Archived News for Professionals in State Government - June, 2012

The Victorian Government has released an update to progress being made to the state’s public service reforms under its Sustainable Government Initiative (SGI).

The Western Australian Government has passed legislation that aims to secure and strengthen Bankwest’s financial and operational commitments to Western Australia.

The Queensland Government has released a draft of the Queensland Gas Market Review, prepared by the state's Gas Market Advisor, for public consultation.

Obsolescence in frontline ICT hardware, software and supporting network infrastructure is sesemic in the Victorian public service according to a review conducted by the state’s Auditor General.

The Victorian Government has introduced the Local Government Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill aimed at addressing a number of shortcomings in the existing legislation and provide better governance for local government.

The Board of ACTEW Corporation has decided it will fully integrate the water and sewerage operations currently undertaken by ActewAGL Water Division into ACTEW from 1 July 2012. Water and sewerage will be managed under the trading name of Actew Water.

New home building activity in the past twelve months has fallen to its lowest level since 2001, and is still declining; while total new capital expenditure in South Australia (i.e. public and private expenditure) has remained essentially flat over the past twelve months.

The Victorian Government has announced an $11.5 million funding package to improve recycling infrastructure across the state. The spending package follows a $13.8 million in infrastructure funding under the State Government’s Conserve Invest and Save strategy.

The Victorian Government has launched a new $24.8 million program aimed at encouraging manufacturers to invest in new technology to boost productivity and competitiveness of the state’s manufacturing sector.

The Victorian Government has announced $400 million will be invested in the Port of Melbourne to boost its import and export auto trade at the Webb Dock facility.

The Federal Government has announced approval of Western Australia’s compliance and enforcement plan to protect the state’s water sources from illegal use.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman has issued an ominous warning to the state’s public sector, saying the State Government employs roughly 20,000 more public servants than the state can afford to employ.

The Queensland Government has announced the formation of the State’s new Skills and Training Taskforce, which will be responsible for developing a roadmap for the state’s vocational education and training sector.

Mr Seeney said Chairman Cotter would bring the group together in July to review the 55 public submissions and provide feedback on how the Gasfields Commission should operate. 

“This input from the GasFields Commission will shape the legislation which will be introduced in Parliament later this year,” he said. 

A collaboration between the University of Tasmania, state and Australian governments and a range of industry partners promises to deliver a world-first SenseT data sensor network will utilise the National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania to mesh together historical, spatial and real-time data and make it available through the web to the community.

The Western Australian Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien has announced a series of measures to assist the building industry and local governments to work with recent legislation changes.

“The introduction of the Building Act on April 2, 2012 was the result of several years of consultation,” Mr O’Brien said.

“However, as with any wholesale change to legislation, there is always the possibility that the need for some modifications will arise as the new processes are put into practice.

“The State Government is very aware that any processing delays have a big impact on builders and consumers and since being made aware of the drop in building applications and approvals following the start of the new legislation, we have been working with industry and local government to find a solution.”

To alleviate the immediate pressures on industry, the Minister today signed a Ministerial Order designed to expedite the flow of building work. This order, which will take effect from Saturday, will allow a builder to start work pending approvals for applications lodged after January 1, 2012 and prior to June 30, 2012.

“This temporary measure will assist builders in avoiding protracted delays before starting construction, but will not remove the industry’s obligation to meet all necessary standards,” Mr O’Brien said.

Further, in response to feedback from industry, the Building Commission has formulated a series of regulatory amendments that will simplify the approvals process and make it easier for local governments to apply the law consistently.  Redesigned standard forms aimed at removing confusion in interpreting approval requirements will be distributed to local government authorities, along with a processing checklist.

“Additional information workshops and specific information kits will provide further assistance in understanding the new system and how to benefit from it,” the Minister said.

The State Government, with the Building Commission, is now working to identify longer-term measures, including looking at any other amendments to the Act that may be required to give greater security to industry and local government.

Mr O’Brien said the Government looked forward to working closely with industry and local councils throughout this process.

While the necessary amendments and changes were being made, building surveyors were advised to use the new processing checklist, prioritise their new house applications, use electronic mail systems where possible and seek advice from the Building Commission to help speed up the applications and approvals processes.

The Federal Government has announced the formation of a working group to consult on the development of a foreign ownership register for agricultural land, following growing concerns over large swathes of prime agricultural land being purchased by foreign nationals.

The Joint Select Committee on the NSW Workers Compensation has announced a suite of key recommendations to reform the scheme in a bid to address its increasingly dire financial situation.

The Queensland Commission of Audit has published its Interim Report into the state of Queensland's finances, finding that the state's return to surplus within two years is increasingly unlikey.

The Federal and Queensland Governments have struck a new bilateral agreement over the disputed Alpha Coal mine project, agreeing to 'significant' changes to pre-existing environmental approvals for major projects.