Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine November 2022

From the Editor

to the

What a massive month for APN, I have been involved in a CSQ Try a Trade in Toowoomba, then Bundaberg the following week. At those I got to speak with about 80 young people about getting into the painting industry while they painted a colonial door and learnt how to do woodgraining. It was great to have them all having a go and I think I may have found a few that we will get into the industry.

We then hosted our Lady Tradie Apprentice Day, we had 11 of our 24 female apprentices attending the day. With Rian from NAWIC, Caroline and Billie from Busy Sisters, Simone and Robyn from Cabots and Paige and Georgie from Everthought for attending and sharing their stories. It was great to see the involvement of all the apprentices as well as hear what support is available for all female apprentices.

Then last but not least the Worldskills competition held at TAFE Toowoomba that 5 of the apprentices I train at tended. Check out the story for more info. 'Til next month,

Gorman

Nigel Gorman

The Counterintuitive Way to Create Change in Your Life

A lot of us want to make changes in our lives — whether it’s changing a bad habit like smoking or overeating, creating a new habit like meditation, or simply being less distracted or reactive during the day.

Whatever the change, you’re likely to face internal resistance. There is a part of you that doesn’t want to change.

If you want to change your eating habits, there’s a part of you who just wants to eat the donuts. If you want

to exercise more, there’s a part of you who just wants to be lazy and relax. If you want to have less drama in your life, there’s a part of you that gets off on the drama. If you want to write a book and change peo ple’s lives, there’s a part of you who wants to stay in the safety of anonymity or the life you already know.

This part of you will fight against the part of you that wants to create the change.

Here’s the counterintuitive advice: Own that part of you that doesn’t want to change.

Until you own this part of you, you’re constantly trying to ignore it, repress it, squash it. Committing violence against a part of you doesn’t make it go away — in fact, it will strengthen it. Trying to ignore it means it will keep mysteriously controlling you.

So how do you own it? First, acknowledge that there’s a part of you that’s creating the resistance. You’re not a victim of your circumstances, you’re a creator of your life. Notice when this part shows up — if you committed to a whole-foods diet, notice the part that wants to eat the potato chips.

When this part shows up, honor it. What does it feel like to be distracted or reactive? What does it feel like to feel helpless or frustrated? What does it feel like to be fearful and avoidant? Can you notice the feelings in your body? Can you give it attention and presence?

Could you even love this part of you? Could you find the amazingness in the part of you that creates all of this, that actually enjoys the distraction and helpless ness and laziness and indulgence and drama? Could

you delight in the drama you create, in the theater you create, the art of your inner slob or inner tantrum thrower? Find the deliciousness and wonder in what it creates.

Once you start to love and delight and find delicious pleasure in this part of you, it no longer needs to be in control. It is loved and honored, which is all it ever wanted. You can move beyond it to another way — though it will still be there, when it does show up, you no longer have to fight it. You love it.

Counterintuitively, this relaxes everything. There’s no need to change this part of you, because it is beautiful and sacred. And without needing to change it, you can embrace the expansive change that is more than this one part of you.

Leo Babauta ZEN HABITS

How to simplify your QBCC financial reporting

Have you been burning the midnight oil in your office to finalise bookkeeping tasks or work on your business financial administration recently just so you could meet the QBCC reporting requirements?

It’s certainly one way to get yourself out of trouble but it doesn’t have to be like this. In this article I’ll give you some tips on how to take back time you might have wanted to spend in a different way.

Challenges of QBCC Financial Reporting

Many builders and tradies have asked me what to do to make QBCC reporting easier for them and not have it turn into a nightmare. My stock-standard answer usually is: systemise and streamline your business’ financial administration. When you have to provide your financial information to the QBCC at set inter vals, or even on an ad hoc request, you need to have financial systems in place that allow you to tap into real-time data and produce reports easily.

For example, you need to provide the QBCC with a figure for both your Maximum Revenue and your Net Tangible Assets. They are set at the following levels:

• For self-certifying category 1 (SC1) licensees, the minimum NTA is set at $12,000 for a fixed maximum revenue of $200,000.

• For self-certifying category 2 (SC2) licensees, the minimum NTA is set at $46,000 for a fixed maximum revenue of $800,000.

If you have your figures handy you can go straight to the QBCC website and use the online Calculator to work out your Maximum Revenue and Net Tangible Asset.

How to be well prepared for QBCC Financial Reporting

There are three key things you need to do to get your preparation up to scratch for QBCC reporting purposes.

1. Review your accounting system and ensure that you have your expense chart of accounts set up the right way. It is important that you have assets posted with the right account code in your system. There are also various report types that you can set up in accounting systems that will allow you to easily access the data.

2. Make sure you enter your financial data every week and reconcile the ledger at least once a fortnight or monthly against your bank account.

3. Review your financial position on a quarterly basis. In particular, look at the two critical areas of assets and liabilities.

Once you’ve set up your system properly and utilise the above processes, it’s easy to produce the reports and meet your QBCC reporting requirements at the click of a button. It is important though that you are consistent in your practices. Don’t let your data entry lag behind, as that’s what can trip you up to produce accurate reports.

QBCC Financial Reporting Dates

Licensees are required to provide the QBCC with finan cial information annually. For most category 1- 7 licen sees the information is due by 31 December each year.

For most SC1-2 licensees the information is due by 31 March each year.

In most cases the financial information will be as at 30 June.

Prevention is better than the cure

Most builders and tradies love making good money, but when it comes to managing the money for the business, there’s usually less passion for it. While it’s often regarded as a necessary evil and red tape, it is what it is and businesses will always need to have rigorous financial administration and budgeting pro cesses to be successful and get the edge over their competitors.

Having your accounting system set up properly to equip you with better reporting capability is definitely true to the adage ‘Prevention is better than the cure’. I’ve recently been involved in helping a business owner fix a non-compliance issue they had with the QBCC MFRs. It was definitely not a walk in the park and the additional cost of rectifying the situation was truly adding pain to the injury.

Interested to find out more about how to make meet ing your QBCC reporting requirements a breeze? Then call my office on (07) 3399 8844, or just visit our web site at www.straighttalkat.com.au and complete your details on our Home page to request an appointment.

Please Note: Many of the comments in this article are general in nature and anyone intending to apply the information to practical circumstances should seek professional advice to independently verify their in terpretation and the information’s applicability to their particular circumstances.

Copyright © 2022 Robert Bauman.

Five Myths About ON-LINE LEARNING

Most of the objections to using e-learning and I.T. for education are not based on evidence, but on pre-concieved ideas and prejudices. Let’s consider a few of them.

1. MYTH: APPRENTICES LEARN BETTER IN A TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM.

There is no evidence that this is the case. Several studies have shown no difference between the learn ing outcomes of students in a traditional classroom environment and students who are learning on-line.

In 2010, the United States Department of Education released an expansive study comparing online learn ing to in-person learning (classroom time); compared to a mixture of the two. What did the Department of Education find?

“Students in online conditions performed modestly better, on average, than those learning the same material through traditional face-to-face instruction. The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types.”

This study had a huge impact on government policy. After it’s results, the Department of Education spent more than $600 million on online tools, so more stu dents could learn online.

The number one factor that determines learning outcomes is how much students are engaged by the information. A poor trainer will train poorly, and even a good trainer has bad days. Poor instructional design creates poor on-line learning experiences. But the advantage of using e-learning is that it gives the

college the ability to control the quality of instruction for every single student, every single time. Engaging lessons create ideal learning conditions that enable students to learn at their own pace.

Myth busted!

2. MYTH: IT’S EASIER TO CHEAT ON-LINE

Video response technology allows trainers to authenticate responses given by students on-line. In a classroom where answers are all written down, its easy for students to simply copy from other students. Its much harder to do that if you have to answer verbally while being filmed.

Classroom training often involves group activities, but group activities mean that often by simply partic ipating the student is being assessed on the outcome created by the group, instead of their individual work.

E-learning can use question banks for assessment. This means that students are given randomised ques tions; no two students will get exactly the same set of assessment questions. So they really have to learn the required knowledge.

Myth busted!

3. MYTH: APPRENTICES PREFER CLASSROOM TRAINING

In 2019 every school in Australia uses some form of on-line learning. Kids go to school armed with laptops and tablets instead of textbooks. So it makes sense to offer them the same rich learning experience when they start their apprenticeships.

This is what students are saying about the Painters Institute’s on-line training: ‘Really enjoyed the course and enjoyed the videos’ ‘I enjoyed this course it was informative and made easy to understand especially with video’ “I’m learning heaps, its better than TAFE’

On-line training does not replace the need for inter action with a trainer. When apprentices complain about about on-line learning, it is usually because the trainer has not given them the support they need. On-line training is supposed to give the trainer more time to provide support for student’s with learning disabilities or difficulties.

If we say that a student prefers classroom training, we are saying they prefer using books and pens. I think we would be very hard pressed to find a tradie who likes paperwork. Let’s get real.

Myth busted!

4. MYTH: YOU CAN’T LEARN A TRADE ON-LINE

This question stems from a lack of understanding of what e-learning is. E-learning does not replace all the practical training. It primarily replaces the theory component.

Learning a trade by reading about it is not effective. Elearning allows students to learn practical skills by watching video lessons, instead of having to read a description. By watching and then doing, the student has a more realistic way of learning a practical skill.

Almost all of us have learned a new skill by simply watching a ‘how-to’ Youtube or Facebook video, from fixing a motor to baking a cake. The principle of learning by watching and doing is the same for laying a brick, or rolling paint on a wall. It’s just a new way of learning, that, if we are really honest, we are doing every day.

In addition, many trade skills are now actually per formed on-line. For example, reading plans, estimat ing, communicating with clients, researching prod ucts, reading manufacturer data sheets, interpreting Standard Operating Procedures, creating Safe Work Method Statements, checking Codes of Practice, us ing spreadsheets, banking, and checking financial re ports; are all done on-line using smart-phones, tab lets or laptops. It is essential that apprentices learn how to perform these skills on-line. Myth busted!

5. MYTH: ON-LINE TRAINING IS DUMBING

DOWN THE TRADE

The required practical skills for a trade are exactly the same no matter whether someone sits in a classroom listening to a teacher, or they watch a video demon strating how to do it. The on-line student must learn and demonstrate exactly the same practical skills as the student sitting in a classroom. Therefore it can not be claimed that on-line learning allows students to pass the course without having the same practical skills as someone who attended classroom instruction.

One of the reasons why a trades person has poor tech nical skills is often because of a lack of underpinning knowledge. If we don’t understand the underlying principles behind our trade and the materials we use, how can we diagnose and solve problems? Learning to think, learn and research is more important to deep learning and understanding of a trade, than simply spending more time on the tools.

There are many trades people who have 30 years or more of experience on the tools, but still make the same bad choices and mistakes because they never understood the basics in the first place.

Good quality e-learning ensures that students expe rience deep learning and thinking skills that will help them into the future, and transferable skills that cross over into other jobs. Imagine putting the best teachers in front of every student, giving every apprentice access to the best quality lessons, every time, no matter where they live. That’s the power of e-learning.

Daniel Wurm

A qualified tradesperson and holds a Diploma in Vocational Education and Training, specialising in e-learning. He is an instructional designer for Master Painters Association Queensland, the National Painting and Decorating Institute; and has taught the painting trade using elearning to over 200 students since 2014.

What is multi-factor authentication, and how should I be using it?

Data breaches are becoming commonplace in both small and big tech companies. The most recent vic tim was Australian telecommunications company Optus, resulting in unauthorised access to the iden tity data of roughly 10 million people.

Adding to the misery of the victims, this cyber-attack further unleashed a plethora of subsequent phishing and fraud attempts using the data obtained from this breach.

Read more: The 'Optus hacker' claims they've deleted the data. Here's what experts want you to know

Having more rigorous security measures when logging in can help to protect your accounts, and significantly reduces the likelihood of many automated cyber attacks.

Hear directly from the scientists on the latest research.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security meas ure that requires the user to provide two (also known as two-step verification or two-step authentication) or more proofs of identity to gain access to digital servic es. This typically requires a combination of something the user knows (pin, secret question), something you have (card, token) or something you are (fingerprint or other biometric).

For example, the Australian Tax Office recently tight ened some rules for digital service providers on the mandated use of multi-factor authentication. If you use certain services, you’re already familiar with MFA.

But not all MFA solutions are the same, with recent studies demonstrating simple ways to subvert more common methods which are used to lodge cyberattacks.

Furthermore, people also prefer different MFA options depending on their needs and level of tech savviness.

So what are the options currently available, their pros and cons, and who are they suited for?

There are four main methods of multi-factor authentication

SMS: Currently the most common option involving a one-time password (such as a code) sent via text message. Although quite popular and easy to use, the password or code texted to you can commonly be hacked by malicious apps on the phone or by re directing the SMS to a different phone. The method also fails if your smartphone doesn’t have service or is powered off.

Authenticator-based: Another common method, in which an application installed on your smartphone (such as Google Authenticator) generates one-time passwords valid for a very short time span, such as 30 seconds. Although more secure than text mes sages, malicious apps can still steal these one-time passwords. The method also fails if your smartphone is out of power.

Mobile app: Similar to authenticator apps, but a user is sent a verification prompt rather than a one-time password. This requires your smartphone to have an active internet connection and be powered on.

Physical security key: The most secure mechanism; it uses a hardware security key (such as YubiKey, Veri Mark or Feitian FIDO) that needs to be connected to the device to verify identity – many of these look a lot like USB memory sticks. It’s the current leading meth od supported by companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft, as well as government agencies worldwide.

about the simplicity of the MFA method – this clearly explains why SMS-based solutions still dominate the landscape, even though there are safer alternatives.

In our follow-up study, users were given the most popular physical security keys for one month, to test unsupervised. Preliminary results suggest most users found the physical keys effective and intuitive to use.

However, the lack of platform support and setup in structions created a perception that these keys were difficult and complex to install and use, resulting in a lack of willingness to adopt.

One size does not fit all

We believe there needs to be careful consideration before any government agency or company mandates MFA, with a few key steps to consider.

A small usb-key like device with a golden y symbol on it YubiKey is one example of a physical key you can connect to your device to verify your identity. Formatoriginal/Shutterstock

Each of these four methods varies in usability and secu rity. For example, despite physical security keys offering the greatest level of security, the adoption rate is the lowest, with figures suggesting only a 10% uptake.

Read more: How hackers can use message mirroring apps to see all your SMS texts — and bypass 2FA security

Preference matters

Not only do different multi-factor authentication types vary in security, they also have different levels of pop ularity. This results in a discrepancy between the most reliable MFA method (the physical security key) and what is actually the most widely used (SMS).

Our team from Deakin University’s Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation recently conducted a study on the adoption of MFA technologies. We sur veyed more than 400 participants belonging to differ ent age groups, educational backgrounds, and experi ence with MFA.

Results from our study indicate that people’s prefer ences are impacted not just by their security needs, but also by usability. The majority of users cared most

Different people and organisations will have different needs, so in some cases a combination of methods could work best. For example, an SMS-based solution may be used in conjunction with a physical security key for access to critical infrastructure systems that need higher levels of security.

Additionally, user education and awareness is vital. Many people aren’t aware of the importance of MFA, and don’t know which methods are the safest.

By taking some personal responsibility and using high ly effective methods such as physical security keys to protect our most vulnerable accounts, we can all do our part to make the web a safer place.

Jongkil Jay Jeong

CyberCRC Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CSRI), Deakin University

Ashish Nanda

CyberCRC Research Fellow, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CSRI), Deakin University

Syed Wajid Ali Shah

CSCRC Research Fellow, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, Deakin University

o d u c t s

P a i n t g e a r i s a w e b s i t e s e t u p w i t h t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l p a i n t e r i n m i n d . W e s t o c k a w i d e r a n g e o f p a i n t - r e l a t e d t o o l s , s a f e t y e q u i p m e n t a n d c l o t h i n g , r e a d y t o s h i p q u i c k l y t o y o u r d o o r f r o m o u r w a r e h o u s e l o c a t e d i n N e w c a s t l e N S W . W e h a v e s e c u r e d p a r t n e r s h i p s w i t h w e l l k n o w n s u p p l i e r s i n A u s t r a l i a t o g i v e o u r c u s t o m e r s a w i d e s e l e c t i o n o f h i g h q u a l i t y p r o d u c t s . P a i n t g e a r h a s t h e r i g h t p r o d u c t s f o r y o u r n e x t j o b — a l l w i t h s u p e r i o r c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l p r i c i n g t h a t s e t s u s a p a r t . s a l e s @ p a i n t g e a r . c o m . a u w w w . p a i n t g e a r . c o m . a u

P R E P A R A T I O N

I R S T A I D

C R A P P E R S

LADY TRADIE Apprentice Day

This month 11 of our female tradies came together for a training and information day at our premises. It turned out to be a brilliant gathering of strong, likeminded women who are passionate about making opportunities available to everyone in construction, regardless of gender, false assumptions about ability and the ways of the past.

Rian from NAWIC and Plumbing and Pipe Trades Em ployees Union, gave us a personal insight into her work and the push in her industry to ‘break the bias.’

It was great for our Aussie Painters’ women to hear all about the incredible work NAWIC has been do ing and the traction they have gained over the years they have worked so hard for equity.

Simone and Robyn from Cabots gave us some food for thought as to the range of roles that can be pursued successfully within the painting industry, particularly relevant for women who might be seek ing different kinds of work throughout their career/ lifespan, perhaps to accommodate the demands of family etc. These women had some amazing tips for our apprentices’ futures.

The BUSY Sisters attended the day and registered our apprentices for their fully funded mentoring

program. Gifting the girls with a welcome pack, they will now all receive six months free support tailored to each person’s needs, and helpful resources to help launch their careers and avoid some of the pitfalls of being a female in a very male dominated industry. This is a brilliant program that helps identify some of the concerning behaviours that many women have had to endure, and helps to change the cultures that perpetuate them, while supporting our women to navigate difficult territory, successfully. For more info, see www.busysisters.com.au

Aussie Painters is proud to be able to claim that 20% of our apprentices are currently women, with a view to growing the numbers. This is a great benchmark for the rest of the construction industry to reach for. The more women in our industries, the better for everyone. Women are helping to fill the skills gaps, are excellent with communication and punctuality and have to work twice as hard to be perceived as half as good as their male counterparts. The more women we can attract to skilled trades, the higher the bar will be for quality and professionalism. We encourage all of the business owners out there to hire women and prove to yourself what a great asset they are.

Boost Revenue with Mobile Solutions

Could you improve your closing rate with a mobile app?

If you own a tablet or mobile phone but aren’t taking advantage of mobile sales tools, you’re missing out on the opportunity to shorten your sales cycle and boost your bottom line.

From CRM apps to invoicing and payment technol ogy, there’s a mobile solution for your small business that can make it easier to convert prospects to cus tomers – and entice customers to buy.

Look into these key mobile sales solutions that can streamline sales process and increase your revenue.

Access customer data with a mobile CRM

Nothing improves the outcome of a friendly sales call or meeting than being able to show that you know, understand and care about your customers’ needs.

A mobile CRM provides your sales team with instant up to date data for all your customer accounts. Of

course, you’ll also be ready to quickly capture data on new prospects and customers on the fly. With your customer’s sales history at your fingertips, including detailed info on buying preferences, it’s a breeze to suggest relevant new products, upsell or cross sell on the spot.

If you’re new to mobile sales tools, you might want to look into Insightly, an app that ties in project management capabilities with a CRM.

This solution allows you to access your customer database as well as collaborate, assign tasks and create milestones for your sales team while on the go.

Streamline payment with mobile POS tools If you were equipped to take payment on the spot, how dramatically would it impact your bottom line?

Mobile point of sale tools empower small business owners to close sales instantly, minimizing the risk that your customer will raise objections when you follow up or simply change their minds.

Easy and secure credit card processing capabilities are an important feature of mobile POS solutions and make instant payment a breeze – anywhere, anytime.

Vend is a robust tool designed to easily manage sales on your iPad. In addition to accepting credit card pay ments, Quick Sale lets you check inventory, generate invoices and email receipts to your customers with ease and efficiency.

The reason many business owners hesitate to use mobile tools isn’t lack of interest. They simply feel overwhelmed by the many choices available and are too busy to research the options.

If you want to take advantage of mobile technology but don’t know where to start, it’s wise to look at your current systems. You may not be utilizing your online accounting software to its full potential and find it has mobile capabilities – or if you’re using an out dated system it may be time to look into an all-in-one mobile-friendly accounting solution. Once you know what you’ve got, you can look for gaps, then seek out mobile sales tools that will best fill them.

Choosing the right mobile solutions for your business

I T ' S A L L A B O U T S U R V I V A L

As processes become faster, deadlines get tighter, and customers demand greater efficiency, the worksite has become a hectic hive of activity.

But these increased expectations can make it all too easy to cut corners, and the safety of Aussie job sites is now more important than ever before

SafeWork Australia recorded 194 worker fatalities in 2020 alone, with machinery operators and drivers representing the highest number of fatalities, and labourers, managers, and technicians and trades workers close behind.

That’s why SURVIVAL a 33 year, Aussie family business is dedicated to ensuring every worksite has the right first aid equipment on hand

“It’s clear that worksites need to ensure they’re never caught short, because when you’re in the trades industry, the chances of accident or injury are very real,” says SURVIVAL’s CEO, Mike Tyrrell.

“And despite the latest advances in technology and an increased awareness of the associated risks, these sobering stats from

SafeWork Australia show us that even more needs to be done.

“We know that providing immediate, effective first aid to people injured on the job can reduce the severity of their injury or illness

“And even more than that it can save your life, or that of a mate,” adds Mike

SURVIVAL’s Director of Marketing & IT, Jordan Green, says the company is constantly looking at ways to make first aid more accessible for people in trades and other 'hands on' professions.

“In addition to our line of first aid products, we’ve just released the latest update to our free iFirstAid app, which features step by step instructions and video resources to guide people, including trade professionals, through common emergencies,” says Jordan

“Our SURVIVALSWAP audit compliance program also ensures worksites remain stocked and compliant without the headaches or hassle.”

L-R: SURVIVAL's Director of Marketing & IT, Jordan Green, and CEO Mike Tyrrell

The Importance of Privacy Policies and Website Terms of Use

How to make sure your clients know their Personal Information is Protected!

In light of the recent Optus data breach, now more than ever, clients want to know that their personal information is secure. Likewise, as a business owner, you want to make sure that users of your website can not access your client’s personal information. This protection can be achieved with the implementation of a privacy policy and website terms of use.

In this article, we explain key obligations every busi ness owner should be aware of under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the added protections to be gained through website terms of use. We will outline the steps you need to take to meet your legal obligations as a business owner.

1. Why do I need a Privacy Policy?

Not only is a privacy policy required by law, but it is beneficial to both you and your client as it demon strates that you are trustworthy in handling your cli ent’s personal information. A privacy policy is essen tially a legal document usually found on the bottom banner of a website which explains how the website collects and uses personal data. The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) governs privacy policies, and sets out that every business, and website that the business operates is obliged to have a privacy policy. Section 15 of the Act states that all APP entities must comply with Austral ian privacy principles.

Having a detailed privacy policy on your website ensures that your clients are confident with you obtaining and using their personal information. Privacy policies also give clients peace of mind when dealing with your business.

2. What should I look for in a Privacy Policy?

A detailed privacy policy will outline the procedures for handling personal information. It will also outline that once a client has provided their personal infor mation to your business, they are consenting to your business obtaining and using their personal informa tion. A privacy policy will outline which third parties (if any) will be given a client’s personal information, as well as the contact details of your business. The main information set out in a detailed privacy policy agreement is:

• Collection of personal information

• Collection and use of personal information

• Disclosure of personal information to third parties

• The client’s rights and ability to control their personal information

Having a detailed privacy policy is essential to the operation of your business and will provide you with protection if ever a client complains about the way their information has been used.

3. What are Website Terms of Use and why do I need them?

Website terms of use are a legal agreement between the website owner and website user. They safeguard the website owner from multiple actions against their privacy, copyright and trademarks.

Website terms of use serve multiple purposes including but not limited to:

• informing the website user of the intended audience of the website;

• providing limitation of liability provisions;

• explaining aspects of intellectual property relating to the business. (It prevents others from stealing your Intellectual property or copying your site design and information);

• explaining conduct of rules relating to the website. i.e. users cannot use the site to send through unsolicited emails to the business owner; and

• excluding competitors from using the material on your website for the purposes of competing with the business.

While it is not a legal requirement to have website terms of use, they are an essential part of ensuring the materials on your website are protected from other users.

4. How do I go about putting a Privacy Policy and Website Terms of Use in place?

If you are a business owner and require assistance in drafting these essential legal documents, Rise Legal are experts in this field. Please reach out and we will draft a privacy policy and website terms of use for your business.

Contact Rise Legal today to discuss your Privacy Pol icy and Website Terms of Use. We offer professional support and excellent service to see you through your company transition.

Worldskills Regional AND THE WINNER IS!!

What an amazing day for the competitors at the Worldskills Regional Competition, held at Southern QLD Institute of TAFE. And even more incredible is that all the participants in this comp were apprentices proudly trained by Aussie Painters Network!

Having had only two training sessions prior, all the competitors did an incredible job of the required tasks in the 6 hours allocated. As you can see from all the pictures, they did themselves and their employers proud.

It’s amazing to see with the right employers, training and mentoring how far all these 2nd year appren tices, all aged between 17 & 23, have come in such a short time.

It was a tightly contested competition with less than 10 points separating the medals including a double countback for the bronze medal. After the first countback 3rd and 4th were still tied and then it was a difference of only 0.25 of a point separating them!

The

William Robertson

AMS Painting & Decorating Pty Ltd

Matthew Kuzevich

Leogreen Painting and Decorating

I would like to thank all employers for giving their support to their apprentices to compete at this level and gain the experiences that they have. It’s great to see the dedication of them towards the future of our trade. I am so proud to have been involved with the participants and I look forward to seeing them all at our next training session.

A special thanks to Rod Pearce and Blayd Farrugia for judging the event!!

Ali Maher

Jackson Winn Dayle Hidalgo-Krause

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE OF Good Administrators

Contractors are notorious for being disorganised. Many a contractor’s truck dashboard looks like a bomb went off in the front seat. Younger contractors tend to use smart phones and tablets but many still suffer; just because you are strong electronically does not mean you have good administrative practices in your business.

If you are a disorganised person start by accepting your fate. It is part of your personality and you will live with it your entire life. Disorganised folks buy diaries they never use and put reminders on their phones that just get ignored. If you are disorganised the best way to organise yourself is to hire someone to do it. Organisation starts with a strong admin person who can help organise you. ADD is said to be a genetic trait. America was founded by folks who were a little ADD. When settling Jamestown, 144 people boarded 3 ships for 4 months that were little more than overgrown cabin cruisers. You had to be a little compul sive, disorganised and wacky to take that risk. Accept your restlessness and disorganisation and embrace it. Hire someone to help you with it. Discipline and organisation are your friends.

As business grows and owners have more than they can do, many will hire another salesperson or production

manager to help them. The problem is if you had a poor or no admin, adding another body is just going to make the situation worse. As you are building your business, the first and most critical step in the process is to hire a strong administrative person.

Many contractors wonder, well, what will this person do? A smart and strong person will find things to do. If you have to tell your admin what to do, you probably have the wrong person. A good administrative person will take duties away from you, help you get organised and keep things on track. They can:

• Answer the phone but more importantly set your sales appointments.

• Do all bookkeeping and payroll.

• Help order material.

• Call customers regarding the schedule.

• Schedule repair or warranty calls and man age the process.

• Help organise job colors and other customer information needs.

• Phone crews to ensure they have all the ma terial that is needed.

• Organise insurance, employee records, and other non-daily admin duties.

Should this person be a family member? Probably not. Many contractors choose a family member and in some cases it works out ok but there are many dis advantages, especially with a spouse. First, how well does it work when you tell each other what to do? Secondly, if you and your spouse want to go on a vacation, who runs things and sets appointments while you are gone?

If you do hire a family member, they need to have bookkeeping and office experience that qualifies them for the job. Worried about embezzlement? Buy insurance or have the person bonded. You can also have your family member or someone else balance the checkbook.

So what kind of traits should a good office admin person have? A good office admin is intelligent, computer savvy and willing to learn new technology; cooperative, loyal and a natural problem solver. Good admin people are efficient and it bothers them when things don’t get done. They are organised and their desk is usually neat and systematised. Their office is a little like Mum’s kitchen at Thanksgiving. She is the cook and is in control. You can help but on her terms. Again, a good office manager will take control and tell you what to do.

A good small business admin must be able to deal with the chaos and multi-function aspect of the job. Fre quently, people who came from big companies do not work out because of the hectic pace and diversity. You also need a person who enjoys a small office and is happy working alone much of the day.

So what do you pay this person? Good administrators are hard to find. A good guideline on their pay is that they are going to be paid what a top craftsperson or a junior foreman would receive. If you hire someone part time, make sure you offer a high enough hourly rate to make it worthwhile for them to work 4 or 5 hours a day. Sometimes you can find an executive secretary mum type who wants to work part time. Ironically, the pay does not matter if you have a really good person, as that person will do what two other people might do. The trick is to find the right person and pay whatever it takes.

One of the hardest lessons to learn is that you cannot do everything yourself. It is impossible. You may be 100% at task, but 100% of your own effort is all you can get done and you can only do so much. Even if someone else is only at 80%, together you are 180%. If you want to make $100,000 a year, that equates to $50 an hour. Doing tasks that you are not good at and don’t like to do does not make sense when it costs half as much to have someone else do them for you. Focus on selling work and managing production, not clerical tasks. Selling and producing one more job a week probably pays for a better admin.

Monroe Porter is president of PROOF Management a firm that teaches seminars and runs networking groups for painting contractors.

How to sell more to existing customers

If growth is your primary goal, take note of these two essential sales strategies: cross-selling and upselling.

Why? Because it’s much easier to sell to existing customers than to acquire new ones. According to Marketing Metrics, the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 to 70 percent, while the like lihood you’ll sell to a new prospect is just 5 to 20 percent.

Some entrepreneurs use the terms “upselling” and “cross-selling” interchangeably, but there’s a difference. Read on to learn how to generate more income by working these two sales strategies like a pro.

Effective cross-selling tips

Cross-selling is simply inviting your customers to buy a secondary item that naturally bundles with a product they’re already purchasing. You’ll get the best results with cross-selling when a complementary item is offered at a much lower price point.

Let’s say your customer is interested in buying a printer. Asking if they already have printer paper at home is easy cross-selling. Rather than being per ceived as pushy, it’s good customer service to ask your customer if they have everything they need.

You’ll make it even easier for your customers to buy more from you by offering a discount when they purchase two items at the same time.

“Would you like to save 10% on printer paper with your printer purchase today?” is an offer plenty of customers will find hard to refuse.

Tips for successful upselling

When you upsell to a customer, you’re asking them to consider a higher-priced upgrade during a sales transaction.Think of an upsell as a recommendation: you’re endorsing the best version of a product or service your customer is already planning to buy.

It’s usually much easier to upsell a customer than to cross-sell. Paying more for the premier option is a smaller stretch for a customer than deciding to buy something extra that wasn’t initially part of the plan.

Whenever you’re telling your customers about a prod uct’s features, suggest the benefits of the premier op tion. Even if they decide not to buy at the highest price point now, they might keep it in mind for next time.

Upselling often happens naturally in sales when the focus is on the product that would best meet your cus tomer’s needs rather than starting with price. Explain the differences between two or three options, provid ing all the info your customers need to make the best choice to meet their needs.

Final tips

As you integrate upselling and cross-selling into your sales strategy, always keep your ideal customers and their needs top of mind.

By being knowledgeable about the problems your customers most want to solve and able to provide honest, helpful advice - your customers will grow to trust you and your recommendations. Over time you won’t have to think about upselling or cross-selling.

They become a natural part of any sales conversation when you stay a step ahead of your customers, able to offer the perfect recommendation for what they need, whenever they need it.

Sandra Price

What now for petrol prices? Global doom and gloom makes the outlook surprisingly positive

In early March Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed global oil prices up by about 30% and Australians faced paying more than $2.15 a litre for petrol. Contrary to economists’ advice, the Morrison government decid ed to halve of the fuel excise for six months, reducing the cost of petrol by 22.1 cents a litre.

That discount period ends at midnight. So what can you expect local fuel prices to do now?

To begin with, the fuel excise is indexed so it will add 23 cents to a litre of petrol. But not immediately. Your local service station’s tanks are likely to still hold fuel for which the retailer paid the discounted excise.

Federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has cited industry estimates of about 700 million litres of discounted fuel still being “in the system”. To put that in perspective, Australians consumed an average of about 42.5 million litres of petrol a day in 2021. So it may be one to two weeks, depending on where you live, before you’re paying extra.

But what you will then be paying probably won’t be that different to before Russia invaded Ukraine, with

global oil prices dropping due to efforts to increase supply and a deteriorating global economic outlook suppressing demand.

Read more: What is petrol excise, and why does Australia have it anyway?

Global prices dictate local prices

Australia imports about 90% of its refined fuel needs, so the main determinants of the price of petrol and diesel in Australia are international oil prices and the value of Australian dollar to the US dollar (because oil prices are determined in US currency).

Read more: Conflict in the South China Sea threatens 90% of Australia's fuel imports: study

Over the past six months the Australian dollar’s buying power has declined from about 75 to 65 US cents (a 13% drop). But that has been offset by oil prices falling more than 30% since June.

There is no single oil price because oil is traded in different markets according to its quality (with names reflecting the historical source of that type of oil). The following graph shows two commonly cited benchmarks – West Texas Intermediate (from Texas) and Brent Crude (from the North Sea).

The Australian government is supporting the price cap but this is mostly symbolic. At this point I can’t see it having much practical impact on Australian petrol prices. Second, the global economy is weakening, which is tak ing the pressure off demand. The OECD’s economic outlook published this month predicts global economic growth will slow to 2.2% in 2023.

Prices spiked after the invasion of Ukraine due to Russia’s signicance as an oil exporter (the secondbiggest after Saudi Arabia, accounting for about 8% of exports in 2021) and uncertainty about what the conflict would mean for those exports, as well as Russia’s gas exports to Europe and markets generally.

Increased supply, faltering demand

The steady decline since June is due to two main reasons.

First, the efforts of the European Union and the United States to increase non-Russian oil supplies. This has been both to ease inflationary pressures on their own economies as well as to drive down the windfall revenue Russia has made from its oil exports (mostly to China and India).

The G7 is working on a plan to further choke off those revenues through imposing a price cap on Russian oil exports. Whether this will succeed depends first on finding agreement in Europe, which is divided over the plan.

As a consequence, the International Energy Agency’s Oil Market Report last month revised upwards its outlook for world oil supply (though it also warned “another price rally cannot be excluded” given disruption risks).

Crude oil prices are now below US$90 a barrel – less than at the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For the next 12 months oil prices can be expected to decline to below US$80. This will put Australian petrol and die sel prices back to where they were in 2021. Which is good news for motorists, if not the global economy.

Joaquin Vespignani Associate professor, University of Tasmania

IMPORTANT Contacts

Aussie Painters Network aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

National Institute for Painting and Decorating painters.edu.au

Australian Tax Office ato.gov.au Award Rates fairwork.gov.au

Australian Building & Construction Commission www.abcc.gov.au

Mates In Construction www.mates.org.au

Workplace Health and Safety Contacts

Comcare

WorkSafe ACT

Workplace Health and Safety QLD WorkSafe Victoria SafeWork NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA

NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania

Cancer Council Australia

ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA

Ph. 0430 399 800

Ph. 1300 319 790

Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65

Ph. 13 13 94

Ph. 1800 003 338

Ph. 1300 642 111

comcare.gov.au worksafe.act.gov.au worksafe.qld.gov.au www.worksafe.vic.gov.au www.safework.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ worksafe.nt.gov.au worksafe.tas.gov.au

1300 366 979 02 6207 3000

1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322

actcancer.org cancercouncil.com.au cancercouncilnt.com.au cancerqld.org.au cancersa.org.au cancervic.org.au cancerwa.asn.au

(02) 6257 9999

(02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333