Tradify is a job management app for tradies and helps manage enquiries, quoting, job tracking, job scheduling, staff management, timesheets, invoicing and other functions.
Oxfam says clothing retailing industry must share $1 billion profits with garment workers
Oxfam has called out fashion brands Zara and Jeans West for failing to commit to transparency by sharing factory locations and benchmarking garment workers’ wages, as retailers prepare for Black Friday sales and the pre-Christmas rush. The two brands were deemed “naughtiest” on the anti-poverty organisation’s annual Naughty or Nice List. Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Lyn Morgain said figures show that the clothing retail industry has recovered from the pandemic, with revenue rising up 18 per cent over two years and profits of $1 billion in the past year. “Brands should be factoring living wages in to the cost of doing business,” said Morgain. “They are responsible for ensuring everybody in their supply chain, including the women who make their clothes, are paid above the living wage, so they can help themselves and their families out of poverty.”
AWI funds “biological defleecing” research for wool industry
Wool industry not-for-profit Australian Wool Innovation is funding research into a new opportunity for biological defleecing using a natural protein from corn, which generates a weakened zone at the base of the wool fibre but enables the fleece to stay on the sheep without a net until the wool can be removed. The new method aims to improve on “Bioclip”, a biological defleecing process developed by CSIRO and made available in the 1990s, and uses Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) vaccination. The new method of biological wool harvesting uses a new zein class of protein from corn, shown by University of Adelaide to cause a weakening of the staple of most of the fibres, for easy mechanical removal without cutting equipment. “The important thing about this proved concept was that this treatment allows the fleece to stay on the sheep without a net – and that’s revolutionary, and potentially could be a real labour-saving option for woolgrowers compared to Bioclip,” said Dr Jane Littlejohn, AWI General Manager, Research. The project will run over several years to check whether there are any negative impacts on wool growth and quality.
Electric car stops at UOW during trip around Australia
A Tesla electric car circumnavigating Australia using direct solar charging for some of its power stopped at the University of Wollongong Innovation Campus on Wednesday. The car is part of the Charge Around Australia (CAA) project and will be on display as part of the Australian National Fabrication Facilities Materials (ANFF) Prototyping Open Day. The ANFF Materials node involves the University of Wollongong (UOW) and the University of Newcastle (UON) and provides access to advanced fabrication equipment including reel to reel printing and 3D printers for polymers, metals and ceramics. ANFF Materials Node Director Distinguished Professor Gordon Wallace said creating practical prototypes is all about getting devices into the hands, and minds, of end users.
Department of infrastructure establishes Net Zero Unit
The federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts has established a new Net Zero Unit, to be led by Ian Porter. According to a statement on Thursday, the unit will identify how the infrastructure portfolio can work across government and with industry to help achieve net zero and improve the resilience of transport networks and supply chains in the face of increasing extreme weather events. It will also support the cross-portfolio Net Zero Taskforce advising the government on ensuring regional Australians benefit from the planned national transformation into a renewable energy superpower. Porter most recently headed program delivery for Climateworks.
