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SearchArchives for June 2010
24 June, 2010
Unhealthy outlook in
men’s health report
A new report by SA Health has found that South Australian men drink too much, smoke too much, ignore symptoms of poor health and put off seeing their doctor.
Minister for Health, John Hill said the report, titled Men’s Use of Health Services in South Australia, gave a valuable insight into the ways men use – and don’t use – health services.
Mr Hill said key findings of the report were that South Australian men did not visit their GP nearly as often as South Australian women, while they also had a higher risk of dying from avoidable causes compared to women.
The report also revealed that men were 27 per cent more likely to have diabetes and 10 per cent more likely to have heart or vascular disease or to suffer from a stroke.
Men also consumed twice as much alcohol and smoked significantly more than women.
“It’s really important that men take their own health seriously and get medical advice as soon as they notice a change in their health, or become concerned about a health issue,” Mr Hill said.
“There are positive steps we can all take to improve our health, like eating more fruit and vegies and walking instead of driving wherever possible.”
The report, which was written by Adelaide University’s Public Health Information Development Unit, also showed that Aboriginal men suffered higher rates of illness and premature death than non-Indigenous males.
SA Health’s Deputy Executive Director for Statewide Service Strategy, Sinead O’Brien said the report would be used to develop policies and programs to address men’s health issues and their use of health services.
“We want to continue developing ways to improve Aboriginal men’s health in ways that are culturally acceptable to them,” Ms O’Brien said.
She said SA Health planned to use information from the report in work being done as part of the South Australian Men’s Health Strategic Framework 2008-2012 policy.
The full report is available at www.publichealth.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Disabled enabled in
new funding plan
A new scheme allowing people with disability a greater say in their support services has been unveiled at parliament House, Adelaide.
Minister for Disability, Jennifer Rankine said the signing of the first self-managed funding agreement was significant because it gave people with disability control over the funding allocated for their support.
“It enables the individual to choose how, where and when they receive the support they need,” Ms Rankine said.
“Self-managed funding approaches, also known as individualised funding, have been recognised nationally and internationally as a way governments can provide more choices for people with disabilities.”
She said the signing was an important milestone.
On execution of the funding agreements, the Department for Families and Communities would give the funds to participants, allowing them to purchase the services of their choice.
Ms Rankine said 50 people would participate in the first phase of the program with the aim of providing the sector with a better understanding of the options available to people with disabilities.
Participants would have the choice of receiving payments of the self-managed funds to enable them to arrange and purchase the services they require, or being supported to do so by a carer or a service provider.
Ms Rankine signed some of the first funding agreements with participants at Parliament, hosting a number of families at the event.
24 June, 2010
Minister taps into
good news on water
The Minister for the River Murray, Paul Caica has painted a brighter-than-usual picture of the State’s water resources for 2010-11, saying SA started the year in a much better position than it did the past three.
Mr Caica said the latest resource assessment by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority included 80 billion litres of additional water for South Australia, a result of improved storage within the Menindee Lakes.
“This means there will be more water available for the environment and puts us in a good position to accumulate a substantial amount of our critical human water needs for 2011/12 early in the water year,” Mr Caica said.
“It also means South Australian irrigators can expect the opening allocation to be announced on 1 July to be better than they have received in recent years.’’
Mr Caica said while it was still too early to confirm the exact level of opening allocations, he could confirm it would be greater than in the past three years when opening allocations were four per cent, two per cent and two per cent respectively.
He said there was a 95 per cent chance that by the end of August, allocations would reach at least 25 per cent. This compared to an actual allocation of only 10 per cent at the end of August 2009.
The Minister said irrigators would also be able to access 100 per cent of their carryover entitlements, reminding them that allocations in South Australia are to remain at 62 per cent until the end of the month, the highest level since November 2006.
He said River Murray storages remained low in comparison to the long-term averages with the current volume in Hume, Dartmouth, Menindee Lakes and Lake Victoria 3,785 gigaltires (40 per capacity), compared to 1,455 gigalitres, (16 per cent capacity) at this time last year.
Mr Caica said inflows into the River Murray System for May had remained considerably below the long-term average and the current forecast was for a drier than normal winter across most of the Basin.
Resource updates are to be issued on the 1st and 15th of each month, or the first business day following that date throughout 2010-2011.
24 June, 2010
Fire management a
hot topic for parks
Public comment has been invited on a new draft fire management plan for national parks, reserves and Crown land in the Onkaparinga Valley of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Developed by the Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH), the plan formalises bushfire management strategies for DEH land located in parts the Mount Lofty Ranges.
DEH Deputy Regional Conservator for the Adelaide Region, Richard de Groot said the draft plan formalised work DEH had already undertaken in parks, such as prescribed burns, and also identifies areas which needed to be focused on in the future.
“For example, the plan contains recommendations for upgrading some fire access tracks in order to reduce bushfire response times, improve safety for firefighters and visitors, and to provide better access for fire suppression equipment,” Mr de Groot said.
“While even the best fire prevention activities cannot stop bushfires from spreading during extreme weather conditions, it is important to put strategies in place to reduce any impact on life, property and the environment.
“A critical component of this strategy is prescribed burning and DEH has just completed its most successful prescribed burning season within the Mount Lofty Ranges, with almost 1,000 hectares burnt during 2009/2010.”
Mr de Groot said fire management plans identified areas most at risk of bushfire, as well as providing direction on important ecological issues such as protecting habitat of threatened plant and animal species.
He said the Mount Lofty Ranges were home to a number of threatened plant and animal species such as the Southern Brown Bandicoot, Mount Lofty Ranges Chestnut-rumped Heathwren, 12 threatened orchid species and the Grey Box woodland.
The Onkaparinga Valley Draft Fire Management Plan was developed in consultation with the Country Fire Service.
The draft plan incorporates the conservation parks Aldinga Scrub, Charleston, Kenneth Stirling, Mark Oliphant, Moana Sands, Montacute, Mount George, Mylor, Porter Scrub and Scott Creek; the Totness and Onkaparinga River Recreation Parks; Onkaparinga River National Park; Crown land; and participating Heritage Agreements.
The plan could be accessed at www.dehfire.sa.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Commission to study
COAG reform guide
The Terms of Reference have been released for an investigation by the national Productivity Commission into the economic impacts and benefits of reforms introduced by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG).
The Terms have been formulated in response to COAG’s agreement that the Commission could report on its reform agenda every two to three years.
In a joint statement, the Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Assistant Treasurer Senator Nick Sherry said the Terms of Reference would provide direction to the Productivity Commission as it prepared a framework report outlining its proposed reporting approach and future assessments.
“These reports will assist the COAG Reform Council in its role of helping to enhance accountability and promote reform, and monitoring the progress of COAG’s reform agenda,” Mr Swan and Senator Sherry said.
“The framework report will outline the Productivity Commission’s proposed analytical frameworks for assessing the impacts and benefits of reform, to be drawn on in its future reports.”
Mr Swan and Senator Sherry said the reporting would cover realised and prospective economic impacts and benefits of the different reform streams including regulation, infrastructure and workforce productivity and participation.
“Each report to COAG will give priority to informing Governments of the nature of reform impacts and benefits and the time scale over which benefits are likely to accrue, given COAG’s reform framework and implementation plans,” they said.
“At the commencement of each reporting cycle, the Assistant Treasurer will provide directions concerning particular reporting priorities to be addressed within this broad framework.”
Mr Swan and Senator Sherry said COAG’s reform agenda aimed to boost productivity, increase workforce participation, improve social inclusion, close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and improve environmental sustainability.
The Productivity Commission is expected to provide the framework report to COAG by 31 December this year and the first full report on the impacts and benefits of the reform agenda by 31 December 2011.
The complete terms of reference were available from www.pc.gov.au
24 June, 2010
No flies on suburban
fruit fly quarantine
The Biosecurity Division of Primary Industries and Resources SA (PIRSA) has announced that quarantine measures to beat Mediterranean fruit fly in four metropolitan areas are to remain in place until December.
Manager of Compliance and Surveillance at PIRSA Biosecurity, Bruce Baker said while the organic bait spotting program for fruit flies in Seaton had ended, declared quarantine areas at Wingfield, Woodville North, Seaton and South Brighton would remain in place.
Mr Baker said the four fruit fly outbreaks were declared after fruit flies and larvae were detected at local properties.
He said quarantine areas of one-and-a-half kilometres had been set up around each detection site.
“We will continue to monitor fruit fly traps within the 1.5km quarantine outbreak areas on a fortnightly basis and then monitor them weekly from 1 September,” Mr Baker said.
“If fruit flies are detected again, we will start a second baiting program.”
Mr Baker said there was little point baiting for fruit flies while the weather was cold and that a three month program would commence in early September to combat any fruit flies that emerged as the weather warmed up.
He urged people within the quarantine areas not to remove fresh fruit, fruiting vegetables or garden waste from their properties during the ongoing quarantine period.
“These are potential hosts for the pest and the movement of fruit and vegetables during the quarantine period could start new outbreaks,” Mr Baker said.
He said PIRSA Biosecurity would advise the public if it became necessary to alter the eradication program further and asked residents to continue checking all fruit and fruiting vegetables regularly.
Mr Baker urged residents to report any maggots they found to the 24 hour Fruit Fly Hotline on 1300 666 010.
24 June, 2010
Water features mix
fun and danger
Members of the public have been encouraged to have their say on draft guidelines created to address public safety around artificial water features such as lakes, ponds and fountains.
Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Paul Holloway released the consultation draft, Safety – Artificial Water Features, saying there were currently no Australian guidelines or other documents dealing with safety issues associated with the water features.
The draft guidelines were created by the Department of Planning and Local Government to provide developers, designers, Agencies and Councils with a guide to prevent accidental injury or death from artificial or altered water features.
“These features add to the vibrancy of our community, but they also present an element of danger, particularly for children,” the draft says.
According to the draft guidelines, Australian standards or other reference documents would be “invaluable” for architects, urban designers, Local Government planners, insurers, child advocates and others interested in designing, building and promoting artificial features in the public environment.
“This document is intended to meet this need,” they say.
They hope that by providing useful and practical information in the assessment and design of water features they will help minimise the risk of injury posed by the water features.
The draft guidelines say that drowning in artificial water features was a “rare but catastrophic event” that generally involved “unusual” circumstances.
“A lack of historical incidents at existing sites cannot therefore be taken as sufficient evidence of an acceptable level of safety,” they say,, “rather, safety should be measured, where possible, by comparing the physical characteristics of a water feature against benchmarks of best practice.
“In particular, there is no substitute for adequate care and supervision around water features.”
Comment on the guidelines, which provide principles for good design and suggest a safety checklist for public water features, can be made until 9 August.
The draft is available from www.planning.sa.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Refugees at home
in Refugee Week
The Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Grace Portolesi, has launched refugee week 2010 under the theme ‘Freedom from Fear’.
Ms Portolesi said Refugee Week aimed to foster a better understanding between different communities. It runs until Saturday, 26 June.
“Refugee Week celebrates the positive contributions made by refugees to our society, and it’s a great opportunity to experience and celebrate the rich diversity of refugee communities through theatre, music, dance, film and other events,” Ms Portolesi said.
“Refugees are forced to leave their homeland in search of safety and the kinds of freedoms that many of us take for granted.”
She said to leave what they knew and go to live in a strange, new land required courage, ingenuity and perseverance.
“These are all traits that we really value in South Australia.”
Ms Portolesi said in seeking refuge in another country, refugees were hoping to find freedom from fear.
She said they sought a normal life, wanting to be part of a community where they could live in safety and security, find work and send their children to school.
“In South Australia this financial year we have settled 1,600 refugees and each of these people have their individual tales to tell of hardship and suffering but with a future of hope and resilience,” Ms Portolesi said.
“To assist with this transition, the South Australian Government has a newly appointed Director of Settlement Services working with agencies involved in delivering settlement services to refugees in South Australia so that we can improve the coordination of the services.”
Ms Portolesi launched the Week at a function hosted by the Migrant Resource Centre.
She said South Australian Refugee Week was an annual event running from 20 to 26 June, incorporating international United Nations World Refugee Day on 20 June.
More information is available at www.multicultural.sa.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Treadmill warning
makes some progress
Exercisers across South Australia have been warned to take care around treadmills, as reports of children being injured by the machines continue to be received.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gail Gago said that during winter, many people chose to exercise indoors and injuries could occur when children touched or climbed onto an operating treadmill.
Ms Gago said this resulted in friction burns or more serious cuts and abrasions to arms and fingers.
“Product safety officers from consumer affairs will be reinforcing the safety message over the next few weeks by visiting traders to ensure that all treadmills on sale carry prominent safety warnings,” Ms Gago said.
She said it was vital people were aware of the dangers treadmills posed to children and urged parents to keep them away from all fitness machinery.
She said an 11 year-old boy recently required hospital treatment for serious friction burns he sustained after being trapped between an operating treadmill and a wall.
“For peace of mind consider putting the treadmill in a separate room, unplug the power cord when not in use and ensure children cannot get close to the treadmill when it’s operating,” Ms Gago said.
The Minister said that in an effort to get the message across, product safety officers were educating community groups, including parenting groups and libraries.
She said a risk assessment of treadmill safety in South Australia was carried out in July 2008 in response to calls relating to children’s injuries, with the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs issuing a public warning highlighting the potential risks.
New national safety regulations under the Trade Practices Act have applied to all treadmills supplied in Australia from 1 December 2009.
The regulation requires traders to ensure that treadmills carry the following warning sign: “WARNING: keep young children away from this machine at all times. Contact with the moving surface may result in severe friction burns.”
Ms Gago said more information was available by contacting OCBA on (08) 8152 0732 or downloading the Treadmill Safety Alert brochure from the new Product Safety Australia website www.productsafety.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Forestry plants seeds
of wildlife protection
New native plant and wildlife corridors are to be established by ForestrySA in the State’s largest plantation forest in an effort to protect and enhance indigenous flora and fauna.
Minister for Forests, Michael O’Brien said 39ha of pine would be removed from the Mount Burr Forest and replaced with native vegetation.
He said a total of 12 corridors would be established, with 11.5ha of pine replaced so far for the first three.
Mr O’Brien said implementation of the Mount Burr Forest Management Plan would help preserve many plants, birds and animals considered to be vulnerable or endangered, including the growling grass frog, southern brown bandicoot and Yarra pygmy perch.
He said ForestrySA had struck a balance between environmental, economic, community and cultural objectives in compiling its management plan for the next five years.
“Native vegetation in the Mount Burr Forest contributes significantly to biodiversity conservation in the Lower South East region, where less than six per cent of the original indigenous vegetation remains and is conserved as protected areas,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The Mount Burr Forest contains more than 4,600 hectares of native vegetation, or eight percent of the Forest Reserve area.”
He said since 1996, ForestrySA had undertaken a number of significant conservation-based projects, focused on rehabilitation, weed control and revegetation.
“Most notable has been the development of strategic biodiversity corridors across forest reserves in the South East to link areas of isolated native vegetation.”
Mr O’Brien said ForestrySA had a strategy to grow the plantation estate through the purchase of suitable land so there would be no net loss of timber production.
Pine – the forest’s primary plantation species - would be replaced with native vegetation in targeted priority areas.
The Minister said development of the biodiversity corridors program was also linked to ForestrySA’s community programs, including nurseries established on school grounds at Newbery Park Primary School and Millicent High School which provided seedlings for revegetation works.
The Mount Burr Forest was established in the late 1800s and has trial plantings dating back to 1887. It occupies 38,262 hectares, or approximately 40 per cent of ForestrySA’s Green Triangle land area.
24 June, 2010
All smiles for
dental plan
A seven-year plan to maintain South Australia’s high quality dental care standards has been released by the Minister for Health, John Hill.
Mr Hill said the plan would deliver world class dental care, as well as reduce decay rates and waiting times to see a dentist.
“All South Australians should have access to safe, timely and affordable oral health care and this plan sets out the guiding principles to achieve this,” Mr Hill said.
“South Australia’s children still have the best oral health in Australia, but we have not been immune to the general increase in dental decay in the past ten years or so.
“The large communities in South Australia all have access to fluoridated water, which dramatically reduces tooth decay, and the potential to bring this benefit to remaining smaller communities in Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy will now be explored too.”
Mr Hill said South Australia’s Oral Health Plan 2010-2017 showed how health professionals could identify early decay in preschool children and refer them to the School Dental Service for free treatment.
He said the Federal Government had recently adopted a South Australian program to assist doctors and registered nurses with oral health assessments and to develop simple care plans for residents. Other recommendations included providing dentists with access to portable equipment to ensure simple treatments could be provided in nursing homes.
He said when the previous Federal Government abandoned the Commonwealth Dental Health Program for low income earners in 1996, public dental waiting lists around Australia “exploded”.
“By 2002 in South Australia, the average waiting time for a check-up and basic care was 49 months.”
Mr Hill said the State Government had provided funding for public dental services, with waiting lists now 18 months, which was a 14 year low.
“The SA Oral Health Plan commits us to the current Federal Government’s new Commonwealth Dental Health Program to work to bring waiting times down to well under 12 months,” Mr Hill said.
For more information about the plan, visit www.sadental.sa.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Rail crossing safety
to be on the level
The Minister for Road Safety has used International Level Crossing Awareness Day to report on progress in improving South Australian level crossings and the associated need to increase awareness of road safety issues.
The Minister, Jack Snelling said more than 45 countries marked International Level Crossing Awareness Day in a collective effort to promote safety at level crossings.
“The State Government is playing its part by investing up to $11 million over three years, including $3 million next financial year, towards engineering projects, education and enforcement at level crossings across the State,” Mr Snelling said.
“This investment includes funding for education campaigns to discourage bad behaviour at level crossings, the installation of red-light camera technology at selected crossings and funding for a State-wide level crossing black-spot program.”
He said 34 rail crossings had been upgraded this financial year.
“The upgraded crossings have been transformed from ‘passive’ to ‘active’ crossings through the installation of flashing lights and boom gates,” the Minister said.
Mr Snelling said additional funding would also be used to finalise installation of the ‘More Than One Train’ warning system at suburban pedestrian rail crossings.
He said South Australia was the first State to roll out the ‘More Than One Train’ warning system at 17 sites across the rail network.
“These warning signs display an illuminated message, ‘Caution, more than one train’, accompanied by an audible alarm to alert pedestrians when trains are approaching crossings at the same time,” Mr Snelling said.
“The potential for death or serious injury from a level crossing crash can be seen from the figures – 22 deaths and 74 people injured in SA from 2001-2009.”
He said there were 84 vehicle collisions at level crossings during the same eight year period.
“Driver inattention, driver distraction, risk taking and disobeying warning signs are the most common contributors to vehicle-train level crossing crashes,” Mr Snelling said.
24 June, 2010
Two-way ticket for
one-way street
Adelaide’s one-way Southern Expressway is to be upgraded with tenders called for a detailed planning study to duplicate the carriageway.
Minister for Transport, Patrick Conlon said the duplication would give motorists a clear run in and out of the city.
Mr Conlon said the proposed study would formalise the alignment of the expressway and address environmental issues.
He said many of the nine existing road bridges and five footbridges would be rebuilt or altered under work to duplicate the expressway with the work expected to cost around $445 million.
“By early next year, we will know the alignment for the expressway and know what the interchanges look like and how they can best serve the needs of all future users,” Mr Conlon said.
He said the successful tender applicant must address a series of major environmental issues such as noise, flora and fauna, air and water quality and Aboriginal heritage.
The Minister said interchanges would be built at the southern and northern ends of the project with additional ramps added to a number of existing interchanges.
Mr Conlon said the Southern Expressway Jobs Taskforce, headed by the MP for Mawson, Leon Bignell, had held its first meeting this week.
The planning study contract is expected to be awarded in August while construction is scheduled to begin in late 2011 and end in 2014.
Mr Conlon said when travelling on the non-stop duplicated Southern Expressway, the travel time saved would be an estimated 13 minutes when compared to Main South Road.
More information on the planning study was available at www.infrastructure.sa.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Language suite has
tongues wagging
A new state-of-the-art multimedia language suite at the University of South Australia’s Magill Campus has been unveiled by the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Grace Portolesi.
Ms Portolesi said the resource centre would be used by students at the School of Communication, International Studies and Languages to develop their skills in Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and English.
Ms Portolesi said the theme of the facility’s debut was ‘Inspiring the Future’ as it aimed to help strengthen students’ understanding of languages and connections with people of other cultures.
She said the centre included a brand new TV and radio studio and advanced language facilitates.
“The multimedia language facility will allow students to link up with other universities around the world using a revolutionary online radio through a worldwide intranet connection,” Ms Portolesi said.
“The recording studio has the design and technology of a real TV studio allowing students to experience real-life TV broadcasting.”
The Minister said practical experience in these areas and learning new languages would give students a head start in life by improving their employment prospects.
As part of the launch, the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Pal Ahluwalia and Head of School, Professor Kerry Green at UniSA accompanied Ms Portolesi on a tour of the new facilities.
“As the local member, I have a strong interest in the Magill Campus and admire its dedication to learning and to consistently producing excellent graduates,” Ms Portolesi said.
24 June, 2010
Foster parents
stand in for kids
Children in the Port Pirie and Yorke Peninsula area under the guardianship of the Minister for Families and Communities have undertaken a unique program to build positive outcomes for the community.
Developed by a Community Support Worker in Families SA’s Port Pirie office, Shona Foster-Holland, the 10-week program helped 12 adolescents aged between 14 and 17 tackle a number of youth issues.
Ms Foster-Holland said the program had adopted the name SERF to represent the issues addressed – Self-reliance, Education, Resourcefulness and building Friendships.
“The children were introduced to finance and money management; rental issues including rights and responsibilities; food and nutrition; the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol; education, training and job searching; sexuality and pregnancy/self-care; building social skills and relationships; and loss and grief,” Ms Foster-Holland said.
“We were able to use presenters from various Government, non-Government, local and regional communities and this was an excellent example of how well teams can work together.”
She said the youths benefited from the interaction and knowledge that is expected to “pay huge dividends” for their respective communities.
Ms Foster-Holland said it was inspirational to watch the children grow, develop and form new friendships during the program.
She said she received positive feedback from the kids’ foster parents about the program, as well as school professionals who said it had been a wonderful learning environment for the participants.
“The program also encouraged the children to speak openly about any of their difficulties, make new friends and support each other,” Ms Foster-Holland said.
“The participants enjoyed it so much that they have requested a ‘catch up’ session so they can stay in touch with each other.”
24 June, 2010
Big concerns over
nanomaterials
Two reports released by Safe Work Australia have found there is insufficient information on the potential health and safety risks of nanomaterials in Material Safety Data Sheets and product labels produced by Australian industry.
Chair of Safe Work Australia, Tom Phillips said the findings would be used to launch a review of the model Codes of Practice for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and labelling of workplace hazardous chemicals.
Mr Phillips said MSDSs guided workplaces on the safe management, labelling, storage and hazard identification of chemicals.
He said the two reports examined engineered nanomaterials and were published as part of the Nanotechnology Work Health and Safety Program which is managed by Safe Work Australia.
He said the first report, An Evaluation of MSDS and Labels associated with the Use of Engineered Nanomaterials evaluated 50 MSDSs and 15 labels for products containing engineered nanomaterials.
He said the report found most of the MSDSs evaluated did not provide sufficient information to inform a work health and safety risk assessment for the nanomaterials contained in the product.
All MSDSs evaluated for carbon nanotubes described them as hazardous substances however, but the majority described the hazards of carbon nanotubes to be equivalent to that of graphite, which Mr Phillips said did not align with other findings on their potential health effects.
Mr Phillips said product labels reflected the content presented in the MSDSs, including “inadequacies” in relation to hazard identification, and did not contain additional cautionary notes about the suspected hazards of nanomaterials.
He said the second report, Developing Workplace Detection and Measurement Techniques for Carbon Nanotubes, was conducted by the CSIRO and investigated possible approaches for detecting airborne particles formed as a result of emissions from carbon nanotubes.
“This research will aid Safe Work Australia’s development of the model work health and safety laws, including model work health and safety Regulations and model Codes of Practice, to be released later this year for public comment,” Mr Phillips said.
The two reports could be accessed at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Heavyweights join
truck safety effort
A national strategy to increase the use of technology in the road freight industry could help improve road safety and reduce costs and emissions according to a draft released by the National Transport Commission.
In the Draft National In-Vehicle Telematics Strategy: The Road Freight Sector, the National Transport Commission (NTC) outlines the potential of a partnership approach to using technology.
Chief Executive of NTC, Nick Dimopoulos said there was a “great opportunity” to harness the potential of “real time” information by encouraging wider uptake of technology.
“Industry is already investing in technologies to improve truck fleet efficiencies, such as tracking deliveries in real time so the warehouse is ready to unload the truck as it arrives,” Mr Dimopoulos said.
“By 2030 we’d like to see 90 per cent of the road freight sector voluntarily using in-vehicle technologies, with information routinely shared between supply chain parties to drive efficiencies and proactively manage fatigue, speed and overloading risks.”
He said a national strategy would provide a clear and consistent policy for technology use and give industry the confidence they needed to invest.
Mr Dimopoulos said an over-arching set of national principles would help to better align and guide in-vehicle telematics initiatives – such as standards and regulations – with national transport policy objectives.
He said in-vehicle telematics encompassed the electronic monitoring and management of vehicles, their devices and their loads.
Mr Dimopoulos said the draft strategy, which was developed in consultation with Governments, industry and unions, and a supporting discussion paper would be open for comment until 21 July.
It could be downloaded from www.ntc.gov.au
24 June, 2010
Gallery named Abbott
The Art Gallery of South Australia’s Southeast Asian collection gallery has changed its name to the ‘Michael Abbott Gallery’ to honour the Chairman of the Art Gallery.
Mr Abbott has been Chairman since August 2002 and has given the Gallery nearly 1,000 Asian art objects, valued in excess of $3 million, since 1976.
The newly-named Gallery in the lower Melrose wing is to be a permanent showcase for some of the greatest treasures of Southeast Asian art, including many objects donated by Mr Abbott himself.
Dodgy fax warning
The Minister for Consumer Affairs has warned businesses to be wary of a dodgy fax purporting to be from Yellow Pages that requests money for a free submission to ‘google.com.au’.
The Minister, Gail Gago said the fax involved a number of websites masquerading as Yellow Pages sites including yellowpage-southaustralia.com.
Ms Gago advised people to contact Yellow Pages on 13 23 78 if they were unsure it a fax claiming to represent Yellow Pages was legitimate.
Further information on scams was available from www.scamwatch.gov.au
Lightsview to double
The size of the Lightsview residential development at Northgate is to be doubled to create a further 1,150 dwellings.
Minister for Infrastructure, Peter Conlon said the joint venture between the Land Management Corporation (LMC) and development firm CIC Australia had been approved to extend Lightsview to an adjacent 45 hectares of land.
Mr Conlon said the LMC and the private firm had done an outstanding job in creating a popular urban environment just 8km from the CBD.
Mount Gambier bigger
A boundary change for Mount Gambier Council has been approved, with 695 hectares that were part of the District Council of Grant now part of the City of Mount Gambier, expanding its scope by about 25 percent.
The changes will see Mount Gambier TAFE/University of South Australia Campus, Calula Residential Estate, a golf course and large areas of land set aside for urban residential development fall within the City of Mount Gambier.
The boundary change involves 270 properties and was undertaken to help ensure the rural character of the District Council of Grant can be maintained and Mount Gambier can expand in accordance with the Greater Mount Gambier Master Plan.
Numbers’ up for faxes
The Do Not Call Register has been expanded to allow fax numbers and numbers used by emergency services and Government bodies to be registered.
The changes took effect on 30 May this year, with registrations now lasting five years.
Chairman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Chris Chapman said the changes would ensure vital community service numbers were not tied up by telemarketing calls.
For more information, go to www.donotcall.gov.au or call 1300 792 958.
17 June, 2010
Data track system
to follow schoolkids
A new data-sharing system to track the early development of South Australian children has been announced by the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development, Jay Weatherill.
Mr Weatherill said the system was aimed at better identifying children in need and better targeting services to help them with their future education.
He said the new data-linkage system would track individual children over time to get a more complete picture of all children and those who need special support in particular.
Mr Weatherill said research showed the majority of factors that influenced children’s development and learning occurred before or outside of school, including family circumstances, health issues and birth weight.
He said the system would link information from a wide range of service providers by individual child rather than place, including information from school census data, peri natal statistics, emergency department records, dental records, and child health records.
“At the moment we have a lot of information that we can break down by location - such as the Australian Early Development Index and NAPLAN, which have highlighted suburbs and schools in highest need,” Mr Weatherill said.
“What we will be identifying is the type of children who need particular supports – regardless of where they might live or go to school.”
The Minister said while the collection of data would be on an anonymous basis to protect privacy, the system would allow the effects of a whole range of factors in their lives to be compared.
“From there we will be able to track the efficacy of programs like our nurse home visits to mums and our school retention programs - and better target them on the basis of the development that we monitor in individual children,” Mr Weatherill said.
He said the State would seek Federal Government support for the approach with a view to it being applied nationally.
“A national roll-out will not only provide more data, but it will allow us to really measure how well the approaches in different states are working for particular types of children,” Mr Weatherill said.
17 June, 2010
PS chimes in with
gongs from Queen
Public Servants have featured prominently in the Queens Birthday Honours List with four becoming a Members of the Order (AM) and three receiving Public Service Medals (PSM).
The honours were announced by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce.
MEMBER OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA (AM)
Emeritus Professor Kym Llewellyn ADEY AM
For service to university administration, to teacher education, and to a range of professional associations.
Professor Adey was Foundation Dean at the University of South Australia’s Faculty of Education
Professor Barbara Ann POCOCK AM
University of South Australia
For service to industrial relations as an academic and researcher, particularly in the areas of employment, gender relations and vocational education, and as an advocate for social justice.
Associate Professor John Michael SVIGOS AM
Women's and Children's Hospital
For service to medicine, particularly in the field of obstetrics and perinatology, through executive roles with national and international professional organisations, and to medical education.
Dr Lindsay Ian WORTHLEY AM
Royal Adelaide Hospital
For service to medical education, particularly in the area of intensive care medicine, as a clinician, mentor and educator, and through contributions to professional associations.
PUBLIC SERVICE MEDAL (PSM)
Mr Richard John DENNIS PSM
Parliamentary Counsel
For outstanding public service in the area of statutory interpretation and legislative drafting.
For over 25 years Mr Dennis has served the Parliament of South Australia through his work in the office of Parliamentary Counsel.
His knowledge of parliamentary processes in regard to legislative development is exemplary, and he has a vast knowledge of the South Australian statutes and highly developed expertise in statutory interpretation and legislative drafting.
Appointed as Parliamentary Counsel in 2006, Mr Dennis represents South Australia on the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee that oversees the drafting of cross-jurisdictional or national schemes. In recent years he has provided valuable and committed assistance in the drafting of important legislation that has led to major reforms in health and the environment. His attention to detail, superior communication skills and ability to interpret very complex issues have ensured that the wishes of those instructing him are reflected in legislation. He is adept at finding creative and practical solutions to complex or obscure legal problems.
Mr Dennis has also provided a key service to Premiers over many years through advice on machinery of government matters. His ability to discuss legislative proposals in an impartial and confidential manner and then to analyse and frame the resultant legislation has earned him the respect of all who have sought his assistance.
Mr Dennis's impact on the legislative fabric of this state has been enormous. Through his leadership, and strong grasp of the parliamentary process and public administration, he has played an important role in advancing the governance of South Australia.
Steven RILEY PSM
South Australian Museum
For outstanding public service in the arts, specifically with regards to the South Australian Museum.
As General Manager of the South Australian Museum from 2000, Mr Riley not only transformed the business practices of the museum but also managed every aspect of its programs on a day-to-day basis.
He was responsible for the financial management of the institution (including negotiating and developing sponsorship and donations) and had complete oversight of the human resources requirements and creative public programs such as exhibitions, outreach events, regional road shows and education programs.
Mr Riley's remarkable business background, coupled with his experience in the creative industries and understanding of philanthropic fundraising, allowed him to completely revolutionise the way the Museum runs its business. His achievements directly resulted in an increase in the Museum's external revenue by almost 70 per cent.
The increase in research funding and the specific focus on research means it is now the top research museum in Australia, both in terms of research income and in research peer-reviewed publications.
External revenue generation has allowed the museum to diversify its public engagement programs and it has seen a 40 per cent increase in its visitor numbers during Mr Riley's tenure.
In conjunction with two directors of the Museum, Mr Riley has set about breaking down the mystique of museums as grand and aloof institutions. This has allowed the Museum to run nationally and internationally acclaimed public and scientific research programs that simply would not have been previously possible.
Mr Riley's extraordinary leadership has taken the South Australian Museum to be a highly regarded institute of learning, fun and engagement.
Vanessa SWAN PSM
For outstanding public service in the area of policy development and service improvement to victims of sexual assault.
Ms Swan's dedication to working for the protection of people who have been subjected to rape or sexual assault has spanned many years.
Her contribution has been at both state and national levels. As Director of Yarrow Place, Ms Swan has been at the forefront of much debate on sex offence law reform as well as procedural and practice change. She has helped forge a relationship between Yarrow Place and SA Police that has benefited victims of sexual assault.
Ms Swan is the former Chair and continues as a Board Member of the National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence, the national peak body. She is Chair of the South Australian Attorney-General’s Victims of Crime Advisory Committee. She is also a Member of the Parole Board of South Australia and the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault Reference Group.
Ms Swan's commitment to advancing victims' rights in general and the rights of women as victims of crime in particular, has been outstanding.
She contributed extraordinary amounts of time, effort and expertise to the development of the Time for Action: The National Council's Plan for Australia to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, 2009-2021. After the council presented its report to the Commonwealth Government, she was appointed to the Violence against Women Advisory Group that will oversee the implementation of the plan.
In 2009, Ms Swan was inducted into the South Australian Women's Honour Roll, which acknowledges and celebrates the achievements of women who are role models, leaders and an inspiration to others.
17 June, 2010
Coffers overflowing
for drought recovery
Drought support programs in South Australia have moved from the emergency response stage to the recovery phase according to the Minister for Agriculture, Michael O’Brien.
Mr O’Brien said a $4.3 million program would provide support to regional communities over 12 months and would target long-term regional recovery and support at the grassroots.
“Previous drought programs have been targeted at emergency response, but now is the time to start moving towards recovery,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I broadly support the intent of the new Federal Government policy, which is being trialled in Western Australia, and seeks to build resilience in regional communities.”
He said the program aimed to prepare farmers for dry seasons through effective planning, rather than emergency responses.
Mr O’Brien said the State’s drought recovery program included support for all five existing regional taskforces and new drought coordinators in the Riverland, Murray Mallee and Upper South East, Eyre Peninsula, Rangelands and Northern and Yorke regions.
He said two full-time rural community counsellors would be appointed for the Riverland to deliver services emphasising recovery and transition, in addition to counselling and community capacity building.
Mr O’Brien said under the program the Riverland Drought Recovery Centre would be relocated to the Loxton Research Centre to provide a one-stop shop for agriculture services and Country Health SA would focus its Community Counsellor program on priority regions.
The Minister said the Family and Business mentor program would also provide one-on-one peer support for farming families; technical support programs would help boost the resilience and viability of farm businesses; and the Rural Financial Counselling Service SA would continue to provide advice to farmers.
Mr O’Brien said the Men in Communities farmer peer support program would continue in the River Murray corridor and Upper Mallee regions and there would also be ongoing development of the Women in Communities program.
17 June, 2010
Fee increases
charge ahead
Government fees and charges are to rise by an average 3.3 per cent on 1 July, an increase Treasurer Kevin Foley said reflected higher wages and changes in the Consumer Price Index.
Mr Foley said the increases, which would see Metroticket fares rise from $4.40 to $4.60 for a single ticket, took place against the backdrop of the State’s $2 billion investment in upgrading the public transport system.
“I expect any fare increases will be unwelcome, but the increases are modest in the context of the new trams and tramlines, the upgraded, extended and electrified rail and extra buses,” Mr Foley said.
He said a range of motorist fees were also set to rise from July including registration fees for four cylinder cars (up from $99 to $102), five or six cylinder cars (up from $201 to $208) and seven or more cylinders (up from $292 to $302).
Mr Foley said drivers’ licence renewals for 10 years would also increase from $270 to $280; learner’s permit issues and renewals would rise from $27 to $38; and the theoretical exam would go up from $11 to $16.
He said speeding fines would also increase.
The latest increases come on top of previously announced increases in Compulsory Third Party Premiums and water bills which will also come into effect on 1 July.
Mr Foley said the offer of free public transport to holders of a State Seniors Card on weekends and public holidays, and from 9.01am to 3pm on weekdays would remain in place.
17 June, 2010
Car testing scheme
is the right gear
A strengthened program for testing and safety rating new cars on the Australian market is expected to be of great benefit to South Australian motorists.
Minister for Road Safety, Jack Snelling said the Federal Government was injecting $5 million into the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).
Mr Snelling said the funding would increase the number of crash tests and safety ratings for new cars.
“Driving a car that has recognised safety features and a high safety rating is an essential aspect of ensuring safer travel on our roads,” Mr Snelling said.
“Many of the deaths and serious injuries resulting from crashes could have well been prevented or reduced in severity had drivers chosen safer vehicles.”
He said ANCAP would provide consumers with consistent information on the level of occupant protection provided by vehicles in serious front and side crashes.
“The Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure also contributes funding and resources each year towards ANCAP crash testing,” he said.
“The extra funding will mean more crash tests can be conducted providing consumers with the best information and advice.”
Mr Snelling said all motorists considering buying a car should check if it’s fitted with an anti-lock braking system, electronic stability control, airbags, three-point seat belt design, front and back seat headrests, traction control, car crumple zones and vehicle bodies designed to minimise impact forces on occupants.
He said 78 per cent of new vehicles sold in SA now had four or five star ANCAP ratings.
Mr Snelling said the State Government had been involved with ANCAP since its inception in 1992.
A full list of ANCAP’s vehicle safety ratings and other vehicle safety information was available from www.ancap.com.au
17 June, 2010
New SMS tool
has txt appeal
A new tool to make it easier for the community to report spam SMS messages sent to their mobiles has been launched by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Chairman of the Authority, Chris Chapman said people who received spam messages on their mobile phones could now report it using the Spam SMS tool.
Mr Chapman said all that mobile users had to do was forward any spam messages received to 0429 999 888.
“As active mobile phone users, young people are increasingly exposed to targeted SMS marketing messages but may be reluctant or indifferent to reporting spam,” Mr Chapman said.
“We can actually do a lot to help in this space, but we have to know about it.
“Spam SMS is a simple and convenient way to tell us about spam. All you need to do is forward the message to 0429 999 888 as soon as you receive it.”
He said the information received by Spam SMS would help ACMA investigate breaches of the Spam Act.
Mr Chapman launched Spam SMS at the Phoenix Youth Centre in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Week.
Further information about SMS and ACMA’s recent enforcement outcomes in relation to spam sent via text messaging was available from www.spam.acma.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Women to dress
up public forums
Women in South Australia are being encouraged to take part in public forums organised by the Premier’s Council for Women.
Minister for the Status of Women, Gail Gago said the forums would be held across the State to provide women with the opportunity to air their views on the “big issues” affecting them.
“These public forums will provide the platform for hundreds of South Australian women to share their views on important issues such as employment and money, family, safety and well-being,” Ms Gago said.
“Some of these consultations will focus on the specific needs of different groups of women in our society including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities, multicultural groups as well as sessions for younger and older women.”
The Minister said information gathered from the forums would be used to help update South Australia’s Strategic Plan and to help the Premier’s Council for Women set its own agenda for the next few years.
“The Premier’s Council for Women will then make recommendations to ensure the updated Strategic Plan accurately reflects the real views and needs of women in South Australia,” Ms Gago said.
She said South Australia’s Strategic Plan was a guide for business, the community and Government.
The Premier's Council for Women was set up by the Government in 2002 to provide independent advice on issues affecting women.
“The Council comprises 16 influential women across a range of areas and offers advice on a range of issues including health, safety, work and the representation of women in leadership positions, such as on boards and committees,” Ms Gago said.
The forums are to take place over the next four months, with a full schedule and more information available at pcw.officeforwomen.sa.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Consumer watchdog
warns on puppies
The Minister for Consumer Affairs has issued a public warning to dog lovers considering buying a new pet puppy.
The Minister, Gail Gago urged potential owners to be wary of a breeder advertising on the internet under the unregistered business name, ‘Newfview Kennels,’ with web address of www.newfviewkennels.com.au
“So far we are aware of six people who have made formal complaints to the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (OCBA) telling us they’ve paid between $1,440 and $2,725 to this trader for puppies that are never delivered,” Ms Gago said.
She said all transactions were made via telephone and money was paid directly into a bank account belonging to Andrew Pike of Newfview Kennels.
“These unsuspecting customers have not received a puppy or a refund despite repeated requests and promises,” Ms Gago said.
“People need to be aware that our records show that Newfview is not a registered business name in South Australia and investigations by Consumer Affairs officers reveal that a Morgan property, registered in the name of Andrew Pike, has been deserted with no forwarding address.”
The Minister said the site claimed to have Newfoundland, Chesapeake and Leonberger puppies for sale.
She said OCBA had previously warned people about advertisements offering cute puppies for sale, unless the ad was placed by a local pet shop, local breeder or individuals whose credentials could be verified.
She said residents who were unsure about an ad they had seen should seek advice from a breeder or kennel association, a vet or a local pet shop.
Ms Gago said OCBA could be contacted on (08) 8204 9777 and that further information was available from www.ocba.sa.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Library donation is
shelfless gesture
The State Library of South Australia has received a $140,000 donation to assist it in preserving and providing access to some of the State’s most fragile newspapers.
The donation, from the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation, follows a recent visit by Mrs Ramsay to the Library’s Preservation studio, where she took a particular interest in the newspaper collection from the 19th Century.
“These newspapers are really important to our State’s history and we must see that they are preserved and made accessible to all South Australians,” Mrs Ramsay said.
Director of the State Library, Alan Smith, said a project phased over three years had been established to preserve 12 South Australian newspaper titles that were at high risk of disintegration.
“The Library’s strategic direction is to make our collections safe and accessible to the public, and this project will ensure our most fragile newspapers will be digitised and made available free on-line to everyone” Mr Smith.
He said newspapers provided a cornerstone of society’s historical records, adding that the State Library had sole responsibility for preserving access to the 410 newspaper titles that had been published in South Australia since 1836.
Mr Smith said the broadsheet newspapers, which totalled around 208,000 pages, would be microfilmed to international standards and then made available digitally through the National Library of Australia and their Australian Newspaper Service.
He said Mrs Ramsay’s generous gift meant the Library could immediately start the project.
Mr Smith said the donation, negotiated with the support of the State Library of South Australia Foundation and the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation, would see Mrs Ramsay acknowledged as a Mortlock donor, the Foundation’s most prestigious donor group.
17 June, 2010
Stars come out for
voting campaign
A new campaign urging young people to enrol to vote has been launched by the Australian Electoral Commission with help from a group of famous Australians.
The “cheeky” campaign is supported by celebrities and sports stars such as Dave Hughes and Eamon Sullivan who are delivering the message “famous people vote too.”
In a bid to reach out to people aged 18 to 39 who make up around 70 per cent of the 1.4 million Australians missing from the electoral roll, the AEC has invited youths to upload photos or video clips of people in their community saying why it was important to be enrolled.
Entrants have the opportunity to win weekly prizes and receive free campaign items such as t-shirts and posters.
Spokesperson for the AEC, Phil Diak said 1.4 million missing voters could potentially change the course of an election.
“Even if you think you’re enrolled, if you’ve moved house in the past three years, you may not be,” Mr Diak said.
“You’ve got to update your address on the electoral roll every time you move to avoid the risk of losing your vote.
Comedian and campaign ambassador, Dave Hughes said everyone was equal when it came to voting.
“Nothing gets me going more than people whinging about Governments or politicians when they won’t even vote,” Mr Hughes said.
“If you want to have a say, do something about it and get on the roll – because your vote is worth just as much as James Packer’s or Nicole Kidman’s!”
Ambassadors to the campaign include MTV VJ Ruby Rose; Neighbours star Matthew Werkmeister; swim star Eamon Sullivan; City Homicide’s Aaron Pedersen; models Tahnee Atkinson and Laura Dundovic; and young footballers Tom Scully and Jack Watts.
The campaign website, www.famouspeoplevotetoo.com, includes videos of ambassadors urging people to vote and is supported by a social media strategy that will see ambassadors ‘tweeting’.
17 June, 2010
Inspectors coast
in from coast
Inspectors from the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs have returned from a week on the West Coast where they conducted one of the most extensive trade audits carried out in the area.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gail Gago said more than 200 traders came under scrutiny, including car dealers, builders, service stations and pubs, to ensure they were operating in line with fair trading and product safety laws.
“The majority of traders were found to be complying with the law and selling products that were safe and correctly labelled, honouring their warranty, lay-by responsibilities and selling accurate measures of goods,” Ms Gago said.
She said inspectors visited 124 stores to check warranty practices and lay-by terms, with all stores found to be complying with their obligations.
Ms Gago said OCBA’s product safety inspectors also called on 25 retailers and examined 783 new and second-hand products to identify any safety concerns.
The Minister said OCBA’s trade measurement specialists also visited a selection of businesses and scrutinised 172 measuring instruments such as petrol pumps, weighing scales and spirit measures as well as 136 pre-packaged products.
“Seven traders found in breach received written warnings in relation to four unapproved measures of length, two spirit measures incorrectly used, and one for incomplete labels on bags of firewood,” she said.
“Written warnings were also issued to six second-hand car dealers and an auto electrician is being further investigated by OCBA about alleged odometer adjustments.
“While most traders are doing the right thing, we have uncovered some unfair trading practices on the West Coast that we are taking a closer look at,” Ms Gago said.
She said further consumer affairs information was available at www.ocba.vic.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Water projects flow
to Local Councils
Nine water-saving projects that promise to save almost 3 billion litres a year are to be rolled out by Local Councils in South Australia.
Federal Minister for Water, Senator Penny Wong said the projects, which would receive funding from the Australian Government, would strengthen the future water security of local communities by easing demand on drinking water supplies.
Senator Wong said the projects would help communities diversify their water supplies, reduce reliance on rainfall, and use water more wisely.
She said the use of potable water for commercial purposes would be reduced by introducing stormwater harvesting and wastewater reuse schemes in Port Augusta and Port Pirie while recycled water would be used to water open community spaces.
Senator Wong said other measures included installing more efficient irrigation systems and a state-wide initiative for 29 sub-projects to help 18 SA Councils diversify their future water supplies and improve their capacity to better manage current water resources.
The Senator said it was great to see the Councils using their initiative in finding ways to help their local communities use water more wisely.
“Changing population patterns and the emerging effects of climate change mean urban water supplies in our cities and towns are under increasing pressure,” she said.
“So it's essential we support local communities as they tackle the challenge of a future with less water.
“We need to look at new ways of diversifying South Australia’s water supplies and reducing reliance on the River Murray.”
Senator Wong said the Commonwealth had committed over $530 million to South Australia for stormwater harvesting and re-use, desalination and water recycling projects.
She said funding for the projects had been provided under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns program.
More information and a list of all successful applicants was available from www.environment.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Youngsters old hands
in cybersafe program
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has adopted the view “you’re never too young to start learning” by launching a fun new cyber-security resource for five to nine-year-olds.
As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Week which ended last Friday, ACMA released a new cyber-security themed episode of its award-winning online cyber-safety resource for kids – Hector’s World – which follows Hector the dolphin and his ocean friends as they learn how to use technology safely.
Chairman of ACMA, Chris Chapman said the episode made its premiere on an interactive whiteboard before a third-grade class at Birchgrove Public School in Sydney.
“This new Hector’s World episode provides important security lessons for young people when they are using computers online” Mr Chapman said.
“The lesson plan also highlights the importance of students turning to a trusted adult or carer for help.”
He said the episode introduced the foundations of computer security skills such as keeping an eye out for viruses and the importance of using strong and secure passwords.
In launching the episode, the Executive Director of NetSafe New Zealand (the parent company of Hector’s World Limited), Martin Cocker said helping children understand computer safety was an important step towards teaching them to be “confident and responsible digital citizens.”
Hector’s World has been awarded the .au Domain Administration and Internet NZ Internet Best Practice Award for Best Security Initiative.
All episodes of Hector’s World and supporting materials are available from ACMA’s Cybersmart website www.cybersmart.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Botany book plants
seeds of interest
A new book about the Museum of Economic Botany in the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide is now on sale.
The Museum of Economic Botany at the Adelaide Botanic Garden - A souvenir is edited by curator and historian Dr Peter Emmett and the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide’s Cultural Collections Manager, Tony Kanellos.
Mr Kanellos said the book told the history of the Museum through insightful essays and illustrations.
He said the publication reflected the Museum’s international significance.
“This book will take you on a fascinating journey and unveil the wonder and intrigue of the Museum, its collection and its history,” Mr Kanellos said.
“When people read this book, they will discover the significant role that plants play within the economy.”
He said the book aimed to encourage people to stop and think about the production and trade in botanical products such as wheat, rice, spices, hops, cotton and flax.
“Contributors to the book include Executive Director of the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, Stephen Forbes; Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England Professor Stephen Hopper; designer Khai Liew; and artist Fiona Hall,” Mr Kanellos said.
The Santos Museum of Economic Botany is located in the heart of the Adelaide Botanic Garden and is open 10am til 4pm Wednesday through Sunday in winter.
Mr Kanellos said it was the only remaining museum of its kind and was established in the Adelaide Botanic Garden by its second Director, Richard Schomburgk.
The Museum of Economic Botany at the Adelaide Botanic Garden – A souvenir is available for $39.99 from The Botanic Shop.
17 June, 2010
Home zone shown
as rezone prone
Proposals to rezone parts of the Adelaide Hills to allow urban growth around Mount Barker and Nairne have been put out for public comment until 4 August.
Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Paul Holloway said the proposed rezoning was in line with the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide which was adopted by the Government in February.
“It’s important to identify now where growth can occur and where important things like schools, roads and open space will be located,” Mr Holloway said.
He said rezoning in the District Council of Mount Barker had been considered since work to develop the 30-Year Plan for Greater Adelaide started in 2009, and would help to ensure a supply of land for housing and employment adjacent to existing urban areas in the Mount Barker and Nairne townships.
“This will enable targets to be achieved for the Adelaide Hills that contribute to Greater Adelaide’s 15-year zoned urban land supply, while also attracting a greater population to the area that will support the provision of more infrastructure and services,” Mr Holloway said.
“The Mount Barker Development Plan Amendment (DPA) proposes to rezone about 45 hectares of land to the south-west of Nairne, as well as a further 1,265 hectares, largely around the southern and westerly limits of the existing Mount Barker Township.”
Mr Holloway said the proposal would see a wide variety of housing, from single block houses to town houses, developed in new growth areas and existing residential areas of Mount Barker and Nairne.
He said public submissions on the Development Plan Amendment could be lodged until 4 August and recommended interested parties visit www.planning.sa.gov.au
Mr Holloway said a public meeting had been scheduled for the end of the submission period.
17 June, 2010
OCIO security expert
unlocks good advice
Security officers in the public sector should not be sidetracked by major security breaches overseas if they are to protect Government IT systems here in Australia says a leading SA PS security expert.
Director of Security and Risk Assurance in the South Australian Office of the Chief Information Officer, Peter Fowler said paying too much attention to overseas cybercrime incidents could take the focus away from the more predominant insider security breaches in the Government sector.
“This can cause us to perhaps lose focus on the usual culprits of events,” Mr Fowler said, “such as the trusted insider (or) the relationships that we have with suppliers and contractors that provide people access into our networks.
“These still are predominant causes of security breaches within the Government sector.”
He said reports about “cyber incidents or incidents relating to social media” were good for raising awareness about cybersecurity in the community, but didn't do much for the organisations that are subject to attacks.
“I think this level of awareness building is good in one respect and not so good in another respect,” Mr Fowler said.
“It will certainly make the general public more aware of ICT incidents and perhaps give them a focus point but won't be necessarily benefit a particular organisation in the case of an event.”
Mr Fowler said it was also important to ensure the restoration of ICT services was a high priority in emergency management legislation.
“Most Government services these days are underpinned by ICT services and in fact if we look at the initial findings from the Victoria Bushfire Royal Commission we'll see how important ICT services were to providing information to the public and supporting response and recovery efforts,” he said.
17 June, 2010
Heavyweights join
truck safety effort
A national strategy to increase the use of technology in the road freight industry could help improve road safety and reduce costs and emissions according to a draft released by the National Transport Commission.
In the Draft National In-Vehicle Telematics Strategy: The Road Freight Sector, the National Transport Commission (NTC) outlines the potential of a partnership approach to using technology.
Chief Executive of NTC, Nick Dimopoulos said there was a “great opportunity” to harness the potential of “real time” information by encouraging wider uptake of technology.
“Industry is already investing in technologies to improve truck fleet efficiencies, such as tracking deliveries in real time so the warehouse is ready to unload the truck as it arrives,” Mr Dimopoulos said.
“By 2030 we’d like to see 90 per cent of the road freight sector voluntarily using in-vehicle technologies, with information routinely shared between supply chain parties to drive efficiencies and proactively manage fatigue, speed and overloading risks.”
He said a national strategy would provide a clear and consistent policy for technology use and give industry the confidence they needed to invest.
Mr Dimopoulos said an over-arching set of national principles would help to better align and guide in-vehicle telematics initiatives – such as standards and regulations – with national transport policy objectives.
He said in-vehicle telematics encompassed the electronic monitoring and management of vehicles, their devices and their loads.
Mr Dimopoulos said the draft strategy, which was developed in consultation with Governments, industry and unions, and a supporting discussion paper would be open for comment until 21 July.
It could be downloaded from www.ntc.gov.au
17 June, 2010
Heritage awards open
The Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH) is calling for nominations for the 2010 Heritage Heroes awards, which recognise volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to the upkeep of South Australia’s heritage.
Public Service Agencies, community groups, individuals, heritage consultants and advisors, Local Councils and conservation and heritage organisations are encouraged to apply.
Nominations, which close on 16 July, are invited in three categories: Individual Heritage Volunteer, Heritage Volunteer Group and the Youth Heritage Volunteer/Group.
Further information was available from www.heritage.sa.gov.au
Markets targeted
The Fair Work Ombudsman has announced plans to check the wages of workers at Adelaide’s fruit and vegetable market at Pooraka are correct.
Fair Work inspectors will randomly visit 50 businesses later this month, asking employers to open their books to allow inspectors to check they are complying with record-keeping and pay-slip laws.
The targeted campaign follows ongoing complaints about non-compliance at the market.
Skills shortages boosted
More than 3,200 training places are set to boost the skills and qualifications of South Australian job seekers following a strong response to the call for applications for training through the Productivity Places Program for Job Seekers.
The main sectors to benefit from the placements are expected to be business and financial services; mining; engineering; defence; health; community services; wholesale and retail; and tourism and hospitality.
Over 60 per cent of places have been awarded for training towards higher level qualifications in skill shortage areas.
Awards celebrate volunteers
To mark annual Volunteers Day, the Government partnered with the Adelaide Cabaret festival to host a free concert for almost 2,000 people.
The Governor, Kevin Scarce and the Minister for Volunteers, Grace Portolesi presented the State’s most prestigious honours at the concert.
Janice Wallent received the Joy Noble Medal for her valuable contribution to Carers SA and Partners of Veterans; Kelly and Co. Lawyers received the Premier’s Business Award in Volunteering; and Youthoria Cinema and Café and the Port Lincoln Youth Advisory Committee received the Andamooka Community Project Award.
For more information about volunteering contact the Office for Volunteers on (08) 8463 4412 or visit www.ofv.sa.gov.au
Riverland Taskforce extended
The term of the Riverland Futures Taskforce is to be extended by 12 to 18 months to ensure the best possible outcomes in infrastructure, industry attraction and business growth are achieved in the Riverland.
Minister for Regional Development, Michael O’Brien said the Taskforce consisted of local people providing advice on local solutions to local problems.
Mr O’Brien denied claims by the Opposition that the Taskforce was “an exercise in bureaucracy.”
10 June, 2010
PSA applies pressure
to proposed PS cuts
The Public Service Association has voiced its agreement with comments made by an Associate Professor from the University of Adelaide who has called on the Government to rethink its proposed cuts to the Public Service.
Associate Professor John Spoehr said rather than cutting jobs, the Government should modernise the Public Service over the next four years.
“While budgetary restraint is prudent for State Governments during periods of sharp revenue decline it is not smart policy to cut 1,600 jobs from the public sector given the relatively optimistic economic outlook ahead,” Professor Spoehr said.
“Fears about a major hit to national budget revenues have been replaced by forecasts of growth rather than decline.”
He made the comments in an article published in The Adelaide Review, where he also called on the role of the Sustainable Budget Commission (SBC) to be modified.
Professor Spoehr said the SBC, tasked with finding PS cuts, had been operating on the assumption that State revenue would decline by around $3.8 billion over the next four years.
“Changing global and national conditions now warrant a radical rethink of this strategy,” he said.
“New terms of reference need to be given to the SBC to refocus the Commission.” Professor Spoehr said the Commission should instead look at challenges facing public services such as the implications of population and workforce ageing on service demand.
“Deep public sector employment cuts will fuel rather than moderate an expected exodus of retiring baby boomers from the public sector over the next five years,” he said.
“This would result in the loss of many of our best and brightest Public Servants, leaving younger public servants without mentors and colleagues with unsustainable workloads.”
He said the $750 million in public sector expenditure cuts announced in last year’s Budget were no longer necessary due to increased GST revenue from the Federal Government and an improved economic outlook.
Professor Spoehr is Executive Director of the Australian Institute for Social Research and the Centre for Labour Research at the University of Adelaide.
The Institute has previously undertaken projects and studies on behalf of the Public Service Association.
10 June, 2010
Councils to take care
of caretaker policies
South Australia’s 68 Local Government Councils are required to adopt Local Government Election Caretaker Policies before 21 June in preparation for the upcoming 2010 Local Government elections.
The caretaker policies govern the conduct of elected members and staff during the period before an election.
While Councils previously used policies or conventions to manage caretaker issues, changes to the laws last year made caretaker provisions mandatory.
President of the Local Government Association (LGA), Mayor Felicity-ann Lewis, said the 2006 Local Government elections had highlighted the lack of consistency in Council caretaker policies.
Ms Lewis said this prompted the LGA to work closely with Councils and the State Government to bring Local Government election conventions into line with other spheres of Government, with recommendations from the Independent Review of Local Government Elections resulting in the legislative changes.
Ms Lewis said the LGA had developed a model caretaker policy to help Councils meet the new requirements, particularly those relating to CEO contracts, the use of Council resources, publication of materials and access to Council information.
“While Councils and Council Members are expected to continue to meet and conduct their usual business during the caretaker period it is imperative that no candidate, either sitting or prospective, is advantaged over any other candidate through access to Council information or resources,” she said.
“Caretaker policies protect both Council staff and candidates.
“Under caretaker provisions Councils are also restrained from entering into any contract that exceeds $100,000 or one per cent of the Council’s rates income from the previous year, whichever is the greater amount.”
Ms Lewis said road construction and maintenance and drainage works were exempt from the contract provisions.
The provisions must be implemented from 21 September, although Councils may choose to initiate their policy earlier, with the caretaker period extending until the declaration of the poll in November.
Ms Lewis said while not required by legislation, the LGA had also adopted a caretaker policy to cover its own activities during this year’s Local Government elections.
“The LGA is committed to ensuring that the 2010 Local Government elections are completely above board,” she said.
Further information on the policies was available at www.lga.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Old records new
topic of concern
A forum arranged by the State Library of South Australia and the History Council of South Australia has cautioned against relying only on digitisation when preserving historical records.
The forum, Why keep all this old stuff?, looked at the significance of ‘old stuff’ such as material in State collections and regional museums, audio recordings, manuscripts, art galleries, textiles and objects reflecting the history of the State.
Manager of Preservation at the State Library, Beth Robertson said the forum audience was in favour of digitising records to increase public access but adopted a cautious stance to relying on non-originals.
“So why doesn’t the State Library just digitise all the South Australiana ‘stuff’ and stop worrying about keeping the originals?” Ms Robertson asked.
“Leaving aside such arguments as ‘the original as artefact’, no sizeable library or archive realistically aims to digitise all its holdings.
“We can’t digitise everything.”
Ms Robertson said even the American Library of Congress, with ‘its continuing and ambitious digitisation efforts’, didn’t expect to digitise more than 10 per cent of its 132 million objects in the foreseeable future.
She said the State Library of South Australia was expected to digitise and place online 1 per cent of its collections by June 2011 – around 1.1 million pages and images.
She said the forum leaned toward the idea encapsulated in the acronym LOCKSS – lots of copies keep stuff safe – but concluded originals were important.
“The State Library tells the story of South Australia and its people through unique archival collections and a comprehensive collection of works published in or about South Australia,” she said.
The forum was chaired by President of the History Council of South Australia, Dr John Bannon and included four panellists: Ms Robertson; Historian at Flinders University, Associate Professor Peter Monteath; Project Officer at the Collections Council, Alexis Tindall; and Professor of History and Law at the University of Adelaide, Wilf Prest.
Ms Robertson said each panel member presented their views on the significance of historical collections with Professor Prest playing “devil’s advocate” by arguing for complete digitisation and pulping of originals.
She said the forum was held on 27 May as part of History Week and was a great success, attracting a “very receptive audience” of around 80 people ranging from students to retirees.
10 June, 2010
Reform Council blows
whistle on Governments
The Council of Australian Governments Reform Council has issued its first reports assessing the performance of all nine Australian Governments against national agreements in healthcare, housing, Indigenous reform and disability.
Chairman of the Reform Council, Paul McClintock said some of the findings in the four reports were “stark”, particularly those to do with Indigenous disadvantage.
“The overwhelming disadvantage of Indigenous Australians is an alarming theme that runs through all of the National Agreement reports,” Mr McClintock said.
“While Australians have one of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, for Indigenous Australians the rate is the same now as it was for other Australians in the 1950s.”
Mr McClintock raised concerns over the lack of quality data available to measure progress against performance indicators, calling for the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), to address the gaps to allow the Council to properly report on progress in the future.
He said there were significant limitations in the availability of data across all four reports, with information either outdated or not available.
“We’ve urged COAG to address these gaps so that we can accurately compare and assess year-on-year changes,” Mr McClintock said.
“Despite these data limitations, the reports are significant because they are a comprehensive snapshot of the performance of each Government in these areas.
He said the reports found in 2007–08 that two million people went to hospital emergency departments with illnesses or injuries that could have been treated by GPs and that smaller jurisdictions on average had longer waiting times for elective surgery.
The ACT had the longest waiting time (73 days), followed by the Northern Territory and South Australia (43 and 42 days respectively), while Queensland had the lowest (27 days).
The report into housing found that in 2007–08, at least 60 per cent of home sales in each State and Territory were unaffordable to moderate income households, with Perth and Brisbane the least affordable of the capital cities, and Melbourne the most affordable.
Indigenous Australians were more likely to live in unacceptable conditions, with almost 26,000 Indigenous households across Australia overcrowded in 2008.
The four reports are:
- National Healthcare Agreement: Report on Performance 2008–09;
- National Affordable Housing Agreement: Report on Performance 2008-09;
- National Indigenous Reform Agreement: Report on Performance 2008-09; and
- National Disability Agreement: Report on Performance 2008-09.
They can be downloaded from www.coag.gov.au
10 June, 2010
UN waste watchers
dig SA programs
South Australia’s waste and resource management programs have been recognised by the United Nations as global best practice.
Minister for Environment and Conservation, Paul Caica said Adelaide was one of 20 cities selected by a team of international waste experts to showcase trends in waste management and recycling.
Mr Caica said 25 international experts had nominated Adelaide for a profile in a UN-Habitat report - Solid Waste in the World’s Cities.
UN-Habitat is the UN agency for human settlements which promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities.
“Importantly, the report concludes South Australia has demonstrated a high level of political commitment and willingness to ‘stick its neck out’ and implement some policies and legislation that other Governments take a more conservative position,” Mr Caica said.
He said the report highlighted the Zero Waste Act and plastic bag ban as two examples of good initiatives, as well as the legal, financial and administrative measures put in place by the Government to support the ‘3Rs’ - reduction, reusing and recycling.
The Minister said the report also noted South Australians had a high level of environmental awareness.
“From our long established container deposit system, to the community’s enthusiasm for recycling and the recent ban on ‘checkout-style’ plastic bags, our State continues to capture the attention of national and global leaders in environmental reform,” Mr Caica said.
“Our recycling rate is among the nation’s best with some 70 per cent of waste diverted from landfill and recycled.”
10 June, 2010
Teacher recruitment
to face assessment
A review into the way teachers are recruited into public schools has been launched to give principals more choice and ensure a better deal for young teachers.
Minister for Education, Jay Weatherill said he was concerned that under the current system, principals did not have enough say over teacher recruitment, and good young teachers were leaving public schools or the profession.
“Principals have been raising concerns with me that they don’t get enough say in recruiting teachers to their schools – and that matching teachers to schools is critical,” Mr Weatherill said.
“Young teachers are working in contract positions for many years rather than getting permanent positions. I want to address both of these issues.”
He said valuing young teachers would mean a schools and students would ultimately be better off.
He said a number of good teachers could not find permanent positions in Adelaide and faced uncertainty about their career prospects which often led them to leave the profession all together.
Mr Wetaherill said the teacher recruitment system gave teachers priority for permanent positions when they completed stints at country schools or other hard-to-staff schools.
He said while some changes had been made to broaden the application system and there were more tenured positions advertised this year than in 2008, more needed to me done.
“We know that the labour market for teachers is forecast to tighten in coming years because of increased rates of retirement,” he said.
“I want to increase the proportion of permanent staff to provide more certainty to many of our teachers and at the same time rejuvenate the workforce by ensuring our best young teachers continue to forge careers in our public schools.”
10 June, 2010
Campaign not kidding
about youth safety
The Office for Youth is to launch a campaign to encourage young people to practice safer social networking.
Minister for Youth, Grace Portolesi said the campaign was in response to recent controversy surrounding social networking sites.
“The internet has become an essential part of learning, playing and socialising with one in two Australians using social networking sites,” Ms Portolesi said.
“But there is growing concern about privacy and the risks to young people associated with using social networking sites.”
Ms Portolesi said the education and awareness campaign would include a two-day phone-in from 4pm to 11pm on 16 and 17 June to allow young people to talk to operators about cyber safety concerns and get information on how to use social networking sites more safely.
She said other measures included a new cyber safety information website, with young people also able to voice their concerns about social networking directly on Facebook through the Office for Youth’s Facebook page.
Information about cyber safety will be made available on the Office for Youth website to coincide with the phone in.
Ms Portolesi announced the campaign at the start of Cyber Security Awareness Week which ends tomorrow (11 June), saying there were several tips young people should consider when using social networking sites.
She suggested they keep personal information to a minimum - for instance not using their full date of birth – and exclude mobile phone numbers from profiles.
The Minister said it was important for social networkers to keep identifying information about private life, such as their school, to a minimum, while passwords should also be kept private.
Ms Portolesi said young people should use generic and non-identifying email addresses, lock their profile and photo albums, and think before posting photos.
They should also get the permission of others before putting their photos online, check their profile regularly to see what others have posted or written, and report abuse, harassment, bullying or inappropriate content to the website or if necessary, their school or police.
Further information on the upcoming campaign was available from www.officeforyouth.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Local public spaces
get green light
Local Government is to receive $5 million in Open Space and Places for People grants to produce more enticing public spaces for the community.
Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Paul Holloway said the grants would help create lively meeting places within the community and in the great outdoors.
Mr Holloway said the grants would bring the 2009-10 commitment to the two programs to over $19 million.
“This contribution signifies the State Government’s strong commitment to supporting Councils to create vibrant meeting and recreation areas, with landscaped gardens, play areas and barbeque or picnic facilities, all helping to encourage a healthy lifestyle,” Mr Holloway said.
“Towns from Victor Harbor on the Fleurieu Peninsula to Elliston on the Eyre Peninsula will receive some of this funding which is contributing to 24 separate projects across the State.”
The Minister said 24 was equal with the highest number of projects ever funded per grant round and that funds would be further boosted by up to $8.8 million expected to be committed by Councils and community groups.
Mr Holloway said the grants would allow communities to build a stronger identity for their area by designing meeting places or open spaces that reflect their local culture or heritage.
Among the Councils to receive funding in the latest round were the City of Charles Sturt which will receive $1,100,000 for Coast Park, Fort Glanville, and the City of Victor Harbor which will receive $461,000 to continue part of its Foreshore Renewal Project.
The City of Onkaparinga’s Happy Valley Sports Park redevelopment will receive $325,000, while the City of Marion’s Mike Turtur Bikeway will get $307,000.
Other projects include $290,000 to the City of Marion for the Glade Crescent Playspace Development and $245,000 to the Wattle Range Council for the Mary MacKillop Precinct.
More information on the grants was available from publicspace.planning.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Overseas scammers
are public virus
South Australia Police has issued a warning to computer users to beware of overseas offers of virus protection programs.
In a statement, SAPOL said its Electronic Crime Section had received a number of calls from members of the public who had been targeted by overseas scammers.
It said residents had reported being called by a person claiming to work for software support company who told them their computer was at risk.
The caller then directed the victim through a process on their computer in an attempt to convince them it was at risk from viruses.
According to the police, in some instances the caller was given remote access to the victim’s computer, which could be used to upload malicious software or download personal data with the intention of using it for illegal activities.
Police said the caller then attempted to sell the victim virus protection software for hundreds of dollars.
They said while a number of groups involved in the scam had professional looking-websites, they were hosted overseas, did not have ABN numbers and were not safe to do business with.
SAPOL said it was working with international Police Agencies to track down and prosecute offenders.
Computer users in doubt over their level of virus protection were advised to seek professional advice.
Further information on scam prevention was available at www.scamwatch.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Schools talked into
saving language
Local schools on the Yorke Peninsula have teamed up with the Narungga Aboriginal Progress Association (NAPA) to help keep the threatened Narungga Aboriginal language alive.
The partnership has created a dictionary, storybooks and new language course.
Minister for Education, Jay Weatherill said school teachers, senior secondary students and members of the community had taken part in four one-week-long workshops in which they learned about the Narungga language and culture.
Mr Weatherill said 16 Yorke Peninsula locals had completed the course so far, with a further 18 enrolled this year.
“The first graduates of the new Narungga language course included five teachers who have since incorporated what they’ve learnt into lessons at schools in Kadina, Moonta, Maitland and Stansbury,” Mr Weatherill said.
“Another five staff will participate this year and introduce Narungga language and culture programs at Point Pearce and Wallaroo.”
The Narungga dictionary, grammar book and series of storybooks were developed by NAPA with a community linguist.
Mr Weatherill said NAPA had also released a book of speeches for use at public occasions and a book explaining the complex Narungga kinship system and its terminology.
He said a NAPA and Adelaide University research project increased the number of known Narungga words from about 200 to more than 1,000.
“Sadly, like so many Aboriginal cultures in Australia, the traditional owners of the Yorke Peninsula, the Narungga people, lost some of their language and culture following European settlement,” Mr Weatherill said.
“The Narungga language was in danger of disappearing altogether, but this project is reconciliation in action — Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities working together to increase the appreciation of Narungga culture and ensure this language is kept alive.”
10 June, 2010
Sea lion data is a
roaring success
Scientists from the Southern Australian Integrated Marine Observation System (SAIMOS) have enlisted the help of sea lions to collect new information on the Southern Ocean.
As part of the $9.4 million SAIMOS system - established by scientists from SARDI Aquatic Sciences and Flinders University - sea lions have become ‘observers’ fitted with conductivity temperature and depth loggers and GPS trackers.
Minister for Fisheries, Michael O’Brien said the animals had collected more information on the physical properties of the highly productive eastern Great Australian Bight over the past six months than ever before.
“At this stage, we don’t really have a very good understanding of the physical oceanographic conditions that underpin that production as satellites can’t pick up sub-surface activity,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The sea lions are providing an amazing platform to sample the shelf waters over a long period of time in a very cost-effective way.”
Mr O’Brien said information about cross-shelf temperature, depth and salinity profiles had been collected by sea lions from offshore near Ceduna through to the south-east of Kangaroo Island.
He said the sea lions were also leading scientists to previously unknown areas that were ecological “hot spots” in terms of productivity and biodiversity, providing important background information on where further scientific research should be focused.
Mr O’Brien said SAIMOS would provide unprecedented insights into the role of the Southern Ocean on climate, ecosystems and seafood production.
“It uses a range of cutting-edge technologies that will reveal critical information to help manage our valuable fisheries and shape our responses to climate change,” he said.
“The research capability created by this team will help guide fisheries management and assist with environmental monitoring and the selection of aquaculture sites.”
Also launched was a $623,000 state-of-the-art radar system, installed on the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas, to provide web-based, near real-time data on surface currents, waves and wind along South Australia’s coast.
Minister for Science and Technology, Jack Snelling said it was now possible for marine industries and ecotourism operators to determine the state of the ocean before leaving port, and plot a cruise plan that would surf ocean currents to save time, money and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Wind data from the radar will provide the Bureau of Meteorology with crucial real time information to better inform predictions of fronts that can have a devastating impact during severe weather and bushfire events,” Mr Snelling said.
All radar and SAIMOS data was available at imos.aodn.org.au
10 June, 2010
SAPOL in crimelight
as safety improves
Official figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics have revealed that crime levels in South Australia have fallen for the seventh year in a row.
Minister for Police, Michael Wright said the ABS figures showed the State’s overall crime rate had dropped by 41.1 per cent since 2002.
“These are extremely encouraging figures showing that South Australia is getting safer, with 161 fewer crimes occurring per day compared to 2002,” Mr Wright said.
Mr Wright said the data revealed there were 4,369 fewer offences committed in South Australia in 2009 compared to 2008, a drop of 4.9 per cent.
He said sexual assaults reached their lowest levels since 2000, with 1,488 offences recorded last year compared to 1,583 in 2008.
He said the figures showed a decline in 10 out of 13 offence categories compared to 2008, including falls in kidnapping/abduction, armed robbery, blackmail/extortion, attempted murder, assault and unlawful entry with intent.
Motor vehicle theft also fell by 19 per cent, with a drop from 6,325 in 2008 to 5,099 last year, while other theft offences fell from 44,556 to 42,083.
Mr Wright said the figures showed police were making significant progress in combating crime.
“These pleasing statistics are a credit to SAPOL’s continued focus on reducing crime through advanced technology, proactive policing practices, effective use of resources and by fostering strong partnerships with communities,” he said.
However, he warned South Australians not to become complacent.
“We always have to seek out new and improved ways of targeting, preventing and solving crimes,” Mr Wright said.
“It is an ongoing battle for members of the State’s Police Force, who do a stellar job.”
10 June, 2010
Waterwise houseboats
keep Murray floating
A new initiative of the Environment Protection Authority will see houseboat hirers and their guests helping to save the River Murray.
Minister for the River Murray, Paul Caica said under the WaterWise Houseboats initiative, people who rented out houseboats would be provided with kits to encourage their guests to use water wisely.
“Using water wisely when you take a shower, wash up or do the laundry is an excellent way to save water and reduce South Australia’s reliance on the River Murray,” Mr Caica said.
“This initiative aims to get across the waterwise message to people when they’re enjoying a houseboat holiday on the River.”
He said the kit contained tips on installing water efficient appliances such as shower timers and stickers to remind guests to keep showers under four minutes, and a fridge magnet with tips on water efficiency.
Mr Caica said it also contained stickers to show guests their houseboat was WaterWise, encourage them to think about their water use, and a bathroom mirror sticker to remind guests not to leave the tap running while brushing their teeth or shaving.
There are also bookmarks, checklists and information sheets on using water wisely.
Mr Caica said houseboats could produce up to 160 litres of greywater per person per day, which contained fats, oils, food scraps, nutrients, household chemicals, soap and detergent.
“If that’s discharged into the river it can damage ecosystems and create algal blooms,” he said.
“Discharged greywater can also pose significant human health risks, especially when houseboats are moored alongside each other and drawing water from the river.”
Mr Caica said the initiative was part of the Water for Good community education program and further information was available from www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Lakes lap up scheme
for long-term health
A 20-year ‘road map’ aimed at restoring the health of the Coorong and Lower Lakes has been released by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (formerly Department for Environment and Heritage).
Minister for Environment and Conservation, Paul Caica said the long-term plan was a significant step towards securing the future of the region.
Mr Caica said the plan was developed through consultation with experts, industry and the community and outlined over 25 separate programs to help the Lakes.
He said the programs included overcoming hypersalinity to restore marine life in the south Coorong lagoon and guarding against the risk of acidification through revegetation work.
He said another program would give local communities and Indigenous groups a say in the future management of the region.
“Through the plan, management of the Lower Lakes region will be based on science and local knowledge, while being informed by cultural values and community views,” he said.
Mr Caica said the success of the proposed management actions relied on sufficient freshwater flows down the River Murray into the Lower Lakes.
“South Australia is committed to a freshwater solution for the Coorong and Lower Lakes, and the Murray Darling Basin Plan is the key mechanism by which improved flows can be delivered to the Lakes in the long-term,” he said
The Minister said the State Government would present a range of proposals to the Commonwealth for the roll-out of the plan’s key elements under a $200 million package for the Coorong and Lower Lakes.
Federal Minister for Water, Senator Penny Wong welcomed the long-term plan and said in the mean time, four urgent projects to deal with acidification and hypersalinity would get underway.
“The four projects mean this plan can get off to a strong start in building a future for these internationally important wetlands,” Senator Wong said.
“This plan from the South Australian Government is all about dealing with the local impact of drought, over-allocation and climate change on the Lower lakes communities and environment.”
10 June, 2010
OCBA closes curtain
on cinema scam
The Office of Consumer and Business Affairs has warned cinema goers on the Wallis Cinemas online database to check their email inbox for emails titled Wallis Cinemas Security.
The OCBA has received reports about an email scam in which people are asked for copies of personal documents including driver licences and credit card details.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gail Gago said she was concerned about the fake email.
“Protect your money and your identity and never give out your personal details even if the email appears to be from a source you know and trust,” Ms Gago said.
“If a stranger approached you on the street and asked you to provide your bank details, the answer would be no. Consumers need to treat the internet in the same way.”
She said a breach of internet security at Wallis Cinemas gave scammers the opportunity to access customer email addresses.
She said the hoax email message featured the Wallis Cinemas logo and advised customers that changes to the online ticket ordering system required them to provide scanned copies of personal documents.
However, Ms Gago said genuine businesses would not email their customers seeking sensitive personal information.
The Minister said the email also warned that failure to comply with the request would result in consumer details being sent to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“At this stage OCBA has no reports of any consumers falling for the scam,” Ms Gago said.
“If you have given your account details after receiving one of these emails, you should report it to your bank immediately so they can freeze your account.
She said Wallis Cinemas had improved its online security levels and emailed all customers targeted by the scam, advising them that no credit card details or personal information, besides customer email addresses, was stored on its customer database.
Further information on the scam was available from www.ocba.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Photos to capture
the art of nature
A photographic competition has been launched to encourage visitors to South Australia’s National Parks to capture the State’s flora and fauna in their natural environment.
Conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (formerly the Department for Environment and Heritage), the Art of Nature competition offers $10,000 in prize money and is open to everyone.
Minister for Environment and Conservation, Paul Caica said the competition was a fantastic opportunity for South Australians to get their cameras out and explore the State’s national parks.
“South Australia’s National Parks have some of the most diverse and breathtaking landscapes in the world, ranging from rugged coastlines to secluded bays, sweeping sand dunes and an abundance of native animals and plants,” Mr Caica said.
“With more than 300 parks in SA, there are opportunities for photographers no matter where they live.”
Mr Caica said last year’s competition had been a resounding success, with more than 4,200 entries submitted.
He said he was confident Art of Nature would attract even more entries this year.
He said the competition included five categories – animals, plants, wild places, connect with nature and artistic.
Entries close Friday 23 July, after which time the top six entries from each category will be selected by the competition judges.
Mr Caica said voting would then open to members of the public on 6 September.
The overall competition winner will receive a $5,000 mySaver account with mecu, while category winners will each receive a $1,000 mySaver account with mecu.
For more information or to enter, visit www.artofnature.sa.gov.au
10 June, 2010
Local communities
to solve local issues
A program designed to help people from remote and regional Aboriginal communities deliver their own solutions to local problems has been completed by more than 200 participants.
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Grace Portolesi said the standard of governance in Aboriginal communities had long been a factor in improving service delivery.
Ms Portolesi said the Government believed the solutions to issues being faced in these communities, such as the APY Lands, must come from the local people.
“Effective local governance is critical to Aboriginal communities’ success in negotiation with service providers, Government and industry,” Ms Portolesi said.
“It is crucial that the institutions that represent local communities are functioning well and that they are able to ensure that services are delivered effectively so that everyone in the communities benefits from those services.”
She said the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations and the State Government had set up an accredited governance training program, Managing in Two Worlds, to address the issues.
Ms Portolesi said the program was open to hundreds of local corporations in South Australia and focused on developing the necessary skills for working between remote and regional Aboriginal communities and the broader areas of service delivery, such as Government and non-Government service providers.
The Minister said over 200 people had completed the Introduction to Corporate Governance workshop, with 14 going on to achieve a Certificate IV in business governance and one completing a Diploma in Business Governance.
She said there was also a special course called Building Strong Corporations designed for communities where very little English was spoken.
Last year Swinburne University chose Managing in Two Worlds for its Best Community Engagement Award.
“Turning out well-qualified people to work in local corporations is crucial to ensuring the best possible service delivery in our Aboriginal communities,” Ms Portolesi said.
10 June, 2010
Festival Centre fire safe
A report on fire safety at the Adelaide Festival Centre has described emergency procedures as “comprehensive and clear”.
The Adelaide Festival Centre commissioned an independent consultant to undertake the report earlier this year in relation to future capital works being planned for the complex.
The Adelaide Festival Centre said it considered the safety of its staff, patrons and hirers very seriously and its fire safety practises were compliant with Metropolitan Fire Services regulatory requirements.
Batty volunteers needed
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (formerly Department for Environment and Heritage) is calling on volunteers to help with the annual southern bent-wing bat survey.
The survey – to take place on Saturday 19 June – will examine more than 60 caves to help the Department develop a clearer picture of the current population size and the extent of the species’ distribution.
The Department urged people who know of caves or any other areas being used by bats or who wanted to participate in the survey to contact (08) 8735 1177.
Festival program released
The program of events for the second half of Murray Bridge’s year-long festival of culture has been launched.
The Ripples program includes Circus Oz, the Australian Dance Theatre and the Australian artist Robert Hannaford and highlights exhibitions, workshops, performances and celebrations coming to the region.
Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts, John Hill said Murray Bridge had embraced its role as the 2010 Regional Centre of Culture.
The program was available from www.ripplesmurraybridge.com
Staff in Prison
Twelve new recruits are set to join the ranks at Port Augusta Prison.
The 10 men and two women completed the three month induction course and come from a variety of backgrounds, including the army and Uniting Care Wesley.
One of the new Corrections Officers is an Indigenous Afghani, while an Indigenous Australian has also signed up.
More wanted for card game
The Federal Minister for Community Services and the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities have called on organisations to join the National Companion Card scheme to make entertainment, sport and recreational activities more accessible to people with disability.
Jenny Macklin and Bill Shorten said under the scheme, people with a severe disability received two tickets to an event for the price of one to allow them to bring along a carer for free.
Ms Macklin and Mr Shorten urged organisations to join the existing 26 affiliate organisations to broaden to the reach of the Companion Card.
Top up for Lake Bonney
Lake Bonney is to be refilled to pool level as part of the State’s efforts to manage salinity.
Minister for the River Murray, Paul Caica said twenty-five billion litres of water would be added to Lake Bonney over the next three months.
Mr Caica said the plan would not affect water allocations toward critical human needs or irrigation.
3 June, 2010
Funds flow for new
water institute
A new water research institute to help secure and manage South Australia’s water supply is to be set up at a cost of $50 million.
Premier, Mike Rann and Federal Minister for Innovation, Senator Kim Carr said the new Goyder Institute for Water Research would establish South Australia as an international leader in water science.
Mr Rann said the Institute would provide independent scientific advice on the State’s water system to develop an integrated approach to water management and improve the Government’s ability to forecast threats to water security.
“Here in South Australia, water has become one of our highest priorities because of the prolonged drought and likely challenges of climate change,” Mr Rann said.
“I am delighted to announce the Goyder Institute will be established in Adelaide, meaning we can invest further in research to develop the next generation of knowledge to guide smart water use.”
The Premier said the Institute would help develop innovative water management strategies for the State’s ongoing water security.
He said the Government would provide $25 million over five years, with funding to be matched by the CSIRO, the University of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and Flinders University.
Senator Carr said the CSIRO’s involvement in the Goyder Institute would help achieve the Federal Government’s goals for water reform in Australia.
“The Goyder Institute will provide the quality science we need to improve water resource management outcomes for South Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin and the nation,” Senator Carr said.
State Minister for Water, Paul Caica said it was critical that South Australia adapt and thrive in a water-scarce environment.
“We understand the vital importance of the Murray River to our State, and our investment in the Goyder Institute will generate new knowledge we can use to make even better decisions about applying any extra water that we are able to secure,” Mr Caica said.
Key research organisations are to be invited to collaborate with the Institute to improve connections between industry and research organisations.
3 June, 2010
New cameras snap
up forest offenders
ForestrySA has installed a network of security cameras across its estate to reduce illegal activity in forest areas.
Minister for Forestry, Michael O’Brien said rubbish dumping, reckless driving and vandalism cost ForestrySA considerable time and money each year.
“As a result, ForestrySA has adopted a zero tolerance approach,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Cameras have been installed in strategic areas and offenders will be issued expiation notices.
“Some cases may be referred to police when offenders are caught on camera.”
Ranger for the Green Triangle Region at ForestrySA, Mark Whan said the surveillance cameras would increase the likelihood of offenders being caught and provide crucial back-up to regular patrols carried out by forest rangers.
Mr Whan said warning signs would also be put up at trouble spots, such as Hell’s Hole in the South East.
“Surveillance cameras are very small, hard to find and can record video, still and infra-red images,” Mr Whan said.
“These images will help us identify people doing the wrong thing.”
Mr Whan said other prohibited activities included illegal entry to forest areas, driving off designated roadways and tracks and driving in native forest and fenced-off areas.
He urged members of the public to report illegal activities to ForestrySA rangers on (08) 8724 2876.
3 June, 2010
SA has numbers
for Census trial
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is to test-run its procedures and practices for the 2011 Census in Port Augusta, Salisbury and a number of remote Indigenous communities in South Australia.
Describing the test as a “dress rehearsal”, Australian Statistician, Brian Pink said it would be conducted in Port Augusta and Salisbury on 15 June and in remote communities until 2 July.
Mr Pink said the 5-yearly Census of Population and Housing gave a comprehensive picture of the nation by providing data about the number of people, their key characteristics, and where they lived.
“The Census is the largest statistical operation undertaken by the ABS, and one of the biggest peacetime operations in Australia,” Mr Pink said.
“This year’s dress rehearsal, in a small number of areas in three States, is a critical test run for next August’s main event.
“The test will include a sample of 20,000 dwellings and several remote communities, and will be conducted between 31 May and 2 July 2010.”
He said the test would provide the ABS with valuable knowledge and experience to help ensure procedures were right for the Census in 2011.
Mr Pink urged people living or staying in Census test areas to participate so the ABS could get the most accurate count of the nation when the Census is conducted on 9 August 2011.
“Policymakers use Census data to understand the needs of different communities and neighbourhoods, while community organisations, private organisations and all levels of Government use it to plan local services like health, education, retail and transport,” he said.
“Australia’s population estimates are also based on the Census, and are used to allocate the number of seats for each State in the House of Representatives, and the distribution of Commonwealth funding, including GST revenue, to the States and Territories.”
Mr Pink said Census forms could be filled in online using the ABS’s eCensus option.
Other states involved in the test run are NSW and Western Australia.
3 June, 2010
Health goes healthy
and bans smoking
Smoking has been banned from all South Australian hospitals, clinics and Departmental buildings.
Announcing the ban on World No Tobacco Day, Health Minister, John Hill said while smoking inside hospitals and health facilities had been banned for some time, smokers could still use the grounds outside.
“Now the entire grounds of all of SA Health’s buildings are smoke-free,” Mr Hill said.
“Around 23 people die every week in South Australia as a direct result of smoking and there is greater awareness now of the dangers of second-hand smoke too.”
The Minister said all patients who smoked were routinely offered nicotine replacement therapy such as patches to help them while in hospital, and that the service would now be extended to staff for cost price.
“Smokers will also be offered counselling to help them through the process of giving up,” he said.
“The Department of Health has led the way on providing a completely smoke-free workplace and will help other Government Departments to extend their smoke-free zones.”
Mr Hill said smoking was the main cause of ill health and premature death in South Australia, killing approximately 1,200 people and costing tax payers around $2.5 billion every year.
He said the State would remove tobacco displays from shops by 2012 to reduce exposure to young people and smokers trying to quit.
3 June, 2010
Statistics add up to
lower population
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released figures showing that South Australia is losing residents to other States faster than it is gaining them.
The figures revealed after a 20-year low in 2005-06, the number of South Australians moving interstate increased to about 26,300 in 2008-09.
Net losses increased in the six years to 2008-09, with an average annual net loss of more than 3,600 people.
In a statement, the ABS said net migration outflow was of concern to the Government and was highlighted in the State Population Policy and South Australia’s Strategic Plan.
The ABS said the State had set a goal to reduce annual net interstate migration loss to zero by this year, and then sustain an inflow until 2014.
The Bureau said there had only been 4 years since 1971-72 when more people relocated to South Australia than left.
“The largest gain was 13,000 people in 1974-75 driven by people relocating after Cyclone Tracy,” it said.
“The slow economic growth after the recession of the early 1990s culminated in the largest annual net interstate migration loss from South Australia of 7,100 people in 1994-95.”
The ABS said young adults aged between 20 and 39 were the most mobile and accounted for 47 per cent of all interstate movers in 2008-09, with capital cities being their preferred destination.
It said people living in the south east of the State were the most likely to move interstate, while those living in areas that didn’t share a border with other States were less likely to move.
The figures showed Queensland was the most popular destination, with older movers preferring the Gold Coast over Brisbane.
The full ABS report could be accessed at www.abs.gov.au
3 June, 2010
Road safety award
parked at DTEI
The Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure has won an award for road safety excellence from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia.
Minister for Road Safety, Jack Snelling said DTEI won the award for a new safety barrier jointly funded by the Commonwealth, the State and the Motor Accident Commission (MAC), that was aimed at reducing road crashes.
Mr Snelling said the wire rope barriers were installed along the centre of a 1.7 kilometre section of the Port Wakefield Road last year as part of a $2 million road safety program.
“The installation involved widening the strip of road to create a two-metre wide sealed centre median section where the wire rope safety barrier was installed,” Mr Snelling said.
“This section of road was recommended for treatment following crash analysis conducted by DTEI and the Centre for Automotive Safety Research.
“Many crashes and near misses were caused by vehicles crossing the centre line into oncoming traffic, and between 1990 and 2006, 14 crashes were recorded on this stretch of road, of which three were fatal.”
Mr Snelling said the barrier had been closely monitored since March last year to determine its effectiveness and assess the potential of applying the initiative to other ‘hot spots’ in South Australia.
He said while there had been six reports of vehicles hitting the barrier, there had been no injuries to drivers or passengers.
“This innovative treatment is used extensively interstate and overseas with evidence it leads to a reduction in head-on crashes and other crashes involving vehicles crossing the centre of the road,” Mr Snelling said.
“The Port Wakefield Road trial was the first time a wire rope safety barrier has been constructed along a narrow undivided median in South Australia, and I congratulate the Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure on their award.”
3 June, 2010
Cool heads urged for
winter driving
South Australian Police have warned road users that with winter in the air, it is important to adapt and drive to the conditions.
Police have cautioned that wet roads, poor visibility and storm debris should force drivers to take extra care.
In a statement, the police said motorists should slow down in wet conditions as engine oil, diesel and grease could build up on the road following long, dry periods and create a slippery film when mixed with water.
“Avoiding puddles of water at speed and increasing the distance between your car and the car in front are important for winter road safety,” they said.
“Vehicles can aquaplane even at slow speed. Steering, braking and vehicle stability can be greatly affected.
They said it was important to increase braking distance on a wet road to allow braking earlier and with less force than normal to avoid a loss of traction”
They recommended motorists check the roadworthiness of their vehicle, concentrating on their tyre tread and pressure.
They said brakes should be checked periodically and after driving through a puddle by gently applying them.
Drivers were advised to check that their heater-demister and air conditioners were working correctly to keep windscreens and windows clear, along with lights and windscreen wiper blades.
SA Police said road safety was everyone’s responsibility and pedestrians, motorcyclists and P-plate drivers should also be vigilant during winter.
“Pedestrians need to be aware that during times of poor visibility, drivers may have difficulty seeing you so consider your movements carefully,” the police said.
“If you are in any doubt as to whether a driver has seen you, do not step on to the road.”
The police also warned motorcyclists to ensure their lights and indicators were operating correctly and were visible to other motorists.
“P-plate drivers are often inexperienced and extra care needs to be taken when driving during inclement weather, or on unfamiliar roads,” they said.
Of the 104 fatal crashes last year, 29 per cent were vehicles that ‘left the road out of control’, resulting in 28 deaths, or 24 per cent of total fatalities.
3 June, 2010
Inspectors probe
consumer rights
Compliance Officers from the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs have been targeting towns across the West Coast in a crackdown on traders compromising the rights of consumers.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gail Gago said the blitz was the most extensive monitoring program to be carried out in the region in a long time.
Ms Gago said OCBA officers from Port Augusta and Adelaide teamed up to ensure retailers, car dealers, builders, service stations and pubs across the West Coast were complying with fair trading laws.
“We want to make sure that store policies are correct, that products offered for sale are safe, and that goods are sold by correct weight or measure,” Ms Gago said.
“Customers have the right to receive the correct quantity when they are paying per litre for petrol, per kilo for vegetables, or per nip for spirits. If they don’t, traders are breaching the law.”
Ms Gago said product safety officers visited a range of stores to check that products for sale – including toys and second hand goods - didn’t present any safety concerns.
She said builders and second-hand vehicle dealers were being checked for compliance with laws governing their trades and retailers would be examined to make sure their warranty and refund policies were not misleading.
“These checks should ensure that fair trading standards are being maintained in the region, and I encourage consumers with any concerns about a trader’s conduct to contact OCBA,” Ms Gago said.
For more information or advice consumers can contact OCBA on 131 882 or at www.ocba.sa.gov.au
3 June, 2010
Medal pins hopes on
Queen’s approval
A plan to introduce a National Police Service Medal (NPSM) has reached the stage where it can be recommended for the Queen’s approval.
Secretary to the Federal Cabinet, Senator Joe Ludwig said the medal recognised the ethical service, significant commitment and unique contribution of sworn members of Australian police services across the nation.
Senator Ludwig said police officers serving on or after 30 October 2008, who had completed at least 15 years police service, would be eligible for the medal.
He said Commissioners would also be able to recommend awards for officers who have served less than 15 years, if their period of service was terminated by death, injury or disability caused by their service.
Senator Ludwig said the NPSM would be awarded irrespective of any entitlement to other awards, and that the National Medal would continue to recognise the long service of Australian police officers.
Federal Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, said the medal was another way for Australians to express appreciation for the dedication and sacrifice of the nation’s long-serving police officers.
Chief Executive of the Police Federation of Australia, Mark Burgess welcomed the announcement.
“We’re very pleased that the National Police Service Medal is about to become a reality for the hard working men and women of Australia’s police forces,” Mr Burgess said.
“This medal will recognise the invaluable service Australia’s police officers give communities across our country 24 hours a day seven days a week.”
The plan to establish the NPSM was announced in December 2008 with consultations with police representatives commencing the following year to determine the eligibility criteria and medal design.
Senator Ludwig said the views of Federal, State and Territory Police Commissioners and policing organisations were also considered.
The Queen’s agreement to the criteria will now be sought, along with the design and placement in the Order of Wearing. It is expected that issuing of the NPSM will commence later in the year.
3 June, 2010
Legal Aid makes case
for increased funding
The Legal Services Commission is to receive extra funding to help it cope with an increasing workload.
Attorney-General, John Rau said the Commission would receive an extra $10.5 million dollars over the next four years to help relieve the serious financial pressure it had been facing in recent times.
“I believe this is an excellent result for the Commission and its clients,” Mr Rau said.
He said the Commission’s workload had grown in recent years, with applications for legal aid increasing nine per cent from 2007-08 to 2008-09, and the cost of individual cases also rising.
Mr Rau said the Commission would receive an additional $1 million in 2009-10, $2m in 2010-11, $2.2m in 2011-12, $2.5m in 2012-13 and $2.8m in 2013-14.
Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Deej Eszenyi welcomed the funding, saying it was important to ensure the best possible delivery of legal aid and assistance to the South Australian community.
“The Government’s decisive action in securing additional funds is greatly appreciated,” Ms Eszenyi said.
The Legal Services Commission is an independent organisation funded by the State and Federal Governments to provide legal aid to disadvantaged South Australians.
Mr Rau said he would continue to work with the Commission to ensure all South Australians had fair access to justice.
3 June, 2010
Grey Box Day to
green gardens
The Department for Environment and Heritage is to join the Grey Box Community Group to host the annual Indigenous Understorey Plant Sale on 5 June.
Residents of the City of Mitcham will be able to buy one of 350 kits – each containing 20 Indigenous native plants such as the grey box– which have been made available for pre-sale.
The event will mark World Environment Day and is to be held at Wittunga Botanic Gardens in Blackwood from 10am to 1pm.
Urban Biodiversity Unit Manager for the Department, Ross Oke said grey box grassy woodlands provided important natural habitat for many native animals.
“By planting grey box plants in your garden, you can help provide habitat for possums, reptiles, butterflies and birds,” Mr Oke said.
“Grey box grassy woodlands are protected as an endangered ecological community throughout Australia.”
He said traditionally in South Australia, the grey box grassy woodlands extended from Sellicks Hill to Burnside, mainly along the hills face and Adelaide plains.
“However since settlement its distribution has been reduced from approximately 20,000 hectares to less than 2,000 hectares,” Mr Oke said.
He said with most of the remaining woodland threatened by weeds, introduced animals and development, planting a grey box garden would help conserve the endangered community and support wildlife habitat.
“The kit is only $20 and contains 20 mixed indigenous plants, helping garden enthusiasts in the City of Mitcham area do their bit on World Environment Day,” he said.
“Order early to avoid disappointment as these plant kits will sell out quickly.”
The event will also feature community group displays and information on local provenance planting, water-wise species and habitat gardening.
Kits could be pre-ordered by phoning (08) 8278 0600 or emailing info@urbanforest.on.net
3 June, 2010
Price not right for
share scammers
Open access to company share registers is to be restricted under plans to clamp down on unsolicited share purchase scams.
Federal Minister for Financial Services and Corporate Law, Chris Bowen said the draft laws were necessary because previous investor protection measures, such as mandatory disclosure of a company’s current share price, had failed to stop share offer scams.
“Unscrupulous operators have continued to prey on vulnerable investors, duping them into handing over their shares for well-below market prices,” Mr Bowen said.
“The Government is now acting to put these charlatans out of business.”
The reforms will allow companies to refuse to hand over copies of their member registers where that information is not being sought for a proper purpose.
At present, a company must provide a copy of its member register to anyone who requests it and pays a small fee.
Mr Bowen said associated draft Regulations specified a non-exhaustive list of improper purposes, including accessing a register for the purpose of making an off-market offer to purchase securities in a listed company. He said genuine takeover bids would be exempted from the regime.
“This legislation is designed to balance the needs of those seeking legitimate access to registers with the rights of those whose personal information is contained in the register,” Mr Bowen said.
The legislation will require those seeking a copy of a company’s register of members to state the purpose for which they will use it.
Mr Bowen said it would be an offence to make a false or misleading application for access to a register; use information obtained from a register for an improper purpose; or disclose information obtained from the register, knowing it was likely to be used for an improper purpose.
He said compliance costs for companies would be reduced by allowing for a register maintained on a computer to be inspected on a computer; prescribing the formats in which a copy of the register can be provided; and establishing a tiered fee structure for those seeking access to the register.
3 June, 2010
Training figures
on the right track
Figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research have revealed that increasing numbers of South Australian apprentices and trainees are completing their training.
Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Jack Snelling said an estimated 3,200 apprentices and trainees completed their training in the quarter ending 31 December 2009.
He said this was a 3.8 per cent increase from the same period in 2008, and above the national increase of 2.7 per cent.
“The South Australian completion figure is the highest December figure since 2002 and the fourth highest quarter on record,” Mr Snelling said.
“The figures show that overall in 2009 there were an estimated 11,500 completions, an increase of 2.3 per cent on the 11,200 who finished their training over the previous year.
“This means we have more qualified tradespeople in South Australia, adding to the State’s skills base and helping to build our economic growth.”
The Minister said while completions for young people, technicians and trade workers and women increased, in-training numbers fell slightly.
He said an estimated 30,600 people were in training as at 31 December 2009 - 2.8 per cent lower than the 31,500 recorded at the end of 2008.
“The number of people commencing an apprenticeship or traineeship fell in the December quarter compared to the same period in 2008, and decreased overall compared to the previous year,” Mr Snelling said.
“That’s one of the reasons why the State Government is investing $194 million to help create an extra 100,000 training places across all skill levels over the next six years.”
3 June, 2010
Offenders taught that
offending is offensive
A new rehabilitation program that helps offenders face up to the impacts of their behaviour has been adopted at Mobilong to deter them from falling back into crime.
Minister for Correctional Service, Tom Koutsantonis said Making Changes would target offenders who had undergone a five-hour assessment and found to be at moderate risk of re-offending.
Mr Koutsantonis said the program would involve about 140 treatment hours across three intervention phases – a preparatory and motivational phase, a substance abuse phase and a general offending behaviour phase.
“Making Changes will accommodate offenders with different learning styles and will focus on skills to manage the specific areas associated with criminal conduct,” Mr Koutsantonis said.
“Given the high proportion of offenders with drug and alcohol issues, the program has a strong focus on minimising substance use.
“It also looks at managing impulsive behaviour, effective emotion management and relationship skills.”
The Minister said Making Changes aimed to improve offenders’ motivation to participate in the treatment process, increase their understanding of the link between substance use and offending behaviour and raise awareness of the impacts of their behaviour on others.
Mr Koutsantonis said the program would help offenders reduce substance abuse and develop strategies to modify their behaviour, attitudes and beliefs associated with criminal behaviour.
“Making Changes is similar to successful programs already operating interstate and overseas and will complement two other moderate to high intensity programs that have been operating, with positive outcomes within the Department since 2004 for violent and sexual offenders,” he said.
He said Departmental staff had received training for the first phase of implementation which began in Community Corrections facilities last week.
The Minister said the program would be extended to other prisons and correctional centres in regional areas over the next six months.
3 June, 2010
Quality survey finds
city top grade
A ranking of 221 cities around the world has seen Adelaide judged seventh for its eco-friendly qualities.
It was judged number one in Australia.
Premier and Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change, Mike Rann welcomed the results of the Mercer Quality of Living Survey 2010, which ranked the cities on a range of criteria, including the environment.
“In terms of being an environmentally sustainable city, Adelaide came in ahead of every other Australian city, and seventh in the world – ahead of Copenhagen in Denmark, Oslo in Norway and Stockholm in Sweden,” Mr Rann said.
“The eco-city criteria are rated on factors that include air pollution, traffic congestion, water availability and waste removal.
“This independent survey puts into context on a world scale what we have been doing in this State to promote a clean and green environment.”
Mr Rann said a number of initiatives had contributed to Adelaide’s status as an eco-friendly city, pointing to the fact that South Australia was the destination of choice for wind farm investment and that a higher proportion of households in South Australia had grid-connected solar systems than any other State.
He said solar panels would become mandatory for all new and substantially refurbished Government buildings from 1 July this year, and that a number of urban forests were being planted throughout Adelaide, including three million plants and trees under the Million Trees Program.
Mr Rann said other initiatives included a 61 per cent increase in bike lanes and bike paths since 2002, and a $2 million Building Innovation Fund to encourage building owners to use new technologies to reduce greenhouse emissions on commercial office buildings.
“All of these initiatives, and many others, have helped Adelaide and our State to achieve this world-class ranking ahead of so many other cities that have been working towards a more environmentally sustainable future,” Mr Rann said.
“We welcome this recognition that South Australia is playing its part in recognising that climate change is real and that we are taking it very seriously.”
Adelaide was ranked 32nd overall, behind Perth and Canberra who were ranked 10th and 26th respectively.
3 June, 2010
Scientists root out
potato disease
A team of scientists from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) have played a leading role in a global breakthrough that promises to beat diseases in potato crops.
Minister for Agriculture, Michael O’Brien said the international collaboration to combat potato crop disease had been spearheaded by Government-funded scientists.
“Damage and yield losses from potato diseases are the most significant production challenge faced by our industry, costing processors and growers more than $80 million a year,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I am proud that SARDI scientists have developed DNA tests, which can quickly and accurately measure major disease-causing pathogens on seed and soil before crops are planted.”
He said research teams from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand are now partnering with SARDI to use the tests to determine the presence of these diseases and the associated risk under different growing conditions.
Mr O’Brien said when the technology became fully commercialised, growers would be able to assess disease risk before planting, meaning better disease management and more marketable, appealing potatoes for processors and consumers.
He said for over a decade SARDI scientists had developed an internationally respected profile in DNA and molecular diagnostics for primary industries, working on issues such as drought tolerance and disease management.
“This achievement highlights the importance of this capability, which has been underpinned by the State Government’s ongoing support of research and development for South Australia and our scientists in partnership with their interstate colleagues,” Mr O’Brien said.
The Minister said the discovery was part of a research drive through phase one of the Australian Potato Research Program, funded by Horticulture Australia Limited with contributions from the Federal Government, SARDI, the Department of Primary Industries Victoria, the University of Tasmania/Tasmania Institute of Agricultural Research, New Zealand Institute of Plant and Food and Agriculture and Agrifood Canada.
3 June, 2010
Third party rise
Compulsory third party insurance premiums are to rise by an average of 7.2 per cent from 1 July due to the impact of the global financial crisis on the Motor Accident Commission, according to the Treasurer, Kevin Foley.
Mr Foley said premiums for the average family car would rise from $444 per annum to $476 per annum.
“I accept that drivers are unlikely to welcome this increase,” he said.
Flying foxes fly into town
Over 1,000 Grey-headed Flying-foxes are residing in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, according to the Department for Environment and Heritage.
Regional Ecologist for DEH, Jason van Weenen said the flying-foxes were expected to move out of Adelaide and go back to eastern Australia over the next few months.
Mr van Weenen said DEH was working with other Government and non-Government Agencies on a plan to relocate the animals, who were likely displaced from Queensland and NSW due to habitat clearance and a lack of food.
He urged anyone who saw flying-foxes to call DEH on (08) 8336 0926.
Payrise for ACT PS
Staff of the Australian Capital Territory Public Service have been offered an increased pay deal including a 2.5 per cent pay rise from 1 July and a $650 signing-on bonus for eligible employees.
The Community and Public Sector Union welcomed the one year agreement, saying it was an increase over the ACT Government’s previous offer of 4.75 per cent over two years.
The $650 bonus would be in lieu of back pay from April.
CHOGM for Perth
The Prime Minister has announced that the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) will be held in Perth, Western Australia from 28 to 30 October next year.
CHOGM, which is held every two years, is the highest consultative and policy making mechanism of the Commonwealth.
It will be the third time Australia has hosted the event, with the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre to be the principal venue for the meeting.
Water takes on mines
The National Water Commission has called for mining activities to be incorporated into water access and planning frameworks.
CEO of the Commission, Ken Matthews said the Commission took the view that mining activities should operate under the same rules as other water users.
‘Including mining and related industries in water access and planning regimes will help Governments, mining companies and other water users to better understand and manage the local and cumulative effects of mining activities on our precious water resources,” Mr Matthews said.
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