eligible tourism projects aimed at delivering three key national priorities - Indigenous tourism, economic development and tourism employment.

More information on the T-QUAL Grants – Strategic Tourism Investment Grants is available at http://www.ret.gov.au/tourism/business/tq/tgrants/stig/Pages/default.aspx

The University of Tasmania has received a $3 million philanthropic grant from the JO and JR Wicking Trust to support research on dementia.

The grant builds on the original $1.5million given by the Trust in 2007 for the establishment of the UTAS Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre in the UTAS Faculty of Health Science.

The second grant will enable the further growth and development of the UTAS Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre for the next five years.

Instigators and Co-Directors of the Wicking Centre, Professor Andrew Robinson and Professor James Vickers, said the grant will allow them to continue translational research, which focuses on dementia, looking at the biological basis of the diseases that cause dementia and the development of health services provided for people with dementia and their carers.

Prof Robinson said the Centre’s goal is to prepare Tasmania and Australia for the increased number of people with dementia.

“As our population ages and one million people in Australia are projected to have a dementia by 2050, we need to explore ways in which we can better support people with dementia and their carers, both in the community and in residential aged care.”

Prof Vickers said being supported by the Wicking Trust to 2017 allows the Wicking Centre to build capacity and capability.

“This funding will allow us to attract more high profile researchers in neuroscience and nursing to better understand the causes of and treatments for dementia,” he said.

Teresa Zolnierkiewicz, Head of Philanthropy for ANZ Trustees which administers the JO and JR Wicking Trust, said the UTAS Wicking Dementia and Research Education Centre grant is a flagship grant of the Trust, which since 2005 has made grants totalling $33mill to address issues of ageing, Alzheimers and dementia.

 “The benefactors, John and Janet Wicking, had the vision to devote their Trust to these issues, and would be proud of the world class work carried out by the Centre. We have been impressed with the Centre’s achievements over its first five years and are delighted to support them for a further five years.

For more information about the UTAS Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, visit http://www.utas.edu.au/wicking/

The University of Wollongong and BlueScope Steel have joined forces with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, one of the world’s leading renewable energy and sustainable building research organisations, in a new solar technology research and demonstration project with the support of $477,000 from the Australian Solar Institute.

Research will be undertaken into optimised configurations for a unique arrangement of solar cells that will not only provide solar electricity but also assist in heating and cooling the buildings they are fitted on.

The focus of the partnership will be the development of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Thermal (BIPVT) configurations suited to existing buildings, which aligns with retrofitting as the major focus of the University’s Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC).

The BIPVT retrofit system involves refurbishment of an existing roof by adding a new roof deck above the existing roof surface. The new roof deck incorporates solar cells, and air then flows in the duct created under the new roof surface.

This air flow will not only help cool the solar cells during warm weather, improving generation efficiency, but it will also help to heat and cool the building. Warm air generated in winter is used for heating, and as heat is radiated from the cells on summer nights, cool air is then supplied to the building, increasing overall energy efficiency.

“The ultimate goal of the collaboration with BlueScope Steel and the Fraunhofer Institute is to develop design and decision-support tools to optimise the system for retrofitting to a wide range of building types and climates,” Director of the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre, Professor Paul Cooper said.

“We will also be studying ways in which we can incorporate new phase-change materials to further improve the efficiency of these BIPVT systems.

“We are focussing on retrofitting because less than 2 per cent of existing building stock in Australia is replaced in any given year.

“New system configurations will not only be tested in laboratory settings but will also be demonstrated on the roof of our new Research Centre and other buildings in the Illawarra region as part of our Living Lab project to work out the best way to install the newest of technologies on older buildings,” Professor Cooper said.

“The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre building, which is under construction on the Innovation Campus, is targeting net zero energy use and we will be using the BIPVT technology to help us achieve that goal.”

The University of Wollongong’s Sustainable Buildings Research Centre will play a major role in the national research effort required to develop new technologies that help to reduce carbon emissions from existing homes and buildings.

The latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows an in increase job vacancies by 0.7 per cent in February, showing a turn around from a previous spate of declines.

The ABS findings come after the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) released findings that show medium sized companies are increasingly looking to expand operations.

The CBA’s Future Business Index found companies are reporting a far more confident outlook for business conditions over the next six months and are reporting strong expectations for increases in revenue.

The bi-annual index of mid-sized companies earning between $10 - $100 million, found that despite patchy results across sectors and states, all companies surveyed reporting a positive increase from the September index.

According to Symon Brewis-Weston, Commonwealth Bank’s Executive General Manager of Corporate Financial Services, the latest findings were a clear sign that confidence was returning to the market.

“We’ve been on wobbly ground for some time, however businesses are showing us that it’s not all doom and gloom and are adopting a much more bullish attitude than has been seen previously,” said Mr Brewis-Weston.

“Appetite for investment is on the way up; the fact that businesses are looking at this over a six month time horizon also shows they have more conviction about the direction they want to take. This shift in attitude comes against the backdrop of continuing change in financial markets and at a time when cost pressures remain relatively high.”

“What this means is they are prepared to look at expansion despite the challenges that are still confronting them. Many mid-market companies have been sitting on sizeable cash reserves for some time and it’s clear they are now re-visiting original investment plans that had been put on hold.”

Almost half (49%) of businesses expect their revenue to increase over the coming six months, with a similar figure (44%) indicating this will flow on to an associated increase in profits. On net balance, both revenue and profit expectations were up 8% since September. Over one-third (38%) said they expected to increase capital expenditure, up 12% on net balance, with roughly one-third (31%) saying they expected to take on new staff over the next six months, up 5% on net balance.

The Federal Government has released a new handbook to assist farmers, landholders, waste operators and other clean energy businesses take part in the Federal Government’s Carbon Farmining Initative.

“The Carbon Farming Initiative Handbook will be a great resource for Australia’s farmers. It sets out how farmers and landholders can improve land and farm sustainability while generating carbon credits that can be sold on domestic and international markets,“ Parlimentary Secretary for Climate Change and energy Efficiency.

So far, several methodologies have been approved under the CFI, including reducing methane in piggeries, flaring landfill gas, planting n ative tree species and reducing pollution from savanna fires.

CSIRO, universities and other research bodies are developing a number of other methodologies with the federal government, including dairy cattle food supplementation, enhanced efficiency fertilisers, manure management and soil carbon.

“Climate change poses a serious risk to the future of Australian agriculture and food production, with scientists confirming a strong link to less predictable and more intense weather events,” said Mr Dreyfus.

“Australian farmers and landholders have an important role to play in our nation’s clean energy future by increasing the land sector's resilience to climate change and improving long term farm productivity.”

Further information about the Carbon Farming Initiative is available at www.climatechange.gov.au/cfi

The Federal Government has opened the detailed modeling tool used by the Gonski Review of School Funding to state and territory governments, non-government schools and school education unions.

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said the education community would benefit the use of extensive and up-to-date data and allow them to test the School Resource Standard (SRS) model.

Mr Garrett said sharing the modelling tool used by the review panel in developing its recommendations will allow school authorities to trial how an SRS could work in practice for schools and school systems. Representatives from state governments, non-government schools and unions will also be given separate technical briefings of the Gonski modelling over the next few days.

“As Mr Gonski and the review panel made clear, there is still a lot of work to do to test and refine the various elements of their proposed funding model. This includes testing the proposed funding amount per student, and examining whether the loadings for disadvantage are set at the right levels,” Mr Garrett said.

“We are asking everyone involved in school funding to carry out these tests and come back and share the results with the various working groups we’ve established, as well as the Ministerial Reference Group.

“This will allow us to see where the SRS model might need refining and tweaking, how it might impact on schools and systems, and also gain a better understanding of any financial implications.”

NSW is able to enjoy one of the healthiest sex industries ever documented due to the decriminalisation of sex work in NSW combined with a free market approach, according to a report into NSW Health.

International authorities regard the NSW regulatory framework as best practice – the result of decades of partnership by government, community organisations, health workers and researchers, according to the report, The Sex Industry in New South Wales.

The report was launched by Mr Peter Collins, Minister for Health in the Greiner Government 1988-91 and the Coalition representative on the ground-breaking NSW Parliament Select Committee on Prostitution that reported in 1986.

Decriminalisation of the industry in 1995 led to a dramatic reduction in police corruption and sex worker exploitation.

There is still room for improvement. Many local councils routinely refused development applications for brothels, resulting in some brothels masquerading as massage parlours with poor occupational health and safety standards.

Lance Schema, Executive Director of the lead sex worker agency in NSW for HIV, STI and Hepatitis C education and prevention, Sex Workers Outreach Project said, “This report provides clear evidence to inform policy development. We commend the Kirby Institute for pulling together this report that will and should assist governments in developing future policies relating to the sex industry.” 

More information can be found here.

Mining exploration company Mindax has announced the appointment of Loh Kgai Mun as the company’s new director.

Mr Loh has been appointed with immediate effect and will offer himself for election at the companty’s next annual general meeting.

Mr Loh is the Executive Director of Lion Asiapac Limited, a company listed on the Singapore Exchange, since August 2008.

Mr Loh has extensive experience in wealth management, including companies with multi-national operations.

Prior to 2008, he was the Group General Manager of Lion Asiapac  Limited  and oversaw operational, financial, and management matters of the Lion Asiapac group. 

Jetstar has announced the appointment of Barathan Pasupathi as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company’s Asia brand.

Mr Pasupathi brings 16 years of experience in senior roles, including in the energy, aviation and finance sectors. Mr Pasupathi previously served as Jetstar Asia’s first Chief Financial Officer.

Chairman of Newstar (holding company of Jetstar Asia) Mr Dennis Choo said Mr Pasupathi, a Singapore national, would lead Jetstar Asia and Valuair as their networks expand into some of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world. 

“We are very pleased to have an executive of Mr Pasupathi’s calibre to lead Jetstar Asia into the next phase of its development,” Mr Choo said.  

“As one of the founding executives of Jetstar Asia, Mr Pasupathi has a first-hand understanding of our business as well as the aviation sector overall. 

“His 10 years’ experience in oil and gas industry has equipped him with detailed knowledge of the leading cost driver in aviation, namely fuel, and his familiarity with supply chain management gives him a sharp sense of process optimisation,” Mr Choo added.

Paul Daff will continue as acting Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar Asia until Mr Pasupathi starts in his new role on 2 July 2012. 

The New Zealand Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright, has announced a broad investigation into hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Dr Wright announced that the initial scoping work would be stepped up into an official investigation, saying that preliminary work indicated a need for close examination of the issue.

“The work that has been done by my office thus far shows a substantive case for an official investigation under the Environment Act,” Dr Wright said.

“Over the next few months my staff and I will conduct this investigation and produce a report to Parliament.

“I realise this is a hugely contentious issue and I would hope to have a report tabled in the House before the end of this year.”