1. This week 10 years ago, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) called for more investment at Australia’s major airports to counter increasing congestion and a deterioration in services.
Chairman of the ACCC, Rod Sims said a combination of strong domestic demand from fly-in, fly-out passengers, increased international passengers and higher average prices for some services contributed to higher aeronautical revenues at all monitored airports, but the overall quality of service was lower compared with the previous year.
“It is apparent that continued growth in passenger numbers at most airports is placing pressure on existing aeronautical infrastructure, contributing to lower service standards,” Mr Sims said.
“More investment is required to avoid excessive congestion and ensure that the needs of Australia’s travellers can be adequately accommodated.”
2. The National Workers Memorial was unveiled in Canberra as a tribute to the up to 300 people who die from workplace incidents each year and the 2,000 who die from industrial diseases caused by exposure at work.
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten said the Memorial was a place of reflection and acted as a reminder of the importance of staying safe at work.
He said the Commonwealth would continue to work with the States and Territories to achieve harmonised work health and safety laws in every jurisdiction.
“All employers and workers have a duty to ensure that when somebody leaves their family for the start of each working day, they can expect to return home safely,” Mr Shorten said.
3. The Queensland Parliament passed new legislation to transfer Queensland Rail from a Government-owned corporation to the newly established Queensland Rail Transit Authority.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Scott Emerson said the change would make the organisation more efficient and enable more train crew to be employed, deliver better timetables, bring fares under control and add more trains to the network.
“We want Queensland Rail to reach a position where it delivers better and more efficient services than the private sector,” Mr Emerson said.
“Bringing Queensland Rail closer to government will be the next step in that reform process.”
4. Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig announced Queensland landholders and farmers would be given more assistance to reduce the run-off of damaging chemicals on to the Great Barrier Reef, under a $200 million extension to the Reef Rescue program.
Senator Ludwig said since it started in 2008, Reef Rescue had already stopped more than 92,000 tonnes of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment and about 1,300kg of pesticide from leaching on to the Reef.
“Reef Rescue helps farmers lift on-farm productivity,” Senator Ludwig said.
“It also plays a crucial role protecting the Great Barrier Reef, with run-off from farms causing coral bleaching and algae growth and smothering seagrass and coral reefs.”
5. In South Australia, a forum organised by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) marked the first step in engaging key leaders from the State’s coastal Aboriginal nations to develop a model for an Aboriginal Sea Ranger program.
The forum brought together representatives from the State’s coastal Aboriginal nations, Aboriginal people working in Sea Country management around Australia, representatives from PIRSA and other stakeholders.
Minister for Fisheries, Gail Gago said Aboriginal people had managed and interacted with the marine environment for thousands of years.
“A South Australian Sea Ranger program will help provide opportunities for Aboriginal people to be actively involved in Sea Country management and help to incorporate traditional knowledge into the conservation and management of the marine environment,” Ms Gago said.
6. And a decade ago in Western Australia, the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) welcomed seven new specialist safety inspectors, taking the total number of DMP inspectors to 107, including 63 mine safety inspectors, 16 petroleum safety assessors and risk analysts and 28 dangerous goods officers.
Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Bill Marmion said in the previous year, for the first time in a century, there was not a single mining death in the State.
He said the new safety specialists shared structural, mechanical, electrical, mining and petroleum engineering expertise.
“These new expert safety inspectors are crucial to the ongoing health and wellbeing of the State’s 98,000 resources workforce,” Mr Marmion said.
