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Qantas’ decision to split its international and domestic operations sent shockwaves around the airline in July, but one team was already preparing for the job of splitting IT systems.

The restructure complicated an already nuanced technology operation whose tentacles touch every part of the airline – from freight to frequent flyers. It was also a catalyst for improvement as it exposed weaknesses in outsourcing, enabled the relocation of IT people to where they were needed most and, ultimately, saved $30 million.

It all began when the airline looked to outsource parts of the project, exposing gaps and weaknesses in the technology operations.

”We had many sources of truth and this old state created complexities,” said Qantas IT financial controller Larry Morrissey.

”We had multiple sources of data, which led to lots of reconciliation, and also lack of consistency in what we were reporting to the business.”

So the airline made an early decision to install a project management application in October 2011 that would provide visibility of all legacy systems as well as help with the difficult task of prioritising projects along domestic and international lines, explained Qantas chief information officer Paul Jones.

The CA Clarity PPM system would also ”liberate” the knowledge locked away in spreadsheets and silos.

”By having this single source of truth it allowed us to have a look at the entire portfolio and relating that to which projects make sense in an international and domestic sense,” Jones said.

Qantas now more accurately aligns IT spending with commercial goals, according to Jones, because the project management application centrally stores technology project information such as where it is installed, phases of implementation, and upcoming projects.

”That means it’s easier to take a portfolio view across the entire airline rather than everyone having their own pots of technology,” he said.

The new system also gives visibility to the distributed technology operations where seven outsourcers – IBM, Fujitsu, Telstra, Optus, TCS, Satyam and Amadeus – manage 80 per cent of the carrier’s technology systems and support.

The remaining 20 per cent is provided in-house where, from August 1, IT staff were relocated inside the various divisions – from catering, freight, engineering, international, domestic and loyalty – assembled into mini businesses, each with its own chief executive.

”The airline is very complicated so you need IT people with the customers,” Jones said. ”Every sub-part of the airline [needs] tech people working day-by-day.”

He said five technology strategies added value to the airline: IT staff located within divisions, technology modernisation programs, single project view, employee engagement and IT cost reduction.

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Behind this pile of predictions is a paperless office.NBN Co predicts the country’s new high-speed broadband network will transform the economy by sprouting paperless offices across the country. But, for the immediate future at least, paper is here to stay.

Real estate agency Dougmal Harcourts, on the New South Wales south coast, is counting on becoming a paperless office on the back of its early national broadband network (NBN) adoption. It recently invested in iPads and remotely hosted storage applications, and shifted its offices out of the Kiama CBD – so staff can work from anywhere.

It had previously accumulated 20 filing cabinets of documents to satisfy its licence obligations as it needs to keep records of every transaction for five years.

”The possibility of being able to hold all that data in a safe and secure place with cloud backup is one of the things the NBN enhances,” said Sue Spence, the realtor’s managing director. ”It’s not our main consideration but it’s certainly one of several that led us down this path.”

NBN Co says its high-speed broadband fibre can now support multiple telephone lines, which will allow small businesses to provide more reliable services.

”Ours is still definitely a face-to-face industry but more and more we can run services online that traditionally a real estate agent is doing face-to-face,” Spence said.

But it is the iPad, not the NBN, that is hastening print’s decline, according to Kyocera managing director David Finn.

”Before the iPad erupted onto the scene, the industry pundits were saying the paperless office or reduction will occur in 20 years’ time,” said Finn, whose company continues to sell printing machines. ”Who knows how much that is going to accelerate?”

Increased viewing quality on the iPad and other mobile devices meant people were definitely printing less, he said, but businesses would use paper for at least the next 15 years.

”[NBN Co] has this vision that everyone will be connected, but there will still be people with more devices at home just to receive information and print documents.”

The paperless toilet will arrive before the fully digital office, he predicted. ”The paperless office is a myth.”

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Foreign holdings of Australian government debt have slipped from record highs, sparking claims the overseas appetite for Aussie dollar assets may be waning.

Australia has become a haven for global capital in recent months, with foreign investors snapping up government bonds in record amounts, putting a key support under the dollar.

However, an analysis of today’s balance of payment statistics by JP Morgan has found the increase in foreign holdings of government bonds during June was the smallest in three years.

Overseas investors added $5.1 billion worth of government bonds to their portfolios in the June quarter, it found, which was the smallest increase since June 2009 – and not enough to keep pace with the issuance of debt.

Because of this slowing, the share of the $245 billion in government debt that is held by foreigners has dipped from its record high of 79 per cent in the March quarter, to 77.5 per cent.

JP Morgan interest rates strategist Sally Auld said it is too early to say the trend would last, but it appears the rush into Aussie bonds from central banks and sovereign wealth funds is slowing.

“While one quarter is not enough to define a trend, we would argue that this is broadly consistent with the idea that much of the new reserve allocation by offshore central banks and sovereign wealth funds into $A fixed income is now in the past,” she said in a note.

If there is indeed less foreign interest in buying government debt, Ms Auld said the Aussie dollar may lose some of its resilience against the US dollar.

However, she noted that Australia was still one of a small group of AAA-rated economies with a stable outlook, and banks were also likely to seek out bonds as a relatively safe store of capital.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

There will be no relief from land tax in next week’s state budget, Premier Newman says.Premier Campbell Newman acknowledges Queensland land tax has increased too much in the past five years, but says there will be no relief in next week’s state budget.

Addressing a Property Council of Australia luncheon today, Mr Newman said the government could not provide relief on Queensland’s land tax surcharge when the state needed to borrow the equivalent of 20 per cent – $10 billion – of its annual turnover.

However, he remained coy when asked about the possible extension of stamp duty concessions to Queenslanders buying house and land packages, saying that was a matter for Treasurer Tim Nicholls.

“A whole range of government taxes, particularly the land tax, have gone up far too much in the last four or five years,” Mr Newman told the gathering of developers.

“There will be no relief on land tax, but what I can promise you though is that the days of all these taxes doing that, you know sort of zooming up like that, are over.

“We’re trying to get a hold of these things and level it off. Down the track, if we can provide relief on land tax, I tell you what, I’m the first person to propose those sorts of things.”

The Property Council of Australia has called upon Treasurer Tim Nicholls to undertake a wide-ranging review of state stamp duty for off-the-plan residential sales and the land tax surcharge, in the hope the LNP’s first budget will reinvigorate the embattled sector.

Property Council of Australia’s Queensland executive director Kathy Mac Dermott said the sector still bore an unfair proportion of the state’s tax burden, contributing 29 per cent, or $3.8 billion, of state taxation revenue.

With the lifting of the government’s land tax surcharge seemingly off the table, Ms Mac Dermott said the industry remained hopeful stamp duty for off-the-plan residential sales would be scrapped.

When asked about stamp duty concessions today Mr Newman remained coy.

“Well that’s a good idea, I should talk to the Treasurer about that,” he said chuckling.

“That Mr Nicholls, he’s pretty tough and he wouldn’t be happy if I said anything about his budget.”

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

MICK Malthouse will decide whether to coach Carlton within a week.

Malthouse’s manager, Peter Sidwell, and Blues president Stephen Kernahan, chief executive Greg Swann and football operations boss Andrew McKay have officially opened discussions.

”Expect a decision over the next week,” Sidwell said yesterday.

”Discussions are expected over that time.”

The Blues had also tested Paul Roos’ interest in what Swann yesterday said was ”plan B” but the 2005 Swans premiership coach last night said he had declined the overtures.

”I spoke to Stephen and explained why I couldn’t do it,” Roos told The Age.

Roos has a son in year 12 next year and wants to remain in Sydney with his family.

It is believed Malthouse is spending time at the moment assessing Carlton’s assistant coaches and what staff he would like to bring to the club if he were to agree to terms.

Long-time friend Robert Wiley has emerged as a strong candidate to join Malthouse, his former Richmond premiership teammate, in a backroom role.

Wiley was a runner with West Coast Eagles when Malthouse helped deliver premierships in 1992 and 1994 and works as a junior coach with the WAFL.

Magpies football operations manager Geoff Walsh and director of sports science David Buttifant, two men who helped Malthouse win the 2010 flag when at Collingwood, have said they will remain with the Pies.

The Blues are expected to offer Malthouse a three-year contract worth about $3 million.

Speaking on the Blues’ weekly show, The Blue Print, Swann maintained the club had not approached Malthouse before deciding to end Brett Ratten’s tenure last week.

”Everybody is keen to say that it was a done deal – it wasn’t a done deal,” he said.

Asked if the Blues had a contingency plan if Malthouse were to reject their offer, Swann said: ”Plan B was also to talk to Roosy. But we were also pretty confident we would get a senior, experienced premiership coach, which is really the criteria we are after.”

Swann said Malthouse, 59, had made it clear through the year that he was still keen to coach. He has reaffirmed he still had the passion to coach in recent interviews.

”As I said before, even in discussions earlier in the year, even when he left his last job [at Collingwood], he had petrol in the tank, he wanted to coach again,” Swann said.

”Even when he talks to people at various functions, he made it known to anybody he spoke to that ‘I still have some petrol in the tank’.”

”We knew that he was still keen to coach.”

Malthouse last night told Channel Seven that discussions with the Blues had been ”promising” and he was excited about the prospect of coaching the club.

”I have a clearer picture now of how the inner workings of the football department work at Carlton,” he said.

Malthouse said he had also asked the Blues ”how far they are down the track with Travis Cloke. The answer was probably as clear as mud.”

Swann said the Blues would be in the ”hunt” for Cloke should the power forward decide to leave the Magpies.

He also confirmed the Blues would like to stage most, if not all, of their home matches at the MCG when their contract with Etihad Stadium expires after the 2014 campaign.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

A middle-aged man in red and black boxer shorts flashing young girls on Emerald Beach, in northern NSW.

A man aged in his 60s exposing himself in a discount store in Sydney’s west.

A man in his early-30s wearing a fluoro work vest flashing two young girls as they walked past a park bench in Melbourne’s inner-west.

A man flashing while riding a bike in a park north-west of Melbourne.

Last month there was a spate of similar incidents of exposure, which forensic and clinical psychologist Georgina O’Donnell says is the most common form of illegal sexual behaviour.

It is, she says, motivated by gratification from a stranger who does not consent.

So what is behind this behaviour which has recently targeted both women and young children?

Flashers, who can be men and women but are most often men in their adolescence and early adulthood, may have a sexual disorder called exhibitionism or paraphilia, characterised by having repeated urges to expose themselves to a stranger, Dr O’Donnell said.

“Exhibitionism is defined by a pattern of sexual arousal which may be expressed in exhibitionistic behaviour,” Dr O’Donnell, from Hobart’s ForensiClinic, said.

“Exhibitionistic behaviour by definition is non-contact, and there is usually no intention of further sexual behaviour towards the stranger.”

There are many theories about what causes the urges, but generally people who flash do so because they find it arousing, Dr O’Donnell said.

“Some people have a conscious desire to upset or shock the stranger, while others may fantasise that the stranger will become sexually aroused by their display.

“Others are not aware of, or concerned about, the stranger’s response at all.”

Women can also be diagnosed with exhibitionism, she said.

“Female exhibitionistic acts may include habitually undressing at a window that can be seen by the public for the purpose of experiencing sexual gratification from the attention of onlookers.”

Exhibitionist behaviour is illegal and in NSW obscene exposure carries a penalty of up to six months in jail.

There were a total of 284 sexual offences in the category of indecent assault, acts of indecency and other sexual offences reported to police in inner-Sydney in 2011, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

“Exhibitionistic acts may be perceived as a less serious nuisance act, however for some victims the behaviour can be very distressing and fear-evoking,” Dr O’Donnell said.

After a man exposed himself to a young girl at a discount store in St Mary’s, in Sydney’s west, on August 4 local police warned parents to be vigilant.

“It’s very important that parents properly supervise their children when visiting public places, like shopping centres, to ensure their safety and minimise the risk of this type of incident happening,” Crime Manager Detective Inspector Darryl Jobson said.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Steve Johnson (foreground) makes his ill-fated contact.COMMENT

IT’S the system that nailed Steve Johnson. Once the match review panel watched the videotape of him laying a block on Dan Hannebery at Geelong last Saturday and decided it was a reportable offence, he was in trouble.

That’s because Johnson’s record included a tripping incident against Richmond in round four this year (adding 78 points to his base penalty), and the loading from a three-match suspension for whacking Steven Baker, of St Kilda, in 2010. We all remember that incident, when Baker goaded him and their tete-a-tete ended as it was always going to end, with Johnson snapping.

Once Johnson was assessed at a 240-point misdemeanour, Geelong had nowhere to go. Had the Cats chosen to challenge the panel’s finding at the tribunal, they risked losing him for not just one but two finals (assuming Geelong goes through this week). It was a risk it was not prepared to take and it accepted the one-match ban yesterday.

Had it not been for the loading and the carry-over points, he would have been assessed at 120 demerit points, pleaded not guilty for a 25 per cent discount, and walked away with a reprimand.

That’s the system and it is worth noting that the incomparable Stevie J has some recent history in the area of body-checking. He did it to Chris Newman in the Richmond game and escaped; he knocked out Scott Thompson at the opening bounce against Adelaide (although in fairness, that was assessed, rightly, as an accidental collision).

Johnson, in his new role as a permanent midfielder, has been pushing the boundaries with his body-checking, as the Hannebery incident shows. He went a fraction too far, and he picked on an unsuspecting player. But that’s where logic gets thrown out, in my view.

But the system never needed to be used. Surely the Johnson bump on Hannebery, silly and unnecessary as it was, does not constitute a reportable offence in a rugged game like Australian football. Surely a free kick to Hannebery, who was winded but suffered no lasting injury, solves the problem and metes out the necessary sanction on Johnson.

It is such a contradiction to think that a little shoulder into the sternum of an approaching player, intended as a block for that player’s opponent, can draw a suspension from a final when there is so much more overtly dangerous conduct going on around it.

I love watching Stevie J play. He is unique with his all-seeing awareness on the field, and loveable in the fact that he messes things up sometimes, too. Now he won’t be there against Fremantle on Saturday, and I’m wondering if we have a Nanny state.

Here’s my question. Is it actually good for footy that he’s watching a final from the stands? The answer is pretty obvious.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

THE Newcastle Jets have extended the contract of coach Gary van Egmond by a year and he will now stay at the helm of the A-League club until the end of the 2013-14 season.

In his second term at the Jets, van Egmond took over from Branko Culina on the eve of last season.

The Jets finished seventh, missing the finals for a second straight year.

Van Egmond has since rebuilt the squad, bringing in a host of exciting youngsters, and now has at least another season to try and repeat his championship success of 2007-08.

The coach was not available to the Herald but said in a statement on the club’s website that he was privileged to lead the Jets.

“I see a bright future, for this season and for many years to come, in both the development of the players and in the total culture of the club,’’ the statement said.

“It is exciting times for the Newcastle Jets Football Club; we have a great representation of local talent in our senior group and near 100 per cent in our youth team.’’

After guiding the club to a championship and wooden spoon in consecutive years, van Egmond left the Jets, who were then owned by Con Constantine, to take up a position at the Australian Institute of Sport.

He spent two seasons in Canberra before returning to Newcastle last year.

In the statement Jets owner Nathan Tinkler described van Egmond as one of Australia’s premier coaches.

“When we signed Gary, part of his charter was to develop an exciting team and to nurture local talent,’’ Tinkler said.

‘‘What has been impressive during his first season with us, is not only his ability to coach but his desire to improve the game locally.’’

Gary van Egmond.

Kevin Rudd, during his time as PM, being welcomed by students from Gordon Primary School in the ACT. Kevin Rudd

While Julia Gillard is selling her education crusade, Kevin Rudd is doing his own round of schools, reminding people of his record — and musing on what to do when you run into a brick wall.

All the time, he’s been keeping the Twitter world abreast of where he’s going.

”Spoke to 1400 lads at Iona College in Brisbane this morning on faith, values and politics,” he tweeted yesterday.

Then, directing his followers to a YouTube video, ”Have a listen to what the kids at one of the schools in the Tweed have to say about their new school facilities.”

And today: ”Spent some time early this morning  with the teachers and little ones at the Stones Corner Children’s Develop.”

”As the [Rudd]  government said way back in 2008, early childhood education to ensure our kids are wired for learning.”

”Fantastic morning at St Ita’s at Dutton Park. St Ita’s has used Oz Govt school funding [initiated by the Rudd government] to build a fantastic new library.”

”Also spoke to years 6 & 7 at St Ita’s about China, the importance of family and most other things under the sun. Great kids.”

One thing has been missing from the stream of tweets so far – any reference to the Gonski report on school funding, which the Prime Minister and her government have now formally embraced.

When he spoke at  Iona College yesterday about various things under the sun, Mr Rudd delivered a homily to the many young people who say they would like to go into politics one day and ask him ”what should I do?”

”My answer to them is as follows.

”Tell me, young man, young woman, what do you believe in and why?

”And the second thing I ask them: well, if you know what you believe in  and why, then ask yourself this question — what can I do about it?

”And the third question I put to them is: okay, what are you now going to do about it? Yourself, in your life, where you are?”

Too often, Mr Rudd lamented, ”I run into folk in political life, of all political parties including my own, who can’t answer that question properly. And it’s a very basic question.

”If you’ve looked at my own political career, it’s been full of a few ups, and a few downs — mainly downs in recent times,” he observed, drawing some laughs.

”Have you ever been – not too much laughter up the back there – a member of your own college football when you’ve come in first, and it’s premiers in one season, and you’ve dropped to the bottom of the table the next season?

”Life’s like that. I can here a few murmurs of agreement. Life’s like that.

”It’s not just one even smooth trajectory to the top of whatever you’re doing. So when you run into brick walls in life, things that get in your road, things that go wrong, things that happen which you’re not planning on, the really important thing is to go back to those basics of  ‘what do I believe in and why? and therefore, what should I do about it?”’

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Many people are happy to complain about rising water and power bills but aren’t prepared to do anything about it, says the organiser of Sustainable House Day – a national event taking place this weekend where householders open up their homes to the public to show off green initiatives.

“Most people … just let their home manage them and just pay the bills at the end of the month, and talk about the increased prices of water and electricity,” says Pia Vogrin, who has organised the event.

“Realistically if they were more active in managing their homes then they wouldn’t get such a surprise at the end of the month.”

On Sunday, the owners of 235 properties around Australia will open their doors to strangers interested in learning how to make houses more sustainable. They’ll have the chance to see and touch the materials, building and green products.

“It’s a tactile event, visitors can walk into these houses and look and feel the difference in terms of a sustainable build,” says Vogrin. “They can see passive solar – hopefully in action if there’s some sun around on the weekend. They can see how a home in their neighbourhood actually works with the environment.”

The homeowners “want to share their stories, because they’ve come out the other end [of making their home sustainable] and are hoping that they can inspire others to take action in terms of managing their own home”, says Vogrin.

About 40,000 people are expected to take  the opportunity to inspect the properties and another 60,000 are expected to research the homes online. At many of the homes, the builder and architect involved will also be on hand.

Among those showing off their properties, Vogrin says there will be plenty who are attracted to the idea of a “smart home” rather than being an environmental crusader.

“If you take away the green consciousness … these people are proud of the homes that they’ve built or designed,” she says.

“They feel really engaged in their home. They’re able to manage their home, they know their energy usage, they know their water usage, they’re able to work within their environment to have a more comfortable home that in some way actually rewards them.”

One of the green homes opening its doors to the public in Sydney is 5 Strickland Street, Rose Bay.

Cameron Rosen, who lives in the house with his partner and three children, says his home is so energy efficient that its electricity bills are in the negative.

Visitors to Rosen’s  house can take part in free workshops on organic gardening, grey water and green walls.

“Our home has a beating heart and soul that is flowing with healthy green blood,” he says.

“Some of the open homes show that you don’t have to have chickens in the backyard or a large worm composting bin for a home to be green. A green home is also about energy efficiency and one that has healthier building materials.”

Sustainable House Day takes place this Sunday, September 9, from 10am – 4pm.

Do you feel like your house manages you? Or are you in control of it – in particular things such as power, water and gas bills?

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Optus has switched on 4G mobile services in central Sydney, Perth and Newcastle with plans to activate a Melbourne network in two weeks and Brisbane and Adelaide networks in early 2013.

Optus’ network will cover a 10 to 16 kilometre radius around the cities and customers’ devices will automatically revert to 3G services when they leave the 4G footprint.

Optus has revealed prices that are cheaper, with larger download limits, than Telstra’s plans. It has two 4G mobile broadband dongles and started taking orders for the new Samsung Galaxy S III today.

The telecommunications company expects to have more 4G compatible handsets and tablets available by Christmas time.

Optus’ Galaxy III plans range from $67 per month to $80 with between 1.5 gigabytes and 2 gigabytes of data allowance per month. Its mobile broadband plans range from about $46 per month for 10 gigabytes to $86 per month for 20 gigabytes. This is cheaper than Telstra’s prices for mobile broadband on its 4G network, which range from about $40 per month for 1 gigabyte of data to about $110 per month for 15 gigabytes of data.

Optus is the second mobile carrier in Australia to launch a 4G network after Telstra launched its own in November last year.

Telstra already has about half a million 4G devices connected to its network and recently announced plans to extend coverage to two thirds of the population to cement its first-mover advantage. Vodafone says it expects to launch 4G services some time in 2013, but has been concentrating on fixing and improving its existing 3G network.

Telstra’s network extends into regional towns because it owns a lot of 850 megahertz (MHz) spectrum in these areas, which is a low frequency spectrum that travels well over long distances. It uses 1800 MHz in cities.

Optus cannot extend its 4G network into regional areas for several years because it does not yet have suitable low-frequency spectrum available. It plans to buy 700 MHz spectrum from the government once analog television signals are transferred to digital signals and the 700 MHz is vacated. The government will auction the spectrum off early next year, but mobile carriers like Optus will not get access to it until early 2015 even though the switch to digital television will be completed by the end of 2013. Optus has been calling for earlier access to this spectrum.

The new generation of mobile networks carry data at much faster speeds than 3G networks. It is also more efficient, so it is cheaper for network owners to operate 4G networks.

This story Administrator ready to work first appeared on Nanjing Night Net.

Ryan Hoffman of the Storm in action against the Cronulla Sharks last month.WITH a 75 per cent win record in finals, few players know more about what is needed to get the job done than Melbourne Storm back-rower Ryan Hoffman.

And, as he said repeatedly yesterday as the Victorian side prepared to host South Sydney in their qualifying final at AAMI Park on Saturday, the recipe is pretty straightforward.

Accept your opportunities when they come, stay focused on your own game, don’t overcomplicate things by worrying too much about your opponents, don’t get ahead of yourself and never, ever, give up.

”I’m very excited,” he said on what, after a cold and wet winter, was an unfamiliar, warm morning for Melbourne.

”This is the time of year you want to be playing footy again, the weather is getting warmer and it’s an exciting time. We won’t worry about Sydney … The main focus for us is this game.

”We have a lot of younger players. They got a taste of finals footy last year. Unfortunately we fell short, but I think that experience will give them confidence that they can handle it,” the native of Campbelltown, New South Wales, said.

”I remember being a young kid in my second or third year playing finals and it was so exciting. You want to take these opportunities when they come in.

”We had a chat about finals footy yesterday. The key aspect is taking the opportunities. You never know when you are going to get another one.

”You have to make sure that when you get a chance to put points on the board or get repeat sets you really have to take them.”

Hoffman, who returned to the Storm after a year in England with Wigan, pinpointed Storm’s decorated skipper Cameron Smith as a key factor in a game that pits the Melbourne side against a reborn Rabbitohs outfit inspired by former Storm hero Greg Inglis as well as ex-Storm stalwarts Michael Crocker and Matt King.

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