CMPA NEWS (Issue 44)

By SARAH ANDREW

The Secretariat has been very busy in April and May with a number of industry initiatives coming to fruition and legislative reviews being tabled.

STAFF CHANGES AT CMPA

As reported in the last edition of Sand & Stone, both Briony and Sarah will be leaving the CMPA shortly.

Briony’s position of Administration Officer has been advertised and an offer made. A brief of the successful applicant will be in the next edition.

Sarah’s position is providing somewhat more challenging to fill. We have a number of potential candidates, however are particularly looking for someone who would like to take on this role for a short period (say 6 months) and who has an appreciation of the industry and ideally the Association. We are certain this would provide the successful candidate with a very detailed appreciation of the current legislative environment and greatly expand their business network.

SMALL WORK AUTHORITIES

As an outcome of the recent review of extractive industry regulation in Victoria, the Victorian Government has decided to reduce regulation for some less complex and lower risk extractive industry sites.

As of 1 July 2009, two exemptions will be made under the Extractives Industry Development Act 1995 (EIDA).

The first exemption will entirely exempt sites of less than 1 hectare and 2 metres in depth from regulation under the EIDA.

The second exemption will mean a work plan will not be required for Work Authorities that are less than 5 hectares in area and 5 metres in depth and do not require clearing of native vegetation or blasting. In these instances, the Work Plan will be based upon a ‘Code of Practice’.

The ‘Code of Practice’ will be developed shortly with a draft being made available early in the new financial year.

Our thanks are extended to those businesses who participated in a recent survey assessing the time and cost impacts of the approval process.

WORKING AT QUARRY FACES

On 31 March, 14 people gathered at Cemex – Oaklands Junction. The attendees represented WorkSafe, site operators and managers, and contractors.

The purpose of this meeting was to scope a guidance document issued by WorkSafe that could be used by industry and inspectors in establishing safe systems of work around quarry faces. This document will only provide practical advice, and sites will have to develop their own procedures.

At this point, a draft document has been released to meeting participants, and it will be made available to the wider audience once completed.

Particular areas that are covered include:

• General site development
• Drill and blast
• Load and haul
• Inactive faces
• Rehabilitation activities

The draft guidance notes consider a number of different control options that may be suited to sites such as systems of work, bunding, barriers, harnesses and exclusion zones.

Once finalised, the document will be made widely available.

INDUSTRY PHOTOGRAPHIC HISTORY

The CMPA is always looking for photographs to use both in the magazine and in training publications to assist those new to the industry.

As such we are seeking photographs of any aspect of the industry preferably in electronic form to widen our library. These photos can show either best case scenarios or things that shouldn’t occur. Both aspects are important as a means of training future industry participants without them having to practice!

If you are able to assist, please contact the Secretariat. We will discuss with you your expectations regarding use before any photos are used.

GETTING ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION RIGHT

The Victorian Competition & Efficiency Commission has released its draft report for the inquiry into environmental regulation in Victoria. This report considered five of Victoria’s 43 environmental Acts including the Extractive Industries Development Act.

A number of recommendations are put forward that are anticipated to provide substantial cost savings to businesses. In addition, the report highlights the unnecessarily complex and costly nature of the native vegetation regulation.

Particular draft recommendations for the extractive industry include the following:

• On behalf of Work Authority applicants, the DPI should coordinate with other relevant agencies regarding approvals when requested by participants
• The DPI should enter into a memorandum of understanding with referral agencies to better coordinate and integrate their approval process
• The DPI should implement a comprehensive performance reporting framework targeting approval time frames and should measure performance against these targets

The CMPA will be making a submission to this draft report and this will be available online once completed.

CRUSHING & SCREENING REFERENCE MANUALS

After many months of hard work and numerous revisions, the Secretariat is pleased to inform readers that the following three reference manuals have been tried, tested and are available for purchase.

The manuals at this stage include:

• Conduct Crushing Operations
• Conduct Screening Operations
• Conduct Combined Crushing & Screening Operations

These reference manuals align to training at a Certificate II and III level, however also provide sites with a valuable resource in understanding the capital available and industry minimum processes that should be used.

All manuals are available for $60 for CMPA Members and $80 for all other parties. Email enquiries@cmpavic.asn.au for further information or orders.

REVIEW OF VCAT

There is presently an internal review of VCAT, which will particularly focus on access, operational and jurisdictional issues.

The CMPA submission is presently being developed with the key points to include:

• The high cost of pursuing this path, especially in engaging specialists in relevant fields
• The disproportionately high financial impact upon Work Authority applicants compared to objectors
• The ability of frivolous or vexatious objectors to delay projects considerably
• Market impact or considerations should not be included in decision making
• The ability of objectors to be linked to competitors of the applicant resulting in issues being muddied
• The need for submissions to be contained to only those issues relevant to the planning permit.

FREE OHS CONSULTANCIES

As previously noted, the CMPA has a number of places available for OHS consultancies until the end of June. These consist of a 3 hour session with an OHS consultant who will develop an action plan for your business to move forward at no cost to you. This information is only provided in summary form to the CMPA or WorkSafe.

Any business with less than 50 employees is encouraged to apply – CMPA Member or not. As this is being funded by the State Government, this is an opportunity not to be missed. To book a session, contact the Secretariat.

AN UNSUSTAINABLE FUTURE:

The prohibitive costs of securing extractive industry access The Secretariat is presently finalising a report which looks at the costs involved in seeking a new Work Authority or a variation to an existing one.

The contribution made by participating companies is greatly appreciated. Their efforts will enable future applicants to have an appreciation of the process costs prior to commencing, and will provide valuable insight to areas which require Government attention.

It is intended that this report is revisited in time so we would ask anyone entering the application process keeps thorough records of dates and costs incurred.

2009 CMPA AGM & DINNER

As previously noted, the CMPA has confirmed the Mercure Ballarat Hotel for the upcoming CMPA Annual General Meeting and Dinner to be held on Saturday 22 August.

2009 is the 10 Year Anniversary of the CMPA and we hope this year’s function will prove to be the biggest and best yet. On behalf of the CMPA Management Committee, we look forward to celebrating the successes of the past ten years with you.

To keep us all entertained on the evening, Guest Speaker Garry Barclay, Quarry Manager at Local Mix Quarries, will be sharing the highlights and photos from a year spent in Antarctica.

Invitations will be distributed in June; however below is a summary of the details:

Date: Saturday 22 August
Time: 5.30pm AGM6.45pm Annual Dinner
Venue: Mercure Ballarat Hotel, 613 Main Road, Ballarat
Cost: $75 per person

Onsite accommodation is available at the Mercure Ballarat Hotel and can be booked by calling 03 5327 1200.

Additional accommodation and weekend activity suggestions will be made available closer to the date.

RECENT EVENTS

April and May have been a very busy time for the CMPA with various
projects being finalised and a number of more pressing issues arising:

March 31 – A small workshop was held at Cemex, Oaklands Junction to discuss the issue of working at quarry faces. This was attended by WorkSafe and a number of operators and suppliers.
April 2 – The Screening Workshop was well attended at Tullamarine where discussion focused on whether a screen should be considered a confined space. A full report on this will be provided in the next issue of Sand & Stone.
April 27 – Sarah met with Kate Sadler, a Policy Officer with the DPI, to discuss surveying those operators whose sites are smaller than 5ha (and therefore may be impacted by the revised Act).
April 30 – Sarah attended a Stakeholders Meeting with the DPI. A short report on this meeting is to the right of this article.
May 1 – A Management Committee Meeting was held at which a number of upcoming submissions were discussed enabling drafting to commence.
May 8 – Tim Bird and Sarah attended the DPI’s Stakeholders Engagement Session where discussions centred on the division’s work program going forward and sought industry views for the coming five years.

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