According to BIS Shrapnel, Australian mining output growth may start to slow down by 2007 or 2008 since the resources boom in Australia may be replicated overseas, possibly resulting in oversupply. “Nevertheless, Australia has some of the largest and richest commodity reserves in the world, and the longer-term outlook remains very positive for Australia’s minerals industry. Continued investment, efficient mining operations and vast mineral resources augur particularly well for the medium to long-term outlook,� BIS Shrapnel predicted.

By 2015, BIS Shrapnel said 162,275 Australians will be needed in mining, representing a 70,000-worker increase over the next decade. Western Australia and Queensland will have the strongest demand for labor, due to high growth in copper, nickel and bauxite.

Meanwhile, an additional 15,785 employees will be needed in Australian coal mining by 2015. Iron ore will require an additional 13,441 employees during that same period, while gold mines will need 7,061 more employees. Bauxite’s project employment demands will necessitate the hiring of 10,712 more workers. In the meantime, 10,372 more employees will be needed by copper mines. Projected employment needs in nickel will require 8,842 extra workers by 2015, while zinc mines will need 2,347 more employees, along with lead mining’s demand for 944 more workers. Finally, uranium mining will require 654 additional employees.

The report found that an additional 22,058 semi-skilled workers will be required in the natural resources sector. Competencies associated with mechanical and electrical trades are also a high priority for mining, which requires an additional 26,893 in mechanical and electrical jobs.

At the other end of the spectrum, the report determined that the Australian mineral industry has experienced a chronic shortage of minerals graduates, especially mining and metallurgical engineers for the last decade. Over the next 10 years, the resources sector will need 7,659 additional mining professionals.

SMH - MULTIPLEX Group’s milestone, the Wembley football stadium, will be finished within “a few months”, according to reports in a British newspaper.
London’s Sunday Observer reported yesterday that the Football Association and Multiplex planned to make an announcement confirming the news.

It said that statement could be issued as early as today, saying the stadium would be “finished soon and it should be ready for the next Cup Final”.

Multiplex and the FA were embarrassed earlier this year when the FA Cup Final had to be moved to Wales’s Cardiff Stadium. Next year’s final is scheduled for May 19.

Given that Multiplex has threatened that the complex project might not be finished until 2010 because it will not hand the site over until legal action is resolved, talk of a completion date in coming months is surprising.

Multiplex and Wembley’s owner, Wembley National Stadium, put a halt to their High Court battle earlier this month in an attempt to settle the dispute out of court.

It followed the Australian construction company launching a £350 million ($850 million) action against Wembley last month in an effort to recover some of the enormously inflated costs of the project.

Wembley has disagreed that it ought to reimburse the company for parts of the project including the roof installation and steelwork.

The Sunday Observer said that “last-ditch negotiations” between the pair had succeeded. It said the FA had agreed to pay Multiplex £70 million on top of its original fixed price contract of £458 million. However, of the £70 million, Multiplex would have to pay £35 million in compensation for the project running over time and budget.

(RTTNews) - Monday, The Australian Industry Group - Housing Industry Association Performance of Construction Index or Australian PCI rose 7.5 points to 53.1 in September, AiG reported. Construction industry returned to moderate growth following deterioration in activity induced by the rise in interest rates in August.

Pick-up in new home starts and increased work from the mining sector were cited as the major factors that improved the activity in September. By sector, commercial construction and house building activity recorded strong growth in the previous month. While apartment building activity declined, new orders, reflecting likely forward activity, strengthened in the commercial and engineering construction sectors and it steadied in house building, the report noted.

Of Course, activity in Western Australia, is still high, having eased back slightly in the last quarter.
“JCA clients such as Mirvac and Mulitplex continue to benefit from high demand for residential units in Western Australia,” states Andrew Aliprandi (JCA’s Building Planning Manager), “Our Planning division has continued to plan new residential developments all over Western Australia, because of the amount of residential developments either in construction or planned for construction.”