Board Meeting:
3 - 4 September 2012
Agenda Number:
4
File Reference:
AD0100
LORD HOWE ISLAND BOARD
Business Paper
Chief Executive Officer Report to September 2012 meeting of the LHI Board
The following briefing provides an overview of key issues managed by the Board during the
reporting period, and their status. It is intended that this document be available to the public as
part of the minutes of the meeting. Matters which are subject to confidentiality, business in
confidence or legal action are shaded and are not included in the public copy of the report.
Number of items excluded from this public edition:
Business & Corporate Service Report
Reason: Business in Confidence
MATTER
STATUS
Governance
Review
The Hon Murray Gleeson AC has completed a review of
governance arrangements on the island. Mr Gleeson
visited the island in April and submitted a report to the
Premier in June 2012. The Premier is currently considering
the report’s recommendations.
The NSW and Australian Governments have recently
announced funding for two of the island’s important
environmental projects. The Minister for the Environment,
Robyn Parker, has awarded $1.5m million over 3 years to
the Board for continuation of the island’s weed eradication
program. In July the NSW and Australian Governments
jointly announced $9 million funding for the eradication of
rodents from the island.
The former LHI Board Chair, Mr Alistair Henchman,
resigned from role in July 2012. Under the Act the Minister
shall appoint a Board member representing the Office of
Environment & Heritage and a new Chairperson.
The
Board acknowledges Mr Henchman’s important contribution
to the island.
The Board was directed by the Minister under section 10 of
LHI Act to defer completion of Category B dwelling process
until Gleeson governance review was completed. The
process is still on hold pending announcement of outcomes
by Premier. Progress of the Board’s new policy to guide
future dwelling allocations is also on hold.
Transport for NSW recently announced the State
Government is calling Expressions of Interest for new air
licences to connect Sydney (Kingsford Smith) Airport to
regional areas in NSW including Lord Howe Island.
Announcement of EOI expected in October 2012.
Grant funding
Chairperson
Lord Howe
Island Board
Category B
Air Service
ACTION
REQUIRED
BY BOARD
AT THIS
MEETING
For
Information
See agenda
item 11 (ii)
For
information
For
Information
For
information
2011/12
Financial
Statements
The Board’s draft 2011/12 financial statements have For
recorded a Net Operating Result of $2.68 million and Total information
Comprehensive Income of $8.12 million. The financial
statements have been submitted to the Board’s external
auditors for endorsement prior tabling in parliament and
presentation in Board’s Annual Report.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENGINEERING SERVICES
Includes Works, WMF and Electrical units
Works Unit
Building Construction, Maintenance and Management:
 General maintenance of Board properties ongoing in accordance with the Works Unit
Maintenance plan.
 Minor maintenance has been undertaken on the LHIB Boatshed including protecting
exposed electric cables (cables not in the required conduit).
 The Liquor store shed was lined as per the NSW Food Authority recommendation.
 Powerhouse Building construction continued (see separate paper)
 Replaced floor to Phasmid enclosure
 Slab for new glass crusher installed at WMF
 Visitor facilities safety audit conducted and identified actions completed.
Wharf
 Jetty, fenders and handrails checked for loose bolts and fittings.
 Aluminium steps cleaned with chlorine to remove algae.
Airport
 Landscaping, grounds maintenance and mowing of the grass apron and parking areas
ongoing.
 Two Bird Strikes reported for the period (Plovers)
 Bird Hazard Management plan amended and submitted to BAHMC for endorsement.
 Annual Aerodrome Technical Inspection completed in July, several recommendations not
affecting operational status were made, however the survey indicated the Blinky Dune
needs to be lowered to bring the takeoff, approach and transition Obstacle Limitation
Surface (OLS) into compliance with the Manual of Standards Part 139 as a result a
Development Application has been submitted for consideration at the September Board
Meeting.
 Builders arrived on the 28th August to install the new Qantaslink Check-in counter and
associated storage facilities.
 A contract has been awarded to James Thompson for the provision of daily Aerodrome
serviceability inspections.
 2 - yearly Aviation emergency exercise conducted Tuesday 14th August, the exercise
WAS carried out to ensure compliance with CASR 139.
Roads, Parks and Visitor Facilities:
 Mowing and general maintenance of public space and picnic areas ongoing.
 Mowing plan prepared and under review by LHIB management
 Ongoing wet weather has resulted in significant damage to roads due to poor subgrade
conditions. Additional potholing and resealing has been undertaken however failures
continue to occur due to very wet subgrade.
Emergency Management:
 No incidents reported for the period.
 Air Ambulance retrievals YTD total 29, the total for calendar year 2011 was 14
General items
 Telehandler, tractor and elevating work platform competency training undertaken week
commencing 24th July.
 Board personnel assisted with the funeral arrangements for Gary Petherick and Judy
Maddrill.
 Beach nourishment Pinetrees Boatshed to Windy Point undertaken August
Waste Management Facility














Wastewater filters cleaned and irrigation lines flushed out
Re-use shed cleaned out, loose waste removed
Monthly maintenance check performed on all WMF machinery
Douse Fire Protection carried the annual fire extinguisher inspection.
Accreditation training on Merlo Panoramic completed.
JSA’s for WMF daily procedures completed.
New interpretive signs for the WMF have been purchased.
LHIB field operations 6 monthly OHS risk checklist completed.
The annual low season Waste Audit was conducted.
WMF staff have been working with some of the larger island businesses to help them
reduce the amount of waste they generate (i.e. on site composting, minimize the use of
bin liners and staff education).
A septic and grease trap year plan has been established and all parties involved with
pumping and delivering septic/grease waste have been informed in writing of the
arrangements that must be made before delivery.
A new vertical feed auger on the VCU have has been installed and the VCU is operating
normally again. A new top feed auger was purchased along with the vertical auger; this
will be installed when the old one wears out (probable in the near future).
The new Andela Glass Crusher has been installed and began operating on 28th July.
Between the 28th July and 11th August the crusher operated for approximately 10 hours
crushing approximately 12 ton of glass. On the 11th August an electrical fault caused the
crusher to stop operating. At the time of this report the SEO is investigating the issue.
Total waste volumes received at WMF for 2011/12 are presented below.
Electrical Services Unit
Overview of Activities
 Routine maintenance on Generating Units 1, 2 and 3 was completed.
 Routine maintenance on Generating Unit No.1 air circuit breaker was completed.
 Routine maintenance on Generator No.2, 3 and control board battery chargers was
completed.
 Routine maintenance on Genset 2 and 3 day fuel tanks and pump gear was completed.
 Routine maintenance Generator 1, 2 &3 battery banks was completed.
 Routine maintenance on Substations No.6 Middle Beach Road and associated
distribution pillars was completed.
 Supply load surveys were carried out on Substations No. 6 and associated distribution
pillars. Distribution pillars were monitored for their voltage levels. All voltage levels in the
surveyed areas were within acceptable limits
Information for Board Members
 Energy demand for the reporting period was 566 400 kWh compared to 585 600 kWh last
year. A decrease of 3.27 %
 Fuel consumption for the reporting period was 145 100 litres compared to 149 200 litres
last year. A decrease of 2.74 %.
 Fuel energy efficiency for the period was 3.90 kWh / litre compared to 3.92 kWh / litre for
the same period last year. A decrease of 0.5 %. The Series 60 diesel engines continue to
provide excellent fuel efficiency during operation.
 Maximum demand for the period was 417 kW compared to 465 kW for the same period
last year. This maximum demand was recorded at 7.10 pm on 12th June.
 There were two powerhouse supply interruptions during the period. The first at 1.10 am
on 22nd June was caused by a cracked fuel line fitting on Genset 3. This resulted in a loss
of supply for approx. 30 minutes whilst the faulty fitting was replaced. The second outage
occurred at 8.05 pm on 5th August and was caused by a fuel level shutdown alarm on
Genset 1. This resulted in a loss of supply for approx. 7 minutes whilst the shutdown
alarm was reset.
 There were no localized supply interruption during the period.
 The construction of the new powerhouse is continuing with all major building construction
works now being completed. Installation of the new exhaust systems have been
completed. Installation of ventilation system wiring is near completion and control room,
plant room and partial workshop light and power wiring have also been completed. Work
has begun on the installation of the new earthing system for both powerhouse,
substations and standby generator installations. The new powerhouse switchboard is due
for delivery on 1st September. Once installed this will allow major generator, substation
and building wiring service works to be completed.
 There are presently 279 customers connected to the supply system. Four additional
private solar array installations have been installed / commissioned on customer
residences. There are now seven installations successfully feeding excess generation
back into the island electrical grid in accordance with LHIB policy.
WASTE MANAGEMENT ANNUL REPORT
Summary
WASTE VOLUMES PROCESSED
WASTE VOLUMES EXPORTED
MATERIALS
MATERIALS
FOOD/WASTE
SCRAP/METAL
ALUMINIUM
ENGINE/OIL
TYRES
PAINT
20L/BUCKET
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
M3
WEIGHT
BAILS
WEIGHT
BAILS
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
LITRES
NUMBER
WEIGHT
BATTERIES
WEIGHT
CHEMICALS
ST/VINIES/CLOTHS
WASTE/GENERAL
WEIGHT
BAILS
BAILS
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
PAPER/CARD
GREENWASTE
GLASS
PLASTIC/RECYCLE
MAGAZINES
WASTE/BUILDING
BUILDERS
RUBBLE
TREAT/EFFLUENT
WEIGHT
LITRES
11480
133168
60966
150
74520
35
8750
845
2541
35610
800
4600
2000
0
FOOD/WASTE
1750
282506
LHI SEA FREIGHT
JRR TRANSPORT & Disposal
JR Richards SKIP HIRE
TOTAL
BUILDING WASTE FEES CHARGED
M3@ $230
Whitegoods@ $30
mattress@ $20
skip hire@$95.70
TOTAL
$
7,362.84
$
19,501.90
$
26,981.76
$
6,075.02
$
59,921.52
$12,493.18
$1,410.00
$340.00
$478.80
$14,721.98
BATTERIES
WEIGHT
CHEMICALS
ST/VINIES/CLOTHS
WASTE/GENERAL
WASTE/BUILDING
WEIGHT
BAILS
BAILS
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
BUILDERS RUBBLE
WEIGHT
TREAT/EFFLUENT
LITRES
MAGAZINES
TRANSPORT AND DISPOSAL COST FOR PERIOD
LHI TRANSPORT
SCRAP/METAL
ALUMINIUM
ENGINE/OIL
TYRES
PAINT
20L/BUCKET
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
M3
WEIGHT
BAILS
WEIGHT
BAILS
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
WEIGHT
LITRES
NUMBER
WEIGHT
PAPER/CARD
GREENWASTE
GLASS
PLASTIC/RECYCLE
920
920
13
115
55720
25440
WASTE TRANSPORT
0
0
0
0
12400
35
8750
845
2541
35610
800
4600
2000
0
920
920
13
115
55720
25440
MATERIALS
RECYCLES
BUILDING WASTE
RESIDUAL WASTE
OTHER
TOTAL SKIPS
CUBIC METRES
3.5m3skip
27
23
0
0
50
175
Financial year To 30 June 2012
Direct Waste Costs
$
LHIB Operations Costs
$
Balance cost to LHIB
$
59,922
283,450 Sourced from Practical
343,400
Waste fees
Cost recovery
subtotal
Net Impact
(including levy from
281,974 Practical)
18,473 from practical
300,447
42,953
$
$
$
-$
1750
0
RECYCLE PRODUCTES SOLD
RATE
WEIGHT PER
(t)
TONNE
practical
PRODUCT
practical
STEEL
practical
MIXED PLASTIC
7,112 varies
MAGAZINES
1,369 varies
ALLY/CAN
22,953 varies
800 varies
BATTERIES
0 varies
COPPER/BRASS
0 varies
GLASS
TOTAL FOR RECYCLES
0 varies
3m3 2m3
skip
skip
PALLET OTHER
0
0
30
6
0
1
0
0
57
0
0
0
0
0
20
6
57
1
50
12
171
2
0
0
AMOUNT
$
1,686
$
744
$
65
$
320
$
$
$
$2,814.15 (cost recovery)
ENVIRONMENT & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
General Policy and Planning
 Prepare draft development assessment policy and procedures
 Prepare draft community grants policy
 Finalise Operations Plan 2011-12
 Prepare Operations Plan 2012-13 and associated budget
 Project Management of Environmental Grants (separate Board Paper)
Biodiversity Management
 Conduct Woodhen telephone conference regarding survey methodology
 Liaise with Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) Research Branch on planning Captive
Management Workshop
 Review Little Shearwater research report
 Undertake surveys of threatened plant Chamaesyce psammogeton on Blinky dune for
threatened species assessment
 Seek renewed licence for disturbance to sooty terns on Blinky dune as part of ongoing
implementation of LHI Aerodrome Bird & Animal Hazard Management Plan
Research
 The following research applications have been assessed and approved since 29 May 2012:
Name
Mr. Hank
Bower
Organisation Project
LHIB
To establish Birdlife Australia Atlas sites to enable visitors
and residents to undertake bird surveys & submit Atlas forms
to monitor bird populations on Lord Howe Island.
 During the above period, the research facility was used by the following persons:
Name
Silvia
Kadrabova
No. People
1
Project
Volunteer Weeder
Address
C/O O’Reillys Guest House Lamington
NP Qld.
 Undertake minor maintenance at the research facility
 Prepare feedback form for visitors
Pest Management
 Undertake firearms audit and control of pest birds
 Obtain authorisations for staff as Inspectors under the Plant Diseases Act
 Submit grant variation with NSW Environmental Trust for African Big-headed Ant program
Quarantine
 Two incoming international vessels without quarantine clearance sought approval to harbour
at LHI. One required fuel and the other sought medical attention for a sailor.
Rodent Eradication
 Commence planning to implement the Lord Howe Island Rodent Eradication project (see
separate paper)
 Renew Rodent Control contract for 2012-13 financial year
 Undertake trial of 2 Ekomille rodent trap units to test efficacy as an addition to revised baiting
protocol
Weed Management
 Refer to Environmental Grants Progress Report
 Prepare Draft Work and Development Plans for Grade 4+ staff
 Implement on ground works at priority blocks to address weed eradication targets
 Support Friends of LHI and attend AGM.
 Northern Rivers CMA – prepare new contract for 2012-13
 Review Weeds of National Significance strategic plans (Asparagus Weeds/ Madeira Vine)
 Undertake weed risk assessments
 Review Job Safety Analyses
Revegetation
 Update LHIB revegetation and rehabilitation plan (in progress)
 Undertake maintenance of reveg sites in accordance with Revegetation Work Schedule
 Undertake infill planting
 Propagation of native species at LHIB Nursery
Compliance
 Investigate unauthorised vegetation removal and damage to threatened species habitat,
prepare breach report and statements
 Review implementation of Remediation Direction
 Implement Remediation Directions
 Follow-up with dog owners regarding registration and training requirements
 Assess requests for tree removal
 Review of plant importation applications
 Continue noxious weed inspections and follow-up
Incident Management
 Assist with transfer from Endeavour
Community Programs & Education
 Provide content for LHIB website
 Prepare draft Bulletin articles
 Prepare draft Fact Sheets on rodent eradication, quarantine (incl. phytophthora and myrtle
rust), weed eradication, volunteer programs etc.
 Prepare draft signage on White Terns
 Planning for interpretative signs at Post office, Museum and Airport
 Assist with Transit of Venus program
Cultural Heritage
 Follow-up progress on NSW State Heritage Inventory forms as part of Lord Howe Island
Community Based Heritage Study
Visitor Infrastructure
 Complete design of Boat Harbour walking track bridge






Continue walking track upgrade at Mt Eliza
Maintenance of facilities at North Bay
Maintenance of walk through Phytopthora boot scrub bays (x3) at track heads
Repair and maintain fences
Develop feedback form and undertake general maintenance of research facility
Water bottle refill stations delivered
Marine Management / Moorings
 Monthly visual inspections and maintenance of moorings in association with Marine Parks as
per the Memorandum of Understanding between the LHIB and MPA.
 Coordination of mooring bookings and allocations
 Finalise insurance claim for alleged damage to the yacht ‘Next Moment’
Human Resource Management
 Develop ECD Unit Staffing Strategy
 Coordinate workplace improvement program,
 Prepare evidence for NSW Industrial Relations Commission hearing
 Complete recruitment of Bush Regeneration Supervisor
 Undertake recruitment process for temporary Bush Regeneration positions in Environment
Unit
Training
 TAFE delivered training to staff in Conservation Land Management - Certificate 3
Qualification
Environmental Assessment
 Ecological assessments for all OC / DAs
 Tree assessments
Land Administration & Environmental Planning
 Refer to separate papers for OC / DAs approved under delegated authority
Other:
 Continue LEP review process
 Continue with review of Significant Native Vegetation mapping
 Request NSW Land & Property Information to undertake LiDAR surveys
 Provide planning advice on proposal to reduce the height of Blinky Dune
 Prepare tender documents for renewal of Planning & Assessment Contract
 Permissive Occupancy - Telstra’s telecommunications facility on Portion 327
 Permissive Occupancy – Pinetrees Boatshed
 Geoscience Australia - Request to replace fence at ATWS site
 Request to move Business Identification Sign, LHI Bowling Club
 Proposal to relocate antenna and cable to Cargo Shed Building
Health & Building
 Obtain advice on relevant OC and DA regarding compliance with the Food Act and Aust
Standards.
 Follow-up Food Safety Supervisor notifications
 Liaise with NSW Food Authority regarding meat / milk production.
 Review of Food Safety Plan for dairy facility
Water Management
 Complete 1/4 potable water testing and treatment
 Complete ¼ ground water monitoring testing
 Continue Mosquito Surveillance & Vector Monitoring Program
 Management of LHIB drinking water supplies, including installation and maintenance of
tanks, gutters, pipe work, first flush systems and pumps;
 Finalise proposal to install groundwater monitoring bores