PS News Archives September 08

30 September, 2008
PS Commission plays whistleblower tune
The need for a separate Agency to investigate whistle blowing concerns has been dismissed as “inefficient and costly” by Australian Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs.
   Commissioner Briggs said while it was vital for Public Servants to have a clear avenue for raising their “legitimate and necessary” concerns, creating a new Agency would not be practical.
   She believed the Public Service Act of 1999 already included provisions to protect whistle blowers.
   “I firmly believe that the Australian Public Service Commissioner is best placed to handle such reports and make these fine judgements,” she said.
   Commissioner Briggs said she believed serious public interest matters should be sent directly to her.
   “I would then determine the most appropriate way for these reports to be addressed, as I do now for whistle blowing matters that are sent to me direct,” she said,
   Commissioner Briggs said enhancements could be made to the Public Service Act to deliver a more effective system.
   She said only three quarters of Australian Government sector employees were covered under the Act but that the Commission supported covering non-APS Commonwealth employees, contractors and consultants, political staffers and Members of Parliament.
   “A comprehensive whistle blowing scheme should encourage officials and others to identify legitimate concerns, and provide for their protection in doing so,” the Commissioner said.
   “We need to protect against wrongdoing, fraud and corruption and encourage employees in a responsible way to identify and report serious misconduct, in order to maintain the integrity of the Public Sector.”
   Commissioner Briggs said if another Agency took on the role, it would take a long time to figure out boundaries and whether certain complaints should be sent to the APSC or to the new Agency.
   She said it could be difficult to discern which complaints were simply personal grievances and which ones fell under public interest disclosure and required whistle blowing protection.
   “What is considered as whistle blowing in one Agency may be viewed differently in another,” Commissioner Briggs said.
   She said formally investigating all allegations of wrongdoing would create an undesirable and inefficient outcome.
   “It would not contribute to the quick and effective handling of such issues at the immediate workplace level,” the Commissioner said.
   She said it was logical to develop the existing system rather than starting from scratch.
   “We don’t need to go down this road when we already have a system with a strong foundation that can be built on,” she said. nned to report its findings to Parliament by 28 February 2009.

30 September, 2008
PS women’s policies get dressing down
The Community and Public Sector Union has told a Government Inquiry into pay equity that women had less chance of reaching the senior ranks of the Australian Public Service than men.
   National Secretary of the CPSU, Stephen Jones, called for more work to be done to ensure that women were not overlooked for promotion.
   According to the Union, fewer than one in five female employees on average would be promoted to senior management roles despite some Agencies employing up to 80 per cent women.
   The Union said men remained the preferred candidates for PS promotions with more than one in three holding down executive or higher positions.
   It pointed to Medicare which it said employed a workforce that was more than 80 per cent women but fewer than one in 12 filled executive positions.
   Mr Jones called on the Commonwealth to show leadership.
   "Australians expect hard work to be rewarded regardless of whether someone is a man or a woman," Mr Jones said.
   "Unfortunately, the evidence suggests that the odds are stacked against women hoping to be promoted to executive levels.”
   He said the Federal Government had the opportunity to take the first steps towards ensuring all Australian working women were not overlooked for promotion.
   "The CPSU would encourage the Federal Government to lead by example by overhauling pay arrangements that disadvantage women working in the Public Service and introduce more practical measures in the sector for helping women develop their careers,” Mr Jones said.
   "Australia would benefit hugely from better funding for equity programs, including mentoring and professional career development to help build our future women leaders.”

30 September, 2008
NT Containers to be ship shape
A report from consultants engaged to inspect the converted shipping containers used to house staff assigned to the Northern Territory Emergency Response has been received by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
   The consultant was called in when formaldehyde and other chemicals were suspected in the containers and its report has warned that 89 per cent of the containers should not be used until their air quality has been improved.
   The inspections also found there was a tendency for carbon dioxide and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs) to build up rapidly in the containers due to inadequate ventilation.
   Following confirmation of the consultant’s findings by the Department of Health and Ageing and the National Industrial Chemicals Notifications and Assessment Scheme, the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer has recommended the majority of containers not be occupied until remediation work was undertaken to improve their air quality to acceptable national standards.
   The CMO, Professor John Horvath, said while exposure to the chemicals was unlikely to have caused harm, “it is clearly necessary that the containers meet accepted air-quality standards."
   The Commonwealth’s occupational health and safety regulatory authority, Comcare, supported the CMO's approach.
   Minister for FaHCSIA, Jenny Macklin announced the findings, saying it had been a difficult period for the staff affected by the health risks.
   “I want to assure staff and community members that their wellbeing is my highest priority,” Ms Macklin said.
   “Twenty-one accommodation containers have been tested and declared safe for use and Government Business Managers (GBM) in five of the 24 affected NTER communities are able to use the containers.”
   She said the supplier had undertaken to remediate all containers to meet Australian air quality standards and independent testing would be carried out when that work was complete to ensure it was satisfactory.
   “No-one will occupy the containers until the test results demonstrate acceptable air quality levels,” Ms Macklin said.
   She said all the containers were expected to be ready for use as accommodation again by the end of November.
   The Minister also said FaHCSIA was making progress adopting all 16 recommendations from an investigation into the Department's handling of the situation.
   “FaHCSIA has appointed a full time NTER Occupational Health and Safety specialist and bolstered OH&S resources,” she said. “An independent review of GBM employment conditions is also complete.”
   She said the Department had purchased 48 demountables for longer-term accommodation for GBMs and other staff and these would be in place and in use by the end of the year.

30 September, 2008
Youth Office to stop PS kidding around
A new “Office for Youth” is to be established in the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
   Minister for Youth, Kate Ellis said the Office would provide support and advice to other Government Agencies on engaging with young people, identify key issues impacting on the lives of young Australians and play a strategic policy role in ensuring their voices were heard.
   “This Government is acutely aware of the complex challenges facing young Australians,” Ms Ellis said.
   “On issues such as housing affordability, the costs of getting an education, drug and alcohol issues, climate change, body image and mental health issues, there is a generational divide when comparing the experiences of today’s youth to those of previous generations.”
   She said there were 2.7 million Australians aged between 15 and 24, representing 13.6 per cent of the population.
   “It is a formative and crucial stage of life that poses unique challenges and opportunities,” Ms Ellis said.
   “It is vital that we do all we can to ensure young Australians reach their full potential and that the most effective policies, programs and services are in place to respond to their specific life circumstances and needs.”
   She said the new Office was one of a number of steps on the Australian Government’s youth affairs reform agenda with the 2008-09 Budget also providing $8 million over four years to establish the Australian Youth Forum.
   Ms Ellis said the Forum would build on the involvement of young people in the Youth and Australian 2020 Summits and give young Australians the opportunity to engage with the Government about issues affecting their lives today and the big issues of the future.
   “We are listening to young people to get their take on the issues as well as inviting their input on how best to respond,” she said.
   “Combining a new framework for youth engagement with the expertise and capacity of the new Office, this Government is strongly committed to making a real difference in the lives of Australia’s youth,” Ms Ellis said.

30 September, 2008
Salary survey pays out on gender gap
A survey conducted for the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) has revealed that most Australians believe in equal pay.
   Conducted by Auspoll for EOWA and Diversity Council Australia, the survey of 3,000 people targeted business professionals, including human resource practitioners from some of Australia’s biggest companies, as well as 1,200 ordinary Australians.
   The poll showed that 82 per cent of the general community and 94 per cent of the business community were aware Australian women, on average, earned less than Australian men and 80 per cent of the general community and 96 cent of the business community believed that action should be taken to close the gap between men and women’s earnings.
   It also highlighted the fact that 88 per cent of the general community and 61 per cent of the business community didn’t have a full understanding of pay equity.
   EOWA Director Anna McPhee and DCA Chief Executive Officer Nareen Young welcomed the poll, saying the results were proof that Australians now recognised there was an unfair gap between wages for men and women.
   “Pay equity is not just about equal pay for equal work,” Ms McPhee said.
   “The 15.6 per cent gender wage gap reveals the systemic discrimination in the under-valuation of women’s work.”
   Ms Young urged the Federal Government to fund an urgent education campaign across the Australian business community.
   “Now that people recognise there is pay inequity, the time is right for Government to examine what it can reasonably do to help change the status quo,” she said.
   “One initiative could be to educate business on how women’s contributions in the workplace are under-recognised, undervalued and underpaid and then find ways to address these issues.”

30 September, 2008
Scientists go sporty in race for gold
A collaboration between the Australian Institute of Sport and CSIRO was expected to improve the performances of Australia’s top elite athletes.
   In a world first, the joint exercise would see a mobile radio transmitter attached to an athlete or equipment to track their every move with the information instantaneously relayed to a coach to enable the athlete’s location, speed and position relative to other athletes to be monitored.
   For a cyclist training in a velodrome, a light, mobile phone-sized device could be attached to the bike and could monitor, in real time, the cyclist’s location, speed, split times and accelerations. As well, the device could marry this information with the athlete’s sensory data such as body temperature and various indicators of fatigue.
   According to the head of the AIS Applied Research Centre, Professor Allan Hahn, CSIRO’s ground breaking technology would help the AIS monitor athlete movements with a level of accuracy it had never had before.
   “The detailed information this tracking system can provide to the coach, for indoor and outdoor sports, will help adjust training regimes and strategies,” Professor Hahn said.
   “When you consider that many world rankings are determined by just milliseconds, this AIS-CSIRO collaboration could help to produce Australia’s next sporting triumph.”
   He said the information would help coaches and sport scientists adjust the training for their athletes to provide a winning edge over competitor nations. While other monitoring devices such as GPS were currently used, they did not offer the combined accuracy and ease of use of the new radio tracking system, and they had limited applicability to indoor sports.
   Professor Hahn said the radio tracking system would be particularly useful in team-based sports such as hockey and soccer because it had the capacity to monitor the position of every player on the field simultaneously. This would help the players and coaches analyse attack and defence formations and in some cases to scrutinise competitor strategies.
   According to the Director of Wireless Technologies Research at CSIRO’s ICT Centre, Dr Jay Guo, the application of wireless research, particularly in indoor or tightly confined areas, had resulted in a system that could be adapted for many different purposes from the development of elite athletes to miners and emergency service personnel.
   The collaborative research was being conducted in Marsfield in Sydney and at various sporting venues.

30 September, 2008
Birthday party takes the cake
Centrelink has celebrated its 11th birthday by announcing the winners of its National Awards.
   Minister for Human Services Senator Joe Ludwig congratulated the organisation for embracing its compassionate side and congratulated the winners.
   “As Centrelink marks another year this week, I’m very pleased to see staff playing a more inclusive and collaborative role across the welfare sector,” Senator Ludwig said.
   “With over 6.5 million Australians accessing Centrelink services, it is clear Centrelink will have a large role to play.”
   He wished Centrelink’s 26,000 staff a very happy birthday and applauded their efforts in doing a difficult job extremely well.
   “It’s not always an easy job, but these dedicated men and women continue to find innovative ways to expand their role to benefit their fellow Australians,” he said.
   Among the national winners were:

The Ross Divett Memorial Award
   Tim Webster from the Indigenous Response Team in the Northern Territory.
   For delivering Income Management to remote Indigenous communities in the NT.

Customer Service Award:
Tanya Maloney, Acting Remote Area Service Centre Manager on Palm Island.
   For identifying major service and program gaps impacting on living standards in the community, particularly for children.

Employee Profile Award:
   Robert Luke, Special Benefit and Refugees Servicing, Melbourne.
   For exceptional initiative and leadership in the development and implementation of the Special Benefit and Refugee Servicing Team.

Network and Relationships Award:
   Jill Garratt, Senior Social Worker, Queensland
   For her role in Centrelink’s response to the Mackay floods.

Responsiveness to Government Award:
   Families and Child Care IT team:
   For the team’s ability to implement major changes to IT systems in an extremely short time frame, to ensure systems were able to quickly reflect new policy.

Centrelink Gold Business Award:
   Digitisation project:
   For improving efficiency by ensuring information required for Business Integrity was captured once, could be instantly retrieved and shared simply, and led to improved response times for customers.

CEO Special Commendation:
   Fraud Investigation Manual Development Team:
   For the introduction of the online Centrelink Fraud Investigation Manual (FIM).

30 September, 2008
Pay deal ties down air traffic staff
A $6 million package aimed at keeping Australian Defence Force staff from joining the private sector has been announced by Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon.
   The financial incentive was designed to help retain around 150 Air Force air traffic control officers (ATCOs) who have been offered a $30,000 bonus to remain in the Air Force and provide an additional year of service.
   Mr Fitzgibbon said the plan came at a time of global shortage of civil and military air traffic controllers.
   He said members of the RAAF with airfield engineering trades would also be offered $20,000 to stay for an additional two years.
   RAAF Group Captain Alan Holtfreter, said 15 ATCOs had resigned since June this year.
   “There are a number of reasons for these resignations, including limited career development and lack of locational stability,” he said.
   “The air traffic control workforce is one of the most mobile in the ADF. If this trend was permitted to continue, there is no doubt it would place significant pressure upon our airbase air traffic control services.”
   Mr Fitzgibbon said the one-off bonus was the first step towards ensuring Air Force employment conditions were on par with civilian workplaces.
   Air Commodore Warren Ludwig, said a number of longer-term initiatives to improve working conditions for ATCOs were being considered.
   He said these included pay rises, providing further career opportunities and improving location stability.
   Mr Fitzgibbon said the bonus would be paid to eligible supervisors or air traffic control instructor-qualified ATCOs of Squadron Leader rank and below provided they had been endorsed before September 2006 and had completed their Minimum Period of Service.
   Eligible ATCOs would receive letters offering the bonus, which would be paid in October.

30 September, 2008
Report buys into ADF procurement
An independent review into the capability and procurement systems of the Australian Defence Force has recommended the purchasing arm of the ADF become an Executive Agency with more independence and more business-like strategies.
   The review, Going to the Next Level, was conducted by businessman David Mortimer and made 46 recommendations in five key areas of concern.
   It found there were inadequate project management resources in the Capability Development Group; inefficiencies in Government approval processes for new projects; staff shortages in the Defence Material Organisation (DMO); delays due to inadequate industry capabilities; and difficulties introducing equipment into full service.
   The review recommended the DMO, which was responsible for purchasing and maintaining military equipment, become “more commercially focused” to promote improved Defence outcomes.
   “DMO should continue to refine its approach to contracting so as to align with commercial practice,” the report said.
   It recommended a charter be drawn up between Defence and DMO to allow DMO to become a separate Executive Agency.
   The Minister for Defence, Joel Fitzgibbon, released the report, saying it was a far-reaching and in-depth examination of Defence’s procurement system.
   “I want the Defence Material Organisation to run more like a business and less like a bureaucracy,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
   The review followed the 2003 Kinnaird Review that investigated systemic failures which had caused delays and cost increases in a number of Defence acquisition projects.
   Despite implementing the recommendations made under the Kinnaird Review, Mr Mortimer found there were still problems within the procurement process.
   He said these were highlighted in the need to refresh the tender for Project Land 121 which involved acquiring a number of trucks for Army use.
   The Government’s investment in defence capability is one of the largest discretionary items in the Commonwealth’s budget, with the DMO having over 7,000 staff and a budget of almost $10 billion.

30 September, 2008
Measurement scheme shows weigh ahead
Legislation to establish a single, national system of weights and measures across all the States and Territories has been introduced into the national Parliament.
   “The National Measurement Amendment Bill 2008 will give confidence to buyers and sellers that measurements are accurate,” said the Minister for Small Business, Independent Contractors and the Service Economy, Dr Craig Emerson.
   “The area of trade measurement is one of the 10 ‘hot spots’ identified by the Council of Australian Governments in need of urgent regulatory reform,” Dr Emerson said.
   He said there were two key features of the legislation:

A national trade measurement system to be administered by the Commonwealth from 1 July 2010; and
Establishment of an Average Quantity System (AQS) – an internationally recognised system for confirming that pre-packaged items including food and beverages, contained the stated quantities.

   “Given an estimated $400 billion worth of trade based on some kind of measurement takes place annually, Australian business has been crying out for a uniform national trade measurement system,” Dr Emerson said.
   Currently about 800 firms, employing more than 2,000 people, repaired and verified measuring instruments under trade measurement legislation.
   Dr Emerson said if the companies operated across State borders they required different licences for each State, which were granted under different criteria, attracted different fees and had different reporting requirements.
   “Under the new system, there will be one licence, one set of criteria and one fee for work nationwide,” he said.
   “The new national system will slash red tape while maintaining the accuracy and reliability of trade measuring instruments such as scales, fuel dispensers and weighbridges.”
   Commonwealth inspectors would monitor the system to make sure that it was fair to buyers and sellers.
   The new legislation would allow producers and packers of pre-packaged goods to meet requirements at lower cost by using AQS.
   AQS would introduce statistical sampling methods to show that the measured contents of pre-packed goods were accurate.
   Dr Emerson said AQS had been welcomed by the wine industry and other major packers, with the wine industry alone estimating it would save wine producers up to $19 million a year.
   He said AQS had already been adopted in New Zealand and by many of Australia’s major trading partners, including Japan, the European Union and the United States.

30 September, 2008
Centrelink card is doing the trick
Centrelink’s controversial BasicsCard has been introduced into the Northern Territory with the roll-out expected to pick up in the weeks ahead.
   Designed to assist people on income management to buy their essential items, the EFTPOS-based, pin-protected card was issued to families in Katherine earlier this month and would now expand into Alice Springs.
   Details of the rollout were released by the Minister for Families and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and the Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig.
   Ms Macklin said the Government was committed to a child-centred approach to family policy.
   “Income management is a crucial element in ensuring welfare payments are spent in the interests of children,” Ms Macklin said.
   “The BasicsCard will make it easier for people on income management to buy essential items.”
   Senator Ludwig said the launch of the new BasicsCard in Katherine had been very successful, with the card winning strong support from customers and shop owners.
   “It’s easy to use and a much more flexible way of shopping and doing business,” he said.
   “About 650 customers have been issued cards so far and transactions have been running smoothly at local shops.”
   Local MP for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon welcomed the arrival of the BasicsCard in Alice Springs.
   “The reports from Katherine about the BasicsCard are very positive,” Mr Snowdon said.
   “It’s the practical solution smaller retailers and their customers have been crying out for and now it’s here and working well.”
   He said there were about 125 shops throughout the Northern Territory approved to accept the card, including supermarkets, butchers, clothing stores and major national retailers.
   He said the BasicsCard would be progressively introduced into the NT’s major urban centres, starting in Alice Springs, with Darwin, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy to follow.
   Any shop selling or providing priority goods and services could accept the BasicsCard once they applied and were approved.
   Shop owners must agree not to sell excluded goods such as alcohol, tobacco and pornography, or dispense cash, through the Card.

30 September, 2008
Centrelink card is doing the trick
Centrelink’s controversial BasicsCard has been introduced into the Northern Territory with the roll-out expected to pick up in the weeks ahead.
   Designed to assist people on income management to buy their essential items, the EFTPOS-based, pin-protected card was issued to families in Katherine earlier this month and would now expand into Alice Springs.
   Details of the rollout were released by the Minister for Families and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and the Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig.
   Ms Macklin said the Government was committed to a child-centred approach to family policy.
   “Income management is a crucial element in ensuring welfare payments are spent in the interests of children,” Ms Macklin said.
   “The BasicsCard will make it easier for people on income management to buy essential items.”
   Senator Ludwig said the launch of the new BasicsCard in Katherine had been very successful, with the card winning strong support from customers and shop owners.
   “It’s easy to use and a much more flexible way of shopping and doing business,” he said.
   “About 650 customers have been issued cards so far and transactions have been running smoothly at local shops.”
   Local MP for Lingiari, Warren Snowdon welcomed the arrival of the BasicsCard in Alice Springs.
   “The reports from Katherine about the BasicsCard are very positive,” Mr Snowdon said.
   “It’s the practical solution smaller retailers and their customers have been crying out for and now it’s here and working well.”
   He said there were about 125 shops throughout the Northern Territory approved to accept the card, including supermarkets, butchers, clothing stores and major national retailers.
   He said the BasicsCard would be progressively introduced into the NT’s major urban centres, starting in Alice Springs, with Darwin, Tennant Creek and Nhulunbuy to follow.
   Any shop selling or providing priority goods and services could accept the BasicsCard once they applied and were approved.
   Shop owners must agree not to sell excluded goods such as alcohol, tobacco and pornography, or dispense cash, through the Card.

30 September, 2008
Trivial pursuit leads to treasure
A pirate-themed trivia night staged by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship raised $9000 to feed Canberra’s disadvantaged people.
   The trivia night attracted 580 staff and DIAC Secretary Andrew Metcalfe donated the money raised to the charity OzHarvest Canberra.
   OzHarvest Canberra collected excess food from restaurants and catering firms and delivered it to local charities, youth and women’s refuges and support agencies.
   “I am delighted to make this donation to OzHarvest on behalf of my colleagues,” Mr Metcalfe said.
   “The donation is equal to about 9,000 meals and will make a real difference to the lives of people in need and organisations that provide them with support.”
   He said DIAC’s staff had a great history of giving generously. In August they raised almost $20,000 for the Australian Red Cross in the annual DIAC charity masquerade ball and in March they gave $17,000 for leukaemia research in the World’s Greatest Shave event.
   “I would like to acknowledge and thank the people who participated in the trivia night, the volunteers who organised the evening, the Hellenic Club for providing the venue and the businesses and people who donated prizes,” Mr Metcalfe said
   OzHarvest Canberra coordinator David Burnet said he was “blown away” by the donation.
   “It’s such a fabulous recognition to a young service and another example of how Canberra has embraced us,” Mr Burnet said.
   “There are a lot of people in need for our service. Without funding like this we would stop.”

30 September, 2008
Doping Agency high on results
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority has announced that it conducted 6,637 urine and blood tests on 3,820 athletes across 73 sports last year.
   Chairman of ASADA, Richard Ings said the Authority had strengthened its anti-doping program in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.
   He said as part of its Pure Performance program, the Authority also beefed up its testing, education, investigations and dealing with national sporting organisations.
   Mr Ings said the cost of testing in the lead up to the Games exceeded $1milion.
   “More than ever before, ASADA is bringing together every element at its disposal to protect the integrity of Australian sport,” Mr Ings said.
   He said it was the most robust anti-doping program ever put in place for an Australian Olympic team, with 1,541 samples collected from 846 athletes in contention for Olympic selection.
   He said all 433 Australian Olympic athletes in the final team were tested at least once, with 30 per cent tested twice and 22 per cent tested between two and five times.
   Mr Ings said over 200 samples had been stored in ASADA’s deep freeze ‘Tank’ and samples could be tested in the next eight years using new technology should any allegation of doping emerge.
   President of the Australian Olympic Committee, John Coates, said ASADA’s testing was world class.
   “It was great to know that our entire Olympic team participated in ASADA’s work-leading anti-doping program prior to the Beijing Games,” Mr Coates said.
   “It sent a clear message to the rest of the world that Australia is serious about keeping the Games clean.”
   Mr Ings said also tested 164 Paralympians at least once.
   He said over 8100 people had attended Pure Performance programs throughout the year, including seminars held for the first time in regional centres such as Bathurst, Alice Springs, Newcastle and Cairns.
   He said of all urine and blood tests conducted last year, 52 per cent were out of competition with 99 per cent conducted with little or no notice.
   He said ASADA’s intelligence and investigations staff also assessed information relating to 1,829 performance-enhancing substances seized by Customs in the last financial year.
   “The message is clear to any athlete or their support personnel who might be thinking of trying to import prohibited substances in Australia: you not only risk a hefty fine or jail but you potentially face a lengthy bad from you sport,” Mr Ings said.

30 September, 2008
Police drop bombshell at nuclear conference
The Australian Federal Police were successful in getting a special session on nuclear forensics included in the recent annual conference of the Australasian Radiation Protection Society, the first time in the Society’s 33-year history.
   Radiological expert at the AFP’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Data Centre (CBRNDC), Dr George Koperski said nuclear forensics had become increasingly important in the face of world concern about the proliferation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.
   “As a scientific discipline, nuclear forensics can assist law enforcement agencies around the world in the fight against the illicit trafficking of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials which may be used by terrorists in ‘dirty bombs’ or for other criminal purposes,” Dr Koperski said.
   He said nuclear forensics was able to identify a characteristic “signature” of radioactive material linking it to its source.
   “A miniscule quantity of oxygen in any given material can be linked back to its place of origin and a tiny trace of yellowcake can be linked back to the mine from which the ore originally came providing the combination of chemicals in the material can be matched to a ‘signature’ in the database.”
   He said nuclear forensic analysis aimed to provide law enforcement agencies with legally admissible evidence that could result in the prosecution of offenders involved with trafficking illicit radioactive materials.
   “Fortunately there have been no reported cases of the malicious use of radioactive material in Australia, but there have been a number of investigations overseas,” he said.
   “This is includes a case of a highly enriched uranium sample seized in Bulgaria in 1999, and the analysis of radioactive material found during a raid of a clandestine drug lab in the USA.”
   Dr Koperski said the AFP sponsored two keynote conference speakers at the conference: David K Smith, a senior Nuclear Forensics Advisor from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the USA, and Dr Peter Gies, from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
   The CBRNDC was established on 2 July 2007 as part of the AFP’s Forensic and Data Centres group. It is responsible for collating technical information and intelligence relating to the criminal use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear material.
   Dr Koperski said CBRNDC’s mission was to enhance Australia’s capability to prevent, prepare and respond to malicious use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. It did this by providing technical intelligence products and services to support law enforcement and national security objectives.

30 September, 2008
Comment injected into drug studies
A new scheme to allow members of the public to comment on drugs being considered for inclusion in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme has been announced by the Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon.
   The new measure would increase the transparency of the PBS listing process by allowing input into the decision-making process by carers, health professionals and consumer groups.
   “The Australian Government subsidises over 3,000 medicines through the PBS,” Ms Roxon said.
   “The Government is committed to giving Australians affordable access to medicines they need. To do this, it is seeking direct public input for the PBS listing process, to inform the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and pharmaceutical companies.”
   She said the PBAC was an expert, advisory body comprising health professionals and a consumer representative that met in March, July and November annually, to review applications from companies for PBS listings. Companies cannot be compelled to apply for PBS listing.
   Under the new measure, PBAC meeting agendas would be publicly available six weeks before each meeting. From that time, individuals or groups would be given two weeks to complete an online form to explain how they, their family and carers would benefit from the PBS listing of a medicine to be considered at the next meeting.
   Comments would then be examined by the PBAC and the relevant pharmaceutical company which applied for inclusion on the list.
   Ms Roxon said to be considered for PBS listing, a medicine must have received marketing approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, to indicate that it was safe and effective for treating a particular condition.
   She said a medicine might then be recommended for PBS listing if it also met the PBAC’s criteria of medical effectiveness and value for money.
   The new initiative was developed in consultation with Medicines Australia, the Consumers’ Health Forum of Australia and the Generic Medicines Industry Association.
   Ms Roxon said the next PBAC meeting would be held from 5 to 7 November and until 8 October, interested individuals or groups could access the meeting agenda and the comments form at the Department of Health and Ageing’s website at www.health.gov.au

30 September, 2008
IPAA to reveal tips
The Institute of Public Administration Australia’s Young Professionals Network is to host a presentation on interview tips and tricks.
   The session would be chaired by Group Manager, Better Practice with the Australian Public Service Commission Susan Kurtjak and there would be a lucky door prize announced on the night for a free one-on-one resume help and mock interview session from the career transition and support centre of the IPAA.
   The session is to be held on 16 October, from 5.30pm at the Canberra Club. Cost is $30.

Post kicks AFL goal
Australia Post is offering football fans around the country a Souvenir Stamp Sheet celebrating the Hawthorn’s Football Club’s 2008 AFL Premiership win.
   As soon as the final siren sounded on Saturday, the Australia Post team kicked into action with design staff selecting the best available images from the match and inserted them into the Souvenir Stamp Sheet along with Hawthorn team colours, logo, final score, AFL logo and the title “AFL Premiers 2008”.
   The 2008 AFL Premiership Souvenir Stamp Sheet was available for $15.95 at Australia Post outlets or via mail order on 1800 331 794.

ANSTO defends against media
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, ANSTO has clarified media reports that it was planning to build a nuclear materials store on its site in Lucas Heights, NSW.
   The Organisation said that while it did intend to build a new store, the facility would only consolidate nuclear materials already held in various locations on the existing site which were mainly materials that had been there for many years.
   “In addition, the freed-up space in its existing facilities will also provide ANSTO with the capacity to accommodate waste generated on-site.”
   The Organisation made the point that it had safely managed its nuclear and other radioactive material for more than 50 years and would continue to do so.

Speed king flies in
The fastest man on water, Australia’s Ken Warby, is to make a special presentation to the Australian National Maritime Museum on 8 October to mark the 30th anniversary of his setting the world water speed record at a still unconquered 511.11 km/hr.
   Mr Warby will travel to Sydney from his adopted home in the United to be with his hydroplane Spirit of Australia on the anniversary and to present the National Maritime Museum with a wind tunnel test model used in the development of the boat.
   Spirit of Australia was 8.2 metres long, built of plywood on a timber frame and powered by an ex-RAAF Lockheed-Neptune jet engine and was now a permanent exhibit at the Australian National maritime Museum.

Boost to roads funding
Local Councils and shires are to receive greater resources to maintain and improve local roads.
   The national Parliament has passed the AusLink (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2008 which provides extra road funding to Local Government Authorities as well as facilitates the delivery of a $70 million Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.

Contract for emissions registry
The Department of Climate Change has awarded a $600,000 contract to the firm Perrin Quarles Associates to run the national emissions registry.
   The contract is for the supply of a Kyoto-compliant registry and was the first phase of the exercise to establish the registry that was needed to underpin the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

ABC2 doubles audience
The ABC’s digital television service, ABC2, has doubled its audience over the past three months.
   On 1 June audience surveys showed the network reached 700,000 viewers but by the close of the Paralympic Games on 17 September, the figures had doubled to 1.5 million.
   On an average each week, ABC2 was reaching 860,000 viewers in the five main capital cities with a peak audience of 91,000.
   The most popular weekly program was Scrapheap Challenge, where teams compete to build a working machine from scrap yard materials.

Sailing coin floated
A new 50 cent coin was released this month to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Australia II’s historic win in the America’s Cup yacht race in 1983.
   The new uncirculated coin has been designed by Caitlin Goodall from the Royal Australian Mint and captures Australia II under full sail, illustrating the starboard side of the vessel with spinnaker and mainsail carrying the boat to victory.
   A unique magnified underwater view captures the controversial winged keel as taken from technical drawings.

23 September, 2008
Whistleblowers to hit folding notes
Whistleblowers who unravel major Government fraud could receive financial rewards in proportion to the public funds recovered, a Parliamentary Inquiry into whistleblower protection has been told.
   The scheme currently operated in the United States and according to Associate Professor Thomas Faunce from the Australian National University, the model of ‘Qui Tam’ legislation protected whistleblowers against the risk of losing their jobs.
   The Australian newspaper reported Professor Faunce as saying such a scheme would send an important public signal that the actions of whistleblowers were of value to the community'.
   “This legislation... provides them not just with an incentive (to report) but security if they've lost their jobs,'' Professor Faunce was reported as saying.
   "What we're talking about is a mechanism in which whistleblowers receive recompense for their involvement and the whistleblowers generally receive 15 to 25 per cent of the total recovery.”
   He said under the scheme, an independent tribunal would determine the reward and it would be based on a proportion of the public funds recovered as a result of the disclosure.
   Professor Faunce said the disclosures should be made to regulators or an independent body such as the Commonwealth Ombudsman rather than the media and the Ombudsman could be given powers to recommend whistleblowers for Australia Day honours if their disclosure led to significant public benefit.
   Chair of the Committee, Mark Dreyfus MP, said the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs was interested in exploring a range of options to encourage and better support public servants who spoke out about wrongdoing in the workplace.
   Mr Dreyfus said evidence before the Committee indicated that the current protections available for whistleblowers were inadequate.
   “The Committee has an important role to play in developing protections for employees who speak out about any illegal, immoral or illegitimate practices in the public sector” Mr Dreyfus said.
   “The inquiry also presents a valuable opportunity to assist public Agencies to be more responsive to the concerns of their employees”.
   He said better support for people who spoke out would help entrench a culture of trust in the Public Service and further build transparency, accountability and public confidence in Government administration.
   He said the hearing was the sixth in a series of public hearings into developing a model for whistleblower protection legislation.
   The Committee planned to report its findings to Parliament by 28 February 2009.

Who were the potential successors for senior executive leadership roles?
How many people were waiting, ready now to assume those roles?
Who were the promising Executive Level staff who could step competently and soon into SES roles?
Who were the ‘best and brightest’ with the capacity to assume leadership positions in the future?

Effective operation of the Questacon facility in Canberra and national outreach activities;
Development of effective partnerships with organisations having complementary skills and facilities;
Contributions to enhance school science education and national curriculum outcomes;
Implementation of best practice in interactive science communication, including online and digital technologies; and
International engagement.

   According to the Minister for Innovation, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, the report contained some very important recommendations about the Centre’s governance, its mission, and long-term funding options.
   “I am particularly conscious of the need for Questacon to maintain its identity and its unique branding regardless of which governance option the Government decides to pursue,” Senator Carr said.
   He said as Questacon entered its third decade, it was timely to review just how it should best operate to inspire Australians of all ages and increase their understanding of science and innovation.
   He said Questacon was just as relevant today as it was when it was established and it would continue to inspire budding scientists and raise community awareness of the central role science plays in the life of the nation.
   He said more than seven million visitors had come through the Centre’s doors in its 20 years and a further 15 million had experienced its touring exhibits and outreach programs.
   The review also recommended that Questacon, CSIRO and the ABC cooperate in identifying new structures for improving national coordination, including cooperation with State and regional science centres, to ensure more effective science communication, awareness and education, efficient use of science awareness and education resources and more equitable access to these activities and resources across Australia.
   The report of the review could be viewed on the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research website: www.innovation.gov.au

23 September, 2008
Local Government on road to Canberra
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has announced the establishment of an Australian Council of Local Government.
   Mr Rudd said every Local Government Council in the nation would be entitled to send a representative to the ACLG and the first meeting would be in Canberra in late November.
   “This unprecedented gathering of the nation’s 565 local councils will be held on November 28,” Mr Rudd said. He said it was the Government’s next step in forging a new, nation-building partnership with local communities.”
   “Local government represents the third arm of the Australian Federation,” he said.
   Invitations to the inaugural meeting would also be extended to Local Government peak bodies and the Local Government and Planning Ministers in State Governments.
   “This initiative will give local communities a real voice in the future of Australia’s national infrastructure,” Mr Rudd said.
   The one-day meeting would address issues of national and local significance including:

Building national and local infrastructure to boost Australia’s economic capacity and improve the quality of life in communities;
Tackling immediate challenges facing major cities and growth corridors, including urban congestion, urban planning and design; and
Steps towards Constitutional recognition for Local Government.

   “This first meeting of the Council will also assist in the development of the Government’s new regional and local community infrastructure fund, which will commence next year to support local communities,” Mr Rudd said.
   He said a 2006 consultants’ report estimated a $1.1 billion annual under-spend in community infrastructure renewals by Local Government.
   A 2008 Productivity Commission report found that 20 per cent of Local Councils relied on Commonwealth and State grants for half of their revenue.
   Mr Rudd said the Government was re-igniting the spirit of cooperative federalism and reaching directly to the level of Government closest to the community.
   “This new partnership is the most significant step forward for local government since the 1970s when the then Labor Government introduced Financial Assistance Grants to support services at the Local Government level,” he said.
   The 28 November meeting will also see the announcement of the ongoing membership and charter of the Australian Council for Local Government.
   President of the Australian Local Government Association, Paul Bell, welcomed the establishment of ACLG, saying it marked a new chapter in Federal-Local Government relations.
   “The Council heralds the beginning of the Federal Government building a stronger relationship with Local Government and local communities across Australia,” he said.
   “Local Government’s aim is to make sure that this is a substantial engagement on important issues that affect the lives of all Australians.”

23 September, 2008
Defence has shot at heritage awards
The Department of Defence has awarded its Environment and Heritage Awards for 2008 recognising the achievements of staff who have done outstanding work to promote good environmental practice and protect Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.
   Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said Defence managed about three million hectares of land based-training areas and 120 Commonwealth heritage listed sites.
   “All these sites are managed sustainably using best practice strategies,” he said.
   Secretary of the Department of Defence, Nick Warner said environmentally friendly Defence infrastructure projects made a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring that water and energy were used efficiently.
   “Some of the work being done in Defence in terms of environmental and heritage management is inspiring,” he said.
   “Defence’s contribution to the environment will be in good hands if we can maintain or exceed the standards of our winners for 2008.”
   This year’s winners of the Defence Environment and Heritage Awards were:

The Russell Offices Energy Efficiency Pilot Project Management Group for excellent leadership and contributions to energy conservation
Dr Doug Cato, Maritime Operations Division in Defence Science and Technology Organisation, for exceptional leadership and research into the impacts of underwater sound on marine animals which has informed the development of best practice procedures for the Royal Australian Navy
Major Colin Bassett, Officer Commanding 176 Air Dispatch Squadron, for outstanding contributions to environmental management during conduct of Talisman Saber 07
Infrastructure Asset Development Branch for excellent contributions to sustainable development of the Defence estate
Max Harker, Defence Support Southern Victoria, for excellent commitment and contributions to environmental stewardship at Simpson Barracks
Commander Steve Cole, Navy Headquarters, for excellent commitment and contributions to Defence environmental management

23 September, 2008
Emergency managers fire up agreement
Exchanges of emergency personnel and sharing of information with the European Union are on the cards following the signing of a closer cooperation agreement between Australia and the EU.
   The Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the Director General of Emergency Management Australia, Tony Pearce and the Acting Director-General of the European Commission, Jos Delbeke, would allow for the regular exchange of personnel and information on emergency management issues.
   Australian Attorney-General, Robert McClelland said the two regions knew all too well the ravages of natural disasters.
   “This historic agreement will help achieve greater cooperation in the area of emergency management, ensuring better communication and sharing of knowledge, training and research to improve public safety,” Mr McClelland said.
   Head of the European Commission Delegation to Australia, Ambassador Bruno Julien said both the European Commission and Australia had a wealth of experience in disaster management.
   “Timeliness of response is of supreme importance in reducing disaster risks to both Australian and European communities,” Mr Julien said.
   “If we can share information speedily and facilitate coordination when required, this will go a long way to minimising the effects on both our populations and our infrastructure.”
   Mr Pearce said the new agreement would enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including the exchange of information; emergency management best practice; emergency service personnel involvement in communication exercises; industry conferences and workshops; and research in the field of emergency management.

23 September, 2008
More time for luck in a big city
A proposal to extend the “core time” of cities from 9-to-5 to a 14 hour spread is among the issues to be explored at the 9th World Congress of Metropolis being hosted by the NSW Government in Sydney in October.
   Connecting Cities: City Regions, is the work of six leading global academics and urban professionals examining the impact of urban development and the new structures of mega-cities.
   The 14 hour Working City by James Calder, Director of the Global Workplace Sector at Woods Bagot Architects is one of the contributions in the report which suggested new ways of sustaining and improving city functionality with the redistribution of jobs and greater use of public transport.
   Mr Calder said planners and Governments were starting to realise the climate change crisis was forcing Australians to look at ways to do more with less.
   “The internet and virtual connectivity that allows us to work most efficiently in the 24 hour global marketplace presents one solution – the 14 hour working city,” Mr Calder said.
   “The 14 hour working city would enable early and late shifts - work times would overlap to spread movement across a far greater number of hours during the day. This may increase productivity for workers and organisations, increase utilisation of public transport, roads and office buildings and end the peak hour rush.”
   As a contributor to the report, the Director of Metropolis Congress 2008, Chris Johnson, examined the greater metropolitan centre of Sydney as an example of a “polycentric” structure with independent cities such as Newcastle, Wollongong, Parramatta, Penrith, Gosford and Liverpool now inter-connected with Sydney as part of one city system.
   Connecting Cities: City Regions was the second in a series of five research publications being produced in the lead up to Metropolis Congress 2008.
   Former NSW Planning Minister, Frank Sartor said the 2008 Metropolis Congress presented a great opportunity to look at Sydney in a global context and help the city’s future by examining issues and challenges universal to all cities.
   “Half the world’s population lives in city regions and this is predicted to increase to 75 per cent in less than 50 years, so better management of city regions is critical to long term sustainability,” he said.
   A key goal of the NSW State plan was to encourage jobs in our regional cities, closer to where our workers live.
   For more information on the Congress and the plans visit www.metropoliscongress2008.com

23 September, 2008
1600 become Aussies
More than 1600 people around the nation became Australian citizens on the recent Australian Citizenship Day.
   Citizenship Day events included a ceremony on the Spirit of Tasmania passenger ship in Devonport, Tasmania as well as ceremonies at Perth’s Bayswater City Council, Brisbane City Hall, the grand ballroom at Sky City Casino in Darwin, the 1st Victorian Sea Scout Hall in Melbourne’s Albert Park, Ayers House in Adelaide and at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Parramatta office in Sydney.
   The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, conferred 17 people with Australian citizenship at a special ceremony at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.

Antarctic scientist cools off
Australia’s Chief Scientist in the Antarctic, Professor Michael Stoddart, has resigned after 10 years with the Australian Antarctic Division.
   Professor Stoddart was a driving force behind Australia's coordinating role in the Census of Antarctic Marine Life, an International Polar Year project.
   The Census was an ambitious survey of the Southern Ocean by many nations, focusing on the diversity of marine organisms and the environmental conditions in which they live.
   Professor Stoddart said he would continue his work with the Census of Antarctic Marine Life until 2010 and his connection with the Antarctic programs of Malaysia and France.

OECD stats man to speak
The Director of Statistics and Chief Statistician of the OECD, Enrico Giovannini, is to be one of the keynote speakers at the inaugural NatStats08 Conference in Melbourne in November.
   The objective of the conference session on Measuring Progress in Societies was to foster the development of sets of key economic, social and environmental indicators to provide a comprehensive picture of how the well-being of a society is evolving.
   The outcomes from the session would provide an important regional perspective for the next OECD World Forum which will be held in Korea in late 2009.

Mint bats for gnome run
The Royal Australian Mint has taken part in Canberra’s 2008 Floriade exhibition by joining the corporate gnome competition with an entry called ‘Priscilla, Coin of the Desert’.
   In spirit with the Floriade theme ‘Films that Shaped our Nation’, the Mint entered three gnome characters from the 1994 movie Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
   A special Floriade 21 exhibition was set up at the mint’s Canberra headquarters where visitors could test their knowledge of Australian films and coins.

Famed director for War Memorial
Renowned film director Peter Jackson is to work with Wingnut Films to produce an audiovisual display for the upcoming exhibition Over the Front: the Great War in the air for the Australian War Memorial in Canberra
   Mr Jackson has won three Academy Awards for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and is passionate about First World War aviation. He is Chairman of the 14-18 Aviation Heritage Trust that has a collection of original and replica aircraft from the period.   The multimedia display was being prepared for the War Memorial’s new permanent exhibition Over the front: the Great War in the air, which was due to open on 28 November.

Act amendment saves children
Children of separated same-sex parents will have access to child support in the same way as children of opposite-sex couples after amendments to law have been passed in Parliament.
   The amendments to section 60H of the Family Law Act, implemented a bipartisan recommendation by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee in August and also formed part of the 58 areas of discrimination recommended for removal by HREOC in its landmark Same-sex: Same Entitlements report.

Law manual revised
the Australian Defence Force’s Discipline Law Manual has been revised following significant reforms to the military discipline system.
   The DLM was the fundamental military discipline manual, relied on by commanders, members and legal officers to provide policy, practical and procedural guidance to the military discipline system.
   The reforms to the military discipline system would strengthen the protections afforded to individuals while enhancing the impartiality, rigour, transparency and timeliness of military discipline.

Energy comment called
Comment has been called on a discussion paper exploring measures to increase the fuel efficiency of the nation’s car fleet.
   The paper was released on behalf of the Australian Transport Council and the Environmental Protection and Heritage Council in response to a request from the Council of Australian Governments to investigate vehicle fuel efficiency measures aligned with international best practice.
   Instead of advocating the adoption of any particular measure, the discussion paper evaluates eight potential measures to improve fuel efficiency and urges interested parties to provide their views.
   The paper was available at www.environment.gov.au

16 September, 2008
Planning ahead gets heads up from APSC
The Australian Public Service Commission has published a new booklet urging Departments and Agencies to embrace succession planning as a way of ensuring they have leadership capabilities into the future.
   According to Public Service Commissioner, Lynelle Briggs high numbers of retirements in the coming years and relatively inexperienced staff at lower levels, combined with difficulties already being experienced recruiting and retaining quality people meant that succession planning was a must.
   “It is my view that to ensure the ongoing professionalism and quality of APS leaders, urgent steps are required,” Commissioner Briggs said.
   “Succession planning is a key part of the response.”
   She admitted that identifying and nurturing potential future leaders “sat uneasily” with many APS managers and staff who saw dangers in nepotism, the creation of a ‘chosen’ group for advancement and the apparent non-alignment with the APS values.
   “It is time that these attitudes moved on and people accepted that succession planning is about ensuring the ongoing success of Agencies and the APS,” Commissioner Briggs said.
   She said it was important that the change be driven by Agency heads as it was only through support at the highest level that the necessary reforms could be effective.
   “Succession management is not impossible to do,” Commissioner Briggs said, “the difficult part is getting commitment across the organisation.”
   She said more than 40 per cent of the APS workforce would be eligible for retirement in the next 10 years with 48 per cent of Executive Level positions likely to go and over 70 per cent of the Senior Executive Service. The median length of service at SES level was less than five years.
   She described this as the APS’s ‘new reality.’
   “Gone are the days when managers could refine their leadership skills with time and experience,” she said.
   “People with potential move up quickly and our Agencies must have the systems in place to ensure they develop the capabilities (if not the experience) required to be leaders in the APS.”
   The new booklet raises questions Agency senior management needed to answer to ensure it would have leadership beyond their tenure.
   It says Agencies should ask:

Who were the potential successors for senior executive leadership roles?
How many people were waiting, ready now to assume those roles?
Who were the promising Executive Level staff who could step competently and soon into SES roles?
Who were the ‘best and brightest’ with the capacity to assume leadership positions in the future?

   The booklet, which was developed with the assistance of the Australian Taxation Office, discusses the elements of succession planning and offers practical tools to assist Agencies introduce their own policies.
   “We no longer have the luxury of waiting for solutions to arrive,” Commissioner Briggs said.
   “An active approach is required and the time to act is now.”
   Copies of the booklet could be obtained from the APSC at www.apsc.gov.au

16 September, 2008
Push comes to shove in Centrelink survey
A survey of Centrelink workers by the Community and Public Sector Union has revealed that over 81 per cent have reported being threatened at work, one in three had received death threats and more than half had witnessed violence or aggression at work.
   The union has called for an inquiry.
   Deputy President of CPSU, Lisa Newman said the 330 member survey showed the need for collaboration between Centrelink management, the Government, the workplace safety regulator Comcare and welfare groups to address factors that caused the aggressive behaviour, such as long waiting lines.
   “Staff tell us that while local managers are doing their best to protect and support frontline workers and customers, senior management need to do more to make offices safe,” Ms Newman said.
   She said in one example, a Centrelink employee was held up against a wall by the throat and threatened with death.
   She said the Government needed to give more consideration to the impact its welfare policies have on frontline workers.
   “Centrelink workers have to carry out the Government’s welfare policies,” she said.
   “That also means they are forced to cop the anger and frustration their customers might express and the Federal Government needs to think very carefully about the impact its welfare policies have on frontline workers.”
   Ms Newman said some members felt that the customer aggression experienced at Centrelink offices meant it was “a numbers game” and “only a matter of time before something serious occurs”.
   The survey found that 32 per cent of Centrelink staff had received a death threat at work; 29 per cent had been physically assaulted; 18 per cent had been threatened by a customer away from the workplace; 81 per cent had reported being threatened by a customer at work; and 52 per cent of Centrelink employees had recently witnessed violence or aggression at work.
   Copies of the report could be found at www.cpsu.org.au

16 September, 2008
Minister buys into procurement reform
A series of far-reaching reforms to Government procurement processes has been outlined by the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner.
   Speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Institute of Public Administration Australia in Canberra, Mr Tanner said the planned reforms would ensure the Commonwealth achieved better prices for the goods and services it purchased as well as reducing duplication of effort and inefficiencies between Agencies.
   “In many areas the Commonwealth is not receiving the best prices,” Mr Tanner said.
   “The Australian Government is one of the largest consumers of goods and services in this country.”
   He said it could improve value for the taxpayers’ dollar by consolidating its collective bargaining power.
   He said the Government would harness the combined buying power of the Commonwealth to achieve better prices and consequently savings and efficiencies for Government and industry.
   “Individual agencies are making major IT purchases without consideration of the needs of other areas of the Government.
   “This leads to duplication of equipment and systems, with different management and reporting practices.”
   Mr Tanner said the recent Gershon review of ICT was part of the ongoing reform agenda.
   He said his Department had developed the Coordinated Procurement Contracting initiative as part of these reforms.
   “Common sense tells us that we should be able to get a better deal using whole of Government contract,” he said.
   Mr Tanner said he wanted to put an end to some Agencies paying more than others for the same goods and reduce administrative costs associated with the tender process.
   He said he had already begun looking at travel, telecommunications, office machines, accounting services, desktop computers and Microsoft products as part of the review.
   He assured Agencies the Government did not intend to enforce a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy but was committed to fostering competition and achieving savings.
   “Air travel is one of the central areas being examined as part of coordinated procurement,” he said.
   “This is a big job and it will take some time to properly assess what is possible.”

16 September, 2008
No complaint for Ombudsman plan
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has thrown his weight behind calls for an Ombudsman for the Australian Public Service, saying his Office would be better-equipped to handle the task than a new Agency set up for the purpose.
   The Ombudsman, Professor John McMillan, made the comment during an appearance before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs which was enquiring into the protection of whistleblowers in the Australian Public Service.
   The idea was first put to the committee by the National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, Stephen Jones.
   Professor McMillan said his Office, which handled about 40,000 approaches from the public each year, would need an extra 10 staff and an additional $1.5million a year to do the job properly.
   "We're well-skilled in dealing with a huge volume of inquiries and complaints and deciding how to handle them," Professor McMillan said.
   "Importantly too, we don't have a conflicting agenda."
   Professor McMillan told the Australian newspaper that his Office could begin work immediately, and it could cope with peaks and troughs in workloads because it already had 150 Officers around the country.
   He said the Australian Public Service Commission would also be well-placed to take on the role but the Australian National Audit Office and the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity should continue in their current oversight roles.
   He said the Ombudsman was ideally placed to play a "supervisory, clearing-house function" for whistleblower protection, which would include producing an annual report and training manuals, monitoring the performance of Government Agencies and rolling out a public education program.
   Professor McMillan’s plan received the backing of the author of the new book, Whistling While they Work, AJ Brown from Griffith University.
   Dr Brown told the Australian that both the Ombudsman and the Australian Public Service Commission should be involved in implementing new protection for public-interest disclosures, but "it would make sense" for the Ombudsman to perform a clearing-house function.
   Dr Brown said any changes to the law should be aimed at changing Public Service culture to "if in doubt, report".

16 September, 2008
Communication key to getting message across
Strong internal and external communications played an important role during periods of organisational change according to the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Andrew Metcalfe.
   Speaking at a recent Public Sector Change Communications Conference, Mr Metcalfe said that alongside ‘leadership’ and ‘culture’ in achieving major, lasting reforms, his Department also benefited from a strong communications policy that involved all staff at every level.
   “The Department has 7,000 staff in around 100 locations throughout the world, often working in difficult and sensitive circumstances,” Mr Metcalfe said.
   “There is no use in trying to engineer major cultural transformation if the message goes no further than the senior leadership team,” Mr Metcalfe said.
   He said his Department had undergone much change since the Palmer and Comrie reports of 2005, as well as a number of Ombudsman’s investigations.
   He said DIAC’s was one of the largest business and cultural transformations undertaken by a Government Department in recent decades, combining new people and new ideas with the considerable experience of staff who worked in the pre-Palmer environment.
   He said it was internal and external communications that contributed to the success of the change taking place.
   “We had to communicate effectively with all staff and stakeholders so that we had a buy-in at all levels,” he said.
   “Change and reform can only occur if everyone is involved – staff need to hear the message, understand it, own it – otherwise nothing can change.”
   Mr Metcalfe said the changes at DIAC were guided by three themes - to be open and accountable; to be fair and reasonable when dealing with clients; and to ensure well trained and supported staff.
   He said he now spoke to all Departmental staff twice per week via email and all Senior Executives once a week, also by email.
   “But communication has to be more than frequent, it has to be meaningful – and it has to be two way, to involve listening as well as talking,” he said.
   “And let me tell you, I know for certain through the emails I receive from staff, there are many frank and fearless public servants in my Department!”
   Mr Metcalfe said he also used surveys to communicate with staff.
   He said the Department’s yearly survey was invaluable in helping the Executive shape a Department into a place where people were happy to work.
   “But in addition to all these ‘serious’ messages, we have also introduced some plain old-fashioned morale-boosters, to improve communications between staff,” he said.
   Mr Metcalfe said the Departmental Social Club played an important role in bringing staff together, while also raising money for charities.

16 September, 2008
Dividend probe odds-on in Sydney
The Parliamentary inquiry into the Public Service efficiency dividend has continued, with its latest round of hearings held in Sydney.
   The Sydney hearing addressed cuts to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australian Law Reform Commission, National Maritime Museum and a roundtable with the Federal Magistrates Court, the Federal Court and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
   The Inquiry heard some Agencies would have to cut services in order to meet the Government’s efficiency benchmarks, including the Magistrate’s Court, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
   Executive Director of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Susan Roberts told the Inquiry her Agency was still dealing with a large number of complaints relating to WorkChoices, even though the Government had wound back the policy.
   Ms Roberts said HREOC had lost $1.8 million in annual funding it had been given to to help deal with the WorkChoices increase.
   "Regrettably with the winding back of WorkChoices at additional estimates, we've had that $1.8m withdrawn, even though we still have the increase in complaints," Ms Roberts said.
   Principal Registrar of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Douglas Humphreys, estimated his Agency's current deficit of about $500,000 a year would triple next year.
   Mr Humphreys said the Tribunal was on the verge of making savage cuts.
   "The only way that we can continue to operate will be to ... reduce the number of hearings that we hold," Mr Humphreys said.
   Chief Executive of the Federal Magistrates Court, John Mathieson, told the inquiry that the Court also expected to run a deficit of about $2 million for the coming year.
   The Inquiry would be back in Canberra on Wednesday and Friday 17 and 19 September for more hearings with the Australian Federation of Friends of Museums, Department Finance and Regulation, National Capital Authority and a science and research roundtable.

16 September, 2008
Privacy cases open for inspection
The Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis has published three new case notes to assist Departments and Agencies interpret the Privacy Act.
   The three new notes covered complaints against a betting agency, a health service provider and a private community centre.
   The notes were published to illustrate systemic issues or the application of the law to a particular industry or subject area.
   In one case, the Commissioner ruled that a betting agency that accessed information about a customer’s credit history breached the Act as it was not a credit provider according to the definition.
   The Commissioner ruled the betting agency had unintentionally offended under the Act, but warned other betting agencies against doing the same thing.
   “The Commissioner noted however, that any future access by the Betting Agency to consumer credit information files may be viewed as an intentional contravention of section 18S and a credit reporting offence,” the note said.
   In the second case, a health service provider was ruled to have breached the Act by mailing a patient’s x-rays by regular post.
   The Commissioner said the complainant’s medical records and x-rays were sensitive information as defined in the Act, and thus afforded a higher level of protection than other forms of personal information.
   “The potential harm the complainant would suffer, should the original x-rays be lost in the mail, is significant, given the loss of this record of the complainant’s condition would be permanent,” the note said.
   The third case considered a child care operator who took video surveillance footage of two children being transferred from one parent to another through the use of two private rooms.
   The complainant thought the centre had breached the Act because he or she was unaware the surveillance footage was being taken.
   The Commissioner said the Centre had adequate signage advertising the surveillance camera and it provided the complainant with the footage when requested, and thus ruled there was no offence committed.
   “The community Centre provided evidence that it had given the complainant a compact disc containing all surveillance footage in which the complainant had appeared,” the note said.
   The reports in full could be found at www.privacy.gov.au

16 September, 2008
Mum’s the word on maternity plan
A discussion paper exploring a national action plan for maternity services has been released by the Minister for Health, Nicola Roxon.
   Ms Roxon said the Discussion Paper was a critical part of developing a comprehensive review of maternity services.
   She said preliminary figures suggested Australia was on the cusp of a new baby boom.
   She said 2005 figures showed 267,793 women gave birth to 272,419 babies, the second highest number of births in Australia’s history, second only to 1971.
   Ms Roxon said the Paper canvassed a wide range of issues including whether midwives should be supported to play a greater role in birth and postnatal care; opportunities for women to access a range of options including homebirths; shortages of maternity professionals especially in rural areas; transport; the high rate of caesarean sections; and rising levels of postnatal depression.
   She said all Australian women deserved access to high quality and safe maternity services, from early pregnancy through to postnatal care.
   Ms Roxon said the review was being led by the recently appointed Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, Rosemary Bryant, and would identify gaps in current services, determine what was needed to deliver change, and help set national priorities.
   She said the review would play a significant role in ensuring Government funding could be effectively targeted and comprehensive services provided.
   Ms Roxon said she had already met with a wide range of health professionals, individuals and organisations involved in maternity services.
   She said the success of the review was dependent on community input, and encouraged all interested individuals and organisations to contribute.
   She said submissions were due by Friday 31 October and could be made by emailing maternity.services.review@health.gov.au and copies of the Paper could be found at www.health.gov.au/maternityservicesreview

16 September, 2008
Transition support plan comes out
A pilot program supporting members of the Defence Force making the transition into civilian life after leaving the ADF is to become national.
   The plan was announced jointly by the Ministers for Veterans’ Affairs, Alan Griffin, and Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon,
   They said Stepping Out had received a 95 per cent approval rating from the ADF members and their partners who participated in the Townsville based trial, and it would now be extended Australia wide.
   Mr Griffin said the program was developed in consultation with the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health and equipped ADF personnel with the skills to make the transition from military to civilian life.
   “Life in the services is unique,” Mr Griffin said.
   “It is important that when our Service people move to civilian life that they, and their partners, are equipped with the support and skills to make that transition as simple as possible.”
   He said Stepping Out had been shown to do that.
   Mr Snowdon said Stepping Out was an important part of the Government’s mental health lifecycle, integrating mental health care across recruitment, service and transition or discharge, and rehabilitation.
   He said the Government was committed to supporting ADF members through each stage of their career, including transition to civilian life.
   “I encourage all ADF members planning to leave the Services to participate in the program,” Mr Snowdon said.
   He said the program was a two day voluntary course delivered by the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service (VVCS) and was free for personnel in the process of leaving the military or who had left in the past 12 months.
   Mr Snowdon said VVCS staff were professionally qualified psychologists and social workers experienced in working with veterans, peacekeepers and their families.
   He said Stepping Out was being delivered in Adelaide, Brisbane and Townsville and was due to start in Darwin in mid-September.
   He said the rollout would be completed by the end of 2008.

16 September, 2008
ABC TV plan is news for us
The Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mark Scott has announced a plan to establish a 24-hours a day public affairs channel on free-to-air television.
   Mr Scott said his proposal involved providing breaking news and scheduled bulletins as well as rolling coverage of press conferences, Parliaments and Annual General Meetings.
   He said the network would be modelled on the American Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) and the Sky News subscription service currently operating in Australia.
   “The challenge of providing information so that the Australian democratic process is more meaningful grows greater each day," Mr Scott said.
   "I am a fan of what Sky News has achieved in recent years, but the ABC has a different role to play.”
   Mr Scott said C-SPAN was a not-for-profit service owned by American cable companies that aired non-stop coverage of Government proceedings unedited and commercial-free.
   He said the channel would run Parliament from Canberra and the State Governments; press conferences and Parliamentary Committee hearings; major forums; key Annual General Meetings; and public addresses at places such as the Lowy Institute, the Melbourne Press Club and the Centre for Independent Studies.
   "A public affairs channel would be reinforced by the ABC's outstanding news and current affairs service, allowing updates around the clock and the ability to go live on major breaking news events," he said.
   "Again, this is something that should be available free in every Australian home - access to our democracy in action."
   He said in the areas of local news, children's television, quality news and current affairs and education, the ABC could provide where the market failed.
   He said the ABC had already indicated its intention to fund an ABC children's channel.
   "If we are concerned about the impact fast food advertising on television is having on our children, doesn't it make sense to give parents the choice of a completely commercial-free children's channel, with high-quality Australian content?" Mr Scott asked.
   "No pester power, no exposure to fast food advertising, just quality children's content."

16 September, 2008
Book blows whistle on whistleblowers
Cabinet Secretary and Special Minister of State, Senator John Faulkner has launched an Australian Research Council report into whistleblowing in the Australian Public Service.
   The result of a three-year national research project that surveyed more than 7,600 Public Servants from 118 Departments and Agencies in the Commonwealth, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australian public sectors, the new report was welcomed by Senator Faulkner as the most substantial research in the area in Australia to date.
   Senator Faulkner said the report was prepared from outside Government looking in, and the Government would carefully consider it before deciding what should be acted on and how.
   “The decision to stand up and say ‘enough’ is rarely easy and too often carries heavy costs,” Senator Faulkner said.
   “We depend very much on whistleblowers to alert us to misconduct and malfeasance.”
   He said people inside organisations were often the first ones to know something was wrong and their actions in raising the alarm could stop a problem before it became a crisis.
   He said whistleblowers should not have to risk their careers and their mental and physical health to do the right thing.
   “Existing provisions provide protection from victimisation and discrimination for APS employees who allege that other APS employees have breached the APS Code of Conduct,” he said.
   But Senator Faulkner said less than three-quarters of what most people would commonly describe as Government employees were protected by these provisions.
   He said any new or reformed scheme should expand that protection to include other categories of employees including contractors.
   “In an era in which many people are engaged by the Commonwealth not as employees but as contractors and consultants, there is also an argument that those protections should be extended to cover such persons,” he said.
   Senator Faulkner said the Government was committed to broadening and strengthening public interest disclosure measures through a pro-disclosure system across the Government sector.
   “Public interest disclosure protections are an important part of transparency and accountability, which are in turn critical to both effective and responsible public administration,” he said.
   “Good policies to protect those who make public interest disclosures, and to make sure that the issues they raise are dealt with appropriately, support public accountability and good government.”
   He said the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs was conducting an inquiry into whistleblowing protections within the Public Sector.

16 September, 2008
Radio date hit by interference
The switch-on date for digital radio has been postponed by four months with technical and infrastructure issues blamed for the delay, according to a joint statement from ABC Radio and Commercial Radio Australia.
   The statement said that the deadline of 1 January 2009 for the launch of digital radio would not now be met, and the date would be pushed back to 1 May.
   Director of ABC Radio, Sue Howard said the industry was united in its decision to delay the digital launch.
   “Given we have a timeline, infrastructure issues in a number of launch cities and after consultation with the commercial sector, the industry has made a united decision to officially launch digital radio to listeners on 1 May 2009 in all markets,” Ms Howard said.
   Chief Executive of Commercial Radio Australia, Jane Warner, said the plan was still for an integrated national rollout with both public and commercial broadcasters switching on simultaneously in the five mainland capital cities.
   Ms Warner said work on the second draft of the Digital Radio Plans (DRCPs) developed by the Australian Communication Authority would now not be finished until December.
   “It’s from these technical specifications that the antenna design is developed and the final specifications of broadcast system can be finalised,” Ms Warner said.
   “After close collaboration between ACMA and the industry, we are looking forward to a set of specifications which will allow much improved coverage to that offered by the earlier DRCPs released late in 2007.”
   She said the infrastructure of an entirely new broadcast technology was a complex one and she wanted the digital radio launch to be successful from day one.
   Ms Warner said the delay allowed all stakeholders – radio networks, manufacturers and advertisers - more time to collaborate on the launch and deliver a better product to the marketplace.
   “Transmission networks last for a very long time,” she said.

16 September, 2008
Post Office delivers on traineeships
Australia Post has announced a national scheme to offer school-to-work traineeships to Indigenous youngsters following a successful trial Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
   The corporation has announced it would now offer 100 traineeships over the next 12 months.
   Claiming it was already one of the largest Indigenous employers in the country, Australia Post said the 100 new traineeships would provide young indigenous Australians with the chance to work with Australia Post one day a week during the final two years of school.
   Managing director, Graeme John said during those two years the trainees would develop their skills at work and have the opportunity to join Australia Post on a permanent basis or continue studying while working part-time.
   “We know there is a high risk of kids leaving school in Year 10,” Mr John said.
   He said the traineeships would enable Indigenous Australians to join the organisation in a range of entry-level positions and as part of their traineeship, undertake study in various certificate courses relative to their employment such as transport, warehouse distribution, retail management and postal management.
   He said at the end of the traineeship, trainees would be ready to move into entry-level positions that aligned with their traineeship.
   “Offering genuine and long-term job opportunities has a worthwhile impact on the Indigenous community,” Mr John said.
   “The employment of Indigenous Australians is a tangible and practical expression of reconciliation.”
   He said this year Australia Post welcomed the 4,000th Indigenous employee hired since 1990 when it launched its program of employing Indigenous Australians.
   “There is nothing more Australian than the notion we all get a fair go,” Mr John said, “and I wanted to ensure this was reflected in the way we employ people.”

16 September, 2008
Wage setters count cost of decisions
The Australian Fair Pay Commission has published a report on the impact of its wage-setting decisions between January and June.
   Commission Chairman, Professor Ian Harper, said the Economic and Social
Indicators – Monitoring Report for the period January - June 2008 monitored the impact of the Commission’s wage-setting decisions.
   Professor Harper said the labour market had been adjusting to the slowing economy over the past six months and industries that relied on pay scales had experienced higher than average growth, while others had lower than average growth.
   “Trends in employment for population groups containing many low-skilled workers have been similar to those of the general population,” Professor Harper said.
   “There have been no significant changes in employment rates for these workers closely following the Commission’s first and second wage-setting decisions.”
   Professor Harper said the employment of labourers and related workers increased significantly over the six months to May.
   “For individuals in a broad range of circumstances, there continues to be significant
financial incentives to take up low-paid employment,” he said.
   “However, some groups face weaker financial incentives, for example, people contemplating a return to part-time work whose partners are already in low-paid full-time work.”
   He said the report compared the cost of living for low-paid households with
that of average households as some organisations had expressed concern that the costs in low-paid households were increasing at a greater rate than other households.
   He said a cost-of-living index compiled by the Secretariat found only minor differences in average expenditure patterns between low-paid households and the rest of the community.
   He said living costs for low-income employees had increased 5.8 per cent for the year to June, while other households had increased 5.7 per cent.
   “Wages for the lowest-paid employees have been growing more slowly than for the labour force as a whole,” he said.
   “Our modelling also shows that, for Pay Scale reliant employees in a variety of household types earning up to at least $750 per week, the wage rises granted by the Commission and relevant changes to the tax and social security systems have resulted in sustained real increases in disposable income.”
   Copies of the report could be found at www.fairpay.gov.au

16 September, 2008
Policy grants going black to the future
A new Indigenous research fund has been launched to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a greater opportunity to influence public policy and programs.
   Set up by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies in partnership with the Departments of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the $1 million AIATSIS Indigenous Researchers Fund would allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to take up research positions in any field of interest and be supported by the fund.
   AIATSIS Chairperson, Professor Mick Dodson, said Australia needed more Indigenous researchers to influence public policy in order to provide the best possible outcomes for all Indigenous Australians.
   Professor Dodson said he was looking for community-based researchers to share their knowledge and lead the direction for future policies.
   “We need to transfer Indigenous knowledge from the community-based researchers and thinkers - where people know what works and what doesn’t – to the area of public policy development and implementation,” he said.
   “Indigenous involvement in decision making is a key indicator of success in Indigenous policy.”
   The Principal of AIATSIS, Steve Larkin said the Institute wanted to build bridges between the community, academia and Government on Indigenous issues.
   Mr Larkin said the Institute would look to sponsor Indigenous people with a combination of relevant work experience and potential research ability.
   “We want to provide opportunities for Indigenous people to contribute to knowledge about Indigenous societies and inform public policy, particularly those interested in moving into a research career,” Mr Larkin said.
   He said the fund was open to contributions from other Agencies and the private sector.
   “This Fund has the potential to create new partnerships between policy makers, Indigenous researchers and Indigenous knowledge systems that will lead to better policy outcomes for Indigenous people,” he said.

16 September, 2008
ACMA spreads web on internet
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has launched a new program to keep the internet safe for children.
   ACMA’s Cybersmart Detectives was launched in Queensland with over a thousand students from 26 schools taking part across the country.
   According to ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman, internet education was vital to ensure children enjoyed safe internet experiences, and knew how to protect themselves from risks.
   Mr Chapman said the event was held as part of National Child Protection Week, an initiative of the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN).
   “Making Cybersmart Detectives available to Queensland schools means up to 350 Queensland children a week will have the opportunity to take part in the activity, and think about the cybersafety messages,” Mr Chapman said.
   He said the Queensland Police Service supported the launch and had set up a task force responsible for indentifying online predators, known as Task Force Argos.
   He said the involvement of the Police underscored the importance of partnerships between Agencies who shared the goal of promoting online safety for young people.
   Mr Chapman said that in Cybersmart Detectives, children worked in real time liaising with community professionals to solve an internet-themed problem.
   At the launch, the children who took part played the roles of a school deputy principal concerned for the welfare of a new student who was deceived by someone they had met in an internet chat room.
   Mr Chapman said the key messages of Cybersmart Detectives were to withhold personal information when chatting online; take a parent when meeting someone face-to-face for the first time; and be aware that people may not be who they said they were in the online environment.
   He said Cybersmart Detectives would also run weekly in schools in Western Australian and Victoria and was available for all schools.
   He said since its launch, the program has been run in over 191 schools nationally reaching more than 5,500 primary school children aged between 10 and 13.
   He said ACMA would make the program available to other States in 2008–09.

16 September, 2008
Ex-ADF review revived
Returned Service personnel have been urged to contribute to a review of Veterans’ entitlements.
   Minister from Veterans’ Affairs, Allan Griffin said the ‘Clarke’ review made a number of recommendations for improvements to veterans’ entitlements across a wide range of areas, but the recommendations were not put in place.
   He said the latest review would address concerns of ex-Servicemen who had been at Maralinga and other nuclear test sites.
   Submissions could be lodged before 1 December at reviewsecretariat@dva.gov.au

Women report submissions
The Office for Women has reported that 370 submissions have been received by the National Council to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children
   The OfW said the submissions reflected the importance the community placed on developing and implementing a plan to reduce f violence against women and their children.
   The Council was currently analysing the submissions.

Sound Archive joins canoes
The National Film and Sound Archive has announced it would partner the new 12 Canoes website.
   Executive Director of the NFSA, Paolo Cherchi Usai said the 12 Canoes site was quintessentially Australian and the new partnership made the Indigenous tradition widely accessible.
   Mr Cherchi Usai said the creative use of new technologies would bring Australia’s audiovisual heritage to the widest possible audience.

Tourist spending down
Spending by international visitors in Australia increased nine per cent last financial year, according to research from Tourism Research Australia.
   TRA reported the spending reached $16 billion, primarily driven by growth in the Chinese, Malaysian and Indian markets.

Indigenous climate study
Almost $200,000 is to be spent studying the impact of climate change on remote Indigenous communities.
   According to the Minister for Climate Change, Senator Penny Wong, the study would examine the impact of global warming on health, the environment, infrastructure, education and employment in outlying communities.
   Senator Wong, said she hoped Aboriginal elders would pass on their traditional knowledge of the seasons. The study was expected to be complete by April 2009.

9 September, 2008
Safety at work gets new workplace
A new Statutory Authority to improve workplace health and safety has been established with a budget of $17 million.
   The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard has set up Safe Work Australia saying its task would be to lead improvements in OHS and workers’ compensation across Australia.
   Ms Gillard said the new body would be independent and comprise representatives of the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments as well as employers and unions.
   The Commonwealth would fund 50 per cent of the Authority’s budget with the States and Territories picking up the rest, according to their population.
   Ms Gillard said one of the Authority’s key responsibilities would be to develop model OHS legislation to ensure consistent safety standards across the country.
   She said an Intergovernmental Agreement for Operational Reform in Occupational Health and Safety had been signed by the Council of Australian Governments in July and the new Authority stemmed from that agreement.
   She said all jurisdictions were committed to a process for the adoption of model OHS laws, and to the development of uniform, equitable and effective safety standards and protections.
   Ms Gillard said Safe Work Australia would develop the OHS legislation and harmonised laws would lead to safer workplaces across the nation by ensuring a consistent approach to OHS.

9 September, 2008
IT report is signed off and saved
The final report on the Government's use of information and communication technology has been presented to the Minister for Finance, Lindsay Tanner, by its author, Sir Peter Gershon.
   According to the Minister, the report has made a number of recommendations to strengthen whole-of-Government management of ICT and to maximise the benefits to Government services.
   Mr Tanner said Sir Peter had conducted extensive consultations with a range of stakeholders from within the Government, the ICT industry and related organisations.
   “He has applied his extensive experience obtained in major strategic reviews in the UK with an evidence-based approach, and has developed a range of robust and achievable recommendations for the Australian Government,” Mr Tanner said.
   He said the report was a very comprehensive and detailed analysis of the issues affecting the Government’s use and management of ICT and it also outlined a plan for implementing its recommendations.
   Sir Peter said his recommendations would involve a major program of both administrative reform and cultural change within the Public Service.
   “With sustained leadership and drive at Ministerial and top official levels, and by providing the enablers of change with the necessary resources, not only in funding terms, but also skills of the right calibre, the Australian Government through implementing these recommendations can drive significant improvements in its use of ICT,” Sir Peter said.
   Mr Tanner said the Government would consider the recommendations.
   “The model proposed by Sir Peter details a number of critical areas where we can maximise the returns from our ICT investment and improve our institutional arrangements to realise greater benefits,” he said.
   The review was commissioned by the Government to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of its ICT systems and whether it had the right institutional arrangements in place to maximise their return.
   Sir Peter was asked to consider how ICT benefited the operations of Government; the adequacy of current ICT business planning; opportunities for maximising the use of new and existing facilities; the possibility of consolidating systems across Government Agencies; staffing issues; and the role of the Department of Finance and Deregulation or a similar central body to improve ICT efficiency.
   The review was also asked to have regard to the best practice approaches.

9 September, 2008
Auditor finds most on the money
The Auditor-General has issued a report on his 2007-08 investigations revealing that most Agencies audited had some areas of financial control that required attention but overall, there had been an improvement.
   In the publication AuditFOCUS the Auditor, Ian McPhee said the result reflected the longstanding controls and accountability ethos of the Public Sector.
   Mr McPhee said the majority of Agencies had adequate controls in place over their finance and accounting processes, thus reducing the risk of fraud.
   “Overall, we found that control activities relating to financial and accounting processes had been maintained at an effective level,” Mr McPhee said.
   “The total number of significant audit findings has decreased, continuing the trend over recent years.”
   He said the audit reviewed the interim Financial Statements of the Agencies who collectively comprised 95 per cent of Government revenues and expenses.
   He said the audit did not identify any instances of non-compliance with key elements of the Agencies’ financial frameworks – a finding consistent with the 2006-07 review.
   Mr McPhee said Audit Committees had played a major role in developing and maintaining solid financial frameworks within Agencies.
   “Audit Committees, in particular, continue to have a positive influence on the effectiveness of Agencies’ control environment particularly in the areas of risk assessment, legislative compliance and financial system controls,” Mr McPhee said.
   He said all Agencies had fraud control plans in place and the majority had a risk assessment process, with the results being reviewed by Audit Committees.
   “However, a number of agencies needed to give further attention to periodically testing these plans, and updating them as necessary,” Mr McPhee said.
   He said the audits continued to identify a range of IT control weaknesses in some Agencies relating to security and management controls in both Financial Management Information Systems and Human Resource Management Information Systems and IT release management processes.
   The report could be found at www.anao.gov.au

9 September, 2008
Sex discrimination gets in on the Acts
Up to 70 Commonwealth Acts of Parliament have been earmarked for amendment in the second stage of the Government’s plan to remove same-sex discrimination from Commonwealth laws.
   Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the amendments would remove discrimination from areas such as social security, taxation, Medicare, veteran’s affairs, workers’ compensation, and educational assistance.
   He said the changes would provide for equality of treatment between same-sex and opposite-sex de facto couples under a wide range of laws.
   “The changes will make a practical difference to the lives of a group of our fellow Australians who have suffered discrimination for far too long,” Mr McClelland said.
  “Importantly, the reforms will ensure children are not discriminated against because of the structure of their family.”
   He said changes in areas such as social security and taxation would be phased in to allow couples time to adjust their finances and for the new administrative arrangements to be implemented.
   He said however that all changes would be implemented by mid-2009.
   The reforms were welcomed by Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes who said they included the recommendations of an inquiry into discrimination in 2007.
   Commissioner Innes said the amended legislation would ensure same-sex couples and their children had the same rights and responsibilities as other Australian families.
   “This legislation is an important step towards full equality for same-sex couples and their children,” Commissioner Innes said.
   He agreed that children should be protected.
   “Children should not be treated differently because of who their parents are,” he said.
   The Commonwealth Acts to be amended under the plan were:
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
   Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997
   Farm Household Support Act 1992
Attorney-General
   Acts Interpretation Act 1901
   Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977
   Age Discrimination Act 2004
   Australian Federal Police Act 1979
   Bankruptcy Act 1966
   Crimes Act 1914
   Crimes (Superannuation Benefits) Act 1989
   Customs Act 1901
   High Court Justices (Long Leave Payments) Act 1979
   Judges (Long Leave Payments) Act 1979
   Passenger Movement Charge Collection Act 1978
   Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
   Service and Execution of Process Act 1992
   Sex Discrimination Act 1984
   Witness Protection Act 1994
Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
   Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989
   Broadcasting Services Act 1992
   Telstra Corporation Act 1991
Defence
   Defence Force (Home Loans Assistance) Act 1990
   Defence (Parliamentary Candidates) Act 1969
   Royal Australian Air Force Veterans’ Residences Act 1953
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
   Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
   Higher Education Support Act 2003
   Judicial and Statutory Officers (Remuneration and Allowances) Act 1984
   Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988
   Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992
   Student Assistance Act 1973
Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
   A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999
   A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999
   Aboriginal Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Act 1986
   Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006
   Social Security Act 1991
Finance and Deregulation
   Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
   Medibank Private Sale Act 2006
   Members of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Act 2002
   Parliamentary Entitlements Act 1990
   Superannuation Act 1976
Foreign Affairs and Trade
   Australian Passports Act 2005
   Export Market Development Grants Act 1997
   Trade Representatives Act 1933
Health and Ageing
   Aged Care Act 1997
   Health Insurance Act 1973
   National Health Act 1953
   Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002
   Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002
Immigration and Citizenship
   Australian Citizenship Act 2007
   Immigration (Education) Act 1971
   Immigration (Guardianship of Children) Act 1946
   Migration Act 1958
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government
   Airports Act 1996
   Civil Aviation (Carriers’ Liability) Act 1959
   Navigation Act 1912
Innovation, Industry, Science and Research
   Pooled Development Funds Act 1992
Prime Minister and Cabinet
   Privacy Act 1988
Treasury
   A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Act 1999
   Corporations Act 2001
   Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986
   Financial Sector (Shareholdings) Act 1998
   Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975
   Income Tax Assessment Act 1936
   Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
   Insurance Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1991
   Life Insurance Act 1995
Veterans’ Affairs
   Defence Service Homes Act 1918
   Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
   Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986

9 September, 2008
Watchdog snarls at terror paperwork
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that investigators at the Australian Crime Commission had been issuing notices and summons without filling in mandatory paperwork in a timely manner.
   The Ombudsman, Professor John McMillan, said his own-motion investigation had revealed delays in preparing statements of reasons for certain summonses and notices being issued by the ACC, despite Parliament’s intention that they be done expeditiously.
   According to Professor McMillan, the issue came to prominence when the Victorian Supreme Court found that for a summons to be valid, the reasons for issuing it must have been made clear beforehand.
   He said in response to that judgment, an Amendment Act was being considered by a Parliamentary Joint Committee into the ACC and his investigation was to inform that process.
   “In his Second Reading speech, (the then Attorney-General) intimated that delay in preparing a statement of reasons would only happen in exceptional circumstances,” the Ombudsman said.
   “This inspection has disclosed a different picture.”
   He said his investigation of 161 summonses and 127 notices revealed that reasons were not given at the time in 53% of summonses and 57% of notices and around a third of each were not given until seven days or more later.
   “Recording of those reasons need not be a time-consuming task,” the Ombudsman said.
   “It is difficult for this office to accept that delays of the extent found during this inspection could reasonably be considered to meet the legislative standard.”
   The Ombudsman also found the ACC Examinations Unit’s electronic document management and storage system was “slow and difficult” and “may itself provoke errors.”
   He made four recommendations to improve the situation and said he would forward his report to the Parliamentary Joint Committee into the ACC for consideration.

9 September, 2008
Water research taps into giant database
A joint initiative between the Bureau of Meteorology and the CSIRO to set up a national database of Australia’s water resources has been billed as the largest water information research project in the southern hemisphere.
   Announced by the Minister for Water, Senator Penny Wong, the Water Information Research and Development Alliance (WIRADA) was a five-year, $50 million research partnership.
   Senator Wong said WIRADA would help the Bureau meet its new water information responsibilities as set out in the Government’s Water for the Future program, including storage and management of water data and maintaining a set of water accounts for the nation.    She said CSIRO would perform research specifically for the Bureau that would be integrated into the way its water monitoring, analysis and prediction systems were developed.
   “Water for the Future has four key priorities: tackling climate change, using water wisely, supporting healthy rivers, and securing water supplies,” Senator Wong said.
   “WIRADA will help us develop more robust monitoring and prediction tools to help the Bureau deliver on its new water information responsibilities.”
   Minister for Science, Senator Kim Carr, said the WIRADA initiative would have benefits for both CSIRO and the Bureau, along with the nation as a whole.
   “Access to reliable water reporting and assessment at the national level will be a first for Australia, as water resource information is currently spread across hundreds of water agencies and organisations in all States and Territories,” Senator Carr said.

9 September, 2008
SBS money talks in any language
The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is to seek an extra $70 million from the Government to cover new digital radio and television services.
   In a speech to the Sydney Institute, SBS Managing Director, Shaun Brown said discussions with the Government over the coming months would be crucial to SBS’s long term survival.
   “The outcome of these discussions will determine whether SBS will be able to meet the challenge created by the expanding and changing multicultural shape of Australia - or whether it will be marginalised as a well-intentioned but hopelessly under resourced experiment,” Mr Brown said.
   He said a recent research project with Newspoll on public attitudes towards SBS showed that 92 per cent of people surveyed agreed that SBS existed to provide an alternative to the commercial networks in Australia.
   “Perhaps even more significant is that 87 per cent think it is important that we provide an alternative to the ABC,” Mr Brown said.
   “Our viewers believe we provide uniqueness, diversity, innovation, quality and trustworthy news and current affairs.
   “They told us that we are the network that is always trying something new and presenting diverse viewpoints.”
   He said SBS initially brought ‘the world back home’ and enabled a better understanding of the diversity of origins of Australia’s rapidly growing migrant communities, but their role had changed.
   “Now, SBS must meet the communications needs and content demands of a varied audience that includes first, second and third generation migrants, as well as the broader Australian community which itself comprises new and rapidly evolving culturally diverse communities and global connections,” Mr Brown said.
   He said SBS’s contribution was more important than ever as Australian society becomes even more diverse and complex.
   Mr Brown said SBS played an important role in blending Australia’s cultural mix into an inclusive and cohesive society.
   “Despite multiculturalism being embedded in Australian society, there is more work to be done to create greater cultural awareness, understanding and inclusiveness,” he said.
   “By exploring multiculturalism and challenging cultural stereotypes in content that spans a range of languages and origins, SBS promotes understanding and combats intolerance.”
   Mr Brown said the digital environment created another challenge for SBS, with SBS online users accessing the broadcaster from all around the world.
   “We face pressures from all corners on our already stretched financial base,” he said.

9 September, 2008
Consultation gets nod from lawyers
The consultative approach to Federal and High Court appointments adopted by the Attorney-General and his Department have been welcomed by the Australian Bar Association.
   President of the Association, Tom Bathurst QC, said the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, should be congratulated.
   “Mr McClelland’s consultative approach had ensured that the views of a wide cross section of the profession had been sought which had resulted in the identification of very strong candidates for appointment,” Mr Bathurst said.
   He said the appointment process was comprehensive, meaningful and constructive and the approach was appropriate.
   “The Australian Bar Association had always encouraged public debate on the judicial appointments process and had convened a public forum in 2006 to explore the issue,” Mr Bathurst said.
   “The willingness of the current Attorney-General to discuss the issue, to debate alternatives and to actively engage in the debate, was refreshing.”
   He said the procedure adopted for recent appointments demonstrated that an effective consultation process could occur without the need for a Judicial Appointments Commission.
   Mr Brown said the new approach also meant the Attorney-General was not required to make a statement in the Federal Parliament about individuals who were not appointed.
   He said the Bar Association would assist the Attorney-General and the Government in future consultation exercises.

9 September, 2008
Centrelink Games in the final straight
Final preparations are being made for the 30th annual Centrelink Games being held in Coffs Harbor, NSW, at the end of October.
   Games Organiser, Nick Lumley from Coffs Harbour Centrelink, said up to 700 Centrelink staff from across the country would attend the Games and participate.
   He said over the three days of competition, the Centrelink staff, with their families and friends would contribute over $250,000 to the Coffs Harbour community
   Mr Lumley said staff had been holding fundraisers and raffles for months to raise the money to attend the Games.
   He said Coffs Harbour was an ideal venue for the games.
   "This is the second time in the past 12 years the Games have been held in Coffs Harbour,” Mr Lumley said.
   “The excellent sporting facilities, golf courses, accommodation and restaurants make Coffs the perfect venue for a big event like this."
   He said the events the staff would compete in included touch football, netball, volleyball, softball, tennis, lawn bowls, deep sea fishing, outrigger canoeing and golf.
   Mr Lumley said the Centrelink choir would also be in Coffs Harbour for the Games, as well as the Mobile Servicing Unit to provide information to the public on Centrelink’s services.

9 September, 2008
Privacy watchdogs agree to agree
An agreement between the Privacy Commissioners of Australia and New Zealand has been extended to deepen the relationship between the two offices and broaden the range of privacy matters they would share information on.
   Australian Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, said the agreement made sense because it enabled the two parties to share information on issues in both countries.
  "The privacy challenges we face in Australia are not unique," Commissioner Curtis said. "There are significant benefits in developing strong and cooperative relationships between regulators in different countries."
   She said since it was first signed in 2006, the agreement had allowed the offices to share information about surveys, research projects, promotional campaigns, education and training programs and investigative methods.
   New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, Marie Shroff, also welcomed the agreement saying it allowed the two privacy offices to pool their information about important and emerging privacy issues.
   "Its success as a cooperative cross-border agreement can be measured by the fact that it has been used as the base document to build a template for privacy regulators within APEC,” Ms Shroff said.
   Commissioner Curtis said the recommitment to the agreement was closely tied to the two countries’ involvement in the APEC Privacy Framework and the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum.
   She said the agreement was also a practical example of how the recently released OECD Guidelines on Cross-border Cooperation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Privacy could be met.

9 September, 2008
DIAC has a ball fundraising
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has raised $20,000 for Australian Red Cross at its annual charity masquerade ball held in Canberra recently.
   A Departmental spokesman said the record amount was 20 per cent higher than last year’s funds which were donated to the Ovarian Cancer Network.
   “This year we broke that record with the support from our sponsors and some generous auction bidders,” he said.
   The spokesman said more than 300 people attended the ball, including DIAC staff and sponsors and the funds raised included money from ticket sales and other activities.
   “The fundraising amount was supplemented with a silent auction of autographed items donated from people such as musician Jimmy Barnes, cricketer Matthew Hayden, the ACT Brumbies rugby team and motorcycling champion Casey Stoner,” the spokesman said.
   “The largest bid of the night was for a plasma television which raised almost $1,500 and items donated by Mr Stoner fetched almost $1,300.”
   He said the donation would be used to support a range of Red Cross services in the ACT such as Meals on Wheels, The Roadhouse and the Good Start Breakfast Club which all provided meals for the disadvantaged.
   The spokesman said the funds would also support local Red Cross youth and education services such as Save a Mate - a program run by young people for young people promoting health and wellbeing.

9 September, 2008
Customs seize sailors in Barrier Reef rescue
Customs Officers aboard the Customs vessel StormBay rescued three Germans from a sinking yacht on the Great Barrier Reef recently.
   Commanding Officer Paul Hemmings, said the men were on board their 10 metre sloop, the Sagitta, when they hit the reef and started sinking.
   Commanding Officer Hemmings said the men set off a German-coded emergency beacon which alerted German authorities who then contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Canberra.
   He said a Customs Coastwatch plane and Horn Island helicopter were sent to the area - about 160 km southeast of Cape York - where the stricken vessel was located.
   Commanding Officer Hemmings said the Coastwatch aircraft issued a distress broadcast and StormBay, which was on patrol in the area, responded immediately.
   "With dire weather closing in on Saturday night and the possibility the situation could easily deteriorate, we were pleased to get the three men safely on board StormBay," he said.
   He said the three men, aged 56, 60 and 76, were all in good health when rescued.
   StormBay did not tow the yacht away due to the damage it had sustained and the weather conditions.
   StormBay wason passage from Brisbane to Darwin.

9 September, 2008
Students take up Defence challenge
Schools across Australia are taking part in the Defence 2020 Youth Challenge over the next two months by studying Defence issues and responsible citizenship.
   Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon said the program was aimed at raising awareness of the Australian Defence Force among senior school students and encouraging discussion of Defence issues by promoting subjects such as history, economics, geography, politics and citizenship.
   “The Youth Challenge Forums is the key event that will allow participants to analyse, discuss and report on a range of serious issues that face the Navy, Army and Air Force,” Mr Snowdon said.
   He said Defence 2020 sought to create a better understanding of the Defence culture, the variety of roles ADF members could take on, and of the contribution the organisation made both nationally and internationally.
   He said the program included a series of 15 regional Youth Challenges that would be rolled out to 300 schools across all States and Territories.
   Mr Snowdon said the Challenge started in Albury before moving to Adelaide, Port Pirie, Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra.
   “A national Forum will be held in Canberra at the beginning of December,” Mr Snowdon said.
   “I am really looking forward to seeing the results of students’ discussions.”

9 September, 2008
Apprenticeship award is good Centrelink call
A Centrelink program that afforded Indigenous people jobs has been honoured with an Award for Excellence.
   Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig congratulated Centrelink’s Port Macquarie Call Centre for taking out the Award which was for the Employers of Australian Apprentices in the Hunter and North Coast NSW region.
   Senator Ludwig said Centrelink’s Indigenous employment rate was above the Australian Public Service average, and the Indigenous Apprenticeship Program would continue to build on those results.
   “The program was developed to provide Indigenous people with job opportunities and increase the number of Indigenous employees across Centrelink’s call centre network,” Senator Ludwig said.
   “Around 20 apprentices were recruited during the initial intake and are currently working in the Port Macquarie, Latrobe, Port Augusta and Townsville call centres.”
   Senator Ludwig said the program would expand this year, with staff recruited for call centres in Bunbury, Cairns and Coffs Harbour.
   He said the program offered structured training and a supportive environment for employees.
   “Centrelink’s customers cover the full spectrum of Australian life and society, and Centrelink’s workforce reflects and is sensitive to this diversity,” Senator Ludwig said.
   “The success of this apprenticeship program highlights Centrelink’s commitment to providing real employment opportunities for young Indigenous Australians.”
   The award recognised employers who demonstrated commitment, innovation and outstanding achievement in the training of Australian apprentices.
   Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, personally presented the award to the leader of the Port Macquarie Call team, Angela Johnson.

9 September, 2008
Infrastructure list is big-ticket item
Infrastructure Australia has invited public input into its list of big-ticket project ideas to be included in the National Infrastructure Priority List established by the Government as part of its nation-building agenda.
   Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese and Chair of Infrastructure Australia, Sir Rod Eddington have urged people to submit their thoughts for evaluation and possible inclusion on the List which would be presented to the Council of Australian Governments in March 2009.
   Mr Albanese said any member of the public or business community could submit their project ideas to Infrastructure Australia.
   He said the Government was seeking ideas and suggestions that would strengthen the national economy.
   "We want both industry and the community to be our partners in the long term effort to fix and modernise the nation's critical economic infrastructure,” Mr Albanese said, “our roads, railways, ports, water and energy utilities, and telecommunications.
   "In making a submission we are asking people to look beyond their own street or neighbourhood and to put forward ideas and suggestions that will strengthen the national economy.”
   Sir Rod said Infrastructure Australia aimed to facilitate public discussion on how the nation could better plan, finance, build and use major infrastructure.
   "We have indications that members of the community, including people working in industry and Government, have both ideas and information potentially of great value to our work," Sir Rod said.
   "Continuing investment by both the public and private sectors must be based on a sound understanding of strategic national priorities including economic, social, and environmental considerations.”
   He said Infrastructure Australia would conduct an audit of the nation's transport, energy, communications and water infrastructure; produce an Infrastructure Priority List to guide future public and private investment decisions; and develop nationally consistent guidelines for Public Private Partnerships.
   He said submissions should be no more than 15 pages and more information could be found at www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au

9 September, 2008
GG leaves home
The Governor-General and his wife, Major General and Mrs Jeffery have been farewelled Government House for the last time.
   The move marked the end of Major General Jeffery’s 54 years of service to the community as soldier, State Governor and Governor-General.
   He was replaced by incoming Governor General, Quentin Bryce from Queensland.

Pilots back CASA
The Australian and International Pilots Association has backed the Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s recent report on maintenance standards at Qantas.
   AIPA president Captain Ian Woods said pilots would stand by the Authority and called on CASA to create a formal role for pilots in the establishment and enforcement of standards.
   Captain Woods said Australia had been renowned for its safety standards and CASA should ensure pilots helped keep safety at the centre of aviation decisions.

Union elections
The Community and Public Sector Union is accepting nominations for elections to National Officer, Governing Councillor, Section Officer and Section Councillor positions.
   Nominations were open to financial members of the CPSU in eligible electorates and the terms would be for three years, starting 1 January 2009.
   More information could be obtained by emailing cpsuelection@cpsu.org.au

Future Fund reports
The Future Fund Board of Guardians has released its results for the 2007-08 year revealing a return (ex Telstra) of 1.54% for the financial year.
The Guardians said this represented a $652 million growth.
   They said total Future Funds assets were $64.2 billion at 30 June 2008.

Free Trade in Asia
The Minister for Trade, Simon Crean has announced that Australia had concluded negotiations for the region-wide ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
   Mr Crean said Australia would gain from the agreement, in the agriculture, industrial and services industries.
   He said the deal would reduce tariffs on goods traded between the countries and further reductions would be negotiated in the future.
   Mr Crean said it was the largest free trade agreement ever negotiated by Australia and covered 16 per cent of Australia’s trade in goods and services.

Indigenous awareness resource
A new online resource has been released to raise awareness of Indigenous cultural protocols relating to media coverage of the deaths of Indigenous people.
   Indigenous Affairs Minister, Jenny Macklin, said Aboriginal cultural protocols prohibited the use of names or images of recently deceased Indigenous people but a lack of general awareness of the protocols meant that media reports of deaths sometimes included names or images.
   Ms Macklin said the new protocols would protect communities while they are grieving.

McLaren takes out Olle
ABC journalist, Oscar McLaren has been named as the winner of the Andrew Olle Scholarship for 2008-09.
   Managing Director of the ABC, Mark Scott, announced the prize saying Mr McLaren was a bi-media journalist in the ABC’s Sydney newsroom, and reported for ABC TV News.
   As part of the scholarship, Mr McLaren will develop an information technology round to add to the ABC’s repertoire and help the Corporation adapt to the new digital media environment.

Nominations for Justice Board
A new national Indigenous law and justice advisory body is being established to provide advice to the Government on Indigenous law and justice policy.
   The Board is expected to include representation from non-Government service providers including legal services,family violence support services, police, correctional services, Courts and other specialists in areas such as law reform, human rights and juvenile justice.
   Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are being encouraged to nominate for memebership.

Airborne survey
Geoscience Australia has begun the largest airborne electromagnetic survey ever undertaken in the Northern Territory.
   The survey would cover more than 72,000sq km, gathering data to assist with mapping geology and sub-surface water.
   It was expected to continue until about October and would involve a fixed-wing aircraft and a helicopter flying at approximately 120 metres above the ground on east-west traverses spaced from a few hundred metres to 5km apart.

Peace Awards open
Nominations are now open for the 30th annual United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Awards.
   The awards recognise those in the media whose work highlighed and championed humanitarian and social justice issues and the main categories included best print, best television, best radio, best photojournalism and best online.
   More information was at www.unaavictoria.org.au

Tourism brings Carat in
Tourism Australia has announced that Carat Australia Media Services would supply its global media buying requirements for the next three years.
   Carat won the tender process based on its global network capabilities, risk assessment and overall value for money.

2 September, 2008
Jones blows whistle for PS whistleblowers
A new position of Public Service Ombudsman has been suggested as a way of dealing with PS whistleblowers and ensuring they were not disadvantaged by their revelations.
   The call was made by the National Secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union, Stephen Jones in evidence before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs which is conducting an Inquiry into the protection of Public Service whistleblowers.
   Mr Jones said that as well as appointing the independent PS Ombudsman, Parliament should pass legislation outlawing retaliation against whistleblowers who were currently unprotected.
   He said the experience of union members had shown that whistleblowers were often disadvantaged even though they were doing the right thing.
   ''There are no protections for whistleblowers,” he said. “You blow the whistle you lose your job, or you put your career on the continual back-burner.”
He said there was a need for change in the attitude of the APS to accept that reporting illegal or corrupt behavior, the misuse or waste of public funds, maladministration or activities that created dangers to public health or safety or threatened the environment was part of the job.
   ''Currently in the Public Service the issue is somewhat 'taboo' and was poorly understood by employees and managers alike,” he said.
   “A shift in public-sector culture needs to take place to legitimise whistleblowing.''
   Mr Jones said the proposed Ombudsman could be located in the office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman and PS staffers should be allowed to make their allegations anonymously.
   He also called for third-party employees such as private contractors, consultants and the staff of other Governments working on Commonwealth projects to be protected as well.
   ''There is an increasing number of areas in which the Commonwealth and the State and Territory Governments are undertaking joint initiatives,'' he said.
   ''Where this occurs, the protections of the legislation should be extended.”
   The Inquiry was referred to the Committee by Cabinet Secretary, Senator John Faulkner who asked that it report by February on a preferred model for legislation to protect public interest disclosures, particularly the categories of people who could make them, the types of disclosures to be protected, conditions that should apply and the scope of the protection.

2 September, 2008
Disabled blot PS document standards
Government Departments and Agencies have been called on to improve access to information for people with disabilities.
   Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, urged Public Service organisations to lift their game and adhere more closely to Government standards and legislation.
   Commissioner Innes said Government Agencies had to ensure people were not discriminated against on the basis of their disability when information was released to the public.
   He said he was willing to “name and shame” Government publishers if improvements were not made.
   “Of all organisations, Government Departments and Agencies know they should be making documents and information accessible to everyone,” he said.
   “I’m also telling them that, if this doesn’t begin to improve, we will start to name and shame.”
   Commissioner Innes said the repeated lack of consideration for the accessibility of information by Government Departments was worrying.
   “We've seen several important reports and papers published recently, all of them initially inaccessible to many people with disability – The Green Paper on Carbon Emissions Trading and the Grocery Watch website are two prominent examples”, he said.
   Commissioner Innes said the Green Paper, which was over 500 pages long, could not be read by synthetic speech software.
   “Making information as socially important and highly publicised as the Grocery Watch website and the Green Paper on Carbon Emissions Trading inaccessible to a significant sector of the population is, put bluntly, a disgrace,” he said.
   Commissioner Innes said he was concerned by the length of time it took to make documents available to people, even when they were requested.
   He said the process could take weeks.
   “That's not good enough,” he said, “people with disability have an equal right to participate in public debates about important issues, but they need to be able to get access to information when it’s published, not after the debate has moved on for everyone else.”
   Commissioner Innes said PDF documents on the internet often resulted in inadequate or zero access for people with disabilities.
   “You can use HTML, Microsoft Word, or RTF formats,” he said.
   “It’s particularly depressing to see documents created in word-processor formats, which provide very good access, being converted into PDF, which doesn’t, then only being posted in PDF.”
   Commissioner Innes said all Government Agencies had policies to ensure compliance with publishing information rules that included the requirements of the Federal Disability Discrimination Act.
   “I'm not telling Government publishers that they can't use PDF, but I am telling them that they must provide the same content in other accessible formats alongside the PDFs on their websites,” he said.

2 September, 2008
Union spits chips in bargaining bid
The Community and Public Sector Union has accused managers in some Departments and Agencies of trying to ignore the wishes of staff and negotiating salary and other conditions direct with employees.
   The union has launched an action in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to install a ‘good faith’ bargaining system across the APS which would require management to include the union in discussions where staff wanted it.
   According to the National Secretary of the CPSU, Stephen Jones, some PS managers had yet to catch up with the change of Government.
   "Our concern is that while the Government has changed the way things operate in many places, managers in the public sector are acting as though it is business as usual," Mr Jones is reported as saying in The Australian.
   He said the new Government intended introducing new rules which would compel employers to negotiate collectively when a majority of the workforce wanted it but had not enshrined its intentions in law yet.
   In the interim, employers including Government Agencies, could operate under the former WorkChoices laws.
   He said some Agencies were doing so in a manner that was "contrary to the spirit and intent" of the Government's preferred approach.
   He accused some Agencies of refusing to accept the view of their employees, even when they had voted in favour of the union negotiating collectively on their behalf.
   Mr Jones said the union wanted the APS to commit to genuine consultations with Agency managers, better information about union bargaining for staff and an acceptance that disputes would be handled by the AIRC.
   He feared that a number of enterprise agreements could be renewed before the new arrangements were in place and said this could affect up to 150,000 staff.
   Mr Jones said the union would be seeking pay rises of more than 4% a year in coming claims.

2 September, 2008
CASA review reveals airline turbulence
A review by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority into the aircraft maintenance policies of the national airline, Qantas, has led to a call for the carrier to improve its performance.
   CASA has told Qantas to address deficiencies it found in the airline’s management and delivery of aircraft maintenance which it said failed to meet Qantas’s own performance targets.
   CASA’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Operations, Mick Quinn, said the audit uncovered “emerging problems” and a further two audits would be carried out.
   Mr Quinn said the first would be a full maintenance audit of one of each of the main planes in the Qantas fleet, including a 747-400, 737-400 and a 767-300.
   He said all maintenance documentation for each aircraft would be checked, as well as a physical examination of the aircraft on the ground.
   Mr Quinn said the second audit would look at how effective the maintenance systems were in managing and implementing airworthiness directives and would aim to identify any weaknesses.
   “CASA has looked carefully at the Qantas maintenance systems and performance and uncovered signs of emerging problems.”
   He said Qantas needed to report on how they had addressed their recent ‘airworthiness’ failures.
   “The review found maintenance performance within Qantas is showing some adverse trends and is now below the airline's own benchmarks,” he said.
   “By taking action now future safety problems will be avoided.”
   Mr Quinn said the original review did not find any links between recent safety incidents, such as the 747-400 oxygen bottle failure near Manila, or any increase in the rate of incidents.
   “They were unrelated events - there was no apparent common cause,” he said.
   “There has been no increase in the rate of incidents and over more than a year the number of monthly air safety incident reports was about the same.”
   Mr Quinn said Qantas was to be commended for its positive approach to the review and for co-operating with CASA at every stage.
   “CASA is confident Qantas will act quickly and appropriately to address the issues and this will ensure Australians can continue to have full confidence in the airline,” he said.
   Qantas was examining whether their existing maintenance strategies were delivering the best possible outcomes.

2 September, 2008
Flight risk measures are plane good work
The Child Support Agency and Department of Immigration and Citizenship have joined forces to crack down on separated parents travelling overseas to avoid their child support obligations.
   The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, said the CSA’s Departure Prohibition Order (DPO) program aimed at tackling the problem had been strengthened by the cooperation between the two Agencies.
   “The CSA, with the support of DIAC, has the power to issue international travel bans if a parent persistently fails to meet child support obligations,” Senator Ludwig said.
   “When a DPO is issued, the affected parent cannot leave Australia until they make satisfactory arrangements to pay their child support debt.”
   Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, said a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Agency and Department allowed CSA to access DIAC’s movement database to identify the travel patterns of parents who had significant child support debts.
   “This new access complements the data-matching arrangements between the two Agencies which have been in place for some time now,” Senator Evans said.
   “It’s pleasing to be able to further assist the CSA with this important program, as the end result is making sure child support payments get to the children who need them.”
   Senator Ludwig said the message to parents who owed child support was clear.
   “If you want to travel overseas then you need to sort out your overdue child support payments,” he said.
   “During 2007-08, the CSA issued 924 DPOs and as a result collected about $5.7 million in outstanding child support.”
   Senator Ludwig called on people who knew of any jet-setting child support defaulters to contact the Australian Government Services Fraud Tip-off Line on 13 15 24.
   “The CSA needs to know the likely date of travel and the city and means of departure so that the process can go more smoothly and children can receive the money they need,’ he said.
   Senator Ludwig said the CSA had 1,103 DPOs in place across Australia.

2 September, 2008
Hearing hotline makes big noise
A hearing “hotline” hosted by Australian Hearing attracted almost 100,000 calls in the past year but research has discovered that people with hearing difficulties were choosing not to do anything about them.
   The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, launched the findings of the survey which was commissioned by Australian Hearing as part of Hearing Awareness Week.
   The survey of 305 adults across Australia who had undertaken – and failed in at least one ear – the hotline’s test found 54 per cent thought their hearing was “not bad enough to do anything about.”
   Of those who admitted they failed the test, over half took no further action, and only 23 per cent of people who consulted hearing or medical professionals actually decided to obtain hearing aids.
   Senator Ludwig said the survey results confirmed experts’ fears that people were n being “complacent” or “in denial” about their hearing problems.
   “People who are concerned about their hearing should contact an Australian Hearing
centre,” he said.
   Principal Audiologist at Australian Hearing, Janette Thorburn, said callers who failed Telscreen should contact Australian Hearing for a full assessment.
   “Many of the callers who failed the test are eligible for free and subsidised hearing services from Australian Hearing, including the latest digital hearing devices,” she said.
   A Professor from the National Acoustic Laboratories, Harvey Dillon, said the research had identified a health issue with far-reaching implications in Australia.
   “We need to remind Australians that being proactive about their hearing does not stop with a hearing test over the telephone,” Professor Dillon said.
   “This important step should be followed up with a formal hearing test.”
   He said the earlier people took action, the less likely they were to suffer negative effects on their relationships and mental health.
   According to a report conducted by Australian Hearing, Is Australia Listening? Attitudes to hearing loss, four in five Australians reportedly knew people with hearing impairments, with two in five saying it caused problems.
   Telscreen could be contacted on 1800 826 500 for a hearing assessment, and Australian Hearing Centres could be contacted on 131 797.

2 September, 2008
Public praise for privacy policies
The privacy policies of Medicare Australia and the Child Support Agency have been recognised in the inaugural Australian Privacy Awards.
   Privacy Commissioner, Karen Curtis, announced the award winners, saying Medicare took out the Grand Award and CSA the Government category.
   Commissioner Curtis said the awards were the first of their kind in the world.
   “They are an important means of recognising and rewarding organisations and individuals who have exhibited a strong commitment to protecting Australians' privacy,” she said.
   Commissioner Curtis said Medicare’s nomination was “outstanding” and showed how the Agency had integrated “good privacy practices” into its operations.
   The Grand Award was presented by Special Minister of State and Cabinet Secretary, Senator John Faulkner, who said the Agency had implemented a number of policies that focused on monitoring access and responding to complaints, privacy impact assessments, and the release of information.
   Commissioner Curtis said Medicare conducted regular staff training and engaged in activities to ensure privacy compliance.
   She said the CSA had to deal with sensitive privacy issues when handling child support cases.
   “The Child Support Agency’s winning a Privacy Award acknowledges how the Agency has striven to meet this challenge,” she said.
   The Award was presented by the Vice-President and Managing Director of the Pacific region of Symantec, Craig Scroggie.
   High Court Judge, Michael Kirby was also honoured with an award, taking home the Australian Privacy Medal for his contribution to enhancing privacy rights worldwide.
   Commissioner Curtis and Senator Faulkner presented the award, saying Justice Kirby had helped develop privacy guidelines that were used in “most developed nations in the world”.
   The awards were presented at a gala dinner in Sydney that coincided with National Privacy Week.
   Other winners to be recognized with awards included Telstra (Large Business Award), Australian Dental Association NSW Branch (Community & NGO Award) and Data Solutions Australia (Microsoft Small-Medium Business Award).

2 September, 2008
Workplace injuries suffer deep cut
An interim target to cut workplace injuries across Australia by 10 per cent had been reached according to a report issued by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, recently.
   The tenth in a series on Occupational Health and Safety, the Comparative Performance Monitoring Report showed that the National OHS Strategy 2002-2012 was ahead of schedule with the incidence of compensated fatalities from injury and disorders between the base period (2000-01 to 2002-03) and 2006-07 exceeding its interim goal.
   Ms Gillard said the reduction in incidents was in fact 16 per cent, which was well in excess of the target set.
   She praised the States and Territories for working together to improve workplace safety across the nation.
   The report showed while some areas had been successful, others needed to be improved.
   According to the report, there were 236 compensated deaths in Australia during 2006-07, with 177 resulting from injury and musculoskeletal disorders and 59 from other diseases.
   The greatest proportion of claims (42 per cent) arose from “body stressing”, while the manufacturing industry recorded the highest claim rates per 1,000 employees at 27.5, followed by transport and storage (25.9), agriculture, forestry and fishing (25.3), and construction (22.1).
   The report found all rates were down from 2005-06.
   Seventy-seven per cent of injured workers returned to work within eight to 10 months of sustaining their injury
   The CPM report has been complemented by the Compendium of Workers’ Compensation Statistics, which provided a more detailed analysis of national workers’ compensation data.
   Ms Gillard said the report series could be found at www.workplace.gov.au
   The CPM report was launched at the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council meeting in Sydney.

2 September, 2008
Privacy Guides are no secret
The Australian Privacy Commissioner has launched a series of new guides to help PS Departments and Agencies investigate privacy complaints.
   The Commissioner, Karen Curtis, said the guides were needed because many complaints her office received could have been handled satisfactorily at Agency level.
   Commissioner Curtis said the guidelines would help resolve issues quickly and effectively for complainants by standardising the procedures for responding to privacy complaints.
   "By using these new guides, organisations and Agencies will have a step-by-step checklist to work through that aims to help them develop efficient and effective processes to address complaints," she said.
   "It is to the benefit of the complainant and the organisation or agency involved for complaints to be dealt with as quickly and effectively as possible at an organisational level before my Office needs to become involved.”
   She said two guides had been issued: one for private sector organisations, and one for Australian Government Agencies.
   Commissioner Curtis said the guides covered how to determine the substance of the complaint; identify Privacy Principles; apply the law; communicate with the complainant; and identify other issues the complaint raised.
   "These guides are part of a large range of materials my Office has produced to assist the community," she said.
   Copies of the guides or further information could be obtained from www.privacy.gov.au or by calling 1300 363 992.

2 September, 2008
Army aims high in restructure
A restructure of the Australian Army’s higher command and control structures has been announced by the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie.
   Lieutenant General Gillespie said the Adaptive Army initiative would help the Army generate land forces for current operations and prepare for other contingencies.
   “As operational tempo has increased over the past few years, the development and implementation of more effective and efficient structures and processes has become necessary,” he said.
   “This ensures we continually improve our ability to achieve operational objectives.
   “The evolved structures and processes will allow those about to deploy to receive the benefits of the lessons learnt by preceding force elements on current operations. This ensures our soldiers are well postured, and prepared, for future commitments.
   Lt-Gen Gillespie said the current command structure had served the Army well over the last couple of decades.
   “However, the rapid improvements in the ability of our soldiers and headquarters to share information in recent years have challenged this traditional approach to command and control.”
   Lt-Gen Gillespie said the new structures would gradually be phased in and that the transition to the final structure had been planned for early 2011.
   He said in early 2009, the Army would create a new Forces Command to manage individual and collective training for a large portion of the Army.
   The Army’s 1st Division was to assume a primary role as Army mounting, assessment and certification authority for all individuals and conventional force elements deploying on operations.
   More information about the Adaptive Army initiative was available from www.army.gov.au

2 September, 2008
Project manages to win project award
A project team from the Defence Materiel Organisation has taken top honours in the Defence/Aerospace category of the ACT Project Management Achievement Awards.
   The team which delivered four C-17A Globemaster III heavy air lift aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force ahead of schedule, under budget and exceeding performance expectations was congratulated by Defence’s Director General Airlift and Training Systems, Air Commodore Steve Drury.
   The $2.2 billion project to acquire new C-17 aircraft also included provisions such as airfield and maintenance facilities, the training of aircrew and maintenance personnel and ongoing logistics support and was approved in 2006.
   Project leader, Group Captain Andrew Doyle said the project would normally have taken five years or more but all four aircraft had been delivered in just over two.
   “The accelerated schedule - never before attempted by Defence in the modern aviation era - included a requirement to have the first C-17 operational by January 2007,” Group Captain Doyle said, “and all four C-17 aircraft delivered by mid-2008.
   “The achievement of these ambitious outcomes was made possible through a whole-of-Defence team effort.”
   He said the C-17A could transport up to 70 tonnes of over-sized military hardware, humanitarian relief supplies and medical support anywhere in the world. It was the strongest carrier of its type in Australia’s history.
   The C-17A was also used to support Operation PNG Assist in November 2007 and Operation Nargis Assist in Burma earlier this year.
   The DMO project would now go onto the Australian Institute of Project Management national awards judging to be held at its national conference in Canberra in October.

2 September, 2008
Women ring bell on after school care
A survey of working women has found that a lack of out-of-school hours care was preventing women from re-entering the workforce or staying there.
   Conducted for the community group WIRE – Women’s Information, the survey of 466 women Australia-wide found the biggest problem was with care for secondary students.
   Chief Executive Officer of WIRE, Samiro Douglas, said some parents were unwilling to leave their secondary students home alone before and after school and on holidays.
   “A number of women said they would have to reduce their working hours, look for a new job, or stop work altogether when their children entered high school for this reason,” she said.
   “This in turn means they are not contributing enough into their superannuation. Add this to the gender pay-gap, with women currently earning just 84 cents in the male dollar, and you have the situation where after a lifetime of working and raising children, women face the very real fear of an old-age lived in poverty.”
   WIRE’s survey found mothers were three times more likely to take children to and from out of hours care than fathers.
   It found grandmothers were also more than twice as likely to take children to work or take time off work to care for them.
   “We would really like to see fathers share more of this responsibility and become more involved in the child care debate,” Ms Douglas said.
   The survey identified other major problems with out of school care, including high costs, availability of places, lack of flexibility and Centre opening hours.
   One respondent said their child care costs had increased 46 per cent in the past six years to $190 per day.
   WIRE’s findings were consistent with a Newspoll survey revealing one-third of children aged five to 15 spent the holidays alone, and 15% were home alone while their parents worked.
   Ms Douglas called for “urgent action” by the Government to address the problem.
   She said WIRE had teamed up with the National Foundation for Australian Women and the Australian Federation of University Women to make a submission to the ‘Inquiry into pay equity and other causes of disadvantage for female work-force participation’ being conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment and Work-Place Relations.
   Further information could be found at www.wire.org.au and www.nfaw.org and the submission was at www.aph.gov.au

2 September, 2008
Map agreement shows the way forward
An agreement between the Australian Hydrographic Service and New Zealand’s Land Information Agency was expected to harmonise the distribution of Electronic Navigational Charts for mariners in the south west Pacific.
   Australian Hydrographer, Commodore Rod Nairn, said the cooperative agreement would result in regional cooperation and facilitate the international distribution of South West Pacific ENCs.
   “This agreement, between Australia and New Zealand, brings to fruition the vision of a regional ENC co-ordination centre,” Commodore Nairn said.
  “This will result in consistent, quality information with guaranteed data integrity that is internationally available to mariners.”
   He said the Australian Hydrography Service was part of the Royal Australian Navy and was responsible for meeting Australia’s national and international obligations for charting and hydrographic services under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
   Commodore Nairn’s New Zealand counterpart at LINZ, Adam Greenland said the agreement would provide safer navigation, freedom of manoeuvre and protection of the marine environment.
   “This agreement formally establishes the co-operation within the South West Pacific Region and is the culmination of several years of work to produce and distribute New Zealand electronic charts,” Mr Greenland said.
   The Director of Charting and Information Management at the AHS, Mike Prince, welcomed the opportunity to exchange knowledge and further hydrographic surveying and charting.

2 September, 2008
Lawyers rule out in-house law rule
The Workplace Ombudsman has won an exemption from the 2005 Legal Services Directions that require Departments and Agencies to outsource legal services for litigation.
   The exemption means the Ombudsman would be able to use in-house lawyers to pursue employers accused of underpaying their staff and according to the office’s Chief Counsel, Leigh Johns, would save money.
   Attorney-General, Robert McClelland has allowed a two-year exemption.
   Mr Johns welcomed the decision, saying it would almost halve the Agency’s legal bills.
   “We are now better placed to achieve cost savings for Government without compromising our important litigation function,” he said.
   He said in 2006-07, the Workplace Ombudsman spent $2.49 million on external legal providers, rising to $7.6 million in 2007-08 with most of its costs related to underpayments of employees and dealt with in Magistrates’ Courts.
   It had recovered more than $52 million in underpaid wages for over 47,000 workers in the past two years.
   Mr Johns said the Ombudsman’s in-house lawyers would only be used for new matters while external lawyers would continue to run existing cases as well as provide advice on prospects for success, conduct litigation involving claims not related to underpayment, pursue all appeals and run cases heard in the High Court, Federal Court or State Supreme Courts.
   He said the Ombudsman’s role was to monitor payslip and time and wage record-keeping requirements, freedom of association, unions’ right of entry, coercion in agreement making, transmission of business obligations, sham contracting arrangements and unlawful industrial action.
   He said the Ombudsman was one of only a handful of agencies nationally to be granted exemption from the Legal Services Directions.

2 September, 2008
No frills option for women’s rights
Australia is to sign up to an international convention to protect women’s rights.
   The Government has announced that a National Interest Analysis, prepared to examine the implications of signing the convention, had recommended it go ahead.
   Australia would now accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
   Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, and the Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, welcomed the convention as a significant step forward in the protection and promotion of women’s rights in Australia.
   Mr McClelland said acceding to the Protocol would help the Government re-engage with the United Nations on a number of international issues.
   “If Australia is to be taken seriously when it comes to international human rights, then it’s important that we impose on ourselves the same high standards we expect of our neighbours,” he said.
   Mr McClelland said the Optional Protocol would allow Australians to complain to the United Nations about the protection of women’s rights and gender equality when all domestic avenues for review were exhausted.
   He said the Government consulted with States, Territories and Non-Governmental Agencies to prepare the National Interest Analysis
   Ms Plibersek said they had received positive responses from women’s groups and community organisations.
   “By signing up to the Optional Protocol, Australia places itself as a global leader when it comes to women’s rights,” she said.
   The proposal to accede to the Optional Protocol is to be considered by Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, which was expected to report by 10 November.
   The Optional Protocol came into force in 2000.

2 September, 2008
AFP agreement fits the Bill
The Australian Federal Police has entered an agreement with Victoria’s Monash University that would see studies completed at the AFP College credited against university course requirements.
   AFP College Manager, Superintendant Mark McIntyre, said the agreement would add to the qualifications pathways available for AFP officers.
   “Members at various stages of their AFP career will have access to more learning opportunities through universities and such a framework will support the AFP’s commitment to developing future leaders,” Superintendant McIntyre said.
   “The collaboration represents a great opportunity for AFP members looking to further their education as well as enhancing the capabilities of the organisation.”
   He said the agreement would focus on postgraduate areas of study such as counter terrorism and international relations and would be based on relevant programs completed at the AFP College.
   Superintendant McIntyre said the courses were specifically designed to enhance AFP members’ knowledge by building on existing skills, training and professional experience.
   “This agreement illustrates an important collaboration between the AFP the Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training sector.”
   He said this was the second agreement the AFP had undertaken with the higher education sector, following a similar arrangement with Charles Sturt University last November.

2 September, 2008
Pay fight gets GA out
About 300 research and support staff at Geoscience Australia have protested over stalled pay negotiations.
   The staff have argued for their contribution to the current resources boom to be better recognised and have called for a cost-of-living pay rise of 4.6 per cent.
   They are also seeking family-friendly workplace improvements including a sick bay, a prayer room for Muslim staff and a room for working mothers to breastfeed.

ACMA burns Ramsay
The Australian Communication and Media Authority has found coarse language in the television program Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares breached the industry’s code of practice for an M-rated program.
   ACMA found the program contained both aggressive and unjustified coarse language after receiving a complaint from a member of the public.
   Whilst it found the program was incorrectly classified as M, it was aired in the MA time zone.

Tassie reshuffle
The Tasmanian Government is believed to be planning a major shake-up at the top of its public service.
   Experts believe the Head of the Infrastructure Department, Mark Addis is to be replaced by Norm Macilfatrick from the Economic Development Department who in turn would be replaced by the former chief of staff to ex-Premier Paul Lennon, Daniel Leesong.
   Current Premier, David Bartlett has not denied the suggestions but said any appointments would be merit-based and follow open selection processes.

Doctors jab at intervention
The Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has criticised the Northern Territory intervention in its submission to the NT response review board.
   AIDA said the intervention had left Indigenous people with a feeling of mistrust and anger towards Western culture and the introduction of dry areas had no effect on stopping problem drinking.
   It urged the Government to drop the blanket approach and consult more broadly with individual Indigenous communities in the future.

Mint spins one for Bradman
The Royal Australian Mint has launched a collectors’ coin in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of cricketing legend, Sir Donald Bradman.
   The uncirculated coin was released in partnership with the Bradman Foundation and depicted The Don giving the crowd his customary salute after scoring a century.
   It was launched at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, where Sir Donald played his last match in 1963, captaining the Prime Minister’s XI side at the special request of Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

Flags in a flap
Wednesday of this week is Australian National Flag Day when Government Departments and Agencies are encouraged to fly or display the Flag.
   The date - 3 September - marks the occasion in 1901 when the flag that later became the Australian National Flag was first flown.
   Wednesday is also Battle for Australia Day which commemorates the Japanese military attack in 1942.

Cadets under microscope
The Australian Defence Force Cadet Scheme is to be reviewed by an independent review team.
   According to Defence, the review would aim to identify what the objectives of the ADF Cadet Scheme should be and would consider the Australian Navy Cadets, Australian Army Cadets and Australian Air Force Cadets.
   The review panel was seeking public submissions and further information was available from www.defence.gov.au/dpe/cadetreview

CMO steps down
The Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor John Horvath has announced he would be stepping down from the position.
   Professor Horvath has been CMO for five years and will leave the post next January.
   He was expected to continue on a part-time basis with the Department of Health and Ageing next year.

Sports chief crosses finish line
Chief Executive of the Australian Sports Commission, Mark Peters has resigned after seven years in the job.
   Among his accomplishments, Mr Peters was responsible for the upgrade of facilities at the Australian Institute of Sport, the establishment of a European training centre for Australian athlete and the success of the Australian Olympic teams in Athens and Beijing.

South Coast park awarded
Booderee National Park in southern NSW has been awarded a high commendation at the South Coast Regional Tourism Organisation awards.
   The award places the park in the top two tourism attractions on the South Coast, drawing 400,000 people each year to camp, walk, swim and kayak in its cultural grounds.

Bangladesh agreement
Passengers may soon be able to travel directly between Australia and Bangladesh following the signing of an inaugural Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.
   The agreement opens the door for Australian and Bangladeshi airlines to serve both countries with direct flights. In the past, passengers have been required to travel on third country airlines, mainly via Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand.
   The agreement may also see a cargo market develop between the countries, with the capacity for up to seven all-cargo services to be operated each week.

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