Our client  is a not-for-profit, community based organisation committed to helping young people make the transition through school and onto successful careers and life experiences.  They are looking for a Case Coordinator based in Atherton to join their team with an immediate start.

Essential Criteria:

• Formal qualifications in Psychology, social work or human services
• Ability to work effectively with young people
• Capacity to facilitate youth development and transition
• Demonstrates personal drive and integrity and works productively with others
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent time management and organisational skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Able to work effectively in teams
• Deadline conscious
• Excellent public relations skills

For a position description and selection criteria please phone Carole on (07) 4050 3888 or email carole@signaturestaff.com.au.

All applications are kept in strict confidence.

Whatever anyone’s views are, the facts remain the same! The result of Copenhagen Summit was a political accord between a limited number of developing and developed nations, rather than a legally binding agreement.

With the return to parliament, Climate Change has been the major topic of debate at the beginning of this month.

Jim Turnour our MP has been involved in these debates with a great concern for our environment, economy and way of life. “Island communities in the Torres Strait face inundation from rising sea levels, and environmental icons like the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest risk devastation from rising temperatures putting at risk our tourism based economy.” as Jim Turnour has mentioned on his blog page.

Through the debate the new leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott has been trying to convince the country that he now believes in Climate Change after initially describing it as ‘crap’, his own words. Hence the Prime Minister has labelled his policy a ‘Climate Change con job’. I don’t think so!!! As a nation we are still in the unknown. However both of the sides of politics still agree that a market based emission trading scheme was the right way to take action on climate change as it was through the Howard Government.

Regardless what the outcome will be in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) or any other policy, you can be assured that the cost of electricity and fuel will go up.

The key to minimising your costs is preparation. Many local businesses have been working hard over the last few years to have environmental/sustainability policies or statements in place or perhaps even got their Eco Accreditations. Businesses need to develop strategic contingency plans in the near future to reduce their overall carbon footprint by implementing simple steps in their every day to day operation.

• Waste control measures
• Minimising resources such as water and energy
• Improving management of materials, processes and operations

There are number of ways to reduce your carbon footprint and by doing so you will not only reduce your carbon emissions but reduce your costs.

The Missing Link is a company based in Far North who links you to the information that you need by providing you with the highest quality, practical, and achievable technical environmental advice with training solutions. Their assistance will save you time and money and reduce your legal risks, whilst protecting the environment.

So be environmentally savvy and give yourself the advantage by preparing for the changes we will experience in the next couple of years.

Western Australia has not joined the national system. Some employers (essentially incorporated entities) and their employees are covered by the national system, but sole traders, partnerships, other unincorporated entities and non-trading corporations and their employees will continue to operate under the WA state system (though some of these may be covered by transitional awards until 27 March 2011).

The transition of getting over 2000 awards into 122 has proven to be very confusing for most businesses. 77.6% of Queensland businesses are requesting further information kits and 69.5% businesses want further seminars, according to CCIQ recent survey. So, if you feel uncertain with our new national systems, don’t be alarmed, you are not alone..

In March 2008, Julia Gillard asked the Australian Industrial Relations Commission to simplify and consolidate our award system and to create new modern awards which would not disadvantage employees or increase cost to employers. The end result has proven to be quite different…..

Some award conditions have increased, including allowances, whilst other conditions are potentially leading to disadvantaging the employees.

Some awards extended their coverage to sectors such as call centres, IT, financial planners and insurance providers to name a few. People working in some of these sectors will be covered by awards for the first time.

Some sectors such as retail and hospitality have changed the casual loading from 20% to 25%. These industries both rely on casual employees to a large degree, so this change will have a substantial impact on costs.

Superannuation threshold in some awards has been decreased from $450.00 per month to $350.00 per month.

The changes have significantly added to the cost and complexity to being an employer and have subsequently increased the overall level of red tape impacting business, without any additional benefits being realised yet.

Due to the complexities of the new awards we advise businesses of the need to identify what modern award covers their employees, and thoroughly read through their award to ensure that they comply.

Some of the points to especially look out for are:

• Allowances
• Casual loading
• Superannuation threshold
• Overtime and penalty rates
• Flexibility on part time hours
• Personal/Carer’s Leave
• Community service leaves
• Know NES (go to our Jan newsletter to learn more)

Transitional arrangements in most modern awards mean that rates of pay and certain other conditions do not come into force until 1 July 2010 and may be phased in over time. However, not all modern awards contain these transitional arrangements. Employers should check their modern award to determine if these arrangements apply.
If a modern award contains transitional arrangements, any increases or decreases in wages, loadings and penalty rates may be phased in from 1 July 2010.

This includes:

• minimum wages
• casual and part-time loadings
• Saturday, Sunday and public holiday penalty rates
• evening and other penalty rates
• shift allowances.

For further information on your rights and obligations under Commonwealth workplace laws, please contact the Fair Work Ombudsman on 13 13 94.

Alternatively, for information on the award modernisation process, contact Fair Work Australia on

1300 799 675.

Click here for list of all modern awards and scroll down. http://www.airc.gov.au/awardmod/fullbench/awards.htm

Fair Work online for employers http://www.fairwork.gov.au/Pages/employers.aspx?role=employers

CCIQ has identified the chaos that these new modern awards and Fair Work Act has brought to the business community and are running courses. You can contact them on 1300 138 470 to make a booking.

There are three sand mines extraction operations in Cairns at Holloways, Carvonica and Yourkeys Knob, with the Carvonica site being approved for extension. In the next couple of months the council will be considering a new proposal for sand mine development just off the Lower Freshwater road only a few hundred meters from Peace Luthern College and Freshwater Primary school and not to mention very populated areas.

Our Mayor Val Shier and Councillor Margaret Cochrane were present at the Peace Lutheran College community event on the 11^th of February with over 100 local residents expressing their concern over Freshwater sand mine development. Both ladies have noted that the proposed sand mine will most likely not be approved, however the local residents and Rob Fysh, the principal of Peace Lutheran College fear the worst.

Most of the information in assessing the risk of silica has been from the mining industry because in that area the dust exposures are higher, and they can be measured and the workforce can be monitored.

As one of the parents who have their child in Peace Luthern College, I have to agree with their concerns. After doing my research on the side affect of sand mining, I have come to some understanding how serious this issue is.

Some Facts:

• A review by The Cancer Council Queensland of cases of lung cancer around quarries in the Redlands region found higher than average rates of cancer. A prominent cancer specialist responded by noting the harmful nature of exposure to silica dust.
• Sand mining creates hidden dangers, with pollutants lurking in the air and drinking water.
• Being exposed to respirable crystalline silica, a known carcinogen that can be so small, it’s invisible to the human eye.
• The higher the cumulative dose of respirable Silica, the greater the risks of silicosis and of lung cancer.
• These are the health issues we will be facing if the proposed mine goes ahead and of course the environmental changes that our water ways will experience.

Before this development is even lodged with the Cairns City Council we should urge a study to measure the health and environment hazards of our existing sand mine sites and the surrounding areas are showing.

So far there has been 943 submissions received, but this is not going to be enough to stop this development to go ahead!

If you wish to get participate or learn more please visit http://www.sandmine.com.au

Michael Moore’s article in Cairnsblog.net on the Barron and Thomatis Delta is an interesting read.

http://www.cairnsblog.net/2009/09/moratorium-on-development-in-barron.html

There is a lot of information out there with regard to ‘Closing the Gap’, which is basically about improving the Lives and life expectancy of Indigenous Australians.  For many people it has been deemed as a positive and long awaited acknowledgement and change and for others, it’s more about ‘haven’t we done enough already?’.  Australia is a multi-cultural nation and we’re proud of that label, however, there is one outstanding truth in all this – Traditional Owners are sadly lacking in so many ways, still.  One of the initiatives set up by our Governments has been more assistance in employing Indigenous Australians in jobs to assist with the feeling of inclusion, self-esteem and better financial conditions, however, is it really working?

In Cairns, we have a large percentage of Indigenous people and for those already Employed, it is a good feeling to be working with others and enjoying a better quality of life than the unemployed.  So I asked myself why so many Indigenous People are still battling to find ‘The Perfect Job’ or just a good job and one thing that is stands out is that there are some definite barriers that stand in the way.

• Education – Although there is a lot of focus being placed on retention rates in schools and higher outcomes, for those that completed school around 15-20 years ago, it is a case of being too late.  Many Indigenous people were lucky to complete Grade 10.  Over the years we have seen $100,000’s put towards Indigenous training, a lot of people weren’t able to gain employment following the training and some of the skills and knowledge were lost over time.  Now the Governments are working closer together to stop the cross-over and double dipping of funding, we are seeing a more cohesive approach to training with employment outcomes.
• Employer Prejudice – Many employers have had a bad experience, or heard of others that have had bad experiences employing Indigenous people and this affects their decision to employ Indigenous people again, for fear of lost time and money.  This can happen with any employee regardless of Race, Religion or Sex .  For example, Indigenous people who live ‘On Country’, will experience times where they will need to attend more funerals that most other employees as their Aged Elders start to pass away.  Attending any Family event is an important part of the Indigenous way of life and can sometimes cause friction with an employer.  This can be perceived that Indigenous people are unreliable.
• Experience – For many Indigenous women, in particular, previous work experience can be minimal or non-existent, since as soon as our children are born, we dedicate our lives to raising them at home.  Some women will have their children close together and will be out of the workforce for many years, so they do find it difficult to enter later in life with so many young people with experience and formal qualifications.
• Lack of Jobs – For those Indigenous People living in the Remote Communities of Australia, the lack of positions in their home community is the biggest barrier faced by them and their families.  There are only limited jobs in these communities and since for many leaving the community is not an option, there just isn’t enough sustainable employment for everybody.  The higher level jobs are usually filled by Non-Indigenous people from outside the community.  Starting up businesses would be an alternative, however, due to the remoteness, it could also be impossible to keep the business viable.

It is now strongly recognised that Employers and their employees do some kind of Cross Cultural Training, in order to make the workplace a comfortable and understanding environment for the retention of Indigenous Employees.  There are also many Work Readiness Courses for Indigenous people to do before entering into employment to educate and assist them with their journey into sustainable and life long employment.  Mentoring is also available for Indigenous men and women, to help when things get tough or when confusion sets in due to misunderstandings that happen in workplaces all the time.  There are many great organisations that are committed to assisting the Traditional Owners of Australia to gain employment and stay employed.

Written by Jenny Joyce – Mamu People

Training and Development Officer – Employment Projects

Signature Staff – People Plus

You feel relieved, and even quite confident. Your job interview went well. As you replay it mentally, you cannot think of much you would change. Your extensive preparation enabled you to answer the interviewer’s questions with poise and credibility.

What you do next could separate you from the rest of the applicants, if you do it well. I’m referring to writing your post-interview letter. Here are the top 7 tips to keep in mind.

1. SEND A HARD-COPY LETTER, NOT AN E-MAIL
2. BE PROMPT
3. KEEP YOUR LANGUAGE SIMPLE, NOT STILTED
4. GIVE THE READER VISUAL BREAKS
5. PERSONALIZE—AND PERSONALIZE SOME MORE
6. KEEP YOUR PROMISES REASONABLE
7. INCLUDE A HAND WRITTEN P.S.

Read the full article here http://bit.ly/bf4Hy9

Whether you are a local looking for the right position, or you are thinking of relocating to the area, this is a great chance to join an established firm.

The Firm offers you:

• A supportive and stable working environment
• Genuine belief in the importance of a good work and family life balance
• Friendly, welcoming team
• Remuneration reward commensurate with your experience

Duties Include:

• Responsibility for managing the bookkeeping team
• Reviewing bookkeeping practices
• Maintaining an up to date client base
• Management of 6-7 staff
• Providing quality services in a range of accounting, taxation and business matters

Experience / Skills Required:

• Minimum of 6 years experience in a public firm
• Solid Solution 6 & MYOB AO experience
• Good communication skills
• Australian tax experience
• Able to work on your own initiative
• Degree Qualified

This position offers an extremely competitive remuneration package.

If you have previous experience in this area and are able to meet the above requirements, apply for this position online now.

For a confidential discussion about this position, please call Andrew Freeman on +617 4050 3888 or email andy@signaturestaff.com.au.

All applications are kept in strict confidence.

The Firm offers you:

• A supportive and stable working environment
• Promotes a good work and family life balance
• Professional, friendly team
• Remuneration reward commensurate with your experience

Duties Include:

• Focus on Superannuation funds
• Tax (BAS), Salary & Wages
• General processing of client transactions
• Use of Solution 6 & MYOB AO software for client maintenance, reports and documents

Experience / Skills Required:

• Public accounting practice experience
• Solution 6 / MYOB AO experience or manual accounting expertise
• Good communication skills
• Able to work on your own initiative
• Degree qualifications highly regarded but not essential

This position offers an extremely competitive remuneration package, great working conditions and an immediate start.

If you have previous experience in this area and are able to meet the above requirements, apply for this position on-line now! We encourage your application and look forward to liaising with you during your application process.

For a confidential discussion about the role please call Andrew Freeman on +617 4050 3888, or email you application to andy@signaturestaff.com.au, or simply click on APPLY.

All applications are kept in strict confidence.

This position will require you to have a minimum of 5 years experience in a similar role, as well as the proven ability to work well within a team environment and strong leadership skills.

You will be required to have:

• RMLV
• Current Queensland RSA
• Current Gaming Licence
• RSG

The salary for this position will be negotiated with the successful applicant. Please go to www.signaturestaff.com.au to register online for this position.

For further information regarding this position, please contact Jason Muller (Manager – Hospitality Division) on 07 4050 3888 or email jason@signaturestaff.com.au in confidence.

This company will reward you with:

• Highly attractive remuneration package
• Large, well known international operator
• Stimulating, rewarding career with a sought after employer that values your contribution & expertise

The Purpose of this Position:

• To manage reporting, budgeting and forecasting for the company
• Supervising members of the accounts team
• Liaising with colleagues regarding procurement

Key Responsibilities include:

• Preparation of monthly and quarterly reports, annual budgets and forecasting
• Coordination of the annual taxation compliance
• Preparation of Business Activity Reports & PAYG
• Supervision of accounts, payroll and data entry staff.
• General Ledger Accounts Analysis
• Cost control

Skills & Experience Required:

• Tertiary qualifications
• Previous experience as a Management Accountant
• Highly developed computer literacy, high attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• People management skills
• CA/CPA qualified, or working towards qualification

If you are keen to secure a career with an industry leader, we look forward to meeting with you.  Apply online today or contact Andrew Freeman (Manager Commercial Division) on 07 4050 3888 or email andy@signaturestaff.com.au