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SYDNEY - ISSUE 73 | MAY - JUNE 2015
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FINDING YOUR NICHE WILL BRING CAREER SUCCESS Page 18
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PRESSURE GAUGE: MANAGING STRESS AT WORK Page 24
NBN for Business Page 26
PRUE MacSWEEN Ms MEDIA
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Editor and Publisher: Dmitry Greku Contributing Writers: Charlie Lynn Scott Dredge Angry Anderson Hardeep Girn Cathy Krimmer Jennifer Vella Bruce Gleeson John North Melissa Harries Bekir Kilic Art Director: Svetlana Greku
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Copyright GWP Media® and GWP Magazines® 2015. The opinions expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect and are not to be regarded as the official opinion of the editor, publisher or their agents.
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Business Resource & Lifestyle
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All information contained within this journal is provided for general information purposes only and on the understanding that none of the content herein constitutes professional advice. The editor, publisher or their agents accept no responsibility for any claim, loss or damages arising out of or in connection with any materials contained in this journal. Readers should not rely on the publications in the journal and seek appropriate professional advice in respect of their own circumstances.
Contents Cover Story
10
Prue MacSween Ms Media
Regulars
09
EDITOR’S LETTER
Celebrating Our 10 Years in Business with Brand New Digital Developments
28
16
‘The Firm’ – NSW Liberals Factional Underbelly Charlie Lynn
18 20
29
Pros & Cons of Moving to the Cloud Bekir Kilic
SOCIETY & LIFE
WORKFORCE
32
Cathy Krimmer
Features
Finding Your Niche Will Bring Career Success
BUSINESS ADVICE
Reinventing the ATO - More Insolvencies & Bankruptcies Possible! Bruce Gleeson
24
Did You Know That Every Business is Now in the “Entertainment Business”? John North
Dmitry Geku
LEADERSHIP
DIGITAL CORNER
Pressure Gauge: Managing Stress at Work
Recovering Lost Ground Angry Anderson
22
It’s All About the Base
34
A Proven Way for Western Sydney Businesses to Increase Exposure
Scott Dredge
Parramatta Chamber of Commerce
Melissa Harries
26
NBN for Business
30
Always Improve On Your Business Presentation
Jennifer Vella Watch More @ gwpnettv.com.au
Hardeep Girn
Business Resource & Lifestyle
#73 May/June
5
Introducing New Contributors
Hardeep Girn Hardeep Girn as Managing Director of Know My Business has developed business relationships across a number of businesses from early stage startups to large enterprises and across multiple industries. His team continues to build market intelligence to develop new markets with game changing strategic introductions. Prior to starting his business, Hardeep worked in small, medium and large scale businesses in the UK, US and Australia. His career in Australia has included roles as Head of Technology for a News Corp division and as Program Director for the Westpac Group. Since 2012, Know My Business has been changing the market with a unique and effective model, introducing businesses to generate sales.
Jennifer Vella Bruce Gleeson
Melissa Harries Melissa Harries has been practicing as a psychologist for ten years. The first six of those were as an Army Psychologist were she was responsible for enhancing soldier mental health and performance. This included deployments to East Timor and Afghanistan. Since leaving the Army Melissa founded Mindset Abilities and has provided a suite of EAP services including counselling, training, coaching and mediation to a broad client based. She particularly enjoys assisting individuals and teams to improve workplace performance and wellbeing.
Bruce Gleeson is a Registered Liquidator and Registered Bankruptcy Trustee with approximately 20 years experience in assisting SMEs and individuals in financial crisis. He is a Director of Jones Partners Chartered Accountants. As an Insolvency Practitioner he believes it is vital that stakeholders (particularly directors and individuals) get the right advice from qualified professionals on the options available to them. Bruce is passionate to ensure that directors / individuals throughout the Greater Western Sydney area have access to quality advice and solutions.
Jennifer Vella is an award winning marketing specialist with over 13 years of experience in the field of internal and external communication. Her focus is on customer satisfaction with differentiates her. She prides herself on thoroughly understanding her customers businesses to provide the best overall solutions and build genuine longstanding relationships.
telstrabcws.gwpnettv.com.au
Hardeep Girn p | 1300 046876 e | connect@knowmybusiness. com.au www.knowmybusiness.com.au
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Business Resource & Lifestyle
Melissa Harries m | 0422 473 203 p | 02 9687 9776 www.mindsetabilities.com.au
#73 May/June
Bruce Gleeson p | 02 9894 9966 e | bgleeson@jonespartners.net.au b | www.brucegleeson.com.au www.jonespartners.net.au
Jennifer Vella p | 02 8878 0700 e | jenniferv@tbcwestsydney. com.au www.tbcwestsydney.com.au
When:
5th May 2015
Where:
Courtney’s Brasserie
When:
13th May 2015
Where:
When:
Castle Hill RSL
19th May 2015
Where:
Oatlands Golf Club
Event: Parramatta Chamber
Event: Hills Business Expo
Event: Charity Golf Day
BAF 5:30 – 7:30pm
12:00 – 4:00pm
7.00am – 2.00pm
Cost: $40
Cost: FREE
Cost: $150
Contact: 02 9635 0022
Contact: 0419 68 78 46
Contact: 02 9635 0022
When:
21th May 2015
When:
UNE Future
Where:
Where:
2 June 2015
When:
The Smith & George
3 June 2015
Where:
Bella Vista Hotel
Campus Parramatta
Event: Parramatta
Event: Bella Vista
Event: Business Before
Chamber BAF
Business Alliance
9am - Impact of the Federal
5:30 – 7:30pm
5:30 - 7:30pm
Budget on Your Business
Cost: $40
Cost: $35
Cost: $20
Contact: 02 9635 0022
Contact: 1300 889 132
Contact: 02 9635 0022
When:
4 June 2015
Where:
All My Admin
When:
17 June 2015
Where:
Parramatta RSL
When:
7 July 2015
Where:
WatervieW in
Event: Business Connect
Event: Parramatta
Bicentennial Park
Breakfast
Business Expo
Event: Parramatta
6:45 - 8:30pm
12:00 – 4:00pm
Chamber BAF
Cost: $40
Cost: FREE
Cost: $40
Contact: 02 9894 8682
Contact: 0419 68 78 46
Contact: 02 9635 0022
Business Resource & Lifestyle
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Celebrating Our 10 Years in Business with Brand New Digital Developments Dmitry Geku, M. Sc. Editor and Publisher - GWP Magazines®
During the last several months we were busy formulating and developing our new digital strategy. It was quite a challenge for me to create a convenient and practical link between our printed edition and relevant online content. We already publish all of the articles in the Business Resource & Lifestyle online since 2008 through our GWP Online Journal. We have approximately 1,700 unique visitors every month using our journal to read contributors’ articles and leave comments. In addition, we keep all issues in PDF format for those who prefer to print out an article or two, as well as in a flip book format for easy viewing on smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices. Some completely new ideas to develop the digital strategy recently came to me. As a result, we will now do a number of new things to push even more business towards our clients, contributors and advertisers. We will
also create a more entertaining, informative and appealing medium for our readers, and from now on, visitors, users and viewers.
successful people, so we can all learn from their experiences. I am proud to have incredible Prue MacSween as my first guest on “Talking Success”.
These are some of the new developments: • You will see small banners in virtually all of the articles and ads with a Youtube-style thumbnail. There will be a QR code and an actual website link for those who don’t have a QR scanner in their phone yet… or those select few that simply don’t have a phone and are enjoying their life in peace. This link will take our readers to our new GWP Net TV website where you will have a chance to watch what our contributors achieved in their businesses, as well as what they can bring into your company or your busy business lifestyle. • The links on the GWP Net TV website will help you gain a quick and easy access to our contributors’ articles on the GWP Online Journal and vice versa. This is where you can find more information, learn more and improve your business. • We are launching a “Talking Success” GWP Net TV series interviewing widely known and
1О sets of 5ОО
• We are currently building a new mobile phone web app – BiziNet. BiziNet will carry all of the content from the Business Resource & Lifestyle, as well as video content and articles. There will be a load of features: business events, companies and business people profiles, their products and services, priceless business advice articles with online video extensions, business search, recruitment, real estate and lifestyle content. This is a must have tool for any business owner and decision maker. It will allow us to have a vast amount of business-related information at our finger tips. Please give us a yell and drop in for a chat if you would like to boost your sales and become famous by utilising all of the exciting opportunities of the great mix of our traditional and digital mediums. G e | editor@gwpmagazine.com.au
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#73 #73 May/June May / June
GREAT AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS PEOPLE
PRUE MacSWEEN Ms MEDIA
Prue MacSween subscribes to the philosophy of Eleanor Roosevelt, who once said: “A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.”
This former journalist, small business owner and media commentator believes that challenges early in her life have shaped her career and destiny and made her the strong personality she has become.
girl, having undergone hip operations, spent months in hospital and learning to walk again.
While not always everyone’s cup of tea, because of the strong opinions she expresses on Channel 7’s Sunrise, Channel 9’s A Current Affair and on radio 2UE and 2GB, Prue is always noticed.
“In those days, people found people with disabilities or in wheelchairs awkward,” Prue explained. “Wheelchairs in those days were big and cumbersome and you were this ugly piece of furniture in the room. People felt intimidated. What can you say to a child of 10 who desperately wants to be playing with the other children outside and can’t?”
This was not the case when she spent over a year of her life in a wheelchair as a young
Prue believes that it was during this period that she acquired some valuable insights and
Business Business ResourseResource #73 #73 & Lifestyle May/June & Lifestyle May / June
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GWP MEDIA a position at Eastern Suburbs Newspapers, I studied marketing and communications at Sydney Technical College three nights a week for four years. “Marketing was a comprehensive discipline. It teaches you to hone in on exactly what your objectives are, who your target audience is and what messages you want to communicate. I learnt how to develop strategies, to be creative and evaluate results. “I would recommend it to anyone as it can be applied to any business.” Her life was about to change in a big way when Prue’s Mother saw an advertisement for a TV Hostess for regional television station, TNQ7 Townsville. “I applied for the position and sent an audition tape in, along with a thousand other young hopefuls. I was lucky enough to get an interview and was invited to a meeting at a hotel in Kings Cross.
Glen-Marie Frost, Marketing consultant and socialite and Sharri Markson, journalist The Australian at a Cleo Magazine launch
lessons about people, communication and interaction. “I was an unfortunate piece of furniture in the room. Ignored or overlooked, spoken about, not with. It was an interesting period in my life and a huge learning curve for me. I think it’s when I became assertive, strident and intent on voicing my opinion! I refused to be ignored and cast as a ‘victim’. It was certainly a way to be noticed!” Another challenge Prue faced early in life was the loss of her father, who died suddenly when she was 17 and just starting her career at a suburban newspaper group. “Dad was larger than life, our rock. At that age I felt I would have had my father around for a long time. Our relationship as father and daughter was transitioning as I was entering adulthood. We were communicating on a different level and there was so much more to say to each other and do together in the coming years. He was taken from me, my Mum, my elder sister and brother way too early. “To this day, I feel robbed of the chance to know my Dad as an adult, as a mentor,
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Business Resource & Lifestyle
advisor, loving father and friend. Lessons in life about business and financial management were not available to me and I had to acquire these skills by default and trial and error.” Prue always knew she wanted a career as a communicator. At school she was in the debating team and an editor of the school magazine. “If I could get out of sport, I did. Debating, editing, doing anything with words was my calling. Sadly, fielding on a cricket pitch I found boring and I was never very good at any sporting activity sadly. “It was because I was creative that I toyed with the idea of working in the advertising world or journalism,” she said. “I graduated high school and was offered a Commonwealth Scholarship at university, but I really wanted a cadetship in journalism or an opportunity as a copywriter in advertising. “Having a tertiary education was drummed into me, so not furthering my studies was never an option. But in those days there wasn’t a journalism degree, so after I gained
#73 May/June
Liz Hayes and Prue May 5 2014 With K Smith oris Celebr n come Dity, With Pr ine ue
GREAT AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS PEOPLE “I was young and inexperienced and my Mother was suspicious that the producer I was to meet may have had ulterior motives. She waited downstairs in reception while I knocked on the hotel room door, wondering if I was going to be chased around a casting couch! “Imagine my relief when Ken Sutcliffe, now a familiar face as Sports Presenter on the Nine Network, opened the door!” Ken was Head of Production at the channel at the time and had the job of deciding which four hopefuls he would fly to Townsville for a screen test. “I was lucky enough to be one of them. Landing that job was a turning point in my career,” Prue said. “Flying into Townsville, which at the time, seemed to be at the end of the earth, was a big challenge for me. I was young, friendless and miles away from my family and entering a new and scary job!
Brendan Nelson and Prue
“It was a case of shape up or ship out!” It was the perfect training ground. Prue started working as a reporter in the newsroom, learning to edit her stories, writing the links and eventually reading the news breaks. “I was also given my own children’s afternoon show, which I had to produce and present. I even had to drive down the mountain to collect the talent and handle those awkward live television moments when their pet animals ran amuck or the children announced they wanted to go to the toilet!” Prue also created her weekly women’s talk show where she interviewed visiting celebrities and sports stars, politicians and local personalities.
“Looking back, it was the perfect place to hone your interviewing skills and deal with all sorts of issues. In addition to my television commitments, I had to compare Masonic and Debutante Balls, do a lot of charity work and personal appearances. I had the time of my life.” Out of the blue, Prue received a call from Gerald Stone, the highly-respected then News Director at Channel 9 Sydney. “Gerald had seen a tape of me and offered me a job in the Sydney newsroom. I jumped at the opportunity as I was homesick and this was an amazing career opportunity,” Prue said. “I remember my first day walking into the newsroom. There were some of the journalists I had grown up with and respected, Ian Ross, Barry Matheson, Jim Waley, Peter Meakin, Peter Harvey, Greg Grainger. All top in their field and so highly regarded. I was intimidated, over-awed and privileged to be working alongside them.” Being a woman in a newsroom was a rare thing at the time, so Prue experienced some challenges during this period, including learning to handle politicians who called her “girlie” or asked her out on a date.
r on , a co-sta n Mannix ce a ri B h it W Apprenti Celebrity
“Sometimes you had to fight to be taken seriously. You had to be louder and more assertive than the other journalists to do the job.”
Prue was then offered the opportunity to join the all-female current affairs program, No Man’s Land which was produced at Channel 9 Melbourne. “I seized the opportunity as we were encouraged to come up with story ideas and we had more time to explore issues. It was a stimulating, exciting period and I was working with a great bunch of women including Susan Peacock, Debra Lee-Furness, Jeanne Pratt and Mickie De Stoope.” Prue went on to work at Channel 9 Perth and then accepted a position as journalist at Southdown Press, publishers of New Idea and TV Week. “I was keen to get back to the east coast and seized the opportunity to gain experience as a magazine writer. I had a magical time, travelling to America to interview famous stars of television and film and looking after the big-names who attended the Logies like John Wayne, Muhammad Ali, Rachel Welch, Dennis Waterman and Ernest Borgnine.” Prue transferred to Sydney when she was made NSW Editor of TV Week, a role she found stimulating as it was a time when the magazine was enjoying one of the top weekly circulations. “I was approached by Brian Walsh, who was then Head of Publicity at Network Ten. He suggested I start my own PR business and
Business Resource & Lifestyle
#73 May/June
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PROUDLY PRESENTED BY
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arlah With client, C al Walton, Region ism Fiji Director Tour Jeanne Little, Lisa Wilkinson, Carlotta, Johanna Griggs, Ita Buttrose, Maureen Duval and Jan Murray. Guest appearances were made by Rose Hancock and Pauline Hanson and visiting celebrities who seized the opportunity to appear on a show that had a huge national cult following.
the network would be my first client,” Prue said. “It was an offer I could not refuse and I doubled my income immediately.” Prue’s then business, Prue MacSween & Associates became an instant success, with big brands attracted to her creativity, connections and results.
“I was in Parliament House Canberra, attending a meeting with a client and everywhere I went, the Ministers’ staffers were keen to tell me how much they loved the unpredictability and outrageousness of the show. Some of them even missed Question Time when they could so they could catch it!
“I was privileged to work with global brands like British Airways, Nestle, Westfield, Arnott’s, Government entities, celebrities, media outlets and major events like Australia Day, the Bicentenary and Royal Visits. It was an exciting rollercoaster period of my life where I had to learn on the job, understand how to manage a rapidly expanding business and juggle staffing issues, cashflow challenges and the myriad of tasks and trials small business faces on a daily basis.” In tandem with the success of this undertaking, Prue and a few partners went into the skincare manufacturing business. “During my time at TV Week, looking after celebrities, I formed a great friendship with Ernest Borgnine and his wife, Tova, who had a highly successful beauty business in America. Tova wanted me to go over there and work with her, but I decided I would introduce the business model of online selling in Australia instead. “It was naive of us to believe that we had enough capital to make a business of this type work,” Prue said. “We made the classic mistakes of a poorly-devised business model and a lack of funding to compete against the big international beauty houses. “We set up business in a warehouse and I located my PR firm there. In between business meetings, I would rush into the warehouse to spruik on a microphone, selling to the busloads of shoppers wanting a magic pot of skin cream. “Our problem was that the product we were selling was of the highest quality and very expensive to manufacture. We couldn’t get enough turnover long-term to compete against other big brands as a full page in the Women’s Weekly cost close to $20,000. Eventually, we ran out of funds and I was out of the beauty business, with many lessons learnt! “I decided to focus on my core business from then on.” Prue now runs PR company, Verve Communications with her business partner, Louise Di Francesco, another former journalist. We have a great team and
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On the Sunrise set with Who editor, Nicky Briger and Channel 7 celebrity, Morning presenter, Kylie Gillies wonderful clients including Bayer, Tourism Fiji, Scalabrini Villages, IMB Building Society, Grocon, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, Business Events Sydney to name just a few. “While running your own business is immensely satisfying, there are constant demands and pressures. But what I do love about it is that you are master of your own destiny. You get out of it what you put in. I will always have some involvement in my business and will happily die at my desk.” Prue’s love for the media has never died and she regularly appears on television and radio. She is probably best-remembered as a feisty panellist on ‘Beauty and The Beast”, which was hosted by Stan Zemanek. The show began at FOXTEL and was a huge success, so much so, that the TEN Network began airing it every afternoon. Other regular “beauties” on the show included
#73 May/June
“It was fabulous television because it stretched the boundaries, was unpredictable and very un-PC. Sadly, it would not get to air these days with all the political correctness and laws that make it difficult to even express your opinion,” Prue lamented. When Stan Zemanek left his top-rating 8pm – midnight program on 2UE, Prue stepped in to take his role. She won a big audience who were attracted to her strong opinions and naughty sense-of-humour. “I absolutely love radio. It is testing and spontaneous. You know immediately what people think about you. I loved sparring with them and hearing their stories. It was wonderful fun but exhausting as I was running my PR company concurrently. “After a year of high-ratings, I had to quit as both jobs were suffering and I was running out of steam. Happily, I get the opportunity
GREAT AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS PEOPLE occasionally to do the odd shift or comment on radio shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra.” Having met Carlotta, Australia’s most famous trans-sexual when they were both panellists on Beauty and the Beast, Prue agreed to write her biography, “I’m Not That Kind Of Girl”. “I was doing an afternoon radio program on 2UE at the time and I had to rush home at the end of the shift at 3pm to start writing,” Prue said. “It was a fascinating period in Sydney when Carlotta was growing up. “We traversed her early years in Balmain
Prue said. Prue recently appeared in two television programs as a celebrity guest. She cooked up a storm in Celebrity Come Dine With Me a couple of years ago and, more recently, was on Celebrity Apprentice, competing against Triple World Boxing champ, Jeff Fenech, former Olympians Stephanie Rice and Dawn Fraser and a host of other colourful personalities. “It was a gruelling, taxing, exciting experience,” she said. “We were operating on very little sleep and under great pressure to raise money for our nominated charities.”
Prue with the late heart surgeon, Victor Chang’s son, Marcus
“It rekindled my love of writing and I intend to do another book in the years to come,”
Since meeting her partner, Chris Lehman eight years ago, Prue has become stepmother to three children, Jock, Claudia and Susanna one of the biggest challenges she has faced.
Family and Lou
“Thankfully, they have turned out extremely well and their Father was able to step in and play a major role while I was handling work commitments.
“She had some wonderful stories about life in the Cross in the sixties. The big-name stars and gangsters she met at the Silver Spade and Chevron. The fabulous glamorous clothes, the colour and the characters who frequented the famous strip.
The book was a best-seller, going into five reprints and it was the basis for the recent telemovie on the ABC.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and underwent chemotherapy, an operation and radiation. It was quite a year and one I would not like to go through again, but I am grateful to have come through relatively unscathed, although I am keen to get my hair back!”
“I was always pretty old-fashioned in my attitude towards parenthood. Working the kind of hours I do, I didn’t think it would be fair to have latch-key children who would have to come home to an empty house and fridge full of champagne.
as a young boy called Richard and then we followed him to Kings Cross where he transformed into Carlotta, perhaps the most famous performer at Les Girls.
“It was also a dangerous period if you were gay. The police raided the bars and nightclubs and many a time Carlotta had to jump out of windows to escape the wrath of the law.”
Muscular Dystrophy, Youth Off The Streets for homeless young people and Cancer Australia.
“Having children adds a new perspective to your life and of course, new pressures – financial and otherwise. But I can’t imagine life without them and as they enter adulthood, it is wonderful seeing their lives flourish and develop.
With Stan Zemenak on Beauty and the Beast
Prue works for a number of charitable organisations including one close to her heart because of her Father’s death, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Save Our Sons, which seeks to raise money for clinical trials to find a cure for Duchenne
“I also sponsor a delightful little boy in Cambodia. To see this sweet little child, who has so very little in life, work so hard at school and beams with pride as he achieves in class or in sport, is truly amazing and rewarding. “I firmly believe that, if it is within our capacity, we should all give back wherever we can.” G
Business Resource & Lifestyle
#73 May/June
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LEADERSHIP
The Hon. Charlie Lynn
‘The Firm’ – NSW Liberals Factional Underbelly ‘The Firm’ is an exclusive political body run by factional chieftains. It rivals Labor’s legendary ‘Sussex Street’ in the ruthless exercise of political power in NSW. ‘The Firm’s’ authority allows it to defy the wishes of its own Prime Ministers, Premiers and grassroots membership. ‘The Firm’ is the NSW Liberal Party State Executive. Under ‘The Firm’s’ secretive dictatorship only two percent of their 10,000 members get to vote for who they want to represent their political interests in the NSW Legislative Council. And these two percenters are carefully selected through tightly controlled processes. The remaining 98 per cent are left to ponder the conflicting democratic ideals of ‘The Firm’ and the wider membership of the NSW Liberal Party. Aggrieved members who dare to speak out risk suspension or expulsion. They are left to ponder the values of free speech espoused by their very own MPs in Parliament. Those running ‘The Firm’ are not necessarily in ‘The Firm’ as a result of Tony Abbott’s declaration that factional leaders can either be State Executive members or lobbyists – but not both. This caused the lobbyists to withdraw to a parallel enclave to plan who they would clone to represent their interests in ‘The Firm’. The clones didn’t need a voice – just an arm to vote with whenever they got the nod from their chieftain. To disobey would be death – politically speaking! The roots of this factional cult were seeded by former Opposition leaders, Barry O’Farrell and Malcolm Turnbull when they convinced State Council, the ruling body of the Liberal Party, to approve ‘special powers’ for ‘The Firm’. During the debate the wider membership was assured that ‘special powers’ would only be used in emergencies such as the lead-up to an election when their might be insufficient time to allow for a normal preselection process if an endorsed candidate was to withdraw for any reason.
Since then ‘The Firm’ has serially rorted the provisions of ‘special powers’ to consolidate and firewall their control of the NSW Liberal Party. Former Ambassador to the United States, Senator Michael Baume, retired to the Southern Highlands and sought approval to establish a new Branch in his area within the electorate of Wollondilly. Unwittingly he was intruding into the factional fiefdom of the sitting member, the unremarkable Jai Rowell MP. ‘The Firm’ rejected Senator application without explanation.
Baume’s
Rowell then marshalled his factional forces for the following State Executive meeting. As a result ‘The Firm’ used ‘special powers’ to approve an additional five new Branches within Rowell’s electorate. It was game, set and match in favour of Rowell who already has a very safe margin of 21.8 per cent. He now has 10 branches in a classic case of factional overkill. In Rowell’s neighbouring electorate of Campbelltown former Police Inspector, Bryan Doyle, is fighting for his political life. Doyle was the first Liberal to wrest the seat from Labor and holds it with a narrow margin of 6.8 per cent. The only political infrastructure to support Doyle in his last campaign was an ineffectual Young Liberal Branch established as a factional outpost for Rowell. After Doyle’s historic win he sought to develop his local Branch structure to repel the inevitable fightback from Labor. He soon learned that Labor was not his real enemy. By refusing his attempts to build a local branch structure ‘The Firm’ had handicapped him more effectively than Labor ever could. Doyle mistakenly assumed that both ‘The Firm’
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and his fellow Liberal colleagues would be mutually supporting in the lead-up to election campaigns. He had not reckoned on the politics of self-interest espoused by factional warlords who have perfected the art of the deal within ‘The Firm’. He learned that if Jai Rowell was not able to control the membership of any Branch within his fiefdom, which included Campbelltown, ‘The Firm’ would not allow it to happen. The political power of the faction was more important to Rowell and his stooges than the survival of a colleague in a neighbouring electorate. Doyle has been left to campaign on his own with both hands tied behind his back. Vietnam War refugee and former ABC reporter, Dai Le, is the most high profile victim of Rowell’s factional dealings and double dealings within ‘The Firm’. She was the popular favourite for Liberal preselection for the South West Sydney Province - until Rowell summoned her to a secret meeting and ‘influenced’ her to withdraw and sign the nomination for an unknown factional stooge he had recruited. The Firm’s shameful endorsement of Rowell’s grubby strategy to ‘game’ his stooge into the Upper House - and their defiance of Premier Mike Baird’s wishes to have more women in Parliament after the March election - should be cause enough for their political execution if there is a decline in the Liberal vote at the March election. The assurances given by Barry O’Farrell and Malcolm Turnbull to State Council in regard to the use of ‘special powers’ have turned out to be a load of croc. G
For more topics and to contact Charlie Lynn, please visit www.charlielynn.com.au/blog
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We have not verified whether or not the information is accurate and do not have any belief one way or the other in its accuracy. We do not accept responsibility to any person for its accuracy and do no more than & Lifestyle May/June pass it on. All interested parties should make and reply on their own enquiries in order to determine whether or not this information is in fact accurate.
WORKFORCE
Cathy Krimmer, TAFE Western Sydney
Finding Your Niche Will Bring Career Success The story is told of a teenaged Steven Spielberg, wanting to create the visual effect of blood oozing from his mother’s kitchen cupboards. After cooking thirty cans of cherries in a pressure cooker until they exploded, the effect was very much achieved. Steven went on to achieve box office records with films such as Schindler’s List and Jurassic Park. His mother spent years wiping the residue off the cupboards. There are some, like Spielberg, who have a career path laid out in front of them and all they need is an imagination (and a pinch of pixie dust) and they will get there. But for the rest of us, choosing a career and how to get there is somewhat more difficult. Like Spielberg, the careers that beckon us will be roles that allow us to use a mix of our skills and temperaments. There are online career and personality tests available to help guide us through the sorts of roles which may or may not be suited to a particular temperament. One such tool which is free and also used by our career counsellors is the Career Voyage Profile available through our website (wsi.tafensw. edu.au). The suitability of temperament is more indicative of a successful career rather than skills, as skills can be learned and developed, but generally speaking, a temperament is something you are born with. Once a suitable career has been discovered, the next step is to work out a plan for how to arrive at your destination. By searching job advertisements related to your chosen career you can determine what sorts of qualifications and experience employers are seeking from their job applicants. After this, it is a matter of choosing a training pathway.
in structural engineering. When the time came for him to pursue his career, his first instinct was to enrol at university. But when he didn’t get into his chosen course he discovered an even better way to get ahead in his career. “I spoke to a few people including a structural engineer who I met on a work site. He went to TAFE before university. He said that TAFE was a good stepping stone to university and people from TAFE did very well at university,” Peter says. Peter completed the Advanced Diploma of Structural Engineering at TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute and went on to the honours program of the Bachelor of Civil Engineering at Sydney University. His TAFE qualification gave him credit into his university studies and also gave him additional skills which he believes helped him to excel at university and placed him in front of his peers.
“I also learned to use computer-aided design at TAFE which gave me a leg up when applying for jobs, as many employers look for experience in this which many university students don’t have,” Peter says. Peter’s TAFE teacher, Chris Pracy, said that, ‘Anyone studying at TAFE can expect their training to be directly linked to employment.’
From a young age, Peter had a strong interest in problem solving and a fascination with construction, which led him to choose a career
“What we give are practical, relevant skills and experiences that enable our students to be employed in their chosen industry immediately
Business Resource & Lifestyle
“A survey of our students found that 87 percent felt that the training prepared them well for work and yes, it also gives them that edge if they choose to go on to university.” “It used to be the case that TAFE offered only trade skills and only within a predetermined timetable, but this is no longer the case – there is great variety and flexibility in what we do and graduates are coming away ready for work, with personalised training behind them for any manner of professions and trades.” A pinch of pixie dust might be hard to find, but once, like Peter Boutros, you have discovered the career niche for you and the training path to get you there, success is surely just around the corner. G
“The fundamentals which you learn at TAFE are extremely important as you progress through your studies as well as at work, as they pop up everywhere. Also, the technical subjects taught at TAFE are very much in line with what you learn at university and provide a good base for you to progress to university.”
Peter Boutros was one young man who knew which career was calling him but was unsure about how to get there.
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after graduating,” Chris says.
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TAFE NSW - Western Sydney Institute (WSI) p | 02 9208 9304 e | catherine.krimmer@tafensw.edu.au www.wsi.tafensw.edu.au
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Bruce Gleeson, FCA – Principal, Jones Partners Insolvency & Business Recovery
Reinventing the ATO - More Insolvencies & Bankruptcies Possible! Tax Commissioner Mr Chris Jordan has said in a speech to the Tax Institute on 19 March 2015 that the Australian Taxation Office (“ATO”) is bringing forward the point at which it takes legal action to recover debts from both individuals and companies. Is this a good thing or bad news? As a Registered Liquidator and Registered Bankruptcy Trustee, I see too often the impact of when family business owners (or SMEs) and individuals don’t treat the ATO with the same priority as other creditors. Left unresolved it typically means the forced liquidation of a company or bankruptcy of the individual. Consequently, I believe the recent announcement is a good thing for a couple of main reasons: 1. It provides other businesses that are tax compliant with a level of confidence in knowing that the ATO is taking more of a pro-active stance in recovering businesses taxes; and importantly 2. Any effort that causes business owners or individuals to seek professional advice from insolvency and business recovery specialists at an early stage, thus with a greater chance of avoiding liquidation or bankruptcy is a good thing. Isn’t it! Mr Jordan also indicated that “despite our increased efforts, the amount of debt we have to collect has continued to rise in recent years”. This is concerning at a time when the budget position is deteriorating. Of significance is that the value of collectible debt was almost $19.5 billion at the end of June 2014 – up almost 10% on the previous year. He also went on to indicate that “we will be taking legal action earlier when warranted. This means initiating bankruptcy and windup action where there is evidence that a tax payer is insolvent, and looking to use other statutory powers where businesses have failed to pay employee superannuation entitlements or pay amounts held in trust. In the past, we have waited for taxpayer’s debt to escalate to an average over $300,000 before initiating
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bankruptcy proceedings, compared to other creditors who often take action at around an average of $35,000. For corporates, we wait for their debt to be more than $340,000 compared to other creditors who initiate action at an average of $93,000.” The above statement indicates that the ATO is likely to look at recovery action along similar lines of a corporate. Further, the ATO has long held a view that PAYG withheld from an employee’s pay is in effect “money being held on trust for the ATO” and should not be generally used by the company as working capital indefinitely. This is a common misconception by a number of SMEs and not well understood. Whilst the above comments were only one part of Mr Jordan’s speech titled “Reinventing the ATO” which is available from the ATO website www.ato.gov.au it does highlight the focus the ATO is putting into this area and others to improve outcomes and engagement with specific stakeholders. The ATO already has significant tools at its disposal to aid in the collection process, for example Garnishee Notice and Director Penalty Notices, (as I wrote about in March – April edition) as well as the formal recovery actions such as Bankruptcy Notices and Statutory Demands - but importantly it needs to use these with reference to the above targets in mind and to act like a typical creditor seeking to recover amounts outstanding. It must however be transparent, talk in plain English and be fair in its recovery efforts. Such things are mentioned in the speech and the blueprint document available from the ATO website. Only time will tell if all the talk amounts to anything real. Hopefully it does for the sake of all taxpayers. One message appears clear– the ATO may not
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be prepared to continue to be the SMEs banker of last resort. The ATO continues to explore avenues to ensure particularly that “monies held on trust for the ATO and employees” reach the intended destinations – it is presently exploring and evaluating a “single touch payroll proposal” which if implemented could bolster its recovery efforts. What should you do? If you find your SME business is overburdened with tax debt and you are unsure how to approach dealing with it, give me a call and we can evaluate the options and devise a plan to deal with it. More information about options is available from our website www.jonespartners.net.au. G
Jones Partners p | 02 9894 9966 e | bgleeson@jonespartners.net.au b | www.brucegleeson.com.au www.jonespartners.net.au
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FEATURE
Scott Dredge M.AIRAH, Business Development Officer, Innovative Air Solutions
It’s All About the Base Electricity is the cornerstone of our modern Australia. It lights our homes, cooks our meals, cools our homes in summer and heats them in winter. We use it to store our fresh food and make ice cubes for our drinks. It heats our hot water and it drives our televisions, phones and entertainment systems. It powers our commercial buildings, drives our industry and manufacturing. So let’s face it, we would be in all sorts of trouble without it - but not many of us pay much attention to how it’s generated and even less about how it’s delivered to our home. We just simply know that when we turn the light switch on it’s there! But what if one that it wasn’t, impossible you think, but this is where our drive for clean renewable energy is taking us. Electricity is made up of two different types of demand: Peak and Base. The Base load is supplied by our big powerful and numerous coal fired power stations that produce electricity cheaply, reliably and very efficiently. Yes, very efficiently when running at high load, by digging up the coal that is directly below it, crushing it and burning it. The other is the Peak load. This is supplied by expensive hydro and natural gas power stations. What’s the difference you ask? It’s very simple. Base load is exactly what it says. This is the minimum required power demand that is being used at any one time. Coal fired power stations are used because they supply vast amounts of power cheaply, but have a down fall: they do not have the ability to load and unload very quickly so they like a nice constant load. Peak is also exactly what it says, when the demand for power increases sharply - this occurs twice a day. One is when we all wake up in the morning and turn on the TV, toaster, kettle, frying pan and the whole of industry firing up. And the other peak time is when we arrive home, turn on the lights, the air conditioners and start cooking dinner. Hydro and Natural Gas power stations are used because they can be turned on and off very quickly, but they are expensive because they don’t supply power all the time (the law of Supply and Demand). Now for years this has been the status quo.
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This gave NSW in particular very cheap reliable power - a supply so good we could export to other states. This builds industry and manufacturing and allows us all to prosper. A system so good that even on the hottest days in Western Sydney when we all came home to our fibro ovens and all turned on our air conditioners to relax after a hard day’s work, the power was there. However, this is all under threat. Our coal fired base load is being eroded, under attack and it will all be felt by us. Coal, NSW’s best export is now “dirty”, it produces carbon, causes “Climate Change”, burns a non-renewable resource and it must go we are all told. I think we can all live with that concept, but what’s the reality? What’s the alternative? Solar Panels and Wind Turbines is what everyone says, great free power from the sun! We can all put panels on the roof, generate clean power and sell back to the grid. This is fantastic - let’s all do it. Let’s all take rebates from the government and put panels on the roof of our house. Problem solved! No, this is not the solution… This is the problem! Now don’t get me wrong, clean free power is great, but please don’t think this clean doesn’t come without a cost, besides the fact it is expensive to manufacture and install. Solar Panels and Wind Turbines attract a high maintenance cost and actually produce electricity at a high cost; but the single biggest problem is that they both produce power at the wrong time, exactly the wrong time, when we don’t need the power, the middle of the day! By producing this clean power during the middle of the day and feeding it back into the grid when we don’t need it, is actually forcing
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our Base load power stations to unload, and in fact unload so much that when the peak demand comes, our current Hydro and Gas Fired power stations may not be able to supply enough power to the grid. This is where the problem lies. If the Base load gets too low, the peaks suddenly get larger and in the future our Peak Power stations might not be able to supply enough power. So when we come home from work and try to turn on our air conditioners and ovens to cook dinner, there won’t be power. We will all suffer from brown outs, the inability of the grid to supply enough power to meet the demand. So, just build more expensive Hydro and Gas fired power stations, good idea. I’m all for building more dams in NSW - like the Greens are going to let that happen. Let’s build more Natural Gas Power stations. Yes, but NSW is running out of Natural Gas. Why do you think the Government has been so pro Coal Seam Gas? Current reports show that the Moomba Gas fields in South Australia will be depleted by 2020 and NSW will suffer shortages as soon as 2016 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-0930/gas-shortages-nsw-macfarlane/4980952). Ninety five per cents of NSW Natural Gas is imported from other states. Both the Federal and State Governments know we are running out of Natural Gas. Why do you think we are building a Liquid Natural Gas storage facility at Newcastle and pushing coal seam gas (CSG)? How about wind farms? Great, as long as they are not in your back yard. The jury is out – they are ugly, take up a huge amount of land and they are noisy. We won’t even go into the effect on migrating birds and stock animals. There is a simple solution for this one. Let’s build a $6bn pipeline to Alice Springs and hook up to NT gas supply. “A”, who’s paying for it and “B” why sell to NSW when we can export it to China and make huge profits.
So what’s the solution? Let’s exclude Nuclear power for now. The first action taken was the removal of the rebates to stop the influx of Solar Panels being installed. The second is to increase the Base loads to reduce the Peak demand. The electricity suppliers have always had this ability, “Off Peak” electricity, where by, a signal is sent power the power lines to turn on street lights and hot water systems. Funny
But for now, I would think long and hard at the long term problem of clean power generation by using a short term solution of installing Solar Panels and Wind Turbines. I call it the “Urinate in your wet suit policies. Feel good at the time, but you will regret it later”.
to cheap electricity would allow us to have a higher standard of living and be able to compete on a world stage. After all it’s your abundant cheap resources that allow you to produce low cost exports and prosper! It’s all about the Base.
G
Cheap, reliable coal fired electricity has been the cornerstone of NSW success. The failed
Load curves for Typical electricity grid Graph source from www.worldnuclear.org
enough this is now going to be extended to Air Conditioners. The Power Suppliers will allow you to run your air conditioner on cheaper Off Peak electricity as long as they have the ability to turn your Air Conditioner on during the low Peak periods to keep the Base Load up. The long term solution is storage of electricity produced during the day for use during Demand periods and I’m all for it. Current technologies (e.g. lead batteries) are very expensive and not very environmentally friendly. Research into high temperature salt storage systems and Lithium Ion batteries are ongoing, but at this stage it is still very expensive. Lithium Ion batteries have a habit of exploding if over charged, impacted or charged below 0°C (just type in exploding Lithium Ion battery on YouTube - I found ten pages). Storage of clean energy is the way, but viable options are a long way off. In the future you may actually get a rebate to turn your solar panels off or install batteries in your home.
Carbon Tax, Green House emission reductions, increase in green power etc., has forced the price of electricity up and forced a lot of industries to close down in Western Sydney and NSW. In particular, the Aluminium Smelters which happen to use fifty per cents of NSW electricity supply. In NSW electricity is supplied to our power points at 5c/Kwh, but retail we are paying up till 30 cents and it is only going to increase. To be a successful nation you always use your abundant cheap resources to produce low cost exports to give your citizens a higher standard of living. China has labour, The United Arab Emirates has oil, Brazil has sugar, America has all three etc., etc. Well, Australia (and NSW, especially) has electricity, lots of good quality cheap electricity (albeit not that environmentally friendly), but for some unknown reason we are being charged extremely high prices. Access
Innovative Air Solutions will provide the best efficient comfort solutions for your staff, equipment and building regardless of the price of electricity or from what source - coal, wind, solar. Innovative Air Solutions p | 1300 366 707 e | s.dredge@iairs.com.au www.iairs.com.au
innovativeair.gwpnettv.com.au
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Melissa Harries Principal Psychologist, Mindset Abilities
Pressure Gauge: Managing Stress at Work Stress at work Stress can get a bad wrap. It’s often seen as only a bad thing however we need a certain amount of stress to perform to our optimum. Lets face it, when do you get the most done? When you are under the pump for time or when you have ages and ages to get a task done? Some stress aids performance but too much stress and performance as well as health suffers. Excessive and long lasting stress can lead to mental and physical ill health. It also has a dramatic impact on effectiveness at work, attendance and turnover.
Who is responsible? Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation considers stress to be a potential workplace hazard. Organisations are advised to do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate or minimise risks to worker health and safety including the minimizing exposure to excessive stress.
But what is stress? Stress is a primal survival system that has evolved to respond to physical threats. Think caveman versus sabre tooth tiger and all the changes that happened to the caveman to help him survive. It starts with a release of adrenalin and cortisol that gets the blood pumping to the major muscle groups, ready to fight the threat or to run away. His attention narrows to target the threat and he becomes sensitive to any other indicators of danger (noise, movement, etc). Emotions have kicked in at this point to help the caveman to act NOW! He doesn’t brainstorm, calculate and chose a course of action. He feels fear and he runs. Or anger and fights. Stress is a call to action in order to survive that involves physiological, cognitive and emotional responses.
Psychologists have worked hard to identify particular aspects of the workplace that are likely lead to stress. The following factors are known to increase mental stress for employees:
In addition to restricting harmful exposure, workplaces can assist employees to enhance their ability to cope with stress through resilience training, supportive management and implementing healthy worker initiatives.
• High work demands • Low control • Poor support • Lack of role clarity • Poorly managed relationships • Low levels of recognition and reward • Poorly managed change • Organisational injustice
Even though we are not physically threatened (very often) we have the identical responses patterns to any demand we face, just on a much lower intensity. Deadlines at work, conflict with a coworker, the alarming number of unactioned emails in your inbox; every demand activates the stress response.
Reducing stress in your workplace Firstly, identify the hazards. Just like you would recognise and mitigate threats to physical safety at work, identify what mental health threats your workplace faces. Think about this like a diagnosis – gather information about the “symptoms” from staff and pinpoint what factors might be causing this. How you intervene will depend on what the problem is. An organisational psychologist or your employee assistance program (EAP) can help with this.
In the short term stress is not problematic and there are simple ways to treat stress (see below). The stress response is designed for a short term burst of energy. Fight the threat then rest for a few days. But workers can feel stressed for days, weeks, months and even years. It’s this chronic and unrelenting exposure that drains an individual’s coping resources. This in turn can lead to developing a mental health concern like depression or anxiety.
Implement healthy worker initiatives that address the effects of stress. Exercise is the quickest and easiest way to treat the stress response as it addresses each way that stress operates. It metabolises the hormones that are released (physiological), creates a distraction from the stress (cognitive) and is a goal directed activity that feels good (emotional). Every dollar a business spends on physical activity (e.g. gym membership, on site yoga classes, subsidised
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FitBits) leads to a $6 return on investment due to improvements to employee performance and reduction in time off work. Have supportive management practices. Which starts with leading by example regarding work life balance. For example, don’t email or text staff outside of agreed business hours. Monitor staff mental health, know what signs and symptoms of poor mental health are and be comfortable having a confidential conversation with employees you are concerned about. Give regular performance feedback and address bullying/conflict quickly. Invest in training your managers so they are proficient at the “soft skills” too. Enhance resilience through evidencebased training. There are a variety of individual skills that can be taught though group training that enhance an individual’s resilience to stress. Link employees in to your EAP counseling or coaching services. Employees may not actively seek out psychological support for stress however the recovery from a stress response can be dramatically improved with counseling. Nip these issues in the bud by addressing concerns with employees before they become emergencies. And finally, Lily Tomlin suggests, “For fastacting relief, try slowing down”. Sage advice. G For further information on how to reduce stress in your workplace or enhancing employee resilience contact Mindset Abilities on (02) 9687 9776 or info@mindsetabilities.com.au
Mindset Abilities p | 02 9687 9776 www.mindsetabilities.com.au
02 9687 9776
www.mindsetabilities.com.au
MINDSET ABILITIES is a multidisciplinary Employee Assistance Program (EAP) who has been providing psychological services to Western Sydney businesses since 2012. Our mission is to help organisations and their employees to improve performance and well being through the delivery of skills-based training, coaching and counselling.
WE OFFER THE FOLLOWING SERVICES: • Employee Counselling and Coaching • Mental Health Training • Critical Incident Support • Mediation • Manager Support
To discuss the current status of mental health in your workplace and what practical strategies you can implement right now call MINDSET ABILITIES and speak to one of our registered psychologists.
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BUSINESS ADVICE
Jennifer Vella Telstra Business Centre West Sydney
NBN for Business The National Broadband Network (NBN): a fast, smart and significant shift in the way Australia communicates. As the copper network is upgraded to optic fibre, we’re here to help bring new, improved phone and broadband solutions to your business. What exactly is the NBN? The NBN is a government infrastructure project to create Australia’s new communication network by upgrading or replacing existing copper network used to supply both fixed phone and internet access, with optic fibre. The NBN will be providing broadband internet and fixed phone line access to all Australians through a combination of optic fibre, and fixed wireless and satellite technology in the harder to reach areas. Fibre improves the speed and quality of voice and data delivery, which will better serve Australian businesses in an increasingly connected global marketplace. The infrastructure is being rolled out by the government owned NBN Co. This means you and your business will need to move to NBN when it becomes available at your premises. The NBN advantage for your business As the copper network is progressively retired, and Australia makes the shift to the NBN, you and your business will benefit from superfast internet and a great range of voice services. With faster connections and consistent speeds, doing business has never been easier.
NBN is in your area and stay up-to-date with news regarding recently added areas and infrastructure announcements.
Before this happens, it’s smart to be NBNready by selecting an NBN plan that best suits your needs.
Contact Jennifer on 0288681190, 040788288 or email jenniferv@tbcwestsydney.com.au to see if NBN is available to you now or soon.
The team at Telstra Business Centre West Sydney can help you with this, so that when the NBN comes to your area you’re good to go
Small businesses can start operating like big businesses on an affordable scale. This means speedy uploads and downloads, real-time video conferencing with minimal delays or drop-outs, cloud computing, large bandwidth, plus flexible and multiple location connectivity. Fast, reliable internet could mean small businesses can thrive locally and compete on a national or global level
Connecting via fixed wireless or satellite In more remote regions the NBN will be delivered via fixed wireless or satellite. Fixed wireless will transmit from a nearby base station to an antenna fitted to your roof, while a satellite connection will require a reception dish on your roof. When it’s available in your area, we’ll talk you through the specifics of your installation.
What to do next? Let the Team at the Telstra Business Centre West Sydney guide you on your NBN journey, from start to finish we will ensure you receive the highest level of customer service.
With our expertise, your business can make the most of HD video conferencing, smart call management, fast downloads, remote working, media streaming and cloud computing, helping to improve productivity, efficiency and customer communications.
How can my business connect to the NBN? Once the NBN is available in your area, you’ll need an NBN Connection Box. An NBN installer will attach a utility box or outdoor antenna outside your premises, and a connection box inside. Once this is installed, our technician will then install any Telstra equipment you need, including a new router, and set up your NBN services so you can get back to business.
The NBN rollout The rollout will take time and is managed by NBN Co. View the rollout map to see if
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Our Team can also help you take advantage of the faster speeds by helping you get in the cloud, utilise Microsoft Office365 and better connect your mobile and tablet devices. G Telstra Business Centre West Sydney p | 02 8878 0700 e | jenniferv@tbcwestsydney.com.au
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DIGITAL CORNER
John North ADP FIPA, Associate Partner, Digital Development, GWP Media
Did You Know that Every Business is Now in the “Entertainment Business”? One of the biggest challenges faced by business owners and CEO’s is to reach their target market with their key marketing messages. Over the past five years there has been many significant changes in the way marketing is done. The new age of marketing means that almost every business is now in the “Attention Getting Business” and even further in the entertainment business! Prospects no longer just want to read about what you do they want to engage with you online in an entertaining way long before they consider doing business with you. Some startling facts that is driving this change buying culture. • Mobile Drives over 50% of all ecommerce traffic • Facebook has a bigger population than China! • Over 50% of the World’s population is under 30 Years old • 53% of Millennials would rather lose their sense of smell than their technology • More people own a mobile device than a toothbrush • By 2018 video will account for over 2/3 of mobile usage Ten years ago marketers estimated the average attention span of a person was around twenty minutes. Mainly because there was no technology interrupting them. Maybe the telephone might ring or they would get a fax. Today there are so many distractions including SMS, emails, Social Media and a people are more “on demand” than ever. This means today the average person’s attention span is down to around nine seconds. Over the past few years, massive platforms have emerged like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Amazon, LinkedIn, Apple, Android and gathered millions of daily users. All of them fighting every day for the attention of the public and when you look at the majority of content is entertainment based. The best test for any website is to apply the 9 second rule using what I call your lizard brain
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and see if it would really convert a visitor to a lead. Almost every time most websites fail the test, that’s because they haven’t realised the real reason for their website. Whilst a brochure style site may lend itself to creditability it only works if someone is more interested in your business than a casual visitor. The challenge for the traditional website is upsurge of mobile traffic. That’s why Google recently started to play hard ball and said very clearly that if you website didn’t comply with mobile friendly standards they wouldn’t rank you well anymore. But what will happen is that business owners will simply mobilise their website and think the job is now done.
on Facebook? Again it’s all about getting and keeping the attention of their users.
The fact that the short attention span and a desire to be entertained means that without a proper mobile strategy you are simply going to lose business because on a small device noone wants to read a lot of text.
The vital import part of this strategy is to get the steps done in the right order. Often marketers will start on the media (method of marketing) and try to make the other steps fit.
Facebook recently changed the way they allow followers of your business page, essentially they want you to pay for your marketing messages and your posts to your page may not be seen by a large percentage of your likes. Why do this? Consider that up to 70 percent of Facebook users now access via their mobile device and the traffic is climbing why lose significant revenue on business page posts that they could charge for. Facebook revenues grew to $3.85 Billion in the most recent quarter but they actually served less ads. That’s because they raised their prices by 335 percent. That’s because they captured the market on mobile and become the primary entertainment and news source for over a billion users. Have you noticed lately the dramatic increase in video
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The battle for online leads is coming down to who is prepared to spend the most on Ads. But there is a better and much lower cost way. It’s all about quality entertaining content across all the platforms on a consistent way. But at the same time being very clear about who your target market is. That way you have a laser focus on the tactics you will employ. We call this strategy the 3 M’s
So the question to ponder, what is your Digital Marketing Strategy and have you considered that you can’t be boring, you have to attract prospects attention on their chosen platform and then engage or entertain them long enough to read the message you are sending. The cold hard reality is that if your business isn’t focusing on purpose driven strategy by entertaining your prospects then you will lose market share to the ones who do. G
GWP Media p | 1300 889 132 e | john@gwpmagazine.com.au
Bekir Kilic, Managing Director, PRO IT Pty Limited
DIGITAL CORNER
Pros & Cons of Moving to the Cloud Should I be moving my IT and business applications to the Cloud? I’m not sure what exactly it is or how it would benefit my company. Also, is it safe to keep our client and employee data on the Internet? What about hackers? Your confusion and hesitation about cloud computing mirrors a wider perception. What exactly are we talking about? The “cloud” is an IT term for the Internet, and cloud computing or cloud integration means storing and having access to your computer data and software on the Internet rather than running it on your personal computer or office server. In fact, we have been using cloud services since the formation of Yahoo Mail in 1994. Since then we have seen the rise of services such as eBay, Google docs, Online Banking, Travel and Accommodation booking sites and Social Media. The first use of “cloud computing” in its modern context occurred on August 9, 2006, when then Google CEO Eric Schmidt introduced the term to an industry conference. Part of the confusion is that the terminology is used widely but is misunderstood, particularly for non-tech-savvy types, including many small business owners. It does however represent a major shift in how businesses and individuals use and store digital information. We’ll go through some pros and cons that may help you decide whether this is right for your business. On the plus side, having your data and business computing programs running online, rather than exclusively on your office computers, means that you and your staff have access to them anytime, anywhere there’s an Internet connection. Small businesses like the idea of being able to access their data from home, at a client’s location, on the road, or even on a smartphone. Cloud provides a fixed-cost advantage and hassle-saving factor. Software provided online is upgraded and maintained by the provider, so the small business owner does not have to purchase the newest version of a software program or download fixes and patches. Not
having to buy a program outright but entering into a monthly or annual contract (the “SaaS” or software-as-a-service model) is also appealing, as is the fact that many applications are offered for free. The fixed cost allows business owners to plan rather than be caught off-guard when a costly software or hardware upgrade must be purchased. But the issue of security cuts both ways. On one hand, many small firms do not have the budget to invest in adequate on-site security and backup systems, leaving their business data vulnerable to theft, loss, hackers, power outages and natural disasters. With your company documents, customer relationship management and shopping cart data stored in password-protected, secure sites online, it’s not necessarily a disaster if a sales rep loses a laptop or there’s a break-in at your headquarters. On the other hand, the idea that extremely sensitive data, perhaps including trade secrets or confidential legal documents, is not locked up on company premises but is hovering somewhere in a cloud worries some business owners. “You are trusting your entire business operation to someone else that you think is doing a good job of backing up your data and making sure it’s secure and available. Keeping data safe while anonymous computer hackers are very unlikely to gain access to your business information in the cloud, a disgruntled former employee familiar with your company might be able to guess your passwords or answer your security questions and get into your accounts to do mischief — or worse.
their customers’ accounts were inaccessible. The key to using cloud hosting safely is finding a responsible provider that provides backup programs so your online data can also be stored in-house. Alternatively you can also store data with specialist storage cloud providers including Dropbox, Google Docs or Microsoft OneDrive. Key industry people recommend that businesses choose established providers, talk to their existing customers and ask what kind of redundancy the company has built in to deal with disasters such as a server crash or a power outage. As we’ve seen, there are many advantages for small businesses in using cloud computing. It enables you to do more with less, accessing critical business applications without the need to pay for ongoing maintenance or upgrades. It also enables services such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter which can offer you unique ways of reaching out to customers and potential employees. Our advice is gain the full knowledge on Advantages and Disadvantages of Cloud Computing before deciding move to go there. G
PRO IT Pty Limited p | 1300 727 553 f | 02 872 4 3311 www.proit.com.au
Also, there have been a couple of highly publicized incidents recently where online services lost supposedly secure data or went offline for some period of time, during which
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Hardeep Girn, Managing Director, Know My Business
BUSINESS ADVICE
Always Improve On Your Business Presentation If there was ever one single area of business that is the simplest to advise, but the most difficult to get right, it’s how a business can continue to improve its image or as we call it, presentation in the marketplace. You can apply this to any company small, medium or large across any industry. In today’s business environment, companies need to be conscious of their image and value in the eyes of prospects, customers, suppliers and even the competition. Every interaction should be treated as one with a potential customer, and if ever there was an opportunity in the market, it’s ensuring all areas of a business know their value proposition and public persona. Trust is formed with businesses and their leaders when they are consistent in their value to others. Businesses need to present effectively and operate efficiently; otherwise they don’t inspire confidence or build trust.
It’s important to have collateral available during face-to-face interactions. A company brochure enables you to reach those who aren’t on the Internet when they meet someone. There’s only so much you can put onto business card or flyer and a professionally produced brochure shows you’ve committed effort and cost to best present your business. 3. Understanding the tone of voice in communications to deliver the right message, first time and every time.
Know My Business meets with many businesses and works with the key decisions makers on meeting new prospects, referral sources and suppliers. From these discussions, Know My Business has identified business presentation success factors which help to keep businesses raised above all others in the marketplace.
Messages, content and articles need to target the intended audience. Some markets require significant volumes of content, whilst others may need only the occasional item. Get it wrong and your business can be materially impacted. Making the content available in the preferred media is relevant, however there’s no reason why the same message can’t be across multiple channels as long as the type of audience remains the same.
Four Critical Success Business Presentation
for
4. Having confidence in delivering amazing presentations that deliver clear messages.
1. Creating a strong corporate brand, with an articulated strategy and plan that is ready to execute.
Business relationships are best formed with in-person contact, where you are physically in the same room; talk face-to-face, able to use pitch, confidence and story telling for best effect. These presentations can be in front of two people or in front of 2000 but your skills need to be improved at every opportunity. There are always more techniques to learn and as your business changes, so too should your presentations to audiences.
Factors
Having a clear brand strategy moves your business forward to deliver based on values that represent your brand. It leads to excellence and without it you have no direction or road map. Consider the ways in which the brand will reach potential customers, everything from digital, print, and radio to conversation. If anyone is touched by your brand, the strategy needs to define what you do to track the lead. 2. Designing professional and creative collateral for use in interactions with your ideal client.
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All of these success factors are never a point in time exercise and need to be reviewed regularly and consistently delivered. It can be a considerable commitment to remain focused in a balanced manner to review these four areas periodically.
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So what’s the answer in response to this easily given, but important advice? Well, unless you’ve dedicated personnel and departments in these areas, or it’s your own focus in the services you provide, you should get help from specialists. In each of these four areas above, we represent businesses that can improve your business presentation in the market place. Our business clients have strong value propositions to deliver tangible outcomes for businesses looking to lift and improve their business presentation. We welcome your interest in being introduced to our clients. G Follow Know My Business on Linkedin http:// www.linkedin.com/company/know-mybusiness Hardeep Girn is Managing Director for Know My Business, a company that organises business introductions on behalf of businesses seeking prospects, referral partners and suppliers. To contact Know My Business, complete the form http://www.knowmybusiness.com.au/contactus/ or call 13000 INTRO (1300 046 876) to request a meeting. © Copyright 2015 Girn & Associates Pty Ltd t/a Know My Business
Know My Business p | 1300 046876 e | connect@knowmybusiness.com.au www.knowmybusiness.com.au
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SOCIETY & LIFE
Angry Anderson, AM
Recovering Lost Ground The dictionary defines in part, ‘Recovery’ as reclamation; restoration; a retrieval. It defines ‘Recover’ as to regain after losing, to reclaim. After a considerable amount of mail, feedback if you like, I’m prompted to respond to the many requests to ‘continue on a theme’ as it were. I have chosen the opening because I feel that that is what we need to do! We need to take back, to reclaim what we have lost, or even more sadly, what we have given away...willingly or unwillingly.
In Military terms we will try to take back ground we have lost to the enemy because that is how I see it. We have lost ground to an enemy. This enemy that is at war with us over that which we know is right and that which we hold dear, our children. That same enemy is at war with us on many different fronts. It would see us surrender our liberties and God given freedom. Firstly let us look at our enemy. Let’s take a long hard look at the nature of the Beast, the shape of it, the smell of it, the habits of it, the way it goes about waging war on us and all that we hold dear. Through that scrutiny I’m sure we will come to know why it preys on our children and why our young have become a prime target. Let’s reflect back to the widely used quote, “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man”. I quote from a best answer from Google, “in one respect it demonstrates a good understanding that the child’s development from a young age is very influential on the rest of their lives.”Conversely, it is probably unfair to look at a child of seven and decide what he will be like as an adult as this robs the youth of any potential to develop and improve. Note for the politically correct, I have quoted from the Google best answer on the aforementioned quote and I’m sure they meant no offence by the reference to ‘he’, I’m sure they didn’t mean it to be gender specific... and neither do I! You can’t be too careful these days as to who is watching who and who might take offence at what, or about anything that anyone says about anything at all .can we? All that said, those of us who have raised children know only too well that those first couple of years are vital in a child’s learning and growth. We also know that what happens to a child in those early years, physically, mentally
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and spiritually can and will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Don’t want to dwell overly on dark matters but those of us who have survived some form of abuse as children know only too well that we have to deal with it (the abuse), for the rest of our lives. In recent times we have all become aware of the epidemic of depression in our young, most sadly for too many resulting in suicide, this, their sadness, so great that they have no answers to soothe or ease the pain until it becomes unbearable and they, in their desperation, seek refuge in that final darkness. Why are they so sad? Why are they so desperate? Why do they not see or find relief, no comfort, no place to seek shelter and healing? Why do they feel so alone? At the risk of repeating myself I believe it is because we have ceded some of our ground to the enemy. We have yielded to their demands and we have lost some of our ground, some of what once was ours, some of what used to belong to us but if we yielded that ground, if we have lost it to an enemy in warfare then we can take it back, reclaim it, recover what once was ours. We have given away the right to educate our own children. We have been badgered into thinking and in some cases believing that we are not good parents, that someone else knows better than we do. We have stood by as the system that is responsible for the further education of our children, our schools, and Yes! They are our schools because we pay the bills, have become places of indoctrination, not education. We have allowed the constant, persistent erosion of that potentially fertile experience of
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learning to degenerate into a politically polluted cesspool. We have allowed the propaganda of politics to defile all that once was pure and holy. You, all that read my rantings regularly, know my views on political correctness. As was foreseen many years ago it has as they say, come back to bite us on the arse! The most important seat of learning, the parental home, has been attacked, assaulted from all sides. The overall plan of this enemy is to turn father against son and daughter, to turn mother against same, to turn husband against wife and wife against her husband, sister against sister, brother against brother. The plan is to turn us all against one another and where better to start than with the young, our children. The plan is to frighten our children, to make them afraid of us, their parents, afraid of those teachers that will not toe the ‘Party” line, to fear authority in all forms, of course excluding their own. They frighten our children with tales of the world, as we know it/ coming to an end but I have said all this before. Regardless of what our enemy would have us believe, we are still the best teachers our children can have. All but a few of us are the real hope our children need. We are the food that will ease their hunger and we are the water that can sate their thirst. We must reclaim our children. We must recover that lost ground. We must take back from our enemy what is rightfully ours. Gird for war brothers and sisters because war is upon us. The answers are God given, however you see or find your own God. I remain your friend Angry. G
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FEATURE
A Proven Way for Western Sydney Businesses to Increase Exposure The 24th Annual Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence (WSABE) is set to help businesses increase brand awareness, value and exposure. This Awards program pays tribute to the businesses whose contribution is so vital to Western Sydney. These companies are propelling the continued economic prosperity of Western Sydney. The NSW Government recognises the importance of the WSABE program because it uncovers outstanding and innovative companies that are responsible for generating millions of dollars’ worth of investment in the region. Hosted by the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce, the 24th Annual WSABE program is launching this year with a new vision. “Business involvement has grown over the years and it’s our objective to continue to increase the value of the awards program for participants,” said Roger Byrne, President of the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce.
Sydney’s influential business circles. WSABE is a fully regional program that has helped hundreds of businesses generate millions of dollars. The awards attracts the support and partnership of major businesses and organisations in Western Sydney. G The WSABE program is launching in April. Entries open 1st May. All entries to be completed online. For more information and to stay up to date with WSABE news visit www.wsabe.com.au Media Contact Romina Bousimon p | 0418 217 665 e | romina@parramattachamber.com.au www.wsabe.com.au
“This year, we’re working closely with JCME Marketing and Events to execute a new strategy and vision,” said Mr Byrne.
Proudly hosted by Parramatta Chamber of Commerce
“Without changing the essence of the long standing prestigious awards, businesses will appreciate a new look, feel and experience this year,” he said.
Welcome to a new look, a new feel, a new beginning.
Businesses that participate in award programs reap top ranking return on investment by either entering to win an award or partnering with the event.
Launching Friday, 1st May
“Drawing on over 20 years of experience, the WSABE program successfully showcases small, medium and large businesses that strive for distinction,” he said. Mr Byrne said that businesses that are involved with the WSABE program get the opportunity to showcase their brand amongst Western
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www.wsabe.com.au www.wsabe.com.au
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0466 210 941 bill.elmer@choicehomeloans.com.au
www.choicehomeloans.com.au Bill Elmer is a Credit Representative (Credit Representative No. 461798) of BLSSA Pty Ltd (Australian Credit License No. 391237)
Business Resource & Lifestyle
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