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COVER IMAGE: Scientists greeting the dawn above far north’s rainforest canopy are leading tropical research.
January 2015
3 Solar resurgence Ratch Australia outlines its redevelopment of the old Collinsville power station site from coal to solar photovoltaic generation. It means more reliable power delivery for the north.
5 Roadbase revamp
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16 Equipment Review 17 Living Remotely 18 Drones
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Advertising booking deadline March 2015 edition: February 11 All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced in part or in full by any means without written permission of the managing editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.
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2 NEWS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Ten policy points to be put to new government Councils to stay top of mind for projects funding writes Dominique Kimber The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) will follow through on a ten point policy plan covering funding programs for transport, water and flood mitigation infrastructure presented to the major parties in the lead up to the state election. Included in the plan is a call for continued support of the Queensland Water Regional Alliance Program (QWRAP). The program was launched in 2011 and encourages councils to work together to find solutions to water quality and supply. All parties and candidates contesting the next election should get on board with the policy plan said LGAQ President Margaret de Wit. “The State will reach its true economic potential only if there is genuine co-operation and collaboration between the state and local governments,” Cr de Wit said. QWRAP includes four pilot regions: the Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD), the Wide Bay Burnett Regional Organisation of Councils (WBBROC), the Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC), and the Whitsunday Regional Organisation of Councils. The RAPAD group of councils was the first to sign up establishing the Outback Regional Water Group (ORWG) alliance comprising
John Roworth Longreach regional council infrastructure services director
the Barcaldine, Longreach, Barcoo Shire, Boulia Shire, Diamantina Shire and Winton Shire Councils. QWRAP had provided the funding and support to get the councils working together said Longreach regional council director infrastructure services, John Roworth. “Without QWARP this region was very unlikely to ever form an alliance,” Mr Roworth said. “ORWG has already had success with joint initiatives such as shared training with more projects on the cards. “We identified our risks, gaps, strengths and weaknesses and also got a better understanding of our financial capabilities and sustainability. “Discussions to date are that
we think the alliance will benefit greatly in joint purchasing, resource sharing where we can and just having a conduit to allow the technical and political levels of the organisation to talk.” The North Burnett Shire council, member of the WBROC pilot region, has seven water schemes and five sewerage schemes that were installed in the 1960’s and will reach end of life at the same time. The QWRAP program helped councils in the region come together and find solutions to such issues said Acting Mayor Faye Whelan said. “The continuation of QWRAP, at least for the immediate future, is important for consolidation of the advances made in the
Biggenden Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) Lagoons (before modification).
four project areas as well as establishing at least another project area,” she said. The LGAQ is seeking
continued support from the State Government for QWRAP at $600K a year for the next three years.
Offer made to mine Carmichael Downer EDI reported to the Australian Stock Exchange it received two Letters of Award from Adani Mining. They advise of Adani Mining’s intention to enter into contracts to provide both mining services and the construction of mine infrastructure at the Carmichael lease near Clermont. The contracts are expected to have a combined value of more than $2b over seven years. Under the five-year mining services contract, with two additional one-year options, Downer will be responsible for statutory management and mine operations, drilling and blasting and load and haul of waste and coal. Under the mine infrastructure contract, Downer will be responsible for the engineering,
procurement and construction of on-site infrastructure and preparatory civil works. The capital for the major fleet for the mining services contract will be provided by Adani. Both Letters of Award are subject to the parties executing binding contracts which would be followed by pre-production and planning early this year with mine infrastructure construction commencing in the fourth quarter of 2015. The first mining activity is scheduled for the second quarter of 2016 and first coal in 2017. The Adani mining services contract would be one of the largest of its type signed in Australia in recent years said Downer Chief Executive Officer, Grant Fenn.
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3
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
NEWS
Solar project to start mid-year Dominqiue Kimber reports on the revamp of the old Collinsville Power Station site. An independent power generation company is forecasting that a shift to alternative energy will underpin bulk power supply in the next ten to 15 years. RATCH-Australia is progressing with plans to meet forecast demand with solar photovoltaic (PV ) generation from the site of the old Collinsville Power Station. The 500ha area has water supply, grid connection and a supportive local community said general manager-business development, Geoff Dutton. The utility has a proposed capacity of 36MW and estimated generation of 80GW a year. That’s equivalent to the annual power consumption of 11,300 homes. The project is on track to begin a 66 week construction period in June 2015 with a locally-based workforce peaking at around 40. Commercial operations are planned for the end of 2016 with
two permanent onsite staff. The company considered a number of other options for the Collinsville power plant including solar-thermal, coal, and gas. None were as viable as solar PV, Mr Dutton said. While the company was now monitoring how the government moves on renewable energy targets, there was a lot more potential for solar PV projects, he said. “There is no shortage of power in Queensland if you look at the capacity to generate,” he said. “There is a shortage of new things of being built.” “It (solar PV ) only became economically viable in Australia probably two years ago but I think you will start to see a lot more solar PV coming online in Western Queensland and Western NSW. It’s very, very suited to dyer inland areas.” The company has held discussions for power purchase
Southern industry gets northern training exposure Southern Queensland companies are benefiting from the systems and processes developed by Townsville-based training company Worksafe Connect. Worksafe Connect is a registered training organisation servicing all industries including resources, construction, infrastructure and manufacturing. Client led demand has led to a recent expansion of WorkSafe Connect’s Brisbane operation located at the Construction Training Centre, a world class facility in the inner southern suburb of Salisbury said WorkSafe Connect’s commercial manager Tony Lattin. “The ongoing expansion into the Brisbane market strengthens WorkSafe Connect’s ability to offer accessible, flexible and professional training throughout Queensland,” said Mr Lattin. “We have identified an increased demand in southern Queensland from our construction and infrastructure clients and with new courses such as Certificate 3 in Civil Construction Plant Operations now available we are looking forward to working with and supporting our clients.” “This is on top of our full suite of over 100 courses including Standard 11 Coal Induction, Working at Heights, Confined Space, Friable and Non-Friable Asbestos removal, QMS 123, Certificate IV in WHS and High Risk Work Licencing Training and Assessment, all of which we offer on a regular basis.” Worksafe Connect was investing in its staff to
Ratchaburi Thailand solar plant.
agreements with two types of buyers he said. “One is the retailers (who) by law have to be using some aspect of renewable energy in their mix.” “Another group is the heavy industry (which) sometimes uses renewable energy to compensate
for the dirty energy they’re using. “Some users like gas producers have to compensate for the greenhouse gasses they produce so they may look to renewable energy.” RATCH-Australia owns the Windy Hill Wind Farm near Ravenshoe on the Atherton
Tablelands which, with other assets around the country, generate a total of 815 MW/year. RATCH-Australia is majority owned by the Thai power generation company, Ratchaburi Electricity Generation Holding PCL.
Quality Training Delivered Weekly Worksafe Connect trainer Sally Jupp and new commercial manager Vicki Anziliero on WorkSafe Connect’s custom designed ‘working at-height/ confined space’ simulator in Townsville.
accommodate the expansion said managing director, Des Smith. Most recently, Vicki Anziliero who has 15 years experience in the RTO industry has joined the team as commercial manager with a focus on North Queensland. Ms Anziliero joins a growing business that has also seen two additional fulltime trainers join the WorkSafe Connect team in the last 6 months. Trent Elcoate, former Ernest Henry Mine operator and trainer and Paul Ambrose, a highly decorated high risk trainer/assessor have added even further strength to an award-winning training team. “At WorkSafe Connect, we have identified that it is critical to have an experienced team who can not only provide great service and high quality training to our clients but also add value through years of experience in both industry and the RTO sector,” he said. “We are passionate about setting a benchmark in each of our training products – partnering arrangements, onsite training, qualifications, short courses and high risk work licences. “To this end we are driven to help make a difference to Australian workplaces and provide career pathways for each of our clients – employers and employees alike, said Mr Smith.” For more information and our latest training calendar refer to the website http://www.worksafeconnect.com/.
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4 NEWS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Election Priority Round-up It’s election season in Queensland and all eyes are on the commitments to major projects made by the LNP and ALP. Peak representative bodies from across regional Queensland described their top priorities to Queensland Industry Advocate.
Far north
MITEZ
Capricorn
Advance Cairns chief executive Mark
Mount Isa to Townsville Economic Development Zone (MITEZ) chief executive officer Glen Graham said roads and economic development were at the top of the list for the North-West. Some of those priority projects include: • Construction of the Eastern Access Rail Corridor to the Port of Townsville. • Sealing of the remainder of the Hann Highway as an alternative route to the Bruce Highway. • New capital investment for 70km of the Flinders Highway between Cloncurry and Hughenden. • Investment in the O’Connell Creek off-stream water storage facility located west of the township of Richmond to create opportunity for irrigation farming in the area. • Investment towards new infrastructure to increase current water storage capacity for Cloncurry and Mount Isa.
Looking further south, Toowoomba A key focus for the Fitzroy region is the Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) chief proposed Convention Centre Stadium. executive officer Shane Charles said the Capricorn Enterprise chief executive organisation was seeking Government officer Mary Carroll said the group support rather than a dollar figure. would be lobbying for $35.5 million Its priority projects include the Rail Precinct in State Government Redevelopment and funding for stage 1 the establishment of of the $50.5 million Toowoomba as an project. ‘inland logistics hub’. “Toowoomba is “Projects of this indeed set to become nature are critical to a powerhouse grow the economic economy not only for and social benefit to Queensland, but for w Australia. However in this destination,� Ms order for the region to Carroll said. W s reach this potential, while dollars are Co always helpful, we need government to www.gracelaw.com.au get out of the way and remove the roadblocks that often slow down Ph 07 4775 4997 development and Suite 2, 511 Flinders Street West progress,� Mr Charles Townsville QLD 4810 said.
Matthews said the big-ticket items for Far North Queensland include: • Integrated resort development license for the proposed Aquis project in Cairns • Roads • Cairns and Hinterland Hospital & Health Service (CHHHS) Funding • Continued assessment of Nullinga Dam, southwest of Mareeba • Cairns Shipping Development Project “These priorities are the key economic enablers required to support the government’s strengthening of the four pillars of the economy in Tropical North Queensland,â€? Mr Matthews said. Urannah Dam highlighted as a priority for Whitsunday Marketing and Development. See page 21.
South west
Stevedoring. Transport. Logistics.
5
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
NEWS
Costs hidden beneath bitumen A study shows most testing of subgrade strength falls short. Researchers are examining the cost of flawed assessments of material quality on road building. CQ University civil engineering traffic and transportation lecturer Jerome Egwurube is leading a study into the economic costs of variations. Recent fieldwork in the Mackay area showed road designers both under and overestimating subgrade strength. “For now the focus for us here is what is the economic cost?” said Dr Egwurube. The Department of Transport and Main Roads promoted the initial research work as a result of the major road repairs that needed to be undertaken a short period after the 2011 flooding throughout Queensland. Industry commonly used CBR (California Bearing Ratio) values
This work showed strength had been underestimated in 50 per cent of the sites and overestimated in 21 per cent, while the remainder “had it just about right”. It could be assumed that road surfaces would last longer when
designers underestimated the underlying strength ..., however the cost of laying such thicker, stronger pavement needed to be looked at, Dr Egwurube said. Dr Egwurube said many factors could impact on reliability of results coming from
NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities) accredited soil labs. “Handling is a factor, for example, as material will lose moisture before testing if not kept in the right environment,” he said.
Jerome Egwurube CQU lecturer
to estimate the strength of the subgrade, Dr Egwurube said. “One of the things that had been observed by another research body (Proficiency Testing Australia) was that if you give the same soil to different laboratories, there’s a lot of variability (in the CBR value they return),” he said. In 2013, a CQ University team collected data by using bag analysis of 24 road sections in the Mackay Regional Council area. The research was an industrysupported project for a final-year student, Joseph Commer, who was undertaking his industrial placement with Main Roads, Dr Egwurube said. “We applied load to compute the actual strength of material from the field with strength assumed during road design,” he said.
Lady Loretta neighbours day Glencore’s Lady Loretta underground zinc, lead, silver mine recently welcomed neighbouring landowners and key local stakeholders to site 140kms north west of Mount Isa. The operation is currently ramping up production to around 90,000 tonnes per
month to reach 935,380 tonnes in 2014, before achieving a full annual production rate of 1.6 million tonnes a year by the end of the second quarter of 2015. In July, Lady Loretta reached one million tonnes of ore mined.
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6 NEWS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
FTA Facts Poor old granny will be forced to hand over her false teeth and apparently the people in the pubs won’t swallow it. These are just a couple of the comments made by some of our favourite industry commentators following the recent signing of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China. Shock jock Alan Jones was quick to interrogate Prime Minister Tony Abbot over the issue live on air and accused him of failing the ‘pub test’. “To win an election – and you’re not worth two bob in opposition – to win an election, you’ve got to pass the pub test … Prime Minister I’m telling you out there, they are on fire, in the pubs, they don’t swallow this,” he said. Katter Australia Party leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter wasn’t far behind in voicing his opinion on the matter. “The last report I saw said Australia is 11 per cent foreign owned. 52 per cent of our land in Australia is designated desert. Over 25 per cent of Australia is reserved for our First Australians. Of the 33 per cent left, 11 per cent is foreign owned,” Mr Katter said.
“Let there be no doubt this will now be increased. “We have already gifted them the Ord, the biggest irrigation project in the nation, we’ve sold them cubby station, the biggest farm in the nation – I’m sure if they want to buy grandma’s false teeth that poor old granny will have to hand them over,” Mr Katter said. The response to a Facebook post by Minister for trade and investment Andrew Robb was not much more positive. Andrew Robb AO MP “The
landmark China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will add billions of dollars to our economy, create jobs and drive higher living standards for Australians.”
Farmers’ Federation showing their support for the agreement. Business Council of Australia
“The agreement opens an unprecedented level of access for our key sectors into Chinese markets, builds on Australia’s existing strengths and opens new avenues for growth and job creation.” National Farmers’ Federation
“The agreement is an outstanding achievement that will build on Australia’s important trading future with China and provide significantly improved international market access for Australian agricultural goods.” Meat and Livestock Australia
and export all the produce and keep the profits from the farm, not good for Australia.”
“The Australian red meat and livestock sectors will benefit by $11 billion from the elimination of tariffs negotiated under the ChinaAustralia Free Trade Agreement.”
Vanessa Muller “Newpolls results
Minerals Council of Australia
out tonight Labor 55 LNP, 45 Morgan poll Labor 55.5 LNP, 45.5 Bill Shorten preferred PM, tell you something guys” It wasn’t all bad news though with organisations such as the Minerals Council Australia and the National
“The agreement is a watershed achievement in Australia’s relationship with China…the free trade agreement will further strengthen a minerals and energy trade already worth more than $80 billion annually.”
Jono Heck “Chinese buy the farms
The deal has been in the works since 2005 and covers a range of agreements on everything from agricultural tariffs to manufactured goods and services. • 14 commercial agreements were signed, as part of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement with China, covering projects potentially worth more than $20 billion. • Among the big winners will be the mining sector, dairy farmers and wine exporters. The Government has put together a top ten ways you can benefit from Free Trade Agreements including: • Increasing goods exports to a market. • Commencing new goods exports to a market. • Achieving efficiencies through cheaper imported inputs. • Harnessing new or more secure access to services markets. • Deepening engagement in global value chains. • Investing with enhanced protections and certainty. • Travelling for business more easily.
Cairns Perfectly Positioned by Mark Matthews Advance Cairns ceo Cairns is the world’s most livable tropical city and a world class tourism destination – the only place in the world where two world heritage sites meet. Cairns is ‘perfectly positioned’ in the Asia Pacific Rim. The region has developed building standards for the tropics which provide for safety and resilience for our built environment. These standards have been proven and are being used in other countries for their own developments. As cyclone patterns change, and extreme weather events increase around the world, these standards will become mainstream for all new buildings. The Tropical North Queensland region has many levels of expertise and knowledge uniquely developed over time in health and medicine, architecture and engineering design, sustainable tourism, world class sustainable environmental management of sensitive areas, and disaster management. Many of these elements have developed from the traditional knowledge of our ancestors in this region, passed down through generations. Tropical North Queensland leads the world in research that impacts tropical economies across agriculture, medicine and health, building design, construction and disaster recovery. Our tropical expertise and tropical knowledge is something often talked about but not always understood. A simple way of explaining this is the knowledge and expertise unique to our tropical world that we apply not only to our life and living here, but also to real world problems, not only in the tropics but also for the entire world.
Cairns is ‘perfectly positioned’ in the Asia Pacific Rim. The Cairns region is perfectly positioned for innovation, business and lifestyle. It is a great place to live, work and work from. Many companies base their staff, back office, procurement or other operations in Cairns because it delivers everything that business and families look for. Cairns is well connected to Australia and the rest of the world through flights to 13 international and 44 domestic destinations. The region has a skilled and experienced workforce. Safe and secure communities, excellent value for money in housing, an enviable lifestyle, and world class health
facilities make Cairns a great place for families. We have well established world class port infrastructure and marine repair and training facilities, all with expansion capacity. Two universities, a range of other vocational training institutions, high achieving secondary schools, including boarding schools, offer exceptional education for everyone. Proven logistics and well developed supply chain capability to serve your needs. No matter what your business needs, Cairns is ‘Perfectly Positioned’ to support you. See Invest-FNQ feature page 24.
7
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
REGIONAL ROUND-UP Townsville
Cairns
A community-based bid for the lease of the Port of Townsville and the Townsville to Mount Isa rail line has received support from more than 1500 people, the Townsville Bulletin reported. It follows the LNP’s announcement that the assets would be leased upon re-election. The bid, run by The Northern Australia Community Ports Corporation, will invite local companies and organisations, port users and private residents of North, North-West and Far North Queensland to participate in a future share offer. Comm-Port chairman Harvey Parker said an unsolicited proposal for consideration had been submitted to the Premier. “We have had constructive discussions with the Premier in relation to the proposal and are encouraged by the positive and open-minded response from the government,” he said. “A mandate at the next election will enable the government to proceed with the leasing of state-owned assets, and through this proposal the community is getting ready to take advantage of this important opportunity.” More information: www.ourport.community.”
An $8 billion casino resort project in Cairns could see the city increase its numbers by almost 95,000 if it goes ahead. Owners of the Aquis initergrated resort had recently signed an option over the core site at Yorkeys Knob and would push ahead to address regulatory requirements assocaited with the environmental impact assesment Chairman, Tony Fung said. Aquis had elected not to pursue the purchase of the Cairns based Reef Casino and Hotel Mr Fung said. Instead, the group would concentrate on the purchase of the Canberra Casino which would facilitiate the Queensalnd project, he said. According to an EIS supplementary report the ten-year, two stage Aquis project will create 20,000 direct employment opportunities and 35,000 indirect job opportunities that will help boost population numbers to almost 340,000 by 2036. Lead consultant and AQUIS project director of the Aquis EIS, Pat Flanagan told an industry breakfast in Townsville Aquis offered a 3750 peak construction workforce and around 20,000 operational jobs.
Mackay Isaac Regional Council has been recognised at the Mackay Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Awards for its Natural Disaster Relief Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA) Flood Restoration Program. The initiative won the evening’s Project Management Award, which judges described as the most competitive category in the program. The IRC’s Flood Restoration Program is the largest in the region’s history and is funded under the NDRRA; a joint federal and state government initiative. To date, the program has involved approximately 4,700 discreet projects comprising restoration of 180 roads and 26 floodways, at a total value of approximately $70 million. The program was implemented as a result of several severe weather events from 2010 – 2014, which caused widespread damage to the region’s roads and drainage infrastructure.
Cloncurry Stage 2 of the Cloncurry weir development has been finalised. The completion of the weir means council can now harvest eight days worth of town water usage per day. Stage 2 involved the construction of a fish passage way and scour protection works, costing $450,000, partially funded ($150,000) by the state government’s Local Government Grants Subsidy Program, and allows for fish to have a safe passage upstream. Acting Mayor Bob McDonald told The North West Star that the weir captures water that would have previously run past the town enabling council to harvest 35 megalitres per day into Chinaman Creek Dam.
Blackwater
Toowoomba
Thiess has been awarded a $250 million contract by Jellinbah Resources to operate the Jellinbah Plains open-pit, part of the Jellinbah East coal mine near Blackwater in Central Queensland. The 39-month contract, commencing 1 January 2015, follows the completion of the existing contract with Leighton Contractors. “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Jellinbah Group and to continue our focus on bringing cost efficiencies and innovation to the mine site,” Thiess managing director Bruce Munro said. “This contract win demonstrates that there are still strong opportunities for clients and their partners to deliver exceptional value in the coal mining industry.”
The major onshore gas proponents in the Surat Basin provided information on their future workforce numbers and local content policies at the GasFields Community Leaders Council meeting held in Toowoomba. QGC Managing Director, Mitch Ingram was one of four major onshore gas proponents to address the gathering of local and state government, community, business and landholder representatives attending the forum organised by the GasFields Commission. Commission Chair, John Cotter said in gross terms the onshore gas industry is transitioning from a construction peak of around 40,000 jobs to 12-14,000 jobs over the next 18 months, however most of those long-term production phase workers will be based in the Surat Basin. “The proponents advised that during this next phase they expect to drill in total around 900 wells per year over next 30 years which will also provide additional opportunities for local business in the supply chain. “The proponents also indicated an ongoing commitment to utilising local businesses that can meet the stringent requirements of the companies and the onshore gas industry.” Mr Cotter said the Commission is currently liaising with onshore gas proponents, Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) and Chambers of Commerce about how best to communicate this information on future opportunities to the Surat Basin business community.
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8 NEWS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
All power to the Isa The Diamantina and Leichhardt power stations come on line. Two million hours of manpower has lead to the provision of a cleaner source of power generation for businesses and community in Mount Isa. The Diamantina and Leichhardt Power Stations were officially opened late last year and have lower emissions and higher plant efficiencies than traditional coal fired power plants. The Diamantina Power Station (DPS) is a modern high efficiency power station comprising 242-megawatt power generation from combined cycle gas turbines, with 60 megawatt back up power supply available from the Leichhardt Power Station open cycle facility. Its capacity is sufficient to supply eco-friendly electricity to local mines operated by Glencore and to the domestic market. The objective was to provide the region with a reliable and flexible power supply that could grow and adapt as energy needs were required in the region, DPS chairman Mike Moraza said. AGL supplies the natural gas fuel source for DPS which is delivered to site by fellow joint project owner APA Group’s Carpentaria Gas Pipeline. Siemens was responsible for the overall plant design, and also provided technical advisory services during the construction and commissioning phases of
the project. The Diamantina Power Station is set out in a configuration of two 121 MW power blocks. The Siemens scope of supply encompassed two power islands each comprising two SGT-800 gas turbines, two heat-recovery steam generators(HRSG) with diverter dampers – both supplied by NEM Energy b.v. – as well as one SST-400 steam turbine connected to the local grid via 132kV electrical switchyard. Siemens will also provide maintenance for the SGT-800 Gas Turbines, SST-400 steam turbines, generators and the related control and auxiliary systems under a Long Term Services Agreement.
JCU’s $30m incentive to study in Cairns A plan that has been ten years in the making is finally becoming a reality for James Cook University’s Cairns campus. A $30 million, 300-bed accommodation facility is set to attract an influx of new students to the Far North Queensland campus from the first semester of 2016. Plans for accommodation facilities in Cairns have been on the JCU agenda for the last decade but the deal has now been signed, Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Robyn McGuiggan said. “It’s really important because International students need somewhere to stay and we haven’t been able to offer them any accommodation on Cairns Campus,” she said. “We also get students on study abroad exchange. Many of those universities will not sign an agreement unless you can provide on campus
accommodation which means we have been restricted to only taking those students into Townsville. “By having those 300 beds here we will be able to bring some of those students to Cairns which will be wonderful. It will make us a lot more attractive to a lot of our markets.” The accommodation is part of $74.5 million investment in expansion planned for JCU Cairns . $25.5 million in funding has been earmarked for the Australian Institute of Tropical medicine. The institute will provide a place for research on tropical diseases such as dengue, tuberculosis and leprosy and is scheduled to be opened in 2016. “Construction should start in the first half of next year,” Professor McGuiggan said. Another project on the
JCU Cairns books is the Tropical Sustainable Futures complex which will provide a mixture of natural and fenced agricultural land for teaching and research purposes. While only at concept stage, $2 million has been allocated to the project and a staged development has been suggested. “The research will be ecological environmental research in the tropics looking at management conservation and sustainable use of tropical - both terrestrial and coastal eco systems,” Professor McGuiggan said. “It will also attract PHD students and allow our students to complete on campus fieldwork.” See our Invest-FNQ feature on pages 24-28
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Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
NEWS
The why and what in leadership Craig McCabe, Qld Resources Council’s 2014 Diversity Champion and General Manager Wesfarmers Curragh coal mine, discusses his personal experiences of championing gender diversity on a coal mine ... I was educated at a boy’s school, studied engineering in a majority male class and spent most of my career on remote mine sites with few women workers … I think that I can speak with some credibility and authority when I say that many men find it difficult to relate professionally with
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women in our industry. And while some men might have no issues having females as team members or as peers, they might feel differently if they had a female boss. Another male might also feel comfortable with a female leading a functional area like HR or finance but have difficulties dealing with a female leader in operations. So there is no one answer or quick fix. The issue is multifaceted and complex. But we knew that in order to make progress we needed to increase the numbers of women in our workforce and in our leadership teams. There’s a real and pressing business case for diversity and in this context gender diversity….we’re not going to be able to attract the talent and leadership needed to be globally competitive if half of our population aren’t in our future talent pool. But personally, as a father, leader and role model for three young boys, I just think it is the right thing to do. Over the past two years through our Women in Resources Program we’ve increased female participation rate overall, but we’ve been the most successful in increasing the number of our female
Craig McCabe Wesfarmers Curragh coal mine general manager.
leaders. One immediate and noticeable difference I’ve observed is that the females have leadership conversations around ‘meaning’ and ‘why’’ while our male leaders tend to communicate in a more direct style about ‘doing’ and ‘what’. Having a diversity of styles in our leadership team is strength by itself; however, our female leaders are also ‘messaging’ in a manner consistent with a better informed, empowered and engaged
workforce – which is what we need if we are to remain competitive and sustainable in the longer term. Despite these successes, the majority of our female leaders continue to work in functional areas and operational experience is a pre-requisite for a lot of leadership career paths in our industry. If I was asked to pinpoint the most successful component of the program – I would point to formal mentoring.
10 OUR MINING HERITAGE
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Collinsville seeks pit pony recognition At the heart of Collinsville’s mining history is the story of the town’s beloved pit ponies who worked alongside the underground miners, were at the centre of a union strike and even saved the life of one of the town’s locals. Former CFMEU Collinsville lodge president, Mike Brunker tells of the day that his father, ‘Sugar’ Ray Brunker escaped the 1954 mine disaster while he tended to one of the pit ponies. “My father was taking supplies into the face and it’s only that the horse got jammed up and he was unhooking the horse when the explosion happened that he survived. If it weren’t for that horse, he wouldn’t have survived and I wouldn’t be here today,” he said. In later years Mr Brunker had personal experiences with the ponies through his role with the CFMEU. Mr Brunker said the ponies were made honorary union members in an effort to protect their rights and keep them employed with the mine company for as long as possible. “They actually even had 5 weeks annual leave at the end of the year and there were some
x
strict rules surrounding the use of the ponies because they were such a precious commodity for the workers,” Mr Brunker said. In the 1980’s this union membership gave power to a worker’s strike when Mount Isa Mines looked to retire the ponies. “The boys went on strike, it was simply just them trying to hold onto the horses for as long as possible. We all knew they had to go eventually, it was just so sad when they did because they were like a symbol of mining in Collinsville and how it was done,” Mr Brunker said. February 2015 marks the 25th anniversary since the ponies were officially retired and the Collinsville community is now looking at ways to highlight the town as the pit pony capital of Australia. Coordinator and manager of the Collinsville Connect telecentre Sue Clark says one of the plans is to build a Bronze pony at 17 hands high as a symbol of the town’s history. “By organizing that we’re really hoping that it will bring back some of the identity. These ponies were the last underground ponies in Australia.
A pit pony with miners at No.2 mine. Back - Adrian Morrissey, Theo Janssen-Groesbeek, Col King, Bob Cuff, Jeff Davies and Wally Nisbet. Front - Peter Fell, Brian McPherson and Robert Harding. Photo: courtesy of Wayne Munro
We want to use that as a tag to hang our hat on and bring back some of the stories from those days,” she said. “It’s all still in the works
but hopefully it will be built somewhere prominent as you come into town so people can come to town and have their photo taken with it.
“Hopefully too, we’ll have some smaller ponies scattered through Collinsville and have a digital interactive element to provide a little bit of history.”
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11
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
OUR MINING HERITAGE
A melancholic look at Qld’s Uranium heritage Between the years 1956- 1963 and 1974- 1983 Mary Kathleen was a bustling mining town and popular social spot. Now all that remains is bitumen road and the concrete slabs where car ports once were. The once thriving uranium town, was founded by Clem Walton and Norm McConarchy in 1954 during a time when everyone was searching Queensland for the mineral. The ore was to be sent to Great Britain for its nuclear program and so Mary Kathleen Uranium Limited built up the infrastructure including the mine, treatment plant and township. The town’s first uranium stint ended in October 1963 after the contract tonnage had been produced and so the plant was ‘mothballed’. Author of Angor to Zillmanton, stories of North Queensland’s deserted towns, Col Hooper tells of how the mine was later re-started. “Late in 1974 the town was re-habilitated and the mine and plant commenced work again and the concentrate started flowing again in 1976,” he said. “But then in October 1983 the last production was completed and in 1984 the town and plant were sold off. Nowadays, there’s very little left, it’s been cleaned and re-habilitated.” Cloncurry Unearthed Visitor Information Centre & Museum manager Gail Wipaki said during its times of operation, Mary Kathleen was a popular weekend destination for residents from the nearby
Col Hooper Author
Cloncurry. “It was just a lovely little community and I used to go out there quite a lot, a lot of people did. Mary Kathleen at the time had ample water whereas Cloncurry always had a shortage
of water,” she said. “They had beautiful gardens, they had an orchard out there, a hospital, a school, two churches, everything was there that the community needed and there were picnic tables and a BBQ so a lot of times people used to go out from the ‘Curry to have a picnic there.” Although the town now sits dormant Ms Wipaki says there are still those who drop in to reminisce about what once was. “We get a lot of people driving through that either their parents lived there or maybe they lived there when they were young and we get some tourists that just go to have a look and say that it’s eerie,” she said. “When I go and see it today I like to remember it how it was because it was a lovely, very community minded town.”
Uranium - what is it used for? • To fuel commercial nuclear power plants • Depleted uranium is used in helicopters and airplanes as counterweights on certain wing parts. • Ceramic glazes where small amounts of natural uranium (that is, not having gone through the enrichment process) may be added for colour. • Addition of uranium makes fluorescent yellow or green coloured glass. • Estimating the age of the earliest igneous rocks and for other types of radiometric dating • Uranium is converted into plutonium in breeder reactors. Plutonium can be used in reactors, or in nuclear weapons. • Some lighting fixtures utilise uranium, as do some photographic chemicals (esp. uranium nitrate ). • Uranium metal is used for X-ray targets in making of high-energy X-rays. Source: http://www.australianuranium.com.au/
Final product drumming.
Twice back to the future for Mary K Uranium The lift on the ban of uranium mining in Queensland could see the ghost town of Mary Kathleen brought back to life. In 2012, Premier Campbell Newman announced that the Queensland Government would support the recommencement of uranium mining in Queensland. Since then new regulatory framework for uranium mining in Queensland has been introduced and six mineral development licences (MDL) have been granted. Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said an MDL would not allow the holder to mine and produce uranium, and that commencement of any commercial production would require a mining lease. “An MDL allows the holder to undertake geoscientific programs (e.g. drilling, seismic surveys), mining feasibility studies, metallurgical testing and marketing, environmental, engineering and design studies to evaluate the development potential of the defined resource,” he said. To date, there have been no applications for mining leases lodged with the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) under the new uranium regulatory framework. A competitive public tender, seeking expressions of interest to explore for rare earth elements and other minerals at the former Mary Kathleen mine site, closed in November 2014 and applications are currently under assessment. “The department is not in a position to say how many “conforming applications” have been received until the assessment process is complete,” Mr Cripps said.
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12 INDUSTRY LEADERS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Building in his blood Robert Row
Mt Isa to the core Brett Peterson
As the son, the grandson and the great grandson of builders it was almost inevitable that Robert Row would join the industry. Now he sits as the National and Queensland Civil Contractors Federation chief executive officer. Mr Row began his construction career with an apprenticeship in carpentry at the age of 21 and then moved into the family business of residential and light commercial construction. In later years Mr Row found his true passion in the training and up skilling of others in the industry. “I got involved in the training side of things working with the Queensland Master Builders Association and I helped them set up their original apprentice training school in Inala in Queensland,” he said. Master Builders in conjunction with the CFMEU, Master Painters, Master Bricklayers and some other industry bodies then went about setting up their own training organisation which Mr Row became chief executive officer for 13 years. “At the time it had about 120 apprentices
and didn’t really do training, it was more apprentice hire. I set up the registered training organization and over time it morphed into have about 1000 apprentices on the payroll and around 4,000 students in the RTO,” he said. In 2007 Mr Row was appointed chief executive officer of the Queensland branch of the Civil Contractors Federation and has subsequently taken on the dual role at national and state level. From day one in his position with CCF Mr Row set his mind to training and has since helped the organisation to open two new training centres in Brisbane’s Eight Mile Plains and in Townsville. “I certainly changed the focus within CCF to workforce and skills development,” Mr Row said. “The vision is to make sure that the industry is sufficiently skilled into the future.” “We have the two centres now and the board have now set a goal of three more to be built in Queensland.” His proudest career achievement was the training opportunities he had provided for apprentices across Australia, Mr Row said.
Mount Isa Deputy Mayor Brett Peterson is a copper man. From the age of 19 and his first day working hand to shovel underground with Mount Isa mines he was grabbed by the industry Brett Peterson said. Mr Peterson was born and bred in ‘the Isa’ and he said he wouldn’t have it any other way. “For me Mount Isa is home, I fly home for a weekend if I’m away. I love the place to bits,” he said. “I went underground at 19 which was a soon as I could go under. I fell in love with the industry and the mates I’ve made in this industry are my mates for life.” Mr Peterson spent ten and a half years working underground before he branched off into the ventilation industry repairing ducting for mines. That led to the establishment of Mount Isa Mining Supplies in 2003 which now supplies some of the largest mining companies in Australia with ventilation ducting. At the top of his agenda within both of his current
positions is developing and servicing Mount Isa as the world’s richest mineral province, Mr Peterson said. “What we need to do is look at how to service that mineral province as a business community. People need to realise what they have on their doorstep and what’s here for them,” he said. “With the province that surrounds us, there will be new mines that open and we have to be able to service them. We still service the old ones too, don’t get me wrong but the new mines are the future. I see Mount Isa Mining supplies as being a part of that too.” Mr Peterson has seen many new mines and projects commence over the years. One of those key projects was Cannington mine. “Cannington mine, was only about 100m long when I first went there, there was six or seven dongas out there and a few shipping containers,” he said. “To actually see it develop from a hole in the ground to what it is today is incredible.”
13
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Road cleared for pavement supply The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has devised a new way to ensure the quality of the pavement material used across its 33,532km road network. The current system sees TMR spend more than $60 million annually on quarry material testing, an approach that deputy chief engineer, pavements, materials and geotechnical, TMR Peter Evans said was excessive. “It was accepted this was not an optimal approach, since source rock quality and consistency, quarry management, and product consistency varies markedly between quarries,” Mr Evans said. “In this environment, it was obvious some quarries were required to undertake excessive testing to maintain their quality. Other quarries may still not have been doing enough testing. Our
challenge was how to address this issue.” In collaboration with the Cement and Concrete Association Australia (CCAA) TMR has developed a new set of guidelines for quarry registration system (QRS) so that quarries can self-assess their frequencies, Mr Evans said. “Quarry managers and operators will need to review test results from their ongoing quality control measures, the consistency of their rock, and their management capabilities,”he said. “They will nominate their own testing frequencies, based on these new guidelines. “Our principal geologist will review their submissions, and based on their knowledge of the quarry, negotiate an agreement on what testing frequencies TMR will allow.” There were many benefits
Above - Routine inspections of quarries by TMR Geologists as a part of Quarry Registration System.
for quarries and TMR in adopting the new system and that by avoiding ‘excessive and unnecessary’ testing, there was the potential to increase quarry productivity and increase savings, he said. “If we get enough quarries using lower testing frequencies, they’ll be able to lower their costs to be more competitive in
Right - An example of poorly performing pavement with weak nondurable sealing aggregates.
the market,” he said. “From January 2015, we’re looking at rolling this out and making it mandatory in our new
standard specifications. “It will then apply for all quarrying material used in our work.”
Banana Mayor rallies his teams An ex-NRL star is currently serving his first term as Mayor of the Banana Shire council in Central Queensland with a strong focus on moving the bush forward. Ron Carige says there are three key attributes that he used during his days with Sydney’s Penrith Panthers and Brisbane’s Redcliffe Dolphins that he now applies to his roles as Mayor and Chair of Central Queensland’s Regional Organstion of Councils (ROC).
“My view is that you need to have the right attitude, the dedication and you need the ability to go with change. “Whether you’re playing sport back 40 years, sport today, or doing something like this, without those things you’re unlikely to achieve,” he said. Mr Carige’s passion within his positions is to get all of the towns within the shire and all of the councils operating in Central Queensland working together towards similar goals.
“We have 13 towns in our shire and six councils in Central Queensland and getting everyone to pull in the same direction is a bit of a challenge,” he said. “I’d like to think that as a community leader, I take a lot of time and pride in meeting with people. “You need industry, councils and community all to come together to make things work. “I’m not superman and nobody can do it all on their own.”
Get more ACCESS to Local Government
Sales: Michelle Silver m: 0439 536 466 p: (07) 0747 550 336 f: (07) 0747 550 338 e: bdm@industryadvocate.com.au
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14 BETWEEN SHIFTS
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
James Coutts (DSDIP), Victoria Parker (UDIA Qld) with Jess Grant (UDIA Qld) and Peter Browning (The Hornery Institute) at UDIA Awards for Excellence Gala – Brisbane.
Stacie Saltner (Sundown Group), Mick Prien (Townsville CBD Electrical) and Peter Smith (Sundown Group) at MoU Best Practice Forum on Procuring from Indigenous Businesses - Townsville.
John McVeigh, Ryan Jones and Sean Cummiskey (all Careers Australia) with Gavin Walton (TSBE) at TSBE Executive Influences evening - Brisbane.
Steven Raine (USQ), Jo Sheppard (TSBE), Julie Cotter (USQ) and Mick Keogh (Australian Farm Institute) at TSBE Innovation in Ag – The Key to Global Competitiveness event - Toowoomba. Belinda Kelly and Melissa O’Sullivan (Devine) at UDIA Awards for Excellence Gala – Brisbane.
Vanessa and Chris Davis (Devineat) at UDIA Awards for Excellence Gala – Brisbane.
Craig Hill (Cater Care) and Zane Branche (FNQ Civil Group) at MoU Best Practice Forum on Procuring from Indigenous Businesses - Townsville.
Scan this code with your mobile device to see more photos from Brad Howe (Howe Contracting) and Stewart Morland (IOR Petroleum) at TSBE Enterprise Evening - Roma.
these and other events
Katie and Chris Gould (Clarke Kann Lawyers) at UDIA Awards for Excellence Gala – Brisbane.
Jacob Cassady, Joe Sprouts, Mary Stevenson (all One Spirit Australia) at MoU Best Practice Forum on Procuring from Indigenous Businesses - Townsville.
15
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
BUILDING MINING COMMUNITIES
SUPPORTED BY BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON
The Hail Creek Mine Community Development Board Members alongside successful 2014 funds recipients.
Hail Creek support Cannington employees celebrating the launch of 2014’s charity campaign which raised $100,000 for the Brainchild Foundation. The mine’s 2015 charity is Beyondblue. Photo: John De Rooy
Cannington chooses blue A northwestern Queensland mine has given Beyondblue a resounding vote of confidence. The national mental health advocacy group is this year’s charity of choice for around 60 per cent of staff at Cannington. Beyondblue works toward building an Australian community that understands depression and anxiety. The charity was one that was close to the hearts of employees and well aligned with BHP Billiton’s commitment to staff health and well-being said Cannington Corporate Affairs
Specialist-Improvement, Simone Sullivan. A blue CAT AD60 underground truck would also be brought on site early this year as part of the campaign and will act as a constant reminder of the cause, Ms Sullivan said. The initiative follows on from two previous years of annual fundraising. In both years a fundraising target of $50,000 was set and each time it was exceeded. Last year’s effort raised the bar markedly. The 2014 charity of choice was the Brainchild
Foundation and saw more than $100,000 collected. The Brainchild Foundation supports families of children who have been diagnosed with brain and spinal cord tumors and raises money for research. The fundraising target was complimented by combination of raffles, gala dinners, ticketed events and a silent auction. A yellow excavator was also brought on site to highlight the color gold that represented childhood cancer.
Isaac arts funding boost
The ‘Anywhere Festival’ is coming to the Isaac region with support of a Regional Arts Development Fund Grant, Isaac and Mackay Regional Councils.
Skate park art murals, photography workshops, short stories and the Anywhere Festival are set to brighten Isaac communities with support from eight arts grants awarded by Isaac Regional Council. The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grants would help bring a major cultural attractions to the region said Mayor Cr Anne Baker.
“The Anywhere Festival is an innovative and unique theatre-style festival with Brisbane origins,” Cr Baker said. “The festival takes theatre to all sorts of places and enriches those communities with an experience like never before. “It breaks the rules of how and where you expect to enjoy an arts performance, like listening to poetry in supermarkets and watching productions in boxing rings. “Isaac Regional Council and the RADF are very proud and excited to help bring the festival to our region.” The RADF is an Arts Queensland and Isaac Regional Council partnership to support local arts and culture. The RADF grants give individuals, community groups and organisations the opportunity to run or attend arts activities, workshops and events and can contribute towards creative workers attendance at professional development conferences. RADF Round Three is open until February 13. To apply visit Council’s website at www.isaac. qld.gov.au, pick an application form at an Isaac Regional Council office or phone 1300 472 227.
Rio Tinto’s Hail Creek Mine has announced $450,000 in support for community partners in central Queensland over the next three years. Mine general manager operations and Community Development Fund (CDF) chair Rowan Munro committed the funding for projects that help build a more sustainable future for Mackay, Sarina, Mirani and Nebo. Hail Creek Mine was committed to a long-term future in the Mackay region, Mr Munro said. “We’re proud to extend our
funding to support further projects that address issues in the community related to health and well-being, education, environment and land management and economic development and diversification in the Mackay region,” he said. “The Hail Creek Community development fund has invested more than $1.3m so far to support over 110 diverse projects to strengthen communities. “The tremendous outcomes from this investment simply wouldn’t be possible without our community partners and I would like to thank them.”
QGC funds 20 town and bush projects An aquatic weed harvester is one of the community projects to be funded in the latest round of the QGC Sustainable Communities Fund. The grants include $336,732 to ten groups in Gladstone and $357,191 to ten groups in the Western Downs. The Fund had delivered more than $6 million to 185 projects during the main construction phase of the Queensland Curtis LNG Project from 2011 to 2014, said QGC Vice President External Affairs Joanne Pafumi. The latest round of recipients ranged from schools, show societies and social services to environmental programs. said Ms Parfumi. “They also range in size with just five of the 20 receiving the maximum grant available under this fund of $50,000.” A $50,000 grant would help fund a dedicated aquatic weed harvester to remove the noxious Salvinia molesta weed from Dogwood Creek south of Miles said Western Downs Regional Council Spokesperson for Environmental Health Cr Greg Olm. The Council has been working since October 2013 to remove the nationally declared weed from the creek at the Gill Weir, which is the main water supply point for the town. In the Boyne Valley, south of Gladstone, Kym McLachlan from the Ubobo Progress Association said a $50,000 grant would mean the town’s memorial hall would have a new roof for centenary Anzac Day celebrations in April 2015. “It is a central meeting place and displays the honour board with the names of the soldiers from the region who fought in both world wars as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars,’’ Mrs McLachlan said.
Proudly supporting
mining communities Cannington
16 EQUIPMENT REVIEW
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
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Gen 12 Navara due for Q2 release Nissan launches the 12th generation of the Navara pick-up truck in Australia early in the second quarter this year featuring two new hightech diesel engines. The 2.3 litre diesel engines earmarked for the Australian market feature single and twin turbo variants producing 118kW/403Nm and 140kW/450Nm respectively. Nissan’s chief planning officer, Andy Palmer, was upbeat about the prospects of the new model as both a recreational and tradie vehicle in 2015. “The all-new Nissan NP300 sets new benchmarks for performance, toughness, versatility and running costs, all the qualities that are critical to pick-up users,” he said. “While life onboard is comfortable and convenient, the Navara has been designed and developed to easily and comfortably handle heavy loads, while allowing ease of loading and unloading.” Navara has gained a reputation for toughness since the first model appeared in 1933 and Mr Palmer said the new model was no exception with the high-strength chassis and suspension engineered to take punishment under intense daily usage. Nissan engineers have delivered a tighter turning circle, often the bane of other vehicles in the class. The Navara will be offered in three cab styles - single, king and dual cab - all with the option of a pick-up body or cab chassis version. A petrol model featuring a 2.5 litre, four-cylinder engine will be offered with outputs of 118kW and 231Nm. It will be offered on the 4x2 single cab and 4x2 dual cab. Gone from the new range, but featured in the current ST-X models, is the turbo diesel V6 which has power outputs of 170kW and 550Nm which will see the company relinquish the title of selling the most powerful vehicle in the class. Nissan Navara chief engineer, Takashi Fukui, told media at the launch of the new vehicle in Thailand that there would be no V6 and that any plans for a more powerful version of the twin turbo are yet to be confirmed.
Money is a commodity no different to fuel or groceries and lenders will compete to secure you as a client. There are two things you can do to take control of your finances and get the most favourable outcome. Company Banking Arrangements An easy way to test if you have the Finlease Australia broker best lending facility Phil Horton in terms of interest rates, covenants and security levels is set up a brief meeting with one or two banks and provide some basic financial information. Let them pitch for your business. Or get an experienced finance broker to act as your advocate. The service offer ranges from a single piece of equipment to an entire new whole-of-banking arrangement. The broker will either re-negotiate your current position with an existing lender or help migrate your business to an alternative lender. This small investment in time will confirm that your present facilities are working for you or give you the knowledge to negotiate a better outcome. Either way, it has the potential to save you thousands over the longer term.
Home Loans On a personal basis, I became aware by accident that the home loan provider I was using was offering a lower interest rate on an identical loan. When I rang, they confirmed the lower rate was, ‘an offer to new clients’. Upon expressing concern that being an existing client with five years of loyalty simply meant I was paying a higher rate, they informed me they would provide the lower rate as a part of their, ’client retention program’. This leads to my second tip to get the best out of home loan lenders. That is, make a note in your diary every three months to compare (via a simple internet search) what your home loan lender is providing to new clients to ensure you continue to get the sharpest rate. Alternatively contact your finance broker to do the legwork on your behalf to ensure the best outcome. Five minutes of your time every now and then can save some real dollars. One final comment, it may be time to look at fixing the interest rate for three to five years on a portion of your home loan. Although we are still in a low rate environment, when the economy improves, home loan rates are the first thing to go up and the fixed rates go up quickly when it is about to turn. So it is worthwhile considering locking in some of your debt at these historical low rates. Food for thought.
17
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
LIVING REMOTELY
Heads up alert for mid-storm season preps Plan and prepare early, that’s the advise from the experts coming into the business end of the wet season. Mackay Regional Council Emergency Management Coordinator Anthony Lee says it’s particularly important for those who work away leaving empty homes behind. “Even though the home might be vacant, people still need to be prepared,”he said. “You need to clean around your house, trimming trees, cleaning gutters and all those types of things. “Secure loose items around the home and don’t forget that even if you’re away you may still need to have an emergency kit in place for when you get home.” “It’s the same thing when maybe mum is at home with kids and dad is away at the mines, mum still needs to have a plan in case something happens.” He had seen first hand the result of people who have been unprepared for the season, Mr Lee said. “When people haven’t prepared properly they’re left short. It’s then a mad rush trying to get things done. I know that in Cyclone Ului in 2010 we had a lot of trees down, which caused damage to homes and to vehicles too,” he said. “Then there’s issues around insurance ... these are things that people probably don’t want to have to go through so it’s just a case of doing that tidying up and preparation in advance and there
will be less chance of things going wrong. “We can’t predict Mother Nature, we can only have the best-laid plans in place.” Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa health, safety and environment manager Melissa Winks warned that the Cape York region can experience severe storms and advised workers and residents to prepare early. Her advice is: • Cyclone emergency kits should include a torch, portable radio, spare batteries, nonperishable food items, bottled water for three days, medical and sanitation supplies, personal hygiene items, cash, clothing and footwear. • Familiarise yourself with
Traffic edges past fallen trees in Victoria St, Mackay’s business centre in the aftermath of Cyclone Ului in 2010. Photo: Daryl Wright
storm warnings and how to access vital information and updates in the event of a severe weather event. • Assume fallen power lines are live and dangerous, and
report them immediately by phoning 000. • Keep car regularly fuelled. • Check and restock your First Aid Kit and ensure someone in the family has been trained in
CPR and First Aid. • Have a good stock of tinned food. • Have a list of important phone numbers.
Cyclones-2015 by the BOM numbers The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting below-average tropical cyclone activity for Australia this season. The Australian tropical cyclone season: • Runs from 1 November to 30 April. • Averages around eleven tropical cyclones. • Sees an average of four tropical cyclones cross the coast (though coastal impacts can be felt when tropical cyclones remain well offshore). • Has always had at least one tropical cyclone cross the Australian coast each year. The tropical Pacific Ocean is currently in an El Niño-like state In El Niño years:
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• Australia typically sees fewer tropical cyclones than usual with fewer land crossings • The first tropical cyclone of the season to make landfall typically occurs in mid-January, later in the season than normal; in a neutral year the first coastal crossing usually occurs in late December. *El Niño refers to the extensive warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific that leads to a major shift in weather patterns across the Pacific. Source: http://www.bom.gov.au/
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DRONES “The safety aspects are clear, we are able to remove people from dangerous situations entirely.” - Dr. Catherine Ball.
Cargo role seen as part of a big future for UAVs The Civil Aviation Safety place to protect people on the ground and property as well as Authority’s (CASA) ultimate the damage and danger to other aim is to reach a point in the aircrafts,” Mr Gibson said. future where remotely piloted “There was a rescue helicopter aircrafts can be introduced pilot returning into the same to base in airspace as Newcastle manned aircraft, earlier this year It’s probably a long way off allowing for and luckily increased but people talk about freight he saw it (the applications of UAV ) out of fl ights between capital cities the technology. the corner of But concerns with unmanned aircrafts his eye and surrounding took necessary reliability and Peter Gibson action,” Mr safety could Gibson said. mean that the “Th ere was also a woman goal could be some way off yet, injured earlier this year where a CASA spokesman Peter Gibson quadcopter was filming the end said. of a marathon race and it fell “It’s probably a long way off out of the air and cut her head but people talk about freight open.” flights between capital cities Mr Gibson said that Australia with unmanned aircrafts, he said. was one of the first countries “So there’s lots of potential to introduce rules surrounding there, it’s come a hell of a long remotely piloted aircrafts, way but these machines have a beating countries like the United long way to go too.” States of America. Mechanically, remotely piloted “The rules are in two parts; aircrafts still tend to malfunction one is commercial operations the relatively regularly so CASA other is for residential,” he said. has a set of commercial and “For recreational operations recreational rules for UAVs as a you don’t need any approval, way to ensure public and aviation licence or registration but there safety. are a set of rules to follow. The rules were introduced “For the commercial ones in 2002 and include a set of you do need an approval, an operational restrictions and operation certificate from CASA, training standards. and people who fly them need “So we have to have rules in to have a controllers certificate.”
Drone conducting power line inspection.
“
Leader in UAV surveillance Australia is leading the world in UAS technology with UAVs that have the capability to fly for 500 kms at a time and expose us to parts of the world that were once out of reach. While most UAV operators in Australia are required to keep their UAVs within the line of sight, below 400ft and away from heavily populated areas, additional approvals are available from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to operate across longer distances. URS Regional unmanned aerial systems lead for Australia, Dr. Catherine Ball describes Australia’s use of UAV technology as groundbreaking and says the potential is even more exciting. “We’re able to fly for over 10 hours and during that time we can collect information on everything you can possibly think of from an aerial data capture perspective,” Dr Ball said. “We can produce 3D models, undertake vegetation mapping, count koalas or kangaroos, look at where people might be building or digging up something they shouldn’t be, and complete linear infrastructure assessments. “For someone on the ground that might take a
month but with UAS technology we can do it in a day so that’s where it’s innovative.” Australia’s resources industry is likely to lead the way in implementing the new technology due to its heavy monitoring requirements and vast and remote areas of operation, Dr. Ball said. “The long-range capability URS has is a unique offering to save time, money and keep people out of harm’s way,” she said. “The safety aspects are clear, we are able to remove people from dangerous situations entirely. Eliminating the need to put people at risk in aircrafts during dangerous weather conditions is just one example.” Australia’s position is unique in its ability to test and use UAV innovation compared to places like the United States and Europe that have much tighter airspace restrictions, Dr Ball said. “It might change in the next few years, but at the moment Australia is the only place that can do this,” she said. “What a unique space we are in, here in Australia. Everyone else in the world is watching to see what we do.”
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19
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
DRONES
Drones a stand-out substitute for ‘copters
Drone used by emergency services.
Ex-chopper pilot Paul Martin used to spend his days in the sky but now his feet are firmly on the ground with a UAV controller in hand. The Aerial Photography Specialists chief executive officer turned his eyes to the technology when he began to see the potential it had for improving safety, efficiency and cutting costs on traditional aircraft monitoring and inspection techniques. “I looked at helicopters as a fairly old technology so I started looking around at what would be the next big thing. “I recognised that micro
electric UAVs would be the next big thing in the technology sector so I shifted my aviation career from full size to miniature,� he said. APS now works across a number of sectors including mining and resources, civil engineering and construction, emergency services and power line inspections. “We do a bit of work with the Australian Federal police, we’ve done a bit of work with the fire brigade,� Mr Martin said. “We’re not an emergency services provider but we do provide technology and services to aid those agencies to do it themselves. “The most memorable experience was the mock up terrorism activities in Canberra a few years ago. “Quite a few different police services from Australia and overseas had a big mock up activities to practice real life scenarios so that was certainly an exciting few days.� The micro-drones are able to withstand temperatures of up to 55 degrees and can travel at speeds up to 60 kms an hour down to a hovering position. Their versatility makes them
Drone conducting pipeline inspection.
ideal for the monitoring and inspection of Australia’s vast power line network, a job traditionally done by full size helicopters. “Some areas can’t use full size
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Photo: AEON Verlag & Studio
craft for inspections and there are access problems. It’s also a lot less disturbance to use a small UAV to a full sized helicopter,� Mr Martin said. “It’s an important service to
ensure that these power lines get inspected. It allows us to get up and close to these important assets and there are a lots and lots of power lines to monitor.�
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20 DRONES
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Remote area operation reports high ROI on eBee Territory Iron bought its SenseFly eBEE UAV system roughly two years ago for less than $60,000, and over that time it has saved about half a million dollars in man hours and has increased surveying capabilities. Investing in the technology was straight-forward said company chief surveyor and chief UAV controller Darryn Dow. “Efficiencies were the biggest driver for us because they have the dollar value attached to it which is the easiest message to see when you’re looking for capital,” Mr Dow said. “They basically replace 80 per cent of our data capture. “Methods we would have
previously employed was people on the ground using GPS but now we’re using UAV to do wholesale larger areas in a 25th of the time in much higher details so it’s really proved itself from a surveying perspective.” The benefits of the BEE had spread throughout the various departments of the company, Mr Dow said. “The environmental teams are getting much higher detailed data in areas that they’re concerned about, in much shorter time frames than going to a third party and because it’s now all done in-house their costs are down. “They’re getting much better records regularly, and really it’s
the same with other disciplines such as heritage, mine planning, and the exploration guys.” Safety was also a big driver in the purchase. Working in the mining industry people are exposed to a number of risks including heat exposure, fatigue and machine accidents. The UAV simply eliminated risk to the workers, he said. As part of the UAV integration process, Mr Dow was required to undergo official training to operate the new system. This included sitting a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) exam alongside budding commercial plane pilots. “It didn’t make me want to
Darryn Dow with the SenseFly eBEE.
learn how to fly a commercial plane or anything, I much prefer to be sat in the back being served drinks but it certainly does give you a bit of a broader perspective on things,” he said.
Mr Dow said the benefits of UAVs in the mining and resources industry was undeniable but that he could also see another niche market for the devices.
UAV search and rescue advances by Challenges
The 2014 challenge was a great success, lots of teams completed the challenge and got their aircraft back without incident.
UAV technology has a critical role to play in search and rescue and disaster management according to Queensland
University of Technology professor of robotics, Jonathan Roberts. As it stands regulations
state that UAV devices must remain within the line of sight of the controller. Without those limitations UAVs had the potential to offer invaluable support to emergency services, Mr Roberts said. “The great example of how this type of use could be applied was in the Brisbane floods where lots of people were stranded on roofs, cars (and) buildings,” he said. “Obviously emergency services need to lift people off but they also need to find people. “In those situations it would be great if the helicopters could be used just for lifting people off and other vehicles could be used higher than the choppers and search. UAVs are the perfect vehicle for this.”
Mr Roberts has been involved with UAVs since 1999 when he worked with the CSIRO on flying robotic helicopters. The devices had come a long way since then, he said. “All the small technologies we have now like the small GPS units, camera systems, and computers like you find in your phone, well that type of thing just didn’t exist,” he said. “It’s really been an improvement in the autopilot technology and in the camera systems.” Mr Roberts has seen first hand how UAV technology has advanced over the years and it’s capabilities in search and rescue. He is the co-founder and head judge of the international
UAV Challenge, a competition that tests UAVs from around the world in a search and rescue scenario. This year the competition was held at the Kingaroy airport in Queensland where teams were tasked with finding Outback Joe – a 50kg mannequin lost and in need of water. It marked the first time, since the competition was launched in 2007 that any of the participating teams managed to fully complete the challenge. “The first couple of years not a single team that entered was even allowed to fly their aircraft away from the airport because they hadn’t demonstrated that their systems were safe enough,” Mr Roberts said.
21
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
WATER
Dam leading Whitsunday’s projects push Future industrial development in the Whitsunday region depends on a 1.5 million mega litre dam project, according to peak industry body Whitsunday Marketing and Development (WMDL). The proposed Urannah Dam, site, around 60kms southwest of Proserpine, was a key to unleashing the potential of the north said WMDL economic advisory committee chairman, David Nebauer. The dam could satisfy all of the current and future water needs of the region, Mr Nebauer said. Immediate demand would come servicing mining in the Bowen and the Galilee Basins, he said. The project would promote the development of a 30,000ha irrigated agricultural industry along the Bowen River valley to west of Collinsville. “The reality is that water
infrastructure and the availability of water for industry lies right at the core of many of the future economic development opportunities within the broader Whitsunday and North Queensland region,” Mr Nebauer said. Initial assessment work for the project has been completed under the state government’s Burdekin basin water resource planning process. In 2009, construction costs for the project were estimated at about $170m which translated to roughly $400m in current terms, Mr Nebauer said. “It is reasonably cost effective and it would make the Urannah dam the cheapest water infrastructure, cheapest dam project in Queensland based on a cost per mega litre stored basis,” he said. The dam has been identified as one of the 27 key water projects by the Federal Government’s
Proposed Urannah Dam wall location.
agricultural green paper. It is currently being assessed by the federal government’s Joint Parliamentary Committee on Northern Australia as a key development opportunity. “In the last 12 to 18 months the political view of water
Add water for Abbot Point industry The answer to water security for the Abbot Point State Development area (SDA) north of Bowen, could lie in the proposed Elliot Main Channel project. The 16,000-hectare SDA has the potential to be one of the major industrial zones on the east coast of Australia but currently there is no available of water to support it. The Elliot Main Channel would run from the Claire Weir area in the Leichardt section of the Burdekin River Irrigation Area, down the coastal plain through Inkerman, Gumlu, Guthalungra, past Abbot Point and onto Bowen. Whitsunday Marketing and
Abbot Point State Development Area.
Development (WMDL) is an advocate for the project, and is currently seeking interest from industry members for its development. The project was not necessarily driven by the existing coal port developments at Abbot Point,” said Whitsunday Marketing and Development economic advisory
committee chairman, David Nebauer. “...more of the needs of a future industrial player at the Abbot Point State development area,” Mr Nebauer said. “At the moment there is no proponent for the development area but it remains a future opportunity.
infrastructure has changed,” he said. “We now have Queensland and federal governments that are advocating for the construction of dams and for water
infrastructure. “So now that the political momentum has swung in behind the construction of water infrastructure the opportunity that is Urannah, we believe, has taken a big step forward.” While it was too early to comment on who some of the ‘key players’ in construction and water usage might be, Mr Nebauer said the next six months would be about identifying ways to make the project happen. “For me the next step in the process is to convene a joint federal, state and local regional development body, involving the Whitsunday Regional Council and WMDL, that will accept the task of driving the project through to development,” he said.
Green infrastructure Mackay Regional Council is turning its eye to green infrastructure for the region with a $4m upgrade of the Mirani Water Recycling Facility. Thomas and Coffey QLD has been awarded the contract for the design and construction of a new Preliminary Treatment Area (PTA) including an air treatment facility. Water and Sewerage portfolio councillor Frank Gilbert said the $4 million upgrade would meet all Workplace Health & Safety requirements. “The new Preliminary Treatment Area (PTA) is
part of a staged upgrade to cater for the growing community in Mirani and Marian and reduce levels of hydrogen sulphide emissions,” Cr Gilbert said. “Hydrogen sulphide levels tend to increase during hot weather and the new Preliminary Treatment Area , fitted with an air treatment facility, will keep emissions below Australian standards.” Cr Gilbert said the works would be carried out over two financial years. The design and procurement will be completed this financial year and construction will follow in 2015-2016, he said.
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22 ELECTRICITY
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Power grid cash grab used to prop up budgets
ADVERTORIAL
Service provider Minelec prompts users to study their consumption patterns for savings in the current high cost environment
Minelec opts for energy efficient solutions Rising power costs across Queensland have forced service providers to take a hard look at their offer. Townsville-based multi-faceted electrical business, Minelec, has invested heavily in its workforce and equipment to create energy-saving solutions for big power end-users, namely mines and industry. The company focused on existing and new technologies to provide solutions based on longevity and return on investment, said Minelec Managing Director Matt Richardson. “Our solutions include the use of energy efficient products combined with monitoring, automation and control of electrical systems to reduce energy,” he said. “We will continue to develop this sector of our business to assist our clients with rising operational costs and monitor new technologies and products as they come to market. “Even basic automation coupled with energy efficient products and general end-user education
delivers superior outcomes for clients. “Sometimes there are no upgrades required it is surprising what can be saved once clients understand the energy costs of operating equipment.” The company invested heavily in its operations during 2014 embarking towards accreditation in Quality (ISO9001), Safety (AS4801) and Environment Systems (ISO14001). Minelec has also gone through a major rebranding program this year to better reflect the company image after 23 years in business. Minelec has partnered with government, defence and major mining companies and was heavily involved in the recent Port of Townsville Expansion which included street lighting, cathodic protection, fuel-monitoring systems, CCTV, low and high voltage reticulation plus landscape and architectural lighting.
Large energy users have been affected by ‘exorbitant’ network costs and it’s all to do with the Queensland and NSW government’s attempts to boost their income according to the Energy Users of Australia Association (EUAA). EUAA chief executive officer Phil Barresi said all state treasuries have had a reliance on high rate of returns from networks to boost stressed state budgetary positions. “On one hand they own the assets but they’re also deriving a return from them and that return increases with each year,” he said. “For many large energy users, network costs can represent over 55–65 per cent of their total energy bill whereas the common figures for the domestic user is around the 45 per cent mark, which is still too high.” Network determinations are currently before the Australian Energy Regulator and will set the scene for what consumers will be paying for their electricity for the next five years. As part of the network determination process, Queensland electricity Distributors, Energex and Ergon Energy have submitted regulatory proposals to AER setting out the revenues
Phil Barresi Energy Users of Australia Association ceo
they propose to collect from electricity consumers through distribution charges from 2015 to 2020. Ergon’s proposal flagged a reduction in distribution network charges for 2015-2016 and increases over the next five years below the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Energex said it would be seeking approval for $8.4 billion in total revenue for the 2015-20 period. A preliminary determination will be published in April 2015, and further submissions will be invited at that time. Final network determinations will be made by October this year.
Living with cancer can be a little rough. Especially when the recommended treatment is football! This is just one of the treatments children can experience at Camp Quality. Camp Quality is a national charity that is committed to bringing hope and happiness to every child living with cancer, their families and communities through ongoing quality recreational, educational and financial support programs. At Camp Quality, children can participate in activities like canoeing, horse riding, skiing, abseiling, crafts, face painting, tug of war, archery, field trips, in fact anything that can make a child forget about their illness for a few days. Each child on camp is also assigned a companion - an adult who then becomes the camper’s friend and most importantly, makes sure they have a great time together. At the end of the camp, children leave feeling rewarded and much more positive. In the words of one camper, Michael; “Camp Quality has been unreal in helping me see that there is hope. I don’t think I would have gotten so far without them. I think of all my friends there as my second family. Especially my companion ‘Simmo’ who’s supported me through the last twelve years.” But to continue the fun and laughter for children living with cancer, we need your help. If you’d like to make a donation, or help with our programs, please contact us at www.campquality.org.au or call us on 1300 662 267. You’ll be helping us show that laughter is the best medicine.
23
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
ELECTRICITY
Owners and unions let loose over lease
“
retail prices are the highest in Australia, some more than 15 per cent greater than Queensland.” The ETU said that proposed privatisation through leasing of Queensland’s generation, transmission and distribution assets would, in turn, flow on to small and medium businesses. “It is a fallacy that asset sales
will reduce costs because private companies will invest in what is essentially a monopoly with a view to maximising profits for their shareholders at the expense of the public,” the spokesman said. “We may well find ourselves in a situation where we, as a state, hand over by long - term lease
an operating, profitable, income generating and sustainable electricity network to private profiteers who will run it into the ground to maximise their profits knowing full well that when it’s falling apart they can hand it back and all Queenslanders will pick up the tab.”
Power retailer encourages less use An Ergon Energy initiative in Central Queensland is looking to help keep electricity costs down. The Mackay Empowerment program offers incentives to businesses in the Paget region of Mackay to optimise their electricity use during peak periods. Under the Mackay Empower program, three types of incentives are available for business customers deemed demand, reduced demand and demand response. Ergon Chief Executive Ian McLeod said the Empower Mackay program was part of a suite of initiatives being undertaken by Ergon to put downward pressure on rising electricity prices by offsetting or deferring expenditure on high cost infrastructure. “Rather than looking at the traditional poles and wires solution to load growth and demand, Ergon is increasingly looking to alternatives and demand-side management options,
where it is appropriate, to address customer requirements” he said. “A key aspect of Empower Mackay is market facilitation for private sector businesses to deliver products and services to our customers to manage their electricity needs. We have had quite a few local firms register to work with Ergon in this regard.” The Mackay Regional Council (MRC) is among the organisations participating in the program by synchronising three of its diesel generators. “With electricity costs projected to rise from 13 to 15 per cent annually in the short term, it is imperative to pursue energy-efficiency programs and alliances such as this,” Mayor Deirdre Comerford said “This project alone is anticipated to save council in the realm of $40,000 a year.”
CASE STUDY
Those opposing a government 1996 by around 140%. plan to lease state electricity “If you look at the privately assets are ‘peddling a myth owned networks in Victoria that doesn’t stack up’ according and South Australia over the to Energy Users of Australia same period, we have minus 18 Association (EUAA) chief per cent and minus 17 per cent executive officer Phil Barresi. respectively.” The Queensland government “It’s time to get behind the asset has taken its asset privatisation sales for the benefit of all energy plan to the consumers.” election which Organisations will includes including the We fully support and the leasing of Electrical CS Energy, Trade Union encourage the Newman and Energex, (ETU) have Baird Governments in their Ergon, slammed asset respective plans to lease a Powerlink and privatisation pool of assets a range of nonas an answer core business to lower power Phil Barresi activities costs. currently The ETU run by said that government-owned corporations. privatisation would inevitably “We fully support and encourage lead to increased prices and the Newman and Baird described the EUAA’s statistics Governments in their respective as derived from an ‘obscure plans to lease a pool of assets,” measure’. Mr Baressi said. “The residential retail Opposition to the plans were price provides a far more mostly based on the idea that comprehensive picture and is network prices would go up once recognised and reported by 99 they were privately operated, per cent of industry analysts,” an said Mr Baressi. “This is not the ETU spokesman said. case,’’ he said. “In SA (South Australia) the “If you look at Queensland state privatised their network government owned networks, through long term leasing they’ve increased prices since arrangements and residential
ACCOUNTABILITY INTEGRITY HONESTY
CST VALUES JAMES TECHNOLOGIES CST MINING GROUP HAS BEEN A LONG-TIME CLIENT OF JAMESTECH, FOR GOOD REASON. MR ALAN JOLLY, SENIOR ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR FOR THE COMPANY’S LADY ANNIE OPERATIONS IN QUEENSLAND, SAID, “WE HAVE BEEN USING THE SERVICES OF JAMESTECH SINCE 2007.” “Our primary role with Jamestech has been electrical labour hire, plus utilising their electrical HQJLQHHU IRU VSHFLDOLVHG FHUWL¿FDWLRQ RI WKH HOHFWULFDO equipment to ensure it is operating correctly. “Jamestech can be relied on to provide reliable electrical and instrumentation labour, even on short notice” CST has used Jamestech’s electrical contracting division to do electrical installation work in a remote area. “They were extremely accommodating and did the job very well,” Mr Jolly said.
training is pretty common for Jamestech. ³:H JHW PDQ\ FRPSDQLHV ZKR ¿UVW WXUQ WR XV IRU labour hire, but once they see the attention to detail of our staff and the other services we provide, they engage us for either contracting or training courses,” he said.
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Invest-FNQ Things are looking up for Far North Queensland. There’s investment in building, infrastructure, tourism and processing and a recent northern Australia conference focused the policy commitments of federal and state governments to potential developments in the region and viable funding models. One of the standout areas is the emergence of FQN as a centre for education and tropical research. Queensland Industry Advocate is highlighting prospects in the current to medium term in this Invest-FNQ feature edition.
Artist impression of the proposed Aquis resort.
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Cairns Steel Fabrication blast booth.
Industry solutions and out-of-the-box thinking are required if subcontractors are to get a slice of the action when major projects come on line in Cairns. That’s according to Cairns Steel Fabricators (CSF) director Sean Adams. “There’s huge potential for all organisations, but to be involved we will need to make sure that the relevant parties know what we can offer,” he said. Some smaller businesses should consider working together in consortium-style groups so that they can cater to the needs of the larger projects, Mr Adams said. “I think Cairns is really quite capable and has huge potential to offer what projects need,” he said. In an attempt to boost its own capabilities, CSF recently diversified to offer more services to industry including the start up of its roofing division to compliment its steel supply services. “The two trades interact quite significantly,” Mr Adams said. “We have increased our skills in terms of roofing and our project managers and we are trying to value add to make it easier for our clients.”
CSF’s past projects include the Manus Island re-development, the Cairns base hospital re-development and the Redlynch Shopping Centre expansion. Manus Island proved to be particularly challenging, Mr Adams said. It involved transportation of about 900 tonnes of steel from the workshop to the port, he said. “There was a lot of steel and we had to load that out of Cairns. That was challenging from a logistics perspective liaising with the Cairns port, liaising with the stevedoring company and basically getting all of the steel complete and down to the ship on time.” Mr Adams said CSF was buoyant and optimistic about future opportunities involving major projects. “From the local supplier perspective, I hopefully see us being heavily involved in the structural steel component of the projects,” he said. “We all really want to hear some of these projects announced as proceeding so we can all know where we’re heading.”
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Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
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Many minerals make mining matter more The contribution of mining to the far north Queensland economy is forecast to increase. The variety of minerals sourced in the region is more diverse than in any other according to principal owner of Cummings Economics, Cairns-based Bill Cummings. And while mining production declined from a 2010-2011 high of $970 million to $750 million in 2012-2013, Mr Cummings said it was expected to rise over the next couple of years. Mr Cummings gave QIA a breakdown of the key projects making a mark. • Consolidated Tin and Snow Peak Mining continues to operate the former Kagara zinc and copper processing plant at Mt Garnet with employment back up to 130. They have
proposed the development of tin/magnetite deposits at Gillian Pinnacles in the Mt Garnet area. • Carbine Tungsten Limited secured funding from Mitsubishi Corporation Japan in September 2014 to commence the first phase of its 12 million metric tonnes per annum Hard Rock Tungsten Project in 2015. • Vital Metals, having completed a Definitive Feasibility Study and through agreement with Japan’s JOGMEC group, is ready to commence project development in 2015 subject to finance at their Watershed development north of Mareeba. • Almonty Industries is proposing to use improved processes to expand Wolfram Camp operations and extend mine life to ten plus years.
• Mungana Goldmines is promoting the development of the high grade King Vol zinc deposit west of Mungana to meet a looming deficit in the global zinc market. This involves using the partially completed processing facilities at Mungana formerly owned by Kagara. • Mantle Mining continues to seek to develop the Mt Mulligan coal and gas project north west of Mareeba. • Cape Flattery Silica Mines continues their mining operations with product being shipped to Japan. • A Metallica Minerals subsidiary, Oresome Australia Pty Ltd has a joint venture agreement with Chinese investor Orezone Pty Ltd to develop the Urquhart Point mineral sands project and continue exploration
The Port of Cape Flattery handles the world’s largest production of silica sand.
on the west coast of Cape York. Orezone is committing $7.5m to the project. • Rio Tinto’s bauxite mine at Weipa continues its steady stream of shipments. While aluminium prices in 2013/14 were down on their peak of 2011, the past six months has seen a rebound. Rio Tinto’s chairman Sam Walsh indicated in a recent statement that the planned major expansion of operations at Weipa was back on the company’s agenda for a decision in 2015. • Cairns and the Tablelands’ major role in FIFO and other
mining services beyond the immediate region continues with air services to Moranbah, north west Queensland, Gove, Groote Eylandt, the Freeport McMoRan operations in Indonesia and Tabubil, and Moro, Mount Hagen and Lihir in Papua New Guinea. • Other minor minerals production in the area includes limestone, marble, slate, perlite and gemstones. There is a wide range of other prospects in the region including hot springs for power generation, coal in the Laura Basin and diatomite.
Signs of life in a moribund industry
Distance education students accessing facilities at the CQUniversity Cairns Distrance Education Centre.
Campus considered by CQU 550 and since opening in 2012. The ‘enormous’ potential of the far north Queensland education The centre has been replicated sector has driven CQUniversity in Townsville, Charters Towers, to consider opening its own Perth and Karratha and there are campus in Cairns. plans in the works for five more. Associate vice chancellor, far “We do distance very, very well north region, Jodie Duignanand there is enormous potential George said CQUniversity was to boost the numbers and for weighing up the possibility. “I’ve been meeting with growth in Far North Queensland the businesses and industry possibly with a larger centre in stakeholders to try and find out Cairns in the near future” Ms what are the goals of the far Duignan-George said. north, what are the current gaps The Cairns growth plan is in markets, and what do they see part of a larger plan to broaden as the opportunities for future its student catchment areas and growth,” Ms Duignan-George boost student numbers from said. CQU Distance Education Centre, “We have an ambition that about 35,000 to more than Cairns. we’ll try to have a campus by 50,000. maybe next year… but that is The most popular distance completely dependent on the market and a range of education degrees undertaken in the Cairns other external factors.” region are nursing, paramedic science, STEPS The plans come on the back of the success of (preparatory), accounting, business, law, psychology, CQUniversity’s distance education centre in Cairns. medical science, engineering, learning and teaching, The centre was the first of CQU’s distance and building design. education models and student numbers are up to
A five-year construction drought in Far North Queensland could be ending with proposed projects lighting up the horizon. Master Builders regional manager Ron Bannah said the industry had been doing it tough with some contractors struggling to stay afloat. During the first half of 2014 the number of building starts in the far north region peaked at 92 in March but then dropped to 55 in April, Mr Bannah said. “Those numbers are nowhere near the numbers in Central Queensland. Mackay in particular over the last couple of years, its numbers have been sitting up in the hundreds,” he said. Projects such as the $8.15 billion Aquis resort development could be the shot in the arm that that the region needs, Mr Bannah said. “The days of having eight or nine months of work ahead of you disappeared and the guys have been stringing along on eight, nine, 12 weeks at a time,” he said. “So things have just been bobbing along. But the tide is turning and some guys are now looking at six to eight months ahead of them which has been unheard of in recent times.” The central project that has everyone talking is Aquis.
Ron Bannah Master Builders regional manager
While still at proposal stage, at peak construction the project is expected to employ about 3,750 full time jobs with an additional 2,825 indirect jobs generated in the regional supply chain. Other major projects in the region include the $35 million Cairns Aquarium development, and Aspial Corporation’s $200 million Central Park development. “Confidence is slowly returning and if at least one of these major projects cracks and starts work it will have a huge impact on the whole economy not just on the construction industry,” Mr Bannah said.
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Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
An emerging tropical research centre
JCU researcher accessing the rainforest from the gondola of the canopy crane at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory.
A $5.3 million upgrade of the James Cook University Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) will help consolidate far north Queensland’s position as a world class tropical research centre. The JCU facility includes a 47 metre crane which provides students and researchers a sky-high view of the oldest
surviving rainforest in the world. The crane has a radius of 55 metres and 360-degree rotation capabilities and holds a gondola that swings out over the rainforest giving its driver and up to two passengers an above-canopy view of one hectare of rainforest. The DRO was officially opened recently
Photo: Cassandra Nichols
following more than a year of construction upgrades. Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Robyn McGuiggan said the DRO would now be put to good use as a way of monitoring the eco-system. “There are only 12 cranes in the world and this is one them and they share
information about canopies and eco systems,” she said. “The Daintree Rainforest has the highest bio diversity of anywhere in Australia. It’s in the wet tropics world heritage area so it’s in the perfect spot. There are also lots of opportunities for onthe ground research too.”
Airport development caters for growth A 20-year, $1 billion development vision for Cairns Airport will work to meet the future needs of the Asian tourism industry. Cairns Airport welcomed more than 4.5 million passengers last financial year, and those numbers are set to increase in line with regional growth projections. Jetstar gave the Cairns tourism industry a vote of confidence in 2013 with the introduction of 787s on their Cairns-Tokyo and Osaka routes. North Queensland Airports (NQA) chief executive officer, Kevin Brown said increased routes to Asia would lead to new opportunities in the tourism source market.
“Cairns Airport continues to work closely with tourism, travel and government partners to secure new routes from mainland China and other Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia and to open up additional Japanese routes,” he said. As well as international tourism expansion, opportunities in the Asia Pacific resources sector were also growing for Cairns Airport, said Mr Brown. “As an airport servicing international tourism destination aviation, export opportunities through Cairns Airport can be expected to grow in line with the introduction of more wide body international passenger services,” Mr Brown said.
An artist’s interpretation of how the Aviation Enterprise Precinct will look.
“This will facilitate the movement of more northern Australian produce such as beef, dairy, seafood and horticulture to meet the high demand of Asia’s growing populations.”
Part of the NQA vision is its purpose built Aviation Enterprise Precinct. “The development will support a diverse range of high demand aviation related activities,” Mr
Brown said. That includes engineering and maintenance; international training and business centres; commercial flight simulators; avionics and component services; aerial surveillance and seismic survey; helicopter precinct; freight and logistics base and aviation catering. A Commercial Enterprise Precinct will also offer opportunities for retail and commercial developments such as medical and tropical health facilities, hospital hotel, e-commerce, an Asian business centre, supermarket, homemaker centre, duty free and tax free shopping, restaurants and tourism and leisure developments.
Project list shows a diversity of opportunity Aquis Resort Re-development of 343 hectares of rural land into a large scale integrated tourism resort. Estimated total cost $8.15 billion. North Queensland Airports Group Re-development of Cairns Airport. Staged development over a 20-year period - scoping studies underway. Estimated total cost $1billion. Department of Health, Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Cairns Base Hospital re-development - staged development due for completion 2015. 2014/15 funding program $81.4 million. Estimated total cost $453 million.
Ratch-Australia Corporation and Port Bajool Mount Emerald Wind Farm located a 15-minute drive south west of Mareeba. Estimated total cost $400 million. Aspial Central Park development 8183 Spence Street, seven towers (six residential; one commercial). Estimated total cost $200 million. Botanica Property Group An integrated residential precinct. Estimated total cost $200 million. James Cook University - Cairns Various developments and expansions including new campus accommodation, Australian Institute
of Tropical Health, and the Tropical Sustainable Future Complex. Estimated total cost $74.5 million. MSF Sugar Ltd Expansion of South Johnstone Sugar Mill. Staged project over five years. Estimated total cost $40 - $50 million. Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development Bruce Highway Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 2 – Robert Road to Foster Road, National Projects - widening of the Bruce Highway between Robert Road and Foster Road from four lanes to six lanes. These widening works are the next stage of the upgrade of the southern approach to
Cairns and build on the current works between Sheehy Road to Ray Jones Drive. The Australian Government has committed $46.4 million to the project, in partnership with the Queensland Government. Cairns Aquarium and Reef Research Centre Located on 4003 m2 development site on corner of Abbott, Lake and Florence Streets, Cairns. The project is a three level, 7500 m2 gateway tourist attraction featuring 70 live exhibits representative of the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics eco systems, a 150-seat restaurant and function space, retail venues and corporate offices. Estimated total cost $50 million.
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Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
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FNQ’s boat rises on an expected higher sugar tide The Australian sugar industry harvested over 32 million tonnes of cane last year. Estimates from Canegrowers show that the Far North Queensland region accounted for almost one third of that. Sugar production from the region (Mossman-Herbert River) amounted to around 1.5 million tones with 100 per cent sent to export through the ports of Cairns, Mourilyan, Lucinda and Townsville. The FNQ sugar industry grew by 14.95 per cent over the last two years and further ‘modest growth’ was expected in the coming year said Canegrowers head economist Warren Males. The general manager of the South Johnstone Sugar Mill, Phil Miskin, is one of the farnorth Queenslanders driving industry expansion. Mr Miskin is currently overseeing a five-year strategic
plan to increase capacity which has a forecast investment of between $40m and $50m. He describes the upgrade of the plant as a high point in his career. As a key industry to the north, investment in the sugar sector is vital, Mr Miskin said. The company plans to increase processing at the South Johnstone mill from about 1.2 million to 1.75 million tonnes per year over the five-year program. Major works for 2015 include the replacement of No.5 mill and installation of an additional mud filter. It was about redeveloping and growing the industry after many years of low sugar prices, Mr Miskin said. “We now have a renewed interest in the industry and we’re going through a growth period,” he said. “I’m extremely passionate to see the important
South Johnstone mill.
agricultural industry enter a growth phase. “Being part of the renewal and reinvigoration of the industry has been a real highlight of my career. “I’m where I want to be and in my role I plan to follow through on the growth and expansion phase we’re in now.” Mr Miskin grew up in the sugar town of Tully and is the second generation in his family to work in the industry.
Since entering as an apprentice electrician in 1979, Mr Miskin has worked at five different sugar mills and has developed quite a sweet tooth. “It’s a great industry and a great place to live. Coastal places in North Queensland are great and the sugar mills provide a very interesting and diverse range of people and work,” he said. “But they’re also of a size that an individual can leave their
mark, he said. “I get to build relationships with landholders and existing growers and at the other end of the scale I lead the teams in crushing cane,” Mr Miskin said. “It’s the ability to work and be involved from end to end. I’m able to cover the whole spectrum of the whole sugar growing and processing operations. I get to see it from start to finish.”
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28 INVEST-FNQ
Queensland Industry Advocate | January 2015
Tender kickstart for Mareeba Industrial Park with large blocks sale. Director of Cairns based English Engineering Pat English and co-pilot Steve Green infront of Pat’s Spitfire replica.
Engineering high and low An innovation in Cairns more than 20 years ago has allowed tourists from across the globe to catch a rare glimpse of The Great Barrier Reef. In 1984 Cairns-based English Engineering was responsible for building the country’s first semisubmersible boat. Since then the company has had a hand in building more than 50 vessels. “Our design was unique,” company director Pat English said. “Our patent approval lists the combination of three main factors covered by patent – the angle of our windows, the use of water ballast and outboard motors in an aluminium hull viewing vessel.” “This equates to a lightweight aluminium vessel of about four tonnes empty (when the water
ballast is dumped out) and about 15 tonnes with ballast.” Mr English said innovation had been a key driver for the last 20 years and following the success of the semi-submersibles the company expanded its work to reef pontoons. The pontoons act as a service centre out on the reef and have a 500-passenger capacity, Mr English said. “We designed them with large underwater acrylic windows and underwater observatory and we have also designed them in a way that they are segmented and they can be pulled apart to be shipped somewhere,” he said. Mr English’s grand ideas are not water bound; he also came up with the idea to create a kit for full size Spitfire replicas.
There are only two of the original iconic World War 2 fighter aircrafts left in Australia and about 20 worldwide so Mr English decided he would create his own. “I’m a pilot and I was thinking about buying a plane. Now I have my own Spitfire replica and I fly it most weekends. “I just thought, ‘why not add another string to our bow’ and people are so interested in the Spitfires because they’re so iconic of the War.” English Engineering is currently busy working on new projects behind closed doors. “Yes, we are working on something new now but I can’t really say what it is yet ... expect to see something new from us in the next couple of years,” he said.
Mareeba attracts industry The Mareeba Shire Council has big plans to service economic expansion in far north Queensland. Council is currently marketing 16 lots across 300 hectares as an industrial park. It plans to leverage off the existing agriculture sector and accommodate opportunities for fruit and vegetable processing, small-scale meat processing, sawmills and service industries said senior engagement officer Lisa Macalister. “Agricultural production in the wider Tablelands’ area totalled $400m in 2010-2011, (the) Gulf region totalled $377m (mainly of beef cattle turnoff ), and a further $50m of beef cattle turnoff in the Peninsula,” Ms Macalister said. “The Industrial Park is a ‘cradle’ for the development of new industries which will broaden the shire’s economic base.” This year will see a drive for new investment beginning with a focus on the development opportunities of the four larger industrial park lots, ranging from 9,400m² to 17,000m², through a tender process. “The Mareeba Shire Council is focused on a fresh, new marketing approach,” she said. “Council is now working together with its economic development partners, Advance Cairns, the Tablelands Futures Corporation, the Kuranda Chamber of Commerce, and the Mareeba Chamber of Commerce on new economic development opportunities.” Mareeba shire has recorded an average 1.2 per cent annual growth rate over the last 20 years.
New jetty to improve access to Family led growth tourism, industry and growth It’s a truism that the further north you go in Australia, the better the fishing. Combine that with anglers and you have a market. When it happens to be in one of Australia’s most pristine areas, home to endangered dugong and numerous turtle species, you have eco-tourism. That, in a nutshell, is part of the economic plan for the future of Mornington Shire in the Gulf of Carpentaria. The local council has responsibility over 22 islands making up the Wellesley Group with the main population base located in Gununa, on Mornington Island northwest of Karumba. Mayor Cr Brad Wilson and four councillors are leading the implementation of ambitious plans to increase the quality of life for residents following an investment, jobs, opportunity and growth model. The locals are original ‘saltwater people’, so “any long term solution needs to embrace the sea in a sustainable fashion”, explains Mornington Shire Council Grants and Communications Coordinator Layla Kirchhoff. “Council has called for master plans for a revitalised jetty and foreshore precinct,” Ms
Kirchhoff said. “The jetty desperately needs to be replaced following damage by multiple Cyclones including Yasi, as well as being struck by a barge. A new structure will ultimately allow for safer evacuation procedures in the event of future cyclones as well as provide moorings for vessels (commercial or leisure) needing to replenish supplies.” “Improved infrastructure will encourage a more competitive market while providing real social and economic benefits.” Employing locals creates pride, provides skills, nurtures education and improves the quality of life in remote regions.” “The upgrades will encourage a culturally appropriate eco-tourism industry while providing services from fuel, fishing supplies, welding and maintenance - even cafes.” Ballpark figures for the investment are coming in at between four and eight million dollars. Council has drafted application for funding through the National Stronger Regions Funding program with commercial interests approached to help facilitate council’s commitment, said Ms Kirchhoff. The return on investment in terms of job creation could not
be underestimated, she said. “If you want to make a difference, you have to be forward thinking and start conversations.” “The project is expected to generate significant local employment. The benefits filter right through the community. The ultimate outcomes are training, education and local work opportunities.” Mornington Island is the residential centre of the shire with approximately 1,500 residents and 100 visitors daily.
Cooktown is shaking off its ‘single-man town’ label to make way for more families. One key attraction in the pipeline is the six million dollar Waterfront Activity Precinct said Cook Shire Mayor Cr Peter Scott. With an area close to the size of Victoria and a rate base of just 4,500 growth is a priority Cr Scott said. “About eight years ago we went down the path of building the infrastructure to attract more people,” he said. “We have a sewerage treatment plant, a water
Frank Mills Mornington shire council CEO with the remains of the jetty structure on Mornington Island.
treatment plant, sealed road all the way from Cairns, daily flights from Cairns, maternity services, the water front development and it’s all designed to attract more people. “We can cater for a town of five to six thousand no problem at all.” The project, due for completion mid-next year, has received $3.5m in Royalties to Regions funding and a further $500,000 Local Government Infrastructure Subsidy grant. The remaining $2m will come from council. The area around the riverbank had been struggling with erosion issues Mr Scott said. “We’ve gone out 40 metres from the bank and built a rock wall about 500 metres long by 40 metres wide,” he said. “As part of that there was a harbor dredging and we put the spoil into the lined rock wall and it’s created a mini Cairns esplanade, or Townsville Strand. “There’s going to be a tidal pool, kids’ waterpark playground, amenities block, cycle track, barbeques (and) exercise tracks.”
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