Central Coast Business Access - December 2020 by Access News Australia (ANA)

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS

Local Business Awards: 13

CCBA December 2020 - January 2021 | Issue 32 | www.coastba.com.au

S E R I F H S BU

9 1 D I V O C

OUR MOMENTOUS YEAR L A ER B M A W

n The Sky Has Fallen: Council’s journey to the great abyss: 5

E S P A L L O C L I C COUN

n Coast club land: Halekulani Bowling Club joins Mounties: 7

n Coast Strategy: How you can contribute to our future: 8

n Backing Coast developers: Tony Denny’s new venture: 2

The team at Central Coast Business Access wishes all Coast residents and businesses a merry Christmas a great New Year. We look forward to returning in 20201 with new exciting plans for CCBA. CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

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Providing pathways to developers Tony Denny offers a bounce back pathway solution BRILLIANT initiative by “Mr Development” Tony Denny could provide the spark the Central Coast needs to bounce back in troubled times. He will fund loans to developers on the Coast and in Sydney, providing a fresh pathway to progress for the region beyond normal banks and building societies. Mr Denny’s company Central Real has launched a subsidiary called Central Real Capital where the proceeds from its asset disposals will fund loans to developers on the Coast and Sydney, he told AFR. Since April, CRC has provided $78M in loans to developers while investing more than $45m with fund managers such as Balmain and Pallas Capital, which also lend funds to developers. CRC will open offices in Sydney’s Double Bay in March 2021 while maintaining its Central Coast office. Mr Denny said his aim was to grow the CRC fund to $200M by the end of 2021 and up to $300M by mid-2023. He said CRC was self-funded and had no plans to take in external funds. The recent catastrophic meltdown of Central Coast Council has not deterred him from his project.

Tony Denny at a Coast development site.

In fact, he offered to pay Council’s wages when they couldn’t afford the weekly $3m salary. Mr Denny said he was still passionate about the region and its potential. “However, I don’t have the patience for dealing with the local councillors, “which ultimately, one way or another, you have to deal with”. “If the council was run by its competent and intelligent admin staff, the region would be running like a Swiss watch, and developers like Central Real would be willing to continue participating in the growth of the region,” he said. Apart from maintaining a large estate in Kilcare on the Bouddi Peninsula, Mr Denny decided to reinvent himself (yet again) as a real estate financier for local developers.

Terrigal sale for $15M The global pandemic has also proved no impediment to Mr Denny’s plans to sell down his residential and commercial investments on the Coast. Mr Denny, a former Financial Review Rich Lister and one of the most prominent developers in the region, said he had exchanged contracts on a further two development sites and his former classic car museum in Gosford for a combined $24M. This follows the September sale of three project sites in Gosford and Terrigal for more than $15M after his development firm Central Real put a portfolio of six sites on the market in March as part of plans to greatly scale down its building activities on the Central Coast.

Just one site remains, the 100-apartment Peninsula project under construction in Point Frederick. This, Mr Denny said, was in advanced sale negotiations with a large Sydney developer with an asking price of $28M. “Central Real had originally planned in its cash flow to be fully divested of all sites within three years. The reality looks like all properties will be sold in under 12 months,” Mr Denny said. The properties that sold in October include Mr Denny’s former Gosford Classic Car Museum at 3-13 Stockyard Place in West Gosford, which sold for $14.5M. The buyer was locally based manufacturer Borg Manufacturing. A development site at 142-144 Albany St in Point Frederick with a permit for 37 luxury apartments was purchased by a large developer from Sydney for $7.5m and a luxury townhouse site at 11-13 Ena Street in Terrigal sold to a local builder for $2M. Mr Denny said Central Real had another $35mn worth of properties for sale that were at different stages of the negotiation process. His decision in March to sell up his residential and commercial interest on the Coast surprised the local business community given his passionate support and promotion of the region, where he has based himself since selling his Prague-based AAA Auto car dealership business in 2014 to Polish private equity firm Abris Capital Partners. Source: AFR, Access

CONTENTS News Emma McBride Adam Crouch Business NSW Technology Entrepreneurs Auto Travel

3 6 8 9 11 12 21 22

 COVER: 2020 was a momentous year form all Australians but the Coast had the extra disasters of Wamberal sea wall and the collapse of the Council.

Central Coast

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DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021 Central Coast Business Access (CCBA) ACCESS NEWS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD ABN 39 600 436 799 Publisher: Michael Walls M: 0407 783 413. E: michael@accessnews.com.au Journalists: Di Bartok, Elizabeth Frias. Editor: Dallas Sherringham Account Managers: Graham Maughan: 0431 557 791; Colin Links, 0490 481 234 Contributors: David Pring, Adam Crouch, Emma McBride, Paula Martin. Printer: New Age Printing Design: Design2pro.com Website: www.coastba.com.au General enquiries: info@accessnews.com.au Phone: 02 4572 2336 Fax: 02 4572 2340

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 Jurassic Zoo is a Summer hit: 31

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Peter’s first book an instant success HEN Peter Fisher arrived from Canada in 1985 for a new life in faraway Australia, little did he know would become a top selling author on the NSW Central Coast. The ‘English As Second Language’ teacher arrived on the Coast two years later and bought a home in the rainforest. Peter and his Sydney born wife and family fell in love with the unnamed rainforest gully next to his home as he began to realise the significance of the paradise next door. He started gardening using native plants and took up bushwalking and taking photos along the way. It inevitably led to a quality book called “Tales From The Rainforest that was printed right here on the Central Coast at The Book Printing Company in Killarney Vale. “The book took years to finally finish,” Peter admitted with a chuckle “It is selling quite well. I’m absolutely

chuffed that the response has been both positive and enthusiastic,” he said. “I think my book stands out because nobody has done a topic like this before and I have included so many quality printed photos, just like a coffee table book. “It is also a much thicker book than most people expected it to be - each book weighs one kilo. I am finding several people are buying a copy, taking it home and then coming back to buy another copy as a present or a gift, he said. “It’s rather exciting time for me indeed.” The book is 230 pages, softcover in A4 size, with more than 200 original photographs and more than 35 rare, antique postcards from c1910. Price is $35 each. Contact: www.peterfishercentralcoast@gmail. com Or: Go to Henry Kendall Cottage and Museum (West Gosford) on any Sunday in December and buy it directly from the author.

Author, Peter Fisher.

Peter’s first book.

Entrance TV opens for business

E Les Rogan.

AL Estate identity Les Rogan is so keen to promote his beloved The Entrance that he has started his own TV show on YouTube. Called ‘Opening The Entrance For Business”, it is aimed at the local, Sydney and Hunter markets. Mr Rogan represents Development and Projects Sales and Marketing at Ray White Coast Edge. He has an enviable bank of knowledge and experience through a large number of successful projects that enables him to help both developers and purchasers navigate through any challenges that may arise.

Mr Rogan has worked on numerous of large-scale developments from Gosford to The Entrance and everywhere in between and has long standing relationships with the major national and international development companies. Tired of seeing the lack of action on promoting the famous beachside resort town, he took it upon himself to film his series with assistance from key businesses in the area. He turned out to be a natural on camera and the resulting video of ‘Adrift” surfing gear was a light, holiday mood production that captures

the spirit of The Entrance. He also formed The Entrance Business Council to assist business owners in their promotion. “For years they have not been properly represented,” he said. “Our approach is to promote businesses in The Entrance via marketing recommendations and promoting the lake entrance and beach to attract visitors. We also want those visitors to shop in The Entrance.” Mr Rogan has also been promoting The Entrance through a colorful series of Facebook photos.

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Developing a new vision for growth  DALLAS SHERRINGHAM HE collaboration between the Greater Sydney Commission and local stakeholders in developing a new Central Coast Strategy to deliver growth for the region has been welcomed by a national development advocate. The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) said the introduction of the GSC by Premier Gladys Berejiklian followed significant financial mismanagement by Central Coast Council, which had led to the suspension of the Council and a $6.2m bailout by the State Government, with the appointment of an acting management team. “This move by the Premier and Parliamentary Secretary for the Coast Adam Crouch brings real prospects for leadership at this moment of crisis and will build confidence to invest on the Central Coast,” UDIA CEO Steve Mann said. He said the Coast was located at the centre of the State’s fastest growing corridor between Sydney and Newcastle, but the local council had missed key opportunities to create more jobs. “The Central Coast is a beautiful place to live and is seeing enormous demand for housing that is only expected to increase now that NorthConnex is open.” UDIA members are reporting unprecedented demand for new housing in the region, but housing completions are below the Regional Plan. Strong demand for housing is demonstrated by the rental vacancy rate which was down to 0.7% on the Central Coast in September according to SQM Research. At the end of last year, the Premier announced a focus on supercharging the

Housing underpins Coast growth plans.

UDIA NSW’s agenda for the Central Coast is focused on the four pillars of delivering jobs, housing, infrastructure, and sustainability.

Fist priority is consolidation

Adam Crouch.

Steve Mann.

Central Coast with a target of 25,000 jobs for the region and the recent announcement brings the experience of the GSC to deliver on that promise.

“UDIA’s first priority is the delivery of the consolidated LEP and DCP, which Council has postponed multiple times since 2018. The uncertainty around the essential planning controls is dampening investment,” Mr Mann said. “We also want to see action on Jobs

and UDIA calls on the NSW Government to declare a Special Activation Precinct on the Central Coast supported by the $4.2B Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund to provide much needed infrastructure to attract investment and create jobs. “Strong planning for the Coast’s Southern and Northern Growth Corridors to be leveraged as economic development opportunities. Key opportunities for employment exist around Tuggerah, Somersby, Warnervale, including the Wyong Employment Zone and Warnervale Airport general aviation hub and a health and education precinct in Gosford.” The second pillar of progress is housing, according to UDIA. It believes in delivering local infrastructure and services to support enough new homes for the 95,250 additional residents expected by 2041. This would create more housing diversity for the region, so its growing population had housing choices that were affordable and suited to their lifestyles.

Infrastructure UBIA cites unlocking new opportunities on the Central Coast through the upcoming McNaughton report on fast rail for the mega region of Sydney. Maximising the opening of NorthConnex to leverage greater connectivity to the Central Coast.

Sustainability Protecting and managing the Central Coast’s valued Green and Blue Grids and ensuring the region grows sustainably. UDIA NSW has an active Chapter on the Central Coast and is working with local key government and industry stakeholders to provide the crucial link for the GSC to get it right for the Coast.

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THE SKY HAS FALLEN Council’s extraordinary journey into the abyss  DALLAS SHERRINGHAM ENTRAL Coast Council’s Journey to the Dark Hole of financial oblivion is a story with as many twists and turns as one of those legendary Hollywood blockbusters from the golden years. And it has created a storm of commentary on social media and traditional media with everyone turning into an instant accounting expert spurting “If they had only….!” Truth be told, the decline and suspension was a combination of bad management, poor auditing, political agendas and just plain bad luck. Throw in spying, internal leaks and massive arguments involving councillors peering out of their loungeroom in lockdown, and you have plot worthy of a Dan “Da Vinci Code” Brown novel and movie. In a year that included bushfires, massive floods, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Wamberal sand dune saga, something had to give, and it turned out to be our local council. But bad management is not bad luck. There have been numerous claims about debts and deficits since the big day, but they can’t hide the fact that council somehow failed to heed the obvious warnings Councillors claimed they didn’t know about the financial problems, which added to the furor because, as newly appointed Administrator Dick Persson said: “It was their job to know”. I have covered virtually every council meeting and with my 50 years’ experience in covering councils, it was obvious there were big problems with the fledgling Central Coast Council, an amalgamation of the booming Wyong Shire and the not so booming Gosford City. In February 2018, I started noticing a big anti-progress chasm appear in our new council when it inexplicably voted down the development of Central Coast Airport and the Aviation Hub. The multimillion dollar “secret” payout to Aquatic Air Industries was the start of a series of questionable financial moves. The Council was more concerned with saving the dry scrub known as “Porters Creek Wetland” adjacent to the airport runway.

It was voted down Then in March 2018, developer Tony Denny asked council to assist in buying Old Sydney Town at a bargain price. Cr Bruce McLachlan moved the motion but Mayor Jane Smith wouldn’t seriously consider it before it was voted down. Then came the decision to turn down $4.7m for the Winney Bay tourist infrastructure followed by a less than enthusiastic welcome for State Planning’s decision to “reinvig-

“

In a year that included bushfires, massive floods, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Wamberal sand dune saga, something had to give, and it turned out to be our local council.”

Dick Persson.

orate” downtown Gosford and set up an office in the CBD. Throw in the total lack of interest in the massive Tuggerah City Centre announcement by Westfield and it was obvious this was a council going nowhere backwards. There was a nightly “stash” every council meeting between Cr Greg Best, Cr McLachlan and the Liberals versus Mayors Jane Smith and Lisa Mathews, plus the ALP councillors and allied independents. The old Wyong v Gosford council rivalries were deeper than ever and as one wag said: “It’s Gosford Townies v. Wyong Roos all over again”. As Mr Persson said after submitting his report, “politics is about hate and I don’t like I parties being involved, but I suppose it’s inevitable.” When CEO Gary Murphy said staff could not provide financial statements for the 201819 financial year by the due date, things began to unravel. Countdown to failure: • July 22, 2019, councillors voted to support the establishment of an Integrity and Ethical Standards Unit within the Governance Directorate for the investigation and resolution of complaints, organisational integrity, information integrity, ethics and accountability with the objective of ensuring decision making and Council processes are open, transparent and held to a high ethical standard. • Oct 9, 2019 The 2018/19 financial reports for council which were to be tabled were deferred until the November 11 meeting. Council had spent $11.3M in 2017-18 on consultants. • This was to go on and on until the following February, compounded by council not meeting for nine weeks over Christmas New Year. • February 10: The Entrance Boatshed owner Toni Moon and Cr Bruce McLachlan had led a campaign for the silted-up channel to be dredged which gained major traction when a massive flood hit the lakes, inundating street after street of homes. • Council CEO Gary Murphy said staff gave Mayor Lisa Matthews incorrect information that she has then relayed to the community, in the wake of the flooding from the recent rain.

problems with the high staffing level costs, increasing deficits and the Councils’ failure in four of eight key indicators on performance, as noted by external auditors. Cr Best agreed, saying “councillors were missing on their watch”. March 9: Cr Best said staff could not conduct a report on the $9M spent on “Agency Hire”, which he said was people who should be employees hired as contractors. He says this is about serious governance. Cr Marquart says he thinks they need clarification around this space. Cr Jane Smith had a successful amendment which asked the CEO to provide a report by the end of April 2020 to clarify the issues Cr Best was raising. Council wrote to the Office of Local Government (OLG) advising them of Council’s concerns that Body Hire Arrangements may

The knew something was wrong The press release said the Mayor did not have the power to direct the CEO without a resolution of the council. The Mayor had been under pressure since the community took matters into their own hands and attempted to open The Entrance Channel three days before the council dredged the channel. February 24: A large, angry crowd attended the council meeting to support calls for urgent action at the channel after the flood disaster. Former Wyong Mayor Doug Eaton knew something was going wrong. He addressed the council and warned them they had serious

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

“

Councillors claimed they didn’t know about the financial problems, which added to the furor because, as newly appointed Administrator Dick Persson said: “It was their job to know”. have also arisen at Council and asked the OLG to ‘independently’ advise on the legality and governance that underpins these arrangements. Council also voted that staff, as a matter of urgency, report to Council detailing numbers of persons working under these arrangements, the type of contractual arrangements, what tendering was conducted, what interviewing process took place, their roles and their workstation locations. It also asked staff to confirm if the multi-million-dollar arrangements had now continued into the 2019-2020 Accounts. March 27: Auditor finds breaches of the Act. The auditor found significant high-risk issues while auditing Council’s 2018-19 financial results. The issues related to council’s Local Infrastructure Contributions dating back to 2001. Council had to make an adjustment of $13.2M to the infrastructure fund from the council’s general fund in the 2018-19 financial year. The auditor said the council had breached the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act by using the infrastructure fund money for administration purposes.

It includes criticism of council’s water supply authority’s financial “mis-statements”, bur Mr Green concluded the mis-statements were not due to fraud. May 25: council decided at a “confidential” meeting to accept an offer of $50M loan for a 20-year term from NAB with 55% to be used to refinance existing debt at more favorable rates and 45% to be spent on capital works. At that meeting Cr Best raised debate on the $25M loss for the quarter and asked about the big variation and about the continuing trend of deficits. Cr Best asked about being up by $10M on wages. Mr Murphy said a financial recovery plan was underway with a third-party consultant. He said the plan including the consultant had not been approved by council but councillors had been ‘kept up to date’.

Results were sobering Mr Murphy said the results from the review so far had been ‘sobering’. “We are going to be harshly judged, with 400 more staff than when amalgamated,” Cr Best said. In a question from Cr Rebecca Gale, Director Scott Cox said with the announcement from the minister they have six weeks to get back to him with a range of projects that could be done using Developers Funds. He would be working with other departments to see how they could expedite these projects. Council asked the CEO to report back to council on investigation into pooling Developer Contributions as directed by the NSW Govt. Cr Best noted at that meeting that the new CFO was the third in three and half years. “The reality is we have had some significant losses on our watch - don’t let this be a Covid-19 be a cover-up. We were meant to get efficiencies in amalgamation.” The Planning Minister Rob Stokes had introduced his controversial ‘extra flexibility’ plan for developers funds the previous week and it appears Council management, with 20 years of Coast history of illegally using the funds, decided to use it for ‘operational needs’ rather than infrastructure works. The changes were in fact to permit councils to pool funds across contribution plans, allowing them to bring forward planned projects where all the funds may not yet have been received. Local Govt president Linda Scott was against the plan. “This over-reach could have implications for how councils deliver their program of community projects and future financial planning.” “The State Government must not dictate how a council uses the funds already earmarked for a particular community purpose or project,” Cr Scott said. It was too late for Central Coast Council: the Journey to the Black hole of financial failure had well and truly begun. It is obvious to most people that the largely inexperienced ruling bloc of council had placed their trust in senior staff to run the Council financially. I went back through the meeting Livestream and the only councillor who had a real grasp on what was happening was Cr Greg Best, backed up by Cr Pilon, Cr McLachlan and Cr Marquart who all complained about spending being out of control. He was shut down a couple of times by voting “he not be heard” and was asked to “resume his seat,” numerous times. Both Mayors, Cr Jane Smith and Cr Lis Mathews clashed repeatedly with Cr Best. Cr Vincent, kept old Wyong wounds alive, when he mocked Cr Best for chasing headlines with doom and gloom and claiming the “Sky’s about to fall”. But in the end Cr Best was proved right, the sky did fall and the rest, as they say in ending a novel, is history.

My Coast with Emma McBride

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Let’s BUY LOCAL this Christmas  EMMA MCBRIDE has been a tough year on the Central Coast. We’ve faced the threat of bushfires, floods and the virus. When COVID-19 restrictions were introduced regional coastal communities like ours built on tourism, hospitality and retail were hit hard. But our community has been through tough times before and I’m proud of the way we’ve pulled together through 2020. In fact, local town centres are showing an increase in retail spending of around 40 percent, largely attributed to commuters working from and buying at home. Other sectors are also starting to see the green shoots of economic recovery. Over the past two months, restaurants across the Central Coast have seen an increase in local spend of at least 30 percent as health restrictions ease, in The Entrance, restaurant visits are up 50 percent. Bookings for accommodation have also seen a sharp uptick as people are looking for a holiday closer to home, with providers reporting solid bookings from Christmas through to February. This Christmas is a real opportunity to build on this growth and buy from local businesses right here on the Coast. Whether it’s your work Secret Santa, a stocking filler for the kids, or your Christmas wish list you’ll find everything you’re after on the Coast.

2020

And it’s a win-win The local multiplier effect means any money spent in a local business generates four times more wealth for our economy compared to money spent elsewhere.

Emma with Nick Hagistefanis of Fruit For All at Tumbi Umbi

Studies show that for every $100 spent at a local business, $73 stays in the local economy. By contrast, for the same amount of money spent at a chain retailer, only $43 stays local. Money spent by locals at local businesses is helping to keep the local economy afloat. And, initiatives like Bigger Backyard Central Coast are an exciting example of what is possible when we work together. Backed by the local chambers of commerce along with Business NSW, the Bigger Backyard is designed to help build a network for local businesses across the Central Coast.

Currently, 602 businesses are connected as part of this initiative, pledging a total of $2.56m, leading to an estimated economic impact of $92.1m. This unique platform is much more than a directory app, it’s a way of reaching out to our neighbours and supporting their businesses. On 22 October, the Bigger Backyard held its virtual trade expo. Over 80 companies participated, generating 440 meetings, looking for ways to do business with each other and resolve supply chain and distribution channel issues. As we move into 2021, I look forward to the Bigger Backyard welcoming more local

businesses into the fold and strengthening the connections on the Central Coast which will only make businesses in our region stronger. So, when you do your shopping this Christmas, buy local! I’d like to wrap my last column for the year by wishing the business community a happy and safe Christmas and a prosperous New Year. For more information on Bigger Backyard Central Coast, contact (02) 8006 9178 or visit the website at https://biggerbackyard.ingoodcompanycentralcoast.com.au/ Emma McBride MP is member for Dobell.

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Big moves in Coast club land Halekulani Bowling Club has voted to amalgamate with Mounties  DALLAS SHERRINGHAM HE Central Coast club landscape is changing rapidly as another club has voted to join Australia’s largest registered club conglomerate, Mounties Group. Halekulani Bowling Club has voted to amalgamate with the Sydney based organization. It has been a busy few month for Mounties, with Halekulani the second Coast club within weeks voting in favor of amalgamating with them. Wyong RSL Club decided just two weeks ago that joining forces with Mounties Group would provide a stronger and brighter future for their community. The vote follows a series of information sessions held during the past few weeks where Mounties Group CEO Dale Hunt presented his vision for the future and what to expect should the amalgamation be successful. Secretary Manager of Halekulani Bowling Club David English said he was delighted with the result and he believed Mounties Group offered a stronger and brighter future for the club.

“Mounties Group put out an expression of interest for clubs looking to amalgamate earlier in the year and we jumped at the opportunity,” he said. “Halekulani Bowling Club is already a fantastic community venue, but we feel that joining Mounties Group can only strengthen that position and make us even better for not only our members, but also our surrounding communities,” he said. “Having seen what Mounties have done for other clubs they have amalgamated with, we are confident that they will empower us to retain our identity as a successful bowling club, while enhancing our members’ experiences and ensuring an even better future,” he said. Group CEO Dale Hunt said he was just as thrilled at the result which marked the organisation’s second successful Central Coast venue vote in the past two weeks. He said he believed it is the Group’s unique intergenerational approach to club venues as well as their profit-for-purpose business model that continued to intrigue and excite other clubs to join them. “Halekulani Bowling Club are not a struggling club; they have been very successful and

Halekulani Bowling Club.

are much-loved community venue, but they want to do more,” Mr Hunt said. “They have big plans to be even better for their members and staff and they know that this is not something they can do quickly by themselves,” he said. “Mounties Group continue to invest heavily into bettering our venues, offering every generation of our members and their families a positive experience that enhances their lives, from childcare to Mounties Care, to gyms and beyond.

“We are a group of clubs built on strong family values and we care about the communities in which we operate. This can be seen in everything we offer our members. We aren’t just words, we are actions, and we look forward to bringing this concept to the Central Coast community,” he said. Liquor and Gaming NSW, as the industry regulator, will also need to approve the amalgamation before it is made official.

Council plans rates rise to pay for financial mismanagement ENTRAL Coast businesses face the prospect of another hefty rate rise following the preliminary study of the embattled Council’s finances by Acting Administrator Dick Persson. Mr Persson indicated in a radio interview that a rate rise was one of a number of options being considered as he reviews council’s economic crisis in conjunction with Acting CEO Rik Hart. The options, including the sale of some assets, a reduction in services and a $50m loan will be put to ratepayers in the coming weeks. He admitted in the Triple M interview that he was not aware of “any council that has got to the point where they couldn’t pay their wages.” “I am heavily embedded in a learning phase,” Mr Persson said. He said it was likely that his initial stay

of three months would need to be extended by another three months as he attempted to sort out the massive debt crisis at Council. “If people hoped to hear from me that the situation is not as bad as we first thought, that is not the case.”

It is doable “It’s a very serious financial problem facing the Council, but I won’t be cleaning it up in 30 days. What I said was I would have a plain English report to the community in 30 days and that will have some options and considerations about the way forward and the measures we might have to take, plus the timespan about where we are and where we need to get to.” Mr Persson the good news was that “it is doable”. “What has happened is money has been spent on capital works projects for

the community that they didn’t have. They use internal reserves that they thought they could use those and that is one of the things I am trying to get to the bottom of,” he said. “If they hadn’t used those reserves they probably would have had to have borrowed a very large amount of money and whether they would have done that, knowing it was borrowings, I’m not sure.” He said there would be a basket of options he will put out to the community. “Things like selling some assets, cutting costs, delivering services, some borrowings and possibly some rate increases. I want to hear from the community what they prefer. He said it was very likely that some projects the community was expecting would have to be taken off the table. In citing the council crisis as the worst he had seen, Mr Persson said every business

should be monitoring their cash and should know where they heading to on a day to day basis: “I don’t understand how they got to that position.” Mr Persson said when the councils merged there was a protection in place which protected staff from the former Gosford and Wyong councils for three years. “I have heard up to 300 plus new people have been put on since the merger and that’s one of the things I am currently waiting on information on.” However, he was adamant that the debt was not a result of the merger. “Not at all- the debt is from a capital works program they thought they had the money for but they didn’t. They could have borrowed it, but they didn’t and now we are going to have to have borrowings to put money back into those funds they shouldn’t have touched.”

Tuggerah Station’s $34M upgrade  DALLAS SHERRINGHAM HE decision to spend $34m on upgrading Tuggerah Station is a key indicator of the rise of the City Centre that has become the new powerhouse of development on the Central Coast. It literally came from nowhere, this suburb that has taken over from big brother Wyong in just a few short years. It wasn’t so long ago that Tuggerah was just a few shops and a Maccas on the road between Gosford and Wyong, the oldest settlement in the area and the traditional hub of the old Wyong Shire. Flash forward to 2020 and Tuggerah has an amazing history of rapid development and a glittering future. The Regional Sports Precinct has sprung up from an area originally planned to be a power station and the struggling Super Centre has been reinvigorated by Service NSW placing its Tuggerah office adjacent to Bunnings. Westfield Tuggerah and State Planning announced a $2.8B joint venture last year which will see a city arise from the vacant

cow pasture to the west of the shopping centre. It is State Planning’s second project on the Coast following the Gosford City Centre revitalization. Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Andrew Constance said at the time the proposal includes $700M for the complete overhaul of Tuggerah Train Station to build an integrated transport interchange and associated town centre infrastructure and high streets. “Including a new interchange as part of this historic proposal for Tuggerah reflects the importance of integrated, efficient transport in building thriving, livable cities,” Mr Constance said. “The interchange would connect and coordinate train and bus services to an 8.5km active transport network of pedestrian paths and cycle ways. “Importantly, this proposal would enable people to leave their cars at home and get to where they need to go by using a seamless public transport network or enjoying active transport options.” With rail transport a critical part of Tuggerah’s rise including the need for better

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

parking and commuter access, the 202021 NSW Budget features a $34M funding commitment to the design work, planning approval and construction of accessibility upgrades at Tuggerah Station.

Funds to progress project Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said the NSW Government would install lifts and deliver improved pedestrian access to Tuggerah Station.

“Early site investigations have already been conducted by the fantastic Transport for NSW team and this new funding allows the project to progress to the next stage,” Mr Crouch said. Mr Crouch said the NSW Government’s investment in local projects would also provide local job opportunities. “Over the life of this project, approximately 50 jobs will be on offer across the fields of engineering, design, construction and administration,” Mr Crouch said. “Given the challenges of COVID-19, the NSW Government is pulling every economic lever available to keep people in jobs and businesses in business.” The $34M commitment to Tuggerah Station is part of a Statewide package of $112M in the 2020-21 NSW Budget, with a further $80m to progress future upgrades. A new commuter car park of up to 220 spaces at Tuggerah Station is also in the planning stage.

My Coast with Adam Crouch

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Contribute to the Coast’s future

GSC Chief Commissioner Geoff Roberts, Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch and Premier Gladys Berejiklian

 ADAM CROUCH n a major coup for our region, the Central Coast will be the focus of a first-of-its-kind Strategy, announced by the NSW Government, to bring new businesses and jobs to the fast-growing region. In October, the Premier officially tasked the GSC (Greater Sydney Commission) to coordinate the development and delivery of a “Central Coast Strategy”. This is not just another policy or planning document. This Strategy firmly focuses on new jobs and business opportunities, and will help to cater for future population growth of 95,250 extra people that is expected between 2016 and 2041. This expected population increase is a significant challenge for our community, which is why State and Federal agencies, the local council and private sector partners all

need to work together. As the Premier has said, the development of the Central Coast Strategy is a chance for everyone to come together, put aside their differences and deliver our region’s future. The GSC has an incredible record of success when it comes to enabling local communities to grow and thrive. In Sydney, the GSC is creating economic growth areas like Tech Central, Westmead, Meadowbank and Macquarie Park. Our region is unique and requires unique solutions, but we absolutely deserve the same focus being applied to areas in Sydney. I am pleased to report that the GSC has hit the ground running since beginning work in October. Having consulted with more than 50 industry and Government stakeholders, six “areas of interest” have been identified: • Locating a university campus in Gosford city centre to bring greater

•

learning opportunities to the region, stimulate the economy and create local jobs, Expanding health services in Gosford to support the Central Coast’s growing population and to generate local jobs, Facilitating faster transport connections to and from regional centres to foster economic growth and new jobs on the Central Coast, Increasing the amount of serviced industrial lands on the Central Coast to support and expand industries such as food technology and advanced manufacturing, Streamlining planning processes to help remove barriers, such as uncertainty and wait times, for businesses looking to locate on the Central Coast, and Establishing a high-speed internet

network to attract new, diverse businesses to the Central Coast and remove any existing barriers for growth related to digital connectivity. The GSC has recently launched a public consultation period and the community is encouraged to complete an online survey at: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/ central-coast-strategy. Feedback will be accepted until 8am on Monday, 25 January 2021. It will then be evaluated and incorporated into the final version of the Strategy, which is due to be presented to the Premier in early 2021. I encourage everyone on the Central Coast to review these “areas of interest” and provide feedback which will quite literally shape our region’s future! Adam Crouch is State Member for Terrigal and Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast

KEEP YOURSELF AND OUR COMMUNITY SAFE FROM COVID-19 Stay safe by following the “four lines of defence” against COVID-19

Maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from others

Wash your hands well and often

Stay home if you’re sick and get tested as soon as you have any symptoms

Wear a face mask in situations where social distancing cannot be followed

Adam CROUCH MP Member for Terrigal

02 4365 1906 adamcrouchmp

terrigal@parliament.nsw.gov.au adamcrouchmp

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Authorised by Adam Crouch MP, Shop 3 Fountain Plaza, 148-158 The Entrance Road, Erina NSW 2250, produced using parliamentary entitlements.

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

News Business NSW

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Out of recession but still a challenge CCORDING to Business NSW, the September quarter national accounts confirmed the Australian economy is out of recession, expanding by 3.3 per cent in the September quarter (covering the July to September period). “It is encouraging to finish the year with a rebound in economic activity despite the lockdown in Victoria,” Business NSW Regional Director, Paula Martin said. “The easing of restrictions in most jurisdictions have played a big part in boosting confidence and whilst the economy remains 3.8 per cent down compared to the same period last year, expected increased spending over summer will help to kick start 2021. “We are definitely seeing signs of recovery on the Central Coast with retail in our town centres nearly 40% higher than this time last year and grocery, apparel and restaurant spend up between 20% to 50% in the same period. “Across the country, household consumption grew by 7.9 per cent, contributing 4 percentage points to growth. Spending on services was particularly strong increasing 9.8 per cent. “Government stimulus is playing a very important role in supporting demand, including by boosting household incomes through the JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments. “Members are telling me that they are busier than ever and finding staff has become a key challenge for them in the lead up to a busy summer,” Ms Martin said. “At the height of the pandemic some of our key industries in advanced manufacturing and food production increased their shifts to cope with consumer demand. Central Coast manufacturers also led the race to pivot their operations to supply much needed PPE and hand sanitiser when supply chains were completely disrupted.

It’s a different story for some “It was a different story for our arts, events and hospitality industries who were more brutally affected. “Whilst the economy is now technically out of recession having recorded its first positive quarter of growth since Q4 2019, the country’s output remains well below pre-COVID levels with the RBA expecting the economy to return to normal towards the end of 2021,” “Our challenges for the new year will continue as busi-

Hospitality has been especially affected.

nesses look to sustain their operations without stimulus post March 2021. “Currently we have over 11,000 local businesses utilising JobKeeper, accounting for 45% of our business community. Worse, we have over 18,000 locals on JobSeeker. “The task ahead of us to create a thriving local economy is large but not insurmountable. “Strong local buy campaigns like Bigger Backyard Central Coast have shown how diverse our local economy is, helping business to plug supply chain gaps within our own backyard. To date, over 600 local businesses have pledged over $28M this year to buy local. “Whilst Australia’s economic recovery is on track and is slightly ahead of the baseline scenario set out by the RBA

and Treasury, the outlook remains uncertain given the lack of clarity around the efficacy and economic impact of potential vaccines. “The level of vulnerability for the Central Coast in 2021 will depend on our ongoing successful management of Covid-19 and the speed of which we can get our business community operating at full speed. “A continued focus on economic development to shape our industry opportunities, jobs creation and value proposition as a region is key to our rate of growth. “The Central Coast deserves to grow as a viable place to invest, live work and play but without a focus on economic development, the ability for all the community to enjoy this scenario is limited.” Ms Martin said.

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• Custom video production where we come to your place of business and film your premises and personnel. Broadcast quality production with minimum of 90 minutes of actual on-location filming. Assistance in concept development and direction. Includes script writing, video logo creation, editing and final product of up to 10 minutes duration. $1,599 ex GST includes supply of files and hosting at www.netwerx.tv for six months.

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News Tehnology Success

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Why businesses need DNS protection Benefits of Webroot® DNS Protection from NetCare

 TECHNOLOGY WITH DARRYL MCALLISTER NS security has become more critical because Domain Name Server requests have become a larger target for cybercriminals. While DNS is a vital function of how the internet works by connecting IP addresses to website URLs, it can also be manipulated and become a point of vulnerability. Each time someone at your office types a website address into their browser, that initiates a DNS request so their browser lands on the right website. What bad actors can do when that activity is left unprotected and visible includes: • See which sites a person has visited. • See which applications may be in use. • Use the data for targeted advertising, or worse. The logical next step for many developers trying to create a good business solution has been to develop a way to secure that DNS request over HTTPS with encryption. This is called DoH. But DoH has been problematic due to loss of control and visibility, causing companies to choose between being less secure, but having more visibility, or gaining security but losing visibility. The ideal way to protect online browsing would be to ensure those DNS requests can’t be intercepted by hackers who use them to breach your network AND still have the controls and visibility into all DNS activities.

Webroot® DNS Protection is designed to give organisations the best of both worlds so they don’t have to choose between privacy and security. They have full control over DNS request filtering to help block malicious sites, as well as keep requests from being intercepted. NetCare uses this tool ourselves, as part of our security-first MSP strategy. And we’re pleased to announce that effective January 1st, 2021, we’ll be rolling out DNS protection to all our Technology Success customers as a standard inclusion. So, exactly how does DNS protection help keep your business more secure? Here are the top 7 benefits:

#1 Protects Against Phishing Attacks In 2019, phishing URLs increased 640%. Nowadays most phishing attacks use links instead of file attachments. Links to malicious sites often get past antivirus software and can fool users into visiting spoofed login forms or sites that infect devices with malware. DNS filtering can protect a user even if they’ve been fooled by a phishing email and clicked a malicious link. It acts as a control layer that receives the DNS request before the browser. It will evaluate the URL and match that against a database of known threats. If the URL is found to be malicious, the user is redirected to a warning page instead of being taken to the site.

#2 DNS Requests are Kept Private With DNS protection in place, the requests being made through browsers at your organisation are kept encrypted and secure. Hackers can’t access the DNS request data thus they can’t exploit it to cause harm to your network.

#3 Improves Regulatory Compliance The security and visibility controls available in Webroot® DNS Protection can make it easier for companies to comply with data privacy regulations.

#4 Off-Network Protection for Remote & Mobile Workers Many Sydney businesses are now using remote workers due to the pandemic. This adds a layer of complexity to network security. DNS protection gives you the ability to protect your workforce whether they’re in the office, working from home, or traveling. Webroot® works well with VPNs, firewalls, and other network security applications so it’s able to keep your entire staff protected no matter where they are.

#5 Gain Visibility Into User Activity If users are visiting inappropriate websites while at work, that’s something a company needs to know about so they can address it. DNS filtering allows logging of internet activity so companies can monitor user activity as well as block any problematic websites.

#6 Keep Browsing Safe on Any Device DNS protection works with multiple device types. So, whether someone is browsing in Safari on an iPhone or using Edge on a laptop, their DNS requests will be secure and protected. This tool works with the following devices that access the internet via corporate Wi-Fi, LAN, or guest network: • Windows. • Linux. • Apple. • Android.

#7 No Hardware to Install You won’t have to worry about the additional cost or hassle of having on-site equipment. You get complete protection for all DNS requests and activity, but there is no on-site hardware to install or maintain. The DNS protection is completely cloud-based, making it simple to get started and there is no hardware maintenance or administration that you need to worry about.

Get DNS Protection via NetCare Technology Success Stay protected from phishing threats and gain more control over your browsing activities with DNS protection. As of January 1st, 2021, we’re offering this important service as a standard inclusion for our Technology Success customers. Contact us today to schedule a consultation. Call (02) 9114 9920 or reach out online. DARRYL MCALLISTER is CEO at Netcare. wwnetcare.net.au

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS

CCBA

AUGUST SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE 29

Central Coast's most sought-after business

Central Coast’s most

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publication

MARINERS FOR SALE Future uncertain as the owner bales: 2

TOWER WORK STARTS Historic Union Hotel site transformed: 3

AWARDS KEEP GIVING How Steve Loe built an awards institution: 7

ACCESS TRAVEL Special Sapphire Coast feature: 13

sought-after business publication Image by Bryce Weick Photography.

www.coastba.com.au www.facebook.com/AccessNewsAustralia

WAMBER-WALL but the team at the site is sea wall at Wamberal is well underway, URGENT work on the construction of the next they battle to get it finished before the SEE PAGE 4 keeping one eye on the weather maps as East Coast Low.

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Entrepreneurs

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The COVID-19 crisis hurt a lot of businesses but also yields new business opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs. Image: Shutterstock

Novice entrepreneurs should talk with potential users and customers to find out exactly what they want. Image: Shutterstock

Novelty vs commercial viability: what makes entrepreneurs successful? EATHER you’re new to entrepreneurship or an experienced founder, striking the right balance between novelty and commercial viability is key to entrepreneurial success Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 70 per cent of start-ups globally have had to terminate full-time employee contracts, and many entrepreneurial businesses have pivoted to meet other areas of demand which have sprung up through the crisis. While restrictions associated with COVID-19 devastated many small businesses, 2020 was also a catalyst for creativity and innovation among many small business owners and entrepreneurs, according to Dr Siran Zhan, Assistant Professor in the School of Management at UNSW Business School. Both novelty and commercial viability are critical to entrepreneurial success, but research demonstrates more experienced entrepreneurs can often better manage the tensions between the novel and commercially viable ideas than novice entrepreneurs. Dr Zhan’s recent co-authored paper Missing the Forest for the Trees: Prior Entrepreneurial Experience, Role Identity, and Entrepreneurial Creativity shows novice entrepreneurs can get so captivated by situational demands that they lose sight of the bigger picture. Novice entrepreneurs tend to achieve novelty at the expense of commercial viability because, without entrepreneurial experience, novices can easily get blinded by the focal role or goal they pursue. “For example, suppose they started out focusing on inventing an innovative product. In that case, they may get so focused on achieving novelty at the cost of commercial viability, thus making innovative products that nobody wants,” explained Dr Zhan. “Alternatively, if they are so fixated on pursuing commercial viability, they might lose sight of novelty, thus winning in the short-term but failing to differentiate themselves and eventually losing to more innovative competitors,” she said. The ability to maintain a balanced pursuit of novelty and commercial viability develops with entrepreneurial experience, as entrepreneurs receive real-world feedback on how to successfully juggle between the two. For example, when Sir James Dyson invented the Dyson vacuum, he had a keen vision of targeting a receptive Japanese market rather than focusing on his native English market. “This suggests that having experienced co-founders and mentors can help novice entrepreneurs keep sight of the big picture,” said Dr Zhan. However, regardless of

Experienced co-founders and mentors can help novice entrepreneurs keep sight of the big picture. Image: Shutterstock

whether an entrepreneur had prior startup experience or not, failure is likely for many as about 50 per cent of new ventures fail within the first five years. “Therefore, regardless of experience, entrepreneurs should adopt a learning goal orientation to stay motivated, or ‘stay hungry, stay foolish,’ as Steve Jobs would say,” said Dr Zhan.

A founder’s perspective The best thing for startups to do now is to have a plan to survive over the next three or more years – rather than believing capital is waiting at the door, said Pasha Rayan, Co-founder and CTO at Forage (formerly InsideSherpa). Mr Rayan is an alumnus of UNSW Sydney, who participated in the UNSW Founders Program (Founders10x) in 2017. Forage runs virtual work experiences with large companies like BCG, KPMG, Deloitte and GE to help university students get a taste of what it’s like to work at such companies. This allows any student from any background to explore what it’s like to work in different careers, and upskill in practical ways they haven’t been able to before, explained Mr Rayan. Companies use Forage to reach and find talent and hire them before they graduate. “We founded Forage three years ago as we found that many students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, didn’t know what amazing careers out there and what it took to get there,” said Mr Rayan.

For those just starting their entrepreneurial journey, Mr Rayan said to “talk to an excessive and unreasonable amount of your potential users/customers and build for what they want incredibly quickly” and then “observe whether they use it and adjust accordingly.” Mentorship has also been a useful tool for Forage as it scaled from an idea into a business. “Mentors have helped us focus on the right things, and, as we scale, pick up the right habits and processes required for a company to scale,” added Mr Rayan, who explained that the keys to the company’s success over the last few years have been: 1. Iterating and shipping things to users quickly; 2. Talking to users and making what they really want; 3. Being capital-efficient; 4. Being able to understand an industry and problem in a different way than how the industry currently thinks; 5. Focusing on results for users and customers, rather than signals of success (e.g. awards etc.).

The value of mentorship Entrepreneurs should “get their hands dirty” early on to accumulate experience, even if it is just interning for a startup, according to Mr Rayan , who said they should also partner with a co-founder with entrepreneurial expertise and seek out experienced entrepreneurs as mentors.

Dr Zhan said that those wishing to start on an entrepreneurial journey should: 1. Remember to ask themselves frequently whether they are pursuing both novelty and commercial viability; 1. Get a cofounder with entrepreneurial experience and complementary skill sets; 1. Seek out experienced entrepreneurs as mentors. Advisers and incubators should try to work with novice entrepreneurs early on to ensure they are always focused on both novelty and commercial viability, because “intervening too late might not be effective as psychological ownership kicks in (i.e., entrepreneurs grow too attached to their product/ idea) and it becomes hard to change,” she said. Finally, organisations should avoid conducting research and development (R&D), and business development, in silos. “Have them work together early on. Use those with entrepreneurial experience to manage innovation projects, instead of using either a great inventor with no commercialisation experience, or a businessperson with no R&D experience,” said Dr Zhan. Dr Siran Zhan is an Assistant Professor in the School of Management at UNSW Business School. In her research, Dr Zhan investigates the individual (e.g., identity and cognitive biases) and social (e.g., culture and diversity) factors important to creative and entrepreneurial processes. For more information, please contact Dr Zhan directly. This article was first published at www.businessthink.unsw.edu. au – the online journal of UNSW Business School.

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

News

BUUSSIN B L INE L A A CC

SS ESS

LLOO

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2018 2019 2 019

AAW S W A RD S D AR

WINNER CENTRAL COAST

2020 CENTRAL COAST Local Business Awards

Special feature 3 - check out these local businesses

www.thebusinessawards.com.au CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

www.coastba.com.au 13

News

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WINNER BUSINESS OF THE YEAR & Outstanding Fruit and Vegetable Shop

GEORGE’S FRUIT BARN TERRIGAL 45 Years supplying the highest quality FRESH Fruit & vegetables ucts such as homemade jams, spices, honey, eggs, baked goods and more. George’s Fruit Barn has been in business for over 45 years. Our range of products includes a wide array of groceries including flowers, continental delicatessen and other imported cuisines. We also offer plenty of organic, gluten-free, keto, paleo, vegan and vegetarian products to cater to a broad range of consumer needs. George’s Fruit Barn maintains high standards in customer service and strives to exceed customer expectations on quality and service to ensure a positive consumer experience. We con-

tinually search for and introduce new products for our local and multi-cultural customers. George’s Fruit Barn are proud to be a winner of ‘Outstanding Fruit and Vegetable Shop’ for the second time in a row, and are equally proud to also be a winner of ‘Business of the Year’ award. We offer a wide variety of products and groceries both local and imported that aren’t easily found on the Central Coast, to complement our fruit and vegetables produce. As they say, “If you can’t find it anywhere, GO TO GEORGE’S!”

L BUSINE CA

George’s Fruit Barn specialises in selling the best quality fresh fruit and vegetables at the best prices. We offer a broad range of groceries to suit a wide variety of growing consumer needs, both local and imported that are hard to find on the Central Coast. We put our customers first by assisting them with their needs and providing them with only the highest quality produce hand selected by us. We also support local farm growers in the area by selling their farm fresh produce directly to our customers. We also support local suppliers and small businesses around the area and their prod-

2020 2 020

AW georgesterrigal@gmail.com 14

ARDS

WINNER FINALIST CENTRAL COAST

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

News 2020 Central Coast Local Business awards

INE L BBUUSSIN CCAA

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Gwandalan Quality Meats was established in 1976 by Kevin & Trish Martin and their son Adam who were the owners for 42 years. Approximately 10 years ago myself (Matthew Platts) completed my apprenticeship at Gwandalan Quality Meats then went on to do other things. When the shop came up for sale in 2018 I couldn’t let I go. So in July 2018 my wife & I brought & took over the shop, in the small amount of time we have owned the shop we have put in our own little twist and the business is thriving!

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We have an amazing team at GQM & with everyone’s hard work it has paid off and we are very proud to win the

Most Outstanding Butcher Shop award at the Central Coast Local Business Awards this year. We hope to keep improving & expanding our services for all our wonderful & loyal customers.

Matt & Sam Platts

Gwandalan Quality Meats AAW S W A RD A R DS

67 Gamban Rd Gwandalan 4976 1746

WINNER CENTRAL COAST

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2020 Central Coast Local Business awards

2020

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WINNER CENTRAL COAST

Congratulations LANGDON HAIR WYONG

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THE CENTRAL COAST’S OWN

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DYSON LOGISTICS - WINNER Most Outstanding Specialised Business Central Coast Local Business Award 2020

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WINNER FINALIST CENTRAL COAST

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BUSIN E

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News 2020 Central Coast Local Business awards

2020 2 020

ARDS

WINNER

CENTRAL CENTR CENT RAL COAST COAST

Why Choose Little Miracles? â&#x20AC;˘ Individually tailored routines for all children aged 0-2 years â&#x20AC;˘ Quality Educators â&#x20AC;&#x201C; trusted, highly trained and hand-picked educators â&#x20AC;˘ Home-like environment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Home Away from Homeâ&#x20AC;? aesthetics â&#x20AC;˘ Kinderloop â&#x20AC;&#x201C; giving you â&#x20AC;&#x153;real timeâ&#x20AC;? access to your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day

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CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

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News 2020 Central Coast Local Business awards

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Coast move is one he doesn’t regret

Above: CEO of Dyson Logistics, Kane Dyson and right the Dyson team.

S CEO of Dyson Logistics, Kane Dyson, said his firm’s recent win in this year’s Outstanding Specialised Business category at this year’s Central Coast Local Business Awards was based on the best decision he ever made. “We just love the Central Coast.” He said. “We love dealing with and supporting the local business community.”

“Moving here we realised that the people and businesses on the Coast are tightly aligned with our own values: hard working, service orientated; but still making the time to enjoy life”, Kane told Central Coast Business Access. Bucking national trends during Covid-19, Dyson Logistics have doubled their staffing numbers, the majority of

whom are Central Coast locals. They have also taken on more and more local businesses as clients and are now focusing purely on building relationships with Central Coastbased importers and exporters. “We want to continue to improve options for our clients and other local business. We recently met with Liesl Tesch, MP for Gosford to discuss a push for containerised

vessel capabilities for Newcastle Port. This would create huge time and financial savings for Central Coast businesses if implemented.” Dyson Logistics are excited about the future growth of the region and are tirelessly working towards establishing themselves as “the Central Coast’s own freight forwarder”.

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Hyundai gives its MY21 Venue light SUV range a tech and wheel upgrade  CALLUM HUNTER YUNDAI Motor Company Australia (HMCA) is primed and ready to roll out its MY21 Venue light SUV range which has been given a series of specification upgrades ahead of the new model year as the brand reacts to “perceived shortfalls in spec”. With prices rising $500 for all three variants, HMCA has made a series of changes both shared by and unique to each variant with the biggest upgrade coming in the form of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the base- and mid-spec Venue (previously Go) and Active. Now able to be had from $20,690 plus on-road costs in manual guise and $22,710 for the automatic, other upgrades to the base Venue include 15-inch alloy wheels, centre console storage bin with sliding top, heated door mirrors and premium cloth seats. The Active ($22,620/$24,640) meanwhile scores the same tech and storage upgrades on top of its usual spec but also adds premium seat bolsters and 17-inch alloy wheels, the latter of which was first outlined in July. At the top of the range is the Elite ($26,490) which is adding a sunroof to its repertoire as well as a smart key with push-button start and the aforementioned centre console storage bin. According to HMCA corporate communications general manager Bill Thomas, the spec upgrades to the Venue have been primarily driven by customer and dealer feedback. “We are reacting to perceived shortfalls in spec and it’s important to have the flexibility from the factory to give us these changes promptly,” he said. “The standard 17-inch wheel change for the Active is a particularly strong upgrade, given that some sentiment told us that the car looks a little ‘under-wheeled’ with the smaller 15s.” Back July, HMCA chief operating officer John Kett told GoAuto the Venue had not

enjoyed the same level of initial success as the brand was hoping for and attributed the slow start to the under-specification of the Go (now Venue) and Active grades as well as the COVID-19 induced initial delay of Elite stock. Now however things have reportedly picked up with the Venue occupying 14.2 per cent of the light SUV segment with 3099 sales this year to the end of October. “Sales are strong for Venue and we are happy with the way it’s progressing, especially given it is still a relative newcomer to the market,” Mr Thomas said. “As more are seen on the road, we expect sales to strengthen even further.” While sales are on the rise, the Venue has a long way to go if it wants to stand any hope of usurping the current light SUV sales king, the Mazda CX-3, which has a 50.7

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per cent stranglehold on the segment with 11,058 sales to the end of October. For reference, all Venues are powered by the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine developing 90kW/151Nm, all of which is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission depending on the variant.

2021 Hyundai Venue pricing* Venue Venue (a) Active Active (a) Elite (a)

$20,690 $22,710 $22,620 $24,640 $26,490 *Excludes on-road costs

“

Sales are strong for Venue and we are happy with the way it’s progressing, especially given it is still a relative newcomer to the market.” 21

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Superb train carriage accommodation

Inside the Lava tube is spectacular

The Outback and fascinating Undara  LEN RUTLEDGE GOES ‘DOWN THE TUBE’ LAM, bang, biff, pow! I awake to unfamiliar sounds and cautiously pull up the blind. Oh, it’s just two kangaroos having a ‘friendly’ stand-up fight just outside my window. There’s nothing unusual about that at Undara. I’m rapidly discovering that very few things are considered unusual at Undara. The wildlife, the vegetation, the lava tubes and the railway carriage accommodation would all be considered very different elsewhere but here they are part of the amazing Undara Experience (www.undara.com.au ). I am in North Queensland revisiting one of the most fascinating Outback destinations easily accessible from the coastal cities.

I first visited Undara with cattleman Gerry Collins back in the late 1980s when he had a dream to develop this unique area into a tourist attraction. At the time he was battling the Queensland Government for approvals and was trying to save his land from compulsory acquisition. In the end he succeeded with his dream and Queensland has a unique top quality experience for both local and international visitors. It is a wonderful destination from either Townsville or Cairns. It takes a while to sort out the Undara Experience. The whole package consists of accommodation, meals and facilities, tours and activities. You can cherry-pick bits and pieces but you will find that more is always better because this experience is very special.

E s c a p e

For accommodation, we choose the beautifully restored 100 year old railway carriages. These are set along the original Cobb & Co. coach road and are shaded by tall trees and a canopy roof. The rooms contain a very comfortable double bed, old railway seats ceiling fans, and a bathroom. The carriages are unique, comfortable and romantic. We love them. Other options are the permanent swag tents, some of which have their own kitchen, the caravan park and campground, and self-contained air-conditioned Pioneers Huts. After settling in we go exploring. We find the free tea and coffee that is always available and then relax in the deck chairs by the lagoon pool. This is perfect after the drive from Townsville. After recharging, we go on a self-guided bush walk.

There are nine tracks ranging from 1.5km to 12km return. We climb a nearby knoll and gaze over the plateau towards some of the 164 old volcanoes in the province. There is no sign of human occupation as far as we can see. We enquire about tours and are told about the Wildlife at Sunset trip that departs each day at around 5.30pm. Naturally we go on it.

As they emerge from the darkness We watch the sunset while enjoying sparkling wine and cheese and then are taken to the entrance of a lava tube at dusk to see pythons and tree snakes capturing a meal of micro bats as they emerge from the darkness in their thousands. Continued on page 23

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Scenic viewpoint of ancient volcanoes Entry to the tube and another world

Continued from page 22

Dinner at night is at the Iron Pot Bistro. The a-la-carte menu has beef, Georgetown sausages, chicken, fish, and vegetarian noodle stir fry dishes. Meals are large, delicious and filling. We linger over several glasses of wine and then share a ‘chocolate volcano’ dessert. After dinner, we relax around the campfire, enjoy the brilliant starry sky then wander back through the Australian bush to our railway carriage ‘home’ for a good night’s sleep. It’s morning. The kangaroos have woken me so I watch nature’s world through the window. There are wallabies, wallaroos, parrots, kookaburras, currawongs and magpies all happily going about the business of eating. I guess it is time for our breakfast. We wander off into the bush along a well-defined track and soon come upon the Ringers Camp. The fire is burning, the billy tea is boiling and the freshly brewed coffee spreads its aroma throughout the camp.

Cereal, fruit, sausages, baked beans, eggs, sautéed vegetables, bacon and a variety of juices make for a great breakfast. We toast bread over the coals of the fire and spread it with honey and jam. Why do I eat so much more when in a setting like this? It’s 8am and we gather for the Archway Explorer tour. There are ten of us in the minibus as we drive to a lava tube. Lava tubes are the result of volcanic lava flowing down depressions. Eventually the surface cooled and formed a crust but underneath the lava continued to flow. The eruption eventually stopped and lava flowed out of the far end of the tubes, leaving tunnels beneath the land. Eventually holes appeared when the roof collapsed on the tubes and rainforest sprang up in these dark, moist hollows. We enter one of these depressions and are surrounded by life. The dry savannah has given way to lush vegetation. Dozens of butterflies flit around our heads. We are in a

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different world. The huge entrance to a lava tube is straight ahead. Entering the tube is a wonderful experience. We come face to face with 190,000 years of history. Timber walkways lead deep into the darkness. Our Savannah Guide gives us environmental, geological and historical information on the region. We visit two other tubes. A long wet season has raised the water table and some tubes are part-filled with water. At one, we strip to our swimwear and bathe in the clear water. We’re told that this is a very rare experience, happening on average, once every twenty years! While it is possible to experience the highlights of Undara by staying one night, a two-night stay is clearly better. This gives you time to take a second tour to a different section of the tubes, explore more of the walking trails and visit some of the other attractions in the area. Words: Len Rutledge. Pictures: Phensri and Len Rutledge

Breakfast is on the way on the campfire

Films

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Happiest Season – 3 Stars A ‘woke’ Christmas classic. BBY (Kristen Stewart) hasn’t liked Christmas since her parents died one Christmas past. Yet, as her girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) loves the holiday, she tries to make it special – even going so far as to buy a ring and planning to propose over the holiday break. When Harper invites Abby to her family Christmas, Abby sees her opportunity – she’ll ask Harper’s dad for his blessing and propose Christmas morning. When she gets there, though, she is horrified to discover that Harper isn’t out to her parents, and they don’t know about Abby. Abby has to navigate the waters of a domineering mother (Mary Steenburgen), a mayoral candidate father (Victor Garber), an overbearing sister (Mary Holland), and another cruel one (Alison Brie). As Harper struggles with her family’s expectation, and Abby confides her fears and concerns in her best friend John (Dan Levy), they grow further apart. Will the approaching Christmas Day push them irrevocably apart, or bring them closer together? Directed by Clea DuVall, Happiest Season is a bastion of cultural sensitivity in this day and age, adeptly navigating the waters of political correctness to bring a new lens to the generations old tradition of Christmas movies. It’s also a pretty funny rom-com. Dan Levy in particular strikes a hilarious tone, crushing the comedic perspective of this film and in many ways making up for a lack of that acerbic wit from the rest of the cast. That being said, the rest of the cast is uniformly good. Stewart brings an emotional sensitivity to the role that is commendable, belying her indie bona fides in this decidedly mainstream yuletide film. Aubrey Plaza also pops up in a much different role than we have seen her before, eschewing

her sarcastic demeanour for a more serious, romantic tone. The story is fairly standard Christmas fare; a mix of romantic highs and lows, and Christmas-related hijinks. All of the seasonal beats are hit – from the snow covered big American house, to the street of Christmas lights, gingerbread men and eggnog. The interesting thing is they are all done fairly well too – Happiest Season echoes the classic Christmas tropes, while also layering a modern relationship and the associated struggles on top. Issues arise, however, when interrogating the characters on display here, because

the fact is that with a cast this big, no one really gets too fleshed out. As much as this is a subversion of the genre, the characters are fairly standard cookie-cutters. They also in some cases have little agency. We’re asked to root for Abby and Harper’s relationship, but Abby is constantly downtrodden by Harper and her family, to the point that you want them to break up. While DuVall does flip the script at the end, it’s a hollow win. We’ve spent so long with this couple and having Harper lie to and abuse Abby, and so little time

with them as a functioning one, with so little character work or backstory, that for it to succeed feels a little like we are being cheated. In the end, this is a factor of the combined deeply thought out dramatic element and the heart-of-gold saccharinity of the story. We can’t have too complex an ending (it is a family Christmas movie after all), so instead we’re left with a hollow one. Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com

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Let Him Go – 4 Stars A chemistry-laden melting pot of drama, romance and loss.

EIRGE Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife Margaret (Diane Lane) grieve the loss of their only son, whose tumble off a horse left his wife Lorna (Kayli Carter) a widow with a young boy. She marries again, to a young man named Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain), who soon spirits her and the boy away from George and Margaret and their ranch in Montana, to live with his mother Blanche (Lesley Manville) in North Dakota. Shocked at the sudden departure, and worried about Donnie’s nature, George and Margaret road trip to North Dakota, only to have their worst fears confirmed – Donnie and the rest of the Weboy family are abusive and feared, not just by Lorna but also by the town, and they set about trying to get their grandson back. Let Him Go is hard to pigeonhole, because it does so many things well – a tense drama, a believable romance, a treatise on dealing with grief. Without a shadow of a doubt though, everyone can agree that Let Him Go is gripping cinema. Director Thomas Bezucha isn’t known for his dramatic work, having previously directed Monte Carlo and The Family Stone, both decidedly different fare to what’s on offer here.

But he doesn’t pull any punches with this movie, and his penchant for romance and melodrama blend well with the sinister and bleak tone of the movie’s more deranged elements. There are definite tonal issues here, indeed some that will make you laugh (the hard switch from Montana countryside to the ‘evils’ of North Dakota being one where the film magic at work to create a visible difference overtakes any effective use of the sequence). Bezucha never lets these get out of hand though, and despite the movie juggling so many tonal shifts, it never fails the balancing act. One of the most impressive feats of Let Him Go is the chemistry of its two leads. Costner and Lane are utterly believable as an aged couple who are deeply in tune with one another’s idiosyncrasies. Lane’s Margaret Blackledge is a wild stallion, who will fight tooth and nail to get what she wants. Costner’s George Blackledge is a quiet, imposing, retired sheriff, who fully understands his wife’s strength and will, and supports her even in this crazy endeavour. Together, they form a formidable team, and whether it’s the quiet looks between

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them in a tense situation in the Weboy’s home, or the loving ones across a steak dinner as they reminisce on their life together, they bring a level of prestige and confidence to their performances that sucks you in. That’s a good thing, because the dialogue in Let Him Go often borders on unbelievability and cliche. Too often can you predict what’s going to come out of the mouths of these characters; too often are you groaning at a line you’ve heard in a million movies before. For a film that is hard to pin down in terms of tone, plot and character development, it’s an immense shame that the dialogue just doesn’t stack up. The supporting cast is an interesting choice too. Lesley Manville is great as the domineering matriarch, but her reveal is so over the top that you almost think the part was written for a bigger A-lister. Jeffrey Donovan as another of the Weboy clan is tremendous, weird and wonderful (mimicking his impressive turns in a string of recent roles), but the rest of the Weboy clan barely make an impact – almost as if they spent all of their budget on Costner and Lane, and had to aim a bit lower for the rest. It’s a mystifying film – a series of odd, strange choices. A mix of tones that doesn’t quite make sense. A cohort of actors of

“

It’s a mystifying film – a series of odd, strange choices. A mix of tones that doesn’t quite make sense. A cohort of actors of distinctly varying calibre. A plot that shocks and surprises, and dialogue that distinctly doesn’t.” distinctly varying calibre. A plot that shocks and surprises, and dialogue that distinctly doesn’t. Yet somehow it all works. It’s not a mustsee film, nor a widespread cultural phenomenon, but it is undeniably gripping cinema. Reviews by Jacob Richardson Creative Director | Film Focus www.filmfocusau.com

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Family Business Welcome

With David Pring

Welcome to KPMG Family Business feature articles. If you would like to discuss these articles or how KPMG can help with your business please feel free to contact me on 9455 9996 or davidpring@kpmg.com.au

Challenges of Indigenous businesses Start by getting on top of your finances  GLEN BRENNAN HILE the buzz words of 2020 like agile, pivot and adaptability are used as COVID-19 descriptors, the truth is that those words could be used to describe Indigenous Australians for the last 60,000 years. Now more than ever Indigenous organisations need these traits because if COVID has revealed anything, it is that “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” to quote Mike Tyson. Running Indigenous organisations is challenging at the best of times. Managing community expectations while acquitting funding and complying with rules and regulations presents a minefield of risks for Indigenous boards and executives. With the pandemic far from over and continuing to impact organisations in Australia and around the world, Indigenous organisations who are part of the mainstream economy are not immune. When I reflect on the last six months, there has been one recurring theme that has challenged Indigenous organisations more than most. It was that Boards and Executives of Indigenous organisations found that they were unable to access accurate and timely financial information to make informed decisions. Because of this, there has been a heightened level of anxiety among Indigenous Board and Executives about their organisation’s financial health. This anxiety wasn’t purely because they thought they were in financial trouble, rather they just didn’t know how they were travelling with their finances. As one Indigenous executive said, they felt they were ‘flying blind’. To further compound the visibility issue, even when some Boards and Executives got their organisations financial information it was more of a ‘data dump of numbers’ which required decryption. Indigenous organisations with multiple funding sources need clarity, not just of their organisation’s overall performance, but also individual programs. As another worried Indigenous executive bemoaned ‘the devil is always in the detail’.

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that the old ways of doing business may not be the best way in the future. Leaders have been forced to review how they do business and the performance of core functions. So, it should come as no surprise that the finance areas of Indigenous organisations have come under closer scrutiny. Fed up with flying blind, data dumps and sleepless nights, worrying that they had missed something important, Indigenous Boards and Executives have embraced the new normal and looked to outsource their bookkeeping, payroll and finance function. Therefore, here are my top four tips of what Indigenous organisations need to look for when outsourcing. • A dedicated finance officer – Just because you outsource doesn’t

mean you don’t have someone to talk to. The truth is its always handy to have a dedicated person who will answer your queries. • Reconciling receipts and invoices – It is painful at the best of time, however, make sure there is a simple way to digitise receipts and invoices and send them through to a single source for processing. • Bank transactions – You should be able to avoid printing bank statements. Ensure bank transactions feed straight through to your accounting software. • Single touch payroll – You need an integrated system that will report to the ATO as well as keeping

a good record of your payroll and super stream. I realise it might sound counter intuitive to many Indigenous organisations to outsource their finance function. I understand that organisations have long standing relationships with bookkeepers and accountants. However, from my experience it will provide you with more visibility and greater control over your finances. No more flying blind and sleepless nights and more time to deliver your important work. At the end of the day, that is what matters the most… First published by Glen Brennan, Partner, KPMG Indigenous Services, KPMG Australia on KPMG Newsroom on 13 November 2020.

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R&D Tax Incentive changes to investment  ALEX DEMETRIOU INCE the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our economy, we have seen three key trends emerge across Australian businesses. They have: — made a clever pivot to products and services needed in response to the pandemic — experienced a massive uptick in demand for existing products or services that have specifically solved problems created by the pandemic — or, through no fault of their own, are experiencing serious financial stress and are struggling to remain solvent. The central need for all businesses facing these challenges is capital. This applies to businesses that have made a pivot and now need to invest in their new approach to unlock further opportunities, to organisations that have seen a surge in demand now searching for ways to continue to capitalise on their new-found success, and to businesses that are struggling to remain solvent and are seeking capital to simply make it through the pandemic. Access to capital is particularly challenging for pre-revenue start-ups that may have limited cash and so rely on third-party funding to keep going.

Stimulating the economy with R&D tax offsets The good news is that the 2021 federal budget acknowledged that investment in research and development (R&D) is an important lever to help stimulate the economy. Prior to the budget, proposed amendments to the Research and Development Tax Incentive would have reduced the support provided by the program by $1.8B over four years. Industry had been lobbying for many years to prevent the government from making these changes on the basis that

it was going to put a handbrake on R&D investment in Australia and, in some cases, force companies to go offshore to seek more support. Fortunately, this budget confirms that government will invest heavily in developing sovereign capability across the research, manufacturing and energy sectors to help businesses grow. Importantly, assisting companies invest in R&D is no longer being viewed as a cost to treasury, but as an investment in our future. This is a welcome shift in attitude and will allow companies, including those from overseas, to view Australia as a viable location to undertake R&D activities, meaning more high-skill jobs, investment and growth in our economy. The revised R&D Tax Incentive applies for years of income commencing on or after July 1, 2021. Companies with annual aggregated turnover of less than $20m will be able to access a refundable offset pegged at 18.5 percentage points above the corporate tax rate, which from 1 July 2021 will be 25 percent providing a 43.5 percent refundable tax offset. There will also be no cap on the refundable tax offset. Companies with an annual aggregated turnover of $20m or more will have a twotiered R&D intensity (R&D spend compared to total business expense) framework providing a premium intensity benefit of 8.5 percent above the corporate tax rate for R&D intensities up to 2 percent, and 16.5 percent above the corporate tax rate for R&D intensities above 2 percent. Other application and compliance aspects of the current program continue in their present form, meaning companies can now enjoy a level of certainty regarding their future investment in R&D.

Modern Manufacturing Strategy Of particular note, the government also announced as part of the budget its new

Modern Manufacturing Strategy (MMS), a $1.5B program designed to strengthen Australia’s manufacturing capability across a range of key sectors. A number of funding streams will be available under the MMS, addressing issues such as supply chain resilience, manufacturing modernisation, collaboration, translation and integration. This new funding announcement, combined with low interest rates and the instant asset write-off measures announced as part of the budget, should give manufacturing businesses greater confidence to consider investing in a wide range of growth activities, including R&D, if they take advantage of the support on offer. However, access to grant programs is likely to remain highly competitive.

Eligibility criteria and compliance requirements It is always important to remember that accessing government funding needs to be approached in a strategic fashion. While programs like the R&D Tax Incentive are based on self-assessment, there are strict eligibility and compliance requirements that need to be met. AusIndustry and the Australian Tax Office (ATO) are active in enforcing these requirements by conducting reviews of claims that can go back a number of years. Both regulators have increased the level of transparency around their assessment frameworks so claimants should be more aware of particular risk areas and concerns for the regulators. However, when it comes to fast moving R&D programs, staying on top of the necessary detail can be challenging. Grant programs, on the other hand, are merit based and typically highly competitive with many applicants seeking funds. They require a strong, whole-of-business investment case to be successful. Almost without doubt, businesses’ chance of suc-

cess will be reduced if they are caught simply reacting to the announcement of a grant program for which they only have four to six weeks to prepare and lodge an application. Businesses need to be better prepared for what may be a significant financial request.

Preparation is key R&D Tax Incentive claims should be prepared on a real-time, concurrent basis to capture the right activity and costing information, at the right time. This allows for eligibility criteria to be addressed when it counts, so that businesses are not caught short when AusIndustry or the ATO conduct a review. During this challenging economic period, businesses can least afford to be repaying any of their previously claimed R&D benefits, so need to consider what their compliance obligations are. Preparing a successful grant application requires a sound understanding of government policy as it relates to business, the industry sector or region in which a company operates. Government funding measures are designed to help facilitate policy outcomes. The task of preparing a strong application is therefore made much harder if a business does not understand or address the government’s priorities. It pays for a business to be well informed and appropriately prepared so that an application for funding presents a suitably targeted, fully developed and policy-aligned case for support. There are also many different funding options available which many businesses may not have the capacity to keep across. Businesses that are well prepared, and knowledgeable of desired outcomes, will face a better chance at success in accessing grants. First published by Alex Demetriou, Partner In Charge, Accelerating Business Growth, KPMG Australia on KPMG.com.au

Inclusion the key to unlocking engagement made ‘quickly’ without thought of the broader consequences nor making sure that the basis for the decision has been documented. Therefore, constantly reviewing the frameworks and guidelines which govern business decision making are vital to ensure that all family members feel included in the decisions which affect them.

 KAAJAL PRASAD ESSE Jackson, an American rights civil activist once said, “When everyone is included, everyone wins”. Whilst said in a different context, its sentiment can be applied to a variety of different spaces including Family Offices. For a Family Office to thrive the executive needs to engage successfully with their key stakeholders – members of the family. Even though this can be done in a variety of different ways, one which deserves more focus is inclusivity. Quite simply, an inclusive mindset encourages stakeholders to remain engaged in the business and share a long-term commitment to its future. Whilst it’s a hard thing to immediately achieve, there are four key aspects we think should be considered as Family Offices look to the beginning of a new year:

1. Socio-emotional wealth (SEW) The concept of SEW suggests that enterprises that create a stock of emotional value for the family are more likely to perform better financially. The five most common factors of SEW are: • Family control and influence – the value the family places on its ability to control the strategic direction and key decisions of the enterprise. • Identification with the enterprise – the value the family places on the identity it gains through its involvement in the enterprise. This is often the case with philanthropic activity. • Binding social ties – the value the family places on the relationships

4. Trust and confidence

with different stakeholder groups. • Emotional attachment – the importance a family places on family cohesion and wellbeing as part of their involvement with the enterprise. • Renewal of family bonds through dynastic succession – the extent the family desires to hand down the enterprise to future generations.

2. Effective communication When delivering information or a message to a family member, it is important to consider whether: the delivery method is appropriate for the content, who the information is being communicated to, how timely the communication is and who is delivering the communication.

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Given the complexities of family enterprises, it is often the case that some family members fill multiple roles. Implementing family forums may help to ensure that information is communicated to appropriate family members in the most appropriate way.

3. Transparent decision making For family members to be engaged in the enterprise and its activities, they must understand how decisions are made and how they can contribute to this decision-making process. If there are one or two dominant family members who always call the shots and override the consensus, family members will swiftly disengage. In the absence of effective governance frameworks, it is easy for decisions to be

Without trust, the entire family ecosystem faces significant continuity risks. Alignment and a strong and unified sense of purpose goes a long way in encouraging an enduring commitment to the office Trusting their commitment, having confidence in their ability to execute, no matter what the ask, and ensuring accountability and support, will go a long way in keeping them engaged for the long term. Engaging the family in the Family Office takes dedication, time and commitment. It’s an inclusive and ongoing activity and the best time to start is now. Refresh your family’s purpose and values and get alignment amongst family members. Open the channels of communication and organise meaningful forums. There’s too much to lose if you don’t. First published by Kaajal Prasad, Director, Family Business and Private Clients, KPMG Australia on KPMG Newsroom on 1 December 2020.

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Little jerks 5. Head downtown? 10. Help in a holdup 14. Balming target 15. Beyond partner 16. Screenplay direction 17. T-bone region 18. Medical research goals 19. Every family has one 20. Illuminated 23. Holiday follower? 24. Skiier’s challenge 25. Unlike a litterbug 27. Palindromic windmill part 30. End of two state names 33. Scratch, say 36. Better copy? 38. Bahrain bread 39. Passed with ease 41. Genetic info carrier 42. Arboreal abode 43. Things to rattle 45. Fishtail, e.g. 47. Daydreamer’s limit? 48. Fit to be fare 50. Killed, as a dragon 53. Tux accessory 54. Prepare for hanging 57. Wrestling area 59. Serving as a diplomat 64. Beer selections 66. Hindu grouping 67. Tat-tat intro 68. Folk facts 69. Pagoda roofing 70. Black cat, some think 71. It may come before “we forget” 72. Failed as a sentry 73. Bird’s perch, perhaps

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DOWN 1. Chaucer bit 2. They may be clicked on 3. Flu symptom 4. Grad-to-be 5. Bushwhacker’s tool 6. Go to the edge of 7. The good olde days 8. Cooking place 9. Transmit anew 10. Back on a battleship 11. Crooners, often 12. Creation location 13. “High School Musical” extra 21. Main mail drop (abbr.) 22. Disconnected, as a phone line 26. Like siblings 28. Chances in Vegas 29. Roller Derby milieus 31. Checklist item 32. Pretentiously stylish 33. Attack deterrent 34. Military sch. 35. Enrolls 37. Barbary ape’s lack 40. The red 44. Inner city concern 46. Most absurd 49. Official orders 51. Emotion of the miffed 52. Long and thin 55. Sight from Biscayne Bay 56. Gourmand 57. Shoppers’ site 58. Ubiquitous lily relative 60. Place for some polish 61. “Cast Away” setting 62. Manual component 63. A driver may change one 65. Firm or fixed

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Welcome to the New World Office The five global workplace trends you need to know  DALLAS SHERRINGHAM T used to be so easy: a coat of fresh paint, new desks and chairs plus a fancy fax machine and nice sign and your office makeover was ready for work. The staff arrived at nine and went home at five. You had the perfect office. Not today. Welcome to the new world of office design and worker health and welfare. And welcome to a world where there are no borders and where you key staff may be based in Padstow, Perth, Pakistan or Paris. Leading Swedish company Kinnarps. com.au provides interior workspace solutions for offices and public environments. Recently, the company released its latest Trend Report into the future office. It identified five important trends that will have great impact on the way we work – and play. The report noted that ‘our world today is mashed up multifaceted, with borders and barriers becoming blurred at all levels.’ The report said: ‘Geography is no longer a factor – the issue is identifying talent and keeping it, wherever you might find it – no matter what age, gender or culture. This increasing openness and connectedness has created one vital focus area where we must concentrate our creative thinking: diversity. Understanding our minds and bodies is now a prerequisite for understanding and building a modern work life environment. So, what are the workplace design opportunities of the diverse decade?

For this report, picked the brains of a specially selected group of inspiring minds representing architecture, design, tech and innovation. We identified five strong trends that will in many ways fundamentally change our work lives, each and every day, and discovered that smart design will be a key to creating workplaces and life spaces tailored for the diverse decade.

TREND 1: DIVERSE DESIGN How can we design workplaces to meet the needs of many? Looking into the future, design equality and inclusive environments will be a matter of course in all workplaces. We can see three major shifts taking place. For the first time in history, we will have four generations working side by side, meaning that their different ways of thinking and acting must be taken into consideration when designing working environments. The struggle for equality between women and men in our professional lives is entering a new phase. Questioning the existing design status quo from a gender perspective will be a driver for creating a truly inclusive workplace environment. Everyone has a different way of thinking to find solutions and solve problems. A main difference is the one between the introvert and the extrovert personality, and the future workplace should cater to both.

TREND 2: OFFICE BIOLOGY How to create a sustainable and ergonomic professional environment?

Health is wealth, they say. Today, our cognitive cogs and the diversity between them, are being increasingly seen as equally important to our physical needs in the workplace. In order to build a strong employer brand for the future, companies have to offer work environments adapted to both our bodies and our minds. Research shows that boring offices that do not work are a downright health hazard and result in more days off work sick. Our surroundings have the greatest impact on our brains. In a mindful workplace where people are in focus, there is an understanding that soft values play a vital role when it comes to well-being and that design and psychology are interlinked.

TREND 3: TECHITURE How can we use analogue and digital architecture to create the new workplace? The interaction between technology and architecture is called Techiture, and is a main driver in the next great design shift. Digital solutions for more seamless ways of work are already here, making those who seize these opportunities winners in the coming decade of diversity. The art of designing for workplaces adapted to human relevance, not hardware dominance, is key to the future employee environment.

TREND 4: CO-CREATION How can we collaborate without borders? How will tomorrow’s companies work? The days of companies trying to hide their methods of production behind closed doors

are a thing of the past. Instead companies and customers collaborate to drive the design process. The main issue for companies is to become transparent, to build trust and create a design dialogue together with employees and collaborators around the world. Collaborating and creating together – from anywhere, at any time, in small companies as well as large corporations – is becoming simpler and smoother, and these new possibilities are impacting the design of everything from small objects to workstations and whole buildings. This will also of course change and place entirely new demands on our workplaces.

TREND 5: MICRO-MULTINATIONAL Where has the workforce gone? Borderlessness distinguishes the modern workforce, with people constantly moving from one place to another and the task at hand being accessible through the virtual cloud across continents and countries. This drives a change where the growth of independent workers – freelancers, the self-employed, consultants and contractors – reflects an entrepreneurial surge of startups and sole proprietorships. In search of supportive places to work beyond home offices and Internet cafés, this brings the emergence of a new category of workspace, and design will follow suit. The liquid work space manifests itself in for example the form of home offices, pop up-workplaces and co-working communities. Source: Kinnarps.com.au

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

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Scenes from the Australian Reptile Park Jurassic Zoo show.

Jurassic Zoo is a Summer hit HE gates are open! These school holidays The Australian Reptile Park goes back to the prehistoric period. A Velociraptor and a Tyrannosaurs Rex are on the loose throughout the park! The two species will take daily walks in which kids and adults are able to interact with prehistoric beasts and take photos aplenty. Visitors will enter the park through the infamous Jurassic Park gates with a twist and will immerse themselves into a land before time. Jurassic Zoo this year is the biggest holiday promotion the Australian Reptile Park has put on yet! With Dinosaurs roaming the park, the famous “Dino Dance Party” – a treat for the little ones – there will be opportunities for young and old to get up close and personal with the dinosaurs (at their own risk!) The Fossil Dig returns to the park to give visitors and young paleontologists the chance to unearth ancient fossils and Zookeepers will be roving the park with all sorts of reptiles to meet up close! Giant statues of many species of dinosaur such as the Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and Parasaurolophus come to life with interactive sounds that will dwarf visitors and leave them in awe whilst educating them on the extinct reptiles. Additional entertainment during the Jurassic Zoo event series, will be daily show featuring the park’s resident crocodilians – the closest living relative and ancient cousins of the dinosaurs.

Crankiest croc in Australia Australian Reptile Park icon Elvis, a 5 metre Saltwater Crocodile renowned to be the crankiest croc in Australia, will be fed daily during a thrill-seeking show demonstrating the strength of his snapping jaws, capable of crushing the skull of prey as large as a water buffalo. Deadly and dangerous Jurassic Zoo! events extend into the park’s lagoon, home to 40 American Alligators.

Their daily feeding show consists of park keepers entering the danger zone of the lagoon, and dangling their food over a walking plank, whilst tempting the giant reptiles to launch high out of the water allowing visitors to marvel at their erratic jaw snapping for food. The Australian Reptile Park is also launching for the first time EVER – Alligator Feeding encounters where visitors have the once in a lifetime opportunity (if they dare!) to walk on the ramp and feed the Alligators themselves.

CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS ACCESS DECEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2021

Roving keepers at Australian Reptile Park will also be wandering around with a variety of scaly reptiles and cuddly mammals for guests to meet and greet. To really get up close and personal with The Australian Reptile Park residents, guests can book either a Behind-The-Scenes tour or one of the popular and interactive Kids 2 Keepers programs. The Australian Reptile Park is located in the natural bush setting of the Central Coast of NSW, only 30 minutes from the start of the M1. The Park is currently open and wel-

comes visitors 9am-5pm every day of the year (except Christmas Day), with complimentary parking and BBQ facilities. The Australian Reptile Park is requesting visitors to pre-book tickets online prior to their visit. The Australian Reptile Park has opened in a careful and responsible way with all social distancing measures and updated procedures in place to meet guidelines set by Government due to the COVID pandemic. To purchase tickets and for more information about visiting, head to www.reptilepark.com.au

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