Sbn April 2015 by Chinchilla Newspapers Pty Ltd

SURAT BASIN

NEWS

30 April 2015

INSIDE New Hope’s cattle plans Page 5

Property market’s rough patch Page 7

Roothy’s 12-page outdoors lift-out Page 13

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SURAT BASIN NEWS

THE NEWSPAPER

EDITOR'S

NOTE IT IS no secret the Surat Basin’s major coal seam gas companies have been going through massive redundancy programs. The transition from the industry’s construction phase to operations was always going to involve shedding staff and, coupled with the savage drop in the world oil price, companies like QGC, Santos and Origin have had no choice but to downsize. It is noticeable there are fewer workers in towns like Dalby, Chinchilla, Miles and Roma. But if the industry is serious about strengthening the communities in which it operates, it needs to have the right people in the right places. This month Origin made redundant the position of regional manager Queensland LNG, which was held by Chinchilla local Rob Hart. Mr Hart is well-known in the Chinchilla community – he was born and schooled there and after working in leadership roles for Shell, Flight Centre, and Landmark he returned to his home town to take up the position with Origin. He was the most senior Origin representative in the Surat Basin and is one of hundreds of people who have lost their jobs in the region. Mr Hart’s former responsibilities will be assumed by Natasha Patterson, Origin’s former head of legal, who will be based in Brisbane. That is the clincher. Origin does a lot of great work supporting the communities of the Surat Basin, including Chinchilla, but removing a local and shifting the responsibilities to Brisbane is a questionable move. You can’t beat being on the ground. As the redundancy programs continue, let’s hope these companies also think about the communities in which they operate – not just the numbers on the balance sheet. — Jim Campbell

THE VISION

The Surat Basin News publishes every Surat Basin News will allow local month and will be delivered via the four businesses to network and dominant newspapers of the region: the communicate with everyone in the 1200 Chinchilla News, Western Star, Dalby sq km basin, providing unprecedented Herald and The Chronicle. It will reach access to new clients and markets. It the homes and offices of almost 50,000 will give a revealing insight into major people living, working and playing in the industry while lifting the veil on current Surat Basin, connecting the business and and proposed developments. It will be mining communities throughout the there for each and every announcement booming region. Surat Basin News is a shaping the region's future while necessity. It was born out of a passion for profiling the colourful characters that Australia's fastest growing communities define our communities. — a passion for a region of unbridled potential and a future of vast economic growth and opportunities. The newspaper, professionally designed and regionally The Surast Basin News is inserted into topical, will be a must read for anyone the four dominant local newspapers for associated with the exciting Surat Basin. the region: the Chinchilla News and Murilla Advertiser, Western Star Roma, Dalby Herald and The Chronicle Toowoomba. Surat Basin News has gone online to ensure our readers in every corner of the country has the latest news sent directly to them. Newsagents in - Chinchilla, Roma, Dalby, Gladstone, Moura, Toowoomba, Calliope

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THE

TEAM GENERAL MANAGER Erika Brayshaw Chinchilla 07 46729921 manager@suratbasin.com.au

ADVERTISING TEAM Greg Latta Chinchilla 07 4672 9927 greg.latta@chinchillanews.com.au Bobbie Gorring Chinchilla 07 4672 9930 advertise@suratbasin.com.au Karin-ane King Roma 07 4578 4103 karin-ane.king@suratbasin.com.au Nicole Boyd-Taylor Dalby 07 4672 5500 nicole.boyd-taylor@dalbyherald.com.au

EDITOR

Jim Campbell

View our previous editions on www.issuu.com/suratbasinnews

PAGE DESIGN

UPDATES

Beth Walker

Regular updates on www.suratbasin.com.au

SURAT BASIN NEWS 12 Mayne Street Chinchilla Q4413 PO Box 138 Chinchilla QLD 4413

PUBLISHED

The Surat Basin News is published by Chinchilla Newspapers Pty Ltd 12 Mayne Street Chinchilla Q4413

THE

INDEX

OPINIONS 27-30

IN THE NEWS

The Surat Basin News is printed by APN Print 50 Industrial Avenue Toowoomba

PLACES AND FACES

Grazing on coal .........................................5 Property prices slump...............................7 Origin axes senior manager.....................8 TSBE Enterprise evening .......................31 Huge auction goes off..............................32 Learning in the paddock.........................33 FRONT PAGE PHOTO: Acland Pastoral Our local leader ........................................34 Group’s Ben Muirhead is at the head of a trial that is examining just how effectively coal mines can be Getting fit for 50 .......................................11 rehabilitated for agricultural use. Turn IT feature ...................................................12 to pages 4-5 for the full story. Special edition 4WD feature .............13-24 Welldog’s new kennel..............................26

DOWN TO BUSINESS

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THIS WEEK

NEW DIGS: Senex staff, including Brett Smith at the far left, at the company's new office space on McDowell Street in Roma this week. Photo Contributed.

Western Surat Gas Project

Senex prompts local business to tender Senex Energy plans expansion of CSG wells over next 20 years, creating economic opportunities

ENEX Energy is the latest CSG company to come to the Maranoa after it has taken over the rights to explore for gas on land north of Roma and near Wallumbilla. Called the Western Surat Gas Project, Senex Energy now has the permits to 1000sq m of land in the Maranoa which is owned by 110 landholders. Senex Energy general manager Brett Smith

said the company was able to take on the permits to the land, which contains about 100 existing gas wells, after a swap with Queensland Gas Company last year. “We swapped them the permits to land we had near Wandoan,” he said. “We are a small operation here in Roma compared to the bigger companies, but we’re looking for development across the land. “It all depends on how much gas is under the

ground of the land.” The 100 existing gas wells in Senex Energy’s area are not currently in use, but Mr Smith said work has started with production expected to be complete by the end of 2017. “We’re looking at eventually expanding to anywhere between 600–700 wells over the 20 years we plan to be here. “We’re currently in the process of going out to see all of the landowners and do our

environmental impact studies,” Mr Smith said. Local contractors are encouraged to get in touch with Senex Energy for possible work. “We’re going to try and use local companies where we can,” Mr Smith said. ■ Senex Energy’s shopfront can be found at 74 McDowall St, Roma in the same building as Ostwald Bros.

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PAGE 3

IN THE NEWS

PAGE 4

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

IN THE NEWS

Controversy surrounds land rehab

HE founder of anti-mining group Lock the Gate Alliance has described the rehabilitation of mining land as “one of the industry’s biggest cons”. “There isn’t any rehabilitated land anywhere in Australia which has been returned to anything like the condition it was before mining,” Drew Hutton said. New Hope Group does not have data showing the quality of the land before it was mined. Its oldest rehabilitated land is 12 years old, so it instead uses “control” parcels of land that have similar soil structure and topography to the trial paddocks. And while the mining company funds the trial, University of Southern Queensland researcher John Bennett dismissed any claims that would influence its outcome. “We would not be involved in something that would compromise our independence as a university,” Dr Bennett said. “We wouldn’t be involved if we didn’t have freedom of speech.” Mr Hutton said it was not possible to rehabilitate the land to its previous soil profile “without spending enormous amounts of money and using enormous amounts of skill”. “I don’t believe for one moment that what is happening at Acland is anything more than a PR exercise to hoodwink the people and the government that this is possible.” It is expected the State Government will make a decision in coming weeks as to whether the mine’s planned Stage Three expansion will go ahead.

Grazing on coal TESTING TIME: Acland Pastoral Company's Ben Muirhead works a mob of cattle on rehabilitated mining land.

Restoring mined land to its former fertile state

Can second hand land be restored? commercial outcome as well,” Mr Newsome said. “This project focused on rehabilitating the land so it can be used for viable and sustainable cattle production into the future.” New Hope Group set up Acland Pastoral Company to run its agricultural operations. Manager Ben Muirhead is an experienced cattleman who has worked across Australia. But his high-visibility orange shirt hints that his employer is not like the average cattle tycoon. “Cattle grazing on rehab country has gone on forever and a day, it’s just that no one has gone through and recorded it,” Mr Muirhead said. He said he was under pressure to “make it work” from an economic perspective. And he said the project was “getting close” to making money. To rehabilitate the land, topsoil that had been scraped off and stockpiled before mining began was spread across the surface to a depth of 30cm. University of Southern Queensland soil scientist John Bennett said they had so far found similar pasture rooting depths in the unmined soils and the rehabilitated soils.

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FORMER coal pit on fertile Darling Downs soil has been born again, now producing nutrient-rich pasture to grow out hundreds of cattle. Mining company New Hope Group is in the middle of a five-year scientific trial at its mine just west of Toowoomba to find out whether land that was once carved up for coal could be rehabilitated and used again for grazing and cropping. The results have surprised even some of the research team. It is not a new idea, grazing trials on previously mined land have been happening since the 1980s but the level of scientific scrutiny on this project is unprecedented. The trial results showed that, on average, performance from cattle grazing the rehabilitated pastures was equal to or better than the performance of the control, or unmined, paddocks. Agricultural consultants Outcross Agri Services have overseen the trial that consultant Tom Newsome said was different from the usual mining industry approach. “Traditionally the mining industry focuses on an environmental outcome and not a

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■ Acland Pastoral Company runs 1400 head of cattle, down from about double that because of dry conditions ■ Average cattle turnoff weight is 450–470kg ■ 5% of the 24-hour mine’s machinery is devoted to rehabilitation ■ The oldest rehabilitation block is 12 years old ■ Mungbeans and sorghum are growing on former mining land, irrigated under a centre pivot sprinkler ■ The site’s water is completely sourced from rainfall plus treated water from Toowoomba’s Wetalla Water Treatment Plant ■ Water is only extracted from underground for domestic use at the office facilities ■ 97% of the coal from Acland is bound for export with 3% for domestic use ■ The coal pit is 175ha ■ The operation employs 280 local workers and 160 contractors, none of whom is fly-in fly-out “This suggests the inter-burden (mine spoil) is capable of supporting the pasture,” he said. However, Dr Bennett admitted that with soil creation taking literally millions of years, they would never know 100% whether the system would be completely sustainable. “But we haven’t seen anything negative so far to suggest the pastures won’t be sustainable in five years,” he said.

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PAGE 5

IN THE NEWS

Demand for Australian produce drives business

Beefing up the export market FKG set to diversity its activities with plans for meat processing plant

THE Surat Basin is unlikely to see any change in operations by coal seam gas companies QGC and Arrow Energy until next year, despite Royal Dutch Shell’s record $91 billion move to take over BG Group. This was according to Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Ray Brown, who met with the chief executive officers of QGC and Arrow in Brisbane last week. Shell looks set to take control of the massive QCLNG project, which is exporting coal seam gas from the Surat Basin to the world. Arrow is already owned by Shell and PetroChina, which formed a 50-50 joint venture partnership to acquire the company in 2010. Cr Brown said he was assured last week there would be “no difference in direction” for QGC and Arrow until March 2016. “They will follow the normal drill programs, with no cuts or redundancies but also no increases (in jobs) either,” he said. “Everything currently going ahead will be maintained. “But if the price of fuel or the dollar changes, that may make things happen or not happen.” Cr Brown said he saw the move as a “big positive”. “Royal Dutch Shell is now the largest producer of LNG (liquefied natural gas) in the world,” he said. “It’s twice the size of BP and is now bigger than Chevron.” Royal Dutch Shell previously had plans to build a fourth LNG plant on Curtis Island via Arrow Energy but shelved that proposal last year. Arrow still has at least 600 wells to drill between Chinchilla and Dalby.

FKG group manager of property development Dallas Hunter said the meat processing facility was about diversifying the company’s operations. FKG is already the Darling Downs’ biggest farming company with 11,000 hectares of agricultural property near Cecil Plains. “It’s a very exciting project,” Mr Hunter said. “With the slowdown in the gas industry, we’re hoping agriculture might fill the gap. “We’re spreading the company as wide as we can as part of our risk management and diversification.” Mr Hunter said the facility would be built with a commercial partner. He said the opportunity was driven by overseas demand for Australian produce and the ability to export via the Wellcamp Airport. “It’s about food security around the world and the demand that it is creating,” Mr Hunter said.

FLYING COWS: The Surat Basin’s cattle could soon be flying to plates around the world.

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OOWOOMBA could soon be on the frontline of a boom in exports to Asia with plans to build an $80 million meat processing facility on the city’s western edge. FKG Gardner and Sons has lodged an application with Toowoomba Regional Council to develop the plant at the Witmack Industrial Park, 10km west of Toowoomba. It hopes to have construction under way early next year with operations to start in 2017. When completed, the meat processing plant will kill 10,000 head a week and employ 300 people. Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive Shane Charles said the proposal had merit with the Wellcamp Airport opening an export link with Asia and the Darling Downs positioned as “Australia’s feedlot capital”. “It makes a bucket load of sense to get on board,” he said.

Business as usual despite takeover

IN THE NEWS

Strong future for property

QUIET STREET: A national property valuer says house prices across the Surat Basin will continue to drop this year.

Report: worst is still to come Property valuer predicts gloomy times ahead for mining towns BY Emma McBryde

NATIONAL property valuer believes the resource industry’s slow down is nowhere more evident than in house prices in the Surat Basin and other resource rich areas. Propell’s report on mining towns warns the worst is still to come. The company forecasts further drops of up to 15% in property prices in Chinchilla, 8% in Dalby and 1% in Roma during 2015. But Surat Basin Real Estate director Warren Daniells believes Propell’s predictions are exaggerated. “I don’t believe the market will drop that much,” he said. Mr Daniells said the real drop was in land prices. He said cheaper land combined with

construction prices that had not changed meant lower-priced properties had made their way onto the market. Propell found the house price boom came to an abrupt end in 2013 and the past two years had seen drastic price falls. The report shows Chinchilla’s median price peaked at $370,000, but that dropped to $342,000 last year. Dalby’s peak at $273,000 plummeted to $250,000 last year, while Roma hit $338,000 then went down to $305,000. Mr Daniells said the number of owner-occupiers was rising as investor numbers dropped. Mr Daniells does not believe investors cannot capitalise on the current market. “If investors were to buy I see them buying at the bottom of the market and prices will go up,” he said.

ROPELL has described buying a house in a mining town as not so much a real estate decision, but a futures play on the global commodities market. The company found value depends on rent, which depends on accommodation demand for employees working on a resource project. But Surat Basin Real Estate director Warren Daniells (pictured) said although the gas industry’s construction phase was over, there was still a strong future for it for decades to come. Some of the agency’s clients are people whose jobs will continue past construction. But Mr Daniells said they rarely bought first when moving permanently to the region, preferring to rent while scouring the market for the right home. He said the tenant mix was turning from construction workers to families.

THE NUMBERS The number of houses listed for sale and sold in the past 12 months ■ Chinchilla: 212, 58 ■ Dalby: 416, 129 ■ Roma: 341, 121 ■ Source: Propell report

Mr Daniells foresees a promising future in the Surat Basin and points to the rising number of families increasing the school population and enriching the region’s economy. He said as technology improved there would still be growth in the gas industry. – APN NEWSDESK

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PAGE 7

IN THE NEWS

Redundancies hit close to home

Protesters lose the fight

Origin’s axe falls on senior regional manager

METGASCO can legally resume drilling for coal seam gas in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales after the State Government’s “unlawful” suspension of its exploration licence was overturned. Protesters stationed on the steps of the Supreme Court in Sydney vowed to continue to fight the mining company despite the court decision. With equal conviction, Metgasco chief Peter Henderson has promised to get back to drilling as soon as possible. Justice Richard Button explained his ruling in Metgasco’s favour had nothing to do with the project’s merits – only whether proper protocol was followed in its suspension. “It is no part of my function to assess the desirability of any of the activities of Metgasco, or the desirability of the suspension of any of those activities,” he said. “All that I am being asked to do, and all that I am empowered to do, is to determine the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the decisions.” Resources Minister Anthony Roberts suspended the licence last year at the high point of the Bentley Blockade, with thousands of anti-gas protesters camping outside the site and obstructing Metgasco’s efforts to move in drilling equipment. The blockade is now expected to resume its protests.

Cost cuts force Chinchilla-based Rob Hart out of a job .

‘Hopefully I have been able to do the right thing by people and that’s the legacy I want to leave for my team.’ Rob Hart the reality of having his replacement based in Brisbane, hundreds of kilometres from Origin’s operations on the ground. “It means there’s going to be a lot more pressure on the leadership team to get out into the region and that’s going to be difficult because we’re in multiple geographies,” he said. “It will always be challenging for anybody to be in the region as much as a local.” Mr Hart said he was exploring new opportunities in consulting or buying a business. “I think I’ve had four great years at Origin and hopefully I’ve left some positive legacies, in particular the way we treat people and the Fairymeadow Road Irrigation Pipeline,” he said. “Hopefully I have been able to do the right thing by people and that’s the legacy I want to leave for my team.” Origin’s senior external affairs and internal communication manager Chris Zipf refused to answer a series of questions about the redundancy, including how often the new manager will visit the Surat Basin. He instead provided the following statement:

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MOVING ON: Rob Hart is looking to a new career direction following his exit from Origin. “Rob is in the process of leaving Origin and on behalf of the company I’d like to thank him for the contribution he has made as regional land use authority manager,” Mr Zipf said. “Our focus is moving from project construction and delivery to being a sustainable ongoing operational business, which has resulted in changes across the organisation. “Our land access, agricultural property management and community relations functions will continue to be led by locally based management.” Origin’s competitors, QGC and Santos, have also undergone redundancy programs.

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RIGIN Energy’s most senior representative in the Surat Basin has not escaped the company’s latest swathe of redundancies. Rob Hart, who was Origin’s regional manager Queensland LNG, will leave the company next month after his role was axed. Mr Hart was based in Chinchilla for the past four years, the town in which he was born and schooled. He was told this month his role would no longer exist and applied for a more senior role – general manager for land access and community across Australia – but was not successful. The successful candidate, Natasha Patterson, was formerly Origin’s head of legal. Ms Patterson is already working in the new role and it is understood she will be based in Brisbane. While Mr Hart said he was “disappointed” at not being selected for the more senior role, he said he wasn’t bitter. “It’s no surprise my particular role was made redundant,” he said. “With the integration of the LNG business and the upstream business there were clearly going to be more people aiming for less senior jobs. “When you combine that with the savage reduction in the oil price they clearly had to cut costs commensurately.” Mr Hart said he hoped to continue living in Chinchilla, where he is also president of Chinchilla Community Commerce and Industry. He was diplomatic when questioned about

IN THE NEWS

Businessman shares heartbreaking tale

Walking away with nothing BY John Farmer

TOOWOOMBA businessman who rode the wave of the resources boom has been left with just bitter memories of a business lost to a debilitating and dramatic downturn. His story is heartbreaking, confronting and today all too common in Toowoomba and across the Darling Downs. Brendan Findlay started Findlay Engineering eight years ago when the coal seam gas industry had just started to emerge in south-west Queensland. The business enjoyed strong growth in its initial years, employing a workforce of 15 and securing contracts with some of the major players in the oil, gas and copper industries. But two weeks ago, Mr Findlay’s business reached breaking point. The banks moved in, staff were let go and Findlay Engineering was declared bankrupt. Mr Findlay sounded brittle and exhausted explaining the cost of the resources downturn on his business and personal life. “I’ve lost everything,” he said.

LOST LIVELIHOOD: Findlay Engineering managing director Queensland Brendan Findlay.

“Twenty years of life savings are gone. “We’ve sold our house and my wife’s gone back to work fulltime. “We’ve had to walk away with nothing.” Mr Findlay is this week facing the agonising task of clearing out the Mansell St shed where the business started, grew and crumbled. He does not blame anyone in particular for the collapse. Instead, he points the finger at a combination of factors that forced Queensland’s resources sector to grind to a halt. “It’s really hit hard in the past 12 months – the downturn in the oil and gas sectors,” he said. “And we also did a lot of work in the copper industry – today copper prices have hit their lowest.” Mr Findlay is not alone. The salvage crews that were called in to clear out steel and equipment from the engineering firm had done similar work at five other businesses in just the past three months. They were located in Toowoomba, Dalby and the Lockyer Valley. Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive officer Shane Charles agreed the resources downturn had hurt many businesses in Toowoomba and across the Darling Downs. “Absolutely the downturn has hit hard. That’s reflected in a recent business survey that showed business confidence was low,” he said. “And the conversations around town at the moment are about how tough everyone is doing it.” But Mr Charles remains upbeat. He is certain the tough times are only temporary. “Businesses need to try hard to tough it out because over the next 12 months we’re confident there will be brighter times.”

Biofuels would add diversity

HE Queensland Government’s plans to explore the expansion of the Queensland biofuels and bio-manufacturing industries has been applauded by AgForce Grains. Biofuels are liquid fuels which have been derived from living matter, for example plants and waste by-products, and provide a tangible and valuable product from what would typically be discarded in primary production, such as sorghum or wheat and stubble in the grains sector. AgForce Grains president Wayne Newton said the organisation had long held the view a domestic renewable biofuel industry would add diversity and security to the supply of fuel in addition to providing a reliable alternate market for grain grown by Queensland producers. “AgForce has consistently tried to work with previous governments to build the Queensland biofuels industry given it has traditionally lacked the legislative support required,” Mr Newton said. “There is significant potential for biofuel production including biodiesel from Queensland oilseed crops to meet demand from the agriculture and resources sectors and this announcement is an excellent step towards realising this potential.” The Federal Government’s Ethanol Production Grains Program is set to end on June 30, 2015 while the fuel excise on domestically produced ethanol will be reduced to zero from July 1. In the following year it will rise to 2.5 cents per litre and continue to do so for five years until it reaches 12.5 cents per litre. Both changes will hinder domestic biofuel producers in their bid to compete with large oil companies and remain profitable. Mr Newton said for a Queensland biofuels industry to thrive the State Government must: ■ Introduce a biofuels mandate along with additional support for research of suitable plants species and other biomass sources for biofuel production; ■ Provide leadership in developing this domestic industry to attract future investment in the biofuel sector; ■ Set a minimum target of five per cent

SUPPORTIVE: Wayne Newton has welcomed the Government's biofuels announcement. Photo Contributed .

AgForce has consistently tried to work with previous governments to build the Queensland biofuels industry given it has traditionally lacked the legislative support required. AgForce Grains president Wayne Newton biofuel use as soon as possible with increases to be scheduled to lift this to 10% in as many years; and ■ Invest $100 million in appropriate research and development, particularly in energy use efficiency that includes cellulose-derived biofuels, to help incentivise the expansion of the current market of three biofuel producers within Australia.

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

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DOWN TO BUSINESS PAGE 10

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Time to rethink LNG industry Oil and gas expert offers practical lessons

USINESSES working directly or indirectly with the liquefied natural gas industry need to get fit for $US50 barrels of oil, according to Geoffrey Cann, national director for Oil and Gas at Deloitte. Mr Cann presented at an event held at Wellcamp Airport hosted by Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise. More than 220 guests were in attendance to hear Mr Cann give insights into the workings of the global oil and gas industry, and give practical lessons on the ramifications and opportunities that the recent sudden falling of oil prices represented for the Surat Basin region. Mr Cann said that with the LNG industry previously being predicated on $100 a barrel for oil, businesses needed to prepare for the current environment where a barrel of oil was worth half of that. “You’ve got to get fit for $US50,” Mr Cann said. “You’ve got to rethink this industry, you have to become the Ikea of the oil and gas industry – super cheap, snap together, dead simple, we make the bulk of the stuff at some place really cheap, and we bring it into the home and we snap it together with simple tools. “We’ve got to make our businesses, in Australia, liveable, fit for 50 bucks. “If we can run at 50, we run at 50.” In order to do this, Mr Cann noted five things that businesses needed to do, including protecting their current revenue, reducing costs through innovation and investment in new techniques and capabilities, freeing up underused assets, managing their expectations and upgrading selectively. Mr Cann also said while there had been significant concern surrounding the current state of the oil and gas industry, and while there were some difficult times ahead, Queensland was in an enviable position. “What we are going through right now is a historic shift in how oil is produced on the

We’ve got to make our businesses, in Australia, liveable, fit for 50 bucks. Geoffrey Cann, National Director for Oil and Gas at Deloitte. planet – a shift from this big monstrous 100,000 barrel per day single well projects, to thousands and thousands of wells,” Mr Cann said. “Now look around Queensland – this is the land of small producing wells, coal seam gas. “The people on the planet who know how to do this better than anybody else are going to be people living in Queensland – because that’s where coal seam gas wells are. “So this state might not believe it right now – it doesn’t feel like it, but this state is going to be at ground zero of what’s going to be the next generation industry on the planet, which is the production of lots and lots of small producing wells, in this instance coal seam gas.” TSBE chief executive officer Shane Charles said he was thoroughly impressed with Mr Cann’s presentation. “We know it’s tough out there, and there are still a number of businesses struggling within the oil and gas sector and related industries,” Mr Charles said. “However, as Mr Cann said, there is reprieve in sight if businesses are smart about their choices moving forward. This means making some tough decisions and looking at your costs. “At the end of the day, while there are definitely some difficult times ahead, we have to remember that it is not all just doom and gloom, and there are still opportunities.”

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS: Sarah Keutmann and Alastair Brodie-Fraser from Exertus Opus, and Andy Wong from Australian Well Control Centre. Photo Contributed

Michael Hubbard from MJH Advisory, Lauren Hope and Emma Rackley from Round Square. Photo Contributed

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

PAGE 11

DOWN TO BUSINESS

BUSINESS PROFILE

Access to Netflix in one touch

BACK IT UP: Darktime's Daniel Davis (front) and technicians Ben Mitchell, Kevin George, and Ben Ganley, know the importance of backing up your data.

Operate with certainty

Get real about back-ups Save your business by learning the best way to cope with data loss

OW well would your business cope with a complete loss of data? Firstly, let me clarify what I mean by “complete loss of data”. All your accounting data, email, spreadsheets, documents, invoices, receipts, photos, SQL databases, software and licensing and anything else you have stored on a computer, server or mobile. Seven out 10 small businesses go out of business within one year after data loss. Quite often business owners will tell us “yes, we’re doing a back-up every day” then they show me a small USB drive with accounting data on it. Unfortunately that is only a small part of the business’s data that’s needed to operate.

You may have an automatic back-up that happens daily but you should ask yourself, “How do I know that back-up is really happening and how do I recover the data if I need it and is it backing up all my data?” Maybe back-ups once a day are not enough, you may need incremental back-ups every hour. The more employees you have entering data, the more frequently you should be backing up. If you have 10 staff entering and saving data on your server for eight hours a day and you do a back-up at 5pm and the next day your server has a major non-recoverable failure just before the back-up, you will have lost 80 hours of data entry.

Let’s say your employees are costing you $25 an hour. That’s $2000 loss in production, forgetting all the other costs associated with the loss. Here are five questions about your back-ups that you really need to ask yourself: ■ Are you backing up all your data? ■ Who checks and makes sure the back-ups happen and are they really doing it? ■ Is your back-up tested to see if you really can use it to recover your data? ■ Where are your back-ups stored, do you keep a copy onsite and offsite? ■ Are your back-ups secure? Your back-up is a copy of your entire business, you wouldn’t want the wrong person getting their hands on it.

V MAKERS across Europe are to start adding buttons to their remotes that will let people access Netflix with just one press. Several major brands across Europe and the UK are set to start integrating the buttons, which have become common on American remotes. The new button will be found on TVs, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes made by Panasonic, Phillips, Sony, Toshiba and Vestel. The new remote will be available with 2015 models and added to those from 2014. “The new Netflix button on remotes in Europe makes watching Netflix as easy as changing the channel on traditional TV, allowing viewers to enjoy our great programming much quicker,” Netflix head of business development Bill Holmes said. Netflix has been looking to integrate its service within all of the technology that people use to watch TV, including games consoles and mobiles, as well as traditional smart TVs. It is now available on most of those commonly used technologies and Netflix launched a program for recommending TVs that are especially integrated earlier this year. Netflix said it was working on making the process of using the service on TVs and other boxes easier and also looking to improve the performance, navigation and playback speed so that using internet TV was as easy as watching normal television. – THE INDEPENDENT

Page32 SEE STORY

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

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FEATURE

LIFEOFF-THE ROAD WHAT’S BETTER THAN LOCKING IT IN LOWRANGE AND HEADING BUSH? GETTING PAID TO DO IT! WORDS BY DAN EVERETT

s very man woman and child who love ing pack of the bush has always dreamt ing the bags, pulling up stump and head or fate off into the great unknown until isation ﬁnances see them within coo-ee of civil people of again. The problem is for the majority one-day a , it seems like something unachievable there’s is plan, maybe if I won the lotto. The truth s hub the in a lot more options available to lock t leas at or , and get paid to do it than you’d think on is do it on a Tuesday while everyone else

e decided the tools still. To kick things off we’v We don’t talk. the talk just not , to walk the walk kend trip want you to tag along on a quick wee we want two, or to pho a on t men with us, or com everyday you to make the outdoors part of your kends wee the on do you g ethin life, not just som after you’ve done your chores. ’s Whether you want to spend Friday arvo at a year a for bush head or s, crawling the rock d change time, there’s something here that coul your life forever.

THE MEDIA MOGUL Roothy’s tells us the ins and outs of how he got to be where he is today, and how you can do the same

THE GIG – If you’ve got the gift of the gab, know which end of a camera to look into and don’t immediately think of a 1980’s Casio when someone mentions a keyboard, a career in 4WD Media might just be for you. There’s a few roles you can take on that’ll see you running a winch line before breakfast. Anthony Warry is our gun photographer, so he’s on just about every trip we do, the other bloke you’re probably more familiar with is Roothy. He’s a word slinging, track ﬁnding, beard wearing bush genius. Although he’d rather go with the term ‘Milo Pilot’ – we’ve been told presenter is also appropriate. HOW YOU’D SPEND YOUR DAY – If you’re in front of the camera for a gig like LowRange you could be winching through thick mud on a Tuesday, camping on the beach on a Wednesday and cruising through salt ﬂats by Thursday. “There really is no such thing as an average day for us,” Roothy says. “They’re all fantastic.” That said, you don’t need to be the main man to earn a keep off-road. There’s plenty of jobs out there writing copy for magazines, putting together website and Facebook content for 4WD Companies and even making press releases for the big manufacturers. THE GOOD –Putting brand new V8 Cruisers through their paces on photo shoots go hand in hand with heading to some of the most remote corners of the country. “Crossing the Simpson in a heat wave with the family in a 35 year old truck is one of my best memories.” Says Roothy. “The real adventure was learning the Handbrake and my boys can take almost anything

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

and still think I’m OK. I’ve had one weekend out of the last eight at home with the family and we spent that camped up the beach on Bribie Island. My retirement plan consists of exploring the bush in an old Toyota and camping out somewhere different every night. Hmm, that’s what I do for a living...” THE BAD – There’s no magical transporter to get you out to these far off places. So that means a lot of time on the black top and ﬁre trails to get where you’re going. “Three weeks is about the average we’re away from home, often longer.” He says. You’ll get dusty, dirty, very familiar with the inside of your swag and so used to sleeping under the stars your mates might think you’ve actually gone bonkers. Although if you ask Roothy he’d say the hardest parts are admitting to Gleno they’re out of chilli.

HOW DO YOU DO IT? – A journalism, photography or media degree would deﬁnitely be a head start, but it’s not essential. The most vital ingredients are being passionate, committed, and not taking no for an answer. “I forgot most of what I was educated in except for two things, reading and writing,” Roothy says. “Everything else was learnt along the way - a day without learning is a day wasted. I go to bed with a book most nights, even in the swag, although sometimes it’s one of Kenno’s picture books.” If you’re dead set on heading down this path Roothy’s got one last piece of advice. “Don’t be scared of anything in life, treat everything in life as a lesson to be learnt and used in future and don’t burn your bridges. Oh, and practice writing by doing a lot of reading, practice mechanics by ﬁxing things and practice driving by doing heaps of miles.”

OTHER OFF-ROAD CAREERS

1 FABRICATOR

Not the bloke building fences, the one working in an off-road shop putting solid axles under Pajero’s and building sliders for Unimogs. There’s jobs out there like this, you’ve just got to make yourself the best candidate.

2 RFS VOLUNTEER

Sure you’re not getting paid to be out there, but how many of your mates get to jump behind the wheel of a 10 tonne 6WD truck?

3 SALES REP

Working a dead end job slinging used cars? Put your skills to use at a 4WD shop or supplier. Someone needs to be selling 33” mud tyres, it might as well be you.

4 SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

See the FaceBook feeds of big Off-Road companies constantly full of insane content that has you champing at the bit? There’s a bloke responsible for that, and it could be you out there creating content.

THE WHEEL MAN

Corporal Tim Kusters spends his days in the scrub training Army drivers how to steer Unimogs and Mack Trucks

THE GIG – You can do just about any job you can imagine in the Defence Force. But if getting dressed up in camouﬂage and doing accounting doesn’t tickle your fancy you might be better off heading towards the School of Transport. Corporal Tim Kusters not only spends every day at the

school, he’s one of the instructors. His ofﬁcial title is Operator Specialist Vehicle – Driving Testing Ofﬁcer, which in the real world means it’s his job to teach all the new recruits not only how to drive a Military Spec Land Rover, but everything else from Unimogs right through to Road Trains, and how to steer them through the bush.

HOW YOU’D SPEND YOUR DAY – Tim doesn’t just teach though, he’s a wheel man himself. So on any given day he could be piloting a formation of Unimogs through the bush, showing the new recruits how it’s done, or behind the tiller of a Road Train running supplies from Broome to Sydney. It’s not all fun and games though, and don’t expect to spend hours by the campﬁre telling yarns. There’s a lot of tactical training, digging pits, learning the ins and outs of how the vehicles work, and how to operate them in an active war zone. Not to mention the nitty gritty of Military logistics like loading trucks, and learning to double clutch a gearbox that has no interest in doing what you tell it to. THE GOOD – Whether you’re the trainer or the trainee you’ll see a whole side of Australia that most people never get the chance to see. From hauling tanks through the middle of the outback to jumping

on ferry’s and heading off to remote islands off the Great Barrier Reef. Stick around long enough and you could even ﬁnd yourself deployed overseas behind the tiller of an armoured 76 Series LandCruiser – probably need to bring your own roll out awning , though.

THE BAD – Nothing makes you want to head bush with your friends and family more than doing it for work and not being able to soak it all in. Corporal Kusters reckon’s in some years you could be clocking up a huge 11 months out of the year away. If you’re a family man this probably isn’t the gig for you. But if you’re single and keen to see Australia through the windscreen of an off-road Semi trailer with an M1 Abrams tank strapped to the back this just might be the gig for you. HOW DO YOU DO IT? – Sold on the idea? Well there’s a few options to head this direction. If you just want to put your tippy toe in to test the waters one path in is as a Reservist Driver Specialist. If you’re looking at full time almost any member of the regular Defence Force can go into the Transport Corp and get behind the wheel of one of these trucks. Although to get into a position like Tim’s you’ll need a lot of experience and a lot of patience “It does take a while,” he says.

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

PAGE 15

FEATURE

THE GEAR HEAD

THE GIG – Your average mechanic spends their days spinning spanners on Camry’s and changing wheel bearings on Taxi’s. But Glen Hadden isn’t your average mechanic, he’s the brains behind Roo Systems, one of Australia’s most successful 4WD workshops. While there’s probably not going to be an opening in Glen’s job anytime soon he’s gone down a path perfect for anyone mechanically minded with ambition and a solid work ethic.

5 DRIVER TRAINING

This one’s a no brainer really. There’s a heap of companies offering 4WD driver training all across the country, give ‘em a buzz and ﬁnd out what it takes to get on staff.

HOW YOU’D SPEND YOUR DAY – If you’re scared of a little grease on your hands you might want to turn over a page. While you’re doing your mechanical apprenticeship you’ll be changing a lot of LandCruiser diffs, HiLux head gaskets and Patrol… what does break on Patrols? Get in at a specialist like Roo Systems though and you’ll be doing all the fun stuff, ﬁtting turbo kits, tuning 4WDs, and most importantly, testing them. “All my cars are 4WDs,” Glen says. “I test them on the road and on the tracks, constantly ﬁne tuning when it’s needed and develop new gear through the use of them. I spend a lot of time managing the business, marketing, and living the dream… my dream.” THE GOOD – You’ll live and breathe 4WDs. Tuning, building, repairing and modifying them. You’ll work on 4WDs, talk 4WDs on your lunch breaks, go wheeling just about every weekend with the

guys from work and eat a lot of sandwiches with grease on them – ask us how we know. For Glen the best parts all came from working to make his own dream happy. Starting his own business, building Roo Systems into the diesel tuning giant it is and starting his latest project, LowRange. “It’s living the dream on Steroids,” he says. “I love it!”

THE BAD – Step 1 is an apprenticeship. So expect at least a few years of doing all the grunt work, getting lunches, coffees, doing the jobs the other blokes don’t want to do. Once you’re up in the higher positions it can eat into a lot of your free time as well. “Being away from the family is definitely the worst,” says Glen. “But that’s why I get away with the family as much as possible when I’m not at work, it’s a lot more special. My office is on the tracks, out testing products, so actually going into the office sometimes is a PITA. Eating

Roothy’s cooking can be a hazard as well. It’s bloody brilliant, however does absolutely no favours for my svelte body.” HOW DO YOU DO IT? – For Glen, his path started way back when he was 14, working in a 4WD workshop on his school holidays. After ﬁnishing his trade he started his ﬁrst business doing engine upgrades and power ups which eventually morphed into Roo Systems after

a lot of hard work. “Apart from my technical training, running the business was and still is all learn as you go,” he says. “It’s been a hell of a ride and would I do anything differently if I had the chance? No way! In the hard times, you just keep going. When someone says it can’t be done, you just keep going. When someone says it’s impossible, you just keep going. Never lose site of the end-game, your goals.”

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

THE BUSH RANGER THE GIG – Stacey Ciriello has been a Ranger & Customer Service Ofﬁcer at the Royal Botanic Gardens down in Vic for over 6 years now. It’s a varied role that see’s Stacey spend her time patrolling the 363ha site behind the tiller of a 70 Series keeping an eye on things.

HOW YOU’D SPEND YOUR DAY – Much like most National Parks the Royal Botanic Gardens stick to a strict regime. The day kicks off by collecting the ‘Cruisers and giving the grounds a once over before the visitors turn

up. After a quick recording of weather stats to update the Bureau Of Metrology (BOM) the Rangers have a morning brief for the day’s work before jumping on the quads, back in the ‘Cruisers or lugging it on foot to patrol the grounds and keep things in order. Various programs run throughout the days as well. On any given day you can expect some teams to be in the middle of the bushland, clearing fallen limbs and doing controlled back burns while other areas will be hiking on foot for hours to manage feral animals and invasive plants.

6 PHOTOGRAPHER

There’s only a few lucky buggers who get paid to shoot photos of 4WDing Monday to Friday, but there’s opportunities every direction you look for 4WD or Nature photographers on a freelance basis.

7 POLICE RESCUE

These blokes work damn hard and earn every bit of respect they get. But when their training involves loading up the 4WD and spending the day abseiling it’s easy to see why this would attract a few applications every year.

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PAGE 17

FEATURE

THE TRACK MAKER THE GIG – Ever driven along a bridge through the middle of thick scrub that crosses a massive drop down to a rocky river? Surveyors are the lucky blokes who get to ﬁnd that path, before the concrete highway goes through. Jereme Lindsell has been heading bush with a theodolite and a brush hook (laser) for the best part of 18 years and has seen it all. From surburban lots and high rise construction right through to guiding power lines through 4WD paradise.

HOW YOU’D SPEND YOUR DAY – This is the kind of gig where you could be on the one site for a long time. Once the big wigs have their preferred highway route through the bush you’ll jump in the 4WD and set to work, plotting every rise and falls and recording the exact lay of the

d land to later be 3D modelled and handed over to the engineers. Onn g any given day you could be using your 4WD as a bull dozer, jumping on foot and hiking to the top of a cliff or lugging a roof top dingy into the scrub to cross a river hundreds of kays from anything resembling a boat ramp. THE BEST PART – For the real adventure nuts rural boundary marking and Power line Surveys will get your blood pumping. Think kicking your day off by airing down, throwing some lunch in the fridge on the back seat and setting off into the bush for hours at a time, sometimes days. “I often ﬁnd myself plotting boundaries that are up to 5km long over undulating ridges and gullies,” Jereme tells us. “You just can’t get in there with a 2WD.”

8 LOGGER

We like the old term of Lumber Jack, but either way modern Loggers spend all week hours out of civilisation with nothing but a bunch of mates, a couple of chainsaws and a few 4WDs.

9 TOUR GUIDE

You’re never going to be the next Kerry Packer, but when a busy work day includes loading up a tour bus and jumping on the barge to Fraser things like that don’t seem to matter so much do they?

10 MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Want a University degree, a heap of cash and to still head off road? Get an engineering degree, after all, who do you think designs new tyres, suspension and winches

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PAGE 19

HIDDEN HOTSPOTS

HOME-GROWN

ADVENTURE

WITH ADVENTURE HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT WE’VE TAKEN A CLOSER LOOK AT AUSTRALIA’S MOST POPULATED STATE, NEW SOUTH WALES. WORDS BY DAN EVERETT

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PHOTOS: DAN EVERETT, DAVID HILL, BLUE MOUNTAINS LITHGOW & OBERON TOURISM

SO WHERE IS IT? Blue Mountains National Park New South Wales -33.798613, 150.616026 FACILITIES W Within the Blue Mountains National Park itself there’s seven dedicated campgrounds with close to 100 campsites between tthem. Most offer toilets and coin operated BBQs although some are very basic. As there’s a narrow corridor of civilisation w winding through the mountains ffuel, food and other supplies are available everywhere.

BLUE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

Located literally less than an hour’s drive from the Harbour Bridge, the Blue Mountains National Park covers an impressive 160,000 acres of rivers, cliffs, escarpments and plateau’s. While it’s not known as the low range wheel lifting paradise of other more popular destinations, it does offer something no other place in Australia has. Everything. The Mountains are riddled with free camp sites and ﬁre tracks heading off in every direction. The park itself offers world class mountain biking trails, waterfalls, hiking tracks from 1hr to 3 days, countless rivers to camp beside and if you’re feeling a little fancy there’s 4.5 star caves you can hire for the

night at Bell on the western fringe of the park. Take the kids for a ride on the steepest railway in the world to the floor of the Megalong valley, don a wet suit and explore the local canyons on a guided tour and then jump back in the 4WD and camp the night in the Capertee Valley, the second largest canyon in the world. If you’re chasing a hardcore low range weekend with the boys there’s better places, but if you’re packing the wife and kids up for a few weeks of getting away from it all the Blue Mountains should be firmly on your radar, and being so close to town you can head there with barely any modifications at all and have the trip of a lifetime.

WHERE TO CAMP Euroka Clearing is by far the largest campground, although it does get busy and isn’t free. Heading out of the mountains and into the neighbouring Turon or Cox’s River area’s will offer the best camping although Murphy’s Glen campgrounds in Woodford will keep you in the thick of the action.

MUNGO NATIONAL PARK

When talking about hidden locations it’s easy to get caught up in mundane parks and forests just out of town. Tough 4WDing is normally the order of the day and not much more, but Mungo National Park, 9 hours west of Wagga Wagga is anything but mundane. The 275,000 acre national park plays host to a variety of attractions, both man-made and natural, that’ll rival anything you can ﬁnd in Australia, or for that matter the world. Out the front of the visitors centre there’s human footprints dating back over 20,000 years, when you PHOTOS: DINITEE HASKARD, JOHN SPENCER, BORIS HLAVICA

consider the Pyramids in Egypt are less than 5,000 years old that really puts things into perspective. Locked inside the Visitor’s Centre are the remains of Mungo man, the oldest remains ever found in Australia, dating back almost 70,000 years. There’s a 70km loop running around the park that’ll take in the Walls of China and the historic homesteads build by European Settlers and Chinese Labourers in the late 18th century. There’s Aboriginal Rangers on hand from the three Tribal groups of the Willandra Lakes region to show you deep inside the park and help share a part of Australian history often forgotten. Like much of the outback there’s not a great deal around Mungo National Park, but that’s the beauty of it isn’t it? If you’re feeling adventurous turn north afterwards and head up the Dog Fence, or if you want things a little more scenic Murray Sunset, Wyperﬁeld and Big Desert Wilderness Park are all within a day’s drive south and will satisfy your Outback Touring urges.

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

SO WHERE IS IT? Mungo Park Visitor Centre Mungo NSW 2715 -33.723540, 143.026504 FACILITIES The nearest town to get supplies is Balranald, 5hrs outside of Mungo on the road in from Wagga Wagga. At Mungo itself kitchens, BBQs and Hot showers are available although you’ll need to bring everything else yourself. WHERE TO CAMP There’s three options for res resting your head at Mungo. Th The Shearers Quarters can bu bunk up to 27 people in 5 sep separate rooms although the Kit Kitchen and Dining areas are co communal. If you’re dedicated to your swag you can roll it ou out at either Main Camp just 2k 2kms from the Visitor Centre or Belah Camp on the track i se if you’re after stars from it itself ho horizon to horizon.

PAGE 21

HIDDEN HOTSPOTS COFFS HARBOUR If there was ever a 4WDers paradise it’d have to be Coffs Harbour. Getting off the blacktop is such a large part of the culture around here the locals don’t need to let their tyres down, they just never pump them back up! If you’re not familiar with Coffs Harbour it’s a moderately sized coastal town about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, but instead of trendy restaurants and VW Kombi’s, there’s beaches, ﬁve of them within Coffs Harbour itself that you can legally drive and camp on. This isn’t half an hour out of town down a single lane dirt road, this is up and down the coast, if there’s a beach, chances are you can camp on it.

The whole area is surrounded by National Parks and State Forests in just about every direction you can head. We’re not exaggerating at all when we say you could camp every night for a year without pulling up to the same camp spot twice, all within an hour of town. If you’re after a twin-locked ﬁx head to Mt Coramba just outside of town. Over the course of 10 minutes behind the wheel you’ll rise from sea level up to around 600m. The tracks in this area are no-joke, think twin locked, 35’s, ﬂexy suspension and still plan on winching. And with track names like Broken, Commando and Widowmaker you can’t say

SO WHERE IS IT? Boambee Beach Coffs Harbour -30.312846, 153.140042 FACILITIES Just about every track you can ﬁnd will be within 45mins of town so you’ve got loads of places to stock up on supplies, have a pub feed for lunch at the Moonee Tavern and then stock the fridge full of supplies for another couple of days in the bush at the shops right next door.

you haven’t been warned. The surrounding areas offer tracks for every skill and modiﬁcation level, so keep an eye out on the track markings and know exactly where you’re heading. You can get away with a long weekend here, but to make the most of it plan on a week at least.

BONUS LOCATIONS

• Brindabella Ranges • Warrumbungle National Park • Yalwal State Forest • Turon River • Kosciusko National Park

WHERE TO CAMP There’s plenty of caravan parks and cheap accommodation around town but if you’re after the real Coffs Harbour experience you’ve got to set up on Boambee Beach for at least a night or two. There’s no facilities, no running water and no coin fed gas BBQs, but falling asleep to the sound of waves breaking on the beach makes it all worth it.

PHOTOS: COFFS COAST MARKETING & TOURISM NEW SOUTH WALES

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TECH TALK ALLAN GRAY

SERVICING

MODERN DIESELS PART 2

hen carrying out services on modern vehicles we can no longer afford to take short cuts to save the client money. It’s been proven a big mistake for workshop owners to act as the client’s accountant as well as his mechanic. Some costly law suits have occurred due to the suggestion of short cuts, only to find that if a failure occurs, the owner could flatly deny any such agreement existed. CARBON IS A DISTASTEFUL WORD WHETHER POLITICALLY OR MECHANICALLY Build-up of carbon in crankcase oil has been a problem for some time, but with common rail engines, usually turbo charged and fitted with EGR valves, carbon is building up in the inlet tract at an alarming rate in some engines. EGR contamination differs from driver to driver and types of vehicles used. In our workshop we have removed the intake on engines at 30,000K and found very restricted manifolds although the EGR valve tests ok. Others can travel 80,000 – 100,000K with no problem at all. Faulty units which may cause problems other than operational reasons could be EGR Valve,

thermostats, performance chips incorrectly tuned/fitted. Slow running and short trips with the resultant low temperature operation appear to aggravate the problem. Apparently the harder the engine is operated (within reason); the less likely carbon build-up will occur. FUEL ADDITIVES A continuous use of diesel additivess can reduce harmful emissions. Any build up or residue (aggravated by on/off throttle operation) cause air/fuel ratios to be altered. EGR valves then become sluggish in operation and the excess carbon particles are deposited in the inlet manifold. The resultant accumulation causes airflow restriction (see image) which in turn increases carbon particle production with reduced performance and increased fuel usage, eventually triggering an engine fault code. Fuel additives don’t always get a good rap but with on-off throttle operation as in traffic, short runs or off-road driving, more attention is required. Fuel additives such as Flashlube’s ‘Common Rail Diesel Conditioner, as well as being a sulphur replacement to lubricate the extremely high pressure

i very successful f l pump, iis proving in maintaining the intake manifold airways due to cleaner exhaust emissions through the EGR. Extensive tests indicate that regular use of additives will help keep the injector nozzles clean (which pulse up to 350,000 times an hour at 100kph). Once carbon has collected in the intake system a thorough check of the exhaust gas recirculating valve and a mechanical or acid cleaning of the inlet tract is the only remedy. A full clean out would possibly take 6-8 hours It will be necessary to dismantle and remove inlet tract, EGR Valve and manually clean the system. The best method would depend on the length of time taken for the build-up to occur and the engine operating temperature. Soaking in aacid bath and/or manually chipping o or sandblasting appear to be the p preferred methods. Polishing the aarea may reduce the tendency for b build-up to occur. Contamination of crankcase o oil is reappearing in more cases sseemingly with the similar ccircumstances i.e. slow, cold d driving and stop start operations, uunless 2-3 trips of an hour of more aare undertaken at least once a w week, engine oils may need to b be changed at 2-3000K intervals tto prevent serious (read costly) eengine damage. Some engines are iimpossible to repair once the oil has b become thick with carbon.

30,000 KM CARBON BUILD UP So what advice can we offer to owners of late model diesel vehicles? • Due to heated fuel being returned to the tank, keep fuel tanks as full as possible (to minimise algae growth) • Fit an extra fuel ﬁlter for added protection.

• Avoid short runs (if possible) • Run a ‘continuous use’ fuel additive to lubricate the high pressure pump and to keep the injector spray pattern like new to reduce harmful emissions. • A good hard run at least twice a week (every week). The design at Terrain Tamer is headed up by Head Engineer Allan Gray who has over 60 years hands-on workshop experience. Visit terraintamer.com for further information

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Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

DOWN TO BUSINESS

LOCAL businesses from across the Surat Basin have shared their stories with the GasFields Commission about their first-hand experiences, insights and lessons learnt supplying products and services to the onshore gas industry and how things could be improved.

Working with major gas companies all part of

Growing the business

I INVESTIGATING OPTIONS: Peter Sharpe from Sharpe Engineering in Roma. Photo Contributed

I believe that when one door shuts, another one opens. Peter Sharpe, Sharpe Engineering of proposed well drilling programs had impacted on his business, he was adamant that the current situation also provided him with an opportunity. “I believe that when one door shuts, another one opens. “For us we are looking even more closely as to how we can add better value to our gas industry customers including through the use of new technology. “In trying to better understand our customers’ needs, we recognised that instead of simply punching more holes (gas wells) in the ground which is an extremely costly exercise for this industry, our customers are also wanting to get better productivity out of their established wells. “There is lots of technology available to increase the productivity of gas wells such as work overs, well intervention techniques, horizontal drilling and the like. “So we’ve also taken a closer look at our own products and services to see how they can fit or can be adapted with these other technologies.”

Geoff says one of the challenges is the way that the gas companies tender their work packages. “They often can be quite large work packages which by their size and nature will favour the larger national or multinational service providers. “However, it is important for the gas companies to continue to stipulate the relevant local content provisions when awarding these larger contracts and that they continue to monitor and report on how those provisions are being met going forward,” he says. Working out one’s seat at the table Geoff acknowledges that the transition from construction to production has impacted in their business like many others in the Surat Basin. “We’ve had to adjust our fleet size accordingly, but I am hopeful that in the long term the gas industry will represent about 10 percent which would provide a solid plank alongside agriculture, industrial and our retail businesses.” Geoff says most businesses recognise that the construction boom is over and are looking forward to a return to more steady and reliable growth from this new sector. “At present it seems like everyone is still working out their seat at the table and it will happen sooner or later.”

Geoff Campbell from Country Petroleum at Chinchilla.

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OMA-based businessman Peter Sharpe from Sharpe Engineering has shared how his company is adapting to the current tough economic environment and transitional changes underway in the onshore gas industry in the Surat Basin. Peter’s family business repairs and manufactures drill stem elements for the conventional and unconventional gas industry in both the Surat and Cooper Basins. When the Commission first spoke to Peter last July, he highlighted the importance of quality management certification and building relationships. Since then the economic climate has changed significantly and the intensive construction phase for the major CSG-LNG projects is now almost complete. So how is Peter responding now to these latest challenges for his local engineering business? Peter said like many local businesses in the Maranoa region over the past six months or more he had noticed a significant downturn in the level of work and activity coming from the onshore gas industry, especially relating to his focus area of gas well drilling. “They (the gas companies) are definitely looking at every possible way to cut costs at present and certainly some of the biggest costs include both drilling and people,” he said. While he admitted the slowdown or delaying

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Adapting is the key

N this article, we revisit Geoff Campbell from Dalby-based fuel and lubricants distributor, Country Petroleum to hear how his business is adapting to the current tough economic environment and transitional changes underway in the onshore gas industry in the Surat Basin. Geoff’s family-owned company operates petrol stations in Dalby and Chinchilla and a network of unmanned 24/7 diesel sites across the region as well as a commercial fuel and lubricants delivery service to a range of agricultural and onshore gas industry clients. When we spoke with Geoff last November he highlighted the need for better information sharing from the major gas proponents to help local firms plan for future opportunities as the industry transitions from construction to the longer-term production phase. Geoff says given the current circumstance it’s more important than ever for local businesses to continue to network and engage with the gas companies and their supply chain partners. “The challenge as always is getting to talk to the right people who make the purchasing decisions. “More often they are based in Brisbane and it can be hard to get the message across that there are well qualified and very capable local businesses out here that would be cost effective in delivering services to them locally and at same time supporting these regional communities. Geoff is adamant there is still huge opportunity for gas companies to utilise local businesses more to support their long-term operations in the Surat Basin. “For example in our fuel cartage business we already have a network in place, our drivers live and work locally and our fleet can offer a range of load options to the onshore gas industry,” he said. Geoff says the recent business forums hosted by the GasFields Commission in Chinchilla and Roma were a good way to highlight the value and importance of local businesses to senior executives of these gas companies but it will require an ongoing effort to engage and educate.

PAGE 25

DOWN TO BUSINESS

WellDog opens in Toowoomba

Gas giant plans to keep business local New base a boon for regional suppliers

MULTI-million-dollar coal seam gas facility that has just opened in Toowoomba is expected to benefit local mining industry businesses as the operator, WellDog, confirms its focus on local hires and suppliers. WellDog president and chief executive John Pope said the company was focused on streamlining its operations in the region and creating an efficient supply chain and planned to do so through more connections with local suppliers. “The reason we chose Toowoomba is because it is the perfect location to support our business – it’s close to the capital, has thriving economic development and extensive mining and resources infrastructure,” Dr Pope said. “It was important for us when developing this facility that we sourced the right space

‘We are very excited to be operating in the Toowoomba region for the first time and look forward to the opportunities ahead.’ RIGHT PLACE: Coal seam gas company WellDog has just opened a new base in Toowoomba to capitalise on the Surat Basin’s resource industry.

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WellDog president and chief executive John Pope

in an area that would benefit from investment in the local region and also had an abundance of experienced local suppliers. “The Toowoomba location will provide WellDog with a gateway to many large CSG projects in Queensland and offer these projects better access to the technical products and services they need.” Local engineering, heavy fabrication and inspection company Obadare Group has been working with WellDog since 2012. The company’s managing director Matt Warner said he looked forward to continuing the partnership at WellDog’s new Toowoomba location. “There are a lot of synergies between the Obadare and WellDog businesses, with our focus on the implementation of new technology and next-generation equipment,” Mr Warner said. Dr Pope said WellDog was a leading developer of innovative technologies to produce more resources faster, with less environmental and social impact. “It’s our mission to develop technologies that assist companies to make gas exploration more efficient and environmentally sustainable,” he said. “We are very excited to be operating in the Toowoomba region for the first time and look forward to the opportunities ahead.”

OPINIONS

Melon load of lies

Speaking up for our electorate

On the way to better roads

COMMENT BRUCE SCOTT MP Federal Member for Maranoa

MP pushes for highway upgrades at first parliamentary sitting

COMMENT Ann Leahy MP Member for Warrego

ELCOME to the latest Surat Basin News. It has been a busy month, with parliament returning for the first sitting, Easter and the agricultural show season starting across the region. I have been privileged to make my maiden speech in Queensland Parliament, where I was able to talk about a number of issues in the Surat Basin and the Warrego electorate. I was able to raise the need for upgrades to the Warrego Hwy. There are no passing lanes west of Dalby and plenty of heavy traffic. There are also intersections that are in dire need of upgrades in our communities. The LNP had a plan working in conjunction with the Federal Government to build passing lanes, upgrade intersections and improve the pavement along many sections of the Warrego. I will be seeking assurances from the State Labor Government that these funding

commitments will be honoured and delivered. I was also able to inform the parliament that in the Surat Basin we have Queensland’s first micro LNG facility, owned by BOC at Miles, which is producing coal seam gas for domestic gas use. In the future I can see the potential for more of these micro LNG facilities providing domestic gas to other local businesses and industries in the Surat and Cooper Basins. At the present time there is no doubt that many of our communities are feeling the changing phases of the coal seam gas industry, from major construction to asset maintenance. However due to the slump in world oil prices and the flow-on reduction in share prices, the

industry is going through its own drought and they too have had to tighten their belts. I was able to inform the Queensland Parliament that I was pleased to learn in the maintenance phase the major companies are looking to engage with more local businesses and have set targets on local content. I am keen to engage further with them on how over a period of time these targets can be increased to give greater opportunities to businesses in the local region (ie. in the Warrego electorate). The region’s show season has kicked off and I look forward to catching up with many of my constituents at the shows around the region.

HERE’S nothing that screams summer like tucking into sweet, juicy watermelon from the region I think grows the best – Chinchilla. That’s why I was appalled by the misinformation from Sydney radio jock Alan Jones based on a discredited letter that alleged CSG mining extract water had tainted melon production in the region. This region is known for its clean, green and safe image and these unfounded allegations could damage the reputation of hardworking, rigorously quality-checked and environmentally conscientious producers. All horticultural producers in Australia are tested by an independent body, ensuring the best produce will be served in homes and restaurants at home and abroad. During this process the farmer must complete an 89-page document and all soil, water and produce is independently tested. So outstanding is our accountability that harvested produce can be traced back to what time it was picked and at which farm by the simple reading of a barcode. It is also important to note that no watermelon grower in Chinchilla uses bore water to irrigate their crops. These are the facts, so please stand with me to defend our farmers.

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PAGE 27

OPINIONS

Light at the end of the tunnel

Still much to be optimistic about While things are tough at the moment, large-scale projects bode well for the region’s future .

COMMENT SHANE CHARLES CEO Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise

concerned member of the community called me this month with reservations as to why I was so optimistic about the region. The comment was that people are hurting, nothing is happening and we need to tell people the truth about what is happening. It made me reflect on what my messages have been, both to our members and the community, over the past few months. At the outset, I do not for one second apologise for being optimistic. I believe that we are in a fantastic region and I for one would not swap places with anyone in Australia right now in terms of the opportunity before us as a region. Despite this, is it tough out there at the moment? Absolutely. Make no bones about it and I have been sharing this with the readers of this column for some time – if you are in any way associated with the energy sector, if you have not battened down the hatches by now, trimmed staff, cut costs and generally looked hard at the way you do things, I suspect you will be in a fair degree of hurt and anguish. Even if you have, I bet you still have some sleepless nights. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Absolutely. With the outlook for coal stabilising and hopefully improving (let’s hope it has reached the bottom), with the gas sector moving into long term operations and maintenance with some upstream development still to occur, with green shoots in agriculture in terms of new Asian markets,

with new infrastructure being built, one cannot help being optimistic. The latest TSBE Business Confidence and Consumer Sentiment Surveys reflect just that. The survey respondents acknowledge doing it tough but the outlook over six months and three years shows dramatic improvement. It is part of my role to sell the potential of the

region to both businesses already here, and those considering a fresh start or expansion. There is a lot to be optimistic about. We need to think as a region and not our own specific towns. Toowoomba cannot be a Roma, Roma is not a Chinchilla, and Wandoan is not a Dalby. Yet we all have our unique strengths and we can leverage off each other’s success.

With Toowoomba now having access to a $500 million dollar shopping centre, Australia’s largest Inland Road Project ($1.7 billion), an internationally-capable airport, and hopefully a new Inland Rail linking Melbourne with Brisbane, the opportunities outside the resource sector are only limited by our imagination. Giddy Up Surat basin – we are in for a ride.

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PAGE 28

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

OPINIONS

If proposed Shell-BG mega deal gets go-ahead

Great potential for our region .

COMMENT Cr RAY BROWN Mayor, Western Downs Regional Council

ECENTLY I took the opportunity to meet with Arrow Energy to discuss developments in the Western Downs and Surat Basin regions after it was announced that Royal Dutch Shell is set to take over BG Group in a $91 billion deal. This history-making deal may have significant impacts on our region and

resource sector, particularly with the large coal seam gas portfolio that Shell has in the Western Downs through its Arrow Energy joint venture with PetroChina. The Shell-BG deal is expected to produce an optimistic outcome for the resource industry in Australia, particularly in Queensland. However the council, business houses and the resource and energy sector need to be mindful that any future decisions affecting the Western Downs and Surat Basin areas will not become clear until the takeover bid is finalised by early 2016. So I will be watching this development keenly and look forward to having these discussions with stakeholders addressing the

future of our region should the takeover be successful. In light of the change from construction to production and maintenance phases for the resource industry in our region, I recently sat down with QGC to address concerns around the uncertainty of contractor renewals and the future of staff working under contracts. It is pleasing to see that QGC has renewed some contracts, which is welcoming news for some parts of the community. However there is a need for local chambers and business houses to consider â&#x20AC;&#x153;re-toolingâ&#x20AC;? and adapting their portfolios to take advantage of the change in the resources

sector in our region. The council will endeavour to work with the resource industry, local businesses and chambers to ensure our business houses and key sectors are equipped to deal with the shifting resource industry landscape in the Surat Basin. On a closing note, it is pleasing the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection are continuing to keep residents in the Hopeland and Chinchilla regions informed about their investigation into the cause and scale of the soil contamination. Director-General Black has assured residents and the council the air, water and soil quality in the region remains safe.

TESTING: A scientist from expert consultants Gilbert Sutherland discusses a test site with Mayor Ray Brown, Minister Steven Miles and Director-General Jon Black as part of ongoing investigations into soil contamination.

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PAGE 29

OPINIONS

Easement stocktake in the pipeline Commission to check on state of gas pipes and surrounding land .

COMMENT John Cotter Chairman of the Gasfields Commission Queensland

HE construction of the three major gas pipelines connecting the Surat Basin gas fields to the liquefied natural gas export terminals in Gladstone are complete and represent a significant engineering and technical feat for regional Queensland. However constructing these major gas pipelines has also been a huge community engagement challenge trying to build and manage relationships between the proponents, contractors and the many directly affected landholders and local communities. One needs to remember that combined these pipeline easements stretch some 1500km, or almost the distance between Brisbane to Cairns, traversing several hundred individual rural properties and many different local landscapes. Having travelled up and down these export pipelines during the two or more years of construction and the more recent rehabilitation phase and dealing with a wide range of issues, it is important we formally capture the numerous lessons and insights gained. Over the next few months the commission, with the assistance of former National Landcare facilitator Brett DeHayr, will undertake a stocktake of these pipeline easements in liaison with landholders, proponents, contractors and regulators. The purpose of the stocktake will be twofold:

BEST PRACTICE: Gasfields Commission Queensland chairman John Cotter has revealed a gas pipeline easement stocktake will be undertaken in the next few months. Firstly, using randomly selected sites and drawing on information previously gathered by the commission to assess the current physical state of the easements and the nature and extent of any significant land rehabilitation issues, including erosion, subsidence and invasive plants.

While much of the region was in crippling drought during the construction years, there has been significant rain in many parts since January. However it’s possible in some areas it will take several years for groundcover to fully recover and return the landscape to its

original state depending on whether easements are fenced, ongoing stocking rates and future rainfall. The stocktake will help to share information on remediation or best practice land management strategies to ensure the landscape recovers as quickly as possible.

No one wants reef ‘in-danger’ .

COMMENT MICHAEL ROCHE CEO Queensland Resources Council

N THE contest for mindless publicity, an early leader is an online petition from Australia to have UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee put the Great Barrier Reef on its “in-danger” list of world heritage properties. It is mindless because recovery from an “in-danger” listing is fraught, evidenced by the measures UNESCO demands to resurrect the status of former heritage sites such as the Belize Barrier Reef and Everglades National Park in the US. The bottom line is that UNESCO can request “that no development activities be undertaken at the site and its surrounding areas without prior approval of the World Heritage Committee”. Sovereignty issues aside, there is no evidence to suggest an “in-danger” listing

PAGE 30

for the reef is either inevitable or justified. The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area extends from Gladstone to Cape York. This region is currently responsible for exports of resources, agricultural products and tourism worth $40 billion a year. Its ports distribute bulk imports (eg. fuel, vehicles, building materials) for a resident

population of more than one million people and 15 million visitors a year. With agricultural, tourism and business stakeholders, the Queensland Resources Council has worked with the Australian and Queensland Governments as a member of the Reef 2050 Partnership Group to contribute to a strong and comprehensive long-term sustainability plan. The resources and ports sectors have worked assiduously to ensure the Reef 2050 plan embraces leading-edge initiatives, particularly in relation to port development and the shipping so essential to this island nation’s well-being. A foretaste of what an “in-danger” listing could mean is shown by recent Australian and Queensland Government moves to ban disposal of capital dredge material anywhere in the World Heritage Area. As an independent, export risk analysis found: “Onshore or reuse opportunities will become increasingly restricted. Environmental and cost implications for future projects may be prohibitive. Potentially unsustainable in the long term.”

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

DETAILS ■ A copy of the risk analysis by Adaptive Strategies Pty Ltd is available at www.qrc.org.au.

The report concludes any industry relying on port operations may be impacted by the restrictions already adopted and further constraints being promoted by the Greens, WWF and AMCS. It goes on to spell out the range of potential future responses or calls for action to address an “in-danger” listing, including: Increased measures, funding and regulations to reduce or halt impacts on water quality, especially sediment discharge and nutrients entering from rivers and creeks. Restrictions on urban developments, stormwater and sewage limits. Restrictions on tourism facilities such as resorts, marina construction, dredging and boat numbers.

PLACES & FACES

PLACES AND FACES Heavy Haulage hosts Enterprise Evening

ver 210 guests attended Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterpriseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (TSBE) April Enterprise Evening that was held at Heavy Haulage Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Toowoomba location on Thursday April 23. The Honourable Dr Anthony Lynham MP, Minister for State Development, Natural Resource and Mines, was guest speaker at the event, giving guests an insight into his future plans for his portfolio. Minister Lynham acknowledged that the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing and Inland Rail Project were much needed developments for job vitality and economic growth in the Toowoomba region, and said that the Toowoomba and Surat Basin region represents an economic powerhouse for growth in Queensland.

1. TSBE Board member Mark Crampton, Scott Templeman from Toowoomba Regional Council and Lauren Crampton from Crampton Automotive. 2. Clayton Menyweather from Downs Group Training and Tanya Codd from SWQ Training Pty Ltd. 3. Nick Stebbings from HB Recruitment and Training and Naomi Wilson from Focus HR. 4. John McCormack and Les Crump from McCormack Industries, and Suzanne Doyle from Safe Resolutions.

5. Cassandra Woodward and Hamish Martin from AMVL Migrations with Michael Tolshmakoff and Anthony Collins from TPM Builders. 6. Amanda Thomas from GasFields Commission, Lesley Stumbles from Origin Energy and Martin McVicor from McVicar & Associates. 7. Kate Reardon from TSBE, Michael Murray and Adam Kay from Cotton Australia, and Kelli White from Quest Toowoomba. 8. Geoff West from IOR Petroleum, Andrew Souter and Kale Munster from A&J Communications.

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

8 PAGE 31

PLACES & FACES

Machinery flies off the floor at auction

ORE than 350 pieces of earthmoving machinery and light vehicles used to construct the country’s newest airport have gone under the hammer. Buyers from around Australia converged to seek out a bargain at the Wagners’ Wellcamp Airport construction clearance auction yesterday. Wagners managing director Denis Wagner watched on as bidders quickly moved through the light vehicle lots. “There are a lot of buyers here from every state in the country and from all over the place,” he said. Mr Wagner said most of the equipment for auction had been bought new specifically for the airport’s construction. Brisbane-based car dealer Steve Bateman made the trip to their airport grounds on the hunt for a bargain. He snapped up the fourth item on the program – a 2007 model Toyota Prado for $14,000. “It was worth the trip.”

1. Phuryous Kidd, 2, plays in the trucks. Wagners Wellcamp Airport clearance auction.

2. Waiting for he bigger items to go under the hammer are (from left) Michael Fleming, Bruce Becker, Shane Meagher and Matt Long. 3. Contemplating purchasing the excavator are (from left) Errol Grams of Toowoomba and Lenny Campbell of Brisbane. auction. 4. Alf Smith, Toowoomba, checks out the trucks on offer. 5. Auctioneers take the calls from the punters. 6. Mary Lynch and John Lynch check out the auction offerings. 7. A big crowd defies the cold weather for the clearance auction. Photos Tara Miko / The Chronicle

PAGE 32

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

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Young farmers interested in better production

Better beef farming by Elgin’s example

HE prevalence of young faces among 60 landholders who attended two recent beef production workshops in Dirranbandi and Condamine was greatly encouraging for the future of the industry, according to organisers. The Queensland Murray-Darling Committee (QMDC) Regional Landcare facilitator Jean Prow staged the two RCS Pasture to Pocket workshops this month and said the number of young people in attendance was a stand-out trend. “I was delighted to see so many young men, women and couples take time out from on-farm commitments despite a really challenging year to learn how they can fine tune their beef production,” Mrs Prow said. “Young people who see their future on the land are seeking innovative ideas and solutions to successfully run their grazing enterprises, and the strong response to the workshops is very evident of that. Mrs Prow said attendees took advantage of a subsidy to attend the course. “In recognition of the tough times landholders are experiencing, we offered the course for $100 for a workshop that is normally priced at $1495 per person for the

BOOKINGS ■ Visit qmdc.org.au or phone 0427 580 399 to book. two and a half days. “I think people recognise that any education opportunity offering new ideas and options to enable better decision making around drought, land management and profitability is well worthwhile participating in,” she said. As part of the program and to witness principles in practice, the groups visited Justin and Kate Boshammer’s property Elgin and Duncan Banks and Gerry Grant’s property Dunwold, both near Dirranbandi. “Part of QMDC’s core business is to protect and preserve our land, water and vegetation assets and this course provided the principles to deliver on all three within a grazing business context,” Mrs Prow said. Another workshop is planned for Mitchell on May 19, 20 and 21. The workshop will offer the same subsidy and is supported by QMDC through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme.

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PAGE 33

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PLACES & FACES

Rural Women’s Award winners to be celebrated

High tea toasts game changers

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SPECIAL GUEST: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Women’s Award Queensland winner Sherrill Stivano, from Roma, will attend a celebratory event at Beef Australia.

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PAGE 34

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HE achievements of a quintet of outstanding rural women, including the Surat Basin’s Sherrill Stivano, will be celebrated at the Women in Business High Tea at Beef Australia. The state winners of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Rural Women’s Award will converge for the huge agricultural event at Rockhampton in May. “We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Powell from South Australia, Katie Finlay from Victoria, Sherrill Stivano from Queensland, Tress Walmsley from Western Australia and Dr Sally Isberg from Northern Territory to the ranks of extraordinary winners from past years of the award,” said Susan Bower, head of agribusiness at Westpac, which is a long-term sponsor of the RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year Award. “This award, the highest recognition for rural women in Australia, highlights the ability of women to lead their communities, bring about change, drive innovation and build resilient rural communities. “We are therefore delighted to be celebrating their success at Beef Week, the highlight in the beef industry annual calendar.” Each winner will receive 12 months of leadership support, plus a $10,000 financial bursary to implement their award vision and participation in the Australian Institute of Company Directors company directors course. Queensland winner Ms Stivano, a cattle feedlot operator from Roma, said she was thrilled to receive such practical and valuable support for her project, initially focusing on education and connection to now developing CoOL (country of origin labelling) that focuses on the start of the food chain – with farmers.

Surat Basin NEWS Thursday 30 April 2015

“My project is about highlighting Australia’s excellent production methods,” she said. “We need to ensure that consumers can easily identify Australian products, knowing they are produced with environmental stewardship and sustainability, excellent animal welfare practices and traceability systems that ensure food safety.” Westpac’s Queensland regional general manager Peta Ward said the bank was proud to continue its strong support of women in agriculture by hosting the annual Westpac Agribusiness Women in Business High Tea at Beef Australia 2015, which brings highly skilled women into agribusiness settings to share their skills and provide inspiration to rural women. “This year we have two inspirational guest speakers, Turia Pitt and Juliette Wright,” she said. “Turia, who was short-listed for the 2014 Young Australian of the Year and the winner of the recent New South Wales Woman of the Year Award, is a philanthropist, burns survivor, engineer, author and a must-hear motivational speaker. “Juliette, founder and chief executive officer of GIVIT, was a finalist in the 2014 Westpac Community Leader Awards and most recently announced as Australia’s Local Hero 2015 at the Australian of the Year Awards. “She created the portal to ensure quality goods get to where they are needed most by safely connecting and inspiring an online network of givers. “We’re also delighted that Sherrill Stivano will be attending the high tea so we can celebrate her selection as RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year in Queensland and wish her all the best in the national award finals later in the year.”

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PAGE 35

PLACES & FACES

Cotton on to a good plan Forward thinking farmers see the big picture of an early start an above average crop. “We went a bit early this year and it looks to have paid off,” Mr Evans said. “We’re getting about five bales per hectare compared to two last year.” Mr Evans said the weakened Australian dollar meant prices for cotton exceeded $500 per bale. “The prices are good now; a couple of years ago cotton was only going for between $400–420 a bale,” he said.

BUMPER CROP: Rose Parker owner Greg Evans is happy with this season's harvest.

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But this year’s cotton crop has been far from smooth sailing for the Evanses, who planted about 300 hectares at their property east of Chinchilla. “There was a while where it didn’t rain at all, and then in December and January it rained a bit too much,” Mr Evans said. “But you win some and you lose some.” Mr Evans said the toughness of cotton was part of the reason why he remained one of the region’s few dryland growers. “It’s become our mainstay. Cotton is hardy, tough and holds on in the drought,” he said. Meanwhile, Hopeland cotton grower Greg Bender said his crop “looked good” as he prepared to finish this year’s harvest. “I put about 240 hectares in, which is about what I can irrigate,” he said. Mr Bender said the crop benefited from the Christmas period rain. “If it hadn’t have rained it would have been touch and go,” he said. Allyse Morris from Queensland Cotton said prices were strong and growers in the region were reporting good yields across the board. “At the time of planting the prices were quite low,” she said. “But as the season has progressed, the dollar has dropped and the cotton price has increased.”

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SURAT BASIN NEWS Published by Chinchilla Newspapers Pty Ltd 12 Mayne Street Chinchilla Q4413 Printed by APN Print Toowoomba 50 Industrial Avenue Toowoomba Q4350 2013 General Manager - Erika Brayshaw 12 Mayne Street Chinchilla Q4413 PO Box 138 Chinchilla Q4413 Phone 07 4672 79900

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AN EARLY gamble has proved a masterstroke for dry land cotton farmers Greg and Leanne Evans. Drought took a heavy toll on their 2013/2014 crop, resulting in yields as low as two bales per hectare. This season, the Evanses opted to plant earlier than usual in order to make the most of some late September rain. Now, three weeks into harvesting, they’re pleased with what’s likely to be