feeds from electrician.com.au http://electrician.com.au/rss/ en-au http://electrician.com.au/rss/ http://electrician.com.au/static/campfire/layouts/images/omg-logo-small.png http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/4/1/cheers-as-97-yes-vote-gives-tinkler-the-knights/ Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 EST news MULTIMILLIONAIRE Nathan Tinkler owns the Knights after a staggering 97 per cent of the NRL club's members voted in favour of the racing and mining baron's privatisation proposal at an extraordinary general meeting at Newcastle Entertainment Centre last night.Tinkler required only a 75 per cent majority of members to agree to two constitutional amendments clearing the way for him to take control of Newcastle's NRL club, which until last night's history-making ballot had been a membership-based, c ...

MULTIMILLIONAIRE Nathan Tinkler owns the Knights after a staggering 97 per cent of the NRL club's members voted in favour of the racing and mining baron's privatisation proposal at an extraordinary general meeting at Newcastle Entertainment Centre last night.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/31/in-case-of-power-failure-send-for-a-sparkie/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news "IT IS good to be a rebel and it is good to win." So declared John Robertson delivering his maiden speech to the NSW upper house in 2008.Today the former electrician and union boss will emerge as one of the few winners from Labor's electoral rout, having pulled off a risky transition to the lower house and being certain to land the much diminished prize of the Labor leadership.But whether he can lay claim to "rebel" status any more is doubtful: Mr Robertson was anointed as th ...

"IT IS good to be a rebel and it is good to win." So declared John Robertson delivering his maiden speech to the NSW upper house in 2008.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/31/rights-former-sparkie-to-rewire-nsw-labor-wreck/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news Paul Keating may label John Robertson a destroyer but he has risen from the shop floor, writes Shane Green. JOHN "Robbo" Robertson should have the ideal pedigree to lead the NSW Labor Party on its long journey out of from the wilderness. In the maligned era of the career politician, Robertson has the benefit of rising from the shop floor.With the faintest of echoes of Ben Chifley's beginnings as a train driver, Robertson started his working life at 16 as an apprentice electrician. &quo ...

Paul Keating may label John Robertson a destroyer but he has risen from the shop floor, writes Shane Green.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/30/park-thanks-punters-with-wave-of-support/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news KEIRA MP-elect Ryan Park wrapped up his election campaign yesterday the way it began - on the side of the Northern Distributor, waving to motorists.But this time, the 33-year-old wasn't begging for votes; he was thanking constituents for helping him into office.An exhausted Mr Park virtually collapsed over the line on Saturday night after running a fervent and impassioned campaign to maintain Labor's grip on the northern Illawarra seat.He had become a frequent fixture on the side of the road eac ...

KEIRA MP-elect Ryan Park wrapped up his election campaign yesterday the way it began - on the side of the Northern Distributor, waving to motorists.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/30/young-return-held-back/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news DEAN Young's return has been pushed back another week after coach Wayne Bennett left the hooker out of his 18-man squad for Sunday's clash against an injury-ravaged Newcastle.Bennett has resisted the temptation to rush Young back from a knee injury, holding off on naming him until next week's blockbuster against the Bulldogs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.The Dragons will welcome back second-rower Beau Scott, who missed the Warriors victory through suspension, pushing Trent Merrin back to a six-ma ...

DEAN Young's return has been pushed back another week after coach Wayne Bennett left the hooker out of his 18-man squad for Sunday's clash against an injury-ravaged Newcastle.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/30/alp-shortcircuits-its-own-future/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news WHO is this man? After working as an electrician, he became an organiser with the Electrical Trades Union and active in Labor politics, eventually being elected to the leadership of the unions' peak body in NSW. He was also nominated by the Labor Party to a seat in the Legislative Council, before moving to the lower house to assume the parliamentary leadership at an election which saw a huge swing against Labor.It might almost be John Robertson, the man widely tipped to be Labor's next leader. I ...

WHO is this man? After working as an electrician, he became an organiser with the Electrical Trades Union and active in Labor politics, eventually being elected to the leadership of the unions' peak body in NSW. He was also nominated by the Labor Party to a seat in the Legislative Council, before moving to the lower house to assume the parliamentary leadership at an election which saw a huge swing against Labor.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/30/coach-delays-young-for-week/ Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news DEAN Young's return has been pushed back another week after coach Wayne Bennett left the hooker out of his 18-man squad for Sunday's clash against Newcastle.Bennett has resisted the temptation to rush Young back from a knee injury, holding off on naming him until next week's Bulldogs clash at the SCG.The Dragons will welcome back second-rower Beau Scott, who missed the Warriors victory through suspension, pushing Trent Merrin back to a five-man bench.David Gower will play his second game filling ...

DEAN Young's return has been pushed back another week after coach Wayne Bennett left the hooker out of his 18-man squad for Sunday's clash against Newcastle.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/29/goodfaith-clause-protects-council-certifiers/ Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news COUNCIL certifiers are subject to the same obligations as private certifiers to check self-certified building work but they are protected from being prosecuted or sued if they have acted in good faith.The Building Professionals Board has clarified confusion about sections 92 and 93 of the Local Government Act, which state that councils can rely on certificates of compliance for an aspect of work from a contractor or installer without having to inspect the work themselves.The act was amended in 1 ...

COUNCIL certifiers are subject to the same obligations as private certifiers to check self-certified building work but they are protected from being prosecuted or sued if they have acted in good faith.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/29/dog-day-afternoon-among-hay-faithful/ Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news "BREAK in, make my day," says the sign on the front door.The comment has been attributed to an attack dog pictured below, and inside two real mutts are backing up the threat, raising merry hell.It's 3pm and they are the only ones home at this little place in the middle of Warrawong.None of the human inhabitants have stayed in to analyse the NSW Electoral Commission's Virtual Tally Room or agonise over the possible shortcomings of Gordon Bradbery's preference deal.With its State seat on ...

"BREAK in, make my day," says the sign on the front door.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/27/tattooh-thats-a-weird-one/ Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news I HAVE seen some weird and wonderful tattoos in my travels but this one was right up there. In Melbourne on Thursday I spied a young woman with a particularly bountiful chest, wearing a low-cut blouse. And that was not the end of the near-nakedness. For though I seriously tried not to look - no, really - on each breast was the tattooed image of two more near-naked women in bikinis, leaning across the canyon between them to have a bit of a chat, and becoming ever more animated as the woman walked ...

I HAVE seen some weird and wonderful tattoos in my travels but this one was right up there. In Melbourne on Thursday I spied a young woman with a particularly bountiful chest, wearing a low-cut blouse. And that was not the end of the near-nakedness. For though I seriously tried not to look - no, really - on each breast was the tattooed image of two more near-naked women in bikinis, leaning across the canyon between them to have a bit of a chat, and becoming ever more animated as the woman walked. Mind-boggling.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/27/slow-death-of-labor/ Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news THE crowd was chanting "We want Bob" as then-premier Bob Carr took the stage on March 22, 2003.He had made history. "No government has ever won a third four-year term until tonight," Mr Carr told an audience of party faithful.Last night made Labor Party history for an entirely different reason.It was wiped out on a brutal scale, with opinion polls casting it as outsiders in a competition it had no chance of winning.There was a degree of resignation at the polling booths yeste ...

THE crowd was chanting "We want Bob" as then-premier Bob Carr took the stage on March 22, 2003.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/26/life-will-soon-be-a-highway/ Sat, 26 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news WAYNE Hogbin and Pamela Dawson, the couple who brought exotic homewares and jewellery to Newcastle, are planning a big life change.Their 16 Lloyd Street, Merewether, house is on the market with Sonia Walkom for $1.995 million.They plan to swap the spectacular coastal views, four bedrooms and balconies built to entertain for a motorhome and a tour around Australia.Wayne and Pamela established Inside Out, at Parry Street, Newcastle, and Kasumba Jewels of the World, at The Junction, and have been r ...

WAYNE Hogbin and Pamela Dawson, the couple who brought exotic homewares and jewellery to Newcastle, are planning a big life change.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/24/filling-boots-of-weyman-offers-gower-long-innings/ Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news LIKE his famous cricketing namesake, Dragons recruit David Gower has had to be patient to achieve his biggest career goal.Gower was born in Sydney just weeks after the Test great led England to a drought-breaking Ashes series win over Australia in 1985.And his English father could not resist continuing the victory's legacy when christening his son.The rugby league front-rower's career also kicked off in the United Kingdom, with Super League club Salford.Three years ago, Gower returned to Austral ...

LIKE his famous cricketing namesake, Dragons recruit David Gower has had to be patient to achieve his biggest career goal.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/23/mining-your-future/ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news There's help for skilled tradespeople to move into the resources sector. IF you're an electrician, machinist or welder looking for a career change that will ensure no two days are the same, consider a job in the mining and resources industry.recruit NOW! specialises in connecting job seekers with prospective employers.It has a client base from a wide range of job sectors and industries including mining, engineering and finance looking for employees for permanent recruitment or labour hire assign ...

There's help for skilled tradespeople to move into the resources sector.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/23/um-yep-i-can-see-them-in-there-/ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news IT SEEMED like the perfect place to unveil an Australia supercar in the making. And it would have been, had somebody not locked the keys in the car.A prototype of the AJF1, which bears the name of Australia's last formula one world champion, Alan Jones, was set to be paraded at Albert Park as part of the grand prix's preliminary pomp and ceremony.But technicians gave the public an unscripted sneak preview yesterday as they tried to break into the vehicle to retrieve the keys. Their attempts fail ...

IT SEEMED like the perfect place to unveil an Australia supercar in the making. And it would have been, had somebody not locked the keys in the car.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/23/ride-the-wave/ Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news Mining is one of several sectors in which demand for workers is set to continue growing over the next few years. IF you're looking for an apprenticeship in an area that is set to boom, look no further than the mining industry.Figures from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations suggest that in the next five years employment in the sector will increase at an average rate of 3.3 per cent annually. That's about 28,000 new jobs a year, or about twice as many as any other indu ...

Mining is one of several sectors in which demand for workers is set to continue growing over the next few years.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/19/tide-turns-in-the-battle-for-blacktown/ Sat, 19 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news John Robertson's odds have improved with some help from his mates, writes Sean Nicholls. THREE weeks ago Labor was confronted with the unthinkable: the man it was carefully positioning as its next leader in NSW looked like failing spectacularly in his bid to win the heartland seat of Blacktown.Almost unbelievably, reports of internal party polling suggested the bulwark margin of 22.4 per cent left for John Robertson by his popular predecessor, Paul Gibson, had been whittled down to a serious con ...

John Robertson's odds have improved with some help from his mates, writes Sean Nicholls.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/17/gillard-says-a-carbon-price-must-be-set-this-year-or-it-will-never-happen/ Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news JULIA GILLARD has declared this year the last chance to price carbon as she positioned her government between the two extremes of the Coalition and the Greens in the climate change debate.Delivering the annual Don Dunstan address in Adelaide last night, the Prime Minister acknowledged she was "taking a few knocks" but said, "I chose action over inaction because of this simple truth: if Australia does not adopt a carbon price in 2011, we probably never will."Ms Gillard said on ...

JULIA GILLARD has declared this year the last chance to price carbon as she positioned her government between the two extremes of the Coalition and the Greens in the climate change debate.

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/5/letters/ Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news A living hellfor my familyDEAR Mr Premier,More than 13 years ago, my daughter, Mersina, was stabbed at the Fawkner Cemetery. Last year Peter Dupas was convicted for a second time over the crime. For the second time he has lodged an appeal and we are being told it could take years before it goes to court.For my family this has been a living hell. For years we did not know who committed this crime and then we had to sit through two legal trials in the same room as this killer.He has spent $3 milli ...

A living hell

http://www.electrician.com.au/electrician-articles/2011/3/2/keneally-toasts-rail-work/ Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EST news MORE than two years after Kristina Keneally, as planning minister, formed part of a government that deferred the South West Rail Link, the Premier yesterday celebrated a million hours of work on the project.Labor announced the project in December 2004. It was to be completed by 2012 for $688 million but was put on hold in November 2008. It was then re-announced a year later.The 11 kilometres of track connecting Leppington to the south line at Glenfield is now expected to be finished in 2016, at ...

MORE than two years after Kristina Keneally, as planning minister, formed part of a government that deferred the South West Rail Link, the Premier yesterday celebrated a million hours of work on the project.