Archived News for Professionals in Federal Government - GovernmentCareer

Australia has been ranked number one in the world for the time it takes to start a business, although it has been marked down for its approach to ICT and the availability of new technologies.

The Global Information Technology Report 2010-2011, compiled by the World Economic Forum and international business school INSEAD, found that Australia and New Zealand offers the least hurdles to starting a business, topping the list on time and procedures.

“The country’s notable competitive advantage is the quality of the general environment, in particular the political and regulatory framework,” the report says.

Strategic ICT Vision for Federal Government released

The Federal Department of Finance and Deregulation has published the draft of Strategic Vision for the Australian Government’s use of information and communications technology.

National Water Commission chair calls for water pricing rethink

Chair of the National Water Commission Chloe Munro has called for a rethink of the way water is priced in Australia.

Skills shortage growing in engineering and construction

Australia’s growing skills shortage is most pronounced in the Construction, Building and Engineering categories, across Professional, Associate Professional and Trades occupations, according to the latest analysis by the recruitment agency, Clarius Group.

Review raises submarine construction policy concerns

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'.

Federal Opposition looking to enhance role of Infrastructure Australia

The Federal Opposition has announced its intention to enhance the role of Infrastructure Australia in assessing infrastructure projects of national significance, should it be elected.

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.

“We’ll keep it, we’ll fund it and we’ll listen to it because important infrastructure decisions should be made on the basis of rational planning and not short-term political pork barrelling.”

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).