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Monday April 15, 2013 159th Edition

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CONTENTS 9

Can Count On Can Count On* *When audited by the CAB Numbers You audited * by the CAB *When audited the *When CAB On CanbyCount *When audited by the CAB

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Fitters raking it in - or were

Pointy end of Abbot debate

Regulars 8 Stuff to the Editor 1 19 Frank the Tank 20 Minerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trader 24 Sport 25 Money Matters

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QGC gets environmental slap

dominance at risk

Numbers You Numbers Numbers Can CountYou On** You

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Mindless safety measures hinder industry

QUEENSLAND miners and gas workers have spoken in one resounding voice: safety on site is out of control. Last edition’s front page story exposed a culture of following procedure rather than using common sense and a work environment completely hamstrung by safety compliance.

The response from our readers has been the biggest in Shift Miner’s history, all in furious agreement that most safety compliance is a burden that doesn’t actually keep anyone safe. “I think your story should be printed on the front page of every newspaper in the country so everyone can read about this

safety madness bullshit,” one reader wrote in. “It has become moronic,” wrote another. “Management on several mines I work at are more focussed on receiving five to six SLAMs a day rather than actual work output.” Anecdotes about mindless safety compliance measures are flowing in thick and fast. Last edition, we told you about the 50-year-old electrician who was trained in the correct use of a ladder despite his quarter of a century’s experience in going up and down them several times a day. But this over-the-top safety standard from the gas industry really takes the cake. As part of the OH&S procedures to do with heat exhaustion, gas workers must have access to a refuge from heat at all times. One company has deemed that to be the cab of an air-conditioned vehicle. Property owners in the Arcadia Valley have reportedly had gas workers sit down to have a cup of tea or lunch inside with them, while their company cars run in the driveway because they are not allowed to turn them off. It presents the question what business - big or small - can afford that cost? Especially if it’s not keeping anyone safe. CQUniversity resources economist John Rolfe said while governments heap more safety regulation on companies, they don’t take into account the cost factor. “The governments’ focus is on improving safety, but they don’t have to weigh up what the cost of compliance will be,” said Professor Rolfe. “When it comes to big new projects the standards are ratcheting up all the time.” Just how does mining stack up in terms of safety compared with other industries? The latest figures from WorkSafe Australia show mining is sixth on the list of workplace sectors in terms of serious injuries at work. Transport, manufacturing, agriculture, fisheries and the construction industries are all ahead on the list. By way of contrast, there were 21.5 injury claims per 1000 employees in

agriculture compared with 14.9 per 1000 employees in mining. Professor Rolfe, who owns several cattle properties in Central Queensland, said while agriculture is a dangerous industry the standards are completely different. There are now fears that the kilometres of safety red tape tying up mining could strangle agriculture next. “There isn’t the same level of compliance [compared to mining],” he said. “But the problem might start to become, as these safety standards in the mining and gas sector are codified, they will slowly become codified in agriculture, which has even less ability to shoulder the cost.” For example, Professor Rolfe said he recently had a truck driver come to fill up fuel supplies on his property at Springsure and the driver was no longer permitted to climb up the bowser to get the fuel nozzle. “It means all farms now have to have a ground fitting or have someone waiting to meet the truck so they can climb up and get the nozzle. Perhaps in another five years it will be that no one employed on the property is permitted to climb up either.” Back in mining and Professor Rolfe said a complete change in direction was needed to unravel the red tape. “In essence what is needed is to move away from a rules-based or regulatorybased approach to a risk-based compliance system,” he said. “For example, gas companies worried about their workers driving to and from site now bus them in. If you were talking about a mob of 18-year-olds with limited driving experience that could be justified, but if your workforce is in their 40s and experienced on the road it might not be necessary. “It means the measures taken would vary according to the risk profile of the practice in question and the worker involved.” WHAT DO YOU THINK? Text us your thoughts on 0428 154 653 We don’t have to print your name to print your views.

HSE cleans up CQ mining contracts A PERTH-based contractor is making waves in the Bowen Basin, picking up its second contract this year from BHP. Last week, Leighton Contractors felt the heat when it lost its lucrative pre-strip contract with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) at Peak Downs. The contract, worth up to $260 million, was set to run until 2015 but BMA moved to the smaller Western Australian company. “Against a backdrop of increasing costs and falling commodity prices, BMA continues to focus on reducing its overheads and operating costs across the business,” a BHP spokesperson said last week. “This includes reviewing contractor arrangements and making the necessary adjustments to ensure operations can remain cost competitive.”

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BHP has been cutting costs for months as falling coal prices, a high Australian dollar and declining demand have intensified. BMA notified Leighton of the decision last week with the construction giant saying yesterday that under the terms of the contract, renewed only a year ago, it would be entitled to compensation for the early cancellation. In February, Thiess felt the pain when BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal (BMC) moved the contract to run the South Walker Creek coal mine tp HSE. Thiess had handled all the pre-stripping and coaling work at the mine near Nebo for 17 years. HSE Contracting currently runs BMA’s Saraji mine near Dysart.

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QGC gets environmental FAST NEWS slap - Santos let off

The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection says it rigorously monitors the environmental impacts of the coal seam gas and liquefied natural gas industries.

QUEENSLAND Gas Corporation (QGC) has come out swinging, refuting allegations it has broken environmental laws. However, the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) has already issued QGC with an environmental slap on the wrist. “The department has taken a range of compliance action against QGC’s activities to ensure it complies with its legal obligations,” Dean Ellwood, the deputy director general of EHP, told Shiftminer. “These actions include four penalty infringement notices

(PIN), one environmental protection order and three warning notices.” In a three-page statement, QGC listed each allegation of environmental noncompliance and refuted them in detailed bullet points. “QGC refutes the allegations as demonstrably false and with significant factual errors and omissions.” the company said a statement. “The company has notified Queensland Government regulators accordingly. The central allegation is that the Queensland Curtis LNG Project does not have an

environmental compliance system when, in fact, it does.” The company said its compliance with environmental impact statement conditions has been independently audited and certified. However, two years ago the company had to stop its contractor MCJV from work on its pipeline due to environmental breaches. In March 2011, MCJV began clearing a six kilometre by 40 metre right-of-way for construction of a section of pipeline near Dalby before soil and species management had been approved on the project.

A company spokesperson told media at the time: “We believe the contractor had the proper plans in place, it was simply that the environmental plans and procedures hadn’t caught up with the clearing work – clearing the ground in preparation for laying the pipeline basically.” It is not just QGC that has been reported to the EHP. Shiftminer was told that Santos GLNG’s sub-contractor Saipem had also been clearing without following the guidelines. “The department is aware of one minor incident relating to the removal of bushfire damaged trees by Santos’ subcontractor Saipem in January this year,” Mr Ellwood said. “EHP worked with both Santos and Saipem in respect to this incident and determined no further action was required in accordance with the department’s enforcement guidelines.” Mr Ellwood said the environmental impacts of the coal seam gas and liquefied natural gas industries are rigorously monitored by the department and strict operating conditions are enforced. The Queensland Government’s CSG Compliance Unit provides a single point of contact for members of the public to report incidents and general enquiries relating to the CSG and LNG industries. The CSG Compliance Unit can be contacted via (07) 4529 1500 or .enquiries@dnrm.qld.gov.au

Coal exports down but rising prices compensate

THE Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) says recovering coking coal and iron ore prices have caused a slight rise in its monthly index of commodity prices in February and March. Preliminary estimates for March indicate that the index rose by 0.2 per cent after rising by 2.6 per cent in February. The RBA said the rise is a major turnaround on the downward trend that has prevailed over the past 12 months. “The largest contributors to the rise in March were increases in the prices of iron ore and coking coal,” the RBA said. “Over the past year however, the index has fallen by 7.5 per cent; much of this fall has been due to declines in the prices of coking coal and thermal coal.” The report said exports from Gladstone were the lowest since 2011.

Arrow approval spells good news for other gas company BRISBANE-based energy exploration company Blue Energy has welcomed the state government’s approval of Arrow Energy’s $1 billion pipeline. Blue Energy has a permit for gas reserves immediately next to Arrow’s tenure, which is scheduled for the first phase of project development in 2017. “We believe it likely that Arrow or potential participants in the LNG project will seek access to the 2800 PJ of contingent resources in [Blue Energy’s] acreage,” the company said. Blue Energy said the state approval was another step towards commercialisation of northern Bowen Basin gas reserves and resources. Arrow Energy’s 580 kilometre pipeline will deliver coal seam gas from near Moranbah to its proposed LNG plant in Gladstone.

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Maranoa Mayor Robert Loughnan

SANTOS GLNG has said no to help with urgent repairs and a potential upgrade of the Injune airport in the Surat Basin. The airport closed to all but emergency aircraft in February last year as a result of damage sustained from energy sector aircraft. “We have put it to Santos. They have said they don’t intend to repair it and say we are equally at fault,” Maranoa Mayor Robert Loughnan told Shiftminer. “I have to say they have

15th April 2013

a point. We took our eyes off it,” he said. However, the only aircraft using the airport were from the energy sector, other than the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Cr Loughnan said he was not aware of the damage until he was contacted by one of the energy companies. “We had a number of CSG planes coming in and a woman from one of the companies called me and gave me a serve because a piece of gravel got caught in their plane’s engine and caused damage.” Cr Loughnan said it would cost about $4 million to bring the airport back up to scratch, but it would be almost $11 million to get it to a state suitable for Santos GLNG. “This upgrade would potentially include a runway extension, widening

and strengthening to accommodate the heavier aircraft proposed by Santos,” Cr Loughnan said. “Additionally there would be upgrades to the road and intersection leading to the airport and a small facility to house those waiting for departing flights.” The council set up a CSG Steering Group in November last year to address current and future resource sector impacts and Injune airport’s repair and upgrade was one of the first items on the meeting’s agenda. “We have only tried to get Santos GLNG on board so far,” Cr Loughnan said. “The counter-balance is they did invest a lot into the Roma airport upgrade last year.” The council is now looking at the next round of Royalties for Regions funding.

Image supplied by Reef Catchments

Mackay coast gets cleaned Santos says no to Injune airport repairs

TEN beaches south of Mackay from Hay Point to Cape Palmerston will be the target of the second Mackay Coastal Clean Up next month. Eco Barge Clean Seas (EBCS) has joined forces with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) Hay Point Terminal Expansion Stage 3 (HPX3) Project to tackle marine debris. Founding chair of EBCS Libby Edge said last October’s inaugural clean-up was a great success. “We were delighted with the response from the Mackay community last year with the support of 269 volunteers who removed 2689 kg of marine debris.” This year, the group plans to make the clean-up bigger and better.

“So this year we are having two weekend clean-ups. This May we will target beaches south of Hay Point and in October we will target beaches of Hay Point.” It is estimated more than 6 million tonnes of litter ends up in the world’s oceans and seas each year. Marine debris has been listed by the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as a key threat to marine life. EBCS is seeking volunteers and supporters to help with the clean-up on May 18-19. To find out how to be a part of it, go to www.ecobargecleanseas.org.au or visit the Mackay Regional Council website www. mackay.qld.gov.au.

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Fitters raking it in - or were A NEW analysis of wages in the five years to 2011 has revealed that among all the highest paying jobs created during that time, more were created for fitters than any other. In fact, there were nearly double the number of male fitters earning $104,000 a year in 2011 than there were in 2006. For women, the fastest growing high-paid jobs are being created in the legal profession. The figures were compiled by noted demographer Bernard Salt who told The Australian more than 14,000 fitters were now amongst the highest paid workers in Australia. “The number of male fitters in the highest income bracket increased by 62 per cent from 8612 in 2006 to 13,945 in 2011,” he said. “While the number of female solicitors in that salary range spiked 36 per cent from 6171 in 2006 to 8362 in 2011. “As women increasingly move into higher-paying work associated with workplaces located in the inner city, men are increasingly carving out new highpaid site-based work located beyond the centre of Australia’s capital cities.” However the figures have to be taken with a grain of salt (forgive the pun) because the numbers come

from data taken prior to the current mining downturn. Today industry recruiters say fitters and subcontractors are being hit hardest by the slowdown in the Queensland coal sector. Mark Powell heads the trades and labour division at Stellar Recruitment and told Shift Miner recently that coal companies were focussed on cutting costs and hesitant about spending. “Twelve months ago we were very busy filling jobs in Queensland, everybody needed people yesterday,” he said. “Now it is a different story. Companies are reducing their demand on agencies, and their HR teams are looking to recruit the roles they need themselves.” Mr Powell said subcontractors, in particular, fitters were the first out of work because they charged a premium compared to permanent employees. “Unfortunately, as a result of the downturn, we are being inundated with resumes from candidates we cannot help,” he said. Some blue collar workers are jumping ship to the oil and gas sectors, and others are looking overseas at ex-pat roles in hard rock and metalliferous mining. “The gas industry is really booming and there are certainly jobs there,” said Mr Powell.

New mine opens A NEW gold-silver-copper mine was opened in Queensland last week and is expected to create around 135 full-time jobs. Mt Carlton mine, owned by Evolution Mining, has invested over $200 million on exploration, evaluation and development of the mine since 2006. Evolution’s executive chairman Jake Klein said to open a mine only seven years since its discovery is a tribute to the business environment in Australia, particularly Queensland. “The current mine life is at least 12 years and we expect this will be significantly longer through exploration success,” he said. This is Evolution’s fifth operation and is expected to be the lowest cost mine in the portfolio from the 2014 financial year. The company operates five wholly owned Australian operations: Cracow, Mt Rawdon, Pajingo and Mt Carlton in Queensland and Edna May in Western Australia. Premier Campbell Newman officially opened Mt Carlton mine on Thursday. 15th April 2013

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Pointy end of Abbot debate

Just how did the consultants fail to identify just how close the proposed dredging dump was to the crash site of a World War II Catalina?

THE North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQPC) has been forced to find a new site to dump dredging material from the Abbot Point port expansion. The port, in order to achieve

the depths required for new coal berths, needs to move up to three million cubic metres of material from an 180 hectare site. NQBP had proposed dumping that material about 25 kilometres

offshore in 40 metres of water, but the site chosen was a prime fishing area and also close to the crash site of a World War II Catalina. The Ports Corporation’s Brad

Fish told the ABC the new dump site would be further away and won’t have any impact on the wreck. “We still believe offshore disposal is the preferable outcome, but exactly where that goes, we’re working through and it’ll be a better location than the one previously put forward,” he said. “It’ll be further from the Catalina site and hopefully one which we can work for the fishermen as well.” It poses the question, just how did the consultants hired to carry out the impact assessment for the port fail to identify such obvious problems in the dumping ground earmarked for the project? The Federal Member for Dawson George Christensen has spent the past two days in Bowen talking to local businesses and fishermen and admits it is puzzling. “I can’t really comment on the quality of the work that was carried out, but it is safe to say the location chosen had hairs all

over it,” he told Shiftminer. “There were quite a number of factors that they just didn’t seem to be aware of, including significant fishing activity and the Catalina wreck.” But Mr Christensen said the local community was overwhelmingly behind the project and wanted a new site chosen as quickly as possible. “There has never been any suggestion of anyone here in Bowen not wanting this to go ahead. In fact, they are desperate for it and there is a lot of goodwill for the project, even among commercial fishermen,” he said. “My personal preference is for the dumping to happen on land, but if the community opinion is that a site can be chosen out at sea that doesn’t pose any particular problems, especially to the fishing industry, then I will be comfortable with that decision. “Obviously people want the new site to be further offshore, but a lot of it will be dependent on current activities and the like.”

Hay Point decision to influence Dudgeon Point HAY Point residents say they want all trains delivering coal to the Hay Point terminal near Mackay to be fitted with fixed covers to reduce coal dust. The call comes after the Queensland Coordinator General forced Clive Palmers’ Waratah Coal to use gondola coal wagons and fibreglass covers for trains taking coal to the Abbot Point coal terminal (APCT) near Bowen. Coal exports out of Hay Point port are expected to double in the future, with the proposed construction of new port facilities

at Dudgeon Point. The construction of Dudgeon Point will create more than 2500 jobs and increase port capacity to around 180 million tonnes of coal a year. One McEwens Beach resident, who didn’t want to be named, told Shiftminer last week the APCT decision sets a precedent. “Up until now the argument has been that covering coal wagons was just too expensive,” the resident said. “But if they can make it work at Abbott Point they should be

able to make it work here. “They have also told us that all trains are currently being veneered [sprayed with a dust suppressant], but I see this week they have placed a retraction.” Last week, North Queensland Bulk Ports took the unusual step of mailing all residents at Hay Point about dust control and measures to reduce them. “The existing terminals have implemented best practice dust mitigation strategies to ensure dust is kept to a minimum,” the mailed flyer said.

“Work is already underway to ensure trains travelling to the port apply a dust suppressant/veneer at the mines for the rail journey which has already proven to reduce dust from railway wagons.” “By the end of 2013, all mines shipping through Hay Point are required to apply veneer on coal wagons (Note: only a few mines shipping through Hay Point currently are equipped for this. This was incorrectly reported in the February/March 2013 edition of the Hay Point Portal).” NQBP didn’t comment on why

it felt it was necessary to take the unusual step of sending out the flyer. Meanwhile at the existing Hay Point Terminal, work began yesterday on applying insulation to a third receival shed to try and reduce sound pollution from trains unloading coal. Currently two out of the three receival sheds are insulated, but nearby residents have been complaining about a low frequency noise generated by unloading coal wagons. It’s hoped that this will fix the problem.

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Vital funds keep vital service flying high

One of the dedicated crews keeping Central Queensland safe.

WHEN you’re sick or injured in Central Queensland and a long way from help, the noise you most want to hear is the rhythmic pulse of a chopper hovering above you. Thanks to a $330,000 threeyear donation plan from coal giant BMA, two vital services in Central Queensland will keep running. BMA coal boss Steve Dumble said RACQ CQ Rescue and Capricorn Rescue Helicopter Service were services the region could not do without. “To play our part in the

maintenance of the vital aero medical services makes good sense and saves lives,” he said. “We look forward to our new three-year partnerships and endeavour to raise the awareness and education of safety through their service”. The sponsorship is nothing new; in fact BMA has been putting its money where its mouth is for 16 years now. RACQ CQ Rescue chief executive Mark Shield said you never knew when you might need

the service of a medical chopper. “While doctors and hospitals are located in Central Queensland communities, patients occasionally require urgent specialist treatment for conditions such as cardiac, ectopic pregnancies or even appendicitis, and may require treatment in either Mackay or Townsville,” he said. “Helicopter rescue services provide the means for these people to obtain the level of care necessary for their recovery”.

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High vis kids: the next big idea by my eldest son, Pax, who wanted to look like his daddy,” she said. “Pax always sees my husband, who works at Clermont mine, wearing his orange high vis shirt around the house and wanted a shirt of his own. For his third birthday, my mother-in-law made a kid’s-sized version for him and it was amazing to see how excited he was about it!” In the main street of Clermont, Shauna began to receive lots of compliments on the shirt and that got her thinking about a potential business venture. “After a bit of research, I realised that there was a definite market and unbelievably no one had yet tapped into it,” she said. “The business has grown so quickly since I started last year. For example, I sold 400 shirts last month and it has been so popular that I’ve been able to increase the number of different styles I offer from four to nine. I also now sell my products to 20 wholesalers across the country, which is a significant milestone for me.” But not many of the great ideas buzzing around the great

Bates, local mother and entrepreneur Shauna Zoutenbier who will be attending Dr Sirolli’s community session, her son Pax, husband Gary Zoutenbier and other son Boston.

LIVING in a small gas or mining town, but dreaming big? You’re not alone. There are plenty of people out there with ideas for niche businesses, whether it be quirky or essential. What’s more, the internet means the world is your

oyster - set yourself up with a website and away you go. Clermont mother-of-two Shauna Zoutenbier is the owner of a children’s high vis clothing online store called ‘Cuties by Zootys’. “The seed for my online store was actually planted in my head

minds of towns like Clermont, Dalby, Chinchilla or Dysart ever get off the ground. People just don’t know where to start. That’s why Rio Tinto is getting together with the Clermont Community Business Group to bring the Sirolli Institute founder to town to about about “enterprise facilitation”. Confused by what that all means? Well, Dr Ernesto Sirolli (who is also a lecturer at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining) has developed a model to bring professional management advice to potential entrepreneurs and existing local businesses. For the past 25 years, Dr Sirolli has been to many small communities around the world helping to grow ideas. “The model is based on the philosophy that right now there is someone in the town dreaming about doing something to improve their lot,” he explained. “If we can learn how to help that person to transform their dream into meaningful work, we would be halfway to changing

the economic fortunes of the entire community.” A free community session will be held in Clermont on Thursday, April 18 at 5.30pm, and free confidential one-on-one sessions can be arranged the next day. Topics covered in the community session will include best practices for encouraging and supporting local entrepreneurs and creating a parallel economy to the resource sector. Clermont Community Business Group president Rosemarie Haucke said the opportunity was too good to miss. “Clermont is presently experiencing some challenges and could do with a good pickme-up,” she said. “I hope our local entrepreneurs and businesses take full advantage of this opportunity.” For more information about these initiatives, contact Rio Tinto Coal Australia’s Clermont Region community relations specialist Travis Bates on 0467 798 230 or email travis.bates@ riotinto.com.

Tenancy battle in court as real estate plummets

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15th April 2013

House prices have plummeted a whopping $250,000 in less than a year.

EIGHT tenancy agreements that were broken last year are still in the Moranbah Magistrates Court in a game of ping pong. When contracts lapsed in the Bowen Basin some businesses found themselves without work but locked into expensive tenancy agreements, thanks to the inflated housing market. At least one large contractor simply walked away from its agreement and the house owners are pursuing the issue to the end. “The court cases are still ongoing and there’s no decision yet,” Moranbah Real Estate’s John Wood told Shiftminer.

“It just keeps going backwards and forward.” Housing values have plummeted by a whopping $250,000 since the Moranbah marked peaked last year. “A few investors are not happy, but at the end of the day it’s a gamble they chose to take,” Mr Wood said. “But there are no forced sales or mortgagee sales and houses are still being rented, either at cost or even below.” Currently there are 361 properties for sale and 314 for rent in the town. “It is very slow still. I would have said it was slow in January and it hasn’t picked up. Sales are next to nothing. We are selling a few homes of the newer homes, but property values have fallen.” Mr Wood said the rental market, however, was keeping real estate going. “No real estate offices have closed down; some have gone out and got new jobs or moved out of sales.” Mr Wood said that although he is hopeful sales will pick up in the future, it won’t be to the same extent as the recent boom. He said the state government’s recent approval of Arrow Energy’s gas project could breathe more life into the town.

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New Mackay town plan could risk development

Paget is almost at capacity and areas earmarked for development have huge infrastructure costs associated with them.

THE dominance of Mackay as Central Queensland’s leading mining hub could be at risk, according to the Mackay Whitsunday branch of the Urban Development Institute of

Australia (UDIA). The imminent release of a new town plan for the Mackay region will redefine how land in the Mackay area can be used for the next eight years.

Of particular concern to mining businesses is the decreasing availability of industrial land and the growing exodus of businesses to Rockhampton and Townsville.

Massive LNG modules make it to Curtis

According to UDIA local president John Harris, the main concern for the industrial sector is that Paget is almost full and new areas earmarked for development have huge infrastructure costs associated with them. “I can’t comment on the new plan until we actually see it; until then we are just jumping at shadows,” he said. “But there’s a distinct concern that there is a lack of industrial land in Mackay, and the surrounding areas that have been earmarked for industrial development have little infrastructure.” Mr Harris said the high cost of installing vital infrastructure would inhibit the promotion of new land. “For example Rosella is the next area that has been earmarked for industrial development in Mackay. But it has large infrastructure needs and nothing has been planned in either the short or long term on how to pay for it.” The question of who pays

THE first modules for the Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG) project have been unloaded on Curtis Island. They will be used to build the foundation structure for the LNG processing trains and supporting infrastructure of the project. APLNG’s David Lundeen said the four modules represented a new phase of the project. “The arrival of the modules at our site marks the start of the next stage of construction on Curtis Island. The site preparation work is complete, the concrete foundations have been laid and we are now ready for the larger components of the facility to be constructed,” he said. The first four modules are a tiny fraction of what will be needed to see the processing trains fully built. Over the next 18 months, 69 modules will arrive from the construction yard in Batam, Indonesia. Not all of them will need to be transported individually - shipments may contain up to seven modules of various sizes. The average journey time from Batam to Gladstone is about a month. While the fabrication of the processing trains is happening overseas, there are now 2300 workers at the APLNG site on Curtis Island. Bechtel is running the project, and Gladstone general manager Kevin Berg said substantial progress had been made on the ground in a short space of time. “This is credit to the workforce we have here in Gladstone, and the local suppliers on the ground who have enabled us to reach this point on schedule.” Mr Berg said.

for industrial development is an issue that is concerning more than the UDIA. New standards for industrial development in the Mackay area are perceived by some local business people as being disproportionately high. One businessman told Shiftminer the new standards for industrial development were unrealistic. “Local and state government is forcing developers to build ‘Rolls Royce’ style developments that are beyond the reach of many businesses to afford, especially when a Toyota Landcruiser Sahara standard would do the job,” he said. “To give you some idea, it cost $150 million and 10 years to build the water treatment plant at Bakers Creek, and when it finally opened it was at maximum capacity.” “That’s $50 million from each level of government, but you cannot just expect the development industry to stump up those sort of costs to develop the industrial areas ear-tagged at Rosella.”

Aurizon shortlisted A JOINT-venture between Aurizon and Lend Lease has been shortlisted by the Queensland Government for the potential staged expansion at Abbot Point Coal Terminal. Called NorthHub, its proposal includes the staged development of a new multi-user coal terminal and associated rail infrastructure to service long-term growth in metallurgical and thermal coal exports. In December 2012, the Queensland Government sought registrations of interest for the project to develop expanded port infrastructure in the Abbot Point State Development Area. Last week the Queensland Government announced that it had invited two proponents, NorthHub and Anglo Coal, to move into Stage 2 of the process. The NorthHub proposal offers rail and terminal capacity to coal producers on a multi-party basis tapping into the Bowen and Galilee coal basins. It is separate to the recently announced proposal by Aurizon and GVK Hancock to develop multi-user rail and port infrastructure at Abbot Point using GVK Hancock’s existing T3 terminal. 15th April 2013

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Union targets WICET over ‘safety’ THE CFMEU stopped work at the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) for the day recently when a worker reported that a step had no hand rail. Shiftminer understands the worker in question went directly to the union rather than reporting his concerns to a supervisor. As a result, two union representatives turned up to the site, walked through the main entrance and on to the main road. “No one is allowed to walk on that road because you can get run over,” a source said. “It is a big no-no with regards to safety. They were told to stop and to jump into a vehicle, but they refused.” The police were called and the union members were escorted off the site. The following day, workers turned up to the site to find the union had blocked the entrance. “Everyone was told to strike, so three-quarters of the workforce didn’t work that day. The next day, they were all issued with written

warnings,” the source said. The reason for the warning was because the industrial action was illegal and proper processes had not been followed. “Instead of communicating with the supervisor about the step and the fact it didn’t have a handrail, the contractor went straight to the union.” Shiftminer has left several messages with the CFMEU over the past week but has not had its calls returned. A WICET spokesperson told Shiftminer: “Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) is working with the project’s Procurement and Construction Manager to support project contractors in understanding and addressing concerns raised by the CFMEU. “Both the project owners and contractors are committed to Zero Harm through a safe workplace and remain compliant with both the Fair Work Act and the Work Health and Safety Act.”

Gladstone sales drop Arrow awards Indigenous THE old adage that there is a silver lining to every cloud could not be more true in Gladstone real estate. Property sales have plummeted 35 per cent, values have dropped by at least 10 per cent and rents are down by at least $200 a week - it all sounds pretty dire. But not for first-home buyers, according to Ray White principal Andrew Allen. “This is the biggest opportunity for first home buyers in over three years,” he told Shiftminer. “About 65 per cent of our calls have been from first home buyers because they have finally been able to save for a deposit.” Up until now, houses were priced out of their range so they were forced to rent. Rents were sky-high, so they couldn’t save. “Now the rents have dropped, they are able to save for their deposit,” Mr Allen said. While this is good news for locals, investors from down south are not so happy. “We have certainly seen the rental market consolidate since last year. Values have dropped by 10 per cent, and even by 20 per cent in the top end of the market.” This means a house renting for $1000 a week last year is now renting for $650, and the average 30-year-old home has

15th April 2013

dropped from $500 a week to $350. “A lot of property was sold to investors who didn’t understand how the Gladstone market fluctuates. Some are expecting to still get the same rents, but have had to lower them,” Mr Allen said. Vacancy rates, which have been sitting under 1 per cent for the past two years, are now sitting around 2 per cent. Real estate is not affected to the same extent as Bowen Basin towns, however, as Gladstone is a much bigger city - with 11,000 residents. “Gladstone’s cycle has traditionally been a fast one, too. While other places will go through a seven-year cycle, here it is five years.” To further confuse investors, it is also counter-cyclical to the rest of the country. “When the rest of the country is doing poorly, Gladstone has usually had some major industrial projects that boost the market. “The south-east corner is picking up now, so it means investors have more choices and they are backing away from Gladstone. “We’ve seen the sales values decrease and there has been a fairly dramatic drop in the number of properties sold,” Mr Allen said. In fact, 35 per cent. “That’s a combination of the investor market, but also because of the amount of supply.”

engineering students

(From left): Scholarship recipient Daniel Lee, USQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas, Arrow Energy HSE Superintendent Peter Bryant, and scholarship recipient Alex Dyball.

Two Indigenous Darling Downs students have been awarded Arrow Energy scholarships for their engineering studies at the University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. Alex Dyball, of Murphy’s Creek just outside Toowoomba, and Daniel Lee, of Highfields, were named as inaugural winners of the Arrow Energy Indigenous Scholarship Program. Each two-year scholarship is worth $10,000 per year.

Arrow’s vice president community and sustainable development Leisa Elder said the university scholarships were part of a statewide education partnership to encourage Indigenous people into higher education. “University take-up and completion rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are significantly below that of nonIndigenous students,” Ms Elder said. “The Arrow package is designed to go some way towards addressing this imbalance. This is a complete educational package that includes mentoring, tutoring and peer support networks so students have the best chance to achieve their goals.” Another two-year, $10,000/year scholarship will be awarded to an Indigenous student studying education. In addition to the university scholarships, Downlands College Year 12 students Benjamin Kennedy and Michael Kennedy have each been awarded Arrow Energy Year 12 Engineering Bursaries valued at $1000. The bursaries will assist both students in completing their senior year and realise their goal of university entry to study engineering at USQ next year. In conjunction with USQ, Arrow is offering a further 16 bursaries for Indigenous Year 10-12 students working towards a career in engineering or in the field of teaching.

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Dysart struggles as rumours reign

Dysart, where mining camps can be found in each direction, is a town struggling with uncertainty.

DYSART is a town in limbo. Houses have been standing empty for months, unable to be rented or sold, and the rumour mill is in full swing. Moranbah Real Estate’s John Wood said the nearby town of

Moranbah may be struggling, but Dysart is worse. “We’ve had empty houses for a good six months. We just can’t rent them, whether it’s $300 or $500,” he told Shiftminer. This is in stark contrast to

this time last year, when noncompany homes commanded prices of up to $600,000 and rented for $2000 a week. Now 418 houses are for sale in Dysart and 318 for rent. “Everything runs on rumours,”

Dysart Community and Business Group spokesperson John Cooks told Shiftminer. “We call it Didja: didja start a rumour today?” Mr Cooks has lived in Dysart with his family for the past 26 years and said the town is a far cry from the vibrant community it was when he first arrived. Now it is unstable. The final nail in the coffin was the closure of BMA’s Norwich Park mine last year and since then the town has struggled. “It’s the uncertainty. That’s been going on for a couple of years and it’s what destabilises a community.” The latest rumour, according to Mr Cooks, is that Norwich Park is going to reopen and will be 100 per cent fly-in, fly-out. “The companies only give you so much information. It is really one of those things - until we get certainty, then we can’t have direction about where we’re going.” The town has a mining camp in each direction and nonresident workers now outnumber locals two to one. “We have a highly transient

population, even with the permanent population,” Mr Cooks said. “There’s a definite thinning out with people leaving. We’ve seen a smattering of young families making it back in. It’s hard to say as some old people are leaving and we don’t know where they are going to.” Meanwhile, businesses are finding it tough, but whether it was the closure of Norwich Park or just a general slowdown in the mining industry, Mr Cooks does not know. “The costs of rents has come down and that has been an advantage for businesses. Before we couldn’t employ anyone because the rent was too high and there was nowhere to live.” Mr Cooks said the real change for Dysart was back in 1998 when 12-hour shifts were introduced and many families left - but not the workers. His three children have been educated at the local school, and one is at university, and he has no plans to leave just yet. His youngest is in final year of high school.

CSG industry under sustained attack were actually not given any time to do any reading or assessment of the material. We were just instructed to write conditions for QGC, which is, again, unbelievably bad.” The two projects were approved under the former Bligh government, and there are now calls for a full public inquiry into the approvals process. However, a spokesman for the Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said the claims had already been referred to the Crime and Misconduct Commission back in February. While the state government is not commenting, green groups are

not holding back. The Lock the Gate Alliance’s Drew Hutton said the CMC should hold a public inquiry to address the issue. “This situation came about because of improper political pressure that was placed on the public servants, as Simone Marsh has described,” he said. Both Santos and QGC have released detailed statements in response to questions raised by Four Corners. Both companies say they complied with all government requirements and did not try to influence the approvals process.

Quality doesn’t have to mean slow THE coal seam gas industry in Queensland has always struggled to win over public approval and a recent Four Corner’s program has just made that task near impossible. The program aired allegations from a former Queensland bureaucrat-turnedwhistleblower that the $18 billion Santos project and $20 billion Queensland Gas Company (QGC) project were rushed through the approvals process in 2010. Simone Marsh had been working as as senior environmental specialist and said she and other decision makers did not have the full information required

to properly assess the environmental impact of the projects. “It was an impossible task,” she said. “It was quite frightening that they would consider approving such a project without the basic information that a normal mining project would have been asked to submit, given that this was like 600 times the size of your standard large mine.” Ms Marsh also alleged she was pressured from above to make hasty decisions without full access to the information required. “We were only given a matter of days to prepare conditions for that report. We

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Get where you want to be

David beats Goliath in 457 visa battle?

The CFMEU has been vocal in its opposition to 457 visas.

ARE migrant workers on 457 visas turning down the chance to work for resources industry giants and instead choosing employment with smaller firms? This question is the focus of a new study by Edith Cowan University (ECU) researchers. Last year Dr Susanne Bahn

completed an industry-first study into the use of 457 visas in the Western Australian resources sector as a whole. But that study also highlighted how smaller firms were using 457 visas, raising some interesting questions for further investigation.

Some respondents to the 2012 study indicated that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were employing the same migrant workers who had been turned down by large multinationals for being under-qualified. But other respondents said the smaller firms offered better pay and conditions for the migrant worker and their families. “We want to find out are workers choosing smaller firms because they think it represents a better deal, or were they just using a scattergun approach and applying everywhere?” Dr Bahn explained. “We also want to know if smaller firms are at a disadvantage because they are getting the applicants rejected by mining giants. But the key question is how vital are 457 visas in helping small to medium businesses grow?” Dr Bahn was keen to point out in mining, a small to medium business is any company that employs up to 400 workers. “We believe the answer is 457 visas help the economy and

are a significant tool in growing small businesses. “Our first impressions are that while there is evidence of a scattergun approach to finding employment, there is also evidence that workers deliberately choose small business over mining giants because they regard it as a nicer place to work and they are not just a number.” Dr Bahn said evidence already collected suggest 457 visas were critical for smaller businesses to grow. “I have evidence of firms that have grown five times their original size in two years because they can access the labour and specialist skills they need,” she told Shift Miner. She said that it was particularly relevant for businesses in regional towns. “Queensland is not as bad as Western Australia. Towns like Rocky and Gladstone and Emerald are nice welldeveloped centres. But you try and live and work in Leinster. I don’t even think there is a pub

generated at BeQRious.com

15th April 2013

or a shop, just a mine. “Even Mount Isa is an established major town, compared to the Eastern Pilbara where you would just die.” Dr Bahn said this new study would give SMEs greater understanding of the recruitment process, given that a worker on a 457 visa can cost up to $60,000 in recruitment and relocation costs. “What we want to find out is how small firms compete for skilled labour. Are they taking workers who have been rejected by the multinationals and if so, are they getting value for money?” said Dr Bahn. “We know the multinationals are able to attract workers because of reputation and the cache of working for recognisable organisation. But SMEs have the advantage of offering closer worker-manager relationships that provide increased support for workers and their families. Companies wishing to participate in the project should contact Dr Bahn at s.bahn@ecu.edu.au

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Adult apprentice success at Bechtel

Bechtel is filling roles with adult apprentices.

INVITATION-only information sessions will be held in Brisbane this week for the next round of applicants in the adult apprenticeship program for construction giant Bechtel in Gladstone. Bechtel is running the construction of the LNG facilities at Curtis Island and for the past 18 months has been using the National Adult Apprenticeships (NAP) program to help fill job vacancies. The program was set up in 2011 to help solve the skills shortage by finding key people with a relevant skills set - but no trade behind them - complete their apprenticeship in a far shorter time. Some graduates of the program have become qualified in their trade in just eight months. Bechtel is currently looking for electrical fitter mechanics, dual electricalinstrumentation tradies, boilermakers and mechanical fitters. Brisbane father Brett McCarthy applied for an earlier Bechtel intake and is due to start mechanical fitter apprenticeship this month. The former car machinist had been working in structural steel for the past

eight years when he applied. “As soon as I saw NAP, I applied for it it’s extremely clever. It’s a way of furthering my education and still being paid a really good wage - a bit of initiative and a little bit of sacrifice will be worth it in the end.” NAP program director Alan Sparks said the first of the new wave of positions would be onsite in June. “Many applicants have already been working in industry, in management roles in many cases, and certainly over a wide and diverse range of skills,” he said. “A number are coming out of the defence force, a number already have a trade under their belt, so they’re looking to upgrade their skills to a dual trade responsibility.” Ideal applicants include people who have partly completed an apprenticeship, permanent Australian residents with overseas qualifications not yet recognised in Australia, ex-members of the defence forces with aligned qualifications or skills, people with other related trade qualifications, and trades assistants for the construction and engineering trades only.

Brett McCarthy admits the career change will initially be as daunting as it will be rewarding. “It’s a big change. I’m used to going home every day obviously, but I am very excited,” he said. Meanwhile, employers in the building, construction and engineering trades have until the end of the month to take advantage of the Apprentice Kickstart Initiative. The program has been extended and allows employers to get an extra $3350 incentive payment for taking on a new apprentice. The incentive was introduced in December to boost apprenticeship numbers in skill shortage trades. It was initially aimed at the building and construction industries, but was expanded in January to include engineering and aviation. An extra $3350 is paid for people taking on a new apprentice in nominated trades in addition to an existing $1500 commencement payment. The program aims to bring an extra 21,000 apprentices into the workforce, and at the end of February had 12,000 apprentices on its books. BUSY At Work chief executive Paul Miles has backed the extension, saying it will provide more job opportunities for young workers.

“These incentives make employing apprentices even more affordable,” Mr Miles said. “This extension is great news for the building, construction and engineering sectors. This increased support will go a long way to help boost the nominated small- to medium-sized business sectors,” Mr Miles said. “Local businesses will need to be quick though to take advantage of the extra funding.” The trades available for the Kickstart incentive are:

• Air-conditioning and • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Refrigeration Mechanic Air-conditioning and Mechanical Services Plumber Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics) Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical) Bricklayer Cabinetmaker Carpenter Carpenter and Joiner Drainer Electrician (General) Fibrous Plasterer Fitter (General) Fitter and Turner Fitter-Welder Floor Finisher

• Gasfitter • Glazier • Joiner • Landscape Gardener • Metal Fabricator • Metal Machinist (First Class)

• Painting Trades Worker • Plumber (General) • Pressure Welder • Roof Plumber • Roof Tiler • Sheetmetal Trades Worker

• Signwriter • Solid Plasterer • Stonemason • Toolmaker • Wall and Floor Tiler • Welder (First class)

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Wet and wild at the Emerald pool

Historic goldmine for sale

The new place to learn to swim in Emerald

LEARNING to swim is no mean feat when you live three hours away from the beach. But the kids of Emerald now have the long anticipated learn-to-swim pool open for lessons! The Central Highlands Council has been upgrading the aquatic centre and it’s not just a slap-on paint job - $10 million has been dedicated to new facilities. Just recently a commemorative ribbon was cut to open the new learn-to-swim pool, and there have been children in the water ever since (well, virtually). “We are very excited to have this facility open to the public,” said mayor Peter Maguire.

15th April 2013

“It’s so important that children learn how to swim, and this custom built pool provides the perfect safe and enjoyable environment for that to happen.” It is expected that the 50m pool and wet play area (splash pad) will be ready to open in late October this year, assuming no bad weather hits. “The splashpad equipment has been installed and is currently being tested. It’s in clear view which I imagine would be making the kids extremely excited!” Local kids better get in quick, the pool will close at the end of next month for the winter season, but will reopen at the end of August.

FEEL like coming home to a mine after finishing your shift at a mine? Then this historic goldmine and tourism attraction could all be yours when it goes up for auction next month. The historic ‘Tyrconnell’ gold mine 140 km west of Cairns commenced operation in 1876, producing large quantities of gold, and launched the development of Far North Queensland with the establishment of port towns Cairns and Port Douglas. In 1997 the owner shifted their focus from mining to developing a tourist attraction by restoring and developing the site to support a boutique tourism business. Tyrconnell mine is held under mining

leases and covers an area of 40.79 ha. The leases are designated for mining and tourism purposes, so you can mine for gold while entertaining your guests. The mine currently supports a fully functional campsite and four heritagestyle cottages for visitors, with alfresco dining on the verandah, manager’s quarters, barbeque area and a dam for swimming. The sale also contains heritage listed buildings, and plant and equipment. The property is being offer for sale by public auction on Thursday 2 May, Mareeba Leagues Club at 11:30am. For further details and inspection contact Dan Brown on 0417 342 773.

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YOUTH WEEK

The young people of Blackwater were out and about recently, enjoying an open air movie night as part of Youth Week celebrations. Unfortunately, an ill-timed blackout plunged the night into darkness! But we still managed to snap these photos.

Georgia and Caitlyn Griffiths

Thomas Byrne and Bryce Cracknell

Oscar Griffiths and Bryce Cracknell

(L-R) Grace, Henry and Rhonda Hill

(L-R) Kelsea Anderson, Chloe-Rose Jenkins and Kate Brotchie

(L-R) Amy, Hayley Van De Water and Erin Beak

(L-R) Lauren, Jared and Zac Hepple

Buy this and many other images at

www.shiftminer.com Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together Holding a social event you want photographed?  Call the Shift Miner office on 4921 4333 to let us know.  You can also give our office a bell if you’d like a copy of any of the photos in this edition.

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FROm THE EDITOR SOMETIMES in journalism you have a really great story, but you just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to write it. The red tape nightmare that is safety compliance in the mining and gas sectors is one of those stories. The problem with speaking out about safety compliance is that not for one minute should any of our readers think this an attack on keeping workplaces safe. Mining is one of the most dangerous industries you could work in, and companies and employees must be eternally vigilant about safety. But being safe and keeping up with the paperwork of compliance are two very different things. The problem is common sense is no longer allowed to prevail. Individuals are not required to take responsibility for their actions. If an employee makes a silly mistake, maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fault but their own. But the current workplace culture points the finger of blame at employers. So you can see how regulation has built up to the point where people can no longer do their job properly. Shift Miner has been inundated with text messages from workers who say the current system is an unworkable nightmare. Not one message was in support of the current level of compliance. Not one message suggested it was necessary to keep people safe. Full credit must be given to companies and employees who make safety their priority. But surely it is possible to have a safe workplace as well as a productive workplace? The two should not be mutually exclusive. Alex Graham Comment or SMS 0409 471 014

Photos to THE EDITOR Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/shiftminer

Working to improve the lives of fitters in many mining communities Hi all, Just letting you know our annual fundraiser day (April 1st) was a huge success. We raised 0.71 cents in all, up 32 percent from 2012 . This funding will go to the worst affected fitters in our industry and help them with the terrible burden of â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 thumbnessâ&#x20AC;? and hopefully prevent the spread of repairs such as the one shown in the photo. Thanks again for your outstanding support.

SEEN SOMETHING WE HAVENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T? Prizes for the best mining photos. Take it on your phone or camera and send it in - Text to 0409 471 014 alex.graham@shiftminer.com

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l 2/ 17 Br Drowning [in safety]. 200 per centLeveright. isbane St reet Ma ckay Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking Australia down. They are talent in the Cairns region, but the saying wages are too high. Safety is what problem is that it is too expensive is doing it. and takes too long to get flights to the Safety - the Sydney Uni did a study on coalfields. I actually do the trip, but the safety and said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the biggest waste of cost is almost prohibitive. I think the time and money in the country. Check it BMA plans for Caval Ridge are going to out. John. help some people in Cairns - but only those people working at Caval Ridge Great story. I think your story should because I think they are talking about a be printed on the front page of every charter flight there. newspaper in the country, so everyone can read about this safety madness bullshit! This poem was sent in from some workers at the Santos GLNG project Safety is like a mad dog chasing its tail. at Fairview. It was written by It wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop till it bites it and feels the Russell Taylor: pain. Then it just starts again. One Day It has become moronic... management on Just wanted to say have a good day several mines I work at are more focussed Because the Easter Bunnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on his way. on receiving five to six slams a day And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not forget the diggers on ANZAC Day. rather than actual work output. We all know you stuffed up our pay Middle management at mining But some would say please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rain today companies must have shares in training And donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give public holidays away. organisations because so much money is being made in that sector. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an So most of us would stay absolute rort. I hope this happens in April or May As June is too far away. Someone at this coal mine has their head screwed on. We are hard-hat-free, Hip hip hooray we would say unless you are on the drill or working on If we got some back pay for a family holiday. the digger. You cannot have it all your way! So shout us a beer on ANZAC Day BMA is about to offer FIFO for workers at its Caval Ridge mine who live in It will happen one day Cairns. It prompted this response: So letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all go to work today And be proud of who we are. There is a massive massive pool of

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Frank the Tank’s Dear Frank,

I must admit that one of my guilty pleasures is spying on the neighbours. I find it a lot more exciting than any soap opera. Over the past few months, I’ve discovered that the bloke next door has been having an affair with one of his wife’s friends. I know it’s not really any of my business, but I feel as though she has a right to know her husband is fooling around on her. Should I tell her? Karen, Emerald You’re a woman after my own heart, Karen. I’ve spent a lot of time spying on my neighbours over the years. I even told my wife I was developing an interest in

amateur astronomy so she’d buy me a telescope for my birthday. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of it when she started asking why it was always pointed at the neighbour’s bathroom window. I’ve also written to NASA in the hope of obtaining funding to launch a satellite for the sole purpose of spying on women in the shower, and I am anxiously awaiting their reply. Now, about your dilemma. Sure, you could tell your neighbour that her husband’s cheating on her, but have you considered the prospect that she might go completely insane? I don’t mean to offend you Karen, but women have a tendency to fly off the handle. Last week I called my wife to tell her I was attending an illegal monkey-wrestling tournament at an unlicensed travelling circus, and she did not react well. When I got home she’d burned the majority of my clothes and completely filled my side of the bed with bananas. Regardless of how the wife might

“Streakin” good love advice

react, you’re missing the big picture here anyway, Karen. There are few instances in life where you’ll be presented with such a perfect opportunity for blackmail, and I suggest you don’t let this one slip through your fingertips. I would imagine the husband would do virtually anything to ensure his affair remains secret, so perhaps it’s high time you take advantage of this? Kindly let him know that you’ve got everything you need to prove his philandering, and he’ll be putty in your hands. Just make sure you don’t have any secrets for him to discover, or you could wind up in a tangled web of double blackmail. It happened to me once; I discovered my son’s teacher was was moonlighting as a sex worker and I threatened to blackmail her if she didn’t give my son straight As. Unfortunately the plan backfired spectacularly as I forgot I was also the sex working teacher’s most regular customer.

SENSIBLE SUSAN Karen, It’s a bit of a sticky situation you find yourself in here; it might be time to give the soap operas another go! Although most people would obviously like to know if their partner is cheating on them, I think in this instance it’s better to just mind your own business. Alternatively, you could give the wife an ‘anonymous tip’ that her husband is being unfaithful, which may prompt her to confront him about it. As I said, though, I do think it’s best if you don’t get directly involved in what could potentially be a very bitter marital dispute.

Susan

Frank

IN THE UK - A Yorkshire housewife IN THE USA - One company has has released a truly unbelievable memoir detailing how she was raised by monkeys in the Columbian rainforest for five years. The woman was kidnapped from her home at the age of four and left alone in the rainforest after the abduction was botched. She then learnt how to survive by copying the monkeys, and was gradually accepted into their society. Although her claims have been heavily scrutinised, no evidence to dispute them has been uncovered.

IN ZIMBABWE - A sex

Fair Dinkum! A Yorkshire housewife claims she was raised by monkeys in the Columbian rainforest for five years.

worker who supposedly died having sex woke up screaming as police carried her out of her hotel room in a coffin. The woman collapsed and apparently died whilst applying her trade and police were called to remove the body. A crowd that had gathered around the entrance to the hotel was shocked when the woman sat up and began screaming. Police reportedly kept their cool and tried to reason with the woman.

taken the phrase ‘makin’ bacon’ to a new level after releasing bacon-flavoured condoms. J&D Foods claim the pork-flavoured prophylactic is the most anticipated new product of the summer, because according to their research “10 out of 10 people prefer the smell of bacon to coconut”. Each condom comes coated with ‘bacon lube’, whatever that is. The same company has also released bacon sunscreen, bacon-flavoured envelopes and has even produced a bacon-themed coffin.

STILL IN THE USA

-A single-page memo about the supposed crash of a UFO in Roswell in the 1950s has become the most popular document in the FBI’s ‘vault’. The ‘vault’ is an electronic reading room that can be viewed by the public. The memo claims that three flying saucers were recovered in Roswell, offers several bizarre details and even includes a vague description of the alien pilot: “Each saucer was occupied by three bodies of human shape, but only three feet tall.”

What can you learn from a

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CAR FOR SALE

BOAT FOR SALE

78 XC FALCON GS UTE

Offshore Marine Master 2012 Mac5 Cuddy.

250 Alloy head Crossflow on straight LPG, Supercharged with Raptor V-L blower, T5 gearbox, 9\” Diff, 3.7:1 Ratio, Disc Brakes, Regretful sale

$29,990 ono Phone: 0428 344 437 CAR FOR SALE 2008 TOYOTA AVENSIS VERSO 68000 Ks, 4 doors 7 seats, 4 cyl. A1 condition. New tyres. Complied 2009 Rear nudge-bar. Full logs. All Toyota serviced. Always kept undercover. With 7 seats there’s plenty of space for the whole family. $21,900 NEG Phone: 0413 913 042

CAR FOR SALE 2010 TOYOTA HILUX Mine Spec, BMA Thiess Mac Coal Certified, New 265 Maxxis Iron Mud Tires, ADB Bull Bar, Lightfrce Driving Light, Twin Battery, Snorkle, Iron-Man Lift Kit, Mine Radio x 2 UHF, 135 Litre Fuel Tank, Oconners Tray. Toolboxes, Fire Ext 1st Aid MSDS

$40,000 Phone: 0421 000 789 BOAT FOR SALE 2008 BAJA26 OUTLAW LUXURY PERFORMANCE POWERBOAT AS NEW 496ci Magnum HO Mercruiser 70mph 4 Blade Prop Aluminium Tandem Trailer Toilet, Cabin, Bunks, Seating Custom Upholstery, Graphics $95,000 ono Phone: 0414 330 803 DINGHY FOR SALE

2012 Horizon 3.1M Aluminium Dinghy, 6HP Yamaha Motor and Redco trailer – All New, Registered 11/13 with safety gear.

Brand new! 90HP Suzuki 4 stroke, Hydraulic steering, Live well, Bimini, Bait station, self draining fully welded floor, Kill tank. 4mm bottom, 3mm sides. Comes on Dunbier Glider trailer. Fishermans dream $39,950 Phone: 0404 891 776

CARAVAN AND CAR FOR SALE 2010 SOUTHERN CROSS 5th WHEELER 8mtrs, vcomplete with all upgrades. Ford F250 V8 deisel w/ gas injection. tow vehicle. Full details on request. Will pass any inspection.

Phone: 07 4162 5730

Compass slide-on camper on Ford F250 ute.Camper sleeps 2 plus makeup 3rd. 3way Electrolux fridge, 2 burner stove, wired 12 & 240 volts, 100Lwater, PortaPotti, space for 2x4.5kg LPG and 2 batteries, steps and legs carried below floor. F250XL 2001, 4.2L diesel, 190,000km, strengthened springs, UHF, compressor. Whole unit $45,000 ono. Camper only $11,000 ono.

LOST SOLID YELLOW GOLD BANGLE At Mackay Airport on Thursday 7th March around 3pm. Lost at security Screening Area. $200 reward offered. If you have any information please contact MACKAY POLICE on

Phone: 0419 788 599

0409 265 027

HOUSE/LAND FOR SALE

HOUSE FOR SALE

BUSINESS/HOME FOR SALE

EMU PARK

CAR FOR SALE 1991 TOYOTA TROOPY

Currently leased @ $385 inc gst/week Includes shares in Rockhampton Cab Company Perfect sideline income

$320,000 neg

Phone: 0407 373 664 CAR FOR SALE VS CLUBSPORT

Exhaust System 2.5 Inch $500 4x Standard GXL

steering pump,new water pump,new front

$50 5 Dunlop Tyres 265/70R16 111RLT $250 Full

great condition

Suspension Front Coil, Rear Leaf & Shockies $1000

$8,500 ono

LIGHTNING 7mtr Alloy Walk-around, Twin 90hp E-Techs with

CAMPER FOR SALE TOP-FORM insulated alloy camper,

very low hrs, Vessel

fits into 1.8mt. tray, fully equipped, only need food

and safe, with all possible extras.

and personal gear to use,

$62,000

$20,000

Phone: 49 739 698

Phone: 07 4973 9698

BOAT FOR SALE

TRAILER FOR SALE

2013 HORIZON 435 Easy Fisher PRO on Dunbier, with 40 HP Mercury Tiller, saftey gear, Bimini top, front casting deck, rear storage with bait tank, Hummingbird 160X sounder, battery/ box, Side pockets, Rolled side decks $14,490 Phone: 0749 467 286 LAND FOR SALE YEPPOON

3 beds, 2 bath big

block, 5 minutes from CBD, schools, transport.

yard, fenced

Plenty of space for shed, pool, kids to play.

$350,000

$300,000

Phone: 0419 020 566

Phone: 0409 391 254

$48,000 Phone: 0413 501 222

Phone: 0429 831 021

is quick, economical

City Conveniences!

$75,000 ono Phone: 0417 704 369

Rims $750 each Air Intake Snorkel (Top Only)

brake pads, 142000km,

4000 sqm North facing, corner premium

Bitumen Road and Phone to front Gate. School, PO, Garage, Hospital, Hotel kindergarden and stores 15 min Drive. New gold mines in area.

CAR PARTS FOR SALE

Front Bumper Land Cruiser 2012 $150 Standard

brick at Emu Park.

2.5 ACRES FARMLET

$15,000 Phone: 0429 112 396

mags, new power

Excellent low set 3YO

SELF-SUSTAINABLE living on a sapphire mine claim 5 km west of Rubyvale. Small house, off grid, solar/ rainwater/composting toilet, great view.

1hz motor, turbo diesel and gas which gives more power and econ. New suspension , injectors, timing belt, new paint ,windscreen, clutch, 12 months rego, 90% tyres.

series 2, 19 inch chrome

Acreage Living,

LAND FOR SALE

$310,000

BUSINESS FOR SALE

BOAT FOR SALE

$79,000 ono Phone: 0432 429 264

TAXI LICENCE IN BOOMING GLADSTONE

OPEN TAXI LICENCE FOR SALE IN ROCKHAMPTON

CAR FOR SALE

or MARIA on

$595,000 ono Phone: 07 4937 3564

Ph. 0419 672 181

Phone: 0439 872 215

49 683 444

40ha. Open country, House, Dam, bore (1100gl/ ph) Submersible pump, Yards & ramp. Excellent garden & views. 50ks nth of Yeppoon Turnoff. 1.3ks off highway, bitumen road, School buses from Highway

Phone: 0409 630 311

Phone: 0407 913 914 2006 DODGE RAM 3500 SLT Lonestar Edition Heavy Duty 5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel Allison auto transmission Wood grain inserts 5th wheel hitch, tow bar 4 door dual cab Dual wheels, new tires and chrome Call for more detail..... Genuine sale!!!! 104000klms

BUSINESS FOR SALE

Sale price includes shares in “Gladstone Taxis”.

CAMPER AND CAR FOR SALE

$4,500

NORTH OF YEPPOON

BOAT FOR SALE 2004 PowerCat 2600 Sports Cabriolet. Twin 115hp Yamaha 4 stroke engines. Sleeps 4, Toilet, Shower. Road registered tandem trailer. Always maintained and kept in a shed. All safety gear. Excellent condition. Registered until September 2013. Reduced to $108,000.00 Must be sold. OFFERS, OFFERS, OFFERS Very Negotiable

LAND FOR SALE WONDAI 160 ACRES 160 undulating acres at Wondai. 16 Metre Weekender, power, phone, 2 watertanks, permanent gully, 2 dams, cattle yards with vet crush, fully fenced. Splendid home site, with captivating sunsets. 1 Hour to Gympie $345,000 Phone: 0417 704 369

Home built camping trailer, built to carry 3 full sizes bikes or a quad and bike, camp slides forwards or backwards to balance picture taken back for bikes to sit on 5 months rego. Tows very well $4,500 Phone: 0429 112 396 HOUSE/LAND FOR SALE MOUNT PERRY ”Main Top” Best most usable 40 acres in town. Good large level flats, great mountain veiws, hay shed, machinery shed, dam, House requires work. Power to house.Plenty of feed, Potential to work 7 on 7 off roster at mount Rawdon Gold mine, Bus travels daily to mine site. $235,000 Phone: 0488 079 675 LAND FOR SALE PROSERPINE Rural land 15 min cbd proserpine 2x200 acre lots good grazing land and house sites will sell separately POA $ 520,000 the pair Phone: 0447 031 588

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MOVIE Review BY JUSTIN CARLOS

Die Hard franchise lives on

6 9 8

PUZZLES 5 8 9 7 5

10 11

4 7 4 2 3 9 6 1 5 6 9 8 5 3 7 5 4 3

MEDIUM

What McClane doesn’t know, however, is that his son is actually a CIA operative working to extract a former Russian businessman who has damning evidence against a politician and former colleague. As you might expect, what follows is a

getting into car chases in the fifth installment in the series, A Good Day to Die Hard. Willis reprises his role as tough-as-nails New York cop John McClane, who travels to Russia to attempt to bail his son out of a Moscow prison.

IF YOU consider yourself a fan of the action genre then there’s no doubt you’re familiar with the Die Hard franchise, which began in 1988. Over a quarter of a century later and Bruce Willis is still throwing himself off buildings and

14 17 19

18 20

21 22

no-holds-barred, father-son team-up that sees bad guys blown up, cars totalled and buildings destroyed. A Good Day to Die Hard follows the same basic plot as all Die Hard films; a terrorist plot is uncovered and John McClane, with the help of various other characters, must race against time to thwart the evil doers. Unfortunately the film just can’t seem to create the same sense of urgency as its predecessors. It never really feels as though McClane and son might fail, and until virtually the end of the film it doesn’t seem as though there are any dire consequences if the heroes let the bad guy get away. Similarly, the relationship between John McClane and his son - Jack - doesn’t exactly leap off the screen and grab the viewer. You might be expecting a ‘buddy’ action picture in the spirit of some the classics like Lethal Weapon, Tango and Cash or even Die Hard 3, but the chemistry just isn’t there. If you’re an action fan then there’s no doubt you’ll get a kick out of A Good Day to Die Hard. There’s enough car chases, explosions and gunfights to make the film watchable, but it’s certainly not going to go down in action movie history.

ACROSS 1. Academic half-year 5. Fireplace 9. Accommodation 10. Atlantic & Pacific 12. Descendants 13. Respond 14. Garden track 16. Apparent 19. Extremist 21. Fir tree 24. Family maxim 25. Defeat in chess 27. Poet, Dylan … 28. Soonest 29. More snug 30. Sing to lover

Down 1. Pink river fish 2. Adapt 3. Economise 4. Film, The ... Patient 6. Outing 7. Revive (interest) 8. Falter 11. Monster 15. Mooring point 17. Theatrical 18. Book versions 20. Frilly fabric 21. Make ready 22. Photographer’s tool 23. Come to rest 26. Singer, ... Minogue

LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS T E R R A C E R E C V U N COO K E C I R N E X P E N S I S E N SMUG D P A E N R A G E D T O N U R A B B I S A L T T C H E R U B T M D S I S T E R

# 44

7 2 9 3 4 5 6 8 1

6 5 1 2 8 7 3 4 9

SHIFT MINER Handy Crossword 121ME - (15A grid) Handy Crossword 064s. pdf

4 8 3 9 1 6 5 7 2

3 1 8 6 9 4 7 2 5

S D

S V E E M

L E L N E P H A ON T A S

B E O L I T G A P I N N A G E N DO

2 7 6 5 3 8 9 1 4

5 9 4 7 2 1 8 6 3

8 3 5 4 6 2 1 9 7

G E X P H I A B I I T S S C A I R A C U R S

1 4 7 8 5 9 2 3 6

N D O EW N I T U OR N D R E F L E N E D

9 6 2 1 7 3 4 5 8

# 45

stay overnight includes:

149

only

per person, twin share

• Concert • 1 night accommodation, • Return transfers ex Abel Point Marina • Full buffet breakfast • Over 20 FREE activities & much more

day trip includes:

only

per person

• Concert • Return transfers ex Abel Point Marina

Extra night rates available

2pm LIVE IN CONCERT ON DAYDREAM ISLAND www.daydreamisland.com/diesel | 07 4948 8425 *For full terms and conditions visit http://www.daydreamislandshop.com/events/termsandconditio.html.

15th April 2013

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Exercise some smartphone restraint!

THERE’S probably no doubt that technology is making our lives easier. Its advances in modern medicine are helping humans live longer, it has made cars safer, and it is also responsible for TVs becoming bigger and bigger, which can never be a bad thing. There are some instances, however, where technology is a hindrance, and

society as a whole needs to address it before it’s too late. I’m referring specifically to smartphones. Don’t get me wrong, smartphones are great. Who doesn’t love a heated game of Words With Friends when they’re meant to be working? It’s also dreadfully convenient to be able to do your banking, check Facebook,

Redmond’s Rants

Queenslander If you’re a Murray from Cloncurry Or a miner from Mt Isa. Even a Cunnamulla fella Or a grower from Babinda. A soldier from Townsville 1RAR be you?

A 50-year-old truckie Who’s never seen the Hume. Livin’ on the coast, Reef fishin’ as ya go.

Sightseeing under water Or marrying a Queensland daughter. A ringer from Roma? Or a pilot dreamin’ of Longreach Star gazing outback Or bouncing over the Or out on the Diamantina, Cape track. Dusty amongst beef.

Or down the Bowen Basin After coal you’re chasin’. You might be livin’ in Bris-vegas Where Alfie Langer’s Jesus. You might be golfin’ with a cane toad In ya singlet with a brew.

download music, or just about anything short of dressing yourself using your phone - although I think Apple is working on an iDress app as we speak. Unfortunately smartphones do have the innate ability to ruin certain situations. There’s nothing quite as infuriating as having a conversation with someone who defers to their phone every 25 seconds to ensure they don’t miss a single Facebook post or Tweet. We’re all guilty of texting and talking every now and then, but social media is a different kettle of fish. If you can’t go the length of a normal human conversation without checking Facebook then Mark Zuckerberg legally owns your soul. Going to trivia nights used to be a test of someone’s general knowledge, but now the team that wins are the ones who are most adept at Googling the answers on the sly. Google has also successfully rendered the pub argument all but obsolete. You used to be able to spend hours arguing about whether a cheetah could

If you can’t go the length of a normal human conversation without checking Facebook then Mark Zuckerberg legally owns your soul.

Diesel fitters dream on Daydream Island

And every day’s a Sundee When ya catchin’ barramundi. But every day’s a Tuesdee When ya lyin’ how ya do it.

Who is Redmond? Redmond was born in a cross-fire hurricane and now resides in Queensland. Former Golden Glove champ turned champion shearer, his shearing career was cut short when he entered the adult film industry and made 3467 films in three months. He now enjoys semi-retirement and lives happily on his 100,000 acre property with his seven wives. He has received the annual Golden Pen award from the Writer’s Guild four years in a row in the Truth Telling category...

For those of us born in the 70s the name Johnny Diesel will remind us of a time when music came from record shops, beer came in about two varieties and musicians could play an instrument. For those of you that weren’t - well it was a time when being able to seriously play the guitar and perform your own songs was how musicians made their fame and some fortune. And while the times may have changed (read: boy bands are not musicians, and a Facebook friend is not a fan) the iconic guitar riffs that dominated the music of Johnny Diesel remain. And the good news for the purists is that he is back on tour, and for the faithful you can choose which tracks you want him to play in concert. Having played much of the east coast,

15th April 2013

outrun a Ford Festiva, or how many beers David Boon drank on that flight from Australia to England. Now any dispute of fact is immediately settled by Google, robbing us of our God-given right to disagree over trivial nonsense. I’m not saying we should all symbolically hurl our iPhones off the nearest cliff - after all they’re still incredibly useful - but it’s high time we exercise a bit of smartphone restraint. Next time you’re at the pub with a group of friends, turn your phone off for an hour or so. Try not to look at your phone at all while you’re having an actual conversation, and limit the use of Facebook and other social media to when you’re alone. If we don’t stop the prolific use of smartphones now, I am predicting technology will eventually rise up against us and destroy the entire world. I’m one-eighth Mayan so this prediction is more accurate than most.

Johnny Diesel is coming north and bringing his talents to Daydream Island Resort and Spa on Sunday May 5. Unusually and rewardingly for his fans, Diesel’s audience will be able to tailor the song list from a list provided on entry. Song choices will range from the first album “Johnny Diesel & The Injectors” (1989) through to “Under The Influence” (2011) along with some new titles from his forthcoming album being released this year. There will also be selections from some of Diesel’s favourite artists including Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding. Daydream is offering two packages for those keen to experience the concert. Day Trip – Priced from $85* per person your trip includes concert ticket and transfers from Abel Point Marina with Cruise Whitsundays. Stay Overnight – Priced from $149* per person this package includes concert ticket, transfers fromAbel Point Marina with Cruise Whitsundays and twin share accommodation in a Garden Room with full buffet breakfast. A barbecue stall will be available plus catering from The Boathouse and full bar facilities. For further information contact Daydream Events Hotline on 4948 8425 or call reservations on 1800 075 040.

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Bait Shop Banter

Unfortunately the favourable Easter conditions seem to have subsided as quickly as they appeared, with the weather not looking good for fishing in the coming week.

The Gladstone area is still Mecca for barra, with scores being caught on transams and thready busters. As in previous weeks, crabs and prawns are in abundance. “There’s a lot of prawns getting around in the Calliope River, and the crabbing has been fantastic. Auckland Creek has been particularly popular for crabbers,” said Corey. The marina in Gladstone is reportedly fishing reasonably well too, with a few cod and grunter being caught.

MACKAY

Brett caught this red snapper with live mullet bait at Cattle Creek, near Hinchenbrook. The fish is only a baby: 650mm long and about 3-4kg.

YEPPOON

- The fishing gods were smiling over the Easter long weekend, producing absolutely perfect conditions in close and out wide. Tony from the Secret Spot in Yeppoon reckons there wasn’t a disappointed fisherman to be seen over the Easter break. “The fishing was absolutely incredible. People caught everything from whiting to 600

pound marlin. The fishing around the islands was fantastic too, with people getting good mackerel, cobia and a nice mix of reef fish.” There was plenty of action in close too, with the creeks producing joy for anglers. “There was a lot of bream, grunter and salmon caught. There’s so much live bait around at the moment it’s making fishing the creeks a dream,” said Tony.

- Anglers up north must have been jumping for joy with Mackay finally getting some good weather for fishing. Julian from Tackle World Mackay said the Easter weekend was fruitful from the dams to the ocean. “Over Easter a lot of blokes got some good nannygai and other red fish. They normally start popping up around this time of year, and there’s been some really big sooty grunter caught at Eungella Dam.” Constance Creek is still fishing well for barra and king salmon, with live mullet appearing to be the bait of choice for barra. Trans-am or thready buster lures are your best bet if you’re chasing salmon.

Yeppoon and Mackay, the calm weather over the Easter long weekend didn’t do much for the fishing out wide around Gladstone. Corey from Pat’s Tackle Word said a lot of people went out to the reefs and came home empty handed. “I think the weather was just too calm over Easter and the fish weren’t biting. It was probably a good time for the spear fisherman to get out there.”

MACKAY Gladstone

Mon 15

WEEK 1: the late monsoon in the north developed a trough last week which produced a low off the Queensland coast (see sat pic). This caused strong winds with gale force gusts to 40 knots (74 kph) off the Capricorn Coast, plus extreme rainfalls (100200mm) with flooding from the North Tropical Coast to the Central Coast. Some totals (mm) to the 11 th Apr: Daintree 292, Mackay AP 249, Hamilton Island 164, Samuel 147, Sarina 126, Byfield 125. An associated upper low brought

widespread light rain and cooler temperatures across the coalfields with heavier falls in the north, notably Upper Bee Creek 70mm (more), Middlemount 61mm, Moranbah 55mm, Capella 59, Clermont 49, Emerald Radar 16. The unstable situation could trigger thunderstorms with hail on the Darling Downs, which could affect Springsure and Rolleston and may be a little further north. This should be the final “puff” of the monsoon. The week should start with cooler minimums (10-12C), particularly in the south. Then a trough approaches Tuesday with late thundery showers around the Canarvons/ Miles reaching Emerald/Dysart later on. Could be heralded by early mist and fog patches. The mild autumn temperatures

angus.peacocke@shiftminer.com

GLADSTONE - Unlike

your weather forecast

Last puff of the monsoon

If you have a good photo or fishing yarn send it through to our resident bait chucker-

With Mike Griffin

Tue 16

Wed 17

Thu 18

Fri 19 Sat 20 Sun 21

Time

0546 1145 1717

1.42 3.02 1.44

0016 0628 1229 1754

3.57 1.61 2.83 1.67

0108 0728 1337 1904

3.39 1.75 2.70 1.87

0217 0854 1505 2103

3.29 1.77 2.71 1.92

0333 1016 1634 2233

3.31 1.63 2.89 1.76

0444 1116 1737 2335

3.44 1.41 3.17 1.53

0543 1205 1824

3.63 1.16 3.47

0112 0737 1318 1918

4.84 1.99 3.81 1.91

0156 0830 1413 2006

4.54 2.23 3.53 2.23

0302 0957 1552 2135

4.30 2.35 3.41 2.45

0432 1134 1738 2327

4.25 2.18 3.60 2.35

0551 1236 1840

4.44 1.86 3.98

0037 0646 1320 1925

2.03 4.73 1.50 4.39

0128 0730 1400 2003

1.68 5.01 1.16 4.80

Mon 22

Tue 23

Wed 24

Thu 25

Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28

Time

0026 0631 1248 1905

1.27 3.80 0.92 3.76

0113 0716 1330 1946

1.03 3.92 0.71 4.02

0158 0758 1410 2026

0.81 4.00 0.55 4.24

0242 0840 1450 2106

0.65 4.01 0.45 4.40

0326 0922 1530 2147

0.55 3.97 0.43 4.48

0411 1006 1610 2232

0.55 3.86 0.52 4.47

0458 1053 1652 2320

0.64 3.70 0.69 4.35

0213 0811 1438 2041

1.35 5.24 0.87 5.17

0256 0851 1516 2120

1.08 5.39 0.62 5.50

0340 0931 1554 2159

0.87 5.46 0.43 5.79

0423 1012 1633 2240

0.73 5.45 0.33 5.99

0508 1055 1713 2322

0.67 5.34 0.33 6.07

0554 1140 1754

0.74 5.12 0.47

0007 0643 1228 1837

6.00 0.90 4.82 0.72

continue with cooler overnight conditions over the latter half of the week. Boaties! Winds should ease once the low moves into the northern Tasman by Tuesday.

day existence last week. Cloud seems to be decreasing from the north west tropics; but still lingers in the northern Coral Sea. Is it poised for another hit south in late April or early May? For autumn, there is a little more moisture than average, and should produce 14-16 degree minimums and 2728C maximums for most of the week. There is the chance of a brief afternoon shower from Injune/Springsure/Dingo/Middlemount.

Monday: SE 12-8 tending NE 5-9 avo Tuesday: E/ENE 7-11 with a shower about. Wednesday: SE 10-14 late shower. Thursday: SE 12-16 and 9-11 south - brief showers. Friday: SE 12-14 reaching 20 by late afternoon. Saturday/Sunday: SE 15-20 gusts to 26 knots in squally showers.

Marine Lovers! The winds become lighter south of Gladstone. Mondau/Tuesday SE 15-20 gusting

WEEK 2: the SOI seems to be in La Nina territory with an oscillation from +8 to +10. This has probably aided in the development of Tropical Cyclone Victoria. This formed off the WA coast and died after a 3 to 4

26 knots - a squally shower. Wednesday/ Thursday: SE 19-14 and 10-14 in the south. Friday/Saturday: SE/ESE 15-10 tending ENE late Sat in the south. Should be an easing trend Sunday. Happy fishing!

15th April 2013

Shift Miner Magazine

Sport

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Gas industries loner in Dalby AFL CONTRARY to popular belief, it’s not raining men in the Dalby AFL community. In fact as far as the gas industry goes, it’s actually a man drought. According to Dalby AFL club president Noel Rockliss, the thriving gas industry and supporting workforce has not translated into a large population of AFL players. At least not available players anyway. “From the gas industry we have only had one player this year,” he said. “That is all we have had as far as the seniors go, and in the juniors we have only had two families from the gas industry with kids involved.” “A few months ago we had three Tasmanians turn up to play and they sat down and had a look at their rosters and had a look at the draw.” “Then we never saw them again because they were working three weeks on and one week off and when their rosters finish they piss off home.” “And as one of them said: ‘If my wife found out I was playing AFL up here on weekends instead of coming home she would kill me.’” The Dalby experience is an interesting counterpoint to the experience in places like Gladstone where the fast growing gasworkforce has translated into an almost unbeatable AFL side.

The Boyne Island Tannum Sands (BITS) side has now comfortably won two premierships in a row and has well over 100 players - many gas workers - from the AFL states on their roster. Meanwhile nearby CSG hub Chinchilla fielded its first ever AFL sides last weekend with an U12 side and a senior men’s side. However it should be noted that Chinchilla also forfeited the three other grades it had aimed to field on that same weekend. Looking to the future, Mr Rockliss isn’t optimistic about the flow-on benefits for the AFL community. “I just think they are on such demanding shifts that when they knock off work they just want to go home,” he said. “I am really optimistic about our [Dalby’s] chances this year in the competition, but we have a whole heap of good players running around in the seniors who started in the juniors nearly a decade ago.” “A lot of people expect that we are going to have all these gas workers playing for us, but most of our players are kids who just work in the rural and retail services around town.” Players interested in getting involved with the Dalby Swans are invited to training Tuesday or Thursday night at the Dalby AFL ovals in Owen Street.

No mining downturn for Emerald Jockey Club THE Emerald Jockey Club’s (EJC) first race of the year has set a positive tone for 2013 with more than 700 people attending. President Leon Roberts was delighted. “It was a great success,” he said. “There was a large and colourful crowd supporting the five races and I expect the Easter races will once again become an annual event.” Star of the day was Brisbane-based jockey Bobby El-Issa, who landed four winners from four rides. El-Issa was brought to Emerald to bolster jockey numbers for the day, and punters who followed his mounts were not disappointed. El-Issa made short work of the ‘jockey’s challenge’ having set up an unbeatable lead for the $600 first prize after race three. With that race under its belt, the EJC’s attention is now turning to the important

job of organising their second biggest race day for the year: the Marist College/ Emerald Cup Race Day on April 28. Despite the correction in mining, Mr Roberts says they are optimistic about the 2013 racing calendar. “No we haven’t at this stage seen any effect on racing brought about by the downturn in mining,” he said. “The Emerald Race Day in April is a big day for us and is the Marist College’s biggest fundraising for the year, so we would expect more than 1500 people for those races.” Meanwhile the club’s ‘ladies and tradies’ race day in early September is gaining popularity as a good lead into their biggest race day: the Emerald 100 in October. The EJC expects to get close to 5000 people at that event.

5000 reasons to go hard for CH Tri. Organisers of the grand finale of the Central Highlands triathlon series are hoping $5000 in prize money will be enough to draw in the best competitors from across Queensland. The 28th of April event is the premier event for the season and will also be the final race in the eight race club championship series. The race will be held at Fairbairn dam

near Emerald and race Director Scott Chapman says they are expecting at least two semi professionals to compete. “We are really hoping the prize money lures a few racers from the coastal cities out to the coalfields for the event,” he says. “I know of two semi professionals who are just breaking into the sport are making the trip up for the race.”

Pictured: The Song Room teaching artist Wanda Bennett took Victoria Park State School students Adam Williamson and Riley Inkson through an arts and crafts activity where they designed post cards about multiculturalism to celebrate Harmony Day.

15th April 2013

Blackwater Triathlon : Overcast conditions didn’t deter competitors

The Hail Creek Mine Community Development Fund is proud to support The Song Room’s Mackay Creative Connections Project

Proud to be part of the central Queensland community and committed to the future.

This innovative programme aims to improve numeracy, literacy and retention in the classroom for local students, by engaging their artistic and creative skills.

Clermont Region – Travis Bates on 4988 3503 or clermont.cdf@riotinto.com

Students will also develop their cultural awareness through exposure to different forms of music, drama and art projects.

We support a range of local projects through our Community Development Funds. For more information:

Kestrel Mine – David Cameron on 3625 5222 or kestrel.cdf@riotinto.com Hail Creek Mine – Fiona Kruger on 4840 4401 or hailcreek.cdf@riotinto.com

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MONEY TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

Super investments

taxpayer 30 per cent that would have otherwise gone to the tax office!

Super provides tax effective wealth accumulation. In most cases the tax rates are lower than investing outside of a super fund. For example, owning shares in your own name may mean paying tax at 46.5 per cent. A super fund allows you to have a tax-effective structure where your earnings are taxed at lower rates. Income in super is generally taxed at 15 per cent and capital gains at 10 per cent (if assets are held for 12 months or greater).

A tax-free income stream in retirement. At age 60 all benefits taken from super are tax-free in your hands. If you are aged between 55 and 60, pension payments may be taxable, but often they include a tax-free component.The overall effect is that you can receive a substantial income each year, even if you have not reached age 60, and pay little or no tax!

Question: I am over 50 and still happily employed, but can you tell me the advantages of superannuation as an investment? Answer: Superannuation is one of the most tax-effective wealth accumulation

strategies for the long term. The government is concerned that Australians will retire with no savings and fall back on the social security system. As a result, they have provided a number of tax breaks to encourage super savings.

Salary sacrifice: reduce the tax you pay on your income. One of the best tax breaks is salary sacrifice, where contributions are made pre-tax from your wage and only are taxed at 15 per cent, saving a 45 per cent

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figuring out how I can somehow claim it before I let her know. There are some businesses out there that say they can find your money, and they can, but at a price. However, you can do it yourself for free. The Australian Securities & Investment Commission has the search tools on the Money Smart website. Before December last year, you would have to wait for seven years before money was labelled unclaimed. Now it only has to be three years. If you wait until July 1 this year, the

interest that will be calculated from that date. The money that belongs to my cousin has been sitting there for over 25 years, so the interest should be pretty good. Money from unclaimed shares, bank accounts and insurance policies is paid by institutions to ASIC but ASIC does not keep the funds. The money is transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia Consolidated Revenue Fund but is available to be claimed at any time by the rightful owner. There are no time-limits on claiming this money.

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