Archived News for Professionals in Federal Government
The Australian Strategy Policy Institute has released its review of Australia's submarine construction policy, finding that very little progress had been made since the publishing of the Defence White Paper in 2009, which outlined the construction of twelve new, non-nuclear long range submarines 'built to perform a range of demanding tasks'.
The review also found that because no additional funding from the previous two federal budgets had been allocated for the submarine initiative, only low level funding from Defence's existing funding had been made available for the project.
Another cause for concern raised in the paper was the fifteen years the boats would take between tender and commission, which would mean the submarine fleet would not be operational before the deadline for the retirement of Australia's existing Collins class submarine fleet. The paper speculates that only the first six of the new class of submarines would be available between 2025 and 2030, the due time for the Collins ships to be decommissioned.
Federal Opposition looking to enhance role of Infrastructure Australia
In a recent speech, Federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott expressed his support for Infrastructure Australia and said the Opposition would boost IA’s role and resources.
“The Coalition supports Infrastructure Australia (IA) and in government will strengthen its role, creating a more transparent, accountable and effective adviser on infrastructure projects,” Mr Abbott said.
Mr Abbott outlined a number of measures to boost IA’s capabilities and effectiveness:
- The Coalition will ensure that Infrastructure Australia has guaranteed ongoing funding. Funding for Infrastructure Australia expires at the end of this financial year. The Coalition’s commitment means that IA will be provided with the resources necessary for it to do its job properly.
- The Coalition will retain Sir Rod Eddington as the chairman of Infrastructure Australia.
- The Coalition will require that all Commonwealth-funded infrastructure projects worth more than $100 million have undergone a cost-benefit analysis by Infrastructure Australia.
- Infrastructure Australia will be required to publish justifications for its project recommendations, including the net present value of each recommended project.
- The Coalition will task Infrastructure Australia with developing a rolling 15-year infrastructure plan for Australia, with this plan being revised every five years. This will provide certainty for industry as to what infrastructure projects will be pursued by government and in what order. IA will be required to clearly specify infrastructure priorities at the national and state levels, based on a rigorous and transparent assessment of competing infrastructure projects proposed by the states.
New Chief Scientist appointed
Professor Ian Chubb, until February this year the vice-chancellor of the Australian National University, has been named as Australia's new Chief Scientist.
National Greenhouse Accounts released
National Greenhouse Accounts released by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency show carbon pollution is continuing to rise, highlighting the need for action on climate change.
Productivity Commission releases draft urban water report
Australia's urban water sector needs major changes to meet the challenges of providing services that minimise costs and maximise benefits to the community, according to a draft report released by the Productivity Commission.
2011 Roadmap for research infrastructure open for discussion
The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) has released a discussion paper about the development of a 2011 Strategic Roadmap for Australian Research Infrastructure which will identify Australia’s national research infrastructure priority areas.
Government procurement to drive indigenous jobs
The first Indigenous Training, Employment and Supplier Plan has been approved under the Federal Government’s enhanced Indigenous Opportunities Policy (IOP).
Urban water utilities and rural water service providers performance report released
Two National Water Commission reports on the performance Australia’s urban water utilities and rural water service providers have been released by the Federal Government.
International Clean Energy Ministerial forum meets
Energy Ministers from 23 different governments have met in Abu Dhabi earlier this week as part of the second Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) focussed on speeding up global efforts to transition to clean energy technologies.
Inquiry finds Government should "justify" snooping
The Federal Government should justify why mandatory collection and retention of personal data is necessary for law enforcement, a senate report into online privacy has found.
New CSIRO Climate and Health Cluster launched
CSIRO has launched a new Climate and Health Cluster, with funding of $3.15 million over three years from CSIRO’s Flagship Collaboration Fund.
Government avoids carbon tax speculation
The Federal Government says it is too early to speculate how much the proposed carbon tax would increase household expenses, after Treasury documents revealed it may add almost $900 a year to bills.
Renewable energy strategic directions report released
The Australian Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE) has released its Strategic Directions report setting out priorities for renewable energy technology development and recommends initiatives to support its development, commercialisation and large scale deployment.
Australia elected to the Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency
Australia has the opportunity to play a leading role in international efforts to increase the deployment of renewable energy technologies and drive down their costs with its election to the Council of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
National Water Commission calls for overhaul of urban water supply management
The National Water Commission has issued a landmark report urging Australian governments to overhaul the way urban water supplies are managed.
Anti-fraud measures for Commonwealth agencies
The Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor has launched new measures to help Commonwealth agencies prevent and combat fraud.
Government to develop National Digital Economy Strategy
The Australian Government has announced plans to develop a national strategy to guide the uptake of the National Broadband Network (NBN) with the aim of making Australia a world leading digital economy by 2020.
Garnaut calls for clean technology funding and a national electricity market
Two new papers have been released by Professor Ross Garnaut as part of his Climate Change Review for the Australian Government.
Government sets out carbon price schedule
The Federal Government has announced that the carbon price scheme will begin on 1 July 2012, subject to the passage of legislation to be introduced in the Spring sittings of Parliament.
Audit calls for improved cyber security in government agencies
An audit of four federal government agencies by the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has found that while overall they were taking appropriate steps to protect sensitive material from cyber attack, in some instances their information security policies were out of date.
Better Practice Guide for fraud control released
The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has released a Better Practice Guide for fraud control in Australian government entities, designed to complement a recently updated version of the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines (the Fraud Control Guidelines).