THE Queensland Resources Council is calling for a show of bipartisanship from the federal Coalition and the Labor Party to ensure legislation currently before the Senate is passed to amend the Native Title Act in the Senate on Tuesday.
 
The Native Title Amendment (Indigenous Land Use Agreements) Bill 2017, has been used as a political football by some politicians and many green activists and has been hanging in limbo since the Bill’s introduction in the House of Representatives in February.
 
The Bill was in response to the McGlade judgment in the Full Federal Court on 1 February, which held that all named applicants on a registered native title claim must sign the ILUA as a condition precedent to its registration.
 
The judgment made no exceptions for deceased or incapacitated applicants and the ILUA would be rendered invalid if it was not signed by 100 percent of registered applicants. Prior to McGlade, obtaining the majority of applicants’ signatures was sufficient to have the ILUA registered.
 
QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the scenario meant that current and future ILUAs could be at risk.
 
“I call on all politicians from all sides of politics to raise above politics and work to continue to pass the amendments through the Senate. If the amendments don’t pass, there is the potential to affect hundreds of mining leases in Queensland and cost thousands of jobs,” Mr Macfarlane said.

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THE announcement of Adani’s final investment decision (FID) is great news for regional Queensland and a blow to the green activist campaign aimed at derailing this project at every turn according to the Queensland Resources Council.

Queensland Resources Council Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the FID illustrated Adani’s commitment and investment to Queensland.

“After more than a decade, and despite a relentless and well-funded anti-coal campaign, the Carmichael coal mine and rail project has reached its FID,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“This is great news for regional Queensland and will add to the prosperity our resources sector already contributes to the state, in addition to providing a reliable, high-energy, low-emission fuel to deliver electricity to some of the 300 million Indians without power.”

Electricity is a luxury to those Indians, which is taken for granted by the foreign-funded activists whose propaganda campaigns are based on fabrications, not science and due diligence, Mr Macfarlane said.

“The green activist strategy is clear, because it was leaked to the media in 2012. Stopping Australia’s Coal Export Boom, authored by the who’s who of green activist groups, details forensically how activists will try to end coal and gas production in Australia.”

The playbook states: Our strategy is to ‘disrupt and delay’ key projects and infrastructure while gradually eroding public and political support for the industry and continually building the power of the movement to win more. We are now seeing this strategy play out chapter by chapter, Mr Macfarlane said.

“Of most concern is that a portion of the anti-fossil fuel brigade is funded by overseas backers, which is why the Queensland Resources Council has backed a federal government report calling for a ban on foreign-funded donations to activist groups,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“Whether they like it or not, Australian taxpayers are being taken for a ride by a sophisticated local and foreign network of green activist groups and their rich-list local and foreign funders.

“Foreign groups are interfering in our resource development projects which have already been subject to strict legal and social scrutiny before being democratically approved.”

The resources sector is a long-standing provider of revenue and jobs to Queensland and proudly operates under some of the highest environmental standards in the world.

In 2015-16 year it contributed $55.7 billion and one in seven jobs across the state, with more than 20,000 businesses benefiting and $2.2 billion in royalties flowing into state revenues that pays for teachers, nurses and police.

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THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) has welcomed proposed legislation to extend crowd-sourced funding to proprietary companies. 

The legislation will already apply to public companies from September 29, 2017.

"The IPA is pleased to see that the Government has recognised the need to provide an alternative source of funding for entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises," said IPA chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

"We are also pleased to see the reduced disclosure and compliance requirements, including those relating to the holding of an AGM; being able to post reports online; and removing the need for an auditor unless the offer is greater than $1 million.

 "This will relieve unlisted public companies from significant regulatory burdens over a five year period.  However, we are concerned about what happens after the initial five year period.

 "This legislation will now bring Australia into line with other countries that have already adopted and embraced similar laws, including the USA, UK, Canada, New Zealand and many European countries.

 "The proposed amendments will bring significant benefits that flow from bridging the 'capital gap' faced by many young and emerging start-ups.

 "Australia has a relatively poor global record of commercialising innovation and lags behind most advanced economies on this matter so addressing the lack of funding for start-ups is critical.  It is these innovative firms that drive economic transformation, and which are much needed to respond to a dynamic, global environment.

 "One concern this legislation raises is the additional volume of work it represents for the already over-worked regulator, ASIC.  ASIC will need to continue to monitor the activities of companies involved in crowd-sourced funding, as well as activities of their intermediaries and their offer platforms.

"As is always the case, investor protections will be tested by those seeking alternative, innovative or just different types of investments," said Mr Conway.

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FAIRFAX, USA -- The Stevie Awards has announced that the last day to submit entries is June 14 for The 2017 (14th Annual) International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, which attracts nominations from organizations in more than 60 nations and territories each year.

All individuals and organizations worldwide -- public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small -- may submit nominations to The International Business Awards. Entry details are available at www.StevieAwards.com/IBA .

An international judging panel of more than 150 executives will determine the Stevie Award winners. Results will be announced on 10 August. Stevie Award winners will be presented their awards at a gala banquet at the W Hotel in Barcelona, Spain on 21 October.

The International Business Awards recognize achievement in every facet of the workplace. Categories include:

• Management Awards 
• Company of the Year Awards
• Customer Service Awards 
• Human Resources Awards 
• Information Technology Awards
• Marketing Awards 
• New Product Awards 
• Public Relations Awards 
• Web Site Awards, Smartphone and Tablet App, and other media awards

Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners in the 2016 IBAs included ABS-CBN Corporation (Philippines), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (India), Clickky (Ukraine ), Dogus Group ( Turkey ), Dubai Statistics Center ( United Arab Emirates ), Forter ( USA ), Foundation Telef o nica  ( Spain ), Freelancer.com ( Australia ), Ita u Unibanco Holding S.A.  ( Brazil ), KEPCO Nuclear Fuel Company ( South Korea ), Mondelez International ( United Kingdom ), Ooredoo ( Qatar ), PJSC Aeroflot - Russian Airlines  ( Russia ), Polystar  ( Sweden ), PRIZM ( Hong Kong ), QLess, Inc. ( USA ), RheinBr u cke IT Consulting ( Germany ), Roshan ( Afghanistan ), SABC Pension Fund ( South Africa ), SUNNY SIDE UP, Inc. ( Japan ), Telkom Indonesia ( Indonesia ) and TELUS International ( Canada ), among many others.

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 Sales & Customer Service and the Stevie Awards for Great Employers. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 60 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at  http://www.StevieAwards.com 

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