SearchArchives for October 2008
28 October, 2008Archives updates are out of the box The Commonwealth Archives Act has been extensively modernised, extending the reach of the National Archives of Australia and clarifying the definition of a ‘record’. Special Minister of State, Senator John Faulkner, welcomed the upgrade which he said was “long overdue”. Senator Faulkner said in the 25 years since the Act was drafted, technology had “dramatically changed” the way Government affairs were transacted and how information was recorded. “While the previous Act attempted to allow for the creation, capture and management of electronic records, its definitions were not rigorous enough,” he said. “The new Bill creates a new definition of a record as a document or an object in any form that has been kept for the information it contains or its connection with any event, person, circumstance or thing.” Senator Faulkner said the new definition gave legislative authority to a 1995 Archives’ policy direction that gave electronic records the same status as paper records. He said the new Bill would allow material held by Departments and Agencies to be treated as documents in the care of the Archives and as part of the archival resources of the Commonwealth. “These changes will make it much easier for the National Archives and Agencies to determine what’s in and what’s out in terms of record keeping, management and archiving,” Senator Faulkner said. He said the Australian Law Reform Commission had recommended the out-dated Act be amended since 1998 as technology influencing records management began to advance. The Minister said the Government had taken action to implement the “long needed” reforms. 28 October, 2008 Weather bureau cuts cloud climate policy The Community and Public Sector Union has warned that cuts to weather bureau staff could jeopardise future work needed to respond to climate change. Responding to plans by the Bureau of Meteorology to reduce staffing numbers in 50 regional weather stations, the CPSU said the downsizing would undermine the collection of critical climate data. Under its plans, the Bureau would see 23 weather stations condensed to a single trained meteorology observer, and three stations lose all their staff as they retired or were relocated to metropolitan centres. National President of the CPSU, Louise Persse,said weather station personnel played a vital role informing climate change policy and many were alarmed by the plans. Ms Persse said years of budget reductions, including the recent “efficiency dividend” of two per cent cuts were to blame for the push to cut jobs. “Climate Change is arguably the biggest challenge the Federal Government and decision-makers face,” she said. “The decisions our leaders make need to be evidence based. Now is not the time to be cutting jobs and slashing funding in an area critical in meeting this massive challenge.” Ms Persse said a properly staffed and funded network of regional weather stations would ensure the Government had the most accurate climate data to base their decisions on. “What we need are the best people working with the best technology to ensure we achieve the best outcomes in the fight against climate change,” she said. Ms Persse said local communities relied on regional weather stations to deliver up-to-date weather reports, such as early storm warnings, and educational programs for local school groups. “Scaling back regional weather stations would deny many in local communities, especially farmers and school kids, some of the services they rely on,” she said. She said the CPSU had written to Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, seeking a meeting to discuss the plans, which would affect weather stations in Antarctica, Cairns, Canberra, Carnarvon, Ceduna, Cobar, Coffs Harbour, Eucla, Halls Creek, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Learmonth, Longreach, Mackay, Meekatharra, Mildura, Moree, Mount Gambier, Mount Isa, Port Headland, Tennant Creek, Williamtown and Woomera. 28 October, 2008 Mums ’n’ bubs get hub A ‘virtual hub’ for parents and carers of children has been launched to provide access to health, learning, child care and parenting support. The website www.mychild.gov.au was announced by the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, Minister for Families and Community Services, Jenny Macklin, Parliamentary Secretary for Early Childhood Education and Child Care, Maxine McKew and Professor Fiona Stanley. The new online portal was launched as part of the Government’s $2.4 billion early childhood education and child care plan to help every child in Australia get the best start in life. The website offers families information about Government initiatives, assistance with child care options and acknowledges how critical the first years of a child’s life could be. The Ministers, Ms McKew and Professor Stanley said the website would help give parents and carers the support they needed to make informed choices to lay strong foundations for their child’s future. They said providing greater information to parents was part of the Government’s plan to deliver quality, affordable and accessible child care and to make the child care industry more transparent. They said the Government would build on the site’s information as the new Quality Framework was developed and delivered from July 2009. The website also included a searchable database of local child care centres and listed the services provided and fees charged. Ms McKew, Professor Stanley and the Ministers thanked the 8,000 child care services across Australia who voluntarily provided them with information for the website. Further information was available from www.mychild.gov.au or by contacting the service’s hotline 13 36 84. 28 October, 2008 DFAT puts case in backpacker mystery The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has defended its actions in supporting the family of missing Melbourne backpacker, Britt Lapthorne, following her disappearance in Dubrovnik. Amid calls for an independent inquiry into Ms Lapthorne’s death, the Department assured the community it had done did everything possible to locate the 21-year-old when she went missing. During a Senate Estimates Committee hearing iin Canberra, Family First Senator Steve Fielding questioned DFAT’s Head of Consulate Affairs, Peter Baxter, on Ms Lapthorne’s case saying he believed the processes used to investigate Australians who went missing abroad could be improved. Mr Baxter said the Department had done “everything that could be done” to locate the missing backpacker. Ms Lapthorne, who went missing from Croatia’s coastal town of Dubrovnik on 18 September, was found dead on 8 October. The Australian Embassy received a report of concern about Ms Lapthorne’s whereabouts on 19 September but DFAT did not contact her family until 24 September when Dubrovnik Police declared her a missing person. Mr Baxter said the Department was not at fault as it was bound by privacy legislation. “The Department is required to operate within the boundaries of the Privacy Act and that prevents us from divulging personal information to other parties ... without the consent of (the) person whose information we have,” he said. Mr Baxter said the moment Ms Lapthorne was identified as a missing person, the Department had contacted her family. Senator Fielding called for an inquiry into how privacy guidelines could prevent Authorities from informing families when someone went missing. DFAT said the Ms Lapthorne’s file would remain open until her cause of death was identified although there was no new evidence pointing to “foul pla y”. Mr Baxter said the Department dealt with nearly 13,500 inquires from people concerned about Australians overseas each year. “In the vast majority, thankfully, people are found quite quickly, somebody has just forgotten to call home or is having a good time or is in an area where they can’t reach a phone,” he said. 28 October, 2008 Backward return for Future Fund The Future Fund has reported a slump in earnings of 1.81 per cent for the first three months of 2008-09. Blaming the fall on the collapse of equity markets around the world, the Fund’s first quarterly portfolio update for the year said the majority of its funds was held in cash which generated positive returns. “When combined with the positive performance for the 2007/8 year, the result for the 15 months since 1 July 2007, when the investment program effectively commenced, was minus 0.24%,” the Update said. The Fund’s benchmark was to target returns of at least the Consumer Price Index plus an additional 4.5 per cent over the long term. Chair of the Future Fund Board of Guardians, David Murray, said the Fund’s performance should be seen in light of the challenging investment environment, as the financial circumstances placed all investors in a difficult situation. “It appears to be a once in a century occurrence particularly affecting shares in financial institutions which normally make up around of quarter of market value in global equity markets,’ Mr Murray said. “The first quarter saw Australian and global equity market indices fall in the region of 11 per cent driven by concerns about the liquidity and solvency of the global banking system.” He said this outweighed the stable performance of the Fund’s large cash holdings. “A series of Government bail outs and forced mergers of financial institutions, as well as growing recognition that the world economy faces the prospect of a marked slowdown, highlights the difficult investment environment,” he said. “As a long term investor holding liquid assets, we are well placed to deal with this environment and take opportunities as they arise.” Mr Murray said the Fund’s board was taking a “carefully considered” approach to building the portfolio. He said the Fund’s two billion Telstra shares, which had been subjected to escrow until 20 November this year, had made a return of 3.23 per cent for the first quarter. The Fund’s asset allocation at 30 September was: Australian equities $5,345m; global equities $11,549m; private equities $286m; property $871m; infrastructure $283m; debt securities $5,529m; alternative assets $315m; cash $31,035m; and Telstra $8,216m, reaching a total of $63,429m. The Update said the Higher Education Endowment Fund, established in 2007, generated a return of 1.77 per cent for the quarter, with is assets standing at $6,366m at September 2008. 28 October, 2008 Briggs caps off CAPAM visit Australian Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, has been named as the new President of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM). The Association held its 8th Biennial Conference in Barbados last week. CAPAM was a non-profit association that represented 1,100 senior Public Servants, Heads of Government, leading academics and researchers in over 50 Commonwealth countries. It was guided by international leaders that believed in the value of networking and knowledge exchange and the promotion of good governance for the betterment of citizens across the Commonwealth. Ms Briggs has replaced the outgoing President, South Africa’s Minister of Public Service and Administration, Geraldine Fraser Moleketi. She will now work with the CAPAM Board of Directors and Executive Director over the next year to promote the requirements of good governance and just and honest Governments. According to Ms Briggs, CAPAM provided a forum to facilitate the exchange of innovations, knowledge and practice in citizen-centred service delivery, leadership development and growth and Public Service management and renewal. She said the conference in Barbados brought together delegates from the 53-members of the Commonwealth to address issues relating to efficient Public Sector management under the theme Continuing the Shared Journey: Achieving Public Service Excellence. 28 October, 2008 Complex report made easy to read The Australian Government Information Management Office has been congratulated for publishing the recent Gershon Report on the Government’s use of Information and Communication Technologies in a format accessible to people with disabilities. Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, congratulated AGIMO for making the report available to people with disabilities. Mr Innes said the report, which was released on 16 October and made far-reaching recommendations on how the Government could improve its use of ICT, was an important document that would be discussed extensively in future months. “It is reassuring that people with disabilities will now have the opportunity to be part of that discussion, along with everyone else,” he said. Mr Innes said over the past two months he had tried to draw the Government's attention to the need for public information to be made available in accessible formats, such as HTML, Word and RTF, as well as the customary PDF format. Earlier in October he launched Webwatch - a website exposing Government Departments and Agencies that were not making information accessible. “Webwatch will continue for as long as it is needed,” Mr Innes said. “In the meantime, it is very encouraging that we are starting to see examples of good practice in information accessibility being demonstrated by the Australian Government.” 28 October, 2008 Defence survey salutes management A survey of up to 30 per cent of the Australian Defence Force has revealed high levels of satisfaction with immediate supervisors, pride in service and confidence in senior leadership. The Department of Defence released its 2007 summary of the Defence Attitude Survey findings which included the views and opinions of ADF members and Defence civilian employees surveyed last year. The voluntary survey allowed participants to comment on employment-related matters such as leadership, pay and work conditions, career intentions and wellbeing and family issues. The survey, which was aimed at assessing emerging trends in attitudes and opinions, found its results either improved upon or were consistent with the 2006 findings. It found participant confidence in senior Defence leadership had increased noticeably since 2001, with a 17 per cent increase in the Navy, 23 per cent in the Army, 32 per cent in the Air Force and 19 per cent with civilians. Defence said the 2007 survey showed improvement in knowledge regarding mental health issues and members’ assessment of their own mental health. It said since 1999 the number of personnel who thought unacceptable behaviour was well managed had increased and that although a greater number of participants were satisfied with their salary, more needed to be done to address the issue. More ADF personnel said they were adequately recognised and rewarded for their work through awards, honours and medals, with an increase of 11 per cent in the Navy, 19 per cent in the Army and 21per cent in the Air Force. However, the summary said that that area, along with work-life balance and individual performance appraisals, required further attention. It said Defence had recently implemented recruitment and retention initiatives to attract, develop, engage and retain personnel. “These long-term programs may take some time before they are reflected favourably in future survey findings,” it said. “Defence also offers its people a range of financial and non-financial benefits as part of their remuneration package and recognises that a ‘total rewards’ approach is required to communicate the salary, benefits, career opportunities and family support available.” A copy of the Department’s summary of results was available from www.defence.gov.au 28 October, 2008 Staff fuming over toxic renovations Building renovations at a Centrelink Call Centre in northern NSW have led to a staff member being diagnosed with poisoning from toxic fumes. The Community and Public Sector Union has called for all the staff to be housed in alternative accommodation. CPSU’s Regional Director, Bill Marklew, said renovations to the kitchen at Centrelink’s Tweed Call Centre earlier this month led several of the 280 staff to become sick when Toluene was used to lift the floor. “On Friday 3 October, Centrelink lifted the flooring of the kitchen area and a number of employees reported feeling ill from the fumes and needing to remove themselves from the environment,” Mr Marklew said. He said Centrelink evacuated staff and closed the centre for three hours but that moves to reopen the building after declaring it safe might have been premature. “One employee has been told by her doctor that she has been poisoned by the fumes and several staff members have put in Comcare claims,” Mr Marklew said. “CPSU is calling for alternative accommodation for staff to be found immediately until the problem is fully resolved and for a Comcare investigation into why this happened in the first place.” Mr Marklew said CPSU wanted Centrelink to fast track the compensation claims made by employees and to re-credit any leave taken by employees due to illness caused by the Toluene fumes. He said one staff member reported suffering from a “dull headache, dizziness, coughing, eyes watering and tingling of hands” from the fumes and was later sick at home. 28 October, 2008 Hot air measuring system rises to top A system to measure greenhouse gases developed by scientists from the Department of Climate Change, the CSIRO, and the Australian National University has added the CSIRO Partnership Excellence Award to its list of achievements. Minister for Climate Change, Senator Penny Wong, congratulated the scientists saying their National Carbon Accounting System could be used to measure greenhouse gases emitted from forestry, land clearing and farming. Senator Wong said the Accounting System gave Australia a world-leading tool to measure emissions and carbon sinks, underpinned the nation’s emissions accounts and helped devise ways to reduce emissions from land management sites. “The Australian Government developed the National Carbon Accounting System in partnership with the spatial industry, the private sector, and State Governments,” Senator Wong said. She said following the Bali Climate Change Conference, where the world’s leaders agreed reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries should be a part of future international climate change, the need for developing countries to be able to account for their forest carbon was recognised. She said the National Carbon Accounting System could be the answer. “Australia is already sharing this award-winning technology with the world,” she said. “Indonesia has expressed its intention to build an Indonesian national carbon accounting system and Australia is currently working with a team of Indonesian scientists and officials as part of the Indonesia-Australia Forest Carbon Partnership.” Senator Wong said the Government had worked with China to help it build a system for the Guangxi Autonomous Region as a pilot project for a future national system. “The National Carbon Accounting System was also selected from an international search by the Clinton Climate Initiative to be the basis for a Global Carbon Monitoring System, which aims to use carbon trading to benefit the environment and help alleviate poverty in the developing world,” she said. Senator Wong said the sophisticated system involved remote sensing, information from thousands of satellite images, greenhouse gas accounting methods, and modelling of changes in the environment to monitor and account for emissions from land-based sectors. The National Carbon Accounting System also won the Sherman Eureka Prize for Environmental Research in August. 28 October, 2008 Internet purchases are buy-product of web Over half the people using the internet do so to make purchases according to a report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA. The report, Telecommunications Today Report 6: Internet Activity and Content, revealed 73 per cent of Australian homes were hooked up to the net and using it for email, on-line banking, paying bills and news and weather updates. ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, said the report looked at consumer adoption of the internet and its impacts on the growth of Australia’s digital economy. The report found 54 per cent of users in the quarter ending March 2008 brought products online, an increase of 8 per cent from 2006. “One of the main changes to consumer behaviour as a result of the internet is the willingness of consumers to engage in commerce online,” Mr Chapman said. “Paying bills, airline ticket purchases and accommodation bookings have become some of the most popular activities on the internet.” Mr Chapman said the report found household internet users were accessing the internet more frequently, with an increased number of people logging in eight or more times a week. He said those who used the internet most frequently were more likely to have broadband, live in a metropolitan area, were aged between 18 and 34, held a diploma or degree and had some university education. Mr Chapman said the internet had also become a “significant social medium”, with the majority of users saying they used email and socialised online. “Changes to social interaction have been identified with a large number of internet users participating and using social networking sites, instant messaging, blogs and VoIP as communication tools,” he said. Mr Chapman said internet users reported they had reduced their use of ‘traditional’ forms of media such as television, radio, magazines and newspapers when looking for entertainment or information. He said the internet enabled users to view and listen to activities online by streaming or downloading videos, podcasts, music and television. The report was the sixth and final in ACMA’s Telecommunication Today series on consumer use of communication services. The series was designed to assist ACMA in its role as industry regulator and each report was available from www.acma.gov.au 28 October, 2008 Police checks for carers is fair cop Mandatory police checks for all staff working in nursing homes who had access to residents could be introduced from 1 January 2009. Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, said the new requirement would apply to all staff with access to residents, extending the current system which only required checks for those with unsupervised access. Mrs Elliot introduced the changes to Federal Parliament under the Aged Care Amendment (2008 Measures No 2) Bill, saying they would be implemented under the Accountability Principals of the legislation. She said the changes would affect staff of accredited aged care facilities and those delivering community care packages such as Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH). “This is about preventing people with serious criminal convictions working with frail and aged people,” Mrs Elliot said. “This is about protecting the most vulnerable members of our society – the frail and aged.” Since the Minister first announced the plan in February this year, extensive consultation with aged care associations and providers, peak bodies, unions and Government Departments including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) had taken place. During the consultation process, industry groups pointed out many aged care providers already had all employees undergo police checks, despite the requirements of current system, which was implemented in March 2007. Mrs Elliot said the mandatory police checks could be obtained from State/Territory Police, the AFP or by applying to CrimTrac. “The Australian Government is committed to ensuring older Australians in nursing homes and hostels receive quality care in a safe and secure environment,” she said. According to the National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey February 2004, over 116,000 people were employed as direct care workers (nurses, personal carers and allied health workers. 28 October, 2008 Bird flu website takes off A website providing comprehensive information on Avian Influenza has been unveiled by animal disease experts at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. The site, ‘AI Toolkit,’ was expected to make an important contribution to the way the world dealt with the disease. Chief Veterinary Officer, Andy Carroll, said the site collected practical tools and disease strategies from around the globe, as well as experiences from countries and experts on emergency animal disease prevention, preparation and response. He said Australia was leading the initiative among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries. “The Toolkit will be a useful resource to help safeguard our region against diseases such as avian influenza and foot and mouth disease,” Dr Carroll said. He said the site contained advice and case studies on implementing vaccine strategies; information on biosecurity and operating standards for live bird markets; and social and economic issues such as compensation, communications and emergency management. He presented the Toolkit to delegates at the 6th International Ministerial Conference on Avian and Pandemic Influenza in Egypt. “The website will be a global resource that complements existing sites and current efforts,” Dr Carroll said. “It’s the first time that we have had such comprehensive information in the one place for all to access.” He said the site would be updated as new ways to tackle disease were developed. “The Toolkit will be a living and dynamic resource that continues to evolve with countries’ experiences, international policy developments and technical advances,” Dr Carroll said. The website was developed by Australia in co-operation with APEC member economies, the United Nations System Influenza Coordinator (UNSIC), the World Organisation for Animal Health and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. Representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and UNSIC formed a steering group to shape the Toolkit. The website could be viewed at www.aitoolkit.org 28 October, 2008 Foundations laid for online building plan A plan to standardise the electronic lodgement of development applications in all States and Territories has taken a step forward with the Commonwealth funding a program to ensure eDAs and online tracking of development applications were nationally consistent. The Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek, said the new scheme would benefit homebuyers across the nation by cutting the bureaucratic red tape associated with building approvals. Ms Plibersek said the program would develop the electronic development assessment interoperability specifications (eDAIS) to ensure a common national protocol. She said the Western Australian Department of Planning and infrastructure would host the National eDAIS project team, which would be funded until 30 June 2011. “This national leadership will ensure eDA develops consistently across Australia and delivers the end goal of reducing costs to business and saving new home buyers money,” Ms Plibersek said. “The eDAs will cut the red tape associated with lodging a development assessment application and streamline the assessment process. This will lower costs for builders and developers and, in turn, help home buyers.” She said the Government was committed to reforming the development application systems. “By providing a clear national framework, the Government is ensuring that all jurisdictions will develop systems which 'talk to each other', and will avoid the 21st Century equivalent of having different rail gauges in different States,” Ms Plibersek said. She said the Government had already made the first payment as a part of the $3.6 million program. Ms Plibersek said the plan was part of the Housing Affordability Fund’s $30 million dollar program to roll-out eDAs across the nation. She said the Housing Affordability Fund was a Government initiative that would invest $512 million over five years in planning and infrastructure costs incurred while new housing developments were being built. 28 October, 2008 Foundations laid for online building plan A plan to standardise the electronic lodgement of development applications in all States and Territories has taken a step forward with the Commonwealth funding a program to ensure eDAs and online tracking of development applications were nationally consistent. The Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek, said the new scheme would benefit homebuyers across the nation by cutting the bureaucratic red tape associated with building approvals. Ms Plibersek said the program would develop the electronic development assessment interoperability specifications (eDAIS) to ensure a common national protocol. She said the Western Australian Department of Planning and infrastructure would host the National eDAIS project team, which would be funded until 30 June 2011. “This national leadership will ensure eDA develops consistently across Australia and delivers the end goal of reducing costs to business and saving new home buyers money,” Ms Plibersek said. “The eDAs will cut the red tape associated with lodging a development assessment application and streamline the assessment process. This will lower costs for builders and developers and, in turn, help home buyers.” She said the Government was committed to reforming the development application systems. “By providing a clear national framework, the Government is ensuring that all jurisdictions will develop systems which 'talk to each other', and will avoid the 21st Century equivalent of having different rail gauges in different States,” Ms Plibersek said. She said the Government had already made the first payment as a part of the $3.6 million program. Ms Plibersek said the plan was part of the Housing Affordability Fund’s $30 million dollar program to roll-out eDAs across the nation. She said the Housing Affordability Fund was a Government initiative that would invest $512 million over five years in planning and infrastructure costs incurred while new housing developments were being built. 28 October, 2008 Student employability is work in progress A report into the employability skills of senior secondary students has been released by the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard. Aimed at deciding how best to assess and report on the students’ readiness for the workforce, the report said that assessing their employability skills was complex but necessary and they needed to identify their skills and the areas they needed to improve in. Ms Gillard said the report, Study into the Assessment and Reporting of Employability Skills of Senior Secondary Students, focused on the work conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). She said the report identified eight employability skills and evaluated them against a set of five criteria. She said the eight skills - communication, teamwork, problem-solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organising, self-management, learning and technological aptitude - were evaluated against validity, reliability, objectivity, feasibility, and usability to find a preferred assessment approach. “What emerged from this study is a completely new picture of how senior secondary students’ achievement of employability skills, across Australia, might be assessed and reported,” the report said. Ms Gillard said it found there were three assessment processes most suited to reporting on employability skills achievement. The report said of the three processes - standardised testing, common assessment tasks and teacher-group judgments – common assessment tasks was the preferred approach. “Common assessment tasksare set by a central agency (or group of teaching professionals) and marked by teachers in the students’ school according to the same criteria and standards as those used by teachers in other schools,” the report said. “Common assessment tasks would provide a degree of comparability that could be enhanced through moderation, although this would result in increased cost and complexity.” Ms Gillard said the report’s findings would benefit the broader schools sector and inform the development of the Government’s Job Ready Certificate. “The Job Ready Certificate will be funded as part of the Government’s $6.4 million investment over four years to strengthen partnerships between business, schools and industry,” she said. “It will recognise the achievement of employability skills by secondary students undertaking vocational education and training in schools and Australian Apprenticeships.” She said the study was overseen by an advisory group including representatives from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia, Australian Council of State School Organisations and from national parent groups, principal groups and independent groups. A copy of the report was available from www.deewr.gov.au 28 October, 2008 Care training goes up Up to 7,700 new training places for aged and community care are to be created over the next four years under a $41 million training plan announced by the Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot. Mrs Elliot said 2,700 community training places would be available through the Community Aged Care Workforce Development program and up to 5,000 aged care training places available through the Better Skills for Better Care program. The number of Australians aged 65 and over was expected to triple over the next 40 years from 2.8 million to around 8.4 million. No PS in safety awards Commonwealth Agencies were noticeably absent from the winners list at the 8th annual Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission Safety Award winners announced in Canberra last week. Despite the awards being open to all organisations under Comcare’s health and safety jurisdiction, including all the APS and some private sector licensees, the five categories all went to non-PS winners. Medicare Australia and Defence managed commendations however. Chairman of SRCC, Les Taylor said a record number of entries were received from Government and private sector organisations and the winners showed the highest safety standards, fewest work related injuries and most effective rehabilitation of injured employees. The five winners were Visionstream, the National Australia Bank, John Holland, Jerome Gubbels from John Holland and K&S Freighters. Post Office delivers profit Australia Post has achieved record financial results for 2007/08 According to the corporation’s Annual Report it earned a pre-tax profit of $592.2 million, an increase of 5.4 per cent on the previous year, and met or exceeded all its community service obligations which included delivering over 94 per cent of domestic letters on time. Growth in its three core business areas – letters, parcels and retail – boosted overall revenue by 5.3 per cent to $4.96 billion. Australia Post is due to celebrate its bicentenary in 2009. Exercise survey reports activity The 2007 Exercise, Recreation and Sport Survey (ERASS) Annual Report has found most Australians participated in physical activity during 2007. A joint initiative of the Australian Sports Commission and relevant State and Territory Government Agencies, ERASS found 7.1 million Australians 15 years and over (43.5 per cent of the population) engaged in exercise at least three times a week, compared to just 5.6 million in 2001. The Annual Report found the age-group with the highest rate of regular participation for women was 55 to 64 (51.3 per cent) while the age-group with the highest participation rates for men was 15 to 24. Police Institute redesigned The Australian Federal Police has released plans to redesign its Australian Institute of Police Management in Manly, NSW, to create a more environmentally sensitive complex. Under the plan the current buildings would be moved away from the shoreline to protect the natural environment of the Long Nosed Bandicoot and Little Penguin. The AFP has followed the requirements outlined by the NSW Department of Planning and the Federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts in relation to the revised design. Another inquiry into gambling The Productivity Commission is set to update its 1999 inquiry into Australia’s gambling industries. The new inquiry is to commence on 24 November 2008, with a draft to be completed by mid 2009 and a final report by the end of next year. The update comes after almost a decade of changes to the industry, including the growth of internet and sports betting and regulatory changes such as bans on credit gambling and limitations on access to cash. Disability discussion paper A discussion paper on the National Disability Strategy has been launched jointly by the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children’s Services, Bill Shorten. Mr Shorten said public consultation sessions were being held across Australia to encourage people to have input. Submissions needed to be received by 1 December and could be made by visiting www.fahcsia.gov.au or emailing nds@nationalmailing.com.au Defence back to Anzac park The ANZAC Park West building in Constitution Avenue, Canberra is to be leased out after sitting idle for almost 10 years. The Department of Defence is to occupy the building after reaching an agreement with the Department of Finance and Deregulation. The heritage listed office building was initially refurbished for use by the Australian Federal Police, who later decided it was too small to meet its demands. Commemoration funding offered The Commemoration of Historic Events and Famous Persons grants program has called for people wanting to conserve the memory of famous people or events to apply for funding. The program, designed to help commemorate people, events and places of national historical significance, was offering small grants to help with grave conservation and the construction of monuments, plaques and statues with historical significance. Not-for-profit bodies, Australian citizens and Local Government Authorities were eligible to make a submission by 12 December. Further information was available from www.environment.gov.au Reactor shuts down The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has announced its OPAL research reactor would be shut down for two weeks for regular maintenance procedures. The Agency said the monthly fuel change and the replacement of heavy water in its reflector vessel were major steps towards recommencing full nuclear medicine production and irradiation of silicon for the semiconductor industry. The reactor was recently returned to full operation following a 10 month shut down due to a fuel design fault. Terrorism still a threat The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s Report to Parliament 2007-08 says Australia still faced a real threat from terrorism. The report, which was tabled in Parliament, highlighted ASIO’s role in countering espionage and foreign interference, saying technological advances had increased the threat of espionage in Australia. The report said during 2007-08 ASIO had conducted 3,224 intelligence and threat assessments, an increase of 17 per cent from last year, 72,688 visa security assessments, 82,290 counter-terrorism checks and 21,386 personnel security assessments. 21 October, 2008 IT report recommends reboot for APS A report on the Government’s use of Information and Communication Technology has recommended a “major program of administrative reform and cultural change” be undertaken. Written by UK consultant Sir Peter Gershon and released by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanne, the report called for the shake-up to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Government’s ICT use. Mr Tanner commissioned the independent review earlier this year. Sir Peter found that cuts to the Government’s $5.3 billion annual ICT bill could save it $140 million in its first year and up to $400 million in its second and recommended large Agencies with ICT spendings of over $20 million a year (excluding Defence) cut their business-as-usual budgets by 15 per cent and reallocate part of the funds to new capability building projects. Sir Peter said the Government needed to improve ICT governance and efficiencies, improve management of its skill base and spending, conduct data centre planning, improve interactions with industry and ensure ICT operations were sustainable. “Against the background of the Government’s objectives and the pressures to improve efficiency and effectiveness wherever possible, I consider some rebalancing between Agency autonomy and coordination across Government is both desirable and necessary in measures related to ICT,” he said. The report recommended a Ministerial Committee on ICT be established to encourage a whole-of-Government approach to policies and procurement and a Secretaries' ICT Governance Board be established to drive the recommendations should they be agreed to by Cabinet. Sir Peter suggested a whole-of-Government master plan be implemented for data centres; smaller Agencies reduce their business-as-usual budgets by 7.5 per cent; and the number of ICT contractors be halved over a two year period. “I am confident that the recommended actions and proposed changes can be successfully implemented over the next two to three years, and will deliver substantial benefits to the Australian Government,” he said. Mr Tanner said the report had been released before its recommendations were examined in the Cabinet, and that the model it proposed detailed seven areas where Government ICT investments could be improved. “Without pre-empting Cabinet's consideration, the report forms an excellent basis for implementing a series of changes,” he said. Mr Tanner said a Government response to the report would be issued in the “near future”. 21 October, 2008 Vote of confidence in PS after election The 2007 Federal Election presented ‘exciting opportunities’ for the Australian Public Service and according to the APS Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, the APS Commission played a key role in ensuring the smooth administrative changes that followed. Writing in the Commission’s Annual Report, Commissioner Briggs said the change of Government that followed the election was the first that many employees of the APS had experienced “The ability to adapt to change and respond quickly to new political priorities and policies, while maintaining knowledge and experience, is a critical characteristic of the APS and Australia’s system of Government,” Commissioner Briggs said. “The Commission has a key role to play in this regard.” She said that included in that role was the task of giving guidance to Public Servants on the caretaker conventions of Government and how to deal with potential challenges that might have arisen in the lead-up to the election. She said to do this the APSC joined the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Finance in hosting a series of seminars that offered that guidance “Immediately after the election the Commission helped Agencies to manage the Machinery of Government changes needed to give effect to the new APS organisational structure,” Commissioner Briggs said. “It then played an integral role in meeting the Government's commitment to introduce more transparent and merit-based selection processes for senior APS positions.” She said the new Government’s focus on restoring the Westminster tradition also involved the Commission guiding and advising the public sector on the APS Values and the Code of Conduct and it embarked on a wide-ranging review of publications, guidelines and training materials to integrate ethics into training courses and improving ethical decision making. Commissioner Briggs said the APS had continued to deliver high quality services in the face of skill shortages, a tight labour market and economic restraint. “More is being demanded of our employees, and they need to be highly skilled, and creative and strategic in their approaches to work,” she said. “It is more evident than ever that strong leadership is critical to our success.“ She said leaders who inspired vision and direction, motivated and guided staff, and built healthy organisations, relationships and culture were essential to the ongoing success of the APS but recruitment of quality staff “remains a challenge.” The APSC Annual Report could be viewed at www.apsc.gov.au 21 October, 2008 Leadership out front in bid for PS success Leadership and workplace culture are two of the most powerful tools in organisational success in the Australian Public Service according to Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs. In an address to staff at the Department of Finance and Deregulation, Ms Briggs discussed the influence leadership had on workplace culture and changes to leadership styles over the last 20 years. “Effective leadership and a healthy culture should see all levels of the organisation working, interacting and progressing towards a common goal,” she said. “Great leadership, like a rudder, will steer a culture to organisational success, even through the roughest of seas.” Commissioner Briggs said three main factors affecting an organisation’s success had been identified by a 2003 Hewitt’s Best Employer survey. She said the survey found 80 per cent of CEO’s thought their organisation’s ability to succeed would be affected by acquiring and retaining talent, leadership quality and organisational culture. She said “these elements resonate in the APS” and that quality leadership no longer included “sitting in an office, just managing staff resources and delegating tasks”, but required strategic thinking, excellent communication skills and resource management, passion, vision, and positive working relationships with staff. “A good leader ignores relationships at their peril,” Commissioner Briggs said. “Our employees tell us each year that relationships are what are most important to their job satisfaction. “ She said when leadership was poor, the workplace culture suffered. “The flow on effect to the workforce of your leadership can be devastating, resulting in poor retention of staff, poor performance, low levels of staff engagement,” she said. Commissioner Briggs encouraged Finance staff to aspire to leadership positions in the APS by setting goals, making changes, inspiring others, modelling values and maintaining close working relationships. “If you can articulate the way things are done in your area – for better or worse – you are well on the way to moulding the culture more effectively to get the best out of your people and the best outcome for your Agency,” she said. 21 October, 2008 Crisis hand-outs right on the money Social welfare agency, Centrelink was geared up and working hard to deliver the bonus payments contained in the Government’s Economic Security Package according to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig. Senator Ludwig said since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, announced the package Centrelink had received thousands of calls from its clients. He reminded them that they did not need to contact Centrelink to receive the one-off bonus payment. “Centrelink will be assessing people’s eligibility automatically, based on the information on customer records,” Senator Ludwig said. He said the $8.7 billion worth of one-off payments would be paid directly into the bank accounts of around six million Australians between 8 and 19 December. “As Minister for Human Services, I’m very aware of the increasing financial pressures millions of families, seniors, carers and people with disabilities are facing,” Senator Ludwig said. “The financial crisis support package announced by the Prime Minister and Treasurer will provide immediate financial support to millions of low and middle income earners.” He said Centrelink expected all six million eligible Australians would receive their bonus on time and as scheduled. 21 October, 2008 DSD signals programs OK The Defence Signals Directorate has cleared a number of new Microsoft and SafeNet products for use in the Australian and New Zealand Governments. DSD presented the companies with Common Criteria evaluation certificates. Deputy Director of Information Security at DSD, Mike Burgess said Microsoft Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Mobile 6.1 and SafeNet’s ProtectDrive products had all been cleared. “This is the fourth evaluation that Microsoft has completed through the Australasian Information Security Evaluation Program this year,” Mr Burgess said. “The evaluation of ProtectDrive to the Common Criteria EAL4 level provides a high level of assurance that Government information will be suitably protected.” He said the Information Security Evaluation program looked at the security functionality of IT products that the two Governments planned to use. “The entry level evaluation of Vista and Windows Server 2008 will provide the Australian and New Zealand Governments with a greater choice of assured operating systems,” Mr Burgess said. He said ProtectDrive was a PC security product designed to encrypt information at rest while stored in hard drives or removable media, and that approval for it and the Microsoft products was a step towards gaining product assurance. “Approval for its Government use above IN-CONFIDENCE remains subject to the successful completion of a cryptographic evaluation,” he said. Microsoft’s Senior Director of Security Engineering Strategy, Steve Lipner and SafeNet’s Security Analyst, Iain Holness accepted the evaluation certificates from DSD. “Microsoft continues to submit its products to international certification processes as a way of providing customers in the public and private sectors with assurance that their Microsoft solutions meet security standards,” Mr Lipner said. He said the Common Criteria Certificates further complemented the security assurance provided by Microsoft and demonstrated the security features of the products met international standards. SafeNet’s Vice President of Product Management, Derek Tumulak, said the evaluation showed SafeNet’s commitment to providing the Government of Australia with high assurance encryption solutions. 21 October, 2008 Security review locks down interoperability Joint progress by the Australian Federal Police, ASIO and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions on implementing the recommendations of the Street Review has been welcomed by Attorney-General, Robert McClelland. The Street Review: A review of interoperability between the AFP and its national security partners was an internal examination of the way the AFP worked with its partner Agencies on counter-terrorism investigations and was conducted by former NSW Chief Justice, Sir Laurence Street, assisted by former Director of the Defence Signals Directorate, Martin Brady and former NSW Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney. Mr McClelland said the AFP, ASIO and the DPP had implemented the review’s key recommendations to improve national security operations. “Substantial progress has occurred in all areas and I particularly welcome full implementation of these two key recommendations,” he said. He said the Agencies had put new Counter-Terrorism Prosecution Guidelines in place to improve consultation and communication regarding the investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and had agreed on a Joint Operations Protocol between ASIO and the AFP. Mr McClelland said the new Operations Protocol would facilitate the exchange of national security information and consultation on operations between the two Agencies. He said the improvements to the AFP’s external Agency cooperation measures followed the establishment of the Chief Executive Interoperability Forum which provided the Agency heads with regular opportunities to review priorities and interoperability issues. The Street Review made 10 recommendations covering four areas; operational decision making, joint taskforce arrangements, information sharing and training and education. “The public is entitled to expect that our national security agencies are functioning at the highest level both individually and collectively,” Mr McClelland said. “The Government and these security Agencies are working hard to ensure this occurs.” AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty welcomed the findings, saying the AFP had accepted all recommendations and would implement them as soon as practicable. Agencies that contributed to the review included ASIO, the Office of the DPP, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Attorney-General's Department, the Inspector General of Intelligence and Security, NSW Police Force, NSW Crime Commission, Victoria Police, Queensland Police Service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Federal Bureau of Investigation, United Kingdom Metropolitan Police Service and the New Zealand Police. Mr McClelland said the Government had established a separate Clarke Inquiry to review Dr Mohamed Haneef’s case and identify any further improvements to the operation of Australia’s national security agencies. 21 October, 2008 Court spears power over Native Title The powers of the Federal Court are to be boosted to allow it to take a central role in managing Native Title claims. The changes were announced by the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland who said they were aimed at encouraging more negotiated settlements. Mr McClelland said the Court had significant alternative dispute resolution experience and had achieved negotiated results in past native title matters. He said the change would give the Court control over all native title claims brought before it. “Having one body control the direction of each case means that the opportunities for resolution can be more readily identified,” he said. Mr McClelland said the change would help the Government realise its vision of a more flexible native title system that benefited Indigenous people and stakeholders. “Negotiated agreements are the key to achieving practical outcomes in native title,” he said. “This requires attitudinal change by all participants and a broader consideration of what parties can achieve through native title claims.” Mr McClelland said the Federal Court would complement these outcomes by playing an enhanced role in native title matters. He said under the new system the Court would determine which claims should be referred for mediation and whether the Court or the National Native Title Tribunal should mediate. “The Tribunal will be able to focus on the many services it provides that facilitate mediation and boost the ability of claimants and other parties to prepare to effectively engage with each other,” Mr McClelland said. “The Tribunal will also retain its other existing functions, such as future act arbitration.” He said legislation would be introduced to Parliament next year to implement the changes. 21 October, 2008 Workplace week has safety pinned This week is Safe Work Australia Week, a national initiative of the Australian Safety and Compensation Commission. According to Federal Safety Commissioner Helen Marshall, the purpose of the week (SWAW) was to remind workers and their supervisors that workplace health and safety was everybody’s business. Ms Marshall, a SWAW Safety Ambassador, said she would be using the week to 25 October to promote the message that everyone had the ability to influence safety regardless of where they worked or their position in an organisation. “You can get involved by holding a safety event in your own workplace,” Ms Marshall said. “This can be a fun way to get all staff thinking about safety.” She said activities were only limited by the creativity in a workplace. “Why not hold a safety-themed morning tea or schedule some interesting safety or health seminars?” she asked. She said in the Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner, staff were being challenged to create artistic representations of ‘Safety’ and she expected an afternoon of celebrations to be entertaining as teams presented their artwork, dance routines or poetry recitals! “Raising awareness of safety in your workplace may not only help decrease the number of injuries and serious incidents, but also boost staff morale and increase efficiency,” Ms Marshall said. Already one small business in NSW had won acclaim for taking an active and creative approach to workplace safety. A case study released by Ms Marshall’s office showed how Sharpe Bros had adopted a safety mascot to combat complacency and keep safety a top priority among employees. The company has introduced “Safety Bro” a visual mascot for workplace safety that constantly reminded all employees to consider safety in their daily activities For its initiative, Sharpe Bros was awarded the Best Workplace Health and Safety Practices in Small Business at the 2007 National Safe Work Australia Awards. More information about safe Work Australia Week could be found at the Australian Safety and Compensation Commission’s website: www.ascc.gov.au 21 October, 2008 Computer show goes without a glitch The achievements of Centrelink’s Information Technology Division have been highlighted in the inaugural ‘Celebrate IT’ exhibition, hosted by Centrelink’s National Support Office. Centrelink’s Chief Information Officer, John Wadeson, said the exhibition was a great way to showcase the state-of-the-art IT systems used by Centrelink staff every day. “Our IT program is at the cutting edge of technology, particularly in the area of security and data matching,” Mr Wadeson said. “IT is such an integral part of Centrelink’s business because it supports staff in providing efficient and effective services to customers.”   He said Centrelink was one of the largest IT employers in Australia with around 2,000 staff and was ranked fourth in Australia for the size of its IT network distributions. “On a typical day, the IT group will support over 30,000 desktops, 400 LAN servers and a network of 22,000 servers,” he said. “The Celebrate IT exhibition has been a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of our IT services as well as celebrate the success of the teams who work in this area.” He said Centrelink staff used IT to distribute over $63 billion of financial support to 6.5 million customers every year. “I’m proud Centrelink’s IT capability gives the Australian Government confidence in entrusting us with such a significant portion of public money.” Mr Wadeson said the Australian Government Drought Bus had visited the exhibition, providing an example of how Centrelink used IT to ensure access to their systems from remote locations. He said the buses were fitted with satellite phones, laptops and printers to allow staff to help customers in drought affected communities and during times of crisis.” The two-day exhibition was held in Centrelink’s National Support Office in Canberra and included demonstrations of current and future IT initiatives for Centrelink. 21 October, 2008 Superannuation study is high on interest The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has released a report on the performance of large superannuation funds between 2001 and 2006. The study was done to understand the differences in net returns across different superannuation fund types which included corporate, public sector, industry and retail funds over the five-year period. The study looked particularly at asset allocation, investment manager skill, fees, investment expenses and taxes. Deputy Chairman of APRA, Ross Jones said the study surveyed funds trustees to collect its information. According to Mr Jones, the key findings of the study were:
It found that the differences in returns to funds was expenses. “Retail fund expenses, explicit and embedded, lower the net earnings of the retail sector relative to the not-for-profit sector,” the study reported. It also found that the skill of the investment manager skill couldn’t explain the differences in returns and compared what would have happened to a $50,000 investment in each fund type. “This confirmed the net under-performance of retail funds compared with not-for-profit funds,” the study reported, “and showed that retail funds have higher fees (annual, entry and exit) than other fund types on average.” APRA’s Ross Jones said the study provided valuable insights into the driving forces at work in large super funds between 2001 and 2006 He said its findings, in conjunction with other APRA research, represented a “wealth of new data on APRA-regulated superannuation funds, which we expect trustees, the wider industry and fund members will find to be of great benefit.” The study was based on a representative sample of 90 corporate, industry, public sector and retail superannuation funds with more than $200 million each in assets and was commissioned by the Council of Financial Regulators which was a body composed of the Reserve Bank of Australia, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, APRA and the Commonwealth Treasury. The study can be found on the APRA website www.apra.gov.au 21 October, 2008 No complaints over complaints report The Commonwealth Ombudsman has reported a 20 per cent increase in people contacting his Office for help during 2007/08 over the year before, highlighting problems in Government decision making Commonwealth Ombudsman, John McMillan, said in his Annual Report that nearly 40,000 people had contacted his Office for assistance during the year. Professor McMillan said his report looked at how the Office had helped those people navigate the “complexities of Government administration” and that there had been an increase in complaints about new or revised Government programs that had advantaged some people and had disadvantaged others. “A change in Government services or business practices is sure to generate complaints about the changes and how they impact on people,” Professor McMillan said. “The integrity of a new program will partially rest on whether those grievances can be raised and answered in a fair and independent manner.” He said complaints were also driven by the complexity of the laws and programs administered by Government Agencies. “Many of those who approached the Office - just over half - did so about an issue that was beyond our jurisdiction,” he said. “The assistance we could provide was to direct the caller to another place for help, or to explain other options. “Increasingly, it seems, people turn to an Ombudsman’s office for assistance in resolving a problem with Government or business.” He said his report reminded Agencies that a single complaint or problem, such as a one-off administrative error could reflect a weakness in the Agency’s processes. “A strong theme in our work in the past year was to explain how complaints can provide a window on larger problems that need to be corrected,” Professor McMillan said. He said the Office had published reports on 14 own-motion and major investigations relating to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC), the Department of Defence, Comcare, Australia Post and Welfare to Work. “Some of these investigations were triggered by individual complaints which pointed to a systemic or structural problem in Government that warranted broader investigation,” he said. Professor McMillan said the Office handled complaints about 110 Federal Agencies; finalised 19,126 approaches and complaints within its jurisdiction; and handled 20,311 complaints related to out-of-jurisdiction matters and requests for information. He said about 78 per cent of complaints focused on Australia Post, the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink, the Child Support Agency, DIAC, and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. 21 October, 2008 Centrelink gets nod from tip-off audit An audit report on Centrelink’s tip-off system has found the Agency adhered to its privacy responsibilities but could be more efficient, cost-effective and consistent. Auditor General, Ian McPhee, examined the tip-off system, which allowed members of the public to alert Centrelink to people they believed were receiving payments without disclosing complete or accurate details of their circumstances. Mr McPhee said tip-offs were just one element of Centrelink’s compliance measures designed to ensure clients received the correct entitlement. “They need to be managed in a manner that delivers the best outcome from each tip-off, while protecting the privacy of customers and safety of informants,” he said. “Tip-off cases represent approximately seven per cent of all compliance reviews and fraud investigations completed. While not a large proportion of Centrelink compliance and fraud programs, tip-offs can be difficult to manage due to the involvement of informants and the challenges often encountered in verifying the information received.” Mr McPhee said Centrelink currently relied on tip-off line operators, processing teams, a tip-off recording system and compliance review officers and fraud investigators to implement its tip-off guidelines and processes. He said of the 101,595 tip-offs received and/or investigated in 2007/08, only16.2 per cent had resulted in a reduction, increase, cancellation, rejection or suspension of a client’s payment. Mr McPhee said while Centrelink had a “documented process and guidelines for the collection and recording of tip-offs”, the guidelines relating to the collection and retention of tip-offs and contacting clients and informants as part of compliance reviews and fraud investigations could be improved. “Centrelink’s compliance and fraud program performance measures are primarily quantitative and can be improved by introducing qualitative measures to provide a more balanced assessment of the compliance review and fraud investigation performance,” he said. Mr McPhee said funding and cost management of the tip-off process and the savings generated by the program were limited and that improvements in Centrelink’s ability to cost respective compliance capabilities could “assist with decisions about the allocation of resources”. The audit made six recommendations, all of which Centrelink agreed to. Mr McPhee recommended Centrelink implement a time frame for the retention of tip-off information; revise its Fraud Investigation Manual and when it was appropriate to contact informants and clients; develop budgetary funding details; and work with the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Department of Finance and Deregulation to develop a savings methodology. 21 October, 2008 In-flight phone plan gets sky-high OK The installation of in-flight mobile phone systems in aircraft has been proposed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, said the Authority supported the possession and installation of the in-flight phone services by Australian airlines for domestic and international flights. “There is growing recognition by regulators worldwide that in-flight mobile phone services can be deployed without interference to existing telecommunications services,” Mr Chapman said. He said ACMA was proposing amendments to the Mobile Phone Jammer Prohibition Notice which prohibited the use of mobile phone jammers in Australia. Mr Chapman said the amendments would allow the pico cell technology used in in-flight mobile phone systems to be implemented. He said pico cell technology trials carried out over the last 18 months had been labelled “highly successful” by the companies providing the service and had not resulted in any interference complaints to ACMA. He said in 2007 ACMA had authorised a trial of in-flight Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) services on a Qantas aircraft for one year by amending the Prohibition Notice to allow the use of pico cell technology for trials under a scientific assigned apparatus licence. “Australia led the world when it trialled in-flight GSM mobile phone services in 2007,” Mr Chapman said. He said Qantas and V Australia had expressed interest in offering the services, but could not do so until regulatory arrangements had been approved and implemented. Mr Chapman said ACMA had called for submissions on the proposed changes to the Mobile Phone Jammer Prohibition Notice to be submitted prior to 17 November. He said ACMA was committed to protecting existing mobile phone services from interference and to enabling new technologies and services such as in-flight mobile phone services to progress. Mr Chapman said Copies of the draft Prohibition Notice could be obtained from www.acma.gov.au 21 October, 2008 New voices added to broadcasters’ plans The future policies of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) are to be decided in consultation with the community under plans set out in a discussion paper released for public comment by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. The Department’s Minister, Senator Stephan Conroy, said the paper, ABC and SBS: Towards a Digital Future looked at some of the key issues facing the broadcasters over the next 10 years. Senator Conroy said the new measures, which included a two month consultation period and a new board appointment process, were aimed at ensuring the broadcasters’ “strength and independence”. “The ABC and the SBS are two of Australia's most important and loved public institutions,” Senator Conroy said. “Australians are passionate about their national broadcasters and I expect there to be some strong views about ensuring the ABC and SBS are well placed to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the emerging digital, online and global media environment.” ABC Managing Director, Mark Scott, welcomed the paper and encouraged ABC listeners to have their say. Mr Scott said the ABC’s funding commitment ended in June 2009 and the outcomes of the discussion paper would “inform Government as it decides the funding for the next triennium”. Senator Conroy said independence would be restored to the ABC and SBS boards and has called for applicants to fill four vacancies. He said applicants would be assessed on merit by a Nomination Panel established at ‘arm’s-length’ from the Minister. “For too long the process of appointing directors to the ABC and SBS Boards has been open to political interference,” the Minister said. “It is time to restore independence. “The new selection process will ensure that all future appointments to the ABC and SBS Boards are conducted in a manner that fosters independence, transparency, accountability and public confidence.” He said as a part of the new measures, the Government would reinstate the staff-elected director on the ABC Board. “"The position of staff-elected Director makes an important contribution to the ABC's independence by providing the Board with a unique and important insight into ABC operations,” he said. Senator Conroy said the Government would consider the outcomes of the consultation before the next three-year funding round for national broadcasters in July 2009. Further information on making a submission could be found at www.dbcde.gov.au 21 October, 2008 Arts Council research paints big picture Three joint projects between the Australian Research Council and the Australia Council for the Arts have been announced under the ARC Linkage grants program. Valued at $4.7 million, the projects would be designed to increase understanding of how technology and culture could bring people together; what the role of the arts might be in improving school attendance rates; and how to prevent injuries among top musicians. Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council, Kathy Keele, said the Council was delighted to be associated with the initiatives. Ms Keele said the first project, worth $2.1 million over five years, would offer alternate perspectives on how to use public space and would look at cross-cultural big screen events. She said the ‘large screens research project’ was being conducted in partnership with Melbourne’s Federation Square, the Art Centre Nabi in Seoul and the Australia Council for the Arts, with research being undertaken by the University of Melbourne and the Australia Council. Ms Keele said the second project, worth $1.1 million over three years, would look at the potential of arts education to increase motivation and achievement among school students. “Findings will help better direct funding and policy to arts education that makes a real difference in the lives of children and young people,” she said. “The University of Sydney and the Australia Council will carry out this research.” Ms Keele said the Australia Council would also sit on the steering committee of a new ARC-funded project to investigate musician health, well-being, injury prevention and management. “This five-year, $1.5m project, will be led by the University of Sydney in partnership with the Australian professional orchestral network,” she said. Ms Keele said the research would establish the first injury surveillance system for orchestral musicians and could lead to Occupational Health and Safety policies for the industry. She said the grants acknowledged the Australia Council’s growing role as a knowledge centre on the arts which is one of the six strategic priorities for the organisation. 21 October, 2008 Student employability is work in progress A report into the employability skills of senior secondary students has been released by the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard. Aimed at deciding how best to assess and report on the students’ readiness for the workforce, the report said that assessing their employability skills was complex but necessary and they needed to identify their skills and the areas they needed to improve in. Ms Gillard said the report, Study into the Assessment and Reporting of Employability Skills of Senior Secondary Students, focused on the work conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). She said the report identified eight employability skills and evaluated them against a set of five criteria. She said the eight skills - communication, teamwork, problem-solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organising, self-management, learning and technological aptitude - were evaluated against validity, reliability, objectivity, feasibility, and usability to find a preferred assessment approach. “What emerged from this study is a completely new picture of how senior secondary students’ achievement of employability skills, across Australia, might be assessed and reported,” the report said. Ms Gillard said it found there were three assessment processes most suited to reporting on employability skills achievement. The report said of the three processes - standardised testing, common assessment tasks and teacher-group judgments – common assessment tasks was the preferred approach. “Common assessment tasksare set by a central agency (or group of teaching professionals) and marked by teachers in the students’ school according to the same criteria and standards as those used by teachers in other schools,” the report said. “Common assessment tasks would provide a degree of comparability that could be enhanced through moderation, although this would result in increased cost and complexity.” Ms Gillard said the report’s findings would benefit the broader schools sector and inform the development of the Government’s Job Ready Certificate. “The Job Ready Certificate will be funded as part of the Government’s $6.4 million investment over four years to strengthen partnerships between business, schools and industry,” she said. “It will recognise the achievement of employability skills by secondary students undertaking vocational education and training in schools and Australian Apprenticeships.” She said the study was overseen by an advisory group including representatives from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia, Australian Council of State School Organisations and from national parent groups, principal groups and independent groups. A copy of the report was available from www.deewr.gov.au 21 October, 2008 CAPAM meets The Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) is holding its 8th Biennial Conference in Bridgetown Barbados this week. The theme of the conference is “Continuing the Shared Journey: Achieving Public Service Excellence” exploringthe shared journey of achieving Public Service excellence and the development of a Public Service that actively responded to the needs of citizens in the current context. A feature of the event would be the announcement of the 2008 CAPAM International Innovations Awards. IPAA lunchtime talk A special lunchtime seminar is to be put on by the Institute of Public Administration Australia on 30 October, featuring the Director General of the Senior Civil Service of the Netherlands, Jan William Weck. Mr Weck is to address Professions in Perspective and give an overview of the development of the Dutch Civil Service, its founding, current issues facing it and the future of public management. The seminar is to be held in Canberra, will be free of charge and include lunch. More information can be obtained from (02) 6251 6060 or admin@act.ipaa.org.au Navy dives into TV A new television documentary series showcasing the Navy’s Clearance Divers has been launched by the Commander of the Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates. Navy Divers would provide viewers with a rare insight into the selection course trainees needed to survive to join the ranks of one of the Navy’s most elite and mysterious units. The new series was scheduled to premier on ABC television at 8.30pm on Tuesday 28 October. Army tours longer The Australian Army is to send soldiers on eight-month operational deployments to Afghanistan for the first time this month. The decision to move from six to eight-month deployments came as the Army recognised the shorter deployments negatively impacted on its need to sustain a broader range of land warfare capabilities and its ability to generate future capabilities. Not all deployments were to be extended, with those soldiers who were given an extended tour being allocated additional time between deployments. New look for Radio National The newly released 2009 program schedule for ABC Radio National has included changes to its daily 8:30am reports. Mondays and Tuesdays were set to remain the same, broadcasting the Health Report and the Law Report respectively, while Rear Vision would replace the Religion Report on Wednesdays, a new program, the Future Report (working title) would replace the Media Report on Thursdays and Friday Morning’s Sports Factor would be replaced by Movietime. Argall leaves Medicare Medicare Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Argall has announced her retirement. During her 38 year Public Service career, Ms Argall led a number of organisations including the Child Support Agency. The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, thanked Ms Argall for her enthusiasm and commitment to the Service. More time for children’s TV The Australian Communications and Media Authority has extended the submission period on the draft Children’s Television Standards 2008 to 31 October 2008. The Authority said the draft dealt with a number of complex issues regarding appropriate television for children and the extension was in response to requests from stakeholders. It said further information on the review and making a submission could be found from www.acma.gov.au Anti-terror exercise a success The largest Counter-terrorism exercise ever undertaken in Australia, Mercury 08, has been labelled a success by Attorney-General Robert McClelland. Mr McClelland said the exercise included a mock terrorist attack on the Brisbane CBD, a failed suicide bombing in the Pilbara, threats to WA infrastructure sites and a hostile vessel takeover in Australian waters. He said the exercise provided Border Protection Command with an opportunity to activate its new crisis command centre and to trial the recently revised national alert level system. PM awards science prizes Two early career scientists have been presented with Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. Canberra bioscientist, Dr Carola Vinuesa was awarded the $50,000 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year for her contributions to immunology while South Australian physicist, Professor Tanya Monro won the $50,000 Malcolm McIntosh prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for inventing new kinds of optical fibres. Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, awarded three Australians with prizes, including Professor Ian Frazer, Adelaide teacher Bronwyn Mart and Clare Valley (SA) teacher Clay Reid. Tongan High Commission opens A High Commission for the Kingdom of Tonga has been established in Canberra, adding Tonga’s representation to that of Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Fiji, who all have a diplomatic presence in Canberra. The step highlighted Australian cooperation with the island nations of the Pacific and the approximately 7,500 Tongan-born people in Australia. 14 October, 2008 APS pulls plug on ICT spending Spending on Information Communication Technology in the APS was down about $1 billion in the year to June according to industry analyst, Intermedium. The company said it was likely that the drop signalled a “significant downturn in the Federal Government ICT market.” Intermedium said the additional 2 per cent efficiency dividend together with major policy and program reviews may have resulted in the decline in ICT activity by the Federal Government. “This artificially induced cutback may have serious consequences for both the Australian ICT industry and the wider economy if the impact of the current US credit crisis widens,” Intermedium said. “Equally importantly, delivery of Government services might be compromised if the cuts have affected essential ICT investment programs or the availability of skilled resources.” The company said the decrease was unrelated to the current global economic problems. “The current slowdown in the Federal ICT market is not due to the wider economic downturn; it is simply a co-incidence that Government policies have impacted at the same time as the downturn,” it said. “Even before the economy slowed, Government ICT spending slowed as Agencies took a conservative approach to procurement in the lead-up to the Federal election.” Intermedium said over the past 12 months the industry had recorded a decline in the amount of ICT business. It said Government markets were often unaffected by general economic conditions and often continued almost unchanged while other sectors slowed. “Government markets may even be counter-cyclical, growing during periods of market downturn as Governments attempt to ‘pump prime’ the broader economy,” Intermedium said. The company said a number of factors had contributed to the slowdown including the increase in the efficiency dividend, cuts to spending in the May budget and purchase deferrals. It said final figures were not yet available but early data suggested the total value and number of ICT contracts had fallen. Intermedium planned a comprehensive market briefing of the Federal ICT Market for 2007/08 in Canberra on 30 October and in Sydney on 4 November this year. Further information was available from www.intermedium.com.au 14 October, 2008 Police defend their man in Croatia The Australian Federal Police has leapt to the defence of the Agent it sent to Croatia to work on the case of missing Australian backpacker, Britt Lapthorne. In a Statement the AFP said it had full confidence in the professionalism and duties being performed by the Agent, Marko Dokmanovic, who was sent to Croatia on 30 September to help Croatian Police investigate the 21-year-old’s disappearance. The AFP said Agent Dokmanovic’s ability to speak Croatian allowed him to establish quick and clear lines of communication between the Croatian Police and Australian authorities. It said Croatian Police had provided complimentary feedback about Agent Dokmanovic at the Interpol General Assembly in St Petersburg, Russia. “Media articles focused on Federal Agent Dokmanovic are unhelpful and only provide a distraction to the concerted efforts by all parties involved to find Ms Lapthorne,” the AFP said. Ms Lapthorne’s Father, Dale Lapthorne, said he appreciated the AFP expressing the importance of the case to Croatian Police. The AFP said Agent Dokmanovic had a background in complex major investigations and over 25 years of policing experience. A senior AFP liaison officer was also deployed to Croatia and had been attending meetings with Croatian law enforcement officials and reaffirming the AFP's commitment to supporting the local investigation. Interpol also issued a Yellow Notice, aimed at helping locate and identify Ms Lapthorne, to all member countries at the request of Croatian authorities. Interpol’s 24-hour command and coordination centre had given Ms Lapthorne’s case a high priority status. The AFP said it acknowledged the distress experienced by Ms Lapthorne’s family and was committed to helping Croatian Police and providing support and advice to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In an interview on Melbourne radio, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, said he had ‘absolute confidence’ in the AFP’s ability and intentions. 14 October, 2008 Union unites behind re-elected leaders Louise Persse has been elected unopposed as President of the Community and Public Sector Union with Stephen Jones returning as national secretary and Mark Gepp assistant national secretary. The ballot for senior positions in the largest public sector union in the country closed on 24 September with a number of candidates successful unopposed. Voting for the contested positions will be held from 19 November to 10 December. The Union was waiting on the Australian Electoral Commission to confirm the eligibility of candidates and their nominators after which those who were not contested would be elected unopposed. Candidates for National Officer, Governing Councillor and Section Secretary positions have provided brief statements to help members decide who to vote for and their statements have been posted on the CPSU website for members to view. Candidates were also given the opportunity to provide statements to the AEC so they could be posted to members along with their ballot papers. All union members are to vote for the contested positions of Deputy National President and Deputy Secretary. Members in separate union sections would also be given the opportunity to vote for Section positions such as Governing Councillor, Section Secretary and Section Councillor. A list of nominations could be obtained from www.cpsu.org.au The AEC Returning Officer responsible for running the election could be contacted on (02) 9375 6375. 14 October, 2008 Senator votes for equal terms The Special Minister of State, Senator John Faulkner has called for equal terms of office for Senators and Members of the House of Representatives and fixed election dates, to better reflect the will of the electorate and enhance democracy. In a recent speech entitled The Senate: Blessing or Bane? delivered at the Conference on Bicameralism, Senator Faulkner said there was a broad acceptance of the Senate’s permanence and strong support for it as a powerful force for review and scrutiny, particularly through the committee system, but fixed simultaneous four year terms for both MPs and Senators would enhance the Australian democracy. “House and Senate terms of equal length would make the Senate more reflective of the will of the electorate at the most recent election,” Senator Faulkner said. He said he agreed with the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, which in 2001 recommended four-year terms on the ground that they would “facilitate better long-term planning for Government and ensure consistency with state jurisdictions and cost savings”. He said Australia had three-year Parliamentary terms in name only, with an average length of only 28.5 months over the past quarter of a century. “In addition, such a reform would eliminate the long-standing anomaly whereby Senators elected six years earlier, who have chosen not to recontest their seat or who lost their seat, continue to sit, to vote on and to determine the fate of legislation until the following July,” he said. Senator Faulkner said fixed election dates would address some of the uncertainties and limitations of the current political system. He said enabling the Government to choose the most advantageous moment to go to the polls did not enhance governance or Government decision-making. “It is simply an advantage of incumbency,” he said. “It may be that fixed, simultaneous, four year terms may be too much, too soon, to receive the level of broad bipartisan support that is a prerequisite for any referendum to be successful.” Senator Faulkner said simultaneous terms for both Senators and Members of the House of Representatives would be a significant step forward, as would new Senators taking their seat straight after an election. 14 October, 2008 Climate change puts heat on Treasury Treasury has released the policy modelling assumptions it would use for the economy under the influence of climate change. Treasurer, Wayne Swan, said the assumptions were made public as part of the Government’s commitment to developing an economically responsible Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS). He said the Government would deliver the CPRS in a measured and responsible way, and would “continue to consult with industry, business and the community every step of the way.” Mr Swan said the key areas outlined in the modelling assumptions included global population, productivity, economic growth, energy efficiency, gross domestic product, Australia’s terms of trade and technology assumptions. He said Treasury had undertaken extensive research and consulted with a wide range of domestic and international experts in developing the assumptions, particularly the historical trends and possible future economic, social and technological developments. Mr Swan said the assumptions drew on research, previous global and Australian studies and consultation with Government, industry and domestic and international experts. “As in any economic modelling which includes long time horizons, making firm assumptions becomes more difficult the further we look into the future,” he said. “The Treasury has developed a set of assumptions which represent its best assessment of plausible central estimates within the range of possible values.” He said the Government was committed to “tackling dangerous climate change responsibly” through the CPRS in order to protect the economy and the environment. He said considerable interest from stakeholders had resulted from the Government’s consultations on the assumptions and that stakeholder consultation workshops would be conducted this month. Mr Swan said the Government would release a report looking at the affects of alternative targets, including thorough documentation of assumptions and results by the end of October. “There will be an opportunity for public scrutiny and comment on the detailed Treasury modelling before the Government makes its decision in December on the medium term target range and the indicative national emissions trajectory to 2012-13,” Mr Swan said. 14 October, 2008 Air safety website hits ground running The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has launched a new website explaining the procedure used by pilots when they aborted a planned landing. The Authority said the procedures were “often misunderstood.” It said there were over 800 ‘go-arounds’ in Australia each year, and that the procedure was safe and routine. CASA said passengers were often surprised by the aircraft’s increase in power and altitude as it prepared to abort or discontinue a landing. “A go-around will usually mean a delay in landing of 10 to 15 minutes as the aircraft is repositioned for another approach,” the Authority said. “Go-arounds are performed because pilots are not entirely satisfied that all requirements for a safe landing have been met.” CASA said go-arounds could be carried out due to poor visibility, wind and turbulence as well as potential conflicts with other traffic, vehicles or obstacles on the runway or aircraft performance and configuration. “Aircraft performance or configuration factors include speed, height above ground, rate of descent and the angle or bank of the aircraft,” it said. Spokesperson for the Authority, Michelle Harris, said go-arounds were an essential safety procedure. “Some passengers can be concerned about go-arounds as they are a departure from the normal flight pattern,” Ms Harris said. “However, go-arounds are in fact a safe operation designed to make sure everything is right before a landing is made.” She said all pilots were trained in the procedure from the beginning of their careers. “Passengers can now learn all about this safe procedure by simply going to the CASA web site and clicking on the 'Aviation Safety Explained' button,” she said. The site was accessible on www.casa.gov.au 14 October, 2008 Policy paper knocks down building body A discussion paper has been released on a plan to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission and replace it with a new Division within Fair Work Australia. The paper, prepared by former Federal Court Judge Murray Wilcox, was welcomed by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard. Ms Gillard said the Government was inviting public submissions on the paper, which was commissioned earlier this year. She said Mr Wilcox had undertaken extensive consultations surrounding the new specialist division and that the discussion paper was an important part of his consultation process. She said the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) would be retained until 31 January 2010, when it would be replaced with the Building and Construction Division within the inspectorate of Fair Work Australia. She said the Government began the consultation process to ensure the transition to the new arrangements were orderly and effective. Ms Gillard said the powers and resources of the ABCC would be retained until responsibility was transferred to the new Division in January 2010. She said Mr Wilcox’s final report was due to be submitted to the Government by the end of March 2009 and that the public could respond to his discussion paper by 5 December 2008. Further information was available from www.workplace.gov.au 14 October, 2008 CSIRO to suck in air quality survey The CSIRO has called for volunteers to take part in a survey of air quality in private homes. The survey, to be conducted in Melbourne and funded by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, would include 40 households and be undertaken by CSIRO atmospheric scientists. Air quality researcher with CSIRO, Melita Keywood said while some household pollutants posed a health risk, there was no data on average air conditions in a typical Australian home. “This survey aims to fill that gap in our knowledge,” Dr Keywood said. “The study is an important step in determining whether there are any issues of concern with the quality of indoor air in the average Australian dwelling, in terms of potential adverse impacts on human health.” She said the study would allow CSIRO to determine what sources were likely to be associated with elevated levels of particular pollutants. She said volunteers would have to be willing to have sampling equipment installed in their living areas for 7 days this Spring and another 7 days in early 2009. The equipment would take around three hours to install. Dr Keywood said the survey aimed to gather information about possible sources of pollutants such as household chemicals, cooking, cleaning and hobbies involving adhesives. She said to help achieve these aims volunteers would need to keep a diary during the sample periods. In return for participating in the survey, Dr Keywood said households would receive a full analysis of their homes’ indoor air quality which could help them make improvements. She said the study was designed to look at the associations between indoor air quality and a wide range of factors such as building type, age and construction materials and indoor and outdoor pollution sources. It would also reveal whether seasonal conditions or proximity to roads and transport had an impact on indoor air quality. The survey was due to begin in a few weeks and would continue until April next year. For further information on the survey, or to volunteer, CSIRO could be contacted on (03) 9239 4400 or reception-as@csiro.au 14 October, 2008 Centrelink blood quest not in vein Centrelink staff in New South Wales and Queensland have signed up to give blood in a six-week challenge to boost local blood supplies and raise community awareness of the importance of blood donations. The Centrelink initiative, Race to the Blood Bank has been supported by the Australian Red Cross Blood service and was set to coincide with the lead-up to the 30th annual Centrelink Games in Coffs Harbour this November. Since the challenge began, hundreds of staff had registered to donate blood, with over 24 from Greater Newcastle and Hunter regions already fulfilling their promise. One such member, Senior Executive for the Hunter Region, John Dorian, donated for the cause last week. Mr Dorian said Centrelink’s involvement in Race to the Blood Bank demonstrated its commitment to the community and to encouraging staff to live active and healthy lifestyles. “When Centrelink heard the Australian Red Cross Blood Service was desperately in need of blood donations, we were naturally up for the challenge with everybody getting on board,” Mr Dorian said. “I’m proud to say the staff from the Greater Newcastle and Hunter regions are part of the 125 Centrelink offices that will be donating to this very worthy cause over the next six weeks.” He challenged other organisations to get involved in a similar manner and hoped Centrelink’s participation would have a positive effect on the blood supply and local communities. A spokesperson for the Red Cross, Garry Wolfe, said Centrelink’s involvement would be a great help as one in three people would need blood during their lifetime, but only one in 30 currently donated blood. “Every donation can help up to three people who are in need of life saving blood products,” Mr Wolfe said. “On behalf of the community we say thank you to all Centrelink staff for their enthusiastic and generous support of the Race to the Blood Bank campaign.” 14 October, 2008 Guide makes inroads into infrastructure New guidelines to help Infrastructure Australia choose projects for the nation’s Priority List have been announced by the Minister for Infrastructure, Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese said the guidelines outlined an evidence-based approach that would be taken to select the transport, water, energy and communications projects needed to secure Australia’s long-term prosperity. He said all proposals would be assessed against certain criteria, including their ability to lift national productivity, strengthen Australia’s international competitiveness, develop cities and regions, improve Australians’ quality of life and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He said the guidelines were developed by a team of experts led by the Chair of Infrastructure Australia, Sir Rod Eddington. Mr Albanese said the team drew on national and international experience. He said the announcement of the new guidelines provided the community with some insight into how Infrastructure Australia would develop the list. “An interim report on the Infrastructure Priority List will be completed by the end of 2008 and will aim to guide investments from the private and Public Sectors, including allocations from the $20 billion Building Australia Fund,” Mr Albanese said. He said the Government was reforming the way Australia planned, used finances and built infrastructure. “Through a combination of national leadership, long term planning and genuine community engagement, we will reverse the decades of underinvestment in the nation’s critical economic infrastructure,” Mr Albanese said. 14 October, 2008 Tourism film ad gets flick of approval Tourism Australia has unveiled its new advertising campaign, taking full advantage of the expected success of the Baz Luhrmann film epic Australia, to be released soon. Managing Director of Tourism Australia, Geoff Buckley, said the opportunity created by the film was one the organisation couldn’t let pass. Mr Buckley said they knew the film would create a wave of publicity that would force international eyes to focus on Australia. “And we found that the film’s story had a remarkable resonance for what we do marketing the country as a travel destination,” he said. “The challenge was always going to be how to ride the power of the film, but with a stand-alone and self-reliant tourism campaign.” Mr Buckley said getting Mr Luhrmann and his team on board to make the campaign was “simply the best result we could hope for.” Executive General Manager of Marketing for Tourism Australia, Nick Baker, said the campaign was unique as a tourism campaign because it was cinematic in style, had a storyline and was “sophisticated and highly emotive.” “It is not the traditional slide-show of pretty pictures of places and people,” Mr Baker said. “The idea stems from Baz’s film, which tells the story of Nicole Kidman’s character, Lady Sarah Ashley, who has lost her sense of self but who finds adventure, romance and her true self when she comes to Australia.” Mr Baker said the campaign’s main story followed people who were stressed and emotionally distanced from their lives, finding their “centre and their release” in Australia. He said the term ‘walkabout’ had been adopted in the campaign as an Australian way of describing what holidays should be – a time of release, joy, discovery and reconnection. “Walkabout also enabled us to bring our Indigenous culture into the heart of the story, with the young Aboriginal actor, Brandon Walters who features in the film Australia, inviting our potential travelers to come ‘Walkabout’ in Australia,” he said. Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, said the campaign came as Australia’s tourism industry faced a difficult period. “This will be the highest profile and most sophisticated campaign ever undertaken by Tourism Australia and it is rightly a source of great hope for our industry,” Mr Ferguson said. Mr Buckley said the campaign would run in Tourism Australia’s 22 major markets for around nine months and would be shown in cinemas, televisions, print and online. It had already started in the UK. He said Tourism Australia had invested around $50 million in the initiative. 14 October, 2008 Investors cash in on Centrelink advice Self-funded retirees with investments caught up in the overseas financial crisis have been urged to contact Centrelink for help. The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, said the Agency could help them make informed decisions about the options open to them. He said Centrelink was offering a number of free services to those affected by the financial crisis. “The Australian Government appreciates the current stock market volatility is putting a great deal of stress on many self-funded retirees who were relying on share dividends and other investments to fund their retirement,” Senator Ludwig said. “If people’s circumstances have changed recently, I would strongly encourage them to contact Centrelink to discuss their individual situation.” He said even people who were not members of Centrelink could access their services, such as the free Financial Information Service. “The Financial Information Service doesn’t sell advice or investment products – it’s a Government service that simply offers unbiased financial information. “Centrelink also has a network of free social workers available who can provide additional assistance and referrals to other support services. This service is available face-to-face or over the phone.” Senator Ludwig said talking to Centrelink could be the first step toward making informed financial decisions. “Self-funded retirees affected by the stock market should also consider testing their eligibility for income support payments, as a part-pension may assist some retirees in the short-term,” he said. “Even if people have not qualified for assistance in the past, I’d encourage them to discuss their options with Centrelink.” Senator Ludwig said existing Centrelink customers could also be affected by the crisis and could contact Centrelink as changes to their share values could result in higher pension payment rates. “People should talk to Centrelink on 13 2300 and see what options are available,” he said. 14 October, 2008 Network buoyed by underwater finds The discovery of 274 new underwater species and 80 uncharted mountains highlighted the value of the recently declared Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network according to Environment Minister, Peter Garrett. CSIRO scientists on two voyages to the Southern Ocean discovered the new species which were announced by the Minister when he released the most recent findings from the CMRN. Mr Garrett said the discoveries provided a surprising insight into the biodiversity of the largely unexplored area south of Tasmania. He said scientists from around the world had analysed the new species and mountains (seamounts), which were among the most biologically important habitats in the oceans. “The richness of molluscs found in these voyages has been described by marine scientists as astounding and requiring a complete rewrite of textbooks for this type of fauna,” Mr Garrett said. “These discoveries, in just two of the 14 reserves which form the South-east Commonwealth Marine Regional Network, show just how important that network and indeed the entire Commonwealth marine jurisdiction is in conserving Australia's remarkable deep ocean biodiversity.” Mr Garrett said the reserves in the South-east CMRN, declared in July 2007, covered 226,000 square kilometres of ocean off Tasmania, Victoria, southern New South Wales and eastern South Australia. He said similar reserve networks would be developed in four other Australian marine regions by the end of 2010. The new data was found during two surveys undertaken on the Marine National Facility Vessel, the RV Southern Surveyor, by using multibeam sonar, underwater video and seafloor sampling during November 2006 and April 2007. The 274 newly discovered species were analysed, along with 86 which were previously unknown in Australian waters and 242 that had been studied before. The discovery of the seamounts raised the number in the region to at least 144, the highest concentration in Australian waters. Scientists also discovered 145 new undersea canyons, bringing the regional total to around 276. A management plan for the South-east CMRN was expected to be released for public comment later this year. The CSIRO’s $1.49 million project received over $900,000 funding from the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 14 October, 2008 Ex-Service committee fires its first salvos The newly-formed Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Ex-Service Matters used its first meeting to decide on how it would work and how it would report to Government. Meeting in Canberra, the 14-member Council confirmed its terms of reference, investigated some consultative arrangements for the veterans community and began considering the major issues facing the portfolio. Chairman, Allan Hawke, said he was pleased by the progress of the first meeting. Dr Hawke said the Council had begun to discuss key topics such as mental health in the veteran community and how it would address other priority areas. The Council met with Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, who said establishing the advisory body was an important achievement for the Government and that he looked forward to listening to its advice. “It was encouraging to have the Prime Minister join our first meeting and hear his views on the importance of the Council,” Dr Hawke said. He said the Council would work closely with the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin, who also attended the meeting. Mr Griffin said he expected the Council would provide advice and identify priority issues facing the ex-service and defence communities. “I am pleased that the Council has now been established, as we promised prior to the election,” he said. “Based on the outcomes of the first meeting, I believe the Council is well placed to fulfill its role of providing a collective voice for the veteran community.” Mr Griffin said the Council was established to revise proposed legislation and its impact on ex-service and defence communities, advise on ex-service matters directly impacting other Departments, provide advice on issues affecting the ex-service and defence communities and consider, assist and prioritise issues raised or referred by the Prime Minister and the Minister. The Council would take part in informal, out-of-session meetings before its next formal meeting in March 2009. Members of the Council are Frank Benfield from Queensland; Group Captain Dr Robert Black from South Australia; former MP Graham Edwards from Western Australia; Dr Allan Hawke, Chair; June Healy from the ACT; Commodore Nick Helyer from NSW; Warrant Officer Peter Hind from Queensland; Ken Kipping from the ACT; Gail MacDonell from NSW; Anne Pahl fromVictoria; Phil Pyke from Tasmania; Donna Reggett from Queensland; Brigadier Keith Rossi from Victoria; and Brigadier Neil Weekes of Queensland. 14 October, 2008 Industry Innovation Council is good idea A new Council to help transform and improve the competitiveness of Australian industry has been announced by the Minister for Innovation and Industry, Senator Kim Carr. Senator Carr said the Future Manufacturing Industry Innovation Council was the second of a series of Industry Innovation Councils to be established by the Government. He said the manufacturing industry, which contributed around 10 per cent to Australia’s Gross Domestic Product and employed over a million people, was under pressure from the rise of low wage economies. “To secure manufacturing's future we need to boost our competitive advantage, with more focus on high-tech, high-skill and innovation-intensive manufacturing,” Senator Carr said. “The Council will work with companies to develop innovative strategies.” Senator Carr said the Council would be chaired by the Managing Director of Varian Australia, Philip Binns. "Philip Binns will play a leading part in this critical work and I am extremely pleased he has agreed to chair the Council,” he said. “His extensive experience with Varian Australia in all areas of high-tech, precision manufacturing from product development to sales and exports as well as his background in science, give him the credentials to provide the Council with strong leadership and vision.” Senator Carr said representatives from businesses, unions, professional organisations, the science and research community and the Government would be appointed to the Council soon. He said the inaugural meeting would be held before the end of the year. 14 October, 2008 Procurement Guide has Finance buy-line The Department of Finance and Deregulation has released revised Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines to come into effect on 1 December 2008. It said the Guidelines represented the policy framework under which Agencies undertook their own procurement activities in the context of the Government’s broader policy framework. Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner said the Guidelines focused on achieving value for money in Commonwealth contracts which procured goods and services worth $30 billion a year. Mr Tanner said the Guidelines also informed Departments and Agencies of the Government’s policy for new Coordinated Procurement Contracting Arrangements. “There are some goods and services that all or most Agencies buy and the purchase of those items is not coordinated across the Government,” he said. “Improved value for money will be achieved through aggregation of Government demand and negotiating whole-of-Government procurement contracts in a variety of core Government areas, such as IT, professional services and travel.” He said under the new arrangements, where the Government established coordinated procurement contracting for a particular good or service, Agencies would be required to use that contract unless an exemption has been granted. He said this arrangement would reduce duplication between Agencies and allow the Government to use its combined purchasing power to improve value for money. “Where it is sensible to do so, we will be looking to standardise procurement documents to ensure consistency in format, content, application and contracts,” Mr Tanner said. “My Department has already developed Source IT contract templates for Australian Government agencies for a range of simple ICT procurements.” He said Agencies would also be required to review operations with a focus on simplifying procurement processes, particularly the cutting of red tape. "The release of the Procurement Guidelines is only the beginning,” Mr Tanner said. “We are looking to continuously improve the Commonwealth's procurement framework to ensure that procurement processes are conducted efficiently and effectively.” "We want to deliver overall savings to the Australian Government and, therefore, value for taxpayers.” The main changes to the Guidelines include:
14 October, 2008 ABS tracks down nomads The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that the urban areas of the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory recorded the highest population turnover in the five years to 2006. In an analysis of Census data, the ABS also found that the areas with the lowest turnover were rural areas with high Indigenous populations in the Northern Territory and Queensland. The findings have been published in Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover which was available for free download from the ABS website: www.abs.gov.au Gallery building cleared The National Gallery of Australia has been cleared of concerns its building might have been responsible for cancers among staff. The investigation into the alleged cancer cluster found the rates of cancer among gallery employees were similar to those in the general population. The investigation also revealed staff may have been exposed to potentially dangerous carcinogens, but that they were not significant enough to have increased the risk of contracting cancer. Whistleblower appeals The man who was convicted last year of leaking confidential Australian Customs Service reports to a newspaper has appealed against his 9 month suspended jail term, calling the verdict “unreasonable.” Former Customs staffer Allan Kessing and his lawyer claimed his trial was based on suspicion while Senior Counsel for the Commonwealth said the arguments were procedural in nature and could not overcome the circumstantial evidence against Mr Kessing. A decision on the appeal is yet to be handed down. Defence ups the rent The Department of Defence’s annual review of housing contributions and allowances has increased payments to the Group Rent Scheme to reflect rising rent and living expenses. The changes would affect members in Service residences and those on rent allowance, housing-related allowances and the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme. The changes were expected to come into effect on 13 November. Indigenous audits out The Office of Evaluation and Audit (Indigenous Programs) in the Department of Finance and Deregulation has published three new reports on programs aimed at strengthening communities and better engaging Indigenous Australians. The audit reports highlight the Prevention, Diversion, Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice Program, the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s Development Plan and the Indigenous Small Business Fund and Indigenous Capital Assistance Scheme. Further information is available from www.finance.gov.au Rights awards extended The closing date for nominations for the 2008 Human Rights Medals and Awards has been extended to 10 October. Nominations would be accepted for the Human Rights Medal, Young People’s Human Rights Medal, and Human Rights Awards categories of: Community (Individual), Community (Organisation), Law (sponsored by the Law Council of Australia), Literature (Non-fiction), Print Media, Television and Radio. Further information is available at www.humanrights.gov.au ACCC water paper The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has called for submissions on a paper it has produced on the development of water charge rules for irrigation infrastructure operators and bulk water operators. The rules form part of the Water Act 2007, which created new arrangements for addressing the sustainability and management of water in the Murray Darling Basin. Submissions were due by 24 November and more information was available from www.accc.gov.au Arts access hub The Australia Council has made a range of arts marketing resources available on its online research hub. The Council has been consolidating its online resources for the arts sector into a centralised research hub, which was available at www.australiacouncil.gov.au The resources include news stories, conference papers, how-to guides and case studies. Comcare conference Comcare’s 2008 National Conference is to be held in Canberra from 22 to 24 October. The three-day conference will cover a range of contemporary occupational health and safety issues and feature presentations from industry professionals. It will also be used to announce the 2008 Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission Safety Awards in five different categories including awards for leadership and individual contributions to health and safety. For more information contact www.comcare.gov.au Tender for job lot Tenders have been called for the new $3.9 billion Employment Services contracts due to begin on 1 July next year. The Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, said the successful services would provide a mix of training, work experience and other support to help job seekers find and keep work as the current system was outdated and did not suit the existing labour market. Further information was available from www.tenders.gov.au Passport out of form The Australian Passport Office will no longer accept passport applications completed on the form that was replaced in July. The new application forms were designed to strengthen the identity management process underpinning the Australian passport issuing system and ensured names included in replacement passports matched those recorded on Births, Deaths and Marriages Registers and the Australian Citizenship Register. Historic boat steams to 130 The National Museum of Australia has celebrated the 130th birthday of its Paddle Steamer Enterprise. The PS Enterprise was originally launched in Echuca in1878 but for the past 20 years, has sailed on Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, manned by volunteers. The Museum is situated on the banks of the Lake. Four of the steamer’s volunteers were recognised for 20 years’ service at the special birthday ceremony. Green plan takes over land Land A million hectares of native habitat are to be protected to improve land management under the environmental targets set in the Caring for our County program. Under the program, farmers would be supported to help achieve an increase in the size of protected areas, multiplication of native habitats and vegetation and improvement in sustainable land management practices. Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, said the program would cost $2.25 billlion and ensure greater transparency in Government investment while working towards a healthier, better protected and well managed environment. 7 October, 2008 School’s in for new Education Authority A new National Education Authority is to be established to bring together all curriculum, assessment and reporting functions and manage them at the national level. The Council of Australian Governments agreed to the move which would be a major aspect of the Commonwealth’s ‘Education Revolution’. Minister for Education, Julia Gillard said COAG’s decision was driven by an agreement between Education Ministers at all levels of Government to end the education ‘blame game’ by working through the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. She said the new Authority would be responsible for delivering a national curriculum, new levels of transparency and the performance reporting agenda announced by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in September. Ms Gillard said Australia had been debating the merits of a national curriculum for the last 30 years and it was now time to “go beyond debate and take national action. “It is internationally recognised that achieving world class education standards requires the close alignment of curriculum, assessment and accountability systems to set high expectations for all students and enable a relentless focus on improving student outcomes,” Ms Gillard said. She said the new Authority would provide more effective transparency and accountability mechanisms to meet the needs of students, parents, teachers and the wider community. She said the National Curriculum Board, which was established by the Government in April to tackle community engagement in developing Australia’s first national curriculum, would form part of new Authority. Ms Gillard said COAG’s decision had “shown that education is now at the forefront of the national agenda. “The Commonwealth, States and Territories will continue to work together to develop the legislation to establish the new Authority.” 7 October, 2008 Commission delivers on maternity scheme The Productivity Commission has recommended a national maternity leave scheme be implemented to allow nursing mothers up to 18 weeks paid leave to stay home and look after their newborn children while fathers would get two. The Commission said its proposed taxpayer-funded scheme would benefit around 140,000 mothers and 225,000 fathers each year. The draft report said the scheme would pay mothers the adult minimum wage of $544 per week for the 18 weeks and would yield community-wide gains in the long term. Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald said the proposal was designed to deliver better child and maternal welfare, greater workforce participation by women and improve work-family balance and gender equity. “The proposed measures give immediate support to parents of newborn children in the paid workforce, but ultimately benefit all Australians,” Commissioner Fitzgerald said. Commissioner Angela MacRae said the Productivity Commission wanted to enable mothers to stay at home for at least the first six months of their baby's life as that was the best time to nurture a child. “Given that parents usually are able to take off some months on their own account, 18 weeks additional paid leave will allow six months at home for almost all parents - particularly low-wage mothers,” she said. Commissioner MacRae said mothers who were not eligible for paid parental leave, would receive a new maternity allowance and other social security benefits as a replacement for the baby bonus. Noting the report,the Minister for Employment, Julia Gillard, and Treasurer, Wayne Swan said they were committed to a “child-centred approach to family policy”. “We recognise the need to ensure strong and sustainable economic growth, promote early childhood development, encourage greater gender equity and support families in balancing work and family responsibilities,” the two Ministers said. “The Government is committed to supporting all mothers, whether they are in a paid job or at home.” The Productivity Commission said the proposed scheme would require proof of employment and a capped superannuation contribution from employers for most employees and would cover full time, part time and casual employees, as well as the self-employed and contractors. It was expected to cost the Government around $450 million each year with businesses putting in a net $74 million a year through superannuation contributions. Responses to the scheme have been sought by the Commission before it submits its final report in February 2009. According to the Commission, Australia was one of only two developed countries that did not have a national system of paid maternity leave. 7 October, 2008 Dividend is efficient says Finance chief The Secretary of the Department of Finance and Deregulation, Dr Ian Watt has defended the impact of the increased efficiency dividend on smaller Agencies. Appearing before the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit’s Inquiry into the Effects of the Ongoing Efficiency Dividend on Smaller Public Sector Agencies, Dr Watt defended his Department’s submission which said the efficiency dividend was an incentive for Agencies to operate efficiently, regardless of size. “The efficiency dividend operates as a mechanism by which the Australian Government is able to secure Public Service efficiencies arising from improvements in management and administrative practices,” the Departmental submission said. “It also allows the Australian taxpayer to share in these gains.” It said dividend provided the Chief Executives of Agencies with a financial incentive for seeking new and more efficient means of delivering services and managing operations and traced the history of the dividend back to 1986-87 when it was 0.5%, through 1987-94 when it was 1.25%, 1995-2005 when it was 1.0% and then 2006-08 when it was 1.25% again. The submission said if the efficiency dividend wasn’t in place over that time, the task of ensuring productivity gains would have fallen to a central Agency, probably Finance. “In the absence of the efficiency dividend, the identification and redirection of efficiency gains to other priorities would require a more interventionist approach by Finance to assess whether Agencies were operating efficiently and to seek savings where this was not the case,” it said. “Such an approach would be resource intensive, potentially more arbitrary, and would reduce the incentive for Agencies to pursue efficiency gains themselves.” It said the dividend also provided a means of facilitating changes in priorities. “It (the efficiency dividend) provides a return to the Budget from ongoing gains in efficiency which can be redirected through the Budget process to areas that the Government has identified for additional funding.” The submission defended applying the dividend to smaller Agencies saying their capacity to realise efficiencies “need not be any less” than for larger Agencies. “In some cases, smaller agencies may face pressures in delivering increased services or outputs (for example, as a result of growing customer numbers or new requirements from the Government) or may face constraints on their capacity to achieve efficiencies in particular areas,” it said. “However, many larger Agencies also face similar pressures.” Dr Watt said if smaller Agencies were as seriously affected by the dividend as it seemed, their submissions to the Inquiry didn’t show it. He said instead that most showed they had scope for improved efficiencies. 7 October, 2008 Defence hits target on financial reports The Auditor-General has given the Department of Defence its first unqualified financial audit report in seven years. The Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, said the report, which covered Defence’s 2007-08 financial statements, was a “significant achievement”. “It is an important part of my agenda to fix the Defence budget, together with the independent audit of the Defence budget and our $10 billion savings program,” Mr Fitzgibbon said. He said Defence had been working hard to improve the transparency of its financial systems and that along with the audit, the report would help establish an accurate view of its finances. Mr Fitzgibbon said Defence had addressed several areas of audit qualification, including general stores inventory, repairable items, infrastructure, explosive ordnance, plant and equipment assets and leave provisions. “I would like to thank the Auditor-General and his team for working closely with my Department to resolve its financial management issues,” he said. “I am keen to build on this success to further improve the integrity of Defence’s financial management through initiatives such as the budget audit being led by George Pappas.” Mr Fitzgibbon said the unqualified position was a significant milestone in efforts to put the Defence budget on track. Defence’s financial statements were last free of audit qualification in 2000-01. 7 October, 2008 Announcement made on unannounced milestone The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency has completed a milestone 1,000 unannounced visits on nursing homes and residential aged care facilities. The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot, congratulated the independent Agency saying it was expected to conduct a further 2,000 unannounced visits this financial year. Mrs Elliot said the Agency’s unannounced visits were conducted between 1 July and 2 October and resulted in action against six nursing homes, which included five sanctions. Mrs Elliot said the unannounced visits played an important role in improving and exposing gaps in resident care. “Unannounced visits gave an accurate picture of a nursing home’s day-to-day operation,” she said. “They are even more important as frail elderly residents are cared for 24 hours a day and are often unable to speak out if they have concerns about their care – especially those in high care.” Mrs Elliot said in nursing homes where a “serious risk” had been identified, the Accreditation Agency had visited daily until the risk was removed. “I make no apologies for these tough measures,” she said. “Unannounced visits are all about the health, safety and well being of residents.” Mrs Elliot said she was confident the aged care industry and those it served would benefit from the improved transparency and accountability of the industry. She said the Accreditation Agency visited 333 nursing homes in the ACT and NSW, 296 in Victoria, 141 in Queensland, 101 in Western Australia, 100 in South Australia and the Northern Territory and 30 in Tasmania. In addition, the Department of Health and Aging also conducted 391 unannounced visits during the same period, concentrating the majority of their efforts on Queensland and Victoria. Mrs Elliot said it was important to remember that most of Australia’s 3,000 nursing homes were doing an “excellent job”. She said the Accreditation Agency followed a set of risk factors to identify nursing homes requiring further unannounced visits. These risk factors included non-compliance in areas such as nutrition and hydration, the number of complaints against a facility, staff changes, building programs and changes to resident populations. 7 October, 2008 Audit sinks teeth into Toothfish A performance audit of the Australian Customs Service found it had successfully implemented measures to control illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Southern Ocean. The audit, by the Australian National Audit Office, looked at the effectiveness of the Southern Ocean Maritime Patrol and Response program (SOMPR), which was launched in 2004 to apprehend illegal fishing vessels. Auditor-General Ian McPhee said initially the Government allocated $89.2 million over a two year period for the program, but following its success, extended it until 2010 and provided an additional $181.3 million. “Most of this funding was to contract an armed vessel capable of year-round patrols in the challenging conditions of sub-Antarctic weather,” the Auditor-General said. He said the audit found the desired outcomes of the SOMPR program, which were to protect the Patagonian Toothfish fishery from IUU fishing and to protect Australian Southern Ocean waters and the fragile Southern Ocean environment, had been largely successful. “Customs has consistently exceeded its target of at least 200 sea days patrolling annually and has performed that work within its budget,” the Auditor said. He said since the program began, only one IUU vessel had been sighted and apprehended, despite the Government’s initial expectation that the number would increase from the eight apprehended between 1997/98 and 2003/04. “This low level of IUU activity indicates that one of the original desired outcomes of the SOMPR program – to protect Australia’s Patagonian Toothfish fishery from IUU fishing – is being achieved,” the Auditor said. “In this light, Customs has successfully implemented measures to control IUU fishing in the Southern Ocean.” However, the Auditor recommended Customs continue to assess the threat of IUU fishing by taking various factors, such as Australia’s patrol-sharing agreement with France and weather and economic conditions, into account. “This should enable Customs to understand better the influences on IUU activity and provide assurance that SOMPR program resources are used efficiently and effectively to mitigate those threats,” he said. The Auditor-General recommended Customs develop a strategic plan for Southern Ocean patrolling, identifying patrolling options following the conclusion of the program in June 2010. 7 October, 2008 Report turns heat on climate change costs The latest report on climate change has shown that the costs were likely to occur earlier and be more substantial than originally thought. The final report of the Garnaut Climate Change Review has been accepted by the Government with the Minister for Climate Change, Senator Penny Wong, describing it as the most comprehensive economic review of climate change since the Stern Review was released in 2006. Senator Wong said Professor Garnaut's work highlighted just how challenging it would be to tackle climate change. “His Climate Change Review shows that while there will be some unavoidable costs from climate change, the costs of taking action to reduce carbon pollution are less than the costs that would be incurred if we fail to act,” Senator Wong said. She said the Review had been commissioned by the former Opposition (now Government) and State Governments in 2007. “The Labor Party made a decision to get started on this important work from opposition because we understand the importance of taking action on climate change,” she said. “Professor Garnaut's work has gone a long way towards getting Australia on the right track to address the enormous challenge of climate change.” Senator Wong thanked Professor Garnaut and his team for delivering the Review. She said the Government was expected to release further Treasury modelling in October and a White Paper on the design of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was due to be released by the end of 2008. 7 October, 2008 Transparent budget worth looking at A Senate Select Committee has urged the States and territories to enact Charters of Budget Honesty to ensure their financial reporting was not misleading and to introduce their own State income taxes to reduce reliance on the Commonwealth. The Select Committee on State Government Financial Management made the call to all State and Territory Governments saying it wanted the Chartersto ensure each Government’s financial reporting was fully consistent with all relevant standards. It said this would enable Parliamentary and external scrutiny, ensure future levels of revenue and expenditure were accurate and prevent Governments from using misleading accounting practices. The all-party Committee made 13 recommendations aimed at providing a uniform approach to how States and Territories should handle their finances, most of which come through the Commonwealth via taxes such as the GST. The Committee said the Charters should include principles to prudently manage financial risks including levels of Government debt, dampen cyclical fluctuations in economic activity, contribute to adequate saving, increase stability and predictability and ensure that policy decisions had regard to the financial effects on future generations. The Committee also recommended that each State and Territory’s Charterinclude principles governing its relationship with Government Business Enterprises (GBEs). It said this would include requirements for an appropriate return on the community's investment while allowing GBEs to operate on a commercially sustainable basis and make ongoing investment in infrastructure. The Committee said infrastructure investment policies should be clearly spelled out, including conditions for the use of Public-Private Partnerships. In the area of State taxation, it called for the abolition of all “inefficient State taxes” covered by the Intergovernmental Agreement on the reform of Commonwealth-State Financial Relations. “Furthermore the States should agree to, and abide by, a timetable to abolish stamp duty on conveyances of real non-residential property,” the Committee said. It wanted the Federal Government to appoint a special Taskforce to examine the feasibility of options to reduce Commonwealth income tax, and introduce State and Territory income taxes instead, to reduce their reliance on the Commonwealth. The Committee recommended that in developing its options the Taskforce be required to have regard to how the following objectives can be maintained, or obtained:
7 October, 2008 Police praised for custody of Memorial The Australian Federal Police have been praised for the care and dignity shown in their stewardship of the National Police Memorial in Canberra. Police from all States and Territories visited the Memorial on National Police Remembrance Day to honour their fallen comrades and were warm in their regard for the AFP. The Memorial, which was completed in 2006, honours all Australian Police killed on duty since 1803 and is under the custodianship of Canberra-based AFP Officers. Following the conclusion of this year’s ceremony, 731 Police were honoured by the Memorial. While no Police died on duty during 2008, five names were added following historical research. Two Victorian Constables, Edward Dore who died in a Police motorcycle accident in 1957 and Edward Hubbard who drowned during Special Operations pre-selection training in 1999, were added to the memorial. Three South Australian Police who died in the 19th Century were also added. Police Trooper James Higgins died from head injuries from a horse riding accident in 1855, Corporal Henry Nixon was stabbed multiple times in 1855 and died from the wounds’ consequences six years later and Constable Thomas Charlesworth drowned crossing a swollen creek in 1884. Relatives and descendents of the Officers flew to Canberra for the service. AFP Commissioner, Mick Keelty, said each name on the Memorial represented a loved one killed while serving the community. “National Police Remembrance Day is a day of solemn reflection and gives each family a chance to draw support from others who have lost loved ones and from the wider community,” Commissioner Keelty said. “The role of a Policeman has changed significantly over the years, but is no less dangerous as our members go about their work.” National Police Remembrance Day was commemorated each year on 29 September, the feast day of Saint Michael the Archangel and Patron Saint of Police. 7 October, 2008 Children’s report comes of age The Australian Law Reform Commission has followed up a major report of 10 years ago by revisiting the way Australia’s legal system treated children and young people compared with the nation’s obligations under the international Convention on the Rights of the Child. Issue 92 of the ALRC’s publication Reform - Children and Young People -focused onthe current treatment of children and young people in the legal process against a backdrop of the recommendations made in its 1997 report. That report, Seen and Heard: Priority for Children in the Legal Process was published jointly by the ALRC and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (now the Australian Human Rights Commission) and followed a two-year inquiry. President of the ALRC, Professor David Weisbrot, said the anniversary of the report provided an opportunity to review its impact and to explore current issues and controversies. Professor Weisbrot said the 92nd edition included articles that addressed over a dozen areas for consideration. He said the articles included topics such as the rights of Indigenous children; changes to the Family Court and the family law system; the legal framework for inter-country adoption; how effective the legal process was in protecting young consumers; discrimination against young people in the workplace; and issues around genetic testing of minors. “With our publication Reform, the ALRC seeks to stimulate high quality and constructive discussion and debate, to engender knowledge and understanding and to bring hot issues of law reform to the attention of the community,” Professor Weisbrot said. “The opportunity to look back over the last decade at how children have fared within our legal system, to see how far we’ve come and where we still need to go reminds us of one of the most important areas in law reform.” He said Reform 92 also explored the progress made by the Government since the report was released; youth and the democratic process; the 2020 Youth Summit; and children and the law in the Solomon Islands. The Commissioner-in-charge of Reform 92, Professor Rosalind Croucher said the Commission was lucky to have contributions from The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma; Chief Justice Diana Bryant; Justice Susan Kenny; and NSW Children’s Commissioner, Gillian Calvert. 7 October, 2008 New alerts less alarming A new Counter-Terrorism Alert System has been introduced across the country to allow more flexibility and dismantle the current ‘one-in, all-in’ States’ security approach. Attorney-General Robert McClelland announced the new regime which he said could apply an alert level nationwide or to a specific jurisdiction, industry, business sector or geographic location. Mr McClelland said the system it replaced had required alert levels to change nationwide if one community or region’s risk was altered. “The previous approach, while comprehensive, could be expensive and onerous for communities not impacted by a security situation,” he said. “Through the experience gained in recent counter-terrorism exercises it has become apparent that the current system would benefit from a greater level of flexibility in order to avoid needlessly impacting those unaffected by a security event.” Mr McClelland said the four alert levels (low, medium, high and extreme) would remain the same and that the only difference would be how they were applied. He said the system, which came into force on 1 October, was more flexible and logical than its predecessor. “Australia is a vast country - a security situation in Perth may have no impact on the people living in Sydney or Melbourne,” Mr McClelland said. “This more targeted system of national counter-terrorism alert will help avoid unnecessary disruptions to everyday life.” He said the program would also be more cost-efficient for the private sector, which had made a substantial investment in its security arrangements. “It is another example of how Australian governments are working together to help protect Australia from terrorism,” he said. Mr McClelland said the current national counter-terrorism alert was ‘medium’, which meant that a terrorist attack within Australia ‘could’ occur. 7 October, 2008 NZ to tackle Aussie tax cheats The New Zealand Taxation Office has agreed to chase Australian tax debts as part of the taxation treaty between the two countries. Australia’s Assistant Treasurer, Chris Bowen said the Assistance in Collection of Taxes Article in the two-nation tax treaty had come into effect. It meant the Australian taxation Office would also chase NZ tax debts in Australia. Mr Bowen said the effect of the Article along with the current renegotiation of other provisions in the treaty would further enhance economic links between the two countries. He said the collaborative agreement would also strengthen trans-Tasman tax administration. “It will also assist the ATO’s efforts in tracking down outstanding tax debts from people who have left Australia,” Mr Bowen said. “Entry into effect of this Article reinforces the strong commitment the Governments of Australia and New Zealand have to strengthening co-operation in the enforcement of tax laws and the collection of tax.” Mr Bowen said Australia and New Zealand had exchanged diplomatic notes which confirmed they had completed the relevant internal procedures required for the Article to go ahead. He said the Article took effect last month and was inserted by the 2005 amending protocol, which focussed on strengthening the integrity aspects of the 1995 tax treaty. He said the protocol entered into force in January 2007, with the entry into effect of the Assistance in Collection of Taxes Article to take effect after both countries had put in place supporting domestic arrangements. 7 October, 2008 Security trial picks bones out of X-rays A controversial new X-ray based airport security system was being trialled in Adelaide by the Office of Transport Security with help from experts at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, ANSTO. Executive Director of the OTS, Paul Retter, said the new system would help detect explosives in liquids, aerosols and gels carried by air passengers. Mr Retter said the trials would take place at Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne airports for five weeks from mid-October to evaluate how well they performed. “The technologies include the latest in vapour and liquid analysers, explosive detecting X-ray technologies, and 'millimetre wave' and 'backscatter' body scanning technologies,” he said. “Each of these technologies has undergone rigorous testing by the Australian Nuclear Science Technology Organisation and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation.” Mr Retter said some of the technologies were already being used overseas and the trials would assess which ones were best suited for Australian use. “During the trial, travellers will be able to choose the existing hand luggage scanners and walk-through metal detectors - or - they could choose the technology trial lane and provide feedback on the new technologies,” he said. Head of the ANSTO program, Ned Blagojevic, said his organisation was helping OTS run technical tests on the X-ray equipment to ensure it was of a high standard. Mr Blagojevic said he was thrilled for ANSTO to be involved. “Airport security is getting tighter around the world and it's important that Australia keeps up with the latest technology to ensure our borders are safe,” he said. “ANSTO will help ensure that the equipment that is eventually chosen to do the job is of the highest calibre.” Mr Blagojevic said the three layers of testing involved were body scanning, baggage scanning and scanning for liquid aerosol gels. He said passengers could choose not have be body scanned. Mr Retter said participation by the public was completely voluntary throughout the trial stage and that Trial Assistants would be on hand to answer questions. “People who do opt for the technology trial lane can do so knowing that the officer examining the images is located away from the screening lane and cannot see them,” he said. “Faces are blurred and images are not saved and cannot be transferred.” Mr Retter said the scan was safe, with the dosage of radiation from a body scan being 400 times less than a single medical X-ray. “It would take 10,000 scans to reach the maximum level of safe radiation recommended in a year,” he said. “Before the trials start, we would like travellers to be informed and have an opportunity to take part.” Further details on the trial were available from www.infrastructure.gov.au 7 October, 2008 New lending rules creating interest A four-year overhaul of consumer credit laws has been announced to crack down on dubious mortgage dealers and payday lenders. Expected to cost $71 million, the exercise would be aimed at modernising Australia’s financial services and could also target other predatory lending practices such as unsolicited offers to extend credit card limits. Announced jointly by the Prime Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Corporate Law, the two-stage plan was also endorsed by Premiers and Chief Ministers at the most recent meeting of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said the overhaul would protect customers and cut red tape for businesses as the global financial crisis threatened economic stability worldwide. “These are difficult times and strong regulation is the best protection for all Australians,” Mr Rudd said. “Australia’s banking system and robust Budget surplus put us in a strong position to see the economy through this global financial crisis.” Under the first phase of the plan, the Government would take responsibility for trustee companies by enacting the existing key credit regulation and the Uniform Consumer Credit Code (UCCC) as Federal law. Mr Rudd said the UCCC, which already covered mortgages for family homes, would be extended to cover investment property mortgages to limit borrowers’ debt. He said payday lenders, who charged large fees on small loans and made cash advances to financially vulnerable people, were to be brought under a national licensing regime for the first time, forcing them to lend responsibly. He said all finance brokers, advisors and credit providers would be covered under a national licensing scheme and all lenders licensed by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. All borrowers would be able to appeal to an external dispute resolution body to which all licensed lenders must belong. The second phase of the plan which was due to start after phase one ended in June 2009, would examine possible rules to stem predatory lending practices, such as a review of credit card limit extension offers, an examination of State approaches to interest rate caps and regulating reverse mortgages to protect older Australians. Any changes made during the second phase were expected to become Commonwealth legislation by June 2010. The overhaul followed the release of the Government’s Financial Services and Credit Reform Green Paper in June and agreement at previous COAG meetings to transfer consumer credit regulation to the Commonwealth. 7 October, 2008 Europeans get clear view of Aussie visa A simple to use, online visa service for visitors to Australia could soon be introduced for all member States of the European Union. The Minister for Immigration, Senator Chris Evans, said the new eVisitor online service would allow anyone from the 27 member States of the EU to apply for a visa online and for free. “All EU member states currently provide Australian citizens with visa-free access, with about one million Australians expected to visit Europe in 2008-09,” Senator Evans said. He said the expansion of the eVisitor service resulted from the decision to deliver reciprocal short-term entry arrangements for EU nationals. “This service will further enhance the convenience and speed of online applications, with eVisitor holders able to visit for up to three months at time for tourist or business purposes as many times as they like over a 12-month period,” Senator Evans said. The Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, said the service would boost Australia’s $38.9 billion tourism industry. “Making travel to Australia simpler for more than 1.2 million people from the EU each year will encourage tourism growth, strengthen cultural links and facilitate business relationships with Australia’s largest continental trade partner,” Mr Ferguson said. Senator Evans said there had been a steady growth in applications from the EU since it became free for EU nationals to apply for a visa in 2007. He said 260,000 eVisitor applications were expected to be lodged from October 2008 to July 2009. He said the convenience and simplicity of the application process, along with technological advances and improved efficiency would enhance Australia’s security and immigration risk screening. Senator Evans said the service would be available from 27 October at www.immi.gov.au 7 October, 2008 Aids aid for disabled Australia is to play a leading role in supporting people with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region. Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, committed the Government to the policy saying it was a step towards the goal of increasing social participation for all. Mr McMullan said around 80 per cent of the estimated 650 million people worldwide with a disability lived in developing countries. He said the Asia Pacific region was home to two thirds of that population. “The Australian Government recognises that poverty is both a cause and consequence of disability and is committed to ensuring that the benefits of development reach those who are most excluded,” Mr McMullan said. He said Australia would provide $45 million over two years to develop an avoidable blindness program and would develop a disability strategy to guide Australia’s international development assistance program. Mr McMullan released the draft strategy for consultation at the International Conference on Disability, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia last month. “This conference shows that there is a growing interest in disability across the region and increasing recognition that people with disability, who often count amongst the poorest of the poor, have an important role to play in national development,” he said. “I am determined that Australia will take a lead in this respect.” Mr McMullan said the conference represented a timely opportunity to discuss the draft strategy with disability representatives before its official launch later this year. He said the conference aimed to exchange knowledge and promote action on disability in developing countries. It was organised by the Australian Disability and Development Consortium, and attracted over 200 participants. He said Australia recently ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was preparing a national disability policy expected to be released next year. 7 October, 2008 ABS tracks down nomads The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that the urban areas of the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory recorded the highest population turnover in the five years to 2006. In an analysis of Census data, the ABS also found that the areas with the lowest turnover were rural areas with high Indigenous populations in the Northern Territory and Queensland. The findings have been published in Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover which was available for free download from the ABS website: www.abs.gov.au Gallery building cleared The National Gallery of Australia has been cleared of concerns its building might have been responsible for cancers among staff. The investigation into the alleged cancer cluster found the rates of cancer among gallery employees were similar to those in the general population. The investigation also revealed staff may have been exposed to potentially dangerous carcinogens, but that they were not significant enough to have increased the risk of contracting cancer. Whistleblower appeals The man who was convicted last year of leaking confidential Australian Customs Service reports to a newspaper has appealed against his 9 month suspended jail term, calling the verdict “unreasonable.” Former Customs staffer Allan Kessing and his lawyer claimed his trial was based on suspicion while Senior Counsel for the Commonwealth said the arguments were procedural in nature and could not overcome the circumstantial evidence against Mr Kessing. A decision on the appeal is yet to be handed down. Defence ups the rent The Department of Defence’s annual review of housing contributions and allowances has increased payments to the Group Rent Scheme to reflect rising rent and living expenses. The changes would affect members in Service residences and those on rent allowance, housing-related allowances and the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme. The changes were expected to come into effect on 13 November. Indigenous audits out The Office of Evaluation and Audit (Indigenous Programs) in the Department of Finance and Deregulation has published three new reports on programs aimed at strengthening communities and better engaging Indigenous Australians. The audit reports highlight the Prevention, Diversion, Rehabilitation and Restorative Justice Program, the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s Development Plan and the Indigenous Small Business Fund and Indigenous Capital Assistance Scheme. Further information is available from www.finance.gov.au Rights awards extended The closing date for nominations for the 2008 Human Rights Medals and Awards has been extended to 10 October. Nominations would be accepted for the Human Rights Medal, Young People’s Human Rights Medal, and Human Rights Awards categories of: Community (Individual), Community (Organisation), Law (sponsored by the Law Council of Australia), Literature (Non-fiction), Print Media, Television and Radio. Further information is available at www.humanrights.gov.au ACCC water paper The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has called for submissions on a paper it has produced on the development of water charge rules for irrigation infrastructure operators and bulk water operators. The rules form part of the Water Act 2007, which created new arrangements for addressing the sustainability and management of water in the Murray Darling Basin. Submissions were due by 24 November and more information was available from www.accc.gov.au Arts access hub The Australia Council has made a range of arts marketing resources available on its online research hub. The Council has been consolidating its online resources for the arts sector into a centralised research hub, which was available at www.australiacouncil.gov.au The resources include news stories, conference papers, how-to guides and case studies. Comcare conference Comcare’s 2008 National Conference is to be held in Canberra from 22 to 24 October. The three-day conference will cover a range of contemporary occupational health and safety issues and feature presentations from industry professionals. It will also be used to announce the 2008 Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission Safety Awards in five different categories including awards for leadership and individual contributions to health and safety. For more information contact www.comcare.gov.au Tender for job lot Tenders have been called for the new $3.9 billion Employment Services contracts due to begin on 1 July next year. The Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, said the successful services would provide a mix of training, work experience and other support to help job seekers find and keep work as the current system was outdated and did not suit the existing labour market. Further information was available from www.tenders.gov.au Passport out of form The Australian Passport Office will no longer accept passport applications completed on the form that was replaced in July. The new application forms were designed to strengthen the identity management process underpinning the Australian passport issuing system and ensured names included in replacement passports matched those recorded on Births, Deaths and Marriages Registers and the Australian Citizenship Register. Historic boat steams to 130 The National Museum of Australia has celebrated the 130th birthday of its Paddle Steamer Enterprise. The PS Enterprise was originally launched in Echuca in1878 but for the past 20 years, has sailed on Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, manned by volunteers. The Museum is situated on the banks of the Lake. Four of the steamer’s volunteers were recognised for 20 years’ service at the special birthday ceremony. Green plan takes over land Land A million hectares of native habitat are to be protected to improve land management under the environmental targets set in the Caring for our County program. Under the program, farmers would be supported to help achieve an increase in the size of protected areas, multiplication of native habitats and vegetation and improvement in sustainable land management practices. Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, said the program would cost $2.25 billlion and ensure greater transparency in Government investment while working towards a healthier, better protected and well managed environment. |
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