Industry News

Unions are calling for a National Asbestos Authority to manage the mandatory removal of the deadly chemical from all Australian buildings by 2030.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said Australia has the world’s highest per capita rate of asbestos-related deaths, with up to 18,000 more Australians expected to have died from mesothelioma by 2020.

“This is an abysmal reality that we must change. That is why unions want Australia’s built environment to be asbestos-free by 2030 and we are calling for a stand-alone National Asbestos Authority to make it happen,” she said.

Ms Kearney said to achieve an asbestos-free Australia, there must be a national audit of all asbestos containing material, starting with government buildings and dump sites.

“The Government must initiate a prioritised removal program, to be carried out only by licensed removalists,” she said.

Ms Kearney said unions also reiterated their call for a home audit scheme, which would require home owners to have their houses checked by a registered practitioner prior to selling or leasing out their property.

There was also a need for a co-ordinated education and awareness campaign so that home owners and home renovators are aware of not only the dangers of asbestos contamination, but of how to have it safely removed.

In Australia, the workplace related death toll is estimated to be more than 4.7 times higher than the Australian road toll.  In 2008 there were 1464 road deaths, while Government statistics show there are up to 7000 work related deaths each year.  

The South Australian Government has announced an agreement as been reached with the conservation, recreational and commercial fishing sectors on the future zoning approach for South Australia’s marine parks.

Premier Jay Weatherill and State Ministers Paul Caica and Gail Gago released the details of the agreement and plans for the next stage of public consultation to create the parks.

Leaders from the conservation, recreational and commercial fishing sectors met Minister Caica and Minister Gago earlier this month and have agreed on priority areas for conservation after the State Government announced in November it was postponing draft plans to allow further discussions with these groups.

“Through detailed discussions at a two-day forum this month, the sector leaders considered the areas of high ecological significance, research, education and ecotourism value – as well as the social and economic implications and management considerations such as compliance and monitoring,” Mr Weatherill said.

The State Government will now prepare a draft management plan and impact stations to be released for public consultation. 

The New South Wales Government has announced a $100 million blitz of the state’s public transport, with an aim to improve services and undertake much-needed upgrades.

The blitz forms part of a wider push by the State Government to deliver integrated transport infrastructure as part of the new Transport Access Program.

The program will see Transport ofr NSW take over the planning and organisation of improvements that were previously delivered under six separate programs by different agencies.

The works that have already been outlined are:

• Stations that are accessible to the disabled, ageing and parents with prams
• Modern buildings and facilities for all modes that meet the needs of a growing population
• Modern interchanges that support an integrated network and allow seamless transfers between all modes for all customers
• Safety improvements including extra lighting, help points, fences and security measures for car parks and interchanges, including stations, bus stops and wharves 
• Signage improvements so customers can more easily use public transport and transfer between modes at interchanges
• Other improvements and maintenance such as painting, new fencing and roof replacements.

The Victorian Government has announced a $1.86 million research initiative to help strike a balance between the needs of the state’s threatened species and those of the timber industry.

State Minister for Environment Ryan Smith said the research would form the largest program of threatened species surveys undertaken by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) in over a decade.

"The project will involve gathering up-to-date information on the distribution and habitat of key threatened fauna species in public native forests in eastern Victoria," Mr Smith said.

"The species being surveyed include the Smoky Mouse, Long-footed Potoroo, Leadbeater's Possum, Powerful Owl, Sooty Owl, Masked Owl and Galaxias.

"The research is being conducted by DSE's Arthur Rylah Institute with funding from the Department of Primary Industries.

"This project will enable DSE to develop a policy and regulatory framework for threatened species management based on the newest information and most up to date science.

This project is delivering on actions outlined in the Victorian Government's Timber Industry Action Plan, which was released in December 2011. The Timber Industry Action Plan provides a long term plan for a productive, competitive and sustainable timber industry for Victoria.

As part of a new National Partnership Agreement (NP) on Mental Health, the Labor Government will provide the NSW Government with $57.6 million over 5 years for three new projects that will improve the care and support provided to people living with severe mental illness.

Under the NP, NSW is receiving the largest share of funding of all states and territories.

The following projects will receive Commonwealth funding:

• $35.2 million for the expansion of the existing NSW Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative (HASI) to enable more people to live in the community in stable and secure accommodation, with links to clinical mental health and rehabilitation services for people who require 16 or 24 hour support.
• $12.3 million for the provision of intensive, family focussed support to mothers with mental illness and their children to keep them together, through the provision of high, medium and low packages of care and short term housing.
• $10.2 million for in-reach support services to boarding house residents who have been assessed as having mental health issues, through the provision of 200 continuous and ongoing new low support packages.

Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler said the NP was a key feature of the Government’s $2.2 billion mental health package.

“Our agreement with NSW will ensure we respond better to the needs of people with severe and debilitating mental illness so they stay well and lead functional lives,” Mr Butler said.

“Together, we’re investing in projects that break new ground and expanding existing services that we know work well. For example, one of the projects we’re funding will ensure that more mothers living with mental illness and their children get intensive, family focussed support and access to stable accommodation.

Child and maternal health workers and other frontline health workers will soon have access to new free information resources on the perinatal mental health disorders women can face during pregnancy and after birth.

These new resources have been developed in consultation with Australia’s leading perinatal experts. The resources include fact sheets and other quick-reference tools like scoring wheels and questionnaires to help healthcare workers detect and discuss depression, anxiety and other mental health problems with pregnant women and new mothers.

Speaking at the launch of these resources, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said the new resources would be extremely useful to frontline primary health care professionals.

“These new resources will equip GPs, midwives, obstetricians and child and maternal health workers who work on the frontline with the right knowledge and tools to undertake screening for perinatal depression, and provide a better understanding of safe and effective treatments for mothers and their babies,” Mr Butler said.

“It’s critical that mothers who are showing signs of depression or anxiety are treated quickly and effectively. These resources will result in more women being screened, symptoms being detected earlier and most importantly, more women getting the care and support that they need.”

The Labor Government provides $30 million to the states and territories under the National Perinatal Depression Initiative to help roll out routine and universal screening for perinatal depression, for support services and to train health professionals to treat the condition.

A team of scientists from the CSIRO and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from California has documented changing patterns of salinity in the global oceans over the past 50 years in a paper published in the journal Science.

Lead author, Dr Paul Durack, said that by looking at observed ocean salinity changes and the relationship between salinity, rainfall and evaporation in climate models, they determined the water cycle has strengthened by four per cent from 1950-2000. This is twice the response projected by current generation global climate models.

"Salinity shifts in the ocean confirm climate and the global water cycle have changed,” Dr Durack said.

"These changes suggest that arid regions have become drier and high rainfall regions have become wetter in response to observed global warming," said Dr Durack, a post-doctoral fellow at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

With a projected temperature rise of 3ºC by the end of the century, the researchers estimate a 24 per cent acceleration of the water cycle is possible.

Scientists have struggled to determine coherent estimates of water cycle changes from land-based data because surface observations of rainfall and evaporation are sparse. However, according to the team, global oceans provide a much clearer picture.

"The ocean matters to climate – it stores 97 per cent of the world’s water; receives 80 per cent of the all surface rainfall and; it has absorbed 90 per cent of the Earth's energy increase associated with past atmospheric warming," said co-author, Dr Richard Matear of CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship.

The Federal Government has outlined plans to protect the country’s most at-risk koala populations after moving to include them on the national list of threatened species.

Federal Minister for the Environment Tony Burke announced the Government will list koala populations in the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland as vulnerable under national environment law.

"My decision to list the koala under national environment law follows a rigorous scientific assessment by the Threatened Species Scientific Committee which gathered information from a variety of experts over the past three years,” Mr Burke said.

"Koala populations are under serious threat from habitat loss and urban expansion, as well as vehicle strikes, dog attacks, and disease.

"However, koala numbers vary significantly across the country, so while koala populations are clearly declining in some areas, there are large, stable or even increasing populations in other areas.

"In fact, in some areas in Victoria and South Australia, koalas are eating themselves out of suitable foraging habitat and their numbers need to be managed.

"But the Queensland, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory koala populations are very clearly in trouble, so we must take action.

"That is why the scientific committee recommended to me to list the Queensland, New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory populations as threatened, rather than to list the koala as nationally threatened across its full range."

Mr Burke said the Gillard Government had committed $300,000 of new funding under the National Environmental Research Program Emerging Priorities to find out more about koala habitat.

"This funding will be used to develop new survey methods that will improve our knowledge of the quality of koala habitat using remote sensing, and help fill important data gaps to enhance our understanding and ability to protect the species," Mr Burke said.

"The new funding is in addition to more than $3 million we have invested since 2007 to ensure the resilience and sustainability of our koala population."

The Victorian Government has confirmed $4.5 million in funding for a biomass plant that will convert organic waste into electricity.

State Energy and Resources Minister Michael O’Brien said the Government had made the initial offer last year, but an agreement had taken months to finalise for stage payments to Pacific Pyrolysis and its partners for the project.

"This innovative renewable energy technology will access under-utilised waste organics resources," Mr O'Brien said.

The pilot plant will use non-crop organic material such as green waste and waste wood from demolished buildings to power a renewable electricity pilot plant with a capacity of about one megawatt.

The project will offer local employment opportunities, as well as sub-contracting. A site is yet to be selected, but will be in outer metropolitan Melbourne.

The plant will produce a by-product called biochar, which can provide a long-lasting boost to soil fertility and provide a carbon sequestration tool for primary industry.

"The Pacific Pyrolysis biomass pilot plant has the potential to deliver a win-win by producing clean energy as well as providing benefits for Victoria's primary industry sector."

The plant will provide an advanced processing alternative for wood waste and green waste which would otherwise end up in landfill where it would produce greenhouse gases.

Researchers from the Institute and the University of Melbourne are hoping to shape the future of adolescent health, by bringing into focus the risks and issues associated with this vulnerable age group.

In a special series on adolescent health published in The Lancet, Australian authors Professor George Patton and Professor Susan Sawyer are calling for worldwide investment in the health and future of adolescents, based on research and grounded evidence about what works.

Approximately half of the world's population is younger than 25 years, with 1.8 billion adolescents.  Today's adolescents are facing unprecedented changes in the world's social and physical environments. These changes are transforming adolescent development and, in so doing, changing the prospects for health now and in the future.

In the first paper of the series, which was led by Professor Sawyer, researchers say adolescents are now more exposed than previous generations to harmful alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, tobacco use and sexually transmitted infections, among other risks.

Professor Sawyer says the paper combines a wide range of research which shows there is a lack of focus on adolescent health, and that the preventable health risks initiated during adolescence commonly have lifelong consequences for health, highlighting the need to address the issue.

"Adolescence could be described as a missing link in the life course approach to health.  The impacts of health-related behaviours that start in adolescents have impacts throughout their lives, for instance tobacco and alcohol use or obesity and physical inactivity contribute to the epidemic of non-infectious disease such as heart, disease, cancer, diabetes and lung disease," he said.

At least 70 per cent of premature adult deaths reflect behaviours started or reinforced during adolescence. The link between adolescent and adult health suggests that evidence based investments in healthy adolescent development have enormous implications for future global health.

Australia’s medical workforce has grown steadily in the 10 years to 2009 with the number of female working doctors increasing to make up more than one-third (36 per cent) of all working doctors.

A new report by Health Workforce Australia, Australia’s Health Workforce Series: Doctors in focus, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date picture of Australia’s medical workforce from 1999 to 2009.

Doctors in focus shows the increasing participation of women in the medical workforce over the decade to 2009. In 1999, women comprised 29 per cent of all working doctors compared with 36 per cent, or more than one-third, by 2009. Figures show the participation of women is still increasing at a greater rate than men.

In 2009, women accounted for 39 per cent of primary care practitioners (who are mostly GPs) and 47 per cent of hospital non-specialists but were least represented among specialties, accounting for one-quarter of specialists.

In 2009 there were 82,895 doctors registered in Australia with 90 per cent of them in the medical labour force, a 44 per cent increase on the number of doctors registered in 1999 (57,553).

Doctors in focus also shows the number of clinicians has increased, including primary care practitioners, specialists and specialists-in-training, while among the 54 fields of medical specialty, most doctors are concentrated in 10 areas.

The Doctors in focus workforce profile is the first in the Australia’s Health Workforce Series which will increase the understanding of the existing medical, nursing and allied health workforces and their characteristics.

The Federal Government has released the final report of the independent Convergence review Committee.

“The Convergence Review’s final report sets out the Committee’s recommendations for the future of the media and communications industry,” Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy said.

“In preparing their recommendations the Convergence Review engaged in a comprehensive nationwide consultation program with stakeholders and the Australian public, including three separate written submission processes.”

“The Government’s approach to regulatory reform builds on our substantial communications reform agenda, which includes the delivery of the NBN and digital television switchover.”

The Convergence Review Final Report can be found at: www.dbcde.gov.au/convergence

The Federal Government has released legislation for public consultation that will see superannuation funds be obliged to disclose executive remuneration information.

The draft legislation requires superannuation funds to publish on their websites:

• details of director and executive pay;
• details of what assets the fund has invested in; and
• an up-to-date 'product dashboard', setting out information on target investment returns, past performance against targets, investment risk, liquidity and fees, in relation to each product offered by the fund.

“In the wake of collapses such as TRIO, it is important for Australians to know where their super savings are being invested. I also think it's valuable to understand how we can extend these standards outside super,” Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation Bill Shorten said.

“I will be holding more discussions with key stakeholders on how to further improve transparency and governance in the superannuation industry. Better representation of women on super boards and requiring more regular board renewal are amongst these issues.”

The legislation also provides for the APRA to undertake enhanced data collection and publish a wider range of superannuation information, including quarterly data on MySuper products. Further, more detailed transparency requirements will be able to be specified in regulations.

The exposure draft can be found here

A group of leading Australian scientists have come together to further the development of lower-cost, flexible optoelectronic  devices that promises to transform the country’s consumer electronics industry.

The Transparent Electrodes for Plastic Electronics Research Cluster brings together leading scientists from the University of Queensland, the University of Technology Sydney and Flinders University.

With over $3 million in funding contributed to the research cluster by CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Fund and a further $3 million from the partnering Universities, the project will run until June 2014.

One of the cluster’s key goals is to produce cheap, flexible optoelectronic devices such as displays and lighting based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, plastic electronics and sensors – technologies for use in products ranging from plastic solar cells to flexible televisions.

Dr Calum Drummond, Group Executive of CSIRO Manufacturing, Materials and Minerals, said the research cluster provided a new and very unique combination of skills and technical capability in Australia.

 “The cluster consists of leading Australian scientists with individual specialist skills in areas such as nanoscience, thin film deposition and characterisation, chemical physics and electrical engineering,” he said.

“This is a novel partnership and one which is essential to the development of new commercial products such as plastic solar cells, solid-state lighting, flexible TV screens, computer displays and beyond,” said Dr Drummond.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) is urging the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) to cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points to support the construction sector after a lower than expected inflation rate was posted.

“The housing industry and wider Australian economy needs a further 75bps of interest rate cuts and there is nothing standing in the way of a 50bp move to get the ball rolling next Tuesday," said HIA Chief Economist, Dr Harley Dale.

“That would, admittedly, be a bold move for the RBA, but it would be entirely appropriate given the pulse of the Australian economy is not beating as fast as the Bank earlier expected,"  noted Dr Dale.

“The banks need to follow suit and pass any rate cuts on in full rather than hide behind the fallicious argument that higher funding costs somehow justify them holding some interest rate relief back.”

Locating and colonising new habitable worlds is a crucial next step for the continued existence of humankind according to research currently being undertaken by scientists from the Australian National University (ANU).

Research indicates that such planets are more abundant than stars, meaning that the number of habitable planets should be higher than previously estimated.

“Determining whether these planets are habitable has become the new holy grail of astronomy,” said planetary scientist Dr Charley Lineweaver, lead author of the study.

“The new-found abundance of planets, combined with the much larger range of inhabited terrestrial environments suggests that habitable planets are common. This increases the probability of finding some kind of extraterrestrial life,” he said.

Dr Lineweaver added: “Habitability is not just a question of abiotic environmental conditions – the presence of life may be required to maintain the habitability of a planet over billions of years. The study of the habitability of other Earths is the major focus of astrobiology – and increasingly planetary science and astronomy.

“Planetary habitability is a complex and confusing concept that we are only beginning to get our heads around, but as a species that wants to survive, it is in our interest to get our heads around it soon.”

The research has been published in the paper, The Habitability of Our Earth and Other Earths: Astrophysical, Geochemical, Geophysical, and Biological Limits on Planet Habitability, online in the Annual Reviews of Earth and Planetary Sciences:

http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-earth-042711-105531

Work on Perth’s $440 million redevelopment has commenced after Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett attended a groundbreaking ceremony.

The Premier said the works will see 10ha of prime riverfront land into a vibrant, contemporary development, set around a 2.7ha inlet and connected by promenades and boardwalks.

“This is a very exciting time for Western Australia - a period of significant transformation, renewal and development that will change the face of Perth and ensure our city can accommodate a rapidly growing population,” Mr Barnett said.

“Perth Waterfront will deliver a new destination that continues the public’s use and enjoyment of this area of the city and address the critical need for more residential, commercial and hotel accommodation in the CBD.”

Planning Minister John Day said the State Government had awarded a $50million forward works contract to Georgiou Group - one of two major construction packages for Perth Waterfront.

“Over the next 12-18 months the removal and relocation of trees, demolition and deconstruction of existing structures, road works and service infrastructure upgrades will be completed to prepare the site for construction of the inlet,” he said.

Mr Day said the forward works program for Perth Waterfront also included: 

• construction of a new two-way road from under the Narrows Bridge to William Street providing direct access into the CBD from Mounts Bay Road
• demolition of the existing buildings and structures on the Esplanade Reserve
• deconstruction and storage of the Florence Hummerston Kiosk, ready to be rebuilt at a suitable new location
• archaeological investigations
• jetty reconstruction works at Barrack Square
• full reconstruction of William Street (south of The Esplanade) as a two-way street.

The proportion of employees who were trade union members in their main job remained steady at 18% in August 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 

This represents 1.8 million persons who were trade union members in their main job, which is an increase of 46,900 persons from the previous year.

The proportion of public sector employees who were trade union members in their main job was 41% in August 2010 and 43% in August 2011. The proportion of private sector employees who were trade union members in their main job was 13%. 

Two thirds of trade union members (66%) had been a trade union member for 5 years or more, compared with 11% who had been a trade union member for less than 1 year. 

There were 1.5 million employees who were not currently members of a trade union, although they had been previously. Of these, 77% hadn't been a trade union member for 5 years or more, while 4% had been members of a trade union less than 1 year ago. A further 6.6 million (66%) employees had never been a trade union member.

Other findings on trade union membership include:

• The industry with the highest proportion of male employees who were trade union members was Public Administration and Safety (38%), while for female employees it was Education and Training (40%), and
• The occupation with the highest proportion of male employees who were trade union members was Machinery Operators and Drivers (29%), while for female employees it was Professionals (33%).

The Western Australian Government has announced it has awarded the $22 million contract for road and infrastructure works at Perth’s Riverside project to Broad Construction.

Planning Minister John Day said the next stage of works would stabilise ground conditions and ensure the site was ready for future public spaces and development.

“The Riverside project will create new connections and cater for the growing number of people who will live, work and socialise in the area,” Mr Day said.

“When complete, Riverside will deliver more than 4,000 new dwellings for 7,000 new residents, and 90,000sqm of retail and commercial space for 6,000 new workers in the area. 

Works include site stabilisation and road works that will realign the existing slip lane from Hay Street to the Causeway; the construction of a new two-way road between Trinity College and the WACA; and re-opening Hale Street to private vehicles and two-way traffic.

The Federal Government has announced the country is drought free for the first time in over a decade after the two final Exceptional Circumstances (EC) declarations expire.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig said the expiry of EC declarations in Bundarra and Eurobodalla marks a major milestone for agriculture in Australia.

“Now is the time to progress drought reform. We need to take this opportunity to transition from reacting to crises, to a pro-active policy approach that prepares our farmers for the future,” Senator Ludwig said.

The Federal Government is working with State and Territory Governments to progress new drought policy, with reform a key topic for discussion at the first Standing Council on Primary Industries meeting held in Adelaide.

“As previously agreed with State and Territory Ministers, and recommended by the review of pilot drought reform measures in Western Australia, our reform will see a national framework introduced which focuses on risk management and preparedness, rather than on crisis management,” Senator Ludwig said.

“A major step toward that framework will be phasing out the EC interest rate subsidy, which given the end of the final two EC declarations, will conclude on 30 June this year.”