Industry News

Geoengineering is regarded as “risky” by the Office of Australia’s Chief Scientist, with the sector struggling under little governance or broader policy frameworks according to a recently published report.

In the four page report touching on methods to slow down climate change by large-scale geoengineering, concludes it present ''serious risks'' and is unlikely to replace the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“Given the difficulty in implementing global action to reduce CO2 emissions from human activities and their continued growth, geoengineering is one possible approach to combat global warming,” the report found.

The report is skeptical of the ability of the technology to offset carbon emissions saying that more research must be done in order to better understand its potential.

“The amount of carbon that can be stored by planting forests is limited by many factors, including the availability of suitable land, water and nutrients. Estimates suggest that, at best, about 2 to 4 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities could be offset in this way,” the report concludes.

The report can be found here 

Rio Tinto has announced it has pulled out from the Abbot Point additional port capacity process, citing changes to the economic climate.

The announcement comes after the Federal Government delayed a final decision on the project for six months, a decision that the Queensland Government says informed the company’s choice to pull out from the project.

“I am seeking a meeting with Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to discuss this bottleneck. It is very concerning that companies such as Rio Tinto are withdrawing from potential developments in part because of the time they wait for regulatory approval,” Queensland Minister for State Development Jeff Seeny said.

One in five, or 19% of Australian workers were casual employees in November 2011 according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This represents just under 2.2 million people.

The majority (62%) of employed people were employees with paid leave entitlements, while a further 9% were either independent contractors and a similar proportion were other business operators. 

Females were more likely than males not to have paid leave entitlements (23% compared with 16%). 

Over half (64%) of all employees in the Accommodation and food services industry did not have paid leave entitlements. Other industries where there was a high proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements included:

• Agriculture, forestry and fishing (48%)
• Retail trade (40%)
• Arts and recreation services (39%).

The occupation with the highest proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements was Sales workers (48%), followed by Labourers (46%). Occupations with a low proportion of employees without paid leave entitlements were Managers (6%) and Professionals (10%). 

The ABS also found that there were 605,400 persons (5% of all employed persons) who found their job through a labour hire firm/employment agency in November 2011, of whom 56% were males. Of these, 141,700 persons (23% of those who found their job through a labour hire firm/employment agency) were paid by a labour hire firm/employment agency.

Administrative and support services (20%) and Manufacturing (13%) were the industries with the greatest proportion of those who were paid by a labour hire firm/employment agency, while Clerical and administrative workers (21%) and Machinery operators and drivers (19%) were the most common occupation groups.

The Queensland Government has announced a proposed $500 million coking coal mine has been declared a ‘Significant Project’ by the state’s Coordinator-General. 

State Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development Jeff Seeny said the project could generate up to 250 construction jobs.

“This project has the potential to operate for at least 30 years and could export 1.5 million tonnes of coking coal per year,” Mr Seeney said.

 
“The proposed mine site is freehold land owned by the Kalpowar Aboriginal Land Trust established under the Aboriginal Land Act 1991,” Mr Seeney said. 

“The project site is a partly-cleared cattle station and contains cultural heritage sites, a nature reserve and a fish habitat area. 

“Proposed exploration activities would be constrained within one kilometre of national parks and within 500 metres of the fish habitat area,” The Deputy-Premier added.

 
State Coordinator-General Barry Broe said a significant project declaration was not an indication of approval for a project but a reflection of the state and regional significance of the project and the start of a comprehensive environmental assessment process. 

“This declaration is recognition of the significant complexity of the project, the substantial economic and social benefits it may bring and the need to carefully assess its impacts and how they could be mitigated if the project is approved,” Mr Broe said.
 

Confidence in the NSW property industry is slowly starting to build, a new survey has revealed.

The Property Council of Australia-ANZ Property Industry Confidence Survey shows the confidence index rose from 105 for the March quarter to 113 for the June quarter.

The survey polled more than 2300 professionals from the property and construction sector in all states and territories, including 622 from NSW.

“The survey points to a gradual increase in confidence in NSW, as the acute concerns over global economic conditions soften,” Property Council Acting NSW Executive Director Edward Palmisano says.

Over the next twelve months, 61.1 per cent of respondents expected to increase their forward work schedule, 83.6 per cent thought that staff levels would stay the same or increase, and 43.2 per cent predict a reduction in interest rates.

The survey pointed to strong expectations about office capital growth, with 83.7 per cent of respondents predicting that commercial office capital values would stay the same or increase over the next twelve months.

Confidence in house price growth also rose, with 74.6 per cent of respondents predicting that residential capital values would stay the same or increase in the coming year.

Mr Palmisano says the survey drew out local factors affecting the property industry, with the planning system seen as a significant barrier to investment in NSW.

Almost half (49.2 percent) of all respondents thought NSW was not doing a good job in planning and managing growth.

“The slow return of confidence shouldn’t be taken for granted. It highlights the urgency and stakes involved in the review of the State’s planning and development assessment systems,” Mr Palmisano says.

“NSW needs to re-boot the planning system to make it more responsive to investment through a simpler and more efficient set of rules, as well as cultural reform.”

Reflecting concerns about the impact of the carbon price, more than half of NSW respondents (50.2 percent) thought that construction costs would increase in the state over the next 12 months.

“The property sector is critical to our economic prosperity as it drives 10 per cent of the state’s wealth and employs more people than any other industry,” Mr Palmisano says.

“The NSW Government should take care not to dampen the sector’s newly returning confidence. It should provide a policy platform that gives industry certainty, stability and leadership to build a new era of economic prosperity in NSW.”

Optus has announced the launch of a major brand campaign aimed at connecting with its  customers on a more poignant, emotional level.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a 60 second television commercial which aired for the first time on Sunday 22 April. The commercial is a love story which is enabled by the digital world despite the two protagonists being in different physical locations (Shanghai and Canowindra, New South Wales). The key message is that Optus cares about its customers by bringing them closer to the things that matter most to them.

Gavin Williams, Head of Segment Marketing said, “The message of our new brand campaign is a very simple one – we share in what matters most to you. From connecting you with the people you love, to getting the hottest phone before anyone else, it’s possible with Optus.”

The campaign will run for approximately four weeks and will include national television, online, outdoor, print and cinema advertising. The new look and feel will feature in all Optus brand and product advertising both above the line and at point of sale moving forward.

“While our advertising has traditionally been very product focused, this new brand expression is all about building a stronger connection with our customers by letting them know we care. Animals will have less of a presence in our new advertising, than was the case previously however they are still very important as they represent the glue that makes things possible. They represent Optus,” Mr Williams said.

 The advertisement can be seen here 

Regional Australia Minister Simon Crean has called on local leaders to work cooperatively in the Latrobe Valley to help identify new opportunities to assist the area transitioning to a clean energy future.

Mr Crean’s calls come after he joined Victorian Regional and Rural Development Minister Peter Ryan and regional leaders at a roundtable discussion to hear industry perspectives about the future challenges and opportunities in the Latrobe Valley.

The meeting was the final in a series of forums jointly hosted by Regional Development Australia Gippsland, Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Australian Industry Group.

Mr Crean emphasised the Federal Government remains committed to assisting the area in dealing with its transition.

"Despite political differences over carbon pricing, we are taking a bipartisan approach to building jobs and skills for the Latrobe Valley as it moves to a clean energy future," Mr Crean said.

"Gippsland will continue as an energy region, but community and business leaders agree that the region must move to a cleaner form of energy generation, value-add traditional industries and diversify its economic base.

"Today local leaders have presented practical solutions to support the region through this economic transition, including in the areas of infrastructure investment, workforce development and innovation.

The Federal Government has announced it is seeking comment after the release of a standardised Deed of Access for exploration in the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA).

The release of the Interim Access Arrangements will allow companies to access the WPA under the contractural Deeds of Access while preserving the security of Defence activities in the area.

“Industry engagement is critical to ensuring the interim arrangements are both practical for the resource industry and effective in protecting the security of Defence activities,” Defence Minister Stephen Smith said.

Comments on the Deed of Access can be submitted to the WPA Coordination Office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 15 June 2012 to ensure they are considered.

Interested parties may also choose to attend a WPA Coordination Office workshop on the Deed of Access in Adelaide on 3 May 2012.

Once the Deed of Access and supporting processes are finalised, Government will be in a position to mark the end of the current moratorium phase of implementation. Companies will then be allowed to apply for access to the WPA based on the coexistence framework, supported by the Deed of Access.

The draft Deed of Access, registration details for the workshop in Adelaide and background information on the Review are available at the WPA Coordination Office’s website at www.defence.gov.au/woomera/.

Questions may be directed to the WPACO Coordination Office by phone at 1300 727 420 or by email toThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Telstra ha s announced its capital management strategy, outlining the company’s priorities and underlying principles that will guide the company’s future decision making.

The announcement comes after the company released its free cash estimates in the order of $2 to 3 billion in free cash over the next three years, subject to NBN roll out schedule and market conditions.

Telstra CEO David Thodey told a briefing that the company remains committed to best serving its shareholder and customer base.

“Telstra is focused on serving our customers through improved service, offering new products, as well as leveraging our rich set of assets,” Mr Thodey said.

He also told the briefing that Telstra was making no change to guidance for the 2012 financial year and reinforced its intention to pay a 28 cent per share fully-franked dividend in 2012 and 2013. This is subject to the Board’s normal approval process for dividend declaration and there being no unexpected material events.

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has announced it has selected Merimbula as the company’s first satellite earth station.

The first of 10 stations, the site on NSW’s Far South Coast will relay traffic between NBN’s satellite connected customers and other networks, and is expected to begin operations in 2015.

"Merimbula was chosen for a number of reasons: The climate is perfect for our needs. It’s also located close to reliable power and other infrastructure including the NBN’s core fibre transit network,” Matt Dawson, NBN Co's Satellite Project Director, said.

"There will be opportunity for local businesses to reap the benefits of high-speed broadband internet and for other residents and businesses to be drawn to the Shire, taking advantage of our lifestyle over the congestion of city living,” Mayor of Bega Valley Shire Council, Tony Allen, said.  

The United Nations communications agency has informed the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) that its current plan to launch two satellites is following the correct approval process.

The NBN Co received the advice from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU( finds that the company is not following an unduly risky process by purchasing satellites before finalising orbital positioning works.

"It is possible for a company to purchase a satellite in advance of it being put into use and the orbital slots being finalised,” the ITU said in a statement.

"In order to secure those slots the notifying authority, which in Australia is the Australian Communications and Media Authority, needs to (a) initialise the registration procedure with the ITU, and (b) resolve any major compatibility issues with operators of neighbouring satellites."

NBN Co has been proactively pursuing the ITU international frequency coordination process since August 2010.

The advice comes after NBN Co commissioned Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to manufacture two Ka-band satellites to deliver services to the 3 per cent of the Australian population who will not be serviced with fixed wireless or fibre services. 

The High Court has voted unanimously to dismiss an appeal by Roadshow Films claiming that iiNet was responsible for its customers using file sharing services.

iiNet CEO, Michael Malone, said the judgement showed that the claims were unfounded.

"iiNet has never supported or encouraged unauthorised sharing or file downloading," Mr Malone said.

"Today's High Court five-nil ruling confirms that iiNet is not liable for 'authorising' the conduct of its customers who engaged in online copyright infringement.

"This marks the end of more than three years of legal argument and challenges.”

Mr Malone said that the ruling showed that the entertainment industry should focus on providing a cheaper, lawful avenue for customers to access content, rather than pursue legal challenges.

"Increasing the availability of licensed digital content is the best, most practical approach to meet consumer demand and protect copyright," Mr Malone said.

"We have consistently said we are eager to work with the studios to make their very desirable material legitimately available to a waiting customer base - and that offer remains the same today."

Two in five Australian businesses are finding it difficult to recruit despite national job vacancies dropping to 219,000 (from 237,000 in 2010), research from Bankwest has revealed.

The second Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey, the latest addition in the Bankwest Financial Indicator Series, reports that businesses are being dealt a double blow as highly skilled candidates are harder to come by which in turn has lengthened recruitment timeframes.

Bankwest Business Chief Executive Ian Corfield said, “Australian businesses are clearly feeling the pinch of the skills shortage, with 41% reporting that it takes more than three months longer to recruit staff than it did a year ago.

“Businesses are seeing this as a significant issue and are therefore doing what they can to attract skilled performers, whether it’s improving benefits packages or recruiting workers from interstate and overseas.”

Across the country businesses are increasingly using tactics to attract the best talent, with nearly half (47.8%) increasing basic pay rates and a quarter (25%) offering additional financial incentives and benefits. Resources-rich Western Australia and Queensland are leading this trend with 63.4% and 55.8% respectively offering more lucrative salaries compared with the other states.

Businesses on the East Coast in particular are feeling the sting of the skills shortage more sharply than the rest of the country. More than two thirds (70.4%) of respondents in the Eastern states said that they are currently looking to hire or have hired staff in the last 12 months, with almost half (45.6%) reporting that they have had difficulty filling job vacancies during this period.

This compares to 60% of businesses on the West Coast looking to hire, with just under a third (32.6%) struggling to find candidates with the right skills.

This lack of available talent is having a direct negative impact on businesses. Most often existing employees have to work longer hours to make up for the shortfall in manpower, with two thirds (66.7%) of businesses reporting an increase in overtime.

The Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey also found that close to a quarter of businesses admit to error rates increasing and 33.7% are delivering late on products and services, with 22.6% being forced to turn down new work altogether due to lack of capacity.

“Businesses are in the difficult position of having to turn new work away – a tough decision to make given the uncertain economic environment,” said Mr Corfield.

Whilst a third (33.8%) of businesses nationwide are attracting workers from interstate to plug the skills gap, 41.1% of businesses in the mining states of Western Australia and Queensland are recruiting interstate and overseas workers to relieve pressure on their workforce.

The Bankwest Skills Shortage Survey anonymously surveys approximately 800 individuals in key business roles nationwide, to assess their perspective of the current state of skills shortages in their workplace. The Survey assesses various aspects of skills supply in Australia including ease of finding suitably skilled workers, as well as impacts this has on the way businesses operate.

Mining unions from around the world have applauded the Australian government's decision to tax mining profits and urged other national governments to stand up to mining companies and follow suit.

Representatives of two major international union federations meeting in Sydney said the Australian Government's decision to impose a mineral resources rent tax was a brave political decision.

The International Federation of Chemical, Energy and Mine Unions (ICEM) and the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF) represent mining and metal workers from every continent with a combined membership over 50 million workers.

Mining companies worldwide sought to pressure national governments into policies that generated exorbitant profits for shareholders at the expense of national prosperity, said ICEM General Secretary Manfred Warda. 

"If the mining companies are allowed to be successful with their attacks against government here in Australia it would send a negative signal to countries where similar measures need to be taken.

"As the mining industry grows it's critical that fair, appropriate policies are in place to manage that growth in the interests of all citizens - especially in the developing world."

A resolution passed at the Sydney conference last night noted that Rio Tinto boss Tom Albanese had claimed credit for toppling Kevin Rudd over the proposed Resources Super Profits Tax. It said mining nations should not see the mining tax as a threat but an essential means of ensuring citizens benefited from the booming industry.

Profits and revenue from mining were growing rapidly all around the world, said IMF General Secretary Jyrki Raina.

"Nowhere in the world will mining companies give back to communities out of the goodness of their hearts," said Mr Raina.

"Australia's minerals tax is fair and reasonable, it's a good model for other countries trying to manage their resources in a manner that benefits all citizens."

The unions have called on all national governments to exercise their right to maximise the benefits of mining to their citizens.  

Australian unions have joined an international campaign to stop mining multinational Rio Tinto supplying the gold, silver and bronze for medals at the London Olympics in June.

In a strong field of anti-worker, anti-environment companies in the global mining industry, Rio Tinto is worst of all, unions say.

"If there was a gold medal for abuse of human rights, work rights and the environment, it would go to Rio Tinto," said CFMEU Mining and Energy Secretary Andrew Vickers.

"All Australians will be cheering our athletes on, but our winning athletes deserve medals that aren't tainted by Rio Tinto's brutal treatment of its own workers and communities."

The campaign (www.offthepodium.org)  has been developed in support of nearly 800 Canadian metal workers locked out of a profitable smelter by Rio Tinto because they refused a plan that put new starters on insecure work arrangements with half the pay.

The workers in Alma, Quebec, have been locked out of their jobs since December 30 as the smelter sits idle, said Joe Drexler, Strategic Campaigns Director of Canada's United Steelworkers Union.

"Rio Tinto's proposal would see Alma workers unable to support their families and devastate the community," said Mr Drexler, in Sydney for an international mining union conference.

Locking out these workers in Quebec is a violation of Rio Tinto's obligations to fair play under the Olympic charter, said Manfred Warda, General Secretary of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Union (ICEM).

"Rio Tinto would like to bask in the reflected glory of the Olympic Games, but it has a black record on the treatment of its own people."

International mining unions declared Rio Tinto their number one target for global campaigning, due to the company’s legendary anti-union, anti-worker, unsustainable labour, community and environmental practices worldwide.

A resolution passed at the ICEM World Mining conference in Sydney noted that Rio Tinto, like many transnational miners, was recording strong profit growth while engaging in brutal and unethical practices. The global union body resolved to commit resources to drive a global campaign against Rio Tinto well beyond the London Olympics.

After months in limbo, workers at the company’s Altona plant were asked to leave their work and privately informed about their redundancy before being escorted by security guards off site. 

AMWU National Vehicle Division Secretary, Ian Jones, said the way workers were told of their redundancies was disrespectful and undignified.

“This could have been achieved in a much more respectful and sensitive way. We do not agree with the process.”

He said the AMWU would now investigate whether workers had been selected for redundancy on the basis of their union activity.

“We’ll be meeting with our shop stewards and our lawyers. We’re going to scrutinize Toyota’s methodology,” Mr Jones said.

“There’s been a disproportionate percentage of shop stewards and OHS reps made redundant. There’s been some selective criteria applied to our shop stewards and we’d like to know why.”

Assistant Vehicle Secretary, Dave Smith, said the union's perception of Toyota has been shattered.

“A part of the Toyota way, the Toyota philosophy; a central plank of that is respect, and they have shown no respect for their workforce today, none whatsoever.”

The Federal Workplace Relations Minister, Bill Shorten, said the Federal Government was already working with the AMWU to help the redundant employees find work.

“Those workers can turn around and face their families and say, 'well the Government's got an employment coordinator, they're going to provide special assistance so that we can find and re-enter the workforce as soon as possible.’ Because mum and dad didn't lose their job because they did anything wrong. Mum and dad have been affected by the high Australian dollar which is making it difficult for manufacturing."

The Australian Workers' Union will be sending their National OHS Director, Dr. Yossi Berger, to Port Macquarie to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the contaminated worksite at the Pacific Highway upgrade just south of Port Macquarie.

Following Wednesday's reports of 5 road workers receiving medical treatment for nausea - after being exposed to strange clay-like material at the site, the AWU welcomed the State Government's announcement of an independent inquiry into the incident.

Newcastle Branch Secretary Richard Downie said the AWU was extremely concerned for any workers who may have been or still could be exposed to potentially lethal or carcinogenic materials and many serious questions needed to be answered.

"Any worksite where our members may have been exposed to hazardous chemicals is of grave concern and raises serious questions," Richard Downie said.

"Why was the presence of this potentially lethal material not considered prior the upgrade of the highway and why was there not a stringent risk management plan in place?

"These are questions that will need to be answered by the State Government's independent inquiry and we welcome their announcement," Mr Downie said.

Further testing of the contaminated soil at the roadworks site is set to continue.

"Our union will be meeting with the company and WorkCover once the final results have been released to ensure that the results confirm there is no potential risk to road workers or the wider community," Richard Downie said.

All Australians will be given the opportunity to engage directly with ACTU President Ged Kearney through a ground breaking collaboration with social media start-up OurSay.org.

The ACTU-OurSay Secure Jobs for a Better Future forum allows anyone to pose a question to Ms Kearney on any work-related topic. Users can post their own question, or vote on other questions, and Ms Kearney and a panel will answer the three most popular questions at the ACTU Youth Congress: Building the Future in Sydney on 14 May.

Ms Kearney said the OurSay forum was an exciting experiment for Australian unions and an expansion of the commitment to engage with the 2 million union members and the entire community.

“I’m expecting some tough questions, but here at the ACTU we strongly believe in a transparent and accountable union movement that is willing to engage genuinely with all Australians,” she said.

“Unions belong to their members, and we are keen to open new channels to communicate with all workers, particularly young workers. We want to hear what working life is like for you today, what are your problems and issues, and what do you think unions should be doing to build a better future.

Ms Kearney said she was particularly interested in questions about insecure work.

“About 40% of Australians are in casual, labour hire and contract forms of work, with few of the protections and entitlements of permanent employees – like paid leave or superannuation.

“For young people entering the workforce, a casual job is a good option – but what happens then? How do you find a secure job as your life priorities change? How can the growth of insecure work be addressed, especially so that younger workers have the same options their parents did? Tell us what you think unions should be doing to meet the challenges of the modern labour market, particularly for young workers.”

OurSay.org was started by a team of young people passionate about harnessing the power of social media to revitalise critical participation in Australian democracy. It aims to create a culture of active media engagement and developing critical debate in the public sphere over a longer period of time than the 24-hour media cycle.

The federal and state health ministers have opened the new children’s cancer centre at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.


The new haematology and oncology centre is one element of a three-storey redevelopment on top of the existing Gilbert Building. This work has also created space for a new 20-bed medical ward, a lung disease centre and a gene therapy laboratory.


The extensive redevelopment has been funded in partnership between the Commonwealth and State Governments, with generous support from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Little Heroes Foundation.


The new haematology and oncology facilities are named after the respected paediatric oncologist, Dr Michael Rice, who has been associated with the hospital for more than 50 years.


Minister Plibersek said, “The Michael Rice Centre brings together a place where children and teenagers with blood disorders or cancer can be treated.”


Minister Hill said, “The facilities include a special lead-lined room for children undergoing radiotherapy with a video link to a parents’ room. This physically isolates them to reduce the risk of radiation exposure for other patients and staff while still keeping them in close contact with their families.


“There are also two ‘negative pressure’ areas which allow for infectious patients to be nursed in isolation.”


The new floors on the Gilbert building also house the Breathing Space service which will assess patients with respiratory and lung illnesses as well as the new Allan Scott laboratory where research will continue into an airway gene therapy to treat or even cure the lung diseases associated with cystic fybrosis.

The Gilbert Building Redevelopment Project has been made possible with $15 million Federal Government funding, $4.4m from the State Government, $2.6m from the WCH Foundation towards the Breathing Space and $2m from the Little Heroes Foundation towards the Michael Rice Centre.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Minister for Ageing, Mark Butler, announced a 10-year plan to reshape aged care, beginning 1 July 2012.

The Gillard Labor Government will deliver the $3.7 billion Living Longer Living Better plan to deliver more choice, easier access and better care for older Australians and their families.

To make it easier for older Australians to stay in their home while they receive care, the Government will:

• Increase the number of Home Care Packages- from 59,876 to 99,669.
• Provide tailored care packages to people receiving home care, and new funding for dementia care.
• Cap costs, so that full pensioners pay no more than the basic fee.

To make sure more people get to keep their family home, and to prevent anyone being forced to sell their home in an emergency fire sale, the Gillard Government will:

• Provide more choice about how to pay for care. Instead of a bond which can cost up to $2.6 million and bears no resemblance to the actual cost of accommodation, you will be able to pay through a lump sum or a periodic payment, or a combination of both.
• Give families time to make a decision about how to pay, by introducing a cooling-off period.
• Cap care costs, with nobody paying more than $25,000 a year and no more than $60,000 over a lifetime.

The amount older Australians pay for aged care services will be capped and underpinned by tightened means testing, meaning older Australians will not be forced into a fire sale of the family home in order to get access to aged care.

This will not affect the million people already in the system.

To ensure there are immediate improvements as well, the government will also:

• Increase residential aged care places from 191,522 to 221,103
• Fund $1.2 billion to improve the aged care workforce through a Workforce Compact.
• Provide more funding for dementia care in aged care, and more support for services.
• Establish a single gateway to all aged care services, to make them easier to access and navigate.
• Set stricter standards, with greater oversight of aged care.