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5

Devil in the detail for Dysart community

6

Wage cuts in key mining role

6

FIFO guide eases workers into tricky lifestyle

7

Mackay caught up in wage squeeze

8

Boulder is Gladstone’s last chance

10 Concerns raised over

people working alone

14 New mine for Collinsville?

26 Flat look for gas hotspots

Regulars

25 18 Stuff to the Editor 9 Frank the Tank 1 20 Miner’s Trader 21 Off Shift 25 Money Matters

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Shadow of doubt over qualifications

By Alex Graham

CHARGED WITH FRAUD: 30-year-old Jeniffer Deasy will appear in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court this week.

A POLICE investigation into an allegedly dodgy Rockhampton trainer has cast doubt over the validity of potentially hundreds of mining and drilling qualifications.

Thirty-year-old Jeniffer Deasy will appear in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court this week to face 17 counts of fraud for allegedly issuing fake certificates through her business.

Ms Deasy is the owner of North Australia Career and Training Services (NACTS) based in Rockhampton.

In the wake of the arrest, the Queensland Mines Inspectorate issued a warning to all mining companies to properly verify the training records of their workforce, and police say individual workers should also check that their qualifications are valid.

“It’s quite possible she has been conducting training for a period of over two years in which the qualifications may not be recognised,” Detective Sergeant Nick Williams told local media.

“The thing we want to avoid is, it may be possible that there is a workplace incident where a person is injured or killed, and the workplace health and safety officer may not be properly qualified to assess risk to prevent accidents.”

What remains unknown is how many fake certificates are in circulation.

In recent times, NACTS has expanded from the local mining workforce into the international market and offers training in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and the

Philippines.

In Australia, only RTOs have the authority to issue nationally accredited certificates, but many have partnership arrangements with trainers to run courses that are then validated through the umbrella RTO. In this instance, it’s alleged the umbrella RTO has no record of the students who have been issued with certificates under its logo.

The only way to verify the authenticity of a certificate is to ring the RTO that is listed, quote your name and certificate number, and have them check their database.

The man charged with regulating the training industry says its reputation is being dragged down by a small but significant minority of cowboy operators who deliberately flout

the law to make a buck.

“I call them the bottom feeders,” Chief Commissioner of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) Chris Anderson told Shift Miner.

“It’s probably only about 10 per cent [of registered training organisations] who are really, really poor.

“They are there to turn a dollar, they are not passionate about training, they are flouting the rules… and we want to get them out of the industry because they bring the name of the whole sector down.”

An ASQA audit of about 2000 Australian RTOs has found there are many that engage in deliberately misleading marketing.

“We found about 10 per cent were actually making claims that were very clearly not accurate. For example, enrol with us and you get a diploma - with no mention of training or assessment requirements; guaranteeing people jobs and in some cases promising immigration outcomes,” he said.

“About 8 per cent of RTOs had very, very misleading material on their website, and about 12 per cent were advertising courses that were no longer current.

“So there is certainly a small but significant minority of RTOs that are straying well into the space of misleading people.”

Add to that the fringe of pop-up companies that are not RTOs but offer - usually through websites - to link students to training companies for a fee. Currently they are not policed by ASQA. “We have discovered there are quite a lot of individuals and small organisations that are involved as kind of brokers in the

industry and who are not RTOs and are not regulated under our Act,” said the Commissioner.

“We recommended in a report [handed to government in December] that there is a need for government to consider regulation to extend beyond RTOs. That is under consideration at the moment.”

ASQA is not a toothless tiger.

Since its inception two-anda-half years ago it has either cancelled the registration or refused the re-registration of 274 existing RTOS. It has also rejected about 18 per cent of all new applications.

However, the more pressing issue for the training sector is not rogue operators, but those trying to do the right thing but not meeting the standard.

“When people aren’t fully compliant we usually find it’s people doing the right thing, but they haven’t got everything in place,” said the Commissioner.

“Some breaches are minor and some are major but it’s not a wilful flouting of the rules so while there is room for improvement it’s just about getting people to lift their game.

“We also have a role in making sure the standards and requirements are understandable because the system can be very complex.”

However, Commissioner Anderson does not believe there is cause for the public not to have confidence in the wider sector.

“It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking there is a crisis of quality but that’s not right. There is a high quality training sector, and it is sophisticated and advanced.

“By and large the real problem is a small one, but it is one that we have to be very rigorous about removing.”

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Devil in the detail for Dysart community

By Angus Peacocke

BETWEEN 30 and 50 staff at Saraji mine near Dysart have lost their job this week, making them the first casualties of BMA’s decision to cut its workforce at the site.

Shift Miner understands the head office staff, who are not on an enterprise agreement, were informed they no longer had jobs as early as Monday.

It is unclear whether they received a severance package.

BMA announced last Friday it planned to shed 230 positions from the site to make the mine more efficient.

However, the fate of the remaining 210 people to lose their jobs probably won’t be known until the end of the month when the company has reviewed applications for voluntary redundancy packages.

In a written statement last week, BMA said it was unlikely the 230 employees to lose their jobs would be offered work elsewhere in its operations.

There are currently 1470 workers employed at Saraji, which will reduce to around 1240 after the job losses.

BMA asset president Lucas Dow said he understood that uncertainty caused by the consultations would be difficult for employees, contractors, their

families and the community of Dysart.

“BMA has made a number of changes across its operations to reduce costs and increase productivity in order to ensure that our operations are profitable and sustainable,” he said.

“A recent review of the Saraji mine by the company concluded that a fundamental improvement in the cost base of the open-cut operation is required to ensure that it remains competitive.”

“We want to ensure that the Saraji mine continues to operate viably providing ongoing employment in the local region.”

The decision is yet another blow to the town of Dysart, which six weeks ago ran out of clean drinking water and this week announced that it could no longer field a rugby league team in the local competition.

Spokesperson for the Dysart Community and Business Group John Crooks says while he feels for all those who lose their jobs, he hopes for the community’s sake the FIFO/DIDO employees go first.

“There are 240 FIFO and DIDO employees at Saraji and then there are another 600 contractors, so hopefully most of the redundancies come there that is the best thing for the community

of Dysart,” he said.

“It gets a lot more people off the road, and the FIFO and DIDO employees make very little difference to local business and Dysart. They arrive at the camp and go direct to work and back again.”

However, it’s not all bad news for Dysart in 2014.

Mr Crooks says the increased affordability of the town means there are new people arriving every day.

Rents have fallen from $1800 to $180 a week, which means many people who previously didn’t think they could afford to live in the town are returning.

“Numbers at the high school are still pretty slim, but there were 40 more enrolments at the primary school than they expected, but that was before this latest announcement,” he said.

“I think a lot of miners are sick of travelling to work, and some people like me - married their wives to live with them, so they are moving back to Dysart.”

Reflecting on the downturn, Mr Crooks says he has seen it a lot worse in the 25 years he has been in the region.

In 1998, he said a third of the houses in Dysart were empty and at that stage politicians were considering moving the houses elsewhere.

Some jobs go, but new ones offered A SMALL number of redundancies are being announced this week for civil and mechanical workers at Bechtel’s QCLNG project as the project moves into the next phase.

However, Bechtel says there will be opportunities for re-deployment for those with the right skills and experience.

“We are still actively recruiting candidates with three to five years industry experience as special class welders, instrumentation, riggers, pipe fitters and electricians,” Bechtel Gladstone general manager Kevin Berg said.

The three LNG projects on Curtis Island are continuing to move into new phases of construction, which need a new range of specialist workers.

“We have moved out of the civil phase and into the structural, mechanical and commissioning phases,” Mr Berg said.

“Demobilisation is a common and ongoing these phases.”

Bechtel expects to maintain its peak workforce of about 11,000 employees through to the second half of the year.

“Our employee numbers will gradually decrease after this time across the projects and eventually, the construction workforce will fully demobilise as the sites transition to operations.”(Mining, CSG/ LNG, Community, Ports & Rail, Property & Investment, Recruitment, Safety, Sport)

17th February 2014

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Wage cuts in key mining role A SURVEY of more than 1000 people people working in safety for publiclylisted companies has revealed a sharp correction in wages paid to safety officers in mining.

Wages for Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) and Health Safety and Environment (HSE) officers in mining have fallen more than 10 per cent in Queensland and 20 per cent in Western Australia.

In dollar terms, an HSE officer working in Queensland has, on average, has seen their wage fall from around $191,000 to $171,000, while in WA the same role has fallen from $227,000 to $180,000.

Placement agency Safesearch did the research and says the change reflects a return to more normal conditions after wages spiralled ‘out of control’ at the height of the boom.

“We’ve seen a decline in the salaries being paid for mining safety manager positions, though it is important to note this was not triggered by a decline in the importance of mine safety,” managing director at Safesearch Julie Honore said.

In fact, Ms Honore said nearly twothirds of the survey respondents said

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their company had actually increased its commitment to health and safety in the past 12 months.

“What was happening was there was a premium being paid to get people into those regional roles to the point where some people were earning more than their city-based bosses.

“That has come off the boil and we have seen it now go back to what we would expect to see, where the citybased corporate people are earning more again and the demand has significantly dropped.”

Because big mining companies have been focused on cost-cutting in the past year, Ms Honore said people were being asked to do more with less, so their roles were being expanded.

Looking to the future, many companies were waiting to see what policy changes would occur in the wake of the change in the federal government, Ms Honore said.

“Once that firms up we may see some increased commitment but at the moment we are seeing more from the state-based regulators, particularly in Victoria and New South Wales.”

FIFO guide eases workers into tricky lifestyle RETAINING fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) or drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) workers is a significant cost to the resources industry, so a new guide has been released to help stop the exodus.

The guide has been released by Queensland’s peak resources sector to help long-distance commuters working in Queensland’s mining and gas operations cope with the stress of FIFO work.

Chief executive of the Queensland Resources Council Michael Roche says FIFO and DIDO practices are integral to attracting and retaining sufficient skilled workers in the sector.

“We recognise, though, that the lifestyle does have some challenges for families, and this guide provides valuable advice for people already working FIFO or DIDO rosters, or those considering them,” Mr Roche said.

The guide aims to inform workers and their families on what to expect and outline useful strategies to manage the FIFO/DIDO lifestyle.

“Times have changed, and as the state’s police force is finding, you can’t always expect families, particularly where there are dual careers, to pack up and move to remote or regional centres,” Mr Roche said.

Late last year, Energy Skills Queensland (ESQ) released a report that found almost a third of mining’s FIFO workforce left their job within the first year and the high turnover was contributing significantly to industry costs.

That was hot-on-the-heels of research published earlier in 2013 by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CRSM), which found that 70 per cent of 286 FIFO workers surveyed would probably change jobs within the next 12 months.

The research found more FIFO workers want personal space and quiet time to communication with family and friends to boost their wellbeing and job satisfaction while on the job.

The new guide outlines the benefits and challenges of the commuting workforce lifestyle and identifies the social and personal factors that enable individual workers to adapt to the lifestyle.

It contains a list of useful organisations that can provide assistance to commuting workers and their families and can form the basis of an induction tool to be used by HR professionals.

The guide can be downloaded from the QRC website at www.qrc.org.au

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Mackay caught up in wages squeeze

LOCAL mining supply businesses are suffering because big business doesn’t say no to unions, according a Mackay workplace consultant.

The comments come after the federal employment minister, Senator Eric Abetz, made a blazing attack on “weak-kneed” Australian businesses that habitually cave in

to unrealistic union pay demands.

Small business consultant Craig Joy said that very situation was being played out in Mackay - the heartland of Queensland’s mining supply chain.

“It’s one of those things we’ve often wondered about,” Mr Joy told Shift Miner.

“Big companies strike a deal with the unions and then tell the smaller companies to cut costs.

So it’s the big companies driving up the costs while telling small companies to cut theirs.”

Mr Joy said at the heart of this was a belief that there are site agreements, and that these were

binding - yet there are no such provisions under the law.

“There is a collaboration between big companies and the unions and the little guys are told ‘this is the deal and you have to live by it’.”

Mr Joy said big companies will dictate what the hourly rates will be, what redundancy fund you will pay into, and salary continuance insurance - and it becomes a huge cost to small business.

“For every 30 employees, you are actually paying for 31 people,” he said.

The benefits don’t always flow through to the employee either.

“For an ongoing employee, the presumption is that they will be made redundant and there will be money waiting for them.

“But they can be there for 20 years and they can’t access that money because they haven’t been made redundant.”

Mr Joy said contractors are being compelled to put money into funds or schemes that are not appropriate to them.

“For example, if I go out to the mines and start putting money

into black coal long service leave and I am only there for three months, I can’t access that money and the employer can’t get it either.

“If you are there on site for a day, you have to register for this and it’s ludicrous.”

Mr Joy said there were long-service leave schemes that competed with each other - Black Coal Corporation and Q-Leave and put pressure on businesses.

“I have had numerous occasions where clients have been getting threatening letters from both funds,” he said.

Senator Abetz sparked widespread debate earlier this month by warning that unless employers and unions take responsibility for the cost of their pay deals to the broader economy, Australia risked a return to the ‘wages explosions’ of the 1970s and 80s, when thousands of workers lost their jobs.

He has asked why employers couldn’t “band together and just say no” to union demands rather than agitating for changes to the Fair Work Act.

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LNG lights local contracts frenzy Boulder is Gladstone’s last chance

SAVVY Gladstone businesses can become global leaders in the LNG niche and enjoy up to 40 years of service and maintenance work.

That’s the opinion of Deloitte Australia’s national director of oil and gas, Geoffrey Cann, who has written extensively about the port city on his blog site Fuel Up! “Without any doubt, there’s no better growth opportunity for a services company in Gladstone today,” he wrote.

“No other local industry shows this trajectory, and the projects will want to use local companies for services because it’s cost effective.

“But getting to the table won’t be easy.

You need to get smart on LNG, the needs of the sector, how it contracts, where your company can play and how you can win your share of this opportunity.”

Mr Cann has been in Gladstone recently running training courses on the LNG industry and its need for services. The courses have been delivered in collaboration with the Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA).

Over the next 12 to 24 months as Curtis Island’s three LNG plants become operational, company requirements will change from construction to ongoing maintenance and support services.

On his blog, Mr Cann details how the plants must run highly efficiently, within strict environmental guidelines, and with an availability rate much higher than general oil and gas facilities.

In fact, he says the plants will run at 97 per cent availability - as compared with the general rate of 80 per cent - if they are to produce an LNG cargo every few days.

This environment will create many opportunities for local businesses and the possibility to expand.

“Serve one plant with distinction, and you can serve all three, giving you scale and growth,” Mr Cann wrote.

“And if these plants achieve world-class performance (and yes, there’s enough gas), they will expand. And there’s opportunity to export to other emerging markets in Canada and the US.” Mr Cann said while the plants are set to be in business for at least the next 20 years, in his experience in the industry it is probably a lot longer - more like 30-40 years.

“The combination of complex facilities, large geography and island location brings a demanding set of service needs,” he said.

To read the blog in full go to http:// gecann.wordpress.com

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THE Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA) is calling for local businesses and the community to get behind the $4 billion Boulder Steel project, as it could be the last big project for the region.

Boulder Steel creditors voted earlier this month for a new proposal that saw local engineer Paul Sundstrom and Otsana Capital form a 50-50 joint venture and become the new owners.

Under the proposal, the joint venture will need to raise $600,000 over the next month; that will pay out employees 100 per cent and will see creditors receive 10 cents in the dollar.

If the project gets off the ground, it will see 2000 people employed during the 30-month construction and once built 1800 permanent positions.

“Some businesses are very positive and some are still doubtful whether funds can be raised, but the local community needs to be positive,” GEA’s general manager Carli Hobbs told Shift Miner.

Ms Hobbs said while there were smallscale projects on the cards for Gladstone, there were no other major industrial projects on the horizon.

“This is potentially the next industrial project for the community. Arrow is not going ahead and speaking to LNG companies, I don’t think they will build a plant in Gladstone.”

Mr Sundstrom, who will need to raise

half of the $600,000, told the Gladstone Observer he was comfortable working with the Otsana people and was quietly confident that “together we will get the job done and deliver those 1800 permanent jobs that are at stake”.

Otsana Capital, which has headquarters in Perth, specialises in raising capital and restructuring ASX-listed companies.

“Paul has already raised $150,000 from local input and for the rest, I believe he will do that through through the community and asking for potential investors and asking local businesses,” Ms Hobbs said.

This is just the beginning, as once the joint venture has paid off creditors, the next step will be raising enough money to fund an EIS, and this will be in the millions.

The GEA remains confident that the steel works project will get off the ground and that it will remain local.

“Boulder Steel has always been pushing for local support. The model in 2013 was to use local companies to form consortiums to construct eight packages.

“I believe the benefit may be of having a local engineer behind it who understands the expertise of engineers that Gladstone has.

“We are one of the most skilled engineering cities in Australia and Paul understands that and knows what Australian companies can do.”

Boulder Steel went into voluntary administration last year.

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Concerns raised over people working alone

AN injured Queensland coal worker was left pinned between a metal cable reel and cable reeler attachment for an hour before being discovered.

Two similar incidents have occurred at the Bowen Basin mine previously, prompting the Department of Natural Resources and Mines to focus on working remotely in its latest safety bulletin.

According to the bulletin, the worker was sent to remove a cable from a cable reeler attachment fitted to a diesel loader

in a cable storage area, and there was no one else working nearby.

To remove a bolt from the mounting cradle retaining clamp, the worker had to place his arm in a pinch point, and while doing so the cable reeler rotated and the reel dislodged from the cradle.

The workers’ upper left arm was trapped between the metal cable reel and the cable reeler attachment; he sustained a serious crush injury and was pinned for an hour before assistance arrived.

The Mining Inspectorate is looking at risk management and recommends that attachments are used on mobile equipment at both surface and underground mines include handlers, man baskets, cable reelers, stone dusters, shotcreters, component handling jigs, can grabs and bolting platforms.

It also points out the importance of managing the risk of all attachments, as there are significant differences between them.

Qualified mechanical or structural engineers should have assessed the attachment designs, and the the hierarchy of control should be applied at the design stage for all new equipment.

The department recommends mines undertake a retrospective hazard analysis for all similar equipment already in service and to ensure employees know which hazard identification process, such as Hazop, is applied to the attachments at their mine.

The department recommends that any tools needed to access, fit, remove or operate the attachment should be readily available to operators.

Many routine functions involve working along in remote locations, so employers should ask how their mine has identified and assessed the worker’s exposure to a hazard - then ensure a ‘working alone/ remotely’ process has been developed and implemented.

Training is another important factor: does the training process for the operation of mobile equipment account for the various attachments that can be utilised on the equipment?

The department said because two similar incidents happened, it is important to learn lessons from this.

More information can be found at the Department of Natural Resources and Mines safety bulletins http://mines.industry.qld.gov.au

News Red Hill back BMA is waiting on environmental approval for a mining lease that would extend two existing Bowen Basin mines and could lead to a brand new mega mine in the region.

The proposed Red Hill mine development, located 20km north of Moranbah, was first put on the table five years ago but was mothballed in 2012.

The underground mine has the potential to deliver up to 14 million tonnes of coking coal per annum and employ 2000 construction workers to build it and 1500 permanent workers to run it.

But new air has been breathed into the project, with the environmental impact statement (EIS) required for the mining lease closing for public comment mid next month.

However, a spokesperson for BMA said the renewed push for the mining lease was to expand operations at its existing Broadmeadow and Goonyella mines, which are also included in its boundaries.

“Approval of this project will enable and sustain mining activities within the Goonyella Riverside and Broadmeadow mine complex,” she said.

“It will also provide future growth options for the company.”

The lease covers three projects: the new Red Hill underground mine; three new longwall panels at Broadmeadow mine; and the further incremental expansion at Goonyella Riverside mine.

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17th February 2014

News Rocky gives Fitzroy Terminal thumbs up in council turnaround Shift Miner Magazine

www.shiftminer.com

By Inga Stünzner

THE controversial Fitzroy Terminal received a vote of confidence from the Rockhampton Regional Council last week, setting a clear and new agenda for the region.

Mayor Margaret Strelow told Shift Miner that supporting the $900 million coal terminal near Port Alma in the Fitzroy delta was dramatic departure from the previous stance of the amalgamated council.

“We felt it was important that we made a statement,” she said.

“The Rockhampton Regional Council before we

de-amalgamated… held the opposite view. One of the things de-amalgamation [from the Livingstone Regional Council] has done is that we can be clearer about our community and who we represent.”

Support for the terminal, which will lie halfway between Rockhampton and Gladstone at Port Alma, is subject to completion of its EIS. The company, Mitchell Group, was upfront at its presentation to the council yesterday that the project was taking far longer than expected

due to the current coal downturn, but it was keen to hang in there.

“We will support the project subject to completion of its EIS. There was a strong show of support and a lot of interest,” Cr Strelow said.

There had been much information about the project, however the science is being well-documented and the group has tried to address every possible impact, she added.

This is just one of a many projects the council is getting behind to ensure Rockhampton becomes a new resources hub.

“There are three million irons in the fire,” Cr Strelow said.

The council has just employed a mining specialist who will work with the resources sector and the council to build capacity and help build conglomerates with business supply groups.

Jane Whyte is currently the general manager of SME Gateways Adelaide and will start her new job as the resource industry relationship executive at the end of the month.

“It’s very much about building up capacity and businesses and where necessary building amalgamations to put in tenders

where businesses wouldn’t otherwise be able to,” Cr Strelow said.

The council is holding a public meeting at the Rockhampton Regional Library on February 21 to establish a steering committee, similar to MAIN in Mackay.

“It will be where suppliers to the resource sector can form a support group and create conglomerations and to get information into the sector about our capability.”

The idea is to get Capricorn Enterprise, Capricornia Chamber of Commerce and the Department of State Infrastructure and Planning working together.

“We’re not looking to duplicate what is already happening with Cap Enterprise etc, but it will be collaborative.”

Before Christmas, the council was pushing for Rockhampton to be a new FIFO hub and it has just commissioned a $80,000 formal study into documenting the city’s passengers, the airport and future strategies.

The report will be delivered in March or April.

Cr Strelow received a blistering attack from Mackay’s council and business groups after Rockhampton sponsored a Bowen

Basin Mining Club luncheon in Mackay last December.

“When I read what the Mercury reported, I am not surprised that the Mayor was upset,” she said.

“I told the ABC that we see the industry as moving further south - and I meant that we saw new exploration and development moving further south - not to take existing business from Mackay.”

The council sponsored the Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon because it was featuring GVK, which sees Rockhampton as the hub for the Galilee Basin.

Cr Strelow said the drive to generate a front page story was very destructive for regional growth.

“We are looking to have a relationship with Townsville, Mackay and Gladstone and build an alliance, but I am not confident to approach them at the moment.”

Meanwhile, the council has continued to be in discussions with other mines, such as Bandanna and Carabella.

“We see a real interest around Blackwater from the Chinese in purchasing their own mine and it makes sense from a business point of view.

“There are real opportunities.”

17th February 2014

11

Shift Miner Magazine

News

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Costs boon for Springsure Creek

THE Springsure Creek mine in Central Queensland is another step closer to production next year with reserves bigger than first thought and operational costs lower than expected.

Bandanna Energy’s managing director Michael Gray told Shift Miner the latest findings gives confidence in the project.

“We expect that reserve to

increase with more exploration and it shows there is a substantial reserve to justify the project commencing,” he said.

Since initial costs estimates two years ago, there has been a weakening in the mining construction market and coupled with the increase in reserves - operating costs have reduced from $65.61 per tonne to

$59.80 - excluding royalties.

Despite the oversupply of coal on the market and challenging conditions, Mr Gray is optimistic about the project’s future.

“I think the current coal pricing is tough and remain weak, but important too is that it is oversupply rather than a lack of demand.

“It depends on how long that oversupply will occur and I think it will be consumed over the next few years, and we want to position ourselves as to where the new supply will come from 201516 onwards,” he said.

“We are continuing to make good progress on the environment, costs and engineering and I think while the market is tough, our interest is in the mid to long term, and we have the ability to come with much lower capital costs.”

Bandanna Energy signed a non-binding agreement with a major Korean energy company last year and talks are continuing.

“They are interested in the timing of approvals and the

capital costs. It takes time as there are a lot of assets of for sale and a lot of challenges in the market.

“With the competitive costs for infrastructure, it is looking positive.”

Although Korea is the key market, Bandanna Energy has also been exploring potential markets in Japan and China.

The company is now seeking to finalise to finalist capital costs for the project and has selected Brisbane-based engineering and project management company Ausenco to provide project management advice, engineering support and procurement services.

Bandanna Energy is expecting to have in hand tendered and priced packages for all development services aligned with the expected timing for the grant of its mining licence by the June 30, 2014.

With the EIS approved last year, Bandanna Energy is now looking to finalise compensation arrangements with landowners and other key stakeholders.

“We have finalised a number of deals with landholders in the

area and we’re keen to progress with the remaining landholders,” Mr Gray said.

The miner is hoping to have this completed by the middle of year.

Many eyes are on the Springsure project, which will be the first underground mine in Australia to have crops simultaneously farmed on top.

Having mining and agriculture co-exist has been on the top of Bandanna’s agenda.

The miner has actually pushed for higher standards to better maintain productivity of prime agricultural land than are currently required by law.

“We’re listening to concerns about groundwater and impacts on cropping land,” Mr Gray said.

“To date we haven’t had any particular issue and … we haven’t seen any potential adverse impacts,” he said.

In good news for Rockhampton, which missed the boat during the last two mining booms, Bandanna sees it as a natural hub.

“We’ve met with a number of contractors and suppliers from Rocky and we’ll continue to do that.”

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17th February 2014

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Shift Miner Magazine

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Don’t rush land access deals in drought

News New mine for Collinsville?

QCOAL’S Drake coal project near Collinsville, in the northern Bowen Basin, has been granted the environmental go-ahead.

The open-cut mine, 17 kilometres south of Collinsville, is expected to generate about 350 construction jobs and 480 operational jobs. The mine would produce up to six million tonnes of coal per year for 30 years.

After being granted an environmental authority (EA), all the site needs now is a mining licence to proceed. That application is currently being considered by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines.

QCoal is a relatively small, private coal producer owned by billionaire geologist Christopher Wallin. Until recent times, QCoal was an explorer, but now has its sights set on becoming a major coal miner.

The Drake mine could breathe new life into the town of Collinsville, which has suffered enormously since Glencore shut down its mine and then reopened it with a new and

predominantly non-local workforce.

At a business presentation in Mackay last year, QCoal’s chief financial officer James Black said the company wanted to give its workforce choice when it came to accommodation.

Most of the company’s jobs growth is expected to come from the Drake mine and also the Byerwen mine, located west of Glenden.

“The two centres for our mines are Collinsville and Glenden, and we are really interested in talking to developers who want to work with us in accommodating our workforce,” Mr Black said at the time.

“In relation to Glenden, we have bought some large parcels of land that we will be developing to provide accommodation.

“That particular project will be three and four bedroom homes, so we can encourage our workforce to bring their families and integrate into the communities up in those regions.”

Blair Athol re-start delayed Image courtesy of Gasfields Commission

GASFIELDS commissioner and Wandoan beef producer Don Stiller has urged landholders and gas companies not to rush their land access negotiations during the drought.

Mr Stiller said he was particularly concerned at present with severe drought gripping most of regional Queensland that many landholders simply haven’t got the time to look after their immediate problems without also negotiating with resource companies.

“I appreciate these onshore gas companies have tight project schedules to meet, but this land access negotiation is crucial to both parties and is the foundation stone for a long-term businessto-business relationship lasting some 30 to 40 years,” he said.

“Even in their negotiations with landholders, I worry that some companies could use the flag of compensation to win over producers who are hard-pressed financially.”

He said the Commission has been

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17th February 2014

liaising with the major onshore gas companies and all understand the current plight facing many landholders and have indicated their staff and contractors are making every reasonable effort to be sensitive and responsive.

‘Making time’ is one of seven general tips provided by Mr Stiller as part of a basic guide for landholders to assist them in their land access negotiations with gas companies.

This is not exhaustive guide and does not represent legal advice, but rather draws on other checklists and the personal experience of Mr Stiller who has dealt with 12 resource companies on his properties over the past 15 years.

“You are on an equal business footing with these companies so be on the front foot in asking for what you need,” Mr Stiller said.

For a copy of Don Stiller’s tips and checklist – visit the GasFields Commission website at: www.gasfieldscommissionqld.org.au/ key-issues/land-access-checklist.html

DELAYED: Work will still go ahead for Blair Athol Mine, where environmental monitoring was important for former owners Rio Tinto.

THE new owners of the Blair Athol coal mine near Clermont are waiting on official paperwork to be signed off by the state government before they can begin in full swing at the site.

New Emerald Coal chief executive Michael Mapp said plans to have workers on site in January had been delayed because the company was still awaiting its official tenure transfer from former owners Rio Tinto to be approved.

However, Mr Mapp said the slight delay was due to the normal disruption of the Christmas-New Year holiday on business and it was not unexpected.

“It [the tenure transfer] was meant to be finished by the end of December, but that has now slipped into the new year,” he said.

“We thought there’d be some delays so that’s why we targeted a June start-up to be fully operational. This won’t delay that timetable.”

Meanwhile, the company has been shortlisting its new workforce. More than 1800 applications were received for 120 jobs at the mine at the end of last year.

“Since then, we’ve seen about 200 people in groups of 30 for a whole day in Clermont.

We are putting together a shortlist and management has really impressed with the quality of people to apply for jobs.”

Of the 200, 60 per cent live in Clermont, and another 30 per cent are from other Central Queensland centres like Emerald, Mackay and Rockhampton.

“Once we get the tenure transfer sorted then we will pick staff and let them know,” said Mr Mapp.

“We always assumed there would be some delays. In a perfect world we could have been operational by March, but with the silly season thrown in the mix that was never going to happen.”

The Blair Athol mine is the first coal project for New Emerald Coal, which bought the mine for $2 from Rio Tinto last year. The company is actively looking to purchase other sites in Queensland.

Shift Miner Magazine

News

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Rugby League stars join Bechtel safety program

BRONCO SAFETY: Thomas Hodak got the chance to show his true colours to two of Queensland’s rugby league greats, Corey Parker and Sam Thaiday.

$50M Cockatoo expansion takes off

EXPANDED PRODUCTION: Cockatoo building a new shovel for the Baralaba North expansion

COCKATOO Coal has begun work on its $50 million Baralaba coal mine expansion in the southern Bowen Basin.

The new development is occurring to the north of their current Baralaba mining operations and, when completed, is expected to increase production at the site to 3.5 million tonnes of coal a year.

So far, nearly $10 million has been spent on the construction of major flood mitigation works, overburden removal, administration, new accommodation and access roads.

An additional mining fleet is currently being deployed, and the construction of a new Liebherr 996 excavator has also started.

Several coal seams have already been exposed with first coal scheduled to be exported by June this year.

Last year was a big year for Cockatoo Coal.

The company raised nearly $170 million through a capital raising and acquired Surat and Bowen Basin explorer Blackwood Corporation.

However, even more notably, it proved there was still profit in coal mining in the September quarter when it made around $1.5 million from coal exports.

Run-of-mine coal production was just short of 200,000 tonnes which cost about $18 million to mine, making the cost per tonne mined about $90.

In return, it received $19.5 million for the export of PCI and thermal coal.

Cockatoo Coal’s managing director Andrew Lawson said the last three months of 2013 had been significant for the company.

“I am delighted that we have been able to complete these funding transactions in an effective and efficient manner,” he said.

“It is a testament to the quality of our asset portfolio that we have attracted such significant support in an otherwise depressed coal and equity market.

“I am pleased to see the development of the Baralaba North mine continuing, and look forward to delivering value to our shareholders in 2014.”

BRISBANE Broncos favourites Sam Thaiday and Corey Parker swapped footy boots for steel caps earlier this month, visiting the Bechtel team on the Santos GLNG project to talk safety.

Their visit is part of the highly successful Bechtel Safety League that was launched on the project last year.

The Bechtel team donated $65,000 to local charities as a result of the inaugural campaign, which challenges employees to improve their safety performance and reduce their injuries while at work.

The initiative has already led to some impressive outcomes, with the team recently recording two million hours on the Curtis Island site without a lost time injury.

As part of their visit the rugby league stars spent two days on site speaking with recent Safety League challenge winners, highlighting the importance of staying focused on the job and

preparing for the year ahead.

“Construction and rugby league have a lot in common.

Preparation and focus are key to being work ready and, most importantly, safe on site,” Broncos co-captain Corey Parker said.

The site’s environment, health and safety manager Jeff Weldon said the players motivated the workforce to continually improve their safety performance.

“Sam and Corey compared their pre-season training to how the workforce should approach personal safety and the safety of their mates every single day,” Jeff said.

“The entire team on site has embraced the Safety League program and injuries have been reduced because of the team’s engagement. Corey and Sam were amazed at the scale of the project and how we managed the safety challenges on such a large-scale construction site.”

Curragh’s expansion to generate work

DESPITE lower production from existing mines and a soft coal price, Wesfarmers has paid $90 million for about 250 million tonnes of mostly steelmaking coal in the Bowen Basin.

The Mineral Development Licence (MDL) was purchased from US-based coal miner Peabody and includes about 70 million tonnes of proven and probable coal.

Importantly for Wesfarmers, the location of the MDL between their existing Curragh North and South operations at Blackwater means while there is work to be done at the site little new infrastructure will be required to mine it.

Wesfarmers major coal customers

are paying 5 per cent less for coal this year than they were in the last three months of 2013, however managing director Stewart Butel remains optimistic.

“The acquisition will augment the total base of coal reserves potentially available for mining and processing at Curragh’s coal handling and preparation plants by approximately 29 per cent,” he said.

“The acquisition of MDL 162 reflects Wesfarmers’ confidence in the longer-term outlook of Curragh’s export coal business, and is expected to extend Curragh’s mine life and provide future options to further optimise mine operations.”

Last year was a tumultuous one for Curragh with wet weather early in the calendar year meaning total coal production was down nearly 7 per cent.

However, there are strong signs the mine will soon hit record production levels with metallurgical coal production increasing 1.1 per cent and steaming coal up more than 10 per cent in the last three months of 2013.

17th February 2014

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Shift Miner Magazine

Around Town

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MIDDLEMOUNT MINGLING Middlemount locals snapped out and about this month. [Photo credit: Nicky Way]

Priscilla Gaspar and Thalina Byers with Tegan and Jayda Sterland

(L-R) Bailey, William, Thomas, Sarah, Jamie-Grace and Hayden Peatey

Jake, Corbin and Shona Barber

Emily Hurricane

Barbara and Laura Gracey

Rebecca and Byron Hurricane Ness Burton and littlies

Lindsey Vickers holding Tiama Scates

Lorretta and Penny Watts

Ayla Moss and Alexis Webber

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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17th February 2014

Shift Miner Magazine

Around Town

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PACKED LUNCHES ARE BACK!

Summer holidays had to end eventually, and so it was back to school recently for children across Queensland. Blackwater students were among those to swap summer sleep-ins for early morning chaos. [Photo credit: Jeanette Fletcher]

(L-R) Milla, Mason and Olli Blythe

Xanda and Cree Svilans

(L-R) Bailey and Grace Madsen and Kurt, Taja,and Lainee Ingram

Sophie and Hollie James

Anish Prasad

Lachlan Anderson

Chris and Ben Duncan

Shaylee Booker and Ella Goodwin

(L-R) Sienna and Shaylee Booker with Tarni, Lachlan, Bridie and Kelsea Anderson and Rhiannon Noonan

Ryleigh and Erin Godfrey

Buy this and many other images at

www.shiftminer.com Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together 17th February 2014

17

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Off Shift

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FROm THE EDITOR

Qualifications questions WHEN Shift Miner broke the story a fortnight ago about a Central Queensland trainer charged with fraud, we realised there would be widespread repercussions for the training and resources industry.

Thirty-year-old Jennifer Deasy was charged with 17 counts of fraud for allegedly issuing fake certificates through her business.

Ms Deasy is the owner of North Australia Career and Training Services (NACTS) based in Rockhampton, and has been bailed to appear before the Rockhampton Magistrates Court on February 19.

The issue - whether she is found innocent or guilty - is another pressure put on an industry that has already been under fire.

The boom in the mining and resource sector has meant an influx of registered training organisations to keep up with the demand for new employees and upskill existing workers.

Out of this is growing concern that there are a number of ‘cowboy’ operators taking a tick-and-flick approach, and others who may try to do the right thing but offer sub-standard training.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)’s own audit found at least 10 per cent of RTOs were making inaccurate marketing claims and that 8 per cent were misleading.

The result is that the industry is being brought into disrepute and those who are doing the right thing are being tarnished.

ASQA has only been in existence for two-and-a-half years. We can only hope that what’s been uncovered during that time means the industry is cleaned out quickly so those who care about training can get on with doing the job properly.

Inga Stünzner Comment or SMS 0409 471 014

Photos to THE EDITOR

Stuff to the Editor Shift Miner recently broke the news that 30-year-old Rockhampton trainer Jeniffer Deasy had been charged with 17 counts of fraud (see our front page story). Our readers responded instantly online and on Facebook: What I want to know is how come this wasn’t picked up sooner? You’d think some company somewhere would look into the authenticity of these certificates.

Dan Smith Struth! Didn’t see that one coming.

Makes you feel for all the blokes out there who got issued dodgy certs. What’s going to happen to them? Robbo Hope they throw the book at her! With no OH&S PPP!!!! Rani Dean Last edition’s front page story on inadequate training in the drilling industry saw a big response from readers: About time some light was thrown on the problems of the drilling industry.

Queensland is struggling to keep up with

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M A G A Z I N E

DANGER! DRILLING Why worke

rs are being

injured

Mining an d sport: get hurt, you

PERSONAL INJ EXPERTS URY All accidents

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demand but that shouldn’t mean people get hurt. Dan, Chinchilla It’s ridiculous how much seniority young people have on rigs now. It’s all out of whack, and people just don’t have the experience to know what to do when something goes wrong. Sam, Mackay How can it be okay for trainers to be ADMITTING that the courses are not keeping up with the industry? That needs to be addressed fast. F Atkins, Emerald Just goes to show why you need unions.

Everyone is having a bash at the moment, with all the news about corruption and bribery in the CFMEU, but the fact is when something goes badly wrong who’s in your corner? DS, Rockhampton

Editor’s Pick CUT FOR A CAUSE: Wacky hairstyles lead to $5000 being raised for charity.

Want to exercise your wit? We are placing a photo of an accident or mishap on our Facebook page, and you have the opportunity to caption it. Here are some comments we received for this image.

COMMENTS: Frank the Tank: Women drivers, bloody typical.

Robert Dyson: Where’s the law for over-hang out the front... She won’t go anywhere boss!

Michael Dwyer: Tie down or get poled.

Wayne N Michelle Kelly: Don’t know what you’re talking about mate, brakes work great!

James Galdal: Nah boss, I’m well within the overhang limit out the back.

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

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17th February 2014

THE good people at Isaac Plains have been quietly raising money for charity since 2010, and Shift Miner has decided they should get some credit where credit is due!

The B crew (in production and maintenance) started out with a traditional Movember fundraiser, but now it has grown to the point where $5269 was raised this year. That money has been donated

to the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Queensland but each year a different charity is picked.

This pic was sent in by Michael Kidd.

He says Carborough Downs miners also made some worthy donations on the night.

Shift Miner commiserates with the wives and girlfriends who had to put up with the hairstyles, but it was all for a good cause!

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Off Shift

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Frank the Tank’s Dear Frank,

My husband is about to turn 40 and I think he’s gearing up for a serious mid-life crisis.

Last week he came home with an earring, he keeps talking about getting a tattoo and he spends all his free time looking at sports cars online.

I’m worried he’s losing the plot.

How can I convince him that turning 40 isn’t a big deal?

Karen, Rockhampton

If you ask me, the mid-life crisis is a made up term used by women to try and stop men from having fun.

When we’re young we enjoy doing things like drinking beer, driving fast cars and stealing lingerie from the neighbour’s clothesline.

It’s a common misconception that men grow out of doing these things.

The fact is, usually this behaviour is curtailed by the crushing monotony of work and married life.

However, once we reach 40 we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, plus we typically have more money than we did in our 20s.

What’s wrong with spending that money on a sports car, or a tasteful sculpture of one woman spanking another?

My wife accused me of suffering a mid-life crisis when I turned 40.

Why? Because I suggested it would be a

“Streakin” good love advice

fantastic social experiment to buy a monkey, shave him and send him to school as our son. If David Attenborough had done the same thing it would have been a roaring success.

The fact is, Karen, your husband isn’t losing the plot; you just think he is because he’s reverting back to his natural behaviour.

I shouldn’t be telling you this - it’s a massive betrayal of my gender, but there are ways you can curb your husband’s unsatisfactory behaviour.

Visit your local doctor’s surgery and claim you’re suffering unbearable stress and anxiety.

You’ll most likely be prescribed some sort of sedative, which you can then grind up and add to your husband’s food on a daily basis.

He’ll become so docile that the mere act of blinking will seem like a wild ride in a Ferrari.

Frank the government for “musical services”.

It’s not the first time a band has complained about the US government using their tunes for torture.

Metal giants Metallica complained to the government when they discovered their music was being used during interrogations in Iraq.

The heavy rock music is used to deprive detainees of sleep.

Fair Dinkum!

IN THE UK - A teenager

The six-time Hot Dog Eating Champion and Major League Eating (MLE) champion, Kobayashi Takeru, would have had no problems binge eating for the Japanese police force.

IN THE US

- Canadian metal band Skinny Puppy has sent the US government an invoice after learning their music was

used as a torture device on detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The hard rockers reportedly invoiced

stabbed his mother before hacking off his own penis while high on the party drug ‘meow meow’.

The 19-year-old man was discovered hanging from a window with blood gushing from his groin after his mother called the police.

Both were rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

It is believed surgeons were able to re-attach the teenager’s penis.

Mephadrine, which is commonly called meow meow, was marketed as a legal high before it was banned in 2010.

SENSIBLE SUSAN Karen, This kind of behaviour is not out of the ordinary. Many men act out in some pretty strange ways when they reach the big four zero.

In all likelihood, your husband is probably just a bit nervous about turning 40. Once it actually happens he’ll probably realise it’s not that big a deal and go back to normal.

If, however, this concerning behaviour continues there are some suggestions you can make to help him conquer his crisis.

Encourage him to take up a new activity, surround himself with positive people, and if you’re really concerned speak to a qualified professional (like a psychologist).

Susan

IN ITALY - An Italian man who

adopted more than 15 cats over a twoyear period has been accused of cooking and eating them.

The man visited several animal shelters in the province of Brianza to adopt black cats with similar characteristics.

When confronted by police he seemed confused and asked if eating cats was against the law.

Cat consumption is not altogether uncommon in Italy, with one expert estimating that Italians eat between 500 and 600 felines every year.

IN JAPAN - A police sergeant has stepped down after he was reprimanded for forcing new recruits to binge eat in order to toughen them up.

According to a Japanese newspaper he blamed new recruits’ lack of energy on a low-calorie diet.

The sergeant apparently forced the young recruits to eat 15 burgers, 15 donuts, a large cup of noodles and three to four litres of iced coffee in one sitting.

17th February 2014

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NOW ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS at www.shiftminer.com CAR FOR SALE

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Diesel Wagon Low Km’s 278 000 Dual Batteries, 8” Sunraysia Rims, Cooper Tyres UHF, Electric Breaks, Fridge Plug In Rear Always Garaged, Log of Services.

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Shift Miner Magazine

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MOVIE Review by Justin Carlos

Sex, drugs and stockbroking

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wealth, and the life of excess and depravity that came as a result.

It is unflinching in its depiction of Belfort’s excessive lifestyle.

No mainstream movie in recent memory has featured so many scenes

During the 1990s Belfort amassed a personal fortune of over $50 million by selling high-margin stocks to gullible investors.

The film follows Belfort’s (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) path to immense

REVERED director Martin Scorsese returns to his unrelenting, unrepentant best in this adaptation of the best-selling book, The Wolf of Wall Street, which chronicles the true story of Wall Street rip-off merchant, Jordan Belfort.

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of reckless drug taking and wild, orgiastic sex.

It also set a record for most uses of the F-word, but considering the film runs for three hours it’s got a decided head start on most features.

The Wolf of Wall Street is darkly comedic at every turn; you’ll either find yourself laughing out loud or shaking your head in disgust.

Scorsese glosses over consequence, most notably Belfort’s guilty verdict for insider trading, and presents a monument to being super rich and totally out of control.

DiCaprio is charismatic and surprisingly hilarious as Jordan Belfort, a performance equalled by Jonah Hill as Belfort’s right-hand man, Donny Azoff.

Undoubtedly one of the best movies to hit cinemas in recent months, and hotly in contention at this year’s Oscars, The Wolf of Wall Street is something movie buffs owe it to themselves to check out.

A word of caution, however. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart.

If you’re at all squeamish about graphic sex scenes or prolific drug use, then proceed with extreme caution.

The film is also a must see for fans of Martin Scorsese. He’s recaptured and reinvented the unrepentant unscrupulousness that laced his 1990 gangster classic, Goodfellas.

DOWN 1. Canada’s Nova ...

2. Tribal leaders 3. Carpentry spikes 4. Transmitting 6. Skin preparations 7. Patellas 8. Behaves affectedly (4-4) 11. Becomes mature 15. Wetness 17. Leading unit # 61 18. Summary 20. Comfortable 21. Continuous 22. Rarely 23. Racehorse with stamina 26. Cook in oven

LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS M I S T R U S E P I O D I A L OGU I S D R COMME N C S S E A L P S R A O E N S I GN S W S C A A R E N A G R S B O D U S T I N E O N D U R E S S

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Five foods you won’t believe THERE’s food, and then there’s extreme food.

Forget MasterChef, these foods are only for the super brave or the super wealthy.

The world’s hottest chilli Back in 1912 Wilbur Scoville developed the Scoville scale that was designed specifically to measure the heat of chilli peppers.

These days horticulturists and pepper lovers compete to create the world’s hottest chilli.

Currently the world record belongs to the Trinidad Morgua Scorpion, which measures a taste bud destroying two million on the Scoville scale.

To put that into perspective, Tobasco sauce hits a meagre 5000 on the scale.

After watching YouTube videos of people attempting to the scorpion chilli...we’d advise against it.

The deadliest delicacy The most expensive pizza If you’ve ever complained about the price of pizza, this might put things into perspective.

The 8-inch Louis XIII is the world’s most expensive pizza. It costs a ridiculous $12,000.

It takes three chefs to make the pizza and another three days for the dough to rise.

The Louis also features gourmet ingredients like lobster, caviar and hand-picked salt.

The good thing is delivery is free to anywhere in Italy.

The Japanese pufferfish Fugu, which translates to river pig, contains deadly amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin that - if ingested - causes muscle paralysis and eventually death.

Despite the decidedly unappetising ability to kill you horribly, Fugu is considered a delicacy when prepared correctly.

Chefs must be trained rigorously in the preparation of fugu and sale of the liver (which is the deadliest, and ironically most delicious part of the fish) is banned in Japan.

White Truffle Bird Nest Soup They eat a lot of strange things in Asia, including bird nests.

The nest of the Southeast Asian Swiftlet creates its tiny nest out of saliva...which sounds pretty gross.

The swiftlet builds its nest in hard-to-reach coastal caves, so bird nest soup costs upwards of $50 a bowl.

Fifty bucks for a mouthful of bird spit...no thanks.

I asked a waiter in a restaurant what truffles were once, and he didn’t know. Probably not the best endorsement for that particular ‘gourmet’ restaurant.

The white truffle is a mushroom that grows underground and can’t be replicated genetically or in greenhouses; it is usually sniffed out by pigs or dogs.

The rarity of the fungi has made it incredibly expensive. The truffle pictured sold for $150,000 in 2009.

Ebay - along with drink - is the Devil

WHOEVER invented eBay should be filled with deep regret and sincere remorse.

With the possible exception of internet pornography, no other online service instills users with quite the same sense of embarrassment and shame.

Perhaps you think I’m exaggerating, but allow me to elaborate.

After liberally consuming the recreational beverage known as ‘beer’, it seems like an excellent idea to whip out the old iPhone and peruse the eBay app.

This is never, ever a good idea.

It’s well documented that alcohol impairs one’s judgment while driving or deciding whether or not to sing karaoke, but it also completely shuts down the part of your brain that scrutinises retail purchases.

You and your friends might be drinking at the pub and you start talking about how

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17th February 2014

you all owned Super Nintendos when you were kids, and how awesome it would be if you could still buy a Super Nintendo.

After three more schooners you decide to check out the eBay app, and someone in Western Australia is selling a Super Nintendo and 20 games for a poultry $500!

For the rest of the evening this seems totally awesome, maybe you even start writing down the rules for a Super Mario Bros drinking game.

Fast forward to the next morning and things are vastly different.

A wave of regret crashes over you when you jump on eBay and see that soul crushing message, “Congratulations, you have won Super Nintendo + 20 games!

Payment required: $500.”

Now you have to explain to your girlfriend that you probably won’t be able to afford that holiday to Fiji because you spent half a grand (plus shipping) on a 20-year-old gaming console.

You will probably then have to field questions from your neighbours like, “Why was your girlfriend in your front yard smashing a Nintendo with a cricket bat?”

Drunken impulse buying is certainly shame inducing, but there’s nothing quite as enraging as losing a bid on something you really want by 50 cents.

Who has the time to sit on eBay and watch auctions in real time, trumping the highest

bidder by 50 cents right at the last moment?

Not only is it one of the primary causes of fists through computer screens, it’s obscenely ungentlemanly.

I’ll go on the record and liken ‘sniping’ someone’s eBay purchase at the last moment to that bloke who always disappears from the pub when it’s his turn to shout.

Behaviour like that should be met with fitting punishment.

Offenders should be banned from eBay and/or pubs for a minimum of 90 days, depending on the seriousness of their crimes.

Despite its ability to cause fits of rage

and unimaginable regret, I will continue to use eBay. It’s just too convenient to be able to purchase anything I want without tiresome shop assistants obnoxiously asking me, “What are you up to today?”

I’ll just have to make peace with the regret of occasionally purchasing useless high ticket items like solar powered combs, and the rage associated with desperately trying to find ‘Smithy_1979’s’ real phone number so I can call to abuse him for outbidding me on the only adult Ninja Turtle costume on eBay.

Shift Miner Magazine

Off Shift

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Corporate tents available ContaCt: rick Jones 0409 059 806 or rick.jones@olamnet.com

SHIFT MINER’S PICK

What’s Happening?

Mud Run Emerald Saturday, February 22, 2014

Region: Queensland - Emerald Matt Hayden

Bulls Masters v Central Highlands XI Twenty 20 Saturday 1st March 2014

Andy Bichel

Admis

sion

$10

Under

14s

FREE

Agnes Water Blues and Roots Festival

Gates open at 12.00pm Game commences at 3.00pm

Emerald Showground Proudly supported by CNW Electrical

Friday, February 28, 2014 - Sunday, March 2, 2014

Region: Queensland Gladstone

Free kids coaching clinic from 1.00 – 2.00pm

Carl Rackemann

Michael Kasprowicz

Wayne Grady

Wendell Sailer

Adam Dale

Tickled Pink is proud to host the Mud Run Emerald 2014 for its second year running.

All funds raised are directed straight back into the Central Highland’s local cancer charities supported through the Emerald Neighbourhood Centre. The charity groups supported include: CQ Division for Breast and Prostate Cancer Mens Cancer Support Group Look Good Feel Better Program Link for More Details: www.mudrunemerald.com.au

Jimmy Maher

Agnes Water Blues and Roots Festival is back!

Dates have been confirmed and an extra night has been added to make the festival even bigger and better! That means over 32 hours of the best blues and roots music they can fit in!

They’re bringing back some old favourites, some new old favourites, a spectacular show that wowed the crowd at Byron Bluesfest,

headline acts across the weekend as well as up and coming talent from around Australia.

If you ever needed an excuse to make a big blues weekend of it in paradise this is it. Tour the region, surf, swim, play and still enjoy some of the best blues on the planet.

Bruno Mars Friday, March 7, 2014

Region: Queensland - Brisbane BRUNO MARS is thrilled to announce he will bring his Moonshine Jungle Tour to Brisbane in March, 2014.

The tour announcement comes hot on the heels of an electrifying performance at The Logies last Sunday, and Bruno Mars and his full band are set to lift the roof off Perth Arena, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, Sydney’s Allphones Arena and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, unleashing such blockbuster hits as ‘Locked Out of Heaven’, ‘The Lazy Song’, ‘When I Was Your Man’, plus #1 hits ‘Just The Way You Are’ and ‘Grenade’ in Mars’ biggest ever Aussie shows.

The Grammy award winning, multi-platinum, ARIA #1, superstar has achieved worldwide sales of eight million albums and 58 million singles to date.

Visit: www.ticketek.com.au to book. www.shiftminer.com/events - events uploaded daily, just for the mining community.

Want more events in your world?

PAST QUEENSLAND CRICKETERS NURTURING TODAY’S GAME

Go online and look at our events guide. It’s updated daily. www.shiftminer.com or get the iPhone app

17th February 2014

23

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Off Shift

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Bait Shop Banter

is starting to flow into the Fitzroy you should find barra. Try the lagoons and the woolwash,” said Adrian.

There’s also been some good catches of barra and threadfin at Coorooman Creek.

MACKAY

HOOKED: This lad hooked a nice threadfin in the midst of some very ordinary weather.

YEPPOON

- Wind and rain has hampered the fishing of late, which means there’s been virtually no action off shore.

However, Adrian from the Secret Spot in Yeppoon said anglers brave enough to endure the conditions onshore have had some success.

“Those who braved the weather and

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17th February 2014

weren’t bothered about getting damp got good numbers of barra, and there’s also been some quality crabs around.”

If you’re out to bag a barra there’s a few choice spots around the river that have been producing.

“The Fitzroy is fishing well down near Gavial Creek, and anywhere the water

- Cyclones further north pushed some very ordinary weather down to Mackay in the last fortnight so all the fishing has been done onshore.

Clint from Tackle World Mackay reckons that despite the blustery conditions there’s been some really good barra caught.

“The creeks have been good for a lot of barra and plenty of threadfin. The bigger estuaries, like around the mouths of Sandy, Bakers and Murray Creeks, have been fishing the best.”

Despite the prevalence of barra, you’ll need to work hard if you want to catch one.

“Most of the fish are being caught on live bait, because the water is a bit colder they’re not hitting lures as much.

“You might hook six fish on live bait and only land one, they’re being really finicky at the moment,” said Clint.

The creeks are also producing heaps of crabs and nice grunter around the 50 cm mark.

GLADS TONE

- Bait Shop Banter is starting to sound like a broken record, but strong winds have made fishing in Gladstone very difficult over the past month.

Craig from Pat’s Tackle World has

described the fishing of late as, “Very, very slack.”

“With up to 30 knot winds for the past month the fishing out wide is non-existent. They’re still catching a few grunter, barra and mangrove jack in the estuaries, but the wind has been horrific,” said Craig.

The weather is expected to drop off this week and conditions should improve markedly across the majority of the Queensland coast.

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

angus.peacocke@shiftminer.com

Shift Miner Magazine

Sport

www.shiftminer.com

CSG rosters a problem for Suns NEWCOMERS to the Darling Downs AFL competition, the Chinchilla Suns, are lining up again in 2014 for their second season.

It was hardly a fairytale start for the Suns, with 2013 providing more offfield headaches than on-field glory.

Club president Jay Paget said that despite a literal surge in available talent in Chinchilla, the Suns were constantly hindered by the unavailability of players during the 2013 season.

“We struggled to get it all up and running to be honest. There’s a lot of guys out here willing to get on board, but industry really governs the availability of players,” Mr Paget said “All the work out here is generated by gas and coal and it’s all shift work.

A lot of talented guys train with us, but because of their work schedule they can’t commit to playing on a Saturday afternoon.”

Despite these difficulties, the Suns are looking forward to a bigger and better 2014 with a strong focus on the future.

“We picked up one win in the 2013 season and had a couple of close ones, but we’re looking forward now.”

“It’s all about laying a platform for juniors and setting something up for the future.”

Like other sporting codes in mining towns, it seems AFL is feeling the pinch with players heavily favouring work over lifestyle.

“Work is definitely the priority that’s what a lot of these guys are out here for,” Mr Paget added.

“We actually had a guy lose his job as a result of pulling a sickie to play footy, so there’s not a lot of give and take with the companies.”

The Suns are currently seeking a coach for their senior team, anyone interested in coaching or playing should contact club president Jay Paget on 0404 399 951.

League the latest casualty of mining downturn

THE Central Highlands Rugby League has dropped two teams from its competition this year as it adjusts to a new reality on the coal fields.

The towns of Dysart and Tieri won’t field a senior rugby league side due to a lack of players.

However it’s not just the downturn to blame - participation in senior contact sport has been falling in the coal and gas fields for a number of years.

Mainly due to 12 hour rosters and a less accommodating attitude from mining bosses, concerned about injured players not being able to work.

Gone are the days when talent on the footy pitch opened doors in mining.

Competition president Darren Sargood told Shift Miner Dysart and Tieri just couldn’t scratch together a team every week.

“Unfortunately we have lost a couple of sides taking the number of teams down from 9 to 7,” he said.

“The Peak Downs Pirates and the Dysart

Bulls made the decision to sit this season out, and that was before the latest round of Saraji cuts were announced.”

“But it’s not the first time this has happened and probably not the last.

League on the highlands is very cyclical, and teams have always come back when

their numbers improve.”

There are some reports that the mining correction has made some players more available to play football because they are on more “sport friendly” rosters.

While Mr Sargood says he hasn’t seen that himself, he says player numbers in the teams remaining is good.

In a surprising twist, it could be women that step into fill the void, with a new three team womens competition kicking off this year.

While girls have played in the past, it has been on an adhoc basis.

But this year Mr Sargood is hopeful that they could be playing every fortnight.

“We are working through it no, and we are hoping that the girls will be able to play as a curtain raiser for the mens home games,” he said.

“We are also waiting on junior and under 18 competition timetables before finalising ours, so that we can try and get juniors, under 18s, women’s and seniors all on the same day.”

Most games are expected to be played on saturday nights, with an expected competition start date on the long weekend in April

17th February 2014

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Shift Miner Magazine

Money Matters

www.shiftminer.com

MONEY TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

What is your biggest asset?

What about work cover?

Whilst work cover will cover you if something occurs at work, a proper income protection policy can cover you 24/7 worldwide. And not just if you have an accident and get injured, but it can cover you in case you get ill as well!

Your Car? No. Your Super? No. Your Home? No. Your biggest asset is your income and your ability to earn it.

Without your income none of the above would happen! You would be left with no car, no home and no super to retire on!

Have you considered how you would maintain your lifestyle if you couldn’t work tomorrow? Being ill or injured is difficult enough without the financial pressure of not being able to earn an income.

Did you know?

About 77 per cent of Australians have

had a disease or other health problem that had lasted, or was expected to last, six months or more1. Could you survive without your income for six months?

Nearly 10 per cent of Australian full-time workers leave work due to chronic illness2.

Having income protection - a support system for your lifestyle - in place, eases the stresses of family commitments and financial obligations like bills and mortgage payments during traumatic times in your life. This allows you to focus on more important things like your recovery.

And depending on your occupation you may be able to have this benefit paid until you are age 65 or 70 if you can’t work again.

Deductible annual premiums

Did you know annual premiums for income protection are generally tax deductible outside of super? If you prepay your annual premium before 30 June, every cent comes off this year’s taxable income.

To ask any questions or continue the conversation email simon.milton@ morgans.com.au or jeff.white@morgans. com.au or call us on 07 3114 8652.

1 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Australia’s Health: The eleventh biennial health report, 2008 2 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Chronic disease and participation in work, February 2009

ROOM WITH A VIEW

MONTHLY STOCK TIP: BHP Billiton (BHP) BHP Billiton (BHP): While parts of the mining sector have been under extreme pressure, BHP’s recent production report shows a clear increase across its priority hard commodities as well as continued cost-cutting measures, which are yielding results for the company. We believe that BHP’s current share price represents very good value and presents you with a great buying opportunity right now. Furthermore, a recovery in commodity prices will quickly improve margins and overall returns to investors..

To buy stock today in BHP please call Jeff White on 07 3600 8621.

To ask them any questions or continue any of these conversations please email jeff.white@morgans.com.au or simon.milton@morgans.com.au and they will try to help.

»

Exotic homes

9 Cycas Close

Kamerunga, Cairns Price: $756,000

Stylish and secluded, this rainforest retreat is just a short drive from the Cairns CBD. Sporting four bedrooms, three bathrooms, fantastic outdoor entertaining areas, spacious carport (perfect for the boat), modern kitchen and bath this home proves you can get away from it all without sacrificing creature comfort. Nearby waterfalls and swimming holes provide a perfect place to escape the tropics, and there are plenty of scenic walking tracks in nearby Barron Gorge National Park.

Contact Ralph Westera 0418 187 161 ralph.westera@quaid.com.au Quaid Real Estate, Cairns

for the mobile miner

Castillo Caribe Cayman Islands Price: $35,000,000 USD

Mount Archer, Rockhampton Price: $890,000

If you want to fully appreciate the saying ‘on top of the world’ then check this out. Perched high atop Mount Archer this modern three bedroom home boasts some of the most awe-inspiring views in Rockhampton. Galley style timber kitchen, gas powered wood heater, high ceilings and a 3000L rainwater tank are just some of the features in this hilltop home. What could be better than sitting on your deck with a beer and taking in views that stretch all the way to the ocean?

Contact: Aaron Kelly, Pat O’Driscoll Real Estate, 0400 349 811 aaron.kelly@podre.com.au

How cool would it be to tell people you own an island?

Well, part of an island at least.

Just an hour from the Mackay harbour, this is the secluded island paradise you’ve daydreamed about for years.

What you’d actually be buying is a 10-acre 25-year lease (expiring in 2034) which is renewable subject to government approval.

It’s zoned for residential properties and there’s already some older style cottages established on the island. Build your island dream house or get back to nature and camp on your own private beach, the choice is yours.

Contact Alex Caraco, Coldwell Banker Mackay 0407 502 100

»

22 Sleipner Street

»

Off Mackay Price: $695,000

»

8 St Bees Island

Ah, the Cayman Islands. Sun, sand, and literally no taxes!

For the meagre sum of 35 mil you too can enjoy the lifestyle of the rich and famous in this sprawling beachfront mansion. There’s plenty of room for when the family comes to visit too, this 48,000 square foot home features eight bedrooms and fourteen baths. Don’t feel like cooking or cleaning? No problem, there’s also staff quarters. After a spirited game of indoor golf and a run around on your private tennis court you can relax in the pool or grotto before dinner in the banquet room. Please direct your inquiries to Cayman Islands Sotheby’s International Realty.

Send your exotic dream property details and low resolution images to justin.carlos@shiftminer.com

26

17th February 2014

Shift Miner Magazine

Money Matters

www.shiftminer.com

Flat outlook for gas hotspots THREE years ago they were the darlings of the residential investment property scene, but today the outlook for property investors in key CSG locations is - at best - flat.

That’s according to real estate valuers Herron Todd White (HTW), who have painted a very subdued picture of property rentals and prices across the key CSG localities in Queensland.

Headlining the report is the confirmation that a major oversupply of residential accommodation in Gladstone has led to around 11.5 per cent of houses in the 4680 postcode being listed as vacant. That is a 7.6 per cent increase in just one year, and HTW has not ruled out it getting worse.

“Despite this increasing rate, there are still extensive townhouse and unit developments under construction with most of the product having been purchased off the plan 12 to 18 months ago,” HTW said in its monthly report.

“While construction of new homes in modern estates has cooled over the last several months, new product is still being project marketed to investors.

“As these developments are completed, we expect the vacancy rate to rise further.

How high they go is anyone’s guess.”

As previously reported, the big fall in housing demand in Gladstone coincides with a falling local CSG construction workforce as the three gas projects on Curtis Island are completed.

Upstream in the gas fields where work continues unabated, the outlook for property prices and rents is better.

However, towns like Chinchilla, Roma, Dalby and Wandoan are no longer considered the boom towns they were in 2012.

In its report HTW says demand for residential property is easing in most CSG towns at the same time as supply of new housing is rising.

Most notably, HTW says the impact of the CSG industry on Dalby has declined considerably as the CSG industry moves westward to places like Chinchilla and Miles, and in those towns large private property investment has caught up with demand.

“The Chinchilla market is anticipated to continue as a relatively volatile market as mining and energy projects move from planning to the construction phase,” HTW said in its report.

“The demand for new dwellings appears to be subsiding, however with the continuous development of mining projects, there is still strong rental demand.

“Miles has shown similar market characteristics to Chinchilla, rental returns have been maintained due to the oil and gas operations in the area, but there is a large supply of house and land packages, and values have flattened over the past six months.”

In Wandoan and Taroom, where property investment was based on the development of the now mothballed Wandoan coal project, sales activity has slowed right down and is unlikely to change in the medium term.

However, rental activity in both towns remains reasonably strong thanks to nearby CSG work.

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Contact Simon Milton 07 3114 8652 or Jeff White 07 3114 8621 to discuss how we can help you. www.morgans.com.au/milton 17th February 2014

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