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Monday August 5, 2013 167th Edition

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No-care culture: how Bechtel turned it around » Full report page 4

PERSONAL INJURY EXPERTS All accidents and personal injury claims: • Motor Vehicle Accidents • Workers Injury Claims • Public Liability Claims • Mining Accident Claims • Total and Permanent Disability Insurance Claims • Boating and Holiday Accident Claims Darren Sekac is available for consultations at the Whitsunday and Proserpine offices on Thursday, by appointment only.

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MACKAY

L-R) Greg Green - Safe Mine, Stuart Stolz - Sandvik, George Martin - Dowdens

L-R) David Brierley - Fugro Spatial Solutions, Les Lachlan,Colin Mulligan - Thiess

(L-R) Waverley Young - Qcoal, Damian Cannon Leightons, Milena Hertell - Leightons (L-R) Andrew Scalia - AWX, Warrick Higgins - Wagners, Scott Standfast - Wagners

Shift Miner Magazine

CONTENTS

(L-R) Tony Liddelow - Hastings, Darren Wilson -Hastings, Greg Belz - Rockhampton Regional Council

NEWS

(L-R) Chris Lynam - CBA, Jason Kelly - MCE, Troy Stevens - Cor Cooling

L-R) David Galley - Davidson Recruitment, Ann Thompson - OAQ, Dee Savage - Davidson Recruitment Erics Frederickson - Westfund

16 Racheal Fitzgerald,Robbie Mcllraith - Stellar Recruitment (L-R) Simon Mortess - MACS, Damian Vermay - Coffey, Andrew Ware - MACS, Paul Sullivan MACS.

8 13

Rob Morgan, Pru Hopa - Viper Mackay

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Boulder Steel down, but not out... yet

7

Leightons: we’re value for money

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Redundancies brutal, no matter what

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Productivity to save mining

11

Mental health group targets FIFO

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Career-limiting moves: what not to do at work

(L-R) Tony Glanville - Mackay Toyota, Bill Goodluck Ausco, Howard Kuipers - Flexihire

11 You Numbers

9 Regulars

8 Stuff to the Editor Numbers Numbers Can CountYou On** You * 1 Can Count OnCount On 19 Frank the Tank Can *When audited by the CAB Numbers You *When audited the CAB On* CanbyCount 20 Miner’s Trader 22 Weather & Tides 25 Money Mattersa *When audited by the CAB

*When audited by the CAB

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Curtis Island: ‘off the rails’ culture reversed No care culture!

MANAGEMENT of Bechtel’s massive LNG construction projects on Curtis Island believes they have got the project back on track after a collapse in workplace culture threatened to derail the giant build.

In a frank presentation at the Bowen Basin safety conference in Mackay last week, project manager for Bechtel on Curtis Island, Phillip Newsome, shed some light on the safety problems they encountered.

Mr Newsome said Bechtel had failed to engage the Curtis Island workforce from the start and had not adhered to established workplace traditions developed in

other nearby construction projects.

“When they [Bechtel] came into the Gladstone region to develop these projects, which were essentially lump-sum deliveries at three different sites, they totally ignored what we had said and it was basically pushing progress ahead of developing our core resources to deliver the project: both in a leadership fashion and a safety fashion,” he said.

“They just basically bulldozed their way in here. And guess what? For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and the reaction was a poor safety culture and the start of an

industrial tension that we had never seen before.

“Curtis Island got itself way off the rails and, in essence, I was asked to finish up on Yarwun Two and get my backside over there very quickly with a young gentleman called Brendan Bechtel, who will very shortly be running the Bechtel company, and we were paired up together to change the culture on that job.”

Mr Newsome said it had taken nearly 15 months to get things back on track.

“So if you start off poorly you can turn it around, but it is going to take an enormous effort from

a number of key individuals to do it, and you need to rebuild that culture, because that I don’t care culture was pervasive for the first 12 to 15 months.”

So far eight million hours have been worked on Curtis Island and Mr Newsome said in the past six months there had been very few accidents or incidents.

However, prior to that, when things were going “horribly wrong” he said they were getting a loss time injury (LTI) every two to three weeks. In fact, he shut the whole project down in his first week on site after there were three LTIs in 24 hours.

Since then management and the workforce have been able to overcome their problems and achieve some monumental construction milestones without a single injury.

Most notably they have just raised three LNG tank roofs in three weeks without a single incident or accident.

Raising the roofs was no mean feat, with each one weighing 900 tonnes and needing to be raised 38 metres by a cushion of air before being wedged and welded into place.

“There were basically 100 people on top of that roof putting the weld and the strength required to hold the roof up,” he said.

Despite that success, the work is far from over at Curtis Island with the construction workforce

expected to peak on the Island at around 4800 this year.

Comparing this project to others in Gladstone that he has been involved over the last 30 years, Mr Newsome said he has seen significant changes in middle management.

“Our traditional ratios have completely changed,” he said.

“We used to have one supervisor for 50 craftsman... it is now closer to one to 30 or even one to 20 for the more complex tasks. We are now dealing with supervisors with four to five years experience and they are struggling to know what is demanded of them, so we are having to put more of our senior leadership time into our supervisors.

“Within our leadership team on Yarwun Stage One, the average experience was 20 years.

By the time we got to stage two that had fallen to 14 or 16 years.

“On Curtis Island we are lucky to get five years, so we are building a more complex project with fewer experienced people.”

Project manager for Bechtel on Curtis Island, Phillip Newsome.

Shane Webcke: the buck stops with you

ON the face of it, getting someone to speak at a safety conference who is most well known for their lack of self preservation on the footy field doesn’t seem like a great choice.

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However, it turns out that Bowen Basin safety conference guest speaker and well-known Queensland rugby league player, Shane Webcke, is uniquely placed to talk about safety.

When he was 19, Shane experienced first-hand the implications of the worst case scenario workplace accident when his father was killed in an entirely preventable accident.

While reluctant to comment directly on safety strategies for mine sites, he was able to draw on his time with legendary coach Wayne Bennett and what he learnt in that period about leadership.

Leadership, when coupled with workplace culture, is universally understood to be the foundation for a safe workplace.

“When I was with Broncos it was all about culture; we had a winning culture,” Mr Webcke said.

“It just didn’t happen, it was a lived thing. But no one ever told me what the Broncos culture was. I just got it, and those that didn’t get it didn’t stay. It was as simple as that.”

Mr Webcke said that culture was driven by leadership.

“Wayne [Bennett] pretty much engendered that culture by the way he did things, and we all saw that. Then he got his senior

players on board and they start to own it, and then it becomes a natural progression that when new players enter that culture they understand it.”

However, in a message that will resonate widely across the mining and gas sector, Mr Webcke said there was a tipping point when people can be overregulated and over-led.

Mr Webcke said overregulated workplaces ran the risk of breeding a disengaged workforce who were under the false impression that their safety was someone else’s responsibility.

“I walk into a workplace and I

see all these rules and regulations about how things have got to be done and I try and relate that back to a footy sense, but it is about ownership.”

“Benny [Wayne Bennett] used to say the more rules you put in place the more rules people will break, and if you put all your rules and codes up on a wall after a while people will stop seeing them.

“To my way of thinking the more rules you have around, it’s not that people will break them, but they lose their meaning.”

“People start thinking that safety is someone else’s concern and it is not it’s your own.”

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Former Illawarra boy now chief coal inspector New chief inspector of coal mines, Andrew Clough.

QUEENSLAND’S new chief inspector of coal mines started his career in the Illawarra, working underground alongside his father.

“We were on the same shift for about 12 months and it was great,” reflects Andrew Clough.

“I was only 19 and I was still living at home. We’d fight black and blue then go to work and be buddies and then continue the fight when we came home.”

In fact, Mr Clough’s father taught him to drive a continuous miner. Since then, his career in mining has taken him across the world to Papua New Guinea and West Africa where he worked in gold mining.

“It was a rewarding time. You are working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and different levels of education.

“I taught the locals, especially in West Africa, the principles of safety and you know that it improves the wellbeing of the whole community.”

But it’s in the Bowen Basin coalfields that Andrew Clough is most widely known.

He worked for years as a mines inspector based in Mackay, then in 2005 became the production manager at Crinum mine before taking over the reins as general manager at Broadmeadow mine.

Most recently he was general manager at North Goonyella mine for Peabody.

That experience stands him in good stead to help mines keep across their

complex safety requirements and makes sure standards are being enforced.

“I’ve got the practical knowledge of how you apply it, it isn’t just theoretical.

I understand how to put together systems with consultation with your workforce and I have firsthand experience of the technologies and controls that you need to minimise hazards,” he told ShiftMiner.

Mr Clough said while all mines had safety systems in place, if they aren’t maintained they quite quickly falls into disrepair.

“Mines have to work to keep those systems live and contemporary and it takes time and resources,” he said.

“There is definitely room for improvement in this area, and it [the standard] varies from mine to mine.”

Mr Clough said one of the biggest challenges for the industry was the influx of inexperienced miners over the past few years during the boom.

“There has been a dramatic increase in the number of employees in the industry

and although we’ve entered a downturn the numbers are still very high,” he said.

“That brings issues around skills sets and training, making sure employees can recognise hazards and manage them. We also need to make sure safety systems aren’t compromised because of difficult economic times.”

Mr Clough said while there hadn’t been a spike of incidents of late, there had been an increase in minor injuries.

“It could simply be better reporting, or it could be a predictor of things to come.

We need to be vigilant and keep our eyes on the hazards.”

In his new role, Mr Clough will divide his time between Brisbane and Mackay and over the coming months he will visit all of Central Queensland’s coal mines.

He takes over from industry veteran Gavin Taylor, who served in the role for five and a half years. Mr Taylor, a fifth generation coal miner with 45 years industry experience, has now retired.

5th August 2013

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Boulder Steel down, but not out... yet

HOPES for many Central Queenslanders looking for the next big project were dashed when Boulder Steel announced it was in voluntary administration - but it’s not over yet.

Recently, Said Jahani and Trevor Pogroske of Grant Thornton Australia were appointed administrators of Boulder Steel Ltd and Gladstone

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5th August 2013

Steel Plant Project Ltd. “The whole process is all about trying to give the company a second chance, so we have four to six weeks to see if we can find an opportunity and breathe life into it,” Mr Jahani told Shiftminer.

The $4 billion project, slated for construction next year, would have seen 2000 people employed during the 30-month

construction and once built 1800 permanent positions.

“It hasn’t been written off,” Mr Jahani said. “Our job is not to come in and pull out the white flag, but we are also not going to flog a dead horse.

The administrators are actively looking for investors - although it’s not such good news for those who have already

bought shares in the company.

Those funds have been frozen - and are most likely lost - and it is understood that more shares have been taken up from people in Gladstone than from the rest of Australia.

“We are really hoping that someone comes along with a cheque. Some of that will go to towards funding the next part of the project and some will go towards people who already have money invested and to suppliers.”

Mr Jahani said the company had been in the process of raising money to see the project through to the next stage and had an early advance on its environmental impact statement (EIS).

However, a potential investor for the next stage pulled out when it came to a formal commitment.

“It kept dragging on without any certainty, so they had to make that call to go into voluntary administration. It’s now operating with the protection of the law and we have a short time-frame to come up with a solution.”

The state government is currently considering the project’s EIS, and Mr Jahani said it was on

the way to getting approval, but a further $1.million investment was needed to complete the process.

Grant Thornton Australia placed advertisements in financial publications yesterday and has been fielding calls since.

“We had a fair bit of interest, but often you get a lot of interest.

The question is whether anyone is still standing there at the end.”

Mr Jahani said anyone who has an interest in Boulder Steel or has invested in the company should contact his office (details at bottom).

Meanwhile, the Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA) is remaining very quiet on the situation and would not comment.

The GEA had been in discussions with the company for over 18 months about engaging in local investment and facilitated a meeting between Boulder Steel and 40 local businesses only two months ago.

The company’s then Chinese backers had supported the move.

Any businesses or investors with an interest in Boulder Steel should contact David Osborne at Grant Thornton on 02 82972491.

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Top tier contractors value for money: Leightons THE general manager of Leighton’s coal business in Queensland has used a presentation in Mackay last week to argue the case for top tier mining contractors.

Speaking at a Bowen Basin Mining Club networking event, head of Leighton’s coal business in Queensland Greg Fokes says top tier contractors need to do a better job of articulating the range of skills and services they can deliver on mine sites.

A discussion on the role of large mining contractors is timely for Leightons, given it recently lost a key contract at BMA’s Peak Downs mine to HSE mining after more than 10 years of work at the site.

“The change to a lower cost contractor [at Peak Downs] as a perceived cost cutting decision was made by the client, despite Leighton Contractors recently receiving a high commendation for safety performance and productivity from BMA,” Mr Fokes said.

“In addition to that we had also worked for many months with the

client on identifying and delivering cost cutting measures.”

“As I explained to our dedicated and hard working people, the price expectation did not allow us to not compromise on our moral professional and reliability of service.

From that point of view it was an extremely disappointing outcome.”

While Mr Fokes said he understood the pressure on prices and cost at the moment, he said there were a number of myths around regarding the value proposition of tier 1 contractors.

“In the current environment where the survival of some miners is in question, the most critical commercial focus is at all times producing coal at the lowest possible cost - all the time.

“Well organised professional and experienced tier 1 contractors bring a lot to the table in meeting these goals.”

Mr Fokes said there were a number of other critical factors that contributed to the success of an operation.

“These include the ability to work safely in a well-ordered and

Coal ships no threat to reef: QRC

structured environment, and the ability to meet other mine obligations with respect to environmental, community and other non-cost areas.

“The ability to deliver on the production and maintenance commitments day-in day-out, 365 days a year, 24-7 and the ability to provide the appropriate level of support from a technical and operational perspective.”

Mr Fokes also said tier 1 contractors have a proven track record, which reduces the risk of underperformance and they have a “balance sheet gravitas”, which supports the client from a banking point of view.

Looking to the future, Mr Fokes said he didn’t expect a major change in trading conditions for the Queensland coal sector in the short term, meaning that to remain relevant Leightons had to be cost-effective. To this end, the company is looking at a range of measures to lower costs, including getting a better deal from their suppliers as well as investing in technologies.

IT’S the Crown of Thorns starfish - not coal ships - that pose the greatest threat to the Great Barrier Reef.

That’s the view of Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche - and he’s formed it based on science.

“Anyone with a passing interest in the reef and its recent history knows from documented scientific evidence that ports and shipping through the reef do not represent major threats to its ecological integrity,” he said.

“Every credible scientific report published on Great Barrier Reef health has named Crown of Thorns starfish outbreaks, water quality and extreme weather events as the real culprits.

At Hay Point coal terminal last week, with

coal ships unashamedly behind him, Mr Roche launched a public awareness campaign to “set the record straight” on the future of the reef.

“We have two debates running over the future health of the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

“One reflects the genuine concerns of all Australians to ensure the values of an iconic World Heritage Area are protected.

“The other is an opportunistic attempt by extremely well-funded international activists to deflect attention from the real threats to the reef’s health by demonising Queensland’s major export industries.”

The QRC has released a large fold-out map of the reef including major mainland ports and shipping channels. It is available at the website www.qrc.org.au

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Redundancies are brutal, no matter what

ANYONE working in coal mining at the moment is probably not feeling too secure - and there is no nice way to be made redundant.

But there are some things you don’t do, according to Jody Elliot, who has worked in recruitment and HR roles within mining houses and externally, and now

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runs the mining jobs and information website The Resource Channel.

But one Bowen Basin mining company did it just recently.

“Last year when we first went through the ‘cost cutting’, people were being told via text that they didn’t have a job,” a mine worker who did not wish to be named told Shiftminer.

“Every time we heard the phone make a noise we’d jump and feel sick.”

Ms Elliot said there is no great way to tell someone they don’t have a job, but it should always be done face to face.

“Texting is rude and inconsiderate.”

“I understand people feel very wounded - it’s their livelihood, their life. Having been in the position where I have had to make people redundant, it’s bloody awful.

I have been on both sides.”

And having the deed done quickly might not be as bad as it sounds, she said.

In an online post to local media, one person wrote how their son-in-law worked for a contractor at a mine and 60 workers were called into the office for a ‘safety forum’.

“The were told to hand in their car keys, mobile phones and laptops, get on the bus out the front and go back to Rocky. That’s how they sacked him and others... Now that’s tough.”

Ms Elliot said her firm did a similar thing - called employees into a room and told them they no longer had a job.

“At the time we were vilified in the media for doing it the way we did.”

When her firm was back on board six months later, one of the first things she did was contact each of those people for feedback.

“The overwhelming response was that although it was hard at the time, they were happy with it. It was like ripping a band aid off.”

Meanwhile, mining and service companies continue to announce how many people they need to be made redundant - and employees continue to wait to see if it is them.

Over 8000 jobs have been shed in Queensland over the past 12 months and 12,000 in Western Australia.

News CQ jobs sink with DPSA ONE hundred Central Queensland jobs have been lost at Mining Equipment Maintenance (MEM) in Rockhampton and Mackay, as its parent company the DPSA Group was put into receivership last week.

According to the receivers, 90 jobs will be axed at MEM in Rockhampton, but the business will continue to operate and complete existing orders.

Ten jobs have also gone from MEM Engineering in Mackay, and while there are another 18 people still employed at the site their jobs will go as the business is wound up.

Receiver John Greig, of Deloitte, told local media they would do everything they could to ensure proceeds from all of the assets of the company were maximised.

“Should any of the companies ultimately be placed into liquidation, there is also support available from the Federal Government’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee scheme,” he said.

“We appreciate this is a difficult time for all affected employees and we will do everything we can to ensure they are kept informed of developments.”

The DPSA Group bought MEM back in 2008, but sold off the industrial land it had operated from for 15 years.

At the time, DPSA Group chief executive Neill Clur said selling the land had been a strategic decision.

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Bandanna Energy gets ‘speeding ticket’

we were asked why.”

BANDANNA Energy has been It was thanks to positive sent a “please explain” letter media articles from third

by Australian Stock Exchange parties - mainly comments from after shares unexpectedly rose Queensland Resources Council by four cents last week. chief executive, Michael Roche.

But company director Mr Roche told media last Michael Gray told Shiftminer it week that Bandanna’s proposed was just a “speeding ticket”.

Springsure Creek thermal coal “It happens when share was the ‘litmus test’ for the prices rise above what the A I ME X 1 3 _ A D _ 1 6 A . p d f Pa ge 1 3 / 0 6 / 1 3 , co-existence of mining and ASX anticipates,” he said. “The agriculture under new regional share prices rose last week, so

ASIA-PACIFIC’S INTERNATIONAL MINING EXHIBITION

plans, and the company was well placed to tick all the boxes.

Mr Gray is cautiously optimistic about the Springsure Creek mine’s future.

“I think we’re in a relatively good cash position. It’s certainly toughs times, but we have $121 million in cash reserves, which is why we’re in a position to 3 : 3 3 PM progress our project.”

The company increased its cash

reserves when it sold its preference equity in the WICET Holdings (WIPS) earlier this month.

Mr Gray said the shares sold would not change Bandanna’s position with the port, or port access, and that the money was being used to further develop Springsure Creek, and working with agriculture is a large component.

“We want to continue crop farming, so we’re looking at the impacts of the underground mine. Subsidence is a result, and it is up to 2 metres in some areas... Importantly, this is no flat land - it’s rolling land.”

The big issue is surface water management and drainage.

“There are lots of opportunities where it has been done around the world and we have looked particularly at the US.” Mr Gray said the company was having good discussions with farmers to understand the mechanics of farming and to know the areas of concern, and it had set up an independent agricultural research committee.

“One of the real opportunities is to make sure there is a real flow of information, so we can really

understand and scope the project and understand its impact.”

“It’s not rocket science - it’s about making sure we have an open dialogue and that we’re transparent in our answers.”

There are five properties in the lease area; one has been purchased and the company is in discussions with the others about acquisition or compensation.

Other aspects of the project are powering ahead, and the EIS for Springsure Creek was delivered last month.

“We hope to hear back from them by September and if all goes well, we could have the mining lease approval by the end of the year.”

In additions to the approvals, the company is looking for funding and exploring joint venture relationships with mainly Korean and Chinese electricity companies, Mr Gray said.

All going well, the project will kick off next year.

“We have a few hurdles to get through yet, but we are confident about the long-term market. I think we will be in a good price by 2015-16.”

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Productivity to save mining

MINING companies intend to quite literally dig themselves out of the current gloom and negative outlook.

That’s the feedback expressed by 60 mining leaders in this year’s Mining Business Outlook Report, compiled by Newport Consulting.

Despite the downturn, the report suggests the industry’s future will be

sustained if companies focus on extracting more value from their current assets In fact, 65 per cent of the leaders interviewed rated their key focus for the financial year ahead to be cost control and improving productivity and throughput.

“The factor coming into focus that offers hope for the sector is the productivity story,” Newport Consulting’s

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David Hand wrote in an opinion piece for the Business Spectator.

“For your typical Australian mine in 2013, the key to success is to drive up operating time for the key equipment that affects overall performance. While commodity prices have been high, inefficiencies at the operating level have been manageable.

“Now that the music has stopped for the time being regarding investment, it is logical and necessary for the miners to make the existing operating assets operate very well to achieve profitability in today’s difficult times.”

The report revealed that, while productivity is on the agenda, an overwhelming 66 per cent of leaders reported a low level of productivity. Only 3 per cent of mining leaders were confident about achieving high levels of productivity within their operation. A further 8 per cent lacked the knowledge altogether on how to measure this indicator.

Mr Hand said striving for improved productivity through maximising the value of existing assets was not a bad thing for the sector.

“If anything, a renewed focus on operational efficiencies could deliver healthier profits and shareholder value in the current difficult economic climate.”

News Controversial Collinsville camp gets go ahead A CONTROVERSIAL mining camp has been council go ahead in the North Queensland community of Collinsville.

The Whitsunday Regional Council last week considered a proposal lodged

by Alataro for the camp, which will house more than 300 people.

Councillors were divided, with the approval granted on four votes to three.

Donna Bulloch from Mining Communities United said the site of the proposed camp is where seven miners were killed in a gas explosion in 1954, and she is urging the council not to approve the application.

“The greatest concern is letting the locals down, letting those men down that died on that spot, letting the families down of those fallen men,” she told ABC Radio.

“To even consider building on this sacred site, it just gives me goosebumps.

If we let this go ahead, we’re just letting so many people down, past and present.”

She said the group now wanted the site heritage-listed.

“We know that the Collinsville Cemetery has been heritage-listed due to the seven miners that were killed on this site, so we’re definitely looking into that.”

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Mental health group targets FIFO

SUICIDE is the leading cause of death in Australians aged between 15 and 44 - and 80 per cent of these are men.

Gryphon Psychology has been working in the Mackay area for over 10 years and demand for its service has increased dramatically over that time.

“It is difficult in the mining industry because the majority of the workforce are men, and men don’t tend to lift up their hands for help,” its directory, Naomi Armitage, told Shiftminer.

“We see by far more men in Moranbah, Emerald and Blackwater and we were typically

seeing younger men, but now seeing men 40 plus.”

A recent study conducted in Western Australia found workers in the mining and construction industry were more at risk because of its male-dominated culture, a higher rate of workplace bullying and drug and alcohol abuse among workers.

This is exacerbated by the mining camp lifestyle, where men live side-by-side, working 12-hours shifts for weeks at a time away from family and friends.

Because men are less likely to ask for help than women, Gryphon Psychology has developed a smartphone App to provide an indirect way of accessing support.

Meanwhile, this week rugby legend and R U OK? Ambassador Wendell Sailor launched a new suicide prevention campaign in Mackay aimed specifically at men in fly-in fly-out (FIFO) jobs to get them talking about what’s troubling them.

“When work takes you away from home for long periods, workmates become family,” he said.

“As men, we need to step up and regularly ask ‘are you ok?’

because it’s not always obvious when someone’s struggling.

Everyone can ask someone to help make a difference.”

R U OK? Foundation chief executive Janina Nearn said suicide was a significant issue in regional Australia and this campaign was part of the Foundation’s strategy to boost protective factors in these communities.

“The recent Senate report into FIFO Australia revealed that there is a growing level of concern about the impact these working arrangements are having on people,” Ms Nearn said.

“Many of these Australians are living in temporary accommodation away for periods of time from their usual social networks and families.

“It is therefore critical that these workplaces become supportive communities and individuals take a proactive interest in the wellbeing of workmates.”

The number of Australians working as FIFO and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) workers is expected to continue to grow and a number of mining and logistical organisations worked

with R U OK? to ensure the message resonated with this largely male workforce.

“We know that many men are reluctant to get involved in issues that may touch on emotions or personal challenges,” Ms Nearn said.

“The new R U OK? Afield materials use humour and a direct style to remind people that being a mate means talking about issues before they become a crisis.”

Mr Sailor said R U OK? Afield will motivate men to go a little deeper if they think a mate at work is struggling with life.

“When work takes you away from home for long periods, workmates become family,” Wendell said. “As men, we need to step up and regularly ask ‘are you ok?’ because it’s not always obvious when someone’s struggling.

Everyone can ask someone to help make a difference.”

If you need help, talk to your GP. There are a number of websites where you can also access information: www.ruokday.com beyondblue.org.au www.blackdoginstitute.org.au

5th August 2013

11

Shift Miner Magazine

www.shiftminer.com

170 jobs go as Peabody turns profit PEABODY Energy is slashing another 400 positions from its Queensland and New South Wales coal mines, despite a surprise second quarter profit.

The latest round of redundancies will see 170 workers go and 230 vacant positions scrapped. It comes just weeks after the company axed 450 contractor jobs across its Queensland and NSW mines.

Staff at Peabody were told of the cuts on Monday, and Shiftminer understands that many who were spared the axe fear their jobs are not safe in the future.

A spokeswoman for Peabody said the reduction was made to “align the company’s workforce size with other cost reduction activities” in a bid to secure long-term competitiveness.

The decision to slash more jobs came one day before the world’s biggest coal miner announced a surprise second quarter profit.

While earnings across the company slid by 56 per cent, it surpassed the market’s expectations due partly to belt tightening.

In its Australian segment, Peabody’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, excluding special items, fell by 53 per cent to $112.5 million.

The drop in earnings related to lower coal pricing, but this was offset by 5 per cent increase in volume.

The company said the profit was thanks to focus on spending cuts as well as a

declining Australian dollar, which drove a 6 per cent improvement in costs per tonne.

Peabody says its recent decision to remove contractors and convert to owneroperator status has lowered operating costs by 20 per cent on a combined basis compared to 2012 levels.

A spokeswoman for Peabody said the company understood the latest round of redundancies affected their employees and their families.

“We are supporting impacted employees and our workforce through this change,” she said.

But CFMEU secretary Andrew Vickers told the media Peabody’s decision showed mining communities were paying the price for investors demanding boom-time returns in a downturn.

“At the boom’s height, companies like Peabody were falling over themselves to take advantage of the record market prices, and in doing so allowed their costs to blow out,” Mr Vickers said.

“With the coal price coming off the boil, the only way companies can keep investors happy is by ramping up production and slashing costs.

“Companies like Peabody haven’t yet reined in costs, so they’re taking the easy option and attacking jobs in the short term.”

Peabody says it will continue to focus on containing costs and tight capital discipline and is reducing Australian cost targets in 2013 to the mid-$70 per tonne range.

News History repeats in Qld coal

ANYONE working in Queensland coal in the late 90s will remember Rick Gazzard.

Mr Gazzard was brought in to steer BHP’s coal mines through the last major downturn, sparked by the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

Insiders say without him, the miner most probably would have sold or closed some of its prime sites in Central Queensland.

That’s not to suggest Rick Gazzard was winning any prizes for popularity, as he slashed 1500 jobs over a couple of years at the helm.

But as the coal sector struggles through a downturn in 2013, many have forgotten that the industry has faced tough times before.

Following an approach by Shift Miner, Mr Gazzard spoke about how he and his management team improved the financial performance of BHP’s Queensland coal mines by setting cost and productivity targets for each mine.

For example, Goonyella Riverside and Peak Downs mines were run with a $20/tonne cost target for coal loaded on

trains and a productivity target of 15,000 annual saleable tonnes per FTE (full time equivalent person) employed.

“I wasn’t the most popular person in the world, but I had a job to do,” he said.

“I used to say to employees they had a more secure job because they were now more cost competitive and productive. But that’s not to say there wasn’t a lot of pain.

“We went from about 5000 employees in early 1998 to a bit over 3000 when I left in late 2001. The great bulk of the separations were voluntary redundancies, but there was certainly personal suffering for those who lost their jobs.”

At the time high costs and low productivity meant many mines were struggling to turn a profit, much like the economic outlook in the sector over the past 12 months.

“The BHP coal mines had been set up in the late 60s and early 70s by Utah and were the best metallurgical coal deposits in the world,” said Mr Gazzard.

“Almost because of that, inefficiencies had built up over time as well as additional costs, and by the mid to late 90s they were not competitive because of the combination of low productivity and high costs.”

Mr Gazzard moved to Moranbah with his wife to oversee the changes on site.

“I decided that to make the necessary changes I needed to live amongst it. I’m not someone who believes you can manage a mine site from Brisbane,” he said.

Ring or email today and place your order ready for pick up at the airport!

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5th August 2013

Shift Miner Magazine

Jobs Ladder

www.shiftminer.com

by Therese Lardner

Career-limiting moves: what not to do at work

important that you’re clear on what value you bring to your team and the business, because if you’re not, it’s pretty unlikely that others around you will be.

Being in the wrong role for too long

IT’S not very often I take a negative perspective. I’m typically much more inclined to take a positive view, but Career Limiting Moves (CLMs) are something that can have a serious impact on both your career opportunities and reputation in your company and industry. Here are a few of the most common CLMs and some tips on how to either avoid them or overcome them if they happen.

Conflict with your boss I’m not referring to a mild disagreement or a difference of opinion on how a task should be done. I’m referring to all out, no holds barred, yelling and personal attacks.

This kind of behaviour will leave an indelible mark on your reputation. You’ll be known as the person (either directly or indirectly) who isn’t able to negotiate to get what you need, handle high-pressure situations or ‘manage up’ appropriately.

This will lead to missing promotions or bonus opportunities or being subtly ‘looked past’ when senior managers are seeking opinions because the risk of conflict is too high. In short, you won’t be

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5th August 2013

taken 100 per cent seriously.

If this has happened to you, go into damage control. This doesn’t mean totally overcompensating, but rather recognising that you could have handled the situation in a different way and then making a conscious decision to act differently.

Not speaking up for yourself or your team This can take the form of missed opportunities and resources. It could be the moment that your boss asks for your opinion in a meeting and you’re caught so off-guard that you say nothing. Or a moment where a few well-placed words would have really told the company how well your team was doing, but the words just didn’t leave your mouth. In the absence of information, people make their own assumptions. So, if you don’t tell people they either won’t know, or they’ll fill in the blanks themselves. This isn’t ‘chest beating’ or ‘blowing your own trumpet’ but a way of communicating in a really transparent way. This is a large shift in thinking over the past few decades

as people become much more open and transparent about discussing their skills, experience and achievements. If you don’t jump on this train, you’ll be left at the station! You’ll notice that others who are more open about their abilities and achievements will get better projects, more resources and quicker promotions. They also find it easier to manage their career.

If you think you might be demonstrating this CLM, the key is to think and most importantly, act! Prepare carefully before meetings to ensure you have all the information in front of you to provide an opinion or update when asked.

Be courageous in speaking with your boss - tell them the good news, not just the bad. (This takes practice to ensure that it doesn’t come across in an overconfident way, so look to people you know who do this well and use their techniques until you are comfortable with your own.) Also, it’s

Not only will you be truly unhappy, but you’ll be providing limited value to your employer. This can impact on how good your reference will be from your manager when you do decide to find another role, but will also give you less and less to rely on in terms of skills and outcomes when you’re trying to secure a new position. If you’re seriously unhappy it’s also likely to be affecting your attendance, your interactions with others are likely to have become more negative, and you may be doing things to undermine your team whether you’re aware of it or not. This will no doubt affect your reputation and follow you around like a bad smell throughout your career. Even if you think it had more to do with the role or your boss, it will still all be connected to you.

The key here is to recognise when things aren’t going right and have a courageous conversation with your boss about it. Be open (not personal) about the fact that it’s not fitting and come to a solution together. Odds are your boss will already know and if you handle it correctly they might assist you to find another role in the company that is a better fit. If not, it’s better to leave with your dignity intact than being managing out of a business with a large dent in your reputation as a result.

In dealing with these three CLMs, the key is thinking before acting - recognising that there are issues and making a conscious decision to do things differently.

Otherwise you’ll find yourself working in a seriously limited career.

First published in Mining Family Matters www.miningfm.com.au

Therese Lardner is an industrial and organisational psychologist with extensive experience in all areas of the employment cycle from recruitment and selection to development, employee engagement and career transition. She currently works for Lee Hecht Harrison in Brisbane.

Shift Miner Magazine

Feature

www.shiftminer.com

THE STRENGTH IN ADVERSITY SERIES Celebrating Queensland companies in mining for the long haul How important is innovation to your business?

We believe it is vital to our long-term success. Our design engineering and product development teams are continually looking for opportunities to improve on existing products and for new products. The Macs patented Wheel Nut Retention System and the Twin Hoop ROPS with no rear stays are good examples of the macs engineering ability to create innovative engineering solutions.

Spotlight on Macs Engineering Is this the first downturn you have experienced?

Macs has been in business for almost 50 years and has seen many ups and downs during this period.

The mining industry is doing it tough right now and there’s no denying that it has had an impact on the Macs

Engineering group. However, we are much more than a company servicing just the mining industry, with expanded products and services and distributor network Macs services the mining, oil and gas, infrastructure, civil, energy, exploration, construction and fleet industries.

While other companies may have

closed their doors, shut up shop and moved on, Macs is doing what we do best and looking after our valued customers.

How is it different to other downturns?

Macs came through the GFC in a relatively strong position, however this downturn is different and more difficult to work through due to how quickly and how hard it has hit. We feel for everyone affected in our community and region.

We cannot influence what is not in our control, and so we are simply continuing to do what we do best.

What have you learnt from other downturns?

While one market sector – or industry may be doing it tough, there is always a positive on the horizon and we continually look to develop products and services including delivery footprint to take advantage of those opportunities.

at a glance When was your business established?

Macs Engineering was founded in Mackay in 1965.

What are your areas of expertise?

There are several key divisions that together make up the Macs Engineering brand, including light vehicles, trucks and engineering and fabrication.

The light vehicle division specialises in complete light vehicle fit outs,

including tray bodies, equipment and accessories, ROPS (roll over protection systems), towing equipment, as well as bus and van fit outs. Macs Engineering manufactures the ‘MACbuilt bodies’ range of trays and additional equipment to improve safety and productivity, and Macs is also an approved vehicle modifier and provides modifications and compliancing for light vehicles and medium rigid trucks.

The company’s engineering and fabrication division includes sheet metal and cubicle fabrication works with steel, alloy and stainless steel. We have in-house design and certification, operating Solidworks and

Autocad. The Macs Engineering design team is capable of all types of engineering challenges regardless of size.

What are your key products?

MACbuilt bodies and trays for light vehicles and medium rigid trucks are without doubt one of the most respected product sub brands manufactured by Macs Engineering, however the macs wheel nut retention system is also recognised as one of the most innovative motor vehicle safety products produced in recent years.

Our core focus is delivering innovative engineered solutions - for light vehicles, trucks, and engineering projects

What’s your people strategy at times like this?

The worst thing about any downturn is being forced to reduce staff. Like many companies large and small we have had to do this, however one of the keys is open communication throughout the process, and striving to keep good people on board.

Costs are an important consideration, but are they the only consideration in a downturn?

No, costs are absolutely critical to business sustainability in market conditions like we are facing now, but people are just as important, as are fundamentals like safety.

Looking for ways to do more with less requires some hard decisions, but thinking and working smarter can help you get there. Macs has expanded its capability in South East Queensland and has been servicing the Toowoomba and Surat Basin region for over two years.

What is your view about the future of mining in Queensland?

We are a resources rich country, and Queensland is fortunate to have some of the highest quality resources in the world. Global supply and demand should hopefully stabilize towards long-term averages and the industry will work through this downturn and become more efficient and competitive as a result. This should result in a sustainable future for mining in Queensland.

regardless of size. Our engineering products include maintenance platforms, skids, pontoons, earthmoving equipment repair and rebuild, excavator belly guards, heavy equipment and vehicle stands.

Macs has the team, the experience and expertise.

What are your key locations?

Macs Engineering has manufacturing facilities in Mackay and also in South East Queensland at Caboolture north of Brisbane.

In addition, Macs Engineering has authorised distributors and installers in Emerald, The Hunter Valley, Adelaide and Perth.

Are you a business that’s in mining for the long haul and wants to be part of the Strength in Adversity series? Call Angus Peacocke on 4921 4333 or 0428 154 653.

5th August 2013

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Shift Miner Magazine

Around Town

www.shiftminer.com

NETWORKING AT THE BOWEN BASIN MINING CLUB Despite the downturn, more than 200 business people attended the Bowen Basin Mining Club’s networking event in Mackay last week. Keynote speaker Greg Fokes who heads up Leighton Contractors coal division in Queensland used his presentation to articulate the benefits of using tier 1 contractors.

(L-R) Waverley Young - Qcoal, Damian Cannon Leightons, Milena Hertell - Leightons (L-R) Greg Green - Safe Mine, Stuart Stolz - Sandvik, George Martin - Dowdens

(L-R) Andrew Scalia - AWX, Warrick Higgins - Wagners, Scott Standfast - Wagners

(L-R) Tony Liddelow - Hastings, Darren Wilson -Hastings, Greg Belz - Rockhampton Regional Council

(L-R) David Brierley - Fugro Spatial Solutions, Les Lachlan,Colin Mulligan - Thiess

(L-R) Chris Lynam - CBA, Jason Kelly - MCE, Troy Stevens - Cor Cooling

Racheal Fitzgerald,Robbie Mcllraith - Stellar Recruitment (L-R) Simon Mortess - MACS, Damian Vermay - Coffey, Andrew Ware - MACS, Paul Sullivan MACS.

(L-R) David Galley - Davidson Recruitment, Ann Thompson - OAQ, Dee Savage - Davidson Recruitment Erics Frederickson - Westfund

Rob Morgan, Pru Hopa - Viper Mackay

(L-R) Tony Glanville - Mackay Toyota, Bill Goodluck Ausco, Howard Kuipers - Flexihire

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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5th August 2013

Shift Miner Magazine

Around Town

www.shiftminer.com

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

Around 150 people from across all levels of the Bowen Basin Mining Community were at the Mackay Area Industry Network’s (MAIN) Bowen Basin safety Conference last week. Once again, MAIN organised an excellent group of speakers - including this year’s guest speaker Shane Webcke of rugby league fame. Mr Webcke provided some insights into leadership and team culture drawn from his time playing for well-known rugby league coach Wayne Bennett.

(L-R) Michael Rosengren - BHP Billiton, Shane Webcke - Keynote Speaker, Mick Crowe - G&S Engineering

Lenny Allardice, Gerard WIlliams McElligotts Mackay

(L-R) Andrew Russell - Conexus Consulting, Brian Markem, Darrell Saunders - Hastings

Ray Alland - AIM, Jason Cameron - The Cyber (L-R) Tony Richardson - Aurecon, Carle Howe, Roger Institute Cameron - Zemek Engineering

(L-R) Nigel Copeland, Adrian Carney, Brendan Webb - Hastings, Jeff White - Austchrome

(L-R) Marcus Forbes, Sheldon Upton, Dave Bampton, Matt Borg - G&S Mackay

(L-R) Harold Downes - HerbertSmithFreehills, Beth Jooste - Mastermyne, John McGarry - Dept of Justice

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!

Matt Ebert - Protector Allsafe, Shannon Whitely - Dowdens Pumping

The Yeppoon branch of the Mining Women’s Support Group celebrated its first anniversary last week. More than 20 women with connections to the mining community enjoyed lunch together and made plans for their next 12 months. Karla Way-McPhail from CoalTrain kindly picked up the tab.

(L-R) Cindy Tree, Briony Chavez and Natalie Weber

(L-R) Joy Wyatte, Anny Tait, Victoria Murray and Elize Hattin

(L-R) Leandre Cowan, Luc Hathorn, Tanya Gibson and Vicki Martin

(L-R) Vicki Martin, Shanna Murphy, & Belinda Goldman

(L-R) Rosie Marfleet, Colleen Dwyer, Kath Johnston- Stephenson and Ross Joy Wyatte

Buy this and many other images at

www.shiftminer.com Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together 5th August 2013

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Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

www.shiftminer.com

FROm THE EDITOR

Where does the buck stop?

AS I was sitting in the back of a courtesy van today on my to pick up my car from its service, I eavesdropped on the conversation between the driver and another passenger.

It so happened my fellow passenger works on Curtis Island, Gladstone, so my ears pricked up.

The topic of conversation was about safety. I had just finished reading our safety stories on page 4 and the passenger pretty much echoing what we have been hearing from psychologists, consultants and now former League great Shane Webcke.

He said safety was now beyond ridiculous - for every action, you had to get safety sign-off and this had stripped all elements of enjoyment from the job.

Many experienced people have left the industry, he said, because of this.

Shane Webcke says a productive and safe work culture comes from having a good team, and just as it does with a sports team, it starts with great leadership and then trickles down senior players right through to the newcomers. Too many rules results in a disengagement, a flouting of the rules and less personal responsibility.

This is the message we are getting loud and clear from all directions ultimately the buck stops with the individual when it comes to safety, but too many rules can disassociate you from this. It’s about getting back to basics and also taking personal responsibility.

But this risk-averse culture is not just

a part of the resources or construction industry. It is everywhere in our society.

Last week I read in our local paper how a woman sued a supermarket because she slipped on some cauliflower leaves that hadn’t been swept up. You could ask why she didn’t look where she was walking.

It is like our schools. Our kids can’t do cartwheels, they can’t climb trees, the playgrounds are so safe they are boring.

The reason for this risk aversion is because of our litigious society, where we are stripped from using our own initiative and there is no such thing as personal responsibility. This, I think, has a lot to do with our productivity problems.

When mechanics at a work site won’t swap the tyres on a ute because of ‘safety’, when a site is forced to shut down because there is no shade over a particular walkway, or when a mining camp doesn’t provide fridges because someone’s milk might go off, you know it is beyond ridiculous. Where has common sense gone?

This does not mean we start removing the inroads we have made into our safety practices. Australia should be proud of its high safety record. But while we need a certain amount of rules and regulations, we also need to change our culture so we know that ultimately our safety - and those of our colleagues - is in our hands. The buck stops with us.

Comment or SMS 0409 471 014

Stuff to the Editor This edition, we’ve had a long letter from a retired coal miner about FIFO/ DIDO versus local miners.

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I write this letter to try to highlight some of the injustices that are happening in some areas of the mining industry today.

I believe that where you live should have no bearing on getting a job at a mine site as long as you can demonstrate to the employer that you can get to the site on time to suit the said roster at the mine site.

In saying this, some people may choose to fly-in fly-out, as it is called, or others may choose to live in a local mining town.

One must remember that in the past, mining companies encouraged people to live and bring up their families and support schools and local businesses and form a good, social family life in mining towns. Back to the present, in most mine sites plastered up all over the crib hut walls are posters saying “this company supports equal opportunity there will be no discrimination sexual harrassment etc� yet we have BMA stating that you HAVE to live in Cairns and FIFO if you want to work at the new Daunia and Caval Ridge mines.

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means local people, some of whom have lost their jobs in the recent downturn, are thrown on the scrap heap.

Why are FIFO workers better employees? In my experience, there is no difference between either set of employees - you get good and bad workers in both.

BMA, at times, are not known for being concerned about the little people in our midst as most of their big chiefs live well away from the coalface so they don’t see the pain caused by the decisions that they make. But we also know that they are running a business in a hard world and at hard times, and are entrusted with a lot of other people’s money.

To end my letter, I want to say have a heart for people who live locally and have served you well and, given the chance, would continue to do so. There is an old saying “contented cows give more milk�. Just look at the German and Japanese companies to see that this old wive’s tale is true in most cases.

Yours sincerely, Tom Wharton, Yeppoon bane Str eet Macka y

Photos to THE EDITOR

LOVE IS IN THE AIR A well-known Komatsu supervisor ties the knot, then tries to make a hasty getaway.

Send us your wedding snaps to 0409 471 014

CARTON OF BEER FOR YOUR EYES! It’s back by popular demand.

You SMS us a photo to 0428 154 653 of something you’ve seen on site.

A bogged digger, the boss’s chocked motorbike - whatever tickles your fancy.

Tell us in the text message what we’re looking at.

Every three months we’ll decide on a winner and post you out a carton of beer!

So SMS your pics to 0428 154 653

18

5th August 2013

Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

www.shiftminer.com

Frank the Tank’s

Dear Frank, I’VE been seeing my girlfriend for about a year now and things are going really great.

Since things have been going so well she wants me to meet her parents. The only thing is we’re from different ethnic backgrounds: I’m Caucasian and she’s Malaysian.

Her parents are flying over here in a few weeks, and I’m really nervous about meeting them. I don’t want to come across as some Aussie bogan, but I’ve never even been out of Queensland.

How can I impress my girlfriend’s parents?

John, Rocky

I’m extremely glad you took the time to write to me John. Without my help I’m almost certain the meeting with your girlfriend’s

parents would have gone disastrously.

You see, I’m a man of the world and I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in the orient.

I worked for years as a consultant for Chinese businessmen, performing some extremely important surveying work.

They would retain my services for their social outings, and it was my job to separate the female escorts from the lady boys.

While this might be an easy task in eastern Europe (the beards are usually a dead giveaway) it can be quite tricky in a dimly lit Shanghai nightclub, particularly when one is under the influence of opium.

During my time in the far east I picked up some invaluable information on Asian culture, and luckily for you I’m going to share it.

First and foremost, you should proceed under the assumption that all Asian people are extremely skilled in some form of martial arts.

Be extremely respectful no matter what.

In some Asian cultures it’s acceptable to have an ‘Edgar Brit’, with the door open,

Fair Dinkum!

diver was left reeling after he was savaged underwater by a giant eel.

The six foot conger eel surprised the unsuspecting diver and latched onto his

just let it slide.

The last thing you want to do is get into an argument with your potential fatherin-law and have him cleave your head in half with a karate chop.

I would also recommend stocking up on some serious bowel and stomach medication.

At some point during their visit it’s likely your girlfriend’s parents will offer to prepare you dinner.

Obviously it would be rude to decline, however there are few things that could prepare you for an authentic Asian meal.

I know what you’re thinking, “Whatever, Frank, I get honey chicken and fried rice every Friday from the local takeaway joint and it’s never bothered me.” Well I’ve got news for you my friend.

You could be served up literally anything from horse testicles to fish intestines, just pray to God they can’t find a black market butcher that sells monkey meat or you may find yourself in another dimension of gastric distress.

Above all, you must finish the meal or

it will be considered extremely offensive.

Just choke it down, take some stomach settling medication and keep a copy of the Bible next to your toilet...just in case.

but reportedly had a sore head for several weeks following the attack.

bizarre claim during a speech in favour of banning abortions after 20 weeks.

He argued that if a 15-week-old baby can feel pleasure, then it is reasonable to assume they can also feel pain.

The congressman’s comments on inutero self-gratification have prompted ridicule online, and come just days after anti-abortion republican Trent Franks ignited controversy by claiming a ‘very low’ number of rapes result in pregnancy.

IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY - A prudish bus

A Chinese UFO enthusiast claimed he had an alien in his freezer, but it ended up being of the ET variety - made of rubber.

IN IRELAND - A deep sea

“Streakin” good love advice

face, tearing a huge chunk out of his cheek.

The carnivorous ocean dweller also managed to knock out the man’s breathing apparatus during the attack, forcing him to hold his breath while fighting off the eel.

The diver sustained no serious injuries,

driver in Darwin refused to take a man to his destination because his singlet was too raunchy.

Twenty-two-year-old Daniel Willis was attempting to board the bus with his girlfriend when the bus driver told him he couldn’t ride the bus due to his singlet, which depicts a Victoria’s Secret model in her underwear.

The bus driver also refused to refund Mr Willis’ girlfriend her bus fare, citing a no-refund policy.

In the end they were forced to walk to their destination.

IN THE USA

- A Texas congressman has found himself in hot water after claiming to have seen male foetuses pleasure themselves in the womb.

Republican congressman Michael Burgess, a former obstetrician, made the

Frank

SENSIBLE SUSAN John, It really sounds to me as though you’re worrying for no reason.

There will no doubt be some cultural differences between you and your girlfriend’s parents, but this is nothing to get worked up about.

As long as you’re polite and respectful I’m sure they’ll be very impressed.

Above all else, if you’re treating their daughter well and making her happy, that should be all that matters.

Susan

IN CHINA

- The truth is out there...well, almost.

A Chinese UFO enthusiast claimed he had a real-life alien in his deep freeze.

The man reported he’d seen a spacecraft crash, and upon investigating found the charred body of an alien stuck in a nearby rabbit trap. Naturally, he dumped the body of the deceased space man in his deep freeze to preserve it.

The crackpot claims were brought back to earth unceremoniously; however, when Chinese police revealed online that the ‘alien’ was in fact made of high-quality rubber.

Quality doesn’t have to mean slow Mining, Earth moving, Hydraulics and Agriculture

Transport

General manufacturing and Fabrication

Motor sport, boating and leisure

Specialising in the timely delivery of on-spec components for your business.

www.dweonline.net

M: 0448 243 343 E: darylweng@gmail.com

dwe Daryl Watson Engineering

5th August 2013

19

CAR FOR SALE

BOAT FOR SALE Offshore Marine Master 2012 Mac5 Cuddy.

MITSUBISHI TRITON GLXR 2011 colour coded drop side steel tray, 5 sp manual, air, steer, power windows, cruise, CD, tow bar, long range tank, UHF, immaculate, 62000K, full history. $35,950 Phone: 0418 725 318

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

CAR FOR SALE

CAR FOR SALE

78 XC FALCON GS UTE 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

$27,500 ono Phone: 0428 344 437 BOAT FOR SALE

Immaculate Holden

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

Phone: 0409 630 311 BUSINESS FOR SALE OPEN TAXI LICENCE FOR SALE IN ROCKHAMPTON

CAR FOR SALE CLASSIC FOR SALE Ford Mustang Convertable 67 302 V8 Auto. Left hand drive, disc brakes.

Excellent condition, Fully restored.

$48,000 Phone: 0749 337 305 UTE FOR SALE HOLDEN COMMODORE

Statesman Currently leased @ $385 inc gst/week WM 2007 model. V6 auto immaculate condition 94,000k.

Includes shares in Rockhampton Cab Company Perfect sideline income

All leather interior.

$18,500 ono Phone: 0407 373 664

$315,000

Phone: 0407 373 664 CAR FOR SALE

CAMPER AND CAR FOR SALE

omega ute 2008 V6 auto 120,000 km\’s bluetooth hands free, reverse camera, a/c, cruise control RWC, rego until 10/2013

$16,000 neg.

Phone: 0488 514 713 CAMPER FOR SALE

$22,000 neg

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.

$8,500 ono

$20,000

Phone: 0447 824 539

Phone: 0407 913 914

Phone: 0439 872 215

Phone: 07 4973 9698

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

BUSINESS FOR SALE Sewing & Patchwork Business in Yeppoon.

Only one of it’s kind on the Capricorn Cost. Operates 5.5 days per week. Agents for Brother & Elna. Busy store currently employing 1 x Casual Employee. Good

BOAT FOR SALE

5.5 mtr markham whaler. twin 90 hp yam, 145 hrs. sounders, gps, twin 160 ltr inbuilt eskys, twin 160ltr fuel in sides, good trailer,

HOUSE FOR SALE Buy My House NO deposit NO Bank Just pay me $580 a week * 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 garages, * Covered Balcony * Water Views * 400 metres Centre of Town * Big STORAGE Phone: 0411 344 688

VS CLUBSPORT mags, new power steering pump,new

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

brake pads, 142000km, great condition

LIGHTNING 7mtr Alloy Walk-around, Twin 90hp E-Techs with very low hrs, Vessel is quick, economical and safe, with all possible extras.

$60,000 +GST+S.A.V

$62,000

Phone: 0417 196 015

Phone: 49 739 698

BOAT FOR SALE

BOAT FOR SALE

$90,000 ono 0414 330 803

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

HOUSE/LAND FOR SALE

LAND FOR SALE

LAND FOR SALE

NORTH OF YEPPOON

Get Tax advantages as a Primary Producer!

YEPPOON

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

$595,000 ono Phone: 07 4937 3564 ROOM FOR RENT ROCKHAMPTON HOUSEMATE WANTED. Are you single, between 25-45 years old and looking for a house to share. I have a nearly fully-furnished, polished floored, quiet home on the Range.

Phone: 0450 390 373

Acreage Living, City Conveniences!

Buy and stock cattle on 32 acre Hobby Farm at Ravensbourne which is 40 minutes from Toowoomba and 90 minutes to Brisbane.

block, 5 minutes from CBD, schools, transport.

Phone: 0435 347 686

Phone: 0409 391 254

HOME FOR SALE DEVONPORT TASMANIA 265+ Square Executive Home 5 Spacious Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms and 4 Toilets Indoor Heated Pool and Spa Energy Efficient Design Get the “Million Dollar Property” without the price tag www.ellicehill.net Phone: 0418 140 241

insulated alloy camper,

water pump,new front

Turnover, lots of potential.

2009 BAJA247 ISLANDER Top of the range luxury bowrider 496ci mercruiser Engine (375 HP) Livorsi Gauges, 3 Blade S/S Prop, Toilet Hull graphics, Custom Upholstery Tandem Trailer, Swim platform

TOP-FORM

series 2, 19 inch chrome

4000 sqm North facing, corner premium Plenty of space for shed, pool, kids to play. $300,000 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

and personal gear to use,

CARAVAN FOR SALE BOROMA 700ST Insulated Custom designed, Shower/Toilet, fitted with 2x Electrolux Air conditioners, TV/DVD, W/ Machine, Gas cooktop,Grill & Oven,2x80ltr Water tanks, Hot water system, Solar panel, Twin batteries, Battery charger, Wired for 240/12volt, 1x80ltr GWT, Excellent condition.

$42,000 neg.

Phone: 0419 001 369 CAR FOR SALE TOYOTA RAV 4

This one lady owner Toyota Rav4 2010 is the perfect small SUV. Well maintained with full service history.

Auto MY10 (4/10) 2.4L Cruiser FWD standard features include: Automatic, 5 seater Cruise control Power windows & mirrors, Dual Air Conditioning with Climate Control.

Phone: 0407 840 484 LAND FOR SALE 2.5 ACRES VICTORIA Owner can part finance over 3Y if needed.

Fenced, Bitumen road frontage, near school shops etc Approved for building

$50,000 Phone: 0413 501 222 HOLIDAY HOME FOR RENT Whitsundays luxury home now available for holiday rental! Accommodation for up to 10 people.

Total seclusion, amazing views, 12m pool, air con, Foxtel, linen included, BBQ. Perfect for a large group or two families.

Nightly tariff: $500 peak season; $450 mid season; $400 low season.

For bookings call 0419 769 655

Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

www.shiftminer.com

MOVIE Review BY JUSTIN CARLOS

Unconventional premise, hilarious results Let me just say right off the bat that This is the End is an extremely ‘out there’ premise.

A bunch of Hollywood stars (all playing exaggerated versions of themselves): Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and many more

A LOT of comedy movies are pretty formulaic. For instance, in a romantic comedy or a buddy cop picture you can pretty much telegraph what’s going to happen so it’s refreshing when something a bit more off the wall comes out.

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During the party there’s a strange earthquake and a sinkhole opens up in James Franco’s front yard, sucking most of the party guests to their death.

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Across 1. Tattier 5. Landed property 9. Take (seat) again 10. Metal-toothed fastener 12. Revolts 13. Spongy growths 14. Healing gel, ... vera 16. Pulling with a jerk 19. Comply with standards 21. Technique 24. Australia's Great Dividing ...

25. Fallen space rock 27. Religious deviation 28. Therapeutic 29. Refrain 30. Getting free

As the frightened actors hole up in James Franco’s house it becomes apparent that the apocalypse is upon them and they need to make a plan for survival.

Needless to say, this isn’t the plot of your average comedy.

The film was written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who have worked together in the past on films like Superbad and Pineapple Express.

If you’re a fan of these movies, then you will probably love This is the end.

The plot is laced with all the humour you’d expect (maybe avoid this one if you don’t like weed and penis jokes) and some you might not.

Without revealing any dreaded spoilers, suffice it to say This is the End is a comedy of biblical proportions, and there’s some fairly epic scenes throughout the film.

There’s also cameos from a bunch of famous actors like Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Michael Cera, Emma Watson and Channing Tatum.

The film is unconventional to say the very least, but in the same vein as Tropic Thunder the unconventional premise is supported by some really funny performances from the entire cast.

If you like movies that are a little bit crass, entirely off the wall, but most of all, extremely funny, then check out This is the End.

Down 1. Legume seedling, alfalfa ...

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3. Bets on (horse) 4. Stretch of land 6. Tensed 7. Book attachment 8. Lobe ornaments 11. Glimpse 15. Fierce female cats 17. Singed 18. Catches # 51 20. Mother 21. Gloves 22. Skimpy pool outfit 23. Plane traveller's fatigue (3,3) 26. Phantom Of The ...

LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS OV E R L OO B N I P L I V E N S U I I E L GR E E D I E E S N P E R T B U X R EMA T CH E P R E A R I S E A K R M T OR I G I N F N S F I GH T S

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MORE- mining news MORE- industrial news MORE- investment news Shift Miner Wednesday’s Industry neWs onlIne (WIno) by Shift Miner Handy Cross blank grid.pdf ©Lovatts PublicationsPremium 5/03/09 Queensland business and industrial news www.shiftminer.com/news

artist – mb neWs you Won’t Get anyWhere else

SHIFT MINER

WEDNESDAY’S INDUSTRIAL NEWS ONLINE

Delivered direct to your inbox every Wednesday To register go to www.shiftminer.com and follow the link 5th August 2013

21

Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

www.shiftminer.com

Bait Shop Banter

YEPPOON

- Most of the action around Yeppoon has been in close due to the recent windy weather.

There was plenty happening over the weekend, with the Corio Bay Classic drawing in anglers from far and wide.

There were a variety of species caught, including barra, tarpon, trevally, flathead and some big 30cm-plus bream.

Adrian from the Secret Spot Bait and Tackle says that in amongst the windy weather, a few anglers managed to get out wide around the islands.

“A few guys got out and caught some good squid around Pumpkin Passage and Bald Rock, as well as the Eastern side of Outer Rock.”

Coorooman Creek is still fishing well for blue salmon, and the most effective baits at the moment are soft plastics or fresh herring.

mackerel, and there’s plenty being caught.

“Lots of people are chasing Spanish and there’s been some really good catches. We had a competition a few weeks ago and the biggest fish tipped the scales at 30.2 kilos,” says Rob. The creeks are still fishing well for flathead and winter whiting, and there’s been reports of some nice metre plus queen fish being caught in the Pioneer River.

Gladstone

- Things are a bit quiet around Gladstone at the moment, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t fish around.

Greg from Pat’s Tackle World Gladstone reckons certain species are fishing particularly well.

“There’s always blue salmon around this time of year, as well as flathead and grunter, but if you’re a bream fisherman you should be in seventh heaven.”

“The bream are ravenous at the moment. You can get them on strip mullet or pilchard, and there’s been heaps caught on soft plastic lures like the three-inch Gulp Shrimp.”

A recent change in the water temperature saw a spike in the number of crabs, and last weekend saw some good catches.

It may be worth running your pots if the weather’s warmer over the weekend.

Mackay - In amongst some

windy weather, the fishing in Mackay has been pretty good.

Rob from Tackle World Mackay says the warmer weather has woken up the barra, and they’re on the bite.

“There’s been a lot of successful catches of barra lately around Constant Creek and the Pioneer River and even up at the dams.”

When the weather allows, many anglers have been chasing Spanish

This nice bream was caught during the Corio Bay Classic.

your weather forecast T

MACKAY Gladstone

MACKAY Gladstone

Mon 5

The dry winter continues WEEK 1 - Rainfall totals from June/July are well below average across the Coalfields. Moranbah recorded only 4mm for the month of July and Emerald 2 mm for June. Rainfalls are generally 60 per cent below average with Moranbah 90 per cent below average, plus temperatures are generally 1-2 degrees warmer.

The drought in the Central West seems to be creeping east. There are reports of numerous “road kill” getting into plague proportions on the western part of Capricorn Highway. Is there a mouse plague coming?

22

5th August 2013

The large high (see weather map) over the Indian Ocean seems to be tracking across inland along the Tropic of Capricorn. The weather system in the Bight indicates a frost early in the week from Miles/Rolleston/Clermont/Callide, followed by a dry sunny warm day.

Temperatures rise gradually during the week with the hint of a high based thundery shower (HBTS). This means a very isolated weak storm (about the higher areas - Drummond Range/ Blackdown/Canarvons/Middlemount) with little rainfall and lightning that could start a grass fire.

Maximums might get to 28/29 degrees in the west and 30 degrees in the Central West next Friday. Could be heralded by some early mist/ fog the east. Not good if kangaroos are in numbers on the roads early.

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0355 0957 1555 2209

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0.80 3.45 1.06 3.61

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1.02 4.42 0.82 5.45

0447 1032 1637 2247

0.97 4.47 0.78 5.47

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0.92 4.54 0.77 5.46

0542 1130 1738 2345

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0015 0641 1236 1845

5.23 0.94 4.56 1.15

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Boaties - llighter winds inshore! (LWI) MonTue: LWI SSE/SE 10-15 in the south and 15-20 far north. Wed-Thr: SE/ESE 8-13 tending ENE in the afternoon. Fri: SE 8-12 (more in north) tending ENE/NE 5-10 avo. Sat: SE/ESE/ENE 10-5 tending NE avo. Sun: W’ly 2-3 early mist/fog inshore and NNE late avo tending rapidly SSW 15-20 offshore late evening. Squally showers on Frazer Island may reach Heron.

The current dry and warmer temperatures seem to indicate the vegetation is heading for a high cure state. This means once the temperatures reach 30+ degrees and increased north west winds then bushfire conditions could be rife.

Another high should ridge across the continent.

The eastern edge hits early in the week with a burst of cold minimums. Sunny days follow with maximums in the mid 20s. Then maximums look to rise towards the high twenties.

WEEK 2 - the SOI sits at +7.4 with a hint of a fall.

In the past the August/September SOI has been a good indicator on how the rainfall will pan out for the remainder of the year. If the SOI falls in the next week then a drier than normal spring is on the way.

Marine Lovers - very trick as an East Coast Low (ECL) could complicate the pattern! Mon: SSE/SE 15-20 with a squally shower offshore. Tue : SE 1510 tending ESE/ENE 8-10 avo. Wed: If ECL further north a SSW surge otherwise light winds continue.

Fri- Sat: SE 10-15 up to 20 offshore overnight.

Shift Miner Magazine

www.shiftminer.com

Off Shift

Magpie Season the eternal struggle

All you need to do to keep the magpies at bay is a feral cat hat. If you can’t get yourself one, grab your own moggie and whack it on your head - as pictured.

BEING prepared for magpie season can mean the difference between life and death - it’s just that black and white.

Actually, that might be a slight exaggeration, but a Griffith University magpie expert suggests that someone loses an eye every year to magpie attacks in Australia, so it can be easily argued that magpies are directly responsible for our exploding population of pirates.

A recent press release from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection outlines what you should do to minimise harassment by the highly territorial birds.

It’s advised that cyclists employ the ‘space helmet’ look, which involves fastening a series of cable ties to your bike helmet.

Unfortunately, the press release doesn’t mention that adopting the ‘space helmet’ look makes you appear completely insane,

and may see you hauled off your bike by men in white coats and whisked off to a facility where your sanity can be determined through a series of painful shock-based tests.

It’s also recommended that cyclists dismount when travelling through magpie territory.

While this is an excellent safety tip, it deprives passersby of one of the most hilarious spectacles in Australian culture.

There are few things more amusing than obnoxiously laughing at the embattled postie as he attempts to deliver mail while enduring a constant aerial assault.

The truly upsetting thing about being swooped by a magpie is there is literally no way to look cool while it’s happening.

No-one likes to look foolish, and hurrying down the street with one hand on your head, flailing the other wildly looks pretty damn foolish.

We like to think we’re pretty fashion conscious here at the Shiftminer; we buy Italian Vogue and regularly rub shoulders with the illuminati of the industry, and we’ve come up with the solution to Australia’s oldest problem - deterring the vicious magpie without looking like a raving lunatic.

In the ‘everything old is new again’ spirit, we’ve borrowed from the great thirties fashion tradition of fox head scarves.

We’ve come up with a fashionable hat that features a snarling, taxidermied feral cat facing backwards.

Not only is it a great modern take on the fashion of a bygone era, it will also deter the tenacious magpie from attacking you.

Strut confidently through the most magpie infested areas and turn heads with your Shiftminer feral cat hat.

Orders may be placed via the Shiftminer Facebook page.

Village Festival Gearing up for another year MUSIC lovers rejoice! The Village Festival 2013 is fast approaching, and this year it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

The first lineup announcement is sure to delight folk fans, with artists Damian Howard, the Round Mountain Girls and the HillbillyGoats all signing up to rock the festival this August.

Damian Howard is well known as the frontman of iconic Celtic band, The Ploughboys.

Festival organiser Jason Pfingst said it’s a treat to have Damian at the Village Festival, performing songs of his new album, Out of My Hands.

“Damian and The Ploughboys have made an awesome impression on English, Irish, Scottish and Australian audiences,

so to have them playing on the Capricorn Coast is a real treat,” said Mr Pfingst.

This year the festival is also offering a bit of extra incentive to snap up tickets. Maton Guitars along with Green Brothers Music Rockhampton have put up a Maton guitar, which will be won by one lucky festival goer.

All you have to do is buy a ticket from the Village Festival website and you’re in the running.

The festival takes place on August 1618 at the Yeppoon Pony Club. Tickets are available online at www.thevillagefestival. org or can be bought in person at Yellow Door Books and Gifts in Yeppoon, Nextra in Yeppoon Central Shopping Centre, and Green Brothers in Rockhampton.

5th August 2013

23

Sport Moranbah Speedway to stay the course in 2013

Shift Miner Magazine

www.shiftminer.com

THE organising committee of the Moranbah Speedway Association is expected to continue on its current course of renewal and expansion when it meet for its AGM in coming weeks.

With memories of the highly successful Basin Industries Modified Protection Cup in late June, treasurer Cindy Bowen says they want to increase local participation and make their events more attractive on a statewide basis.

“We just had a big meet with the sedans

and it was a huge race meeting,” she said.

“Cars came from all over the state. Many of them had never been here before and they commented on how much they loved the track and the organisation on the day.”

“We had good prize money which helps.”

“But the drivers really liked the fact that we were organised and held the presentation straight after the last race so they could get their winnings and get on the road.”

Thanks to a grant from the Isaac

Regional Council, the club is in the process of expanding its pit facilities and upgrading its fencing.

The pit expansion is designed to accommodate the large trucks that accompany the sprint cars when they are competing these days.

However local participation remains limited with just four drivers involved in the sport at the senior level, as well as a shortage of non-driving volunteers.

To try and remedy this, Moranbah

Speedway is looking to hold some open days for interested people, where they will be able to give the sport a try.

“We have got a couple of people doing up their cars at the moment and sometime in August we are having some practice days where anyone interested can get a day licence and have a go at the real thing,” Treasurer Bowen said.

Anyone interested in getting involved can call the Moranbah Speedway president Terry Bowen on 0428876558.

Despite the risk, Dalby Wheatman keep their focus It can be easy for a young man in the prime of his life to be distracted by a woman.

It’s a particular danger when they are also in the Australian, bush where sometimes members of the opposite sex are not known to be “thick on the ground”.

But fortunately the Dalby Wheatman were not distracted by their own ladies Day recently - in fact they seemed more focus than ever.

They stormed to a crushing victory over the Roma Echidna’s 89-0 in A Grade and 67-7 in reserve grade.

Maybe they were showing off.

Off the field more than 100 women packed the viewing deck at the Dalby Rugby Union Club for their annual Ladies Day. Organiser and club treasurer Chelsea Wyatt said it was wonderful to see so many Wives, girlfriends, mothers, sisters

and female supporters at the rugby.

“I think everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere,”” Mrs Wyatt said.

“It was really about ladies having a day out and enjoying themselves. Most of them would not usually come to the rugby so it was great for them to experience country rugby in Dalby.”

“Ladies Day was about rewarding the ladies behind the players out on the field

with guests enjoying all the action on the ladies only deck, sipping on champagne and nibbling on canapés.”

“The fashion parade was the feature of our event and guests weren’t disappointed with a wide variety of clothing from Wirra Designs (based inside Barbeques Galore in Toowoomba) on display. There really was something for everyone. Sharon and the girls did a wonderful job”

Not a distraction: the Dalby Wheatman’s female supporters enjoy a day at the Rugby.

Caetlyn Teakle, Chelsea Wyatt and Marguerite McCormick.

Carmel Pontin and Kaye Barwell.

Leanne McVeigh and Dr Theresa Craig.

Narelle Carr-Lord and Gemma Moody.

Selina Galligan and Steph Cherry.

Toni Hewitt, Jenny McKinnon and Debbie Hayllor.

Celebrating our long term future in Central Queensland with first production from the Kestrel Mine Extension This 20 year extension of Kestrel Mine will provide a secure future for our 400-strong workforce and continue our investment in local community projects through the Kestrel Mine Community Development Fund and the Kestrel Mine Aboriginal Community Development Fund.

Pictured: Celebrations at Kestrel Mine with a cake in the shape of the new “longwall” now mining coal.

24

5th August 2013

riotintocoalaustralia.com.au

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

Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

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Five Ways To Waste Your Dough Having a lead foot can be a costly exercise, with your hard earned cash going to ‘the man’ in the form of fines.

Last year Queenslanders forked out a whopping $69 million for speeding infringements.

With an increased police presence on the road and double fines and demerit points during certain times, sticking to the speed limit is an excellent way to avoid wasting your dough.

2. Unused gym membership Many people join the gym as part of a new year’s resolution or a plan to get fit, but quickly lose interest.

This could cost you hundreds, particularly if you purchased a six-month or yearly membership to the gym.

If you’re anticipating a fitness kick, join a gym that offers a monthly or fortnightly membership rate. That way you can ease into it financially and find out whether the world of pumping iron is for you.

3. High tech gadgets MOST of us cringe at the thought of wasting money, yet most of us are guilty of doing it in one way or another.

I’m not just talking about really wasting your money, like using cash to light cigars like they do in movies or throwing a handful of

$50 bills into a fountain to ensure that your wishes have enough power to come true.

Here’s a few common ways we waste our money.

1. Speeding tickets

Everybody gets worked up when the latest gadget comes out, but often shelling out for new technology can be a massive waste.

A $400 toaster that can sync with your iPad and play music while it uses groundbreaking heat-distribution technology to evenly toast your morning snacks sounds

absolutely amazing...but sometimes it’s best to take a deep breath and ask whether the price is worth the actual functionality.

4. Sports equipment So you watched the Tour de France and decided to rush out and buy a super expensive Lance Armstrong signature road bike...then after riding it four times you realised that cycling is lame and now it sits in the shed gathering dust.

Unused sports equipment is a massive waste of money, particularly if you go for the top-of-the-line gear in the first instance.

If you’re interested in taking up a new sport consider picking up some secondhand gear to get you started (although if you’re playing cricket it’s best not to purchase a secondhand box).

You might also consider selling some of your old sports equipment if you don’t use it - cash in your pocket is better than junk in your shed.

5. Excess fees on your phone bill Nothing induces rage quite like an obscenely high phone bill.

Exceeding the allocated data usage on your phone can cost you an absolute fortune.

Most phone companies provide an app that can help you keep track of your usage.

If you frequently exceed your monthly allocation for data, it might be a good idea to download the app and keep a close eye on it.

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Shift Miner Magazine

Wetting your feet in the sharemarket

IT’S no secret that the sharemarket is in the proverbial at the moment, taking another nose dive earlier this month.

Like a lot of people you may be thinking, “Great, economics 101 - buy low, sell high!”

While this is a sound plan, it’s not always realistic.

If you’re thinking of making your first foray into the market there’s a few things you should know.

As with anything in finance there are pros and cons when it comes to investing in shares.

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5th August 2013

Money Matters

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Pros:

■ Potential capital gains from

owning an asset that can grow in value over time; ■ Potential income from dividends; ■ Lower tax rates on long-term capital gains.

Cons:

■ Share prices for a company can fall dramatically, even to zero;

■ If the company goes broke, you are the last in line to be paid, so you may not get your money back;

■ The value of your shares will go up and down from month to month, and the dividend may vary.

It’s extremely risky to use the sharemarket in the hope of making a quick buck. It all looks pretty easy and glamorous in movies like Wall Street, but high-risk play in the market is more akin to gambling than investment.

Long-term investments can grow your money, and many will pay dividends, however you should be prepared to have your money tied up for at least three to five years.

If you’re intending to manage your own stock portfolio online, ensure you visit the Australian Securities and Investment Commission website beforehand.

There are a number of online stockbroking scams which have the potential to cause catastrophic financial harm.

Some scammers have the ability to hack into online trading accounts and emails and trade as you, which could mean big profits for them, and huge losses for you.

The ASIC website provides a number of tips on how to best protect yourself from scammers.

It is highly advisable to consult a qualified financial planner before you decide to invest in the sharemarket.

They will be able to create a portfolio that caters to your individual investment needs, and yields the best possible return for your investment.

Easy come, easy go A US man is suing an Ohio casino after he was robbed of $38,000 in blackjack in winnings.

Luck was clearly with 29-year-old David Hayes after he amassed the impressive winnings in just a single night at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio unfortunately it didn’t last long. .

Hayes’ luck turned when he was awoken in his home during the early hours of the morning and robbed of his winnings at gunpoint.

Mr Hayes is suing the casino operator, claiming that he asked to be issued a cheque, but was instead given 358 $100 bills.

His claim also states that the operator wrote down his name and personal information, including his address, and it held it up for him to confirm it, allegedly making it visible to anyone in the immediate vicinity.

The clerk then stapled his winnings inside a manilla folder and handed it to him, stating that, “Next time he should get a cheque.”

He claims that when he asked for a cheque she told him it was too late.

In a recent filing, the casino is claiming that the robbery occurred as a result of Hayes’ own negligence, and the actions of third parties the casino is not responsible for.

The armed men entered Mr Hayes’ home through an unlocked back door and demanded, “The money you won tonight.”

Two of them were arrested and charged after bragging about the robbery, and a third suspect is being sought by police.

Shift Miner Magazine

Money Matters

www.shiftminer.com

Scrape below the paint when buying

WHETHER you’re looking to buy or invest, there’s no doubt the property market can be a bit of a minefield.

There’s mortgage rates from the bank, what the market’s doing, the location you’re going to buy in, and the list goes on.

It sounds crazy, but with all of these things to focus on sometimes it can be easy to forget about the property itself.

If somebody is doing their house up to

sell they’re obviously going to present it in the best way possible.

Repainting, retiling, sealing cracks and putting down new floor coverings will all make a house look fantastic at first glance.

Unfortunately, in some cases this could be akin to putting lipstick on a pig - these cosmetic improvements could be masking some far more serious problems.

Having to fork out thousands for

repairs in the future could have a serious impact on your mortgage or your potential obligations as a landlord if investing.

Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way first.

If you go to inspect a house and the real estate agent mentions it was built on an ancient burial ground, or served as an asylum for the criminally insane during the 1920s, there’s a good chance your prospective

property is haunted...look elsewhere.

If you arrive at an inspection and the neighbour looks like Walter White from Breaking Bad and has a weird-smelling haze billowing out of his garage, you should probably consider a different neighbourhood.

All deal breakers arising out out of illegal activity and the occult aside, it’s vitally important to get a thorough building inspection if seriously considering buying a property.

It’s also advisable you get the results of the inspection in writing in case there is a future dispute over the building’s integrity.

Here’s a handy list of things to look if you’re in the marking for a new home or investment property.

• Cracks in ceilings and walls are hallmarks of footings sinking or rising, which causes the walls to flex.

• Other signs are doors out of square in their frames, self-closing and self-opening doors.

• Leaking hot water services, rainwater tanks and airconditioning pipes can create moisture that attracts termites.

• New floor tiles installed over old tiles can trap moisture between the tile layers.

• Cracked tiles and mould at the shower base and plaster bubbling on the wall in the room next to the bathroom are also signs of moisture.

• Any repair work to the building’s paths can provide an entry point for termites.

Source: Association of Building Consultants

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www.pioneerlakes.com.au 5th August 2013

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