Tasmania’s population has reached a new high.

The Treasurer, Michael Aird, said data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that Tasmania's population rose by 1,223 persons or 0.25 per cent in the December quarter 2007.
“Tasmania’s population has reached a record level of 495,772 persons,” Mr Aird said.
“We are heading ever closer to the 500,000 population mark.”
Mr Aird said in the December quarter 2007 the natural increase in Tasmania was 581 persons.
“Tasmania recorded a net inflow of 236 persons from interstate in the December quarter 2007, the second consecutive quarter of net inflow,” he said.
“Net overseas migration was 403 persons in the December quarter 2007, an increase of 49 persons from the September quarter 2007.”
Mr Aird said that there may be minor revisions to the estimates for 31 December 2007 as the data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics was limited due to the recent identification of under reporting to the ABS of birth registrations in Victoria and the subsequent receipt of additional records from the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
The release of final population data has been delayed until 24 June 2008.

Bhat or buck, Asian union could end Oz dollar

By Jane Metlikovec
June 06, 2008 02:46am
Asian union would mean free trade, says expert
Unified currency could follow
Opposition divided on idea
A UNIFIED currency and open borders could follow any union between Australia and Asia, an expert says. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday announced his plan to create a broad Asia-Pacific Community by 2020. Asian legal expert Prof Tim Lindsey of Melbourne University said it was too early to speculate about a unified euro-style currency, but it could follow any international pact. "With a union you have the idea of free trade, and once you have that everything else follows," he said. "Australia is uniquely positioned as the only Western society in Asia and we have never capitalised on that, despite most of our commodities going to Asia." He said Australia was still suffering from a "colonial hangover" by setting itself apart from Asia. "This perception of ourselves as a European nation has to change. Our government-to-government relations have improved with Asia so much that we do need to capitalise on it now." Opposition MPs are divided on Mr Rudd's plan, which he put forward in a speech to the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre on Tuesday, ahead of a week-long visit to Japan and Indonesia. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Robb said Mr Rudd's plan was presumptuous: "His first job is not to be telling China, Indonesia, Japan and India how they will be organised by Australia." But Opposition trade spokesman Ian Macfarlane said he wanted to see more details before making a judgment. "At face value, it's a step in the right direction," he said.

Fuel costs killing businesses

Report: Drew Radford
While we're all feeling the pinch from high fuel prices, spare a thought for those who are losing $60,000 a year because of it.Truck and transport operators say the high cost of diesel is killing their businesses, with many smaller operators going out of business.Drew Radford, our bloke on the bike, caught up with a couple of truck drivers on the Eastern Highway in Western Australia.Life has changed dramatically for Lenny and Mick with the recent hike in fuel prices."Last month my fuel bill was $15,000," says Lenny."Six months ago it was $12,000 a round trip in fuel bills, now it's $17,000," says Mick.Lenny and Mick both say the fuel prices are having a major impact on them as owner operators."It's wiping out our bottom line, we're working for nothing," says Lenny.You can catch up with Drew's journey through WA online at abc.net.au/rural.
In this report: Lenny and Mick, truck drivers

World food supply must rise 50%, Ban Ki Moon tells Rome summit

Ban Ki Moon, the UN secretary-general, says food output must soar to feed the hungry to not Richard Owen in Rome

A United Nations summit on resolving the world's food crisis opened this morning with a call from Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, for world farm production to rise by 50 per cent by 2030 to meet growing demand.
He called on leaders to lower export restrictions and import tariffs on food with immediate effect to avoid further hunger and malnutrition, which have caused riots in several Third World countries.
The three day summit, organised by the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization, follows massive food price rises over the past three years. Analysts blame the diversion of crops to make biofuel, drought and natural disasters, fuel costs, and speculation.
Ed Schafer, the US Agriculture Secretary, claimed that biofuels are responsible for only 2-3 percent of the predicted 43 per cent rise in food prices this year. America has invested heavily in biofuel technology. Other summit participants however said that biofuel accounted for 15-30 per cent of food price increases.
In a message to the summit this morning, Pope Benedict XVI said that hunger and malnutrition are "unacceptable" in a world that has enough resources and know-how to end hunger.
The summit has been overshadowed by controversy over the presence of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Mahmoud Admadinejad of Iran, both of whom are due to address the gathering today. Neither has been invited to a banquet this evening hosted by Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, at the Renaissaince era Villa Madama, which is used for Italian government receptions.
Under EU sanctions imposed on him because of his human rights record Mr Mugabe is not allowed to set foot in the EU, but the restrictions do not apply to UN meetings in Europe, Italian officials said. They said he had been granted entry "for the purposes of the summit only", as he had been for the FAO world food summit in 2002 and the organisation's sixtieth anniversary celebrations in 2005.
Douglas Alexander, Britain's International Development Minister, who is attending the Rome summit, said that Mr Mugabe's presence was "obscene", and pledged that he would not meet him or shake his hand. "This is a man who has impoverished his own nation, a country that was previously regarded as the bread basket of Africa and now has four million of his own population reliant on food aid......He neither has the credibility nor the authority to speak on issues of food production and prices."
Jewish leaders, the Italian left and Iranian exiles have denounced Mr Ahmadinejad's attendance at the meeting after the Iranian President repeated his call for the destruction of Israel before leaving Tehran for Rome.
Mr Alexander said Britain supported the World Food Programme's efforts to provide immediate humanitarian assistance as a short term solution.
In the medium term it wanted "a more effective functioning agricultural market" and in the long term a significant rise in agricultural growth and productivity.

Hartz sale go-ahead given

MARIA RAE Law reporter
June 03, 2008 12:00am
A JUDGE has given the green light for controllers to sell off the embattled Hartz mineral water business.Justice Peter Evans yesterday dismissed a Supreme Court application by Hartz owner Stephen Powell for an injunction to halt the sale of the company. "It seems to me that delaying a sale may diminish the value of the business as ongoing uncertainty may cause staff to leave," Justice Evans said in his judgment on the application. He also said it would give Hartz competitors the chance to make inroads into its business. Investment firm Business Expansion Capital Pty Ltd (BE) appointed controllers to manage Hartz in April, less than seven months after it loaned $600,000 to the company. The managing controllers, who claim Hartz broke the terms of the loan agreement, are in the process of selling the company to recoup their loan and a risk fee of at least $600,000. The controllers wanted to sell the company last month and say there were several interested buyers. But Mr Powell applied for the injunction when a court trial -- in which he is arguing to have a loan agreement he signed with BE rescinded -- went over time. Justice Evans also said in his judgment it was a contradiction to make an order that stops BE from selling but puts pressure on BE to continue its controllership of the business. "Whilst I realise that BE could simply walk away from the controllership, I cannot see how this would be a benefit," he said. "On the evidence before me it seems that if BE walked away, another creditor would step in and force a sale of the business." The judge also said the injunction would not mean the difference between Mr Powell keeping Hartz and Hartz being sold. "The thrust of the evidence is that for some time the plaintiffs have recognised that the business had to be sold," he said. Justice Evans said the difference was Hartz being sold by Mr Powell, BE or other creditors. He said he also considered it significant that the injunction sought was in relation to the sale of a going concern rather than a fixed asset like real estate.

USA Rail

Tasmanian Country Hour
Monday, June 2, 2008
US rail freight spend $440B and rising
Report: Catherine Clifford
While Australia struggles to make significant funding commitments to fix its ailing freight rail network, the Americans have pumped more than AUD$440 billion into theirs over the past 25 years.In the late 1970s the Americans realised they were facing a transport infrastructure crisis. So, the then US President, Jimmy Carter, signed off on the Staggers Act (named after Democrat Congressman Harley Staggers) and deregulated the railroad industry.The move saved the US rail freight system from total collapse, says Tom White from the Association of American Railroads."More than 20 per cent of the industry was in bankruptcy and the average return on investment for the remaining railroads was only about two per cent," he says.Railroads then used these new freedoms to increase volume, improve efficiency and reduce costs."Previously railroads had to get government permission before they could change prices, offer new services or decide what markets to serve," he says."After that legislation was passed railroads were treated more like other industries so they could make those decisions themselves," says Mr White.Since 1980, America's 554 private rail carriers have invested more than 40 per cent of their total operating revenues to improve tracks, modernise fleets of locomotives and wagons, upgrade signals, fix bridges and attract staff.The Association of American Railroads says the US rail freight system now moves 42 per cent of all US freight and, unlike Australia where coal and other mineral resources take precedence, the Americans move anything and everything by rail."Our largest customer is a trucking company that finds it is far more economical to put a trailer on one of our trains and move it cross-country if it is going more than 1,000 miles than it would be for it to move it over the highway," says Tom White."About half the lumber that's used for building houses is delivered by train, grain is our second largest tonnage after coal and we move substantial volumes of fertilisers as well," he says.Seventy per cent of all new vehicles off the assembly line take their first trip by train in the United States.The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) represents 930 US companies that move and handle about 70 per cent of the US grain crop, more than a third of which is transported by rail.In spite of the massive spending on rail freight in the US, though, the NGFA's spokesman Randy Gordon says serious rail capacity constraints are starting to emerge again and his Association is pushing Congress to do more to encourage investment."We are joining with the Association of American Railroads in supporting legislation that would provide up to a 25 per cent tax credit to companies who invest in new rail lines, new switches and new sidings," says Randy Gordon.Meanwhile, back home in Australia, agricultural businesses who want to put more of their freight on trains continue to dream about the possibility.Executive Director of Livestock with the Teys Group, Geoff Teys, says it offers a lot of benefits in the transportation of cattle."We find it efficient and very good on animal welfare and we'd certainly use much more if it was available, but it's at maximum capacity at present and we need more capacity," he says."You can buy a thousand bullocks at Cloncurry and deliver them into Brisbane in one hit on one transport mode and your cattle all leave together and all arrive together," says Mr Teys.Geoff Teys says he'd like to see greater integration of rail and road freight in Australia."The road guys could run into the rail depots and the depots could take [produce] to their destination, whether it be grain, meat, livestock, all sorts of commodities," he says."They shouldn't compete with each other, they should work together," says Geoff Teys.
In this report: Tom White, communications spokesman, Association of American Railroads (AAR), Washington, DC; Randy Gordon, vice-president of government relations and communications, National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), Washington DC; Geoff Teys, executive director of livestock, Teys Group.

2008 Tasmanian Export Awards Launch

A CALL TO ALL WILLARD ESTATE LOGISTICS EXPORT CUSTOMERS........THIS IS YOUR YEAR!!!!!

The Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, Paula Wriedt, today launched the 2008 Tasmanian Export Awards to recognise the important contribution that exporters make to Tasmania’s economy.
“The Tasmanian Government recognises the importance of strong export endeavours in our state’s businesses and we are a proud supporter of these awards,” Ms Wriedt said.
“Our state has an abundance of companies that are turning challenges into opportunities and ensuring Tasmania’s remarkable export success continues.
“The 2008 Tasmanian Export Awards build on our Tasmanian companies that are striving to build clear and competitive international advantages.
“The Tasmanian export economy is booming, with many of our exported products and services coming from a wide range of business sectors and from all regions of Tasmania.
“In the 2006-07 financial year, exports from Tasmania were worth a staggering $3.7 billion, an increase of 26 per cent on the previous year.
“The winners from each category of the 2008 Tasmanian Export Awards will qualify as finalists for the Australian Export Awards Program.
“Tasmanian exporting companies are competing successfully on the world stage.
“Over the past four years, three Tasmanian businesses have become national export award winners.
“The awards are proudly supported by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism, in partnership with the Australian Government, Austrade, Aurora Energy, Caterpillar Underground Mining, Commonwealth Bank, TasPorts, The Examiner Newspaper and UK Trade and Investment,” Ms Wriedt said.
The seven categories in the 2008 Tasmanian Export Awards are:
· TasPorts Agribusiness Award
· Australian Government Emerging Exporter Award
· UK Trade and Investment Information and Communications Technology Award
· Caterpillar Underground Mining Small Business Award
· Aurora Energy Manufacturer Award
· Austrade Services Award
· Commonwealth Bank Regional Exporter of the Year Award.
The overall Minister’s Tasmanian Exporter of the Year Award is selected from the seven category winners.
Applications are now open for the 2008 Tasmanian Export Awards. The Tasmanian winners will be announced in October and the national winners announced in December.
For more information visit the website www.exportawards.com.au/tas