SM129_Shift Miner Magazine

SHIFT MINERMonday 30th January 129 Edition 2012The Queensland mining community’s best source of local news

M A G A Z I N E

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NewsWhat’s happening with your EA? » page 4

News$105K is poor in Moranbah » page 6

NewsWhat you don’t want through your windscreen » page 9

NewsAll jacked up on site » page 12

Around TownBack to school on the Coalfields » page 15

Off ShiftKilling the off shift boredom » page 22

Money MattersIndustrial bottleneck in Mackay » page 25

Locally Owned and Operated - www.shiftminer.com

POACHING workers from overseas has been part of the skills shortage solu-tion in Queensland for many years - but those days could be over.

As the resources sector ramps up for what’s meant to be bumper and unprece-dented boom years - an employment analyst

is warning there might not be enough skilled workers the world over to man it.

Skilled workers from South Africa, the US, Canada and the UK are currently found across the mining and construction sites of central Queensland.

However, research carried out by employ-

ment website The Resource Channel has found those traditional labour pools are drying up.

In fact, according to the research, not one of those countries can be relied upon to deliver a strong supply of skilled labour in the future.

» continued page 10

Meet QAL’s newest apprentices » Page 10

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NEWS 7 Family probe Looking at the

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8 Overhauling rescue

QMRS shake up

9 Imports up Machines

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11 Jobs rort Shonky

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CONTENTS

129th EDITION. 2012

Page 4 - Shift Miner Magazine, 30th January 2012

LANDHOLDERS are becoming increas-ingly frustrated with discussions surround-ing proposed rail lines from the Galilee Basin to the coast.

There are six rail lines proposed for the region which effects close to 100 landholders.

Clermont grazier and member of the Corridor to Coast Galilee Network steer-ing committee John Burnett said he felt many farmers were switching off from the debate.

“Landholders have got businesses to run and if they don’t see any need to spend time in a process that’s going nowhere they won’t,” he said.

“Most landholders are just turning off from the process, they aren’t interested spending another day talking crap.”

Mr Burnett’s comments could be a trig-ger for rail line proponents to fine-tune their work quickly or risk losing the sup-port of a key stakeholder group.

Landholders would prefer to see one line built through the region, with coal companies to share the line.

But the sticking point is that all the major players including Hancock Coal, Adani, Cockatoo Coal and BHP are all

happy to share the line - but they all want to own it.

BHP Billiton Metallurgical Coal Pres-ident, Hubie van Dalsen, said the compa-ny was working closely with landholders to address their concerns and learn from local knowledge.

“Some landowners have previous-ly expressed concerns about the effect of multiple proposed rail corridors on land-holdings,” he said.

“We have listened to their concerns and acted on the advice of the Queensland government in pursuing a common corri-dor which could be used by other propo-nents.”

Hancock Coal is currently trucking coal from its Alpha test pit but the longer term future of the Galilee Basin reserves hinge on the development of a mine-to-port rail system.

Hancock is the most advanced of all the propopents in the region - and in a recent statement said it was committed to work-ing with landholders.

“We are not just talk. We believe actions speak louder than words,” the statement read.

NEWS

THE unions have rejected BMA’s latest version of a new enterprise agreement for 4000 workers at the company’s seven cen-tral Queensland mine sites.

Mass meetings will be held across the Bowen Basin this week for union dele-gates to inform workers about what is in the agreement and why it was rejected at the negotiation table.

BMA has agreed to the meetings, and has offered to pay its employees for up to three hours to enable the meetings to go ahead.

The break down comes after the first

positive steps were made towards an agree-ment in more than 12 months.

Two weeks ago both sides were talk-ing optimistically about the progress being made since talks resumed in the new year.

But now, it seems, it is back to square one.

CFMEU district president Steve Smyth said there were a number of sticking points with the new agreement.

“What they are offering is actually less than what our members are currently work-ing under,” he said.

Mr Smyth said union concerns revolved

around housing arrangements, site sched-ules and the flat bonus structure.

The union also wants an employee representation clause re-included in the agreement after it was changed when Work-Choices was brought in.

“BMA talk about union privileges but they are union rights that was taken away under WorkChoices,” he said.

“We did not sell them, they were taken away - and now we want them back.”

But BMA asset president Steve Dumb-le said the outstanding issues were largely those items that would limit BMA’s ability

to manage its business effectively.He said the key issues holding up

progress relate more to union ‘benefits’ as opposed to employee benefits.

“BMA has agreed to retain existing union arrangements but will not agree to extend them, nor agree to have manage-ment discretion impacted,” he said.

BMA has already taken an agreement to its employees without union support last year - but it was rejected at the ballot.

The company says its preference is to have another employee ballot as soon as possible, and preferably with union support.

Frustration mounts over Galilee rail systemsBHP preferred line from GoonyellaBHP Billiton has lodged its preferred rail option from its Goonyella Mine north of Moranbah to the Abbot Point Coal Terminal with the state government for assessment.

The 232-kilometre Bowen Basin line will ultimately allow the annual export of up to 60 million tonnes of metallurgi-cal coal.

The proposed route also shows a rail corridor that can be used for other lines being proposed in the region.

The state government has indicated it wants one shared line, but major com-panies are still investigating their own options.

BHP Billiton metallurgical coal pres-ident, Hubie van Dalsen, said the com-pany actively supported the concept of a common corridor for multiple rail users

and would include a dedicated BHP Bil-liton line.

“We have been working closely with local landowners, many of whom have lived on the same properties for decades,” Mr van Dalsen said.

“Some landowners have previous-ly expressed concerns about the effect of multiple proposed rail corridors on land-holdings.”

“We have listened to their concerns and acted on the advice of the Queens-land government in pursuing a common corridor which could be used by other proponents.”

“Local knowledge is providing a crit-ical perspective on potential issues like stock crossings, flooding and environmen-tal issues in determining the proposed corridor.”

“We have been working closely with local landowners, many of whom have lived on the same properties for decades.”

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EA rejected, mass meetings to be held

129th EDITION. 2012


Miner breaks arm in ventilation doorINVESTIGATIONS are continuing into how a 56-year-old underground miner trapped his arm in a ventilation door on a central Queensland mine site. The miner was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital early last Monday after the accident at Anglo American’s Grasstree mine near Middlemount. He was treated by mine staff and suffered a serious fracture to his left forearm. A spokesman for the mines inspectorate said it was too early to speculate on what had caused the accident. Ventilation doors are used in underground mines to enable fresh air to circulate. In this incident there were two sets of steel double doors spaced about 15 metres apart that form an airlock to allow men and machinery to pass from one part of a ventilation circuit to another (at different ventilation pressure) without causing a short circuit of the ventilation from high to low pressure.

....................................................................

Legal service for landholders contract A LEGAL service offering advice to central Queensland landholders potentially affected by mining exploration and development has begun. McInnes Wilson Lawyers has been awarded the $300,000 contract by the state government to provide the free, non-means tested service aimed at providing rural landholders with legal advice and assistance for land access and compensation related issues. The law firm has established a 1800 hotline to take phone calls from landholders to provide advice about landholders rights and responsibilities as they relate to land access. Representatives from the Brisbane-based firm will also visit central Queensland centres every two months to talk face-to-face with landholders impacted by the activities of resource companies.

....................................................................

Minerals academy gets more cashA FURTHER $300,000 has been allocated to the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) so more students in Gladstone can train to work in the resources sector. The QMEA partners with key organisations in the minerals and energy sector to develop programs that assist school-leavers who want to work in the industry. The additional funding is being provided by the state government. The QMEA has direct links with 34 schools throughout Queensland under the Gateway to Industry Schools Program that develops pilot programs to provide hands-on experience for students wanting to enter the industry.

FAST NEWS

NEWS

THE MAC Services Group has been asked to provide more details on the effect of a new 3200-room camp in Moranbah on the town’s medical services - especially its GPs.

It’s one of 15 points of clarification that the Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) has listed in a letter to the company last week.

In December, the MAC applied to the ULDA for a development application for the new village.

Since then, the Isaac Regional Council has written to the ULDA with its concerns about the project - and many of those are now detailed in the letter to the MAC.

Among others, the letter asks the MAC to provide more details on the following matters:

potential impacts on local health •care providers, especially the limited capacity of GPs in the town

specific local employment •opportunities and roles mentioned in the application

contribution towards •affordable housing

economic benefits for the town •centre in respect of the peak shift, time of day demands and modes of travel for residents to the centre

function and operation of the •proposed ‘training facility’

timing of landscaping relative •to construction of stages

pedestrian/cycle access to town•

further detailed discussions in respect •of infrastructure, traffic engineering, water supply and sewerage

Isaac mayor Cedric Marshall said he was pleased the ULDA had requested more details.

“They have obviously listened and taken some notice of our submission, which is good to see,” he said.

There has been much angst in Moranbah over the past 12 months, regarding the increasing trend to fly-in fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in drive-out (DIDO) workforces.

But Cr Marshall said it was wrong to assume the whole town was anti-FIFO.

“We have to fact the facts that we are going to have these villages for FIFO and DIDO workers.”

“They have been here since day dot and they are here to stay.”

“But at the same time, we need to be able to ensure we have our communities with the proper infrastructure and resources so we can attract families who want to live in our area.”

The public notification period regarding the development is now open, and ends on 21 February.

Submissions can be sent to the ULDA either by letter or email to [email protected]

The MAC asked to “please explain” impacts

“They have obviously listened and taken some notice...”

129th EDITION. 2012


“Priority will be given through the My Place program to those with a combined household income of less than $105,000.”

News

HOUSE prices are so out of control in Moranbah that a combined household income of $105,000 qualifies you for first shot at the town’s new affordable housing lots.

To put that into perspective, the median gross household income in Australia is $67,000.

The Urban Land Development Author-ity (ULDA) has begun clearing land at its boxing club site in Moranbah for the new affordable housing project.

The town is suffering from a severe housing shortage, with rental prices surg-ing to $2000/week for a modest three- bedroom home.

The (ULDA) will build 160 new homes to accommodate 400 people over the next 18 months, to help alleviate the problem.

The first 76 of those lots - and house and land packages - will go to market in April.

Prices are yet to be finalised with the preferred builders, but priority will be given to three distinct groups.

“Priority will be given through the My

Place program to those with a combined household income of less than $105,000,” explained ULDA director of residential development Peter Smith.

“Owner occupiers who commit to living in the house for at least 12 months will also be eligible, and so will local business owners who want to purchase a property to house their key employees.”

A ballot will be carried out - and if the lots are not snapped up by priority buyers, the rest will be put out to the wider market.

Those who qualify for the ballot will be able to register their interest with the ULDA in the next couple of weeks.

Down the road in Blackwater, and the ULDA is on track to finish building 12 townhouses by May/June.

Three of those houses will be bought by the council for its workers, and two priori-ty customers selected through the My Place ballot are also looking to buy.

The rest will now be available to the

broader market, and in range in price from $295,000 for a 1-bed, 1-bath, 1-car town-house to $399,000 for a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1-car townhouse.

The ULDA has just put in a development

application for 171 lots at Bauman Way.“This will be our most significant develop-

ment in Blackwater to date,” said Mr Smith.“It will deliver more than 200 new

homes for more than 400 people.”

A GLOBAL downturn is likely to be the dominate economic feature of 2012 accord-ing to the bosses of minerals and energy exporters.

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Michael Roche says the lat-est CEO Sentiment Index reported in the organisations QRC’s first State of the Sector report for 2012 was a reminder of the vola-tile conditions under which the export sec-tor operates.

Most leaders are concerned at the pros-pects of an economic slowdown because of debt and banking issues in the Euro zone.

“Last year was about getting back on track after the worst floods in the state’s his-

tory,” Mr Roche said.“Twelve months on, it’s the lingering

impact of natural disasters in Japan and Thailand and the increasing likelihood of a European recession infecting Asia.”

“Our CEOs are also telling us of their concerns over access to capital, particular-ly in relation to debt refinancing and new project development.”

“While member companies are confi-dent about the longer term demand out-look, the risks of a global economic malaise can’t be ruled out and state and federal gov-ernments must continue to promote the competitiveness, efficiency and productivi-ty of the sector.”

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$105K income “in need of help” in Moranbah

SPIRALLING COSTS: Are you eligible to apply for affordable housing in Moranbah?

129th EDITION. 2012


News

A RESEARCH project into the impact of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) on families with teenagers is look-ing for Queensland families to take part.

Western Australian researcher Jacinth Watson is gauging how teenagers cope with the FIFO/DIDO lifestyle as part of her the-

sis through Edith Cowan University.Central to the study is what impact a

temporarily absent parent has on parent–child communication.

The project had started with Western Australian families but the research area is now to increase.

Ms Watson said families involved in the study would complete a short online sur-vey and would not be identified at any stage in the project to ensure their thoughts and feelings were kept confidential.

She described her area of research as neglected while indicating early stages of the study have suggested more than three-quar-ters of teenage kids from FIFO families feel sad when their travelling parent was away.

Other initial findings show teenagers feel anxious or worry about the safety of a FIFO/DIDO parent when they are working or travelling.

About 73.5 per cent of adolescents feel sad-ness when the parent is absent, 43.1 per cent experience increased anxiety and 45.6 per cent admit worrying to about their parent’s safety.

It was also shown 42.7 percent of adoles-cents have difficulty talking about issues that are bothering them with a FIFO/DIDO parent.

Ms Watson’s own experience includes raising three children with a husband who worked FIFO for close to 20 years.

Her masters was on how partners cope with FIFO.

“Women tell you all sorts of things - this included their own kids and stories of peo-ple they knew whose kids had gone a bit off the rails,” she said of the research.

Her current study also involves inter-views with FIFO and non-FIFO families.

The study’s ultimate aim is to determine what are the best processes that allow for families as a unit and individuals can use to cope and prosper under FIFO.

Ms Watson said the 12 to17-year-old age bracket was under serviced by supportive resources for coping, such as books, bro-chures, websites and DVDs.

“We want to find ways for adolescents in these situations to become more self-reliant develop higher levels of self-esteem and have increased capacity to be resilient,” she said.

She hopes her study will lead to more family-friendly rosters but also notes com-panies are working harder to ease the stress and strain of FIFO/DIDO.

This includes counselling, social support and health days.

“More equal time rosters are best,” she says. “Four weeks on, one off rosters and three weeks on, one off are not particularly good.”

Families wanting to take part in the study should contact Jacinth Watson via email at · [email protected].

THE federal enquiry into economic and social impact of fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) and drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) rosters in mining has announced dates for Queensland hearings.

The enquiry, carried out by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia and chaired by the inde-pendent member for New England Tony Windsor, will meet at four venues in February.

These are:- Cairns Regional Council, Spencer Street,

Cairns on Tuesday, February 21 from 9am to 1:30pm.

- Moranbah Community Centre Hall, Mills Avenue, Moranbah on Wednesday, Feb-ruary 22 from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

- Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, Alfred Street, Mackay on Thurs-day, February 23 from 8:30am to 12:30pm.

- Queensland Parliament, Undumbi Room, corner of George and Alice streets, Bris-bane, on February 24 from 9am to 5:15pm.The committee has already received

more than 100 written submissions and regional hearings are allowing more infor-

mation to be gathered first hand on the impact of FIFO and DIDO.

The final report will provide insights on the extent and projected growth of FIFO/DIDO work practices and well as the provi-sion of services, infrastructure and housing availability for FIFO/DIDO employees.

Mr Windsor said the committee recog-nised the use of FIFO and DIDO workforc-es in the mining sector raised a number of significant challenges and opportunities for individuals and their families, communities and employers.

“We are interested in exploring all of those issue and hope to also hear from mining companies who are utilising FIFO/DIDO for their employees,” he said.

Queensland has 38 projects set to start by 2017, including 23 coal mines and 12 coal seam gas projects, supporting 30,000 new workers, according to latest government figures. Many of these will utilise FIFO and DIDO.

More information on the enquiry and attending hearings is available from www.aph.gov.au/ra or by calling 02 6277 4162.

Federal FIFO hearings announced for Qld

“We hope to hear from mining companies who are utilising FIFO/DIDO for their employees.”

Research to help families cope with parent absences

FIFO & DIDO families in Queensland are invited

to join the study

129th EDITION. 2012


News

Blackwater’s littlest enjoy a fresh new lookBLACKWATER’S community childcare centre boasts a very new look for its very young patrons.

The centre has had a major face lift with a new two room nursery building, play-ground and sandpit, along with covered walkways, newly renovated reception and kitchen areas and upgraded staff facilities.

The work has been carried out after BMA donated almost $1 million to upgrade the centre (adding to the $1 million in state government funding) - and there are still two more stages to go.

BMA Blackwater mine general manag-er, Paul Hemburrow, said new enrolments were already being offered as a result of the work done.

“We are delighted to see stage one coming to a close, which is a positive step towards providing a childcare centre that meets the needs of families in our commu-nity, helping make Blackwater a better place to live and work,” Mr Hemburrow said.

The toddlers room and the kindergar-ten room will also be renovated - with work already under way.

Director of C&K Blackwater Community Childcare Centre, Jodie Morris, when the upgrade was completed it would mean 22 new positions for children and four new staff members.

“When the expansion is complete, some age groups will have vacancies while others will only have a very small number on the waiting list,” she said.

“This is fantastic news for the Black-water community, and new families are encouraged to put their name on the wait-ing list for next year’s enrolments.”

The centre is now open from 6.30am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.

THE Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) will be overhauled to keep up with the surge in new coal workers over the next decade.

“At least 2500 miners will need to trained and brought up to speed to join mines rescue teams,” said QMRS state director Wayne Hartley.

“But the figure could be as high as 4000.”Currently, there are 5500 underground

coal miners in Queensland, but by 2022 there will more than 8000.

The number of open cut coal miners is expected to double from 25,000 to 50,000

over the same period.Five per cent of underground coal min-

ers need to be trained in mines rescue, and that figure is the same or higher in the open cut sector where the geographical footprint of the mine is often much larger.

The QMRS board and stakeholders will meet shortly to discuss the restructure, with Deloitte recruited to draw up the business case for change.

“This is going to be a huge plan, and one that will take a number of years to put in place,” said Mr Hartley.

How the restructure will look and unfold

is unknown, but Mr Hartley said there was no choice but to move quickly.

“The industry is changing so rapidly and the pressure on QMRS to step up is enor-mous,” said Mr Hartley.

“Someone has to be able to train these people properly, and we need to have the systems in place to make sure we can do it.”

The QMRS is funded through an industry levy, meaning it is owned by the coal industry.

To become trained in mines rescue, work-

ers can either nominate themselves, or mine management can suggest they should join.

The attrition rate from QMRS is 20 per cent a year - or one in five - usually because people have been promoted.

“We are seeking people with three to five years of experience,” said Mr Hartley.

“Emergency response is such a unique skill, it’s not something you can learn anywhere else.”

“We are looking for a certain type of person, a good leader who is very technically competent.”

Mines rescue restructured to cope

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A NEW counselling service for men in Gladstone is now operating out of QAL’s Community House.

The Women’s Health Centre in the build-ing has long offered support to women - but the service is now being extend to men.

The service provides a support-ive environment that can help partici-pants speak freely and ask advice about how to deal with sexual assault relat-ed issues affecting either themselves or their families and participants can remain anonymous if they wish.

Counsellor and Community Educa-tor, Pam Brown believes the service will encourage the already-growing number of men stepping forward and asking for help.

“More and more men from all walks of life are now coming forward to talk about their issues and by offering a safe haven we are hoping more men in the Gladstone community will come and talk to us,” Mrs Brown said.

“We aim to provide a more accessi-ble and comfortable location for men with more flexible hours that will suit those who are working.”

QAL community workers and electri-

cians have decked out the new room so it is now ready for service..

“The counsellors required a free, accessi-ble venue to trial this service to local men,” said QAL’s Ross Greenhalgh.

“We were more than happy to make arrangements for a room in Communi-ty House to be air-conditioned and fit-ted out with new furniture so the sessions could be held in a comfortable, private environment.”

Commencing Tuesday, 17 January, Glad-stone Region Sexual Assault Support Serv-ice will operate a ‘drop in’ service from QAL Community House for a five week trial period.

The house will be open from 4:30pm until 6:30pm, allowing interested partici-pants the chance to talk privately to a coun-sellor, or to schedule in a time and date that is more suitable.

There are no restrictions or appoint-ments necessary, all men are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The service is not means tested, is com-pletely free and confidential.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 0421 554 853.

Counselling for Gladstone men

“The industry is changing so rapidly...”

129th EDITION. 2012


THESE pictures have been doing the rounds at central Queensland’s mines and construction sites recently.

You can see why... they make you wince.Miraculously, the driver survived the

accident with just a few bruises.The incident happened at a Karratha oil-

field marine base on December 30.

Apparently the 9.5/8 inch casing had just left following an inspection/re-coating for storage and the truck wasn’t travelling fast - but the driver had to stand on his brakes and give way at an intersection.

The pictures show what happened next.Safety bosses around the region have

been widely distributing the images as a “free” safety lesson for all.

You don’t get many second chances like this one.

News

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HEAVY equipment sales are predicted to rise by 10 per cent this year, largely driven by mining growth in Queensland.

It comes off the back of a 23 per cent rise in sales in 2011, according to figures released by the Construction and Mining Equipment Group (CMEIG).

That huge jump has gone some way to alleviate the pain of 2008-2009, when sales took a dramatic nosedive during the global downturn.

“It is not quite back to where it was yet, there is still plenty of room to grow this year,” said CMEIG CEO John Reid.

In 2011, Mr Reid said mining and floods were behind the rapid upswing in sales - with Queensland making up almost a third of the national market.

Despite uncertainties in Europe, Mr Reid said he believed the sector would have another bumper year because China was continuing to grow and both state and fed-eral governments were increasingly in the mood to spend on infrastructure.

“We are predicting another 8 to 10 per cent rise on 2011 figures,” he said.

“But I’m probably being a little con-servative - put it this way, 15 per cent

wouldn’t surprise me.”Mr Reid said suppliers had not put off

vital services staff during the downturn, meaning the industry was in good shape to cope with the increase in demand.

“The only hold up has been some issues with supply from Japanese equip-ment to do with the fallout out after the earthquake,” he said.

“Also, the demand for mining equipment is now so constant there is an 18-month to two year lead time on dump trucks.”

The total mining sales, as a proportion of the total sales across mining and construc-tion equipment, has jumped from 5.6 per cent in 2010 to 7 per cent last year.

This translates to an increase in mining sales of 54 per cent in 2011.

Demand for heavy equipment surges

Wince & wake up to safety...

“We are predicting another eight to 10 per cent rise on 2011 figures... but a 15 per cent rise wouldn’t surprise me.”


SHIFTMINERladder

G E T W H E R E Y O U W A N T T O B E

Why not consider a career in health and aged care?· Flexible work rosters

· Industry leading pay

· Seeking medical officers, midwives, nurses, carer’s, Allied Health Professionals

· Excellent career prospects

· Across all mining areas including Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Yeppoon

Go to www.mercycq.com/careersor call our recruitment team on (07) 4931 7478

MERCY HEALTH and AGED CARECentral Queensland Limited

MORE than 300 Gladstone residents are through the initial hurdle in their bid to become one of construction giant’s Bech-tel’s 400 adult apprentices.

Last year, Bechtel announced it would take on 400 adult apprentices through the National Apprenticeship Progam (NAP) - the largest intake of its kind in Australian history.

More than 500 interested applicants applied for the roles - but only 300 have made it through the first vetting stage.

NAP director Alan Sparks said there would be 16 intakes of 25 to fill

the Bechtel places.“We are currently in the process of

recruiting for the first two intakes,” said Mr Sparks.

“The first people to join Bechtel’s work-force will sign on in April, and over the coming months the remaining 14 intakes will be staggered to support the construc-tion work going on at Curtis Island.”

Bechtel is the second big business in Queensland to sign up for the program, behind Anglo American which signed up 25 adult apprentices at its central Queensland mines last year.

“Anglo American is now talking about another intake,” said Mr Sparks.

“That program is going particularly well, they are demonstrating how successful the selection process is, and proving themselves to be very capable people.”

More than 1800 people have now signed up across the country through NAP for adult apprenticeship opportunities.

The program allows people with exten-sive trade skills and experience to complete their apprenticeship in 18 months - and aims to help bridge the skills gap facing Austral-ia’s mining and construction sectors.

The program is in its 10 month - and aims to fill 1000 places every 18 months across the country.

“There is no end in sight for this pro-gram,” said Mr Sparks.

“Once we have filled those 1000 places we will just roll straight into the next 1000.”

Macmahons is the latest business to put its hand up - announcing it will take on 200 adult apprentices across Queensland and Western Australia.

Those interested in finding out more about the program, or lodging their interest can do so at www.nationalapprentices.com.au

“We need to understand that Australia is not the only country with big expansion plans,” said The Resource Channel’s direc-tor Jody Elliot.

“In South Africa, there are 130 mining projects in the advanced stages of planning - meaning construction has already started or is close to starting.”

“There are also 18 LNG terminals pro-posed over there.”

Meanwhile, Canada is facing the same aging technical workforce problem as Aus-tralia, with one in two current employees estimated to retire over the next decade.

Just over the border, and the US is hav-ing its own problems filling skilled vacan-cies at a time of mass unemployment.

“There is a 50 per cent unemployment rate in Detroit, and yet Caterpillar distrib-utors in the region have more than 50 job openings for service technicians they can-not fill,” said Ms Elliot.

Far from having a pool of skilled labour available, Queensland workers are likely to be targetted for work overseas.

“These countries cannot keep up with their own demand, and they will be looking across the pond to us - as they are already doing.”

So will all the projects ear-marked to go

in Queensland (and beyond) have the man-power to proceed?

“Honestly, I am scratching my head won-dering and I think if projects have not done some prep work before now I think they might be in a bit of strife,” said Ms Elliot.

Ms Elliot said it was now up to industry to embrace more at-home training and offer far more entry level opportunities for locals.

Upskilling - through programs like acceler-ated adult apprenticeships - will also be vital.

“We still talk to organisations who are reticent to train people because they leave, said Ms Elliot.

“The reality is if they want a workforce, they don’t have a choice.”

She said companies might also need to be more flexible when hiring overseas skilled workers.

“Some people only want to come here for a few years as an experience - but because of the cost of it, companies are not keen unless it is a permanent move.”

“I think companies will need to deploy a more short term tactical approach, and allow workers to come for a three to four year stint, while training up their own pipe-line locally so there are others to fill behind them when the time comes.”

Central Queensland training expert and GAGAL coordinator Kerry Whitaker agrees it is going to be a stretch to man the boom.

“The size of this really is hard to fathom,” she said.

“I mean, they are going to build a camp at Olympic Dam in South Australia for 10,000 workers.”

“We can’t even comprehend what that will look like.”

Ms Whitaker believes industry in cen-tral Queensland has been playing its part in terms of training for years.

“While industry might be slow off the mark elsewhere, here in central Queensland I would say we have always done things dif-ferently and embraced training.”

“Look at company’s like QAL - they have 18 apprentices - that is tremendous and it is something they have been doing for years.”

In another enormous commitment, Bech-tel, which is building the LNG plants on Curtis Island, is in the first stages of putting on 400 locally based adult apprentices.

For more information on that, see the story below.

Bechtel overrun with Gladstone applicants

Not enough OS workers to man the boom

QAL Apprentices: back row L-R: Nathan Findling; Chris Hooper; Jake Riley; Ryan Keating; Trent Ibbotson; Sean Single; Nick Heilmann and Patrick Falls.

Middle row L-R: Haydn Thompson; Jodie Davison; Kaitlin Smith; Mitch Graham; Joss Cute; Rhys Picking and Chelsea Smith.

Front row L-R: Elisha Fallon; Scott Fehlhaber and Nick Drew.


SCHOOLING potential resources industry workers on what to expect on-site is seen as a way to reduce the alarming statistics surround-ing people exiting the Queensland industry.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre (MISC) has released figures that show 9500 people leave industry organisations every year and close to 20 per cent have spent less than a year in mining.

That is costing the industry about $140 million in associated costs, says MISC CEO, Derek Hunter.

“Our research suggests that reasons for leaving the sector after such a short time are all around employee expectations not being met, whether it’s due to job fit, work-ing conditions, geographic location or inad-equate support.”

“We believe that this course will go some way to informing potential employees of the realities of life on a mine site and also help industry reduce the attrition rate,” Mr Hunter said.

New courses, called Drill Down,

are now to be offered to slow the exit rate and give new industry entrants more realistic expectations.

The course is held over one day, and the material covers topics such as expectations and reality; working life and daily routine; family, relationships and lifestyle; and man-aging financial temptation.

At the end of the course, participants will work with the facilitator to develop a port-folio suitable for mining industry job appli-cations and have the knowledge to map their future plans and goals to gain employ-ment in the industry, Mr Hunter says.

“Our industry is experiencing a massive skills shortage -30,000 jobs over the next five year - however we need to ensure we’re finding the people best suited for those jobs.”

“This obviously requires skilling and train-ing, but first and foremost it requires an under-standing of the landscape you’ll be operating in - both professionally and personally.”

There are also social implications for a high turnover rate among new workers.

Many young workers use the high wages to purchase items, such as cars and a home, but are left with hefty repayments long after they exit the industry.

The course will also aim to give partici-pants insights to avoid this.

Skills Centre General Manager – Research & Development, Deb Jones, said her research team spent months collating the information they felt necessary to share with potential jobseekers.

“The information presented in this course has been specifically crafted with jobseekers in mind. If you’ve never had a job in the mines and you are keen to take advantage of the resources boom, this course will help answer your questions before you move forward,” she said.

The course will be available through licensed training providers throughout Queensland.

More information is available at www.drilldownmining.com.au

SHIFTMINERladder

G E T W H E R E Y O U W A N T T O B E

Warning over job rortsJOBSEEKERS are being warned to do their research before signing on with agen-cies claiming to able to get them a resources job, as shonky businesses try to cash in on the skills shortage.

The government issued a blunt warn-ing this week that some businesses claim-ing to be recruitment companies could not - or chose not to - deliver on promises they made to would-be workers.

“Shonky businesses are targeting job-seekers wanting to get a foot in the door in the mining industry,” the Mines Minister Stirling Hinchliffe warned.

“We’re hearing about a number of busi-nesses who are overstating the level of assistance they are able to offer jobseekers.”

“The last thing we want to see is the hopes – or the hip pockets – of jobseek-ers being exploited by unscrupulous operators.”

“These operations, usually set up online or at suburban shopping centres, offer, for a considerable fee, to include the job-seeker’s resume on an exclusive recruit-ment database that they claim is used

by resources companies.”“As far as we can tell, the database is fic-

titious and we have no evidence to suggest that these companies have links to resourc-es companies or their recruiters.”

He said jobseekers were very unlikely to get a job through such companies or recruit-ment methods.

Anyone who has had contact with recruiters operating this way is urged to call Fair Trading on 13 74 68.

Meanwhile, in more positive news for jobseekers, another round of Work For Queensland expos are soon to be held.

Thiess, Origin Energy, Downer EDI Mining, Skilled, WorkPac and a number of industry skills bodies have been confirmed for the events.

More than 5600 people have been referred to legitimate recruitment agencies by the resources companies since the first round of expos and an another 9000 peo-ple approached labour hire companies at the expos.

More than 10,000 people attended one on the Gold Coast alone.

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Taking the rose-tinted glasses off wannabe workers

“Reasons for leaving the sector after such a short time are all around employee expectations not being met, whether it’s due to job

fit, working conditions, geographic location or inadequate support.”

GREENSKIN RUSH: The crowds at mining expo’s like this one on the Gold Coast can benefit from the new course

“The last thing we want to see is the hopes – or the hip pockets – of jobseekers

being exploited by unscrupulous operators.”

129th EDITION. 2012


“One central Queensland mine is believed to have already banned the product on site...”

News

Gold Coast FIFO inevitable: airline bossA MAJOR charter flight company believes fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mine services from the Gold Coast are inevitable.

Skytrans General Manager Mike Thinee said the need for workers to staff existing and new mines would see the Gold Coast opened up as a new FIFO hub.

“Absolutely it will,” he tsaid last week.“It’s inevitable with the amount of work-

ers that are needed in the industry.”“Eventually they (workers) will have to

come from there.”The Gold Coast City Council is currently

campaigning for FIFO from the airport that straddles the Queensland-New South Wales border, and has been significantly upgraded in the past two years.

Securing FIFO is seen as a way of pro-viding work for the region’s unemployed and to attract more residents.

A resources industry expo on the Gold Coast last year was swamped by more than 10,000 would-be entrants to the industry.

The Sunshine Coast has negotiated FIFO services before its southern rival with Skytrans starting its first charter service

from the airport last Monday week.Under an agreement with Rio Tinto, the

airline will fly four times a week from the Sunshine Coast Airport to Clermont.

BHP is also believed to be considering services from the same airport.

The two Skytrans Dash 8 aircraft will shuttle up to 50 workers between the coast and Clermont each flight.

An estimated 1000 jobs will be creat-ed through the new service, adding to the coast’s existing Aergo charter flights to Mid-dlemount, Clermont and Moranbah.

Skytrans operates a total of 13 aircraft, adding two last year and two this year, and specialises in servicing regional Queensland.

The Cairns-based company also flies a charters from bases in Darwin, Brisbane, and Perth.

Negotiations between stakeholders for services on the Gold Coast are continuing but have taken longer than expected.

An announcement is still expected in the first half of this year, but may be delayed now with the state election announced and council elections put on the backburner.


WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A

MORE- mining news MORE- industrial news MORE- investment news

WINOWEDNESDAY’S INDUSTRY NEWS ONLINE (WINO) BY SHIFT MINER




Diet supplement has no place in miningA DIET supplement used by bodybuilders is in the spotlight after claims it is being used in Queensland mines to help workers stay alert.

Jack3d is marketed as a pre-workout supplement that offers users a more focused and intense session in the gym because of its high caffeine content and other stimulants.

The supplement is sold in gyms in 250 gram lots for about $60 and is also availa-ble on-line.

The packaging warns users not to exceed three 5.5 gram scoops of the product in any 24 hour period, or use it for five days of any week.

One central Queensland mine is believed to have already banned the product on site, and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) wants action taken.

QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche said it was alarming that the supplement was finding its way onto mining sites when it had been banned in the European Union, Canada, and was on the World Anti-Doping

Agency list of prohibitive substances.He said there was no place for such sup-

plements or similar substances in the work-place.

“Last year, the QRC was instrumen-tal in having synthetic cannabinoids such as Kronic covered under amendments to the Drugs Misuse Act in Queensland,” Mr Roche said.

“QRC member commitment to workplace health and safety is uncompromising and for that, we make no apologies whatsoever.”

Mr Roche said the supplement con-tained the party drug DMAA and was also banned by the US military.

The mines inspectorate will issue a safe-ty alert to all mines warninig of the poten-tial risk to workers associated with Jack3d and similar products.

Reported side effects include severe headaches, nausea and effects similar to a hangover less than 30 minutes after taking it.

129th EDITION. 2012


News

Boat floats thanks to BMATHE Blackwater State Emergency Services (SES) has upgraded its flood boat, thanks to a $12,500 donation from mining giant BMA.

The boat has been used during 12 res-cues over the past six years when roads or waterways have flooded.

Blackwater mine general Manager Paul Hemburrow said BMA was proud to support the Blackwater SES, which plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of local communities.

“The local SES is an essential service to the community in times of emergency such as floods, fires, accidents and other natural or man-made disasters, so it is important that we provide support,” he said.

Blackwater SES deputy controller Tom Wood said the money will be used to improve rescue equipment.

“BMA’s donation has allowed us to replace the existing 20-year-old outboard motor and repair the floor of the flood boat,” he said.

“With the new motor fitted, the boat will be available for use during the wet season.”

The Blackwater SES team of 22 volunteers is almost manned entirely by miners - with 18 BMA Blackwater workers on the roll.

If you, or someone you know suff ers from these symptoms phone Clarity Hearing Solutions today for a free no obligation consultation.

Advanced Hearing Aid and Audiological Specialists

e [email protected] w www.clarityhearingsolutions.com.au Jodie Miles Audiologist B.SPATH(HONS)., M.AUDST., MAUDSA(CCP)Grant Collins Audiologist B.PSYCH(DIST)., M.AUDST., MAUDSA(CCP)

Hope for Industrial Deafness

Call now for your free no obligation consultation 4957 2000

Visiting Moranbah, Proserpine, Sarina & Northern Beaches

Have you got a hearing problem that needs attention?

From years of experience and extensive training when we have a conversation with someone we have a fairly good idea what their hearing is like before we even do a test. Add a reasonably comprehensive history of symptoms, problems experienced, age, family history, gender, and noise exposure and we can usually accurately deduce your hearing loss within about 0-15dB of your actual measured hearing loss. However, there are many warning signs of hearing loss which everyone can be on the lookout for.

Probably the most common and noticeable signs of hearing loss are frequent requests for repetition, particularly when someone’s back is turned or talking from another room. If there is any background noise present then the requests for repetition will increase. Depending on the type of loss someone may have no problem hearing around the house or in quiet areas but may have extreme difficulty hearing in background noise. Another common complaint present with a hearing loss is that someone may say that everyone is

mumbling, talking too softly or quickly, or can hear what is being said but cannot understand what is being said.

Another warning sign of hearing loss is increasing the volume of the television or difficulty hearing speech clearly even with the volume up loud. This can be particularly troublesome when there is background noise occurring around the house, on the television or when there is music playing along with the dialogue.

Physiological auditory symptoms such as ringing or clicking sounds in the ears (tinnitus), a sensation that the ears are blocked, discharge, sensitivity to loud sounds and vertigo can also mean that a hearing loss is present.

Another warning sign is the inability to hear certain soft environmental sounds that others can hear. Common sounds missed by people with early stage industrial deafness or age-related loss include the blinkers in the car, beeps in appliances such as washing machines, microwaves, watches etc, birds and crickets.

Finally, it may be a change in behavior that can give an indication of hearing loss. Commonly many people with a hearing loss will just stop going out or avoid situations where they may have difficulty hearing. Even at home they may also become withdrawn and in extreme cases depression may ensue.

Jodie Miles – Clarity Hearing SolutionsB.Sp.Path.(Hons).,M.AudSt.,MAudSA(CCP).Senior Audiologist

Grant CollinsB.Psych(Dist).,M.AudSt.,MAudSA(CCP).,MAAAPP.Principal Audiologist

SIGNS OF DEAFNESS- frequent requests for repetition- Can’t hear with background noise- TV too loud for others- Ringing or clicking in the ear

Blackwater SES deputy controller Tom Wood with the upgraded rescue boat

129th EDITION. 2012


arouNd towN

Holding a social event you want photographed? Call the Shift Miner office on 4921 4333 to let us know. You can also give our office a bell if you’d like a copy of any of the photos in this edition.

A “meet and greet” dinner was held at the Blackwater Workers Club

recently for the town’s new teachers.

Kirsten Isz’laub, Caitlyn Renn & Kellie Wardle

Nathan and Kody Prior

James and Melissa Young

Kerryn Doyle, Jo Coppo & Emma Milton

Sarah and Tom Picot

Linda and Alan Galloway

Kate Young, Nykea Lebsant and Jess Frost

Samantha Catelijn , Sara Whittington and Kelly Burrett

Anita Witt and Trent Cain

Nikki Whittkopp and Damien Robinson

Rebecca Chan and Bryce McKey

Steve and Shanna Schulz

Alana Cruickshank, Trish Close, Carlie Roberts, Frances Roberts & Haylee Davis

Matt Chambers and Mitch Roberts

Nicole Wilkings and Sam Kerr-Smiley

Conner and Cale Wilkinson-Reid and Slater Galloway

Kirri Glaum and Daniel Friehofner

Stacey Wilmore, Justine Fletcher, Kacey Booker and Tracey Anderson

Jeremy Wignall and Georgia Gibson

Judith Robson and Neil Walker

Shannon Green, Jemima Johnson and Nicole Wilkings

Caitlyn Renn Maddie Lindert, Melanie Ives, Haylee Davis, Kirsten Iszlaub, & Tegan Cochrane

IT’S AS SIMPLE AS ABC...

129th EDITION. 2012


arouNd towN

Harrison and Ben Robertson

Beth Rodgerson, Deagan Rodgerson, Jessie Ferris and Amy Ferris

Corey and Casey Burgess

Elyssia Robertson

Corban and Emily Scott Sean and Aaron Hamilton

Rylie and Hayden Campbell

Lachlan and Madison Stephan

Venna, Jada and Dustan Baggow

www.shiftminer.comBUY THIS AND MANY OTHER IMAGES AT

Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together

BACK TO THE BOOKS

Hundreds of Moranbah and district students put on their uniforms, laced up their shoes and packed their bags for the first day of the school on the 23rd of January.

129th EDITION. 2012


stuff to the editor

Got somethinG to share? send us your text messages or phone photos to

0428 154 653 or email to [email protected]

Dear Editor,We’ve noticed that most of the photos

submitted to your mag are of machines. Haul trucks with various pieces of geom-etry missing, diggers in several different states of trouble or dozers swallowed by the earth.

An outsider to mining may get the impression of mayhem, disorder even vandalism.

I’ve watched in dismay as countless photos have appeared in your mag with no artistic merit whatsoever. In order to address this, we would like to submit this photo: the artistic side of a haul truck.

This piece of art was taken just after second smoko. There was a light breeze blowing and a stunned silence had envel-

oped the workshop as the misery of four hours remaining of shift hit us.

Our model is a well-known and wide-ly recognised fitter hailing from Gotham City. He generally fights the crims of oil leaks/engine tune ups.

The shot itself highlights the haul truck ladder in a very Salvador Dali-esque way. We have exposed one of his work boots and hidden the other in a tribute to Brett Whiteley and his use of duality.

Jack Kerouac’s hero drove 72 hours non-stop to ask a question, and with that in mind the photo is dedicated to Dean Moriarty*.

Yours sincerely,An Art Lover*Dean Moriarty is the hero/driver in

Kerouac’s novel On the Road.

“25-hour-old digger.... gone”

Tune into the Michael J. Breakfast show from 7:35 am every Monday for 4RO's CQ Mining Update, with special guest Angus from Shift Miner.

Greg CaryMichael BaileyWeekdays 5am - 9am Weekdays 9am - 12pm

Weekdays 12pm - 1pmAlan Jones

Weekdays 1pm - 6pmLaurie Atlas

SALES ENQUIRIES: (07) 4920 2000PHONE: 1300 872 911WWW.4RO.COM.AU

NOW WITH MORE NEWS, MORE TALK AND THE MUSIC YOU LOVE

Welcome to a fresh year of Shift Min-er Magazine as we resume bringing the industry’s latest news to you.

We’ve enjoyed the break and are back for a year sure to be as challeng-ing and fulfilling as 2011.

The industry has hardly skipped a beat in past weeks as shown in our pag-es today.

This edition has an update on the Galilee Basin rail line being proposed by BHP Billiton and the views of a leading farmer on the amount of con-sultation landholders are having to do. The issue shows there is still a gap between community expectations and industry needs to transport ever-in-creasing amounts of coal to port.

There’s also a startling insight to life in Moranbah with just how much money a household can earn and still be considered needy of housing sup-port. It’s amazing the pressure the rent-

al squeeze is putting on people. And there’s more information on the fly-in, fly-out enquiry being held by the feder-al government with the dates and ven-ues for Queensland hearings.

Like any progressive business we’re also going through some timely chang-es. This is my first edition as editor, with Alex Graham taking a more strategic role overseeing the publication and our online news service the WINO.

I look forward to meeting more readers in the weeks ahead and hearing their thoughts on the industry and what they want to read more about.

The magazine itself will be slowly transformed during the year as well and we look forward to making a great pub-lication even better.

Expect a new look but all the popular regulars will remain. So enjoy the read, stay safe at work and have a terrific year. It’s sure to be an interesting ride.

FROM THE EDITOR

Greg Sweetnam

SEEN SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T?Prizes for the best mining Photos.Take iT on your phone or camera and send iT in

Text to 0428 154 653 [email protected]

stuff to the editor

129th EDITION. 2012


fair diNKuM

IN CHINA - An entrepreneur claims he has produced the world’s most expensive tea, which will be sold for $34,000 per 500 grams.

So what’s the secret ingredient? Panda poo.The Chinese businessman has bought 11

tonnes of panda excrement from a breeding centre to fertilise his crop of tea, which will be harvested in the spring.

Sounds like a nice brew...IN BRITAIN - A sword swallower bit off more than he could chew when he tore his oesophagus open during a live performance.

The experienced daredevil, who calls him-self Hannibal Hellmurto, gained notoriety after appearing on the television show ‘Brit-ain’s Got Talent’.

Hellmurto was attempting to swallow an electric powered glass tube when the object ripped a four inch hole in his oesophagus.

Amazingly he completed his perform-ance, and was rushed to a nearby hospital at its conclusion.IN NORWAY - Proponents of the 2012 apoc-alypse theory will surely consider the sudden appearance of 20 tonnes of dead herring in Norway as a sign that the end is nigh.

Scientists are hoping to determine a more plausible explanation for the phenomenon, initially thinking the fish may have been driven ashore by a predator, or swept up in a storm.

Although locals are puzzled by the strange happening, they’re more worried about who is going to clean up the mess of dead fish...before they start to smell.

This is not the first uncanny instance of animal expiration in 2012, hundreds of dead blackbirds fell from the sky on new year’s eve in Arkansas.IN SWEDEN - A woman recently found her missing wedding ring on a carrot in her garden...a startling 16 years after it went missing.

The woman removed her wedding ring while baking with her daughters at Christmas in 1995, but it disappeared from the bench top on which she left it, only to turn up last Octo-ber wrapped around a carrot.

It is believed that the ring must have fall-en into the sink with potato peels, which were then fed to sheep, whose dung was then used to fertilise the vegetable garden, where, after a truly miraculous 16 year voyage, it was dis-covered by its owner.

Fair Dinkum!

WILLIAM,I’m hoping that this is some sort of cruel

joke at Frank’s expense, if not then you have

seriously put your eggs in the wrong basket.As far as doomsday predictions go, I

wouldn’t get too caught up in the hype.In fact, ‘the end has been nigh’ a

number of times, remember Y2K fever?Having said that, I suppose there’s

always a chance that the unexpected could happen, but I wouldn’t jet off to Vegas and spend your life savings in an orgiastic pre-apocalyptic blowout just yet.

Susan

Sensible Susan

M: 0448 243 343 E: [email protected] dweDaryl Watson Engineering

www.dweonline.netSpecialising in the timely delivery of on-spec components for your business.

Quality doesn’t have to mean slow

General manufacturing and Fabrication

Motor sport, boating and leisure

Mining, Earth moving, Hydraulics and Agriculture

Transport

Frank the Tank’s “Streakin”

good love advice

Dear Frank,This isn’t really a dating question, but I figure a worldly gent such as yourself would be able to answer it for me regardless. There’s been a lot of stuff flying around in the media about the world ending in 2012, do you believe that the end really could be nigh?William, Yeppoon

In short, William, yes.Yes, I do.I’ve been waiting for someone to write

to me about the apocalypse, as I consid-er myself to be the Nostradamus of the modern era.

My talents as a ‘seer’ were apparent during my childhood, in fact my father used me to correctly pick 12 consecutive Melbourne Cup winners.

Unfortunately, I grew up in a rather conservative country town, so my abili-ties were met with frequent allegations of witchcraft.

As I got older I realised my impressive talents of prediction could be applied to the world of dating.

Through a rigorous process of trial and error I discovered that excess consump-tion of alcohol impairs my supernatural talents, which is why my own love life is a rather sordid tale of bitter divorce settle-ments and restraining order breaches.

Now, onto the end of the world.Hollywood and the liberal media will

have you believe that the 2012 apocalypse

will come as the result of some ancient Mayan prediction, that’s nothing more than hogwash designed to sell movie tick-ets and baseball caps.

The end of the world will come at the hands of our own foolish ambition.

In 2012 the human race will invent a computer system so advanced that all human decisions will be removed from national defence.

This computer system will then become self aware and lead a robot army to rise up against the human race.

Our only hope of salvation comes from the future, a lone warrior will be sent back in time to protect the mother of the future leader of the human resistance against a futuristic killing machine with an Austri-an accent.

Come to think of it, that may actually be the plot of The Terminator...

Nevertheless, I think there’s still a 100 hundred per cent chance the apocalypse is upon us, so the only thing left to do is prepare for the afterlife.

Your eternal salvation can be assured by making a small monetary donation to a worthy cause.

I recommend any of the following charities: Frank’s Kid’s, FAAC (Frank Against Animal Cruelty), The Church of Latter Day Franks and Victims of Frank.

Send cheques or cash to Frank T. Tank, care of Shift Miner Magazine, to ensure your soul receives the afterlife it deserves.*

*Disclaimer: Frank the Tank accepts no responsibility for the eternal resting place of your soul.There will be no refunds in the event the apocalypse does not eventuate. Frank the Tank did not write The Terminator, but he has made numerous threatening phone calls to James Cameron.

If you have a question for Frank and Susan Email Us at: [email protected]

Transparency You Can See*



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$ 360,000.00 NEG

Phone: 0428 277 625

LAND FOR SALE

Land for sale, Hervey Bay. Turtle Cove Estate.

views of Fraser Island. Cannot be built out.

Underground power, phone and water at front

barge to Fraser. About 10min to Town. ono.

$262,000 ono

Phone: 0411 098 241

BOAT FOR SALE

Flybridge cruiser, chart plotter, radar, auto pilot, bow & stern thrusters, zodiac, RFD, 5 berths,

shower, toilet, 250 lt fridge, 300 lt freezer, air con &

much more. Immac cond. Gladstone.

$155,000 ono.Phone: 0437 657 433

PUMP FOR SALE

mounted centrifugal

self priming water

pump 4 cylinder

cummins engine.

$30,000

Phone: 0423 870 848BOAT FOR SALE

Australian Lightweight Sharpie No. 727

Kevlar Hull, sails and spars in good to excellent

condition, comes with registered trailer

and beach trolleyBeautiful to sail

$3,900Phone: 0428 154 653

ROOM FOR RENT

Share Accommodation in Gracemere $180 per week

- Large furnished bedroom

- Prefer working Female/Male between age of 22 - 34

- Price doesn’t include groceries and phone.

$180 per week

Phone: 0421 850 591

HOUSE FOR SALEFully furnished fully a/c modern home on 7.5 acres 500 metres

from Midge Point beach, 2 bedrooms 2

or 3rd bedroom large carport 3bay shed fully

equipped workshop

Phone 0428 476 001

CAR FOR SALE4X4 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LTZ Z71 Crew Cab

Diesel Engine, Allison Transmission 75,354klm, leather

owner vehicle loaded with options. $89,700egc.

[email protected]

HOUSE FOR SALEEungella, 90 mins

from Mackay.Eco-architect designed award winning 3 bdrm

home on 5 acres, 2 yrs old, 4 bay shed,

stunning views. Adjoining optional

174 acres of improved pasture also for sale.

$749,000. Phone: 0420 104 278

CATTLE PROPERTY FOR SALE

3000 acre cattle property 70klms Nth of Bundaberg

Balance yet to do in 2 stages should gross $1.4m.

Yards, shed etc.

Price $1,350,000.

Ph. 0419 674 413

CRANE TRUCK FOR SALE

Nissan Atlas Crane Truck

988 model, 79,000 k

4495 GVM, Tadano 2T crane

RWC, Only car licence

needed to drive

$13,500

07 4941 7147 or

Phone: 0427 824 880

CAR FOR SALE

Only used in FRESH water.Mercruiser Black Scorpion 330hp Engine with MPI.

Meticulously serviced and cared for.

Craftsman made excellence for the serious skier/

boarder.Phone: 0418 794 525.

BOAT FOR SALE2005 Joshua Deep Sea

Suzuki 175hp4 Stroke Safety Gear

UHF Radio Lowrance GPS & SounderKill Bin Deck Wash Bait TankSelf draining deck

$58 000. ONOPhone: 0488 285 042

HOUSE FOR SALEHouse on 40 acres near

Agnes water QLD. Unique pavillion style home, 4 bedrooms 2 bathrooms

with 9x12 shed/ carport. Partially cleared and

fenced, waterhole and a small dam. Large deck

and breathtaking views. 15 km from surf beach

and town of 1770. $510,000

Phone: 0400 797 075

JET SKI FOR SALE

08/09 Honda F15GPX Turbo

3 Seater 1500cc Turbo

3 Red Genuine

Honda Lifejackets

85hrs

$15,500 ono

Phone: 0447 606 727

ACREAGE FOR SALE

1200 acre property with modern 3 bedroom home,

solar, good water, millable timber.1 hour to bundaberg

and 25 minutes to 7x7 mine.

Phone 0447 031 588

CAR FOR SALE

SLT Lonestar Edition Heavy Duty

5.9L Cummins Turbo Diesel Allison auto trans. Wood grain

inserts 5th wheel hitch, tow bar 4 door dual cab

Dula Wheels104000klms

$89 000 oboPhone: 0432 429 264

CAR FOR SALE2002 Ford F250 XLT King Cab 4 X 4, 7.3ltr turbo

diesel/gas.Vic. rego March 2012.

AURORA slide-on camper, fridge, 4 burn gas cook, HWS. Double bed, ext

shower, water, deep cycle batteries, 800W inverter, loads storage. STACER boat 3.9m 25HP motor,

$80,000Phone: 0417 587 425

HOUSE FOR SALEAgnes Water/1770

3 Bed Rendered Block Home French Doors to

Surround Patios

approved ShedWith Shr/Toilet,

13000 Gall Tanks, Large Dam Mine Worker

Neighbour$510,000

Phone: 0407 794 506

TRAILER FOR SALEBox Trailer For Sale

New 8x5\’ galvanized tilt trailer. Front & rear opening with 900mm high removable cage. Swing jockey wheel.

Single axle. 14\” rims. Light truck tyres. 12 months registration.

$2,500 Phone: 0417 645 268

BOAT FOR SALESimpson Elite 11 metre sailing cat, 2-hp Volvo

diesels, Sail drives, New electronics,

New autopilot, solar panels, Wind generator,

Situated Bundaberg Ready to go,$190,000

Phone: 0488 770 725

HOUSE FOR SALE1 Acre Club est

Yeppoon3 B/rooms brick air/

converandahs 3 screens

d/lug large 9x9m shed+g/shed fenced/two frontages 5min beach,shops,school $540,000.

PHONE: 4939 8236

LAND FOR SALE

Rural land 15 min cbd

proserpine 2x200 acre

lots good grazing land

and house sites

$520,000 the pair will

sell seperatly POA

Phone: 0447 031 588

GOT SURPLUS MINING GEAR?

Half price for all second hand mining and industrial equipment

Shiftminer.com/minerstrader

129th EDITION. 2012


off shift

THE sound of the alarm shattered Tim from the nothingness of deep sleep into the harsh, conscious reality of 4:30 am. He killed the sound with a fling of his arm and swung his legs out of the bed. He sat in silence, angry. Angry at being woken up so early, angry that he had no real option. The anger was normal – part of the ritual now – and helped him get up, get moving.

Tim staggered to the en-suite and took a leak. He had a drink of water from the cup on top of the vanity. He moved silently in the dark. He never turned on the light. Light was offen-sive at this hour.

Tim took his pants from their usual place and put them on. It was an effort. He didn’t want to go to work today – more than usual - even for the first day of a tour. He worked his arms into his shirt. As he did up the buttons he noticed that it hurt a bit to swallow. He thought about this, slowly. Perhaps he was sick, or would become sick part-way through the shift.

He sneaked out of the bedroom. His wife hadn’t moved the whole time, since the alarm. Perhaps she’s dead, he thought. If I check, then I’ll be dead.

Oh well, I’ll find out when I get home.

He took the milk from the fridge and poured some into the bowl of cereal on the kitchen bench.

Tim ate slowly, sitting on a bar stool. It was getting towards summer now, and a little pre-dawn light came in through the windows. That made it easier to get going; not easy, but easier.

Tim didn’t think about much as he ate. He couldn’t think at this hour. He did decide he wasn’t sick, though. His throat was still sore, but the crew would need him. Two teaspoons of cement was all he needed.

Tim left the empty bowl on the

counter and grabbed his crib from

the fridge as he put away the milk. He

headed out the front door ten minutes

after he’d woken up. He didn’t need to

check his watch.

He began to walk towards the bus

pick-up. It would take him seven min-

utes, maybe eight. The birds were

awake now, flying around, making a

racket and catching their worms, or

whatever they did.

Tim walked along the edge of the

road, carrying his bag. He felt empty. It

was like being sad, but worse, and dif-

ferent. He felt like that a lot lately. He

tried not to think about how he felt.

He was glad it wasn’t raining; that

was something. He’d have stayed

home, he thought, if it was raining. But

stayed home for what?, he wondered.

Better off at work. Rock and a hard

place. Hard place. Harden up.

He was at the bus stop in plenty of

time. Some of the others nodded, said

G’Day. A few were smoking, while

they could. A few blokes were telling

each other dirty jokes, laughing.

A year ago, Tim would’ve joined

them. But he’d lost interest in that

sort of thing. Like most things. Hate

my job, and not interested in finding

another one. For sure, not interested in

learning a new mine, a new boss, new

people. Only wish this job didn’t grind

me down. Harden up Tim, harden up.

“Hey Tim!”

Tim fell out of his daydream. “Hey

what?”

“Coming?” The bus had arrived,

and everyone else was on board.

How’d I miss that?

He climbed on board to head off

for the first shift of the tour.

by Bernard S. Jansen5 minute fiction

Harden Up

Bernard S. Jansen is 32, married has three young boys. He lives in Emerald, works as an engineer at a local coal mine and is active in his local church. Read more of Bernard’s writing online at surgebin.blogspot.com or email him at [email protected]

GOT AN IDEA FOR A STORY? Let Bernard know - email him at [email protected] or hop on his blog surgebin.blogspot.com

Shift MinerHandy 15A blank gridShiftMInerHandyblank.pdf©Lovatts Publications 2010

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1. Not quite

2. Ice-cream dessert

3. Kinsman

4. Beer mug

6. Estimate of costs

7. Leaves behind

8. Caper

11. Embroiders

15. Willingness

17. Leanest

18. Squid

20. Large deer

21. Hard rock

22. Coldest

23. Respiratory ailment

26. Located

ACROSS 1. Attacks

5. London’s Trafalgar ...

9. Threatening

10. Coloured-tile design

12. Impasse

13. Make sense (3,2)

14. Electric rod, cattle ...

16. Removed hide from

19. Fluid loss

21. Chap

24. Florida resort city

25. Kitbags

27. Eradicates

28. 60th

29. Desire for water

30. Blood feud

DOWN

SHIFT MINERHandy Cross 1802 - (15A grid)ShiftMinerHandy094s. pdf© Lovatts Publications 06/08/2010

I M M U N I T Y A R M A D AN O E O O D NH A N D S O U T Q U A R T SA I T R W N I WL O C K S M I T H D R A K EE A S O E T R

E X I T M I D W I F ES U Y U C DK I N D L E S K I P SE D O A N I UW H E L P K E E P I N G U PE R H E E N N ER E A S O N O C C A S I O NE G N A P T DD I E T E R S P O T L E S S

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LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS

129th EDITION. 2012


off shift

YEPPOONCORIO Bay is the place to be at the moment, with good catches of blue salmon, threadfin and queenfish.

“They’re falling to poppers and small sur-face lures,” said Adrian from the Secret Spot.

“Some of the queenies have been in excess of eight or nine kilos.”

Coorooman Creek has been producing some nice catches of crab and the rain is stirring up the prawns.

But the news isn’t so good for the spear fisherman.

“There’s not been much of a run for spear fishing because of the rain and the big tides.”

There have been plenty of red fish around flat and perforated... and the black jews have been having a good run as well.

“There was one catch the other day in excess of 40 pounds off the rocks at the service station at Rosslyn Bay.”

Adrian says the key to pulling them in is a stout line and big bait.

MACKAYTHE first of February marks the start of the barra season, and anyone who likes fishing in Mackay is gearing up for it.

Bruce from Nashy’s Compleat Angler says it should be a great season.

“All the conditions leading up to this have been good, there’s been some rain and there should be good opening tides at the start of the season,” he said.

“The barra are pretty much widespread at the moment, so it’s just waiting for the green light.”

There are plenty of prawns kicking around - Barnes Creek is a hot spot, but they are even being caught in the river.

“They are reasonable size - medium - which is a good bait size for blueies.”

If you’re up the creeks prawning, it’s worth throwing your crab pots in too - still plenty around.

Out wide, and people have been catching nannagai, red emperor, trout and lipper when-ever the weather allows them to head east.

GLADSTONECHASING a nice bass?

Well, you should head to Cania Dam - where they are biting in big numbers.

In more good news from the local dams, the barra are starting to pick up at Awoonga Dam.

Numbers were severely curtailed last year when the dam spilled over during the floods, but the pool of fish has been stead-ily growing for 12 months - just in time for barra season.

According to Josh, from Pat’s Tack-le World in Gladstone, off shore there have been some nice catches of trout, lipper and a few big Spanish mackerel when the

weather allows it.The muddies are about in the creeks

and rivers, and prawns are also around - although a bit on the small size at the moment.

“They will grow over the next month with all the rain,” he said.

BaIT SHOp BanTER

If you have a good photo or fishing yarn

send it through to our resident bait chucker- [email protected]

FISHING PARADISE

FOUNDCalling all serious fisherman to the best fishing

location on the coast. Close to mining areas (You have probably driven

past the turn-off!)Fully s/c accommodation silly season, 2011 & 2012

Crew bookings available

Phone: 49373145email: [email protected]

web: www.stanagebay.com

Young Cooper Harris with a stonker red

129th EDITION. 2012


Gla

ds

to

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Ma

CK

aY

Gla

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Ma

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aY

TIDE TIMES Jan/FebMon 30 Tue 31 Wed 1 Thu 2 Fri 3 Sat 4 Sun 5

Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht

0120 3.27 0222 3.16 0347 3.17 0513 3.34 0612 3.60 0022 1.31 0111 1.11

0704 1.80 0829 1.99 1018 1.97 1136 1.78 1232 1.54 0657 3.86 0737 4.08

1323 3.10 1428 2.87 1557 2.78 1738 2.87 1838 3.06 1316 1.32 1356 1.10

1941 1.57 2056 1.68 2218 1.65 2325 1.51 1922 3.25 2001 3.43

0322 4.10 0449 4.04 0622 4.26 0047 1.89 0139 1.59 0222 1.31 0302 1.05

0922 2.45 1113 2.59 1255 2.36 0724 4.62 0808 4.99 0845 5.31 0920 5.59

1520 3.84 1658 3.60 1838 3.69 1354 2.01 1436 1.68 1513 1.41 1548 1.19

2204 2.08 2335 2.09 1939 3.93 2022 4.18 2058 4.41 2133 4.61

Mon 6 Tue 7 Wed 8 Thu 9 Fri 10 Sat 11 Sun 12

Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht

0154 0.91 0235 0.73 0316 0.59 0356 0.54 0436 0.58 0517 0.73 0601 0.97

0815 4.26 0853 4.40 0930 4.48 1007 4.49 1045 4.40 1125 4.20 1209 3.93

1436 0.91 1514 0.73 1552 0.60 1629 0.54 1707 0.58 1744 0.70 1824 0.89

2039 3.59 2116 3.74 2152 3.87 2231 3.95 2310 3.97 2354 3.92

0340 0.82 0418 0.64 0458 0.53 0538 0.52 0005 5.22 0046 5.19 0131 5.07

0954 5.82 1029 6.00 1106 6.10 1143 6.07 0618 0.65 0700 0.91 0746 1.27

1624 0.99 1700 0.80 1736 0.67 1813 0.62 1221 5.88 1301 5.54 1345 5.10

2209 4.82 2246 5.01 2325 5.15 1850 0.68 1928 0.84 2011 1.07

Late Monsoon kicks inWEEK 1 - torms across the Coalfields during the last week were due to the monsoon finally arriving in the north. The cloud cover brought a welcome relief from the heat of early January. Some rainfall totals of note with 24hr falls in brackets till the 25th Jan: Capella 92 (69), Clermont 83 (75), Raglan 91(88), Pine Hills 83(65), Marengo 75(44), Fairbairn Dam 72 (34), Blackall 66(34), Emerald 61 (29), Longreach 59 (35), Lochington 58(33), Mt. Morgan 49 (36), Collinsville 48(37), Yaamba 42 (37), Westwood 42 (38),Middlemount 28 (26), Moranbah 17(15).

A Tropical Low in the Monsoon Trough near Darwin had

dumped over 180mm in 24hrs. It should move into the Gulf in the next Australia Day and move south over the weekend and threaten the western Coalfields. More afternoon and evening storms for the week will threaten for the week.

Boaties - einds look rather “good” for the early part of the week. Watch the north if a NE’ly increases and tends more E’ly. Yes - the first sign of a Coral Sea low. Watch very closely!

Week 2 - The SOI has fallen to +11.6. Much lower than early in the month when it was +23. Tropical Cylone Iggy in the west may help his sister Jasmine to be a “Queenslander”. If the tropical low develops the coast north of Mackay could be worth avoiding.

YOuR WEATHER FORECASTWith Mike Griffin

off shift

Beachfront location with spacious air conditioned 2 and 3 bedroom Ocean and garden side apartments. Low rise apartment complex with pool, gym and indoor spa and sauna. Walk to restaurants & Jupiters Casino. Totally non smoking complex

P. (07) 5592 5350 F. (07) 5592 [email protected]

TREETOPS seaview CABINS or

TREETOPS rainforest CABINS

As a bonus, book the above special and you will receive

Email: [email protected] Web : www.treetopsmontville.com.au

129th EDITION. 2012


Accommodation starts from $189 per night (min 3 nights)

Stay 3

nights or more and

receive a complimentary

$100 restaurant

voucher.

off shift

BOREDOM…there’s nothing worse.Especially if you’ve got the day, the week-

end, or even just a few hours to yourself only to realise that you have nothing to do.

As always, the temptation is there to watch copious amounts of television, which can at times leave you feeling rather unfulfilled.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m in no way speaking ill of the marvelous and all pow-erful TV, but there is just something odd-ly upsetting about hearing the words, “Did anyone catch Dr Phil yesterday?” come out of your mouth at the lunch table.

Watching TV during the day also brings with it the ever present danger of being tak-en in by infomercials.

Normally I’d have no use whatsoever for a device that cuts onions into the shape of farm animals or a steak knife with a radio built into it, but for some reason at 2.30 in the afternoon on a Wednesday these prod-ucts seem both ingenious and practical.

Sure, you could do some chores around the house, vacuum, mop, that kind of thing,

but then it feels like you’re working, and will leave you with that sinking feeling that you’ve wasted your entire day off.

So what do you do when there’s nothing to do?You learn to play the guitar, of course.Even if you don’t have a musical bone in

your body, I highly recommend heading to your local second hand store and picking up a $50 guitar to mess around on.

Then, with the help of your friend and mine - the internet - you can look up some youtube videos that will teach you a basic chord progression, and in a couple of hours you’re belting out the shoddiest version of Bad Moon Rising in music history, but that’s not the point.

The point is that you’ll feel pretty damn good about having basically learnt a song in a couple of hours.

Then all you have to do is spend a few hours each week practising, learning a few new things and before you know it some-thing you picked up purely to alleviate boredom has become a lifelong hobby.

What to do when there’s nothing to do

MOVIE REVIEWBY JUSTIN CARLOS

Elementary, my dear WatsonSHERLOCK Holmes: A Game of Shad-ows is the follow up to Guy Ritchie’s highly successful 2009 film about the world’s most famous detective.

The film is set in Europe at the turn of the century, with the world on the brink of war.

With a number of terrorist attacks and mysterious deaths occurring across the globe, Sherlock Holmes deduces that one man may be behind it all, Pro-fessor James Moriarty.

With the help of his long suffering sidekick, Dr Watson, Holmes under-takes a high stakes game of cat and mouse with the maniacal professor in an attempt to stop a full scale world war.

Robert Downey Jr reprises his role as Sherlock Holmes, and is once again exceptional as the eccentric detective.

With a number of well choreo-graphed fight scenes, plenty of gun bat-tles, as well as the odd explosion, A Game of Shadows will no doubt appeal to fans of the action genre.

However, the film also has an unde-niable comedic and dramatic element, which is skillfully brought to life by the entire cast.

Jared Harris, who is by no means a

Hollywood A-lister, more than holds his own on screen as the diabolical Profes-sor Moriarty.

The on screen relationship between Holmes and Moriarty is brilliantly por-trayed as an overarching struggle for mental superiority, summed up during the climax of the film with a chess match between the two characters.

The pithy banter between Holm-es and Watson (Jude Law) brings an organic humour to the film, and is a tes-tament to the acting ability of Downey and Law.

A cameo role by actor/comedian Stephen Fry also provides for some very amusing dry British wit, a staple in most of Guy Ritchie’s films.

Perhaps the only criticism one could make of the film is a slow motion action sequence which appears to drag on for eternity with no real ‘action’ to speak of, aside from tree bark exploding in super slow mo.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shad-ows is a must for fans of the action adventure genre, however with its well paced plot, excellent cinematography and laugh out loud humour, it’s really a film for fans movies in general.

If your local club has any news or

photos it wants added to this page,

you can submit your articles to

[email protected]

What’s happening in SpORT in your town?World game goes miningTHE newly formed Emerald Eagles Football Club say the team will be the property of all soccer loving miners across central Queensland.

For the first time, the Central Highlands now has its own soccer team playing in the CQ region’s premier league competition.

The competition is the highest level of soccer played locally and comprises nine other teams from across Gladstone and Rockhampton.

So early into its first year, and the Eagles have already garnered strong support from mining - raising $30,000 in eight weeks - almost half of which came from major sponsors Yarrabee Coal, Ensham Resources and Travelander.

The team will be based at Emerald’s Moreton Park; however, due to renovations they will be

playing the first few games of the competition at Blackwater.

This highlights the travel obstacles the team will have to come, and club spokesman Jame Barley concedes it is a big issue.

“At the moment some of the money we have raised will go toward subsidising the cost of transport, but we need more obviously,” he said.

“We are speaking to a few transport operators like Emerald Coaches and Greyhound to see whether we can do something with them that could see us bring down the price of travel.”

A lot of mines and miners from further afield than Emerald are involved in the club.

“Even though it is technically an Emerald side we have guys coming from Blackwater, Dysart and Tieri so its going to be the best team the Central Highlands has to offer.”

The Eagles will field an A and Reserve grade side in the competition, as well as an open women’s side.

In the juniors it will have teams from the age of four right up to age 16.

Training for seniors has begun on Tuesday and Thursday nights and anyone interested in getting involved can call the club’s senior coach John Salogni on 0429 503 479 - or just turn up.

Moranbah Speedway ready to rumble

The roar of tricked up Speedway cars will rumble across Moranbah this Saturday night with gates opening at 3pm for a five class race meet.

The Moranbah Speedway committee is aiming to build on the success of its November event last year.

The Speedway circuit is in the best condition most

competitors would be able to remember and club president Shane Thompson is hoping it translates into more cars competing.

“The tracks looking really good,” he said.“Although we have still got more work to do, and

we are going to do more work before Saturday.”We are expecting to get about 6 to 8 cars in the

Outlaw sedan and Sprint car classes, and hopefully a similar number of junior sedans.”

“I am not sure what we will get in the junior quads but, there are sprint cars coming from Cairns to Gladstone, and possibly even a few from Brisbane.”

As usual the Speedway club welcomes anyone who wants to come down and have a closer look, although you need to wear closed in shoes.

Speedway gates open at 3pm and there will be a fully licenced bar and canteen operating through out.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia is proud to be part of the Clermont, Emerald, Capella, Nebo, Mirani, Sarina, and Mackay communities.

Congratulations to everyone who supported the 2011 Stock Up for Hope Charity Drove

Rio Tinto Coal Australia was pleased to be a partner in the drove this year, which raised $300,000 for school chaplains in regional Queensland from the sale of more than 400 cattle.

School chaplains help provide young people with the extra support they need to help develop self-confidence and a range of life skills.

We support a range of local projects through the Clermont Region, Kestrel Mine, and Hail

Creek Mine Community Development Funds.

For more information about the Funds contact:

Specialist Samantha Faint on 0447 599 990

www.riotintocoalaustralia.com.au

The Emerald Eagles have joined the CQ premier league competition

129th EDITION. 2012



WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A

MORE- mining news MORE- industrial news MORE- investment news

WINOWEDNESDAY’S INDUSTRY NEWS ONLINE (WINO) BY SHIFT MINER




Your health

For those too busy or embarrassed to ask the important questions about their healthEXPERT ADVICE

Tammy Farrell is a registered nurse, nutritionist and author of ‘The Real Man’s Toolbox – A DIY Health Manual for Men’. Tammy grew up in the Hunter Valley with two brothers in the local coal mines. In 2007, she started to give health talks in the Hunter, and that’s when she began compiling the book, helping hundreds of men answer questions about their bodies.

ANOTHER year, another New Year’s resolution already gone by the wayside?

If you’re one of the millions who have vowed never to let chocolate/ alcohol/fried foods/ pies and takea-ways pass you lips again while you take up marathon running – and failed miserably – don’t despair!

I’m proposing that 2012 be the year of evolutions not resolutions. You see when we evolve, we move on, we don’t look back, we improve, better ourselves.

So let’s start your New Year evo-lution of healthy living, better liv-ing, increased strength and energy with a complete inventory of where your body is at.

This will give you an ideal start-ing point on where you can improve your body so it functions at its best.

Make a decision today to book appointments with your GP/special-ist and ask for a complete check-up.

Get your blood pressure, cho-lesterol, prostate/breast, bowel and skin checked then have your fitness levels put to the test – you can do this through a local gym or your GP may give you a referral.

While you’re at it, have your body measurements taken – weight, body fat and waist circumference.

Ask your health care profession-al for an assessment of your health once all your tests are back so you can then focus on the areas that need improving.

In the meantime, I hope to inspire and encourage you to evolve your thoughts and actions when it comes to health and wellness.

I’m happy to answer any health concerns you have and will give you the facts about the most common health conditions affecting Austral-ians – and how you can help protect yourself against them.

Believe it or not many common health conditions can be great-ly reduced or reversed by our own actions ie what we put in our mouth and our commitment to regular exercise.

Make 2012 the year you evolve for the better.

Remember the choices and action you make today will impact your body in the future!

Until next time, Stay healthy, stay informed.

Serves 24

Enjoy this quintessential Australian recipe. Lamingtons are always a tasty treat and are delicious and always a family favourite.

INGREDIENTS:

750g of icing sugar 1 1/2 cups of cocoa1/3 cup of cocoa65g of butter125ml of milk500g of desicated coconut

SPONGE CAKE

500g butter2 cups of sugar8 eggs

METHOD:In a large mixing bowl, mix all sponge cake ingredients with a beater attachment on medium speed until creamy. Pour evenly into a greased large tray and cook on 200 ºC for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Take out the tray and place turnout to a wire rack to cool.

For the icing, in a large mixing bowl combine icing sugar and cocoa. In a saucepan, heat milk and butter until the butter is melted. Add the milk to the sugar mix and

Place coconut into a shallow tray.

Cut the cake into 5cm squares and using a fork, dip each square sponge completely into the icing, then roll in the coconut. Place onto a rack to dry. Continue until all sponges are done.

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129th EDITION. 2012


MoNeY Matters

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WHEN it comes to renting, the paperwork could be about to get easier. The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) has welcomed the state government’s proposal to simplify the paperwork associated with residential real estate transactions.

The elimination of excessive paper-work associated with residential real estate transactions is an issue that the REIQ has been actively seeking to be addressed for a number of years.

Currently sellers must comply with var-ious information and disclosure require-ments when selling residential property

including issuing a warning statement, an information statement and community management statement for lots in a com-munity titles scheme, sustainability declara-tions, and pool safety certificates.

“These forms and documents are required to be given under different pieces of legislation which are in turn administered by different government departments, so it makes sense to introduce a single regime which incorporates the existing requirements into one document,” REIQ CEO Anton Kardash said.

The REIQ would like to see a range of other statutory disclosures introduced into

the proposed regime and looks forward to working with the state government to streamline the contractual process to make it easier for both buyers and sellers.

The REIQ is also pleased to note that the government is considering phasing out sustainability declarations.

“Sustainability declarations have been in effect for two years in Queensland and have had minimal impact on buyers’ deci-

sion-making processes,” Mr Kardash said.“Indeed, anecdotal evidence from the

industry overwhelmingly indicates that the sustainability features of a property are not considered to be important factors in the view of the majority of buyers.”

“Research undertaken by the Queens-land University of Technology also found the introduction of sustainability declarations had little impact on property purchases.”

THE Mackay Whitsunday Urban Develop-ment Institute (MWUDI) says there will be a bottleneck in the supply of industrial land in Mackay within five years.

According to MWUDI president Mark McGrath, the Paget industrial precinct will be full by 2016 at the current rate of devel-opment.

However, lack of infrastructure will almost certainly mean that options after that will not be ready.

“We say that is Paget is going to be full by 2016,” he said.

“The Mackay Regional Council and the state government have identified Rosella as the next place to expand and we certainly agree with that.”

“But it needs a water treatment plant, and it needs roads.”

“Using the recently completed Bakers

Creek water treatment plant as an example, it cost $150 million and 10 years to complete, so for Rosella to be an option works should have already started.”

‘Even if they started to build another new estate at Rosella it’s not going to be built in time for when Paget runs out.”

With the state election announced, Mr McGrath has pleaded with the incoming government to seriously consider regional infrastructure problems.

He says a failure to do so would not only cripple Mackay’s growth but affect Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra’s infrastructure as well.

“There are $84 billion worth of projects planned for the Mackay Whitsunday region, and we are on track to reach the govern-ment’s forecast of a population of 280,000 by 2030,” he said.

“The issue is that of the $13 billion worth

of royalties that come out of this region, just a small fraction is spent locally.”

“Mining companies spent more than $25 billion in Queensland last year, of which $13 billion was spent in Brisbane.”

“So the message is that if you don’t look after the regions that are generating the wealth, you are not going to be able to afford all this beautiful infrastructure being built in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra.”

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“...sustainability features of a property are not considered to be important factors in the view of the majority of buyers.”

“Even if they started to build another new estate at Rosella it’s not going to be

built in time for when Paget runs out.”NO ROOM: Analysts are worried there

won’t be enough industrial land ready to keep up with demand in Mackay

129th EDITION. 2012


MoNeY Matters

Meet us: level 1, 214 Quay St Rockhampton QLD 4700 – or call us and we will come to you! www.shiftminer.com call 07 4921 4333

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BOQ Yeppoon Owner-Managers Ian Scott and Dan Lorraway have more than 51 years’ combined experience in banking and finance. We recently caught up with them to find out how people can build a better rela-tionship with their bank manager to help them achieve their financial goals.

Good communication is a vital tool when developing a working relationship with your bank manager, for individuals and small business owners alike.

If you do have a great banker and a great banking relationship with them it’s likely the process should be pretty smooth sailing when it comes to needing finance. With the anticipated growth for the Cen-tral Queensland region, which will likely bring with it an increase in property val-ues and rental returns, when you’re ready to snap up a property it should be a much smoother process when you know your bank manager and they know you and your financial situation.

But I know there are people out there who aren’t achieving their financial poten-tial because their bank isn’t coming to the party with funding.

This disconnect between the busi-ness owner’s perception of a loan appli-

cation and the banker’s receptiveness to the deal has most likely occurred due to the number one golden rule of banking – communication – being broken.

This is a sad state of affairs because both parties have much in common – the individual or business owner wants the money to expand their investment portfo-lio or business, and banks’ bread and but-ter is lending.

So here are a few tips for developing a stronger relationship with your bank:

1. Seek early involvement from your bank manager in understanding your indi-vidual and/or business goals.

2. Be willing to get help in areas where you don’t have all the skills, ask questions and consider the answers and options pre-sented. If your bank manager has a wealth of experience behind them then chances are they’ve seen similar situations to yours before.

3. Get your accountant involved and encourage a sound working relationship between your bank manager and accountant.

Make sure your banking relationship is working for you. And if you’re not happy, shop around. Life’s too short to waste time dealing with bad bank managers!

MONEY TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS

Getting to know your bank manager


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Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this advertisement, the particulars and information in it are not to be construed as containing any representations upon which any interested party is entitled to rely. All illustrations, drawings and photographs are for professional presentation purposes, are indicative only and not necessarily to scale. Subject to any statutory limitation, none of Brisbane Housing Company Limited CAN 101 263 834 or any of its subsidiaries, employees or agents will be responsible or liable in any way to any party whatsoever that relies upon anything contained in this document for any reason whatsoever. All information and material subject to change without notice. Sustainability declaration available on request.

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