SearchArchives for July 2008
31 July, 2008Archives Brief sets records straight
Queensland State Archives has issued a Public Records Brief setting out recordkeeping requirements for new public Authorities.
The Brief recommends that new Authorities implement five recordkeeping requirements to ensure a minimum level of compliance with the Public Records Act 2002 and Information Standard 40 – Recordkeeping.
It says sound records management was “vital” to support all areas of an Agency’s business dealings and operations.
“When a new Agency is established, appropriate strategic and operational policies and procedures should be developed to meet the public Authority’s recordkeeping requirements,” the Brief says.
“Like other corporate programs, records management should be planned, managed and reviewed as part of the corporate cycle.”
It says to manage public records effectively, a public Authority needed to know what records it had created and how to locate them.
“A reliable recordkeeping system or a business system with recordkeeping functionality will ensure that the organisation’s records are accessible, credible and authoritative.”
It says this can only be achieved through control of record registration, classification and tracking
The Brief warns that public records were an important asset of any Government organisation and should not be disposed of lightly.
“A public record may not be disposed of without the written authorisation of the State Archivist,” it says.
“Queensland State Archives has developed a General Retention and Disposal Schedule for Administrative Records which can be used by all public Authorities in Queensland to lawfully dispose of records that are common to all organisations (e.g. finance records).”
It said once the new Authority had set up its minimal recordkeeping system, it should develop programs to monitor and audit it, ensure ongoing management and establish disaster recovery and preparedness processes.
The Brief says records management should be included in the organisation’s business plan.
“A public Authority’s Chief Executive Officer is responsible for ensuring that records of its activities are made, kept, managed and preserved under section 7 of the Public Records
Act 2002,” it says.
“Chief Executive Officers must also have regard to any policy, standard or guideline issued by the State Archivist in relation to recordkeeping.”
The Public Records Brief can be accessed and downloaded from www.archives.qld.gov.au
31 July, 2008
New sex plan has appeal
Progress towards equality of the sexes has stalled in Australia according to the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, so a new plan of action was needed and has been released.
Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has outlined a plan of action to build gender equality based on priorities such as paid maternity leave, tackling sexual harassment and bridging the gender gap in retirement savings.
“The stories and ideas that people shared with me during my Listening Tour have shaped my plan of action,” Commissioner Broderick said.
“We have more work to do if we want to ensure women and men live in a fair and equal Australia.”
Speaking at the launch of the listening tour community report Gender equality: What matters to Australian women and men, Commissioner Broderick identified five areas where she would be focussing her efforts to improve gender equality in Australia:
- Increasing the number of women in leadership positions, including a focus on supporting Indigenous women’s leadership;
- Balancing paid work and family responsibilities beginning with the implementation of a national Government-funded paid maternity leave scheme;
- Driving down the incidence of sexual harassment;
- Reducing the gender gap in retirement savings; and
- Strengthening laws to address sex discrimination and promote gender equality.
“I can announce that I have commissioned a national survey to track trends on the extent of sexual harassment in Australia.”
She said there would be concrete programs to address each of the issues on the agenda and progress had already been made in some areas.
She said she would continue pushing for the implementation of a national paid parental leave scheme as part of a broader focus on achieving greater balance between paid work and family responsibilities.
“A federally funded scheme is good for families, good for business and good for the community,” she said.
“It gives mothers the chance to recover from childbirth, establish breast feeding and bond with their babies.
“It also increases the number of women returning to work.”
Both the Federal Government and the Opposition welcomed the launch of the Listening Tour Community Report and the Plan of Action towards Gender Equality.
31 July, 2008
EPA gets green bill of health
The Environmental Protection Agency has been cleared of accusations it had not acted objectively in awarding a management contract for the Noosa National Park Information Centre.
Minister for Climate Change, Andrew McNamara, said a probity audit had cleared the EPA of wrongdoing and the Government would therefore move to finalise a management agreement with Noosa Parks Association to manage the Information Centre.
Mr McNamara said the agreement had been put on hold following concerns raised by another applicant for the management role.
“I am pleased to report that the audit, conducted by Probity Auditor James Box, concluded that the EPA acted objectively throughout the EOI (Expression of Interest) process,” he said.
“The audit recommended the Agency continue towards a management agreement with the Noosa Parks Association.”
Mr McNamara said the audit found no evidence of unfair dealing by the EPA in the management of the EOI, the call for applicants, or the assessment of submissions.
“In fact, the audit states that the EOI invited competitive submissions and was carried out in accordance with the relevant EPA regulations,” he said.
The audit made a number of recommendations relating to the EPA’s EOI process, including offering a detailed debrief to the complainant to help his understanding of how the process was conducted.
“It also recommends that future EOI procedures be examined and brought in line with provisions such as the EPA Agency Purchasing Procedures and the State Procurement Policy,” Mr McNamara said.
“I welcome the recommendations by Mr Box and have directed the EPA to investigate whether there is room for improvement.”
31 July, 2008
Firefighters hot in charity calendar
Female firefighters from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have published a 2009 calendar to raise funds for the Cancer Council Queensland
Acting independently of QFRS, but all employed as full-time firefighters in the Service, the “firewomen” claim their project is a “sizzling fundraiser” and they themselves had never been hotter!
According to their website, the firefighters are proud to be associated with the “first ever Female Firefighters Calendar in Queensland,” which was put together with the help of sponsors.
“Normally hot and sweaty behind the scenes, (the firewomen) found themselves in front of the camera in the name of charity – to help raise funds for Breast Cancer and the Pink Ribbon Appeal,” the website says.
“Fire Fighters, Fire Girls, Fire Women, Fire Ladies... whatever you want to call them .... they are HOTTER than ever!
The women say visitors to the site could find out more about the calendar and the fire fighters who posed for it on its ‘Profiles’ page or could meet them in person at selected events throughout the year.
The calendar is to be launched on 7 August at the Brisbane RNA Show and supporters who subscribe to their website would be invited to the launch.
The calendar will sell for $10 and interested buyers can register their interest at www.femalefirefighters.com.au
31 July, 2008
No pay off in wage dispute
Industrial action being taken by Tasmania’s State Public Servants in pursuit of wages parity with other States is continuing with few signs it will be settled soon.
In a statement, Tasmanian Treasurer Michael Aird said the offer made to staff by the Government was fair and final, and allowed for a pay rise of between 20 and 29 per cent over the three-and-a-half year life of the agreement.
Staff have rejected the offer, saying they would still be behind their interstate counterparts. They have launched industrial action in pursuit of a better offer
The Community and Public Sector Union’s Tom Lynch told the ABC that situation had been brought about by the Government
“They have forced us into this industrial action,” Mr Lynch said, “and now they’re doing absolutely nothing to resolve it.
“They’re not even talking to us about it.”
He said the Government knew each offer it had submitted would be rejected.
“They have already delivered that for themselves. They delivered it for legal practitioners, for health professionals, for a whole range of people and they promised nearly two years ago to deliver to the rest of the Public Sector.”
He said the delays meant the Government would have to increase salaries by around nine per cent to bring them into line with the other States.
“You know the Government’s happy to take that money themselves and for the rest of the areas to get it but we’re going to back down on that,” he said.
“Our members are not going to do that.”
Mr Lynch said CPSU members in the Tasmanian State Public Service had worked hard to keep the State running in very difficult times.
“Now is the time when the good times in Tassie should be shared,” he said.
31 July, 2008
Archives sets record in record keeping
The Queensland State Archives has played a leading role in the publication of a global standard for recordkeeping software.
Working with archives authorities from 11 nations including the National Archives of Australia, the Archives helped develop an agreed set of standards for software products being used to make and keep records.
Under the auspices of the International Council on Archives, the team finalised three related publications under the title Principles and Functional Requirements for Records in Electronic Office Environments.
Director-General of the National Archive, Ross Gibbs described the achievement as a “milestone for the archives industry.”
“Over the past decade some countries have issued their own requirements for software to manage electronic records,” Mr Gibbs said.
“Now the world’s archival institutions have agreed on a single set of standards.”
He said the collaboration promised significant benefits to the software industry, with an agreed set of requirements eliminating the confusion caused by varying standards.
“The National Archives of Australia is proud to have led the project, in cooperation with our Australian and New Zealand partner institutions, particularly Archives New Zealand and Queensland State Archives.
“We are particularly excited about the guidelines for managing records in business systems, which we feel is the way of the future.”
Mr Gibbs said the drafts generated significant interest from software vendors, consultants and archivists around the world and their comments were incorporated into the final publications.
The standard was launched at the 16th International Council on Archives Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Held every four years, the Congress celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2008, and attracted 1200 archivists from 138 countries. The ICA promotes the preservation, development and use of the world’s archival heritage.
Mr Gibbs said the theme of the Congress was “Archives, governance and development: mapping future society
He said Brisbane would host the next (17th) ICA Congress in 2012.
31 July, 2008
Long-serving police get more brass
The long service, diligent and ethical work of 70 members of the Queensland Police Force and civilian staff have been recognised with the presentation of medals and clasps by Police Minister, Judy Spence and Commissioner of Police, Bob Atkinson.
The recipients could claim a total of more than 1,100 years experience between them.
Ms Spence said, in today’s society where people regularly moved from one career to the next, this was a great commitment.
“We thank these individuals for their loyalty and dedication to the people of Queensland,” she said.
Commissioner Atkinson said the work conducted by the officers and staff demonstrated the diligence of QPS members and their strong commitment to serving and protecting the community.
“The officers and staff members come from an array of different areas including units of State Crime Operations Command, Ethical Standards Command, Operations Support Command, Human Resources Division, Information and Communications Technology, Media and Public Affairs Branch, and the Office of the Commissioner,” Commissioner Atkinson said.
“This is a showcase of the range of skills and attributes our staff and officers employ on a daily basis, and reflect creditably on the professionalism of the Service.”
He said the recipients worked in intelligence, forensic services, criminal investigations, and completed general duties as well as strategic management and corporate support.
During the ceremony at Police Headquarters, Minister Spence presented Commissioner Atkinson with his 40 year clasp to the Queensland Police Medal.
“The Queensland Police Medal is awarded to members of the police service who have demonstrated diligent and professional service for 10 years, with clasps for every 5 years thereafter,” Ms Spence said.
“Bob Atkinson exemplifies these qualities, and to describe his service as diligent and professional is an understatement.”
Ms Spence said the Commissioner had dedicated his life to protecting and serving the people of Queensland.
“He is a man of great integrity and honour, whose leadership has seen the Queensland Police Service continue to grow into one of the best police services in the world,” she said.
“The Queensland Police Service is in excellent hands with Commissioner Atkinson at the helm and his outstanding years of service are an inspiration to both his long serving colleagues and new recruits,” Ms Spence said.
31 July, 2008
Gallery puts its art into regional tour
The Queensland Art Gallery is to release 50 works of art from its Asia-Pacific collection for a tour to eight regional venues.
Arts Minister Rod Welford announced the move saying Frame by Frame: Asia-Pacific Artists on Tour, would be the first time the works had toured the State.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for some landmark works by leading contemporary Asia-Pacific artists to be seen by regional audiences,” Mr Welford said.
“The artists featured in the exhibition include Ai Weiwei (China), Rashid Rana (Pakistan), Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Japan), Qin Ga (China), Stephen Page (Australia), and Sima Urale (Samoa/New Zealand).”
Mr Welford said many of the works had been acquired through the Gallery’s Asia-Pacific Triennial (APT) of Contemporary Art and the diverse exhibition would give audiences beyond Brisbane an insight into the richness and dynamism of Asian-Pacific art.
Queensland Art Gallery Director, Tony Ellwood, said the photography and the moving images were an integral component of the AP.
Mr Ellwood said each of the artists featured in Frame by Frame used the art forms to explore issues of history, resemblance and difference, transparency and illusion and national and individual identity.
“Each artist has used the camera as a tool in creating an experimental art form, intersecting with other mediums, histories and narratives,” he said.
“The exhibition includes Sima Urale’s O Tamaiti 1996, a film providing an insight into Samoan family life and Stephen Page’s commissioned performance Kin 2006, the story of an Indigenous Australian family, community and history.”
Frame by Frame will be on tour to 7 March 2010.
It opened at Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery on 25 July and will move on to Artspace Mackay for 24 October, followed by Hervey Bay, Townsville, the Gold Coast, Bundaberg, Cairns and Caloundra.
The tour is a regional program of the Queensland Art Gallery’s APT, and is supported by the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy.
31 July, 2008
Wild dogs policy to get more bite
The Premier has announced that the State’s management practices for wild dogs are to be reviewed.
Premier, Anna Bligh announced the review while visiting landholders at Cunnamulla.
“It’s clear that the Queensland primary industries, especially the sheep industry are being hurt by the devastating impact of wild dogs,” Ms Bligh said.
“Wild dogs cost Queensland an estimated $33 million a year in livestock losses, disease spread and control.”
She said State and Local Governments as well as industry had committed significant resources to tackling the issue, including maintaining the Wild Dog Barrier Fence and conducting research into management techniques.
“But clearly it’s time to reinvigorate our efforts and ensure that landholders are using the latest research and strategies to further protect this important Queensland industry,” she said.
“I’ve asked Peter Kenny, president of AgForce Queensland, to lead a review of the Queensland Wild Dog Management Strategy.”
Ms Bligh said Mr Kenny would review the Memorandum of Understanding between Local Governments, Agforce, the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, and the Environmental Protection Agency for the management of wild dogs inside the Wild Dog Barrier Fence.
“This review will look at issues like changing grazing practices inside and outside of the Wild Dog Barrier Fence, resourcing, research, the impact of wild dogs on pets and people’s safety in closely settled areas as well as the conservation of the dingo,” she said.
Ms Bligh said AgForce had a long history of working with the Government on wild dog issues.
“I believe that this relationship is vital if we are to see more coordinated efforts to control wild dogs,” she said.
The Premier said wild dogs killed and harassed stock, causing financial loss to the sheep and cattle industries and to the families that supported them. She said they impacted on native species, spread diseases and attacked pets.
31 July, 2008
New deal opens door to better housing
An agreement between the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments was likely to improve the standard of housing being provided by Indigenous Community Housing Organisations.
Under the agreement, the Commonwealth has offered $60 million to upgrade houses to an acceptable standard, in exchange for the State Government taking on extra responsibility for managing tenancies.
The Federal Minister for Housing and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, said housing was “absolutely central” to the Federal Government’s agenda to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Ms Macklin said as a part of the deal, proper tenancy management practices would be introduced for all Indigenous community housing in Queensland.
“This deal is part of our national plan for addressing Indigenous housing in remote areas,” she said.
“We are determined to address the desperate housing needs in remote communities in ways that encourage personal responsibility and help rebuild social norms in Indigenous communities.”
Queensland Housing Minister, Robert Schwarten, welcomed the initiative, saying the Commonwealth was well aware of the enormity of the problem and the State was pleased to work with it to try to resolve it.
“No-one should be under any illusions here,” Mr Schwarten said. “There are some 2,000 households in varying degrees of housing stress, an enormous maintenance bill and other issues such as unpaid Local Government rates.”
Ms Macklin said the Australian Government was introducing reforms that would fundamentally change how housing and municipal services were delivered to Indigenous communities in remote locations.
She said the reforms would ensure tenancies for Indigenous housing were properly managed; ensure homes were upgraded and maintained; secure long-term tenure for the Government of Indigenous-owned land; open up pathways for home ownership; and stimulate local economic development and investment. The Commonwealth offer came as major reforms to Queensland’s land tenure arrangements were introduced in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Amendment Act 2008.
The Act allows for long-term leases of up to 99 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land for residential and public housing, commercial development or community infrastructure.
31 July, 2008
Children’s workers grow up for honour
The long careers of two child protection workers have been recognised with Department of Child Safety Recognition of Excellence Awards.
Jan Lawrie, who is manager of the Warilda Conference Centre has clocked up 40 years service protecting children from abuse and neglect and Steve Cockburn, manager of the Fortitude Valley Child Safety Service Centre, has registered 30 years.
Minister for Child Safety, Margaret Keech congratulated the pair saying they were genuine community heroes.
“Working in child protection can be very challenging and our staff members face some confronting situations,” Mrs Keech said.
“A combined 70 years of service protecting Queensland’s at-risk children is simply outstanding and I cannot thank them both enough for their commitment and care.”
She said the work being done to help children who had been abused or neglected was vital and those with long service deserved to be recognised for the difference they made.
Mrs Keech said Ms Lawrie and Mr Cockburn had been with the Department of Child Safety since it was created in 2004 after previously serving in its earlier incarnations.
“I’m proud to be able to acknowledge them today,” she said.
Ms Lawrie and Mr Cockburn are among 160 Child Safety staff to receive official recognition for more than five years of service at ceremonies around the State over the coming weeks.
The honoured staff would receive a range of mementos of their service including framed certificates, leather compendiums, satchels, engraved pens, vouchers for learning and development, and health and wellbeing.
“Child Safety staff have the toughest job in Government,” Mrs Keech said.
“They deserve to be treated like the true community heroes they are.”
31 July, 2008
Land use review is a landscape landscope
A review of the uses that up to 20,000 blocks of State land were being put to is expected to provide more land for development
Minister for Natural Resources and Water, Craig Wallace, said around 1.3 million hectares of land would be reviewed in response to an emerging shortage of space for residential land following the mineral resource boom and an increasing population.
Mr Wallace said the land could be used for new housing, commercial, industrial or environmental purposes.
He said the study had already looked at new uses, particularly housing, for State land in regional communities such as Townsville, Bowen, Gladstone and Mt Isa and was now looking “over the horizon.”
“At the same time, we will examine the land’s social, cultural and environmental values – and consult with local communities about their wishes.”
Mr Wallace said the need to find more land was urgent in booming regional centres, particularly for housing.
He said while the Government could not control housing interest rates or building costs, it could help people by identifying new housing land.
He said 270 hectares of land with the potential to provide around 3,000 housing lots at Bohle near Townsville, would be made available for the housing market in the near future.
Up to 2,000 hectares of land at Bohle could eventually be used for housing and other community infrastructure such as a multi-recreational centre and a new cemetery.
Mr Wallace said the review of land in Bowen would look at 116 parcels and their potential to be used for housing, industrial, community and transport uses.
Vacant land south of Gladstone near Tannum Sands and Boyne Island could also be suitable for housing and reserves to ensure environmental and ecological values were protected.
He said 200 parcels of land and 138 reserves in Mt Isa City were being examined for possible use by housing, industry, sports and recreation.
He said unallocated land was widely distributed across the State but the Government was concentrating on areas near urban centres.
He said where necessary, the work would include the resolution of native title claims and unallocated land for urban development would be released in an orderly manner to satisfy the demand for housing land.
Mr Wallace said the final development of released State land would be subject to the development assessment processes provided under the Integrated Planning Act, including appropriate community consultation.
31 July, 2008
Truck drivers get heavy messages
An education campaign for truck drivers and heavy vehicle operators is to be stepped up to improve road safety in Queensland.
Transport Minister, John Mickel, said there had been 43 fatalities in the 12 months to 20 July this year, compared with 32 for the same period last year.
He said it was unacceptable to lose so many lives needlessly.
“The Government is working hard with the industry to find solutions to ensure our roads are safe for all users,” Mr Mickelhe said.
“We have stepped up our campaign of education and compliance regulation for heavy vehicle drivers and operators right across Queensland.”
Mr Mickel said there were 170 transport inspectors throughout the State who had conducted 69,620 inspections and completed almost 68,000 hours of on-road compliance activity during the 2007/08 financial year.
He said they were responsible for checking for compliance with all truck safety measures. He said there had been an increased focus on speed limiter tampering, a practice that incorrectly set the speed limiter and allowed truck drivers and their employers to exceed the speed limit and flout the law.
He highlighted the fact that only a minority of drivers and employers broke the law.
“In the 8-week period between 14 April and 8 June 2008 a total of 1,335 heavy vehicles were inspected and 92.4 per cent of these had their speed limiter set correctly,” Mr Mickel said.
“Of the 7.6 per cent that were incorrectly set, most were set for 115km or less, although three vehicles were set in excess of 120km.”
Mr Mickel said the truck drivers and their employers who were doing the right thing should be praised.
“It is only a small minority that are letting us down and putting innocent lives in danger,” he said. “Heavy vehicle transport is a vital industry for Queensland and the Government is committed to ensuring it remains sustainable and safe,” Mr Mickel said.
31 July, 2008
Comments to steer stock route changes
A review into the management of Queensland’s 72,000km stock route network has been announced by the Minister for Natural Resources and Water, Craig Wallace.
Mr Wallace has called for public comment on the report, Improving the management and use of the stock route network, which made several recommendations on how to improve the management of the ‘long paddock’.
The recommendations included introducing a user-pays model to properly fund the Local Governments that managed stock routes and dividing the route into active and inactive routes with differing levels of management.
“We are planning to ensure the long-term future of our iconic stock route network, which covers 2.6 million hectares,” Mr Wallace said.
“Although they have been around for more than 100 years, droving stock is still alive and well on Queensland’s stock routes.”
Mr Wallace said drought and rising fuel prices meant parts of the stock route network would be used more, rather than less, and the Government would not sell off or lease the network in part or in whole.
The review was conducted by the Stock Route Assessment Panel which was made up of groups that managed and used stock routes - the Local Government Association of Queensland, the Droving and Stock Routes Association, AgForce Queensland and the Land Protection Council.
The panel recommended the entire stock route network should be retained; stock route users rather than ratepayers should pay for its upkeep; active routes should be closely managed to ensure they had adequate feed and water for travelling stock; and proper management should be undertaken to protect land conditions and biodiversity values.
Mr Wallace said severe drought conditions in 2002 and 2003 and rising fuel prices had led to the highest usage of Queensland stock routes since the 1950s and 60s as droving cost less than 80 per cent of the cost of trucking stock.
He said the biodiversity and environmental values of stock routes were a significant factor driving the need to protect and ensure their sustainability.
“The connectivity of stock routes provides corridors for native wildlife to relocate and adapt in response to climate change,” he said.
Mr Wallace said the report could be accessed at www.nrw.qld.gov.au and that submissions closed on 31 August.
31 July, 2008
Attorney-General passes school test
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Kerry Shine has been put through his paces by the students of Whites Hill State College.
Mr Shine visited the school to answer questions about changes to Queensland’s legal system in recent years and the students didn’t hold back asking the hard questions.
Accompanied by the MP for Chatsworth, Chris Bombolas, Mr Shine fielded questions about changes to the criminal code, including the introduction of new laws relating to abandoned children and provisions concerning piracy and duels.
“We discussed the change in the law which now makes the assault of a Public Servant an automatic serious assault,” Mr Shine said.
He said the students he met showed an excellent understanding of the law.
“It is important that students who will soon leave school and be important members of society must understand the legal structure we rely so much upon.” Mr Bombolas said the students undertaking legal studies at Whites Hill would have benefitted from Mr Shine’s visit.
“Who better to talk to our students about the world of law than Queensland’s top law maker, the Attorney-General,” he said.
“I was very impressed with some of the questions the students had for the Attorney and they clearly understood the legal issues and how they relate to young people.”
Mr Shine said he would continue to visit schools around Queensland to raise the interest of students in the law.
“Who knows, some of the students I am visiting may one day become Queensland’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or even the Director of Public Prosecutions,” he said.
31 July, 2008
Horse virus of mane concern
Queensland Health and the Department of Primary Industries are continuing their investigation into the appearance of the Hendra virus among horses at a veterinary hospital in Brisbane.
Medical Officer at the Brisbane Southside Population Health Unit, Dr Brad McCall said Queensland Health staff had advised the staff of the veterinary hospital on personal health and hygiene precautions while Biosecurity Queensland had placed the facility in quarantine.
Dr McCall said up to 50 people who worked at the vet hospital or might have had close contact with the sick horses, had been tested.
“We’re continuing to monitor their health and provide information and advice as required,” Dr McCall said.
“All close contacts have undertaken a second round of blood testing, as planned.”
He said two staff members at the hospital who had tested positive to the Hendra virus were under close medical observation.
“Both cases most likely acquired the infection through close contact with the horses in the late stage of the horses’ illness or at autopsy,” Dr McCall said.
“To date all other people who had been in close contact with the sick horses remain well.”
He said it was important to understand that the Hendra virus was rare in both horses and people.
“Whilst the natural host for Hendra virus in Australia is the flying fox, there is also no evidence of bat to human transmission, only bat to horse transmission.”
Dr McCall said there was no risk to the wider community.
31 July, 2008
Compo comparisons
The Australian Safety and Compensation Council has published the latest edition of its Comparison of Workers’ Compensation Arrangements in Australia and New Zealand.
The Comparison provides a background to the evolution of workers’ compensation arrangements in Australia and New Zealand detailing the schemes, coverage, benefits, return to work provisions, self insurance, common law, dispute resolution and cross-border arrangements.
Bridge name in flood
Suggestions of a name the new Tank Street Bridge have flooded in with Premier Anna Bligh saying almost 100 were received in the first week.
The public is being offered the chance to name the new bridge which will be the most modern of its type in the world.
Entries close 30 September and can be sent to www.publicworks.qld.gov.au
Judging will be by the Premier, the new Queensland Government architect Philip Follent and the editor of the Sunday Mail, Liz Deegan.
100,000 see Picasso
Less than two months after opening at the Gallery of Modern Art, the Picasso & his collection exhibition has drawn its 100,000th visitor.
Arts Minister, Rod Welford, said, since opening on 9 June, over 2,200 people had visited the exhibition each day.
Mr Welford urged all Queenslanders to visit the collection before it closed on 14 September.
Creative academy opened
The $41million Queensland Academy for Creative Industries has been officially opened by the Premier, Anna Bligh.
Ms Bligh said the academy, located at Kelvin Grove, would give creative year 10, 11 and 12 students the tools to pursue careers in multi-media, marketing, advertising and design.
The academy has partnered with Queensland University of Technology to allow students to participate in research programs and collaborate with artists, researchers and industry experts.
More police for Maroochydore
Five extra Police Officers and nine new civilians have taken up duties in the Maroochydore area over the past month.
The Officers have been working out of the Mooloolaba Police Beat and the civilians have been posted at the 24 hour watch house and the Maroochydore Police Station.
The Maroochydore Division, which includes the Mooloolaba precinct, has seen a 19 per cent reduction in grievous assaults and a 50 per cent reduction in robbery offences in the past 12 months.
Fields rise from motorway
New sporting fields and club facilities for western Brisbane’s junior rugby league community have been completed as part of a commitment to relocate facilities affected by the Ipswich Motorway upgrade,
The new PJ McIllwain Place at Wacol includes four full-sized match fields, a new clubhouse with change rooms, training facilites, office, canteen, licensed bar area and parking.
The club’s previous location was required for a new interchange.
SES volunteers chalk up service
Three State Emergency Services volunteers from Western Queensland were recognised for over 60 years combined service at a ceremony in Aramac.
Service medals to firefighter Doug Churchill, Warren Smith and Rodney Little.
Mr Churchill received a Meritorious Service Medal and National Medal Clasp for 25 years service, Mr Smith was awarded a 15 years’ Meritorious Service Medal and National Medal and Mr Little was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal for 20 years of service.
In April, former SES volunteer, Roger Warren was recognised with a National Medal Clasp for 25 years service.
Minister urges warmth
Mines and Energy Minister, Geoff Wilson, has encouraged householders to save money and be smart about keeping warm this winter.
Mr Wilson said simple tips such as closing curtains, checking for draughts, blocking gaps to stop heat loss and rugging up against the cold could make a huge difference to power bills.
He said it was important to shop around before purchasing heaters to ensure energy and money efficiency.
Mining journal out
The Department of Mines and Energy has released the winter edition of the Queensland Government Mining Journal.
The journal includes articles on bass metals, clean coal, infrastructure, the North West minerals province and health and safety issues.
A free copy of the journal is available at www.dme.qld.gov.au
24 July, 2008
Union pays call on PS wages policy
The General Secretary of the Queensland Public Sector Union, Alex Scott, has written to the Government calling for an urgent revision of its PS wages policy in light of increases in the cost of living.
In a letter to the Premier, Treasurer and Industrial Relations Minister, Mr Scott said that QPS staff, like all Queenslanders, had been “hit hard” by rising fuel, groceries, and housing costs.
“Inflation continues to rise,” he said, “Brisbane prices are increasing by around 4.8 per cent.”
He said the offer of a 3.25 per cent payrise for Public Servants over the next three years would not plug the hole inflation was leaving in family budgets.
He said a recent survey of QPSU members revealed overwhelming unhappiness with the payrise offer.
“The results are clear,” he said. “Members are not happy with this offer, and are prepared to take strong action to get a better outcome.”
The survey revealed that 99.7 per cent of respondents said it was important or very important that wages kept pace with inflation.
“Ninety per cent of members would support a strong campaign for a better wage offer,” Mr Scott said.
“Public sector workers are on the front lines ever day, protecting kids from abuse, keeping schools and hospitals running, guarding our prisons and prosecuting criminals, among thousands of other jobs.
“As ordinary workers, it’s getting harder and harder for us to make ends meet.”
He said that if the Government chose not to review its offer, QPSU members would need to launch a sector-wide protest campaign across the State.
He told members on the QPSU website that their participation in the campaign would mean the difference between a wage rise that kept pace with inflation, or a “real pay cut” over the next three years. He called on members to register their interest in the campaign – if it went ahead – by email.
He said the Government needed to revise its wages policy to ensure its own ordinary workers did not lose out.
More information on the union’s wages campaign was available at www.qpsu.org.au/wages
24 July, 2008
Retirement reading for older workers
A new booklet setting out options for retirement has been released under the Experience Pays awareness strategy
Minister for Employment, John Mickel said the pocket sized handbook highlighted issues all employees should think about before entering full retirement.
He urged older workers to get hold of a copy and discuss options with their employers before deciding to retire.
Mr Mickel said older workers had many alternatives available to them if they wanted to remain in the workforce and the booklet What are your options as an older worker? would help them come to a decision.
“(The booklet) gives people options to consider,” Mr Mickel said, “like flexible work arrangements, mentoring, job redesign and retraining.
He said it also included testimonials from older workers who had chosen to remain in the workforce.
“Older workers represent the fastest growing segment of our workforce and by 2012, 85 per cent of labour market growth will come from people aged 45 years and over,” Mr Mickel said.
“The economic and social changes brought about by the ageing workforce have changed traditional views on retirement and older workers who are ready, willing and able to remain in or return to the workforce should be given the options to do so.”
He said employers who talked with their mature-age employees about flexible work arrangements or redesigning jobs, benefitted from retaining staff at a time of skills and labour shortages and enjoyed the bonus of holding on to valuable skills, knowledge and experience.
Mr Mickel said the Government’s Experience Pays awareness strategy aimed to raise awareness of the ageing workforce and the value of older workers.
It also encouraged mature-age people to remain in or re-enter the workforce.
“It is working with business and unions to ensure industry and individuals alike have maximum involvement in managing the ageing workforce,” Mr Mickel said.
For more information on the Experience Pays awareness strategy or to get a free copy of the handbook visit www.experiencepays.qld.gov.au or call 1800 630 647
24 July, 2008
Belt tightening plan thins waste at QFRS
A review of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service has uncovered savings that could release enough money to pay for 45 extra frontline firefighters.
Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts said the review found areas where "belts could be tightened" and over $5 million could be saved.
He said this would be in addition to this year’s increase in QFRS funding of $37.7 million taking the Government’s contribution to record levels.
"Following the Audit of the Queensland Ambulance Service late last year, I ordered a review of the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service,” Mr Roberts said, “to identify how we could strengthen the Service's focus on the frontline from existing resources.”
He said the review identified six areas of potential savings and the Government would implement four of them.
"Queensland is well served by the QFRS,” Mr Roberts said. “Queensland's fire death rate is Australia's lowest and falling.
“Property loss from structural fires in Queensland is among the lowest (and) response times to structural fires are faster than the national benchmark.”
He said the Government did not accept recommendations to rationalise fire stations or reduce firefighter involvement in community risk mitigation activities, such as education.
"The Government is expanding QFRS's presence by completing a new fire station at Burpengary and it is funding new fire stations at Redland Bay and Nerang,” Mr Roberts said.
“Additional firefighters are required for the new fire stations.”
He said a priority would be to allocate the extra firefighters funded by the savings to the two new stations at Redland Bay and Nerang.
“These stations will each require 19 new firefighting staff.
“The deployment of the other additional staff will be determined by QFRS based on its operational needs."
Mr Roberts said the Ambulance Audit identified savings of $12 million in non-operational areas of QAS and corporate areas of the Department of Emergency Services and its divisions, including QFRS.
"This review has identified $4.73 million in total corporate savings from 2009-10 ($3.54 million in 2008-09) in non-operational areas of QFRS and corporate overheads across the Service and DES," he said.
"These savings will result from a reduction of corporate staff and non-operational staff in QFRS Head Office and in areas such as non-operational vehicles, travel and accommodation, consultants and contractors, office equipment, communications and publications and replacing temporary staff with permanent appointments."
Mr Roberts said as a result of the review, QFRS would revise its Road Crashes Rescue protocols to minimise non-essential attendances at road crash incidents.
He said the recommendations of the review would be implemented in consultation with union representatives and the QFRS staff themselves.
24 July, 2008
New program leads to QPS leadership
A new study program to help groom future Public Service leaders has been launched for middle-level managers in Public Services across the country.
The Global Leadership Practices Program (GLP) is being presented by international consultant Yellow Edge in association with the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong in Shanghai and has been designed to enhance participants’ capabilities in line with PS leadership programs.
Yellow Edge spokesman, Andrew Simon said the program had been designed for high potential middle-level managers in the Commonwealth, State and Territory Public Services.
Mr Simon described the program as “groundbreaking” and said it would broaden personal and professional horizons to improve leadership and strategic capacities.
He said the Australia-China GLP program would concentrate on fostering a deeper understanding of leadership in a global economic and political powerhouse and provide insight into forms of Chinese leadership and their culture which could lead to new leadership methods in Australia.
Mr Simon said a two-day seminar would be held in Australia and a five-day Global Leadership Practices Residential module at the Leadership Academy Pudong in Shanghai.
He said the module in China would include a study tour to Blue Scope Steel headquarters in Shanghai, Chinese Government agencies, networking sessions with senior Chinese officials and a recreation and cultural program.
Mr Simon said there would be a one-day report-back session in Australia at the conclusion of the program.
He said the Global Practices Leadership Seminar would be held in Canberra from 24 to 25 September, the Shanghai module would be held from 13 to 17 October and the debriefing session would be on 23 October, also in Canberra. Registration for the course was $13,000 plus GST.
Further information was available by contacting Mr Simon on (02) 6273 0168 or emailing andrew.simon@yellowedge.com.au
24 July, 2008
Compo stats paint sorry picture
Figures released by the Australian Safety and Compensation Council have revealed that 16 out of every 1,000 Australian workers in 2005-06 were off work for a week or more on workers’ compensation.
ASCC Chairman, Bill Scales said the Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics Australia 2005-06 reported a fall in incident rates for injury and disease in all industries since 1997-98, however claims for respiratory diseases, mental disorders and cancers had been increasing in recent years.
“The Compendium is an annual publication that provides a detailed analysis of compensated work-related injury and disease among employees in Australia,” Mr Scales said.
“This is the fifteenth report released as part of the Compendium series.”
He said the Compendium and other statistical reports enabled the ASCC to provide the most accurate information available in the area of work-related injury and disease.
He said the preliminary data for 2005-06 showed the top three industries for fatalities were the transport and storage industry with 41, construction with 33 and manufacturing with 28. He said of the total 231 deaths compensated, 93 per cent were men.
Trend data results showed all industries experienced a fall in incidence rates of injury and disease between 1997-98 and 2004-05, with the greatest falls being in mining, 45 per cent; construction, 27 per cent; transport and storage, 20 per cent; agriculture, forestry and fishing , 19 per cent; and manufacturing, 18 per cent.
The report found the proportion of claims for employees aged 45 and above increased from 33 per cent in 1997-98 to 39 per cent in 2004-05.
Mr Scales said the feature article in the latest Compendium explored the factors that influenced the time employees were away from work due to work-related injury or disease.
“The feature article reveals that most serious workers' compensation claims lasted a relatively short period,” he said.
He said 52 per cent of employees who lodged a claim were back at work within 4 weeks, and three-quarters were back within 3 months.
“We can see through findings in the Compendium that notable improvements are being made in some areas and industries,” he said.
“However more can be done to improve safety at work and reduce work-related death, injury and disease.”
Mr Scales said it was time to make workplace safety a priority.
He said ASCC initiative, National Safe Work Australia Week, would be held from 19 to 25 October.
24 July, 2008
More hang-ups for emergency phones
The Department of Emergency Services has announced that an external review would be held into its Emergency Services Computer Aided Dispatch (ESCAD) system.
The decision follows a number of system failures.
Minister for Emergency Services, Neil Roberts said the review would be conducted by independent experts from the Queensland Chief Information Office and start immediately.
He said the Department would continue working with the Australian and US suppliers of the system’s software and hardware to identify and fix the problems. It intended upgrading the software this week.
The ESCAD system was the first integrated dispatch system for the State’s ambulance and fire and rescue services but since being introduced in March had suffered six unplanned outages.
Mr Roberts said once the new software was installed, the Department would revisit its plans to roll-out ESCAD to the Central (Rockhampton) and South-Eastern (Southport) regions.
“The roll-out of ESCAD started in March this year and more than 160,000 calls for assistance have been dealt with through the new system,” Mr Roberts said.
“However … the latest outage on Tuesday lasted up to 25 minutes.”
He said ESCAD was a critical system that had the potential to offer significant advances in dispatching emergency service crews.
“I am concerned that these outages have occurred and I want to ensure all measures are taken to identify and rectify the problems we have experienced.”
He said he was advised the failures didn’t affect the Triple Zero phone service or radio communications to emergency service workers and their vehicles.
“Communication centre staff have immediately transferred to manual back-up dispatch systems during each outage.
“No common cause has been identified,” he said.
Mr Roberts paid tribute to the professionalism and excellence of the communications centre staff for maintaining the continuity of the emergency dispatch system during the failures.
24 July, 2008
CSA crackdown is parent trap
The Child Support Agency has announced a crackdown on overdue child support payments in Queensland.
State Manager, Lorna Andrews detailed a range of new measures to be adopted to ensure child support assessments were correct and that overdue child support was paid.
Ms Andrews said the measures included enhanced tax return regulation and a trial of opttical surveillance in serious cases.
She said the crackdown measures were announced in a presentation to the State’s key child support stakeholders in Brisbane and followed the national launch of the CSA’s first compliance strategy.
“In Queensland there are about 324,000 parents registered with the CSA supporting about 246,000 children,” Ms Andrews said.
“It’s important to acknowledge that most separated parents do the right thing, and the CSA remains committed to working hard through its new compliance strategy to rein in the overdue amount of child support in the State, which is now just over $195 million.
She said the new compliance program was aimed at ensuring that both parents were appropriately and accurately assessed, and that the correct amount of child support was paid in full and on time.
“The CSA is determined to enforce compliance with child support assessments to enhance the integrity of the new Child Support Scheme, which commenced on 1 July 2008,” Ms Andrews said.
She said the new crackdown measures included:
- A surveillance trial in a limited number of serious cases where there was a suspicion a parent had provided false information;
- A crackdown on tax returns to ensure that all parents earning more than a prescribed minimum and not on an income support lodged them;
She said the Agency was also working with the Australian Taxation Office to automatically add salary sacrificed amounts back into income.
24 July, 2008
Council savings creating interest
Local Government Minister, Warren Pitt appears confident the savings to be made from amalgamating 152 Local Councils into 73 will outweigh the costs.
He said a Government offer to the new Councils to meet any unexpected merger costs had so far failed to attract any applications.
“The only condition that the State Government has stipulated is that Councils must also put on the table the savings that will arise from efficiencies and economies of scale arising from merged council operations and rate bases,” Mr Pitt said.
“Experience elsewhere in Australia has shown that where mergers have occurred, typically the savings outweigh the costs.”
He said he strongly doubted that the Government would need to give any amalgamated Council any additional assistance to meet merger costs.
Mr Pitt said the costs of amalgamation were generally one-off costs of approximately one per cent of the merged council’s budget, but the savings could be between two and five per cent.
“That means they are achieved not just once, but year after year, after year,” he said.
He said the savings to be made were borne out by the new Moreton Bay Regional Council whose first budget identified merger-related savings of 2.4 per cent.
“This is why I am reasonably confident that the State Government will not have to make any additional payments to Councils over and above the $27.1 million it has given out,” Mr Pitt said.
“The State Government’s funding assistance for Councils so far has been generous, and there will need to be a very convincing case made out for any additional funds to be approved.”
He said the ball was “well and truly” in the Councils’ court.
“While there have been a lot of claims and comments made, there has been a conspicuous shortage of one thing – facts and figures to show that councils are going to be worse off financially because of the costs associated with amalgamation,” Mr Pitt said.
He said the Department of Local Government was considering one submission from Logan City Council but it was a special case.
“Logan City Council is in a different situation in that it had areas transferred to it from the Gold Coast City Council and the former Beaudesert Shire Council, as distinct from being amalgamated with another Council,” he said.
“These aspects are being examined.”
Mr Pitt also announced that the cost of running the Local Government Elections came in $3 million below Budget and a survey of voters revealed widespread satisfaction with the electoral processes.
24 July, 2008
Ombudsman’s men investigate Cairns
Senior staff of the Queensland Ombudsman’s Office have taken the Office’s message to Cairns as part of a regional tour of Far North Queensland.
Deputy Ombudsman, Forbes Smith and Assistant Ombudsman, Craig Allen met with the Cairns Regional Council recently and discussed the Ombudsman’s role in the community. They also reinforced the importance of sound administrative practices, making good decisions, and handling complaints properly.
Mr Smith, who was leading the trip, said the visit also allowed them to present each Council with the Ombudsman’s recently published Local Government Casebook, which contained summaries of a number of Local Government cases investigated by the Ombudsman’s Office.
“The purpose of publishing the Casebook is to make Councils aware of some of the significant administrative deficiencies we have identified in our investigations,” Mr Smith said.
“We hope the Casebook will assist Councils to improve their own decision-making to avoid similar types of complaints being made.”
Mr Smith and Mr Allen also visited community and information centres to talk about the Office’s role in investigating complaints about State and Local Government and to put across the message that it was ‘OK to complain.’
“Making sure people know what our Office does, how we can help and how they can access our services is high on my list of priorities,” Mr Smith said.
During the tour, the pair also visited Councils in Cooktown, Malanda, Innisfail, Ingham and Townsville.
24 July, 2008
Firemen’s house gets cold shoulder
A firefighters’ residence at the Atherton Fire Station in far north Queensland is to be removed.
With the fire station at the centre of investigations into a cancer cluster, Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said removing the house would be an important step forward for the Atherton staff.
He said although extensive environmental testing had failed to find conclusive evidence of a link with cancer at the station or the housing quarters, Queensland Fire and Rescue Service management had decided to remove the house anyway.
“The house at Atherton Fire Station was built in 1959 but has not been used in the last seven years,” Mr Roberts said.
“QFRS is currently in the process of analysing quotes for the works, and will announce a timeline as soon as a decision has been made.”
He paid tribute to the staff of the station saying despite the obvious concerns surrounding the investigation had continued to provide a first-class service to the people of the region.
Mr Roberts said the vacant land remaining when the house was removed would be concreted and put to good use.
“It will then be used for training operations, equipment testing and a range of vehicle access needs,” he said.
“The crew at Atherton have faced tragic circumstances throughout the investigations. This is a positive outcome that will have a direct impact on service delivery to the people of Atherton.”
Mr Roberts said since the investigation was announced in December, neither Queensland Health nor environmental testing had uncovered any links to cancer-causing agents at the site.
“The Queensland Government will continue to act on the recommendations of the Queensland Health report, including cross-checking the State’s cancer registry with firefighter staffing records, and progressing plans for a nationwide study into the incidence of cancer among firefighters,” Mr Roberts said.
24 July, 2008
PS strikes out at industrial action
Public Servants in the Tasmanian Government have launched industrial action in support of a wage rise.
Members of the Community and Public sector Union in the island State have imposed work bans focusing on the collection of Government revenue following a vote that rejected a 20.1 per cent pay increase over four years. The workers were holding out for an additional four per cent.
State Premier, David Bartlett said the offer from the Government was “very good” and blamed the union for its members knocking it back.
“It will see a Public Servant who's currently earning $40,000 by the end of the agreement earning over $50,000," Mr Bartlett said.
"Unfortunately, every day that now ticks by will see 15,000 public sector workers not access those pay rises. They will now be delayed, delayed by the unions.”
General Secretary of the CPSU in Tasmania, Tom Lynch said the main sticking point was that the Government’s pay offer would not bring pay parity with interstate Public Servants for about two-thirds of the State’s PS workers.
He said the planned industrial action would be a blow to the State Government’s revenue raising activities.
“We want the Government to hear loud and clear that public sector workers believe that pay parity should be delivered and should be delivered now and they will take action in pursuit of that," Mr Lynch said.
"One of the things that public sector workers do right across the board is raise money for the Government by collecting tax income from the public, or from billing private companies or collecting money from the Commonwealth Government.
"We've targetted a number of areas where that occurs to cut of the supply of income."
Premier Bartlett disputed the union’s pay parity claims saying the Government wanted to see evidence that the proposed increase would not lead to parity with interstate wages.
"Six weeks ago I asked the public sector unions to provide me in a letter with details of their calculations for their claims that we were not meeting parity,” Mr Bartlett said.
“They are yet to produce that data and I'm still waiting on the data and the ball is firmly in their court."
Mr Lynch said the unions had provided the Government with the information.
"Our analysis shows that Tasmanian public sector workers are 9 per cent behind their mainland counterparts," he said.
24 July, 2008
Lifesavers rolled out for Ambulance
The Queensland Ambulance Service has welcomed 22 new Advanced Care Paramedics.
The paramedics have just graduated with a Diploma of Paramedical Science (Ambulance) and according to QAS Commissioner David Melville, share a common passion for providing community care to all Queenslanders.
Commissioner Melville said the new graduates came from a diverse range of backgrounds but the dedication shown by each of them over the past 30 months was evident of their commitment to QAS.
Commissioner Melville presented them with their Diplomas and Advanced Care epaulettes.
He said the Diploma integrated a suite of units that prepared the students for paramedic practice.
“As Advanced Care Paramedics, the students have commenced the journey from novice practitioner to expert practitioner,” Commissioner Melville said.
He said the program had equipped the students with high level analytical problem solving and decision making skills and given them the ability to understand and apply governance principles relevant to the ambulance industry.
Among the graduates were Jennifer Kinsela, who gave birth to two children while undertaking the course, Bob Glenister whose daughter had earlier survived cancer and former news cameraman Michael Gray.
Also included were Richard Stone who can speak German and Mandarin as well as English and Paula Marten and Michael Jennings who already had medical backgrounds before launching their careers with QAS.
According to Commissioner Melville, all the newly qualified paramedics had interesting stories to tell and were looking forward to starting in their regions as Advanced Care Paramedics.
He said their allocation had been decided as three for the far northern region, two for the northern region, three to the north coast, one to central, 11 to Brisbane and two to the south east.
24 July, 2008
Traffic light plan gets green light
A plan to convert 6000 sets of traffic lights in Brisbane to new, energy-efficient models, has been hailed as a “giant green step forward” by the Department of Main Roads.
Minister for Main Roads, Warren Pitt said the $6 million upgrade would reduce energy consumption by up to 70 per cent and could cut maintenance costs by 50 per cent.
He said traffic lights at more than 330 Brisbane sites would be affected.
“Whereas previously a single bulb would have lit each of the green, yellow or red signals, a group of up to 128 Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) will now illuminate each colour,” Mr Pitt said.
He said the LEDs had a life span of 10-years compared with the older light globes which lasted 18 months.
“The long life span of LEDs will result in safety improvements for road users as there will be significantly fewer bulb failures and less maintenance activity on the roads,” Mr Pitt said.
He said the LEDs were also brighter, which would slightly improve their visibility for motorists.
“They are also less prone to reflection in the morning or afternoon sun.”
Mr Pitt said so far, lights at about half the sites had been upgraded and the project was expected to be completed in the next 12 months.
He said over half the traffic lights in Brisbane were the responsibility of the Brisbane City Council and other Councils but they were also introducing the LED technology progressively.
Part of the project included using LEDs in traffic light directional arrows and Walk and Don’t Walk signs.
Mr Pitt said two intersections could be converted each working day, weather permitting and the local community would be informed of progress by advertisements in local media.
24 July, 2008
Energy saving kits worth the effort
Free energy-saving kits for households are now available from the Department of Mines and Energy.
Minister, Geoff Wilson launched the kits saying they would help householders save energy and money.
He urged householders to link into Energywise to save on their electricity bills and help tackle climate change.
“The new kits have everything a household needs to work out where their energy is being wasted and what steps they can take to conserve it,” Mr Wilson said.
“The kits have something for everybody - simple, free and low-cost energy-saving tips, right through to practical activities that help households work out which appliances are using the most energy.”
He said everyone could play a role in tackling climate change and together, the community could save tens of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions
He said the energy-saving tips in the kit included:
- turning off appliances at the wall to cut standby power use;
- insulating homes;
- turning off second fridges when not needed; and
- fitting low-flow shower heads to save hot water.
“Take standby power – it’s a waste of energy. By switching appliances off at the wall the average household can save up to $100 a year.”
He said everyone needed to look at how they could do the same things using fewer resources because that was what energy conservation was all about.
“We estimate that a typical household can quite easily make a 10 per cent saving on its energy use,” he said.
Mr Wilson said the Energywise kit was part of the Government’s Consumer Action Plan to help households, especially pensioners, meet the cost of their energy bills.
“We’re on the side of the consumer,” he said.
Mr Wilson said to request a free Energywise kit readers should call 3224 7527 or complete an online request form at www.energywise.qld.gov.au
24 July, 2008
Park anniversary grows on trees
A hundred years of Bunya Mountains National Park is to be celebrated with two days of activities on Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 August.
An Environmental Protection Agency Senior Interpretive Officer, Karen Smith said the activities would provide a wonderful opportunity for everyone who loved the Bunya Mountains to get together and celebrate the rich heritage and natural beauty of Queensland’s second-oldest national park.
“Displays and talks will showcase the significance of the Bunya Mountains and its rich and varied heritage,” Mrs Smith said, “while guided walks and activities will illustrate the natural beauty of the Bunya Mountains’ rainforests, open forests and grassland ‘balds’.”
She said to celebrate the century milestone, a new outdoor interpretive precinct surrounding a built-in art sculpture would be officially opened on the Saturday.
“The new displays orientate visitors to the park and serve to highlight the values of the Bunyas Mountains as a place for nature and for people,” Mrs Smith said.
“Saturday’s activities start at 11am with an official welcome and opening of the new visitor facilities. This will be followed by a free sausage-sizzle lunch.
She said a program of talks, guided walks, displays and children’s activities would keep the whole family busy on Saturday afternoon, than at night, spotlight walks and a “good old-fashioned” slide show would precede a get-together around the communal campfire – “the chance to share some stories about what the Bunya Mountains means to you.”
Mrs Smith said activities on the Sunday would begin with early-morning bird walks, an ecumenical church service and a chance to take a walk on some of the park’s numerous walking tracks.
“As activities run over Saturday evening and into Sunday, people are encouraged to take advantage of the many accommodation options in the Bunya Mountains and Kingaroy area, whether they prefer camping, guesthouse, motel, cabin, or chalet style,” Mrs Smith said.
More information about the celebrations is available from EPA’s Toowoomba office on (07) 4699 4334 and camping bookings could be made by calling 13 13 04 or visiting www.qld.gov.au/camping
24 July, 2008
Councils rated in awards scheme
Judging is underway to find Australia’s most innovative Local Councils.
Entries for the 2008 Annual National Awards for Local Government have closed with 114 entries received from 71 Councils around Australia, with all States and Territories represented.
The entries will now be judged to determine the winners in each of the 10 categories by August, with overall national winners to be decided later in the year.
Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese said the judging process was independent of the Commonwealth Government and free from Ministerial interference.
“The Awards focus on building the capacity of Local Government,” Mr Albanese said.
“Each year, the National Awards identify Councils that have shown innovation and best practice in their chosen categories.”
He said the Awards, now in their 22nd year, encouraged councils to learn from the achievements of others and put in place similar initiatives in their own local communities.
“Award-winning councils may have developed innovative projects to combat climate change, improve access and services in regional communities, develop community health and well-being or increase participation for young people and women,” Mr Albanese said.
He said category awards were sponsored by various Commonwealth Government Departments according to their priorities and in 2008, the 10 categories for the Awards were:
- Innovation in Regional Development sponsored by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government;
- Increasing Women's Participation also sponsored by DITRD≶
- Natural Resource Management sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry);
- Local Greenhouse Action sponsored by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts;
- Strengthening Indigenous Communities sponsored by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs;
- Valuing and Promoting Quality Child Care sponsored by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations;
- Youth Engagement also sponsored by DEEWR
- Health and Wellbeing sponsored by the Department of Health and Ageing;
- Universal Design for Public Amenities also sponsored by DHA;
- Excellence in Alcohol Management also sponsored by DHA.
24 July, 2008
Pay scales published
Pay scale summaries for over 400 of the most commonly used industrial awards have been updated and posted on the internet by the Workplace Authority.
The new rates take effect from the first pay period after 1 October and include the decision of the Australian Fair Pay Commission to increase the standard Federal Minimum Wage by $21.66 per week for all employees on 38 hours per week.
The new pay scales could be accessed at www.workplaceauthority.gov.au
Bridge of fame
Public Works has offered the privilege of naming Brisbane's newest footbridge to a member of the public.
The Department has launched a competition for the best name for the footbridge (currently known as the Tank Street Bridge), saying the winner would have the honour of having their name associated with a spectacular bridge that would rival the best in the world.
. Suggested names can be sent to www.publicworks.qld.gov.au or by mail to Tank Street Bridge Naming Competition, Department of Public Works, GPO Box 2906, Brisbane Qld 4001
Air tests for Gladstone
More than 100 substances are to be tested for in the air of Gladstone as part of a Clean and Healthy Air project for the city.
Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara said it was the most comprehensive study of its type ever undertaken in Queensland.
He said six of seven air monitoring stations will test for lead and the seventh will be a state-of-the art optical analyser designed to analyse gases.
Residents will be able to view constantly updated data from four of the stations at www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/air
Microsoft lifts strategy
Software giant, Microsoft has recognised Queensland’s digital education strategy as being at the forefront of a worldwide revolution.
The company’s guide The power of 1-to1 Learning released in the US last week was based on the Queensland Smart Classrooms publication, 21 steps to 21st Century 1-to-1 success.
Education and Training Minister, Rod Welford said the company acknowledged Queensland’s leadership in digital education initiatives by helping teachers integrate technology into the curriculum and giving students improved access to computers.
He said the Microsoft publication recognised the framework and approach being deployed in Queensland state schools to foster personalised learning, exploration, critical thinking and collaboration.
Apprentice scientists wanted
Youngsters in the Mackay area are being encouraged to take part in a new term of Science on Saturday sessions.
The six-week program starts on August 2 and promises 7 to 14-year-olds the chance to have fun while they learn.
The program is delivered by CSIRO Education and lets its young participants discover what it’s like to be an apprentice scientist.
Bookings to www.csiro.au/sos or on 1300 302 649 and the cost is $6 per session prepaid or $9 on the day. Numbers are limited.
Energy-efficient schools
The first 10 State schools to take part in the Government’s Solar and Energy Efficiency Program have been named.
The schools proposed for the trial were Albany Creek, Annandale, Charleville, Dutton Park, Edge Hill, Frenchville, Kimberley Park and Mount Isa Central State Schools and Coombabah and Holland Park State High Schools.
They will each have solar panels installed as well as light fittings replaced with energy efficient light bulbs, smart meters installed and timers introduced to turn off non-essential power at night and on weekends.
17 July, 2008
City walkout is plan for PS relocation
A plan to move 20 per cent of the Queensland Public Service out of the Brisbane Central Business District has been unveiled by State Premier, Anna Bligh.
Ms Bligh told a recent Estimates hearing that by 2017 she expected that one in five Public Servants currently working in the city centre would be housed elsewhere.
She said decentralising city-based Agencies would save the Government almost $200 million over 20 years.
“South-East Queensland continues to grow at an unprecedented rate,” Ms Bligh said, “and Brisbane’s CBD is busting at the seams.
“Decentralisation is the only way to sustain this growth into the future, and the Government will set an important example to larger employers that it can be done, it can save money and it can benefit employees.”
She said moving out of a planned 85,000 square meters of CBD office space would save the taxpayer about $188 million in lower leasing costs.
“It will also ease pressure on public transport networks and give many employees the opportunity to work closer to home,” Ms Bligh said.
She unveiled a four-stage process to move Departmental and Agency staff out of the city:
- Stage 1: By 2011 the Government would relocate 20,000 square metres of office space to northern metropolitan areas such as Bowen Hills, Chermside and Strathpine;
- Stage 2: By 2012 about 15,000 square metres of city office space would be replaced by new offices in Ipswich;
- Stage 3: By 2013, another 20,000 square metres of city accommodation would be moved south to Buranda/Boggo Rd, Mt Gravatt and Logan; and
- Stage 4: By 2017 a further 30,000 square metres would be transferred to the north and west.
“We have made the decision to relocate 85,000 square metres and we will go to market now and test what they can deliver and how quickly,” she said.
“If we can deliver this sooner, we will.”
Ms Bligh said Agencies selected to move out of the CBD would go to places, wherever possible, where other agencies involved in similar service delivery or specialties also worked from.
In this regard she said the northern hub would target transport based Agencies including Department of Main Roads and Queensland Transport; the western hub would be part of the Ipswich city rejuvenation and include water infrastructure and statutory authorities; the southern hub would house health and eco science including components of the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Natural Resources and Water, Mines and Energy and Health; and the eastern suburbs would be home to smaller satellite nodes around the metropolitan area to support the major hubs.
Ms Bligh said Expressions of Interest would be sought next month for the first 20,000 square metres to be delivered by 2011.
17 July, 2008
Emergency Services on fire at awards
The Department of Emergency Services has been recognised for its organisational performance by being presented with an Australian Business Excellence award.
The bronze award was the award was presented at the 2008 SAI Global Better Business Conference and Awards in Sydney and was the highest honour bestowed on any Government Agency in the country.
Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts, congratulated staff of the Department saying they should feel very proud.
“This award is the premier recognition in Australia for superior organisational performance and sustained improvement,” Mr Roberts said, “and we’ve been afforded high prestige in receiving it this year.”
Mr Roberts said the Department and its Divisions performed vital work on behalf of communities across Queensland.
“This award recognises the Department’s commitment to continuous improvement in what it does.”
Mr Roberts said all Divisions, and now the entire Department, had been using the Australian Business Excellence Framework (BEF) as the basis for ongoing and systematic business improvement.
He said the BEF was a leadership and management improvement model that specified what an ‘excellent’ organisation did.
Mr Roberts said this latest achievement built upon a decade of success at Divisional level within DES, beginning with the Queensland Ambulance Service in 1999 when they received their first of three ABE Awards to date (1999, 2001, 2005).
He said Queensland Fire and Rescue Service had been recognised with three ABE Awards and Emergency Management Queensland had been awarded one in 2003.
17 July, 2008
Maternity leave a motherhood issue
A research project conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies has added fuel to the debate over improved maternity leave arrangements for Australian mothers.
The survey, which involved over 3,500 women, showed women with access to maternity leave had a better chance of returning to the workforce after taking time off to have a baby.
Institute Director, Professor Alan Hayes, said there was a need to understand what happened in the months after child birth.
“What women decide to do at this time can have repercussions for their longer term connection to the workforce and financial security, as well as their own wellbeing and that of their child,” Professor Hayes said.
Data drawn from the Parental Leave in Australia Survey, part of the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children, represented the first up-dated analysis of maternal employment transitions in over 20 years.
The data found 2 per cent of mothers were in paid employment with a baby under one month old; 11 per cent returned to work by the time their child was three months old; 22 per cent were at work when their child was six months old, 44 per cent returned to work when their child turned one; and 54 per cent had returned to work by the time their child was 18 months old.
The study found women with access to a range of paid leave entitlements had the greatest chance of retaining their employment, as 83 per cent returned to work after 18 months compared to 77 per cent of mothers who had access to unpaid leave.
Around 50 per cent of respondents without access to any form of maternity leave returned to work over the same time period.
Professor Hayes said the participants were asked about their employment before and after having a child and about what type of leave they had taken.
He said the research found women who were not employed when pregnant had a slower shift into employment after having a baby, compared to women who were self-employed.
He said 84 per cent of women who were self-employed before having a child returned to work by the time their child was18 months, compared to 13 per cent of women who were not employed before having a child.
The report’s author, Institute Research Fellow, Jennifer Baxter, said some self-employed mothers were back at work three months after their child’s birth.
“Self-employed mothers may go back to work early because they don’t have access to any paid leave and they may need to keep their business going,” Dr Baxter said.
“Another factor could be that self-employed women have more flexibility and often work very short hours.”
Dr Baxter said by the time a child reached 18 months old, the majority of women who used some leave had returned to work, whether they had used paid or unpaid leave, or a combination.
She said a peak time of return to work was at the child’s first birthday which coincided with one year’s unpaid maternity leave.
“We found that more highly educated women tended to return to work sooner alongside those who were previously employed in the small business sector,” Dr Baxter said.
The study did not include all factors that influenced a mother’s decision to return to paid work.
“We know differences in attitudes are likely to be extremely important in explaining different patterns of return to work, most importantly, parent’s preferences for remaining at home,” Dr Baxter said.
A copy of the report was available from www.aifs.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Review blows whistle for whistleblowers
The Commonwealth Government has begun a process aimed at developing model legislation that could protect whistleblowers in Public Services across the nation.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has been asked to look into PS whistleblowing and to report on the model laws that would protect Public Servants making ‘public interest disclosures.’
The move was announced by the Secretary of the Federal Cabinet, Senator John Faulkner who said the Committee enquiry would be the first step towards introducing best practice legislation to manage and deal with public interest disclosures in Government ranks.
He said the move was in response to an election commitment.
Senator Faulkner said whistleblowing was the term commonly used to describe the disclosure of corruption or misconduct.
He said whistleblowing protection was about ensuring that there were appropriate processes in place, and protections offered, to facilitate the making of such disclosures.
“The Committee has been asked to report by 28 February 2009,” Senator Faulkner said.
“The Government will consider the Committee’s recommendations with the aim of developing legislation implementing strengthened whistleblower protections during the course of 2009.”
The Chair of the Committee, Mark Dreyfus MP said in Australia there were no uniform laws to protect whistleblowers.
“Some protections exist at both the Federal and at the State and Territory level,” he said, “(But an) employee who ‘blows the whistle’ is currently only protected in a narrow range of circumstances.
“More effective and comprehensive protection for whistleblowers can increase the likelihood of public interest disclosures being made”.
He said the Committee had been asked to enquire into and report on issues such as:
- Who could make protected disclosures
- The types of disclosures that should be protected
- The conditions that should apply to a person making a disclosure
- The scope of statutory protection that should be available
- Procedures in relation to protected disclosures
- Such other matters as the Committee considers appropriate
“The Committee will consider such evidence only to the extent that it may assist in general matters of principle, policy or public administration relevant to the terms of reference.”
It invited public submissions, based on the terms of reference, to be lodged by Friday 8 August 2008.
“Whilst the Committee prefers for all information to be on the public record, it may consider, on an individual basis, the receipt of confidential submissions.”
The Terms of reference for the enquiry are available from www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/laca
17 July, 2008
Search engine stalls on Queensland maps
Internet giant, Google has been called on to update its satellite imagery of Queensland which Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning, Paul Lucas declared was “years out of date.”
Mr Lucas has written to Google pointing out the shortcomings in their maps which he said could have people thinking they’d been caught in an ‘infrastructure time-warp.’
He said the Government was building infrastructure so fast that not even an internet giant like Google could keep up.
“Google is often associated with cutting edge internet services but when it comes to growth in Queensland, they’re behind the times,” Mr Lucas said.
“Some of the images used on Google Maps are up to three years old.”
He said while the maps were very useful, looking at some of them would have people believing big infrastructure projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars had simply fallen off the face of the Earth.
“Queenslanders searching for the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) would find it under construction, when in fact it opened in 2006,” he said.
“People looking at the Townsville Ring Road would think work on the first stage was still underway when the Douglas Arterial stretch was completed and opened in mid 2005.’
He said other sites with out-of-date images included the Gold Coast Desalination Plant, the Tugun Bypass and the Gateway Bridge.
He said the growing popularity of internet-capable 3G mobile phones made an update of the maps all the more pressing.
“People should be aware that not all of the information is as up-to-date as it should be,” he said.
“I think people would accept satellite photos that are six months or so behind – especially given it’s a free service – but not satellite photos that are two years or more old.”
17 July, 2008
Ombudsman throws book at Councils
The Queensland Ombudsman, David Bevan, has issued a Local Government Casebook highlighting the outcomes of recent investigations into Local Council matters across the State.
According to Mr Bevan, the Casebook formed part of his Office’s ongoing commitment to improve public administration in Local Councils.
He said the Casebook contained key recommendations, lessons and advice to help Councils make better decisions and guide their administrative practices.
“The selected cases reflect important Council activities in the areas of building and development, land use and planning, environmental management, rates and charges, and tendering for the supply of Council services,” Mr Bevan said.
He said each year his Office received around 1,900 complaints about Local Councils, which was about a quarter of all the complaints received.
“The varied nature of the complaints reflects the diversity of the work undertaken by Councils,” he said.
“Each year we investigate a significant number.”
He said numerous recommendations have been made following the investigations but they weren’t only to address the effect of wrong or unfair decisions, but also to improve the quality of decision-making and administrative practice in Councils.
“This Local Government Casebook contains summaries of a sample of the cases we have investigated in recent years,” Mr Bevan said.
“The cases chosen reflect important Council activities (and) involved Councils right across Queensland, some of them small rural councils and others large city Councils.”
Mr Bevan said his purpose in publishing the Casebook was to make Councils aware of significant administrative deficiencies identified in Ombudsman’s investigations and the recommendations that flowed from them.
“Councils can use the Casebook to improve their own decision-making systems to
avoid similar types of complaints being made,” he said.
He did not identify the Councils concerned, other than three which were the subjects of reports to Parliament.
Mr Bevan said he had obtained the consent of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mike Reynolds to publish the report in the public interest and in the interests of Councils throughout Queensland.
The Casebook can be downloaded from www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Transport plan on the right track
The Queensland Public Sector Union has called for a proportion of the funds raised under the proposed national greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme to be given to the States to fund public transport.
The Union said the recently released draft report into the impacts of climate change by Professor Ross Garnaut recommended that revenue from the proposed scheme could be returned to the community in a number of ways.
According to a spokesman for the QPSU, Steven Miles, investment in public transport has traditionally been “woefully inadequate”,
“Our members who are responsible for future transport planning in Queensland tell us that Brisbane’s already-stretched systems won’t be able to cope with demand increases caused by carbon pricing and increased fuel costs”, Mr Miles said.
He said commuters were already turning to public transport in increasing numbers because they were sick of sitting in traffic.
“But when they make the decision to catch the train or bus to work, they’re too often disappointed,” he said.
“We want a world-class transport system. Fast, reliable, regular and safe.”
Mr Miles said putting the ETS funds into better public transport would return a “green trifecta”: lower emissions, less congestion, and a better standard of living for workers and their families.
He said 10,000 of the QPSU’s 30,000 members worked in the Brisbane CBD and at a recent meeting to discuss the Garnaut report resolved to send a delegation to Professor Garnaut’s Brisbane public forum and press the case for more public transport funding.
He said they also called for extra TAFE funding to re-skill workers for “green-collar” Queensland jobs in a low-carbon economy.
17 July, 2008
Rubbish policy is waste and see
A new waste management strategy that recognised waste as a resource rather than a problem, is expected to be adopted by the State Government by the end of this year.
The Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara, said the impacts of climate change and Australia’s growing population meant sustainability was a crucial issue facing Queensland.
Speaking at a Local Government Environment Conference in Cairns, Mr McNamara said adopting a modern and best practice waste management framework was a key part of achieving a sustainable society.
“The way in which we consume products and materials will affect whether we have a sustainable society that leaves resources available for future generations to use,” Mr McNamara said.
“To secure long-term sustainability, we need to shift our thinking towards treating waste as a resource rather than as a problem.”
He said for most people, waste management involved “little more than putting their wheelie bins out to be collected” and included little thought as to what happened to the waste after that.
“In some cases, they may not even know how much this is actually costing them,” he said.
“In simple terms, we have never learned the value of waste because little value has ever been placed on it.”
Mr McNamara said Queensland was lagging behind other States in terms of recycling and resource recovery.
In 2007, Queenslanders generated 8.9 million tonnes of waste with approximately 60% of it going to landfill. In NSW 51% of waste goes to landfill, while in Victoria it’s only 45%.
“We must do better, and we will do better,” Mr McNamara said.
“The challenge for a sustainable future is to find ways to break the links between economic growth, consumption and waste generation.”
Mr McNamara said it was important to find a way to use resources more efficiently and reduce the environmental impacts of society’s growth.
“It is a fact that, even though we continue to recycle more, the rate of total waste generation and disposal is increasing,” he said.
“If the current unsustainable trends continue, in 12 years total waste generation could be more than 28 million tonnes annually.”
Mr McNamara said he had received 90 submissions in response to a discussion paper released late last year.
He said issues covered in the paper included landfill targets; special treatment of priority wastes; landfill bans; and the development of a performance-based system to reward landfill facilities which implemented sustainable waste treatment practices.
“The discussion paper is part of our overall push to ensure Queensland isn’t just the Smart State, but it’s also the Sustainable State,” Mr McNamara said.
He said feedback from stakeholders had shown a shared willingness and commitment to look beyond ‘business as usual’ and to improve waste management and resource efficiency in Queensland.
“The strategy needs to get the right balance of measures such as pricing signals, regulation, market development, research, education and infrastructure,” Mr McNamara said.
17 July, 2008
Traffic busters get green light
The Department of Main Roads has introduced a state-of-the-art response to traffic congestion on the Sunshine Coast, commissioning special units to attend and clear accidents and obstacles in a bid to keep travel delays to a minimum.
The Minister for Main Roads, Warren Pitt, said two traffic response units (TRUs) had begun operating to provide more efficient management of road incidents on the Sunshine Coast.
“These units are an invaluable traffic management service and have already proven their worth in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast,” Mr Pitt said.
“The new, highly visible TRUs will ensure incidents are cleared as quickly as possible and they will also provide minor breakdown services to motorists. “
Mr Pitt said the TRUs would act as “congestion-busters” by removing accidents and incidents that slowed traffic.
He said the four-wheel-drive units would operate seven days a week during peak periods and would initially patrol the Sunshine Motorway and the Bruce Highway from Deception Bay to Cooroy.
“Many incidents require an immediate response from trained staff and the TRUs are designed to be used as part of a coordinated approach with the Queensland Police Service and other emergency services,” Mr Pitt said.
“Main Roads has trained three traffic response officers in readiness to attend a range of safety and congestion-related traffic incidents.”
He said the TRUs would operate under the direction of the Department's Traffic Management Centre and officers would provide condition reports to the Centre, ensuring motorists were given advance warning of any incidents in the area.
“With the TRUs now deployed, we'll be able to provide an even better service to motorists on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
Mr Pitt said work on the Sunshine Motorway upgrade to further help traffic flows was also “well advanced”, as was the redesign of the Maroochydore road interchange.
“The new interchange will address safety issues at the existing roundabout, provide improved pedestrian access and handle future traffic growth in the region,” Mr Pitt said.
He said motorists who wanted to report an incident or to hear traffic reports in the Sunshine Coast area could call 13 19 40 or log on to www.131940.qld.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Pollution reports to clear the air
A new annual report on the quality of air across the State has been launched by the Minister for Sustainability, Climate Change and Innovation, Andrew McNamara.
Mr McNamara said the new Queensland Pollutant Emission Report Card would show an overall picture of emissions into Queensland’s air.
He said the first card, released at Rocklea earlier this month, revealed a continual improvement of air quality over the past 25 years.
“This is due to strategies that reduce emissions of key pollutants into the atmosphere,” Mr McNamara said.
“The report shows Queensland has not exceeded set benchmarks for air quality standards in almost all areas.”
He said it was “good news” that emissions for key pollutants had remained stable despite Queensland’s booming economy.
The report card was based on data provided through a public internet database, the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), which displayed information about the emissions from sources such as motor vehicles and domestic fuel burning.
“The trends for some of the most significant substances for Queensland are presented in the report card,” Mr McNamara said.
He said the report analysed and communicated the NPI data in a way that was easy to understand.
The report card was launched at the Oxley Creek Common air quality monitoring station, which was recently upgraded to measure ultra-fine air particles.
“Ultra-fine particles are the smallest components of airborne particles that are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs,” Mr McNamara said, “they can be found in emissions from motor vehicles.”
He said to assess the environmental health and impacts of vehicles, the number and concentration of ultra-fine particles emitted in high traffic areas of South-east Queensland needed to be continuously monitored.
MP for Yeerongpilly, Simon Finn, welcomed the upgrade to the monitoring station saying it was important to monitor emissions going into the air in busy environments.
“I know my constituents can now breathe more easily knowing this equipment is in use,” Mr Finn said.
Mr McNamara said two other stations in South-east Queensland would also be upgraded to monitor the particles.
“One station will be located at Woolloongabba and another mobile air monitoring station will be upgraded for use in South-east Queensland,” he said.
“By establishing these monitoring stations, the EPA will be able to track trends in air quality, benchmark our levels against levels in other places, and contribute to studies aimed at identifying and quantifying the health impacts of these particles.”
Further information on the Queensland Pollutant Emission Report Card could be viewed at www.epa.qld.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Migrant records are played back
Immigration records dating back almost to Federation have been presented to the National Archives of Australia in Brisbane by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
According to DIAC Secretary Andrew Metcalfe, (a former Toowoomba resident) the oldest of the four registers was dated May 1902, nearly half a century before the establishment of the Department of Immigration in 1945.
“The register was in fact current until 1984,” Mr Metcalfe said.
He said the register was used to record details of ship deserters, deportations and removals from Queensland and was probably first held by either Customs or the Queensland Government and passed on to Immigration when the Department was established.
He said the first entry recorded a man named Young Chong being was fined £15 (about $1600 in today’s dollars) for deserting a ship called the Chingtu on 31 May 1902.
“The register illustrates the increase in the number of ships and later, aircraft, arriving in Queensland throughout the 20th century,” Mr Metcalfe said.
“Where there are only a handful of entries a year in the early 1900s, written in beautiful copperplate script, the numbers increase steadily through the 1950s and 1960s, until the entries printed with a pen in the 1980s, when record-keeping was computerised.”
He said the records of people entering on aircraft started becoming more regular in the 1960s and by the 1980s, nearly all records referred to people who had arrived by air.
“This year - 2008 - about 23 million people will cross Australia’s borders,” Mr Metcalfe said.
He said another register from the era of the ‘ten-pound Poms’ in the 1960s held statistics of British migrants who remained in Australia for less than 12 months under the scheme.
“The registers are also a record of how the great changes in immigration policy and processes over the last century were put into practice,” Mr Metcalfe said.
“DIAC is pleased to hand these documents over to the National Archives of Australia where they will be properly preserved as part of Australia’s history,” he said.
17 July, 2008
Apprentice stats doing a good job
Figures on apprenticeships and traineeships in Queensland have revealed the State was attracting new trades people at more than twice the rate of other States and Territories.
Minister for Education and Training, Rod Welford said Queensland was leading the way in combatting the skills shortage crisis, particularly in the areas of highest demand.
Mr Welford said the figures, released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, showed Queensland apprenticeship and traineeship commencements had increased by 10 per cent in 2007.
He said around 63,200 Queenslanders started an apprenticeship or traineeship in the 12 months ending 31 December last year.
“Queensland is clearly leading the nation in the growth rate of those taking up apprenticeships and traineeships,” Mr Welford said.
“Commencements in traditional apprenticeships for the 12 months increased by 36.6 per cent compared to a national increase of 13.8 per cent.”
He said traditional apprenticeships accounted for 45.1 per cent of all training in Queensland, with the figure expected to continue growing under the Queensland Skills Plan initiative.
“Traditional trades are a key focus of the Skills Plan and it’s rewarding to see such strong numbers,” he said.
Mr Welford said the figures showed there were 88,500 apprentices and trainees training in Queensland as at 31 December 2007.
He congratulated employers for taking on apprentices and trainees to help address the skills shortage.
“Now is the time that employers should be taking on apprentices or trainees to pass on their skills to the next generation of employers.
“Everyone must do their part to tackle the skills shortage.”
Mr Welford said the Government would invest $17.1 million to create 4,250 additional trade training places in 2008-09 to help meet the demand for skilled trades people.
He said the target was to have 17,000 extra places available by 2010.
“We will also provide $186.5 million to develop the skills of apprentices and trainees and maximise their contribution to the Queensland economy,” Mr Welford said.
17 July, 2008
Schools stats data goes to top of class
A school-based statistical exercise run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has been acclaimed as the most successful of its type in the world.
CensusAtSchool, a student-centred online data collection and analysis project, was accessed by over 44,000 Australian students across the nation in years four to 12 between 29 January and 4 July this year.
The results from a questionnaire completed by all students were now available as randomised samples, giving teachers and students access to real, raw and relevant data about Australian students for analysis.
ABS’s Teacher Consultant, Ian Wong, said the project was a great resource for teaching students about data and statistics in a way that was educational and fun.
“For the first time students can directly compare their responses from other students across the globe where CensusAtSchool is run,” Mr Wong said.
“They are also able to compare data from the 2006 CensusAtSchool project to research what has changed over time. The possibilities are endless.”
CensusAtSchool included data on student lifestyle, habits and attitudes and “contains a goldmine of information”.
The questionnaire responses showed over 73 per cent of students had broadband internet in 2008 compared with 53 per cent in 2006.
They found on average, a student’s favourite takeaway was pizza or pasta, and that most traveled to school by car.
Over 95,000 random samples had been downloaded since the Random Sampler tool became available in July 2006.
Further information on the census and the students’ responses was available from www.abs.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Ambulance staff chalk up the miles
Two Sunshine Coast ambulance officers have been recognised for almost 25 years of combined service.
Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts, presented Walter Sheppard with a National Medal Award for 15 years of distinguished service and Jason Patterson with a Long Service Medal for 10 years of notable service.
Mr Roberts said Nambour-based officer, “Wally”, Sheppard began his career with the Queensland Ambulance Service in 1991.
“He has had a very distinguished career with the QAS and in 2002 he received a Commissioner’s Commendation for rescuing a boy from floodwaters in the swollen Petrie Creek,” Mr Roberts said.
“I am proud to join Wally and his colleagues to recognise his outstanding service to the community through his service with the QAS.”
Mr Roberts said Mr Patterson, who was based at Cooroy, started his career with the Queensland Ambulance Service in Southport in 1997 as an ambulance transport officer.
“After obtaining his qualifications, Jason worked at Caboolture and Bribie Island before moving to the Sunshine Coast and Caloundra in 2001,” he said.
Mr Roberts said Mr Patterson had then moved to Cooroy where he was still based.
17 July, 2008
Green projects are corps promise
Nine new Green Corps projects have been approved for Queensland.
Ranging from Sand dune protection works at Alva Beach and beach enhancement works around the Sarina Catchment, the projects are among 59 approved across Australia under the Federal scheme which funds young people aged 17 to 20 to participate in projects that conserve, preserve and restore Australia’s environment and cultural heritage.
The Commonwealth Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, said the new Green Corps projects would help participants gain new skills as well as helping to conserve and restore Queensland’s environment and heritage.
He said each project consisted of a team of young people learning new skills and establishing links with their communities. During each 26-week project, participants worked towards a minimum of a Certificate I qualification in horticulture, conservation and land management.
“Many young people enjoy the outdoor activities of Green Corps and are keen to contribute to environmental regeneration and heritage restoration,” Mr O’Connor said.
“Green Corps enables them to work with people of their own age under the supervision of a qualified team leader and gives them training in recognised skills that are designed to lead to full-time work opportunities in related fields.”
Mr O’Connor said that in line with its election commitment, the Federal Government had reviewed the current employment services including the Green Corps program.
“Following extensive consultation, the Government has designed a new, streamlined employment services system that will provide more streamlined and tailored services for job seekers,” he said.
“Under the new Employment Services System which begins from 1 July 2009, Green Corps activities will continue as part of work experience for job seekers.”
Mr O’Connor said the nine new Queensland projects included:
- Protecting the sand dunes from erosion by revegetating with local plants at Alva Beach;
- Enhancing beaches and riparian zones around the Sarina Catchment by planting local native species to rehabilitate areas of Armstrong Beach and Hay Point;
- Ross Riverbank rehabilitation in Townsville; and
- Upper Nerang River Riparian Restoration and Giant Barred Frog habitat projection in Numinbah.
For more information about participating in the projects visit www.greencorps.gov.au
17 July, 2008
Cape crusaders in new land agreement
Over 100,000 hectares of Aboriginal land on Cape York Peninsula has been handed back to its traditional owners with historic agreements setting aside 35,000ha as a national park.
Minister for Natural Resources, Craig Wallace presented the Lama Lama people with titles for the Running Creek (Yaakarru) and Lilyvale (Tuulwa) Aboriginal freehold land as well as the Lama Lama National Park.
In making the presentation, Mr Wallace said granting Aboriginal land and agreeing to the co-operative management of the national park was a “positive step towards reconciliation” as it recognised past Indigenous connections to the land.
“Today’s ceremony is symbolic of the shared commitment of all the parties,” he said, “and is a tangible result of the strong relationship forged by the Cape York Heads of Agreement to achieve tenure resolution through negotiation and respect.”
Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara, said the Lama Lama National Park (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land), south-east of Coen, would be managed by the Lama Lama Land Trust and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The Ministers and representatives of the Lama Lama people signed Indigenous Land Use Agreements that provided for the consent of the native title parties to the transfer of land for parts of the former Running Creek and Lilyvale properties.
They then signed an Indigenous Management Agreement which set out how the park would be managed.
Mr McNamara said the Indigenous Management Agreement addressed a wide range of park management issues.
“Today is a significant milestone in Queensland’s history with the signing of the agreements which acknowledge the Lama Lama People’s traditional ownership,” he said.
“The agreement identifies the responsibilities of the EPA and the Land Trust, and specifies how management decisions will be made.”
He said the Government would support employment and training of Indigenous Rangers and help the Land Trust protect Indigenous cultural heritage.
“The Lama Lama people have also agreed to the creation of two new nature refuges, over Running Creek (Yaakarru) and parts of Lilyvale (Tuulwa) Aboriginal freehold land,” he said.
Mr McNamara said the park included significant wetlands, coastal and riparian vegetation, and extensive woodlands.
“There has been little clearing and the tree cover remains virtually intact and contains habitat for vulnerable, rare and endangered species including the endangered red goshawk,” he said.
Mr Wallace said the event marked a significant achievement in the Government’s Blueprint for the Bush initiative.
He said under the Cape York Tenure Regularisation component, the Government had committed to resolving tenure allocation over State owned land on Cape York Peninsula in a way that protected and enhanced the area’s natural and cultural values.
MP for Cook, Jason O’Brien, said the agreements were an excellent example of the Government and traditional owners working together.
“These agreements provide an opportunity for the Lama Lama people to build a prosperous future for the next generation,” Mr Cook said.
17 July, 2008
Leave credits changed
The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations has issued a PS Directive outlining new arrangements for crediting leave without pay as service.
Directive 7/08 says the first three months of unpaid parental leave will now be recognised for sick leave, long service leave and salary increments and the first three months of unpaid Defence Reserve Forces leave would now be recognised for sick leave and salary increments.
The entitlement is to apply retrospectively to 14 April which means employees who commenced unpaid parental leave or unpaid Defence Reserve Forces leave on or after that date will be eligible to receive the new entitlements.
The new Directive also clarifies that leave credited as service is to be based on actual leave absences, not the cumulative period over the length of the cycle over which it is taken as blocks.
Prison breaks out
The new Brisbane Correctional Centre at Wacol has been officially opened.
The Centre is the State’s first dedicated reception and assessment prison and is the result of a $110 transformation of the former Sir David Longland Prison.
The new Centre has a capacity of 540 prisoners which is an increase of 216 over its predecessor.
Award websites launched
The Australian Industrial Relations Commission, which is conducting a review of Australia’s Industrial Awards system, has launched individual websites for each of the priority industries.
The sites would provide links to submissions, transcripts, exhibits and other material as they became available.
More information was available from www.airc.gov.au
AEC votes for schools
The Australian Electoral Commission is hoping more Queensland schools will take part in Enrol to Vote Week from 28 July to 3 August.
The AEC said 226 schools had signed up in the State (over 1600 nationally) but there was still room for more.
AEC’s Queensland State Manager, Anne Bright said the Week had the support of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia, Association of Principals of Catholic Secondary Schools of Australia, Australian Secondary Principals’ Association and the Independent Schools Council of Australia.
“To see if your school is registered, or to find out more contact enroltovoteweek@aec.gov.au or call 13 23 26
Panel to beat skills
A Skilled Migration Consultative Panel has been established to provide advice to the Government on proposals aimed at improving Australia’s temporary skilled migration program.
Panel members are to include representatives from the NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australian State Governments, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australian Industry group, Business Council of Australia, Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Minerals Council of Australia.
PPP pod announced
A shortlist of four partners has been announced for the bidding phase of the South-East Queensland Schools Public Private Partnership.
Aspire Schools, Axiom Education Queensland, Learning Works Partnership and Pinnacle Education have been named to go forward in the process which will deliver seven new schools to meet population growth.
Minister for Education and Training, Rod Welford, said the four private sector groups where experienced, strong financiers and of a “high-calibre”.
Ambulance station booked
The Ambulance Station at Carina has been given $1500 worth of new medical textbooks, courtesy of Brisbane Riverside Lions Club.
The Lions Club donated the money for the books which cover a range of subjects including medial training, emergency medicine and obstetrics.
Acting Officer in Charge of the Station, Dean Ellaby said the books were being “used every day.”
Courthouse goes up
A $92 million Courthouse has been announced for Ipswich, with construction due to be completed in 12 months.
The five-storey Courthouse is to be the centre piece of the city’s new legal precinct, which is to include a 24-hour police station and the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions, State Reporting Bureau and the Dispute Resolution Branch.
The Courthouse would have 12 Courtrooms, the newest technologies, environmentally sustainable architecture and would be “people-friendly”.
Hamilton park open
Brisbane’s newest park has been unveiled on reclaimed industrial land at Hamilton.
The 2.5 hectare park includes an outdoor performance area, barbecue and picnic areas, a playground, and a History Walk.
A former port, the new park allows the public to cycle or walk along 200 metres of riverfront.
The park was delivered by the Northshore Development Group, a division of the Port of Brisbane Corporation.
Council funding up
Queensland’s newly-formed Local Councils have been invited to seek extra funding from the State Government if the costs of exceeded the funding they were given to pay for it.
Local Government Minister Warren Pitt said the Government had already paid out $27.1 million on the reform funding package but was prepared to look at cases where that might not have been enough.
He said he had written to the Councils with the offer.
10 July, 2008
Appeals Directive to appeal to appellants
The Public Service Commission has issued a Directive setting out the rules and procedures for appeals against promotions and disciplinary action under the Public Service Act 2008.
The Directive explains who may appeal, against what and upon which grounds.
Under the Directive, only staff appealing against promotion or appointment decisions must have applied for the position when it was advertised and their applications needed to have been lodged before the Departmental deadline.
The directive allows staff to appeal against direct appointments, in which case the requirement for prior applications does not apply, but not against jobs in Ministerial Offices, jobs at the base grade or jobs for which the salary exceeds the maximum for a PS level AO8.
Appeals against promotion decisions must be lodged with the Public Service Commission within 21 days of notification in the Gazette and on the prescribed form.
In the event that the PSC allows the appeal, the Chief Executive of the Department or Agency concerned has a month to revoke the decision and can be ordered to start the recruitment process all over again – including re-advertising - and with a completely different selection panel.
Staff who lose appeals are required to be reinstated in their previous jobs in the Public Service units they came from and at the salary they were receiving before promotion.
The Directive also sets out the rules for appeals against unfair treatment but makes the point that appellants are required to make use of grievance procedures before appealing to the PSC.
Copies of the Directive can be downloaded from the Office of the Public Service Commissioner at www.opsc.qld.gov.au
10 July, 2008
Christmas PS is closed shop
PS workplace closure arrangements for the coming Christmas and New Year period have been spelt out in a Circular from the Public Sector Industrial and Employee Relations Division of the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations.
The Circular Christmas/New Year Compulsory Closure details the arrangements for closing PS offices for the holiday period based on the benefits that come from closing workplaces during a traditionally low productivity period and from staff having the chance to take a substantial break for family and other reasons.
The Circular makes clear that the closure arrangements would only apply where Departmental requirements allowed employees to be absent.
According to the Circular, the dates when closures were preferred are Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Thursday and Friday 25/26 December) and the first four days of the following week, ending on Thursday, New Year’s Day.
The Circular acknowledges that limited staffing arrangements may be needed in some areas to deal with essential Government and public needs, and areas of continuous shift operations would not be included. It says staff who received additional leave for their shift work were not entitled to take part in the compulsory closure arrangement.
“Employees who are not engaged in continuous shift operations and who are required to work during the Christmas or New Year period are to be allowed one working day on full pay without debit,” the Circular says.
It says managers had a number of options when accounting for the leave such as recreation leave (including future credits), TOIL and accrued hours under Departmental hours of work arrangements and relevant industrial awards.
The Circular, No. C3-08 could be accessed at www.psier.qld.gov.au
10 July, 2008
Gov’t housing audit calls in repairmen
An audit of government employee housing has found current management to be ineffective and has recommended the entire system be reviewed.
Auditor-General, Glenn Poole said employee housing was a valuable State asset that contributed to service delivery but its management was in need of improvement.
Mr Poole said an audit of the Departments of Education, Training and the Arts, Health, Police and Public Works revealed that the whole-of-Government management framework and the Departmental systems used to manage tenancy and maintenance information needed attention.
“Assessments by the Departments of maintenance requirements were not comprehensive, condition assessments were not timely and maintenance backlogs were not effectively managed,” the Auditor-General said.
“Departmental tenancy management systems were also found to be inadequate for three Departments and strategic planning for procuring and maintaining employee housing was inadequate.”
He said necessary information about the properties as assets was also inadequate.
“Whole-of-Government management of the State employee housing assets was found to be ineffective with poor information available and appropriate management information systems not being in place,” he said.
“The implementation of the current model for providing and maintaining employee housing needs to be reviewed to ensure adequate systems and processes are developed and utilised.
Minister for Public Works, Robert Schwarten said the Government was already responding to the Auditor’s findings concerning maintenance with DPW Works coordinating a house-by-house audit of its own.
“We are aware of these concerns through our own audits and have been developing strategies to deal with this,” Mr Schwarten said.
“Already, over 90 per cent of houses owned by the Department of Public Works have been audited.
“As a government we have decided to better streamline our employee housing with a new, uniform framework to be development which will cover all aspects from purchase to tenancy management and maintenance.”
He said while the Auditor-General had found that Agencies were spending what they should on current maintenance, backlog maintenance was the important issue.
“This is an historical fact and can be traced back to the Bjelke-Petersen era,” Mr Schwarten said.
“Try as we might, there have always been greater priorities like new hospitals and police stations, child protection and so on, and this backlog has never been overcome.”
He said when the findings of the DPW audit were reported to Cabinet in September, the Government would have an assessment of every public service house in the State which would lay the foundations for fixing the problem.
10 July, 2008
States take aim at red tape tangle
All State and Territory Governments as well as the Commonwealth are to join together in a concerted war against bureaucratic red tape.
A recent meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) saw across-the-board commitment to a Standardised Business Reporting (SBR) system which promised dramatic reductions in excess red tape.
The scheme would be paid for by the Commonwealth which has committed $243 million to it over four years.
In a joint statement, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Minister for Finance Lindsay Tanner said when fully implemented, SBR would save Australian businesses around $800 million annually.
“Current Government reporting requirements impose a major burden on business,” the Ministers said.
They said the introduction of SBR would be linked to a timetable that would ensure red tape was cut by July 2010 by removing unnecessary and duplicated information from Government forms and using business software to automatically pre-fill them.
It would also adopt a common business language based on international standards and align Government reporting with natural business processes.
They said it would provide a single online sign-on, form validation and confirmation of forms receipt for users.
“In March 2008 COAG agreed to the Business Regulation and Competition Working Group’s Implementation Plan which includes SBR as part of its ambitious new regulation reform agenda covering 27 initiatives,” the Ministers said.
“To ensure a real reduction in the regulatory reporting burden facing businesses, SBR will be monitored closely by COAG’s Business Regulation and Competition Working Group. This working group is co-chaired by the Minister of Finance and Deregulation and the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy.”
SBR was being co-designed by Commonwealth, State and Territory Government agencies, software developers, accountants, bookkeepers, and other business intermediaries.
A Business Advisory Forum had been established to ensure SBR stayed in touch with the needs of Australian business. Comprising representatives from a wide range of peak industry and professional groups, the Business Advisory Forum would assist with consultation, marketing and strategy implementation. It would also provide a conduit for engaging industry and business segments in SBR design.
Further details about the COAG communiqué, the SBR Program, and the SBR Business Advisory Forum can be found on www.sbr.gov.au
10 July, 2008
Verdict in on new Court resource
The Department of Justice and Queensland Courts have joined forces to provide Court users with a new resource to help them understand the legal system and the processes involved with going to Court.
The new Going to Court resource brochures were launched by Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Kerry Shine and the MP for Barron River, Steve Wettenhall.
Mr Shine said the processes involved in preparing for Court, appearing in Court and what happened after a Court appearance could be daunting for people who had not been to Court before.
“The three Going to Court brochures, together with an excellent website, will help people due to come before the Courts feel more comfortable about what happens in Courtrooms in the Magistrates, Supreme and District Courts,” he said.
He said the brochures would be distributed through Court registries, Legal Aid Queensland, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, community legal services and victim support groups.
Speaking at the launch at the Cairns Courthouse, Mr Wettenhall said the brochures were in an easy-to-read format and featured diagrams illustrating different Courtroom set ups and how Court matters progressed.
“With an increasing number of Court users in Queensland, the Going to Court resources will help ensure that people appearing before the Courts are equipped with a thorough knowledge of how their matter will proceed,” he said.
Mr Shine said the material would focus on criminal matters to begin with, but would be extended to include civil and domestic violence matters in the near future.
“The Going to Court series of brochures will provide a user-friendly guide for people interacting with the criminal justice system,” he said.
Mr Shine said more information on the new resource was available from www.justice.qld.gov.au
10 July, 2008
Hotline runs hot in first 12 months
The State Emergency Service Hotline has been declared a success after its first year of operation.
Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts said over 26,000 people had called the hotline requesting assistance over the past 12 months.
He said people who had been affected by flooding and monsoonal rains had swamped the SES Hotline with calls.
“This phone line has been a lifeline for many Queenslanders,” Mr Roberts said, “particularly during the dangerous conditions of flooding and monsoonal rains earlier this year.”
He said the Hotline was introduced to provide a simple, single number for people requiring SES assistance to call.
“It replaced more than 1200 numbers previously available for people to contact the SES,’ he said.
Mr Roberts said SES crews responded to the calls “magnificently” and that the estimated workload of volunteers was expected to exceed almost 75,000 hours which was the equivalent of almost eight years and six months.
He said the SES Hotline number, 132 500, was simple and easy to remember.
Mr Roberts said areas that made the most calls to the Hotline included the Brisbane region, Mackay, Nambour and Southport.
He said the SES Hotline would receive funding of $500,000 in 2008-09 as part of the Government’s five-year, $2.19 million commitment.
10 July, 2008
Old hands on duty for round clock job
The Department of Emergency Services' new 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week disaster monitoring unit has come on line.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the 24/7 Watch Desk would improve responses to disaster situations and warnings, and provide advice to emergency service personnel in affected communities.
He said until now, the Department's State Disaster Coordination Centre had operated effectively with officers on-call after hours.
"The new 24/7 Watch Desk will mean staff will be monitoring warnings and developments and act as a permanent contact for all operational issues, in every hour of every day," Mr Roberts said.
"Having a permanently staffed office will be more efficient and effective and strengthen our initial response to future disasters and incidents."
He said the Watch Desk would be staffed by five full-time officers and one part-time with experience in disaster and emergency management.
"They will be our dedicated eyes and ears alert to any developing incidents or warnings at all times
“They will help ensure we remain on the front foot in preparing and responding to natural disasters."
Mr Roberts said 2007-08 had been a very busy year for the State Disaster Coordination Centre with more than 3300 warnings, advices and bulletins received and 2165 requiring follow-up action.
He said the Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Fire and Rescue Service already operated on 24/7 basis.
10 July, 2008
Excellent excellency for new Governor
Commonwealth Public Servant and Australia’s Ambassador to France, Penny Wensley has been named the 25th Governor of Queensland.
She replaces Governor Quentin Bryce who has been appointed Australia’s Governor-General.
Ms Wensley’s appointment was announced by Premier Anna Bligh who said she was a distinguished Queenslander who had made her mark on the world stage.
“Ms Wensley’s extensive diplomatic career has seen her represent our country at the highest level and with distinction,” Ms Bligh said. “I am delighted she will become Queensland’s next Governor.”
Ms Bligh said Ms Wensley was born in Toowoomba and graduated from the University of Queensland. She had also been Australian High Commissioner to India and the nation’s first female Ambassador to the United Nations in New York.
“And now this outstanding Queenslander is coming home to serve our State,” Ms Bligh said.
She said Ms Wensley’s dedication to social welfare, human rights and humanitarian and environmental issues would make her a warm and compassionate Governor for all Queenslanders.
“In her role as UN Ambassador, Ms Wensley made a significant contribution to the global fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS, and also has a keen interest in the advancement of Indigenous Australians, particularly through art,” Ms Bligh said.
She said Ms Wensley had made it clear to her that despite her international postings, her heart had always remained in Queensland where many of her family remained.
“Four generations of the Wensley family have graduated from UQ and Ms Wensley was the first woman to receive the UQ Alumnus of the Year Award in 1994,” Ms Bligh said.
In addition, Ms Wensley’s in-laws have owned a Sunshine Coast dairy and fruit farm since the 1930’s and she and her husband a property on the Sunshine Coast hinterland for more than two decades. She has two daughters who were both lawyers.
Ms Bligh acknowledged the contribution made by outgoing Governor Bryce who retires from office on 29 July.
“Ms Bryce has carried out her duties over the past five years with great distinction and has brought a great deal of humanity and compassion to the high office of Governor,” Ms Bligh said.
“She has been a passionate advocate for the rights of women and children and I know she will be an outstanding Governor-General for all Australians.”
A swearing-in ceremony for Ms Wensley will be held on 29 July at Parliament House.
10 July, 2008
Childrens services get OK in FNQ
The Minister for Child Safety, Margaret Keech, has officially opened the Department of Child Safety branch in Cooktown and visited Weipa to open the Weipa Shared Service Delivery Hub.
Ms Keech said the Government had invested $730,000 in establishing the Hub, which housed staff from the Departments of Child Safety, Communities, Employment and Industrial Relations, Natural Resources and Water and Corrective Services.
She said the Department of Child Safety staff performed a vital role protecting vulnerable children and young people.
“We are committed to providing them with the support, training and resources they need to deliver a high quality service,” she said.
Speaking in Weipa, Ms Keech said the Government was urgently seeking more foster families to care for vulnerable children and young people who were unable to live at home due to abuse or neglect.
Mrs Keech said the call for carers was part of Queensland’s most extensive foster and kinship carer recruitment campaign.
“It’s a sad fact that there are about 40 children and young people in Weipa and surrounds who are unable to live with their families because one or both of their parents abuse or neglect them,” she said.
Ms Keech said in Cooktown, there were 30 such children and young people.
She said foster and kinship carers did a great job providing safe and loving homes, but that more people were needed.
“To date we have received about 180 calls from people in Far North Queensland who are interested in becoming foster carers,” Ms Keech said.
“My hope is that the community will continue to rally in support of the region’s vulnerable children and young people, with many more people calling us in the coming months.”
Ms Keech said any amount of time a person could donate to being a foster carer would make a difference in a child’s life and more information could be obtained from www.childsafety.qld.gov.au or by phoning 1300 550 877.
10 July, 2008
Call up for new phone numbers
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has introduced a range of new geographic prefixes for telephone numbers in parts of Queensland, NSW, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Acting General Manager of ACMA’s Inputs to Industry Division, Maureen Cahill, said the need for new telephone numbers was growing due to increased demand for additional phone lines and competition between new telecommunications service providers.
She said under the changes, the (07) 46 phone number prefixes for Charleville, Dalby, Dirrandandi, Goondiwindi, Inglewood, Longreach, Miles, Roma, Stanthorpe, Toowoomba and Warwick would become (07) 45.
“If a number looks unfamiliar, telephone users should check whether the number is correct rather than just replacing the new prefix with the old one,” Ms Cahill said.
She said the new numbers would only be issued to residents and businesses requesting new telephone services and no existing numbers would be affected.
She said residents and businesses would not have to change their existing telephone numbers and the new prefixes did not change the cost of calls.
Ms Cahill said however that some businesses using PABX and Commander systems might need to reprogram their systems to make calls to the new numbers and businesses should check with a customer equipment programmer if they required additional information.
She said ACMA provided the new telephone prefixes to the industry in 2007 and they were now being issued to consumers.
She said geographic numbers were 10 digits long starting with (02), (03), (07) or (08) which were used for local services. Geographic numbers contained information about where the service was located, including the State and region, and might provide additional information about the general locality of the number.
According to Ms Cahill, the NSW prefix (02) 65 for Kempsey, Lord Howe Island, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Taree and Wauchope would now become (02) 55 and the (02) 68 number for Bourke, Condobolin, Coonamble, Dubbo, Forbes, Moree, Nyngan and Parkes would be (02) 58.
In South Australia the (08) 86 prefix for Ceduna, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Port Lincoln, Gladstone, Peterborough, Cook and Woomera becomes (07) 76 and in the Northern Territory, prefixes of (08) 89 for Alice Springs and Darwin becomes (08) 79.
Additional information on the new numbers can be found on ACMA’s website at www.acma.gov.au/Newnumbers
10 July, 2008
Taxi expansion for hire service
Brisbane’s taxi fleet is to be expanded by another 60 taxis, including 50 wheelchair cabs.
Transport Minister John Mickel said the new cabs were recommended in a Queensland Transport review of passenger demand and would cut waiting times for passengers.
Mr Mickel said the extra licences would also improve the capability of the taxi fleet to meet passenger demands at all times.
"Of the 60 new licences, 50 will be for dual wheelchair accessible taxis,” Mr Mickel said.
“These can also be used to transport other passengers when not being used by wheelchair passengers. That means better service for everybody, including large groups travelling together."
He said the extra taxis, combined with new industry regulations introduced in May, allowed taxi booking companies to deploy their resources better and respond more efficiently to travellers’ needs.
"Queensland Transport will continue to monitor the growth in demand for taxi services, and more licences will be provided when needed,” Mr Mickel said.
“Queensland Transport regulates the taxi industry to ensure the safety of the public and taxi drivers, and the continued viability of the industry.”
He said the Government had spent $8.75 million fitting security cameras to 3165 taxis throughout Queensland.
"Secure taxi ranks have been provided at entertainment precincts around the CBD and Valley, including CCTV, security guards and taxi marshals," Mr Mickel said.
10 July, 2008
Green award shortlist glows in spotlight
Finalists in the 2008 Environmental Protection Agency Sustainable Industries Awards have been announced.
Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara said they included an organic farming cooperative, the creators of a solar powered battery and an ecologically driven supermarket chain.
“Congratulations to these 24 Queensland-based projects which have achieved outstanding results in terms of sustainability,” Mr McNamara said.
“These finalists have been selected from more than 100 entries from small business to large multi-million dollar companies, showcasing Queensland’s diverse range of sustainability champions.”
Mr McNamara said that among many innovative projects were a water treatment process that removed dissolved toxic metals from mine wastewater; a coal-fired power station and a supermarket chain that reduced their environmental emissions, waste and water use and reduced water use in the ginger cleaning process.
“We have visionary companies right here in Queensland that are committed to developing innovative products and practices that reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, water, waste and greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
Mr McNamara said the winner for each of the eight categories would be announced at a dinner at the Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre on 31 October.
He announced the categories and finalists as:
Corporate Sustainability Award:
ALDI Stores,
Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
Queensland Complete Printing Services.
Industrial Eco-Efficiency Award:
Buderim Ginger,
Millmerran Power and InterGen
Birla Mt Gordon & BioteQ Environmental Technologies.
Rural Sustainability Award:
Groves Grown Tropical Fruit
Smith family - “Mt Panorama” – Rolleston
Maryborough Advanced Growers Group Pty Ltd.
Minister’s Award for ClimateSmart Leadership:
NRMA Insurance
Food Connect
News Limited.
Sustainability in the Built Environment Award:
Midell Developments and Awaken Designs
Allen Jack Cottier
Leighton Contractors and Leighton Properties.
Sustainability Partnerships Award:
Wide Bay Water and Dhugamin CDEP
Powerlink Queensland and Forest Restorations
Boral, Australian Construction Materials Division.
Resource Industries Sustainability:
Origin Energy
Consolidated Rutile Limited
Birla Mt Gordon and BioteQ Environmental Techologies.
Innovation in Sustainable Technologies Award:
Redflow
Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation
LoC Composites.
More information on the finalists and their projects is available from www.epa.qld.gov.au
10 July, 2008
Tourism Minister goes to town
State Tourism Minister, Desley Boyle has set out the policy changes she believed were needed for Australia to remain competitive in the increasingly tough international tourism market.
According to Ms Boyle, Australia must look to aviation, visa and tourism industry policy reforms if it was to keep its place on the international tourism totem pole.
She said while creative marketing would always have a role to play, Australia could not afford simply to make cosmetic changes.
“Through my recent meetings with Asian airlines and tourism wholesalers it was very clear the demand for Queensland and Australian holidays remains strong,” Ms Boyle said, “but this demand is being choked by accessibility issues.”
She said such policies as refusing to allow overseas airlines to carry passengers to multiple destinations within Australia and insisting on age restrictions on working holiday visas were “effectively reducing the size of our potential market.”
“This is a new world for tourism and we can’t keep turning to marketing campaigns to solve the problems,” she said.
“High on the agenda is the need for national and consistent green accreditation of all tourism operations if we are to convince markets that visiting Queensland is environmentally sustainable.”
Ms Boyle said Australia was a long haul destination for most of the world which meant tourists needed to be really motivated to make the trip.
“The fact that many Americans, for example, only get two weeks annual leave makes it even more difficult,” she said.
“Markets such as North America could be further opened for Australia if working holiday visa age restrictions were relaxed.”
Ms Boyle said she had been calling for reform for a long time.
“Everyone knows that tourism is doing it tough at the moment so there is no better time to make significant structural changes to secure industry’s future.
“The writing has been on the wall for a while.”
She said the Federal Government’s Aviation White Paper provided an opportunity for the tourism industry that should not be missed.
“There will always be things we can’t control like a strong Australian dollar and shockingly high oil prices but there are things we can.”
10 July, 2008
Sun power shines for Daintree station
The Environmental Protection Agency has commissioned a solar-powered ranger station in the Daintree Rainforest as a part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
Director-General of the Agency, Terry Wall said the $450,000 facility was powered by a stand-alone solar energy system.
“The EPA is taking a lead role in this area by reducing our own carbon emissions and encouraging all Queenslanders to do the same,” Mr Wall said.
“This new ranger station will make it easier for EPA rangers to manage one of the most diverse and challenging parts of Queensland’s Wet Tropics region.”
He said the new building was located at Diwan, north of Cow Bay and included offices and vehicle bays for rangers.
He said the area covered by EPA staff included extensive stands of lowland rainforest and stretched from the Daintree River in the south to Black Mountain National Park just south of Cooktown.
Mr Wall said it encompassed the World Heritage listed Daintree National Park and Cedar Bay National Park.
He said as a result of the recent Indigenous Land Use Agreement, much of the area would be managed in partnership with Kuku Yalanji, its traditional owners.
“The site was purchased by the Queensland Government in the late 1990s as part of the Daintree buyback program, and the new facility will be a great help to EPA rangers for many years to come,” Mr Wall said.
“With around 600,000 visitors to the Daintree region every year, it is important that EPA rangers have a facility that will help them to protect one of the most biologically diverse areas of Australia.”
Mr Wall said some of Queensland’s rarest species of wildlife called the area home, such as the Bennett’s tree kangaroo and the southern cassowary.
10 July, 2008
Health plan billed as good medicine
A official plan to share the costs of Queensland’s public hospitals with the Commonwealth on a 50-50 basis has been put before the Federal Government’s National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission.
State Health Minister, Stephen Robertson said the plan was developed as part of the new era of cooperative federalism.
He said the Commonwealth’s share of public hospital funding had fallen from about 50 per cent 10 years ago to about 35 per cent now.
“At the same time, pressures on the acute health system have increased due to an ageing and growing Queensland population,” Mr Robertson said.
“This means the state has had to over-compensate.”
He said under the proposal, Commonwealth would:
- Provide funding for primary care
- Reform Medicare to boost disease prevention
- Allow State outpatient services to offer bulk-billing
- Pay the full hospital cost for seniors
- Accept that the States remain responsible for public hospitals
“The State Government fully supports greater clarity of responsibilities between governments in the health system,” Mr Robertson said.
“This will create a more streamlined system and end the blame game.”
He said in this “new era of cooperative federalism” Queensland was asking the Commonwealth to accept responsibility for primary and aged care services and to pay a fair share for acute health services.
“This is the chance for renewal,” Mr Robertson said.
“Delivery of effective health services to meet Queenslanders’ growing needs requires a partnership from all tiers of government.
“We would welcome moves by the Commonwealth to redress the inequity in funding share for public hospital services,” he said.
10 July, 2008
Human services to service humans
A Coalition of Indigenous Human Services providers has been established to help improve outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
Minister for Communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Lindy Nelson-Carr, said the Coalition would build stronger partnerships between the non-Government and Government human services sector to create positive and sustainable changes in the lives of Indigenous Queenslanders.
“The Coalition and the Queensland Government will work together to improve policies and deliver best-practice service delivery for Indigenous clients and communities across the State,” Ms Nelson-Carr said.
She said work would focus on critical areas such as health, families, children’s wellbeing, justice, education and housing.
Ms Nelson-Carr said the Department of Communities had allocated close to $1.1 million over three years to support the Coalition of Indigenous Human Services.
She said the Coalition comprised of representatives from the Indigenous non-government human services sector.
Ms Nelson-Carr said the Coalition would contribute to the Government's efforts to close the gap in life outcomes and opportunities for Indigenous Queenslanders.
She said the Coalition was formed when a number of leaders from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations met to discuss service delivery reforms needed to achieve positive outcomes for Indigenous communities.
A founding member of the Coalition, Shane Duffy, said it would provide a central forum for the sector to provide advice to the Government.
“The Coalition’s members include human service agencies working in the areas of health, children and family services, legal services, housing and homelessness,” Mr Duffy said.
“The Coalition will work with the broader non-Government sector to promote culturally responsive program delivery and strengthen the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.”
Mr Duffy said the Coalition would include representatives from Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Child Protection Partnership, Queensland Aboriginal & Islander Health Council, Aboriginal Legal Service, SEQ Regional Indigenous Housing Network, QN Regional Indigenous Housing Network, Darumbal Youth Service, The Murri School and the Queensland Indigenous Substance Misuse Council.
10 July, 2008
Communications seminar
How Governments can communicate with the community during times of crisis will be the subject of a seminar organized by the State Services Authority (SSA) and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZOG).
Charlie Edwards, from the UK Think Tank, Demos, will explore society’s relationship to risk and what can be learnt from recent incidents including terrorist threats, pandemics, water shortages and floods?
The free seminar will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday, 23 July and more information is available from Bianca Davey on (03) 9651 2018 or at ssaseminar@ssa.vic.gov.au
PS to strike for pay
Tasmania’s Public Servants are planning industrial action after rejecting the Government’s latest a pay offer.
The State Government employees are seeking pay parity with their interstate equivalents but have yet to receive an offer they consider reasonable.
The PS union plans to scale up the level of industrial action in support of the workers’ claims.
CPSU backs women
The Community and Public Sector Union is to sponsor the fourth annual Going Public conference for women.
The conference, to be held from 20 to 21 November, is expected to help women network and provide them with professional and personal development tips.
Further information is available from www.goingpublic.com.au
Crowds flock to exhibition
Fifty thousand people have visited the Gallery of Modern Art’s Picasso and his collection exhibition in less than a month.
Arts Minister, Rod Welford, said an average of over 2,000 people per day had visited the exhibition since it opened.
The exhibition is to close on 14 September.
Rural views wanted
Women living in rural communities have been encouraged to offer their views on life in the bush as part of the lead up to the inaugural Rural Women’s Symposium in August.
Twenty three consultation workshops have been planned around regional Queensland to gather a cross-section of viewpoints to shape the agenda for the symposium.
Interested people could contact the Office of Rural and Regional Communities on (07) 4799 5532 to register.
Portable licences
Tradespeople will be able to work in any Australian State or Territory without the need to apply for a new licence after the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a national licensing system.
The change will see 800 work-related licences reduced to 100 in areas like building, electrical and plumbing occupations.
A statement from the Federal, State and Territory Governments said Australia in the 21st Century could no longer operate as nine separate markets under the “cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming” old system.
Roof-top rebates
Households and small businesses are being encouraged to apply for a rebate on surplus electricity generated by roof-top photovoltaic under the Solar Bonus Scheme.
Mines and Energy Minister, Geoff Wilson, said the scheme, which offered 44 cents per kilowatt-hour for surplus electricity, would boost the State’s use of renewable energy and encourage energy efficiency.
For more information, including eligibility criteria, contact (07) 3237 1508 during business hours or email solarbonusscheme@dme.qld.gov.au
Six stations coming
Six new ambulance stations were due to be officially opened or completed by the end of next month
Four of the replacement stations at Carmila, Coolum, Murgon and Oakey were well on the way to completion and two at Gemfields and Aramac had already been finished.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said other recently completed ambulance stations include new ones at Birkdale, Carina, Emu Park, Narangba, Nerang and Samford Valley and replacement or refurbished stations at Atherton, Ayr, Babinda, Balmoral, Gympie, Roma and Warwick.
Go cards go fast
The sale of go cards almost doubled following the announcement of discounts starting 4 August.
According to Transport figures, almost 3000 cards were sold in the week to 6 July compared with just over 1600 the week before.
From 4 August, discounts of up to 67.5% would apply to go card travel.
Artists shortlisted
Nine artists have been short-listed for the inaugural $75,000 Premier’s Art Award in New Media.
Premier, Anna Bligh said the national award was the most substantial prize for new media which was one of the most dynamic of new art forms.
She announced the finalists as Peter Alwast (QLD), Julie Dowling (WA), Anita Fontaine (QLD/NL), Joyce Hinterding and David Haines (NSW), Natalie Jeremijenko (QLD/USA), Adam Nash (VIC), Sam Smith (NSW), John Tonkin (NSW) and Mari Velonaki (NSW).
The winner would be announced on 31 October and an exhibition of the best work would run at GoMA from 1 November to 8 February 2009.
The winning piece of work would join the Queensland Art Gallery’s collection.
Transit Authority hits road running
The new TransLink Transit Authority has been officially launched, offering commuters in south east Queensland a new single point of contact for public transport services, information and feedback 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Minister for Transport, John Mickel formally commissioned the Authority saying it was expected to improve and expand public transport services across the region.
"A new authority better equipped to meet South East Queensland's growing demand for public transport has opened for business," Mr Mickel said.
"The new authority has the power to further co-ordinate and integrate public transport services, and deliver and manage infrastructure including railway station upgrades, park n' ride facilities and bus stops.
He said it would manage the smooth introduction of new technology to improve public transport services and achieve other milestones over time, ultimately improving and expanding the region's public transport network.
"The new TransLink Transit Authority's is also an important initiative in tackling the growing challenges of traffic congestion and climate change," Mr Mickel said.
"Now customers only need to call the one number, 13 12 30, or visit the one website, www.translink.com.au, to get timetable information, enquire about services, plan a journey, ask about ticketing including the go card, or register any comments.”
He said callers to the Authority would also have the option of speaking to a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week, instead of an automated message.
Mr Mickel said a new integrated scheduling system would help kick off the new Authority's drive towards better integration of public transport and use of resources.
He said said the new Authority would build on the success of TransLink, which had seen patronage jump 37 per cent since it began operating in 2004.
"TransLink has successfully implemented integrated ticketing, provided additional services including about 500 new buses and rolled out the go card across the network," Mr Mickel said.
"Journeys have increased from about 124 million to an estimated 170 million a year.”
He said the TransLink Transit Authority was a statutory body with seven board members.
3 July, 2008
Agencies get holiday from leave payments
Annual leave in the QPS has been centralised into a whole-of-Government scheme with individual Agencies no longer totally liable for the payment of their employees’ leave entitlements.
Introduced on 1 July, the new Annual Leave Central Scheme requires all annual leave taken in the Queensland Public Service to be funded centrally and Agencies to contribute according to their leave liabilities.
While the costs of the leave are met centrally, individual Agencies retain day-to-day control of employee entitlements and management of leave balances.
The new scheme is controlled jointly by Treasury and QSuper and membership by Queensland Government Agencies is compulsory
According to Guidelines issued by Treasury, it will deal with policy issues, data collection and performance monitoring while QSuper collects payments from Agencies, pays claims and provides a helpdesk.
Treasury says that a central leave fund had several advantages, including providing Agencies with more certainty as to their expense each year; ensuring that cash was available to meet leave costs and allowing the fund’s assets and liabilities to be centrally managed from a whole-of-Government perspective.
‘The scheme is funded by member Agency levies,” the Treasury Guidelines say.
“Member Agencies must contribute a levy equal to their accrued quarterly annual leave cost, including leave loading and on-costs.”
The Guidelines say Agencies are to pay employees their leave entitlements in the first place then seek reimbursement from the ALCS.
“Supporting documentation such as employee names, salary level, length of service etc, does not have to be submitted with the claim.”
Agencies have until 9 September to make a cash deposit of their leave liabilities into the ALCS.
Information about the new arrangements and the Guidelines can be accessed at www.treasury.qld.gov.au. A similar scheme was introduced for Long Service Leave in 1999.
3 July, 2008
Building program to be built on
A policy that ensures greater employment and training opportunities for Indigenous people is to be extended and strengthened.
The Indigenous Employment Policy for Queensland Government Building and Civil Construction Projects, which requires that 20 per cent of labour hours on all major civil construction projects in Indigenous Local Government Authorities and at Laura, Coen and Weipa be provided by local Indigenous people, had been revised and would be expanded.
Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel said the upgraded policy would allow greater flexibility for Indigenous communities to benefit from the employment and training opportunities in their area.
He said the policy also required that half the Indigenous labour hours be used for accredited training.
“The revised IEP 20 per cent Policy encourages and supports better partnerships between all levels of Government, industry and Indigenous communities,” Mr Mickel said.
“Consultations with local communities and Councils will identify what skills and training are needed and what long-term employment opportunities they will lead to.
“It will also help Indigenous business enterprises find work supporting or supplying these projects.”
He said the building projects would also create long-term employment for local Indigenous people who would be required to operate and maintain the facilities that were built.
Mr Mickell said all Government Agencies were required to report their building and construction projects to the Department of Public Works and the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations while they were still at the planning stage.
According to DEIR’s Executive Director for Employment and Indigenous Initiatives, Bernie Carlon, the information could then be used to schedule project ‘clusters’ so Indigenous people could gain employment on a series of projects.
“The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations’ Indigenous Employment and Training Managers, who are based throughout Queensland, can also assist with the planning process,” Mr Carlon said.
“Setting up a system that offers regular, year-round employment and training opportunities in the construction industry will be a very attractive option for people in these communities.”
He said the skills, job opportunities and other work that the revised policy encouraged and developed would also improve the social and economic development of the communities.
Mr Carlon said more information about the policy could be obtained from www.employment.qld.gov.au
3 July, 2008
Women’s policy not just cosmetic
More women are to be encouraged to join the Local Government sector under a State Government policy that has become a key priority for the future.
Local Government Minister, Warren Pitt said the Government was committed to creating stronger, more sustainable local Councils and believed women had a key role to play. He said $108,000 had already been set aside to support the Women in Local Government Strategy Group during 2008-09.
“We are very keen to encourage more women to get involved in local politics,” Mr Pitt said, “to help plan and build their communities in the future.
“Over the next six months, the Government will be supporting a range of key initiatives that are focussed on developing links and partnerships for women across all levels of government.”
Mr Pitt said the grant to WILG would be used to support a range of research and consultation projects as well as to provide administrative support.
“Across the three spheres of government there are many opportunities for women to start or continue an exciting career,” he said.
“It’s important to actively foster the ambition of women who are interested in serving their community.”
Mr Pitt said he would write to all State and Federal MPs in the coming months to encourage stronger links across all spheres of government.
“These links will provide benefits both across government and for individuals – particularly women already in government or those intending to embark on a career in public office.”
Mr Pitt said he was also looking forward to the inaugural Rural Women’s Symposium being held in Roma on 29 August.
“The symposium will explore what is currently happening across rural Queensland to help foster and develop roles and opportunities for women,” he said.
“It will also provide an opportunity for rural women to discuss the options for improving the rural lifestyle and making it more attractive to other women and their families.”
3 July, 2008
Despatch system is sent to Limbo
The Department of Emergency Services has halted the roll-out of its state-of-the-art ESCAD emergency services despatch system following an unexplained power outage.
Emergency Services Minister, Neil Roberts said the system would not be extended to Rockhampton and Southport until advice from the system’s US supplier was received.
Mr Roberts said the supplier had been asked to analyse the potential cause of the failure which occurred in the middle of the night.
“I am advised Triple Zero telephone and emergency services radio communications were not affected by this incident,” Mr Roberts said.
“Communication centre staff despatched ambulance and fire crews using a manual back-up system.”
He paid tribute to the professionalism of the communication centre staff for immediately reverting to the manual system and for returning the new system to service by morning.
“The Department of Emergency Services has introduced strengthened protocols after three outages in the last fortnight were attributed to intervention by technicians,” Mr Roberts said.
“While advice is being sought on the outage today, I have asked for the planned roll-out to the communication centres for the Central and South Eastern region at Rockhampton and Southport to be put on hold.”
He said the Department had briefed union representatives for ambulance and fire and rescue services on the proposed actions.
Mr Roberts said the ESCAD system was in use in communication centres across the world, including Australia and New Zealand.
He said DES remained confident that the system would lead to an improved response service to calls from the community.
“ESCAD provides a single dispatch system for ambulance and fire and rescue services, replacing the three separate systems that have previously operated,” Mr Roberts said.
3 July, 2008
Fatigue policy is put to bed
A national-first safety standard to counter ‘doctor fatigue’ has begun rolling out in public hospitals across the State.
Minister for Health, Stephen Robertson said the Medical Fatigue Risk Management policy had been developed following trials on 14 pilot sites and Queensland was the first State to tackle doctor fatigue in a comprehensive way.
Mr Robertson said all public hospitals would begin implementing the policy which would take effect from 1 July 2009.
He said fatigue risk management protocols were a key plank in the Alert Doctors Strategy which aimed at ensuring improved safety for patients and doctors.
“The Alert Doctors project team has researched and developed the protocols over the last 18 months and has worked with the University of South Australia’s Centre for Sleep Research to fine-tune the policy,” Mr Robertson said.
“The strategy goes much further than just cutting back doctors’ working hours.”
He said funding had been allocated to improve the standard of “on call” rooms, there would be a review of ward call practices as well as reviews of pager policy, handover procedures, rosters and even trials of ‘sleep pods’ and a new night nurse coordinator function.
Senior Director of the Queensland Health Patient Safety Centre, Dr John Wakefield, said the Alert Doctors Strategy research showed it was possible to reduce doctor fatigue and improve safety for patients and staff.
“It is important to realise that healthcare is not a 9 to 5 job,” Dr Wakefield said, “and doctors are frequently required to work long hours.”
“Put simply, sometimes doctors may have to work on their patient for hours on end in order to save their lives.”
He said the new policy was about balancing the risks of potential doctor fatigue with the needs of a particular patient’s care.”
“This strategy was developed following extensive consultation with medical staff, unions and the Australian Medical Association of Queensland,” he said.
“The new policy allows us to better assess the risk of withdrawing the medical officer who has been continually looking after a high-risk patient against the risk of that same medical officer making an error due to fatigue.
He said a systemic approach to fatigue risk management would improve safety, efficiency and operational flexibility, as well as improve Queensland Health’s duty of care to its staff and the public.
“We are absolutely committed to making the environment as safe as possible for doctors and patients,” Dr Wakefield said
3 July, 2008
Long service awards a matter of time
Thirteen staff members from Main Roads in the Fitzroy area have been honoured with long service awards for a combined total of 425 years service.
Main Roads Minister, Warren Pitt personally congratulated and thanked the staff concerned saying each one had helped the Department connect Queensland for a quarter of a century or longer.
Mr Pitt said it was always a pleasure to recognise significant contributions such as that made by long-serving staff.
He named Doug Bignell, Bill Bowtell, Dan Casey, John Clegg, Rex Cowan, Henry Crichton, Fred Doyle, Greg Legh, Brett Malamoo, Peter Nolan, Peter Schwarten, Brett Stenhouse and David Tootell as those with the distinguished records. “Two staffers were recognised for 25 years service to the Department, four for 35 years, five staff members were acknowledged for 35 years service, and two staff members were recognised for a remarkable 40 years of service,” Mr Pitt said.
Manager of Network Planning and Performance with Main Roads, Dan Casey said he was pleased to be recognised for his contribution to the Department over the past 35 years.
"Since commencing with Main Roads in 1973, I have seen enormous changes in the surrounding structure and culture of the people," Mr Casey said.
"It is interesting to see how much the establishment has grown over this time."
3 July, 2008
Ethical investment right on the money
The Government of the Australian Capital Territory is to be the first in Australia to sign up to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment.
ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope said by signing the Principles and not just “adopting” them, the ACT Government was publicly committing to ensuring that its investment operations incorporated environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
“The ACT Government also commits to evaluating the effectiveness and improving the content of the Principles over time and believes that this will improve the ability of the Territory to meet its financial commitments as well as better aligning its investment activities with the broader interest of society,” Mr Stanhope said.
“I am pleased with the decisions made by the ACT Government in respect of ESG-related issues and risks for the Territory’s investments,” he said.
“These issues are at the forefront of the approach being taken by investors in incorporating consideration of ESG issues and risks, particularly government financial investments.”
Mr Stanhope said the number of global signatories to the Principles had increased over the past 12 months from approximately 200 - representing US$8 trillion - to more than 350 - representing US$13 trillion.
“I am pleased that the ACT Government will be in among the large number of good corporate citizens who have already become signatories to the UNPRI,” he said.
“The ACT Government is committed to responsible investment practice, and considering ESG issues and risks in the investment process is in line with mainstream investors.”
Mr Stanhope said the six recommendations the ACT Government had agreed to were:
- Adopting a risk-based approach to the application of ESG issues to the Territory’s investment practices;
- Adopting principles for responsible investing as set out in the United Nations “Principles for Responsible Investment”;
- Monitoring the extent to which the Territory's fund managers and asset consultants were taking into account ESG issues in investment decision-making processes;
- Considering the appointment of a third party service provider to assist in the implementation of a risk based approach to ESG issues for the Territory’s investments;
- Requiring the Territory's fund managers to exercise their voting rights and report on voting activities; and
- Considering the engagement of a third party proxy voting service provider.
3 July, 2008
Experts pool data for water research
The Department of Natural Resources and Water has been congratulated by the Minister for Sustainability, Andrew McNamara for its role in a major CSIRO project looking at the relationship between surface water and groundwater.
Mr McNamara said the Department had played a pivotal part at Bundaberg, one of 10 places in Australia to take part in the project.
“I congratulate the Department of Natural Resources and Water’s groundwater monitoring team at Bundaberg, who are providing expertise for this important project along with NRW’s groundwater hydrologists from Indooroopilly in Brisbane,” he said.
The Minister for Natural Resources and Water, Craig Wallace, said the groundbreaking project would measure and record the movement of water between underground aquifers and above ground streams at 19 different monitoring areas along the Elliott River.
Mr Wallace said under current systems, the same water could be counted twice - first when it was in a groundwater aquifer and again when it had reached the surface, which could lead to an over-estimation of the amount of water available.
He said the Government was planning for the future by developing a new water accounting method to more accurately record water information.
“This project will provide a cheap and accurate research tool to ensure that water resources within a catchment are only measured once,” he said.
“The study will benefit the region’s irrigators by providing more secure water access entitlements and better monitoring and accounting of water use.”
Mr McNamara said the new water accounting method would be available for use all over Australia.
“Water accounting was a vital step in identifying systems where there is interaction of surface water and groundwater resources.”
He said the project was a partnership between the State Government, the CSIRO and sciences consulting firm Sinclair Knight Merz and was a part of the National Water Initiative.
He said the NRW team had provided advice about where to locate the three test bores, and provided the equipment to drill them.
The Project was expected to run until 2009.
3 July, 2008
Whale handlers get in the swim
Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries are being trained in marine animal release techniques in preparation for this year’s whale migration season.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, Tim Mulherin said it was crucial DPI&F’s Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers were up-to-date on how to free entangled whales from shark control equipment.
“Marine Animal Release Team training means our officers are well-prepared to respond to ensure caught animals have the best possible chance of survival,” Mr Mulherin said.
“Entanglements in shark control equipment generally occur later in the migration season around August and September when young inexperienced whales are on their way back from the northern breeding waters.”
Mr Mulherin said the Government placed high importance on the Release Teams and their capabilities.
“With these teams in place, and the additional equipment such as fitted acoustic markers on the shark nets, we are aiming for a 100 percent deterrence rate this whale season,” he said.
DPI&F Shark Control Program Manager, Tony Ham, said the highly-trained teams were based on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and in Mackay.
“We try to make the training the teams undertake as realistic as possible,” Mr Ham said, “with the use of a simulated whale tail and practice exercises such as cutting nets, releasing ropes and observation exercises.”
Mr Ham said an important aspect to successfully freeing an entangled animal was early notification.
“The sooner we are notified, the sooner the Marine Animal Release Teams can be on the scene to assist the animal,” he said.
Mr Ham said shark nets and drumlines were in place off 85 Queensland beaches to reduce the risk of shark attacks on bathers.
He said 22 whales had been caught in shark netting in Queensland since 2000.
Mr Ham said of these, 19 had been successfully freed by the Rescue Teams.
He encouraged members of the public to report suspected entanglements to the DPI&F Shark Hotline on 1800 806 891.
3 July, 2008
Underground power is trench warfare
Work has begun on a project in Cairns to place a stretch of high voltage power lines underground.
Minister for Mines and Energy, Geoff Wilson said the idea was to protect an important electricity supply during cyclones,
Mr Wilson said the project involved running a total of 2.5 kilometres of 22,000-volt power lines underground between the new Cairns North substation and a major sewerage pumping station at Munro Martin Park.
He said the essential community service would be safer from cyclones when Ergon Energy completed the project later this year.
“The project is being done under Ergon’s Cyclone Area Reliability Enhancement program,” Mr Wilson said, “which is designed to protect supply to essential services and major community infrastructure during severe weather events like cyclones.”
He said the major beneficiaries of the arrangement would be the Queensland Ambulance Service base next door to the new substation, and the sewerage pumping station.
Local MP for Cairns Desley Boyle welcomed the project saying life in the Far North meant it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ cyclones struck, but when.
“So it is vital we ensure our essential community infrastructure is protected when they do,” Ms Boyle said.
“I am delighted the government is able to provide this assistance, through Ergon Energy, to making sure our electricity supply is strong in any weather.”
Ms Boyle said the new work would not affect connections to individual electricity consumers whose supply would continue to come from the overhead low-voltage network.
“However, they will have increased safety and reliability of supply as the main feeder lines in the area have been put underground,” she said.
Mr Wilson said the work was due to be finished before the next cyclone season, which would officially begin in November.
3 July, 2008
Learner drivers face ‘L’ of a test
Learner drivers are to be given an on-line simulator test as part of their licence test according to Transport Minister, John Mickel.
Mr Mickel said the new test would measure their ability to recognise and respond to potential driving hazards before they faced them on the road.
He said the ‘Hazard Perception Test’ would become part of a new graduated licensing system that was introduced last year.
"Novice drivers tend to be involved in more crashes than experienced drivers,” Mr Mickkel said, “and poor hazard perception skills have been shown to contribute to this high crash involvement."
He said under the new young driver laws, Provisional 1 drivers would now be required to pass the on-line test on their way to an open licence.
"The Hazard Perception Test is being introduced to ensure that our novice drivers have developed an appropriate level of hazard perception skills before they are allowed to graduate to a higher, less restricted licence,” Mr Mickel said.
“Provisional 1 drivers will be presented with a number behind-the-wheel video scenarios and will be asked to indicate when they think a hazard is developing.
“Their responses are then scored to assess their level of hazard perception skills.”
Mr Mickel said delivering the test online would ensure it was available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so that the young drivers could sit for it at a time that suited them.
He said participants would require a computer with broadband internet access and would need to visit the Queensland Transport website, www.transport.qld.gov.au to take the test.
Fe said people without home internet access will still be able to take the test at public facilities such as libraries or internet cafes.
Mr Mickel said information on the test would be mailed to Provisional 1 licence holders and more information was on the Queensland Transport website.
3 July, 2008
Unit pricing policy one at a time
The State Government is seeking public comment on a proposal to introduce mandatory unit pricing in supermarkets.
Premier Anna Bligh said the proposal, which would be an Australian-first, aimed to deliver cost relief to Queenslanders by making supermarkets display the selling price and the price per unit for every grocery item.
Ms Bligh said unit pricing meant supermarkets would have to display the price per kilogram or litre for all products to ensure consumers could see which option was the cheapest. “Unit pricing ensures consumers are better informed to choose brands or package sizes that offer the most value-for-money and can significantly reduce their grocery bills,” she said.
“A trial by the Queensland Consumer Association demonstrated savings of up to 47 per cent on an average basket of groceries when shopping by the lowest unit price.”
Ms Bligh said Queensland family budgets were under pressure from high interest rates and the increasing costs of petrol and groceries.
She said while the Government was limited in its ability to influence home, petrol and grocery prices, she was committed to providing relief to families any way she could.
“We are taking a fresh approach to housing affordability by making more land available for building homes; we are taking a fresh look at the fuel subsidy to ensure it is going directly into the pockets of Queenslanders; and now it’s time to take a fresh look at grocery prices,” she said.
Ms Bligh said groceries were the second biggest item in a household budget after housing costs, and international experience had shown that unit pricing could make a positive difference.
She said in Finland, 42 per cent of consumers changed brands and 33 per cent changed package size after unit pricing was introduced.
“Unit-pricing increases competition, and competition historically drives down cost – this is about empowering Queensland consumers at the check-out,” Ms Bligh said.
She said the regulations were expected to be in place by the end of September and the Government would consult with industry on a reasonable implementation period.
Attorney-General Kerry Shine said the proposal would exclude the small ‘corner stores’.
He said while major supermarket chains had already voiced their support for unit pricing, implementing the proposal in small outlets would be extremely costly.
“This is about reducing the cost of people’s weekly or fortnightly grocery bill and the focus will be on the larger supermarket chains,” he said.
Mr Shine encouraged industry representatives and consumers to have their say on the proposal.
He said public comment was open until 28 July and further information could be found from www.justice.qld.gov.au or by phoning 13 13 04.
3 July, 2008
Cutting carbon will take energy
The Minister for Climate Change, Andrew McNamara, has set a State ‘carbon weight-loss challenge’ at the launch of a ClimateSmart Communities program.
Mr McNamara said the program was designed to educate Queenslanders on how to save energy at home, and aimed to cut Queensland’s greenhouse gas emissions by one million tonnes. “On average, every Queensland household produces 11 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year from electricity use alone,” he said.
“ClimateSmart Communities is about giving householders the tools and know-how they need to cut carbon-fat.”
Mr McNamara said the initiative was based on an international model which recognised people wanted to help meet the challenge of climate change, but often didn’t know how.
He said the low carbon campaign was designed around recommendations of the Premier’s Council on Climate Change, which has met for the second time.
He said the program was an outcome of the Council’s important work on climate change.
Mr McNamara said the ClimateSmart Communities program included a ‘low carbon diet’ community challenge and a seven-day carbon challenge for individuals.
The low carbon diet challenge would last two years and involve community and sporting organsiations by getting them to recruit households to participate in 30-day ‘diets’.
“The Diet has been developed by renowned behavioural change expert David Gershon and provides a menu of options for householders to reach a carbon-loss target of 2,000 kilos a year,” Mr McNamara said.
“Options can be as simple as reducing the use of your dishwasher or washing machine by one load a week – to attaching a timer to your pool pump – to purchasing carbon offsets when you fly.”
Mr McNamara said AFL Queensland, Greening Australia and Keeping Australia Beautiful had agreed to take part in the program.
He said the Government would offer grants of up to $10,000 to eligible organisations to implement the program and engage facilitators to help it happen.
Mr McNamara said prizes such as eco-friendly cars, solar power panels and energy efficient appliances would be up for grabs for the best greenhouse gas savings.
“Every little thing adds up to make a big difference,” he said.
Mr McNamara said the individual challenge would allow Queenslanders to calculate their carbon footprint online and take a seven-day challenge to reduce it.
“Queenslanders care about what is happening to our climate – they have already demonstrated this in their extraordinary efforts to save water,” he said.
“Let’s keep our momentum and enthusiasm for sustainable behaviour going and set ourselves an ongoing climate change challenge – Queensland and the planet’s futures depend on it.”
Mr McNamara encouraged all Queenslanders to join the campaign and visit www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au for more information.
3 July, 2008
Institute graduates in TAFE system
The Gold Coast Institute of TAFE has become an independent statutory authority.
Education and Training Minister Rod Welford announced the change which took effect from 1 July.
Mr Welford said the move to a statutory institute was an initiative taken under the Queensland Skills Plan and would increase the TAFE’s capacity to develop industry partnerships and grow the commercial component of their business.
“The institute has taken advantage of reforms made in 2007 to the Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 2000 so that it can become a statutory institute,” Mr Welford said.
“The statutory authority model offers a framework for Gold Coast Institute to be more flexible, cost-effective and autonomous.
He said Statutory TAFE institutes were better equipped to be more responsive to individual and industry needs.
Although there would be a new emphasis on competition, Mr Welford said students would continue to receive the highest standard of vocational education and training.
He said in 2007 Gold Coast Institute of TAFE was named as the Public Training Provider of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards due to its innovative leadership and vocational education and training services offered to international, national and local clients.
The Gold Coast TAFE followed the Southbank Institute of Technology which, on 1 April, became the first statutory institute in Queensland’s TAFE network.
Mr Welford said the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE board was expected to be announced by the end of July 2008.
3 July, 2008
Schools lock down after winter break-up
A crackdown on school security is to come into force over the winter holidays to reduce the number of state schools affected by thieves, vandals and arsonists.
Minister for Education, Rod Welford, said the protection of state schools during semester breaks would require the support of the whole community.
“I’m calling on anyone who notices suspicious activity around their local schools to immediately contact police or call the School Watch hotline on 13 17 88,” Mr Welford said.
He said measures to safeguard the schools would include support from police, the State Government Security Service, private security firms and the School Watch program.
Mr Welford said in 2007-08 the Government allocated $3.3 million to the School Security Program.
“This has contributed to a 24 per cent reduction in the number of insurance claims for break and enters and vandalism in the past 12 months,” he said.
“I want to spend money on school resources for students, not on the clean-up of damage caused by vandalism, break-ins and arson.”
Mr Welford said school security patrols would be regular sights in many areas during school holidays.
“These efforts along with intruder detection devices, alarms and 24-hour monitoring are having a positive impact on security and the protection of school property,” he said.
Mr Welford said the Government was determined to do its best to protect state schools on behalf of the community.
“But it is important that we get the balance right – we don’t want to turn our schools into fortresses because of a few foolish people who want to ruin it for the majority,” he said.
Mr Welford wished students and school staff a safe and happy winter break.
“I would like to thank our teachers and staff for contributing to a productive and successful first semester,” he said.
3 July, 2008
Maternity leave up
QPS staff are now entitled to 14 weeks maternity/adoption leave, an increase over the 12 weeks that applied before 30 June 2008.
The Department of Employment and Industrial Relations has issued a Circular covering transitional arrangements for staff already on leave or who elected to take it at half pay.
The Circular is accessible at www.psier.qld.gov.au
Green offsets are on
A new policy to ensure environmental values weren’t lost to urban development across has been introduced.
The Environmental Offsets Policy would ensure that when a development went ahead and the environmental impact was neither avoided nor minimised, an offsets program would be required.
The Government said the policy provided a framework for the transparent and consistent use of environmental offsets.
More information was available from the Environmental Protection Agency’s web site at www.epa.qld.gov.au
Go card goes gold
The Go Card has been given the green light for the Gold Coast.
Bus commuters will now able to use the cashless cards across the network from Coolangatta to Gympie and west to Helidon.
Transport Minister, John Mickel, said public transport users could use their Go Cards on any TransLink bus, train or ferry.
Recruits make history
The Queensland Police Service has celebrated 50 years of police inductions by holding a graduation ceremony for 115 new recruits.
Police Minister, Judy Spence, and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson welcomed the new officers to the service when they were sworn in at Chandler.
Special guest, Edward Kenny, one of the original recruits from the first Queensland Police Induction in 1958, attended the ceremony.
Bypass creates flow
Over a million vehicles used the new Tugun Bypass in its first month.
Minister for Main Roads, Warren Pitt said the 7km link road meant more than 100, 000 fewer trucks had travelled through the middle of Tugun since the bypass opened.
Mr Pitt said the bypass would save motorists an estimated $1.9 billion in reduced travel times and vehicle operating costs over 30 years.
He said about 40,000 cars used the bypass every day.
Disabled awards open
Nominations for the annual Disability Action Week Awards have opened for people or organisations making their community more inclusive for Queenslanders with a disability.
Award categories include individual, employment, transport, Local and State Government, private enterprise, community organisation, media, building accessible housing and environments, education and arts and human rights and justice.
The nominations close on 8 August, and the awards will be announced during disability week which is to be held from September 14 to 20.
Workplaces inspected
Inspectors from the Commonwealth’s Workplace Ombudsman’s office are to randomly check businesses across Queensland this month to ensure employers were maintaining proper records.
The Ombudsman, Nicholas Wilson, said the inspectors would start randomly ‘dropping in’ on businesses to ensure they were complying with their obligations.
He said the inspectors had the power to inspect and copy time and wages records and any employer found not to be complying with the law would be asked to rectify the matter voluntarily. Penalties up to $550 and to $33,000 faced those who didn’t.
Hospital welcomes emergencies
A new emergency department at Redland Hospital has been opened as the fifth and final stage of the hospital’s major redevelopment.
By more than doubling the beds from 13 to 31, the emergency department could now treat up to 45,000 patients a year.
The expansion includes a state-of-the-art resuscitation room, an isolation room and 12 multi-purpose treatment cubicles.
Immigration visits
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Regional Outreach Officer has visited
Mandurah.
The visit was part of the Department’s regular outreach program, offering people in
regional areas the chance to sit down and talk about immigration-related issues face-to-face with a DIAC officer.
QFRS responds to growth
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service was building a new fire station, deploying two new fire appliances and appointing 19 permanent full-time fighters in the growing region of Deception Bay, Burpengary and Narangba.
Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the addition of a 24-hour permanently staffed station at Burpengary was in recognition of the growing population and the demand for fire and rescue services across the region.
Violence counselling
A new counselling service and support program for women and children affected by domestic violence has been opened at Cherbourg.
As well as providing support to the victims of domestic and family violence, the new service would increase awareness and community intolerance of domestic and family violence and encourage more victims and witnesses to seek help.
