Business News 235

ISSUE 235

November 2014

“I’ve never said I’m immortal. I do believe in correct language. I’m eternal; I’m not immortal.”

- Gough Whitlam

Edward Gough Whitlam AC QC 1916 – 2014

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PAULA KONTELJ 1. Jobs - The Napthine Government has delivered a strong economy with a budget surplus which generates business confidence to grow and invest and creates jobs.

2. Hospitals/health care - Only the Napthine Government will build Barwon Health North and a Community hospital at Waurn Ponds, in addition to the $120 million expansion of University Hospital Geelong.

3. School Funding - I look forward to seeing the $20 million re-build of Geelong High, the redevelopment of Belmont High, Roslyn Primary and so many other schools in our region, long neglected under 11 years of Labor.

4. Roads and Transport - East West Link Stage 2 is vital to Geelong commuters to ease traffic congestion on the West Gate. The Regional Rail Link will deliver 140 extra services daily and upgrades to our stations will improve disability access.

5. Revitalise our CBD - Our recent $35 million commitment to redevelop GPAC as well as the almost complete Library and Heritage Centre and the plans for student accommodation at the T&G and at St Mary’s old site in Myers St, will see people living in our CBD. Redevelopment of the Geelong Art Gallery and the construction of a Convention Centre and a Yarra St Pier must be next on the agenda.

6. Funds for Local Sporting Clubs - I will continue to advocate for local football, netball, cricket, soccer and other sporting clubs for funding to ensure they can continue to do the great work they do in our community.

LABOR WILL:  Fund a $1000 payroll tax relief …to employers hiring unemployed youth  Establishing a $200 million Regional Jobs Fund …to grow the regional economy  Providing $5million to establish …the Land 400 Procurement Office in Geelong  Reinstate funding to the Gordon TAFE …to ensure quality training  Funding $100 million to upgrade …Simonds Stadium & GPAC  Reintroduce Tech Schools with one being established in Geelong. Working in partnership with local industry the Tech School will be focused on local needs and will be open for students Years 7 to 12.

8. If elected, I will be a positive voice for Geelong! I will be a conduit between the people and the parliament. I will represent this community with pride and respect.

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Authorised by Michael Tate 127 Myers Street Geelong.

7. I will be a strong voice for the disadvantaged in our community. I am passionate about mental health and disability support and will advocate strongly for the vulnerable in our region.

CONTENTS

16. 2014 State ELECTION CONTENTS 5/ Biz News 10 / New Appointments 11 / Inside Word

“The air over Geelong has become supercharged as an electoral storm brews amongst the region’s hotly contested seats.”

12 / Legal 20 / Opinion

14. ICE FIGHT

22 / Governance

30. TRAVEL

34 / The Elevator

38. ARTS

36 / The Crush 50 / Stuff 51 / Books

ISSUE 235 NOVEMBER 2014 Read online at: www.biznewsmag.com.au

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EDITOR

It’s Time …

In the wake of the passing of Gough Whitlam I’ve been thinking about fairness; about what we think it is and how we talk a lot about fairness in Australia, often without really considering what it means.

Gough Whitlam made fairness an election platform, and regardless of how you view his political performance, one thing that is beyond argument is that Gough brought the big picture ideals of fairness, compassion and equality on to the centre stage of the political agenda.

Four decades later, and in the throes of an election campaign here in Victoria, the contrast between the high ideals and sweeping vision that flowed from Whitlam’s controversial three years as Prime Minister the petty, brutish, small-minded political agendas of today is stark, and sad.

Fairness has become a term splashed around for political gain, and thrown like a projectile across the floor of parliaments.

It sounds easy, doesn’t it, to make policy decisions based on fairness? But true fairness requires much more than a nod and wink to a loosely applied fairness test. It requires an honest acknowledgement of uncomfortable truths – an acceptance that what we have thought of as fair for all really means fair for some, and brutally unfair for others.

From the appalling and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers to the rampant inequality experienced by indigenous Australian, our failure to really do something about domestic violence, our treatment of those with a mental illness, and many with chronic illness, and the individuals and families living with all the indignities and inescapable disadvantage of poverty … in so many ways the notion of Australian fairness remains a fantasy.

What Gough told Australians was that a fairer society is a better society at all levels, and I for one truly believe that. But it takes a vision significantly bigger than the next electoral term to address the systemic and structural issues that stand as impediments to true fairness.

Like many of you, I suspect, I like my house but I don’t like my mortgage; I like the quality of life my family enjoys but increasingly

question the price we as a society are paying for our collective selfishness. So much of today’s politics plays into that collective selfishness, that small vision, and we are all the poorer for it.

Sadly, another of the lasting legacy of Gough Whitlam is the lesson learnt from The Dismissal that an obstructive, overtly aggressive, win at all costs Opposition that scoops up the petty points of politics rather than pursuing the infinitely more valuable challenge of big P Politics, is likely to find itself in power. Never mind that what it is in power of is a lesser democracy, one with an incrementally smaller vision of the future, certainly one with significantly less respect for the role of politics in said democracy and, ultimately, a lesser nation … power could be gained by such means. It is a shame that lesson continues to rings true.

Perhaps, once again, “It’s Time”.

Words of Whitlam And, just because words used well have a redemptive quality of their own, here are a couple of my favourite Whitlam quotes that I couldn’t get on the cover: “Poverty is a national waste as well as individual waste. We are all diminished when any of us are denied proper education. The nation is the poorer – a poorer economy, a poorer civilisation, because of this human and national waste.”

- An excerpt of Whitlam’s election pitch for universal free education “It seemed to me that if governments could not do something for the conditions of life in our cities and suburbs there was something deeply wrong with our system of government and our national priorities.”

“We are the most effluent nation in what Liberals call the free world.”

- Gough Whitlam on implementing the National Sewerage Program “Maintain your rage and enthusiasm…”

In one of those curious asides, the journalist who broke the Watergate scandal that brought an end to Richard Nixon’s presidency, Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post, also died on October 21 - the same day as Gough Whitlam.

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BUSINESS NEWS | 4

BIZ NEWS

Geelong researchers seek COPD patients for worldwide study

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ustralia’s SME sector is consolidating the gains of the last 12 months, with one of the highest revenue performances in the last three years and those experiencing revenue declines falling to a five year low, according to the latest research from MYOB. Australians who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) – an umbrella term that encompasses conditions including chronic bronchitis and emphysema - are being encouraged to participate in a worldwide study that will test a potential new treatment for the condition.

Geelong-based specialist Dr Chris Steinfort is part of a worldwide study being conducted by GlaxoSmithKline and is looking for eligible patients to participate in a clinical trial in the hope of making a better treatment option for this respiratory condition a reality.

The Geelong researchers are working with colleagues across Australia and New Zealand and around the world to determine whether a potential new treatment can reduce the frequency of COPD symptoms, keep participants out of hospital and help them better cope with their day-to-day life.

Patients are being sought who: - Are aged 40-plus - Have COPD, chronic bronchitis, smoker’s cough, or emphysema and are taking regular medication for the condition

- Have had some worsening in the last 12 months of COPD symptoms that required additional treatment or hospital admission It is estimated that 1.45 million Australians have some form of COPD. In 2008, an Access Economics study into the total economic impact of COPD estimated the cost to be $98.2 billion, of which $8.8 billion is attributed to financial costs and $89.4 billion to the loss of wellbeing.

The Geelong trial site is the rooms of Dr Chris Steinfort.

“There is no cure for COPD which is why it is so important to keep researching new treatment options. We need treatments that do an effective job in reducing symptoms, keep people out of hospital and improve their quality of life,” Dr Steinfort said.

“Participating in a research study can also be beneficial for the participants as they receive high quality medical monitoring and regular health checks at no cost. The patients could do some good for themselves while also helping progress Australian research into new medicines.”

Participation in the study is voluntary and information is kept strictly confidential. This study has been approved by Human Research Ethics Committees to be conducted at various Australian centres.

For further information about COPD and upcoming clinical trials please see www.gsk.com.au/copd or call toll free 1800 301 260.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 5

BIZ NEWS

Seven-day Racism Challenge wins UN recognition

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esearchers from Deakin’s Deakin’s Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, the Universities of Melbourne and Western Sydney, and the anti-racism NGO, All Together Now, developed a ground-breaking app that was awarded second place out of 600 worldwide entries at the recent UN Intercultural Innovation Awards.

The Seven-day Racism Challenge app was designed to provide a safe but immersive experience of racism, with players able to take the ‘seven-day challenge’ of living as an Aboriginal man, a Muslim woman, an Indian student or themselves.

Drawing on the real life experiences of people who worked with the app developers, players are asked to choose how to respond to situations ranging from verbal abuse or teasing to missing out on a promotion.

Talking to Deakin’s Invenio research news publication, Professor Yin Paradies, Deputy Director (Research) of Deakin’s Centre for Citizenship and Globalisation, said the app was not directly targeted at Australians who have extreme racist views, but at the many more who could potentially intervene when witnessing racism, adding that Centre of Citizenship and Globalisation research shows that bystanders are one of the most effective deterrents against racism. The app aims to help users become familiar with a variety of racist scenarios in the hope that if they encounter them they can intervene safely.

The award will see the developers attend global training courses to further develop the app, as well as joining a UN Intercultural Leaders platform focused on addressing crosscultural tensions.

Download the Seven Day Racism Challenge at http:// alltogethernow.org.au/news/campaigns/everydayracism/

Calls for an Industry Growth Centre in Geelong

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he Federal Government’s announcement of $188.5 million to fund five Industry Growth Centres has local lobby groups calling for one of the centres to be located in Geelong.

The five centres will focus on food and agribusiness; mining equipment, technology and services; oil, gas and energy resources; medical technologies and pharmaceuticals; and advanced manufacturing.

Member for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson, said Geelong would be a natural home to an advanced manufacturing centre,

as well as a food and fibre centre.

The funding pool covers $3.5 million in annual funding for each of the five centres and a $60 million funds allocation to provide grants of up to $1 million to convert ideas with great potential into profitable commercial projects.

“In addition, $63 million will be available to the IGCs to develop and deliver large-scale collaborative projects to build the capability and competitiveness of their sectors,” Ms Henderson said.

BUSINESS NEWS | 6

BIZ NEWS

Innovative health partnership scoops top award

Impressive Response to Launch of Fyansford Development

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F

A unique partnership between Barwon Health, Alfred Health and The Royal Children’s Hospital bringing world-class intensive care services to the Barwon South West Region won the Secretary’s Award at the 2014 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards last month.

Demand for residential land in Geelong remains strong, with over half of the first release allotments in the new Gen Fyansford development selling on the official release day on October 4.

he Competition Policy Review Panel released its Draft Report last month, with Chair of the Review, Professor Ian Harper, saying the recommendations in the Draft Report seek to bring Australia’s competition policy up to date.

The award was granted for a partnership between the intensive care unit of Barwon Health with the ICUs of the Royal Children’s Hospital and Alfred Health to improve patient outcomes.

“These partnerships enabled Barwon Health ICU to expand its model of care to include a regional paediatric ICU supported by the RCH ICU, and a regional nurse-led extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) service supported by the Alfred ICU,” Department of Health Secretary, Dr Pradeep Philip said.

“The Barwon Health ECMO service is the first regional nurseled ECMO service in Australia. Underpinned by use of existing telehealth capabilities, these partnerships have provided critically ill children and adult patients with safer, higher quality and more timely care, closer to their homes.

“The collaboration between Barwon Health, The Alfred and The Royal Children’s Hospital is truly building a health system responsive to the needs of regional Victorians.”

Runners up receiving highly commended awards were Monash Health’s Interventional Radiology Team and the Cardiopulmonary Prehabilitation Team at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

A further partnership between Barwon Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital will see an RCH surgeon rostered to work a full day at University Hospital Geelong every two weeks, with the surgeon operating in the morning, attending an outpatients clinic in the afternoon and contributing to the teaching and professional development of hospital staff.

uture land developments at Lovely Banks and Batesford South may be brought online earlier than we thought, with the Planning Minister seeking Council’s support to accelerate the projects.

Michael Mai, Managing Director of ICD Property, developers of Gen Fyansford said, “Hundreds of people have registered their interest in purchasing land at Fyansford, and we have been delighted with the number of sales secured to date.”

ICD property is now looking forward to the commencement of civil works in November.

Rod Anderson, Sales Director from RPM Real Estate Group, sales agents for Gen Fyansford, said they have been overwhelmed with the response from the local community, but also from people outside Geelong who wish to purchase land at Gen Fyansford.

“Typically, we are seeing a keen interest from owner occupiers who are looking to build their second home, and also buyers seeking to downsize from their current residence. In addition, several sales have been made to investors,” Mr Anderson said.

“Gen Fyansford ticks all the boxes: the township is located within close proximity to central Geelong, is minutes away from some of Geelong’s top private schools, and has close access to the Ring Road. There is a wonderful sense of history and community, set within a charming natural environment. All of these elements help make Gen Fyansford a unique opportunity.”

ICD Property says its residential developments cater to the mid to high-end market. The company says it aims to develop well-designed properties, which work in harmony with their surroundings.

“Custom designed or choose from over 13 million images.”

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BIZ NEWS

Know what content is king for your business

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eelong small business operators are once again being offered a smorgasboard of expertise and mentors at the Geelong Small Business Buffet being held at Geelong Conference Centre on Wednesday 19 November.

The Geelong Small Business Buffet is an ‘all you can learn and all you can eat for $45’ event where a number of experts will present seminars over the course of one day.

Small Business Smart Business program coordinator, Liz Grant, said that feedback from the past four Geelong Small Business Buffets was so positive that it showed there was a demand for continued learning from small businesses.

“Once again, we’re giving small business operators the chance to pick and choose which masterclasses they’d like to take part in, as well as attending keynote presentations - they can choose one or two sessions, or come for the whole day - it’s entirely up to them,” Ms Grant said.

The theme for this Buffet is ‘Content is King’. Keynote presenters include Wayne Aspland from The Content Factory, Leigh McClusky from McClusky & Co and Joanne Clark from Destiny Pursuit. The masterclasses include topics such as building a content plan, blogging to get found, using social media to drive sales, finding the right key words for your business and repurposing content for different channels.

“We’re really pleased that, once again, our presenters are all local experts,” said Ms Grant. “Geelong is very privileged to have business owners such as Nicole Crammond from Augustus Media, Jurgen Strauss from Innovabiz, Dave Chaffey from KBB Digital, James Crook from Choc Chip Digital and Sue Cartwright from Communication Tree give their time and expertise for the November Small Business Buffet.”

Attendees will also be able to get some great tips on how to implement what they’ve learned from a one-on-one session with a Small Business Mentoring Service mentor, and will be encouraged to network throughout the day.

“Sometimes it’s hard for small business owners and managers to get out of the office or even to know what information will add value to their business,” Ms Grant said. “By putting everything we could into one day, the business owner can pick and choose, leave and come back, or share their ticket with their staff for different seminars.”

The Buffet also includes expo tables for businesses that supply products and services to small business – another way for businesses to promote their services to their target market.

Tickets are only $45 for the day, all-inclusive, and can be purchased at www.trybooking.com/GBSW. Expo tables start at $75 and can be booked at www.trybooking.com/GBTA.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

HEALTH Mark Reeves has joined Healthcare Australia as Client & Candidate Services Consultant.

With a strong background in recruitment and healthcare, Mark is excited to be part of an industry leading company.

Mark will focus on finding the right nurse’s to help staff our region’s Hospitals and Aged Care facilities. His friendly nature and drive will benefit existing and new candidates.

REAL ESTATE

Property Management

TRAINING

Candice O’Conner has started at G.J McDonald & Co Real Estate as a property manager with 9 years experience within the Real Estate industry, 7 of those years in Property Management, her philosophy combines transparency, good listening skills and empathy.

She is dedicated to maintaining a professional service.

Stacey Barker joins Release Property as Business Development & Senior Property Manager. Specialising in property management, Stacey brings to Release an enormous amount of knowledge of the real estate industry, having had over 13 years’ experience.

She has previouslly worked in the mortgage and insurance broking sectors.

Ryan Hargrave has been drafted by AGB Human Resources Training Division as a Business Development Officer. With Ryan’s AFL playing career (Western Bulldogs 13 years, 200 games) Ryan knows the benefits of goal setting and training in life and business.

With 2 years of VET sector experience, Ryan is looking forward to a new life with his family in Geelong.

REAL ESTATE

Insurance Broking

Insurance Broking

Nick Batten joins Buxton Real Estate after a career shift from growing successful restaurants & cafes. Added to his outstanding customer service, management, negotiation skills and sales success, Nick brings a refreshingly honest and personalised approach that is evident through his high level of passion, empathy, service and absolute dedication to the end result for his client.

Karyn Wright has joined Tresidder Insurance Group as Finance and Administration Manager. Karyn’s expertise lies in Finance and Operations and ensuring the business has the systems and processes in place to safeguard client, underwriter and supplier relationships.

Her organisational and finance skills will be a huge asset to the Tresidder team.

Paul Marino has taken up the role of Account Executive with Tresidder Insurance Group and brings with him over 10 years broking experience across Geelong and Melbourne.

With his strong background in Business Insurance Broking and likeable demeanour, Paul will be a great asset for the Tresidder Team in servicing both existing and new clients.

BUSINESS NEWS | 10

INSIDE WORD

GOOD NEWS ON JOBS FRONT New manufacturing jobs

Local business to be part of the Epworth project Geelong Telephone Company (GTC) has been awarded the network infrastructure installation contract for the Epworth project. As the project’s electrical contractor, Appselec has supported local business by subcontracting this section of their scope to GTC. “As a local company we are thrilled to be a part of Geelong’s future. It is exciting to see new developments such as this project in our region offering many new jobs and opportunities for local business,” said Renato Trentin, Managing Director of GTC. “As a member of the Driving Business Growth – Advocacy Pillar Committee, which is part of the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, I see how hard some businesses are doing. Projects such as these will see great opportunities and will bring back some confidence in the local community,” said Mr Trentin.

Geelong Chamber of Commerce CEO, Bernadette Uzelac, welcomed the announcement and applauded Epworth Geelong and Appselec for showing their support for local business.

“We congratulate Chamber member Geelong Telephone Company on being awarded this significant contract and acknowledge Epworth Geelong, a corporate partner of the Chamber, and Appselec for demonstrating their commitment to supporting local business” said Ms Uzelac. “Geelong has a diverse range of highly competent local businesses capable of delivering to the standards of excellence required for complex projects such as this. It is pleasing to see this capability being recognized.”

The Epworth Geelong will open in mid 2016.

The latest round of Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF) funding will create 80 new manufacturing jobs in the region.

Quickstep will use grant funding of $1,766,625 to develop a $5 million automotive pilot production facility at Deakin University’s Carbon Nexus Precinct in Waurn Ponds. The facility will enable low-volume production runs of lightweight components for the global automotive industry, creating 30 new jobs by June 2017.

A grant of $600,000 to Organic Dairy Farmers will enable it to build a $1.3 million cream and cheese processing and packaging line at its new organic dairy manufacturing plant in North Geelong. The new production line will increase employment by 23 positions, and enabling the business to integrate activities and expand into export markets for frozen cream.

Farm Foods produces red meat products for major Australian supermarkets. A grant of $525,000 will support their $1.050 million project that will see the processor expand production and create products with a shelf life of 90 days, facilitating expansion into Asian export markets. The growing business will employ an additional 27 workers.

“By integrating their knowledge of advanced manufacturing, developed through working in the aerospace industry, into vehicle components production, Quickstep will be able to meet the growing demand for lighter, fuel saving car components,” Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said.

Federal Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson said that the expansion of local production would create further business and job creation opportunities for the region.

For a free demonstration call Helen Butteriss or McFarlane Pattinson.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 11

LEGAL

UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE FRANCHISING CODE OF CONDUCT

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s a result of the 2013 review of the Franchising Code of Conduct, significant changes to the Franchising system will commence on 1 January 2015.

Tom White, Managing Principal Alicia Carroll, Senior Lawyer

The Senate has recently passed the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Industry Codes Penalties) Bill 2014, which gives the ACCC the ability to issue infringement notices of up to $8,500 to Franchisors and Franchisees who are in breach of the Code. The Bill also gives the court power to impose penalties of up to $51,000 for breaches of the Code.

The new Franchising Code of Conduct will be contained in the Franchising Industry Codes, however the legislation has not yet been finalised. Franchisors will have an obligation to ensure that new Franchise Agreements, as well as those being renewed or transferred, comply with the requirements of the new Code as of 1 January 2015. The new Code includes the following changes, which Franchisors and Franchisees should be aware of: (a) A mandatory obligation to act in good faith will apply to any dealings or disputes, as well as to negotiations leading to entering into Franchise Agreements; (b) A new form of Disclosure Statement, along with a mandatory Information Statement will be introduced;

post-term restraint of trade obligation where the Franchise Agreement is not renewed by the Franchisor; (d) Franchisors will be prohibited from requiring Franchisees to undertake significant capital expenditure during the term of the Franchise, except where the expenditure is: (i) disclosed at the time the Franchisee entered into the Franchise Agreement or renewed or extended the term; (ii) incurred by all or a majority of Franchisees and approved by a majority Franchisees; (iii) to comply with legal obligations; (iv) agreed to by the Franchisee; or (v) justified by a statement given to the Franchisee, which meets the requirements of the Code. (e) Certain provisions of the Code will be deemed to be Civil Pecuniary Penalty Provisions. Any breach of these provision may attract fines or penalties; (f) Reforms in relation to marketing funds; and (g) Disputes must now be dealt with in the state or territory where the Franchise business is located, rather than where the head office of the Franchisor is located.

Whilst the legislation has not been finalised it is important for Franchisors to be aware of the upcoming changes and ready to update their Disclosure Documents and Franchise Agreements to comply with the new Code as of 1 January 2015.

(c) Franchisors will be unable to enforce a

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BUSINESS NEWS | 12

ACCOUNTING

10 Best Investment Ideas 2014

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ach year Crowe Horwath produces a 10 Best Investment Ideas for their clients. Their half-year progress report was just released and here is a summary of some of the key issues:

Andrew Conlan, Principal, Financial Advice, Crowe Horwath

1. Focus on your goals not the Jones’: investing for long-term goals needs long-term focus within your own personal constraints and capabilities. Tailored advice that adds value over the years is crucial.

2. Change – the only real constant: equity markets have had another strong year, improving the account balances of those who have held equity. Over the last six months the financial industry has responded positively to a government review on how the superannuation and investment industry can better serve and tailor solutions for consumers. The Federal Budget also addressed some of the structural issues of an increasing reliance on the public purse, but It remains to be seen what will be enacted

This information is provided under Crowe Horwath Financial Advice Pty Ltd AFSL 238244 and does not in any way constitute advice as each individual investors situation is different.

Advice should be tailored and sought from professionally qualified, experienced financial experts before any action is taken.

transition. Takeovers and acquisitions by the Chinese could continue here as well known brands change hands for strategic reasons.

7. Where to invest offshore: Weaker returns in defensive (cash) assets means investors are turning to risky assets for a potential positive return. This has seen international shares continue their strong run of recent years.

More conservative positions may be worth considering, where there is an awareness of the downside and exposures have relatively resilient earnings profiles. We still expect a kicker from the higher Australian dollar, which may take time to reduce, but is something that could go in investors’ favour.

8. Yield does not equal income: When interest rates are low, returns from defensive assets are lower. When assessing appropriate risk exposure, focus on absolute returns not relative, as a little higher yield for most generally means not that much more total income.

3. The Innovators: Investment into Australian market leaders with a global presence that invest capital into research and development.

These have remained flat but should be okay long-term. The growth of cloud computing is positively impacting on financial services companies.

9. Infrastructure and property – the new annuities: Overall, we remain confident that balance sheets (gearing) for most investment grade opportunities are well under control.

Occupancy is high, with low tenant turnover.

We expect steady and slow growing income to continue from these asset classes.

4. Servicing the demographic: the dominant online businesses have generated good outcomes in the short-term – the main issue is ensuring investments are purchase on reasonable profit multiples.

10. What to do with the banks? In Australia there has also been the reward of ongoing high franked income distributions. The outlook for the banks remains cautious given the slower economic growth in Australia. The regulatory and capital environment should see market share retained at relatively high levels and margins stabilise or improve, meaning better medium to long-term profit growth potential.

5. The Political Regime: with the repeal of the carbon tax the Government has attempted to cover medical costs and push out access to superannuation and Government entitlements. The onus of financial security and providing for a comfortable retirement lifestyle is going to be more on the consumer in future.

6. Urbanisation and the growth in the middle class: China remains the largest economy in

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 13

If you would like a copy of the Annual 10 Best Investment Ideas or Half Year Progress Report please call Crowe Horwath on 5224 7700.

FEATURE

Ice Fight gets active in workplaces

Dairy farmers, doctors, business owners, middle-aged lawyers and teenagers – there just isn’t a typical ice user. In fact, there is little that is typical about his drug.

There’s been a lot of talk about the devastating impact of the spread of the methamphetamine ice in Geelong, but as of November 14, talk will be replaced by action as the Geelong community takes up the challenge in a way that governments and government agencies just could not do. Workplaces are a key part of the fight back plan, spreading factual information to prevent people using the drug in the first place, and support and options for addicts and their families.

When I caught up with Senior Sergeant Tony Francis recently, we didn’t talk about policing. Tony had just come back from a meeting with a group of concreters about the impact of the drug ice on people in their industry. It’s a conversation Tony has been having a lot lately, and his role as project officer for the Greater Geelong Community Collective Effort for Substance Abuse –better known as Our Town’s Ice Fight – is to provide education and awareness about the drug and it’s devastating impacts on people’s lives.

Ice, he says, is probably the worst drug that has been developed.

There is nothing new about methamphetamines, they’ve been around since the 1880s, and back in the 1940s was marketed and sold to housewives as a pick-me-up drug. It was all legal back then and there was even a jingle!

The methamphetamines of today and particularly ice are very different to those early drugs. It is highly refined, much more pure and much more potent.

“[From a community perspective] the big problem with ice is that it’s a behavioural changer and another problem is that there is no synthetic cure for it. Rehabilitation takes a long time and is very expensive and the rehabilitation system isn’t set up for ice, so it’s a very difficult drug to deal with,” Tony said.

“In terms of the drug itself, it’s been sort of normalized and accepted in a not dissimilar way to cocaine. That is really dangerous, because ice can destroy your brain and your behaviour will change and you can’t control that behaviour.”

The drug has some horrifying physical impacts on users as well, from lasting cognitive impairments including impaired speech and learning function, front lobe damage, which results in impaired judgement, short and long-term memory loss, uncontrollable twitches and tremors, lowered immune system, muscle wastage through starvation and increased body temperature that can lead to organ failure. While users experience an extreme high, that overstimulation of the brain’s pleasure centre can actually permanently damage that part of the brain resulting in anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure.

Ice works by activating endorphins (the feel good hormones) in the brain and people tend to resort to using the drug when under stress.

“That’s why it has no demographics,” Tony said. “People get on it and they feel fantastic. If you can imagine a little bucket in your

BUSINESS NEWS | 14

FEATURE head that has 100mL of the most fantastic feelings imaginable in it, the best feeling you can have naturally – say sex – might tip out 5 or 10 mL; ice will tip out the whole 100mL.” Builders and labourers and other tradies in the construction industry have turned to ice as a way of working for longer in order to meet construction deadlines. Dairy farmers, doctors, business owners, middle-aged lawyers and teenagers – there just isn’t a typical ice user. In fact, there is little that is typical about his drug.

Coming off the drug, users go into deep lows and, after a period of time, become paranoid. The paranoia, and it is extreme paranoia, leads to violence – all too often, extreme and highly unpredictable violence.

“This can be behaviour like normally pretty decent people punching up their parents, or punching up the partner they love.

Ice is now one of the leading contributors to family violence; with specific figures gathered in May this year showing around onethird of family violence was related to ice. What we find is that the degree of violence is a lot more severe in ice addicts. They are very difficult to deal with when they are in that paranoid state and they are incredibly strong because they are in that fight or flight mode. And you cannot reason with them or talk them down,” Tony said.

People report being in a state where they simply can’t control what they are doing, even though they know what they are doing is wrong and that they shouldn’t be doing it. It’s a terrifying reality playing out all over the city and the state.

Highly addictive, the drive to feed that addiction is seeing users go on massive crime sprees – not committing two or three burglaries, but twenty or thirty burglaries. They just keep going because the effects of the drug are keeping them awake and filling them with an energy level they normally wouldn’t have.

All of this adds up to a picture of a drug that is more insidious, more dangerous than any other out there, and the one that drug services, police and communities are least prepared to deal with.

“It gets pushed by our crime syndicates and networks, who are very good at engaging people and targeting people that are down on their luck or need a pep me up,” Tony said. “The thing about crime organisations now is that they don’t look like the traditional bad boys of town; they look like normal, good guys and you wouldn’t pick them walking down the street. These are blokes that you’d enjoy having a beer with, they tell a good yarn and they’re very engaging. They hang around football clubs, around workplaces, pubs and clubs,” Tony said.

“Hence our big campaign to get the awareness out there that this drug is not good and to try to get the information in there first. We’re delivering a consistent message into workplaces, into education and to youth, so everyone is getting the same message.”

And the community here in Geelong is setting a new example for communities across the state and across the country, with local businesses a key driving force behind the campaign.

“The community is seeing the impacts of ice on good people in the community. We don’t need to sell the message of how bad this drug is, the community already knows. There’s been a lot of forums, but people get a bit sick of forums because they don’t see a lot of result afterwards,” Tony said.

steps in to the deal with the issue. Rather than a government agency or the police coming in and imposing a solution, which often doesn’t work, the local community is coming up with their own answers.

The ice summit in August this year generated 14 projects that have been developed in three key areas of workplaces, sport, and youth and education with the launch date for action on the projects set for the 14th of November.

“On that day, the Geelong community will say what their actions are going to be in order to address this problem. This isn’t about more talk; it’s about getting out there and doing it. And the business people of Geelong have put their hand up to make a difference, not only by providing financial support, but also by participating in the process,” Tony said.

“The power of this is that the community leaders are standing up to change the community, rather than waiting for a government or a government agency to change things.

For 24 hour counselling and advice: Direct Line 1800 888 236 For youth services: YODDA 1800 458 685 For a local service: Barwon Health1300 097 187 For an emergency: call 000 For drug information Australian Drug Foundation 1300 85 85 84 or druginfo.adf.org.au

Month Action

Focus

Nov-14

• Week of awareness for office related industries

Workplaces

Dec-14

• Our Town ICE Fight’ info session • Construction industry week of awareness

Communities

Jan-15

• ICE theatre production script developed

All

Feb-15

• Clubs That Care • Real Estate industry week of awareness

Sport Workplace

Mar-15

• Round table with educators to establish ‘Best Practice’ on ICE Programs

Education

• Apprentices’ week of awareness

Youth

• Builders/Tradies week of awareness

Workplace

Apr-15

• Youth ICE Summit

Youth

May-15

• Drug awareness App for workplaces and Clubs

Youth

Jun-15

• Workplace Champion engagement and Training

Workplaces

Jul-15

• ICE theatre production launch

All

Aug-15

• 36 hr Youth Challenge- Resilience and team building Youth

Sep-15

• ICE Education conference/ Community Expo ‘Where to from here’

All

Oct-15

• Workplace awareness/WHS week

Workplaces

Geelong is trialing a new approach – one where the community

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 15

Produced by: Paul Kelly Creative

ICEFIGHT.COM.AU

COVER STORY

O

n November 29, Victoria will head to the polls. Unless something changes in the next few weeks, this may be the first time that we have had a one-term Victorian government since John Cain Senior lost to the Henry Bolte-led Liberals in 1955.

The redistribution of electoral boundaries has delivered a notional majority of seats to Labor. To win, the government needs to not only hold all of its seats, particularly those in Melbourne, but also regain some of the regional seats it lost in the 1999 election.

Labor needs to hold its seats and retain the inner Melbourne seats of Melbourne, Brunswick and Richmond where the Greens are polling strongly.

The opinion polls suggest the government is in trouble, but elections have a habit of throwing up surprise results. One thing that is predictable is that an incumbent Liberal federal government spells trouble for Liberal state governments and vice versa. Voters, it seems, don’t like to see too much power in one party’s hands.

One of the country’s foremost election analysts, the ABC’s Antony Green, says the problems facing the Napthine Government are bigger than the electorate’s distaste for state and federal governments of the same political persuasion.

“The government has got problems. It’s struggled to control the political agenda throughout its term, but even more so with the change of the premier and Geoff Shaw,” Green said.

“It’s always had the difficulty of it not being in control of the politics, which is often the way with minority governments. Gillard had exactly the same problem – she didn’t have control of the numbers on the floor and, therefore, couldn’t always be in control of setting the agenda day-to-day. This has been Napthine’s problem as well. From time to time the whole parliamentary process has been hijacked and that’s tended to make the government look weak and indecisive.”

While being a well-liked and quite popular Premier, Dennis Napthine has had a string of challenges steadily mounting against his government. Not least of these is the fact that he wasn’t voted in as Premier, having replaced Ted Baillieu after the 2010 election.

Australian electorates tend to be unsupportive at the polls of mid-term leaders, perhaps seeing them as in some way being less legitimate - a replacement or caretaker leader. Napthine has also been plagued by a damaging perception of inaction aided spectacularly by the antics and disruptions of Geoff Shaw.

Which is why the East-West Link must have seemed like the panacea the government sorely needed to turn around the flagging polls.

The East-West Link would be the most expensive infrastructure project in Australia. The project did not feature in the 2010 election, although an alternative east-west corridor to alleviate congestion on the West Gate Bridge has featured in a number of previous state elections.

BUSINESS NEWS | 16

State Election 2014 An electoral storm is brewing over Geelong

But controversy has dogged the push for the East-West Link, with anger and suspicion over the lack of transparency around the project and significant questions over the accuracy of the modelling adding to issues like the planned tunnel failing to include a city exit.

The traffic modelling for the project has been questioned with good reason – road projects like the Clem7 tunnel in Brisbane going bankrupt have made us wary of the numbers and none of want another desalination plant dragging on the public purse and returning a less than inspiring public benefit.

The signing of contracts in the weeks preceding the caretaker mode period had all the hallmarks of unseemly haste and what should have been a much-needed boost has failed to deliver the voter confidence the Premier needs to turn around his government’s twoparty preferred standings. Dan Andrews has vowed to tear up the East-West Link contracts if he wins the election, at a potential cost of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. It is poor politics all round.

The Andrews-led Opposition has run with a campaign of ‘fixing’ public transport, but the Abbott Government has made it clear it will be funding roads, not public transport, making it is hard to see where the money will come from if Andrews leads Labor to victory.

Infrastructure Australia doesn’t have the East-West tunnel as the major priority for Victorian transport infrastructure, pushing instead for metro rail upgrades. But to genuinely tackle the issues

of congestion on our roads and on public transport – although for some parts of the state the issue is not congestion on trains but a lack of them – not only requires stepping away from the four-year electoral cycle, but also far more money than any state government has at its disposal.

And, let’s face it; governments have a dreadful track record on delivering well-planned, cost-effective infrastructure, raising questions of whether governments should be making these decisions at all. But this election will not be fought around planning.

What is unusual about this election is that there are some clear demarcations between Liberal and Labor election platforms.

We have the East-West Link versus the removal of level crossings in Melbourne; Hastings as the state’s second deep water port versus Geelong’s Bay West; infrastructure versus education.

“The rail crossings is an interesting one, because it actually gets a bit of bang for quite few bucks,” Green said.

And rail transport is on the agenda as a big issue for key marginal seats in regional Victoria – with Bellarine, Ripon, Wendouree and Buninyong amongst those likely to decide the election result. It was no coincidence that the Labor Party chose to launch their campaign in Geelong and the government chose Ballarat.

Yet compared with states like NSW and Queensland, both of which will head to the polls next year, the policy divisions between

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 17

COVER STORY the major parties in Victoria remain narrow. While the East-West Link remains the most divisive issue of the election, for potentially election-deciding marginal seats in Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, jobs, health and education continue to be key issues.

Yet the most telling issue of this election, and one that has been largely ignored, perhaps because it really is too hard to answer for those at the centre of it, is the distrust of and disenfranchisement with both major parties – and parties like the Greens have failed to present themselves as a genuine alternative, despite polling up at 17 per cent of the primary vote.

Opinion polls are not perfect predictors of election results and voters tend to be more likely to profess support for minor parties or independents on ideological or protest grounds in opinion polls than when they cast their vote, with first preferences tending to strengthen towards the major parties on voting day.

Our collective disaffection with politics in general is the public trying to tell our political leaders that we don’t like the way they are going

her husband also contested the seat as the Liberal candidate in the 2002 election, as well as having stood as the Liberal candidate for the Federal seat of Corio in 1996. The seat will be one to watch.

Lara remains a strong Labor seat, with incumbent MP John Eren likely to hold comfortably. Local mental health campaigner and educator, Tony McManus, is contesting the seat as the Liberal candidate.

Traditionally, issues of health and education funding dominate the policy discourse in Geelong, but after successive high profile manufacturing closures, jobs has become the focus of policy on both sides of the political divide.

While we all know politicians don’t create jobs, although they continue to try to convince us that they do. They will scramble through the numbers of their promised projects and add up ‘jobs created’, and in this election both major parties have produced jobs plans that will throw more than $1 billion into employer incentives and job-creating projects. It all makes for big splashy headlines, but

State politics has tended to devolve into managerialism. The great debates of political difference tend not to occur at state level in the same way that they used to. about their jobs. Yet they remain entrenched in the status quo. I can’t help feeling that both major parties are becoming increasingly fearful of the public they represent and are at a loss as to how to turn the rising level of disaffection around.

“State politics has tended to devolve into managerialism,” Green said. “The great debates of political difference tend not to occur at state level in the same way that they used to, particularly in Victoria once privatization was undertaken. Much of the old development arm of state government has disappeared – they are not engaged in major capital works in the way they used to be, it’s all contracted out. So some of the ideological content around the role of the state has been diminished in Victorian politics.”

when it comes to supporting jobs growth, more often than not it’s the small levers are the most effective.

At the recent Geelong Chamber of Commerce State Candidate Forum, the question was asked of the local candidates why the Geelong region’s Local Learning and Employment Network funding had not been ensured by either side. The Geelong LLEN is one of those small levers – working at the ground level to connect job

While it may be a contest of limited ideas, it remains a serious contest. The air over Geelong has become supercharged as an electoral storm brews amongst the region’s hotly contested seats.

Bellarine is one of the seats that the Napthine government will need to win from a Labor incumbent if it is to resume government. The shift in electoral boundaries have made this a possibility based on the 2010 voting result, but if the swing towards Labor eventuates it is likely that Lisa Neville will hold the seat ahead of Liberal candidate and Geelong Councillor Ron Nelson.

The electorate of South Barwon, held by Liberal MP Andrew Katos, while being a seat that should remain in Liberal hands is less conservative than it used to be. With former farming land being increasingly developed into the mortgage belt, the electorate is, like those around it, concerned about jobs, health and education.

Geelong Councillor, Andy Richards, is contesting the seat as the Labor candidate.

While the shift of electoral boundaries has increased the notional Labor majority in the inner city seat of Geelong from 2.1 per cent to 4.0 per cent, the retirement of long-time Labor member, Ian Trezise has made the seat more interesting than it has been since 1999.

The Labor candidate is Christine Couzens, Ian Trezise’s electoral officer since he won the seat from Liberal MP Ann Henderson (mother of Federal MP for Corangamite Sarah Henderson) in the 1999 election by just 16 votes; Couzens was a Labor candidate for Western Victoria in the 2006 state election.

The Liberal candidate is high-profile radio presenter Paula Kontelj, who is married to Geelong Councillor Stretch Kontelj. Interestingly,

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COVER STORY seekers with the employment, training and business sectors. Rather than the typical box-ticking role we have, sadly, come to associate with government-funded employment programs, the LLEN works by the much more practical process of talking to job seekers, and working to match them to industries where jobs are available.

It was the LLEN who went to work on finding new career pathways for retrenched Avalon workers, helping people who in some cases had never been through a formalised job interview process to write a resume, to consider employment options they had never considered – such as those in the healthcare and disability sectors – to gain skills recognition and training and to start a new career.

It is a practical approach to matching job seekers with available jobs, and it works. The Geelong region LLEN has specialised skills working with young people and with older retrenched workers, yet the LLEN had its funding cut in this year’s Federal Budget.

At a time when Geelong has an escalating rate of youth unemployment and hundreds of workers still going through the process of retrenchment and looking to start a new career, the decision was hard to fathom.

LLEN began and was run as a state government program from 2001 to 2009, and in the aftermath of the axing of federal funding, the Napthine Government moved to offer 42 per cent of the program’s current funding for one year. Labor has countered with 42 per cent of the full funding for four years. The reduced funding will address some of the needs around assisting young people find work, but will do nothing to fund increasingly important programs helping older works transition to new careers - and to stay off welfare.

But that is the way politics works, seeking headline-grabbing announcements around changing agendas and continually seeking advantage. Yet no one would have blamed the Premier for wondering which side the PM and Treasurer were on after dumping

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the fuel excise hike announcement on the voting public just as the state election campaign really started to ramp up. Joe Hockey’s linking of the fuel tax to the East West Link was a staggering own goal, and one not nullified by the awkward team Liberal media conference and the PM’s solidarity hug of a clearly uncomfortable Denis Napthine.

While embarrassing, the move has helped the Premier distance himself from the Federal Government, which will do him no harm in Victoria at this point, where the PM’s approval rating lags behind that in other states. Despite the worrying polls, the Premier remains popular and is by a considerable margin the preferred premier over Dan Andrews. Napthine or Andrews: it could be billed as the battle of the nice but unexciting.

Without a decisive personality to sway the public vote, all eyes will be on the key marginal seats including Ripon, Wendouree, Bellarine, Yan Yean and Monbulk come the last Saturday in November. These are all seats that have Labor incumbents whose majorities were wiped out after the redistribution of electoral boundaries and have become notional Liberal seats, and all are must-win seats for the Coalition if they want to retain government.

“The problem for the Coalition is that only three of the nine most marginal seats have an incumbent Liberal MP – five have incumbent Labor MPs and one has an independent in ex-Liberal Geoff Shaw.

That’s tough because in a close election governments rely on having incumbent MPs to defend their position, and they don’t have that at this election,” Green said.

“If the Labor party only picks up a couple of seats, then the fate of the parliament will depend on what the Liberal party do with their preferences in inner city seats in Melbourne. If they stay with their decision in 2010 to direct their preferences away from the Greens, then Labor should be able to hold those inner city seats and probably end up with a small majority. But if the Liberals reverse their decision or opt for an open ticket then there’s a possibility the Greens could win some inner city seats and that adds a degree of instability to the parliament.”

Instability, as we know, is bad news for consumer confidence, business confidence and investment. It’s also bad for our collective patience.

“In the end, I think it’s really time some of the state governments actually stood up and started trying to do something to save state government. At the moment, they have no sources of revenue and for years state governments have made no effort to try and fix that constitutional vertical fiscal imbalance – they haven’t wanted taxing powers back,” Green said.

“There are a few constitutional changes you could do that would change that, if I had my way I would remove the word excise from the constitution, but none of the states are actually lifting a finger to have a say in that debate. I spoke to John Howard about this once because when he was Treasurer they tried to give the states’ income taxing powers back and they all hit the roof and wouldn’t do it.”

Green questioned why we keep devolving decisions to federal government on where roads should be built and where public transport should be built when it is state governments who do all of the planning.

“I just think the states should be having some taxing powers back and then they could be held accountable for their decisions. At the moment, the Premier can go ahead with the East-West Link because the Federal Government will give him some money, but he can’t deliver on any public transport promises because the Federal Government won’t give him any money for public transport. That’s the stupidity of the way the federation works at the moment.”

And that’s politics for you…

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 19

OPINION

Geelong is a strong force in defence

I

n a display of unity the Committee for Geelong collaborated with the City of Greater Geelong, the Geelong Defence Alliance (GDA) and a range of Geelong businesses in Brisbane to represent our region at Land Forces 2014. This leading land defence expo presented many opportunities for Geelong businesses across a variety of sectors to take the message of a strong and diverse Geelong to visitors from across the world.

Geelong’s delegation included the Committee for Geelong, Avalon Airport, Four Points by Sheraton, Enterprise Geelong, Carbon Revolution, Geelong Manufacturing Council, Undercover Marquees, Tourism Greater Geelong & the Bellarine, Barrier Group, CSIRO and Multidrive Technology. Also supporting the delegation were Winchester Australia, Geelong Football Club, GMHBA, Golf Victoria, Little Creatures, Printin3D and The Food Purveyor. This is the first time a formal Geelong delegation has attended the Land Forces expo, and the response was very positive. Many of the organisations attending reported that they secured additional business from the expo.

Kevin Foard, Engineering Network Manager of the Geelong Manufacturing Council was very busy throughout his time at the expo. “One company working in the defence industry approached Geelong’s stand to discuss exploring a new site in our region for their business, as they have outgrown their old site,” Kevin said.

“Following the expo, a number of companies are interested in talking to Geelong engineering companies to supply them with goods and services. Land Forces was a real eye opener that big multinational companies are needing services from small businesses.”

Bryan Dennis, General Manager of Four Points by Sheraton Geelong, found attending Land Forces to be an educational experience. “I now have a greater understanding of the defence industry and can see the great benefit for the region if Geelong became a one-stop shop for defence. There would certainly be significant flow on effects for the hospitality industry,” Bryan said.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t know what Geelong has to offer.

To simply have a presence at Land Forces and communicate the many and varied manufacturing companies in Geelong has been beneficial.”

Aaron Mclean, Account Manager at Barrier Group, a Geelongbased manufacturer of car park, road and industrial safety products also attended Land Forces. “Barrier Group attended

Land Forces to support Geelong’s presence and to widen the range of opportunities on display,” Aaron said. “The exposure for our business has been the biggest thing at Land Forces and promoting Geelong as a place to do business.”

City of Greater Geelong Mayor Darryn Lyons also attended the expo and, without doubt, his presence positively raised the profile of Geelong. The Mayor promoted Geelong’s bid to secure the Australian Defence Force military vehicle contract, Land 400. It is clear that Victoria is the natural home for the Land 400 project and, given Geelong’s proud manufacturing history and the smarts to get more involved in large government contracts, our region can continue to work in partnership with the Victorian State Government and play a major role in this.

It is a strategic objective of the Committee for Geelong to actively support the development of a Geelong region defence alliance.

The Committee has been advocating for its members in this sector since last year when we co-hosted an event, with Winchester Australia and the CSIRO, for the Minister for Defence, Science and Personnel to visit Geelong and highlight the opportunities available if a formal defence alliance was established in Geelong.

Since the beginning of 2014, the Committee has been working on the Land Forces expo with its members and Enterprise Geelong.

In order to secure a presence at the expo, the Committee took the step of underwriting the Geelong stand, which provided our members with the first opportunity to participate in the delegation to Brisbane. It is important to note that the organisation responsible for the Land Forces expo, Aerospace Maritime and Defence Foundation, is based in Geelong and also manages the Avalon International Airshow. Given the success of Geelong’s presence at the Land Forces expo, the Committee has already received strong interest from businesses in our region seeking to collaborate with the Geelong Defence Alliance on the Airshow.

Many of our region’s businesses currently work in the defence industry, but there are many more that could diversify. As Geelong transforms, it is vital that our presence at Land Forces is leveraged to showcase our region’s defence capacity and capability at the Avalon International Airshow. A partnership approach between industry and government is essential to ensure local businesses are exposed to opportunities they perhaps may not have previously considered possible.

Rebecca Casson, CEO, Committee for Geelong BUSINESS NEWS | 20

LEGAL

ADVERSE ACTION PINNED DOWN BY THE HIGH COURT

T

Jim Rutherford, Principal and Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations, and Rohan Kux, Senior Associate Workplace Relations

he High Court of Australia has handed down its second significant decision on the interpretation of the adverse action provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009. Readers may recall the High Court’s 2012 decision in the Board of Bendigo Regional Institute of Technical and Further Education v Barclay, which provided guidance on what must be established to defend a claim that adverse action had been taken against an employee for a prohibited reason. In summary, the Barclay case informed us that if the person who made the decision to sanction the aggrieved employee could provide cogent and credible evidence that no part of his or her decision involved a prohibited reason (such as participating in a lawful industrial activity) that would be sufficient to resist the employee’s claim.

Fast forward to the current case, in which a dismissed BHP Coal employee alleging that he was unlawfully dismissed for engaging in industrial activity (in contravention of s. 346(b) of the Act). The employee was participating in a lawful protest at BHP Coal’s Saraji Mine, however, the infringing conduct in question related to a sign held by the employee during the protest that read ‘No principles SCABS No guts’.

BHP Coal terminated the employee’s employment and justified its decision on the basis the word ‘scab’ on the employee’s sign was inappropriate, offensive, humiliating, harassing, intimidating, and in violation of BHP Coal’s workplace code of conduct (which required employees to show courtesy

and respect to fellow employees).

Jessup J; a judge of the Federal Court, originally found that as the dismissal was directly related to the employee holding and waving the sign in the course of participating in lawful industrial activity, it must follow that BHP Coal’s decision to terminate the employee infringed section 346(b) of the Act. BHP Coal appealed the decision to the Full Bench of the Federal Court, which overturned the original findings of Jessup J on the basis that he did not follow the test applied in the Barclay case. The CFMEU (on behalf of the employee) appealed to the High Court of Australia. The appeal was rejected 3 to 2.

Take away message for employers: Even where adverse action is taken against an employee in the context of complicated surrounding circumstances, such as during industrial activity or where the employee has made complaints, employers can proceed with sanctioning or terminating an employee for lawful reasons without the implication being made that the decision was inextricably linked to a protected workplace right.

It is now more important than ever for the decision maker (such as a HR or operations manager) to formulate - and record in writing - clear, cogent and lawful reasons for taking action against employees that affects their employment to ensure that their evidence is capable of being accepted and considered credible by a court.

Harwood Andrews is launching possibilities

We work in a collaborative partnership with our clients, to understand their business and bring to bear our expert judgement, to ensure the advice and service we provide is specific and tailored to their needs.

Geelong Melbourne Ballarat Bendigo harwoodandrews.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 21

GOVERNANCE

Compliance v Performance – finding the right balance

A

n ongoing challenge for boards in the non-profit, and the for-profit sector as well, is to allocate an appropriate amount of time and resources to the two key responsibility areas of compliance and performance. This article will discuss the importance of both and suggest a way for boards to manage this aspect of good governance.

Robert Tricker, the man actually credited with writing the first book titled Corporate Governance in 1984, came up with a model that helps tackle the conundrum of having the right balance between compliance and performance. The key components include: Compliance

Outward looking: this is about providing accountability – for the performance of the organisation, managing risk, and stakeholder engagement, having the appropriate systems in place to generate the required information in a timely manner and providing leadership advice and support.

Inward looking: it is about monitoring and supervision – reporting, analysis, ongoing review, corrective action if necessary, overseeing the organisational structure and having the right board structure to undertake this role.

Performance Outward looking: this is all about strategy formulation – understanding the environment in which the organisation is operating, competitor analysis, vision, values, mission and market position all manifesting into both the strategic and operational plans. Without this framework the business will suffer from lack of direction and leadership, the results of which will have a real impact on the sustainability and viability of the organisation.

Inward looking: this is about policy making – what are the key policies the organisation needs in place to support its strategic plan, culture and operational activities, i.e. delegations, OH&S, employee entitlements, privacy and social media to name just a few?

Whilst compliance is past and present orientated and performance is future orientated, there is one common denominator – all activities must be approved and worked with and through

the chief executive. The CEO is the only employee the board recruits, selects and dismisses (if required) and therefore is the conduit both to the organisation and from the organisation to the board. Consequently, the CEO plays a very important role in the compliance/performance management of the organisation and the relationship between the board and the CEO is critical to long-term success.

In terms of where a board operates, it is not unusual for boards to be more comfortable in the compliance quadrants, as these are generally easier to understand, comprise definitive data and review and analysis is not a major intellectual stretch. Performance however, particularly in the strategy formulation area, requires entering into the unknown, the future, and by definition will require greater consideration, information gathering, scenario analysis and ultimately decisions that will impact on the very being of the organisation in the future. From this very basic comparison of the two areas of accountability, it is easy to understand why compliance can consume more time and effort expended than performance, because it is a much safer place for the board to operate in.

However, be that as it may, a board must allocate appropriate time and resources to the performance responsibility. The board is the ultimate custodian of the organisation, responsible for its very existence and maintaining relevance in the market place – this is not an either/or decision, it is one that must be given careful thought and consideration.

A simple means to achieve a good outcome is to develop an annual agenda. In addition, placing these items at the start of the monthly board agenda rather than at the end will ensure the most important matters are dealt with when the energy levels are the greatest and time is not a consideration.

And finally, a useful exercise is to collectively and individually assess where you think your board spends its time and resources.

The outcome of this review may help you better understand where your organisation is today and what it may have to do to remain relevant in the future.

Mark C Schultz, Principal, Governance Today www.governancetoday.com BUSINESS NEWS | 22

FINANCE

That mounting S word

S

.tress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances.”

Stress in the workplace is generally considered a response people have when presented with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities, and subsequently challenge their ability to cope in a physical, mental and wellbeing sense.

MARTIN CARTER, BUSINESS MANAGER, MORRIS FINANCE

Some workplace stress is normal ... and your ability to deal with it can mean the difference between success and failure.

It is commonly recognised that some workplace stress is normal, although excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and impact physical and emotional heath, and your ability to deal with it can mean the difference between success and failure.

Within the workplace there are several stress related hazards at play and they can be divided into two categories, namely: 1. Work content, including job content, work load, work pace, working hours, engagement, enablement, participation and control; and 2. Work context, including career development, status, remuneration, interpersonal relationships, internal culture, values, and balancing of business and personal scales.

It’s important to note that you can’t control everything in your work environment, with trying economic times resulting in restructures, redundancies, re-engineering, retrenchments and budget cuts, all of which

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create fear and uncertainty and increased levels of stress. Coping with workplace stress involves both employers and employees recognising the roller coaster rides that occur, and promoting and implementing subtle change initiatives in order to manage those highs and lows both individually and within the team.

At Morris Finance we are mindful of our role in creating a healthy work environment, one where there is not only an absence of harmful conditions, but also an abundance of health promoting ones. Our Health and Well-Being Coordinator consults and works with all staff on physical and mental health, communication, chill out techniques, job satisfaction and work life balance.

The role of the Health and Well-Being Coordinator is not only one that identifies and implements strategic action plans to enable staff to perform their roles more effectively in a physical and emotional sense, but they are also perceived and utilised as a trusted independent confidant, or “a people whisperer”.

On a final note, we should be mindful not to forget that a person’s greatest emotional need in life is to be appreciated.

Until next month, onwards and upwards in your quest to exercise the right techniques that allow you to improve your state of mind and find a heightened level of happiness within.

Whether you’re requiring business finance for motor vehicles, light & heavy commercial vehicles, equipment & machinery, properties or capital raising, contact the experts in intelligent structuring of debt.

Call Abby, Fiona or Stephanie on (03) 5223 3453 now or go to our website for more information.

TM

WINNER

Abby Davis

Family Business of the Year

Fiona Trotter

1300 4 MORRIS www.morrisfinance.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 23

Stephanie Witcombe

VECCI

More support for tourism needed to grow Geelong economy

W

ith the 2014 state election nearly upon us, the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) continues to urge both major parties to commit to our recommendations that will benefit the Geelong region.

In an election year dominated by talk of jobs, transport and infrastructure, VTIC has worked hard to ensure that the tourism industry is positioned as a key driver of economic growth. Tourism can deliver considerable returns for government, industry and local communities, which is particularly important in a transitioning economy such as Geelong’s.

As detailed in July at our Victorian Tourism Conference in Geelong, with the appropriate policy the tourism industry could create nearly 9,000 additional jobs for Victoria over the next two years. VTIC is working to ensure the Geelong region reaps the benefits of this job creation.

VTIC recommendations include:

In addition, we support significant infrastructure projects and development proposals across regional Victoria, including the Shipwreck Coast redevelopment in western Victoria.

In rolling out our campaign, we have met with the Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, the Hon Louise Asher MP, the Shadow Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Mr John Eren MP, and Tourism Victoria to explain our agenda and highlight its importance to the sector and to the state’s economy more broadly. We have also written and spoken with Regional Tourism Boards, including Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, and have addressed numerous industry events throughout Victoria.

Regardless of the election result, VTIC wants a government that truly understands the economic and social value of the tourism industry, and understands that investing in our sector will return dividends in the form of jobs and infrastructure development that benefits locals and visitors alike.

We want a government that takes a whole-of-government approach to tourism.

• Increase intrastate marketing efforts to encourage Victorians to ‘discover their own backyard’.

• Attract more Asian visitors through targeted communications campaigns and funding to make Victoria’s key tourist attractions more appealing to this group.

• Commit $2 million annually to grow the medium-sized event sector throughout regional Victoria.

• Get small businesses online by supporting business to maximise the opportunities in the digital environment.

We want a government that understands that for tourism to succeed, industry and government must continue to work together, with industry driving innovation and government funding the industry to deliver a significant return on investment for the state.

Let’s vote for tourism success.

Dianne Smith is Chief Executive of Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) BUSINESS NEWS | 24

MONEY

Smart Super Set Up

M Steven Skoglund Director, Private Wealth Services Kylie McClure Divisional Manager, Private Wealth Services

Davidsons provides the information in this article for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of specific advice or professional consulting of any kind. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.

Davidsons has several employees who are authorised representative of Professional Investment Services (No. 245208). Davidsons is a member of the worldwide network of legally independent accounting firms, GMN International.

ore people are living longer. With increasing average life expectancies, many people will spend up to a third of their lives in retirement. Living longer is great if you have the health and money to enjoy life. Actively planning for a comfortable retirement is now, more than ever, one of the most important personal and financial decisions you’ll ever make.

Having a Self Managed Super Fund (SMSF) puts you in charge. It is a big responsibility and you are required to comply with both taxation and superannuation laws. That’s why obtaining expert advice to set up and run your fund is not only smart but also often the best way to proceed. As the Australian Taxation Office website advises, ‘An SMSF is a complex undertaking and you may not be able to do it all yourself. You can appoint SMSF professionals, such as accountants and financial advisers, to help you set up and run your fund.’

An expert in SMSF’s will help you with: deciding who will act as trustee(s) for your fund; arranging the trust deed; the ATO and trustee declarations relating to being an SMSF trustee; arranging a binding death nomination, which provides guidance on how your super assets will be distributed on death; a written investment strategy for your SMSF; and establishing a cash management account in the SMSF’s name.

They can also take the stress out of managing what can be headache-inducing regularoty requirements, such as: registering

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 25

your SMSF with the Australian Taxation Office; receiving and dealing with paperwork throughout the year in relation to investments your SMSF holds; corresponding with share registries in relation to your SMSF’s listed investments; corresponding with the Australian Taxation Office on various issues; taking care of paperwork and calculations in relation to the commencement and maintenance of pensions; preparing trustees’ minutes in relation to certain events; and preparing and lodging year-end financial statements, the fund’s annual income tax and regulatory return and an annual actuarial certificate.

Your SMSF expert should work with you to determine the best structure for you; after all, everybody has different personal and financial circumstances and SMSF’s are only one part in the puzzle. You also need to consider how the decisions you make with your SMSF impact on your retirement plans, management of your investments (tip: make sure you only take investment advice from a licensed financial advisor) and your estate and your tax planning.

Qualified SMSF experts can work with you to establish your SMSF as well as provide a full ongoing administration service.

A firm with a range of expertise can also offer advice across interlinked areas of wealth creation, taxation and retirement and estate planning to ensure you maximise your financial outcomes.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Stojanovic & Associates – Migration Agents for Australia

Are you finding it difficult to hire skilled and qualified employees who fit within your business vision?

Are recruitment agencies becoming a costly procedure where it is losing you money and employees?

Are employees just using your business as a means until they find a better job opportunity?

Registered migration agents Stojanovic & Associates are hosting a seminar on sponsoring and hiring overseas skilled workers on Wednesday November 12 at the Mercure Geelong.

Stojanovic & Associates have built a reputable name both here in Australia and internationally as a registered migration agent for Australia. Director, Danijela Stojanovic (MARN:0958278) is committed to providing employers in Australia with highly skilled and qualified employees from overseas to fill the skilled employee gap in skills shortage industries through work visa programs.

The seminar has been designed to provide potential employers with the real information they need when considering hiring overseas skilled workers. It will detail the benefits of hiring and sponsoring overseas skilled workers, as well as explaining the rights, responsibilities and obligations of employers.

The immigration process in Australia is not an easy one, and attempting to navigate the visa process without obtaining professional advice may see not only the application rejected, but further costs for the decision to be reviewed at the relevant tribunal.

Danijela Stojanovic professionally assists people in migrating to Australia, whether on a temporary basis, permanent basis, or with respect to citizenship and obtaining Australian Passports.

IMMIGRATION LAW IS A DIFFICULT AREA AND IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE AS OPPOSED TO PREPARING VISA APPLICATOINS YOURSELF OR HAVING AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS NOT QUALIFIED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE.

Attend our seminar to find out the benefits in hiring and sponsoring overseas skilled workers. We will also explain your rights, responsibilities and obligations.

Bookings can be made via Eventbrite at: http://stojanovic-associates.eventbrite.com.au For further information contact Jadra Kolic at Stojanovic & Associates Pty Ltd on 0468 403 351.

/StojanovicAssociates

BUSINESS NEWS | 26

ACCOUNTING

10 cash flow tips to make the most of Christmas trade

Helen Butteriss, Business Advisory Principal, Crowe Horwath

I

t’s not long until Christmas, which is the peak season for most businesses operating in the retail industry. Here are 10 tips to protect you from potential holes in your Christmas stocking!

Tip 6: Maintain your cash reserves by taking full advantage of the payment terms offered by your suppliers and paying on the last day, or ask for discounts for earlier payment.

Tip 1: Review your invoicing procedures.

Are your invoices issued as goods are delivered?

Tip 7: Speed up payments by shortening your payment terms or offering incentives for your debtors to settle their accounts by the new year. Take note of which customers are usually slow to pay and chase them up promptly.

Tip 2: Update your cash flow projections to anticipate any Christmas shortfalls.

Sales activity usually leaps 30 per cent.

Tip 3: Review your stock and supply chain.

Bulk-buying may sound like a good way to shave a few cents off each unit, but have you calculated the costs of storage, insurance, shelf life and amount spent on the stock? Also, look into ways to tighten ship or check for old inventory you can move quickly.

Tip 4: Consider getting credit checks on new customers placing significant orders to ensure that they can pay.

This article provides general information only, current at the time of production and does not take into account your personal circumstances.

You should seek expert professional advice before acting on any issues raised in this article.

Crowe Horwath Financial Advice Pty Ltd AFSL 238244 ABN 51 060 092 631.

Tip 5: Monitor your increasing wage and supply costs. Make sure you have a plan to stay cash flow positive into the new year.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 27

Tip 8: Sign up for debtor finance so you can receive up to 80 per cent of invoice values within 24 hours of issue. This gives your business immediate working capital in the bank. It also eliminates the need to offer debtor discounts for early settlement, which can eat into your profit margins.

Tip 9: In January, most people will either be away or making a sluggish recovery from the festivities. Follow up outstanding invoices before Christmas, before your customers and their accounts departments are on holiday mode.

Tip 10: Put your feet up, relax and welcome the silly season!

Partnering with Geelong Business • Food services

• Employment services

• Business solutions

• Employee volunteering

• Environmental solutions • Business networking • Training

• Donations

For more information call 1300 558 368 or visit karingal.org.au Karingal Inc. (Vic) Limited Liability Reg. Assoc. A0038261E ARBN 158 375 903 ABN 97 468 305 401

Gourmet Christmas Gift Packs

• Traditional recipes made with fresh local ingredients • Produced, labelled and packaged in Geelong • Priced from $25.50 – inc. FREE gift with purchase • Proudly supporting hospitality careers for people with a disability

ORDER ONLINE: seasonsfoods.com.au or to customise your order call 5272 1777 Karingal Inc. (Vic) Limited Liability Reg. Assoc. A0038261E ARBN 158 375 903 ABN 97 468 305 401

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 28

EXPERTS IN EVERYWHERE

For a holiday you will want to tell everyone about, come in and speak to our travel experts.

Combined, our experts have 214 years of travel experience, have travelled to 70 countries and across all 7 continents.

helloworld Corio

helloworld Highton

Shop G064 Corio Shopping Centre, Corio VIC 3214 (03) 5274 2511 corio@helloworld.com.au

83 Barrabool Road, Highton VIC 3216 (03) 5243 9311 highton@helloworld.com.au

helloworld Torquay

helloworld Newtown

Shop 6 / 8 Gilbert Street, Torquay VIC 3228 (03) 5261 9333 torquay@helloworld.com.au

Shop 4 / 329 Pakington Street, Newtown VIC 3220 (03) 5221 9888 newtown@helloworld.com.au

TRAVEL

A – our journey through the Greek Islands and Turkey

Odyssey

BUSINESS NEWS | 30

J

ust when you think you’ve seen it all, that first glimpse of Santorini’s iconic blue-domed white stone houses on the cliff-face surrounding its massive caldera is literally breathtaking, and we glowed with self-satisfaction as we ticked off one of the world’s iconic “bucket list” destinations.

Santorini’s picture postcard serenity belies the fact that it straddles an active volcanic belt that weaves through the Mediterranean, and its caldera is the remnant of a massive volcano that erupted 3,600 years ago causing a tsunami that is believed to have destroyed the Minoan civilisation on the nearby island of Crete. The eruption on Santorini may also have inspired the legend of the lost continent of Atlantis.

Our hotel on top of the cliffs provided a stunning view of the caldera. The hotel’s huge veranda was a fine place to relax with our evening cocktails and ponder on the untold treasures that may lie beneath the caldera’s sapphire blue depths.

Santorini whetted our appetite for more of the Greek Islands’ ancient culture and landscapes. Prior to leaving Australia, we had planned a combination of a tour, a cruise and a selfdrive holiday, and it worked out beautifully. From Santorini we took a fast ferry to Crete, the largest island in the Greek archipelago and whose thousand kilometre long coastline is a maze of picturesque inlets, bays and peninsulas. I had long wanted to sample the wonderful seafood caught in the waters around Crete and we were not disappointed. The fishermen all seemed as ancient and rugged as the rocky Cretan terrain. It is a tough life, but that didn’t stop their weather beaten faces from crinkling into smiles at our obvious pleasure in sharing their catch. We passed through the town

of Heraklion and explored the site of the Minoan Civilisation at Knossos, continuing to the lovely seaside town of Agios Nikolaos, where we took a side trip to the old leper colony at Spingalonga. We dawdled for a few days in the gorgeous town of Chania, enjoying the delightful melange of Venetian and Turkish architecture and savouring the wonderful harbour where soft light plays on the old buildings.

The serenity of the Cretan coast is a dramatic contrast to the kaleidoscope of sounds and colours that is Istanbul where we spent a few days prior to our cruise. Istanbul has been named the “World’s Hippest City” and there’s lots to love about it. The old town of Sultanahmet, with its old streets filled with shops and restaurants, was a sensory delight and we explored the iconic Blue Mosque, the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market. Although this was my third visit to Istanbul, I still love this magical and exotic city.

Invigorated by our Istanbul stay, we embarked on what was the closest thing to our own private yacht – “Wind Star” – a sleek four-masted sailing ship accommodating 148 guests. Ocean view staterooms equipped with queen beds, televisions and DVD players give way to wide, open teak decks and we soaked up the atmosphere and the scenery along the Aegean coastline. We docked in Kusadasi for our visit to spectacular Ephesus, and continued to Bodrum, Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos before disembarking in Athens. The Acropolis – one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World – was brilliantly lit and in clear view of our hotel.

Athens, with its history, culture, colours and flavours was the perfect place to wind up an unforgettable holiday.

WORDS By Julie Reid, helloworld Highton

helloworld Highton 5243 9311

helloworld Torquay 5261 9333

helloworld Corio 5274 2511

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 31

helloworld Newtown 5221 9888

Fo r e i gn

Exchange O

ver the last few decades, Australia’s relative wealth has made travel for Australians more affordable than ever before. A strong economy with (relatively) high wages, and a high-value currency have made holidays in Asia cheaper than holidays in Australia. Even a holiday in developed countries in Europe and North America can be cheaper than one in Australia.

The easiest yardstick to measure the relative affordability of travel is the value of the Australian dollar. Curiously, few other nationalities in the world follow the value of their currency with the daily obsessiveness that Australians do; the idea of tracking a currency’s value on the daily news, like the weather, is virtually unique to Australia.

Given the volatility of the Australian dollar (AUD), and our love affair with travel, this obsession is actually understandable. The AUD fluctuates wildly and is affected by variables that have little to do with long-term economic fundamentals, or common sense. Just like the weather!

On 28 October 2008, one Australian dollar bought just USD $0.60. Less than three years later on 26 July 2011 it bought USD $1.09. In other words, the AUD came very close to doubling in value. And why? You could lay every economist in Australia end to end and not get to a conclusion.

Major changes can happen very quickly. On 23 September 1984 one AUD was worth USD $0.84 cents. Less than three weeks later on 11 October one AUD was worth USD $0.64.

If you were travelling around this time, and depending how you were managing your currencies, your overseas trip could have ended up costing you nearly 25% more than you expected.

Of course, the currency can move in the opposite direction too – although the climbs tend not to be as sudden as the falls.

Especially when the AUD is trading above USD $0.85 it is worth hedging your bets against a sudden collapse in the AUD’s value. The best way to do this is to buy at least some of the foreign currency you will need in advance.

There are a number of ways of doing this, but the simplest is to load foreign currency on to a Travel Money Card before you travel. This essentially locks you in to the exchange rate that is effective on the day you load the card and minimises the fees associated with currency transactions.

Travel Money Cards look like credit cards and are available from banks and post offices. You can pre-load them with a range of currencies, use them at any point of sale that would normally accept a credit card, and withdraw cash from ATMs – all without incurring an additional exchange fee. In most cases, any amount that is left on the card at the end of your trip can be refunded at the same exchange rate that was effective when you loaded the card.

Although the exchange rate of the AUD is one part of the picture when assessing the affordability of travel, it is actually more meaningful to compare the cost of identical products or services in different countries. This thought was the genesis for the Big Mac Index.

The Big Mac Index was invented by The Economist magazine as a lighthearted guide to whether currencies are at their “correct” level – but it also gives a pretty good shorthand indication of a country’s relative cost of living.

The Economist converts the cost of a Big Mac from the local currency where it is sold to US dollars (USD) and then

BUSINESS NEWS | 32

TRAVEL

predict or explain the value of the AUD) like to place the blame solely on the high cost of labour in Australia. This always makes me wonder whether they are advocating that their own salaries should be cut, but I think they are just referring to the salaries for other people… In any case, there are clearly many factors, including the high cost of Australian real estate and Australia’s food distribution and retailing duopoly that contribute to making Australia an expensive country.

compares the USD cost from country to country. I have gone one step further and converted the cost of buying a Big Mac to Australian dollars (AUD).

In July 2014, when AUD $1 was buying USD $0.93 the world’s most expensive Big Mac was in Norway at AUD $8.34, compared with AUD $5.32 in England, AUD $5.19 in America, AUD $5.10 in Australia, and AUD $1.88 in India.

Fortunately, the recent decline in the value of the AUD to USD $0.88 has had a relatively modest impact. Your Norwegian Big Mac will now cost AUD $8.81, your English Big Mac will cost $5.60, your authentic US Big Mac will cost $5.45 – versus the Oz version, which, of course, is still $5.10.

Australia doesn’t fare too badly in the Big Mac Index, but it doesn’t do so well in relation to the cost of accommodation, (real) food and transport. It is in these three areas that many overseas destinations still look as if they are very good value.

Outside the peak summer season (June, July and August), and just slightly off the tourist track, even in Mediterranean Europe you can find a basic double room with an ensuite bathroom for AUD $50. A budget dinner for two with a couple of courses each and a couple of glasses of wine can also come in around AUD $50. A cup of coffee will cost around AUD $1.20 – not AUD $4! Of course, you can always pay a lot more and within reason you will get what you pay for.

But four bucks for a cup of coffee! The reasons for the relatively high costs in Australia are complex. Some economic pundits (yes, the same ones who cannot

Equally, it is unquestionable that when we Australians enjoy a cheap overseas holiday we are essentially taking advantage of other countries’ cheap labour costs and relative poverty. This is obviously more acute in the easily accessible parts of Asia than in Europe.

For many of us, for a couple of weeks a year, our economic good fortune allows us to be pampered by hot and cold running servants. It’s just a little bit like the days of the British Raj, when even the most ordinary English public servants working in India were treated like aristocrats. What’s more, like us, the English believed they deserved every bit of the pampering they received. And that the natives should be grateful…

Richard Everist has written guidebooks for Lonely Planet and was the CEO of Peregrine Adventures. He recently founded Around The Sun, a travel company, with his partner Lucrezia Migliore. Around The Sun organises small groups tours and private trips – that completely avoid McDonalds.

See www.aroundthesun.com or call 5264 8667.

Richard Everist

the

ELEVATOR

The ELEVATOR is a fresh section in Business News and biznewsmag.com.au allowing businesses the opportunity to give their ‘Elevator Pitch’ to the rest of the regional business community free of charge.

For details see www.biznewsmag.com.au

Pundit Connect is now open for registrations for consultants and customers.

c o n n e c t

Visit www.punditconnect.com to find out more or register.

For today’s consultant, digital is a critical channel to more referrals and new clients. Online outsourcing has long been a boon for IT gurus and graphic designers; now Pundit Connect is putting business professionals, consultants and advisers at the center of the outsourcing opportunity. We know that professionals are extremely well networked online, and online professional networks are a powerful marketing tool. You needn’t look further than the breadth and depth of high quality content from business advisors and consultants on LinkedIn to know that. But the reality is they have few opportunities to actually do business in that environment.

What’s been missing is the transaction. Pundit Connect wants to change that. At Pundit Connect, we’re integrating digital into the way professional consultants do business. By creating a simple, easy to use online marketplace, Pundit Connect is creating opportunities for professionals and clients to meet and do business in the digital economy. Professionals are grouped into categories that reflect their seniority, expertise and experience; clients post fixed-term projects to the relevant category; and consultants pitch for the work.

A small business could post a job to Pundit’s marketing category looking for a consultant to develop a Marketing Strategy; or a large business could post to Pundit’s mergers and acquisition category for advice on negotiating the best valuation for the business as part of an acquisition.

The Pundit Connect platform makes it easy for users to manage the project brief, competitive bidding, milestones and payments all as part of the engagement process; and it is free for anyone to register.

For us, nothing could be truer than the old adage: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” And that’s why the tools we are developing reflect our desire to replicate the real world of consulting rather than seek to change it.

Bill Winter - Family Business Advisor I started working in our family’s business in Geelong in 1960’s as a young student and have since enjoyed success in Australia as a business owner, Corporate CEO, Lecturer, workshop facilitator, business mentor, business forum chair and as a director of private business and NFPs .

I use my experience to work with regional families in business to help find solutions on succession and developing strategies for future survival as the next generation take over.

There are thousands of family owned companies in the Geelong region and many are reaching a point where the owners are looking to exit and do not have an exit strategy. Many owners are worried about what happens if no family member wants to join the business or if they have to decide ownership within the family group.

They are looking for trusted advice that is practical and someone who understands the emotions that exist in a family business.

My broad based experience and practical hard earned knowledge in private business in a variety of business segments has proven to valuable to families in business.

Bill Winter, PO Box 7010, Geelong West, 3218 Email: billwinter@bigpond.com.au Web: www.pointnorth.com.au BUSINESS NEWS | 34

THE ELEVATOR Allay specializes in occupational therapy that provides targeted intervention to overcome life’s challenges and realize your individual potential.

Mental health, developmental and behavioural difficulties have effects throughout all communities, with 45% of Australians reporting symptoms of a mental illness at some point in their lives (ABS, 2010). At Allay Occupational Therapy we provide assessment and intervention to alleviate signs and symptoms to return to optimum level of health and function.

We understand that to create a fulfilling life, participation in meaningful and satisfying occupations creates a sense of self-esteem, achievement and wellbeing. We will explore the interaction between occupations with emotions, thoughts and behaviours. To develop an individualized strategy to improve your work or study, managing self or the home, relationships and connection with your community.

Allay Occupational Therapy supports everyone from late childhood through to adulthood, in the clinic or at home. People may be experiencing depression, anxiety, psychosis, personality disorder, or issues with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability.

Phone or email to hear how we can support you, alongside friends or family, to alleviate difficulties and return to optimum level of function.

Funding support: NDIA, Better Access to Mental Health/Chronic Disease Management with Medicare, private health insurance and more.

Lauren Hamilton | Occupational Therapist 275 Ryrie St, Geelong, VIC 3220 | Phone: (03) 5222 3838 | Fax: (03) 5222 6146 lauren@allayoccupationaltherapy.com.au | www.allayoccupationaltherapy.com.au

Beauty Connect Linking salons and therapists Beauty Connect is a temp recruitment agency for beauty therapists. What is exciting and sets us apart is that we are the first of our kind in the area.

Beauty Connect consists of a bank of highly trained therapists and high quality salons and Linking salons and therapists day spas. When a beauty salon is in need of an emergency therapist, a therapist to cover holidays/leave, or just an extra set of hands for the day - they call Beauty Connect. Instantly, Beauty Connect endeavors to connect a suitable casual therapist to the salon in question.

Who needs Beauty Connect?

Any salon that has ever had a therapist call in sick, a therapist that wants to take the weekend off or, heaven forbid, a holiday!

As the owner, you can have peace of mind knowing that you are guaranteed an outstanding replacement therapist every time - at an affordable rate.

We offer our therapists flexibility, variety and an above award pay rate – You chose what days you work, where, and get paid at a casual rate.

Phone: 0407 932 896 Email: kendall@beautyconnect.com.au Web: www.beautyconnect.com.au

Here at Macier 3 we create unique gift ideas for yourself or someone special! I am a stay at home mum who has a strong passion for photography. Rather than succumb to the everyday demands of looking after my little munchkins, I figured I could put my passion to work and have my own little outlet.

I have created some striking pieces that would be a statement piece in any decor.

From amazingly cosy cushions to the funkiest beach bags going around, all items feature original photography from Macier 3. 45 x 45cm cushion covers & inserts are machine washable and filled with a 100% eco friendly inserts.

My latest range is inspired by the place I live and love, it is called – The Barwon Heads collection. Captured in the range are iconic shots from the bridges over the friendly Barwon River to the crashing waves of 13th Beach. My full collections can viewed on my website with an online shopping cart for ease of purchase.

With many mass produced items on the market today, we are sure to have the ‘stand out’ piece for you!

Phone: 0438 599 329 Email: bmbarker@hotmail.com Website: www.macier3.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 35

the

CRUSH

Bringing you the pick of the latest offerings from our region’s wineries

2013 OAKDENE ‘WILLIAM’ SHIRAZ

2011 OAKDENE YVETTE SPARKLING

Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2012

Bannockburn Chardonnay 2011

Having recently claimed the Top Gold Trophy for Best Regional Shiraz and Trophy for Best Regional Red Wine at the 2014 Ballarat Wine Show, the 2013 William Shiraz is proving to be every bit of the seriously good wine the 2012 William was lauded to be. A medium to full-bodied palate, with savoury red fruit characters and delicate pepper notes make this a Shiraz to savor.

Highly enjoyable now, but will improve with cellaring.

The 2011 Yvette is a dry aperitif style sparkling, an ideal celebration wine and one that will appeal to those who appreciate class in their glass. This sophisticated wine has a very satisfying fine persistent mousse and pale straw colouring with a hint of bronze. Lifted notes of citrus, spice and green apple aromas are followed by brioche and toast characters.

Perfect to enjoy now or cellared away to be enjoyed over the next few years.

From the highly regarded 2012 vintage, this is a beautiful example of Bannockburn Pinot Noir at its very best. Fragrant and highly spiced with plummy fruit and forest floor influences. The palate is silky textured ; black cherries, beetroot, truffles and savoury characters are all intertwined. The finish is long and sustaining with fine tannins. This wine would be perfect with duck or a mushroom risotto.

From low-yielding, established vines, this Chardonnay has undergone a wild yeast barrel fermentation and 2 years lees contact to produce a wine with great flavour complexity, texture and natural stability.

On the palate there is white peach, ginger, lemongrass and almond meal influences as well as the typical Bannockburn briny character which makes this wine such an excellent match with seafood.

Established in 2001, Oakdene specialises in the varieties best suited to the region: chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc, and the range includes both still and sparkling wines. The wines are elegant and complex, reflecting the true varietal character of the region.

Bannockburn Vineyards remains a family legacy continuing to follow its founder, Stuart Hooper’s same philosophy’s and vision he had back in 1974 - to create a vineyard which would produce Australian wine of a quality to emulate the great wines of France.

Boasting modern Australian and European cuisine the onsite restaurant compliments the high standards of this establishment.

Halliday Oakdene Vineyards Restaurant & Cellar Door cellardoor@oakdene.com.au Phone: 5256 3886 Fax: 5256 3881 www.oakdene.com.au

Producing unique wines with a true point of difference, bookings can be made to visit the winery by appointment.

*****

Halliday Bannockburn Vineyards Kelly Lane, Bannockburn 3331 Phone: 03 52811363 sales@bannockburnvineyards.com www.bannockburnvineyards.com

BUSINESS NEWS | 36

*****

THE CRUSH WIN!

For a chance to win a bottle of Clyde Parks Single Block – Block F College 2013 Pinot Noir Valued at $75, head to the Business News Facebook page and tell us who won this year’s Golden Plate for Best Restaurant – Casual Dining for the third consecutive year? www.facebook/biznewsmag.com.au or email abbey@adcellgroup.com.au

Back to back best bubbles in Australia It was big news for Bellarine vineyard Leura Park Estate last month when the 5 star winery’s latest release Vintage Grand Sparkling Blanc de Blanc won the Trophy for the second year in a row in Class 1, ‘Best Sparkling White, natural ferment’ at the prestigious Australian Sparkling Wine Show. The Blanc de Blanc 2013 vintage sparkling is the hero of today, having just replaced the sold out 2012 vintage offering which won the same trophy last year.

The Sparkling Blanc de Blanc (literally ‘white of white’) is crafted from 100 per cent chardonnay grapes, grown on the Leura Park Estate vineyard.

Director of Leura Park Estate, Lyndsay Sharp, said everyone was thrilled with the trophy and that it showed the sparkling had proven pedigree and that the winery was on the right track in terms of sparkling style and finesse.

Clyde Park 2013 Pinot Noir

Clyde Park Pinot Gris 2014

With a 95-point rating by James Halliday, Victorian Top 100 wines status and a Gold Medal and Best Regional Pinot Noir at the Ballarat Wine Show, you know this is a seriously good Pinot Noir.

Well structured, flavoursome palate with plenty of complexity and interest.

Nice, cleansing tannin and well integrated oak giving a long finish. Blended from a range of clones and soil types on the Clyde Park site, this is one to enjoy.

The Clyde Park Pinot Gris is a restrained expression of the variety, with great intensity of flavour and length. Pale straw in colour with a green tinge, the wine produces elegant yet complex aromas reminiscent of citrus and apple with hints of white flowers, and creamy lees derived notes. Lovely acidity and structure, with tight, concentrated flavours and long textural finish complete the picture. A lovely summer wine or cellar for a few years.

Fine wine, magnificent views and luscious fruit are what you can expect from the Clyde Park Vineyard. Winner of this year’s Golden Plate Best Restaurant - Casual Dining award you will enjoy a relaxed and unique dining experience amongst hundreds of wine barrels, in the heart of where the winemaking magic happens.

Halliday Clyde Park 2490 Midland Highway, Bannockburn 3331 Phone: 03 5281 7274 www.clydepark.com.au

*****

“We all love our sparkling here and two successive awards is a tremendous honour for our little winery,” Mrs Sharp said. “The award is a credit to winemaker Darren Burke, Vineyard Manager Andrew Mahoney and the entire vineyard and winery team.”

The Halliday Nod It is the bible of Australian wine and the recently released Halliday Australian Wine Companion 2015 edition confirms once again the quality of our local regional wines and wineries. And when James Halliday, Australia’s foremost wine judge and industry commentator, says it’s good, you know it’s good.

Geelong Wine are celebrating another strong year amongst the Halliday ratings, with 70% of wineries reviewed in the region having achieved the highest possible 5 star rating for “outstanding winery” – a status gained by only 8.4% of all wineries reviewed, and 45% of our locals scored a 5 red star rated, meaning they are a winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality.

Austins Wines,Clyde Park Vineyard, Lethbridge Wines, Oakdene and Shadowfax achieved a 5 Star ‘Red’ rating – “Outstanding winery” & “have had a five-star rating for the previous two years.”

Less than 5% of all wineries reviewed achieved this result.

Scotchman’s Hill winery was recognised as being at the top level of ‘Red’ 5 Star ratings “acknowledged to have a long track record of excellence – truly the best of the best.” Less than 4% of all wineries reviewed achieved this result. del Rios of Mt Anakie was recognised as a Dark Horse, one of ten wineries selected. This is generally a winery that has not received a red star rating but may have been very close to achieving this status.

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ARTS Adrian Lockhart: Shallows

Early images of Geelong

7 - 22 November

until 15 March 2015

A lifetime’s observation of people interacting with the ocean is distilled into Sydney artist Adrian Lockhart’s minimalist, lyrical works, especially where waves break into the shallow water that surfers call the ‘impact zone’. It’s this ‘wave dance’ in and around the shoreline that inspired Lockhart’s November exhibition Shallows at Metropolis Gallery, launched by Craig Baird, Curator of Torquay’s SurfWorld Museum.

An exhibition of drawings, prints and photographs from Geelong Gallery’s permanent collection, Early images of Geelong allows a glimpse back in time to the early days of Geelong. Sponsored by the Geelong Art Gallery Foundation and including works by ST Gill, Wilbraham FE Liardet, John Skinner Prout, William Tibbits and Alexander Webb, the exhibition showcases items from the Gallery’s collection that record and interpret the township of Geelong from the mid-tolate nineteenth century.

Born in 1947 in remote Queenstown, on the west coast of Tasmania, Lockhart was a doodler from the beginning, his mother always complaining that she could never find a piece of paper without his drawings all over it. After an early career in newspapers, he became an art director while continuing to paint, before finally deciding to concentrate full-time on his art in the early 1980s. He has exhibited in solo exhibitions throughout Australia nearly every year for the past 30 years and his paintings are represented in major national and international collections. Shallows is his second exhibition with Metropolis Gallery. www.metropolisgallery.com.au

www.geelonggallery.org.au

faces until 16 November “We were created to look at one another, weren’t we?” – Degas faces – the long awaited first solo exhibition of Meghan Rose Griffiths work – showcases her love of art and painting and her fascination with the human face.

BUSINESS NEWS | 38

ARTS

“I find faces fascinating; although they hold common features they are all unique,” she says. “There are inherent traits and genetic similarities but our lives mark our faces from our experiences. What may be seen as imperfections to some are what I find most interesting.”

The exhibition is a beautiful display of Jenny’s intricate paintings and also features a new series of book sculptures, in which Jenny has invested new life into old books, using the physical form of the book as inspiration and adding sculpture and images to create unique works of art.

The faces Meghan has captured in her exhibition are all those of people she knows, as well as herself, and the works include oil on board and ink and acrylic on paper. Meghan likes the different effects between the solidity of the oil painting contrasted against the lightness and flowing nature of ink. These works have been based off of photographs and built up in layers until the individual emerges.

eaglesnestgallery.com.au

www.etchgalleryandstudios.com

Pathways in paper, pen and ink until 28 November Eagles Nest Gallery kicks off its exhibition season with the intricate and whimsical works of Jan Juc artist Jenny Laidlaw in Pathways in paper, pen and ink

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) 21 November – 6 December Geelong Repertory Theatre Company presents a romp through all thirty seven of Shakespeare’s plays, aiming to outPython Monty. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, and directed by Geoff Gaskill, the production makes Big Willy memorable as short and funny, as a small number of brave actors brazenly blend the best of Shakespeare with the bottom of the absurdity barrel. Tickets available from GPAC. www.gpac.org.au

Top left: Jim, Meghan Rose Griffiths Right: Helen, Meghan Rose Griffiths Below left: Jenny Laidlaw Below centre: I know a better place, Jenny Laidlaw Below right: Follow me, Jenny Laidlaw

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 39

Celebrate Gala Day Each November, thousands line the streets of Geelong’s CBD for the annual Gala Day parade, a tradition we’ll celebrate for the 98th time this year on 15 November.

Followed by a free family fun day on the Waterfront, Gala Day is hosted by the Geelong Hospital Appeal to thank the community for their support throughout the year.

Once the main fundraising event for the Geelong Hospital Appeal, Gala Day has brought fun, entertainment and community pride to generations of Geelong people and this year will be no exception, with the same strong family focus, stage entertainment and activities for children and rides and other amusements suited to teenagers.

With the 100th anniversary approaching, the Barwon Health Foundation is committed to holding the event with the highest ever level of quality and entertainment value.

The 2014 Geelong Connected Communities Gala Day Parade starts at 11am on Saturday, 15 November from the intersection of Garden and Malop Streets. The parade of over 50 floats and walking entries will proceed down Malop Street then turn into Moorabool Street and conclude at Brougham Street. The Momentum Energy Family Fun Day follows the Gala Day Parade and will be held on Saturday 15th November from 12pm to 5pm at Steampacket Gardens on Geelong’s waterfront precinct.

Visit www.galaday.com.au for more information.

Run Geelong to raise funds for special care nursery Another annual November event that is fast becoming as anticipated as Gala Day is Run Geelong, an event that this year will raise much-needed funds for the redevelopment of Geelong Hospital’s Special Care Nursery.

One hundred per cent of the proceeds from all Run Geelong registration fees will go straight to Barwon Health. The Cotton On Foundation is calling on the people of Geelong to come together on November 23 and run, walk or roll in the 2014 Run Geelong so that the redevelopment, which began in July this year, can continue.

Barwon Health Foundation Executive Director Jill Moodie is urging the community to sign up to Run Geelong and help complete the Special Care Nursery Project in 2015.

The event’s cause is one that is close to home for the family of Run Geelong’s child ambassador Noah, who was born at 28 weeks weighing just 1.3 kilograms. Baby Noah spent eight weeks in a Melbourne hospital receiving incubation, respiratory support and many interventions to aid growth, before he was transferred to the Special Care Nursery in Geelong. Noah has been in and out of the hospital ever since with respiratory complications.

“We are excited at the possibilities that Run Geelong offers a growing community like Geelong; this is a fantastic event and we hope the community continues to get involved this year,” says Noah’s mum, Libby.

Noah and his family will join fellow Run Geelong ambassadors, Geelong Cats Captain Joel Selwood, Australian netballer Madison Robertson and Australian Paralympian Richard Colman, when they participate on event day.

BUSINESS NEWS | 40

To ensure there is something for all ages and fitness levels, Run Geelong offers the option to participate in a six or 12 kilometre run or a six kilometre Family Walk, making it easy for everyone in the community to get together and sign-up to the challenge. This year for the first time, there will also be a one kilometre Kids Run. Registrations for Run Geelong are now open and for further details, or to register, head to the Run Australia website www.runaustralia.com.au.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food celebrates second birthday Based on acclaimed chef Jamie Oliver’s belief that knowing how to cook food from scratch is one of the best things you can do for your health, happiness and finances, Jamie’s Ministry of Food Geelong celebrated its second birthday last month, having seen 3,345 people participate in its ten-week cooking classes since it opened its doors in Moorabool Street in 2012.

According to new research from Deakin University and the University of Melbourne, particpants have increased their vegetable consumption and cooking confidence. Professor Boyd Swinburn of Population Health at Deakin University, says there was a real need for evidence that communitybased programs could improve cooking confidence, create sustained healthier eating patterns and provide wider personal and family benefits.

The research found participants reported an increase in confidence and self-esteem, gained new cooking skills and an increase in food knowledge, changed their behaviour in relation to the frequency of cooking more meals from scratch at home and reducing weekly takeaway consumption and experienced a positive shift in elements of participants’ knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, satisfaction and enjoyment of cooking and healthy eating. The program also had some flow on benefits in bringing families together to share a meal around the table.

The Good Foundation and Queensland Government commissioned Deakin University and the University of Melbourne to conduct the evaluation with the aim of exploring the impact and participants’ experiences of the Jamie’s Ministry of Food program, which operates in Queensland and Victoria. The Good Foundation is a not-forprofit organisation who partnered with Jamie Oliver and The Good Guys to bring Jamie’s Ministry of Food to Australia in 2010. Jamie’s Ministry of Food Geelong offers participants a 10-week cooking course consisting of one 90-minute class each week. For more information contact 5222 8413 or visit www.thegoodfoundation.com.au

Research reveals dropping out of sports increases kids’ risk of mental health problems Australian primary school kids who drop out of organised sport have up to a 20 per cent greater risk of developing mental health problems within three years than those who keep participating according to new research released during last month’s Mental Health Week 2014. The research, Associations between sports participation and psychological difficulties during childhood: A two year follow

up, examined the mental health of more than four thousand children from the Longitudinal Study of Australia Children, comparing those who participated in sport to those who dropped out of sports or did not participate. It found that children who dropped out of organised sport between the ages of eight and 10 had greater psychological difficulties at age 10 than those children still participating in organised sports.

Lead author Dr Stewart Vella of the Early Start Research Institute, University of Wollongong says those children who had dropped out of organised sports reported greater social and emotional problems, as did those who did not participate in organised sport at all.

“We know that sports participation has long been associated with better mental health such as through the development of better social and emotional skills and self-esteem. We also know that half of all psychological disorders have their onset before the age of 14 years.

“While we were expecting our results to confirm the negative psychological consequences of dropping out of organised sport, we were surprised by the magnitude of the differences, with the total relative increase of risk in mental health problems within three years for kids who drop out between 10 to 20 per cent. What was also concerning was the projected rate of sport dropouts among Australian children. Based on the dropout rates per year recorded during our study – if this number was to remain consistent throughout childhood and adolescence – it would translate to approximately 250,000 young Australians dropping out of organised sports every year.”

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 41

COMMUNITY GMHBA employee Elaine helping paint a mural on the Geelong East Primary School grounds.

Putting the spotlight on men’s mental health

and help safeguard them against developing mental health issues.

On Wednesday 15 October more than 100 representatives from Geelong businesses gathered at the annual Karingal BacLinks (Business and Community Links) Big Boys Don’t Cry: But They Should Men’s Mental Health Forum.

“Mental health is one of the most important issues currently affecting young Australians,” said Joanne. “This project really demonstrates the excellent work Geelong East Primary School do to build the self-confidence and resilience of their students and create a real sense of community.”

Straight off the back of National Mental Health Week (October 5 – 11) the annual luncheon helped raise awareness of men’s mental health and promoted the discussion of strategies for identifying and dealing with these issues.

A highlight of the event was keynote speaker, Founding Director of The Resilience Project Hugh van Cuylenburg, taking to the stage to speak about the three elements he believes are key to maintaining good mental health: practising empathy, mindfulness and gratefulness.

Karingal BacLinks Manager, Joanne Forssman, said this important community event raised awareness of mental health issues, particularly amongst men, and armed attendees with practical strategies for maintaining good mental health.

GMHBA Community Relations and Partnerships Manager, Amy Gillett, said GMHBA has been part of the Geelong landscape for 80 years and supporting local community is ingrained their culture.

“Working with the children at Geelong East Primary School allows us to connect with young people and this volunteering day has a focus on mental health, which is particularly important following a week of awareness during Mental Health Week.

Volunteering provides us with an opportunity to make a small positive contribution to our local community. It is also a great way for us to connect with each other, which is important for staff wellbeing.”

“It is an unfortunate truth that men can often feel they need to be self-reliant and hide their emotions, which increases the risk of their depression or anxiety going unrecognised and untreated,” said Joanne. “We hope this event helped educate men in Geelong that depression and anxiety are illnesses, not weaknesses, and that there are many effective treatments and measures you can take to maintain good mental health.”

The Big Boys Don’t Cry: But They Should Men’s Mental Health Forum was made possible thanks to major event sponsor Geelong Connecting Communities and sponsors MatchWorks and St John of God Pathology.

GMHBA volunteers at the Geelong East Primary School, Sharon, Sharron, Debbie, Elaine, Anna

GMHBA help paint a picture of a happy, healthy school community Last month volunteers from Geelong-based health insurance provider GMHBA spent the morning helping students from Geelong East Primary School paint a large mural in their school grounds to promote community inclusiveness and mental health and wellbeing during a Karingal BacLinks facilitated event.

Karingal BacLinks Manager, Joanne Forssman, said this project formed part of Geelong East Primary School’s work to engage students in non-traditional avenues to improve self-confidence

Big Boys Don’t Cry: But They Should Men’s Mental Health Forum keynote speaker, Founding Director of The Resilience Project, Hugh van Cuylenburg

BUSINESS NEWS | 42

AFTER HOURS

1.

Give where you live riverfest Geelong RiverFest, Geelong’s largest community event on the Barwon River was held on the banks of the Barwon River on Saturday 4 October, raising funds for Geelong’s most vulnerable people.

2.

A major fund raising event for Give Where You Live, this year Give Where You Live raised close to $40,000 from this year’s RiverFest.

The beautiful weather brought out a huge crowd over 600 people throughout the day and lots of fun was had by all down on the Barwon.

1. Team Barwon Edge 2. Bill Mithen, Sarah Henderson 3. Barwon Timber Dragon Boat winners 4. Team Worley Parsons 5. Team Give Where You Live

3.

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BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 43

AFTER HOURS

1.

New Grocon boss on Reaching New Heights It was an inspiring morning for the Geelong business women who joined the crowd at the BPW October dinner at Waterfront Kitchen on October 14 to hear the newly appointed CEO of Grocon, Carolyn Viney, talk about what it takes to lead one of Australia’s biggest companies.

2.

Carolyn’s appointment to the role in February this year was significant on a number of levels; not only was the female head of one of the largest companies in the country, but the role makes her one of the key leading figures in a traditionally heavily male dominated industry. It was also the first time in the history of Grocon that a non-family member has been appointed to the top position.

Alongside Grocon Executive Chairman, Daniel Grollo, Carolyn has had a strong hand in the recent success of the company, responsible for some of the country’s biggest construction projects including the Melbourne Emporium, the Carlton Brewery redevelopment and QV Eight.

Photos by Pam Hutchinson, Pam Hutchinson Photography

3.

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1. Belinda Lyle, Carolyn Viney, Bernadette Uzelac 2. Carolyn Viney, Stefani Alimic 3. Maree Harris, Terry Barrow, Mary Lou Chatterton 4. Maxine Anderson Lyn Gibbs 5. Shelley Thompson Carli Saw Liz Grant Victoria Strachan Shayne Sullivan

5.

BUSINESS NEWS | 44

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE STYLEGUIDE AFTER HOURS

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE BRAND

1. CMYK STACKED VERSION (ON WHITE BACKG

Elisha Lindsay (E.L Photography) is a Geelong photographer who was born to take beautiful photographs. Her love for the lens has followed a natural progression throughout each stage in her life.

6.

Elisha prides her business on being one that is multifaceted and has the ability to meet the needs of all clients. Whether it is commercial, weddings or portraits, E.L Photography can meet the needs of businesses, individuals and groups.

The logo represents the E.L Photography brand and is, therefore, the essence of the E.L Photography identity.

Do not attempt to redraw or rearrange it, or alter the colour in any way. It always, where possible, appears as a colour image.

2. CMYK HORIZONTAL VERSION (ON WHITE BAC Commercial Photography Staff portraits Product shots Marketing shots Events & Functions Weddings & Portraits

7.

8.

9.

E.L

11.

Studio - 162 Bellerine St, Geelong 6. Meryl Whiteside, Christine Shaw, Ashley Vecoli, Anna Hayward 7. Meryl Whiteside, Carolyn Viney, Louise Doedee 8. Nicole Botrell, Sarah Murray 9. Sue Marin, Mariama Perry, Julie Andrews 11. Nicole Whelan, Monique Hutchinson, Mariama Perry, Roselli Hedditch, Magdalena Wheatland, Susan Blair

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 45

elisha@elphotography.com.au 0439 353 958 elphotography.com.au

AFTER HOURS

1.

It’s On: Local State Candidate Forum Question: What do you get when you have seven opposing state candidates speaking at one table a month out from a hotly contested election?

2.

Answer: A thoroughly entertaining lunch, perhaps even for the candidates.

The Geelong Chamber of Commerce presented the State Candidate Forum on the last Wednesday of October at Truffleduck Fyansford. The debate was lively, the food was lovely, and in true pre-election form very few questions were satisfyingly answered … apart from those along the lines of coffee or tea? Points all round on a memorable event in the lead up to this most interesting of elections.

The winner? Undoubtedly the win went to debate moderator Kean Selway, who not only deftly wrangled the candidates and steered the discussion with a firm but fair hand, but who as Geelong’s local Tony Jones (with, as he quipped, less grey hair and a better suit) also managed to do so with humour and style.

Photography by Alan Barber, Barefoot Media

3.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 46

AFTER HOURS

6.

7.

1. Kylie Warne (Brand Bureau), Tony McManus (Liberal Candidate for Lara), Cr Andy Richards (Labor Candidate for South Barwon), Paula Kontelj (Liberal Candidate for Geelong) Lisa Neville MP (Labor MP for Bellarine), Cr Ron Nelson (Liberal Candidate for Bellarine), John Eren MP (Labor MP for Lara), Andrew Katos MP (Liberal MP for South Barwon), Kean Selway (Deakin University) and Bernadette Uzelac (Geelong Chamber of Commerce) 2. Norm Lyons and Gary Iacono (Lyons Construction) 3. Andrew Katos MP (Liberal MP for South Barwon), Tim Hellsten (CoGG), Peter Dorling (Avalon Airport) and Gordon Jenkins (Davidsons) 4. Andrew Rofe (Sustainable Farms), Michael Cave (Strathouse) and Tony McManus (Liberal Candidate for Lara) 5. Di Nelson (Geelong Chamber of Commerce), John Eren MP and Kelli Finlayson (Geelong Chamber of Commerce) 6. Davina Montgomery and Kate Nelson (Barwon Health) 7. Tony McManus (Liberal Candidate for Lara) and Ralph Menchise (Bethany Community Support) 8. Karen Cartwright (Strathouse) and Tim Hellsten (CoGG) 9. Kylie Warne (Brand Bureau) and Keith Fagg (Fagg’s Mitre 10) 10. Roxie Bennett (Plan.It Roxie), Kirsten Kilpatrick (Tract Consultants) and Andrew Katos MP

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BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 47

THE TECH GUY

Every month, our Tech Guy, Jon Mamonski, brings us the wildest, most mind-blowing gadgets he can find...

Dell Inspiron 13 7000, doubles as tablet and ultrabook

$120 smart phones

The Android One initiative is Google’s big push into India and is a huge growth opportunity for smartphones. Android One is designed to bring a consistent Android experience as well as making more affordable handsets available at a cost of around $120.

There are plenty of cheap devices that run the operating system, but they suffer from lack of updates. With One, Google can manage the software updates directly, ensuring a much better, less fragmented experience.

What can you expect from an Android One device? Karbonn, for example, is launching the “Sparkle V Red,” (pictured) comes with dual SIM slots, a 4.5-inch display (480 x 854), a 5-megapixel primary camera, 1GB of RAM and, importantly,

Already one of the slimmest ultrabooks (it weighs a light 1.66KG) the new Dell Inspiron 13 7000’s main claim to fame are those back hinges that convert the ultrabook into a tablet.

There’s a plethora of inputs including 2 USB 3.0 ports, a USB 2.0 port, a HDMI port and a SD card reader. The Inspiron 13’s speakers are located on both left and right sides of the device and it produces plenty of sound, and that’s not all.

Dell has thoughtfully included a capacitive stylus that slides out of the side of the unit so you can whisk around the screen especially when in tablet form.

There’s a crisp 13.3” Full HD (1920×1080) IPS display and the hinges are also very solid with, Dell testing them more than 20,000 times so they won’t break.

Smartphones are almost disposable - except for iPhones, of

The spacious and clean backlit chiclet keyboard is also a joy to use and the wide touchpad is good for performing gestures around Windows 8.1.

course.

The Dell Inspiron 13 7000 is available now from $999.

the latest version of Android (KitKat).

BUSINESS NEWS | 48

THE TECH GUY

You’ve put a corned beef in the crock put before you went to work this morning, but now you’re held up and stuck in traffic. No need to worry with Belkin’ s Crock Pot, just use the phone app to monitor cooking status, turn the Smart Slow Cooker on or off and receive notifications when cooking is complete. The free WeMo App lets you change the cooking time or adjust the temperature on your slow cooker using your smartphone or tablet no matter where you are. How good is that?

Wi-Fi crockpot HP is introducing its budget-friendly, 11.6-inch $199 laptop with Windows in the Stream series. There’s a 13.3-inch model as well, priced at $230, which, along with the $199 Stream, features an Intel Celeron processor and 32GB of flash storage. In addition to this pair of notebooks, HP is also introducing two Windows 8.1 tablets: the HP Stream 7 and HP Stream 8. If the moniker for each didn’t give it away, they are 7 and 8 inch slates, respectively, with the former costing a mere $99 and the latter going for $149.

One card to rule them all

Your fat wallet wants to meet Plastc - a device that claims to replace most of the credit/gift/loyalty cards you currently haul about. It works by pairing with an app on your phone (via Bluetooth) that provides near unlimited storage for all your cards (Plastc’s card itself can store up to 20). The app also logs your transaction history. Why has it taken so long?

Hewlett Packard cheap

If you’ve ever been on a long flight, you’ve probably wanted to tune out that annoying passenger next to you. Headphones are only going to do so much, but if Airbus ever brings a recently patented helmet display to market, you can enter your own world and escape the cabin around you. The headrest-mounted wearable would combine headphones with visor-projected video, producing “sensorial isolation” while you’re watching movies, listening to music or playing games. It could even beam a virtual keyboard on to the tray or seat back, so you wouldn’t need controllers that take up your already limited space.

It might sound weird now, but so did microwaves when they were invented.

Take your mind off flight

OMRON, the company that introduced that

Ping Pong with a robot

face-tracking feature in your smartphone, has exhibited its ping pong robot at CEATEC just to demonstrate its automation prowess. Well, by robot I mean a large silver crane that swings a bat with three arms. It even has a stationary head that looks down upon its human challenger and that’s where all the sensors are stored in order to track the player and the ball.

The brain, on the other hand, is tucked into a cabinet next to the robot. Hmm, they’re coming.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 49

STUFF

cool•

Cork Moustache The Gift Oasis www.thegiftoasis.com

It’s time to start planning those moustaches!

To help get you in the movember growing mood, surround yourself with these quirky pieces that celebrate the mo.

“Mr Moustache” Necklace Vinyl Cuts vinylcuts.com.au

Moustache Grower’s Guide Book Navy Crockett www.navycrockett.com.au

handlebar moustache bottle opener corkscrew MAIDEN www.maidenshop.com/

Moustache Ice Cream Spoons by Sucre Shop Simply Sweet Soirees www.simplysweetsoirees.com.au

Moustache Cushion Room and Bloom www.roomandbloom.com.au Moustache Paper Straws Confectionately Yours www.confectionatelyyours.com.au

The Tache...

Two Girls And A Container

BUSINESS NEWS | 50

BOOKS

Time and Time Again Ben Elton In this brilliantly constructed sci-fi thriller, Elton brings his trademark humanity, thoughtful characterization and joyful play with words to a mind-bending story that gallops along at a very satisfying pace. ‘We must think of time not as a perfect spiral but rather as a disobliging slinky in which once in a while coils get crossed. To put it simply, time will, on rare occasions, pass through the same set of dimensions twice.’ This is the secret known only to The Companions of Chronos, a shadowy collective of scientists and academics who have gathered together at Trinity College Cambridge on New Year’s Day 2024 to discuss correcting history’s single greatest mistake and thus save civilization from itself. They intend to prevent The First World War, sending an ex-soldier and adventurer back to delivery what could be histories most important kill shot.

Mistress Matthew Benns “On the back stairs of history, if you listen carefully, there’s an echo of rustling skirts.”

Matthew Benns has rummaged through the pages of post-colonial Australian history to bring us the stories of the nation’s most famous and infamous other women – taking us between the sheets with Australia’s powerful, rich and famous. From the First Fleet ‘wives’ to the more modern philanderers, their dirty little not-so-secrets are here. From Michael Hutchence, Clive James, and Tony Mokbel to Kerry Packer, who had a string of mistresses. Politicians are here too: Bob Hawke had a prolonged love affair with his biographer Blanche d’Alpuget before finally casting aside loyal wife Hazel. Former Liberal leader Sir Billy Snedden died on the job in a Sydney motel room with his lover and was found wearing only a condom. Today’s politicians aren’t squeaky clean either... Beyond its salacious exterior lies a thoughtful and sympathetic exposition of the price of sleeping close to power.

MERCILESS GODS Christos Tsiolkas From the moment The Slap resonated through the Australian literary consciousness, a new book from Christos Tsiolkas has become an event. With Merciless Gods, Tsiolkas brings his intense energy and passion to a collection of short stories. Having built a towering reputation out of exploring the inner depths of the small moments that change us, the experiences that jolt us into a heightened state of emotion and draw out who we really are, the short format is compelling in his hands. Love, sex, death, family, friendship, betrayal, tenderness, sacrifice and revelation... read and enjoy.

Gallipoli Peter Fitzsimons Renowned for storytelling on a grand scale, Peter Fitzsimons revels in the epic, iconic stories that have forged our modern national identity – and there is no story that has had a greater impact on modern Australia than that of Gallipoli. On 25 April 1915, Allied forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula to secure the sea route between Britain and France in the west and Russia in the east. After eight months of terrible fighting, they would fail. It was a minor battle in the Great War, but one that has continued to define the emerging nations of Australia and New Zealand. Through intensive research, as we approach the centenary of the Gallipoli landing, Fitzsimons picks apart the legend to present the story of what it was like for the ANZAC soldiers who fought and died on that short stretch of the Turkish coast.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 51

www.byars.com.au