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Leighton Establishing Platform for Profitability

Andrew Heaton — Mon, 20 May 2013 04:36:45 +0000

Australian construction giant Leighton Holdings is establishing a solid platform for future profitability, the group has told its annual general meeting.

Chief Executive Officer Hamish Tyrwhitt says despite a challenging environment, Leighton had done well from its investment in energy and gas projects and first quarter results indicate the company is on track to deliver on this year’s forecast.

“Leighton’s strength lies in its size, diversity and the international reach of our portfolio” Trywhitt says. “Much attention has been given to the cancellation or delay to large resource-related capital projects in Australia. Leighton earned approximately five percent of total revenue last year from the construction of coal and iron ore projects. Where we did benefit was from the huge investment in the gas sector.”

Having experienced problems with cost overruns on a number of key projects in recent years, Leighton has adopted a more conservative strategy with regard to project risk and capital management.

Toward this end, the group is aiming to reduce its debt to equity ratio to between 25 to 35 percent and earn a net profit margin of between three and four percent.

Key behind the group’s strategy going forward are a number of initiatives, including the establishment of centralised contract mining equipment company FleetCo and the development of Centres of Excellence.

“The Centres of Excellence will house a set of specialist competencies that we have recognised as an important source of value creation” Trywhitt says. “In essence, we are looking at what we do best and what cannot easily be replicated by our competitors, in order to frame where and how we grow.”

Yandi Iron Ore Mine Extension, Western Australia. Credit: Leighton

“Another opportunity is in the development of a broader range of funding for infrastructure. Governments cannot fund this demand alone and the private sector needs to play an increasing role. With innovative financing and delivery models, governments will be able to access funding sources to help meet the estimated US$60 trillion in global infrastructure investment required by 2030. This will be a great opportunity for Leighton within its geographic footprint.”

Tyrwhitt says Leighton was the only building company in the world with a full footprint across Asia and had enormous opportunities in South-East Asia, India and Sub-Saharan Africa.

“It is clear that we need to move our focus from an Australian-centric approach to one where we export our skills to markets where our services are valued and where we can add value” Tyrwhitt says. “By delivering excellence on the global stage, we can position the Group for relevance and resilience.”

The latest assurances come as the Leighton faces turmoil following the sudden resignation of three independent directors from the board in March after alleged interference in the company’s governance arrangements from major shareholder Hochtief.

Chairman Bob Humphris says the board is looking for four new directors (Group Company Secretary Richard Willcock also resigned in April) with the skills and experience to contribute toward the company’s future.

By Andrew Heaton

Top Image: Hamsh Tyrwhitt. Photo: Jim Rice

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Winner Announced: Packer’s Crown Sydney Draws Closer To Approval

Angela Fedele — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:03:43 +0000

British architectural firm, WilkinsonEyre Architects have been selected to design James Packer’s ambitious skyscraper that will be home to Crown Sydney.

The proposed tower which is still awaiting planning approval will stand at 235 metres high encompassing a 60 storey mixed-use environment in Sydney’s Barangaroo South area.

The estimated $1 billion building will house Sydney’s first six star hotel, The Crown Sydney Hotel Resort featuring 350 guest rooms and suites, four restaurants and luxury wellness and retail facilities. In conjunction with Lend Lease who are supporting further development of the coastal Barangaroo, there will be a focus on public space to reinvigorate the tired area.

WilkinsonEyre Architects was shortlisted amongst renowned international firms, Chicago’s Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill and US-headquartered Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates to be crowned the winner of the design competition for the project launched last October.

All the submitted designs similarly displayed an organic approach to the exterior architecture with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associate’s project drawing inspiration from the area, a former International Cruise Ship Terminal and Port Authority Site reflecting a maritime theme with the sail of a yacht incorporated into the design while Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill designed a skyscraper to reflect a curvaceous seashell.

British Architectural Firm WilkinsonEyre Architects have been selected to design James Packer’s ambitious skyscraper that will be home to Crown Sydney. Image courtesy of Crown Hotel Sydney

Wilkinson Eyre’s winning design sees a three-petal form skyscraper twisting as it rises up from the ground as fully detailed by Paul Baker, Wilkinson Eyre Architects director:

“The architecture takes its inspiration from nature, composed of organic forms that provide an abstract, sculptural shape;  it does not try to mimic any particular plant or flower but is derived from the specificity of the site and the client brief,” he expained.

“…The first petal peels off,  spreading outward to form the main hotel room accommodation, with the remaining two twisting together toward the sky.”

Earlier this month, Packer voiced his objective to have Crown Sydney rival the iconic status of the Sydney Opera House and for it to be an “instantly recognisable” landmark for the city.

“Its iconic curves and fine lines celebrate the harbour and create an architectural ‘postcard’ that will help attract international tourists and assist Sydney to compete with other global destinations,” Packer said of the winning design.

Crown Sydney close to the Harbour Bridge. Image courtesy of Crown Hotel Sydney

Wilkinson Eyre is best known for designing Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea and the Guangzhou International Finance Centre in China.

While the ambitious tower still awaits planning approval, a gaming license is yet to be granted to Packer as his casino rival, Echo Entertainment’s The Star, have bid to fight the tycoon to hold their exclusive gaming arrangements beyond their agreement due to end in 2019. They have also committed to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to reinvigorate The Star complex if its exclusive arrangements are extended.

Both casino proposals are currently being considered by David Murray, the former chairman of the Future Fund, who is expected to report back to Premier Barry O’Farrell by the end of the month.

The proposed Crown Sydney has drawn consistent debate for its invite only design proposal and the shortlisted designs received extensive critism from local architects this month for their “unsuitability” with Philip Cox, founding partner of Cox Architecture saying they demonstrated “cultural cringe.”

Crown Sydney Illustration by WilkinsonEyre Architects. Image courtesy of Crown Hotel Sydney

Concerns for the skyscraper height in an area restricted to 170 metres and the shadow it may cast was also a considerable concern for Joe Agius, head of the NSW chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Similar height debates have occurred in Melbourne over the abundance of skyscraper approvals by Minister of Planning, Matthew Guy with the recent approval of Australia 108, a 388 metre tall building for Southbank’s leisure precinct. Across the globe, skyscrapers continue to reach new heights as climate change calls for buildings to support more denser and sustainable cities.

By Angela Fedele

Top Image: Crown Sydney. Source: WilkinsonEyre Architects

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Two Big Construction Projects Get Environmental Nod

Andrew Heaton — Mon, 20 May 2013 02:03:36 +0000

Two resource projects expected to generate thousands of construction jobs have been given the environmental green light from the federal government.

Earlier last week, federal environment minister Tony Burke approved construction of Rio Tinto Alcan’s $1.45 billion South of Embley bauxite mine and port development project in western Cape York subject to 76 conditions.

Subsequently, subject to 45 conditions, Burke also gave approval for the planned Anketell Point Port project in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

Situated on the western side of the Cape York on the Gulf of Carpentaria, Rio Tinto’s South of Embley project involves the construction and operation of a bauxite mine and associated processing facilities, barge and ferry terminals.

Should it go ahead, Rio intends to develop the capacity of the facility in stages up to a maximum bauxite production of 50 million dry product tonnes per annum.

The initial building phase is expected to generate up to 950 jobs over a construction period of three years, with key building components comprising of new mining areas and infrastructure including beneficiation plants, a power station, warehouses, workshops, barge and ferry facilities, ship loading facilities and an access road.

Subject to approvals, Rio has previously indicated construction could start before the end of the year.

On the other side of the country, the Anketell Port Project will involve building of a 15-kilometre shipping channel, jetties and associated shore-based infrastructure including a desalination plant, power plant and road and rail links in the West Pilbara region.

South Embley Project, Cape York, Queensland. Credit: Rio Tinto

Proponent API Management Pty Ltd, a joint venture between coal miner Aquila Resources and mining investment company American Metals and Coal International (AMCI), needs the infrastructure to support the export of iron ore from its planned West Pilbara project.

Burke says the Ankatell project has the potential to create up to 4,000 jobs during construction.

Both projects have generated environmental controversy, the South of Embley project because of its potential impact on the Great Barrier Reef from shipping and Anketell for its dredging and impact on migratory birds.

Bourke, however, is confident these risks can be managed.

To meet environmental requirements for South of Embley, Rio will have to work to agreed management plans for shipping, temporary barges, dredging and terrestrial management.

Conditions for API Management, meanwhile, include six management plans, an ecosystem monitoring system and an environmental protection code of conduct for employees during construction.

Both projects come at an important time for the resource construction sector, which is showing signs of a slowdown as new project cancellations pile up due to the high Australian dollar, uncertainty over demand and spiraling construction costs.

Indeed, the Anketell project has been effectively put on ice twice over the past year because of falling iron ore prices last September and funding difficulties in February.

By Andrew Heaton

Top Image: Anketell Port Bulk Loading Facilities Site. Credit: Aquilla Resources

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WA Must Stop Illegal Electrical Work: MEA

Andrew Heaton — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:27:45 +0000

The government of Western Australia needs to do more to protect householders from illegal electrical work, the most influential lobby group for electricians in Australia says.

Master Electricians Australia state manager (WA branch) Anthony Mancini says the WA government is devoting too much time to checking the work of properly registered tradespeople and should devote more effort to stopping illegal work and educating consumers about the dangers of DIY work or using unlicensed electricians.

“The State Government seems to focus their inspection resources on new homes wired by licensed electrical contractors and existing installations where contractors had submitted notices for their work,” Mancini says.

“Rather than spending all of their time checking and double checking the work of licensed contractors who are submitting the appropriate paper work and abiding by electrical regulations, they should be alerting the public to the dangers of DIY or illegal electrical work and following up on reported instances.”

He says the focus should be on “high risk areas such as DIY electrical work where no notices are submitted.”

Though they do not often receive widespread media attention, electrical accidents in the home are a significant cause of injury and death throughout Western Australia.

A report by the state’s Department of Commerce and Energy Safety says 35 people were killed by electricity in the decade leading up to June 30 2011 while 215 people were injured and 9,977 were reported to have received electric shocks, with fixed wiring and tools and appliances being the primary sources of incidents.

That report said that while workers accounted for 40 per cent of injuries, members of the general public, including children, students and retired people were at risk.

Master Electricians Australia should stop DIY electrical work where no notices are submitted. Image: Bright Lec

Mancini says the government needs to do more to promote awareness about using properly qualified electricians.

One way this would be achieved is through a media campaign highlighting the dangers associated with DIY electrical work or unlicensed electrical work.

This would emphasise the importance of consumers asking for a Safety Certificate for all electrical work undertaken by tradespeople in their homes.

Awareness could also be raised in hardware stores and retail outlets by, for example, mandatory point of sale signs advising shoppers to use licensed tradespeople for all electrical installations and equipment.

Beyond awareness, Mancini wants the government to mandate safety switch protection on all home circuits as well as electrical safety checks for illegal wiring or unapproved fittings when homes are sold.

Current legislation requires two safety switches in homes but does not require mandatory checks.

“Lastly, we ask that an electrical safety hotline with a dedicated advertised number be established where illegal wiring or electrical work can be reported and immediate advice and necessary steps can be taken to prevent a serious electrical safety injury,” he says.

Mancini says Western Australia should aim to eliminate all electrical accidents in the home.

“With growing public awareness, WA can greatly reduce the risk of an electrical safety incident,” he says.

“We should be aiming for zero electrical accidents, fatalities or fires in the state.”

By Andrew Heaton

Top Image Source: True Local

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Building Cop Workforce to be Slashed

Andrew Heaton — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:15:33 +0000

In a move which has enraged building industry groups, the national regulator for industrial relations in the construction sector in Australia is set to lose almost one-third of its staff following cuts to its funding in the federal budget.

In this week’s budget, the government announced it intended cut the annual budget the office of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate – more commonly known as Fair Work Building & Construction (FWBC) – by $6 million, saving $24 million over the next four years.

Staff numbers are expected to be cut from 145 to 100.

While the government says the savings will be achieved through greater efficiency, the building industry has blasted the move, saying it will further diminish the building regulator and embolden construction industry unions to engage in unlawful practices.

Master Builders Australia chief executive officer Wilhelm Harnisch says the cuts will further weaken an “already disempowered” building industry watchdog, which Harnisch says will become “even weaker, to the point where it may become useless.”

“These cutbacks prove the Government is not serious about maintaining the rule of law in the building and construction industry or improving productivity,” Harnisch says, adding that they come at a time when the industry faces an “escalation in industrial thuggery” as shown in a number of examples where widespread industrial action brought key building projects to a halt in Melbourne, Brisbane and Geelong last year.

Wilhelm Harnisch

“The cutbacks are a retrograde step that will see increased unlawful behaviour and further erosion in productivity. It comes at a time when we need a cost effective and productive construction industry to underpin economic growth in the tough fiscal period ahead,” he says.

Since it replaced the Australian Building and Construction Commission last year, FWBC has served as the regulator in charge of administering law and order in terms of industrial relations in the building and construction industry.

While building unions loathed the FWBC’s predecessor, whom they saw as being unaccountable and having excessive power, building industry groups say the new regulator does not have sufficient powers to be effective, and that an increase in unlawful industrial activity has occurred since the ABCC’s abolition.

Citing a 2012 Independent Economics report, Harnisch says the activities of the former ABCC had generated $6.3 billion in consumer welfare benefits each year and that a strong industry watchdog benefits the building industry, the economy and the community at large – benefits he says are now in jeopardy with the latest cutbacks.

“Building industry unions have proved they cannot be trusted to operate in accordance with the rule of the law,” Harnisch says.

“The announced cutbacks are a lose-lose for the economy and the community.”

Andrew Heaton

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Siemens to Provide Wind Power for US Nuclear Weapons Plant

Marc Howe — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:53:09 +0000

German engineering firm Siemens has won a contract from the US federal government to build a wind power facility for America’s last remaining nuclear weapons plant.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded Siemens Government Technology a 20-year construct for the construction and operation of a 11.5-megawatt wind farm for the Pantex plant, situated near Amarillo in Texas.

The wind farm will be situated on 1,500 acres of lands to the east of the Pantex nuclear weapons plant and will come equipped with five 2.3 megawatt turbines.

The new facility is also set to be the largest wind farm ever commissioned by the US federal government.

According to the company, the plant will generate enough electricity to satisfy the energy needs of 3,500 households and will provide US$2.9 million in annual cost savings throughout the life of the contract. The farm is expected to provide over 60 per cent of the Pantex site’s annual power needs.

Under the terms of the contract, Siemens will also be responsible for operation of the facility.

Pantex Plant. Source: Texas Dept of State Health Services

The new wind farm is part of efforts by federal facilities to provide greater support to renewable energy, as ordered by a presidential directive.

The NNSA is responsible for management of the US’ nuclear arsenal as well as its nuclear non-proliferation and naval reactor programs.

The Pantex plant is America’s sole remaining nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. The plant is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal, and is managed and operated by BWXT Pantex and Sandia National Laboratories on behalf of the United States Department of Energy.

The addition of a clean energy installation to the site’s facilities is in stark contrast to the purpose and operational history of the plant. In addition to the manufacture of conventional bombs and nuclear weaponry, the Pantex plant has triggered controversy due to the contaminants and pollution it produces, which have reportedly led to a significant increase in the incidence of cancer and low birth weights in adjacent counties.

By Marc Howe

Top Image: Siemens Wind Turbine. Credit: Siemens

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Lenbachhaus Museum Renovation Uncovers History

Jemilla Russell-Clough — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:52:45 +0000

The Lenbachhaus Museum in Munich has recently been renovated by architects Foster + Partners, restoring the historic building to its former glory.

The museum’s restoration was necessary due to the growing attention to was receiving, as it lacked the facilities required to deal with the approximately 280,000 people who visited the site each year.

The renovation aimed to inject new life into the museum, and in removing unnecessary design features such as a extension put in in 1972, the architects uncovered older features. In removing the 1972 extension, the original wall of the villa was brought back to life again. The villa dates back to 1891, when the building was only a studio.

The wall of the villa has been restored through the use of an ochre render, giving the exterior a golden-yellow-brown hue. This render can actually contribute to a building’s future preservation.

Commissioned by the City of Munich’s Cultural Department in 2002, renovation works began in 2009 and the museum recently reopened.

Covering 4,000 square metres, the renovation works included more than 55 exhibition and gallery spaces, an atrium orientation hall, lecture hall, conservation workshop, adult and children’s centre, cloakroom, restaurant and shop. The galleries and exhibition spaces are lit through a system of LED lights and natural lighting from the atrium.

Lenbachhaus Museum, Munich

The building renovation also included the implementation of various environmental technologies and techniques to environment the sites energy performance.

A rainwater harvesting system has been put in place and a water-based heating and cooling system has been integrated into the flooring. The water based system transports energy more efficiently than an air based system.

The technology was first used in the early 1990s in Switzerland and is now common across Europe. The pipes carrying water for heating and cooling buildings are embedded in the centre of thermally sound concrete slabs placed between each storey in building. .

“Our main challenge has been to maintain the same amount of exhibition area, within the museum’s footprint, while creating new circulation and visitor spaces,” Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners said of the renovation.

The renovation uncovered the previously hidden history of the museum, with historical and modern architecture now entwined. As part of the aesthetic design, artist Olafur Eliasson created a piece called Wirbelwerk, which has been incorporated into the scaled villa wall.

By Jemilla Russell-Clough

Images Credit: Foster + Partners/ Lenbachhaus Museum

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Education at the Foothill of a Mountain

Jemilla Russell-Clough — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:51:44 +0000

Located at the foothills of the Qinngorput Mountains against the backdrop of Greenland’s dramatic landscape, the newly completed Atuarfik Hans Lynge School in the city of Nuuk, draws a striking contrast to its surroundings.

The €17 million educational development, spread across 6,000 square metres, was designed by Danish architects KHR Artikekter A/S and completed in partnership with Troldtekt, a supplier of acoustic panels. The new development is expected to become a hub for the town’s future development of the town.

The educational centre is connected to the Qinngorput project in Nuuk, a relatively new development in which the first residential homes were built in 2003.

The school has been designed to fit with the unrefined environment of its surroundings, an area susceptible to strong winds and incursions of snow. To protect the site from strong rushes of water, measures such as large eaves has been integrated into the school’s structural design.

The eaves at the roof’ss lowest edge help to get rid of water overflow and protect the building’s façade. The slightly sloped roofs are set at an angle to helpprotect the building from strong winds.

Atuarfik Hans Lynge School Corridor

Complementing the open and brisk nature of the surrounding environment, the school’s interior features an abundance of natural light through high ceilings and entrances. The windows look out onto the vivid landscape, and the building was designed with flow in mind to enhance this feeling of openness.

Strong, bright colours such as yellows, oranges and reds offer a stark contrast against the natural colours of the surroundings. The tall ceilings include subtle flecks of colour, inspired by the outdoors.

Wood was used extensively in the site’s construction, including in acoustic panels made of 100 per cent natural wood fibres mixed with cement. Due to wood’s durability, sound insulation properties, low cost and reusable and recyclable nature, the material was ideal for the build.

By Jemilla Russell-Clough

Images Credit: KHR Arkitektur A/S. Via World Architecture News

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Kings Park Education Centre Brings Nature Indoors

Mercedes Martty — Sun, 19 May 2013 21:51:09 +0000

Perth’s first interactive, underground, eco-friendly learning space

Every year, over six million people visit Perth’s Kings Park and its Botanic Gardens. The park offers remarkable expanses of unique bushland, very quiet parkland and a large botanical garden, attractions which make it the most popular tourist destination around Western Australia.

Located adjacent to the Swan River, approximately 1.5 kilometres from the Central Business District of Perth, the park takes up an area of over 400 hectares.

Kings Park is well known as a place of natural beauty, where people go for peace and relaxation and to learn more about plants and their conservation.

Kings Park Education Centre During Day. Image: Perth Now

The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority aims to promote appreciation, understanding and knowledge of the area’s unique biodiversity and motivate visitors to participate in its conservation.

When visiting Kings Park, visitors can learn about different issues such as the importance plants play in the ecosystem, the role of Kings Park and Botanic Garden in conserving rare and threatened plant species, sustainable planting practices, the relevance of plants in people’s lives and a bit about Western Australia’s Indigenous and European Heritage.

The Botanic Gardens feature school and public programs, free guided walks, higher education training and training for Kings Park guides and master gardeners.

Kings Park Education Centre

As such, the design of a new building in Kings Park made for a very important commission for Donaldson + Warn Architects, serving as the firm’s fourth structure in what they call “Perth’s most treasured public park.”

Kings Park Education Centre was inaugurated last year to celebrate World Environmental Day.

“As part of the Naturescape precinct the Kings Park Education facility is an environmental awareness centre and home base for the educational programmes run by the Botanic Parks and Gardens Authority. While the building is primarily for school children, it is also used for public presentations and functions,” the architects explain.

Kings Park Education Centre Front View

Unsurprisingly, Donaldson + Warn wanted to maximize the landscape experience in the building’s design. They opted to build underground, making a statement on what the practice refers to as the “aesthetics of sustainable design.”

The building was initially covered by a layer of around 700 millimetres of earth and revegetated with natural flora, which is becoming thicker and longer over time as the plants grow.

A green roof protects the building from the summer sun, saving on the amount of energy used for cooling, while the building’s faceted plan makes the most of good orientation. Double glazing, LED lighting, cross ventilation, recycled materials and solar panels are used to fulfill and exceed green requirements.

Kings Park Education Centre Enterance

The building consumes 60 per cent less power emits far fewer greenhouse gases than a typical building of its size.

Inside the building, a tree trunk motif reflects a stand of plantation pines cleared from the site as part of a program to get rid of non-indigenous tree species in Kings Park. This same motif appears in the internal and external columns, in door handle details and in recycled timber boarding.

Kings Park Education Centre Back Corridor

The spotlight inside the building is an interactive and didactic artwork by Pam Gaunt. It is a vertical column fitted with low-voltage coloured lights that fluctuate to indicate the current energy usage of the building. Additional artwork includes a collection of coloured solar-lit discs in the ground and floor that offers sneak peaks down into the earth. The glass panes are positioned where pine trees once stood.

This project is a great example of how sustainable ideals can be brought to life to create organic architecture, which will evolve over time, just like the nature that surrounds and inspires it.

By Mercedes Martty

Image: Kings Park Early 1900s. Credit: City Of Perth

Images: Kings Park Education Centre> Credit: Donaldson + Warn

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Biodiversity Conservation Strategy a Win for the Environment

Justin McGar — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:52:51 +0000

The Victorian Government has released its Biodiversity Conservation Strategy outlining how conservation will be dealt with within Melbourne’s designated growth corridors.

One key reform, following consistent evidenced-based advocacy by the Property Council of Australia, will see the development industry benefit from a $500 million reduction in offset charges.

The Property Council, Australia’s leading advocate for the country’s $600 billion property industry, has welcomed the Victorian Government’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for the clarity, transparency and sound environmental outcomes it will deliver.

“This approach is a marked improvement on the current system and the Victoria Government should be congratulated for championing this approach nationally,” said Property Council Victorian executive director Jennifer Cunich.

Golden Sunmoth. Credit Julian Robinson Via Flickr

The Property Council praised the Government’s innovative approach to streamlining offsets and the transition to a simpler method of calculating costs. The development of online management systems for offset liabilities and credits, the Council said, will also be well received by the development industry.

“The Property Council has worked very hard with this Government to see a reduction in red tape across biodiversity management,” Cunich said.

“From proposing reform to species management approaches to lobbying for lower offset costs, the Property Council has been at the forefront of this policy development process. We congratulate the Government on its outstanding engagement with industry, environmental stakeholders and the community throughout this process.”

Spiny Rice Flower. Source: Northern Plains CMN

Although the Property Council welcomed the Government’s reduction of costs by close to $500 million, it believes the cost of offsets to be collected is still very high with no clear government funding commitments to these environmental outcomes.

“The cost impost on home buyers under the new Strategy has gone from an outrageous amount under the old system to what will still be a burdensome amount. The cost impost will hurt housing development industry at a time it needs stimulating. Government has to recognise this,” Cunich said.

“The Government must take a holistic approach to costs imposed on home buyers. These biodiversity costs will eat up any advantage given by the recent stamp duty concessions and first home owners grant changes to Victoria’s growing population.”

Growling Grass Frog. Credit: Biodiversity Information Resources and Data

Under the Strategy, which still requires formal approval by the Commonwealth Government, the new regime will build on the Melbourne Strategic Assessment system with a simpler, more efficient and more cost reflective offset system. The new system will provide increased planning certainty and sound environmental outcomes and will streamline planning and approval processes.

The Victorian Government has also released a draft cost recovery plan entitled Habitat Compensation under the Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, which aims to collect close to $1 billion for the program over the next 30-40 years.

By Justin McGar

Top Image: Matted Flax Lily. Credit: Merri Creek Via Flickr

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