🏆 2024 Resource Industry Awards | Google data centre denied | Mackay Airport commercial precinct revealed | River to Reef starts this weekend and more!
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In today's email
One Big Thing: Mackay’s Shining Stars of the Resource Industry - The 2024 RIN Awards Gala
Major Mackay Airport: Commercial Precinct Revealed
Australia’s Right to Disconnect: A Win for work-life Balance or Another Hurdle for Business
Trending: Missing person
Around The Web (Snippets): River to Reef starts this weekend, man charged in South Mackay for drugs possessions, Google denied datacentre and more!
Upcoming Events
Mackay Weather - Weekend Forecast
A NEW SECTION
The Weekly Dream Gig
Each week moving forward, we’ll be calling out a local job we reckon is epic, intriguing, or that just has a big pay packet…
This week - Located at the Mackay Harbour, a skilled individual is needed to help Finesse Marine serve the needs of the community with boat building and spray painting for a salary of $100,000 – $140,000 per year
Live National Housing Price Index
1. Mackay’s Shining Stars of the Resource Industry: The 2024 RIN Awards Gala!
What’s Happening?
The Resource Industry Network (RIN) hosted its annual Awards Gala Dinner at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre, celebrating the achievements of industry leaders and innovators in the regional mining sector.
Why It Matters
These awards recognise key innovators and leaders driving safety, inclusivity, and community engagement, essential for Central Queensland’s resources industry and local growth.
Seven winners were recognised for their significant contributions across various categories
By the Numbers
Over 40 nominees
21 finalists selected
7 winners were awarded across varying categories
Local Impact
Winners like KAEFER, BMA Hay Point, and Twin Hills Engineering are advancing workforce diversity, safety, and sustainable practices, creating local jobs and supporting economic development.
What To Look For Next
The full article, below 👇
2. Milton Precinct Takes Off - Mackay’s New Business Hub
What’s Happening
Mackay Airport is developing Milton Precinct, a commercial hub set to transform vacant land into a business and service centre strategically located near growth areas.
Why It Matters
Supported by a loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), the precinct aims to drive regional growth, attract industries, and create jobs, enhancing Mackay’s economic landscape.
By the Numbers
Stage 1 construction due for completion in 2025 at a cost of $9.7 million
$134.1 million is expected to boost the local economy in the first 10 years of operation
$42.5 million is the annual output from new businesses
200 construction jobs and 280 ongoing jobs are going to be created from the project
Local Impact
Milton Precinct will cater to local business needs, offering opportunities across retail, food, accommodation, and light industrial sectors.
What The People Say
NAIF Chief Executive Officer Craig Doyle said the “Milton Precinct will follow a staged, long-term development schedule, with the first phase now underway to establish a new road and civil services, opening 25,000 square metres (sqm) of serviced lots. Local family business Vassallo Constructions have been engaged to deliver the first tranche of works.”
Forward Thrust
The first stage is underway, with 25,000 sqm of serviced lots opening soon.
Tenancies start in 2026, with expansions into 2027.
What To Look For Next
Watch for new business arrivals as the precinct evolves into a key commercial destination for Mackay’s future growth.
3. Australia’s Right to Disconnect – A Win for work-life Balance or Another Hurdle for Business?
What’s Happening
As of Monday just gone, August 26 2024, Australian employees gained the right to disconnect outside work hours under the Fair Work Act 2009, allowing them to ignore work-related communications unless responding is reasonable.
To be clear, the new laws do not prohibit bosses from trying to make contact with you or employees from contacting each other.
They simply give employees the right to ignore that contact without disciplinary action.
Why It Matters
This change aims to redefine work-life balance, giving employees greater control over their time and reducing out-of-hours work pressure that causes stress and burnout.
By the Numbers
Millions of employees: Will be impacted from 2024, where you are considered a national system employee
What’s a National System Employee, though?
A National System Employee in Australia refers to an employee who is covered by the national workplace relations system established under the Fair Work Act 2009.
This system encompasses most Australian workers and is administered by the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman.)
August 26 2024: The date that modern awards and enterprise agreements will contain a right to disconnect term
August 26 2025: Is the date the right to disconnect to will apply to employees of small businesses
Local Impact
Nobody doubts that the full-blown intensity of the attention-consuming internet and communications devices that facilitate it needs to be stepped away from (dare to check your screen time?).
However, in a prominent place like Australia that can have up to five different timezones and border communities like in populous places like the southern Gold Coast, implications for businesses and staff that work interstate or in different industries of varying intensity and requirements, the real-life impacts are yet to be realised.
What To Look For Next
It’s tough to run a business in good times, let alone in the current economy, where a lot of small businesses are facing dwindling margins amongst increasing GST obligations, payroll tax, increasing wage demands, rising operations costs and overheads, and more.
While the mental health of employees is absolutely critical, you have to wonder what this change does to the mental health of small business owners who must be feeling like they are up against it for the reasons mentioned above and who rely on their staff to keep the show on the road (within reason).
In the meantime, however, national system workers can look forward to more downtime—without the pressure of after-hours work calls, texts or emails.
4. Trending
5. Around The Web (Snippets)
Queensland Country Bank grants are: Now open to local community organisations to apply for (2023 local recipient, Road Accident Action Group)
Mackay’s River to Reef starts this: Weekend with the full event guide found here
In South Mackay, quantities of dangerous drugs, cannabis, cocaine, drug utensils, and cash have resulted in: A man being charged following investigations
Google’s request to build a 72,363 square metre data centre outside of Dublin, Ireland, was: Rejected over power supply concerns (Data centres are projected to consume a third of Ireland’s energy by 2026, up from 18% in 2022)
Mackay Regional Council is: Partnering with local organisations to provide two potentially lifesaving events for R U OK? Day (September 12)
After making more than $200 million in revenue without any: Venture capital investment, Midjourney have announced that they are getting into hardware
Archaeologists have uncovered the real story of how: England became England and a mighty country of its own
A 15-year feud has been put to bed with Oasis announcing: A reunion tour
6. Upcoming Events
🎶 Mackay's Bluewater Fling: August 31 from 1:30 pm onwards; a North-Queensland style Scottish Festival at Bluewater Quay
🛶 Surfboat Rowing Open Day: August 31 from 9 am to 12 noon; open day for 15-year-olds and over to learn a new skill sport at East Point Road, Outer Harbour
🚲 2024 BMA River 2 Reef Ride Festival: August 31 and September 1; promising a vibrant mix of cycling, community spirit and the 2024 ParisParalympicsLIVE site at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens
🐍 Snake Smart Education and Safety Program: September 1 from 8 am onwards; enhance your local snake knowledge and safety measures at Whitsunday Sailing Club
👔 Father's Day Family Karaoke Fun Day: September 1 from 1 pm onwards; karaoke under the stars at Blacks Beach Tavern
🪴 Green Up Sarina Native Plant Giveaway Day: September 4 from 7 am onwards; Sarina ratepayers can collect up to 14 free native plants for their gardens at 101 Sarina Beach Rd
🏞️ Party in the Park: September 4 from 7 am onwards; an event to help raise awareness of Child Protection Week at John Breen Park