THE Queensland Resources Council (QRC) welcomes new laws passed by the Queensland Government to deter people from using dangerous devices that deliberately increase the risk of injury to themselves, emergency services workers and members of the public.

QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane said the Summary Offences and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019, passed last night in parliament, was the right step forward in ensuring the rights of all Queenslanders were upheld.

“Everyone has the right to protest but everyone also has the right to commute to work safely, operate trains without fearing they will injure or kill someone and for ambulance drivers not to be impeded by protestors connecting themselves to  concrete drums on the road,” Mr Macfarlane said.

“QRC had urged the Parliament to consider both the Government legislation and the LNP’s private members bill to address illegal trespass.

“We welcome the Parliament’s commitment to this important issue that affects every Queenslander.

“The new laws make it an offence to use attachment devices to block transport corridors and I applaud the Palaszczuk Government for acting before someone is seriously injured. We’ve seen too much illegal and unsafe behaviour with activists deploying dangerous devices on rail lines and at ports.

“Our  sector prioritises safety and these laws send a clear message to activists who use extreme actions," Mr Macfarlane said.

“The laws passed the Parliament with an overwhelming majority, including both the Government and the LNP.

“QRC welcomes this cross-Parliament commitment to uphold the safety for all Queenslanders, and especially those who work on railways, at ports or at other infrastructure projects.”

Mr Macfarlane urged all Parliamentarians to ensure the laws were operationally sufficient for the Queensland Police Service, particularly if protestors amend devices to avoid the offences the Parliament has just passed.

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell said there has been an overwhelming public response to the Insolvency Practices Inquiry since it was launched two weeks ago.

“My office has already received 113 survey responses and a number of submissions in relation to this inquiry and we expect that number to grow,” Ms Carnell said.

“While we are still in the early stages of the inquiry, it’s clear there’s a groundswell of public support for the work we are doing in this area.

“Primarily the Insolvency Practices Inquiry will shine a light on the insolvency system and uncover if it encourages practitioners, in the first instance, to restructure the small or family business to turn it around. We will also look at the transparency and fairness of the current system.

“We know there is a very low success rate in restructuring Australian businesses under external administration and the impact of the insolvency process is often devastating for the small business owner.

“Few small businesses that enter formal insolvency administration are able to navigate their way through the process to reach a restructuring agreement," Ms Carnell said.

“We remain very keen to hear from small and family businesses that have faced financial difficulties and restructured or wound up their business.

“I encourage these businesses to share their stories by completing our online survey or provide a submission to my office via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Many small businesses that have faced difficulties, felt they lost control of their business and in cases where the business was ultimately wound up, they felt the process was poorly managed," Ms Carnell said.

“This inquiry will identify areas where practices can be improved. I will also recommend changes to the system to achieve a fairer outcome for all parties involved.”

An interim report will be released in December with a final report to be handed down in February.

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE House Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources today launched an inquiry into Australia’s Waste Management and Recycling Industries.

The chair of the committee, Barnaby Joyce MP, said, "The inquiry will examine different processes within Australia, and between Australia and best practice in the world. The committee will investigate innovative ways to reduce the millions of tonnes of waste discarded in landfill and waterways in Australia each year.

"Improving waste management and recycling in Australia not only provides for a cleaner and more sustainable environment, but it also presents a range of economic opportunities. New jobs and industries will be created – particularly in our regions - along with new products and services," Mr Joyce said.

The committee will consider opportunities to better manage industrial, commercial and domestic waste, as well as any current impediments to innovation in these sectors. Strategies to reduce waste in waterways and oceans will also be examined.

The committee wants to hear from interested people, organisations and agencies working to reduce, reuse and recycle waste in Australia.  Submissions to the inquiry should be received by January 31, 2020. 

The terms of reference for the inquiry can be found on the Committee’s website.

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A CLASH between the US and Europe over 5G’s future development at The World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) – taking place in Egypt from October 28 to November 22, 2019 – could risk $565bn of economic expansion globally over the next 15 years, warned the GSMA today.

This economic growth from next-generation 5G services depends on the availability of a specific strand of radio frequencies, known as ‘millimetre wave’ frequencies, which are set to be identified for use by mobile operators at WRC-19. However, efforts by Europe to constrain the use of these critical frequencies due to claims of potential interference with some space services has 5G’s future hanging in the balance.

"The stakes are high. A new generation of 5G services and the economic growth accompanying them will depend on the spectrum decisions taken at WRC-19,” said Brett Tarnutzer, head of spectrum at GSMA.

"We are calling for Europe to join the US in taking a pro-5G stance at WRC-19 to protect its digital future. Some administrations are still determined to limit mobile use of airwaves that 5G requires to reach its full potential. This protectionist attitude will have consequences for our global economy if allowed to prevail."

Tom Power, senior vice president and general counsel for CTIA said, “Our focus is on ensuring that all regions are on board with the win-win resolution that will allow for robust 5G deployments globally while protecting satellite interests worldwide.

“Reports indicate that the fastest 5G peak speeds today are in the US, and that’s because the US was the first to deploy mmWave. The benefits of using this spectrum are clear but only through global harmonization at WRC-19 will all regions gain the greatest value.”

Benefits of mmWave spectrum

The mmWave bands are critical to providing ultra-high speeds and ultra-high capacity for a wide range of consumer, business and government services that require almost instantaneous delivery of large amounts of data. This includes entertainment services such as downloading ultra-high definition movies in seconds, virtual and augmented reality applications, remote surgery with ‘haptic’ feedback, precise control of industrial devices and robots, and autonomous vehicles.

Three thousand delegates from over 190 nations will meet at WRC-19 to agree on how this spectrum may be used. Different countries may have different approaches and strategies, but WRC is the meeting point for all nations to maximize the potential for 5G within their borders by thinking globally.

The process of harmonization at WRC-19 delivers global roaming and economies of scale for vendors and carriers, and that translates into lower costs, faster deployments and greater convenience for consumers.

Clash over airwaves at WRC-19

The build-up to WRC-19 is a four-year process and the use of mmWave spectrum has been the subject of intense technical study throughout. WRC-19 is the final decision after a lot of analysis and technical study.

Technical studies supported by the Americas, Africa and Arab states, have demonstrated that 5G using mmWave spectrum can co-exist safely and efficiently alongside weather-sensing services, commercial satellite services and others. These were conducted within the ITU, a UN agency.

In the US, the FCC developed emission limits on 5G to protect weather sensors in nearby spectrum bands. Ahead of WRC-19, the FCC and the State Department also worked with regulators from other countries throughout the Americas, achieving consensus at the CITEL conference in Ottawa in August.

Despite this body of evidence, European countries are looking to limit the use of mmWave spectrum by setting protective technical conditions.

“It is important to follow studies which make realistic assumptions about how networks will function and make the best use of the spectrum for all,” said Brett Tarnutzer.

"This approach is being followed in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East but we need to find a global solution, including Europe. Large ‘guard bands’ will be needed – that is empty tranches of unused spectrum separating services – if we have technical limits which are too severe. This will restrict the economic benefit we can gain from finite spectrum resources and harm consumers and industry.”

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with over 350 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces the industry-leading MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai, as well as the Mobile 360 Series of regional conferences.

www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

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