Business News 230

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BUSINESS

“Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.”

–

Malcolm X

june 2014

• budget, Budget, BUDGET

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ISSUE 230

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BUSINESS 16.

CONTENTS

COVER STORY

10/ New Appointments

24.

11/ Inside Word 22/

HEALTHY TOGETHER

Retail 27/ VECCI 28/ Time Honoured 30/

44.

Governance

TECH GUY

For many workplaces, the challenges to actually putting health and wellbeing programs in place centre around the practical considerations of how, when and how much would it cost.

36/ Legal 38/ Extravaganza 42/ Community

32.

40.

46/

TRAVEL

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Magazine

EDITOR

It’s all about relationships

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he information age has its ups and downs. As someone who likes to know about stuff, the accessibility of information, commentary and research is a source of daily joy, and occasional agony when the network goes down. But the sheer volume of information that comes across the laptop, phone and tablet screen can uselessly eat up hours of the day.

I know many marketing professionals who used to spend their days sending out press releases and public information, who now find 80 per cent or more of their working time is taken up by responding to social media. ‘That’s good for their business,’ social media commentators say, and sure, in moderation it is.

How to find the balance has become the big challenge.

Most of us cut through the noise by forming relationships with people. Many of them we will only ever know as an email signature, as people we follow on Twitter, as friends on Facebook or as a connection on LinkedIn. We will read their thoughts, and some we will chat happily to on the phone only to realise we have no idea what they look like.

Relationships help us to rationalize the tsunami of information out there. And for many businesses and organisations, that’s been a big enough challenge. But the real power of positive relationships is how they allow us to grow, to change and to do things better.

I listened with interest to Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay’s blue paper vision of the future of policing in our state that would see around half of the force’s blue shirt police formed into special taskforces to tackle underlying causes of crime – deceptions, drugs and family violence.

He was talking about the relationships between societal factors and crime, about how to do things better. And a big part of making that a realistic option was developing technology solutions that meant police officers wouldn’t have to go back to a station and spend hours filing paperwork.

It was an idea that resonated. Similarly, Robert Gottliebsen wrote a terrific piece in Business Spectator (“How to save our sick health system without GST hikes) on how the Victorian health system could deliver frontline services without having to raise the GST in the wake of the cuts to health spending in the federal budget. Robert pointed out that unlike other health services that have bought in large medical systems from Europe and the UK in an attempt to digitise health and medical communications, only to find these very expensive systems don’t work in Australian healthcare, Barwon Health formed a relationship with a small local company, Global Health, and created a system that works. Robert’s point is that if the system being used here were to be used across the rest of the nation’s health regions, the high costs of medical administration could be cut, leaving a larger share of the health budget for frontline services.

We have our fair share of challenges here in Geelong, but we also have perhaps more than our fair share of advantages, and one of the big ones is the willingness of businesses and organisations to build relationships and to work together to find better ways of doing things.

How well we do that over the coming decade will shape the future of the city.

More than ever before, the conversations around growth opportunities and economic development have to be collective conversations. We all need to be talking about how to leverage the city’s strengths in research and development, and last month’s launch of Carbon Nexus, the carbon fibre testing facility at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus will be a big part of that. But as the example of Barwon Health and Global Health shows, there are state-of-the-art collaborations already underway and many more in the wind across the region that may not attract the big headlines, but will do the job of changing the landscape of our city for the better.

BUSINESS NEWS | 4

DAVINA MONTGOMERY

BIZ NEWS NEWS BIZ

extension comes on top of a new three-year agreement made in June last year.

Government muscle behind bivalve industry

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he local Victorian Shellfish Hatchery industry group made up of Portarlington-based mussel farmers have struck a four-year extension deal with the Victorian Government to ensure the local industry’s access to the Queenscliff shellfish hatchery for the next 7 years.

The hatchery, a joint project between Fisheries Victoria and the cooperative of mussel producers, uses world class science to spawn and settle mussel spat on to growing ropes. The success of the project has made big inroads in turning around the Victorian mussel industry, which was devastated in recent years by sustained decline in wild spat numbers leading to poor harvests.

“This continued collaboration reflects the Victorian Coalition Government’s strong commitment to working with the industry to build a commercial and sustainable Victorian seafood sector and support jobs in the Barwon region,” Mr Katos said.

“It is also great news for seafood lovers, with the partnership seeing more locally grown and harvested mussels on menus.”

Mr Katos said the hatchery is now a commercial success, with mussel harvests recovering well.

“The high-quality and reliable supply is attracting new producers to the region and expanding existing shellfish operations.”

He said the seven-year hatchery lease agreement, which has been set at full commercial rates, will underpin the Victorian mussel industry and allow industry to continue to commercialise the culture of other species including oysters “The high-quality and reliable supply and possibly scallops. is attracting new

producers to the region and expanding existing shellfish operations.”

The state-of-the-art hatchery at DEPI’s Queenscliff Centre was established in 2008, and is producing high quality spat well above baseline industry numbers per rope, which is not only providing the local industry with a competitive advantage and some serious expansion opportunities.

Member for South Barwon, Andrew Katos, said the

Mussel farmer and Sea Bounty proprietor, Lance Wiffen, said the mussel industry was looking to new species and markets following its resurgence.

“Over the last year we have reached record mussel production and are now putting Port Phillip Bay Angasi oysters into Melbourne markets too,” Mr Wiffen said.

He said the government’s continued support to consolidate and expand Victoria’s seafood industry is an excellent outcome for the Victorian shellfish industry and for seafood lovers.

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BIZ NEWS

Alcoa confirms support funds Grey army in hot demand

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fter months of speculation, Alcoa has confirmed a $10 million contribution to the Geelong and Yennora communities to help stimulate new jobs and fund training programs in the regions where the company is closing operations this year.

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he Federal Budget’s muted $10,000 incentives to businesses to employ older workers is a clear move to address ageism in Australian workplaces, but well before the budget incentive was tipped, an online outsourcing specialist has found that older workers are in demand in some surprising areas.

The company will make a $5 million contribution to the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF), $4 million to ongoing skills and training programs for Alcoa employees in Geelong and Yennora, and $1 million to the Yennora community.

Airtasker, an online service that outsources odd jobs from individuals and businesses around the home and office, has found the skills and experience are daily in high demand across the country on Airtasker.

Alcoa of Australia Managing Director Alan Cransberg said Alcoa was following through on its commitment to support employees at Point Henry and Yennora as they transition through the changes they face this year.

One such worker is Rod Armstrong (pictured), aged 60, a former Silicon Valley software engineer for 30 years who struggled to get a job as he got older.

“Alcoa has been an integral part of the Geelong and Yennora communities for more than 50 years and all parties have benefitted from this long term relationship. It is important we support them as they transition into a new phase,” Alan said.

He told The Australian newspaper that, “Once they saw my age, that was it.”

Now one of the most successful Airtasker workers, he earns about $800 a week doing Airtasker jobs ranging from handyman work in a bondage and discipline house to installing an iPod connection on a 1933 valve radio.

Age discrimination costs the Australian economy about $11 billion a year, according to the Age Discrimination Commissioner, Susan Ryan.

The additional GRIIF funding will further bolster the fund that was established by the Australian and Victorian Governments and Ford Australia. So far, five grants have been allocated through the fund, with successive rounds of grant funding to come through to the 2015/16 financial year. Round 2 of GRIIF funding applications closed at the end of May.

“At Airtasker we are trying to pioneer a new way to work where people of all ages are valued for the skills and experience they offer,” said Airtasker co-founder and CEO, Tim Fung.

Releasing a statement on the funding allocation, Alcoa stated that the $4 million skills and training program commenced immediately after the closure announcement.

Mr Fung pointed out that recent research by Swinburne University found that “‘Seniorpreneurs’ are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurship, and considered by experts and researchers as the next boom.”

The training package comprises three elements: career transition, which includes one-on-one career counselling; direct sponsored short-term courses, which involves Alcoaorganised training; and financial support for employees to undertake their own accredited training.

We hope so…

Awards signal strong business confidence

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ntries in the 2014 Powercor Geelong Business Excellence Awards are up by 32 percent on last year, with Geelong Chamber of Commerce President, Kylie Warne, saying the strong interest in the Awards was a sign of the strength of underlying business confidence in the Geelong economy.

“Headlines suggesting Geelong is in the doldrums because of the winding down of large manufacturing fail to recognise the wonderful stories of success in Geelong’s increasingly diverse economy,” Ms Warne said.

“As a barometer of business confidence, innovation and success the Awards are indicating a healthy future for our

business community. Almost 70 per cent of this year’s entries have come from businesses which haven’t entered previously.”

The Chamber runs the Awards annually to encourage business excellence and innovation. Award entries closed on 5 May. Judging of written entries is now underway with site visits to businesses by the judging panel planned for June.

Ms Warne said, although the details of entrants are a closely guarded secret until the gala presentation dinner at The Pier on 17 July, the diversity and quality of businesses this year was impressive.

Awards details can be found at www.gbea.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 6

BIZ NEWS

Social cocaine use raises heart attack risk

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“While some people who use cocaine recreationally may not think that they are doing their body a lot of harm, our results show this is not the case, and that cocaine is dangerous for your health even when taken socially,” Dr Figtree said.

n light of recent high profile cocaine possession arrests and the Australian Crime Commission’s Illicit Drug Data Report 2012-2013, University of Sydney research has found that people who use cocaine ‘socially’ are at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

According to the Illicit Drug Data Report 2012-2013, there were a record number of cocaine seizures last financial year.

Paper senior author, Professor Gemma Figtree at Sydney Medical School, said that the acute cardiovascular side effects of cocaine such as myocardial infarction (heart attack) and myocardial ischaemia are well known.

“We have examined the longer term consequences in individuals who take cocaine socially, and the results are alarming.

“This is the first study in Australia to examine the cardiovascular effects of cocaine use in nonaddict individuals who consider themselves ‘social’ users.

The Australian 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey report, states 7.8 per cent of Australians aged 18 and over had used cocaine in their lifetime. Users were predominantly male, aged “ “We have examined the longer term 20–39 years, currently employed with post-school qualifications, living consequences in individuals who take in major cities, and of the highest cocaine socially, and the results socioeconomic status.

are alarming.”

Paper lead author, Dr Rebecca Kozor at Sydney Medical School, said that despite high levels of education, some individuals and professionals are unaware of the acute and long-term effects of cocaine use.

“Our research found that social cocaine users had higher blood pressure, stiffer arteries, and heavier hearts, which are all associated with poor cardiovascular health in the long term.

“We have seen a number of young adults suffering heart attacks after cocaine use, with irreversible damage to their heart muscle and substantial impact on their quality of life thereafter.

“The demonstrated adverse effects on long-term cardiovascular health such as increased blood pressure, arterial stiffness and cardiac mass suggest that cocaine use does not just cause acute consequences, but also increases long term cardiovascular morbidity (heart attacks, strokes) and mortality.”

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BIZ NEWS

FIFO work in Christchurch for Geelong Workers

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abour hire and staffing services company, Programmed Integrated Workforce, is recruiting Geelong-based workers to take part in the rebuilding of Christchurch in a bid to provide employment opportunities for the Geelong community.

The workers will be deployed from Victoria to assist with the clean up and rebuild of the city, which was left devastated by multiple earthquakes in 2012 and 2013.

Programmed are working with the Committee for Geelong, G-Force Recruitment and Avalon Airport to source and transport employees from the Geelong region to New Zealand.

Workers would work four weeks on, four weeks off, and be provided with charter flights, food and accommodation.

Programmed Integrated Workforce Chief Executive Officer, Nic Fairbank, said the contract would provide employment opportunities for the people of Geelong, as well as support for the Christchurch community.

“The project provides a great opportunity to the people of Geelong who may be looking for work following recent announcements affecting the region,” Mr Fairbank said.

Committee for Geelong Chief Executive Officer, Rebecca Casson, said she was thrilled that Committee for Geelong member Programmed had the foresight to think of Geelong as a resource centre for workers.

“People in Geelong need a range of employment opportunities as Geelong transforms and the economy diversifies. Fly-in flyout paid work in Christchurch provides the chance for anyone looking to do something that will really make a difference to people’s lives,” Ms Casson said.

Rob Birch, Chief Executive Officer of Geelong’s G-Force Recruitment said, “Workers of all ages and skill levels can apply, even apprentices and mature workers. There has already been great interest shown in FIFO at recent jobs fairs, with up to fifty workers making a formal expression of interest.”

Avalon Airport Chief Executive Officer, Justin Giddings, stated that Avalon have wanted to establish the Airport as a fly-in flyout hub for some time.

“Establishing a fly-in fly-out service from Avalon Airport will provide a significant economic boost for the region. This type of initiative provides an enormous opportunity for workers in the region,” Mr Giddings said.

Mobile phones: Men just say it, while women spell it out

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he average male mobile user makes almost 60% more phone calls in a week than the average woman — but she’ll send 10 more text messages, suggests research from Roy Morgan.

Mobile phone users in Australia made an average of 27 calls and sent 43 text messages per week in 2013, but across all age groups, men out-call women and women out-text men.

The average man makes 12 more mobile calls a week than the average woman (33 to her 21), while she sends 48 texts to his 38.

The biggest gap in mean phone call numbers is among mobile users aged 35-49, where men make 18 more than women per week.

Meanwhile, the average female aged 14-17 sends 91 texts in a week (an average of 13 a day) — nearly twice as many as a male her age.

Texting is highest among 18-24 year-old women, who average 105 messages a week, or 15 a day. Women out-text men in all other age groups too, although the difference is narrower.

Tim Martin, General Manager of Media at Roy Morgan Research, says, “Male and female mobile users are fairly equal with regard to their usage of mobiles for calling and texting overall, with men making a combined 71 calls or texts compared with 69 for women.

“But while texting is the more common communication method for both sexes, women of all ages display a much stronger preference for just sending a message.

“Around 70% of women’s total mobile communications are by text (48 of the 69 total), compared with 54% of men’s (38 of 71).

“Men aged 35-49, 50-64 and 65+ are all more likely to make a call than text; among women, only those over 65 are more inclined to ring than just send a message.”

BUSINESS NEWS | 8

Dan Simm C o Com hairperso nds, m it tee fo n of the PastC Cous hairs Mic r Geelon g and in adinn s AO inv hael Bett Alliso er to cele ite you to s and Jim n Mu join t brate rph he th help raise y to the G e contrib m for ution funds eelon of g re for Mem orial the Alliso gion and Thurs Scho n Mu day 1 larsh rphy ip. $150 2 June 20 p 1 4 e r Capt perso 6 ains n (inc :30pm fo Roo r7 lu Geelo m, Simon sive GST pm ) ds St ng Fo ad otball Club ium, comm Contact: e vents itteef o @ or ca rgeelong .c ll 522 7 807 om.au 2

A Dinner for Alli

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n the 12th of June, at the Geelong Football Club, it will be a dinner with a difference as people gather from near and far, from the local school, from community organisations, from businesses large and small and from government of all levels, to take part in a dinner for Alli Murphy.

Allison Murphy passed away suddenly on February 25, and has left a shining legacy. In honour of that, and of all she brought to the Geelong region through her work, the Allison Murphy Memorial Scholarship has been founded through the Geelong Community Foundation. The dinner next month will officially launch and raise funds for the scholarship.

Peter Dorling, a close mate and colleague of Alli’s, said the early indications are that there will be a sizeable fund established, which will allow for the provision of scholarships in the years to come.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to allow a young Geelong woman the opportunity to study politics, media or marketing at Deakin University.

“The young girls that receive a scholarship will also get a bit of a leg up with some mentoring from some very serious people in town who were friends of Alli. One phone call to people who knew Al saying that they were the awardee of Allison Murphy Memorial Scholarship will open a lot of doors.

There’s all that good stuff that comes with it,” Peter said.

It is a measure of Alli’s standing in Geelong that Deakin University vice-chancellor Jane den Hollander, Transport Accident Commission chief executive Janet Dore, businessman Frank Costa, businesswoman Helene Bender, strategic business adviser Mark Osborne, and Peter Dorling, who is a former Committee for Geelong executive director are among those who have offered to mentor the scholarship recipients.

While Alli’s combination of determination, intelligence, humour and charm make her a tough act to follow, empowering girls with the skills and experiences to forge careers in the political and media spheres can only make our city stronger in the future, and that, like so much of what Alli was about, is a formidable legacy.

“This dinner will be a great night, and real celebration of the scholarship, and of Alli’s business and community life,” Peter said. “And we will also be highlighting organ donation, because Alli was also an organ donor.”

Diane James, successful entrepreneur and board director, will facilitate a conversation between Janet Dore (CEO of TAC), Jane den Hollander (Vice Chancellor of Deakin University) and Diana Taylor (Director of Geelong Football Club) that will explore issues of leadership and the importance of relationship building, while Roxie Bennett will be MC for the night.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

new

APPOINTMENTS

Marcus Dripps has been appointed as National President of the Australian Physiotherapy Association, and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2007.

Marcus is a Geelong-based physiotherapist and CEO of Corio Bay Health Group, the largest multidisciplinary sports medicine group in regional Victoria. He continues to be an active clinician, and has a clinical interest in occupational health and adolescent sporting injuries.

HEALTH

He is a clinical advisor to the Transport Accident Commission and Worksafe Victoria, and Chairs the Victorian Health Minister’s advisory council on Allied Health. Marcus has also been a member of the Board of Directors at Barwon Health, the public health service in the Geelong region, since 2008 and chairs their Primary Care and Population Health group. He also has business interests in health information technology and clinical education.

Marcus is a father of five, with an interest in running, surf lifesaving and sailing.

Superannuation

Chris Thoms recently established Super Focus, a financial advisory firm specialising in independent superannuation and investment advice.

Chris has over 20 years’ experience in financial services and has extensive academic qualifications including an Economics degree and MBA. Chris equips his clients with tax effective strategies and helps them get the most out of their Super.

EVENTS

Des Younghusband is retiring from ID Accounting & Wealth Solutions (formerly Illingworth David) on June 30. He has given over 26 years of service to the Firm and is a former Partner.

RETIREMENT

Des is well known amongst the community with his volunteer work for Uniting Care, both as Treasurer and on the Board. He is also involved in a number of groups at St Luke’s Uniting Church, Highton and has been involved at Access Ministries for a number of years, until recently.

Jess Young has been appointed Events Manager with Peter Rowland Catering at The Hill Winery.

Previously at Plan.it Roxie and a part of the Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival in 2014, Jess has extensive events experience and is looking forward to some exciting changes to come at The Hill Winery.

BUSINESS NEWS | 10

MARKETING

Nikolas Tayler has joined Red Onion Creative as a Marketing & Business Consultant. A Geelong local, Nik lived and ran his own successful business in Melbourne for many years and has recently moved back to Geelong with his wife and daughter.

Nik brings a passion for sport and creative problem solving to the dynamic Red Onion Creative team.

Customer service is a key priority for Nik, and being a footy fanatic, he is relishing working with Red Onion’s sporting clients.

INSIDE WORD

Zephyr shortlisted for Creative Design Awards in London, Sydney and Melbourne

Spend less, live more

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n the aftermath of the 2014 Federal Budget, consumer confidence has plummeted, but wealth accelerator coach, Pat Mesiti, says families shouldn’t panic about an impending squeeze. Mesiti says accumulating personal wealth is still possible if household income is allocated strategically.

“It’s not about spending less and living miserably,” Mesiti advises. “We can’t shrink our way to wealth, just as we can’t spend our way to wealth.”

Mesiti offers some simple tips to help households continue to grow their wealth.

It’s not rocket science, but even the simplest messages can be easy to forget amongst the hectic pace of the daily grind.

• Invest first, spend second. Before your pay packet reaches you, put some aside in an account.

• Don’t count on what you plan to invest, act as if it’s not there.

• Name the account to prevent you from using this money – eg. SAVINGS DON’T TOUCH. • Aim at a target and reward yourself in a small way when you reach that target.

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he future of manufacturing in Geelong won’t look like it did in the past – gone are almost all of the mass-produced products and a new era of high quality, niche products are emerging. Amongst them is the Zephyr, the sculptural bike storage bollard designed and produced by local manufacturing firm, Barrier Group Pty Ltd. The Zephyr has just been shortlisted for the 2014 Melbourne Design Awards, the 2014 London Design Awards and the 2014 Sydney Design Awards.

Developed over two years, the company only began casting the eyecatching bike bollards for sale in April and immediately picked up an order from Canada, with discussions with a North American distributor underway.

Two of the Zephyr bike bollards will be placed outside the Geelong NDIS office, with plans to roll the bollards out across NDIS offices across the nation.

Rick Hall, Managing Director of Barrier Group says, “Zephyr’s architectural form is designed to be a sculptural element. From its earliest concepts, I wanted something that is more than just a bent piece of pipe. It had to be unique and have an almost sensual look and feel to it. I think we have achieved this.”

• Simplify your life to suit your post-investment income.

Mr Hall has offered 10 of the Zephyrs free to the City of Greater Geelong to be placed around the city.

• Think long-term. Wealth will come after consistent and disciplined investment.

To add your support for Barrier Group’s bid for a Design Award, jump on to www.barsec.com.au/Blog

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budget, Budget, BUDGET: the good, the bad and the unbelievable

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as there ever been a government budget that has received a rousing roar of approval from we, the people? Thoroughly approving of politics at any level is a little like genuinely cheering the umpires at the footy, it’s just not right. But the 2014/15 federal budget has managed to upset almost everyone, from political animals who tend to split along the too hard or too soft point of views, to the vast majority of average punters who want to see a return to surplus but who would prefer it didn’t come at the expense of the community’s most disadvantaged, and even a surprising number of the politically apathetic masses.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen serious student protests and marches against budgets, and the strength of the response to the federal budget, that has been further strengthened by weeks of woefully confused and stumbling messages, has swamped almost all interest in the local and state government budgets, both of which were also announced last month.

Darren delivers At the local level, spending is up and rate rises are being suppressed to 4.5 per cent; that’s the big picture of the 2014/15 City of Greater Geelong budget, with much of the detail dominated by a multi-million dollar focus on reinvigorating the city centre, with more than a little razzle dazzle.

There is $1 million for Myers Street streetscape works and a $3 million for central Geelong projects, which the City hopes the state government will match through the Geelong Advancement Fund. In the city, more street trees and yes, more flowers – all part of a $2 million allocation that includes the shiny new Christmas program. Park and ride services will be expanded and Council will look at the feasibility of a city loop bus, as well as putting in place a heritage building fund and improved lighting.

But the big-ticket items for the Council are found in its $132.2 million capital program – with almost $45 million earmarked for public buildings, big allocations for roads, footpaths, drains, kerbs and channels, as well as funding for recreation facilities.

It’s the nuts and bolts of Council and it’s good to see it getting the focus it deserves.

Although, when you’re upping the Council spend, there is no excuse for not fully funding the city’s library services. Sorry Darryn, as much as I’m a fan of the hair and love a bit of razzle dazzle, our libraries deserve to be fully funded. Come to the party.

Will this help to reinvigorate the city centre and move Geelong closer to developing into the university city we have the potential to become? Time will tell. And while a giant light up floating Christmas tree might not be everyone’s idea of Council money well spent, there is no doubt that pushing forward with a well-informed, long-term vision – and much of that work has been done with Vision 2 - to redevelop the city centre is long overdue. We’ve seen it done on the Waterfront, now it is time to put that same energy, vision and drive into the heart of the city.

BUSINESS NEWS | 12

FEATURE

Disability Insurance Scheme, covering the rising costs of healthcare due to our ageing population and at least trying to address Gonski Review measures in our education system. Instead, what was delivered were targeted cuts to the most disadvantaged people in the community, a ridiculous handout to high income earning new mothers, a massive spend on border patrol and a staggering $245 million for school chaplains that is only available, according to Education Minister Christopher Pyne, if they are Christian chaplains providing pastoral care, rather than, for instance, non-religious welfare workers actually trained to help kids (many of whom are not Christian) cope with the huge gamut of issues that can impact on their education.

And at the end of the day, we can’t keep going cap in hand to state and federal governments if we’re not prepared to invest our own rate money into building a better city.

Denis gave his all The Napthine Government is in an election year, so it is no surprise that this budget was designed to please as many voters as possible.

Behind in the polls, there would have been hope in the party room that a big spending budget would swing public support back to the Coalition. But the week after the release of the state budget, all the attention was focused on which areas of federal spending would get the axe, and after Joe Hockey delivered the federal budget, the only focus on Denis Napthine was to gauge his response to the commonwealth cuts to planned health, education and concession funding.

It is little wonder this budget is proving a hard sell for the Abbott Government. It will be a long way back to the highs of the post-election heyday from bipartisan disapproval on many of these budgetary policies. And if policies such as Medicare co-payments including the poorest and sickest members of our communities, or cutting off under 30s from unemployment benefits are softened by Labor in the Senate, then the win will be Labor’s, delivered courtesy of Mr Abbott and Mr Hockey.

The key announcements were always going to infrastructure, and they came in the form of a $27 billion package that included a rail link to Melbourne Airport and new rail tunnel to Fisherman’s Bend, future plans for public transport links and the love it or hate it East-West Link.

So much about this budget doesn’t make sense, because the underlying idea of structural reform of the economy was right, and would have attracted huge support in the electorate. However, the hard right ideology with which it was delivered has attracted ongoing ire and the Abbott Government strategists should have seen it coming.

Treasury is anticipating a big lift in tax revenues on the back of stamp duties and land tax, and traffic fines and gambling are also expected to boost the state’s coffers. Almost half a billion dollars was allocated for prisons, including a new super-maximum security unit, the adult parole system was boosted and funds allocated for new police stations and equipment.

The fact is, we need to reform our economy – and some of that may come through tax and federation reform – but we also need our sickest people to see the doctor, regularly, so they don’t become chronically ill. Those that can afford to pay should pay.

Elective surgery funding, disability support packages, child protection workers and social housing were other areas boosted under the budget.

Despite delivering back-to-back surpluses, it’s hard to get excited about any of it when this is essentially election policy.

We can’t afford for more people not to be in the workforce, but it’s hard to get a job when you can’t pay the rent, you can’t afford the Internet to look for a job and you don’t have any money for clothes to go to an interview in.

And then came Joe…

Marginalizing the already marginalized, encouraging the sick to get sicker and propping up the wealthy elite will do nothing but harm to our long-term fiscal prosperity. We need to find a balance between the wholesale inequity of the United States and the uncontrolled spending of Europe.

It has been weeks since Joe Hockey handed down the Abbott Government’s first budget, and most of us have gotten over the multiple shocks and have settled into a deep state of confusion. What were they trying to achieve, and what will and won’t make it through the Senate, and in what form, are all questions yet to be answered.

We need to be the smarter nation, the one that encourages people into the workforce through better education, that addresses the underlying causes of chronic disease and that drives investment by forging stronger relationships with our global partners, not putting more patrol boats between us and them.

Do you remember when Kim Beasley failed dismally to gain any traction in the wake of the Tampa debacle? Then delivered that extraordinary defeat speech? Well, that was the last time we’ve seen political messaging as bad as what we’ve seen in the wake of this budget.

The simple fact is that the voting public was prepared for cuts, with a widespread acknowledgement that we needed to reduce government spending in other areas to allow for the rollout of measures such as the National

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 13

DAVINA MONTGOMERY

MANAGEMENT

HOW RELIABLE ARE YOUR COMPUTER BACKUPS? The consequences of serious data loss on business are dire …

T

hey say there are only 2 types of computer user – those who have lost data and those who will lose data. The consequences of serious data loss on business are dire:

• 7 out of 10 small firms that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year. (DTI/ PricewaterhouseCoopers) • 94% of companies suffering from a catastrophic data loss do not survive – 43% never reopen and 51% close within two years. (University of Texas) If you ask how well protected their business is from the effects of computer data loss, most business owners will tell you that they are okay because they make back-ups.

Against this backdrop, it is interesting to note that: • 96% of all business workstations are not being backed up.

(Contingency Planning and Strategic Research Corporation) • 50% of all tape backups fail to restore. (Gartner) • 77% of those companies who do test their tape backups found back-up failures. (Boston Computing Network) In many SME’s, the person responsible for the IT of the business is often an individual without any specific IT qualifications or a strategic view of business continuity, and for many business owners, computer back-ups are “out of sight and out of mind” It should be remembered that the primary purpose of backup is recovery after an episode of data loss, so recovery needs should drive backup planning, not vice versa. Recovery and backup planning is a business issue and not an IT issue.

It is useful to think of recovery needs in a business continuity context, and in particular to consider Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) According to Wikipedia, RTO is the duration of time and a service level within which a business process must be restored after a disaster or disruption in order to avoid unacceptable consequences associated with a break in business continuity. In other words, how much system downtime can you tolerate before it starts having adverse consequences on your business?

RPO is a more difficult concept to grasp, but describes the age of the data you want to restore in the event of a disaster.

Ask yourself how much data you could afford to lose? If it is tolerable to lose 12 hours of data, and you want to restore systems back to the state they were in no longer than 12 hours ago, your RPO is 12 hours.

RTO and RPO are critical in thinking about your backup plan. For example, if RTO is 12 hours and RPO is 24 hours, a business making a weekly backup has no capacity to meet its recovery objectives, and an episode of data loss

will almost certainly result in unacceptable disruption and inconvenience.

It is also critical to note that each software application that is operated by the business will have a different RPO and RTO, and therefore a “one-size fits all” approach such as a daily or weekly backup might not be appropriate.

Avoiding the consequences of data loss is possible: Make a Backup Plan Establishing a formal, written back-up plan is the first step.

Thinking about RPO and RTO will help you to determine what applications and files need to be backed-up, how frequently you’ll need to perform backup procedures, where the data will be stored and how you will recover data from the backups. Offsite storage of backup data is a sensible option.

It is important that any backup plan has a structure that optimizes recoverability. As it would be unwise to use the same piece of computer media (CD, external drive etc.) for every backup, you will need to define a “rotation schedule” that dictates how many different storage media are required, and how / when they are re-used and over-written. In addition, you will need to decide what you backup – all of your data or just the data that’s changed since the last backup?

These are important considerations, and in conjunction with your RTO and RPO, they will dictate the frequency and duration of backup, and the speed with which you can recover.

Implement the Backup Plan Having developed a plan, it needs to be implemented.

Responsibilities need to be assigned, processes and procedures agreed, and management oversight is critical to ensure that things are happening the way they were intended.

Routinely Test Your Backups Hope is not a strategy. You want to ensure that your backups actually work and deliver the business outcomes you need, and you cannot afford to have your fingers crossed during a crisis. Test recovery from your backups regularly. Many businesses have tried to restore data from backups only to find that they are useless.

When everything has been properly thought through – risks have been analysed, and proper processes put in place data recovery can be simple and painless, while failing to take your backups seriously can be catastrophic.

BUSINESS NEWS | 14

Peter Newland

Advance Record Management

COMMENT

RET needs to change course, not be crashed

A

ustralian Industry Group (Ai Group) Chief Executive Innes Willox says the current Renewable Energy Target Review is a real opportunity to make sensible, bipartisan improvements to the Renewable Energy Target, and lift the pall of uncertainty over investment in Australia’s electricity sector.

“Investment in large scale renewables has been held back in recent years by policy changes and uncertainty. As a result, there are now concerns as to whether the existing 41,000-gigawatt hour target can be met by 2020.

“Ai Group has urged the RET Review Panel to consider the practical deliverability of the current target. If there is a genuine risk of missing the target and incurring penalties, the target should be trimmed. But on the current evidence base, cutting the target below this point would not advance energy users’ interests. We will continue to refine these judgments on the basis of any further evidence that emerges from the RET Review process.

“Unwinding the scheme in its entirety would also lead either to a major compensation or grandfathering arrangement, or to “However, it is clear that a course change is preferable to a serious financial impairment of existing crashing the current scheme, as neither good-faith investors and associated deep cuts in the target nor abolishing it “It is clear that a course change is increase in sovereign risk. Any of these altogether would deliver overall benefits to outcomes would have substantial costs. preferable to crashing the current energy users,” he said. scheme, as neither deep cuts “There are other improvements to be “Ai Group did not support the original in the target nor abolishing it altogether made to the RET. Small-scale solar expansion of the RET, on the basis that it photovoltaic (PV) systems continue to would deliver overall benefits was not the most cost-effective emissions fall in price and improve in performance, to energy users.” reduction policy. The scheme was and it is vital that the level of support expanded nonetheless, with bipartisan for these systems reflects their growing support. Our key focus now is how the competitiveness. Excessive and poorly status quo, and any change, will impact industrial energy coordinated subsidies in previous years imposed substantial users. and unsustainable costs. Recent changes have lowered those costs significantly while stabilising the solar sector. Further “The RET has swings and roundabouts for energy users. The reductions in subsidies will be needed in coming years, cost of building wind farms and solar panels is passed on and they should be as predictable, automatic and timely as to retail customers. But the extra energy generated adds to possible. supply in the electricity market, depressing wholesale prices somewhat.

“Emissions intensive and trade exposed industries have enormous difficulty in passing on costs and are often less “After consulting with our diverse membership and reviewing able to benefit from wholesale price impacts of the RET. The the evidence currently available, we have judged that reducing assistance arrangements for these industries need to remain a the RET is likely to cost energy users as much in higher core part of the RET,” Mr Willox said. wholesale prices as it saves them in direct RET charges.

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www.biznewsmag.com.au | 15

COVER STORY

The knowledge dollar Why education is Victoria’s biggest export industry, and growing

BUSINESS NEWS | 16

I

f you were asked to name the State’s biggest export industry, would international education come to mind?

In Victoria alone, the international education sector was valued at $4.8 billion in the 2010/11 financial year - and that figure would be higher again in 2014 – with the industry generating in excess of 50,000 full-time equivalent jobs across the state.

Nationally, the sector is a $15 billion industry and the country’s largest export earner after resources.

According to Universities Australia’s latest figures, international education supports 127,000 jobs nationally, of which 88,000 are outside of the education sector.

Over half of Australia’s skilled migration comes from international students.

An ICEF Monitor report into Australia’s position in the international student market, released in May, stated that for the first time since 2009, international enrolments in Australia have increased, with 526,932 international student enrolments in 2013. Enrolments declined in 2010, 2011 and 2012, largely due to the rapid rise of the Australian dollar against the US dollar and, in part, because of the relative difficulty of obtaining a student visa. But that downward trend has reversed in 2013/14, and numbers of students seeking an Australian education should continue to steadily rise.

While Chinese and Indian students will remain the key markets for Australian international education providers, there is also, according to ICEF Monitor, high growth potential over the coming decade in emerging markets including the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America.

With a 6.6 per cent share of the international student market globally, Australia ranks third in the world for market share of international students, sitting behind the United Kingdom on 13 per cent and the The highest levels of government United States on 16.6 per cent.

and business are aware of not

Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University, Professor Jane den Hollander, says Geelong needs to attract a greater share of Australia’s international students, both at secondary and tertiary level, if we are to truly become a university city.

While the scale and importance only the current value of the sector of international education as an export industry has received little to the national economy, but attention to date, there is no doubt also of the significant growth Professor den Hollander that decision makers across the pointed to the many benefits potential the sector offers. highest levels of government and of an Australian education, business are aware of not only including the offer of a safe, the current value of the sector to highly regulated, well governed the national economy, but also of the significant growth environment with good security, good health and, potential the sector offers. importantly, Australia’s clean air and abundance of natural environments is a stark contrast to the heavy It’s not a problem that we are particularly familiar with pollution and congestion of major cities across Asia. An here in Australia, but if you are an aspirational student, Australian education also provides a more accessible or parent, in China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Brazil pathway to a top university and to permanent residency. or Indonesia, getting a place at a world-class university in your home country is extremely difficult. The rapid “One of my staff, who works for us in China, has rise in the middle classes of the leading emerging just triggered his contract with us to get permanent economies means that so many more parents want the residency,” Professor den Hollander said. “Not for him, best education possible for their children, and many because he says he’ll never leave China as his lungs see an international education as offering a competitive are already shot, but his children will go to school here. advantage – albeit one gained at considerable cost.

For him, it’s all about his children, their health and their security. It’s very interesting.

According to ICEF Monitor, a leading global resource for the international education industry, Australia is chasing “What we have to do is to protect our clean, green, an ambitious target of hosting 660,000 international safe, highly regulated environment, and we have students annually by 2020 - a 30% increase over 2012 to be inclusive. It’s one thing to say we need more numbers. international students, and many communities say to me that they need many, many more international students.

We want a bigger slice of an unbelievably huge global But what will you do when they get here? Will you be pie, and we’re not alone. Deloitte Access Economics tolerant of noise, will you want restaurants open until highlighted international education as one of the super midnight? What will you do when they look different to growth industries over the next 20 years in their 2013 you, or have different cultural behaviours or religions to report “Positioning for Prosperity? Catching the Next yours? Will you be inclusive and tolerant and listen to Wave”. them?

Along with the four other super growth industries of “Often, our international students are the smartest kids agribusiness, gas, tourism and wealth management, in the room. They are worth getting to know, they are the anticipated high level of growth centres on the curious, they are fun, they’re just like us. continuing development of Asian economies. Deloitte is forecasting 7 per cent growth annually in international “So, if we want to be growing in this area, good business education across the globe over the coming two means that we will make our environments open and decades, primarily on the back of demand from the welcoming and we will accommodate some of their emerging middle classes of China and India. needs.

Geelong is very well position to capitalise on this global “Many international cultures eat late and they like to boom. shop late. Having good transport to Melbourne is

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 17

Deakin VC Jane den Hollander important for that. If you are Singaporean, life begins at about 10 o’clock at night. Shanghai never closes down. Beijing is open all day and night. So we need to accommodate some of that; but we shouldn’t lose our distinctive Australian culture either. Embracing [international students] in our culture; taking them to the theatre, which for many will be the first time they have experienced life theatre; giving them sausage sizzles… I don’t know how many sausage sizzles we do at Waurn Ponds or at Burwood on an average day, but I know it’s a lot, and many of [our overseas students] get addicted to sausages and sauce.”

Professor den Hollander said we cannot overestimate the importance of providing international students with a good experience, because they represent such a huge opportunity for not just economic growth, but social and cultural development as well.

undergraduate student population.

“We have been higher than that, but the visa problem and the dollar compounded and across Victoria and the whole of Australia took a hit, but we’ve gone up quite substantially from where we were last year, and we’re quite chuffed about that,” Professor den Hollander said.

“Part of the [economic] downturn in Victoria has been the absence of international students at every single university. Monash and RMIT are the two huge players in the international space, “The fact is that sitting at 50 per cent international, and they had internationally we quite significant downturns. But everybody has recovered and is slowly creeping back.” do sell education, and

this state has done fantastically well out of it, to the tune of billions and billions of dollars.”

“We’ve had one very big research group move here, all of whom were on temporary contracts in [Melbourne], and when they moved to the region their conditions changed: all of them got permanent residency, all of them have bought houses and they have been incredibly successful. One of them has just turned down a job offer at Stamford because they love it here in Geelong.”

Part of the equation that is often ignored in discussions around international education is the role of post-graduate students.

“The post-graduate is the lifeblood of our future,” Professor den Hollander pointed out. “The Young Researcher of the Year two years ago was an Indian student, and the Senior Researcher of the Year was an Indian who is now an Australian national. So, there are some very smart people coming to join our community and doing some very interesting things. We shouldn’t underestimate their value as they settle and become Australians, and contribute to wealth generation and new jobs.

They are a very powerful group of people and where we should put a lot of focus.”

Deakin currently has around 7000 international undergraduate students per year – around 19 per cent of the University’s total

Most international students looking to study in Australia will seek a business degree, with business degrees forming the bedrock of the global international education market. And an increasing number of students are looking to obtain Australian engineering and nursing degrees.

International education is a two-way street, and Professor den Hollander said that Deakin is increasingly asking its students to undertake cultural exchange projects overseas.

“So we do things in India, in China, we do lots of things in Mexico around water and sustainability. This year, probably 2000 of our Australian students have been somewhere overseas for a month and that is assessed as part of their education. It’s all part of the melting pot. They learn from us and we learn from them, and I think that is a very good thing.”

How Australia more broadly, and Geelong more specifically, can and must compete on the global education stage Australian educational institutions generally are competing against thousands of schools and universities from the other English speaking countries, primarily in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand.

Just as the opportunities for growing the numbers of international students coming to Australia are significant, so is

BUSINESS NEWS | 18

COVER STORY the competition from within Asia, and particularly China. China was the biggest receiver of international students in 2013 and is fast becoming an international knowledge hub. Professor den Hollander said our key advantage in the international market is our environment.

“Our reputation for great quality, affordable food and housing and great air quality must be a card that we play, relative to those sorts to things internationally, but also absolutely relative to Melbourne, which is now extraordinarily expensive. When you benchmark the cost of our food and housing internationally, Geelong is still relatively expensive, but when compared with Melbourne and Sydney, we are a very, very affordable place, and we have beauty. We don’t sell beauty enough.”

Australia’s access to affordable, relatively equitable tertiary education has been a big advantage for our domestic students, and it would have been remiss of me to sit down with Professor den Hollander and not ask her about the federal government’s proposal to remove caps on university fees.

She said the message has been delivered poorly, causing a great deal of confusion and angst.

“It’s all got out of hand. The undergraduate education market is hugely competitive around the world, and Australian universities can’t charge higher fees for domestic students than they charge for international students. That won’t change.

“Perhaps at the top end, Melbourne University might be able to increase their fees higher than they already have, but they are also subject to the international market. If their fees were higher than Harvard, why would you come to Melbourne? It’s a market, like any business.

“The fact is that internationally we do sell education, and this state has done fantastically well out of it, to the tune of billions and billions of dollars. And that is just the monetary value. When you look at the actual social good and the value gain in terms of diversity, being known around the world and people going home and telling other people that they should come here – if you add all that in, it is an astonishingly good business. It is a business that has been generated by publicly funded universities who offer excellent education and taken it to the world, and the world has come to us as a consequence.”

The importance of tiered options Just as it is in Australia, the relative wealth of the middle classes of world’s fastest growing economies varies significantly from the top end to the bottom. Certainly not all families seeking an international education for their children can afford Australia’s most elite schools. Here in Geelong we have the most expensive school in the country in Geelong Grammar, and for many parents across Asia and beyond, this school and others like Geelong College remain financially out of reach.

This provides a significant market opportunity for other education institutions registered under the ESOS Act and listed on CRICOS – the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (as only these schools can enrol international students).

Local CRICOS schools include: •

Avalon College

•

Belmont High School

•

Geelong Grammar

•

Kardinia International College

•

North Geelong Secondary College

•

The Geelong College

•

Gordon TAFE

•

Melbourne Institute of Business and Technology (MIBT)

•

Deakin University

•

Marcus Oldham Agricultural College

•

ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students)

Think Geelong Schools and education providers in Geelong are competing in a highly competitive market, and one that isn’t easy to gain a foothold in. Think Geelong is a product of the Committee for Geelong’s Leaders for Geelong program, and has made significant progress in bringing together Geelong’s CRICOS institutions to market our region under one banner as a strong choice for international study.

The model is one that has been used across many of the nation’s capitals and major cities, including Think Melbourne, Think Sydney, Think Perth, Think Adelaide, Think Townsville, Think Canberra and Think Launceston. The project centres around a website that will market the region’s schools to international education agents.

Mike Howell is Director of Community Relations and Development at Geelong College and part of the four-person Think Geelong project, alongside Aaron Garrett from Regional Development Victoria, Gizelle Manoli from Cornwall Stodart and Nic Jarvis from Gforce Employment Solutions.

Mike said the international market is not like the market for attracting students locally, where they come and do a tour and then sign up to the school of their choice. For a parent in China, securing an overseas education for their child means going through an international agent, and there are around 4000 agents in China alone. These agents act for schools and universities from America, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Australia.

The big picture is that while Geelong College and Geelong Grammar will be going to meet education agents in China, India, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand to, so too will Kardinia, St Joseph’s, Belmont High and others, and they are just the secondary schools in Geelong.

“We are all presenting basically the same presentation,” Mike said. “We begin by showing the Great Ocean Road, shots of kangaroos and koalas and an aerial shot of Geelong. All we’re doing with this project is using this website as a tool to give to the agents and counselors that provides information for all the CRICOS schools in Geelong. We’re selling Geelong as an education destination.”

Outside of Deakin, the Think Geelong project estimates that the region is currently home to 1100 international students, although that figure is a loose estimated and may be closer to 2000. Either way, it is a surprisingly low number and highlights just how much growth potential there is to attract more international students to our city.

“It’s about engaging people who haven’t thought about Geelong and showing them what we have to offer, that it’s safe, open and a real Australian experience,” Mike said of the project, “as well as being a good source of practical information for people to come here. It can be as simple as how to open a bank account here, how to organise insurance, where to live, how to get around and what there is to do.

“The link we have with Asia is fundamental to the economy and it’s on our doorstep.”

DAVINA MONTGOMERY www.biznewsmag.com.au | 19

APS EDITORIAL TOP LAYER.pdf

1

16/10/13

4:41 PM

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.

e

1300 131 809

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RETAIL

The halls are alive, with the sound of shopping

___

I

t was handshakes aplenty and smiles all round when the first round of the $90 million Waurn Ponds Shopping Centre expansion was unveiled last month.

The Premier was there, alongside him the Mayor, while the PM was now famously not in Geelong but taking talkback calls on 774 with Jon Faine. But the star of the show was without doubt the huge new Coles Superstore and new Kmart (although all those new car parks were a big hit as well).

The first thing I noticed on walking through the doors, after the smiling girls handing out balloons to kids, was the space and just how much of it there was, and not just in food court and walkways. Every store I popped into had spaciously wide aisles and I kept getting flashbacks to trying to manoeuvre a double pram around shops, and the exasperation that caused to everyone around me.

Where was all this space when I needed it?

But it was nice to see a few of the dreaded double prams

being wheeled around by smiling mothers, and none of them receiving the ‘good grief, keep the brood at home’ looks I remember.

The expansion of the shopping centre is a joint venture between Australian Unity Real Estate Investment and Coles Group Property Developments, and the Coles Superstore is the flagship site. Is it really super, I had to wonder on the way? Why yes, yes it is. Everything is so inviting, with an emphasis on market rather than super in store; I even found myself diverted to a beautifully presented central aisle only to find on closer inspection it was the pet food aisle… With clothing (yep, including changing rooms) and kitchenwares and a rather glam beauty area, it all felt much more like the European idea of supermarkets.

I went on a guided tour of the new Kmart and was seriously impressed, beautifully presented homewares and fashion at enticingly budget-friendly price points had my planning my next shopping trip, right up until we

BUSINESS NEWS | 22

reached the cool new kids area and all those rows of toys had me vowing to avoid bringing the kids at all costs.

Even the smaller shops, such as Priceline, Duffs Jewellers (all in the name of research Boss) had spaciously wide aisles, perfect for prams, wheelchairs and inattentive shelf gazers.

As I went to leave, a shopper mistook my heels as a sign of officialdom and asked if there was a walkway to Target. Thanks to my guided tour I could reply with confidence, “Why yes, there is, just wander past Kmart and follow the signs, and you can see where the rest of the new shops will be when the expansion is finished.”

“How fantastic,” was the happy reply, and yes, yes it was. Not only for the option of parking just off the highway and walking through the centre (always handy) but also a generator of new jobs.

Once completed, and it should all be done by August, the expansion will have created around 700 jobs in the region, with 200 during construction and another 500 retail jobs.

Did I mention there are still around 40 more shops to open in just a few months?

___

Photos by Elisha Lindsay, EL Photography

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 23

Be Healthy

At Work

www.geelongaustralia.com.au/healthygeelong Across Geelong, over 79,000 of us spend around a third of our day at work. Sitting for long periods and unhealthy food choices are a big contributor to many health problems.

It wouldn’t come as news to any of you that regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle can make a big difference in how we feel and perform at the office. When we are more active, eating well and feeling positive, we are more engaged at work, are more productive, and are significantly less likely to take long periods of sick leave or leave a workplace that actively supports a healthy lifestyle.

For many workplaces, the challenges to actually putting health and wellbeing programs in place centre around the practical considerations of how, when and how much would it cost.

Come on Geelong, let’s get healthy together Workplaces can: ` ` ` ` `

Five Priority Health Areas

Receive assistance with wellbeing policies and surveys Receive assistance to create health and wellbeing initiatives Be connected with health and wellbeing experts Attend networking events and workshops Receive access to tools to gain recognition for work in health and wellbeing

` ` ` ` `

Healthy Eating Physical Activity Alcohol Smoking Mental Health

A jointly funded initiative of the State Government of Victoria and the Australian Government. Want to find out more? www.geelongaustralia.com.au/healthygeelong

BUSINESS NEWS | 24

It is those kinds of questions that Healthy Together Geelong can help to answer.

A jointly funded initiative of the State and Federal Governments, Healthy Together Geelong offers practical advice on how to create a healthy workplace.

As well as good advice and access to experts, businesses and organisation that register can be accredited as a healthy workplace under the Healthy Together Geelong Achievement Program framework, which is based on the World Health Organisation’s Healthy Workplaces Model.

Shell Geelong Refinery’s Be Well program has already achieved the first level of accreditation under the program and is continuing to improve.

“You need to empower your staff to have the time to do this.”

They brought in a yoga instructor, with staff paying a small fee to take part in the course.

“After each session, we’d come back and we were all saying, ‘I can’t believe how good we feel’.

“You can’t be frightened to try some different things and find out what works in your workplace,” Libby said.

Low or no-cost activities Leisure Networks have tried out include: •

Walking or even standing meetings – talking on the go is something everyone can do, weather dependent, and sitting for long periods is the new smoking, we all know it’s not good for us.

•

Recipe sharing – bringing in a healthy dish for everyone to try is a great way to learn about how to prepare healthy foods, with quinoa salads, juicing and sugar-free slices big winners at Leisure Networks.

•

Bring healthy foods for office celebrations or meetings.

•

Have a fruit box rather than a snack box in the tearoom or kitchen.

Just some of the Be Well programs include: •

Subsidised Healthy Salad and Soups

•

Weekly Fruit Baskets

•

Personal Training or Yoga each day of the week

•

Entry in Cotton on Run Geelong for workers and their children and a post-event family day (masseuses for all!)

•

Motivational speakers, including Matt Welsh and Steve Monaghetti

•

Entry and uniforms for BUPA Around the Bay

•

Paid attendance at BacLinks event “Big Boys Don’t Cry But They Should”

•

Mental Health First Aid Training

•

Cancer awareness and fundraisers

•

Resilience training for all employees

•

Subsidised Weight Watchers

•

Quit smoking hypnotherapy

•

Skin Patrol skin cancer checks

•

Onsite exercise programs during work hours

•

Fruit and raw nuts as meeting snacks

At the other end of the scale, Leisure Networks is a small organisation that shares office space with other small organisations and programs in Sports House at Simonds Stadium. CEO of Leisure Networks, Libby Mears, said putting a healthy workplace program in place made sense, particularly when you work in a place called Sports House. But as a small organisation with a limited budget, it meant thinking creatively about what they could do.

Libby started with identifying a couple of people to work with Healthy Together Geelong and champion the program in the office.

Leading a Healthy Business In May, Healthy Together Geelong and the Geelong Cats hosted a free breakfast event to promote and inspire business leaders to encourage and create healthy workplaces.

With Cats CEO, Brian Cook, as keynote speaker and former VECCI CEO, Wayne Kayler-Thomson as MC, the event championed the many reasons why investing in good health is not only good for your workforce, but can also give your business the competitive edge.

Photos by Elisha Lindsay, EL Photography.

LEGAL

The Budget, Pension and Superannuation

T

he announcement of the 2014 Federal Government Budget brings changes to superannuation and the pension that will impact upon older Australians. However, some changes may make younger Australians, who are not yet focussed on planning for their retirement, stop and take stock of the impact for them in the future.

Australians under 49 will now wait an additional five years before they can claim an age pension after the Government announced it would gradually lift the pension eligibility age to 70 by 2035. From 1 July 2025, the Age Pension qualifying age will rise by 6 months every 2 years, from the qualifying age of 67 years that will apply by that time, and reach 70 by 1 July 2035. This staggered implementation is to allow Australians time to consider retirement income arrangements and to make adequate The Budget preparations.

will be able to withdraw excess contributions rather than have to pay an often disproportionate penalty for what may have been an inadvertent error or oversight.

Specifically, the Budget provides that the Government will allow individuals the option of withdrawing superannuation contributions in excess of the non-concessional contributions cap made from 1 July 2013 and any associated earnings.

Associated earnings will be taxed at the individual’s marginal tax rate.

Prior to the Budget announcement, some commentators had proposed that the Government might elect to increase the age at which Australians can access their superannuation beyond 60. It was feared that this would make life more difficult for workers who would have to remain in provides that employment until 70. Even without this change, however, the Government will allow with potential lack of access individuals the option of to the Commonwealth Seniors withdrawing superannuation Health Card and higher costs proposed in accessing medical contributions in excess of the services, Australians are facing non-concessional contributions increased pressure to build up cap made from 1 July 2013 and assets to protect their future any associated earnings. standard of living.

As well as having to wait longer for the pension, from 1 September 2017 the pension will be indexed to inflation, which means it will grow at a slower rate. For those not fully funding their own retirement, this will mean less pension income. Coupled with this, from 1 January 2015, the income test for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card will include deemed income from superannuation fund income. All superannuation account-based income streams held by Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders before this implementation date will be grandfathered under existing rules. However, for superannuation income streams established post 1 January 2015, the income test governing access to this card will include this income.

Changes are also included in the Budget for the superannuation guarantee contribution. Under the Budget, compulsory employer superannuation will increase to 9.5% (currently 9.25%) on 1 July 2014 and will then remain at that level for four years until June 2018. From that time, it will rise by 0.5 percentage points each year until it reaches 12 per cent.

Another change introduced by the Budget is to Superannuation Excess Contributions Tax. Previously, for those making non-concessional contributions, if contributions exceeded limits this led to excess contributions tax. Under the new proposed Budget measures, Australians will no longer be penalised for inadvertently contributing above the non-concessional cap for superannuation. This means that those utilising superannuation for saving

BUSINESS NEWS | 26

Inevitably, this creation of wealth drives the need to ensure it is protected in the event of transfer on death. Proper estate planning to incorporate asset protection, maximisation of potential taxation benefits and the transfer of wealth to those whom you wish to benefit should be a key part of your overall plan.

Changes brought about by the Federal Budget may be a useful trigger and provide a good opportunity to make an assessment of your current circumstances and as part of this review, address your estate planning including your Will, Enduring Powers of Attorney and any nominations for the payment of your superannuation assets.

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.

Bronwen Charleson Senior Lawyer

VECCI

Federal budget presents challenges and opportunities for business VECCI was not surprised to see a federal budget focused on reducing the cost and size of government handed-down.

In the difficult budget context, we were nonetheless pleased to see measures that we have consistently championed announced, as they will assist Victorian business and strengthen the economy.

Positives for business in the greater Geelong region include: INDUSTRY ASSISTANCE • $101 million towards the $155 million Growth Fund to support Victorian workers and businesses impacted by the announced closures of automotive manufacturing operations in Victoria.

• $1 billion for the National Stronger Regions Fund for the construction and improvement of infrastructure for communities in need, especially those with high unemployment.

• A $200 million boost to the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation’s capital base, and a $50 million boost to the Export Market Development Grants programme to help more small and medium-sized businesses to access export markets.

• $50 million for the Manufacturing Transition Grants Programme to assist manufacturers to shift to more lucrative markets with greater growth potential.

INFRASTRUCTURE • $25 million for upgrades to the key tourism route of the Great Ocean Road.

• $185.5 million for the Princes Highway West duplication project, which will duplicate approximately 38 kilometres of the Princes Highway West from Winchelsea to Colac.

TAX RELIEF • Cutting the company tax rate by 1.5 percentage points from 30% to 28.5%, from 1 July 2015, will reduce business costs for up to 800,000 small and medium-sized companies.

• Further increases to the Superannuation Guarantee Levy to be deferred until 1 July 2018, providing relief for employers in the meantime.

During the “Too Big to Ignore” campaign, in which VECCI participated prior to the 2013 federal election, we advocated for the need for government to tackle red tape’s negative impact on small business, so we welcome the announced $8 million to establish the Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. The Ombudsman will be a one-stop-shop for small business into the Commonwealth that will advocate for small business issues and cut compliance burdens and reduce red tape. It will free-up small businesses to get on with attending to their customers and building their businesses.

However, the budget also sees measures that will put pressure on consumer spending and the cost of doing business. While the Temporary Budget Repair Levy will not be a permanent measure, it will collect revenue that might otherwise have been spent on goods and services so it is important that the government sticks to its budget strategy and returns the budget to balance by 2018/19.

The reintroduction of the indexation of the fuel excise will raise business costs, but at least the proceeds will be directed into road infrastructure projects that will create jobs and boost productivity.

VECCI has called for this important regional highway project since the 2012 VECCI Regional Business Convention.

The proposal to reduce the scale of the government’s proposed Paid Parental Leave is warranted but given the overall state of the budget, the scheme is still beyond what is affordable and the levy on big business designed to pay for it remains counterproductive.

• A confirmed $3 billion East West Link commitment for the construction of the Eastern Section (Stage 1) from Eastern Freeway in Clifton Hill to CityLink in Parkville (approximately 6 kilometres) and the ultimate delivery of the Western Section (Stage 2) from the Port of Melbourne to the Western Ring Road in Sunshine West.

Overall, VECCI recognises the difficult financial position the government inherited and that the burden of restoring it to surplus must be shared by all. We hope it is the start of a return to higher levels of business confidence and activity, because a stronger business sector leads to more jobs and greater prosperity.

VECCI has long advocated for this project, which will deliver jobs during the construction and improved freight movement and commuter travel times for Melbourne and regional travellers in the years to come.

To read VECCI’s federal and state budget outcome summaries visit www.vecci.org.au/policy-and-advocacy.

James Gulli VECCI Regional Manager

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 27

Time Honoured

St John of God Geelong Hospital caring for our community St John of God Geelong Hospital is a leading provider of private health care in the Barwon South West region and has been serving the Geelong community for 40 years.

There has been a hospital on the current site at 80 Myers St since 1930. The Riviera was established in 1930 and taken over by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1948 who renamed it Holy Cross Hospital.

Pictured, 18 bed Riviera in 1948.

Left, 1967 the 81-bed Holy Cross Hospital.

In 1974 Sisters of St John of God assumed leadership of the then 80-bed hospital.

In 1986 the hospital was officially renamed St John of God Hospital Geelong

In 1999 a major redevelopment was undertaken to increase the footprint of the building and incorporate a new wing, additional medical consulting suites, operating theatres, Day Oncology Centre and Intensive Care Unit, with additional undercover parking.

Hospitality | Compassion | Respect | Justice | Excellence

Pictured right, SJGG Specialist Centre completed in 2009 The SJGG Specialist Centre is recognised as the number one Day Surgery Centre in Australia when benchmarked against like sized Private Day Surgery Centres.

St John of God Geelong Hospital 2014.

Responding to community needs St John of God Geelong Hospital tranformed its campus to provide • 64 additional beds • Three new operating theatres • New cardiovascular interventional laboratory • A new chapel • New Emergency Department • New Rehabilitation Centre & Hydrotherapy Pool.

• Three levels of underground car parking

St John of God Geelong Hospital has opened a new Emergency Department in June 2014 offering the Geelong and surrounding communities another choice in emergency care.

The Emergency Service will provide the highest standard of clinical care by a team of experienced emergency trained medical and nursing staff with access to the latest technology. The Emergency Department is open between 8am - 10pm, 7 days per week.

The new Hydrotherapy Pool has enabled St John of God to offer an expanded and comprehensive range of rehabilitation services.

Pictured, the first rehabilitation patients used the pool 8 May 2014.

03 5226 8888 | www.sjog.org.au/geelong

GOVERNANCE

The keys to effective financial governance

P

oor financial management has seen the downfall of many non-profit and commercial organisations and, as such, a board of management/directors must ensure that it has the capacity and capability to understand and monitor the organisation’s performance and thereby fulfil this most important aspect of corporate governance.

There are three keys to effective financial governance: • Creating a policy that guides the CEO in developing the business plan, including the budget or financial plan. This relates primarily to the operating revenue and costs of the business as well as the cash flow management of the organisation; • Creating a policy that establishes the basis for the organisation’s wellbeing. This relates to the management of the assets and liabilities of the business; and • Monitoring processes that provide the organisation with sufficient financial information to be satisfied that the finances are being appropriately managed towards the achievement of both the short and long term goals of the business.

This includes establishing key performance indicators and benchmarks for performance evaluation and a framework that provides the board, management and staff with a reporting system in an accurate and timely manner.

Good financial governance practices can mitigate many of the risks and adverse outcomes that can emanate from these conditions.

However, a key problem for many board members is that they simply do not have the knowledge or experience to manage this aspect of the business. Whilst a board member cannot totally abrogate their responsibility in this matter, ensuring the board has at least one experienced and knowledgeable person in the area of financial management will at least provide someone who should understand in detail the reports that are presented and be capable of asking probing questions in relation to the aforementioned matters.

Furthermore, detailed below are a few basic questions that can be asked by any board member, the answers to which will provide either confidence or alarm!

• Do all the assets listed on the balance sheet actually exist?

• Are the assets reasonably valued, especially the big ticket items such as land and buildings?

• Does the organisation own all the assets (i.e. no other entities involved) • Are there any assets that the organisation owns, but are not on the balance sheet?

Whilst the causes of a financial demise are many and varied, the following conditions are likely to threaten financial viability:

• Have all bad debts been identified and written off or provided for?

• Unauthorised debt (including, but not limited to creditors, credit cards, banking facilities, financial and operating leases);

• What is the status of the debtor’s ledger in terms of collection days? (i.e. how long will it take to collect the outstanding amounts?)

• Violation of generally accepted accounting practices and principles (for example, inadequate accruals for employee entitlements, goods and services and debt recognition); • Expenditure of funds greater than revenues received/ generated;

• Have the accruals and prepayments been appropriately recognised and accounted for? and • What is the current cash position? Are we solvent? Do we pay our creditors on time?

• Misuse of reserves; • Failure to collect debtors in a timely manner and incurring of bad debts through poor management systems; • Unauthorised sale or purchase of assets (property, plant & equipment); • Failure to pay staff entitlements and taxes (superannuation, personal tax deductions); • Unexplained variations between actual revenue/expenditure and the budgets; and • Poor internal control systems and inappropriate or no delegations

• Have all the liabilities of the organisation been recognised and properly accounted for?

In summary, a set of accounts is a snapshot of the organisation’s performance at a point in time. It can be easily manipulated by either intent or error and it is not necessarily a good predicator of future outcomes. Vigilance and attention to financial management will underpin good governance practices and it will probably keep you out of jail as well – it is that important.

Mark C Schultz

For further information, go to www.governancetoday.com

BUSINESS NEWS | 30

ACCOUNTING from 30% to 28.5% as an offset to big business for the paid parental leave levy.

Temporary Budget Repair Levy

2014 Federal Budget – What will the impact be on SMEs?

T

he Abbott Government delivered its first Federal Budget, and embarked on its key election promise of repairing the nation’s finances with a mix of increased tax measures and reductions in Government spending. The Government forecasts a Budget deficit of $29.8 billion in 2014-15 reducing to $2.8 billion by 2017-18.

The Government will introduce a three year temporary levy (the Temporary Budget Repair Levy) on high income individuals from 1 July 2014 until 30 June 2017. The Temporary Budget Repair Levy will apply at a rate of 2% on individuals’ taxable income in excess of $180,000 per annum. This will also impact other taxes that are currently based on calculations that include the top personal tax rate.

Re-phasing Superannuation Guarantee The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) Rate will increase to 9.5%from 1 July 2014, instead of remaining at 9.25% as the Government included in the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013, which it has been unable to pass through the Senate. The SG rate will then be frozen at 9.5% until 30 June 2018, and on 1 July 2018 it will resume increasing by 0.5% increments until it reaches 12% in 2022-23.

Mature Age Worker Tax Offset Despite Prime Minister Tony The Government will abolish the Abbott promising no new or Mature Age Worker Tax Offset increased taxes before the (MAWTO) from 1 July 2014. The last election, his government’s The Government will introduce a three year 2012-13 Budget already began the first Federal Budget delivers temporary levy on high income individuals from phase out of the MAWTO from the both. Politically this has been 1 July 2014 until 30 June 2017. The Temporary 2012-13 income year, limiting it to described as “crazy brave”, Budget Repair Levy will apply at a rate of taxpayers born before 1 July 1957. as it is the clear break of an 2% on individuals’ taxable income in unambiguous election promise.

The Government will encourage Economists are, however, much excess of $180,000 per annum mature age workers to participate more likely to form a sanguine in the workforce effectively through view of the decisions taken on direct payments or incentives. budget night, arguing that they However, the budget measures do not represent material tax have been made by a government with grit. reform. The next two years will see a lot of debate around the With the economy growing and monetary policy set at more fundamental tax reform issues such as GST, company expansionary, it is arguably the right time to raise money tax rates, taxation of trusts and the raft of concessions, that will through the Government’s fiscal levers in order to address impact businesses and individual taxpayers into the future. some of the long term and structural issues faced by the government’s books of account. This may be via the tax The budget measures will have a broad effect on individuals increases or spending cuts outlined in Joe Hockey’s maiden and businesses. More in depth information including the budget.

Federal Budget impact on individuals and families is available on our website at www.crowehorwath.com.au including a The key areas from the budget package released on 13 May You Tube interview with our Chief Economist. Or call Crowe are: Horwath on (03) 5224 7700 or email geelong@crowehorwath.

• Individuals - big budget hit for high income earners. com.au to obtain a copy of our Federal Budget Newsletter.

• Families - changes to family tax benefits, Medicare and for * Crowe Horwath advises on all areas of personal and business tax, students and the unemployed. superannuation and pensions so talk to us about how to plan for and • Business - company tax rates cuts, tax reforms on hold and business uncertainty.

manage the budget impacts on your individual situation.

• Pensions - increase in Age Pension qualifying age and income testing.

• Superannuation - changes to tax and withdrawals of excess contributions.

Reduction in Company Tax Rate The company tax rate will reduce by 1.5% from 1 July 2015,

Barry Kittelty

Managing Principal Accounting & Business Advisory, Crowe Horwath, Geelong Office This document is for general information only. Any advice in it has been prepared without taking into account your personal circumstances. You should seek professional advice before acting on any material. While all reasonable care is taken in the preparation of this document, to the extent allowed by legislation, Crowe Horwath Financial Advice Pty Ltd ABN 51 060 092 631 AFSL 238 244 accepts no liability whatsoever for reliance on it.

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 31

TRAVEL

A fairy

tale c/- Poste Restante

G

ather around children… Once upon a time, in a long-forgotten world, international travel was very, very expensive and very, very slow. Only the rich could do it for fun. The poor did it because they were desperate, and soldiers did it because they had no choice.

Even when I was born the only realistic possibility for travel between Europe and Australia was by boat. The journey took at least three weeks via the Suez Canal, and another week if you went via Cape Town.

The adult fare for the boat trip (unless you were a subsidised Ten Pound Pom migrating to Australia) was £120 – at a time when average wages in Australia were not much more than £4 per week.

Qantas was already flying to London, but their flights took nearly 80 hours and cost £585 one way.

It was not until late 1959 (yes children, after I was born) that Qantas began to fly Boeing 707s to Europe and the travel time dropped to around 30 hours. In 1965 the return airfare to London fell to the equivalent of 21 weeks of average salary – but this still meant flying was the province of the rich. In today’s terms, a ticket would have cost over $25,000. Normal people still had no realistic option but to travel by boat.

A few hardy pioneers did begin to travel overland along what was to become known as the hippy trail: they flew from Darwin to Timor or Bali, island hopped through Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, flew from Bangkok to Kathmandu, then caught local buses and trains all the way from Kathmandu to London.

Now children, the world that you know was really born in 1971, when Qantas took delivery of its first Boeing 747 ‘Jumbo Jet’. (The last 747s are now being phased out.) The Jumbo opened up international travel for Australians who had never even considered the possibility of travel.

By the 1980s the return airfare to London dropped to the equivalent of eight weeks of salary. The passenger boats were quickly driven out of business, but well into the 80s a hardy traveller could still travel to London overland along the hippy trail for about the same price as an airfare. Of course, the overland journey could take a long time. The aim was to live on a dollar a day and to find yourself… while getting temporarily lost.

Of course, if you didn’t like the idea of arriving in London completely penniless, you had to save a good deal more than eight weeks of annual salary – in fact most travellers, even would-be backpackers and hippies, had to work and save for at least a year, if not two, to put together their travel fund. Middle class couples would save for years to pay for their trip of a lifetime.

By 1991 the return airfare to London was down to the equivalent of five weeks’ average salary and today a cheap return flight accounts for just over one week’s average earnings.

And, yes, children, I was reflecting on this amazing change the other day when I heard of yet another 18 year-old taking a Gap Year to travel overseas. I was, I must confess, a little jealous. After all, I worked hard and saved for two years to pay for my first big trip.

Somehow it just doesn’t seem right that this new generation can treat the privilege – yes privilege, children – of travel with such a blithe sense of entitlement and confidence. Without even a Lonely Planet guidebook to give them the barest minimum of information, these latter-day Marco Polos launch themselves, smart phone in hand, into the world. They’ve asked their friends ‘where should I go?’ on their favourite social media and that’s enough. They’re off.

And why should they worry? They’ve got their plastic money (quickly topped up by parents), there are machines that dispense cash on every corner, the internet with all its

BUSINESS NEWS | 32

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 33

TRAVEL

amazing resources is omnipresent, and they can Skype their friends and family every day… And they do… Skype their friends and parents every day.

Now, children, I have to admit that some things haven’t changed. It’s true that even the most idealistic hippies on the 1970s hippy trail were keen on lying around doing a lot of nothing during the day and partying like crazy during the night. It’s true that the closest most people got to enlightenment was a bad case of dysentery.

It’s also true that ghastly tourist towns have sprung up on the sites of the thatched restaurants where the hippies gathered to swap travel stories and eat banana pancakes. Given everything else has changed it seems somehow sad, thirty or forty years after they were first popularised by the hippies, these places are still the focus points for young travellers: Kuta, Gili Trawangan, and Lake Toba in Indonesia; Ko Pha Ngan (with the infamous Full Moon Party), Ko Phi Phi, and Chiang Mai in Thailand; Vang Vieng in Laos, Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal…

In the old days, not only did I/we work and save hard, but our journeys were also loaded with meaning. We were implicitly refugees – fleeing from our parents’ expectations, escaping the cultural desert of suburbia, thumbing our noses at Australia’s conservative materialism, leaving our stuck-inthe-mud friends. In our own minds, we were adventurers with nothing but our out-of-date guidebooks and fellow travellers to point the way.

It is fair to say that we put ourselves out there. We did want to experience other cultures. We did want to know how the rest of the world thought and lived. And the Beatles were right. There was great cultural richness and wisdom in the East. Sure there was a trail – but it wasn’t a super highway! No one knew what would happen after we stepped on the plane to Timor or Bali. No one knew where the storyline would run. And travel did change us. Maybe not as much as we thought it might. But it did.

And as for staying in touch with everyone at home without Skype? Well, there was always PosteRestante. What is Poste Restante? Well, that was our Skype. If you thought you knew a city someone was likely to travel through you could address a letter to them care of Poste Restante at the main post office in that city. The post office would file the letter until such time as the person to whom it was addressed came by and claimed it. A backpacker could easily go for months without any connection to family and (old) friends.

Sometimes you could pay to use a phone in a cubicle at a post office, but they were very, very crackly and very, very expensive. Being out of touch from your friends and family can be scary and lonely but, do you know what children, it can also be incredibly liberating. Children, I doubt you’ll ever have the experience of being cut free from your electronic umbilical cord for more than a day or two, but I actually think it would do you more good than harm if you were…

Some analysts believe the downward trend in airfares will continue and that by 2020 the return airfare from Australia to London will be equivalent to just three days’ average earnings. If this is true, save your pocket money for a few years and you should have more than enough for an international holiday. I have to say, children, this really seems like a fairytale to me.

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. Around The Sun organises small groups tours and private trips to a range of Asian and European countries, including some that were once part of the hippy trail.

See www.aroundthesun.com or call 5264 8667.

BUSINESS NEWS | 34

COMMENT

Why what made you successful yesterday may be your downfall tomorrow

T

he world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, Gartner’s, held its annual Business Process Management conference in Sydney this month. If you are not familiar with Gartner’s, they employee more than 1,460 research analysts and consultants in 85 countries, and are ideally placed to provide valuable insight to every business owner about the future of technology.

The key discussion point of the conference was something every entrepreneur and business owner should be paying close attention too, ‘how most industries are being held back by out-dated thinking which is deeply stifling their capacity to innovate and grow’.

While there can be little question that technology is playing an increasingly significant role in business today, the big question for most modern businesses to ask is, are we keeping up?

If you listen to Janelle Hall, the opening keynote speaker at the Gartner conference, the answer is no. Hall points out that every industry will be digitally remastered. It is not optional. It will happen to you whether you like it or not. So the choices facing business owners according to Hall are simple, “you can lead the way or fall behind, but you cannot escape. This is not something any business will have a choice about.”

Hall’s keynote message echoes the very sentiments I’ve been urging our small and medium business clients to consider: Learn to leverage technology to drive your business to your preferred destination, or ignore it and inevitably be forced into obscurity.

Don’t upgrade, innovate!

While the small business sector may be recognised as the backbone of the Australian economy, it has certainly not been the most innovative. Traditionally, small and medium businesses technology decisions have been driven by a desire for business improvement and not true innovation. Often the

adaption of technology has been more about helping you do the same things you already did, just a little faster. For the most part Australian businesses have been content to apply an upgraded mindset to their technology needs.

Today, many SMBs are starting to feel the consequence of the upgrade mentality employed for the last decade and a half. It’s left many still using the same technology concepts adopted in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. And while they may have the latest and shiniest versions of their chosen technology, the fact is the business is heavily constrained by the limitations of technology decisions made long ago.

The first step to true technology innovation is to move past the existing feeling of ‘what we have already does everything we need’ and ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ mentality. It’s exactly this type of limited thinking about technology, this rear looking view, which puts the SMB at such serious risk of falling behind.

Create instant new capabilities for your business.

The reality is that the old barriers to technology such as cost concerns have been dramatically reduced. Today, innovative small businesses realise that by finding a technology partner who challenges them to strive for new and different ways to do things can help you unlock new capabilities rather than simply give you a better version of what you already have.

If, like me, you agree with Janelle Hall’s vision of the future, it’s not a question of if, only of when. So, for those businesses that are willing to act now, they can claim a significant competitive advantage and use innovative technology to achieve greater success and eliminate the risk of becoming obsolete.

Rod Deacon

For assistance with all your technology needs call Evongo on 1300 765 975

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

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 35

Members of

LEGAL

the bullying allegations by the manager and second DSO. That investigation found that the DSO’s allegations were partly substantiated, but that the manager’s complaints were not.

In the course of its decision, the FWC found that the making of allegations by the second DSO was not unreasonable, although some of the issues raised were very minor. There was also no evidence that the previous complaint had been made falsely, or that the allegations by the DSOs were part of a concerted campaign against the manager. It further found that the employer’s receipt and investigation of the two complaints against the manager was “the only reasonable and prudent response”. Although the FWC found that the employer should have taken more proactive steps to provide support to the manager after dealing with the first complaint, its failure to do so was not considered unreasonable, as the manager had not taken up support, which was offered.

First Fair Work Commission ruling on merits of bullying complaint

T

he anti-bulling jurisdiction of the Fair Work Commission has now been in place for over 4 months, and the first decision ruling on the merits of an application has been handed down.

In considering whether the conduct alleged met the Fair Work Act definition of bullying, the FWC discussed the concept of “reasonable management action”, confirming that the relevant objective test is whether the management action is reasonable, not “whether it could have been undertaken in a manner that was ‘more reasonable’ or ‘more acceptable’.”

The hearing of the application was conducted in private, and the names of the parties and individuals “ ... the relevent objective test is whether involved were kept anonymous in During the first quarter of operation of the management action is reasonable, the FWC’s bullying jurisdiction, only 151 the published decision, however the FWC rejected a manager’s claim not “whether it could have been ... ‘more applications for orders to stop bullying for anti-bullying orders, finding that were received, compared the FWC’s reasonable’ or ‘more acceptable’.” there was insufficient evidence there previous forecast of 3500 per year. Of these had been repeated unreasonable applications, 133 were made by employees behaviour towards the applicant, or and 109 were made by workers alleging that any unreasonable behaviour had created a risk to health bullying by their managers. Only 8 applications have been and safety. finalised by the FWC, with 7 being dismissed on jurisdictional grounds or under section 587 of the Fair Work Act, which The manager’s application to the FWC followed two bullying enables the FWC to dismiss applications which are not made in complaints made against her to her employer. The first was accordance with the Act, are frivolous or vexations, or have no made by a delivery support officer (DSO), investigated by the reasonable prospects of success. employer and found to be unsubstantiated. After the manager was informed of the second complaint, also by a DSO, she

lodged her application with the FWC. Whilst the manager primarily alleged that the two DSO’s had bullied her, she also Sonia McCabe & Jim Rutherford raised concerns about the conduct of her immediate manager and the employer’s human resources staff. The employer Lawyer & Principal, Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations separately engaged a law firm to conduct an investigation into

Harwood Andrews is launching possibilities

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

Geelong Melbourne Ballarat Bendigo harwoodandrews.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 36

FINANCE

That Special K word!

F

or nigh on a decade of my working life l have been fortunate enough to be exposed to the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen. This word is made up of two Chinese symbols, the first being “Kai” meaning “change and correct” and the second being “Zen” signifying “gentle, graceful and good”.

spelling mistake the teacher would cross out the whole word with a big red mark, a daily experience most of us could relate to. The Kaizen approach is to count and tick all the correct letters in the word. Maybe only a few of the letters were wrong and if a child gets four correct letters in a word, but the next day gets more correct letters, then it’s Kaizen in action.

When combined, the complete definition of Kaizen represents a long-term commitment to continuous change, with strong emphasis on never ending improvement.

Glenn also introduces “Widezen”, or the imaginary approach used to solve difficult problems in original and creative ways.

It is simply looking beyond ‘how better’ to a stage of ‘how else’, with a real life example of his elderly parents being distant at home and resisting the technology of mobile phones, choosing to stick with the home landline as their only form of contact. Glenn and his family were overseas and, despite several attempts, were unable to contact mum and dad as the phone just kept ringing out and, to make matters worse, their neighbours were away as well. Whilst panic stations started Q: How do I grow my business Whether you’re to set in, so did the Widezen thinking with a phone call to the to the next level? motor vehicles, closest local pizza shop, explaining the predicament and asking them to deliver a supreme extra crispy and a check on vehicles, equipm mum and dad’s well being. Not only did the pizza shop deliver A: Talk to the Morris Finance or capital raising the pizza, they rang Glenn back with the good news and went team of Specialists intelligent struct over and beyond by reporting the telephone fault the next morning, now that’s Widezen thinking in action!

I place significant emphasis on continuous and never ending, as too many businesses set themselves a level of improvement then stop - and the old adage rings true in that “once you think you have arrived, you have already started your descent.”

At Morris Finance we embarked upon our Kaizen journey some time ago, with copious small changes bringing about significant results.

Several of the key areas we focus in on are: • Consistent, concise and constructive communication • Hiring for talent • Living and breathing agreed principles and values (top down, bottom up) • Operational improvement revolving around customer experience (automation, efficiencies, productivity, safety, software, technology)

Until next month, onwards and upwards in your never ending Call Abby, Mega Kaizen and Widezen journey and always remember that excellent companies don’t believe in excellence, only innow or go to our constant improvement and constant change.

• Staff personal development

TM

Most of the Kaizen involves “Imagineering” or the visioning of what the outcome will look like and how we can re-engineer change to reach the desired outcome.

In Glen Capelli’s book, “Thinking Caps”, he describes Kaizen changes as “small and seemingly insignificant but continuous and never ending” with the distinction in the tiny details. He cites growing up as a kid in primary school and if you made a

Q: Who lets you drive your tax dollars further before the end of the financial year?

Martin Carter

Abby Davis

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

Megan Clarke

TM

1300 4 MORRIS www.morrisfinance.com.au

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 37

13

ww

Business Manager

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

A: Morris Finance Ltd do by providing the most effective finance solutions.

Fiona Trotter

E

at, drink and discover the region’s hidden food and wine gems this winter at 2nd annual Extravaganza Geelong on Sunday 13 July. Held indoors at Deakin Waterfront, Extravaganza brings the regions winemakers, producers, brewers, chefs and foodies all under one roof for a sensory feast to banish the winter blues as only great food and wine can.

From the countryside of the Bellarine, along the awe inspiring Great Ocean Road, through the rainforests of the Otways and majestic valleys of the Golden Plains to the picturesque Corio Bay, producers from across the region will be onsite with their wares, happy to answer questions, offer samples and, of course, sell their goodies for us to take home. From beer, wine and cider to fresh produce, cheese and more, it’s an opportunity to not only try the best the region has to offer, but also to stock the pantry and fridge for a hearty get together or two.

The Kitchen Stage is a highlight of the event, with ‘feisty couple’ Josh and Danielle of My Kitchen Rules fame joining the cast of local chefs including Leonie Mills (Jack & Jill), Jesse Hughes (Vue Grande) and Will Swinton (Napona), hosted by Richard Cornish (food writer and author), on stage to show us how to wow with winter warming dishes.

Take in Wine and Cider Masterclasses hosted by Max Allen (The Australian), Caleb Fleet (Vue Grand), Darren Burke (Chair – Geelong Wine Show) and Ross Ebbels; soak up some brewing tips at Little Creatures Beer School, or just learn to rise above at the La Madre Bread Masterclass.

Give your coffee skills a wake up call at the Coffee School with Cartel Roasters or take in the Sensory Masterclasses hosted by Max Allen and Richard Cornish and ‘Shared Table’ discussions with Second Bite, Backyard Harvest and more.

Extravaganza Geelong is a major highlight on the Taste of Central Geelong program for 2014.

Tickets on sale at www.eatdrinkdiscover.com.au.

Visit www.extravaganzageelong.com.au for event schedule and more information.

Follow us: Twitter: ExtravaganzaG Facebook: ExtravaganzaGeelong Check out last year’s event at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGKPBWfIn3M

BUSINESS NEWS | 38

For yo

WIN!

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A Winter Cornucopia www.biznewsmag.com.au | 39

Time and Place 5 – 19 June 2014 Four artists respond to the concept of time and place in Metropolis Gallery’s latest exhibition, invigorating memories and feelings of real and imagined places past, present and future.

‘Time and Place: Ben Davis, Michael Gromm, Steve Singline and Phil Suter’ opens at 6pm on 5 June. Ben Davis’ paintings depict scenes from partially imagined and half-remembered places that serve as a backdrop for small dramas, petty crime and problematic or pivotal interaction.

Michael Gromm, who was short-listed for the 2008 Geelong Gallery Fletcher Jones Art Prize and the 2010 Metro Gallery Prize, transports those who see his work to a place where reality is the victim and time and space are in constant flux. Steve Singline’s textured and multi-layered works convey a weathered surface transformed by the elements and explore the relationship between human emotion and place. Phil Suter chooses to commemorate buildings and streetscapes full of local culture, which hold special meaning to him. metropolisgallery.com.au

ARTS

Friday printmakers: Fifth annual printmaking exhibition 3 – 30 July

Beginning as a class and mentoring group gathering together in Geelong on Fridays for all things printmaking, the Friday Printmakers have honed their skills and talent, collecting a number of accolades over the years. Now they celebrate the fifth annual printmaking exhibition at art@ wintergarden with works displaying a diverse range of print making techniques.

The Friday Printmakers will also publish a small catalogue showcasing prints from each of the sixteen exhibitors, including Patsy Bush, Janet Cattlin, Cas Duff, Jill Giles, Sue Grossman, Teresa Lawrence, John McClumpha, Sheila Muratori, Gaye Nieuwenhof, Lynette Palmer, Robyn Sandford, Elizabeth Saxon-Jones, Maija Vasils, Pam Wansink, Leanne Wright and Barb Zacutti.

The exhibition opens at 6pm on 4 July, with Lisa Sullivan, curator, Geelong Gallery as guest speaker John McClumpa and Patsy Bush will also present an Artist’s Talk on 19 July at 9am (bookings are essential). www.artwintergarden.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 40

Far Island and L-INK-ED - 2 Concurrent Printmaking Exhibitions 4 June - 1 July Etch Gallery is also highlighting printmaking, with two concurrent printmaking exhibitions.

Far Island, a solo exhibition by Terry McKenna features traditional Japanese woodblock prints on paper using the Mokuhanga printmaking technique, with selected works from Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Terry studied and practiced in Japan for several years prior to his recent return to Australia and is giving an artist talk at 11am on 7 June. He is also running a unique, two-day workshop (bookings essential) on 15 June and 22 June, giving participants an exciting introduction to Japanese Mokuhanga printmaking.

L-INK-ED is a group printmaking exhibition by six regional artists, Andrea Clifford, Dij Vriens, Karen Murrell, Meghan Griffiths, Rachel Kirby and Val Betteridge. A beautiful selection of works on paper, L-INK-ED celebrates the diverse practice of printmaking and beautifully compliments Terry McKenna’s work, as well as emphasising the different types of printmaking and differences in style. www.etchgalleryandstudios.com LOCAL until June 22 Wyndham City is going Local with its latest art exhibition, featuring works by a mother and son pair of artists.

In their first joint exhibition, award winning artists and Wyndham residents, Richard Rowlands and Carol Rowlands showcase their diverse and quirky mixed media works. Carol’s work focuses on the theme of the everyday with a humorous bent showing the dramas that occupy us day to day. Her latest work uses machine embroidery to paint with stitches, while Richard, a self-confessed hoarder and collector of unusual objects, takes his ideas from discarded objects that contain with them the residue of their former life. www.wyncc.com.au Cirque Mother Africa 10 June The heartbeat of Africa pulsates throughout the jaw-dropping Cirque Mother Africa, an entertainment extravaganza combining the talents of nine African countries as musicians and artistes articulate their passion and love for their homelands, including Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Benin, Zimbabwe, and Guinea.

In a show to delight the senses, percussionists beat up a storm of sound, traditional dancers tell their own stories, acrobats spin through the air and masks, drums, beads, and amazing costumes and sets all bring forth the feel of authentic African traditions. But Cirque Mother Africa is not just a traditional African show – it also has a take on the modern, fresh and dynamic culture of the new Africa. www.gpac.org.au

Top left: Phil Suter, The Mill Of Mystery

Above: Michael Gromm, Oil On Canvas 107x134

Right: Linocut with Lamp and Cup Far Right: Carol Rowlands, Parrot Left: Study No.19 Aquatint, Rachel Kirby

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 41

community Best Foot Forward participants Jodie and Sharon get the final touches on their make-up.

Best foot forward for long-term unemployed women Last month Karingal BacLinks (Business and Community Links) banded together with Business and Professional Women Geelong (BPW) and employment provider MatchWorks to help give a group of long-term unemployed women the confidence and skills to re-enter the workforce at the Best Foot Forward event.

Around 25 long-term unemployed women, aged between 45 and 55, who are registered job seekers from MatchWorks sites across Geelong took part in the event. Each participant faces many unique barriers to securing employment such as a lack of self-esteem and confidence, financial strain, health issues, inadequate transport or a limited work history.

Karingal BacLinks Acting Manager, Tracy Bull, said it was fantastic working with volunteers from BPW and MatchWorks to help the participants get a step closer to achieving their goal of re-entering the workforce.

“This event helped the participants take part in individualised, tailored workshops that prepared them with interview techniques specific to their chosen industries,” said Tracy. “They also received advice on personal presentation, focusing on hair and make-up skills, participated in self-confidence workshops and walked away from the day with some new work wear to help them feel and look the part when attending interviews.

MatchWorks Disability Employment Service Site Manager - Corio and Bannockburn, Sue Gladwell, has become a regular volunteer for this event over the last few years and said she finds it very rewarding to see the transformation in the women over the course of the day.

“It was great to see the participants gather confidence throughout the day,” said Sue. “At each of the events I have been involved in, many of the participating women arrive unable to even look us in the eye and by the end of the event they have a smile from earto-ear. It is wonderful that, over the course of the day, the women open up to us and discuss issues and problems impacting their lives, which can then be addressed via other avenues.”

Help Geelong - get behind the 30 in 30 campaign!

Winning team – Drummond Golf / Parkers Steakhouse (Chris Brookes, Loren Bunting, Doug Unsworth and Colin Reid)

Throughout June, Karingal’s BacLinks team will embark on a new and exciting ‘30 in 30’ campaign in an effort to recruit 30 new business members in 30 days. Karingal BacLinks make a valuable contribution to the Geelong community by coordinating events tailored to meet the specific needs of the local community and by brokering mutually beneficial partnerships between businesses and community agencies.

As a business member, businesses are supporting Karingal BacLinks to continue its important work around the Geelong community. In return, business members gain access to the popular 730 Breakfast Club Series that provide invaluable networking opportunities with like-minded organisations.

Businesses will also be provided with opportunities throughout the year to participate in employee volunteering events such as the Summer Workplace Big Day Out. For more information please contact the team on (03) 5249 8989.

From Left to Right: Sarah Henderson MP Federal Member for Corangamite and Dr John Stekelenburg, Barwon Health Board Chair.

BUSINESS NEWS | 42

COMMUNITY

Stars to launch Karingal Appeal Eddi Reader (MBE), Tim McCallum and the ABC’s Hilary Harper have been announced as Ambassadors for the Karingal Appeal to raise $2 million for the region’s first fully inclusive community centre in Eastern Geelong. The 12-month appeal will kick off with a concert hosted by Hilary at Costa Hall on 25 June and featuring full sets by the Eddi Reader Quartet (including Boo Hewerdine, Alan Kelly and Ian Carr) and Tim. Other special guests, yet to be announced, will also appear.

Widely acclaimed as one of the world’s finest vocalists, Eddi Reader first found fame with 80s band Fairground Attraction and the worldwide hit “Perfect” and has since been awarded a MBE for her interpretations of the Songs of Robert Burns.

The concert will conclude her 2014 Australia tour.

According to Karingal, the Eastern Geelong Community Centre will be a state-of-the-art environmentally sustainable centre providing community, recreational, social, cultural, economic and health benefits for everyone in the region. The centre will welcome all members of the community, with or without a disability, while championing Karingal’s mission to enrich people’s lives through support, advocacy, partnership and choice.

Karingal CEO, Daryl Starkey, says Karingal is thrilled to have such talented ambassadors lending their support and says the concert to launch the Appeal “will be a rare evening of world class entertainment right here in Geelong”.

Tickets to the Karingal Appeal – Eastern Geelong Community Centre Launch, proudly supported by Deakin University, GPAC and Matchworks, are on sale now. Call 5225 1200 or visit www.gpac.org.au

Give Where You Live turns 60 In its 60th year, Give Where You Live has announced a record allocation of $2 million to the Geelong Community in its 2014 Annual Grant round. Members from the community are currently reviewing and ranking 70 grants, to be announced

in July. To celebrate the anniversary, Give Where You Live, together with Platinum Partner Ford Australia, is giving back with a major raffle to be drawn at the Give Where You Live 60th Anniversary celebrations at Boom Gallery on 4 December. First prize is a 2014 Ford EcoSport Trend valued at $23,000 drive away and tickets are $10 each. Tickets can be purchased at givewhereyoulive.com.au or by phoning 5229 4364.

The not for profit organisation is also recruiting members for the 2014 Loaned Executive Program: employees from any Geelong business who are ‘loaned’ by their employer to Give Where You Live for a three month campaign to help raise funds through the Workplace Giving program. Following initial training, this year’s Loaned Executives will commit about three to four hours a week for 13 weeks to Give Where You Live from July. For more information contact admin@ givewhereyoulive.com.au or phone: 5229 4364.

Annual Golf Day hits $630,000 The 20th annual Rotary Golf day, pioneered by Barry Bell and his fellow Rotarians in 1994, has now raised almost $630,000 for local charities, with this year’s event bringing in $28,000 for the Geelong Hospital Appeal’s Special Care Nursery redevelopment project and service projects of the Rotary Club of Geelong.

A highlight on Geelong’s corporate calendar, the 2014 golf day saw over 70 players from local businesses enjoy perfect weather at 13th Beach Golf Links last month as they attempted to take home the Barry Bell Memorial Shield, eventually won by the team from Drummond Golf and Parkers Steakhouse.

The $5000 Geelong Harley Davidson voucher up for grabs in the hole in one competition, on the other hand, was a prize that went begging, despite the many attempts to win it.

Players enjoyed beverages on course from event sponsors Scotchman’s Hill and Prickly Moses and satisfied their hunger with steak sandwiches provided by Parkers Steakhouse and a BBQ by Rotary Club of Geelong volunteers.

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 43

TECH GUY

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

Powerful tablet

ASUS has announced the new Transformer Pad TF701T, a 10.1-inch Android tablet with a stunning 2560 x 1600 IPS display with the latest highperformance NVIDIA 4 quad-core processor and a lightweight Mobile Dock with USB 3.0. The durable metallic design is just 8.9mm thick and weighs 585g. A high-quality speaker with ASUS SonicMaster audio technology gives loud, clear sound for music, movies and games.

The 17-hour battery life when docked means the new ASUS Transformer Pad lasts for two full working days between charges. The 2560 x 1600 WQXGA resolution gives an extraordinarily sharp image, while IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology ensures accurate colour reproduction, wide 178-degree viewing angles and excellent daylight visibility. A wired HDMI connection can drive a 4K Ultra HD display for truly immersive enjoyment.

The dock’s full-size keyboard with a large multi-touch touchpad makes the Transformer Pad perfect for productivity apps and features a USB 3.0 port that adds support for the latest next-generation SuperSpeed storage devices, while its own built-in battery extends the Transformer Pad’s battery life from 13 to 17 hours. The dock also features an SDXC card slot that complements the tablet’s own microSDXC card slot.

The Transformer Pad TF701T has a recommended retail price of $799.

Fitness wearables usually fit around your wrist or clip onto your belt, however OMsignal have built technology into the humble t-shirt. It includes sensors that measures your heart rate, breathing and movement and sends all that data to your smartphone via Bluetooth, which can work out calories burned, workout intensity and other metrics. All this is powered by a removable data module, which can hold a charge for a month of workouts. Just don’t put the module through the wash. How much you ask? You’ll be shelling out around $100 and you’ll have bragging rights all around your running track.

BUSINESS NEWS | 44

SMART SHIRT

Fitness tracking for surfers

Rip Curl aims to let surfers track every wave and tide with its new search GPS surf watch bringing the water sport into the connected age, allowing surfers to record top speed, distance travelled and even their wave count.

By the time you’re back on the shore, you can relive your entire run with customised maps and charts on Rip Curl’s website or iPhone search app.

The search GPS isn’t available just yet, but you can sign up on Rip Curl’s site to be notified when it becomes available.

Hoverbike

Perfect Tea Move over Luke Skywalker, Aerofex has stepped up with its Aero-X, a hoverbike that is finally scheduled to launch in 2017. Two users can ride this motorbike-like vehicle, where the wheels have been replaced with carbon fibre rotors that’ll lift you 3 metres into the air. This first model has a top speed of 70 kms per hour and a full tank will carry you for an hour and 15 minutes, making it good enough for a short trip into the Geelong CBD. The Aero-X has a weight limit of 140 pounds, so if you’re going out, take one of the kids as the passenger. Available for to pre-order so long as you’re happy to hand over $85,000 with a refundable $5,000 deposit, naturally. May the horse be with you...

Does anyone still use tape to backup data? Surely not.

Tape still has some life in it according to Sony, by optimizing how it sputters argon ions on to film to create magnetic material to create a “nanograined” tape that’s 74 times denser than what you see today. With 185TB per cartridge, it makes even a 5TB hard disk seem quaint. Sony’s breakthrough won’t come to your home PC, but it will be good for businesses that need Tape is not high-capacity tape storage dead yet just to keep up with demand.

As a guitarist I always forget new licks that would arise Record from just messing around at home. Gibson is looking your fab to remedy that and has partnered up with subsidiary Tascam to create the Memory Cable: a 1/4-inch guitar instrument cable for guitar, bass, synths, drum machines and keyboards with a built-in audio recorder. Capable of capturing up to 13 hours of tunes, the cable tracks to a micro SD card in CD-quality 44.1kHz/16-bit resolution, which can be easily uploaded to recording. Expected to cost around $100, it will include a 5 metre cable with a 4GB micro SD card, so jam away to your heart’s content.

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 45

For true tea sommeliers everywhere the Bkon Craft Brewer is just for you. Using Reverse Atmospheric Infusion (RAIN) technology, the unit’s vacuum process creates the optimal flavour of loose-leaf tea. It can also be used for coffee… and cocktails. The machine can crank out a cup in less than a minute and over 60 per hour and store up to 200 presets for every kind of tea your little heart desires. At around $13,000 though you really, really want to crave loose leaf tea brewed just right.

HOURS

after

1 2

Plenty of dazzle at Admin Breakfast The Business Technology Specialists Administrative Professionals Breakfast is always a fabulous celebration of those who sit at the very hub of offices across the city, but this year, there were two reasons why it was even more fabulous than before.

3

Rebecca Maddern once again lent her considerable talents to Give Where You Live as the perfect host, and was joined this year by fellow Channel 7 journalist and friend, Melissa Doyle.

While it may have meant an early start to the day, but there were more than enough fun, plenty of laughs and celebration for the crowd at The Pier to be more than happy to cope with that early alarm.

BUSINESS NEWS | 46

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE STYLEGUIDE AFTER HOURS

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE BRAND

1. CMYK STACKED VERSION (ON WHITE BACKG

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

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.

4

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

E.L

5 Studio - 162 Bellerine St, Geelong 1. Renee Enright, Rebecca Maddern 2 & 3. Melissa Doyle 4. Stan Corner, Melissa Doyle, Rebecca Maddern, Bill Mithen 5. 420 guests.

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

www.biznewsmag.com.au | 47

HOURS

after

1 60 Years of Giving 2014 marks the 60th Anniversary of Give Where You Live, with the organisation having supported the Geelong Community since 1954.

2

As part of the celebrations, Give Where You Live put together a photographic exhibition that graced the GPAC foyer throughout May, launched with a gala event. The images traced the history of the organisation, those who have shaped its success and those who have been assisted by 60 years of donations.

The organisation first began as the Geelong and District Community Chest and in 1983 officially changed its name to United Way, and then in 2010, after disaffiliating with United Way Australia, the organisation we now know as Give Where You Live was formed.

Over the 60 years there have been hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals who have supported Give Where You Live helping to alleviate the effects of disadvantage of hundreds of thousands of Geelong people in their time of need.

To these organisations and people Give Where You Live says thank you and invites you to help celebrate their 60th Anniversary year.

3

5

4 BUSINESS NEWS | 48

AFTER HOURS

6

7 1. Alan Buchter, Dorothy Trezise (Both Life Members) 2. Carolyn Hogan Aloca ARP, Barry Fagg (Life Member) (Fagg’s Mitre 10) 3. Dr Jim Rossiter (Life Member) and Susan Rossiter 4. Gail Rodgers (Volunteering Geelong, Craig Brock (Ford Australia) 5. Amy Gillet & Mimi Skoko (both GMHBA) 6. Grant Boyd (Bethany) Bill Mithen (Give Where You Live) Barry Fagg (Faggs Mitre 10) 7. Mayor Rose Hodge (Surfcoast Shire), Keith Fagg, Stephen Wall (Surfcoast Shire), Mayor Jenny Blake (Golden Plains) 8. Rob Birch, Alex Hatton (both Gforce) Mike O’Brien GWYL Board

8 www.biznewsmag.com.au | 49

STUFF

cool•

Phoenix Pete Cromer petecromer.bigcartel.com

Styled, Simple Kitchen Cranmore Home www.cranmorehome.com.au

Terracotta Lantern Elephant with tealight Oxfam Australia www.oxfamshop.org.au

Cook away the winter blues this month with a delicious range of kitchen gadgets and gizmos.

Shark Attack Glass Yellow Octopus www.yellowoctopus.com.au

KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer in Empire Red KitchenAid Australia & NZ www.kitchenaid.com.au

Chalkboard Label Spice Jar Mint Green www.mintgreen.com.au

Lego Block Cutlery Set Yellow Octopus www.yellowoctopus.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 50

Red Baroque Acrylic Tea Cup and Saucer Savvy Shop Homewares savvyshophomewares.com.au/

BOOKS

BOOKS

new•

OxCrimes Peter Florence and Mark Ellingham with introduction by Ian Rankin Following the success of OxTales and OxTravels, comes OxCrimes: a collection of crime stories from some of the most killer thriller writers in print today, introduced by Ian Rankin.

Oxtails and OxTravels together have raised more than $450,000 for Oxfam’s work, with high hopes for OxCrimes thanks to a host of compelling suspects including Mark Billingham, Alexander McCall Smith, Anthony Horowitz, Peter James, Adrian McKinty, Denise Mina and SJ Parris.

The Independent Member For Lyne Rob Oakeshott While political memoirs are as about as unexpected as a heat wave in February, they can offer fascinating glimpses into the closed-door machinations of parliament. In his memoir, Oakeshott is typically candid about the 17 days following the 2010 election, when the formation of government boiled down to the previously unknown figures of Oakeshott, Windsor, Katter, Wilkie and Bandt, and what happened after, finding that he and Tony Windor were to prove stauncher supporters of Julia Gillard than many in her own party.

The Extraordinary Life of Frank Derrick, Aged 81 J.B Morrison Frank Derrick is eighty-one. And he’s just been run over by a milk float. It was tough enough to fill the hours of the day when he was active… Then a breath of fresh air comes into his life in the form of Kelly Christmas, home help. With her little blue car and appalling parking, her cheerful resilience and ability to laugh at his jokes, Kelly changes Frank’s life.

Frank and Kelly’s story is sad and funny, moving, familiar, uplifting. It is a small and perfect look at a life neither remarkable nor disastrous, but completely extraordinary nonetheless.

The Place at Whitton Tom Keneally Tom Keneally has been a published author for 50 years … 50 YEARS! The Place at Whitton was his first novel. When a man is found brutally murdered in Whitton’s monastery, Dr Stenner, Whitton’s president, is horrified. Could it possibly be the work of one of his priests? A nightmare begins as another brazen killing follows. The murderer appears to be a madman. Then, into the whirlpool of fear and violence, steps a cold and steely young woman who, it seems, has a very specific use for a priest gone bad.

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