Testing Times For Wa Ports Raise Fears

The Age

Friday July 13, 2007

Mark Hawthorne

IN AUSTRALIA's two-speed economy, top gear is called WA.

Western Australia exported $48.4 billion of minerals and other resources in 2006, so a WA Government investigation into heavy metals pollution at seven ports will be watched very closely.

A side effect of the resources boom is that record volumes of metals are being exported from ports that also ship grain. Fear of contamination is now regarded as serious.

So far 31 people, including seven children under five, living near Esperance have lead levels in their blood above World Health Organisation guidelines.

That prompted the WA Department of Environment and Conservation to review the state's ports to ensure global health standards are being met.

The public health issue is worrying enough. But a closure of any of the ports being tested would be a major blow to the economy.

Global lead prices hit records after the port of Esperance was closed in March. DEC spokeswoman Jan Martin couldn't say whether testing would disrupt exports.

Geraldton, north of Perth, is Australia's second-largest grain export port, but more than half of its export volume comes from minerals and iron ore.

Port Hedland is the biggest iron ore shipper in Australia. It also ships grain.

Ports at Bunbury, Wyndham, Kwinana and Albany will also be also tested after high levels of lead, copper and zinc were found in soil testing at Derby and Geraldton in May.

DEC environmental regulation director Robert Atkins says: "Initial soil tests have shown lead at levels that prompt further investigation for environmental reasons on the boundaries of the Geraldton and Derby ports.

"We're carrying out these assessments primarily to screen for heavy metals." The first port tested will be Geraldton, and it could affect Oxiana.

The Big Ox exported 11,634 tonnes of lead sulphide through Geraldton last year. Oxiana's Golden Grove mine contains 70,000 tons of lead reserves.

The DEC would be "closely monitoring" the next lead shipment that leaves Geraldton, Atkins said. "If we find deficiencies in the port's loading operations, we can require improvements if necessary before any further shipments can go ahead," he said.

Green, with envy?

DOES Australia have a new airline?

Billionaire Richard Pratt has long been a player in the hospitality business - his Raheen mansion in Kew hosts a never-ending stream of soirees during the year - but, of late, the private jet has has been in demand.

Union boss and Labor candidate Bill Shorten flew Air Pratt when he made an emergency dash to Beaconsfield in Tasmania during last year's mine collapse.

A couple of Age journos also hitched a ride on that flight.

A string of Carlton players have hitched rides on the jet, and Blues chief executive Greg Swann flew to Sydney for a function on Tuesday.

It makes one wonder whether Pratt or Visy Industries is picking up the bill - although a Visy insider says two jets exist, one for official company business and a "private" private jet.

Before Pratt gets too generous, he should take a look at the Visy environmental policy he signed. "We are committed to environmental improvement and preventing pollution," it states.

Must be one of those eco-friendly private jets.

Deal starts to register

THE purchase of Britain's ASDA supermarket chain by US giant Wal-Mart barely rated a blip on Australia's business radar in 1999, but some of the key players are starting to be felt.

Former ASDA chairman Archie Norman masterminded that sale. He is now with private equity giant Permira, and played a role in the Wesfarmers bid for Coles.

Steven Cain worked for Norman at ASDA until the Wal-Mart sale, was managing direc-tor of food, liquor and petrol at Coles, and is now being touted as a director should the Wesfar-mers bid succeed. The latest member of Norman's team to make his mark in Australia is Andy Hornby, chief operating officer, of HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender.

HBOS owns BankWest, which will open 160 branches on Australia's east coast, as part of its assault on the Big Four.

Hornby, Cain and Norman were on the ASDA board from 1996 to the sale in 1999.

Statistically skewed

THE latest culprit in Full Disclosure's shame file of surveys and polls is human resources company Talent2, which informs us that "half of Aussie bosses are no good at what they do: survey".

Talent2 came to that conclusion by asking: "Do you think the bosses in your company are effective at what they do?".

People could answer "yes" or "no", which means a sample group of monkeys armed with pencils would answer, roughly, 50 per cent for each.

Talent2 suggests a "massive 57.7 per cent of Australians believe their boss is completely ineffective on the job".

So what business is Talent2 in? It helps Australian com-panies outsource jobs to India, and Telstra is one of its biggest clients. Telling bosses their employees hate them wouldn't be of any benefit, of course.

© 2007 The Age

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