Apr 20, 2018

Waste saga continues in wake of Chinese clampdown

The Palaszczuk Government has pledged to work with councils and industry on a zero-waste future following Ipswich City Council’s decision to start dumpling recycling in landfill. It says it will bring forward the waste levy, incentivise the recycling industry to scale up and encourage waste-to-energy enterprises to set up in Queensland. Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said that changes to imports by China, the biggest destination for recycled materials from Australia, had impacted on local councils. “The Palaszczuk Government supports initiative...

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Apr 19, 2018

Mining sector jobs on the boil

The mining, resources and energy sector leads the pack when it comes to job ad growth in Australia, according to figures released today by SEEK. Job ads in the sector were up 35 per cent in March compared to 12 months ago, while science and technology saw an increase of 20 per cent year-on-year and there was an 18 per cent jump in engineering roles up for grabs. For the second month in a row, SEEK...

Apr 19, 2018

Townsville rail corridor funding row

Townsville Enterprise has protested a State Government move to defer work on the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor (TEARC) and divert funding elsewhere. “There is already a number of large-scale projects currently in the pipeline, dependent on the construction of the TEARC, with this decision now placing those projects and the potential jobs they would create in limbo,” Townsvill...

Apr 19, 2018

NQ opportunities in $46m bridge project

Tenders will be released this month for a $46 million State Government project to replace 18 timber rail bridges between Townsville and Cairns. The work is expected to improve rail safety and longevity, while supporting up to 120 jobs for the local construction industry. Transport Minister Mark Bailey said Queensland Rail would host an industry briefing for local businesses in Townsville on April ...

Apr 19, 2018

D-Day for Pulse Data Centre

The FKG Group’s $40 million Pulse Data Centre will officially open in Toowoomba today. The first regional tier III data centre of its kind in Australia, Pulse Data Centre adds to the estimated $11 billion worth of developments under way in Toowoomba, enhancing the city’s attractiveness to global businesses. FKG Group executive chairman Gary Gardner said the data centre placed the Garden City in li...

Apr 18, 2018

Ipswich ‘backed into a corner’ on recycling

Ipswich City Council plans to call tenders by mid-year to bid on waste-to-energy projects. In the meantime it has announced that all contents from yellow lid recycle bins will be sent to landfill. It follows the “China National Sword” policy, which has seen the biggest destination for recycled materials from Australia curb further waste exports by imposing strict limits on the contamination of mat...

Apr 18, 2018

Pembroke Resources in real estate buy-up

Pembroke Resources has bought a 41,500ha parcel of grazing properties in central Queensland, where it is advancing its Olive Downs Coking Coal Project. The company has not disclosed the price it is paying Peabody Energy for the Iffley, Deveril and Twenty Mile properties. Pembroke Resources chief executive officer and managing director Barry Tudor described the deal as a demonstration of the compan...

Apr 17, 2018

Fracking go-ahead boosts pipeline extension plans

Northern Gas Pipeline developer Jemena has welcomed the Northern Territory Government’s decision to lift the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, saying it will now press ahead with a multibillion-dollar extension project. The decision on ‘fracking’ followed an 18-month inquiry which found the risks associated with unconventional gas development could be mitigated to acceptable levels o...

Apr 17, 2018

Digging deep for Queen’s Wharf

Probuild is due to begin excavation work within weeks on the largest inner-city hole in Queensland as work continues on the $3 billion world-class Queen’s Wharf project. About 450,000 cubic metres of soil and rock will be removed over the next two years to produce a 26m deep pit with a perimeter of more than half a kilometre in the Brisbane CBD. The pit will be dug where the Executive Building, 80...