eFlash #473

Date: 08-Mar-2021

In this edition: Powers and Immunities (telecommunications carriers) Update| NWP Water Skills Webinar – Register Now| Save the Date! Charters Towers Conference – July 2021| qldwater Footy Tipping Comp 2021 – Register Now!| Manager positions available at Cairns Regional Council

1. Powers and Immunities (telecommunications carriers) Update

We were advised on 1 March that the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts has agreed that the Department will proceed with a forward work plan to consult further with stakeholders on the detail of the 12 proposed changes from the 2020 consultation in a two-step process.

The first tranche of consultation discusses amendments to the Telecommunications Code of Practice 2018 (Code of Practice) and Telecommunications (Low-impact Facilities) Determination 2018 (LIFD), and includes:

Proposal from Consultation Paper	Title of Proposed Requirement	Location of Amendment
Chapter 1 – Proposal A	Primary safety condition	Code of Practice
Chapter 1 – Proposal B	Standard notifications	Non-regulatory
Chapter 1 – Proposal C	Withdrawal of notification	Code of Practice
Chapter 1 – Proposal D	Engineering certificate	Code of Practice LIFD
Chapter 2 – Proposal A	Clarifying the objections process (factsheet)	Non-regulatory
Chapter 2 – Proposal B	Carrier referrals to the TIO	Code of Practice
Chapter 3 – Proposal A	Amendments to antennae, dish sizes; new low-impact facility – radiocommunications lens antennae	LIFD
Chapter 3 – Proposal B	Tower extensions (cumulative max height of 5m; allow in commercial areas)	LIFD
Chapter 3 – Proposal D	Co-location volume limits increase	LIFD

The second tranche of consultation will involve consideration of complex policy proposals arising from proposed reforms that may require amendment to the Telecommunications Act 1997, such as:

Proposal from Consultation Paper	Title of Proposed Requirement
Chapter 1 – Proposal E	Extending notification timeframes (from 10 to 20 business days)
Chapter 2 – Proposal C	Removal of redundant equipment
Chapter 3 – Proposal C	Smart poles

Consultation – Tranche One

The Department has commenced its first tranche of consultation by publishing exposure drafts of proposed changes to the Code of Practice and the LIFD.

Stakeholders will be able to provide feedback to the Department over a 4-week consultation period, commencing 9:00am Monday 1 March 2021 and closing at 5:00pm Thursday 1 April 2021.

The consultation is available on a new Have Your Say page on the Department’s website, available here. Submissions may be uploaded to the Have Your Say page, or sent by email to powersandimmunities@communications.gov.au.

Timeframes are again ridiculously short and qldwaterwill consult with other impacted stakeholders on how we contribute to the broader water industry feedback processes.

2. NPW Water Skills Webinar – Register Now

On behalf of the NWP Water IRC, Australian Industry Standards (AIS) is holding a webinar about emerging trends for your industry, cross-sector issues, and proposed qualification changes to support workforce needs.

Register here to join the NWP Water webinar on 11 March 2021. Hear from the Industry Reference Committee about current industry challenges and its role in addressing skills needs, and the AIS Skills Specialist about proposed qualification changes.

AIS is keen to hear your ideas and feedback to ensure qualifications and skills standards deliver real outcomes for industry.

Be a part of AIS’ Industry Skills 360 Series of webinars by visiting the AIS Engagement Hub and see how you can provide feedback.

3. Save the Date! Charters Towers Conference – July 2021

qldwater are excited to announce that following the Barcaldine Conference in May, we have locked in Charters Towers for 21 & 22 July, kindly hosted by Charters Towers Regional Council.

Sponsorship opportunities are now open. If you would like to sponsor this event, please contact Naomi (ncarragher@qldwater.com.au).

More information will be coming soon. Save the event in your calendar now!

4. qldwater Footy Tipping Comp 2021 – Register Now!

The qldwater NRL and AFL tipping competitions are now open for all employees of qldwater members.

This year there will be a weekly prize for one person who selects the most winners in either Code. Even average tippers get lucky once during the competition and you can tell your colleagues you are a prize-winner even if (like Rob Fearon) you know nothing about Football.

Joining is free, simply go to https://www.footytips.com.au/comps/qldwater_Footy_Comp_2021 then:

Click on the green join button,
Refresh your account or create a new one,
Choose “qldwater Footy Comp 2021” competition with password “qldwater21!”
Enter your preferences and start tipping in the NRL and or AFL.

There will be a mid-season mini-comp with a prize for all tippers who score higher than Dave Cameron in the 12th round. The actual prize is to be advised but with the bar set so low*, many winners are projected, so it will likely be something like one of the coveted new qldwater polo-shirts.

The rules are pretty simple:

Not tipping in any round will give you a default score (the away teams but with a maximum).
Each tipper can choose 5 joker rounds for each Code (which doubles your score for that week).
One $30 e-voucher will be awarded each week via email. This will be determined by a random draw among the week’s best tippers in both Codes.
One e-voucher for $200 will be awarded for the season winner in each Code after the Grand Final. If two tippers end on the same score then margin scores will determine the ultimate winner.

Only employees of members of qldwater can tip and win prizes. Some qldwater staff participate in the competition but are ineligible for the end of season prize.

*Dave would like to point out that he can’t really remember exactly what happened last year because he’s ineligible for prizes but vaguely recalls finishing on top of the table NRL and second in the AFL (or thereabouts). Just saying.