If you’re an employer post July 1st, 2018 then according to the ATO your life is about to get a little bit simpler. The Australian Tax Office is rolling out a new system from July 1st called Single Touch Payroll. Whether you’re an accounting firm or a dog groomer, if you have any employees Single Touch Payroll is going to be relevant to you.
There is a crisis looming for the managed aggregate supply system, says Trefor Evans officer at the British Aggregates Association, who warns lack of government funding could have a detrimental effect on the
delivery of housing and infrastructure plans.
The Andrews Labor Government is ensuring quarries around the state are ready to supply raw materials for the new railways, roads, houses, hospitals and schools being built across the state.
Minister for Resources Tim Pallas today launched a pilot project in South Gippsland that will help protect communities and ensure ongoing access to the rock, gravel, sand and other resources needed to build the infrastructure of today and tomorrow.
Through the project, the Government will partner with South Gippsland Shire and Wyndham City councils to undertake geoscientific investigations, to identify high quality extractive resources.
An inventory of natural, cultural, community and other land uses – including rail and road transport routes – will also be compiled.
The information gathered over the next 12 to 18 months will be assessed to determine the best way to secure extractive resources and quarry operations, while maximising liveability with local neighbourhoods.
Because rock, gravel and sand weigh tonnes, it’s critical these extracted raw materials come from places near transport routes to building sites, to keep the construction costs down.
A landmark report published last year projected that Victoria’s population growth and urban development will nearly double the demand for rock, gravel and sand by 2050 above recent levels of production.
The pilot project will help ensure quarries can supply these raw materials well into the future, unimpeded by conflicts with urban encroachment.
South Gippsland Shire in regional Victoria is ranked the most critical quarry resource location in the state. It is expected to supply 22 per cent of Victoria’s sand and gravel and 34 per cent of its hard rock to 2050. Eighty per cent of South Gippsland’s quarry supply goes to areas of high demand in Greater Melbourne.
The City of Wyndham, is currently the largest producer of hard rock in Victoria – with more than 4 million tonnes worth $50 million extracted last financial year – and is responsible for 11 per cent of all hard rock in Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Resources Tim Pallas
“Our record investment in infrastructure is creating jobs, opportunity and demand for raw materials. We need a ready supply of resources extracted from quarries now and for the future as Victoria grows.”
“We want to secure quarry resources of strategic importance from urban encroachment and keep transport and building costs down, while ensuring harmony with existing and future land uses.”
“The best way to achieve this is to partner with local governments to identify crucial natural resources, examine the planning provisions and get the balance right between the resources industry and local liveability.”
The CMPA would like to extend an invitation to all Members and interested industry parties to attend a Traffic Management workshop.
We are holding this workshop to update the CMPA’s Traffic Management Guideline and inform members on their regulatory requirements. As well as to provide an understanding of how a risk management process works and can be used to establish and successfully implement a traffic management plan specific to your site.
Details
Thursday 1 March 2018
Traffic Management Workshop
8.30am – 2.30pm
Site Visit to Allstone Quarry in Newbridge
2.30pm – 4.30pm
Critical work to fix a distressed section of Wahgunyah-Wangaratta Road (also known as Federation Way) at North Wangaratta is underway.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan today visited the notorious section of road, which is undergoing a full pavement rebuild.
The speed limit along this section has been reduced from 80km/hr to 60km/hr since November 2015, due to the poor condition of the road.
The Andrews Labor Government is investing $450,000 to reconstruct a one kilometre section at Bowser, near the Wangaratta Road intersection.
Resurfacing works are also being carried out, along with the drainage improvements and the installation of new safety barriers.
This significant upgrade will improve the strength, durability and longevity of the road, which is a key route for locals and an important link for industry between Wangaratta and Wahgunyah.
More than 850 kilometres of deteriorating roads in regional Victoria are now being rebuilt thanks to a $260 million maintenance boost from the Labor Government this year alone.
Work will be carried out between 7:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and is expected to be completed by the end of the month, if favourable weather conditions continue.
Drivers are advised that speed and lane restrictions may be in place to keep drivers and workers safe.
Following the completion of the project, the speed limit will be restored to 80km/hr.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan
“We’re fixing Wahgunyah-Wangaratta Road to make it safer and more reliable for the people that rely on it every day.”
“We’ve doubled our investment in road maintenance since coming to office – this year VicRoads will be doing more maintenance work than it’s done in decades.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
“When this work is complete, we’ll be putting the speed back up to 80km/h so that locals can get home safer and sooner.”
“We’re ramping up efforts to rebuild the roads locals rely on every day, investing more than $10 million to rebuild roads in the North East this summer.”
Victoria’s largest precast concrete manufacturing facility will be built in Benalla to supply major Victorian infrastructure projects, create 400 jobs and provide a massive boost to the local economy.
Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan joined member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes to announce the site for the $60 million facility.
The massive factory will be operated by local businesses and will supply precast concrete for major projects including the Andrews Labor Government’s West Gate Tunnel.
The facility will be capable of producing up to 1,500 tonnes of concrete product per day at peak capacity.
Benalla’s access to road and rail infrastructure means the facility is well placed to supply future Victorian and interstate projects, creating ongoing economic benefits to Benalla and surrounding communities.
To limit the number of trucks on local roads, the precast concrete segments for the West Gate Tunnel Project will be transported to Melbourne by freight train.
A new 700 metre rail siding will be built along the existing rail line in Benalla to provide a direct link between the precast facility and Melbourne.
The West Gate Tunnel Project will provide an estimated $11 billion boost to the Victorian economy, creating 6,000 new jobs.
Construction of the Benalla precast facility is due to commence in March 2018, and it will be fully operational from October 2018.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads Luke Donnellan
“This will be the largest precast facility in Victoria, creating hundreds of new jobs and providing a massive boost to Victoria’s manufacturing sector.”
“We’re making sure that all of Victoria can share the opportunities created by our massive program of major infrastructure investment.”
Quotes attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes
“This is great news for my home town Benalla and for the North East – it’ll bring jobs for locals and a boost to economic activity that will be felt throughout the region.”
“Construction will be underway soon and by the end of the year this will be Victoria’s biggest precast concrete manufacturing facility – driving the local economy now and for many years to come.”
The Andrews Labor Government is acting to ensure Victoria’s quarries and mines can provide local materials for its record investment in infrastructure and Victorian homes.
With the record investment into new rail, road, and building projects, including schools and hospitals, it is crucial the earth resources sector can deliver the construction materials needed, while supporting local jobs and liveability in local communities.
A new six-point plan to underpin growth will improve the approvals and regulatory arrangements for this important sector.
It is the result of an intensive four-month examination of performance of the mining and extractives regulator, the Earth Resources Regulator (ERR).
The review was conducted by the Commissioner for Better Regulation, Anna Cronin, at the request of the Treasurer.
The main elements of the plan are to:
- simplify assessment processes for proposed mines and quarries, while strengthening the regulatory focus on the most complex risks
- provide clearer information to industry and the community about regulatory processes and decisions
- improve coordination across the regulatory system, including better engagement between ERR and other regulatory authorities
- deliver modern approval and internal processes to enable timely and consistent decision making, and support industry compliance
- ensure laws and regulations governing the earth resources sector are fit for purpose, based on modern technologies and best practice regulatory and governance frameworks
- identify and protect strategic extractive resource areas to ensure long-term availability and access to earth resources
The Minister welcomes the Commissioner’s recommendations to improve community confidence in the regulation of mines and quarries, and to enable clearer regulatory decision making.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Resources Tim Pallas
“We welcome Ms Cronin’s recommendations to revamp the way the mining and quarrying sectors are regulated to benefit both businesses and communities.”
“Improving the regulation of the earth resources sector will ensure the Victorian industry operates at its best, providing materials for our record infrastructure investment while protecting communities’ interests.”
Amendments to a harmonised national law, to be introduced next year, are expected to affect around 165,000 companies nationwide, including some quarrying and aggregates producers.
Starting in mid-2018, updated chain of responsibility laws will be introduced to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), which regulates trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles that weigh 4.5 tonnes or more.
The quarry industry provides raw materials for construction (i.e. rock, sand, soil and clay).
The industry is deeply concerned that the rate of consumption of these materials is rapidly outstripping supply and future availability. Current data confirms there are insufficient new, or extended quarry reserves being made available for extraction.
Disruption to the construction industry supply chain is inevitable, unless the issue is promptly addressed by Government.
“We need construction materials to build new housing, roads, hospitals, schools, to upgrade rail networks and for other key infrastructure projects. This is well recognised by all stakeholders.” Dr Elizabeth Gibson, General Manager CMPA
“It is essential to our Members and the wider industry that we continue to manage and protect our key quarry resource areas to ensure a steady flow of unhindered residential and infrastructure work across Victoria.” John Kilgour CEO of Civil Construction Federation Victoria.”
In 2016, the net rate of population growth in Victoria reached ~140,000 per annum; 40% more than previously forecast. This unprecedented growth demands a requisite investment in major public infrastructure, which highlights the critical need to review the current quarry approval process.
Melbourne is experiencing demand pressures which will soon begin to impact upon supply reliability, price and the cost to build. It will also result in the early closure of some quarries, further exacerbating the supply problem.
The CMPA decided to review the existing quarry approval process. The objective was to identify responsible ways of restoring Victoria’s construction material reserves to a more sustainable level as quickly as possible.
The first such independent investigation is titled: “Review of Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Decisions for the Extractive Industry” (see www.cmpavic.asn.au).
The review of Extractive Industry VCAT decisions has found:
- Over the last four years, of the nine (9) quarry development cases heard only four (4), or 44% were approved;
- Of the four approved only two (2) proceeded to production (less than 25%) due to onerous (non-viable) approval conditions.
(In the interim four years, 150 million tonne of raw materials have been consumed from the approved reserves.);
- A perception that VCAT has become the Government’s approval agency;
- Practical limits must be placed upon the proof demanded by Objectors where amenity buffer distances to sensitive receptors in the vicinity of a quarry are equal to, or exceed minimum (Regulatory or SEPP) requirements.
- Compliance to industry best practice and codes must be recognised and accepted.
- Tribunal outcomes should be consistent with other, like-type quarry approvals.
- Issues raised by Objectors must be substantiated.
Investigations to support these findings have been contained to matters specific to the VCAT appeals process review only.
“In conclusion, the CMPA believes Government must move now, to preserve Victoria’s finite construction material reserves. Government also needs to urgently set in place mechanisms to protect and facilitate strategic resource applications as they navigate the complex planning process.
These measures would not only alleviate our current forecast supply shortages, but also greatly benefit future generations. The availability of supply and choice of construction materials, within affordable proximity of their use are fundamental needs of a rapidly expanding Melbourne and to our regional communities.
This can and should be the reality for Melbourne and throughout a resource rich Victoria.
The CMPA is committed to working with the Minister for Resources to address these issues.”
For further information please Contact:
Dr Elizabeth Gibson, General Manager CMPA
Mob: 0434 692 618
The Andrews Labor Government has responded to Victoria’s historic independent infrastructure blueprint, releasing the first five-year Victorian Infrastructure Plan, laying out the government’s infrastructure priorities over the coming years. The Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings released the Labor Government’s response to Infrastructure Victoria’s inaugural 30-year infrastructure strategy that was presented to government in December 2016.