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suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
SNAP OF THE MONTH
Mounting calls for workers’ camps to be phased out From the editor HELLO and welcome to the October edition of the Surat Basin News. During the height of the gas industry boom there was a huge influx of FIFO workers into the Surat Basin. All we have to do is look back to June 2014, when there was 14,490 non-resident workers on shift throughout the basin. Fast-forward a year to June 2015 and only 5425 remained. Since then, even more jobs have disappeared as the gas industry continues its transition from construction phase to operations - a comparatively stable phase of the industry’s lifespan that will continue for decades to come. Now, our region had to do something to accommodate all those workers during the boom - workers’ camps were set-up and constructed in order to cope with the massive increase in people living in and around the basin’s towns.
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The boom ended, housing and rental prices plummeted - and while some camps closed, others remain. This was necessary. The region’s housing and accommodation market was at capacity and rental prices went through the roof. If the camps weren’t constructed, housing and rental prices would have become even more so inflated and the workers would have had nowhere to stay. This is a very different picture to where our communities currently stand. The boom ended, housing and rental prices plummeted and while some camps closed, others remain. We’re at an interesting junction - in the Chinese sense of the word. Both local and state politicians, Western Downs Regional Council mayor Paul McVeigh and Warrego MP Ann Leahy have called for gas companies to begin transitioning the bulk of their workforces into our towns. Late on Friday afternoon as the Surat Basin News went to press, I received an email from Federal Maranoa MP David Littleproud, adding his voice to the chorus. He said he has met recently with CSG companies and peak industry bodies to outline his concerns and push for the phasing out of workers’ camps. “These camps are dislocated from the community and don’t contribute to a town’s economy, especially when we’ve got a high-level vacant rental accommodation and onsite facilities can be accessed rather than checking out the local pool, cinema or cafes,” he said. With representatives from all three levels of government starting to apply pressure to the gas companies, it remains to be seen how quickly, if at all they will respond to these public calls.
◗ CRUISING: Sam Irwin at the Chinchilla Weir.
IN THE NEWS
PHOTO: MATTHEW NEWTON
Contents
AccessChina’16 delegation...........................................................3 Time to phase out workers’ camps ...........................................4 Best feedlot in Australia .............................................................5 Gasfields Commission under fire .............................................. 6 Charleville abattoir approved .....................................................7 Origin’s milestone moment .......................................................16 Millions wasted in power costs .................................................17
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Laser Plumbing Chinchilla ...........................................................8 Kerwick’s Earthworks ..................................................................9
OPINIONS
......................................................................................................19-21
The newspaper The Surat Basin News publishes every month and will be delivered via the four dominant newspapers of the region: the Chinchilla News, Western Star, Dalby Herald and The Chronicle. It will reach the homes and offices of almost 50,000 people living, working and playing in the Surat Basin, connecting the business and mining communities thought the booming region. Surat Basin News is a necessity. It was born out of a passion for Australia’s fastest growing communities – a passion for a region of unbridled potential and a future of vast economic growth and opportunities. The newspaper, professionally designed and regionally topical, will be a must read for anyone associated with the exciting Surat Basin. ONLINE: Surat Basin News has gone online to ensure our readers in every corner of the country has the latest news sent directly to them. Go to: www.suratbasin.com.au. PURCHASE FROM: Newsagents in Chinchilla, Roma, Dalby, Gladstone, Moura, Toowoomba, Calliope. VISION: Surat Basin News will allow local businesses to network and communicate with everyone in the 1200 sq km basin, providing unprecedented access to new clients and markets. It will give a revealing insight into major industry while lifting the veil on current and proposed developments. It will be there for each and every announcement shaping the region’s future while profiling the colourful characters.
The team GENERAL MANAGER Erika Brayshaw, Chinchilla Phone 4672 9921, email manager@suratbasin.com.au ADVERTISING TEAM Bobbie Gorring, Chinchilla Phone 4672 9930, email advertise@suratbasin.com.au Greg Latta, Roma Phone 4672 9927, email Greg.latta@romawesternstarnews.com Nicole Boyd-Taylor, Dalby Phone 04672 5500, email nicole.boyd-taylor@dalbyherald.com.au EDITORIAL
Matthew Newton, Chinchilla
Phone 4672 9926, email matthew.newton@chinchillanews.com.au
SURAT BASIN NEWS 12 Mayne Street, Chinchilla Q 4413 PO Box 138, Chinchilla Q 4413 The Surat Basin News is published by Chinchilla Newspapers Pty Ltd, 12 Mayne Street, Chinchilla Q 4413 The Surat Basin News is printed by APN Print Warwick
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IN THE NEWS
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
The AccessChina’16 delegation is the first of its kind for the region and the largest private trade delegation in Australia’s history.
TSBE’s AccessChina’16
Historic trade delegation underway THE AccessChina’16 trade delegation is the success story of Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise, flying producers, industry and businesses to Shanghai tapping into the Chinese export market. The Qantas A330 flight tookoff at 10.30am on Sunday, marking the historic moment the first international passenger flight departs the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport. TSBE AccessChina’16 project leader Dr Ben Lyons shared the key elements that have made the historic moment possible. “The flight out of Wellcamp is a major milestone for the region. A regional chartered flight internationally has never been attempted before,” Dr Lyons said. The delegation landed in Shanghai at 6.30pm Sunday (Shanghai time), with guests then transferred to the Hyatt on the Bund which overlooks the famed Bund and financial district. The Hyatt on the Bund hosted the first full-day conference, which included 45 speakers across four sessions designed to inform and explain the Chinese business opportunity. Dr Lyons was joined by Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment MP Keith Pitt, Minister for State Development, Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham, Austcham Shanghai chairman and Elders China CEO Craig Aldous and
◗ CLOUT: TSBE's Ben Lyons, Minister for State Development, Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham, Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Paul Antonio and TSBE's Shane Charles. Minister Lynham is currently in China on the AccessChina’16 delegation.
Zhongfu Group chairman Wu Puingai during the first session of the conference. Afternoon break-out sessions expanded on the Ag in Asia, Education and Tourism, and Energy and Resources sectors in what Dr Lyons described as an opportunity for delegates to learn how different industries are run. A gala dinner at the iconic Fairmont Peace Hotel on Monday night gave further opportunities for networking and immersion in Shanghai’s unique mix of oriental charm and new-age cosmopolitan. Qantas Freight, a business looking to expand its capacity in Asia, hosted the dinner. NAB Agribusiness sponsored the Big Aussie Barbecue at
Sasha’s Shanghai, a premier destination set in a mansion in the French Concession, on Wednesday night. AccessChina‘16 has been made possible thanks to the support of major sponsor Zhongfu Group, and partners ANZ, Asialink Business, EFIC, HopgoodGanim Lawyers and University of Southern Queensland. “This delegation is the first of its kind for the region and the largest private trade delegation in Australia’s history,” he said. “To give businesses the opportunities we have in the Asian market could not have happened without the coordinated efforts of our partners and sponsors,” Dr Lyons said. “We have brought together businesses from banks to exporters and freight companies.”
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IN THE NEWS
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
Local, state pollies call for end to workers’ camps
◗ UP IN ARMS: Wade Broom, manager of the Acacia Motel in Chinchilla.
PHOTO: MATTHEW NEWTON
Community anger over proposed permanent workers’ camp
Outrage over development
USUALLY competitors, Chinchilla’s motels have united against a common enemy – Ausco Modular and its workers’ camp Stayover on Zeller St. With tensions between moteliers and the camp simmering ever since the failed bid to take Ausco Modular to court in July last year, their grievances spilled over with the opening of public submissions on the company’s development application to make their 1000 bed workers’ camp a permanent fixture of Chinchilla. After a technical non-compliance in their approval was identified in July last year, Ausco Modular took Western Downs Regional Council to the Planning and Environment Court, seeking a “permissable change” to their approval via a consent order. In October, the court ordered that the Stayover on Zeller Street development was lawful, providing a development application was lodged within three months. Just under 12 months later, the public has had the chance to have their say as to what Chinchilla will look like in the future. The submission period closed on October 24, and in the background state and local politicians have begun calling for gas companies to begin phasing out the use of workers’ camps. Will Ausco stay, or will it go? Among those who want the camp to close is Acacia Motel lessee Wade Broom. “Everyone with a motel or hotel has signed a contract with a bank, thinking we were all going to have accommodation for the lifespan of our businesses,” Mr Broom said. “While they’ve got a 1000 man camp there there’s hardly any hope of us staying around.” Ausco Modular encouraged people to “review factual material” around the company’s development application. As far back as 2013, the company has argued that Stayover’s facilities cater for the “specific needs” of their clients. “Our clients require large-scale single room accommodation, on-site car-parking and bus collection points, designated outdoor smoking areas, alcohol testing devices, high volume meal services from as early as 4am as well as substantial recreation and laundry facilities,” Stayover by Ausco general manager Roger Bradford said. “If they cannot source this sort of bulk accommodation in Chinchilla, they will instead utilise on-site accommodation at
remote gas tenements and mining leases, not other local motel providers that focus on, and bring tourism trade to our town. “Stayover contributes around $4 million per year to the town’s economy – we buy locally and employ locally. “In addition, because of our proximity to the town centre, our residents socialise and shop locally. “It saddens me to think about the immediate detrimental impact our departure would have on the town’s economy.” But Grow Chinchilla’s Bill Blake disagrees with Mr Bradford’s assessment of the situation. Mr Blake has spent the last seven months investigating Ausco Modular’s development application and commissioning economic analyses from Herron Todd White, Economic Associates and the Saunders Havill Group. The reports are available for viewing on Mr Blake’s website growchinchilla.com.au. “It’s my view that if council approves Ausco’s application for 1000 permanent worker beds, it will create a surplus of accommodation in Chinchilla,” Mr Blake said. “Chinchilla already has 495 approved and existing worker beds and there are already an additional 1200 worker beds approved by council but not yet built. “The reason they are not built is because there is no commercial demand for them.” Mr Blake argued making Stayover on Zeller St a permanent 1000 bed workers’ camp meant that with the reduced numbers of workers in town, the existing accommodation industry will not get the benefit of demand for accommodation during peak periods, such as the recent Kogan Creek Power Station shutdown. “We have already lost two local operators in our motel supply chain,” Mr Blake said. Chinchilla Community, Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Rob Hart said Ausco Modular is a large, valued employer and purchaser of goods in Chinchilla. "However, the CCCI believe 1000 beds is too many," he said. "We would like to see a good proportion of units mothballed until accommodation demand gets closer to supply. "The CCCI supports a temporary camp, not a permanent one. "Hopefully this can be negotiated rather than dragged through the lengthy court process."
WESTERN Downs Regional Council mayor Paul McVeigh and Warrego MP Ann Leahy have ramped up calls for gas companies to start phasing out the use of workers’ camps. Cr McVeigh said the gas industry’s transition from construction to operations phase meant the time had come “for workers to start living in our communities”. “The CSG industry will be operating for many decades to come and it is logical that the people working to support its daily activity become part of the adjacent communities,” Cr McVeigh said. “We have good schools, good medical services, good businesses, and attractive parks and gardens. “And the best way to support our communities is to have more people living in (them).” Ms Leahy said Cr McVeigh was “on the right track”. “We do have some camps that are... within a stone’s throw of towns,” she said. “We appeal to those companies to look at their workforce and find ways how they can transition as many people as possible into the local towns.” Cr McVeigh said he was pushing for companies to get 60% of their work force living locally. “We’re not out in the bloody desert. We’re 2-3 hours from the coast, we’re not that isolated,” he said. “Imagine if we could put another 200 people into Miles or Chinchilla. We’d fill those empty houses and increase our towns’ liveability. “We’ve got the coal, we’ve got the gas, now we’re phasing in this renewable energy sector... we’re going to see this around for years, decades to come. “This isn’t a short-term project, it’s inter-generational. We
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We appeal to those companies to... find ways... they can transition as many people as possible into local towns.
say it regularly, we want to breed the next generation of (industry) workers, right here across our region.” Pointing to Broadspectrum’s achievement of having 85% of its workforce living in the communities in which they operate, Ms Leahy said “it can be done”. “It needs to become the culture of the companies,” she said. “They need to create that culture of living local, and encouraging the families of those workers to live locally.” Origin’s general manager for communities and access Natasha Patterson said the company had recently met with the mayor and Western Downs Regional Council to discuss what can be done and how to work together, to further improve regional economic outcomes. “We have both agreed to work co-operatively to optimise the number of people living locally.” Origin and QGC say almost a third of their workforces already live locally, and both have employment policies which encourage integration.
◗ Western Downs Regional Council mayor Paul McVeigh has called for CSG companies to increase their live local quotas. PHOTO: MATTHEW NEWTON
5
IN THE NEWS
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
◗ BEST OF THE BEST: Elanco representative Caite Jenyns (sponsor) with Tammy and Tim Stiller from Weeroona in Gulugaba won the Australian Feedlot of the Year Award for feedlot under 3,000 head. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
When size doesn’t count family property, which by then, had increased to 3,000 acres. The years went on and more and more country was purchased until Weeroona totalled more than 40,000. But with the arrival of the 1990’s came the seasons that were either going to make or break. “It was definitely the drought which brought (feedlotting) about; hard economic and environmental conditions,” Mrs Stiller said. “They started off on shoe-string budget. They had home-made feeders and 44 gallon drums; that’s how basic it was back then." In 1992, Weeroona trucked its first load of grain-fed cattle to Woolworths and began a business relationship that survives until the present day. At the 2016 Beef Ex Elanco Australian Feedlot of the Year Award, Weeroona Feedlot won the three categories for quality assurance systems, environmental management, and business planning, as well as the major award for best feedlot under 3000 head.
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IN THE NEWS
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
GasFields Commission Review
‘Toothless tiger’ under fire from landowners THE Chair of the GasFields Commission Queensland earns the same amount of money as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. According to the organisation’s own financial statements for this year, tabled in parliament recently, the commission chairman John Cotter receives $379,000 a year, including superannuation and other benefits. Meanwhile, Premier Palaszczuk earns a shade under $380,000 a year. That number has astounded Basin Sustainability Alliance chairman Lee McNicholl, who argues the organisation has been “completely ineffective” over its three and a half year lifespan. GasFields Commission Queensland was established by the Newman government on July 1, 2013 as an independent statutory body whose functions among others included “identifying and advising on coexistence issues” and “convening parties for the purpose of resolving issues.” The State Labor Government commenced an independent review of the commission in March 2016, to be undertaken by Bob Scott, a retired member of the Land Court of Queensland. A spokesperson for Minister for State Development and Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dr Anthony Lynham said Mr Scott provided the Department of State Development
◗ IMPENDING DECISION: GasFields Commission chairman John Cotter chats with Mines Minister Anthony Lynham at the Surat Basin Expo in 2015. PHOTO: DEREK BARRY
with his extensive and detailed report mid-year. It is currently under consideration by the government, with a decision on the commission’s future expected before Christmas. Mr McNicholl said he understood the overwhelming majority of submissions to the review called for the scrapping of the commission. “And I think that says it all,” he said. “It hasn’t been successful from a landholder’s point of view. I would like to know how Mr Cotter can justify earning the same salary as the Premier. “I know of a number of instances where (the commission) has been completely ineffective and that’s why they’ve earned themselves the reputation of being a toothless tiger. “They’ve turned out to be more about promoting the very overstated economic credentials of the gas industry than really solving any environmental and property rights issues to landholders’ best advantage.” Mr McNicholl said he didn’t know of a single instance where the GasFields Commission had been able to enforce a
settlement between a gas company and a landholder without the landholder having recourse to good legal advice. The Surat Basin News understands the commission’s contracts will expire at the end of November. Mr McNicholl suspected the government’s decision on the review conducted by Mr Scott would coincide with the natural termination of the commission’s contracts. “It would be a convenient way for the government to let the commission die on the vine,” Mr McNicholl said. “The fact they haven’t been able to recruit a general manager on the attractive salary of $240k since December last year and their very likeable media officer Brendan Egan has left and joined another organisation suggests the fact the organisation will be terminated.” Mr Cotter was contacted for comment but did not wish to take part in an interview. He issued a statement saying the government had undertaken “a timely independent review of the GasFields Commission to look at how the current model is working” and that it was not appropriate to comment while the review was before the Minister.
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7
IN THE NEWS
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
80 new jobs on the cards
Charleville abattoir secures approval
◗ MAN WITH PLAN: John Burey has a plan to build a cattle abattoir. PHOTO: ANDREW MESSENGER
the new plant. It will require a substantial increase in floorspace. It will predominantly kill cattle, with a side business in processing other animals like donkeys, camels and horses to make up the potential shortfall in supply in a currently understocked Western Queensland. Possibly the biggest advantage new plant will have is availability. The closest cattle abattoir is in Oakey near Toowoomba over 800 kilometres away. The distance gives the Charleville abattoir a potential advantage in transport costs as it’s easier to transport a dead animal than a live one.
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CHARLEVILLE’S Abattoir is one step closer to slaughtering cattle, after development approval by the Murweh Shire Council in October. The $45 million project is expected to kill roughly 5000 cattle per month, employing about 80 people. The Chinese are putting up the cash, part of heavy offshore reinvestment in agriculture in the region that has sparked debate among farmers and policymakers across Australia. That’s a debate John Burey, who owns the abattoir, has a clear stake in. "I think foreign investment’s been happening in Australia for 200 years, hasn’t it?” he said. "So I don’t think it’s anything new. ‘We’re doing like everyone does – once you’re here and established, you don’t want anyone else to become established." He said the foreign interest in agriculture was a positive sign, not a malign plot. "And yes, a lot of these countries are coming and investing in Oz to secure up their supply lines. "They can see that Australia is one of the only countries in the world that has the ability to increase our livestock, to increase our agricultural production all over." European agricultural production is decreasing thanks to urban sprawl, he said – not so much of a problem in the land of 60,000 acre sheep stations. "I’ve got no issue with foreign investment whatsoever." He said Australian investors like superannuation companies had treated the sector as real estate, when it should be treated as a factory worth only the money you can make out of it. So the only willing investors he could find were foreign. Their company Grassland Cattle Limited hopes to have the first beast slaughtered by next year, with an expected construction time of about nine months. But with a delayed approval – which passed council unanimously on Thursday, October 13, after a public consultation period with no complaints – it’s possible that construction might be delayed until next year. John Burey’s abattoir was originally Australia’s biggest kangaroo meatworks, but the industry went belly-up in 2009 after it biggest export destination, Russia, complained of bad product. Since then he’s been searching for an alternative export opportunity. In August he found it, announcing the plan to build
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DOWN TO BUSINESS
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
Laser Plumbing Chinchilla
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THEY may have had a re-brand, but Tim and Tamara Pitt are still providing the same friendly and efficient service as they have done these past 16 years. Now operating under the banner of Laser Plumbing Chinchilla, Tim said the change had opened up new opportunities for the local family-owned business as well as making their life easier. The Pitts were first invited to have a look and see what the Laser Group was all about. “We went and had a look at a few businesses and how they were run with the Laser Pro software and we liked how it all came together,” he said. “We liked the systems - how efficient the businesses were running and how the software allowed them to become more streamlined.” The other obvious bonus of joining the Laser Plumbing group was access to support. “When you’re a small business operating in a trade, you’re on your own,” Tamara said. “You can’t really ring your other competitors and chat about things or get some advice. Now we can.” Tim said he and Tamara had done “a lot of homework” and were confident joining Laser would benefit their operation, not only giving them the opportunity to bounce ideas
around but also giving them access to other jobs within the group. Tim said that while he was a little worried about dropping the name that had served them well for nearly two decades, clients had been very supportive of the move. The Pitts opened their business in the year 2000 and currently employ eight staff for a variety of jobs, from regular domestic plumbing work to commercial jobs, insurance work, roofing, and Coal Seam Gas industry
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DOWN TO BUSINESS
Kerwick’s Earthworks
Building an adaptable, versatile business VERSATILITY, adaptability, local knowledge and a can-do attitude are the cornerstones that Dom and Rachel Kerwick have built their family’s earthmoving business upon. Bought off Dom’s father Val back in 1996, Kerwick’s Earthworks has gone from humble beginnings as a one-man operation to a successful inter-generational local business employing 12 people. There have been some ups and downs over the years, and the past 18 months have been some of the toughest the Kerwick’s have seen. But the key to their success has been diversification. “We pride ourselves on being flexible and able to quickly adapt to meet the needs of the client,” Rachel said. “Whether that be in the gas industry, the feedlot or agricultural sector, civil projects or just general construction. “The volume and variety of contracts that we do is always surprising, particularly for a relatively small rural business.” In the early days Kerwick’s Earthworks worked on projects like the Aberdeen gas project at Tara, they’ve drilled test holes for QGC during their gas exploration works, worked on the Roma Airport refuelling facility, contracted for Austrian Energy at the Condamine Power Station, and currently work with companies
◗ FAMILY TIES: Dan and Dom Kerwick, of Kerwick's Earthworks.
PHOTO: MATTHEW NEWTON
like Hutchinson Builders, Decmil, Silverstrand, Laing O’Rourke, Savanna, Origin Energy, QGC and others. Then there’s the agricultural side of the business, where they take on work for feedlots, doing pen cleaning, roads, laneways, irrigation systems, levee banks, drains, and general work helping farmers control overland flow and erosion. At the forefront of the business’ success is their different sized excavators, capable of handing any job. “From tree-clearing, demolition, excavation, trenching, site clean-ups; add in their attachments and we can do rock removal - we can pretty much tackle just about any job with an excavator,” Dom said. The third generation of Kerwicks to work for the business - Dan - is a qualified trade mechanic, which adds another string to company’s bow. In 2011, the Kerwick’s purchased their 19 Pound Road site,
where the business now operates from. “It’s a modern, well-equipped workshop facility which suits many needs,” Dan said. “We have landscaping supplies on site, we have lay-down area on site, it’s a great central location and we do on-site machinery servicing and we’re an approved Queensland Transport Heavy Vehicle Registration Assessment Scheme (HVRAS) and Approved Inspection Station (AIS).” Looking to the future, Dom wants the site to become a bit of a one-stop shop. “As well as our existing services, we’ve got a bit of small equipment that we can hire out to anyone in the civil game,” he said. “We do our best to welcome anyone into town and help them out with solutions.”
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33-35 Cooper St, Chinchilla
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rent negotiable
EXCELLENT INDUSTRIAL SETUP FOR LEASE • Two 324sqm warehouses linked by a 360sqm covered work area • Great access to each section of the property • Three phase power to all areas • Approx 30sqm of offices adjoining the first warehouse • The remainder of the yard has a bitumen seal • Inspect this property to see all it has to offer!
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suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
1126 Orallo Road, Roma Qld 4455
Price $2, 200 000
"Nullawurt" Picture Perfect on approx. 1144acres
17km to Roma on bitumen frontage is this magnificent contemporary rural property on 3 titles, consists of a 4 spacious bedrooms all with built ins, main with en-suite & WIR, large formal lounge plus a family room, modern open planned kitchen with great appliances, dining room, office, evap air con, wood heater, ceiling fans, great 9 x 7m stamped concrete ent area situated on a northerly aspect, this quality spacious home is surrounded by est lawn, beautiful endless gardens full of colour, garden shed, vege patch and chook run plus a massive shed 20m x 16m steel frame fully concreted and lockable with power connected plus 7m x 6m car garage attached, 20 foot fodder storage container. 3 x 5000 gallon rain water tanks, the property is well watered with a bore with submersible pump that pumps into a high tank then is reticulated to paddocks with troughs also there are 6 dams, this approx. 1144 acres of prolific buffel and native pastures is prime growing and fattening cattle country, sub divided into 6 paddocks two of which are holding paddocks with laneway leading to steel cattle yards with five way draft, vet crush under roof, calf cradle and loading ramp and water connected. Fencing throughout the property is of high standard and in excellent order. Services including twice weekly mail run. Rarely does a property of this stature and location become available to the market.
Agent: Athol Cleland 0427 223 858 0 Wallumbilla North Road, Wallumbilla
Price: Price on Application
Approx. 900acres Wallumbilla Approximately 900acres, North West of Wallumbilla in the suburb of Chadford sits this beautiful open bottle tree Brigalow country with dam.
Agent: Athol Cleland 0427 223 858
42 Edwardes Street, Roma
Price: $665 000
A PERFECT HOME FOR THE GROWING FAMILY Lifestyle acreage in town only minutes from all amenities. This beautifully presented 5 bedroom home sits on approx. 40acres & includes modern kitchen with ample storage, main bedroom with ensuite, Separate 2nd bathroom, office, laundry plus enclosed verandah & entertainer’s patio. Features include reverse cycle ducted air con, ceiling fans, wood heater, new carpet, polished timber floors. All set in established gardens with above ground swimming pool, large 4 bay powered shed and old grape shed. Added bonus this house has new roof, stumps and solar panels.
Agent: Athol Cleland 0427 223 858
1942 Seventeen Mile Lane, Roma
Price: $550 000
“Bellevue” Location:31 Klms from Roma on bitumen and gravel road. Area: 527.7101 HA or Approx 1304 Acres Freehold Country: Predominately box country with red & loamy soil, small brigalow coverage. Fully buffelled on old cultivation. Water: Permanent water holes in the Yalebone Creek and dams. Fencing: Subdivided into 6 paddocks with fencing in good to new condition. Services: Power at close vicinity to possible homestead location. Weekly mail, School bus. Roma is a major regional town with health, educational and recreational facilities plus government agencies. Roma Airport offers daily to Brisbane plus a daily bus service operates to the east and west. Roma is also the location of the largest cattle saleyards in Australia.
Agent: Athol Cleland 0427 223 858 Steppin Stone-130 Woodside Road Roma
PRICE: $549 000
Looking for a move closer to town on acreage, this is one not to miss! Set on 35 acres only minutes to town this tidy 4 bedroom home is worth an inspection. All bedrooms are air conditioned, with built-ins. Open plan kitchen/dining/lounge. Bathroom with shower, toilet and vanity. North facing open veranda length of the house. Double carport and large shed. In ground pool. Horse will love the 5 stables with day yards. wash bay and purpose built arena with lights. Excellent fences and shared bore.
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Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
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16
IN THE NEWS
MOVIN’ IT Market your business directly to the transport industry in our special publication MOVIN IT! For all things trucking & associated businesses this publication is a MUST. This will be inserted in the Surat Basin News in November. MOVE IT AND BOOK YOUR SPACE NOW!
YOUR ADVERTISING SPECIALIST DEB STARk Ph: 07 4672 9908 E: DEB.STARk@ChINChILLANEwS.COM.AU
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◗ SMOOTH SAILING: Origin has produced the maiden LNG cargo from the second of its two 4.5 million tonnes per annum production trains.
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
Big moment Origin marks another milestone with Train 2’s first cargo
THE second of Origin’s Curtis Island LNG production trains has produced its first cargo, in a milestone moment for the company. The train, which can produce up to 4.5 million tonnes of LNG each year, commenced exporting earlier this month. Origin Integrated Gas Chief Executive David Baldwin described Australia Pacific LNG as one of the largest energy projects ever to be undertaken in eastern Australia and represented billions of dollars of investment in local jobs, regional communities and Queensland as a whole. “On behalf of Australia Pacific LNG’s partners, I’d like to sincerely thank our workers, our hundreds of landowner partners and the Queensland Government for their tireless support as we worked together to make this transformational project a reality,” Mr Baldwin said. Origin managing director Grant King said APLNG’s transition from development to production would see the company benefit significantly from its investment in the project through earnings and returns in the next financial year.
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
17
IN THE NEWS
Local energy production is the answer
Millions wasted in power costs
◗ FIZZER: Shadow Minister for Energy Michael Hart said the poor design of Queensland’s energy network is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
THE Shadow Minister for Energy Michael Hart said Queensland is wasting millions of taxpayer dollars through poor design of the energy network. Shadow Minister Hart said that diffusion costs are about 55% - that is, the amount of power lost in transmission from the generator to the user is about half of the total electricity use. “We have to start thinking outside the box,” he said in an interview in Charleville last week, during a trip with Member for Warrego Ann Leahy to Western Queensland. “Talking to the business people here today, instead of building more distribution from the eastern seaboard over here, why don’t we build some sort of power station here in town? “In a place like this it possibly makes sense to have some renewable peak power that we can encourage industry into this town … and use the power lines that come over from the east as baseload power.” One of the biggest issues for Charleville industry is massive electricity costs. An abbatoir pays around 40 cents a kilowatt, compared to a Brisbane industry which might pay 8 cents. In January the Murweh shire looked at doing its own multi-million dollar geothermal plant, but quickly ran into a problem: Ergon would not allow it to transmit electricity through its poles and wires. Council planned to build their own electricity network instead. Mr Hart said state government can solve the problem much more easily. “If the government says to Ergon and Energex this is our policy, they have to achieve that, that’s what they’re paid for.”
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A TRIBUTE
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
Natalee Hall: 1995 - 2016
Gone much too soon ANDREW MESSENGER The Western Times
NATALEE Hall was a reporter. I met her for the last time at a council meeting at the Murweh Shire building on Thursday. In a break, we talked about court cases she was excited to cover on Tuesday. She told me she'd started to feel at home in Charleville. She had been picked to be part of a race at Cooladdi on Saturday because she was so small it was easy to pick her up. She laughed about her poor performance in AusTag the previous night. We gossiped. Then we were motioned to go back into the chamber, to try to make sense of the chaos of the council meeting, to bring something back to the office that could be translated into a tale worthy of reading. Born on July 28, 1995, Natalee came into our fabled profession early, and left it early too, at age 21, on Saturday morning at 6.30. Her car hit a tree after swerving to miss a kangaroo about 30km south of Augathella. She died at the scene. Natalee was the passenger. The driver's condition is described as non-life threatening. If you know her, and I do, she will need your support. Natalee was a special person. She was never unhappy for long, or happy briefly. She made friends easily and enemies never. For the last four months of her life she worked for the storied Warrego Watchman, one of three journalists there, in a paper as old as the towns they work in.
â—— TRAGEDY: Warrego Watchman reporter Natalee Hall (below) with Marguerite Cuddihy and Western Times reporter Andrew Messenger. PHOTO: CONTRIBUTED
She moved from Boronia Heights in Logan, and started at the paper in July. By October she'd just become a permanent member of staff, and was ecstatic about it. Natalee never wrote a story that was easy or throwaway, was never unwilling to drive the extra hundred miles to get a photo and a story of a kid winning her first gymkhana. She slept on swags and lived in an old fashioned pub in a town hundreds of miles away from friends or family. She worked weekends and nights and always made the extra phone call to double check. She did it because she cared about people's stories, about the
good times and the bad times and the funny times. About the things that governments and community groups and businesses do that hurt us or help us. About the communities we live in, and the people who live in them and the things that happen there that are never heard about outside. About the purifying power of the simple fact. One day she'd have been a great writer at some fantastic magazine or on TV. One day she'd have redefined how you or I think about something or someone or somewhere. She never got that chance.
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19
OPINION
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
Rail project needs transparency PAT WEIR
Member for Condamine
THE Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail Project is a long awaited and much anticipated vital piece of infrastructure that has overwhelming support in electorate of Condamine and the Darling Downs. The cost of this project will be in excess of ten billion dollars over a period of ten years and will be one of the most significant freight transport routes in the country. With this in mind the taxpayers and affected landholders have every right to expect total transparency and open scrutiny of “all” proposed corridors. Especially in view of the potential impact that each corridor could have on landholders and the farming landscape of the Central Downs. It is was very disappointing to discover that there was a report compiled by the Snowy Mountains Engineering
Corporation (SMRC) to investigate alternate routes from Inglewood to Gowrie Junction in 2015 that had not been officially released to the public. This report was commissioned by the state Departments of Transport and Main Roads, State Development, Queensland Rail and the proponents of the ARTC project. The ten billion dollar question is why has this report not seen the light of day until recently? The report lists an alternate route through Karara, Felton and Umbiram to Gowrie Junction which is less expensive, will take less time to construct and will provide more efficient freight delivery outcomes than the currently favoured route across the floodplain from Brookstead to Gowrie Junction. The route in this report has never been mentioned at any time as an option for the Inland Rail Project. The proposed route from Brookstead to Gowrie Junction is based on information from 2010, since then there have been two significant and devastating flood events on the floodplain, one in 2011 and another in 2013.
The SMRC report states that the Karara route did not encounter as many floodplain problems although there was significant flooding of Hodgson Creek during the 2010 and 2011 floods. The report compiled by the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation in 2015 takes into account the last two flood events. It is a comprehensive report and addresses many of the floodplain problems raised, and it was also prepared with the full knowledge of the current Queensland Government and ARTC. In a recent edition of the Warwick Daily News an ARTC spokesman states, “ARTC engaged consultants to undertake a further analysis of the route identified in the SMEC report and the outcome of that analysis was that there wasn’t a compelling case for the alternative route”. This would indicate that there has been yet another undisclosed study completed, it is imperative that all options are investigated in an open and transparent manner.
Forging better relationships MR DON STILLER Commissioner - Land Access, GasFields Commission Queensland
ONE of the most important achievements of the GasFields Commission of Queensland has been to dramatically improve the relationship between gas companies and landholders. Contrary to popular myth, gas companies aren’t allowed to just barge their way onto a landholder’s property. All companies are required to comply with Queensland’s rigorous Land Access Policy Framework. Initially, landholders were understandably apprehensive about
the idea of gas operators coming onto their land. A poor attitude from gas companies, mixed with little-to-no knowledge of the industry among landholders, was a recipe for disaster. I’m pleased to say that the attitude of the gas companies has significantly changed for the better. The Commission’s work to convince them to remove confidentiality from their land access agreements has been a major step forward in improving the relationship. It has always been the view of the Commission that farmers should be able to talk to one another to share ideas of how to properly handle negotiations. As time has gone by, landholders have gained more and more confidence and become far more comfortable dealing with gas companies. The other important step in fostering a positive coexistence
was the work the Commission did with AgForce Queensland to run workshops educating landholders about the gas industry and the benefits it can provide. These workshops slowly but surely broke down much of the mythology around the true role of the gas industry and reassured landholders. These positive steps have culminated in the number of complaints the GasFields Commission receives from affected landholders dropping significantly over the past three and a half years. To better understand Queensland’s gas industry and the State’s land access framework, I encourage readers to visit the Gasfields Commission Queensland’s website where they can find a myriad of independent reports, guides and other factual information about the industry.
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20
OPINION
Queensland’s Renewable Energy Target ‘unrealistic’ DAVID LITTLEPROUD Member for Maranoa
IN QUEENSLAND, we’ve plenty of access to sunshine so I think it makes sense the largest federal electorate in the state is looking into renewable energy but not at the cost of higher power prices, which would hardest hit our most vulnerable. During the last sittings, I spoke in Federal Parliament to outline how an innovative Maranoa – which spans more than 42% of Queensland – is capturing sunshine but warned the Queensland Government is compromising energy security and prices by setting unrealistic renewable energy targets. Queensland Labor has put forward an unrealistic 50% renewable energy target by 2025, which could lead us down a path like South Australia’s compromised energy security – where we saw a total sate-wide blackout at the start of this month. I’m critical because the likely outcome of this unrealistic target is consumers – particularly those who can least afford it – will be hit by sky-high energy prices in Queensland and a less secure electricity supply. The Coalition Government is on track to meet and beat the Renewable Energy Target of 23.5% by 2020. This target was set with bipartisan support with the Labor Opposition last year. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency recently announced large-scale solar funding for two exciting projects in my electorate which are due to start construction from as early as December. I believe the role of any government is to responsibly implement international obligations, in a balanced way, to transition the energy economy to lower emissions but it must work within budgetary constraints to ensure efficient, responsible and reliable energy for all Australians.
Everyone has the right to run for public office DAN MCGAW ETU South West Queensland State Organiser
THERE has been much debate lately particularly around local government and who should be able to hold a position in public office. Luckily we live in a democratic country where everyone has the right to free speech and freedom of association. We have a proud history of having parliamentary representatives from all walks of life. No matter what your background, colour, race or religion everyone has the right to "throw their hat in the ring" and run for a seat in public office. This was the Australia I thought I knew until the local Toowoomba Regional Council elections. Unfortunately certain groups and influential individuals came out publicly stating that union representatives or ALP aligned candidates have no place in council. What are they scared about? From my point of view an ideal council would be made up of equal representation. Someone from the business community, someone representing the working class, someone representing youth and an elderly councillor with views of their age group. Wouldn’t council flourish if there was robust debate from all sides of the community? I have stated in this piece previously that the union movement has achieved so much for everyday Australians. Everyone has something to be thankful for. Why is it that there is a constant attack on the unions in Australia? Yes there are some crooks in the movement but as there are in every group and sector in Australia. Is every businessman like Christopher Skase and rips off their workers? Of course not. Unions in Australia have proudly represented workers for as long as there has been employers. We proudly represent the interest of the average working Australian and will continue being their voice for many years to come.
suratbasin.com.au Thursday, October 27, 2016
Water our most precious resource RICK WILKINSON APPEA Chief Technical Officer
MOST conversations about natural gas production from coal seams inevitably turn to water. I don’t mean this in the figurative sense. It is simply recognition that most people feel strongly about underground water; one of Queensland’s most important natural resources. All users, particularly the gas industry, have a responsibility to use water in a sustainable way while keeping impacts on groundwater levels to an absolute minimum. The first water well was drilled into the Walloon coals in 1928, many decades before CSG technology was developed. Currently almost 3000 private bores, unrelated to the gas industry, are producing 16.9 billion litres of water every year from Queensland’s Walloon coals (the state’s main coal seam gas-producing geological formation). To produce natural gas from coal, the pressure must be reduced by pumping water from the coals. In our dry country, this water is an important resource that cannot be wasted. CSG produced water has several possible uses, depending on its quality, quantity and level of treatment, including crop irrigation and replenishing weirs and dams. When a CSG company produces water from coals (including the Walloons) for beneficial use, a ‘Beneficial Use Authority’ is required from the government. There is one for irrigation and another for other purposes. The water processing technology most commonly used by CSG operators is reverse osmosis. This is the same technology used to process drinking water in major cities around the world, including London, Singapore and Dubai. There is a long history of water usage from coals, and rigorous processing and testing regimes are used when CSG companies produce this water and make it available for beneficial use. We can be confident this water meets the high standards required for our agriculture industry and regional communities.
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21
OPINION
Thursday, October 27, 2016 suratbasin.com.au
China the land of opportunities
From Cunnamulla to Brigalow and back
SHANE CHARLES TSBE executive chairman
ANN LEAHY
Cr PAUL McVEIGH Mayor, Western Downs Regional Council
Member for Warrego
AS YOU are reading this column, TSBE members and delegates will be experiencing their final days in Shanghai, China along with more than 200 people from Australia, many from the Darling Downs. Flying out of Wellcamp airport on Sunday, October 23 the group has spent time in conferences, on site tours and undertaking business matching to maximise their time in the region. China and Asia markets are the buzz words in business whenever anyone talks opportunity, similar to how the Surat Basin was talked about a few years ago. However, the reality is that whilst it is easy to talk about opportunity, it’s harder to know how to realise it. The AccessChina'16 trip was designed with that question in mind - it is so much easier to understand the opportunity when you can travel to the ports, manufacturing plants, campuses and businesses - feel, see and get a sense for how things are done. The first day of the delegation saw an Asian Century conference that hosted a number of industries and streams. Most participants were focussed on agriculture developments and opportunity but we also hosted streams in manufacturing and sustainable design, energy and resources, health, tourism and education. In respect to resources, our region has built a world class supply chain in the onshore gas industry. We also have world leading coal and hard rock miners on our doorstep. And it’s not just the big guys – the smaller companies from Tier 2 down the supply chain really are very good at what they do and could compete in any market. We should be very proud with what we do in this region across the board from agriculture to resources. We are absolutely best in our class from a global perspective and trips like AccessChina'16 are giving the region the chance to take advantage of it.
Innovation, planning and growth
WELCOME to the October Edition of the Surat Basin News. I have been travelling between Brigalow to Cunnamulla and it has been wonderful to see a green landscape throughout the electorate. CONGRATULATIONS BRIGALOW Congratulations to the Brigalow Recreation Ground Committee on the opening of their new canteen and for a very successful Brigalow Annual Bush Carnival. It was good to see the committee sourcing all the materials for the new canteen locally. QUEENSLAND RURAL REGIONAL AND REMOTE WOMEN’S NETWORK I was privileged to be invited to open the QRRRWN State Conference in Roma recently. The Conference had a packed agenda and it was great to meet with women from many backgrounds who have amazing talents, skills, and abilities. Ninety percent of the women who attended the conference had never attended a QRRRWN Conference before. My parliamentary colleague Ros Bates MP Shadow Minister for Communities, Women, Youth, Child Safety and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Disability Services and Seniors also attended. MINISTERIAL VISITS I have been delighted to host Michael Hart MP, Shadow Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply, in the communities of St George, Bollon, Cunnamulla, Wyandra and Charleville. During our driving trip we meet with irrigators, landholders, small businesses, local councils and had the opportunity to assess the condition of the roads. An essential service in our communities is electricity and its supply. It was good for Mr Hart to hear first hand the challenges that electricity consumers face in isolated areas and some possible solutions. There are three weeks of Parliamentary Sittings until the Christmas break. I look forward to working with my constituents and communities during this time.
THE Western Downs region has been buzzing with good news stories this past month, with our diverse regional profile gaining the spotlight on a wide range of topics from planning and growth, to innovation and manufacturing on a local, state and national level as our various industries continue to cement the Western Downs as the place to be. In September our region played host to one of the biggest Drone Industry Forum's ever seen in Australia, boosting the Western Downs as a leader in UAV technology and opportunity. The Forum was a huge success, bringing over 350 people from across the Darling Downs and Australia together to embrace our growing thirst for future technologies and spearheading for the next generation of drone use. Further highlighting the strength and confidence in our region's economy our key industries across the region are continuing to grow, most notably in the agriculture sector with SunPork's Tong Park piggery, northwest of Dalby set to undergo a $40 million expansion bringing 30 new jobs to the Western Downs. Planning for the development and sustainability of our communities now and into the future is a key priority of Council. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our residents, businesses, and community groups who took the time to participate in the Amended Draft Western Downs Planning Scheme Community Q&A Forums held recently around the region, and those who submitted a properly made submission during the public consultation period. Our dedicated Strategic Planning Team are now in the process of reviewing and responding to these submissions. I strongly encourage you to keep an eye on Council's website and Facebook page for any updates in this space. It's the ongoing achievements and good news stories like these that make me incredibly proud of our region and confident that there's simply no better place than the Western Downs.
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◗ Mark and Kelli McKenzie at the 2016 Maranoa Business Awards at the Explorer's Inn.
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◗ Bernard Fitzsimmons with Maddie, Sammy and Kerry Kersekowski at the Dalby Business Excellence Awards. PHOTOS: JESSICA BAHR
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Surat Basin News Published by Chinchilla Newspapers Pty Ltd 12 Mayne Street, Chinchilla, Q 4413 Printed by APN Print Warwick General manager: Erika Brayshaw
Rockers raise $2600 for Beyond Blue
Knocking-off early for charity HAVING a job which allows you to knock off early to go do something you love, has got to be a rare career-perk to be found in today’s demanding world. So when the time came for Origin’s seven-piece band to decide on a name for themselves, they were left in little doubt over what it should be. URLYNOX - a play on ‘early knock off to attend band practice’is an outfit formed entirely from workers at Origin’s Condabri facility who have been entertaining the camp most Sundays for sometime, the band’s drummer and Senior Health & Safety Advisor for Origin’s Eastern operations, Muri Pene said. “Every Sunday when we were playing, the guys got an extra hour off to practice,” Mr Pene said. Then when the opportunity came along on October 15 to play at the Condamine Pub for the night as a fundraiser for Beyond Blue, URLYNOX jumped at the chance. The seven musicians who have a repertoire of about 80 rock
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We really want to get out and support the towns around the region, not just Condamine but Chinchilla, Miles and others. and blues songs which include covers from INXS, Jimmy Barnes and Oasis, treated the pub’s Saturday night crowd to a gig that was also attended by about 80 fellow Origin-workers. After a three-hour-set, the band was proud to report they were able to raise $2600 for Beyond Blue, which Origin plans to match dollar-for-dollar. The evening was so successful, talks are apparently already underway between the Condamine Pub and the band to do it again soon. “We really want to get out and support the towns around the region, not just Condamine but Chinchilla, Miles and others,” Mr Pene said.
◗ GOOD CAUSE: Seven-piece band, URLYNOX playing at the Condamine Pub.
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