TAE AEROSPACE will develop its Turbine Engine Maintenance Facility (TEMF) in Bundamba, South East Queensland, to support in-country sustainment of Australia’s fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike fighter jets.

The TEMF will enable deeper-level maintenance, where JSF F135 engine modules are disassembled, repaired and reassembled for testing, according to Minister for Defence, Christopher Pyne. 

“TAE Aerospace’s new facility will support maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) activities for not only Australian F135 engines but also engines from around the Asia Pacific region and the world,” Mr Pyne said.

“TAE Aerospace is 100 percent Australian-owned with 237 employees at several sites across Australia, with contracts to support Classic Hornet, Super Hornet, Growler and M1 Abram tank engines. 

“The addition of the F135 engine MRO&U activities will add a minimum of 15 aerospace technician jobs to its workforce and up to 85 additional jobs as part of the future F-35 Global Support Solution.”

The Australian Government has approved the acquisition of 72 F-35A JSF aircraft to replace the current fleet of 71 ageing F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets. 

“The global F-35 Program has had a positive impact on Australia’s growing defence industry, which has collectively been awarded in excess of $1 billion in production contracts and will support up to 5000 Australian jobs by 2023,” Mr Pyne said.

www.defence.gov.au

www.defence.gov.au/casg/AboutCASG/OurStructure/Air/JointStrikeFighterDivision/

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QUEENSLAND Resources Council CEO Ian Macfarlane has released a supportive statement on high job application numbers to work at the Adani Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin.

"It's not surprising that almost 14,500 people have expressed interest in working on the Adani mining project," Mr Macfarlane said.

"The resources sector is a strong and steady employer of Queenslanders, despite the fact that Queensland's unemployment rate is among the highest in Australia.  

"Over the past 12 months, the resources industry has added more than 10,000 extra jobs. Its continued strength is essential to our state.

"Resources jobs underpin the economy of South East Queensland, but importantly, they also drive the economies of Central and North Queensland too. 

"The resources sector is primed to keep investing and keep employing, especially given the global demand for our commodities including thermal coal, met coal, bauxite and zinc.

"It is essential that we have the right processes in place to ensure the resources sector can continue to support the Queensland economy, and that Queensland maintains its reputation as a stable place to invest.

"All projects should be given a fair go and treated on their merits, with consistent rules and regulations," Mr Macfarlane said.

"The Adani Carmichael project has undergone stringent state and federal assessment processes over the last eight years.

"The QRC urges the Palaszczuk Government to complete the final assessment in a timely and transparent manner.

"There should be no unnecessary hurdles or delays. Queenslanders' jobs are depending on it."

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Australian Parliament’s Health, Aged Care and Sport Committee will be holding public hearings in Sydney on Tuesday, February 5, 2019 and Melbourne on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, as part of its Inquiry into Sleep Health Awareness in Australia.

The Committee chair, Trent Zimmerman MP, said that "sleep is a fundamental biological need, and along with a good diet and physical exercise, sleep is the third pillar of a healthy lifestyle".

"Increasingly, Australians are balancing their work, family, and social commitments by cutting back on sleep," he said. "We know as many as 40 percent of Australian adults are not regularly getting enough sleep. And it is not just adults, for young people spending increased time on the internet, playing digital games, and social networking can come at the expense of sleep.

"In the short-term the consequences of insufficient sleep includes: decreased work or school performance and an increased risk of road accidents. Over the longer term, insufficient sleep has wide ranging health effects including: increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, and dementia," Mr Zimmerman said. 

Further information about the inquiry is available on the Committee's website.  

PUBLIC HEARING DETAILS:

SYDNEY: 9am to 2.45pm, Tuesday, 5 February 2019, Macquarie Room, Parliament of NSW

MELBOURNE: 9.30am to 3.15pm, Wednesday, 6 February 2019, Ground Floor, 55 St Andrews Place

The hearings will be broadcast live at www.aph.gov.au/live.

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STUDENTS from Alexandra Hills State High School will be among the best equipped in Queensland to tap into the careers of the future, with the first sod turned today for the Centre for Excellence in Automation and Robotics.
 
The Centre for Excellence will operate in partnership with the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) to set students on the path to excel in the industries that are at the heart of Queensland’s future – including the resources sector.
 
Queensland Education Minister Grace Grace today performed the honours at the ceremonial sod turning to kick off construction on the $4.77 million facility. 
 
Queensland Resources Council (QRC) director of skills, education and diversity Katrina-Lee Jones welcomed the State Government’s $4.7 million investment in the centre, which would further develop the skills Queensland needs for the future.
 
“Alexandra Hills State High School is one of 60 schools that partners with the QMEA to provide students with experience and insight in the diverse, high-tech and rewarding resources and energy sectors,” Ms Jones said.
 
“The QMEA gives students hands-on experience with projects that rely on the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
 
“QMEA students participate in a range of activities ranging from data-modelling, to using drones and robotics, to using 3D printing to apply to real-life scenarios relating to solar-power generation.
 
“Experience in automation and robotics goes hand-in-hand with the QMEA program, which helps equip Queensland students with the skills they need for a long-term and prosperous career, and at the same time puts our resources sector on an even more stable long-term footing with access to skilled workers for the future.
 
“The Queensland resources sector is continuing to make new investments in technology and innovation.  A recent QRC survey of CEOs found 91 per cent of CEOs are planning further automation activities, just over a third are implementing artificial intelligence and almost 10 per cent are taking the next step to use augmented reality technologies. 
 
“The skills students from Alexandra Hills State High School develop through the QMEA and through this Centre for Excellence in Automation and Robotics will put them in prime position to capitalise on these jobs of the future.
 
“I look forward to the completion of this outstanding facility.”

www.qrc.org.au

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