SM125_Shift Miner Magazine

SHIFT MINERMonday 21st November 125th 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

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NewsJobs safe despite Moranbah North collapse » page 4

NewsFIFO pushes airport upgrades » page 6

NewsXstrata, Wandoan agree on buffer » page 9

FeatureMining accommodation in 2012 & beyond » page 11

LadderBechtel seeks 400 adult apprentices » page 10

Around TownChristmas celebrations begin » page 18

Money MattersCQ rental rates at all time low » page 30

Locally Owned and Operated - www.shiftminer.com

SHIFT work is nothing new for central Queensland mining and construction workers, but a controversial 28-days-on, seven-days-off roster has sparked anger in the region.

Shift Miner Magazine has received reports from concerned workers that construction giant Bechtel will introduce the new month-on week-off roster at Bowen Basin sites from January 2.

Bechtel is running most of BMA’s key expansion projects in the region, including at the Daunia, Caval Ridge, Broadmeadow and South Walker Creek mine sites.

“No-one is happy about it, they are losing guys hand over fist - and more will follow,” one contractor said.

“No-one with a family wants to work those shifts, and if they did, they might as well work in WA and earn more cash.”

Bechtel employees currently work on a 10-day-on four-day-off roster.

A spokesperson for the company says no changes to that roster have been finalised.

“It is, however, a matter of fact that a 28/7 roster falls well within out fatigue manage-ment guidelines since it means that no-one would work more than six days without a day’s break,” she said.

» continued page 8

A cracker day at the Moranbah North Mine Cup races » Page 27

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Page 3 - Shift Miner Magazine, 21st November 2011

125th EDITION. 2011

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TIP: Serve with creamy mash potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

CONTENTS

Food and shelter - the two most basic needs for all humans.

For many of you reading this, a sig-nificant part of your life takes place away from home in Single Person Quarters (SPQs) - or camps as they were known in the days before polit-ical correctness.

To be fair, the camps of old are a long way from the SPQs of today - so perhaps a change in name was justified.

This edition we cast a close eye over the trends and directions in accommodation for miners and indus-trial workers.

Gone are the days when mining companies built houses for all their workers to live nearby.

SPQs are the fastest growing

accommodation category, with huge new facilities under construction from Collinsville in the north to Gladstone in the south.

So what sort of standards do work-ers expect in accommodation as we approach 2012 - and what exactly is on offer?

These are some of the questions we answer in our special “Directions in Living” feature, which starts on page 11.

Feel free to give us your feedback.Closely linked to accommodation

is rosters - and some new shifts being put forward in mining areas have some workers extremely unhappy.

So find some shelter from the ele-ments, sit back and enjoy this edition of Shift Miner Magazine.

FROM THE EDITOR26

Alex Graham

24

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20 STUFF TO THE EDITOR

21 FRANK THE TANK’S LOVE ADVICE

23 PUZZLES

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28 MONEY MATTER

NEWS 4 Brisbane v Perth Mining competition heats up

6 Salt shock Demographer off balance with FIFO

7 Hot deal Chile brings in Mackay business

13 Donga tax? How to cater for growth

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18


125th EDITION. 2011NEwS

Contractor jobs safe despite collapseNO mine workers or contractors at Moran-bah North underground mine will be out of work in the lead up to Christmas, despite a roof collapse stopping production.

No-one was injured when a large sec-tion of roof gave way in an exit tunnel at the Anglo American site on November 14.

An investigation is now under way into its cause, and mine managers have been in talks with both the inspectorate and the unions.

While there is no official time frame on how long it will take to get back to produc-tion, sources have told the WINO it might not be until at least mid-January.

A spokesperson for Anglo American has confirmed Moranbah North employees will continue to work during the recovery period.

However, there will be changes for about 100 Mastermyne contractors.

While the majority of contractors will also stay on at the mine in the short term, about 30 will be found work at other Mastermyne-run sites.

CFMEU vice president Steve Pierce said both Anglo American and Master-myne had done the right thing by staff and found a sensible solution.

“At this point in time Mastermyne is

confident they can place those 30 workers in other jobs temporarily so no-one will be without work in the lead up to Christmas.”

Mr Pierce said the move to protect staff mirrored the tight labour market.

“They realise they need to keep these peo-ple within the company, because they have spent a lot of time and money training them.”

“They don’t want to let them go, because when they need them again they

might not want to come back.”Mr Pierce said it was a good outcome

for everyone.“It is showing loyalty to the workforce

that has shown loyalty to the company.”

A SKILLS shortages study carried out on behalf of Brisbane City Council has high-lighted the competition for resource sector jobs between the city and Perth.

The Brisbane Window of Opportunity study was carried out by consultants at the direction of Lord Mayor Graham Quirk after the Asia Pacific Cities Summit con-ference in the river city.

It showed Brisbane and Perth would be in competition to attract special-ist jobs in the mining industry along with major overseas centres.

“With the growth and urbanisation of

Asian economies requiring an unprece-dented demand for resources, Brisbane, Perth and other global cities will now be in direct competition to attract resource sec-tor talent and investment,” the study read.

The report also left no doubt that doing nothing was not an option if Bris-bane is to grow its jobs market and opportunities for residents.

“Brisbane has to compete with Perth, we’re competing with Singapore, we’re competing with Seattle, we’re com-peting with Shenzen, places like that,” report steering committee chairman

Ian Klug told media.He added that the 340,000 new

jobs the report said we required in the next 10 years simply reflected the demand from industry.

Brisbane has a staggering 177 registered mining companies based there according to Austrade figures and that almost three-quarters of the world’s new mining tech-nology is being generated from Brisbane.

Not surprisingly the report described the city as a world leading min-ing and resources hub which provid-ed headquarters to many of the world’s

leading mining and energy companies.The report stated the city’s workforce

needed to grow by about 340,000 - more than a third - in 10 years if it was to com-pete with other Australian cities, Singapore and China.

Nearly 200,000 of those jobs will be managers or professionals.

Brisbane City Council is now working on an action plan and timeline to deliver on the report.

The report also suggested stronger ties be made with China and India and less of a reliance on tourism.

Brisbane faces off with Perth for jobs: study

THE roof collapse at Moranbah North underground mine is the third in two years in the same section of the mine.

On November 14 a 10-metre wide by five-metre high section collapsed in the second exit route from the mine.

By law, all underground coal mines must have two exit routes, and so with the sec-ond exit blocked all production at the mine was instantly stopped.

CFMEU safety representative Chris Gilbert

said it was extremely lucky no-one was hurt.“What’s most concerning is that this has

now happened three times - twice within 12 months.”

“The workforce is extremely concerned, and after this last one their confidence is dropping and that is understandable.”

Mine owner Anglo American described the collapse as a slump - but Mr Gilbert disputes that and said it was a sudden fall of ground.

But he said Anglo had been following all

the correct procedures in the recovery effort.“There is pressure to get the mine up and

operating and that is understandable,” he said.“But Anglo needs to look back through

its investigations, find out the cause of this problem and implement controls to stop it happening again.”

“Without those controls in place, this is a recipe for disaster.”

Mr Gilbert said the fact there had now been three collapses meant the controls previously put in place were not adequate.

“After the third one you’d really have to a good hard look at what is going wrong,” he said.

“It will be interesting to see how far they go and how much extra support they will put in to stop it from happening again.”

Third collapse in two years

“The workforce is extremely concerned, and after this last one their confidence is

dropping and that is understandable.” Text us your thoughts on 0428 154 653


125th EDITION. 2011

Explorers pulled towards gravity dataGRAVITY data for the Galilee Basin has been updated for the first time in over 50 years. The data is used to locate potential mineral and energy resources by providing a picture of the density of underground rock formations. DEEDI senior geoscientist Bernie Stockill said 100,000 square kilometres of the basin were surveyed earlier this year. The gravity data is available from the GSQ sales centre located at Level 10, 119 Charlotte St, Brisbane or online at [email protected]...................................................................

Peabody execs move to BrisbaneUS coal giant Peabody Energy will move two of its top executives to Brisbane, as the company’s Australian business grows stronger. While the company’s world headquarters will remain in St Louis, the office of chief operating officer, headed by Eric Ford, will move down under. Peabody’s group executive of project development Kemal Williamson will also be based in Brisbane. The move follows Peabody’s $4.9 billion take over of Macarthur Coal earlier this year....................................................................

Machine imports rise in SeptemberTHE volume of machinery imported into Australia jumped by 16 per cent in September, according to the Skelton Sherborne shipping index. In total, 3663 pieces were imported during the month. The number of crushers imported rose by 69 per cent, compared with August figures, and other earth moving machines were up by 120 per cent. Tracked cranes were also up by more than 230 per cent. ...................................................................

QR National hauls more Curragh coalQR National has signed a new long-term haulage contract with Wesfarmers Curragh mine to move coal to the new Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal near Gladstone. The new contract will see up to 1.5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) hauled. It means that from mid-2014, QR National will be contracted to move up to 10 mtpa of coal from the expanded Curragh mine to ports near Gladstone - as it already moves 8.5 mtpa to the RG Tanna Coal Terminal and Barney Point Coal Terminal.

FAST NEWS

NEwS

THE operating costs of Stanmore Coal’s proposed thermal project in the Surat Basin have been slashed with the discovery of clean coal that will not need to be washed.

Stanmore Coal has just completed its pre-feasibility for The Range project, which is located 25 kilometres south-east of the Wandoan township.

The study considered both owner min-ing and contractor mining options to pro-duce five million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) over a mine life of 26 years.

At this stage, the company would prefer to use a contractor to run the mine, but the final decision will depend on lead times for key machinery and how Stanmore chooses to fund the project.

The outlay costs for the project have ris-en by $50 million to include a conveyor sys-tem for transporting coal from the mine site to the Surat Basin Rail.

This conveyor system replaces the haul road previously planned to transport coal, and is expected to reduce operating costs and lower the risk of disruption during floods.

The cost of the project is broken down into the following: $134 million for a coal handling and preparation plant; $120 for sur-

face infrastructure; $113 million for a con-veyer and rail loop; $101 million for a mining fleet and $37 million in contingency funds.

That brings the total set up costs to just over $500 million for an owner-operator mine, and $400 million for a contractor-run project (which excludes the cost of the mining fleet).

The pre-feasibility study has found the oper-ating costs of the mine - including rail and port costs - would be $71.9 per tonne for owner-op-erator and $81.7 per tonne for contract mining.

Those costs are down considerably from previous estimates due to the introduction of the conveyor system and the identifica-tion of extensive seams of clean coal that will not need to be washed.

The project will be a truck and shovel operation using 800t class excavators and a fleet of 345t rear ultraclass dump trucks.

The initial workforce of 400 people will live either in houses in Wandoan or in vil-lage accommodation in the town.

Mining is expected to begin in 2015, ram-

ping up to full production in 2017.Stanmore’s managing director Nick Jorss

said he was pleased with the improvements in the project’s economics.

“Whilst the project is robust we have identified several areas for assessment with the potential for further improvements ahead of mine construction commencing in 2013,” he said.

“The project is receiving a high level of interest from potential joint venture and off-take funding partner.”

Operating costs down for Stanmore

“The outlay costs for the project have risen by $50 million to include a conveyor system...”


125th EDITION. 2011

AIRPORTS across Queensland will be upgraded next year as the competition for lucrative fly-in fly-out mining market heats up.

Speaking at the Australian Airports Association national convention in Bris-

bane last week, the organisation’s execu-tive director Caroline Wilkie said fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) demand had brought a range of challenges to the industry.

“As an industry we are also coming to grips with how to keep pace with the grow-

ing demands of the mining sector to meet the needs of the fly in-fly out market,” she told delegates.

“FIFO will be a focus for many airports in the year to come with major runway and terminal upgrades required to meet the size of the aircraft flying into mine site run-ways and regional aerodromes.”

The Whitsunday Coast airport has announced it is planning to develop a new Townsville-to-Whitsunday Coast-to-Mo-ranbah route and wants to add an over-night service from Brisbane.

Increasing FIFO services at the airport is one of five key priorities in the five-year strategic plan just adopted by the local council.

The Gold Coast airport is developing a FIFO terminal in conjunction with the Gold Coast City Council in a bid to attract more resource workers to the glitter strip.

Ms Wilkie’s comments were made a day after QANTAS boss Alan Joyce said the FIFO sector was “top of the radar screen” in the flying kangaroo’s domestic market.

He confirmed to media that 10 new planes would be directed to service FIFO sectors.

“In a big capital commitment we will

have 10 additional aircraft over the next 18 months to build up our core presence in that sector,” Mr Joyce said.

The company is also in talks with all major mining companies, including BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, to ensure miners and their workers are satisfied with the air-line and what it offers.

“We can offer incentives for the fly-in, fly-out business accounts. A lot of those miners are members of the Qantas Club,” Mr Joyce added.

“So we see this as a segment that Qan-tas is interested in maximising its share in and we are investing very heavily in peo-ple and aircraft and resources.”

“We believe it will be extremely profita-ble as we go forward.”

He added that the numbers using serv-ices to mining towns and the projected increase in FIFO in the short-term meant discounted tickets were possible on central Queensland routes.

Meanwhile, Alliance Airlines, a major FIFO provider which operates 25 planes is investigating capital raising options includ-ing a public float.For more related articles see page 13

FIFO means airport upgrades, cheap flights

NEwS

DEMOGRAPHER Bernad Salt has become the face of Australian trends.

As a partner with KPMG he spends much of his time commenting to media, government and industry about what Aus-tralians are doing by choice or necessity.

That’s when he’s not crunching the num-bers and statistics that prove it.

From tree change to sea change to yup-pies to the man drought - he’s seen it all.

Until now.The rapid expansion of Australian’s fly-

in-fly-out workforce caught even this expe-rienced society watcher by surprise.

This month, at the launch of the Isaac Regional Council’s report into the impact of FIFO on their town and the need for plan-ning around key services, Mr Salt admitted he was unaware of the scale of FIFO until he took a closer look.

He said Australia was experiencing a third major wave of population movement away from inland centres to the coast.

“It is almost like Australia is saying we don’t want to live in rural and regional and remote Australia any more,” he said.

Bucking the trend though are mining centres using FIFO workforces - and the

Bowen and Surat Basins are emerging as one of the most critical areas in Australia based on the numbers.

In the KPMG report presented to coun-cil this week, Mr Salt found there were already almost 20,000 FIFO workers in the region, and that number would grow by at least 8000 a year for the next two years.

“In 2006 we had not heard of FIFO in that census,” he said.

In 2011 it will be the most important figure and re-define how we relate to the interior of Australia.”

Bearing the brunt of the influx are health workers and police.

Mr Salt said an extra 44 GPs, 235 nurs-es and 72 police were already needed to restore the balance - and more would be required to match future growth.

The report also pointed to the need for the construction of a health care centre.

“The mining community has been quite generous in what they have provided,” he said, reading a list of donations.

“But a health care centre that would make a greater contribution (in the future).”

Mr Salt said it was time for govern-ment and industry to work with council to address the issue.

Bernard Salt shocked by speed of FIFO growth

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ONE phone call has led to a Mackay-based environmental firm starting up an agency in Chile and the possibility of work at more than 200 Latin American mine sites.

“It was serendipitous,” said Integrated Environmental Services Australia (IESA) Jack Riddell about the chain of events.

“We had a phone call about a heap lea-chate system that is used for extracting cop-per and gold from ore.”

“We developed the technology about 10 years ago and while the practise is not used in Australia anymore it is still standard in Latin America.”

“One of Chile’s big copper mines asked if we were interested in putting in a system for them.”

Mr Riddell mentioned the phone call in passing to his local AusTrade represent-ative, who suggested he attend an Export Week breakfast in Mackay with Queens-land Trade Commissioner to the Americas Chris Rodwell.

“I explained to Chris that what we wanted to do was not set up an office ourselves, but find a Chilean company and train them to do it.”

“That fitted hand-in-glove with the trade mission.”

“Before I knew what was happening, I was invited on a trade mission, and was en route to Chile with the Premier.”

Mr Riddell met with senior mining exec-utives at BHP and Xstrata - among others - and had round table discussions with a com-pany wanting to act as IESA’s agent in Chile.

“In a few weeks we will announce a joint venture,” he said.

“We will be providing the technical sup-port and training and source the hardware if they can’t find it in Chile.”

There are now between 160 and 200 mine sites in Chile, Columbia and Peru all interested in using the IESA technology.

“All of this through one inquiry.”“We thought the leachate business had

died and gone away because we don’t use it any more in Australia, but we walk into Latin America and there are 200 potential clients.”

The company is also quoting on the mon-itoring for Chile’s first coal mine in Patagonia.

“It would be looking after the whole lot, dust and ground water monitoring and assessing the environmental impacts.”

“The mine is near a world heritage area so extreme sensitivity needs to be applied.”

“That’s why we’re such a good fit, we

have the expertise here in Queensland because of the standards applied in relation to the Great Barrier Reef.”

“The whole go ahead of the mine hinges on whether they are going to be able to car-ry out the monitoring properly.”

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It’s understood every six days in the 28-on roster a rest day would be imposed.

“This just stinks,” said one contractor.“I know plenty of blokes in Brisbane

and on the Gold Coast who would love to work up here, but they won’t do this roster because it would destroy their families.”

Long shifts have not traditionally been a part of the Queensland mining land-scape, but they have been commonplace in Western Australia and offshore oil and gas jobs for many years.

Perth-based recruitment specialist Jody Elliott said three-week-on one-week-off rosters were standard for any major con-struction jobs in WA.

“I suspect this will become more of a trend in Queensland for several reasons,” she said.

“Firstly, construction usually offer short-er tenure - meaning people earn more to work a more intense period of time.”

“It works for people who want to get in, get out and make some money.”

“I also suspect that given the sheer vol-ume of people needed to run these projects in Queensland, from a rostering perspec-

tive long stints help with flights and accom-modation.”

Ms Elliott said she thought Queensland would start to look more like WA in the years to come.

“I think generally speaking there will be more consistency with what goes on in WA, regarding an increasing FIFO pres-ence and rosters.”

“Queensland has no choice but to look at other alternatives or they won’t get the jobs done.”

Alicia Ranford runs the Mining Family Matters website, which provides an online forum for FIFO families.

She says a change in roster can be dif-ficult for families when they have already established a rhythm.

“People need to constantly reassess their roster, and whether it is working for them,” she said.

“The biggest issue we see with FIFO workers is keeping communication and con-nection with children, family and friends.”

“This can be difficult the longer you are away.”

But Ms Ranford said different rosters suited different families.

“One really good thing about the resources industry at the moment is that

there are many options available to you.”“So if a roster isn’t working, you can

reassess even if that means a move or a change in jobs.”

“No-one is happy about it, they are losing guys hand over fist - and more will follow.”

IN 1971, US mining giant Utah built the first houses that would become home to its Goonyella mine workers, and the town of Moranbah was born.

Twelve months later, newlyweds Noel and Lyn Busk moved to town.

“It was an adventure,” Lyn recalls.“We’d only been married three weeks, and

we moved into a caravan at first before settling into a brand new three-bedroom low set house.”

Forty years later, and there are three generations of Busks living in Moranbah - the town they proudly call home.

“Our three kids live here and work at the mines and eight of our nine grand kids are here too,” says Lyn.

A genuine affection for the community is

what prompted Lyn, through her role with the Moranbah Traders Association, to make sure the town celebrated its 40th birthday in style.

The past 12 months have been extreme-ly difficult for local businesses and residents who are worried about sky rocketing rents and the future of the town.

But next weekend, from Friday 25 through to Sunday 27 those concerns will be put aside and the achievements of the small mining community will be celebrated instead.

It’s hoped former residents will make the trek back to the Bowen Basin for the three days of festivities - that includes town and mine tours, the Catholic Fair, Sunday mar-kets, a cake cutting ceremony and a concert by Graeme Connors in the town square.

The $25,000 needed to put on the con-cert has been raised - not by big business - but by small local traders.

“I sat down one Friday afternoon and started the ring around and I had $17,500 within a few hours,” said Lyn.

By the following week $23,500 had been collected.“That just shows how passionate our

community is, when businesses realised it was our birthday that they darn tootin’ right we should be celebrating.”

All in all, 23 local businesses chipped in donations ranging from $200 to $5000.

“They are the sort of people we have in this town, generous people who want to see Moranbah grow and continue to be a great place for families,” said Lyn.

Graeme Connors to sing happy 40th to MoranbahMoranbah is turning40And you’reinvited!Three days of fun from Friday 25, 26, 27 November

FRIDay• StJoseph’sCatholicFair-5pm

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• BMaminetour-8am• Clarky’sBusestowntour-9am• Cuttingofthecake ceremony-11am

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FROM PAGE 1

Long shifts touch down in Bowen Basin


125th EDITION. 2011

Graeme Connors to sing happy 40th to Moranbah

NEwS

Xstrata breaks through on bufferAN agreement has been struck between the Wandoan community and Xstrata Coal over a buffer zone for mining operations at the massive Wandoan mine.

The community had been pushing for a two kilometre buffer zone from the edge of town, but earlier this year Xstrata was given approval from the Queensland government to mine within two kilometres from the cen-tre of town.

Residents were concerned that under that arrangement there would be signifi-cant noise and dust effects on houses on the edge of town that could be just 600 metres from mining operations.

But now the company has met directly with residents and agreed to settle on a two kilometre buffer zone from the edge of town.

President of the Wandoan Chamber of Commerce, Ray Mortimer, said the agree-ment came after residents decided to bypass the Co-ordinator General’s office and deal directly with Xstrata.

“We have worked with Xstrata and got more than most mining communities have got,” he said.

“We originally tried to do the negotia-tions through Co-ordinator General’s office, but we just kept hitting a brick wall.”

“In the end the liaison committee, head-ed by Bill Blackley, went straight to the top of Xstrata, and told Bill McKinstrey what our issues were.”

“Bill came out to the meetings, he sat down, we shook hands and we went through it bit by bit, and told him what we wanted and were prepared to accept.”

“Most of what we wanted we got.”“We found the negotiation very fruitful,

and the council is now in a position to sign off on it.”

Further to settling on an expanded buff-er zone, Xstrata has set aside $1million to plant trees within the buffer zone.

The company will also offer free “first flush” technology to households that use rain water tanks.

The technology, when installed on a rain water tank, significantly reduces the amount of airborne contaminants in drinking water.

The decision is a another major step for Xstrata Coal, which has plans to redefine large scale coal mining at Wandoan.

The first stage of the proposal would see an open cut drag-line mine capable of pro-ducing 30 million tonnes of coal a year set up. Production would eventually increase to 100 million tonnes a year.

MONTHS after they first flew in, Moran-bah’s latest FIFO arrivals are only just start-ing to fly out.

The town’s bat population exploded recently when more than 5000 little red fly-ing foxes took up roost on the corner of Mills Avenue and Clements Street.

But in good news for residents, the migratory creatures appear to be on the move again.

“They are on their way out now,” said Isaac regional mayor Cedric Marshall.

“There were 5000 of them, but the num-bers are dropping.”

“They came chasing the eucalypt flowers,

but now the food has gone they will start to disappear.”

Council and the Department of Environ-ment and Resource Management (DERM) have been carefully monitoring the colony for months.

Given the pesky FIFOs will soon be on the move again, council has decided there is no need to take action to force them on their way.

“Numbers are definitely dropping,” said Cr Marshall.

“Hopefully this trend will continue over the coming weeks as they move off to seek out other food sources.”

Paul “Fatty” Vautin

New arrivals turn Moranbah batty


CONSTRUCTION giant Bechtel will put on 400 adult apprentices as a crucial part of its workforce building three LNG plants in Gladstone.

In what is one of Australia’s largest sin-gle uptakes of apprentices, the program will allow the new workers to gain full trade qual-ifications in just 18 months, rather than the usual four years, under the Federal Govern-ment’s National Apprenticeships Program.

Kerry Whitaker from Gladstone Area Group Apprentices (GAGAL) said it was very positive news for the region.

“This is a very good news story,” she said.“What shouldn’t be lost in this is that

these apprenticeships are over and above the normal intake for Bechtel. These are not instead of other apprenticeships.”

“I have had people say to me but what about the kids? They need to know that these are additional jobs.”

Ms Whitaker said GAGAL had been running a similar adult apprenticeship scheme since 2005, with one 56-year-old joining to study tiling and finishing his trade 12 months later.

As the skills crisis worsens, adult appren-ticeships are increasingly a solution for

companies desperately seeking workers.In August, Anglo American put on 19

adult apprentices at its mine sites in Queens-land and New South Wales, in addition to its regular intake of school-based apprentices.

Like Bechtel, the Anglo apprentices are run through the National Apprenticeships Program which allows adults with unfinished apprenticeships or skills in allied industries

to fast track their trade qualification.It means experienced workers can have

their existing skills recognised, and then work to obtain the competencies they still require.

Bechtel will build three LNG plants in Gladstone – Queensland Curtis LNG, GLNG and Australia Pacific LNG.

The company’s managing director Andy Greig said the program was a win-win for

the company and workers.“It will help meet the demand for skilled

labour and give adult workers with uncom-pleted apprenticeships, or those working in allied industries without a trade qualifica-tion, the chance to complete an apprentice-ship in a reduced amount of time,” he said.

Recruits will be sourced from across Australia and the process will begin imme-diately through a series of advertisements focusing on seven trades - electrical fitter mechanics, dual trade electrical/instrumen-tation, metal fabrication boiler maker weld-ers, metal fabrication pipe fitters, mechanical fitters and carpentry formworkers.

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Bechtel backs adult apprentices to meet LNG shortfall


Feature

Directionsin living

We all know about the boom. But where are workers going to live? And in what?

Shift Miner Magazine takes a look at what it means it to live away from home in 2011 and beyond.


THERE is a push away from mega mining camps towards smaller motel-style develop-ments for non-resident workers, according to a Queensland mining accommodation specialist.

Castra Consulting’s Chris Jury said the trend toward motelling was happening across the Bowen Basin and into the newer mining provinces.

“The way I describe it is that mining com-panies don’t have assets like a truck parked up for six months of the year.”

“The same thinking applies in that an employee doesn’t keep their room when they’re not in it - at a motel you check in and check out.”

But as the fly-in fly-out (FIFO) debate intensifies, Mr Jury said accommodation vil-lages would remain a key part of the accom-modation solution.

“Mining companies need to provide a range of options because, from a purely com-mercial sense, if you only have one option you will only get one type of employee.”

“The days of a mine employing 400 peo-ple and building 400 homes to accommo-date them are over.”

“If you want to live in a mining town, you are going to have to accept and share some

of the cost - fully subsidised housing is a thing of the past.”

In good news for miners who live in accommodation villages, Mr Jury said there was a trend towards improved facilities.

Ensuited rooms are now standard, and so are gyms and cable television - none of which were part of the landscape five years ago.

However, Mr Jury said there was a differ-ence between the aspiration of companies and what was actually happening on the ground.

“They’d like larger rooms, more serv-

ices and facilities but the reality is some-times they get themselves into a desperate situation where they need accommodation urgently and they just grab whatever they possibly can.”

Mr Jury said the problem for most com-panies was the long lead times required for accommodation, primarily because of the approvals process.

“If you have a project you want to start in two years time, then you need to be working on your accommodation solutions today.”

“That is a very difficult thing to achieve because companies are loathe to move on accommodation before a project is approved because it means the board could still knock the whole thing on the head.”

“Companies do need think more about their long term needs.”

“Certainly the bigger ones like BMA and Anglo are doing that - they’re looking through to 2020, but a lot of new players in the market are not.”

The skills shortage means companies have to do a lot more to attract and retain workers, and Mr Jury said that was reflect-ed in the standard of accommodation now being offered.

“The whole conversation starts with retention because there are massive projects on the cards with 3000 to 4000 jobs per site,” he said.

“The downside of FIFO and DIDO workers for mining companies is that it is very easy to change jobs.”

“That’s why there is a greater focus on service delivery in villages.”

“I tell my clients don’t get into an arms race because it will never end, instead focus on peo-ple’s experience in the camps themselves.”

“Recreation is increasingly important because everything is very same-same in these facilities, so you will see more of a focus on sporting activities, and in the dining room theme nights and healthy menu choices.”

Mr Jury said that trend also reflected a change in demographics.

“Ten years ago the average bloke at the mines was 45 and happy to eat lasagne and chips every night.”

“Now you are seeing a lot more young people staying in mining villages, and they are a lot more focussed on what they eat.”

“Healthy eating choices are very popular, and many of the young men are more inclined to spend time in the gym than the wet mess.”

directions in living

Villages turn water wiseWATER tanks are now a permanent fixture at any of the new accommodation villages popping up around central Queensland.

But they are a relatively recent phenomena.“Most of the villages now have a 5000-li-

tre capacity per donga,” said rainwater tank & pump specialist Mark Thomas.

“They could probably get away with half that amount but it is admirable that they look favourably at spending a little more money so they are not leaning on the water storage capacities of local towns any harder than they need to.”

“They are not expecting townships to car-ry them, they are harvesting their own water.”

Over the past 12 months, Mr Thomas - through his business b4e Australia - has supplied rainwater tank & pump systems in Calliope, Dysart, Middlemount, Moranbah and Capella and other contracts based on recent success.

“Most villages are choosing to harvest water off the roof of individual dongas for internal use back into that very donga,” he said.

“It is very simple, neat and tidy and runs with an individual simple pump and an automatic mains water switching device so it is seamless.”

Mr Thomas said there was a lot of com-petition for work in the region, and he has warned companies not to sacrifice quali-ty and track record for price, where many have suffered.

“Just recently we were forced to shave

fair margin off a job to compete.”“We won the job regardless based on

service, quality and continuity while the competitor who put the ridiculous quote on the table went into voluntary receivership four days later and has since totally liqui-dated taking backup, support and warran-ties down the drain with them.”

“Companies need to realise it’s not all about price, it’s about reliability, proof and references.”

Mr Thomas said it was also important to compare apples with apples when it came to tank and pump quality.

“Anyone can make a cheap tank, but if you want one that has been manufactured to Australian Standards and with warranties you will pay more.”

“Sometimes paying a bit more is the way to go to ensure you get quality and a product delivered on time, every time second to none.”

“Quality is not expensive... it’s priceless.”

HARVESTING RAIN: Water tanks are now the norm at mining villages

Mega camps make way for motels

CHANGING TIMES: Many young miners would prefer to spend time

in the gym than at the bar


A CONTROVERSIAL donga tax could be one way of easing the pressure on small communities struggling to cope with the rapid increase fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workers.

Leading Australian demographer Ber-nard Salt, a partner in KPMG, has high-lighted the impact of FIFO on the Isaac Regional Council through a 12-month study funded by council.

It showed the region’s infrastructure and services, particularly health, wasn’t coping with the influx of 19,800 workers that now

live in local accommodation villages or on mining sites.

This figure is projected to jump to 28,224 next year - more than the 23,000 permanent residents who live in the council area.

Mr Salt said the problem had to be addressed at a national level.

“We are using a 20th century model to deal with 21st century issues.”

He said the issue was out of sight for mainstream Australia and forgotten or ignored by politicians and decision makers.

Residents, he said, were effectively subsi-dising the non-resident workers.

One solution could be a donga tax - or bed tax - that would impose a fee for every temporary bed built by mining companies.

“I do think this is worth discussion,” Mr Salt said.

The additional money raised could be used to put toward expanding services and meeting shortfalls, such as the extra 44 doc-tors and 235 nurses the study found was needed in the Isaac region.

Currently, there is one GP to every 2750 people in the council area - almost three times the state average of one for every 977 people.

“Continuing to mistakenly assert that non-resident workers do not place pres-sure on health care and other essential serv-ices is dangerous and short-sighted in the extreme,” Mr Salt said.

Isaac Regional Council is to use the report as a planning tool for future devel-opment and to show state and federal gov-ernments it needs more assistance to cope with the resources boom.

A local launch of the report is planned for this month and will also put pressure on mining companies in the area to review their impact and spending.

The Local Government Association of Queensland’s Craig Johnstone said the issues surrounding FIFO were not new and

affected councils in different ways.While councils like Isaac, the Central

Highlands and Banana struggling to cope with the impacts of FIFO, others such as the Gold Coast and Cairns want to be the bas-es for FIFO.

He said the message from Isaac Region-al Council provided through the Salt report was clear: the council needs help to address the crisis forced upon them.

“They can’t do it by themselves, that’s the point we have been making (to government).”

A bed tax may not be the answer though, according to Mr Johnstone.

“We haven’t been arguing for a bed tax but do think some proportion of royalties be directed back to the community so these towns can cope better,” he said.

Isaac deputy mayor Roger Ferguson said the idea behind a bed tax had been considered in the past but was difficult to implement.

“Many years ago we formed an opinion on it, a rate per unit type of thing.”

“But you can’t call it a tax and you may not be able to do it.”

He said the study by Salt would be extremely helpful when assessing new mining developments and applications to council.

“Going forward, if we had an application that came to us we have the information as a tool that gives us the facts and figure as part of that application process,” he said.


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A DONGA tax is likely to be a hard sell as a solution to the FIFO crisis facing small coun-cils in resource-rich central Queensland.

Mining companies and their sharehold-ers have long argued they put enough into communities through wages and the mon-ey and jobs created by the services they use like machinery, airlines and suppliers.

Ironically, a two per cent tourist bed tax was proposed for the Gold Coast by demographer Bernard Salt back in 2009.

But it was seen as unpalatable by indus-try for fear of driving away tourists forced

to pay extra for their bed.At the time, the 550,000 permanent res-

idents of the Gold Coast were sharing the coastal strip with up to 120,000 visitors each night.

Despite the geographical differences between the Gold Coast and Moranbah, the issues are quite the same - an influx of people impacting on ratepayers and the councils attempting to provide infrastruc-ture and services.

When releasing his study last week, Bernard Salt highlighted a long list of

donations from resource companies into the Isaac region.

However, he went on to suggest fund-ing a new health care centre should be the priority, given the pressure of the FIFO phenomena.

GPs, nurses and allied health workers are under unrelenting pressure.

Residents and workers are unable to get appointments at doctors, dentists and spe-cialists for weeks.

Many wait until they travel to larg-er centres, such as Mackay or Brisbane, or don’t go at all.

The scale and speed of the growth is causing problems that need to be addressed.

This year, there were 19,800 workers in temporary accommodation.

Next year, that is projected to be 28,224 - with a similar increase expected for 2013.

Moranbah resident Denise Robertson delivered BHP bosses a letter last week urging them to visit the town and see the issues facing locals and FIFO workers.

“The roads are dangerously jammed with mining traffic. Our kids have less sporting and recreational facilities than ever,” the letter read.

“There is little suitable family accommoda-tion. Our social infrastructure is not coping.”

Mr Salt said now was time for govern-ment and industry to act.

FIFO solution all a bit taxing

Donga tax back on the table


IF you work at a central Queensland mine - but you don’t live in the Bowen Basin - then chances are you ride the bus to work.

And if you don’t, in the very near future you probably will.

Three years ago, Greyhound operated two coaches in the Bowen Basin.

Now it has more than 50 coaches and mini-buses in the region chartered out to major clients including BMA, Rio Tinto, Bechtel, Monodelphous, and Leightons.

By next year, the company expects three-quarters of its 190-strong fleet to be based

in the region, servicing the mining industry.And you are the client.“Absolutely it is the workers we have to con-

vince, not the mining companies,” said Grey-hound’s chief operating officer Tony Hopkins.

“The skills crisis means companies want to look after their workers.”

“We are very mindful of that.”That’s why the days of sweaty vinyl seats,

no AC and windows jammed shut are over.“Our coaches have air conditioning,

reclining seats, DVD players and we are looking at installing wi fi,” said Mr Hopkins.

“We want people to arrive at work com-fortable and happy, so they can perform at their best.”

That’s what mine managers want too.Twelve hour shifts and a long drive to and

from work do not mix, and in 2011 fatigue management is more than just a buzz word.

It is a very serious responsibility.“The most single point sensitive person

to a mine operation is the person driving the bus,” said Mr Hopkins.

“They are driving a precious cargo of dra-gline operators, truck drivers and tradesmen.”

“The mines don’t want anything to hap-pen to them, and they also don’t want them to be late, because time is money - it is a very big deal.”

Safety is the number one priority for Greyhound.

All coaches are fitted out with sophisticated real-time vehicle and driver monitoring servic-es that record everything from engine temper-atures to vehicle speed to driver behaviour.

It’s also the first bus company in Austral-ia to implement an in-vehicle monitoring system (IVMS) across its entire fleet.

The IVMS allows GPS vehicle tracking and route planning and the ability to use “GEO-fencing” which ensures speed limits at mine sites are not broken.

“Each of our drivers has an individu-al key, so we know from the minute a key is

put in place we know who is driving, that he has the correct licence, accreditation, appro-priate induction to go on site, and all his medicals are in order.”

“We can also monitor driver behaviour like excessive idling or harsh braking and monitor the vehicle for over heating and those kind of problems.”

Arriving on time is also taken very seriously.A time delay of more than five minutes

is considered a “reportable incident” and the mine site is notified.

Currently, Greyhound is running what it calls a “complete transportation solution” in the region.

That means coaches shuttle workers between the airport, accommodation villag-es and mine sites in the Bowen Basin.

They also run regular services from Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay, Bunda-berg into the mines.

All of these services are paid for by the employer, and workers simply hitch a ride or book online.

Mr Hopkins firmly believes buses are the way of the future.

“Each coach takes 20 vehicles off the road, meaning there is less chance of an accident and less carbon footprint.”

“It’s better on the roads, it’s better on the traffic, it’s better on the employees and it’s better on the environment.”


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AS a leading provider of workforce accom-modation, The MAC Services Group (The MAC) strives to set the benchmark in guest services, offering a range of lifestyle choices for individuals working away from home.

The MAC continues to explore new inno-vations to improve the variety of services and facilities available to guests. Fitness centres, modern Australian cuisine within a contem-porary eatery style restaurant, modern recre-ational spaces and outdoor bbq areas are just some of the lifestyle options currently on offer.

Within The MAC’s ‘Kinetic’ fitness cen-tres, guests have access to fully equipped gyms featuring designated exercise stations. At The MAC’s Coppabella village guests can also enjoy playing a game of tennis, bas-ketball or volleyball, before cooling off in one of the villages’ swimming pools.

A number of MAC villages also have an on-site fully trained Lifestyle Coordinator providing guests with access to diet and exer-cise advice as well as a variety of social activ-ities including specialised fitness classes.

The MAC has a particular focus on their meals and dining facilities. The MAC’s ‘Zest’ eatery continues to provide innova-tive and healthy meal choices to its guests across the breakfast and dinner service.

“Our Healthy Choice range of meals are a key component to our daily meal service”, says Simon Spencer, Senior Operations Manager. “It ensures all guests can access a variety of meal options including a number of healthy alternatives within a wide range of menu choices to ensure all tastes are catered for.”

Guests have the opportunity to order meals cooked just the way they like them through The MAC’s ‘Cooked-to-Order’ sys-tem including a Wok Station and Grill Bar at The MAC’s Moranbah village.

“We listen to our guests and what they want to see in our villages on a day-to-day basis that is going to contribute to them having a more enjoyable stay. This helps us to continuously lift the standard of servic-es and living within the villages. We want to ensure that our guests are comfortable and feel that The MAC village is their home away from home.”

“Our philosophy is to ensure we are helping people live their best, which is why we are dedicated to continuously providing the best service available to our guests.”

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Cashless and keyless in CQA cashless and keyless lifestyle is the head-line innovation in central Queensland’s most recently built single persons quarters (SPQ) near Gladstone.

Operated by Evolution Facility Manage-ment (EFM), the Calliope accommodation village has a current capacity of 240 rooms, with plans to expand to more than 1300.

When you enter the complex, one of the most striking features is the existence of swipe card technology everywhere.

If you are a guest you can buy a beer, register at meal time or enter your room all with the swipe of your personal card.

EFM’s national operations manager John Felesina said the move to a more digital envi-ronment reflects the changing workforce.

“The style of worker is much younger,” he said.“The card system in our facility is not

just cashless, it’s also keyless, and can cover your telephony needs right through to what you might buy from the tavern.”

“The technical guys that put it together believe its the first system of its type in Australia.”

EFM’s business development manager Michael Fletcher says there was some ini-tial resistance from a few guests.

“Guests that had lived in more tradi-tional camps were used to paying with cash only,” he said.

“But once they understood that the cashless environment provided everyone with lots more security, they could under-stand the change.”

“It’s all about security.”“We simply don’t have the volumes of

cash sitting around.”Mr Fletcher said the swipe card tech-

nology was symbolic of a broader change occurring in mining and industrial accom-modation.

“While the basic service hasn’t changed in 30 years, the level of expectation about the quality of those services has really changed.”

“Everyone now has a mobile phone, they want internet availability, they want a better food offering.”

“It’s not just smart phones, you have tablet and personal computers, and people want to use skype to connect with home.”

“So what we have to do is provide the band-width to support all these digital demands.”

“This has been driven by employers and employees, we have just listened to our market.”


“If you are a guest you can buy a beer, register at meal time or enter your room all

with the swipe of your personal card.”


“In room entertainment systems (IRES) have already been deployed, with a working trial in 100 rooms underway at a central Queensland village.”

IT wasn’t that long ago that a flat screen digital TV in your room at night was a rare privilege.

But today a single use flat screen TV is almost old-fashioned - with demands for other services revolutionising in-room entertainment.

A single flat screen can now act as every-thing from a cinema screen, to a fully inter-active web device that can be used to chat, talk, email and conference with friends and family across the globe.

Research has found that more than 80 per cent of hotel guests now rate high speed internet as highly desirable, and just under 70 per cent say high definition TV and vid-eo on demand is highly desirable.

Taking in-room TV to the next level is now possible at almost any location - even in more remote areas like the Bowen Basin.

All that is needed is an internet service through either a a fibre optic network, 3G or 4G cellular, ADSL, satellite or wireless.

The Mackay-based Queensland gener-al manager for Acubis, Aaron Pirie, said the

technology was currently being rolled out across the coalfields.

“Wi Fi is very common for in-room inter-net access and is available in most villages,” he said

“In room entertainment systems (IRES) have already been deployed, with a work-ing trial in 100 rooms underway at a central Queensland village.”

“The village operator benefits from an IRES by having one platform to maintain - which can deliver an endless array of ful-ly reportable communication and entertain-ment options.”

“Reports can be generated outlining purchases from each individual room, and being PC-based, if a particular movie or item (for example delivered pizzas) is not popular the software can be easily changed remotely.”

“For guests it allows them to stay con-nected with their families and social net-works, and provides high quality multimedia entertainment services on demand.”

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Greyhound CommercialSetting the Standard of Bus Transport in the Mining and

Resource IndustriesYou’re responsible for reducing risk for your workers on site, but are you certain you know all of the risks your employees and contractors are exposed to?

You may not know it, but the bus journey for your workers from site to home or camp is one of the biggest risks you may have to deal with. You need to be sure that the bus company transporting your employees is safe, competent and a leader in the transport industry.

Greyhound Australia understand the risks attached to personnel transport in the mining industry and have modelled their mining services to provide its clients with peace of mind that their staff are being transported safely.

That’s what makes us the leading bus transport supplier to the mining and resource industries.

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The future of in-room entertainment

KEEPING IN TOUCH: You could soon be chatting with your kids via the telly at accommodation villages in the Bowen Basin


125th 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.

www.shiftminer.comBUY THIS AND MANY OTHER IMAGES AT

Shift Miner magazine – bringing the mining community closer together

The BMA Blackwater Christmas party was held at the local PCYC earlier this month.

Shaylee Booker with Santa’s helper Brett Truelson

Brendan and Elektra Bauer

Casey, Melina, Layla and Carter Faine with Santa

The Steele family with Santa

BROOKE Austen and Scott Foley

Thomas Bauer with Santa

Regan Carsburg and Rochelle Carsburg-Batemen

Hayley Daniels with Santa

Cody Dickinoski on the Dodge-ems

Smith and Keano Lloyd-Jones

Holly, Amelia and Zac Green with Santa

Meryl and Tina Schuh with Santa

Dusty Pearse on the boats

Rocco Hansen and Santa

Fletcher Ryan

Charlotte Pearse

Cassie Weir, Nicolien De-Klerk and Shae Lackey with Bob the Builder

Jada Peters and Morgan Wood

Brodie MacDonald

CHRISTMAS CHEER

Brooke Austen, Brianna Jackson, Scott Foley, Ryleigh Jones & Kim Cooke with Santa


125th EDITION. 2011arOuNd TOwN

Why not consider a career in health and aged care?· Flexible work rosters

· Industry leading pay

· Seeking medical officers, midwives, nurses, carer’s, Allied Health Professionals

· Excellent career prospects

· Across all mining areas including Rockhampton, Mackay, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Yeppoon

Go to www.mercycq.com/careersor call our recruitment team on (07) 4931 7478

MERCY HEALTH and AGED CARECentral Queensland Limited

ROUTE 66 The Blackwater Social Riders Club held their annual Route 66 Poker Run recently.

Kiwi, Nicky, Brett and Numbers

Gordy, Gypsy and Skeeta

Peter Brown and Kickstart

Diane Marsden, Kerry Dickenson and Colleen Mackrill

Glen and Rob

Bevan (Roadtrain) Fozzie, Eddie, Brian and Rawlo

Phil, Kai and Tracie Barney

“Two old relics from the past”

Marty and Frank from Biloela

Doug and Razz

Cherie Munzer and her Harley

Cherie, Marty and Randell

Sue and Banjo

Matt Dickenson, Mick O’Shea and Deb Fisher

Ninja and Brett

Steve Pitt, Hobbsy and Lynne with Royce Barry

Budd and Glad

Pricey and Bucko


125th EDITION. 2011STuff TO ThE EdiTOr

Got somethinG to share? send us your text messages or phone photos to

0428 154 653 or email to [email protected]

Our front page story about former CQ miner Luke Richmond’s adventure in New Guinea sparked a flood of text messages from readers:Bloody hectic alright - you wouldn’t catch me anywhere near the place. Someone needs to tell Luke to go for a walk up Eungella mate, far less hairy. T.D, Mackay

Thank God for Aussie ex-pat miners hey? Sounds like a lucky escape. R.M, Rocky

Awesome read about Luke Richmond. I wish him all the best for his other climbs. They should be a piece of cake now... R.W, Moranbah

The fast train from Rocky to Gladstone has people talking:The fast train is on the table, then off the table, then on the table, then off again - it’s been going on for years. I’ll believe it when I see it. D.E, Yeppoon

Why wouldn’t they start the fast train - it makes perfect sense. Half the coast works in Gladstone or the mines these days. T.W, Emu Park

Fingers crossed the fast train doesn’t derail cos it’s just what workers on the coast want! M.D, Yeppoon

We also had this message from one industry worker who is tired of the mines being blamed for salinity levels in the Fitzroy River:I am sick and tired of picking up the local rag (Ed’s note - not Shift Miner) and reading about someone who reckons the mines are causing the salinity problems in the town water. Newsflash people - they’re not. Mines haven’t been pump-ing for months, and even when they were it was only a tiny percentage of the total flow during the floods. Blame some-thing else, not the mines for a change. R.D, Rockhampton

“Nah, it happens all the time”Sent in anonymously

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.

Greg CaryMichael BaileyWeekdays 5am - 9am Weekdays 9am - 12pm

Weekdays 12pm - 1pmAlan Jones

Weekdays 1pm - 6pmLaurie Atlas

SALES ENQUIRIES: (07) 4920 2000PHONE: 1300 872 911WWW.4RO.COM.AU

NOW WITH MORE NEWS, MORE TALK AND THE MUSIC YOU LOVE

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 [email protected]

stuff to the editor

SHIFT MINERMonday 7th November 124 Edition 2011

The Queensland mining community’s best source of local news

M A G A Z I N E

All accidents and

personal injury claims:

Darren Sekac*

Call 4944 2000www.macamiet.com.au

*Personal Injuries

Law Accredited Specialist (MACKAY)

PERSONAL INJURY

EXPERTS

MACKAY

CRIMINAL LAWEXPERT!

Call 4944 2000www.macamiet.com.au

We can help you by:

Advising you of your rights

Negotiating an agreement

Representing you at a Mediation

or in Court proceedings

For all your Family Law needs,

call Emma Sandvick

MACKAY

WHITSUNDAYS

PROSERPINE

Driver Licence Issues

We can help with discreet, professional

service which focuses on the best outcome.

Contact Vince Campbell

FAMILY LAW

PROBLEM?Divorce

Children

Property

NewsCaval Ridge mine

green light » page 2

NewsFast train to

Gladstone » page 6

NewsMachine mining

ramps up » page 9

Ladder

457 visa hold ups

over » page 10

Around Town

Horror at Blackwater

» page 15

Off Shift

Cold Chisel still

rocking » page 22

Money Matters

Making millions

out of caravan

parks » page 25

Locally Owned and Operated - www.shiftminer.com

“BLOODY hectic.”

That’s how central Queensland miner Luke

Richmond describes being threatened with

a machete in the remote jungles of western

New Guinea.

On Australia Day this year, the 26-year-

old adventure junkie set off to climb the sev-

en highest summits of the world.

Luke can now tick four off the list - but

the 4,884 metre Carstensz Pyramid in the

Indonesian-held Papua province almost cost

him his life.

In fact, he is only around to tell what

sounds like a tall tale, thanks to two Aussie

expat contractors working at Freeport mine.

“It is the most highly strung political envi-

ronment I’ve ever seen,” said Luke.

“And the villages literally went from smil-

ing one moment, to wanting to cut off our

heads the next.”

But let’s start at the beginning.

“The approach to the mountain took six

days through some of the thickest jungle on

this man’s earth,” said Luke.

A permit is required to enter this part of

the world, and in order to travel through mul-

tiple tribal lands the climbers had to employ

porters from each village, 32 of them.

For six days, the 10 climbers and about 40

porters made their way through the dense jun-

gle to the base of the mountain, and 14 hours

later stood atop Oceania’s highest peak.

» continued page 7

MACHETE vs

MINERCQ miner’s brush with

death in New Guinea

“The head villager ran down to our camp with

his machete and began yelling for blood.”


125th EDITION. 2011fair diNKuM

IN NEW YORK - A man has made it his mission to masturbate in every Starbucks toilet in New York City, that’s 298 in total.

The man, who calls himself Mr PeePee, began his bizarre quest to masturbate in, and then rate, every Starbucks bathroom in the city.

Bathrooms lose points on the ‘Bon-er’ scale if they are unclean, or if someone knocks on the door and interrupts.IN BRAZIL - A 61-year-old woman is preparing not for retirement, but for the birth of her first child.

The woman, who had already gone through menopause, became pregnant through the use of a donor egg.

This is not the first late in life pregnan-cy in Brazil, as recently as September a 52-year-old woman gave birth to twins.

This has prompted concern from Brazil-ian health officials about a wave of late life pregnancies, which can cause a great amount of stress to the body of a late in life mother.

There is no age limit for artificial insemination, however doctors are not supposed to proceed if there is grave risk to mother or child.

IN VICTORIA - A baby rhino at Wer-ribee Zoo died recently after being gored to death by its mother.

This is not the first time that the female rhino, SiSi, has failed to bond with her offspring, this being the third calf she has killed.

Staff at the zoo were reportedly quite upset at the death of the newborn calf, but indicated that the rhino breeding program would continue.IN THE USA - Drink driving is no laugh-ing matter, particularly at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, but when the offender is wearing nothing but a G-string and fishnet stockings and it’s all caught on camera then you can’t help but chuckle.

After a high speed chase through Ohio police used spikes to puncture the tyres of the lead-footed driver.

When the car came to a stop a highly intoxicated woman leaped out of the car wearing nothing but a G-string and fishnet stockings.

She was arrested and charged with a slew of driving offences.

Fair Dinkum!

Todd,Unfortunately I don’t have much expe-rience interpreting dreams, however, I strongly disagree with Frank in that I doubt your wife is actually planning to poison you.

The dream could be the result of an unresolved issue in your relationship, per-haps you feel guilty about something, or blame her for something that happened in the past.

If the dream is really bugging you it might be worth seeing a psychologist, they may be able to help you get to the root of what’s causing your recurring nightmare.

Other than that, might I suggest talk-ing to your wife? I know that sounds cra-zy, but it might just work.Susan

Dear Frank,

I’ve been having the most

alarming dreams night after

night about my wife.

At the start of the dream she

welcomes me in from a long day

at work with a delicious dinner.

Half way through enjoying my

favourite meal of lamb chops, I

detect a funny taste. Only then do

I notice the the empty bottle of

poison on the benchtop.

My wife throws back her head

and laughs and laughs. At this

point I always wake up in a sweat.

What does it all mean?

Todd, Emerald

I’ll tell you what it means, Todd, it means that you better learn how to cook your own meals or start eating out.

I’ve been married more times than most men care to imagine, so I recognise the warning signs of a wife gone crazy when I see them.

During my third marriage I used to have this recurring nightmare that my wife was secretly exposing me to harm-ful radio waves in an attempt to curb my virility.

I thought I was mad until woke up one night to find her with the DVD remote pointed straight at my wedding tackle, furiously pressing the buttons.

You see, we men have subconscious powers that we very rarely get credit for, our bodies will attempt to warn us if we’re in a potentially dangerous situation.

It’s important that we recognise these signs of danger and act to protect our own well being.

I had a friend who ignored the signs of ‘wife gone crazy’ and I can assure you, things did not pan out for that poor soul.

At first it started out small, dinner was on the table at 6:45 instead of 6:30, but he let it slide.

Then he started to pull clothes out of the cupboard that weren’t ironed proper-ly, but he put it down to forgetfulness.

He then began having this dream in which he used his wife’s good decorative soap to wash his hands after work, which prompted her to strike him in the back with a meat cleaver.

When I found out he was having these dreams I was horrified, and I pleaded with him to get out while he still could.

He didn’t listen to me.Unfortunately, the police found him

two weeks later stuffed inside a 44 gallon drum, cleaved to pieces and clutching a boysenberry scented soap.

This is indeed a cautionary tale, Todd.If you don’t take action as soon as pos-

sible your poison-bloated corpse will like-ly be plastered across the evening news in the coming weeks.

Now, the easiest way to escape a wife gone crazy is to create a diversion and then flee with all the purpose of an escaped convict.

I advise purchasing every season of Sex and the City and leaving it on your coffee table at home.

This will distract your wife for days, giving you enough time to hop the next steamship to Panama, where you can start a new life.

I can tell you from personal experience that the level of craziness in women from Panama is directly proportional to how much you purchase them for - you should take that into account when searching for a Panamanian slave bride.Frank

IfyouhaveaquestionforFrankandSusanEmailusat:[email protected]

Sensible Susan

Frank the Tank’s “Streakin” good love advice




Proudly Audited by



UNIT FOR SALE

Beachfront studio apartment

in Resort Complex - main

street Yeppoon

parking, air cond, pool, gym,

island and

harbour views

live in or rent out

$175 000

Phone: 0417 630 357

HOUSE FOR SALE

T’ville , 2 bed cottage, fully

a/c, insulated, Large rear

enclosed deck, front pation,

security screens /door

3x3 shed, 7,2 x 3 carport,

3yr old,

Blinds etc

$120,000 neg

Phone: 0401 968 725

HOUSE FOR SALE

Mission Beach Brand

new 2 bedroom $27,000

discount to

be made by eligible First

Home Buyers!

180 Footsteps to the

beach

$320,000

Phone: 0419 685 495

LAND FOR SALE

Two x 500 acre blocks,

75klm Agnes Water,

65klm B\’Berg some hilly

country suit cattle, 4WD,

Bikes, all fully fenced,

$280k & $320k each.

Phone: 0408 787 513

or 0419 674 413

HOUSE FOR SALE

Take $21000 off the price below even for investors. Brand New

impressive 4bed 2 bath DLUG, level fenced, Room

Shed/Van Nth Entert. Walk shops/school

$419 000Phone: 0409 055 062

HOUSE FOR SALE

Agnes Water, 4

acres, 3 Bed, 2 Bath.

3Metre verandah’s,

Carport, 4 Day Shed,

Fenced yard, Dam.

7.5 k to town and beach

$485,000

Phone: 0409 254 525

LAND FOR SALE

Mission beach - 75 acres

Cleared - elevated homesite

with views

river boat ramp & beach

$ 360,000.00 NEG

Phone: 0428 277 625

LAND FOR SALE

Land for sale, Hervey Bay. Turtle Cove Estate.

views of Fraser Island. Cannot be built out.

Underground power, phone and water at front

of block. 6mins to Airport 3min boatramp and

barge to Fraser. About 10min to Town. ono.

$262,000 ono

Phone: 0411 098 241

HOUSE FOR RENT3 b/r house at the Leap

than mackay10 acres on a hill close to amenities and school bus,

awesome views Will rent house, house

& land, or house, land & sheds. Suitable for stock$400 p/w plus or minus.Phone: 0411 532 344

UNIT FOR SALE14 / 98 Mitchell Street,

North Ward in Townsville with Sea Views

The complex comes with secure underground

car parking, lift access, gymnasium, common

BBQ area & a 23 metre lap pool. A/c with 2

bedrooms, 2 bathrooms &

$625,000 neg Phone 0407 326 271

BOAT FOR SALE1998 Aquarius 36ft

Flybridge cruiser, chart plotter, radar, auto pilot, bow & stern thrusters, zodiac, RFD, 5 berths,

shower, toilet, 250 lt fridge, 300 lt freezer, air con &

much more. Immac cond. Gladstone.

$155,000 ono.Phone: 0437 657 433

CAR FOR SALEGunmetal grey 2009

TRITON GLX-R dualcab, 4x4, auto;diesel, RWC

3yrs/113,000 klms warranty, 16900 klms,

reversing camera,

tow bar, driving lights $38,500

Phone: 07 4934 8358

BOAT FOR SALEAustralian Lightweight

Sharpie No. 727Kevlar Hull, sails and

spars in good to excellent condition, comes

with registered trailer and beach trolleyBeautiful to sail

$3,900Phone: 0428 154 653

CAR FOR SALE

77 LX torana hatch V8

new motor, radiator,

starter,brakes &

suspention. Extra set of

deep jellybean mags.

Phone: 4751 6487

HOUSE FOR SALEFully furnished fully a/c modern home on 7.5 acres 500 metres

beach, 2 bedrooms 2

or 3rd bedroom large carport 3bay shed fully

equipped workshop $695,000

Phone 0428 476 001

CAR FOR SALE

ss holden ute built by

horsepower heroes

summernats, featured

no.times ozgarage ,street

machine etc.

$70 000

Phone: 0415 286 834

BOAT FOR SALE

Centre ConsoleFantastic Condition (Near New) & Low Hours (57)

Open Water Safety compliance GearLarge Bimini VHFDunbier Trailer

Rego 9/12 Phone: 0427 786 974

HOUSE FOR SALEEungella, 90 mins

from Mackay.Eco-architect designed award winning 3 bdrm

home on 5 acres, 2 yrs old, 4 bay shed,

stunning views. Adjoining optional

174 acres of improved pasture also for sale.

$749,000. Phone: 0420 104 278

QUAD BIKE FOR SALE

2004 Honda TRX 500

Quad.

Many new parts,new

tyres.

Bullbar,Front and Rear

racks.

Very good condition

$5,000

Phone: 0418 399 858

LAND FOR SALE

GLADSTONE Vacant Land

Why wait for developers?

800sqm in New Estate

Ready to build on.

$300 000

Phone: 0421 365 193

RING FOR SALERare 1970’s Russian 14ct rose gold diamond ring, containing a 0.65 carat diamond, independently

valued at $5800. Extremely hard to come by in Australia. Never Worn, Reluctant sale.

REDUCED to $4,500 ono

Phone: 0428 344 437

CRANE TRUCK FOR SALE

Nissan Atlas Crane Truck

988 model, 79,000 k

4495 GVM, Tadano 2T crane

6.4m under hook

RWC, Only car licence

needed to drive

$13,500

07 4941 7147 or

Phone: 0427 824 880

CAR FOR SALEGenuine 160hrs.

Only used in FRESH water.Mercruiser Black Scorpion

Meticulously serviced and cared for.

Craftsman made excellence for the serious skier/

boarder.Phone: 0418 794 525.

BOAT FOR SALE2005 Joshua Deep Sea Series 6.5 Centre Cab.

Suzuki 175hp4 Stroke Safety Gear

UHF Radio

Kill Bin Deck Wash Bait TankSelf draining deck

$58 000. ONOPhone: 0488 285 042

HOUSE FOR SALEHouse on 40 acres near

Agnes water QLD. Unique pavillion style home, 4 bedrooms 2 bathrooms

with 9x12 shed/ carport.

fenced, waterhole and a small dam. Large deck

and breathtaking views. 15 km from surf beach

and town of 1770. $510,000

Phone: 0400 797 075

YOUR CLASSY HERE2 Weeks $19.506 Weeks $49.50Until Sold $99.50

Reach 20,000 miners

www.shiftminer.com

UNIT FOR SALE

2 Bath, LUG - in new complex, on-site management.

Currently tenanted. $325,000

View at WWW.kipparingoutlook.com.au

Phone: 0427244317 or 07 49854729

JET SKI FOR SALE

3 Seater 1500cc Turbo

3 Red Genuine

Honda Lifejackets

85hrs

$15,500 ono

Phone: 0447 606 727


125th EDITION. 2011Off ShifT

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11

12 13

14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21

22 23

24 25 26

27 28

29 30

51 #MUIDEM

9 82 4 1 3 5

5 3 8 96 2

1 75 3

8 3 7 44 6 2 7 5

8 2

1. Lacking breadth

2. Quick look

3. Vagabond

4. TV watchers

6. Dare

7. Coming out

8. Ambled

11. Without delay (1,1,1,1)

15. Extortionate moneylender

(4,5)

17. Wearing by friction

18. Tibia

20. Nodule

21. Inns

22. Bawdy

23. Aim

26. Astound

ACROSS 1. Adverse (reaction)

5. Spiral fasteners

9. Arouse again

10. Job path

12. Tenants

13. Lawful

14. Regrettably

16. Act of repentance

19. Gulf state

21. Pour with rain

24. Parent’s sisters

25. Variation

27. Pressure line on map

28. Crockery accident

29. Athens natives

30. Climbed up

DOWN

SHIFT MINERHandy Cross 768 - (15A grid)ShiftMinerHandy092s. pdf© Lovatts Publications 23/06/2010

S A B O T A G E G R I L L ET A E R O O NA I R F A R E S M A G N E TB I R N B D G WL A N D S C A P E H A I T IE G D S O N N

K N E E S M U G G L EP P E S S SR E L I E V E L I E SE U D R A S AC A C T I O U T S H I N E SI K N S E E A IN O I S E S P R O M P T E DC E S A I C ET E R E S A F L I N C H E S

# 14 2 4 7 3 6 8 9 1 58 3 6 1 5 9 7 4 29 1 5 7 2 4 8 3 61 7 3 9 4 2 6 5 84 5 9 8 7 6 1 2 36 2 8 5 3 1 4 7 97 9 4 2 8 3 5 6 15 8 2 6 1 7 3 9 43 6 1 4 9 5 2 8 7

LAST EDITION’S SOLUTIONS

Brad smiled politely and stood with his hands behind his back while Jim, the General Manger, spoke glowingly of Brad’s achieve-ments, his wonderful example, and the hole he would leave in the organisation when he left.

Inside, Brad was laughing; and he struggled to keep the laughing on the inside. It was all so beautifully ridiculous: Jim had been hunting Brad out of the mine for months. Their arguments were the stuff of legend. They had disagreed – often publicly – on almost everything: safety, production, costs. Despite all this, this little ceremony of Brad’s farewell morning tea was a time of fond farewells, mutual admiration and back-slapping.

It was a bit like funerals, thought Brad. If you went to every funeral in the country for a whole year, you’d think that no bad people ever died. In life, people are hated, vilified, bashed, even killed; and yet, there’s never a bad word said at a funeral. Maybe, sometimes, the deceased was “rough around the edges”, “misunderstood”, “unconven-tional”, or a “larrikin”; but few eulogies ever described someone as a completely useless, lazy prick who would rob his own mother if he could, and won’t our lives all be better now that we’re rid of him. Maybe at the wake – but never at the funeral.

Farewell speeches at work were like eulogies, thought Brad, except for a few added benefits. First: you’re not dead – which is always a good thing – and you get to witness the whole farce. Better yet, the person forced to stand in front of anyone interested in you leaving – or at least interested in the free cakes – and talk about how won-derful you are is your boss. And Brad’s boss was the one who despised him more than anyone. Watching Jim humiliate himself like this was pure joy.

“Now Brad and I haven’t seen eye to eye on every issue,” said Jim. Brad didn’t snort, though someone up the back did, which cause a ripple of nervous laugh-ter through the group. They had to stay and work for Jim; they hadn’t found other jobs, yet.

Jim continued, his face a little redder. “But that doesn’t mean I didn’t respect a man like Bad who has the integrity and the passion to stand for what he truly believes in.”

Wow, thought Brad, that man should got into politics. He’s wasted running a coal mine. The coal mine’s wasted with him running it, in any case.

Brad looked around the group while Jim rambled on. He had few friends left here: he’d had few to start with. Then those he’d liked, respected and enjoyed working with had moved on to greener pastures.

For many, greener pastures didn’t mean bigger numbers on pays-lips, but more satisfying roles, or less stress, or living near a univer-sity for the kids to attend.

Now, it was Brad’s turn. Greener pastures for him meant going back to the Hunter Valley, were he’d come from. He’d only come up here because his wife had wanted more money. The divorce had been quick – surgical – and now there was nothing left to keep him up here in this hot, dry, hell, working for that thick-head-ed egomaniac.

“Brad?” It was Jim.

Brad realised he’d been day-dreaming, and it was time for his response speech.

“Sorry,” he said. “I was lost in thought.”

And suddenly, he didn’t have the strength for all this crap. So he smiled, took a piece of carrot cake, and walked away.

by Bernard S. Jansen5 minute fictionFarewell Speech

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]


125th EDITION. 2011

Gla

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Ma

CK

aY

Gla

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Ma

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aY

tIdEtIMES NOV/DECMon 21 Tue 22 Wed 23 Thu 24 Fri 25 Sat 26 Sun 27

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

0537 3.61 0009 0.61 0100 0.44 0148 0.33 0234 0.29 0318 0.34 0403 0.48

1148 1.04 0632 3.94 0721 4.22 0808 4.42 0855 4.52 0942 4.52 1030 4.43

1746 3.75 1247 0.81 1342 0.61 1433 0.48 1522 0.42 1610 0.45 1658 0.57

1843 3.80 1936 3.81 2027 3.78 2116 3.71 2205 3.61 2254 3.47

0109 0.68 0200 0.40 0248 0.21 0335 0.10 0420 0.10 0505 0.19 0549 0.41

0723 5.04 0814 5.48 0902 5.84 0948 6.09 1034 6.21 1120 6.18 1207 5.99

1338 1.08 1436 0.82 1529 0.63 1621 0.53 1710 0.52 1800 0.61 1849 0.79

1932 5.19 2024 5.23 2114 5.18 2204 5.08 2254 4.92 2343 4.72

Mon 28 Tue 29 Wed 30 Thu 1 Fri 2 Sat 3 Sun 4

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

0447 0.69 0530 0.95 0033 3.16 0128 3.04 0229 2.99 0340 3.04 0449 3.20

1118 4.25 1208 4.02 0617 1.23 0711 1.47 0822 1.64 0940 1.69 1052 1.62

1746 0.74 1834 0.94 1259 3.78 1351 3.56 1448 3.39 1550 3.27 1654 3.23

2343 3.32 1925 1.12 2020 1.24 2119 1.29 2219 1.25 2314 1.16

0034 4.48 0125 4.24 0221 4.04 0324 3.93 0439 3.96 0553 4.16 0035 1.31

0635 0.72 0722 1.09 0814 1.47 0915 1.80 1032 2.00 1155 2.00 0654 4.45

1254 5.69 1344 5.33 1437 4.97 1538 4.66 1649 4.47 1759 4.40 1303 1.85

1938 1.02 2030 1.25 2127 1.42 2231 1.49 2336 1.44 1857 4.40

Off ShifT

YEPPOONADRIAN from the Secret Spot has just spent 10 days fishing and spear fishing on Cato Reef aboard the MV Eastern Voyager - an 84 foot vessel with all the creature comforts.

He has tired arms to report after more than a week of tremendous fishing.

“The highlight would have to be the 70-pound dogtooth tuna,” he skites.

While he’s been off on his own RnR, the fishing hasn’t been half bad around the Cap-ricorn Coast either.

“I’ve been told there have been a few spot-ties around in the bay, and a mate lost a 20 pound queenfish in Ross Creek the other day.”

“You’ll know it if you catch it, it has a green crimp tailed lure in its mouth.”

Fishing off the perforated and ram has been good, and Baron Island the Outer are producing some nice catches of spanish mackerel.

If you’d fancy a trip on the Voyager your-self, Adrian is heading off again from April 17-27 and you can join him.

Just give him a call at the shop on 4939 2697.

GLADSTONEAFTER all the dramas in the Gladstone waters, things are looking up.

Josh from Pat’s Tackle World said reports of sick fish are declining, and all in all things seemed to be on the improve.

“It’s very relieving in the lead up to Christmas,” he said.

The Boyne River is the place to be, with plenty of jacks, barra and salmon about.

There have also been good catches of red throat emperor and trout being caught on the reef.

MACKAYMACKAY fishermen are waiting for the rain - that’s been forecast for weeks now - to fall and drive the fish into action.

Until that happens, Bruce from Nashy’s Compleat Angler says the mackerel are having a good run close to shore.

“Among the mackerel, you’ll also find the odd northern blue tuna and a bit of tar-pon,” he said.

Further off shore, out in the shipping channel there have been reports of reason-able catches of nannagai, trout and lipper.

In the creeks and rivers, crabs have quiet-

ened down are the prawns are inconsistent.“The whiting have been a bit patchy, but

there are grunter and king salmon around in the northern creeks,” said Bruce.

Keep in mind that the last coral reef fin closure for the season is this week - ending on the 26 November.

BaItShopBantEr

If you have a good photo or fishing yarn

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

November heat returNsWeek 1 - After a year’s absence, the November heat returns. Last November the rivers flowed from the above average rainfall. Emerald recorded just over 100mm and averaged a maximum of 28.5C. The highest maximum temperature scrapped into 32C twice for the month. This year’s November the maximum has averaged 34C with the highest temperature being 36.3C. This equated to 52C in the direct sun. What a contrast! Plus zero rainfall recorded with smoke haze from the bushfire activity around the Coalfields makes it rather uncomfortable. After a small reprieve over the weekend more hot weather is on the way. So drink plenty of water (6 litres) and cover up in the middle of the day. People over 65 and babies under 4 years of age suffer badly with heat stress in these conditions. Not as bad as the Central West where Longreach has recorded 41C last week a massive 58C in the midday sun.

A trough in the west approaches late week. So expect hot conditions with an afternoon/evening storm about Wed/Thr then another brief reprieve.

Boaties! Great fishing conditions as a ridge along the coast keeps steady light to moderate winds along Capricorn Coast. Watch for a fresh SE’ly which could stall then arrive early next week. Afternoon sea breezes could be problem for the amateurs.

Week 2 - No real sign of the Monsoon Trough (MT) operating in the north. Just a small incursion over Fiji last week caused a low to form. The SOI is hovering around +10 - not the +20 of last year. If the “stalled SE’ly” arrives around 29th Nov then conditions could be briefly a little more comfortable in the Coalfields. Particularly after the weekend heat and afternoon storm threat. After that - you guessed it – it’s into the December heat!

Marine lovers! Wait for the short blow then is open slather. Fish for Xmas!

YOuR WEATHER FORECASTWith Mike Griffin

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

Some of the spoils from Adrian’s recent trip on the MV Eastern Voyager to Cato Reef


125th EDITION. 2011

YOuR WEATHER FORECAST

Off ShifT

SUMMER is upon us, and I’m sure many of you out there are asking yourselves, “What is the secret to the art of barbecuing?”

Well, never fear, The Shift Miner is here to educate you in the elusive and delicate opera that is burning meat for human con-sumption.

The first thing you will need is a barbe-cue powerful enough to vapourise a 100 kilo wild boar, I’m talking a deluxe, eight burner, four grill, plutonium powered weap-on of mass destruction.

This is the canvas on which you can cre-ate your piece de resistance, because let’s face it, you’re never going to produce a Rembrandt on a tiny one burner barbecue.

Your new stainless steel war machine will signal to your friends and neighbours that you are not just a fair weather barbecue enthusiast, you are the real deal, the kind of person who can evenly cook 40 sausages at once while simultaneously drinking a beer and delivering a side splitting anecdote.

The next thing you’ll want to do is decide on the type of meat you wish to barbecue, and there’s a simple rule of thumb you can follow here, the more meat the better.

True barbecue connoisseurs will respect a man who appreciates the subtleties in cooking different kinds of meat.

If you can master the ability to barbecue lamb, beef, chicken, pork, deer, crocodile, kan-garoo amongst others, you will have earned the respect of other barbecue aficionados.

Now we come to the cooking of steak, which is the cornerstone of any successful barbecue.

If you’re someone who has watched shows like MasterChef in the past then you’re going to need to instantly forget eve-rything those so-called chefs had to say.

There is only one way to cook a steak on a barbecue, and that is well done.

In order to tap into the true zen of bar-becuing you must understand that steak is never cooked until it’s in danger of bursting into flames.

This presents another skill for you to mas-ter, however, and that is wind management.

The accomplished barbecue enthusiast has extensively studied seasonal wind pat-terns to determine the optimal spot for their barbecue, this prevents guests from being blanketed with a plume of smoke emanat-ing from comprehensively cooked steaks.

If you can master the skills outlined here then you will have etched your name into the barbecuing hall of fame, so go forth and participate in one of our nation’s greatest summer traditions, the almighty barbie!

MOVIE REVIEWBY JUSTIN CARLOS

Creature feature lacks bite EVER since Jaws hit cinemas in the 70s there’s been a steady stream of shark themed creature features all determined to make going to the beach a nightmare.

Shark Night 3D is the latest in this long line of films that attempt to prey on our fear of the water.

The film follows a group of college kids who head out to a remote house in the Louisiana Bayou for a weekend of partying.

After a member of their group is attacked whilst skiing it becomes appar-ent that the bayou is filled with an array of man-eating sharks.

As it turns out a gang of local hillbil-lies have purposely filled the area with sharks with video cameras attached to them in the hope of selling footage of shark attacks on the black market.

The group of college friends must then attempt to defeat both man and beast before the ‘locals’ use them as shark bait.

With this fairly outrageous premise one might expect Shark Night to play out similarly to creature feature fan favour-ites like Snakes on a Plane and Piranha.

We expect a bit of tongue in cheek humour, a few cheap scares, and plenty of gory attacks on hapless victims.

Although it delivers up a few scenes that will have those with a shark phobia on the edge of their seats, Shark Night 3D really fails to deliver in any capacity.

The film feels decidedly ‘PG’ as we’re deprived of any real blood and guts.

In terms of plot, there are some fairly obvious questions that warrant answering such as, why are the sharks so aggressive? How did a group of hillbil-lies manage to capture and raise a series of man-eating sharks? How can a one armed man kill an eight foot hammer-head with an antique harpoon?

Unfortunately Shark Night really falls short of the mark of what a good creature feature should be.

Fire up the grill...


125th EDITION. 2011YOur hEalTh

M: 0448 243 343 E: [email protected] dweDaryl Watson Engineering

www.dweonline.netSpecialising in the timely delivery of on-spec components for your business.

Quality doesn’t have to mean slow

General manufacturing and Fabrication

Motor sport, boating and leisure

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Lamb and Rosemary Casserole

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Serves 4

This slow cooked lamb casserole has meat that is so tender, it melts in your mouth. Perfect for a Sunday lunch with friends and family.

INGREDIENTS:800g diced lamb

2-4 Tbsp olive oil 2 small brown onions chopped 2 small carrots peeled and chopped5 button mushrooms, sliced 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 red capsicum, chopped 1 1/2 cups red wine 3/4 cup beef stock

METHOD:Preheat oven to 160°C. Place

Twist top to secure. Shake

ovenproof casserole dish over high heat. Add lamb to pan, cook for 4 to 5 minutes turning until meat is browned. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrot, celery, mushroom and capsicum to dish. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Return lamb to pan with wine, stock and 2 teaspoons of rosemary. Increase heat to high. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and place in oven. Bake for 1 hour until lamb is tender and soft.

TIP: Serve with creamy mash potatoes and steamed green vegetables.

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.

WE’RE well and truly in

the thick of Movember now

with thousands of mos and

beards sprouting up on

blokes faces nationwide –

all in the name of raising

money and awareness

of prostate cancer and

depression in men.

In the last issue of Shift Miner I spoke about prostate cancer, now it’s time to lift the lid on depression.

Believe it or not depression is pret-ty common and it’s more than just feel-ing a bit down, it’s a serious illness that can have devastating consequences if left untreated.

The flip side is that it’s treatable and there are many effective treatments on offer to help.

On average one in eight blokes will experience depression in their lifetime.

So what does depression look like?• Majordepression–adepressedmood

that lasts for a couple of weeks

• Psychoticdepression-adepressedmood which includes symptoms of psychosis

• Dysthymia-alessseveredepressedmood that lasts for years

• Mixeddepressionandanxiety-a combination of symptoms of depression and anxiety

• Bipolardisorder-involvesperiodsof feeling low (depressed) and high (manic)

When you’re depressed you may lose interest in life, work, family, and hobbies.

You may sleep more than usual or have trouble sleeping, feel anxious or irri-table.

You can lose interest in food and sex and your thoughts and actions can become slow and sluggish.

Sometimes life events can trigger depression – isolation, unemployment, medical issues, drug and alcohol use or family upheavals.

The biggest thing to remember about depression is not to feel ashamed if you are suffering.

Go and seek help, talk to your mates, go see your GP and get yourself back on the road to wellness.

Treatments can be as simple as taking up physical exercise right through to tak-ing medication. Don’t become a statistic.

If you think you may have some form of depression you can call beyondblue on 1300 22 46 36 for help or visit www.beyondblue.org.au

Until next time, Stay healthy, stay informed.


If your local club has any news or

photos it wants added to this page,

you can submit your articles to

[email protected]

What’s happening in Sport in your town?BroncosatMoranbah northracedayNRL players Justin Hodges and Mick Hancock were among the record breaking crowd at the 10th annual Moranbah North mine races recently.

Having two Brisbane Broncos among a good field of horses proved the winning ingredients, with more than 1500 locals attending the event - the most ever to attend a Moranbah race meeting.

Rockhampton trainer Kim McGovern’s horse Sobeit won the Anglo American open handicap, just ahead of the Bluff-trained Evermore.

The race favourite Mr Nicholas finished third.It seems horse racing is enjoying a revival in

the coal fields with the nearby Middlemount races smashing their own crowd record earlier in the year.

Broncos players Hodges and Hancock were also in town for a series of footy clinics across central Queensland in the past fortnight.

Moranbah North General Manager, Murray Wood, said Anglo American was delighted to partner with the Brisbane Broncos for this year’s regional tour.

“Moranbah has a proud history of producing some of Queensland’s finest rugby league players

and Anglo American is keen to see this tradition continue, by having Australian and Queensland representative players such as Justin Hodges and Mick Hancock on hand to share their skills

with our local junior players,” he said.“This sponsorship [of the Broncos] is about

supporting education and healthy living in our local communities, while promoting Anglo American’s difference through a partnership with a well-known and highly-respected football club,” Mr Wood said.

The tour finished last weekend in Moura and Theodore with Broncos player and Queensland prop Ben Hannant leading a skills clinic for primary and high school students.

rocky’sveryyoungrodeogunROCKHAMPTON’S Brody Nunn is only seven years old, but he’s had a few busters in his time.

“I’ve dislocated my knee, and I’ve been dragged around the arena,” he says.

But that won’t stop the pint sized rodeo fanatic from doing what he loves best - potty riding.

Brody just came second in the CRCA competition in the U11 potty division - not bad considering he’s still got three years left in that age division.

He’s also been in the Top 5 of the Paul Archer & The Young Guns series for the past two years.

When he’s not in the arena, Brody can be found on his horse, with his trusty dog Missy by his side.

“I like to go out with Missy, she rounds up the cows.”Missy has other talents too.“I keep my trophies by my bed, Missy guards

them,” the young gun confides.His proud dad and mining health and safety

trainer Rod Nunn says he gets a real buzz watching Brody in the ring.

“I get very excited that’s for sure,” he says.“It toughens them up alright, if Brody’s crying we

know something is wrong.”

Rod would like to thank the competition’s sponsors Paul Archer and the Good Guys, Ross Ford and Noel Schwarz.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia is proud to be part of the Clermont, Emerald, Capella, Nebo, Mirani, Sarina, and Mackay communities.

Congratulations to everyone who supported the 2011 Stock Up for Hope Charity Drove

Rio Tinto Coal Australia was pleased to be a partner in the drove this year, which raised $300,000 for school chaplains in regional Queensland from the sale of more than 400 cattle.

School chaplains help provide young people with the extra support they need to help develop self-confidence and a range of life skills.

We support a range of local projects through the Clermont Region, Kestrel Mine, and Hail

Creek Mine Community Development Funds.

For more information about the Funds contact:

Specialist Samantha Faint on 0447 599 990

www.riotintocoalaustralia.com.au

ON TOUR: All in a day’s work for touring Brisbane Bronco Justin Hodges

WATCH THIS SPACE: 7-year-old Brody Nunn is a

young gun in the arena


MONEY MaTTErS

AN analysis of Australia’s top 50 mid-tier mining companies by Pricewaterhouse-Coopers has shown 2011 was a stellar year for increased returns and solid deals.

The just-released Aussie Mine: Onward and Upward report also pointed to healthy growth in the year ahead for the com-panies included in the study which indi-cates all have recovered from the global financial crisis.

Key observations were:• net profits for Australia’s top 50 mid-tier

miners jumped from $38 million in 2010 to 2.4 billion in 2011

• themid-tier’scombinedmarketcapitalisation soared by 39 per cent over the year to June 2011 from $49 billion to $67 billion.

Among the mid-50 this year there were 34 merger transactions totalling $40bil-lion, with the average deal size topping $1.2billion - up 30 per cent on last year.

The report also reveals that market capi-talisation of the mid-tier 50 peaked at $76.7 billion in December last year.

But concerns over global growth trig-gered a $10 billion fall or 15 per cent in val-ues between June and September this year, in line with the broader market.

PwC’s Australian and global min-ing leader Tim Goldsmith said the report showed the mid-tier is a savvier group as a result of the GFC.

“Having sustained their growth and safe-guarded their balance sheets, they remain cashed up – just how this cash is utilised remains of great interest to industry observ-ers,” he said.

“Organic growth through the successful development of projects typifies the Aus-tralian mid-tier, and this year we see strong evidence of it again.

“Although they will often fall prey to the larger global players, the mid-tier has taken on the role of strategic acquirer, and consol-idation of more junior companies is another strong theme this year.”

He said a lot more mergers and acqui-sitions activity could be seen next year as companies jostle to take advantage of the indisputable strength in global demand for raw materials.

Mid-tier miners money spinners for all

Delivered direct to your inbox every WednesdayTo register go to www.shiftminer.com and follow the link

WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM A

MORE- mining news MORE- industrial news MORE- investment news

WINOWEDNESDAY’S INDUSTRY NEWS ONLINE (WINO) BY SHIFT MINER

SHIFT MINERPremium Queensland business and industrial news www.shiftminer.com/news

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View from Lot 6 Airlie Summit Estate

125th EDITION. 2011


125th EDITION. 2011

APRIL next year is shaping up to be a key moment in the real estate cycle for the emerging mining town of Wandoan, accord-ing to a local real estate agent.

The small Surat Basin town current-ly has a population of 400, but that’s like-ly to increase by more than a 1000 per cent if a nearby mining development gets off the ground.

Xstrata Coal is in the final plan-ning stages of a massive new thermal coal development that will surround the Wandoan township.

The plans have been slowed down by a landmark court case between Friends of the Earth and Xstrata in relation to the mine.

The environment group is not just chal-

lenging the environment or planning approval for the project, but seeking to pre-vent the grant of a mining lease because they argue the mine - which would be Aus-tralia’s largest - would indirectly and nota-bly contribute to climate change.

At full production the Wandoan project would produce more than 100 million tonnes of coal a year, and employ more than 4000 people during construction and operation.

At this point, it’s not known how long the land court case - and possible appeals - will take before a final decision is made.

However, Wandoan real estate agent Ray Mortimer says if final approval is grant-ed early next year then real estate agents will begin putting together house and land packages for mining companies.

“The property market is really starting to take off,” he said.

“In three years there has not been a sin-gle house sold to a local, it’s all going to out of town investors.”

“We are pretty lucky, as fast as the hous-es are being made available we are renting them out.”

“April next year seems to be the magic date.”“We are putting a lot of accommodation

packages together for various companies around that time.”

Mr Mortimer says there are around 150 blocks of land within the existing town lim-its, after which time the town will need expand to the east - the only direction not currently covered by mining leases.

“We can’t touch anything on the western side of the Highway,” he said.

“Available space to build on is not going to be a problem, the question is whether council is going to be able to keep up with the demand.”

“People have been saying that we have got 150 blocks of land in town, but we haven’t.”

“There are native title restrictions on those blocks, and I am told that after four years we have only just been able to clear a way for these blocks to be developed.”

Developing the blocks will be the next challenge, with Mr Mortimer saying the local council does not have the funds.

However, he says a deal has been struck with Xstrata whereby the company will develop all 120 blocks in return for taking 35 for their own needs.

As well as house and land packages, there is expected to be six mining camps around the town.

MONEY MaTTErS

Wandoan real estate to hit April high

“In three years there has not been a single house sold to a local, it’s all

going to out of town investors.”

BIG BUSINESS: A truck leaves Xstrata’s test pit at Wandoan

INVESTOR INTEREST: This four bedroom house is on the market for $400,000


125th EDITION. 2011

Virtually no beds for rent in entire CQ

MONEY MaTTErS

GOLD COAST INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY!ESCAPE TO YOUR VERY OWN GOLD COAST RESORT STYLE APARTMENT

Shaun Darcy

0427 742 863 or [email protected]

Debbie Besson

0409 553 488 or [email protected]

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A

Delivered direct to your inbox every WednesdayTo register go to www.shiftminer.com and follow the link

WINOMORE- mining news MORE- industrial news MORE- investment newsWEDNESDAY’S INDUSTRY NEWS ONLINE (WINO) BY SHIFT MINER

SHIFT MINERPremium Queensland business and industrial news www.shiftminer.com/news

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

NEWS YOU WON’T GET ANYWHERE ELSE

CENTRAL Queensland mining areas have reached rental vacancy rates that are the lowest on record, according to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ).

The vacancy rate in Gladstone in Sep-tember was 0.7 per cent.

To put that into perspective, three per cent is generally accepted as a balanced rental market.

In March 2010, the Gladstone vacancy rate was more than four per cent and the median weekly rent for a three bedroom house was $280.

Fast forward to September 2011 and the vacancy rate is now below one per cent – and has been for six months - and three bedroom houses are now asking around $430 a week.

Agents in Gladstone report a severe lack of supply, with companies now looking for fly-in, fly-out

accommodation in the likes of Rock-hampton, Mackay and Bundaberg.

But Mackay and Rockhampton are tight markets too - with vacancy rates currently at the lowest on record - 1 and 1.2 per cent respectively.

Bundaberg is also heading in the same direction.

Mackay is beginning to experience a lack of supply similar to Gladstone, seeing median rents increasing over the Septem-ber quarter.

Toowoomba’s rental market continues to be tight at 1.7 per cent however median rents have continued to remain steady.

Local agents do comment however that Toowoomba is unique in that while vacancy rates are low, demand and supply levels are not out of balance, which has ensured rents remain steady - unlike towns like Mackay and Gladstone.

Affordability is also a big factor for the region, with the vast majority of tenants simply not able to afford unrealistic rents.

Townsville’s rental market has also expe-rienced lower vacancy rates since the end of June however some local property man-agers’ report there is still somewhat of an oversupply.

Looking more broadly across the state, and the REIQ found that the low number of investors in the property market was con-tributing to the problme.

“The number of investors in Queensland continues to be below historical averages,” said REIQ managing director Dan Molloy.

“What this means is that there is not the usual number of investment proper-ties being added to the overall rental pool, which is putting a strain on supply.”

“The recent interest rate cut, as well as soft property prices, are likely to make investment property a more attractive prop-osition for investors so we will hopefully see more activity from this type of buyer in coming months.”

“Many renters are also opting to stay put, perhaps due to the ongoing economic uncer-tainty, which is also have an impact on supply.”

Five local government areas (LGA) recorded a vacancy rate less than two per cent in September, up from just two at the end of June, while nine recorded a vacancy rate between two and four per cent.

The vacancy rate in Brisbane is 2.3 per cent, while Logan recorded 1.8 per cent.

The state’s tourism centres of the Gold, Sunshine and Fraser coasts, as well as Cairns, are still

experiencing an oversupply of stock, however, the vacancy rate in Cairns improved to 3.1 per cent in September.

AREA SEP 11 JUN 11 SEP 10Brisbane inner 1.4 1.6 2.5

Brisbane outer 2.8 2.4 2.6

Gold Coast 4.5 5.2 4.3

Sunshine Coast 4.6 4.9 3.4

Bundaberg 3.0 4.3 2.1

Cairns 3.1 3.7 4.4

Maryborough 6.3 5.7 5.2

Gladstone 0.7 0.6 1.4

Mackay 1.0 1.6 1.3

Rockhampton 1.2 2.0 2.3

Toowoomba 1.7 1.6 0.9

Townsville 2.5 3.7 3.4


Indi

catio

n On

ly

Auction 1.30pm Tuesday 29 November 2011 at Knight Frank’s o�ces, 56 Gordon St. Mackay

BLACKWATER VACANT LAND RELEASE

The modern township of Blackwater is located in the heart of the coal rich Bowen basin and services the rapidly expanding Coal and Gas industry. This is a unique opportunity to secure

land never before released to the general public for development and capitalise on the projected growth within the region. These allotments are zoned Residential under the UDA and are also the only designated sites appropriate for larger scale non-resident workers accommodation.

Allotments details are;- Lot 4 4.313ha - Lot 5 4.312ha - Lot 6 3.097ha - Freehold title

- Zoned Residential including larger scale non-resident workers accommodation under the Blackwater UDA zoning plan.

Auction: 10.30am 9th December 2011 Level 5 Riverside Centre 123 Eagle Street Brisbane

Ray White WorksExperience, knowledge, results

For further details, please contact: Paul Muldrew - Ray White EmeraldMobile 0438 589 515Email [email protected]

AIRLIE BEACH AND WHITSUNDAY REAL ESTATE

Call Terry Ph. 07 4947 6269 Mob. 0408 760 994

E: [email protected]✆1300 REAL ESTATE (Whitsundays)

®

THIS VIEW CAN BE YOURS FROM YOUR BACK DOOR4 BRM 2 BTH. MOTIVATED SELLERS MOVING SOUTH

$225,000$349,000

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3 BRM HOME, A STONES THROW TO THE BEACHENTERTAINING, FENCED, SHED, SPLASH POOL

I/G POOL ENTERTAINING, SEPARATE ENTRANCESMEDIA ROOM, ENTERTAINING, DBLE GARAGE

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Documents

SM125_Shift Miner Magazine