Queensland Industry Advocate September 2014

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THIS EDITION • Councils fight trucking restriction • Sweet windfall for fabrication firms • Globetrotting geo heads new college • Free southern Qld resources map

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QUEENSLAND

COVER IMAGE: The flare as gas is introduced to the QCLNG plant.

Photo: courtesy QGC

September 2014

Welcome to your new Advocate Welcome to our new magazine format promising more industry, more access and more business.

Mining and energy development is one of the five pillars of the Queensland economy. Queensland Industry Advocate recognises it means little if not supported by manufacturing, processing, local government and roads.

We open our coverage on page 3 with council appeals to be excluded from generic fatigue laws which they argue are irrelevant and restrictive. That local government focus is continued on page 21.

Sugar processing is big business in the north of the state and the owners of South Johnstone Mill are investing $50 million over five years in an upgrade that means much for local businesses. You’ll find that on page 5.

Back to energy and QGC is preparing for its first LNG exports in the culmination of a multibillion-dollar infrastructure investment in the Surat Basin and Gladstone.

That’s on page 8.

And refer to the Our Mining Heritage pages for some mines rescue history, including a look at the Box Flat disaster to see why safety means so much to miners.

Like a grain of gold uncovered when panning, we hope this sample makes you want to look for more.

10 Our Mining Heritage

STRONGFORM INDUSTRIAL TANKS

12 Between Shifts

Custom Welded Fittings Industrial Grade Polyethylene No confined space issues

13 Regional Real Estate - Yeppoon 14 Promoting Indigenous Employment

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15 Building Mining Communities

Call Trevor 0457 824 792 sales@strongformindustrial.com.au

16 Shamrock Civil feature SAFE STRONG STABLE.

18 Industry Update A wrap of mining, construction and other industry developments throughout Queensland.

20 Industry Leaders Queensland Industry Advocate

21 Local Government

tel: (07) 4755 0336 fax: (07) 4755 0338 Managing editor: Robert Dark 0417 623 156

22 Lift and Shift feature

Client Services: Marion Lago 0414 225 621

27 Temporary Accommodation feature

Journalists: Bruce Macdonald 0418 154 016 Dominique Kimber 0414 371 966 Sales: (07) 4755 0336 or 0417 623 156 Email: info@miningadvocate.com.au

Robert Dark

FEATURES

Postal: PO Box 945, Townsville, Q, 4810

Managing Editor

Advertising booking deadline November 2014 edition: October 15 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.

BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS WEEK PROUDLY SPONSORED BY HAYS Townsville. October 13th – 17th, 2014.

Hays is proud to be sponsoring Business Professionals Week. Business Professionals Week is series of networking events and professional development events hosted by key professional industry bodies, for all business professionals in Townsville. All events are open to members and non-members.

For further information and for a timetable of events please visit hays.com.au/townsville-bpw or contact Hays Townsville at townsville@hays.com.au or 07 4771 5100.

Organisations and industry bodies participating include:

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2 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Voice from the deep in Abbot Point coal row Working underwater brings interesting observations, writes Bruce Macdonald.

An Airlie Beach-based commercial diver has offered an unusual insight into the debate surrounding the expansion of the Abbot Point coal loading terminal near Bowen.

Darren Foster runs Whitsunday Moorings and Marine Constructions and has seen the condition of the seabed in and around the facility, which exports 50 million tonnes of coal per year.

“I’ve seen a Queensland grouper the size of a Vee Dub (VW Beetle) around the pylons,” he said.

“Some members of my dive crew have seen crayfish in about 15m of water around the facility, so claims that it is polluted and there is turbidity in the water are wrong.”

Mr Foster worked underwater during the $186 million X50 Abbot Point Coal Terminal expansion program from 2008

“

We find a lot of scaffolding,

safety helmets, gloves and mobile phones during the cleanups Darren Foster

to 2010 and saw firsthand the dredging activity.

“There was turbidity during the project and there still is when bulk ore carriers berth, but the seabed is 80 per cent sand and it quickly clears,” he said.

Mr Foster’s company has also worked regularly at Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point checking the structural integrity of the pylons and clearing away rubbish accidently dropped into the sea.

“We find a lot of scaffolding, safety helmets, gloves and mobile phones during the

cleanups,” Mr Foster said.

He said the conveyor belts used at Abbot Point were the latest technology and his divers had seen no evidence of coal in the water around Abbot Point.

“Coal is money, the businesses don’t want to see their profit on the seabed,” he said.

The Abbot Point redevelopment has been given Federal and State government approvals to move ahead but a series of challenges are being brought by conservation groups to question the decision based on potential damage being caused to the heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.

Indian companies GVK and Adani are both well advanced in opening major coal mines in the Galilee Basin west of Mackay and both plan to build additional coal-loading facilities at Abbot Point which will involve dredging three million cubic metres of the seabed.

Asset president Laura Tyler at the site office.

Photo: John de Rooy

Cannington asset president tops new national awards The first woman to be appointed as an asset president within BHP Billiton has won the inaugural Thiess Women in Resources National Awards (WIRNA).

Laura Tyler, from BHP Billiton Cannington Mine in north-west Queensland, introduced the operation’s first diversity plan to improve the attraction and retention of women in the company’s workforce.

“We must encourage our male colleagues to speak out on the subject. They remain the dominant hiring managers in our business and it is only through their engagement that we will see magnified change in the status quo,” she said.

“I have spoken at women’s events around the world to empower other women and show them that females can successfully fill senior roles in the industry. I believe diversity is not only important for individuals but also for our businesses.”

A mother of three, Ms Tyler has worked across four continents and is also the first woman to be appointed as a vice-president of the Queensland Resources Council.

Queensland-based mechanical engineer Cindy Emmett was also among the winners, taking out the awards title of Exceptional Young Woman in Australian Resources.

3

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

NEWS

Councils seek exemption from trucking restriction Rest break rules are hurting regional operations, writes Dominique Kimber Councils in regional Queensland are lobbying for a change in heavy truck driver fatigue laws.

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act, these drivers must take a fiveday rest after nine days of work or a one-day rest after six days of work. Drivers carrying out local council activities, such as roadside water or gravel works, are included under the Act’s umbrella.

North Queensland Local Government Association (NQLGA) president Frank Beveridge said the laws created unnecessary costs for councils.

“A lot of local government people only drive very short distances backwards and forwards.

It’s not people driving across the country and they’re at one worksite for a period of time,” he said.

“We’ve had situations where if workers drove back from a job, they might be half an hour to 40 minutes over their fatigue period.

It’s quite expensive for local governments to put up overnight accommodation when the time under the regulation has only just passed.”

The issue was raised at the LGA national conference in

“

We would want a little bit

more flexibility to compensate the people working on the roads in the short haul Cr Beveridge

Canberra and the NQLGA plans a motion at the state conference in October to have the legislation amended to exempt local councils.

“We would want a little bit more flexibility to compensate the people working on the roads in the short haul, not those doing 10 hours in a straight line and covering 700-800km in a

stretch,” Cr Beveridge said.

Etheridge Shire Mayor Will Attwood said the laws had adversely affected council operations in his region.

“I understand why fatigue management rules were brought into place for the long-haul transport – it makes a lot of sense and makes sure drivers have proper rests and they’re not crashing their trucks. It just seems to me that the local councils were an unintended consequence of those rules,” he said.

Transport Workers Union (TWU) Assistant Queensland Secretary Scott Connolly said exemptions to the Act should not be taken lightly.

“The TWU is a long-term advocate for safety and fatigue legislation,” he said.

“This legislation is put in place for the safety of the people carrying out the work – truck drivers – and all Queensland road users. If councils get an exemption it sets a precedent and every business will want one – who’s next in line?”

• More local government news - Page 21

Ken ‘Hoppy’ Ryan is among those affected by the restrictions.

Brake on business Ryan and Sons Earthmovers in Etheridge Shire is one of the outback Queensland businesses that has felt the effect of heavy truck driver fatigue laws. The company works as a contractor for the Etheridge Shire Council, assisting with gravel and water works.

Part-owner June Ryan said the tight restrictions had lead to a loss of income for the two-person operation.

Mrs Ryan and her husband Ken “Hoppy” Ryan recently took their truck on the 300km drive to Mareeba for repairs during their days off work. When the couple returned home they realised that, under the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act, Mr Ryan would not be able to return to work the next day.

“We’re remote and don’t have the engineers, welders or steel places here to get it done,” Mrs Ryan said.

“My husband was the one driving the truck, but because he drove on his days off he couldn’t drive when it came for him to go back to work.

We can’t afford to lose the income of a couple of days work.”

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4 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Earthmovers in paradise The Whitsunday region is enjoying a wave of resort development work Construction has kicked off on a $70 million resort complex at Airlie Beach, hot on the heels of an $80 million overhaul at Hayman Island under the One&Only banner.

And White Horse Australia is forging ahead with plans for a $500 million resort development on Lindeman Island in the Whitsunday group.

Whitsundays Marketing and Development chief executive officer Danial Rochford said the region was experiencing a major upswing in tourism after a number of difficult years and that was helping to drive further

investment in product and infrastructure for the region.

He highlighted the recent investment in Hayman Island as well as a refurbishment of the Hamilton Island resort and Latitude Development Group’s $500 million Regatta Waters Whitsunday estate, being rolled out over 15 years at Cannonvale.

White Horse Australia general manager Paul Nyholt said the company had lodged its initial applications for various aspects of the new Lindeman Island development – which is set to include an 80-120 berth marina. “We’re looking at probably

circa $500 million investment there over three to five years,� he said. The company was awaiting feedback from various levels of government before lodging a formal masterplan application for the resort. “We’re probably looking at 12 to 18 months before we turn over any ground,� Mr Nyholt said.

While White Horse Australia would be looking for a Tier 1 construction company to lead such a major development, its preference would be to have as much input from local subcontractors as possible, he said.

Meanwhile construction is expected to be completed within two years at Airlie Beach for the One Whitsundays resort – a complex of 75 apartments to be

Earthworks contractor Steve Banks at the One Whitsundays resort site at Airlie Beach.

Photo: Tropix Photography

marketed at prices ranging from $395,000 to $3.2 million. “Airlie Beach is on the brink of huge economic growth,� One Whitsundays chief executive officer John Zappia said.

“Given the recent infrastructural developments in the area, and the fact that occupancy rates are already going through the roof, this is an imminent boom investment opportunity.�

Passport to superior skills An alliance of five North Queensland-based steel fabrication companies has launched a quality skills assessment program for it employees – with plans to broaden the initiative across

the industry. Australian Steel Fabricators (ASF) director Marcel McLeod said the industry needed to be more efficient and productive on the global stage to remain viable - and skills development was

ASF will work through their own staff forces then open up the assessment process to other northern companies.

Shutdown database proposal A bid to build a labour database for resources industry shutdown work in North and North-West Queensland sparked the development of the online human resource management system being used in the Skills Passport Project.

Australian Steel Fabricators member company TotalFab developed the system, but failed to attract the level of interests required from mines, according to ASF director and Totalfab Engineering Services managing director Marcel McLeod. “It was really developed to try and get a system where the resources would be visible online, so if you were planning a shutdown you could go and see demand at the moment based on the amount of people in the database currently working – you could see straight away the level of skill available,� Mr McLeod said. “We have made changes (for the Skills Passport Project), but the original system is still there.�

With many mining operations now trying harder to find efficiencies in light of difficult market conditions, he believed there may be fresh interest in using the system for shutdown planning. “If someone has an interest in it I’d be happy to run with it, because it would help not only the mining industry but our industry generally,� he said.

crucial in reaching that goal. “ASF will work through their own staff forces then open up the assessment process to other northern companies and trade job seekers,� Mr McLeod said. “The Skills Passport Project will put North Queensland on the map when it comes to competitive manufacturing in the structural steel fabrication arena.�

The skills assessment program is initially aimed at structural steel work but Mr McLeod said over time new programs focused on heavy steel fabrication and various forms of welding would be introduced.

Mr McLeod said it was important that ASF be able to offer prospective clients a workforce that was able to meet a set of defined standards. “We want to compete (for contracts) on a high scale and it’s important we bring our employees along with us,� Mr McLeod said.

ASF has three trained assessors in Townsville and one in Cairns and according to Mr McLeod will increase that number to six in the near future.

Mr McLeod said that once boilermakers finished their apprenticeship there was no clear career path beyond that. “We want to create a baseline then introduce additional levels of assessment that could equip people in the industry to eventually improve their skills and career opportunities.� he said. “It will work on a log-book basis.�

ASF has enlisted the support of the Federal Department of Employment to run the assessment program.

People interested in being involved in the skills assessment program can contact Mr McLeod at: marcel@ australiansteelfabricators.com.au

The award-winning hydraulic valve opening tool.

Valve opening tool takes innovation honours Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa has won the 2014 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Innovation Award for its hydraulic valve opening tool.

Company employee Stephen Fairbrother was behind the idea for a safer and more efficient manner of opening the spigot valves that regulate the flow of tailings in the operation’s large pipework systems. “We are always looking for ways to minimise risk of injury and the opening and closing of these valves has the potential to

w W

s Co

www.gracelaw.com.au Ph 07 4775 4997 Suite 2, 511 Flinders Street West Townsville QLD 4810

cause muscle strains, pinching and slips and falls due to wet or uneven surfaces,� Mr Fairbrother said. “The valves are tight and can take up to 10 minutes to open with some serious muscle work. I wanted to develop a tool that reduced manual handling, eliminated potential impact injuries and reduced the time to conduct the job and the associated fatigue. “The hydraulic valve opening tool allows the operator to stand in a correct position and hold on to an appropriately positioned crossbar handle that eliminates the injury risk.�

The innovation awards were held as part of the three-day Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference in Townsville.

QMIHSC official spokesperson Paul Harrison said the awards were an important event in the conference program. “It’s pretty important that you have something like the awards that recognises innovation and encourages people to think about better ways of doing things and better systems for doing things in their day-to-day jobs,â€?he said. • For more from the conference visit our website at www. industryadvocate.com.au

5

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

NEWS

Sweet windfall for fabricators A big-budget overhaul in cane country means work for a range of regional suppliers MSF Sugar’s South Johnstone mill is set to roll out $16.3 million in refurbishment works in the first half of 2015, following a $9 million upgrade program in the lead-up to this year’s crushing season.

General manager Phil Miskin said the improvements were the first capital instalments in a five-year plan that would see the company invest $40-$50 million in the North Queensland mill, located about 10km south-west of Innisfail.

“It’s a big injection of capital into the facility and a real show of faith in the area,” he said The company aims to work with growers to boost the district’s cane production by about 400,000 tonnes during the five-year period in response to a more positive global outlook for sugar.

With additional hectares of cane being planted in the mill’s catchment area, cane railway upgrades and extra cane bins were among the early works.

Other major works undertaken this year included increasing

capacity at No. 2 mill at the South Johnstone facility, a $1.5 million project to improve tippler capacity and installation of an additional crystalliser.

The company plans to increase mill throughput to about 1.6 million tonnes in 2015, with major works including the replacement of No.5 mill and installation of an additional mud filter to allow optimum crushing rates to be maintained when mud and dirt loadings are high.

Mr Miskin said contracts for the upgrade projects had gone out to a range of suppliers throughout regional Queensland who specialised in sugar milling equipment.

These included Wulguru Steel in Townsville, NQEA in Cairns and Bradken Engineering’s Innisfail workshop.

“Because a lot of the equipment is specialised (sugar) milling equipment, we have a range of suppliers that the industry deals with – although they would also subcontract some of the general engineering components,” he said.

Right - South Johnstone Mill.

Below - the new cane bin weighbridge tippler.

Bundaberg Walkers Engineering is responsible for work including the $8 million contract to supply and install the new No.5 mill.

Sales/project engineer Paul Delley said the project was very important to Bundaberg Walkers Engineering, as this sort of

Wulguru Steel’s new welding rotator and manipulator joins 6.2m circumference sections of the Macknade Sugar Mill smoke stack.

Safety milestone for Wulguru Steel Townsville-based Wulguru Steel employees have posted 212,000 hours of work without a lost time injury (LTI), a record for the business established in 1977.

General manager Wayne Landrigan said the result was even more noteworthy because many of the hours were logged at remote locations in trying conditions.

Mr Landrigan said safety in the steel fabrication and welding industry was vital.

“We value our employees, they are

our most important asset,” he said.

transported to the job site.

“We ensure that all staff are supported with the equipment needed to successfully and safely undertake any task and any contingency that may arise.”

“Welding rotators are not new technology but we have ‘tweaked’ the equipment to create a quicker and more controlled process,” Mr Landrigan said.

The company recently purchased welding rotators and manipulators to complete a job for the Macknade sugar mill.

The old concrete smoke stack was replaced with a 30m steel stack which was fabricated in sections at the company’s workshop and

Mr Landrigan said Wulguru Steel was also out-sourcing skilled welders, draftsmen and site managers out to contract to optimise the company’s capability.

“We’ve had site managers working on projects for up to three

“The steel fabrication industry is constantly evolving and good old Aussie innovation worked well for us in completing the mill job on time and on budget.

months at a time,” he

“Efficiencies equal cost savings, something we can pass on to our clients.”

pipe work for

said.

Wulguru Steel specialises in general engineering, stainless steel and aluminium fabrication, specialised government, mining and processing industries.

upgrade did not come often in the Australian sugar industry.

“Being one of the major manufacturing businesses in Bundaberg, there are a lot of families that rely on this sort of support from the local sugar industry,” he said.

Other than the major upgrade of the MSF Tableland mill in North Queensland during 2011

to 2013, there had not been an increase in demand for this sort of work, Mr Delley said.

“There has been a lot of interest by overseas investors in various sugar companies here in Australia but overall there has not been a lot of major upgrades to crushing station capacity or efficiency at this stage,” he said.

“We are fortunate that MSF Sugar is looking at the longterm viability and sustainability of the sugar industry in North Queensland and have emphasised their intention by investing in upgrades such as this.”

6 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Is mine safety

Mathew Haddrick BMA Saraji Mine

still the top The recent federal approval of Adani’s $16 billion Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland sparked a wave of digital protest including a nude selfie by an Aussie celebrity and the highly publicised demise of a lovable clown fish.

Model Robyn Lawley took to her Instagram account to post a naked photo and vent her feelings about the project approval.

“The only way to get coal out of Carmichael mine is via the Great Barrier Reef,” she wrote.

“Millions of tonnes of seabed will have to be dredged and dumped in the World Heritage Area to make way.” The photo gained more than 2000 “likes” and received comments from both sides of the argument.

“I am a coal miner and I love my job what good does it do underground none at least above ground it keeps your lights on and ur house warm/cool you should be thankful men and women like myself risk our lives everyday to let you be in comfort,” sulli_scott wrote.

“Great to see you using your influence as a public figure to

stand up for the environment,” jforward1 wrote.

The approval also saw Greenpeace post a 30-second “Save the Reef ” message on YouTube featuring a “Nemo” fish swimming in a blender.

The video closes with the sound of the blender grinding up its contents. Its caption urges people to use their power to save the fish from the threat that coal export plans posed for its ocean home.

The clip attracted almost 100,000 views and more than 200 likes.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt hit back at criticism of his approval for Australia’s largest coal mine, saying the strictest of conditions had been imposed to ensure the protection of the environment.

Meanwhile Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said activist groups were trying every trick in the book to disrupt and delay Galilee Basin projects delaying electricity supply to the developing world and the economic benefits the projects would bring Queensland.

“Absolutely. It is still important to maintain safety at all costs.”

priority despite the downturn?

Keith Brennan

Jason Lund

State Department of Natural Resources and Mines

AMWU “The process is still there for safety in the mining industry. We would question sometimes the ideology of it but safety is still there.”

David Cliff

‘’Most definitely and as regulators we are in the pursuit to ensure that companies don’t drop their guard because of the economic climate.”

Greg Dalliston

UQ Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in Mining

Safety Inspector CFMEU

“The economic pressures and the pressures of production make it very difficult to argue that safety is the No. 1 priority in all mines in Queensland.”

“In the last 12 months we’ve had 16 fatalities in the mining industry across Australia ... it is clear we are going the wrong way.”

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7

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

REGIONAL ROUND-UP Townsville

Cairns

The State Government will go back out to tender on the $200 million Townsville Ring Road Section 4 project for additional scope of works including four lanes from Shaw Rd to the Bruce Highway at Mount Low. The Townsville Bulletin reported that lower-than-expected quotes meant money was left over for the final stage of the ring road development, between the Bohle and Deeragun, jointly funded by State and Federal governments.

Federal Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss said Queensland would now go out to market to determine if additional works could be achieved.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said the government would continue to work with the shortlisted tenderers to deliver the additional scope of works.

Early works, including some service relocations and clearing, will continue until the main construction contract is awarded, with work due to begin early 2015.

Singapore’s Aspial Corporation has lodged a development application seeking council approval for the first stage of a $200 million, seven-tower project on Spence St in the Cairns CBD. Member for Cairns Gavin King said the developer was working with a range of Cairns consultants and businesses to progress the project, destined to create thousands of jobs.

“Aspial has a strong commitment to work with local contractors, architects and consultants and that aligns with our government’s strong push to attract new investment and create more jobs after so many tough years of stagnation in our region,” he said.

The company was aiming to begin construction by the end of the year, subject to relevant approvals, he said.

Mackay/Rockhampton The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has called for the Abbott Government to conduct an urgent review into the 457 Visa program after a stoush over Hastings Deering job cuts in Queensland.

Mackay and Rockhampton depots have been among those hit as the mining services company launches a round of redundancies to trim about 400 positions.

AMWU official Brad Hansen said Hastings Deering management had refused to prioritise local workers over short-term employees, including those on 457 visas.

Companies have a legal requirement to treat foreign workers with the same rights as those on permanent contracts, The Daily Mercury reported.

“With the increased availability of skilled labour and Queensland’s unemployment at its highest level in a decade, Queenslanders should not accept that there is a need for the ongoing use of temporary work visas,” Mr Hansen said.

Mount Isa Sunday trading has hit the headlines in north-west Queensland, with Queensland Industrial Relations Commission hearings due in Mount Isa in November to hear an application from the National Retail Association on the issue.

The local chamber of commerce – now known as Commerce North West – recently voted in favour of extended hours for non-exempt shops after an online survey came out 57.5 per cent in support of Sunday trading, with many small businesses voicing concerns, according to The North West Star.

Meanwhile State Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter, who resigned from Commerce North West as a result of its support for extended hours for major retailers in Mount Isa, has launched a petition against seven-day trading in the city.

Miles Miles District Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a community investment plan, mapping out projects to the value of $1million to be carried out over the next five years.

Its release follows more than 12 months of discussion with the community and advice from consultant partners Urbis, according to the Advance Western Downs online newsletter.

Community projects to be delivered under the initiative include refurbishment of Anzac Park, an online information hub, greater opportunities for youth and a Dogwood tourism strategy.

Chamber President John Hoffmann said the plan was designed to give the local community a sense of ownership back following council amalgamation in the region and to make the most of the changes brought about by the CSG industry.

Toowoomba Boral has applied to build a plant capable of producing 180 tonnes of asphalt every hour within the Charlton Wellcamp industrial precinct on Toowoomba’s western outskirts, The Chronicle reports.

The facility would replace a temporary plant already on the site, built in 2013 to service major upgrades to the Warrego Hwy between Toowoomba and Dalby.

Boral Construction Material Asphalt contracting manager Tim Everett told the paper the project could take two years to complete.

The Charlton Wellcamp industrial area is already home to the Vinidex plastic pipe factory, while a hot-dip galvanising plant and a drill rig storage and maintenance facility have also been approved for the area by Toowoomba Regional Council.

Kestrel swoops at EK Healy before flying out Fresh from their 2014 E K Healy Cup win, central Queensland’s Kestrel mines rescue team is facing off against the world’s best in the international competition arena in Poland.

Kestrel was invited to the International Mines Rescue competition, September 6-13, as a result of their 2012 performance – when they were the first team to win all three Australian rescue competitions open to Queensland coal mines.

Captain Derrin Powell said they were excited to be going up against some of the world’s top rescue teams.

“This is an incredible opportunity to learn from best practice in underground mining safety not just from coal mines but from a variety of underground operations,” he said.

Kestrel Mine general manager

operations John Coughlan said the team had prepared well for the world championships and their recent win at the Queensland mines rescue EK Healy Cup event had been a good boost in their preparation.

The team – based at Rio Tinto’s underground Kestrel mine near Emerald - took out the overall win and the Matt Best trophy at the 2014 E K Healy Cup competition.

Eight teams competed across four surface exercises and one underground exercise at BMA’s Broadmeadow Mine, near Moranbah in Central Queensland.

Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) operations manager Ray Smith said the teams faced a range of obstacles across the competition.

“One exercise was a multiple

casualty exercise with five people with a range of injuries. The teams had to assess them and apply first aid techniques,” he said.

“The surface exercises were good overall but a couple of teams lost some points on the scoreboard.

“Teams were also thrown off by a couple of surprise exercises we threw in at the start of the underground exercise.”

This year saw Dallas Dorney lose the Chief Inspector’s Trophy for excellence in first aid to Matthew Barclay after a fouryear winning streak and Kestrel’s Derrin Powell took out the Matt Best award for best captain.

The event was held on the anniversary of the Box Flat Mine disaster. Mr Smith said it was never too far from everyone’s mind.

Kestrel Mines Rescue Team members Geff Dyball, Chris Catip and Brendan Iddles during a recent training exercise.

“This year we paid tribute to the lives that were lost in the Box Flat mine. It’s also the Moura No.2 explosion anniversary (in August) so we were all thinking of that too,” he said.

Kestrel was followed by Crinum, Broadmeadow and Oaky

North in this year’s competition placings. Moranbah North, Oaky No. 1, Cook Colliery and North Goonyella also competed.

• See Our Mining Heritage Pages 10-11 - for more on the Box Flat disaster and the history of the EK Healy Cup

8 NEWS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

QCLNG FIRST LNG

All fired up for first LNG exports

BY THE NUMBERS QCLNG will be a two-train LNG plant with 8.5mtpa capacity.

The Bechtel construction workforce on site is about 3500.

Construction has included 80 modules of varying size up to about 2500 tonnes, 75m long and 10 storeys high.

The largest module was equivalent in size to 17 average cars parked nose to tail, as wide as an Olympic swimming pool and as tall as a six-storey building.

The 45,000 tonnes of steel structures were assembled in Thailand by Bechtel in 10 million worker hours.

The two LNG tanks have capacity of 140,000m3 each and are 48m high and 250m in circumference.

normal sequence of processes to test and prepare parts of the first train, he said.

“Gas has been introduced to the plant, allowing commissioning of the refrigeration turbines and compressors to start and the flare to be lit,” Mr Larter said. “This is an important step prior to cooling Train 1 and producing first LNG in the fourth quarter. At the same time work is continuing to construct Train 2, which will be commissioned in 2015.”

Fellow LNG proponent Australia Pacific LNG successfully completed the hydro and pneumatic testing on its second liquefied natural gas storage tank in August, targeting delivery of first LNG exports from its Curtis Island project in mid-2015. Meanwhile the last shipment of modules to build

The QCLNG project is gearing up for first LNG by the end of the year, with a flame-topped flare stack marking the recent introduction of gas to the Curtis Island plant.

QGC has recruited a team of about 170 people to operate the LNG plant - more than half being people from the Gladstone region who have either transitioned from other industrial roles or returned to the city after gaining LNG industry expertise overseas.

Construction contractor Bechtel initiated the controlled ignition of the QCLNG flare in August as natural gas was introduced to the plant, QGC communications manager Paul Larter said.

The flaring was part of the

An aerial view of the loading jetty at the QCLNG export facility at Curtis Island.

Santos GLNG’s gas processing trains are on their way from the Philippines as that project also shapes up for exports next year.

Details are not yet available on the date or destination for the first shipment from QGC’s QCLNG project, which the company says is being

delivered within its the Phase 1 US$20.4 billion budget.

Mr Larter said work was advancing across QGC’s upstream tenements in the Surat Basin to ensure gas supply. The logistical challenge of developing this vast, integrated project across an area of 4500km sq and involving

up to 14,500 people had been significant, he said. “No one has ever done this before.”

Monadelphous and GE Oil & Gas Australia have been awarded major maintenance contracts for the LNG facility, while Corporate Protection Australia is supplying site security and emergency staff.

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Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

NEWS

GLADSTONE ENGINEERING ALLIANCE MAJOR INDUSTRY CONFERENCE

Ground shifts for Gladstone Adapting to change is a focus for local business as key LNG projects advance

“The horizon is

Gladstone’s engineering and supply industry is undergoing a period of transition, with a general shift from new-build fabrication work and uncertainty over where the next major project will come from, according to a business leader.

MIPEC chief executive officer Steve Beale was commenting in the lead-up to the Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA) 2014 Major Industry Conference – with the theme Adapting to a Changing Environment.

MIPEC – Marine, Industrial, Port, Engineering and Contracting - has grown from a one-man operation 10 years ago into a multifaceted enterprise with a 100-strong workforce.

That jobs figure was as high as 250 at the peak of the group’s contract work with the LNG construction projects.

Mr Beale agreed that Gladstone had reached a turning point - not only through the fact that those LNG projects would soon go into an operational phase, but with the general slowdown in major project work in the region.

“The horizon is probably a little bit hazy at the present time,” he said.

“We haven’t got any major projects that we can see (coming online) in the short to medium term – although that’s not unfamiliar territory for Gladstone and Gladstone businesses. It’s probably what we’re used to peaks and troughs.”

However recent experience, including the importation of the structural steel elements of the Curtis Island LNG projects as prefabricated modules, had clearly

time”

identified that major works of “fabrication as we used to know it” were no longer something that would be undertaken locally, he said.

“I think that’s just been proven with the LNG plants. We don’t stick build very much in Australia at all anymore,” Mr Beale said.

“Businesses are going to have to transition themselves into a slightly different space.

“We’re still going to have these industries here that require operational support – and that’s always been a big part of our focus … it’s the stuff that’s got the longevity about it.”

Among the challenges smaller enterprises faced nationwide was the nature of current contracting regimes, he said.

“My concern is that the major

probably a little bit hazy at the present MIPEC chief executive officer Steve Beale

contractors seem to be going in and winning contracts on minimal margins that probably aren’t sustainable, hoping that there’s sufficient flaws in the contract or mismanagement somewhere that facilitates catch-up on variations,” Mr Beale said.

“Ultimately the end client sees major project blowouts and frustrated investors.”

Mr Beale also pointed to macro influences that local operations would like to see turn around – such as the constraints that a high Australian dollar was placing on the resources sector.

He said Gladstone industry was well and truly ready for the next big opportunity – it just needed investors to see the area’s potential.

“I’ve got no doubts about the capability of Gladstone delivering anything that people want to build here,” Mr Beale said.

“We’ve proven it over and over again. As always I would like to see more Gladstone businesses involved in what goes on, but I can also understand the reality of major projects and how they quite often need to deal with bigger players from outside Gladstone on specialist projects.”

Supply openings revealed Supply opportunities will be the key focus of the upcoming Gladstone Engineering Alliance Major Industry Conference, organisers say.

Sponsored by MIPEC, the October 22-23 event at the Gladstone Entertainment and Convention Centre will provide briefings on a variety of project timelines and offer networking with decision makers.

“The whole idea around the conference is that it’s not project updates, it really is about supply opportunities and that delegates get that tangible information about what is coming up, when it’s coming and how to prepare

for it,” GEA events officer Kim Roberts said.

The conference has a theme of Adapting to a Changing Environment, reflecting the shift in the local economy as the three major LNG projects under way transition from construction to operations and maintenance.

“And I suppose the angle that we’re coming from is encouraging small-to-medium businesses in the region to think outside the box a little bit, be innovative in what they’re offering,” Ms Roberts said.

“They’ve built their capability and capacity so much over the

last three years or so that they really can offer a whole new scope of products and services.

“It’s just about identifying the opportunities they can now work towards and also encouraging them to look at forming alliances with other companies that can assist them in tendering for larger packages.”

Organisations presenting at the conference include Cockatoo Coal, Bandanna Energy, Euroa Steel Plant Project (formerly Boulder Steel), Aurizon and Gladstone Ports Corporation.

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10 OUR MINING HERITAGE

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Box Flat blow lingers for Karyn Coal mining and timber personnel at a weighbridge in the Blair Athol district in 1915.

Blair Athol history on show A new exhibition at the Clermont Historical Centre provides an insight into the emergence of mining technology and international business deals familiar today from the Blair Athol coal mine in Central Queensland.

From Japanese Ouchi Urushi dolls to the original Ruston steam shovel, the Blair Athol Collection features a selection of items and stories which include the old ghost town of Blair Athol.

Clermont Historical Centre Advisory Committee

x

chair and local councillor Barbara Stranks said the collection was a pivotal slice of Australian history.

“This collection shows a turning point in Australian history, especially for our mining community,”she said. “Covering the period from 1800-1980s, the Blair Athol collection is where the emergence of mining technology breakthroughs begin, amid a scene of social uprising where racial tensions are high.”

The collection is showing until December 13.

Karyn Reinhardt was seven years old when a mining disaster took the lives of not one, but two people she loved.

It was July 31, 1972 when the Box Flat mine disaster at Swanbank, Ipswich killed 17 men including Karyn’s father Daryl and grandfather Harold.

Ms Reinhardt said her memories of the day were blurred but she remembered hearing the news of the accident with her siblings.

“When something significant like this happens, your mind kind of shuts down a little bit to protect yourself,” she said.

“On the day of the disaster my grandfather was on shift working and my father was with the mines rescue team which was later called on to go down and try and help the men who were already down there.

“We were living with our grandfather at the time, we were told very late that night but Mum really sheltered us as much as she could at the time.”

Ms Reinhardt said it was the key moments in her life when it really hit home for her what she had lost that day.

“Growing up without (my father), I’ve just missed sharing so much with him and having him involved in my life,” she said.

“When you get married and when you have children and you know they’ll never meet him, it’s hard.

“I’ve been married for nearly 30 years and we have two children aged 22 and 17. They’ll never know what Dad was like.”

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11

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

OUR MINING HERITAGE

Disaster took heavy toll on rescue crew Throughout 100 years of rescues, the darkest day for the Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) was July 31, 1972.

That was the day of the Box Flat mine disaster, Ipswich, in which 17 men, including eight mines rescue workers, were killed.

About 2.45am an underground explosion trapped 14 men, killed three men on the surface, and injured 10 others.

“One of the mines had a spontaneous combustion which quickly turned into a fire and the mines rescue teams were underground attempting to

The memorial for those lost in the Box Flat disaster of 1972.

seal part of the mine off so that the company still had a mine,” CFMEU industry safety and health representative Greg Dalliston said.

“During that process the ventilation circuit in the mines changed direction and began drawing the gasses from the coals back in to the fire, which caused an explosion.

“A lot of people lost friends and loved ones that day.”

QMRS chief executive officer Wayne Hartley said that a lot had changed since the Box Flat mine disaster to improve safety during rescue jobs.

“Historically rescue workers relied upon human instinct during emergencies,” he said.

“In the early days they didn’t have the monitoring of the environment. They used to listen to the mine, they would smell the environment and then they’d be keeping an eye out, although working they still worked in the dark with their cap lamps which in those days were very crude and basic.”

Mr Hartley said while the QMRS held on to a lot of tradition it had also implemented many changes since the disaster.

“Changes and technological advances over the years cement our strong future,” he said.

“We’ve seen changes like the sophistication in breathing apparatus and in gas monitoring, the first aid advances, and riskmanagement procedures and protocols.”

Mines rescue brigade at West Ipswich in the 1940s.

Birth of a tradition

Wayne Hartley Queensland Mines Rescue chief executive officer

When the Ipswich suburb of Booval lost its beloved Mills Cup to a rival mines rescue team from Collinsville, nobody realised it would be the beginning of a new competition that is now in its 43rd year.

Years ago a trophy named the Mills Cup was presented to the Booval mines rescue station by the local Mills family.

Local mines rescue teams competed among themselves for the prize and, as the competition progressed, competitors from other areas began to join in.

The first interdistrict competition was held in Booval in 1970 - which saw the Collinsville Mines Rescue Brigade walk away with the town’s prized cup.

Queensland Mines Rescue chief executive officer Wayne Hartley said locals were left with a sense of horror following the loss.

“There was such a hoo ha about the Mills cup leaving Booval that the minister of the day instructed a new trophy to be established, called the EK Healy Cup, for the interdistrict competition - which is now the State competition,” Mr Hartley said. “The cup was named after the secretary to the Department of Mines, and so began the EK Healy competition. The first EK Healy cup was won by Collinsville in 1971. Now the best of the best come together to compete in this cup.”

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12 BETWEEN SHIFTS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Garry Jarvis, Chris Smith, Aline Bordin and Glenn Riley (SEW Eurodrive) at the Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition.

Val Loreznelli, Phil Horton and Brook Picken (Finlease) at the 2014 Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition, Mackay.

Duncan Carmichael, Chris Kerr, Mark Barron and Steve Greenwell (Rotary Club of Thuringowa Central) at the Queensland ABB Mining Golf Challenge, Townsville.

Kristan Gower, Brett Hudson and Peter Huntingdon (Onsite Rental Group) attending a recent Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon, Mackay.

Rob Nichols (Redpath Mining), Andrea White (Carve Business Solutions) and Rory Burke (Redpath Mining) at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference, Townsville.

Michael Murray from Cotton Australia with Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh at a Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Innovation Series forum, Toowoomba.

Sarah Copland and Rod Ramsay (Resources Industries Skills Association) with John Lennon (Lennon Training) at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference, Townsville.

Scan this code with your mobile device to see more photos from Richard Clemmy, Katie Dwyer and Maurie Fatnowna (The Shell Company) at the Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon.

these and other events

Jo Sheppard (TSBE) and Gavin Walton (Condamine Electric Company) at Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Innovation Series forum.

Katherine Dumbleton, Terry Judd and Peter Webbers (Mt Maurice RFB) at the Gladstone Engineering Alliance charity golf day.

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Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

REGIONAL REAL ESTATE

YEPPOON

Beachside with benefits

Affordable property prices and the promise of a glorious lifestyle are the two key things drawing people to Yeppoon for investment and living, according to local experts.

Capricorn Enterprise chief executive officer Mary Carroll says the appeal of Yeppoon is that it is a beautiful coastal destination only a 30-minute drive from a major regional city.

“The proximity to Rockhampton, but the fact that you have this beautiful lifestyle on the Capricorn Coast, is responsible for the bulk of the residential growth,” Ms Carroll said.

“Ten thousand five hundred vehicles travel daily between Yeppoon and Rockhampton, so that gives an indication of the number of people travelling into Rockhampton for things like work, shopping and university, that type of thing.”

In the 12 months leading up to June 2012, Livingstone Shire recorded a 3.6 per cent population growth, bringing numbers to 34,595, with

Justin and Danielle Drury with their children Ella and Aiden, enjoying the coastal lifestyle.

Photo: David Harbutt

Yeppoon being the main component of that figure.

As of September 2013, the median house price in Yeppoon was $396,000.

Ms Carroll said that in investment terms, for Yeppoon, “the only way is up”.

“Current investment in residential and business is

extremely opportunistic at the moment because, as you can see from the median house price – it’s very, very affordable for a coastal destination in Queensland,” she said.

Principal licensee of O’Reilly’s Real Estate Yeppoon, Ross O’Reilly, said people looking for a coastal lifestyle or a new property investment should cast their eye to Yeppoon.

“It’s very affordable here. The rental returns on properties at around $400,000, they are renting out at around $430 to $440 per week on average. So it’s quite a good place to invest,” he said.

“There’s some good apartment investments too.”

Danielle Drury recently moved to Yeppoon with her husband Justin and their two kids Aiden and Ella.

“We decided to move down to the beach from Gracemere for a calmer and nicer lifestyle,” she said.

“It’s a lot more affordable than other places and it’s a much nicer region. Most of the spare

Lammermoor Beach looking back towards Yeppoon.

Photo: Nathan White

time that we have is spent down the beach but we also do a lot of fishing, out on the boat and we have kayaks. There’s also the walking tracks that you don’t get in town.”

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14 PROMOTING INDIGENOUS EMPLOYMENT

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

New centres a gateway to mining jobs New Vocational Training and Employment Centres (VTEC) in Central and North Queensland will provide guaranteed jobs within the mining industry for 350 indigenous people.

The North and Central Queensland centres in Mount Isa and Rockhampton are just two of 21 centres aiming to place up to 5000 indigenous Australians into specific jobs nationwide before July 2015.

Employers guarantee job places through Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) job pledges or letters of intent.

Letters of intent are a pledge from an employer to a VTEC that guarantee a number of employment places for indigenous jobseekers.

The mining positions available are entry-level and

are in response to job demand within the industry.

John Pearson Consulting, an organisation that has successfully delivered indigenous employment services as an Indigenous Employment Program panel member, will run the Central Queensland VTEC. “I have seen first-hand, the difference employment can make in people’s lives and to their families and communities,” managing partner John Pearson said.

“The VTEC initiative has the potential to transform indigenous employment.

“Through a collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, government and employers across Australia, we can achieve a shared and long-

“I have seen first-hand, the difference employment can make in people’s lives and to their families and communities” John Pearson

held dream of dramatically and significantly increasing the number of indigenous Australians finding and keeping meaningful employment.”

The North Queensland VTEC in Mount Isa will be run by the Myuma Group,

which has more than 15 years’ experience in indigenous prevocational training.

Myuma managing director Colin Saltmere said the new VTEC model would enhance the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of indigenous Australians.

“We have long believed that the key to achieving this is to engage with, and foster, those businesses that can best provide meaningful employment for indigenous people,” Mr Saltmere said.

“We believe that the VTEC model dovetails well with our established operations and will support us to continue our success into the future, for the benefit of indigenous people and the broader Australian economy.”

VTECs will be located in Sydney, the Hunter region, South Coast NSW, Brisbane, North and Central Queensland, Perth, Darwin, Melbourne, Kalgoorlie, Alice Springs, the Barkly region of the Northern Territory, the Kimberley and Adelaide.

Aurizon takes the ball and runs in diversity field

Aurizon manager of indigenous programs Steve Renouf.

A commitment to fostering indigenous employment helped rail freight operator Aurizon take out the Workforce Diversity award at this year’s Australasian Rail Industry Awards.

Rugby League star Steve Renouf has the role of manager of indigenous programs for the company, which joined a push to boost sustainable employment for indigenous Australians by signing the

Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) in July 2011. The AEC is an industry initiative to secure 50,000 sustainable jobs for indigenous Australians nationwide and Aurizon committed to having an additional 400 indigenous employees across the organisation.

Mr Renouf works closely with communities nationwide to recruit more indigenous employees into training and employment opportunities with the company. A variety of employment strategies including site visits, school talks, indigenous careers fairs and work experience have been used to attract young indigenous men and women to join Aurizon.

“Because we’ve had a long history with employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people we want to enhance that and

make it even stronger,” Mr Renouf said.

The company targeted indigenous-specific employment expos across the country, including those held in Queensland under the FOGS (Former Origin Greats) initiative, he said.

“It’s great for us from the point that all the participants in that are all indigenous students from the majority of schools across the state,” Mr Renouf said.

Since signing the AEC covenant, Aurizon management has reviewed recruitment practices to ensure there are no barriers for indigenous applicants.

Management leadership teams had also undertaken training to build understanding and awareness of unconscious bias and how it could influence key decision making in recruitment, promotion and development, the company said.

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15

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

BUILDING MINING COMMUNITIES

SUPPORTED BY BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON

Carpentaria Gold chemist Daniel Kandiero with Charlie Hood and Beau Easton.

Irene Kepa, Teio Kaniu, Dallas Johnson, Cannington’s Murray Lorensen and Vivienne Eseli during the warehouse visit.

Visit shows what’s in store Former Cowboys rugby league player Dallas Johnson accompanied four indigenous youths to the Cannington mine site in north-west Queensland recently for a tour of the operation’s warehousing facility.

The trip was part of the Cowboys’ Learn, Earn, Legend! program which provides indigenous students with insights into what’s available in the workforce.

BHP Billiton Cannington has been involved in the program since it began in 2010, but this was the first time students had actually visited the mine site.

Cannington community relations and communications specialist Graeme Nielsen said the initiative reflected the mine site’s philosophy of inclusiveness and equal opportunity.

“It was the first time we had the situation where a group of

Help for future farmers Glencore has joined forces with the Emerald Agricultural College to help develop Central Queensland’s next generation of farmers.

The two organisations have announced a partnership that aims to support the college’s Australian Primary Industries Production Program students through scholarships and study tours.

Five Glencore Scholarships, each valued at $10,000, will be offered to students starting the two-year Australian Primary Industries Program in the college’s 2015 intake.

Island habitat locked up Queensland’s natural gas sector has celebrated a landmark conservation initiative that will see nearly two thirds of Curtis Island, near Gladstone, set aside for environmental conservation.

On behalf of the LNG projects, Australia Pacific LNG

chief executive officer Page Maxson said the proposed establishment of more than 25,000ha of newly protected areas demonstrated the commitment of the industry to developing projects in an environmentally responsible way.

Hospital upgrade kicks off Major upgrade work has started at the Gladstone Hospital, with QGC providing $1.5 million for work on the operating theatre and Santos GLNG $1.45 million for the facility’s high dependency unit.

Hutchinson Builders have been contracted to do the refurbishment, with work expected to take about 40 weeks.

Up to 3000 patients were expected to use the new facilities each year, Gladstone Hospital executive director Dr Nicki Murdock said.

students were actually studying various aspects of warehousing, so we agreed to fly them out to the mine to see our operation,” he said.

Teio Kaniu was one of the group of four former Heatley and Kirwan High School students, and said he was even more determined to work in the mining industry after making the trip. “It’s my goal to work in a mine,” he said.

Gas boost for engineers’ wind studies Mechanical engineering students based at CQUniversity can look forward to using a Flotek 360 Wind Tunnel to study the effects of wind and aerodynamics, thanks to $33,547 from the QGC Sustainable Communities Fund.

Flotek computer-compatible wind tunnels allow highly visual investigations and demonstrations including airfoils, drag and slipstream effects of racing cars, and drag due to dimples on a golf ball.

CQUniversity lecturer Ashfaque Chowdhury said the equipment would be an engaging learning and teaching tool enabling students to better understand the effects of extreme conditions such as cyclones.

“Students will be better placed to support local engineering projects due to their skills and experience in this area,” Mr Chowdhury said.

Students have a blast during Science Week Common chemicals that can be found at home was the theme at Ravenswood State School in North Queensland recently when Carpentaria Gold chemist Daniel Kandiero demonstrated a range of experiments with ingredients such as vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.

Visiting for National Science Week, Mr Kandiero spoke to the children about the importance of safety in the laboratory before using indicators to show the difference in acidity and

alkalinity in different solutions and demonstrating what happens when you mix vinegar and bicarbonate.

The students saw the results fizz before watching an experiment where the resulting gases blew the lid off a coffee tin. The experiment proved very popular, with lots of requests to do it again.

“Popping the can was the best when it went bang. My brother liked it so much he tried it at home that night,” Year 1 student Beau Easton said.

Redpath tackles mental health problems head on Mining contractor Redpath has launched a raft of companywide initiatives to raise awareness and teach coping strategies for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

These issues cost the Australian mining industry an estimated $320 to $450 million each year but are rarely discussed, according to Redpath corporate health, safety, environmental and quality manager Graeme Christie.

From September 11, Redpath is holding a range of presentations educating staff about mental health problems – with a strong focus placed on staff learning to recognise the symptoms in their colleagues.

The program, which launches to coincide with R U OK? Day, will be followed by the distribution of educational materials to all employees, a renewed spotlight on the availability of employee counselling and the training of key personnel in a mental health first aid course.

The latest initiative comes after Redpath in 2013 launched a year-long fundraising and awareness campaign in partnership with beyondblue by painting a 60-tonne truck bright blue and making donations for every hour of work logged.

The company said mental health problems were a significant issue for the mining industry with Pricewaterhouse Coopers research in 2013 showing that 22.7 per cent of workers suffer from a condition, with more than half being a substance abuse issue - putting the sector within the top three industries for this problem.

Anyone who needs to discuss a mental health crisis should contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or SANE on 1800 18 7263.

Proudly supporting

mining communities Cannington

2

Shamrock Civil Engineering feature More than luck plays a hand in Irish pair’s business success Two Irishmen met in Central Queensland back in the 1990s and struck up a friendship which soon turned into a business partnership and Brisbane-based Shamrock Civil Engineering was born a few years later. It was a real Irish family affair with Gary Grace, his son-in-law John O’Hagan, daughter Karen, Brendan Kealy and his wife Trudy united in their mission to exploit the land of opportunity “Down Under�.

Gary Grace remembers their first successful tender 20 years ago with Hutchinson Builders. “We did the earthworks and roadworks for a retirement village in Brisbane,� he said. With Brendan, an engineer; John, a plant operator; Gary the mechanic and ‘jack of all trades’; and Karen and Trudy running the administrative side of the business, they were quickly on their way. “Our turnover in our first year was $900,000,�

Mr Grace said.

Fast forward to 2014 and the company now turns over $130-$150 million annually and employs a workforce of about 250 full-time

staff and 50 sub-contractors. It isn’t just luck associated with the success of Shamrock Civil sound business decisions at the right time paved the way for expansion. “We then moved into mining in the Surat Basin about 10 years ago and did a couple of contracts for Origin Energy before the coal seam gas (CSG) boom arrived,� Mr Grace said.

He attributes the success of the company directly to the hard work and dedication of the staff. “We have had no trouble getting good staff, around 30 per cent of our workforce has been with the company for 15 years,� he said.

And what does the future hold for Gary Grace? “I’m working part-time these days, but I suppose I’ll continue on for a few more years yet,� he said. But with plans to expand operations overseas into Papua New Guinea, it just might be a little harder to part company with the host of people who have become far more than work colleagues over the years.

Twenty years Staff at Shamrock Civil Engineering are celebrating 20 years of operation in Queensland, but there is little time to reflect on the milestone.

The company boasts a portfolio of excellence in completed work including shopping centres, the Brisbane International Airport upgrade, Defence contracts at Enoggera Army Barracks, relocating 21st Engineer Squadron to the RAAF base at Amberley, State Government works and resource sector infrastructure in the Surat Basin.

It was work in the resource sector, initially with Origin Energy in 2006, that established Shamrock Civil as an engineering business on the rise.

A $13.3 million contract for Origin Energy at its Rockwell property 40km south-west of Chinchilla heralded the arrival of the company as a mid-tier

player in Queensland in 2008.

The company won the contract to build the Talinga Evaporation Pond B, which first involved clearing 63ha of scrubland, stripping 120,000 cubic metres of topsoil and excavating 480,000 cubic metres ahead of supplying and installing 465,000sqm of geotextile and a 2mm HDPE liner inside the pond. Inlet structures and spillway construction followed.

More work followed and the biggest project undertaken by the company began in the Surat Basin in July 2012, when Shamrock Civil won a $30 million contract with QGC to undertake early earthworks at Woleebee Creek, 65km northwest of Miles.

The bulk earthworks operation covered an area of 260,000sqm and employed a wide range of heavy plant.

Graham McManmon, the

Transport heavyweight on management team Transport infrastructure and specifically roads and bridges continue to be the lifeblood of Australia’s prosperity. This is a vital component in the ongoing success of Shamrock Civil Engineering.

The company has engaged Townsville-based Clinton Huff, an experienced professional in the road and bridge-making business in Queensland.

Mr Huff started his career with the State Government’s Main Roads Department in 1975 as a fitter and rose steadily through the

ranks. Main Roads morphed into a commercial operation during the 1990s when Mr Huff was working out of Rockhampton.

He initially took on the role of commercialising the fleet arm of the business across Central Queensland and later moved to the North Queensland area before being appointed state general manager of RoadTek. Co-founder and director of Shamrock Civil, Brendan Kealy, said getting a man of Clinton Huff ’s experience was a significant breakthrough for the company.

Mr Huff is now preparing Shamrock’s experienced Transport Infrastructure team for the forthcoming Bruce Highway Action Plan and the Cape York Peninsula Development Rd plus other Department of Transport and Main Roads and local council projects throughout the state.

Originally appointed as North Queensland manager of Shamrock, he has more recently received a new title and role as program manager transport infrastructure for the state.

Program manager transport infrastructure Clinton Huff

Photo: Roslyn Budd

Shamrock Civil Engineering is one of Queensland’s Leading DLTP PROJECT – TOWNSVILLE LAVARACK BARRACKS

BRIDGE ROAD & PARADISE STREET REHABILIATION

CLIENT: Baulderstone Australia Pty Ltd VALUE:

DURATION: .BSDI o .BZ

CLIENT: Mackay Regional Council

SCOPE OF WORKS Shamrock Civil have been awarded the contract to complete the civil works on the DLTP Joint Logistics Project at the Townsville Lavarack Barracks.

The main components of this contract are:-

Project Manager Conor Moylan

t 4 JUF FTUBCMJTINFOU JODMVEJOH TFEJNFOU BOE FSPTJPO DPOUSPM TVSWFZ BOE testing t &OWJSPONFOUBM .BOBHFNFOU t $POUBNJOBUJPO 4QPJM SFNFEJBUJPO t %FNPMJUJPO PG N2 of existing pavements and services t #VML &BSUIXPSLT JODMVEJOH PG JNQPSUFE TFMFDU ĂśMM BOE N3 of excavation. t 4UPSNXBUFS 4FSWJDFT XJUI B N MPOH 3$#$ $VMWFSU 4USVDUVSF and 2.9Km of RCP Pipework and associated structures. t N2 of pavement construction works including sealed granular, CTB and concrete pavements t *OTUBMMBUJPO PG SPBE BOE TUSFFU GVSOJUVSF

Shamrock Civil Engineering Pty Ltd:

VALUE: $9,000,000

DURATION: Jan 2013-Feb 2014

BRIDGE ROAD & PARADISE STREET REHABILIATION

Shamrock Civil was awarded the principal contract to rehabilitate Bridge Road and Paradise Street in the City of Mackay.

The contract was performed directly for Mackay Regional Council, in association with client management consultancy Aurecon. The Primary objective for these works was rehabilitating the damage that flooding had caused to these two roads in previous years. The works included: t NN CPY PVU PG UIF QBWFNFOU BOE SF CVJME VTJOH B OFX EFTJHO JODPSQPSBUJOH $FNFOU USFBUFE CBTF $5# BOE CJUVNFO USFBUFE CBTF #5# JO JUT NBLF VQ t *OTUBMMBUJPO BOE UFTUJOH PG NBJOT XBUFS BOE SFUJDVMBUJPO GPS UIF TVSSPVOEJOH CVTJOFTTFT BOE SFTJEFOUT t N PG CBSSJFS LFSCJOH BOE GPPUQBUI t .BOBHFNFOU PG BTQIBMU DPODSFUF BOE MBOETDBQJOH DSFXT

Project Manager Alan Law

A key element for the Shamrock Civil management team was the management of its Stakeholders due to direct interaction with businesses and residents with regards to access, noise and other environmental issues. The co-ordination of nine work stages involved a moderately complex Traffic Management Plan due to the high volumes of daily traffic.

The project had some delicate aspects to manage including the protection of electrical, telecom and water services of an unknown location throughout the work site and the removal of redundant asbestos piping.

This project came under budget much to the satisfaction of the client. Local business owner Graeme Kingsbury of Mackay #VJMEJOH 4VQQMJFT PO 1BSBEJTF 3PBE DPNQMJNFOUFE UIF $PVODJM BOE 4IBNSPDL JO UIF .BDLBZ %BJMZ .FSDVSZ IUUQ XXX EBJMZNFSDVSZ DPN BV OFXT CVTJOFTTNBO DIVòFE XJUI SFTVSGBDFE QBSBEJTF TU

WHITSUNDAY NDRRA PACKAGE B

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2 Years

of growth company’s mine site expert, described the project after its completion in 2013 as “a new benchmark for work in the Surat Basin�.

To keep abreast of the company’s rapid growth in recent years, offices have been opened in Mackay and Townsville.

This takes the load off head office in Brisbane. Shamrock Civil has just established a presence in Dalby, and plans are afoot to expand into Papua New Guinea.

The Dalby office includes a storage area and equipment maintenance depot.

Shamrock Civil Engineering director and co-founder, Brendan Kealy said the Surat Basin and its associated coal seam gas developments had become an important element in the company’s continued growth. “As a result, it seemed a logical step to open an office in Dalby,� he said. “We have had a strong presence in the Surat Basin for about the past 10 years.�

Shamrock Civil has a workforce of about 90 working on projects in the Surat Basin.

The move to establish a presence in PNG, with an office in Port Moresby, is a five-year plan to support the company’s growth. “The office will be opened in September and a number of key partnerships have been forged with PNG-owned and operated companies,� Mr Kealy said. “We have already tendered for two contracts and are currently looking at another three or four.�

The company will initially focus on roads and bridges and will ship equipment to Port Moresby from Brisbane to undertake the work. “We see our role as bringing another level of skill and experience to PNG. Our plan is to bring PNG staff that we hire to Brisbane for training,� Mr Kealy said.

Dewatering capabilities Shamrock Civil has diversified through a share-holding deal with National Dewatering, a multi-disciplined mining services company specialising in the design, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of all pumping and pipe work activities for open-cut and underground mines.

The business maintains fully equipped workshops in Mackay, Queensland and Rutherford in the Hunter Valley of New South

Wales offering a full range of onsite service vehicles for full spares and maintenance.

Project staff and maintenance crews provide services and support Australia-wide including complete remote site mechanical and electrical installation.

The business has undertaken comprehensive dewatering pumping operations for BHP, Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Anglo Coal, Energy Australia, Vista Gold and Vale.

Employees prove equal to challenging tasks Shamrock Civil has notched up some milestones at the QCLNG upstream Northern Water Treatment Plant ponds project near Wandoan in the Surat Basin during 2014.

The company has logged 850 days of no Lost Time Injuries or Medically Treated Injuries (LTIs and MTIs) and counting since beginning the project more than two years ago.

It is also the largest project undertaken by the Brisbane-based

civil engineering business at $78 million in value and among the most complex. “Shamrock Civil initially tendered for early works, completing all the footings and pads for the water treatment facility. Such was the quality of work, we won the tender to prepare six ponds associated with the water treatment process,� director Leslie Zeeman said.

Scope of work encompasses a raw water storage pond, a treated

Eye in the sky Shamrock Civil Engineering has taken to the sky to deliver its clients the very latest in surveying technology with the senseFly eBee mapping drone.

The Swiss mini-drone has the capability to turn what was a week-long job for surveyors on the ground into a couple of hours of aerial mapping while delivering a three-dimensional rendering from photographs taken during the fully automated flight.

Shamrock Civil surveying manager Keith McNutt is excited by the potential of the eBee to not only save time and money for the company and clients, but deliver a high level of safety for staff in the field. “Staff are our most important asset and our thinking was that the eBee would keep our team of four surveyors out of harm’s way when doing mapping work,� Mr McNutt said. “The eBee also means they (the surveyors) will spend more time in the office collating the data rather than time-consuming work in the field collecting it.�

Weighing only 690g, the eBee has a flight time of up to 50 minutes, enabling it to cover up to 12sq km in a single flight.

The mini-drone will take off and land autonomously in a 30sqm area.

Mr McNutt said surveyor Chris Abberton had completed a week-long training course in Sydney organised by supplier, the Ultimate Positioning Group in Brisbane.

water pond, a reverse osmosis rejects pond, a concentrated brine pond, a spent ion exchange (IX) pond and the sedimentation pond. Four of the ponds have been completed with work now focused on the concentrated brine pond and the IX pond.

The brine pond is only the second of its type built in the southern hemisphere and has thrown up a raft of challenges.

Project manager Ronan Egan said the pond consisted of a very complex lining system with multiple liner layers, a clay layer and sump details to provide safe housing for the heated brine solution that is produced during the water purification process in the water treatment facility.

Mr Egan said the project would be completed by mid-2015 and treated water would be reused during the coal seam gas extraction process and also for agriculture. “Safety on the worksite is part of the culture at Shamrock Civil and programs like our Safety For Life initiative reward positive behaviour through positive reinforcement,� he said.

Most of the Shamrock employees involved in the project are FIFO (fly in-fly out) and DIDO (drive in-drive out). “Throughout the project, Shamrock Civil has engaged with the local community including playing in a touch football competition, five-a-side soccer and support for camel racing in Wandoan and local camp draft,�

Mr Egan said.

g Mid-Tier Construction Companies... Here are a few examples why:

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WHITSUNDAY NDRRA PACKAGE B CLIENT: Whitsunday Regional Council VALUE: $2,400,000 DURATION: October 2013 – March 2014 Shamrock Civil was awarded the principal contract to rehabilitate Dingo Beach Rd and Hydeaway Bay Rd. The contract was performed directly for Whitsunday Regional Council, in association with client management consultancy AECOM. The Primary objective for these works was rehabilitating the damage that flooding had caused to these two roads in previous years. The works included: t N3 of excavation of over 90 patches on these two roads. t 1MBDFNFOU PG N PG $5# BMPOH XJUI HFPGBC BOE HFPHSJE JO UIFTF QBUDIFT t N2 of insitu stabilisation. t 1SJNF TFBM BOE ÜOBM TFBM PO BMM UIFTF BSFBT t .BOBHFNFOU PG TFBM TUBCJMJTBUJPO MJOFNBSLJOH BOE BMM PUIFS TVCDPOUSBDUPST A key element for the Shamrock Civil management team was the traffic management due to direct interaction with residents and tourists regarding access, noise and other environmental issues. The co-ordination of thirteen work stages involved a moderately complex Traffic Management Plan due to the high volumes of daily local and visiting traffic.

The project had some delicate aspects to manage including the protection of electrical, telecom and water services.

HOLTS ROAD STORMWATER CULVERT UPGRADE CLIENT: Mackay Regional Council VALUE: $1,700,000 DURATION: August 2011 – April 2012 Consists of the upgrade of a 4 cell existing creek culvert spanning under a MRC road and the associated roadworks upgrade. The roadworks also includes rediversion of existing Telstra and &SHPO BOE ÜCSFPQUJD TFSWJDFT %VF UP UIF IJHI volume of traffic on the road and the necessity to minimise the impact of the construction process, the culvert system will be constructed as part of a 2 stage process which involves the construction of a temporary side road built over the newly placed culverts and around the stage 2 work zone.

Following the completion of the culverts, the roadworks will again need to be completed as part of a staged process. The roads will be constructed in 4 additional stages, each stage involving a substantial amount of traffic management.

Project Manager Dave Carney

wnsville – 07 4417 1600 Mackay – 07 4957 4386 Ipswich Office and Workshop – 07 3727 1100

18 INDUSTRY UPDATE Easternwell lands Asian contract Toowoomba company Easternwell has landed its first international contract, a deal with a Bruneian oil and gas company that is expected to be worth $10.5 million over five years.

Easternwell is providing services to support Flux’s new $100 million, sevenyear contract with a global energy organisation to deliver well intervention and abandonment services.

Easternwell - a Transfield Services subsidiary - is project managing the build and delivery of Flux’s new heavy mobile onshore workover and well-servicing rig. It will also supply senior rig crew, together with HSE and maintenance personnel to Flux in support of the contracted scope of work.

Glencore gets the guernsey The Queensland Government has appointed Glencore International as the preferred proponent to develop the Aurukun bauxite deposit on western Cape York.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said since the government’s decision last March ruling out two other proposals, interest to develop the resource had remained.

“Our objective as a State Government has always been clear - to improve employment, health and educational opportunities for the people of Aurukun by unlocking the economic potential of this valuable bauxite deposit,” Mr Seeney said.

“After continuing discussions with a number of parties, the Queensland Government considers Glencore is best placed in terms of both technical capability and financial strength to successfully take on this challenging development.”

Well testing under way Icon Energy says its ATP 855 Joint Venture has engaged Condor Energy Services to undertake a hydraulic stimulation and testing program at the Cooper Basin project in south-western Queensland from early September.

Icon Energy managing director Ray James said, in moving the project forward, it was important for the

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

company to be able to understand and then focus its attention on the commercial aspects of the tenement.

Winning ways

“This is an extremely exciting time for Icon Energy and our shareholders as we approach our largest stimulation and testing program in ATP 855 and we look forward to achieving the results that further de-risk our unconventional basin-centred gas asset in ATP 855,” he said.

Deep gas framework Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps recently released an industry framework outlining the opportunities for developing Queensland’s next generation of deep gas and oil projects.

“Queensland is potentially rich in deep gas and oil resources and tapping these would build on the State Government’s commitment to growing the resources sector and creating more jobs for families in the regions,” Mr Cripps said.

“This industry has enormous potential to increase the state’s domestic and export gas supplies, while delivering the substantial economic benefits for Queensland that come from having a secure energy supply.”

He said existing legislation allowed the extraction of these resources, but exploration was still in its early stages in Queensland and the new framework would ensure the industry’s future expansion was successful, environmentally responsible and accepted by communities.

GEMCO shines at competition BHP Billiton‘s GEMCO mines rescue team took out the award for the best overall team at the recent Northern Australian Emergency Response Competition.

The team from GEMCO, based on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, was joined by entries from north-west Queensland’s Lady Loretta and Cannington mines as well as Northern Territory-based McArthur River Mining.

Four teams competed across 15 categories including theory, team safety, breathing apparatus search and rescue and best overall team at the event, held at the Charles Darwin University in Darwin. Teams were given a call to response to simulate real emergency situations in a range of different scenarios over a course of two days.

Perks still prevalent Bonuses and job perks to attract and keep key mining staff are prevalent, with nearly half of the professional workforce getting cash rewards or special benefits, according to a survey by mining services recruiter SouthTech. The survey of 1219 professionals revealed that 29 per cent of those working in mining, oil and gas received a cash bonus - with the average

SMW Group took out the first Mining Contractor of the Year title at the recent Queensland Mining Contractor Awards.

The event, organised by the Bowen Basin Mining Club, showcased 16 finalists who showed “technical excellence, innovation and initiative” within the resources sector.

SMW Group’s invention of an innovative hydraulic lift system was hailed as a major breakthrough in safety and speed, leading to customer savings of 25 per cent. SMW Group operations manager Frank Humphreys (pictured) said the honour was a great recognition for the innovative work the company produced.

While SMW Group was overall winner, honours also went to Ausenco Rylson in the cost-saving category, BMD Constructions for best time-saving initiative and TEAM Engineering in the innovation category. G&S Engineering took the community or staff engagement award, Thiess the award for equal opportunity, and the award for QME best product launch went to Linked Group Services.

bonus being $16,143. At the top end of the market, a Queensland managing director of a small manufacturing company received a bonus of $125,000.

According to survey data, 47 per cent of professionals received one or more benefits, the most popular being company-paid training.

Backer for Urquhart Point A private Chinese investor has agreed to fund Metallica Minerals’ Urquhart Point mineral sands project on Cape York Peninsula, with production set to begin in 2015.

The investor is set to put up $7.5 million to develop that project and explore for other heavy mineral sands (HMS) and bauxite deposits on its tenements on the western side of the Cape.

The joint venture agreement has been signed with Metallica subsidiary Oresome Australia and has received Foreign Investment Review Board approval.

Metallica managing director Andrew Gillies described execution of the deal as the breakthrough or catalyst for major new mine development and exploration across all of Metallica’s Cape York HMS and bauxite projects.

“Significantly, the real long-term potential is in the bauxite and HMS offerings in the regional tenements north of Urquhart Point where we have a suite of high-priority targets ready to drill,” he said.

“This JV funding means we have sidestepped dilution to shareholders and the ongoing difficult capital raising hurdles for junior resources companies.”

The joint venture has appointed Consulmet as the preferred engineering contractor to commission a concentrator plant for the project, about 3km west of Weipa.

Feasibility deal for tin project Consolidated Tin Mines has signed an agreement with China’s Yunnan Tin to help progress the definitive feasibility work for the Mount Garnet tin project in North Queensland.

Under the agreement, Yunnan Tin will share technical information and provide advice and assistance to Consolidated Tin on geology, metallurgy and reduction roasting/tin fuming technology. Consolidated Tin managing director John Banning said the agreement presented a valuable opportunity for the Mount Garnet project, providing the company with some of the best tin processing and project development advice available in tin production today.

Yunnan Tin is the world’s largest tin producer and holds a 50 per cent interest in the Renison tin mine in Tasmania in joint venture with Metals X.

Cannington in new guise The Cannington mine in north-west Queensland will become part of a new global metals and mining company under a BHP Billiton demerger plan.

Cannington asset president Laura Tyler said the new company would benefit from a dedicated board and management team that would develop a strategy, operating model and culture to further enhance the competitive position of Cannington.

“Minimal changes are expected for Cannington operational employees as a result of the demerger,” she said.

Subject to final Board approval to proceed, shareholder approval and the receipt of satisfactory third-party approvals, BHP Billiton expects to complete the demerger in the first half of the 2015 calendar year.

19

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

INDUSTRY UPDATE Ergon depot works kick off Site preparation has begun for a new centralised Ergon Energy depot and office complex at Glenmore Rd, Rockhampton.

The $38 million project is expected to create more than 300 jobs within the local construction industry, with Lend Lease signed up as the major contractor.

General manager of Lend Lease’s building business in Queensland, Stephen Green, said the newspaper advertisements asking local businesses to express their interest in participating in the project had drawn a good response.

“Once design is complete, communication will begin with local businesses who expressed interest, and (work) packages will be awarded,” he said.

Ergon Energy chief executive Ian McLeod said the site redevelopment would involve the construction of a new office and depot building, fleet and offstreet parking and modifications to the existing logistics building.

The new centralised facility is expected to house around 450 Ergon staff, with completion expected in mid-2016, weather dependant

Emerald meatworks proposal Regional authorities plan a feasibility study into the establishment of a meat processing plant at Emerald.

The Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) and Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC)

have issued a tender for the feasibility work to identify the need, viability and market opportunities of such a project.

Mayor Peter Maguire said the study would allow potential investors to make an informed, evidence-based decision.

“There has been a lot of interest from the agricultural community in a meatworks for the region and now is a great time to begin a formal process to seriously look at the idea,” Cr Maguire said.

The facility will be located 3km east of Moura on the southern side of the Dawson Highway, adjacent to the existing main rail line.

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The study will address a detailed list of factors including costs, location, supply, labour, transport and supply chain capability and integration, environmental impacts, infrastructure, and regional economic benefit.

BOC to build new Rocklea plant

Rail load-out facility for Moura Construction of a new rail load-out facility to support Cockatoo Coal’s $313 million Baralaba expansion project is expected to create more than 200 new jobs.

BOC plans to construct a new $10 million dissolved acetylene (DA) plant in Rocklea, Brisbane.

The facility will replace an existing DA plant at the Ipswich Rd site which was first commissioned in 1962 and is approaching the end of its service.

“We are delighted to be launching this major project to support the Queensland market, ensuring security of supply and the highest levels of safety

Mungana Goldmines thinks zinc Mungana Goldmines is shifting its sights away from gold and on to the base metal potential of the Chillagoe region in Queensland.

The re-focus follows the company’s recent acquisition of the northern ex-Kagara assets.

The purchase included the King Vol zinc deposit which company chairman Joe Treacy said offered significant opportunity at a competitive price.

“By purchasing this asset Mungana has re-focused itself away from the gold and on to the base metals. That’s not to say that gold isn’t very significant because it is. But the short path to production potentially lies with the work on these base metal assets,” he said.

Mungana will now begin its feasibility phase for King Vol, with aims to begin production

Joe Treacy Mungana Goldmines chairman

within the next two years.

King Vol has a measured resource of about 900,000 tonnes with an inferred resource of almost 2 million tonnes.

Mr Treacy said there were also plans for further exploration to expand the life of the mine.

“Initially we’ll do some drilling to firm up the resource so we’re confident we have a minimum five-year development and that will all be part of the feasibility,” he said. The acquisition also came with a partly-completed base metal concentrator and the company will look to invest the further $24-30 million required to finish it off.

“There’s a plant that needs to be constructed and finished off, there’s a mine to be developed and a mill to be staffed,” Mr Treacy said. “This is enough for us to chew on for a while. We’ll be putting our heads down and getting the zinc development story under way.”

College tackles ‘grand challenges’ JCU’s new College of Science, Technology and Engineering will address the “grand challenges” facing the world as part of its strategic plan to beat competitors and showcase the tropics.

Four key themes will flow through course options and delivery; energy, natural hazards and mitigation, natural resources and water and sustainable development.

“We are doing this along the lines of: what will the world look like in 50 years, so what do we need

“The first part of the mine expansion will enable Cockatoo Coal to expand coal production from 700,000 tonnes a year to one million tonnes,” Queensland Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said. “This will climb to 3.5 million tonnes per annum by 2015. We promised to grow the resource pillar of our economy and we are delivering on that promise, creating more jobs for regional families.”

to do now to be relevant in the future?” acting dean Paul Dirks said.

New options within courses and degrees will highlight the expertise of the university.

“For example, if you do civil engineering at JCU, we’ll offer at least 12 subjects relevant to the discipline of which four will provide a JCU flavour focussed on our key themes,” Professor Dirks said.

“So we’ll train civil engineers with specific expertise in extreme event engineering for instance.”

as well as providing an essential backup for other states if required,’’ BOC managing director South Pacific Colin Isaac said.

The new DA production and storage facility will support about 25 jobs during construction and 10 jobs ongoing, with operations expected to commence in March next year.

Pipeline powers Bundaberg An $11 million gas pipeline will supply Bundaberg industry and residents with a new energy supply and will create about 100 new full-time jobs and 600 indirect jobs.

The 24.7km Bundaberg Gas Pipeline will begin at the existing Wide Bay pipeline, west of Bundaberg, (Kensington Gate Station) and extend through to the Port of Bundaberg.

Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor Mal Forman said the pipeline was the driver to kickstart significant economic activity at the Port of Bundaberg.

“This is an exciting announcement for the Bundaberg region and will help deliver increased business and development opportunities,” Cr Forman said.

The LNP Queensland Government, through Economic Development Queensland, will fund the Bundaberg Gas Pipeline and be responsible for the competitive procurement process.

Loretta takes helm at Commerce North West Long-term Mount Isa resident Loretta Gladstone was recently named as the new manager for Commerce North West (formerly Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce).

Ms Gladstone’s previous work experience includes 10 years running her own hairdressing business and a two-year stint as a business development officer at Centrecare Employment.

Ms Gladstone was also responsible for more than $10 million worth of inventory and critical spares in her last position as the logistics co-ordinator at Mica Creek Power Station – something she describes as a key career achievement.

She now says she is looking forward to working with businesses in Mount Isa and is passionate about seeing the North West region grow and prosper.

Loretta Gladstone Commerce North West manager

“My key goals in this position are raising the profile of the North West region and assisting business growth in these areas,” she said.

20 INDUSTRY LEADERS

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

A world of experience Professor Paul Dirks

Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive officer Shane Charles with Queensland Agriculture Minister and Toowoomba South MP John McVeigh.

Prime position Shane Charles

Three expeditions to Antarctica, the discovery of a two millionyear-old hominid fossil and an empowerment program to train historically disadvantaged young South Africans are among the accomplishments on Professor Paul Dirks’ resume.

Professor Dirks is a structural geologist and now also the man at the head of JCU Townsville’s new College of Science, Technology and Engineering - a job that requires strong leadership and “a lot of paperwork”.

“I haven’t had enough time to really get involved on site for a while, I really miss it, I’m very much a field geologist,” he said.

“I still do some fieldwork - I have a project going with Anglo Gold Ashanti in Tanzania and I’ve been doing some work in the Philippines, but it’s not nearly as much as I would like.”

Professor Dirks’ work experience spans five continents including trips to Antarctica in 1987, 1991 and 1992 for geological mapping.

“I’ve had the chance to map in places that nobody else has ever been to before,” he said. “It’s wonderful, if you like that sort of stuff. Sitting in a tent for weeks and weeks on end, flying around in helicopters and being dropped off hundreds of kilometres from the nearest person. It’s an experience that’s very hard to get these days.”

In 2003, as the Head of School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Professor Dirks became a founding director of the AfricaArray program.

The empowerment program trains young black students in geology and was started in an effort to break down racial

barriers. Professor Dirks credits this as one of his proudest career achievements.

In what little spare time he has, Professor Dirks relaxes by writing papers. He’s currently working on research based on the discovery of a new species of hominid (an ancestor of the human species).

“We found this fossil five years ago. It’s a very exciting find and is about two million years old. We also found a new cave last year, with spectacular new fossils,” he said. Professor Dirks is involved in describing the geology and doing the dating, which sees him travel to South Africa two or three times a year.

He hopes to bring the best of what he’s learned on his international experiences to his position at JCU, and “if he gets time” to get involved with the big projects in North Queensland.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive officer Shane Charles realised early in his professional life that he wanted a role working with the community.

He grew up in the Lockyer Valley and was educated in Toowoomba, choosing law as his profession.

The creation of the TSBE in January 2011 occurred at a time when Mr Charles, already a community leader, had just sold his legal practice. He jumped at the opportunity to build the fledgling organisation.

Mr Charles says he can see the day when Toowoomba is a premier road, rail and air logistics and transportation hub. This transportation potential has already seen more than 2500ha of industrial land being developed at the Toowoomba Enterprise Hub, which includes a well drilling and servicing hub for the Cooper and Surat basins and an inter-modal transport hub.

The city is well on the way to realising his ambition with the $1.7 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing scheduled to begin in early 2015.

Then there is the privately funded jet-capable airport and business hub being built by the Wagner family. All that remains is to get the visionary Inland Railway project up and running to complete a trifecta of once-in-ageneration projects in a handful of years.

Mr Charles is proud of how the Toowoomba business community has embraced TSBE, which now boasts 440 members.

“Toowoomba is epicentre of infrastructure in Australia. No other regional centre, nor capital city for that matter, will be able to boast the level of infrastructure spending within the next five to 10 years,” he said.

While the city is positioned as the geographical gateway to the resourcerich Surat Basin region, Mr Charles also sees Toowoomba as a major inland agricultural export hub in the future.

“It was a blank canvas when I took on the job and I’m grateful to the business community of Toowoomba who have supported the vision of TSBE,” he said.

21

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Federal freeze a blow to councils A south-east Queensland council has been forced to increase its rates and put infrastructure projects on hold in light of the Federal Government’s decision to freeze indexation on the Financial Assistance Grant program (FAG).

The three-year freeze, announced in the May Federal Budget, will save the government close to $1billion.

Scenic Rim Mayor John Brent said the freeze had left up to a $90,000 gap in the council’s infrastructure plans.

“We do understand the need for restraint by the Federal Government but we too are in a similar position in regards to our costs and trying to limit the impact on our community,” Cr Brent said.

“Our only way of dealing with it is to reduce the infrastructure and we’re asking our ratepayers to support the cutbacks at a federal level by an increase in our rates.

“Our major concern is that this is continuing for a threeyear period and that impact is obviously cumulative and if there’s another $60,000 to $90,000 next year on top of the 60 to 90 this

The Isaac Regional Council is responsible for road works across a local government area equivalent to the size of Tasmania.

John Brent Scenic Rim mayor

year, it becomes quite significant.”

North Queensland Local Government Association president Frank Beveridge said the freeze meant councils across Queensland would be forced to look for operational savings.

“The impact of that freezing and not moving with CPI is a massive impact on those smaller councils,” he said.

“It’s a situation of tightening our belts and looking at how we do things. The normal procedure for a lot of the smaller councils, in

fact virtually all councils, is to put the major infrastructure projects on hold until the tough times pass. At the same time we really have to keep our maintenance going.”

Whitsunday Regional Organisation of Councils executive officer Amanda Camm said the freezing indexation presented challenges for regional and rural councils in delivering

vital regional infrastructure for their communities.

“The Whitsunday ROC expresses our strong support and position for the Federal Government to restore indexation immediately,” Ms Camm said.

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the Financial Assistance Grant Program was only one option for councils seeking infrastructure funding.

“Queensland Councils can also now apply for further federal funding of $565 million for the Black Spots program and $300 million through the Bridges Renewal program,” he said.

The Coalition Government is also providing $1 billion under the National Stronger Regions Fund through investment in local infrastructure projects that promote economic development.

NQ summit highlights Work opportunities to flow key regional issues from $34m investment plan More than 70 delegates, including representatives from 23 councils, joined the recent North Queensland Local Government Association (NQLGA) conference in Richmond.

The conference debated 23 motions, which saw financial assistance grants, driver fatigue laws, and natural disaster relief and recovery funding emerge as key issues for the region.

Local Government Association of Queensland general manager – advocacy Greg Hoffman said the event attracted a strong crowd and raised some key issues.

“The NQLGA is 66 years young and the strong attendance is reflective of the importance of the association to councils in North Queensland,” he said.

“We have seen numerous examples over the two days of the vital link between councils and communities particularly in rural and remote areas of Queensland.”

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps was the conference’s first keynote speaker, covering State Government reforms aimed at cutting red tape and promoting economic development in North Queensland.

Mount Isa mayor Tony McGrady wound up proceedings with a presentation on the

government’s Queensland Plan.

The two-day conference also included a formal dinner at the Richmond race course which helped to raise more than $2000 for child protection organisation Bravehearts.

Tender portal Businesses interested in council tender opportunities throughout Queensland should register with online tender portal LGtenderbox.com.au.

Various councils use the portal as a primary way of engaging tenders across the state.

Livingstone Shire council chief executive officer Justin Commons encouraged local businesses to sign up to the service.

“Over the coming months council will be establishing a local pre-qualified suppliers list for trade services, hire of plant and equipment and professional (consultancy) services using LGtenderbox,” he said.

“There’s no guarantee that business will be provided, but once a company has prequalified, if we need any particular services we can go to them in the first instance.”

A capital outlay of $34 million by the Livingstone Shire Council in 2014-15 will bring a wealth of tender opportunities for local contractors, according to chief executive officer Justin Commons.

The key infrastructure project is Panorama Drive - a road link from the western side of Yeppoon to the town’s northern suburbs.

Mr Commons said the project would see $30 million in spending over the next four years with about 85 per cent of the work to be tendered out.

“We’re in the market at present to engage design and engineering consultants,” he said.

“Once we have the design we’ll be tendering civil construction packages.”

The council also recently acquired 55ha of land to be used for a new business and industry precinct.

“The Gateway” on the Capricorn Coast will be delivered across three stages, with the first phase already under way.

Stage one of the project has a forecast $2 million in spending associated with water, sewerage, roads, civil construction and bulk earthworks to be tendered out.

Mr Commons said The Gateway would also increase local employment opportunities.

“At present we have something like 34 per cent of our

Justin Commons Livingstone Shire chief executive officer

working population live in the Livingstone Shire but travelling outside of the Shire for work,” he said. “The idea is that if we can bring more businesses to the

local area, we can create more local employment.”

The first stage has 13 lots ranging from about 2300sq m to more than 1ha.

The council is looking to sell the land but will also offer leasing opportunities to businesses starting up.

“The first stage of the industry park has a focus on low to medium service industries rather than heavy industrial,” Mr Commons said.

“Council will do all of the operational works, so essentially it will be a plug and play type of arrangement for new businesses to come and establish themselves on the Capricorn Coast. The prospectus for The Gateway will be released in a couple of months.”

Livingstone Shire’s Gateway business and industry precinct.

LIFT AND SHIFT Port study feeds into Inland Rail planning The Australian Rail Track Corporation will use a prefeasibility study undertaken by the Port of Brisbane to assist in the creation of a 1700km dedicated rail freight corridor from Melbourne to the port.

The $3 million study was undertaken over the past three years and offers options for a $5 billion freight corridor from south-western Queensland to the Port of Brisbane.

The ARTC is tasked by the Federal Government with overseeing the implementation of the overall Inland Rail project, which has a price tag in the region of $8 billion.

Port of Brisbane Pty Limited (PBPL) and ARTC have signed a Deed of Co-operation to assist in the realisation of the port connection as part of the 10-year Inland Rail project.

PBPL general manager of trade services Peter Keyte said the port favoured work to start on the Queensland end of the 1700km rail link.

Mr Keyte said the conceptual study offered a number of options but the port favoured upgrading the current rail link from Miles

via the proposed range railway tunnel crossing near Toowoomba to link up with the Southern Rail Freight Bypass.

development with the southern freight corridor the first section to be completed,” he said.

“The study has indicated that the bypass could be completed in two years from approval.”

Mr Keyte said either the final link to the port from Acacia Ridge or the range tunnel crossing could follow.

PBPL’s favoured option is for more than 80 per cent of the final link to the port to be underground, using a variety of cut and cover methods to complete the project. However this is dependent upon the final corridor recommendations to be determined by the ARTC study.

The Federal Government has committed $300 million to finalising planning, engineering design, environmental assessments, and to starting construction on the Inland Rail.

Private sector funding

Time is right for privatisation The chief executive officer of the privately owned Port of Brisbane told a packed industry breakfast in Townsville recently it was a good time to be selling ports.

Russell Smith said leading global infrastructure investors, particularly large pension funds, viewed ports as a sound longterm investment in the current international financial market.

Mr Smith said the move to private ownership by the Port of Brisbane three-anda-half years ago had been successful, with

This would pass near Ipswich and link up with the existing rail network near Beaudesert, close to Brisbane.

The ARTC is considering all potential options, and is expected to make its recommendations to the Inland Rail Implementation Group by November.

The study has estimated the Miles to Toowoomba rail upgrade at $500 million and the new southern by-pass at a similar amount.

One of the major drawbacks of the Miles-to-the-range-crossing railway is the low axle weight limit of 15.75 tonnes.

Mr Keyte said the proposed upgrade would lift the axle weight rate to 30 tonnes, allowing freight trains to carry double-stacked containers.

“We propose that the project be completed as a phased

trade growing 17 per cent since the switch.

The LNP State Government has flagged its intention to privatise assets including the Port of Townsville and its associated rail link to the North West Minerals Province.

Also speaking at the function was Port of Townsville chairman Pat Grady, who gave qualified endorsement to the possibility of privatisation, saying this was the way mature assets had to go.

But he added: “There are concerns, valid concerns.”

The Port of Brisbane pre-feasibility study into the Queensland portion of the Inland Rail Project also offers some hypothetical commercial financing scenarios for the Australian Rail Track Corporation to consider.

The port’s proposal involves significantly lifting the throughput of coal out of Brisbane, which stands at 10 million tonnes per annum.

The scenario, which would involve boosting coal exports to a maximum of 30 million tonnes per year, would come down to “the appetite of the government of the time as to how much coal you would allow down the line,” according to the port’s general manager of trade services, Peter Keyte.

He put the proposal to an inquiry into rail freight use by agriculture and livestock industries earlier in the year. He told the inquiry that agriculture and livestock exports alone would not be a viable method of privately financing a portion of the $5 billion estimated to build the Queensland section of the Inland Rail.

Mr Keyte said 30mtpa of coal exports could potentially finance about $3 billion of the project, with all other commodities also contributing.

23

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

LIFT AND SHIFT Townsville Bulk

Added grunt for Lee Crane Hire

Storage and Handling’s new Liebherr 500 shore crane at Berth 10.

New Liebherr hits the docks The rapid expansion of Townsville Bulk Storage and Handling continues with the acquisition of a Liebherr 500 shore crane valued at $4.5 million.

Based at Berth 10 at the Port of Townsville, the 80-wheel crane has a lifting capacity of 100 tonnes at 30m boom extension, double the capacity of any mobile crane working at the port.

Business co-owner Peta Connelly said the purchase was as part of the company’s long-term rm strategy to invest in the futuree prosperity of the port.

The crane arrived in Townsville ville by ship in late July in 47 pieces es and was put together over three weeks by a crew of threee specialists and three assistantss before it was commissioned. Itt started work at the end of August. gust.

Ms Connelly said TBSH, the he only privately owned stevedoring ring company in northern Australia, ia, had now boosted its investment at the port to $15 million.

TBSH’s Archer St, South Townsville facility will boast

30,000sqm of hardstand storage space and another 10,000sqm under cover by December with plans for another 20,000sqm of hardstand planned for completion early next year.

The storage facility has a 40-tonne container lifter, plus 16 prime movers with a variety of trailer configurations.

Ms Connelly said the acquisition of the crane added

another dimension to TBSH’s loading and unloading capability and, more importantly, eliminated the need for cargo ships to have deck cranes.

Director and business coowner Dewayne Cannon said the lifting and reach capacity of the crane would save time and money loading and unloading, particularly with wider vessels where reach was important.

Biloela-based Lee Crane Hire took delivery of a new $2.5 million Liebherr crawler crane in August which will save clients time and money during scheduled shutdowns and major equipment failures.

The German-built LTR1220 crane is only the second of its type in Australia. The other one is working in the Northern Territory.

Lee Crane Hire chief executive officer Earl Stevens said the acquisition of the LTR1220 Liebherr, which has a maximum lift capacity of 220 tonnes, would allow the company to be more responsive to the needs of clients.

“Time is money when big mining equipment isn’t working,” Dr Stevens said.

“The Liebherr can be transported on a float to the work site and start work almost immediately, unlike a lattice boom crawler crane which has to be dismantled for travel then rebuilt on the site - which can take a week or more.”

Lee Crane Hire has been operating out of Biloela for 33 years and also has a branch in Gladstone.

Dr Stevens said the business had invested heavily in up-to-date equipment - with an inventory of mini cranes, pick and carry cranes, truck-mounted hydraulic cranes, rough terrain cranes, all-terrain cranes, hydraulic crawler cranes and crawler cranes with a lift capacity of up to 280 tonnes.

A modern heavy haulage fleet of prime movers and specialised platforms, floats, trailers and road trains also form part of the company’s equipment.

Dr Stevens said well over $50 million had been invested in equipment used by the company’s 140-strong team of workers.

“The mining industry might be quiet at the moment but we take a longer-term view when it comes to servicing the needs of our clients,” Dr Stevens said.

Software keeps radio fleet in check

Enablefleet front cover screen.

Tait Communications has launched a new fleet management product for mining, oil and gas mana organisations. organ EnableFleet gives communication managers the En power powe to configure and manage their radio fleets from a central point of control across DMR and P25 networks.

Tait Ta product manager Dan Manton said advances advan in software had changed the way people lived - from how they communicated to how they managed money or viewed pictures.

In the same way, EnableFleet would change

the way mission-critical businesses managed their radio fleets, he said.

“In the past, radio managers kept track of their terminal fleet using spreadsheets and other manual systems that were difficult to maintain, lacked data integrity and were labor intensive,” Mr Manton said. “EnableFleet offers a single, secure location for storing information about your radio fleet, which can be accessed any time, from anywhere with guaranteed up-to-date and accurate information in real time.”

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24 LIFT AND SHIFT

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

State on a roll with rail plans

Bryan Nye Australasian Railway Association chief executive officer

It’s an exciting time for rail in Queensland, according to Australasian Railway Association (ARA) chief executive officer Bryan Nye. He’s referring to the 40,000plus jobs that will be up for grabs across upcoming coal and rail projects in the Galilee Basin.

“Three major coal and rail projects in the Galilee Basin have state approval. For the story of rail in Queensland, as in the rest of Australia – it’s a very exciting time,” Mr Nye said.

Adani’s North Galilee Basin Rail project, which recently received State and federal approvals, features a 388km rail line which will run from the Carmichael coal mine to Abbot Point, near Bowen.

In July Adani announced POSCO E&C as its joint venture partner and the EPC contractor for the rail line.

“The best way to keep up to date with job opportunities on the rail project is to keep track

of POSCO’s advertisements in the coming months, ahead of commencement of the rail build next year,” an Adani spokesman said. “POSCO recently concluded ICN advertisements for initial packets of work on the rail project.

“Rail commencement in 2015 underpins our longstanding guidance for first coal from our Carmichael mine in 2017.”

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Michael Roche said the project would benefit regional communities throughout central and north Queensland.

Meanwhile, GVK-Hancock is in the process of finalising its joint venture plans with Aurizon to transport coal out of the Galilee Basin.

The GVK Alpha mine rail and port project is expected to create 23,000 direct and indirect jobs - 1330 associated with the rail and port construction phase and 1575 in the operations phase.

A raft of new rail projects is planned for Queensland.

Photo: Stefan Jannides

“GVK has made significant progress in identifying investors, lenders and potential strategic partners, including Aurizon, in relation to the rail and port infrastructure,” a spokesman said.

Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal also proposes a rail project, including a 453km standardgauge railway line to the Abbot

Project pipeline A $5 billion Bus and Train (BaT) project in Brisbane will provide a new link in South East Queensland’s public transport network, creating new major transport hubs across the city.

Three new underground stations will be located at Woolloongabba, George St and Roma St. A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesman described it as a once-in-ageneration, city-changing project. Procurement for construction will begin later this year with an expected project completion date of 2020.

Who Changed My Tyres?

Meanwhile, the Inland Rail project – a rail link between the Port of Brisbane and Melbourne - is also beginning to make headway, with an implementation group currently considering public submissions on the project.

The Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning said the group would forward its recommendations by the end of the year to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss.

Point State Development Area (APSDA) near Bowen, as part of its Galilee Basin coal developments.

Establishing Waratah’s China

First mine and associated infrastructure is expected to create 6000 jobs during construction and 2460 jobs during operation.

Better advice on tyres Direct Wholesale Tyres boasts a new level of expertise after sales manager Darryl Levis undertook training at the Triangle Tyres factory in China.

After a week’s intensive training focusing on off-the-road tyres such as earth moving tyres, Mr Levis gained certification from the factory on how to recommend the best tyre for a particular earthmoving job.

The formulas used take into account the tonnage to be shifted per hour, terrain, climate and several other markers which can influence the efficiency of getting a job done.

Direct Wholesale Tyres is based at 29 Curley Circuit in the new Townsville Distribution Precinct (TDP), just outside of Townsville on the Flinders Highway, having shifted from Bohle.

Proprietor Graham Cotter and partners constructed a purpose-built tyre-fitting and distribution warehouse and workshop which incorporates a drive-through road-train facility. This facility can accommodate a triple-trailer road train, making unhitching trailers a thing of the past.

Tyre fitting is only part of the business. Direct Wholesale Tyres sells full or half containers of Aeolus and Triangle tyres to truck operators at prices they say challenge even capital city distributors.

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25

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

LIFT AND SHIFT

Prime movers in zinc success

North West Crane Hire has invested in 19 prime movers to service the contract to haul zinc ore from Glencore’s Lady Loretta operation north of Mount Isa to the George Fisher concentrator.

Innovative fuel storage options Without a reliable and safe storage facility for fuel in remote locations, the mining industry and its supply chain would struggle to remain viable.

DTE Group has grown to become a market leader in storage tank design, manufacture and installation across Australia and offer turnkey solutions for fuel facilities requirements.

The company prides itself on being an engineering company that not only manufactures modular storage tanks, but is able to follow through with installation and commissioning as well as after sales service and maintenance.

Established in 2000, the company has manufacturing facilities in Western Australia and Queensland plus offices in New South Wales and South Australia.

It has recently set up service and maintenance offices in Darwin and Mackay to cater to rising need in these regions.

DTE’s T200 Wraptank (double walled) has set a new benchmark in Australia, making it the first and only manufacturer to date to be awarded a letter of approval to manufacture above-ground tanks

up to 200,000 litres by the local government association in WA, according to regional manager in Queensland, Chris Pope.

Mr Pope said DTE’s research and development team members were constantly finding ways to improve products, particularly those needed in remote locations.

The T200 was the result of this R&D. The high cost of transporting materials such as concrete, to remote areas to build a bund, is now eliminated with the self-bunded T200 Wraptank.

In Queensland, due to vagaries of the wet season and often damaged roads, installing “fuel farms” has been a successful innovation. “Simply put, fuel storage tanks of around 100,000 litres are linked via pipes and pumps and can store over one

million litres,” Mr Pope said.

“One tank serves as a slave tank where fuel tankers unload and another works as the master tank where equipment is refuelled.”

He said DTE could advise on the most appropriate electronic fuel management system that would integrate with the tanks, doing away with log books.

“Fuel is fed into the slave tank (by tanker drivers) and electronically logged on-site then picked up by office staff remotely,” Mr Pope said.

The fuel farm concept has also gained favour when a mining company switches to a new, nearby ore body. “The fuel farm tanks can be unbolted and moved to a location nearer where heavy equipment is operating or even to another mine site,” Mr Pope said.

Fuel farms offer a storage solution for remote areas.

North West Crane Hire: The largest fleet in NW Queensland including: 18-220t Cranes 34ft-85ft EWPs 3t-7t Forklifts Remote area capabilities including: Side Tippers Semis, Flat top and Step Deck Trailers IT Loader Tilt Trays, and Long-serving, experienced staff, including: Crane Operators, Riggers, Supervisors, Tradespeople and Labourers This means Machines on the ground when you want them and offsite just as quickly.

Call the owner Mark Bellamy on 0407 620 868 or Martin Carrington 0407 771 060 NOW to make it happen.

Knowledge of the bush, love of machinery and a world-class mining asset have combined to deliver export revenue for Queensland.

Glencore’s Lady Loretta operation is ramping up as the majority of the mining industry consolidates after a decade-long expansion.

Lady Loretta is located more than 200km by road north of Mount Isa and is part of a multimillion-dollar investment

by Glencore into developing zinc deposits, including expansion of the McArthur River operation south-west of Borroloola in the western Gulf of Carpentaria.

The contract to deliver ore to the zinc concentrator near Mount Isa has been a boon for North West Crane Hire, which has ridden the mining investment wave to become one of the largest plant suppliers in North Queensland.

The business has dedicated 19 prime movers to the Lady Loretta contract and is looking to take on more apprentices as it develops a dedicated haulage workshop.

North West Crane Hire had done well providing services to Glencore and past Mount Isa Mines owners but it was not something they took for granted, director Mark Bellamy said.

“You need to respect the values of the client,” Mr Bellamy said.

“As well as offering current model machinery, good operators and the necessary technical back-up, we understand their licence to operate includes a commitment to the community and the environment.”

The first three months of the contract ended in August

with North West Crane Hire exceeding KPIs which cover sustainable development, haulage, management and administration and improvement.

But the region has never given up its riches easily and it is a constant challenge to maintain a 24-hour operation at the highest level, according to Mr Bellamy.

The contract involves moving triples over more than 55km of an unsealed road before entering on to the Barkly Highway enroute to Mount Isa and backfilling with tailings for the return trip.

The dusty conditions lived up to their legend, Mr Bellamy said.

“Drivers need to be very aware of other traffic on the road, including other trucks returning to site. Conditions are complicated if there is no breeze, as is the case most nights,” he said. “There are three (radio) band changes over the course of the route to go through Lady Loretta, the nearby Lady Annie operation and then again on to the George Fisher site.”

The three paths to success were preparation, preparation and preparation, Mr Bellamy said.

“We repeat tool box meetings with the rolling starts over the 24-hour period,” he said.

“On top of this we know the hazards that go with operating in this part of the world and reinforce awareness with what we call Snaps – safety cards highlighting current issues.”

It is that sort of innovation that has North West Crane Hire contract ASCON Transport Consultants in applying for national accreditation for quality management in the transport of mass product.

26 LIFT AND SHIFT

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Piling work at

Record highway spend The Queensland Government is delivering a record $768 million of improvements to the Bruce Highway over the next year.

This package is part of Transport and Main Roads’ 2014-15 to 2017-18 Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP). The program will deliver a $10 billion, 10-year deal with the Commonwealth Government to fund safety, flood mitigation and capacity works across the Bruce Highway and the Gateway Motorway in Brisbane.

This year’s QTRIP will detail new works starting on the Bruce Highway over the next four years, including:

• Cooroy to Curra (Section C), • Mackay Ring Rd (Stage 1), • Stage one of the upgrade between Caloundra Rd and the Sunshine Motorway, • Extension of six-laning between Foster Rd and Robert Rd, south of Cairns.

The government is continuing to deliver other major upgrades of the highway, including: • Cooroy to Curra (Section A) • Townsville Ring Rd (Stage 4) • Yeppen South • providing four-laning capacity between Vantassel St and Cluden in Townsville.

The State Government launched a $2 million advertising

Yeppen South near Rockhampton, where a $296 million

campaign in August dubbed “Spruce The Bruce” asking people to show patience on the roads as the projects from Brisbane through to Cairns progressively come online.

It is estimated anyone undertaking the 21-hour trip from Brisbane to Cairns will face up to two hours in delays due to the roadworks.

Premier Campbell Newman said the coming 12 months would be the most disruptive in the 10year program. The roll-out would focus on the most dangerous sections first, dealing with the most flood-prone bits as well to “make it safer”, he said.

project to construct a high-level flood access between the Burnett Highway and Yeppen Roundabout is under way.

ADVERTORIAL

NSS lifts storage capacity with $12m shed at Port of Townsville Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS) has increased its storage capacity at the Port of Townsville with the completion of an 8500sqm undercover facility at its depot adjacent to the port precinct.

NSS has a five-year contract already in place to store and ship zinc ferrite for zinc processor Sun Metals, which has a refinery to the south of Townsville.

Built at a cost of $12 million,

the storage facility features negative pressurisation to minimise the escape of dust and has the capacity to house 60,000 tonnes of material at one time.

In addition to negative pressurisation, the storage shed has extensive hard stand and rainwater run-off capture drainage plus a truck and trailer wash area.

NSS has purchased two Volvo FM 13 prime movers set up as Logistics manager Jason Fitzgerald inside the shed with operations superintendent Josh Ingram.

an A Double-Type One road train pulling two Azmeb BK2 compliant Flex side tipper trailers. Rear-tippers and bottom-dump trailers will also be able to use the facility.

NSS logistics manager Jason Fitzgerald said 3163 cubic metres of concrete were poured over an area of 10,731sqm during the shed construction.

He said a 6734sqm area of precast concrete consisting of 122 cladding panels and 40 retaining (load bearing) walls were placed by crane around the shed’s perimeter.

The company’s investment in the future prosperity of the port is far from over.

A $4.5 million Liebherr LHM420 mobile harbour crane capable of handling bulk cargo, projects cargo and containers was due to arrive at the port in September, Mr Fitzgerald said.

Smarter system Welding equipment supplier Kemppi Australia recently launched its Arc System 3 welding management system in Perth.

Using a suite of software-based solutions, the Arc System 3 has been specifically developed to improve welding quality management, operational productivity and reduce cost and risk.

“Arc System 3 automatically collects and analyses big data information for you so that you know at a glance how the welding operation is proceeding and if any adjustments need to be made, saving time and money,” Kemppi Australia managing director David Green said.

“Plus, it can collate welding documentation automatically to significantly reduce the time and cost associated with postwelding administration.

“In essence, Arc System 3 is an invaluable toolbox of solutions that support welding operations to become significantly more efficient and productive, save time and money, and minimise risk.”

ARC System 3 applies to a multi-machine and even multi-site operation, managed from a single central welding co-ordination point. The system traces every weld, records welder qualifications, welding procedure specifications (WPS), all materials and operational welding parameters. Once welding parameters are set, any deviations by the welder are identified in real time and can be altered to eliminate the need for rework.

“Up to now, welding processes in critical operations have relied upon the integrity of the welder plus retrospective welding inspection to guarantee welding quality,” Mr Green said.

“The Arc System 3 revolutionises all this. It factually confirms that all welds are as they should be and delivers complete peace of mind. As we’ve said, it lets you stop guessing and start knowing.”

For more information visit www.kemppi.com.au

ADVERTORIAL

Get the tips and know the tricks of equipment finance

Phil Horton - Finlease

Equipment finance isn’t one size fits all.

Loan structures vary for each individual, as some look to simply have the lowest payment to keep cash flow manageable for a new acquisition, while others seek the minimum overall cost over the repayment term. Finally, others will be about maximising the tax deductibility of their debt structure.

“To access the best structures it might pay to consider using a specialist equipment finance broker as opposed going direct to your bank. It is vital to approach the right lenders with the right finance structure,” equipment finance broker Phil Horton from Finlease said.

“Some lenders are better than others depending on the structure required by the client, so it is essential to use the right one for each structure.”

As banks would usually already provide property loans and overdrafts, Mr Horton explained that companies going to their bank for equipment finance might face issues and risks if their debt was spread across different financiers.

Although a business might have a good relationship with its bank, he said factors such as a change of personnel or the institution’s appetite for varying equipment could become issues and

unnecessarily complicate the finance plan.

“Similarly, if all debt is with one bank, the cross collateralisation issue which means that all debt is secured by all securities can limit borrowings in other areas when the equipment finance should be seen as quite separate to property or working capital loans requirements,” he said. “It is far more ideal for a business operator with large requirements of equipment finance to have equipment debt spread over several financiers who you can form a track record with and in doing so have a wider platform of supportive lenders who will assist in the increased funding required for the longer term growth of the business.”

Mr Horton said businesses should ponder and measure the risks associated with grouping their equipment finance with their existing debt at their bank as, once it was done, it could be difficult to

undo. “Although immediate and total refinance is an option, it can sometimes come at too high a price in early termination costs, so the suggested exit strategy is about a systematic departure over a couple of years,” he said.

In addition deposits are often unnecessary. And second-hand equipment poses no issues either.

“Demanding a deposit from a client can be quite destructive as they are forced to dip into their short cash to fund a longterm asset (equipment),” Mr Horton said.

In the end, he said the best financier would be the one fully understanding its client, what they were looking to achieve and the sort of debt structure they could benefit from.

“Specialist equipment finance brokers have the skills to translate those requirements into workable finance approvals and at competitive rates.”

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION Mining workforce camps enjoy rise in standards Mining camp providers have progressively improved the standard of temporary accommodation throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory, most markedly over the past two or three years, a recruitment head says.

“I spend half my time travelling and have seen for myself the improvements,” Manpower Queensland/NT manager Bruce Moss said.

“Older accommodation has been extensively refurbished and new accommodation offers a high level of privacy and is often larger.”

Mr Moss said mine workers were now more discerning about the standard of accommodation in remote locations and what was offered in the way of facilities like gyms and common recreation rooms.

He said occupants in mining accommodation villages tended to be equipment operators, tradespeople and contractors.

“Workers in senior positions tend to live in company-owned houses,” he said.

He cited Gove as an example

of where supplementary workers are accommodated in dongas while long-term staff members are provided with companyowned houses or rental assistance.

Self-sufficient accommodation in remote locations or moving camps on roadworks projects are now making use of solar panel arrays and battery storage.

“It’s not a big trend at this stage but it is beginning to happen from what I’ve seen,” Mr Moss said.

A Townsville-based human resources, training and recruitment provider says tighter margins in mining are likely to see some of the trimmings taken off the table for workcamp residents.

“The mining boom brought in higher standards of living and facilities as the competition for talent was so fierce,” TP Human Capital managing director Clayton Cook said.

“Some of these may drop off as margins get squeezed and the supply/demand ratio of staff has changed.”

Mr Cook said the trend in

Workplace accommodation in recent years has moved away from a basic way of life to “providing a second home”.

Photo: Roslyn Budd

workplace accommodation facilities in recent years had been away from a basic way of life to providing a “second home” – with little extras such as theme dinners, healthier lifestyle choices, entertainment options, and more privacy.

“As labour rates reduce, and the competition for jobs increase, people’s expectations and demands relax, and indirect

costs such as camps could be squeezed,” he said. “So the seafood night once a fortnight becomes once a month then once every two months etc.

“Sports programs could get curtailed. TV programs might change as cheaper pay TV subscriptions are bought on renewal.

“Even mobile phone coverage could get looked at.”

However, Mr Cook said there were still advantages in continuing to offer a high standard of accommodation.

“The smarter companies realise the importance of quality of mine site accommodation and the link between engagement, productivity, and safety and attracting the best people possible,” he said.

Village expands to meet demand Diamantina Village Roma has recently completed a significant expansion to meet the accommodation demands of the Roma region.

Since January 2014, the village, which is known for its exceptional facilities, has added 180 rooms, now providing quality accommodation for up to 630 guests.

With state-of-the-art facilities including a swimming pool, tennis and beach volleyball courts, multiple gymnasiums, licensed bar, gaming hub, multi-purpose cinema and en-suited, air-conditioned rooms, Diamantina has become the preferred accommodation choice for many staying in the region.

Brian Treacy, project engineer at Murphy Pipe and Civil, is a regular guest of the Diamantina Village Roma and believes that it is in a class of its own when it comes to quality workers’ accommodation.

“I’ve stayed in a lot of camps over the years and I have to say the food at Diamantina is fantastic,” Brian said.

“The chefs always have a big variety of meals on offer and it’s great coming home after work knowing you’re going to get a good feed.

“The rooms are very comfortable too, but what I like most about the camp is the good rec facilities they have available because a team of our lads like

to play 5-a-side soccer in the evening,” he said.

During their stay at Diamantina Village, guests also have access to hot-buffet and continental breakfasts, wholesome “crib” lunches, including convenient “grab-and-go” meals, and gourmet dinners, which are prepared freshly on-site by professional chefs who have previously operated their own restaurants.

Village manager Shannon Bendtsen believes the quality of the facilities at Diamantina Village are unlike any other accommodation option found in the region, making it a major attraction to workers who are looking for added comforts.

“Diamantina Village is changing the perception that when staying at workers accommodation only basic facilities are on offer. This is certainly not the case with Diamantina - we provide our guests with a wide range of recreational facilities and other features that would usually only be found in a motel, to make their time away from home more enjoyable,” Ms Bendtsen said.

Conveniently located 5km east of Roma, Diamantina Village is within close proximity to local services including the Roma Airport and township.

if you can’t be at home be at Homeground

Homeground Gladstone sets a new standard in workforce accommodation.

With personalised service, all inclusive meals, crisp white linen and queen sized beds, why would you stay anywhere else while working in Gladstone?

• Boasting 1,392 four-star rooms that feature all the amenities you would find at a hotel including foxtel, flat screens, air conditioning and queen size beds.

• Recreational facilities such as a gym, personal trainers, a swimming pool and a tavern.

• Convenient location only 20km from Gladstone and town.

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• A minimum of 2 nights is required per booking.

To view more please visit our website located at www.homegroundvillages.com.au or call (07) 3640 4645

29

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

‘Wild West’ days of mine life GHD principal geologist Doug Corley likens his early days working on remote mine camps to being in the “Wild West”.

Mr Corley’s first professional experience with remote living was a trip to Mount Isa Mines in 1988 as a second-year university student.

“I was quite nervous at the time, it was my first time out of the city,” he said.

“In terms of mining camps, Mount Isa Mines was quite good really. Looking back at some of the others, they were really very basic.”

Mr Corley said it was common to have shared toilet and shower facilities and pay phones were the only communication out of the camps.

“When I first started out there would be about four phone boxes and you’d have pockets full of 50 and 20-cent coins,” he said.

Doug Corley GHD principal geologist

“You can imagine all these people queuing up to use them and they were open phone boxes so you’d be whispering down the phone trying to have these private conversations with your family.”

Mr Corley has also seen a

change in camp culture over the years, saying workers tend to drink less and facilities such as tennis courts, swimming pools and even golf courses encouraged a healthier lifestyle.

“It was a bit Wild West in the early days, but things have calmed down a lot now and things are a bit more civilised,” he said.

“You made do. It’s all relative, we didn’t know any better back then, but I look back now and think - things weren’t that good back then. They’re definitely a lot better nowadays.”

Private self-contained accommodation, laundry rooms, health and fitness options and healthy dietary options are commonplace on mine camps now.

Mr Corley said there were times he was so well looked after on site it would take a day or so to get used to doing things for himself when he arrived home on days off.

Geologist Doug Corley on a site visit in Mexico.

“I’d be sitting looking at my plate thinking ‘where’s my food?’ but then would have to realise I have to do things for myself,” he said.

Since his first stint at a

workforce camp, Mr Corley has worked at about eight remote locations across Australia.

He is now based in Brisbane with wife Amanda and their three children.

ADVERTORIAL

Guests take centre stage with Discovery Parks At Discovery Parks it’s not about us, it’s about our guests. We pride ourselves on delivering a quality service experience for our visitors. Starting with six parks in 2005, Discovery has diversified and expanded from tourism to now include corporate, workforce and permanent accommodation and service solutions across 32 parks.

Australian-owned by leading superannuation company Sunsuper, Discovery Parks is driving a clear plan for future growth in the accommodation sector.

At Discovery Parks our guests can expect high-quality accommodation to suit a variety of needs. With deluxe, superior and standard cabins, single ensuited rooms, caravan and camping sites, we are able to offer a reliable, pristine and comfortable place to stay priced to fit any budget or group size. It’s not just

about having a nice warm bed; guests to Discovery Parks will also find freedom and a sense of space for a relaxing and memorable stay.

We’re also passionate about working with Australian businesses and the resource sector to deliver accommodation solutions for workforces in regional areas. The locations of our parks have been specially selected to service companies operating in these areas and our park managers have been trained to offer personal service specific to the needs of people working away from home. Your staff can rest comfortably when the work day is done in a secure and relaxing environment.

Discovery Parks not only provides quality accommodation and catering services at their corporate and workforce villages, but can offer full camp management services to

mining and construction camps in regional and remote areas.

Our highly professional facility management service includes: • Management of accommodation bookings and room assignment • Quality catering operations, with nutritionally approved menus • Full ancillary and housekeeping services • Maintenance and grounds management • Village security Let Discovery take care of you or your staff next time you’re travelling: For more information: www.discoveryparks.com.au or call 1800 134 033

Snap shot facts • Discovery is the largest park accommodation owner and operator in Australia • More than 540 employees • Serving more than 20,000 meals every week • Accommodating more than two million guests in the last five years • Discovery has spent more than $75M nationally on park upgrades and infrastructure • At Discovery we have more than 1200 rooms; more than 1500 cabins and more than 3600 sites • Discovery offers complete facility management services

REST ASSURED DISCOVERY PARKS HAS THE SOLUTION!

“Accommodating, flexible and delivering on what they say they will do. Discovery Parks live up to their promise”

Discovery Parks is an Australian owned and operated business specialising in accommodation solutions for the mining and resource industry. With parks located in Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia, we understand the specific needs in providing affordable and sustainable workforce housing.

A good night’s sleep is invaluable and our extensive network of properties offers comfortable and secure accommodation with modern facilities and amenities to create a safe and relaxing environment for you and your employees. Whatever your project, Discovery Parks can provide you with a complete accommodation solution.

Emerald

Blackwater

For bookings or to discuss your workforce accommodation needs, please contact us on 1800 134 033 or www.discoveryparks.com.au

30 TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Time-saving solution for remote sites Time is money in any business and three businessmen in Cairns have come up with a creative solution clearing red tape often associated with establishing temporary housing at remote sites throughout Queensland and into the Northern Territory.

Builder Graeme Smith, structural engineer Peter Lennox and mining industry veteran Al Hockley have pooled their respective skill sets to come up with an innovative portable accommodation solution.

Pioneer Transportables is a niche business catering to companies and councils which are regularly on the move servicing roads or undertaking exploration in remote locations.

What sets Pioneer Transportables apart is that its accommodation solutions are truly transportable and can be set up on site by one person and packed up just as efficiently.

Each accommodation module is built on its own platform, similar to a caravan, and is

driven to the site, unhitched from its prime mover and set up in next to no time.

“Each module is like a caravan and requires no building permits to be used,” Mr Smith, who is also a director of the company, said.

“In some instances it can take up to six months to get all the paperwork completed to build an accommodation village.”

Considerable thought and design work went into creating the module system, which uses a vierendeel girder design stabilising the structure whilst in transit.

“Vibration on rough roads can quickly cause structural problems but the vierendeel girder design stabilises the module very effectively,” Mr Smith said.

Mr Hockley’s experiences in remote location accommodation also played a vital role in the final design, which allows interaction between occupants via a common veranda running the length of each module.

The five-person camp in use at Dunbar Station on Cape York.

Mr Smith said the company’s five-man accommodation solution consisted of two modules facing each other with undercover verandas, five en suite bedrooms and one common kitchen.

Solar panels are installed on the roof of each module, linked to airconditioners. The modules also have an on-board battery pack which is used to run the

winch, for lowering and raising the covered verandas when on site.

The first five-man accommodation module is being used by the Carpentaria Shire Council road crew as the team undertakes road upgrades.

Mr Smith went to the site to oversee the first installation and got the thumbs up for the common veranda design.

An assembly workshop has been established in Cairns and a second five-man module is complete. Mr Smith said it was planned to have three more modules built to provide the company with enough inventory to supply customers quickly.

“We can also modify the internal layout to suit the needs of a variety of clients,” Mr Smith said.

ADVERTORIAL

Managed accommodation promotes quality workforce lifestyle Within Australia’s flourishing energy and infrastructure sectors, Ostwald Facilities and Accommodation (OFA) is filling the demand for people management, logistics services and quality accommodation.

Part of the Ostwald Bros Group, OFA self-delivers a wide range of accommodation and facility management solutions tailored to the regionallybased workforce lifestyle.

OFA offers solutions to meet a range of project demands, from large projects accommodating more than 450 workers in semi-permanent villages to temporary fly camps for smaller projects.

Working closely with our customers, guests, suppliers and contractors, OFA delivers a comprehensive BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) model.

and room reservations are handled through an easyto- access 24-hour booking system.

Turnkey solutions provide cost benefits to customers as well as quality assurance and operational efficiencies.

The rooms are comfortable and residents are provided with a range of wellbeing and recreational programs.

Meals are prepared fresh daily by in-house chefs in accordance with HACCO food standards.

From motel-style accommodation villages to fully contained mobile modules, OFA delivers accommodation solutions to meet most requirements.

OFA also offers ongoing preventative maintenance of grounds, services and facilities, while security is managed by specialised security services.

Our friendly OFA teams handle inventory and logistical requirements including transport. Flights are arranged via Ostwald Bros’ private fleet or commercial airlines

Call OFA today and enquire about cost-effective accommodation solutions that offer quality and comfort for remote workforces.

In today’s market, resource and infrastructure projects require a cost effective, tailored accommodation solution. Ostwald Facilities and Accommodation (OFA) self delivers a range of fixed and temporary accommodation and facilities management packages in regional and remote locations across Australia.

With the capacity to deliver 450 man semi-permanent camps for large projects and fly camps for smaller projects, OFA has the expertise to take care of all your accommodation and facilities management needs.

Our services include:

Committed to delivering more

• centralised booking system

• drug and alcohol testing

• accommodation and housekeeping

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• health and lifestyle programs

• grounds (lawns & gardens)

• security management

Talk to us today, about a tailored package that suits you.

Call 13 OFAM (13 6326) www.ostwaldbros.com.au

31

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

Tips to get the best out of working away Preparing for and adjusting to a lifestyle working away from home can be stressful and overwhelming. Health, fitness, communication and financial planning are all important areas for consideration, according to industry experts.

QIA spoke to the some of the people in the know to find the top tips on taking the headache out of FIFO and DIDO.

What to look for from employers Flexible rosters, quality accommodation and 24-hour on-site medical facilities are just some of the key things workers should be looking for in FIFO or DIDO worker camps, according to a Queensland Resources Council guide.

The Guidance for Long-Distance Commuting (FIFO/ DIDO) Workers manual aims to inform workers and their families on what to expect and outline useful strategies to manage the fly in-fly out/drive in-drive out lifestyle.

The guide includes tips on company policies and standards and lists the following arrangements as good practice in the Australian resources sector: Does the employer offer?

• flexible rosters • quality accommodation facilities with en suite, airconditioning, television and internet access.

Accommodation should be well insulated for sound and temperature.

• sporting and recreation facilities, e.g. pool, gym, tennis/ basketball courts, as well as organised team sports • mobile phone reception and free Wi-Fi • 24 hour on-site medical facilities, with doctor on call • initiatives to develop closer interaction between employees and inhabitants of nearby communities, such as sponsored sporting events • the opportunity for site visits for partners and family • quality fresh food in the mess with lots of variation and healthy options available.

The reference guide can be downloaded from the QRC website at www.qrc.org.au.

Double-checking your booking is a good idea, according to Discovery Parks – Emerald reception and office assistant Nicole Verzeletti.

“If I could give one tip to our FIFO workers, it would be to ring your accommodation provider to confirm bookings,” she said. “We have people come in a lot and their employer or the person arranging accommodation hasn’t made the booking and the guest is left stranded (not with us - we always find them a room).

“It would save confusion and at times anger if they make the phone call and check they have a room.”

and point of stress. Do you have financial goals? If no, seek assistance and get some.

“Do you have a clear timeline of how long you plan to stay in the FIFO work choice for? Is it five years, 10 years or is it a longterm career plan?

“Do you have three months’ income in the bank to fall back on in times of unexpected change of circumstances?

“Having clear financial goals and plans is not only essential, but also positive and leads to better relationships.”

Having clear financial goals and plans is also essential says FIFO Families founder Nicole Ashby.

A FIFO lifestyle also requires family support and communication, says Undamine Industries and Coal Train Australia chief executive officer Karla McPhail.

“It is important when working FIFO to have a really good understanding of the financial big picture. It is a known that when you earn more money, you spend more money. But what do you spend money on, are you putting enough money away for future savings?” she said.

“FIFO workers and families often report money as an issue

“As a family be positive on the important roles both partners play in supporting your family.

“Encourage your wife/partner to join support networks such as the Mining Women’s Support Group. It is important that both partners have support and people who have an understanding of their situation.

“Make contact with your family

on a daily basis. Use FaceTime or Skype to say good morning or good night to your children.”

MMG Century’s health, safety and environment manager Tony Shearman says it’s important to stay active between shifts and to get enough shut-eye at night.

“Manage fatigue. It is important to ensure you adopt good sleep patterns with at least seven hours’ uninterrupted sleep a night,” he said.

“Exercise. After a 12-hour shift, you’ll find that even light exercise will maintain your energy levels.

“Watch the waistline. Ready availability of food on mine sites can lead to fast weight gains.

“Be mentally and physically active. Make sure that you are involved in activities or hobbies when you’re on or off site. Plan holidays. Plan your breaks well in advance so you have something to look forward to.”

Blogger Debbie Russo (thefifowife.com.au/) offers three quick points to make FIFO life easier.

“Communicate with your loved ones. Don’t and all your relationships are at risk. All relationships, regardless, require work,” she said.

When it came to mental and physical health, people were in control of their choices, she said.

“You can choose to sit in the wet mess or run a lap around camp.

You can choose to sit on the couch or run around the block.

Your choice.”

The final tip was to ask for help when needed.

“Simple. No matter who - we all need a hand sometimes,” Ms Russo said.

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32 TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

Something out of the box Many a cash-strapped Aussie in a tight spot has turned the ubiquitous shipping container into his or her castle with all the comforts of home.

Most look pretty average on the outside but there’s no doubting they are way more comfortable than rolling out a swag under a gum tree.

Now imagine what 306 architects from around the world could do with a brief to turn old freight containers into a statement of elegance and functionality befitting a topnotch location at Bondi Beach.

An Australian-based competition organised by ACCA (Architectural Competition Concours d’Architecture), called on architects, new graduates, engineers and students to submit entries for a vacation home made entirely of shipping containers.

The challenge winner, Czech architect Ales Javurek, showed what a creative mind could do with the brief and a site on a western hillside of a headland at the iconic Sydney location.

Mr Javurek takes up the story: “The main goal of my proposal was to design a

contemporary vacation house which is sustainable in every aspect and sensitively fits in the context of the site and Sydney’s climate conditions.”

Sound pretty highbrow?

Well it is, as the concept photos on this page reveal.

Mr Javurek continues: “The elegant juxtaposition of shipping containers and horizontal timber planes create a very simple building that reflects a very positive emotional space and experience.

“The interesting inter-play between the different materials of steel and wood together with transparencies (he means glass) gives the project a positive edge.

“There is an element of

The winning shipping container design in the recent AC-CA (Architectural Competition Concours d’Architecture) Australian challenge was described as a contemporary vacation house, which was sustainable and sensitively fit into its surrounds.

surprise within the project even as it attempts to retain and stay true to the container DNA.” The two-storey home uses a system of natural ventilation and light.

In the winter, glazed surfaces are used to take advantage of the sunshine while a grassed area on the roof provides natural insulation.

Recognition for innovative company The best measure of a successful business is to receive recognition from your peers and that is what Linked Group Services accomplished by claiming the Queensland Mining Contractor Award for the most innovative product launched by an exhibitor at the Queensland Mining and Engineering Exhibition at Mackay this year.

The winning product is the Eco-Hub – a solar-powered mobile lighting tower that is satellite enabled. It is equipped with a tilted single axis tracking array that increases the output over conventional solar lighting plants but allows for the unit to remain compact and manoeuvrable.

It can also be used as a Wi-Fi repeater station at temporary accommodation at mine sites.

The thousands of visitors attending the QME exhibition got to see first-hand the many benefits the Eco-Hub could offer mining and broader industries, along with the company’s other stand-out solar product, the Habitat – a solar-powered transportable building complete with all amenities including water storage and battery power.

These products are delivering hefty cost savings and innovative, sustainable solutions to help major industries in the region decrease their carbon footprint, according to Linked Group Services

managing director, Jason Sharam, and chief executive, Peter Shaw.

“There was a lot of interest in the Habitat at the exhibition but not just from the mining industry,” Mr Sharam said.

“We were surprised with the number of people who have rural blocks or fishing spots who could see the benefits in owning the Habitat.”

The innovative living space can be delivered on the back of a tilt trailer and dropped exactly where it is wanted.

Measuring 7.7m by 3.5m, buyers can design a floorplan that best suits their needs.

At around $70,000, depending on the design, owners have a ready-to-go accommodation solution which also will save dollars via its solar arrany and battery storage.

Mr Sharam said Linked Group Services had only been operating since 2010 and started out as electrical contractors and solar array installers.

With offices in Mackay, Brisbane and Darwin the business has quickly evolved and exploited a niche in the market, particularly in remote locations.

Mr Sharam said the company would now focus on commercialising the Eco-Hub and Habitat products but still had a couple of research and development projects planned.

Join Us

at the Kemppi Arc System 3 launch in Brisbane on Friday October 24th.

Call David Green on 0410 851 018 or email David.Green@kemppi.com for details.

Stop Guessing – Start Knowing Introducing Kemppi Arc System 3 for Total Welding Quality Management Created specifically to improve welding quality management, operational productivity and reduce risk, the Kemppi Arc System 3, is a modular software product system that can be tailored to your needs. It offers a choice of Arc modules that work seamlessly together or which can be integrated with your existing welding systems to let you monitor and control the quality of your welding operations to achieve welding excellence.

With Arc System 3, every weld is traceable, including the welder, his qualifications, welding procedures, all settings and hardware that is used. It allows you to effectively plan, monitor and control your entire welding production process to ensure the desired quality is achieved and minimise risk. Welding parameters can be specified and any deviations by the welder can be altered during the welding process to meet the required quality and eliminate the need for rework. Plus, Arc System 3 automatically collects and analyses data, and outputs reports and documentation for complete peace of mind.

A part of Total Welding X Management (TWXM), the Kemppi Arc System 3 lets you manage and control critical welding operations like never before so that you know your welding operations meet all the necessary requirements. For more details call 1300 Go Kemppi or email Info.au@kemppi.com.au

www.kemppi.com