June 27, 2007
Corruption Meeting
To Go Off With Bang
Australia’s first Public Sector anti-corruption conference is to be held in Sydney in October.
The Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption (APSAC) Conference 2007 is a joint initiative of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption,, the Queensland Crime and Misconduct Commission and the Western Australian Corruption and Crime Commission.
ICAC Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps, said the latest in anti-corruption trends and strategies will be showcased and Australian and international delegates would have the opportunity to learn from and be challenged by leading experts and practitioners.
“Delegates will be provided with relevant and up-to-date information to improve their understanding and their ability to deal with corruption risks facing the public sector,’ Commissioner Cripps said.
‘This inaugural conference will be highly relevant to senior police, Local Government, policy advisors, internal auditors, Public Sector officers, human resources specialists and universities.’
He said conference topics would explore areas such as managing identity fraud, guarding against corruption risks in contracting and offshore operations, best practice for managing whistleblower complaints and strategies for dealing with conflicts of interest.
Sessions had also been tailored for the higher education sector, Local Government, police and the Public Sector.
“Many organisations will benefit from attending this conference particularly in a continuing environment where our communities expect more and more of the public sector when it comes to integrity,” Queensland’s Mr Needham said.
Among the speakers for the conference will be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW, Justice James Spigelman, Commissioner Cripps, Hong Kong’s ICAC Commissioner, Fanny Law, and the Maynard Knox Professor of Government and Law at Hamilton College, New York, Frank Anechiarico.
Mr Needham, WA’s Len Roberts-Smith and NSW Police Integrity Commissioner John Pritchard would also be active participants in the conference.
The Conference partners are the NSW, Queensland and WA Departments of the Premier and Cabinet, and the NSW Police Integrity Commission (PIC).
‘We are very grateful for the support of our Conference Partners,’ Commissioner Roberts-Smith said.
‘Their endorsement of the inaugural APSAC Conference, which aims to promote public sector integrity, shows how committed NSW, Queensland and WA are to working together to combat corruption.”
The APSAC Conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney from Tuesday 23 to Friday 26 October 2007 with conference sessions on 24 and 25 October.
More information is available from www.icac.nsw.gov.au/conference2007
June 27, 2007
Transport Sets Off
On Ethics Track
The Ministry of Transport has issued a statement of business ethics prepared by its Business Strategy and Reporting Branch.
In the statement, the Ministry commits itelf to undrtaking its dealings with the private sector with the highest ethical standards to enhance public confidence in doing business with Government entities.
Director General of Transport, Jim Glasson said the Statement sets out the appropriate standards for conducting business with the Ministry of Transport and provides guidelines on what to expect from his organisation.
“(It) explains the mutual obligations, roles and constraints of all parties involved in the business partnership,” Mr Glasson said.
. “All individuals and organisations that deal with the Ministry of Transport are required to adopt these standards of ethical behaviour.”
He said the standards complied with NSW Government guidelines for procurement, contracting and market testing and all contractors were expected to ensure that sub-contractors adhered to its principles.
The key business principles that formed the basis of MoT agreements included best value for public money; impartiality; fairness; and ethical communication.
“These key business principles enable suppliers to promote their interests effectively but avoid unproductive and potentially questionable activities,” Mr Glasson said.
“All potential providers of goods and services are subject to the same ethical operating environment and must comply with this Statement.”
He said the Ministry of Transport was committed to promoting fairness, ethical conduct and accountability in all areas of its operations.
“I encourage staff, public, private sector and community agency business partners to support and uphold this Statement,” Mr Glasson said.
June 27, 2007
Ambulance Dials Up
Phone Warning
The NSW Ambulance Service has issued a warning that ‘inappropriate’ triple zero calls were risking the lives of others.
In a statement to media, the Service listed 14 common instances where the triple zero service was being misused, causing inconvenience at the very least and possible death and injury at worst.
“Ambulance would like to inform the public that that any malicious call to a triple zero is a criminal offence,’ the statement said.
Among the misuses of the triple zero service the Ambulance is concerned about, are children playing games; requests for mental health services; misleading information from motorists passing an accident scene; requests for non-emergency transport bookings; mobile phones that are not keypad locked; emotional callers hanging up before vital information is obtained; and patients leaving the scene before the ambulance arrives and not canceling the call.
“Inappropriate calls are a severe drain on the resources of all emergency services and cost the community many hundreds of thousands of dollars a year,” the Service said.
“There is also a real risk of delaying emergency assistance to those in genuine need.”
The Service said it responded to “thousands” of triple zero calls every year that proved to be ‘inappropriate.’
June 27, 2007
A-G Calls Tune On
Law Harmonisation
The Commonwealth is to urge the States and Territories to harmonise the nation’s administrative law, Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock moving to raise the topic at the next meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General.
Mr Ruddock said the concept of harmonisation of administrative law across jurisdictions had considerable merit.
“It can bring great benefit to individuals - and to corporations - that are often faced with a perplexing array of legislation across borders,” Mr Ruddock said,
“The practical effect of these differences is that the ability of residents of different jurisdictions and businesses operating across jurisdictional borders to seek review of Government action varies significantly.”
He said there was considerable scope for harmonising existing procedures across jurisdictions and pointed to the adoption of a consistent approach to the availability of alternative dispute resolution and mediation as an example.
He said other areas that would benefit from the harmonisation of administrative law included:
* rules of standing;
* exemptions to application fees;
* the right to obtain reasons for decisions; and
* the level of assistance provided to unrepresented applicants.
June 27, 2007
New Air Routes
Scheme
to Take Off
The Ministry of Transport has unveiled a proposed new assessment procedure for calling and evaluating expressions of interest from airlines hoping to regulated air routes in NSW from 2008.
The Ministry has undertaken to follow a series of steps in managing the process which includes identifying routes which it believes will be contested, routes that will be licensed to a single operator and routes existing operators may wish to vacate.
In assessing the applications, the Ministry said it would consult with local councils and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
It said the criteria upon which applications would be assessed included the air transport needs of the public; the encouragement of competition among airlines and the discouragement of a monopoly; and the effect on economic development of the area or the State.
It undertakes to maintain a suitable level of confidentilaity for expressions of interests received and has developed a 10-point numerical scoring system for assessment personnel to use when evaluating applications. The system allocates 10 points to applications judged as exceptional in meeting the the selection criteria, down to zero points for those judged unacceptable.
“By their nature some issues do not lend themselves to purely objective measurement and their final assessment will depend on assessment personnel reaching a consensus,” the Department said.
Decisions made by the delegated Deputy Director General will be subject to appeal to the Administrative Decisions Tribunal.
June 27, 2007
CEO Paints Picture
Of Art Competition
Secondary and tertiary students across the State have been urged to enter WorkCover NSW’s 2007 Young Workers Poster Competition
Chief Executive of WorkCover NSW, Jon Blackwell said the poster competition aimed at raising awareness of occupational health and safety risks for workers aged under 25 and the theme for this year’s project was Safe manual handling. Smart move.
He said the competition was open to students 15 to 25, with cash and iPods the prizes.
He said the winners and their schools would receive $2000 in the secondary school category with 10 runners-up to receive $500 and 10 iPods.
The tertiary winner would receive $3,000, with second place $2,000 and third place $1,000. Ten runners-up would receive iPod nanos.
Mr Blackwell said the 2007 competition included two new awards - the Industry Choice Award and People’s Choice Award with an iPods the prize in each.
“Because of their inexperience, young workers are at a higher risk of being injured on the job than most other age groups,” Mr Blackwell said.
“Almost 14 per cent of workplace injuries occur among the state’s 210,000 young workers equating to more than 20 injuries each day.”
He said it was imperative for employers to consider the inexperience of young workers by educating them about safety issues and anticipating, eliminating and controlling risks in the workplace.
“Although continued improvement in occupational health and safety has seen the level of injuries and fatalities fall in recent years, it is important that young workers are given the necessary support to perform their work safely.
Mr Blackwell said entries in the competition closed on 9 July with entry forms available from schools, colleges and universities and the website: www.youngworkers.com.au.
He said more than 300 students entered the 2006 competition.
June 27, 2007
Corruption Awards
The Real Thing
The Corruption Prevention Network has launched its 2007 awards for excellence in fighting corruption.
A network of Public Sector corruption fighters, the CPN awards will reward excellence in corruption prevention and draw attention to the work being done across many Agencies.
According to the CPN, the focus of the awards will be on the mix of tools and techniques that organisations use to ensure their fraud control and corruption prevention strategies were effective.
The awards were designed to encourage excellence and ongoing development in corruption prevention, however they did not constitute an endorsement by the CPN of an organisation’s approach.
The Network was formed in the early 10s when officers from the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the NSW Audit Office came together to consider how best to address issues which were repeatedly surfacing from internal and external investigations.
The NSW Public Sector Fraud Prevention Committee was formed in late 14 as a collective of practitioners and interested parties to serve as a networking and self-help group, and to share information and experiences in dealing with the challenges of fraud control. The Committee embraced this expanded focus and remodelled itself, through various name changes over a number of years, into the CPN. It operates through an organising committee of elected volunteer public officials and non-voting nominees from central and watchdog agencies and according to Vice-Chair, Stephen Horne now covers the Commonwealth, States and some Local Government.
The Awards will be open to all organisations within Australia – both public and private with an interest in corruption prevention - and the 2007 categories are:
Commonwealth Public Sector
State public sector
Local Government sector
Not-for-profit sector
Private sector
In addition, the CPN is to hold its Annual Conference on 13 September, entitled “The good … the bad … and the …”.
The meeting will be addressed by a range of speakers in a number of workshops and there will be mini-presentations from the 2007 CPN Award winners showcasing their corruption prevention programs.
The full criteria for the CPN 2007 Awards and more information on the conference is available at www.corruptionprevention.net
June 27, 2007
Compost Reclamation
Gets Green Light
The Department of Environment and Climate Change and the Penrith City Council have joined forces to transform a former landfill site into a parkland by using recycled garden waste.
They plan an Open Day to show other Councils and land managers how it's done.
Working together, the Department and Council applied 1500 cubic metres of recycled compost to the landfill in Claremont Meadows, near St Marys. The project was part of a trial which saw the Council use 3200 tonnes of recycled material to fertilise parks and sporting fields as well as reclaim the landfill.
Executive Director of DECC's Sustainability Programs Division, Tim Rogers said the trial was supported by research and scientific testing and it was hoped more Councils and landfill managers would choose to use compost in their rehabilitation projects.
"By finding innovative uses for compost we can recycle more organic wastes and avoid some of the greenhouse gases normally produced when these materials are landfilled," Mr Rogers said.
Penrith City Mayor, Councillor Pat Sheehy hailed the trial a success, saying the Council would now monitor the environmental performance of the reclaimed site and consider its long-term use.
He, too, urged other Councils to follow Penrith’s lead.
"The compost was made from garden waste collected from the local area,” Cr Sheehy said.
“It has enabled the turf to establish faster and to hold up well despite the current drought. It means we'll be able to develop the parklands sooner."
He said the project also saved on landscaping costs and enabled Council to return nutrients to the soil.
Cr Sheehy said the Council was also planning to introduce a household collection of garden and food waste which would be used to make compost .
The trial was begun in 2006.
June 27, 2007
Drug Buster Wins
High Honour
Detective Superintendent Frank Hansen has been recognised for 30 years in the drug and alcohol field by being inducted onto the Honour Roll of the 2007 National Drug & Alcohol Awards.
Det Supt Hansen was one of only 15 people to be inducted onto the Roll in the past two years and is the only police officer to receive the award.
Police Commissioner Ken Moroney said the award was prestigious and reflected Det Supt Hansen’s dedication and commitment to addressing drug and alcohol crime and associated problems in society.
“The policing of drug and alcohol related crime is demanding and being inducted into the Honour Roll is recognition of his devotion to this type of work over many years,” Commissioner Moroney said.
“Detective Superintendent Hansen has understood the need for collaboration between various sectors of Government to reduce not only the problems police encounter, but also to reduce many of the significant health implications, such as HIV/AIDS.”
Commissioner Moroney said Det-Supt Hansen had been instrumental in broadening the roles of police to incorporate demand and harm reduction strategies as set out in the National Drug Strategy.
In recent years, Det Supt Hansen had been working in the State Crime Command’s Drug and Alcohol Coordination unit, whose main role is to coordinate the development and implementation of drug and alcohol policies, strategies and program initiatives within NSW.
June 27, 2007
Locals Urged to
Take Board Walk
Regional Development Boards which play a role in advising the State Government on local economic development, are seeking new members.
Regional residents wanting to assist in the economic growth of their local communities are being encouraged to nominate as members of their local Boards with
expressions of interest being sought in the Central Western, Far Western, Gowest, Mid North Coast, Northern Rivers, Northern Inland, Murray, Riverina, Illawarra, Hunter, and Central Coast regions.
According to the Government, local leadership is a key driver of regional development and Regional Development Boards play a critical role in advising on local issues and leading local efforts to attract business investment to deliver sustainable long term jobs and regional prosperity.
Appointees to Regional Development Boards are expected to represent the broad interests of their region. They must be available to participate in board meetings and other related activities and members will be drawn from a cross section of regional communities.
The qualities aspiring members should possess include:
* leadership, vision and the ability to champion regional interests;
* a track record in achieving creative and strategic solutions for local and regional development;
* ability to gain commitments and support for regional and local initiatives;
* ability to advise the Government on a range of regional development issues;
* a good understanding of the principles of effective corporate governance:
They should have expertise in:
* economic development at local and regional levels;
* successful business and/or management experience;
* business and local development networks’
* academia and/or higher education relevant to regional economic development;
* community initiatives that contribute to local or regional economic development
The Government encourages applications from women, young people, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent with experience in business or community initiatives.
Appointments are for periods of up to two or four years, starting from 1 September 2007. The closing date for expressions of interest is close of business Wednesday 11 July 2007.
More information is available from www.business.nsw.gov.au
June 27, 2007
Ranger Finds Way
To Winning Award
National Parks and Wild Life Services Ranger, Shane Herrington has been awarded the inaugural Tumut Indigenous Business Leader of the Year Award.
Sponsored by TAFE NSW Riverina Institute Tumut Campus and presented at the 2007 Snowy Hydro Tumut Region Business Awards, the honour recognises an Indigenous person making a most significant contribution to the success of an enterprise or organisation.
Head of the TAFE’s Tumut Campus, Mark Grove, said it was particularly leasing to honour Mr Herrington with the award because “he is also one of our graduates.”
“Shane is continually upgrading his qualifications as he moves up to senior positions,” Mr Grove said.
“Most recently he completed a Certificate III in Tourism and Tour Guiding. This follows previous studies in Conservation and Land management and in First Aid and Chainsaw Operations.”
Mr Herrington Shane responded to the award by saying “Dreams do come true!”
“My hard work and perseverance has paid off with a permanent position with National Parks and Wildlife Services as an Aboriginal Discovery Ranger,” Mr Herrington said.
“This job gives me the opportunity to learn and teach my culture to the general public and my own Aboriginal community.”
He said he didn’t expect to receive awards for his hard work: “After all it is my job, and my culture is my life.”
Mr Grove said Riverina Institute supported and encouraged Aboriginal people to study towards a wide range of career choices.
“As an educational organisation we aim to support all people to strive and succeed in business, and Shane is a terrific role model for our Aboriginal students.”
“We have Indigenous graduates all over the region who, after completing their studies, have gone on to achieve great success.”
June 27, 2007
Financial Remedy For
Herbal Medicine
A planned National Institute for Complementary Medicine is to be set up at the University of Western Sydney with the Commonwealth Government contributing $4 million to the cause.
The institute will focus on clinical trials and studies on herbal medicines while developing national priorities for complementary medical research in co-ordination with other research bodies. Research findings will be made public.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australians spend about $1 billion annually on complementary and alternative medicines, including vitamin supplements, homeopathic medicines and traditional Asian and Indigenous medicines. The institute will support postdoctoral training to help meet the industry’s expansion needs for research personnel.
The Commonwealth Government has also provided $5 million in grants through the National Health and Medical Research Council to investigate the use and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicines.
June 27, 2007
Poster Sides With
Pestercides
A series of posters and a DVD encouraging the safe use of pesticides by market gardeners have been launched by the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Deputy Director General, Conservation, Landscapes and Policy at DECC, Richard Sheldrake, released the material, saying the afforded the market gardeners access to handy visual reminders of safe pesticide use.
He said the posters and DVD were developed by DECC in association with the Department of Primary Industries and the Sydney Catchment Authority and were funded by the SCA and the NSW Environmental Trust.
He said the posters would be available in five languages.
"Using pesticides correctly is not only important for the health of the farmers and their families and workers, it is also important to the health of the environment," Mr Sheldrake said.
"These resources have been produced to complement formal pesticide training that is mandatory for all people who use pesticides in NSW as part of their job or business.”
He said the material would help growers keep their training up-to-date and maintain usage records that met Government requirements.
"As well as English, the posters will be available in four community languages; Arabic, Chinese, Khmer and Vietnamese. The educational program will be available in English and five spoken languages; Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Khmer and Vietnamese," he said.
Mr Sheldrake said DECC, in cooperation with DPI had been working with non- English speaking market gardeners for many years helping them come to grips with new regulations on the safe use of pesticides.
The poster and DVD were available from www.environment.nsw.gov.au
June 27, 2007
Winning Film Gives
Racism the Flick
A film exploring the potential for racism to create frightening and dangerous situations for ordinary Australians has won the Community Relations Commission’s Prize at the Dendy Short film Awards.
Part of the Sydney Film Festival, the film entitled Checkpoint tells how a Sydney family of Lebanese background is harassed and intimidated by a trio of drunken soldiers on a holiday road trip to country NSW.
Congratulating the director, writer and producer of the film, Ben Phelps, the Chair of the CRC, Stepan Kerkyasharian, said the film reminded everyone that the abuse of power and latent racism was a dangerous combination.
“I understand Ben Phelps was motivated to make this film because some of his own friends of Middle Eastern and Turkish backgrounds had been discriminated against since September 11,” Mr Kerkyasharian said.
“He says that according to what he sees today, many Australians of Middle Eastern heritage find themselves the victims of prejudice because of global fears about terrorism and that’s why he wanted to alert people to the dangers of racism in our society.”
Mr Kerkyash arian said Checkpoint was a valuable addition to the films that had been honoured by the Commission at the Sydney Film Festival over more than a decade.
“There are endless stories to be told in both fact and fiction that make us know our people better,” he said.
Checkpoint has already won many prizes at international film festivals where it has been screened over 40 times in the past 12 months.
June 27, 2007
Nothing Amiss With
Female Exhibition
An exhibition exploring the impact of the Australian landscape on women has been opened in Botany Bay National Park.
The travelling exhibition, Making a place for herself: women's experience of landscapes and national parks, will be on display in the park's Discovery Centre until 29 July.
National Park Ranger at Botany Bay, Georgina Eldershaw said the exhibition featured both historical and contemporary photographs as well as art, literature and personal experiences to capture the “richness and diversity” of women's experiences in the Australian landscape.
"Women's experiences of the Australian landscape are not often discussed and largely absent from our historical interpretation of places," Ms Eldershaw said.
"Traditionally the focus on landscapes has been predominantly around exploration, settlement and the development of economic enterprises such as mines and farms."
She said the exhibition aimed at giving a more balanced view of the Australian landscape by showing a fresh interpretation of natural heritage.
“It highlights a variety of emotions from fear and dread to the sheer joy of running through the landscape."
Ms Eldershaw said when most people viewed a landscape purely in terms of settlemennt or exploration, women's experiences were either absent or their roles were marginalised.
She said the exhibition, which was travelling throughout NSW, had been given a local flavour by including local oral histories.
"We've featured stories from a number of women about their involvement with the park."
"They include a woman who grew up in the park 50 years ago when her father was superintendent, a mother and daughter who camped in the park in the 1930s, and Aboriginal women from La Perouse who regularly visited Kurnell to collect shells for their artworks."
The exhibition was produced by the Cultural Heritage Division of the Department of Environment and Climate Change.
June 27, 2007
6M Cattle Tags
Is a Lot of Bull
The Department of Primary Industries has announced that over 5.8 million discounted cattle tags had been made available to NSW farmers under a subsidy scheme to ensure the effectiveness of the National Livestock Identification System.
It revealed that a further 150,000 tags were available now.
According to the NLIS manager with DPI, Michael Beer, the initiative had been well received by the State’s cattle industry and was a central part of the successful roll-out of NLIS in NSW.
He said both the State and Federal Governments had worked with NLIS tag manufacturer Allflex Australia to subsidise tags for the roll out period from 2005 to mid 2007.
“A total of 150,000 tags at $2.86 (GST inclusive) are now available through Rural Lands Protection Boards before the subsidy scheme winds up,” Mr Beer said.
“It was made clear at the outset there was only six million subsidised tags available for producers.”
He said rebates were available for producers to purchase electronic reading devices with more than 590 units being subsidized already.
A recent test on the NLIS system found it provided the State’s $1.3 billion beef industry and $450 million dairy industry with a livestock identification system that outshone all overseas competition.
Mr Beer said NSW had spent $5.4 million introducing NLIS which included targeted education programs, extension and training campaigns.
“All cattle, of any age, must be fitted with a NLIS device before they leave any property in NSW,” Mr Beer said.
“And since 1 January 2006 all movements of cattle between properties with different property identification codes must be notified to the NLIS database.”
He said since mandatory introduction of NLIS in mid 2004 more than 53,000 cattle producers had purchased over 8 million devices. NSW had more than 6000 producers with NLIS database accounts advising movement of more than 130,000 cattle per month.
June 20, 2007
Shy Agencies To Vie
For Bragging Rights
Agencies have been urged to nominate their finest achievements for possible recognition in the 2007 Premier’s Public Sector Awards.
Premier’s Department Director General, Robyn Kruk has issued a circular encouraging all Chief Executives to forward nomination from their organisations.
Presented since 17 and open to all public sector Agencies including Departments, Authorities, Boards, Commissions, Government trading enterprises and State-owned corporations, the Awards aim to encourage and acknowledge outstanding initiatives producing proven benefits to New South Wales.
The closing date for nominations is Monday 30 July 2007.
Ms Kruk said they formally recognised and rewarded achievements of excellence and provided an opportunity to showcase the NSW public sector's commitment to quality and the provision of service.
Aligned to the NSW State Plan, this year’s categories will recognise achievements in the areas of Rights, Respect and Responsibility; Delivering Better Services; Fairness and Opportunity; Growing Prosperity Across NSW; Environment for Living; Delivering the Plan; and Delivering Locally.
Ms Kruk said nominations could be made for any endeavour with any impact, be it statewide, local or in-house, a single or multi-Agency undertaking, and related to any functions including front-line service delivery, policy/research and corporate support services.
Nominations need to be submitted both electronically and in hard copy as outlined in the Guidelines and Nomination Form. More information from the Department of Premier and Cabinet's website at www.premiers.nsw.gov.au - under What's New.
June 20, 2007
Christmas Leave
Is No Surprise
Premier, Morris Iemma has confirmed that the staff leave arrangements followed by the NSW Public Service last Christmas would be in place again this year.
Mr Iemma said the arrangements worked effectively to enable as many staff as possible to take time off over the festive season and reduced the impact of leave liabilities across the Service.
In a Ministerial Memorandum, Mr Iemma asked Ministers and Chief Executives responsible for areas not involved in the delivery of front line services to maximise the taking of leave in the last week of December and first week in January 2007-08 wherever possible.
This could involve an agency in whole or in part, closing down or operating on a skeleton staff. He said that should be decided on a case-by-case basis.
The Memorandum called on Ministers and Chief Executives to encourage managers to release their staff on leave over the relevant period, where possible and appropriate; direct employees with excessive leave balances to take leave during the period subject to operational requirements and the relevant industrial instrument; and make use of the period to reduce accrued work time under a flex agreement.
He also pointed out that managers should provide employees with as much notice as possible about these arrangements.
June 20, 2007
Accountants Agree
To
Balance Borders
Public Sector accountants stand to benefit from a Mutual Recognition Agreement signed between CPA Australia and Britain’s Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
President of CPA Australia, Paul Meiklejohn said the new agreement would enhance the international mobility of accountants, particularly those in the public sector.
“Opportunities for accountants are no longer constrained by national borders,” Mr Meiklejohn said.
“The MRA will pave the way for closer working relationships and further enhance the mobility and international recognition of the designations and memberships of both bodies.”
He said CPA Australia believed that strong international relationships with other accounting bodies benefited both the profession and its members, wherever they were in the world.
He said the MRA further developed the already close relationship between CPA Australia and the CIPFA and identified beneficial joint initiatives and established guidelines on how appropriately qualified members could gain reciprocal memberships.
Mr Meiklejohn said that any of the 13,500 CIPFA members already holding degrees recognised by CPA Australia who had completed a final test of professional competence and three years of relevant mentored, practical experience, would be eligible to join CPA Australia.
He said similarly, any of Australia’s 112,000 members (11,000 of whom worked in the Public Sector) would be admitted to membership of CIPFA provided they had completed the CPA Australia Program and three years of relevant work experience recognised by the Institute.
Chief Executive of CIPFA, Steve Freer said the agreement would be a useful and practical way of increasing professional mobility for accountants in the two countries.
“Young people finishing their training now will have choices that were simply not available to past generations,” Mr Freer said.
He said the MRA would allow the two organisations to work closely together through joint professional development programs, knowledge sharing and collaboration in international forums.
Mr Freer said it would enhance both CPA Australia’s and CIFPA’s standing in the International Federation of Accountants.
June 20, 2007
Police Blow Whistle
On Thin Blue Line
The national peak union of police officers believes that State and Territory police forces are suffering because the Australian Federal Police are short on numbers.
Secretary of the Police Federation of Australia, Mark Burgess said the AFP, although being increasingly called on in recent years for international deployments, had approximately 450 fewer sworn police officers now than it had 21 years ago.
“It's the State police at the moment that are providing, or are expected to provide, some 600-odd police for the airports and also to support the international deployment group operations,” Mr Burgess said.
“We're supportive of that, that's very important, but the shortfall in the AFP should not be at the expense of traditional policing out in our communities right around Australia.”
Mr Burgess seized on the recent shooting of three people in central Melbourne to make the point that police recruitment needed boosting to ensure public safety.
“We won't have sufficient police officers across the country to do the job that the community expects,” he said.
Police unions recently lobbied Federal politicians to provide more AFP personnel, as State and Territory police association members were concerned that low numbers were resulting in more tasks being passed down to them.
The Federation wants policies implemented to overcome the shortfall and upgrade the national criminal information system. It has proposed a set of policies to enhance law enforcement and staffing levels.
Mr Burgess said the initial cost to the Government of implementing the proposals would be $1 million.
“It's important that the Federal Government, the Opposition and the other parties in Australia's capital take seriously the document that we've put [forward] on a whole range of issues ... affecting policing in this country.”
The Federation estimated that police numbers needed to be increased by as much as 13,500.
June 20, 2007
DPC Paper Rains On
Weather Affected
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has issued three Circulars concerning the recent storm damage to the Hunter and Central Coast regions.
The first, concerning recovery response, expressed thanks to the Agencies, staff and volunteers who assisted with the emergency effort and detailed the operation of newly established ‘one stop’ shops in the affected areas. It said the shops were to “provide single contact points for people and businesses who require access to State and Federal Government Agency support; service providers such as insurers; telephone and electricity authorities; and relevant non-Government agencies”.
The Circular pointed out that agency staff may be required to help with the service.
The second circular noted that employees who encountered problems during the storms and those who volunteered to assist Emergency Service Agencies may be in need of flexible leave arrangements and urged Chief Executives to extend sympathetic concessions to all affected staff in their organisations.
The third circular, concerning coordination of disaster recovery work in the affected regions, pointed out that the NSW Government had established Recovery Committees to ensure the efforts of all agencies, including State, Commonwealth and Local Government were coordinated and strategically managed.
“If your agency is involved in recovery work or initiatives it is imperative you inform and liaise with the regional coordinators for the Department of Premier & Cabinet,” it said.
“…The regional coordinators will also ensure, where relevant, that information about your Agency’s activities and services is made available to the staff working in the ‘one stop’ shops.”
It said the regional coordinators could be contacted via the Regional Offices: Hunter Region on (02) 4927 87 and the Central Coast Region on (02) 4337 2311.
June 20, 2007
Multicultural Gongs
Reward PS Culture
The Community Relations Commission has once again been called on to run the National Multicultural Marketing Awards, the 2007 event launched in Sydney recently by the Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship, Barbara Perry.
Speaking at the launch, CRC Chairman, Stepan Kerkyasharian said it was the 18th year the Commission had staged the awards which were aimed at encouraging managers in the Public Service to make sure they marketed their services to all sectors of the community and that those services were appropriate to all.
“Smart managers are showing the way because they know that marketing directly to individual language communities brings big rewards,” Mr Kerkyasharian said.
“…Past [Awards] winners have been everyone from multinationals down to local councils and community organisations. We search for innovation and effectives – in other words, great ideas that work.
“Winners have included several major banks, McDonalds, American Express, Coles, Optus, the ABC and the multinational computer giant, Cisco Systems for its creative use of Sydney’s culturally diverse workforce. Last year’s winner was the AFL which claimed spectacular results in boosting multicultural participation in Aussie Rules Football.
The seven categories up for judging in the 2007 awards were Advertising, Small Business, Commercial Big Business, Community, Export, Government and Technology.
Details on how to enter are available on the CRC’s website at www.crc.nsw.gov.au/awards.
June 20, 2007
RailCorpEngineer
Derailed by ICAC
A RailCorp engineer and two contractors have been found by the Independent Commission Against Corruption to have engaged in corrupt conduct.
ICAC found the three were involved in corrupt airconditioning maintenance contracts that led to the RailCorp engineer improperly obtaining almost three quarters of a million dollars over a six-year period.
It recommended the Director of Public Prosecutions launch Court action against the men as well as the engineer’s son.
The ICAC Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps QC, said the investigation’s report also recommended that RailCorp consider disciplinary action, including dismissal, against the engineer, and has made some recommendations on strengthening the organisation against corrupt practices in the future.
“The ICAC report noted that RailCorp has had recurring problems in managing certain high risk areas and made a total of 27 corruption prevention recommendations to assist the organisation to better manage these areas,” Commissioner Cripps said.
“These include establishing a formal accountability framework for managing contracts, a risk management strategy that specifically relates to secondary employment, and developing a comprehensive audit and review program for supplier payments.”
RailCorp notified the ICAC in February 2005 that it was investigating allegations that the engineer was improperly favouring a number of businesses carrying out RailCorp maintenance work.
The Commission also received an anonymous complaint in August 2005 that businesses associated with the man had received substantial payments from, and were directly or indirectly involved with, businesses carrying out RailCorp maintenance work.
The ICAC found that two businesses associated with the engineer received considerable work from contractors under their RailCorp contracts, without the knowledge of RailCorp.
The Commission also found that two of the parties entered into a profit-sharing agreement, which was “a pre-condition for his [the contractor’s] business to be given RailCorp work by [the engineer]”.
The ICAC’s investigation, detailed in its Report on an investigation into corrupt conduct associated with RailCorp air-conditioning contracts, which has been tabled in Parliament, included executing three search warrants and taking statements and records of interview from 15 witnesses. Five compulsory (private) examinations were held, plus a public inquiry in December 2006, over which Commissioner Cripps presided.
June 20, 2007
RTA Applies Brakes
For Flooded Drivers
The Roads and Traffic Authority is to waive registration cancellation and transfer fees for Hunter and Central Coast resident drivers whose vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the recent storms, the Premier, Morris Iemma, has announced.
Replacement fees would also be waived for residents who lost licenses and registration papers as a result of the wild weather.
“Residents in the worst affected areas in the Hunter and Central Coast have suffered significant property damage, and in many cases their vehicles have been damaged or destroyed,” Mr Iemma said.
“I have committed my Government to being there every step of the way to help these individuals and families get back on their feet as quickly as possible.
“The move to waive fees for those whose vehicles or documents have been lost or damaged is a small gesture that is a further practical step on the road to recovery.”
Special proof of identity arrangements have been put in place for people who require replacement driver licences, NSW Photo Cards or Mobility Parking Scheme Cards.
The fees waiver comes on the back of the 30-day waiver of the Waste and Environment Levy for residents and businesses involved in clean-up operations following the storms and floods.
Affected residents can contact the RTA’s contact centre on 13 22 13 for more information.
June 20, 2007
Consultants to Act
For Performance Pay
An expert consultant is to be engaged by the Commonwealth to develop a trial system of performance pay for Australian teachers.
Federal Education Minister, Julie Bishop said a tender process would be followed to select the consultant who would have the task of developing models to be tried out in schools across the country..
“To support the introduction of performance-based pay for teachers, I have requested my Department engage an expert consultant to analyse best practice models of performance-based pay, both in the education field and in other professions, examine mechanisms for assessing and rewarding teachers and likely costs, and develop models of performance-based pay to trial in Australian schools,” Ms Bishop said.
“In trialling models of performance-based pay, the expert consultant will work with the teaching profession and the wider school community to refine and evaluate approaches to recognising and rewarding teachers.”
She said current teacher pay arrangements were impacting on the attractiveness of teaching as a career, and retention of quality teachers within the profession.
“We need to explore ways of creating incentives for our best teachers and move beyond the notion of salary based on time in the job,” she said.
“In other professions, performance-based pay schemes are proven to work and are accepted as an effective way to enhance career structures. The time has come for the teaching profession to embrace performance-based pay to reward teachers who achieve outstanding results for their students or who make a significant contribution to school life.”
Ms Bishop said the Commonwealth was committed to ensuring the teaching profession was defined by excellence and that every student had access to a high quality teacher.
She said from 2009, Federal funding for schools would be tied directly to quality reforms including the introduction of performance-based pay for teachers to encourage and reward quality teaching.
June 20, 2007
Monk Goes for Trees
At Botanic Gardens
The planting of a Wollemi Pine at the Botanic Gardens during the recent visit of the Dalai Lama to Sydney, served to make one of his public meetings carbon neutral.
Tibetan Buddhism’s spiritual leader addressed the issue of conservation at the first of his free public talks at the Domain. Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens Trust Dr Tim Entwisle, said the Dalai Lama chose to set a personal example on conservation by donating $7500 to adopt a tree at the Gardens.
The idea was that greenhouse gas emissions from the event would be offset by this donation as well as tree plantings in Western Sydney.
Pine trees from throughout the southern hemisphere - Norfolk Island Pines, Hoop Pines and Bunya Pines – were to be planted.
The Dalai Lama’s talk in the Domain was followed by the One Earth Conservation Tribute concert.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, sees the planet and all life upon it as interconnected.
“This planet is our own home. Taking care of our world, our planet is just like taking care of our own home. Our very lives depend upon this Earth, our environment,” he has said.
Donations to the Botanic Gardens Trust support its conservation programs in science, horticulture and education.
June 20, 2007
Study Makes Headway
On Injured Prisoners
Researchers at the University of Sydney have discovered that people who had suffered head injuries represented a higher than expected proportion of the prison population sentenced for violent crimes.
Professor Dianna Kenny and Chris Lennings in the Discipline of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences at the University, examined 242 young offenders in detention.
Thirty-five per cent had suffered a significant head injury at some stage; 30 per cent of these reported a second head injury. The most common causes of head injuries were fights (44%).
Inmates with a history of head injury - particularly those who were abusing alcohol - were more likely to have committed a severely violent offence.
Of those who had suffered a head injury, more than half reported cognitive or behavioural problems associated with the injury.
The study found that juvenile detainees most likely to commit a severely violent offence were from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, had sustained a head injury and abused alcohol.
The average age of the sample was 17 with 92 per cent male and 42 per cent Indigenous.
The rate of severe violent offending was lower for Indigenous offenders than for non-Indigenous.
According to the researchers, these effects may be due to differences in the profile of Indigenous offenders.
For example, Indigenous offenders are more likely than non-Indigenous offenders to be incarcerated for repeated non-violent offences.
June 20, 2007
Inland Railway On
The Right Track
A new inland railway is to be built between Melbourne and Brisbane with a $15 million scoping study to be completed in 2009.
Federal Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Mark Vaile, said the railway would be routed through the “far-western sub-corridor” which ran through Parkes in western NSW as that was the most cost-effective option.
“Last year, the North-South Rail Corridor Study identified four possible corridors for the inland railway,” Mr Vaile said. “The Australian Rail Track Corporation will now carry out a detailed engineering, land and environmental study to determine the best alignment for the line generally within this sub-corridor.”
He said the scoping study would “prove up” the alignment so it could be taken through the statutory planning and approval process and then into detailed engineering design and construction.
“The study will also scope the project’s capital cost to within plus or minus 20 per cent, and put together a development and delivery timetable,” he said.
“In general terms, it is possible that land acquisition will begin as early as 2010, with construction starting in 2014. The line will be completed by 2019.”
Mr Vaile said the study would also provide the Government with a basis for evaluating private sector financing for the project because it could not go ahead without it.
“Australia needs an inland railway from Melbourne to Brisbane,” Mr Vaile said.
“Our strong economic growth means that the amount of freight on our transport system is forecast to double by 2020. The coastal route will become hopelessly congested unless we go ahead with our visionary plan.”
He expected the inland railway to increase rail’s share of the freight between Melbourne and Brisbane from 30 per cent to about 73 per cent.
“It will also reduce the growth in the number of trucks on our roads, because every double-stacked container train is equivalent to 276 semi-trailers.”
Mr Vaile said the railway would also benefit regional NSW because it would slash freight rates for bulk commodities such as grain, chilled meat and cotton.
June 20, 2007
Park Battened Down
After Battering
The State’s strong storms of the past couple of weeks have seen the closure of the Glenrock State Conservation Area near Kahibah in Newcastle.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service ordered the closure following the area sustaining significant damage during the heavy weather.
NPWS Region Manager for the Hunter, Robert Quirk said damage assessment was still ongoing but the park would probably remain closed for several weeks.
“As a result of the heavy rains followed by strong winds, many large trees in the park were uprooted and have been left lying across roads and walking tracks,” Mr Quirk said.
“Many large tree limbs were also broken off during the storm and are balancing precariously in the canopy of other trees. These hanging limbs can fall without warning and pose a serious threat to public safety.”
He said other safety concerns included overflowing creeks and damaged walking tracks.
Crews were focussing on Scout Camp Road and Dudley Beach Road.
“The clean up operations will require the use of heavy machinery in the park over many weeks and during this time it is unsafe for the public to be accessing the area,” Mr Quirk said.
Other national parks and reserves in the area including Awabakal Nature Reserve were also being assessed for damage.
Mr Quirk reminded members of the to take great care when entering bushland following any storm.
June 20, 2007
Auditor Gets Off
On Interchanges
The Auditor-General has recommended a new body be established to coordinate the management of public transport interchanges.
Examining the effectiveness of current arrangements in meeting the NSW State Plan’s goal of increasing public transport patronage, the Auditor found interchanges had the potential to make a strong contribution but needed more effective management.
“We see considerable potential for the Ministry of Transport to plan and manage interchanges more effectively,” the Auditor-General said in his report. “…Poor interchanges, with long walks, stairs, long waits, poor travelling information, and poor weather protection can substantially discourage access to public transport.”
The Auditor believed more emphasis could be placed on multi-modal transport planning and interchange performance.
“It needs to assign responsibility for the coordination and oversight of inter-modal operations to an entity resourced for the purpose,” he said.
The report recommended the establishment of a more responsive and inclusive network linking bus routes with trains and ferries, catering for an extended timetable and greater range of destinations.
It also recommended closer integration of interchange and terminus facilities plus network development involving fare coordination, schedule and service coordination, public information and marketing coordination and administrative coordination.
The Auditor-General found that, despite many interchanges having been built since 12 and fewer having been builit more recently, there was no evaluation process to establish the impact they had on public transport.
“We found no information about who is using newly constructed interchange facilities and what they used to do and whether there has been any improvement in travel time,” the report said.
“We found nothing to indicate which facilities could be considered ‘successes’ and which ‘failures’.”
June 20, 2007
Museum Adds Website
Award to Collection
An Australian Museum researcher has won the world’s only prize for biodiversity informatics.
Geographic Information System manager at the Australian Museum since 18, Paul Flemons was selected from an international field of scientists to receive the €30,000 Ebbe Nielsen Prize from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility for BioMaps an online gateway to Australian biodiversity data.
The prize is awarded annually to a researcher, usually in the early stages of their career, for combining biosystematics and biological diversity informatics research that supports the objectives of GBIF in an “exciting and novel way.”
Australian GBIF Representative, Joanne Daly, said Mr Flemons’s use of online technology had opened up biodiversity data, making valuable information on our past, present and future biological diversity available to a broad audience.
“As a biologist, spatial analysis specialist and web developer, Paul has a rare mix of skill sets and his innovative work is a testimony to his vision of designing web-based tools that enable all sectors of the community to access and analyse data that will ultimately assist in conserving biodiversity on a worldwide scale,” Ms Daly said.
“Paul has championed technology that can be readily accessed – not only by teams of international scientists, but also by high school students, universities, Government planning agencies and non-Government organisations.
“This is an exciting new direction in conservation planning and a timely investment in the future of biodiversity, particularly given the growing risk from issues such as habitat loss and climate change,” she said.
BioMaps helps users identify places of biodiversity significance in Australia, to better quantify threats to biodiversity, to deepen understanding of the effects of human impacts and to test tools for setting conservation priorities.
Mr Flemons acknowledged the contribution of his colleagues to the winning work.
“I am honoured, and in accepting this award, I’d like to emphasise the contribution of my Australian Museum colleagues – their commitment, skill and expertise has been significant in the achievements that have led to this award,” he said.
Mr Flemons will receive the Ebbe Nielsen Prize on 17 October in Amsterdam, Holland.
The prize honours the memory of Dr Ebbe Schmidt Nielsen, a leader in the fields of biosystematics and biodiversity informatics.
Mr Flemons’s biomaps can be inspected at www.biomaps.net.au.
June 20, 2007
Fair Traders SellMessage on the Road
Office of Fair Trading staff have undertaken a consumer-protection outreach program aimed at educating businesses, community groups and school students about their rights and responsibilities.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner, Lyn Baker, said the visits to Guyra, Glen Innes, Tenterfield and Inverell covered a range of issues, including advertising guidelines, complaints procedures, credit, business registration, and scams.
Students at Tenterfield High School, Inverell High School and McIntyre High School participated in a workshop “on the tricks and traps of buying their first car”.
“The workshop, called Revved Up, informs students of the benefits and problems with buying used cars at auction, or through private sales, and provides a mechanical demonstration on what to look out for when buying a used car,” Ms Baker said.
“Buying a car is a major step in the march towards independence for young people but unless they do their homework, they risk losing a lot of money.”
Ms Baker said that as well as providing an educational opportunity, the outreach visits also gave the community a chance to discuss local fair-trading issues.
She said the visits were part of Fair Trading’s commitment to delivering services to regional NSW through the Regional Access Program.
June 13, 2007
HR PR in PEO
Recruit Sessions
The Public Employment Office is to conduct a series of information sessions for Human Resources practitioners and directors over the coming months as the Government begins to implement the findings of a review of recruiting practices across the NSW public sector.
The review, conducted by the Council on the Cost and Quality of Government, recommended a range of legislative, policy and practice reforms to counter the tightening employment market and set the scene for a new e-recruitment system.
The Departments of Premier and Cabinet and Commerce have been asked to prepare business cases for the e-recruitment scheme and a plan for the legislative and policy changes.
Major themes to emerge from the review included promoting the Public Service as an employer of choice and integrating recruitment and retention strategies and a recently issued Circular from the Department of Premier and Cabinet sets out the PEO’s intentions.
The review concluded that the public sector needed to position itself better in the tightening labour market by making full use of e-recruitment practices and removing any unnecessary or time consuming processes.
Among the reforms which are hopewd to make PS recruitment faster and more flexible are to give Department and Agency heads more options to deal with workforce demands.
Specific recommendations included:
* removing the requirement for set periods for jobs to remain open;
* making it easier to convert temporary staff to permanent positions;
* making use of applicant pools for all types of employment;
* giving potential employees the option to register for employment opportunities on line and be automatically advised of positions;
* providing sector-wide templates for generic positions descriptions; and
* simplifying selection criteria.
The program of PEO information sessions will go into detail on the findings and recommendations and explain the process and timetable for implementation.
The sessions will also explain existing flexibilities available to improve recruitment practices and outline further consultations with the public sector unions.
June 13, 2007
PS Chimes In For
Honours Gongs
Her Majesty the Queen has once again been pleased to honour outstanding Public Servants with the award of Public Service Medal on the occasion of her annual birthday celebrations.
A summary of those who were rewarded for their public service are listed below.
PS News congratulates each one on the awards:
Margaret Mary BRAZEL,
Railcorp
For outstanding public service, particularly to rail transport within New South Wales.
David Andrew HARRISS,
Department of Natural Resources
For outstanding public service, particularly in the field of water management.
Stuart James HENDERSON,
NSW Fire Brigades
For outstanding public service, particularly in the field of industrial relations.
Josephine Lily HOWSE,
Department of Education and Training
For outstanding public service, particularly in the field of Braille and large print production.
Terence John KORN,
Retired
For outstanding public service, particularly within the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation.
Frances Mary McPHERSON,
Roads and Traffic Authority
For outstanding public service, particularly in delivering significant improvements to the functioning of several public sector agencies.
Catherine Maree MARDELL,
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
For outstanding public service, particularly in the field of increasing community awareness, knowledge and appreciation of nature conservation and environmental management issues.
Gregory John ROCHFORD,
NSW Ambulance Service
For outstanding public service, particularly in the management of the NSW Ambulance Service.
Murali Jagannadha SAGI,
Judicial Commission of New South Wales
For outstanding public service, particularly in the provision of information technology.
Mr Emanuel SKLAVOUNOS,
Parliamentary Services
For outstanding public service, particularly to state administration, parliamentary and ministerial support, and statutory remuneration policy.
John Stuart WATSON,
WorkCover
For outstanding public service, particularly in the field of workplace safety.
June 13, 2007
Recruiters Have Job
In Front of Them
Innovation is the key to recruiting new staff in a tight labour market, according to the Federal Minister for Workplace Participation, Dr Sharman Stone.
Dr Stone told the Australian Human Resources Institute in Sydney recently that recruiters needed to change their retention and recruitment approaches if they were to attract workers in a close-to-full employment community which was also ageing.
"By 2010, there’s going to be a shortfall of 200,000 workers in Australia," Dr Stone said.
"Over 80 per cent of labour market growth this decade will come from candidates over the age of 45.”
She said while increasing fertility and migration had the potential to add to the workforce, it was important for recruiting staff to also look to people who were not working, such as some parents, people with disabilities, Indigenous Australians and those of mature age.
"In Australia, around one million people of working age are not working,” she said. “However many of these people want to work, and are willing to work."
Dr Stone pointed to a recent survey that showed only 17 per cent of businesses had strategies in place to recruit mature age workers, which was evidence they needed to change their attitudes.
She said the Government was doing its part to encourage more people to join the workforce.
June 13, 2007
Ambulance OK After
Audit Health Check
The Auditor-General has commended the NSW Ambulance Service for substantially implementing nearly all the recommendations from a 2001 audit, saying the Service had made substantial changes to its organisation and operations which would be reflected in performance improvements.
Auditor-General, Peter Achterstraat said the Service has addressed a key finding of the 2001 report - that it did not have adequate, relevant or credible management data for decision making – and had improved its day-to-day management.
“We commend the Service for the extensive changes it has made to implement the recommendations of the 2001 audit report,” Mr Achterstraat said.
“(And) for its new initiatives and for the improvements in range and accuracy of data and performance indicators.
“We expect that the changes will be reflected in the Service’s performance indicators in future.”
The Auditor-General said the 2001 audits prompted the Government to change the Service’s governance structure to simplify accountabilities.
The report’s 28 other sub-recommendations were accepted by the Service, which set up a program to implement them.
He said one outcome of the reforms was that the Service had accumulated five years of operational data from its Computer Aided Dispatch system, which had helped it improve its ongoing management and undertake the changes to its operations recommended in the 2001 audit report.
The Auditor said response time - the key operational issue examined in the 2001 audit - had improved slightly since 2001 in spite of demand outstripping population growth.
“[The Service] had also introduced significant new initiatives to improve performance that were not part of the 2001 recommendations,” the Auditor-General said.
“It has made substantial changes to its organisation and operations to implement these changes.”
June 13, 2007
Teachers Glow After
Nuclear Visit
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation has thrown open the doors to its Hunters Hill nuclear facilities and offered 150 NSW physics and chemistry teachers guided tours.
ANSTO’s General Manager of Public Affairs, Andrew Humpherson said it was hoped that the exercise would help encourage students to take up science as a career.
“By educating teachers about the exciting applications of physics and chemistry in the work place, students may also be encouraged to choose a career in science,” Mr Humpherson said.
“It is crucial for Australia’s future economic prosperity that we keep up with the world in applied technical and scientific skills.
He said Australia needed more students to develop an interest in science and its applications.
In the first of the four planned tours, 50 physics teachers were shown parts of the ANSTO site - Australia's only nuclear science facility – that had most relevance to their syllabus, such as the new research reactor OPAL and its neutron beam facilities, the radiopharmaceutical laboratories and particle accelerators in the Institute of Environmental Research.
Tuncurry physics teacher Matt Avery said he was impressed.
“The site is outstanding and what we saw very relevant to the syllabus, particularly the quanta to quarks option,” Mr Avery said.
Michael Halligar, who travelled from Cobar for the visit, said the trip was worthwhile.
“You just never get the chance to see something like this very often and it was a real eye opener,” Mr Halligar said. “It put a lot of things straight for me about what really goes on here.”
“For example it’s not a nuclear power plant and many people think it is.”
June 13, 2007
Fire Warnings Hot
Up for Winter
An official winter fire campaign has been launched with the warning that 1300 house fires could occur in NSW this winter.
Minister for Emergency Services, Nathan Rees and Fair Trading Minister, Linda Burney, said at the campaign’s launch that residents needed to be alert to fire safety to avoid a repeat of the horror winter two years ago when 13 people died in just over a fortnight.
“We never want a repeat of so many needless deaths,” Mr Rees said, “which resulted in the introduction of laws making smoke alarms compulsory in every home in NSW.”
Ms Burney said residents, particularly parents, needed to be aware of the potential fire risks and other safety hazards around the home.
“Children, flowing nightwear and heaters are a deadly combination and parents need to make sure children’s nightwear meets safety standards,” Ms Burney said.
“…Other fire hazards include old or faulty electric blankets and heaters that have been brought out of summer storage – these should always be checked for signs of wear and tear before use.”
The Ministers said other initiatives to combat community complacency about fire safety included a series of television and radio advertisements promoting the need for escape plans and smoke alarms and reminding people to ensure stove tops were never left on unattended.
The NSW Rural Fire Service and the NSW Fire Brigades would also be producing several TV ads warning of risky behaviours in the home.
The NSWFB and insurance company AAMI, had jointly produced the Winter Fire Safety Calendar, containing seasonal fire safety tips, available from fire stations and AAMI offices.
“Fire stations and the NSWFB web site are also excellent sources of winter fire safety information,” Mr Rees said.
He said winter was the most dangerous time for house fires, with the NSWFB attending 1328 home fires between 1 June and 31 August last year - almost one third of the annual total of 4433.
June 13, 2007
Tsunami Warning On
Right Wavelength
NSW State Emergency Managers are among the first to be briefed by experts from Geoscience Australia on the science and dangers of tsunamis.
Commonwealth Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Bob Baldwin said the first briefings had already been held in Newcastle.
Mr Baldwin said Emergency Management Australia was co-ordinating a roll-out of tsunami information nationally as part of its role in developing the Australian Tsunami Warning System, and the briefings were part of a series of information sessions on the causes and potential effects of tsunamis in the region.
“Geoscience Australia will provide technical information on the likely causes of tsunami, including of course earthquakes, which are the most likely cause,” Mr Baldwin said.
“Earthquakes have been the cause of nearly all major destructive tsunamis since we have been keeping records, and they are carefully monitored by the seismic systems in place at Geoscience Australia,” he said.
“The meetings will also be briefed on more advanced inundation modelling techniques that can be used by emergency service agencies to predict the likely impacts on Australia.
Mr Baldwin said it was essential that State Government agencies undertook inundation modelling as part of their responsibility for developing appropriate strategies for educating their communities on what to do if a warning is issued by the Australian Tsunami Warning Centre.
“…Geoscience Australia is working with State Government Agencies to develop and apply these models to predict the likely impact of tsunami upon potentially vulnerable areas of the Australian coastline.
“We are currently working with several State Governments to assess these potential impacts.”
June 13, 2007
Coalfield Planners
Get Hands Dirty
An independent panel of experts is to examine the potential effects of coalmining in the Southern Coalfield area south of Sydney at public hearings in September.
Public comment is being sought on the potential impacts of mining in the area, a group of underground coal mines mainly in the Illawarra Region and extending southwest to Bargo and Berrima.
Director-General of Planning, Sam Haddad said the inquiry’s terms of reference included environmental, social and economic issues.
He encouraged members of the local community and other interested parties to provide comment on the issues.
Planning Minister Frank Sartor and Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald announced the independent panel in December saying it would examine submissions and the Government would consider its recommendations.
Mr Haddad said that in their submission, residents needed to let it be known if they wished to appear before the panel at one of the hearings.
“The independent panel brings together scientific and community expertise to provide the kind of input that will assist the Government in delivering the right outcomes for the region,” Mr Haddad said.
“It also represents an additional opportunity for community members to have their say.”
The Head of the School of Mining Engineering at the University of New South Wales and an expert on mine-related subsidence, Professor Bruce Hebblewhite, will chair the panel.
Other members will include subsidence expert Emeritus Professor Jim Galvin, groundwater expert Col Mackie, aquatic ecologist Associate Professor Ron West and economist Drew Collins.
The hearings will be held in Sydney and Camden during the week beginning Monday 17 September and the Department will be contacting key interest groups to let them know of the invitation to make submissions.
Submissions must be received by 30 July 2007 and may be posted to Southern Coalfield Panel Secretariat, c/o Department of Planning, GPO Box 39, Sydney NSW 2001 or emailed to peter.downes@planning.nsw.gov.au.
June 13, 2007
Northern Exposure
For ICAC Boss
A gathering of community leaders on the NSW North Coast has been told that they had a critical role to play in combating corruption in their community.
Independent Commission Against Corruption Commissioner, Jerrold Cripps QC, told the gathering in Coffs Harbour that their cooperation helped ICAC in its ongoing fight against corruption.
“Last year we received and assessed more than 2000 complaints and reports of suspected corrupt conduct from the general public, CEOs and public officials across the State,” Commissioner Cripps told the 40-strong breakfast audience from community groups, businesses and public agencies, during ICAC’s North Coast outreach.
“These complaints and reports form the basis of much of our investigations and corruption prevention work, so we certainly encourage you to come forward with information that can help us in the fight against corruption.”
He said the ICAC undertook two outreach visits a year in regional NSW to highlight its work and provide training in regional NSW.
Its Rural and Regional Outreach Strategy program has taken in the North Coast, Mudgee, the Illawarra, the Hunter, the Far West, New England, the Riverina, the Central West and the Central Coast since its creation in 2001.
The most recent sessions included information on how to recognise and report corrupt conduct and how to identify and manage corruption risks in public sector organisations.
Police Integrity Commissioner, John Pritchard also took part in the Coffs Harbour visit, and held discussions with local police on anti-corruption initiatives and systems.
June 13, 2007
Fire Brigades Hose
Down Scammers
The NSW Fire Brigade has warned homeowners to beware of bogus telemarketers calling to sell fundraising raffle tickets to “support the firefighters”.
A spokesperson for the NSWFB urged people to be careful when responding to such invitations.
“The NSWFB does not run raffles,” the spokesperson said.
He said the Rural Fire Service Association was a non-profit group which ran raffles to support the families of volunteers injured fighting fires but the group was not associated with the NSWFB.
The spokesperson urged people who were contacted to ask the caller who exactly the tickets were being sold on behalf of , to ask which particular fire service or brigade, and to ring that service or brigade to check whether this is in fact the case. He also warned them to be cautious of divulging personal financial information such as credit card and bank account details over the phone.
He said if a caller tells a homeowner that a raffle is on behalf of the Rural Fire Service Association, he or she can call the RFSA office on (02) 4722 2122 or check its website at www.rfsa.org.au to see whether the raffle is genuine.
The NSWFB does not solicit donations for its core activities and only accepts donations, usually sponsorship, for activities such as Community Fire Units and some preventative community safety programs.
June 13, 2007
DPI Scientists Have
Award Chemistry
Department of Primary Industries scientists and their industry collaborators, BEST Energies, have won a World Environment Day Award for their work tackling the problem of greenhouse gas emissions.
The award, for research into the benefits of pyrolysis products and progress in commercialising technology to achieve large-scale climate results, was presented at a gala awards dinner at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne.
Pyrolysis, a renewable energy technology developed by BEST Energies and hailed by leading environmentalist and Australian of the Year Tim Flannery as one of the most important available for stabilising the world’s climate, involves heating green waste or other biomass without oxygen.
DPI senior research scientist Dr Lukas Van Zwieten said soils naturally generated about 10 times more greenhouse gas on a global scale than the burning of fossil fuels.
“So it is not surprising there is so much interest in a technology to create clean energy that also locks up carbon in the soil for the long term and lifts agricultural production,” Dr Van Zwieten said.
The DPI research team - which included scientists Yin Chan, Annette Cowie, Steve Kimber, Katrina Sinclair and BP Singh as well as technical staff Josh Rust, Scott Petty, Dick Bryant and Mike Heesom - formed a research partnership with BEST two years ago to investigate the potential of agrichar, a black carbon by-product of pyrolysis.
Research trials at Wollongbar Agricultural Institute found that agrichar as a soil enhancement had at least doubled crop biomass yield when applied at the rate of 10 tonnes to the hectare.
The trials also found that soil containing agrichar emitted significantly lower levels of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide - the greenhouse gas more than 300 times as potent as carbon dioxide.
The scientists say this raises the possibility of using soils as a permanent carbon depository.
The World Environment Day Awards are an annual national awards program run by the United Nations Association of Australia. This year’s awards acknowledged actions taken at a local level to address global environmental issues.
June 13, 2007
Mine Safety Plan
Digs Up Comment
A further step towards a fatality-free mining industry has been taken with the launch of a National Mine Safety Framework for public consultation.
The initiative comes from the Ministerial Council on Mineral and Petroleum Resources, which is made up of all States, the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth.
According to the Council, the process of public consultation is important for achieving a consistent approach to mine safety across Australia.
The Framework was developed by the Chief Inspectors of Mines in the States and Northern Territory and a steering group made up of representatives of the participating Governments, trade union and industry associations, has been formed to implement it.
According to the Deputy Director-General of Primary Industries Mineral Resources, Alan Coutts, there were different mine safety and health regulations in each State and Territory.
He said this presented problems with mineworkers moving around the country on different projects, being required to undergo numerous induction courses because there was no standard induction.
He said a Mine Safety Framework adopted across the nation would lead to:
* A nationally consistent legislative framework;
* A consultation protocol aimed at including all stakeholders in the workplace; and
* Consistency in a national data set, its collection and analysis.
Mr Coutts said public hearings were an important way to canvass the views of all interested parties.
“Inconsistency can not only be hugely inconvenient for industry and the workforce,” Mr Coutts said, “but it can be expensive and can result in varying degrees of safety performance.”
He said as an example of worrying current practice, NSW required some equipment to be overhauled and repaired at licensed workshops while other States had no such requirement.
“This could mean equipment repaired in another State is unusable in NSW,” Mr Coutts said.
Submissions on the National Mine Safety Framework could be made by visiting www.industry.gov.au/minesafety and would be accepted until 20 July 2007.
June 13, 2007
Stockade Unlocked
In Heritage Find
The National Parks and Wildlife Service has found a significant historical site, hidden for more than 150 years, within Sturt National Park.
NPWS’s Tibooburra Area Manager, Ingrid Witte said extensive archaeological fieldwork had found Charles Sturt’s Fort Grey Stockade.
“The stockade is the most northern base camp established by Charles Sturt and his party during their 1845-46 expedition to central Australia in search of an inland sea,” Ms Witte said.
“Sturt set up this fort in the Lake Pinaroo area to use as a base camp while scouting the territory further north.”
She said NPWS hired an archaeologist to undertake the field work and initial archival work to find the Stockade.
In 2006 an area believed to contain the stockade was mapped by a geophysical survey following studies of Sturt’s journal and documented route coordinates.
“This survey showed mid-1800s ceramic fragments and detected a distinct square outline of the dimensions of the stockade suggesting that this was the stockade location,” Ms Witte said.
“Further archaeological fieldwork on the Fort Grey stockade site will be carried out in early 2008 to learn more about the historical site.”
She said the discovery would shed further light on Charles Sturt’s expedition and early explorers’ everyday lives.
Ms Witte said visitors to Sturt National Park could already follow the Charles Sturt interpretation trail at Lake Pinaroo.
June 13, 2007
Business Plan 1st
Class For Schools
Representatives of all State Education Departments have met in Canberra to take part in the Schools-Business Dialogue which aims at promoting better links between schools and the business community.
Launched by the Federal Minister for Education, Julie Bishop, over 50 invitees attended the Dialogue including representatives of schools and businesses, teachers, parents and careers professionals.
Ms Bishop said relationships needed to be built between schools and businesses to ensure a flexible and responsive education system which would support students to reach their potential.
“While building links with business is something well-embedded in the vocational and higher education sectors, there is room for more activity in this area when it comes to schools,” Ms Bishop said.
She said a new approach was needed to bring schooling in Australia to a new level.
“Engaging business in schools through corporate partnerships and other programs brings new resources to support school innovation and capability and reduces the isolation from which many schools suffer,” she said..
“We need to ensure that our students leave school with employability and enterprise skills that will contribute to a prosperous society.”
She said improved links between schools and businesses would enhance skill development in students which would be vital to lift national productivity and ensure long-term economic sustainability.
“We must create opportunities for them to succeed by giving them the life skills that they need,” Ms Bishop said.
June 13, 2007
Dreamtime at DECC
As Staff Get Culture
The Department of Environment and Climate Change is to train all 4000 of its staff in Aboriginal cultural awareness.
Director-General of the Department, Lisa Corbyn announced the program saying that following the successful completion of the training by about 300 DECC staff, the rest of the Department would be sent on the two-day course with everyone included, from the most senior manager to junior field and administration officers.
Ms Corbyn said senior executives would also attend additional workshops on Aboriginal-related legislation and policies.
“While our environmental protection work benefits everyone in the State, a great deal of it is targeted specifically towards Aboriginal Australians,” Ms Corbyn said. “And much of it relies on the specialist ecological and cultural knowledge of Aboriginal staff.”
She said it was vital that all DECC staff had some understanding of the cultural complexities in working with and for Aboriginal people.
“The program is an essential part of meeting DECC's obligations under Two Ways Together, the NSW Government's 10-year plan to improve the lives of Aboriginal people and their communities.”
The training course, developed and delivered by TAFE NSW, will involve local Aboriginal community members as facilitators and participants to ensure each session is locally relevant.
It aims to develop awareness of country, culture, people and history, and includes a legislative overview and visits to local Aboriginal sites.
Ms Corbyn said the program was important as DECC’s work included the protection of Aboriginal objects and sites throughout the State; co-managing some national parks and reserves with local Aboriginal communities; promoting Aboriginal culture and environmental understanding, and developing and implementing programs to support the involvement of Aboriginal people in the management of their traditional lands.
The Department also had a significant number of Aboriginal staff in its number and was the lead NSW Agency in the Commonwealth Aboriginal Cadet Program which boosted Aboriginal employment opportunities in public sector roles.
June 13, 2007
PS Medal gets Gong
From Premier’s Dept
Chief Executives of Departments and Agencies are being urged to nominate accomplished staff for this year’s Public Service Medal.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has circularised all Agencies prompting them to consider making a nomination before the State cut-off date of 27 July.
The Department says the PSM is a prestigious medal within the Australian Honours System designed to recognise public sector Officers who have made a contribution to the community through the outstanding performance of their duties.
The medal is awarded on merit, and the circular notes that long service alone is not a sufficient basis for a nomination.
It says eligibility extends to all public sector employees at any level of the Commonwealth Government, State and Territory governments and local governments, except the Defence Force, police and fire services.
The medal is given for “outstanding service” and in the past has been awarded to administrative/clerical staff and employees involved in operational roles as well as to more senior staff.
The medals are awarded by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Premier and winners will be announced in the Australia Day Awards in 2008.
The new nomination form, including award guidelines, is available from the Australian Honours website www.itsanhonour.gov.au.
June 6, 2007
Dreamtime at DECC
As Staff Get Culture
The Department of Environment and Climate Change is to train all 4000 of its staff in Aboriginal cultural awareness.
Director-General of the Department, Lisa Corbyn announced the program saying that following the successful completion of the training by about 300 DECC staff, the rest of the Department would be sent on the two-day course with everyone included, from the most senior manager to junior field and administration officers.
Ms Corbyn said senior executives would also attend additional workshops on Aboriginal-related legislation and policies.
“While our environmental protection work benefits everyone in the State, a great deal of it is targeted specifically towards Aboriginal Australians,” Ms Corbyn said. “And much of it relies on the specialist ecological and cultural knowledge of Aboriginal staff.”
She said it was vital that all DECC staff had some understanding of the cultural complexities in working with and for Aboriginal people.
“The program is an essential part of meeting DECC's obligations under Two Ways Together, the NSW Government's 10-year plan to improve the lives of Aboriginal people and their communities.”
The training course, developed and delivered by TAFE NSW, will involve local Aboriginal community members as facilitators and participants to ensure each session is locally relevant.
It aims to develop awareness of country, culture, people and history, and includes a legislative overview and visits to local Aboriginal sites.
Ms Corbyn said the program was important as DECC’s work included the protection of Aboriginal objects and sites throughout the State; co-managing some national parks and reserves with local Aboriginal communities; promoting Aboriginal culture and environmental understanding, and developing and implementing programs to support the involvement of Aboriginal people in the management of their traditional lands.
The Department also had a significant number of Aboriginal staff in its number and was the lead NSW Agency in the Commonwealth Aboriginal Cadet Program which boosted Aboriginal employment opportunities in public sector roles.
June 6, 2007
PS Medal gets Gong
From Premier’s Dept
Chief Executives of Departments and Agencies are being urged to nominate accomplished staff for this year’s Public Service Medal.
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has circularised all Agencies prompting them to consider making a nomination before the State cut-off date of 27 July.
The Department says the PSM is a prestigious medal within the Australian Honours System designed to recognise public sector Officers who have made a contribution to the community through the outstanding performance of their duties.
The medal is awarded on merit, and the circular notes that long service alone is not a sufficient basis for a nomination.
It says eligibility extends to all public sector employees at any level of the Commonwealth Government, State and Territory governments and local governments, except the Defence Force, police and fire services.
The medal is given for “outstanding service” and in the past has been awarded to administrative/clerical staff and employees involved in operational roles as well as to more senior staff.
The medals are awarded by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Premier and winners will be announced in the Australia Day Awards in 2008.
The new nomination form, including award guidelines, is available from the Australian Honours website www.itsanhonour.gov.au.
June 6, 2007
Prosecutor In
Trial by Audit
Concerns over how the Director of Public Prosecutions planned to meet this year’s effciency dividend have led to the Auditor-General being asked to investigate the Office.
In a submission to Treasury, the DPP, Nicholas Cowdery is believed to have proposed meeting the 1 per cent cut in adminstrative expenses by reducing appearances in Court, including for matters relating to summary child sex offences and some drug offences.
Mr Cowdey also suggested the DPP would reduce its role in Supreme Court bail applications when it wasn’t the prosecutor and cut back on some appeals against perceived lenient sentences.
Mr Cowdery said the planned cutbacks in legal work were the only areas in which his office could achieve the $4 million in savings the dividend demanded. He said the proposals were not recommended but were options to be pursued.
He admitted that if adopted, the cutbcaks could be to have an adverse effect on te administration of justice in NSW.
Both the Attorney-General and Treasurer have reacted to the proposals by assuring the public that the work of the DPP would continue and that cutbacks of the type suggested by Mr Cowdery would not be allowed.
Treasurer, Michael Costa said the effciency dividend applied to all Government Departments and Agencies and said the DPP’s proposals were cutbacks in services, not savings, which was what the efficeincy dividend was meant to produce.
He ordered the Auditor-General to conduct a financial and performance audit of the DPP’s Office.
June 6, 2007
Business Unusual As
DoCS adopts Reforms
The Department of Community Services has been preparing clients and stakeholders for a raft of changes and reforms to the way it does business.
Using the Department’s latest newsletter Inside Out to report on progress, DoCS Director-General, Neil Shepherd said the Department had been working closely with stakeholders across NSW to introduce the changes which would deliver a better way of doing business, and a better system for families.
“A lot of work has been done to prepare for the introduction of centralised licensing of preschools, child care centres and outside school hours care services,” Dr Shepherd said.
He said the changes followed regulatory reforms introduced on 2 April this year.
He said new legislation covering out-of-home care had also been introduced to strike a better balance between a child’s rights to maintain contact with his or her birth family and protecting the privacy of foster carers.
The new sections to the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 18 regulate the release of information to parents about the whereabouts of children in foster care with a focus on the wellbeing of the child.
Dr Shepherd said DoCS was also providing training for non-Government organisations around good practice in the use of interpreters for children, families and foster carers who did not have English as a first language.
June 6, 2007
Institute Addressed
According to Plan
Assistant Minister for the Environment, Verity Firth has addressed the NSW Chapter of the Institute of Public Administration Australia on the significance of the NSW State Plan and its progress to date.
Ms Firth said that the plan was ultimately about delivering better services to the residents of NSW.
“It does this by setting clear priorities for government action, with targets that guide decision making and resource allocation,” she said.
“Set out in terms of five main areas of Government activity, the State Plan contains a number of broad goals with particular priorities set against them - 14 goals, 34 priorities.”
In her speech, the Assistant Minister concentrated on was the plan’s environmental sustainability goals.
She said the plan’s priorities included “Cleaner air and progress on greenhouse gas reductions” which aimed for a 60% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2050, and “Increasing the share of peak-hour journeys on a safe and reliable public transport system”.
Nine Regional Coordination Management Groups across the state develop and monitor local solutions in partnership with local government, business and non-government organisations.
Ms Firth said the State Plan incorporated the goals of existing strategies and plans around sustainability issues such as the NSW Greenhouse Plan and the Waste Strategy.
She said through a series of grants the State Government was providing support for local communities to reach their sustainability targets.
The Government’s Climate Action Grants had enabled Local Government innovation in tackling climate change, such as $222,000 to Parramatta Council to develop Smart Transport options including free shuttles and car sharing and $58,000 to Coffs Harbour City Council for its Five a Ride project to encourage cycling through provision of infrastructure, cycle training, communications and a bicycle recycling trial.
“Targets have been set that the Government will be held accountable for,” Ms Firth said. “It is backed by significant funding.
“Our involvement with local government in this endeavour is serious and long-term.”
June 6, 2007
Union United On
Uni Union
The Community and Public Sector Union has warned that university services could suffer under a Commonwealth plan to take over control of the nation’s highest tertiary institutions.
CPSU State Secretary, Steve Turner, called on the Commonwealth to focus instead on expanding the quality and improving affordability in the university system.
“Workers in Universities have been appalled by the numbers of talented people turned away from our universities due to a lack of affordable places and well-supported services,” Mr Turner said.
“…University workers call on all State Governments to reject this demand.”
Mr Turner said the Federal Government was only interested in a power grab rather than positive reform of the university system.
“Our nation faces a skills crisis, and our universities need a serious reversal of the starving of public funds that it has faced over the last 12 years.”
He said they didn’t need a handover of power from the States to the Commonwealth that would result in less accountability.
He said under the proposed change, university managements would be less accountable for the public funds that they receive, university workers’ compensation rights would be reduced and university decision-making bodies would become less democratic by excluding key stakeholders like staff and students.
Mr Turner said the CPSU would continue to push for more funding and better support for universities, “for the best interests of staff, students and the community”.
June 6, 2007
Circular In Step
With Marching Staff
The Department of Premier and Cabinet has issued a circular encouraging Departments and Agencies which have staff planning to take part in the 2007 Reserve Forces Day Council Parades in June and July, to look kindly on requests for leave.
Circular C2007-17 says the parades would take place in four NSW cities on the weekend of 30 June and 1 July and in Canberra and Tamworth on 23 June.
The parades’ main emphasis this year is the commemoration of the 90th anniversary of “the last great cavalry charge in history” - the charge at Beersheba by the Australian Light Horse in October 1917.
They will also mark the Australian Intelligence Corps’ centenary and current and former Reservists have been invited to attend.
The Circular states that “Eligible public sector staff who are rostered to work on the day that the parade is held in their locality can seek to apply for a change in the roster for the day. Alternatively, they may apply for accrued leave, for example, flex leave, recreation leave or extended leave.
It says that all applications for a change in roster or accrued leave would be subject to operational requirements and Departmental convenience “However, Agencies are encouraged to release eligible staff where possible.”
Starting times, meeting places and other information on the parades can be found on the website www.rfd.org.au, or by contacting the RDFC on (02) 08 1863.
June 6, 2007
Parliament Sits For
Bush Tucker Show
A collaboration between Parliament House Corporate Services, the Department of State and Regional Development, Tourism NSW and the Department of Primary Industries has led to a series of events at Parliament House showcasing NSWE regional food and wine.
The next showcase is on this month.
According to Paul Judge of DSRD, the showcases attract food and wine suppliers from regional areas and introduce them to Sydney-based traders.
They are held every four to five months with this month’s highlighting food and wine from the Southern Highlands. The two events last year focused on Orange and the Hawkesbury.
Mr Judge said while the showcases introduced the fine produce of the region, they also publicised the culinary tourist attractions of the area.
He said they weren’t open to the general public but anyone involved in the food service industry would be welcome to register an interest and attend.
Following the special lunchtime showcase on June 18, the gourmet produce from the Southern Highlands will be featured on the Parliament House dining room menu for the rest of the week.
Food service providers with an interest in attending can contact Mr Judge at DSRD on (02) 9338 6658 or paul.judge@business.nsw.gov.au
June 6, 2007
Disabled Enabled in
Arty Partnership
The Art Gallery of NSW has unveiled a three-year program to stage exhibitions specifically for people with disabilities.
Disability Discrimination Commissioner with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Graeme Innes, launched the program which centres on a partnership between the Gallery and national law firm Clayton Utz.
Commissioner Innes said the partnership would allow people with disabilities to enjoy cultural experiences through “touch” and other sensory tours.
“Art is as relevant to people with disabilities as to other members of the community. These facilities will certainly enhance the experience,” he said.
Director of the Gallery, Edmund Capon, said, “Over one million people in Australia have a physical, emotional, intellectual or sensory disability with many having a life-long enjoyment of the arts.”
The Gallery would be offering several access programs, including the Da Vinci Program of special art-making workshops for intellectually disabled and intellectually gifted children; Touch Tours for the blind or partially sighted; and Auslan-interpreted events for visitors who were deaf, including celebrity talks and guided tours as part of the Gallery's Art After Hours program on Wednesday evenings and during the Sunday Gallery Kids program.
Clayton Utz staff would be able to participate in a volunteering program to support the Gallery in art-making workshops to help disabled visitors to enhance their enjoyment of art.
June 6, 2007
Fire Calendar Going
Like Hot cakes
The Winter Fire Safety Calendar is now available, providing a range of fire safety and preventative tips for NSW householders.
The calendar has been produced by the NSW Fire Brigades and insurer AAMI in a bid to lessen the number of residential fires during the particularly dangerous winter season.
Speaking at the launch at Turvey Park Fire Station, NSWFB Commissioner Greg Mullins said there had been 1328 fires between 1 June and 31 August last year, or 30 per cent of all home fires for the year.
“We never want to see a repeat of the tragic winter of 2005 when 13 people, including seven children, died in home fires in just over two weeks,” Commissioner Mullins said.
“Simple precautions such as having a suitable number of smoke alarms, developing and rehearsing a home escape plan, supervising cooking, using heaters and fires carefully, cleaning the clothes dryer lint filter and checking electric blankets for damage can help prevent a fire this winter,” he said.
AAMI NSW Corporate Affairs Manager Selina O’Connor said that a review of AAMI claims data over the past five years had shown that most fire claims were made in July, June and December.
“An alarming one in five - 21% - of Riverina residents believes their home is a fire risk, yet almost three in 10 - 27% - do not have a home fire escape plan in place, putting themselves at greater risk, according [our] survey,” Ms O’Connor said.
The calendar is available from NSWFB fire stations and AAMI offices.
June 6, 2007
Wordless Novel Says
It All for Migrants
The winner of the Community Relations Commission Literary Award for 2007 has been named as The Arrival by Shaun Tan.
Described as a “graphic novel,” the book has no words but was judged the best work of the year exploring the migration experience.
Chair of the CRC, Stepan Kerkyasharian said that the author, “whilst born in Australia, has beautifully observed the pangs, the fears and excitement of the migration journey”.
“This is a very moving and graphic account of the steps each migrant family undertakes to reach their new homeland,” Mr Kerkyasharian said.
“It can be very difficult for non-migrants to empathise with this experience but Shaun Tan’s work gives the reader a superb insight into the process and the emotions of leaving homeland for good.”
Mr Kerkyasharian said he believed that it benefited all Australians to have an understanding of the migration experience as so many in the community were migrants.
He said that experience shaped their outlook on life.
“That is why, for many years, the Commission has encouraged people through this award, to tell migrants’ stories and the broader tales of migration itself. Contributing in this way to the nation’s literary store is contributing to the nation’s soul,” he said.
In awarding the top prize to Mr Tan’s novel, the judges said it was “Lyrical in its structure and unique in its vision of the metropolis as viewed through the émigré’s eyes. Compulsive, rhythmic, heart-breaking and inspiring, it is the intimate details within the vast landscapes that draw the eye of the observer. The Arrival is a masterwork, with time as one of its major images.”
The Translation Award, jointly sponsored by the Community Relations Commission and PEN, the International Writers Group, was presented to an accomplished Australian translator for his work on contemporary Dutch literature.
Congratulating the winner, Mr Kerkyasharian said, “The judges for this year’s biennial award referred to John Nieuwenhuizen as ‘so comfortably and elegantly moving between two languages and cultures as to appear invisible, even as he forges entry points for us between them, and frames our view. All of it walking in someone else's shoes’.”
June 6, 2007
Entertainment Laws
Are Music To Ears
New laws governing the performance of live entertainment across the State have been released for public comment.
Planning Minister, Frank Sartor said the proposed new rules were intended to cut red tape for the music industry and encourage visits to public places and participation in arts and cultural activities, as called for in the NSW State Plan.
He said the Government was committed to ensuring live music and entertainment could flourish across NSW.
“Live music is an important part of our culture and we should be encouraging talented musicians to share their music with the community,” Mr Sartor said.
“We have been working with the live music industry and local councils to address concerns about the approvals process and streamline the system.”
He said the legislation aimed to simplify staging events such as performances in pubs and clubs, and outdoor entertainment at fairs, shows and festivals.
Up to now, venues had to get Council approval under the Local Government Act before a building could be used as a “place of public entertainment”, after which a planning approval could also be required.
Mr Sartor said the proposed rules would result in a single approval process whereby hotels, clubs and restaurants could avail themselves of a streamlined approval from an accredited certifier, or their local Council, for live entertainment, and many events in public halls would be exempt from planning approval.
He said the Government had been advised by a Live Music Working Group.
“They raised concerns and we listened,” Mr Sartor said.
June 6, 2007
Seniors Card Is
King of Clubs
The Government-run Seniors Card program has launched a major campaign to encourage more businesses in regional areas to join.
The free card, providing access to NSW Government concessions and business discounts, aimed at encouraging older people to enjoy an active and healthy retirement.
Although 6,594 businesses currently offer discounts to Seniors Card holders, a recent study showed a need for more regional businesses to join the program to benefit the 520,000-plus members living outside the Sydney metropolitan area.
NSW Seniors Card Manager, Ian Henderson said that more than 41,000 businesses had been mailed a Business Partner application form.
“It is free to join the NSW Seniors Card Business Partner program,” Mr Henderson said. “At no charge, Business Partners receive point of sale material, a listing in the annual Discount Directory and a listing on the Seniors Card website.”
He said the scheme was highly supported in the community with more than 90 per cent of eligible seniors holding a card and more than 55 per cent of those saying they look for the “Seniors Card Welcome Here” signs when shopping.
Participating businesses offer a discount of 5% or more to card-holders.
Businesses wishing to take part in the scheme should phone 1300 364 758, email business@seniorscard.nsw.gov.au or apply online at www.seniorscard.net.au.
June 6, 2007
Children’s Carers
Get Grown-Up Grants
Non-Government agencies providing services to children taken from their homes, are to receive $617 million in funding under five-year agreements signed with the Department of Community Services.
The new agreements are part of the Department’s roll-out of out-of-home care funding.
DoCS Deputy Director-General of Service System Development, Gül Izmir said the new agreements would extend to 2010-11 and give children in care better access to education, counseling, health services and the specialist therapy they might need to catch up with their peers.
“New forecasts show the continuing rise in the number of child abuse reports could translate into more than 1200 additional children entering into care by 2010/11,” Dr Izmir said.
“The DoCS’ Brighter Futures early intervention program currently rolling out across NSW is focused on strengthening families in order to reduce the number of children who need to be placed in care.
“As we begin to see the results of this early intervention, over time, we should also see the rate of the annual increase begin to fall.
“However the total number of children in the care system is still forecast to reach 12,116 in the 2010/11 financial year – a significant increase on the 10,800 currently in care.
“The figures are a demonstration of the critical need for ongoing reform in this area.”
Dr Izmir said DoCS had strengthened its support of foster carers by increasing allowances, improving training, establishing Regional Advisory Groups, creating specialist services and rolling out an additional 300 caseworkers.
The five-year funding agreements were the next step.
A three-month expression of interest submission period for organisations is expected to close at the end of this month with successful applicants to be notified in late July.
June 6, 2007
Museum Lets Loose
Monster Hit Show
The Australian Museum grabbed the headlines recently when it released a giant life-like dinosaur into Hyde Park as part of its lead-up to a live theatre show being staged during the July school holidays entitled Gondwana.
A working model of a 150-million-year-old Dryosaurus, which is 2m high and 3m long, captured the attention of the public when it appeared walking along College Street at lunchtime.
Paleontologist with the Museum, Robert Jones said the dinosaur didn’t seem to mind leaving the museum behind. “Once he reached Hyde Park he felt quite at home - he is a herbivore after all,” Mr Jones said.
He said Gondwana - created by ERTH Visual and Physical Inc in consultation with palaeontologists – would boast full body puppets and spectacular projections, lighting and sound during the shows to tell the story of Australia's prehistoric environment.
Performances by the six puppeteers and their support crew will run at the museum daily at 11am from Monday 2 July to Friday 13 July. Tickets, which would include general admission to the museum, are $15 for adults, $8 for children, $3 for pensioners and under 5s, and two types of family tickets: $35 for two adu
June 6, 2007
Port Report Is
Full Bottle
A report from the Freight Infrastructure Advisory Board has called for an increase in rail freight from Port Botany to cut the number of heavy vehicle movements in the area by up to 300 trucks a day.
The Government has accepted the report with Premier, Morris Iemma saying the new freight policy proposed by the Board would be one of the State’s most important economic initiatives.
“Port Botany is a vital piece of infrastructure and we’re making a $500 million investment to expand its capacity,” Mr Iemma said.
“In 2005/06, trade through Port Botany was worth more than $40 billion dollars – that figure is expected to double in the next 20 years.
“It is an economic imperative for our State that we can accommodate that growth by breaking open a potential bottleneck by moving freight by rail to new facilities more conveniently located to major road and rail routes.”
He said the Freight Initiative also planned to establish new freight terminals at Enfield and Moorebank and reduce the number of truck movements on key arterial roads by about a million a year by hitting a target of 40 per cent of freight carried by rail.
“Most of this freight is going from the port to Western Sydney – everything from computer games to paint to gourmet foods - so if we don’t act now to increase rail freight movements, we will see more heavy trucks on our roads and more congestion,” Mr Iemma said.
The Government’s response to the FIAB report is available on the Ministry of Transport website at: www.transport.nsw.gov.au