Facebook just keeps growing in the NT

By Tracy Jones

Following a dip in Northern TerritoryFacebook membership post Christmas, membership has surged again to increase by 32 per cent over the past 12 months.

There are 95,320 Territorians on Facebook, up from around 72,000 on 30 September last year and well ahead of the previous peak in December of 84,580.

Most interesting is where that growth is coming from. While teens and those in their thirties and forties have left Facebook since June, people in their twenties and those aged 50 and over have flocked to the social media network.

The green and red bars in the graph below shows the current break-up by age and gender of Facebook users as at 30 September 2012. The blue line shows total Facebook members in each age bracket as at 30 June 2012.

Perhaps it's all the new parents in their twenties sharing baby photos with their parents.

While the number of LinkedIn members remains relatively small, it has maintained its place as the fastest-growing social media platform in the Northern Territory with an annual growth rate of almost 60 per cent over the past 12 months. In Katherine, growth was 72 per cent as shown in the graph below.

It's a shame we are unable to produce reasonably reliable statistics for Twitter. Anecdotally, it appears to have experienced steadt growth, particularly among opinion makers and shapers.

Local construction company wins state employer award

Nortruss Building Supplies has taken out the Mission Australia Employer Awards for the second year running.

The NT construction supply company won the award for ‘going above and beyond’ to hire and work with struggling job seekers.

Nortruss won from a field of businesses that Mission Australia’s Employment Solutions Team works with to find employment for people who’ve been out of work for a long time, may require additional training or need extra support.

“We’ve had a great relationship with Nortruss over the last three years and in that time they’ve given six workers a go – three of whom still work for the company today,” Mission Australia Employment Solutions Manager Dean Proctor said.

“Nortruss shone out from the rest because of their willingness to give just about anyone a go and look at the skills that each individual can bring to the business.”

Mr Proctor said Nortruss also provides flexible start and finish times for its workers and training in welding and warehousing for example.

“Any small business that commits to hiring job seekers with significant challenges or who require extra support, deserves recognition,” he said.

“Nortruss has not only made a difference to these workers lives by helping them turn around their circumstances, but the whole community and we congratulate them.”

Job seekers are referred to Mission Australia from Centrelink and other health providers.

Nortruss Building Supplies will now go in the running for the national award to be announced on 27 November.

The national winner will be recognised at a gala dinner in Sydney with a prize to the value of $5000.

For more information visit www.missionaustralia.com.au

Mission Australia gets cool with esky art

A colourful collection of brightly painted eskies has taken over Mission Australia’s Youth Connections office in Malak.

The eskies were painted by students of the Yirrkala School in east Arnhem Land as part of the 2012 Darwin Fridge Festival, which launches next month.

The Festival, which celebrates the humble fridge and esky, also aims to empower and provide art to some of society’s most vulnerable people.

It’s the second year Mission Australia has teamed up with the quirky Festival and coordinated painting workshops in remote communities across the Top End.

Operations Manager Jillian Smith said the exercise builds on the good work of their Youth Connections team.

“The Festival is a great initiative and provides a fun way for our team to engage with and help kids who are at risk of dropping out of school,” Ms Smith said.

“The students who’ve participated in the workshops have loved them and really embraced the opportunity, which is a great success.”

As part of the remote workshops, the Fridge Festival in collaboration with Darwin Community Arts sent out professional artists including Janie Andrews and Marita Albers to inspire and mentor the young students.

“I think that’s been one of the highlights for both the students and the artists,” Ms Smith said.

This year the Festival has visited the Nhulunbuy, Yirrkala, Milingimbi and Maningrida with workshops to be held in Gunbalanya, the Tiwi Islands and Ngukurr next week.

The students’ work, which features Territory icons including crocodiles and sunsets and symbols of love and peace, will eventually join fridges and eskies painted by community groups, families and professionals at exhibitions across Darwin.

The works will be on display during October at venues including the Darwin International Airport, Malak Shopping Centre, Darwin Waterfront, Casuarina Shopping Centre and local schools and libraries.

For more information visit www.darwinfridgefestival.org.au.

Vista Gold announces resource update for Mt Todd Gold Mine to over 7 million ounces

Vista Gold Corp. Grows Mt. Todd Estimated Measured & Indicated Gold Resources to over 7 Million Ounces

Denver, Colorado, September 4, 2012 - Vista Gold Corp. (TSX & NYSE MKT: VGZ) (“Vista” or the “Company”) today reported the results of an updated mineral resource estimate for the Batman deposit at the Company’s Mt. Todd gold project in Northern Territory, Australia.

The updated mineral resource estimate includes 18 drill holes (13,036 total meters) from the Company’s ongoing resource conversion drilling program at the Mt. Todd gold project.

The Batman deposit is now estimated to contain 7.01 million ounces of gold in the Measured and Indicated categories and 2.09 million ounces in the Inferred category. The drilling program is ongoing and new results are expected to be included in a further updated resource estimate that will be the basis for a feasibility study, which the Company expects to release in early 2013.

Frederick H. Earnest, President and CEO of Vista, stated, “I am very pleased with the continued growth in the estimated gold resource of the Batman deposit and we have not yet completed our drill program. This updated resource estimate represents an increase of over one million ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories since our last resource estimate in September 2011 and an increase of over 1.8 million ounces of Measured and Indicated categories since the completion of the January 2011 preliminary feasibility study.

These estimates support the decision to evaluate a project larger than the 30,000 tonnes per day operation contemplated in our January 2011 preliminary feasibility study (the "PFS"). The results of our past and ongoing drilling programs combined with technical evaluations currently in progress support my belief that Mt. Todd is becoming a world-class gold project in one of the world’s more favorable mining jurisdictions.”

Highlights of the updated mineral resource estimate include:

• 17% increase in contained gold ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories (+1,024,000 ozs) compared to the previous resource estimate (September 2011); and

• 37% increase in contained gold ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories (+1,882,000 ozs) compared to the PFS.

For full details on the new mineral resource estimate for the Batman deposit refer to Vista Gold Release http://mttodd.com.au/news

TIO Case Manger shines at Australasian awards

If it weren’t for the secret nomination of a colleague this Territory worker wouldn’t be holding the gong for one of Australia’s top case managers and personal injury management consultants.

TIO Team Leader Bianca Portelli-Reidy won the Personal Injury Management Award for Excellence in Customer Service at a ceremony in Brisbane last week. 

The mother of three is the first Territorian to win at the prestigious Australian and New Zealand awards, which recognise excellence and innovation in the industry.

“I was quite speechless and humbled,” Ms Portelli-Reidy said.

“It’s a really big honour and demonstrates what TIO does for their injured clients and how we try to go out of our way to make sure they get all the necessary help and support they need to return to work and health.”

The quiet achiever took out the award for her dedication to her clients and the job, which included overhauling how TIO helps people who have suffered from brain injuries and trauma at work.

“When I help people who have suffered and have the opportunity to experience their success at the end, it is very rewarding,” Ms Portelli-Reidy said.

“I’ve worked with people who’ve been told they’ll never paint again and after two years, are back at it.

“Sometimes the journey can take a long time, but I’m very proud of the work we do at TIO.” 

The Personal Injury Management awards are held every two years.

For more information on the awards visit www.pief.com.au.

New research shines light on economic impacts and success of Alice Solar City project

New research has revealed that Alice Springs has benefited from a $100 million injection into its economy in the last five years through the Alice Solar City project.

The research is one of two studies released today by Alice Solar City which also reveal the impacts on the town’s carbon footprint, the social and tourism impacts, and the high level of support (90%) for the project to continue into the future.

Alice Solar City General Manager Sam Latz says that the reports demonstrate the enthusiasm the community has had for solar technologies and energy efficiency.

“As we move towards the end of Alice Solar City in its current form, these findings are invaluable when looking at models for what could come next.”

The first study, a review of the Alice Solar City project was undertaken by Charles Darwin University as part of a memorandum of understanding with the university.

“The research highlights that the project has been successful in its design and operation, with its design considered to be best practice and ‘worthy of emulation’ and its operation targets being exceeded”, says Sam Latz

“Its impact on energy awareness and conservation has been substantial, and we are particularly pleased to see the impacts on the community spirit and profile of Alice Springs.”

Key results from the study include:

• Over 4,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas savings are being made each year from the installations supported by Alice Solar City – equivalent to the emissions generated from electricity consumption by 730 typical Alice Springs homes.

• Solar and energy efficiency improvements to homes are now being recognised by the Alice Springs real estate market as expected features for home buyers

• Increased labour productivity of energy efficiency suppliers and installers has led to a degree of skills specialisation; a valuable asset in a town with skilled labour shortages

• Alice Springs homeowners have spent $9.86 million on energy efficiency measures

• A positive contribution to the ‘brand value’ of Alice Springs as an attractive tourist destination, with most visitors noticing the presence of solar and being very interested

• A positive contribution to the community spirit of the town with 20% of the population participating; the contribution to emerging debate about sustainability issues and the project’s influence on organisations such as the Alice Springs Town Council to become more active in environmental issues

The second study, a telephone survey of Alice Springs residents revealed 90% of people thought there was benefit in a similar service being offered into the future, 78% thought Alice Solar City to be an important to very important initiative for the town and over 90% were satisfied with the services they had received through the project.

Sam Latz said, “Both studies made suggestions for improvements and alternative models for Alice Solar City to continue into the future and the Consortium is currently looking at ways to make this happen”.

The full research documents can be found at www.alicesolarcity.com.au/research-and-reports

Lesson from Wivenhoe Dam - emergency response only as good as the manual

As someone involved in emergency and crisis communication, I often have to work with company emergency manuals.

Some of them are great and provide a logical and easy-to-follow guide to how to cope with the emerging situation.

But some of these manuals have been written simply to comply with legislation or policy then promptly placed on the shelf.

When something goes awry they are pulled out, dusted off and handed out to the team specified in Chapter 3, Section 2, Subsection 11.4. And that’s when everyone realises that something is very wrong.

Today’s report by the Crime and Misconduct Commission into the failure of processes surrounding the Wivenhoe Dam water release and subsequent downstream flooding in Queensland is a clear and compelling example of how bad the consequences can be.

Put simply, the Commission found conflicting information and flowcharts in the manual for a series of failures and cleared the three engineers involved.

In other words, the people putting the plan in place are only as good as the plan itself (read the ABC online story about the case here).

This is a timely reminder than emergency plans are not documents designed to simply tick a box – they are living, breathing manuals that should provide a guide to those professionals at the coal face when the worst comes to pass.

Whatever your business and whatever the risk, your emergency manual will only get you through if you observe the following:

1.  Write your manual based on best practice. Allocate the task to someone who knows what they are doing, not the person with the most time to spare.

2.  Test and test again. Only through testing will you discover if the thing actually works.

3.   Train your team. Make sure everyone knows what to do and has the skills and experience to do it.

4.  Practice, practice, practice. Handling an emergency is not something most people do every day. People need to practice to gain experience.

5.  Learn and grow. Practice and testing on a regular basis will also allow you to adapt your manual for changing circumstance.

6.  Update contact lists. When an emergency happens you need to be able to contact people. If you can’t reach them, you need to contact the next person in line. That’s pretty hard when your contact list is two years old. Make it someone’s responsibility to review contact lists monthly.

DSO East Arnhem journey great success

Darwin Symphony Orchestra General Manager, Guy Ross reports that the Symphony’s recent trip to Nhulunbuy was a great success.

“Over 1200 members of the Nhulunbuy community packed out the Nhulunbuy High School oval on Saturday 11th August for Darwin Symphony Orchestra’s Sunset Symphony.

Armed with picnic blankets, chairs, tables and in one case a candelabra, audiences were excited to see the DSO onstage alongside a large number of local performers,” he said.

Hosted by country star James Blundell, the concert included the premiere of a work for didgeridoo and orchestra called Birrka! Mirri. Featuring local artist Dj Marika on didgeridoo, the improvisational piece was a favourite of the audience.

Students of all ages from Arafura Dance Association joined the DSO on stage, performing pieces such as Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies and the Toreadors March from Carmen. Their skill and amazingly detailed costumes won the crowd over. Another highlight of the evening was a rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight with Nhulunbuy Christian School’s Ukulele Group, who had the crowd swaying and singing along.

The Sunset Symphony was proudly supported by Gove Operations Pacific Aluminium and Airnorth to mark the 40th anniversary of the town and Gove Operations.

A Gove Operations spokesperson said they were “thrilled to be able continue their commitment to the community through bringing such a significant live event to celebrate 40 years of Gove Operations and the town.”

“The concert topped off a busy visit to Gove for Concertmaster Tara Murphy,” Mr Ross said. “Tara spent two days prior to the concert visiting schools in the area (Nhulunbuy Primary School, Nhulunbuy Christian School, Nhulunbuy High School and Yirrkala School) and performing with a string quartet for students.

By the time DSO left on Saturday night, there’s a good chance that every kid in the region had seen at least some of its members perform!

The orchestra members travelled to Gove at 4:30am and returned to Darwin at midnight the same day. A huge day demonstrating the wonderful commitment of the volunteers who make up the orchestra and their continual effort to make every concert a success.”

Sherwin Iron granted NTG Major Project Status

Sherwin Iron Limited’s Roper River Iron Ore project has taken another step forward after being granted Major Project Status by the Northern Territory Government.

The decision is a major milestone for the company, which has a current resource of 488 million tonnes within its Roper River Iron Ore Project 500km south east of Darwin.

Sherwin Iron Executive Chairman Barry Coulter said the company has been continuing to build the case for the project including ongoing discussions with representatives of traditional owners and working through the environmental approvals process.

“This is another important milestone and gives us the confidence to move forward with our project,” Mr Coulter said.

The granting of Major Project Status ensures a Government team is established to help facilitate the appropriate environmental, heritage, mining and safety approvals the project will require as well as ensure maximum benefits to the local community and industry.

“We’re proud to be a local company and are committed to Territorians gaining the maximum benefit from this project,” Mr Coulter said.

“We’re delighted with the progress to date and the level of confidence shown by the Northern Territory Government.”

Sherwin Iron is working to lodge a Notice of Intent, the first step in the approvals process for the project, with the Northern Territory Government later this year.

Meat processing facility offers economic benefits in the north

An independent report commissioned by the Australian Agricultural Company Limited (AAco) signals enormous benefits to local industry from the Livingstone Valley food processing facility.

The report, by respected economic consulting firm ACIL Tasman, shows the average cattle producer could double their profitability by selectively sending older cull culls from their herds to the abattoir.

The selective removal of cull cows allows pastoralists to improve their herd profile in terms of age profile and fertility.

The facility also has broader economic benefits, with the impact on the northern economy calculated to be $126 million a year once fully operational.

The facility will create more than 800 direct and indirect full time equivalent jobs, including 270 at the plant itself.

Report author Mark Barber said northern beef producers presently have no regional market for cows surplus to requirements, or which are no longer productive (cull cows).

The 350kg live weight cap on live export cattle to Indonesia also means that there is no regional market for heavy steers and bulls.

“By providing a regional market for cull cows, the impact of the AAco abattoir on the profitability of northern beef producers is substantial,” Mr Barber said.

“This is because older cows can be sold and younger more robust and fertile cows retained in the herd. This reduces the mortality rate of the herd and increases the number of calves produced.”

AAco is moving ahead with its plans for the facility, with the first tenders in market now for civil works at the Livingstone Valley site.

AAco General Manager Northern Australian Beef Stewart Cruden said the purchase of the land had been completed and the company is finalising the conditions precedent in the Government’s development and environmental approval documentation.

The company plans to process 179,000 cattle a year at full production, with box beef exported by refrigerated containers to the US, Asia and Europe.

Download the full report.