Archived News for Professionals in Federal Government

Federal Minister for School Education Peter Garrett has met with the NSW Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, in a bid to convince the State Government to reverse its $1.7 billion cuts to the education sector.

The Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) has called on the Federal Government to establish a Parliamentary Committee to progress the process towards local government recognition in the Constitution.

Gary Banks has announced he will retire from his position as Chair of the Productivity Commission in December.

The Federal Government has announced a $1 billion growth in investment projects over the last three months according to the National Infrastructure Construction Schedule (NICS).

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has published its Survey of Industrial Trends for the September quarter,  revealing a strengthening of the key General Business Situation index.

The Australian and New Zealand Productivity Commissions have issued a joint statement effectively scrapping any possibility of a monetary union.

The Federal Government has reaffirmed it’s ‘unequivocal support’ for penalty rates in modern awards, specifically over weekends and public holidays.

The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has published a new report that warns Australia’s attractiveness as an investment destination is rapidly deteriorating.

The Federal Government has announced the grant of seven new offshore petroleum permits as part of the second round of the 2011 Exploration Acreage Release.

The Federal Government has released a report outlining a comprehensive roadmap aimed at breaking down the barriers faced by Indigenous students to a university education and creating a new generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander professionals.

The Federal Government has announced Murray-Darling Basin rivers and wetlands will receive as much as 1,449 gigalitres of Commonwealth environmental water in 2013.

The Federal Government has passed legislation through Parliament that will establish the country’s first rail safety investigator.

The Federal Government has released a suite of new reports aimed at helping stakeholders make informed decisions about how to build in a changing climate.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, has announced a major review of Australian fisheries policy and legislation.

The Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committees is to undertake an inquiry into ‘Teaching and learning - maximising our investment in Australian schools.

The Minister for Workplace Relations Bill Shorten has released Trends in Enterprise Bargaining Report for the June quarter 2012 which shows that more than 20,500 enterprise agreements covering 2.62 million employees have been made since the agreement making provisions of the Fair Work Act began on 1 July 2009.

One of the most senior officers in the Australian Defence Force, Air Vice-Marshal Margaret Staib, has been appointed as the new CEO of Airservices Australia.

As Commander Joint Logistics, Air Vice-Marshal Staib planned, coordinated and delivered logistics support for Australian Defence Force operations and exercises overseas and in Australia. She also played a key role in developing and implementing the $2.4 billion logistics reform program, an initiative of the 2009 Defence White Paper.

A posting to the United States Air Force at the Pentagon furthered her experience in logistics and procurement. For her work on logistics transformation, Air Vice-Marshal Staib was awarded the United States Meritorious Service Medal.

In January 2009, Air Vice-Marshal Staib was appointed as a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia.

Air Vice-Marshal Staib will take up her position on 15 October.

Airservices Australia is a wholly government-owned statutory authority which manages around 11 per cent of the world’s airspace through which more than three million flights carrying 75 million passengers travel each year.

As well as providing air-traffic control services, the organisation also delivers rescue and fire fighting services at the nation's major passenger airports.

More information about Airservices Australia and its current Board Members is available at: www.airservicesaustralia.com.

The Australian Taxation Office has announced it will publish all findings made by its external scrutineers and the outcomes and improvements from implementing suggested recommendations.

The Australian Government has abandoned its Contract for Closure Program, announcing that  it will not be offering financial support to close emissions intensive power stations under the Program and ceasing negotiations with the electricity generators involved.

A new organisation with a central coordinating role will pave the way for a national approach to asbestos awareness and management in Australia.