August 14, 2015
AMT: Let’s start with your background and how you came into your current role. Geoffrey Brooks: I started originally in chemical engineering. After I graduated I started working in a lot of small companies that were building and making and fabricating things. I got involved with all sorts of things; I ran a plastic fabrication business for a while. After a few years of that I did a PhD in pyrometallurgy (the science of making metals), and most of my research in the last 20 years has been in that area. I’ve worked in Canada, the USA, and I’ve been at Swinburne for the last 10 years. Personally I’m a specialist in the science of making steel, and I’ve also done a lot of work in aluminium and magnesium. A few years ago the university asked me to take over the role of co-ordinating all the manufacturing research at the university. And Swinburne has a lot of manufacturing research across all sorts of areas: IT, electric vehicles, nano-materials – it’s a very broad…
August 7, 2015
After only the manufacturing exports sub-index managed to stay marginally above 50 points in June, four of the seven activity sub-indexes expanded in July. Manufacturing sales (up 12.9 points to 53.9) expanded for the first time in 14 months, while production (up 10.6 points to 54.2) and supplier deliveries (up 6.3 points to 50.6) reversed sharp declines in June to return to expansion. New orders (up 7.6 points to 49.8) also recovered lost ground to approach stability, but stock levels (down 1.7 points to 47.9) and manufacturing employment (up 2.6 points to 47.5) remained in negative territory. The exports sub-index expanded for a third consecutive month (up 1.6 points to 51.8), reflecting the lower Australian dollar. The input prices sub-index was unchanged in July (up 0.2 points to 63.1), while the wages sub-index rose by 7.4 points to 64.5, reflecting the…
August 7, 2015
In order to pass this legislation, the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 requires the completion of a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS). The RIS process, including a mandatory public consultation period, will provide insightful and meaningful analysis (both quantitative and qualitative) of the benefits and costs of the public holiday on businesses and the broader community. This RIS process is expected to be completed by early August. It is an interesting debate. PricewaterhouseCoopers, in its capacity as advisor to the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, has just released the RIS which attempts to assess the impacts on the community and economy by the introduction of two additional public holidays – being Easter Sunday and the Friday before the AFL Grand Final. For the record, let me highlight the current number of public holidays each state and territory has just to put this debate into some perspective. In 2016, Tasmania has 10 public holidays scheduled, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland have 11,…
