Queensland Industry Advocate September 2014

QUEENSLAND

More industry, more access, more businessMore industry, more access, more business

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THIS EDITION

• Councils fight trucking restriction

• Sweet windfall for fabrication firms

• Globetrotting geo heads new college

• Free southern Qld resources map

All fired upAll fired upfor firstfor firstLNG exportLNG export

Special features:Temporary accommodation and transport

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IDENTIFYWhen new equipment was introduced to the site, it was common to use the oil named and recommended by the OEM. Routine improvement discussions highlighted this as an area of potential performance and cost savings for the site.

AGREEIt was agreed that Castrol would review all OEM recommendations to determine what changes could be made to reduce the number of fluids on site.

DELIVERCastrol determined that by using two high viscosity index products all current OEM specifications could be met, reducing stock levels and the risk of topping up with incorrect grades, while simplifying the ordering process.

BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS WEEKPROUDLY SPONSORED BY HAYSTownsville. October 13th – 17th, 2014.Hays is proud to be sponsoring Business Professionals Week. Business Professionals Week is series of networking events and professional development events hosted by key professional industry bodies, for all business professionals in Townsville. All events are open to members and non-members.

For further information and for a timetable of events please visit hays.com.au/townsville-bpw or contact Hays Townsville at [email protected] or 07 4771 5100.

Organisations and industry bodies participating include:

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All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced in part or in full by any means without written permission of the managing editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

September 2014

Advertising booking deadline November 2014 edition: October 15

COVER IMAGE: The flare as gas is introduced to the QCLNG plant.

Photo: courtesy QGC

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FEATURES

10 Our Mining Heritage

12 Between Shifts

13 Regional Real Estate - Yeppoon

14 Promoting Indigenous Employment

15 Building Mining Communities

16 Shamrock Civil feature

18 Industry UpdateA wrap of mining, construction and other industry developments throughout Queensland.

20 Industry Leaders

21 Local Government

22 Lift and Shift feature

27 Temporary Accommodation feature

tel: (07) 4755 0336 fax: (07) 4755 0338

Managing editor: Robert Dark 0417 623 156

Client Services: Marion Lago 0414 225 621

Journalists: Bruce Macdonald 0418 154 016

Dominique Kimber 0414 371 966

Sales: (07) 4755 0336 or 0417 623 156

Email: [email protected]

Postal: PO Box 945, Townsville, Q, 4810

Queensland Industry Advocate

Welcome to our new magazine format promising more industry, more access and more business.

Mining and energy development is one of the fi ve pillars of the Queensland economy. Queensland Industry Advocate recognises it means little if not supported by manufacturing, processing, local government and roads.

We open our coverage on page 3 with council appeals to be excluded from generic fatigue laws which they argue are irrelevant and restrictive. Th at local government focus is continued on page 21.

Sugar processing is big business in the north of the state and the owners of South Johnstone Mill are investing $50 million over fi ve years in an upgrade that means much for local businesses. You’ll fi nd that on page 5.

Back to energy and QGC is preparing for its fi rst LNG exports in the culmination of a multibillion-dollar infrastructure investment in the Surat Basin and Gladstone. Th at’s on page 8.

And refer to the Our Mining Heritage pages for some mines rescue history, including a look at the Box Flat disaster to see why safety means so much to miners.

Like a grain of gold uncovered when panning, we hope this sample makes you want to look for more.

Welcome to your new Advocate

Robert DarkManaging Editor

2 Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

NEWS

Working underwater brings interesting observations, writes Bruce Macdonald.

Voice from the deep in Abbot Point coal row

An Airlie Beach-based commercial diver has off ered an unusual insight into the debate surrounding the expansion of the Abbot Point coal loading terminal near Bowen.

Darren Foster runs Whitsunday Moorings and Marine Constructions and has seen the condition of the seabed in and around the facility, which exports 50 million tonnes of coal per year.

“I’ve seen a Queensland grouper the size of a Vee Dub (VW Beetle) around the pylons,” he said.

“Some members of my dive crew have seen crayfi sh in about 15m of water around the facility, so claims that it is polluted and there is turbidity in the water are wrong.”

Mr Foster worked underwater during the $186 million X50 Abbot Point Coal Terminal expansion program from 2008

cleanups,” Mr Foster said.

He said the conveyor belts

used at Abbot Point were the

latest technology and his divers

had seen no evidence of coal in

the water around Abbot Point.

“Coal is money, the businesses

don’t want to see their profi t on

the seabed,” he said.

Th e Abbot Point

redevelopment has been given

Federal and State government

approvals to move ahead but a

series of challenges are being

brought by conservation groups

to question the decision based

on potential damage being

caused to the heritage-listed

Great Barrier Reef.

Indian companies GVK and

Adani are both well advanced

in opening major coal mines

in the Galilee Basin west of

Mackay and both plan to build

additional coal-loading facilities

at Abbot Point which will

involve dredging three million

cubic metres of the seabed.

to 2010 and saw fi rsthand the dredging activity.

“Th ere was turbidity during the project and there still is when bulk ore carriers berth, but the seabed is 80 per cent sand and it quickly clears,” he said.

Mr Foster’s company has also worked regularly at Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point checking the structural integrity of the pylons and clearing away rubbish accidently dropped into the sea.

“We fi nd a lot of scaff olding, safety helmets, gloves and mobile phones during the

“We fi nd a lot of scaff olding,

safety helmets, gloves and

mobile phones during the

cleanups

Darren FosterTh e fi rst woman to be appointed as an asset president within BHP Billiton has won the inaugural Th iess Women in Resources National Awards (WIRNA).

Laura Tyler, from BHP Billiton Cannington Mine in north-west Queensland, introduced the operation’s fi rst diversity plan to improve the attraction and retention of women in the company’s workforce.

“We must encourage our male colleagues to speak out on the subject. Th ey remain the dominant hiring managers in our business and it is only through their engagement that we will see magnifi ed change in the status quo,” she said.

“I have spoken at women’s events around the world to empower other women and show them that females can successfully fi ll senior roles in the industry. I believe diversity is not only important for individuals but also for our businesses.”

A mother of three, Ms Tyler has worked across four continents and is also the fi rst woman to be appointed as a vice-president of the Queensland Resources Council.

Queensland-based mechanical engineer Cindy Emmett was also among the winners, taking out the awards title of Exceptional Young Woman in Australian Resources.

Asset president Laura Tyler at the site office. Photo: John de Rooy

Cannington asset president tops new national awards

3Queensland Industry Advocate | September 2014

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Councils in regional Queensland are lobbying for a change in heavy truck driver fatigue laws.

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act, these drivers must take a fi ve-day rest after nine days of work or a one-day rest after six days of work. Drivers carrying out local council activities, such as roadside water or gravel works, are included under the Act’s umbrella.

North Queensland Local Government Association (NQLGA) president Frank Beveridge said the laws created unnecessary costs for councils.

“A lot of local government people only drive very short distances backwards and forwards. It’s not people driving across the country and they’re at one worksite for a period of time,” he said.

“We’ve had situations where if workers drove back from a job, they might be half an hour to 40 minutes over their fatigue period.

Rest break rules are hurting regional operations, writes Dominique Kimber

Councils seek exemption from trucking restriction

stretch,” Cr Beveridge said.Etheridge Shire Mayor

Will Attwood said the laws had adversely aff ected council operations in his region.

“I understand why fatigue management rules were brought into place for the long-haul transport – it makes a lot of sense and makes sure drivers have proper rests and they’re not crashing their trucks. It just seems to me that the local councils were an unintended consequence of those rules,” he said.

Transport Workers Union (TWU) Assistant Queensland Secretary Scott Connolly said exemptions to the Act should not be taken lightly.

“Th e TWU is a long-term advocate for safety and fatigue legislation,” he said.

“Th is legislation is put in place for the safety of the people carrying out the work – truck drivers – and all Queensland road users. If councils get an exemption it sets a precedent and every business will want one – who’s next in line?”

• More local government news - Page 21

It’s quite expensive for local

governments to put up overnight

accommodation when the time

under the regulation has only just

passed.”

Th e issue was raised at the

LGA national conference in

Canberra and the NQLGA plans

a motion at the state conference

in October to have the legislation

amended to exempt local councils.

“We would want a little bit

more fl exibility to compensate

the people working on the roads

in the short haul, not those

doing 10 hours in a straight line

and covering 700-800km in a

“We would want a little bit

more fl exibility to compensate

the people working on the

roads in the short haul

Cr Beveridge

Ken ‘Hoppy’ Ryan is among

those affected

by the restrictions.

Brake on businessRyan and Sons Earthmovers in Etheridge Shire is one of the outback

Queensland businesses that has felt the eff ect of heavy truck driver

fatigue laws. Th e company works as a contractor for the Etheridge

Shire Council, assisting with gravel and water works.

Part-owner June Ryan said the tight restrictions had lead to a loss of

income for the two-person operation.

Mrs Ryan and her husband Ken “Hoppy” Ryan recently took their

truck on the 300km drive to Mareeba for repairs during their days off

work. When the couple returned home they realised that, under the

Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act, Mr Ryan would not be

able to return to work the next day.

“We’re remote and don’t have the engineers, welders or steel places

here to get it done,” Mrs Ryan said.

“My husband was the one driving the truck, but because he drove on

his days off he couldn’t drive when it came for him to go back to work.

We can’t aff ord to lose the income of a couple of days work.”


NEWS

w

W s

Co

www.gracelaw.com.au

Ph 07 4775 4997Suite 2, 511 Flinders Street West

Townsville QLD 4810

Construction has kicked off on a $70 million resort complex at Airlie Beach, hot on the heels of an $80 million overhaul at Hayman Island under the One&Only banner.

And White Horse Australia is forging ahead with plans for a $500 million resort development on Lindeman Island in the Whitsunday group.

Whitsundays Marketing and Development chief executive offi cer Danial Rochford said the region was experiencing a major upswing in tourism after a number of diffi cult years and that was helping to drive further

investment in product and infrastructure for the region.

He highlighted the recent investment in Hayman Island as well as a refurbishment of the Hamilton Island resort and Latitude Development Group’s $500 million Regatta Waters Whitsunday estate, being rolled out over 15 years at Cannonvale.

White Horse Australia general manager Paul Nyholt said the company had lodged its initial applications for various aspects of the new Lindeman Island development – which is set to include an 80-120 berth marina.

“We’re looking at probably

Valve opening tool takes innovation honours

The Whitsunday region is enjoying a wave of resort development work

circa $500 million investment there over three to fi ve years,” he said. Th e company was awaiting feedback from various levels of government before lodging a formal masterplan application for the resort.

“We’re probably looking at 12 to 18 months before we turn over any ground,” Mr Nyholt said.

While White Horse Australia would be looking for a Tier 1 construction company to lead such a major development, its preference would be to have as much input from local subcontractors as possible, he said.

Meanwhile construction is expected to be completed within two years at Airlie Beach for the One Whitsundays resort – a complex of 75 apartments to be

marketed at prices ranging from

$395,000 to $3.2 million.

“Airlie Beach is on the brink

of huge economic growth,” One

Whitsundays chief executive

offi cer John Zappia said.

“Given the recent infrastructural

developments in the area, and

the fact that occupancy rates

are already going through the

roof, this is an imminent boom

investment opportunity.”

The award-winning hydraulic valve opening tool.

Earthworks contractor Steve Banks at the One Whitsundays resort site at Airlie Beach. Photo: Tropix Photography

Passport to superior skillsAn alliance of fi ve North Queensland-based steel fabrication companies has launched a quality skills assessment program for it employees – with plans to broaden the initiative across

the industry. Australian Steel Fabricators (ASF) director Marcel McLeod said the industry needed to be more effi cient and productive on the global stage to remain viable - and skills development was

crucial in reaching that goal.

“ASF will work through their

own staff forces then open up

the assessment process to other

northern companies and trade

job seekers,” Mr McLeod said.

“Th e Skills Passport Project

will put North Queensland

on the map when it comes to

competitive manufacturing in

the structural steel fabrication

arena.”

Th e skills assessment program

is initially aimed at structural

steel work but Mr McLeod said

over time new programs focused

on heavy steel fabrication and

various forms of welding would

be introduced.

Mr McLeod said it was

important that ASF be able

to off er prospective clients a

workforce that was able to meet

a set of defi ned standards.

“We want to compete (for

contracts) on a high scale and

it’s important we bring our

employees along with us,” Mr

McLeod said.

ASF has three trained

assessors in Townsville and

one in Cairns and according to

Mr McLeod will increase that

number to six in the near future.

Mr McLeod said that once

boilermakers fi nished their

apprenticeship there was no clear

career path beyond that.

“We want to create a baseline

then introduce additional

levels of assessment that could

equip people in the industry to

eventually improve their skills

and career opportunities.” he

said. “It will work on a log-book

basis.”

ASF has enlisted the support

of the Federal Department

of Employment to run the

assessment program.

People interested in

being involved in the skills

assessment program can contact

Mr McLeod at: marcel@

australiansteelfabricators.com.au

A bid to build a labour database for resources industry shutdown work in North and North-West Queensland sparked the development of the online human resource management system being used in the Skills Passport Project.

Australian Steel Fabricators member company TotalFab developed the system, but failed to attract the level of interests required from mines, according to ASF director and Totalfab Engineering Services managing director Marcel McLeod.

“It was really developed to try and get a system where the resources would be visible online, so if you were planning a shutdown you could go and see demand at the moment based on the amount of people in the database currently working – you could see straight away the level of skill available,” Mr McLeod said. “We have made changes (for the Skills Passport Project), but the original system is still there.”

With many mining operations now trying harder to fi nd effi ciencies in light of diffi cult market conditions, he believed there may be fresh interest in using the system for shutdown planning. “If someone has an interest in it I’d be happy to run with it, because it would help not only the mining industry but our industry generally,” he said.

Shutdown database proposal

Rio Tinto Alcan Weipa has won the 2014 Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Innovation Award for its hydraulic valve opening tool.

Company employee Stephen Fairbrother was behind the idea for a safer and more effi cient manner of opening the spigot valves that regulate the fl ow of tailings in the operation’s large pipework systems.

“We are always looking for ways to minimise risk of injury and the opening and closing of these valves has the potential to

cause muscle strains, pinching

and slips and falls due to wet or

uneven surfaces,” Mr Fairbrother

said. “Th e valves are tight and

can take up to 10 minutes to

open with some serious muscle

work. I wanted to develop

a tool that reduced manual

handling, eliminated potential

impact injuries and reduced the

time to conduct the job and the

associated fatigue.

“Th e hydraulic valve opening

tool allows the operator to stand

in a correct position and hold on

to an appropriately positioned

crossbar handle that eliminates

the injury risk.”

Th e innovation awards were

held as part of the three-day

Queensland Mining Industry

Health and Safety Conference

in Townsville.

QMIHSC offi cial

spokesperson Paul Harrison said

the awards were an important

event in the conference program.

“It’s pretty important that you

have something like the awards

that recognises innovation and

encourages people to think about

better ways of doing things and

better systems for doing things

in their day-to-day jobs,”he said.

• For more from the conference

visit our website at www.

industryadvocate.com.au

Earthmovers in paradise

ASF will work through their

own staff forces then open up

the assessment process to

other northern companies.


NEWS

MSF Sugar’s South Johnstone mill is set to roll out $16.3 million in refurbishment works in the fi rst half of 2015, following a $9 million upgrade program in the lead-up to this year’s crushing season.

General manager Phil Miskin said the improvements were the fi rst capital instalments in a fi ve-year plan that would see the company invest $40-$50 million in the North Queensland mill, located about 10km south-west of Innisfail.

“It’s a big injection of capital into the facility and a real show of faith in the area,” he said

Th e company aims to work with growers to boost the district’s cane production by about 400,000 tonnes during the fi ve-year period in response to a more positive global outlook for sugar.

With additional hectares of cane being planted in the mill’s catchment area, cane railway upgrades and extra cane bins were among the early works.

Other major works undertaken this year included increasing

capacity at No. 2 mill at the South Johnstone facility, a $1.5 million project to improve tippler capacity and installation of an additional crystalliser.

Th e company plans to increase mill throughput to about 1.6 million tonnes in 2015, with major works including the replacement of No.5 mill and installation of an additional mud fi lter to allow optimum crushing rates to be maintained when mud and dirt loadings are high.

Mr Miskin said contracts for the upgrade projects had gone out to a range of suppliers throughout regional Queensland who specialised in sugar milling equipment.

Th ese included Wulguru Steel in Townsville, NQEA in Cairns and Bradken Engineering’s Innisfail workshop.

“Because a lot of the equipment is specialised (sugar) milling equipment, we have a range of suppliers that the industry deals with – although they would also subcontract some of the general engineering components,” he said.

Sweet windfall for fabricatorsA big-budget overhaul in cane country means work for a range of regional suppliers

Bundaberg Walkers

Engineering is responsible for

work including the $8 million

contract to supply and install the

new No.5 mill.

Sales/project engineer Paul

Delley said the project was very

important to Bundaberg Walkers

Engineering, as this sort of

upgrade did not come often in the Australian sugar industry.

“Being one of the major

manufacturing businesses in Bundaberg, there are a lot of families that rely on this sort of support from the local sugar industry,” he said.

Other than the major upgrade of the MSF Tableland mill in North Queensland during 2011

to 2013, there had not been an increase in demand for this sort of work, Mr Delley said.

“Th ere has been a lot of interest by overseas investors in various sugar companies here in Australia but overall there has not been a lot of major upgrades to crushing station capacity or effi ciency at this stage,” he said.

“We are fortunate that MSF Sugar is looking at the long-term viability and sustainability of the sugar industry in North Queensland and have emphasised their intention by investing in upgrades such as this.”

Right - South Johnstone Mill.

Below - the new cane bin

weighbridge tippler.

Townsville-based Wulguru Steel employees have posted 212,000 hours of work without a lost time injury (LTI), a record for the business established in 1977.

General manager Wayne Landrigan said the result was even more noteworthy because many of the hours were logged at remote locations in trying conditions.

Mr Landrigan said safety in the steel fabrication and welding industry was vital.

“We value our employees, they are

our most important asset,” he said.

“We ensure that all staff are supported with the equipment needed to successfully and safely undertake any task and any contingency that may arise.”

Th e company recently purchased welding rotators and manipulators to complete a job for the Macknade sugar mill.

Th e old concrete smoke stack was replaced with a 30m steel stack which was fabricated in sections at the company’s workshop and

transported to the job site.

“Welding rotators are not new technology but we have ‘tweaked’ the equipment to create a quicker and more controlled process,” Mr Landrigan said.

“Th e steel fabrication industry is constantly evolving and good old Aussie innovation worked well for us in completing the mill job on time and on budget.

“Effi ciencies equal cost savings, something we can pass on to our clients.”

Mr Landrigan said Wulguru Steel was also out-sourcing skilled welders, draft smen and site managers out to contract to optimise the company’s capability.

“We’ve had site managers working on projects for up to three months at a time,” he said.

Wulguru Steel specialises in general engineering, stainless steel and aluminium fabrication, specialised pipe work for government, mining and processing industries.

Safety milestone for Wulguru Steel

Wulguru Steel’s new welding rotator and manipulator joins 6.2m circumference sections of the Macknade Sugar Mill smoke stack.


NEWS

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Th e recent federal approval of Adani’s $16 billion Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland sparked a wave of digital protest including a nude selfi e by an Aussie celebrity and the highly publicised demise of a lovable clown fi sh.

Model Robyn Lawley took to her Instagram account to post a naked photo and vent her feelings about the project approval.

“Th e only way to get coal out of Carmichael mine is via the Great Barrier Reef,” she wrote. “Millions of tonnes of seabed will have to be dredged and dumped in the World Heritage Area to make way.” Th e photo gained more than 2000 “likes” and received comments from both sides of the argument.

“I am a coal miner and I love my job what good does it do underground none at least above ground it keeps your lights on and ur house warm/cool you should be thankful men and women like myself risk our lives everyday to let you be in comfort,” sulli_scott wrote.

“Great to see you using your infl uence as a public fi gure to

stand up for the environment,” jforward1 wrote.

Th e approval also saw Greenpeace post a 30-second “Save the Reef ” message on YouTube featuring a “Nemo” fi sh swimming in a blender. Th e video closes with the sound of the blender grinding up its contents. Its caption urges people to use their power to save the fi sh from the threat that coal export plans posed for its ocean home.

Th e clip attracted almost 100,000 views and more than 200 likes.

Environment Minister Greg Hunt hit back at criticism of his approval for Australia’s largest coal mine, saying the strictest of conditions had been imposed to ensure the protection of the environment.

Meanwhile Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said activist groups were trying every trick in the book to disrupt and delay Galilee Basin projects - delaying electricity supply to the developing world and the economic benefi ts the projects would bring Queensland.

Is mine safety

still the top

priority despite

the downturn?

Mathew HaddrickBMA Saraji Mine

“Absolutely. It is still important to maintain safety at all costs.”

Jason Lund AMWU

“The process is still there for safety in the mining industry. We would question sometimes the ideology of it but safety is still there.”

Keith BrennanState Department of Natural Resources and Mines

‘’Most definitely and as regulators we are in the pursuit to ensure that companies don’t drop their guard because of the economic climate.”

Greg DallistonSafety Inspector CFMEU

“In the last 12 months we’ve had 16 fatalities in the mining industry across Australia ... it is clear we are going the wrong way.”

David CliffUQ Professor of Occupational Health and Safety in Mining

“The economic pressures and the pressures of production make it very difficult to argue that safety is the No. 1 priority in all mines in Queensland.”


REGIONAL ROUND-UP

TownsvilleTh e State Government will go back out to tender on the $200 million

Townsville Ring Road Section 4 project for additional scope of works including

four lanes from Shaw Rd to the Bruce Highway at Mount Low.

Th e Townsville Bulletin reported that lower-than-expected quotes meant

money was left over for the fi nal stage of the ring road development, between

the Bohle and Deeragun, jointly funded by State and Federal governments.

Federal Infrastructure and Regional Development Minister Warren Truss

said Queensland would now go out to market to determine if additional

works could be achieved.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson said

the government would continue to work with the shortlisted tenderers to

deliver the additional scope of works.

Early works, including some service relocations and

clearing, will continue until the main construction

contract is awarded, with work due to begin early 2015.

Cairns Singapore’s Aspial Corporation has lodged a development application seeking council approval for the fi rst stage of a $200 million, seven-tower project on Spence St in the Cairns CBD.

Member for Cairns Gavin King said the developer was working with a range of Cairns consultants and businesses to progress the project, destined to create thousands of jobs.

“Aspial has a strong commitment to work with local contractors, architects and consultants and that aligns with our government’s strong push to attract new

investment and create more jobs after so many tough years of stagnation in our region,” he said.

Th e company was aiming to begin construction by the end of the year, subject to relevant approvals, he said.

Mackay/RockhamptonTh e Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union has called for the

Abbott Government to conduct an urgent review into the 457

Visa program after a stoush over Hastings Deering job cuts in

Queensland.

Mackay and Rockhampton depots have been among those

hit as the mining services company launches a round of

redundancies to trim about 400 positions.

AMWU offi cial Brad Hansen said Hastings

Deering management had refused to prioritise

local workers over short-term employees,

including those on 457 visas.

Companies have a legal requirement

to treat foreign workers with the same

rights as those on permanent contracts,

Th e Daily Mercury reported.

“With the increased

availability of skilled labour and

Queensland’s unemployment

at its highest level in a decade,

Queenslanders should not

accept that there is a need for

the ongoing use of temporary

work visas,” Mr Hansen said.

ToowoombaBoral has applied to build a plant capable of producing 180 tonnes of asphalt every hour within the

Charlton Wellcamp industrial precinct on Toowoomba’s western outskirts, Th e Chronicle reports.

Th e facility would replace a temporary plant already on the site, built in 2013 to service major

upgrades to the Warrego Hwy between Toowoomba and Dalby.

Boral Construction Material Asphalt contracting manager Tim Everett told the paper the project

could take two years to complete.

Th e Charlton Wellcamp industrial area is already home to the Vinidex plastic pipe factory, while a

hot-dip galvanising plant and a drill rig storage and maintenance facility have also been approved for

the area by Toowoomba Regional Council.

MilesMiles District Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a community

investment plan, mapping out projects to the value of $1million to be

carried out over the next fi ve years.

Its release follows more than 12 months of discussion with the community

and advice from consultant partners Urbis, according to the Advance

Western Downs online newsletter.

Community projects to be delivered under the initiative include

refurbishment of Anzac Park, an online information hub, greater

opportunities for youth and a Dogwood tourism strategy.

Chamber President John Hoff mann said the plan was designed to give the

local community a sense of ownership back following council amalgamation

in the region and to make the most of the changes brought about by the

CSG industry.

Mount IsaSunday trading has hit the headlines in north-west

Queensland, with Queensland Industrial Relations

Commission hearings due in Mount Isa in November

to hear an application from the National Retail

Association on the issue.

Th e local chamber of commerce – now known as

Commerce North West – recently voted in favour of

extended hours for non-exempt shops after an online

survey came out 57.5 per cent in support of Sunday

trading, with many small businesses voicing concerns,

according to Th e North West Star.

Meanwhile State Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter,

who resigned from Commerce North West as a result

of its support for extended hours for major retailers in

Mount Isa, has launched a petition against seven-day

trading in the city.

Fresh from their 2014 E K Healy Cup win, central Queensland’s Kestrel mines rescue team is facing off against the world’s best in the international competition arena in Poland.

Kestrel was invited to the International Mines Rescue competition, September 6-13, as a result of their 2012 performance – when they were the fi rst team to win all three Australian rescue competitions open to Queensland coal mines.

Captain Derrin Powell said they were excited to be going up against some of the world’s top rescue teams.

“Th is is an incredible opportunity to learn from best practice in underground mining safety not just from coal mines but from a variety of underground operations,” he said.

Kestrel Mine general manager

operations John Coughlan said the team had prepared well for the world championships and their recent win at the Queensland mines rescue EK Healy Cup event had been a good boost in their preparation.

Th e team – based at Rio Tinto’s underground Kestrel mine near Emerald - took out the overall win and the Matt Best trophy at the 2014 E K Healy Cup competition.

Eight teams competed across four surface exercises and one underground exercise at BMA’s Broadmeadow Mine, near Moranbah in Central Queensland.

Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) operations manager Ray Smith said the teams faced a range of obstacles across the competition.

“One exercise was a multiple

casualty exercise with fi ve people with a range of injuries. Th e teams had to assess them and apply fi rst aid techniques,” he said.

“Th e surface exercises were good overall but a couple of teams lost some points on the scoreboard.

“Teams were also thrown off by a couple of surprise exercises we threw in at the start of the underground exercise.”

Th is year saw Dallas Dorney lose the Chief Inspector’s Trophy for excellence in fi rst aid to Matthew Barclay after a four-year winning streak and Kestrel’s Derrin Powell took out the Matt Best award for best captain.

Th e event was held on the anniversary of the Box Flat Mine disaster. Mr Smith said it was never too far from everyone’s mind.

Kestrel swoops at EK Healy before flying out

“Th is year we paid tribute to the lives that were lost in the Box Flat mine. It’s also the Moura No.2 explosion anniversary (in August) so we were all thinking of that too,” he said.

Kestrel was followed by Crinum, Broadmeadow and Oaky

North in this year’s competition placings. Moranbah North, Oaky No. 1, Cook Colliery and North Goonyella also competed.

• See Our Mining Heritage - Pages 10-11 - for more on the Box Flat disaster and the history of the EK Healy Cup

Kestrel Mines Rescue Team members Geff Dyball, Chris Catip and Brendan Iddles during a recent training exercise.


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Th e QCLNG project is gearing up for fi rst LNG by the end of the year, with a fl ame-topped fl are stack marking the recent introduction of gas to the Curtis Island plant.

QGC has recruited a team of about 170 people to operate the LNG plant - more than half being people from the Gladstone region who have either transitioned from other industrial roles or returned to the city after gaining LNG industry expertise overseas.

Construction contractor Bechtel initiated the controlled ignition of the QCLNG fl are in August as natural gas was introduced to the plant, QGC communications manager Paul Larter said.

Th e fl aring was part of the

All fired up for first LNG exportsBY THE NUMBERS

QCLNG will be a two-train LNG plant with 8.5mtpa capacity.

The Bechtel construction workforce on site is about 3500.

Construction has included 80 modules of varying size up to about 2500 tonnes, 75m long and 10 storeys high.

The largest module was equivalent in size to 17 average cars parked nose to tail, as wide as an Olympic swimming pool and as tall as a six-storey building.

The 45,000 tonnes of steel structures were assembled in Thailand by Bechtel in 10 million worker hours.

The two LNG tanks have capacity of 140,000m3 each and are 48m high and 250m in circumference.

Santos GLNG’s gas processing trains are on their way from the Philippines as that project also shapes up for exports next year.

Details are not yet available on the date or destination for the fi rst shipment from QGC’s QCLNG project, which the company says is being

delivered within its the Phase 1 US$20.4 billion budget.

Mr Larter said work was advancing across QGC’s upstream tenements in the Surat Basin to ensure gas supply. Th e logistical challenge of developing this vast, integrated project across an area of 4500km sq and involving

up to 14,500 people had been signifi cant, he said. “No one has ever done this before.”

Monadelphous and GE Oil & Gas Australia have been awarded major maintenance contracts for the LNG facility, while Corporate Protection Australia is supplying site security and emergency staff .

normal sequence of processes to test and prepare parts of the fi rst train, he said.

“Gas has been introduced to the plant, allowing commissioning of the refrigeration turbines and compressors to start and the fl are to be lit,” Mr Larter said. “Th is is an important step prior to cooling Train 1 and producing fi rst LNG in the fourth quarter. At the same time work is continuing to construct Train 2, which will be commissioned in 2015.”

Fellow LNG proponent Australia Pacifi c LNG successfully completed the hydro and pneumatic testing on its second liquefi ed natural gas storage tank in August, targeting delivery of fi rst LNG exports from its Curtis Island project in mid-2015. Meanwhile the last shipment of modules to build

An aerial view of the loading jetty at the QCLNG export facility at Curtis Island.

Queensland-based iPipe Services is pioneering the use of specialist equipment and squeeze-off procedures to allow gas operations to repair key pipelines without shutting down wellheads.Recent research and development in fl ow stopping has qualifi ed iPipe as the fi rst company in Australia with capabilities in large bore squeeze-off up to DN630 HDPE pipe, according to iPipe managing director David Nichols.Th e ability to stop the fl ow in such large pipes was part of iPipe’s emergency response service, avoiding the need to shut off wells to carry out repairs at the point of damage, he said.Established just over a year ago, iPipe is focused on providing specialist pipeline

services for operators in the mining, oil and gas and water industries.It has worked on projects including the QCLNG, Santos GLNG and APLNG coal seam gas-to-liquefi ed natural gas projects. Th e scope of works has included nitrogen operations, pipeline integrity management, pigging, hydrostatic and pneumatic testing of new and existing assets, hot tapping and delivery of pre-commissioning and commissioning management plans. Mr Nichols said the company was continually expanding its capabilities through innovation and investment in research and development.“We’re staying at the forefront of new technology and we’re committed to staff development, quality and safety,” he said

Investment in branch drilling (hot tapping) equipment had been completed to extend drilling machine travel distances to meet client pipeline design specifi cations, Mr Nichols said. Th is investment included custom designing cutting heads which had reduced swarf left in pipelines by 90 per cent and signifi cantly enhanced iPipe’s hot tapping capabilities. iPipe had also invested signifi cantly in improving nitrogen membrane capabilities, he said, and was investing further in liquid nitrogen pump units and testing equipment.Mr Nichols said such investment had enabled iPipe to expand its capabilities beyond that of competitors to bring customers effi cient and cost-eff ective services.

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Gladstone’s engineering and supply industry is undergoing a period of transition, with a general shift from new-build fabrication work and uncertainty over where the next major project will come from, according to a business leader.

MIPEC chief executive offi cer Steve Beale was commenting in the lead-up to the Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA) 2014 Major Industry Conference – with the theme Adapting to a Changing Environment.

MIPEC – Marine, Industrial, Port, Engineering and Contracting - has grown from a one-man operation 10 years ago into a multifaceted enterprise with a 100-strong workforce.

Th at jobs fi gure was as high as 250 at the peak of the group’s contract work with the LNG construction projects.

Mr Beale agreed that Gladstone had reached a turning point - not only through the fact that those LNG projects would soon go into an operational phase, but with the general slowdown in major project work in the region.

“Th e horizon is probably a little bit hazy at the present time,” he said.

“We haven’t got any major projects that we can see (coming online) in the short to medium term – although that’s not unfamiliar territory for Gladstone and Gladstone businesses. It’s probably what we’re used to - peaks and troughs.”

However recent experience, including the importation of the structural steel elements of the Curtis Island LNG projects as prefabricated modules, had clearly

Supply opportunities will be the key focus of the upcoming Gladstone Engineering Alliance Major Industry Conference, organisers say.

Sponsored by MIPEC, the October 22-23 event at the Gladstone Entertainment and Convention Centre will provide briefi ngs on a variety of project timelines and off er networking with decision makers.

“Th e whole idea around the conference is that it’s not project updates, it really is about supply opportunities and that delegates get that tangible information about what is coming up, when it’s coming and how to prepare

for it,” GEA events offi cer Kim Roberts said.

Th e conference has a theme of Adapting to a Changing Environment, refl ecting the shift in the local economy as the three major LNG projects under way transition from construction to operations and maintenance.

“And I suppose the angle that we’re coming from is encouraging small-to-medium businesses in the region to think outside the box a little bit, be innovative in what they’re off ering,” Ms Roberts said. “Th ey’ve built their capability and capacity so much over the

last three years or so that they

really can off er a whole new

scope of products and services.

“It’s just about identifying

the opportunities they can

now work towards and also

encouraging them to look at

forming alliances with other

companies that can assist

them in tendering for larger

packages.”

Organisations presenting

at the conference include

Cockatoo Coal, Bandanna

Energy, Euroa Steel Plant

Project (formerly Boulder

Steel), Aurizon and Gladstone

Ports Corporation.

Adapting to change is a focus for local business as key LNG projects advance

identifi ed that major works of “fabrication as we used to know it” were no longer something that would be undertaken locally, he said.

“I think that’s just been proven with the LNG plants. We don’t stick build very much in Australia at all anymore,” Mr Beale said.

“Businesses are going to have to transition themselves into a slightly diff erent space.

“We’re still going to have these industries here that require operational support – and that’s always been a big part of our focus … it’s the stuff that’s got the longevity about it.”

Among the challenges smaller enterprises faced nationwide was the nature of current contracting regimes, he said.

“My concern is that the major

contractors seem to be going in and winning contracts on minimal margins that probably aren’t sustainable, hoping that there’s suffi cient fl aws in the contract or mismanagement somewhere that facilitates catch-up on variations,” Mr Beale said.

“Ultimately the end client sees major project blowouts and frustrated investors.”

Mr Beale also pointed to macro infl uences that local operations would like to see turn around – such as the constraints that a high Australian dollar was placing on the resources sector.

He said Gladstone industry was well and truly ready for the next big opportunity – it just needed investors to see the area’s potential.

“I’ve got no doubts about the capability of Gladstone delivering anything that people want to build here,” Mr Beale said.

“We’ve proven it over and over again. As always I would like to see more Gladstone businesses involved in what goes on, but I can also understand the reality of major projects and how they quite often need to deal with bigger players from outside Gladstone on specialist projects.”

Ground shifts for Gladstone“The horizon is

probably a little bit

hazy at the present

time”

MIPEC chief executive

offi cer Steve Beale

Supply openings revealed

GLADSTONE ENGINEERING ALLIANCE MAJOR INDUSTRY CONFERENCE


OUR MINING HERITAGE

JOIN US TODAYCall: 07 3839 8588 or visit www.cfmeu.com.au

CFMEU WHEREVER WORK TAKES YOU WE’RE LOOKING OUT FOR YOU

The CFMEU Mining and Energy Division represents workers in the mining, oil, gas, port and power industries. We are the principal union in the black and brown coal mining industries, representing the vast majority of workers employed.

Why join? Because union members get better pay and conditions than non members. They win that through using their collective bargaining power to get a better deal.

A union’s greatest strength is always its members and there is no better benefit for members than the mutual support offered by fellow members.

Through pooling the resources of members, both financially and industrially, the CFMEU is able to provide a wide range of services to members, including superannuation, financial, insurance and solicitors, as well as a broad range of items through Union Shopper from household goods to overseas holidays.

Queensland District Branch

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Coal mining and timber personnel at a weighbridge in the Blair Athol district in 1915.

A new exhibition at the Clermont Historical Centre provides an insight into the emergence of mining technology and international business deals familiar today from the Blair Athol coal mine in Central Queensland.

From Japanese Ouchi Urushi dolls to the original Ruston steam shovel, the Blair Athol Collection features a selection of items and stories which include the old ghost town of Blair Athol.

Clermont Historical Centre Advisory Committee

chair and local councillor Barbara Stranks said the collection was a pivotal slice of Australian history.

“Th is collection shows a turning point in Australian history, especially for our mining community,”she said. “Covering the period from 1800-1980s, the Blair Athol collection is where the emergence of mining technology breakthroughs begin, amid a scene of social uprising where racial tensions are high.”

Th e collection is showing until December 13.

Blair Athol history on show

Box Flat blow lingers for KarynKaryn Reinhardt was seven years old when a mining disaster took the

lives of not one, but two people she loved.

It was July 31, 1972 when the Box Flat mine disaster at Swanbank,

Ipswich killed 17 men including Karyn’s father Daryl and grandfather

Harold.

Ms Reinhardt said her memories of the day were blurred but she

remembered hearing the news of the accident with her siblings.

“When something signifi cant like this happens, your mind kind of

shuts down a little bit to protect yourself,” she said.

“On the day of the disaster my grandfather was on shift working

and my father was with the mines rescue team which was later called

on to go down and try and help the men who were already down there.

“We were living with our grandfather at the time, we were told very

late that night but Mum really sheltered us as much as she could at

the time.”

Ms Reinhardt said it was the key moments in her life when it really

hit home for her what she had lost that day.

“Growing up without (my father), I’ve just missed sharing so much

with him and having him involved in my life,” she said.

“When you get married and when you have children and you know

they’ll never meet him, it’s hard.

“I’ve been married for nearly 30 years and we have two children

aged 22 and 17. Th ey’ll never know what Dad was like.”


OUR MINING HERITAGE

Call 1800 555 777slatergordon.com.au

You could claim through your super

Th roughout 100 years of rescues, the darkest day for the Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) was July 31, 1972.

Th at was the day of the Box Flat mine disaster, Ipswich, in which 17 men, including eight mines rescue workers, were killed.

About 2.45am an underground explosion trapped 14 men, killed three men on the surface, and injured 10 others.

“One of the mines had a spontaneous combustion which quickly turned into a fi re and the mines rescue teams were underground attempting to

seal part of the mine off so that

the company still had a mine,”

CFMEU industry safety and

health representative Greg

Dalliston said.

“During that process the

ventilation circuit in the mines

changed direction and began

drawing the gasses from the

coals back in to the fi re, which

caused an explosion.

“A lot of people lost friends

and loved ones that day.”

QMRS chief executive offi cer

Wayne Hartley said that a lot

had changed since the Box Flat

mine disaster to improve safety

during rescue jobs.

“Historically rescue workers

relied upon human instinct

during emergencies,” he said.

“In the early days they didn’t

have the monitoring of the

environment. Th ey used to listen

to the mine, they would smell

the environment and then they’d

be keeping an eye out, although

working they still worked in

the dark with their cap lamps -

which in those days were very

crude and basic.”

Mr Hartley said while

the QMRS held on to a

lot of tradition it had also

implemented many changes

since the disaster.

“Changes and technological

advances over the years cement

our strong future,” he said.

“We’ve seen changes like

the sophistication in breathing

apparatus and in gas monitoring,

the fi rst aid advances, and risk-

management procedures and

protocols.”

Disaster took heavy toll on rescue crew

The memorial for those lost in the Box Flat disaster of 1972.

Mines rescue brigade at West Ipswich in the 1940s.

Birth of a tradition

When the Ipswich suburb

of Booval lost its beloved

Mills Cup to a rival mines

rescue team from Collinsville,

nobody realised it would be the

beginning of a new competition

that is now in its 43rd year.

Years ago a trophy named the

Mills Cup was presented to the

Booval mines rescue station by

the local Mills family.

Local mines rescue teams competed among themselves for the prize and, as the competition progressed, competitors from other areas began to join in.

Th e fi rst interdistrict competition was held in Booval in 1970 - which saw the Collinsville Mines Rescue Brigade walk away with the town’s prized cup.

Queensland Mines Rescue chief executive offi cer Wayne Hartley said locals were left with a sense of horror following the loss.

“Th ere was such a hoo ha about the Mills cup leaving Booval that the minister of the day instructed a new trophy to be established, called the EK Healy Cup, for the interdistrict competition - which is now the State competition,” Mr Hartley said. “Th e cup was named after the secretary to the Department of Mines, and so began the EK Healy competition. Th e fi rst EK Healy cup was won by Collinsville in 1971. Now the best of the best come together to compete in this cup.”

Wayne HartleyQueensland Mines Rescuechief executive officer


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Garry Jarvis, Chris Smith, Aline Bordin and Glenn Riley (SEW Eurodrive) at the Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition.

Val Loreznelli, Phil Horton and Brook Picken (Finlease) at the 2014 Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition, Mackay.

Rob Nichols (Redpath Mining), Andrea White (Carve Business Solutions) and Rory Burke (Redpath Mining) at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference, Townsville.

Katherine Dumbleton, Terry Judd and Peter Webbers (Mt Maurice RFB) at the Gladstone Engineering Alliance charity golf day.

Sarah Copland and Rod Ramsay (Resources Industries Skills Association) with John Lennon (Lennon Training) at the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference, Townsville.

Jo Sheppard (TSBE) and Gavin Walton (Condamine Electric Company) at Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Innovation Series forum.

Michael Murray from Cotton Australia with Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister John McVeigh at a Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise Innovation Series forum, Toowoomba.

Kristan Gower, Brett Hudson and Peter Huntingdon (Onsite Rental Group) attending a recent Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon, Mackay.

Richard Clemmy, Katie Dwyer and Maurie Fatnowna (The Shell Company) at the Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon.

Duncan Carmichael, Chris Kerr, Mark Barron and Steve Greenwell (Rotary Club of Thuringowa Central) at the Queensland ABB Mining Golf Challenge, Townsville.

Scan this

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YEPPOON

Aff ordable property prices and the promise of a glorious lifestyle are the two key things drawing people to Yeppoon for investment and living, according to local experts.

Capricorn Enterprise chief executive offi cer Mary Carroll says the appeal of Yeppoon is that it is a beautiful coastal destination only a 30-minute drive from a major regional city.

“Th e proximity to Rockhampton, but the fact that you have this beautiful lifestyle on the Capricorn Coast, is responsible for the bulk of the residential growth,” Ms Carroll said.

“Ten thousand fi ve hundred vehicles travel daily between Yeppoon and Rockhampton, so that gives an indication of the number of people travelling into Rockhampton for things like work, shopping and university, that type of thing.”

In the 12 months leading up to June 2012, Livingstone Shire recorded a 3.6 per cent population growth, bringing numbers to 34,595, with

Beachside with benefits

Yeppoon being the main

component of that fi gure.

As of September 2013, the

median house price in Yeppoon

was $396,000.

Ms Carroll said that in

investment terms, for Yeppoon,

“the only way is up”.

“Current investment in

residential and business is

extremely opportunistic at the moment because, as you can see from the median house price – it’s very, very aff ordable for a coastal destination in Queensland,” she said.

Principal licensee of O’Reilly’s Real Estate Yeppoon, Ross O’Reilly, said people looking for a coastal lifestyle or a new property investment should cast their eye to Yeppoon.

“It’s very aff ordable here. Th e rental returns on properties at around $400,000, they are renting out at around $430 to $440 per week on average. So it’s quite a good place to invest,” he said.

“Th ere’s some good apartment investments too.”

Danielle Drury recently moved to Yeppoon with her husband Justin and their two kids Aiden and Ella.

“We decided to move down to the beach from Gracemere for a calmer and nicer lifestyle,” she said.

“It’s a lot more aff ordable than other places and it’s a much nicer region. Most of the spare

time that we have is spent down

the beach but we also do a lot

of fi shing, out on the boat and

we have kayaks. Th ere’s also the

walking tracks that you don’t get

in town.”

• Livingstone Shire Council ’s

$34 million development plans -

Page 21

Lammermoor Beach looking back towards Yeppoon.

Photo: Nathan White

Justin and Danielle

Drury with their

children Ella and

Aiden, enjoying the

coastal lifestyle.

Photo: David Harbutt


PROMOTING INDIGENOUS EMPLOYMENT

Call business development manager Michelle Silver 0439 536 466

and Managing Editor Robert Dark 07 4755 0336 and ask ‘how’.

Get more ACCESS to more industry

PRINT WEB SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTION

MINING

PROCESSING

WATER AND WASTE WATER

CIVIL ENGINEERING

MANUFACTURING

New Vocational Training and Employment Centres (VTEC) in Central and North Queensland will provide guaranteed jobs within the mining industry for 350 indigenous people.

Th e North and Central Queensland centres in Mount Isa and Rockhampton are just two of 21 centres aiming to place up to 5000 indigenous Australians into specifi c jobs nationwide before July 2015.

Employers guarantee job places through Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) job pledges or letters of intent.

Letters of intent are a pledge from an employer to a VTEC that guarantee a number of employment places for indigenous jobseekers.

Th e mining positions available are entry-level and

are in response to job demand within the industry.

John Pearson Consulting, an organisation that has successfully delivered indigenous employment services as an Indigenous Employment Program panel member, will run the Central Queensland VTEC.

“I have seen fi rst-hand, the diff erence employment can make in people’s lives and to their families and communities,” managing partner John Pearson said.

“Th e VTEC initiative has the potential to transform indigenous employment.

“Th rough a collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, government and employers across Australia, we can achieve a shared and long-

New centres a gateway to mining jobs

held dream of dramatically and signifi cantly increasing the number of indigenous Australians fi nding and keeping meaningful employment.”

Th e North Queensland VTEC in Mount Isa will be run by the Myuma Group,

which has more than 15 years’ experience in indigenous prevocational training.

Myuma managing director Colin Saltmere said the new VTEC model would enhance the economic, social and cultural wellbeing of indigenous Australians.

“We have long believed that

the key to achieving this is to

engage with, and foster, those

businesses that can best provide

meaningful employment

for indigenous people,” Mr

Saltmere said.

“We believe that the VTEC

model dovetails well with our

established operations and will

support us to continue our

success into the future, for the

benefi t of indigenous people

and the broader Australian

economy.”

VTECs will be located

in Sydney, the Hunter

region, South Coast NSW,

Brisbane, North and Central

Queensland, Perth, Darwin,

Melbourne, Kalgoorlie, Alice

Springs, the Barkly region of

the Northern Territory, the

Kimberley and Adelaide.

“I have seen

first-hand,

the difference

employment can

make in people’s

lives and to their

families and

communities”

John Pearson

A commitment to fostering indigenous employment helped rail freight operator Aurizon take out the Workforce Diversity award at this year’s Australasian Rail Industry Awards.

Rugby League star Steve Renouf has the role of manager of indigenous programs for the company, which joined a push to boost sustainable employment for indigenous Australians by signing the

Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) in July 2011. Th e AEC is an industry initiative to secure 50,000 sustainable jobs for indigenous Australians nationwide and Aurizon committed to having an additional 400 indigenous employees across the organisation.

Mr Renouf works closely with communities nationwide to recruit more indigenous employees into training and employment opportunities with the company. A variety of employment strategies including site visits, school talks, indigenous careers fairs and work experience have been used to attract young indigenous men and women to join Aurizon.

“Because we’ve had a long history with employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people we want to enhance that and

make it even stronger,” Mr Renouf said. Th e company targeted indigenous-specifi c employment expos across the country, including those held in Queensland under the FOGS (Former Origin Greats) initiative, he said.

“It’s great for us from the point that all the participants in that are all indigenous students from the majority of schools across the state,” Mr Renouf said.

Since signing the AEC covenant, Aurizon management has reviewed recruitment practices to ensure there are no barriers for indigenous applicants.

Management leadership teams had also undertaken training to build understanding and awareness of unconscious bias and how it could infl uence key decision making in recruitment, promotion and development, the company said.

Aurizon takes the ball and runs in diversity field

Aurizon manager

of indigenous

programs Steve

Renouf.


BUILDING MINING COMMUNITIES

Visit shows what’s in store

Mining contractor Redpath has launched a raft of company-

wide initiatives to raise awareness and teach coping strategies

for mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and

substance abuse.

Th ese issues cost the Australian mining industry an

estimated $320 to $450 million each year but are rarely

discussed, according to Redpath corporate health, safety,

environmental and quality manager Graeme Christie.

From September 11, Redpath is holding a range of

presentations educating staff about mental health problems –

with a strong focus placed on staff learning to recognise the

symptoms in their colleagues.

Th e program, which launches to coincide with R U OK?

Day, will be followed by the distribution of educational

materials to all employees, a renewed spotlight on the

availability of employee counselling and the training of key

personnel in a mental health fi rst aid course.

Th e latest initiative comes after Redpath in 2013 launched a

year-long fundraising and awareness campaign in partnership

with beyondblue by painting a 60-tonne truck bright blue and

making donations for every hour of work logged.

Th e company said mental health problems were a

signifi cant issue for the mining industry with Pricewaterhouse

Coopers research in 2013 showing that 22.7 per cent of

workers suff er from a condition, with more than half being a

substance abuse issue - putting the sector within the top three

industries for this problem.

Anyone who needs to discuss a mental health crisis should

contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, beyondblue on 1300 22 4636 or

SANE on 1800 18 7263.

Redpath tackles mental health problems head on

Students have a blast during Science WeekIrene Kepa, Teio Kaniu, Dallas Johnson, Cannington’s Murray Lorensen and Vivienne Eseli during the warehouse visit.

Cannington

Proudly supporting mining communities

Common chemicals that can be found at home was the theme at Ravenswood State School in North Queensland recently when Carpentaria Gold chemist Daniel Kandiero demonstrated a range of experiments with ingredients such as vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.

Visiting for National Science Week, Mr Kandiero spoke to the children about the importance of safety in the laboratory before using indicators to show the diff erence in acidity and

alkalinity in diff erent solutions and demonstrating what happens when you mix vinegar and bicarbonate.

Th e students saw the results fi zz before watching an experiment where the resulting gases blew the lid off a coff ee tin. Th e experiment proved very popular, with lots of requests to do it again.

“Popping the can was the best when it went bang. My brother liked it so much he tried it at home that night,” Year 1 student Beau Easton said.

Carpentaria Gold chemist Daniel Kandiero with Charlie Hood and Beau Easton.

Island habitat locked up

Gas boost for engineers’ wind studies

Help for future farmers

Hospital upgrade kicks off

Former Cowboys rugby league player Dallas Johnson accompanied four indigenous youths to the Cannington mine site in north-west Queensland recently for a tour of the operation’s warehousing facility.

Th e trip was part of the Cowboys’ Learn, Earn, Legend! program which provides indigenous students with insights into what’s available in the workforce.

BHP Billiton Cannington has been involved in the program since it began in 2010, but this was the fi rst time students had actually visited the mine site.

Cannington community relations and communications specialist Graeme Nielsen said the initiative refl ected the mine site’s philosophy of inclusiveness and equal opportunity.

“It was the fi rst time we had the situation where a group of

students were actually studying various aspects of warehousing, so we agreed to fl y them out to the mine to see our operation,” he said.

Teio Kaniu was one of the group of four former Heatley and Kirwan High School students, and said he was even more determined to work in the mining industry after making the trip. “It’s my goal to work in a mine,” he said.

Queensland’s natural gas sector

has celebrated a landmark

conservation initiative that will

see nearly two thirds of Curtis

Island, near Gladstone, set aside

for environmental conservation.

On behalf of the LNG

projects, Australia Pacifi c LNG

chief executive offi cer Page

Maxson said the proposed

establishment of more than

25,000ha of newly protected

areas demonstrated the

commitment of the industry

to developing projects in an

environmentally responsible way.

Mechanical engineering students

based at CQUniversity can look

forward to using a Flotek 360

Wind Tunnel to study the eff ects

of wind and aerodynamics,

thanks to $33,547 from the

QGC Sustainable Communities

Fund.

Flotek computer-compatible

wind tunnels allow highly

visual investigations and

demonstrations including

airfoils, drag and slipstream

eff ects of racing cars, and drag

due to dimples on a golf ball.

CQUniversity lecturer

Ashfaque Chowdhury said

the equipment would be an

engaging learning and teaching

tool enabling students to better

understand the eff ects of extreme

conditions such as cyclones.

“Students will be better placed

to support local engineering

projects due to their skills and

experience in this area,” Mr

Chowdhury said.

Glencore has joined forces with the Emerald Agricultural College to

help develop Central Queensland’s next generation of farmers.

Th e two organisations have announced a partnership that aims

to support the college’s Australian Primary Industries Production

Program students through scholarships and study tours.

Five Glencore Scholarships, each valued at $10,000, will be off ered

to students starting the two-year Australian Primary Industries

Program in the college’s 2015 intake.

Major upgrade work has started at the Gladstone Hospital, with

QGC providing $1.5 million for work on the operating theatre and

Santos GLNG $1.45 million for the facility’s high dependency unit.

Hutchinson Builders have been contracted to do the refurbishment,

with work expected to take about 40 weeks.

Up to 3000 patients were expected to use the new facilities each

year, Gladstone Hospital executive director Dr Nicki Murdock said.

SUPPORTED BY BHP BILLITON CANNINGTON

222Shamrock Civil Engineering is one of Queensland’s Leading

Project Manager Alan Law

BRIDGE ROAD & PARADISE STREET REHABILIATION

WHITSUNDAY NDRRA PACKAGE B

DLTP PROJECT – TOWNSVILLE LAVARACK BARRACKSCLIENT: Baulderstone Australia Pty Ltd

VALUE:DURATION:

SCOPE OF WORKSShamrock Civil have been awarded the contract to complete the civil works

on the DLTP Joint Logistics Project at the Townsville Lavarack Barracks.

The main components of this contract are:-

testing

2 of existing pavements and services3

of excavation.

and 2.9Km of RCP Pipework and associated structures. 2 of pavement construction works including sealed granular,

CTB and concrete pavementsProject Manager Conor Moylan

BRIDGE ROAD & PARADISE STREET REHABILIATIONCLIENT: Mackay Regional Council VALUE: $9,000,000 DURATION: Jan 2013-Feb 2014

Shamrock Civil was awarded the principal contract to rehabilitate Bridge Road and Paradise Street in the City of Mackay.

The contract was performed directly for Mackay Regional Council, in association with client management consultancy

Aurecon. The Primary objective for these works was rehabilitating the damage that flooding had caused to these two roads

in previous years. The works included:

A key element for the Shamrock Civil management team was the management of its Stakeholders due to direct

interaction with businesses and residents with regards to access, noise and other environmental issues. The

co-ordination of nine work stages involved a moderately complex Traffic Management Plan due to the high

volumes of daily traffic.

The project had some delicate aspects to manage including the protection of electrical, telecom and water services of an

unknown location throughout the work site and the removal of redundant asbestos piping.

This project came under budget much to the satisfaction of the client. Local business owner Graeme Kingsbury of Mackay

Shamrock Civil Engineering Pty Ltd: SAFE SUSTAINABLE SMART SOLUTIONS Tow

Shamrock Civil Engineering feature

2222Staff at Shamrock Civil Engineering are celebrating 20 years of operation in Queensland, but there is little time to refl ect on the milestone.

Th e company boasts a portfolio of excellence in completed work including shopping centres, the Brisbane International Airport upgrade, Defence contracts at Enoggera Army Barracks, relocating 21st Engineer Squadron to the RAAF base at Amberley, State Government works and resource sector infrastructure in the Surat Basin.

It was work in the resource sector, initially with Origin Energy in 2006, that established Shamrock Civil as an engineering business on the rise.

A $13.3 million contract for Origin Energy at its Rockwell property 40km south-west of Chinchilla heralded the arrival of the company as a mid-tier

player in Queensland in 2008.Th e company won the

contract to build the Talinga Evaporation Pond B, which fi rst involved clearing 63ha of scrubland, stripping 120,000 cubic metres of topsoil and excavating 480,000 cubic metres ahead of supplying and installing 465,000sqm of geotextile and a 2mm HDPE liner inside the pond. Inlet structures and spillway construction followed.

More work followed and the biggest project undertaken by the company began in the Surat Basin in July 2012, when Shamrock Civil won a $30 million contract with QGC to undertake early earthworks at Woleebee Creek, 65km north-west of Miles.

Th e bulk earthworks operation covered an area of 260,000sqm and employed a wide range of heavy plant.

Graham McManmon, the

Twenty years Two Irishmen met in Central Queensland back in the 1990s and struck up a friendship which soon turned into a business partnership and Brisbane-based Shamrock Civil Engineering was born a few years later. It was a real Irish family aff air with Gary Grace, his son-in-law John O’Hagan, daughter Karen, Brendan Kealy and his wife Trudy united in their mission to exploit the land of opportunity “Down Under”.

Gary Grace remembers their fi rst successful tender 20 years ago with Hutchinson Builders. “We did the earthworks and roadworks for a retirement village in Brisbane,” he said. With Brendan, an engineer; John, a plant operator; Gary the mechanic and ‘jack of all trades’; and Karen and Trudy running the administrative side of the business, they were quickly on their way. “Our turnover in our fi rst year was $900,000,” Mr Grace said.

Fast forward to 2014 and the company now turns over $130-$150 million annually and employs a workforce of about 250 full-time

staff and 50 sub-contractors. It isn’t just luck associated with the success of Shamrock Civil - sound business decisions at the right time paved the way for expansion.

“We then moved into mining in the Surat Basin about 10 years ago and did a couple of contracts for Origin Energy before the coal seam gas (CSG) boom arrived,” Mr Grace said.

He attributes the success of the company directly to the hard work and dedication of the staff . “We have had no trouble getting good staff , around 30 per cent of our workforce has been with the company for 15 years,” he said.

And what does the future hold for Gary Grace? “I’m working part-time these days, but I suppose I’ll continue on for a few more years yet,” he said. But with plans to expand operations overseas into Papua New Guinea, it just might be a little harder to part company with the host of people who have become far more than work colleagues over the years.

More than luck plays a hand in Irish pair’s business success

Transport infrastructure and specifi cally roads and bridges continue to be the lifeblood of Australia’s prosperity. Th is is a vital component in the ongoing success of Shamrock Civil Engineering.

Th e company has engaged Townsville-based Clinton Huff , an experienced professional in the road and bridge-making business in Queensland.

Mr Huff started his career with the State Government’s Main Roads Department in 1975 as a fi tter and rose steadily through the

ranks. Main Roads morphed into a commercial operation during the 1990s when Mr Huff was working out of Rockhampton.

He initially took on the role of commercialising the fl eet arm of the business across Central Queensland and later moved to the North Queensland area before being appointed state general manager of RoadTek.

Co-founder and director of Shamrock Civil, Brendan Kealy, said getting a man of Clinton Huff ’s experience was a signifi cant breakthrough for the company.

Mr Huff is now preparing

Shamrock’s experienced Transport

Infrastructure team for the

forthcoming Bruce Highway

Action Plan and the Cape York

Peninsula Development Rd plus

other Department of Transport

and Main Roads and local council

projects throughout the state.

Originally appointed as

North Queensland manager of

Shamrock, he has more recently

received a new title and role

as program manager transport

infrastructure for the state.

Transport heavyweight on management team

Program manager transport infrastructure Clinton Huff Photo: Roslyn Budd

g Mid-Tier Construction Companies... Here are a few examples why:

WHITSUNDAY NDRRA PACKAGE BCLIENT: Whitsunday Regional Council

VALUE: $2,400,000

DURATION: October 2013 – March 2014

Shamrock Civil was awarded the principal contract to rehabilitate Dingo Beach

Rd and Hydeaway Bay Rd. The contract was performed directly for Whitsunday

Regional Council, in association with client management consultancy AECOM.

The Primary objective for these works was rehabilitating the damage that

flooding had caused to these two roads in previous years. The works included:3 of excavation of over 90 patches on these two roads.

2 of insitu stabilisation.

A key element for the Shamrock Civil management team was the traffic

management due to direct interaction with residents and tourists regarding

access, noise and other environmental issues. The co-ordination of thirteen work

stages involved a moderately complex Traffic Management Plan due to the high

volumes of daily local and visiting traffic.

The project had some delicate aspects to manage including the protection of

electrical, telecom and water services.

wlor

HOLTS ROAD STORMWATER CULVERT UPGRADECLIENT: Mackay Regional Council

VALUE: $1,700,000

DURATION: August 2011 – April 2012

Consists of the upgrade of a 4 cell existing creek

culvert spanning under a MRC road and the

associated roadworks upgrade. The roadworks

also includes rediversion of existing Telstra and

volume of traffic on the road and the necessity

to minimise the impact of the construction process, the culvert system will be constructed as part of a 2 stage process

which involves the construction of a temporary side road built over the newly placed culverts and around the stage

2 work zone.

Following the completion of the culverts, the roadworks will again need to be completed as part of a staged

process. The roads will be constructed in 4 additional stages, each stage involving a substantial amount of traffic

management.

wnsville – 07 4417 1600 Mackay – 07 4957 4386 Ipswich Office and Workshop – 07 3727 1100

Project Manager Dave Carney

2Years

of growthcompany’s mine site expert, described the project after its completion in 2013 as “a new benchmark for work in the Surat Basin”.

To keep abreast of the company’s rapid growth in recent years, offi ces have been opened in Mackay and Townsville.

Th is takes the load off head offi ce in Brisbane. Shamrock Civil has just established a presence in Dalby, and plans are afoot to expand into Papua New Guinea.

Th e Dalby offi ce includes a storage area and equipment maintenance depot.

Shamrock Civil Engineering director and co-founder, Brendan Kealy said the Surat Basin and its associated coal seam gas developments had become an important element in the company’s continued growth.

“As a result, it seemed a logical step to open an offi ce in Dalby,” he said. “We have had a strong presence in the Surat Basin for about the past 10 years.”

Shamrock Civil has a

workforce of about 90 working

on projects in the Surat Basin.

Th e move to establish a

presence in PNG, with an offi ce

in Port Moresby, is a fi ve-year

plan to support the company’s

growth.

“Th e offi ce will be opened in

September and a number of key

partnerships have been forged

with PNG-owned and operated

companies,” Mr Kealy said.

“We have already tendered for

two contracts and are currently

looking at another three or four.”

Th e company will initially

focus on roads and bridges and

will ship equipment to Port

Moresby from Brisbane to

undertake the work.

“We see our role as bringing

another level of skill and

experience to PNG. Our plan is

to bring PNG staff that we hire

to Brisbane for training,” Mr

Kealy said.

Shamrock Civil has notched up

some milestones at the QCLNG

upstream Northern Water

Treatment Plant ponds project

near Wandoan in the Surat Basin

during 2014.

Th e company has logged 850

days of no Lost Time Injuries or

Medically Treated Injuries (LTIs

and MTIs) and counting since

beginning the project more than

two years ago.

It is also the largest project

undertaken by the Brisbane-based

civil engineering business at

$78 million in value and among

the most complex.

“Shamrock Civil initially

tendered for early works,

completing all the footings and

pads for the water treatment

facility. Such was the quality

of work, we won the tender to

prepare six ponds associated with

the water treatment process,”

director Leslie Zeeman said.

Scope of work encompasses a

raw water storage pond, a treated

water pond, a reverse osmosis rejects pond, a concentrated brine pond, a spent ion exchange (IX) pond and the sedimentation pond. Four of the ponds have been completed with work now focused on the concentrated brine pond and the IX pond.

Th e brine pond is only the second of its type built in the southern hemisphere and has thrown up a raft of challenges.

Project manager Ronan Egan said the pond consisted of a very complex lining system with multiple liner layers, a clay layer and sump details to provide safe housing for the heated brine solution that is produced during the water purifi cation process in the water treatment facility.

Mr Egan said the project would be completed by mid-2015 and treated water would be re-used during the coal seam gas extraction process and also for agriculture.

“Safety on the worksite is part of the culture at Shamrock Civil and programs like our Safety For Life initiative reward positive behaviour through positive reinforcement,” he said.

Most of the Shamrock employees involved in the project are FIFO (fl y in-fl y out) and DIDO (drive in-drive out).

“Th roughout the project, Shamrock Civil has engaged with the local community including playing in a touch football competition, fi ve-a-side soccer and support for camel racing in Wandoan and local camp draft,” Mr Egan said.

Employees prove equalto challenging tasks

Shamrock Civil Engineering has taken to the sky to deliver its clients the very latest in surveying technology with the senseFly eBee mapping drone.

Th e Swiss mini-drone has the capability to turn what was a week-long job for surveyors on the ground into a couple of hours of aerial mapping while delivering a three-dimensional rendering from photographs taken during the fully automated fl ight.

Shamrock Civil surveying manager Keith McNutt is excited by the potential of the eBee to not only save time and money for the company and clients, but deliver a high level of safety for staff in the fi eld.

“Staff are our most important asset and our thinking was that the eBee would keep our team of four surveyors out of harm’s way when doing mapping work,” Mr McNutt said.

“Th e eBee also means they (the surveyors) will spend more time in the offi ce collating the data rather than time-consuming work in the fi eld collecting it.”

Weighing only 690g, the eBee has a fl ight time of up to 50 minutes, enabling it to cover up to 12sq km in a single fl ight.

Th e mini-drone will take off and land autonomously in a 30sqm area.

Mr McNutt said surveyor Chris Abberton had completed a week-long training course in Sydney organised by supplier, the Ultimate Positioning Group in Brisbane.

Eye in the sky

Shamrock Civil has diversifi ed through a share-holding deal with National Dewatering, a multi-disciplined mining services company specialising in the design, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance of all pumping and pipe work activities for open-cut and underground mines.

Th e business maintains fully equipped workshops in Mackay, Queensland and Rutherford in the Hunter Valley of New South

Wales off ering a full range of on-site service vehicles for full spares and maintenance.

Project staff and maintenance crews provide services and support Australia-wide including complete remote site mechanical and electrical installation.

Th e business has undertaken comprehensive dewatering pumping operations for BHP, Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Anglo Coal, Energy Australia, Vista Gold and Vale.

Dewatering capabilities


INDUSTRY UPDATE

Easternwell lands Asian contract Toowoomba company Easternwell has

landed its fi rst international contract,

a deal with a Bruneian oil and gas

company that is expected to be worth

$10.5 million over fi ve years.

Easternwell is providing services to

support Flux’s new $100 million, seven-

year contract with a global energy

organisation to deliver well intervention

and abandonment services.

Easternwell - a Transfi eld Services

subsidiary - is project managing

the build and delivery of Flux’s new

heavy mobile onshore workover and

well-servicing rig. It will also supply

senior rig crew, together with HSE

and maintenance personnel to Flux in

support of the contracted scope of work.

Glencore gets the guernsey Th e Queensland Government has appointed Glencore International as the preferred proponent to develop the Aurukun bauxite deposit on western Cape York.

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney said since the government’s decision last March ruling out two other proposals, interest to develop the resource had remained.

“Our objective as a State Government has always been clear - to improve employment, health and educational opportunities for the people of Aurukun by unlocking the economic potential of this valuable bauxite deposit,” Mr Seeney said.

“After continuing discussions with a number of parties, the Queensland Government considers Glencore is best placed in terms of both technical capability and fi nancial strength to successfully take on this challenging

development.”

Well testing under way Icon Energy says its ATP 855 Joint

Venture has engaged Condor Energy

Services to undertake a hydraulic

stimulation and testing program at the

Cooper Basin project in south-western

Queensland from early September.

Icon Energy managing director Ray

James said, in moving the project

forward, it was important for the

company to be able to understand

and then focus its attention on the

commercial aspects of the tenement.

“Th is is an extremely exciting time for

Icon Energy and our shareholders as we

approach our largest stimulation and

testing program in ATP 855 and we

look forward to achieving the results

that further de-risk our unconventional

basin-centred gas asset in ATP 855,” he

said.

Deep gas framework Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps recently released an industry framework outlining the opportunities for developing Queensland’s next generation of deep gas and oil projects.

“Queensland is potentially rich in deep gas and oil resources and tapping these would build on the State Government’s commitment to growing the resources sector and creating more jobs for families in the regions,” Mr Cripps said.

“Th is industry has enormous potential to increase the state’s domestic and export gas supplies, while delivering the substantial economic benefi ts for Queensland that come from having a secure energy supply.”

He said existing legislation allowed the extraction of these resources, but exploration was still in its early stages in Queensland and the new framework would ensure the industry’s future expansion was successful, environmentally responsible and accepted by communities.

GEMCO shines at competitionBHP Billiton‘s GEMCO mines rescue team took out the award for the best overall team at the recent Northern Australian Emergency Response Competition.

Th e team from GEMCO, based on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpentaria, was joined by entries from north-west Queensland’s Lady Loretta and Cannington mines as well as Northern Territory-based McArthur River Mining.

Four teams competed across 15 categories including theory, team safety, breathing apparatus search and rescue and best overall team at the event, held at the Charles Darwin University

in Darwin. Teams were given a call to response to simulate real emergency situations in a range of diff erent scenarios over a course of two days.

Perks still prevalentBonuses and job perks to attract and keep key mining staff are prevalent, with nearly half of the professional workforce getting cash rewards or special benefi ts, according to a survey by mining services recruiter SouthTech. Th e survey of 1219 professionals revealed that 29 per cent of those working in mining, oil and gas received a cash bonus - with the average

bonus being $16,143. At the top end

of the market, a Queensland managing

director of a small manufacturing

company received a bonus of $125,000.

According to survey data, 47 per

cent of professionals received one or

more benefi ts, the most popular being

company-paid training.

Backer for Urquhart PointA private Chinese investor has agreed

to fund Metallica Minerals’ Urquhart

Point mineral sands project on Cape

York Peninsula, with production set to

begin in 2015.

Th e investor is set to put up $7.5 million

to develop that project and explore for

other heavy mineral sands (HMS) and

bauxite deposits on its tenements on the

western side of the Cape.

Th e joint venture agreement has

been signed with Metallica subsidiary

Oresome Australia and has received

Foreign Investment Review Board

approval.

Metallica managing director Andrew

Gillies described execution of the

deal as the breakthrough or catalyst

for major new mine development and

exploration across all of Metallica’s

Cape York HMS and bauxite projects.

“Signifi cantly, the real long-term

potential is in the bauxite and HMS

off erings in the regional tenements

north of Urquhart Point where we have

a suite of high-priority targets ready to

drill,” he said.

“Th is JV funding means we have

sidestepped dilution to shareholders

and the ongoing diffi cult capital raising

hurdles for junior resources companies.”

Th e joint venture has appointed

Consulmet as the preferred engineering

contractor to commission a concentrator

plant for the project, about 3km west of

Weipa.

Feasibility deal for tin projectConsolidated Tin Mines has signed an

agreement with China’s Yunnan Tin to

help progress the defi nitive feasibility

work for the Mount Garnet tin project

in North Queensland.

Under the agreement, Yunnan Tin

will share technical information

and provide advice and assistance

to Consolidated Tin on geology,

metallurgy and reduction roasting/tin

fuming technology. Consolidated Tin

managing director John Banning said

the agreement presented a valuable

opportunity for the Mount Garnet

project, providing the company with

some of the best tin processing and

project development advice available in

tin production today.

Yunnan Tin is the world’s largest tin

producer and holds a 50 per cent interest

in the Renison tin mine in Tasmania in

joint venture with Metals X.

Cannington in new guiseTh e Cannington mine in north-west

Queensland will become part of a new

global metals and mining company

under a BHP Billiton demerger plan.

Cannington asset president Laura

Tyler said the new company would

benefi t from a dedicated board and

management team that would develop

a strategy, operating model and culture

to further enhance the competitive

position of Cannington.

“Minimal changes are expected for

Cannington operational employees as a

result of the demerger,” she said.

Subject to fi nal Board approval to

proceed, shareholder approval and

the receipt of satisfactory third-party

approvals, BHP Billiton expects to

complete the demerger in the fi rst half

of the 2015 calendar year.

SMW Group took out the fi rst Mining Contractor of the Year title at the recent

Queensland Mining Contractor Awards.

Th e event, organised by the Bowen Basin Mining Club, showcased 16 fi nalists

who showed “technical excellence, innovation and initiative” within the resources

sector.

SMW Group’s invention of an innovative hydraulic lift system was hailed as

a major breakthrough in safety and speed, leading to customer savings of 25 per

cent. SMW Group operations manager Frank Humphreys (pictured) said the

honour was a great recognition for the innovative work the company produced.

While SMW Group was overall winner, honours also went to Ausenco Rylson

in the cost-saving category, BMD Constructions for best time-saving initiative

and TEAM Engineering in the innovation category. G&S Engineering took the

community or staff engagement award, Th iess the award for equal opportunity,

and the award for QME best product launch went to Linked Group Services.

Winning ways


INDUSTRY UPDATE

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Ergon depot works kick off Site preparation has begun for a new centralised Ergon Energy depot and offi ce complex at Glenmore Rd, Rockhampton.

Th e $38 million project is expected to create more than 300 jobs within the local construction industry, with Lend Lease signed up as the major contractor.

General manager of Lend Lease’s building business in Queensland, Stephen Green, said the newspaper advertisements asking local businesses to express their interest in participating in the project had drawn a good response.

“Once design is complete, communication will begin with local businesses who expressed interest, and (work) packages will be awarded,” he said.

Ergon Energy chief executive Ian McLeod said the site redevelopment would involve the construction of a new offi ce and depot building, fl eet and off -street parking and modifi cations to the existing logistics building.

Th e new centralised facility is expected to house around 450 Ergon staff , with completion expected in mid-2016, weather dependant

Emerald meatworks proposalRegional authorities plan a feasibility study into the establishment of a meat processing plant at Emerald.

Th e Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) and Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC)

have issued a tender for the feasibility

work to identify the need, viability and

market opportunities of such a project.

Mayor Peter

Maguire said

the study would

allow potential

investors to make

an informed,

evidence-based

decision.

“Th ere has

been a lot of

interest from

the agricultural

community in a

meatworks for

the region and

now is a great

time to begin a

formal process

to seriously look

at the idea,” Cr

Maguire said.

Th e study

will address a

detailed list of factors including costs,

location, supply, labour, transport and

supply chain capability and integration,

environmental impacts, infrastructure,

and regional economic benefi t.

Rail load-out facility for Moura Construction of a new rail load-out

facility to support Cockatoo Coal’s

$313 million Baralaba expansion project

is expected to create more than 200 new

jobs.

Th e facility will be located 3km east

of Moura on the southern side of the

Dawson Highway, adjacent to the

existing main rail

line.

“Th e fi rst part of the

mine expansion will

enable Cockatoo

Coal to expand

coal production

from 700,000

tonnes a year to one

million tonnes,”

Queensland Deputy

Premier Jeff Seeney

said. “Th is will

climb to 3.5 million

tonnes per annum

by 2015. We

promised to grow

the resource pillar

of our economy and

we are delivering

on that promise,

creating more

jobs for regional

families.”

BOC to build new Rocklea plantBOC plans to construct a new

$10 million dissolved acetylene (DA)

plant in Rocklea, Brisbane.

Th e facility will replace an existing

DA plant at the Ipswich Rd site which

was fi rst commissioned in 1962 and is

approaching the end of its service.

“We are delighted to be launching

this major project to support the

Queensland market, ensuring security

of supply and the highest levels of safety

as well as providing an essential back-

up for other states if required,’’ BOC

managing director South Pacifi c Colin

Isaac said.

Th e new DA production and storage

facility will support about 25 jobs

during construction and 10 jobs

ongoing, with operations expected to

commence in March next year.

Pipeline powers Bundaberg An $11 million gas pipeline will supply

Bundaberg industry and residents with

a new energy supply and will create

about 100 new full-time jobs and 600

indirect jobs.

Th e 24.7km Bundaberg Gas Pipeline

will begin at the existing Wide

Bay pipeline, west of Bundaberg,

(Kensington Gate Station) and extend

through to the Port of Bundaberg.

Bundaberg Regional Council Mayor

Mal Forman said the pipeline was the

driver to kickstart signifi cant economic

activity at the Port of Bundaberg.

“Th is is an exciting announcement

for the Bundaberg region and will

help deliver increased business and

development opportunities,” Cr Forman

said.

Th e LNP Queensland Government,

through Economic Development

Queensland, will fund the Bundaberg

Gas Pipeline and be responsible for the

competitive procurement process.

Mungana Goldmines is shifting its sights away from gold and on to the base metal potential of the Chillagoe region in Queensland.

Th e re-focus follows the company’s recent acquisition of the northern ex-Kagara assets.

Th e purchase included the King Vol zinc deposit which company chairman Joe Treacy said off ered signifi cant opportunity at a competitive price.

“By purchasing this asset Mungana has re-focused itself away from the gold and on to the base metals. Th at’s not to say that gold isn’t very signifi cant because it is. But the short path to production potentially lies with the work on these base metal assets,” he said.

Mungana will now begin its feasibility phase for King Vol, with aims to begin production

Mungana Goldmines thinks zinc

within the next two years. King Vol has a measured

resource of about 900,000 tonnes with an inferred resource of almost 2 million tonnes.

Mr Treacy said there were also

plans for further exploration to

expand the life of the mine.

“Initially we’ll do some drilling

to fi rm up the resource so we’re

confi dent we have a minimum

fi ve-year development and that

will all be part of the feasibility,”

he said. Th e acquisition also

came with a partly-completed

base metal concentrator and the

company will look to invest the

further $24-30 million required to

fi nish it off .

“Th ere’s a plant that needs to

be constructed and fi nished off ,

there’s a mine to be developed

and a mill to be staff ed,” Mr

Treacy said. “Th is is enough for

us to chew on for a while. We’ll

be putting our heads down and

getting the zinc development

story under way.”

Joe TreacyMungana Goldmines chairman

Long-term Mount Isa resident Loretta Gladstone was recently named as the new manager for Commerce North West (formerly Mount Isa Chamber of Commerce).

Ms Gladstone’s previous work experience includes 10 years running her own hairdressing business and a two-year stint as a business development offi cer at Centrecare Employment.

Ms Gladstone was also responsible for more than $10 million worth of inventory and critical spares in her last position as the logistics co-ordinator at Mica Creek Power Station – something she describes as a key career achievement.

She now says she is looking forward to working with businesses in Mount Isa and is passionate about seeing the North West region grow and prosper.

“My key goals in this

position are raising the

profi le of the North

West region and assisting

business growth in these

areas,” she said.

Loretta takes helm at Commerce North West

Loretta GladstoneCommerce North West manager

JCU’s new College of Science, Technology and Engineering will address the “grand challenges” facing the world as part of its strategic plan to beat competitors and showcase the tropics.

Four key themes will fl ow through course options and delivery; energy, natural hazards and mitigation, natural resources and water and sustainable development.

“We are doing this along the lines of: what will the world look like in 50 years, so what do we need

to do now to be relevant in the future?” acting dean Paul Dirks said.

New options within courses and degrees will highlight the expertise of the university.

“For example, if you do civil engineering at JCU, we’ll off er at least 12 subjects relevant to the discipline of which four will provide a JCU fl avour focussed on our key themes,” Professor Dirks said. “So we’ll train civil engineers with specifi c expertise in extreme event engineering for instance.”

College tackles ‘grand challenges’


INDUSTRY LEADERS

Th ree expeditions to Antarctica, the discovery of a two million-year-old hominid fossil and an empowerment program to train historically disadvantaged young South Africans are among the accomplishments on Professor Paul Dirks’ resume.

Professor Dirks is a structural geologist and now also the man at the head of JCU Townsville’s new College of Science, Technology and Engineering - a job that requires strong leadership and “a lot of paperwork”.

“I haven’t had enough time to really get involved on site for a while, I really miss it, I’m very much a fi eld geologist,” he said. “I still do some fi eldwork - I have a project going with Anglo Gold Ashanti in Tanzania and I’ve been doing some work in the Philippines, but it’s not nearly as much as I would like.”

Professor Dirks’ work experience spans fi ve continents including trips to Antarctica in 1987, 1991 and 1992 for geological mapping.

“I’ve had the chance to map in places that nobody else has ever been to before,” he said. “It’s wonderful, if you like that sort of stuff . Sitting in a tent for weeks and weeks on end, fl ying around in helicopters and being dropped off hundreds of kilometres from the nearest person. It’s an experience that’s very hard to get these days.”

In 2003, as the Head of School of Geosciences at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Professor Dirks became a founding director of the AfricaArray program.

Th e empowerment program trains young black students in geology and was started in an eff ort to break down racial

barriers. Professor Dirks credits this as one of his proudest career achievements.

In what little spare time he has, Professor Dirks relaxes by writing papers. He’s currently working on research based on the discovery of a new species of hominid (an ancestor of the human species).

“We found this fossil fi ve years ago. It’s a very exciting fi nd and is about two million years old. We also found a new cave last year, with spectacular new fossils,” he said. Professor Dirks is involved in describing the geology and doing the dating, which sees him travel to South Africa two or three times a year.

He hopes to bring the best of what he’s learned on his international experiences to his position at JCU, and “if he gets time” to get involved with the big projects in North Queensland.

Professor Paul Dirks

Shane CharlesToowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive offi cer Shane Charles realised early in his professional life that he wanted a role working with the community.

He grew up in the Lockyer Valley and was educated in Toowoomba, choosing law as his profession.

Th e creation of the TSBE in January 2011 occurred at a time when Mr Charles, already a community leader, had just sold his legal practice. He jumped at the opportunity to build the fl edgling organisation.

Mr Charles says he can see the day when Toowoomba is a premier road, rail and air logistics and transportation hub. Th is transportation potential has already seen more than 2500ha of industrial land being developed at the Toowoomba Enterprise Hub, which includes a well drilling and servicing hub for the Cooper and Surat basins and an inter-modal transport hub.

Th e city is well on the way to realising his ambition with the $1.7 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing scheduled to begin in early 2015. Th en there is the privately funded jet-capable airport and business hub being built by the Wagner family. All that remains is to get the visionary Inland Railway project up and running to complete a trifecta of once-in-a-generation projects in a handful of years.

Mr Charles is proud of how the Toowoomba business community has embraced TSBE, which now boasts 440 members.

“Toowoomba is epicentre of infrastructure in Australia. No other regional centre, nor capital city for that matter, will be able to boast the level of infrastructure spending within the next fi ve to 10 years,” he said.

While the city is positioned as the geographical gateway to the resource- rich Surat Basin region, Mr Charles also sees Toowoomba as a major inland agricultural export hub in the future.

“It was a blank canvas when I took on the job and I’m grateful to the business community of Toowoomba who have supported the vision of TSBE,” he said.

A world of experience

Prime position

Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise chief executive officer Shane Charles with Queensland Agriculture Minister and Toowoomba South MP John McVeigh.


LOCAL GOVERNMENT

A south-east Queensland council has been forced to increase its rates and put infrastructure projects on hold in light of the Federal Government’s decision to freeze indexation on the Financial Assistance Grant program (FAG).

Th e three-year freeze, announced in the May Federal Budget, will save the government close to $1billion.

Scenic Rim Mayor John Brent said the freeze had left up to a $90,000 gap in the council’s infrastructure plans.

“We do understand the need for restraint by the Federal Government but we too are in a similar position in regards to our costs and trying to limit the impact on our community,” Cr Brent said.

“Our only way of dealing with it is to reduce the infrastructure and we’re asking our ratepayers to support the cutbacks at a federal level by an increase in our rates.

“Our major concern is that this is continuing for a three-year period and that impact is obviously cumulative and if there’s another $60,000 to $90,000 next year on top of the 60 to 90 this

Federal freeze a blow to councils

year, it becomes quite signifi cant.”North Queensland Local

Government Association president Frank Beveridge said the freeze meant councils across Queensland would be forced to look for operational savings.

“Th e impact of that freezing and not moving with CPI is a massive impact on those smaller councils,” he said.

“It’s a situation of tightening our belts and looking at how we do things. Th e normal procedure for a lot of the smaller councils, in

fact virtually all councils, is to put the major infrastructure projects on hold until the tough times pass. At the same time we really have to keep our maintenance going.”

Whitsunday Regional Organisation of Councils executive offi cer Amanda Camm said the freezing indexation presented challenges for regional and rural councils in delivering

vital regional infrastructure for their communities.

“Th e Whitsunday ROC expresses our strong support and position for the Federal Government to restore indexation immediately,” Ms Camm said.

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the Financial Assistance Grant Program was only one option for councils seeking infrastructure funding.

“Queensland Councils can also now apply for further federal funding of $565 million for the Black Spots program and $300 million through the Bridges Renewal program,” he said.

Th e Coalition Government is also providing $1 billion under the National Stronger Regions Fund through investment in local infrastructure projects that promote economic development.

John BrentScenic Rim mayor

A capital outlay of $34 million by the Livingstone Shire Council in 2014-15 will bring a wealth of tender opportunities for local contractors, according to chief executive offi cer Justin Commons.

Th e key infrastructure project is Panorama Drive - a road link from the western side of Yeppoon to the town’s northern suburbs.

Mr Commons said the project would see $30 million in spending over the next four years with about 85 per cent of the work to be tendered out.

“We’re in the market at present to engage design and engineering consultants,” he said.

“Once we have the design we’ll be tendering civil construction packages.”

Th e council also recently acquired 55ha of land to be used for a new business and industry precinct.

“Th e Gateway” on the Capricorn Coast will be delivered across three stages, with the fi rst phase already under way.

Stage one of the project has a forecast $2 million in spending associated with water, sewerage, roads, civil construction and bulk earthworks to be tendered out.

Mr Commons said Th e Gateway would also increase local employment opportunities.

“At present we have something like 34 per cent of our

Justin CommonsLivingstone Shire chief executive officer

working population live in the Livingstone Shire but travelling outside of the Shire for work,” he said. “Th e idea is that if we can bring more businesses to the

local area, we can create more local employment.”

Th e fi rst stage has 13 lots ranging from about 2300sq m to more than 1ha.

Th e council is looking to sell the land but will also off er leasing opportunities to businesses starting up.

“Th e fi rst stage of the industry park has a focus on low to medium service industries rather than heavy industrial,” Mr Commons said.

“Council will do all of the operational works, so essentially it will be a plug and play type of arrangement for new businesses to come and establish themselves on the Capricorn Coast. Th e prospectus for Th e Gateway will be released in a couple of months.”

Work opportunities to flow from $34m investment plan

Businesses interested in council tender opportunities throughout Queensland should register with online tender portal LGtenderbox.com.au.

Various councils use the portal as a primary way of engaging tenders across the state.

Livingstone Shire council chief executive offi cer Justin Commons encouraged local businesses to sign up to the service.

“Over the coming months council will be establishing a local pre-qualifi ed suppliers list for trade services, hire of plant and equipment and professional (consultancy) services using LGtenderbox,” he said.

“Th ere’s no guarantee that business will be provided, but once a company has prequalifi ed, if we need any particular services we can go to them in the fi rst instance.”

Tender portal

More than 70 delegates, including representatives from 23 councils, joined the recent North Queensland Local Government Association (NQLGA) conference in Richmond.

Th e conference debated 23 motions, which saw fi nancial assistance grants, driver fatigue laws, and natural disaster relief and recovery funding emerge as key issues for the region.

Local Government Association of Queensland general manager – advocacy Greg Hoff man said the event attracted a strong crowd and raised some key issues.

“Th e NQLGA is 66 years young and the strong attendance is refl ective of the importance of the association to councils in North Queensland,” he said.

“We have seen numerous examples over the two days of the vital link between councils and communities particularly in rural and remote areas of Queensland.”

Natural Resources and Mines Minister Andrew Cripps was the conference’s fi rst keynote speaker, covering State Government reforms aimed at cutting red tape and promoting economic development in North Queensland.

Mount Isa mayor Tony McGrady wound up proceedings with a presentation on the

NQ summit highlights key regional issues

The Isaac Regional

Council is responsible

for road works across

a local government

area equivalent to the

size of Tasmania.

government’s Queensland Plan.

Th e two-day conference also

included a formal dinner at the

Richmond race course which

helped to raise more than $2000

for child protection organisation

Bravehearts.

Livingstone Shire’s Gateway business and industry precinct.

LIFT AND SHIFT

Th e Australian Rail Track Corporation will use a pre-feasibility study undertaken by the Port of Brisbane to assist in the creation of a 1700km dedicated rail freight corridor from Melbourne to the port.

Th e $3 million study was undertaken over the past three years and off ers options for a $5 billion freight corridor from south-western Queensland to the Port of Brisbane.

Th e ARTC is tasked by the Federal Government with overseeing the implementation of the overall Inland Rail project, which has a price tag in the region of $8 billion.

Port of Brisbane Pty Limited (PBPL) and ARTC have signed a Deed of Co-operation to assist in the realisation of the port connection as part of the 10-year Inland Rail project.

PBPL general manager of trade services Peter Keyte said the port favoured work to start on the Queensland end of the 1700km rail link.

Port study feeds into Inland Rail planningMr Keyte said the conceptual

study off ered a number of options but the port favoured upgrading the current rail link from Miles

via the proposed range railway tunnel crossing near Toowoomba to link up with the Southern Rail Freight Bypass.

Th is would pass near Ipswich and link up with the existing rail network near Beaudesert, close to Brisbane.

Th e ARTC is considering all potential options, and is expected to make its recommendations to the Inland Rail Implementation Group by November.

Th e study has estimated the Miles to Toowoomba rail upgrade at $500 million and the new southern by-pass at a similar amount.

One of the major drawbacks of the Miles-to-the-range-crossing railway is the low axle weight limit of 15.75 tonnes.

Mr Keyte said the proposed upgrade would lift the axle weight rate to 30 tonnes, allowing freight trains to carry double-stacked containers.

“We propose that the project be completed as a phased

development with the southern freight corridor the fi rst section to be completed,” he said.

“Th e study has indicated that the bypass could be completed in two years from approval.”

Mr Keyte said either the fi nal link to the port from Acacia Ridge or the range tunnel crossing could follow.

PBPL’s favoured option is for more than 80 per cent of the fi nal link to the port to be underground, using a variety of cut and cover methods to complete the project. However this is dependent upon the fi nal corridor recommendations to be determined by the ARTC study.

Th e Federal Government has committed $300 million to fi nalising planning, engineering design, environmental assessments, and to starting construction on the Inland Rail.

Th e Port of Brisbane pre-feasibility study into the Queensland portion of the Inland Rail Project also off ers some hypothetical commercial fi nancing scenarios for the Australian Rail Track Corporation to consider.

Th e port’s proposal involves signifi cantly lifting the throughput of coal out of Brisbane, which stands at 10 million tonnes per annum.

Th e scenario, which would involve boosting coal exports to a maximum of 30 million tonnes per year, would come down to “the appetite of the government of the time as to how much coal you would allow down the line,” according to the port’s general manager of trade services, Peter Keyte.

He put the proposal to an inquiry into rail freight use by agriculture and livestock industries earlier in the year. He told the inquiry that agriculture and livestock exports alone would not be a viable method of privately fi nancing a portion of the $5 billion estimated to build the Queensland section of the Inland Rail.

Mr Keyte said 30mtpa of coal exports could potentially fi nance about $3 billion of the project, with all other commodities also contributing.

Private sector funding

Th e chief executive offi cer of the privately owned Port of Brisbane told a packed industry breakfast in Townsville recently it was a good time to be selling ports.

Russell Smith said leading global infrastructure investors, particularly large pension funds, viewed ports as a sound long-term investment in the current international fi nancial market.

Mr Smith said the move to private ownership by the Port of Brisbane three-and-a-half years ago had been successful, with

trade growing 17 per cent since the switch.Th e LNP State Government has fl agged its

intention to privatise assets including the Port of Townsville and its associated rail link to the North West Minerals Province.

Also speaking at the function was Port of Townsville chairman Pat Grady, who gave qualifi ed endorsement to the possibility of privatisation, saying this was the way mature assets had to go.

But he added: “Th ere are concerns, valid concerns.”

Time is right for privatisation


LIFT AND SHIFT

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When it comes to heavy haulage and crane hire, there’s none better for service, range and safety

Biloela-based Lee Crane Hire took delivery of a new $2.5 million Liebherr crawler crane in August which will save clients time and money during scheduled shutdowns and major equipment failures.

Th e German-built LTR1220 crane is only the second of its type in Australia. Th e other one is working in the Northern Territory.

Lee Crane Hire chief executive offi cer Earl Stevens said the acquisition of the LTR1220 Liebherr, which has a maximum lift capacity of 220 tonnes, would allow the company to be more responsive to the needs of clients.

“Time is money when big mining equipment isn’t working,” Dr Stevens said.

“Th e Liebherr can be transported on a fl oat to the work site and start work almost immediately, unlike a lattice boom crawler crane which has to be dismantled for travel then rebuilt on the site - which can take a week or more.”

Lee Crane Hire has been operating out of Biloela for 33 years and also has a branch in Gladstone. Dr Stevens said the business had invested heavily in up-to-date equipment - with an inventory of mini cranes, pick and carry cranes, truck-mounted hydraulic cranes, rough terrain cranes, all-terrain cranes, hydraulic crawler cranes and crawler cranes with a lift capacity of up to 280 tonnes. A modern heavy haulage fl eet of prime movers and specialised platforms, fl oats, trailers and road trains also form part of the company’s equipment. Dr Stevens said well over $50 million had been invested in equipment used by the company’s 140-strong team of workers. “Th e mining industry might be quiet at the moment but we take a longer-term view when it comes to servicing the needs of our clients,” Dr Stevens said.

Added grunt for Lee Crane Hire

Townsville Bulk

Storage and

Handling’s new

Liebherr 500 shore

crane at Berth 10.

New Liebherr hits the docksTh e rapid expansion of Townsville Bulk Storage and Handling continues with the acquisition of a Liebherr 500 shore crane valued at $4.5 million.

Based at Berth 10 at the Port of Townsville, the 80-wheel crane has a lifting capacity of 100 tonnes at 30m boom extension, double the capacity of any mobile crane working at the port.

Business co-owner Peta Connelly said the purchase was part of the company’s long-term strategy to invest in the future prosperity of the port.

Th e crane arrived in Townsville by ship in late July in 47 pieces and was put together over three weeks by a crew of three specialists and three assistants before it was commissioned. It started work at the end of August.

Ms Connelly said TBSH, the only privately owned stevedoring company in northern Australia, had now boosted its investment at the port to $15 million.

TBSH’s Archer St, South Townsville facility will boast

30,000sqm of hardstand storage space and another 10,000sqm under cover by December with plans for another 20,000sqm of hardstand planned for completion early next year.

Th e storage facility has a 40-tonne container lifter, plus 16 prime movers with a variety of trailer confi gurations.

Ms Connelly said the acquisition of the crane added

another dimension to TBSH’s loading and unloading capability and, more importantly, eliminated the need for cargo ships to have deck cranes.

Director and business co-owner Dewayne Cannon said the lifting and reach capacity of the crane would save time and money loading and unloading, particularly with wider vessels where reach was important.

Tait Communications has launched a new fl eet management product for mining, oil and gas organisations.

EnableFleet gives communication managers the power to confi gure and manage their radio fl eets from a central point of control across DMR and P25 networks.

Tait product manager Dan Manton said advances in software had changed the way people lived - from how they communicated to how they managed money or viewed pictures.

In the same way, EnableFleet would change

the way mission-critical businesses managed their radio fl eets, he said.

“In the past, radio managers kept track of their terminal fl eet using spreadsheets and other manual systems that were diffi cult to maintain, lacked data integrity and were labor intensive,” Mr Manton said. “EnableFleet off ers a single, secure location for storing information about your radio fl eet, which can be accessed any time, from anywhere with guaranteed up-to-date and accurate information in real time.”

For details visit www.taitradio.com/enable

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LIFT AND SHIFT

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Who Changed My Tyres?

It’s an exciting time for rail in Queensland, according to Australasian Railway Association (ARA) chief executive offi cer Bryan Nye.

He’s referring to the 40,000-plus jobs that will be up for grabs across upcoming coal and rail projects in the Galilee Basin.

“Th ree major coal and rail projects in the Galilee Basin have state approval. For the story of rail in Queensland, as in the rest of Australia – it’s a very exciting time,” Mr Nye said.

Adani’s North Galilee Basin Rail project, which recently received State and federal approvals, features a 388km rail line which will run from the Carmichael coal mine to Abbot Point, near Bowen.

In July Adani announced POSCO E&C as its joint venture partner and the EPC contractor for the rail line.

“Th e best way to keep up to date with job opportunities on the rail project is to keep track

A $5 billion Bus and Train (BaT) project in Brisbane will provide a new link in South East Queensland’s public transport network, creating new major transport hubs across the city.

Th ree new underground stations will be located at Woolloongabba, George St and Roma St.

A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesman described it as a once-in-a-generation, city-changing project. Procurement for construction will begin later this year with an expected project completion date of 2020.

Meanwhile, the Inland Rail

project – a rail link between

the Port of Brisbane and

Melbourne - is also beginning

to make headway, with an

implementation group currently

considering public submissions

on the project.

Th e Queensland Department

of State Development,

Infrastructure and Planning

said the group would forward

its recommendations by the

end of the year to Deputy

Prime Minister and Minister

for Infrastructure and Regional

Development Warren Truss.

Direct Wholesale Tyres boasts a new level of expertise after sales manager Darryl Levis undertook training at the Triangle Tyres factory in China.

After a week’s intensive training focusing on off -the-road tyres such as earth moving tyres, Mr Levis gained certifi cation from the factory on how to recommend the best tyre for a particular earthmoving job.

Th e formulas used take into account the tonnage to be shifted per hour, terrain, climate and several other markers which can infl uence the effi ciency of getting a job done.

Direct Wholesale Tyres is based at 29 Curley Circuit in the new Townsville Distribution Precinct (TDP), just outside of Townsville on the Flinders Highway, having shifted from Bohle.

Proprietor Graham Cotter and partners constructed a purpose-built tyre-fi tting and distribution warehouse and workshop which incorporates a drive-through road-train facility. Th is facility can accommodate a triple-trailer road train, making unhitching trailers a thing of the past.

Tyre fi tting is only part of the business. Direct Wholesale Tyres sells full or half containers of Aeolus and Triangle tyres to truck operators at prices they say challenge even capital city distributors.

State on a roll with rail plansof POSCO’s advertisements in the coming months, ahead of commencement of the rail build next year,” an Adani spokesman said. “POSCO recently concluded ICN advertisements for initial packets of work on the rail project.

“Rail commencement in 2015 underpins our longstanding guidance for fi rst coal from our Carmichael mine in 2017.”

Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Michael Roche said the project would benefi t regional communities throughout central and north Queensland.

Meanwhile, GVK-Hancock is in the process of fi nalising its joint venture plans with Aurizon to transport coal out of the Galilee Basin.

Th e GVK Alpha mine rail and port project is expected to create 23,000 direct and indirect jobs - 1330 associated with the rail and port construction phase and 1575 in the operations phase.

Bryan NyeAustralasian Railway Association chief executive officer

A raft of new rail projects is planned for Queensland.Photo: Stefan Jannides

Project pipeline

Point State Development Area (APSDA) near Bowen, as part of its Galilee Basin coal developments.

Establishing Waratah’s China

First mine and associated infrastructure is expected to create 6000 jobs during construction and 2460 jobs during operation.

Better advice on tyres

“GVK has made signifi cant progress in identifying investors, lenders and potential strategic partners, including Aurizon, in relation to the rail and port infrastructure,” a spokesman said.

Clive Palmer’s Waratah Coal also proposes a rail project, including a 453km standard-gauge railway line to the Abbot


LIFT AND SHIFT

North West Crane Hire:

The largest fleet in NW Queensland including:18-220t Cranes34ft-85ft EWPs3t-7t ForkliftsRemote area capabilities including:Side TippersSemis, Flat top and Step Deck TrailersIT LoaderTilt Trays, andLong-serving, experienced staff, including:Crane Operators, Riggers, Supervisors,Tradespeople and Labourers

This means -Machines on the ground when you want them and off-site just as quickly.

Call the owner Mark Bellamy on 0407 620 868 orMartin Carrington 0407 771 060 NOW to make it happen.

Prime movers in zinc successKnowledge of the bush, love of machinery and a world-class mining asset have combined to deliver export revenue for Queensland.

Glencore’s Lady Loretta operation is ramping up as the majority of the mining industry consolidates after a decade-long expansion.

Lady Loretta is located more than 200km by road north of Mount Isa and is part of a multimillion-dollar investment by Glencore into developing zinc deposits, including expansion of the McArthur River operation south-west of Borroloola in the western Gulf of Carpentaria.

Th e contract to deliver ore to the zinc concentrator near Mount Isa has been a boon for North West Crane Hire, which has ridden the mining investment wave to become one of the largest plant suppliers in North Queensland.

Th e business has dedicated 19 prime movers to the Lady Loretta contract and is looking to take on more apprentices as it develops a dedicated haulage workshop.

North West Crane Hire had done well providing services to Glencore and past Mount Isa Mines owners but it was not something they took for granted, director Mark Bellamy said.

“You need to respect the values of the client,” Mr Bellamy said. “As well as off ering current model machinery, good operators and the necessary technical back-up, we understand their licence to operate includes a commitment to the community and the environment.”

Th e fi rst three months of the contract ended in August

with North West Crane Hire exceeding KPIs which cover sustainable development, haulage, management and administration and improvement.

But the region has never given up its riches easily and it is a constant challenge to maintain a 24-hour operation at the highest level, according to Mr Bellamy.

Th e contract involves moving triples over more than 55km of an unsealed road before entering on to the Barkly Highway enroute to Mount Isa and backfi lling with tailings for the return trip.

Th e dusty conditions lived up to their legend, Mr Bellamy said.

“Drivers need to be very aware of other traffi c on the road, including other trucks returning to site. Conditions are complicated if there is no breeze, as is the case most nights,” he said. “Th ere are three (radio) band changes over the course of the route to go through Lady Loretta, the nearby Lady Annie operation and then again on to the George Fisher site.”

Th e three paths to success were preparation, preparation and preparation, Mr Bellamy said.

“We repeat tool box meetings with the rolling starts over the 24-hour period,” he said.

“On top of this we know the hazards that go with operating in this part of the world and reinforce awareness with what we call Snaps – safety cards highlighting current issues.”

It is that sort of innovation that has North West Crane Hire contract ASCON Transport Consultants in applying for national accreditation for quality management in the transport of mass product.

North West Crane

Hire has invested in

19 prime movers to

service the contract

to haul zinc ore from

Glencore’s Lady

Loretta operation

north of Mount Isa

to the George Fisher

concentrator.

Without a reliable and safe storage facility for fuel in remote locations, the mining industry and its supply chain would struggle to remain viable.

DTE Group has grown to become a market leader in storage tank design, manufacture and installation across Australia and off er turnkey solutions for fuel facilities requirements.

Th e company prides itself on being an engineering company that not only manufactures modular storage tanks, but is able to follow through with installation and commissioning as well as after sales service and maintenance.

Established in 2000, the company has manufacturing facilities in Western Australia and Queensland plus offi ces in New South Wales and South Australia. It has recently set up service and maintenance offi ces in Darwin and Mackay to cater to rising need in these regions.

DTE’s T200 Wraptank (double walled) has set a new benchmark in Australia, making it the fi rst and only manufacturer to date to be awarded a letter of approval to manufacture above-ground tanks

Innovative fuel storage options

Fuel farms offer a storage solution for remote areas.

up to 200,000 litres by the local government association in WA, according to regional manager in Queensland, Chris Pope.

Mr Pope said DTE’s research and development team members were constantly fi nding ways to improve products, particularly those needed in remote locations.

Th e T200 was the result of this R&D. Th e high cost of transporting materials such as concrete, to remote areas to build a bund, is now eliminated with the self-bunded T200 Wraptank.

In Queensland, due to vagaries of the wet season and often damaged roads, installing “fuel farms” has been a successful innovation. “Simply put, fuel storage tanks of around 100,000 litres are linked via pipes and pumps and can store over one

million litres,” Mr Pope said. “One tank serves as a slave tank where fuel tankers unload and another works as the master tank where equipment is refuelled.”

He said DTE could advise on the most appropriate electronic fuel management system that would integrate with the tanks, doing away with log books.

“Fuel is fed into the slave tank (by tanker drivers) and electronically logged on-site then picked up by offi ce staff remotely,” Mr Pope said.

Th e fuel farm concept has also gained favour when a mining company switches to a new, nearby ore body. “Th e fuel farm tanks can be unbolted and moved to a location nearer where heavy equipment is operating or even to another mine site,” Mr Pope said.


LIFT AND SHIFT

Th e Queensland Government is delivering a record $768 million of improvements to the Bruce Highway over the next year.

Th is package is part of Transport and Main Roads’ 2014-15 to 2017-18 Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP). Th e program will deliver a $10 billion, 10-year deal with the Commonwealth Government to fund safety, fl ood mitigation and capacity works across the Bruce Highway and the Gateway Motorway in Brisbane.

Th is year’s QTRIP will detail new works starting on the Bruce Highway over the next four years, including:

• Cooroy to Curra (Section C), • Mackay Ring Rd (Stage 1), • Stage one of the upgrade

between Caloundra Rd and the Sunshine Motorway,

• Extension of six-laning between Foster Rd and Robert Rd, south of Cairns.

Th e government is continuing to deliver other major upgrades of the highway, including:

• Cooroy to Curra (Section A)• Townsville Ring Rd (Stage 4)• Yeppen South• providing four-laning capacity

between Vantassel St and Cluden in Townsville.

Th e State Government launched a $2 million advertising

campaign in August dubbed “Spruce Th e Bruce” asking people to show patience on the roads as the projects from Brisbane through to Cairns progressively come online.

It is estimated anyone undertaking the 21-hour trip from Brisbane to Cairns will face up to two hours in delays due to the roadworks.

Premier Campbell Newman said the coming 12 months would be the most disruptive in the 10-year program. Th e roll-out would focus on the most dangerous sections fi rst, dealing with the most fl ood-prone bits as well to “make it safer”, he said.

Piling work at

Yeppen South near

Rockhampton, where

a $296 million

project to construct

a high-level flood

access between the

Burnett Highway and

Yeppen Roundabout

is under way.

Record highway spend

Smarter system

Equipment fi nance isn’t one size fi ts all.

Loan structures vary for each individual,

as some look to simply have the lowest

payment to keep cash fl ow manageable

for a new acquisition, while others seek

the minimum overall cost over the

repayment term. Finally, others will be

about maximising the tax deductibility of

their debt structure.

Get the tips and know the tricks of equipment fi nance

Welding equipment supplier Kemppi Australia recently launched its Arc System 3 welding management system in Perth.

Using a suite of software-based solutions, the Arc System 3 has been specifi cally developed to improve welding quality management, operational productivity and reduce cost and risk.

“Arc System 3 automatically collects and analyses big data information for you so that you know at a glance how the welding operation is proceeding and if any adjustments need to be made, saving time and money,” Kemppi Australia managing director David Green said.

“Plus, it can collate welding documentation automatically to signifi cantly reduce the time and cost associated with post-welding administration.

“In essence, Arc System 3 is an invaluable toolbox of solutions that support welding operations to become signifi cantly more effi cient and productive, save time and money, and minimise risk.”

ARC System 3 applies to a multi-machine and even multi-site operation, managed from a single central welding co-ordination point. Th e system traces every weld, records welder qualifi cations, welding procedure specifi cations (WPS), all materials and operational welding parameters. Once welding parameters are set, any deviations by the welder are identifi ed in real time and can be altered to eliminate the need for rework.

“Up to now, welding processes in critical operations have relied upon the integrity of the welder plus retrospective welding inspection to guarantee welding quality,” Mr Green said.

“Th e Arc System 3 revolutionises all this. It factually confi rms that all welds are as they should be and delivers complete peace of mind. As we’ve said, it lets you stop guessing and start knowing.”

For more information visit www.kemppi.com.au

Northern Stevedoring Services (NSS) has increased its storage capacity at the Port of Townsville with the completion of an 8500sqm undercover facility at its depot adjacent to the port precinct.

NSS has a fi ve-year contract already in place to store and ship zinc ferrite for zinc processor Sun Metals, which has a refi nery to the south of Townsville.

Built at a cost of $12 million,

the storage facility features negative pressurisation to minimise the escape of dust and has the capacity to house 60,000 tonnes of material at one time.

In addition to negative pressurisation, the storage shed has extensive hard stand and rainwater run-off capture drainage plus a truck and trailer wash area.

NSS has purchased two Volvo FM 13 prime movers set up as

NSS lifts storage capacity with $12m shed at Port of Townsville

“To access the best structures it might pay to consider using a specialist equipment fi nance broker as opposed going direct to your bank. It is vital to approach the right lenders with the right fi nance structure,” equipment fi nance broker Phil Horton from Finlease said.

“Some lenders are better than others depending on the structure required by the client, so it is essential to use the right one for each structure.”

As banks would usually already provide property loans and overdrafts, Mr Horton explained that companies going to their bank for equipment fi nance might face issues and risks if their debt was spread across diff erent fi nanciers.

Although a business might have a good relationship with its bank, he said factors such as a change of personnel or the institution’s appetite for varying equipment could become issues and

unnecessarily complicate the fi nance plan.“Similarly, if all debt is with one bank,

the cross collateralisation issue which means that all debt is secured by all securities can limit borrowings in other areas when the equipment fi nance should be seen as quite separate to property or working capital loans requirements,” he said. “It is far more ideal for a business operator with large requirements of equipment fi nance to have equipment debt spread over several fi nanciers who you can form a track record with and in doing so have a wider platform of supportive lenders who will assist in the increased funding required for the longer term growth of the business.”

Mr Horton said businesses should ponder and measure the risks associated with grouping their equipment fi nance with their existing debt at their bank as, once it was done, it could be diffi cult to

undo. “Although immediate and total refi nance is an option, it can sometimes come at too high a price in early termination costs, so the suggested exit strategy is about a systematic departure over a couple of years,” he said.

In addition deposits are often unnecessary. And second-hand equipment poses no issues either. “Demanding a deposit from a client can be quite destructive as they are forced to dip into their short cash to fund a long-term asset (equipment),” Mr Horton said.

In the end, he said the best fi nancier would be the one fully understanding its client, what they were looking to achieve and the sort of debt structure they could benefi t from.

“Specialist equipment fi nance brokers have the skills to translate those requirements into workable fi nance approvals and at competitive rates.”

Phil Horton - Finlease

an A Double-Type One road

train pulling two Azmeb BK2

compliant Flex side tipper

trailers. Rear-tippers and

bottom-dump trailers will also

be able to use the facility.

NSS logistics manager Jason

Fitzgerald said 3163 cubic

metres of concrete were poured

over an area of 10,731sqm

during the shed construction.

He said a 6734sqm area of

precast concrete consisting of

122 cladding panels and 40

retaining (load bearing) walls

were placed by crane around the

shed’s perimeter.

Th e company’s investment in

the future prosperity of the port

is far from over.

A $4.5 million Liebherr

LHM420 mobile harbour crane

capable of handling bulk cargo,

projects cargo and containers

was due to arrive at the port in

September, Mr Fitzgerald said.

Logistics

manager Jason

Fitzgerald

inside the

shed with

operations

superintendent

Josh Ingram.

ADVERTORIAL

ADVERTORIAL

Diamantina Village Roma has recently completed a signifi cant expansion to meet the accommodation demands of the Roma region.

Since January 2014, the village, which is known for its exceptional facilities, has added 180 rooms, now providing quality accommodation for up to 630 guests.

With state-of-the-art facilities including a swimming pool, tennis and beach volleyball courts, multiple gymnasiums, licensed bar, gaming hub, multi-purpose cinema and en-suited, air-conditioned rooms, Diamantina has become the preferred accommodation choice for many staying in the region.

Brian Treacy, project engineer at Murphy Pipe and Civil, is a regular guest of the Diamantina Village Roma and believes that it is in a class of its own when it comes to quality workers’ accommodation.

“I’ve stayed in a lot of camps over the years and I have to say the food at Diamantina is fantastic,” Brian said.

“The chefs always have a big variety of meals on off er and it’s great coming home after work knowing you’re going to get a good feed.

“The rooms are very comfortable too, but what I like most about the camp is the good rec facilities they have available because a team of our lads like

to play 5-a-side soccer in the evening,” he said.

During their stay at Diamantina Village, guests also have access to hot-buff et and continental breakfasts, wholesome “crib” lunches, including convenient “grab-and-go” meals, and gourmet dinners, which are prepared freshly on-site by professional chefs who have previously operated their own restaurants.

Village manager Shannon Bendtsen believes the quality of the facilities at Diamantina Village are unlike any other accommodation option found in the region, making it a major attraction to workers who are looking for added comforts.

“Diamantina Village is changing the perception that when staying at workers accommodation only basic facilities are on off er. This is certainly not the case with Diamantina - we provide our guests with a wide range of recreational facilities and other features that would usually only be found in a motel, to make their time away from home more enjoyable,” Ms Bendtsen said.

Conveniently located 5km east of Roma, Diamantina Village is within close proximity to local services including the Roma Airport and township.

Village expands to meet demand

TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION

Mining camp providers have progressively improved the standard of temporary accommodation throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory, most markedly over the past two or three years, a recruitment head says.

“I spend half my time travelling and have seen for myself the improvements,” Manpower Queensland/NT manager Bruce Moss said.

“Older accommodation has been extensively refurbished and new accommodation off ers a high level of privacy and is often larger.”

Mr Moss said mine workers were now more discerning about the standard of accommodation in remote locations and what was off ered in the way of facilities like gyms and common recreation rooms.

He said occupants in mining accommodation villages tended to be equipment operators, tradespeople and contractors.

“Workers in senior positions tend to live in company-owned houses,” he said.

He cited Gove as an example

of where supplementary workers are accommodated in dongas while long-term staff members are provided with company-owned houses or rental assistance.

Self-suffi cient accommodation in remote locations or moving camps on roadworks projects are now making use of solar panel arrays and battery storage.

“It’s not a big trend at this stage but it is beginning to happen from what I’ve seen,” Mr Moss said.

A Townsville-based human resources, training and recruitment provider says tighter margins in mining are likely to see some of the trimmings taken off the table for workcamp residents.

“Th e mining boom brought in higher standards of living and facilities as the competition for talent was so fi erce,” TP Human Capital managing director Clayton Cook said.

“Some of these may drop off as margins get squeezed and the supply/demand ratio of staff has changed.”

Mr Cook said the trend in

Mining workforce camps enjoy rise in standards

workplace accommodation facilities in recent years had been away from a basic way of life to providing a “second home” – with little extras such as theme dinners, healthier lifestyle choices, entertainment options, and more privacy.

“As labour rates reduce, and the competition for jobs increase, people’s expectations and demands relax, and indirect

costs such as camps could be squeezed,” he said. “So the seafood night once a fortnight becomes once a month then once every two months etc.

“Sports programs could get curtailed. TV programs might change as cheaper pay TV subscriptions are bought on renewal.

“Even mobile phone coverage could get looked at.”

However, Mr Cook said

there were still advantages

in continuing to off er a high

standard of accommodation.

“Th e smarter companies

realise the importance of quality

of mine site accommodation and

the link between engagement,

productivity, and safety and

attracting the best people

possible,” he said.

Workplace

accommodation in

recent years has

moved away from

a basic way of life

to “providing a

second home”.

Photo: Roslyn Budd

if you can’t be at homebe at Homeground

Homeground Gladstone sets a new standard in workforce accommodation.With personalised service, all inclusive meals, crisp white linen and queen sized beds, why would you stay anywhere else while workingin Gladstone?

• Boasting 1,392 four-star rooms that feature all the amenities you would find at a hotel including foxtel, flat screens, air conditioning and queen size beds.

• Recreational facilities such as a gym, personal trainers, a swimming pool and a tavern.

• Convenient location only 20km from Gladstone and town.

• A minimum of 2 nights is required per booking.

To view more please visit our website located at www.homegroundvillages.com.au or call (07) 3640 4645

HGRO

1806

2-MA



“Accommodating, flexible and delivering on what they say they will do. Discovery Parks live up to their promise”

BlackwaterEmerald

REST ASSURED DISCOVERY PARKS HAS THE SOLUTION!Discovery Parks is an Australian owned and operated business specialising in accommodation solutions for the mining and resource industry. With parks located in Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and South Australia, we understand the specifi c needs in providing affordable and sustainable workforce housing.

A good night’s sleep is invaluable and our extensive network of properties offers comfortable and secure accommodation with modern facilities and amenities to create a safe and relaxing environment for you and your employees. Whatever your project, Discovery Parks can provide you with a complete accommodation solution.

For bookings or to discuss your workforce accommodation needs, please contact us on 1800 134 033 or www.discoveryparks.com.au

GHD principal geologist Doug Corley likens his early days working on remote mine camps to being in the “Wild West”.

Mr Corley’s fi rst professional experience with remote living was a trip to Mount Isa Mines in 1988 as a second-year university student.

“I was quite nervous at the time, it was my fi rst time out of the city,” he said.

“In terms of mining camps, Mount Isa Mines was quite good really. Looking back at some of the others, they were really very basic.”

Mr Corley said it was common to have shared toilet and shower facilities and pay phones were the only communication out of the camps.

“When I fi rst started out there would be about four phone boxes and you’d have pockets full of 50 and 20-cent coins,” he said.

“You can imagine all these people queuing up to use them and they were open phone boxes so you’d be whispering down the phone trying to have these private conversations with your family.”

Mr Corley has also seen a

change in camp culture over the years, saying workers tend to drink less and facilities such as tennis courts, swimming pools and even golf courses encouraged a healthier lifestyle.

“It was a bit Wild West in the early days, but things have calmed down a lot now and things are a bit more civilised,” he said.

“You made do. It’s all relative, we didn’t know any better back then, but I look back now and think - things weren’t that good back then. Th ey’re defi nitely a lot better nowadays.”

Private self-contained accommodation, laundry rooms, health and fi tness options and healthy dietary options are commonplace on mine camps now.

Mr Corley said there were times he was so well looked after on site it would take a day or so to get used to doing things for himself when he arrived home on days off .

“I’d be sitting looking at my plate thinking ‘where’s my food?’ but then would have to realise I have to do things for myself,” he said.

Since his fi rst stint at a

workforce camp, Mr Corley has worked at about eight remote locations across Australia.

He is now based in Brisbane with wife Amanda and their three children.

‘Wild West’ days of mine life

Doug CorleyGHD principal geologist

At Discovery Parks it’s not about us, it’s about our guests. We pride ourselves on delivering a quality service experience for our visitors. Starting with six parks in 2005, Discovery has diversified and expanded from tourism to now include corporate, workforce and permanent accommodation and service solutions across 32 parks. Australian-owned by leading superannuation company Sunsuper, Discovery Parks is driving a clear plan for future growth in the accommodation sector.

At Discovery Parks our guests can expect high-quality accommodation to suit a variety of needs. With deluxe, superior and standard cabins, single ensuited rooms, caravan and camping sites, we are able to offer a reliable, pristine and comfortable place to stay priced to fit any budget or group size. It’s not just

about having a nice warm bed; guests to Discovery Parks will also find freedom and a sense of space for a relaxing and memorable stay.

We’re also passionate about working with Australian businesses and the resource sector to deliver accommodation solutions for workforces in regional areas. The locations of our parks have been specially selected to service companies operating in these areas and our park managers have been trained to offer personal service specific to the needs of people working away from home. Your staff can rest comfortably when the work day is done in a secure and relaxing environment.

Discovery Parks not only provides quality accommodation and catering services at their corporate and workforce villages, but can offer full camp management services to

mining and construction camps in regional

and remote areas.

Our highly professional facility

management service includes:

• Management of accommodation bookings

and room assignment

• Quality catering operations, with

nutritionally approved menus

• Full ancillary and housekeeping services

• Maintenance and grounds management

• Village security

Let Discovery take care of you or your staff

next time you’re travelling:

For more information:

www.discoveryparks.com.au or

call 1800 134 033

Snap shot facts• Discovery is the largest park

accommodation owner and operator in Australia

• More than 540 employees

• Serving more than 20,000 meals every week

• Accommodating more than two million guests in the last five years

• Discovery has spent more than $75M nationally on park upgrades and infrastructure

• At Discovery we have more than 1200 rooms; more than 1500 cabins and more than 3600 sites

• Discovery offers complete facility management services

Guests take centre stage with Discovery ParksADVERTORIAL

Geologist Doug Corley on a site visit in Mexico.



www.ostwaldbros.com.au

Talk to us today, about a tailored package that suits you.

Call 13 OFAM (13 6326)

Committed to delivering more

In today’s market, resource and infrastructure projects require a cost effective, tailored accommodation solution. Ostwald Facilities and Accommodation (OFA) self delivers a range of fixed and temporary accommodation and facilities management packages in regional and remote locations across Australia.With the capacity to deliver 450 man semi-permanent camps for large projects and fly camps for smaller projects, OFA has the expertise to take care of all your accommodation and facilities management needs.Our services include:• centralised booking system• accommodation and housekeeping• catering and food services• health and lifestyle programs• security management

• drug and alcohol testing• transportation services• grounds (lawns & gardens)• property maintenance services

Time-saving solution for remote sitesTime is money in any business and three businessmen in Cairns have come up with a creative solution clearing red tape often associated with establishing temporary housing at remote sites throughout Queensland and into the Northern Territory.

Builder Graeme Smith, structural engineer Peter Lennox and mining industry veteran Al Hockley have pooled their respective skill sets to come up with an innovative portable accommodation solution.

Pioneer Transportables is a niche business catering to companies and councils which are regularly on the move servicing roads or undertaking exploration in remote locations.

What sets Pioneer Transportables apart is that its accommodation solutions are truly transportable and can be set up on site by one person and packed up just as effi ciently.

Each accommodation module is built on its own platform, similar to a caravan, and is

driven to the site, unhitched from its prime mover and set up in next to no time.

“Each module is like a caravan and requires no building permits to be used,” Mr Smith, who is also a director of the company, said.

“In some instances it can take up to six months to get all the paperwork completed to build an accommodation village.”

Considerable thought and design work went into creating the module system, which uses a vierendeel girder design - stabilising the structure whilst in transit.

“Vibration on rough roads can quickly cause structural problems but the vierendeel girder design stabilises the module very eff ectively,” Mr Smith said.

Mr Hockley’s experiences in remote location accommodation also played a vital role in the fi nal design, which allows interaction between occupants via a common veranda running the length of each module.

Mr Smith said the company’s

fi ve-man accommodation

solution consisted of two

modules facing each other

with undercover verandas, fi ve

en suite bedrooms and one

common kitchen.

Solar panels are installed on

the roof of each module, linked

to airconditioners. Th e modules

also have an on-board battery

pack which is used to run the

winch, for lowering and raising

the covered verandas when on

site.

Th e fi rst fi ve-man

accommodation module is being

used by the Carpentaria Shire

Council road crew as the team

undertakes road upgrades.

Mr Smith went to the site

to oversee the fi rst installation

and got the thumbs up for the

common veranda design.

An assembly workshop has

been established in Cairns and

a second fi ve-man module is

complete. Mr Smith said it was

planned to have three more

modules built to provide the

company with enough inventory

to supply customers quickly.

“We can also modify the

internal layout to suit the needs

of a variety of clients,” Mr

Smith said.

The five-person camp in use at Dunbar Station on Cape York.

Within Australia’s fl ourishing energy and infrastructure sectors, Ostwald Facilities and Accommodation (OFA) is fi lling the demand for people management, logistics services and quality accommodation.

Part of the Ostwald Bros Group, OFA self-delivers a wide range of accommodation and facility management solutions tailored to the regionally-based workforce lifestyle.

OFA off ers solutions to meet a range of project demands, from large projects accommodating more than 450 workers in semi-permanent villages to temporary fl y camps for smaller projects.

Working closely with our customers, guests, suppliers and contractors, OFA delivers a comprehensive BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer) model.

Turnkey solutions provide cost benefi ts to customers as well as quality assurance and operational effi ciencies.

From motel-style accommodation villages to fully contained mobile modules, OFA delivers accommodation solutions to meet most requirements.

Our friendly OFA teams handle inventory and logistical requirements including transport. Flights are arranged via Ostwald Bros’ private fl eet or commercial airlines

and room reservations are handled through an easy-to- access 24-hour booking system.

The rooms are comfortable and residents are provided with a range of wellbeing and recreational programs. Meals are prepared fresh daily by in-house chefs in accordance with HACCO food standards.

OFA also off ers ongoing preventative maintenance of grounds, services and facilities, while security is managed by specialised security services.

Call OFA today and enquire about cost-eff ective accommodation solutions that off er quality and comfort for remote workforces.

Managed accommodation promotes quality workforce lifestyleADVERTORIAL



Contact 0448 284 585 or 07 4041 4909Email [email protected]

For more plans and information visit www.piotran.com.au

Mobile accommodation ready for guests in about an hour!

> Mobile Accommodation

> Site Office Cribs and Medical Facilities

> Kitchen, Laundry, Dining Store and Storage

> Generator Services & Waste Management Unit

Lower the deck Raise the roof Add handrails and stairs Ready to use!

1 2 3 4

Flexible rosters, quality accommodation and 24-hour on-site medical facilities are just some of the key things workers should be looking for in FIFO or DIDO worker camps, according to a Queensland Resources Council guide.

Th e Guidance for Long-Distance Commuting (FIFO/DIDO) Workers manual aims to inform workers and their families on what to expect and outline useful strategies to manage the fl y in-fl y out/drive in-drive out lifestyle.

Th e guide includes tips on company policies and standards and lists the following arrangements as good practice in the Australian resources sector:Does the employer off er?• fl exible rosters• quality accommodation facilities with en suite,

airconditioning, television and internet access. Accommodation should be well insulated for sound and temperature.

• sporting and recreation facilities, e.g. pool, gym, tennis/basketball courts, as well as organised team sports

• mobile phone reception and free Wi-Fi• 24 hour on-site medical facilities, with doctor on call• initiatives to develop

closer interaction between employees and inhabitants of nearby communities, such as sponsored sporting events

• the opportunity for site visits for partners and family

• quality fresh food in the mess with lots of variation and healthy options available.

Th e reference guide can be downloaded from the QRC website at www.qrc.org.au.

What to look for from employers

Preparing for and adjusting to a lifestyle working away from home

can be stressful and overwhelming. Health, fi tness, communication and

fi nancial planning are all important areas for consideration, according

to industry experts.

QIA spoke to the some of the people in the know to fi nd the top tips on

taking the headache out of FIFO and DIDO.

Tips to get the best out of working awayDouble-checking your booking is a

good idea, according to Discovery

Parks – Emerald reception and offi ce assistant Nicole Verzeletti.

“If I could give one tip to our FIFO workers, it would be to ring your accommodation provider to confi rm bookings,” she said. “We have people come in a lot and their employer or the person arranging accommodation hasn’t made the booking and the guest is left stranded (not with us - we always fi nd them a room).

“It would save confusion and at times anger if they make the phone call and check they have a room.”

Having clear fi nancial goals and

plans is also essential says FIFO Families founder Nicole Ashby.

“It is important when working FIFO to have a really good understanding of the fi nancial big picture. It is a known that when you earn more money, you spend more money. But what do you spend money on, are you putting enough money away for future savings?” she said.

“FIFO workers and families often report money as an issue

and point of stress. Do you have fi nancial goals? If no, seek assistance and get some.

“Do you have a clear timeline of how long you plan to stay in the FIFO work choice for? Is it fi ve years, 10 years or is it a long-term career plan?

“Do you have three months’ income in the bank to fall back on in times of unexpected change of circumstances?

“Having clear fi nancial goals and plans is not only essential, but also positive and leads to better relationships.”

A FIFO lifestyle also

requires family support and

communication, says Undamine Industries and Coal Train Australia chief executive offi cer Karla McPhail.

“As a family be positive on the important roles both partners play in supporting your family.

“Encourage your wife/partner to join support networks such as the Mining Women’s Support Group. It is important that both partners have support and people who have an understanding of their situation.

“Make contact with your family

on a daily basis. Use FaceTime or Skype to say good morning or good night to your children.”

MMG Century’s health, safety and environment manager Tony

Shearman says it’s important to

stay active between shifts and to

get enough shut-eye at night.

“Manage fatigue. It is important to ensure you adopt good sleep patterns with at least seven hours’ uninterrupted sleep a night,” he said.

“Exercise. After a 12-hour shift, you’ll fi nd that even light exercise will maintain your energy levels.

“Watch the waistline. Ready availability of food on mine sites can lead to fast weight gains.

“Be mentally and physically active. Make sure that you are involved in activities or hobbies when you’re on or off site. Plan holidays. Plan your breaks well in advance so you have something to look forward to.”

Blogger Debbie Russo (thefi fowife.com.au/) off ers three quick points to make FIFO life easier.

“Communicate with your

loved ones. Don’t and all your

relationships are at risk. All relationships, regardless, require work,” she said.

When it came to mental and

physical health, people were in

control of their choices, she said.“You can choose to sit in the wet mess or run a lap around camp. You can choose to sit on the couch or run around the block. Your choice.”Th e fi nal tip was to ask for help when needed.

“Simple. No matter who - we

all need a hand sometimes,” Ms Russo said.


Many a cash-strapped Aussie in a tight spot has turned the ubiquitous shipping container into his or her castle with all the comforts of home.

Most look pretty average on the outside but there’s no doubting they are way more comfortable than rolling out a swag under a gum tree.

Now imagine what 306 architects from around the world could do with a brief to turn old freight containers into a statement of elegance and functionality befi tting a top-notch location at Bondi Beach.

An Australian-based competition organised by AC-CA (Architectural Competition Concours d’Architecture), called on architects, new graduates, engineers and students to submit entries for a vacation home made entirely of shipping containers.

Th e challenge winner, Czech architect Ales Javurek, showed what a creative mind could do with the brief and a site on a western hillside of a headland at the iconic Sydney location.

Mr Javurek takes up the story: “Th e main goal of my proposal was to design a

Something out of the boxcontemporary vacation house which is sustainable in every aspect and sensitively fi ts in the context of the site and Sydney’s climate conditions.”

Sound pretty highbrow? Well it is, as the concept photos on this page reveal.

Mr Javurek continues: “Th e elegant juxtaposition of shipping

containers and horizontal timber planes create a very simple building that refl ects a very positive emotional space and experience.

“Th e interesting inter-play between the diff erent materials of steel and wood together with transparencies (he means glass) gives the project a positive edge.

“Th ere is an element of

surprise within the project even

as it attempts to retain and stay

true to the container DNA.”

Th e two-storey home uses a

system of natural ventilation

and light.

In the winter, glazed surfaces

are used to take advantage of

the sunshine while a grassed

area on the roof provides

natural insulation.

The winning shipping

container design in the

recent AC-CA (Architectural

Competition Concours

d’Architecture) Australian

challenge was described

as a contemporary

vacation house, which was

sustainable and sensitively

fit into its surrounds.


The best measure of a successful business is to receive recognition from your peers and that is what Linked Group Services accomplished by claiming the Queensland Mining Contractor Award for the most innovative product launched by an exhibitor at the Queensland Mining and Engineering Exhibition at Mackay this year.

The winning product is the Eco-Hub – a solar-powered mobile lighting tower that is satellite enabled. It is equipped with a tilted single axis tracking array that increases the output over conventional solar lighting plants but allows for the unit to remain compact and manoeuvrable.

It can also be used as a Wi-Fi repeater station at temporary accommodation at mine sites.

The thousands of visitors attending the QME exhibition got to see fi rst-hand the many benefi ts the Eco-Hub could off er mining and broader industries, along with the company’s other stand-out solar product, the Habitat – a solar-powered transportable building complete with all amenities including water storage and battery power.

These products are delivering hefty cost savings and innovative, sustainable solutions to help major industries in the region decrease their carbon footprint, according to Linked Group Services

managing director, Jason Sharam, and chief executive, Peter Shaw.

“There was a lot of interest in the Habitat at the exhibition but not just from the mining industry,” Mr Sharam said.

“We were surprised with the number of people who have rural blocks or fi shing spots who could see the benefi ts in owning the Habitat.”

The innovative living space can be delivered on the back of a tilt trailer and dropped exactly where it is wanted.

Measuring 7.7m by 3.5m, buyers can design a fl oorplan that best suits their needs.

At around $70,000, depending on the design, owners have a ready-to-go accommodation solution which also will save dollars via its solar arrany and battery storage.

Mr Sharam said Linked Group Services had only been operating since 2010 and started out as electrical contractors and solar array installers.

With offi ces in Mackay, Brisbane and Darwin the business has quickly evolved and exploited a niche in the market, particularly in remote locations.

Mr Sharam said the company would now focus on commercialising the Eco-Hub and Habitat products but still had a couple of research and development projects planned.

Recognition for innovative company

www.kemppi.com

Stop Guessing – Start KnowingIntroducing Kemppi Arc System 3 for Total Welding Quality Management

Created specifically to improve welding quality management, operational productivity and reduce risk,the Kemppi Arc System 3, is a modular software product system that can be tailored to your needs. It offers a choice of Arc modules that work seamlessly together or which can be integrated with your existing welding systems to let you monitor and control the quality of your welding operations to achieve welding excellence.

With Arc System 3, every weld is traceable, including the welder, his qualifications, welding procedures,all settings and hardware that is used. It allows you to effectively plan, monitor and control your entirewelding production process to ensure the desired quality is achieved and minimise risk. Welding parameters can be specified and any deviations by the welder can be altered during the welding process to meet the required quality and eliminate the need for rework. Plus, Arc System 3 automaticallycollects and analyses data, and outputs reports and documentation for complete peace of mind.

A part of Total Welding X Management (TWXM), the Kemppi Arc System 3 lets you manage and controlcritical welding operations like never before so that you know your welding operations meet all the necessary requirements. For more details call 1300 Go Kemppi or email [email protected]

Join Usat the Kemppi

Arc System 3 launch inBrisbane on Friday

October 24th.Call David Green on

0410 851 018or email

[email protected] details.

Documents

Queensland Industry Advocate September 2014