Connecting Industry News: September 2023.

Welcome to the Connecting Industry News. Every month, Connecting Industry will keep you up-to-date on the latest resource and construction news, information, events, and procurement opportunities in Queensland and Australia.

In this month's Connecting Industry News, Heritage Minerals launch their next package for the Mount Morgan Gold and Copper Project, Capricorn Enterprise launch their 2023 Major Projects and Industry Forum, Connecting Industry director Kieran Moran speaks with Andy Evans, the CEO and founder of Oceanex Energy, and do you have a fixed mindset and believe your success is confined to only your abilities?

Enjoy this month's Connecting Industry News.

Is chucking a tantrum the best way to communicate?

Believe it or not, children are the best communicators. There are no filters, and their sense of wonder enables them to ask questions and say what they mean. For the past 25 years, the world has lived in the bubble of a communication revolution with the birth of the internet and in many ways, has acted like children in trying to figure out how to talk to each other. We're really only 6 months old in terms of our growth in using new communication techniques, we’re getting there but have a long way to go until we communicate truthfully and with respect.

In the mists of this loud and noisy birth, the landscape of communications and stakeholder engagement for companies has changed significantly. There are now so many voices with social media platforms that their stakeholders, predominately their consumers, can make or break them in one keyboard stroke and in many cases, it has nothing to do with the company's service or products.

A case in point is where companies are now refusing to work with the coal industry due to public pressure related to climate change. I remember when Siemens was awarded a contract by Adani (now Bravus mining and Resources) to deliver rail signaling systems in 2020 however, they reconsidered the contract due to more than 30,000 public emails landing in their inbox, protesting the development of the Carmicheal Coal Mine.

The social license to operate for many companies is now at the forefront of their communications with their stakeholders. It’s easy to argue consumers are the most important stakeholders because they bring in the revenue and there are so many of them. For instance, there are many more consumers than other stakeholders such as board members or suppliers. A company may have a product or service but if it does not have a consumer, it cannot exist or sustain itself. For many companies, consumers are their greatest assets, and they need to be managed but in the 21st century, the world has changed where your consumers can be influenced by outside stakeholders.

In the past, the consumer was the fanatical focus of marketing, particularly in marketing communications however, there is now an entire host of stakeholders’ companies need to understand. 20 years ago, the focus on consumers, shareholders, and the board were all most communication departments had to think about but today, especially with social media, stakeholder engagement can be anyone with a keyboard and as is happening right now, they have the power.

Stakeholders now comprise of multi-dimensional bubbles filled with consumers, competitors, employees, the media, investors, government, suppliers, unions, and the environment, to name a few. And like it or loath it, social media has now made stakeholders the entire community with most of them not even consuming the product or service. Gone are the days of having company values for the sake of it, now a business must live by and follow through on those values and engage with not only their 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier stakeholders, but the entire global community.

For many companies, the birth of the internet and the communication revolution we are now going through, has brought them back to the fundamentals of communications and stakeholder engagement. Gone are the days of privacy and hiding behind closed doors. Businesses now need to be open and transparent, admit to their mistakes, ask questions, and say what they mean, and like children, they should not lie otherwise they’ll be caught out in one shake of the rattle.

Industry News Briefs.

RWE teams up with Stanwell for wind farm development.

Global renewable energy player RWE is partnering with Stanwell Corporation Limited to develop two new wind farms in Central and Southern Queensland by 2029.

The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic partnership and support the delivery of Stanwell’s pipeline of renewable energy assets.

The MoU identifies the proposed 1100MW Theodore Wind Farm, near Biloela, and a second wind farm of up to 720MW in early-stage development in Southern Queensland as their initial focus.

The Theodore Wind Farm project, located 40km south-west of Biloela, would incorporate a wind farm and battery storage and may also incorporate a solar farm. Construction of the project is expected to take up to four years and require a workforce of up to 500 people at peak periods.

Heritage Minerals has launched their next package for the Mount Morgan Gold and Copper Project.

Heritage Minerals are promoting construction opportunities to the region’s local contractors and suppliers for the Gold and Copper project and are requesting expression of interests from capable businesses that can supply Building Services.

The scope of the package for Building Services include: Building materials for provided designs and specifications, site-based labour, construction equipment, consumables, small tools, PPE, supervision & field management for the installation or permanent buildings.

Connect here for more information.

Capricorn Enterprise launch 2023 Major Projects and Industry Forum.

Tickets are now on sale for Capricorn Enterprise's 2023 Major Projects and Industry Forum.

Capricorn Enterprise's Major Projects and Industry Forum is being held at the Frenchville Sports Club in Rockhampton on Thursday 19th October.

This is a great industry event for the local supply chain featuring 12 keynote speakers covering the overarching topics of Regional Futures and Projects, Health and Education, and Energy. The Forum will bring together decision-makers, all delving into future industry trends, collaborative opportunities, regional insights, and key developments leading to new economic opportunities.

Connect here for more information.

The proposed $1 billion Winchester South open-cut coal mine has passed a key approval milestone.

The Queensland’s Coordinator-General has formally accepted the environmental impact statement (EIS) as the final EIS for the Winchester South project.

Located about 30km south-east of Moranbah, the Winchester South project, is targeting an average ROM production of 15 Mtpa at full capacity to supply the international market for about 30 years.

The open-cut coal mine is expected to support 500 jobs in construction and 500 when operational with predicted Queensland supply chain benefits of $5.7bn.

The above industry News Briefs were sourced from the following publications" IQ Industry Queensland, PV Magazine, Renew Economy, and Australian Mining.

Connecting Industry Podcast.

Have you listened to the Connecting Industry Podcast?with Andy Evans, the CEO and founder of Oceanex Energy? Oceanex Energy are?an Australian company who are progressing the development and construction of up to 5 offshore wind farms including the Novocastrian Offshore Wind Farm, 20km off the coast of Newcastle, NSW. Hosted by Connecting Industry director Kieran Moran, Andy Evans has 20 years of experience in Australia’s energy sector and has been heavily involved in the development of renewable energy projects since 2006, firstly in onshore wind and bioenergy, before introducing offshore wind to Australia in 2012.?To listen to Andy's?story and others working in the resource and construction sector, connect here.

Industry Events.

Bowen Basin Minin Club.

Ticket sales close this Friday for the next event in the 2023 BBMC Networking Luncheon Series. It’s one of only two remaining luncheons for the BBMC in 2023, so you don’t want to miss it!

The luncheon, sponsored by CRE, will be held in Mackay on Thursday 14th September. To focus is on mining technology with guest speakers Matt Sayers, Head of Assets Australia East and Trent Smith, Group Manager, Autonomous Services from Thiess.

For more information about this event, connect here: Bowen Basin Mining Club | Central Queensland | Events (bbminingclub.com)

Connecting Renewable Energy Conference Qld 23.

The online Connecting Renewable Energy Conference Qld 23 features speakers from some of the largest renewable energy, resource, and construction companies in Australia, presenting their project procurement and solution-based opportunities.?

Held on November 16 and with 6-8 projects presenting more than $8bn of procurement opportunities, the event is designed to assist Queensland’s and Australia’s resource, construction, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain. The strategic focus of the conference is to highlight potential procurement opportunities from now to over the next five years to assist industry and the supply chain in their planning for future work opportunities. To find out more about this event, connect here: Connecting Renewable Energy Conference Qld 23.

Connecting Industry Luncheon: Neoen.

The next Connecting Industry Luncheon with Neoen is on Wednesday, September 13. Held in Gladstone Queensland, Connecting Industry Luncheons are attended by CEO’s, managing directors, and business executives from across Queensland and Australia. The nature of the luncheons gives your business the opportunity to connect, engage, and network with all presenting company speakers, industry, attending delegates, and the local supply chain.

In Queensland, Neoen is currently developing the Mount Hopeful Wind Farm, a large-scale renewable energy project in Central Queensland based within the Rockhampton and Banana Shire areas. The Mount Hopeful Wind Farm is under active development, with construction expected to commence early 2024. Construction will take about 24 months and will require a peak workforce of around 300-400 personnel. For more information about this event, connect here: Connecting Industry Luncheon: NEOEN

Major Industry, Energy & Manufacturing Conference.

The Gladstone Industry Alliance are holding their Major Industry, Energy & Manufacturing Conference on September 27 and 28.?

This is a great annual event for local industry and the supply chain and will provide delegates with a valuable experience as they engage with prominent guest speakers from Rio Tinto, Gladstone Ports Corporation Ltd, CleanCo Queensland and Shell QGC to name just a few. This is the ideal opportunity to gain insight on where industry, energy and manufacturing is heading and the opportunities available across the broader Central Queensland area as our region progress to undertake some incredible new projects.

To find out more about this event, connect here: 2023 Major Industry, Energy & Manufacturing Conference.

LinkedIn Local Events.

Have you registered for the September LinkedIn Local Gladstone event on Thursday, September 14? Held at Ward's Brewery, LinkedIn Local Gladstone is a business networking event without the pitch which allows you to connect with, and meet, local business in a great atmosphere. So, come along to Gladstone's only LinkedIn Local networking event where you'll meet like-minded people in local businesses from around the region and network over some nibbles and drinks in a great atmosphere and create new business connections that could be valuable in the future. LinkedIn Local Gladstone is free to attend, and you do not have to be on LinkedIn. To find out more and to register your attendance, connect here now.

Managing for growth.

At Connecting Industry Talent, we work alongside many different companies and gain insight into their differing workplace cultures. ?Increasingly we see many moving to a culture that embraces a ‘growth’ rather than ‘fixed’ mindset. Usually, we think of this being a characteristic in individuals, but when whole teams adopt this approach to working, their results are enviable. The concept of the ‘growth mindset’ was originally presented by Dr Carol Dweck, a Professor of Psychology at Standford University. ?In summary, individuals with fixed mindsets believe that their success is confined within the range of their abilities – they are good at something, or they are not, and that fact can’t be changed however, those with growth mindsets believe their success is linked to effort, overcoming obstacles through learning.?To learn more, connect to the Connecting Industry Talent blog now.

Connecting Industry is passionate about connecting your business to the resource and construction industry via our three tiers of professional services – Events, Talent, and Communications. To find out more about Connecting Industry, including our events, recruitment / talent services, podcasts, and communications / stakeholder engagement initiatives, email us at [email protected] or phone on 0438 146 819.