Industry News

The Federal budget has cut  funding for the National Career Development Strategy from 30 June 2012, generating savings of $17.0 million over three years.

The National Career Development Strategy was introduced as part of the National Career Development program to assist young people aged 15‑24 to transition from schooling into further education, training or employment.

The Government will continue to fund existing National Career Development initiatives under the National Partnership Agreement on Youth Attainment and Transitions which terminates on 31 December 2013.

Australia's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased 0.2 percentage points to 4.9 per cent in April, as announced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). There was also a decrease in the labour force participation rate of 0.1 percentage points in April to 65.2 per cent.

The ABS reported the number of people employed increased by 15,500 to 11,501,000 in April. The increase in employment was driven by increased part-time employment, up 26,000 people to 3,438,200, and was offset by decrease in full-time employment, down 10,500 people to 8,062,800. The increase in employment was mainly driven by an increase in male part-time employment.

The number of people unemployed decreased by 28,800 people to 598,200 in April, the ABS reported.

The ABS monthly aggregate hours worked series showed an increase in April, up 6.6 million hours to 1,633.9 million hours.

There has been some interest recently in how changes in the Australian population impact on the estimates of employment from the Labour Force Survey. The responses collected from the sample of people in the survey are weighted to projections of the Australian population for the current quarter. These population projections are based on the most up-to-date information available, but are different to the official estimates of resident population that are calculated at a later date. In order to explain these issues, the ABS has produced a special feature article "Population Benchmarks and the Labour Force Survey" in this month's publication. 

More details are in the April 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0), as well as the upcoming April 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia, Detailed (cat. no. 6291.0.55.001) due for release next week on May 17. Both publications are available for free download (after release) from the ABS website - www.abs.gov.au.

The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) and GS1 Australia have joined forces to create a new high level industry working group to improve supply chain efficiency and product traceability.

The ALC Supply Chain Standards Working Group will be comprised of industry experts from across the supply chain who will focus on better aligning the transport and logistics sector with Australian industry in the adoption of global standards for identification, information capture and sharing across supply chains.

“Australia’s rising freight task, coupled with low levels of productivity in the transport sector means industry must use all the tools at its disposal to improve supply chain efficiency” said Michael Kilgariff, ALC Managing Director.

“Central to this is adopting a whole of supply chain approach to the way in which we identify and utilise new and emerging technologies, as well as foster new opportunities on the horizon.

“The ALC Supply Chain Standards Working Group will play an important role in the future growth and prosperity of the freight logistics industry by improving productivity through improved supply chain efficiency and product and shipment traceability.”

According to GS1 Australia CEO Maria Palazzolo, “Many Australian industries have already adopted GS1 standards to reduce supply chain costs and are now seeking the same approach from their transport and logistics providers. The limited use of global standards is not confined to Australia and has resulted in the recent establishment of a GS1 Global T&L Interest Group.

“I am extremely pleased that the ALC has agreed to create this Working Group to align with industry requirements both locally and globally,” she said.

The Working Group Objectives are to:

• Work with industry groups to help resolve supply chain issues including non-compliant pallet labelling, poor intermodal visibility, rapid recall and withdrawal of defective products and poor data quality.
• Align the T&L sector with Australian industry in the adoption of global standards for identification, information capture and sharing across supply chains.
• Consider the potential benefits that other relevant technologies and services may provide
• Develop a work plan that provides a possible T&L industry roadmap to implement global GS1 standards and related industry solutions.
• Develop industry guidelines and case studies.

ALC Members are eligible to be on the Working Group. Other industry members may be invited to contribute by invitation of the ALC Board.  The Terms of Reference for the Supply Chain Standards Working Group is available at www.austlogistics.com.au under the Regulation tab.

The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government has launched a report into how Australia’s communities are embracing the potential of community governance.

The findings have practical implications for the development of a community governance approach and a recognition that community governance requires new ways of working and new ways of understanding the roles of the different parties.

For Local Government

Finding 1 Local government's communities have a stronger expectation that they will be involved in decisions which affect them, and this may influence the way in which individuals vote.

Finding 2 Size and geography both matter.

Finding 3 A community governance approach changes the roles of elected members, from a purely representative democracy model to one where community input is sought issue by issue.

Finding 4 It is critical that all parties are well informed.

Finding 5 A community governance approach highlights the importance of ensuring that the council is able to hear all the voices within the community and not just the traditional 'squeaky wheels' or other loud voices.

Finding 6 In all councils it is councillors who have ultimate responsibility for the council's policy on community engagement but there is a need to tailor actual delivery to the circumstances of the individual council, other pressures on elected members, and the council's culture and structure.

Finding 7 Most councils involved in the study have recognised in different ways the need for community capability building initiatives and community governance often amounts to a process for decision-making about a particular place or places within the larger area served by a council.

Finding 8 Place-based management virtually amounts to a prerequisite for a genuinely effective and comprehensive approach to community governance, and there is likely to be a growing trend for councils to look at reorganising their structures to reflect this.

Finding 9 There is likely to be tension between state government planning, for example planning directed to allocating anticipated population increases within metropolitan centres, and a community governance approach. The former is a top-down approach to imposing decisions on individual communities and the latter a bottom-up approach expressing the community's preferences. Finding 10 Councils adopting a community governance approach recognise the need for three separate roles: around decision-making and implementation, facilitation, and advocacy. Finding 11 The development of community governance as discussed in this report should remain free from statutory direction.

For Community banking

Finding 1 Community banking can be seen either as a stand-alone phenomenon specific to a particular sector and firm, or as a specific example of a more general case; how communities can retake a measure of control over services which in recent years have been centralised away from communities because of issues such as economies of scale (cost cutting), regulatory intervention etc. Seen in this latter way, community banking suggests other possibilities for community delivery of market-based services.

Finding 2 It seems likely that the community reinvestment activity of community bank branches will become an increasingly important contributor to community governance within their catchments. Finding 3 There is a growing recognition of the importance of having good information about the nature of community need, and different means for addressing it. This is likely to result in increased collaboration between local government and community banking.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


The evolution of community governance is now a significant development both within local government and through other networks such as community banking. It clearly reflects a growing interest on the part of communities in being much more closely involved in decisions which affect them. The likelihood is that this interest will underpin a continuing shift towards a community governance approach. It is therefore important to draw on learning from this project to determine what can best be done to facilitate the further evolution of community governance. In particular, the emerging relationship between local government and community banking provides a useful way of identifying the pivotal role of local government as the 'soft infrastructure' within the community with the capacity required both to identify the community's needs, preferred options and priorities, and to provide the necessary research and policies.


Within local government, the development of community governance has benefited from the freedom which individual councils have had to develop their own responses to its development as they have perceived it. It is important that this freedom from legislative direction remains – there is no 'one size fits all' approach to community governance, and there is enough diversity amongst different councils to make it clear that finding tailored local solutions will often be the best approach.

At the same time, an understanding of the very real strength of being able to develop solutions unique to the circumstances of individual councils needs to be tempered with recognising the benefits of sharing experience, and identifying common issues which are best approached collectively.

The report finds that consideration should be given to the following:

• A further review of the respective roles of elected members, management and community organisations in community governance with the objective of sharing experience and considering whether there are specific changes required. Such a review would best be undertaken by or on behalf of the sector itself rather than by a higher tier of government.
  
  
• Establishing processes and mechanisms by which councils (and others) involved with community governance can share their experience. This could include an interactive website as a means for documenting current practices and facilitating discussion of the issues arising.
  
  
• Professional development and capacity building programs for elected members, council management and community groups who may be involved in community governance activity.
  
  
• A study of success factors for community governance from a community perspective, exploring the conditions under which communities succeed in establishing community governance as a genuine way of working.
  
  
• Ongoing engagement with the community banking network in order to support its community governance potential. This may be best achieved by working collaboratively with Bendigo’s Community Banking Strategic Advisory Board.
  
  
• Examination of the extent to which complex regulatory frameworks represent a barrier, or at least a disincentive, to the further development of community governance. One way forward may be to learn from councils and communities who are seeking to overcome these barriers.

For a full copy of the report download from www.acelg.org.au

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has received new funding totalling $180.2 million over four years in the 2012-13 budget.

The Government has allocated $101.9 million over four years in operational funding. ASIC previously received non-ongoing funding to cover operating activities, including $28.8 million in 2011-12. Provision of this funding enables ASIC to continue to provide current levels of regulation and supervision of the financial market.

ASIC will also receive $23.9 million over four years to facilitate the implementation and enforcement of the Future of Financial Advice reforms.

The Government will provide $43.7 million over four years (including $16.3 million in capital) to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to replace its current market surveillance system with an enhanced, integrated system with increased data mining and analysis capacity.

The cost of this measure will be offset by additional fees of $33.0 million over four years on market operators and participants.

ASIC will further receive $10.7 million over four years to develop and maintain an online registration system for auditors of self managed superannuation funds (SMSFs). As part of the registration process, ASIC will develop a competency exam and be responsible for the deregistration of non-compliant auditors.

Up to 4,200 Commonwealth public servants will lose their jobs as a result of measures in the 2012-13 budget, with 3000 expected to be made redundant over the next 14 months.

The CPSU is calling on the Government to guarantee that the job reductions will be done without forced redundancies.

CPSU National Secretary Nadine Flood said "Finance Minister Penny Wong said last November that the Government had a 'strong expectation' that the 4 per cent efficiency dividend would be met without the need for forced redundancies.

"We welcomed Minister's Wong's statement at the time. Now that the budget position is finally known, we are seeking confirmation from the Government that there will be no forced redundancies," said Ms Flood.

The union also warned that cuts to the public sector will hit regional areas hard pointing out that two third of federal public servants are located outside Canberra.

"Some of the biggest cuts were in agencies with the largest regional footprint such as Tax Defence and Human Services," said Ms Flood.

"We are concerned that public servants in regional centres such as Toowoomba, Wagga Wagga, Newcastle, Nowra, Darwin, Townsville, Hobart and other towns will struggle to find other work if there are redundancies in their offices.  In many parts of regional Australia the federal public sector is one of the biggest employers.  It is vitally important that every effort is made to maintain public sector employment in regional areas where good jobs are hard to find," said Ms Flood.

"The public sector is not an inexhaustible source of savings for Governments. In many departments there is little or no fat left to cut, all that is left are the staff that run vital programs."

The union also warned that customers will feel the impact of the budget cuts through reduced services and increased waiting times.

"We are already seeing the impact of previous cuts on ordinary Australians and these measures will only make the situation worse," said Ms Flood.

"In DHS, Baby Bonus applications are taking up to 70 days to process and the Family Payments backlog has risen from 30,000 to 70,000 cases.  In DVA, Veterans are waiting up to 40 days to have pension increases processed. Customs is seeing delays at airports in peak times of up to 90 minutes", she said.

A report into Compensation arrangement for consumers of financial services, prepared by Mr Richard St. John, has been released. The report highlights the need for  appropriate avenues for compensation for retail consumers of financial services.

The report:

• found that 'retail clients are generally able to recover compensation for losses attributable to misconduct by licensees' except where the licensee lacks the resources to meet those claims;
• concludes that it would be inappropriate at this point in time, to introduce a 'last resort' compensation scheme, without first strengthening the existing compensation arrangements;
• recommends strengthening the existing compensation arrangements, in particular the holding of adequate professional indemnity insurance cover, greater ASIC monitoring and capital adequacy requirements to ensure that licensees have the financial resources to meet compensation liabilities, and
• suggests that consideration be given to the merits of product issuers being required to take greater responsibility for protecting consumers of their products and recommends a more detailed and targeted review into these arrangements.

The report was commissioned in response to the 2009 Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services report an inquiry into financial products and services in Australia and examines the existing compensation arrangements available to consumers of financial services and assesses the need for the introduction of a statutory compensation scheme.

Mr St. John concluded that if the current arrangements are reinforced then 'it would be open to round them out in due course with a more comprehensive scheme of last resort' but recommends that 'it would be inappropriate and possibly counter‑productive to introduce a last resort compensation scheme at this stage'.

Introducing a last resort scheme without strengthening the existing arrangements first would have the effect of imposing on better capitalised and more responsibly managed licensees the cost of bailing out the obligations of failed licensees.

The Government is seeking feedback from on the recommendations in the report and will take into consideration any recommendations resulting from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services' (PJC) inquiry into the collapse of Trio Capital before responding to Mr St. John's report.

The Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, Bill Shorten said the Government was committed to ensuring consumers have access both to strong regulatory protections and appropriate compensation arrangements.

"To this end, I welcome the insights provided by Mr St. John, and look forward to the recommendations of the PJC and will be giving the recommendations full consideration to ensure the arrangements in Australia provide all necessary protections."

We will consider Mr St John's recommendations carefully, including issues such as how any last resort scheme would be funded given that the entities in question are not APRA regulated and therefore are not subject to normal industry levies."

The Government anticipates finalising its formal response to Mr St John's report in the next three months.

Submissions on Mr St. John's report are due by 6 July 2012. The report is available on the Future of Financial Advice website.

The Western Australian government has granted Alcoa  a five-year extension to expand its Wagerup Alumina Refinery.

The expansion of the existing refinery to a maximum production capacity of 4.7 million tonnes per annum was approved in September 2006.  However, implementation has not substantially commenced due in part to the impact of the global financial crisis.

Environment Minister Bill Marmion asked the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to review Alcoa’s application to extend the time limit.

“The EPA recommended that as the environmental factors of the proposal had not significantly changed and no new factors had emerged since the initial approval, the time limit be extended a further five years,” Mr Marmion said.

Mr Marmion said prior to construction, Alcoa would still require a Works Approval from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC).

“Further public consultation will be undertaken by the DEC as part of the assessment process prior to a Works Approval and an amended licence being issued,” he said.

Under regulation 17 of the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997, the EPA also recommended the Minister approve a variation of the allowable level of noise emissions from the refinery for a two-year period in which Alcoa must use its ‘best endeavours’ to purchase the remaining noise-affected properties.

“This approval sets noise limits at several residential locations surrounding the refinery and is based on Alcoa’s commitment to not increase its noise emissions if the expansion proceeds,” Mr Marmion said.

Western Australian Treasurer Christian Porter has announced that Expressions of Interest will be sought for the provision of the Government Employees Superannuation Board’s (GESB) administrative services.

Mr Porter said the move followed the decision to allow State Government employees to choose their super fund from March 30, 2012, the central reform recommended in the Whithear Review.

“As a result of this choice reform - which has been overwhelmingly supported by public sector employees - GESB will not have the economies of scale to offer the most cost effective administration services in the long run,” he said.

“If GESB is prevented from exploring options to lower the cost of providing administrative services, the effect could be higher costs to those who do choose to remain with GESB.”

Mr Porter said procuring administrative services from a specialist external provider would be aimed at achieving lower costs to members.  Outsourcing should also enable GESB to keep pace with the many superannuation reforms and other challenges in a rapidly changing industry.

Mr Porter said many super funds across the industry were currently procuring administration services from external providers to minimise operating costs and gain efficiencies through economies of scale.

“The Government is undertaking this reform so that GESB will be able to ensure their administrative costs are competitive,” he said.

Mr Porter said the provision of GESB’s superannuation administration services was expected to appeal to the market and should result in better outcomes for both existing members and future State employees, primarily from competitive fees and services to members, particularly over the longer term as the superannuation industry continued to consolidate these services.

“This opportunity to compete for the provision of these services offers the market an exciting opportunity to engage with the State and GESB in these reforms to maintain competitive services to members,” he said.

Invitations for Expression of Interest for provision of administrative services will be issued to the market in June and it is anticipated that transition to new superannuation administration service arrangements will begin in the second half of 2013.

A new ‘hot floor’ will be developed at the Royal Adelaide Hospital to treat emergency patients who need to be admitted and to assist the flow of patients through the Emergency Department.

The ‘hot floor’ will bring together the Acute Medical Unit, Acute Surgical Unit and Acute Orthopaedic Unit to create a one-stop assessment area alongside the Emergency Department.

The model of care for patients will be based on that to be provided at the new Royal Adelaide Hospital when it opens in 2016. Patients will spend up to 48 hours in the 68-bed area while they are stabilised and undergo diagnostic tests prior to surgery or admission.

The Royal Adelaide Hospital intends to introduce the new arrangements later this month, once consultations with unions have been completed.

Health Minister John Hill said nearly $11 million had been invested over the past three years to support the quicker movement of patients through the RAH’s Emergency Department.

“In collaboration with the Commonwealth, we have set a target for our public hospital Emergency Departments to see, treat, admit to a bed or discharge 90 percent of their patients within four hours.

“This is now both a State and a national target and hospitals are working to achieve this target for the benefit of patients, irrespective of whether they are admitted to the hospital or discharged.

“Our Emergency Departments perform consistently at a very high level and a national report last week showed that South Australian hospitals are among the best performing in the nation in relation to Emergency Department waiting times.”

RAH General Manager, Professor Villis Marshall, said the new ‘hot floor’ would be supervised by consultant staff, experienced junior staff and a higher ratio of nurses.

“Staff in the Emergency Department and acute assessment area will work together to ensure patients receive the most appropriate care before they undergo emergency surgery or are admitted to hospital.

“Many patients can spend extra time in emergency awaiting tests and results. This new arrangement will provide a high level of care in a dedicated area specialising in the patient’s needs.

“On average, it can take three hours to get a CT scan and report and this can add to the pressure experienced during busy times in the Emergency Department.”

The RAH has also introduced a team, under the oversight of an Emergency Department consultant, which is working to ensure patients spend less time in the Emergency Department.

The Queensland Government has announced a new wages framework providing pay increases of up to 3 per cent to public servants in return for productivity savings.

Treasurer Tim Nicholls said that with headline inflation running at 1.6 per cent nationally, the wages framework was "very fair and reasonable and fulfils our commitment to good faith bargaining".

“The Newman LNP Government is removing Labor’s arbitrary 2.5 per cent wage cap because we know the public service can and will deliver real benefits through savings and improved productivity in return for higher wages", he said

The Queensland Government has initiated a study into the need for a new venue for Brisbane.

Arts Minister Ros Bates said the study will compare Brisbane to other interstate and international cities and analyse the need for a new venue by considering current and projected demand from local producers and companies, national and international touring acts, and audience trends.

It will set out thinking on medium and long-term (20 years) venue needs, including seating capacity and type of venue and consider the factors to ensure any future performing arts venue infrastructure is sustainable.

“For the performing arts to continue to thrive, we need to know that we have the right balance of venues in Brisbane,” Ms Bates said.

Arts Queensland will manage the study which will be completed by September.

The Queensland Housing and Public Works Minister Bruce Flegg is examining a number of reforms, including legislative changes, to help sub-contractors receive payment for their work.

Dr Flegg said non-payment was an issue throughout the economy because of ongoing financial difficulties and the ‘cascading’ payments system of the building industry often meant those at the base of the industry were hardest hit.

“I am working closely with the Building Services Authority on implementing a number of changes which I hope will expedite and improve sub-contractor payments in the future,” Dr Flegg said.

The changes include an overhaul of the unsatisfied judgment debts system, whereby contractors will have their licence cancelled if they fail to comply with a court-ordered payment, without lodging an appeal.

“Contractors are currently able to incur three judgment debts before their licence is cancelled, which is unacceptable. I will legislate to have their licence cancelled after the first failure and if a second failure occurred in future, that would result in a life ban.”

Dr Flegg said he was also looking at legislative changes to void items within a contract that were ‘unfair’.

‘Unfair contractual clauses that inappropriately or unjustly favour one party will be outlawed. There will be consultation with industry groups on this but I want to see a fairer, more streamlined contractual system in the industry.”

Dr Flegg said he had also asked the BSA to better integrate the information available on its main website and its Building and Construction Industry Payments Agency (BCIPA) website.

“This will provide more information to sub-contractors about any adjudication decisions recorded against the entity they are contracting with.”The Minister said he would also be consulting with the industry on possible mechanisms to help ensure sub-contractors received payment when it was due.

He said he was also encouraging sub-contractors to use BCIPA, which had proven an effective tool in obtaining debts owed to them through adjudication.

“I want to try and get subbies to be more familiar with BCIPA and to be more willing to use it to help them.”

Uiversities Australia has commended Minister Evans and the Government for its decision not to step back from its program of higher education reform, even under difficult fiscal circumstances.

"This is a strong budget for the university sector," Universities Australia Chief Executive, Belinda Robinson, said.

"Over the past few years the Government has achieved a number of very significant outcomes in higher education. These include: indexation of base funding, streamlined visa processing for international students, the introduction of the demand-driven system, an increase in infrastructure investment, and funding to meet the indirect costs of research.

"These reforms have played a key role in renewing universities capacity to compete in the Asian century.

"That there has been no rewind, no back-sliding on its important teaching, learning and research program in a very tough budget environment is testament to the priority the Government continues to place on the role universities play in Australia's future prosperity.

"Universities are fundamental in underpinning productivity growth, innovation, economic security and the nation's long-term well-being.

"Universities Australia welcomes the additional $23.4 million to support those from disadvantaged backgrounds and students needing additional preparation. This support is vital for such students to succeed at university," Ms Robinson said.
The Government has announced the end to the upfront HECS discount to the undergraduate students enrolled in maths and science.

"Universities Australia accepts that this high cost measure was not particularly effective at encouraging students to study maths and science at university. Nor did it address the very real need to focus the attention on schools, where student study choices are made, and teaching, where students get their inspiration.

"The Government's announcement in response to the report released tonight by the Chief Scientist of $54 million to support the teaching of maths and science at schools, and maths and science teacher education, is strongly supported to address the urgent need to lift the proportion of Australia's workforce educated in maths, science and engineering.

"The Chief Scientist's recommendation for a Flagship Program, in Mathematics and Science Teacher Education, has significant merit and we note that the Government will be giving it serious consideration as part of its response to the Base Funding Review.

Ms Robinson also introduced a timely reminder that "there remains some important un-finished business on the Government's higher education reform agenda".

"Momentum needs to be maintained particularly in relation to settling a sustainable long-term investment platform for research infrastructure and addressing the Government's review of base-funding that recommended an increase in the level of public investment in universities on a per student basis.

"Universities Australia welcomes the Minister's acknowledgement of this unfinished business and his stated intention to work closely with Universities Australia in progressing this critical work."

The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson has announced  the appointment of Mr Greg Bourne as acting chair of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency board.

ARENA commences on 1 July 2012 with responsibility for $3.2 billion in funding for renewable energy innovation under the Clean Energy Future package.

Dr Brian Spalding has also been appointed to the ARENA board, in addition to the ex-officio appointment of Mr Drew Clarke, Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism (RET).

Mr Bourne was formerly a director of Carnegie Wave Energy and chief executive officer of the World Wildlife Fund Australia from 2004 to 2010.

Dr Spalding is a current Australian Energy Market Commissioner with more than 30 years’ experience in power system operations, as well as providing continuity from the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy board. 

Minister Ferguson is currently considering the four remaining ARENA board appointments and will make further announcements in due course.

The Federal Government has released the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) Review report, finding that more must be done to bring the telecommunications industry into line with the TIO scheme.

Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy said the report was the result of extensive consultation between the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, a wide range of industry stakeholders, consumer interest groups, and the broader community.

“The telecommunications environment has changed substantially over the past 20 years. It is essential that the TIO can continue to provide high-quality dispute resolution services, especially as Australians increasingly make use of new technologies and services.”

The report’s recommendations include:

• new incentives to encourage participants in the telecommunications industry to comply with the TIO scheme
• an improved governance structure to strike a better balance between consumer and industry interests
• improvements to assist the TIO to quickly identify and respond to problems affecting groups of consumers
• improved reporting requirements to more clearly demonstrate the TIO’s performance in resolving complaints
• improvements to the TIO’s policy for escalating complaints to help ensure complaints are resolved faster.

“These recommendations will make the TIO more effective, more transparent, and more in touch with the expectations of the Australian people.”

“The report complements the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) Reconnecting the Customer Inquiry and the Communications Alliance’s review of the Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code, which is under consideration by the ACMA,” Senator Conroy said.

Access the report, along with information about the review, by visiting:
www.dbcde.gov.au/consultation_and_submissions/TIO_reforms

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has announced it has selected Primus to test new software designed to make it easier for telecommunications or ISPs to offer traditional analogue telephone services to consumers over a fibre network.

The NBN Co is confident that a successful test will give consumers greater confidence in choosing from a wide range of providers and be able to switch from the existing copper network to fibre and maintain a quality telephone service.

NBN Co Chief Operating Officer, Ralph Steffens said: “We understand that there will be a number of people who only want a telephone service and that we need to offer quality telephone services while making the transition to fibre as easy and straightforward as possible.

“By undertaking these tests we want to ensure it is easy for retail service providers to offer their customers the services they are familiar with using the equipment they already have.

NBN Co selected Primus after a call for expressions of interest from retail service providers who wanted to be involved in the test. Primus has national and international experience in the development and provision of telephone services.

Primus CEO Tom Mazerski said: “We believe this program will enable us to offer a quality voice product to all NBN consumer and business fibre customers. Our vision, working with NBN Co, is to ensure that our customers get a quality voice connection whilst transitioning from copper to fibre.”

The test is due to run for four weeks.

Researchers are an important step closer to finding a vaccine that protects against a wide range of strains of meningococcal B - the most common cause of meningococcal disease in Western Australia.

New research published Online First in The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed the trials of the potential vaccine had found it to be safe and that it stimulated an effective immune response.

The report's author, Associate Professor Peter Richmond, from The University of Western Australia,\ School of Paediatrics and Child Health heads the Vaccine Trials Group, a collaboration between the UWA-affiliated Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Princess Margaret Hospital.

Dr Richmond said the trial data showed that the potential vaccine produced protective antibodies against 90% of the invasive meningococcus serogroup B strains tested.

This phase 2 trial enrolled 539 healthy adolescents from 25 sites across Australia, Poland and Spain to test the safety and immune response of the lipoprotein 2086 vaccine.

The B strains of the bacteria account for more than 90% per cent of meningococcal cases in WA.

"Meningococcal B can cause meningitis and blood poisoning and can progress very quickly with devastating effects," Dr Richmond said.

"Children between the ages of one month and one year are most at risk from meningococcal with a second peak in adolescents.

"This is the last major cause of meningitis for which we don't have a vaccine so we are very excited about the progress towards developing a safe and effective vaccine."

Dr Richmond said the next stage of development would involve bigger trials in a wider range of age groups.

Xstrata Zinc has announced moves to accelerate the production of its Lady Lorrtta underground mine and further extend the life of the Handlebar Hill open cut operation in Queensland, which is expected to result in a net increase in annual zinc production of 5 per cent, or 25,000 tonnes.

The announcement comes after construction of the Lady Loretta project has progressed rapidly, with decline development, surface infrastructure and services being delivered well ahead of schedule.

Xstrata has delivered a further $57 million in funding for the accelerated development of the mine, increasing the annual ore production rate from 1.0Mt to 1.2Mt and bringing forward the start of production by one year to late 2012.   Work has commenced immediately to secure key equipment and redesign the development infrastructure, mining plan and associated road upgrades to accommodate the increased annual ore volume.

Xstrata Zinc Australia Chief Operating Officer Brian Hearne said expansions of both mines through a total additional investment of $87 million would realise significant value from our Australian zinc business, including an estimated 30 new direct jobs.

“We are accelerating the delivery of ore from Lady Loretta to Mount Isa by developing the upper ore bodies independently to the deeper underground resources,” Mr Hearne said.

“At the same time, we are investing in a further expansion of the Handlebar Hill operation following improvements in mining methods and metallurgical performance since the mine was designed in 2007.”

In an Australian first, surgeons at Fremantle Hospital and The University of Western Australia believe a new method of repairing perforated ear drums could be a major advance in ear health.

Professor Gunesh Rajan, Head of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in UWA's School of Surgery, and a consultant at Fremantle Hospital, said tympanic membrane perforation, or hole in the ear drum, affected around 100,000 Australians and more than 80 million people worldwide.

Professor Rajan heads a research team of Australian ear, nose and throat specialists and said the new regenerative method had been pioneered by Professor Shin-Ichi Kanemaru in Osaka, Japan.

"The current conventional treatment is a time-consuming, complicated operation that requires a general anaesthetic and this is frequently beyond the reach of developing countries as well as Australia's indigenous children in remote communities," he said.

"Professor Kanemaru's ingenious method involves a five-minute procedure that stimulates the body to close the perforation itself, using naturally occurring bio-engineered growth factor substances which are applied to the rim of the perforation.

"The remarkable healing qualities of the human body grow back the tissue and close the hole completely, restoring the ability to hear."

The new technique reduces the operation time from 35 minutes to five minutes and, for adults, can be done in an outpatient clinic.  Professor Rajan said a trial involving adults and children was now under way at Fremantle Hospital to replicate the Japanese trial while another trial was also due to start soon at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.