what to do if you’re made redundant · quest townsville quest townsville on eyre quest mackay...

The Partners:John Taylor - LL.B

Sharon Smith - BEc/LL.B HonsCraig Worsley - LL.B

Greg Carroll

PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS Mining Accidents Work Accidents Motor Vehicle Accidents Insurance/TPD Claims

CONVEYANCING ESTATE LAW COMMERCIAL LAW

Phone 4957 2944 Fax 4957 2016 www.taylors-solicitors.com.au

email: [email protected] 2/ 17 Brisbane Street Mackay

TAYLORS

SOLICITORS

Locally Owned & Operated

Monday November 17, 2014 191st Edition

M A G A Z I N Ewww.shiftminer.com

The Queensland mining and gas community’s best source of local news

SHIFT MINERSCRATCHEDWhat to do if you’re made redundant» Special report page 24

Quest has you covered in regional Queensland

Visit questapartments.com.au or call 1800 334 033

Quest TownsvilleQuest Townsville on Eyre

Quest Mackay

Quest RockhamptonQuest Gladstone

Quest Mackay on Gordon

Contact any of our great properties directly for the best possible rates:

Summer Offer at QUEST Mention Shift Miner when you book the Quest Best Rate direct with the property to receive a free bonus night with any 3 night stay booking.

Includes Free Parking, and Kids Fun Pack.

Quest Gladstonequestgladstone.com.au07 4970 0900

Quest Mackayquestmackay.com.au07 4829 3500

Quest Mackay on Gordonquestmackayongordon.com.au07 4842 1800

Quest Rockhamptonquestrockhampton.com.au07 4920 5300

Quest Townsvillequesttownsville.com.au 07 4726 4444

Quest Townsville on Eyrequesttownsvilleoneyre.com.au1800 334 033(Opening December 2014)

QUEST TOWNSVILLE

QUEST GLADSTONE

QUEST MACKAY QUEST MACKAY ON GORDON

QUEST ROCKHAMPTON QUEST TOWNSVILLE ON EYRE

QSA QLD ShiftMiner 270x340.indd 1 11/09/14 4:02 PM

Invoice Today & Get Paid Today!*

Reliable Debtor Finance Solutions

*Conditions apply.

We’ll show you how to take the handbrake off your business & put your cashfl ow back into gear.

Yes, there is an alternative to a business overdraft.

Call: 1300 788 945 or Bruce Meredith: 0448 052 069 www.cashfl owfi nance.com.au

CONTENTSShift Miner Magazine

15

24 12

4

23

NEWS 4 Key staff

outsourced

5 Confidence waning in Chinchilla

6 Coal price bottomed?

8 Ensham expands as Anglo extends

10 Safety revolution in drilling

REGULARS17 Frank the Tank

18 Miner’s Trader

20 Off Shift

22 Bait Shop Banter

Queensland mining community's best source of local news

SHIFT MINERM A G A Z I N ELocally Owned

and Operated

Phone: (07) 4921 4333 Fax: (07) 4922 6908 [email protected]: Alex Graham Advertising: Angus Peacocke 0428 154 653

Published fortnightly by Fitzroy Publishing Pty Ltd A.B.N 72122739879 PO Box 1440, Rockhampton Q 4700www.shiftminer.com

Shift Miner Magazine www.shiftminer.com

4 17th November 2014

MORE than 400 apprentices have been employed and trained by construction giant Bechtel, which is building three LNG plants in Gladstone.

It’s one of the largest single intakes of apprentices in Australia’s history and has included many adult workers with related skills that have contributed towards getting accredited faster.

“It’s a whole new start for me,” said John van Nimwegan, one of the 401 apprentices on the project.

“It’s given me new skills, it’s going to make me more employable in the future once this project is finished.

“I’ve always wanted to be a boiler maker, and I got a call up.”

Bechtel LNG general manager Alasdair

Cathcart said the program would bring long-lasting benefits to Australia’s construction industry.

“It has also given many adult workers the chance to gain a trade qualification that they thought had passed them by. For many, this opportunity has been life-changing.”

Bechtel worked closely with the federal government’s National Apprenticeships Program as well as a number of local and regional training organisations to deliver on the company’s commitment to develop Australia’s construction workforce.

The program focuses on training people to meet national skills shortages in areas including electrical fitter mechanical, instrumentation and control, metal fabrication, boiler making, sheet metal, mechanical fitting, and carpentry formwork.

People with at least 40 percent of the competency for their trade qualification were considered for the program.

Those who qualified were provided a flexible program targetting individual gaps that allowed the apprentices to complete their trade training within the construction timeframes of the Curtis Island projects.

More than 150 people who have gone through the program are now fully qualified tradespeople.

News

TWO key engineering roles at BMA’s Saraji mine have been put out to tender, signalling the beginning of a new era on CQ mine sites.

The new consultancy roles - one for infrastructure projects and one for the coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP) - would previously have been filled by full-time employees.

It’s the beginning of a new employment trend, according to one Mackay mining services insider.

“It screws down costs,” he told Shift Miner.“Putting the positions out to tender

would cost a lot less than filling the roles internally so its just another way to ratchet down costs,” he said.

The trend away from permanent workforces

to contractors and labour hire is not new, and has been evident in the Bowen Basin since the downturn began to bite 18 months ago.

However, in the past, outsourced positions have been mainly concentrated at the operator level, with managerial and engineering jobs generally still filled internally.

That now appears to be changing.“It means they don’t have to have

people sitting there all the time, they can dump them off when they don’t need them and they don’t face the same redundancy issues,” said the insider.

For Mackay-based services businesses struggling to survive, it presents a new opportunity.

“Any company that wins [the tender] could,

in theory, pick up more work because the role will need downstream support,” he said.

After 12 months of extensive cost costing in other areas, mining companies are now turning their attention to reducing labour costs.

BMA has recently hit Central Queensland mining contractors with a request to cut charge out rates by 33 per cent (see our story on page 9).

Employees at major contractor Hastings Deering are currently voting on whether to accept a 25 per cent cut in wages, in its new enterprise bargain agreement (EBA).

Major mining companies are yet to embark on EBA negotiations with their workforces, but significant cuts to contractor pay and conditions signal they will be looking to make significant changes.

The CFMEU’s Steve Pierce said the Bowen Basin’s permanent workforces were on tenterhooks.

“People are very reluctant to push back at the moment,” he told Shift Miner.

“They are scared that if they do they will be pushed out the door and replaced with a contractor.”

He has also accused BMA of shedding hundreds of permanent positions at the same time as putting on labour hire workers in the same areas.

“What that really confirms is this is about the casualisation of the workforce but BMA is using the trojan horse of business realignment to justify it.”

Key staff outsourced at SarajiWellcamp gives me wingsTOOWOOMBA’s new Wellcamp airport has taken to the skies, with passenger flights beginning this week.

CASA has officially approved the facility as a certified aerodrome, and QantasLink this week began twice daily return flights to Sydney.

The airport has been closely monitored in aviation circles, particularly since it is the first ever privately-built, public airport in the country.

Security teams have begun training this week, and a range of state-of-the-art surveillance devices have been fitted.

There are invisible laser barriers above the beer garden, so if something is thrown the laser will be broken and an alarm will sound.

Smart cameras have also been installed.“They will see things happen over

and over again and recognise that as ‘normal’ behaviour,” said airport general manager Phil Gregory.

“When something unusual happens that will be seen as ‘un-normal’ behaviour. The camera will zoom in and focus on the activity and set off an alarm.”

From January regional airlines Rex will also operate four services a week across two routes:

Western Route 1: Brisbane to Toowoomba then to St George to Cunnamulla to Thargomindah and return; and Western Route 2: Brisbane to Toowoomba then to Charleville to Quilpie to Windorah to Birdsville to Bedourie to Boulia to Mount Isa and return.

Bechtel’s 400 kept promises

BECHTEL’S BEST: Troy Millers is one of 400 apprentices at Bechtel in Gladstone

Key engineering jobs are now being outsourced in the Bowen Basin


17th November 2014 5

MORE than 200 homes are for rent in Chinchilla today - a number unheard of two years ago in the booming Surat Basin town.

On the face of it, the growing number of vacant rental properties in a place like Chinchilla might be taken as a sign the CSG boom is over.

However, in reality it speaks to a far more complex situation developing in the Surat Basin.

The combined effects of drought and the uncertainty over new CSG construction and operational work are both undermining business confidence.

President of the Chinchilla Community, Commerce & Industry Association Rob Hart says the current outlook is all part of the cycle, it’s just that some people haven’t seen it before.

“The main thing I have been wishing for is that it would rain,” he told Shift Miner.

“A lot of people who are new to town have made the comment that things seem very quiet at the moment, and of course a big reason for that is the drought.

“The reality is it hasn’t rained since May and didn’t hardly rain for the 12 months before that, so people in that sector have really had to pull their heads in and that spending is an important part of the economy for a place like Chinchilla.

“Of course I think the gas sector has brought diversity to the town, and we are far more insulated from the savage downturns in the agriculture sector than we once were.”

According to Mr Hart, the town’s current housing issue is more to do with the supply of new homes catching up with demand from new tenants.

While construction workers have been leaving the area as jobs finish, most of that

workforce has been accommodated in the camp accommodation either in town or on site, so Mr Hart says there has not been a population exodus.

In fact the increased housing supply and subsequent falling prices may even be a catalyst for people to switch from FIFO to local.

While the outlook for the Surat Basin over the longer term is extremely positive - the challenge for business is how to survive the current lull.

Surat Basin businessman Geoff Campbell from Country Petroleum believes more information is needed from the major onshore gas proponents to help local firms plan for future opportunities.

Mr Campbell’s family-owned company operates petrol stations in Dalby and Chinchilla and a network of unmanned 24/7 diesel sites across the region.

They also supply commercial fuel and lubricants to a range of agricultural and onshore gas industry clients.

Mr Campbell believes there is still huge opportunity for gas companies to utilise local businesses more to support their long-term operations in the Surat Basin.

“Local businesses offer many advantages—for example in our fuel cartage business we already have a network in place, our drivers live and work

locally and our fleet can offer a range of load options to the onshore gas industry,” he said.

“I think we still have a job to educate these (gas) companies and their procurement people in Brisbane that there are well qualified and very capable local businesses out here that would be cost effective in delivering services to them locally and at same time supporting these regional communities,” Mr Campbell said.

Another long-time Surat Basin businessman, John Hoffman of Miles Engineering agrees local businesses need more information in order to be able to better plan for future opportunities with the onshore gas industry.

“What we need is information on the timelines of these different projects and the amount and nature of workforces they will need,” he said.

“Staffing is a real issue for local businesses in trying to project demand – we are probably carrying a few extra staff in case things do ramp up again slightly, but lots of companies are gearing down.

“Normally this is the busiest time of year for our agricultural clients but due to the drought its down significantly on this time last year and I don’t know where we’d be without the onshore gas industry,” Mr Hoffman said.

News

Confidence waning in Chinchilla

TALK TO US: Country Petroleum’s Geoff Campbell says CSG companies need to let locals know what their future requirements will be



THERE are encouraging signs that the coal price might have stopped falling, with Wesfarmers confirming they have settled on a price of $110/tonne for coking coal from Curragh mine.

The price is what Wesfarmers will receive for contracted tonnages (about 70 per cent of total sales) between now and January and is one per cent lower than the price it was getting for the last three months.

However, it is the trend that is encouraging.From January to June this year their

coking coal price fell a total of 21 per cent, but it stopped falling in July and will only have dropped one per cent in the second half of the year.

Managing director of Wesfarmers Resources Stewart Butel said the pricing was in line with other market settlements.

“Curragh’s hard coking coal benchmark price has remained largely flat over the three quarters to December 2014,” he said.

“Curragh’s hard coking coal benchmark price for the October to December 2014 quarter does, however, reflect a US$37 per tonne or an approximate 25 per cent decrease from pricing in the October to December 2013 quarter.”

Depressed coal prices are a function of a global oversupply, and at the same time as Curragh announced its new coal price settlement, it also revealed it had slashed production for the quarter.

Compared to the previous three months, thermal coal production at the mine between June and September was down nearly 9.5 per cent, coking coal nearly five per cent and overburden removal down nearly two per cent.

While year-on-year total coal production is still up a whopping 25 percent for October, the monthly changes do suggest that the huge increase in production witnessed across the Bowen Basin at the start of the year might be ending.

The economics of increasing production - with the same or lower cost base - meant that in theory profits could be maintained, even in the face of falling prices.

However, Cockatoo Coal’s managing director Andrew Lawson, forecast last month that coking coal production from the major suppliers would fall.

“I believe the majors are overtly or discreetly cutting back on some of their met coal tonnes, and Glencore, Anglo and Rio have all forecast lower met coal production over the next 12 months,” he said.

“There is a rationalisation going on, and up until March this year I thought we were in the first phase of the supply cycle where suppliers talk a lot and ramp up productivity to drive down unit costs.

“I believe those tactics are only viable for a short time, I basically call it stealing from the future, and ultimately that stuff is going to catch up with you.”

Meanwhile, while mines have made significant productivity gains over the past 12 months, productivity expert David Irvine says there is still more work to be done.

Over the past 18 months, Mr Irvine’s consultancy firm Siecap has been looking at the ways to drive productivity at several Bowen Basin mines struggling in the era of the high Australian dollar and low coal prices.

“There is certainly more room to move,” Mr Irvine told Shift Miner.

“A lot of our clients have been doing better [at productivity] than they’ve ever done and that’s because of this sense of urgency.

“Nothing gets the blood pumping like mines shutting down all around you.”

Mr Irvine said the biggest waste on mine sites was too much inventory - a legacy of bad practice in boom times. That has translated into several big mining-related auctions in Queensland over the past six months.

“We have even helped a client take product over to the US to get rid of it because there is more of a market over there at the moment,” said Mr Irvine.

“If you’re going to have to write it off or leave it sitting around for another 10 years you may as well get something for it.”

Coal prices bottomed, production falling?News

Central Queensland coal mines have delivered record tonnages in the downturn

ALTHOUGH it may not seem like it at the moment, the Central Queensland economy is still sitting right in the middle of a mining super cycle.

That was the long term observation of Westpac chief economist Bill Evans at the GEA Major Industry Conference in Gladstone recently.

However, the bright big picture doesn’t mean the current gloom and downturn in mining circles is imagined - in fact, it even allows for things to get worse.

But according to Mr Evans, Central

Queensland is still ideally placed to capitalise on the major shifts happening in Asia - and that will benefit everything from real estate to resources.

“The longer term trend we still believe is on the way up,” he told the conference.

“The commodities super cycle is still in place, that’s why I think in the short term the Aussie dollar will still be rising.

“We are demonstrating that trend by this huge lift we are expecting in the dependence of both India and China to imported oil and gas.

“While we will move around on that upward trend, and we are seeing huge movement at the moment, we think the overall upward trend is very much in place.

“In the longer term we would expect this upward trend to continue with the industrialisation of China and India moving forward.”

Looking to the longer term, Mr Evans also said the Bowen Basin property market had been a star performer, and that Brisbane property prices were likely to rise again soon.

In the period between 1996 and 2014, Bowen Basin property prices increased six-and-a-half fold, nearly a third more than the price movements observed in places like Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

However, as the downturn bites and the Bowen Basin property market comes to a screaming halt, he said Brisbane was likely to be the next investor hotspot.

Property sales in Sydney and Melbourne, fuelled by massive foreign investment, has made headlines recently.

Mr Evans said Brisbane had appeared to miss out, but that situation would soon turn around.

BMA’s Crinum underground coal mine is the latest site to endure job cuts, with 100 positions to go over the next six months.

The region’s biggest miner has announced longwall development work at the site will begin to wind down this month.

The decision to stop work on the final longwall panel, due to be mined in 2016, follows a detailed review of the mine plan.

BMA asset president Lucas Dow said the winding down of work would occur in two stages, and be completed by April next year.

However, he said the future of the overall operations at the Gregory Crinum site was safe, at least for now.

“It is well known that Gregory Crinum mine is nearing the end of its reserve life, although no decision has been made on the future of the mine,” he said.

“Apart from the development work ramping down, BMA will continue to operate the Crinum mine, which employs over 400 people.

100 more coal jobs goSuper cycle not over in CQ

Coal prices bottomed, production falling?



ENSHAM mine near Emerald will expand its underground thermal coal operations and put on 54 new workers after its joint venture partners signed off on the project this week.

Last month Shift Miner reported the decision was imminent, and now it has been officially approved by owners Idemitsu and LG International.

Ensham Resources general manager operations Steve Kovac said production was expected to ramp up at the Bowen Basin’s only operating board-and-pillar underground mine by June next year.

“We currently run two production units and this will be introducing a third unit so that will nominally take production up by about 50 per cent,” Mr Kovac told Shift Miner.

“We will probably start the recruitment process in the next month or so but we are still working on that strategy as we probably won’t do blanket advertising because the response would be too great.

“Certainly we will look at recommendations from existing employees putting forward people they know, and that word of mouth concept will probably drive a part of the campaign.”

The expansion will happen quickly as no further government approvals are required.

“All we are doing is putting extra production capacity into an existing mine so no additional [government] approvals are required it was just a question of our owners giving approval for the project,” said Mr Kovac.

That in itself is no mean feat, given the state of thermal coal prices at the moment. Mr Kovac said since underground mining began at the site in 2011, employees had worked tirelessly to meet production targets.

“Ultimately what got us over the line was our excellent production performance which is well above expectations,” he said.

“The original plan was to produce 800,000/tonnes per production unit per year, but we are sitting at 860,000/tonnes.

“It’s been about being able to deliver better than we said to our owners that has secured this expansion… and it’s a credit to the guys at the coalface because they have done the heavy lifting.”

Currently, there is much speculation about which part of the coal sector will recover first - the thermal or metallurgical market.

However, Mr Kovac said the expansion at Ensham mine did not necessarily indicate a brighter outlook for the entire thermal sector.

“It’s the kind of climate where it is very much a case of everyone looking at their own operations and making key decisions,” he said.

“There are many different forecasts about prices and the only thing you can be sure of is that none of them are ever right.

“While this decision does show confidence in the long term, in the short term things are still unknown but it’s important to try and set yourself up for when the market does recover again.”

Ensham began as an open cut mine in 1993 and underground operations became part of the mix in 2011.

The underground mine currently produces 1.8 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) - rising to 2.4mtpa after the expansion - with the open-cut producing another 2.2mtpa.

The operation has managed through the downturn relatively unscathed, although 30 open cut miners took voluntary redundancies earlier in the year.

Mr Kovac said significant changes had been instigated at the open cut mine over the past 12 months.

“We have made significant cost reductions and changed some of the ways we operate to cut costs, keep us competitive and survive,” he said.

The mine currently employs 470 workers - 230 underground and 240 in the open cut section of the mine.

Mr Kovac said he believed morale at the mine was far more positive than elsewhere in the region.

“Certainly I think compared to some other operations we have a more positive outlook - but it’s to do with our performance not the coal price,” he said.

“However, decisions around cutting jobs tend to be made in head office so, given the times, there is going to be some uncertainty.

“But this decision to expand shows a commitment and an investment in the future of the mine, and while there are no

guarantees about anything with prices still heading south it’s certainly a very positive move for Ensham.”

Downturn doesn’t stop Ensham expansion

ANGLO American has mined its first coal from its flagship Grosvenor coal project near Moranbah.

The $2 billion underground mine is in the early stages of development, and will eventually supply around five million tonnes of steelmaking coal each year for 30 years when it hits full production.

Development coal is currently being mined at a depth of 150 metres, using a Joy 12CM12 continuous miner, before being taken to the surface and stockpiled.

Eventually, an overland conveyor will carry it to the Moranbah North coal handling and preparation plant when it is commissioned sometime next year.

Grosvenor underground construction manager Adam Foulstone told Shift Miner first development coal was a major milestone for the project.

“This is a huge achievement for all of us who have been working together to build this brand new world class operation,” he said.

“It’s a team effort – from the team who were dedicated to building the tunnel, support teams who work to ensure the safety and technical information gathered and published and of course our first development crews for getting us to this exciting stage.

“I would like to extend the team a warm congratulation to everyone and I look forward to hitting many more milestones in the months ahead.”

The Grosvenor mine is expected to generate around 1000 jobs during the production and construction phase, with a recruitment drive expected to start next week for some of that workforce.

It is also the cornerstone of Anglo’s expansion plans - referred to internally as the ‘Moranbah hub’ - to be developed by 2020.

Within the hub are seven new proposed developments, including Grosvenor, Moranbah South, an expansion at Callide mine, Aquila and Foxleigh Plains in Queensland.

First coal in CQ’s newest mine

News



Downturn doesn’t stop Ensham expansionNews

LAST month, more than 30 suppliers to BMA’s operations in Central Queensland were advised the mining giant would be seeking a further 13 per cent reduction on charge out rates.

This follows a 20 per cent cut to the charge out rate just over a fortnight prior.

Whether suppliers accept this latest cut remains to be seen, as individual suppliers now do the sums on whether they can continue to run a viable business at the requested price.

As BMA is clearly testing the market on what it will bear in terms of cost, it is nonetheless a dangerous race to the bottom of the cost curve that could threaten the long term viability, safety and quality of the Central Queensland coal support sector.

For most supply chain businesses, there is very little room to pass on the costs, so in the

end most of the pain will be felt in their own margins, and in the wages of their employees.

SMS messages received by Shift Miner this week show how the cuts are impacting at the coal face, with one fitter being told to “expect to be on $35 to $40 an hour” by his employer in the wake of the 33 per cent cut in the charge out rate.

Another miner said contractors on his site were now earning $20,000 less a year, and that wages for a truck driver had fallen to around $85,000 a year.

But BMA is also feeling the pain, with the price it receives for its coal down by more than a half in the last three years, meaning some of its current production is likely at a loss.

However, Mackay-based workplace consultant Craig Joy has warned there

are significant dangers in making all business decisions based on cost.

“It’s not just BMA doing this, it is all the big guys,” he told Shift Miner.

“I have clients who have had their rates cut by as much as 40 per cent over the last two years.

“If a mine says it wants to cut the cost of service, it can really only come off wages or your margins, because there is no way to cut the cost of your rent, your insurance premiums, and many of your operating costs.”

Mr Joy said it then becomes a case of how much reduction in margins can a business afford to take.

“A lot of these businesses have invested heavily in quality assurance, safety and HR systems, and they deserve to get a return on this investment,” he said.

“Going for the cheapest takes no account of quality of service and things like safety, and businesses that don’t have these systems in place are obviously going to be able to it cheaper than those that do.”

There is also evidence that skilled people are starting to vote with their feet, with many of the coal sector’s best and brightest heading to other mining provinces in search of better money and conditions.

The Pilbara in Western Australia is proving an attractive option for many, with qualified trade jobs in that region being advertised at $200,000/year salary.

THE transformation of a huge part of the Bowen Basin into a massive new gas hub has begun, with Clough AMEC start working on Arrow Energy’s Bowen Gas Project (BGP).

The BGP will see Arrow Energy - over time - develop an area from north of Blackwater to Glenden for CSG production. It will replicate in the Bowen Basin much of the CSG work that has been going on in the Surat Basin.

A spokesperson for Arrow told Shift Miner there will be opportunities for local business.

“Development options for Arrow’s Surat Basin gas reserves are being progressed, and collaboration discussions are continuing with third parties to identify the best options for bringing Arrow’s Surat and Bowen gas reserves to market,” he said.

“Clough AMEC [the primary contractor] is reviewing the project requirements for contractors and suppliers on behalf of Arrow Energy and as far as internal staffing, Clough AMEC will recruit as necessary.”

Around a month ago Arrow announced that Clough AMEC had secured the $70 million Front End Engineering & Design (FEED) contract.

At the time Arrow Energy CEO, Andrew Faulkner, said the decision was a critical milestone in progressing the development of the company’s significant Bowen Basin gas reserves.

Bowen Basin’s next big thing?BMA puts squeeze on suppliers (again)

CARBON Capture and Storage works and should not be regarded as experimental technology.

That’s the finding of a new report out today by the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute (CCSI).

CCSI says the world’s first large scale carbon capture project starting operating last month at Boundary Dam power station in Canada, with another eight major projects are expected to go live next year.

The Global CCS Institute’s annual Global Status of CCS report finds there are now a total of 22 projects in construction or operation worldwide - 50 percent more than two years ago.

CCSI CEO Brad Page said the achievements so far had been built on

visionary policy decisions made more than five years ago.

He is now calling on governments to do more to level the playing field for CCS technology.

“We simply can’t have an effective response to tackling climate change without CCS,” he said.

“Decisions and actions are required now to lay policy, legal and infrastructure foundations for wide-scale deployment post 2020.

“We need to be clear that CCS is the only technology that can achieve large reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industries such as iron and steel, chemicals and cement which together emit 20 per cent of the world’s CO2.

“In fact, it is just as important to use CCS on industrial processes as in the electricity sector, which is currently the world’s largest CO2 emitter, accounting for up to 40 per cent of emissions.”

In May this year the federal government cut nearly half a billion dollars worth of funding from CCS research in Australia, despite Central Queensland’s $245 million Callide oxyfuel project demonstrating that carbon capture technology does work, producing almost zero emissions when applied to an existing coal-fired power station.

CCS no longer ‘blue sky’

Engineers working on CQ’s Callide oxyfuel project



News

RIO Tinto has killed off speculation about a merger with Glencore (formerly Xstrata).

In a recent statement, Rio Tinto said while Glencore had proposed a merger in July, the company had concluded the merger would not be in its best interests.

“The board’s rejection was communicated to Glencore in early August and there has been no further contact between the companies on this matter,” Rio said.

“Rio Tinto remains focused on the successful execution of its strategy, which the board of Rio Tinto is confident will continue to deliver significant and sustainable value for shareholders.”

Had the merger gone ahead, the new entity would have challenged BMA as the region’s biggest miner.

A combined Glencore-Rio entity would have brought the Hail Creek, Kestrel, Collinsville, Newlands, Oaky Creek, Rolleston and Clermont mines under the one roof.

CQ super coal company canned

RUNNING a drill rig is dangerous business, but a new breakthrough in technology has just made the job significantly safer.

Drilling company Easternwell has six dual rotary rigs across its operations in Australia, and in partnership with Ox Engineering has pioneered an automated rod and casing loader.

The hands-free, remote controlled operating system significantly reduces the risk related to lifting drill pipe and drill casing with the use of a telehandler.

Easternwell’s CEO of general minerals Sheldon Burt said the breakthrough was the first significant step towards a safer workplace for

drill workers in 30 years.“It’s not so much there were

a lot of accidents but there was the real potential for accidents because you’re talking about suspended loads and manually handling,” he told Shift Miner.

“This technology has done away with those risks so it is a complete step-change.”

The drive for this innovation was purely to improve safety, although the new technology has also slightly improved the efficiency of the rig.

So far, the automated rod and casing loader has been fitted and tested on one of Easternwell’s rigs working in the Pilbara.

“The first one has performed faultlessly so the changes required are absolutely minimal,” said Mr Burt.

“But because of how good it is we need one of these for all our rigs, like, yesterday. It would be desirable to have our other five units equipped by the end of next year.”

The new technology comes with a hefty price tag, costing $500,000 to 600,000 per rig.

“Our parent company Transfield Services have just been fantastic,” said Mr Burton.

“You’re talking about a lot of money in the middle of a downturn which is hard to come by, but we’ve had wonderful support from Transfield and our clients are happy too.

“We are now just looking forward to getting the rest of them out there and making it safer for our guys in the field.”

IMPROVED RIG: Easternwell’s new technology is a safety breakthrough

Safety revolution in drill rigs



News

COCKATOO Coal and a state-owned Japanese steel business have entered into a joint venture to conduct more drilling at Cockatoo’s Dingo West project in the Bowen Basin.

As the crow flies, the Dingo West tenement is about 50 kilometres north of Cockatoo’s mining operations at Baralaba, and is just west of the village of Dingo, 150km west of Rockhampton.

Under the agreement, the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) will pay for $3.5 million of drilling on the site in return for a 35 per cent stake in the project.

Cockatoo acquired the Dingo West project through the takeover of the Blackwood Corporation in late 2013,

and the small amount of exploration work carried out by the former owners indicated PCI steelmaking coals were present.

However, no further work has been undertaken to confirm the quality or abundance of coal in the area.

According to Cockatoo, PCI technology has been highly adopted by Japanese steelmaker and demand for local PCI reserves is likely to increase in the future.

“I am pleased to welcome JOGMEC as our exploration partner in the Dingo West project,” said Cockatoo managing director Andrew Lawson.

“I believe we have found a strong partner to assist us in our efforts in defining new PCI coal resources close to our existing Baralaba operations.

“Cockatoo has vast experience in exploring and mining the Baralaba coal measures, and we believe that PCI coal will become increasingly sought after in the next decade, particularly in East Asia.”

This project should not be confused with the nearby Bandanna Energy owned project of the same name. That project is in doubt after Bandanna went into voluntary administration in September.

Japan buys into Dingo

“KNEE-JERK and impersonal.”That’s how an HR specialist has

described job shedding in the coal sector during the downturn.

Confiance director Peter Cross said the current slump had given industry leaders a licence to drop the ball with respect to people management practices they had been forced to pay attention to during the boom.

“It would seem that all the words about the importance of building strong

organisational cultures, the retention of personnel, and preservation of talent etc were all just platitudes,” he said.

“No longer do we have to worry about preserving key skills that were so scarce only a few years ago.

“Employees are, after all, a dime a dozen! So out the window with communication, participation, and genuine concern and respect for the people who have served our industry.”

Mr Cross has more than 40 years HR experience within the resources sector, and is not glossing over the severity of the downturn.

“Of course cost containment has been vital, reduction in numbers a necessity, mine closures inevitable,” he said.

“But did it have to be done with such vigour and brutality?”

A recent survey conducted by Confiance of 181 industry workers showed both white and blue collar workers alike were fired up about the treatment of employees during the downturn.

“[I] have had pay cut threats, loss of accommodation threats and live under constant threats of job loss,” one respondent told the survey.

“There is absolutely no tenure and I know of many skilled workers with years of mining and earthworks experience who cannot find work at all,” said another.

Respondents were split fairly evenly between staff and wage employees, and more than half had been made redundant or lost their job in the past 18 months.

Of those who had lost their job, only a third had been re-employed in a similar role, and in a third of cases, pay and conditions were significantly worse than the previous role.

Mr Cross said that meant employees were either accepting lesser positions

or employers were reducing the market value of positions.

“As a contractor, our conditions have been reduced in the form of wage cuts, loss of holiday and sick leave,” said one respondent.

“We have been made casual, so that an employer can discard an employee at their own discretion, the industry is being manipulative and attempting to drive down pay and work conditions,” said another.

The general feedback was the jobs market was tough, and geared in favour of the employer.

One respondent claimed wages had fallen from more than $60 an hour to between $35 and $45 - representing a near 50 per cent reduction.

Respondents also said bosses were exercising their power by pushing the envelope on what were reasonable expectations of their employees.

However, the implications for the future could be dire, with Mr Cross predicting employees would not forget their treatment over the past 18 months.

“We make our own beds,” he said.“The end to this downturn is not around

the corner, but it will end. And the very people who have been ill-treated will not reward employers with gratitude or loyalty, but rather disdain and suspicion.”

Mercenary-style HR tactics in coal slump

KICKED DOWN: Employees won’t forget how they’ve been treated



News

TWO huge colonies of bats have been moved to the outskirts of Moranbah and Middlemount, as bat-weary residents breathe a sigh of relief.

In Middlemount a colony of 50,000 flying foxes had been roosting in the town for several months, but a five day dispersal program organised by the Isaac Regional

Council has now moved them on.Further north in Moranbah and a

30,000-strong colony has also been ‘relocated’ after a similar program.

The ‘dispersal program’ involved loud gunshot-like noises and lights between 3.30am and 7.30am when the flying foxes come in to roost.

Residents had been up in arms about the colonies, with patience running short and tempers running high.

“I would sooner go and live beside a sewer, they are putrid,” one resident told Shift Miner.

“Every day you have to wash the bat droppings off your car because it is a paint stripper, and the noise when they come in to roost at 4am is unbelievable.”

But when the successful dispersal programs began, community Facebook pages went into virtual meltdown with relieved residents expressing their joy.

“It was awesome this morning to walk out and not smell or hear the bats screaming. Even the dogs were looking up in the trees so thankyou,” Georgie Prior wrote on Isaac Regional Council’s page.

Some Middlemount residents are even joking about the success of the program, claiming Batman’s bearded doppelganger ‘Manbat’ was responsible for ridding the town of the flying ‘beasts’ and posting pictures of sightings across town.

Manbat rids CQ of winged pest?

IS IT A BIRD? No, it’s Middlemount’s Manbat.

MINING giant Anglo American is pursuing one of its senior executives, claiming he stole more than $4 million from the company over the past 12 months.

The executive in question is 50-year-old Glenn Tonkin who, until last month, was being paid $350,000 a year to head up the company’s flagship new Grosvenor mine near Moranbah.

According to the ABC, Mr Tonkin resigned when confronted by Anglo’s head of human resources, acting on a tip-off from a female co-worker.

Mr Tonkin had authority in his role to sign off on contractor payments up to $15 million.

In court documents obtained by the ABC, it’s alleged the Brisbane-based project director siphoned off $4 million meant to pay for mining equipment and services into private bank accounts in Barbados and London, using an elaborate scheme of fake invoices and non-existent suppliers.

The Brisbane Supreme Court has issued orders freezing $1.5 million of Mr Tonkin’s assets.

Mr Tonkin has told the court he owns $3 million of property, a $700,000 catamaran and several cars and motorbikes.

Anglo American has reported the alleged incidents to the Queensland police, but would make no comment on the matter while it was before the courts.

Former Grosvenor boss accused of fraud

1000s of dongas for saleUP to 20,000 modular buildings are flooding the second-hand market in Queensland as the construction phase in the resources sector winds down.

The oversupply is pushing the price of modules down - by some estimates - as much as 90 per cent.

It is in stark contrast to the situation five years ago when the market for modular buildings was significantly under supplied and getting hold of one was both difficult and costly.

According to accommodation specialist Chris Jury from Castra Consulting, most of the buildings on the market are the base level 16m2 modules that are used in construction projects.

“There definitely are some bargains around, I reckon there is around 20,000 extra units on the market at the moment,” he told Shift Miner.

“The modules are not the sort of modules that a company would buy and install for long term accommodation for their employees, but the type that is bought in for a specific project and then sold.

“The vendors are pretty motivated to sell, because from their point of view the cost of the modules was factored into the cost of the project, and with the project now built they simply have to move on.

“In coal, the peak demand for accommodation was for pre-stripping and that demand will come again, however, in CSG the large demand was for the construction of

pipelines, and that is a one-off event.”Predictably, much of the stock is finding its

way onto the books of industrial auctioneers, with part and full camp facilities up for sale currently around Capella and Moranbah.

Further to that, Hassall Auctioneers general manager Steve Wall General said he was expecting a large number of modules from Curtis Island at Gladstone to hit the market shortly.

However, he doesn’t believe the oversupply is as high as 20,000 units.

“Our observation is that as the construction phase ends in both coal and CSG there is a flow of units of a certain type coming onto the market,” he told Shift Miner.

“My guess is that it is nowhere near 20,000 though, I reckon it is something more like 10,000.

“But we have seen a softening in the market as a result, but it isn’t anything like a fall to 10 cents in the dollar, at that price I would be buying them and stockpiling them.

“But there has been a corrosion in the market with so much supply, but the last results we saw were in range of the valuations we had done.”

According to Mr Wall, the buyers that exist are paying reasonable prices and come from a diverse range of backgrounds, ranging from sporting clubs to overseas mining operations.

One large camp was recently sold out of the Bowen Basin for use at the Manus Island detention centre.



DURING a visit to Anglo American’s Callide mine site recently, the deputy premier Jeff Seeney was given an exclusive tour of a $4.2 million rehabilitation site on the mine.

The 34 hectare site used native and endemic plant species, including a planting of softwood scrub plant species, and formed a trial for such species growing in basalt soil types across other Anglo American operations.

Callide’s environmental officer Amy Warden led the tour with Mr Seeney to explain Anglo American’s commitment to

the rehabilitation of mining sites with the long term in mind.

“The Callide rehabilitation site is aimed to create a safe, stable and non-polluting final landform which at the end of the mine’s life will meet the criteria for handover to the community in a sustainable state.

“What makes this site different to others is our forward thinking to the end outcome. Although rehabilitation occurs through various stages of mine operation, this site was specifically planned with the final land use in mine.

“Ultimately in 15 to 20 years’ time the investment now will make this site a viable asset for stakeholders to take over post mining in the area.

“This site is a great testing ground for the tube stock plantings and the higher slope gradient we have implemented here due to the terrain at Callide and if successful these principals will be applied at other areas around the mine and possibly other mine sites with unusually steep topography,” she said.

On the same visit, the deputy premier joined with Callide mine’s general

manager Brett Thompson in presenting the Cancer Council Queensland with a $10,000 donation raised through a painted haul truck health promotion on site.

Last year two Hitachi Euclid EH4500 trucks were given make-overs, one painted pink and one blue, as a bright statement promoting cancer awareness, health checks and early detection for breast and prostate cancer.

The trucks clocked up 5000 hours each on the Callide haul roads and Anglo American matched each production hour for dollar with a total $10,000 raised.

Mr Thompson said the bold statement lifted awareness of early cancer detection across the site and raised valuable funds for key research to combat the awful disease.

“The trucks are huge and seeing the bright pink and blue colours as they travelled along the haul route was a constant reminder about cancer detection and prevention that couldn’t be missed,” Brett said.

“Tragically cancer has touched many Callide employees, their families and friends, and we all recognise funding cancer research is the key to understanding and finding a cure.

“The trucks have been a fun focal point onsite during the past year. Anglo American is proud to continue our support for the outstanding work Cancer Council Queensland does.”

News

THERE has been a significant drop off in the number of enquiries lodged with Queensland’s CSG compliance unit.

Up until 30 September this year, 237 enquiries were recorded compared with a total of 411 enquiries in 2013.

While there are still three months to go before the end of this year, the numbers are still significantly down.

The CSG compliance unit has also resolved more than 80 per cent of those enquiries, covering a wide range of issues from bores, to CSG operations and land access.

The CSG compliance unit executive director Bill Date said the reason for the drop off could be put down to a better

informed public.“When the CSG industry was first

getting off the ground in 2010 and 2011 we were coming from a very low baseline in terms of information,” he told Shift Miner.

“A lot of the anti coal seam gas movement claims were based on the Gaslands movie and what was happening in the US but now a lot of those myths have been debunked and the public and landholders are much better informed.”

Mr Date said most enquiries now come from Surat Basin landholders who are directly affected by the industry. The enquiries are complex and often cover a range of issues - but one remains at the forefront.

“It’s their bore because that’s the lifeblood of their property,” he said.

A specialist groundwater investigation team works from the compliance unit, investigating landholder concerns and also auditing bores across the gas fields.

“We work with high profile landholders and those who run a few cattle because the bore is the critical factor on anyone’s property,” said Mr Date.

It’s estimated that 85 bores will experience dropping water levels due to the CSG industry, however Mr Date said those impacts are still yet to be felt in full.

“Landholders are aware of the forecasts but the magnitude of those predictions is yet to arrive,” he said.

“But that is exactly the role of the investigation team to assess if there has been an impact.”

Mr Date expects the level of enquiry will remain the same over the next 12 months, and if new gas projects begin in other regions like the Bowen Basin there could be another spike.

“Certainly people in the Surat are better informed now and more used to seeing CSG vehicles around and understanding the industry,” he said.

“We’ve learnt some hard lessons from the good, the bad and the ugly from four or five years ago so companies in the future should not repeat those mistakes because we would now transfer the knowledge and information to any new propopent.”

Public wises up to CSG, complaints drop

PART OF THE LANDSCAPE: Qlders are more familiar with the CSG story, and complaints have dropped

The deputy premier with Callide’s environmental officer Amy Warden and general manager Brett Thompson

A loud statement matched with $10,000 to go to the Cancer Council Queensland

WHAT’S keeping mining CEOs up at night?Well, the state of the global

economy continues to be the number one concern for mining executives operating in Queensland.

That’s according to the latest quarterly snapshot of CEO sentiment, compiled by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) in its State of the Sector report.

Since the end of 2011, CEOs have been concerned about their operating environment, but now that uncertainty is particularly centred on the ability of China to sustain growth levels.

They are also worried about the difficulty of raising capital given low commodity prices and high input costs.

Putting the economic outlook aside, the report also found mining bosses were increasingly nervous about their ‘social licence to operate’ or, more specifically, the campaign by environmentalists against the sector.

Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said concerns about industrial relations were also rising.

“This deterioration in sentiment is largely attributed to inflexible IR systems that need to address concerns about labour productivity and structural wage cost issues,” he said.

NIMBYs, greenies, and the Chinese

$4.2m for rehab and $10K for cancer


14 17th November 2014 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.

Around Town

GLADSTONE’S CHANGING LANDSCAPEMore than 150 people were in attendance at the MIPEC sponsored Gladstone Engineering Alliance industry update.

(L-R) Len Brunette : CCE, Richard McGrath : Lend Lease, Francis Attard : Key Solutions Group (L-R) Tim Magoffin : Haynes Group, Dan Rye, Peter

Mills : Mastermyne

Ian Sedgman : Adani, Cr David Perkins : MRC

(L-R) Kerian Fletcher - Mathews, Greg Smith : Total Generators, Ashley Stafford Fenner- Dunlop

(L-R) Mick Botto : Diacon, Ziggy & Linda Butschle : Ziggy’s CQ Engineering

David Turner : BOC, Valerie Lesauinier, Workpac

Suzanne Brown: McKays Solicitors, Andrew Duck : Brown & Bird

David Turner : BOC, Shannon Maher : Workpac

(L-R) Lizzy Dad: Northern project Contractors, Neil Platt : Aus Industry, Peter Van Lersel : SDV Longwall support

Colin Cameron & Amy Weber Rivers Insurance Brokers

(L-R) Peter Dougherty DSIP, Michael Swart : ICN, Martin Karlsen : DMS

Martin Brincat & Hugh MCCallum : Kempe Process Equipment

(L-R) Rob Kidd & Sally Waghorn: 4CC, Karne Holland & Greg Byrne : Downing Teal

Barry Stack : Quest Apartments, Jason O’Brien : JJ Richards

Mitch Bruger : Advance Enviro Services, Kevin Mill : CMC

(L-R) Vanessa Aplitt : Manpower, Danielle Watson : RSEA Gladstone, Matthew Whalley : National Wireless, Ray Cleary : Manpower

(L-R) Kris Zahn : Aurecon, Gus Stedman & Phillip Borwn: Aggreko

INTEREST IN THE GALILEEAround 100 Mackay business people came to hear the latest on Adani’s Galilee Basin mega mine at a Resource Industry Network (RIN) event.

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



www.shiftminer.comBuy this and many other images at

Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together

Around Town

CUP DAY IN THE COALFIELDSThe race that stopped the nation didn’t miss the Blackwater Mine Workers Club. [Photo credit: Jeannette Fletcher]

Kyle Lloyd-Jones and Tatenda Chitura

Connor Lennaene and Lauren Roberts

(L-R) Reade Conaghan, Bailey Madsen and Kurt Ingram

Hayden and Finn Davison

(L-R) Kye Rogers, Reece Hender-son, Isaac Orreal and Josh Pitt

(L-R) Karley Broderick, Tayla Martin, Ali Daniels, Michelle Window and Nyomi Webley

Wendy Wass and Julie Smith Vere Storch and Trish Cheal Joe and Jess Nickleson

Cypress, Mae and Harlem Ross(L-R) Joanne Truelson, Leanne Baillie and Kristy FreemanRose and Russell Dawson(L-R) Lil Adams, Kim Fields and Jess Jansz

Kyle and Lara Lloyd-Jones Jacqueline Pitt and Declan Brown Amesu Chitura

TRICK OR TREATIt was ghouls galore at the Halloween skate night in Blackwater recently. [Photo credit: Jeannette Fletcher]

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



Brain dead truckies - no excuse!

I won’t elaborate on where that infamous quote from the film Reservoir Dogs was headed, but if you are familiar with it - it might resonate with the current situation in mining and CSG in Queensland.

Once you start asking around, it is amazing how many people in the mining industry have lost their job in a downturn or at the end of a construction boom.

Everything we have seen this year - plummeting prices, redundancies, the end of a major construction phase (this time CSG) has happened before.

And yet for many of those that are experiencing it now - it is the first time they have seen or experienced it, so for them it feels and is the first time.

If you fall into that category you should take heart from the fact that resources workers have endured this all before and bounced back.

That’s not to say that your worries for the future are unfounded, because they are not. Your immediate financial position is a significant consideration.

But if turn to page 24 and read our special redundancy feature you will see that some miners have found their redundancy to be just the push they

need to get off their proverbial and reconsider where they are headed.

Some might even say it was the best thing that ever happened to them.

If you were to stand on a distant planet and observe the mining industry it would seem a pretty predictable sector.

Price goes up (coal shortage) - suppliers increase supply (make more money) - supply exceeds demand (which caused the initial price rise) - price falls (thanks to oversupply) - mines now unprofitable (no need for so many miners).

Yet when when it was good we thought it would never end, and now that it is bad we think it will never end.

But it will. The CQ mining sector will bounce

back, and if you want to be a part of that, and you enjoy a mining life, now is the time to take stock, keep calm and think where to next?

Hopefully this edition will help you focus your thinking.

Proprietor: Angus Peacocke

Comment orSmS 0409 471 014

FROM THE EDITOR

JUST LIKE IT DID THE FIRST TIME

This letter arrived recently from one of our readers who remembers a very different coal industry to the one we know today. This is a fascinating read about what life was like in the Coalfields in the 1960s.

Dear Editor,I just thought that you may like a bit of

history regarding Moura mine.During the early days, Thiess built

a small crusher about a mile outside of Moura where the SES station is now.

A small spur line was established to haul this coal through Baralaba to Rockhampton.

The trains were steam and called garretts.When we crushed the coal for loading

into the wagons we also had a small bin for loading into the coal tender of the engine.

The train crews did not like Moura coal as it did not give enough heat, therefore it made the fireman’s job very hard.

There were three of us who worked on the crusher.

We had two tents - one to eat in and one to sleep in.

We cooked on an open fire.The crusher was a dry crusher.The only water was a small tank for

drinking and bathing.We boiled the water and when we

showered we filled a small shower bucket, which was pulled up, then as you wanted water you pulled a little rope.

We used to get very dirty as all crusher cleaning was done without water and we worked long hours.

The coal was hauled from the mine by truck to the crusher.

When we loaded the coal into wagons we had to split the wagons from the engine and - by hand - push the wagons under the bin then move them down the track.

We used to use a small pinch bar under the wheel to start movement.

The reason why we had to use this method was the rail union in those days had a rule regarding shunting wagons under bins.

But we all worked in well together. And we had the billy boiled when

the train arrived - and some days a damper was ready as one of the fellows who worked on the crusher was a great bush cook.

Yours,Tom Wharton, Yeppoon

If you have any recollections or photographs of mining in Queensland over the past 50 years email [email protected] or PO Box 1440 Rockhampton Qld 4700. We’d love to hear from you.

Stuff to the Editor

Text in your best snap to 0409 471 014

“Shock and awe”This image appeared on the Mining Mayhem facebook page - it’s a compilation of lightning strikes at Newman in WA last month. The photo is comprised of more than an hour of strikes, with each photo edited and stacked on top of each other to make a single frame.

Photos to thE EDItoR

Off Shift

MadMumzie.comWe spend so much time in our machines, especially if you’re a truckie.

What do you do with your time - other than dream about being anywhere but here?

Thoughts running through your head hour after hour can seriously mess you up if you have issues going on in your life.

The wee hours of the morning, being away from family, unable to help out in times of need, and thinking all the worst case scenarios.

You gotta be here to get the big bucks,

right? So why not plan ahead a little bit?Escape into a good book, plan a holiday,

do some brain therapy… that Sudoku does my head in! Study something, anything. I knew a guy who was doing his human movements degree in a truck.

Research your next boat, draw your next tattoo, or like so many, read some trashy, mindless celebrity magazine. Whatever blows your hair back...

Of course you need to keep focussed on your work at the same time, but going up and down the same ramp

doesn’t have to be as mind numbing as some people make out.

Nowadays you can get courses in audio format that you could put on a USB stick or an iPod if your site allows those.

There are talking books galore, so you don’t even actually have to read it.

Podcasting is the new big thing and there are seriously awesome choices available from comedy

to cars, dating to TV show chats, and my favourite… hmm you will have to guess that one!

Of course if you love music and you choose to listen all day to your favourite tunes, blast away. But please, still listen to the bloody two-way!

The peeps with their music up not answering is so annoying. Funny how they always hear when it’s time to park up though!

What’s your style - laidback country or head banging thrash metal?

I was listening to a song going up a ramp on night shift that kept repeating “Shut your eyes and drift away,” not a good idea. Plan that track for day shift!



Brain dead truckies - no excuse!

Dear FrankI’m not doing so well

financially lately and I can’t afford to woo the ladies. Can you give me some tips on how to do things on the cheap and not come off stingy?

Dave

Dear Dave,Unfortunately, no. I can’t. You see, I have found in my years of experience the level of love and attention you receive from any female is directly proportional to the amount of money you have.

I call it, Frank’s Theorem on Love and Money. So far I have been unable to find any institution willing to recognise this

and award me an honorary doctorate… including several Nigerian universities.

Nevertheless, I back my theory and as a result, Dave, you are out of luck when it comes to wanting to do things on the cheap. But don’t worry as there is a solution to your problems: make more money. And I will help you with this.

Now, the term ‘Get Rich Quick Scheme’ tends to conjure up negative images, especially when used at a retirement village or at a group session for gambling addicts.

To be fair, there certainly are a few charlatans out there, and I should know, I’m probably the only man to fall victim to as many fraudulent investment schemes as I have started up.

But this is not one of those times. I want to talk to you and the fine readers of Shift Miner about a “revolutionary idea” which I have purchased from the good people at Shelf Company Pty Ltd.

It is very simple: you are allocated a

certain brand of products to sell, a small percentage of your sales goes to the person who signed you up and a certain percentage of that goes to the person who signed them up, and so on.

Shelf Company Pty Ltd assured me this was not a pyramid scheme. Completely different! The lovely salesman advised me that it was a “Triangular Wealth Generator”.

You will note that the “Triangular Wealth Generator” is completely lacking a third dimension, and is therefore, not a pyramid scheme.

But it is not a matter of just wanting to be involved Dave. You need to have “synergy”, “get-up-and-go”, be “cutting edge” and have “blue sky thinking”. I have no idea what any of these things are but the charming salesman at Shelf Company Pty Ltd assured me that despite knowing me for literally minutes it was plain to see I had them in spades!

So Dave, if have all of these things then

I encourage you to be a success story like me and mortgage your house to be “a part of the most exciting profit maximising engine in history”.

And that my friend, is straight from their brochure.

Frank

IN THE UNITED STATES - You could say she went to jail for love.

Authorities in Kentucky said a woman arrested on methamphetamine charges was wearing an “I [heart] Crystal Meth” t-shirt at the time of her arrest.

The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office said Deborah Asher, 37, was wearing the t-shirt when she was arrested alongside Richard Rice, 57, as part of a drug investigation.

Police said the suspects were in possession of 3.37 grams of crystal meth as well as a set of digital scales.

Asher and Rice were both charged with first degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

IN GERMANY - Not sure if this would classify as an armed robbery, but a new mother in Germany has employed an imaginative tactic to distract staff at a pharmacy while allegedly stealing cash.

The woman reportedly went into the pharmacy to buy a breast pump, but as she handed over a €200-note to pay for her €20 purchase, she suddenly lifted up her top and squirted breast milk at staff.

The local newspaper reported that the woman, dubbed the Milk Sprayer, rummaged through two cash registers, and refused to stop spraying people with breast milk despite pleas from customers and staff members.

According to police spokesman Ferdinand Derigs: “The staff and customers were frozen to pillars of salt, so unused as they were to this extraordinary act.

“She created the confusion to steal. This was a most extraordinary crime. We have never dealt with such a thing before.”

When the ordeal was over, the woman exited the store and left behind the breast pump.

Staff members noticed that around €100 was missing when they counted the till at the end of the day.

Police have described the woman as having a ‘robust’ figure, long dark pony tail and a foreign accent.

IN SEOUL - Is it the luck of the Irish?

An Irish teacher who applied for a teaching job in South Korea was rejected with a letter citing “the alcoholism nature of your kind”.

Katie Mulrennan, 26, an Irish native living in Seoul, said she responded to an ad for a teaching position on Craigslist in September and the reply she received said she would not be considered for the job

due to her country of origin.“I am sorry to inform you that my client

does not hire Irish people due to the alcoholism nature of your kind,” the email reply read.

Mulrennan said she initially didn’t think the email was serious.

“Usually when you apply for a job and they don’t want you, they don’t send a reply,” Mulrennan told the BBC. “Or they tell you they would prefer someone from North America, because some schools prefer the accent. But this reply was a first. When I got the email, it was so abrupt and short. I actually laughed when I read it initially.”

Mulrennan said she forwent writing an angry reply and instead sent them a follow-up she described as “a little bit sarcastic”.

The teacher said she has since found a job in Seoul.

Ironically, according to World Health Organisation data, South Koreans actually drink more than the Irish, with the average South Korean drinking 52 cups of alcohol per year compared to 50.3 cups for the average person in Ireland.

frank the tank’S “Streakin” good love advice

fair Dinkum!

DEAR DAVE,The cheapest things are normally

the most romantic. A walk on the beach, a trip to the museum or a picnic at the park. All true romantics love these things. I would recommend not mortgaging your home to invest in a one man company whose only employee is a salesman with a clip on pony-tail. Like Frank has done.

Susan

SenSiBLe SuSan

Bad shirt day.

Off Shift

CAR FOR SALE

FORD FALCON STYLE SIDE UTE 2005

Low kms, 117,000k, manual, good cond, RWC, reg 2/15.

$ 9,000Call: 0419 757 471

CAR FOR SALE

FORD RANGER XLT DOUBLE CAB

2012, 12,000 kms, UTE, 4-door, Automatic, Ext: White Heavy Duty Aluminium Sovereign Tray. 3.2L 5 cylinder 4 X 4. Tinted windows. As new condition.

$ 45,000Call: 0427 639 198

FUEL TANKER FOR SALE

HINO FD 4x4 FUEL TANKER

Model GT3HHKFDINS Date of Manufacture 8/1995· VIN: JHDGT3HHKXXX10146· GVM: 13000kg· GCM: 21000kg· Odometer Reading: 25,0981km· Transmission: 6 Speed Manual· Suspension: Spring· Welded Steel, 8000 Litre Fuel Tank.

$ 25,000Call: 0417 771 642

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

COASTAL ACREAGE RETREAT IN YEPPOON

Peaceful Private 5.5 Acres in Yeppoon. 3 mins to Shops and Beach. Mostly Cleared, Fenced, Always Green. Huge Fully Renovated 5 Bed, 3 Bath, 3 Car House. Pool. 2 Bay Powered Shed. Fully Self Contained Granny Flat. Potable Bore plus 15,000 Gallons Tanked

$ 630,000Call: 0421 555 165

CAR FOR SALE

FORD MONDEO XR5 TURBO

This car is in excellent condition and has done a low 69,000 kms. Full service history , rego 9/14, new tyres. Immaculate interior. Road worthy certificate. Don’t hesitate - this will not be on the market for long.

$ 19,000 onoCall: 0408 811 510

SHOTCRETE RIG FOR SALE

JAYCON MAXIJET PRONTO DC

Shotcrete Rig Date of Manufacture: Approx 2009/2010 Indicated Hours: Approx 1200 Four Wheel Drive Four Wheel Steer Weight: 8660kg.

$ 240,000Call: 0417 771 642

CAR FOR SALE

MITSUBISHI TRITON GLX-R MY14

Double cab 2013, 6,700 kms, UTE, 4-door, 5 speed sports Automatic, Turbo Diesel, 4WD, 4-cylinder, Excellent condition, First registered 11/13, only 6,700 klm, Heavy Duty Towbar, Nudge Bar, Genuine reason for sale.

$ 36,000Call: 0417 630 650

RELOCATABLE ABLUTIONBUILDINGS FOR SALE

Relocatable Ablution Buildings for immediate sale, excellent condition in

various configurations.Pick-up ex Moranbah.

Price on applicationCall: 0417 231 939

BOAT FOR SALE

HYDROFIELD 1999 28.8FT

120 hours since new, tri-axle trailer, 7.3KVA, new Raymarine electronics, 2x130 Hondas.

$ 60,000Call: 0408 745 328

BOAT FOR SALE

SKI BOAT 1994 SUCCESS CRAFT

With Star Trek Hull. Rebuilt rear mount 350 chev with high performance heads, soft clutch and new upholstery throughout. Fantastic condition & a great family ski boat.

$ 19,500Call: 0418 639 176

CAR FOR SALE

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO GXL

2004, 256,000 kms, Wagon, Manual, Diesel, Excellent condition, Ext: White Rego Exp: 08/15, turbo, bulbar, driving lights, electric brakes, full service history, one owner.

$ 19,000Call: 0427 546 684

RELOCATABLE LAUNDRY’S FOR SALE

Fully equipped relocatable laundry’s for immediate sale, some with washers/

dryers still in box, in very good condition & pick-up ex Moranbah.

Price on application

Call: 0417 231 939

CAR FOR SALE

2008 BF FALCON UTE

3 seater, auto, ladder racks, tool boxes, t/bar, n/bar, 93,000k

$ 11,500Call: 0412 081 145

MINING MACHINERY FOR SALE

2012 VERMEER D60x90

Navigator Horizontal Approx 1200hrs John Deere 6068HFC94 6 cylinder turbo diesel 60000lbs thrust 60000lbs pull back 9000 ft-lb max torque automated rod loader open top vise breakout system Kerr 150gpm 1200psi triplex pump A/C EROPS cabin.


SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR SALE

20FT CONTAINERS WITH CONTENTS

20ft Containers, with contents including fridges, desks and more for immediate sale, in very good condition. Pick-up ex

Moranbah.


RELOCATABLE BUILDINGSFOR SALE

12 X 3 RELOCATABLE BUILDINGS

Relocatable buildings for immediate sale, in excellent condition.Pick-up ex Moranbah.


Call: 0417 231 939

NOW ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS at www.shiftminer.com

CAR FOR SALE

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER GXL

Ute 2011. Full service hist, Excel Cond, GVM upgrade, RWC, Rego, BMA compliant, diesel compress, exhaust, alloy tool boxes, steel tray.

$ 62,000Call: 0408 424 412

CAR FOR SALE

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER PRADO

2012, 49k kms, auto, diesel, ex/condition, 12 months warranty, 1 year rego, 1 owner. Plenty of extras.

$ 51,990Call: 0457 727 389

WATER TRUCK FOR SALE

Mine spec ready to work. Mackay Area. RWC.

$ 99,000Call: 0428 588 065

CRIB ROOMS FOR SALE

55 x 12Mx3M RELOCATABLE CRIB ROOMS

Most crib room contain 4-5 tables qty green plastic chairs 2 air conditioners Skope 2 door fridge water fountain pie warmer microwave oven blinds hot water unit and cupboards. There are some variation between crib rooms.


CAMPER TRAILER FOR SALE

LW HARD FLOOR CAMPER TRAILER

LW Hard Floor Camper Trailer New 2014 IND suspension Fridge/Gen box 100amp deep cycle bat Kitchen Stove Full annex.

$ 12,995Call: 49 363 074

DUMP TRUCK FOR SALE

CATERPILLAR 789C DUMP TRUCK

C2008 Caterpillar 789C Rear Dump Truck approx 14767hrs as at Feb 2014 (details as supplied). Plant No: RD1863 Serial No: 2BW01412


DUMP TRUCK FOR SALE

CATERPILLAR 789C DUMP TRUCK

C2008 Caterpillar 789C Rear Dump Truck approx 14914hrs as at Feb 2014 (details as supplied). Plant No: RD1867 Serial No: 2BW01424.


ABLUTION BLOCKS FOR SALE

28 x ABLUTION BLOCKS

Consisting of 18 x male ablution blocks with 5 x cubicles urinal and 5 x hand basins; 8 x Male/Female combination ablution blocks.


CRIB ROOM ROOFS FOR SALE

26 EACH CRIB ROOM ROOF STRUCTURES

Each structure consists of posts galvanised iron sheeting flashing and all fittings to construct. Packed and ready for transport.


Call: 0448 087 922

2005 ACCO 2350 WATER TRUCK

ACCOMODATION CAMP FOR SALE

145 x ROOM ACCOMODATION CAMP

145 Room Accommodation Camp Comprising of 25x APB 14.4mtr x 3mtr 4 Room Ensuite Transportable Accommodation Buildings

$ 1,500,000Call: 0408 254 411

MINING GARBAGE POD FOR SALE

2012 ALFABS MINING QDS GARBAGE POD

Unused, top loading door front unload door Plant No: DGP001 Serial No: JM3184-1.


Call: 0408 254 411

VENT SHAFTS FAN FOR SALE

VENT SHAFTS FAN

2011 Flaktwoods DX222 Vent Shafts fan complete with Weg electric motor. Serial No: 1010851634.


Call: 0408 254 411

CAR FOR SALE

TOYOTA WORKMATE

2008, V8 turbo diesel wagon. 204,000 km. Good condition.

$ 26,500Call: 0457 123 847

TELEHANDLER FOR SALE

2010 JCB 531-70 LOADALL TELEHANDLER

2010 JCB 531-70 Loadall, VIN #: SF320/40201U1626010, 3,100kg Rated Capacity, 6,900kg Weight, 74.2kw @ 2200 RPM, Good condition, Log books


Call: 0428 279 083

BOAT FOR SALE

STACER PROWLER PROLINE

13ft Aluminium, Excellent condition, 15hp Evinrude, trailer, also many extras. Depth sounder/fish finder new battery, all v.g.c., 10 mths rego. Painted inside, false floor etc.

$ 4,600Call: 0431 542 853

UNDERGROUND REFUGE FOR SALE

UNDERGROUND REFUGE

Strata Safety 16 Person underground refuge.


Call: 0408 254 411

NOW ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR SUBSCRIBERS at www.shiftminer.com



THERE is obviously something wrong with me. I must not get out enough. Three kids under six do have a have a knack of putting your social life on ice. Perhaps it is because I don’t indulge in cinema-going very often that my expectations of a movie are out of whack? But unlike seemingly every reviewer and punter on the planet I did not particularly enjoy Gone Girl.

Based upon the global bestseller by

Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl is a psychological thriller billed as “unearthing the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage”. David Fincher, the Director of the movie, firstly came to public attention with his seminal 1995 film Se7en, followed by 1999’s Fight Club, and more recently The Social Network (2010) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Fincher’s knack for shining a light into the darker recesses

of humanity has seen him lauded as one of the greats of his generation.

I have not read the book. I must admit I didn’t even know it was a book (probably gives you an indication of how much of a popular culture rock I currently dwell) let alone a worldwide sensation.

But even approaching this film with comparatively fresh eyes didn’t seem to save me.

Maybe it was because pretty much all I knew about the flick was that there were plot twists. I am guessing it is just me but this knowledge only serviced to see me cynically scoping the story terrain for the ermahgerd moment.

Enough about my peccadilloes. On with the show. The plot. On the day of his fifth wedding anniversary, bar owner Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) finds his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), unaccountably missing. Arriving at the evidently staged kidnap scene, detective Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) senses that all is not as it seems. Evidence of financial troubles, domestic disputes and Nick’s seemingly inappropriate displays of grief soon shore him up as the prime suspect. Within days, Nick’s public image as the “smiling sociopath” receives a more furious media focus than the search for his wife, whose own voice is heard through the pages of an incriminating diary, which reveals an alternative reading of their apparently idyllic marriage.

It’s kind of an Azaria Chamberlain type tale which doesn’t have a dingo but it

does have the whole hoopla surrounding a modern media circus and amplified by social media and cable TV shock jocks.

Heaps of reviews describe Gone Girl as darkly amusing. Perhaps I just don’t get the American approach to black humour but if this is their attempt at “razor-edged wit” it isn’t very sharp.

Apparently the book is more obviously satirical but this either doesn’t translate to the big screen or they play it too straight but their portrayal of a modern marriage is nonsensical and confusing rather than being in any way realistically confronting.

It isn’t a completely atrocious film but I found it curiously devoid of any sense of atmosphere. There was no feeling of mood and the characters felt drearily contrived. While protagonists are not meant to be likeable, many a good film has a thoroughly engaging anti-hero. Nick and Amy are neither enigmatic or engaging. They are just plain dull and distractingly irritating. Ben Affleck does the typically good-looking, smarmy self-involved Nick well but is it possible he is playing himself?

And given the dreary dialogue and formulaic plot twists, Rosamund Pike should be commended for delivering the thoroughly annoying Amy so well.

Perhaps if I was filling in an evening on the couch this movie would have been more satisfying but sitting in a cinema where the anticipation is heightened I was simply left underwhelmed and wondering when the silliness would end.

MORE THAN JUST A WIFE MISSING IN GONE GIRL

Off Shift

Shift MinerHandy Cross blank grid.pdf©Lovatts Publications 5/03/09artist – mb

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11

12 13

14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21

22 23

24 25 26

27 28

29 30

17 #MUIDEM

4 29 2

8 6 4 18 4 3 6 9

7 42 1 5 7 3

6 5 1 95 8

3 8

ACROSS 1. Clutching 5. View 9. Skinniest 10. Acting platforms 12. Endeared 13. Hymn, ... With Me 14. Cain’s victim 16. Craves 19. Protest banner 21. Song for two 24. Farm cart 25. Rissoles 27. Polar covering 28. More nauseous 29. Hansel & ... 30. Openly

DOWN 1. Roadside channel 2. ..., vegetable or mineral 3. Lotto competition 4. Breathing hole 6. Hand over for trial 7. Most irate 8. Administer 11. Assemble (film) for screening 15. Sudden bright idea 17. Producing in great numbers 18. Tissue decay 20. Weirs 21. Mythical vampire 22. Connected by treaty 23. Off course 26. Goatee

SHIFT MINERHandy Cross 1826 - (15A grid)ShiftMinerHandy096s. pdf© Lovatts Publications 31/08/2010

L E A P F R O G O C T A V EI B L N R U NL E A N I N G S F E N C E SA T C O S S T LC H E C K L I S T C H I N AS S N O E O V

R A N G P E N A N C ED I B D S SI M M O R A L S P O TS M I I U G OS C A L D F E S T I V I T YE T G E P R V SC O U S I N D E C A D E N TT R N C Q U ES L E I G H S T R I P P E R

# 70 2 3 1 8 4 5 9 7 66 5 9 2 1 7 4 3 87 8 4 3 6 9 1 2 58 1 7 6 2 3 5 4 95 9 6 1 7 4 2 8 34 2 3 9 5 8 6 1 79 7 2 5 3 1 8 6 43 6 8 4 9 2 7 5 11 4 5 7 8 6 3 9 2

LaSt edition’S SoLutionSPUZZLES

Beautiful couple gone bad

mOVie reView



“There is no bad whisky. There are only some whiskys that aren’t as good as others.” – Raymond Chandler

EVERY job has it perks and if you are lucky they even have the odd lurk. It is important to embrace the perks and the lurks when they come your way. So when I was asked if I wanted to review a bottle of 12-year-old Tasmanian single malt whisky what could I say but “hell, yeah!”

I mean who could say no to a wee dram of whisky?

And no bar-fridge sized sampler either but a ridgy didge 700ml of liquid gold all

packaged in a smart artwork canister. Respect. So whisky from Tassie you say? What the?

Cheese, beer, wine tick but single malt whisky?Hellyers Road, Australia’s largest

boutique single malt whisky distillery is actually a subsidiary of Tasmanian milk processing company, Betta Milk, and was established following deregulation of the Australian Dairy Industry in 1996.

Hellyer’s chief distiller, Mark Littler said the decision to move into high end whisky production was thanks to the foresight of former general manager, Laurie House.

“We wanted to deliver a boutique product leveraging on Tasmania’s

burgeoning reputation for producing high quality food and beverage.

Whisky ticked all of the boxes. We already possessed a high degree of skill in food production processes plus we had easy access to good quality grain and pure Roaring 40s rainwater.”

Eighteen years on, this vision has proven to be inspirational with Tasmanian single malts quickly becoming a major force domestically and overseas.

Through a partnership with major French wholesaler, La Maision du Whisky, Hellyers Road has established a strong and growing foothold in Europe.

At last year’s prestigious Whisky Live event in Paris, Hellyers Road’s Pinot Noir Finish variety was judged ‘Best New World Whisky’ in a series of blind tastings.

So how does Hellyer’s 12-year aged statement whisky stack up? Well, according to their blurb this whisky “imbues a calming softness, reflective of its age. An elegant, gentle spirit that extols an oily sweetness with overtones of vanilla and citrus. The mellow aftertaste provides reward for effort and a subtle reminder of the pleasures this hallmark spirit embodies”.

But how should one approach drinking such a refined drop?

While my mum has always maintained a real drinker takes their

liquor straight, until now my tippling tastes have revolved around beer, wine and spirits rounded out with mixes.

Mark believes that if you are buying a hundred dollar bottle of booze you have the right to drink it any way you desire - but, if you really want to get the best bang for your buck, he recommends starting out by adding a little water.

“Firstly I like to appreciate the nose and I have a sniff to see what flavours I pick up in the glass. “When I taste, I hold the whisky in my mouth for a few seconds and then chew like crazy.

“You will find the flavours will linger for a period of time, maximising the enjoyment you get out of one sip.”

I actually received this whisky wisdom after my first hit out but striving to do my best by my goody

bottle, I eschewed the fizz and instead sampled my single malt with ice.

I probably didn’t slowly savour so much as guzzle but I really enjoyed the whisky’s delicate flavour, smooth mouthfeel and lingering sense of wellbeing.

Oh, and I had sex with my husband.

I think you will agree the verdict is conclusive.

Hellyers products are available at leading retailers including

Dan Murphys, independent sellers or online at www.hellyersroaddistillery.com.au

SAy HELL, yEAH! TO HELLyERS ROAD WHISKy

Off Shift

XXXX GoLd roma CupSaturday 22 November 2014 Region: Roma

We are 50. We are not old. We are vintage, improving with age. We have more races, more entertainment, more fashion and less inhibitions than ever before. You know we can party with the best of you.

Celebrate with us. Before we get any older. The Roma Turf Club holds eight races a year with the “Roma Cup Race Carnival” being the most dynamic event on south-west Queensland’s social calendar.The Carnival is an action-packed meet in the true spirit of country racing and the locals know how to throw a good party. Just don’t forget your swag!Fashion on the field is taken extremely seriously at the various race meets with the “coat and tie” dress standard is refreshingly maintained.Roma Races – we are legend (in a responsible service of alcohol kind of way).

eLderS Boyne VaLLey Country muSiC CampoutFriday 28 November 2014 - Sunday 30 November 2014

Region: Boyne ValleyThe Boyne Valley comes alive again in November for a weekend of campfire jamming, canoeing, sightseeing, relaxing, good company and live music! Come down for the day or bring your van, tent or swag and camp out.Country Music fans will come together to enjoy great music and great company in an

informal atmosphere.The campout at The Discovery Centre, Ubobo will commence on Friday with a jam session around the campfire. Saturday”s festivities will include an open mic day and night concert. The campout will conclude on Sunday with a bush poets breakfast.

tooWoomBa CoLor ViBe 5KSunday 30 November 2014 Region: Toowoomba

Get ready Toowoomba for the most

colorful fun-filled day of your life! You’ll have more colour on you than your happy levels can handle! So get your friends and family stretched out for this amazing colour run event where you’ll get blasted with colour while you run the Color Vibe 5K. Color Vibe is here, and you’re about to get tagged!You’ll be blasted at every colour station throughout this awesome 5K run. Sign up fast, because spots are filling quickly and we have a limited number of shirts available. So grab your girlfriends, your bros, your friends, and your family cause we’re bringing a colour fun experience to your life that you never knew existed!

TOp pIckSFor more events in the mining community go to shiftminer.com

Celebrate 50 years of beers and cheers at the Roma Race Carnival

hellyer’s whisky wizz, Mark Littler



CONSIDER yourself to be a loud and proud Queenslander? The Queensland Museum is offering you the opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.

Through the Become a Part of Queensland’s DNA Campaign, you have the chance to link your name to an item from the collection and in essence preserve that story.

From Mephisto, the sole surviving German A7V tank from World War 1, to a bikini designed by swimwear icon Paula Stafford, and Australia’s oldest dinosaur skeleton, there are more than 300 natural and cultural treasures, each with its own unique story that you can be part of.

Queensland Museum CEO Professor Suzanne Miller said this was a great opportunity for the public to become involved in supporting the Queensland Museum Collection.

“A tax-deductible donation of $100 will give you online sponsorship of one of the many items within our collection for 12 months and allow the Queensland Museum to continue to care for these objects for future generations,” she said.

“Whether your passion is shipwrecks or fossils, military items or animals, it is bound to be part of the Queensland Museum State Collection and now is your chance to help us share Queensland’s past,

present and future stories.”If you want to be particularly parochial

you can narrow your focus to a specific region.

How about sponsoring a local beast? Pearson’s Monster, a brand new insect species found on South Percy Island (a sand island off the coast halfway between Mackay and Rockhampton) could be your very own cool charity case.

Or perhaps you would prefer to wave a flag for the mining industry by helping to preserve a turn of the century miner’s safety lamp which was used by colliers in the underground coal

mines of Central Queensland. Professor Miller said the Queensland

DNA campaign is also the museum’s chance to share some of the millions of stories contained within the State Collection with the general public.

“I encourage everyone to visit the website to read some of the fascinating stories behind some of our most interesting objects,” she said. Visit qlddna.com.au to search through Queensland’s DNA or phone 3842 9037 to make a donation to the Queensland Museum Foundation.

Off Shift

IN YEppOON - Ladies and gentlemen. It is over. Barra are officially off your bag limit.

Adrian at The Secret Spot Bait & Tackle advises if you accidentally hook one you must return the fish as soon as possible.

Another tip: don’t post your pics on Facebook if you are going to do something

dodgy, as pages are policed. Better still why not let the big guys breed in peace?!

Plus there is plenty about to keep your fishing fix well fed, with small black marlin getting about in good numbers offshore.

Adrian says you just need to keep your eyes peeled for feeding fish, throw in a live bait amongst the frenzy and

hopefully bob’s your uncle.There are ample doggies and spotties in

the bay if you can get out. Herrings have been a particular sweet spot for bait. When it comes to choosing bait always “match the hatch” says Adrian.

Crabs are starting to move now that the water is back up to 25 degrees, but Adrian says once the first rains arrive things will really get hectic.

Finally, there are plenty of grunter off the local wrecks and fingermark are up for grabs off the harbour wall (check out the snap).

IN MAckAY - Bruce from Nashy’s Compleat Angler says mac are still the main game off Mackay.

Lots of spotties and schoolies are on offer out front and around Hay Point and a few queenfish getting around the inshore islands.

Bruce says while a few customers have been having success with pilchards, he recommends shiny lures as the more sure fire option.

The northerlies haven’t been too unkind of recent times and the channel has been fishing pretty steady, according to Bruce.

While saltwater barra season has officially wrapped up, here is a story to get you excited for the new year.

Bruce reckons a fella brought in the remains of a barra that had been ‘sharked’ - and all that was left was the head and top of the shoulders which

weighed in at a massive 11 kilos!Imagine what the full monster (and the

shark!) must have looked like...If you can’t contain your barra

excitement Bruce says to hit the dams. “There are no big reports yet but over

the next full moon you can expect the dams to arc up with barra.”

IN GLADSTONE - The reports coming in from offshore have been jolly good, according to Olly at Pat’s Tackle World.

A recent charter to the Sykes area did very nicely and brought in a heap of sweetlip plus a solid amount of trout and red emperor.

Olly says they bagged out on their sweetlip limit and he reckons it is the first time he has heard of that for sweetlip for a good while.

November is the month we should be sitting pretty for mangrove jack but they have been taking their sweet time to hit their straps, according to Olly.

It seems fishers have been having little luck bringing them in on lures but live bait has been proving more successful.

The Boyne and Calliope, Harbour and Narrows are the places to be to be when the mangrove jack action inevitably heats up.

If you have a good photo or fishing yarn

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

Fingermark caught off Rosslyn Harbour wall on a Z-man Sexy Lady. Image courtesy of The Secret Spot Bait & Tackle.

Bait ShOp Banter

BECOME A pART OF QUEENSLAND’S DNA

Pearson’s Monster, Cooloola pearsoni, a bizarre cricket-like beast from south Percy Island.

Miner’s safety lamp manufactured by the Protector Lamp and Lighting Co. Ltd of Eccles, England.



IT may not attract the overseas gallopers or the sheer volume of fascinators that the Melbourne Cup does, but Moranbah’s spring carnival race meet is every bit as important to the local community.

After a very difficult year, hundreds of locals and visitors were trackside to see the John Manzelmann (Mackay) trained Mediyms Crest win the Isaac Regional Council open handicap cup.

The horse was ridden by Central Queensland iockey Dale Evans.

Isaac mayor Anne Barker said she was pleased to be the major sponsor of the event.

“The thrill of watching our favourite thoroughbred’s race for top honours is always exciting,” she said.

“And the best dressed and best fascinator competition is a welcomed opportunity for us all to have a little fun.

“Country race clubs like Moranbah bring a wealth of social and economic value to our communities.”

SINCE its revival, the Blackwater Saratoga Spectacular has gone from strength to strength.

Organiser Jason Hill said they had their largest ever crowd this year, and conditions were ideal for both fishing and camping on the picturesque Mackenzie River.

Better still, fish of all varieties were biting with some impressive catches.

Winning the open mens Saratoga category was Garry Jupe with a 73 centimetre (cm) fish.

Grant Frankish caught a 81.5 cm barramundi winning that category, and Jed Brunner caught a 41 cm yellow belly to win that section.

For the ladies, Lisa Jasperson won with a 72 cm saratoga, just ahead of Megan Gray and her 65 cm fish.

In the juniors, Greer Webley proved age is no obstacle with a 71 cm saratoga, and Owen Ross caught a 37.5 yellow belly.

Organisers say they are already planning next year’s event.

SARATOGA GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

Sport Monday - Roundup

BECOME A pART OF QUEENSLAND’S DNA

MORANBAH’S LITTLE BIT OF MELBOURNE

In fine attire, Fashions on the Field Best Dressed Couple Ben and Robyn Lehmann with Mayor Anne Baker.

Enjoying the view from the VIP Room, Kerry Rundall, Jackie harms, Lisa hawkins and bookmaker, Chris Carter.

[Pho

to c

redi

t: Ke

rri B

arne

s]

Mayor Anne Baker and horse owner of Mediyms Crest - the winner of the Isaac Regional Council open handicap Cup - John Mazelmann.

the winner of the boat was Jason Webley

Biggest Barramundi was won by Grant Frankish at 81.5cm

Liam Carsburg-Bateman, Matthew Linke and Dwayne Parsons

Bridie and Lachlan Anderson

Bailey Maddsen and Kurt Ingram

Mark Craigie and scott hannah

Mark Leishman, Mal Williams and Aiden Leishman

the biggest saratoga was caught by Gary Jupe measuring 73cm

Rhani and thomas Peisker

Anthony Wilson, Emily Cronin and their dogs Wiley and toby

Wes, Deb and Ella Goodwin

Fashions on the Field: Best Fascinator Nikki Murphy, Best Fascinator runner up Aleesha Kelland and Female Best Dressed Melanie hornery.



Feature

IF you’ve worked in mining long enough, chances are you’ve been made redundant once before. Or probably twice.

That’s the boom-bust nature of commodities, which is easy to say standing on the sidelines, but it comes with a hefty human cost if your job is in the firing line.

For thousands of Queensland miners - and for thousands more working in support industries - 2014 has been a tough year.

Many have lost their jobs, and many more fear a similar fate awaits them.

It’s taking its toll.Dr Jennifer Bowers is the CEO of the

Australasian Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health and has been looking closely at this issue.

“One of the key risk factors for mental distress at the moment is worrying ‘am I going to be next?” she told Shift Miner.

“In mining I can tell you that between one in three to one in four workers are showing signs of mental distress depending on which site they work on - if redundancies are being handed out or if it’s one of the better managed sites.

“That’s between 26 to 33 per cent, and the national average is 20 per cent.”

So how do you stop yourself becoming a statistic? And is it really possible to turn a redundancy into an opportunity?

Shift Miner takes an indepth look at what happens if you lose your job, and where to from here.

haLf emptyor haLf fuLL?



CFMEU district vice president Steve Pierce watched the axe fall four times during his mining career,

and twice it landed on his head.“Redundancies just absolutely gut a

workforce,” he told Shift Miner.“But I’ve never seen any that come

completely out of the blue, you can usually smell it in the wind.

“You start to get a feel for it, there is no money to do things and there are people around you’ve never seen before and you just get the sense something is going to go down.”

Many Queensland miners would know that feeling, most sites have been on tenterhooks for 12 months with rumours constantly circling the Coalfields about where the next round of cuts is most likely.

Unfortunately, when the day does comes and management announces jobs

will go, the uncertainty continues.“The thing that is uncertain is who

goes,” said Confiance director and HR specialist Peter Cross.

“If you’ve got a workforce of 400 and 100 have to go, then who will they be?

“What should happen is a transparent selection process.

“From a business point of view you want to keep your best people so it’s about how to arrive at that outcome.

“Good employers have a transparent selection process but I don’t think that is happening at the moment, I would be surprised if it is.”

The CFMEU’s Steve Pierce agrees.“The thing we don’t have any

more is a defined process for how people are selected.

“It’s not last on, first off, it’s the ugly side and people are being targeted because they raise safety issues or stand up for others or because they have a role in the lodge [union].”

The good news is that while the selection process might not be transparent, if you’re in the firing line what you’re

entitled to is very clear.“The majority would already have done

their calculations and know if they’re going to get the flick what they’re worth,” said Mr Cross.

“What they are entitled to is typically straight forward, it’s in their contract or the EBA and it is quite prescriptive.

“The only thing that might not be clear is the net value of the redundancy.

“Most companies will give you a gross number but there are some potential tax benefits that individuals might not realise so it’s best to talk to your accountant.”

The CFMEU’s Steve Pierce also urges workers to speak to their accountant if they are considering taking a voluntary redundancy (VR).

“People can do the rough calculations on what it might be worth as a gross, but it’s the intricacies of the tax-free threshold and things like that make it complicated,” he said.

The other choice you don’t have is how the money is paid - it will simply arrive in your nominated bank account in one lump sum.

Feature

w w w. a d v e n t u r e j u n k i e s . c o m

New Zealand AdventureJoin one of our epic guided tours and make short work of

your bucket list this summer. Push your limits and get extreme with Skydiving, Bungy Jumping,

White Water Rafting, Rock Climbing, Canyoning, Heli Biking and more!

Quote

MINE 10

for 10% OFF

HOW MUCH AM I OWED?

D-DAy



Feature

For many workers who have been in the industry a long time, a redundancy payment is a major

financial event.It’s when years of accrued entitlements

are paid out in a single large payment.Often - but not always - the payment

comes towards the end of a working life and therefore is part of an overall retirement plan.

For that reason, it needs to be

carefully managed.However, no two redundancy payments

are the same, and neither are the strategies for managing them.

The best advice… is to seek your own advice.“There is no one strategy that will

be appropriate to every person, so we recommend that personal advice be sought whenever someone receives a redundancy payment,” said Soundbridge Financial Services general manager Penny Farrell.

Ms Farrell said there were a suite of considerations when it came to a redundancy payment.

“For starters, there is a tax-free amount which is determined by completed years of service,” she said.

“The remainder is taxed at a flat rate depending on your age and the amount of the payment, which is different to how you are taxed on normal income.

“Also it might be possible to add part or all of the redundancy payment to your superannuation, but there are limits on super contributions which might apply.

“Generally speaking, there are a number of other issues you need to consider, such as your need for cash reserves and whether you will need to relocate, but again everyone is different so you should seek advice specific to your own situation.”

So you’ve been given the boot, now what?Should you paint the house, take

the boat out while the going is good, take the wife and kids on that holiday you’ve always talked about or just get back into the jobs market?

The decision whether to launch straight into a job search or take some time out is, once again, up to the individual - and there are pros and cons to both options.

“If it was unexpected then taking a break is often a good chance to let the dust settle,” explains Mining Family Matters careers specialist Therese Lardner.

“It can provide some perspective but it needs to be used with caution.

“Two weeks off can easily turn into two months so if you’re going to take time off

make it for a defined period and have goal.“Say I am going to take some time off

to go on a family holiday or fix the car as opposed to just saying I’m taking some time off.”

Ms Lardner said a short break away could often be a good idea because sitting around home could quickly leave people feeling unmotivated.

“When you’re working you have to get up at a specific time and meet a number of goals during your day, and so the lack of structure of just being a home can be a real struggle for people,” she said.

“Often if people know it is coming [redundancy] then they want to get going with a job search so they feel they have some control over the process again.”

HOW SHOULD I SpEND My REDUNDANCy?

TIME FOR A BREAK?

p28

Advertising Feature

Do you lay in bed at night, wide awake in the small hours of the morning, feeling the enormous weight that this redundancy has brought you?

Do you wonder what you will do when the money stops coming in, how you will survive?

How will you pay the mortgage, the car payments and/or the household bills that are ALWAYS OVERDUE… once your savings have all dried up?

Do you feel like you’ve worked your fingers to the bone for someone else, and now this redundancy, this black hole, is all you have to show for it?

Have you been left out in the cold by those you trusted and now ask yourself: • “What on earth do I do now?”• “Will I have to relocate?”• “Will I have to ask family or friends for

money?”• “What will they think of me?”

You’re probably expecting a payout, which could be a great resource to get you back on your feet, but if not used properly how long will it really last? And what do you do when it’s all gone?

This is a very difficult and scary time in anyone’s life, with these questions constantly circling your mind like vultures...• What if I NEVER get a new job?• What if I DROWN in bills?• What if this is it for me?

DO YOU LOSE SLEEp TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WILL pROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY?Don’t you deserve more than this? Of course you do!

You deserve to sleep soundly knowing that your income is entirely in your own hands. You deserve to be spending MORE time with loved ones rather than working for SOMEONE ELSE’S profits.

Don’t you deserve a life where you can holiday wherever you like, whenever you like.... and never ever say again the words; “I can’t, I have to work”?

Don’t you and your family deserve so much more than laying in bed at night feeling scared, deflated, a loss of identity on who you are and where you will end up?

If any of this relates to you, then keep reading…

HOW cAN I MAkE SURE THIS NEVER HAppENS TO ME AGAIN?What if I told you there is a way you can take this redundancy, this payout, this situation… and turn it into the life you had always dreamed of!

In fact, what if I told you this redundancy payout could be a positive ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY for you?

Let me share this with you...I’m going to reveal to you exactly how you can live the lifestyle of your choice on YOUR terms. You’re going to learn the successful, proven method to potentially replace your previous income - quickly, easily and safely and move towards a life of financial freedom.

I started using my own WEALTH BUILDING STRATEGIES almost 20 years ago to create a PASSIVE INCOME.... and shortly after, I REPLACED my high paying salary permanently.... And I have NOT needed a “JOB” since!

In fact, what if I told you leaving that job was the BEST thing that ever happened to me? AND IT CAN BE FOR YOU TOO!

My name is Julian Dawson. As an investor I have created a system for regular, reliable income from investing in property and the stock market.

I amassed a multi-million dollar portfolio using a very simple – yet highly profitable – investment strategy. We call it: The Buckets Of Wealth

For more than 12 years my team and I have been mentoring Australian’s all over the country (many of them in the mining industry) to create enough CASH FLOW and WEALTH where they can experience the lives their families’ TRULY deserve… AND… DUMP THE BOSS.... PERMANENTLY!

Does that sound like something you might be interested in?

Imagine if you could break through the hidden wealth obstacles and escape the daily grind that a job brings! By following a simple investing system you can generate MORE CASH than your old wages ever could, and also create a future to be proud of.

From exotic holidays to fine restaurants - enjoy a luxury lifestyle that most people can only dream about. This is a lifestyle that YOU deserve!

In the very near future, this could be your life...• Working from home (or for that matter -

anywhere in the world that you want)...• Being your own boss...• Having money to pay all your bills on time...• Sending your children to the best schools...• Living life completely on your terms...• Having ZERO debt (no credit card bills…

owning your home free and clear)...• Waking up without any financial worries...• Being home for your kids when they

finish school each day...• Giving your kids the best opportunities

in life...• Holidays overseas (imagine visiting

cultural Paris or glitzy New York – and travelling in luxury all the way)...

Never again worrying about your job security!

This strategy has positively changed the lives of many Australians.

The Buckets Of Wealth system uses high return cash-flow trading strategies to generate income, which is in turn re-invested into medium and long term assets (e.g. shares and real estate). It is a simple, safe and most importantly LOW RISK cash-flow generating strategy, designed to build your wealth in all market conditions, whether you are working, between contracts, or permanently on holidays...

Listen to what our clients have to say...“The session with you helped me get into real estate faster than I ever imagined. The results have been extremely rewarding. I’ve purchased 4 houses and 7 blocks of land and have already started to pass on my learning to my kids

(who I spend a lot more time with these days) to help kick start their investing. I will continue to use your teachings for growing our financial well-being.”

James Stuart - Coffs Harbour, NSW

“Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It was great attending your program. This year was a real eye opener for me in all aspects of investing. I love your bucket principle for allocating investment proportions for short, medium and long term strategies. Before your program, I had no idea about trading the Share Market and have now successfully doubled my trading bank in such a short amount of time. I’ve also managed to buy my first home, which has been a dream come true. I cannot believe the results I have experienced in just 6 months, and just how simple you make your programs so anyone can apply your principles to investing and achieve amazing results.”

Tai Shimizu - Pottsville Beach, NSW

What The Buckets Of Wealth system could do for you…• Increase your cash flow.... IMMEDIATELY,• Increase your asset base for long term wealth,• Increase the time you spend with family

and loved ones, and...• DECREASE stress, heart ache and pain!

A MESSAGE FOR THOSE BEING MADE REDUNDANT...

Lost your job? What’s next... your car? Your house? And then... your self-esteem? There is a light at the end of the tunnel... (read on for details)

AND HERE’S WHAT TO DO NEXT…Pick up the phone and give us a call for a brief chat. If your comfortable we’ll conduct a complimentary financial health assessment. You will also receive a copy of my best selling book “Wealth Wisdom - How ordinary Australians can create extraordinary Wealth “ FREE! Normally valued at $29.95Offer available to first 50 callers, so act fast!

So take ACTION, take back CONTROL of your life, and answer to NO ONE!Call us now on 1300 557 881 to speak to a member of our team for more information and to show you how.

And I know after this short, obligation free chat, you’ll be saying “I’m so glad this happened to me”...

And for some, you may even discover you NEVER have to work again.

LET US SHOW YOU HOW TO SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS AROUND MONEY!Call Now: 1300 557 881or 02 6626 6881Email: [email protected]

J U L I A N D AWS O N

H O W O R D I N A RY A U S T R A L I A N S C A N C R E AT E

E X T R A O R D I NA RY W E A LT H



So, you’re back in the game and looking for work.

It’s no secret that the jobs market in mining is flat, so perhaps now is the time to sit down and seriously consider a new tack.

“I have worked with a lot of people going through redundancy and it has turned from a negative event into a positive experience,” said Ms Lardner.

“They take control of their career and understand their skills set and target roles that suit them, roles that might have been previously unknown to them.

“The people who really struggle with redundancy don’t see a world outside of their current job and that can be very unsettling.”

Ms Lardner said what sort of experience you had was all about mind set, how actively you sought to take control the situation and, most importantly, knowing what makes you employable.

“You have to be proactive, attack your job search,’ she said.

“Don’t expect to sit back and have them come to you. You have to be really clear on your own skills set and what you have to sell to people.”

Feature

For many miners, running a small business has always been a dream kept in the back pocket - just waiting

for the day to arrive.Receiving a redundancy could be

the moment to realise that dream, but of course dreams are often a lot easier than reality.

One of the major concerns for a miner

considering a switch to self-employment is whether they have the skills required.

How adaptable are the things you have learnt in mining to other businesses?

Let’s take, for example, owning a supermarket.

Aussie Supermarket Brokers Elizabeth Krienke said while there were new skills involved in running a store, most of it could be learnt on the job.

“I can’t speak for all business, but for running a supermarket I think the most important skills you need to have are a sense of community, ambition and determination,” she said.

“Like all business you do need to have a drive to sell and make a profit, and obviously basic bookkeeping and computer skills are desirable, but it is possible to outsource that.

“Also many of the businesses are sold with well-trained staff in place, and if you buy a business which is part of a group there is usually group marketing and advertising support.

For those that make a successful switch, the rewards can be enormous.

Not only have they done something they always dreamed of doing, but Ms Krienke says they can feel more in control of their own future.

“It is a great reward to be your own boss and the master of your own destiny,” she added.

THE NExT OppORTUNITy IS My SKILLS SET TRANSFERABLE?



If you are committed to the mining industry, now is the time to take a step back and think about where you want to

end up, and what you need to get you there.Speak to most people in upper management

in mining and they tell you a war story about losing their job early in their career.

Where they are today is testament to the fact that redundancy is not the end of the road, it’s a slight detour that you probably didn’t see coming.

The irony is that at the same time as jobs are being lost, there are great opportunities for suitably qualified people - but the key word is qualified.

So how do you take stock of your own skills and qualifications?

General manager at Sharp Training Gregg Jones says getting new skills and updating them is critical for both employees and employers.

“For employers, it’s easy to cut costs in many ways and unfortunately in most cases training is one of them,” he told Shift Miner.

“But it’s important to continue to invest in your people, people need continuous development or they lose traction and motivation for the cause.”

Mr Jones said the reward for companies who continued to train their people was substantial.

“Those companies that continue with a sound level of professional development for their employees in these tough times find lower staff turnover, which is a massive cost in itself, and higher productivity which is a key driver at the moment.”

From a worker’s perspective, Mr Jones said the standard 11 mine induction remained the most popular generic training module, but beyond that it is job specific.

“So if you’re a tradesperson it is working at heights, confined space, LVR, CPR, first aid and light vehicle operation,” he said.

“For supervisors it is the S123 and G2 suite of competencies for risk management, incident investigation and communication.

“For operators it is important to have the SOA (Statement of Attainment) of the particular operator skill.”

Some miners might be surprised to know that they have skills already that can be recognised - providing they can be supported with the necessary paperwork.

Looking to the future, Mr Jones said the industry had learnt from some of its mistakes over the boom and, in particular, was looking to make sure that supervisors were getting a more complete education.

“Any type of upskilling is worthwhile and puts a prospective candidate ahead of the game, “ he said.

“However the industry is looking toward more softer skills like frontline management, project management, general management and OH&S.

“There has been too large a reliance in the industry on sending a budding supervisor to complete their S123 and expecting them to come back as a supervisor when this program only provides the foundation to risk management, incident investigation and communication.

“It does not technically produce supervisors. Supervisors require more training in people management, conflict resolution, team leadership, time management, financial and budgeting basics, managing projects and so on.”

It is also worth remembering that if you are using your redundancy as an opportunity to have a broader look at where you want to be, Mr Jones says many of the competencies in coal can be applied elsewhere.

“Many of the competencies are adaptable to other resource sectors, which is the aim of the training package that is in place for the resources sector,” he said.

“The training package is known as the RII (Resources & Infrastructure Industry) which specifies the skills and knowledge required for workers to perform effectively in coal and metalliferous mining, civil infrastructure, quarrying and the drilling industry.”

Feature

STAyING IN THE GAMEIS My SKILLS SET TRANSFERABLE?



THE mining hub of Mackay was the only region in Queensland to record a significant increase in the number of vacant rental properties on the market in the September quarter.

The residential vacancy rate is now sitting at 8.4 per cent, up 1.6 per cent over the past three months as the resources downturn continues to

smash the demand for rental properties.“I have been in real estate for 30 years

and I can’t recall vacancy rates with those sort of numbers here in Mackay,” REIQ zone chair Peter McFarlane told Shift Miner.

Traditionally the vacancy rate has sat between one and two per cent, but the mining downturn combined with the

oversupply of new houses to capitalise on the region’s former ‘investor hot spot’ status has resulted in the current state of play.

“I am still dumbfounded by the number of people who were willing to spend $600,000 on a duplex in the Northern Beaches having never stepped foot in the town,” said Mr McFarlane.

Building approvals have now slumped by 40 per cent, house sales are down by 30 per cent and rental prices have been slashed by 50 per cent.

But Mr McFarlane believes the longer term outlook is for better times ahead, because he expects the coal industry will stabilise over the next six to 12 months.

“The Australian dollar has dropped, the price of coal has stabilised at low levels and mining companies have ramped up production to bring in more dollars,” he said.

Most mining operations have now returned to profitability, and the final piece in the puzzle will be tackling the cost of labour, said Mr McFarlane.

“Mining companies will now move to sort out their EBAs and once we are over that hurdle things will start to normalise.”

Last month, BMA slashed charge out rates for Mackay contractors by a third.

Similar cuts have been made across the Bowen Basin, with contractors now earning between $35-40/hour, while full-time employees are still on $55/hour or more.

Mr McFarlane said pay cuts for employees were inevitable.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow but it’s a fact of life,” he said.

“Individuals will probably have to think, if I don’t take a pay cut and change my lifestyle I may not have a job anyway.”

Further south, and the vacancy rates in Rockhampton and Gladstone showed signs of improvement, down 0.9 and 0.7 percentage points respectively.

Rockhampton is now sitting on 4.1 per cent, still historically high for the town.

“It’s certainly not back to the glory days of 1.5 per cent where he traditionally sit, but it’s been improving steadily over the past six months and that trend seems to be continuing,” said long-time real estate agent Noel Livingston.

“The past 12 months have been tough, extremely tough, and I don’t think we will see the market brimming with confidence until we see new jobs in the area and for that we will need some form of recovering in the mining industry.”

INDIAN giant Adani has decided who it wants to build the coal preparation plant and open cut infrastructure at its planned Galilee Basin mega-mine west of Clermont.

Before Christmas it will also decide who will build around 80 kilometres of roads and a massive new accommodation complex on site.

Sometime early next year it will decide on a major contractor to build its underground longwall mines, which will be the longest and biggest ever attempted.

And once again, the company has reaffirmed its plan to be shipping coal in 2017.

While no doubt the contracts being signed for these major pieces of infrastructure will have flexible start times and exit options, even the most cynical analyst would have to accept that this represents the most serious

progress ever made toward the opening of the Galilee Basin.

“This is not something we are thinking about - this is something we are doing today,” said Adani’s general manager of mine infrastructure Ian Sedgman at a Resource Industry Network event in Mackay.

“Our offsite civil contract? The tender is in the market and submissions close in mid November.

“The accommodation? The tenders are sitting in my office at the moment… and we plan on awarding in December.

“The open cut infrastructure EPC? The tender is done, evaluated, and just pending final award.

“The CHPP EPC contract? I signed the tender documents yesterday, and they are ready to go out the door tomorrow

[monday this week].“Our underground infrastructure is

lagging a little bit behind, but we will be issuing a tender in 2015.

“We are on the cusp of starting a large scale body of work.”

When Adani first announced its plan to build a giant vertically integrated energy project in Queensland, coal prices were booming and the idea of building the worlds biggest thermal coal mine, a 200 kilometre rail line and expanded port facilities at Abbot Point - seemed plausible.

Today, prices have fallen between a third and half, with analysts speculating that a majority of thermal coal miners are operating at a loss.

So against this back - drop, why invest so much energy and money into

the development of a high risk greenfield mega mine project?

Why not just let the existing coal miners tear themselves apart selling you coal for less than it costs them to dig it up? Well, according to Adani, it’s simple.

“Whether the price of thermal coal goes up or down by $10 or $20 each year is irrelevant for a project of this size and life,” said Mr Sedgman.

“It’s about continuity of supply, and Adani wants to be able to supply India’s growing power needs from pit to plug for a long time into the future.”

The other unknown for the Galilee Basin is whether favourable geology, new technology and enormous economies of scale will drive costs per tonne of coal down to unheard of levels that would be profitable even now.

Money Matters

WHO IS STILL FEELING THE pROpERTy pAIN?

THE FABLED GALILEE RICHES HAvE NEvER SEEMED SO CLOSE

Delivered direct to your inbox every WednesdayTo register go to www.shiftminer.com and follow the link

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A

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

WINOWEdNEsdAY’s INdUsTRY NEWs ONLINE (WINO) by Shift Miner

SHIFT MINERPremium Queensland business and industrial news www.shiftminer.com/news

W E D N E S D A Y ’ S I N D U S T R I A L N E W S O N L I N E

NEWs YOU WON’T GET ANYWHERE ELsE

Mackay is still feeling significant pain in the rental market



Money Matters

AUGUSTA vILLA, SICILyPrice: $8,000,000Live like the Godfather in this luxury villa with a swimming pool and breathtaking views. Located in the beautiful Bay of Silence, on a hill overlooking the sea, the villa’s large panoramic windows offer breathtaking views of Mount Etna and the Mediterranean Sea, from Syracuse to Catania. Each floor is surrounded by tastefully furnished spacious balconies and the property has private access to the sea and the harbour below. The villa is equipped with the latest generation technology in the field of security. Video surveillance gives the opportunity to control the whole surface of the property so you can always be safe and secure. There is also a home automation system called “smart home” that can be managed and controlled from inside and outside the home or even from abroad, using an iPhone or Android. The advantages of this system are endless. For example, prior to arrival in the villa, set the temperature of the water in the pool, then swim immediately upon arrival. High level luxury and state of the art security...bellissimo!

Contact Prestige Property Group via [email protected] to make the necessary arrangements.

RAAFUSHI ISLAND, MALDIvESPrice on requestAlways thought you could make it as a property developer? How about cutting your teeth on an island...in the Maldives? Located just 45 minutes via sea-plane from Male International Airport, Raafushi Island is an 18 hectare private island resort development. Available to buy on a 50-year leasehold basis, Raafushi Island offers plenty of potential for development, with sufficient space to create over 100 five-star accommodation units and an array of entertainment facilities, including – but by no means limited to – the construction of a golf course. Fringed by several brilliant white beaches that segue into the trademark clear waters, this Maldives island forms a picture perfect private island holiday destination, which – with a the help of a well thought-out concept and design – looks certain to attract an up-market, international clientele. So, think about the resort with golf course etc. – it can be yours.

Contact Vladi Private Islands if you are ready to take the plunge.

TROpHy pENTHOUSE, NEW yORKPrice: $46,719,498Need a trophy NYC pad to team with the trophy wife? You’re in luck! The Penthouse at 165 Charles, one of Richard Meier’s masterful designs and one of Downtown Manhattan’s icons, is being offered for the first time since its conception. Situated in the coveted West Village and soaring above the Hudson River, this extraordinary four-bedroom, four-bathroom, duplex residence is the perfect amalgam of minimalist design and grandiose scale, offering extraordinary light and space. A grand entry gallery leads to the breathtaking great room, featuring dramatic 21-foot ceilings and wrapped by a private terrace it is a truly magnificent year-round, living and entertaining space. An oasis of tranquility and comfort, every bedroom offers unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline and the Hudson River. 165 Charles is a boutique full-service condominium building offering 24-hour doorman and concierge services.

To consolidate your perfect package contact Scott Harris at Brown Harris Stevens, New York, New York.

TORRESDALE MANOR, TOORAKPrice on requestHow about weaseling your way into Melbourne’s establishment by buying a landmark Toorak mansion? Masterfully refurbished and renovated under the careful guidance of the late Stuart Rattle esq., Torresdale Manor (c1887) unfolds its substantial rooms with an understated elegance while remaining faithful to its purpose as a warm family home. Romance abounds with bespoke and restored finishes including exquisite antique chandeliers, bronze fittings, silk accessories and marble, carefully crafted to the highest standard, respectful to its rich history and status as an establishment Toorak estate. Grand formal and informal rooms boast soaring ceilings above sun drenched windows, while framing expansive views to the secluded and tranquil English garden rooms. A family wing of luxurious bedrooms, ensuites and a retreat, are separated from the exquisite main suite, the height of the most romantic Parisian Style, with every need catered for. Absolute privacy is ensured by the home’s position, down an original pebbled driveway, utterly secure behind electronic gates, entry portico, and protected by CCTV and alarms.

Distress up your newly minted coins before you contact Kay & Burton at [email protected]

RooM WIth A VIEW

ExOTIC HOMESfOr ThE mObiLE miNEr

»

»

»

»

Send your exotic dream property details and low resolution images to [email protected]

what to do if you’re made redundant · quest townsville quest townsville on eyre quest mackay...

Documents