Archived News for Engineering Professionals

Construction work of the 7.5 kilometre Footscray to Deer Park section of Victoria’s multi-billion dollar Regional Rail Link has commenced.

This multi-billion dollar project is building Melbourne's first new piece of passenger rail infrastructure since the Glen Waverley line was opened in 1930, more than 80 years ago," Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"Since then the City's population has more than quadrupled to over four million residents and unlike our predecessors we recognise that the task of putting in place the modern infrastructure necessary to support such growth is too big for any one level of government.”

Oil and gas job ads booming

Online job postings of oil and gas positions have recorded an unprecedented 11.98 per cent booming in the last year and a half according to an index published by recruitment specialist Hays.

Simulation facility opens in Melbourne

An Australian first building and construction simulation facility has opened in South Melbourne, which is expected to be able to train up to 7,000 building and construction industry professionals and students a year.

Building approvals slump

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that the number of dwellings approved fell by 2.5 per cent in June, despite the 2.7 per cent boom the previous month.

Construction continues to struggle

The construction sector is struggling to cope with continued poor demand and subdued workloads, according to the Australian Industry Group’s (AI Group) Australian Performance of Construction Index.

Flinders Uni to launch Tonsley Park centre

Flinders University has announced it will establish a teaching and research centre at South Australia’s new advanced manufacturing hub in Adelaide’s Tonsley Park.

Laser technology to prevent plane crashes

A low-cost laser sensor that can quickly and accurately measure the velocity of commercial passenger aircrafts could complement existing sensors and help prevent fatal aeroplane crashes, according to engineers at the University of New South Wales.

SA to streamline major projects

The South Australian Government has announced an initiative to streamline building and construction projects that are in the pipeline and valued over $20 million.

Visionstream wins Telstra works

Leighton subsidiary Visionstream has announced it has signed a contract with Telstra for the provision of national Wideband and Dedicated Digital Network (DDN) works, worth an estimated $120 million over the three year life of the deal.

Consultation on R&D Tax Incentive quarterly credits inititiative

The Federal Government has released a public consultation paper to enable small and medium sized companies and other stakeholders to contribute to the design of the R&D Tax Incentive quarterly credits initiative.

The new R&D quarterly credits initiative will provide more timely access to tax incentives for small and medium sized businesses undertaking eligible research and development.

R&D quarterly credits will be an opt-in element of the Government's R&D Tax Incentive, which will further improve company cash flow and enhance incentives to invest in R&D activities.

Quarterly credits will be available to small and medium sized companies eligible for the R&D refundable tax offset.

Rather than waiting until an income tax return is assessed by the ATO, companies can choose to obtain the benefit of the offset on a quarterly basis during an income year.

Providing benefits to smaller companies sooner will be a better way to help them invest in their own future success, and in doing so, the Government is also investing in Australia's long-term economic future.

The R&D Tax Incentive is part of the Government's ambitious innovation agenda to create more business opportunities, growth and jobs for the future. It will help make our businesses more innovative and, across the nation, will assist to increase Australia's productivity and competitiveness.

Quarterly credits will be accessible for each quarter commencing on or after 1 January 2014.

The Government encourages comment and feedback on the paper as part of the consultation process to help ensure that the design of quarterly credits works for business.

The consultation paper can be found at www.treasury.gov.au. Consultation on the paper will close on 31 August 2012.

New Chief Executive of CSIRO Information Sciences

Dr David Williams, former Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Space Agency and Chairman of the European Space Agency, has been appointed as CSIRO Group Executive, Information Sciences.

WA outlines road spend

The Western Australian Government has confirmed $161 million will be spent on local roads across the State, an increase of $16 million from last financial years.

Call for NSW Science and Engineering Awards

For further details on the NSW Scientist of the Year and NSW Science and Engineering Awards 2012, including entry requirements, are here.

Materials breakthrough opens innovation opportunities

A research team from UOW’s Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM) and the Faculty of Engineering’s Australian Institute for Innovative Materials has undertaken breakthrough research into a new class of materials called topological insulators.