Business news 226

ISSUE 226 FEBRUARY 2014

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ISSUE 226 FEBRUARY 2014

FEATURES 12. Beating the Drum 16. What’s Around the Bend?

22. Time Honoured

CONTENTS 4. Editor 5. Bloke’s World 6. Biz News 9. Small Biz 10. New Appointments 13. Sport 14. Carbon Market 15. Governance 36. Opinion 37. Legal 38. Tax 39. Legal 40. Tech Guy 42. Travel 45. Arts 47. Community 49. After Hours 50. Stuff

16. WHAT’S AROUND THE BEND?

51. Books

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BUSINESS NEWS | 3

EDITOR

Newsflash: We’re doing OK

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s a city, what we are very good at is putting our heads down and getting on with the job – and across our region, from agribusiness, to tourism, to advanced manufacturing to advanced technology solution, to health and medicine, to science and research and a whole gamut of other sectors, there are predominantly SME businesses getting on with the job of growing, diversifying, hiring and upskilling.

ISSUE 226 FEBRUARY 2014

The loss of Alcoa would be a genuine loss – although for anyone who has lost a job as a result of the downsizing or closure of any business of any size, the loss is a genuine one.

Closures and job losses are tough – and there is no amount of lipstick that is going to pretty up that particular pig. But tough as they are, these shifts away from the business models that just aren’t sustainable in Australia today create a real sense of urgency about attracting and developing the industries and businesses that are capable of scalable growth tomorrow. It’s short-term pain for generational gain.

These businesses, along with strong growth amongst our largest employers like Barwon Health, Deakin University and Cotton On, and economic drivers like We need bureaucracy and the Port, are why the local We’ve known for years that regulations, but we don’t need economy and jobs market the frustration and stalling of have remained steady the old boys of the local through a series of headline economy were operating on business growth that results when you have multiple layers grabbing closures. We’ve borrowed time, giving of it. All levels of government known for years that the old have given considerable us valuable years in which boys of the local economy support to Geelong – to prepare and shift were operating on borrowed particularly through the location time, giving us valuable in advance. of government agencies and years in which to prepare infrastructure projects – but and shift in advance. governments can never be the whole solution.

As our irreverent and occasionally crotchety We need to continue to grow – to drive private bloke, Kurinto, rightly points out – there’s no investment, to carve out spaces in growth point putting lipstick on a pig, you’ve still got a markets, to make things that make money. pig, and now you’ve probably p***ed it right off.

This is just the beginning. In a few fast and Ford will no longer manufacture cars in furious weeks of meetings, interviews and Geelong post 2016, although the auto giant’s conversations, we have heard story after story highly value added advanced auto design of local businesses shifting into new markets and testing facilities remain strong local and anticipating sustainable growth, of large manufacturing assets. Target’s North Geelong scale local investment deals and funding head office has downsized, Qantas has moved agreements currently being negotiated, and a away from its maintenance program at Avalon, whole raft of watch this space tips. and Alcoa is emerging as a case of when, So put the lipstick away, we don’t need it. The not if, the closure of the Point Henry facility is year ahead is already looking pretty, and we’re announced, but again, the company would just getting started. still retain its power plant and coal mine in Anglesea and the smelter in Portland.

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T ES PEN A O OIONSHIPS 2014 ORI ACN M A TWOMEN’S H P VEINC ’S & M

BLOKE’S WORLD

Beyond pixie dust and ponies Did you ever read Peter Pan? Did you know that there is a whole segment of the community that really believes in the power of positive thought? I don’t mean they just think it’s nice: I’m talking about a firmly held system of belief. These believers write juicy affirmations on their mirrors and develop some mantras that are sadly often filled with immediately forgettable alliteration. The idea, I think, is that after 431 repetitions their fame and fortune is going to change for the better…

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ave you come across the cargo cult? It seems that primitive tribes thought that if they built an effigy of an airplane then they would attract a military cargo plane that delivered food in the middle of a war.

They had half the picture right in that it is true that planes did land and deliver supplies, just not in response to a bamboo representation of a plane.

The lesson is there’s not point putting lipstick on the pig. You still have a pig and now it is probably annoyed.

The clear lesson from the parable for Geelong is that we have to plough our enterprising fields and sow a crop of creativity, nurture our nascent fragile ideas and support the building of a new industry or two. Growing the odd business here or there is not sufficient to change our local economy. To make a reasonable change we need to have a large factory or two.

It won’t be a quick fix; the construction of an industry takes decades and will require significant money and continued support from all parties concerned. The two difficulties in this approach are recognising the right industry to back – because it definitely won’t look like any previous industry that has existed before and we all have trouble identifying the value of new concepts. (Most of the great industries got rejected in their early days by the powers that were in place at the time.)

The second difficulty is the funding of new industries. These money hungry things are beyond local government’s level of influence and banks are bad news for new large businesses.

This leaves state and federal governments to step in and do a grand deed.

... there are few people with experience picking nascent businesses and our new Mayor just happens to have that skill.

It is like the old story of the unsuccessful farmer who regularly prayed to his deity of choice asking for a successful crop. Every morning and night he would get down on his knees and look to the sky and repeat his request, but sadly the crop never happened.

Finally, in exasperation, our farmer once more went down on his knees and accused his deity of deserting him in his moment of need. No sooner had these words been voiced that a deep rumbling voice said to the farmer: “I will meet you half way, at least plough the field and sow the seeds.”

I guess the point was that you have to do a lot of preparation before you can harvest. IMHO (do you get that one – In My Humble Opinion? It’s a thing the kids taught me and it means I am allowed to have an opinion; cool hey) this veneer of positive thought is just a Peter Pan-sized dose of social vallium. It is going to do nothing other than we will go to sleep with happy thoughts.

Difficulties aside, Geelong has been a growing centre in the past and I trust that in the future it will reclaim this mantel, but it will take some very bold and decisive actions that have very little to do with riding a pony or a choir of Peter Pan like people singing positive affirmations.

Prof. Tom McAskill, who once held the Pratt chair at Swinburne School for Entrepreneurs, told of a 12 point system for evaluating potential winners. Two points are of particular note; the new industry won’t look like an old industry and will consequently require different head honchos with different skills, and the new industry will have the ability to scale well so that it can be expanded rapidly. Remember Henry Ford’s car for every family and Bill Gates computer on every desk? This is the area that has a real surprise, as there are few people with experience picking nascent businesses, and our new Mayor just happens to have that skill. However, I’m still not sure about why we are going to get a pony for every ratepayer…

Kurinto

BUSINESS NEWS | 5

BIZ NEWS

The labour ondemand revolution So much of how we work has changed and continues to change in Australia, so it stands to reason that the ways in which we find work and worker is changing as well. From picking up the spare keys to filling a temporary gap in the office, to picking up the shopping to running deliveries when you’ve run out of time, to flying to Texas to pick up an engagement ring and bring it back to Sydney, the online outsourcing industry is finding a growing market for ondemand local services.

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e all know there are challenges in the Australian labour market, and the rise of these on-demand services is just another way that businesses and time-poor individuals are looking to get what they need done within a cost structure they feel comfortable with.

According to online outsourcing company Airtasker’s co-founder, Tim Fung, under the traditional models of full-time and permanent parttime work, many potential workers – from the older ‘grey army’ to younger people – find themselves locked out of the employment market, while for consumers it is often prohibitively expensive or difficult to find people to carry out routine work such as assembling Ikea furniture, dog minding, mowing the lawn or tutoring the kids.

Mr Fung said Airtasker has seen 20% month-onmonth growth in completed tasks on its platform since launching and the company has doubled its team in the past six months.

He said online outsourcing sites such as Airtasker, Freelancer and others were becoming increasingly popular with Australians because they allow businesses to scale quickly, while accessing the right skills at a reasonable cost.

“Unique in the Australian online outsourcing market, Airtasker links people and businesses with local workers who can complete tasks in the real world, not just virtual tasks like coding or web design,” said Mr Fung.

Among the quirkiest jobs placed on Airtasker are a Sydney neurosurgeon who needed someone to fly to Texas to pick up an engagement ring and the CEO of comparison site Finder.com.au who paid an Airtasker who had recently been made redundant from his truck driving job to line up in front of an Apple Store for five days in order to by a new iPhone.

The ‘collaborative consumption’ movement, as Fung calls it, is an interesting development in the wider employment marketplace and one that is likely to grow significantly.

6 | BUSINESS NEWS

Medical tourism: an economic health boost In Australia, we’ve been more aware of medical tourism in the form of ‘plastic surgery holidays’ to South East Asia, but the trend may be reversing.

The inclusion of 50 private beds for international fee paying and insured patients at the new Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre under construction in Melbourne may be an early example of the kind of services international patients would travel to Australia to receive.

Mark Stone, VECCI Chief Executive, has welcomed this element of medical tourism in the Centre, which is due to be completed by the end of 2015.

“Our health sector contains excellent research, technology, human resources, products and services, so we encourage initiatives that utilise these for the benefit of the Victorian economy,” he said.

“Given the opportunities presented by the Asian Century, it is more important than ever that we capitalise on our strengths in the medical field,” says Mr Stone.

The $1 billion Cancer Centre will be the new home for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in a purpose-built facility for cancer research, treatment and care. The new facility in Parkville, to be linked by bridges to The Royal Melbourne Hospital, is part of a plan to create a centre of excellence in treating cancer that has seen eight world-leading cancer organisations come together to drive the next generation of research, education, treatment and care.

VECCI also says we need to work on attracting more medical conferences to Victoria – and the new Peter Mac facility could prove a strong draw card for cancer treatment and research conferences in particular.

Regulatory rocket dockets set to shake up appeals process The creation of a new rocket docket at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), the body that reviews certain decisions made by Federal Government regulatory bodies, is sure to come as welcome news to many in business.

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he rocket docket attracts decisions that have significant commercial ramifications, and those relating to the accreditation, licensing or registration of individuals or companies. It is expected to greatly expedite the hearing of those appeals.

The AAT is a quasi-judicial body charged with responsibility for reviewing certain administrative decisions of organs of the Federal Government, and arriving at the “correct and preferable” decision.

The Tribunal reviews a wide array of administrative decisions, including those by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The AAT’s Annual Report for 2012-2013 revealed that in that year, 60 percent of matters progressed to a hearing within 40 weeks of lodgement, and that the AAT generally aimed to finalise the majority of applications within 12 months of lodgement.

The AAT has sought public comment on the proposed docket, the draft of which can be found on the AAT’s website at www.aat.gov.au.

BIZ NEWS

Cutting loose a billion dollar burden The Victorian employer and business advocate is heralding the announcement of red tape reduction measures as a boost to the state’s productivity.

Death of the password inevitable The future is coming fast, with unique biological identifiers like eye scanners, veins and heartbeats forming the basis of technology set to replace passwords.

Australian online security expert and founder and CEO of personal profile manager app MOGOplus, Andrew Clouston, says an alarming number of people still use login credentials that are extremely easy to hack, such as “password” and “123456”, putting them at serious risk of identity theft.

Clouston said the difficulty of remembering complex passwords across multiple sites meant too many consumers were using the same basic credentials across all of their accounts. This was highlighted by new research from online security firm SplashData, which revealed its annual list of most common passwords. The top 10 passwords were: 123456, password, 12345678, qwerty, abc123, 123456789, 111111, 1234567, iloveyou and adobe123.

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t is wonderful to see recent announcements of red tape reduction measures at both state and federal level that will help reduce the cost of doing business in Victoria.

Regulation costs the state economy an estimated $3.3 billion annually, so we need ongoing reform across all levels of government to ensure the removal of poorly designed, out-dated, overly prescriptive regulations that add to business costs. The State Government’s announcement included a range of amendments as part of its plan to cut red tape by 25 per cent. The changes cover a wide ambit of sectors including mining, tourism and transport, hospitality, building and construction, farming and retail.

The State Government must now monitor the implementation of these reforms to ensure they are achieving their purpose and that the estimated $715 million savings are realised, as well as to press on with the next tranche of reform under its plan to ensure Victoria remains competitive. At federal level we welcomed the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) decision to create a onestop shop for environmental approvals, as it will remove unnecessary duplication for Victorian businesses. This streamlining is a great outcome for Victorian businesses as they will now be able to attain full environmental certification from the state approval process, without also having to seek federal approval. We also welcome the Federal Government’s parliamentary “Repeal Day” when it will seek to abolish 8,000 redundant laws as part of its plan to slash red and green tape by $1 billion a year.

As part of our policy agenda for the recent federal election, VECCI sought a reduction in the regulatory burden on business and repeated this call more recently at our 2013 VECCI Victoria Summit. We have been consistent in our calls to governments at every level to reduce red and green tape. and Victorian business is delighted that these changes are being implemented. In the current economic climate, removing the roadblocks to job creation and productivity is crucial.

These findings are similar to those found during previous research by computer security consultant Mark Burnett, who analysed 6 million unique username/password combinations that have been leaked on to the internet following hacking attempts.

“If you’re not using unique, strong passwords for each website you log into, you’re just asking to be defrauded,” Clouston said.

“Strong passwords are at least 12 characters in length and contain a mix of letters, numbers and symbols preferably in both upper and lower case.”

Clouston said one of the biggest trends of the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January was the effort to kill the password. Innovations on display included the Fujitsu PulseWallet, which identifies you by scanning the unique pattern of veins on your hand; Bionym, which lets you use your heartbeat as a password; and EyeLock, iris scanning software that recognises users by their eyes.

“The heartbeat, vein and eye scanner tech from CES, coupled with what we’re already seeing with the iPhone fingerprint sensor, shows that the humble password’s days are numbered.”

An industry working group dubbed FIDO, which includes representatives from Google, PayPal, Microsoft and MasterCard among others, is working to develop new standards for authentication that do not use traditional passwords.

Poor password security is as old as passwords themselves and not even the US military is immune – it has recently been revealed that for 20 years during the Cold War the launch code for US nuclear missiles was 00000000.

“When setting passwords don’t ever use your name, date of birth, home address or any of those things that are easily attributable to you personally,” said Clouston. * MOGO+ is a free app that stores your login credentials – from bank accounts to utilities to social networks – enabling singleclick, secure access from your smartphone or tablet. It allows you to check your balances and conduct transactions across multiple accounts, then log off from all open sites, from one screen. Check it out at www.mogoplus.com

JAMES GULLI, VECCI Regional Manager BUSINESS NEWS | 7

BIZ NEWS

The B20 Coalition seeks a brighter future for global economy The B20 Coalition, which consists of Presidents and CEOs of leading business associations from G20 countries, including Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox, met in Paris from 20 to 21 January.

They called for G20 governments to assist the private sector’s efforts for global economic consolidation through budgetary discipline and redirection of spending towards investment, and by removing barriers to business activity and improving international coordination in key areas such as digital security and tax policy.

“We need strong and lasting growth.

Business creates jobs and growth. We must help governments to set good parameters to restore growth,” said Innes Willox at the press conference of the first plenary meeting of the B20 Coalition in Paris.

“This year’s G20 to be held in Brisbane in November has an ambitious agenda based around the themes of jobs and growth with particular attention to human capital, financial services and infrastructure and investment, the movement of people, merchandise, services and products, as well as the fight against corruption,” Mr Willox said.

The industry leaders endorsed these priorities and agreed to a focus on jobs creation through training, retraining, apprenticeships and labour mobility.

The B20 Coalition members announced they would contribute actively to the G20 and B20 policy agenda to reinvigorate and reframe the G20 agenda and its relevance to a changing global economy.

“The old economy is not returning.

The economic changes over the past five years present an opportunity to reinvigorate the G20,” Mr Willox said.

8 | BUSINESS NEWS

The price of politics The global markets have been hit by all manner of storms in recent years, and while many of those appear to be calming, there are warning signs brewing around a raft of elections to take place across 2014.

The release of the 2012-13 Victorian Annual Financial Report has been welcomed by VECCI, with the peak business body saying the general government sector surplus result of $316 million in 2012-13 demonstrates Victoria’s economic resilience despite the backdrop of challenging economic conditions at home and abroad.

Political risk research and advisory firm, Political Monitor, is reporting that politics is one of the big trends that will shape markets in 2014, as some of the most important economies in the world prepare for critical elections, the outcomes of which will shape the next phase of the global recovery. Based on the findings of its Global political outlook – 2014 report, Political Monitor is also warning that rising tensions between countries across Asia, the Middle East and Europe could threaten critical trade routes and heighten the risk of miscalculation leading to conflict.

Key points from the Global political outlook – 2014 report include: · United States: mid-term elections and the battle for the soul of the Republican Party will see politics triumph over policy and signal the beginning of the end for the Obama presidency. Markets should prepare for ‘decision avoidance’ as politics takes charge. · Asia: the absence of a robust regional security structure threatens a further escalation in tensions over disputed islands in the East and South China Seas as the key protagonists continue their arms race. Meanwhile, both China and Japan will be consumed by respective domestic reform agenda while India and Indonesia will prepare to elect a leadership for the next 5 years. · Middle East: the shifting balance of power in oil markets will unsettle established relationships in the Middle East and put the region on the path to conflict as America’s attention drifts toward Asia. OPEC will become a forum of discontent as the Gulf States argue over the implications of the return of Iranian oil to the world market. · Europe: right wing parties are on the rise leading into EU elections as high unemployment and austerity have caused a fissure between the electorate and the political elite. To the east, Russia will continue its efforts to resist further European encroachment into its traditional sphere of influence. · Latin America: governments will have to determine whether they have the appetite to implement the reforms necessary to attract foreign capital or slide into economic nationalism that restricts their ability to reach their full potential.

Political Monitor partner, Damian Karmelich, believes markets should prepare for ongoing volatility as political events dictate the outcome of the next phase of the global recovery.

“Congressional elections in the United States and European Union parliamentary elections will slow the reform agenda in these critical economies”, said Mr Karmelich.

“The rise of right wing parties across Europe and their increasing professionalism and coordination threaten the European project, while the battle for the soul of the Republican Party in the United States provides little certainty on key legislative votes throughout the year. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s presidential and parliamentary elections will set the tone for Australia’s relationship with the giant of South East Asia over the next five years.

“Energy markets can also expect volatility as the Middle East comes to terms with the waning interest of the United States and OPEC squabbling over the implications of the return of Iranian oil to world markets.”

While year’s end should bring some relief from the ongoing influence of electoral politics, the break will not be long as the mid-term congressional elections in the United States signal the beginning of the end for the Obama presidency and effectively the firing of the starters pistol for the 2016 presidential campaign. Markets will have some breathing room, but it will not be long before they have to begin factoring in the economic views of the major parties leading presidential contenders.

It’s a reminder for markets that the political cycle never rests.

SMALL BIZ consultation). These are the envoys that make the journey happen.

Why so many leaders have it all wrong There is an odd phenomenon where silly myths just hang in there for decades, you might have your own favourite silly myth that you can talk about at business gatherings, but mine is this wacky idea of leadership that has been floating in the ether since the 1980s. I am sure that you can imagine the heroic John Wayne like character stretching towards some lofty goal… There are, of course, brass statues being cast as we speak of a veritable captain of industry or sergeant of small business who spouts commands and makes decisions.

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Let me give you an example: Young Dan is quiet and skilful.

Willing to discuss the projects and how to expedite the tasks, he’s the first to get up from a break and always active. The slowest he goes is cleaning – if there is nothing on the boards then the tools get sharpened and the floor swept. He is not your taskmaster, indeed quite the opposite, as he endeavours to teach others to know the next step and anticipate the next stages of the project.

Let me drill down to a very specific thing that Dan does. I can think back to when I was first in the world of work I had a boss that was quick to criticise and he had an almost daily ritual of pushing some worker aside and saying: “If you want a bloody job done well, then you have to do the XXXX-ing thing yourself.”

He was surrounded with disempowered workers. It was a foul job that I couldn’t get away from. By contrast, Dan might be seen to put his tools down and walk up to one of the other workers and show them a better way to get the job done. This is always respectful and just a suggestion. Then, with the worker happy with their new capability, Dan will happily work alongside them until they have mastered the new practice.

hat a load of donkey droppings! These ego driven maniacs give me the screaming hits.

They want to stand out the front and make decisions and write all the policies and micromanage the toilet paper consumption and have a world ecological point of view on the reuse of tea bags. If you were as old as I, you would The best leader is a servant, know that the word ‘leader’ has I don’t want to go further into Dan’s skills nothing to do with these dictators. who subordinates to the goals of as you might try and attract him to your It originally just meant someone on the organisation, works with the business and that is not allowed – you a journey. In a business sense, this individuals to achieve the greatest have to grow your own. But Dan does can be applied as achieving the of good, but never needs to get the give us a clue as to the fundamental flaw business goals. And this is the clue badge of rank or ego stoking that in our current paradigm and mythical that gets us to see why our heroic drives the mythical creature. leadership style. It is all about them rather ideal of a leader dude (or dudette) than the business outcomes. I believe is so wrong. that this ego-driven style of management is one major pain in The best leader is a servant, who subordinates to the goals the haemorrhoids, and has done nothing but contribute the of the organisation, works with the individuals to achieve the woeful levels of productivity in Australia. The creation of this greatest of good, but never needs to get the badge of rank or leadership style has meant a whole layer of egocentric ‘leaders’ ego stoking that drives the mythical creature. This is someone who are worried more about their career development than the who can look around and help those that need support, and corporate bottom line. coach those that need an external metronome, and align clint jennings the weakest performers to get back on the bus (without a performance review or a politically correct 360-degree Big Thinker on Small Business

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Geelong • Anglesea • Bannockburn • Barwon Heads • Portarlington • Torquay BUSINESS NEWS | 9

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Spotlight On...

MANUFACTURING

Jamie Baensch was elected Chairman of the Geelong Manufacturing Council (GMC) at its recent AGM. Jamie takes over from David Sykes who had led the GMC’s through significant growth over the past 5 years.

Jamie has been General Manager of Air Radiators since June 2010 and a GMC Board member since 2010.

Jamie noted the significant contribution of David Sykes who has worked closely with GMC Chief Executive David Peart to lead the GMC in its role to have a positive impact on manufacturing in the region through its advocacy efforts and encouraging innovation, best practice and sustainability.

The GMC is a member organisation representing manufacturing business in the Geelong region and invites all manufacturing business to participate in debate about the relevancy of manufacturing in the region as a means of generating employment growth and prosperity. The next GMC meeting is in February.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS Recruitment Direct Recruitment welcomes Mrs Jean Paul to the role of Business Development Manager. Jean comes to the company with a wealth of experience in human resources, recruitment, people management and development. Jean is well known across Geelong as the former Program Director for the Committee for Geelong’s Leadership programs.

FINANCE Morris Finance Ltd are proud to announce the appointment of Martin Carter as Business Manager. Martin arrives at Morris Finance bringing with him experience from his previous senior executive roles at Citibank Ltd, ORIX Fleet Leasing, Toyota Motor Corporation Ltd, Manheim Fowles and, most recently, as CEO of Thrifty Car & Truck Rentals in WA.

employment With over 20 years working in Employment Services in Geelong and Melbourne, Kathie has joined CVGT as the Branch Manager. Kathie has an extensive network within the Geelong region and is excited to bring these supports to CVGT’s employers and jobseekers. Kathie is looking forward to the challenges of the role.

Xtreme Technology has recently welcomed Mark Blunt as their photocopier department Sales Manager.

Having worked locally for the past 5 years and with almost 10 years’ experience overall in the Photocopier/Managed Print Services area, Mark offers his professional advice and knowledge to find you the best printing solution.

employment With over 12 years working within recruitment, job services and disability employment, Jacinta has joined the team at CVGT as DES Integration Coordinator for the Geelong/Bellarine region. Having also completed her human resources degree and currently completing her MBA, Jacinta has extensive skills in leadership, community engagement and relations.

EMPLOYMENT CVGT Geelong welcomes Scott Latchford in his role as Employment Consultant. Scott brings a wealth of experience in human services with over 10 years providing client assistance within government and non-government departments. In addition Scott has had exposure to a wide range of industries locally to assist his client base connect to employment.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 11

BEATING THE DRUM

From Geelong to the world The last time you borrowed a book (or a DVD or CD) from a Geelong Regional Library branch, were you impressed by the ease with which you could check out your own books just by scanning your library card and placing your items on the self-checkout scanner? Did you wonder who developed such smart technology? Would you be surprised to discover it was a company right here in Geelong?

W

e hear so much bad news about the state of Geelong’s industry and business scene that it’s easy to forget there are companies who are doing really well, companies who are building on long-term success, expanding internationally and adapting to the 21st century by servicing new niche markets and developing new technologies; companies such as FE Technologies, the creator of the library self-checkout and a number of other radio frequency identification (RFID) solutions that are also used in the retail and vehicle tracking arenas.

“We were originally attracted to RFID as a technology, rather than barcode technology, due to its ability to be read by many at a time - from a distance and without line of sight,” says Robert Reed, Chairman FE Technologies.

“The benefit of RFID to librarians and patrons is that it enables the checking out of books by the patron and the automation of many administrative functions, thereby freeing up the librarian to provide additional services and providing patrons with a much higher level of service.”

“We’ve explored a number of other markets for the use of RFID over recent years and, for various reasons, they haven’t been successful. We believe that the key to the business is persistence, having the conviction to explore these new markets, understanding the customers’ requirements and needs and developing the technology to deliver on these needs.”

FE Technologies began operation in November 2007, when it supplied its first RFID library system to Geelong Grammar.

Geelong Regional Library Corporation was also an early customer and the company has since gone on to install systems in over 400 libraries throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and ... the success of the company has Brunei. Last year, a Malaysian office was established to support future growth in depended on a number of factors, Asia. Despite this steady success, RFID including a willingness to take risks is a market with potential that is yet to be when exploring new markets, having fully explored. the right team and the ability to select

Being able to attract government support and funding has also been integral to the company’s success. The company has an in-house research and development department dedicated solely to RFIDbased R&D, which has allowed the business to keep pace with the changing trends of the library market and move into new RFID areas. “Both R & D and enabling export are expensive, and government support in these areas is essential for FE Technologies to continue to develop the business,” Robert says.

“The reduction in the cost of the RFID the right distributors to sell the product tags has meant increased adoption internationally. of the technology in many industries,” Robert says. “The library market is one of the more mature, but even in this market less than 30 per cent of public libraries in Australia have adopted the technology and in other countries As the face of industry and manufacturing continues to change in the adoption rate is much lower, providing FE Technologies with Geelong, Robert says his company’s focus is on expanding the future potential growth. number of countries where its products are sold and developing new products to provide significant value in both the library and “We’ve also begun developing an RFID solution for the healthcare healthcare markets. Geelong, he believes, needs to grow and market, currently focussing on the tracking of blood products and attract businesses that have a global focus and a sustainable specimens. We’re confident in securing our first orders in this future. market in the coming months and then working with hospitals and pathology companies to assist with the transformation in service levels in this market.”

Robert says the success of the company has depended on a number of factors, including a willingness to take risks when exploring new markets, having the right team and the ability to select the right distributors to sell the product internationally.

12 | BUSINESS NEWS

“More focus needs to be placed on what needs to be done to understand the needs of these businesses and ensure they are being supported.”

Judy Baulch

SPORT

Lyle’s set on the comeback track As part of his road back to the US PGA TOUR, Victorian Jarrod Lyle will play the upcoming Oates Victorian Open on the PGA Tour of Australasia from February 20-23 at Thirteenth Beach Golf Links. The event will be Lyle’s second Tour event back after being away from the game for almost two years due to a battle with Leukemia.

L

yle was one of the stories of the year in 2013 as he returned to play his first comeback tournament at the Talisker Masters at Royal Melbourne in November. Having exceeded his own expectations at Royal Melbourne by making the cut and finishing tied for 57th with rounds of (72, 71, 70 & 79), the Oates Vic Open will be just the second time he will endeavour to compete over four days since his return.

“I exceeded all my expectations at the Masters. I went there not really with the best golf game and thinking I might not play the weekend, but to be able to play the four days was a huge step forward.

“Now looking at the Vic Open, my expectations are a little bit higher. I’m going to go there and give it everything I’ve got to try to win the thing, but all I need to see is a bit of improvement from how I was at the Masters to how I am now. I want to know that all the work I’m doing in the gym is paying off,” said Lyle.

“It’s going to be a bit of a ‘feel’ tournament for me to see where everything is situated, but also at the same time I want to compete and there’d be nothing better than to bring the trophy back here. If that doesn’t happen I just want to give it everything and see where everything’s at, and hopefully be there Sunday afternoon, which would be a dream.”

With a lack of tournaments under his belt for the past few years, Lyle is relishing the competitiveness of being back on the golf course.

“Seeing all your mates out there again is great, but the competitive side of it is what I miss the most - getting out there and trying to shoot as low a score as I can every day. I’ve gone low a couple of times, but then there’s those days when things don’t go right and you get frustrated, but that’s what golf’s all about, getting yourself back from three or four over to even par. It’s the competitive side of things that I’ve missed the most.”

Born and raised in Shepparton, Lyle’s passion for the game grew from his time as a kid following his Dad around playing local courses and caddying.

“My Dad was a golfer and growing up I used to go out on a Saturday and caddy for Dad. I would caddy the first seven holes at Shepparton then my Grandma used to sit under a tree behind the 8th tee and sell beer and chocolate to all the guys. I would sit with her until Dad came back around on the 15th which ran alongside it, then I’d pick up with Dad again and caddy the last three and a half holes with him, so that’s how it all originated.”

Now a resident in Torquay with his wife Briony and daughter Lusi, Lyle will enjoy sleeping in his own bed throughout the tournament and says he loves his new home.

“I love it in Torquay. Challenge (a cancer charity) has a house on the esplanade down here and through my treatment they said if you’re well enough to leave the hospital, go down and stay at the house for a weekend. As you do when you go to a new place, you might have a bit of a look at the real estate in the newspaper to see what’s around and how much it’d cost to live there. We came back

the following week and looked at a house that we really loved and we bought it the following week and that’s the reason we stayed in Torquay. It’s just one of those places, we didn’t know anybody there and we decided we wanted to start fresh and enjoyed the three days we had here so decided it was the time to do it.”

Close to Lyle’s heart and prevalent within the golf community, Challenge will be the official Oates Vic Open charity partner for the 2014 event. Challenge is a charity that supports kids with cancer and Jarrod is a proud ambassador, having been impacted by the organisation throughout his life.

“It’s always nice to have the backing of golf tournaments that have been pretty close to me over the years. Obviously being a Victorian golfer and Victorian amateur growing up, and utilising the former VGA for different things and representing Victoria at State level, it’s nice to have the support for my charity. It’s just nice to know that those people behind the scenes care enough and are willing to get on board and help Challenge out.”

Lyle has played many Oates Vic Opens previously as both an amateur and professional, with the last one being at Spring Valley in 2010 as a male only event. Lyle says he is looking forward to experiencing the combined gender format at Thirteenth Beach.

“I think the concept is fantastic. There’s not too many facilities around that could handle such a tournament and to have the men and women at the same time is great. Judging on the crowds from last year, I think a lot of people enjoyed it where they can come and watch the men and women together.

“I’ve probably played three times on the Creek Course and two on the Beach Course. I was at the Vic Open last year following my brother [Leighton] around and the Beach Course is pretty cool.

It’s a good links style course, where you’ve got to position your ball well off the tee with the greens and surrounds being difficult.

You’ve got to be prepared for a bit of a breeze and bring your A-game.”

While Jarrod is intending to make a return to the US later this year, it’s a requirement of his current PGA TOUR medical exemption that he only plays a maximum of five 72-hole professional events on other Tours before returning to the world’s most lucrative circuit.

[Adcell Group is a proud supporting partner of Golf Victoria and the Oates Victorian Open.]

GOLF VICTORIA BUSINESS NEWS | 13

CARBON MARKET

Direct Action’s Big Leap Forward?

The start of the New Year for the Australian emissions markets represents the start of ‘the race to July 1’ – the point at which both the Emissions Reduction Fund and FY15 compliance year of the Carbon Price Mechanism are due to commence, and the point at which the ALP and the Greens will lose control of the Senate; and with it, the ability to preserve their clean air legislative package.

I

n a market where emissions regulation has struggled to maintain a foothold, there is a certain irony to the notion that from July 1 two competing emissions policies may co-exist for a period of time, with the government proposing to regulate the roll out of its Emissions Reduction Fund should support for Direct Action legislation not be forthcoming, while in parallel, the repeal of the Carbon Price Mechanism is unlikely to progress through the current Senate prior to the end of June.

and would overcome the risk of liable entities reducing their emissions intensity, while continuing to increase their absolute emissions levels, to the detriment of the national emissions reduction target. Combined with the proposed use of flexible safeguards (penalties), companies would be able to manage their exposure over time, much like the roll out of the EU ETS in 2005, or Australia’s own CPM (and CPRS), which provided deferred liabilities for some sectors, and compensated others to facilitate a transition to the scheme, and to encourage participation.

The Green Paper also outlines the potential development of a “make-good” provision to enable liable firms to manage their exposure over time via a secondary market – which may also be used to enable participants to trade amongst each other in order to deliver abatement to fulfill ERF delivery contracts. Such a mechanism would lead to additional demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and may be designed to support investment into sectors such as land-use, while also taking Direct Action one step closer to a traditional ‘trading’ mechanism.

For detailed analysis of the impact of these new design elements on the operation of the ERF ‘market’, refer to our latest Market Update, which is available for free download at www.reputex.com.

As we touched on in our December policy update, the One of the key watches for the market ability of the government to How decisions are made on these over the first half of 2014 will be repeal the CPM in the new design elements may ultimately the potential for a compromise to Senate prior to the ‘point of no determine how closely Direct Action be negotiated between the major return’ on September 1 (the resembles a true market-based parties in the current Senate. opening of the Clean Energy ‘baseline and credit’ scheme, and how Regulator’s ‘buy-back’ window) environmentally effective the scheme is remains a moving feast, and will likely to be. be influenced by the Western On the face of it, the Green Paper takes Australia Senate re-election and the input of minor party a big step forward; however, whether these ‘green shoots’ Senators. make the final cut remain to be seen. Should it take such On the face of it, the CPM repeal in the new financial year a course, the draft scheme may provide enough flexibility remains achievable but uncertain given the short period of to bridge the divide between the Coalition and the ALP/ time for the new Senate to review the repeal bills prior to the Greens, with the latter likely to push for a binding emissions September 1 deadline – only two sitting weeks. cap and a more scalable market – both of which could be incorporated into a baseline and credit scheme, particularly Given the game of Russian roulette facing the Coalition in one that incorporated ‘absolute’ emissions baselines. the new Senate, and the risk of the ALP-Green’s climate legacy being eroded from July 1, one of the key watches for Whether the major political parties are open to a compromise the market over the first half of 2014 will be the potential for remains to be seen, and is tempered by four years of political a compromise to be negotiated between the major parties in divide on clean air policy. WATCH THIS SPACE the current Senate.

All eyes now turn to the commencement of the autumn GREEN SHOOTS EMERGING IN DIRECT ACTION? session of Parliament on February 11 and the reporting of the Senate inquiry into the government’s Direct Action Plan While a significant gulf exists between the major parties on March 24 – just three days prior to the end of the autumn on the preferred mechanism to regulate emissions, the session, around the time of the government’s White Paper government’s newly released Green Paper appears to soften release, likely to take place in late March-April. the ground on some key parameters of the Direct Action Plan, potentially indicating a broader objective to environmentally How the design of the new Direct Action impacts industry optimise the scheme, while preserving the Coalition’s design exposure, risk management opportunities and the supply principles – to incentivise domestic emissions abatement, of abatement (from ‘activities’ and ‘facilities’) remain maintain growth and limit the use of penalties. fundamental inputs as firms begin to analyse their own liability to, and participation in the new market.

Notably, the Green Paper takes a significant step forward with respect to emissions baselines, with discussion of Let the countdown begin! ‘absolute’ baselines being applied in place of or in parallel to This opinion piece comes courtesy of The RepuTex Team ‘emissions intensity’ baselines.

Australian Emissions Markets. It was first posted on www.

Such a change may enable the scheme to be calibrated to reputex.com/publications achieve an emissions reduction target (be it now or later),

14 | BUSINESS NEWS

GOVERNANCE

An annual agenda – a useful governance management system

I

Boards of management/directors have many tasks to undertake on an annual basis to ensure they fulfil their governance responsibilities. Given that board members are part-time and non-executive, developing an annual board agenda is a useful way to ensure that all these tasks are undertaken and in order of relevance to the planning and management cycle of business.

n the hustle and bustle of life and business, it is easy for tasks to be overlooked and the annual agenda is a simple process to assist in this area and also contribute to the systemisation of your governance model. The following table provides an example of an annual agenda, which should help you develop your own format and the start of a new year is an appropriate time to undertake this process.

July

August

May

Sign off on annual business plan and performance management system Sign off on capital expenditure budget

June

Review compliance register Sign off on cash flow budget

Finalise FY results & annual audit

With the completion of this document, the organisation will then be able to create a board information pack, which should include:

CEO review

• The annual agenda; • The current strategic plan;

September

October

November

December

Board review/succession planning/ professional development plan AGM & stakeholder engagement plan Risk management plan – board and management review Policy and delegation reviews

January

½ business review, presentations by CEO and key management

February

Discuss training plan for next 12 months- alignment of capability required with existing capability

March

Start strategic planning process Review annual staff surveys and outcomes from performance reviews.

April

Finalise strategic plan, agree on strategic priorities for next financial year Establish business plan framework and expectations

• The annual business plan which includes the scorecard for performance review and management; and • The current risk management plan.

Furthermore, the board should then agree on its reporting framework to define its expectation for management and fulfil its responsibilities in relation to performance management and accountability against these plans. For example, a board could determine that it will undertake a detailed review of performance against budget and benchmarks every 4 months. This should allow for timing anomalies to be eliminated and enable a meaningful review of performance to be undertaken jointly by the board and key management. Setting aside time to think about all these tasks and then putting them into some sort of logical sequence will make a valuable contribution to the governance and management of an organisation.

By creating an annual agenda, the board puts in place a system to practice good governance. By being vigilant in planning, monitoring and assessment, a board will expand its knowledge of the business and how it operates and be in a better position to contribute to viability and sustainability of the organisation for which it is ultimately responsible.

Mark C Schultz For further information, go to www.governancetoday.com

Trading forecast for the year

BUSINESS NEWS | 15

COVER STORY

16 | BUSINESS NEWS

? nd

Well, now that the future is here: now that the employment market has shifted, the business sector has heavily diversified and new sectors and industries are operating and expanding in Geelong, we thought it was time that we have a chat to those ‘key stakeholders’ about all those plans that have been quietly contributing to the development of a more mature, more resilient, more positive city by the bay.

Be

When big news breaks in Geelong it tends to be either job losses, car crashes, crime or football. It also tends to say a lot more about the people reporting the news than about the story itself, and when we do get a sound bite of something a little more positive, it tends to include the words ‘working with key stakeholders’ and ‘planning for the future’.

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COVER STORY

Rebecca Casson, CEO of the Committee for Geelong on Geelong: A world-class second-tier city Rebecca Casson certainly remains optimistic about the future of Geelong.

“We have been seeing that Geelong is on the precipice of success as Victoria’s second largest city, and I think not enough is made of Geelong being Victoria’s second largest city,” she said.

Ms Casson said the Committee is often asked what Geelong is going to do in response to all the potential changes that may happen this year with Shell or Alcoa or other industries that might decide not to operate here in any further.

“We say that we have already been planning, with Skilling the Bay and transitioning in to new manufacturing. We know about this kind of work and the people involved know about all these other opportunities, but even though we all know it, it hasn’t been particularly well articulated externally. “We’re not blind to the effect that job losses and particularly company-wide losses have such as was the case with Ford and potentially with Alcoa have on the families and on the businesses impacted by that, but we believe that people are interested in the true state of the

Geelong economy.”

The Committee has only just released its latest economic update ‘Transforming Geelong’ which highlights: major development projects worth in excess of $2 billion are underway in Geelong, with a further $1.1 billion in new projects planned. The region has a range of businesses that are in the top 500 private companies in Australia, including Cotton On, GMHBA and MC Herd.

Then there’s the 3,000 jobs just at Armstrong Creek, the doubling of Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre, the $100 million that Coles is investing that will create 800 in-store jobs, the doubling of Coles’ Chef Fresh production in Breakwater, the $80 million project to build 180 public and 180 private homes in the northern suburbs by 2015, and the 50-year plan to develop the Port of Geelong.

Ms Casson said the focus now is on growing the scale and strength of Geelong’s economy as it transforms from a manufacturing stronghold to a knowledge and skillsbased economy. “Being positive about the future certainly takes courage, but we have to advocate for Geelong with passion and pride and one voice in order to make Geelong a world class place to live, work and invest.”

Mayor of Geelong, Darryn Lyons on Geelong: Yes We Can “I think there’s a lot of optimism about the region and Geelong, it just doesn’t get reported in the major dailies.”

As the Mayor so emphatically pointed out, that just between the new developments at Leopold and Lara, there were more jobs created in one day last year than were announced were going at Ford’s manufacturing plant.

“We’ve got great business success stories: we’ve got Cotton On and Barwon Health and Deakin University… I’ve had people over from Dubai last week and they want to set up here in Geelong. I’ve had people from Melbourne and Sydney saying they want to set up here in Geelong.

“We need to be far more proactive and not reactive as a City. We have been reactive. When the question is asked: Can we do this? The answer has been: Oh well, we’ll see, and then there are so many stumbling blocks put in the way. I’ve done business here myself as small businesses, I’ve been through all that and it’s got to stop.

The Council’s recent adoption of the Central Geelong Action Plan brings the promise of action in the city, not just talking or planning, “My aim, over the next three years, is to encourage more businesses into the city, and the only way to do that is the beautification of the city. The free ticket periods are revolutionising city trading. Some businesses are telling me that they’ve either doubled or trebled turnover on the weekends, when there’s free parking. Café Lorae told me that they’ve opened an extra day per week and have put on another three staff. I don’t want to be known as Geelong

CBD centric, but I know that it is the pulsating heart of our 21st Century city.

“When you’re talking small businesses, I love the flourishing of the Bellarine and the food and wine businesses there are a real passion of mine. I had a fantastic meeting with Leura Park who have done some amazing things are going to do even more amazing things. I love the little micro businesses that are setting up, particularly the micro Ag businesses and I think the whole food and wine industry on the Bellarine is going be a massive success. It’s going to take time, but it’s happening.

“That’s another reason why we need to get the cruise ships here. They can go straight into Geelong, they can turn left down the Bellarine or they can turn right down to the Great Ocean Road. We are very close to securing Geelong as a home base for 9 cruise ships a year, so Geelong would become the home of the cruise ship company.” But The Mayor said that it was up to the State Government to come to the party on the Yarra Street Pier. “The fact of the matter is that cruise ships bring in a million dollars a day – that’s 100 jobs. And I really want to see a conference centre down on the Waterfront area; it’s desperately needed.”

“If we can send that ‘Yes We Can!’ business attitude out there and the Council behind it can follow it up… but that has to be pressure from the people. I want small business people to tell me what they’re problems are so I can go and ask the question of why, why can’t it be done? The reasons might be good, but if they’re not, I want to know why. I want to send that message out to small business – Yes We Can! But I need the people on my side to put the pressure on the whole of City Hall, to go nuts on social media, because the people are the power behind the Mayor, and the pressure of the people is how things are going to change.”

BUSINESS NEWS | 17

COVER STORY

Dr Russell Walker, Executive Director of Enterprise Geelong on Geelong: Converting our opportunities into action With the world’s largest defence procurement project on the table, my discussion with Dr Russell Walker had to begin with Land 400.

“It really has the potential to be a major game changer obviously for Geelong, but also for Victoria more broadly and Australia as a whole,” Dr Walker said.

Land 400, or the Land Combat Vehicle System (LCVS) is the most expensive, most complex procurement project the Australian Army has ever undertaken, aiming to design and build a fleet of ‘smart tanks’ that would be integrated into a high tech data and management system by 2025. The current timeframes of the project would see manufacturing commence in 2017, and covers a 30-year manufacturing cycle followed by a 20 to 30-year maintenance cycle.

There is no doubt that there is serious competition for this contract from South Australia and with the closure of GM in 2017 and so much manufacturing capability leaving that state it is little wonder that the South Australian Premier, Jay Wetherill, and his Minister for Defence, Jack Snelling, have been lobbying hard to secure the Land 400 project for Adelaide. Geelong is arriving in the race twelve months behind Adelaide.

As the body that was established to advocate on behalf of business within Council departments, Enterprise Geelong

had a strong mandate to smooth the path of the new wave of businesses and industries coming to Geelong. Dr Walker said that a lot of that work happens in the background and in these early stages, much of that strategic policy work has involved putting in place systems and processes that allow for an expedited process for investors.

“We’ve got some terrific opportunities at the Geelong Ring Road Employment Precinct and I think we’ll see some rolling announcements out there later in the year.”

Other projects underway include the completion of the City’s Digital Economy Strategy that will include a plan of how best to enable Wi-Fi across the city centre. The development of a new Economic Development Strategy for the City is also underway and will, Dr Walker emphasised, be a real action plan, not a platitude-laden strategic statement document.

The Geelong Angel Investors Network has also kicked off and this group of experienced entrepreneurs and business people are not only looking to privately invest in promising startups, but have also joined Enterprise Geelong in discussions with the state and federal governments about putting a dedicated venture capital fund into place for Geelong. Add to that a series of Geelong investment roadshows in China being planned for April/May 2015 and a plethora of negotiations underway for further investment and a compellingly positive picture emerges.

Elaine Carbines, CEO of G21 Geelong Region Alliance on Geelong: There’s a lot going on in our region Elaine Carbines is another of those ‘key stakeholders’ who have been doing all that lobbying over the last decade and beyond to gain the government and private sector support it has taken to transition Geelong from being a traditional manufacturing city to a fast-growing city with a diverse economic base.

“There’s a lot of good things that are going to be happening this year, and of course it’s a state election year, so it’s an opportune time to seek investment from the major parties into our region as well. I notice that the Mayor has already started that campaign with the Yarra Street Pier project, and the opportunity that reconstructing the pier would afford the region is huge,” Ms Carbines said.

“What we need to do is to not only let people external to Geelong know that there is a lot of good things going on here, but we also need to affirm to our own people that it’s not all doom and gloom, that you don’t have to believe what you read in the dailies and see on the telly; because there is a lot going on here of which you can be extremely proud and feel confident about the future.”

Ms Carbines said the establishment of Enterprise Geelong has been a great move, introducing a one-stop-shop for potential investors interested in investing in Geelong.

“I understand that there has been quite a lot of interest in companies relocating to Geelong, and even the Federal and State Government’s Geelong Region Innovation and

18 | BUSINESS NEWS

Investment Fund has attracted a lot of applications in relation to expanding employment opportunities in the region,” she said.

Ms Carbines highlighted the strength of science and research in the region as another area of burgeoning growth.

“I’m seeing great growth and interest in the production of carbon fibre, and of course Deakin University has the largest research facility in the southern hemisphere in relation to carbon fibre, and the potential to commercialise that research is huge. That’s really about the future of our region, the potential for carbon fibre production is enormous and the future of the car industry and the aviation industry is in carbon fibre. Our region is really at the forefront of that research,” she said.

“The investment into the Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases through the Federal Government and Deakin University and Barwon Health will see our region at the forefront of research globally looking at diseases that transfer from animals to people (otherwise known as zoonotic diseases). The potential for that research hub to become the centre for excellence globally is enormous – so there’s a lot going on in our region.”

Other areas of significant growth highlighted by Ms Carbines were tourism and advanced manufacturing.

“There is an enormous amount of work going on that will hopefully help diversify our economy and employ our people into the future,” she said.

COVER STORY

Bernadette Uzelac, CEO of the Geelong Chamber of Commerce on Geelong: There’s never been a better time to do business in Geelong “There’s so much positive energy – particularly in the small to medium business sector. There are a lot of creative and talented and innovative businesses that are starting up or growing, building and diversifying; the vibe within the Geelong business sector just seems to be very strong and positive at the moment.

Ms Uzelac said the Chamber and the City have been working over a long period on attracting new industries to Geelong, with same major announcements expected over the year ahead.

“There are new opportunities in advanced manufacturing and we really do need to recognise that we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. It’s not about ditching manufacturing. Manufacturing is very important to the nation, we need to make things in this city and we need to add to our GDP, but it’s the way that we go around that.”

The future of manufacturing of Geelong is already happening, with a number of SME enterprises performing strongly and forging into global markets with high tech design and sophisticated manufacturing processes.

“We already have strength in engineering skills, research and composite materials - there could be a vast array of businesses, from commercial businesses to public private

T

his is the picture as it stands. We know that the future of Shell’s Geelong Refinery has shifted from negative to positive several times, and we can see the very ominous clouds gathering over Alcoa’s Port Henry Smelter. These announcements – if or when

partnerships that could emerge from those areas, and Deakin is, of course, a very big player in that mix. Carbon fibre is, of course, one of those areas that is certainly a hero industry. As Jane den Hollander has said, it’s the aluminium of the 21st century.”

Ms Uzelac said the rapid expansion of the healthcare sector in Geelong would see health continuing to underpin our local economy. She highlighted the Epworth that is to be built, the expansion of Barwon Health and St John of God, and that Deakin has more health students in 2014 than ever before. That growth is also seeing the wider health sector also grow.

“People are looking to the future and where the growth in jobs will be in the future, and there are so many opportunities for people to retrain into the health sector.

There is real growth that’s going to come out of our health sector, our advanced manufacturing techniques and the like,” she said.

“I don’t think there’s any silver bullet. We’re not going to be able to come out and say that next week there’s a major new industry just going to arrive on the doorstep of Geelong. These things take a long time to negotiate, as you can well imagine, but I really think it’s just a matter of time before we start to see some major announcements with some of these things.”

they come – will make the headlines, we certainly all know that. But the good news is out there already, and across 2014, there will be more of it, a lot more of it… there is a lot going on behind the scenes, and we’ll let you know about all of it just as soon as we can.

DAVINA MONTGOMERY

BUSINESS NEWS | 19

INFORMATION ABOUT PROBATE AND DECEASED ESTATES (will with an appointed executor)

What is probate?

Probate is the term used throughout Australia for the process by which a person named as executor in the last valid will of a deceased person becomes entitled to stand in the shoes of the deceased for the purposes of distributing the deceased’s assets in accordance with the deceased’s will.

The executor must apply for a Supreme Court order for a grant of probate according to the rules which apply in the state or territory in which the deceased lived. In some cases, the Court’s power to grant probate (in uncontested matters) is delegated to the Registrar of Probates who functions separately to the Court via the Probate Office.

As part of the application process the executor must prove the will, in other words, the executor must produce and lodge the original of the will and swear on affidavit that it is the last known will of the deceased. In most cases this is just a formal process which goes smoothly, but occasionally the Probate Office will have some questions or require more information and, even more rarely, there may be some challenge to the validity of the will.

Probate has nothing to do with probate duty which was a state based tax applying to deceased estates throughout Australia and abolished many years ago.

Do you need probate?

The executor is not legally obliged to obtain probate, however there are a number of scenarios where, practically speaking, the executor will need to obtain probate, namely: · If the deceased owned real estate either solely or as a tenant in common, and · If the deceased held significant bank account balances solely (banks vary as to their requirements but anything over around $10,000 is likely to require probate) So for an estate with a jointly owned home and minimal other assets, there may be no need to obtain probate, and the executor could simply administer the will using a copy of the will and copy of the death certificate to satisfy all necessary authorities.

Some important facts about probate in Australia •

A grant of probate once made in a state or territory can be registered or resealed in any other state or territory without the need to reswear affidavits or prove the will again.

•

Some states and territories have a simplified regime for small estates (estates worth less than a prescribed maximum figure varying between $10,000 and $50,000)

•

In all states and territories (apart from SA) you must give at least 14 days notice of your intention to apply for probate by publishing a notice to that effect.

•

All states and territories allow claims to be made against an estate by persons who may have been inadequately provided for in the will (testator’s family maintenance or TFM claims)

The contents of this information sheet is intended as general advice only and should not be relied upon for any specific circumstances. If you require specific advice on your own personal circumstances then please contact us. If you require financial and/or accounting advice you should contact a qualified APS EDITORIAL FOOTER.pdf 1 17/10/13 1:09 PM accountant and/or financial adviser.

D I S C L O S U R E I N F O R M AT I O N

Membership of APS Bene ts automatically entitles you to a funeral bene t issued by APS Bene ts. You should consider the Combined Product Disclosure Statement & Financial Services Guide (available from APS Bene ts or our web site on www.apsbs.com.au) before making a decision to become a member of APS Bene ts or buy any products offered by APS Bene ts. Financial services provided by Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd are provided under its AFSL No. 244115. APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 305923 of Futuro Financial Services Pty Ltd (‘Futuro’). Financial services provided by APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd are provided under Futuro’s AFSL No. 238478. APS Savings Disclaimer: *This is not a bank product, it is an unlisted APS Note. No independent assessment has been made about the risk to investors losing any of their principal investment. Applications for APS Notes can only be made on the Investment Application Form which accompanies the prospectus issued by APS Savings Ltd. Please read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to make an investment. APS Wills & Estates: Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

D I S C L O S U R E I N F O R M AT I O N

Membership of APS Bene ts automatically entitles you to a funeral bene t issued by APS Bene ts. You should consider the Combined Product Disclosure Statement & Financial Services Guide (available from APS Bene ts or our web site on www.apsbs.com.au) before making a decision to become a member of APS Bene ts or buy any products offered by APS Bene ts. Financial services provided by Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd are provided under its AFSL No. 244115. APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 305923 of Futuro Financial Services Pty Ltd (‘Futuro’). Financial services provided by APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd are provided under Futuro’s AFSL No. 238478. APS Savings Disclaimer: *This is not a bank product, it is an unlisted APS Note. No independent assessment has been made about the risk to investors losing any of their principal investment. Applications for APS Notes can only be made on the Investment Application Form which accompanies the prospectus issued by APS Savings Ltd. Please read the prospectus carefully before deciding whether to make an investment. APS Wills & Estates: Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.

1300 131 809

www.apsbs.com.au

Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd

T

hree generations of family tradition and innovation has seen a small family owned business grow into a national organisation.

In 1976, Doug and wife Marilia started JD & MA Holmes Earthmovers.

John and younger brother Scott joined the team, which would lay pipes and manufacture concrete pits on site.

The days were long and the labour backbreaking. Manufacturing concrete pits on site was the only way known to the industry at the time and the labour to do so was strenuous.

Fast forward 38 years, and what was once known as a small local earthmoving company has now grown to become Australia’s largest custom pre-cast concrete pit manufacturer, with nine manufacturing areas and over 100 employees nationwide.

Doug, John and Scott would continue to lay stormwater pipe and manufacture pits on site. The time taken to manufacture each pit on site led the company to begin experimenting with different ways to increase productivity; in particular a precast concrete pit.

“We would get home from laying pipe and pouring pits on site, go out into the shed to box and pour pre-cast pits to see how they would come out,” John recalls from his early experimental days.

Not ones to put their feet up after a day’s work, many of the future manufacturing issues were reviewed and solved through those early experiments. Born was the idea of forming moulds, mixing concrete by hand and pouring concrete into the mould. The result was their first ever precast pit.

It is no secret that Aus Pits Director, John Holmes, has a strong business sense and a work ethic to match.

After months of refining the manufacturing skills, the trio sought engineered certification to the pits and began to market their new product.

The partnership of JD & MA Holmes progressed to Holmes Earthmoving, where

Local councils saw the innovation of precast being used on several private projects

and liked the idea of the quick solution, as well as the time saving benefits. Exposure continued to grow and further surrounding councils and contractors began to award small projects to the team.

With increasing success, Geelong Precast Pits came to fruition and the Holmes family could separate themselves as competitors and establish themselves as suppliers to the earthmoving industry.

As Holmes Earthmoving began to downscale, Doug, John and Scott began to increase the profile of Geelong Precast Pits, capitalising on the fact there were no other local pre-cast suppliers.

The first large project awarded to Geelong Precast Pits was a project awarded by Rodgers & Vickers for a project in Moolap, which would require the Holmes family to work the entire Easter period of 1987 in order to ensure the project could begin on time and continue to progress, a vision that is still shared today at Aus Pits.

Geelong Precast Pits was now beginning to win larger projects and expand its services throughout Victoria. Contractors

Solve. Develop. Deliver.

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New South Wales, to gain further exposure and spread the Vic Pits brand wider than the borders of Victoria.

Armed with his business model, the first major project John set his sights on was the Chinderah to Yelgun bypass project, being completed by Abi Group in 2002.

In the early stages of tender, John was knocked back, saying there was no way a Victorian-based company would be awarded a Queensland project.

had the confidence that pre-cast storm water pits were saving time and money, and with the ability to deliver large quantities of pits. This meant the contractors could continue laying storm water pipe without delay, regardless of the site conditions.

In 1995, the company was rebranded to Vic Pits to reflect that the company was now servicing the entire state of Victoria. Vic Pits had projects in Bendigo, Warrnambool and the high profile redevelopment works at the MCG and Toyota plant project.

With pre-cast pits still being a relatively new product within the civil construction industry, Vic Pits would be rejected from supplying products to some sectors.

However, armed with engineered specifications, John Holmes would continue to present technical information to potential clients and wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer.

“I would never let a door shut on me,” Holmes recalls.

“Every pit we delivered to site was a marketing opportunity, and gave Vic Pits the opportunity to get our name out on site to potential clients.”

The hard work began to pay off for Vic Pits, when sections of the Western Ring Road project was awarded in the mid 90’s, and in 1999, a one-off project saw the company complete the M5 upgrade in NSW prior to the Olympic games taking place.

Vic Pits’ business model from back then has not changed and is what separates it from its competitors. The manufacturing company does not carry stock, electing to be a custom built, just in time manufacturer that has teams of people working directly with their client to achieve a high level of customer service through its design and tendering processes.

After the introduction of the GST, spending in the industry was much more cautious.

John Holmes started to investigate potential opportunities in Queensland and

“We tendered the Chinderah to Yelgun project, with no early success because we were Victorian-based, and had not a lot of experience with Northern States projects,” John said.

Holmes went to Queensland to meet with Abi Group, to discuss how versatile Vic Pits were as a pre-caster, and how it could deliver the project to save time and money.

To further impress the contractor, John rented an old shed, placed some moulds in it and showcased this as the newly setup manufacturing area in Murwillumbah, NSW. This announced that the Vic Pits brand was once again looking to diversify and it had no boundaries.

The Chinderah to Yelgun project was awarded and won by Vic Pits, and manufacture began on the sixmonth project, out of the newly set-up Murwillumbah yard.

Further projects were tendered and won throughout the states of New South Wales and Queensland. It soon became evident that the brand name Aus Pits would better serve the company in the States outside Victoria.

South Australia was another market Vic Pits were successful in, with the delivery of the Adelaide Desalination project. Just over 900 tonne of products were delivered within a six month timeframe, resulting in high client satisfaction.

“I didn’t want to over-complicate things, and I gave the board members the direction to oversee the restructure to get Aus Pits in a position as if it were going to publically list tomorrow.”

Aus Pits also needed a new face to head the company, and a short list of potential CEO’s was compiled, and an interview process was underway.

After an arduous process, long serving Aus Pits employee, Pat Moulton was given the nod ahead of a high quality list of candidates.

Holmes elaborated: “Having Pat appointed, and with him coming from an internal role, means Aus Pits can continue to maintain its ongoing structure and culture.”

Since the beginning of the company, it is always looking ahead to the future and growth, which is an integral part of the longevity of the organisation, and 2014/15 is no different.

The initial business model developed back in the Geelong Precast Pits days is still the same business model that Aus Pits operates on, and the success of the everexpanding company is no fluke.

Aus Pits will continue to provide a high level of customer service to its clients, to ensure timeliness of projects is adhered to and to remove an element of risk from the client’s project.

The company will always be versatile and flexible in the volume of products it produces to meet client needs, to cope with those smaller projects right up to large developments, such as the Port Botany project in NSW that Aus Pits recently undertook and delivered with high success.

John Milone

Vic Pits had now carried out projects in most states around Australia, which brought about the decision to rebrand the entire company as Aus Pits, to reflect its nation-wide service to clients.

The company was led from strength to strength, each year experiencing steady growth in both production and clients.

In 2012, Managing Director, John Holmes felt the time was right for a company restructure and to hand over the reins and to allow the young company and its employees to grow.

With this decision in mind an Advisory Board was set up, with John appointing three long-time business friends.

“I appointed three of the best people I know onto the Aus Pits board,” John explains.

BUSINESS NEWS | 23

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“Browns have been supplying our uniforms and promotional clothing for the last 6 years. We have been impressed with Brown’s very high level of customer service and product quality.”

Dressing for work made easy

Edith McArthur – Victorian Regional Channels

“We get great service from Brown’s Corporate Uniforms. We would not go anywhere else. All our staff are very happy with their uniforms.”

Ross Duff – Duff’s Jewellers

Free Embroidery Set Up (More than 10 units) | High Quality | High Fashion FREE PARKING OUT BACK | Affordable | Tax Effective | Generous Discount for Quantity Buy

B

rown’s Mensland over the past 20 years has branched out into corporate uniforms. In recent years there has been a huge growth in the corporate uniform range for both Men and Women.

Brown’s Corporate Uniforms headed by Peter Brown & Sonia Augustynowicz with 6 support staff, offers a customised service that includes a uniform selection that is quite diverse. The range is very extensive and extremely fashionable. Gone are the days of boring old fashioned uniforms, today’s classy yet classical uniforms are exciting for even the savviest fashionistas.

Sonia says “We often get comments on how well fitting the uniforms are and the wide range of fashionable styles on offer” We also get feedback from customers about other suppliers not providing the same level of service as we do, the wide range of uniforms and the turn around time of 2-3 weeks from time of order.

We also provide an alteration service which means we can custom fit your uniforms. Sonia with over 30 years experience in retail clothing in both Mens and Womens fashion would be more then happy to help any business large or small.

She leads the team at Brown’s Corporate Uniforms having a real passion for fashion.

Being professionally trained shows, as she finds the perfect fit and look for everyone.

Brown’s Corporate Uniforms is very pleased to welcome back Jessica, with her 5 years of experience. A customer service professional who handles orders from 1-1000 with a thorough manner. Jessica has a vast knowledge of embroidery & screen printing on

garments. Jessica works along side Sonia & Peter to assist clients with their orders.

Peter says “We currently service businesses from 3-300 employees, these included a vast range of industries, from hospitality, health care, child care, industrial, office administration and the list goes on, servicing as far as the western suburbs of Melbourne all the way to Apollo Bay.” Individually styled uniforms, can be created to suit the business needs.

Colours are very important to give that distinctive individual look. In addition to the extensive corporate range, Browns also stocks an extensive range of retail items, we specialise in suit hire, perfect for weddings, formals, parties and any major event through Ferrari formal suit hire.

There is a wealth of expertise at Brown’s Mensland with over 120 years of collective retail experience amongst the loyal staff, who are armed with a deep and thorough knowledge of what their customers are looking for. We take pride in arranging colours, styles and fabrics that compliment particular body shapes to suit customers needs. As an integral part of the community for the past 50 years, Brown’s Mensland and now Brown’s Corporate Uniforms, thank you for your support. Next time you are looking for uniforms, please consider us, we are more then happy to assist you.

Brown’s Corporate Uniforms 158-164 Pakington Street GEELONG WEST 3218 P 03 5229 3233 F 03 5229 2062 E orders@bcu.net.au W bcu.net.au

it Pant, Ladies Sleeveless Dress rt, Ladies Contour Pant Personalised Fitting & Service | No Job Too large or too small Larger sizes available - up to Womens 30 & Mens 5XL | Screen Printing

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Crowe Horwath servicing Geelong for over 50 years...

From the days of Day Neilson Jenkins & John, through to Day Neilson, WHK Day Neilson, WHK and now Crowe Horwath – the firm has evolved from a local private practice to being part of an international affiliation. One thing has not changed, being our level of services and focus on local business within the Geelong region.

Most local Geelong businesses would not have experienced such change, diversity and development. Not surprisingly, this has been a strategic decision to respond to change, to economic and technological advancements, and to consumer needs as the world has changed around us.

Over the past 50 years, Crowe Horwath advisors have collectively assisted thousands of Geelong clients with their financial affairs and provided employment to several hundred individuals enabling them to provide for themselves and their families.

Now the largest accounting and financial services firm in the region, Crowe Horwath is well positioned to handle complex local and regional business and investment transactions. One advantage of its size is the ability to develop specialist niche expertise like Business Valuations, Corporate Finance, M&A, Franchising, Not for Profit, Government Grants and more. Another advantage of its size is its ability to attract high quality employees to regional Victoria – so that staff can enjoy the benefits of rural and coastal lifestyles without compromising on the standard of challenging work and salaries. The Geelong office now employs 95 staff all of whom are local to the region.

Whilst the business has grown in size, SME’s remain the key businesses that Crowe Horwath work with, providing support to the many family owned small and medium businesses in the region. As businesses grow and develop we have the depth of resources and expertise to service their needs.

Originally an accounting and audit firm, the business has developed Business Advisory and Tax Consulting streams, and was one of the early leaders in providing financial

planning and advisory services to clients too. It has also introduced Risk Insurance, General Insurance, and Lending Broking, essentially creating a full range financial service firm all under the one roof.

Experience has proven this to be a winning formula with advisors being able to internally confer, to obtain the best financial and transactional results for clients, rather than clients having to visit various advisors at various locations – sometimes being given conflicting advice. For instance, a family business may need to restructure due to intergenerational succession planning. Normally this would involve consulting many professionals to cover expert tax advice, accounting issues, refinancing and financial planning. The Crowe Horwath model allows all these services to be provided by the one firm, saving the client both time and costs and with a better outcome.

Most recently Cloud Accounting has become a focus for Crowe Horwath, assisting business clients to migrate from traditional financial software solutions and hardware, to online financial subscriptions - namely Xero, MYOB Live, Reckon One, and Phoenix Live.

With technology, communication, trade and investment bringing the world to our doorstep, Crowe Horwath ‘s national and international structure can facilitate a network of advisers, information and contacts to the Geelong business community. This unique business model assists clients to compete at any level and in any industry – locally, nationally and internationally.

Never one to shirk its community responsibilities, the staff at Crowe Horwath are passionate about giving back to the local community. This is achieved through direct payroll deduction and Loaned Executive support with Give Where You Live, blood donation drives, gifted funds to the Geelong Community Foundation, support of charity events, Staff Social Committee fund raising, and through positions on Boards and Committees.

So accounting and finance has moved to a whole new level over the past 50 years…….

BUSINESS NEWS | 27

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W

ightons Lawyers started back in 1898 when James Wighton commenced practice in Geelong. The firm became Wighton & McDonald in the 1920’s.

In 2000 we changed our name simply to Wightons Lawyers.

We offer a wide range of skills and accredited specialists in different areas of the law to serve you.

We pride ourselves on our ability to meet the needs of our clients. In undertaking this task, our lawyers take the time to develop a full understanding of each client’s personal and legal situation so as to ensure that a global solution tailored to their needs can be achieved.

We have available services from accredited specialists in the fields of criminal law, business law and wills and estates. We also have one of Geelong’s only practising Notary Public. As well, our experienced legal practitioners offer services in the areas of commercial litigation, family law, commercial leases and business acquisitions, trusts and incorporation of businesses.

We maintain integrity, confidentiality, independence and a superior level of technical expertise. This commitment provides on-going benefits to you through the delivery of effective legal advice and service and through our offices located in Geelong, Corio and Winchelsea.

Our mission statement to deliver all legal services to our clients in a manner which is professional, honest, fair, prompt, ethical, effective, timely and efficient.

Wills and Estates At Wightons Lawyers we have four lawyers who are engaged in preparation of Wills as a major part of their work. All different types of Will provisions are covered.

We can assist you with all your property transactions and issues that you may have: • Selling or buying residential property • Mortgagee in possession sales and purchases • Subdivisions and off the plan developments • Creation and removal of easements • Owners Corporations - creation and buying or selling property where an owners corporation operates • Buying and Selling of commercial premises • General Law conversions • Adverse Possession claims • Completion of terms contracts From left: Justine Finlay, Murray Pegg, Susan Fridey

• Buying and selling of farms and rural properties • Advice as to Retirement Village and Aged Care Facility agreements

FREE LEGAL ADVICE We offer free legal advice clinics at both of our offices, as follows: Geelong – 89 Myers Street, – Wednesday evenings 5–8pm Corio – Corio Shopping Centre, Bacchus Marsh Road – Thursday evenings 5–7pm All interviews are 15 minutes in duration and appointments are essential.

We also offer a dedicated Family Law clinic at our Geelong office on Wednesday afternoons, providing 30 minute appointments.

After hours emergency legal advice - 24 hours - call 5221 8777

Wightons Lawyers Family Law

Murray Pegg

◆

Our family law team acknowledges the impact of separation not only on the family unit but also on business and third parties.

Justine Finlay ▼◆ ■ Each matter is unique and requires consideration of many options to achieve a resolution which is tailored to your needs.

Susan Fridey

David Lindsay ▼■ David Lindsay Megan Blair Megan Blair • De facto relationships • Property settlements (including commercial interests) Domenic Care • Intervention Orders • Maintenance (child and spousal) Lauren Matthews • Department of Human Services • Child welfare issues - residence, contact and relocation Jesse Rankine Child Protection Application ▲ • Divorce Adrian Paull Shaun Moloney Shaun Moloney Resolution of disputes through conciliation and mediation options can provide a cost effective and timely conclusion.

Our experienced practitioners provide services in the areas of:

In the event that alterative dispute resolutions are not suitable then our practitioners appear in State and Federal Courts in both Melbourne and Geelong to obtain judicial determination of your claim and protection of your rights and responsibilities.

Our Family Law team comprises Susan Fridey, Lauren Matthews and Beth Arundell.

Criminal Law Our criminal law team can assist you in dealing with any criminal issues. Our solicitors appear in the Children’s Court, Magistrates Court, County Court and Supreme Court.

We can assist in bail applications and advise you on any charges you have received and assist with police interviews. Our team can advise you and prepare your case to enable you to obtain the best possible result.

If you are eligible for legal aid we are only too happy to assist with the application and guide you through the funding process.

Our team includes, Susan Fridey, Lauren Matthews and Simon Northeast, who is an accredited Criminal law Specialist.

Victims of Crime If you have been a victim of a criminal act, you may be eligible to lodge a Victims of Crime Assistance Application. We have experience in all areas of Victims of Crime Law; from immediate victims of violent crime (primary victims) to related victims.

We can help you through the entire application process from assisting in determining your eligibility to make a claim, lodging your initial application and appearing on your behalf before the tribunal.

Incorporation and Trusts Our commercial team can undertake the incorporation of a company for you, establish family or unit trusts and set up self managed superannuation funds. We are up to date with all of the relevant legislation and government requirements.

Commercial Law Our commercial law team can assist you in all of the following: • Buying or selling a business

• Establishing a business

• Retail and commercial leasing for landlords and tenants

• Business structuring and succession planning

• Franchising Our team comprises Murray Pegg, Megan Blair, Jesse Rankine and Shaun Moloney, as well as Justine Finlay who is an Accredited specialists in Business Law.

Commercial Litigation Unfortunately, matters can go wrong and you may find that you need to commence or defend court proceedings. Murray Pegg has had many years experience in taking proceedings on behalf of clients and defending proceedings in the Magistrates Court, County Court, Supreme Court, Federal Court and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Murray Pegg and Shaun Moloney can also assist you in debt collection and help you through insolvency issues.

Beth Arundell

Jesse Rankine

Megan Blair

Simon Northeast

Shaun Moloney

Lauren Matthews

BUSINESS NEWS | 29

At Kings Funerals...

Memories matter

Louise, Michael & Beth King

We love revisiting old family photos. They evoke such strong memories of conversations, places and times that we spent together.

Many families we work with find that including old family photos can be a wonderful way to create a personalised funeral service that reflects the life of the person who has died.

Friends and family from near and far also love to share their photographic memories on the eTributes we create for each person who comes into our care.

Proudly family owned and operated in Geelong since 1847

(03) 5248 3444 kingsfunerals.com.au

Kings Funerals is Geelong’s oldest funeral firm and we have been family owned and operated since 1847. Michael, Louise and Beth King and their dedicated team are proud to continue offering the families of Geelong professional advice and support to create the right funeral service for each person.

In 1955 Max King established Maxwell B. King Funeral Services in Bellarine Street, Geelong. Max and his wife Madge were deeply involved with their community and developed close links with many members of Geelong’s migrant communities in addition to their connections with families who had been living in Geelong for many generations. Max and Madge’s son, Michael joined them in 1983, after training as a funeral director in London and in 1992, E.H King and Co and Maxwell B. King and Sons merged to become Kings Funerals.

In November 1995 Kings Funerals introduced a new concept to broaden our range of specialist services to the families of Geelong. Noted for leading industry response to national and international market trends, Kings Funerals introduced an all women’s division, Louise King Funerals by Women, in response to a growing worldwide preference for the softer, more gentle approach that female funeral consultants and their staff can give. Now, 18 years later, Louise King Funerals by Women has built strong relationship in the community and a team of dedicated women led by Louise King and Tricia Van Grondelle.

Beth King, daughter of Michael and Louise King joined the business as General Manager in 2010. Beth has worked throughout Australia and internationally and through her extensive experience in events management and customer service continues to uphold the Kings philosophy of meeting and exceeding the needs of our client families. Beth King was the 2012 Australian Funeral Directors Association Scholarship winner and Valedictorian of the 2011/13 Leaders for Geelong program.

Kings Funerals is a global leader in funeral service and the team are continually looking for ways to improve funeral service and to offer new services that will be valued by our client families. This doesn’t mean turning our backs on timehonoured rituals that continue to bring comfort to grieving families but neither do we cling to tradition when it is no longer meaningful or relevant.

Our facilities at 130 Bellarine Hwy in Newcomb, 25 Myers St in Geelong and Lyndon Grove Receptions in Grovedale enable us to provide creative, flexible and highly personalised funeral services which are greatly appreciated by the client families we serve. The funeral service can be the single event to collectively pay tribute in many special ways. We place great importance on this time when friends and family reflect on a life.

Kings Funerals has offered online eTributes for the family of each deceased person since 2011. By providing a single location to share memories, post photos and place symbols of love, these personalised memorial sites have helped to bring people together, some of whom did not know each other prior to the death and many of whom are physically distant and unable to attend the service.

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In her presentation to the 2013 Australian Funeral Directors Association Annual Convention, Beth King explained how her firm balances innovation with respect for its history and values as follows:

Family owned funeral businesses have a unique advantage in providing their staff and client families with a sense of continuity in the midst of changes to the way funeral services are provided. I am part of the third generation of my family to serve our community and this connection to over 50 years of my parents’ and grandparents’ work is both humbling and motivating.

The values of our company today are the same they have always been – providing excellent service to the people of our region. Incorporating existing technological advances, as well as actively developing world first new technologies, is part of our drive to provide our clients with the services they expect from every other business sector.

Kings Funerals are confident that with a continued focus on building relationships with client families and community organisations underpinned by dedication to our core values, our business will continue to be a trusted, respected and innovative funeral provider in our region for many years to come.

We have a number of long standing relationships with community and sporting groups and are always looking for new ways to connect with community organisations. In recent years we have developed new partnerships with Give Where You Live, Korean Veterans Association, BacLinks, Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Osborne Park Association, BPW and Open House Geelong.

BUSINESS NEWS | 31

F

our generations of family tradition and innovation has seen a small family owned business grow into a large organisation.

However, the company hasn’t stayed at the forefront of the tile and plaster industry due to luck. Operating with integrity, honesty and reliability have been the key ingredients to their success- morals which have only seen the company go from strength to strength.

Since Francis Charles Walker started his plaster business on the corner of Pakington Street a series of key expansions have followed.

In 1923 the business was doing so well that Francis Charles and his wife Ethel purchased a Villamanta Street property known as Nenagh. Nenagh became the family home and the base for the expanding plaster operation. The company continued to expand and again relocated, this time to Price Street, still in Newtown, in order to cater for growing demand.

To this day Walkers has kept to its core business – plaster, tiles and insulation, but they have also embraced new trends in the building industry. In 1975, more expansion forced the company to secure additional land in Price Street.

It was a year after that George’s son Barry took on a senior management role at the business. Barry is now the company’s Managing Director. One of his earliest memories of working at the family business involved a tip truck and a load of slurry, the thick leftover from making fibrous plaster.

At the time aged 12, Barry’s job was to dig out the slurry before it set and place it in the company’s old tip truck.

“I’d start working at Walkers during the school holidays and I would clean the vehicles and drive the trucks in and out of the yard,” he said.

“One day I drove the tip truck full of slurry to the top of the drive and discovered the brakes were gone...suffice to say I went straight through the fence at the back.”

By now it had become a truly family enterprise. Their four sons – Frank, Jack, George and Les all followed in their father’s footsteps, with FC Walker becoming FC Walker & Sons.

Despite the mess, the damage, and no doubt the wrath of his parents, George and Muriel, Barry kept his holiday job and on January 19, 1967, aged 15, he started his plastering apprenticeship with the company.

In 1968 the introduction of plasterboard revolutionised the building industry. FC Walker & Sons was the first major contributor to embrace and promote the radical new product. At the same time the company expanded the tiling side of its operations as ceramic tiles became increasingly popular.

Following a short stint at the tile shop in Geelong West, Barry moved into administration, contracting, quoting and supervising domestic and commercial work. “I’ve looked after the contracting side of the business ever since,” he said.

‘With over 100 years of history spanning four generations, the award-winning Walkers has been a name synonymous with quality product, workmanship, service and value for money since its humble beginnings in 1906.’

32 | BUSINESS NEWS

TIME HONOURED A modern showroom was built in West Fyans Street in 1990. By then the company was employing more than 80 people. In 2000 Walkers Building and Decorator products consolidated its operation into a state- ofthe-art showroom in West Fyans Street, Newtown. The consolidation was another milestone in the evolution of the family company.

The family has also played a wider role in the Geelong community, with several members having served on councils. That strand goes all the way back to the founder Francis Charles who gave 35 years to Geelong West and served as mayor from 1927-29. His son George was also mayor of Geelong West and was a councillor from 1960-83.

of products, diverse services for commercial and residential properties. Beyond the Geelong areas, Walkers also specialise in servicing the Werribee, Point Cook, Bannockburn Surf Coast and Bellarine areas. The Walkers trade centre in Geelong features a handy drive through service, is the home for plaster and compounds, insulation, decorative cornice, rosettes, render, tools and a massive range of tiles and accessories.

His son Barry followed as councillor of the City of Geelong West in 1983 and continued to serve the amalgamated City of Greater Geelong, and again, in 1991, taking office as City mayor.

Executive Director and company secretary Geoff Tamplin epitomises the values of a successful family business having notched up 50 years of continuous service with Walkers. “Many of the team joined Walkers when the company was much smaller and have grown along with it. We collectively have hundreds of years experience and we have very little staff turnover,” he said.

Now a fourth generation of Walkers is continuing the family tradition. Barry’s sons Chris, Tim and Ryan all work for the company in senior roles. Chris is the Contracts Coordinator/Director, Tim heads the sales team as the Sales Director and Ryan has recently joined the team as Finance Director. Walkers have a large range

Directors: From left to right: Geoff Tamplin, Tim Walker, George Walker, Ryan Walker, Barry Walker, Chris Walker

Walkers drive through trade centre

93 West Fyans St Newtown W www.walkers.com.au P 5222 1255

F 5225 4052

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OPINION

Local Government Review: time for a change The selection of Darryn Lyons as Mayor of the CoGG is terrific news for our City. Darryn is proactive, visionary and has a desire for change, and these are all essential characteristics for the future of Geelong.

T

he CfG believes that the Directly Elected Mayoral system is vital for Geelong into the future and we are pleased that this new system for Geelong has generated so much interest and debate within the local community, and beyond.

Similarly, the recent Local Government Electoral Review discussion paper has called for debate and submissions on the future electoral representation of the CoGG. The CfG has made a submission in response to the review and we have recommended a redesign of the electoral representation for the CoGG. In summary, the CfG has suggested that: • the directly elected Mayor concept be retained, • the Mayor given enhanced powers, authority and resources, • the concept expanded to include a directly elected Deputy Mayor, • the Mayor and Deputy Mayor elected as a team, • the Council to comprise a total of nine Councillors, • Councillor representation to be achieved through a ‘mixed model’ of four Councillors elected from wards and three elected from across the whole community.

Geelong is facing a number of challenges as its economic and social profile change. It is therefore imperative that the Council of the CoGG is properly structured and equipped to be able to play a robust leadership role in meeting those challenges.

For Geelong to become a world-class City, there is a need to have a Council structure that will not only allow for the effective

delivery of local day-to-day services that a modern society requires, but can also enable the articulation of a shared vision for the future. Going forward, the CfG would like to see a directly elected Mayor with more power and authority who, when supported by a group of councillors with a ‘big picture’ focus, can contribute strongly to the economic and social wellbeing of Geelong, its citizens and its business enterprises.

This is an explicit rejection of the ‘one among equals’ Mayoral role currently in place.

In 2011-12, the CfG warned that the concept of grafting a Mayor onto the existing representational structure was not best practice and it maintains this view. A successful precedent has already been set in Victoria with the dual model used for the City of Melbourne. It would be good to see these provisions guide the arrangements for Geelong.

In addition, while single Councillor wards were popular following the restructuring of municipal boundaries in the mid 1990’s, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of municipalities divided into single Councillor wards since 2003 – from 43 municipalities in 2003, to 11 in 2012, a reduction of 32. It should be noted that the CoGG remains the only Victorian local government area at the maximum limit for Councillor numbers. The CfG considers that this 12-Councillor structure has not delivered the community of interest benefits sought by the Victorian Electoral Commission review in 2008.

The current VEC review and the legislation provide sufficient scope and flexibility to allow a ‘mixed model’ option to be considered. This model is based on international best practice and strengthens the Mayor’s role as the centerpiece of arrangements, which is essential for modernised local government in Geelong.

Designing electoral representation is not an exact science and relies on considered experimentation, careful review and fresh implementation, which is essential for Geelong’s future prosperity. This is a critical time for strong leadership in Geelong and the CfG looks forward to the future with much optimism for the changes required to our Local Government.

Rebecca Casson Chief Executive Officer at the Committee for Geelong

Corporate Authorised Representative of Roderick Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd. AFS Licence No. 246613 Car No. 366697

Tresidder Insurance Group Pty Ltd 116 Yarra Street Geelong Vic 3220 P: (03) 5226 5999 E: info@tresidders.com.au

www.tresidders.com.au

36 | BUSINESS NEWS

Members of

LEGAL

Court rules in favour of a 50-50 split A recent decision by the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia may have changed the landscape for future cases where one party claims to have made a greater contribution to the asset pool than the other. This decision will mean that in future, the court is unlikely to consider that one party is entitled to a greater share of the assets based on “special contributions”.

The case in point (Kane & Kane) was one of a couple that had been in a relationship for more than 30 years and had four children together. They held joint assets with the bulk of their assets being in a self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF).

All of the assets were accumulated through the joint efforts of both the husband and wife. Later in the relationship the husband, despite objections from his wife, invested significantly using funds from their SMSF. These investments resulted in a significant increase in the overall superannuation entitlements of both the husband and wife.

During the trial, the husband asserted that he had made ‘special contributions’ over and above that of the wife, because he had made the decision to invest after a great deal of research, which resulted in a significant increase in the assets.

Therefore, he sought to receive a greater percentage in the distribution of the assets than the wife, which she opposed.

In handing down his decision, the trial judge considered whether this growth in value was due to the “investment skill of the husband, his acumen or mere market forces” and found in favour of the husband. He asserted that without the husband’s “skill in selecting and pursing the investment” the couple’s superannuation interests “would be currently worth substantially less”. The trial judge went on to say that “the husband’s contributions to those superannuation interests were substantially greater than those of the wife”.

As a result the trial judge awarded the husband about 65% of the asset pool and the wife 35%.

Confused by Workplace Laws?

In a statement the Full Court said that it is often “difficult to correlate effort or skill (even if special) with result”. This is because often contributions are “influenced by external factors beyond the control of the party contributing”. The Full Court specifically noted that: “the husband’s skill did not prevent loses in other investments, which he appeared to have allocated not only to his superannuation fund but also to that of his wife”. The Full Court specifically distinguished “special skills” which do not always produce results to that of “injections of sums of money or assets acquired by windfall” which are properly considered as contributions.

The Full Court said that: “Unacceptable weight to the special skill of the husband” was applied by the trial judge, particularly given the long relationship of almost 30 years. There was no binding authority that the trial judge was bound to follow to consider “special skills” and there is no reference to “special skill” in the relevant sections of the Family Law Act. The Full Court asked the question whether generally people would agree to share investment losses equally, but only one person gain if an investment is successful. Clearly, most parties would not agree to this. Accordingly, the Full Court found that the decision of the trial judge was not “just and equitable” and wrongly influenced by reference to the husband’s alleged “special skill”. The case has been remitted for rehearing.

This case has significant consequences for those business professionals who may view themselves as having made a greater contribution to assets of a relationship than their partner due to their business acumen, professional skill or knowledge.

This decision clearly states that unless there are exceptional circumstances, no percentage adjustment will be made in favour of one party for “special skills” in the division of the relationship asset pool.

Bridgette Kelly Senior Associate, Family Law

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www.harwoodandrews.com.au BUSINESS NEWS | 37

TAX

Professionals Beware: Tax Office approaching On 22 November 2013, the ATO issued a press release aimed at the professional services sector. The press release mentions accountants and lawyers, but can include doctors and dentists, architects, chiropractors and broadly, anyone paid for specialised services in a particular field.

I

n brief, the press release indicates that the ATO will begin a new round of compliance activity of professional service providers. The compliance activity will focus on income splitting through partnerships that have discretionary trusts as partners. The press release follows several years of the ATO focusing their energies elsewhere. In 2006, the ATO introduced strict on-charging rules in relation to the mark up the ATO would permit service trusts to charge related entities. At the time, the ATO was of the view that too many professionals were inflating charge up rates in order to split income.

New and recently restructured professional firms As a result of ATO activity in 2006, a number of professional service firms restructured so that they were no longer operating in the service trust arrangement that the ATO was targeting.

Also, many new professional services providers that have been established since 2006 have opted to run their practice through structures other than service trust arrangements. This includes partnerships where the partners include the professional service providers’ family discretionary trust.

income makes its way into the individual professional’s 2013/14 income tax return. Professionals will need to ensure that they have sound documentation and commercial justification for professional income that ends up being declared by family members. Generally, the Commissioner won’t examine income years earlier than 2013/14 unless he has reasonable grounds for believing the partnership of trusts arrangement is either a sham or is insufficiently documented; or if insufficient capital gains tax was paid on the restructure.

What should you do?

It is critical for professional service providers that restructured anytime from the 2005 year of income onwards to contact their accountant or financial adviser during the 2013/14 year of income.

This is to ensure that appropriate amounts of professional income are declared in the professional’s tax return. Professional service providers that are either recent start ups or did not restructure from the 2006 income should review their arrangements within the next 12 months with their accountant or financial adviser to take account of any further ATO developments in this area.

The ATO is initially focusing their attention on professionals using partnerships of discretionary trusts and, in particular, restructured entities rather than start ups. However, it is understood that the ATO activity could be expanded to include other sorts of professional practice structures and start ups. At the moment, professional company practices and even company partners appear to be acceptable. The press release states that while the ATO accepts that professionals may legitimately operate as a partnership of discretionary trusts, it believes these structures are increasingly being used by professionals to avoid their tax obligations.

The ATO has issued a Taxpayer Alert (“TA 2013/3”) in relation to this issue. This provides further information on the action that the ATO is taking and the mischief it is targeting. The Alert also contains disclosure options the ATO has made available for professionals likely to be affected by this new round of compliance activity.

What is the fundamental issue?

Tax Consultant, Crowe Horwath, Geelong Office

The fundamental issue that professional service firms need to address is the level of professional practice income that “comes home” to the professional partner from the 2013/14 year onwards.

At a basic level, this involves ensuring that most professional

This article provides general information only, current at the time of production. Any advice in it has been prepared without taking into account your personal circumstances. You should seek professional advice before acting on any material. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation (other than for the acts or omissions of financial services licensees) in each State or Territory other than Tasmania.

38 | BUSINESS NEWS

Fergus Weber

LEGAL

Binding Death Benefit Nominations: The Risks When it comes to Binding Death Benefit Nominations, be careful how they are worded. A recent case highlights that Nominations may not be binding if the trust deed is not complied with, and that the Trustees – including Directors of Corporate Trustees - could be in breach of their duties.

T

he Supreme Court of Victoria in the 2013 case of Wooster and Smoel v Morris upheld the validity of a contested Binding Death Benefit Nomination, and awarded costs against the Trustee of the selfmanaged superannuation fund for breaching its duty of impartiality.

The Wooster case highlights the risks for both beneficiaries and Trustees when dealing with Binding Death Benefit Nominations and SMSFs. The Facts Mr Morris executed a Binding Death Benefit Nomination in favour of his two daughters from his first marriage. Following Mr Morris’s death in February 2010, his second wife, Mrs Morris, was left as sole Trustee and sole member of the SMSF. She appointed her son as co-trustee and in 2011 they resigned as individual Trustees and appointed Upper Swan Nominees Pty Ltd as Corporate Trustee. Mrs Morris was appointed Sole Director of the Corporate Trustee.

He also held that neither Upper Swan nor Mrs Morris was entitled to an indemnity from the SMSF. Judicial Advice If there is any possibility of a dispute between members of an SMSF or its Trustees concerning, but not limited to, the payment of superannuation death benefits or the validity of a Binding Death Benefit Nomination, Justice McMillan notes the Trustee should apply to the Court of applicable jurisdiction for judicial advice in relation to the matters in dispute, especially if the Trustee has a financial interest in the SMSF. Conclusion

This case serves as a warning to both beneficiaries and Mrs Morris sought and obtained legal advice that the Binding Trustees of the risks associated with Binding Death Benefit Death Benefit Nomination was ineffective due to lack of Nominations and SMSFs. Firstly, there is a risk that a Binding compliance with formalities. Upper Swan Nominees accepted Death Benefit Nomination, if not drafted the advice and transferred Mr properly, may not be binding. Although Morris’s interest in the SMSF to Mrs The Wooster case highlights the this was not decided in the Wooster Morris. Mr Morris’s two daughters risks for both beneficiaries and case, the possibility is left open for challenged Upper Swan’s resolution, Trustees when dealing with future challenges. Secondly, there is and sought a declaration that the a risk that Trustees may breach their Binding Death Benefit Binding Death Benefit Nomination duties, particularly where the Trustee Nominations and SMSFs. was valid and binding on the Trustee. has a financial interest in the SMSF. In A Special Referee considered the such situations, the Trustee should seek matter and held the Binding Death Benefit Nomination was advice from a Court, rather than merely rely on legal advice. valid and the daughters were entitled to be paid the value of Additionally, there is a risk that Directors of a Corporate their father’s interest in the SMSF, some $925,000, together Trustee may be personally liable for mismanagement of the with statutory interest. Mrs Morris paid part of the interim fund. Here, the Court will pierce the Trustee’s corporate judgement but defaulted on the remainder. The daughters veil if it is satisfied that the person controlling the entity then sought an Order from the Supreme Court that the is sufficiently culpable and should be Binding Death Benefit Nomination was valid and that the punished for the improper conduct of the outstanding sum should be paid together with statutory Trustee. interest.

Findings Justice McMillan adopted the Special Referee’s report and held that the Binding Death Benefit Nomination was valid.

His Honour awarded costs against Mrs Morris personally and against Upper Swan in its capacity as Trustee, requiring that the costs be paid from Mrs Morris’s member balance.

Emily Capill Lawyer

BUSINESS NEWS | 39

THE TECH GUY

The Tech Guy

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

Finally – a real camera on a smartphone

The Nokia Lumia 1020 has arrived in Australia setting a new benchmark in smartphone imaging. Initially selling for $899 without contract, the street price has dropped to $599 and there simply isn’t a smartphone-camera combination out there that comes close at that price.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 features a second generation 41 megapixel sensor, with Carl Zeiss optics and six physical lenses to produce some of the sharpest images of any smartphone or digital camera. The sensor allows people to zoom in up to three times so they can see the minute detail on people’s faces or the veins on a blade of grass. In normal shooting, the camera simultaneously takes a 38-megapixel high-res image and a sharp five-megapixel image, so you can easily share your snaps on social networks like Facebook or store on SkyDrive.

At the heart of the camera is the Nokia Pro Camera app, which provides swipeable dials to adjust settings such as ISO, exposure, shutter speed, white balance and manual focus. The camera app makes professional performance simple and accessible to all smartphone users. In addition to stunning photography, the handset’s video takes advantage of the huge sensor allowing the user to zoom in four times while recording a 1080p high-definition video and six times in 720p.

40 | BUSINESS NEWS

Videos are bright, stereo sound is crisp and there is no blur due to the handset’s optical image stabilisation technology, which counters any movement. Adding further professional capabilities, Nokia is also introducing the Nokia Camera Grip. This accessory complements the Lumia 1020 and provides features such as additional battery life, a two-stage shutter key and a standard tripod mount.

The Lumia 1020 is around 15 per cent lighter than the popular Nokia Lumia 920, weighing in at just 158g and is also packed with familiar Lumia and Windows Phone features. Nokia Lumia 1020 inherits characteristics of other members of the Lumia family, with a polycarbonate body that looks and feels premium. The back of the Lumia 1020 looks different from its Lumia cousins, thanks largely to the 41-megapixel camera module that sticks out of the back.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 comes with a 4.5-inch (768x1280 pixel) ClearBlack AMOLED display with the optimal smudge resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Nokia claims that its ClearBlack technology ensures that users see truer blacks, which in turn enhances the contrast of the display, thanks mainly to reduced reflections on the screen. The result is a screen that is easy to use, even in bright sunlight.

This is a game changing smartphone-camera combination, so if you’re about to upgrade, it’s a fine choice.

THE TECH GUY

It has become a tablet world

It has taken some serious soul searching and major design improvements to finally produce some serious competition to the iPad from the Windows camp, with the Apple tablet having made a killing in the business market. Leading the charge is Dell - Windows most trusted third-party computer manufacturer. The new Dell Venue tablets are genuine competitors for the business dollar, with the new Windows 8.1 operating system and Microsoft Office built in for free.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro and Dell Venue 11 Pro give IT departments what they need - the ability to integrate into an existing corporate environment with full compatibility with current Windows applications and Microsoft Office integration. Both tablets feature optional advanced security features and services such as TPM and Dell Enterprise Services.

The lightweight Dell Venue 8 Pro has a bright HD IPS display, advanced connectivity options and provides long battery life, so range anxiety is no People really seem to like paper aeroplanes that work, with a Bluetooth propellor kit that enables you to steer your

Dash Cam

Garmin has a brand new camera that can be mounted on your windshield. Dubbed Dash Cam, the device can take WVGA, 720p or 1080p video, and the idea is to have it capture footage of daily drives and use that as evidence in case of an accident, just like

For stressed out new parents

those Russian ones on YouTube.

The Dash Cam, which features a 2.3-inch display, also comes with a built-in microphone, microSD card slot and a GPS receiver that makes it possible to have timestamps and geo-tags on all recordings.

The Mimo baby monitor (made by Rest Devices with Intel tech inside) is quite innovative; it’s essentially a wearable baby monitor. It’s not kid-friendly, but it lets parents know a baby’s vital stats, such as activity level and skin temperature.

longer an issue. People can also stay productive with Office 2013 Home & Student, included with the device, and the optional Dell Active Stylus. The Dell Venue 11 Pro provides ultimate 2-in-1 flexibility: with the power of an Ultrabook, the convenience of a detachable keyboard and the experience of a desktop.

Unlike competitive tablets, it has a user removable/replaceable battery, and its large, full HD display with wide viewing angles makes it easy to read and create content while staying mobile.

All Dell Venue tablets are based on Intel processing power for speed, responsiveness, and battery efficiency.

The Dell Venue 8 Pro and Dell Venue 11 Pro feature the new Intel Atom quad-core processors; code named Bay Trail. The Venue 11 Pro offers up to 4th Generation Intel Core i3 and i5 processor options and Intel vPro for manageability. With the Dell Venue 8 Pro starting at $399, at last the iPad has some serious price worthy competition. All models are available now at Officeworks and dell.com.au.

smartphonecontrolled model with a rudder; crowd funding raised a million dollars for this project.

Paper Plane

The Airtame is a surprisingly intuitive and refreshing solution for wireless video play transfer.

Beam movies It’s easy to set up and from your responsive, and notebook the software to your TV (available for Linux, Windows and OS X) even supports beaming one PC to multiple screens.

Friendly 3D printer

Consumer 3D printers have taken some time to become consumer friendly and with MakerBot’s third Replicator, a nearly automated setup, easily replaceable cartridges and a sleek design marks the beginning of easy 3D printing.

BUSINESS NEWS | 41

TRAVEL

The Big Tomato

& Five Great Italian Food Moments …

42 | BUSINESS NEWS

TRAVEL

O

f course, you don’t have to eat foreign food when you travel. You can eat your way around the world hopping between McDonalds and tourist restaurants with western menus… anyone for Crap Omelet, or Buff Steak with Mush and Green Pee?

And yet, despite all this, Australians are eating more and more processed, packaged food - a bounty of carbohydrates, fat, salt and sugar. We call these products, developed in the laboratories of multi-national companies, ‘convenience food’.

(When I was growing up a ‘convenience’ was a public toilet.)

Every country develops a unique food culture based on an interplay of historical, geographic, climatic, and economic determinants. If you do make an effort to engage with a country’s food culture you will (usually) avoid over-cooked green peas, and you will also find yourself connecting with real people.

Australia’s ‘fresh food’ has also changed. Small-scale fruit and vegetable farming of multiple varieties has been replaced by industrial-scale production of single varieties, usually grown great distances from the consumer. The link between local, relatively small-scale seasonal production, and the consumer has been broken.

Italians, more than any other nationality, are obsessed by food. The first question an Italian child asks in the morning is: ‘What are we having for lunch?’ Italians talk about food all the time. And when they’re not talking about food they’re thinking about it, growing it, cooking it, or eating it. The purpose of food is not to provide fuel for other activities, good food and a shared family meal is the purpose of all other activities.

This new style of production and distribution has made most foods available 12 months of the year, smoothed the cyclical boom and bust in prices - and successfully produced products that are durable and uniform in appearance. In other words the product and the supply chain conveniently meet the needs of Coles and Woolworths.

And yet, despite this obsession with food, obesity amongst the adult population is rare, thanks to la bella figura (looking good trumps everything) and the Mediterranean diet, which nutritionists have shown plays a key role in Italians’ longevity and good health. Sadly, spoilt children from one-child families are increasingly falling victim to a Nutella epidemic…

Although there is enormous variation between Italian regions some things are almost universal: the main meal of the day is lunch; there is high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruit, vegetables, and fish; moderate consumption of dairy products and wine; and low consumption of meat.

If food is a religion, olive oil is a cult. Even Italians who live in big cities have a link to a village, and a father, uncle or second cousin who will provide them with olive oil from their ancestral land. We once held a blind tasting with four Italian friends - each of whom had generously given us a bottle of their family’s olive oil to get our kitchen started - and each was able to correctly identify ‘their’ oil.

Homemade or regionally-produced cheeses, pastas, salamis and smoked meats, fruit and vegetables are similarly treasured, bartered, and shared. And if they can’t be bartered or shared there will be a local market where farmers, bakers, fisher folk, producers and small businesses sell a dizzying variety of vegetables, breads, cheeses, salamis, olives, fish…

All of which illuminates - and stands in stark contrast to - the situation in Australia.

Sometimes it seems Australian food culture is a mere afterthought for our suburban, materialistic society. We want bigger houses, more cars - and cheap and easy food/fuel that will enable us to get back to work, or to our televisions, as soon as possible.

Curiously, our televisions are likely to be showing a cooking show. Having shovelled in five-minute noodles or a Big Mac we spend an hour watching the creation of Gary’s Goat’s Cheese & Raisin Ravioli with Pan-seared Prawns. The cooking competitions torture their participants, who are then promoted as celebrities, who then travel to the farthest corners of the globe to find new recipes - that nobody will cook.

Taste has not been a priority. Australians who do not have access to a vegetable patch or a fruit tree no longer know what a real tomato or apricot tastes like, so their expectations are low - and getting lower.

In fact, if you really do want to find out, or remind yourself, what real fruit and vegetables taste like you now have no choice but to grow your own - or visit Italy!

Even though food is a window into a country’s soul, I don’t think it’s really fair to link the bland slightly sour taste and spongy texture of Australian tomatoes to a definition of the Australian soul. In any case, it can be argued the Australian tomato is just part of a global trend.

Fortunately, in Italy the trend to packaged convenience food is only beginning and the jury is out as to whether or not tasteless tomatoes are inevitable. Certainly the childhood Nutella epidemic is a concern, but it is also clear that highquality, locally-produced ingredients remain the mainstay of the Italian diet. And Lunch, cooked at home, is still the mainstay of Italian life. Italy - including all schools, offices, banks and shops - shuts down between 1 and 4 pm, to enable everyone to do justice to Lunch.

You may not have the good luck to be invited into an Italian home, but if you manage to get off the beaten tourist track, typical Italian bars and trattorie are essentially an extension of the locals’ homes anyway.

And you will be transfixed by the markets… nothing, not even the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, can come close to matching a medium-sized Italian market for variety, freshness, or price.

My five most memorable Italian foodie moments, where food and location came together in an unforgettable symphony, are: 1. Spending a mind-boggling hour selecting warm crusty bread, and a selection of cheese, salamis, olives, dried figs and a bottle of Chianti while wandering the stone alleyways of Volterra, a classic hilltop town in Tuscany. Then finding a picnic spot overlooking the medieval towers of San Gimignano and devouring an unbelievable antipasto (selection of appetisers). The Australian equivalent: a soggy salad roll, wrapped in cling film, from the Bulahdelah town bakery, eaten

BUSINESS NEWS | 43

TRAVEL

in the car to avoid flies!

2. Eating a gelato brioche for breakfast on a hot morning in Taormina, while soaking up stupendous views along the Sicilian coast to a snow-covered, active volcano in the distance. Sicilia is the birthplace of gelato, so they’ve had some practice. An Italian brioche is a slightly sweet bread roll, less buttery and crisp than its French first cousin (also brioche), or its second cousin the cornetto (croissant in French). The brioche is cut in half and filled with gelato!

The Australian equivalent: eating a middle-aged croissant and drinking a plastic bottle of coffee-flavoured Big M milk overlooking the Blue Lake at Mt Gambier.

3. Eating delicious arancini (crisp, fried rice balls with melted cheese filling) and crusty panini with fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes - at the Autogrill Spa (a petrol station) on the A3 motorway just west of Salerno. Then buying a bottle of local wine and a very large jar of Nutella from the adjoining food section. The Australian equivalent: a Big Mac and packet of Twisties from the highway service centre at Gundagai.

4. Finding Sorbillo Pizzeria in Naples - the city where pizzas were invented - and watching a free theatrical performance as the pizza dough was thrown and the sweating cooks

44 | BUSINESS NEWS

manipulated two-metre-long paddles to put the pizzas in and out of the oven. The menu is easy to remember. You can have a margherita or you can have a margherita. The end result: impossible to describe, but perfect. The Australian equivalent: Ladro, Gertrude St, Fitzroy, also perfect, but lacking drama, and five times the price.

5. Eating a mouth-watering home made seafood ravioli, at Tre Gufi, Pisciotta, high on a terrace overlooking a medieval town, overlooking a harbour and sipping a dry white wine and watching the sun set over the Mediterranean. The Australian equivalent: fish ‘n’ chips and a beer on the beach at Broome.

Richard Everist 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. Lucrezia is leading a trip to Italy in May 2014. The trip features Italian wine and food, and there are a small number of places available. See www. aroundthesun.com for full details or call 5264 8667.

ARTS

ARTS Get Your Art On this February Geelong and the surrounding region plays host to a variety of live arts and music events this month, kicking off with Geelong Repertory Theatre Company’s Almost Maine at Woodbin Theatre’s Lillian Stott Centre from February 7 to 22. Written

by John Cariani and directed by Kelly Clifford, all is not quite what it seems in the remote mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways (tickets available through GPAC).

After sixteen years, My Fair Lady returns to Geelong with the Footlight Productions show featuring Lisa Hanley as Eliza Doolittle and Jamie McGuane as Professor Henry Higgins from February 8 to 22 at GPAC’s Playhouse Theatre.

Eastern Park Gardens will be alive with the sound of music throughout February so bring your own picnic and settle down to enjoy Music in the Gardens with Hot Club Swing (Sunday 9), Luke Legs & Evening Cast (Sunday 16) and Hipcats (Sunday 23). Tickets are available from GPAC. On Valentine’s Day, Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream plays out amongst the vines at Leura Park Estate. With gates open at 5pm for a 7pm start and live music until late after the show with wine, ciders, beer and refreshments available to purchase throughout the evening, it will be a Valentine’s Day to remember. Presented by Essential Theatre, which is celebrating 12 years of touring across Australia, the production is also playing on February 15.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Also on Valentine’s Day and February 16, John Waters and Stewart D’Arrietta deliver their “up close and personal” two man show Looking Through a Glass Onion: John Lennon in Word and Music at GPAC’s Drama Theatre. First presented at Woolloomooloo’s Tilbury Theatre in 1992, the show, which is “part concert and part biography”, explores the “essence of the man through song and spoken word” and features songs such as Strawberry Fields Forever, Woman and Imagine. www.gpac.org.au

Ex libris – the book in contemporary art 22 February – 25 May Ex libris – the book in contemporary art features new and existing works by eight contemporary artists who use the physical form of the book as inspiration. Each artist manipulates the book form, re-purposing and investing new life in publications at a time when the relevance and future of the printed book is often in question.

“Books are such tactile and evocative objects—from their feel, weight, smell, to their texts, design and imagery. In the hands of the eight exhibiting artists, a range of publications are transformed into creative works in their own right,” says Geelong Gallery Curator, Lisa Sullivan.

“Each of the artists imaginatively responds to and uses a different part of a publication—from paperback and hardback covers, title pages, sheets, endpapers, the spine, the fore edge, or the volume in its entirety.”

BUSINESS NEWS | 45

ARTS Chris Bond paints the covers of

attitudes towards the country’s

Busk at dusk

paperback novels in a trompe l’oeil

Indigenous population; Tom Nicholson

fashion in what becomes a series of

photographs the title pages of various

February 28, 4pm – 8pm

self-authored publications that largely

publications that were then sent to East

reference the history and process

Timor as a means of re-establishing

of painting; Penelope Davis makes

the collections of libraries destroyed

silicon moulds of old volumes from

as a result of political turmoil, his

which book-like glass objects are

images juxtaposing various titles

fashioned then exposed through

in compelling ways; Patrick Pound

a photogram technique to create

presents an archival-like installation

luminous images; Danny Digby

of 53 publications, the title of each

photographs the endpapers of books

referencing the transition from darkness

about internationally-renowned

to lightness; and Kylie Stillman carves

photographers, capturing the library

forms into stacked books, each carved

due date slips in his investigation of

form alluding to the components from

the phasing out of these analogue

which things are made, such as the

library processes and the move to

weave of knitted fabric, the stroke of a

digital photography. The collation of

paintbrush, or the skeleton of a bird.

these endpapers into a book effectively

“As part of the creative process, each

returns them to their source. Nicholas

artist searches for, acquires, and

Jones carves the form of 12 remote

transforms books, reinforcing that the

islands into the covers and pages of

physical form of the published book

nautically-themed books, uncovering

will always have a significance and

various layers within the texts; Aliza

relevance, additional to the texts, ideas

Levi photographs the spines of books

and narratives it contains,’ Ms Sullivan

placed on stark white backgrounds,

says.

the title of each book making reference to the growth of Australia and early

www.geelonggallery.org.au

Musicians and performers looking to test out their busking skills are invited to take part in the very first Busk at Dusk on the lawn at Station Place in Werribee City Centre.

Budding buskers can sign up for a 15 to 20 minute slot and are welcome to put out their hat for a show of support from the audience. Music lovers are also encouraged to come along to support local artists and enjoy an evening of family friendly entertainment.

Organisers say the sort of acts that would suit Busk at Dusk are solo, duo and/or acoustic musical acts, physical/ experimental theatre performers, comedians (family friendly material only), small dance groups and other forms of public performance that don’t require elaborate staging. Performers must be aged over 16 years or accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Registrations for Busk at Dusk close on Monday February 3 at 5pm. For more information contact the Arts Team on 9742 0777 or email alexius.pepper@ wyndham.vic.gov.au

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

46 | BUSINESS NEWS

COMMUNITY

Weaving cultures – Pako Festa 2014 Geelong’s beloved celebration of multiculturalism is on again on February 22. Now in its thirty-second year and the largest free celebration of cultural diversity in Australia, Pako Festa attracts thousands of people each year to the multicultural heart of Geelong, Pakington Street in Geelong West, and is estimated to inject close to $2.5 million dollars into the local economy over the course of the day itself.

Managed by Diversitat and sponsored by Channel 7, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship and the City of Greater Geelong, Pako Festa incorporates an extravagant street parade featuring around ninety floats and hundreds of performers representing forty-five affiliated ethnic communities and around sixty other community groups and organisations. The street is lined with stalls selling traditional foods and arts and crafts, and nine separate stages in the precinct offer performances of music and dance as well as interactive workshops and exhibitions.

The Pako Festa Parade starts at 11am and this year you can plan your day at Pako Festa with the official free Pako Festa Event App. Available for Android and Apple, you can use it to find out where and when all the events are on, find your favourite food stall and create your own schedule for the day so you don’t miss your favourite musical acts and cultural dance groups.

Cycling for happiness Do you know a fifteen or sixteen year old interested in cycling but doesn’t have a bike? Get them to register for the Happiness Cycle, a new initiative that provides free bikes to encourage young people to be more active.

The Happiness Cycle, a joint project between the Bicycle Network (organisers of the Great Victoria Bike Ride, Ride2Work and Ride2School programs) and Coca Cola is being rolled out in every state and territory, with the national launch in Geelong on Saturday 8 February at Barwon Valley Activity Centre. BMX world champion and Olympic silver medallist Sam Willoughby will attend the event, where participants will learn how to assemble their bike, followed by a ride on the nearby Belmont Criterium track.

“The aim is to provide bikes to teenagers who are keen to start cycling, with the idea they will influence their friends to also get active,” Mayor Darryn Lyons explained.

“We know that two out of three Australians don’t do enough exercise. It’s crucial to get young people physically active.

It’ll be so much harder to make regular exercise a habit when they’re older. So if you know a teenager who is ready and willing to get rolling on two wheels, suggest they sign up at www. thehappinesscycle.com.au.”

Playing for diamonds The 2014 Duffs Jewellers Diamond Golf Classic, to be held on Friday 14 March at The Sands in Torquay, is shaping up to be a fun day of golf, laughs and plenty of bling. The unique Ambrose golf classic raises valuable funds for Give Where You Live, is open to ladies of all golfing abilities and will be played as two 9 hole competitions; one for the more serious golfers and one for those who are just out to have some fun. The best part - the diamond earrings for each member of the winning team across both competitions!

The Diamond Golf Classic will be followed by a champagne luncheon featuring a fashion parade, raffle and auction with lots and lots of prizes.

The event was a sell out last year, so get your bling on and book in yourself or your team online now at givewhereyoulive.com.au or phone 5229 4364. One hundred dollars per player includes a golf cart and champagne luncheon, or Champagne Luncheon only $60 per person.

Kiwanis All Ford Day 2014 Ford lovers spread the word – the Kiwanis All Ford Day is on at Deakin’s Sports Ground, Waurn Ponds on Sunday 16 February from 9am to 3pm.

With over 1200 Ford Show Cars and more than 30 Ford Car Club displays, as well as private show cars, show car judging and trophies, kids’ rides, entertainment, celebrity drivers and a charity auction, the Kiwanis All Ford Day is the major fundraiser for the Kiwanis Club of Geelong Inc. All profits are donated to Geelong charities, community projects and other needy causes, including Salvation Army and Concern Food Parcels, Blue Light Discos for the Disabled, Barwon Region Special Olympics, High School Scholarships, Computers in Schools Program and hundreds more.

For more information, visit www.allfordday.org.au.

BUSINESS NEWS | 47

Open for breakfast & lunch 7 days. Open for dinner Wednesday—Saturday.

Looking for the right space for your work function, then look no further National Wool Museum, Cnr Moorabool & Brougham Sts, Geelong | 03 5223 2536 blacksheeprestaurant.com.au | manager@blacksheeprestaurant.com.au | Black Sheep Cafe + Restaurant

— Every Friday, from 6:00pm enjoy complimentary wine tasting, finger food & entertainment!

— Book for 8+ and receive a FREE platter.

—

Venture upstairs to

for dinner, then receive FREE entry back downstairs to keep the party going at

National Wool Museum | Cnr Moorabool & Brougham Sts, Geelong VIC 3220 | 03 5223 2536 | www.lambys.com.au |

Lambys Grapecrushers

credo.GT.05.12

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE STYLEGUIDE THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE BRAND Bay FM Fireworks Spectacular over Corio Bay

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.

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 BA Commercial Photography Staff portraits Product shots Marketing shots Events & Functions Weddings & Portraits

Festival of Sails rides high!

Photography by Teri Dodds

Event Director Jav Greaves addresses the sponsor guests

The 2014 Festival of Sails is a big feature of the local events calendar for one very good reason – it’s a brilliant event. Superbly organised, the Festival has become a true destination event, bringing people from across the region, across the country and across the world to the Waterfront and Bay. But events like this don’t just happen, and the annual Sponsor’s Dinner is a chance to celebrate and thank all those companies, organisations and people behind the scenes that make the event what it is. And there was plenty to celebrate…

E.L

Studio - 162 Bellerine St, Geelong elisha@elphotography.com.au 0439 353 958 elphotography.com.au

Jenny Jerbic and Joan Callaghan

RGYC Commodore Ian Murray, Deputy Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong Bruce Harwood, Festival of Sails Chairman Paul Smart

BUSINESS NEWS | 49

STUFF

Doog Pink Foldable Bowl www.doog.com.au $9.00

Fellipet Kristal Bowl Collection www.doog.com.au $34.95

LOVE THE ONE THAT LOVES YOU BEST

Doog Mini Running Belts www.doog.com.au $19.95

Fellipet Kaleido Dog Bowl - Lime www.fellipet.com.au $34.95

Molly Mutt Dog Bed - Nightswimming www.doog.com.au $39.95

Doog Swim Towel For Dogs www.doog.com.au $14.95

Doog Pick Up Bags Strawberry Scented www.doog.com.au $9.95

New Molly Mutt eco friendly dog bed - These Days www.mollymutt.com.au $39.95

We know, it’s nearly Valentine’s Day, but if the thought of all those hearts and flowers makes you curl you lip in disdain, then why not invert the cheesiness and shower some affection on your four-legged love, your dog.

From the canine crusaders at DOOG, we’ve picked out a few ways you can pamper your pooch on Feb 14 – with everything from a cosy new bed to a walkies belt designed with dog treats in mind.

Jump online to see more.

50 | BUSINESS NEWS

BOOKS

The Heretics Will Storr Will Storr is an extraordinary long form journalist who finds his way into the heart of issues that confound us. Here, he turns his attention to modern heretics. In the tropical north of Australia, while excavating fossils with a celebrity creationist, he asked himself a simple question: Why don’t facts work? Why, that is, did the obviously intelligent man beside him sincerely believe in Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden and a six-thousand-year-old Earth, in spite of the evidence against them? It was the start of a journey that would lead Storr all over the world - from Texas to Warsaw to the Outer Hebrides. He goes on a tour of Holocaust sites with David Irving and a band of neo-Nazis, experiences his own murder during ‘past life regression’ hypnosis, discusses the looming One World Government with iconic climate sceptic Lord Monckton and investigates the tragic life and death of a woman who believed her parents were high priests in a baby-eating cult.

Hades Candice Fox Hades Archer, the man they call the Lord of the Underworld, surrounds himself with the things others leave behind.

Their trash becomes the twisted sculptures that line his junkyard. The bodies they want disposed of become his problem – for a fee. Then one night a man arrives on his doorstep, clutching a small bundle that he wants ‘lost’.

And Hades makes a decision that will change everything... Dark, compelling and original, Candice Fox is a bright new name in the world of crime writing.

Mr Foote’s Other Leg Ian Kelly This cleverly titled tale is all the more wonderful because it is true, and we all know the truth can be far stranger than fiction. In 1776 Samuel Foote’s was the most talked-of name in the English-speaking world.

By 1777 it was almost unmentionable. The flamboyant Foote was as daring in his dress and he was with his wit, and he became friends with the likes of Johnson, Garrick, Fielding, Goldsmith, Boswell and Franklin. But fame can be a fickle friend and a disastrous performance saw him fall into infamy and violence and brought to trial. Scorned by many former friends after his sudden death, his few remaining friends clandestinely buried him – with his amputated leg – as close to Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey as they dared. He was the Oscar Wilde of the 18th century and Ian Kelly returns his extraordinary story to posterity.

Actors Anonymous James Franco Actors Anonymous is a dark, genre-bending work that mixes memoir and pure invention - an audacious examination of celebrity, acting, and the making of Fiction. Unsettling, funny, and personal - the series of stories are told in many forms: a McDonald’s drive-thru operator who spends his shift trying on accents; an exchild star recalling a massive beachside bacchanal; hospital volunteers putting a camera in the hands of a patient obsessed with horror films; a vampire flick starlet who discovers a cryptic book written by a famous actor gone AWOL, who may have killed his father. Franco mercilessly turns his “James Franco” persona inside out while, at the same time, providing fascinating meditations on his art, along with nightmarish tales of excess. “Hollywood has always been a private club,” he writes. “I open the gates. I say welcome. I say, look inside.”

Big Bad Wolf Nele Neuhaus On a hot day in July, the body of a 16-year-old girl is pulled from the river Main near Frankfurt. She has been brutally attacked and murdered, but no one seems to miss her or to know who she is. Investigations lead to a rural children’s home in the mountains, and to a TV presenter whose research took her too close to the wrong people.

As investigators Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein dig deeper, they uncover a pit of evil and cruelty in the midst of a middle class idyll.

The Last Word Hanif Kureishi The new novel from Hanif Kureishi: an outrageous, clever and very funny story of sex, lies, art and what defines a life. Mamoon is an eminent Indian-born writer who has made a career in England - but now, in his early 70s, his reputation is fading, sales have dried up, and his new wife has expensive taste. Harry, a young writer, is commissioned to write a biography to revitalise both Mamoon’s career and his bank balance. Harry greatly admires Mamoon’s work and wants to uncover the truth of the artist’s life. Harry’s publisher seeks a more naked truth, a salacious tale of sex and scandal that will generate headlines. Meanwhile Mamoon himself is mining a different vein of truth altogether. Harry and Mamoon find themselves in a battle of wills, but which of them will have the last word?

BUSINESS NEWS | 51

Imagine a bright learning future with us

OPENDAY 2014

THE

G E E LONG C OL L E G E

Thursday 20 March from 9.15am

I N S E RT YO U R CHILD HERE!

BRIGHT FUTURES sic itur ad astra

Find out more or register at geelongcollege.vic.edu.au.

OD14_380x261mm5bleed.indd 1

20/12/2013 9:32 am