The Rural, Regional Affairs and Transport Senate Committee has backed the Government's Shipping Legislation Amendment Bill 2015 in its report tabled in the Senate.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss thanked Committee members for their consideration and said the Government had to act now to ensure coastal shipping is a viable and longterm part of Australia's freight transport network.

"The Australian Government plans to help deliver more affordable freight costs for businesses and greater choice between shipping companies, which will lead to better services being provided to Australian industries," Mr Truss said.

"Without changes to our regulatory settings, shipping will not be able to deliver the competitive, efficient services that Australian businesses need."

The Government has welcomed the final report of the National Ice Taskforce which identifies how governments can work with communities to take a systematic, comprehensive and coordinated response to Australia's ice problem.

The Taskforce received extensive input through 1,300 submissions as well as advice from experts and community members spanning the health, law enforcement and community sectors, all of which informed the final report.

The report confirms that ice is a problem which requires a multi-faceted approach through education, health and law enforcement. Importantly, the report provides a stocktake of what is already being done around the country and what more can be done to tackle Australia's ice trade.

The report has not yet been publicly released. The Government will consider the Taskforce's recommendations and release the report and announce a response in due course. The Prime Minister will discuss the issues raised in the report with states and territories.

A Deloitte report launched this week, The purpose of place: Reconsidered, has said that while adding more people to Australia's inner cities will make them more productive, greater emphasis on creating inclusive local governments - among other strategies - will make cities more liveable.

The report is the fifth edition of Deloitte's Building the Lucky Country series and reconsiders the purpose of place and says that Australia can unlock its potential by collaborating to make place a driver of productivity and prosperity.

The report was developed to prompt debate and conversations across business, industry associations, government, the media, and the wider community on issues facing the Australian economy, and considers:

• why place matters
• a five-way classification of regions
• ten dimensions for measuring prosperity
• four 'actors' with much to contribute, and much to gain.

Register to receive your copy of the report on the Deloitte website.

The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities has said that Australia remains one of the most vulnerable nations to natural disasters despite being one of the world's most developed countries.

This statement was made on the United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction where the Roundtable continued its calls for national investment in disaster resilience and preventative activities.

Andrew Coghlan, National Manager, Emergency Services, Australian Red Cross said: "As we enter storm, cyclone and bushfire season we may yet again see national attention on communities that are impacted by disastrous weather events. But we need to act before these disasters occur, to continue to reduce the social and economic impacts of natural disasters, through a collaborative national approach. We need to invest more in mitigation to save lives, protect our communities and strengthen our economies."

The theme for this year's International Day for Disaster Reduction - knowledge for life - focused on the use of traditional, indigenous and local knowledge to complement science in disaster risk management.

Minister for Justice the Hon Michael Keenan MP said: "The Australian Government recognises that Indigenous peoples provide an important contribution to disaster risk reduction through their experience and traditional knowledge. With 19.3 million people displaced by disasters globally in 2014, it is vital that every citizen and government plays their part in building more disaster-resilient communities and nations."

Read Minister Keenan's media release on his website.

Read the media release from the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities at this link.

Local governments and not-for-profit organisations in Queensland can now apply for funding to build new tourism infrastructure. Grants ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 are available under the new round of the Queensland Tourism Infrastructure Fund (QTIF).

The QTIF program will match dollar-for-dollar funding for eligible projects that will be completed by 30 June 2017.

Construction-ready projects can include:

1. Built: hard infrastructure capable of increasing visitation including but not limited to:
   • tourism attractions and city/town precincts
   • cultural institutions
   • mixed-use
   • facilities
   • exhibition, convention and event facilities
   • entertainment and sporting facilities.
2. Environmental: development or enhancement of natural assets, including but not limited to public spaces such as beaches, parks and walking trails.

Funding applications will close on 23 November 2015. More information on eligibility and evaluation criteria is available on the website of the Queensland Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has developed a question and answer resource providing information on nanotechnology and food. The resource clarifies the definition of nanotechnology, whether it is being used in foods and what the FSANZ has been doing about the potential use of nanotechnologies in food.

In answer to a question on whether current regulations apply to foods produced using nanotechnologies, FSANZ said that any new food manufactured using nanotechnologies that may present safety concerns must undergo a comprehensive scientific safety assessment before it can be legally supplied in Australia or New Zealand. This requirement is set out in FSANZ's Application Handbook which states that in cases where particle size is important to achieving the technological function, or may relate to a difference in toxicity, information must be provided on particle size, size distribution, and morphology, as well as any size-dependent properties.

Visit the FSANZ question and answer resource on their website.

Austroads recently released its publication, Road Crash Injuries: Cost and Prevention, which provides findings from its study about the causes and costs of a sample of serious (hospitalised) injury crashes in NSW.

Results from the study highlight that common errors often resulted at least in part from features of the road environment. The publication suggested strategies to address negative behaviours, including changes to the road environment and licensing system, and suggested injury mitigation strategies focused on improving vehicle restraint systems and structural integrity, as well as removing unprotected nonfrangible poles and trees that are close to the carriageway.

The study highlighted the possibility of preventing errors through changes to the road environment and made specific recommendations based on the crash reviews. Recommended strategies to address negative behaviours were also based on awareness-raising, enforcement (where possible), and education/training.

Take a look at the publication on the Austroads website.

Families finding it difficult to access flexible child care can now apply to participate in the Australian Government's new Nanny Pilot Programme.

The two-year pilot will begin in 2016 and provide fee assistance to help eligible families with the cost of using a nanny in their family home.

This opportunity will be most beneficial for parents who live away from existing child care, or who work non-standard hours such as police officers, nurses, firefighters and other emergency workers, or those in the hospitality industry.

Families are eligible if:

• they earn less than $250,000
• the parents/sole parent works, trains or studies at least eight hours a fortnight
• at least one parent is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

As the Nanny Pilot Programme progresses over the next two years, the feedback of participating service providers, nannies and families will help the Government develop future policy for care provided in the family home.

Families have until 5pm AEDT on 30 October to apply.

To find out more about the Nanny Pilot Programme visit the Department of Social Service's website.

Just over two weeks remain to get applications in for the 2016 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women's Award - Australia's top award for rural women.

The RIRDC Rural Women's Award identifies and supports emerging leaders across rural Australia. More than just an award that recognises rural women, it also offers mentoring, resources and support via its nation-wide network of business and community leaders for selected state winners.

Councils are encouraged to nominate rural women in their communities with a commitment and desire to making a real difference to their industry or their community. The Award is open to all women involved in primary industries.

The closing date for applications is Friday, 30 October. Application forms can be downloaded from the RIRDC website.

Melbourne and Sydney are among 33 finalists who have been selected for this year's C40 Cities Awards and will compete to win in three urban climate action categories: building energy efficiency; adaptation, planning and assessment; and smart cities and smart community engagement.

The C40 Cities Awards aim to:

• ensure that cities demonstrating true leadership in addressing climate change are globally recognised
• share highly replicable ‘best practices’ across cities, and draw attention to outstanding performances that have achieved a high level of environmental success in a challenging context
• enable dialogue on a global scale, and networking opportunities.

Winners will be announced on 3 December in Paris, to coincide with the activities around the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21).

Find out more about the awards on the C40 website, or view the 2015 finalists at this link.