Industry News

The Victorian Minister for Local Government, Jeanette Powell, has opened the 2012 Australian Local Government Women’s Association with a call for more action to address the gender imbalance in local government.

"Women outnumber men in Victoria and outnumber men as staff in local government, yet when it comes to leadership positions in local government women are in the minority," said Mrs Powell.

Less than 30 percent of Victorian councillors are women. In the last local government elections, over a quarter of voter wards and un-subdivided municipalities had no women candidates. Today only 14 of 79 councils have female CEOs.

"The Victorian Coalition Government is taking direct action to expand the pool of intelligent and articulate women candidates," Mrs Powell said.

"Think Women" forums have been held across the state over the past six months to encourage women to participate and there are more planned.

"It's through this kind of targeted support and encouragement for women considering candidacy that the imbalance of women at the local government level can really be tackled.

The Western Australian Government has released design guidelines for the new Prth Waterfront project.

State Planning Minister John Day said the guideline gives an accurate impression as to what the site will look like when completed.

“Perth Waterfront will be developed as a place for people - it will showcase the latest thinking in sustainable building and urban design, with a key focus on the way people interact,” he said.

“The design guidelines set provisions for building specifications and land use across each of the nine development sites and provide a flexible framework to encourage innovative design from future developers.

In addition to the release of the draft design guidelines, the Minister said a proposed scheme amendment which would officially transfer planning authority for the Perth Waterfront project to the Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority (MRA) was also open for public consultation.

The Western Australian Government has released a comprehensive plan to address traffic congestion in and around Perth’s CBD in the wake of the Perth Waterfront Development and Perth city Link.

State Transport Minister Troy Buswell and Treasurer Christian Porter announced the $47.6 million 2012-13 Budget package to ensure the city had a sustainable transport network to accommodate major city projects and a growing population.

“The Perth Waterfront Development, Perth City Link and Riverside projects are under way or are about to start, and are integral components to the transformation of Perth into a vibrant and modern city,” Mr Buswell said.

“These projects will clearly impact on the flow of traffic in and around the city, and the CBD Transport Plan outlines how this impact will be managed and how we can better meet the needs of drivers, users of public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.”

The Minister said $47.6 million from the Perth Parking Management Account would be used to introduce active traffic management, which uses CCTV cameras to provide information to road users and to incident response crews which remove broken-down vehicles.

“Active traffic management will increase road safety and traffic capacity by minimising disruption from crashes and breakdowns on the Graham Farmer Freeway and the inner-city sections of the Mitchell and Kwinana freeways, as well as blockages from illegal clearway parking in the CBD,” he said.

“It will also involve real time management of traffic signals, so where incidents occur or roadworks are impeding traffic flow, Main Roads will modify traffic signal timings to maximise traffic flow, particularly during peak periods.”

The Queensland Minister for Environment Andrew Powell has demanded chemical manufacturer Orica improve its environmental track record or face serious consequences.

The threat comes after Mr Powell visited Gladstone earlier last week to examine the development of the area and meet with local council members.

“After receiving information relating to the company’s activities in Gladstone, I immediately asked for an urgent detailed briefing,” Mr Powell said. 

Orica is presently subject to Planning and Environment Court proceedings, where EHP is seeking an ‘Enforcement Order’. The company is also subject to a prosecution relating to cyanide contamination of stormwater in 2010. 

“I am deeply concerned by the long history of environmental non-compliance by Orica, and frankly disappointed by the lack of immediate action by the company to address issues at the site, particularly in light of the past poor performance of the company which dates back to 2007,” he said. 

Mr Powell said Environment and Heritage officers had spent considerable time onsite recently overseeing operations to ensure that ongoing management of Orica’s cyanide plant complies with approval conditions. 

“I have been informed that there is no risk to public health with issues relating to the latest breaches, however this behavior clearly constitutes a serious violation of our environmental standards,” he said. 

“I encourage Orica to continue to do its utmost to co-operate with EHP and demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the site is at an appropriate standard. 

The Queensland Government has announced the launching of a new tool to assist irrigators calculate when and how much water their crops require.

The Scheduling Irrigation diary, released by South East Queensland Irrigation Futures, is a web-based software tool to assist in boosting water efficiency in the state.

“The tool uses real time rainfall, as well as evaporation data from the Bureau of Meteorology to determine soil moisture content and work out the water requirements of the crop,” Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said. 

“Irrigators simply enter data such as soil types, crops, plant and harvest dates into the program which then determines when and how much to irrigate, up to a week in advance. 

“To have this knowledge ahead of time will enable irrigators to make better decisions and avoid over or under watering, thus saving both water and money. 

“Improving and refining irrigation scheduling on the farm is one of the keys to water use efficiency in agriculture and making good choices about water use is a focus of government and industry water use efficiency programs,’’ 

The tool has been developed by the National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, based at the University of Southern Queensland. 

For further information or to set up a free account please visit the Scheduling Irrigation Diary at http://sid.usq.edu.au  

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

Due to a huge shortfall, there is a call out for experienced Fleet Controllers and MSIC cardholding drivers.

Both warehouse and transport industries will see a demand increase for Account Managers with operations backgrounds.

“Warehousing and distribution is being outsourced to specialist 3rd party providers and this is fuelling a continued need for candidates. In addition, larger 3rd party logistics providers are increasing their market share on smaller competitors either through acquisition or by offering solutions that smaller businesses cannot, such as direct into store, warehousing and transport and 4PL,” says the report.

The freight forwarding industry is experiencing need for sea imports and exports operators who have been exposed to the project sector.

The supply chain industry needs candidates with experience in the resource industry who can work on large scale contracts.

Also, with the focus shifting towards IT in the logistics industry, Supply Chain, Inventory and Material Analysts are needed.

Hays report can be found here.

CommSec has released this quarters State of the States report, providing an in depth analyses of the country’s states using eight key indicators: economic growth retail spending requipment investment unemployment construction work done population growth housing finance and dwelling commencements.

Western Australia was clearly found to be the country’s best performing economy, outperforming all states in economic growth, construction work, unemployment, retail trade and equipment investment.

While lagging behind in equipment investment, Victoria maintained strong housing indicators and good retail spending, with the ACT also recording similar growth.

Queensland is continuing its forward momentum in all performance rankings, with the state benefitting from rebuilding work and coming in second place on economic growth.

New South Wales was found to be lagging behind in economic growth, while its population is providing an ample amount of skilled labor and floating housing finance.

Tasmania has slipped further down in economic performance rankings, lacking momentum in key areas, while recording strong dwelling commencement.

The report found the Northern Territory to be enjoying low unemployment and strong retail spending, while lagging behind in housing indicators and population growth.

The full report can be found here 

The Federal Government has released the Australian Water Supplier Compact, which will aim to encourage the country’s water suppliers and urban utilities to meet the needs of Australia’s urban water supply.

"This will be an opportunity for the water supply industry to work with utilities to meet the changing needs of Australia's urban water supply,” Minister for Industry and Innovation Greg Combet said.

"The Water Supplier Compact demonstrates that Australian urban water utilities and suppliers are committed to tackling barriers to innovation, investment and trade, and to increasing suppliers' access to business opportunities within the sector.”

Mr Combet also announced a $700,000 grant to increase opportunities for local water companies to win contracts in the United States.

The funding is part of the Supplier Access to Major Projects (SAMP) program and is being delivered through the Industry Capability Network (ICN).

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

Mechanical Designers with a good knowledge of Inventor software are in demand particularily resources and mining projects.

The building services market is gaining momentum and reflects a growing need for candidates with a background in Mechanical Engineering. Candidates with a focus on Green Star and Environmentally Sustainability are well regarded.

There is a demand for senior Electrical Design Engineers and experienced Revit Design Drafters.

“Within rail infrastructure demand is rising for Traction Power, Signalling & Track Design Engineers with Engineering Authority and Rail/Civil Estimators. Given our aging population of engineers, the number of experienced designers holding the appropriate authority is shrinking rapidly and intermediate engineers are not being mentored or trained to take over,” said the report, which 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 an expected surge in demand for health and aged care providers, as the country’s ageing poplation leads to an increase in residential and community services.

Specialist nurses and midwives will be needed in rural areas, where recruitment is the most difficult according to the report.

“In addition, the new accreditation process means that standards in every area are improving. As a result, more full time and casual staff are needed,” the report found.

The 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 found that ongoing demand to finish major projects is generating candidate shortages in the market, with demand for Java developers, particularly within Enterprise elvel web application, is rapidity growing.

A number of large projects such as ERP and CRM are also creating demand for programmers and developers.

Multi-skilled candidates are in the highest demand, with those with skills in Microsoft Windows, Exchange, VMware and Citrix experiencing the strongest demand.

The public sector is experiencing demand for developers with Java, SQL Server and other database and reporting skills.

“Demand is also high for Business Analysts for process improvement recommendations as well as business case documentation, which needs to be completed by the end of financial year. There is also a continuing focus on cost efficiency and business improvement,” the report found.

The private sector report can be found here

The public sector 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 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.