الثلاثاء، 31 مايو 2016
Minimum wage up, retailers and unions unhappy
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has increased the minimum wage from $656.90 a week to $672.70 a week, lifting the hourly rate from $17.29 to $17.70 an hour.
The $15.80 per week increase – up 2.4 per cent from last year – was part of the FWC’s Annual Wage Review decision and will affect around 1.8 million people, who will benefit from the pay rise from July 1.
Last year, the Commission put up the minimum wage by 2.5 per cent.
The FWC justified the move, saying that a generally healthy economy, with low inflation and wage growth would be able to bear the increase.
The Commission also noted that the relative economic position of low paid workers had deteriorated over the past ten years.
“Some low paid award-reliant employee households have household incomes which places them below the poverty line,” said the FWC.
But the news was not welcomed in some quarters, particularly in the retail sector, which exhibited a less than enthusiastic response.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive James Pearson said the increase would hurt employers and that, in contrast, private sector wages had only gone up by 1.9 per cent over the past year.
National Retail Association (NRA) warned that the decision could lead to job cuts in the retail sector, particularly for smaller businesses.
NRA CEO Ian Winterburn said the higher minimum wage could hit young workers at a time when youth unemployment was high.
“The NRA proposed a sensible 1.6 per cent increase, which was calculated with regard to the economic trade-offs between factors such as unemployment levels, productivity gains in the sector, business conditions, and the inflation rate as a measure of the increased cost of living,” Mr Winterburn said.
“The 2.4 per cent increase, which is above the current rate of inflation, seems to imply that there is a significant productivity component included in the decision. This is contrary to the conditions that are currently being experienced in the retail industry.
Mr Winterburn said “centralised wage fixing” did not properly consider economic conditions in individual industry sectors.
“We believe our proposed 1.6 per cent would have been a far more equitable outcome in the midst of a very challenging economic period, and at a time when retail employers are facing unprecedented competition from online, overseas-based retailers,” he said.
“Today’s announcement will only hinder the domestic retail industry, which is already held back from increasing staff or hours amid the often unavoidable trade-off between jobs and wage increases that haven’t been strongly linked to productivity or efficiency gains.”
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry had both pushed for a smaller increase of no more than 1.2 percent in their submissions to the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) Annual Wage Review.
However, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) – which had pushed for a $30 wage increase per week – said that inflation meant the real wage increase would be a miniscule $6 a week for a minimum wage earner.
ACTU Secretary David Oliver said: “We are disappointed in the missed opportunity to truly narrow the gap between the minimum wage and average earnings – now would have been the ideal time to lift the minimum wage.
“While inflation is currently 1.3 per cent and the minimum wages rise is 2.4 per cent, this gap will be blown away in the event of a returned Liberal Government that will bring increased costs to workers for essential health care and education.
“And if penalty rates are cut, workers will fall even further behind.”
The 2.5 per cent increase will be applied to industry awards including those covering the retail, fast food and the hair and beauty sectors.
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Baird refuses to expedite council elections, blames merger workload
NSW Premier Mike Baird has rejected calls to bring forward a September 2017 election date for newly merged local councils, saying there is too much work to do to amalgamate councils first.
The wholesale dumping of councillors and mayors on May 12, when 19 new councils were proclaimed, led to calls for local government elections to be brought forward to ensure ratepayers were not disenfranchised for 16 months.
The push for earlier elections comes amidst criticisms that new council administrators are in the government’s pocket and fears that unpalatable developments will be rushed through while administrators are in charge.
Anger has also been provoked by the news that administrators and panels will decide on the distribution of Stronger Communities funding – up to $15 million of government funding for each new council, primarily for infrastructure.
But Mr Baird defended the decision to delay local council elections in Question Time yesterday (Tuesday) and said: “bringing bodies together involves a lot of work.”
“It involves dealing with different IT systems, and that does not happen overnight,” Mr Baird said.
“Each individual council will have different contracts with different suppliers, whether they be lighting, roads or parks contractors. Bringing them together will produce economies of scale that will deliver benefits to local communities.
“Councils also have different planning and events departments, and there will be different senior management structures.”
Mr Baird said that local council elections were held from between 16 and 28 months after the 1994 Victorian council mergers.
“This Government wants this process to happen as quickly as possible, and that is why we have said that elections will be held in 16 months,” he said.
“That is the shortest time in which we can complete the work that will ensure the best possible outcomes to enable councils to deliver benefits to their communities.”
Mr Baird took aim at the Opposition during Question Time.
“I know that members opposite do not understand the hard work involved in ensuring that the systems, the people, the processes, the structures and the strategies are right so that we can hand over new councils that will deliver benefits to ratepayers. I know members opposite do not understand that, but it is what needs to be done.”
NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole has previously laid the blame for delaying council elections at that the feet of Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
“The Electoral Commission advised the Government that it was impossible to hold elections for new councils in September 2016,” Mr Toole said.
“The Commission also indicated that it was their preference that elections for new councils be held in September 2017 to allow them to be ready. Further, the time allows Administrators to successfully integrate the council organisations in time for the election of councillors to new councils.”
But Summer Hill Labor MP Jo Haylen, whose state electorate includes the new Inner West Council, which was the scene of angry protests in May, said the government was just making excuses.
She said a properly resourced AEC could speed up the process so elections could happen earlier: “There is no reason whatsoever that the Minister can’t call elections for September this year.
“Only local government elections will ensure a truly representative voice for local people,” Ms Haylen said.
Projects including WestConnex, the Sydenham to Bankstown rezoning and the Parramatta Road revitalisation mean that it’s a high stakes game for the Inner West over the next 16 months.
“Each of these projects is opposed by the local community and will require the involvement of council at all stages,” she said.
“With the merged council under the control of an unelected official, local residents effectively have no say in how these massive projects will impact them and their suburbs.
“Residents are concerned that the administrator will allow the Baird Government to steam roll local opposition and let development go unchecked.”
Ms Haylen said that since the three councils were forcibly merged into the new Inner West Council and an administrator appointed her office had anecdotally noticed a spike in the number of development applications being bulked up and resubmitted from what residents were telling them.
Former Leichhardt Labor Mayor Darcy Byrne said putting off elections was increasing tension at local level.
“That’s the one thing that Mike Baird could do to reduce the current chaotic circumstances, to bring the elections forward so that new councils can get some democratic legitimacy sooner, rather than later,” Mr Byrne said.
“People are very suspicious about why elections have been delayed for the best part of 18 months. Even people who support amalgamations have been shocked.
“Paul Toole says that’s what’s in the proclamations. Well, that can be changed by him at the stroke of a pen.”
Mr Byrne said elections could be held much earlier in 2017, despite the government’s argument that it would take the AEC time to draw up new rules and boundaries.
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Australia’s biggest urban redevelopment finally gets Green Star status
‘Gritty’ vs gentrification; laneways now a feature.
Forget sterile riverfront ghettos of luxury high-rise apartments, these days it’s a Green Star that sells big new city builds.
Australia’s largest inner-urban redevelopment project, the massive industrial zone of Fishermans Bend on Melbourne’s Yarra River, will now officially be Green Star rated blend of mixed residential and commercial buildings embedded into abundant parkland and served by a new industries employment hub that overtly shuns private car use for public and active transport.
That’s the latest vision for what was once Melbourne’s sprawling industrial and manufacturing heartland as it attempts to transform to become home 80,000 residents and 60,000 workers serviced by new rail, tram and bus links bolstered by dedicated walkways and cycle paths for commuters.
And it’s just doubled in size.
Victoria’s Daniel Andrews Government (Labor) late last week moved decisively to “recast” the masterplan for the giant area, most notably upping its total development footprint size from around 250 hectares outlined in 2012 to 465 hectares – but significantly it also mandated ‘Green Star’ requirements to embed sustainability.
Freight rail and heavy links will be kept.
It flips the position of the previous Baillieu-Napthine Government (Coalition) – which only lasted one term in office – that had made a point of snubbing any real mandate to enforce sustainability requirements on the huge development on the basis the standards created unnecessary ‘Green Tape’.
With local governments, developers, property investors and planning experts all supporting the Green Star measures, it was at best a confused start to what many believe will become Australia’s exemplar of a new-age urban environment.
Snatching an easy political free kick, the Andrews government wasted little time in locking down sustainability requirements that have gone from being a ‘nice-to-have’ credential for office and home buyers to something that actively lifts property values.
Deprioritising private car travel is a major feature of the new masterplan, as is heavily diversifying the blend of developments to mix in more affordable dwelling stock with a big nod to the area’s industrial past by creating a “network of gritty streets and laneways.”
“Fishermans Bend needs to be designed to encourage residents and commuters to get around by walking, cycling or catching public transport. The Victorian Government—via the Taskforce—will develop a flexible and adaptable plan that meets this need,” the new Draft Report report says.
Citing Plan Melbourne 2016, the vision outlined for “housing supply, diversity and choice” says it will now “have a stronger emphasis on getting more diverse and affordable homes built—articulating long-term land use policies and reforms to meet projected housing needs and expand housing choice and affordability.”
Green with envy
It’s a logical step given that commercial and residential property developers, not to mention more and more high profile corporations and business groups are now openly embracing and promoting green building designs to cultivate kudos with customers, investors and staff by showing they care.
Part of the big appeal is that Green Star-rated buildings don’t just have lower emissions and a smaller environmental footprint, they generally have substantially lower running costs too, making them more commercially appealing.
The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), which developed the Green Star building ratings standard to guide the planning of sustainable communities and precincts, is chalking up the move to mandate its ratings at the Fishermans Bend development as a very big win.
“This is something industry has been calling for over a number of years, and we are delighted that the Andrews Government has responded so positively,” said GBCA chief executive, Romilly Madew.
“The significance of the site, the scale of the project, and the far-reaching implications of ‘getting it right’ make achieving a Green Star – Communities rating an essential component of smart, sustainable planning.”
But it’s the strong backing of the Property Council of Australia for the Green Star ratings that perhaps most conspicuously drives home the appetite of major business groups to be seen to be acting on sustainability, even if it sometimes means being politically incorrect.
“Three years ago the Property Council urged the Government to endorse the Green Star – Communities rating tool at Fishermans Bend to support sustainable, resilient and liveable communities,” said the Property Council of Australia’s Acting Victorian Executive Director, Asher Judah.
“It is exciting to see the Government commit to this important sustainability reform.”
Connected communities start with transport.
What will Fishermans Bend look like now?
With sustainable, liveable cities now at the front of many state and the federal government’s planning agenda, Victoria’s Planning Minister Richard Wynne is heavily pushing the need for government to get the key infrastructure building blocks for major infill projects right from the design phase.
In the introduction of the “recast” Fishermans Bend Draft plan, he takes clear swipe at the short-term trend to maximise yields by throwing up stand-alone high-rise apartment complexes.
“We need to tackle challenges such as public transport, schools, community services and public spaces now, rather than putting up residential towers and hoping for the best,” Mr Wynne said.
“Fishermans Bend has a rich history,” he says. “It was the birthplace of Australia’s aviation industry and, for decades, was the heart and soul of Australia’s automotive manufacturing. Now, we have the chance to make it a benchmark for smart, sustainable development and high-density community living.”
To give Melburnians a sense of what Fishermans Bend can become, the draft vison document put out by the government tries to outline the development by presenting it in a “future perspective” – or writing about it in the present tense as if it’s now 2050.
“Known as backcasting, this technique describes a future we would like to see, then identifies the strategies required to make that future attainable,” the paper says.
“Melbourne is a now a city approaching 8 million people and experiences more hot days and extreme weather events. The city also operates in an increasingly connected and competitive global environment. Fishermans Bend plays a vital role in ensuring that Melbourne meets the challenges and seizes the opportunities of this changing world,” says one futuristic passage.
“A generous tree canopy keeps Fishermans Bend cool in summer. Not only are the public spaces green – so, too, are the buildings. The buildings incorporate vertical and roof-top greening—saving water while supporting a rich biodiversity throughout the area. A network of leafy boulevards and green links connect neighbourhoods and public spaces, providing a focus for city life as well as high quality public transport, walking and cycling
Infrastructure,” says another.
One of the more radical visons for the dense-but-green model cluster of communities is the removal of cars from the transport mix.
“Car parking has been reduced. In fact, less than one-in-five trips are now made by private car. Instead, the efficient and direct public transport network reduces traffic congestion and carbon emissions,” the draft vison says.
Also in the mix are “strong links” of dedicated cycling and walking links across the new suburbs – five in total, as well as purpose build water recycling.
The draft vision also clearly wants to grab the opportunity to make the massive development an enviable place to work, dedicating a large tract of land to become what it says should become “Australia’s leading design, engineering and advanced manufacturing precinct”.
“The Fishermans Bend Employment Precinct is a world renowned location for innovative industries, attracting international investment and producing world-leading research, engineering, technology and products. Its economy is highly productive and profitable, but with a low environmental impact, and complements Fishermans Bend as a whole through compatible land uses,” the draft vision says.
If that sounds familiar, it could be because the description could be used in a sales brochure for almost any commercial office park in Australia, many of which – like Sydney’s Australian Technology Park in Redfern – ultimately become drive-in, drive out affairs for day workers and ghost towns at night.
Or Canberra, which has until recently struggled badly to create any kind of cosmopolitan vibe after dark thanks to heavy planning designations that for decades segregated commerce, work and industry from residential areas.
There may still be many unanswered many questions around the latest incarnation for Fishermans Bend, but at least Melbourne is daring to dream again.
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الاثنين، 30 مايو 2016
Three-council merger postponed; Baird cops court costs
Next stop amalgamation?
A merger between Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield Councils has been postponed after the Land and Environment Court ruled the NSW government could not rely on the Boundaries Commission’s report to make a merger case.
NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole was forced into an embarrassing climb down today (Tuesday) as the court ordered that he should not to rely on delegate Richard Colley’s report on the merger between the three Sydney Councils. The Minister was also ordered to pay Strathfield Council’s costs.
Mr Toole said the report was rejected “due to a legal technicality in the delegate’s report” and he said the delegate would “consider the matter and reissue his report.”
But Greens MP and Local Government spokesman David Shoebridge said the report was “thrown out” by the court, most likely because the delegate had made errors in his report and was legally flawed, “The Minister can say what he likes but the community will expect much more than a tick and flick.”
Because consent orders involve an agreement between two parties, rather than a court judgement, it is difficult to know what the report’s flaws were and whether this case will affect similar court cases involving forced council mergers.
There are nine merger proposals currently before the courts, most of which involve councils alleging that the merger and public inquiry process has not been fair.
Mr Shoebridge called the consent orders “a disaster for Mike Baird” and said councils embroiled in court cases with the state government on merger proposals would be scrutinising delegates’ reports particularly closely in the light of this.
“When a government tries to do a job on local communities and cut legal corners and rush through an undemocratic process it is no wonder they trip up,” Mr Shoebridge said.
“Effectively the government has given up on trying to defend the delegate’s report. This puts the merger plan for the Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay councils in legal limbo while the government struggles to work out its next step.”
The terms of the proposed order, read by the Government in court today were:
- Order restraining the first respondent Minister from recommending implementation of the proposal to amalgamate the local government areas of Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay dated January 2016 in reliance on the purported report titled “Examination of the Proposal to merge Burwood City Council, City of Canada Bay Council and Strathfield Municipal Council” dated March 2016.
- Minister to pay the applicant’s costs.
NSW Governor David Hurley issued a proclamation to create 19 new NSW councils (from 45) on May 12. Twelve other merger proposals are pending, two-thirds of which are currently in court.
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Hired muscle for next Inner West Council meeting
First meeting of the Inner West Council.
Hired security guards will oversee the next Inner West Council meeting after protestors shut down the new council’s first meeting last Tuesday and administrator Richard Pearson was spat on and his papers and iPad knocked to the ground.
Riot police were called to the council chambers in Inner West Sydney, after protests got out of hand. A woman was later charged for offensive behaviour over the spitting incident.
Mr Pearson told the Inner West Courier that limits mights also be enforced on how many people could enter the council chamber at the next meeting, likely to be held in June.
“We’re looking at a range of things we can do to ensure staff, myself, community members and the media are in a safe environment,” Mr Pearson told The Courier. “We will need to have security at future meetings.
“I want to be sure that when we lock in the next one, we have our logistics sorted so we can minimise (disruption) happening again,” he said.
“Priority number one is public safety and we also have to consider building regulations and fire standards to ensure we’re not exceeding capacity.”
He hoped that people would understand the importance of the council meetings to the community and that the agenda could be discussed.
Former Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne encouraged people to turn up to the next council meeting but to let it play out peacefully.
“My view is that council meetings are really the only democratic form that we have left and I think people should attend and express dissent with decisions not in the community interest,” Mr Byrne said. “That can’t occur if meetings don’t proceed.”
Over at the Mid Coast Council (previously Taree, Great Lakes and Gloucester Councils) the first council meeting was overpowered by protestors. The “Knitting Nannas” made their feelings known about coal seam gas mining in the area the meeting.
NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole said that such disruption had been rare since the State’s 19 new councils – proclaimed in May – had begun meeting.
“Across NSW, meetings of new councils have run smoothly and successfully except where a deliberate disruption by a small minority has occurred,” Mr Toole said.
“New councils will communicate with the community in the same way councils always have, through websites, newsletters and local media.”
He said last week: “I don’t think we will see this kind of behaviour occurring across NSW.”
Mr Toole said that security at council meetings was a matter for the council and police operations were a matter for the NSW Police.
Councillors, mayors and MPs have called for Premier Mike Baird to bring forward the September 2017 local government elections but Mr Toole said this was not going to happen.
“The Electoral Commission advised the Government that it was impossible to hold elections for new councils in September 2016,” Mr Toole said.
“The Commission also indicated that it was their preference that elections for new councils be held in September 2017 to allow them to be ready. Further, the time allows Administrators to successfully integrate the council organisations in time for the election of councillors to new councils.”
Premier Mike Baird must feel like a soap opera hurtling towards its grisly cliff-hanger right now. A large anti-Baird rally took place last weekend, not just over council mergers but also over lock-out laws, new bio diversity and protest laws, tree removal and major developments such as motorway project WestConnex.
On the council merger front, there are several court actions in progress this week, including Walcha and Woollahra Councils, with councils hoping to prove that mergers have not been carried out fairly.
In addition, former Lane Cove councillor Scott Bennison is battling to get more documents relating to the KPMG report released in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Councils are desperate to get their hands on the long form KPMG report because it contains modelling and costings which form the basis of the government’s claim that forced mergers will save $2 billion over 20 years.
Walcha Council lost its Land and Environment Court battle to have KPMG documents released last week. The documents were Implementation of Local Government Mergers: Business Case and Options Analysis Local Government Reform.
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More outsourcer mergers after HP Enterprise Services + CSC says Gartner
A radical last minute merger and spin-out between two of the technology sector’s veteran outsourcing players, HP Enterprise Services and CSC, is certain to be followed by more merger and acquisition activity in the IT services sector says research and analyst firm Gartner.
The deal, which has a major impact on both company’s substantial government and public sector footprint, could increase and round out the critical mass of services on offer to government customers Gartner says, providing the merger goes to plan.
Jim Longwood, Gartner’s Vice President for IT Services Sourcing and Vendor Management, told Government News the yet to be approved merger will benefit larger scale customers “in terms of operational and cost efficiencies and improved access to a better knowledge base.”
However, Mr Longwood cautioned that not everyone will be pleased.
“The merged entity will be better equipped to service smaller, mid-size and larger clients but the smaller clients may become disenfranchised by the combined entities new deal sweet spot and business focus,” Mr Longwood said.
Even so, he believes the merger will ultimately help put the new company in position where it’s better able to help clients deal with “the ongoing digital disruption that is going on in the market and focus on other disruptions coming through via social, mobility, analytics and cloud.”
At a broader level, the research firm is also predicting a continuing shakeout in the services sector as key participants make similar plays.
“With traditional service provision becoming a contracting market, further consolidation, particularly at the smaller end of the market, is inevitable,” Mr Longwood said.
“We see the likes of NTT Data expanding globally by incremental acquisitions and similarly for the larger Indian providers. Some of the smaller Indian firms also becoming takeover targets as per the recent acquisition of Igate by Capgemini.”
Gartner estimates that in terms of market share for the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan, the HP Enterprise Services and CSC merger will now place the new entity at number four in terms of professional services revenue.
IBM, Samsung SDS and Deloitte are put ahead of the new entity, while Accenture and TCS are put behind it according to Gartner’s market share estimation.
“Acquisitions and divestitures will a feature prominently in the professional services market for some time to come, Mr Longwood said.
He also sees continued encroachment from so-called non-traditional IT services players that are continuing to take business.
“The disruptive impact of non-traditional services, along with entry of many new players like AWS, Google, Microsoft and VMware into the cloud services market and large volumes of small and niche focused service providers, has provided challenges for all traditional IT service providers,” Mr Longwood said.
The effect of that is that traditional providers now need to balance growth in the new services areas but also guard against the “cannibalisation of the traditional services” as emerging offerings “come to the fore”.
For most of the mainstream traditional managed service providers including CSC, HPE and IBM, this has led to decreasing market share in high single to low double digits in the past two years in constant currency terms with currency fluctuations exacerbating this trend in Asia Pacific,” Mr Longwood said.
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Managing Australian citizens’ digital identities: a priority for the DTO
[Guest Opinion: John Lord, Managing Director, GBG – Global specialist in Identity Data Intelligence and certified Identity Assurance provider for the UK Government’s GOV.UK Verify program]
Regardless of the political party in power, the Australian Government appears committed to the path of enabling the nation to take full advantage of a digitised economy. It constantly continues to make strides by investing in digital projects to foster a culture of innovation, and a workforce and society that recognises both the challenges and opportunities presented by digitisation. Recent examples of this include the work done around the NBN roll-out, the mandate of the Digital Transformation Office (DTO), and the recent National Cyber Security Strategy Review.
The increased digitisation of government services, coupled with the complexity of the cyber threat landscape, is making the management of Australian citizens and resident’s digital identities a priority both for efficiency and security.
This is why the DTO has recently decided to follow the footsteps of other governments, the UK in particular, to find ways to address the online identification challenge. As part of this process, the DTO is currently looking at using the services of third-party certified Identification Assurance (IDA) providers.
The DTO’s concerns
As part of the Australian Government’s digitisation plans, and because of the increased availability of government services online, a massive amount of data is now managed in the cloud.
Medical records are moving to an online space as well as Medicare rebates, with sensitive information now accessible to doctors and healthcare professionals across Australia. With access to so much private data online, it is imperative that identifying patient or client information is done with a very high level of precaution and privacy.
Similarly, citizens are now able to pay most of their local government, tax, infringement notices, births, deaths and marriages registrations and other government expenses online.
Many of these interactions with government agencies provide access and information about vital identifying information which would compromise data security if breached. With the expanded use of connected devices and wearable technology, the surface of potential attacks will probably increase in the coming years.
In this context, it is vital that the Government is able to certify each citizen’s identity with a high level of security no matter where, when and through which device or channel they access online services.
What is our digital identity made of and how can we protect it?
The amount of identifying data available online is astounding. In the next five minutes, or the time it takes to read this article, globally more than one billion emails will be sent; over 20 million Google searches will be conducted; at least 10 million pieces of content will be shared and more than $12.5 million in online sales will be transacted. Added to which, over 1,200 babies will be born, creating 1,200 brand new identities that will need protection.
The data which we think builds our identity is typically associated with standard “name, address, passport, and banking” information. However in a connected world where we are increasingly leaving a digital footprint, our transaction history, mobile device usage and data such as IP addresses and social IDs mean the identity verification process has evolved and will continue to do so.
Understanding and appropriately utilising this myriad of identifying data is the key to building stronger identification assurance solutions, especially for government organisations who have access to much of their citizens’ most sensitive information.
Best practice identity assurance includes triangulating sources of identity data and verifying somebody is who they say they are through a multitude of checks, including address and financial history, personal knowledge, and document validation. Two-factor verification is an element of this – in other words being asked for something you know as well as proving something you own. For example, you know your username and password, but you need to own a mobile phone to which a security code is sent.
When you consider that you can unlock your phone with a fingerprint, access telephone-based services faster with the addition of voice recognition and that your passport is linked to a retina scan, it is apparent that biometric data will play an increasing role in the future of account login, working in conjunction with secure identity verification techniques at the point we register for services.
No matter the actual techniques and strategies used, if the Government wants to be efficient in securing millions of Australian citizens’ digital identities, it is key that it collaborates with third-party certified Identity Assurance (IDA) providers.
Working with certified providers means there is no burden of a central Government-owned database containing all its citizens’ up to date information. Security can be ensured through a solution that can verify an individual is who they say they are by referencing on demand multiple datasets from a number of accredited sources. In the UK, the ground-breaking GOV.UK Verify program has benefited from a competitive model, drawing from private sector knowledge and expertise in order to drive innovation in the development and provision of the service.
Next steps for the DTO
The Digital Transformation Office is currently assessing the need for certified Identity Assurance providers, with Deloitte commissioned to undertake the initial market research and a Request for Information from local and international businesses has recently been published.
For the Government to fully succeed in its digital plans for the future, trust is key. It is imperative that people not only feel safe to migrate traditional services online, but that they actually are safe and that their most personal information remains private and the risk of breach is mitigated.
IDA is vital to the future of government services in Australia, and selecting the right IDA providers is a very important task for the DTO. Whatever outcomes are determined, the next few months will be key to the successful expansion of online and mobile government services.
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الأحد، 29 مايو 2016
Smart Innovation Centre to make NSW transport tech hub
Transport for NSW is seeking partners to help lead the development of driverless vehicles and intelligent transport systems at the state’s new Smart Innovation Centre.
NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the Western Sydney-based innovation incubator would be a development hub for emerging transport and road technology in the state.
The centre will bring together industry, investors, researchers, government agencies, vehicle manufacturers, technology providers and data analysts to test and develop technology that will improve transport and safety, reduce congestion and drive investment in emerging knowledge industries.
The Centre, which should be fully operational by mid-2017, will also be an incubator for commercial and academic partners wanting to maximise the potential for their technology innovations.
Mr Constance said expressions of interest from industry, investors and academics were due by June 10.
“This government is not prepared to sit around waiting for someone else to come up with the next big innovation around technologies for connected transport – we want to be a part of it,” Mr Constance said.
“The Centre will also help us understand how we need to plan and build road and transport infrastructure to prepare for future technology. “
He said that partnerships with local and international experts would be a key part of the success of the Smart Innovation Centre.
The Centre’s objectives include accelerating and expanding government transport technology research programs by collaborating with industry and universities.
The idea is also to link up with current testing or research, including work around road and vehicle safety, congestion management technology, cooperative intelligent transport systems and better technology around bus priority.
Testing and piloting connected and automated vehicles will be another key focus of the Centre’s work.
Secretary of Transport for NSW, Tim Reardon said the Centre would play a key role in putting NSW at the forefront of applying emerging technologies to improve transport.
“For more than 100 years a road has been a relatively simple piece of infrastructure and a car has been controlled by a driver,” Mr Reardon said.
“Now we’re on the cusp of using our road infrastructure in a much smarter way. That offers some incredibly exciting opportunities for improving the efficiency, accessibility and safety of road travel.
“Transport for NSW is determined not to get in the way of innovation – we want to support and contribute to the next big ideas.
“That’s why we’re preparing now for the eventual arrival of automated vehicles and working with our federal and interstate counterparts to explore the legislative, regulatory and road design changes necessary to allow the introduction of these types of technologies in the future.”
Transport for NSW is inviting expressions of interest from prospective partners in collaborative projects including:
- Vehicle testing
- Pilots and demonstrations, mostly in controlled environments such as hospital and business precincts for connected and automated vehicles and associated transport services and technologies.
- Collaborative research projects which could cover data simulations or modelling of the outcomes of new transport technologies. These will assess the potential benefits and impacts prior to deployment and sponsorship to seed new commercial.
EOIs addressing credentials and proposed areas of involvement should be emailed to smartinnovationcentre@transport.nsw.gov.au by the new deadline of Friday 10 June 2016.
The post Smart Innovation Centre to make NSW transport tech hub appeared first on Government News.
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الخميس، 26 مايو 2016
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Surcharging: RBA applies stick, stakeholders warn more regulatory repair needed
Reflected costs? pic: Newtown Grafitti
Rapacious gouging of consumers through excessive credit card surcharging needs to be quickly and firmly checked by regulators if new Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) rules governing the payments industry are to be successful in stamping out the practice, MasterCard’s Australian chief, Andrew Cartwright, has said.
The RBA on Thursday revealed its highly anticipated formal response to the hot button consumer issue, mandating that merchants can only pass-on actual costs of accepting card transactions when imposing surcharges, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission put in charge of sniffing out inflated fees and policing sneaky profiteers.
“This affects all Australians and MasterCard is pleased this is being addressed. It’s long overdue,” Mr Cartwright said.
However he cautioned that for the new excess surcharging bans to have a real effect, visible action against rule breakers and effective monitoring needs to be in place fast.
“As well-meaning as the new rules around surcharging are, if there is not effective review and compliance it will come to nothing, Mr Cartwright said.
Consumer advocates and card schemes have been on the RBA and the federal government’s case for years over businesses using overblown surcharges as a way to make money on the side, with airlines, hotels taxis and utilities among the biggest abusers.
Industry estimates put the annual cost of card surcharge gouging in Australia at around $1.6 billion a year, while consumer advocate Choice says it’s seen “mark-ups of up to 2670 per cent on the actual cost to merchants of processing a card transaction” which the group has branded as “both unjustifiable and unacceptable.”
While schemes like MasterCard want a return to the practice of surcharging being stopped altogether under their own rules for merchants, payments regulators have insisted businesses should be allowed to recover the cost of accepting card payments by passing it on in the form of a fee.
For many consumers and policymakers, the RBA’s nuanced cost recovery argument has largely been rendered academic after sectors like airlines started adding hefty flat fees between $8 and $12.50 per seat for each booking secured, with card payments rules accidently creating a lucrative “ancillary revenue” loophole that would otherwise be knocked out by drip-pricing rules.
Without naming names, MasterCard and Mr Cartwright are now clearly hopeful that
some of the biggest and worst offenders will either change their ways swiftly or feel some regulatory sting
“I think the ACCC will actively watch the major players and if there is someone who is really out of line they will make an example out of whoever that merchant or retailer is. That’s what I’d like to think,” Mr Cartwright said.
According to the RBA’s latest paper, the surcharging new framework takes effect for large merchants on from 1st September 2016 and for other merchants from 1st September 2017, with the ACCC given enforcement powers under the new regime.
But some consumer advocates remain clearly unconvinced.
“While today’s announcement following the RBA’s review of Card Payments Regulation addresses excessive surcharges in many large industries, uncertainties remain around surcharging card payments for smaller everyday consumer purchases,” said Christopher Zinn, the campaign spokesperson for the merchant-led Surcharge Free group.
“The RBA guidelines do not engage with consumers’ negative feelings toward surcharging or the detrimental impact the practice can have on customer loyalty and advocacy for businesses of all sizes,” Mr Zinn said.
Interchange and competition still a sticking point
As expected fee regulation – especially the consistency of it – has remained a key area of friction in RBA’s big regulatory update for payments between card schemes, with the topic if interchange fees – that’s fees that flow to a bank that issues a card from the bank that accepts a card – still a sticking point.
While the RBA decided to keep what’s known as the “weighted-average benchmark” for credit cards at 0.50 per cent, it’s dropped the benchmark for debit cards from 12 cents to 8 cents.
But there are now also extra caps built-in for different kinds of credit cards, particularly in the area of what’s dubbed “premium” or “platinum plus” – bank issued credit cards that are marketed to higher spending customers and typically have rewards points and loyalty schemes attached to them.
“The weighted-average benchmarks will be supplemented by ceilings on individual interchange rates which will reduce payment costs for smaller merchants,” the RBA said in its statement, adding that “commercial cards will continue to be included in the benchmarks.”
Mr Cartwright argues that the downward pressure on interchange rates through the widening of where the caps apply could prompt issuing banks to try and find the revenue they will likely lose from elsewhere – potentially more directly from consumers and businesses.
Like the opportunistic rash of excessive surcharging, the intent of interchange regulation could produce unintended consequences and arguably perverse incentives.
“The consequence of [further interchange regulation] could be negative to consumers. What happened in 2003, when regulation first came in, was the banks needed to replace this revenue from other sources – be it through increased annual card fees, higher interest rate or reducing the value of rewards programs,” Mr Cartwright told Government News.
“Given that millions of Australians have a platinum or above platinum card in their wallet this [could in reality] negatively impact millions of Australians.
In the commercial card market – credit cards issued by banks to employees of government and businesses to cover and control expenses and smaller supplier payments – there’s also a rub in terms of competitive equality.
Mr Cartwright notes that while European regulators have excluded commercial cards from broader interchange regulation directed at consumer products in recognition of the different economics at play, the RBA has moved in a different direction.
“The risk is that it will be less attractive for financial institutions to issue [commercial card products], and therefore there will be less competition in the commercial card space” Mr Cartwright says.
Notably, competitors to MasterCard and Visa like American Express, whose ‘proprietary’ cards (those issued by Amex itself rather than by a bank) still fall outside the RBA’s interchange regulation regime.
That’s significant because Amex, whose corporate card is well established, is believed to hold around a third of the commercial card market in Australia. And although merchants have the option of passing on acceptance charges, in reality any intended pricing signal is neutralised because corporate cardholders don’t personally cop the extra fees because they are using a work card and don’t realistically have a choice of payment method.
“The corporate Amex card [remains] outside [RBA] regulation, so we still do not have a true level playing field,” Mr Cartwright says.
Amex’s other bank issued ‘companion’ cards have however been brought under the regulatory umbrella for interchange, a move that MasterCard has predictably welcomed.
As the market for digital payments space heats-up, it’s an area that’s become more important daily for customers, market participants, policymakers and regulators alike.
Watch this space . . .
The post Surcharging: RBA applies stick, stakeholders warn more regulatory repair needed appeared first on Government News.
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NSW puts Land Property Information on the block
Earmarked for privatisation (Photo: J Bar)
The New South Wales government’s in-house land agency will be partially privatised, the state’s Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed.
[For the latest in geospational news and coverage head to Government News’ sister publication Spatial Source]
The Sydney titling operations of Land and Property Information (LPI) are being put on the market for purchase by private operators with a deal likely to consist of a 35-year long-term concession. The sell off comes on the back of recommendations of a comprehensive scoping study, initiated in September 2015.
According to the government’s official statement, the valuation services and spatial mapping divisions will not be included in the sale, which employs about 220 people in the regional city of Bathurst. The move has been described by some commentators as a precursor for other public land agencies around the country to follow in a similar stead.
Ms Berejiklian has stated with certainty that the spatial services operating out of Bathurst will remain public: “Obviously the spatial part of the business means you’ve actually got experts who know how to draw the maps, who actually know to provide their expertise in this area,” she said.
“It’s really something we believe that should be retained by the Government, which is why the spatial services and evaluation [sic] services will be staying run owned and managed by the Government.”
“We took a long, hard look at it and we’ve decided that we believe the spatial services which are based in the central west, should definitely stay owned, run and managed by the government.”
“That’s a decision we’ve taken after having a close look at it, and that’s pretty much as final and definite as you can get.”
The Bathurst office employs some of the country’s finest geodetic surveyors, including those responsible for the construction and operation of the world-class CORSNet-NSW, Australia’s most comprehensive CORS network for precise GNSS positioning.
CORSNet-NSW provides precise point positioning for over 99.8 per cent of the NSW population.
While the Queens Square and Bathurst offices are the largest, LPI has additional offices in Albury, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Grafton, Lismore, Newcastle, Nowra, Orange, Parramatta, Port Macquarie, Queanbeyan, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga, Wollongong and Wyong- all of which have an uncertain future.
Further details of the division will become available in the near future, however clues were given last month when it was announced at the Association of Public Authority Surveyors NSW (APAS) Conference that LPI will be split into three distinct areas of operations, and that the role of the Surveyor General and the Deputy Surveyor General are also expected to change significantly.
In its official statement, the NSW Government says it will invite the private sector to invest in and operate the titling and registry business of LPI. The net proceeds from the transaction will be invested in new infrastructure, including the development of the Sydney’s major sporting stadiums. It was also announced that one third of the profits would be earmarked for regional infrastructure projects.
“Investment from the private sector in LPI’s titling and registry operations will provide better outcomes for the state,” Ms Berejiklian said. “The private sector will also be better placed to invest in new technology, which will have major benefits for consumers.”
Berejiklian ensures the integrity of the titling system will be protected by a strong regulatory framework. This will include government oversight of any private operator and the continuation of the Torrens titling system backed by the Torrens Assurance Fund.
A new regulator will also be created to monitor and enforce the operator’s service, KPIs and the security of the data. To avoid an unfair price monopoly fees will only be permitted to increase through a consumer price index (CPI) during the 35-year long-term concession.
Gary Ulman, President of the Law Society of NSW regards LPI as one of the best performing land titling services in the world, and claims that the sale is unjustified.
“The justification for the privatisation of public assets usually lies in the need for a large-scale injection of capital into an industry, or to address underperformance by a government utility,” Ulman said, “Neither rationale applies in this case.”
Further details will be announced through Spatial Source and Position magazine as they become available.
[via Spatial Source]
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الأربعاء، 25 مايو 2016
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Op shop dumpers under surveillance
People who illegally dump donations outside charity shops will soon have to watch their backs and check for cameras.
NSW Environment Minister Mark Speakman launched a state government scheme today (Tuesday) to give charities grants of up to $7000 each, which can include cash to fund surveillance equipment, fencing, lighting and gates.
The Environment Protection Authority’s Reducing Dumping on Charitable Recyclers project aims to stop sneaky charity shop dumpers in their tracks and save charities millions of dollars and thousands of hours in volunteer time.
Susan Goldie, Executive Officer St Vincent De Paul Society Parramatta Central Council, said Vinnies was hugely grateful for good quality donations but illegally dumped donations caused staff extra work.
“Almost 50 per cent of funding for Vinnies’ works in local communities is generated by the sale of donations through our shops,” Ms Goldie said. “Unfortunately though, many of our volunteers are faced with sorting through wet and damaged goods after they have been left outside bins or shop fronts overnight, over weekends and during holidays.”
Pat Daley from the EPA Charity Recyclers Reference Group said charities struggled to keep up with the volume of unusable goods dumped on doorsteps of charity shops or around donation bins.
“Charities rely on donations to raise funds for their important work, but the cost of sorting and disposing unusable goods cuts deeply into fundraising efforts,” Mr Daley said.
Mr Speakman said that charities received an estimated two billion items or 300,000 tonnes of goods each year but had to dispose of about 40 per cent of this because it was unusable.
“This equates to 120,000 tonnes of waste. The cost alone of getting rid of this rubbish is up to $7 million a year,” Mr Speakman said. “The government has been working with charities to help them manage the cost of disposing the unusable goods that are dumped in Australia each year.”
The Reducing Illegal Dumping on Charitable Recyclers grant program is part of the Government’s $58 million Waste Less, Recycle initiative.
Waste Less, Recycle More is a $465.7 million investment designed to transform waste management and recycling in NSW. More information on the EPA grants scheme is available online at http://ift.tt/1TxnGud
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