Blue Collar

During December 2011, MMG supported Zinc Saves Kids through UNICEF’s Christmas Inspired Gifts (an annual gift-giving promotion run by UNICEF throughout the festive season).

According to UNICEF, in 2011, 16.7 million unwanted gifts were given during Christmas. With unwanted gifts worth an average of $64, Australia spent approximately A$500 million over Christmas– an amount that could provide therapeutic feeding to over 913,242 children for a year.

In September 2011, the Perth metropolitan area was reclassified as a ‘regional area’ for the Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS), a scheme that allows employers to sponsor foreign workers for permanent residency.

This change potentially enables Western Australian employers to significantly increase staff retention, with the RSMS requiring employees to remain with their employer for a period of two years from the date the RSMS permanent residency visa is granted.

The start of a new year often means job seekers are at their most active – keen for fresh challenges and a potential new job.  As you embark on your job search, here are a few less obvious tips for you to think about.  It’s often the smaller details we overlook, yet can determine our job search success.

In an Australia Day Ceremony at Strahan, Darryl Gerrity, the Mayor of the West Coast, announced that MMG had won the “2011 Community Event of the Year” for its 75th Anniversary celebration.

The award was presented jointly to Linda Williams and Christine Winskill - the primary organizers of the event  - on behalf of MMG.

A $260m contract to develop the breakwater and materials offloading facility (MOF) of Chevron’s Wheatstone Project has been awarded to a joint venture between Thiess and Belgian company BESIX SA (BEST JV). 

The contract is expected to generate 300 new jobs when work starts on site later this year.  The majority of the work will be based in Onslow with at least 80% of the work under the contract taking place in Australia.

Contrary to the norm, my journey started well before I actually worked for a miner. I left high school in 1989 not knowing what I wanted to do. Mining didn’t even rate a mention in those days as it wasn’t the media focus it is now. University wasn’t an option for me as I’d had enough of studying. Besides, I don’t think my TE score would have got me into any university! I eventually joined the Navy after nothing else took my fancy.

Mark Adams joined MMG in November 2011, and officially took the reigns at MMG’s Century mine in north-west Queensland last week following the departure of former General Manager Karl Spaleck.

In addition to managing Century, Mark will provide Operations leadership to MMG’s Dugald River development project, located about 85 kilometres north-east of Mount Isa.

With extensive experience managing operations in Queensland and Western Australia, Mark was most recently Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Barminco.

Jody Elliott, Director of The Resource Channel speaks to ABC Radio's Babs McHugh about the increasing challenge of securing new resource sector workers as other countries ramp up their own operations and projects, demanding some 250,000 new entrants.

http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rural/resource/201201/r882802_8761919.mp3

Named after the classical Greek word for fish, the Ichthys Project is expected to produce 12.8 trillion cubic feet of gas and 527 million barrels of high value condensate over its 40-year life.

INPEX and joint venture partner Total achieved the Final Investment Decision (FID) for this US$34 billion project on the 13th of January 2012. INPEX Chairman Naoki Kuroda made the announcement in Darwin.