27 February, 2008
More Work Needed
For Safer Workplaces
A Comparative Performance Monitoring report on Australia’s occupational health and safety and workers’ compensation outcomes in 2005-06 has been endorsed by State and Territory Workplace Relations Ministers.
According to the Ministers, the report reveals Australia was taking steps in the right direction, but more needed to be done to make the nation’s workplaces safer.
Key findings in the report include:
* Australia recorded 231 compensated fatalities in 2005-06, of which 184 were from injury and musculoskeletal disorders and 47 were from other diseases.
* more than 114,000 inspections of workplaces were undertaken around Australia with 67,200 notices issued.
* more than 900 prosecutions were commenced and almost $23 million in fines were handed out by the courts.
* body Stressing continues to be the injury/disease that accounted for the greatest proportion of claims (42 per cent).
* Australian workers’ compensation schemes expended more than $5.7 billion, of which around half (52 per cent) was paid direct to injured workers in compensation for their injury or illness.
* The manufacturing industry recorded the highest incidence/claim rates per 1000 employees (28.6), followed by: transport and storage (28.3); agriculture, forestry and fishing (25.9); and construction (25.3).
* 80 per cent of injured workers successfully returned to work within eight to 10 months of sustaining their injury.
The Comparative Performance Monitoring report was complemented by the Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics, which provided more detailed analysis of national workers’ compensation data.
The Compendium series can be found at www.ascc.gov.au. The CPM report series can be found at www.workplace.gov.au/cpm
27 February, 2008
New Deal for Old
At Planning Dept
A restructure at the Department of Planning is expected to enhance heritage conservation and management in NSW.
The Department issued a statement saying the former NSW Heritage Office was absorbed into the Department in March 2006 and the restructure will see staff integrated into the Department's development assessment, plan-making, strategic planning and policy teams.
The Department said the move would elevate consideration of heritage matters into the heart of the Department's core activities.
“The Heritage Council of NSW, of course, continued to function as a statutory body to provide advice on heritage matters to the Minister,” the statement said.
According to the Department, heritage experts will now be placed within teams assessing new environmental planning instruments and development proposals – “rather than being outside those teams which was previously the case.”
“This will improve integrated outcomes and, by streamlining internal processes, assist in timely Departmental service delivery.”
The Heritage Council would continue to be served by a stand-alone unit, which would include among its duties the management of State Heritage List.
The department said the changes meant existing heritage staff would continue to undertake heritage work and there would be no forced or voluntary redundancies.
“Furthermore, the Department is committed to the continuing use of the former Heritage Office's headquarters in the State heritage-listed former King's school at Marist Place, Parramatta.
“Departmental staff from a range of divisions, including former Heritage Office staff, will continue to use this facility.
The Department said by doing this it was illustrating its support for heritage adaptive re-use principles as well as supporting jobs in western Sydney.
27 February, 2008
Court Complex
Sets Benchmark
The most secure Court complex in Australia’s history has been opened by the Premier, Morris Iemma, at Sydney West
Costing $92.5 million, the 10-court facility has been designed to host the most high profile and contentious cases ever heard in Australia.
Mr Iemma described the complex as the “Fort Knox of Australian Courts.”
“The courts are protected by the Security Operations Centre, which acts as a sentinel over the tightly controlled movement of defendants between the cells, courts and transports,” Mr Iemma said.
“With over 500 closed circuit cameras in the precinct, no movement escapes the watchful eye of law enforcement agencies.”
He said the complex had been designed to ‘sterilise’ movement around the facility so that high risk defendants could not be seen by members of the public, except when they were behind a shatterproof dock.
Mr Iemma said additional security measures would also be “stepped-up” during high profile cases, along with airport style security, x-ray machines and walk-through metal detectors.
Attorney General, John Hatzistergos said the Courts would also be able to house extra jurors in lengthy trials following the Government’s decision to reduce the risk of a mistrial by allowing up to 15 jurors to sit in case one fell ill or was discharged.
Mr Iemma said the Sydney West Trial Courts were the final stage of the $330 million Parramatta Justice Precinct and had been completed seven months ahead of schedule.
He said it was a massive investment in driving economic growth in Parramatta and Western Sydney.
“This is one part of the Government’s 25-year vision for a new, bigger, revitalised Parramatta as Sydney’s second CBD,” he said.
“The relocation of the Attorney General’s Department to the Parramatta Justice Precinct has brought additional services to Western Sydney and generated job growth and joins a number of Government Agencies moving Head Offices to the area. “
Mr Iemma said as well as Parramatta, the Government’s Metropolitan Strategy identified five other cities - Penrith, Liverpool, Wollongong, Newcastle and Gosford - as key centres for future employment growth.
“We want people to have jobs closer to home so they spend less time travelling, have more family and leisure time and a better lifestyle,” he said.
27 February, 2008
PS Efficiency
Brought to Book
A new book questioning how the measurement of performance was affecting Public Service efficiency has been published in Canberra.
University of Canberra researcher, Professor John Halligan co-authored the book with Professor Geert Bouckaert, director of the Public Management Institute at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium.
“There are extremes in the way individuals and Departments respond to performance management,” Professor Halligan said.
“In some cases, work is done solely to meet performance indicators regardless of how perverse the outcomes may be. In others performance management is followed to the minimum, just enough to complete the reports.”
The authors created unique models of performance management systems and examined how effectively different countries, including Australia, the United States, Canada and the Netherlands, conformed to them.
Their work Managing Performance: International Comparisons, was launched by Auditor General, Ian McPhee.
“Public sector reform is a long journey – it tends to be incremental, and it takes time and energy to inculcate the desired changes,” Mr McPhee said.
“It is, of course, handy to know in advance the prospects for success of the next steps; and, even better, to be guided by other countries’ experience. This is what makes this book invaluable.
“This book, with its very captivating cover, has compelling content for readers searching for the essential read on managing performance in the public sector.”
Professor Halligan is with the Centre for Research in Public Sector Management at the University of Canberra.
His research interests are public management, leadership and management of change, public sector reform and comparative institutions (Public Service, executives and Parliaments).
27 February, 2008
Activity Study
Takes Time Out
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Australians were working longer but spending less time sleeping, playing and eating or drinking.
The report How Australians Use Their Time, 2006 found that in that year Australians slept for an average of 8 hours 31 minutes a day, five minutes less than in 1997. Time spent eating and drinking also decreased by 4 minutes a day to 1 hour 29 minutes.
Time spent on recreation and leisure activities had decreased by 1 hour 45 minutes per week since 1997 (to 29 hours 31 minutes a week) and the average Australian was spending an extra hour a week on activities such as watching television and using the Internet than they did in 1997 (16 hours 20 minutes a week).
Time spent on sport and outdoor activity decreased by nearly an hour compared to 1997 to an average 2 hours 13 minutes a week in 2006.
The Bureau reported that men and women spent a similar amount of time on both paid and unpaid work (such as domestic activities, child care, purchasing, and voluntary work and care), with 51 hours 55 minutes a week for men and 52 hours 58 minutes for women. This was around 2 hours more than in 1997.
It said men spent 31 hours 51 minutes a week on paid work in 2006 (up 5 per cent on 1997) and nearly double the amount of time women spent on paid work (16 hours 27 minutes a week, up 7 per cent on 1997). More people were employed, contributing to the higher average hours of paid work.
The Bureau showed however that men spent much less time on unpaid work (20 hours 4 minutes) than women (36 hours 31 minutes), with domestic activities making up just on half of the time spent on unpaid work by both men and women. Time spent by women on domestic activities had decreased nearly an hour a week from 1997, while men spent the same amount of time as they did back then.
Other findings included:
* People aged 15 and over spent an average 3 hours 30 minutes a week on education activities in 2006, 15 per cent higher than in 1997.
* For parents of children under 15 years of age, the time spent on child care as the main activity undertaken at any given time, averaging 2 hours 8 minutes a day in 2006 (3 hours and 5 minutes for women).
* When a parent of children under 16 was mainly involved with another activity, the time spent on child care as a secondary activity was 4 hours 13 minutes taking the total time spent on child care to 6 hours 21 minutes a day for parents (8 hours 31 minutes for women).
27 February, 2008
Meeting Space Call
Is Conventional
The final report of a review into convention and exhibition space in Sydney has been released with the State Government announcing it supported the principles put forward.
The report, conducted by sports administrator and businessman, John O’Neill, followed a comprehensive review of Sydney’s convention and exhibition capacities to identify needs and proposals for enhancing them.
In his report, Mr O’Neill recommended that additional facilities be built urgently, that booking practices and policies be overhauled and that a newly-established Events Corporation undertake a concerted marketing push to attract more meetings to the city.
“There is a rapidly-growing number of conventions being held in the Asia-Pacific region,” Mr O’Neill said. “Sydney’s position, however, is slipping.
“There is demand, but Sydney is not capturing it.”
He said while convention and exhibition space existed to serve business events, the argument for Government providing the spaces depended on the value of the events to the local community.
“Some types of business events are more valuable to the community than others,” he said.
“The most valuable business events for Sydney are the genuinely international ones.”
Mr O’Neill said Australia was not suitable for most international consumer and trade exhibitions so did not host them.
“It is, however, competitive for international conventions.”
He said Sydney had two main facilities for hosting conventions: the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour and the Sydney Showgrounds at Sydney Olympic Park.
He found both centres suffered from space constraints and the Showgrounds also had other drawbacks.
There were also issues with local exhibitions taking space that could be used by international ones.
Mr O’Neill called for the “immediate” expansion of exhibition space at the Showgrounds to take more domestic events and then using the Darling Harbour site for the higher value international conventions.
“There is the potential to expand the SCEC to provide up to an additional 10,000 square metres of space, excluding the Entertainment Centre site, or about 20,000 square metres, including that site” he said.
“This would provide Sydney with the ability to host virtually every international convention.”
He admitted his recommendations would lead to a downturn in income and profits for the SCEC.
“The Government needs to accept that,” he said.
But he said it made no sense for the Government to invest in facilities to attract international events then “have someone impose a booking regime that discourages those events and their benefits.”
He recommended that Memoranda of Understanding be entered between the major stakeholders to treat the upgrade of facilities and change in booking policies as an overriding priority in managing the SCEC.
27 February, 2008
Opposition Cashes In
On Political Funding
The NSW Opposition has promised to reform the political donation system by introducing legislation into Parliament to overhaul election campaign financing.
Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell said there was clear community concern over links between special interest groups and Government decision makers and there was a perception abroad that donations could buy influence.
"The Bill will impose limits on how much parties and candidates can spend during a campaign,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“The Liberal and National parties will also seek to impose a $5,000 annual limit on donors.”
He said the proposed limits should be set by an independent agency such as the NSW Audit Office.
"If parties can't spend it, they don't need to raise it, so let's cap it,” Mr O’Farrell said.
"The legislation will also propose the Audit Office review and approve all Government advertising in the 12 months leading up to State elections.’
He said he’d been pushing campaign finance reform for nearly 12 months and the Bill in Parliament would back up his calls.
"Caps on how much candidates and parties can spend during election campaigns – and an annual limit on donations – would restore some integrity and confidence in Government by putting people and not vested interests back at the centre of our system of government," Mr O'Farrell said.
He admitted his move followed that of the Premier, Morris Iemma, but contained more substance.
“I hope the Premier offers bipartisan support,” he said.
27 February, 2008
Disabled Enabled
in Partner Plan
The Government has announced it plans to partner with the not-for-profit sector to recruit and retain workers in the disability services field.
Minister for Disability Services, Kristina Keneally, unveiled the plan at the Annual State Conference of National Disability Services, the peak body representing over 600 not-for-profit organisations delivering disability services throughout NSW and Australia.
"I’ve asked the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care to work with NDS to see if there are better, more innovative ways of getting the right people into the sector and keeping them there," Ms Keneally said.
"That will include examining the possibility that Government and NGOs could jointly advertise for, recruit, train and provide jobs for workers in the disability services sector.”
She said the current tight labour market was a double edged sword, offering more opportunities for people with disabilities to work, but also creating challenges in staff recruitment and retention.
She said this was keenly felt in the disability services sector where increases in funding had created unprecedented demand for workers to deliver improved and expanded services.
Ms Keneally said any new recruitment strategies would build on the Government’s work to support the disability sector, which included extra funding for skills development, increased training in OHS, more training for professionals and streamlined service agreements.
"The NSW Government already funds around 750 non-Government organisations, 100 local Councils and 12 other Government providers to deliver services – a funding agreement worth around $940 million this year alone," Ms Keneally said.
"Through the partnership with NDS, we will explore new ways of making sure that we recruit the people on the ground that we need.”
She said she had asked DADHC for advice by the end of March 2008.
27 February, 2008
Federation Council
Looks Beyond Borders
The Council for the Australian Federation, made up of all State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers, has declared one of its priorities for 2008 will be the ongoing eradication of cross-jurisdictional anomalies.
The Federation, which is chaired by Victorian Premier, John Brumby, decided at its recent gathering in Adelaide that harmonisation would be a standing item on its agenda at every meeting as part of its commitment to Cooperative Federalism.
It also decided that some of the first matters to be investigated this year would be drivers’ licences, vehicle registrations and travel concessions for seniors – all of which can cause difficulty for people living close to State and Territory borders.
CAF has announced it will work in co-operation with Austroads to undertake a detailed analysis of the cost-benefit of changing laws on those matters.
Premiers and Chief Ministers also reconfirmed their support for the new COAG Working Group structure and their commitment to ambitious national reform in the areas of health and ageing, productivity (encompassing early childhood development, education and skills), infrastructure, climate change and water, business regulation and competition, housing and indigenous reform.
The meeting also endorsed draft principles for urban water planning which would be released for further consultation.
The principles acknowledge that States and Territories were facing similar pressures in securing water resources for towns and cities and that responses needed to be coordinated across Governments. The principles will assist jurisdictions undertaking long term planning for urban water supplies to ensure future demand was met.
Other matters discussed included progress on the development of national safety standards for new vehicles and Professor Ross Garnaut’s update on the predicted effects of climate change.
Professor Garnaut’s recommendations include a proposed design for an emissions trading scheme (ETS); complementary measures needed to support an ETS; and the level of emissions reductions that Australia will need to pursue. CAF acknowledged these interim recommendations would be significant inputs into future climate change policy decisions.
CAF said it was committed to working collaboratively with the Commonwealth on these and other areas to improve outcomes for all Australians.
27 February, 2008
Consultation Shows
Everyone for Tenancy
An “overwhelming” response has been received from a three-month consultation process on proposed changes to tenancy laws.
Fair Trading Minister, Linda Burney announced the high level of involvement in the consultation saying it prompted more than 1000 responses from individuals and groups including renters, landlords and real estate agents
She described the feedback as “enormous.”
“Feedback was received in the form of written submissions, responses to an online survey, and comments via an online blog,” Ms Burney said.
“In addition, 915 people attended face-to-face sessions conducted in regional and metropolitan areas which were an important way of gathering feedback directly from the community.”
She said there were about 300 written submissions, almost 850 online responses, and nearly 40 comments posted on the online blog.
“Around 40 per cent of the online responses came from landlords,” she said, “30 per cent from real estate agents and under 10 per cent from tenants.
“This is a very important finding because it shows how crucial using online technology is to reach some sectors of the community.”
She said face-to-face sessions were still vital because they generated a number of responses from Aboriginal tenants. She said the same was true with written responses where at least 25 per cent came from tenants.
According to Ms Burney, the topics creating the greatest response included:
* dealing with tenants in rental arrears
* the rights of tenants when a mortgagee sought to recover possession
* the ability of tenants to alter or add to the rented property
* dealing with disputes between co-tenants
* handling goods left behind when a tenant left.
Ms Burney said she expected the new laws, incorporating the views of landlords, agents, tenants and key interest groups, to be introduced into Parliament later this year.
27 February, 2008
Emails to Drive
Bus Information
The State Transit Authority has introduced an Email Alerts Service for Sydney Buses to notify passengers directly when their bus service was changing or would be affected by a planned event.
Bus users have been invited to register their email addresses with the STA to receive the alerts, with registration easy and free.
Registrations can be made at www.alerts.sydneybuses.info
Under the scheme, passengers choose the route or routes they wish to be advised about and are then informed by email whenever service changes are made that could affect those routes.
The STA said in a statement that passengers would be free to update their details as often as required using a chosen username and password.
“The email alerts system is a great way for you to stay up to date with changes to your bus service,” the statement said.
“You will receive advance warning of any timetable or route changes, or any enhancements to services or altered terminal arrangements and diversions during major events such as for New Year’s Eve, World Youth Day or Mardi Gras.”
The STA said the email alerts service would complement existing forms of passenger information such as the distribution of flyers, posters on board buses and breaking news online.
The intention was to ensure that service information reached the widest possible target audience.
27 February, 2008
Meagher Clears Pipes
For Organ Donations
The Minister for Health, Reba Meagher has urged the residents of NSW to improve their rate of organ and tissue donation registrations
Her message is “Register Today”.
According to Ms Meagher NSW was leading other States in the registration stakes but there needed to be more registrations if lives were to be saved and a difference made to the 1,800-plus Australians waiting for a transplant.
“The NSW Government supports organ and tissue donation and encourages everyone to take the next step and register,” Ms Meagher said.
She said in 2007 there were 53 organ donors across NSW, with 175 transplants performed. Nearly half of all people waiting for an organ transplant in Australia lived in NSW.
“More than two million people across NSW have registered through the RTA to donate organs or tissue and many more have signed up for the Australian Organ Donor Register,” she said.
“But we now need to turn our focus on translating our fantastic donor registration numbers into a higher rate of actual transplants.
Ms Meagher said NSW had some of the best transplant specialists and one of the highest rates of success in the world for transplant operations.
She particularly supported the Federal Government’s National Clinical Taskforce on Organ and Tissue Donation.
“The Taskforce has been looking at evidence from around the world and has made practical and wide-ranging recommendations to the Federal Government on how we can implement best practice to improve transplant rates and save more lives,” Ms Meagher said.
Manager of LifeGift NSW/ACT, Patricia Wills, said many people who supported organ and tissue donation delayed registering, or were not fully aware of the process involved.
“We want to encourage the public to find out more about organ donation and to make informed decisions to register today,” Ms Wills said.
The brochure Organ Donors Save Lives is published by LifeGift NSW/ACT which provides organ donor services in NSW and is part of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service and works in cooperation with the RTA.
To register as a donor call 1800 777 203, collect a registration form from a Medicare Office or visit www.organdonor.com.au
27 February, 2008
Police Have Formula
for Chemical Alerts
NSW Police is to run a series of public information sessions across NSW to discuss possible threats from the use of chemicals for terrorism purposes.
The sessions stem from a draft report prepared for the Council of Australian Governments on the Control of Chemicals of Security Concern.
Commander of the Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command with the Police, Assistant Commissioner Peter Dein said that in order to ensure the continued safety of the community, NSW Police was actively contributing to the report.
“A key challenge of this review has been to establish an effective means of improving the security of chemicals while ensuring they remain accessible to legitimate users,” Assistant Commissioner Dein said.
Commander of the Counter Terrorism Co-ordinated Response Group, Superintendent John Stapleton said the Police, in partnership with the Department of Premier and Cabinet were conducting the free information sessions in regional and metropolitan areas.
“The information sessions will provide an opportunity for business and community members, with an interest in the production, manufacture, transportation, use or disposal of chemicals to be informed about the report and its recommendations.
“The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is seeking input by interested parties on the recommendations by 4 April 2008,” Superintendent Stapleton said.
The Police spokesmen said the information sessions would be held on the following dates and locations:
Armidale - 29 February, Armidale City Bowling Club, 12pm-2pm;
Bathurst - 3 March 2008, Bathurst RSL, 2pm-4pm;
Dubbo - 4 March 2008, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, 10am-12pm ;
Wagga Wagga - 5 March 2008, Carriage House Motor Inn, 10am-12pm;
Newcastle - 6 March 2008, Newcastle City Hall, 1.30pm-3.30pm;
Wollongong - 7 March 2008, Wollongong Golf Club, 2pm-4pm;
Sydney 7 March 2008, Wesley Conference Centre, 9.30am-11.30am.
More information about the report and the information sessions can be found on the secureNSW website – www.secure.nsw.gov.au. People planning to attend the session will need to visit the secureNSW website and register.
27 February, 2008
Fraud Warning
Is Real Thing
The Office of Fair Trading is playing a part in ‘Fraud Fortnight,’ a two-week initiative of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce.
Among its contributions to the event, the Office has launched an education campaign warning consumers to be wary of scams targeting consumers.
Fraud Fortnight runs to 8 March and according to Fair Trading Minister, Linda Burney, aimed to raise awareness of seductive scams in its first week.
“Seduction scams involve great offers that were never intended to deliver,” Ms Burney said.
“It can be as simple as clicking on a computer pop-up for a prize that sends a virus to your computer, or entering a competition that seems legitimate but is really collecting information to steal your money or your identity.”
She reminded consumers that the key message was Scams target You! Protect Yourself as scammers were out to seduce them.
She said that last year the Office of Fair Trading received over 1,800 enquiries and complaints relating to a number of scams, including overseas and Australian get-rich-quick lotteries, competitions, investment and gambling as well as business opportunity scams.
“A recent example includes the infamous David Rhodes chain letter scam which is an illegal pyramid scheme aimed at duping unsuspecting individuals out of their hard earned money.
“Another example is the well known Spanish Lottery scam which offers people fake tickets in a Spanish lottery or advises them they have won a substantial amount of money in an official lottery draw.’
She said scams were designed to trick their victims into giving away money or personal details and came in many forms – mail, email and internet, mobile or landline, and door-to-door.
She directed people interested in finding out more about scams, or to report one, to visit www.scamwatch.gov.au or call SCAMwatch on 1300 795 995.
The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce was established in March 2005 and is comprised of 19 Federal, State and New Zealand Government regulatory Agencies and Departments with responsibility for consumer protection.
27 February, 2008
Child Agency Not
Playing in NSW
The Child Support Agency has taken its showcase of support for separated parents to the Singleton Mining and Industry Expo.
General Manager of CSA, Matt Miller hopes to encourage businesses in the mining and industry sectors to take advantage of the Agency’s award-winning workplace program Staying Connected.
Mr Miller said businesses in that sector already demanded much of their workforce and if the person affected by separation was a senior manager, the ripples could be felt throughout the entire organisation.
“For the employee, there are few life events that come with as many knocks as separation,” Mr Miller said. “It can affect you emotionally, financially and physically.”
He said relationship breakdown and separation could have a serious impact on the workplace, leading to staff turnover, absenteeism, lost productivity and workplace accidents.
He said the Staying Connected program helped employees deal better with family separation, which in turn impacted positively on their workplace through reduced workplace accidents and incidents, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and ‘sickies’ and increased employee loyalty.
“Staying Connected is designed to help parents rebuild self confidence and stay involved in their children’s lives as well as build a more practical relationship with the other parent,” Mr Miller said.
Co-developer of the program, Professor Graeme Russell from Macquarie University said the annual costs of separation among employees are high.
For a 1,000-employee workplace, the impact can be an average cost of $180,000 in leave and 11,500 hours of lost productivity each year.
Mr Miller said Staying Connected was a half-day workplace program, delivered by accredited trainers to help separated mums and dads take control of their lives and stay connected to their children.
He said it won Suicide Prevention Australia’s 2007 Public sector award and in 2004 won gold in the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management.
Separated parents from the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade, Victoria Police, Australia Post, the ACT Department of Urban Services and the Department of Defence had participated in Staying Connected.
The Singleton Mining and Industry Expo was held earlier this month and promoted workplace safety and occupational health and safety initiatives in the mining and industry sectors.
27 February, 2008
Recording Policy
Has Journos Taped
The Industrial Court and Industrial Relations Commission have clarified their policy on the use of tape recorders by the media during Industrial Court or Industrial Relations Commission proceedings.
The policy permits their use for the purpose of preparing fair and accurate reports of proceedings.
According to the court and commission, the policy applies only to journalists who work for recognised media organisations and can provide appropriate professional identification.
Journalists are required to apply to the Industrial Registrar for permission to use the devices and the decision is made by the presiding member.
He or she may allow their use as long as it doesn’t cause any disruption to proceedings or include private conversations before or after proceedings or during breaks.
“Tape recordings of Court or Commission proceedings are not to be broadcast by radio, television or on the internet,” the policy says.
“Copies of tape recordings of proceedings are not to be made.”
Journalists are also required to erase the tapes within 24 hours unless otherwise approved or directed, and they must remain in the possession of the journalist at all times.
“Journalists who have approval to tape record proceedings are to provide reasonable
assistance to other journalists seeking to prepare a fair and accurate report of the proceedings,” the policy says.
“The transcript produced by the Reporting Services Branch is, and will remain, the
authoritative record of proceedings.”
27 February, 2008
Union ups power
Unions NSW has increased its opposition to the proposed privatisation of some of the State’s power assets, launching a television advertisement critical of the proposal.
The advertisement portrays an advocate of privatisation trying to convince a group of children of the merits of the plans.
According to Unions NSW Secretary, John Robertson the message is that it’s not too late to “pull the plug on the power sell-off.”
Koperberg crook
The Minister for the Environment, Phil Koperberg has resigned from Cabinet due to ill health.
The Premier, Morris Iemma, has accepted Mr Koperberg’s resignation, saying that after surgery he expected he would return to work as the MP for the Blue Mountains.
The premier said the door would remain open to Mr Koperberg for future cabinet consideration.
Price rise a gas
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal is to examine a request for an increase in the price of gas to consumers on the Southern Tablelands without calling for formal submissions.
The Tribunal is to seek expert advice and hold discussions with key stakeholders instead.
Gas supplier ActewAGL is seeking an 8.5 per cent price increase in prices in the city of Queanbeyan and 8.2 per cent in the surrounding Capital Region despite the company agreeing to hold increases to the CPI or less.
IPART said the commercially sensitive nature of the cost information required to justify the price increase was the reason for its decision.
Engineers to party
The Warren Centre at Sydney University is to celebrate its 25th anniversary on 27 March, exactly 125 years since Professor Warren gave the inaugural Engineering lecture at the University!
USYD graduate and Minister for Planning, Frank Sartor is to speak on the topic 'Engineering Leadership - into the Future' as will noted speakers John Grill, George Maltabarow and Peter North.
More information and a registration form for the celebrations are available at
www.usyd.edu.au
Forests grow plans
Forests NSW has released Ecologically Sustainable Forest Management plans for its native forests in the Western and Riverina regions.
It has also planted forests in the South West Slopes, Monaro, Central West and Northern Tablelands regions.
The plans will cover the next five years and were intended to provide clear information to the people of NSW on how their forests were being managed.
Copies of the plans can be found on the Forests NSW web site www.forest.nsw.gov.au or can be obtained in hard copy by contacting Forests NSW regional offices.
20 February, 2008
Events Corporation
To Put on Big Show
A report for the Premier has recommended the establishment of an Events Corporation to attract major events to Sydney and the rest of NSW.
Following an election commitment last year to review the State’s major events policies, John O’Neill was appointed to conduct the examination and has made the recommendation.
His report calls for an Events Corporation be set up to take over the role of the Department of State and Regional Development’s Major Events Board, and that of the private, non-profit organisation, the Sydney Convention and Visitors’ Bureau.
Mr O’Neill suggests the Board’s and Bureau’s funds be diverted to the Corporation so that it started life with a Budget of $20 million in its first year.
He said the new Corporation should have a “highly competent management,” operate in a “commercial” way and be overseen by a “highly influential board.”
The Corporation would attract business, sporting and cultural events to the State and report to the Premier.
He said it would not take over responsibilities of DPC’s Office of Protocol and Special Events, which would still be required to coordinate Government services for big events but there would be no other PS involvement.
“It is critical that staff in the Events Corporation and the Board, be able to use normal commercial practices rather than Public Service practices,” Mr O’Neill said.
“An entity operating as a Public Service Agency, or part of one, is not an option.”
He said the new Corporation would be charged with the task of acquiring and “nurturing” events for Sydney that would make major contributions in terms of economic and community benefit.
It would do the same for other parts of the State, attracting events of significant value to their respective regions.
The new Corporation would also establish a master calendar of events that included a portfolio of recurrent events to energise the community and draw visitors at a consistent, high, rate.
“There are some types of events, e.g. those conducted for non-commercial sports in order to develop NSW athletes in those sports, that should remain outside the scope of the Events Corporation,” Mr O’Neill said.
He said the Corporation would be required to make Sydney one of the world’s top 10 destinations for international business conferences within its first 10 years and achieve at least a 50 per cent increase in committed conferences in three years.
He saw funding grow to $35 million by the third year and suggested the Australian Government provide direct financial support to all States which stage business events that benefited Australia.
20 February, 2008
Heated Calls for
PS Wage Freeze
Opposition and Democrats politicians in Canberra have called for wage freeze for State and Territory politicians and Public Servants following the Prime Minister’s announcement that Federal MP’s were to receive no salary increases for 15 months as an example to the community.
Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, told Canberra’s backbench MPs that their salaries of $127,060 p.a. were to remain unchanged until mid 2009 as a step in the fight against inflation.
Australian Democrats Senator for Western Australia, Andrew Murray said the Prime Minister should extend the freeze across State borders and ensure Public Servants did not escape the measure.
"It is in the power of the Prime Minister to call an urgent meeting of COAG,” Senator Murray said, “ to ask Premiers and Chief Ministers to order that every State and Territory MP and the tens of thousands of State and Territory public sector workers earning more than $127 060 have no wage increase this year.”
Senator Murray said the Prime Minister’s freeze was an “an empty pollie-bashing gesture” unless it was matched by real action.
He said at the very least, the Prime Minister should order that Federal public sector workers earning more than $127 060 have no wage increase this year.
Former Federal Minister for Human Services in the recently removed Liberal Government in Canberra, Joe Hockey joined the Senator’s call but expressed the belief that it wouldn’t happen.
“If the Government is trying to set an example it will extend the pay freeze to beyond just politicians to the people who actually do have an impact on economic management,” Mr Hockey said. “And that’s the Public Service.”
“But they won’t do that because this is all part of a stunt.”
20 February, 2008
Old Teachers Dogged
By Lack of New Tricks
The Auditor General has found that more could be done by the Department of Education and Training to counter a looming crisis in teacher shortages.
In his report Ageing Workforce - Teachers The Auditor, Peter Achterstraat, says the State’s teaching workforce is facing the loss of large numbers of teachers to retirement and needed to do more to ensure they were replaced or retained somehow.
“In 2003-04, 47 per cent of teachers were aged 45-64, the highest proportion of mature aged workers in any occupation,” the Auditor-General said.
“While the overall impact of the ageing workforce is likely to be gradual, there is still a risk of shortages.”
He said the Department was facing the loss of experienced teachers at a time when the labour environment was becoming increasingly competitive.
“The Department has focused considerable effort on recruiting and retaining younger teachers.
“There is a limited but increasing focus on retaining the critical knowledge and skills of staff who are about to retire.
“We see scope for improved information on retirement intentions to get a more accurate assessment of the ageing teacher workforce.”
The Auditor said DET was offering scholarships to encourage students to train as teachers, had introduced an accelerated training program for people with industry knowledge to become teachers and was in the process of introducing phased retirement for older teachers but there was a need for more detailed action plans.
He recommended the Department focus on the medium term for its most critical areas, show how strategies would deal with gaps and adopt specialised strategies to target retention of staff with critical skill sets.
We found TAFE Institute management interested in learning more of Government policy and guidelines and better practice in relation to the mature age workforce,” the Auditor said.
“We see potential for TAFE NSW Institutes to be more proactive.”
He made three major recommendations including the Department and TAFE develop a clearer picture of the problem; continue to adopt new measures to enhance workforce capability; and strengthen their workforce planning.
“As TAFE shortages in particular are likely to have State-wide implications, our view is that it also needs to report annually to the Public Sector Workforce Office on critical areas of need.”
Director-General of Education and Training, Michael Coutts-Trotter responded to the report by saying it offered opportunities to introduce additional measures to encourage mature aged teachers to stay on.
”I am pleased to accept the thrust of these recommendations,” Mr Coutts-Trotter said.
20 February, 2008
High Standard Paper
Sets New IR Minimums
A discussion paper outlining 10 minimum “standards” for employment in Australia has been released for public comment.
Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard said the National Employment Standards, included in the paper, contained the key minimum entitlements for all Australian employees from 1 January 2010 onwards.
“The NES will provide a simple, fair and flexible safety net for all employees, without the administrative complexity and machinery rules that are a feature of the current Work Choices system,” Ms Gillard said.
“This expanded safety net of entitlements will not only benefit those employees who rely on it, but will be better for employers who will have a simple, straightforward set of minimum conditions that are easy to apply and comply with.”
The Commonwealth has invited employers, employees, and the community to provide feedback on the draft NES with the aim of making it easier for employees to understand, and for employers to apply.
The discussion paper outlines each of the 10 NES entitlements in detail, and highlights particular areas that stakeholders and interested parties might wish to comment on.
The 10 National Employment Standards are:
* Maximum weekly hours of work
* Requests by parents for flexible working arrangements
* Parental leave (and related entitlements)
* Annual leave
* Personal/carer’s leave and compassionate leave
* Community service leave
* Long service leave
* Public holidays
* Notice of termination and redundancy
* Fair Work Information Statement
Ms Gillard said her Government was particularly interested in hearing about the interaction of the NES with atypical working arrangements and the operation of the NES for those employees who were not covered by an award.
Public comment from interested stakeholders will be taken until 4 April 2008.
The Federal Government plans to consider all submissions received in developing the final NES to be introduced into Parliament later this year as part of substantial workplace relations reforms.
The discussion paper is available on the internet at: www.workplace.gov.au Submissions can be provided electronically to NES_comment@deewr.gov.au
20 February, 2008
Mum’s the Word On
Paid Maternity Leave
The Productivity Commission has been asked by the Commonwealth to look into paid maternity leave for Australian parents.
In particular, the Commission has been asked to examine ways the Government can provide improved support to parents with newborn children.
According to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, any policy reforms in this area would be aimed at ensuring strong and sustainable economic growth while taking into account the importance of early childhood development and the need to support families balancing work and family responsibilities.
“We want to explore ways to make it as easy as possible for working mums to balance their employment with the important job of raising a new generation of Australians,” Mr Rudd said.
“The Productivity Commission is uniquely placed to advise the Government on the best way to balance economic considerations with the aspirations of working families.”
He said the Commission would look at the economic and social costs and benefits of paid maternity, paternity and parental leave and would conduct a thorough examination with provision for public participation.
“The Commission will be asked to report by February 2009.”
The Prime Minister said public hearings would be held and submissions from the public will also be sought, and the eventual report would be released publicly.
People wishing to register their interest in the inquiry or wanting to know more, can visit the Commission’s website at www.pc.gov.au or phone (02) 6240 3239.
20 February, 2008
Police Candid About
Camera Access
NSW Police have called on the State’s businesses with Closed-Circuit Television systems (CCTV) to register their details to help in the fight against crime.
Police say the information they collect will be used to map CCTV locations across New South Wales so that officers can contact business owners and source vision for investigative purposes without unnecessary delay.
They said details of the CCTV owners will be kept securely on a central database.
Head of the Operational Communications and Information Command with NSW Police, Assistant Commissioner Bob Waites said CCTV systems were widely used in commercial premises, at automatic teller machine sites, in airports, shopping centres, and on public transport for the prevention of crime and safety of members of the community.
He said however that until now there had not been a central database which police could use to track down footage that might prove beneficial to their investigation.
Assistant Commissioner Waites said the value of CCTV imagery was illustrated during the investigations into the London terrorist bombings in July 2005 when local police were able to create a visual history of the terrorists’ activities and their movements immediately prior to the attacks.
He urged business owners across the State to get behind the new initiative and register online.
“Once up and running, this register will be a crucial investigative tool for the State’s Police Officers,” Assistant Commissioner Waites said.
“They will be able to quickly identify whether there is a CCTV system installed in or around the area where an offence has occurred and, if so, source the vision as part of their inquiries.”
He said CCTV was also a powerful tool for crime prevention with criminals less likely to commit offences in monitored areas.
“The benefits of CCTV don’t stop there,” Assistant Commissioner Waites said. “CCTV can be crucial in identifying offenders and solving crimes, and also serves an important evidentiary purpose.”
He said the businesses and organisations wishing to register their CCTV details could do so on the NSW Police website www.police.nsw.gov.au
20 February, 2008
Patient Inquiry Off
To Healthy Start
The Special Commission of Inquiry into NSW Health by Peter Garling SC has begun its work, welcomed by Health Minister, Reba Meagher.
Ms Meagher said the Inquiry was the first of its type to look at the delivery of patient care across the State's public health system.
She said the Terms of Reference ensured Mr Garling had all of the powers he needed to conduct a full and open inquiry, including the power to compel witnesses to appear and to compel them to answer questions.
"I have assured Special Commissioner Garling that he will receive the full cooperation of the NSW Government throughout this Inquiry and the Department of Health has given the same assurance," Ms Meagher said.
"This includes the July 31 delivery date.”
She said if Mr Garling determined that he needed more time to complete the report “then he will receive it."
According to Ms Meagher, 17,000 people receive care in a public hospital bed every day in NSW; 6,000 people appear at emergency departments for treatment; around 550 people undergo elective surgery; and an ambulance responds to a call for help every 30 seconds.
"Every day in NSW we spend an average of $34 million providing health care services,” she said. “Our clinical workers and support staff do a great job."
She said health care professionals provided tens of millions of services for patients across the State each year, both inside and outside of hospital.
"There will always be challenges in a system that is so large and provides so many services, but in the vast majority of cases the care is first class,” she said.
"Where there are issues or problems identified we constantly seek to improve them.
“That is why I welcome the formal opening … of the Special Commission of Inquiry into acute care, and the serious opportunities it offers for further improvements to the system.”
20 February, 2008
Three States Find Safety in Numbers
Workplace safety groups in NSW have joined with counterparts interstate in working towards a harmonisation of safety standards.
The result has been a series of guides to improve workplace safety in the housing construction industry which have been released across three States.
The guides are now consistent with workplace safety requirements in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
The three States have worked together to develop guidance material for the domestic construction industry that will be relevant in each jurisdiction, focusing on a range of safety issues in housing construction including supervision, public access to sites and amenities.
According to one safety expert interstate a consistent approach to workplace health and safety requirements for the building and construction industry in multiple jurisdictions would help improve safety and reduce the risk of injury.
Development of the common guidance material is regarded as important strategy in harmonising key areas of workplace safety and worker’s compensation arrangements.
New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland have been working on a harmonisation initiative to streamline workers compensation and occupational health and safety while upholding safety standards.
Working with other workplace safety jurisdictions makes it easier for employers who conduct business across multiple jurisdictions by streamlining processes.
The States will keep working on these harmonised safety initiatives and explore further improvements to deliver benefits to everyone in the workplace.
The new guides are consistent with the National Standard for Construction Work and were developed by the jurisdictions in consultation with key industry groups.
The guides, Site security and Public Access onto Housing Construction Sites, Amenities on Housing Sites and What is Adequate Site Supervision? are available from WorkCover.
20 February, 2008
Police in Space
Urge Cyber Savvy
The Australian Federal Police have used Safer Internet Day to urge the community to exercise the same precautions on the Internet as they do in the “real world”.
National Manager of High Tech Crime Operations with the AFP, Kevin Zuccato said this was the fourth year Australia had participated in the awareness day, which is run in more than 50 countries to highlight the importance of internet safety.
“Life online is what you make of it,” Assistant Commissioner Zuccato said, “just like in the real world there are simple steps you can take to ensure you have a safe internet experience.
“It is important to ensure that the public is educated on internet safety and that children know how to use the internet safely.”
He said Safer Internet Day aimed to raise awareness of issues affecting children online through a blogathon designed to generate world-wide discussion with young people on important internet safety issues.
“The day also encouraged people to learn more about how they could protect themselves online”.
Assistant Commissioner Zuccato said the AFP worked with other Australian Government agencies, including the Australian Communications and Media Authority, local and international law enforcement agencies, the private industry, non-government organisations and the wider community to try to ensure children were safe online.
Chairman of ACMA, Chris Chapman said children would take away important cybersafety messages from the Safer Internet Day activities and would have a broader understanding of the impact of their behaviours in the online environment.
“Cybersafety education is critical in ensuring children enjoy safe internet experiences and know how to protect themselves from threats,” Mr Chapman said.
“ACMA’s program forms an integral part of the Government’s overall cybersafety strategy.”
From a global perspective, the AFP also worked closely with the Virtual Global Taskforce, with objectives to make the internet a safer place. The VGT website (www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com) is a “one stop shop” where people could access information about how to safely use the internet.
Assistant Commissioner Zuccato said people concerned about internet material that they believed may be prohibited could report it to the ACMA at www.acma.gov.au.
“If you were being targeted by inappropriate or illegal material, or if you knew of a child being targeted by suspicious activity, you could report it to the AFP.”
20 February, 2008
Racing Review Lines Up at the Barrier
An independent review of regulatory oversight in the NSW racing industry has been announced by the Minister for Gaming and Racing, Graham West.
The Minister has asked Malcolm Scott to conduct the review to examine whether there are adequate powers and procedures in place.
Mr West said the review would:
* investigate the effectiveness of current legislation, the Rules of Racing and the administrative procedures underpinning the integrity regulation of the State’s three racing codes;
* identify potential improvements in regulation including by amendment of Legislation, the Rules of Racing, related administrative procedure and the role of stewards;
* examine current education and training requirements, as well as professional standards for stewards and recommend any potential improvements; and
* examine career paths available to stewards, and other opportunities for employment in the racing industry.
Overall, the review would examine the effectiveness and efficiency of regulatory oversight by the three codes’ respective industry controlling bodies.
Mr West said the review would consult with all key stakeholders including the controlling bodies for racing in NSW and national peak bodies.
He said as part of the review process, submissions would be sought from the public until 28 March. They should be marked "Racing Regulatory Oversight Review" and forwarded to: Greg Semmler at the Office of Liquor Gaming and Racing, GPO Box 7060 Sydney NSW 2001or by email to greg.semmler@olgr.nsw.gov.au
20 February, 2008
Opera House Tunes
In To Apology
The Sydney Opera House joined in the spirit of the national apology to the Stolen Generations by flying the three flags - national, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - to symbolically represent reconciliation with Indigenous communities.
The flags flew from 7am to sunset on poles at the East Circular Quay and Royal Botanic Gardens entrances to the Opera House site.
Chief Executive of the Opera House, Richard Evans, said the iconic building had a long commitment to reconciliation and staff and management were proud to acknowledge the apology, delivered in Canberra by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
“Our site on Sydney Harbour is Bennelong Point, named after the local Gadigal man, Bennelong,” Mr Evans said.
“In 1790, Governor Phillip built a hut for him on the headland which became a gathering place for local Indigenous people.
“It has evolved into a meeting place for all Australians and their international friends.”
He said in May 2000, the Australian Declaration Towards Reconciliation was signed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders in the Concert Hall while thousands gathered on the Monumental Steps and Forecourt.
“The following day, 150,000 people showed their support by walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”
Mr Evans said a series of events and a special program of Indigenous-inspired performances were held as part of Corroboree 2000, a celebration which grew into the annual Indigenous Arts and Culture Festival, Message Sticks, presented by Opera House.
He said that the Deadly Awards were also held at the House each year, recognising Indigenous achievement in music and culture.
20 February, 2008
Easel as ABC at
Garden Art Classes
Budding and expert artists are invited to register for an outdoor oil painting tutorial at the Royal Botanic Gardens to run every Tuesday in March.
Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens Trust, Dr Tim Entwisle expected artists of all levels to be very interested in being tutored by award winner John Perkins, surrounded by the views of the harbour and the landscape of the Gardens as backdrops.
Dr Entwisle said it was the first time a class of this nature had been organised by the Trust.
“We hold art classes all year round at the Gardens which are very popular and primarily focus on educational art such as various forms of botanical illustration,” he said.
“To diversify and utilise one of the most stunning sites in Sydney we’ve included the outdoor oil painting tutorial.”
Mr Perkins said the attraction of being able to find subject matter in and around the Gardens, lends itself to creating impressionistic landscapes.
“The Gardens abounds with interesting objects to paint, from old seats to urns and sculptures, not to mention the city skyline and the harbour which is enhanced by icons such as the Harbour Bridge and Opera House,” Mr Perkins said.
“We’ll be going to different locations each day, sometimes looking at the harbour, other times flower gardens and painting the grounds and harbour views.”
He said there would be time to complete one sketch per day and if necessary take a photograph which would allow pupils to finish off their work at home.
“If it rains, the classes will go on undercover,” he said, “and we’ll paint via photographic reference.”
Mr Perkins said it would be preferable for artists to bring their own paints, boards and easels, however for those catching trains, an easel would be provided.
He said there were still some places available but bookings were being taken now on 9231 8134. For more information visit www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
20 February, 2008
Online Students
Download Teacher
Two on-line education students from Finley in the State’s south are to meet their teacher for the first time at a Graduation ceremony this week.
The pair will be awarded their Diploma of Business Administration from the Riverina Institute after studying for the past year online
Robyn Bonaddio and Lily Wu have yet to meet the teacher who coached the through their course.
Their teacher, Lyn Hamilton who is based at the Institute’s Albury Campus, will attend the graduation ceremony.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting Robyn and Lily,” Ms Hamilton said.
She said Ms Bonaddio had been “a delight to teach” and showed the calibre of student in regional areas.
“Despite being a very busy woman, she has performed extremely well in this Diploma,” Ms Hamilton said, “and has demonstrated great capability and leadership through the online chartrooms and forums.”
She said Ms Wu’s commitment to the course was evident when she logged in to the online chats while she was on holiday in China.
“Many of the people undertaking their studies online have very busy working and personal lives,” said Ms Hamilton. “So undertaking the courses on line is a great option for fitting study into their busy schedules.”
For Ms Bonaddio, receiving her Diploma was more than a qualification.
“I woke up on New Year’s Day 2005 and didn’t want to spend another year doing the same thing,” she said. “I had to push myself out of my comfort zone so I decided to enrol at TAFE,” Ms Bonaddio said.
“I believe that every module that I have studied at TAFE over the last three years has given me the skills that I have needed for my current position.”
The graduation ceremony is on 21 February.
20 February, 2008
Coastal Developments
Hope for Plan Sailing
New planning proposals for major Central Coast developments have been placed on public display until 19 March.
Planning Minister, Frank Sartor described the projects at the Warnervale Town Centre and the Wyong Employment Zone as “important”
“These are both important local projects which could together generate more than 7,000 new jobs for Central Coast residents and up to 1,700 new homes,” Mr Sartor said.
He said the proposed 119-hectare Warnervale Town Centre site straddled the north-south regional rail corridor and was considered a State Significant site after years of debate failed to resolve its location.
Mr Sartor said the draft plans included conservation areas of around 14 hectares; more than 12 hectares of public open space; approximately 15 hectares for retail and commercial uses; and 64 hectares for residential uses.
He said the proposed Wyong Employment Zone was adjacent to the F3 at Sparks Road, and at 744ha, was expected to generate $1.9 billion in new investment.
The proposal included almost 350 hectares for conservation and approximately 340 hectares for general industrial purposes.
Mr Sartor said he agreed to consider the Wyong Employment Zone as State Significant following a request from Wyong Shire Council.
Local MP David Harris said there had been strong local interest in the proposals and he was pleased the plans were now on public exhibition.
“These projects are extremely significant for the area,” Mr Harris said.
The Department of Planning is to seek biodiversity certification on the draft State Environmental Planning Policies for both sites under the Threatened Species Conservation Act and Special Infrastructure Contribution arrangements are included for both sites to help fund regional road and public transport upgrades.
More information is available from www.planning.nsw.gov.au
20 February, 2008
Firefighters win
NSW firefighters have won a 2.5 per cent pay rise for six months in the Industrial Relations Commission.
The interim award will apply from 23 February when their existing award expires and a final three-year agreement will be decided by the Commission at a later date.
The decision puts an end to industrial action brought by the firefighters’ union in support of the claim.
Investigations symposium
The 2008 National Investigations Symposium is to be held at the Manly Pacific Hotel from 5 to 7 November.
The Symposium is a joint initiative of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the NSW Ombudsman and the Institute of Public Administration of Australia NSW.
For more information email info@nsw.ipaa.org.au or telephone (02) 9228 5225
Post delivers increase
Australia Post has set the ball rolling to increase the cost of a postage stamp from 50 to 55 cents.
The Corporation has lodged an application for the increase with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission claiming increased fuel, wage and transportation costs had forced its hand.
The last price increase was in 2003.
Super seminars
First State Super has released its list of seminars for members from February to June.
Among the choices of seminars are those dealing with Transitioning to Retirement - getting a pension while still working; Contemplating retirement; Understanding Super; Women and super; Investments; and Super made simple
More information is available from www.firststatesuper.com.au.
Women’s business on show
The Powerhouse Museum is to host an exhibition of the unknown world of Aboriginal women.
Yinalung Yenu: women’s journey is to open on 21 March in time for Easter and will feature objects, photographs and personal interviews revealing the many roles Indigenous women have played in Australian society from traditional times to the present and explore areas where the women’s influence outweighed those of Indigenous men.
More information can be obtained from the Museum on (02) 9217 0111 or its infoline (02) 9217 0444, or website www.powerhousemuseum.com
Guide to salinity
The Department of Primary Industries has joined forces with the Namoi and Border Rivers - Gwydir Catchment Management Authorities to produce the first Salinity Glove Box Guide covering the three catchments.
The book covers dryland, irrigation and urban salinity and is a definitive guide to salinity throughout the region. It uses local knowledge to explain management options and provides other helpful information.
The Guide costs $30 (plus handling and postage) and mail orders can also be placed with NSW DPI’s Tamworth Agriculture Institute, (02) 6763 1100.
Privacy summary
The NSW Privacy Commissioner has added a placed a short introductory summary of NSW privacy law on its website.
Prepared by one of the Commission’s senior staff, the summary is expected to be useful for new staff and others needing an overview of NSW privacy law coverage and appears on the Publications and Links page at www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
13 February, 2008
Auditor Throws Book at Agencies
The Auditor-General has tabled his first report to Parliament for 2008, commenting on WorkCover, DECC, EPA, Health and a number of smaller entities.
While reporting that most Agencies were worthy of unqualified (and therefore good) audit reports, the Auditor, Peter Achterstraat, pointed out a number of issues in his overview of the Health portfolio and the controlled entities Pacific Power and Pacific Solar.
The Auditor chastised the Department of Health for being late in submitting its financial report for 2006-07 saying he received it on 27 August when the deadline was 13th.
“This was after the statutory deadline of 13 August 2007 and represents a breach of Section 45D of the Public Finance Audit Act 1983,” he said.
He said a number of health service entities were still using fully depreciated assets, one in particular showing that 47 per cent of its equipment was fully paid off and had not been upgraded.
“This indicates that the accounting assessment of their useful lives may not be appropriate,” he said.
“Some of these assets are quite old. The Department and its controlled entities should determine if they need to be replaced.”
He said the continued use of old equipment could impact on the efficient and effective provision of health services.
The Auditor also pointed out that the expenditure on health had increased in the past five years from $9.5 billion in 2003-04 to an projected $12.5 billion in 2007-08.
“As a percentage of total budgeted NSW state spending, New South Wales health expenditure has increased from 26.3 per cent in 2003-04 to an estimated 28.1 per cent in 2007-08.”
The Auditor also recommended Treasury tighten its supervision of the Corporation that controls Pacific Power and Pacific Solar.
After discovering oversights and delays in financial reporting in the Residual Business Management corporation, the Auditor recommended Treasury’s oversight be increased to “compensate for the limited internal controls and to ensure the financial reports of the entities are submitted for audit within statutory time frames.”
He said the governance and operations of the Corporation, Pacific Power and Pacific Solar were undertaken by a very small team: “resulting in limited internal controls and exposing the entities to financial risks.”
He reported that a new business manager had been appointed to the RMBC and that action was being taken to improve accounting and reporting processes.
13 February, 2008
New Department Is Grist for Mills
Carol Mills has been appointed Director-General of the Department of the Arts, Sport
and Recreation.
The announcement was made jointly by the Minister for Arts, Frank Sartor, and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Graham West who said they were looking to Ms Mills to bring her broad range of public sector experience to the Department.
Ms Mills replaces Bob Adby who retired at Christmas after leading DASR from April 2006.
She comes to the position from the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home
Care where she is Deputy Director-General and responsible for strategic planning and policy as well as the delivery of services to 35,000 clients.
Ms Mills has also been the head of disability programs for Northern Sydney region with the Department of Education and Training, and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Housing.
The Ministers said her qualifications included an Honours Arts degree, a Bachelor of Economics and Masters in Public Policy. She will take up her new position next month.
Mr Sartor and Mr West thanked Peter Loxton from the Department of Premier and Cabinet for acting as the head of DASR while a permanent replacement for Mr Adby was found.
13 February, 2008
Time Off For Saying Sorry
A Circular from the Department of Premier and Cabinet has advised the Chief Executives of Departments and Agencies to adopt a sensitive stance in their dealings with requests from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff for leave to take part in events associated with the official apology to members of the Stolen Generations.
Director General of DPC, Robyn Kruk asked the CEOs to remind managers and supervisors of the policy when ATSI staff required access to leave entitlements or flexible working hours credits.
The Commonwealth made the formal apology to the Stolen Generations on Wednesday, 13 February following a national Welcome to Country as part of the opening ceremony for the Federal Parliament the day before.
Ms Kruk said further details of the policy are contained at section 13 of Chapter 6 of the Personnel Handbook available on the Department of Premier and Cabinet website.
“These provisions apply to all Public Service Departments,” she said.
Agencies were also encouraged to provide facilities, where practicable, to enable staff to view the televised apology.
“We encourage all Government organisations in the NSW Public Sector including State Owned Corporations to support requests from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff for leave to participate in events, where practicable,” Ms Kruk said.
She reminded staff that if they wished to access leave to attend events, they were required to seek the agreement of their relevant manager.
Details are in DPC Circular C2008-04.
13 February, 2008
Valentine’s Service Comes from the Heart
The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages is in the spotlight this time of year as many couples choose St Valentine’s Day to exchange marriage vows.
According to the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, Greg Curry, 29 couples chose the Registry Office’s facilities for their big day this year.
“Registry marriages are increasingly popular among couples,” Mr Curry said. “This is because we offer an elegant and inexpensive way to celebrate this important event.”
He said civil marriage ceremonies were becoming more popular every year with figures from the Registry showing that since 1997, civil ceremonies had increased from 44 per cent to 58 per cent of all marriages.
He said the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages was the largest single provider of civil marriages in NSW.
Mr Curry said many of the couples choosing the Registry for their wedding like to make the day memorable in their own way.
“While the Registry supplies the vows, couples are welcome to add a little something to give their ceremony a personal touch.
He said, in the past, couples had arrived for their marriage in limousines, taxis, and even on the back of a Harley Davidson.
“While some couples choose to dress casually, others have worn traditional costumes from their homeland, such as kilts, saris, and even in full military dress uniform.”
Mr Curry said that in Sydney, the Registry conducts marriages seven days a week at a cost starting from $298.
He said anyone wishing to find out more about the Registry or its services could 1300 655 236 or visit www.bdm.nsw.gov.au
13 February, 2008
PSA Puts Case For Caseworkers
The Public Service Association has drawn on the experience of its members in the Department of Community Services to inform its submission to a Commission of Inquiry
The PSA said the inquiry would identify basic systemic issues that undermined the ability of DoCS caseworkers to do their jobs.
It said the caseworkers had warned that more children would suffer if the Ministerial Child Protection Commission process descended into a witch-hunt.
According to the PSA, the issues that needed addressing by the inquiry included:
* Inadequate staffing including case workers, case work managers and legal and administrative support staff;
* The adversarial Court system that was not designed to put the needs of children and families first;
* The computer system KIDS(Key Information Directory Service) that is used to log all
DoCS reports was inefficient and time consuming; and
* The lack of basic resources essential to do the job including cars for transporting families fitted with child car seats, mobile phones with adequate range for regional case workers and so on.
According to PSA Assistant General Secretary, Steve Turner, a witch-hunt would not solve any problems and would undermine morale within the organisation.
“Our submission is based on the widest survey of case workers we have ever undertaken,” Mr Turner said.
“The message they want to send is that they are committed to their work but frustrated that basic systems are not working.
“They are equally clear that the political attacks on the Minister and the constant stream of horror stories will not improve the situation.”
Mr Turner said the staff of the Department had one focus, which was to get the basics right and then freeing up the resources to allow them to get on with the job.
“Further polling of DoCS workers conducted in the last month found that 92.44% are concerned that resources are so stretched that some things are falling through the cracks.”
The PSA was to formally lodge its submission soon.
13 February, 2008
Year of Statistics Brought to Book
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its 2008 Year Book which Australian Statistician, Brian Pink said was a “magnificent window into Australia.”
Mr Pink said it showed where Australia had come from and where it was going.
He also announced that all 90 volumes of the Year Book Australia, going back to the first edition published in 1908, were now available free of charge from the ABS website.
According to Mr Pink, some of the more interesting statistics included in the Year Book were:
* The increase in Australia’s fertility rate in recent years following a long period of falling fertility. In 2005 the fertility rate reached around 1.8 babies per woman on average. Fertility after World War II peaked at 3.5 babies per woman in 1961.
* Australians were living in larger houses and fewer people were living in them. Since 1976 the average number of bedrooms per dwelling has increased (from 2.8 to 3.1 in 2005-06). However, during the same period the average number of people per household has declined (from 3.1 to 2.5).
* Australians were becoming better water conservators. Households reduced their water consumption by 8 per cent between 2000–01 and 2004–05 (from 2278 gigalitres to 2108 gigalitres).
* The population has more than doubled in the past 50 years, to 20.7 million in 2006. Natural increase has been the main growth factor, at around 60 per cent.
* In 2006, nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of all Australians were born overseas, and 26 per cent of people born in Australia have at least one parent born overseas.
* Marriages are lasting longer on average: 8.8 years from marriage to separation in 2005 compared to 7.9 years a decade ago, or 12.6 years from marriage to divorce (11.9 ten years ago).
* Average real disposable household income in Australia in 2005–06 was 10 per cent higher than in 2003-04. The Australian Capital Territory had the highest average household incomes, 22 per cent above the national average.
* Twenty-two percent of women and 19 per cent of men have a bachelor degree or higher. Ten years ago, the figure was 13 per cent for both men and women.
* Nearly two-thirds (63.5 per cent) of children aged 5-14 years participated in organised sport outside school hours when last surveyed. Participation peaked for boys aged 10 and girls aged 9.
* Seventy per cent of Australian households had access to a computer and 60 per cent had home Internet access. Household access to the Internet has grown from 1.1 million households in 1998 to 4.7 million in 2005-06.
13 February, 2008
Honours Descend on Waterfall Heroes
Thirteen NSW firefighters have been individually recognised for their actions following the tragic Waterfall train derailment in 2003.
NSW Fire Brigades Commissioner Greg Mullins congratulated the 13, saying they worked tirelessly at the scene with other emergency services to help passengers in hot, humid conditions. Seven people were killed in the incident.
Commissioner Mullins also praised the professionalism of each one of the 80 fire officers who responded to the derailment.
"Firefighters from stations around Sydney and the Illawarra as well as specialist rescue and hazmat staff responded to the emergency call,” Commissioner Mulllins said.
“On arrival they were confronted with a horrendous scene, with passengers deceased, trapped and many suffering from terrible injuries.”
He said due to the location of the derailment, firefighters were required to travel more than 1.5km on foot, taking 30 minutes in each direction, and carrying heavy equipment to reach the incident site.
“The terrain was not only rough but radio communication was limited due to the remote location and steep sandstone cliffs,” he said.
“The Waterfall train derailment was a black day for NSW with the families of so many affected.”
Commissioner Mullins said the important role played by all firefighters at the Waterfall train derailment highlighted the diverse skills of today's firefighter.
"Today's Firefighters do much more than just fight fires, and at Waterfall they demonstrated our capabilities and expertise in rescue and hazmat, as well as the resourcefulness and ingenuity that fire services are renowned for.
“This undoubtedly saved many lives on that tragic day.”
He said the actions of all the firefighters at the scene were a credit to the Fire Brigade and to the wider NSW.
The awards were presented at Menai Fire Station by Commissioner Mullins, the MP for Menai, Alison Megarrity and MP for Heathcote, Paul McLeay.
13 February, 2008
Long Distance Visit Strengthens OS Deal
An association between the Department of Environment and Climate Change and the land-locked Himalayan country of Bhutan was strengthened recently by a visit to Australia of two Bhutanese Government officials.
The Director General of DECC, Lisa Corbyn said the Secretary of the Bhutanese Ministry of Agriculture, Dasho Sherub Gyaltshen and the Director of the Department of Forests, Karma Dukpa were in Australia in January following the signing of an Agreement of Friendship and Cooperation between DECC’s Parks and Wildlife Group and the Nature Conservation Division of Bhutan’s Department of Forests.
The agreement was signed late last year.
While in Australia, the Department’s international visitors visited Kosciuszko National Park to inspect walking trails and some of the park's infrastructure such as signage, picnic areas and lookouts, as well as emote power supplies. Ms Corbyn said they also looked at fire-fighting equipment used by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in mountainous areas.
She said they also visited the Kosciuszko Education Centre’s "Bhutan Showroom" which was opened last year and which showcased Bhutan’s conservation work and explains the importance of the relationship between Kosciuszko National Park and the national parks in Bhutan.
Ms Corbyn said some of the interactive exhibits in the Kosciuszko Education Centre had been adopted for use in some of Bhutan's park visitor centres.
Dasho Sherub said the collaboration between Australia and Bhutan, particularly since 2000, had greatly assisted Bhutan to manage its protected areas.
"Kosciuszko National Park has many similar issues to those which we deal with in Bhutan given the fact that it comprises alpine and sub alpine ecosystems,” Dasho Sherub said.
“This collaborative partnership should be further nurtured and developed for the benefit of both our countries."
He said striving for a balanced approach in conservation, ecotourism and sustainable development was important to the Bhutanese Government. He said he appreciated the assistance provided by the Kosciuszko Education Centre in developing the framework for interpretation and education in Lamperi Royal Botanical Park in Bhutan.
Ms Corbyn said she looked forward to working with the Bhutanese and was eager to see how much more could be achieved for conservation through the collaboration of the two countries.
13 February, 2008
News Covered by
WorkCover eZine
WorkCover NSW is promoting its monthly electronic newsletter eNews as the best way for business owners to keep up to date on the latest news in workplace safety and workers compensation issues.
According to WorkCover CEO, Jon Blackwell, eNews is the easy way for busy people to keep up.
“WorkCover NSW has come up with an effective solution to the time-poor problem with its free monthly electronic newsletter, eNews,” Mr Blackwell said.
“More than 3,000 businesses have already signed up to receive eNews, and we want more to share in this unique new service that delivers the safety message directly to the workplace.”
He said WorkCover already communicated its workplace safety messages through a range of media but wanted to capture the growing number of people who preferred to receive their news via the internet.
“The eNews monthly newsletter provides information on a wide range of WorkCover essential services, safety regulatory requirements, new codes of practice, free small business forums, workshops and seminars,” Mr Blackwell said.
“News items also directly linked to the relevant information sheets and brochures on the WorkCover website.”
He said that as well as the messages businesses couldn’t afford to miss, eNews also carried news of rewards, including cashback schemes for safety initiatives, PTO rebates, and chances to win free tickets to safety conferences.
“And if the information subscribers require is not in eNews, they can email the Editor to include their chosen subject in a future edition!” he said.
eNews was online at www.workcover.nsw.gov.au and Mr Blackwell urged anyone who was interested to subscribe now.
13 February, 2008
Students’ Artshow Is Class Display
The annual ARTEXPRESS exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW turns 25 this year.
One of the gallery’s most popular events, ARTEXPRESS draws its works from the NSW Higher School Certificate Visual Art examination entrants and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
According to the senior co-ordinator of education programs at the Gallery, Tristan Sharp, the 25th anniversary exhibition reinforces a sense of history.
“The artworks on display present an informed, critical and at times edgy sense of the here and now,” Mr Sharp said, “as well as the close awareness students have of contemporary art practice.”
ARTEXPRESS provides insights into students’ creativity and the issues and ideas that are of importance to them and is a joint initiative of the Department of Education and Training and the Board of Studies NSW in association with the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
The 2008 ARTEXPRESS includes 62 works of art selected from the efforts of over 9000 students who sat the HSC Visual Arts in 2007.
The works include painting, drawing, photography, textiles, ceramics, graphic design, film and video, digital animation and sculpture. Students are required to submit a ‘body of work’ that explores themes related to personal and social experiences, world events and politics, reflection on the past and visions of the future, debates and dialogues about contemporary art issues as well as of art histories.
In its 25 years, the exhibition has seen many students go on to careers in the arts, including curators, educators, photographers, animators, graphic designers and contemporary artists. Two finalists in the Archibald Prize - Ben Quilty and Jasper Knight – had exhibited at ARTEXPRESS in years gone by.
The exhibition started out as a small display for conferences of principals and teachers’ conferences.
13 February, 2008
Paymasters on
Packet Tour
The Australian Fair Pay Commission is visiting all States and Territories as part of its 2008 Minimum Wage Review.
The purpose of the visits is to meet with State and Territory Governments, employee,
employer and community groups and to discuss issues relating to the Commission’s minimum
wage decision to be made in July this year.
The Commission will visit places of employment, employment service providers and training providers to obtain a better understanding of how its decisions impacted upon employers, employees and unemployed Australians.
Chair of the Commission, Professor Ian Harper said the visits provided opportunities for Members to discuss regional labour market conditions and to monitor the effects of previous decisions as well as receive input into this year’s wage review.
“The processes we have pioneered – conducting consultations, inviting submissions and undertaking research – represent a contemporary approach to the challenges of minimum wage-setting,” Professor Harper said. He said they would continue to underpin the Commission’s work.
Also included in the national consultation program were talks with national employee, employer and community organisations; meetings of the Commission’s Disability Roundtable and Business Consultative Groups; focus groups involving low-paid and unemployed people, juniors and employers; and interactive online discussion forums.
Professor Harper said that in carrying out its wage-setting function, the Commission was required to have regard to;
* the capacity for the unemployed and low paid to obtain and remain in
employment;
* employment and competitiveness across the economy;
* providing a safety net for the low paid; and
* providing minimum wages for junior employees, trainees and employees with disabilities.
He said the Federal Government had asked the Commission to set and adjust minimum wages until January 2010 when the new body, Fair Work Australia, would take on the job.
He said submissions on the 2008 Minimum Wage Review could be made to the Commission by 14 March and more information was available from 1300 139 699 or by visiting www.fairpay.gov.au
13 February, 2008
Harbour Laps Up Week-Long Party
The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is coordinating a week of events and activities on and around the Harbour from 1 to 9 March 2008.
Sydney Harbour Week 2008 promises to be a week of celebrations with more than 30 events on the calendar including, for the first time ever, the world’s fastest water-sport race – the Superboat Grand Prix.
According to organisers, Sydney Harbour Week is all about celebrating and sharing in the magnificent Harbour foreshores and waterways.
As well as taking in the Superboat Grand Prix, visitors can enter into the spirit of the Week in dozens of other ways: by swimming, sailing, snorkelling, diving, exploring and more!
“Grab a paddle and join up to 400 other paddle-craft racing from the Harbour Bridge to Manly Beach in the exciting Bridge to Beach ocean race,” the Sydney Harbour Week Committee says.
“Swim fans can take the plunge and compete with 800 challengers in the 7th Sydney Harbour Swim Classic and race across the Harbour.”
They expect the Harbour to come alive when more than 250 yachts battle it out in the Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta, an event that traditionally attracts thousands to the foreshore!
Other attractions will include scuba dive or snorkelling tours; sailing onboard the tall ship the James Craig; or simply learning to sail on Sydney Harbour.
A display of yachts, speedboats and traditional maritime craft is planned, including heritage boats and a marketplace at the Classic and Wooden Boat Festival.
“Heritage enthusiasts can enjoy learning about the rich history of Sydney Harbour on a guided tour of North Fort and Fort Denison or with a series of NSW Maritime lectures,” the organisers say.
There will be a free Harbour cruise at Kids Afloat, a free sea rafting session at Chowder Bay and special Sydney Harbour library story-times and activities.
The full program of events and activities is available at www.sydneyharbourweek.com.au.
Sydney Harbour Week is an initiative of Sydney Harbour Week Committee and is coordinated by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
13 February, 2008
Sunny Solution For Beachside Station
Merimbula Fire Station on the State’s south coast has gone solar with the unveiling of a new
solar energy system that would generate up to 5000 kilowatt hours of clean energy for the station each year.
Director of Regional Operations with NSW Fire Brigades, Assistant Commissioner Mark Brown, said the energy generated at the station was more than the average Australian household used in a 12 month period.
He said the installation of the grid connect solar system and the solar hot water system at Merimbula was part of the NSWFB's ongoing commitment to minimising the impact the organisation had on the environment.
"The NSWFB is committed to making our stations and operations greener and more energy efficient,” Assistant Commissioner Brown said.
"Solar hot water systems are now a standard feature in all new fire stations and Merimbula Fire Station's grid connected solar panels are part of a trial that will enable us to assess the benefits of using solar energy and investigate how it can be incorporated into current and future fire stations."
He said the new solar energy systems could save almost five tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
"The solar hot water system will provide 90 per cent of the station's hot water needs, all heated for free by the sun's energy while the grid connect solar system will provide essential power to the station with any surplus energy being fed back into the electricity grid, winding back the station's electricity meter.
He said that as well as the environmental benefits, it was estimated that the grid connect system could generate over $500 per year in savings.
Zone Commander for the South Coast and Monaro area, Superintendent Wayne Roberts, thanked local organisation Clean Energy for Eternity and its founder Matthew Nott for their support of the project.
“CEFE has been instrumental is getting this project off the ground,” Superintendent Roberts said.
“Mr Nott has provided us with ongoing information and advice on the benefits of using solar power.”
He said the Brigade was proud to be contributing to the CEFE's goal of reducing energy consumption by 50 per cent and increasing the use of renewable energy sources in the region.
13 February, 2008
Achievers Achieve Disabled Certificate
Certificates of achievement have been presented to 100 people with disabilities who successfully achieved open employment through the Government’s Transition to Work program.
Minister for Disability Services, Kristina Keneally presented the certificates saying the Transition to Work program was an invaluable support to people with intellectual disabilities by helping them acquire the skills and abilities necessary to move into employment.
“Being active in the workforce and participating in social activities has a real and positive effect on people’s health and wellbeing,” Ms Keneally said, “by improving self-confidence and creating a sense of belonging.
“The latest 100 people to successfully complete the Transition to Work Program did so with the assistance of Jobsupport – they now have a much brighter future, thanks to their own personal effort.”
She congratulated the employers who saw the value to the community people with disabilities were.
“Some of the people receiving awards today have now been in the workforce for 10 years,” Ms Kenneally said.
“And I take this opportunity to commend those employers who have helped people with disabilities find meaningful employment, in particular those who have employed more than one.”
She said there were around 12,000 people with a disability who were unemployed in NSW.
“That’s an unacceptable nine per cent unemployment rate - three per cent higher than the state average.”
She said the Government was committed to closing the gap between people with a disability and the overall community.
“The Transition to Work Program is a key component of our plan to achieve this State Plan target.”
She said since the Transition to Work program was started in 2005, 692 people had entered and more than half had moved into employment or further education.
“Jobsupport’s assistance with the Transition to Work Program played a key role in achieving this great result, operating in Bankstown, Hurstville, Liverpool, Miranda, Blacktown, Chatswood, Parramatta, Rockdale, Fairfield, Campbelltown and Sydney City.”
Representatives from the NSW Department of Education and Training, the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and DADHC attended the ceremony.
13 February, 2008
Mine Action Plan Strikes Gold
An action plan to improve safety in the mining industry has been welcomed by the
Minister for Mineral Resources, Ian Macdonald.
Developed by the Mine Safety Advisory Council, the plan supported recommendations from the 2005 Wran Mine Safety Review.
"This project highlighted what is really happening in the industry,” Mr Macdonald said, “and addressing its recommendations will allow measures to be developed to improve industry health and safety for the State’s miners.
"Practical improvements can now be made in important areas like fatigue management and working hours through high-level commitment from Government agencies, industry and unions.”
He said he had asked the Mine Safety Advisory Council to implement its Action Pan as soon as possible and to work closely with the industry because it was only through their committed action that positive change will be achieved.
"I am pleased to say the Digging Deeper final report has the full support of the Mine Safety Advisory Council, the primary body advising the NSW Government on occupational health and safety in the mining industry,” Mr Macdonald said.
"I congratulate all on the high level of co-operation achieved on this issue and look forward to the implementation of the recommendations including the setting of a fatigue management standard and a program of education and assistance to industry."
Mr Macdonald said the project looked at an number of initiatives and assessed their impact on OHS performance.
He said these included:
* Production bonus payments and safety-based incentive schemes;
* Fatigue management and working hours; and
* OHS management systems and consultation.
He said the Mine Safety Advisory Council was made up of Government representatives, mining employers and employees and independent experts in OHS.
The Wran Mine Safety Review recommendations were accepted in 2005 and their implementation is being overseen by the Council.
Mr Macdonald said that more information about the Digging Deeper project could be found at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
13 February, 2008
Rights Watchdog Gives Same Sex Pat
The Commonwealth Human Rights Commissioner has congratulated the Australian Capital Territory Government for planning to legalise parental leave for both partners in a same-sex relationship.
Commissioner Graeme Innes said the welfare of the child should be paramount.
“When you deny parental leave to same-sex parents you inevitably sacrifice the best interests of the children being raised by that couple,” Commissioner Innes said.
He said the ACT Government should be applauded for its vigilance in removing discrimination against same-sex couples from its own laws.
“The fact remains, however, that discrimination against same-sex couples continues to exist under Federal legislation, which covers most people in the ACT,” Commissioner Innes said.
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission released its Same-Sex: Same Entitlements report in June 2007, which identified 58 Federal laws that discriminated against same-sex couples in the areas of work and financial entitlements.
He said HREOC remained in discussions with the new Federal Attorney-General about when the 58 discriminatory laws would be amended.
“We look forward to the day when the Federal Government removes this discrimination against the more than 25,000 same-sex couples in Australia,” Commissioner Innes said.
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements report can be accessed on the HREOC website at www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/samesex/
13 February, 2008
Biennale On-line
Sydney’s 2008 Biennale has launched its online component.
The site, which is open to the public, features preview artworks, texts and projects based on the exhibition theme Revolutions - Forms That Turn.
The Biennale is due to kicks off on 18 June and run to 7 September 2008.
The address is www.bos2008.com/revolutionsonline
Postal auction
Australia Post has opened its Dead Letter Office and auctioned the contents for charity.
In addition to selling all the unclaimed items that have turned up in the now-renamed Mail Redistribution Centre over the past three months, the Corporation presented the $14,200 proceeds of the last sale in October to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the $16, 300 from its June Auction to the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.
When all the items are auctioned and the money in, the staff of the MRC hold a ballot among charities to see who will benefit this time.
Conservatorium series
The Sydney Conservatorium has launched its 2008 Conductors Series, featuring the works of Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Bartok.
The series, to be staged on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons features the Sydney Conservatorium Orchestra and is an integral part of a program of more than 460 public concerts scheduled from March onwards.
More information is available from www.music.usyd.edu.au and bookings can be made on 02 8256 2222.
Living centre opened
An independent living centre has been opened at North Rocks to be used for training and social events by residents and staff of The Forsight Foundation.
Minister for Disability Services, Kristina Keneally, opened ‘The Rotary Room’ saying it would be used to teach living skills, literacy and money management.
Ms Keneally said the Governmnet provided $2.6 million in funding to the Forsight Foundation this year.
Model Earth symposium
CSIRO plans to host a symposium in May, focusing on Earth System modelling, a new area of science requiring collaboration among many disciplines.
Five key themes will be addressed in the symposium: geodynamics; seismology and damage mechanics; fluid dynamics including atmospheric and marine sciences and industrial mixing; material science; and the mathematical basis for complex systems and non-equilibrium thermodynamics.
A better understanding of the complexities of the Earth System is widely recognised as a high priority in the geoscience community.
6 February, 2008
Housing Officer to Be Shown the Door
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has found that a Senior Client Services Officer with the Department of Housing engaged in corrupt conduct.
ICAC found that the Officer accepted money for allocating public housing in the Miller/Cartwright area of south-west Sydney. It also found he allowed housing properties to be used for illegal drug dealing and passed on confidential police information to of the Department’s tenants.
According to ICAC, the Officer took payments of $500 to $1,700 from prospective housing tenants to fast-track their applications between 2003 and 2006 and he did so in collusion with two existing tenants, one of whom was selling illicit drugs from his Department accommodation,
It recommended the Director of Public prosecutions consider taking legal action against the tenants and a number of others who allegedly paid to jump the queue.
It also recommended the Department of Housing take disciplinary action against the Senior Client Services Officer “with a view to his dismissal.”
ICAC Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps QC, said that the behaviour of the Department of Housing Officer and the tenants showed little regard for others in the community who had a need for public accommodation.
“Public housing in NSW is a scarce resource,” Commissioner Cripps said. “Although the Department of Housing manages more than 127,600 housing properties, there are about 40,000 people waiting to be allocated public housing.”
He said the matter showed the Department’s system had been open to abuse by both a staff member and clients.
“My report also makes 18 corruption prevention recommendations to help the Department improve its operations and procedures and prevent or minimise this type of abuse occurring in the future,” Commissioner Cripps said.
He said the recommendations included the Department developing procedures to review strategies that gave Departmental officers in some areas increased flexibility in allocating properties as it was this flexibility that led to people paying the alleged bribes.
The ICAC investigation involved 11 compulsory examinations and a four-day public inquiry which heard evidence from 12 people.
6 February, 2008
PSA Hits Out at DV Job Cutbacks
The Public Service Association has expressed concern at the effect of staff cuts at the Department of Community Service.
It said a plan to centralise the Department’s Domestic Violence services would lead to the loss of 24 positions and the potential for a drop in services to the victims of domestic violence.
Assistant General Secretary of the PSA, Steve Turner said the move appeared to be a cost cutting exercise. He said among the tasks to be affected by the job cuts would be the promotion of strategies to prevent violence against women; liaison work with Agencies and the non-Government sector; collaboration with Local Government, Aboriginal communities, remote areas, licensed premises and regional communities.
“Sadly the Government has chosen not to consult with frontline domestic violence workers before announcing these changes,” Mr Turner said.
“We are concerned that the 24 jobs that will be cut will leave gaps in knowledge,
experience and service delivery to victims of violence.”
He said 240 years of knowledge and experience working with Agencies across communities would be lost when the workers were sacked.
“The Government has come up with this initiative without talking to the very people that have worked at the front line,” he said.
“We will monitor the impact of the cuts and make public any problems that arise from this cost-cutting exercise.”
Mr Turner said the PSA was to notify a dispute over the issue with the Industrial Relations Commission.
Opposition Shadow minister for Women, Pru Goward said the provision of domestic violence services was an extremely sensitive area.
“It's short sighted of the Premier to axe 24 experienced staff and replace them with 18 policy positions,” Ms Goward said.
6 February, 2008
Outsourcing Blues Bring Insourcing In
The Australian Human Resources Institute has reported a move away from the practice of outsourcing, saying many private industry firms were rethinking their “core business” and bringing outsourced function in-house.
The AHRI is the national association representing human resource and people management professionals.
According to the report Remote control in the current edition of the Institute’s magazine hrmonthly, a number of firms had admitted to making outsourcing mistakes.
The Managing Director of internet service provider, iinet, Michael Malone said some large European Telcos, TeliaSonera being one, had reduced their outsourcing. “They outsourced some call centre functions but have now moved them back in-house. Their principle today is that any touchpoint with customers must be company-owned,” he said. Other firms got it wrong for different reasons, according to associate professor of IT strategy at Deakin University, Anne Rouse, who wrote of a security guard firm that outsourced its payroll but found that its own system, which was reliable and efficient, had helped the firm attract good staff.
The director of professional services at the Queensland University of Technology’s IT faculty, Greg Timbrell, pointed to companies that redefined their core business to enable them to outsource more functions.
“A bank’s core business, for example, may once have been transaction processing …but if you redefine it as risk management, it gives a CIO licence to outsource what might once have been considered core systems,” Dr Timbrellsaid.
Partner in accounting firm KPMG, James Hunter said that the cultural fit between the outsourcing and outsourced companies was critical, and he made it a practice always to involve a senior HR person in any outsourcing deals to ensure that the people issues were given due weight.
The experts quoted in the report agreed that many outsourced decisions were strategically flawed and made to support a decision already made rather than to satisfy a considered cost-benefit analysis.
Some functions were heavily outsourced, industrial catering and office cleaning for example, and most large firms outsourced at least one function. Seventy-five per cent of outsourcing expenditure came from firms with more than 500 employees. The report said that those firms accounted for less than 0.2 percent of the total market by number.
6 February, 2008
Courts Find Room In Cyberspace
The NSW Justice system has entered the computer age with some Court hearings being given the go-ahead to be heard online.
Attorney General John Hatzistergos announced the $48 million JusticeLink move, saying the new system would include live procedural hearings on the internet and be rolled out to all NSW Courts by 2009.
Mr Hatzistergos said under the plan, prosecutors and defence lawyers would be able to log onto a bulletin board and type their arguments which will be sent to a Judge who will make determinations in real time.
“While the time-honoured traditions of our legal system will remain intact, JusticeLink will streamline the process,” Mr Hatzistergos said.
He said it would save millions of dollars in Court and legal costs and countless hours spent in the Courtroom.
A trial of JusticeLink had been successful in the NSW Supreme Court where 167 electronic hearings had already been held and it would be extended to the District Court this month.
Mr Hatzistergoos said within 12 months, the computer system was expected to be operating in every criminal and civil court in NSW, including 160 Local Courts.
“JusticeLink is the first multi-jurisdictional court computer system in the world.”
He said trials and committal hearings would still be heard in courtrooms, but that JusticeLink would cut out the need for simple procedural matters that traditionally required parties to be in Court.
Mr Hatzistergos said JusticeLink could also be used by law firms to “e-file” motions and evidence, enabling parties to proceedings to pull up information at the touch of a button. He said so far, nine law firms were using e-filing and had uploaded 11,500 documents.
“Document trolleys and ring binders will be replaced by laptops and CDs as thousands of pages will now be stored as soft copies,” he said.
6 February, 2008
Old Building Sets New Standards
The refurbishment of a heritage-listed building in Sydney has set new standards for environmental sustainability in heritage buildings.
Planning Minister, Frank Sartor said the former Bushells warehouse at 88 George Street had been rated Australia’s most sustainably designed State heritage-listed office building after a $7 million refurbishment project.
The Green Building Council of Australia awarded the project a 5-Star Green Star Office Design rating - the first time the rating had been awarded to a State heritage-listed office building.
The project was the responsibility of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
Mr Sartor said the Rocks area was the birthplace of Sydney and had a rich and important history.
“So it is fitting that the precinct should also lead the way to a healthy, environmentally sustainable future,” he said.
He said the project set an important benchmark for the adaptive re-use of heritage buildings across Australia.
“It demonstrates that it is possible to retain heritage significance, but also deliver a
contemporary and highly sustainable building.”
He said the restored building had been turned into a healthy workplace which maximised daylight and fresh air and reduced energy and water use, as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Mr Sartor said the key sustainable design features of the building included:
* an innovative approach to air conditioning
* windows that opened to let in the sea breeze and allow air conditioning to be
turned off;
* water and energy efficient fixtures and individual metering on every floor to encourage better consumption management; and
* cycling facilities with showers, change rooms and storage.
Chief Executive of the Green Building Council of Australia, Romilly Madew, congratulated the Foreshore Authority for obtaining the 5-Star Green Star rating.
"88 George Street shows that heritage buildings can include green and sustainable
initiatives without losing the beauty and identity of the building,” Ms Madew said.
“Green buildings do not need to be new constructions, but can incorporate new
technologies and design to create a building that is efficient and a healthy environment
for staff.”
Mr Sartor said the Green Star rating for the 88 George Street project followed the 6-Star rating awarded to the new workplace6 building being constructed at Darling Island – opposite Star City Casino.
“These are both exciting projects that are helping to usher in a new era of sustainability
across the foreshore precincts,” Mr Sartor said.
“The two projects are planks in the Authority’s groundbreaking plan to slash the carbon
footprint of The Rocks, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo.
“Under the plan, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is working with businesses to move towards an 80 per cent reduction in the area’s carbon footprint by 2020.
“The Authority has also committed to be carbon neutral across its operations by 2010”
6 February, 2008
More Brass for Former Police
Retired NSW Police Officers have been encouraged to apply for a Police Medal following changes made to the system last year.
Police Minister David Campbell has called on retired members of the force with 10 years’ service to apply for their medal online.
"Late last year I announced changes to the NSW Police Medal guidelines to finally recognise the efforts of all NSW police officers who have given 10 years of ethical service," Mr Campbell said.
"The Government introduced the NSW Police Medal in 2002 to recognise the tireless commitment and integrity of our Police Officers.”
He said the Police Medal was unique because it was an award that came directly from the people of NSW.
“I believe that retired police officers deserve this special recognition," Mr Campbell said.
He said up to 5,000 retired officers could be eligible for the medal.
The Government changed the eligibility criteria at the instigation of the Retired Police Association.
"There has been significant interest in the new rules which allow retired officers to apply, with 500 inquiries already received in less than two months," Mr Campbell said.
"Being a Police Officer is a terrific career choice. No-one undertakes such a role in order to receive a pat on the back, but it is great for their hard work and dedication to be formally recognised.”
Mr Campbell said the medal was a way for the community to say thank you to their serving and retiring Police Officers for all their hard work.
More information about the medal or how to apply is available at www.police.nsw.gov.au
6 February, 2008
Jobseekers Sought For Careers Service
Centrelink is to stage a three-month trial of Career Information Services in country NSW at its Batemans Bay, Ulladulla and Bega offices.
Until the end of April, school leavers or those looking for a career change, will be encouraged to use the Service to check out the options available to them, which could include enrolling for study, training or looking for work.
According to Deborah Tritton from Batemans Bay Centrelink, the Service could prove particularly useful for school leavers who may have missed out on a University offer or were still undecided about what to do.
“There’s often more than one way for people to pursue their career goals,” Ms Tritton said.
“We’ve been working closely with the local organisations such as TAFE and would like to encourage anyone to pop by and discover what opportunities there are.”
She said it was free and everyone was welcome to use it, not just high school or tertiary students. The trial is part of Centrelink’s planned Batemans Bay Community Innovation Centre and will help establish the service needs of the local community.
“One of the great programs we offer is Career Voyager - a career assessment tool that allows people to explore various career opportunities based on their interests,” Ms Tritton said.
“In many cases, the program suggests options the individual has not considered.”
She said a trained Centrelink officer would be available to interpret the results of the program and assist with further information on job options.
“It can benefit people across the community, including young people looking for career direction, adults seeking a fresh career change or parents looking to re-enter the workforce.
There’s a world of opportunities out there waiting to be discovered.”
Interested people can find out more by phoning Centrelink on (02) 4475 3034.
6 February, 2008
Disability Ministers Take Strong Stand
A joint meeting of Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers with responsibility for disability has determined that a new era of cooperation has dawned.
The meeting, chaired by the Federal Minister for Families and Community Services, Jenny Macklin marked the start of talks on the fourth Commonwealth State and Territory Disability Agreement.
The Ministers formally agreed to the key priority areas which would guide the development of the Agreement.
Ms Macklin said the Governments were looking forward to working together and with disability stakeholders and the community to get a better deal for people with disabilities.
Also on the agenda of the meeting was the Australian Government’s National Disability Strategy, which would provide leadership in disability policy and draw on the experience of States and Territories.
Ms Macklin said the National Disability Strategy provided an historic opportunity for the Commonwealth, States and Territories to work together with the community to ensure the needs of people with disabilities and their families were addressed through coordinated and comprehensive policy planning – across all Government Departments and services.
The National Disability Strategy and the CSTDA 4 were also vehicles through which Ministers could work together on the eight key priority areas identified by the Australian Labor Party prior to the Federal election:
* better measurement of current and future need for disability services;
* moving toward national population benchmarks for key disability service types;
* making older carers a priority for all disability services under the CSTDA;
* quality improvement systems based on the National Disability Service Standards for all Agreement services;
* improved service planning and strategies to simplify access to services under the CSTDA;
* focusing on early intervention, lifelong planning and increasing the independence and social participation of people with a disability;
* improved workforce capacities, and;
* access to services by Indigenous people with disabilities.
The Disability Ministers agreed to meet again in March to continue work on the new Agreement.
6 February, 2008
Youngsters in Frame
For Film Awards
The NSW Film and Television Office has limited applications for the next round of its Young Filmmakers Fund to people living in western Sydney and regional NSW.
The Fund promotes the talent of emerging young filmmakers between 18 and 35 who have a story to tell on screen or online.
According to the FTO’s Head of Development and Investment, Linda Tizard, young film makers in the target area had not been assisted as much as they could have been by the Fund.
“It is clear that many emerging filmmakers from western Sydney and regional NSW have felt that their access to the program has been limited,” Ms Tizard said.
“The FTO is committed to engaging with filmmakers from across the State and by making one round of the Young Filmmakers Fund open only to filmmakers from regional NSW and western Sydney (it) will support talented young filmmakers from those areas to take the next step towards a professional career in the industry.”
She said since its inception in 1995, the Young Filmmakers Fund had supported 107 projects including short dramas, documentaries, animation and experimental films.
She said many had been acclaimed both nationally and internationally and had launched the careers of several successful NSW filmmakers.
“The Young Filmmakers Fund has had an important role over more than a decade in developing the professional skills of young NSW filmmakers,” Ms Tizard said.
She said to be eligible, the applicants needed to reside either in regional NSW or western Sydney and for the FTO that meant Auburn, Bankstown, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Camden, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Holroyd, Liverpool, Parramatta and Penrith.
She said the boundary for regional NSW began at the borders of Wollondilly Shire Council, Blue Mountains City Council, the Hawksbury City Council and the Councils of Gosford City and Wyong Shire.
Ms Tizard said the deadline for applications was 14 April 2008 and more information, including application forms, was available from the various regional film offices or from the Coordinator of YFF & Digital FX at the FTO, Valerie Allerton,
6 February, 2008
Firefighters On Show At Dubbo Zoo
The Community Fire Unit at Taronga Western Plains Zoo has five new members.
Minister for Emergency Services, Nathan Rees officially welcomed the new team members saying they hade a vitally important role to play in fire outbreaks
Mr Rees said the Zoo's CFU had been operating for seven years and was the only Community Fire Unit in NSW to be made up entirely of employees from one organisation.
He said the new CFU members successfully completed their training with NSW Fire Brigades firefighters from Dubbo late last year and would receive further training from local firefighters.
The new members are all keepers at the zoo: Linda Gardiner, Megan Collins, Kim Carlaw, Mel Freidman, Genevieve Holmes.
Mr Rees said the role of the CFU members was to prepare the zoo and its animals for the threat of bushfires and put out small spot fires caused by flying embers.
"Zoo CFU members have a vitally important role to play before and after fire outbreaks," Mr Rees said.
"They work throughout the year to prepare for bushfires and during a bushfire they are activated so that NSWFB and NSW Rural Fire Service firefighters can get on with the main job of fighting the intense fire fronts.”
He said CFU members were required to complete 12 hours of initial training to develop the skills and knowledge they needed to prevent and prepare for bushfires.
The five new members would join the 16 existing members of the Western Plains Zoo CFU.
The Taronga Western Plains Zoo was a major tourist attraction in Dubbo and brought more than 200,000 people to the area annually.
The zoo is surrounded by bushland, making it vital that staff have the skills and knowledge to help protect the complex from bushfires.
6 February, 2008
Ambulance’s Smith
Called to UN
The Director of the Special Operations Unit at the Ambulance Service of NSW, George Smith has been named as a member of a United Nations Medical Working Group.
The Group was set up recently by the UN International Search and Rescue Advisory
Group and its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Mr Smith will be part of the Australian Working Group which joins others from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Japan, Switzerland and China.
The Group is to focus on the medical requirements of international Urban Search and
Rescue Teams which may be deployed outside their countries of origin. Mr Smith was selected because of his extensive background in USAR.
The kinds of activities OCHA undertakes is exemplified by its recent response to Cyclone Sidr in Bangaldesh, the Peru Earthquake and the floods in Indonesia and Korea.
Mr Smith joined the Ambulance Service of NSW in 1973 at Fairfield Station. He remained in the local area for 20 years before moving to Ambulance Headquarters where he has provided leadership in dealing with such events as the Thredbo landslide, and co-ordinating medical teams to the Bali Bombings, the South East Asian Tsunami and the Java Earthquake.
He is currently Director of the Special Operations Unit for the Ambulance Service NSW
and will head up the Ambulance service response to World Youth Day this year during the
Papal visit to Sydney.
He said he was looking forward to taking up the position and being involved in the international working party.
“Here in Australia, we are very highly regarded for our medical and rescue capabilities,” Mr Smith said, “and this will continue to put Australia on the map”.
The first meeting of the INSARAG Medical Working Group is expected to be held in the
United Kingdom in April 2008.
6 February, 2008
Legal Precinct to Be Brought to Justice
Plans to create a Justice Precinct in Newcastle have taken a step forward with the Attorney-General announcing a feasibility study into options for the project.
John Hatzistergos said the study would take about two months and include a public-private partnership in the possibilities it evaluated.
“This study will examine development options for a project that could range between $35 and $100 million and include both Commonwealth and State courts,” Mr Hatzistergos said.
“Consideration of a public-private model could also mean examining options for co-locating legal firms, Government services and other agencies in a precinct in inner Newcastle.
He said the study would examine how legal services could best be delivered in the region and would involve discussions with the Commonwealth.
“This study will take into account local ideas such as those proposed by the Newcastle City Council
“I am advised that the Commonwealth has expressed a keen interest in having a joint State and Commonwealth complex.”
Mr Hatzistergos said that over the past five years the Government had spent an average $225,000 on maintenance and another $400,000 on improvements to the current Courthouse each year.
“This money has included structural repairs of the existing heritage building, upgrades of the air-conditioning system and refurbishment of amenities,” he said.
6 February, 2008
Solar Power Panels Hit the Roof
The Federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett has officially opened the largest single roof mounted solar power system in New South Wales.
Located at the Cadbury Schweppes factory in Sydney’s Blacktown, the array would tower above Centrepoint if its 640 panels were stood end to end.
Mr Garrett said Cadbury Schweppes was the first business to take up the commercial solar power offer under the Blacktown Solar City project.
“The rooftop solar highway here at Cadbury Schweppes is truly spectacular,” Mr Garrett said. “This is the way of the future - it’s what fighting climate change is all about.”
He said the Cadbury Schweppes solar system was a great example of the innovative approaches Solar Cities is enabling across Australia
“Under the Solar Cities trials, we are bringing together industry, power companies and households to combine solar power, smart meters, energy efficiency and market reform.
“We’re laying the foundations of a sustainable energy future.”
Mr Garrett said the new Federal Government had already started work to create two new Solar Cities to bring cleaner, greener energy to homes and businesses in Perth and Victoria’s Coburg.
“Blacktown is a shining example of what they can look forward to,” he said.
“We’re also working on a range of new measures to help Australians make existing homes more sustainable through green home loans, energy efficient insulation and cost-saving new standards for household appliances.
“These initiatives will make a practical difference in the fight against climate change in homes and communities around Australia,”
Mr Garrett congratulated the Blacktown Solar City consortium of BP Solar, Integral Energy, Blacktown City Council, Landcom, ANZ and Big Switch Projects, for helping to set a new benchmark for commercial solar power.
He urged other companies to follow their lead.
The Blacktown Solar City trial will run over six years, and information gained and lessons learned from the project will help develop future climate change policies.
Blacktown is joined by Adelaide, Townsville, Alice Springs and Central Victoria as Solar Cities.
6 February, 2008
Extension added to Housing Conference
Registrations for the National Housing Conference has been extended until 13 February.
The Director-General of Housing NSW, Mike Allen and Executive Director of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, Dr Ian Winter urged interested people to register soon.
The conference will be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre Darling Harbour, from Wednesday 20 to the Friday the 22nd of February 2008.
Mr Allen said the conference would be the first since the change of Federal Government and offered the chance to discuss the full range of housing sector issues and opportunities.
“The new Federal Government has made housing a priority,” Mr Allen said, “as indicated with both Minister Macklin and Minister Plibersek speaking at the Conference.”
Dr Winter said the conference was designed to bring together Federal, State and Local Governments with the private sector and non-Government organisationsas well as a range of international guests.
“Respected experts such as American social housing specialist Rachael Bratt and UK housing wealth authority John Doling will share their ideas and experiences,” Dr Winter said, “while local speakers such as ANZ Chief Economist Saul Eslake and social researcher and author Hugh Mackay will challenge industry and Government to discuss the issues.”
Mr Allen said the registration extension was to accommodate renewed interest.
“We are seeing strong interest from both industry and all levels of Government in attending the conference,” he said.
“Both public and private sector organisations have an important role to play and it’s essential we get involvement from all industry sectors.”
Up to 1,000 people are expected to attend the National Housing Conference which is being hosted by Housing NSW, The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and is sponsored by the Federal Government’s Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
6 February, 2008
Summer Sport Guide Hot Stuff for Schools
A guide is being distributed to all schools advising school teachers, children, parents and other sports people on how to play sport and exercise safely in hot weather.
Entitled Beat the Heat: Playing and Exercising Safely in Hot Weather, the guide was launched by the Federal Minister for Sport, Kate Ellis to coincide with the start of the school year.
Ms Ellis said Australia’s already hot climate was steadily getting hotter due to climate change.
“That doesn’t mean we have to give up our sport or our exercise,” she said, “but to play and exercise safely in hot weather we have to understand the dangers of heat stress and how to react.”
Ms Ellis said the Federal Government had funded Sports Medicine Australia to update the brochure to reflect the latest research on heat injuries as part of the National Smartplay
program.
She said copies would be sent to physical education teachers in every school, as well as to sporting organisations, sports stores, pharmacies and health professionals.
She said the brochure was relevant to everyone involved with sport and exercise including children, older people, the overweight or unwell.
“Heat illness can be very serious,” she said.
“While most people recover quickly from heat illness, if the condition remains untreated it can lead to heat stroke and even death.
“Beat the Heat suggests that you stop or slow down if you feel unwell while exercising,
especially in hot weather.
“The start of the school year - traditionally a time of hot weather - is an appropriate time to pay attention to the safety of children playing sport.”
Ms Ellis said the guide contained tips on reducing heat stress including wearing loose, lightweight clothing, sponging with water, drinking two cups of water in the two hours before exercise, and scheduling events to avoid the hottest part of the day.
“Most of the advice in the updated Beat the Heat fact sheet involves simple rules of common sense and following this advice should enable Australians of all ages to enjoy the exercise they want and need,” she said.
The Beat the Heat factsheet draws on research recently published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, in a special edition devoted to exercise in hot weather.
It is available at www.sma.org.au or by contacting Sports Medicine Australia.
6 February, 2008
Planning Meeting Has Plans of Its Own
The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW have proposed a number of planning reforms they say would lead to faster development approvals without compromising the character of neighbourhoods or reducing community input.
A meeting of 250 Mayors and Council general managers has come up with the reforms which were in response to proposed sweeping changes to the planning laws.
According to the President of the Local Government Association, Cr Genia McCaffery, changes proposed by the Government would lead to homeowners being denied a say in what was built next door and the character of many neighbourhoods would be compromised.
“The same rules (are) being applied to residential developments regardless of whether you are in Bourke or Balmain," Cr McCaffery said.
“As community representatives we have a responsibility to oppose changes that are not good for the community, and float ideas which protect the rights of residents and ensure good development decisions are made.”
She said the alternative suggestions which related mainly to building certification and broader appeal rights for residents were put forward for the Government, community and industry to consider.
She said any changes to the rules should focus on making sure planning decision makers were accountable, building codes reflected local needs and neighbours had the opportunity to appeal against developments.
Cr McCaffery said the 250 Mayors also considered:
* requiring Building Certifiers' certificates to be made to Council with strict turnaround times for developments already certified;
* Consideration be given to broad third party appeal rights which were available in other States;
* Encouraging the use of advisory Independent Hearing Assessment Panels;
* Changes to Court procedures to take away the 'win lose' approach to reduce costs for Councils and shorten hearings.
Ms McCaffery said the Mayors supported some of the Government's suggestions including a Planning Assessment Commission (but with Parliamentary oversight); improvements to plan making; strengthening enforcement and sanctions for building certifiers; and the extension of e-planning initiatives.
She said Councils also spoke of the likely impacts of Government plans to slash development contributions.
President of the Shires Association, Cr Bruce Miller said the development contribution cuts would greatly reduce Councils' capacities to provide important social infrastructure in a financial environment where many were already at financial breaking point.
"We are demanding the Government provide more time to consider solutions to current planning problems so we can agree on workable solutions which don't compromise the fundamental right of residents to have communities where people want to live," Cr Miller said.
6 February, 2008
Airport consultation takes off
The Sydney Airport Community Forum, has been re-established, the Government honoring an election pledge to restore the community’s role in decisions about the operation of the Airport.
Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said residents living around Sydney Airport had a right to be consulted on decisions that would ultimately affect their quality of life.
The first meeting of the reconstituted SACF is to be held on 15 February 2008.
Drought events are winners
Two groups of drought support workers from the Department of Primary Industries have been included in the Community Event of the Year awards.
Farm Family Gatherings held at Braidwood and Crookwell received the awards at recent Australia Day ceremonies.
DPI’s Renata Brooks, said the award-winning events highlighted the support the NSW Government has given to drought affected communities throughout the State.
Desalination selection
Six organisations have been invited to tender to supply renewable energy for Sydney’s desalination plant at Kurnell.
The plant will be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy.
The six companies are Renewable Power Ventures, Epuron, International Power, Origin Energy, Pacific Hydro, and Roaring 40s.
Tenders will close on 13 March 2008, and the contract will be awarded in May.
Dry Australia Day
Albury City Council is to consider making its Australia Day celebrations alcohol free in 2009.
The move follows outbreaks of violence at Australia Day functions this year and has been recommended by the local police
Will fees capped
A new law is to set a cap on legal fees in Court cases involving disputes over wills.
Attorney General, John Hatzistergos said the move would stop lawyers wiping out estates with excessive charges.
Mr Hatzistergos said a sliding fee would apply and take into account the size of the estates and the number of claimants.
Police honoured
The Acting NSW Police Commissioner Dave Owens has congratulated NSW Police Officers honoured in the 2009 Australia Day Awards.
Nine members received the Australian Police Medal on Australia Day, including Chief Superintendent Michael Corboy from Holroyd LAC; Detective Superintendent Peter Cotter and Detective Chief Superintendent David Hudson from the State Crime Command; Superintendent Peter Gallagher (Human Resources); Superintendent Phillip Hickman (Rosehill LAC); Superintendent Geoff McKechnie (Tuggerah Lakes LAC); Superintendent Max Mitchell (Brisbane Waters LAC); Superintendent Greg Rolph (Camden LAC); and Superintendent Stuart Wilkins (Macquarie Fields LAC).