The Government has called for the first round of recruits to join the Green Army.

Appointed Service Providers are now seeking expressions of interest from 17 to 24 year olds who want to gain skills, training and experience in environmental and heritage conservation fields.

Last month, the first round of 196 Green Army projects to roll out across the country were announced. These projects are community-led and will support practical, grassroots environment and conservation activities.

Participants will have the opportunity to undertake accredited training such as work readiness, conservation and land management, heritage conservation, project and human resource management and heritage trade skills.

Green Army participants will also receive an allowance and be eligible to gain Certificate I or Certificate II qualifications in areas such as land management, park management, landscaping or horticulture or nationally endorsed skills set to support them in their future career prospects.

Projects will be carried out across urban, regional and remote Australia with participants involved for up to 30 hours a week for a period of 20-26 weeks.

Details are available here.

The Enroute Charges Payment System, for regional airlines, has been re-introduced, to subsidise navigation charges on low volume air services.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss announced on Monday 15 September that the Scheme is now open for applications, which can be back-dated - meaning eligible services flown since 1 July 2014 are able to be considered.

Mr Truss said the Enroute Charges Payment Scheme helped support vulnerable air routes to regional and remote communities.

The Government will provide $1 million each year over the next four years to assist scheduled passenger services. This is on top of the $1 million each year allocated to supporting vital aeromedical services, such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Mr Truss said airlines can apply for assistance for scheduled passenger services on routes carrying up to 15,000 passengers per year using aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 15 tonnes.

Airlines can submit applications at any time, with guidelines and application forms for the Scheme available here.

Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan has announced a national survey to assess the level of age discrimination in the workplace.

The Commissioner announced the survey, to be undertaken by Roy Morgan, during an address to the Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.  She said the survey would create a contemporary nation-wide picture of the level of age discrimination in the workplace, from the perspective of those who experience it, and of those who inflict it.   She anticipated that  the results of the survey would signal an urgent and massive challenge that needed to be addressed, and that it would become an ongoing survey to track change.

In her speech The Longevity Revolution - Crisis or Opportunity? the Commissioner explored the issue of age discrimination and the potential economic benefit of keeping older Australians in the workforce.

She said Australia needed to rethink its approach the middle and later years of working life and for business and political leaders to recognize the value of all our human capital in terms of potential productivity gains.  Commissioner Ryan said we should be aiming for rates of workforce participation to be the same for those in their 50s and 60s as they currently are for those in their 30s and 40s. However, for this to happen, mature aged workers need information and support and a reminder, before unemployment has struck, that it is time for a career review.   

She is calling for a National Jobs Checkpoint Plan.  Virtually all workers at some point in their working life need a structured process by which they can review where they are and plan for their ongoing participation in employment., she said.   Her vision is for a high profile, widely supported, and nationally coordinated approach to helping all people at midlife to check where they are and change direction if they need to.

Commissioner Ryan's full speech is available here.

A new report was released this week by the Climate Council highlighting the potential impact future sea level rises may have on Australian infrastructure.

The report, Counting the Costs: Climate Change and Coastal Flooding, available here, showed sea levels were likely to rise by between 40 centimetres and one metre over the next century, and that the financial impact will be in the billions of dollars and will impact the economy by reducing the nations GDP growth .

The report's lead author, Professor Will Steffen, warned national income would suffer huge losses if action was not taken to protect against rising sea levels and extreme weather events.

• At least $226 billion of infrastructure exposed to flooding and erosion (with a 1.1m sea level rise), including:
  • $81b - commercial buildings
  • $72b - residential
  • $67b - road and rail
  • $6b - light industrial buildings

The Victorian coast, the south-east corner of Queensland and Sydney would be the hardest hit by rising sea levels, the report found.

With more than 75 per cent of Australians living near the coast, Professor Steffen said large swathes of infrastructure were at risk.

Professor Steffen said so-called once-in-a-lifetime natural events could become regular occurrences.

If sea level rises were ignored, by 2050 the report predicted the global the impact of coastal flooding would cost $US1 trillion per year - the same size as the Australian economy.

A new study is urging water authorities to shift to a hybrid model, thereby giving more autonomy to water suppliers and inviting other service providers into the market, in order to meet future challenges of delivering secure, safe and sustainable water.

'The Future of Urban Water: Scenarios for Water Utilities in 2040' study, released by Arup and Sydney Water, maps how water supplies in Sydney and other cities could look 25 years into the future, given population growth, water scarcity and budget constraints.

The report claims the challenges of best serving water customers in the future can be met only by working collaboratively, interacting with stakeholders and being open to new ideas and innovation.

The report maintains that if water utilities understand trends and plan for the future, they may be able to provide more engaging customer experiences, to make urban areas more liveable and get more out of their current and future assets.

In addition, Arup points out that the expertise and technology that Sydney Water and other Australian water utilities developed along the way represents intellectual property that could support new domestic and export revenue streams.

To read the report click here

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss announced the appointment of Mr Neil Scales OBE as a member of the National Transport Commission, on Friday 12 September.

"Mr Scales will bring a wealth of experience in transport planning and leadership to his role as a Commissioner," Mr Truss said.

"He is currently the Director-General of Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads, responsible for an operating budget of almost $5.5 billion and managing assets worth almost $59 billion.

"As Director-General, Mr Scales has shown outstanding commitment to transport recovery and resilience in the aftermath of floods in the state."

Mr Truss said Mr Scales would also bring an international perspective to the Commission, having previously worked in the UK transport industry.

"Mr Scales' appointment to the National Transport Commission is until the end of December 2016."

The National Transport Commission is an inter-governmental agency charged with improving the productivity, safety and environmental performance of Australia's road, rail and intermodal transport system.

For more information on the Commission, visit here. 

The Refugee Council of Australia’s (RCOA) Refugee Welcome Zone initiative has reached a milestone with more than 100 councils signing on.

RCOA chief executive officer Paul Power said eight councils from five states had recently demonstrated their commitment to creating a culture of welcome in local communities bringing the total to 107.

The most recent additions are the Town of Victoria Park in Perth, Adelaide City, Cardinia and  Hindmarsh shires in Victoria, Cowra and Kiama in NSW and Flinders and Diamantina shires in regional Queensland.

RCOA chief executive officer Paul Power said the Refugee Welcome Zone initiative was one way local councils could exercise positive leadership on refugee issues.

Earlier this year, RCOA released a research report on the Refugee Welcome Zone initiative which included examples of how local councils in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia are welcoming and supporting refugees.

Mr Power encouraged more local councils to consider becoming a Refugee Welcome Zone.

The Refugee Welcome Zone report can be accessed  here.

Further information about Refugee Welcome Zones is available here.

The Productivity Commission has commenced a new study examining Australia's international tourism industry.  The project is part of a suite of research papers initiated by the Commission on topics of significant national interest.

The research project will consider qualitative and quantitative information relating to:

• Trends in Australia's international tourism industry, including factors that affect demand;
• The role of the government in the tourism sector;
• The manner in which aviation policy and regulation facilitates or impedes tourist numbers; and
• The effect of land management policy and regulation on the promotion of Australia's environmental, heritage and cultural assets.

Written submissions are due on Friday 28 November 2014.

Information on how to prepare and make a submission can be accessed here. 

Enquiries relating to the study should be directed to tourism@pc.gov.au. The final research paper will be released in early 2015.

The transformation of 50 Martin Place in Sydney into a sustainable, state-of-the art workplace has been awarded with a 6 Star Green Star - Office Design v3 rating.

50 Martin Place is the largest heritage refurbishment in Australia to be awarded a 6 Star Green Star - Office Design v3 rating, representing 'World Leadership', from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

It is the new global headquarters for Macquarie Group which acquired the building in 2012 and, in collaboration with specialist building, architecture and engineering consultants, has enhanced the air, light, water and other amenities within.

The landmark building was constructed between 1925 and 1928 and is a rare Australian example of the American-influenced Inter-War Beaux-Arts style.

The total refurbishment of 20,000 square metres over nine existing levels involved a complete overhaul of building services and systems, a new interior fitout and widening of the existing atrium, as well as construction of a new two-storey glass-domed roof and glass shuttle lifts.

Executive Director of the Residential Development Council, Nick Proud, has been appointed to the board of Liveable Housing Australia (LHA).

Amelia Starr, LHA's Executive Director, says Mr Proud's contribution to the board will further expand LHA's influence and engagement with the residential development sector.

Prior to his appointment at the Residential Development Council in February 2014, Mr Proud held technical and policy roles in a variety of organisations including the Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council and the Housing Industry Association.

Mr Proud welcomes the work already undertaken by LHA to establish a nationally-consistent approach to liveable design, including the development and application of the Liveable Housing Design Guidelines and quality mark certification.

"The industry's leaders understand that a liveable home is simply good design that meets the needs of all Australians," Mr Proud says.