Industry News

Government responds to industry call for essential service status The National Cabinet has responded to a letter sent by Pump Industry Australia (PIA) calling for the pump sector to be declared an essential service in all Australian states and territories.  The response sent from the Chief Minister of the ACT, Andrew Barr, defined what the […]

New Safety Alerts following pressure tank incident A WorkSafe New Zealand report into a fatal accident caused by a pressure tank explosion on a farm in 2019 has found that more awareness and education needs to be implemented when working with a pressure tank. The fatal incident occurred on a New Zealand farm in late

Industry calls for Australia’s pump sector to be declared an essential service Pump Industry Australia (PIA) has sent a letter to the Prime Minister and National Cabinet calling for the government to declare the pump sector as an essential service, to ensure pump companies can continue to operate in the event of stricter lockdown measures.

Energy efficiency grants for dairy farmers Tasmanian dairy farmers will soon be able to access grants to help with energy efficiency measures, including capital costs, with the State Government announcing a dairy-specific round of the On Farm Energy Audit and Capital Grants Program. The Tasmanian Government has also announced an additional $250,000 to fund grants

National body calls for greater high-pressure cleaning safety awareness An increase in the numbers of injuries throughout manufacturing and process industries using high-pressure cleaning equipment has prompted a national industry body to call for more awareness and training of Australian Standards. The Australasian High Pressure Water Jetting Association (AUSJET) said many industrial operators of high-pressure

Mackay irrigators take control of water scheme Mackay canegrowers on the Eton Irrigation Scheme are now in charge of their own water, giving them control of the distribution of 51,900ML across the irrigation scheme’s 193 pipelines and six pump stations. Member for Mackay, Julieanne Gilbert, said around 300 canegrowers would now decide as a cooperative

Plans for world-first solar hydro power plant in Victoria The Australian Renewable Agency (ARENA) has announced $3 million in funding to conduct a technical and commercial feasibility study for a 4MW solar hydro power plant to be built in north-western Victoria. In a world-first, Melbourne based renewable energy startup, RayGen, is proposing to build a

Valve replacement works underway at Toonumbar Dam WaterNSW will soon begin works on the Toonumbar Dam to replace two essential valves, among other upgrades. Water supply from Toonumbar Dam will be interrupted for two weeks starting on the 20th of April while work proceeds to upgrade important elements of the dam system. WaterNSW, the dam

Resources and energy exports surge forecast Australia’s resource and energy export earnings are forecast to set a record of $299 billion in 2019-20, an increase of $18 billion from 2018-19, and will play an important role in helping the Australian economy bounce back from COVID-19. Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, said

TasWater appoints new Board Director TasWater Chairman, Dr Stephen Gumley, has announced the appointment of a new Director of the TasWater Board, following the retirement of Peter Lewinsky. Joanne Pearson will take up the Board position and will also sit on both the Audit and Risk, and Environment and Public Health Committees. With a background