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THE NSW Government shouldn't do business with banks that sack local workers, Opposition Leader John Robertson says.

ANZ Banking Group announced last week it was shedding 1000 jobs from its national workforce, while Westpac Banking Corporation is axing 410 jobs and sending another 150 offshore.

"(Premier) Barry O'Farrell needs to take a stand and declare the NSW Government won't do business with banks that sack NSW workers and send local jobs offshore," Mr Robertson said in a statement today.

"The Premier should pick up the phone to the big banks today and tell them he will review their NSW government contracts if they sack NSW workers and send local jobs offshore."

Mr Robertson said Westpac holds a number of NSW government contracts, including transaction banking and credit card accounts.

The bank posted a $1.5 billion first-quarter cash profit today.

The Finance Sector Union said in January that National Australia Bank, ANZ, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank collectively made 3309 roles redundant in 2011.

The union expects further job losses in 2012.

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Dump banks that sack staff, NSW government urged

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. announced that Nicholas L. Swyka has been appointed to its Board of Directors (the "Board"), effective February 14, 2012. In connection with Mr. Swyka's appointment, the size of the Board was increased from eight to nine members.

Mr. Swyka, 67, has over 30 years of energy related investment banking experience. From September 1999 until his retirement in June 2011, he served as Vice Chairman of Simmons and Company International ("Simmons"), one of the largest investment banks providing services exclusively to the energy industry. During this time, Mr. Swyka also served on Simmons' Executive Management, Compensation and Underwriting Committees. From January 1987 until September 1999, he served as Managing Director and Co-Head of Investment Banking for Simmons. During that time, he functioned as senior team leader advising the Boards of Directors of both public and private energy companies on a significant number of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as capital market transactions. Mr. Swyka continues to serve as an Advisory Director pursuant to a consulting agreement with Simmons. Mr. Swyka also currently serves as an Advisory Director to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and the National Ocean Industry Association ("NOIA").

Todd Hornbeck, Chairman, President and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased that Mr. Swyka has joined our board. Nick brings to our Board significant industry experience, critical insights into the issues facing the global oil and gas industry, a proven track record of providing financial advisory services to the growing energy service sector and a personal knowledge of the history and the accomplishments of our Company."

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Hornbeck Offshore Appoints New Board Member

COVINGTON, La., Feb. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. (NYSE: HOS - News) (the "Company") announced today that Nicholas L. Swyka has been appointed to its Board of Directors (the "Board"), effective February 14, 2012.  In connection with Mr. Swyka's appointment, the size of the Board was increased from eight to nine members.    

Mr. Swyka, 67, has over 30 years of energy related investment banking experience.  From September 1999 until his retirement in June 2011, he served as Vice Chairman of Simmons and Company International ("Simmons"), one of the largest investment banks providing services exclusively to the energy industry.  During this time, Mr. Swyka also served on Simmons' Executive Management, Compensation and Underwriting Committees.  From January 1987 until September 1999, he served as Managing Director and Co-Head of Investment Banking for Simmons.  During that time, he functioned as senior team leader advising the Boards of Directors of both public and private energy companies on a significant number of transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as capital market transactions.  Mr. Swyka continues to serve as an Advisory Director pursuant to a consulting agreement with Simmons.  Mr. Swyka also currently serves as an Advisory Director to the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and the National Ocean Industry Association ("NOIA"). 

Todd Hornbeck, Chairman, President and CEO, commented, "We are very pleased that Mr. Swyka has joined our board.  Nick brings to our Board significant industry experience, critical insights into the issues facing the global oil and gas industry, a proven track record of providing financial advisory services to the growing energy service sector and a personal knowledge of the history and the accomplishments of our Company."

Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. is a leading provider of technologically advanced, new generation offshore supply vessels in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and  Latin America, and is a leading short-haul transporter of petroleum products through its coastwise fleet of ocean-going tugs and tank barges in the northeastern U.S. and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.  Hornbeck Offshore currently owns a fleet of 80 vessels primarily serving the energy industry.

Contacts

Jim Harp, CFO

Hornbeck Offshore Services

985-727-6802

Ken Dennard, Managing Partner

DRG&L / 713-529-6600

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Hornbeck Offshore Announces Appointment of New Director

The EU said Wednesday it will double its investment in supercomputers, high-performance machines the size of a mansion that can cost more than 100 million euros ($130 million) each to build.

The European Commission said it will raise its investment from 630 million euros to 1.2 billion by 2020.

"High Performance Computing (HPC) is a crucial enabler for European industry and for more jobs in Europe," said Neelie Kroes, the Dutch European Union commissioner responsible for fostering the digital economy.

"It's investments like HPC that deliver innovations improving daily life," she added.

As large as 1,000 square metres (10,800 square feet), supercomputers are used by governments to run forensics or health service systems, as well as in the private sector, for example in the automotive and aviation industries.

Hospitals in Germany use HPC to avoid last-minute decisions during childbirth or diagnose disease.

The Commission says use of HPC has saved the European car industry up to 40 billion euros by cutting development time.

The world's largest super computers are more powerful than 130,000 laptops combined, needing spaces the size of entire office floors to act as vast chillers, and maintenance on them can cost another 20 million euros per year.

Europe's biggest are a French system known as Curie and a German known as Hermes.

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EU to double investment in mansion-sized supercomputers

The AFL is trying to secure its own top level internet domain address.

Expensive application a long term investment in property and 'protection'.

The AFL is the first Australian organisation to confirm it will fork out a small fortune for a new top-level internet domain that will see all its website addresses eventually end in .afl.

It successful the move could see clubs having their own sub domains such as Collingwood.afl or Sydney.afl.

The new generic top-level domains (gTLD) will be released by the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the first time since the original domains, such as .com, were launched in the 1980s.

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In order to obtain one, organisations need to not only pay a $US185,000 one-off fee, plus $US25,000 annually, but also prove to ICANN they have the technical capacity to administer it as a registry operator would, including providing proof of round-the-clock global connectivity and robust business continuity strategies.

Commercial and public sector organisations have been debating the merits of obtaining .brand domains since the new possibility was announced in 2011.

Some like Canon originally jumped at the idea of a .canon domain and of offering its resellers dedicated brand-linked websites. But Woolworths, Telstra and Qantas expressed doubt over the new scheme. Qantas told this writer last year that its Qantas.com address enjoyed enough brand recognition to not warrant a change, while a Telstra blog post by its legal counsel Isobelle Fabian noted "brace yourselves - .anything is coming". Others expressed concern over the viability and security of the new gTDLs.

The AFL has joined with the ARI Australian Registry Services (formerly AusRegistry International) to provide the technical infrastructure, and with Melbourne IT to prepare the application.

Andrew Catterall, general manager strategy & marketing, AFL, said the football franchise was seeking to safeguard its online brand, indicating the move was pre-emptive to prevent cyber squatting.

"We're securing a trusted environment and taking claim on that opportunity. We're protecting it."

He said the application fee and associated IT costs to migrate all of the current properties and establish new ones under the new structure would be part of a long term investment.

"We made a decision that for our specific case it's a long term investment – we make long term investments in media, stadiums, community participation. The marketing and commercial opportunities we can develop overtime and they will play out in any range of ways.

"If we're successful we'll create club environments, opportunity for our partners, special events and other promotions – all that stuff will play out. It will take a number of years to migrate to it."

Catterall would not disclose if the organisation would be prepared to fight legally for the right to the domain name in case competing interests were successful in securing it.

Adrian Kinderis, CEO of ARI Registry Services, said his firm was helping many applicants prepare submissions in secret. It hoped to secure 100 contracts by April.

"It's very busy but a little frustrating. We always thought there would be some real opportunity for someone to come out and show some leadership here – but I understand companies are playing their cards close to their chest."

He said ARI signed 21 contracts in the first week since submissions opened in January. The contracts stipulate ARI will be the infrastructure partner if cases are approved. Vetting will be done by five auditing firms globally, according to Melbourne IT.

Kinderis said 60 per cent of the applications were from major company-owned brands, with the remainder made up of cities – believed to be Sydney and Melbourne, as well as increasingly popular international tourist destinations in the Middle East – and generic terms.

Rights to generic term domains such as .insurance and .dentist were sought by entrepreneurs planning start-up companies that would register and administer other users.

Kinderis warned anyone thinking they could just "buy" a gTLD to give up.

"It's a huge technical responsibility in securing your own piece of the internet. You must meet the eligibility criteria. Expect to pay a consultant $100,000 to help put together an application. It's an Olympic bid just to get your application in,"

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AFL moves to secure internet name rights