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30 June 2008 National Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue and Compliance and Enforcement Reforms – Queensland Transport Regional Briefing Sessions Queensland Parliament passed the Transport Legislation Amendment Act no. 31 of 2008 on 21 May 2008. The Heavy Vehicle Driver Fatigue reforms and major changes to mass dimensions and loading requirements and freight container transport will be implemented at the same time. Queensland Transport plans to implement the reforms on 29 September 2008 in line with other states. A series of briefing sessions will be held between 21 July and 11 August 2008 in several venues across Queensland (see below).
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16 June 2008 AFCN and ALC Forge Partnership Arrangement
The AFCN members agreed to undertake a project which captures the views of long term participants in the transport and logistics sector. It will identify the features of the industry that bring people back and lead to lifetime commitment to the transport and logistics sector. “Capturing the essence of this industry and its ability to deliver a satisfying working life will help us to market its potential” commented Chris Mangan, Chief Executive Officer Sea Freight Council of Queensland. “People keep coming back to it and we need to broadcast the attraction factors”. The AFCN also supported a bid by the ALC to provide the National Transport Commission with project management services to undertake supply chain pilot studies as part of tackling capacity constraints and supply chain performance. “The ALC and state freight councils can offer a broad base of industry intelligence” commented Hal Morris, Chief Executive of the ALC. INFORMATION The Australian Freight Council Network (ACFN) comprises –
The combined membership of the Councils numbers over 500 senior industry decision-makers, representing an enormous bank of knowledge and influence across freight and logistics activities in Australia and with its trading partners. For further information: Mr John Begley, Chair, AFCN, Mobile: 0417 568 673 |
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SFCQ Director Narelle Pearse Invited to 2020 Summit Your Council was extremely pleased and honoured that one of our directors, Narelle Pearse, was invited to take part in the 2020 Summit in Canberra on 19 and 20 April 2008. Narelle, who is based in Mackay and is the CEO of the Mackay & Whitsunday Regional Economic Development Corporation, was selected to be part of the “Future Direction of the Australian Economy” stream and was particularly keen to ensure that regional issues formed part of the agenda. The stream was further split into sub-groups in order to better focus discussions and manage the large numbers. Narelle’s substream was Infrastructure and the group included Bob Carr, Marius Kloppers, Andrew Forrest, Anthony Albanese, Geoff Dixon, Lindsay Fox, and Margaret Jackson. Narelle commented that: “The Infrastructure group probably included the majority of the more well known players, however, everyone was given a fair chance to have their say, and I must say that I certainly held the floor on more than one occasion. We were told from the beginning that the facilitators were not looking for consensus, but rather a range of ideas that could contribute to future solutions. Our group of 100 put forward a number of ideas including:
The group stressed the need for a more streamlined approach to both public and private infrastructure provision, and the need to remove the bottlenecks created by heavy regulation. It was suggested that we need to move towards an independent infrastructure review board that constituted equal representation from Government and Private sector, and included representation from regional areas. Overall I think the 2020 Summit was very successful, however the message from participants was clear…….the momentum needs to be maintained, and the Summit should not be a one off event. I must say that there were no surprising ideas, and most centred around what we know needs to happen to move Australia forward. All participants were keen to stay involved in order to ensure that the ideas put forward could be bought to fruition, not by Government alone, but through an ongoing collaborative initiative. The media may have focused on the more well known participants, but they did not represent the majority of people there. I met many people from many walks of life who, like myself, were not well known to the majority of the Australian public. I look forward to the Government’s response to the ideas come December this year.” The Sea Freight Council of Queensland extends its congratulations to Narelle on the honour of her selection as well as for the contribution she made over the weekend. We eagerly look forward to the future developments that will flow from the Summit. |
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31 March 2008
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Quarantine and Biosecurity Review We produce for your information below a release from the Quarantine and Biosecurity Review Secretariat. Farmers, conservationists, food importers and exporters, transport operators, government and government agencies are among the many stakeholders being asked to help shape Australia’s future quarantine and biosecurity arrangements. The independent review of Australia’s quarantine and biosecurity arrangements, announced in February by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, is now receiving submissions from affected and interested parties. In recent advertising in major metropolitan and rural newspapers, the Quarantine and Biosecurity Review Panel announced the release of an Issues Paper and the Panel's call for submissions. This e-mail is to alert stakeholders who may not have seen this advertising of the release of the Issues Paper and the call for submissions. The Issues Paper will provide guidance for people in preparing their input to the review. It also poses some specific questions which particularly interest the Review Panel. The paper can be downloaded from www.quarantinebiosecurityreview.gov.au.Stakeholders have until Friday 11 April 2008 to prepare their submissions. Details on how to make a submission are available from the Quarantine and Biosecurity Review’s website. Following the formal submission period, the Panel will travel to each state and territory to conduct focussed forums in an effort to hear stakeholder views. The Panel is due to deliver its report and recommendations to Minister Burke by 31 July 2008. The Review Panel is Chaired by Mr Roger Beale AO. He is joined on the Panel by Dr Jeff Fairbrother AM, Mr Andrew Inglis AM and Mr David Trebeck. Further information on the review can be found at the Review Secretariat’s website: www.quarantinebiosecurityreview.gov.au The Review Secretariat can also be contacted directly on quarantinebiosecurityreview@daff.gov.au or 1800 196 192Please feel free to forward this information to any interested contacts/parties. Quarantine and Biosecurity Review Secretariat |
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17 March 2008 Pandemic Planning Sir John Harvey-Jones once commented: “Planning is an unnatural process. It is much more fun to DO something. The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.” So often today manning levels are thin, support staff are fewer and time is stretched. So how can we get the time to plan for urgent matters let alone issues on some far horizon? Planning for the effects on your business of a pandemic, such as Bird Flu, is not going to be urgent until it really is – which hopefully will be never. However, a plan based on hoping it doesn’t happen is going to be of little use if it does. Thankfully, the Queensland government has been doing the work for us. The effects of a pandemic would be immense – increased absenteeism, quarantine orders, closure of schools and the effect on parents and their ability to go to work, delays in supply of goods and materials, inability of suppliers to meet commitments, stringent border controls, enforced social distancing and the list goes on. And this would not be the case for a few days – the experts predict that if we experience a pandemic it would go in waves for months. The effects on Transport & Logistics, which involves so many people interacting each day, would be nothing short of complete upheaval. At just one level, if people avoided public transport in large numbers and drove to work, the road system would be overburdened to a degree that freight movements would be slowed enormously. All businesses should have a Business Continuity Plan in the case of catastrophe and planning for the effects of a pandemic should form part of that plan. So, what can you do? The first step is to familiarise yourself with the subject, its possible effects and the steps you can take now and at the time of any outbreak. Secondly, you need to incorporate pandemic planning into your existing Business Continuity Planning. We have reproduced information below – and attached a number of Fact Sheets – from Queensland Transport’s Transport Security Unit. We urge you to take the time to read through this and to start thinking about how to build this into your business planning. Scientists and health experts continue to warn about the threat of a human influenza pandemic. Have you thought how it could affect your business? How would your business function if half your staff did not turn up to work for a week or longer? What if the influenza pandemic affected not only your business, but all of your suppliers and customers as well? While nobody can predict when an influenza pandemic might occur, planning ahead could minimise the impact of a pandemic on your business, help protect your staff, and contribute to the local and national recovery following the event. The Queensland Government encourages all businesses to be prepared, particularly those that deliver key services such as those found in the transport and freight sector. A pandemic planning kit has been developed that encourages businesses to understand the risk, plan to maintain essential services, and protect their staff. These resources are available below. Additional information relating to influenza pandemic planning is also available from Queensland Health All businesses are encouraged to make pandemic planning part of their ongoing business continuity planning. |
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21 January 2008
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MARITIME SECURITY IDENTIFICATION CARDS (MSIC) What is an MSIC? The MSIC is a nationally consistent identification card that came into effect on 1 January 2007 which shows that the holder has met the minimum security requirements to remain unmonitored within a maritime security zone. Before an MSIC can be issued, applicants must undergo background checking conducted through the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation. Who needs an MSIC? People who may be affected by the MSIC Scheme include: port, port facility and port service workers, stevedores, transport operators such as train and truck drivers seafarers on Australian regulated ships and people who work on and/or supply offshore oil and gas facilities You can apply for your MSIC from the following: 1-Stop Connections P/L www.1-stop.biz If you also need Access to the stevedores: Port of Brisbane Corporation www.portbris.com.au Full details available on Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government click on Maritime Security Identification Cards (MSICs) or contact the MSIC hotline 1800 052 002 for more information. |
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Methyl Bromide
More information can be obtained by phoning the Sea Freight Council of Queensland Secretariat on 3868 4933. |
| The Way
It Was - Containerisation
A brief history on Australian Containerisation. Click here. |
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