Industry News

Cr Bill McArthur has been returned to Victoria’s top local government job, being named the President of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) for the next two years.

Latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show that GDP, in seasonally adjusted volume terms, grew 0.6 per cent in the December quarter 2012.

The Local Government Association of NSW and the Shires Association of NSW have officially amalgamated to become one association called Local Government NSW (LGNSW).

The Federal Government has released further details of the rules that will guide how the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) works for people with a disability, their families, carers and service providers.

The Federal Government has announced it wills tump up $1.2 billion to pay for increases for the nation’s 350,000 aged care workers under the Living Longer Living Better aged care reforms.

Councillors across New South Wales 152 council bodies are now subject to the new Code of Conduct after it came into force late last week.

The Federal Government has announced a $1.86 million grant to help Melbourne’s Semitech Semiconductor develop technology to reduce the cost of photovoltaic systems, making them more affordable and practical for homes and businesses.

The latest ABS figures show that in seasonally adjusted, current price terms, the current account deficit fell $370m (2 per cent) to $14,678m in the December quarter 2012. Exports of goods and services rose $734m (1 per cent) and imports of goods and services rose $897m (1 per cent). The primary income deficit fell $518m (6 per cent).

The latest ABS Retail Trade figures show that Australian retail turnover rose 0.9 per cent in January 2013, seasonally adjusted, following a fall of 0.4 per cent in December 2012.

Some of Tasmania’s lowest paid workers have been assured of their wage increases after the Tasmanian Government announced it will commit a further $7.04 million to cover the initiative.

More than 3.3 million Australians are now covered under enterprise agreements in the Federal workplace relations system, according to a report released by the Federal Government.

The Australian Water Association (AWA) has named long-serving Executive Manager of Council’s Coffs Harbour Water business unit, Simon Thorn as NSW Water Professional of the Year.

Long serving Chief of the Australian Water Association (AWA), Tom Mollenkopf, has announced he will be stepping down from the position in July this year.

The Federal Government has officially opened the new $230 million Science and Technology Precinct at the Queensland University of Technology.

The University of Queensland (UQ) has developed sophisticated new modelling which details the impacts of global warming on plants.

The University of Western Australia’s (UWA) top ecologist has lambasted the idea of a planetary tipping point – where global ecosystems shift radically and irreversibly into decline – saying it could promote unnecessary dread of catastrophe or dangerous complacency.

Fluoride in the drinking water significantly cuts the rate of tooth decay in the adult population, according to the findings of a new international study on dental health conducted by the University of Adelaide.

The Victorian Government has introduced legislation before Parliament that it says will encourage the installation of separate water meters for multiple occupancy buildings.

The Victorian Government has announced it has begun receiving expressions of interest for board member positions on Victoria’s 10 Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) as well as the chairperson position for the Gouldburn Broken CMA Board.

Nearly 30,000 Victorian residents and rate payers across the state have been given the opportunity to voice their opinions on the performance of their councils.