Industry News

Tasmanian based Bell Bay Aluminium has announced it has struck an agreement with Swire Shipping for the provision of direct international ocean freight shipping between Asian ports and Bell Bay Port.

The Tasmanian Government has announced the ‘next major step’ in the overhaul of the State’s electricity industry with the creation of a new board to oversee the merger of Aurora Energy and Transend.

Former Director of the English National Ballet Craig Hassall has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of Opera Australia.

The National Broadband Network Co’s (NBN) chief, Mike Quigley, has called for an industry study to determine the best way to build the high-speed network.

The Federal Government has announced a new national ‘reading blitz’ for students between Foundation and Year 3 to be launched next year in a bid to tackle falling literacy rates.

The number of apprentices in trades and non-trade related studies has declined for the start of the year, according to the latest report released by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER).

Over 130 Queensland schools will now take part in the Federal Government’s Empowering Local Schools initiative, aimed at giving schools greater financial autonomy.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has given the go ahead for central Queensland coal producers to begin collective bargaining for water supply with SunWater.

Telstra has confirmed 650 jobs are set to be axed from its struggling Sensis arm after it announced a program of structural reform in a bid to breath life into the print-based business.

ConocoPhillips and PetroChina have announced the signing of a agreement that will see the two companies increase their stakes in three major oil and gas projects.

AMP has announced the appointment of Amelia Contstantinidis as Director of Horizons, with responsibility for developing strategic plans and frameworks for advice for planner services across multiple licences.

Despite a generally gloomy global economic outlook, Australians have kept spending with a vengeance, according to the latest figures released by the Commonwealth Bank.

Over a quarter of part-time workers (27%) aged 15-24 years want to work more hours, according to an Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report.

The Payments System Board of the Reserve Bank has welcomed a proposal by an industry led committee to introduce a ‘fast payments’ solution for Australian consumers.

The New Zealand Government has announced the formation of a new stand-alone agency focused on lifiting the country’s workplace health and safety record.

New Zealanders will soon be joining their trans-Tasman brothers in rolling out plain packaging for tobacco laws under legislation proposed by the New Zealand Government.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has accused Victorian Premier Baillieu of dishonest politics in his accusation of a shortfall of Federal health funding.

Origin Energy has confirmed it will be cutting its workforce by 850 by the end of the 2013 calendar year.

Whitehaven Coal has announced the appointment of Paul Flynn as the group’s new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective from 25 March.

The Queensland Government has promised better community engagement, more field inspections, audits and a ‘firm approach to industry non-compliance’ as part of a new coal seam gas management plan.