A large Swiss merchant bank and global wealth-management company relocated its Australian head office into Chifley Tower in the Sydney CBD as part of an expansion program of its Australian financial and investment services and to meet the growing demand for their expertise in the region. Incorporated in the move was a significant upgrade to its IT infrastructure.

Part 1 - Defining independent contractor relationships. The use of independent contractors is a common business practice around the country, often perceived as a flexible and low-risk alternative to engaging employees. But many of the obligations and duties owed to employees under Industrial Relations and OHS legislation extend to independent contractors as well.

Philips called for action at the global climate change forum to ensure that renovation of existing infrastructure and buildings in cities is accelerated in the battle against climate change.

The challenges confronting the IT infrastructure industry, brought on by the current economical climate, require a fresh approach to successfully deal with them.

Research from a university in the United States has identified a means to extract electricity from trees that could be put to good use in a number of applications in the future.

World-leading and four-time-Academy-Award-winning visual effects company Weta Digital, based in Wellington, New Zealand, provides full digital production services for feature films from all over the world.

When Downer Engineering installed kilometres of power cabling alongside the runway at Melbourne Airport, the mission-critical environment required the project to be completed within a very tight time frame, since minimal air-side disruptions could be tolerated. Likewise, Downer’s suppliers had to meet equally tight delivery schedules.

The Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has national responsibilities ranging from resource economics to quarantine and inspection services. Its efficient operation is vital, so disruption of services by technology issues is unacceptable.

Standards Australia has recently announced a new Business Model to deal with the current economic climate, and in the process has opened up important dialogue with its stakeholders.

A lot of contractors are considering taking advantage of the government's Investment Allowance, but finance broker Finlease points out that there are some important factors to consider beforehand, so as to not jeopradise eligability.

The federal government has issued a call for comment from industry, seeking comments about the legislative framework for the National Broadband Network company.

Researchers at CSIRO have developed electric vehicle technology that not only powers a vehicle but helps to power the home or building it is attached to when not in use.

Internet search engine company Google has added ‘energy savings’ as a new value-added service to consumers and electricity providers with the announcement of its ‘PowerMeter’ concept.

AVD Australia was recently awarded the 2009 AMX Best Project Award for its state-of-the-art home automation system installation in a new residence in Sydney that made a significant contribution to the home’s energy efficiency. From conceptualisation and design, through to installation and commissioning, AVD provided a fully integrated and customised system.

A large power station in NSW recently finalised an agreement with Maser Communications to supply LEDpak and SafeSite industrial LED lighting fixtures, manufactured by Dialight, to fit out their power station on a progressive basis for all future general area and task lighting applications.