2014 Activities Report by AREEA

CONTENTS ABOUT AMMA............................................................................................ 01 PRESIDENT’S NOTE.................................................................................... 03 AMMA BOARD........................................................................................... 04 CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT................................................................. 05 PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS................................... 07 WORKPLACE POLICY AND ADVOCACY WORKPLACE CONSULTING LEGAL SERVICES WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT YEAR AHEAD IN WORKPLACE RELATIONS MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE.................. 23

SKILLS POLICY AND ADVOCACY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AMMA SKILLS PROJECTS YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS.......... 33

INFLUENCING SKILLED MIGRATION POLICY DELIVERING SPECIALIST MIGRATION SOLUTIONS SKILLED MIGRATION ENGAGEMENT YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLED MIGRATION

AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY......................................... 39 MEMBERSHIP

MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS AMMA EVENTS CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM

CORPORATE PARTNERS......................................................................... 46

PRESIDENT’S NOTE AMMA’s vision is to ensure Australia remains an attractive and competitive place to invest while our national resource industry focuses on increased production. The past year has seen Australia’s resource industry

Throughout 2014, AMMA has worked with Australia’s

continue to navigate great change. With this change

national policymakers towards a predictable and

comes great opportunities and challenges.

supportive framework that assists the investment

In early 2013 our record investment decade peaked

pipeline.

with 73 major resource projects, representing $268

The mining and carbon tax repeals, as well as reforms

billion of committed capital. In the upcoming

to exploration and project approval regulation, have

three years, a great deal of these projects will finish

removed several unnecessary barriers to investment

construction and enter the production phase. The

and jobs growth.

performance of these new projects will be critical in determining our attractiveness for future resources investment. A sustained market correction in the index of commodity prices is also refocusing industry on efficiency and the outputs of existing assets. As we collectively tackle such challenges, the significant value delivered by rapid resources development over the past decade has not gone unnoticed in the broader community. The Reserve Bank’s latest report showed the ‘mining boom’ raised real per capita household disposable income by 13 per cent; raised real wages by 6 per cent; and lowered the unemployment rate by 1.25 percentage points. Separate Deloitte research put to bed any suggestions the mining industry doesn’t pay its way, with findings that the industry has contributed $117bn in company tax and royalties to the Commonwealth since 2006/07. In fact, the industry’s tax contribution of $21bn this year could alone fund 1,500 new schools or create the world’s largest medical research fund.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

Such reforms do not necessarily deliver Australia an edge over our resource competitors, but they do provide a more level playing field for Australian enterprises to pursue efficiencies, innovate, and compete in a highly globalised marketplace. The next step must be a renewed political focus on a more productive workplace relations framework; one that will better support resource employers to develop new projects, drive productivity in existing workplaces and create more employment opportunities. This 2014 Activities Report outlines how AMMA has been a driving force behind many of these significant policy outcomes for the resource industry.

AMMA BOARD The value this delivers to AMMA members is even more profound when coupled with the expanding capabilities of AMMA’s expert employee relations consulting, legal,

AMMA PRESIDENT IAN SMITH

migration and training services and workforce development

Managing Director and Chief Executive

projects delivered directly to resource employers’

Officer, Orica Limited

workplaces. The following pages outline how membership and engagement with AMMA throughout 2014 has supported your individual efforts to do business, employ people and contribute to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing. As a not-for-profit entity, surplus revenue derived from AMMA membership subscriptions and consulting services are directed towards promoting and protecting the industry’s

AMMA VICE PRESIDENT ULYSSES YIANNIS Human Resources Manager Asia Pacific South, Esso Australia Pty Ltd and Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd

interests. I take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support of AMMA’s services. Together we can bolster Australia’s reputation as a competitive place for resource investment and provide employers with a unified representative voice at national and international levels.

Ian Smith AMMA President, Managing Director and CEO, Orica Limited

DIRECTORS JOHNPAUL DIMECH Chief Executive Officer Sodexo Australia & New Zealand MICHAEL UTSLER Chief Operating Officer Woodside Energy Ltd GRAEME HUNT Managing Director and CEO Transfield Services Ltd RICHARD WESTON Executive Vice President Australasia Gold Fields Ltd

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT A range of employment services and skills initiatives, coupled with elevating our industry’s priorities to the forefront of national workplace policy, has seen your resource industry employer group AMMA continue to deliver real outcomes, real leadership and real value for our members. Throughout 2014, AMMA has provided a strong return on your membership investment by delivering services, initiatives and representation to meet the unique and evolving workplace needs of Australia’s resource employers head-on. This 2014 AMMA Activities Report details how our valuedriven work is providing practical solutions that greatly contribute to your employment strategies as we jointly manage a period of great transition for our industry. To reflect how our work has delivered important outcomes across a number of workplace areas, this report is split into four key sections related directly to our members’ core employment functions. Partners in your employment needs AMMA continues to have a strong positive influence on workplace relations in the resource industry. Our work in this space is principally driven by pursuit of an operating environment in which our members can innovate, better utilise their people capacities, create flexibilities and increase workplace productivity. Over the past 12 months we have provided this support through both expanded delivery of our specialist employment consulting services, as well as our increased influence on workplace policy outcomes. In the consultancy space, our employee relations and legal specialists have assisted in everything from daily workplace procedural issues, investigations and contractual matters, through to managing complex enterprise bargaining campaigns and legal representation in our tribunals and courts. Member demand for AMMA’s consulting capabilities will increase in 2015 as more workplace agreements expire and a growing number of resource employers become

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

exposed to the Fair Work Act’s complex and combative bargaining framework. On the policy front, AMMA remains the peak workplace relations body for the resource industry and is statutorily appointed as the sector’s representative on the federal Employment Minister’s National Workplace Relations Consultative Committee. AMMA is also the industry’s representative in international forums such as the International Labor Organization (ILO). 2014 has seen the Abbott government move on some of the priority reform areas for AMMA members, including a more competitive and sustainable bargaining system for new resource projects, and restoring balance and sensibility to union workplace entry rules. Among our ongoing policy activities, detailed within, we are also working to reintroduce real workplace flexibility, support the return of a tough industrial relations cop in the construction industry in the form of a restored and previously successful ABCC, and implement an international best-practice appeals jurisdiction for our workplace system. These areas of workplace reform are just the beginning in ensuring our employment laws properly support the aspirations and success of resource employers and Australia’s broader business community. AMMA’s engagement and influence will prove invaluable in 2015 as the government ramps up its reform agenda.

STAFF IN 6 OFFICES AMMA’S PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRALIA TO SUPPORT YOU

Providing a skilled and ready workforce AMMA remains committed to a number of important workforce development initiatives that are developing solutions to future skills challenges and connecting more Australians to employment opportunities in our sector. In 2014, we have had great success with the gender diversity efforts of the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) and the employment pathway projects delivered by AMMA Skills Connect. The take-up of these programs is delivering real social and commercial outcomes directly at the coal face of our industry. AMMA has also recently been engaged by the federal government to ensure its vocational education and training (VET) system reforms meet the evolving needs of Australian industry and support ongoing employment growth. Assisting with your international skills needs The past 12 months has also seen AMMA substantially influence the government’s reform efforts to remove cumbersome and unnecessary bureaucracy from Australia’s valuable skilled migration programs. Given the small but important role international skilled employees have in complementing and creating Australian jobs, AMMA’s success and engagement in this area will have a very real impact on employment opportunities locally. Facilitating our members’ practical access to global expertise through AMMA’s Migration Services has also been critical to supporting Australian resource projects. These expert services have proven invaluable to assisting employers through complex changes to Australia’s 457 visa program and migration arrangements in the offshore resource industry.

STATES & TERRITORIES

WHERE AMMA SERVICES RESOURCE EMPLOYERS

This has been achieved through a variety of AMMA conferences, forums, workshops, industry briefings, special interest groups and member communication materials. This ensures we face new challenges and new opportunities together, and cultivate industry-wide innovation and engagement as you seek to optimise the people capacities of your individual operations. Over the past 12 months, the changing economic environment, labour market complexion and skills availabilities has made the collective focus on our industry’s competitiveness, productivity and operational efficiencies even more important. I thank you for your ongoing membership support of AMMA, which ensures work in these critical areas continues to assist in keeping our industry the cornerstone of our economy and our national wellbeing. Whether it is through our practical, specialist services or our influence and engagement with Australia’s national decision makers, AMMA’s activities ensure our resource industry is an attractive and competitive place to invest, employ people and conduct business.

Steve Knott AMMA Chief Executive

A unified and engaged industry The final section of the 2014 AMMA Activities Report details how we have continued to facilitate unity and engagement across all sub-sectors and geographical coverage of AMMA’s membership.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS Since our formation in 1918, one of the greatest areas of ongoing AMMA membership value is in the effective outcomes we deliver across all areas of employment practices in the resource industry. This is provided through both direct employee relations and legal advice delivered within AMMA member workplaces, and in actively influencing the regulatory and legislative framework in which our industry employs people and operates.

WORKPLACE POLICY AND ADVOCACY Throughout 2014, AMMA has continued to build on its longstanding reputation as one of the leading and most influential industry representatives for workplace relations policy in Australia. While various political and vested interest groups continue to underestimate the impact of workplace relations on the productivity and competitiveness of Australian employers and industry, AMMA has remained uncompromising in its research, policy development and advocacy for a legislative and regulatory framework that supports our members’ employment priorities and strategies. Strong, strategic advocacy, coupled with AMMA’s policy capabilities, has seen us successfully influence key areas of the workplace reform priorities of the Abbott Government during its first full year in parliament, as well as lead the wider national workplace policy debate. Strategically, the past 12 months have seen AMMA’s policy team: • Help set the agenda for the workplace reform priorities of the new Australian Government and actively influence the wider national policy debate.

• Ground AMMA’s policy and advocacy in the objectives of jobs creation, productivity improvement and increased competitiveness of Australia’s resource industry. • Represent Australia’s resource industry on a number of national and international workplace policy councils and forums, including the government’s primary policy advisory committee – the National Workplace Relations Consultative Council. As 2014 opened, AMMA had amassed a growing body of evidence about the fundamental flaws in the design and operation of the Fair Work system that detracted not only from the productivity and competitiveness of Australian enterprise, but also from job opportunities, job security and outcomes for employees. AMMA’s advocacy is grounded firmly in the clear input from members throughout the industry that Australia must restore balance and practicality to its labour laws, and that this will require significant amendments to the Fair Work Act, in order to advance the interests and capacity of resource employers and the wider business community.

• Backed by research and a strong evidence base, advocate key areas of change to workplace legislation that is having a detrimental impact on AMMA members.

Following is a snapshot of the key workplace policy areas in which AMMA focused its efforts throughout 2014 in our continuing journey towards the important goal of meaningful workplace relations reform. As some of these areas are yet to be subject to legislative amendments, AMMA’s influence and efforts in these areas will continue throughout 2015.

• Comprehensively canvass and document, via collaborative partnerships with research institutions and universities, the widespread problems caused by Labor’s Fair Work Act 2009, building the business case for fundamental workplace reform.

It is hoped that the lobbying and advocacy by AMMA and other business representative groups will soon see much-needed legislative amendments pass into law and deliver real improvements to the workplaces of our members.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FAIR WORK ACT The significance of AMMA’s engagement with Australia’s national policy makers during 2014 is seen in the fact that the government has significantly progressed four of the six key areas of workplace reform priorities identified by AMMA. Proposed amendments in relation to union access to workplaces, greenfields (new project) agreements, individual flexibilities and protected industrial action are part of the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014 which as of October 2014 is still before parliament. Important amendments in these areas address some of the most significant workplace relations concerns for AMMA members, in particular those that have led to resource project delays and cost overruns, adverse productivity outcomes and increased industrial disharmony. AMMA has been guided in the identification and development of these critical reform priorities by the ongoing work of our Board Reference Group as well as continued high response rates to regular AMMA member surveys on key workplace policy issues. These changes, if and when the Bill passes through the Senate, will increase the capacity for Australia’s resource industry to secure new project investment, generate jobs and contribute to the nation’s future prosperity.

INDUSTRIAL REGULATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY An ongoing campaign and a renewed priority for AMMA’s policy work during 2014 is to support the Abbott Government’s pre-election commitment to re-establish an effective construction industry watchdog in the form of a renewed Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

This has been a necessary adjunct to the regulator’s former powers given the increased militancy of unions in the offshore and maritime space. The 2014 Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption demonstrates why this is a critical priority. AMMA made comprehensive submissions to the Senate inquiry into the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013, which were instrumental in highlighting the need for the measures proposed in the bill and why they represented a justified response to ongoing union militancy. The return of a tougher regulator in the construction space, particularly in the offshore construction area where billions of dollars are invested, cannot be underestimated in terms of its value to industry and the Australian economy. AMMA is also working closely with the interim regulator in this area; striving to ensure observance of the rule of law under the existing, deficient regulatory framework.

AMMA MEMBERSHIP BY SECTOR Transport Safety

Vessel Operator Services

Refining Pipeline

Construction

Oil & Gas

Marine

Maintenance

Legislation is currently before federal parliament seeking to restore the ABCC and its supporting legislation, but with important modifications that will, among other things, see the regulator’s enforcement powers explicitly extend to offshore construction projects.

Logistics Fabrication Exploration Engineering Energy

Mining

Drilling

Dredging

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS A SEPARATE INDUSTRIAL APPEALS JURISDICTION The reinstatement of a truly independent federal industrial umpire has been a key priority in AMMA’s reform advocacy in 2014. This is driven by an identified need for resource industry employers to have greater certainty and confidence in the industrial umpire and to ensure interference by third parties in managerial decision-making is kept to a minimum.

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Specific areas in which AMMA will seek change include the enterprise bargaining and greenfield bargaining frameworks, the rules around the taking of protected industrial action, greater scope for a variety of different agreement types (including individual and collective) and the interaction between unions’ capacity to enter workplaces and business priorities.

NEW RULES FOR REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS

AMMA advocates that this can be achieved through the establishment of an independent, specialist appeals tribunal for Fair Work Commission decisions, which would ensure previously clear-cut industrial precedents are followed in the decision making process of all tribunal members.

AMMA has long been a key proponent of tough new governance rules for all registered organisations including unions and employer groups, proposed within the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Bill 2013, that is currently before federal parliament.

This important structural reform would reflect international best practice, improve consistency in decisions, restore certainty and confidence to users of Australia’s workplace system, and ultimately reduce unnecessary IR transaction costs for all.

AMMA itself is subject to the Corporations Act 2001 and believes all registered organisations should be subject to equally stringent rules. Changes contained in the bill include holding officials of registered organisations to a comparable level of financial transparency and governance as company directors.

The Coalition’s Policy to improve the Fair Work laws, released in mid-2013 in the lead-up to the last federal election, made a commitment to giving consideration to the establishment of such an appeals body and AMMA, as one of the most vocal supporters of such a proposal, looks forward to future developments in this space.

PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION REVIEW OF THE FAIR WORK ACT Despite a delay in the release of the official terms of reference, 2014 has seen AMMA commence its policy and advocacy strategy along with its submission to the Productivity Commission’s upcoming review of the Fair Work Act. AMMA’s submission to the review will build on work over the past three years by AMMA’s Board Reference Group in identifying reform priorities along with developing an evidence base to support change. It will focus on building an undeniable case for productive, efficient and sustainable workplace relations reform that will provide the long-term industrial stability needed to support Australian enterprises in trading and competing in the global marketplace. 9

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

AMMA hopes that the new Senate, which commenced sitting on 1 July 2014, will see the importance of placing a higher level of scrutiny on the officials of registered organisations and supports those new laws in 2015.

OTHER WORKPLACE POLICY ACTIVITIES In addition to the above activities, during 2014 AMMA has advocated on behalf of our members in a broad range of policy areas including: • Competition policy review: AMMA highlighted the importance of retaining existing prohibitions against secondary boycotts by unions in a strong submission to the Australian Government’s Competition Policy Review. • Superannuation: AMMA has called for superannuation to be removed from industrial awards as retail and industry super funds continue to battle over which should be the default fund for awardcovered employees.

• P aid parental leave: AMMA has maintained that imposing a new tax on Australia’s largest companies to fund the proposed new paid parental leave scheme would doubly penalise resource employers who were already proactively leading the way in PPL practices. • Strike action rules: AMMA was instrumental in ensuring that new regulations allowing third parties and the Western Australian WR Minister to apply to stop damaging industrial action before it was taken were retained in the face of an unsuccessful disallowance motion by the Australian Greens in the Senate. • Coastal trading: AMMA is broadly supportive of the Australian Government’s focus on more competitive and efficient coastal trading practices to better support resource employers operating in fast-moving global markets. • Workplace bullying: AMMA successfully highlighted the excessive regulatory burden that would result for employers from yet another layer of workplace bullying regulation contained in a proposed national code of practice. In early 2014, that code of practice was instead turned into guidance material rather than punitive regulation for employers.

2014 WORKPLACE RELATIONS POLICY SUBMISSIONS

Discussion Paper: Establishment of the Industry Skills Fund - September

AMMA Research Project on Fair Work Commission Appointments - September

Submission to the Australian Government Department of Industry on Vocational Education and Training Reform - July Submission to the Competition Policy Review (Harper review – Secondary Boycotts) - June Submission to the Review of Coastal Trading / Coastal Shipping – Departmental Review, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development - June Submission to the Four-Yearly Review of Modern Awards - June Submission to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee on the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014 - April Submission to the Review of Indigenous Training and Employment - January Submission to the Senate Education & Employment References Committee On the Government’s approach to re-establishing the ABCC – January

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS WORKPLACE CONSULTING Demand for AMMA’s specialised workplace consulting services has increased in 2014, despite challenging market conditions throughout the resource industry. This has reaffirmed the value our members receive from AMMA consultants in securing commercially sustainable outcomes in enterprise bargaining matters as well as minimising the incidental business costs that can arise from accepting anything less than ‘best practice’ approaches to employment policies and processes. Increased demand for consulting services has come from employers seeking assistance in a broad range of workplace issues, ranging from basic support on day-to-day employment matters through to more complex work such as workplace restructuring and the strategic planning process involved in developing and negotiating enterprise agreements. Our consultants have worked with employers in all sub-sectors of AMMA’s diverse membership and in a range of locations, varying from our larger mining, construction, and oil and gas members through to smaller employers supporting and servicing the resource sector in regional areas of the country. Examples of the specialist employee relations services regularly delivered by to AMMA members include: • Strategic planning and execution of new enterprise agreements and renegotiations. • Review and development of employment contracts. • Workplace change initiatives and restructuring advice, including union and employee consultation and facilitating redundancy processes.

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• Workplace investigations, including recommendations and advice in relation to disciplinary processes and termination. • Unfair dismissal advice and representation. • Adverse Action claims. • Right of Entry advice and onsite facilitation and support. • Resolution of industrial disputation, including onsite support and tribunal representation. • Employee Relations Management Plan preparation, implementation and compliance audits. • Onsite representation of member employee relations and human resource functions, including engagement with management of self-perform and contractor workforces. • Reviews, development and implementation of member HR/IR policies, management plans, rosters and workforce mobilisation and demobilisation.

ADVOCACY SERVICES UNFAIR DISMISSAL AND GENERAL PROTECTION CLAIMS

AMMA CONSULTING SERVICES

ENTERPRISE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS AND COMMON LAW CONTRACTS

BUSINESS BENEFITS REDUNDANCY AND RESTRUCTURING

BEST PRACTICE AWARENESS

STRATEGIC WORKPLACE RELATIONS MANAGEMENT PLANS AND RISK ASSESSMENTS

RISK MITIGATION

CERTAINTY

YOUR BUSINESS PROFITABILITY

CONNECTIONS AND NETWORKS

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

TRUE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

PROTECTED INDUSTRIAL ACTION

HIGH VALUE SERVICES

SUPPORT FOR YOUR TEAM

INDUSTRY EXPERTISE

GENERAL ADVICE AWARDS, AGREEMENTS, WAGE RATES ETC

HUMAN RESOURCES ADVICE WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS

DISCRIMINATION ISSUES AND CLAIMS

INCLUDING BULLYING, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BULLYING

UNION RIGHT OF ENTRY

• Interpretation and advice on complex industrial matters and employment law. • Advice and implementation of community relations strategies and the interface with employee management and engagement. • Undertaking of workplace audits. • Preparation of remuneration survey reports for particular industry groups. • Training in workplace issues such as the new bullying jurisdiction Primary consulting services and advice sought by AMMA members throughout 2014 are as follows.

ENTERPRISE AGREEMENTS Demonstrating AMMA’s ongoing influence in Australia’s rapidly developing major project landscape has been the lead role played by our consultants in a number of complex agreement negotiations. The past 12 months have seen AMMA work closely with members on the renegotiation of many enterprise agreements, often facilitating a coordinated approach from key stakeholders to enable the best possible outcomes for our members and the wider resource industry. Our consultants have been a key support to members in navigating the complexities of the Fair Work Act and ensuring that the negotiations, outcomes and the process for registering an agreement are as simple and effective as possible. Many of the enterprise agreements involving AMMA during 2014 involved extensive union engagement and negotiating, with our legal support also often on-hand to secure the most favourable employer outcomes. A significant increase in work has come from the renegotiation of key agreements across several major hydrocarbons projects, requiring AMMA’s expertise to coordinate a strategic and disciplined approach. AMMA has also seen an increase in consulting to our mining members with 2014 being the renewal year for a large number of agreements in the sector.

PRODUCTIVITY AND COST EFFICIENCIES As resource employers across the board face tightened profit margins, new cost challenges and declining commodity prices, AMMA’s workplace consultants have increasingly been engaged to ensure enterprise agreements are maximising workforce productivity and that rosters and conditions support sustainable long-term employment and commercial objectives. In the mining and services sectors our members have sought advice and support in the review of terms and conditions of employment, rosters and associated benefits in the ongoing drive for cost reductions and increased productivity. In the hydrocarbons space, the drive for greater cost efficiencies has also seen our consultants providing advice and assistance on issues associated with workplace change initiatives and restructuring. Members have also relied on AMMA to provide them with support and understanding of current trends in regards to agreement making and rates of pay in the resource industry. This information has ensured they are well prepared when negotiating an agreement and are not unnecessarily paying above market pay rises or being tied to unrealistic or uncommercial roster arrangements.

BULLYING AND PRIVACY Recent changes to both the Privacy Act and regulation of workplace bullying in Australia has seen AMMA members require advice and support in 2014. Our consultants have worked with our members to contextualise what such changes mean to their business operations in minimising risk exposure. Our consultants have also experienced an increase in members looking for assistance with workplace investigations and an understanding of how to manage the recent changes to both bullying regulation and the Privacy Act.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS ADVERSE ACTION / UNFAIR DISMISSALS AMMA has represented a number of members in dealing with unfair dismissals and adverse action claims, including providing assistance and advice prior to any disciplinary action to ensure the Fair Work Act. Our consultants ensure disciplinary action is defensible in the

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MAJOR PROJECT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COORDINATION AND SERVICES DELIVERED ON: • Ichthys/INPEX project • Shell Prelude

case of an employee claim.

• TAN Project

Members have worked with our consultants to ensure

• Gorgon Project

they are aware of their rights as employers and can

• Wheatstone

manage the issues they are facing in a cost effective manner that minimises any disruption to their business operations. AMMA also has the capacity to undertake mediation sessions.

MIGRATION CHANGES

• FMG Upgrade • GLNG Project • APLNG Project • Queensland Curtis Island Project

AMMA members operating in the offshore resources sector have faced uncertainty around legislative changes to the Migration Act and the potential impact to key aspects of their workforce. AMMA consultants have been the first point of call for these questions and

RESOURCE INDUSTRY ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION

have ensured members are aware of the proposed changes and how to manage them. For more information on this issue, see page 33.

RAISED REAL PER CAPITA HOUSEHOLD DISPOSABLE INCOME BY

13%

RAISED REAL WAGES BY

DECREASED UNEMPLOYMENT BY

1.25%

Source: Downes, P., Hanslow, K., & Tulip, K. (August, 2014).Reserve Bank of Australia. Research Discussion Paper. The Effect of the Mining Boom on the Australian Economy.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

LEGAL SERVICES

OFFERING A GROWING SERVICE CAPABILITY

With an increasingly legalistic workplace relations system, the understanding and ability to navigate Australia’s complex employment laws is vitally important to operating effectively and competitively in Australia’s resource industry.

AMMA’s legal team continued to expand in 2014 through high quality lawyer appointments to now have a presence in each of our major state offices (Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne).

AMMA ensures its members have this critical business function covered through its Legal Division – providing a growing team of qualified and practising lawyers delivering technical legal expertise in workplace relations across all areas of the national resource industry. Through a range of activities in 2014, AMMA’s legal team continued to both extend members’ in-house legal capacities and complement the services provided by the AMMA Consulting Division. This flexible approach in service delivery has greatly assisted members with navigating their unique legal complexities to support commercial outcomes.

Utilising a flexible and mobile national service offering, AMMA’s qualified legal representatives appeared at tribunal/court hearings and advised members and other clients in all resource sector regional hubs (see below map). In the past year, AMMA Legal has provided technical advice on proposed workplace relations, safety and migration reforms, intervened in legal proceedings with industry impact on behalf of the policy team and supported the membership function in delivering member value. The growing range of capabilities and advice delivered to members in 2014 included: • Transactional advice • Workplace change and transformation advice

LEGAL PROVIDED TO:

• Bargaining strategy and disputes • Advocacy in courts and tribunals • Project management – building strategy, engaging expertise to facilitate delivery of project objectives, ongoing coordination of expertise

DARWIN

• Depth of resources industry knowledge & networks TOWNSVILLE GLADSTONE

BRISBANE LAVERTON HUNTER VALLEY

PERTH WHYALLA

NEWCASTLE

ADELAIDE LILYDALE

SYDNEY BOTANY

MELBOURNE

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS ASSISTING IN YOUR BARGAINING AND WORKPLACE DISPUTES Management of bargaining and related disputes has been a primary area of demand for AMMA’s legal capabilities over the past year, as our members seek a highly specialised legal service provider operating solely within the resource industry. This work has facilitated maximum value outcomes where damaging industrial action is threatened. AMMA Legal has been integral in identifying and designing strategies for achieving sustainability and productivityfocused outcomes, including in the face of mature agreements and high degree of union resistance. In the latter half of the year, AMMA Legal was instructed to develop advice and execute a number of workplace change and renewal projects signalling a new phase of workplace relations in response to the economic difficulties and red tape facing resources projects. We are the trusted advisor to executives on matters with particular commercial and legal sensitivity and organisational importance. Activities included: • Project managing and coordinating of a range of internal and external service providers to deliver on key projects with significant industry-wide implications. • Working with the Consulting Division to lead the design and strategy for the offshore maritime service sector bargaining and various proactive employer applications, including filing of unique application for Federal Court declaratory relief to stop otherwise protected industrial action. • Assisting a major mining services provider with achieving fundamental workplace reform via successful closure of a lengthy enterprise bargaining campaign. • Successfully defending a range of unpaid wages and discrimination claims. • Commencing process of breaking new ground with multiple simultaneous applications to reduce redundancy pay.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

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FIGHTING FOR INDUSTRY OUTCOMES In addition to specific advice and representation for AMMA members, our legal team continues to be a major asset for the resource industry in assisting in the development and advocacy for industry-wide employment outcomes. One such focus has been on preserving managerial scope to effectively implement drug and alcohol testing procedures in the way an employer deems best suited to fulfill and uphold workplace safety obligations. In this area AMMA was recognised in 2014 as the legal expert across all sectors for drug and alcohol testing management, representing the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in consulting with Standards Australia on review of the Australian Standard for Testing of Oral Fluids. Other activities included working with AMMA’s workplace policy specialists to identify and guide protection of resources industry minimum standards in modern awards. Whether fighting for industry outcomes or providing legal advice to our members or industry groups, AMMA’s legal team has represented a broad range of industry sectors in 2014 including black coal mining, metalliferous mining, mining services providers, offshore oil and gas, construction, drilling, maritime and labour hire. With future growth in demand expected to come from Queensland and Western Australia over the coming 12 months, AMMA will continue to expand its legal support function to further supplement and add value to its employee relations capabilities.

IMAGE COURTESY OF BECHTEL AUSTRALIA

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT BOARD REFERENCE GROUP AMMA’s Board Reference Group is the organisation’s principle engagement and consultative body driving the priorities and details of AMMA’s workplace relations reform activities. The BRG comprises senior IR/HR representatives from a broad spread of AMMA’s membership base to ensure the policy priorities and views of all various sub-sectors of Australia’s resource industry are well understood and represented in AMMA’s advocacy activities. Meeting quarterly, efforts have been made by AMMA throughout 2014 to ensure the full range of expertise and engagement offered by the BRG are fully utilised. In this process, BRG members expressed satisfaction with the carrying forward of their priorities in AMMA lobbying, and noted government take-up of key priorities for our industry. AMMA sincerely thanks all members of the BRG for the strong and valuable policy input and perspectives over 2014 and looks forward to working together on further critical policy reform areas in 2015.

FROM YOUR WORKPLACES TO FEDERAL PARLIAMENT Outside of the advice and consultation with the Board Reference Group, AMMA’s consultants and policy team work collaboratively through a range of engagement activities to ensure the challenges and experiences within our members’ workplaces are translated into our workplace policy activities. In 2014, AMMA consultants and legal professionals have actively contributed to the work of AMMA’s policy team to provide case studies and real examples of the practical impacts poor workplace legislation is having on resource industry employers. Examples include practical effects of skilled migration policy changes or detailing current trends in enterprise agreement making to ensure AMMA’s policy and advocacy activities

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

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are embedded in exactly what the industry needs to maximise its workforce productivity and support ongoing employment opportunities. AMMA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) also continue to be popular with members to discuss policy development and practical workplace experiences relating to a specific resource industry sub-sector with AMMA consultants and industry peers. A number of regional networking initiatives have also provided increased engagement opportunities for our members and allowed regionally based HR professionals to be kept personally informed of the most recent workplace policy or legislative developments impacting their organisations.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS Through strategic media campaigns, press stakeholder management and community awareness strategies, AMMA’s public affairs activities have played a critical role in supporting both the policy advocacy and employee relations consulting functions of the organisation and our members. With workplace relations legislative change remaining a highly political and often emotive subject area, AMMA’s public affairs team has worked hand-in-hand with our policy experts throughout 2014 to deliver well-planned, proactive and strategically aligned media campaigns supporting each of our primary reform lobbying actions. AMMA’s public affairs team also continues to play an important role in strategically coordinating media activities and public reporting of major AMMA employee relations consulting projects. Such largescale industrial matters can often attract media and public attention and with unions well versed in political and community campaigning, the strategic support of AMMA’s public affairs specialists in influencing media reporting on resource industry industrial activities has proven invaluable at mitigating reputational risk to our members or the industry as a whole.

Services and support provided in 2014 include: • Strategic media campaigning on key AMMA member workplace policy reform priorities. • Assisting in influencing and managing media and public interest in individual member and industry-wide activities or disputes. • Developing and implementing specialist public relations strategies, management and support for member company EBA negotiations, often in close cooperation with the AMMA consulting team. • Completing thorough community, political and media stakeholder risk profile reports for industry subsectors or individual members. • Assisting in crisis communication strategies and protocol documents for AMMA members. • Coordinating AMMA member communication activities.

Highlights of AMMA’s media presence in 2014 include (figures year to October 2014): • 391 times AMMA was involved in mainstream print and broadcast media reports. • 1,314 times AMMA was involved in online media reporting. • 28 major editorial features in industry print and online publications. • Strong radio and print coverage welcoming the new Australian-Japan Free Trade Agreement. • Prominent opinion editorial in The West Australian newspaper about how the actions of the MUA is threatening oil and gas job security. • Live appearance on ABC News 24 television advocating AMMA’s position on the offshore skilled migration visa issue. • Prominent opinion editorial in the Australian Financial Review advocating AMMA’s position on a separate appeals jurisdiction within Australia’s industrial system. • National and regional media coverage on maritime industrial issues including the vessel operators’ bargaining matter and potential Port Hedland tug boat strikes. • Widespread media influence on the passing of the mining and carbon tax repeal legislation.

DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES

26.5%

25.8%

16.5%

METAL ORE MINING

EXPLORATION & OTHER MINING SERVICES

COAL MINING

10.6%

6.4%

OIL & GAS EXTRACTION

NON-METALLIC MINERAL MINING & QUARRYING

14.2% MINING (OTHER)

Source: ABS Labour Force, Australian Detailed, Quarterly (AUG 2014)

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS YEAR AHEAD IN WORKPLACE RELATIONS 2015 will be an extremely important year for workplace relations in Australia’s resource industry as the Abbott government likely intensifies the pace and rigour in which it addresses legislative and regulatory reform for Australia’s workplace relations system, much of which is expected to address key concerns for AMMA members. At the same time, the practical impacts of the Fair Work legislation will only deepen as more workplaces become exposed to its provisions and outcomes over an extended period of time, and current agreements across major projects and other resource operations require renegotiating. Not only will AMMA’s policy specialists play an integral role in influencing the outcomes of these reform developments to the needs and expectations of our members, but the expert services of our workplace consultants and legal professionals will be vital to mitigating any risks, challenges and complexities within your workplace practices that are driven by the existing Fair Work framework or future change. Notably, AMMA’s workplace policy team will be a significant participant in the forthcoming Productivity Commission review of Australia’s workplace laws. Our role will be to advocate significant reforms to ensure the Australian industry becomes a more attractive and competitive place to invest, do business, and employ people. Australia’s resource industry will also face many challenges in the coming 12 months driven by the transition from the construction phase to the production phase of many major projects in the mining, oil and gas sectors. This industry transition is likely to be sharpened by a continued downturn in commodity prices leaving our members to face a new set of challenges in maintaining their workforce numbers and operational efficiencies.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

CONTINUED...

In this environment, AMMA’s consultants and legal specialists are expected to be called on to assist our members with an increased focus on productivity initiatives, workforce efficiencies and improved operational capacity. Specific services include realigning conditions of new enterprise agreements to these critical objectives in the current economic environment and delivering skills to our members to manage complex workplace issues such as employee obligations and the legislated rights of unions in the workplace. As a national organisation, one of AMMA’s core focuses in 2015 will be increased support services to regional parts of Australia and to assist existing and new member organisations to achieve their commercial goals through consistency, competitiveness and regulatory compliance of their workplace policies and practices.

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK PIPELINE OF DEVELOPMENT LEVEL 3

LEVEL 1 } 293 RESOURCES AND ENERGY related projects in the pipeline.

} The capital value for these projects is between $519.8 BILLION and $545.8+ BILLION.

ALUMINIUM, BAUXITE, ALUMINA

LEAD, ZINC, SILVER

IRON ORE

LNG, GAS, OIL

LEVEL 2

} 69 RESOURCE PROJECTS at an advanced stage of development (either committed or under construction), with an indicative cost estimate of $254 BILLION. } 224 LESS ADVANCED (publicly announced or in the feasibility stage) projects in the pipeline with an cost estimate to be more than $265 BILLION.

PROJECTS BROKEN DOWN BY COMMODITY:

NICKEL

OTHER COMMODITIES

URANIUM

INFRASTRUCTURE

COAL

GOLD

COPPER

Source: BREE April 2014 edition of Resources and Energy Major Projects

PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT Projected employment level by resources industry sector, base case, 2013-18

EMPLOYMENT LEVEL

450 000 400 000 350 000 300 000 250 000 200 000 150 000 100 000 50 000 0

2013 Resources Project Construction

2014

2015

2016

Mining Operations

Source: Australian Workplace Productivity Agency (AWPA) Resource Sector Skills Needs 2013-2018

2017

2018

Oil & Gas Operations

Total

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

MEDIA & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS The West Australian 30 May 2014

HOWARD DEFENDS ABBOTT BUDGET Speaking at the AMMA national conference in Perth yesterday, former PM John Howard said local criticism had been similar to that levied against the first budget of Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in 2010.

ABC News Radio 06 February 2014

DRIVE WITH SANDY ALOISI The resources industry has dismissed a call for a national wages accord. Scott Barklamb of the Mines and Metals Association says today’s industrial relationships landscape is vastly different to 30 years ago.

The Australian Financial Review 24 May 2014

AMMA TAKES ON WA GAS STRIKE AMMA will on Monday ask the Fair Work Commission to step in and prevent a planned strike at key contractor Tidewater after Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) workers declared they will strike for two days, starting on Tuesday, in support of their wage claim.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

The Morning Bulletin 09 June 2014

ONLINE MENTORING FOR WOMEN IN MINING CONTINUES With an increasing number of women working in the mining industry, the Australian Mines and Metals Association has welcomed funding that will continue an online mentoring program.

The Australian 01 July 2014

ABETZ HELPS STATE FIGHT STRIKERS AMMA chief executive Steve Knott said that enabling third parties to intervene on damaging strike action would provide “muchneeded industrial power for the Western Australian government as well as employers facing crippling strikes”.

ABC News 24 Television 17 July 2014

LIVE TALKBACK WITH KIM LANDERS AND TONY EASTLEY Interview with Scott Barklamb from the Australian Mines and Metals Association about the MUA and visa arrangements in the offshore oil and gas sector.

The Australian 28 January 2014

LET US PUT INDIGENOUS FIRST FOR JOBS: MINERS AMMA has written to the indigenous jobs review headed by mining magnate Andrew Forrest to argue for many changes including stronger laws to make it easier to favour indigenous people when advertising jobs.

Gas Today 04 September 2014

OIL AND GAS SECTOR ONLY RESOURCE AREA TO SHOW INCREASE IN FEMALE EMPLOYEES The resource industry’s national gender diversity initiative, the Australian Women in Resources Alliance, has called for greater efforts to increase the number of women

The West Australian 28 January 2014

UNION ACTION THREATENS OIL AND GAS JOB SECURITY Unjustifiable strikes will further erode petroleum sector’s competitivness, writes AMMA’s Richard Berriman. [opinion piece]

in male-dominated roles, following a recent decline in women’s workforce participation.

The Australian 29 April 2014

MINERS SEE RISK OF INFLATED PAY DEALS AMMA has warned that the Abbott

Radio: 2SM Sydney 09 July 2014

government’s next wave of workplace policy changes threatened to lock in artificially inflated pay deals as a benchmark for future

NEWS HEADLINES Australia’s resource industry believes the signing of the the Japan Australia economic partnership agreement will bring new

billion-dollar resources projects, with a Senate committee submission saying the proposed ‘prevailing industry standards’ test formed a “hard floor for workplace relations arrangements on future projects”.

opportunities to the nation. Scott Barklamb, Executive Director, Australian Mines and Metal Association believes it is a positive step. [Interview with Scott Barklamb, Executive Director, Australian Mines and Metal Association.]

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE Australia’s resource industry is facing a complex and rapidly evolving skills and workforce availability landscape, driven largely by the transition of many mega resource projects from the construction phase into long-term production and export operations. This natural evolution of Australia’s resource industry is having an impact on the skills and workforce dynamics of all resource employers along the major project supply chain; large and small, from owner-operators to contractors and allied service suppliers. As the national resource industry employer group, AMMA is committed to helping resource employers tackle these workforce challenges as they evolve in sync with the shifting industry landscape. From our involvement in national skills policy development through to the upskilling of your people directly in your workplaces, AMMA’s work in 2014 has greatly assisted our members in preparing for future people demands and ensuring their access to a skilled and ready workforce.

SKILLS POLICY AND ADVOCACY In 2014, AMMA’s strong reputation and influence with national policy makers on workplace relations issues has been greatly bolstered and complemented by our growing role in shaping the national skills and training policy landscape. This broadening of AMMA’s policy scope and recognition of expertise has allowed us to work with the Abbott government in addressing a wider scope of workplace challenges for AMMA members, which we are confident will deliver tangible results for employers in the near future.

VET REFORM PANEL PARTICIPATION In 2014, AMMA was one of a select few industry representative organisations handpicked by the Australian Government’s Department of Industry to assist in its range of reforms to Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. AMMA Executive Director Industry Services, Tara Diamond, was appointed to Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane’s Industry and Skills Advisory Committee in August 2014 with a mandate to represent the needs of all resource industry employers in this fundamental reform area.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

An engagement program with AMMA members was undertaken in 2014 and will continue into 2015, with insight and input collected for the Advisory Committee across the following focus areas: • Options to reduce regulation in the VET sector. • Setting an approach to review standards for the regulation of VET. • The provision of direction and advice on the relevance and responsiveness of training package content and the overall system in which training is developed. • Reform of the trade apprenticeship system. AMMA has also played a role in several major VET reform announcements affecting employers in 2014, and will continue to represent members’ interests in taking advantage of the opportunities they offer. Important announcements include: • Establishment of a five-member VET Advisory Committee, which includes AMMA’s Tara Diamond, that will provide feedback to the government as it continues reforms to the sector. • Introduction of the Trade Support Loans. • Changes to VET FEE-HELP arrangements. • Streamlining boards and committees and consolidating a number of Commonwealth programs.

• Expanded access to Commonwealth supported places to students studying at all higher education providers and for sub-bachelor qualifications. • An independent review of the training regulator the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). • New draft provider and regulator standards due to come into effect on 1 January 2015.

AMMA RTO SUBMISSION AMMA also provided a submission in its own right as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to the Vocational Education and Training Taskforce in relation to the revised Registered Training Organisation and Vocational Education and Training Regulator Standards for public consultation.

SKILLS FUND

In its submission, AMMA’s RTO argued the new draft standards are a step in the right direction from the former draft standards developed by the National Skills Standards Council, as they reduce red-tape, avoid onerous levels of regulation and avoid imposing unnecessary regulatory costs on training providers.

AMMA has provided direct input the formation of a $476 million Industry Skills Fund as part of the Australian Government’s VET reforms and National Industry and Competitiveness Agenda. Due to commence on 1 January 2015, the fund aims to assist industry to access training and support services and is proposed to prioritise micro, small and medium enterprises.

While this advocacy work has limited direct impact on AMMA members’ own workplace regulation, our influence in this area of skills policy development ensures AMMA’s RTO service can continue to provide highly specialised resource industry training and development courses directly to member employees in their workplaces.

• A move to a contestable model for the development and maintenance of training packages. INFLUENCING

THE NEW INDUSTRY

In its 2014 submission to the Department of Industry in relation to the establishment of the fund, AMMA outlined a range of concerns and recommendations on behalf of the resource industry, including: • Any funding model is responsive to the skills needs of all organisations within priority areas including mining equipment, technology, services and oil and gas. • There is an equal playing field for all organisations regardless of size. • There is parity (dollar for dollar approach) in the cocontribution between industry and the government. • Prioritisation of the fund should be based on merit and the government’s immediate priority areas. AMMA also outlined recommendations in relation to the minimum criteria to access funding, payments for services, and data reporting.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES As the resource industry’s most specialised Registered Training Organisation (RTO), during 2014 AMMA has continued to build on its strong capabilities in meeting the training, workforce and skills development needs of its resource industry members. Demand for AMMA’s training services has grown in the past 12 months, with a particular focus on delivering practical competency and skills-based development programs customised for members’ specific business requirements. Repeat use of our services has continued from a number of employers that have used AMMA as their exclusive training provider for a number of years. A broad spectrum and format of training courses has been delivered by our internal trainers, including short courses, fully accredited nationally recognised training, skill development, management and competency based training. Trends in training demand from resource employers in 2014 can be summarised in the following key areas: TAILORED TRAINING SOLUTIONS: More of AMMA’s member companies are recognising that our training products are most effective when contextualised to specific on-site requirements and incorporated with existing workplace policies and procedures. This has seen a demonstrable increase in demand for AMMA’s tailored training solutions, delivered on-site, almost anywhere in the country.

CONTINUED...

LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Leadership training such as frontline management (accredited) and the Supervisor’s Toolkit course (non-accredited specialist course) have experienced a large popularity increase, driven by a need for employers’ to invest in their existing people as new operational demands and wider workforce challenges emerge. EMPLOYEE RELATIONS: Legislative change and ongoing challenges operating under the Fair Work Act continue to see AMMA’s employee relations remain one of our most popular areas of training delivery. This is bolstered by the regular involvement of AMMA’s employee relations consultants and/or legal practitioners. WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY: A range of workplace health and safety training courses remain extremely popular with AMMA members, ranging from the accredited Diploma in WHS through to non-accredited specialist courses in bullying and social media, and discrimination and harassment. LANGUAGE, LITERACY & NUMERACY: In 2014, AMMA experienced a spike in demand for a specialist unit involved in language, literacy and numeracy training for qualified VET trainers and assessors. This was a direct result of anticipated regulations that would require all trainers and assessors to hold the qualification next year

FINAL ROUNDS OF NWDF IN 2014 In the early stages of 2014, AMMA secured a number of new training contracts through the final phase of the federal government’s National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF). The level of subsidies have substantially reduced the net cost of training for employers across Australia, with some AMMA members in Western Australia also securing payroll tax exemptions (5.5%) for trainees enrolled in registered traineeships. With AMMA heavily promoting the potential financial benefits of the NWDF and Traineeship program in 2014, and assisting with securing funding where possible, almost 350 participants successfully undertook nationally recognised training during 2014.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

AMMA TRAINING COURSES COURSES OFFERED NATIONWIDE

DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT AND BULLYING AWARENESS

UNIONS - RIGHT OF ENTRY AND BARGAINING

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY

BARGAINING AND NEGOTIATION

FRONTLINE MANAGEMENT

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

SUPERVISORY SKILLS

COMMUNICATION

SINCE 1918

AMMA HAS BEEN DELIVERING SUPERIOR WORKFORCE SERVICES TO AUSTRALIA’S RESOURCE INDUSTRY.

“TOGETHER WE HAVE CREATED AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMME THAT IS DELIVERING THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND BEST-FIT TRAINING SOLUTION TO OUR STAFF AS WE DEVELOP OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE LEADERS.” Narelle Aucote | Learning & Development Manager

“AMMA HAS BEEN WORKING WITH PERILYA FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, IN THIS TIME AMMA HAS PROVIDED OUTSTANDING SUPPORT AND SERVICES THAT HAS ALWAYS MET AND OFTEN EXCEED PERILYA’S HIGH EXPECTATIONS.” Peter Lean | Manager, Safety & Training

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE

CONTINUED...

SECURING FUNDING IN A TIGHT BUDGET

NATIONALLY RECOGNISED QUALIFICATIONS

Due to last year’s Federal Budget cuts, funding associated with Nationally Recognised Training was reduced considerably across a number of government programs, which also resulted in the cancellation of the NWDF during 2014.

• Certificate III in Resource Processing

Despite this more limited funding, AMMA Training and Development has continued to work with its members in identifying other potential sources of funding and subsidies, and assisted in identifying how these could be worked into future workforce planning and development activities.

• Certificate IV in Human Resources

AMMA has regularly communicated options for funded training and the potential benefits to our members, to ensure resource employers are taking full advantage of any government co-investments in upskilling and workforce development initiatives. In 2014, this has also enabled a broader pool of our members to take advantage of AMMA’s leading training services, delivered flexibly across a spectrum of forums and locations.

• Certificate III in Underground Metalliferous Mining • Certificate III in Surface Extraction Operations • Certificate IV in Frontline Management

• Diploma in Human Resources Management • Diploma in Management • Certificate IV in Project Management Practice • Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety • Diploma in Work, Health and Safety • Certificate IV in Training and Assessment • TAELLN411 Language, literacy and numeracy unit of competency

NON-ACCREDITED COURSES (SHORT COURSES) • Supervisor’s Tool Kit • Art of Leadership • Discipline and Termination – Reducing the Risk • Contact Officer Discrimination and Harassment • Equal Employment Opportunity • Bullying and Social Media • Bargaining Skills • EEO • Union right of entry • Employee Relations for Supervisors

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

WORKFORCE DIVERSITY

EMPLOYEE COMPARISON

AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN RESOURCES ALLIANCE Funded in partnership with the Australian Government, the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) continues to develop and implement diversity strategies that contribute to an industry-wide goal of increasing women’s participation in the resource industry to 25% by 2020. In 2014, AWRA has undertaken a number of important educational and mentoring activities and is continuing to support employers across the resource, allied and related construction industries with their gender diversity capability requirements.

RESOURCES INDUSTRY

272,900

237,400 221,700

• A gender diversity capability resource, the AWRA Toolkit, was also developed and distributed to more than 800 HR professionals across the wider resource industry. The toolkit contains the AWRA Way Forward Guides, relevant articles and templates.

2009

22,100

28,400

13.43%

14.59%

• T he AWRA e-Mentoring Program, which received further funding from the Australian Government to run for another two years. The first program was completed in June 2014 and by this time had matched 103 pairs of mentees and mentors.

2013

34,500

38,200

41,400

35,300

15.58%

14.01%

15.52%

14.86%

2011

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

• The AWRA Recognised Program, which received a great deal of interest from organisations interested in advancing their diversity programs. To date six assessments have been completed, with a number of others scheduled for late 2014/early 2015. • The 2014 AWRA Forum, taking place in November in Perth, where attendees heard from resource employers and diversity experts on practical solutions to historical barriers preventing employment of women and Indigenous Australians in the resource industry.

2010

2014

2012

194,700 164,300

Such activities, resources and programs include: • The AWRA Pay Equity and Gender Diversity Survey, and the Pay Equity Special Interest Groups held in both Perth and Brisbane in early 2014.

266,900

1,028,500 974,200

1,025,800

1,007,900

970,000

946,300

2009

2010

111,300

114,700

11.47%

11.78%

2011

2012

122,500

2013

118,400 108,300

12.15%

11.44%

11.54%

2014

114,900

11.17%

Source: ABS Labour Force, Australian Detailed, Quarterly (AUG 2014)

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE AWRA continues to actively seek new stakeholder relationships and partnerships, one example being the country’s peak council of business organisations the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). In 2014, AWRA worked with ACCI, UN Women, UN Global Compact, BPW International and the Australian Human Rights Commission, to organise a luncheon to coincide with the B20 Australia in July 2014 to raise awareness of the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles. However, despite the efforts of AWRA and AMMA, and from the industry itself, unfortunately the amount of women employed in the industry is decreasing. This shows there is still much work to be done in 2015 and beyond.

INDIGENOUS TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT AMMA has had an active involvement in the increased focus on Indigenous employment in the Australian resource industry throughout 2014.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION CONFERENCE 2014

AWRA RECOGNISED PROGRAM

CONTINUED...

Early in the year, following its participation in a roundtable discussion on the matter, AMMA made seven key recommendations to the Australian Government’s Review of Indigenous Training and Employment, led by AMMA member Fortescue Metals Group’s chairman Andrew Forrest. The review was undertaken at the Prime Minister’s request to ensure Indigenous training and employment services were targeted and administered to connect unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with real and sustainable jobs. Mr Forrest released his report in August 2014, with targeted training, demand-driven employment services and a corporate leadership group among recommendations made to the government. AMMA publicly welcomed the proposed measures and, as an important and ongoing industry stakeholder, looks forward to assisting in the implementation of the recommendations in the near future.

AWRA E-MENTORING WEBSITE, LINKEDIN, NEWSLETTERS

KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

AWRA DATABASE

HOW

DIVERSITY CAPABILITY WORKSHOPS

STATISTICAL COLLECTION CASE STUDIES

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

WAY FORWARD GUIDES

CAN HELP YOU

INDUSTRY WEBINARS WITH CASE STUDIES

AMMA SKILLS PROJECTS

NSW RESOURCE INDUSTRY JOBSEEKER FORUM

In addition to supporting the upskilling and workforce development needs of our individual members, AMMA also undertook a range of important activities in 2014 to ensure the national resource industry has a consistent and job-ready pipeline of future talent. These important connections between jobseekers and employers have been facilitated by AMMA through key government skills and workforce partnerships, most notably the AMMA Skills Connect initiative.

AMMA Skills Connect successfully designed and delivered the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NSW Resource Industry Jobseekers Forumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 2014. This event was developed in collaboration with NSW State Training Services and received more than 250 registrations, making it the largest AMMA jobseeker initiative since our 2012 public jobs exhibition.

Throughout 2014, AMMA Skills Connect has offered information events, training opportunities and work placement for women, Indigenous jobseekers, retrenched workers and the long-term unemployed looking to join the resource industry culture. Already, AMMA Skills Connect has created pathways to resource employment for more than 800 jobseekers and is ramping up efforts to facilitate such programs on a much larger scale to ease current and future skills pressures in the industry.

With presentations from resource industry employers, the event provided a relaxed environment to educate attendees about opportunities in the resource, related construction and allied services sectors, the working lifestyle and recruitment processes.

WORKFORCE PLANNING SHORT COURSE In 2014 AMMA developed a workforce planning short course to assist HR professionals in the resource industry to effectively develop and/or improve their current workforce planning strategies to recruit and retain the best talent for their organisation.

A JOBSEEKER GUIDE TO THE RESOURCES INDUSTRY

CONNECTING WOMEN WITH PATHWAYS TO THE RESOURCES SECTOR PROGRAM

Based on information gathered from both primary and secondary research this jobseeker information package was developed, designed and published in 2013/2014. The guide is available on the AMMA website and on various online recruitment boards. It was also distributed to attendees at all of the 2014 AMMA jobseeker forums.

To complement the work done by AWRA, AMMA Skills Connect implemented a pilot employment project to connect women with pathways to the resource industry. This included the following three stages:

WA INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS The first of these programs successfully trained 10 Indigenous job candidates in a four-week soft skills and security training program in mine site security. Significantly, this program led to real employment outcomes upon completion. A second program, delivered by AMMA Skills Connect in partnership with Access Working Careers and ESS Support Services, engaged 20 candidates in a two-week training and work experience program for camp utility worker roles. These candidates secured employment and continue to work with ESS Support Services Worldwide.

1. Connecting women workshops 2. Connecting women employment forum 3. Connecting women virtual program This initiative connected 1010 women with information on the industry and training and employment pathways into the sector.

CONNECTING INDUSTRY WITH TALENTED JOBSEEKERS AMMA has delivered a national online jobseeker platform utilising pre-screening information gathered through our various other initiatives. Industry employers were invited to access these candidate profiles.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE The engaged employers accessed the profiles of over 1000 women, 175 Indigenous candidates from an overall talent pool of 1500 pre-screen jobseekers to interview and recruit.

EFFORTS TO FACILITATE LABOUR MOBILITY AMMA is doing its part through partnerships with other industry associations and employer groups, national training bodies and skills organisations to better facilitate transfer of skilled labour between the various sub-sectors of the construction industry, catering for fluctuations in demand.

CONTINUED...

are represented in this important policy project. On behalf of our members, we will provide clear and detailed feedback to the Australian Government and other business community stakeholders to aid in the development of a more flexible and effective training system. It is important to note that this VET review has already highlighted substantial changes to funding for VET training, while a new system for training standards is likely to be in place from early 2015. The Industry Skills Councils responsible for developing training packages and their related qualifications will also be replaced by new entities by July 2015.

YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

These changes present both opportunities and challenges to AMMA’s Registered Training Organisation and other training operations. We will be focused on responding to any changes as the new system takes shape to ensure AMMA remains the most relevant, knowledgeable and valuable provider of training services for our members. In line with the government’s intentions, this may include a move away from full qualifications towards discrete units of competency or skill sets as more relevant to addressing specific resource industry training requirements.

Making sense of the current labour market and what changes can be expected in future will provide the foundation for understanding how the resource industry can tackle the skills and workforce challenges ahead. In 2015, AMMA will remain a major asset and source of this understanding for your skills and workforce needs.

This would also be in-line with trends in market demand in the latter stages of 2014, where we have experienced fewer enquiries about full national qualifications and more requests about skill sets and individual units along with training that can be delivered on-site by AMMA’s training providers.

While for now, the labour market is reasonably positioned to meet the existing needs of resource industry employers, AMMA’s efforts will continue to be critical in preparing for the skills impacts of the widespread transition occurring throughout the resource industry major project landscape.

In all its skills and workforce development initiatives, representative and advocacy activities, AMMA will continue to prioritise the longevity of employment outcomes in Australia’s resource industry and ensure we are helping provide access to a skilled and ready workforce to meet the ongoing and evolving needs of our industry.

One of the major objectives of the AMMA Skills Connect project is to seek skills solutions to ensure our national construction labour forces can be more mobile between residential building, commercial and major project construction. The importance of these efforts was seen in 2014 and will continue to be seen as many major projects move past peak construction period.

We will continue to focus on delivery of a number of upskilling services, tools and initiatives developed to help resource employers achieve effective workforce outcomes by meeting their skills demands. AMMA’s involvement in the federal government’s wide VET reform processes will ensure the skills needs of mining, oil and gas, related construction and allied sector employers

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS AMMA’s work in the skilled migration space directly supports our members as they strive to remain competitive in the global marketplace and make an important contribution to Australia’s economy and living standards. While the Australian resource industry continues to provide highly-paid employment opportunities for Australians, the unique expertise and skills offered by the international community plays a small but critical role in ensuring AMMA members can deliver projects on time and on budget. Not only is the recruitment of highly-skilled overseas workers critical to the safe and timely delivery of project milestones in our sector, their presence creates and supports large numbers of Australian jobs. To that end, AMMA provides its members with both ongoing advocacy and leadership in the skilled migration policy area, as well as practical hands-on advice and services through its Migration Services division. Throughout 2014, AMMA has worked to ensure the industry’s overseas recruitment strategies remain minimally impacted by the changing regulatory environment and ongoing union campaigns in this sensitive area.

INFLUENCING SKILLED MIGRATION POLICY Skilled migration policy and regulation remained a critical part of AMMA’s focus in 2014 as we continued to support our members in navigating the skills and labour requirements according to different project phases. With the change in federal government in late 2013, AMMA welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to making changes to the regulatory environment across the breadth of migration compliance areas to ensure Australian industry can properly support economic and employment growth domestically. AMMA further welcomes the government’s consultative approach and commitment to working with industry to achieve practical outcomes.

AMMA’s lobbying and advocacy minimised the damage to many AMMA member operations that arose from the actions of Labor, the Greens and others in the Senate in disallowing government regulations. Those actions put in jeopardy the continued operation of resource projects offshore. With a sensible Federal Court decision handed down in September 2014 upholding the latest government measures in this area, it is hoped the offshore resource industry can now enjoy some certainty in terms of compliance with their migration requirements. AMMA’s success in mitigating the impacts of the former government’s legislation and policies in this area underscore AMMA’s national leadership in this complex area of regulation.

OFFSHORE MIGRATION POLICY

457 VISA INTEGRITY REVIEW

AMMA successfully guided its members through the intricacies of numerous developments in offshore migration policy this year, including convening special interest groups of interested members and sending regular updates and alerts to keep members apprised of developments and their key risks.

The government’s key initiatives included launching a review into the integrity of the 457 visa program in early 2014, seeking to ensure the scheme is flexible and responsive to industry yet retaining sufficient integrity and protections for workers.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

AMMA made a comprehensive submission to the Review into the Integrity of the 457 Temporary Skilled Migration Visa Program and met with the panel in person to highlight the priorities for industry.

AMMA’s submission made a raft of recommendations to improve the current system including: removing the impost of labour market testing on employers; streamlining the process for intercompany transfers; ensuring consistency in visa processing and decision making; reducing the ‘market salary rates’ threshold; and modifying the English language testing requirements.

AMMA looks forward to the government’s response to the review panel’s recommendations and will continue to highlight the most important changes from a resource industry perspective.

In all those areas, AMMA proposed practical and responsible solutions that the government should urgently adopt.

Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) were a new development in skilled migration policy to emerge during 2014. This new migration program represented a very important social and economic policy approach to effectively manage the impact that major resource projects were having on other business’s ability to access local labour in particular geographical areas.

The review panel’s report was handed down shortly before AMMA’s 2014 Skilled Migration Conference in September 2014, with numerous panel recommendations reflecting AMMA’s policy and advocacy. While the government has yet to formally adopt any of the recommendations, Minister for Immigration & Border Protection, Scott Morrison, has signalled the government’s early support for some, including: • Streamlining the negotiation process for labour agreements following feedback from AMMA that the current negotiation process was extremely difficult and time-consuming, often taking years to finalise an agreement to cover a small number of necessary international workers. • Implementing more practical and effective standards for English language testing to ensure a fit for purpose approach. The panel’s key recommendation here was to require an average score of ‘5’ across the different sections of the test rather than a hard and fast ‘5’ in every section. Importantly, this means that if a score of less than 5 is acceptable in some areas, it has to be exceeded in others.

DESIGNATED AREA MIGRATION AGREEMENTS (DAMAS)

DAMAs started off as Regional Migration Agreements (RMAs) under the previous government and in essence are an agreement for a geographical area where skills shortages have emerged. DAMAs, unlike RMAs, are not limited to a regional area but a ‘designated area’ which could be a state or a geographical region within a state. AMMA is disappointed the union campaign against DAMAs has claimed it allows for overseas workers to be paid less than Australian workers. That is absolutely not the case. Contrary to the union scare campaign, an employer can only pay an overseas worker the same as or more than an Australian worker. AMMA supports this new type of agreement as responsible and forward-thinking policy making that recognises and assists with complex skills considerations across various Australian communities and business sectors.

• Reducing the threshold below which market salary rate comparisons (comparisons with equivalent Australian workers) are required from the current $250,000 to $180,000 a year – the latter being the longstanding limit that was in place before the former Labor government raised the bar.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS

CONTINUED...

ENTERPRISE MIGRATION AGREEMENTS (EMAS) AND LABOUR AGREEMENTS

AMMA SKILLED MIGRATION POLICY SUBMISSIONS

Early in 2014, AMMA was invited to take part in the Department of Immigration & Border Protection’s consultation over revised guidelines for enterprise migration agreements (EMAs) and labour agreements.

Departmental Review into Enterprise Migration Agreement (EMA) and Resource Sector Labour Agreement (RSLA) Submission Guideline - May

AMMA is again pleased to see the government focus on deregulating this area and making it more responsive to business needs. The Department subsequently announced at AMMA’s 2014 Skilled Migration Conference that EMAs were being revamped into ‘project agreements’ that would potentially extend to major infrastructure projects as well as resource projects. With the government having already signalled its support for streamlining the negotiation process for labour agreements, AMMA looks forward to further announcements in this area consistent with the government’s commitment to working with industry.

REVIEW OF THE 400 SERIES VISA PROGRAM In September 2014, AMMA was invited to participate in the review of skilled migration and the 400 series visa programs. AMMA particularly welcomes the review’s focus on identifying unnecessary red tape for employers and developing a more flexible and responsive visa framework. The 400 series program allows for the temporary entry of overseas workers to Australia for economic, social or cultural reasons. This program has transformed the character of the Australian workforce by enhancing its size and skill level which has resulted in superior labour market outcomes. To further improve outcomes, the government is committed to developing a new skilled migration framework that is adaptable and flexible to future labour market needs, positioning the Australian economy for future competitiveness and prosperity. AMMA’s input to the review will be important in shaping the new visa framework for years to come.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

Submission to the Independent Review of Integrity in the Subclass 457 Program - May Submission to the Senate Standing Committees on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on the Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources Activity) Repeal Bill 2014 - April Confidential Submission to the Department of Immigration & Border Protection on the new visa pathway under the Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources Activity) Act 2013 – February

DELIVERING SPECIALISED MIGRATION SOLUTIONS In addition to the value AMMA members receive from our influence and engagement with national decision makers for Australia’s skilled migration regulatory and legislative framework, AMMA also offers high quality and specialised expertise in facilitating resource employers’ practical access to international talent pools. Throughout 2014, AMMA Migration Services has delivered expert skilled migration advice and strategic consultation to member companies seeking time-critical solutions for expatriate staffing requirements within their Australian operations. In instances where local candidates cannot be sourced to undertake highly skilled, specialist positions for ongoing projects, AMMA Migration Services facilitates member access to temporary skilled international labour to ensure project timeframes and budgetary goals are achieved with precision and efficiency.

A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE Through AMMA membership, resource employers receive the strongest migration expertise in the country at competitive rates, while additional value is gained through integration with the wider resources, skills and knowledge of AMMA’s consultancy, legal, and policy capabilities. Our distinct advantage over both domestic and international-based traditional migration agencies is our single-minded focus on the complexities, operational needs and labour market conditions facing resource employers in Australia. This unparalleled understanding of our members’ requirements and capability to tailor solutions specifically for unique individual circumstances in the resource industry provides a distinct advantage to AMMA members using our migration expertise.

• Assistance with corporate compliance of business sponsorship obligations. • Assistance with regulatory compliance activities. • Preparation and lodgement of temporary business entry visas. • Preparation and lodgement of permanent skilled migration visas. • Preparation and lodgement of occupational trainee sponsorship application. • Preparation and lodgement of occupational trainee visa streams. • Preparation and lodgement of any other noncorporate temporary and permanent residency visa on request.

MIGRATION SERVICES

No other migration agency can offer the intertwined relationship with the resources industry that AMMA Migration Services both enjoys and cultivates.

ADVICE AND DEMAND IN 2014 The past 12 months has seen the greatest demand for AMMA’s Migration Services coming from sectors including onshore and offshore drilling, subsea and above ground pipe-lay, exploration and mining, plant construction and asset commissioning. These are the areas of our industry that continue to face unique skills challenges that require local expertise and capabilities to be bolstered and complemented with international experience. Specific services and advice provided in 2014 includes:

EMPLOYER SPONSORED MIGRATION

LABOUR AGREEMENTS

SKILLED MIGRATION

ENTERPRISE MIGRATION AGREEMENTS

TRAINING VISAS

MIGRATION APPEALS

• Provision of high level, strategic migration advice and consultancy. • Assessment of company eligibility to access the skilled temporary business entry and skilled permanent residency visa subclasses. • Preparation and lodgement of business sponsorship applications. ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS PROVIDING CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY Australian immigration is a dynamic and fluid area of law with frequent regulatory change. In the area of corporate skilled migration, understanding how such change affects your operations both provides a competitive advantage and is vitally important to reducing exposure to any compliance risks.

CONTINUED...

Speakers at this year’s event included Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, the Assistant Minister for Immigration & Border Protection; Labor’s Shadow Minister for Immigration & Border Protection, Richard Marles, Department of Immigration & Border Protection assistant secretary David Wilden, and 457 review panel member and ACCI Director, Jenny Lambert

This is where AMMA comes in. Working in tandem with AMMA’s policy team, AMMA’s migration experts are constantly analysing how our members use certain work visas to formulate highly reasoned recommendations to the Australian Government. These invaluable activities come at no extra cost to members utilising our Migration Services. It is also incredibly important for AMMA’s Migration team to provide clarity and consistency of service directly to individual members and clients. This guidance and direction empowers those affected to successfully navigate the changing regulatory landscape and maintain compliance with their immigration obligations.

SKILLED MIGRATION ENGAGEMENT 2014 AMMA SKILLED MIGRATION CONFERENCE This year, AMMA hosted its fourth annual Skilled Migration Conference. This popular specialist event allows migration practitioners to learn about and discuss the impacts of legislative change and industry trends, while also bringing human resources and workplace relations professionals up to speed on all the latest developments affecting Australia’s skilled migration program. Taking place in Perth’s CBD, the 2014 Skilled Migration Conference covered the practical impacts of recent legislative and regulatory changes. An impressive line-up of speakers from industry and government provided their insights on a range of policy issues including enterprise migration agreements, labour agreements, the 457 visa program, offshore visa regulation, future skills needs of the industry and the skills assessment process.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

Dr Ruth Shean from the WA Department of Training and Workforce Development, speaking at AMMA’s 2014 Skilled Migration Conference

AMMA MEMBER SURVEYS AMMA’s policy and migration teams continue to engage with our members through a range of communication tools to ensure our advocacy and lobbying activities in the skilled migration space, as well as the practical services we offer, truly reflect the needs and unique circumstances of the industry and its workplaces. To further engage with our members attending the 2014 Skilled Migration Conference, AMMA conducted an online survey leading up to the event seeking members’ views on important aspects of the skilled migration scheme that were then explored throughout the course of the day. Key issues that our members identified in the survey that they wanted to highlight to the government and policy makers included:

• The ongoing need to fill some highly specialised roles with skills and expertise only internal staff from other countries can bring. • The need to utilise on Australian projects those international personnel who are experienced in bringing mega projects online, providing a greater degree of assurance in terms of project delivery. • The benefits Australian workers get from working alongside overseas workers when those workers share their international experience with Australian peers. This is a reciprocal knowledge sharing and often helps Australian workers to better perform their roles. The survey also revealed that a significant proportion of our members’ 457 visa workers, often in the realm of 50 per cent, convert to permanent residency, bringing a welcome permanent injection of skills and experience for the benefit of future generations of Australians.

YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLED MIGRATION AMMA’s role in assisting with the international skills needs of employers in our resource industry will continue in 2015 as more major projects shift from construction to production and the emphasis on particular skills continues to evolve. Both AMMA’s policy representation and specialist migration services will be critically important in this journey.

AMMA Migration Services expects 2015 to continue delivering growth as more areas of AMMA’s wider membership becomes aware of our capabilities in meeting their migration requirements including offering the full suite of visa processing capabilities, providing strategic migration advice and liaising with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection on members’ behalf. Specific increased demand is forecast from members who operate predominantly in the onshore and offshore drilling sectors as they move into a sustained growth cycle. Our migration experts will also continue to provide support and advice to key maritime activities operating within and outside Australia’s migration zone. AMMA Migration Services will also throughout 2015 assist members in transitioning members of their skilled foreign workforce into permanent residency, thus permanently building Australia’s skills base for the future. AMMA’s practical advice, leadership and advocacy in the skilled migration space will continue to deliver ongoing and long-term benefits for Australian industry and the wider community as we seek to facilitate the transfer of skills, expertise and knowledge from right around the world. AMMA will also continue to highlight the often overlooked fact that employing skilled workers from overseas creates local Australian jobs for the future.

From a policy perspective, AMMA’s work in 2015 will focus on ensuring that the right policy parameters for the enterprise migration agreement (EMA) and labour agreement streams are put in place to ensure industry is prepared for when skills shortages again loom large. AMMA’s advice and advocacy will continue in relation to the 457 visa review recommendations and which particular ones need to be taken up in the short term. While the government has signalled it is not of a mind to completely remove the punitive labour market testing requirements, AMMA will continue to highlight the unwarranted regulatory burden this presents for employers.

Delegates of the 2014 AMMA Skilled Migration Conference

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY AMMA membership creates a unified industry representative body, facilitating unique opportunities for engagement, networking and sharing of knowledge and insight. In 2014, the benefits of AMMA membership in being part of an engaged and unified industry have proven as important as ever, allowing our members to collectively address complex challenges facing our industry as a whole, and provide support in delivering ongoing value to Australia’s economic and employment landscape. AMMA has facilitated this greater level of collaboration, unity and engagement across our industry through a refocused strategic approach to membership, highly effective member communication tools and a growing calendar of conferences, events and forums.

MEMBERSHIP

resource and allied sectors. This focus has allowed AMMA to consolidate its rapid growth to better represent the national industry with a collective voice that is sustainable into the future.

As the resource industry continues its transition into a long term production phase, following a period of heightened construction activity, AMMA members are being presented with unique challenges and opportunities.

As Australia’s only truly national resource sector employer group, AMMA is uniquely placed to actively represent the policy requirements of our broader industry while delivering a range of service solutions directly to our members’ workplaces.

In recognising this changing focus as an opportunity, AMMA is actively engaging across our entire membership base and beyond to properly understand these challenges. In so doing we continue to uniquely position ourselves to assist our members through representation and the provision of services that are relevant and valued. In recent years the rapid growth in greenfield and brownfield major resource projects, including the construction of seven of the world’s 10 largest natural gas developments, has seen a significant increase in new members joining AMMA from all areas of the engineering and construction supply chain, as well as the hydrocarbons project operators themselves. The service demands from these new members ensures they are engaged and are adding to the diversity of our already broad membership base.

MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS Throughout 2014, AMMA regularly communicated a range of breaking news, policy or political developments, and information relating to our activities, services and events directly to our wider membership base. Such communication remains key for ongoing engagement between AMMA and its members and provides important feedback to guide and align our broader activities with resource employer needs.

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Past Issues

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AMMA | The Resource Industry Employer Group | Weekly News

This emerging combination of our actively engaged newer members and our reengaged traditional base has ensured that AMMA has not only maintained but indeed expanded our reach into all areas of the

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0f3c39d0e056247b360... Why an alternative FWC appeals process is crucial; latest on ...

Past Issues

amma.org.au

On top of this a natural consequence of the market transition has been to refocus AMMA back to the diversity of our traditional membership base, including those involved in onshore precious minerals, hard rock mining and related service providers.

1 of 2

- Visa stability returned to offshore sector - Carbon tax axed, next the MRRT

- AMMA talks IR reform at Productivity Forum - Industry Briefings to feature AMMA expertise

- Mining tax repeal in limbo

- One application can cover many workers: FWC

- Lend your support to aspiring resource women - Visa updates at Skilled Migration Conference

- Qualify your performers in skills assessment - Reduce risk with workplace relations training

- AMMA boosts employee relations expertise

- Motivate your workforce toward an HR career

29/09/201413:08 of 2pm

- Statement on Fair Work appeals bench - AMMA Skilled Migration Conf – 1 week to go!

- Phone msgs, emails are ‘industrial action’ - IR ranked Australia’s biggest problem

- Secrets of Clough’s transformation - Super increases deferred until 2021

- PM targets youth employment, apprentices - Skills funding must be responsive: discussion

- AMMA to present on IR at Tassie event

- Get your Certificate IV in WHS

29/09/2014 3:08 pm

WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE The primary direct member communications tool is the electronically delivered AMMA Weekly News Update. In early 2014, AMMA’s communications team reviewed our member communications and, responding to member feedback, redesigned a weekly AMMA news service with more relevant and better-honed content. This communications tool provides AMMA members with:

The magazine provides AMMA members with an excellent opportunity to promote their initiatives and successes in various workforce areas. Key feature stories during 2014 included: • The people and cultural strategies behind Gold Fields’ mine acquisitions in WA. • The community and employment value delivered by INPEX’s Ichthys project to Darwin.

• Summaries on the latest workplace relations court and tribunal decisions and case law, with advice from our consultants and lawyers on implications for resource employers.

• Success of the Thiess ‘Women in Mining’ action plan.

• Important policy and legislative updates from AMMA’s policy team, including how new developments may impact your workplaces.

• Sodexo’s new comprehensive mine wellbeing initiative.

• Political and industry news.

AMMA members are encouraged to get involved with Resource People and utilise this magazine to share your expertise or promote positive stories from within your workplaces.

• Promotion of AMMA’s events and upcoming training and development courses. The Weekly News Update has also successfully compiled the majority of our member emails into a single source of delivery. The effectiveness of this streamlining of AMMA’s member communications is reflected in increased open rates, higher content readership and anecdotal feedback.

• Chevron human resources feature. • MMG graduate recruitment and training programs.

• Aboriginal Maritime Limited’s Indigenous employment outcomes.

Issue 005 Spring ‘13 – Summer ‘14

Bechtel’s Andy Greig talks Curtis Island Lng projects and 60 years in Australia

RESOURCE PEOPLE Now in its third year, AMMA’s signature magazine Resource People continues to grow in popularity and readership. This quarterly publication is distributed to 5000 professionals in the resource industry, catering for a range of ‘people’ disciplines including IR, HR, training, leadership, migration, OHS and more. Resource People is a highly effective AMMA communications tool and features a range of resource industry news, updates and features. Importantly, the magazine presents as an independent resource industry publication, allowing Resource People to build significant interest from outside AMMA’s membership and in the broader media marketplace during 2014.

Issue 006 Autumn 2014

Transfield Services expanding its footprint

HEALTH IN FOCUS

Sodexo CEO talks mine wellbeing initiative

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane

FIFO program a soaring success

Bluestone Mines builds capacity

Rio energy chief’s productivity call

Abbott and Abetz: policy scorecard

Farstad navigates gender diversity

PLUS exclusive feature with Leighton’s global HR boss Dharma Chandran

PLUS Tony Abbott’s resources vision and Stornoway’s story

Issue 007 Winter 2014

Issue 008 Spring 2014

Harnessing Chevron’s human energy Graduates rate MMG

Minister Robb talks new trade deals

Secrets of Clough’s transformation

La Mancha upskills for golden era

Downer’s onsite succession coaching

BHP fires up for coal demand

Fortescue boss rallies for reform

PLUS Fair Work changes reviewed and mining’s new dress code

Ichthys LNG: Darwin’s crown jewel comes to life Thiess women a winning formula

PLUS mental health focus; industry awards; and Howard talks IR

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY

CONTINUED...

AMMA EVENTS In 2014, AMMA’s wide range of conferences and events continued to deliver important forums for engagement and consultation on the unique challenges and developments occurring throughout the Australian resource industry. Delivered nationwide through a series of major conferences, workshops and exclusive member-only regional forums, these events provided valuable opportunities for members to network, share ideas and information, and develop important business contacts.

2014 RESOURCE PEOPLE SUMMIT AMMA’s hallmark annual event was this year rebranded the 2014 Australian Resource People Summit and was met with great success from across our membership. This significant industry event attracted more than 400 delegates to Perth to hear from some of Australia’s most respected thought-leaders across the resource industry and workplace policy authorities. Keynote speakers included: • Fortescue Metals Group CEO, Nev Power.

Former PM John Howard addressing AMMA members at the 2014 Resource People Summit

• Bechtel Mines & Metals President, Shaun Kenny. • Chevron Australia’s GM of Human Resources, Kaye Butler. • Assistant Minister for Immigration, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash. • Orica Limited Managing Director and CEO and AMMA President, Ian Smith. • Transfield Services Managing Director and CEO, Graeme Hunt. • Farstad Shipping (Indian Pacific) Managing Director, Wayne Aitken.

Assistant Minister for Immigration Senator Michaelia Cash at AMMA’s national event

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

Joining these high profile speakers were a number of human resources, workplace relations and workforce development practitioners from within AMMA’s membership. The event included a selection of informative breakout sessions and interactive workshops covering human resources, operational health and safety, external affairs and workplace relations with a focus on mental health. A highlight of the two-day conference was the much anticipated keynote address by former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who spoke on workplace relations reform and economic management of the resource industry. The 2014 Australian Resource People Summit also brought together a large number of exhibitors, including AMMA’s Corporate Partners, for valuable business-to-business networking.

Fortescue CEO Nev Power spoke on workplace relations reform

AMMA’s 2014 Resource People Summit attracted hundreds of industry delegates.

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY

CONTINUED...

2014 AMMA INDUSTRY AWARDS

AMMA REGIONAL FORUMS AND ONE-DAY EVENTS

Through our annual Industry Awards AMMA continues to recognise innovation, best practices and success stories in human resources, recruitment, workplace relations, Indigenous employment and gender diversity across our membership.

AMMA members also enjoyed a number of tailored one-day events throughout the year, providing practical insights and tools for use in the workplace and facilitating a high level of engagement with resource professionals from every corner of the industry.

The 2014 AMMA Industry Awards featured some of the best-ever work of our members, who were recognised and awarded the 2014 AMMA Annual Gala Dinner, taking place during our national event the 2014 Resource People Summit. 2014 winners included:

The 2014 one-day event program expanded to include the AWRA (Australian Women in Resources Alliance) Forum focusing on workforce diversity and saw the return of the popular Skilled Migration Conference (see information on pages 28 and 37).

• 30 Year Membership: Cape Flattery Silica Mines

AMMA’s regional industry briefings and member forums, held across the country at the start and end of 2014, also provided members with common professional interests to engage and discuss issues relating their specific industry sub-sector or region.

• 20 Year Membership: CGG • 20 Year Membership: Perilya • Young Professional Award: Kristen Lukas, IR Advisor with Chevron Australia • Indigenous Employment & Retention: Offshore Marine Services Alliance • Australian Women in Resource Alliance Award: Thiess Nominations for AMMA’s 2015 awards will open early in the New Year – stay tuned through the AMMA Weekly News Update and ensure your organisation lodges its nominations.

Chevron IR advisor Kristen Lukas accepting the 2014 AMMA Young Professional Award

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

The scene of AMMA’s 2014 Gala Dinner and Industry Awards

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014

AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY

CONTINUED...

EVENTS IN 2015

CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM

The AMMA 2015 Resource People Conference will take place at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on August 20-21 and will build on this year’s successful new platform.

Now in its sixth year, the AMMA Corporate Partnership Program continues to provide unparalleled opportunities to service and suppling companies with real value to offer resource industry employers.

Following feedback from AMMA members, the theme and content of the 2015 conference will revolve around ‘engagement’. The program will feature dedicated ‘workplace relations’ and ‘human resources’ streams, together with interactive and informative plenary sessions, including: • Keynote presentations from senior executives in the national resource industry. • Political keynote addresses from influential federal government ministers. • Panel discussions on workforce issues featuring industry leaders, practitioners and special guests. • A range of pressing topics including labour mobility, performance and profitability, workforce planning, diversity, mental health, skills development and much more.

BEYONDBLUE PARTNERSHIP In 2014 AMMA partnered with leading national mental health awareness organisation beyondblue to provide ongoing assistance and resources in this critically important area. The partnership is in support of beyondblue’s Heads Up initiative, which encourages the Australian business community to take action to improve mental health in the workplace. Launched among resource employers at the end of year AMMA Industry Briefings, the Heads Up program has since gained momentum across the mining, oil and gas sectors as an initiative to help employers build mentally healthy workplace cultures. In 2015, this partnership will offer valuable help to our members in providing mentally safe and healthy workplace environments.

AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP

In 2014 AMMA welcomed a new ‘Platinum Partner’ – our premium level of industry engagement - in GU Health, which offers exclusive corporate health plans to the resource industry. AMMA’s Corporate Partners program plays a key role in providing AMMA members with access to the best value products and service solutions to workforce requirements of the Australian resource industry. The development of business relationships with the various best practice suppliers involved in the program during 2014 has delivered additional value and corporate connections to AMMA members. The continued growth of the AMMA Corporate Partnership Program shows more companies are recognising the benefits of connecting with AMMA and the broad industry sub-sectors and major employers we represent.

CORPORATE PARTNERS AMMA’s Corporate Partnership Program provides unparalleled opportunities for companies to promote their products and services to the resource industry. The program has a range of levels with partnership benefits and can be tailored to meet a company’s requirements.

PLATINUM PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS Claire Green T 03 5421 5100 E claire.green@ag.gov.au

Michele Grow T 02 8295 2200 E mgrow@davcorp.com.au

Tom Hatch Big Sky has supported the resources sector for over 40 years, providing a full range of financial products and services to the employees and families of well known resources companies and suppliers to the mining industry.

Vincent Lewis T 03 8682 4332 E bigsky@bigsky.net.au A 114 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205 www.bigsky.net.au

T 1300 337 000 E thatch@dfp.com.au

Julian Smith T 1300 669 155 E j.smith@diamondprotection.com

Nicole Ashby T 08 6188 7670 E nicole@fifofamilies.com.au Coverforce was established in 1994 as a specialist provider of income protection and ancillary workers compensation insurance, to workers in the Australian construction industry. The business started with the simple philosophy of delivering an uncompromising level of service that exceeded the customer’s expectation.

Luke Deayton

Justine McDonald

T 07 3868 0972 E luke.deayton@greyhound.com.au

T 02 9376 7803 E justine_mcdonald@coverforce.com.au A Level 12, 9 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000 www.coverforce.com.au

Natalie Dixon T 08 8132 7400 E ndixon@medvet.com.au

Tim Baker GU Health is the only corporate health insurance specialist in Australia. We’re focused solely on providing innovative health insurance products to corporates, identifying your company’s unique needs to deliver a tailored experience and expert service you can depend on.

T 1800 824 227 E tim.baker@resourcesuper.com.au

David Slack-Smith

Ivan Hoe

T 02 9256 8743 E dslacksmith@guhealth.com.au A Level 6, 88 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000 www.guhealth.com.au

T 08 9417 7321 E ivanh@vetassess.com.au

ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014