Archived News for Professionals in State Government
The Secretary and Chief Executive of the Federal Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research has been announced as the new Director-General of the NSW Department of Trade and Investment following his transition from Commonwealth to State governments.
Mr Paterson has been Secretary of DIISR since 2007, and was previously Secretary of the federalDepartment of Industry, Tourism and Resources. He was appointed to the board of CSIRO in February, and has previously served on the boards of Austrade, the Australian Tourism Commission and the Australian Export Finance and Insurance Corporation. He will take up his new position in a few weeks.
The former Director-General of Industry and Investment, Richard Sheldrake, is expected to be appointed Director-General of the Department of Primary Industries.
Victorian inquiry into infrastructure best practice
The Victorian Government has announced its aim to establish an inquiry into identifying best practice policy initiatives for managing State Government infrastructure.
Senate Committee calls for end to federal control of territory laws
The Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has recommended that legislation introduced by the Australian Greens to end federal control over territory laws be passed by the Senate.
Call for Queensland natural disaster funding
The Queensland Government has called for expressions of interest for funding under the third round of the Natural Disaster Resilience Program.
Lobbyist success fees to be banned in NSW
The NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has announced that legislation will be introduced to Parliament to ban lobbyist success fees, over and above normal service fees.
NSW Parliamentary Secretaries announced
The NSW Premier, Barry O’Farrell, has completed the government’s team of 13 Parliamentary Secretaries, with the appointment of five new appointments.
Victorian budget hit by cut in GST revenue
The Victorian Baillieu government’s first budget has focused on meeting election promises, with hefty spending combined with a major cut in GST revenue resulting in net debt blowing out by $7.5 billion.
Inquiry into sale of NSW electricity assets
The NSW Government’s Special Commission of Inquiry into the sale of the state’s electricity assets by the previous Labor government will be headed by Justice Brian Tamberlin QC.
South Australia set to ride the resources boom
A report by Deloitte Access Economics has predicted that South Australia will become "a titan of the global resource landscape" but warns that its manufacturing sector is flagging due to the high Australian dollar and struggling to remain a significant employer.
NT spends up on small business, housing and infrastructure
The Northern Territory Budget has targeted support for small business, homeowners and infrastructure in a big-spending budget that is predicted to see debt blow out to $2.2 billion in 2013-14
Tasmania looks to slash spending on consultancies
All Tasmanian Government agencies have been asked by the Premier, Lara Giddings, to review spending on external consultancies as they work to find Budget savings.
Woomera declared open for mining
The Woomera Protected Area (WPA) has been opened to mining following discussions between the South Australian and Federal Governments.
Queensland reconstruction report shows "real headway"
The Queensland Reconstruction Authority has released its second monthly report into the damages caused by flooding and cyclones earlier this year.
Skills shortages in NSW hinder recovery
Skills shortages are continuing to have a significant impact on business performance in New South Wales, according to the recently released NSW Business Chamber - Commonwealth Bank Business Conditions Survey for the March 2011 quarter.
Rail loses out to roads on government spending
New analysis shows governments across Australia are spending at least four times more on building roads and bridges than on public transport infrastructure.
ACT Capital Works report released
The ACT Government’s 2010-11 Capital Works Program December 2010 Quarterly Progress Report has shown government expenditure for this financial year stands at $273.622 million or 34% of available funds for the year. This compares with expenditure for the same period last year of $180.280 million, or 23%.
Victoria's financial position 'unsustainable'
An interim report prepared by the advisory committee to the Victorian Coalition Government, chaired by Michael Vertigan, has found that Federal Government funding, including stimulus spending and grants through Infrastructure Australia, has obscured the state’s true financial position, and that Victoria is currently financilly “unsustainable in the medium term”.
Shergold appointed to head up NSW Public Service Commission
Professor Peter Shergold AC, has been appointed incoming Chairman of the Board of the NSW Public Service Commission.
SA Strategic Plan update moves ahead with community engagement
South Australia’s third Strategic Plan is progressing towards completion, following the release of the report of the Community Engagement Board.
New Transport Authority for NSW
The New South Wales Government will establish a new Integrated Transport Authority to co-ordinate the state’s transport services and oversee transport projects.
WA rangelands discussion paper released
The Western Australian Department of Regional Development and Lands has released a discussion paper for public comment detailing proposed tenure options for the rangelands under its Rangelands Reform Program.