SM105_Shift Miner Magazine

SHIFT MINERMonday 14th February 105 Edition 2011 The Queensland mining community’s best source of local news

M A G A Z I N E

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

(SPQs excepted)$1.00

NewsHave your say on Blackwater’s future » page 4

News Cougar bites back in court » page 5

NewsIndian interest in the Galilee » page 5

NewsA first-hand account of the Pike River recovery » page 8

Around TownA Coalfields full of Kiwis » page 12

Money MattersMackay’s mining businesses confident » page 23

Locally Owned and Operated - www.shiftminer.com

CENTRELINK is investigating claims that miners are legally separating from their de factos so they can access up to $1100/fort-night in single parent benefits.

A central Queensland financial advisor has told Shift Miner Magazine the loophole is widely known in mining circles.

“Because of the nature of the shift work a lot of these men don’t live at home most of the time anyway,” he said.

“They are able to live at home for four days a fortnight without Centrelink classing it as a de facto relationship.”

» continued page 7

» The region’s latest

apprentices page 6

Centrelink onto live away lovers

MINER FRAUD

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Page 2 - Shift Miner Magazine, 14th February 2011

105th EDITION. 2011News

Miners embrace a hairless faceEVERY year the Queensland mining com-munity has a close shave with personal grooming to help funds for the Leukaemia Foundation through the World’s Greatest Shave Mine Challenge.

Since the “mine challenge” began back in 2006 it has raised more than $1.8 million by pitting mine against mine in a race to raise much-needed funds to support patients and their families living with leukaemias, lympho-mas, myeloma and related blood disorders.

Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland CEO, Peter Johnstone, said he was confi-dent the industry would throw its weight (and hair) behind the cause again in 2011 as participants shaved or coloured their hair, or sponsored those who did.

“A total of 51 mining and energy sites donated their time, money and hair to raise an amazing $325,000 in 2010 and the chal-lenge is now on to better this fundraising total in 2011,” he said.

“The community spirit of the resources sector never ceases to amaze me.”

“Thanks to the support of big-heart-ed workers and their family and friends the World’s Greatest Shave Mine Chal-lenge continues to make a difference to the

lives of regional patients and their families whose lives are turned upside down follow-ing a diagnosis of blood cancer.”

The Leukaemia Foundation of Queens-

land’s 2011 Mine Challenge ambassador, Queensland Resources Council Chief Execu-tive, Michael Roche, urged companies and their sites to be part of the fun and rewarding event.

“By doing something as small as losing a bit of hair, brave shavers will enable blood

cancer patients to gain so much by way of sup-port when they need it most and the knowl-edge that funds raised will help bring us a step closer to finding cures,” Mr Roche said.

“I congratulate Xstrata Coal’s Rolleston Mine as the first site to join the 2011 Mine Challenge and encourage others to sign up and put their hair on the line for this very worthy cause.”

Mr Johnstone said World’s Greatest

Shave was the Foundation’s biggest single fundraiser and enabled it to deliver servic-es to patients and their families including free accommodation, counselling and trans-portation, and invest in research into better treatments and hopefully cures.

He said funds from the mine challenge particularly benefited regional patients and their families who had to travel to Brisbane or Townsville for treatment.

“The Foundation currently needs to raise funds for two major expansion projects at our accommodation villages in Brisbane and Townsville to meet a heavy demand.”

“Significant funds are needed to fit out these buildings and we’re asking workers in the mining and energy sectors to take up the challenge and assist us with these very important projects,” he said.

The Leukaemia Foundation receives no ongoing government funding and relies on the generosity of communities, individuals and businesses to enable it to continue its Vision to Cure and Mission to Care.

To register for the 2011 Mine Challenge, please contact World’s Greatest Shave Mine Challenge Chairperson, Paul Barnard, on 3318 4437 or [email protected].

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- who will be the 2011 champs?


105th EDITION. 2011

16

CONTeNTs

THEY’RE BACK.The latest intake of apprentices are

in your workplace now.As someone who has trained up a lot

of young journalists, I have some under-standing of what it’s like to walk in and see the latest fresh-faced employee looking up at your nervously.

To be perfectly honest, part of me just feels tired when I begin the ritual of introducing myself, the business, what we do, and what we expect them to do.

It’s the age-old problem that all train-ers have with apprentices - there is a long period of time before apprentices begin to pay their own way in a business.

It will be many long months of des-ignating tasks you know will take them twice as long as you would - and in

many cases will need redoing anyway.It is finding the patience in an

already busy and stressful day to talk them through how to do a job right - when it would quite frankly be quicker and easier to do it yourself.

That’s when it is important to remem-ber we all have to start somewhere.

I look back on my days as a cadet reporter, and I am beholden to those old hacks who taught me the skills I needed.

Admittedly some of them did it with a scowl, but they did it nonetheless.

The ones who did it with a smile were such a relief in those first few years when you doubted yourself and your ability.

They are the ones you remember, and the ones you are eternally grateful for knowing.

FROM THE EDITOR19

Alex Graham

MINER’S TRADERServes 4

Rogan Josh is a popular Indian style curry, not just for it’s fl avour but because it’s simple and easy to prepare at home. This style of curry is commonly made with lamb however, if your not a fan of lamb, beef is still a tasty altarnative. Serve with warm naan bread, minted yogurt and freshly sliced cucumber.

INGREDIENTS:

800g lamb cut into 1cm pieces1 onion fi nely chopped1 can of chopped tomatoes1/2 cup of plain yoghurt1/2 cup mint leaves, shredded2 cups of basmati rice 1 tsp olive oil 2 tbsp rogan josh curry pasteSalt and pepper to seasonNaan breadMinted yoghurtSliced cucumber

METHOD:

Put one teaspoon of oil in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to saucepan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until browned. Remove the lamb from the saucepan and set aside.Add onion and garlic to saucepan and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add lamb and tinned tomatoes. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until lamb is tender.

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HAMMER TIME

The Bowen Basin’s premier magazine

SHIFT MINERM A G A Z I N ELocally Owned

and Operated

REGULARS

14 STUFF TO THE EDITOR

15 FRANK LOVE ADVICE

18 BAIT SHOP BANTER

22 MONEY MATTERS

NEWS 7 Exploration high

Permits up in Qld

9 Electric future Hybrid solutions for heavy machines

11 The MAC’s time Funds injection for growth

YOUR UNION YOUR LAWYER

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

Miners embrace a hairless face



THE mining hub of Blackwater is in for a dramatic face lift that could see locals and non-resident workers living side-by-side.

The Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA) has released plans for both Black-water and Moranbah - which set out how res-idential development will look in the future.

The Planning and Infrastructure Minister Sterling Hinchliffe said the rule book had been thrown out of the window, and the ULDA was looking to fundamentally change the style of residential development in these towns.

“Putting it pretty bluntly, Blackwater is an example of failed town planning and this is the opportunity to redo it,” he said.

But the Blackwater Community Progress Group chair, Kev Cracknell, is concerned the new plans still include large areas of land des-ignated for “non-resident accommodation”.

Mr Cracknell said if that means mining camps, locals don’t want it.

“We are concerned that at the end of the day single person accommodation in the mid-dle of town is a deterrent for families because there is a perception that Blackwater is noth-ing more than a mining camp,” he said.

Mr Cracknell and other community rep-resentatives met the Premier and the Minis-ter late last year to discuss the issue.

“People are asking - why aren’t they listening?”“More than 700 people took the effort to

make a submission [to the ULDA], and while they have rubbed out one area for camp accommodation not much has changed.”

But the Minister insists the development will be different, with non-resident accom-modation to become an integrated part of the

town and not camps built on the outskirts.“We are not talking about the cook-

ie cutter model from 30-odd years ago, we are talking about a new and modern form of accommodation.”

“At the moment we have completely self-contained camps, and at the other end of the scale we have large family homes - but what we need is some middle ground where there is a range and blend of options.”

He said the new plan envisaged areas where a family home might have a one or two bedroom unit above the garage, mean-ing families would live among single work-ers and couples.

“It might mean the people in those units cook for themselves, or eat somewhere locally in town,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

Mr Cracknell said the ULDA needed to clarify exactly what was meant by “non resi-dent worker accommodation”.

“If they mean that sort of integration, salt and peppered throughout the commu-nity, that would be great.”

“But we are not convinced that this plan does not rule out more traditional style camps in town.”

Community information sessions will be held in Moranbah and Blackwater over the next month, and submissions can be made in writing until 22 March.

Mr Hinchliffe has urged anyone who lives or works in the towns to be involved in the process.

“These plans are up for consultation, for people to put their views in - and not just residents but non-resident workers as well - to access the information and have their say.”

For more info go to www.ulda.qld.gov.au

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Camps out, integration in: Hinchliffe

“At the moment we have completely self-contained camps, and at the other end of

the scale we have large family homes - but what we need is some middle ground where

there is a range and blend of options.”


105th EDITION. 2011

CQ INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCETwo leading central Queensland industry groups have decided to partnership in a bid to keep local jobs local.The Mackay Area Industry Network (MAIN) and the Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA) have confirmed they will work in partnership to promote co-operation between the regions.Both groups believe the move will allow member companies to strengthen ties with other businesses across a broader region - and that will bring more growth.It will also mean a stronger lobbying voice on issues that affect all, including the skills shortage.

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

TENURE TANGLEA consultation paper has been released looking for industry input on planned government reforms to tenure arrangements between the coal and petroleum industries.The emerging coal seam gas (CSG) industry, which is classed as being part of the petroleum industry not coal industry, is exposing weaknesses in the current tenure laws.For example, land targeted for gas production may also be subject to existing tenure that allows coal exploration and mine development.Stakeholders have until 25 February to make submissions to the Queensland government.For more details go to www.deedi.qld.gov.au

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

DONATE TO PROSTATEProstate cancer research has received a shot in the arm from Queensland’s mining industry, with a $36,000 donation to the Mater Medical Research Institute (MMRI).The funds were raised at a charity auction at last year’s Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Conference.One in nine Australian men will develop prostate cancer, with the disease claiming eight lives a day.

FAST NEWS

News

A controlling stake in a key coal deposit in the Galilee Basin near Alpha could be sold to Indian interests for $2 billion.

According to market speculation, Han-cock Coal has undertaken a private auction of its Kevin’s Corner coal deposit, short-list-ing six bidders from both China and India.

It is understood an Indian energy com-pany GVK power has submitted the pre-liminary bid of more than $2 billion for a controlling stake in the project.

Hancock Coal is a privately held com-pany, owned by Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart.

According to Hancock Coal, early explo-ration at the Kevin’s Corner site has identi-fied around 4.5 billion tonnes of thermal coal.

Last last year Ms Rinehart official-ly opened the nearby test pit of Hancock Coal’s $7 billion Alpha coal project.

At the time, Hancocks’s coal managing director, Paul Mulder, said the test pit was a significant milestone in the move towards full-scale operations in 2014.

“It is the first time that mining com-menced in the Galilee Basin, which is obviously fairly significant based on how large the planned coal mines that we have

on the books at the moment, with Alpha and Kevin’s Corner being up to 60 million tonnes,” Mr Mulder said.

“So I guess the importance of it is that this would rival some of the largest coal mines in the world.”

Billion dollar bid on Alpha deposit

COUGAR Energy will fight the Queens-land government’s decision to shut down its pilot underground coal gasification (UCG) project at Kingaroy.

The site was temporarily shut down mid last year, when minute traces of banned chemicals were found in water bores.

Last month the government ordered the site be permanently closed, after an inde-pendent scientific expert panel decided it could not operate without an unacceptable risk of causing environmental harm.

“We are absolutely committed to only letting this trial continue if we were satis-fied it could meet all of the environmental standards after a comprehensive review,” said the Premier Anna Bligh.

“It’s clear that it can’t do that and it will not proceed.”

But Cougar’s managing director Len Walk-er has told Shift Miner the company was not satisfied with the report by the scientific panel.

“We have already identified several inac-

curacies in the report and in time we will publish our response to it,” Dr Walker said.

The company is now considering if there are grounds to challenge the Department of Environment and Resource Management’s (DERM) decision to shut down the site.

Cougar has until the end of the month to make a case to the department, after that time it could challenge DERM’s decision in the Planning and Environment Court.

Dr Walker said he could not understand why Cougar’s readings of trace levels of benzene and toluene had been treated so differently to similar breaches in the coal seam gas (CSG) industry.

“Some of the samples from the CSG

industry have actually been higher and yet it has not been treated by the government as anything to worry about,” he said.

Cougar has also hired Pricewaterhouse-Coopers to search out potential investors for the business - or a buyer.

Options being considered include merg-ers or a complete acquisition.

Cougar could go to court

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“We have already identified several inaccuracies in the report and in time

we will publish our response to it.”

SHUT DOWN: Cougar plans to fight the Queensland government’s decision to shut down its UCG plant

“Early exploration at the Kevin’s Corner site has

identified around 4.5 billion tonnes of thermal coal.”


105th EDITION. 2011

Fresh faced tradies of tomorrowDID you come back from the Christmas break and wonder why the average age of your workplace had taken a drastic nosedive?

It’s that time of the year when new apprentices start up at all major employers across the region.

The outlook for mining and industry this year is optimistic, so the numbers are well up on the last few years when business con-fidence had been lower.

Twenty new apprentices have started work at Rio Tinto Alcan’s Gladstone opera-tions this month - eight at the Yarwun refin-ery and 12 at the Boyne smelters.

At the refinery four apprentices will study electrical and instrumentation and four mechanical fitting and turning; at the smelter five will study mechanical fit-ting and turning, five electrical, one diesel mechanics and one boiler making.

Over the next 10 weeks they will learn trade basics, health and safety rules, and get to know their colleagues.

According to trades training officer Paul Camman, they also get a hand with a few other life lessons.

“Additional components of the programme include defensive driving classes, personal

budgeting conversations and mentoring.” “We strive to provide an apprentice-

ship that offers the practical experience and trade theory necessary to create excel-

lent trades people, as well as skills to ensure they contribute to the community.”

Down the road the QAL, and another 20 apprentices have also started work - ten mechanical, six electrical/instrumentation,

two boiler makers, one refrigeration electri-cian and one high voltage electrician.

There are two female apprentices in this year’s intake.

Kylie Beattie said she knew she wanted to to be QAL apprentice long before she had even finished high school.

“I really enjoyed my work experience and that helped make the decision to return

and start a trade,” she said. “I really can’t wait to get into it and start

learning new skills.”Being outnumbered by men doesn’t faze

the new recruit.“I’m not too worried about it but I guess

I will try and show the boys what I am made of,” she said.

21-year-old Jordan Roper has started his mechanical trade after deciding university study was not for him.

“I started off studying teaching but real-ised it wasn’t the right fit for me,” he said.

“An apprenticeship was something I had always been interested in so I decided to have a go at QAL.”

QAL has a long proud history of training apprentices, that extends right back to 1967.

Managing director Phil Campbell said apprenticeships at QAL represented a tra-dition of providing young people with vital life skills, the chance to build expertise and to excel in a particular vocation.

“A QAL apprentice will learn not only valuable skills towards their trade, but they will also be immersed in a busy industrial environment where they can develop both personally and professionally.”

News

EXPLORATION has hit its highest level in three months in Queensland, with more than 40 new permits granted during January.

In fact, the number of exploration permits granted by the Queensland Department of Mines last month is up more than 30 per cent on November and December last year.

Several companies have been given per-mits to explore around the northern Bowen Basin, with both Aquila Coal and Xstrata Coal now delving further into the Collins-ville and Glenden area.

In the areas north and west of Emerald, Rio Tinto is one of five companies that has

been granted an exploration permit. However, the wet season has wreaked

havoc on many drilling sites across Queens-land, according to the Association of Min-ing and Exploration Companies (AMEC).

“A lot of those rigs will be back at work as soon as they can, and hopefully the restric-tions on drilling will be over sooner rather than later,” said AMEC’s Simon Bennison.

Mr Bennison said he did not expect the weather would have a long term impact on any projects.

“I haven’t had any feedback from companies expressing concern over the

pace of exploration programs.” Aside from the wet weather, Mr Bennison

said the flow of exploration work overseas is a more worrying development for the sector.

“I think its a combination of factors causing it,” he said.

“The economic environment in other countries, the mining tax and the strong Aus-

tralian dollar means companies with assets overseas can leverage their money further.”

He said while commodity prices stayed high, current programs would continue, but it was future exploration that was in jeopardy.

“The whole economic situation is making off shore look attractive, and those countries with offshore assets are utilising that.”

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“A lot of those rigs will be back at work as soon as they can, and hopefully the restrictions on drilling will be over sooner rather than later.”

NEW BEGINNINGS: QAL’s 20 new apprentices for 2011



CQ miners spared - but still on cyclone alertMINERS across the Coalfields may have been spared the worst of Cyclone Yasi, but they remain on tenterhooks as the regions wettest month of the year unfolds.

One of the worst hit sites is Cockatoo’s Coal’s Baralaba mine, where plans to recom-mence mining this month have been placed in doubt following a massive storm last week.

Between 100mm and 200mm of rain fell in the region which caused flash flooding at near-by Moura, and a rise in the Dawson River.

Cockatoo Coal is yet to respond to enquiries by Shift Miner as to the full impli-cations of the latest rain event, but the mine has been out of action since the Dawson River flooded the main pit at Christmas.

Coal production in the three months to December was down 65 per cent on the same time last year.

Further south, Surat Basin miners who export coal out of Brisbane are facing enor-mous problems with their rail lines unlikely to be reopened in the next three months.

Those rail lines were decimated by the freak flood events that devastated Toow-oomba and Grantham.

The New Acland mine operated by New Hope Coal, looks likely to lose three months of production, which at current prices equates to around $120 million in lost revenue.

It remains unclear how long it will be before the Rolleston section of the Black-water rail system will be fixed, allow Xstra-ta’s Rolleston mine to recommence exports.

Xstrata’s has re-opened the Collinsville and Newlands mines, and Rio Tinto has re-opened the Hail Creek Mine, which were shut last week during Cyclone Yasi.

All central Queensland coal ports are back operating normally, however through-put at Glastone still remains slightly lower than average because of the disruptions to the Rolleston coal mine.

“So while they are technically separating from their partner for financial gain, they are in reality very much a family unit.”

The advisor, who has requested to be remain anonymous, said he had seen up to nine suspected cases in the past year.

“I have seen three cases in the past 12 months where by no stretch of the imagina-tion are they separated,” he said.

“I have probably seen five or six other cases where I can’t say for sure that it is hap-pening, but I am highly suspicious.”

The advisor said while he believed the actions were immoral, they were not actual-ly illegal.

“It’s a very hard thing to prove, because for miners they go to work for four or five days out of town so their normal life pattern allows them to make the claim.”

“Other people would have to go and get another place of residence, but miners do not need to do that.”

“The only way to stop it would be for the ex-partner to have to submit proof they have an independent residential address through rental payments or the like.”

“But I hate to suggest that because we are becoming such a legalistic society and really what it comes down to is that people should have some basic decency and honesty about what they are doing.”

But Centrelink’s general manager Hank Jongen has told Shift Miner that Centrelink did not rely on living patterns alone to make decisions on benefit payments.

“To determine whether or not a ‘mem-ber of couple’ relationship exists, Centrelink takes into account such factors as the finan-cial aspects of the relationship, the nature of the household, the presence or absence of a sexual relationship and the social aspects of the relationship,” he said.

Mr Jongen said anyone suspected of being in a couple could be required to have an assessment at any time.

“If a customer fails to declare informa-tion, they can incur a debt and face possible prosecution if proven that they have misrep-resented information to Centrelink.”

People can report suspected fraud by call-ing the tip-off line on 13 15 24.

XXX 2010] Proof 61 LBM1# 1

Blackwater and MoranbahUrban Development AreasDevelopment Schemes

Under the provisions of section 25 of the Urban LandDevelopment Authority Act 2007 the Urban Land DevelopmentAuthority (ULDA) gives notice that on 7 February 2011 theULDA commenced the public notification of the proposeddevelopment schemes for the Blackwater and MoranbahUrban Development Areas.

You are invited to make a submission on the proposeddevelopment schemes within the period from 7 February to21 March 2011 (the submission period).

The proposed development schemes are the draft planningdocuments for the UDAs which set out the land uses,development criteria and infrastructure envisaged for eachUDA.

The proposed development schemes for both Blackwater andMoranbah UDAs can be viewed during the submission period:

www.ulda.qld.gov.aul 4, 229 Elizabeth Street,

Brisbane, 9.00am – 4.30pm.

at www.ulda.qld.gov.au or call 1300 130 215)

The Blackwater UDA Proposed Development Scheme can alsobe viewed at the Central Highlands Regional Council,Blackwater Office 10 Mackenzie Street, Emerald Office EgertonStreet, 9.00am – 4.30pm.

The Moranbah UDA Proposed Development Scheme can alsobe viewed at the Isaac Regional Council, Moranbah Office,Grosvenor Complex, Batchelor Parade, 9.00am – 4.30pm.

Submissions can be made by:

PO Box 2202, Brisbane, 4001Email: [email protected] Fax: 07 3024 4199

Submissions must be received by 21 March 2011

For more information on the

Telephone 1300 130 215Visit ulda.qld.gov.au

















































































M A S S A G EMASSEUR TO THE STARS...

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Centrelink fraud FROM

PAGE 1

“The only way to stop it would be for the ex-partner

to have to submit proof they have an independent

residential address through rental payments or the like.”

“Surat Basin miners who export coal out of Brisbane are facing enormous problems with their rail lines unlikely to be reopened in the next three months.”


105th EDITION. 2011

ON the 19th November 2010, a day many will remember for more reasons than any of us would have anticipated, let alone the memory of the 29 lives lost.

The families and colleagues will carry that day for ever.

Queensland Mines Rescue Service, like others, had a deep ache and a sense of the imperative, as we scrambled for information.

Perhaps the GAG Unit will be needed and phone calls reached a flurry across our networks.

In anticipation, the key GAG members were assembled and the Jet systems were tested and prepared for travel and plans documented for a further deployment over our border.

New Zealand had been rocked and they need our help.

Late in the afternoon and into the night the call from the New Zealand Police in preparation for dispatch, we gathered out

thoughts and strategically prepared to deploy. Confirmation came and a New Zealand

Air Force Hercules aircraft would arrive at the Mackay airport tomorrow afternoon sometime after 4pm.

Logistics with Mackay police, airport officials, customs, cargo handlers, transport systems, media, crew readiness; it was all there, my phone recorded 200 phone calls in 1.5 hours and the crew were anxious.

The final approach and the plane land-ed amongst the commercial aircraft on the tarmac, just enough room to assemble the equipment ready for dispatch.

The final briefing on a wet night for the crew with our only girl Tracey and they headed off into the night sky bound for the land of the Long White Cloud.

Tired, wrecked and anxious but ready, the crew were assembled at a place to call home for a while and others as the forward crew speed off to the mine site.

New Zealand has had a disaster; Pike River mine explosion and 29 were not accounted for.

A dim prospect, but the GAG crew were ready and keen to show what this thing called the GAG Unit could do, the mine had suffered its second explosion and the imper-ative was to control what was happening.

Time was of the essence.Getting the equipment to site follow-

ing landing at Hokkatika it was transported through Grey Mouth and on to Pike River, deep in the mountains on the west coast of New Zealand some two hours away.

All hands prepared the equipment, risk management plans were assembled and controls identified.

Anxiously awaiting the GAG’S opera-tion much had to be done before the button was pushed.

Disappointment, a failed start, some of the gear was dismantled to fit into the air-craft and was this, the reason, no matter, the engine’s running, the system suffered through the transport.

We can get on with it now, and so around the clock the crews kept up the vigilance.

Rain, cold and wind and each mechanical challenge tested the resolve of the team leaders.

One day passed and after many days and then 50 days it was a wonder as to why we could not go home.

The mine threw everything at us, two more explosions, single entry and only one ventilation shaft and the most complicated circumstances of any mine, and that anyone had to encounter.

It was challenging the best of them. The GAG inertisation had stopped the

explosions and the fires were suppressed, the mine tinkered on inert but where was the oxygen coming from, the gas readings indi-cated there was activity, but where and how.

Finally the sealing plans were in place

and the challenged rescue crews along with the police and mine staff and gag crews were in site of some form of stability.

The time was to call it, continue to moni-tor, withdraw the GAG engine and let it inert.

In its complexity of what this mine has done and the crews who fought this fight wonder if it will in time, reveal its secrets and the industry will stop wondering, as to why, why did this happen?

There is still much to be done and much to be achieved and yet this story is not finished but is only a prelude to the one to come.

Our thoughts have always been with the families, friends and work colleges of those who have not returned.

Spare a thought also for those who fought, with the long nights on the portal, the whir-ring of the jet, the cold of the night and the presence of miners, awaiting their outcome.

Dedicated to the Jet Crew and the 29 lost miners at PIKE RIVER.

News

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105th EDITION. 2011

THE Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) has introduced hybrid power technology to its operations which will save more than $1.2 million in operating costs each year.

The port’s 23 bulldozers have now been retro-fitted with diesel electric - or hybrid - power technology to run cabin air-conditioning.

This single application will reduce idle time by 50 per cent and save $55,000 per machine every 12 months, which equates to $1.2 million across the fleet.

It will also cut greenhouse gas emission by 2224 tonnes.

Hybrid electric systems for heavy machinery will be under the spotlight at a CQUniversity symposium in Gladstone and Mackay later this month.

The University’s Dr Sanath Alahak-

oon said the forum would benefit fleet, asset, environmental and maintenance managers as well as engineers, consultants and technicians.

“The symposium will look at what hybrid solutions are already in the mar-ket, and other applications that are on the way,” he said.

Dr Alahakoon said the future for heavy machinery probably consisted of semi-hybrids options, like the Gladstone Port example, where operating costs and green-house emissions are partially reduced by making some changes.

“I think you will see a combination of IC engines and battery banks because at the moment 100 per cent electric can be a bit of problem especially for mobile heavy machinery.”

“What we want is for people to realise we have the expertise in this region to cus-tomise solutions.”

“At CQUniversity we have strong ties to Sweden, who are world leaders in hybrid technology, and we could work with indus-try to deliver some real outcomes.”

Among the guest speakers at the sym-

posium are Swedish research engineer Mats Leksell; Malcolm Pollock the unload-ing maintenance superintendent at Glad-stone Ports Corporation and Chris Moroz from Komatsu.

The symposium will be held at CQUni-versity campuses at Gladstone on Febru-ary 25 and Mackay on March 4.

News

Hybrid dozers save Gladstone port $1.2M

A new breed of hybrid heavy machines could be just around the corner, with industry giant Komatsu releasing its first hybrid excavator.

In a strong signal about where the indus-try is headed, Komatsu has released the new power technology in its 20-tonne excavator class - which is the company’s most common machine worldwide.

While the new hybrid machines will cost more up front, that will be offset by low-er operating and fuel costs, according to national business manager Chris Moroz.

“The new hybrid machine is designed to have the same performance as the con-ventional machine but has the advantage of a 25 to 40 per cent saving on fuel depending on the application,” he said.

“The hybrid system works off the swinging of the upper section of the machine, so when you are using more swing frequency you will get more recovery of energy, and therefore higher fuel savings.”

Mr Moroz said the new machines also cut carbon emissions by 25 per cent.

Unlike electric cars, hybrid excavators will not have batteries that can store energy for long periods of time.

Instead, they will use ultra-capacitors which can gather and release energy quickly, but cannot store it for long.

Mr Moroz is a keynote speaker at CQUni-versity’s upcoming symposium on hybrid electric systems for heavy machinery.

Earthmoving’s electric future

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105th EDITION. 2011

“The biggest falls were in the bulldozer, tracked crane, and road making categories,

all down around 60 per cent.”

News

NEW finance contracts for construction and earth-moving equipment rose more than 800 per cent between September and November last year, signalling a further recovery in the Australian economy.

According to figures released by ship-ping agency Skelton Sherborne, the total value of finance contracts for construction and earth-moving equipment hit $33 mil-lion in November - compared to just $4 mil-lion in September.

It is a positive result given that between January and September of 2010 the total value of finance contracts varied from just $1 million to a maximum of $8 million.

However, the number of heavy earth-moving machines actually imported into

Australia fell by around 20 percent in December to around 2068 units.

The biggest falls were in the bulldozer, tracked crane, and road making categories, all down around 60 per cent.

Watching the number of heavy machines imported into Australia is a good barome-ter for the economy because none is manu-factured onshore.

Explaining the large change, Skelton Sherborne says the fall is more to do with seasonal trends than a sudden reversal in optimism among earth-moving businesses.

“This is in line with normal seasonal expectations in machinery volumes which usually occur between December through to about February, “ the report said.

HAIL Creek mine is throwing $28,000 behind Mackay CQUniversity students - and not just in fields related to mining.

This year the Hail Creek Mine CQUni-versity Partnership Program is offering seven $4000 scholarships over two years to first-year nursing, business, science, infor-mation technology, and engineering stu-dents studying full time at CQUniversity’s Mackay campus.

Former 2009/10 scholarship recipi-ent Brodie Beckmann is encouraging stu-dents to apply and said the program offers a wide range of professional development opportunities.

“I’m currently undertaking a six month work placement at Hail Creek Mine through ‘Future Professionals’, which is another component of the partnership,” Mr Beckmann said.

“It’s been a great experience so far and I’ve been involved in a variety of commu-nity relations activities including helping set up the Cancer Council Relay for Life, Roadsafe September, and the CQUniver-sity Open Day.”

“I also took part in another program run through the partnership called ‘Visit-ing the Coalface’ where first-year engineer-ing students and CQUniversity executives undertook a tour of the pit.”

“It was really interesting because we also

received information about different roles on site, and the vacation work and graduate development programmes available.”

“The whole experience has helped boost my understanding about what it’s like to work as an engineer, and work on a mine site, and I’ve made plenty of useful indus-try and business contacts along the way.”

Hail Creek Mine general manag-er operations Andrew Woodley said the partnership has already benefited many students.

“Through this partnership, we are able to support young people in their chosen fields and provide opportunities to pursue their career locally,” Mr Woodley said.

“We target a variety of disciplines so that we can continue building the skills capacity of the entire region to help ensure it remains a sustainable and attrac-tive place to work, live, and play even after mining ceases.

“Last year for the first time I presented at the university as a guest lecturer in front of students studying management studies, which offers a skill needed in many indus-tries not just mining.

Students can apply for one of the sev-en scholarships by requesting a scholarship application from Hail Creek Mine’s Marie Cameron on (07) 4951 6437.

Applications close Friday 25 February 2011.

Hail Creek throws $28K behind students

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“We target a variety of disciplines so that we can continue building the skills

capacity of the entire region...”

(L-R) 2009 scholarship student Brodie Beckmann, Hail Creek mine community relations specialist Fiona Kruger,

and fellow scholarship student Philip Wright



The MAC is cooking on gasNEW MAC accommodation villages in central Queensland will be built faster - and taller - now the family-run company has been taken over by a US-based multi-national.

The Texas-run Oil States International (OSI) bought The MAC late last year, and local projects can now expect an injection of some serious capital.

Ron Green is the CEO of the PTI Group - the accommodation arm of OSI - and has just spent three weeks in Austral-ia meeting staff and clients and setting out the year’s priorities.

“There is always concern when a com-pany is bought by another company, and so our first priority is our people,” Mr Green told the WINO.

“It was important for me to come out here and hold what we call ‘town hall’ meetings.”

Mr Green said in the foreseeable future there were no plans to fundamentally change how The MAC is run, or re-brand the business.

“The MAC is a wonderful brand and that will not change in the near term.”

“We had great expectations about how this business was run and by enlarge they have been met and in some circumstances

they have been exceeded.”What will change is how quickly new

projects get off the ground.The MAC already has plans for an expan-

sion of its Moranbah village, a new facility at Wandoan and another at Calliope to service the burgeoning coal seam gas industry.

“We are now a multinational as opposed to being a family-owned and operated busi-ness,” said Mr Green.

“We [OSI] bring a broader depth of experience to the table and we can acceler-ate projects basically because we have bet-ter access to financial resources.”

“We are five or six times the size of The MAC so we just bring it into a whole new level that will mean more growth, more cli-ents and more operating models.”

“So, yes, you can expect to see things happen more quickly.”

Mr Green said the Moranbah expan-sion continues to be the top priority for the company, and Calliope village is also high on the agenda.

“Moranbah is certainly a hub for a

lot of opportunity and clients.”“We don’t want to choke people with

success, so while we want to grow rapidly we also need to balance that growth.”

Another change will be the layout of the villages.

“A lot of our lodges in Canada are three-storey buildings and that will become more prevalent here,” said Mr Green.

Mr Green said one of the exciting parts of the takeover was the ideas-swapping between Australia and Canada.

“We really like The MAC model, they call them villages but they may as well call them resorts.”

Mr Green will be back in Australia in anoth-er four to six week’s time to continue bedding down the company’s plan for the year ahead.

SHIFT MINER MAGAZINE 2011 NRL FOOTY TIPPING COMPETITION

To enter this competition simply contact us on: 0749 214 333 or [email protected] Cost of entry is $25 per person and we will be announcing our full list of prizes in our Monday 28th February edition.

Don’t miss out on your chance to win some fantastic prizes as well as being crowned our inaugural 2011 Footy Tipping Champion.

MATE VS MATE MINE VS MINEIt’s time to find out who is Central Queensland’s top tipper by entering our Shift Miner Magazine

Footy Tipping Competition. With the NRL season just weeks away we are putting the call out to all

punters, mining crews and general footy fantatics in the Bowen Basin reigon to join our footy tipping

competition for a chance to win great prizes including a TRIP TO THE 2011 NRL GRAND FINAL!

“We are five or six times the size of The MAC... so, yes, you can expect to

see things happen more quickly.”


105th EDITION. 2011arOuNd TOwN

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.

Coralee Inglebeen, Mike Jacobson and Rudy Tielen

Melinda Stitt and Anita Moore

Lauren Brett, Sharni Pearse and Rhiannon Martin

Michelle Niemandt, Michael Wiseman and Luke Fahey

Michael Donehue, Matt Pett and Marita Turra Diane Wicks, Terri Barwick and Lynette Scott

WAITANGI DAY

Moranbah’s Kiwi Club celebrated Waitangi Day in style with a competitive New Zealand versus Australia masters rugby league match, followed by a traditional hangi. Approximately 400 people attended the celebrations, held at Daryl Burke Oval.

Robert Flanders, Jodie Lamprecht and Martina Mulligan

Kyle Booth, Luke Carter, Sharnah Carter and Mari Booth

Deanne Drewett and Kathryn Binnie

Keaton Newman and Phillip Comyn

Gene Williams and Roger Rowntree

Vikki and Darren Katt

TRACKSIDE AT MORANBAHPoor weather conditions caused horse racing events to be cancelled, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of 500 race goers. More than $20,000 was raised for flood affected communities.


105th EDITION. 2011arOuNd TOwN

Billie and Blake Boase with Lylann and Shivonn Crous

June Huxley and Lauren Atfield Shanoah

Jeff and Wendy Zunker

Vern and Justine Crous

Ella, John and Olivia Babington

Naomi and Shanoah

Aaron Burton and Adam Eklund Savannah, Theresa, Hayden and Guy Fletcher

Dale, Charlotte, Dusty and Connie Pearce

Brock, Amarlie and Peta Rulton

Brett, Joanne and Taylor Truelson

Faith Burton and Emily Kable

Holly Green with her bbq hat. Holly won Best Hat Eric, Bryce and Tom

Shaylee Burke, Amy Dowie, Scott Foley & Joshua Clutterbuck

Best Dressed Winners!

Mitchell Kowalski and Blake McGuiness

Paul Larsen with his Diahatsu/Kenworth

www.shiftminer.comBUY THIS AND MANY OTHER IMAGES AT

Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together

BLACKWATER’S BOXING KANGAS

The town of Blackwater was out in

full force to celebrate Australia

Day in style recently!


105th EDITION. 2011

Got somethinG to share? send us your text messages or phone photos to 0428 154 653 or email to [email protected]

When Theodore residents were evacuated, their neighbours in Moura were all there to help. Last edition’s article on how the rescue played out was the focus of a lot of reader’s comments:

Good on everyone who helped. Great to see small towns looking out for each other like that, makes you proud. Gary, Mackay

There’s pretty much no part of Queens-land that hasn’t been hit by natural dis-aster. What makes us great is they way people just get in there and do what they can. Frank, Biloela

Notice that it’s not the government and army that helped, but the farm-ers and miners. Good on ya lads. T.R, Rockhampton

My heart goes out to all who have been effected by floods and cyclones. Tracey, Emerald

The Pike River recovery is some-thing all miners and their families are watching closely:

It’s not by accident that Qlders are at the front of this rescue. We are world leaders in mine safety. P.R, Mackay

Just makes you shake your head when you read what went on over there in New Zealand. The sooner they start getting the truth of what happened out the bet-ter. For the families who lost loved ones. T.F, Moranbah

Wouldn’t catch me mining in NZ after Pike River. G.D, Blackwater

Many readers out there are big fans of the Zestie recipes (you can find the latest on page 20):

Loved the honey soy chicken. Easy, tasty and the kids loved it! Will definitely make it again. Stacey, Moranbah

SHIFT MINERMonday 31st January 104th Edition 2011

The Queensland mining community’s best source of local news

M A G A Z I N E

PERSONAL INJURY EXPERTS

Darren Sekac* Stuart Naylor Gene Paterson

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NewsFirst �oods now snakes

at Hastings » page 5

NewsQueensland mines

rescue crews

could re-enter Pike

River » page 8

NewsDawson miners big

hand in helping

Theodore » page 9

NewsWhy steel is cheap and

available » page 12

Around Town

Coal�elds kids back

at school » page 15

Money Matters

CQ’s soggy real estate

still selling » page 26

Locally Owned and Operated - www.shiftminer.com

THE safety of miners across central

Queensland is at risk if inundated Bowen

Basin coal mines are unable to pump water

out of �ooded pits.

At the time of print, ex-tropical cyclone

Anthony was hovering off the central

Queensland coast - a reminder to the indus-

try that the wet season is far from over.

Any further rain could force the closure

of mines across the region.

Twenty-three coal mines have been

granted temporary permits known as TEPS

from the Department of Environment and

Resource Management (DERM) which

allows them to pump water back into river

systems at monitored levels.

DERM is currently considering another

16 applications.

One of those is Xstrata’s Newlands mine,

where authorities are on the cusp of closing

the mine down.

In a situation that highlights the prob-

lem that many underground mines current-

ly face, the amount of water sitting on the

surface of the mine is close to forcing the

underground pit to be closed to workers.

The mine is still operating, but has not

yet been granted permission to start pump-

ing out water.

Union and the Mines Inspectorate are

» continued page 8

How Australia Day

was celebrated in

your town

» Page 14

RAISE THE FLAG!FULL UPFlooded mines on high safety alert

stuff to the editor

sTuff TO The ediTOr

Photo to the Editor - No wheeled truckSent in anonymously

SEEN SOMETHING WE HAVEN’T?

PRIZES FOR THE BEST MINING PHOTOS.TAKE IT ON YOUR PHONE OR CAMERA AND SEND IT IN

Text to 0428 154 653Email [email protected]

Tune into the Michael J. Breakfast show

from 7:35 am every Monday for 4RO's CQ Mining Update, with special guest Angus

from Shift Miner.

Michael Bailey - Weekdays 5am - 9amBreakfast

Greg Cary - Weekdays 9am -12pmMornings

Alan Jones - Weekdays 1pm - 2pmAfternoons

www.4ro.com.au SALES ENQUIRIES: (07) 4920 2000

NEWS, TALK ANDTHE MUSIC YOU LOVE


105th EDITION. 2011fair diNKuM

IN NAZI GERMANY - new docu-ments have revealed that the Nazis were outraged by a Finnish businessman who trained his dog to imitate Hitler.

Apparently the hound - named Jackie - used to raise his paw in the air, much like the Fuhrer, when he was commanded to by his owners.

The voice command they used was surprise, surprise “Hitler”.

It sounds bizarre, but apparently news of the dog travelled all the way to Germany, where the Nazis became obsessively angry about it.

Diplomatic cables from the time reveal the dog’s owner was hauled into the German embassy in Helsin-ki to deny that his dog was imitating the Fuhrer.

You’d think there might have been more pressing issues to worry about?

IN ENGLAND - and a local coun-cil has given the nod for a swimming pool to be heated using energy from the crematorium next door.

Yep, it’s enough to put you off eat-ing - let alone swimming.

Apparently, the council has sur-veyed locals and 80 to 90 per cent of them are happy with the plans.

Wondering how it all works?Well, waste heat from the incinera-

tor chimney will be used to warm up the water.

All of a sudden jogging seems a whole lot more appealing.

IN TURKMENISTAN - the phrase “she’s a bit of a horse” would not be an insult at a new beauty contest that has been established.

The desert nation is known for its thoroughbred horses, and many are now being groomed for a series of beauty contests to be held every April.

The Akhal Teke breed is the prized symbol of the nation and is featured on Turkmenistan’s national emblem.

The current president has decided the beauty contest will include awards such as best holiday attire for the breed - and for artists best sculpture, painting and even carpet featuring a horse.

You think the current president is horse mad?

Well, his predecessor made head-lines seven years ago when he opened a $20 million leisure centre with a swimming pool, air condition-ing and medical centre - for horses.

IN NORWAY - a 13-year-old man-aged to scare off a pack of wolves by blasting them with heavy metal music.

The teenager was walking home from soon, when he was corned by four wolves.

It was US-band Megadeth to the rescue, when he grabbed his mobile phone and cranked up the volume.

It seems thrash music has the same effect on wolves as it does on most humans - sends them into a confused state where all they can think about is getting away from the noise.

FAir Dinkum!

IN ENGLAND - and a local council has given the nod for a swimming pool to be heated using

energy from the crematorium next door.

Joe, A lot of people experience the same problem you’re having at some stage in their relationship. After 25 years

there will undoubtedly be times where you feel as though you’re stuck in a rut. The key is to keep it fresh, try new things, perhaps you could take an overseas holiday, or enroll in a cou-ples class together. Talk to your wife, and actively come up with ways you can rekindle the spark you enjoyed earlier on in your marriage.

Susan

Dear Frank,

My wife and I have been

married for 25 years, but lately

I’m beginning to feel like

the thrill is gone from our

relationship. Is there anything I

can do to keep the spark alive?

Joe, Dalby

Dear Joe,There are a number of things you can do to turn that spark into a roaring fire, Joe. I remember when my second marriage started to go off the boil, I surprised my wife by blindfolding her and whisking her away to a secret picnic for two. After three mistrials I managed to beat the kidnapping charge, but it really did liven up our relationship, even if I am now forced to stay at least 500 feet away from her at all times.

Another excellent way to get your relationship back on track is through mutual interests. Try taking up an exciting new hobby together, a lot of relationship ‘experts’ will recommend boring, cliché hobbies like tennis and yoga. However, I recommend some-thing that involves nudity - as my old uncle Dennis used to say: “Eve-rything’s more exciting when you’re naked…even church!” A word of cau-tion though, pick your naked activi-ties very carefully. I once took a date on a naked fly fishing trip, and well, let’s just say the wrong worm ended

up on the hook and leave it at that. If you’re not fussed on branching

out into new areas, try adding some flare to your existing routine. Instead of just going out for dinner, why not break into a restaurant after hours and prepare your own food? I can assure you, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of burglarising a restaurant to prepare a stuffed Cornish game hen for your lady friend at 3 in the morning.

All the techniques I’ve mentioned so far are guaranteed winners. How-ever, if you’re interested in the more risqué ways of heating up your mar-riage say no more. I am well versed in the ‘unconventional’ when it comes to sex. You and your wife might enjoy a role play scenario, just last week my girlfriend and I played ‘World War 2’, my only regret is that I was Poland - I still can’t sit down properly after the ‘invasion.’ I also highly recommend joining up with your local swingers community, nothing will liven up your relationship like a good old fashioned key party, you’ll feel like you’re right back in the 70s!

If you attempt all the strategies I’ve set out here and still can’t liven up your relationship, well, there’s only one thing to do – divorce your wife and order a new one off the inter-net. I have had great success with a website called ‘Russian Huskies’, just a heads up though, a lot of them are still invested in the merits of commu-nism, so it may take a little while for your new Russian princess to stop referring to you as a capitalist pig.

Frank

If you have a question for Frank and Susan Email Us at: [email protected]

Sensible Susan

Frank the Tank’s “Streakin” good love advice

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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

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Selling with 308 motor (was running),

extractors and Rochester Carbie.

$7990 ono Ph 0411367777.

BOAT FOR SALE

480 coastrunner CV,,

fully registered until

july 2011,,75 hp

honda 4 stroke,,boat

and motor have only

25hrs,,also comes with

heaps of extras,,

$26,000

0429 841 205

HOBBY FARM FOR SALEVictoria

2.5 acres Fully fenced, cleared with pasture.

Bitumen road and Phone to front gate. Power avail.

Prim and Sec School, Nursing Center, Shops

less than 15min.$55,000

Colin Elders OMEO 0429 350 500

RIMS FOR SALE

4 x 16 inch Chrome

mags - 3 with Falken

225/5/R16 tyres (50%

wear left).

Near new rims - New

price was $1700

Selling Price

$650 ono

Phone 0411367777.

ACRES FOR SALEProperty 5 Mins to Miriamvale, 2x125 acre blocks + 120

acre reserve. Massive water supply &

extensive irrigation. Grow anything. Choice blocks.

$550,000 house Block

or $900,000 the lot. Ph:0749791384

BIKE FOR SALE

Honda Goldwing (Luxury

Model) 2007 Model First

Reg March 08, Full Log

Book History, 38,000Km

As new condition,Tow

Bar, UHF Radio, Carry

Rack, Highway Pegs,

Lots of Chrome, Located

at Airlie Beach

0405 180 724

CAR FOR SALE

Ford BA sedan 2003/GT

kit,6cyl,193.000kms,

lowered suspension,

cd/dvd with sub woofer

and bluetooth, this car

is in VGC.

$14,500 ono.

0408 549 027

HOUSE FOR SALE

Ultimate holiday or

investment house

on Keswick Island .

With development

progressing on the

island, don’t miss

this opportunity!

Fully furnished.

$499 000

0427 411 531

WHITSUNDAY HOLIDAY RENTAL

Impress your girlfriend,family or mates

& book this spacious f/furn beachfront home - 30mins

Nth Airlie Beach. Ideal affordable getaway from

$160/ntView www.stayz.com.au Property ID 25669

[email protected] Ph 07 49461628

BIKE FOR SALE

Honda Blackbird 1100

24,000km, Tinted

Screen,

Excellent condition,

must sell due to

wedding.

$8,990

m. 0417 767 454

ACRES FOR SALE

HOME HILL, 7.94 HA

(19.62 Acres) 46 ML

River Allocation with

12 acres of Kensington

Pride Mangoes (500

trees) Absolute river

front powered block

with top quality soils

49827848

0407654765

CAR FOR SALE

2006 Hyundai

Accent, 9 Months

Warranty, Registered

til October 20111,

31,000k\’s, VGC.

49 285 610

CARAVAN FOR SALE16’ Jayco pop top

caravan, single beds,new curtains/ 3 way

fridge/ tyres, gas stove/oven, r/o awning with sides, RWC, gas

certificate, always kept under cover, $15,500. (07) 4922 5037 or 0418 879 284

CAR FOR SALEPRADO GRANDE 08

Diesel, Auto, Leather Int, S/Roof, Centre

Fridge, Adj Air Susp, Sat Nav, D/Hill Assist, 3Yr Factory Ext Wty,

T/Windows, Floor Covers, 75,000klm

VGC $60,900 o.n.o.

Mob: 0407 138 822

EIMEO/MACKAY VAC LAND FOR SALE

Elevated block surrounded by quality homes with view of Brampton & Keswick

Islands. Close to schools, shops & transport. Owner

motivated to sell will look at all reas offers.15 Coral Ridge Drive

$209,0000407 963 955

CAR FOR SALE2005 Toyota Land-

cruiser,turbo diesel,

charcoal grey,5 speed manual,112,000 kms,

excellent condition,far too many extras to

mention,one owner

$55,000 ONOPh: 0438 035 478

PASTURE FOR SALE

Black Spear Seed (no weeds)

Ideal for land rehabilitation

Harvested and stored in the Rockhampton region.

Ph 07 49346190 nights

PICTURE COMING SOON !!

MINERS TRADER CLASSIES FROM JUST $19.50


105th EDITION. 2011Off shifT

Shift MinerHandy 15A blank gridShiftMInerHandyblank.pdf©Lovatts Publications 2010

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1. Bombed base, Pearl ...

2. Pitiful

3. Corrosive substances

4. Country dance

6. Person suffering convulsions

7. Enraging

8. Launder with spirit (3-5)

11. Pronto (1,1,1,1)

15. Magazine booth

17. Adored

18. Fiery

20. Root vegetables

21. Feeblest

22. Buddy

23. Hold fast (to)

26. Tense situation

ACROSS 1. Worrying problem

5. Held for trial, on ...

9. Jumped for joy

10. One by one

12. Social events

13. Join up

14. Shortly

16. Colourful garden annual

19. Porch

21. Candle string

24. Untruthful people

25. Wandered leisurely

27. Of family group

28. Middle Easterner

29. Awaits with horror

30. Sit astride

DOWN

SHIFT MINERHandy Cross 1884 - (15A grid)ShiftMinerHandy101s. pdf© Lovatts Publications 27/10/2010

O P T I M I S T C L U M S YK H O I O E EA L A C A R T E H A V A N AY T N T R T L RE X C E S S I V E H O T E LD H N P S I I

A G O G S H O W M E NM T R M E GE M A N A T E K N E WD L N M I A EI R K E D U N C H A N G E DO B S S K R H IC R A W L S P O I G N A N TR C A F U S EE S K I M O A F F E C T E D

# 94 3 2 5 4 6 9 1 8 79 8 6 2 7 1 4 5 34 1 7 3 5 8 6 9 26 3 8 7 1 5 2 4 91 4 9 8 3 2 5 7 67 5 2 6 9 4 3 1 88 6 1 5 2 7 9 3 45 7 3 9 4 6 8 2 12 9 4 1 8 3 7 6 5

LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS

Bruce wasn’t used to having passen-gers in his car. It took him a minute to gather up the fast-food wrap-pers, coffee cups and CDs from the front seat so that Danny could get in. Danny had some sort of job with the prep plant, though Bruce wasn’t sure what they did over there. Bruce threw it all on the back seat and mumbled, “Sorry about that.”

“No worries at all,” said Danny as he got in. Once Bruce was in his seat, Danny added, “It’s your car. I’m just glad for the ride.”

Bruce drove carefully out of the car park. Soon they were on the open road. Danny tried to start a conver-sation a few times, and Bruce tried hard to keep his end up, but without much joy. Bruce wasn’t good at talking to people he didn’t know. He almost never started a conver-sation. He hated that about himself, but found it hard to change.

Danny said, “You mind if we turn the radio on?”

“Sorry,” said Bruce. “No aerial.”

Danny shrugged. “You got CDs?”

Bruce coughed. “They’re not really what you probably want to listen to.”

“I’ve got pretty broad tastes.”

“My stuff is a whole new level.”

“Wow,” said Danny. “You got me curious now. Is it very offensive?”

Bruce thought for a moment. “Not to me,” he said. “But it is to a lot of people.”

“Try me.”

Bruce tried to laugh, but it came out as a kind of squeak. He reached down turn on the car stereo.

After a moment, a man’s voice began to speak. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Then, after a pause, the voice said, “Chapter four.”

“What the -?” said Danny, turning in

his seat to face Bruce. “What is that?”

Bruce reached over, and pressed the power button again. He sighed. “That,” he said, “is a man reading the Bible. I’m up to the gospel of John.”

“Why?”

“It comes after Luke.”

Danny shook his head and scratched his hair. It looked to Bruce like he was considering jumping out of the car. Bruce wondered if he should slow down a bit.

Danny said “I meant, why do you listen to that stuff?”

“I can read a lot more by listening when I’m driving then I can find time for at home.”

“You listen to a man read the bible over and over?”

“Well, not exactly. I sometimes skip to different bits. And, I’ve got one version of a woman reading too. She’s got a nice voice.”

Danny didn’t say anything.

“I listen to a lot of other things too,” said Bruce. “I’ve got a stack of audio-books, and I download a lot of talks, lectures and sermons from the internet.”

“You don’t like music?”

“I love music, but I listen to my music at home. And at my desk at work. Car-time is my daily bible-study time.”

“It doesn’t make you fall asleep?”

“You kidding?” Bruce laughed. “Nothing is more interesting, or important.”

Danny was quiet a moment. Then he said, “You know what I think’s the biggest problem with you Chris-tians?”

Bruce glanced over at Danny. He looked tense. “Not at all.”

“You’re always trying to ram it down everyone’s throat. All the time.”

They drove in silence until they got to town.

by Bernard S. Jansen5 minute fiction

A Lift Home

Bernard S. Jansen is 32, married has three young boys. He lives in Emerald, works as an engineer at a local coal mine and is active in his local church. Read more of Bernard’s writing online at surgebin.blogspot.com or email him at [email protected]

GOT AN IDEA FOR A STORY? Let Bernard know - email him at [email protected] or hop on his blog surgebin.blogspot.com


105th EDITION. 2011Off shifT

B a i t s h o p B a n t e rYEPPOON

IT is barra, barra, barra everywhere you look up and down the Capricorn Coast.

Adrian from The Secret Spot reports that Awoonga Dam (which is technically Glad-stone’s territory when it comes to fishing - not Yeppoon, but we’ll let him have it!) is fishing well, but downstream from the dam is fishing even better.

The dam overflowed with all the rain recently, and Adrian reckons that’s the first time there has been a good flow downstream since the dam was built back in the mid-80s.

“It’s been a good flush out and people are putting their boats in the Boyne Riv-er and fishing downstream of the wall, and they are catching plenty of barra,” he said.

Back on home turf, and the Roslyn Bay Marina is heaving with bait like greenback herring and prawns.

Adrian says he is selling casting nets hand over fist, and it’s not unusual for people to be catching six to eight kilos of prawns a night.

“They’re catching them at the Mari-na, the Causeway and anywhere with a

bit of run off.”While offshore fishing has been dicey with

the weather, there has been a lot of queen fish and trevally on the bottom of the tide.

There have also been reports of blue salmon and barra at Corio Bay.

“All these fish are new to the area and have been flushed out thanks to the floods,” said Adrian.

“So have your boat ready because when the weather does break it is going to be a fantastic season.”

It’s already a stellar season for crabs with Coorooman Creek, Thompsons Point on the Fitroy and Corio Bay all regularly pro-ducing to bag limits.

If you’ve got kids, trying heading to Hed-low Creek which is fishing ok, and produc-ing enough red claw for a decent feed.

GLADSTONETHE barra are out, but the fishing is patchy - according to Michael at the Complete Angler in Gladstone.

Unlike Adrian, Michael says not every-one is catching barra at Awoonga Dam or

downstream at Pikes Crossing.“The fish are there, but maybe people

are going at the wrong time or using the wrong lures,” he said.

“I don’t know what’s going on but from what I am hearing it is patchy.”

The same could not be said about banana prawns which are going off.

The harbour is squirming with them, although they are still fairly small - two to three weeks off being a good eating size.

“There are just tonnes and tonnes of them out there,” said Michael.

Crabbing is also excellent, with one cus-tomer nabbing 19 crabs out of 12 pots and all the usual haunts bringing in good results.

The weather is still making it tough to get offshore with 15-20 knot winds for the past fortnight.

“But the rain for all its drama is going to be excellent for fishing, all we need now is some settled weather to get out there and enjoy it!”

Some trivia - another one of Michael’s customers caught the biggest whiting he’d even seen in the local area - about 45 cms - in the Calliope River.

MACKAY“IT is just all over the shop at the moment, there’s almost no point giving you any tips at all!”

That was the sad declaration from Craig at Tackleworld Mackay.

Like further south, there has been good prawning and crabbing.

There have also been some fingermark around and a few barra starting to take the lure.

“The barras should start to fire up around Seaforth and north in the Prossy River and around St Helens,” said Craig.

Getting offshore has been pretty much impos-sible given all the cyclone action in the north.

“One day it rains here the next it’s not, so the creeks are pumping one minute and then quiet the next.”

“The outlook is getting better weath-erwise, and if you get out there have been some red emperor and trout out in the deeper waters.”

Gla

ds

to

ne

Ma

CK

aY

Gla

ds

to

ne

Ma

CK

aY

tide times Dec/JanMon 14 Tue 15 Wed 16 Thu 17 Fri 18 Sat 19 Sun 20

Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht

0608 3.76 0028 1.18 0125 0.89 0214 0.63 0259 0.42 0343 0.32 0426 0.35

1233 1.39 0700 4.08 0746 4.36 0829 4.56 0911 4.68 0952 4.69 1034 4.57

1836 3.16 1325 1.09 1410 0.80 1453 0.56 1535 0.38 1614 0.31 1654 0.36

1927 3.42 2012 3.67 2055 3.90 2137 4.08 2218 4.20 2302 4.22

0130 1.48 0222 1.08 0310 0.73 0357 0.44 0442 0.25 0526 0.20 0609 0.32

0757 5.22 0842 5.66 0924 6.03 1006 6.31 1047 6.45 1128 6.41 1210 6.17

1429 1.48 1514 1.11 1557 0.78 1639 0.51 1720 0.31 1800 0.24 1839 0.33

2015 4.36 2100 4.70 2144 5.01 2227 5.28 2310 5.50 2353 5.60

Mon 21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu 24 Fri 25 Sat 26 Sun 26

Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht Time Ht

0509 0.52 0555 0.82 0036 3.97 0134 3.76 0248 3.59 0420 3.57 0542 3.73

1117 4.32 1202 3.97 0646 1.18 0754 1.50 0926 1.66 1101 1.56 1210 1.33

1733 0.53 1812 0.80 1252 3.57 1353 3.21 1512 2.98 1650 2.98 1808 3.18

2347 4.14 1854 1.10 1950 1.39 2114 1.58 2254 1.56

0038 5.57 0123 5.41 0215 5.15 0321 4.89 0449 4.75 0625 4.91 0106 1.56

0654 0.63 0742 1.07 0837 1.55 0954 1.94 1141 2.01 1314 1.71 0737 5.22

1252 5.73 1339 5.17 1433 4.57 1549 4.08 1729 3.91 1904 4.11 1415 1.33

1918 0.57 2000 0.91 2051 1.31 2202 1.65 2339 1.75 2006 4.45

If you have a good photo or fishing yarn

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

Flash Flooding in CQWeeK 1 - A line of cloud moved over the south-ern Coalfields causing extreme intensive rain-fall from 5pm-10pm last Tuesday. (8th Feb). Woodleigh recorded 174mm, Theodore 170, Bar-alaba 123, Moura 115, Blackdown Tablelands 99 and Red Hill 83. The Dawson River at Baral-aba jumped 6m and peaked at 9m on Wednes-day - covering the bridge for the fourth time in as many months.

With the rain came a cooler comfortable gusty south easterly. Good for everyone except boaties! Warmer conditions return during the early part of the week as a low develops near New Caledo-nia. Coastal winds increase with showers Tues-day - which could drift west. Afternoon thundery showers are likely, mainly in the northern Coal-fields. Temperatures should feel warmer later in the week depending on the development of a low

in Monsoon Trough (MT). Winds look attractive in the south for the weekend boaties.

WeeK 2 - The Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has been a great predictor of the above average La Nina this summer. It has sat at record levels above +20 for most of the summer (except for a dip in Novem-ber). Now it sits on +21 with the MT trough in the north ready to move south later this month. Tropical Cyclone “Carlos” could be a West Australian then we may claim “Diane” as a Queenslander. Or will a cousin of “Yasi” appear? So more sultry temper-atures with the odd afternoon storm for the fourth week of February, in the Coalfields. If the pressures fall to low values (1003-999hap) then the rainfalls could be into triple figures. There has been around 8-10 cars carried away in flashed flooded creeks since September. Boaties rushing to the coast be wary of crossing creeks when this occurs.

YOuR WEATHER FORECASTWith Mike Griffin


Long before a drug-fuelled footballer had it inked across his torso, the phrase ‘Such is Life’ took on a slightly more nostalgic feel.

When bucket headed bandit Ned Kelly uttered his immortal last words before the gallows, little did he know he would shape Australian popular culture for decades to come.

To some, the Kelly gang were nothing but common criminals; cold-blooded cop killers who eventually got their just deserves.

To others – most others it seems – Ned was the original Aussie battler; a symbol of defi-ance for the downtrodden and the damned.

And Glenrowan – where the boys in blue finally caught up with Australia’s most famous bushrangers – is determined to pre-serve his memory... by any means possible.

The famous Inn where the infamous last stand unfolded is long gone; howev-er, strange wooden carvings depicting all of the characters that played out that fateful day remain, paying a strange homage to our departed friend.

I’m sure ol’ Ned would probably have something to say about his timber likeness.

But it doesn’t stop there.Quite a few cafes, bakeries and eateries

line the streets of Glenrowan with all man-ner of culinary tributes – ranging from Kel-ly’s pies to Ned’s chicken nuggets - lining the shelves.

But surely the jewel in Glenrowan’s crown is the 30 foot statue of Ned decked out in his instantly recognisable armour.

The giant likeness garners thousands of snap happy tourists – myself included – every year.

Australians have long had a fascination with giant land marks; be they natural (see Ayers Rock, The Great Barrier Reef, Bungle Bungles) or man made (see banana, pineap-ple, prawn, trout, koala and of course big Ned).

It is simply not good enough to com-memorate one of history’s great characters with literature, art or music, in Australia they need to be enlarged and recreated with copi-ous amounts of fibreglass, timber and steel.

The big fella takes pride of place on Glenrowan’s main street… and it seems the locals wouldn’t have it any other way.

Such is life I suppose!

Back in August, former Shift Miner staffer Lincoln “Linx” Bertoli decided to ditch the comforts of a steady pay packet and go and live the dream. Lucky bugger. For the rest of us stuck working to earn our keep in this cruel world, Linx will now taunt us with a regular column in “Off Shift”. If you can’t be there yourself, you might as well live vicariously through someone else... and just hope something unfortunate happens to him out there on the open road...

Off shifT

BIG NED: The pride of

Glenrowan

B a i t s h o p B a n t e r

When bucket headed bandit Ned Kelly uttered his immortal last words before the gallows,

little did he know he would shape Australian popular

culture for decades to come.

YOuR WEATHER FORECAST

MAGNETIC ISLANDLUXURY APARTMENTSFully self contained private apartments.

For more information call us on 1300 679 559 or visit

www.magneticislansapartments.com.au

FISHING PARADISE

FOUNDCalling all serious fisherman to the best fishing

location on the coast. Close to mining areas (You have probably driven

past the turn-off!)Fully s/c accommodation silly season & 2011

Crew bookings available

Phone: 49373145email: [email protected]

web: www.stanagebay.com




Proudly Audited by


Larger than life!

The boys in blue keeping a

sharp eye on the Kelly gang


105th EDITION. 2011YOur healTh

Serves 4

Rogan Josh is a popular Indian style curry, not just for it’s fl avour but because it’s simple and easy to prepare at home. This style of curry is commonly made with lamb however, if your not a fan of lamb, beef is still a tasty altarnative. Serve with warm naan bread, minted yogurt and freshly sliced cucumber.

INGREDIENTS:

800g lamb cut into 1cm pieces1 onion fi nely chopped1 can of chopped tomatoes1/2 cup of plain yoghurt1/2 cup mint leaves, shredded2 cups of basmati rice 1 tsp olive oil 2 tbsp rogan josh curry pasteSalt and pepper to seasonNaan breadMinted yoghurtSliced cucumber

METHOD:

Put one teaspoon of oil in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to saucepan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until browned. Remove the lamb from the saucepan and set aside.Add onion and garlic to saucepan and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add lamb and tinned tomatoes. Cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until lamb is tender.

Stir in plain yogurt and mint. Remove the saucepan from heat and serve with naan bread, minted yoghurt and cucumber.

Zest Eatery Open 4.00pm to 8.00pm daily

Lamb Rogan Josh

COPPABELLA | DYSART | MIDDLEMOUNT | MORANBAH | NEBO

1300 622 222themac.com.au

For those too busy or embarrassed to ask the important questions about their healthEXPERT ADVICE

Tammy Farrell is a registered nurse, nutritionist and author of ‘The Real Man’s Toolbox – A DIY Health Manual for Men’. Tammy grew up in the Hunter Valley with two brothers in the local coal mines. In 2007, she started to give health talks in the Hunter, and that’s when she began compiling the book, helping hundreds of men answer questions about their bodies.

Exercise... interesting word, hey?

What does that word mean to

you? Many of us assume exercise

is popping on the gym gear and

joggers and slogging it out until

we can barely breath – well, that

can sound more like torture for

many of us, rather than exercise.

Exercise should be any activi-ty you enjoy to do, which has the ability to get your heart pump-ing, your muscles switched on and your endorphins (happy hor-mones) flowing.

Exercise can be anything from mowing the lawn, golf, gardening, walking, jogging, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, swimming, water aerobics, aerobic classes, personal training, cycling, spin classes, water skiing, surfing, hiking, snow skiing, you name it, if you enjoy it, get into it.

We speak to too many people who tend not to do ANY exercise because they don’t like it, but maybe it is time to work out what

you do enjoy and aim to alternate

a few exercises and commit to it

up to five times per week.

Ideally, it is important to mix up

your exercise sessions through-

out your week in order to use a

variety of aerobic activity (great

for your heart health) and weight

resistant exercises (switching on

those muscles).

These two types of exercises

will help to improve fitness, and

increase your metabolism, result-

ing in weight loss and weight

maintenance, not to mention the

benefits it has on your bone health

for the long term, helping to mini-

mise your risk of osteoporosis.

Commit to a time in your day that

you know you can exercise, and

start feeling the benefits!

Remember to write in any ques-

tions you may have for the Core

Health team for upcoming articles.

So get moving, and to stay healthy,

stay informed.


105th EDITION. 2011MOTOr spOrTs

WHAT would you pay for a set of plates? Would you pay more for your plates

than your car?Well it appears some people would, with

a New South Wales number plate “1999” selling for $40,000 at the Shannon’s Classic Car auction in Sydney last week.

That was the second highest auction price paid all day - and that includes the cars that went under the hammer!

Despite selling for $40,000, Shannons senior auction advisor Ian Clayton said the buyer probably got a good deal.

“That`s cheap, number plate prices are down at the moment,” he said.

“We have sold number 6 in the past for $900,000.”

Mr Clayton said the number plates game is like collecting rare stamps - it was all about supply and demand and there are

only a fixed number of plates in circulation.“Everyone likes to have very tiny

number plates, but the single digit number plates were issued around 1915,” he said.

“Plates from one to nine - well God

knows what one would be worth, but number nine would sell for up to $900,000.”

Mr Clayton said the more digits the less you pay for number plates.

For three digit plates you are looking around the $100,000 mark; for four digit plates around the $40,000 mark and for five digit plates around the $20,000 mark.

But if you just remembered that old three digit number plate propping up some-thing in the shed, there is a catch.

The plates have to be legitimately usa-ble as official registration plates to have any great value.

“We get a lot of people phoning us say-ing they have got number 63 they found at the tip or something, but all they are worth is $200 to $500 on ebay,” Mr Clayton said.

“What brings the money is the plates that have the rights to display, which means they have to either have been continually in use, or someone has paid $50 a year to put them on hold with the roads and traffic authority.”

How much a plate sells for also depends on what numbers are on them.

The number eight is very popular because it is considered good luck amongst the Chinese, while numbers that are bal-anced are also very popular, like 4004.

The value of plates is also different from state to state.

Prices for plates are a bit cheaper in Queensland, because there are fewer peo-ple in the state.

Interestingly, in the United States - the

home of the car - the market isn’t as strong.Other notable results at the auction were

a 1967 Ford Mustang Coupe which sold for $28,000, a Jaguar E - type Coupe built in in 1968 that sold for $52,000 and Fiat Dino Coupe from 1972 which sold for $34,000.

The 1967 E - type Jaguar sold in line with expectations for $24,000.

The four-speed manual E-type, had been in the same ownership since 1975.

The original RHD car was delivered new to the UK market and was comprehensively overhauled in 1978 when the odometer clicked over the 100,000-mile (160,000km) mark.

In the process, the car’s engine, gearbox and clutch were all rebuilt, the space frame repainted and the front suspension restored.

Since then it has seen little use, laying dormant in garage storage for 10 years and only covering 36,000 miles (58,000km) in the last 33 years.

A number of cars were however passed it reflecting some softness in the classic car market.

“Yes there has been a general softness in the market in the last couple of months,” Mr Clayton said.

“Maybe people are looking to the upcoming elections, I don’t know.”

“We had the peak back in 2007, at that time we were selling Ford Falcon GTHO Phase 3 for more than $800,000, but now they are selling for around $300,000, so you have got to know what your doing if your investing in cars.”

Serious 4WD Tyres!Mickey Thompson, the motor racing legend, holds more racing records than anyone on earth. Now his revolutionary 4WD tyres come in Australia’s largest range of speciality sizes.

ATZ ATZ 4 RIB MTZ CLAW

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To find out more about the legendary range of Mickey Thompson Tires, call Tyrepower Rockhampton, your 4WD suspention & Alignment specialists

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Does the plate maketh the car?

The most expensive plate in the world $US14.3 million in Abu Dhabi

This 1967 Jaguar E Type 4.2 series sold for $24,000

This Fiat Dino 2400 coupe sold for $34,000


105th EDITION. 2011MONeY MaTTers

FLOOD insurance in the future might be simpler to understand but harder to get, as an Australia-wide review of home and business insurance is undertaken after the recent wet weather.

A farmer on the Central Highlands has told Shift Miner he had been informed by his insur-ers that all further cover was being cancelled.

In this case the insurer was not reneging on existing claims, but rather making a decision not to provide insurance of this type in the future.

The flood insurance in question was only partial insurance for some farm infrastruc-ture that was recently affected by floods.

The great majority of the damage caused on the farm was not insured, or insurable.

While many people will have very fond feelings toward their insurers who have paid up on time and in full, some people have made the terrible discovery after the floods that they were not covered.

In some cases, houses were insured against flash flooding but not river flooding.

In other situations people’s home and contents insurance just simply did not cov-er the cost of flood damage, which could be the fault of either the insurer or the person taking out the policy.

Those of you who have insurance will be familiar with the mountain of paperwork that follows a decision to insure.

While undoubtedly there does need to be some paper trail, cynics might say that it is easier to hide the devil in the detail of an insurance policy, when it arrives in a 40-page document.

And it is this detail that is going to be the basis of a federal government review into insurance.

Last week the assistant treasurer, Bill Shorten, met with the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) in Sydney.

While nothing has been set in stone, there has been an agreement to introduce a stand-ard definition of “flood insurance” and to make sure policies are written in simpler language.

“I think everyone who owns a home and contents and insurance policy knows that a lot of the fine print is very hard to deci-pher,” Mr Shorten said.

“When tragedy strikes, as it has with the floods, many people are left scrambling to wonder if they are adequately insured for the flood or event that has just occurred.”

“It is not acceptable in the future not to have standard definitions... so people know what they’ve bought and what they haven’t bought.”

Automotive bodies have also pushed for the review to include insurance on motor vehicles.

Mark BrowningE: [email protected]: 0406 318 973A: 28 Mein StHendra QLD 4011

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Insurers cancel policies in wake of floods

“When tragedy strikes, as it has with the floods, many people are left scrambling to wonder if they

are adequately insured for the flood or event that has just occurred.”


105th EDITION. 2011MONeY MaTTers

2011 could be a mixed year for the commer-cial real estate sector in Mackay with min-ing businesses shrugging off the uncertainty of 2010, but the retail sector facing a possi-ble oversupply.

Frank Knight Mackay principal, Bill Doughty, said a handful of mining compa-nies had made final investment decisions this year for new floor space in the Paget industrial area.

“Since we have come back after Christ-mas there seems to be more certainty in the market,” he said.

“Three months before Christmas things were very patchy, people knew they had to make a decision but they were just holding off.”

Mr Doughty said three of four business-es had now made the decision to move for-ward; however, recent flooding throughout the Bowen Basin had affected the cash flow and confidence of local businesses.

“One would think that when production returns to normal there is going to be lots of production with higher prices,” he said.

Design builds - where developers build to specification for clients - is a growth area in the commercial market.

In those arrangements, long term leas-es or buy back agreements are signed at the outset.

“One of our guys for example, looks after the Gateway project at Paget and we currently have five design-builds either completed or under construction,”

said Mr Doughty. “It is a bit of a niche market, but by set-

ting up such an arrangement the developer is happy because he can build with less risk.”

“The tenant is happy because they get the exact building they want built, and the banks are happy because they have more certainty about the viability of the building.”

“To boot, if anyone has had the pleasure of dealing with council, the tenant can avoid that too.”

Elsewhere in the commercial sector, the construction of a number of expanded or new retail precincts could see rents for retail space fall in Mackay.

“The new Myer being built at Canelands will include about 100 new retail shops,” he said.

“At the same time we have new retail space being built at Mount Pleas-ant mall and other Northern Beaches developments.”

“ I guess Canelands probably think they have got the ace card.”

“It is a big regional shopping centre and with Myer in there, it certainly will be a draw card.”

“But if [Canelands] are charging $1000 a square metre say, and someone else can get it for $700 or $800 at one of the other retail developments or even in the city cen-tre, there will be some shuffling of chairs - so to speak.”

“I think rental rates will have to come back.”

“Since we have come back after Christmas there seems to be

more certainty in the market.”

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SM105_Shift Miner Magazine