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ABOUT AMMA ...........................................................................................01
PRESIDENT’S NOTE ...................................................................................03
AMMA BOARD ..........................................................................................04
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT ................................................................05
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS ..................................07 WORKPLACE POLICY AND ADVOCACY WORKPLACE CONSULTING LEGAL SERVICES WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT YEAR AHEAD IN WORKPLACE RELATIONS MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE .................23 SKILLS POLICY AND ADVOCACY TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WORKFORCE DIVERSITY AMMA SKILLS PROJECTS YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS .........33 INFLUENCING SKILLED MIGRATION POLICY DELIVERING SPECIALIST MIGRATION SOLUTIONS SKILLED MIGRATION ENGAGEMENT YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLED MIGRATION
AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY ........................................39 MEMBERSHIP MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS AMMA EVENTS CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAM
CORPORATE PARTNERS ........................................................................46
CONTENTS
The past year has seen Australia’s resource industry
continue to navigate great change. With this change
comes great opportunities and challenges.
In early 2013 our record investment decade peaked
with 73 major resource projects, representing $268
billion of committed capital. In the upcoming
three years, a great deal of these projects will finish
construction and enter the production phase. The
performance of these new projects will be critical in
determining our attractiveness for future resources
investment.
A sustained market correction in the index of
commodity prices is also refocusing industry on
efficiency and the outputs of existing assets.
As we collectively tackle such challenges, the
significant value delivered by rapid resources
development over the past decade has not gone
unnoticed in the broader community.
The Reserve Bank’s latest report showed the ‘mining
boom’ raised real per capita household disposable
income by 13 per cent; raised real wages by 6 per
cent; and lowered the unemployment rate by 1.25
percentage points.
Separate Deloitte research put to bed any suggestions
the mining industry doesn’t pay its way, with findings
that the industry has contributed $117bn in company
tax and royalties to the Commonwealth since 2006/07.
In fact, the industry’s tax contribution of $21bn this
year could alone fund 1,500 new schools or create the
world’s largest medical research fund.
Throughout 2014, AMMA has worked with Australia’s
national policymakers towards a predictable and
supportive framework that assists the investment
pipeline.
The mining and carbon tax repeals, as well as reforms
to exploration and project approval regulation, have
removed several unnecessary barriers to investment
and jobs growth.
Such reforms do not necessarily deliver Australia
an edge over our resource competitors, but they
do provide a more level playing field for Australian
enterprises to pursue efficiencies, innovate, and
compete in a highly globalised marketplace.
The next step must be a renewed political focus on a
more productive workplace relations framework; one
that will better support resource employers to develop
new projects, drive productivity in existing workplaces
and create more employment opportunities.
This 2014 Activities Report outlines how AMMA has
been a driving force behind many of these significant
policy outcomes for the resource industry.
AMMA’s vision is to ensure Australia remains an attractive and
competitive place to invest while our national resource industry
focuses on increased production.
PRESIDENT’S NOTE
3 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
AMMA PRESIDENT
IAN SMITH
Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer, Orica Limited
AMMA VICE PRESIDENT
ULYSSES YIANNIS
Human Resources Manager
Asia Pacific South, Esso Australia Pty Ltd
and Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd
DIRECTORS
JOHNPAUL DIMECH
Chief Executive Officer
Sodexo Australia & New Zealand
MICHAEL UTSLER
Chief Operating Officer
Woodside Energy Ltd
GRAEME HUNT
Managing Director and CEO
Transfield Services Ltd
RICHARD WESTON
Executive Vice President Australasia
Gold Fields Ltd
The value this delivers to AMMA members is even more
profound when coupled with the expanding capabilities
of AMMA’s expert employee relations consulting, legal,
migration and training services and workforce development
projects delivered directly to resource employers’
workplaces.
The following pages outline how membership and
engagement with AMMA throughout 2014 has supported
your individual efforts to do business, employ people and
contribute to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing.
As a not-for-profit entity, surplus revenue derived from AMMA
membership subscriptions and consulting services are
directed towards promoting and protecting the industry’s
interests. I take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing
support of AMMA’s services.
Together we can bolster Australia’s reputation as a
competitive place for resource investment and provide
employers with a unified representative voice at national
and international levels.
Ian Smith AMMA President, Managing Director and CEO, Orica Limited
AMMA BOARD
4ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REPORT
Throughout 2014, AMMA has provided a strong return
on your membership investment by delivering services,
initiatives and representation to meet the unique and
evolving workplace needs of Australia’s resource
employers head-on.
This 2014 AMMA Activities Report details how our value-
driven work is providing practical solutions that greatly
contribute to your employment strategies as we jointly
manage a period of great transition for our industry.
To reflect how our work has delivered important
outcomes across a number of workplace areas, this
report is split into four key sections related directly to our
members’ core employment functions.
Partners in your employment needs
AMMA continues to have a strong positive influence on
workplace relations in the resource industry. Our work in
this space is principally driven by pursuit of an operating
environment in which our members can innovate, better
utilise their people capacities, create flexibilities and
increase workplace productivity.
Over the past 12 months we have provided this support
through both expanded delivery of our specialist
employment consulting services, as well as our
increased influence on workplace policy outcomes.
In the consultancy space, our employee relations
and legal specialists have assisted in everything from
daily workplace procedural issues, investigations
and contractual matters, through to managing
complex enterprise bargaining campaigns and legal
representation in our tribunals and courts.
Member demand for AMMA’s consulting capabilities will
increase in 2015 as more workplace agreements expire
and a growing number of resource employers become
exposed to the Fair Work Act’s complex and combative
bargaining framework.
On the policy front, AMMA remains the peak workplace
relations body for the resource industry and is statutorily
appointed as the sector’s representative on the federal
Employment Minister’s National Workplace Relations
Consultative Committee. AMMA is also the industry’s
representative in international forums such as the
International Labor Organization (ILO).
2014 has seen the Abbott government move on some of
the priority reform areas for AMMA members, including
a more competitive and sustainable bargaining system
for new resource projects, and restoring balance and
sensibility to union workplace entry rules.
Among our ongoing policy activities, detailed within, we are also working to reintroduce real workplace flexibility, support the return of a tough industrial relations cop in the construction industry in the form of a restored and previously successful ABCC, and implement an international best-practice appeals jurisdiction for our workplace system.
These areas of workplace reform are just the beginning in ensuring our employment laws properly support the aspirations and success of resource employers and Australia’s broader business community. AMMA’s engagement and influence will prove invaluable in 2015 as the government ramps up its reform agenda.
A range of employment services and skills initiatives, coupled with
elevating our industry’s priorities to the forefront of national workplace
policy, has seen your resource industry employer group AMMA continue to
deliver real outcomes, real leadership and real value for our members.
AMMA’S PEOPLE ACROSS AUSTRALIA TO SUPPORT YOU
STAFF IN 6 OFFICES
5 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
Providing a skilled and ready workforce
AMMA remains committed to a number of important workforce development initiatives that are developing solutions to future skills challenges and connecting more Australians to employment opportunities in our sector.
In 2014, we have had great success with the gender diversity efforts of the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) and the employment pathway projects delivered by AMMA Skills Connect. The take-up of these programs is delivering real social and commercial outcomes directly at the coal face of our industry.
AMMA has also recently been engaged by the federal government to ensure its vocational education and training (VET) system reforms meet the evolving needs of Australian industry and support ongoing employment growth.
Assisting with your international skills needs
The past 12 months has also seen AMMA substantially influence the government’s reform efforts to remove cumbersome and unnecessary bureaucracy from Australia’s valuable skilled migration programs.
Given the small but important role international skilled employees have in complementing and creating Australian jobs, AMMA’s success and engagement in this area will have a very real impact on employment opportunities locally.
Facilitating our members’ practical access to global
expertise through AMMA’s Migration Services has also been critical to supporting Australian resource projects. These expert services have proven invaluable to assisting employers through complex changes to Australia’s 457 visa program and migration arrangements in the offshore resource industry.
A unified and engaged industry
The final section of the 2014 AMMA Activities Report details how we have continued to facilitate unity and engagement across all sub-sectors and geographical coverage of AMMA’s membership.
This has been achieved through a variety of AMMA conferences, forums, workshops, industry briefings, special interest groups and member communication materials. This ensures we face new challenges and new opportunities together, and cultivate industry-wide innovation and engagement as you seek to optimise the people capacities of your individual operations.
Over the past 12 months, the changing economic environment, labour market complexion and skills availabilities has made the collective focus on our industry’s competitiveness, productivity and operational efficiencies even more important.
I thank you for your ongoing membership support of AMMA, which ensures work in these critical areas continues to assist in keeping our industry the cornerstone of our economy and our national wellbeing.
Whether it is through our practical, specialist services or our influence and engagement with Australia’s national decision makers, AMMA’s activities ensure our resource industry is an attractive and competitive place to invest,
employ people and conduct business.
Steve Knott AMMA Chief Executive
WHERE AMMA SERVICES RESOURCE EMPLOYERSSTATES & TERRITORIES
6ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
WORKPLACE POLICY AND ADVOCACYThroughout 2014, AMMA has continued to build on its
longstanding reputation as one of the leading and
most influential industry representatives for workplace
relations policy in Australia.
While various political and vested interest groups
continue to underestimate the impact of workplace
relations on the productivity and competitiveness of
Australian employers and industry, AMMA has remained
uncompromising in its research, policy development
and advocacy for a legislative and regulatory
framework that supports our members’ employment
priorities and strategies.
Strong, strategic advocacy, coupled with AMMA’s
policy capabilities, has seen us successfully influence key
areas of the workplace reform priorities of the Abbott
Government during its first full year in parliament, as well
as lead the wider national workplace policy debate.
Strategically, the past 12 months have seen AMMA’s
policy team:
• Help set the agenda for the workplace reform
priorities of the new Australian Government and
actively influence the wider national policy debate.
• Backed by research and a strong evidence base,
advocate key areas of change to workplace
legislation that is having a detrimental impact on
AMMA members.
• Comprehensively canvass and document, via
collaborative partnerships with research institutions
and universities, the widespread problems caused by
Labor’s Fair Work Act 2009, building the business case
for fundamental workplace reform.
• Ground AMMA’s policy and advocacy in the
objectives of jobs creation, productivity improvement
and increased competitiveness of Australia’s
resource industry.
• Represent Australia’s resource industry on a number
of national and international workplace policy
councils and forums, including the government’s
primary policy advisory committee – the National
Workplace Relations Consultative Council.
As 2014 opened, AMMA had amassed a growing body
of evidence about the fundamental flaws in the design
and operation of the Fair Work system that detracted
not only from the productivity and competitiveness of
Australian enterprise, but also from job opportunities, job
security and outcomes for employees.
AMMA’s advocacy is grounded firmly in the clear input
from members throughout the industry that Australia
must restore balance and practicality to its labour laws,
and that this will require significant amendments to the
Fair Work Act, in order to advance the interests and
capacity of resource employers and the wider business
community.
Following is a snapshot of the key workplace policy
areas in which AMMA focused its efforts throughout 2014
in our continuing journey towards the important goal of
meaningful workplace relations reform. As some of these
areas are yet to be subject to legislative amendments,
AMMA’s influence and efforts in these areas will
continue throughout 2015.
It is hoped that the lobbying and advocacy by AMMA
and other business representative groups will soon see
much-needed legislative amendments pass into law
and deliver real improvements to the workplaces of our
members.
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDSSince our formation in 1918, one of the greatest areas of ongoing AMMA membership value is in the effective
outcomes we deliver across all areas of employment practices in the resource industry.
This is provided through both direct employee relations and legal advice delivered within AMMA member
workplaces, and in actively influencing the regulatory and legislative framework in which our industry employs
people and operates.
7 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FAIR WORK ACT
The significance of AMMA’s engagement with Australia’s national policy makers during 2014 is seen in the fact that the government has significantly progressed four of the six key areas of workplace reform priorities
identified by AMMA. Proposed amendments in relation
to union access to workplaces, greenfields (new project)
agreements, individual flexibilities and protected
industrial action are part of the Fair Work Amendment Bill
2014 which as of October 2014 is still before parliament.
Important amendments in these areas address some
of the most significant workplace relations concerns
for AMMA members, in particular those that have led
to resource project delays and cost overruns, adverse
productivity outcomes and increased industrial
disharmony.
AMMA has been guided in the identification and
development of these critical reform priorities by the
ongoing work of our Board Reference Group as well as
continued high response rates to regular AMMA member
surveys on key workplace policy issues.
These changes, if and when the Bill passes through the
Senate, will increase the capacity for Australia’s resource industry to secure new project investment, generate jobs and contribute to the nation’s future prosperity.
INDUSTRIAL REGULATION OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
An ongoing campaign and a renewed priority for AMMA’s policy work during 2014 is to support the Abbott Government’s pre-election commitment to re-establish an effective construction industry watchdog in the form of a renewed Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
Legislation is currently before federal parliament seeking to restore the ABCC and its supporting legislation, but with important modifications that will, among other things, see the regulator’s enforcement powers explicitly extend to offshore construction projects.
This has been a necessary adjunct to the regulator’s former powers given the increased militancy of unions in the offshore and maritime space. The 2014 Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption demonstrates why this is a critical priority.
AMMA made comprehensive submissions to the Senate inquiry into the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013, which were instrumental in highlighting the need for the measures proposed in the bill and why they represented a justified response to ongoing union militancy.
The return of a tougher regulator in the construction space, particularly in the offshore construction area where billions of dollars are invested, cannot be underestimated in terms of its value to industry and the Australian economy. AMMA is also working closely with the interim regulator in this area; striving to ensure observance of the rule of law under the existing, deficient regulatory framework.
AMMA MEMBERSHIP BY SECTOR
8ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
Services
Marine
Pipeline
Refining
SafetyTransport Vessel Operator
Oil & GasConstruction
Mining
DredgingDrillingEnergy
EngineeringExploration
FabricationLogistics
Maintenance
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
A SEPARATE INDUSTRIAL APPEALS JURISDICTION
The reinstatement of a truly independent federal industrial umpire has been a key priority in AMMA’s reform advocacy in 2014.
This is driven by an identified need for resource industry employers to have greater certainty and confidence in the industrial umpire and to ensure interference by third parties in managerial decision-making is kept to a minimum.
AMMA advocates that this can be achieved through the establishment of an independent, specialist appeals tribunal for Fair Work Commission decisions, which would ensure previously clear-cut industrial precedents are followed in the decision making process of all tribunal members.
This important structural reform would reflect international best practice, improve consistency in decisions, restore certainty and confidence to users of Australia’s workplace system, and ultimately reduce unnecessary IR transaction costs for all.
The Coalition’s Policy to improve the Fair Work laws, released in mid-2013 in the lead-up to the last federal election, made a commitment to giving consideration to the establishment of such an appeals body and AMMA, as one of the most vocal supporters of such a proposal, looks forward to future developments in this space.
PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION REVIEW OF THE FAIR WORK ACT
Despite a delay in the release of the official terms of reference, 2014 has seen AMMA commence its policy and advocacy strategy along with its submission to the Productivity Commission’s upcoming review of the Fair Work Act.
AMMA’s submission to the review will build on work over the past three years by AMMA’s Board Reference Group in identifying reform priorities along with developing an evidence base to support change. It will focus on building an undeniable case for productive, efficient and sustainable workplace relations reform that will provide the long-term industrial stability needed to support Australian enterprises in trading and competing in the global marketplace.
Specific areas in which AMMA will seek change include the enterprise bargaining and greenfield bargaining frameworks, the rules around the taking of protected industrial action, greater scope for a variety of different agreement types (including individual and collective) and the interaction between unions’ capacity to enter workplaces and business priorities.
NEW RULES FOR REGISTERED ORGANISATIONS
AMMA has long been a key proponent of tough new governance rules for all registered organisations including unions and employer groups, proposed within the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment Bill 2013, that is currently before federal parliament.
AMMA itself is subject to the Corporations Act 2001 and believes all registered organisations should be subject to equally stringent rules. Changes contained in the bill include holding officials of registered organisations to a comparable level of financial transparency and governance as company directors.
AMMA hopes that the new Senate, which commenced sitting on 1 July 2014, will see the importance of placing a higher level of scrutiny on the officials of registered organisations and supports those new laws in 2015.
OTHER WORKPLACE POLICY ACTIVITIES
In addition to the above activities, during 2014 AMMA has advocated on behalf of our members in a broad range of policy areas including:
• Competition policy review: AMMA highlighted the importance of retaining existing prohibitions against secondary boycotts by unions in a strong submission to the Australian Government’s Competition Policy Review.
• Superannuation: AMMA has called for superannuation to be removed from industrial awards as retail and industry super funds continue to battle over which should be the default fund for award-covered employees.
CONTINUED...
9 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
• Paid parental leave: AMMA has maintained that imposing a new tax on Australia’s largest companies to fund the proposed new paid parental leave scheme would doubly penalise resource employers who were already proactively leading the way in PPL practices.
• Strike action rules: AMMA was instrumental in ensuring that new regulations allowing third parties and the Western Australian WR Minister to apply to stop damaging industrial action before it was taken were retained in the face of an unsuccessful disallowance motion by the Australian Greens in the Senate.
• Coastal trading: AMMA is broadly supportive of the Australian Government’s focus on more competitive and efficient coastal trading practices to better support resource employers operating in fast-moving global markets.
• Workplace bullying: AMMA successfully highlighted the excessive regulatory burden that would result for employers from yet another layer of workplace bullying regulation contained in a proposed national code of practice. In early 2014, that code of practice was instead turned into guidance material rather than punitive regulation for employers.
2014 WORKPLACE RELATIONS POLICY SUBMISSIONS
Discussion Paper: Establishment of the
Industry Skills Fund - September
AMMA Research Project on Fair Work
Commission Appointments - September
Submission to the Australian Government
Department of Industry on Vocational
Education and Training Reform - July
Submission to the Competition Policy Review
(Harper review – Secondary Boycotts) - June
Submission to the Review of Coastal Trading
/ Coastal Shipping – Departmental Review,
Department of Infrastructure and Regional
Development - June
Submission to the Four-Yearly Review of Modern
Awards - June
Submission to the Senate Education and
Employment Legislation Committee on the Fair
Work Amendment Bill 2014 - April
Submission to the Review of Indigenous Training
and Employment - January
Submission to the Senate Education &
Employment References Committee On the
Government’s approach to re-establishing the
ABCC – January
10ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
WORKPLACE CONSULTINGDemand for AMMA’s specialised workplace consulting
services has increased in 2014, despite challenging
market conditions throughout the resource industry.
This has reaffirmed the value our members receive from
AMMA consultants in securing commercially sustainable
outcomes in enterprise bargaining matters as well as
minimising the incidental business costs that can arise
from accepting anything less than ‘best practice’
approaches to employment policies and processes.
Increased demand for consulting services has come
from employers seeking assistance in a broad range
of workplace issues, ranging from basic support on
day-to-day employment matters through to more
complex work such as workplace restructuring and the
strategic planning process involved in developing and
negotiating enterprise agreements.
Our consultants have worked with employers
in all sub-sectors of AMMA’s diverse
membership and in a range of
locations, varying from our larger mining,
construction, and oil and gas members
through to smaller employers supporting
and servicing the resource sector in
regional areas of the country.
Examples of the specialist employee
relations services regularly delivered by to
AMMA members include:
• Strategic planning and execution
of new enterprise agreements and
renegotiations.
• Review and development of
employment contracts.
• Workplace change initiatives and
restructuring advice, including union
and employee consultation and
facilitating redundancy processes.
• Workplace investigations, including
recommendations and advice in relation to
disciplinary processes and termination.
• Unfair dismissal advice and representation.
• Adverse Action claims.
• Right of Entry advice and onsite facilitation
and support.
• Resolution of industrial disputation, including onsite support and tribunal representation.
• Employee Relations Management Plan preparation, implementation and compliance audits.
• Onsite representation of member employee relations and human resource functions, including engagement with management of self-perform and contractor workforces.
• Reviews, development and implementation of member HR/IR policies, management plans, rosters and workforce mobilisation and demobilisation.
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
RISK MITIGATION
HIGH VALUE SERVICES
SUPPORT FOR YOUR TEAM
INDUSTRY EXPERTISE
TRUE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP
BEST PRACTICE AWARENESS
CERTAINTY
BUSINESS BENEFITS
AMMA CONSULTING
SERVICES
GENERAL ADVICE AWARDS,
AGREEMENTS, WAGE RATES ETC
WORKPLACE INVESTIGATIONS
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND
TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT
REDUNDANCY AND
RESTRUCTURING
UNION RIGHT OF ENTRY
YOUR BUSINESS
PROFITABILITY
CONNECTIONS AND
NETWORKS
ENTERPRISE BARGAINING
AGREEMENTS AND COMMON LAW
CONTRACTS
ADVOCACY SERVICES
UNFAIR DISMISSAL AND GENERAL PROTECTION
CLAIMS
PROTECTED INDUSTRIAL
ACTION
DISCRIMINATION ISSUES AND CLAIMS INCLUDING BULLYING, SEXUAL HARASSMENT,
BULLYING
HUMAN RESOURCES
ADVICE
STRATEGIC WORKPLACE
RELATIONS MANAGEMENT
PLANS AND RISK ASSESSMENTS
CONTINUED...
11 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
• Interpretation and advice on complex industrial matters and employment law.
• Advice and implementation of community relations strategies and the interface with employee management and engagement.
• Undertaking of workplace audits.
• Preparation of remuneration survey reports for particular industry groups.
• Training in workplace issues such as the new bullying jurisdiction
Primary consulting services and advice sought by AMMA
members throughout 2014 are as follows.
ENTERPRISE AGREEMENTS
Demonstrating AMMA’s ongoing influence in Australia’s
rapidly developing major project landscape has been
the lead role played by our consultants in a number of
complex agreement negotiations.
The past 12 months have seen AMMA work closely
with members on the renegotiation of many enterprise
agreements, often facilitating a coordinated approach
from key stakeholders to enable the best possible outcomes
for our members and the wider resource industry.
Our consultants have been a key support to members
in navigating the complexities of the Fair Work Act
and ensuring that the negotiations, outcomes and the
process for registering an agreement are as simple and
effective as possible.
Many of the enterprise agreements involving AMMA
during 2014 involved extensive union engagement and
negotiating, with our legal support also often on-hand to
secure the most favourable employer outcomes.
A significant increase in work has come from the
renegotiation of key agreements across several major
hydrocarbons projects, requiring AMMA’s expertise to
coordinate a strategic and disciplined approach. AMMA
has also seen an increase in consulting to our mining
members with 2014 being the renewal year for a large
number of agreements in the sector.
PRODUCTIVITY AND COST EFFICIENCIES
As resource employers across the board face tightened
profit margins, new cost challenges and declining
commodity prices, AMMA’s workplace consultants
have increasingly been engaged to ensure enterprise
agreements are maximising workforce productivity and
that rosters and conditions support sustainable long-term
employment and commercial objectives.
In the mining and services sectors our members have
sought advice and support in the review of terms and
conditions of employment, rosters and associated
benefits in the ongoing drive for cost reductions and
increased productivity.
In the hydrocarbons space, the drive for greater cost
efficiencies has also seen our consultants providing
advice and assistance on issues associated with
workplace change initiatives and restructuring.
Members have also relied on AMMA to provide them
with support and understanding of current trends in
regards to agreement making and rates of pay in the
resource industry. This information has ensured they
are well prepared when negotiating an agreement
and are not unnecessarily paying above market pay
rises or being tied to unrealistic or uncommercial roster
arrangements.
BULLYING AND PRIVACY
Recent changes to both the Privacy Act and
regulation of workplace bullying in Australia has seen
AMMA members require advice and support in 2014.
Our consultants have worked with our members to
contextualise what such changes mean to their business
operations in minimising risk exposure.
Our consultants have also experienced an increase
in members looking for assistance with workplace
investigations and an understanding of how to manage
the recent changes to both bullying regulation and the
Privacy Act.
12ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDSADVERSE ACTION / UNFAIR DISMISSALS
AMMA has represented a number of members in
dealing with unfair dismissals and adverse action claims,
including providing assistance and advice prior to any
disciplinary action to ensure the Fair Work Act. Our
consultants ensure disciplinary action is defensible in the
case of an employee claim.
Members have worked with our consultants to ensure
they are aware of their rights as employers and can
manage the issues they are facing in a cost effective
manner that minimises any disruption to their business
operations. AMMA also has the capacity to undertake
mediation sessions.
MIGRATION CHANGES
AMMA members operating in the offshore resources
sector have faced uncertainty around legislative
changes to the Migration Act and the potential impact
to key aspects of their workforce. AMMA consultants
have been the first point of call for these questions and
have ensured members are aware of the proposed
changes and how to manage them. For more information
on this issue, see page 33.
MAJOR PROJECT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COORDINATION AND SERVICES DELIVERED ON:
• Ichthys/INPEX project
• Shell Prelude
• TAN Project
• Gorgon Project
• Wheatstone
• FMG Upgrade
• GLNG Project
• APLNG Project
• Queensland Curtis Island Project
CONTINUED...
13%RAISED REAL PER CAPITA HOUSEHOLD DISPOSABLE INCOME BY
6%RAISED REAL WAGES BY
Source: Downes, P., Hanslow, K., & Tulip, K. (August, 2014).Reserve Bank of Australia. Research Discussion Paper. The Effect of the Mining Boom on the Australian Economy.
1.25%DECREASED UNEMPLOYMENT BY
RESOURCE INDUSTRY ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTION
13 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
LEGAL SERVICESWith an increasingly legalistic workplace relations
system, the understanding and ability to navigate
Australia’s complex employment laws is vitally important
to operating effectively and competitively in Australia’s
resource industry.
AMMA ensures its members have this critical business
function covered through its Legal Division – providing
a growing team of qualified and practising lawyers
delivering technical legal expertise in workplace relations
across all areas of the national resource industry.
Through a range of activities in 2014, AMMA’s legal team
continued to both extend members’ in-house legal
capacities and complement the services provided by
the AMMA Consulting Division. This flexible approach
in service delivery has greatly assisted members with
navigating their unique legal complexities to support
commercial outcomes.
OFFERING A GROWING SERVICE CAPABILITY
AMMA’s legal team continued to expand in 2014
through high quality lawyer appointments to now have
a presence in each of our major state offices (Perth,
Brisbane and Melbourne).
Utilising a flexible and mobile national service offering,
AMMA’s qualified legal representatives appeared at
tribunal/court hearings and advised members and other
clients in all resource sector regional hubs
(see below map).
In the past year, AMMA Legal has provided technical
advice on proposed workplace relations, safety and
migration reforms, intervened in legal proceedings
with industry impact on behalf of the policy team
and supported the membership function in delivering
member value.
The growing range of capabilities and advice delivered
to members in 2014 included:
• Transactional advice
• Workplace change and transformation advice
• Bargaining strategy and disputes
• Advocacy in courts and tribunals
• Project management – building strategy, engaging
expertise to facilitate delivery of project objectives,
ongoing coordination of expertise
• Depth of resources industry knowledge & networks
LEGAL PROVIDED TO:
BRISBANE
TOWNSVILLE
NEWCASTLE
HUNTER VALLEY
BOTANY
LAVERTON
MELBOURNE
LILYDALE
ADELAIDEWHYALLA
PERTH
DARWIN
SYDNEY
GLADSTONE
14ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS CONTINUED...
ASSISTING IN YOUR BARGAINING AND WORKPLACE DISPUTES
Management of bargaining and related disputes has
been a primary area of demand for AMMA’s legal
capabilities over the past year, as our members seek a
highly specialised legal service provider operating solely
within the resource industry.
This work has facilitated maximum value outcomes
where damaging industrial action is threatened. AMMA
Legal has been integral in identifying and designing
strategies for achieving sustainability and productivity-
focused outcomes, including in the face of mature
agreements and high degree of union resistance.
In the latter half of the year, AMMA Legal was instructed
to develop advice and execute a number of workplace
change and renewal projects signalling a new phase
of workplace relations in response to the economic
difficulties and red tape facing resources projects.
We are the trusted advisor to executives on matters
with particular commercial and legal sensitivity and
organisational importance. Activities included:
• Project managing and coordinating of a range of
internal and external service providers to deliver on
key projects with significant industry-wide implications.
• Working with the Consulting Division to lead the
design and strategy for the offshore maritime service
sector bargaining and various proactive employer
applications, including filing of unique application
for Federal Court declaratory relief to stop otherwise
protected industrial action.
• Assisting a major mining services provider with
achieving fundamental workplace reform via
successful closure of a lengthy enterprise bargaining
campaign.
• Successfully defending a range of unpaid wages and
discrimination claims.
• Commencing process of breaking new ground
with multiple simultaneous applications to reduce
redundancy pay.
FIGHTING FOR INDUSTRY OUTCOMES
In addition to specific advice and representation
for AMMA members, our legal team continues to be
a major asset for the resource industry in assisting in
the development and advocacy for industry-wide
employment outcomes.
One such focus has been on preserving managerial
scope to effectively implement drug and alcohol testing
procedures in the way an employer deems best suited
to fulfill and uphold workplace safety obligations. In
this area AMMA was recognised in 2014 as the legal
expert across all sectors for drug and alcohol testing
management, representing the Australian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry in consulting with Standards
Australia on review of the Australian Standard for Testing
of Oral Fluids.
Other activities included working with AMMA’s
workplace policy specialists to identify and guide
protection of resources industry minimum standards in
modern awards.
Whether fighting for industry outcomes or providing legal
advice to our members or industry groups, AMMA’s
legal team has represented a broad range of industry
sectors in 2014 including black coal mining, metalliferous
mining, mining services providers, offshore oil and gas,
construction, drilling, maritime and labour hire.
With future growth in demand expected to come from
Queensland and Western Australia over the coming 12
months, AMMA will continue to expand its legal support
function to further supplement and add value to its
employee relations capabilities.
15 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
IMAGE COURTESY OF BECHTEL AUSTRALIA 16ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
WORKPLACE ENGAGEMENT BOARD REFERENCE GROUP
AMMA’s Board Reference Group is the organisation’s
principle engagement and consultative body driving
the priorities and details of AMMA’s workplace relations
reform activities.
The BRG comprises senior IR/HR representatives from a
broad spread of AMMA’s membership base to ensure
the policy priorities and views of all various sub-sectors
of Australia’s resource industry are well understood and
represented in AMMA’s advocacy activities.
Meeting quarterly, efforts have been made by AMMA
throughout 2014 to ensure the full range of expertise
and engagement offered by the BRG are fully utilised.
In this process, BRG members expressed satisfaction with
the carrying forward of their priorities in AMMA lobbying,
and noted government take-up of key priorities for our
industry.
AMMA sincerely thanks all members of the BRG for the
strong and valuable policy input and perspectives over
2014 and looks forward to working together on further
critical policy reform areas in 2015.
FROM YOUR WORKPLACES TO FEDERAL PARLIAMENT
Outside of the advice and consultation with the Board
Reference Group, AMMA’s consultants and policy team
work collaboratively through a range of engagement
activities to ensure the challenges and experiences
within our members’ workplaces are translated into our
workplace policy activities.
In 2014, AMMA consultants and legal professionals have
actively contributed to the work of AMMA’s policy
team to provide case studies and real examples of the
practical impacts poor workplace legislation is having
on resource industry employers. Examples include
practical effects of skilled migration policy changes or
detailing current trends in enterprise agreement making
to ensure AMMA’s policy and advocacy activities
are embedded in exactly what the industry needs to
maximise its workforce productivity and support ongoing
employment opportunities.
AMMA’s Special Interest Groups (SIGs) also continue to
be popular with members to discuss policy development
and practical workplace experiences relating to
a specific resource industry sub-sector with AMMA
consultants and industry peers.
A number of regional networking initiatives have also
provided increased engagement opportunities for our
members and allowed regionally based HR professionals
to be kept personally informed of the most recent
workplace policy or legislative developments impacting
their organisations.
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Through strategic media campaigns, press stakeholder
management and community awareness strategies,
AMMA’s public affairs activities have played a
critical role in supporting both the policy advocacy
and employee relations consulting functions of the
organisation and our members.
With workplace relations legislative change remaining a
highly political and often emotive subject area, AMMA’s
public affairs team has worked hand-in-hand with our
policy experts throughout 2014 to deliver well-planned,
proactive and strategically aligned media campaigns
supporting each of our primary reform lobbying actions.
AMMA’s public affairs team also continues to play
an important role in strategically coordinating media
activities and public reporting of major AMMA
employee relations consulting projects. Such large-
scale industrial matters can often attract media and
public attention and with unions well versed in political
and community campaigning, the strategic support of
AMMA’s public affairs specialists in influencing media
reporting on resource industry industrial activities has
proven invaluable at mitigating reputational risk to our
members or the industry as a whole.
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS CONTINUED...
17 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
Services and support provided in 2014 include:
• Strategic media campaigning on key AMMA
member workplace policy reform priorities.
• Assisting in influencing and managing media and
public interest in individual member and industry-wide
activities or disputes.
• Developing and implementing specialist public
relations strategies, management and support for
member company EBA negotiations, often in close
cooperation with the AMMA consulting team.
• Completing thorough community, political and
media stakeholder risk profile reports for industry sub-
sectors or individual members.
• Assisting in crisis communication strategies and
protocol documents for AMMA members.
• Coordinating AMMA member communication
activities.
Highlights of AMMA’s media presence in 2014 include (figures year to October 2014):
• 391 times AMMA was involved in mainstream print
and broadcast media reports.
• 1,314 times AMMA was involved in online media reporting.
• 28 major editorial features in industry print and online
publications.
• Strong radio and print coverage welcoming the new
Australian-Japan Free Trade Agreement.
• Prominent opinion editorial in The West Australian
newspaper about how the actions of the MUA is
threatening oil and gas job security.
• Live appearance on ABC News 24 television
advocating AMMA’s position on the offshore skilled
migration visa issue.
• Prominent opinion editorial in the Australian Financial
Review advocating AMMA’s position on a separate
appeals jurisdiction within Australia’s industrial system.
• National and regional media coverage on maritime
industrial issues including the vessel operators’ bargaining
matter and potential Port Hedland tug boat strikes.
• Widespread media influence on the passing of the
mining and carbon tax repeal legislation.
Source: ABS Labour Force, Australian Detailed, Quarterly (AUG 2014)
26.5%
14.2%
25.8%
10.6%
16.5%
6.4%
METAL ORE MINING
EXPLORATION & OTHER MINING SERVICES
COAL MINING
NON-METALLIC MINERAL MINING & QUARRYING
OIL & GAS EXTRACTION
MINING (OTHER)
DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYEES
18ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
YEAR AHEAD IN WORKPLACE RELATIONS2015 will be an extremely important year for workplace
relations in Australia’s resource industry as the Abbott
government likely intensifies the pace and rigour in
which it addresses legislative and regulatory reform for
Australia’s workplace relations system, much of which is
expected to address key concerns for AMMA members.
At the same time, the practical impacts of the Fair
Work legislation will only deepen as more workplaces
become exposed to its provisions and outcomes over
an extended period of time, and current agreements
across major projects and other resource operations
require renegotiating.
Not only will AMMA’s policy specialists play an integral
role in influencing the outcomes of these reform
developments to the needs and expectations of our
members, but the expert services of our workplace
consultants and legal professionals will be vital to
mitigating any risks, challenges and complexities within
your workplace practices that are driven by the existing
Fair Work framework or future change.
Notably, AMMA’s workplace policy team will be a
significant participant in the forthcoming Productivity
Commission review of Australia’s workplace laws. Our
role will be to advocate significant reforms to ensure
the Australian industry becomes a more attractive and
competitive place to invest, do business, and employ
people.
Australia’s resource industry will also face many
challenges in the coming 12 months driven by the
transition from the construction phase to the production
phase of many major projects in the mining, oil and gas
sectors. This industry transition is likely to be sharpened
by a continued downturn in commodity prices leaving
our members to face a new set of challenges in
maintaining their workforce numbers and operational
efficiencies.
In this environment, AMMA’s consultants and legal
specialists are expected to be called on to assist our
members with an increased focus on productivity
initiatives, workforce efficiencies and improved
operational capacity. Specific services include
realigning conditions of new enterprise agreements
to these critical objectives in the current economic
environment and delivering skills to our members to
manage complex workplace issues such as employee
obligations and the legislated rights of unions in the
workplace.
As a national organisation, one of AMMA’s core focuses
in 2015 will be increased support services to regional
parts of Australia and to assist existing and new member
organisations to achieve their commercial goals
through consistency, competitiveness and regulatory
compliance of their workplace policies and practices.
PARTNERS IN YOUR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS CONTINUED...
19 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
20ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
Projected employment level by resources industry sector, base case, 2013-18
Source: Australian Workplace Productivity Agency (AWPA) Resource Sector Skills Needs 2013-2018
Oil & Gas OperationsResources Project Construction Mining Operations Total
450 000
2013
EMPL
OYM
ENT
LEV
EL
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
400 000
350 000
300 000
250 000
200 000
150 000
100 000
50 000
0
PROJECTED EMPLOYMENT
PIPELINE OF DEVELOPMENT
INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
} 293 RESOURCES AND ENERGY related projects in the pipeline.
} The capital value for these projects is between $519.8 BILLION and $545.8+ BILLION.
} 69 RESOURCE PROJECTS at an advanced stage of development (either committed or under construction), with an indicative cost estimate of $254 BILLION.
} 224 LESS ADVANCED (publicly announced or in the feasibility stage) projects in the pipeline with an cost estimate to be more than $265 BILLION.
LEVEL 1
LEVEL 2
LEVEL 3
ALUMINIUM, BAUXITE, ALUMINA
4
PROJECTS BROKEN DOWN BY COMMODITY:
LEAD, ZINC, SILVER
8
COAL76
GOLD24
INFRASTRUCTURE38
COPPER15
IRON ORE45
NICKEL10
URANIUM8
OTHER COMMODITIES
35
LNG, GAS, OIL30
Source: BREE April 2014 edition of Resources and Energy Major Projects
MEDIA & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
The West Australian30 May 2014
HOWARD DEFENDS ABBOTT BUDGET
Speaking at the AMMA national conference in Perth yesterday, former PM John Howard said local criticism had been similar to that levied against the first budget of Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in 2010.
ABC News 24 Television17 July 2014
LIVE TALKBACK WITH KIM LANDERS AND TONY EASTLEY
Interview with Scott Barklamb from the Australian Mines and Metals Association about the MUA and visa arrangements in the offshore oil and gas sector.
The Australian Financial Review24 May 2014
AMMA TAKES ON WA GAS STRIKE
AMMA will on Monday ask the Fair Work Commission to step in and prevent a planned strike at key contractor Tidewater after Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) workers declared they will strike for two days, starting on Tuesday, in support of their wage claim.
The Morning Bulletin09 June 2014
ONLINE MENTORING FOR WOMEN IN MINING CONTINUES
With an increasing number of women working in the mining industry, the Australian Mines and Metals Association has welcomed funding that will continue an online mentoring program.
ABC News Radio06 February 2014
DRIVE WITH SANDY ALOISI
The resources industry has dismissed a call for a national wages accord. Scott Barklamb of the Mines and Metals Association says today’s industrial relationships landscape is vastly different to 30 years ago.
The Australian01 July 2014
ABETZ HELPS STATE FIGHT STRIKERS
AMMA chief executive Steve Knott said that enabling third parties to intervene on damaging strike action would provide “much-needed industrial power for the Western Australian government as well as employers facing crippling strikes”.
21 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
The Australian29 April 2014
MINERS SEE RISK OF INFLATED PAY DEALS
AMMA has warned that the Abbott government’s next wave of workplace policy changes threatened to lock in artificially inflated pay deals as a benchmark for future billion-dollar resources projects, with a Senate committee submission saying the proposed ‘prevailing industry standards’ test formed a “hard floor for workplace relations arrangements on future projects”.
Gas Today04 September 2014
OIL AND GAS SECTOR ONLY RESOURCE AREA TO SHOW INCREASE IN FEMALE EMPLOYEES
The resource industry’s national gender diversity initiative, the Australian Women in Resources Alliance, has called for greater efforts to increase the number of women in male-dominated roles, following a recent decline in women’s workforce participation.
The Australian28 January 2014
LET US PUT INDIGENOUS FIRST FOR JOBS: MINERS
AMMA has written to the indigenous jobs review headed by mining magnate Andrew Forrest to argue for many changes including stronger laws to make it easier to favour indigenous people when advertising jobs.
The West Australian28 January 2014
UNION ACTION THREATENS OIL AND GAS JOB SECURITY
Unjustifiable strikes will further erode petroleum sector’s competitivness, writes AMMA’s Richard Berriman. [opinion piece]
Radio: 2SM Sydney09 July 2014
NEWS HEADLINES
Australia’s resource industry believes the signing of the the Japan Australia economic partnership agreement will bring new opportunities to the nation. Scott Barklamb, Executive Director, Australian Mines and Metal Association believes it is a positive step. [Interview with Scott Barklamb, Executive Director, Australian Mines and Metal Association.]
22ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
SKILLS POLICY AND ADVOCACYIn 2014, AMMA’s strong reputation and influence with
national policy makers on workplace relations issues
has been greatly bolstered and complemented by our
growing role in shaping the national skills and training
policy landscape.
This broadening of AMMA’s policy scope and
recognition of expertise has allowed us to work with
the Abbott government in addressing a wider scope of
workplace challenges for AMMA members, which we
are confident will deliver tangible results for employers in
the near future.
VET REFORM PANEL PARTICIPATION
In 2014, AMMA was one of a select few industry
representative organisations handpicked by the
Australian Government’s Department of Industry to
assist in its range of reforms to Australia’s Vocational
Education and Training (VET) sector.
AMMA Executive Director Industry Services, Tara
Diamond, was appointed to Industry Minister Ian
Macfarlane’s Industry and Skills Advisory Committee in
August 2014 with a mandate to represent the needs
of all resource industry employers in this fundamental
reform area.
An engagement program with AMMA members was
undertaken in 2014 and will continue into 2015, with
insight and input collected for the Advisory Committee
across the following focus areas:
• Options to reduce regulation in the VET sector.
• Setting an approach to review standards for the
regulation of VET.
• The provision of direction and advice on the
relevance and responsiveness of training package
content and the overall system in which training is
developed.
• Reform of the trade apprenticeship system.
AMMA has also played a role in several major VET
reform announcements affecting employers in 2014,
and will continue to represent members’ interests
in taking advantage of the opportunities they offer.
Important announcements include:
• Establishment of a five-member VET Advisory
Committee, which includes AMMA’s Tara Diamond,
that will provide feedback to the government as it
continues reforms to the sector.
• Introduction of the Trade Support Loans.
• Changes to VET FEE-HELP arrangements.
• Streamlining boards and committees and
consolidating a number of Commonwealth
programs.
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCEAustralia’s resource industry is facing a complex and rapidly evolving skills and workforce availability landscape,
driven largely by the transition of many mega resource projects from the construction phase into long-term
production and export operations.
This natural evolution of Australia’s resource industry is having an impact on the skills and workforce dynamics of all
resource employers along the major project supply chain; large and small, from owner-operators to contractors and
allied service suppliers.
As the national resource industry employer group, AMMA is committed to helping resource employers tackle these
workforce challenges as they evolve in sync with the shifting industry landscape.
From our involvement in national skills policy development through to the upskilling of your people directly in your
workplaces, AMMA’s work in 2014 has greatly assisted our members in preparing for future people demands and
ensuring their access to a skilled and ready workforce.
23 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
• Expanded access to Commonwealth supported
places to students studying at all higher education
providers and for sub-bachelor qualifications.
• An independent review of the training regulator the
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
• New draft provider and regulator standards due to
come into effect on 1 January 2015.
• A move to a contestable model for the development
and maintenance of training packages.
INFLUENCING THE NEW INDUSTRY SKILLS FUND
AMMA has provided direct input the formation of a
$476 million Industry Skills Fund as part of the Australian
Government’s VET reforms and National Industry and
Competitiveness Agenda. Due to commence on 1
January 2015, the fund aims to assist industry to access
training and support services and is proposed to prioritise
micro, small and medium enterprises.
In its 2014 submission to the Department of Industry in
relation to the establishment of the fund, AMMA outlined
a range of concerns and recommendations on behalf of
the resource industry, including:
• Any funding model is responsive to the skills needs
of all organisations within priority areas including
mining equipment, technology, services and oil
and gas.
• There is an equal playing field for all organisations
regardless of size.
• There is parity (dollar for dollar approach) in the co-
contribution between industry and the government.
• Prioritisation of the fund should be based on merit and
the government’s immediate priority areas.
AMMA also outlined recommendations in relation to
the minimum criteria to access funding, payments for
services, and data reporting.
AMMA RTO SUBMISSION
AMMA also provided a submission in its own right as a
Registered Training Organisation (RTO) to the Vocational
Education and Training Taskforce in relation to the
revised Registered Training Organisation and Vocational
Education and Training Regulator Standards for public
consultation.
In its submission, AMMA’s RTO argued the new draft
standards are a step in the right direction from the
former draft standards developed by the National
Skills Standards Council, as they reduce red-tape,
avoid onerous levels of regulation and avoid imposing
unnecessary regulatory costs on training providers.
While this advocacy work has limited direct impact
on AMMA members’ own workplace regulation, our
influence in this area of skills policy development ensures
AMMA’s RTO service can continue to provide highly
specialised resource industry training and development
courses directly to member employees in their
workplaces.
24ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICESAs the resource industry’s most specialised Registered
Training Organisation (RTO), during 2014 AMMA has
continued to build on its strong capabilities in meeting
the training, workforce and skills development needs of
its resource industry members.
Demand for AMMA’s training services has grown in the
past 12 months, with a particular focus on delivering
practical competency and skills-based development
programs customised for members’ specific business
requirements. Repeat use of our services has continued
from a number of employers that have used AMMA as
their exclusive training provider for a number of years.
A broad spectrum and format of training courses has
been delivered by our internal trainers, including short
courses, fully accredited nationally recognised training,
skill development, management and competency
based training.
Trends in training demand from resource employers in
2014 can be summarised in the following key areas:
TAILORED TRAINING SOLUTIONS: More of AMMA’s
member companies are recognising that our training
products are most effective when contextualised to
specific on-site requirements and incorporated with
existing workplace policies and procedures. This has
seen a demonstrable increase in demand for AMMA’s
tailored training solutions, delivered on-site, almost
anywhere in the country.
LEADERSHIP TRAINING: Leadership training such as
frontline management (accredited) and the Supervisor’s
Toolkit course (non-accredited specialist course) have
experienced a large popularity increase, driven by a
need for employers’ to invest in their existing people
as new operational demands and wider workforce
challenges emerge.
EMPLOYEE RELATIONS: Legislative change and ongoing
challenges operating under the Fair Work Act continue
to see AMMA’s employee relations remain one of our
most popular areas of training delivery. This is bolstered
by the regular involvement of AMMA’s employee
relations consultants and/or legal practitioners.
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY: A range of workplace
health and safety training courses remain extremely
popular with AMMA members, ranging from the
accredited Diploma in WHS through to non-accredited
specialist courses in bullying and social media, and
discrimination and harassment.
LANGUAGE, LITERACY & NUMERACY: In 2014, AMMA
experienced a spike in demand for a specialist unit
involved in language, literacy and numeracy training
for qualified VET trainers and assessors. This was a direct
result of anticipated regulations that would require all
trainers and assessors to hold the qualification next year
FINAL ROUNDS OF NWDF IN 2014
In the early stages of 2014, AMMA secured a number
of new training contracts through the final phase of the
federal government’s National Workforce Development
Fund (NWDF).
The level of subsidies have substantially reduced the
net cost of training for employers across Australia, with
some AMMA members in Western Australia also securing
payroll tax exemptions (5.5%) for trainees enrolled in
registered traineeships.
With AMMA heavily promoting the potential financial
benefits of the NWDF and Traineeship program in 2014,
and assisting with securing funding where possible,
almost 350 participants successfully undertook nationally
recognised training during 2014.
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE CONTINUED...
25 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
AMMA TRAINING COURSES
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
UNIONS - RIGHT OF ENTRY AND BARGAINING
BARGAINING AND NEGOTIATION
DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT AND BULLYING AWARENESS
SUPERVISORY SKILLS
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY
COMMUNICATION
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
FRONTLINE MANAGEMENT
COURSES OFFERED NATIONWIDE
AMMA HAS BEEN DELIVERING SUPERIOR WORKFORCE
SERVICES TO AUSTRALIA’S RESOURCE INDUSTRY.
SINCE 1918
“AMMA HAS BEEN WORKING WITH PERILYA FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, IN THIS TIME AMMA HAS PROVIDED OUTSTANDING SUPPORT AND SERVICES THAT HAS ALWAYS MET AND OFTEN EXCEED PERILYA’S HIGH EXPECTATIONS.”
Peter Lean | Manager, Safety & Training
“TOGETHER WE HAVE CREATED AN EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAMME THAT IS DELIVERING THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND BEST-FIT
TRAINING SOLUTION TO OUR STAFF AS WE DEVELOP OUR CURRENT
AND FUTURE LEADERS.”
Narelle Aucote | Learning & Development Manager
26ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCESECURING FUNDING IN A TIGHT BUDGET
Due to last year’s Federal Budget cuts, funding
associated with Nationally Recognised Training was
reduced considerably across a number of government
programs, which also resulted in the cancellation of the
NWDF during 2014.
Despite this more limited funding, AMMA Training and
Development has continued to work with its members
in identifying other potential sources of funding and
subsidies, and assisted in identifying how these could
be worked into future workforce planning and
development activities.
AMMA has regularly communicated options for
funded training and the potential benefits to our
members, to ensure resource employers are taking
full advantage of any government co-investments in
upskilling and workforce development initiatives.
In 2014, this has also enabled a broader pool of our
members to take advantage of AMMA’s leading
training services, delivered flexibly across a spectrum
of forums and locations.
NATIONALLY RECOGNISED QUALIFICATIONS
• Certificate III in Resource Processing
• Certificate III in Underground Metalliferous Mining
• Certificate III in Surface Extraction Operations
• Certificate IV in Frontline Management
• Certificate IV in Human Resources
• Diploma in Human Resources Management
• Diploma in Management
• Certificate IV in Project Management Practice
• Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
• Diploma in Work, Health and Safety
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
• TAELLN411 Language, literacy and numeracy unit of
competency
NON-ACCREDITED COURSES (SHORT COURSES)
• Supervisor’s Tool Kit
• Art of Leadership
• Discipline and Termination – Reducing the Risk
• Contact Officer Discrimination and Harassment
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Bullying and Social Media
• Bargaining Skills
• EEO
• Union right of entry
• Employee Relations for Supervisors
CONTINUED...
27 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN RESOURCES ALLIANCE
Funded in partnership with the Australian Government, the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA) continues to develop and implement diversity strategies that contribute to an industry-wide goal of increasing women’s participation in the resource industry to 25% by 2020.
In 2014, AWRA has undertaken a number of important educational and mentoring activities and is continuing to support employers across the resource, allied and related construction industries with their gender diversity capability requirements.
Such activities, resources and programs include:
• The AWRA Pay Equity and Gender Diversity Survey, and the Pay Equity Special Interest Groups held in both Perth and Brisbane in early 2014.
• A gender diversity capability resource, the AWRA Toolkit, was also developed and distributed to more than 800 HR professionals across the wider resource industry. The toolkit contains the AWRA Way Forward Guides, relevant articles and templates.
• The AWRA Recognised Program, which received a great deal of interest from organisations interested in advancing their diversity programs. To date six assessments have been completed, with a number of others scheduled for late 2014/early 2015.
• The 2014 AWRA Forum, taking place in November in Perth, where attendees heard from resource employers and diversity experts on practical solutions to historical barriers preventing employment of women and Indigenous Australians in the resource industry.
• T he AWRA e-Mentoring Program, which received further funding from the Australian Government to run for another two years. The first program was completed in June 2014 and by this time had matched 103 pairs of mentees and mentors.
EMPLOYEE COMPARISON
RESOURCES INDUSTRY
164,300
970,000
194,700
974,200
221,700
1,007,900
272,900
946,300
266,900
1,025,800
237,400
1,028,500
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
13.43%
11.47%
14.59%
11.78%
15.58%
12.15%
14.01%
11.44%
15.52%
11.54%
14.86%
11.17%
22,100
111,300
2010
2010
2011
2011
2012
2012
2013
2013
2014
2014
2009
2009
28,400
114,700
34,500
122,500
38,200
108,300
41,400
118,400
35,300
114,900
Source: ABS Labour Force, Australian Detailed, Quarterly (AUG 2014)
28ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
HOW
CAN HELP YOU
AWRA RECOGNISED
PROGRAM
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
STATISTICAL COLLECTION
CASE STUDIES
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
CONFERENCE 2014
AWRA E-MENTORING
WEBSITE, LINKEDIN,
NEWSLETTERS
INDUSTRY WEBINARS WITH CASE
STUDIES
DIVERSITY CAPABILITY
WORKSHOPS
AWRA DATABASE
WAY FORWARD
GUIDES
AWRA continues to actively seek new stakeholder relationships and partnerships, one example being the country’s peak council of business organisations the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).
In 2014, AWRA worked with ACCI, UN Women, UN Global Compact, BPW International and the Australian Human Rights Commission, to organise a luncheon to coincide with the B20 Australia in July 2014 to raise awareness of the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles.
However, despite the efforts of AWRA and AMMA, and from the industry itself, unfortunately the amount of women employed in the industry is decreasing. This shows there is still much work to be done in 2015 and beyond.
INDIGENOUS TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT
AMMA has had an active involvement in the increased focus on Indigenous employment in the Australian resource industry throughout 2014.
Early in the year, following its participation in a roundtable discussion on the matter, AMMA made seven key recommendations to the Australian Government’s Review of Indigenous Training and Employment, led by AMMA member Fortescue Metals Group’s chairman Andrew Forrest.
The review was undertaken at the Prime Minister’s request to ensure Indigenous training and employment services were targeted and administered to connect unemployed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with real and sustainable jobs.
Mr Forrest released his report in August 2014, with targeted training, demand-driven employment services and a corporate leadership group among recommendations made to the government.
AMMA publicly welcomed the proposed measures and, as an important and ongoing industry stakeholder, looks forward to assisting in the implementation of the recommendations in the near future.
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE CONTINUED...
29 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
AMMA SKILLS PROJECTSIn addition to supporting the upskilling and workforce
development needs of our individual members, AMMA
also undertook a range of important activities in 2014 to
ensure the national resource industry has a consistent
and job-ready pipeline of future talent. These important
connections between jobseekers and employers have
been facilitated by AMMA through key government skills
and workforce partnerships, most notably the AMMA
Skills Connect initiative.
Throughout 2014, AMMA Skills Connect has offered
information events, training opportunities and work
placement for women, Indigenous jobseekers, retrenched
workers and the long-term unemployed looking to join the
resource industry culture. Already, AMMA Skills Connect
has created pathways to resource employment for more
than 800 jobseekers and is ramping up efforts to facilitate
such programs on a much larger scale to ease current
and future skills pressures in the industry.
A JOBSEEKER GUIDE TO THE RESOURCES INDUSTRY
Based on information gathered from both primary and
secondary research this jobseeker information package
was developed, designed and published in 2013/2014.
The guide is available on the AMMA website and on
various online recruitment boards. It was also distributed
to attendees at all of the 2014 AMMA jobseeker forums.
WA INDIGENOUS PROGRAMS
The first of these programs successfully trained 10
Indigenous job candidates in a four-week soft skills
and security training program in mine site security.
Significantly, this program led to real employment
outcomes upon completion. A second program,
delivered by AMMA Skills Connect in partnership with
Access Working Careers and ESS Support Services,
engaged 20 candidates in a two-week training and work
experience program for camp utility worker roles. These
candidates secured employment and continue to work
with ESS Support Services Worldwide.
NSW RESOURCE INDUSTRY JOBSEEKER FORUM
AMMA Skills Connect successfully designed and
delivered the ‘NSW Resource Industry Jobseekers Forum’
in 2014. This event was developed in collaboration with
NSW State Training Services and received more than
250 registrations, making it the largest AMMA jobseeker
initiative since our 2012 public jobs exhibition.
With presentations from resource industry employers,
the event provided a relaxed environment to educate
attendees about opportunities in the resource, related
construction and allied services sectors, the working
lifestyle and recruitment processes.
WORKFORCE PLANNING SHORT COURSE
In 2014 AMMA developed a workforce planning short
course to assist HR professionals in the resource industry
to effectively develop and/or improve their current
workforce planning strategies to recruit and retain the
best talent for their organisation.
CONNECTING WOMEN WITH PATHWAYS TO THE RESOURCES SECTOR PROGRAM
To complement the work done by AWRA, AMMA Skills
Connect implemented a pilot employment project to
connect women with pathways to the resource industry.
This included the following three stages:
1. Connecting women workshops
2. Connecting women employment forum
3. Connecting women virtual program
This initiative connected 1010 women with information on
the industry and training and employment pathways into
the sector.
CONNECTING INDUSTRY WITH TALENTED JOBSEEKERS
AMMA has delivered a national online jobseeker
platform utilising pre-screening information gathered
through our various other initiatives. Industry employers
were invited to access these candidate profiles.
30ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
The engaged employers accessed the profiles of over
1000 women, 175 Indigenous candidates from an overall
talent pool of 1500 pre-screen jobseekers to interview and recruit.
EFFORTS TO FACILITATE LABOUR MOBILITY
AMMA is doing its part through partnerships with other industry associations and employer groups, national training bodies and skills organisations to better facilitate transfer of skilled labour between the various sub-sectors of the construction industry, catering for fluctuations in demand.
One of the major objectives of the AMMA Skills Connect project is to seek skills solutions to ensure our national construction labour forces can be more mobile between residential building, commercial and major project construction. The importance of these efforts was seen in 2014 and will continue to be seen as many major projects move past peak construction period.
YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENTMaking sense of the current labour market and what changes can be expected in future will provide the foundation for understanding how the resource industry can tackle the skills and workforce challenges ahead. In 2015, AMMA will remain a major asset and source of this understanding for your skills and workforce needs.
While for now, the labour market is reasonably positioned to meet the existing needs of resource industry employers, AMMA’s efforts will continue to be critical in preparing for the skills impacts of the widespread transition occurring throughout the resource industry major project landscape.
We will continue to focus on delivery of a number of upskilling services, tools and initiatives developed to help resource employers achieve effective workforce outcomes by meeting their skills demands.
AMMA’s involvement in the federal government’s wide VET reform processes will ensure the skills needs of mining, oil and gas, related construction and allied sector employers
are represented in this important policy project. On behalf of our members, we will provide clear and detailed feedback to the Australian Government and other business community stakeholders to aid in the development of a more flexible and effective training system.
It is important to note that this VET review has already highlighted substantial changes to funding for VET training, while a new system for training standards is likely to be in place from early 2015. The Industry Skills Councils responsible for developing training packages and their related qualifications will also be replaced by new entities by July 2015.
These changes present both opportunities and challenges to AMMA’s Registered Training Organisation and other training operations. We will be focused on responding to any changes as the new system takes shape to ensure AMMA remains the most relevant, knowledgeable and valuable provider of training services for our members. In line with the government’s intentions, this may include a move away from full qualifications towards discrete units of competency or skill sets as more relevant to addressing specific resource industry training requirements.
This would also be in-line with trends in market demand in the latter stages of 2014, where we have experienced fewer enquiries about full national qualifications and more requests about skill sets and individual units along with training that can be delivered on-site by AMMA’s training providers.
In all its skills and workforce development initiatives, representative and advocacy activities, AMMA will continue to prioritise the longevity of employment outcomes in Australia’s resource industry and ensure we are helping provide access to a skilled and ready workforce to meet the ongoing and evolving needs of our industry.
PROVIDING A SKILLED AND READY WORKFORCE CONTINUED...
31 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
32ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDSAMMA’s work in the skilled migration space directly supports our members as they strive to remain competitive in the
global marketplace and make an important contribution to Australia’s economy and living standards.
While the Australian resource industry continues to provide highly-paid employment opportunities for Australians, the
unique expertise and skills offered by the international community plays a small but critical role in ensuring AMMA
members can deliver projects on time and on budget.
Not only is the recruitment of highly-skilled overseas workers critical to the safe and timely delivery of project
milestones in our sector, their presence creates and supports large numbers of Australian jobs. To that end, AMMA
provides its members with both ongoing advocacy and leadership in the skilled migration policy area, as well as
practical hands-on advice and services through its Migration Services division.
Throughout 2014, AMMA has worked to ensure the industry’s overseas recruitment strategies remain minimally
impacted by the changing regulatory environment and ongoing union campaigns in this sensitive area.
INFLUENCING SKILLED MIGRATION POLICYSkilled migration policy and regulation remained a
critical part of AMMA’s focus in 2014 as we continued to
support our members in navigating the skills and labour
requirements according to different project phases.
With the change in federal government in late 2013,
AMMA welcomed the Coalition’s commitment to
making changes to the regulatory environment across
the breadth of migration compliance areas to ensure
Australian industry can properly support economic
and employment growth domestically. AMMA further
welcomes the government’s consultative approach
and commitment to working with industry to achieve
practical outcomes.
OFFSHORE MIGRATION POLICY
AMMA successfully guided its members through the
intricacies of numerous developments in offshore
migration policy this year, including convening special
interest groups of interested members and sending
regular updates and alerts to keep members apprised of
developments and their key risks.
AMMA’s lobbying and advocacy minimised the
damage to many AMMA member operations that arose
from the actions of Labor, the Greens and others in the
Senate in disallowing government regulations. Those
actions put in jeopardy the continued operation of
resource projects offshore.
With a sensible Federal Court decision handed down
in September 2014 upholding the latest government
measures in this area, it is hoped the offshore resource
industry can now enjoy some certainty in terms of
compliance with their migration requirements.
AMMA’s success in mitigating the impacts of the former
government’s legislation and policies in this area
underscore AMMA’s national leadership in this complex
area of regulation.
457 VISA INTEGRITY REVIEW
The government’s key initiatives included launching
a review into the integrity of the 457 visa program in
early 2014, seeking to ensure the scheme is flexible and
responsive to industry yet retaining sufficient integrity and
protections for workers.
AMMA made a comprehensive submission to the Review
into the Integrity of the 457 Temporary Skilled Migration
Visa Program and met with the panel in person to
highlight the priorities for industry.
33 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
AMMA’s submission made a raft of recommendations
to improve the current system including: removing
the impost of labour market testing on employers;
streamlining the process for intercompany transfers;
ensuring consistency in visa processing and decision
making; reducing the ‘market salary rates’ threshold; and
modifying the English language testing requirements.
In all those areas, AMMA proposed practical and
responsible solutions that the government should
urgently adopt.
The review panel’s report was handed down shortly
before AMMA’s 2014 Skilled Migration Conference in
September 2014, with numerous panel recommendations
reflecting AMMA’s policy and advocacy. While the
government has yet to formally adopt any of the
recommendations, Minister for Immigration & Border
Protection, Scott Morrison, has signalled the government’s
early support for some, including:
• Streamlining the negotiation process for labour
agreements following feedback from AMMA that the
current negotiation process was extremely difficult
and time-consuming, often taking years to finalise
an agreement to cover a small number of necessary
international workers.
• Implementing more practical and effective standards
for English language testing to ensure a fit for purpose
approach. The panel’s key recommendation here
was to require an average score of ‘5’ across the
different sections of the test rather than a hard and
fast ‘5’ in every section. Importantly, this means that if
a score of less than 5 is acceptable in some areas, it
has to be exceeded in others.
• Reducing the threshold below which market salary
rate comparisons (comparisons with equivalent
Australian workers) are required from the current
$250,000 to $180,000 a year – the latter being the
longstanding limit that was in place before the former
Labor government raised the bar.
AMMA looks forward to the government’s response to
the review panel’s recommendations and will continue
to highlight the most important changes from a resource
industry perspective.
DESIGNATED AREA MIGRATION AGREEMENTS (DAMAS)
Designated Area Migration Agreements (DAMAs) were a
new development in skilled migration policy to emerge
during 2014. This new migration program represented a
very important social and economic policy approach
to effectively manage the impact that major resource
projects were having on other business’s ability to access
local labour in particular geographical areas.
DAMAs started off as Regional Migration Agreements
(RMAs) under the previous government and in essence
are an agreement for a geographical area where skills
shortages have emerged. DAMAs, unlike RMAs, are not
limited to a regional area but a ‘designated area’ which
could be a state or a geographical region within a state.
AMMA is disappointed the union campaign against
DAMAs has claimed it allows for overseas workers to be
paid less than Australian workers. That is absolutely not
the case. Contrary to the union scare campaign, an
employer can only pay an overseas worker the same as
or more than an Australian worker.
AMMA supports this new type of agreement as responsible
and forward-thinking policy making that recognises and
assists with complex skills considerations across various
Australian communities and business sectors.
34ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDSENTERPRISE MIGRATION AGREEMENTS (EMAS) AND LABOUR AGREEMENTS
Early in 2014, AMMA was invited to take part in the
Department of Immigration & Border Protection’s
consultation over revised guidelines for enterprise
migration agreements (EMAs) and labour agreements.
AMMA is again pleased to see the government focus on
deregulating this area and making it more responsive to
business needs.
The Department subsequently announced at AMMA’s
2014 Skilled Migration Conference that EMAs were
being revamped into ‘project agreements’ that would
potentially extend to major infrastructure projects as well
as resource projects.
With the government having already signalled its
support for streamlining the negotiation process for
labour agreements, AMMA looks forward to further
announcements in this area consistent with the
government’s commitment to working with industry.
REVIEW OF THE 400 SERIES VISA PROGRAM
In September 2014, AMMA was invited to participate
in the review of skilled migration and the 400 series visa
programs. AMMA particularly welcomes the review’s focus
on identifying unnecessary red tape for employers and
developing a more flexible and responsive visa framework.
The 400 series program allows for the temporary entry
of overseas workers to Australia for economic, social
or cultural reasons. This program has transformed the
character of the Australian workforce by enhancing its
size and skill level which has resulted in superior labour
market outcomes.
To further improve outcomes, the government is
committed to developing a new skilled migration
framework that is adaptable and flexible to future labour
market needs, positioning the Australian economy for
future competitiveness and prosperity.
AMMA’s input to the review will be important in shaping
the new visa framework for years to come.
AMMA SKILLED MIGRATION POLICY SUBMISSIONS
Departmental Review into Enterprise Migration
Agreement (EMA) and Resource Sector Labour
Agreement (RSLA) Submission Guideline - May
Submission to the Independent Review of
Integrity in the Subclass 457 Program - May
Submission to the Senate Standing Committees
on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on the
Migration Amendment (Offshore Resources
Activity) Repeal Bill 2014 - April
Confidential Submission to the Department of
Immigration & Border Protection on the new
visa pathway under the Migration Amendment
(Offshore Resources Activity) Act 2013 – February
DELIVERING SPECIALISED MIGRATION SOLUTIONSIn addition to the value AMMA members receive from
our influence and engagement with national decision
makers for Australia’s skilled migration regulatory and
legislative framework, AMMA also offers high quality and
specialised expertise in facilitating resource employers’
practical access to international talent pools.
Throughout 2014, AMMA Migration Services has delivered
expert skilled migration advice and strategic consultation
to member companies seeking time-critical solutions for
expatriate staffing requirements within their Australian
operations.
In instances where local candidates cannot be sourced
to undertake highly skilled, specialist positions for ongoing
projects, AMMA Migration Services facilitates member
access to temporary skilled international labour to ensure
project timeframes and budgetary goals are achieved
with precision and efficiency.
CONTINUED...
35 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
A DISTINCT ADVANTAGE
Through AMMA membership, resource employers
receive the strongest migration expertise in the country
at competitive rates, while additional value is gained
through integration with the wider resources, skills and
knowledge of AMMA’s consultancy, legal, and policy
capabilities.
Our distinct advantage over both domestic and
international-based traditional migration agencies is our
single-minded focus on the complexities, operational
needs and labour market conditions facing resource
employers in Australia.
This unparalleled understanding of our members’
requirements and capability to tailor solutions specifically
for unique individual circumstances in the resource
industry provides a distinct advantage to AMMA
members using our migration expertise.
No other migration agency can offer the intertwined
relationship with the resources industry that AMMA
Migration Services both enjoys and cultivates.
ADVICE AND DEMAND IN 2014
The past 12 months has seen the greatest demand
for AMMA’s Migration Services coming from sectors
including onshore and offshore drilling, subsea and
above ground pipe-lay, exploration and mining, plant
construction and asset commissioning.
These are the areas of our industry that continue
to face unique skills challenges that require local
expertise and capabilities to be bolstered and
complemented with international experience.
Specific services and advice provided in 2014
includes:
• Provision of high level, strategic migration advice
and consultancy.
• Assessment of company eligibility to access
the skilled temporary business entry and skilled
permanent residency visa subclasses.
• Preparation and lodgement of business sponsorship
applications.
• Assistance with corporate compliance of business sponsorship obligations.
• Assistance with regulatory compliance activities.
• Preparation and lodgement of temporary business entry visas.
• Preparation and lodgement of permanent skilled migration visas.
• Preparation and lodgement of occupational trainee sponsorship application.
• Preparation and lodgement of occupational trainee visa streams.
• Preparation and lodgement of any other non-corporate temporary and permanent residency visa
on request.
MIGRATION SERVICES
EMPLOYER SPONSORED MIGRATION
SKILLED MIGRATION
ENTERPRISE MIGRATION AGREEMENTS
LABOUR AGREEMENTS
TRAINING VISAS
MIGRATION APPEALS
36ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
PROVIDING CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY
Australian immigration is a dynamic and fluid area
of law with frequent regulatory change. In the area
of corporate skilled migration, understanding how
such change affects your operations both provides
a competitive advantage and is vitally important to
reducing exposure to any compliance risks.
This is where AMMA comes in.
Working in tandem with AMMA’s policy team,
AMMA’s migration experts are constantly analysing
how our members use certain work visas to formulate
highly reasoned recommendations to the Australian
Government. These invaluable activities come at no
extra cost to members utilising our Migration Services.
It is also incredibly important for AMMA’s Migration team
to provide clarity and consistency of service directly
to individual members and clients. This guidance and
direction empowers those affected to successfully
navigate the changing regulatory landscape and
maintain compliance with their immigration obligations.
SKILLED MIGRATION ENGAGEMENT
2014 AMMA SKILLED MIGRATION CONFERENCE
This year, AMMA hosted its fourth annual Skilled Migration
Conference. This popular specialist event allows
migration practitioners to learn about and discuss the
impacts of legislative change and industry trends, while
also bringing human resources and workplace relations
professionals up to speed on all the latest developments
affecting Australia’s skilled migration program.
Taking place in Perth’s CBD, the 2014 Skilled Migration
Conference covered the practical impacts of recent
legislative and regulatory changes. An impressive line-up
of speakers from industry and government provided their
insights on a range of policy issues including enterprise
migration agreements, labour agreements, the 457 visa
program, offshore visa regulation, future skills needs of
the industry and the skills assessment process.
Speakers at this year’s event included Senator the Hon
Michaelia Cash, the Assistant Minister for Immigration
& Border Protection; Labor’s Shadow Minister for
Immigration & Border Protection, Richard Marles,
Department of Immigration & Border Protection assistant
secretary David Wilden, and 457 review panel member
and ACCI Director, Jenny Lambert
AMMA MEMBER SURVEYS
AMMA’s policy and migration teams continue to engage
with our members through a range of communication
tools to ensure our advocacy and lobbying activities
in the skilled migration space, as well as the practical
services we offer, truly reflect the needs and unique
circumstances of the industry and its workplaces.
To further engage with our members attending the 2014
Skilled Migration Conference, AMMA conducted an
online survey leading up to the event seeking members’
views on important aspects of the skilled migration
scheme that were then explored throughout the course
of the day.
Key issues that our members identified in the survey that
they wanted to highlight to the government and policy
makers included:
Dr Ruth Shean from the WA Department of Training and Workforce Development, speaking at AMMA’s 2014 Skilled Migration Conference
ASSISTING WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL SKILLS NEEDS CONTINUED...
37 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
• The ongoing need to fill some highly specialised roles
with skills and expertise only internal staff from other
countries can bring.
• The need to utilise on Australian projects those
international personnel who are experienced in
bringing mega projects online, providing a greater
degree of assurance in terms of project delivery.
• The benefits Australian workers get from working
alongside overseas workers when those workers share
their international experience with Australian peers.
This is a reciprocal knowledge sharing and often helps
Australian workers to better perform their roles.
The survey also revealed that a significant proportion of
our members’ 457 visa workers, often in the realm of 50
per cent, convert to permanent residency, bringing a
welcome permanent injection of skills and experience for
the benefit of future generations of Australians.
YEAR AHEAD FOR SKILLED MIGRATIONAMMA’s role in assisting with the international skills needs
of employers in our resource industry will continue in
2015 as more major projects shift from construction
to production and the emphasis on particular skills
continues to evolve.
Both AMMA’s policy representation and specialist
migration services will be critically important in this
journey.
From a policy perspective, AMMA’s work in 2015 will
focus on ensuring that the right policy parameters for
the enterprise migration agreement (EMA) and labour
agreement streams are put in place to ensure industry is
prepared for when skills shortages again loom large.
AMMA’s advice and advocacy will continue in relation to
the 457 visa review recommendations and which particular
ones need to be taken up in the short term. While the
government has signalled it is not of a mind to completely
remove the punitive labour market testing requirements,
AMMA will continue to highlight the unwarranted
regulatory burden this presents for employers.
AMMA Migration Services expects 2015 to continue
delivering growth as more areas of AMMA’s wider
membership becomes aware of our capabilities in
meeting their migration requirements including offering
the full suite of visa processing capabilities, providing
strategic migration advice and liaising with the
Department of Immigration and Border Protection on
members’ behalf.
Specific increased demand is forecast from members
who operate predominantly in the onshore and offshore
drilling sectors as they move into a sustained growth
cycle. Our migration experts will also continue to provide
support and advice to key maritime activities operating
within and outside Australia’s migration zone.
AMMA Migration Services will also throughout 2015 assist
members in transitioning members of their skilled foreign
workforce into permanent residency, thus permanently
building Australia’s skills base for the future.
AMMA’s practical advice, leadership and advocacy
in the skilled migration space will continue to deliver
ongoing and long-term benefits for Australian industry
and the wider community as we seek to facilitate the
transfer of skills, expertise and knowledge from right
around the world. AMMA will also continue to highlight
the often overlooked fact that employing skilled workers
from overseas creates local Australian jobs for the future.
Delegates of the 2014 AMMA Skilled Migration Conference
38ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRYAMMA membership creates a unified industry representative body, facilitating unique opportunities for engagement,
networking and sharing of knowledge and insight.
In 2014, the benefits of AMMA membership in being part of an engaged and unified industry have proven as
important as ever, allowing our members to collectively address complex challenges facing our industry as a whole,
and provide support in delivering ongoing value to Australia’s economic and employment landscape.
AMMA has facilitated this greater level of collaboration, unity and engagement across our industry through a
refocused strategic approach to membership, highly effective member communication tools and a growing
calendar of conferences, events and forums.
MEMBERSHIPAs the resource industry continues its transition into a long term production phase, following a period of heightened construction activity, AMMA members are being presented with unique challenges and opportunities.
In recognising this changing focus as an opportunity, AMMA is actively engaging across our entire membership base and beyond to properly understand these challenges. In so doing we continue to uniquely position ourselves to assist our members through representation and the provision of services that are relevant and valued.
In recent years the rapid growth in greenfield and brownfield major resource projects, including the construction of seven of the world’s 10 largest natural gas developments, has seen a significant increase in new members joining AMMA from all areas of the engineering and construction supply chain, as well as the hydrocarbons project operators themselves. The service demands from these new members ensures they are engaged and are adding to the diversity of our already broad membership base.
On top of this a natural consequence of the market transition has been to refocus AMMA back to the diversity of our traditional membership base, including those involved in onshore precious minerals, hard rock mining and related service providers.
This emerging combination of our actively engaged newer members and our reengaged traditional base has ensured that AMMA has not only maintained but indeed expanded our reach into all areas of the
resource and allied sectors. This focus has allowed AMMA to consolidate its rapid growth to better represent the national industry with a collective voice that is
sustainable into the future.
As Australia’s only truly national resource sector
employer group, AMMA is uniquely placed to actively
represent the policy requirements of our broader industry
while delivering a range of service solutions directly to
our members’ workplaces.
MEMBER COMMUNICATIONSThroughout 2014, AMMA regularly communicated a
range of breaking news, policy or political developments,
and information relating to our activities, services and
events directly to our wider membership base.
Such communication remains key for ongoing
engagement between AMMA and its members and
provides important feedback to guide and align our
broader activities with resource employer needs.
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- Visa stability returned to offshore sector- Carbon tax axed, next the MRRT- Mining tax repeal in limbo
- AMMA talks IR reform at Productivity Forum- Industry Briefings to feature AMMA expertise- One application can cover many workers: FWC
- Lend your support to aspiring resource women- Visa updates at Skilled Migration Conference- AMMA boosts employee relations expertise
- Qualify your performers in skills assessment- Reduce risk with workplace relations training- Motivate your workforce toward an HR career
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AMMA | The Resource Industry Employer Group | Weekly News
- Statement on Fair Work appeals bench- AMMA Skilled Migration Conf – 1 week to go!
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WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
The primary direct member communications tool is the
electronically delivered AMMA Weekly News Update. In
early 2014, AMMA’s communications team reviewed our
member communications and, responding to member
feedback, redesigned a weekly AMMA news service
with more relevant and better-honed content. This
communications tool provides AMMA members with:
• Summaries on the latest workplace relations court
and tribunal decisions and case law, with advice
from our consultants and lawyers on implications for
resource employers.
• Important policy and legislative updates from
AMMA’s policy team, including how new
developments may impact your workplaces.
• Political and industry news.
• Promotion of AMMA’s events and upcoming training
and development courses.
The Weekly News Update has also successfully compiled
the majority of our member emails into a single source of
delivery. The effectiveness of this streamlining of AMMA’s
member communications is reflected in increased
open rates, higher content readership and anecdotal
feedback.
RESOURCE PEOPLE
Now in its third year, AMMA’s signature magazine
Resource People continues to grow in popularity and
readership. This quarterly publication is distributed to
5000 professionals in the resource industry, catering for
a range of ‘people’ disciplines including IR, HR, training,
leadership, migration, OHS and more.
Resource People is a highly effective AMMA
communications tool and features a range of resource
industry news, updates and features. Importantly, the
magazine presents as an independent resource industry
publication, allowing Resource People to build significant
interest from outside AMMA’s membership and in the
broader media marketplace during 2014.
The magazine provides AMMA members with an
excellent opportunity to promote their initiatives and
successes in various workforce areas. Key feature stories
during 2014 included:
• The people and cultural strategies behind Gold Fields’ mine acquisitions in WA.
• The community and employment value delivered by INPEX’s Ichthys project to Darwin.
• Success of the Thiess ‘Women in Mining’ action plan.
• Chevron human resources feature.
• MMG graduate recruitment and training programs.
• Sodexo’s new comprehensive mine wellbeing initiative.
• Aboriginal Maritime Limited’s Indigenous employment
outcomes.
AMMA members are encouraged to get involved with Resource People and utilise this magazine to share your expertise or promote positive stories from within your
workplaces.
Issue 005 Spring ‘13 – Summer ‘14
Bechtel’s Andy Greig
Transfield Services
talks Curtis Island Lng
projects and 60 years in
Australia
expanding its footprint
Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane
PLUS exclusive feature with Leighton’s global HR boss Dharma Chandran
Bluestone Mines builds capacity
Abbott and Abetz: policy scorecard
Issue 006 Autumn 2014
PLUS Tony Abbott’s resources vision and Stornoway’s story
Sodexo CEO talks mine wellbeing initiative
HEALTH IN FOCUS
FIFO program a soaring success
Rio energy chief’s productivity call
Farstad navigates gender diversity
Issue 007 Winter 2014
PLUS Fair Work changes reviewed and mining’s new dress code
Minister Robb talks new trade deals
La Mancha upskills for golden era
BHP fires up for coal demand
Harnessing Chevron’s
human energy
Graduates rate MMG
PLUS mental health focus; industry awards; and Howard talks IR
Secrets of Clough’s transformation
Downer’s onsite succession coaching
Fortescue boss rallies for reform
Ichthys LNG: Darwin’s
crown jewel comes to lifeThiess women a winning formula
Issue 008 Spring 2014
40ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
AMMA EVENTSIn 2014, AMMA’s wide range of conferences and
events continued to deliver important forums for
engagement and consultation on the unique
challenges and developments occurring throughout
the Australian resource industry.
Delivered nationwide through a series of major
conferences, workshops and exclusive member-only
regional forums, these events provided valuable
opportunities for members to network, share ideas and
information, and develop important business contacts.
2014 RESOURCE PEOPLE SUMMIT
AMMA’s hallmark annual event was this year
rebranded the 2014 Australian Resource People
Summit and was met with great success from across
our membership.
This significant industry event attracted more than 400
delegates to Perth to hear from some of Australia’s
most respected thought-leaders across the resource
industry and workplace policy authorities. Keynote
speakers included:
• Fortescue Metals Group CEO, Nev Power.
• Bechtel Mines & Metals President, Shaun Kenny.
• Chevron Australia’s GM of Human Resources,
Kaye Butler.
• Assistant Minister for Immigration,
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash.
• Orica Limited Managing Director and CEO and
AMMA President, Ian Smith.
• Transfield Services Managing Director and CEO,
Graeme Hunt.
• Farstad Shipping (Indian Pacific) Managing
Director, Wayne Aitken.
Former PM John Howard addressing AMMA members at the 2014 Resource People Summit
Assistant Minister for Immigration Senator Michaelia Cash at AMMA’s national event
AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY CONTINUED...
41 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
Joining these high profile speakers were a number
of human resources, workplace relations and
workforce development practitioners from within
AMMA’s membership. The event included a selection
of informative breakout sessions and interactive
workshops covering human resources, operational
health and safety, external affairs and workplace
relations with a focus on mental health.
A highlight of the two-day conference was the much
anticipated keynote address by former Australian
Prime Minister John Howard, who spoke on workplace
relations reform and economic management of the
resource industry.
The 2014 Australian Resource People Summit also
brought together a large number of exhibitors,
including AMMA’s Corporate Partners, for valuable
business-to-business networking.
Fortescue CEO Nev Power spoke on workplace relations reform
AMMA’s 2014 Resource People Summit attracted hundreds of industry delegates.
42ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRY CONTINUED...
2014 AMMA INDUSTRY AWARDS
Through our annual Industry Awards AMMA continues to
recognise innovation, best practices and success stories
in human resources, recruitment, workplace relations,
Indigenous employment and gender diversity across our
membership.
The 2014 AMMA Industry Awards featured some of the
best-ever work of our members, who were recognised
and awarded the 2014 AMMA Annual Gala Dinner,
taking place during our national event the 2014
Resource People Summit. 2014 winners included:
• 30 Year Membership: Cape Flattery Silica Mines
• 20 Year Membership: CGG
• 20 Year Membership: Perilya
• Young Professional Award: Kristen Lukas, IR Advisor
with Chevron Australia
• Indigenous Employment & Retention: Offshore Marine
Services Alliance
• Australian Women in Resource Alliance Award: Thiess
Nominations for AMMA’s 2015 awards will open early
in the New Year – stay tuned through the AMMA Weekly
News Update and ensure your organisation lodges its
nominations.
AMMA REGIONAL FORUMS AND ONE-DAY EVENTS
AMMA members also enjoyed a number of tailored
one-day events throughout the year, providing practical
insights and tools for use in the workplace and facilitating
a high level of engagement with resource professionals
from every corner of the industry.
The 2014 one-day event program expanded to include
the AWRA (Australian Women in Resources Alliance)
Forum focusing on workforce diversity and saw the
return of the popular Skilled Migration Conference (see
information on pages 28 and 37).
AMMA’s regional industry briefings and member forums,
held across the country at the start and end of 2014, also
provided members with common professional interests to
engage and discuss issues relating their specific industry
sub-sector or region.
Chevron IR advisor Kristen Lukas accepting the 2014 AMMA Young Professional Award
43 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
The scene of AMMA’s 2014 Gala Dinner and Industry Awards 44ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014
AN ENGAGED AND UNIFIED INDUSTRYEVENTS IN 2015
The AMMA 2015 Resource People Conference will take
place at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth on August 20-21
and will build on this year’s successful new platform.
Following feedback from AMMA members, the theme
and content of the 2015 conference will revolve around
‘engagement’. The program will feature dedicated
‘workplace relations’ and ‘human resources’ streams,
together with interactive and informative plenary
sessions, including:
• Keynote presentations from senior executives in the
national resource industry.
• Political keynote addresses from influential federal
government ministers.
• Panel discussions on workforce issues featuring
industry leaders, practitioners and special guests.
• A range of pressing topics including labour mobility,
performance and profitability, workforce planning,
diversity, mental health, skills development and
much more.
BEYONDBLUE PARTNERSHIP
In 2014 AMMA partnered with leading national
mental health awareness organisation beyondblue
to provide ongoing assistance and resources in this
critically important area. The partnership is in support of
beyondblue’s Heads Up initiative, which encourages the
Australian business community to take action to improve
mental health in the workplace.
Launched among resource employers at the end of
year AMMA Industry Briefings, the Heads Up program has
since gained momentum across the mining, oil and gas
sectors as an initiative to help employers build mentally
healthy workplace cultures.
In 2015, this partnership will offer valuable help to
our members in providing mentally safe and healthy
workplace environments.
CORPORATE PARTNERS PROGRAMNow in its sixth year, the AMMA Corporate Partnership
Program continues to provide unparalleled opportunities
to service and suppling companies with real value to
offer resource industry employers.
In 2014 AMMA welcomed a new ‘Platinum Partner’
– our premium level of industry engagement - in GU
Health, which offers exclusive corporate health plans to
the resource industry.
AMMA’s Corporate Partners program plays a key role in
providing AMMA members with access to the best value
products and service solutions to workforce requirements
of the Australian resource industry.
The development of business relationships with the
various best practice suppliers involved in the program
during 2014 has delivered additional value and
corporate connections to AMMA members.
The continued growth of the AMMA Corporate
Partnership Program shows more companies are
recognising the benefits of connecting with AMMA
and the broad industry sub-sectors and major
employers we represent.
CONTINUED...
45 AMMA | RESOURCE INDUSTRY EMPLOYER GROUP
CORPORATE PARTNERS
AMMA’s Corporate Partnership Program provides unparalleled opportunities for companies to promote their products and services to the resource industry. The program has a range of levels with partnership benefits and can be tailored to meet a company’s requirements.
Big Sky has supported the resources sector for over 40 years, providing a full range
of financial products and services to the employees and families of well known
resources companies and suppliers to the mining industry.
Vincent Lewis T 03 8682 4332 E [email protected] A 114 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205www.bigsky.net.au
Coverforce was established in 1994 as a specialist provider of income protection
and ancillary workers compensation insurance, to workers in the Australian
construction industry. The business started with the simple philosophy of delivering
an uncompromising level of service that exceeded the customer’s expectation.
Justine McDonald T 02 9376 7803 E [email protected] A Level 12, 9 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000www.coverforce.com.au
GU Health is the only corporate health insurance specialist in Australia. We’re
focused solely on providing innovative health insurance products to corporates,
identifying your company’s unique needs to deliver a tailored experience and
expert service you can depend on.
David Slack-Smith T 02 9256 8743 E [email protected] A Level 6, 88 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000 www.guhealth.com.au
SILVER PARTNERS
Claire Green T 03 5421 5100 E [email protected]
Tom Hatch T 1300 337 000 E [email protected]
Julian Smith T 1300 669 155 E [email protected]
Luke Deayton T 07 3868 0972 E [email protected]
Natalie Dixon T 08 8132 7400 E [email protected]
Tim Baker T 1800 824 227 E [email protected]
Ivan HoeT 08 9417 7321 E [email protected]
Nicole AshbyT 08 6188 7670 E [email protected]
Michele Grow T 02 8295 2200 E [email protected]
PLATINUM PARTNERS
46ACTIVITIES REPORT 2014