New era of recycling and new jobs for Victoria
Source: Victoria. Department of Environment and Climate Change.
"Almost $54 million will be spent over the next five years to assist councils, community and industry to adapt to increased recycling opportunities."

$1.9 Million available for childcare providers
Source: Victoria. Department for Children and Early Childhood Development.
Grants are being provided to enable childcare providers to comply with new children's services regulations.

Government to take over domestic building insurance
Source: Victoria. Victorian Managed Insurance Authority.
"The Victorian Government will takeover domestic building insurance to ensure builders and consumers have access to adequate and affordable insurance. The Government's intervention follows a number of private insurers no longer providing this vital insurance, leaving only two private insurers."

Carbon Down
Source: Victoria. Department of Environment and Climate Change.
A new website - Carbon Compass has been launched to help small and medium businesses reduce their carbon footprint.

Carbon Down website.

Building a highly qualified early childhood workforce
Source: Victoria. Department for Children & Early Childhood Development
As part of the Early Childhood Workforce Strategy, financial assistance is being offered to build qualifications and expertise for people in the childcare industry.

Truck industry to take greater responsibility for speeding and driver fatigue
Source: Queensland. Minister for Transport. Media Release.
"New laws that require the truck industry to take greater responsibility to address issues of speeding and driver fatigue were passed by the Queensland Parliament.Transport Minister Rachel Nolan said road safety must be a focus for all levels of the truck industry, not just drivers.Under the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill employers, schedulers, operators, prime contractors and/or other parties should take reasonable steps to improve safety."

New energy efficient standard on way
Source: Queensland. Minister for Infrastructure and Planning. Media Release. " Queensland’s sub-tropical and tropical climate will be taken into account when the State adopts a new national code for a 6-star (or equivalent) energy efficiency standard. Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said the changes, to take effect for new houses and townhouses and major renovations from 1 May 2010, will be made through an amendment to the Queensland Development Code (QDC) 4.1 – Sustainable buildings."

Garbage-To-Fuel Plan Points Victoria Back to the Future
Source: Victoria. Minister for Industry & Trade. Media Release
"Banana peels, food wrappers, nappies and building waste could one day fuel cars after the Brumby Labor Government cast its support behind a consortium developing the business case for the establishment of a $400 million bio-ethanol plant in Victoria. Industry and Trade Minister Jacinta Allan said the ethanol fuel would be produced from household rubbish and building waste based on special technology developed by consortium partner, Coskata.“Holden, Caltex Australia, Veolia, Mitsui and Coskata have formed a consortium and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Brumby Labor Government to investigate building the plant in Victoria, signalling the state’s potential future as fuel producer, creating jobs and significantly reducing petrol use and carbon emissions,” she said."

Historic Day for Victorian Workers
Source: Victoria. Minister for Workcover. Media Release
"Victoria will become the first place in Australia to provide eligible injured workers with superannuation payments, after the Accident Compensation Amendment Bill 2009 passed through Parliament. The $90 million package, the biggest package ever provided for injured workers, will deliver improved benefits to workers suffering from permanent injuries and the families of workers who tragically lose their lives at work. WorkSafe Minister Tim Holding said the legislation would also support injured workers’ return to work and provide increased flexibility for employers."

The NSW Government Statement on Innovation
Source: New South Wales. Minister for State and Regional Development. Media Release.
"The NSW Government Statement on Innovation outlines how the NSW Government plans to enhance industry innovation as a means of improving productivity and increasing business investment. This statement is based on a paper by Professor Jonathan West, a world expert in innovation and formerly Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, who was asked by the NSW Government to advise on an innovation strategy for NSW. "

NSW Government Initiatives on International Education 2010
Source: New South Wales. Premier. Media Release.
"The Premier’s Council on International Education, a high-level body and the first of its kind in Australia, will implement the Government’s initiatives and drive further reforms to ensure New South Wales maintains the highest standards of international education and builds on its reputation as the destination of choice for international students."

Productivity Boost from New Technology Grants
Source: Victoria. Minister for Information & Communications Technology. Media Release
"Victorians will be able to work smarter and improve their quality of life thanks to a range of new technology grants announced by the Brumby Labor Government.
Minister for Information and Communication Technology, John Lenders, said thanks to the Government’s $15 million Collaborative Internet Innovation Fund (cIIF), 22 businesses and community groups would receive grants of up to $500,000.“The Brumby Labor Government is taking action to encourage Victorian innovators and promote new technologies that improve the lives of Victorians,” Mr Lenders said. The cIIF program supports projects which show how new technologies such as web 2.0 can be used to work in new ways or solve important problems, demonstrating Victoria’s leading position in productive use of new technology.”

Australia's Largest Free Trade Agreement Starts
Source: Australia. Minister for Trade. Media release
"Trade Minister Simon Crean today welcomed the commencement of Australia's largest free trade agreement – the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).
The historic agreement will span 12 economies with over 600 million people and a combined GDP of $3.1 trillion. AANZFTA is Australia's first multi-country FTA and the most comprehensive FTA ever concluded by ASEAN."

The Coalition’s Direct Action Plan on Paid Parental Leave
Source: Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare and the Shadow Minister for the Status of Women. Policy Statement.
"The Coalition Joint Party Room this morning endorsed a proposal to introduce Paid Parental Leave if elected to government. The proposal is the first part of our broader package of support for Australian families. The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme will: provide primary carers with 26 weeks paid parental leave, at full replacement pay (up to a maximum salary of $150,000 per annum) or the Federal minimum wage, whichever is greater; be available to all employees in the public and private sector, including contractors and the self-employed; and include superannuation contributions at the mandatory rate of nine per cent."

Changes to ensure safe asbestos removal
Source: NSW. Minister for Planning. Media Release.
"All owners and builders who apply for 10-day approvals for new homes and renovations will now be required to safely remove asbestos. Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, said state-wide guidelines regulating works involving the safe removal of asbestos in complying development were urgently needed and have now been delivered. “New provisions introduced by the NSW Government place much greater responsibility on owners and builders to ensure the safe and lawful disposal of asbestos,” the Minister said."

New framework for building certification in NSW
Source: NSW. Minister Assisting on Planning. Media release.
"The NSW Government is expanding the State’s system of accreditation for building certifiers to include council building certifiers. The changes are the first step towards one system of accreditation for all building certifiers – whether they work for a council or in the private sector, Minister Assisting on Planning Barbara Perry announced."

NEW SAFETY TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE ROADS SAFER
Source: NSW. Minister for Transport and Roads. Media release.
"New heavy vehicle safety measures, including point to point speed cameras and increased speeding fines for heavy vehicle users, come into effect this month to make regional roads safer.
Minister for Transport and Roads David Campbell said the new cameras will target speeding heavy vehicles that weigh over 4.5 tonnes by measuring the time it takes a heavy vehicle to travel a length of road."

$10 MILLION PROGRAM TO SKILL WORKERS FOR CSG-LNG INDUSTRY
Source: Queensland. Premier. Media Release
"Premier Anna Bligh has announced a flagship partnership with industry to develop a $10 million program to train thousands of workers needed for the new Coal Seam Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas industries. Premier Anna Bligh said the program would cater for the up to 18,000 direct and indirect jobs and was part of the Government’s election commitment to create 100,000 new jobs in this term of government. "If Queenslanders are to see the full benefits of the opportunities this new industry will create we need to make sure they can develop the skills they need to harness the boom," she said. The eight proposed CSG-LNG projects under consideration across the state will generate unprecedented demand for workers with specific technical skills.
It’s essential that our training system is geared to meet industry demand – that’s why we’re developing this program hand in hand with industry."

New framework for building certification in NSW
Source: NSW. Minister for Planning. Media Release.
"The NSW Government is expanding the State’s system of accreditation for building certifiers to include council building certifiers. The changes are the first step towards one system of accreditation for all building certifiers – whether they work for a council or in the private sector, Minister Assisting on Planning Barbara Perry announced. "

New standards for outdoor adventure activities
Source: Queensland. Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Sport. Media Release
"Sport Minister Phil Reeves joined a group of abseiling professionals and canoe enthusiasts at the Kangaroo Point Cliffs to mark the release of the Queensland Adventure Activity Standards (AAS). The Standards are a comprehensive set of voluntary guidelines to help the outdoor recreation industry maintain safe operating procedures. Sport Minister Phil Reeves said the Standards covered a range of activities. “All aspects of adventure activity planning, leader skills and responsibilities, equipment and environmental practices for each activity have been considered and developed into the Standards,” Mr Reeves said. “The Standards will assist activity providers to establish their own Standard Operating Procedures. While these are voluntary, they set minimum benchmarks which should encourage a high level of industry acceptance and compliance.”