Austmine 2013 is designed for international businesses interested in supply chain opportunities in the mining sector. This international conference and exhibition is held every two years in a different Australian capital city. Perth, in Western Australia, is the host city this year The three day Delegate Program will off companies an insight into the latest advancements in mining equipment, technologies and services (METS). 

Seminar:   Western Australia: Building and Construction opportunities

Date:        Thursday 21 March 2013, 1.30pm – 4.00pm

Venue:     Australian High Commission, Australia House, Strand, London WC2B 4LA

Guest Speaker: Rory Brennan, Executive Director of Infrastructure Investment for Infrastructure Australia

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) announced that it will invest A$1 billion to support development within Sydney’s CBD.

Working in a joint venture with Lend Lease Corporation and the Australian Prime Property Fund Commercial (APPFC) CPPIB will develop and hold two institutional quality, premium grade, energy-efficient waterfront office towers at the Barangaroo South Project in Sydney's Central Business District (CBD) in Australia.

The Northern Territory Government in Australia has given development consent for a multi-billion dollar Ichthys gas plant at Blaydin Point, Darwin. This follows the announcement last week that the Ichthys Final Investment Decision is locked in.

Acting Chief Minister Delia Lawrie announced that an offer for a Crown Lease on the project site had been made. This will enable construction of the LNG onshore processing facility at the Blaydin Point site, provided the project meets the conditions set.

Ms Lawrie said the two announcements were important milestones for the Ichthys Project.

“The Ichthys Project is the second-largest private investment in Australia’s history,” Ms Lawrie said. “The local economy is set to benefit with jobs for Territorians and significant opportunities for local business. The Territory Government has approved the Project’s proposed gas development on Blaydin Point, which means the path is clear for the start of work on site.”

At the peak of construction, a workforce of approximately 3000 will be needed to build the onshore facilities, which include an LNG plant, a condensate plant, product loading jetties and a 300-megawatt power station.

Gas from the Ichthys Field will undergo preliminary processing at the offshore central processing facility (CPF) to remove water and raw liquids, including a large proportion of the condensate. This condensate will be pumped to a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) facility anchored nearby, from which it will be transferred to tankers for delivery to markets.

The gas will be transported from the CPF through a subsea pipeline 885 kilometres to the onshore LNG processing plant proposed for Blaydin Point on Middle Arm Peninsula, Darwin, Northern Territory. It will be cooled to below minus 161 degrees Celsius, the point at which the gas becomes a liquid, known as liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Ichthys Project will have an initial capacity to produce 8.4 million tonnes of LNG per annum, 1.6 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) per annum, as well as 100 000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.

The Project is currently in Front End Engineering Design (FEED) - the project development phase in which plans for the onshore and offshore facilities are defined, designed and evaluated in more detail. This will provide the joint venture with the information necessary to make a final investment decision.

 Ms Lawrie said those interested in boosting their skills and shaping their careers will also benefit.

“There will be education opportunities with the new North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas at Charles Darwin University and the Larrakia Trade Training Centre,” she said.

“Today’s Year 12 students, apprentices and trainees could be working as engineers, tradesmen and project managers when the gas plant begins operating at the end of 2016.” These milestones meet key objectives of the Territory Government’s 2030 economic sustainability plan, securing new private sector investments to drive economic growth and expansion and establish Darwin as a key centre for oil and gas operations, maintenance and workforce.”

The Western Australian Government’s Ord-East Kimberley Expansion Project has reached a major milestone with the release of more than 15,200ha of irrigable agricultural land near Kununurra in Western Australia’s tropical north east.

The Government is now seeking Expressions of Interest for around 15,000 hectares of irrigable agricultural land across three areas.

Goomig Farm:  Around 7,400 hectares of developed irrigable land, with lots ranging from 60 to 839 hectares. Irrigation infrastructure will be completed in 2011, with roads and drainage to be constructed in 2012 to 2013. Two additional areas which have potential for medium to long term development: Knox Plain:  Around 6,000 hectares of land to the east of the Goomig Farm Area Ord West Bank:  Around 1,700 hectares of land on the west bank of the Ord River

The irrigation expansion project forms part of a $415million partnership between the Western Australian and Australian Governments to encourage the development of agricultural enterprise, new community and social infrastructure and see Kununurra emerge as a major regional hub.

The project has been made possible through the Ord Final Agreement a native title agreement between the State Government of Western Australia and the Miriuwung and Gajerrong people,

Larry Schlesinger in Australia’s Property Observer reports that Investors have spent more than $2 billion in the Australian commercial real estate market over the June quarter which has accounted for some 24% of all Asia-Pacific transactions, according to research by CBRE.

A pioneering Queensland infrastructure blueprint for the next 20 years has today been released by the State Government for consultation.

Premier Anna Bligh and Deputy Premier Paul Lucas said the Queensland Infrastructure Plan (QIP) was a visionary plan that would strengthen regional Queensland and the entire state.

Following a slow start to the year, Australian commercial property transactions surged in Q2, 2011 with preliminary data from CB Richard Ellis showing investment activity reaching AU$2.7 billion.

 This is a 432% increase over the paltry $638 million turnover of Q1 2011 and 14% above the long term quarterly average turnover. The analysis takes into account investment sales over $20 million in the office, retail and industrial sectors.

Victoria’s world-class manufacturing industry was given a boost this week with a new multi-million dollar Innovation Centre at the Victorian Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing (VCAMM) facility in Melbourne. This state-of-the-art facility will draw international projects and focus to Victoria and reinforce the state's position as the manufacturing hub of Australia.