Hard work needed to combat skills crisis in mining

There is no magic wand for companies in the mining sector trying to overcome skills shortages, only the need to optimise their recruitment practices and do it better than competitors, mining leaders were told at a recent conference in Sydney. Speaking at the Attract, Skill and Engage the Mining Sector conference in Sydney this week, Julie Mills, CEO of the RCSA, said that companies need to work harder and smarter to overcome their people challenges. “What it all boils down to is attracting as many people, from as many different talent pools, and with the most compelling message, as possible, if you want to get high-calibre people into your company,”Mills said. “Put simply, you need to be doing it better than your competitors.”

FBT change may disappoint employers and workers

The tightening of the current exemptions under the FBT law for work-related items are disappointing for employers and employees, according to KPMG. The changes, announced in the Rudd Government’s first Budget, will see the FBT exemption for “eligible work-related items” amended to limit the exemption to items used primarily for work-related purposes. Affected items include: laptop computers, PDAs, briefcases and other tools of trade. The income tax law will also be amended to prevent employees claiming a deduction for depreciation for the work-related percentage of FBT-exempt items. “These changes mean that certain items which have been able to be provided tax-free as part of an employee package will now be treated as taxable benefits,” said KPMG tax partner Andy Hutt.