The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Hon. Kevin Andrews MP on 4 September released the report of the Award Review Taskforce on Wage and Classification Structures. This Taskforce, comprising AIRC Senior Deputy President Matthew O'Callaghan and a reference group, was established after WorkChoices commenced, with a view to examining ways that the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) can apply minimum wages to a simpler classification structure. The Report highlights inconsistency in the current system, suggests a range of responses, but recommends these be tested more thoroughly before being implemented. To read more

Certificates of Competency for Fork Lifts issued either under previous Victorian legislation or issued by interstate certification authorities are recognised in Victoria. You can apply to have your certificates transferred to a National Certificate of Competency. The original old style certificate must accompany your application. The cost of the application is $37 - no GST applies. Contact Worksafe Victoria.

Logistics software and print management are amongst the growing sectors set to showcase the latest innovations at PrintEx07, 24-26 May 2007 at Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. Offering print and graphics solutions to a broad cross-section of businesses, Sydney's unique 'shell-scheme' only exhibition, which is held between PacPrint exhibitions, has reported a significant increase in print software and digital technology exhibitors, with wholesalers keen to take part in one of the printing industry's leading events. Read more.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics released its Research and Experimental Development publication on Monday 28 August. The publication highlights that Business expenditure on R&D (BERD) in Australia during 2004-05 was $8,446.2 million. This represented an increase of 10.4% in current price terms over 2003-04 and 7.1% in chain volume terms and was the sixth successive year of increase. BERD increased as a proportion of GDP between 2003-04 and 2004-05, moving from 0.91% to 0.95%. This continued a period of growth dating back to 1999-2000, when the ratio fell to 0.64%. Although Australia recorded one of the largest increases in BERD/GDP ratio of all OECD countries between 2003-04 and 2004-05, it remained below the OECD average of 1.53%. To read more

If you want to know more about the current business market in China and how to do business in China then click on the following link to hear Tim Hardcourt, Chief Economist for the Australian Trade Commission, and Peter Osborne, Senior Trade Commissioner for Austrade Hong Kong explaining that: China now accounts for 5% of the world's trade Australia's 'tyranny of distance' is now replaced by 'our power of proximity' Australia is in the right place at the right time China is Australia's 2nd largest export destination after Japan Of the 1,000 Australia businesses that went to China last year, 300 of them now sell into China Over 3,000 Australian businesses now sell into China 80% of China importing and exporting goes through Hong Kong. Podcast.