Tips for enjoying your Australia Day

The City of Perth Australia Day Skyworks is the State’s biggest annual celebration.                                                                                            

The spotlight is on Perth as we celebrate our beautiful country with the biggest and best Australia Day event in the country.

With warm weather expected and activities running from 7am to 8.30pm, here are some tips for enjoying the day:

o Plan your journey: Transperth will be providing additional train and bus services for Skyworks and Skyworks coordinators encourage everyone to plan their journey to the City in advance by visiting www.transperth.wa.gov.au  

Also, due to unusually low tides, Transperth will be unable to operate the ferry services from the first trip in the morning till 12.30, therefore these Australia Day ferry services will be replaced by buses.

o Stay hydrated: While free drinking water tanks and food stands will be conveniently located throughout the Perth foreshore, please remember to keep up your water intake. Dehydration can lead to dizziness, nausea and other symptoms that might spoil your day.

o Bring a radio: Obviously, a radio will allow you to enjoy the simulcast fireworks display at the end of the day, but additionally, you’ll be able to get updates throughout the day on parking, road closures and other important news from City of Perth Skyworks partner MIX 94.5.

 A torch: Why let the pyrotechnicians have all the fun? Be part of the traditional torch ‘call and response’ from each of the main viewing areas and see why Perth is known as the City of Lights!

o Plan your day: Australia Day in the City is far greater than the 30 minute pyrotechnic display at 8pm. Catch the train in early and enjoy the range of free entertainment on offer. The Too Solid Indigenous Music Festival, the Youth Zone on Langley Park, the Criterium, the Family Zone on the Esplanade, the AIR BP Air Show and the Water Show are just some of the many highlights of the day. Visit the Australia Day program of the www.perth.wa.gov.au/skyworks  website for more information.

o Community spirit: The City of Perth Australia Day Skyworks is a major community event, with all of the presenters working closely with some unsung heroes – Fire and Emergency Services, Police, and the St John Ambulance first aid volunteers. Let’s make this a celebration to be proud of and get into the spirit of the day!

What not to bring:

o Alcohol: The City of Perth Skyworks is an alcohol-free event. The City of Perth fully supports the efforts of the Police and the Public Transport Authority to stop anti-social behaviour at the celebration by confiscating alcohol at the event.

o Bad behaviour: Although the vast majority of Skyworks patrons enjoy the celebrations without incident, the organisers believe that everyone should be able to enjoy the Australia Day celebrations in the way they are intended – as a community, and as proud Australians. All of the authorities involved with Skyworks support a “no tolerance” approach to anti-social behaviour during this major Australia Day celebration.

o Glass: Broken glass has been identified as a significant cause of injuries at previous Skyworks. Please do not bring glass bottles or containers – it is very hard to clean up all the pieces if they break, especially in grassy areas or in low-light conditions, and families with children will be sharing the public spaces with you.

 Furniture: Both the City of Perth and the City of South Perth have Special Event Local Laws which limit people from bringing couches, mattresses, fridges or other large objects into event areas. This does not apply to lightweight shade structures or other picnic equipment which can be easily carried by hand. These laws are designed for public safety and prevent illegal ‘dumping’ – please respect the beautiful environment of the areas around Perth Water.

http://perth.wa.gov.au/skyworks/

Source  :  http://www.cityofperth.wa.gov.au/web/Media-Centre/?article=363

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North Beach property tests property market

THIS North Beach property could confirm whether Perth’s struggling real estate market has turned the corner. 

Real estate experts say that during the height of WA’s property boom the 1346sqm ocean-front house on West Coast Drive would have fetched more than $5 million.

It is for auction on Saturday and the selling price will be a strong indication of whether property prices, especially for top-end homes, have started to recover.

Nexus sales consultant Peter Berridge, who specialises in the North Beach area, said the property would have been highly sought after during the 2006-07 housing boom.

“It’s a nice elevated lot, with a nice frontage. It’s got everything going for it,” Mr Berridge said.

“I don’t think it would be an over-exaggeration to think it might have sold for in excess of $5 million (back then). We were going through an era where it didn’t seem to matter what you paid for it, you were always going to make a packet until the proverbial hit the fan.”

Mr Berridge said he believed values had dropped about 40 per cent since the property peak.

“The last sale was 341 West Coast Drive in Trigg that sold for $2.2 million and it was a very choice piece of land _ something like that could have possibly pulled $4 million in 2007 and I can mention lesser blocks that sold for more than $4 million,” he said.

According to Landgate, North Beach has enjoyed solid property value growth in the past decade.
It recorded a 19.4 per cent average annual growth rate in the 10 years to December 2008. It also recorded strong growth last year and was among the Perth metropolitan area’s Top 10 performing suburbs, with a 17.7 per cent jump in median house prices.

But during this period it recorded a low volume of sales activity, with just 19 homes sold.
This could have skewered the statistics.

“There’s no doubt that the market for premium coastal property has come back since the height of 2007,” Real Estate Institute of WA president Rob Druitt said.

“Indications are that the first signs of recovery are starting to come through now, so there’s certainly a unique opportunity for buyers who are (looking) in that market,” he said.

Mr Druitt said it has been a bottom-up recovery, so if the top end was reasonably priced and sold, it could give a good indication that Perth’s entire property market had seen the worst.

Source  :  www.news.com.au

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Keep your distance from whales off Perth’s shores

The public are being asked not to approach whales during their annual migration.

Several whales have been spotted near Perth, off Ocean Reef over the weekend.

Whales often seek out protected waters close to shore and if people harass them they are likely to leave the area.

Whales are not accustomed to people, and may defend themselves when approached.

People who get up close on surfboards and boats are at particular risk, as these whales may react violently, which can result in serious injury or death.

In Western Australia, boats must be within 100m of a whale by law.

You need to keep your distance so they can continue their journey without interference.

People should be able to enjoy the spectacular sight of  whales off Perth’s shores for the next few weeks.

If boats and surfers keep their distance, we can all get a view of these creatures from the beach as they pass through our waters.

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WA State Conference – Program announced

The MIA WA State Conference is a ‘must attend’ event, with a host of experienced industry speakers confirmed to participate. This annual event will inform and update migration practitioners on the latest issues affecting the profession and wider community.

The conference is a full day event, taking place at the Frasers Conference Centre, Kings Park, Perth on Friday 21 August, 2009.

The WA State Executive have secured the following DIAC representatives and Immigration experts:

• Paul Farrell, WA State Director, DIAC
• Glen Dival, Manager, 457 Centre of Excellence, Perth DIAC
• Tim McDonald, Assistant Director, Service Channel Support, DIAC
• Bruce Needham, Regional Manager, WA Community and Detention Operations, DIAC
• Wayne Parcell, RMA and lawyer, Executive Director, Human Capital, Ernst and Young
• Kim Hunter, RMA and lawyer, Migration Professionals
• The new CEO of the Office of the MARA, Christine Sykes, has also been invited to present.

  Following the event, a gala dinner will be held at the Frasers Restaurant. This is an excellent opportunity to network with your colleagues, whilst enjoying a three course meal overlooking Kings Park. 

• Source  :  http://mia.org.au/latest-news/WA-State-Conference-Program-announced-209.html

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Warning: tax refund email scam

The Tax Office is warning people to be wary of a fraudulent email being circulated that claims to offer a refund from the Tax Office.

The email uses the Tax Office logo and the words ‘Tax refund online!’ in the subject heading and the following text:

Tax refund online!After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of AUD 452. Please submit the tax refund and allow us 2-5 business days in order to process it.

There may be more variations to this subject heading and text.

The email asks people to click on a link which directs them to a bogus Tax Office website and asks for credit card and personal details.

Tax Commissioner Michael D’Ascenzo said anyone who receives the email should delete it immediately.

“The Tax Office never sends emails asking people to provide personal information including credit card details.

“People should always be wary of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the Tax Office.

“As an extra precaution we recommend you type internet addresses directly into your internet browser rather than clicking on links embedded in emails,” Mr D’Ascenzo said.

These websites are often set up in multiple jurisdictions making them difficult to trace and to effectively shut them down.

If people have entered their credit card information on the website, they should immediately report it to their credit card provider.

More information www.ato.gov.au

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Two more swine flu cases in WA, Scotch College student ill

NEARLY 100 staff and students at WA’s exclusive Scotch College are being tested for swine flu after an 11-year-old boy fell ill with the virus.

Eleven-year-old Scotch College student, Harry, who returned from Melbourne on June 1, has tested positive for the H1N1 virus.

A 23-year-old woman, who returned from Melbourne on June 3, was also confirmed to have it.

Harry had flown to Melbourne with a youth football team and on returning to Perth went on a school music camp before developing symptoms.

He did not return to school after the camp because he was feeling sick.

“I had a really burning temperature,” Harry said yesterday from home quarantine.

“It was really hot. I was sweating.”

Harry’s mother, Jennifer, said: “It was a really big shock. If there was no talk of swine flu and no Melbourne issue I would have just thought it was the same old cold or flu he has had before.”

Eighty-nine students and 10 staff also on the Scotch College camp are being tested for the virus and anyone with flu-like symptoms is being urged to stay home.

Four teammates suffering “flu symptoms’

It is believed four other boys in Harry’s football team are suffering from flu-like symptoms.

Scotch College acting principal Peter Freitag said there were no immediate plans to close the school down.

“It would be very difficult to close the school,” he said.

“It’s a boarding school, we have 170 boarders.

“We wouldn’t want to close the school unless we have to.

“At this stage we’re not anywhere near that.”

However, Health Department’s communicable disease control director Paul Effler did not rule out temporarily closing the school if students on the music camp tested positive to swine flu and had since been to school.

WA flu tally reaches four

The Health Department confirmed that WA’s swine flu tally had reached four.

“We are contacting the students, parents and teachers who participated in these events with the young boy and the close contacts of the young woman,” Dr Effler said.

“The close contacts of the cases have been asked to remain in home quarantine and have been provided with anti-viral medication as a precaution.

“The school has been very co-operative in helping us reach students, families and staff in a timely manner.”

More than 1000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Australia, with the most in the eastern states.

On Thursday the Health Department issued a statement extending its voluntary quarantine policy for children who have recently travelled to areas affected by swine flu, including Victoria.

Dr Effler said there was no need for the public to panic because in most instances the swine-flu virus appeared to cause a relatively mild illness.

“I would encourage people to make sure they cover their nose and mouth if sneezing or coughing, to wash their hands frequently (and) most importantly, stay home if you are sick to limit the spread of the viruses in our community,” he said.

Dr Effler said people should continue to get their annual influenza vaccine, particularly people in vulnerable groups, including those aged over 65 and under five.

While the influenza vaccine won’t protect against the new strain of swine influenza, it will protect against serious illness caused by seasonal influenza.

If you think you have swine flu phone your doctor or call healthdirect Australia on 1800 022 222. For more information on swine flu visit 

Department of Health website  www.health.wa.gov.au

Source  www.news.com.au

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Survey highlights skills in demand

More than 40% of Australian employers are struggling to fill positions, according to Manpower’s Fourth Annual Talent Shortage Survey.

Engineers, technicians and machine operators were all in the top 10 list of jobs that employers are having difficult filling.

Nearly 11,500 Australian employers were interviewed as part of the global survey.

“Despite high levels of unemployment in many markets, this year’s talent survey suggests a mismatch between the type of individuals available for work and the specific skills that employers are looking for,” Manpower’s managing director Lincoln Crawley said.

According to Crawley, companies are being pressured to shift their mindset to think more strategically and creatively about how to do more with less and the same approach is being applied to how they manage their talent.

“Employers are looking for ways to accelerate their business strategy with less people. It’s this specificity of skills required in the individuals that employers are now seeking that is creating a sense of talent shortage amidst an overabundant pool of available workers.

“This conundrum is frustrating both employers and individuals,” he said.

According to the survey, skilled trade vacancies have become the most difficult to fill in recent years, moving from eighth place in 2006, to fifth in 2007, fourth in 2008, and second in 2009.

Source :   http://www.liveinaustralia.com/home/news.asp

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