DCN October Edition 2019

NEWS IN BRIEF
Open trade settings should help economic revival, says Chamber
Strong international trade should help the national
economy improve despite “disappointing” growth figures
released in September, the Australian Chamber of Commerce
and Industry said.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics National Accounts data
released recently showed annualised GDP growth slowed
further to 1.4% in the year to June 2019, down from 1.8% in the
year to March 2019 and 2.3% in the year to December 2018.
ACCI chief executive James Pearson said international trade
offered cause for optimism.
“On the plus side, the importance of international trade was
apparent in the current account figures released by the ABS,”
Mr Pearson said.
“This data showed Australia achieved a current account
surplus of $5.9bn in the June quarter 2019, the first surplus
since June 1975,” he said.
“The trade in goods and services component of this
achieving a record surplus of $19.9bn. This reinforces the
importance of Australia being an open, trade economy.”
Mr Pearson said weaker growth in the June quarter was in
line with expectations given the uncertainty in the lead up to
the election in mid-May and weak housing demand.
He said businesses needed policies to lift productive
capacity through investing in skills, technology and
infrastructure, lowering energy costs, and cutting red tape,
including in workplace relations.
SENATE INQUIRY
INTO ROAD
TRANSPORT
APPROVED
Underwater eye to
seek for marine pests
An ‘early warning’ detection system has been
placed in the water at Queensland ports to
find any traces of exotic marine pests.
Biosecurity Queensland has partnered
with Queensland port authorities to deploy
specially-designed detectors in the waters
at the ports of Cairns, Townsville, Mackay,
Gladstone and Brisbane.
Based on a similar program in Western
Australia, Queensland is using technology
to test DNA from marine life growing on
structures and collected in plankton.
In a network spanning 1400km of
Queensland’s coastline, it aims to detect
molecular traces of exotic marine species
including Asian green mussel; Black striped
false mussel; Asian bag mussel; Brown
mussel; Harris mud crab; Chinese mitten
crab; and Japanese seaweed.
State agriculture minister Mark Furner
said after being submerged for two months
to provide a surface for marine organisms
to settle and grow, the detector plates were
then retrieved and tested for marine pests.
“This is a year-long surveillance trial
which will run over the winter, spring and
summer months, to allow for seasonal
changes in environmental conditions at
each of the ports,” Mr Furner said.
“If invasive marine pests become
established they could seriously impact
our marine biodiversity as well as
industries including fishing, ports,
marinas and tourism.”
Mr Furner said deploying this kind of
system was “an exciting first”.
“The first set of arrays will be taken out
of the water after eight weeks and we’ll see
what they’ve found,” he said.
“If there are any signs of marine pests,
this early warning will allow us to respond
as quickly as possible.”
A federal inquiry into the road
transport and freight sector is set to
occur, after the Senate recently voted
to conduct one.
Opposition Labor transport
spokesman Glenn Sterle said the
terms of reference were months in the
making and came from desperation
from an industry under pressure.
“We now have a unique opportunity
to... inform the government, through
the committee’s final report of what
needs to change in order to make
our industry safe and sustainable,”
Senator Sterle said.
“This inquiry will be far reaching
and all-encompassing and I
encourage anyone who is interested
in or who is affected by the transport
and freight industry to make a
submission to the committee.”
Senator Sterle criticised the federal
government for, in his words, doing
“everything it could to stop this
inquiry from getting up”.
“This raises serious concerns
about the vested interests that the
government is conniving with at the
top of the supply chain,” he said.
News of the inquiry was welcomed
by the Victorian Transport Association
chief executive Peter Anderson.
“Australian and international
supply chains experience ongoing
change which has material impacts
on freight and logistics operators, the
businesses that supply them, and of
course the transport workers they
employ,” Mr Anderson said.
Kajornyot wildlife photography
12 October 2019
thedcn.com.au