THE peak advocacy body for the resources sector in Queensland has welcomed a new Fitzroy River health report, which shows most reporting areas remained stable or improved over a 12 month period.

Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) Michael Roche says the Council is a proud member of the Fitzroy Partnership for River Health partnership, which assesses waterway health for the Nogoa, Isaac, Connors, Dawson and Mackenzie river systems, the Fitzroy River estuary and the Keppel Bay marine environment.

The partnership, including 25 organisations from industry, agriculture, mining, government and communities today released its second report card on the Fitzroy Basis, which gave the Basin a ‘C-fair’ grade for 2011-12, the same overall result as the previous year.

‘Using data from more than 945,000 sample results and the best available science, the second Report has again been a significant undertaking,’ said Mr Roche.

‘These results give the clearest picture of the health of rivers, creeks, the estuary and marine environment in the Basin, and we are committed to contributing to the best source of scientific information available on the health of the waterways help guide their management.

‘The partners have invested almost $600,000 to develop the second report card in which results were again scrutinised by an independent science panel, chaired by Professor Barry Hart.

‘With activist groups constantly publishing information of doubtful quality and rigour, it is important that such independent research is carried out so that we can receive a true picture of river health to ensure that we can carefully balance the needs of industry with maintaining a healthy environment.

‘We look forward to the release of the most up-to-date 2012-13 report card by the end of 2014.'

The full 2011-12 report card, reporting area overviews, detailed datasets, additional information, river stewardship and grading information are all available online at www.riverhealth.org.au.

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) congratulates merchants and their customers on a rapid take-up of PIN as the main form of card payment authorisation in Australia.

At this point of the transition period, with well over 90 percent¹ of Australians now using PIN at the point of purchase, the changeover from signature to PIN has been deemed a success by the industry.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said that the messages surrounding the switch to PIN have resonated with merchants.

“We have seen an impressive nationwide embracing of PIN among merchants, retailers and business owners, which will strengthen the security of Australia’s payment system. 

“That said; it’s important for merchants to remember that there are certain credit and debit card exemptions where signing is still the principal form of payment authorisation.

“There are three key exemptions to compulsory PIN authorisation, where cardholders may need to sign and are permitted to do so:
 

1. Australian credit and debit cards without an embedded chip:
   Australian issued magnetic-stripe (mag-stripe) cards without an embedded-chip will still be able to use signature for authorisation. Many of these cards will be replaced with chip-enabled cards by their issuer in the near future. This includes some American Express and Diners Club cards and certain gift cards. 

2. Cards issued outside of Australia:
   Visitors from overseas are not impacted by the changes, so they will use signature or PIN to authorise transactions as they did before. Hence signature will still be a valid form of payment authorisation for most visitors from overseas. 

3. Signature-preferred cards:
   Special limited issue signature-preferred cards are available for Australians with a genuine need to sign. Signature-preferred cards feature a special chip to identify that the card does not require a PIN to complete the transaction; automatically notifying retailers via the POS terminal screen that a signature is permitted.

“As previously advised, contactless transactions up to $100 do not need to be authorised by PIN or signature.The operation of Visa payWave, MasterCard PayPass, and contactless payments from other providers, including American Express, have not changed in light of the move to PIN.

“As the software in POS terminals is progressively upgraded across Australia, there may still be situations where customers are offered the option to sign or PIN. Merchants and customers should follow the prompts on the terminal screen to determine the appropriate authentication method.  However, where possible PIN should be promoted as the primary authorisation method, as the number of places where signature is accepted will quickly reduce over the next few weeks,” Mr Zimmerman said.
 
¹     SOURCE:  Financial institution data.  Figures are based on cardholder behaviour data provided directly from Issuers.
 
Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $265 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. 

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.
 
About PINwise
 
Being “PINwise” means using a PIN to confirm your identity when you use your credit or debit card to conduct a transaction at a point of sale in Australia.  Using a PIN helps protect against fraud due to lost or stolen cards.  This is because the chances of someone correctly guessing your PIN, which can be from four to six digits long, is very small.  More information can be found at pinwise.com.au

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TRANSPACIFIC Industries and its subsidiary Transpacific Cleanaway has this morning announced that it has commenced the gradual resumption of waste management services across Australia and will be fully operational over the next week, following discussions with the regulator.

The resumption follows a decision by the company to ground its entire fleet nationally in response to Monday’s tragic accident in Glen Osmond in South Australia.

Transpacific CEO Robert Boucher said: “We have made a strong commitment to all our employees, customers, communities, and shareholders that we will operate our fleet safely and to the standards which we expect of ourselves.

“I would like to thank all our customers for their understanding and the positive way they responded when we took the decision to ground the entire fleet on Tuesday. We will work tirelessly to clear the back log.”

www.transpac.com.au

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VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone has welcomed today’s announcement that McDonald’s will expand its Victorian operations with the opening of eight additional stores, which will create 1,000 new jobs. 

"The $62 million investment will benefit both regional and metropolitan Victoria, particularly youth employment, with the opening of stores in Lucas (Ballarat), Carrum Downs, Craigieburn North, Traralgon East, Clayton South, Langwarrin, Officer and Lara," Mr Stone said.

"This expansion is timely, as as the Victorian economy continues to undergo change it is important that there is a focus on the success of sectors with growth potential, such as hospitality. "

In-keeping with VECCI’s advocacy, the State Government has encouraged business expansion by cutting the payroll tax rate to 4.85 per cent and reducing the average WorkCover premium by 2 per cent," Mr Stone said.

"We hope these recent announcements that reduce business costs are the first of many from both major parties in the lead-up to the November state election."

The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the peak body for employers in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

vecci.org.au