STUDENTS from Brisbane to Queensland’s far north west will this week get up close and personal to mining careers when they attend an engineering camp in the iconic mining city of Mount Isa.

The would-be engineers will go onsite at Glencore’s Mount Isa Mine for the Make It Now in Engineering (MINE) challenge in which they’ll solve real-world problems.

They will be mentored and guided by Glencore staff, before presenting their project to senior Glencore mining professionals.

Meanwhile, local students from Mount Isa and Cloncurry schools interested in trades will work with Glencore apprentices who will help them to assemble a powered pushbike, using bike parts rescued from the dump.

The event will take place at the Spinifex College Trade Training centre where they’ll work in a simulated mine-site environment.

The bikes will be judged by Glencore Management and a winner selected based on criteria such as safety, design and attention to detail.

The camps, run annually by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) encourage students to consider science technology engineering and maths (STEM) related occupations and trade careers.

Manager of human resources for Glencore’s North Queensland operations Leanne Ryder said the company was very proud to support local kids to engage in STEM subjects through such an innovative program.

“These camps are highly regarded by Glencore as we know a high proportion of students who attend end up on STEM or trade career pathways,” Ms Ryder said.

“This program is really important in not only demonstrating the kind of careers kids can pursue in resources, but also in equipping the next generation of technical specialists with the skills they need to drive and grow the sector, which plays such a critical role in the health of our nation’s economy.”

The QMEA is a partnership between the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 46 schools throughout Queensland.

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every $6 dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 16,400 businesses across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

www.qrc.org.au

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MASTER BUILDERS has applauded Labor’s decision to reverse its earlier decision to repeal tax cuts for small businesses that turnover between $10 million and $50 million.

Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said, "Labor deserves credit for this decision. It shows that they have listened to the concerns of thousands of SME builders. 

“Company tax cuts for small and medium business is heartland issue for Master Builders as SME builders make up 98 percent of our members and of our industry. We have been very direct in saying that scrapping tax cuts is the wrong call and Labor has listened,” Ms Wawn said. 

“However, we note that this decision applies to tax cuts that will already be implemented if Labor were to win the next Federal Election and not the future cuts that have already been legislated with the strong support of the Parliament including the Senate crossbench," Ms Wawn said.

"Master Builders will continue to constructively engage with Labor on further reductions in company tax for SMEs."

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THE Queensland Resources Council has congratulated Thuringowa State High School (SHS) – one of 46 Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy schools across the State – on a State Government regional Showcase Award for Excellence in Industry Partnerships for its Global Tropical Futures Program.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the QMEA works with the school to prepare students for a career in the resources sector and other related industries. 

“I congratulate Thuringowa SHS on this important recognition. By working with industry the school is expanding the educational opportunities for students living in North Queensland,” he said.

"The Showcase Awards is a great initiative of the Queensland Government which encourages excellence in a range of teaching and learning platforms. 

“Through QMEA the school only this week was working with Downer professionals to deliver a mining innovation class, which is part of the Global Tropics Futures Program."

Downer’s general manager for talent, Clare Hudson said, “Downer is delighted to support the QMEA and Thuringowa SHS, and help students understand the range of interesting and challenging careers available in the resources sector. 

“We expect to see some fantastic innovative solutions from the students through this project,” she said. 

The school now has the opportunity to compete in the next round of the awards to be in the running as a state finalist. 

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every $6 dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 16,400 businesses across the state, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass.

The QMEA is QRC’s education arm. It is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. 

www.qrc.org.au

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THE House Tax and Revenue Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow to consider the value of the Australian Taxation Office adopting a regulatory philosophy to govern its engagement with taxpayers and other stakeholders as services are digitised.

The Committee’s review of the performance of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for the 2016–17 tax year has looked at how operational standards and frameworks affect taxpayers’ experience, as well as considering the function of the ATO’s systems and services themselves.

The Committee chair Jason Falinski MP said, “As the ATO’s trajectory towards full digitisation of taxpayer services matures, public concerns about the imbalance in the power relationship between the ATO and the community have grown."

“Tomorrow, the Committee will review the currency of the Taxpayers’ Charter as the ATO moves to full digitisation of services and consider whether it might be timely to update it or introduce a Regulatory Philosophy document to better safeguard taxpayer rights and protections," Mr Falinski said.

Introduced in July 1997, the Taxpayers’ Charter was drafted to assist taxpayers understand their rights and obligations and to describe the ATO’s service standards, complaint handling and review procedures as the agency moved to a self- assessment model of compliance.

The hearing will feature the Inspector-General of Taxation, who conducted a review of the Taxpayers’ Charter in 2016; Professor Valerie Braithwaite, from the ANU’s Regulatory Institutions Network, who was involved in the design of the ATO’s compliance model under self-assessment; and an Executive Officer from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) who engineered and implemented the agency’s Regulatory Philosophy to reduce risk and build community trust in the regulator.

Public hearing details: 9am to Midday, Friday 29 June 2018, Committee Room 2S3 Parliament House

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

Interested members of the public may wish to track the committee via the website.

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