7 minute read
From the President
from Hotel SA April 2023
by Boylen
New CEO
BY DAVID BASHEER
WATCH VIDEO: https://youtu.be/yofPq13UE-M
Throughout February and March, the AHA|SA executive council, in conjunction with external recruiter Sullivan Consulting, has been involved in a significant search for our next CEO.
We received 84 quality applicants, not just from South Australia, but also interstate and overseas. Following an exhaustive process, it was the view of our executive, supported by the recruiter, that the best person for the job was sitting in the office next to Ian Horne.
Anna Moeller was appointed after a three-step recruitment process and her appointment was ratified by the AHA State Council on April 4.
Anna is a qualified lawyer with an impressive track record in senior management roles, including over three years as the AHA|SA’s Deputy CEO, as well as leadership roles at Bendigo Bank, Motor Trade Association of SA/NT and in the local government sector.
She has proven to be an outstanding and highly respected member of AHA|SA team, providing our membership with significant leadership across liquor, gaming and harm minimisation, as well as industrial and Government relations.
After our 10-week search that saw applications from a wide variety of industries and skilled backgrounds, Anna emerged as the standout candidate.
She will bring her unique leadership style to the role whilst preserving the values that have made the AHA|SA such a pivotal component of not just the tourism and hospitality sector in South Australia, but the business community in this State.
Incoming AHA|SA CEO, Anna Moeller
The AHA|SA commenced in 1871, with Anna to become the first female CEO to undertake the role in the organisation’s 153-year history, with women currently making up 62 per cent of the hotel industry workforce.
Having been heavily involved in all key industry discussions both here in South Australia and nationally, Anna will hit the ground running. She joined the Association only a few months prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. She steered our Association’s response with the police, health and government. As a result, Anna was able to quicky develop a rapport with many of our members and that has continued to grow over her period of time with us.
In more recent months, she has spearheaded our strategies around liquor licensing and gaming, particularly in light of the issues being circulated in NSW and Tasmania. Indeed, Anna has spent considerable time with both the AHA in NSW and Tasmania assisting our colleagues there in their responses to proposed government intervention. Given we have the most stringent harm minimisation measures in the country, it is hardly surprising interstate looks to us for assistance in these regards!
A hallmark of Anna’s style is her absolute passion for the industry and all who participate in it. As CEO, she will hit the ground running and has the opportunity to stamp her mark across all aspects of AHA life. We look forward to her growing the outstanding legacy that Ian Horne leaves.
More Red Tape
Every new Government comes to power with the bold intention of reducing red tape. And every new Government then proceeds to increase the burden on our small and family businesses.
Regulation - and the red tape that accompanies it - is strangling us. Releasing these shackles will improve confidence at zero cost to Government.
The growth of regulation and compliance in our industry remains a constant and exhausting battle.
Hotel operators are frustrated and overwhelmed by the uncoordinated approach taken by too many local, state and federal agencies, none of whom seem capable of even speaking to each other.
Many policies have left us not only bewildered but resulted in us having to pay the cost of mopping up unintended consequences.
The latest instalment in this saga came late last year when the Federal Government introduced new food safety regulations, under the seemingly innocuous name of ‘New Food Safety- Standard 3.2.2A (Food Safety Management Tools). The bureaucracy must love this stuff.
Our members now have an added burden to already existing compliance obligations around the serving of food. This means we must ensure all relevant staff who handle food are provided with additional food handler safety training.
All of our members are now required to have a food safety supervisor on duty. They must be certified with a qualification from a registered training organisation. This qualification must be updated every five years, and like the responsible person legislation, venues will require multiple trained staff members within their roster.
Finally, venues must show food safety inspectors they have adequate provisions around their processes and procedures.
Whilst this provision is more understandable, it requires more compliance and red tape, as we must maintain written records to be kept for three months that outline our activities.
But where is the evidence that any of this is required? We have incredibly high standards of food safety in our pubs and hotels. There is a 12-month transitional period to allow venues to comply with the new burden.
Already there is confusion in the marketplace. We all have experienced inconsistencies in the way local council food inspectors interpret regulations and requirements. Not just from council to council, but from inspector to inspector.
Health inspectors from at least two councils we are aware of believe even a staff member cutting lemons behind the bar or making a toasted cheese sandwich would be captured by this onerous burden. Hopefully your venue doesn’t sell too many gin and tonics after midnight, because that means you will need to pay for a food safety supervisor after 1am to ensure the lemon safely makes it into the tumbler.
SA Health have conceded these new rules will be costly for business operators. That’s comforting.
The AHA|SA website already has a food handling package and we have engaged a consultant to ensure members have the most up to date and accurate information available. Red tape. It continues to swamp us. For some in Government the cost and burden it brings is of no consequence. We invite those in that privileged position to walk a mile in our shoes.
Pubs With Hearth
Pubs with Heart, through IGC, has made two significant grants recently.
• Breakthrough Foundation: We have allocated $100000 over two years to the Breakthrough Foundation to conduct mental health first aid training for Hotel and club employees throughout the State. We all understand the growing nature of this community issue, but post COVID-19, it has become acute for our Industry.
• There are short courses and a more extensive two day Mental Health First aid course available and anyone interested in involving staff members are encouraged to contact Katherine Taylor in our office.
• Autism SA: We have also invested heavily in a co-partnership with Autism SA to provide an Autism Officer to help assist and educate our venues in providing safe spaces for autistic members of the community and their families. This is a key focus of the current State Government and we are delighted to be involved.
Part of the fees payable to IGC on gaming machines goes into this fund that has now donated almost $20million to charity, community and sporting organisations since 1994.
