19 September, 2006
Parking your tax return
Tempted to fritter your tax refund on shopping bargains? According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, if you’re lucky enough to have some extra cash, one of the better ways to use this bonus is to pay off a debt or contribute extra into your superannuation.
    “This is your money, so think about how to spend it to your advantage,” said ASIC’s Deputy Executive Director of Consumer Protection, Delia Rickard.
    &“It’s always tempting to treat yourself, but with a little planning, you can actually make a big difference to your finances.  Chances are, if you weren’t expecting the money, you won’t miss it if you put it away for the future.”

   2. Get the recent interest rate rises working for you. As interest rates go up, so do the levels of interest you can earn on your savings.
   “Put your refund away now and watch your money grow – choose an account that offers competitive interest rates and won’t charge you fees. If you have a savings account already, add to your funds and earn interest on the increased balance,” Ms Rickard said..
   “In time, you could use the money you’ve saved to cover unplanned expenses, rather than relying on your credit card.”

   3. Make an additional contribution to your super fund.
   “Making additional contributions from time to time can give your super balance a real boost. You can also make contributions to your spouse’s superannuation and, depending on your salary, you may be eligible for a Government co-contribution,” Ms Rickard said.
   Check the ATO’s website at www.ato.gov.au or contact it on 13 10 20 to find out more about the Government’s co-contribution scheme.

 *ASIC’s consumer website, FIDO at www.fido.gov.au, offers information and advice on a range of financial topics including tips on how to cut down on expenses and maximize your savings.

*Your Money, ASIC’s practical guide to making the most of your money, is also available on FIDO, or contact ASIC’s Infoline on 1300 300 630 to request a copy

19 September, 2006
Greens See Red Over Procurement Buy-Lines
Government procurement has been singled out as a major weapon in the war to make Australia more sustainable.
   A report from the House of Representatives Environment Committee has suggested that better environmental outcomes could be achieved for the nation through better management of the Government’s procurement dollar.
   In a recent report, the Committee said it was deeply concerned by shortcomings in Government Agency green procurement performance and the apparent lack of a clear policy framework to drive ecologically sustainable practices.
   Committee chair, West Australian Liberal, Dr Mal Washer MP said Australian Government Agencies spend around $17 billion each year on goods and services and their activities generate greenhouse gas emissions, office waste that went into landfills, as well as using other scarce resources such as water.
   Dr Washer said Australia had one of the world’s highest levels of water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per capita and the Committee was keen to examine the environmental performance of Government Agencies.
   According to the Committee, in an office environment the cost of office equipment goes beyond the purchase price.  An environmental cost is also incurred in the manufacture, use and subsequent disposal of office equipment and products.
   “Green procurement is a market instrument to achieve sustainable consumption," Dr Washer said. "It is crucial that the Commonwealth Government lead the way in implementing green procurement principles and practices.”
   The Committee reviewed the 2005-06 Cross Portfolio Audit of Green Office Procurement as part of its inquiry into an Australian Sustainability Charter. It found the Auditor-General’s report to be an important snapshot of Government procurement and environmental behaviour.
   The Committee’s review was an interim report that did not contain recommendations, however, it highlighted the need for national action to develop a cohesive and coordinated approach to procurement and sustainability.
The interim report could be viewed at www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/environ/charter/interim_report.htm

19 September, 2006
High Court Foils FOI Bid
A High Court decision on the role of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal will have significant consequences for agencies considering using conclusive certificates when responding to Freedom of Information requests according to a lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitor’s office.
    Justin Davidson of AGS said the High Court’s decision, in McKinnon v Secretary, Department of Treasury, confirms the view that the Tribunal does not make its own assessment as to whether disclosure is contrary to the public interest when reviewing a conclusive certificate.
   “Instead, the Tribunal must focus its attention on whether reasonable grounds exist for concluding that disclosure is contrary to the public interest,” Mr Davidson said.“In doing so, the Tribunal must consider the relevant facts and arguments put before it.”
    “This means the Tribunal retains its important role in reviewing conclusive certificates, however it seems that one reasonable ground in support of the claim may be enough if supported by strong evidence, including the content of the specific documents in issue.”
   Mr Davidson, who acted as instructing solicitor for Treasury in the case, said the High Court ruled in Treasury’s favour, dismissing the appeal by a majority of 3-2, Justices  Callinan and Heydon delivering a joint judgment for the majority, with Justice Hayne delivering the other majority judgment. Chief Justice Gleeson and Justice Kirby  delivered a joint judgment in dissent.
   Mr Davidson said all five judges held that it was not the role of the Tribunal to decide whether the disclosure of a document was contrary to the public interest, instead, the focus under the subsection is on the existence of reasonable grounds supporting the decision in the certificate.
   The Freedom of Information Act 1982 establishes a regime for members of the public to access Government documents but allows some kinds of documents, including internal working documents to be protected if Ministers or Secretaries of Agencies issue certificates to conclusively exempt them from access.

19 September, 2006
Women Still Shortchanged on Pay Rates
New research into women’s pay and conditions has highlighted concerns about gaps between male and female wages and the availability of family friendly working hours and leave provisions.
   The report from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, National Foundation for Australian Women and Women’s Electoral Lobby looks at women's wages and conditions in the Australian workforce.
   The Women’s Employment Status Key Indicators report was based on research by the Women in Social and Economic Research Unit at Curtin University of Technology's Graduate School of Business.
   The report emphasises the need for more comprehensive collection of national data about women's pay and working conditions.
   It recommends a greater role in collecting data by the Office of the Employment Advocate, and said there should be ongoing research by the Australian Fair Pay Commission, given the high number of women working in minimum wage sectors.
   Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said the research ensured we have a detailed and accurate picture of the current position of women workers in Australia.
   "This will allow us to reliably track any changes in years to come, especially in key industries where many women work, such as childcare, aged care, cleaning, retail trade and hospitality," Ms Goward said.
   It would assist development of comprehensive public policy on issues facing women in the labour market and highlight the responses needed to improve gender equality in Australian workplaces, she said.
   The report can be viewed at www.humanrights.gov.au or www.nfaw.org.

19 September, 2006
Lights, Cameras, Everything in ABC Energy Audit
The Australian Braodcasting Corporation is to undergo a comprehensive energy audit targeting every aspect of the broadcaster's operations across Australia.
   Managing Director of the ABC, Mark Scott, said the audit would show where and how the ABC was using energy and areas of waste, then recommend where and how reductions could be made.
   He said the audit would look at the ABC's use of air-conditioning, lighting and more efficient ways to reduce lighting energy, best practices for recycling paper and other materials.
   "Individuals and organisations are being challenged everywhere to find practical steps that can be taken to ensure we are efficient users of energy," Mr Scott said. "This energy audit will help us determine as a corporation what we can do to help reduce the energy consumption of the ABC."
   He said the audit would identify operational procedures to reduce energy consumption and minimise waste.
   "It will allow us to build on best practice that is already underway at different parts of the organisation and implement some new measures across the ABC."
   He said the ABC would benchmark itself against industry leaders in creating environmentally sound and responsible workplaces.
   "In such a large organisation, I think we can make a significant achievement in this area," Mr Scott said.

19 September, 2006
Finance Promoted in Defence Force
Members of the Defence Force hare to have access to independent financial advice following the launch of the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Council.
   The council will provide financial education to all ADF members and their families to enable them to make informed decisions about their financial futures.
   According to Defence Minister, Dr Brendan Nelson, the new council would be independent and include a range of people from within and outside Defence, combining Service experience with expertise in the financial services industry.
   The Minister said the Council would be chaired by Ken Kipping, a consumer advocate with wide experience in the insurance, superannuation and financial services industries.
   Other members would be Wing Commander Robert Brown who is chair of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia’s financial planning committee and member of their national superannuation committee; RAAF Specialist Reservist Glen Tye, Defence’s Director of Personnel Support and Amenities and the three Directors General-Personnel of the Navy, Army and Air Force, Commodore Nigel Coates, Brigadier Paul Symon and Air Commodore Lee Roberts.
   Dr Nelson said the council would develop educational resources, training and guidance with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
   He said the move built on Government commitments to financial literacy, including establishing the Financial Literacy Foundation in June 2005 and this year’s Understanding Money campaign.

19 September, 2006
Security Blanket for IT Systems
A new agreement with AusCERT, the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team, has been entered to further secure the Government’s information technology systems from security threats.
   Announcing the agreement, Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said AusCERT provided information on computer threats and vulnerabilities to its subscribers, and the Government’s subscription would strengthen protection of its computer systems overall.
   “In subscribing to the AusCERT service, the Government is raising the level of security that protects Australian Government computers and the information they hold,” Mr Ruddock said.
   “Unfortunately there are many people – hackers, criminals and even terrorists – who see our computer systems as fair game.
   "We need to do everything we can to protect our IT systems, the subscription to AusCERT is an important part of this process,” he said.
   Mr Ruddock said the ability of the Government to serve Australians relies to a very large degree on robust and effective computer technologies.
   He said AusCERT was a not-for-profit team of IT security professionals based at the University of Queensland.
   The Government’s AusCERT subscription followed its recent Memorandum of Understanding to work together to protect Australian information infrastructure from cyber incidents

19 September, 2006
New Adoption Deal Adopted
The Commonwealth is to take primary responsibility for the establishment and management of bilateral arrangements on inter-country adoptions, a role currently held by State and Territory Governments.
   Attorney-General, Phillip Ruddock announced the move in his response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services’ report, Overseas Adoption in Australia.
   “The Committee’s recommendations represent a blueprint for major reform of Australia’s overseas adoption system,” Mr Ruddock said.
   “The Australian Government supports the Committee’s call for reform and has accepted the vast majority of the Committee’s recommendations.”
   He said the response to the report also included commitments to:
   •  support adoptive parents by extending the eligibility criteria for the Maternity Immunisation Allowance to cover children adopted from overseas who arrive in Australia before the age of 16;
   •  ensure children whose adoption had been finalised under full and permanent Hague Convention arrangements could be registered as Australian citizens; and
   •  help establish a national peak overseas adoption group.
   Under the new arrangements the State and Territory Governments would continue to be responsible for the day-to-day processing and management of individual adoption applications, including the assessment of applicants.
   “The Government urges the States and Territories to ensure that applications are assessed quickly and thoroughly, so that aspiring adoptive parents are able to benefit from these reforms,” Mr Ruddock said.
   “The Government will also work with the States and Territories to renegotiate the Commonwealth-State Agreement to improve the effective delivery of inter-country adoption programs. Together, we can achieve better outcomes for Australian families.”

19 September, 2006
Super a Casualty of Medibank Sale
The Community and Public Sector Union has expressed concern at the planned sale of Medibank Private, saying it could affect superannuation outcomes for staff.
   "Once Medibank is no longer majority owned by the Government there will be no obligation to make employer superannuation contributions to the CSS and PSS schemes," the Union said.
   "The only obligation on Medibank for employees in CSS and PSS is an employer contribution of nine per cent paid into a new superannuation fund."
   It said that for CSS and PSS members this represented a “massive” cut in super of between 6.4 per cent and 11 per cent depending on the fund.
   The Union called on Medibank Private staff to join the CPSU to support its   campaign.
   "We need to be in a position of majority support to win a good outcome," it said. "In the past, we could bargain good pay and conditions with a low membership."
   The union said Medibank management was under pressure to maximise the sale price for Government.
   Australian Workplace Agreements were being offered which reduced existing pay and conditions, the union said.
   The CPSU said that when the Australian Government ceased majority ownership of a business, contributory membership of its employer-financed super arrangements also ceased.   The Union said Telstra staff would be in the same position when the Commonwealth shareholding fell below 50 per cent.
   "This means that Telstra employees who are members of the CSS will have to cease their CSS membership," the CPSU said.

19 September, 2006
Air Safety Reforms Take off
A series of key reforms to air safety arrangements has been announced to progress the Australian airspace reform program and improve both safety and efficiency.
.    Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Warren Truss said Australia’s aviation safety record was among the best in the world and the new changes would make it better.
   “We will now move ahead with transferring airspace classification and designation functions from Airservices Australia to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority,’’ Mr Truss said.      “These airspace regulatory functions will be performed within CASA by a dedicated unit ­ the Office of Airspace Regulation.”
   Mr Truss said this change would address any perceived conflict of interest between Airservices Australia’s service delivery functions and its role as the airspace regulator.
   He said the reforms would establish clear decision making responsibility for airspace changes, establish requirements for a single common risk management framework and processes for assessing and implementing future changes, and make agencies more accountable for their regulatory decisions.
   According to Mr Truss, as a nation Australia managed and provided air traffic services to 11 per cent of the airspace over the Earth’s surface.
   In 2002 the Government instituted a process whereby Australian airspace management would be modelled on the National Airspace System, in part to align Australia’s airspace classification system with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s internationally recognised system.
   It was also aimed at modelling Australia’s airspace system on the US system.
   Mr Truss said there had been important developments since the 2002 decision to adopt the NAS and these developments were the drivers of the reforms.

19 September, 2006
Bluestone Milestone for Victorian Barracks
Melbourne’s Victoria Barracks turns 150 years old this year.
   Established in 1856, the first bluestone building in Victoria has been headquarters to all three Australian Defence Services in its time as well as the Department of Defence.
   According to Army News, the building was constructed by soldiers of the original British garrison force, the Imperial 40th (2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot between 1856 and 1872.
   The anniversary was marked with a colourful parade by the Victorian Re-enactment Society and a speech from the Commander, Joint Logistics, Air Vice Marshal Chris Spence.
   AVM Spence said thousands of servicemen and women had given countless years of service in Victoria Barracks.
   Many important decisions regarding the make-up of the Australian Defence Force were made at Victoria Barracks following Federation in 1901. The Royal Australian Air Force called the Barracks home in 1921, the year it was formed and between the 1920s and 1945, it was the centre from which Department of Defence infrastructure was decided and developed and from where war strategies were unveiled.
   In 1942 the Commander in Chief of the South West Pacific Area, General Douglas MacArthur met Prime Minister John Curtin to plan the conduct of World War II operations.
   According to AVM Spence, while much of Defence had moved to Canberra in the 1960’s the logistics area remained at Victoria Barracks.
   “Our demanding work in the tradition of service continues in the essential delivery of new capability, sustaining in-service capabilities and supporting ADF operations at home and when deployed,” AVM Spence said.
    “That work is recognised and appreciated not only at the highest levels, but also by the men and women we currently have in harm’s way,” he said.
   The Victoria Barracks are heritage-listed but also have an important place in military heritage.  

19 September, 2006
Centrelink’s Megan Rings up a Winner
Centrelink’s Megan Hughes has been named South Australia’s Call Centre Champion by the industry’s peak national body the Australian Teleservices Association.
   After only two-and-a-half years in the industry, the 27-year-old from Centrelink’s Adelaide CBD Call Centre was delighted to take out the State award.
   “It’s obviously a bit of a thrill but the remarkable thing is that I’m really just doing my job," Ms Hughes said.
   Despite the potentially stressful nature of the work, Ms Hughes said she really enjoyed what she did at Centrelink.
   "The people I work with make the job easy and I like having the variety of being able to do so many different things – one week I’m on the phones, the next I’m training new staff or acting as a Team Leader," she said.
   Ms Hughes said Adelaide Call was recognised as one of the best Centrelink Call Centres.
   "It’s a dynamic team environment that is hugely motivating and rewarding.”
   Ms Hughes was nominated for the award for the outstanding support and guidance she has provided to staff.
   She works in various capacities, including taking inbound calls, assisting colleagues with complex enquiries, assisting under-performing staff and coordinating training for new staff.
   The Call Centre Champion category is open to staff who have a major impact on the operation of a call centre, such as trainers and schedulers. Nominees must participate in a rigorous assessment process by the Australian Teleservices Association.
   Centrelink operates the largest single-purpose call centre network in Australia, employing more than 4500 staff across 25 sites and handling more than 28 million phone calls. Around 255 of the staff are employed at Adelaide Call.

19 September, 2006
Another Piece in Peacekeepers’ Memorial
A national memorial to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Australian peacekeepers is closer to reality, with the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Bruce Billson, handing over a cheque for $200,000 towards its construction in Canberra.
   Mr Billson presented the cheque to the Australian Peacekeepers’ Memorial Project Committee of the Australian Peacekeeper & Peacemaker Veterans’ Association, at a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial.
   “The Australian Government is pleased to be able to lend its support to this important project, in acknowledgment of the outstanding contribution of our peacekeepers to international peace and security,” Mr Billson said.
   He said since 1947 Australia had been involved in many peace operations around the world, mostly under United Nations mandate but also through groups such as the British ommonwealth and the South Pacific Forum.
   “We have earned a good reputation for our past and present peacekeeping in many of the world’s troubled spots, including the Middle East, Cyprus, Cambodia, former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and closer to home in East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Bougainville,” Mr Billson said.
   To date some 30,000 Australian men and women have served and 10 have died in peace operations around the world.”

September 5, 2006
Name the Game in Reputation Stakes
Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs, has admitted the Australian Public service was not perfect, but said it was the best public service in the world
   Speaking on the importance of reputation and managing the risks that could harm it, Ms Briggs said that recent high profile failings across a number of Departments had damaged the reputation of the Public Service as a whole and that unless it was restored, the Service would have difficulty attracting staff, maintaining morale and performing the roles expected of it by the Australian people.
   She said while the public sector had suffered embarrassing failures, so had the private sector, with One-Tel, HIH and others also making the news.
   “Problems in one APS Agency reflect upon us all,” Ms Briggs said. “Our reputation is only as good as the service we deliver.”
   She said it could take years to repair damage to reputation caused by a public failure, agency culture could be destabilised and an organisation’s ability to achieve its business objectives affected.
   “We can recover, but along the way there is inevitably dissatisfaction, resentment and uncertainty among our staff, clients and other key stakeholders,” she said.
   Without making excuses for past mistakes, Ms Briggs said it was important to realise the people who made up the APS were only human.  “We make mistakes and we make wrong assumptions,” she said.
   “Sometimes our processes let us down, we may not always know the right thing to do in any given circumstances, and we are often under pressure due to resourcing shortfalls, short timeframes, or bosses who don’t help us enough to do our jobs properly.”
   She said despite these restraints, the administrative and financial reforms of the past 30 years had contributed significantly to the APS’s reputation.
   “The Australian Public Service id the best public service in the world,’’ she said.
   “The APS generally has a good name and a good standing in the community and a particularly good standing overseas.”
   She said the away to build on and protect the APS’s reputation was to establish indicators that monitored the health of organisations and use them to detect signs of impending failure

September 5, 2006
Healthy Response to Disability Report
The heads of all Australian Public Service Departments and major agencies have committed to eight objectives to promote employment of people with disabilities in the APS.
   Listed in a report of the Management Advisory Committee entitled The Employment of People With a Disability in the APS, the eight objectives include creating a culture that valued diversity, adopting accessible recruitment strategies and work experience opportunities, introducing special employment measures and creating disability-friendly workplaces.
   With the number of people with disabilities falling from 6.6 per cent of the APS in 1985-86 to 3.8 per cent in 2004-05, the blame has been put on the reduction in clerical assistant positions in that time, the higher educational qualifications required these days for APS entry and the outsourcing of many functions traditionally done in-house by lower ranked staff.
   Public Service Commissioner Lynelle Briggs said there was also a likelihood many people with disabilities “simply couldn’t cope physically or mentally due to heavier workloads.”
   The move to employ more people with disabilities in the PS was welcomed by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews who said recent workplace reforms encouraged them to seek out work and the APS could be a beneficiary.
   "The policy setting has never been more favourable for encouraging the employment of people with a disability," Mr Andrews said."The Australian Public Service provides a range of employment opportunities for people with disability," he said.
   The MAC report highlighted the business case for employing people with disabilities and identified better practice strategies to help agencies meet the eight objectives.
   Mr Andrews said the report highlighted arrangements available to employers and employees to develop workplace agreements that best suited their needs and circumstances.
   He said workplace agreements were prohibited from including any terms that discriminated against an employee on the basis of a physical or mental disability.
   "We need to recognise that employing people with disability makes good business sense," Mr Andrews said.
   The report can be viewed at www.apsc.gov.au.
    A Healthy Look at Disability: This week’s PS NewsTalking Point

September 5, 2006
PS IT Staff in Line For Reboot
Opportunities for ICT professionals to join the Australian Public Service are to be improved, the 2006 Government Technology Evolution Conference was told.
   Special Minister of State Gary Nairn addressed the conference and reinforced the Government's commitment to a skilled ICT workforce within the APS.
   He said the Government had established an inter-departmental ICT professional and skills development taskforce, comprising representatives from 13 agencies and an observer from State Governments.
   The taskforce would develop practical solutions to the challenges of obtaining and retaining the right skills in the right locations, he said.
   “Mentoring plays an important part of our retention strategy," Mr Nairn said.
   With Dell Australia, the Government supported an innovative mentoring program, Women in Information Technology Mentoring. Centrelink, the Australian Government Information Management Office and the Department of Education, Science and Technology were involved.
   "We’re hoping this program will provide a template for general mentoring programs to apprentices, cadets and wider target groups in the APS," Mr Nairn said.
   He confirmed a one-year contract had been signed with the Computer Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) to promote ICT careers in the APS through its website and promotions.
   He also highlighted the importance geospatial technology played in assisting government to engage with citizens.
   “Geospatial technology was used in this year’s Commonwealth Games to provide travel advice to visitors, providing everything from maps to specific directions advice," he said.

September 5, 2006
Agency Not Kidding Over Child Support Debt
The Child Support Agency has been congratulated by its Minister for debt collection initiatives that have netted millions of dollars in previously unpaid child support.
   The Agency’s Late Payment Penalty Incentive, combined with the its Intensive Debt Collection initiative, have together collected more than $93 million, the Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey, said.
   "This is great news for Australian children,” Mr Hockey said.
   "In Victoria alone, since July 2003 a total of 11,661 parents have paid almost $27 million in owed child support under the initiative,” he said.
   The initiative began in 2003 to target 66,000 parents owing a total of $130 million in long-term child support debt. Included were about 23,000 parents who owed more than $10,000 and 15,000 parents who had never paid any child support over the life of their case.
   The Agency recently announced it was seeking to hire up to 120 additional financial investigators to boost its compliance operations.
   National Compliance Manager, Angela Tillmanns said that parents had until the end of December 2006 to commit to pay their debts off in order to have late payment penalties cancelled.
   The Late Payment Penalty Incentive allowed the late payment penalty to be cancelled if the parent entered into, and adhered to, an arrangement to repay their debt in a timely manner.
   “Almost 65,000 children have benefited from this initiative since its inception in mid-2003 with nearly one-in-five parents contacted taking up this offer,” Ms Tillmanns said.
   Most parents who pay child support - 78 per cent - owed little or nothing in child support.
   CSA can collect overdue child support through a number of ways, including negotiated voluntary payments, direct deductions from wages, interception of tax refunds and legal action.

September 5, 2006
Defence Staff Urged to Get Behind Frontline
Army and Air Force personnel have been urged to support the Frontline canteen and tavern services while new arrangements are put in place to shore up the organisation’s future.
   Deputy Chief of Air Force, Air Vice Marshall John Blackburn issued the call in Air Force News,  saying the Air Force had participated in a Departmental review of Frontline and it was clear the organisation required renewal if it was to be an effective provider of services.
   Frontline is a Commonwealth authority that supported Army and Air Force personnel with canteen and tavern services on bases and on certain operations and exercises.
   Air Vice Marshall Blackburn said the Frontline services were important to the morale and welfare of Defence personnel and in some locations like Tindal, it also supported Air Force families.
   "Over the last five years several factors, including smaller base populations and increased retail competition, have adversely affected its profitability," Air Vice Marshall Blackburn  said. "Unless action is taken to improve its profitability, we will lose this support."
   AVM Blackburn said his staff were working with Frontline, the Army and other Defence groups to put in place sustainable arrangements that would provide a good level of service to customers.
   "I ask you for your patience and support while these changes are made," he said.
   "Most importantly, I ask you to continue to support Frontline with your custom. "Frontline exists to serve Air Force and Army people and relies on your custom."
   Frontline will continue to operate canteen services, but there will some changes, such as to store opening hours.
   "Some may already have noticed the closure of the Pay Plan facility.
   "Though I appreciate that Pay Plan was attractive to customers, there are ready alternatives for most of the products sold under the scheme."
   AVM Blackburn said the RAAF Welfare Trust Fund also provided loans for a variety of purposes.
   He said there was still a great deal of work to be done to determine the new arrangements for canteen and tavern services.
   "As these become clearer over the next few months, more details will be provided."
   Frontline provided a service which in many locations was not commercially viable. Regulations and stakeholder expectations required it to operate on a competitive, commercial basis to service a customer base which was very small, about 30,000, via its 30 convenience stores on 33 bases.
   By comparison, commercial convenience stores will not invest unless the customer count is greater than 8000 customers per day.
   In excess of $1.2 million of cross-subsidisation was absorbed by Frontline to ensure members in remote locations, smaller bases or during exercise and operations had access to the reliable and consistent retail offers.
   Frontline employs more than 300 people, about 20 per cent of whom are spouses/partners of ADF personnel.

September 5, 2006
Aussie Exporters Going For a Song
Austrade, the export promotion agency, has created a new China Entertainment Team to help Australian entertainers enter the Chinese market.
   The team is based in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.
   Austrade’s Shanghai-based Senior Trade Commissioner, Christopher Wright, said the organisation had recently helped Aussie jazz great James Morrison and Emma Pask to promote their performances at the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre in August.
   Mr Wright said the success of James Morrison was an example of a range of opportunities in China where the market was opening up rapidly to imported or international talent and performers.
   “As the market continues to mature, there is an increase in demand for international acts and Chinese audiences are open to more diverse types of shows and artists," Mr Wright said.
   "From rock to reggae, to classical and jazz, then to full scale Broadway musicals, the market opportunities are seemingly endless," he said.
   Mr Wright said shows such as Cats, Phantom of the Opera and The Sound of Music, had played to sellout audiences in Shanghai.
   “Lion King with a predominantly Australian cast has been performing at the Shanghai Grand Theatre since July with many shows sold-out.” 
   While European and USA artists enjoy mass awareness in the China market, Australian talent has been lesser well known – until now.
   The development of Austrade’s new Entertainment Team coincided with Austrade’s inaugural Celebrate Australia in Shanghai from 21-24 October. 
   The Australian Ballet will perform Swan Lake in late October during Celebrate Australia.

September 5, 2006
Three Tiers For New Agreement
An historic agreement between Federal, State and Local Government in Tasmania promises to improve the coordination of aged care and services for older people in that State.
   Signed in Hobart recently, the Tripartite Partnership Agreement for Population Ageing in Tasmania was signed by the Commonwealth Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro; Tasmanian Premier, Paul Lennon; and President of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, Councillor Mike Gaffney.
   The three said the agreement was the first of its kind in Australia and an excellent example of innovative collaboration between governments.
   Senator Santoro said the Commonwealth provided more than $200 million each year for aged and community care services to support older Tasmanians.
   "This agreement should see more cooperation between different levels of government to ensure that planning meets the needs of Tasmania’s ageing population," Senator Santoro said.
   Mr Lennon said the agreement had been initiated by the State Government and was particularly relevant to Tasmania.
   "One in four Tasmanians is over 55 and in population terms, we are the second oldest state but the fastest ageing," Mr Lennon said.
   He said the agreement would build on the work that all governments were doing for older people and would help address the challenges of an ageing population.
   The agreement committed to joint action for better coordination and access to information, improved planning of aged-care services and encouraging best practice and innovation in providing aged-care services and accommodation.
   Councillor Gaffney said councils around Australia faced significant challenges in providing age-friendly environments.
   "This agreement recognises that to meet these challenges successfully, there must be authentic cooperation between the three spheres of government, positive working relationships with business and industry and, importantly, effective consultation with our communities."

September 5, 2006
Runway Project Straight and Level
Antarctica’s new runway for large aircraft will be ready to welcome its first trial flights in December.
   Environment Minister Ian Campbell said construction on the 4km Wilkins ice runway – the largest runway in Australia – had been underway since last year and was part of the Australian Government's $43.6 million intercontinental Antarctic airlink commitment.
   Teams of expeditioners had been working on the runway for weeks at a time over the past year, sometimes in temperatures hovering around -40°C.
   A runway construction team would arrive in early October to continue proof rolling and compacting the runway surface ahead of the trial flights.
   Senator Campbell said the direct five-hour airlink was a long-held dream of researchers and support personnel, particularly those who could not afford to spend weeks at sea.
   "The new air transport service will provide a far more efficient way of getting people to and from Antarctica," Senator Campbell said.
   He said the new service would change the way we engaged with Antarctica, possibly opening up tourism and other opportunities.
   "We already know that thousands of tourists visit Antarctica every year," he said.
   "It is predicted that around 200,000 people will visit Antarctica each year leaving from South America alone over the next 20 years."

September 5, 2006
Sports Commission to Honour Write Stuff
Nominations have opened for the 2006 Australian Sports Commission Media Awards — the only awards dedicated solely to the coverage of sport.
   The Awards are open to all journalists and broadcasters whose work appeared in the Australian media between 1 October 2005 and 30 September 2006.
   Now in its fifth year, the ASC Media Awards focus on analytical, insightful reporting in the presentation of sport and sporting issues by journalists, broadcasters and photographers.
   Australian Sports Commission Chief Executive, Mark Peters said the past 12 months highlighted the important role media play in covering sport and issues in sport.
   “Australian media have brought the most defining moments, crucial issues and controversial incidents in sport, including the successes and dramas of this year’s Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the rise of Australian football culminating in the Socceroos wonderful World Cup performance,” Mr Peters said.
   “While Australian media convey the passion, controversy, achievement and drama of sport, they also highlight key moments and issues that often dominate conversation and shape public opinion.”
   He said the Awards complemented the work of the Sports Commission in its leadership role in the development and operation of the Australian sports system at all levels — grass-roots and community through to elite.
   He said last year’s ASC Media Awards highlighted the quality of sports journalism and photography in Australia, amongst the significant awards was the Best Reporting of an Issue in Australian Sport won by Inside Sport’s Neil Jameson. Also recognised for his significant contribution to the coverage of tennis was Alan Trengove who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.
   Categories for the 2006 Awards are:
   •  Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Sports Journalism
   •  Best Reporting of an Issue in Australian Sport
   •  Best Contribution to the Coverage of Sport – by an Organisation
   •  Best Commitment to the Coverage of a Sport – by an Individual
   •  Best Profiling of an Athlete, Team or Coach
   •  Best Sports Journalism from Rural, Regional or Suburban Media
   •  Best Journalism on Community Sport
   •  Best Journalism on Australian Sports Commission-related Programs
   •  Best Sports Photography
   Nominations close on 6 October 2006, with winners announced at the presentation dinner in Sydney on Wednesday 29 November.

September 5, 2006
Smooth Sailing for Young Endeavour
A three-year study of Australia's national youth sail training program has found the Navy's Young Endeavour Youth Scheme built positive social capital in the young people who took part in the program.
   Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, Bruce Billson said findings from the University of Sydney Study - Sailing into the Future - concluded that youth development training conducted by the Royal Australian Navy builds social capital among the young people it attracted.
   “The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme and its staff from the Royal Australian Navy offer a confronting and inspirational experience at sea for young people,” Mr Billson said.
   “On each voyage, youth crew learn to work with a diversity of other young Australians adapting to living and working in a new environment while experiencing the challenges of learning new skills.”
   He said they also did all this while often experiencing tiredness and seasickness.
   The study found that experiences gained on the Young Endeavour translated over time into more enduring social skills such as self control, goal achievement and an outlook of trust, tolerance and cooperation, bringing benefits to the Australian community as well as to youth crew participants themselves.
   Around 76 per cent of youth crew interviewed said the voyage had a positive influence on their social skills, 85 per cent said their views on cooperation were enhanced and 73 per cent said it shaped their views on tolerance.
   Since 1988, more than 9000 young people aged 16- 23 had sailed on the 44-metre tall ship, experiencing challenges including climbing a 30m mast, setting sails, navigating, keeping watch and taking command of the ship for 24 hours.         
   Applications were now open for voyages in 2007 at www.youngendeavour.gov.au.

September 5, 2006
Summit on Drugs For Better Performance
The Australian Federal Police has been hosting some of the world’s foremost experts on drug trafficking in another step towards combating the changing face of the illicit drug trade.
   More than 70 law enforcement authorities and intelligence experts from 12 countries gathered in Sydney recently to share information on how organised criminal groups avoided detection and to examine the changing drug trafficking environment.
   AFP Manager, Intelligence Collection, Grant Edwards, said there was a demonstrated need for collaboration to address the sophisticated methods of drug manufacturers and importers.
   “The advantage of bringing experts together is that we can work collectively to prevent drugs entering Australia by hearing about the new approaches our international colleagues are using to fight this crime type,” Federal Agent Edwards said.
   He said the meeting focused on how organised crime groups in the drug trade constantly evolve to avoid detection.
   “This means understanding how these groups use new communication technologies and systems of money transfer and being aware of trends regarding the manufacture, import and distribution of dangerous drugs.
   “We want to keep ahead of which drugs are profitable for manufacturers, and identifying new methods used to make and import the finished product or its precursors," he said.
   Federal Agent Edwards said law enforcement agencies must be flexible and willing to change how intelligence was gathered, analysed and used to target operations.

September 5, 2006
Customs on Watch For New Chopper
The Australian Customs Service has called tenders for a rapid response helicopter to help deal with illegal foreign fishing incursions into Australia's northern waters.
   The Customs helicopter would be based in Gove in the Northern Territory and be able to respond quickly to landings by foreign fishing vessels on the Arnhem coast and around the Gulf of Carpentaria.
   It would carry up to six Customs or other officials.
   Customs Minister, Senator Chris Ellison said the response activity would be the helicopter’s primary function, but when not required for response services, it would also be used for surveillance.
   He said Gove was selected due to its central location, available infrastructure and availability of Customs response teams.
   The helicopter tender, which closes on 10 October, was the third request for tender to be released by Customs as part of a $389 million package to boost Australia’s capacity to deal with the illegal fishing problem.
   It followed the release of tenders to establish an accredited list of providers for towing and transporting vessels and for a dedicated northern patrol vessel.
   The towing and transporting vessels would be used to tow apprehended boats and transport illegal foreign fishers to an Australian port for further investigation, enabling Customs and Navy patrol boats to return to duty without delay.
   The dedicated northern patrol vessel would be a significant boost to the Customs fleet patrolling our northern Australian fishing zone.

September 5, 2006
Food Stores on Special in Remote Communities
The quality and availability of food in remote areas are set for an overhaul following the launch of a $48 million Outback Stores program being supported by Woolworths and Coles supermarkets.
   Unveiled by Employment Minister, Kevin Andrews and Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough, the new voluntary program would improve the health standards of remote Indigenous communities by providing quality, lower cost foods sourced from a wide range of suppliers.
   The Minsters said the Government believed the new program could overcome concerns in some communities over financial mismanagement, poor infrastructure and the limited range of foods and services.
   Mr Andrews said the move would see healthier food policies and programs in communities where the consistent provision of perishable goods was a challenge due to isolation, climate, freight reliability and produce costs.
   Mr Brough said it signalled a new approach between Government, private sector and Indigenous communities, using private sector know-how to tackle social problems through economic solutions.
   “To assist local people participate in the real economy, we need the private sector to be a part of that and that is the reason why I met with Woolworths CEO, Roger Corbett, and Coles CEO, John Fletcher to get this project up and running," Mr Brough said.
   Woolworths and Coles have no commercial interest in the company but were offering support and technical assistance. 
   Metcash would be a supplier along with others with those suppliers being determined by the marketplace.
   The Outback Stores initiative arose from a need identified by the Council of Remote Area Nurses of Australia which told the Government that if one thing could be done to reduce the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and other Australians, it would be to improve the quality and supply of food.
   The management board for the new program would  include Alan Williams, former Chief Operating Officer of the Coles Food and Liquor Group; Avner Nahmani, General Manager of Corporate Marketing at Woolworths; Alastair King, CEO of the Arnhemland Progress Association that operates 11 remote areas stores in the Top End; and Ian Myers, Deputy General Manager at IBA.
   The Board’s priority will be to consider a commercial management model to improve governance, finance and stock management systems, supply chain inconsistencies and the availability of more healthy foods.

September 5, 2006
No Flies On Quarantine Opening
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) has opened a modern, centrally located quarantine facility that promises to improve quarantine services at Australia’s largest cargo port.
   Agriculture Minister, Peter McGauran opened the new AQIS office in Melbourne that would house 70 of the 500 AQIS staff in Melbourne.
   “Maintaining our border security and world class quarantine arrangements is vital for our $32 billion-a-year agriculture export industries and our economy generally," Mr McGauran said
   The Port of Melbourne received 38 per cent of all container arrivals in Australia, or 600,000 shipping containers a year.
   The new office at the port would facilitate better interaction between exporters, importers, cruise vessels and quarantine staff.
   AQIS staff provided quarantine clearance of commercial and cruise vessels, external inspection of all cargo containers and break-bulk cargo.
   At the opening, Mr McGauran presented Quarantine Certificates of Commendation to AQIS officers and the staff of Arts Project Australia in recognition of their work towards keeping Australia pest and disease-free. 
   AQIS’s Port of Melbourne Shipping Management Centre was commended for its up-to-the-minute data on ship movements to support quarantine clearance and Arts Projects Australia for helping with quarantine clearances for 2000 performing artists and their equipment for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games.

September 5, 2006
Ideas Needed For Clever Program
Communications Minister, Senator Helen Coonan has called for ideas and proposals to spend $113 million on in the Clever Networks program.
   Speaking at the Service Providers’ Industry Association annual dinner, Senator Coonan said the Clever Networks program would support sectors such as health, education, community and emergency services to use advanced broadband technologies to enhance delivery of government services in rural, regional and remote Australia.
   "Clever Networks is a key element of my vision to drive next generation broadband capability to underpin Australia’s social and economic future,’’ Senator Coonan said.
   “It is an essential part of making Australia a world leader in the effective use of broadband.”
   She said the program would leverage additional investment from State and Territory Governments as well as the private sector.
   "A consortium approach is being encouraged with Clever Networks to support partnerships and collaborations to deliver projects of sufficient scale and scope to build on our earlier successes."
   She said some examples of innovative services that could be progressed through Clever Networks included assisting school students to access multimedia learning tools, enabling rural hospitals to access advice in an emergency or emergency services to obtain current weather forecasts during a bushfire.
   "Encouraging these types of services will encourage economic growth, increase productivity, foster innovation and promote quality of life in rural and regional Australia," Senator Coonan said.
   Clever Networks is part of the Australian Government’s $1.1 billion Connect Australia package.
   The first round of grants will close on 28 November 2006. More information from www.dcita.gov.au/clevernetworks.

September 5, 2006
Australia Signs Up For Science Formula
Australia has declared its interest in a feasibility study into an open-access research database to promote science and technology within the East Asian region.
   Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Pat Farmer, said in Kuala Lumpur that the Australian Government welcomed Japan’s proposal to conduct the feasibility study and would be ready to provide any information necessary.
      Mr Farmer was attending an informal gathering of ASEAN ministers and guests from Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand.
   He said Australia already had a science portal providing relevant and current information for use in a database of the type Japan proposed.
   The Japanese have suggested a database for sharing information on the needs and seeds of science and technology in each country. The database could then facilitate matching research, researchers and resources across the region.
   “Countries participating in cooperative research can eliminate or minimise overlapping programs, thereby reducing inefficient or redundant investments in science and technology,” Mr Farmer said.

September 5, 2006
Job losses monitored
The ACT Government has set up a panel in the Chief Minister's Department to monitor and coordinate the job losses announced in the 2006 Budget.
   The panel was formed in response to a call from the Community and Public Sector Union and began work in July providing weekly reports and identifying positions lost.
So far, around 160 ACT PS employees are in the process of being declared excess, while 34 have been declared excess and offered a voluntary redundancy.

September 5, 2006
Census objectors face penalties
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has issued 305 notices of direction to people who have not filled out a census form.
   While most Australians have complied with the Census rules, 113 in Victoria did not,  60 from New South Wales didn’t, 57 from Queensland, 50 from South Australia, 10 from Tasmania, seven from Western Australia and eight from the Australian Capital Territory
   The Bureau said collection was still underway in some indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia where interviews were being conducted rather than Census forms completed..
   The Census and Statistics Act allows for penalties of up to $110 a day for each day a person fails to fill in a Census form after having been directed to do so.

September 5, 2006
Centrelink boost for Victoria
Centrelink is building its allied health professional numbers in western Victoria, adding about 20 new psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists to help people with illness, injury or disability make the most of their capabilities.
   The new staff will undertake job capacity assessments as part of changes to the welfare system introduced in July to help people move into work.

September 5, 2006
CPSU takes Poll position
Nominations open on 6 September 2006, for a range of vacant Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) positions, including Governing Councillor, Section Officer and Section Councillor.
   All CPSU members have been encouraged to become involved and have their say in electing the Union’s leaders.
   Nominations have been called for two Governing Councillors, 15 Section Officers and 102 Section Councillors and all must be lodged by 12 noon on Wednesday 27 September 2006.
   Full details and copies of the casual vacancies election bulletin can be downloaded from www.cpsu.org.au.

September 5, 2006
Improved air traffic for Tasmania
Airservices Australia has contracted air navigation technology firm Sensis Corporation to design and install equipment for better aircraft tracking in Tasmanian skies.
   The Wide Area Multilateration system will be compared to the present secondary radar system in Tasmania before approval is sought from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to use it for aircraft separation.
   The new system is expected to improve coverage for air traffic controllers.

September 5, 2006
New weather radar
Work has begun on the new Doppler weather radar at Laverton, south west of Melbourne.
   The new radar will boost data quality, improve detection and forecasting of severe weather conditions, including thunderstorms capable of producing large hail-stones, heavy rainfall, damaging winds and tornadoes.
   It should be ready by autumn 2007.

September 5, 2006
More help for veterans’ children
The Long Tan Bursary Scheme for children of Vietnam veterans has been expanded to all children regardless of age and year of study.
   It has been increased from 30 $6000 bursaries over one or two years to 50 $9000 bursaries over three years to recognise the growing trend of children of Vietnam veterans to enter tertiary study at a mature age.

September 5, 2006
Women urged to know their rights
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has released a new community education resource titled Discrimination and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women - Get the facts: Know your rights.
   It was developed in partnership with the National Network of Indigenous Women’s Legal Services Inc and provides information on race, sex and disability discrimination, including pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

September 5, 2006
Cordes joins ABC
Katie Cordes has been appointed Manager of Product and Content Development with ABC Enterprises.
   Ms Cordes will provide a central point of contact within ABC Enterprises for producers and content developers who are interested in working with ABC Consumer Publishing and Content Sales in the development and production of consumer products and content. Her appointment takes effect on 4 September.

September 5, 2006
Native Title Tribunal reappointments
John Catlin has been re-appointed as a full-time member of the National Native Title Tribunal and Neville MacPherson appointed as a part-time member.
   The National Native Title Tribunal plays a role in the resolution of native title issues and the development of an understanding within the Australian community of those issues.
   Both Mr Catlin and Mr MacPherson have been full-time members of the Tribunal since 2003.

September 5, 2006
New Chair for Dance Board
Dominique Fisher has been named as Chair of the Australia Council for the Art’s Dance Board for a three-year term.
   Ms Fisher is director of the Malthouse Theatre (formerly The Playbox) in Melbourne and was previously a board member for the Sydney Opera House Trust.
   She is a successful Australian businesswoman, having been managing director, board member or chair of organisations across the technology, communications, health, arts and financial services sectors.

September 5, 2006
Repatriation Commissioner Extended
Rear Admiral Simon Harrington (Ret’d) has been extended as the Services member of the Repatriation Commission..
   RADM Harrington took up his original three-year appointment as Repatriation Commissioner on 25 August 2003.

August 29, 2006
Good advice: Look before you invest
Do your investment plans pass ASIC's three-way test?
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has warned consumers about the risks involved in some fixed interest investments advertised in the media.
   ASIC Executive Director, Consumer Protection, Greg Tanzer said risky fixed interest investments were aggressively advertised to consumers and ASIC regularly took action if companies failed to disclose important information or made claims that were misleading or deceptive.
   "But otherwise, these investments are regulated in many ways just like shares,’’ Mr Tanzer said. “You make your choice and take your chances."
   Mr Tanzer said that if consumers see an investment that offered an attractive interest rate they should not invest a cent until they’ve checked it against ASIC's three-way test:
Test 1: who are you giving your money to?
   Banks, building societies, credit unions, super funds and life insurance companies are the only institutions specially regulated to make sure that, under all reasonable ircumstances, they can meet their financial promises, Mr Tanzer said.
   “Otherwise, you’re taking an extra risk, like buying shares.”
   He said if property was involved, the investment was not automatically as safe as houses.
   “You alone have to judge the risk that the company you lend to may fail or default.”
Test 2: is the interest rate higher than 8.5 per cent per year?
   If the expected return seemed high, it added extra risk.
   Mr Tanzer said a proposed investment may be more risky than a typical fixed interest investment.
   “You may risk losing a significant amount of what you’re planning to invest, so it’s vital to check if you’ve got all the facts and if you can handle those risks.”
   He said these must be spelled out in the product disclosure statement or the prospectus the fund must give you.
Test 3: do you plan to put all your eggs in this basket?
   Placing all funds in one investment was extremely risky unless it’s into a deposit with a bank, building society, credit union, super fund or life insurance company.
   If things go wrong, the entire nest egg could be wiped out.
   “Unless you can afford to lose all your money, spread your risk by spreading your investments,’’ Mr Tanzer said..
   More help about fixed interest investments is available from ASIC’s dedicated consumer website at www.fido.gov.au.

August 29, 2006
Centrelink Privacy Breaches Add to Unemployment Queues
A privacy crackdown at Centrelink uncovered 790 cases of unauthorised and inappropriate access to client records and has led to the sacking of 19 staff and the resignation of 92 others.
   Chief Executive of Centrelink, Jeff Whalan said a strengthening of privacy arrangements in Centrelink last year had led to 600 staff being  caught using sophisticated spyware programs to browse the welfare records of friends, family, neighbours and ex-lovers without authorisation.
   Mr Whalan said the new arrangements monitored staff viewing customer records.
   He said the measures built on standards required by the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct and the Privacy Act to handle customer information appropriately.
   “Customer records should only be accessed for business reasons,” Mr Whalan said.
   “As a result we revamped our techniques to assist keep improper conduct in check and we are committed to maintaining the process.”
   Mr Whalan said a total of 585 staff had been sanctioned in the past year for code of conduct violations ranging from warnings through to dismissal.
   Shadow Minister for Human Services Kelvin Thomson has called for an investigation into the incidents.
   “It is absolutely unacceptable for almost 600 Centrelink staff to have accessed customer records without proper cause or authorisation,” Mr Thomson said.
   He called for an investigation by the Privacy Commissioner.
   The Community and Public Sector Union said the findings and negative publicity that accompanied them reflected badly on the overwhelming majority of Centrelink staff who perform their challenging duties with great diligence and care.
   “As you know, your union has provided - and will continue to provide - advice, support and representation for those Centrelink workers who find themselves under investigation for browsing,” a notice to CPSU members said.
   The findings also drew comment from the head of a privacy taskforce looking into the proposed Health and Welfare Smartcard, Professor Allan Fels, who said he was deeply concerned about the implications for all Australians.
   The Smartcard will link medical, tax, welfare and other personal details on at least 17 million people.
   “The Centrelink revelations are deeply disturbing,” Professor Fels told ABC radio.
   “I take some comfort from the fact that the Government has caught them and punished them, but there is still a huge weight now on the Government to provide full, proper legal and technical protection of privacy with the access card.”

August 29, 2006
Army Digs Deep for More Diggers
The Australian Army is to be boosted by an extra 2600 soldiers - or two battalions - to meet regional and global security challenges.
   Prime Minister John Howard announced the move, which would see the number of battalions in the Army increased to eight.
   "Ever increasing security challenges mean the Australian Defence Force must be stronger, more versatile and adaptable," Mr Howard said.
   He said recent events in East Timor and the Solomon Islands had once again shown that Australia had a leadership role in contributing to security and stability in our region.
   "Regional states will continue to look to Australia for help and we must have a capability to act in a manner commensurate with those responsibilities.
   "At the same time, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) also needs the capacity to contribute to coalitions in areas further afield, where our interests might be at stake," he said.
   Mr Howard said the battalions would be raised in two stages, with the headquarters of the first to be established later this year, staffed by the end of 2008 and ready for overseas deployment by 2010 if required.
   Details of the second battalion would be determined in due course.
   The cost of raising the first battalion will be about $6 billion over 11 years, with a further $4 billion for the second, depending on the timeframe. This included personnel, equipment, facilities and support services.
   The boost to the Army was in addition to enhanced capability announced late last year as part of the Hardened and Networked Army program.
   The Government was also looking at ways to retain existing personnel and Defence Minister Brendan Nelson expected to announce the broad scope of initiatives over the coming weeks.

August 29, 2006
Police Nab More Money, More Staff
The Australian Federal Police are to receive a $493.2 million funding boost and an increased overseas presence under plans announced by the Prime Minister.
   The increases are in response to fears of increased regional strife, the bulk of the funding to be directed to increasing the AFP’s International Deployment Group to 1200, an increase of about 400 personnel.
   The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison said the Government had a proven and ongoing commitment to law and order in the Asia-Pacific region and the extra funding would significantly boost the AFP’s capability in the area.
   “Australia will continue to assist states in our region to address threats to law and order,’’ Senator Ellison said.
   “The stability of our neighbours is important to Australia’s national security and we are determined to help ensure these states do not become havens or staging posts for transnational criminals or terrorists targeting Australia.”
   The ongoing funding would allow the IDG to establish an Operational Response Group with a staffing capacity of 150 people. The ORG would be made up of members who could be deployed at short notice in response to law-and-order issues and undertake stabilisation operations.
   Senator Ellison said the ORG would be a highly trained group in a constant state of readiness, with an enhanced capability to work closely with Defence personnel also engaged  overseas.
   He said the AFP initiative and closer interoperability with Defence, would ensure Australia could respond to any number of challenges and crises in the region and around the globe.
   While welcoming the increased funding and personnel, the Police Federation of Australia warned that recruitment could be an issue if past experience with the IDG was any guide.
   Chief Executive of the PFA, Mark Burgess, said some State police forces had resorted to recruiting overseas.
   “It is becoming apparent the Federal Government will use State police forces for the AFP’s surge capacity,” Mr Burgess said.  “We are already witnessing several jurisdictions struggling to recruit sufficient numbers.’’
   The move to attract more police follows the Government’s announcement that $10 billion would be committed to creating two new army battalions to deal with an anticipated increase in the sort of unrest that recently flared in the Solomon Islands and East Timor.

August 29, 2006
IT Hub in Adelaide Worth Crowing About
Adelaide has been chosen as Centrelink's new Information Technology hub.
   Human Services Minister Joe Hockey said the hub would create 100 new jobs in the South Australian capital and encourage the State’s IT graduates to stay in Adelaide.
   “The size of Centrelink’s IT system is enormous,” Mr Hockey said. “More than 5.2 billion transactions are made through Centrelink’s IT systems every year, and it’s responsible for distributing $63 billion in payments.”
   He said by setting up the hub in Adelaide, Centrelink would overcome some of the difficulties it faced recruiting and retaining IT staff and graduates in Canberra.
   “There is currently a skills shortage in the IT industry, which means Centrelink has had to look at different ways of attracting skilled workers."
   Mr Hockey said Adelaide was chosen ahead of other capital cities because of the excellent IT programs run by local universities and because South Australia already hosted a number of national Centrelink IT functions, including the Systems Testing Centre and the User Assurance Centre.
   Mr Hockey said a number of national IT functions and positions would move to Adelaide during 2007, which would help build the team initially.
   He said Centrelink would then directly target IT graduates from the University of South Australia, Adelaide University and Flinders University to help fill positions in growing areas of Centrelink’s IT business.
   “The new hub will encourage graduates to stay and work in Adelaide, meaning South Australia is able to retain skills locally," he said.
   “It’s also likely graduates from other states some positions will be attracted to Adelaide to work for Centrelink."

August 29, 2006
Greying of Workforce a Black and White issue
An understanding of demography was critical for developing Government policy and programs according to the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs.
   Ms Briggs told a seminar at the Australian National University that changes in demographics affected the APS as both a provider of services and as an employer.
   Ms Briggs said that markets in Australia were adjusting to accommodate the needs and preferences of an ageing population and other consumers, and public sector services and programs needed to evolve to reflect the needs of both a greying nation and its other citizens.
   She said health and aged care services were obvious examples of where the public sector would need to accommodate growing demand by older Australians.
   "To cut a long story short, I think it will have implications for the demand for Government services, how services are delivered, Agency and overall budgets and
our capacity to develop and deliver affordable and appropriate strategies," Ms Briggs said.
   Efforts to get the right policy balance would continue to be influenced by changing community expectations.
   "Australians increasingly expect high quality, seamless, accessible and responsive service delivery that is tailored to individual needs, and where outcomes are transparent.
   "They also expect a greater say in the development of policies and programs.”
    Ms Briggs said that she had been concerned for some time about the erosion in some areas of the Public Service of the capacity for sound research, policy-development and analysis.
   "Many Public Service research and dedicated policy areas have been wound back due to fiscal restraint and ongoing budget cuts in the Australian public sector and the rising demands for the delivery of more and more,’’ she said.
   "While I do think policy has benefited from closer proximity to and knowledge of delivery issues, I think it has suffered from a failure to nurture talented policy thinkers and researchers."
   She said many of the APS’s best policy people were doing great shorter term policy work on important Government programs, but didn’t have time for more strategic long-term work or to teach younger people.
   "This lack of focus on the development of internal APS policy and research skills and the adequate resourcing of such skills, is not in Australia’s best interests.”
   She noted that over its history, most recruits to the APS entered at the base level with the expectation of a career for life. "Today, only about one per cent of our workforce is aged 20 or under and more than half are aged 40 and over. Our average age is now 42, compared to a youthful 32 in 1984.”
   "We can expect our ageing to continue to be magnified, relative to the wider Australian workforce, given that about 40 per cent of new recruits are aged 35 or over.”
   She said 55 per cent of Public Service employees were women, compared with 38 per cent in 1984.
   Part-time work was only introduced in 1984, and now 18 per cent of women work part-time. 
   "Given the change in the operating environment of the APS, it is not surprising that ours is now a predominately graduate workforce," she said. "Almost half of all APS employees and two-thirds of new recruits have tertiary qualifications.”
   Ms Briggs said the APS faced a supply shortage, as the number of new entrants to the market would contract over the next 10-15 years and the baby boomer generation would retire.
   "Part of the challenge will be for agencies in the Australian Public Service to make themselves competitive and to make sure they have the strategies in place to develop and retain high quality employees."
   She said older employees placed a premium on flexible working arrangements and that flexibility might include the opportunity to take time out to pursue other interests; to work part-time to accommodate voluntary work or elder care responsibilities, or to work on a seasonal basis.
   Younger employees also valued flexibility, often looking to combine work and study; develop their skills, do interesting work and put their skills into practice.
   "We will have to come to terms with the fact that significant numbers will come into the APS and take advantage of the opportunities for training and development, and take those skills elsewhere.
   "The challenge for the APS is to provide workplaces that they will come back to," Ms Briggs said.

August 29, 2006
Hats Off to Centrelink After Larry Recovery Effort
Centrelink staff have won two major awards and are finalists for a third in recognition of  their work in helping Far North Queensland communities recover from the devastation of  Cyclone Larry.
   Innisfail Centrelink staff received the prestigious Ross Divett Memorial Award in this year's Centrelink National Awards and the organisation-wide response to the cyclone has been acknowledged with an Emergency Response Award.
   Ross Divett was the first Deputy Chief Executive of Centrelink when it was formed in 1997, but died in 2001 from an asbestos-related cancer.
   “The staff at Innisfail displayed honesty, integrity and determination in delivering a first class service to their local community under very trying circumstances,” said Peter Searston, Centrelink area manager for Central and Northern Queensland.
   In the five months since Cyclone Larry, Centrelink distributed more than $37 million in ex-gratia payments to affected residents and a further $141 million in aid for farms and businesses.
   Centrelink Central and Northern Queensland is also a finalist for the annual Comcare Safety Award for management of occupational health and safety issues in the wake of Cyclones Larry and Monica.
   “Innisfail Centrelink has been the frontline of a national campaign involving more than 400 staff across the country,” Mr Searston said.
   “It’s been a huge undertaking and I am very pleased that the efforts of staff locally and nationally is being officially recognised," he said.

August 29, 2006
Archives Branches Into Family Tree
The National Archives of Australia has developed a new resource to assist indigenous people to link up with family.
   Director-General, Ross Gibbs launched the guide at the Archives’ Darwin office recently.
   Tracking Family: A Guide to Aboriginal Records Relating to the Northern Territory provides information about records relating to Northern Territory Indigenous people, the institutions in which the records are held, access arrangements and contact details, and information about related services.
   Mr Gibbs said the guide arose from forums held in Alice Springs and Darwin in 2003.
   "The forums were held to enable participants to broaden their understanding of the organisations involved in the field and to provide them with advice on the types of records and information held and how to gain access to that material," Mr Gibbs said.
   They were organised jointly by the Darwin office of the National Archives and the Northern Territory Archives Service and brought together organisations including Commonwealth and Northern Territory government agencies holding records and information or providing services to the Indigenous community, church organisations that ran homes and missions Indigenous community organisations and genealogical and historical organisations.
   Mr Gibbs also announced that the Bringing Them Home name index was now available for use by Northern Territory link-up caseworkers.
   The index was developed by the National Archives as part of the Government’s response to the Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.
   Link-up caseworkers from the Central Australian Stolen Generations and Families Aboriginal Corporation and KARU Aboriginal Child Care Agency have been trained in the use of the Bringing Them Home index.

August 29, 2006
Oldest Films to Get Newest Cinema
The National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra is to receive a new 250-seat cinema.
   The cinema, 'Arc,' would allow the public to see the best archival prints as well as thousands of films restored by other film archives around the world.
   Film and Sound Archives director Paolo Cherchi Usai said the cinema was the fulfilment of a dream pursued by the Archives since its beginnings in 1984.
   Chief programmer, Quention Turnour said the new cinema represented a unique opportunity to present archival prints as they should be seen.
   "Best museum practice requires that restored films are shown without any cuts between reels, but this is not possible in commercial cinemas where platter projectors have the reels joined to each other," Mr Turnour said. "The new equipment will overcome this problem."
   The cinema will feature64 dramatic lighting, soundscapes and artworks projected on screen as audiences enter. It will eventually be fitted with digital projection equipment.
   Mr Usai said it would not be a commercial cinema.
   "The Arc will be special in that it will make the experience of waiting for the movie to start as exciting as the film itself, with sounds and images creating a truly unique atmosphere," he said.
   Construction will involve a major restructure of the Film and Sound Archives north gallery exhibition space in the Canberra suburb of Acton.            

August 29, 2006
Foreign Medals Pinned Down
Guidelines have been established for Australian soldiers wearing foreign medals and awards.
   The Head, Personnel Executive of the Australian Defence Force, Major-General Mark Evans has announced the guidelines which will govern the acceptance and wearing of foreign service awards by Australian servicemen and women.
   “The Vice Chief of the Defence Force and the three Chiefs of Staff have agreed that only those foreign awards that can be equated to an Australian award should be approved for acceptance and wearing,” Major-General Evans said.
   “In relation to US awards, only the Meritorious Service Medal and above, which have equivalence in the Australian system of honours and awards, will be approved for official acceptance and wearing.”
   This would exclude US commendation and achievement medals.
   Major-General Evans said the guidelines provided for all foreign awards to be made in advance through recognised official channels.
   The review had been prompted by the ADF’s increased involvement in coalition operations in recent years, a draft Defence Instruction (General) being prepared in relation to foreign awards.
   “Until the DI(G) Pers is available, it is important that the basic foreign awards policy be reaffirmed and promulgated to reflect the policy and principles of equivalence, national interest and a requirement for foreign awards policy to be part of pre-deployment briefings,” Major-General Evans said.

August 29, 2006
ACMA declared a Winner at Commonwealth Games
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released a report highlighting its contribution to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.
   The report is a snapshot of the arrangements made by ACMA to support the successful staging of the games and according to ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman, would be a useful tool for other organisations hosting major events in the future, both in Australia and overseas.
   Mr Chapman said ACMA’s involvement in the Games included coordinating radio communications frequencies, including assignments and licensing.
   He said it investigated radio frequency interference and inspected venues for potential problems and to resolve telecommunications cabling problems. ACMA tested communications equipment, took part in readiness events and venue familiarisation and provided visitor information on websites. It also published an information brochure.
   The report contains details of ACMA’s organisational structure, support tools, infrastructure and preparations for the games.
   "The success of ACMA’s contribution can be attributed to the technical expertise of its staff and the cooperative support of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation and other supporting technical organisations," Mr Chapman said.
   The report is available from www.acma.gov.au.

August 29, 2006
Pest Control Leaves No Flies on Casey
The Australian Antarctic station at Casey has been forced to conduct its second fly eradication campaign in 18 months.
   Although the small mushroom gnats (Lycoriella) were eradicated from the base in April last year after surviving and breeding in waste water treatment for several years, the little pests reappeared recently, noticed again on onions in the warm store.
   Despite the Casey team’s best efforts in terms of ensuring expeditioners’ and provedores’ compliance with cleaning, fumigation and quarantine procedures, occasionally a tiny egg or bug can slip through the net. However, they have developed processes to deal with any accidental introductions with a rigorous reporting system, alien invertebrate kits and eradication procedures.
   At the recent international conference for the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs, Australia was complimented on its leadership in developing procedures to deal with a range of environmental issues.
   There was no sign that the recurrence of the fly population at Casey had colonised the waste water treatment plant, so it was unlikely that they had established a breeding population, but they had been sighted in the sewage tanks in the main accommodation building, know as the Red Shed.
   In keeping with international obligations under the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, the Australian Antarctic Division aimed to keep Antarctica free of any introduced species.
   All personnel on the station will play a role in the process, as the kitchen, toilet and bathroom water supplies and drainage systems will be interrupted for a couple of days in the Red Shed.
   Expeditioners will not be able to use the laundry, toileting will entail braving the winter cold to use facilities in other buildings and washing up will be minimised with the use of paper plates. Any expeditioners who can work off station will be encouraged to do so to minimise the load until the program is complete.

August 29, 2006
Aid Agency Seeks Jolly Good Fellows
Australia's ties within the Asia Pacific region is to be boosted by a new fellowship program managed by Australia's international aid agency, AusAID
   Parliament Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Teresa Gambaro, encouraged Australian organisations to become involved in the program that would bring over 1700 Fellows to Australia over five years.
   Ms Gambaro said the Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships Program would develop the abilities of current and aspiring leaders from the Asia Pacific to address key regional issues and challenges.
   "Australian community, civil society, private sector, research, academic and government organisations with existing links within the Asia Pacific Region will be able to host Fellows for study, research or professional attachments," Ms Gambaro said.
   She said as fellowships will be short-term, they would be able to respond to ever-changing regional priorities and allow participants to explore common policy issues.
   Ms Gambaro said priorities in 2007 would include economic management, trade policy and trans-national challenges such as pandemics, diseases, security and clean energy.
   The ALA Fellowships were a component of Australian Scholarships which will double the number of educational opportunities to 19,000 available in the Asia Pacific region.

August 29, 2006
Poster Power Puts Kids Through Moola Hoops
High school students have designed posters for a program by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission targeting financial awareness among young people.
   Known as Moola Talk, the competition encourages Year 8 to 10 students in the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory to learn about financial management so they can make well-informed decisions in the future.
   According to ASIC’s ACT Regional Commissioner, Delia Rickard, Moola Talk encouraged students to think about how best to use their money.
   "Developing financial skills early in life prepares young people to move through life as confident and informed consumers," Ms Rickard said.
   Students designed a poster and slogan conveying a consumer message about money or finance and scored points for creativity and how well their message was communicated.
   Each winner received $200 for themselves and $1000 for their school.
   ACT students won two of the five available prizes: Daniel Pazarkoski, 13, from Wanniassa Senior School campus was successful with Save Your Bling for Better Stuff, while Zoe Whittaker, 14, from Lyneham High School, was rewarded for Don't be a Debt Delinquent.
   ASIC thanked the ACT Department of Education and Training for its support of the competition and assistance in judging the entries.

August 29, 2006
Finance Watchdog Loses Appeal
A decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to overturn the disqualification of seven directors of a superannuation fund will not be appealed against by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
   APRA has acknowledged the decision by the AAT and issued a public statement on its position.
   APRA said confidentiality orders had prevented it from making any public statement on the matter since June 2005. The matter involved seven directors of the former trustee of the AXA Australia Staff Superannuation Plan.
   APRA’s statement said while the Tribunal found that the actions related to an Enforceable Undertaking from the trustee did not warrant disqualifications for the individuals concerned, it did find that the trustee withheld information from a class of fund members and "did so deliberately so that they could not select against the plan."
   The AAT concluded that the trustee's conduct was in the interests of the fund members as a whole.
   In its public statement, APRA said it would continue to take actions in the interests of superannuation fund members when the circumstances warranted.
   It said it would be making no further comment on the matter concerned and noted that since entering into an Enforceable Undertaking with APRA, the trusteeship of the fund has been transferred to a new trustee.
   The AAT did not express any criticism of APRA's processes or decisions in respect of the seven individuals.

August 29, 2006
Regional Air Controllers Flock Together
Airservices Australia has hosted the first conference of navigation authorities in Australia’s region.
   Gathering as the Asia Pacific Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) Conference, delegates from 12 Asia-Pacific nations met to explore aviation safety issues and other issues of importance to the region.
   The conference heard that air traffic in the region was expected to grow strongly over the next 20 years, imposing severe capacity constraints on airports, airlines and airspace. It agreed that enhanced cooperation and coordination between regional ANSPs, airlines and regulators would improve the safety and efficiency of air transport.
   To this end, two working groups were established to look at smooth transitions across flight boundaries and creation of a regional safety road map.
   The conference agreed that one working group would identify homogeneous airspace blocs or air routes conducive to further studies and trials between Asia Pacific ANSP providers and airlines.
   The first meeting of the working group would be hosted by Aerothai and be held before the end of 2006 with secretariat and logistics support from Airservices Australia.
   The second working group will work on a regional safety roadmap, as recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and would include representatives from regional ANSPs and airlines. Airservices Australia will provide the secretariat.
   The next conference was scheduled to be held in Bali in 2007

August 29, 2006
Lines Drawn for Regional Arts
The future of regional arts was the focus of a round table meeting in Canberra hosted by the Minister for the Arts, Senator Rod Kemp. The meeting included about 25 key arts decision makers, arts workers and business leaders.
   Panel members hade a strong understanding of the needs and aspirations of regional communities within their States, not just in terms of the arts, but also social, economic and technological issues, and looked at two topics vital to the development of arts in regional, rural and remote Australia - recognition of the arts in regional Australia and developing partnerships and extending and strengthening the arts network.
   Sixty invited observers whose work touches the lives of the vast majority of the more than 6.7 million Australians who live and work in non-metropolitan Australia also took part.
   Meg Larkin, President of Regional Arts Australia and Chair Regional Arts NSW said the group was committed to assisting arts and cultural programs in regional, rural and remote communities.
   Ken Lloyd, Secretary of Regional Arts Australia and Chief Executive Officer of Country Arts SA said the role of the summit was to encourage a much broader range of voices across Australia to discuss regional arts issues in the federal government arena, "building on the work we’ve done to date that identifies our development issues."
    Regional Arts Australia acts on behalf of the communities and artists of regional, rural and remote Australia.

August 29, 2006
Designers sought for new intelligence facility
Submissions are soon to be sought from design professionals for ideas and concepts for a major new intelligence facility in Canberra
   The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and Office of National Assessments plan to move into the new purpose-built building within the national capital’s  security precinct by 2010-11.
   The new building is to be state-of-the-art, purpose-designed and operating 24 hours a day with a level of security commensurate with the threat Australia faces from terrorism.
   The building will be project-managed by the Department of Finance and Administration and built between Constitution Avenue and Parkes Way, next to Anzac Park East.
   The chosen site will enable ASIO and ONA to remain near other close partners in the intelligence and law enforcement community.

August 29, 2006
Selling Telstra 
The Government is to sell more of its shareholding in communications carrier Telstra, the Prime Minister, John Howard,  announcing $8 billion worth of shares would be offered to the market in October and November.
   As for past Telstra share sales, investors will be able to pay for their shares in two instalments over an 18 month period , while remaining eligible for full dividends.
   The Government’s unsold shares will be placed in the Future Fund, to be sold down by that fund during the future.
   The Prime Minister said there was an “irreconcilable conflict” between a Government which was both a communications industry regulator and a major shareholder in a communications company.
   “It's in the interests of the company, it's in the interests of telecommunications policy and it's in the interests of the existing shareholders in the company that this sale proceed,’’ Mr Howard said.

August 29, 2006
Visual fellowships
Five outstanding Australian visual artists have received fellowship grants from the Australia Council for the Arts worth $90,000 over the next two years.
   The Australia Council Visual Arts Fellowships provide support to craftspeople, designers, new media artists, visual artists and art writers of outstanding ability, enabling them to realise ambitious projects and develop their professional practise.
   “These fellowships recognise a very high level of achievement in visual arts and are only granted once in an artist's lifetime,” Australia Council director Visual Arts Anna Waldmann said.
   “Australia Council support is a timely reward at this point in their careers. It will help build their already significant international and national reputations, and assist the artists to create exciting new works.”
   The Visual Arts Fellowship recipients for 2006 are Susan Cohn of Victoria; Shaun Gladwell of  Sydney; Julie Gough of Queensland; Callum Morton of Victoria and Catherine Truman from South Australia.

August 29, 2006
Rainfall maps forecast
The Bureau of Meteorology has added rainfall forecast maps to its website, graphically showing predicted rainfall totals across Australia for the next five days.
   The electronic maps are part of the Bureau’s new “Water and the Land” section of the Bureau website and also include the aggregate rainfall forecast for days one to four of the forecast period, and for days five to eight. A third type of map shows the probability of daily rainfall reaching certain threshold totals.
   The new technology would greatly benefit rural and regional communities. Farmers will be able to access the latest weather information which will allow them and other people involved in the agricultural industry to plan their work more efficiently.
   The new site can be accessed via the “Water and the Land” link on the bureau home page: http://www.bom.gov.au/

August 29, 2006
General consensus on Census
While the overwhelming majority of Australians supported the Census, a small number of people have declared that they will not fill in a Census form.
   Head of the Census Paul Williams said 112 Notices of Direction (NOD) had been issued by the ABS. (22 in NSW, Vic 26, Qld 19, SA 28, WA 2, Tas, 7 and ACT 8, The NT has issued none.).
   Mr Williams said a Notice of Direction was the first step in a process that could lead to prosecution, but most people complied when they realised the importance of ensuring everyone was counted for their community.
   Mr Williams said the collection of Census forms was drawing to a close with 80 per cent already collected.
   Nearly 800,000 dwellings submitted their form by the Internet, using the eCensus option. Approximately 2 million people were counted on an eCensus form.
   People who were in Australia on 8 August and did not receive a Census form can still let the ABS know by ringing 1300 362 883 or emailing (census.forms@abs.gov.au) with their residential address.

August 29, 2006
Environment Prize Awarded
Environment Minister, Ian Campbell has congratulated journalists Matthew Carney, Morag Ramsay and Anne Connolly for winning the 2006 Peter Hunt Eureka Prize for Environmental Journalism.
   Presenting the award at the annual Eureka Prizes award dinner in Sydney, Senator Campbell said their winning entry, The Whale Wars, focused on the lead up to and vote in the International Whaling Commission.
   “This was a terrific piece of journalism that helped many Australians to see how difficult the international anti-whaling fight really is,” Senator Campbell said.
   The Whale Wars was broadcast on ABC TV’s Four Corners program and was selected from 27 initial entries by an independent expert panel.

Currow to head Cancer Australia
Professor David Currow has been appointed chief executive officer of the new statutory agency, Cancer Australia.
   Professor Currow is a medical oncologist who holds the Chair of Palliative and Supportive Services at Flinders University, Adelaide and is the director of Southern Adelaide Palliative Services.
   Professor Currow will be supported by the Cancer Australia Advisory Council, chaired by Dr Bill Glasson, a former president of the Australian Medical Association.
   Cancer Australia, to be located in Canberra, will guide improvements in prevention and care, provide support to the public and health professionals and make recommendations to the Government about cancer policy and priorities.

Defence Boards set up
Two new groups have been established within Defence – a Defence Management Review and a Defence Business Improvement Board – to examine efficiency and effectiveness across the Department and look specifically at decision making, business and management processes.
   The Review will be chaired by Elizabeth Proust, who will be joined by former Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie, John Azarias, and Dr Alan Kallir.
   Barry Cusack is to chair the Defence Business Improvement Board. Other external members will be Jock Murray, Vanessa Fanning and Les Cupper. They will be joined by Phillip Prior, Martin Bowles, Air Vice Marshal John Monaghan and Air Vice Marshal Chris Spence.

Bott leaves Arts Council
Chief Executive of the Australia Council for the Arts, Jennifer Bott has stepped down after nearly eight years. She will leave the organisation on 19 September 2006.
   Ms Bott is moving to a new field and will take up the position of chief executive of
the University of New South Wales Foundation on 9 October.

Goward Back
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward has been reappointed for a further three years. Ms Goward was appointed Sex Discrimination Commissioner for five years in July 2001.