THIS WEEK will be an eye opener for Brisbane and regional students when they rub shoulders with government ministers, check out the latest mining technology, and get a taste of university life.

The 20 students, who will receive their Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) Ambassadors certificates from Minister for Education Grace Grace, will be the star turn at the QMEA annual breakfast on December 7 in Queensland’s biggest mining town – Brisbane -  where they’ll meet resource sector leaders.
                                                                                                                                    
Their three-day excursion will include visiting University of Queensland, checking out mining equipment at Hastings Deering’s Acacia Ridge workshops, learning about the latest research into mine safety at SIMTARS at Redbank, and exploring the latest in mining technology at CSIRO/QCAT Pullenvale and BHP’s Integrated Remote Operations Centre (IROC). 

The students were selected from a record 51 candidates from QMEA schools across Queensland. 

“These ambassadors have shown a keen interest in professional and trade pathways in the resources sector and are active champions for these careers in their own schools,” said Queensland Resources Council (QRC) chief executive Ian Macfarlane.

“It’s exciting to see the next generation of bright young people who’ll potentially leave the big smoke or return to their regional communities to take up resources sector careers.

“Our sector offers amazing opportunities for our young people and our QMEA ambassadors will help get the work out among their peers.

“We’ve had some brilliant talent come through the QMEA, including this year’s keynote speaker Kaitlyn Tobaine, who is in her second year as a diesel fitter with BHP.

“Latest statistics gathered by the Queensland Government show that QMEA is a successful strategy in encouraging students into science technology engineering and maths (STEM) subjects and trade careers.

“Of students who graduated from high school in 2017, 19 percent of QMEA students entered post-school study or employment in engineering and related technologies compared to 11 percent from non-QMEA schools.

“There was an increase in female participation in these pathways over 12 months from 3 percent to 4 percent (non-QMEA was 2.3 percent) and Indigenous participation was considerably higher at 16 percent compared to 11 percent in non-QMEA schools.

“The percentage of apprentices/trainees employed by industry from QMEA schools has doubled since 2017 to 16 percent, compared to 2.5 percent from non-QMEA schools.

“These statistics are reflective of the high acceptance of the program by students, teachers and industry.

“We are enormously grateful for the Queensland Government’s support of QMEA, and Premier Palaszczuk’s promise of further support as we increase from the current 60 schools to 100 over the next four years

“This is the largest industry/schools partnership in Australia, and would not be possible without the $1million plus contribution from QRC members.”

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. 
 
QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland‘s resources sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 15,400 businesses and community groups across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Stevie Awards, organiser of Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, has announced that the final entry deadline in the 2019 (sixth annual) competition is January 30, 2019.

The awards are considered the only business awards to recognize innovation in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Late entries will be accepted through March 8 with the payment of a late fee. Complete entry details are available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are open to all organisations in the 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region: Large and small, for-profit and non-profit, public and private. Seven nations are added to those eligible to submit nominations to the 2019 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The awards focus on recognizing innovation in all its forms, wherever it is achieved in the workplace. Entries will be accepted in eight languages -- Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Thai and Vietnamese -- in the following awards category groups:

• Annual Report Awards & Other Publication Awards
• Customer Service Awards
• Company/Organization Awards
• Human Resources Awards
• Information Technology Awards
• Management Awards
• Marketing Awards
• New Product Awards
• Corporate Communications, IR, and PR Awards
• Website Awards and Smartphone and Tablet App Awards …and more

New awards categories introduced for 2019 include Most Innovative Startup of the Year and Most Innovative Tech Startup of the Year. There are no entry fees for these categories.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Award winners will be announced on April 17. Winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on May 31 in Singapore.

Scores of professionals from throughout the region will participate in the judging process to determine the Stevie winners.

Some of the Asia-Pacific region's most innovative organizations have won Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards in the past five years including ABS-CBN Corporation, Bangkok Health Research Center, Cisco Systems, Delta Air Lines, Dentsu, Freelancer.com, GE Indonesia, Globe Telecom, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Huawei, Maras Group, MetLife Asia Ltd., MSLGROUP China, Ooredoo, PT Petrokimia Gresik, Samsung, Seoul Metropolitan Government, Singapore Power, Sony, Telkom Indonesia, Xiaomi, and more.

The Stevie Award trophies, made by the company that makes the Emmy and other major international awards, are among the world's most coveted prizes. The name Stevie is taken from the name Stephen, which is derived from the Greek for "crowned."

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 nominations each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organisations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognise outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.

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QUEENSLAND’s resources sector has dug deep to get behind farming communities affected by the drought with total contributions of $800,700 to several drought relief organisations said the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said all droughts cause extreme hardship on farmers which can last for many years.

“As a former farmer I know how devasting a drought is to people’s livelihoods and the pain has a lasting impact on regional communities including local shops and suppliers,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“As two primary industries, resources and agriculture have a long and proud history of working together. The CSG industry has formed co-existence agreements with landholders delivering around $400 million in payments.”

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development Mark Furner said contributions from the resources sector had made a tangible difference to producers during the drought.

“These generous donations have a bigger impact than you might think, because when our farmers are supported the communities where they employ people also do better,” Mr Furner said.

“Businesses in the resources sector have certainly led the way, and it’s not too late for other businesses to follow their example and support the Queensland Drought Appeal.”

Mr Macfarlane said the resources sector has also played its part by building infrastructure which farmers use to service their farms and farmers have swapped the Akubra for a hard hat to work in mines delivering skills to the sector.

“It’s important for the resources sector to help out regional communities with many of our own projects operating nearby,” Mr Macfarlane said

“The largest combined donation of more than half a million ($507,500) was given to the Queensland Drought Appeal which was passed onto the Queensland Country Women’s Association (QCWA).”

The Queensland Drought Appeal was launched by the Queensland Government with an initial $100,000 contribution from the Government in August.

Full list of contributions:

• Origin Energy: $100k to ‘Drought Angels’ plus $57,500 in matched employee donations (through the Origin Foundation) to Rural Aid's ‘Buy a Bale’ campaign
• Santos: $129,500k - $75k Drought Appeal plus $41k from cattle sale proceeds $13,500 matched staff donations
• Shell: $117k Drought Appeal (17k matched staff donations)
• Adani Australia $111k
• Rio Tinto: $100k Drought Appeal
• New Hope: $50k to Aussie Helpers
• QAL: $35k worth of hay to Rural Aid
• Idemitsu Australia and Ensham Resources $20k Drought Appeal
• South32: $20k Drought Appeal
• Evolution: $15k (plus $1500 fuel to local transport provider to deliver hay)
• Peabody: $12k ($5k Aussie Helpers, $5k Buy a Bale, $2k drought relief fundraiser)
• Arrow Energy: $10k towards feed for livestock & $2200 Drought Angels
• APLNG: $10k Drought Appeal
• Hasting Deerings: 10k to Buy-a-Bale (split 5k in matched employee donations)

Total contribution: $800,700.

www qrc.org.au

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THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has congratulated Rio Tinto after the company’s Amrun project on Cape York made its first shipment of bauxite more than a month ahead of schedule.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the $2.6 billion project was a leading example of a resource company working with local communities and suppliers while delivering on targets.

“First shipment six weeks ahead of schedule is a great achievement for Rio Tinto which is a big part of the Far North economy and communities,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Rio’s commitment to hiring locally was demonstrated with 1,200 people employed at peak construction, and since project inception in May 2016, close to 400 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been employed by the project.”

More than 80,000 tonnes of bauxite is bound for Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone after a ceremony attended by local Wik-Waya Traditional Owners and representatives of the Western Cape Communities Co-existence Agreement (WCCCA). The company says Amrun is expected to reach a full production rate of 22.8 million tonnes a year by 2019.

“Bauxite is one of the building blocks of the modern economy, used to produce aluminium, which goes into everything from soft drink cans in your fridge to frames for solar panels on your roof,” he said.

QRC’s own economic data for the 2017-18 financial year showed the resources sector is a significant investor in the State’s economy and local communities.

“From Toowoomba in the south to Weipa in the north the resource sector contributed to 1,260 community organisations which is an increase of 38 percent on the previous year and in the Far North region the sector contributed $959 million to the economy and supported 6,291 full time jobs,” he said.

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 15,400 businesses and community organisations across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

www.qrc.org.au

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