Rann announces nation’s first carbon neutral Cabinet
Source: South Australia. Premier. Media Release
"South Australia’s Cabinet Ministers are about to become the first in the nation, and possibly the world, to offset the greenhouse gases used in the course of their duties, including all air travel.
Premier Mike Rann says the Government is about to begin purchasing enough carbon credits for the work of Cabinet Ministers to become carbon neutral."

New voice for Aboriginal people
Source: South Australia. Premier and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. Media Release
"Aboriginal people will have a high-level voice in Government and the community with the appointment of South Australia’s first Commissioner for Aboriginal Engagement, Mr Klynton Wanganeen. Premier Mike Rann and Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation Minister Jay Weatherill have announced the creation of the new role, along with the establishment of the permanent South Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council."

SA schools get the bite right
Source: South Australia. Minister for Health and Minister for Education and Children's Services. Media Release
"School’s back across South Australia and it marks the start of the Rann Government’s $1.55 million State-wide ban on junk food in school canteens and vending machines. The ban comes as the State Government releases a discussion paper for public consultation – the first step in moving towards controls on junk food in hospitals within six months. "

Go Ahead for Next Stage of Australia's Biggest Wind Farm
Source: Victoria. Minister for Planning. Media Release
"The third stage of Australia’s largest wind farm development at Portland has been given the go ahead by the Brumby Government.Acting Planning Minister Peter Batchelor said Pacific Hydro Pty Ltd now had development approval to build the Cape Nelson South Wind Energy Facility, south of Portland. “The third stage in the Portland Wind Energy Project (PWEP) will involve the construction of 22 generators which will provide 44 megawatts (MW) to Victoria’s electricity grid when completed,” Mr Batchelor said. Stage one of the project at Yambuk has been completed and construction is well underway on stage two at Cape Bridgewater. The $330 million four site PWEP will have the capacity to add up to 195 MW to Victoria’s electricity grid. "

Venture Capital Boose Worth 150M for Innovation
Source: Victoria. Minister for Industry and Trade. Media Release
"Australian ICT, biotechnology and cleantech industries are set to benefit from a multimillion dollar injection of Victorian venture capital, Minister for Industry and Trade, Theo Theophanous, announced at the third annual Melbourne International Venture Capital Conference.“One of Victoria’s leading venture capitalists, Starfish Ventures, has started fundraising for Starfish Technology Fund LP II and already raised $150 million - well on track to reach its fund target of $250 million,” Mr Theophanous said. “Starfish Ventures established its initial fund following Victoria’s reforms to the State Partnership Act in 2003, which was an Australian first and has paved the way for Victoria to be a leader in generating opportunities for industry through venture capital."

Healthiest Ever Start to School Year
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"Premier John Brumby and Education Minister Bronwyn Pike welcomed more than half a million government school students to the healthiest ever start to a school year. A healthy body promotes a healthy mind and that is why we are promoting healthy eating and exercise in our schools,” Mr Brumby said. “This year 81,000 Prep to Year 2 students will be eating fresh fruit and vegetables at school as we roll out our $11 million ‘Go for your life’ Free Fruit Friday initiative,” Mr Brumby said. Mr Brumby also said more than 130,000 Victorians with children starting prep or year 7 are eligible to receive a $300 school start bonus to help them pay for books, shoes, uniforms or lunch boxes to take a healthy lunch.”

Mandatory Greenpower Offer
Source: ACT. Chief Minister and Minister for Environment, Water and Climate Change. Media Release
"Chief Minister and Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change Jon Stanhope announced the mandatory offering of accredited GreenPower electricity to Canberrans. “Action 5 of the Government’s Climate Change Strategy flagged our intention to require all electricity retailers operating in the ACT to have access to an accredited Green product and for the first offer of product they make to any new customer to be that Green product,” Mr Stanhope said."

GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES REVIEW OF NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM
Source: Australia. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Media Release
"The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, announced a wide ranging review of Australia's national innovation system to be conducted by an expert panel chaired by Dr Terry Cutler.
The establishment of the review recognises the vital role innovation plays in boosting productivity and international competitiveness, and re-iterates the Rudd Government's commitment to fostering innovation across the economy."

AUSTRALIA TO GET INNOVATIVE AGAIN ON DRIVING INNOVATION
Source: Australia. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Media Release
"In recent years Australia has fallen behind on innovation. Australian government support for science and innovation as a percentage of gross domestic product dropped from 0.75% in 1993-94 to 0.59% in 2006-07. Many experts believe this failure to invest in innovation contributed to the dramatic slowdown in productivity growth under the Howard government.
The new Federal Government will encourage innovation and raise productivity. Boosting productivity growth is vital if we are to keep inflation in check and put downward pressure on interest rates. The review will work with stakeholders in all parts of the economy to identify gaps and weaknesses, and to make proposals to tackle them sensibly and effectively. "

$8 MILLION IN GOVERNMENT INNOVATION GRANTS FOR TWO RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS
Source: Australia. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Media Release
"The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, announced more than $8 million in grants for two renewable energy projects from the Australian Government’s Renewable Energy Development Initiative.
"One of the projects will build prototypes in Tasmania to test wave and tidal energy technologies. The other project will locate deep geothermal energy resources in the earth's crust in South Australia," Senator Carr said. "

Government Invites Stakeholder Comment
Source: Australia. Attorney General. Media Release
"The Rudd Government has sought stakeholder views on the rights of persons with disabilities.
The Government has invited over 200 non-government organisations and industry representatives to participate in a consultation on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.“The Convention is a valuable international instrument aimed at eliminating discrimination against people with disability,” Attorney-General Robert McClelland said. “The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people with disability, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.” This consultation will assist the government to make an informed decision on what steps would be required to make Australian Laws and practices consistent with the Convention.”

Rudd Government to bring Nurses back into the Workforce
Source: Australia. Prime Minister and Minister for Education. Media Release
"The Rudd Government today took the first steps towards fulfilling its commitment to bring 7,750 extra nurses into Australia’s hospitals within five years. This ambitious recruitment plan includes a target of bringing 1,000 nurses back into the hospital workforce by the end of this year. The Rudd Government will today write to state and territory governments and private hospital sector representatives to outline administrative arrangements for this plan. "

Rudd Government to fast-track Skills Australia
Source: Australia. Prime Minister, Treasurer and Minister for Education. Media Release
"The Rudd Government has decided to fast-track the establishment of Skills Australia in order to help lift the productive capacity of the Australian economy and fight inflation.
Addressing Australia’s long-term skills shortages is vital to tackling the inflationary pressures left behind by the Howard-Costello Government. Skills Australia will oversee the Rudd Government’s commitment to providing an additional 450,000 training places over the next four years and 820,000 over the coming decade."

Rudd Government to Dramatically Overhaul National Infrastructure Policy
Source: Australia. Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure. Media Release
"Federal Cabinet formally approved the establishment of Infrastructure Australia, a key driver in the Rudd Government’s plan to fight inflation. Infrastructure Australia will help fight inflation by boosting the economy’s productive capacity, unlocking infrastructure bottlenecks like clogged ports and congested roads. Infrastructure Australia represents a dramatic shift in national economic policy, bringing national leadership to infrastructure development for the first time since Federation."

Child First: Delivering for Victorian Families
Source: Victoria. Minister for Community Services. Media Release
"Vulnerable families across Victoria now have even greater access to supports, Minister for Community Services Lisa Neville announced. Ms Neville joined representatives of MacKillop Family Services and senior Department of Human Services staff in Footscray to announce the successful rollout of Stage 2 of the Child Family Information, Referral and Support Team (Child FIRST) teams.“It can sometimes be challenging for families to find the services they need and even professionals, such as teachers and health workers or police and families may not know what support services are available locally,” Ms Neville said“Child FIRST means vulnerable families have earlier, more intensive support to address their problems before they escalate and require child protection involvement." The Child FIRST referral service is part of a $53.5 million Brumby Government commitment to improve family services over 2007-2008, part of our commitment to invest in the services that matter to Victorian families."

Discussion Paper Released on Long Term Water Plan for Northern Victoria
Source: Victoria. Minister for Water. Media Release
"Communities throughout northern Victoria will work with the Victorian Government to develop a new long-term strategy for securing water supplies, Water Minister Tim Holding announced. Mr Holding launched the consultation process for developing the Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy by releasing a discussion paper that describes future challenges to water supplies and identifies a range of possible measures to face these challenges. Mr Holding said the strategy would guide future planning to secure water supplies for households, industry, farmers and rivers over the next 50 years."

Tougher Laws for Juvenile Offenders
Source: Northern Territory. Chief Minister. Media Release.
"Chief Minister and Minister for Police, Paul Henderson, announced that diversion programs will no longer be an option for serial juvenile offenders. Mr Henderson said the move will be part of the Government’s new comprehensive package of measures to tackle youth crime, including holding parents accountable for their children’s behaviour."

Stolen Generations Assessments Completed
Source: Tasmania. Premier. Media Release.
"A total of 106 claimants will share in Tasmania’s landmark scheme providing ex-gratia payments to members of the Aboriginal ‘Stolen Generations’, the Premier has announced.
Mr Lennon said the completion of the assessment process was an important step forward for reconciliation and a sincere effort to address a shameful wrong from Tasmania’s past.
No amount of money can make up for Aboriginal children being removed from their families simply on the basis of race, Mr Lennon said."

Shop shuts on flavoured cigarettes today
Source: NSW. Minister Assisting the Minister for Health. Media Release
"Fruit and confectionery flavoured cigarettes aimed at encouraging teenagers to smoke will be banned from sale in NSW, NSW Assistant Minister for Health (Cancer) Verity Firth said.
"The Iemma Government is determined to fight tobacco marketing gimmicks aimed at getting our kids hooked on cigarettes," Ms Firth said."Fruit and confectionary flavoured cigarettes - aimed directly at appealing to children and young people - are perhaps the most dangerous of these marketing ploys."We now have in place tough new laws under our Public Health Act 1991 banning their sale. Retail outlets must remove from sale any existing stock of these flavoured cigarettes - as it is no longer legal to sell them."

Victoria a Centre for Innovation, Ideas and Creative Leadership
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"Victoria’s position as a leader in global collaborative research has been strengthened with the launch of the Optiportal node, Premier John Brumby announced. The Optiportal node gives Victorian researchers access to super-fast “ultra” broadband connectivity via a one Gigabit AARNet link across the Pacific, linking Victoria with the United States.“Research is increasingly being carried out in an electronic environment and it is crucial that Victoria’s research community is equipped to reap the full benefit of new technologies – after all, their important work has real and positive outcomes for Victoria,” Mr Brumby said. “The Optiportal is a vital link which allows real-time, or immediate, interaction between researchers across vast locations and disciplines to push the bounds of research through the power of ultra broadband connectivity. New Information and Communication Technology (ICT) applications and ideas can be demonstrated using this technology, which also provides a platform for exploring how research collaborations can be achieved.”

Refugee Action Plan Gets Thumbs Up
Source: Victoria. Minister for Health. Media Release
"A progress report on health and wellbeing services provided to refugees and asylum seekers shows Victoria continues to lead the way nationally. Health Minister Daniel Andrews says the 2007 progress report into the Refugee Health and Wellbeing Action Plan 2005-08 shows just how far Victorian service providers had come since the plan was launched two years ago. “The Action Plan seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers living in Victoria by enabling them to better access services when they needed them most,” Mr Andrews said."

Food scraps next target to cut waste to landfill
Source: South Australia. Minister for Environment and Conservation. Media Release
"Removing food scraps from South Australian’s household waste bins is the next big opportunity to cut waste going to landfill and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Minister for Environment and Conservation Gail Gago is inviting South Australian councils to register interest in a 3-month pilot that will introduce the kerbside collection of food waste, which will be placed in a compostable bag in the garden organics bin. “This pilot will be welcomed by those councils who are keen to demonstrate their ongoing environmental leadership in recycling, and represents a major milestone in this State’s waste strategy,” says Minister Gago. “Diverting food waste from landfill is logically the next step in achieving the 2010 State Waste Strategy target of recycling 75% of material collected at our kerbsides."

Active recreation and sport funding
Source: South Australia. Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Media Release
"The State Government has opened applications for its biggest sport and active recreation funding program, the Statewide Enhancement Program (StEP). Recreation and Sport Minister Michael Wright says more than $6.6 million will be distributed to state sport, active recreation and industry representative peak bodies under StEP in 2008-09. “The allocation of funds through StEP plays an integral role in achieving a key component in South Australia’s Strategic Plan of exceeding the Australian average for participation in sport and physical activity by 2014,” he said."

Tighter mobile phone road rules on the way
Source: South Australia. Attorney General. Media Release
"The State Government says it will move to introduce the toughest rules about the use of mobile phones by road users in Australia. In June 2007 the State Government acted quickly to carry out an agreed national change to mobile phone laws, which made it clear people could be prosecuted for driving while holding a mobile phone in their hand. However, in late 2007 opinion was raised with Road Safety Minister Carmel Zollo that the law could be interpreted as allowing people to talk on speaker while the mobile phone is resting in their lap or on their shoulder. “We want to make it clear that only those using their phones with a cradle, blue-tooth or an earpiece will come under the category of “hands free” and won’t be penalized."

Community to Get Change to Clear the Air on Carbon Capture and Storage
Source: Victoria. Minister for Energy and Resources. Media Release
"The Brumby Government released a paper outlining the potential legal framework and regulations for operating Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) processes in Victoria. CCS is a process of collecting greenhouse gas emissions from power generation and storing them, rather than allowing them to be released into the atmosphere to contribute to climate change. Minister for Energy and Resources, Peter Batchelor, said that CCS was an important part of Victorians climate change strategy, given its potential role in reducing emissions while enabling the ongoing use of Victoria's brown coal in the Latrobe Valley."

Public to Comment on New Planning Regulations
Source: ACT. Minister for Planning. Media Release
"Minister for Planning Andrew Barr invited the public to comment on new planning system regulations being developed as part of the Government’s reform of the ACT’s planning system.
The regulations are under the Planning and Development Act 2007 and the Building Act and result from legislation passed in the Legislative Assembly last year.
“This year will see the ACT’s planning system become simpler, faster and more effective for all Canberrans as a result of significant reforms undertaken by the ACT Government.” Mr Barr said. "

Family Violence Act Review
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Justice and Workplace Relations. Media Release
" The Minister for Justice, Steven Kons, released figures showing that almost 8500 Tasmanian families were attended to between June 2005 and December last year under the Safe At Home program. Mr Kons said during that period there were more than 12,400 reported incidents of family violence, and nearly 40 per cent of cases involved children. Mr Kons announced the Family Violence Act would be reviewed this year to ensure it was providing the right set of mechanisms to deliver on the principles behind the government’s multi-million dollar investment in Safe at Home.

Tasmania Leads On Tackling Climate Change
Source: Tasmania. Acting Premier. Media Release
" Tasmania is already playing a leading role in responding to the international climate change issue. We have signed up to the national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. In the 2007-08 Budget, $3 million was provided to set up a Climate Change Office in the very centre of Government, within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. The Premier invited respected environmental academic Dr Kate Crowley to develop a framework for climate change action for the Tasmanian Government. "

$27 million for Queensland – delivering elective surgery to working families
Source: Australia. Minister for Health and Ageing. Media Release
"An agreement with the states was reached to provide $150 million to help 25,000 patients get the elective surgery they need. Too many people are currently waiting too long to get elective surgery. This $150 million commitment will help slash the number of people waiting longer than clinically recommended for elective surgery. That means that thousands of Australians will be able to resume their normal lives faster. $27.6 million will go to Queensland to deliver an additional 4,000 procedures."

Federal-state collaboration advances electronic health agenda
Source: Australia. Minister for Health and Ageing. Media Release
"The Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig, and the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, have welcomed the signing of a contract between Medicare Australia and the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) for the development of a Unique Healthcare Identifier (UHI) service. The UHI service will accurately and uniquely identify people who receive healthcare in Australia and the people who provide healthcare, as well as the places where it is provided. The UHI program is being developed to support progress toward the proposed establishment of a national Shared Electronic Health Records System (SEHR), a system with the potential to save lives and reduce costs. "

Australian Government provides funding to extend disability agreement
Source: Australia. Minister for Families, Housing, community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Media Release
"The Australian Government will provide over $315 million, to be paid fortnightly in advance, to State and Territory Governments to continue services for people with disability while allowing time for the effective renegotiation of a new disability agreement. The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin and Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, Bill Shorten, invited State and Territory Governments to agree to the offer to extend the current Commonwealth-State/Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA)."The Australian Government has offered to extend the CSTDA for a period of six months to 30 June 2008 while negotiations are progressing and any issues associated with the new disability agreement are being resolved," Ms Macklin said."

Have Your Say on New Body Piercing Law
Source: Victoria. Acting Premier. Media Release
"The State Government will seek community input on proposed legislation banning intimate body piercings on people under the age of 18, Acting Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said. The proposed bill would also require parental consent for non-intimate body piercings on young people under the age of 16. Mr Hulls said feedback from youth, the body art industry, community groups, health practitioners and parents would be important in shaping the legislation. "

Holding Gives Recycled Water Projects the Thumbs Up
Source: Victoria. Minister for Water. Media Release
"Water Minister Tim Holding visited Bendigo’s major park and sportsground to see the benefits that recycled water was providing to the region. Mr Holding said that since April over 35 million litres of alternative water had helped turn Queen Elizabeth Oval and Rosalind Park Precinct from drought affected ‘dustbowls’ back to outstanding ‘green’ community facilities for the region. “Bendigo is leading the way in Victoria for water recycling,” Mr Holding said. “Recycled water helps reduce demand on our drinking water supplies and provides an alternative source of water for industry and our sportsgrounds.” Mr Holding said the region’s new “water factory”, at the Bendigo Water Reclamation Plant at Epsom will soon be supplying more than four billion litres of high quality recycled water a year for public gardens and sporting grounds and rural irrigation."

South Australia’s third uranium mine approved
Source: South Australia. Attorney General. Media Release
"Acting Minister for Mineral Resources Development Michael Atkinson announced that the Uranium One Australia Pty. Ltd. Honeymoon Project has been given the go ahead to begin construction of South Australia’s third uranium mine. The Department of Primary Industries and Resources S.A. (PIRSA) approved the Mining and Rehabilitation Program (MARP), under the Mining Act 1971, for construction of the wellfield process plant and related infrastructure at Honeymoon, located 400km north-east of Adelaide. "

$82 Million Boost for Defence Materials Capability
Source: Australia. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. Media Release
"Warren Snowdon MP, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, today announced the establishment of an $82 million Defence Materials Technology Centre – to drive innovation in Defence technology.
Commencing operations in 2008, the Centre – a collaborative venture with Australian industry and the research sector – will focus on four key research programs: air platforms, maritime platforms, armour applications and propulsion systems.
Mr Snowdon said that a number of significant outcomes would be delivered through the Centre.
"The Centre will deliver improved armour protection for military personnel carriers – vital for the protection of Australian troops deployed around the world – and new high-tech materials for use in major Defence acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Fighter," Mr Snowdon said."

Citizenship test arrangements
Source: Australia. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Media Release
"Citizenship test arrangements currently in place would be reviewed as part of the usual process an incoming government undertakes upon taking office, Senator Chris Evans, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, said. The Government supports the citizenship test, however a review of portfolio programs and undertakings – including the content of the test and the support services provided with it – is the normal process of any new government,' the minister said. "

Mental health funding to support youth at risk
Source: Australia. Minister for Health and Ageing. Media Release
"Young people at risk of mental health and drug and alcohol problems will benefit from the establishment of 20 new headspace Communities of Youth Services centres throughout Australia. Headspace, Australia’s national youth mental health foundation, is funded by the Australian Government to provide people aged 12 to 25 with better mental health support, as well as help for drug and alcohol problems. Establishing new local youth mental health services is an important means of providing this support.Headspace is providing almost $19 million to set up the 20 new centres, most of which will be located in regional and rural areas. "

Expert group to advise on key wheat industry services
Source: Australia. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Media Release
"An expert group will advise the Australian Government on the transition of industry wide functions for the $4.3 billion wheat industry under reforms to marketing arrangements.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, has called for expressions of interest for appointment to the new Industry Expert Group.
“Effective delivery of industry development functions such as strategic planning, receival standards, grains varietal development and generic promotion is vital to the industry’s long-term success,”Mr Burke said.
Historically, many of these services were provided by the current single desk holder, AWB International, which will no longer hold the monopoly for wheat exports once the Government’s reforms are implemented."

Reporting of Domestic Violence Under Review
Source: Northern Territory. Attorney General. Media Release
"The Territory Attorney-General Chris Burns released a discussion paper seeking Territorians’ views on mandatory reporting of domestic and family violence by health professionals. “Compulsory reporting of violence in a domestic or family environment raises complex issues,” Dr Burns said. “The discussion paper is designed to give an overview of the topic and identify some of the issues surrounding mandatory reporting. It also proposes a community model as an alternative to mandatory reporting.”

New Litter Laws Come Into Effect
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Tourism, Arts and Environment. Media Release
" People who litter will face increased penalties following proclamation of the Litter Act 2007.
Tourism, Arts and Environment Minister, Paula Wriedt, announced that most provisions of the Litter Act 2007 are now in force and that penalties for littering will increase.
“Police, Parks and Wildlife Service rangers and some local government officers are now authorised to issue on-the-spot fines,” she said.
“And from mid January the public will be able to report littering from vehicles to the litter hotline.”
The new litter controls were developed in consultation with stakeholder groups, including local councils, and through a public consultation.”

Workers Compensation Review Released
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Justice and Workplace Relations. Media Release
" The State Government has released Alan Clayton’s report on the review of the Tasmanian workers compensation system for public consultation.
The Minister for Justice and Workplace Relations, Steven Kons, said the review was initiated to investigate how the workers compensation system affects seriously injured workers.
"Interest in the review was reflected by a cross section of stakeholders who chose to provide input,” Mr Kons said. “The report is strongly supportive of the WorkCover Tasmania Board’s Return to Work and Injury Management Model, which is being progressively rolled out.
While Mr Clayton has recommended some minor changes to the model, he has endorsed it as the guiding framework for injury, case and claims management, and restoring work for those injured. "

Taxi Industry Changes For 2008
Source: Tasmania. Minister for Infrastructure. Media Release
" Changes to the issuing and operation of new taxi licences are to be introduced following a comprehensive review of the current industry legislation.
The Minister for Infrastructure, Jim Cox, said the consultation for the review of the Taxi and Hire Car industries Act 1995 had now been completed.
“The State Government has listened to the concerns of the industry about high taxi licence prices, and consequently will introduce a new type of licence in its revisions to the Act and Regulations for the taxi and luxury hire car industries.
“The Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources is working with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to draft the new Act and this new legislation is planned for introduction into Parliament this year.”
Mr Cox said that under the changes, while existing standard perpetual licences would still be leasable, no new ones would be issued. "

$10 Million for Drought Employment Program in 2008
Source: Victoria. Minister for Environment and Climate Change. Media Release
"Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Gavin Jennings, announced $10 million to extend the Drought Employment Program into 2008. Mr Jennings said the funding, part of the $100 million drought relief package announced by the Brumby Government in October, provided wages and material for environmental work in drought affected areas,” Mr Jennings said. “This program is a valuable source of additional income for drought-affected Victorians, while also helping to make rural areas more environmentally sustainable and productive,” he said."

Land Rehabilitation Calculator to Cut Red Tape for Mining Industry
Source: Victoria. Minister for Energy and Resources. Media Release
"Simplified guidelines and a new bond calculator for the mining industry will cut red tape and ensure land rehabilitation works are adequately covered, Minister for Energy and Resources Peter Batchelor said. “Much like residential property tenants, the mining and extractive industry is currently required to pay a bond prior to starting mining or extraction works to cover rehabilitation works,” Mr Batchelor said.“The bond calculator not only provides a simple easy-to-use tool for industry, but also reassures communities that the cost of land rehabilitation works will be covered following mining operations.The new rehabilitation liability calculator and bond guidelines provide a simple streamlined process for companies to accurately calculate their bond requirements."

Delivering a social dividend from our booming economy
Source: South Australia. Premier. Media Release
"The State Government is moving to ensure that disadvantaged South Australians will benefit from the State’s mining and defence boom over the next decade. Premier Mike Rann has given the Social Inclusion board a new reference for 2008 to ensure there is a social dividend from the mining and defence boom. “The expansion in the mining, defence and advanced manufacturing sectors will mean significant jobs growth across the whole State economy,” Premier Mike Rann said. “This will mean many more job opportunities for people not currently in the labour market. The State as a whole is going to experience a massive economic dividend – we need to work to make sure there’s a social dividend as well.”

School leaving age increases to 17 in 2008
Source: Western Australia. Minister for Education and Training. Media Release
"Young people turning 17 years of age in 2008 will have to take part in either education, training or approved employment under the State Government’s landmark leaving-age legislation. The new laws, which have come into effect, marked one of the most important changes to the State’s education system in the past 40 years. Education and Training Minister Mark McGowan said the new legislation would help ensure Western Australia’s young people were well prepared for life in a modern, dynamic economy."

Prepaid funerals set to be regulated
Source: Western Australia. Minister for Consumer Affairs. Media Release
"Prepaid funeral funds will face tighter controls with the State Government set to regulate the $50million industry. Consumer Protection Minister Sheila McHale said the funeral industry in Western Australia was highly regarded, but there were concerns the lack of regulation could potentially expose consumers to risk.“Consumers entering into prepaid funeral contracts in WA are not protected by any specific industry legislation or mandatory Code of Practice that applies in all other Australian States,” Ms McHale said."