Further to tips given to Crikey earlier in the year that Ausenco would struggle to complete their Lumwana Copper Project on time, Ausenco have announced to the ASX that the main transformer compound on the site caught fire, further delaying commisioning of the Plant. The project was due for completion 30 June, so was already behind and looking at liquidated damages. Ausenco claim to have set aside $8M for additional project costs, but no mention is made of possible LDs. Since Ausenco pushed forward most of the profits from Lumwana into their first year’s figures, next year might not be such a gangbuster.

Centrelink has a fantastic customer service policy. However, given that they service the most vulnerable of the community they have an uncaring attitude. For example many of their customers do not have home telephones and have only prepaid mobile telephones. When they call into Centrelink staff are not permitted to call them back if they run out of credit or drop out.

A major housing development is now under construction at Wilton in Sydney’s far south west, on the only other site left in the metropolitan basin for the construction of a new jet airport. Wilton was identified as the alternative site by the MANS or Major Airport Needs of Sydney study that concluded Badgery’s Creek was the preferred site 23 years ago. With Wilton gone and Badgery’s Creek likely to also get flogged off Sydney will have nowhere to fly additional services once the current airport chokes, unless of course the real plan is to fill in Botany Bay, or expand it into surrounding suburbs, or relocate the towns of Richmond and Windsor as part of a scheme to expand Richmond air force base into something capable of being a major airport.