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AUSTRALASIAISSUE 10 | WWW.AUSTRALASIAOUTLOOK.COM

gold medal

London 2012 was a

huge disappointment

also this issue

THE

OOMTOWNS

OF WA

A U S T R A L I A S

blues


2/32

L Game cme a cleThe 2012 London Olympics have come to

an end. Lets be frank from an Australian

perspective things didnt go too well. A

shortage of gold has left the athletes licking

wounds, the public saddened (after all,

whats beer than an Olympic gold?) and the

AOC in disbelief.

AOC president John Coates certainly

wasnt happy and took aim at the aitude ofsporting administrators - not athletes - for the

disappointing medal haul.

I wouldnt point the nger at any

athletes in terms of aitude. I cant do that,

Coates said. But I leave a question mark on

whether the aitude or ownership is as good

as it could be in the management of some of

the sports.

Some though, rightly or wrongly,

have questioned the athletes work ethic

and commitment.So what went wrong? We discuss that on

page 16.

Away from the Olympics, we look at the

boomtowns of Western Australia and some

of the recent going ons at Queensland Rail.

We also pay a visit to leading shopping and

supermarket trolley manufacturer QHDC

which diversied some of its focus and is

set for expansion according to business

development manager Bruce Atkins.

Of course we continue to bring you all the

other things you have come to expect from one

of the regions leading business lifestyle titles.

Enjoy the magazine

Welcome

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ProduCtIon & dEsIGnMagazie eig opic JuicePci maageJ CkeImage: Geynew: nZPA, AAP, sAPA

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tnt PuBLIsHInGCEo - Kevi Elli

Chaima - Ke HuPblihe - tnt Mulimeia Limie

tnt Mlimeia Limie,ui 209, 16 Be see,L E1 7nJ

EnquIrIEstelephe:00 61 (0) 2 8332 [email protected]

suBsCrIPtIonstelephe:

00 61 (0)2 8518 [email protected]

www.aalaialk.cm


3/32

3

cOntents

Feaue

12

20

16

26

n e W s

L o n D o n 2 01 2

al gld mdl bl

London 2012 was a huge

disappointment

th bmw Wa

Western Australias southwest

is home to lush, largely

unknown beaches, wilderness

and famous wineries

Q H D c

Leading shopping and

supermarket trolley

manufacturer opens impressivenew showroom

a n u n c e r t a i n

f u t u r e ?

Fighting for Australian

manufacturing

M o v i n G f o r Wa r D

Queensland Rail is refocusing on

frontline services

04

12

16

20

24

26

FocusManufacu

ring

Cover

Focustravel


4/32


5/32

5

Bl efe 100m ile

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt

defended his mens 100m title in

stunning style at London 2012,

winning the nal in a time of 9.63

seconds an Olympic record.

Fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake

and American Justin Gatlin came

second and third.

I was slightly worried about

my start, Bolt told BBC Sport.

It was not the best reaction

in the world, but I stopped

worrying about it and executed

it and it worked.

Seven of the eight nalists

ran under 10 seconds in what

was the fastest Olympic 100mnal in history.

oca Pii makeolympic hiy

Oscar Pistorius made history by

becoming the rst amputee sprinter

to compete at the Olympics.

The four-time Paralympic

champion, 25, whose legs were

amputated below the knee

aged eight, nished second in

his 400m heat in a time of 45.44

seconds to reach the semi-nal.

I didnt know if I should

cry or be happy. It was such a

mix of emotions, Pistorius told

BBC Sport.

seebhm ele f ilve i 100m backke

A heartbroken Emily Seebohm

had to sele for silver in the

100m backstroke after 17-year-old American schoolgirl Missy

Franklin passed the Aussie in

the last desperate strokes to

the wall.

Franklins time was 0.10

seconds slower than the

one Seebohm set in her heat

swim. If the Queenslander

had been able to reproduce

that performance in the nal

she would be the Olympicchampion.

Immediately after the race,

the disconsolate 20-year-old

broke down in tears as she

was being interviewed by

Grant Hacke.

But as her achievement sank

in over the following hours, her

outlook gradually changed.

Im really happy, not

that you can tell, that I got

silver, she said. In the last

Olympics I got ninth, but

ninth is like second in a way,

you are just so close but you

just missed it.Seebohm has since

conceded her obsession with

social media may have played

a role in narrowly missing out

on gold.

I dont know, I just felt

like I didnt really get o

[social media] and get into

my own mind, she said. I

have said a lot that all I need

to do is focus on my ownrace. But when people start

telling you are going to win

gold, you are going to start

believing it. When they tell

you a thousand times you are

going to get it, somewhere in

your mind you are just like,

Ive done it. But I hadnt

and that was a big learning

curve and I obviously need

to sign out of Twier and log

out of Facebook a lot sooner

than I did.

London 2012


6/32

newB u s i n e s s

olie ale b dmi pfi

Dominos Pizza says full-year prots are expected

to grow by 15 percent by June 2013 driven by

soaring digital sales and demand for moreshopfronts.

The Australia-based pizzamaker reported a 26

percent rise in full year net prot of $A26.9 million

for the year to June 30, 2012, up from $A21.4

million in the previous year.

Chief executive Don Meij said customers were

increasingly buying pizzas online, especially

through their smartphones, instead of the

conventional ways over the phone or in-person.

He said its expected more than 60 percent of

Dominos overall pizza sales will come through viaonline orders this year.

Weve gone from one percent of (online sales)

in 2005 to 50 percent today, and 40 percent of thats

through smartphones, Mr Meij told AAP.

Dominos says its same store sales will grow bythree to ve percent by June 2013 and about 75 new

stores will open at the same time as a result of that.

The whole digital exposure means were geing

more business, and more business means we need

more shops to handle all that, Mr Meij said.

Dominos expects new product lines and online

oerings will drive its sales this year.

The pizzamaker is to launch a new iPad app

that allows customers to `create their own pizza

before its handed to them at the door.

You actually make the pizza with your ngers,so youre actually pulling the topping on the pizza

and building it.

L i f e s t y L e

AnZ cme a High Cfee figh

A class action representing 38,000 ANZ bank

customers has begun with lawyers hoping tooverturn a Federal Court judgment limiting which

bank penalties are regarded as excessive.

Lawyers say banks are boosting their coers

and punishing customers by charging excessive

fees for over-the-limit credit cards, overdrafts and

overdrawn accounts.

The case against ANZ is part of Australias

largest class action on behalf of 170,000 customers

from ANZ, Commonwealth, NAB, Westpac, St

George, Citibank, Bankwest and Bank SA who are

claiming more than $A220 million in excessive fees.Justin Gleeson, representing the class action,

argued the law should focus on whether the fees

exceed the cost of any likely damage incurred by

the bank and examine the purpose for the fees.

He said if an ANZ customer had an overdrawn

account they could be charged a $A45 dishonour

fee or a $A29.90 honour fee and have electronic

access to their account terminated.

The bank takes the self-help remedy of

dishonour, Mr Gleeson told the courts full bench.

Its to deter a customer and punish them to the

unjust enrichment of the bank.

Mr Gleeson said the size of the fee was excessive.

M o n e y

rBA keep cah ae hl

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has left

the cash rate on hold at 3.5 percent for the

second meeting in a row.

At its August meeting, the RBA decided

to keep the cash rate steady, after a similar

decision in July, and cash rate cuts in Mayand June.

RBA governor Glenn Stevens said that

moderate growth in the domestic economy,

plus earlier cash rate cuts had prompted

the decision.

As a result of the sequence of earlier

decisions, monetary policy is easier than it

was for most of 2011, he said.

In Australia, most indicators suggest

growth close to trend overall.

Labour market data show moderate

employment growth, even with job

shedding in some industries, and the rate of

unemployment has thus far remained low.


7/32

7

B u s i n e s s

Alec hae ee aig hal

Shares in garage door and construction

products maker Alesco have been placed

in a trading halt as takeover talks withDuluxGroup continue.

Alesco advises the reason for the

trading halt is to allow Alesco to continue

its discussions with DuluxGroup in relation

to its conditional o-market takeover bid

for all of the ordinary shares in Alesco, a

statement said.

Alescos board previously has said it

was opposed to paint maker Duluxs $A210

million takeover oer, which includes

2.05 cents a share in cash plus 18 cents in

franking credits.

However, Dulux has managed to convince

some of Alescos largest shareholders to

take up its oer and now controls about 41

percent of Alescos shares.

s p o r t

Cicke Vicia m l fray J

Cricket Victoria haspaid tribute to former

state wicketkeeper Ray

Jordon, who has died

aged 75.

Nicknamed Slug,

Jordon was also a

prominent gure in

the VFL/AFL as a

junior coach.

Fondly remembered for his mentoring skills, his

sharp tongue and his even sharper wicketkeepingskills to all types of bowlers, Jordon played 79 rst-

class matches for Victoria from 1959-60 to 1970-71.

He scored 2237 runs at 26.01 and claimed 260

dismissals, a record later broken by Richie Robinson.

Jordon was Brian Tabers back-up gloveman

on Australias tour of Sri Lanka, India and

South Africa in 1969-70 and played 11 rst-class

matches on that tour.

He later served as a Victorian selector.

Cricket Victoria chief Tony Dodemaide said

Jordon was a character in every sense.

He was denitely one of those people for

whom records and statistics are only a small part

of the story.

Magpie AFL a swa baeby clb

Collingwood have suspended star Dane Swan,

jeopardising their chances of an AFL top two

nish and the midelders hopes of back-to-backBrownlow Medals.

The Magpies backed team rules over star power,

banning the in-form 28-year-old for two games for

going out drinking.

The decision was made after the club became

aware that Swan had been drinking alcohol a

clear breach of club protocol, the Magpies said in

a statement.

The suspension followed discussions between a

number of parties, including the leadership group.

The clubs players reportedly made a pledge

to refrain from drinking alcohol for the rest

of the season.

L i f e s t y L e

Jble ae fell i Jly

There was a small improvement in

the unemployment rate in July, data

released by the Australian Bureau ofStatistics showed.

According to the data, 14,000 more

people found jobs in July and the

unemployment rate fell 0.1 percent to

5.2 percent in the month.

Full-time employment rose by

9,200 to 8.074 million in July and

part-time employment was up 4,800

to 3.439 million.

The July participation rate was 65.2

percent, compared with 65.3 percent in June.

The participation rate was forecast to

be 65.3 percent.


8/32

newB u s i n e s s

Cal & uieBeweie he 30Melbe jb

Carlton & United Breweries

(CUB) is to shed about 30

Melbourne brewing jobs.

CUB told workers at its

Abbotsford brewery it will shut

one of the sites seven production

lines. 33 jobs will go.CUB has announced it

will be closing one of the older

production lines at Abbotsford,

making 33 positions redundant,

the company said in a statement.

The companys acquisition

by SAB Miller has meant

international beers such as

Carlsberg and Stella Artois are

no longer being brewed under

licence at Abbotsford, it said.This, combined with

the challenging short-term

Australian market forecast for

beer volumes, has led to the

decision to close B2, which is

one of the older boling lines at

Abbotsford, CUB said.

A spokeswoman said the past

six months had seen beer sales

become just a bit aer.

The company said it expects

voluntary redundancies to cover

all job losses, which will be

nalised by October.

p r o p e r t y

Le Leae le gp wi mlibilli-llaql eal

A consortium led by

construction behemoth

Lend Lease Group has been

awarded an A$2 billion

contract for the Sunshine

Coast University Hospital

public private sponsorship.

The Exemplar Health

consortium comprises Lend

Lease and its infrastructure

development business, Capella

Capital, and services company

Spotless Group.

It will design, construct,

maintain and nance a 738-

bed hospital at Kawana as a

public private partnership

with Queensland Health.

Construction is scheduled

for completion in late 2016.

s p o r t

new AFL playe igig le

The AFL has warned clubs they face

$A100,000 nes if they breach new rules

regarding poaching of players.

The AFL tightened its rules on a

player signing with a new club to try to

prevent the code going down the same

path as the NRL.

In the NRL, players can play out a

season with their existing team having already signed a deal witha rival club.

Previously the only way an AFL player could sign a deal with

a dierent club while still under contract was in the o-season

window where oers could be made to players before the start of

the nal year of their existing deal.

Now, while clubs can still negotiate with players, no binding

deals can be agreed outside a three-week free agency window at

the end of each season.

Clubs who are discovered to have made a binding agreement

with a player outside that window face the hefty ne of up to

$A100,000.

No players have so far admied to signing with rival teams in

advance, although Phil Davis announced he intended to negotiate

with Greater Western Sydney while still playing with Adelaide.


9/32

9

t r a v e L

qaa eme fligh Gl Ca

Qantas is resuming ights to Queenslands

Gold Coast following a four-year absence.

The airline stopped ights to the tourist

strip in July 2008 but will resume three

ights per day from the end of October.

We believe the time is now right for

Qantas to come back onto this route, Qantas

boss Alan Joyce said.

offhe pceig begi iweek: PM

Australia could start sending asylumseekers to Nauru and Papua New Guinea

within weeks after the opposition agreed

to support a tougher version of John

Howards Pacic Solution.

Parliament has begun debating the

governments new legislation to resurrect

oshore processing.

The time for politics is over, the time

for action is here. We want this legislation

through, Prime Minister Julia Gillard told

reporters in Canberra shortly before thedebate began.

The legislation, modelled on the

recommendations of former defence chief

Angus Houstons expert panel, will allow the

government to designate any third country

for oshore processing of asylum seekers.

But it will also give both houses of

parliament the power to veto designations

before they come into eect.

That means processing on Nauru and

Papua New Guinea will be allowed to

proceed with coalition support, but the

governments preferred option of Malaysia

appears doomed.

p r o p e r t y

sA Gv fa-ack bilig wk

The South Australian government is to fast-track

building projects worth more than $A20 million toprovide a boost to the states construction sector.

Premier Jay Weatherill said the projects would

be intensively case managed to cut through red

tape and bring them on quicker to help the industry

through a dicult period.

This wont alter our existing planning,

environmental and safety approvals system, which

is the best in the nation, he said.

But there is a sense of urgency about the

circumstances of the building and construction sector.

Thats why we are taking this

extraordinary step to ensure that our construction

industry is supported.

e u r o z o n e c r i s i s

Gemay, Ialy vw eveyhig pible pec eze

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian PrimeMinister Mario Monti have pledged to do everything

necessary to shield the debt-wracked eurozone from the

ongoing crisis gripping the region.

In a telephone talk, they agreed that Germany and

Italy will do everything to protect the eurozone, said

a statement released in Berlin and Rome.

The statement followed a similar pledge by the leaders

of France and Germany and remarks by the head of

the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, in which he

vowed to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro.

$A plmme ami fhe Epea ble

The Australian dollar has fallen one US cent and the euro

has hit a record two-year low against the US dollar amid

renewed fears about the European government debt crisis.

At 1700 AEST on Monday (July 23), the local unit

was trading at 103.12 US cents, down from 104.09 cents

on Friday.

The euro went as low as 120.85 US cents on

Monday, its lowest point since June 2010.

Over the weekend, Spanish bond yields soared past

seven percent, pushing the cost of borrowing for the

Spanish government to a level which is considered too

high to be sustainable.


10/32

newB u s i n e s s

Jame Haie lif pfi

Building products maker James

Hardie Industries has posted an

improved net prot of $US68.5million ($A65.02 million) for the

three months to June 30.

The company said an increase

in sales volumes and home

building in the US and Europe

had driven the result.

Its Australian operations

however made a lower

contribution to earnings.

James Hardie forecasts full

year earnings excluding asbestos,

Australian Securities and

Investments Commission (ASIC)

expenses and tax adjustments to

be in the range of $US140 million

to $US160 million ($A133.21

million - A152.24 million).

Cw pfi p by 53%

Casino operator Crowns fullyear prot grew by 53 percent

as revenue from its Australian

operations increased on the

previous year.

Its net prot for the year to

June 30 of $A513.3 million was

up from $A335.9 million in the

previous year.

Revenue in the year to June of

$A2.8 billion was an increase of

17 percent from $A2.4 billion inthe previous year.

However, gaming revenue

growth slowed in the second half of

the 2011/12 nancial year, in general

gaming and also high rollers.

Chief executive Rowen

Craigie described the results for

Crown in Melbourne and Perths

Burswood casino as mixed.

During the year, we saw

reasonable revenue growth at

both properties, although in

some areas this was oset by

higher operating costs, he said.

L i f e s t y L e

Fie clb fi ge cab ax fie

A tness club has become the

rst Australian business to paya ne for making a false claim

about the carbon tax.

GFC Berwick, trading as

Genesis Fitness Club, paid

$A6600 to the Australian

Competition and Consumer

Commission (ACCC) as penalty

for sending a leer to its

members in April promoting a

rate freeze oer.The club said that by taking

up the oer, members could

avoid a fee increase of nine

to 15 percent because of the

carbon price.

More than 200 members

took up the oer and extended

their contracts.

p r o p e r t y

nZ ppey vale exe gai

New Zealand property valuesextended their gains in July

as homes in Auckland and

Christchurch continue to

appreciate amid a shortage of

supply, according to government

valuer Quotable Value.

National property values

rose 2.2 percent in the three

months ended July 31 and

have increased 4.6 percent

over the past year, to be 0.8

percent o the market peak

in 2007.

Across the main centreslistings remain relatively

tight, leading to less choice

for buyers, research director

Jonno Ingerson said.

In Auckland this has led

to a sellers market with prices

pushing upwards, while

Wellington is showing the rst

signs of heading that way too.

New Zealands property

market has been on the

up this year after stalling

through 2011.

s p o r t

Bleae i AFL riig sa miee

Melbournes Sam Blease is

the AFLs Rising Star Award

nominee for round 20.

Blease was best-aeld for

the Demons against St Kilda,

gathering 20 possessions and

kicking a career-best ve goals.

The 21-year-old utility hasplayed 18 AFL games in total.

Blease was also nominated

in round 23 last season, but

remains eligible this year.


11/32

11

p r o p e r t y

Cw bil ew ix-a hel i Peh

Casino operator Crown plans to spend $A568

million building a new six-star hotel at its

Burswood complex in Perth.

The James Packer-controlled company said

the 500-room Crown Towers Hotel would be the

citys largest, and would create 500 new jobs once

completed, plus 700 construction jobs.

Construction of the hotel tower will begin next

year, with completion expected in 2016.

The development will be built on a site owned

by Burswood, plus land to be bought from the

West Australian government for $A60 million.

As part of the deal with the government, Crown

will be allowed to add 500 poker machines and

130 gaming tables at the Burswood casino over

the next ve years.

Crown said Perth was in desperate need

of additional luxury hotel and short-term

accommodation to satisfy the demands of

business travellers and tourists.

The new hotel would put the city rmly

back on the map for leisure travellers seeking

exclusive, resort-style experiences, Crown said

in a statement.

e u r o z o n e c r i s i s

E cii: My give Gemay egaive lk

Moodys credit agency has

warned the outlook for

Germanys AAA credit rating is

negative, the rst step towards a

possible downgrade.

It said Germany was at risk

from wider eurozone troubles

and a possible Greek exit from

the euro.

It also put the ratings for

the eurozones other top-rated

economies, the Netherlands and

Luxembourg, on negative outlooks.

Todays decision to change to

negative the outlooks on the

AAA ratings of Germany, the

Netherlands and Luxembourg

is driven by Moodys view

that the level of uncertainty

about the outlook for the

euro area and the potential

impact of plausible scenarios

on member states are no

longer consistent with stable

outlooks, the agency said in

a statement.


12/32

London 2012 has been a

huge disappointment

By Ian Armitage

GoLd MEdAL BLuEs

Lets face it. Australias Olympics was

pretty poor.

Just where were those gold medals we

longed for?

Even James missile Magnussen who

just a few weeks ago you would have bet your house on

missed out, winning silver in the 100m freestyle.

For a country with such a sporting prowess, you might

have expected a lile beer than the seven golds we got.

The AOC certainly did they wanted 15 based on the

good performance at the 2011 world championships.Okay to be fair, Australia did nish a fairly

respectable 10th in the overall medals table with 27

medals, but it was an Olympics of mixed fortunes and

we really wanted a top ve nish. It has left us all

feeling a bit at.

AOC president John Coates certainly wasnt happy

with how things turned out and took aim at the aitude

of sporting administrators - not athletes - for the

disappointing medal haul.

I wouldnt point the finger at any athletes in

terms of attitude. I cant do that, Coates said. But

I leave a question mark on whether the attitude

or ownership is as good as it could be in the

management of some of the sports. I havent lost the

Australias Olympic

Andrew Grant cant hide his disappointment ater the loss to Bulgaria during Mens Volleyball


13/32

AustrAliAs Olympic gOld medAl blues

I have lhe huge fAualia well i ri.ou bjeciveagai will be

p five. theAualia olympicCmmiee ha lhe huge -Jh Cae

13

hunger for Australia to do well in Rio. Our objective

again will be top five. The Australian Olympic

Committee hasnt lost the hunger.

The sports have to look at themselves

rather than look at the funding, he added.

I was concerned about 18 months

before these Games whether the sports

themselves, the presidents and their

executives, were taking enough

ownership. I know the executives

and chairmen in some sports knowevery result internationally. I get

phonecalls and we tick-tack.

But there are others that are

just allowing it to happen, relying

on high-performance managers.

Im not going to be specic here.

But it has to come from the top.

Any corporation is only as good as

its CEO or chairman and the direction

that is coming from there.

I got leers back from all but one

of (the sports) saying, We think we can

do this. What I was doing was trying to

make sure they knew their neck wasnt on

Magnussen reacts ater hefnished second in the Mens 100m Freestyle


14/32

AustrAliAs Olympic gOld medAl blues

the line but they had to take

some ownership. Theyre

largely being very, very well

funded by the Australian Sports

Commission. With that comes

the responsibility of delivering.

The likes of former swimmerSusie ONeill and marathon

legend Robert de Castella

questioned the work ethic and

commitment of the athletes.

As Coates said, funding

certainly isnt an issue.

So what went wrong?

Maybe all the other countries

just got beer? That certainly

seemed to be the case with Team

GB in particular, who came third

and enjoyed a fantastic games.

Regardless, Coates called on

the AIS and high-performance

units across all Olympic

disciplines to search for an edge

between now and the Rio de

Janeiro Olympics in 2016.

The athletes need to start

turning some of those silvers (we

got 16 in London) into gold.I dont buy into the

commitment factor. You

only had to look at missile

Magnussens face after a gold

medal was whisked away

from him by American Nathan

Adrian by less than 0.01

seconds to know just how much

he wanted it.

It hurts, Magnussen said.

I did my best tonight and it wasnot quite good enough. To lose

by that amount stings.

21-year-old Magnussen also

had his ego knocked in the mens

4x100m freestyle relay which

Australia were rm favourites

to win.

I guess having such a

successful young career, I just

felt prey much bullet proof

coming into these Olympics and

its very humbling, he said.

Australian Olympic

backstroke 100m silver medallist

Gold medalist Missy Franklin othe US is congratulated by

silver medalistMelanie Schlanger

I wa ccee abu

18 mh befe hee

Game whehe he p

hemelve, he peie a

hei execuive, wee akig

eugh wehip. I kw he

execuive a chaime i

me p kw evey eul

ieaially. I ge phecall

a we ick-ack


15/32

15

Emily Seebohm, another of thecountrys gold medal hopes, burst into

tears after losing her race, saying in an

interview: I guess when you swim

that fast in the heat, then people put

pressure and more pressure on you,

saying: Oh, youre going to get the

gold. Maybe I just started believing

that and just thought Id already won

by the time I had swum and I hadnt

even swum yet.

Seebohm set an Olympic recordin the heats so you can understand

her disappointment.

Hopefully theyll be able to use

that as motivation next time (just

like Sally Pearson did in this games

in the 100m hurdles).

Sports-mad Aussies have a history of

sporting success with a never say die

aitude and perhaps thats why weve

been so hard on this crop of athletes.

To put things in perspective, the

Aussies won ve gold medals in Sydney

(2000), seven in Athens (2004) and six in

Beijing (2008).

Todd Skipworth, Benjamin Cureton, Samuel Beltz andAnthony Edwards react ater fnishing outside o the medal

positions in the Lightweight Mens Four fnal

Silver medalist Emily Seebohm o Australiacelebrates with her medal


16/32

Just a stones throwfrom Perth, WAs

southwest is home tolush, largely unknown

beaches, wilderness andfamous wineries.

By Robert Burton-Bradley

of Western Australia

The

bmw


17/32


18/32

the bOOmtOwns Of western AustrAliA

the jy f EpeaceEarlier in the trip on a cool,

crisp morning as the sun

rises over Cape Le Grand,

near Esperance, I am greeted

by one of the most amazing

experiences. A pair of female

western grey kangaroos usher

their joeys right down to the

receding tides edge to fossick

for washed up seaweed just

metres from me. The gentle-

eyed mothers are completely

oblivious to the handful of

people from Perth and overseas

on the beach staring at the

remarkable sight. Im luckyenough to get close up and

hand-feed one of these amazing

creatures. But be warned,

although they seem placid

dont try and touch the joeys,

as Im told by one mothers

deep guural growl that has me

jumping back a few paces.

For a lot of people, a beach is

a beach and one strip of coastline

is as good as any and I certainlyt into this category, but even

my jaded beachcombing eyes

drown in the visual impact of

the coast along southern Western

Australia. Running in a swerve

of blue, grey and green from just

before Esperance, all the way past

Albany to the DEntrecasteaux

National Park, is some of the most

untouched and deserted coastline

in Australia. Forget the dark, deep

blue of the Pacic, this corner

where the Southern and Indian

oceans meet is pure turquoise and

resembles the white sand beach

paradises of Southeast Asia.

But if you dont want to just sit

and wallow on the shore, theres

plenty to do, including swimmingwith dolphins, whale watching

and some big surf beaches.

Inland to the north of Albany

youll nd the land rises up to

meet the Stirling Ranges where its

not uncommon to see a dusting

of snow during winter, another

contrast to Western Australias

reputation as a hot, dry and

arid land. Stirling National Park

and the nearby PorongurupNational Park are both great for

bushwalking but its even beer if

you are a rock-climber.

Eve my jaebeachcmbigeye w

i he viualimpac f heca alguheWeeAualia.ruig i aweve f blue,

gey a geefm ju befeEpeace, allhe way paAlbay hedEecaeauxnaial Pak,i me f hem uuchea eeecalie iAualia


19/32

19

the bigh ligh f PehIm siing at a bar with a guy who cant be

more than 25 and is laughing as he tells me

how much he makes working in a mine in the

northwest of the state. He orders boles of

imported, over-priced beer, which he downs

in almost one gulp, before moving on to a

bole of wine Id buy when making a marriage

proposal. Not to share with a random guy I just

met in a bar. Yeah, times are tough, bud. I thinkIve just met the nouveau riche of Australias

newest boomtown.

It reminds me of Sydney a decade ago

when the city was still smug and booming

after the 2000 Olympics and everyone

seemed to be having a good time. Ive only

been in the city a few hours but I am fast

realising this is where things are moving

economically in this country. I feel somewhat

happier when he tells me he has to leave to

get to bed at 9pm he has to get up at 4.30amto return to work. I imagine him travelling

back to some remote, hot dust bowl where

he digs ore out of the ground for some

multinational mining conglomerate. Theres

a reason were not all ocking to get a cut of

this boom.

Later, I wander through downtown Perth

by night and Im impressed by the diversity

of the nightlife on oer; bars, clubs, pubs,

restaurants all packed and inviting. Despite

the newness of everything, its surprisingly

seductive and sophisticated for a city of just

over 1.6 million people. This is my rst trip

to Perth and Im beguiled by the speed and

obvious wealth of the place, but mainly by how everyone

seems to be having fun.

By day, the city is even more inviting. The wide

streets are clean, although a lile empty and under-

used compared to the crowds and trac you get in

Melbournes or Sydneys CBD. Locals proudly tell you

its the most isolated city in the world this makes it

seem exotic and lonely at the same time and perhaps a

lile insecure?For all its beauty, the city is not a huge place and to

make any trip worthwhile you need to get out and about

beyond the CBD. My rst picks would be a day trip to

Ronest Island where you can walk, enjoy the beach, ride

bikes and watch the friendly lile quokka marsupials

play around tourists, hoping for an easy meal. My second

pick would be to head out to Coesloe Beach before

dinner in the very trendy suburb of Subiaco, where youll

nd some fabulous places to eat and drink.

The City is dened and made by the meandering,

sparkling blue water of the Swan River. Like Sydney,this is a city made for the waterfront and a stroll

along the banks of this waterway on Riverside Drive

and through Langley Park does not disappoint, the

citys growing collection of oce towers a testament

to its new found wealth. Its a beautiful and dramatic

location to end a rst trip to this gleaming and isolated

jewel on the Indian Ocean.

Robert Burton-Bradley travelled with Nullarbor

Traveller, which oers a diverse range of touring

experiences through the southwest of Western Australia,

the Nullarbor and the Eyre Peninsula. For more

information about the The Secrets Of Esperance camping

tour, check out thetraveller.net.au.


20/32

Leading shopping and supermarket trolleymanufacturer QHDC has diversied some ofits focus and is set for expansion says businessdevelopment manager Bruce Atkins.

By Ian Armitage

q H d Cpe impeiveew hwm


21/32

21

Companies diversify

for a host of

dierent reasons.

Sometimes its

about survival;

sometimes its about achieving

growth. By extending yourrange of goods or services you

can either sell more products

to your existing customers

or reach out to new markets.

This can supercharge your

growth prospects. The laer

is certainly true for the guys

at QHDC, a leading shopping

and supermarket trolley

manufacturer with an experience

of 25 years in the eld.

The company has diversied

some of its focus into wheels,

castors, stock trolleys, hand

trucks and other materials,

handling lines with the opening

of a new showroom and retail/

trade outlet at Burleigh on the

Qld Gold Coast.

Were a Gold Coast family-

owned business with over 25years experience in protective

coatings and shopping trolleys

and yes, over the past year,

we have been working on

spreading our wings, says

QHDC business development

manager Bruce Atkins. The

diversication came about

because the business had to rely

too much on a small number of

large customers so we movedinto the wheel, castor and

accessory line business, not

forgeing the material handling

equipment business as well. Our

plan is to extend that business to

other types of trolleys, powered

materials handling and bin

tippers and those sorts of things.

Thats on the drawing board

for the future. Were looking to

diversify more into that sector

of the market, which will gives

us exposure to a much bigger

customer base.

Qhdc

FocusManufacuring

Trading as Industrial Wheels

and Castors (IWC), a division

of QHDC, the new venture

incorporates a large showroom

with a huge range of industrial and

institutional castors and wheels.

QHDC will continue inprotective coatings, shopping

trolleys and importing/

distributing wheels and castors

throughout Australia and New

Zealand, Atkins says.

We believe we have

the biggest range of wheels

and castors in South East

Queensland. We have sourced

many well known brands from

around the world to ensure that

we have as many applications as

possible covered from our large

stock holdings.

Included in the range

are specialised scaolding

castors and premium heavy-

duty wheels and castors with

capacities up to 7.5 tons.

There is also an extensive

range of castors and wheels forhigh temperature applications

up to 300C and specially

designed polyurethane tyred

Wee aGl Cafamily-we

buie wihve 25 yeaexpeiecei pecivecaig ahppiglley

models with highly resilient

tyres that are made specically

for road and ight cases.

Its a good time to be

branching out, says Atkins.

Looking ahead QHDC sees

many opportunities to increaseits business.

Were a bit of a mixed bag

really. Our business is divided

roughly into three dierent

activities. We do shopping

trolleys and some back of house

trolleys, mainly for the retail

sector. We do shopping baskets

as well. That business has been

very patchy due to strong

competition in retail - whats

been going on between the major

chains has created a prey tough

environment. We had acquired a

signicant share of that market,

and we still do have a reasonable

share of it, but when the major

retailers are competing so

ercely with each other theyre

not spending so much money on

shopping trolleys so that makesour life a lile bit hard.

Secondly, we provide a

protective coating service for

valves and ings. Mainly this

is for water reticulation but

sometimes for other products

too. A lot of councils and local

authorities use our protective

coatings on valves and ings

the bright blue parts that can be

seen along the sides of streets.We apply a nylon coating to

those components that provides

long-life protection. That

business has been going very

well so weve been very busy

and theres a lot happening in

that area. Supporting that, we

have burn-o ovens and we have

grit and shot blasting facilities to

prepare the valves and ings

and other parts. Then we apply

the coating, which has been

going very well. We also do other

things such as grit blasting


22/32

GORTEC P/L has beenassociated with the Sully amilyand QHDC or over 20 years.

We have successully suppliedand maintain several AbrasiveBlasting Solutions or specifcrequirements at QHDC.

One solution is an ABSSSpinner Hanger TurbineMachine.

Contact us or moreinormation by calling(07)3711 5204, [email protected] orvisiting our website atwww.gortec.net.au

GORTEC Pty Ltd

parts that have been previously powder

coated and we provide that service for other

customers as well.

Thirdly, weve moved into the wheels

and castors, including the Muvtons range.

We see a lot of potential for that business.

He says the Muvtons deal was a real coup.Its a bit of a funny story actually. I

previously worked for a company that

had an agency from India, Muvtons

premium heavy-duty wheels and castors.

That company relinquished the agency

and joined up with another supplier from

USA. Muvtons was there for the taking so

I grabbed it. I had a good relationship with

their management team in India as I had

worked with them previously so I contacted

the managing director and said that wed

like to become their distributors in Australia.

That was three years ago. We had plans to

start up this diversication at QHDC and

we became more serious about it 12 months

ago and it has prey much taken us all that

time to get the wider range of products set

up, have the catalogues produced and all

that sort of thing. We also had to

get the stock in from overseas,

hire additional sta and set up

the distribution network. Weve

hired three experienced people

who know the industry well with

the intention of adding more asthe business grows.

It has a bright future.

Its a lot of hard work geing

them to y o the shelves! Our

sales sta have a lot of combined

experience in the wheel and caster

industry, in excess of 80 years,

says Atkins. Three of us have had

more than 20 years each. So weve

got a team of people whove

been in the game and know the

customers around Australia that

use the product. Wheels and

castors are put on the boom of

things and are often forgoen

about. In the heavy duty range;

youre dealing with loads up to

say 20 tons or more spread over

qHdC will ciue i pecive caig,

hppig lley a impig/iibuig wheela ca hughu Aualia a new Zeala


23/32

Qhdc

four casters, so you dont want them failing

and the load falling on the ground.

He is keen on geing QHDCs name

out there the applications for wheels and

castors are limitless.

Just this week we have had some of our

guys spend time at the QME Mining andEngineering Exhibition. Were very serious

about becoming a major player in this

industry. The major competition is basically

two companies who have manufactured in

Oz for a few years but have moved more

towards importing; and a third company that

imports all of its range. Weve decided were

going take the competition on and we think

that because of our experience and how we

operate, well do very well. Also it will be

down to the product and the brands we have

chosen. Weve been very careful to select

globally recognised brands like Muvtons,

Haion and Di Candia whose products are

ideally suited to our conditions and whose

quality can match it with the best.

t l m www.qhd.m..

We believe we havehe bigge age fwheel a ca isuh Ea queela


24/32

By Brian Lee B.E. (Hons),MAICD - National Treasure.

Fighting for an

AaliaMafacigFe

The Age Newspaper recently reported that

33,000 full time manufacturing jobs have

been lost in Victoria alone since April 2011.

That is one in 60 manufacturing jobs in

the heartland of domestic manufacturing.

The companies that have already shed jobs, or have

precursory reviews underway include: Alcoa, Toyota,

Caltex Unicharm to name a few. One common thread

is they are all multinationals.

Over the past 40 years a great number of iconicAustralian manufacturing companies have disappeared;

companies created by entrepreneurs with innovative

ideas about producing products that the public

needed and wanted. The factories were manned by a

predominately migrant workforce that saw hard work as

a virtue in a land of opportunity. Those manufacturing

companies prospered, grew, and in many cases changed

from small private companies to large, share market

listed companies. So many of those companies have now

disappeared. Why?

They disappeared because the world changed and

they did not change with it:

Factory workforces developed an expectation that it

was their right to take rather than give;


25/32

25

Multinational companies

acquired Australian

companies to get access to

Australian markets then

closed down the Australian

manufacturing operations;

Factory investments moved tomarkets outside Australia as

o-shoring became fashionable;

The global manufacturing

industry became much more

competitive and only the

best now survive;

Geographic isolation

diminished in importance as a

defensive barrier in Australia.

The world wont revert to what

was. So manufacturers in

Australia need to adapt to the

circumstances that exist today

and in the future.

Small-to-Medium enterprises

(SMEs) are Australias

manufacturing future.

Large scale manufacturing

will be dominated by

multinationals. Australiais no longer an aractive

location for multinational

manufacturing operations

for a multitude of reasons,

including: the high Australian

dollar; a progressively higher

taxing government (e.g. the

carbon and resources taxes);

regressing IR laws and unions

pushing for disproportionately

higher wages than overseascounterparts. Australian

Governments have tried

again and again to entice

multinationals to enter or stay

in Australia, by granting them

sizable amounts of taxpayers

money, but those band-aid

measures are merely delaying

the inevitable, failing to

address the underlying issues

that lead to an unpalatable

operational environment.

Australia still has

entrepreneurs with

innovative product ideas.

Those entrepreneurs will

continue to chance their

arm at establishing viable

manufacturing businesses. Such

people need to understand

prerequisites for success aredierent today to what they had

been. Having innovative product

ideas is one thing, but cost

eective delivery to market is a

necessary ingredient for large-

scale success.

In the ercely competitive

global manufacturing world,

lessons must be learnt from the

worlds best manufacturers.

They havent become the best

by chance.

One fundamental point

to learn is the need to have

absolutely certain conviction that

the manufacturing enterprise

will be enduring over time.

Believing that there will be

longevity in business life leads

to a recognition of the essential

need to grow and develop assetswithin the business and one

of the assets is the workforce.

Managing a manufacturing

business to maximise short

term prots by being stingy

on educating and developing

people, is a formula for ensuring

that the business will only ever

have short term prots.

Educating and developing

people is about ensuring theyunderstand and have the ability

to apply the concepts, processes

and ideas employed in best

practice factories. Currently

there are no Australian factories

that can legitimately claim to

be worlds best practice. The

best domestic exponents of best

practice principles commonly

regarded as Lean Thinking,

were multi-nationals such as

Autolive and Robert Bosch,

but these companies have

recently moved to o-shore their

manufacturing operations. Some

Australian-owned factories will

say (rightfully) they are trying

hard to understand and apply

Lean principles, others are

dangerously unaware.

The message in this article isto the readers of Australasian

Business Outlook magazine.

The message is to the managers

within manufacturing

businesses- the people with the

ability to drive the business

in a new direction. It is

imperative that a new breed of

Australian SMEs embrace Lean

Thinking in manufacturing

operations. Senior managers

of SMEs must continually

expose themselves, and their

employees, to examples of Lean

Thinking. That could be a costly

commitment if the option is to

travel overseas to witness Lean

Thinking in action. However,

there is another option.

The AME in Australia is a

not-for-prot organisation thatexists to promote best practice

operations in Australia by

bringing together like-minded

people to share knowledge

and best practice. Three times

each year, the AME stages

national Road Shows. In those

Road Shows, the AME brings

to Australian audiences in each

capital city, internationally

recognised experts in theapplication of Lean Thinking

at a fraction of the cost of

travelling overseas.

So the challenge is there for

SMEs who are serious about

still being in the ring when

the final bell sounds. Immerse

yourself in the world of Lean

Thinking. Expose yourself

and your employees, to the

thinking of the gurus on the

subject. Participate with other

like minded people in the

activities of AME.

fighting fOr An AustrAliAn mAnufActuring future

Foreword


26/32

An integral part of the economy and transport of the State,Queensland Rail is refocusing on frontline services and has

embarked on a station upgrade and renovation projects aimingto deliver enhanced levels of safety, security and comfort.

By Marie Toms

forwardqeelaMoving


27/32

27

Queensland Rail, also known as

OR and formerly OR Limited

before the government sello

of coal and freight, is an

integral part of the

Queensland landscape. For

145 years it has kept the State, its peopleand economy connected. In its own words,

Our State relies on us to do a job and do

it well.

In 2009, the State Premier Anna Bligh

announced the separation of Queensland Rails

passenger services from the coal and freight

businesses (which became OR National).

Queensland Rail remained in Queensland

Government ownership.

It has more than 7,000 sta, $A6 billion in

assets and more than 7,000 kilometres of track.

It is a strong and powerful integrated

passenger and rail infrastructure business.

Altogether we run more than 260,000

scheduled services and earn annual

revenue of more than $A1.8 billion,

its website says. We service the big

population centres of the South East,

connect the regions of the state , and take

domestic and international tourists to some

of Queenslands world famous locations.Our major business includes long

distance trains, rail holidays and travel

centres and management and access to

the South East Queensland and regional

freight networks.

As locals will have noticed, QR has been

expanding and improving its rail network

seeking to meet the increasing demand.

All the recent investments are part of the

Queensland Infrastructure Plan designed to

tap into the States growth potential.OR is undertaking extensive works to

deliver new lines, stations and introduce new

trains to the network.

It has a large program of works dedicated

to improving customer experience.

Its station upgrade and renovation

projects are aiming to deliver enhanced

levels of safety, security and comfort

for the 65 million passengers it carries

each year.

At Queensland Rail we strive to set

new standards of excellence in safety and

customer service; to keep Queensland

moving and to deliver our future, it says.

QueenslAnd rAil

F

ocustravel


28/32

QueenslAnd rAil

Bibae pgaeOne of several projects is

happening at Queensland Rails

historic South Brisbane station.

Earlier this month it reached a

new milestone in its restoration

and renovation journey with theGrey Street plaza reopening to

the public.

Chief Project Delivery

O cer Kevin Wright said

the upgraded plaza gives

the station an aractive,

pedestrian-friendly frontage on

Grey Street.

Its been designed to

complement not only the

appearance of our 120 year old

heritage-listed station building

but also the surrounding area,

said Mr Wright.

Weve planted mature

trees and installed signage that

incorporates Braille, new lighting

to improve safety and highlight

the historical building, and the

stations iconic exterior clock that

sits over the main entrance isbeing repaired.

Finishes such as seating and

paving have been selected in

consultation with South Bank

Corporation to ensure visual

harmony in the precinct.

The plaza is now a dedicated

pedestrian zone which means

vehicles will no longer have

access to the area.

To ensure a safe, pedestrian-friendly meeting place, weve

removed the drive-through

access, said Mr Wright.

The plaza reopening is a major

milestone in the project with the

remaining works expected to

wrap up by December.

The South Brisbane station

upgrade has provided some

unique challenges, not only

because its one of our major

stations but also due to its iconic

status and listing on the state

heritage register.

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29/32

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30/32

QueenslAnd rAil

Cleaig p i acLast month the government ordered

Queensland Rail to refocus its business on

frontline services after signicant increases in

corporate personnel numbers over the pasttwo years.

According to media reports, the

government-owned corporation had 12

senior executives paid above the CEO level.

There were also more than 60 general

managers in Queensland Rail.

Queensland Rail bonuses will also only be

paid where they are required under contracts

set up by Labor the transport minister said.

He said the current payments are not in

line with community expectations.

Mr Emerson said with 1337 payments

totalling $A4.8 million in 2010/11, the

bonuses were out of control.

CSM was appointed tomanuacture and ft the recentAluminium Canopy Bodies

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The design team o CSMworked closely with QR toensure that their requirementswere met. The large dooropenings, flush sills andthe unique aluminium floorsections were critical decidingactors in the selection o theFleetPro Canopy.

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Weve plae maue ee a ialleigage ha icpae Baille, ew lighig impve afey a highligh he hiical

builig, a he ai icic exei clckha i ve he mai eace i beig epaie


31/32

This was despite promises to link

pay to service delivery.

I accept that there are some

circumstances where bonuses

are required as part of an

employment package, he said.

But $A4.8 million is not an

acceptable level, particularly

when there is declining

patronage and reliability reacheda three-year low.

Bonuses will be paid where

they are required under contracts

set up by Labor.

The Liberal National

Party (LNP) government has

embarked on a massive cost-

saving drive, slashing around

5000 government jobs so far.

t l m b Qr

d pgd d

mpm pgm

www.qldl.m..

the suh Bibaeai upgae hapvie me uiue

challege, lybecaue i e f umaj ai bu alue i icic aua liig he ae

heiage egie

31


32/32

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we would.As leading consulting engineers, we continue to

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