Five companies have been accredited to export wheat in Australia under the Rudd Government’s reformed bulk wheat export marketing system.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke today met with the Board of the new industry regulator, Wheat Exports Australia (WEA), which assesses and determines which companies are accredited to export wheat in bulk.
WEA is expected to release the names of the five companies shortly.
Mr Burke said WEA advised him it met yesterday to consider the applications for accreditation.
“WEA will continue to assess other applications at their meetings in the coming days and weeks,” Mr Burke said.
“The goal of this major economic reform was always to provide more choice for growers.
“I emphasised to WEA the importance of making decisions on applications for accreditation in a timely way to allow growers to make decisions about who will export their wheat.
“That’s why the Government announced additional resources for WEA when the legislation was passed in June.
“I am pleased that WEA has made this first announcement well ahead of the harvest.”
The Rudd Government is continuing to hold wheat marketing information sessions and workshops around Australia, to help growers understand how the new system can work for them.
Recent sessions have been held in:
* Western Australia - Geraldton, Three Springs, Dalwallinu, Dowerin and Mukinbudin;
* NSW - Moree, Coonamble, Trangie, Parkes, Lake Cargelligo, West Wyalong, Cowra, Griffith and Finley; and
* Queensland - Capella, Gindie, Talwood, Meandarra and Biloela.
Further sessions are planned for other locations in each of these states. Sessions will be held in South Australia in the coming weeks and in Victoria in September.
Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have also met with wheat buyers in key international markets, including in Japan, Egypt and the Republic of Korea. Further meetings are planned in India, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, China and Malaysia and possibly other markets.
August 27th, 2008
The Attorney-General Robert McClelland and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy today announced a whole-of-government review of e-security.
Australia’s ever-increasing reliance on information and communications technology and the threat of a hostile online environment has prompted the review, which will assist the development of a national framework for securing Australia’s electronic networks.
“New and networked systems increasingly underpin our business and social interactions, but they also provide fertile ground for exploitation by cyber criminals”, Mr McClelland said.
“The e-security review is an opportunity to look at what help the Government can provide to develop a more secure and trusted electronic operating environment for both the public and private sectors. The review will also consider whether Commonwealth programs can be better focused to deal with the ever increasing range of online threats.”
Senator Conroy said that the review of e-security was a vital step towards fostering confidence in using the internet for personal and business activities.
“A secure online environment trusted by the community coupled with the Government’s rollout of the National Broadband Network is critical to our nation’s continued social and economic prosperity,” Senator Conroy said.
A multi-agency team, led by the Attorney-General’s Department, will conduct the review, which will be completed by the end of this year.
July 4th, 2008
Federal Member for Melbourne and Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner is hosting a summit in Melbourne today focusing on the major economic and social issues facing members of the African community in Australia.
The African Community Summit is one of the many local summits that will feed into the Australia 2020 Summit this weekend to ensure that the ideas of constituents from around Australia are considered.
The African Community Summit will comprise various African Community groups and associations including organisations that represent refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Mr Tanner said: “Upon arrival in Australia, many African migrants face enormous challenges settling in Australia. Some African refugees with professional qualifications and good English language skills are still finding it difficult to get work in their chosen occupations, even when highly qualified.”
“This summit is intended to be an open conversation engaging representatives from the various African community groups in Melbourne. The objective of today’s discussion is to understand the challenges they face and to draw on their passion and ideas about their adopted country.”
The first session of the African Community Summit will cover issues around social inclusion such as family reunion, community relations, access to facilities, issues for young people and housing. The second part of the event will examine the economic issues, including employment, education, pathways to employment, English language skills and recognition of qualifications.
Mr Paris Aristotle, Director, Foundation for the Survivors of Torture, will chair the event. The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (VFST), or ‘Foundation House’ as it is more commonly known, provides a range of services to refugees who have survived torture or war related trauma.
Mr Tanner, together with Mr Aristotle, will discuss the challenges and issues with more than 50 participants from the various African community groups that live in Melbourne, as well as representatives from groups and associations that work closely to provide support to the African Community.
Consideration of issues and ideas at the African Community Summit forms part of the wider community consultation process feeding into the Australia 2020 Summit in Canberra on 19 and 20 April.
April 19th, 2008
Minister Ferguson met with Chinalco President, Mr Xiao Yaqing, to discuss the recently announced investment in Rio Tinto Plc. The Government has also had discussions with BHPBilliton and with the Rio Tinto Group in relation to their possible merger.
“As significant contributors to Australia’s economic wealth, the Government has a great interest in the future of BHPBilliton and Rio Tinto.” Mr Ferguson said.
Mr Ferguson said: “The Government welcomes foreign investment in Australian companies and I note the benefits that will flow to Australia from further investment in our resources sector.”
The Chinalco and Alcoa investment comes at a time of substantial consolidation in the resources sector. Mr Ferguson noted that Chinalco and Alcoa have made a voluntary submission to the Foreign Investment Review Board and said: “The Government is obliged under foreign investment rules to make determinations on the basis of the national interest.”
February 12th, 2008
The number of Australian children in out-of-home care has increased by 51% since 2002, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
The report, Child Protection Australia 2006-07, showed that nationally, there were 18,880 children in out-of-home care in 2002, increasing to 28,441 children in 2007.
Similarly, the number of children on care and protection orders increased significantly, rising by 43% from 20,557 to 29,406 over the same period.
The majority of children in care were either in foster care (50%) or living with relatives (44%), with only 4% of children in residential care in 2007.
Of all child protection notifications received in 2006-07, 58,563 were substantiated cases - cases where there was reasonable cause to believe that harm had occurred or would occur. This was an increase from the previous year, when there were 55,921 substantiated cases.
Cynthia Kim, Head of the AIHW’s Children, Youth and Families Unit, said, ‘possible reasons for these increases include a rise in the number of children requiring protection, a greater community awareness of child abuse and neglect issues and changes in child protection policies and practices’.
‘The cumulative effect of children remaining on care and protection orders or in out-of-home care for longer periods may also be a contributing factor.’
‘Studies also indicate that children enter care for increasingly complex family situations associated with a range of factors including low income, parental substance abuse, mental health issues and family violence’, she said.
Emotional abuse was the most common reason for substantiation in half of the jurisdictions. In the other jurisdictions, neglect or physical abuse was the most common reason.
Although the quality of data on Indigenous status varies between states and territories, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were clearly over-represented in the child protection system. These children were more than five times as likely as other children to be the subject of a substantiation, and over seven times as likely to be on a care and protection order.
January 23rd, 2008
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