THE House Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention has announced the dates for its July public hearings with a range of health and allied health stakeholders.

The Committee had planned to hold these hearings at various locations across the country, including Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. COVID-19 restrictions have meant these hearings will now be held via videoconference.

The Committee will hear from organisations, governments, and individuals on workforce concerns and service accessibility. The Committee will also enquire into digital models of service, affordability, and the capacity of mental health initiatives to meet the needs of at-risk communities.

Chair of the Committee, Dr Fiona Martin MP, said, "These upcoming hearings give the Committee an opportunity to explore how best to utilise the mental health workforce to ensure the safety, accessibility, equity and quality of mental health services across Australia. The public hearings enable the Committee to build upon its evidence base and understand pressing issues across the mental health and suicide prevention sectors."

The final report of the Committee is due to be presented by November 1, 2021.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday 21 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4:30pm AEST

Date: Monday 26 July 2021
Time: 9:30am to 4pm AEST

Date: Wednesday 28 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4pm AEST

Date: Thursday 29 July 2021
Time: 10am to 4pm AEST

The public hearing programs will be available on the Committee website. Due to the public hearings being held by videoconference, public access will be available via the live broadcast at aph.gov.au/live.

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QUEENSLAND resources companies have been asked to put their hands up to help roll out COVID-19 vaccinations in regional communities once vaccine supplies increase in the coming weeks and months.

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) is working with the Queensland and Australian governments, Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) to determine how members can help with transport, logistics, facilities and medical staff to fast-track a regional vaccination program.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane has sent a survey to all members to gauge what level of support the Queensland resources sector can provide over the coming months.

Mr Macfarlane said the QRC would work with the State Government, Queensland Health’s Primary Health Networks and Hospitals, state-based vaccine delivery authorities and local councils to give regional Queenslanders faster access to vaccinations.

“Right through the COVID crisis, the health and safety of our employees and the regional communities in which we operate has always been our top priority,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“If we can go a step further to safeguard regional Queenslanders by supporting the ‘Team Australia’ vaccination roll-out, I know resources companies will do what they can to help out.”

Last week the MCA attended a roundtable meeting with Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Vaccine Taskforce head Lieutenant General John Frewen to discuss how Australia’s business community could expedite the vaccine roll-out once more stocks became available.

As a result, the QRC and other MCA members around Australia have been asked to consider how resources companies can ‘encourage, incentivise and participate’ in a national vaccination program.

Mr Macfarlane said more details around vaccine availability and the roll-out program still need to be provided by government, but in the meantime the QRC is compiling a list of resources companies with the capacity to help fast-track vaccinations in regional areas.

www.qrc.org.au

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INTERNATIONAL Exhibition and Conference Group Pty Ltd has been closely monitoring and considering the current situation and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2021 Workplace Health and Safety Show Sydney.

Due to the ongoing uncertainty of border closures and lockdowns by various State Governments, the difficult decision has been made to reschedule the Workplace Health and Safety Show Sydney until September 20 and 21, 2022.

‘’After speaking with our exhibitors, who share our disappointment, we are buoyed by their excitement and eagerness to take part in the re-scheduled event in Sydney 2022. We are now in the fortunate position of being able to offer our partners, sponsors, visitors and entire safety community the choice of two events in 2022,” IEC Group Aust Pty Ltd chief executive officer Marie Kinsella said.

The Workplace Health and Safety Shows are the biggest such events in the Australia-Pacific Region and will now be held in 2022 at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on May 25-26 and Sydney Showground from September 20-21, 2022

The Workplace Health and Safety Show is regarded as Australia’s leading workplace health and safety event spanning across two days. Destined to be more than just an exhibition, the Workplace Health & Safety Show, promises a live, interactive two-way learning experience with a trade show featuring over 100 brands, thought-provoking talks and interactive forums, led by the industry’s finest, who will shed light on everything from workplace mental health to game-changing new technologies, and the dizzying world of ever-changing safety regulations.

The Workplace Health and Safety Show is a must attend event for all safety professionals from a range of industries including manufacturing, building/construction, mining, councils/local government, hospitals, transport and more.  Professionals  have the broadest range of offerings under the one roof where they can compare, buy and stay updated on the latest policies and resources.

MELBOURNE
When: Wednesday 25 and Thursday 26 May 2022
Where: Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre

SYDNEY
When: Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 September 2022
Where: Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush

https://www.whsshow.com.au/

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THE NUMBER of Queensland resources company CEOs investing in low emission technology (LET) research and development has almost doubled over the past two years.

The Queensland Resources Council’s (QRC) latest State of the Sector report shows more than 70 percent of CEOs are now investing in LET research compared to 40 percent in 2019.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the level of industry investment in new technologies would continue to rise rapidly as resources companies strive to reduce emissions. 

The QRC’s March 2021 quarterly report showed 65 percent of member company CEOs expect to undertake investments to reduce emissions from their own operations over the next 12 months. Nearly a quarter (22 percent) are already using renewable energy to power parts of their operations. 

“Queensland resources companies are working hard to lower emissions and reduce costs by improving energy efficiency, adopting renewable energy and investing in co-generation or the latest low-emission research,” Mr Macfarlane said. 

“Our goal is to work towards a sustainable resources sector that produces a mix of traditional and renewable energy, along with the raw materials to achieve that, to meet growing world demand for Queensland commodities. 

“If the industry gets this right, and we have the right policy settings in place to support sustainable growth, Queensland will benefit from the new investment, jobs and prosperity that come from our sector for generations to come.” 

Based on Queensland Treasury’s most recent forward estimates, traditional resource exports of coal, LNG and metals will continue to be major contributors to the state economy and employment. 

Coal export volumes are predicted to rise by 23 percent out to 2024-25 and LNG and metals exports are expected to remain stable for the same period. 

Treasury figures also anticipate a broadening of the resources sector due to increasing demand for Queensland’s critical minerals and rare earths used in the production of emerging technologies.   

In more good news for the state’s resources sector, a recent International Energy Agency report said reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement would mean a quadrupling of mineral demand for clean energy technologies by 2040.    

An even faster transition, to hit net-zero globally by 2050, would require a six-fold rise in demand for minerals by 2040, largely driven by the increasing use of electrification, electric vehicles and battery storage. 

Mr Macfarlane said the resources industry is already well down the path of electrification, a critical first step in reducing the emission footprint of operations.     

“Many of our company’s compressor stations, conveyor belts, draglines, grinding mills and reverse osmosis plants are already electrified,” he said. 

“Our CEOs are telling us they’re considering everything from green power contracts to battery-operated underground vehicles as a way to reduce their carbon footprint.” 

The latest State of the Sector report also confirmed the number one concern for Queensland CEOs – for the seventh consecutive quarter – is the global economy. 

This is followed by concerns about the industry’s social licence to operate, which sits in equal second place with concerns about uncertain or poor government regulation. 

“Social licence to operate has moved from fourth to second place in this latest report, which shows CEOs know they need to meet community expectations around a project’s environmental impact and social benefits,” Mr Macfarlane said. 

“Likewise, the importance of having the right policy settings in place to attract global investors and stimulate growth is an absolute priority for our industry. 

“That’s why the QRC is working so closely with the State Government on rolling out a game-changing Queensland Resources Industry Development Plan. 

“This plan has the potential to set Queensland up for sustainable growth across the resources sector for decades, and to become a reliable, trusted supplier of high-quality energy and materials to the world."

www.qrc.org.au

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