Tag: AMMA

LEADING individuals and organisations of Australian resources and energy industries were celebrated in Melbourne in early August. Presented at the gala dinner of resources and energy group AMMA, the awards celebrated leadership, innovation and excellence in the sector. The event is the industry’s annual workforce celebration which puts the spotlight on the sector’s high-achievers, in front of industry leaders and peers. AMMA chief executive Steve Knott praised the high level of award winners across five categories covering key workforce-related areas of the industry. He said the initiatives and programs implemented by resources and energy employers reinforced Australia’s standing as a global leader in key workforce areas. “These are the people and organisations driving our industry to ensure a brighter future…

Image: Rio Tinto. BY ELIZABETH FABRI THE Federal Government’s plan to abolish the 457 visa for foreign workers has already received strong support from mining industry officials, who remain hopeful a new scheme would safeguard Australian jobs and fill the void where skilled workers were currently needed. On 18 April, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Subclass 457 visa would be scrapped and replaced with a Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa with a reduced list of occupations, tighter criminal background checks, and higher standards for English language skills. The TSS program would be split into two streams; a short term visa of up to two years, and a medium term visa for up to four years. Mining occupations that made the…

Increased social use of drugs outside the workplace remains a challenge for employers to manage. By Cameron Drummond GROWING drug and alcohol use in the resources sector has increased the challenges facing employers, according to a report by the Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA). A 2016 AMMA Drug and Alcohol Survey has shown that businesses were progressively more worried about the social acceptance of the use of prescription and illicit substances in the workplace. However the survey showed that out of a total of 53 companies across the industry that responded, only 40 per cent test for synthetic cannabis, raising concerns about the ability of testing to keep up with rapidly changing substance types. The report found that 65…