THE PLAN for the recently announced $1,174 million redevelopment of RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory and the associated United States Force Posture Initiative Airfield Work will be scrutinised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Public Works at a public hearing tomorrow.

The inquiry into the RAAF Base Tindal Redevelopment Stage 6 and United States Force Posture Initiative Airfield Work project will examine the proposed base redevelopment aimed at maintaining existing base capability and airfield works to support KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport operations.

Public hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Time: 2pm to 3pm (AEST)
Location: via teleconference

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live

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A BACKLOG in Investor Visa (IV) and Significant Investor Visa (SIV) applications and a slowdown in processing times is frustrating the supply of urgent funding for venture capital and emerging companies to survive throughout COVID-19.

Up to 50 applications remain frozen in the final stages of approval because of travel restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Executive chairman of Atlas Advisors Australia, Guy Hedley said it follows a downward trend in approvals under the program with slow processing times impeding the delivery of urgently needed funding for venture capital and emerging companies.

Mr Hedley urged the Australian Federal Government to speed up application approvals to unlock potentially $100 million for ailing startups and emerging companies.

“There are many fledgling Australian companies that have the prospects of becoming global leaders in health, technology, agribusiness and manufacturing,” Mr Hedley said.

“These companies have faced significant headwinds in funding in recent years and are now on the verge of collapsing because of the impact of COVID-19 on venture capital funding.

“The Australian economy risks losing billions of dollars, along with a decline in employment and intellectual property if this state of play continues.”

Mr Hedley said while application approval numbers had been decreasing in recent years, the processing time of applications had increased significantly.

“It used to take between six to nine months, in line with the program’s target timeframes, for visas to be processed,” Mr Hedley said. “It now takes up to two years for an outcome.”

“This is also up considerably from processing times of between eight and 12 weeks, five years ago."

In that time, the number of primary visas granted has declined. Approved applications fell to 98 in the six months between July to December 2019 from 191 in the previous corresponding period of July, 2018 to June, 2019.

In 2015, when applications were processed at their fastest, there were 879 approved.

“Fast-tracking approval for these applications could help innovative young Australian companies thrive through a period of uncertainty and high volatility,” Mr Hedley said.

About Atlas Advisors Australia

Atlas Advisors Australia is a funds manager and investment advisory business, operating between China and Australia offering a wide range of financial services and wealth management solutions. With operations in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia and Shanghai in China, it is able to support investors in all China and Australia locations.

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THE University of Sydney Business School’s Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) in partnership with the Business Council of Sustainable Development Australia (BCSD Australia) has launched a Mobility Pulse Survey to gather data on how prepared business is for mobility shocks and how it will pivot once the community is mobile again.
 
The enforcement of stay-at-home orders around Australia and the world has resulted in behavioural changes and a rethink of how we work and live. Remote working, reduced vehicle use and near empty public transport are just some examples of a living experiment which will change the sustainable mobility narrative.
 
Data is already showing improved air quality resulting from a reduction in commuting and that remote work can be extremely productive for those working in certain sectors and roles.
 
“With millions of workers now working from home this is exactly the right time for business to discuss sustainable mobility and to identify opportunities for business-wide change, such as flexible and remote work, lowering emission fleets and freight, as well as considering how customers and visitors access their sites,” said John Nelson, chair of Public Transport at the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at The University of Sydney Business School. 
 
“Through this survey we will better understand how business and communities are currently responding and also rethinking their approach to mobility management throughout their organisations and supply chains in a post-pandemic world,” Prof. Nelson said.
 
“These insights will be invaluable for formulating responses that can support business and workers, help to stimulate financial markets while also supporting pathways to a decarbonised economy.
 
Sarah Forde, director or BCSD Australia’s Mobility and Cities program said, “We are witnessing global and systemic impacts to mobility and how we work.

“In discussions with our members, we hear that business is keen to understand the impacts of these changed circumstances and their preparedness compared to what they were addressing before the impact of the virus on society and our economy.  This survey is a business-wide examination to help our members and ultimately the broader business community to better design of sustainable measures to ensure long-term preparedness.”
 
The survey takes 10-15 minutes and covers flexible work, staff and customer journeys, how suppliers and products move through the value chain, and the impacts on building and parking facilities, fleets, electric vehicles, logistics, infrastructure and technology.  
 
The Mobility Pulse Survey is open to companies of any size and sector. Responses are confidential and will be used to gather trends, highlight gaps and opportunities. Individual company results will not be identified publicly.

The outcomes will contribute to an ‘After the Pandemic Mobility Roadmap’ supporting business and community action towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 – Good health and well-being, 11 – Sustainable cities and communities, 13 – Climate action.
 
The survey is available on the BCSD Australia’s website until Friday May 1. 

About BCSD Australia

The Business Council for Sustainabl Development Australia (BSCD Australia) is an Australian coalition of private and public organisations advocating for progress on sustainable development. Its mission is to be a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth in a world where resources are increasingly limited. The Council provides a platform for companies to share experiences and best practices on sustainable development issues and advocate for their implementation, working with governments, non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations. BCSD Australia’s members include leading Australian businesses, from all sectors, who share a commitment to economic, environmental and social development, public sector enterprises institutions, business and industry non-government organisations and community organisations, which in turn represent more than 100,000 Australian employees. A full membership list is available: http://www.bcsda.org.au/membership
 
BCSD Australia is the Network Partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the Australian Partner of the We Mean Business Coalition, the Regional Platform Partner of the Natural Capital Coalition, and Australian Partner for CDP, the institutional formally known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. www.bcsda.org.au

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BUILDERS and tradies are facing an imminent crisis with most set to run out of new work in the next few months according to a survey on the impact of Covid-19 released today.

Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said the results were alarming. About 73 percent of respondents reported a substantial fall in forward work on their books, with 40 percent being lost on average.

“While projects that commenced prior to the onset of the Covid-19 crisis are providing short term work for many, for the overwhelming majority of our 32,000 members new orders have fallen off a cliff,” Ms Wawn said.

“The situation is dangerous. At risk is the viability of nearly 400,000 building and construction businesses, the jobs of 1.2 million Australians and the industry’s capacity to aid the economic recovery,” she said.

“The home building sector is being hit especially hard. Confusion about how domestic building activity fits in with government safety rules combined with job losses and business closures is having a devastating impact on demand for new residential building activity.

“So, while we strongly back the current measures to support businesses and jobs, we are calling on all governments to urgently rollout new stimulus measures that will immediately kick-start building activity,” Ms Wawn said.

“Increasing the size of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and expanding its eligibility to include anyone wanting to purchase only new homes while maintaining the current price and income caps is just one of a range of measures we have proposed to the Federal Government,” she said.

“The nation’s commercial and civil construction contractors also urgently need a forward pipeline of work. Our calls for governments at all levels to accelerate the construction of social, defence and transport infrastructure projects will continue to be relentless.

“Our message to governments, is that we understand the enormity of the challenge they face but that these stimulus measures cannot wait. If urgent action is not taken our industry’s role in the economic recovery will be severely blunted,” Ms Wawn said.

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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