LIGHTING Council Australia relaunched Exitcycle, an industry-led battery recycling initiative, at Parliament House in Brisbane today.

The product stewardship arrangement was first trialed in 2015 and aimed to improve the recycling rates of emergency and exit lights. The program is supported by the Queensland Government, which recently confirmed an extension to the original program.

“With some 30 million emergency and exit lights across the country, it is critical that industry works with government and the community to improve environmental outcomes”, said Lighting Council Australia national environment manager, Roman Gowor.

“The majority of the green-emergency lights we see across all buildings are powered by a combination of older battery technologies, which often use cadmium, nickel metal hydride or sealed lead acid. In the coming years, newer generation batteries will use more sustainable components, however multiple sectors — government, industry and end users—must work together to find the best way of increasing recycling rates.

“We are very pleased with the leadership that the Queensland Government has shown on this issue.”

Today’s event included representatives from signatories to the Exitcycle scheme, recyclers, government officials and the lighting industry.

“The Exitcycle approach is successful because it is very well suited at addressing the specific waste issue," Mr Gowor said.

“Unlike a great proportion of batteries used across the economy, emergency and exit lights are not typically used in households and, by law, can only be serviced by electrical contractors.  The Exitcycle program is more targeted than other programs and focuses on electricians and facility and building managers.”

www.lightingcouncil.com.au

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AN OVERWHELMING 61 percent of Australians support the Federal Government regulating to make e-cigarettes, personal vaporisers and other less harmful alternatives to smoking available alongside cigarettes at retail so smokers have access to these products, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) by Crosby Textor Group.

The poll found two-thirds of smokers support the legalisation of e-cigarettes and personal vaporisers and over two-thirds of all voters agree that the Australian Government should regulate, and make available, less harmful alternatives to cigarettes ‘as a way to completely phase out cigarette smoking in this country’.

Russell Zimmerman, executive director of the ARA, said regulating access to less harmful alternatives is a no-brainer for Australians, and the Government should get on with the job of making them available.

“More and more Australians are buying personal vaporisers with nicotine online from overseas, simply because they can’t buy them locally and this is affecting local retailers who are subject to an effective ban,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“The government needs to act so that responsible local retailers can compete on a level playing field and sell less harmful products for Australians trying to change their habits. Failure to regulate only increases the risks and there are currently no Commonwealth laws prohibiting advertising to children, or Australian standards for ingredients or vaporiser design to keep people safe.”

The ARA’s new poll has identified that 61 percent of voters place importance on the strain of smoking-related diseases on the health system, and 93 percent of voters are also interested in the state of the public health system.

“Allowing retailers the opportunity to sell these less harmful alternatives is a win-win, as it provides monetary benefits for local retailers and public health benefits for the wider community,” Mr Zimmerman said.

Countries all around the world including Canada, UK, New Zealand, Europe and the US, have legalised and regulated these products, which are not only beneficial for current smokers, but allow retailers to fairly compete in the market.

“It is clear that smokers are not prepared to wait around for the Government to act and improve their health, as hundreds of thousands of Australians are already using these products,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“Australians have been purchasing e-liquids containing nicotine through online marketplaces for years, and unfortunately consumers cannot guarantee the quality of the purchase and are unaware of the risks.”

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is Australia’s largest retail association, representing the country’s $310 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. As Australia’s leading retail peak industry body, the ARA is a strong pro-active advocate for Australian retail and works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 7,500 independent and national retail members throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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NATIONAL CONGRESS of First Peoples has urged government to immediately raise the single rate of Newstart -  which has not increased in real terms in 24 years - while "the cost of living and essentials has risen dramatically".

A National Congress spokesperson said this disproportionately impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as approximately 20 percent of First Peoples receive Newstart. 

“The shockingly low rate of Newstart makes it near impossible for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to break the cycle of poverty or find a job," National Congress co-chair Jackie Huggins said.

"National Congress calls on governments to raise Newstart immediately to enable these peoples to make meaningful change in their lives."

Ms Huggins said a single person on Newstart Allowance receives $39 per day, and most are left with only $17 per day after paying for housing.

"This shockingly low figure means that over 800,000 people on Newstart struggle to afford essentials such as shelter and food," Ms Huggins said.

"The government’s decision not to raise Newstart while giving $13 billion of personal income tax cuts has been controversial. It would cost the budget approximately this figure to increase Newstart by $75 per week, as called for by the Australian Council of Social Services’ (ACOSS) ‘Raise the Rate’ campaign. 

"Recent polling reveals that more than two-thirds of Australians support an increase to Newstart, with 92 percent of people agreeing that no-one should go without basic essentials like food, healthcare and electricity."

A number of prominent business, non-government and political figures have called for its raise, including the Business Council of Australia, Deloitte Access Economics and former Prime Minister John Howard, who established the work-for-the-dole scheme. 

"I was in favour of freezing that when it happened, but I think the freeze has probably gone on too long,” Mr Howard stated at the PricewaterhouseCoopers post-budget breakfast.

"Congress urges governments to immediately increase Newstart to break the cycle of poverty and its severely damaging impacts on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities," Ms Huggins said.

https://nationalcongress.com.au

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THE DIGITAL Transformation Agency is simplifying its contract templates to make it easier for government to source digital products and services.

As part of the Digital Transormation Agency's ICT procurement reforms, it is continuing to review the government's  policies and contracts to make sure they reflect best practice in a rapidly changing technology environment, a spokesperson said.

"This week we released the Digital Sourcing Contract Template," the agency reported. "This is the first in a suite of model contracts to make it easier for government departments to buy digital products and services."

The new contract replaces SourceIT Plus and is simpler and more flexible than the previous template.

"By using the new template, those who are buying ICT and digital products for government don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time," the agency spokesperson said. "Contracts with government for simple and semi-complex procurements will be more consistent for sellers.

"Work is underway to update and simplify the other templates which are designed to be used when purchasing hardware, software and consultancy services."

The new contract template and the additional contract templates can be accessed through the Department of Finance website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold hearings in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra for its inquiry into impediments to business investment in Australia.

The chair of the committee, Sarah Henderson MP, said the committee would examine how government at all levels can better support business investment in Australia.

Ms Henderson said, "The committee looks forward to hearing from a range of stakeholders and interested parties to gain a better understanding of the current impediments to business investment."

Public hearings scheduled include:

SYDNEY

Date:     Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Time:     9.15am to 5.15pm

Venue:  Macquarie Room, Parliament House, 6 Macquarie St, Sydney

MELBOURNE

Date:     Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Time:     9.30am to 1.30pm

Venue:  Room G3, Parliament of Victoria Committee Rooms, 55 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne

CANBERRA

Date:     Tuesday, 7 August 2018

Time:     9.15am to 5.00pm

Venue:  Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

Further public hearings will also take place in Canberra during sitting weeks. Program information will be available closer to the event.

All hearings will be webcast live (audio only when outside Canberra).

A number of submissions have been received and are available on the committee’s webpage at: www.aph.gov.au/economics.

Submissions can still be made online or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference is available on the inquiry webpage.

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STAKEHOLDER input is being sought on how best to integrate solar and energy storage into electricity networks to help ensure quality and reliability of supply and lower household power bills.

Released today by Energy Networks Australia and the Australian Energy Market Operator, the Open Energy Networks Consultation Paper proposes options for improving the electricity system to ensure household solar and storage work in harmony and deliver the most value for all customers.

Energy Networks Australia CEO Andrew Dillon said the consultation built on the work of the joint CSIRO-Energy Networks Australia Electricity Network Transformation Roadmap, released in 2017.

“The huge uptake of rooftop solar systems and the increasing growth of both household batteries and electric vehicles poses great opportunity but also significant technical challenges for the distribution and transmission of electricity,” he said.

“This is changing how our energy system has been designed to work for more than a century - from a centralised one-way flow of electricity to consumer to a decentralised system where many households feed power back into the grid.

“Until now, our distribution networks have done a remarkable job as a sponge, soaking up all this solar generation and managing the growing two-way flows.

“However, parts of our networks already can’t handle any more solar and as many of the early adopters also install batteries and buy electric vehicles, we will see major electricity flows that reverse in a millisecond that could cause major problems.”

Mr Dillon said effective management or ‘optimisation’ of a decentralised energy system would not only support its safe and reliable integration into the grid, but also unlock the true value of customer investment in these resources.

“If no action is taken, it will be bad news for everyone, especially consumers,” Mr Dillon said.

“Electricity quality may degrade, with volatile voltage reducing the lifespan of appliances, investment in solar or batteries may take longer to repay as customers are constrained in the amount of electricity they can put back into the grid or they may not even be allowed to connect a new rooftop system if their local area is saturated.

“Without a proper management framework, it also could mean distributors are forced to make costly investments in infrastructure that would push up network charges in household power bills.”

Mr Dillon said there were significant financial benefits to be gained from optimising solar and storage resources.

“The Roadmap identified that getting this optimisation right could avoid some $14 billion worth of investment and ultimately lower household electricity bills by more than $400 a year,” he said.

“Optimising the local grid to get solar and storage working in harmony with the system will maximise value for all. The question we are consulting on is how we best make this happen.”

The paper is available here.

Consultation is open until 3 August, 2018.

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FUTURE State Budget surpluses are under threat if monopoly rail operator Aurizon continues with its plans to halt the movement of up to 20 million tonnes of coal each year for the next four years, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane said.

Mr Macfarlane said Aurizon told the Australian Stock Exchange in March its action to change rail maintenance practices on the Central Queensland Coal Network would impact on the movement of up to 20 million tonnes of coal per annum.

“Based on that impact, the Queensland Resources Council expects up to $500 million in reduced royalties to the Palaszczuk Government each year. Over four years, the lost royalties could be up to $2 billion. While there was reference to a likely impact of Aurizon’s action in the Budget papers, there was no estimate of the damage,” he said.

In her Budget reply speech to State Parliament, Liberal National Party Leader Deb Frecklington made the very important point that all Queenslanders would pay the cost of Aurizon’s actions.

Ms Frecklington said: “Our royalties are being threatened with a $2 billion hit because of Aurizon’s dispute with the Queensland Competition Authority.”

Mr Macfarlane said the lost royalties to the Queensland Government would mean less funds to reinvest in services and infrastructure for all Queenslanders.

“If Aurizon continued with its threat to stop these tonnages of coal, the wafer-thin budget surpluses of $148 million next financial year (2018-19), the $160 million in 2019-20 and only $110 million in 2020-21 would be quickly wiped out,” Mr Macfarlane said.

www.qrc.org.au

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AUSTRALIA's exporters will be awarded for their work creating jobs and driving economic growth at the 56th Australian Export Awards. 

Nominations are now open for the 2018 awards program and all Australian exporters, large and small are eligible to enter. 

There are 13 categories including Digital Technologies, e-Commerce, Health and Biotechnology, Regional Exporting, Small Business and Emerging Exporters.

Australia's exporters make a substantial contribution to our economy. Last year, the Australian Export Awards' 77 national finalists generated more than $3.9 billion in export sales in 2016-17 and employed more than 31,000 people.

This year's event will again feature the Investment Award, honouring an international company or joint venture making a long-term contribution to Australia's economy. Introduced in 2016, this Award recognises businesses that are creating jobs, cultivating innovation and facilitating Australian industry expansion within global supply chains.

Australia's exporters are enjoying unprecedented access to the world as the Turnbull Government pursues Australia's most ambitious trade agenda. 

Earlier this year the Coalition concluded the TPP-11, which aims to eliminate more than 98 per cent of tariffs in a trade zone with a combined GDP of $13.7 trillion, and this month we will launch negotiations for a trade agreement with the European Union. 

These agreements build on the north Asian trade agreements the Coalition secured with China, Japan and Korea. 

The Australian Governemnt is focused on creating new opportunities for Australian exporters so they can sell more of their products and services to the world and employ more Australians. 

Award winners will be announced at the Australian Export Awards in Canberra in December. The awards are co-presented by Austrade and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

www.exportawards.gov.au

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