LOCAL STORIES

By Warren Strybosch

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) was established as a pilot project in 1987. The earlier Higher School Certificate (HSC) was abolished in 1992. There was about 5 schools trialling the pilot program in Victoria and I was attending one of those at the time. for the VCE is usually completed over two years but can be spread over a longer period of time in some cases e.g., 3 years.

It could easily be argued that these last two years of VCE would have been one of the toughest two years on record since it started 34 years ago.

Not only did students have to deal with close to 300 days of lockdown, online schooling, the General Achievement Test (GAT) being postponed four times, sitting exams without power and/or having to reschedule exams when one of their class mates become Covid-19 positive, they also have had to deal with their whole family being at home whilst they tried to study, the distractions that surrounded them e.g. Fortnite, parents with reduced work or losing their jobs, increased suicides amongst their peers, and so on.

It is amazing that these young adults, who have managed to complete their VCE’s, have done so at all.

We, at the Find Manningham, want to wish all VCE’s students all the best for their exams and hope that the next four or five years, whether it is studying at Uni, taking a gap year and then studying, or simply going into the workforce, is better than the two years you have just lived through.

We are thinking of you all as you complete your exams and hope you get the results you are want to get into your desired course. If you do not, I can attest, as someone who has failed VCE and now has 7 qualifications under their belt, including a post grad, that there are many and varied pathways into university. Life does not end when VCE finishes…in fact, it is just the beginning of your journey through adulthood.

The VCE is one credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria. ... Study

COVID UPDATES INFORMATION

See Page 104 for Victoria's Roadmap Delivering National Plan More COVID information on Page 93

HELPING TO PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

At Find we can help you find the ‘right’ personal insurance. Our aim is to help you obtain and retain the personal insurances that are appropriate for you and at cost that you can afford.

Personal Insurances Include:

• Income Protection (IP) • Life Insurances or Death Cover • Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) • Trauma Insurance or Critical Illness Insurance • Business Expense Cover • Child Trauma Cover

When your insurance are in place, our services do not stop there. We will provide you with an after care service that includes policy notifications, insurance report, help desk, reviews and help at claim time.

We provide ourselves in providing honest advice that you can rely on.

warren@findinsurance.com.au 248 Wonga Road, Warranwood VIC 3134

INSURANCE

What Business Must Do To Comply As We Reopen

By Warren Strybosch

To support business owners to reopen, the Business Stakeholder Pack has been developed by the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. This stakeholder pack incorporates customisable content and downloadable artwork including:

• posters • support guides • social media content • suggested website and newsletter content • booking confirmation email and

SMS text for businesses.

See Page 94 for the Stakeholder Pack

Social media crackdown to protect children

By Matt Coughlan (Australian Associated Press)

Children aged under 16 would need their parents’ consent to use social media platforms under a proposed online crackdown.

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash on Monday released an exposure draft of new legislation to create a binding privacy code for social media services, data brokers and other large online operators.

All platforms would be forced to receive parental consent for users under the age of 16. Social media companies would be required to take all reasonable steps to verify users’ age and put children’s best interests first when handling personal information.

There would be tougher penalties and more enforcement powers handed to the privacy regulator. Online platforms subject to the code would need to comply with strict new privacy requirements, including new rules about children and other vulnerable groups. The code will be developed with the Australian Information Commissioner and industry. Organisations would face tougher requirements to be transparent about how personal information is handled.

Senator Cash said the bill would ensure Australians’ privacy would be treated more carefully and transparently by online platforms.

“We know that Australians are wary about what personal information they give over to large tech companies,” she said.

“Our draft legislation means that these companies will be punished heavily if they don’t meet that standard.”

A 2018 Headspace survey of more than 4000 people aged 12 to 25 found social media was the main reason youth mental health was worsening. Assistant Mental Health Minister David Coleman said there was a consistent increase in signs of distress and mental ill-health among young people even before the coronavirus pandemic.

“While the reasons for this are varied and complex, we know that social media is part of the problem,” he said.

“The recent leak of Facebook’s own internal research demonstrates the impact social media platforms can have on body image and the mental health of young people.”

Senator Cash’s department also released a discussion paper on broader reforms to privacy laws.

Don’t leave it too late – tell their stories now!

ACCREDITED EDITOR

By Susan Pierotti

Here’s an alarming statistic: dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia – and the leading cause of death for women. Dementia can tragically affect people as young as forty but most dementia sufferers are older.

If you know or are related to an older person, do you know if – or when – they will get dementia? No, no one knows. So it is vital to begin the process of telling their stories now.

Family stories are so important. They leave a legacy, they unite family members, they contribute to the cohesion and history of the community and add value to the teller’s identity. It’s an awful thing to have those stories lost because someone in your family is losing their memory or their health.

Everyone has an interesting story

When asked to tell their life story, most people say, ‘Oh, my life isn’t very interesting’. However, what might seem normal to them, such as minor details about their childhood in a bygone era, is fascinating for those who never lived through it. Being able to draw from them stories of a world that many of us have never experienced makes every older person's story fascinating.

There is a genuine breakthrough moment when older folk realise their stories are interesting. They sit up straighter, their eyes shine and it can be hard to get then to stop talking! Unlike other cultures, our Western values system doesn’t include ceremonies for honouring our elders. When our older loved ones realise that someone actually wants to listen to them and record their lives, their knowledge and wisdom, it makes them feel really valuable- a wonderful gift to a person in their twilight years.

Stories heal family wounds

It's amazing what writing someone's story can do for that person's family. All families have secrets. For instance, what happened to that cousin? Why did our uncle go overseas and never return? Family members are told snippets that are coloured by another teller’s point of view. Misunderstandings between family members occur. Rifts appear and solidify. Sometimes these stories are painful to relate but sometimes telling them can heal and restore, not just for the family members but for the elderly loved one who may have been carrying a burden of guilt and grief for so many decades.

How to begin

One easy way to get people to open up is by showing them a photo. Our visual sense is strong and a simple image can unlock a wealth of stories about distant events. Telling the story can make people emotional, but that’s okay. It’s another opportunity to connect. to her his father’s story but these two men spend precious time together, a rare event in our society.

Recording your relatives’ story is easier than it has ever been. There are so many devices to use. Stories over the years have preserved on cassette tape, CDs and phones. Keep in mind, though, that technology changes, and changes rapidly. There are young people nowadays who don’t even own a CD player because they download everything. Here’s a tip: print never dies! Type or write it down.

Showing a photo even works for people with dementia. My father has Alzheimer’s. One day, I showed him pictures of the area where he grew up. To my surprise, he began talking about the few Aboriginal children in his school. Unlike the other children, he was kind to them and so he was the only one in the class who was invited to visit them in their settlement. I now learned a story about my father that I had never known. Whenever I show him a photo of a place he knows, his longterm memory is triggered and seems to work fine. Creative Text Solutions is a member of Life Stories Australia that assists people to tell their stories. Contact us today at susan@ creativetext.com.au to help you record your elderly loved ones’ stories.

Susan Pierotti

Another person I know takes his father out to lunch once a month when there are no Covid lockdowns). He records their conversation on his phone. At home, he is able to transcribe it so that his children can read it. Not only does he get

Accredited Editor Creative Text Solutions 0437 127 159 www.creativetext.com.au

Aged Care Covid Findings To Be Implemented

Andrew Brown (Australian Associated Press)

All recommendations made as part of a review into COVID-19 outbreaks in aged care facilities will be adopted by the federal government.

The independent review made 38 recommendations on how to better manage outbreaks in residential settings, which Health Minister Greg Hunt said would be prioritised to help protect senior Australians.

Among the recommendations were further consultations to phase out shared rooms and bathrooms to reduce risk, outbreak handling training prioritised and calls for long-term funding to improve infection control.

The review said the recommendations were made among nine lines of defence, such as clinical care, emergency responses, infection control, planning and the mental health of staff.

“It is clear that the nine lines of defence overlap and individually, all are critical to outbreak control,” the review said.

“However, based on our findings, we place leadership as the most critical factor and an essential component to all other lines of defence.”

Mr Hunt said the government would adapt how outbreaks at aged care facilities would be handled.

“It has been an extremely challenging time for all of us, but particularly senior and vulnerable Australians and those who care for them,” Mr Hunt said.

“The review’s 38 recommendations will help aged care facility administrators better prepare for and respond to future COVID-19 outbreaks.”

Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck said the review’s findings were already being enacted.

“We are committed to improving out preparation for and response to outbreaks, and better supporting our most vulnerable Australians,” he said. “We have listened to the experiences and stories of those living, working and caring in the aged care sector throughout the pandemic.”

Since the start of the pandemic in Australia, there have been more than 800 deaths in commonwealth aged care facilities.

There are a further 697 active cases in aged care settings and 1487 cases that have recovered. The latest government data has shown there have been more than 400 residential aged care facilities that have had an outbreak.

The Australian Health Protection Principle Committee and its aged care advisory group have considered all the recommendations.

Mr Hunt said the commonwealth would work alongside state and territory governments and health authorities to help deliver the recommendations.

The Amazing Benefits Of Coffee Machines

COMMERCIAL COFFEE MACHINE

By Ivana Smith

The Covid lockdown is about to end and summer is around the corner. Businesses will return to the office. Dealerships, warehouses and other business premises will reopen. We will be allowed to visit our loved ones in aged care facilities once more. With the warmer weather, we also shake off the football frenzy and engage in summer sports.

What do these all have in common? They are community hubs, places where people meet and congregate, where friendships and relationships form. And what better place in each than over a cup of coffee!

However, businesses, aged care facilities and sports clubs have all been affected financially over the last two years due to the Covid lockdowns. Things won’t be the same as they were in 2019. If you are the treasurer of a bowls, cricket, swimming or tennis club or you are a facility manager, you may now be under pressure to save expenses.

Did you know that installing a coffee machine in your premises will save you money? Not only that, but it will make your business and social gatherings more productive and contribute to saving the environment as well!

A coffee machine saves time and money

When it comes to coffee, a coffee machine delivers bulk coffee with much better flavour than a spoonful of instant and boiling water out of an old electric jug.

Here are some other benefits. Did you know that when employees can take up to fifteen minutes to get a coffee if they leave the office? That’s sixty hours per year of lost time for just one employee! Installing a coffee machine onsite will encourage them to stay close, and it willpromote collegiality in the workplace. For sports clubs, the community aspect will be enhanced if you install a coffee machine in the clubhouse because your members won’t need to disperse around the neighbourhood trying to find a drinkable blend.

There is also the advantage that an inhouse coffee-machine can brew your favourite cuppa whenever you want it. No longer will you be dictated to by the opening hours of your local barista bar. You will also have great coffee ready to go for all your clients; it’s amazing what the impression of an aromatic and flavoursome coffee will do for the reputation of your business.

The benefits of a coffee machine

With a coffee machine, unwashed coffee mugs and dirty teaspoons are a thing of the past. No more do you have to put the lid on the coffee jar or the milk back in the fridge.

A coffee machine is low maintenance – clean and easy to use. Delivering a wide range of coffee options, they are also safer than kettles, electric jugs and cappuccino frothers as all the coffee brewing occurs within the sealed machine. You don’t even need to supply and grind beans or filters. All you need to do is insert a pod or push a button.

There are two types of coffee machine: one that uses pods and one that uses ground beans. Pods are quicker and simpler to use but some brands are still not recyclable. If you would prefer a more environmentally friendly solution, try an espresso machine.

These automatically grind the beans, boil the water and make your selection with one push of a button. Their in-line water heater saves energy by quickly heating up water for each individual cup, rather than heating water all the time. Another energy-saving measure is their in-built programmable time management system that turns the machine on and off so that it's ready when you need it, and saving money when you don’t. And with no pods or filters, they cut down on plastic and paper waste that ends up in landfills. More importantly, they make superb tasting coffee! Macchiatos, flat whites, long blacks – you name it, the machine makes it. The beans are sourced from quality producers of countries less well off than we are.

Improve your community experience and enjoy the amazing benefits of a coffee machine.

For advice on coffee and how to supply it to aged care facilities, office spaces and clubs, contact Ivana at ivana.smith@ xpressodelight.com.au.

Ivana Smith

Commercial Coffee Machine Xpresso Delight 0418 393 085 www.xdcoffee.com.au

All Company Director’s Now Can Register For Their Director IDs Online

By Warren Strybosch

All Australian company directors including SMSF directors can now register for the new director ID.

This unique 15-digit identifier only takes about 15 minutes to apply online for most people but for those overseas a paper-based system may need to be used. For those currently living overseas, it is recommended they start this process as soon as possible as there might be issues with matching current director names to their actual birth names. The director IDs will stay with a person for life and aims to provide greater security and a level playing field for all those running a business.

Superannuation and Financial Services Minister Jane Hume said it would cut red tape and make things fairer for all.

“Directors will keep the same director ID as they move between different roles, businesses and even countries,” Ms Hume said.

“Acting as a unique identifier for every director, director ID not only paves the way for streamlined experiences in the future but offers directors greater confidence that they are protected from fraud and illegal activity today.” With over 2.7 million company directors can now apply for their new director identification numbers (director ID) using the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) website.

To apply, directors can simply log into ABRS online using the myGovID app. It is free to apply and available to directors within Australia and overseas. Applications are available by phone and by paper for those who need it.

Any individual who is a director or acting as an alternate director must register. This includes directors of an SMSF or a limited recourse borrowing (LRBA) corporate trustee.

Due to the huge number of applications that will need processing, there are transitional arrangements in place for directors to assist with the onboarding process.

Key dates to be aware of

From 1 November 2021 to the end of 4 April 2022 there is a transitional period where all new directors have 28 days to apply for a DIN after being appointed as a director. From 5 April 2022, when the transitional period ceases, all directors will be required to apply for a DIN prior to being appointed as a director.

For all existing directors appointed prior to 31 October 2021, they will have a deadline of 30 November 2022 to apply for a DIN.

SMSF Directors are encouraged to get their DIN as soon as possible.

For directors of corporate trustees related to a SMSF, only they can apply for their own DIN. The accountant, tax agent or bookkeeper will not be able to apply on their behalf. As such, all SMSF Directors of SMSF are encouraged to also start the process as soon as possible. For those setting up a new SMSF or a limited recourse borrowing arrangement, they must get the DIN with in 28 days of face ASIC action, including penalties for non- compliance.

If a SMSF director fails to obtain their DIN, the SMSF could become noncompliance and face huge tax liabilities. Also, it might result in the SMSF Director, who is also a member, having to exit the SMSF given they have demonstrated they do not have the ability to manage their own SMSF.

The Best Investment is an Investment in Yourself

BOOKKEEPER

By Neha Nayyar

As busy business owners, we rarely have time for ourselves, let alone time for upskilling in areas that may not directly correlate to your businesses offering. Time and time again, business owners approach us with their books in quite a state. Yes, of course we can help sort things out, however what we can also do is provide training to empower business owners (and/or their office staff) on how to confidently do their own books ongoing.

When you run your own business, you are an expert in your field, knowing the ins and outs, but when it comes to doing the books, often business owners just plod along using the same old systems and processes they always have. In this world of online accounting and automation, your books shouldn’t be taking up much of your time at all.

By taking control and investing in training, you will be:

Empowered

By undertaking training specific to your businesses accounting, you will walk away with the confidence and knowledge required to do your own books. No more late nights worrying about pays, super and tax. You will feel confident that you have everything under control and that all your books are in order.

Efficient

By using cloud systems to their capacity, the efficiencies for small business owners are nothing short of amazing. Invoicing, automatically following up overdue payments, reconciliations, automatic pays, all your figures and reporting in the one place will make doing your bookwork a breeze. At Sum and Substance, we run individual training for businesses, but we also run specialized industry training through our sister company, Future Proof Accounting. Our next specialized training is for people in the medical industry. You can read more about that here.

If you want to enquire about training for you or your business, we can be reached at (03) 9424 9447 or info@sumsubstance. com.au. You can directly book in a time to chat with Neha by clicking here.

Compliant

By having a thorough understanding of what is required, combined with a solid cloud accounting platform, you will know that your business is compliant, which in turn ensures ATO payments are done on time, super requirements are met etc, meaning you won’t be met with late fees or penalties again.

Neha Nayyar

Bookkeeper SUM AND SUBSTANCE www.sumsubstance.com.au 0401 409 573

Navigating The COVID-19 World As Our Freedoms Are Returned

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

By Mark Felton

Our retail industry is reopening, and it is mandatory for every Victorian business with on-site operations to have a COVIDSafe Plan.

There is no change to your obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act) and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (OHS Regulations) as a result of the Directions issued by the Victorian Chief Health Officer (CHO).

Preparation of a COVIDSafe Plan forms part of the development of a safe system of work. However, having a COVIDSafe Plan and complying with the Victorian CHO Directions does not necessarily mean you have complied with all of your duties under the OHS Act and OHS Regulations.

You must follow any health directions that apply to how your business must operate, and ensure that you are meeting your obligations under the OHS Act. Employees must also comply with their duties under the OHS Act. There is an abundance of information available at www.worksafe.vic.gov.au and www. coronavirus.vic.gov.au

Proof of vaccination status will be required by patrons entering retail businesses. The Victorian State Government advises that all people intending to enter a retail premises act in the following manner:

1. Make sure you’ve added your

COVID-19 digital certificate to the Service Vic app or have an alternative proof of vaccination status (including a printed copy of the certificate along with photo ID, a printed copy of your immunisation history statement along with photo

ID, or a printed copy of your medical exemption along with photo ID)

2. Scan the Service Victoria QR code or show your alternative proof of vaccination status 1. Show staff the two green ticks

2. Wait for a staff member to confirm it’s

OK to enter

Many businesses may have a reasonable handle on this but how do you manage the situation where a patron is refusing to cooperate. Staff members cannot be expected to use physical force to eject the difficult patron. Instructions to staff must be clear and easily understood.

If you have any doubts about your preparedness, including how to best keep your staff and patrons COVID safe please feel free to contact Mark Felton at Beaumont Advisory on 0411 951 372 or mfelton@beaumontlawyers.com.au for an obligation and cost free initial discussion.

Please be patient and respect our staff

CHECK IN NOW

We appreciate your support and patience

For more information go to CORONAVIRUS.vic.gov.au

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne Poster updated October 2021

Mark Felton

Occupational Health & Safety Beaumonth Advisory www.thebeaumontgroup.com.au

Jaundice: Why does my baby look yellow?

LACTATION CONSULTANT

By Dr. Joanna Strybosh

Babies commonly experience a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes after birth. This condition is called hyperbilirubinemia, or neonatal jaundice. Bilirubin is an orange or yellow pigment circulating in the blood stream, most of which is a byproduct of the breakdown of the newborn’s excess red blood cells in their liver. Normally, this product is excreted through the newborn’s intestinal tract via their stools. In the case of jaundice, some bilirubin remains in circulation and gives the skin and eyes its characteristic yellow colour.

Why does a baby have excess red blood cells to breakdown?

Before birth, the baby requires higher levels of red blood cells because the uterus is a relatively low oxygen environment. After birth, the baby moves into a higher oxygen environment and no longer requires as much hemaglobin (red blood cells). This excess is what is broken down in the baby’s liver and then excreted via the intestinal tract. Most newborns produce more bilirubin than they can eliminate.

There are other situations that can increase a newborns’ likelihood of becoming jaundiced. This includes prematurity (especially late pre-term ie 35-38 weeks), bruising or hematoma such as occurs with vacuum extraction, infection, maternal diabetes, infant weight loss, use of oxytocin to induce labour and genetic factors.

Physiological Jaundice:

It is estimated that 60-70% of full term infants will become visibly jaundiced in the first week of life. Most of the time, this a benign, self-limiting condition, which resolves spontaneously without the need for any treatment. In these cases, the jaundice usually peaks around day 4 or 5 after birth, and then resolves over the following week or two. This is called physiological jaundice.

Breastmilk Jaundice:

In this situation, the jaundice peaks around day 6-14 after birth and can develop in up to one third of healthy breasted infants. It occurs in male and female babies equally and can run in families. The hyperbilirubinemia can persist for up to 3 months. This form of jaundice is not fully understood although it is thought to be due to factors in maternal breastmilk that inhibit the normal metabolism of bilirubin.

Photo by Laurie Gouley from Pexels

Breastfeeding Jaundice:

Also called various other names such as nonfeeding jaundice or lack of breastfeeding jaundice or even starvation jaundice. This occurs in circumstances where there is inadequate milk intake (for either infant or maternal reasons). Infrequent, inefficient breastfeeding reduces calorie intake, increases the amount of infant weight loss and delays meconium passage thought the gut. This can drive up bilirubin levels to where intervention is required.

This form of jaundice can be seen in babies whose feedings are scheduled by the clock (such as, every 3 hours for 10 minutes) or in babies who show signs of hunger but are given a dummy. It can also occur in babies who have difficulties latching, sucking or swallowing and therefore do not actually transfer milk in sufficient quantities. These babies may be put to the breast and may appear to be feeding but are in fact not swallowing. As a result they don’t poo as much.

Skilled assessment by a qualified lactation consultant is important to ensure infant swallowing is occurring at the breast. Advice and support to the mother can improve infant feeding.

When is the situation serious?

Rising levels of bilirubin needs to monitored as extremely high levels of bilirubin can be toxic to the brain and cause seizures and brain damage. Although severe hyperbilirubinemia is uncommon, it can happen if a jaundiced baby is not monitored closely and interventions implemented early on. Risk factors for severe hyperbilirubinemia include: jaundice within the first 24 hours after birth, visible jaundice before hospital discharge, late pre-term (35-38 weeks), maternal age greater than 25 years, bruising or cephalohematoma, previous jaundiced sibling, male baby and East Asian ethnicity.

Management of Jaundice:

Most commonly, phototherapy is used for babies with high levels of bilirubin. Phototherapy helps with the breakdown of bilirubin, so that it can be excreted via the stools. There are side effects of phototherapy that can interfere with breastfeeding (such as separation from the mother, lethargy, poor feeding, increased water loss requiring fluid replacement and unsettled baby). In less urgent situations, and for in-home treatment, a portable phototherapy blanket (biliblanket) can be used.

Breastfeeding Support: All newborn babies and mothers benefit from receiving support to optimise their breastfeeding skills new breastfeeding skills. The more a baby feeds, the more he poos and the more bilirubin is excreted. Jaundiced babies are often sleepy and slow to feed, adding to the challenge of establishing these important breastfeeding skills.

Best practices for after birth to optimise infant feeding and therefore reduce jaundice:

• avoid separating mother and baby • 24hr rooming in and feeding through the night helps eliminate meconium and bilirubin more quickly • Frequent feeds (8-12 feeds per 24hrs) • minimise visitors that would delay or inhibit a mother from breastfeeding • skin to skin contact to trigger behavioural feeding-readiness cues • skilled breastfeeding assessment and advice

See your local IBCLC for further information or help with managing jaundice in your baby.

Dr. Joanna Strybosch

Osteopath B.App.Sc(Clin.Sc)/B.Osteo.Sc/Grad Dip Paeds

Lactation Consultant CHILDREN’S OSTEOPATHIC CENTRE (03) 9876 3011 www.childrensostheopathiccentre.com

Is Now The Best Time to Fix The Rate On Your Home Loan?

MORTGAGE BROKERING

By Jodie Moore

As a mortgage broker one of the most common questions I receive from clients is whether they should fix the interest rate on their Home Loan. Since the commencement of the COVID pandemic there has been a surge in clients locking in at least some of their Home Loan into a fixed rate to take advantage of the very low rates on offer in this market, in some cases well under 2%.

Now, with commentary from the Reserve Bank indicating that they may be looking to increase the cash rate a lot earlier than expected due to inflation, most lenders have started to lift their advertised fixed rates, particularly in the popular 2 and 3 year fixed rate products. At the same time some of their variable rate products have started to come down, with Banks trying to encourage more customers into these products, anticipating that there may be several rate rises from the Reserve Bank in the future.

Given the current interest rate uncertainty is now the best time to fix the rate on your Home Loan? There are advantages and disadvantages to locking in your interest rate which would determine if fixing your rate is the best option for you.

Advantages

1. Security

When you fix a rate on your Home Loan you are guaranteed that the rate will not change for the period you have fixed for. This means your repayments will also remain unchanged which is helpful for household budgets.

2. Potential Money Saver

If you are able to fix your rate at the right time you will save money on interest, potentially thousands of dollars. For example, if you were to fix a rate today you could lock in for as low as 2.09% for two years with some lenders. These same lenders have variable rates at 2.69%, and if those variable rates do not reduce below 2.09% over that two year period the benefits of fixing at the lower rate would be substantial.

3. Some Flexibility

Most lenders will allow borrowers to make additional repayments when they have a fixed rate loan without incurring a penalty. It is most common for any extra repayments to be capped at a maximum $10,000 per year.

Some lenders also offer the ability to have an offset account linked to the fixed rate loan to help reduce interest costs further, although these are generally only partial offsets usually 40%. For example if you had a $1,000 balance in an offset account only $400 of that balance would be offsetting your loan.

Disadvantages

1. Penalties may be payable for early repayment

If you become dissatisfied with your lender, decide to sell your home or you simply want to take advantage of better deals elsewhere, when you are locked in to a fixed rate you could be charged a substantial interest penalty to break the contract. A complex formula is used to determine what the loss to the lender would be if the fixed rate contract is broken which is outlined in any Home Loan Contract. This penalty could offset any benefit you received by locking in originally.

2. Most flexible features are unavailable

Flexible features that are standard on most variable rate loans are either not available or offered with reduced benefits on a fixed rate loan. Offset is typically not available, or only offered as partial offset which reduces the effect it has on interest saving, and redraw is also not available on fixed rate loans.

3. Potential to lose on the interest rate bet

Fixing a rate is effectively betting that the fixed rate will be lower than the variable rate for the time you choose to lock in for. In a volatile interest rate environment, where variable interest rates are dropping, if you have a fixed loan your rate will not reduce. The inflexibility of the fixed rate which is great in stable environments can be a curse at other times.

4. Potential for higher repayments once the fixed rate expires

A large number of borrowers have fixed their rates at historically low rates for the next few years. Once these rates expire the new interest rate may have increased significantly during this period, so their loan repayments could be much higher than what they have been used to paying. Borrowers could be in for a rude shock in the next 2-3 years.

Split Loans

If you can’t decide which option is the best one for you it is possible to hedge your bets. Lenders also offer a split loan option which means you can have a portion of your loan at a fixed rate and the balance on a variable rate. By splitting your loan you retain the flexible repayment features of a variable rate loan, as well as having some of your loan locked away securely on a fixed rate for a few years.

It is always a great idea to speak with a mortgage broker who can guide you through the process, advise you on which loan structure would suit your needs best and recommend the most suitable lender to meet your requirements.

At SHL Finance we are available to speak with you at any time. We are already proactively helping our clients negotiate a better rate with their current lender, reviewing their existing loans and discussing ways to potentially save clients thousands of dollars. We would love the opportunity to help you too. Please call Jodie Moore on 0402513213 to discuss your options.

LEGAL

By Dean Bosman

Like anyone that’s good at their job, it really comes down to the skill of the individual. Theoretically, a good conveyancer might be better than a not so good solicitor. If the conveyancer has years of experience and good solicitor to refer tricky questions, and also to ask questions from in order to develop their own experience, they can have sufficient experience to balance and outweigh a less experienced solicitor - particularly if the solicitor does not do conveyancing regularly.

The real difference between a solicitor and a conveyancer is that a conveyancer just has to transfer the property. Most will suggest you have a lawyer review and comment on the contract, but that’s the extent of their liability. To be fair, more experienced conveyancers can make comment to some of the issues in a contract, but they cannot give you legal advice - they are not solicitors.

A solicitor has a duty to review the contract, and provide advice, even if the client doesn’t want the advice. A lot of solicitors simply elect not to charge for this because they get sufficient work to warrant giving that additional time for which they cannot, or more to the point choose not to, charge. A conveyancer cannot give legal advice and therefore has not requirement to alert you to things that a solicitor must.

As an example, I have recently carried out some conveyancing work for a client who is legally naïve, and also probably a bit casual about his attitude to purchasing property. He is buying a significant piece of land in order to build on the property. The client looked at three separate pieces of land in one block (so three contracts to review), arranged to have a professional negotiator attend to bid for them, and then decided at the last minute that the property was too expensive, and didn’t bid!

He then looked at another property and also didn’t purchase that one (another contract to review). They went to auction on another property where the property was passed in. He was able to work out what the vendor wanted and made an offer after the auction which was accepted. As he is intending to build on the property I have reviewed a couple of contracts with builders, advised on those, and also advised the client on various issues they should explore based on searches, such as soil contamination and flooding.

At this stage I have some 10 to 15 hours of work invested in the conveyance which some lawyers would bill, however because I work under set fees the client saves significantly. If my friend had gone to a conveyancer, they would have largely left him in the dark regarding a lot of issues, though would have done the conveyancing somewhat cheaper.

It does beg the question as to why you would use a solicitor over a conveyancer, however there are some very large caveats.

1. Many vendors try to hide flaws in title or other issues. We had a purchaser who signed the contract and then brought it to me - within the cooling off period - and the contract had carved out any right to title on the property! The issue was that the vendor had recently had a verandah installed. The builder had made an application to Council for a permit, however then realised that he did not need a permit for a verandah. He completed the verandah and there were no flaws in the work insofar as anyone became aware. The problem was that they had never gone back to get an occupancy certificate from the Council, and subsequently title could not be passed to our client. Rather than just get the occupancy certificate, the clever lawyer had just carved the right to receive title out of the contract, which meant that the purchaser would have had one of two problems:

Solicitors And Conveyancers - What’s The Difference?

a. The Council might have come and issued a demolition order for the veranda, because it had never been approved. Or; b. The purchaser would have had to engage an engineer to sign off on the verandah, which he may not have been able to do if he could not readily discern the work that had been carried out.

In the end, I advised the client to exercise his cooling off rights and terminate the contract if the vendor refused to rectify the problem and have an occupancy certificate issued. The vendor complied and the purchase went ahead.

A good conveyancer would probably have picked that up, however of the conveyancer did not pick that up, and a claim was made, would the professional indemnity insurance for the conveyancer have covered the cost of having to either rebuild the verandah or get an engineer to finalise the permit and secure an occupancy certificate?

2. In another matter for a client purchasing a property he wanted to develop, the contract gave the vendor an unfettered right to change the contract after it has been signed. The conveyancer, who was many years experienced, refused to accept that the clause gave an unfettered right to change because she said the intention was only to facilitate making changes after the contract had been signed and exchanged.

Regardless of the conveyancers belief, the clause simply said that the vendors solicitor could make changes to the contract after it had been signed. It was a simple clause with no other statement or restriction. It was a difficult negotiation because she simply refused to believe our position. After some very careful submissions to the conveyancer I was able to change the term to reflect that only the solicitors for each party could change the contract if they were both agreed on the change”. Not very technical, but I don’t believe in making something complicated unnecessarily, and it became apparent that the conveyancer was going to make it an issue, and my instructions were from the client, understandably, that it was a deal breaker if the clause could not be changed - and the project was in the millions… The clause was rather innocuous and might not have been picked up by a conveyancer, but if the vendor had turned out to be nefarious, that clause could have been used to change the price of the contract, or the settlement period - anything. Again, if an oversight like that resulted in damages and a claim is made, the conveyancer is unlikely to be covered because they are not a solicitor and do not have the duty - or the ability - to provide legal advice.

3. For another matter, our clients had again signed a contract for the purchase of an apartment in a new building, off the plan. It actually wasn’t really off the plan because the building was completed, it was simply waiting on an occupancy certificate. The real estate had mislead the clients by stating that the reason the occupancy certificate was delayed was because there was some issues with the lighting for the external common areas and they may need to move some of the light pole locations. In fact, the issue was that there had been soil contamination in the area, and the developer had been ordered to conduct a rectification process before commencing construction, and the builder had failed to carry out that work.

As a result, the entire complex could not get an occupancy certificate because the Council had refused to allow them to get away without conducting the rectification process. Of course, once the building was completed, that was going to be very difficult, and expensive. In fact, the Council was pressing the developer to agree to a long term soil management program, that would add ongoing costs to the owners corporation for three years. The contract had indicated there may be soil contamination issues and I had advised them to have a soil contamination test, however the clients elected not to have the test conducted. When they found about the delay and the potential owners corporation costs, the clients were unhappy but elected to wait and see how long it would take to get the occupancy certificate - the developer had again mislead the clients and claimed it would not extend past the sunset date - nearly a year away.

Of course it took much longer than that and we had to threaten the developer with legal action before they backed down and allowed our client to leave, with their money and covering our legal costs. Of course, a conveyancer could not have advised them once the matter became disputed, however if they had not picked up the soil contamination issue again their professional indemnity insurance may not have covered the clients for the damages. If I had failed to warn the client of the contamination issue , and they made a claim against my professional indemnity insurance, the clients would have been covered.

I should clarify that a solicitor might miss any of the above as could a conveyancer. I have also dealt with some very savvy conveyancers who likely might have picked up these issues - though they would have to have referred their client to a lawyer to provide the advice.

So what is the difference?

In my view, it is the fact that a solicitor has a duty to identify legal issues in the contract, and is covered by his or her professional indemnity insurance in the event he or she fails in that duty. If a solicitor makes a mistake like one of the above and fails to catch the issue, or indeed an number of other errors, and it is determined that the solicitor should have picked it up, the professional indemnity insurance is likely to cover the damages. A conveyancers professional Indemnity insurance may not cover these issues because a conveyancer is not held to the same accountability as a solicitor.

Essentially a solicitor might charge up to a thousand dollars (or more) than a conveyancer, but the difference is simply peace of mind that you are protected in the unlikely event that something does go wrong. I acknowledge that it is not often that things do go wrong, but when they do, the consequences can be expensive and traumatic.

If you have any questions about conveyancing, feel free to call and discuss.

DEAN BOSMAN

Legal Practitioner www.mercantilelegal.com.au dean.bosman@mercantilelegal.com.au 0422 114 300

Signage: The Christmas Gift Which Keeps on Giving

SIGNAGES

By Glenn Martin

We have already entered one of the busiest periods in the shopping calendar, with Christmas and New Year looming, bargain hunters everywhere have braved the lockdown and are now ready to purchase Christmas gifts and fill their fridges for the celebrations. While retailers and restaurant or pub owners are now rushed off their feet, there’s one more job you should add to your to-do list, and it could just be the one which helps you maximise sales over the festive period - installing new signage.

Competition in the retail and hospitality sectors can be incredibly fierce over the Christmas period, with everyone trying to outdo their neighbours with discounts, special offers and diversity of stock. It’s a critical time for making up sales after the year we have had, giving a muchneeded boost to the balance books as the year draws to a close. Capturing your fair share of the Christmas market is, therefore, a big priority over the coming days and weeks, and new signage could be just the thing you need to catch the eyes of the Christmas crowds and pull in new customers.

For all shop owners, ensuring your premises is looking at their best can make a big difference to the foot traffic you get through your door at this time of year. People are automatically drawn to the most attractive, best-looking outlets, so a dreary shop window or a shabby façade can easily drive much needed custom straight into the arms of a local competitor.

Customers really do like to see attractive shops fronts and are more likely to venture inside if they can see that the outside of your premises is well-kept and appealing. Getting people to pause and examine your window display, or cast an eye over your menu, is half the battle when it comes to clinching those allimportant Christmas sales, and a bold, beautiful and eye-catching sign can be seen from quite a distance and may well lure customers over.

A high-quality sign speaks volumes about your business and about you. Nobody wants to go through the doors of a shop or restaurant where the sign above the door is missing letters or looks grubby and unloved, but a well-lit and well-maintained sign has exactly the opposite effect and offers encouragement. At this time of year, when the weather is improving, the warming glow of a good sign is a welcoming invitation to the casual passerby and certainly helps your business stand out.

Getting your signage right is key, and when done well, it becomes the gift which just keeps on giving. Signage is an incredibly powerful marketing tool which is both a prominent and a permanent investment, advertising your business round the clock simply by being so visible. Good signage does more than just put your name above the door - it’s a prime piece of branding, so must be bold and memorable.

Add signage to your Christmas list this year as signage should be at the top of your Christmas list. It may seem like just one more thing to get done when you’re already rushed off your feet, but the benefits of installing new signage are immediate and impressive. With year end coming fast, it is imperative to reach out now if you want to have your signage installed by Christmas.

With many years’ experience in this field, Signarama are able to work with you to design, manufacture, install and help you maintain your signage, offering innovative solutions to all your signage needs. For more information about the services we provide, or to get advice on the best signage for your business, simply call 1300 633 902 to get in touch with our expert team today.

Glenn Martin

mitcham@signarama.com.au www.signarama.com.au/store/mitcham

Colour Guide and Painting Tips For Summer

ARCHITECT

By Kathy Ismail

Choosing a colour scheme can be highly personal so it’s good to start with a certain theme – plenty of inspiration can be found across the internet and from paint manufacturers.

Whites

Whites work the best as the base colour for your scheme but it can be one of the most difficult colours to select. An interior designer, Lathika Nair from Lathika Nair Design, has some advice on what kind of white is the best for your project:

‘Other than neutral white which is best for ceilings, there are two other shades of whites. Warm whites have undertones of yellow, amber or pink and work well if you are planning to use earthy and neutral décor and furnishings for the room. Cool whites have blue or grey undertones. These give a clean and crisp feel and work best if you are after a modern, minimalistic or beach-style feel.

Warm colour scheme by Lathika Nair Design

‘Natural light plays an important role in selecting your whites. Warm white can brighten up a room that has less natural light. Cool white neutralises sunlight, so it tones down intense natural light in a room.

‘The third aspect is the strength of the colour used. For example, there is the colour Lexicon White, but what about Lexicon White-Half or Lexicon WhiteQuarter? These have the same undertone, but the shades differ due to the amount of undertone used. Sometimes by using a different strength of the same colour, you can create an element of interest.’

Assembling your colour scheme

It is best to put a physical mood board to see if your colours fit together.

Cool colour palette by Lathika Nair Design

Colour influences our mind and our emotions. After the pandemic, people want vibrant colour in interior spaces.

Lathika has insight into the three top trending colours for this summer.

• mustard yellow: it works well with both cool and warm palettes. • olive green: classic, contemporary or modern, it can be used extensively from cabinetry to walls and paired with timber, it works wonders. • purple: a combination of cool blue and exciting red, when paired with the right shade of green, it brings distinction to a room.

Home painting advice

The most popular brand for paint colours is Dulux. They offer a massive range of products comprised of exterior and interior paints, as well as timber coatings. I had the opportunity to ask them some questions:

What is the best way for the public to get colour samples?

Dulux has just extensively remodelled its website to empower consumers on their painting journey. With a mere click, a world of colour opens up to anyone eager to explore the magic of paints, including sourcing and purchasing colour samples directly from the website.

If you can’t get to your nearest hardware store for swatch samples and sample pots, you buy sample pots individually or in bundles, colour stickers and swatches from the website.

Is there a correct way to paint our houses ourselves?

Take time to select the right colour and products to complete your project. Move your chosen swatches or paint samples to different areas of the surface over a couple of days, testing against natural and artificial light, and against existing furnishings and home décor to ensure you will be happy with the final result.

Once you have selected your colours, ensure you choose the correct product; for example, wash and wear, weather shield, enamel or eco-friendly paint with ultra-low chemical emissions and odour system that can help maintain your indoor air quality.

Properly prepare the area for painting. This means washing the surfaces you intend to paint with Selleys© Sugar soap, sanding down any chipped or scuffed areas, and laying down drop sheets and taping trims to keep the surrounding areas clean.

Learn more about the paint products and ranges available and always read the label on the paint before applying.

Start getting excited putting together your colours for your home project!

Contact KiR Architecture at contact@ kirarchitecture.com.au for help with planning your building projects. We do wholistic architecture – taking care of inside and outside to provide you with a home that you love.

Kathy Ismail

ARCHITECTURE KiR ARCHITECTURE 0422 026 962 www.kirarchitecture.com

Premium Minimisation Using Risk Control

GENERAL INSURANCE

By Craig Anderson

Insurance policies indemnify the named insured against losses for which they become liable in the course of their business, making them a simple but effective risk transfer product. The risk will not magically vanish, but the majority of the financial risk falls on the insurer, with the insured required to pay a deductible known as an excess. Implementing risk management strategies can have a positive impact on the amount of risk the insurer takes on, and premium cost in some cases. Well-documented risk control (plus appropriate experience and qualifications) may even take a company from considered unacceptable to an underwriter to acceptable. Some simple steps might help you achieve a long-term claim-free record and minimal premium increases over time. As risk comes in all shapes and sizes I’ll stick to some of the simple fixes.

Minimise physical losses to 3rd parties.

With OH&S matters involving physical risk there is a simple Hierarchy of Controls, which if followed allows the insured to assess and eliminate, or at least control physical hazards. Visit https://www. worksafe.vic.gov.au/hierarchy-control to see the official Victorian version. This should be formalised within the company OH&S Policy document that every company must have anyway. Better work practices keep the team safe, and make them less likely to mishandle materials or equipment that could injure others on and off the work site.

Minimise Theft.

Pole mounted solar powered security cameras which upload any motion detected to cloud servers are now common on building sites. Some Contract Works proposal forms now have this as tick box question. Using these can favourably affect your premium. Shops are expected to have CCTV for theft deterrent value as much as for the evidence they provide. While breakins still happen, they are increasingly ram raids. The addition of bollards to roller doors and window protection to shopfronts should reduce attempted raids and minimises associated damage. Combined with External Lighting, monitored alarms and security patrols premiums can come down further.

Minimise Interruption

When looking for a location to base your business a bit of research can go a very long way. Incredibly, there are large swathes of land on which warehouses and factories sit where there were once wetlands, and this land may still be subject to occasional flooding. In fact this is the case in many pockets around Australia and insurers offer no flood cover at these addresses. The result can be long-term business interruption and stock and equipment damage. It takes only a few minutes to look up the flood mapping for an area you are thinking of targeting. Avoid locating close to chemical industries, hazardous sites, lowlying areas, and estates with only one way in and out. Name any important suppliers in the Business Interruption section of your policy, because if they are the only source of a particular thing your business needs, their interruption becomes your interruption.

Get Risk Management Help

Get some advice from an Insurance Broker, and where needed a Risk Management Consultant. A consultant can look at every part of your business including your office, and help you eliminate the risks. By helping you document everything neatly even the Worksafe Inspector will love you (may have gone too far there…). Your broker will be happy to present your information to the Underwriter confident in the knowledge that you are doing your utmost to eliminate or control all of the known risks.

For a health check of your business insurance, contact Small Business Insurance Brokers via email sales@ smallbusinessinsurancebrokers.com.au

Any advice in this article has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of that, before acting on the above advice, you should consider its appropriateness (having regard to your objectives, needs and financial situation).

Craig Anderson

General Insurance Small Business Insurance Brokers

www. heightsafetyinsurancebrokers.com.au 0418 300 096

Love, Compassion and Togetherness Trumps Anger and Divide!

PARENTING

By Lesley-Anne Banton

With so much divide and civil unrest it is a time to come together despite how we individually choose to experience and perceive the world right now. Life is tough enough without the divide of our personal point of views around covid. What if we could show compassion, love, and respect, despite our differences of opinions? Could the journey out of this psychologically and emotionally could be through love, compassion, and togetherness?

On many levels and areas in life, there is stress right now and most of it comes from FEAR showing up when COVID showed up.

ET is an iconic film of an extra-terrestrial showing up after being left behind and his journey to get back home. The journey to get home for him was scary, unknown, and filled with uncertainty about the place he had been left behind in. He learns to trust those around him overcomes his fear, likewise, the humans around him build trust in him, rally around in love and compassion to keep ET safe and get him home. Likewise, there were a group who fear him, hunted him, wanted to capture him.

If we use ET as a symbol that represents our fear showing up having been triggered by the uncertainty of COVID being present in our lives and not knowing what could happen when this might leave us, and what it could do while it is here.

What is that your fear might need, in this unknown time? Fear is a part of you that can do unpredictable things to your thinking, perception, and actions, it can be a part of you that you shame, a part of you that you might be scared of as it might be alien to you, or let it become part of your identity when it never used to be.

How might your fear/ anxiety/ stress react to being on an unknown world – the world of covid and being screamed at, feared? What might it need to feel safe? What might it need to be ok with being there and understood?

In the film, ET quickly built trust with those around him, and without a full understanding of words, he felt love and secure enough to put trust in those around him to help him get home. It was love, compassion and togetherness that go him home.

How might you help yourself, your fear/ stress/ anxiety get back home? home to love trust and understanding?

This can be also true with many right now, as they are in panic and want to contain, ignore, or destroy their fear.

Fear and panic can be paralysing, it can cause you to run away from those trying to help you and towards those who don’t. Fear can also dominate your thoughts and prevent you from moving forward because you feel unsafe, unsure and can also make decisions that you wouldn’t normally make and be someone you normally wouldn’t be.

It was understanding, trust, compassion, and love that helped ET get home. What could help you to get back to a place that you know you are home within yourself? Is it love? Compassion? Understanding of where you are at? This might be easier said than done right now yet love and understanding helps us feel safe and secure in moving forward in our lives.

So how can we move from fear to love?

Notice

Awareness

Focus

In fear we might feel withdrawn, we might believe we have no choice, we are stuck, hopeless, attacked, angry, or in procrastination. We might also be forthright, overstep other people’s boundaries with words or actions. We might make irrational decisions and statements, act in a way to ‘protect' ourselves but hurt or disrespect others in the process, our bodies might feel a bit off, low in energy, or feel we want to take flight. Whatever it is for you one of the first steps is to NOTICE this. Notice where your thoughts and thinking are at, how your body is feeling, what are your actions doing?

Once you empower yourself with noticing yourself, your thoughts, emotions, and feeling are you give yourself the gift of awareness. With this AWARENESS, you can put words and understanding to where you are at and what state of mind and emotions you are in. You can then choose to change your thinking and focus to bring you back to love.

In this space ask yourself:

• What would love do? • What would compassion do? • If I was in a state of love or certainty, what would I do? What would I think? Feel? Act? • What if I showed compassion to those who have a different perception and opinion?

As you are asking yourself these questions breathe and FOCUS on yourself, calm your breathing and notice your body calming, bring thoughts of love, kindness, joy, gratitude, or whatever words bring a sense of calm and peace to you.

By bringing yourself back to a place of love and out of a state of fear you can navigate your world differently more empowered, and you could help those around you come back to a place of love come back to a place of feeling like home within themselves, bring back a sense of togetherness.