Crown Ltd. wants to pursue its own proposal for a posh six-star hotel and casino at Barangaroo in Sydney and apparently felt it would be seen as detrimental to remain involved as a stakeholder in Echo Entertainment.

The move comes just two weeks after the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority gave Crown Ltd and its CEO James Packer the go-ahead to increase his stake in Echo from 10 per cent to as much as 23 per cent.

Around 1,200 workers are expected to lose their jobs from the Broadmeadows and Geelong plants in Victoria.

According to Ford, the Australian operations have lost $600m over the last five years due to the high costs of manufacture and strength of the dollar.

“Our costs are double that of Europe and nearly four times Ford in Asia,” Bob Graziano, the chief executive of Ford Australia, said. “The business case simply did not stack up.”

Mr Graziano said Ford had looked at all other possibilities before making this “difficult” announcement and added that, “manufacturing is not viable for Ford in Australia in the long-term”.

The announcement follows lasts year’s pledge from the government for a $5.4bn fund to support the car industry, including $34m to Ford to continue production until at least the end of 2016.

Figures from CommSec and the Australian Institute of Petroleum indicate the national average petrol price was down about 1.5 cents last week to 137.5 cents a litre. However, while petrol prices are currently considered to be at somewhat discounted levels, the dollar’s weakness quite likely means a sharp spike in petrol at the pumps for motorists.

Establishing Ace Body Corporate Management

Founder and CEO of Ace Body Corporate Management, Stephen Raff, has had an extensive history of experiences that have led him and his company to great heights in the realm of strata management. For Raff, his journey began as a young teenager when he learned to manage farms. At the age of 21, he went back to school and eventually found himself working in the pharmaceutical industry. For the next 20 years, he held positions such as a medical representative in sales, state management, national sales management, and finally in national training management. It was at this point in his career that Raff learned valuable skills in a number of areas that he would later employ as head of his own company. Raff comments, “You need to be 25 per cent accountant, 25 per cent lawyer, 25 per cent facility manager and 25 per cent psychologist to be successful in strata management.” In 1995, while working in pharmaceuticals, Raff established Ace Body Corporate Management and dedicated himself to the company full time in 1997.

A Better Business Model

While working to grow Ace Body Corporate Management, Raff decided to drastically change the way he conducted his business. “In 1998, I realized I had the wrong business model because Owner Corporations need a high level of service yet were not prepared to pay for it. As a result many companies lost schemes each year due to a lack of service,” he says. For this reason he says often companies can only afford to employ inexperienced people.

Secondly, Raff states that being in close proximity to clients is of utmost importance. “You can’t just have a proprietor in strata located in one geographical area for properties that are spread out across the state, because the client expects the manager to be available when needed,” he explains.

Finally, because of the complex and high pressure nature of the job, there can be regular staff turnover, which yields a lack of continuity. Hence, Raff decided that franchising was the most viable business model for his company. In 1998, he sold his first franchise and was one of the smallest strata companies in Australia.

Ten years later, Ace Body Corporate Management rose to be the third largest strata company in Australia.

Today, they are the largest strata company in Victoria, managing 47,000 properties across Australia with approximately 96 franchisees in every state and territory in Australia, except Canberra. Ace Body Corporate Management has also diversified to cover the span of potential property types such as residential, wine cellars, hotels, retirement villages, mixed use developments, commercial and industrial, student accommodation, high rise and estates.

Keeping a Competitive Edge

“At Ace Body Corporate Management we think outside of the box and go places people haven’t been before.

We are not afraid to lead the way,” maintains Raff. For example, he says they were the first to use the government assistance program to train people and have had many trainees out of high school. “Traineeships are very important because it creates knowledgeable professionals that we can link into franchising,” he adds. Within the company Raff ensures there are regular training programs to keep their management standards high. They also have their own library that their franchisees can access that houses DVDs and literature on most aspects of managing strata.

Marketing is another area where Raff excels. A strong example is through their involvement in preplanning with developers. Specifically, they work with architects, builders, lawyers, land surveyors and real estate agents free of charge before buildings are commenced, to ensure that they will be completed to acceptable standards. He also notes that they have virtually become a household name within strata in Victoria due to the high exposure he has provided for his business through expos, radio and television appearances as well as the books he has written such as The Body Corporate Handbook.

Raff claims that the real secret of his success is that he has always put people first by providing the best customer service to the Owner Corporations. “If you make people feel important in strata and or any type of business, the clients and the money will follow,” he declares.

Unifying Australian Strata Management

Raff has contributed to the sector through his membership of Strata Community Australia (SCA) Victoria. He has been Secretary, Vice President and more recently President for three years before he resigned. Being on the executive committee, he shared his knowledge and encouraged others to communicate to raise industry standards.

He would also like to improve the sector by uniting Australia through legislation and licensing. “Right now, each state is like a separate country in terms of strata legislation,” says Raff. Various government bodies are working to assimilate the Work Health and Safety Act at this time and are having difficulties because Victoria and Western Australia are not following suit. This illustrates the challenging road ahead for harmonising the numerous Acts that govern strata in Australia.

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is developing a national licensing system. Raff would like to see a minimum training qualification that covers all aspects of strata management for the whole of Australia.

Currently, all states are linking in through COAG to ensure that licensing is implemented properly. “We want strata to have a professional standard across Australia by the end of the year,” comments Raff.

Proposed Change for Victoria

Raff encourages legislative change for Victoria, as he recognizes some major flaws in the system. One concern he has surrounds maintenance plans for capital works. At the moment, prescribed Owners Corporations must have a maintenance plan indicating capital works required over the next 5-10 years. The issue lies in the fact that there are no legal requirements to implement it. Raff states, “The owners are saying that they don’t have enough money to maintain their buildings, but they will eventually fall apart and cost them more down the track.” Even more importantly, people could be seriously hurt if items like windows are not maintained. SCA Victoria has submitted suggested policies to government whereby every Owners Corporation of 13 units and above would have a maintenance plan for capital works that must be carried out.

Raff personally believes that it should be mandatory for all buildings with common property. “Owners Corporations have an obligation to ensure that the common property is maintained to a high standard for visitors, owners and occupiers,” he asserts.

Another area Raff would like to improve is the way disputes are resolved as he says Victoria’s process is particularly cumbersome. The Victoria Civil Administration Tribunal (VCAT) is where people can air their grievances, and in cases where claims are unsubstantiated, they use much of Owners Corporations and strata companies’ time, resources and money. Furthermore, similar cases can have very different outcomes.

“There is no ability to set precedents at VCAT and it depends on the member’s thinking as to what the outcome is going to be,” explains Raff. He believes there should be some form of screening, so that unsubstantiated claims may be diverted from VCAT, before costs are incurred and that there should be a system whereby decisions follow previously set relevant precedents.

Tracking down absentee lot owners can also be a struggle for strata managers. “Overseas lot owners who are not contactable and are not paying their fees create issues for the payment of insurance and other building costs,” remarks Raff. SCA Victoria is recommending further legislative amendments to overcome the problems that still exist – how to recover fees from overseas lot owners where there is no property agent and the only known address is outside of Australia. They are also suggesting that the act be amended to impose penalties for non-provision of a physical Australian street address. These changes would make a vast difference for all lot owners who would otherwise be put out.

Expansion on the Horizon

For the future, Raff would like to continue to grow his company in Australia and abroad. Specifically in Australia, developing NSW to 50 franchisees within the next five years is his goal. Internationally, he aims to capitalise on the prospective market in Singapore where a vast amount of government owned buildings will soon be on the market for strata development. “The 10 per cent of residential properties that currently exist represents approximately 250,000 lots. However, the potential residential market is massive at around 1,450,000 lots which represent approximately 72.5 per cent of the Australian market.” explains Raff. He also has plans to move into New Zealand and Canada as their systems are similar to Australia.

While Ace Body Corporate Management expands, Raff intends to maintain their quality of service, “We are always developing the training side to ensure that we have a high level of service, knowledge and understanding of the industry and our clients’ needs. Our business provides a specialized service and that is why training and a high level of professionalism is vital.”

Australian Innovative Systems (AIS) is an award winning company known for its innovative and cost-effective technology for the disinfection of salt and fresh water. AIS’s systems are suited to a broad range of industries from mining to agriculture, offshore to industrial waste water and even for drinking water or swimming pools. AIS’s focus on continued innovation, combined with its strong company values has caused it to become one of Australia’s most respected water disinfection companies. As well as its national operations, it now exports to over 50 countries worldwide. Beth Koruna of the Australian Business Journal sat down with the owners and acting Co-Directors of the company since 1992, Elena and Kerry Gosse, to learn about the considerable extent of AIS’s excellence.

Enhancing Energy Efficiency

AIS has worked relentlessly to design and manufacture environmentally friendly advanced water treatment and chlorine generation technology. Elena Gosse states, “If you look at the history of our company and the evolution of our product, it clearly shows that the development of eco-friendly products has been our main objective.” A prime example of their commitment was in the development of the world’s first residential chlorine generator driven by switch mode power supply in 2000. The switch-mode power supply, previously widely used in computers, replaced transformers and provided a lighter weight chlorine generator that could automatically adjust to water of any salinity with enhanced energy efficiency.

Additionally, AIS’s products can help to reduce the carbon footprint of more ‘conventional’ water treatment systems and improve safety, due to the production of chlorine on-site, thereby eliminating the need for the delivery or storage of chlorine.

Elena Gosse further explains that the process the company uses is biodegradable, yielding no chemical waste or pollution. “We want AIS to be recognised as a conscientious corporate citizen as we are providing environmentally responsible water disinfection technology to the world,” she affirms.

Smart Business

Since the Gosse’s obtained ownership of AIS in 1992, they have been smart about their business finances.

They have never borrowed money and operate without any external debt. Kerry Gosse remarks, “We own all our facilities outright and have complete control over cash flow.” Whilst the company designs and manufactures its systems in its own on-site production facility, some of its materials and components are purchased off shore, such as titanium. “The high Australian dollar is actually an advantage for us at present.

It provides us with the opportunity to export to clients with an even more economically viable product whilst we continue to offer great value and quality to our national market,” he adds. AIS has not increased its prices in the last 10 years due to financial stability and savvy business planning.

Made in Australia

Kerry Gosse discusses that there are numerous advantages to being an Australian manufacturer situated in Brisbane. First and foremost is the fact that Australian manufactured goods have a solid, overall global reputation and AIS exports its products around the world. Another advantage to having all manufacturing processes contained within the one city is the ability to ensure exceptional quality control of all products.

In 2003, AIS became one of only a few companies worldwide to develop its own anode material, instead of purchasing anodes from overseas. This step provided AIS with an opportunity to not only significantly increase the quality of its products, but also meet market requirements. Kerry Gosse explains further, “Because we make our own anodes we have an intimate understanding of the technology and can custom design disinfection systems to suit any application. For instance, if required we can change the makeup of an anode coating to ensure it produces more oxidants to kill bacteria more quickly with less chlorine which, is particularly beneficial for waste water treatment.”

Having all procedures within close proximity also provides the benefit of reducing time to market. “Our onsite electronics engineers design our circuit boards and program our microchips, which means we are able to ensure outstanding quality control but also be highly responsive to clients. With sub-contractors located elsewhere in Australia or overseas, this guarantee of quality and responsiveness is not possible,” explains Kerry Gosse.

Breakthrough Technology

Many years of hard work invested in R&D, prototyping and testing yielded AIS it’s most revolutionary product to date, Ecoline Technology. Kerry Gosse states that the Ecoline system can produce chlorine from fresh water, using only the minerals and salts already present in the water, with the end result being clear, sterilized water with very little chlorine compound (salt) present and no chlorine smell. The principal difference between Ecoline and other water disinfection technologies is that their system is self contained with no need to inject additional chemicals or chlorine as part of the water cycle. Kerry Gosse describes one application of Ecoline technology, “Waste-water treatment is highly sensitive because after treatment the discharged water goes into creeks and rivers. It is critical that the discharge does not have a high residue of chlorine to avoid it resulting in downstream damage to plant, marine and human life. Our Ecoline technology performs this role in an efficient, cost-effective and ecologically friendly way.”

This remarkable product earned AIS the 2009 Gold Gaia Award in Dubai for an environmentally friendly product and a host of other international awards (i.e. International Stevie Award, New York and Piscina Innovation Award, Barcelona). In the same year, AIS signed a distribution agreement with local company Van Dijk in the Middle East and secured its first major project in this area, at the Grand Hyatt Dubai where the Gaia award ceremony was held. Elena Gosse comments, “We are extremely proud of the international awards and accolades we have received regarding our Ecoline technology.”

Strong References

In addition to the major contract landed with the Grand Hyatt Dubai in 2009, AIS has been able to provide water treatment solutions in many other local and international notable projects. For example, the well known Cairns Esplanade Swimming Lagoon has been using AIS’s systems for 10 years. A 2000 g/h chlorine generator was installed in 2003 to ensure safe, sanitized water for swimmers. As the lagoon’s popularity increased and bather numbers grew, a second AIS chlorine generator was installed. This system is used in periods of peak chlorine demand such as in the heat of mid-summer. The increased system capacity means that the local Council is totally independent of any liquid chlorine deliveries, especially useful in times of flooding or in the case of supply issues. The Cairns Esplanade project has initiated many more orders for AIS from local government managed pools in North Queensland.

A Collective Approach

Much of AIS’s success can be attributed to the way that their employees are trained and valued. The Gosse’s are particularly proud of the family culture within their company. “Our employees are valuable members of our business family and share pride in our products. We have families and couples working for us and we know everyone by name. It makes for a happy business environment,” Elena Gosse explains.

Promoting product knowledge is also a high priority for AIS. A key feature of the company’s training program is providing a rotation of duty, whereby staff members are given the opportunity to work in all areas of manufacturing. “Every person in our management team started at the workbench level and moved through the company. They know every aspect of the business,” remarks Elena Gosse. “We encourage our employees to communicate regularly with each other with a view to constantly improving our technology and systems.

This is why our company has such a high, innovative spirit,” she adds.

Innovation for Years to Come

“Innovation is written in our DNA, and we have enough new ideas to last us for the next 10 years. What we don’t have is enough resources or time in the day,” comments Elena Gosse. AIS aims to sustain its high level of recognition and business from the commercial water treatment sector as well as its international clients, however is keen to increase potential future clients’ understanding of the many application possibilities of its systems.

AIS has its sights on aligning with humanitarian missions to provide sanitized water for remote communities or disaster areas. Its agents are now in communication with the Red Cross in Asia for a supply of Ecoline systems.

Kerry and Elena Gosse stand behind their products 100 per cent; however, in some cases it has taken a lot of time and energy to obtain market acceptance of the company’s innovation, quality and reliability. Specifically, the Gosse’s would like to have more support from all levels of Government for Australian manufacturers and innovative companies. “In many cases, support for innovative products like ours exists only on paper,” states Elena Gosse. “…and we have the track record and reputation to back up our product, so I believe that we should be working together with key stakeholders, such as Government, to ensure better business outcomes for all.”

The Gosse’s hope that the State Government will help them win a bid to for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, as this would provide them with a distinguished opportunity to impart their innovation to the world.

www.aiswater.com.au

Taking a strategic and “highly selective” approach to acquiring land has given emerging explorer Birimian Gold some of the most prospective tenements in Africa

The story of Birimian Gold Limited (ASX:BGS) began in 2005 when it was founded as Eagle Eye Metals (ASX:EYE) in Subiaco, Western Australia; however, it was in the last two years that it really began to pick up speed. Around two and a half years ago, managing director Kevin Joyce joined the company and led it to acquire gold plays in West Africa, leading up to the changing of its name to Birimian Gold Limited in December 2011. Joyce describes Birimian as “a project generation and exploration company” whose skill lies in acquiring prospective ground, exploring it and making discoveries.

Birimian’s strategy has thus far has been to secure large contiguous land holdings in the most prospective gold belts of West Africa: an area that has historically produced more than 250 million ounces (Moz) of gold from large, low-cost mines. Now, the junior is exploring more than 3,700km2 of highly gold-prospective tenure in Mali and Liberia, focusing in particular on its 100% owned Massigui project in Southern Mali.

Rich neighbourhood

The Massigui project covers more than 1,638km2 of ground around the operating Morila Gold Mine, owned 40% by AngloGold Ashanti (ASX:AGG), 40% by Randgold Resources (LSE:RRS) and 20% by the Government of Mali. Since operations began in 2000, this world-class mine has produced more than 6Moz of gold at an average cash cost of US$216/oz. Birimian’s seven permit areas cover the highly prospective strike extents of the geological sequence hosting Morila’s gold mineralisation, so the company sees significant potential for the discovery of high-grade, low-cost gold deposits.

“We believe we’ve acquired all the prospective ground around Morila now,” remarks Joyce. Birimian’s most advanced prospect is Ntiola, which it identified as significant by looking at historical data.

“A long time ago, Randgold did some trenching and drilling that returned ore-grade intercepts,” says Joyce. “At that time, they chose not to follow it up as it probably wasn’t of the scale they required. But that’s fine – I can see scope for ounces that will be significant for our company.”

The first official drilling results for Ntiola are imminent and Joyce reports that drill holes thus far have been “very encouraging”, with alteration like those in the high-grade Morila deposit.

Fringe benefits

Securing an area next to a successful gold mine has benefits beyond sharing the same geology. For a start, there is already power and water infrastructure nearby; and developing road access on the flat terrain will be relatively straightforward and low-cost. There are even greater benefits to reap if Birimian manages to strike up a deal to enable it to share Morila’s processing facilities.

“From our point of view, the key is that the Morila mining operation is going to run out of ore in the next 18 months’ time, so they’re currently treating stockpile material,” remarks Joyce.

“The opportunity is there for us to use our exploration skills to chase up multiple gold targets and find resources that could have a significant impact if processed at the Morila mine. We will need to work towards engaging the mine’s operators to achieve that end.

“Morila has underutilised milling capacity, meaning anything we find could feasibly be processed through its mill; negating the need for us to build our own processing infrastructure. That would equate to low capex and low development costs for us, which is highly significant.”

Operating in Mali

Anyone who’s been following the news will know that Mali has been plagued by conflict in recent months; fortunately, Joyce reports that the unrest has been confined to the North, leaving Birimian’s activities in the South unaffected. He has been working in West Africa, including Mali and Liberia, for almost seven years – initially as exploration manager for Resolute Mining (ASX:RSG) – and sees the region as a good mining environment.

“Mali is the third-biggest gold producer in Africa these days, so its people understand the importance of mining and are very good at supporting the industry,” he says. “Thanks to my long history of working in the country, we know the people in the various ministries reasonably well; we’ve been dealing with them for quite a while now.”

Joyce says the Massigui project is testament to how sharing a good understanding with a country’s authorities helps get things done quickly and efficiently. “We worked with the ministry to secure the ground and things have worked really well so far,” he remarks.

Opportunity in Liberia

In addition to a couple of smaller and less advanced exploration projects in Mali – the Dankassa and Korindiji gold projects – Birimian has the 100% owned Basawa Gold Project in southeast Liberia. The project’s 1,131km2 area lies over an extensive sequence of Birimian Greenstone Belts: the geological sequence known for hosting West Africa’s world-class gold deposits.

Birimian believes this project will give it a substantial ‘first-mover’ advantage in discovering large gold deposits in this part of Liberia, which has a long history of alluvial gold mining but has not yet hosted any modern, large-scale mines.

“The fact that there’s been lots of artisanal mining at Basawa, but it’s never been explored using modern techniques, is highly encouraging; it means we can do some relatively low-cost and potentially high-impact exploration,” says Joyce.

“We’re in an area adjacent to where Hummingbird Resources recently defined a 3.8Moz gold resource, which is pretty significant. I’d say we’re 12 months from a drill target, but there’s no doubt it’s a pretty exciting part of the world.”

The search continues

Birimian’s next 12 months will consist of further drilling at Massigui in pursuit of defining gold resources and developing its drill targets for Basawa. Longer term, the explorer anticipates generating further projects, particularly in Mali where it benefits from the dual advantages of substantial local knowledge and a strong local team of geologists and other staff.

“I believe our project generation and exploration efforts in Africa will lead to a multi-million-ounce discovery over the next year or two,” says Joyce confidently. “That’s what we’re aiming for – to find that company maker.”

www.eagleeyemetals.com

The Western Australia Council on the Ageing (COTA WA) was founded in 1959 and has come a long way in making a difference in the lives of older people through education and advocacy. COTA WA is part of a federated structure with COTA organisations in every state and territory in Australia. They exist as a membership based organisation for older Australians, and provide numerous successful programs, services and benefits for this demographic. Acting CEO, Chris Jeffery explains that COTA WA is doing exceptional work in Western Australia and has been able to exist on grants and faithful volunteers without any Government support. He says, “We have a precarious existence because of our financial situation, but it is surprising how much we actually accomplish each year.” In fact, COTA WA was recently announced as the State Consumer Protection Award winner for Western Australian organisations and Jeffery is very proud of this achievement.

Programs and Services that Matter

COTA WA’s vision is to contribute towards an equitable, just and inclusive society in which older people can thrive. Providing positive tangible outcomes for the seniors of Western Australia is a main goal of COTA WA and it is realised through a variety of avenues such as program development and delivery.

Health

A flourishing program currently being executed by COTA WA is called “Living Longer, Living Stronger”. It is a progressive strength training program designed specifically for seniors which takes place in over 60 various locations. COTA WA trains instructors through a Living Longer Living Stronger accreditation program so they can implement the program safely and successfully. Jeffery comments, “The best part of the program is that every senior person is individually assessed and is given a personalized program that can be changed at any time.” The program gives seniors the opportunity to get the best out of life by improving their overall health and fitness.

Another significant program offered through COTA WA is called “beyond maturity blues”, which addresses depression in the senior community. Particularly, it is a series of seminars designed to educate people about the warning signs of depression and anxiety and give them to tools to alleviate the symptoms when they arise. The program has been running for a number of years and even caters to different cultures. Jeffery states, “We deliver the program in foreign languages when there is a need, such as recently in Perth when we delivered a series of programs in Vietnamese with great success.”

Older people often have several medicines prescribed for various conditions and COTA WA recognises that there is a need to educate seniors about the safe use of medicines. Hence, the program called “Medicines and You” was developed. This popular program operates with a series of seminars to instruct seniors on how to use medicine wisely. Jeffery notes that the “Medicines and You” and “beyond maturity blues” programs alone are delivered about 80 times and reach over 2000 people per annum. “We are pleased with the wide scope of people that our programs are reaching,” he remarks.

Housing

In March of 2012, COTA WA was awarded a tender to deliver a seniors housing information service to the public. A similar service operates within a Government agency. The purpose of the service is to aid older people in accessing information on housing. In the beginning, COTA centre operated with one seminar based on the materials provided by the Government, but have since extended the program into six seminars with very specific topics which are delivered on request from Local Governments, professional organisations and seniors groups. The program has become so successful that they have delivered the seminars to over 2000 people throughout the state to date. As part of the service, an Information Officer is available to conduct one-on-one interviews with people who require further information on any housing topics.

In February of 2013, COTA also held a policy forum called “Ageing in the Right Place” where there were keynote speakers to discuss various aspects of ageing. “We were very pleased that we attracted 100 people this year to the forum. Per capita, is a very good strike rate,” Jeffery says.

Employment

A proposal is being drawn up by COTA WA to develop an employment service for older people located in WA to address the numerous overt and covert barriers for those who are seeking paid employment. This program has stemmed from COTA WA and Australia Law Reform Council’s involvement in a research initiative called “Age Barriers to Work”. COTA WA’s involvement in this program will be to mentor people to re-enter the workforce such as through developing interview skills. “Many older people can get stuck in thinking that they can only find employment in a familiar field and part of our role will be to show people how their skills are transferable,” explains Jeffery. A recruitment agency will be partnering with COTA WA to help people acquire jobs once they are clear on their employment direction. “If it is a successful venture here in WA, I hope we can get it going nationally,” he adds.

Advocating for the Ageing

Jeffery describes that COTA WA’s most important purpose is to advocate for the rights and benefits of seniors. One of the most prominent ways in which they perform this function is through their involvement in policy development. COTA WA is the facilitator of a State Policy Committee which also includes representatives from various organisations such as The Department of Communities, The Department of Health and Carers WA. They are also a member of the National Policy Council whereby representatives of COTA from each state meet to discuss state and national issues bi-annually. Together, these councils address the needs of seniors and are in contact with policy makers to inform about key issues and instigate reform.

A major national issue in which COTA WA has been involved is Aged Care Reform. Jeffery states that they are trying to move away from a dictatorial process whereby seniors are told what care they are eligible for and as a result acquire that form of care, to a system where seniors have more input in the care they receive. This new movement is called Consumer Directed Care (CDC). “With CDC, older people will have a choice as to what kind of care is appropriate for them and how that care is delivered. Then there will be organisations available to deliver the care that is required,” he says. COTA has contributed greatly to The Aged Care Reform and will continue its involvement in this ongoing matter.

“We are embarking on a substantial initiative the area of age friendly communities to inform communities on how to become age-friendly,” states Jeffery. COTA is facilitating a seminar in early May 2013 to spark progression on this fundamental issue and representatives from local governments throughout the state will be present to share in the discussion. Jeffery comments, “Our aim will be for local government organisations not to focus on big daunting issues but instead tangible actions that can be taken to benefit older people.”

He anticipates this model to be extremely successful as they have backing from the Department of Communities and the WA Local Government Association for this undertaking.

Resourcefulness

Jeffery maintains that COTA WA is always searching for ways to advance and expand such as in their partnership with the University of Western Australia to research important issues that concern seniors.

Nevertheless, one major barrier has always been in the area of financial soundness. He provides an example, “One goal we have is to reach more people in rural areas. At the moment we do not have the capacity to do so for many of our programs, even though many seniors could greatly benefit.” He also mentions that programs such as technology training sessions for seniors could be extended to meet the high demands for the service if they had greater access to computers and space. “We are bursting at the seams,” he remarks.

Jeffery explains that COTA WA has always been resourceful in improving the quality of life for older Australians, especially with the help of their amazing volunteers. For instance, they have recently been awarded the responsibility of facilitating a state-wide event called Senior’s Week in November 2013 in Perth.

Nevertheless, he does have high hopes that in the future COTA WA will have more funds available by way of Government aid, so they can even further enhance lives of older Western Australians through their valuable services.

www.cotawa.org.au

Mark Twain famously said “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight – it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

That now famous phrase is somewhat apropos for Tasmania an island state that is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, although the fight in this instance is more along the lines of tremendous international competition within the minerals and mining industry. Tasmania is located less than 250 km south of the Australian mainland, separated by Bass Strait. Given its size of just 515,000 people and a geographic area of 68,400 square kilometres, this remote island is one of the most mineral-rich regions of the world. Over the past two years exploration has been ramped up considerably due to a number of major discoveries.

During the past 24 months, Tasmania’s mineral and mining sector resulted in production valued at almost $1.6 billion, representing about 50 per cent of its export income. At the top of the list are ore exports, specifically iron, copper, lead, zinc and tin.

As of early 2013, there are seven large operational mines in Tasmania with about $1.76 billion in projects.

Historically, the island has produced gold valued at around $1 billion.

David Green is a senior geologist with the Department of Infrastructure, Energy Resources with the Tasmanian government. The Australian Business Journal asked Green what the main mining boom focuses on right now – way down under.

“It’s all geared around the resurgence of tin and tin associated magnetite,” Green replies. “It accounts for about 50 per cent of the new green fields programs that are going on. There’d be another 50 per cent in our traditional VHMS (volcanic hosted massive sulphides) type lead – zinc research going on.”

The resurgence has generated a great deal of interest in Tasmanian mining, with enterprises clamouring to be part of the new wave.

“There are about 40 companies that we’d describe as being active in doing advanced projects,” Green continues. He also notes that this resurgence takes the state back to its glory days.

“Tasmania was a big player in tin,” he confirms. “It had – and maybe still has – the largest underground tin mine in the world at Renison. When the tin prices dropped out in the ’80s we suffered big time but now that tin is back, so is Tasmania.”

Renison refers to Renison Bell, located on the west coast of the island. Tin exploration in the area dates back to the 1890s.

Much like other regions of the world, Tasmania is not immune from the effects of the stock market decline, which is most evident in the slowdown of many junior miners.

“It swings in round about,” Green offers. “Sometimes we hit the peaks higher and hit the lows lower than the mainland of Australia. In other regards sometimes it’s smoothed out for us; the shocks, by the time they reach the smaller island states. At the moment we’re probably hitting the peaks and the troughs higher than the mainland but it’s not always like that.”

With regards to international financing to help with the exploration of these major projects, Green says it’s a vital component.

“International financing is becoming a very big and important part of Tasmania,” he says. “We have Indian investment in a large copper mine on the west coast, the Mount Lyell Mine. We have Chinese investment, who own MMG who have the Rosebery Mine, which is a big player in the world of zinc and others.”

Green went on to say that the Chinese are the biggest players in Tasmania at the moment, which comes as no real surprise given their involvement with other major projects worldwide.

“We’re actively as a government forming better relationships with China,” Green says. “It’s not just based on the size of China, but we are actually their neighbours so if we can’t get along with them who can we get along with?”

Gold Exploration

A geological data package, compiled for the North East part of Tasmania and put together by Mineral Resources Tasmania, has revived interest in the exploration for gold in the State, and resulted in most of the prospective ground in the northeast being taken up as exploration licences.

Since 2002 the Tasmanian and Australian governments have jointly invested more than $16 million in developing new geophysical and geological information. In 2006 the Tasmanian government started the TasExplore Project, a four-year, $5 million program of geoscientific data acquisition and promotion.

Competitive Advantages

A key to attracting potential investment revolves around the face Tasmania has a number of competitive natural advantages for enterprises seeking a strong rate of return on their minerals and mining investments.

While there’s never a complete guarantee in this industry, the chances of a successful project have been extremely impressive thanks to the state being so rich in natural resources and forests. The unique topography lends itself for hosting large water reserves for hydro electric purposes.

The Tasmanian Government has made a public commitment to the timely delivery of state of the art infrastructure and fair investment conditions to encourage industry to take up opportunities for further multiple-stage processing of resources.

One of the fundamental elements that enable investment to succeed is a culture that permits the possibility of sustainable economic goals through proper advanced planning. Of note, the Tasmanian Government has also procured a policy of reconciliation with the Aboriginal population making the acceptance and final approval of many projects that much easier to achieve.

Significant Mines in Tasmania

AVEBURY MINE

The Avebury deposits were discovered in 1997 by drilling. Full scale underground mining began late 2006, with the first nickel concentrates being produced in July 2008. The mine is currently on care and maintenance.

BEACONSFIELD GOLD MINE

This was one of Australia’s richest and deepest mines until its closure 99 years ago in 1914. The mine was worked to a depth of 450 metres and produced 800,000 oz. of gold. Following closure, the mine was allowed to flood and the surface collar of the shaft was affected by subsidence.

CEMENT AUSTRALIA

This mine operates as a cement manufacturing plant at Railton on Tasmania’s northwest coast. The raw material source is Ordovician limestone which is mined in quarries adjacent to the plant. Coal, mined in the Fingal Valley, is also used in the manufacturing process.

CORNWALL COAL

Coal has been mined in various areas of Tasmania from the earliest days of European settlement, with major deposits of black coal being discovered in the Fingal Valley in 1863. The completion of the railway line to St Marys in 1886 enabled the establishment of large scale coal mining in the Fingal Valley and this area has provided the majority of Tasmania’s coal since this time.

HELLYER MINE

Western Metals Resources Ltd operated the world-class Hellyer underground mine in western Tasmania. The mine was opened in 1989 on a blind ore body discovered in 1983 by modern exploration techniques. The ore
was concentrated on site and sent via railfor shipment.

HENTY MINE

The Henty mine is operated by Unity Mining Limited. The project, which was the result of 20 years of exploration effort by RGC Group companies, was officially opened in July 1996.

MOUNT LYELL MINE

The Queenstown area of western Tasmania has a long history of mining, with the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company operating continuously for over 100 years from 1893 until closure in December 1994. The Queenstown area is famous for its barren tree-less landscape, with the lush rainforest being killed by a combination of bushfires, timber harvesting, and the fumes from the pyritic smelting process used to refine the copper ore. The mine is now operated by Copper Mines of Tasmania.

RENISON MINE

The first discovery of tin in the Renison Bell area of western Tasmania was made in 1890, with mining having been continuous until 2003. Mining of the sulphide ore was limited by poor recoveries until the development of the sulphide flotation process.

ROSEBERY MINE

The Minerals and Metals Group (MMG) operates a silver-lead-zinc mine at Rosebery on Tasmania’s west coast. The history of mining in this area dates back to 1893, when the first discovery of mineralisation was made in a creek on the slopes of Mt Black. The Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Limited purchased the Rosebery mines in 1920 and operated them until EZ was taken over North Broken Hill Peko Limited in 1984, with Pasminco Mining being formed in 1988.

SAVAGE RIVER MINE

Since 1965 Savage River Mines has operated an open-cut magnetite mine at Savage River and a pellet plant and loading facility on the northwest coast. The mine’s operators, PMI, decided to cease operations on completion of their current pit mining plan, with open-cut operations ceasing in April 1996 and all stockpiled ore being treated by the end of 1996. The operation was sold to Australian Bulk Minerals and mining recommenced in November 1997. The mine is now operated by Grange Resources Limited.

Fast Facts about Tasmania

Population: 515,000
Geographic size: 68,400 square km
State incorporation: 1901
State Capital: Hobart (215,000 pop.)
Location: About 250 km south of mainland, Australia

Coal explorer and developer Rey Resources is diversifying its energy assets in Western Australia’s Canning Basin to focus on two highly prospective oil & gas permits in the area.

The Canning Basin in Western Australia encompasses both land and sea, covering a total area of 640,00km2, of which 530,000km2 is onshore. It was first explored for petroleum in the early 1920s and has been recognised as having prospective coal, oil and gas resources, yet remains substantially underexplored today.

Australian exploration company Rey Resources Limited (ASX: REY) was incorporated in 2006 to take advantage of that fact; its initial aim being to acquire thermal coal exploration assets in the basin. It delivered on this aim with the Duchess Paradise Project, which now has strategic existing port access for its export-quality coal (bituminous 5,500kcal/kg) for when it reaches production.

Rey has developed the project to the permitting stage and, in 2011, completed a Definitive Feasibility Study that identified a resource of 305 million tonnes (Mt) in the upper seam and 26Mt of reserves for high-wall mining, as well as calculated a 10-year mining and export operation with an export rate of up to 2.5Mtpa.

Rey is currently talking to a potential joint venture partner to realise the value of its substantially progressed Duchess Paradise Project. However, with coal prices softer than they were, the company has also taken a new, “company transforming” direction.

Energy diversification

Rey has held a 10% interest in two oil & gas exploration permits called the Fitzroy Blocks in the Canning Basin since 2006, but in March this year the company increased that holding by a further 15%. Managing director Kevin Wilson – a geologist with more than 25 years’ experience in the minerals and finance industries – says it was a timely opportunity to reposition the company during a period of softer coal prices.

“We’d always wanted to increase our percentage ownership in these blocks and in recent years we’d come to really recognise their value, particularly since Buru did some regional drilling that elevated the prospectivity of the region,” says Wilson.

This drilling took place at Ungani, about 10km northwest of the Fitzroy Blocks, and in the Paradise/Valhalla area to the northeast. Significant oil was discovered at Ungani, enough for a 5,000 barrel per day operation, while Paradise/Valhalla was found to have significant gas intercepts in a geological unit called the Laurel Formation. “These results demonstrate great potential for commerciality in both conventional and unconventional oil and gas, so have made our leases much more attractive,” comments Wilson.

“We took an opportunity during a renegotiation between the operator Buru Energy Limited (ASX: BRU) and the owner of the largest percentage of the blocks to start positioning Rey for some very exciting energy growth prospects.”

These neighbouring discoveries are crucial, given that very little drilling has been done in the Fitzroy Blocks at this point. Wilson expects that Buru will be doing seismic work on the blocks this year, followed by drilling next year.

Watching and waiting

Over the next 12 months, Rey’s main priority will be closing the deal on the Fitzroy Blocks, which at this point is still awaiting final approval from the Western Australian government. It will then be working with Buru to ensure the successful completion of seismic work and exploration on the permits, while investigating other oil opportunities in the Canning Basin.

With its oil and gas leases undeveloped as yet and its coal project going through approvals, it’ll be a while yet before Rey is making a significant profit. Nevertheless, Wilson believes the company has a great deal going for it.

“We’re an attractively-priced entry for investors into what is an exceptional address in the Canning Basin,” he says. “Our permits are right in the middle of the basin, cutting across three major prospective trends; so, with a bit of good fortune, we certainly have an expectation of success for both oil in the conventional play and gas in the unconventional play.”

Building on its leadership position in the region, the company aims to be part of successful oil and gas producing business within five years’ time. It is ambitious but, as recent events in the basin have demonstrated, things can escalate quickly in oil and gas exploration.

“When Buru discovered oil at Ungani and gas at Paradise/Valhalla – both of which are close to our lease boundaries – it moved from being a about a $50 million company to being a $500 million company on the basis of those discoveries,” says Wilson. It goes without saying that if Rey’s leases deliver as expected, great success could be just around the corner.

www.reyresources.com