Industry News

The CSIRO has announced a breakthrough in the development of a new resistant starch that may help protect against the development of bowel cancer.

Dr David Topping, from CSIRO’s Food Futures Flagship, found that dietary problems associated with a traditional low fibre diet were contributing to the prevalence of bowel cancer, the second most prevalent cancer in Australia.

“We have been trying to find out why Australians aren’t showing a reduction in bowel cancer rates and we think the answer is that we don’t eat enough resistant starch, which is one of the major components of dietary fibre,” Dr Topping said.

“It’s not just the amount of fibre that we eat that’s important, but the diversity of fibre in our diet.”

“We studied various sources of resistant starch, including corn and wheat, and the results suggest they could all protect against DNA damage in the colon, which is what can cause cancer.”

Dr Trevor Lockett, colorectal cancer researcher with CSIRO’s Preventative Health Flagship, said Australia has one of the highest incidence rates of bowel cancer in the world.

“Research suggests that improving our diets could go a long way to reducing our personal risk of developing this disease, which would also have the follow-on benefit of reducing healthcare costs associated with bowel cancer.

“These new studies suggest that increasing the amount of resistant starch in our diets may be one important step along the path to reducing the burden of bowel cancer. It takes about 15 years from the time of the first bowel cancer-initiating DNA damage to the development of full-blown bowel cancer, so the earlier we improve our diets the better,” Dr Lockett said.

“We have already had success in developing barley with high levels of resistant starch, and now our focus is on increasing the levels of resistant starch in commonly consumed grains like wheat.  These grains could then be used in breads and cereals to make it easier for Australians to get enough resistant starch from their diet,” Dr Topping said.

Resistant starch is a component of dietary fibre that resists digestion in the small intestine and instead passes through to the bowel where it has positive effects on bowel health. Resistant starch is sometimes called the third type of dietary fibre (in addition to soluble and insoluble fibre) and is found in legumes, some wholegrain breads and cereals, firm bananas and cooked and cooled potatoes, pasta and rice.

The Victorian Government has opened the state’s new Quantum Victoria physical sciences centre in Melbourne’s north.

State Education Minister Martin Dixon opened the new $16.2 million Charles La Trobe P-12 College, describing it as a huge boost for the future education of children in the areas of science and maths.

Quantum is a truly exciting centre, using computer games, virtual reality and robotics to show students what a career in maths and science can mean."

Students can participate in different scenarios designed to tackle an area of science, including: studying the physics at work in an iPad game of Angry Birds; taking part in an Amazing Race-style competition that touches on the key areas of the centre – science, technology, engineering and maths; or design a Formula 1 car and test it in a virtual wind tunnel.

Quantum is the sixth and final of the Victorian Government's specialised science education centres in Victoria, designed to engage students in science.

Students from all schools throughout Victoria are able to attend Quantum, and the centre will run an outreach program, enabling schools to run programs from anywhere in the state.

Federal Minister for Science and Research, Senator Chris Evans, officially opened the new $8.7 million Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Centre in New South Wales.

The first of its kind in Australia, the centre at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) at Lucas Heights, uses ultra-sensitive equipment to provide data for climate change studies and measure the natural radioactivity of items to ensure they meet import and export conditions.

"These readings will enhance scientists' understanding of the environment - everything from algal blooms to deforestation and the frequency of bushfires," Senator Evans said.

"The ITRAX - Corescanner, a key piece of equipment used to measure environmental samples and the only one of its kind in Australia, will be housed in the new facility and will allow thousands of measurements to be made within a few hours, instead of a few weeks.

"The new facility and equipment will ensure ANSTO scientists can continue their work as world leaders in dating and sorting human-induced environmental change from natural change.

"This research will help us predict future impacts on our environment so we can, in turn, develop more sustainable land and water practices to conserve our environment."

Senator Evans said designers and builders spent months sourcing and analysing materials with the lowest possible levels of natural radiation for the construction of the centre.

"Providing an environment with low background radiation enables the state-of-the-art equipment to detect tiny amounts of radiation that would otherwise be drowned out," Senator Evans said.

A surge in low socioeconomic students attending university shows Labor reforms are developing the talent that will help drive a high skilled and productive economy.

Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator Chris Evans, said for the first time, the number of university offers made to Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds has surpassed 40,000, a rise of almost 19 per cent since 2009.

"The Gillard Government's removal of capping on university places has seen 150,000 extra students enrol at university," Senator Evans said.

"This growth is, in part, being driven by increasing numbers of young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

"Until the Gillard Government removed the cap on university places the benefits associated with higher education have eluded many Australians. Our reforms mean we are increasingly tapping into the potential of all Australians, not just the privileged."

In response to the Bradley report, Transforming Australia's Higher Education System, the Labor Government set the ambitious target to ensure 20 per cent of people enrolling in an undergraduate course are from low socioeconomic backgrounds by 2020.

"Expanding the number of graduates in Australia is an economic imperative," Senator Evans said.

Skills Australia has forecast that by 2025 a third of all jobs will require a minimum of a bachelor degree qualification.

"It's not just that it is unfair to lock people out of university. We can't afford to," Senator Evans said.

Minister for School Education Peter Garrett hosted a discussion on Asian literacy with business leaders, focusing on how Government and business can work together to increase awareness of Asian culture and the study of Asian languages in Australian schools.

Mr Garrett also announced $4.6 million in Gillard Government funding for a further four years of core funding for the Asia Education Foundation, which aims to equip young Australians with knowledge, skills and understandings of the countries and cultures of Asia.

“Australia’s engagement with Asia is crucial to our nation’s future, which is why we must ensure Australian school students are well informed about Asian culture and are encouraged to study Asian languages,” Mr Garrett said.

“Asian countries are developing at a rapid rate and the global financial focus is turning to the Asian region. Building relationships with our Asian neighbours has never been more critical for Australia’s future prosperity.

“Studies of Asian histories, cultures, languages, social perspectives and politics have specifically been embedded across learning areas in the Australian Curriculum, which is now being rolled out across the country,” Mr Garrett said.

The Gillard Government has commissioned a White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century to consider the likely economic and strategic changes in the region and set out a strategic framework to guide Australia’s navigation of this Century.

The Northern Territory Government has announced a $28 million boost to Central Australian roads in the 2012 Budget.

“As part of the Territory Government’s Territory 2030 strategy, the Government is continuing to grow the size and skills of the NT workforce, while maintaining high levels of investment in public infrastructure, to underpin long-term development and growth,” Territory Minsiter for Lands and Planning Gerry McCarthy said.

Mr McCarthy said a $5 million injection would go toward upgrading and sealing 7kms of Namatjira Drive on the popular tourist route, the Red Centre Way.

“This will complete the sealing of the entire 157km length of Namatjira Drive, which will make the journey, for tourist buses and travellers in caravans, a lot smoother,” he said.

“The work is expected to start mid 2013 and be complete early 2014 with an estimated 50 people employed on the site throughout the construction of the project.

“A further $2 million will continue the ongoing upgrading and sealing of the Tanami Road under the Working Futures strategy to improve the lives of remote Territorians, through better access to communities in this instance.”

Mr McCarthy said the funds would facilitate the sealing and upgrading of 4kms of road, with more to come as the route from Alice Springs to the Kimberley is progressively sea

IBM Australia and The Sauce published the first Australian Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Report 2012, which investigates the current state of business process outsourcing in Australia and points to future trends.

Global expansion is seen to be the key driver and benefit of outsourcing decisions amongst 71 per cent of organisations surveyed. The report also showed significant anticipated growth in business process outsourcing activity among large organisations with between 1,000 to 5,000 employees (this constituted one-third of all respondents). This group of Australian organisations is expecting an increase of 20 per cent over the next two years.

“The report reflects the rapid pace of change and maturity that the BPO industry has undergone over the last decade. It has evolved from pure cost cutting, to improved efficiency, to strategic transformation and an important part of business strategy,” said Russell Ives, Director, Global Process Services, IBM Growth Markets.

“The report highlights that Australia’s senior business community are aware of the benefits of outsourcing and decision makers are looking towards higher order benefits such as improving financial flexibility, driving free cash flow, strengthening customer satisfaction, increasing market penetration, expanding into emerging markets and taking advantage of the opportunities with a global economy,” said Ives.

The report highlights that while outsourcing decisions in the contact centre and customer service functions were by far the most widely reported, customer service functions are actually not among the top three of most outsourced activities. Human Resources, and Printing/Document Management were found to be the most outsourced functions (15 and 18 per cent), followed by Finance and Accounting (13 per cent). In the next 12 to 24 months, HR outsourcing is expected to grow to 23 per cent.

 The Western Australian Government has released the first surface water allocation for the Warren-Donnelly region in the state’s south west, aimed at providing long-term water security for the region’s irrigators. 

The plan effects around 400 landowners who have constructed 500 on-stream dams to capture and store water.

State Water Minister Bill Marmion said the new allocation limits, which were based on dry years, would ensure licence holders had reliable supplies while also providing water for the environment. 

“The new plan manages water for the benefit of all landowners and provides confidence that the investment potential in the region will be maintained. 

“It encapsulates more than 50 years of surface water licensing and management in the region as well as extensive stakeholder involvement.”

More information can be found here 

The Living Victoria Ministerial Advisory Council has released the final report into the future of Melbourne’s water.

"We now have a substantial reform process ahead of us to overhaul the urban water system and place a greater focus on local solutions instead of costly, large-scale infrastructure such as desalination,” Victoria’s Water Minister Peter Walsh said.

"These reforms will drive generational change in the way Melbourne uses rainwater, stormwater and recycled water and provide Victoria's next major water augmentation.

"Fit-for-purpose solutions to re-use stormwater and recycled water will reduce the pressure on our potable water supply by providing water for non-drinking purposes," Mr Walsh said.

The Victorian Government has outlined the formation of the Offie for Living Victoria (OLV) as a cross-government agency aimed at cutting red tape and driving integration of water and urban planning.

In the first 12 months, OLV will focus on integrated water planning, including the development of integrated water cycle plans for inner Melbourne and the city's four main growth areas.

"It will also prepare a regulatory impact statement for building controls to improve the water performance of new buildings and amend the Victorian Planning Provisions to improve stormwater management."

Also outlined in the report is:

• seek ways to give water customers greater control over their water bills by providing more tariff choices;
• develop investment guidelines to better reflect the value that the community places on urban amenity and the environment;
• work with local government and the water authorities on approaches to extend Melbourne Water's stormwater licensing arrangements to cover all government-owned stormwater infrastructure;
• release sewer mining guidelines to increase investment in wastewater re-use; and
• cut red tape to increase the use of alternative water sources and reduce pressure on catchment and desalinated water.

More information can be found here

Geelong's Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park in Victoria will be greener thanks to the construction of new stormwater irrigation infrastructure.

The Australian Government is providing funding of $415,000 for the Eastern Park project, which is part of $2.79 million in Australian Government funding for the broader Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse - Geelong's Plan project.

At Eastern Park today to inspect progress, Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, said the stormwater project would improve water supply security for the Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park.

"The new stormwater harvesting infrastructure will capture approximately 30 million litres of water a year, reducing reliance on drinking-quality water and allowing the Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park to access water in all conditions," he said.

"The project will also have benefits for the environmental health of Corio Bay as it will capture stormwater that is being discharged into the bay, treat it and hold it in a storage basin."

The storage basin is in the form of a man-made lake and will be surrounded by thousands of indigenous plants. Harvested water will flow through a pond and into the lake, which will hold approximately four million litres of water.

Victoria’s Essential Services Commission (ESC) has proposed to approve an additional three per cent increase to water prices for Barwon Water customers in the 2012-13 year to reflect the cost of the Melbourne to Geelong Pipieline.

The Commission’s draft decision on Barwon Water’s price application proposes an approved three per cent increase, on top of the already approved seven per cent to Barwon Water’s water prices in 2012-13, and is subject to the pipeline being completed and in service. A final decision will be delivered in June.

The approval comes after Barwon Water had applied for an increase of 3.5 per cent for the 2012-13 period across water, sewerage and trade waste prices.

Commission Chairperson Dr Ron Ben-David said a price increase would enable Barwon Water to recover construction costs associated with the Melbourne to Geelong Pipeline, which would contribute to the security of water supply for Barwon Water.

“The Commission is aware of the impact of price rises on customers, and we will continue to ensure that Barwon Water has in place measures to help address affordability and hardship issues”, Dr Ben-David said.

The Commission will hold public meetings in Geelong and Colac on Monday 14 May to outline the draft decision, as follows:

Geelong: 12 pm-2 pm, Geelong Conference Centre (Adams Court, Eastern Park, East Geelong) Colac:  4.30 pm-6.30 pm, Colac Otway Performing Arts and Cultural Centre (Cnr Rae and GellibrandStreets, Colac).

The full draft decision can be found here

The annual review of the Eyre Peninsula Demand and Supply Statement, released today, shows that the South Australian region’s drinking water supplies are secure until at least 2023-24.

Department for Water Executive Director, Policy and Strategy, Julia Grant, says the review of the State’s first Demand and Supply Statement is part of an ongoing commitment to assessing water security across the State to 2050.

“The review is based on the most recent, best available information, provided by a range of organisations including local government, state agencies and industry. The data covers aspects such as actual water use, climate change impacts, population growth and industry development,” Ms Grant said.

“There have been a number of significant changes in the past 12 months which have led to a 2,040 ML surplus of drinking quality water recorded in the Eyre Peninsula region, compared with projected worst-case scenario surplus of 904 ML.

“It is important that we continue to monitor those changes and review the needs of our communities appropriately.”

As well as the climate change report, other key factors that have led to the updated demand-supply projections include:

• Total licensed allocations from the Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas will increase in 2012-2013 based on recharge to the aquifers
• Advice, derived from Australian Bureau of Statistics data, suggests that population growth rates in the region should be revised to a lower rate
• Demand for water from the mining sector is expected to be higher, however, the supply of water for the mining sector from private desalinated seawater supplies is also likely to be higher and therefore counteract the demand.

Water trade proving a valuable tool for Basin communities, where the society, environment and economy is able to sustain because of it.

Launching a new National Water Commission report at the Australian Water Congress 2012, National Water Commissioner Laurie Arthur said water markets have helped regional communities in the southern Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) to remain productive, even during drought.

Mr Arthur said, ‘Australia’s water markets have allowed water to be reallocated to where the need is greatest and reduced the impact of the drought on regional production. Water trade is playing a major role in achieving the National Water Initiative (NWI) objective of maximising the economic, social and environmental values of scarce water resources.

‘It is increasingly valued as a business tool and is now supported by the majority of the irrigators surveyed by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences for this report’, said Mr Arthur.

The Impacts of Water Trading in the Southern Murray-Darling Basin between 2006-07 and 2010-11 report is the second report produced by the Commission to fulfil its NWI obligation to monitor the impacts of interstate trade in the southern MDB.

The report confirms the main drivers of hardship in these communities include drought, commodity prices and exchange rates. Water trading is part of the solution in managing these difficulties.

The report also assesses the impact of government programs that purchased water for environmental flows over the four year period ending in mid-2011.　　

This report focuses on the five-year period from 2006–07 examining the impacts of water trading on individual irrigators, industries and regional communities.

You can see the full report here.

It appears that fewer Australians are taking up bottled water and are instead opting for the environmentally conscious option, tap water.

According to the Roy Morgan Research Non-Alcoholic Drinks Survey, 26% of the Australian population consumed bottled water in 2007 compared to 23% in 2011.

Efforts to curb the consumption of bottled water for environmental reasons are the reason behind this change, with bans on bottled water in place in the NSW town of Bundanoon, the University of Canberra, the Southbank campus of the Victorian College of Arts and the Monte Sant Angelo Mercy College in Sydney.

The largest declines have come from the 25-34 year age group (36% in 2007, to 29% in 2011) and the 14-25 year age group (35% in 2007, down to 31% in 2011). Lesser declines were seen among older age groups, who typically have lower proportions of bottled water drinkers.

Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr announced Australia will join the global Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Partnership. Being a member of SWA will allow Australia to add its voice to the global call to support the world's poor with improved access to safe water and basic sanitation.

“In Australia, we are fortunate to have access to clean, safe drinking water and modern water and sewage systems,” said Senator Carr. “Yet for many of the world's poor, the simple act of quenching their thirst is fraught with danger.”

“Sanitation and Water for All is an important partnership between developing countries, donors, multilateral agencies, and civil society that aims to put an end to this situation.

“It provides an opportunity for partners to discuss and address obstacles to the world achieving universal and sustainable access to sanitation and drinking water.”

Australia works to increase access to safe water and basic sanitation, promote good hygiene practices, and strengthen water and sanitation systems in developing countries through the overseas aid program.

The announcement follows the SWA High Level Meeting in Washington DC, where Australia was represented by the Director General AusAID, Peter Baxter.

BHP has secured additional exploration plots at its Olympic Dam site in South Australia after partnering with Minotaur Exploration.

The mining giant has paid $9.5 million for another joint venture with Minotaur for five tenements in the Olympic Dam zone.

The announcement comes months after the company secured State Government approval of the expansion of the mine, which will become the largest open pit mine in the world.

Linfox has announced it has partnered with retail giant Steinhoff Asia Pacific to form a closely integrated supply chain network.

Steinhoff, owner of Freedom, Snooze and Bay Leather Republic, will be supplemented with Linfox services in the December to January peak periods.

“Our national road and rail network delivers bulk and flat pack furniture from Steinhoff’s Sydney DC to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth,” said Linfox Linehaul’s Account Manager Scott Paul. 

“Linfox distributes to Freedom Furniture cross-docks in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from which point the customer manages local transport.”

More than 100 delegates, representing more than 40 councils likely to be affected by carbon pricing have met in Canberra for the Carbon Price and Council Landfill National Forum to gain a better understanding of how to manage their responsibilities under the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Act.

The Australian Government’s Carbon Price Mechanism (CPM) will commence on 1 July, 2012, with a fixed carbon price for three years, before moving to a floating carbon price from 1 July, 2015.  

All landfills, including council landfills, that produce more than 25,000 tonnes per annum of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions will be liable and will need to factor in the CPM costs associated with the price of disposal from 1 July, 2012.

Information has been provided to assist council staff in understanding issues such as measurement of emissions, assessment of abatement opportunities, pricing waste to account for the CPM and contingent liabilities associated with a future floating carbon price.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.1% in the March quarter 2012, compared with no change in the December quarter 2011.

The most significant price rises in the March quarter 2012 were for pharmaceutical products (+14.1%), secondary education (+7.7%), automotive fuel (+2.5%), medical and hospital services (+2.1%), tertiary education (+4.7%) and rents (+1.0%). The most significant offsetting price falls were for fruit (–30.0%), international holiday travel and accommodation (–4.8%), furniture (–6.0%), audio, visual and computing equipment (–6.3%) and domestic holiday travel and accommodation (–2.0%).

The CPI rose 1.6% through the year to the March quarter 2012, compared with a rise of 3.1% through the year to the December quarter 2011.

Further information is available in Consumer Price Index, Australia (cat. no. 6401.0).

A study into Victoria’s population growth has found the state is set to boom over the next 20 years.

The study, Victoria in Future 2012, attempts to calculate the state’s population and household projects for the years between 2011 and 2031 for Victoria and its regions.

The highlights are below:

• At 30 June 2011, the population of Victoria was 5.6 million.
• Melbourne is home to nearly three-quarters of the state’s population (4.1 million), while almost 1.5 million people live in regional Victoria.
• Over the 40 years to 2051, Victoria’s population is projected to increase by 3.2 million to 8.7 million. Over the same period, Melbourne’s population is expected to grow to 6.5 million, while regional Victoria is projected to grow to 2.3 million.
• On current trends, overseas migration is expected to be the largest driver of population change in Victoria over the projection period, although the impact of natural increase should not be discounted.
• VIF 2012 projects that Melbourne will receive the majority of Victoria’s overseas migrants and also experience high levels of natural increase (the excess of births over deaths). Regional Victoria is expected to gain residents from Melbourne over the projection period. This migration from Melbourne will be the main contributor to the change in regional Victoria’s population.
• As its population ages and the number of deaths increases, regional Victoria is projected to experience natural decreases in the later years of the projection period. (There are a number of municipalities where deaths already outnumber births each year.)
• Victoria’s population age profile is projected to be older in 2051 than in 2011. The median age of the population is expected to increase from 37 years in 2011 to 41.0 years in 2051. The proportion of the population aged 65 years and older is projected to increase from 13.9% to 22.1%. The greatest proportional change for any age group is projected to be in the oldest age group: the number of Victorians aged 85 years and older is expected to almost quadruple to over 400,000 by 2051.
• The rate of change of the number of households in Victoria is projected to exceed the rate of change in the population as the average household size gradually decreases over the projection period. As the population ages, there is projected to be a lower proportion of families with children and a higher proportion of lone person and couple-only households

The full report can be found here.