In the media
Draft standard for commercial energy audits
released
Standards Australia has released the new draft standard AS/NZS
3598.1 for energy audits for commercial buildings and operation for
public comment. The standard recommends energy audits be carried
out every three to five years as part of sound building management
practice (12 February 2014. More...
Invitation to comment on the Gladstone Bund Wall
Review
The independent review into the bund wall failure at the Port of
Gladstone is now underway, said the Minister for the Environment,
Greg Hunt. Individuals and organisations are invited to make
submissions for consideration under the Terms of Reference until 28
February 2014 (13 February 2014).
More...
Government announces union royal
commission
The federal government has formally announced the terms of
reference for a royal commission into union governance and
corruption. Retired High Court judge Dyson Heydon will head the
inquiry (10 February 2014).
More...
Five unions named in royal commission
Five unions have been named as specific targets in a royal
commission into corruption, but the commissioner will not be
limited to looking at the five unions, or at employers who may have
engaged in improper conduct or criminality, according to Employment
Minister Eric Abetz (10 February 2014).
More...
ABS: Construction approvals soar in 2013
The number of dwellings approved for construction soared over 12
months, with figures for December 2013 up 22 per cent on the same
period in 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports
(10 February 2014).
More...
Infrastructure improvements needed to make most of Asian
Century
Former Treasury secretary Ken Henry has said that Australia may
not be able to take full benefit of the 'Asian Century'
unless our infrastructure is improved (10 February 2014).
More...
Infrastructure Australia: Contracts to Assist with
Nation's Infrastructure Audit awarded
Infrastructure Australia has announced the awarding of two
important contracts. ACIL Allen Consulting Pty Ltd has been engaged
to work with Infrastructure Australia in undertaking a
comprehensive audit of existing nationally significant
infrastructure across Australia. PricewaterhouseCoopers in
partnership with GHD will work with Infrastructure Australia to
undertake an audit of infrastructure in Northern Australia (07
February 2014).
More...
Report: Delaying uniform OHS laws risks national mine
safety regime
Delays in harmonising Australia's occupational health and
safety laws are hampering efforts to develop a national mine safety
regime. Releasing its final report on developing a
seamless national economy, the COAG Reform Council said mine
safety reforms are aiming to establish a blanket health and safety
regime for the Australian mining industry (06 February2014).
More...
New South Wales
NSW government's $2.5 million for Swansea channel
dredging
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and
Services and Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay have announced
the NSW Government would provide $2.5 million for the long-term
navigational dredging of Swansea Channel (05 February 2014).
More...
ABS: NSW approvals for apartments and non-residential
booming
The latest monthly figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics
indicate a strong upward growth in high density apartments and in
non-residential in NSW, say the Urban Taskforce. A number of very
big projects are going through the planning system that will lead
to construction over many years (03 February 2014).
More...
IPA: Sydney light rail early works bidders
shortlist
The announcement of the shortlist of bidders for the early works
stage of Sydney's Light Rail project shows solid progress
toward delivery of this exciting and complex project, says
Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (04 February 2014).
More...
Parliament legislation cancels corrupt mining
licences
Parliament has passed legislation to cancel the exploration
licences for Doyles Creek, Mt Penny and Glendon Brook that were the
subject of corruption findings by the ICAC. The legislation
requires all exploration data on the tenements to be provided to
the NSW Government (04 February 2014).
More...
Queensland
Gateway bottleneck out to tender
The design and construction tender to fix one of Queensland's
major road bottlenecks is underway (14 February 2014).
More...
Construction begins on Pimpama school
Construction has begun on a new primary school in Pimpama, the
first of 10 to be built in Queensland as part of a $1.517 billion
public private partnership. The Plenary Schools consortium which
would design, construct, commission, partly finance, maintain and
provide facilities management services for the schools until 2043
(14 February 2014).
More...
Aquatic Centre reaches milestone
The Gold Coast Aquatic Centre is rapidly taking shape with
completion of the centre's roof marking another major
construction milestone in the $41 million redevelopment project (14
February 2014).
More...
Reforms ensure safer and more productive
worksites
Queensland worksites will be better protected and free of union
abuse under work health and safety (WHS) reforms introduced in
Parliament. The Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation
Bill 2014 includes much tougher penalties for electrical
safety breaches and new rules to prevent union bullying (13
February 2014).
More...
Contract for Springsure Creek Coal secured by
Ausenco
Ausenco has been awarded a contract to provide project management
and engineering support services for Bandanna Energy's
Springsure Creek Coal mine in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Above
ground infrastructure will include a coal handling plant,
maintenance buildings, administrative buildings and an internal
road network (06 February 2014).
More...
Victoria
Victoria deregulates thinking about
infrastructure
Victoria's new unsolicited bid framework is a sensible policy
change to signal for smart thinking from the business sector and
broader community about to get critical infrastructure in Victoria
funded and moving, says Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (13
February 2014).
More...
Fast tracking infrastructure in growth
areas
The Victorian Coalition Government is fast tracking roads and
other key state infrastructure in Melbourne's newest suburbs,
under new GAIC W-I-K guidelines. These will allow the development
industry to deliver state infrastructure earlier, by providing
capital works, instead of paying the Growth Areas Contribution as
cash (12 February 2014).
More...
Victorian Government to introduce drug tests on
construction sites
Victorian construction workers face random drug and alcohol
testing on taxpayer-funded building sites after the state
government revived the workplace issue (06 February 2014).
More...
Avalon Airport Rail Link enters environmental
planning
Melbourne's Avalon Airport Rail Link has reached the formal
environmental planning stage, according to the state government.
Investigations have also been undertaken of the options for staged
delivery of the rail link in consideration to passenger demand and
airport growth (06 February 2014).
More...
Victoria Government pledges $108m to Reduce Traffic
Congestion
Melbourne's East West Link will reduce traffic congestion by
about a third on a key access route into the city, the Victorian
government has claimed (07 February 2014).
More...
Published – articles, papers, reports
Review of Infrastructure Debt Capital Market
Financing
Author: Infrastructure Australia
The purpose of this paper is to explore issues relating to the
development of the infrastructure debt capital market, in
particular the long term project bond market for greenfield
infrastructure (released February 2014).
More...
Urban Transport Strategy report
Author: Infrastructure Australia (released 07 February 2014)
This report heralds urbanisation as the engine for Australia's
economic growth and considers the development of an Urban Transport
Strategy to be of paramount importance (released 07 February 2014).
More...
Seamless National Economy: Final report on
performance
Author: the COAG Reform Council
Chapter 2 covers Deregulation priorities - Occupational health and
safety; Construction code; Chemicals and plastics; Mine safety; Oil
and gas; Maritime safety; Directors' liability (released
February 2014).
More...
Petroleum and Gas Upstream Safety News February
2014
Author: Department of Natural resources and Mines
Safety issues for gas users and consumers, gasfitters, automotive
LP gas installers and associated fields.
More...
In practice and courts
Union Royal Commission: terms of
reference
The federal government has formally announced the terms of
reference for a royal commission into union governance and
corruption. The commission can also examine any other person,
association or organisation against which credible allegations of
misconduct are made (10 February 2014).
More...
Gladstone Bund Wall Review: Invitation to
Comment
Individuals and organisations are invited to make submissions for
consideration under the Terms of Reference until 28 February 2014
(13 February 2014). More...
Draft standard AS/NZS 3598: Commercial building
operations and maintenance: review
This gives an overall explanation of the various levels of energy
audit and what can be expected from each general type. Comments on
the standard are open until 10 April 2014.
More...
More...
NCC 2014 - Takes effect on 1 May 2014
BAF Consulting, on behalf of the ABCB, invites you to attend one
of their seminars - National Construction Code Seminar: Building
Code of Australia 2014. This will also feature presentations from
Standards Australia. More...
QLD: Building & Plumbing Newsflash No 526 - Repeal
of Queensland Development Code 5.4 - Child care
centres
To advise that the Queensland Development Code 5.4 – Child
care centres (QDC 5.4) was repealed on 1 January 2014 and building
certifiers of their responsibilities when assessing Queensland
education and child care services to be regulated under the
Education and Care Services Act 2013 (ECS Act) (06 February 2014).
More...
QLD: Mines Safety Alert 301- Access between primary and
secondary escape ways
Site Senior Executives are reminded of their obligations under the
Coal Mines Safety and Health Regulation 2001, Section 296 Escape
ways, to ensure that there are two trafficable entrances
(escapeways) from the surface that are separated in a way that
prevents any foreseeable event happening in one of the escapeways
affecting the ability of persons to escape in the other (31 January
2014).
More...
NSW: Building Practitioners Board
The BPB has published the February issue of BPBulletin. More...
NSW: Consultation reminder - BPB Report on Building
Certification and Regulation
The Building Professionals Board (BPB) is seeking public comment
on a building certification and regulation report which has just
been publicly released. Submissions close on Monday 24 March 2014.
More...
VIC: Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC)
Works-in-Kind agreements
These clarify what infrastructure can be provided or funded to
offset a GAIC charge, including arterial roads and freeways,
footpaths, walking and cycling trails, health and education
facilities, libraries, community facilities such as major open
space and recreational centres, stormwater management and IT
infrastructure (12 February 2014).
More...
Cases
Burrell v JGE Machinery [2014] NSWSC 19
Injunction to restrain enforcement of adjudication determination
granted on condition as to payment in of adjudicated amount.
PROCEDURE - Interlocutory orders - Injunctions - whether to grant
interlocutory injunctive relief to restrain enforcement of
adjudication determination. BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION - building
contracts - remuneration - statutory regulation of entitlement to
and recovery of progress payments - requirements of the Building
and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW), s 13.
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION - building contracts - remuneration -
whether ground for restraint of adjudication determination based
upon risk of insolvency. More...
Burrell v JGE Machinery [2014] NSWSC 32
Injunction to restrain enforcement of adjudication determination
granted on condition as to payment in of adjudicated amount.
PROCEDURE - Interlocutory orders - Injunctions - whether to grant
interlocutory injunctive relief to restrain enforcement of
adjudication determination. BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION - building
contracts - remuneration - statutory regulation of entitlement to
and recovery of progress payments - requirements of the Building
and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW), s 13.
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION - building contracts - remuneration -
whether ground for restraint of adjudication determination based
upon risk of insolvency. More...
Zurich Bay Holdings Pty Ltd -v- Brookfield Multiplex
Engineering and Infrastructure Pty Ltd [2014] WASC
40
Administrative law - Construction Contracts Act 2004 (WA) -
Application for adjudication - Denial of procedural fairness -
Whether adjudicator acted beyond jurisdiction. Administrative law -
Application to enforce adjudicator's determination as a
judgment. Construction Contracts Act 2004 (WA), s 3, s 4(3)(d), s
17, s 31, s 32, s 43, s 46, s 53. More...
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.