Business News 239

April 2015

THE ARTS: THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CITY ISSUE 239

The Geelong Club BROUGH A M ST R E ET GE E LONG

the ideal location for your next EVENT The Geelong Club is an institution that has operated since 1859 as a social club to escape the everyday pressures of work and relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The building in all its finery and the expanse of private garden create an oasis in the middle of the CBD, a perfect setting for all corporate and social occasions.

Our committee room is the perfect room for boardroom meetings, seating up to 14 people.

The restaurant upstairs can be used in theatre style or tables to cater for groups of up to 40 seated and 60 standing.

Downstairs the front room, known as the reading room, overlooks Corio Bay. This room can seat up to 40 or 80 standing.

The Dining Room can seat up to 70 and 120 for cocktail style functions.

In a unique setting, the garden is a beautiful, serene space that can be set as an outdoor meeting area, a long lunch, wedding, birthday or any special event.

We can cater for all your corporate catering and events, from business breakfast through to evening meetings and client dinners in this idyllic and historical setting.

All enquiries welcome.

Wedding Receptions

Special Functions

The Geelong Club 74 Brougham Street Geelong Victoria 3220

03 5229 5065 manager@thegeelongclub.com.au www.thegeelongclub.com.au

Please email all enquiries to Juli at manager@thegeelongclub.com.au or call on 0352 295065

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CONTENTS

16. COVER STORY CONTENTS 6/ Biz News 10 / New Appointments 11 /

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life

Inside Word 20 /

- Pablo Picasso

Legal 22 /

12.

Accounting

FEATURE

30/ Comment 32 / Elevator 34 /

36. ARTS

Conference & Events 40 / Tech Guy

ISSUE 239 APRIL 2015

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Cover image: ‘Remains reworked’ by Drysdale artist, Gillian Turner. ‘Remains reworked’ won the VAPS Gold Medal in the 18th VIGEX International Photographic Salon. The exhibition is on at the Geelong Gallery until 3 May. www.geelonggallery.org.au, page 4 ©iStock.com/CoffeeAndMilk, page 5 ©iStock.com/baifun, page 6 ©iStock.com/SteveGiddings, page 7 ©iStock.com/lolostock, page 8 ©iStock.com/Rawpixel, page 9 ©iStock.com/roberthyrons, page 11 ©iStock.com/EyeMark, page 21 ©iStock.com/EyeMark, page 23 ©iStock.com/violka08, page 24 ©iStock.com/ steranovicigor, page 29 ©iStock.com/WilliamJu, page 34 ©iStock.com/Halfpoint, page 37 ©iStock.com/karandaer, page 44 ©iStock.com/Tolola, page 50 ©iStock.com/ssstep

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EDITOR

Dollars and sense: the tax discussion

T

ax reform, it’s the discussion we need to have, again, still.

Yet, even though it’s another discussion, it feels like a step forward. Perhaps because, finally, we are talking about tax at both its most basic and most broad – not just tinkering around the edges, but looking at our tax takes as a means of paying for all the stuff we want governments to do.

Money earned = tax payable = government services and infrastructure.

The key to the discussion is the tax base, i.e. who is paying tax and through what structures, not just at what percentage, and I like that too. Suddenly, sacred cows such as GST, superannuation, negative gearing and family trusts are on the table, and it even looks like there may be genuine discussion on the global table about circumventing international corporate tax havens. In the not-too-distant-future the world’s biggest companies might have to pay tax in the countries where they are selling their products and services, although we will need to keep a weather eye on the final stages of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and any potential impacts the proposed Investor-State Dispute Settlement clause could have on seeing that happen.

And why have we had these sacred cows in the first place?

There is a whole lot of jargon around economic repercussions and competition in the global marketplace that have been used to counter any moves to address them up until this point, but what they really add up to is: ‘I’m getting a good deal and stuff everybody else’. But we don’t like putting it like that, because, well, somehow that makes it all seem so selfish, and that’s not us. Is it?

Beating the taxman is built into our national identity, we are a nation of rogues and cheats – our unofficial national song is about an unashamed sheep stealer who vows not to get caught, and we cheer his enterprising free spirit.

Gaining an advantage is what we strive for; it’s the reason why we, as a nation, consistently bat far above our average in a whole host of sectors. And there’s nothing wrong with striving to get ahead, it is and should be celebrated, except when it starts to work against the kind of nation we want to be. What we never were was a selfish nation and it would be to all of our loss if that is a road we went down.

So, while we are thinking about our tax system, what works, what

doesn’t, what loopholes need to closed, what should be changed and how we should go about it, we need to slot in a big parcel of mental space for thinking about what we are willing to trade off to achieve what will be – any way you slice them – some massive structural reforms.

Take superannuation. Yes, it’s been used as a tax avoidance minimization scheme and a very cost effective way for the well off to become a little better off, and yes, it has greater advantages for the wealthy than it does for the middle or lower income earners. There is room to balance the ledger within the system.

However, preserving some tangible benefits for locking money away until retirement is essential. The superannuation system offers the chance for Australian workers to not only fund their own retirement, therefore building sustainability into the welfare system, it also offers the chance for Australians to be comfortably able to spend throughout their retirement. But all of that hinges on the willingness of everyday Australians to lock money away for up to 40 years or more.

According to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) the total value of Australia’s collective superannuation funds was $1.94 trillion. That staggering amount of money not only has an enormous impact on our stock market, it is a sum of money that will make its way into the economy as retirees tap into it, it provides a unique buffer from future global economic instability and it is self-sustaining and will continue to grow.

Negative gearing is another contentious tax issue, and one used to avoid minimise tax for those that can afford to invest in property. But it also has helped provide a greater number of rental properties in a time when there was a crisis in rental availabilities.

It has also, undoubtedly, skewed the Australian property market, pushing out first homebuyers. One interesting idea that cropped up amongst the early rounds of tax talk was putting a five-year maximum on negative gearing for any one property, and making it more attractive for investors to build, rather than buy established, to drive construction investment and increase the overall housing stocks.

The fact is, with everyone paying a fair percentage on money earned – and that includes company income – everyone is still gaining.

So much to talk about …

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 5

BIZ NEWS

Independent review of Bellarine coastal group The committee that oversees the management of the Bellarine coastline will be the subject of an independent review.

Labor Member for Bellarine and Victorian Minister for Environment and Member for Bellarine, Lisa Neville, announced an independent review of the previous Bellarine Bayside Committee of Management (BBCoM) to be led by Melbourne-based firm, PPB Advisory.

sustainability and effectiveness of the Committee of Management will also be provided as part of this review, to make sure we doing things the best way.”

Bellarine Bayside Committee of Management is responsible for the planning, management, care and protection of assets and crown land along the North Bellarine foreshore, from Portarlington to St Leonards.

In a statement released by the Minister, Ms Neville said the review is being conducted while an interim committee is in place. Members of the Interim Committee are: Dianne James as Chairperson, Steve Griffin, Graeme McGregor, Elaine Carbines, Neil Bell, Paul Simmons, Therese Cotter and Lindsay Ellis.

“The Bellarine foreshore is a beautiful part of our environment. It’s popular with visitors and locals. We must preserve it, so it can be enjoyed now and into the future.”

“This independent review will ensure we have the best systems and processes in place to care for and protect our coastal reserve,” the Minister said. “Options to improve the financial

Interested members of the public are urged to discuss matters of interest with the new committee members through the Bellarine Bayside offices on 5254 4000.

A draft report from the independent review team is due in midMay, with a final report before June.

A confident start to the year for farmers

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ustralian farmers have started the year on an optimistic note, with rural confidence lifting to its highest level in four years, according to the latest quarterly survey of farmer sentiment.

The Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey found that elevated commodity prices, summer rainfall and the drop in the Australian dollar have buoyed farmers across the country.

This quarter, nearly half of the country’s farmers (45 per cent) surveyed expected conditions to improve over the coming 12 months, up from a quarter that held that view in the previous survey. Those expecting stable conditions stood at 40 per cent, while just 13 per cent expect conditions to deteriorate (down from 31 per cent).

However, while good summer rains had turned around conditions for many farmers in the eastern states, a number of regions had missed out and are entering their third or fourth dry season, Rabobank group executive for Country Banking Australia, Peter Knoblanche said.

Rabobank group executive for Country Banking Australia, Peter Knoblanche said the positive sentiment was being driven by a combination of factors – improved commodity markets, a good start to the season in many areas and the lower dollar – all against the backdrop of historically low interest rates.

The survey found farmer confidence at its highest level since March 2011 at a positive net reading of 32 per cent, up from a negative position of minus six per cent in the previous survey, released in December 2014.

In line with overall confidence levels, farmers were also generally more optimistic about the outlook for their own farm business performance. Those expecting an improved performance in 2015 stood at 43 per cent, while a similar proportion (46 per cent) expected performance to remain the same as last year. Those expecting a deterioration stood at just nine per cent.

Confidence was up in all states and across all commodity sectors, with the exception of sugar, which has been impacted by a surplus of global supply.

Driving much of the upswing in sentiment were livestock graziers, with beef markets recovering and prices reaching record levels early this year, while sheep prices remained strong.

This flowed through into income projections, with 86 per cent of farmers expecting higher or at least similar incomes to last year – with beef, sheep and grain growers the most positive about their expected cashflow.

Is the SME sector ready for big expansion?

A fresh study conducted by Business Connector and released in early March suggests that there is significant expansion underway in the Australian SME sector – a key driver of the national economy and employment. The study found that 54 per cent of companies raising capital are looking to raise $500K or more, which seems to dispel the myth that most companies are not raising enough

funds. Over two-thirds of respondents are in revenue and many companies seeking funding are substantial SMEs ($5M+ annual revenue), allowing them to substantiate the funds they’re seeking.

However, a disturbing 50 per cent are approaching funding without a business plan in hand, and only one-third have a proper cash flow forecast.

BUSINESS NEWS | 6

Gforce wins major contract

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he Prime Minister was in town as March came to an end to announce the government’s new employment services system, known as jobactive. Gforce’s Staffing Solutions division won an increased five-year federal government Employment Services contract to deliver services to job seekers and employers across the region.

Gforce Chief Executive Officer, Rob Birch, said in a statement that the new Employment Services 2015-20 contract, jobactive, means Gforce can increase its positive impact on the region’s community. And he is confident Geelong’s business leaders can help provide career pathways for unemployed people wanting to work. ``This is such an exciting opportunity for Gforce to support job seekers - whether they are long-term unemployed, youth, migrants or parents returning to work - and employers and change people’s lives for the better,’’ Mr Birch says. ``Finding ongoing work is such an empowering thing for job seekers. For employers, putting on the right person can be just as powerful for their business. At Gforce we get to see both sides of the equation and it’s a real privilege.’’

Gforce was also successful in securing the new Work for the Dole Co-ordinator role for the Ballarat region and will provide this service out of its existing Ballarat office.

Gforce Staffing Solutions manager, Nic Jarvis, welcomed the contract win, saying he looks forward to working closely with employers to help job seekers find work and support them for the first six months in their new workplace. ``We know it’s going to be a busy five years and we’re thrilled that we’ll have to put on more staff at our Geelong and Corio offices to meet the contract demands.’’

Mr Jarvis urges business people keen to get involved to contact Gforce Staffing Solutions for details on the scheme’s many benefits, including wage subsidies and employee support.

MatchWorks, St Laurence Community Services Inc., WorkSkil

Australia, Advanced Personnel Management, Staffing Solutions and RMIT University were all named as providers of jobactive services across the Barwon region.

Federal Member for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson, welcomed the announcement, saying, “Our government’s $5 billion national jobactive system announced at the Deakin Cats Community Centre, Kardinia Park, is another example of how we are working to make our region a better place to live, work and raise a family.

“Jobactive will help more job seekers secure a job and assist employers find the employees they need to grow their businesses,” Ms Henderson said. “The fact that the national announcement for jobactive was made here in Geelong demonstrates our government’s very strong focus on job creation across our region.” According to a statement released by Ms Henderson’s office, Jobactive provides clearer incentives to ensure employment service providers are focused on better preparing job seekers to meet the needs of local employers and helping people to find and keep a job.

Service providers will no longer receive ‘job placement’ payments.

The rules around training have also been tightened to ensure that job seekers are not being sent to training for training’s sake, as is currently the case.

There will be less red tape so that providers can spend more time doing what they do best – helping job seekers find and keep a job.

“The Prime Minister has also announced that a new jobs and small business package will be released over coming weeks. It will include a small business company tax cut on July 1 – at least as big as the 1.5 per cent already flagged,” Ms Henderson said.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 7

BIZ NEWS

Solution still needed on higher education insufficient for maintaining and enhancing the quality expected by students, employers and the community.

“The Parliament gives bi-partisan support for national security and defence in the public interest. This consensus should extend to the intellectual building blocks of our economic security.

“The defeat of the Higher Education and Research Reform Bill has created the opportunity for the Government to engage with all stakeholders in developing a robust funding framework that is durable, sustainable and predictable.

“We cannot continue to kick this can down the road,” Ms Robinson said.

Responding to calls for higher education to be fought out in an election, Ms Robinson said: “higher education policy is too important to be allowed to become a Frankenstein-ian by-product of pre-election political positioning.

U

niversities Australia, the tertiary peak body, said the decision by Parliament to reject the amended higher education package opens the way for a national discussion on a long-term, sustainable and predictable funding model for university education and research.

Releasing a statement following the failure latest incarnation of the Abbott Government’s higher education package to gain the support of the Senate, the Chief Executive of Universities Australia, Belinda Robinson said, “The almost year-long debate has achieved a remarkable political consensus on one critical factor – that the current state of public investment in universities is

“Our universities, and the hopes and aspirations of our children, can no longer afford to be treated as a convenient political football.

“By delivering the highly-skilled graduates and talented researchers our country needs, our universities are driving Australia’s transition to an innovative knowledge-based economy.

“With global competition intensifying, Australia can’t afford to be left behind. Unfortunately, if our universities continue to be sidelined, this is the reality we confront,” Ms Robinson said.

She said Universities Australia welcomed the Government’s undertaking to work with Senators and others to develop a new approach and encouraged all Parliamentarians to participate in shaping a high-performance Australian university system.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 8

Residential rooftop solar with battery storage a step closer

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ustralia is closer than ever before to self-storing rooftop solar, the innovation that promises to revolutionize rooftop solar.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) last month announced $3.3 million in funding for Synergy to trial a combination of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) with battery storage at a new housing development in Alkimos Beach, north of Perth in Western Australia.

ARENA CEO, Ivor Frischknecht, said the model being trialled included new tariff options for consumers and had the potential to be replicated in future residential developments across Australia.

“The trial will involve combining 1.1MWh of centralised lithium ion battery storage with more than 100 rooftop solar PV systems,” Mr Frischknecht said. “Cost effective energy storage will become increasingly important in the quest to include more renewables in our electricity grids.”

Mr Frischknecht said Synergy would deliver the project in partnership with development partners Lend Lease and Landcorp, two major players in property construction, planning and infrastructure.

“Working with these companies presents an opportunity to increase the use of solar PV in Australia, particularly if they adopt similar models at other residential developments.”

network operators to manage demand more effectively by delivering stored power into the grid at peak times.

“Combining storage and renewables has the potential to deliver significant savings to both consumers and developers by reducing grid connection costs for new homes,” Mr Frischknecht said.

The project will provide new information about how to deliver value from solar PV for consumers, land developers, electricity retailers and network operators with enabling technologies.

“The valuable technical and commercial insights gained from this project could help overcome regulatory barriers and prove the case for adding renewables into the residential planning process.”

Mr Frischknecht said residential electricity storage would allow

The four-year trial will start in early 2016.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

Energy: The New Geelong Refinery Manager

Viva Energy Australia has announced that Thys Heyns has commenced as General Manager Refining at the Geelong Refinery.

Viva Energy Chief Executive Officer, Scott Wyatt, said Thys brings to the role a wealth of local and international leadership experience gained from previous refining, supply and trading roles.

“Viva Energy is extremely pleased to welcome Thys to Australia’s newest energy company and we believe he has the right experience to help us create a sustainable manufacturing business” Scott said. “Thys has spent more than 27 years in the industry, including leadership roles in both Australian and international refineries. Scott also took the opportunity to thank Guy Hackwell, for stepping into the role prior to Thys’ appointment, and for leading the Geelong team through the transition from Shell to Viva Energy.

Before joining Viva Energy, Thys was the Business Unit Leader (General Manager) at BP’s Rotterdam Refinery in the Netherlands for five years.

Previous to that he held the role of General Manager at the BP Kwinana Refinery in Western Australia between 2005 -2010. He has also held numerous other management and leadership roles at, or connected with, refineries at BP locations around the globe, including the USA, the United Kingdom and Africa.

Thys said that he was thrilled to join the refinery team and is looking forward to establishing his home in Geelong.

“After 22 years of international work and travel, we wanted to settle down in our adopted home, Australia,” Thys said. “The Viva Energy opportunity presented itself at the right time. It is a business that I am passionate about and where I believe I am in a position to add value. Although we have only been here for a few weeks, we are very impressed by what we have experienced.

Thys said that he is committed to building strong relationships with the business and the local community.

“The refinery has been an important part of the Geelong community for the past 60 years. I look forward to building on these strong foundations.

Working together innovatively we can build a sustainable refinery business that is good for our investors, employees and the local community.”

In his spare time Thys enjoys cycling and spending time with the family. He and his wife Debbie have been married for 28 years, they have two adult children and a well-travelled Labrador called Molly.

HUMAN RESOURCES

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Cameron Shephard is the new Human Resources Manager at Aus Pits. Cameron has worked in a range of human resources, training and development roles within Australia, the UK and central Europe. Cameron brings with him an abundance of fresh ideas aimed at maintaining Aus Pits positive interaction with their workforce.

Kathy Seoane is a welcomed addition to the Aus Pits team and brings a wealth of Occupational Health and Safety knowledge and experience.

Kathy has worked as a safety/ environmental consultant for a number of international companies is working to ensure the Aus Pits’ zero tolerance to injuries is sustained.

BUSINESS NEWS | 10

FINANCE Jason Raselli has joined the Aus Pits team in the role of Chief Financial Officer. Jason has held a CPA for the past 14 years and brings with him a wealth of financial knowledge and experience.

INSIDE WORD

Geelong Defence Procurement Office’s New Home The new Geelong Defence Procurement Office will be based at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus. The announcement was made by the Premier at Deakin last month and is the latest stop in a continuing campaign to further develop opportunities for local business and industry to supply to the lucrative defense sector.

A statement released by the Premier’s office said the Procurement Office will boost our defence industry and make sure our state gets its fair share of our national defence work.

“The new Procurement Office will be a powerful voice for the future of Geelong and the future of Victoria,” the Premier said.

The Procurement Office has been established to market the skill and capability of Victorian and Geelong manufacturers to the world’s largest defence contractors with the aim of creating more high skill, high wage jobs in the state’s manufacturing sector.

The statement read, “The Office will also help promote Victoria’s abilities in design and manufacturing, identify opportunities for growth in defence and non-defence business, and help Victorian businesses access local and global supply chains and form industry partnerships.

“Businesses will be able to draw upon the world-class research capacity of Deakin University.”

The state’s defence industry currently has an annual turnover of around $1.5 billion, with more than 300 businesses working in the sector and employing around 6,000 people.

Third round of Innovation and Investment funding open The third round of the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF) is now open and businesses are encouraged to participate in this program of co-funded investment that will create new jobs in areas impacted by the closure of Ford automotive manufacturing.

Minister for Industry, Lily D’Ambrosio, today welcomed the announcement, but called on the Federal Government to commit to the fund’s future to support local industry.

The Andrews Labor Government has committed an additional $18 million to support the fund, and the Melbourne’s North Innovation and Investment Fund (MNIIF).

The Abbott Government has refused to provide any details of additional funding and has stalled a review of the funds.

The Victorian Minister for Industry, Lily D’Ambrosia, issued a statement announcing the opening of the third round of funding.

The $29.5 million Geelong Regional Innovation and Investment Fund has, to date, invested $18.3 million in local projects.

These funds have supported more than $104 million in further investment on projects that will create 722 jobs.

Under the fund, businesses with projects located in the Greater Geelong, Queenscliff, Surf Coast, Colac-Otway and Golden Plains local government areas can apply for financial assistance to support investment.

Further information is available from the business.gov.au hotline on 13 28 46.

The Defence Procurement Office will act on behalf of all Victorian-based defence companies. The office can be contacted on 5215 6071.

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FEATURE

The Future is NAO

Photography by Vincent Desailly

“We started with a few different hardware items, and then became introduced to the robots from the autism perspective... from there we’ve expanded it into mainstream education and university research.”

Robotics and programming will increasingly change how and what we learn, and, for some, how we live in much the same way that the internet has changed the way we work and communicate. The conversation about integrating robots and digital programming into primary and secondary education is gaining momentum and the integration of robotics into the lives of kids is already happening in Australia. Geelong-based company, The Brainary, is spear heading the roll out of this world-leading technology and forming partnerships with universities and other organisations that are leading research and development across the country in the use of assistive robotic technology in education and healthcare.

The cute little humanoid robot pictured above is called NAO (pronounced ‘now’) and is central to a number of education studies taking place in Australian schools. It is incredibly responsive, highly interactive, can be as easy to program as dragging and dropping commands on a tablet or laptop, or even moving its sturdy little body into different positions and having the robot’s memory system save them, or as complex as coding new commands.

The robot was designed by the world leaders in humanoid robotics, French company Aldebaran, and is being championed in Australia and New Zealand by Geelong company, The Brainary.

I met with Jonathan Kingsley from The Brainary, on a quiet morning at King of the Castle café in Geelong West. Normally a hub of understated cool for serious coffee drinkers, the atmosphere in the café was transformed when Jonathan brought out the 53-centimetre NAO and had it do the Thriller dance for us. Camera phones came out faster than a six-shot in a Western shootout and everyone, including me, crouched down to eye level in amazement. The robot has touch sensors and I could hold its hand and it walked with me.

It’s something that has to be seen to be appreciated, and you can see it if you search YouTube for NAO Robot Thriller Dance and watch as everyone around you gathers around. That’s the effect this super cool little bot has, it makes kids of us all. And it was with kids in mind that NAO has been developed.

I first saw the NAO robot at Scienceworks, and was amazed at just how interactive the robot was. NAO has directional microphones

BUSINESS NEWS | 12

FEATURE in its head and sensitive cameras for eyes, so it turns to look at you when you speak and can identify human shapes in a room.

When you wave, it waves back. It uses Siri, the voice recognition program used on iPhones, so when you talk, it talks to you, and just like Siri, you have to talk clearly – which is actually a good thing for speech therapy. And it can learn. It can also pick itself up off the ground and is surprisingly sturdy.

My first impression was of the difference this little robot could make to kids with autism, or emotional or trust issues, and it is within education programs for children on the autism spectrum that NAO has been initially used around the world. But the ways NAO can be used are many and varied, and in Australia, primary and secondary schools are using the robots to deliver robotics and coding programs – bringing vital science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) skills seemingly to life.

The Brainary started around 12 years ago as an online business with company founder, Hugh Kingsley, wanting to bring game play back into education to engage students. From educational board games, the range has grown to around 5,000 resources for the education and healthcare sectors, including resources for cognitive behaviour therapy and speech pathology resources, right through to resources for elderly care.

“A natural progression for us was to get into assistive technology,” said Jonathan, and yes, Hugh is his father. “We started with a few different hardware items, and then became introduced to the robots from the autism perspective. That’s why we first took NAO on, and from there we’ve expanded it into mainstream education and university research.”

Just like any other teacher’s or health worker’s aid, NAO is a tool – a way of enhancing learning, and it does it in one of the most fun ways imaginable. Who doesn’t want to play with a robot?

NAO was the dream of French entrepreneur, Bruno Maisonnier, who together with five other robotics enthusiasts began robotics company, Aldebaran. The French Government funded the NAO project and the first robot was introduced to the world in 2006.

These little bots have since gained plenty of attention, chosen as the successor to the Sony AIBO for the 2008 RoboCup Soccer League, and in 2010 was a major draw card for crowds at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, and the University of New South Wales are the current world champions for RoboSoccer, having beat out Germany in the nail-biter last year. But where the robots really shine is in programs with children, and in 2013, Aldebaran developed the Autism Solution for Kids (ASK NAO) project, as a new way of helping kids with autism connect with education programs.

“The robot is small and non-threatening, it will repeat the same actions or messages without changing expression in the way another child or adult would, and it provides a consistent and predictable framework for learning,” Jonathan said.

Around half of Australia’s universities have programs using the NAO robots, including all of the Group of Eight, and Deakin here in Geelong. The Brainary has just signed an agreement to partner with Swinburne University of Technology to develop and roll out a robotics in schools program. Swinburne is a leader in robotics development and research in Australia, and the program will see robotics students at Swinburne going into high schools and primary schools around Victoria, introducing these advanced robots and teaching students about robotics. The program will be a fee-for-service program that will be affordable for schools that can’t afford to buy their own robots.

“It’s about making robotics accessible to all public schools,” Jonathan said.

The NAO robots have also been used in trials testing how humanoid robots could be used in aged care, and Swinburne University in Melbourne is planning to undertake a trial in the aged care sector here in Australia. NAO is also being used for rehabilitation in the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. And with the little robots speaking 19 different languages, it’s not hard to see how NAO could break down barriers not only for children with disabilities, but to also break down the language barriers for non-English speaking or English as a second language students.

NAO costs around the same as a small hatchback, in the order of $12,000 and yes, just like the cars, there are optional extras; but to put that into perspective, the interactive whiteboards that are just another feature of virtually every classroom today were a similar price when they were first introduced. A number of schools have run fundraisers to buy a robot for their school, and others have had the robots introduced as part of education programs delivered by universities. Would I think $12,000 was money well spent on a robot in my kids’ school? Absolutely. I was surprised to hear that, as yet, there wasn’t a school in Geelong who had introduced the robots into their specialist or special needs programs.

“It’s the most amazing tool for teaching coding in the classroom,” Jonathan said. “Children are just so much more interested in programming social interactions on a robot, or anything really on a humanoid robot, than they are on making a little Lego car go forwards and backwards.”

The robot uses WiFi to connect to your laptop or tablet, and a graphical user interface (GUI) means NAO can be programmed by selecting and dropping command boxes –in the same simple way that we drag and drop files on a computer or apps on a tablet. Primary school children would pick this up as easily, if not easier, than Minecraft, because it uses simple logic and timelines.

And advanced programmers, including university professors, also use this interface to do a lot of their work, opening up the coding within the boxes and recoding to create new applications.

There are volumes of scholarly articles on the benefits of NAO robots in education and rehabilitation and, unlike many other education programs I’ve come across, you only have to see it to understand that it would work.

‘In an education setting, it’s the engagement that makes all the difference; people are just so engaged with the robot. Teachers are seeing students who wouldn’t normally be interested in robotics or programming are so much more interested with these robots,” Jonathan said.

Japanese company, SoftBank, bought Aldebaran and has since co-developed another robot, Pepper. Pepper greets customers at SoftBank’s mobile stores in Japan, has also been used to sell Nescafe, and is now available for purchase by Japanese consumers to take home.

Romeo is the latest Aldebaran robot in development. A 1.5 metre humanoid robot, Romeo is being developed specifically as a disability and elderly care assistant, and it’s not hard to imagine how much of an impact these robots could have in the lives of so many.

The future really is happening now.

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 13

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by APS Benefits. 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 Patron Financial Advice (“Patron”). Financial services provided by APS Financial Planning Pty Ltd are provided under Patron’s AFSL No. 307379. 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.

The Arts:

the beating heart of the city

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COVER STORY

F

rom literature and writing to music, theatre, visual art, graphic art to street art, arts and culture beat at the heart of a city and feed into not only how that city is seen, but also how the people who live there see themselves.

That is why cities like Bilbao in Spain, Newcastle in the UK or Newcastle in Australia, for that matter, have used large investments in arts and culture infrastructure and programs to drive a reinvention of themselves. Just like Geelong, all of these cities were major industrial centres that were left with the challenge of transitioning their economy and local identity into something with a place in the 21st century, and turned to the arts to help do it.

With the new Geelong Library & Heritage Centre changing the skyline of the city, the second stage of the Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) redevelopment moving into the design phase, and the redevelopment and expansion of the Geelong Gallery on the near horizon, along with the completed redevelopment of the Old Courthouse, our city’s longawaited arts precinct is taking shape.

We are on the precipice of an arts explosion and it’s something to get excited about.

“Over the past 20 years studies worldwide have shown that arts, culture and heritage are social, economic and education engines.

The research shows that cities with a higher percentage of creative works are more economically successful, especially in the ‘new global economy’,” said the City of Greater Geelong’s Manager of the Arts & Culture Department, Kaz Paton.

the multifaceted dome of the new Geelong Library & Heritage Centre sits as unmistakeable proof that the focus of the city is looking forward. A spectacular and breathtaking piece of design, the building speaks to the kind of city we want to be, nestled amongst buildings that tell the stories of our past.

Kaz said the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre (GLHC) was identified as a key driver project in the Cultural Precinct Masterplan (2007) and complements previous projects such as the upgrade of the Old Courthouse Building. The contemporary design is deliberate, designed to complement rather than compete with the existing heritage buildings in the Cultural Precinct. Funding the project are the City of Greater Geelong ($20.5 million), the Victorian State Government ($15 million) and the Federal Government ($10 million) and is on track for an anticipated opening in late October/November this year.

The City’s Art & Culture Department has now turned its attention to the redevelopment of the Geelong Gallery. A community consultation process running from November to early February invited ideas and thoughts on the future direction of the Gallery and that feedback is being fed into the development of Geelong Gallery Business Case, which has been jointly funded by the City, the Gallery and the State Government. The proposal to expand the Gallery into City Hall would not only open up the heritage beauty of City Hall to the public, but allow for large scale exhibitions and the opening up of the Gallery’s permanent collection – only three per cent of which is currently on show at any one time due to lack of space. Once completed, the business case will form the basis of proposals to fund the $40 million project.

“Over the past 20 years studies worldwide have shown that arts, culture and heritage are social, economic and education engines.”

Kaz was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship in 2012, and travelled to industrial economy cities across Europe that, like Geelong, have experienced great challenges as those industries declined. She saw first-hand how a significant focus on arts, culture and heritage have transformed cities like Leeds, Newcastle and Cardiff in the UK, Malmö in Sweden, Helsingør and Aarhus in Denmark, and the Austrian city of Linz (as well as Paris and Berlin because, after all, the tour was all about art cities) through major investments in arts and culture.

“Large scale cultural events such as the M~M Extreme Arts Walk/ Geelong After Dark experience, which attracted 16,250 people in the inaugural year, can bring diverse communities together, where the arts assist in exploring ideas, building a sense of shared identity and acknowledging cultural diversity.

“In times of change, arts and cultural events appeal broadly to audiences, engaging communities in physical, mental and emotional ways that differ greatly from many other creative and entertainment experiences. They offer diversity of experience and opportunities to actively participate – to be part of the creative experience and to share this experience with others. These are physical tangible communal experiences much like social media but in real time and in physical form. They are also unique to this place; offering experiences that can only be had here.’

From most vantage points on the western side of the city centre,

Geoffrey Edwards, Director of the Geelong Gallery, said the Gallery probably many years ago ceased to be a facility of the scale needed to deliver what they want to deliver now, let alone for the next thirty years.

“There was wonderful and very enthusiastic response to the need to redevelop the Gallery. It heartening for us and heartening for the City - we were partners in this exercise and will continue to be, and we have this overwhelming community feedback. Our next step is to shape what the facility might look like as a much stronger, grown part of this precinct. And really, the gallery would be, as it is in Melbourne, a principal driver of inwards tourism.”

Geoffrey pointed to what is widely recognised as the strongest example of the power of arts and culture investment to revitalise a place, the Bendigo Art Gallery. The Bendigo example, as it’s known, saw a series of three redevelopments and expansions of the Gallery in Bendigo. Combining heritage buildings with contemporary design, the floor space was expanded to 1000 square-metres – the Geelong Gallery currently has 280 squaremetres - and a partnership was formed with the Victorian and Albert Museum in London that has brought spectacular exhibitions and flocks of tourists to the regional Victorian city. The Grace Kelly: Style Icon exhibition, held in Bendigo smashed all

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 17

visitor records and on its own poured around $16 million into the local economy.

“Galleries can be great drivers of inwards tourism, but they need to be a certain scale and a couple of our sister institutions have had two, and in the obvious case of Bendigo, three redevelopments and extensions and massive investments of money to create that scale,” Geoffrey said.

“Bendigo is, in a way, the national example of what can be done as part of a city-wide strategic tourism investment. It’s not just the gallery, but that has certainly been central to their drive to be seen as a sophisticated, cosmopolitan, creative city that people wish to engage with, and I think that’s where Geelong needs to be headed on the strength of its revival and the strength of its various cultural offerings – most of which, but not all, because you also have the National Wool Museum – are in this precinct here. The beauty of Geelong is that you can walk from one end to the other in a sunny afternoon and you can certainly get from institution to institution very easily.”

Having worked at both the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and The Met in New York, as well as having the Director of the British Museum, the biggest museum in the world, amongst his acquaintances in the art world, Geoffrey can see the potential to bring some truly spectacular exhibitions to Geelong, if and when we have the space available for them.

companies, from the worldwide success of Back To Back Theatre to companies like Doorstep, who recently took their show, Next to Normal, to Sydney to great acclaim.

“I think the arts are an embedded part of any city’s life,” Jill said.

“I was talking to someone [recently] and we were talking about how hospitals are front and centre, saving people’s lives and getting people well, and the arts do the same job, it’s just not as overt. If you took the arts out of a city, then it would be a pretty barren place.”

One of the features of the arts calendar this year will be the arrival of The Globe Theatre in May. April 23, 2014 marked the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare. To mark the anniversary, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre company devised an extraordinary world tour that would see them perform Hamlet in every country in the world as part of a 2-year tour. The Geelong shows at Deakin’s Costa Hall will be the only Australian performances on the tour, and almost exclusively of all the cities on the tour, Geelong will have three shows across May 28-29. But before you hit the website or phones, tickets to the shows sold out almost on release – hardly surprising for this one-off opportunity.

“... there is a greater engagement with the community in the arts than there is with traditional sports.

We are a proud sporting nation, but even more so we are a culturally active one.”

“Our business case works towards not only a much bigger, expanded building, but just as importantly it looks at a new operating model where we would have fewer, but larger exhibitions and we would be synchronising those more strategically with various other tourism initiatives.”

We see how this works in Melbourne with the Winter Masterpieces series of exhibitions at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). That program was established as part of a strategic plan to draw more visitors to the city over the traditionally quieter winter tourism period. And that same basic model is being looked at here, with various players across the culture, events and tourism industries looking to establish drawcard events in winter. A newly developed and expanded gallery would be a central part of this model.

Geoffrey said the Gallery staff and its supporters would love to see the redevelopment and expansion completed in the next three years, but said a more realistic timeline would be three-tofive years, with the official timeline to be established during the completion of the business case and dependent on funding.

And while the investment is significant, as he pointed out, across their many facets, it is statistically proven that there is a greater engagement with the community in the arts, not only in Geelong but also across Australia, than there is with traditional sports. We are a proud sporting nation, but even more so we are a culturally active one.

GPAC general manager, Jill Smith, has seen first-hand just how engaged the Geelong community is with the arts. More than half of the activity at GPAC is driven by the community and the city has an extraordinary number of successful local theatre

I asked Jill about he process of getting Globe to Globe to come to Geelong as the only Australian leg of their worldwide tour.

“It was interesting. There are some Australian stage managers that work for The Globe and GPAC has staff who have worked for major companies around the country who had that personal connection with staff at The Globe. When it mentioned that The Globe was embarking on this world tour, our staff said to them that when they come to Australia that they should come to Geelong and we took it from there.

“It’s a once in a generation opportunity, and what was wonderful was that so many people in Geelong knew what an opportunity it was for the city, and when we needed to raise some money to make it happen, they put their hands in their pockets and supported it.

“We wanted to be able to keep the price as low as possible because we wanted as many people as possible to be able to experience it. They gave us an additional matinee performance that we could offer to schools at a very discounted price, and the support we got from the benefactors in Geelong really enabled us to be able to make that performance happen.”

Globe to Globe - Hamlet is being supported by the City of Greater Geelong through Geelong Major Events, the State Government of Victoria, through Arts Victoria and a number of philanthropic supporters.

Art in almost all forms requires collaboration and a lot of support, and it is the same with arts infrastructure. The $30 million Stage Two of the GPAC redevelopment is now underway, with Stage One, the refurbishment of the Playhouse Theatre, having been unveiled in 2010. Aurecon Australia has been chosen to manage the project, with the process of securing the design team and other consultants now underway. The project is due to be completed midway through 2017.

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COVER STORY The Ryrie Street stage of the project will see the fragile back section of the building demolished and rebuilt. A particularly exciting element of the project will be the opening up of the beautiful old church that has been largely hidden away at that end of building as a brand new cabaret space – the first of it’s kind in Geelong. There will be new entrances into the Playhouse, additional dance studios and a floor of creative industry spaces.

“We will be bringing other creative industries into the cultural precinct, such as digital designers, it might be a writer who wants a studio, filming, graphics, game designers, it could be anything you want,” Jill said.

Following on from Stage Two will be the third and final stage of the centre’s redevelopment, the ‘Malop Street Stage’ that will see GPAC expand on to the Barwon Health site next door and expanding the Drama Theatre to 500 seats, as well as building a few other smaller, experimental theatre spaces. Jill said these smaller spaces would create an opportunity for more local artists to access professional spaces for their creative development, as well as offering more flexibility in what and how the centre can present an even wider range of shows and experiences.

“If you are a visual artist, you can have your studio in the back of your house, or if you are a writer you can work from home, but performing artists need collaboration and you need space. It’s very hard to find space at home to do that. Opening up this site and making it a creative hub would be very exciting to achieve.”

Having overseen the move of The Playbox Theatre in Melbourne to the development of the Malthouse Theatre, the redevelopment process is one Jill has experienced before and she said this project has the potential to have the same sort of impact.

“Across the year there is something for everyone here; if you are into comedy, if you are into contemporary music, and if you want to relive the music of your childhood there’s probably a band coming through here doing that. GPAC’s own programs revolve around the theatre season, which is bringing to Geelong an extraordinarily diverse program from some of our major companies, from some of our small to medium companies and from our own independent artists. And it’s not just coming from Melbourne, it’s coming from as far as the Northern Territory, from WA, it’s coming from Queensland. When you look at a map of Australia and you look at all the shows that are coming into Geelong and trace them back, we’re really representing theatre across Australia and for all ages, from the young kids who are just starting with their first theatre experience through to our senior citizens. It’s the strength of that diversity and the quality and the fact that it’s so representative of the theatre sector across the country that people identify with GPAC.” The redevelopments of the Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, GPAC and the Geelong Gallery represent an extraordinary opportunity to build in Geelong what few cities have – a genuine cultural precinct in the heart of the city. And when that heart starts to beat, it changes the city in ways that have to be experienced to be fully understood.

We’ve seen this with the redevelopment of key institutions in Melbourne, with the State Library, the two sites of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Melbourne Recital Centre, which I’m told has the best acoustics in the southern hemisphere, the Arts Centre and the recently redeveloped Hamer Hall – boasting

one of very few orchestra pits in the world that can hold Wagner’s Ring Cycle orchestra – all situated within a ten-minute walk of each other.

The boom in investment in arts infrastructure in the late 1970s and early 1980s, that also saw the building of GPAC, created the critical mass that the state capital’s vibrant and renowned arts culture was built upon. That is what we are in the process of building in Geelong, critical mass. The commercial spaces feed into that critical mass, attracting and generating more shows, raising more attention and attracting more tourism and investment, just as we’ve seen in Bendigo.

The value of an arts precinct, rather than having a number of stand-alone institutions, is that an arts facility that sits alone is inward looking. Visitors go in, see the show and leave. With plans to develop that section of Little Malop Street that would see the creation of a vibrant precinct at street level, we would be seeing a part of the city that encourages people to spend time there, to take part in a range of experiences in the way that the Waterfront redevelopment has encouraged along the foreshore of the bay.

The renewed Courthouse, Library, Gallery and Performing Arts Centre, along with the open space of Johnstone Park, will inevitably attract more cafes, more restaurants and specialty shops and more accommodation within that vicinity.

And some good news in the 2015 Victorian Budget could see our city’s heart beat just a little faster.

Davina Montgomery BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 19

LEGAL

Understanding a Commercial Lease

W

Tom White, Managing Principal Coulter Roache Lawyers

hen renting business related property it is important for both landlords and tenants to understand the relationship they are entering into and the rights and obligations that they each have.

The document that governs this relationship is usually a Commercial Lease.

So, what is a Commercial Lease?

A lease is a legally binding contract that gives you certain rights to a property for a set term.

A commercial lease is used when leasing property used primarily for a business.

You should never sign a lease without understanding all of its terms and conditions.

If you don’t understand what you are agreeing to you could experience serious financial and legal problems.

It is important to properly investigate the property and lease document before you sign. It is a good idea to ask your solicitor to explain each clause of the lease to you. Your lawyer can give you legal advice, draft new clauses and help you negotiate the terms and conditions to suit you.

Important issues to consider when entering into a lease A commercial lease will usually contain terms dealing with items such as: Rent: How much is the rent and when is it due? The amount of the rent will usually be calculated based on the area of the premises.

This may not always be a simple as it sounds if the shape of the property is irregular or the area includes a lift, more than one floor, outdoor area or interior walls.

Rent Increases: Rent will usually increase annually during the term of the lease, with increases determined by a fixed percentage, be market based or tied to the CPI. It is common for CPI or fixed reviews to occur during the term of a lease and for a market review to occur at the expiry of the initial term and each option period.

Security Deposit: The landlord will usually ask for some form of security from the tenant in case the tenant defaults on their obligations (e.g. not paying rent). The security is usually for an amount equal to 3 to 6 months’ rent and can be by way of bank guarantee. If the tenant is a company then personal guarantees from the company’s directors may also be required. The lease should also specify the terms regarding return of the security deposit. In terms of the security, a lot depends on the prior experience and business experience of the tenant, as well as the financial position. If the tenant has limited financial experience in

BUSINESS NEWS | 20

the proposed endeavour then the landlord will usually ask for a longer security of up to 6 months. If the lease is being transferred, the landlord could seek an alteration to the security deposit if the incoming tenant does not have strong prior business experience in the proposed venture, or if the financial situation is fairly weak.

Term of the lease: The lease document should set out the length of the lease and any options to renew the lease and any terms relating to the renewal. A landlord will generally want a longer initial lease term (typically 3, 5 or 10 years) whereas the tenant is likely to want a shorter period (1 to 3 years).

Option to Renew: An option allows the tenant to continue leasing the property on similar terms at the end of the initial period of the lease for a further defined period and rent (subject to any review). An option gives the landlord potential greater security of income and the tenant the ability to make longer term plans for their business.

Knowing the procedure for exercising the option, especially when the option can be exercised, is critically important Improvements: A lease should address what improvements or modifications can be made to the property, who will pay for the improvements and whether the tenant is responsible for returning the property to its original condition at the end of the lease.

Description of the property: The lease should clearly describe all of the property being leased, including bathrooms, common areas, kitchen area and parking spots. A plan of the property should also be included.

Signage: Any restrictions on putting up signs, say that are visible from the street, will be included in the lease. Also, check local zoning regulations to determine what other limitations may apply.

Use of the property: Most leases will include a clause defining what the tenant can do on the property (e.g. what type of business). A tenant should ask for a broad usage clause just in case the business expands into other activities. Ask your local council if your business can operate in your desired location. Also consider the council’s development plans for the area.

Outgoings: The lease will set out who is responsible for costs like utilities, property rates & taxes, insurance, and repairs.

Insurance: You should contact your insurance company and discuss the clauses referring to insurance so you fully understand what is covered by the lease.

Exclusivity clause: This is an important clause for retail businesses renting space in a commercial complex. An exclusivity clause will prevent a landlord from renting space to a competitor.

Assignment and subletting: A tenant should maintain the right to assign the lease or sublet the space to another tenant. Usually the tenant is still ultimately responsible for paying the rent if the business fails or relocates, but with an assignment or sublet clause in place, the business can find someone else to cover the rent.

Maintenance & Repair: The lease should clearly set out who is responsible for maintaining or repairing the property and the fixtures and fittings during the term of the lease.

Termination: The circumstances under which the lease will be terminated should be set out in detail in the lease.

Costs: The landlord may want the tenant to pay the costs of preparing the lease, this should be clearly set out in the lease. In retail leases, the landlord cannot pass the cost of preparation of the lease to the tenant. With a transfer of lease, even in a retail lease situation, the landlord would likely pass on the legal cost of their lawyers in relation to the securing of consent. This cost is passed on to the vendor/outgoing tenant.

Retail lease or general commercial lease?

The Retail Leases Act 2003 has specific legislation relating to retail leases. This legislation is designed to provide additional protections to retail tenants and impose a range of obligations on commercial landlords, when compared to non-retail commercial leases.

For a new retail lease the landlord is legally required to give the tenant: • A written lease with matters agreed to and signed off by both parties • A copy of the proposed lease as soon as the lease negotiations start • A disclosure statement • The Victorian Small Business Commissioner Information Brochure as soon as the lease negotiations start

The disclosure statement outlines important information about the lease, for example: • the term of the lease • whether there are options for further terms • the occupancy costs for leasing the premises (including rent and any outgoings) • specific information for shopping centre leases • Tenant’s fit out requirements • If there are any relocation or demolition clauses Although many of the terms of a commercial lease are fairly standard it is important that you fully understand your rights and obligations, especially the provisions that relate to retail leasing.

It is a good idea to ask your solicitor to explain what each clause in the lease means and to get their assistance in negotiating the terms and conditions that suit you.

Coulter Roache.

Understanding you.

Need help with a commercial lease for your business?

Talk to us today about how our experienced commercial team can assist your business. We advise landlords and tenants on lease negotiation, lease reviews, rent reviews, renewal, variation, assignment & sub-letting and lease disputes.

T 03 5273 5273 coulterroache.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 21

ACCOUNTING

Tax Planning for Businesses

W

ith 30 June fast approaching, now is the time to sit down with your Accountant/Business Advisor to discuss the following: Reduction to company tax rate from 1 July 2015

Wendy Maloney, Principal, Business Advisory, Crowe Horwath

As a result of the reduction to the company tax rate from 1 July 2015, small business companies should consider the following: • The timing of income and deductions being recognised for tax purposes in the 2014-15 year versus the 2015-16 year; • The impact on franking credit account balances and whether to pay franked dividends in the 2014-15 year versus the 2015-16 year; • The adjustment to Pay As You Go (PAYG) instalment rates for quarters commencing from 1 July 2015; and • Impacts on tax effect accounting for the year ending 30 June 2015 (including adjustments to deferred tax asset and liability balances).

Areas of ATO focus in 2015 For businesses with turnover in excess of $2 million, the ATO is particularly concerned by the inappropriate use of trusts as part of tax avoidance and evasion arrangements (with a Trusts Taskforce established to investigate), and private company owners misusing company money or assets for private purposes without repaying or accounting for it properly. The ATO will focus additional compliance activities on taxpayers with capital losses, poor tax and economic performance, and large one-off or unusual transactions, including wealth shifting.

Maximising allowable deductions Expenses that are incurred before yearend can reduce taxable income. Consider upcoming liabilities and the value in incurring them before year-end. Allowable deductions may include paying directors’ fees and bonuses; repairs on property and machinery; pooling depreciating assets; and scrapping of depreciating for unused assets.

Variation of PAYG tax instalments

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

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

Subject to a review of your year-to-date tax position, it may be possible to reduce the amount of your remaining tax instalments for the 2014/2015 year. This can provide a cash flow advantage as compared to the delay in waiting for your 2015 tax return refund to be paid by the ATO.

BUSINESS NEWS | 22

Bad debts If you have any bad debts, ensure you write them off prior to 30 June 2015 and prepare minutes approving the write-off. This will also enable an adjustment for any GST charged on the original invoice.

Trading stock Stock can be valued under different methods for each item of stock: cost, sales value and the lower of market value or replacement cost. Conduct a stocktake before yearend and identify obsolete items. Determine whether to conduct sales prior to 30 June 2015.

Franking credits Shares must generally be held “at risk” for at least 45 days for entitlement to franking credits. Individuals and superannuation funds can receive a refund of excess imputation credits. Unutilised excess franking credits in a company may be carried forward as a revenue loss.

Personal use assets Where assets owned by a company are used outside of a business by a shareholder or “associate” – this may result in a breach of Division 7A. This can give rise to an unfranked dividend to you for tax purposes Shareholder loans If you or your associates borrowed money, received a benefit, or had a debt forgiven from a private company during the year, the Division 7A rules may apply to you Small business Capital Gains Tax (CGT) concessions In addition to the above SBE concessions, four specific small business concessions may apply to reduce capital gains from the sale of your business, or active business assets, where you meet the $6 million “maximum net asset value test”. These CGT concessions are: a 15-year exemption; a 50% reduction for active assets; $500,000 retirement concession; and replacement asset rollover relief.

Superannuation Contributions in respect to the quarter ending 30 June 2015 must be made before this date for a deduction to be available in the 2015 year. For family businesses, consider maximising concessional contributions for key individuals.

These are just some of the tax issues you should consider now before 30 June.

GOVERNANCE

The foundations of good governance: Strategic planning

This is the second article in the series on exploring the foundations of good governance. The focus is strategic planning and the role this process plays in the governance of an organisation.

At the outset, it is important to acknowledge that a primary responsibility of a Board is the development, implementation and monitoring of the strategic plan. Whilst input should be taken from as many internal and external sources as possible, and stakeholders should have a thorough understanding of the direction of the business, the Board must provide leadership and input into all steps in the process.

The strategic planning process is about focusing on ends, not means. It is an opportunity for the organisations to envision and create its preferred future, rather than wait and have to deal with whatever the future presents at the time. By definition, it cannot be perfect, as it is about predicting the future, a skill not even the smartest brains in the world are yet to achieve. However, it is an activity that the board and the organisation must put their collective minds to, for without a plan, the organisation has no reference point, no accountability framework and no guidelines to steer the business into the future.

There are many frameworks for developing a strategic plan, and one simple but effective process for addressing this key governance responsibility is a strategic planning cycle: gather information, then analyse, synthesize and evaluate that information; goal setting, and undergoing planning around the organisation’s goals; allocate resources and implement, scale and sustain the availability of resources; and measure progress, reflecting, refining, rethinking and reviving the organisation’s position and performance.

In the Information gathering and analysis stages, some of the key questions the board should consider include: - What does our organisation stand for, what is our vision for our preferred future and what are the values and principles that will underpin the way we do business? This is fundamental to creating the right culture, a topic that will be addressed in the final article of this series.

- What makes our organisation unique, not from our perspective, but from our stakeholders perspective? Do our stakeholders value what we do and are they prepared to pay a fair price for our services or products? What would happen if we were not able to provide our service for the next six months – would someone else

simply pick up the slack (i.e. our service is not so different than our competitors) or would there be a real gap in the marketplace?

- What are our long-term goals, what does our future look like (i.e. services, financially, infrastructure, people), how will we know when we get there? Can we clearly articulate this future so that all members of our staff have a meaningful understanding of what we want to achieve over the medium-term?

- Does the organisation have the capacity and capability to implement the strategies to achieve these goals? Are the right people in the right job doing the right things? Can our people grow and develop in their roles to adapt to an ever-changing world? Are there sufficient infrastructure, technology and financial resources to do what we need to do? Whilst normally we will always have to make choices, as available resources generally do not meet demanded services, if we have to compromise on core and critical aspects of the strategy, then our chances of success will be diminished accordingly.

- Does our organisation have support in the marketplace to implement its business model? This means not only consumers of the service and their willingness to pay a fair price, but also support from other key stakeholders (do we know all our stakeholders and their relationship with our organisation), for example, funding bodies, the community, government and suppliers? If support is not forthcoming, the task of implementing the plan is made that much more difficult.

- And, finally, does the organisation have a means by which it can monitor and evaluate performance against the metrics detailed in the plan; i.e. do we know how we are going and can we readily identify what is working and what needs to be improved? How often do we review performance and, under our system, is everyone accountable for the role in they play in the implementation of the strategic plan?

In summary, strategic planning is a verb, not a noun. That means it is an ongoing practice and, whilst highly fallible due to its very nature, organisations do get better at this process with the more effort that is applied and the more the business is prepared to learn from the activity. Good governance requires the Board to lead, guide and support the business in its ongoing quest for sustainability and viability through strategic planning and, to rephrase a famous quote: “It is better to have planned and failed a bit, than to have never planned at all!”

Mark C Schultz, Principal, Governance Today www.governancetoday.com BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 23

VECCI

Small business to be hit hard by Victoria’s new public holidays

T

housands of Victorian small businesses will foot the bill for the costs of the two new public holidays being introduced by the State Government this year.

For businesses in Geelong and their counterparts throughout Victoria, the new holidays will result in both lost productivity and higher wage costs for small business at a time when many are facing difficult trading conditions.

You may have seen the considerable coverage of VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone’s comments on 3AW and in the Herald Sun in the wake of the State Government formalising a new public holiday for Easter Sunday (5 April 2015) that, when coupled with the proposed new public holiday for Grand Final Eve (2 October 2015), will impose significant costs on small business, and the Victorian economy.

On Grand Final Friday, the cost to pay many of Victoria’s almost 2 million full-time employees not to come to work could reach $543 million for the day. Additional wages for the retail, accommodation, food services and recreation industries are estimated to cost small business owners $105 million for the two holidays, as wages can be 50 per cent higher on Easter Sunday and 150 per cent higher on Grand Final Eve. VECCI has been contacted by businesses across the state that are devastated by the cost of these new holidays. They face the difficult choice between remaining open, and paying incredibly high penalty rates, or closing and losing sales or production.

Both of these outcomes hurt our economy.

The new holidays are also bad for consumers. They risk harming the visitor experience in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula if shops and restaurants cannot afford to open, or open only with a skeleton staff or reduced hours.

The two new holidays widen the disparity between public holiday arrangements across Australia and will result in Victoria having a nationwide high of 13 days, compared to states like New South Wales with 11 and Queensland and Western Australia with 10.

VECCI recognises the introduction of two new holidays was a pre-election commitment of the Andrews Government. However, their significant costs highlight the consequences of making populist decisions at the expense of good public policy.

The December 2014 quarter VECCI-Bank of Melbourne survey of business trends and prospects examined the impact of penalty rates on business operating costs and found that if penalty rates were changed businesses would give more hours to existing staff, hire more workers or reinvest the savings back into their business.

VECCI urges the Government to carefully consider impacts on business, especially small business, when making future decisions in respect of public holidays.

James Gulli, VECCI Regional Manager Geelong & South West VICTORIA BUSINESS NEWS | 24

LEGAL

Managing digital assets after death

T

he Facebook profile of a deceased person may be deleted or “memorialised” at the request of a family member. A memorialised profile allows friends and family to post on the wall of the profile page in remembrance, but does not allow anyone to access the account.

Sarah Cohen, Lawyer – Wills & Estates

Facebook has just recently launched a Legacy Contact feature. Facebook users can now designate someone to be given a limited amount of access to their account after death. The legacy contact can write a post to display on a deceased person’s memorialised profile page, change the deceased person’s profile picture and even respond to new friend requests on behalf of the deceased person.

The legacy contact can also download the deceased person’s posts and photos.

Digital storage has become an increasingly popular way to store and record personal information, however consideration must be given to how this information can be accessed and used after the death of its “owner”.

Estate Planning Will makers should provide their digital and online account information to their executors, including all password and login details, along with instructions in relation to what information is confidential.

They should also consider providing their executors with a list of hardware they own and any relevant information about special programs they use; the location of important

digital files and online memberships, as well as instructions in relation to how they would like those accounts and information to be managed after their death.

Digitally stored information can come in various forms, and with the increased use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Gmail and Instagram, there is a large amount of personal information being stored online.

Additionally, personal information can now be stored digitally on a range of devices, including on computers, mobile phones and tablets, external hard drives, DVD’s and USB flash drives.

Gaining access to digitally stored information about a deceased person’s assets is difficult and any information stored on their computer or in online accounts will be inaccessible without knowing their password.

There are several options that an individual can consider to ensure that digitally stored information is accessible upon their death, including Deathswitch, Legacy Locker and 1Password.Deathswitch is a website that allows users to store encrypted emails, to be sent out at the time of their death. Legacy Locker provides a storage space for wills and farewell letters, but is primarily used as a master list of user names and login details for online bank accounts, social networking sites. 1Password is a comprehensive password manager for users to store passwords, software licences and other sensitive information in a virtual vault, kept in the user’s own device.

Harwood Andrews is launching possibilities

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

Geelong Melbourne Ballarat Bendigo harwoodandrews.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 25

TECHNOLOGY

Winning in the digital adoption race

D

igital adoption is just another fact of life for businesses today, but how well and how quickly a business or sector adapts to the digital age may well determine how successful they are when the revolution really gets going. While it may feel like we are being bombarded with new technology, some of which becomes obsolete while we’re still trying to figure it out, this really is just the beginning and, like it or not, change is the new normal.

When it comes to digital technology, there is a huge capital in being an early adopter – just look at Google and Microsoft. So when Optus set about looking at how businesses in Australia were prepared for the digital age, we asked Deloitte Access Economics to look at just which Australian industries were ahead in the early adoption stakes.

Deloitte used the Optus Future of Business research findings to develop an industry preparedness index that provides an overall benchmark of how our industries compare, and topping the list was the entertainment services industry.

The introduction of Netflix into the Australian market dominated traditional and online newsfeeds, and that just goes to show how far digital technology has spread throughout the entertainment industry.

The Optus Future of Business Report 2012 found that the Australian entertainment services industry has the highest level of preparedness, reflecting its extensive use of technology and responsiveness to customer expectations. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the industry is also leading the pack in use of social media marketing, as a means of communicating with its customer base, and to generate sales. More than three-quarters

of entertainment services businesses report having an external social media policy, with the second-ranked retail sector lagging in comparison at just over 40 per cent.

Entertainment services beat out not just the retail trade sector in the industry digital preparedness index, but also the finance and property sector, the transport, storage and wholesale sector, the trade sector, followed by the education, health and community sector, the mining and construction sector and the manufacturing sector.

IN THE NEXT THREE TO FIVE YEARS Looking forward to the next three to five years, entertainment services organisations are looking to develop new business models to meet customer expectations, and self-service online applications are rapidly on the rise.

Billing services, peer-to-peer (e.g. PayPal) and mobile payments (e.g. PayPass) are seeing significant growth across all industries, but with their heavily customer-driven market, it is the retail and entertainment sectors that are leading the way.

Technology is an intrinsic part of the way Australians access entertainment – we want to rent it, buy it or stream it online. We order it online and we watch it online – we even buy our movie tickets online.

According to Optus research, two in five people working in the entertainment services industry expected the NBN to deliver productivity gains in their workplace, however they were also the least likely to report that their company had an NBN strategy and around one in five entertainment services organisations are currently not measuring the benefit of existing digital applications.

Michelle Synot, Optus Business Communications Geelong

BUNDLE YOUR SERVICES WITH OPTUS YOUR ANDSERVICES SAVE WITH BUNDLE We understand how important cash flow is to your business. So when you sign up for multiple OPTUS AND SAVE products with Optus, like our office broadband, phone lines and value-packed mobile plans, we could We understand how important cash flow is to your business. So when you sign up for multiple help to reduce your costs. products with Optus, like our office broadband, phone lines and value-packed mobile plans, we could help to reduce your costs.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 26

MONEY

Fighting Fraud

F

raud can occur in any organisation. Is your organisation susceptible?

“Bookkeeper jailed over $190,000 fraud...”

“Businessman pleads guilty to $2 million fraud…”

Stephen Wight, Davidsons Audit Team

“Corio man stole $100,000 from employer to spend at the pokies…”

How often have we all seen the above headlines and wondered how they could get away with so much for so long? Unfortunately, fraud is an ever-present risk to all types and sizes of organisations, not-for profit entities or government organisations. Without appropriate safeguards, fraud can go unnoticed or unreported for a significant period of time.

Leaving fraud undetected can have devastating results for your organisation.

Some of the more common methods for defrauding organisations include: • Cash misappropriation. Unfortunately, this is common in not-for-profit entities,

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

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

• Manipulation of accounts payable or payroll information. Examples include false invoicing and false EFT payments • Procurement fraud, whereby invoices are inflated or inappropriate relationships exist Reasons for the occurrence of fraud are many.

However, often the opportunity for fraud to take place is due to a lack of segregation of duties, inadequate review of employee tasks and too much trust being placed in a “trusted employee”.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 27

With online payment processes now used by the vast majority of organisations and geographically dispersed operations and administration, the risk of fraud is very real.

So, how can you minimise the risk of fraud?

External audits and strong internal controls over financial functions are considered by many to be your first line of defence in reducing the risk of fraud.

External auditors are obligated to consider the risk of fraud when auditing financial reports. This involves risk identification and assessments and responding to any fraud risk identified during the audit.

Strong internal controls such as segregating finance functions, review and authorisation processes further reduce the potential for fraud.

A fraud review is often the best way of considering the risk of fraud to an organisation.

Fraud reviews provide a client with some comfort and recommendations on how to minimise the risk of fraud. This includes implementation of relevant internal controls.

Finance professionals can assist with the preparation of fraud control policies, which should specify actions and responsibilities to minimise the risk of fraud, detect fraud instances and follow up actions.

At Davidsons, our audit team is often asked to “think like a criminal”. We ask ourselves, “If we were an employee, how would we go about committing fraud?” It’s a useful exercise to apply this thinking to your business.

AUTOMOTIVE

Decision to maintain auto supply chain funding welcome

T

he Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers (FAPM)

The FAPM said the decision to not proceed with its proposed Automotive Transformation Scheme (ATS) Amendment Bill has spared Australia’s automotive industry from $500 million in cuts.

“The automotive supply chain industry has expressed a collective sigh of relief,” said FAPM Chief Executive, Richard Reilly. “This is a victory for the industry and ensures companies have some clarity on their business models. It was poor policy from the outset and we are very pleased that it has been reversed.”

The FAPM has led an industry campaign to ensure the funding was not removed since the policy was announced prior to the 2013 election. As the auto supply chain peak body pointed out in a statement, both GM Holden and Toyota have announced they would be winding up their Australian vehicle manufacturing since that announcement was made, making the future of the component manufacturing sector even more uncertain.

The automotive supply chain sector employs some 33,000 people across the country, with a sizeable proportion of those in Victoria and South Australia, and is estimated by the FAPM to be indirectly support up to 100,000 jobs.

The Automotive Transformation Scheme provides funding to suppliers who are investing in capital equipment and research and development in Australia.

“The previously proposed removal of $500 million from the fund before 2017 would have resulted in a potential industry disaster,” said FAPM National President, Jim Griffin, in a statement.

“The ATS continues to be an integral part of the business planning process. To remove funding now would have resulted in a ‘valley of death’ for some suppliers, who rely on the ATS to be competitive in Australia against global importation components,” Mr Griffin said.

Mr Reilly said the industry is looking forward to continuing to work with the government ‘on initiatives that support the transition of the industry’.

“The intention of the ATS is to make the Australian industry competitive globally. There is significant opportunity in adjusting the scheme to further support the sustainability of the supply chain,” he said.

The Australian Industry Group also welcomed the decision by the Federal Government to maintain $500 million in funding to the automotive industry to 2017 through the Automotive Transformation Scheme.

As Australia’s component suppliers continue to transition towards new opportunities, Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox said, “The decision will help ensure the supply chain across the automotive industry can remain intact. Without continued funding, there was a very real risk that all automotive assembly in Australia would have ended well before the final dates announced by Ford Australia, GM Holden and Toyota.

“Over the past 18 months, the Australian Industry Group has expressed its strong concerns to the Government, the Opposition and Senate crossbenchers around the Government’s proposed withdrawal of $500 million allocated to facilitate the transition of Australia’s automotive sector and the automotive supply chains.

As a matter of principle, government funding approvals and commitments that have already been made must be honored in the interests of promoting trust and certainty in government policy.

“Honoring such funding commitments are especially important in the auto sector, where component suppliers in the automotive industry need the time and opportunity to reorient towards new markets and products before the planned closure by the car assemblers in 2017.

“The businesses and the employees in automotive supply chains

BUSINESS NEWS | 28

AUTOMOTIVE are a valuable part of Australia’s industrial ecosystem. They have important roles to play in the restructuring of the Australian economy as we build a stronger and more resilient foundation that is less reliant on the investment in mining and energy projects and the high commodity prices that have featured so prominently in the last decade.

“However, the challenges within the industry mean there is a need for substantial reorientation of the design of the Automotive Transformation Scheme to ensure those businesses who can continue to operate can do so. Ai Group believes this reorientation of the ATS must be finalised as a matter of urgency, especially given the weakening economic conditions in Australia,” Mr Willox said.

On the same day as the announcement about the Government’s decision not to proceed with the amendment to the Automotive Transformation Scheme came the announcement of more than $6.7 million into the first round of Automotive Diversification Program (ADP) grants. The grants are geared towards supporting new opportunities for Victorian and South Australian component suppliers who have committed to continuing their operations in Australia after Ford, GM Holden and Toyota cease manufacturing in 2016-17. The Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturing said the total investment of the projects will be $16 million across twelve companies and represents confidence that automotive supply chain companies can diversify into new markets and new products.

“The investment is for projects as diverse as supporting the renewable energy sector, building and construction industries and global automotive opportunities,” Mr Reilly said. “This just shows that there is a future for good automotive manufacturing companies in Australia.”

$1 million towards a $2.85 million project to produce integrated work cells for steel products used in the domestic and overseas construction, infrastructure and housing sectors.

Dolphin Products, another Melbourne based company, received a grant of $540,000 towards the purchase of $1.16 million in equipment to produce booster detonator retention items for the global mining industry.

There were five Victorian recipients of the first round of ADP grants:

In Ballarat, Ceramet Pty Ltd received $340,000 towards a $980,000 program of putting in place new production lines for products for the solar, electronics and building industries.

Venture DMG Pty Ltd, based in Melbourne, who received $500,000 towards a $1.4 million program of installing new equipment to manufacture light display panels for retail, commercial and domestic applications within Australia.

And in Geelong, Backwell I.X.L. received a $205,000 grant to support $410,000 in new equipment to manufacture components for new generation heating, venting and lighting units and other non-automotive products.

GTS Industries Pty Ltd, also based in Melbourne, was granted

Applications for round two of the grants program are now open.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 29

COMMENT

Pre and post-retiree uncertainty: A $480bn opportunity for super funds

A

high degree of uncertainty among pre- and post-retirees when it comes to retirement options represents a $480 billion opportunity for super funds, new research from CoreData has revealed.

CoreData’s 2015 Post-retirement Report, which examines member attitudes, intentions and awareness of funds’ retirement services offerings among those aged 45 and older, found 40.6 per cent of pre-retirees and 32.4 per cent of post-retirees were unsure which type of fund would provide the best overall offer in retirement. The research also found one quarter (24.8 per cent) of respondents were uncertain about which retirement income provider they would choose.

Andrew Inwood, principal at CoreData, says, “Based on our research and ATO/APRA superannuation balance data for pre- and post-retirees, we estimate this uncertainty represents a $480bn opportunity for funds. To claim their share of this pie, super funds must clearly communicate how their products offer the best overall retirement solution. Marketing is key.”

Lower fees and advice key to retention Offering lower fees remains the number one action super funds can take to retain members. Three in five (59.6 per cent) preretirees in APRA-regulated funds said low fees would encourage them to stay with their fund in retirement.

Financial advice is also seen as an attractive feature, with two in five (42.3 per cent) saying the offer of financial advice services would encourage them to remain with their fund.

“Our research shows that financial advice has potential to become a stronger retention lever, perhaps easing the pressure to lower fees,” Mr Inwood says.

Strong demand for financial advice among pre and post-retirees

likely reflects that only 29.2 per cent rate their superannuation knowledge as strong or very strong, on par with 2014 (29.8 per cent). Likewise, those who rate their superannuation experience as strong or very strong has fallen marginally from 27.8 per cent in 2014 to 26.1 per cent.

When it comes to investments, just one quarter (26.5 per cent) of respondents rate their knowledge as strong or very strong similar to those who say their investment experience is strong or very strong (24.7 per cent). “Overall, we’ve found there is a low understanding and knowledge of what’s needed to achieve a successful retirement, particularly among pre-retirees,” Mr Inwood says. “Although awareness that super funds offer advice is up from 59.6 per cent in 2014 to 69.7 per cent this year, less than half (46.4 per cent) of those who are aware have used the service.

This suggests a significant opportunity to engage members with marketing that promotes the value of advice at this important life stage.”

CoreData has uncovered a growing latent demand for scaled advice among pre and post-retirees in APRA-regulated funds.

The majority of those surveyed said they would be likely to use a scaled advice service offered by their main fund.

Interest in scaled advice is higher among pre-retirees (64.3 per cent vs. 52.9 per cent) and strongest amongst corporate fund and industry fund members (75.0 per cent and 67.6 per cent, respectively).

“Our findings suggest that scaled advice may offer a more appealing gateway to financial advice services, especially among pre-retirees. Indeed, offering scaled advice could help funds harness the power of advice to retain members – perhaps even tap the $480bn opportunity our research has highlighted,” Mr Inwood said.

www.coredata.com.au

Jirsch Sutherland is an established firm, close in size to the largest practices in its industry with a network of offices in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

We specialise in:

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Corporate Personal Insolvency Management Corporateand and Personal Insolvency Management Business andand Turnaround Management BusinessRestructure Restructure Turnaround Manangment Forensic andand Litigation Support ForensicAccounting Accounting Litigation Support

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Call Phil PhilMcGibbon, McGibbon,Geoff GeoffRidgeway Ridgeway (Partners) Call (Partners) or Ben ti Wierik (recently appointed or Ben Te Wierik (Senior Manager).

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We have built lasting relationships with financiers, accounting and legal firms of all sizes and in all corners of the country.

These businesses know that we will deliver results, whatever the issue, whatever the size of the project and whatever the circumstances. www.jirschsutherland.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 30

FINANCE

That Big “One” Word

T

he biggest number one in both the business and sporting arenas nowadays relates to the “onepercenters,” described in the modern dictionary as a statistic kept that relates to a variety of actions that benefit the team.

MARTIN CARTER, BUSINESS MANAGER, MORRIS FINANCE

Most of the one per cent actions are indeed common and really the result of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

In team sports, there is somewhat of a fascination with the big picture and sometimes big ideas work, then again sometimes they don’t, but the easiest way to achieve your BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious, Goals) is to live by the notion that everyone in your team is seeking incremental improvements by constantly and consistently doing the “one-percenters.” Most of the one per cent actions are indeed common and really the result of doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.

1. Involvement - Customers want to feel like you care about their needs.

2. Speed - If you can deliver faster than your competition, your customers will be more than satisfied.

3. Availability - Today’s customer has had enough of voicemail and automated responses. They want to know that a real person is available when they have a question or need help.

4. Courtesy - Customers don’t expect you to put on a song and dance for them, but they do expect you to be polite and respectful.

5. Honesty - If you fail to live up to your promises, not only will you have an unsatisfied customer on your hands, they will spread the news at the speed of sound.

Q: Who provides business finance solutions to put you in the drivers seat?

A: Morris Finance, call Abby, Fiona or Stephanie, because finance is our business.

6. Satisfaction – Customers are looking for a solution to their problems and if you can solve them you’ll have a customer for life!

7. Can-Do Attitude - Your customer wants to hear that you can get the job done.

8. Skilled Service - Consumers look to you for expert up-to-date knowledge in your industry.

9. The Little Extras - Customers expect the little extras at no extra charge. By adding value at no additional cost to your customer, you’ll find your competitive edge.

10. Appreciation - Make sure that you offer a sincere thank-you frequently and other benefits to your regular customers.

I had a recent personal experience with a large telecommunications company that left me thinking about the value of the onepercenters. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the frustrations of phone tag involving local and international call centers. What l encountered after apologies from one operator was a transfer to a local customer service officer who, from the outset, took total control and ownership of the situation and actually ended by emailing me with their actions, the outcome and more importantly, their contact details should anything else occur. This has restored my faith in the organization and his “one-percenter” of following up with an email is a result of someone actually caring and breaking with what was considered the norm.

Until next month, onwards and upwards in your quest for success - one that always involves doing rather than wishing.

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

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

TM

WINNER

Family Business of the Year

Abby Davis

Fiona Trotter

1300 4 MORRIS www.morrisfinance.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 31

Stephanie Witcombe

the

ELEVATOR

The ELEVATOR allows businesses the opportunity to give their ‘Elevator Pitch’ to the rest of the regional business community free of charge.

For details see www.biznewsmag.com.au

80 Sleeps

At Little Ripper we believe that our furniture is an extension of our personality.

And to create a home it needs to have a personal touch. So we create custom, solid timber and steel furniture from materials that tell a story, not only where it comes from but its smell. We take pride in our work right up till the smile on your face.

Little Ripper Furniture Co is a locally run one man furniture business. Everything is made from locally sourced recycled materials, including timber, metal and more. S​ tarting back in 2013 Chris has been making everything from garden planter boxes, to furnishing businesses with stunning hand crafted bar tops, tables and stools.

If you’re you looking for a unique, one off piece of stunning furniture, Little Ripper Furniture Co has got your back.

With the largest range of original paintings, edition prints, art glass and jewellery in Geelong, Metropolis Gallery exhibits works by local and national, contemporary and Indigenous artists.

We carry a large range of original artists’ edition prints, and collectors can find smaller works by important Australian artists including Rick Amor, Arthur Boyd, Charles Blackman, John Coburn, David Larwill, Lionel Lindsay, John Olsen, Eric Thake and the quirky, whimsical etchings of Michael Leunig. A great opportunity to add some major names in Australian art to your walls!

Metropolis Gallery also offers custom picture framing with our great in-house team of Geelong Picture Framers (upstairs) providing creative options to suit a range of budgets and styles from economy to conservation. We also offer canvas stretching and a sleek, gallery-style picture hanging system is available for flexible presentation of your artworks at work or home.

We can organise freight to your address.

Gift vouchers available and lay-by welcome!

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internet and include all towels and linen in Call Susanna or Richard on 0457 042 833

the reasonable tariff. 80 Sleeps provides www.80sleeps.com.au the unique option to book either or both

properties depending on your needs.

Facebook: Eightysleeps

TM pending business 80 Sleeps is a local family “Around the World in 80 Sleeps”

established in 2014. We’re members of

Tourism Geelong & The Bellarine and are passionate about our region and your comfort.

Chris Stones Phone: 04122 78055 Find us on Facebook, or call for a quote.

Metropolis Gallery 64 Ryrie Street Geelong Phone 03 5221 6505 metropolisgallery.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 32

Call Susanna or Richard on 0457 042 833 www.80sleeps.com.au Eightysleeps “Around the World in 80 Sleeps” TM pending

THE ELEVATOR

celebrating

80 YEARS est. 1935

Welcome to King George Fish & Grill. My name is George and food has always been my life.

With a passion stemming back to my parents drive for hard work and pride in their ability to do something well, I followed in their footsteps and started work in the family fish and chip shop more than 20 years ago.

As a business owner, do you sometimes wonder how you can improve your profits and get that business working so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to?

As a Business Growth Expert my passion is boosting your profits and simplifying your business. Creating systems so you spend less time working in your business and more time working on your business.

I have now opened the new King George Fish and Grill Waterfront restaurant and take-away on Eastern Beach, overlooking the Corio Bay and Cunningham Pier. It is the third business I have opened and fulfils a life-long dream of running my own restaurant style fish and chip shop.

If anyone is going to know your Business, its YOU.

All of my fish is sourced locally from Barwon Foods, with King George whiting being an obvious menu item. You can also find Atlantic salmon, flathead tails, gummy shark (flake) and barramundi.

Our vision is to significally grow businesses in Geelong, Colac & Warrnambool and we are currently on a mission with other ActionCOACHES across Australia to add $1 Billion of additional sales to businesses in 2015.

We have a variety of delectable choices for take-away but the dine-in offerings are where the real magic begins. Seafood Platters, chargrilled baby octopus, Moreton Bay bugs, mussels, stir fryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and salads adorn the menu along with all the regular favourites; Burgers, Souvlakis and Potato Cakes!

Using a special blend of solidified vegetable oil, King George has gluten free and healthy grilled options and is also licensed for those diners looking for a tasty beverage to match their meals.

King George Fish and Grill 100 Western Beach Rd Geelong VIC 3220 03 5221 6267

www.kinggeorgefishandgrill.com.au

As a coach, we are not there to tell you how to run your business, we are there to support, guide and invest our knowledge and skills to improve not only your business but your personal lives as well.

Our services range from 1-on-1 Business Coaching, Group Coaching, Monthly Seminars in Sales & Profits, Business Plan Workshops, Business Excellence Awards, Personality Profiling (DISC) and much more.

We want to see business owners THRIVE not just Survive! So why not take ACTION today and call our office and let us show you our unique framework that has been tested and measured worldwide with the ActionCOACH team.

Hugh Bowman ActionCOACH Business Coaching Geelong 248 Malop Street Geelong

(03) 5201 6949 / 0409 402 474 hugh@actioncoachgeelong.com.au www.businesscoachgeelong.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 33

Coulter Roache Lawyers is a leading regional law firm providing high quality legal advice to corporate, small business and individual clients in Geelong and surrounding areas for 80 years. With over 60 staff operating offices in Geelong, Anglesea, Bannockburn, Barwon Heads, Portarlington and Torquay, we are large enough to offer a wide range of legal services delivered at a local, more personalised level.

Our services include Corporate and Commercial Law, Family Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Property and Development, Wills and Estate Planning, Workplace Relations and Intellectual Property.

Our vision is to be the legal firm of choice in the region; based on our values of integrity, commitment and communication both at work and in our community. We are focused on developing partnerships with our clients: understanding their circumstances and objectives to deliver practical, cost effective solutions. A substantial investment has been made in staff training and technology so we can quickly access and share information, regardless of location. We are proud of our community and support a range of projects, such as providing pro bono services, working with local charitable groups, sponsorships and actively participating in community programs and events.

Level 1, 235 Ryrie Street Geelong 03 5273 5273 coulterroache.com.au info@coulterroache.com.au

CONFERENCE & EVENTS

An economic Powerhouse There is no denying that business events and conferences are a driver of economic growth, with the generation of employment, tax revenue and tourism being just some of the benefits spreading across both city and regional areas across Australia.

A recent study, titled The Value of Business Events to Australia (Ernst & Young (EY) commissioned by the Business Events Council of Australia (BECA)) uncovered compelling evidence of both a direct and indirect impact on the economy revealing why this is an industry our Governments should continue to invest in.

According to the study, the 2013/14 financial year saw business events bring $23.1 billion in total economic contribution, with over 37 million people attending more than 412,000 business events across Australia.

An impressive 179,357 direct jobs were created, with over 50,000 additional positions created due to the flow on effect to the Australian economy.

The Value of Business Events to Australia represents the first major research undertaken within the business events industry in 10 years and has demonstrated a much larger reach than the previously mentioned benefits.

At present the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current approach to valuation is based on immediate tourism spending, event expenditure and venue utilisation. But think beyond this â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is so much more

the business event industry brings to the table. What about networking and new business relationships, knowledge transfer, new ideas and further industry investment?

In Geelong alone we have seen a rapid increase in networking groups as building strong personal relationships continue to prove a valuable form of retaining and creating new business contacts.

Out of the 412,000 events held in the research timeframe across Australia, over 178,000 of these were in regional areas, with Victoria and NSW returning the highest percentages.

Spoilt for choice in the Geelong, Bellarine and Surfcoast regions, we have multiple and many award winning venues to choose from when planning our own events and attracting external activities.

For example; The Geelong Club (a hidden city gem), The Geelong Performing Arts Centre, Newtown Events Centre and the Geelong Conference Centre situated in the beautiful Eastern Gardens.

Business Events Geelong (recently awarded Regional Destination Marketing Organisation at the Victorian 2014 Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) Industry Awards) is a great support to these venues and is the Convention Bureau to the Geelong region.

Their team assists meeting and conference organisers to source venues and suppliers to suit individual and personalised needs, in particular those visiting our beautiful region.

ABBEY SHERWELL

BUSINESS NEWS | 34

OPE N

S JU L Y 201 5

BOOK

NOW

The Studio conference room

GEELONG’S NEW MEETING SPACE The stage is being set for Geelong Conference Centre’s newest meeting room space, The Studio.

Set to open in July 2015, this former television studio is currently being transformed into a

conference room that will accommodate up to 60 delegates. The new conference room will increase the Centre’s meeting capacity to 400.

Adams Court, Eastern Park, East Geelong VICTORIA 3219 P: 03 5226 2121 E: gcc.functions@aus.salvationarmy.org

www.gcc.net.au

CONFERENCE & EVENTS

Your next event at...

High quality venues in the heart of the city In the heart of Geelong’s arts and cultural precinct, Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) is the region’s premier venue for concerts, conferences, theatre productions, performances and community events.

A popular destination for artists and audiences alike, GPAC caters for all your meeting and conference requirements, from a board meeting for 10 to a conference for 1500.

GPAC boasts two theatres, four conference and event spaces and a café. Among these are: Costa Hall, Deakin University - 1 Gheringhap Street Geelong This grand 1500-seat space located at Deakin University’s Waterfront Campus provides Geelong with a venue capable of housing large-scale concerts, conferences, meetings and lectures.

The Playhouse Recently refurbished, this 750-seat proscenium arch theatre provides a first-class stage for major local, Australian and international performers.

Drama Theatre •

A studio-style theatre with a capacity of 325, this is an ideal space for intimate theatre performances, acoustic concerts, comedy, public lectures and seminars.

•

Our state-of-the-art facilities include projection equipment plus a range of portable gear for your conference break-out needs.

•

Close to all amenities including Geelong CBD and waterfront, cafés, bars, and vibrant nightlife, GPAC is also within easy walking distance of major accommodation providers and only a short drive to major attractions including the Bellarine Peninsula, Great Ocean Road and award-winning wineries.

•

GPAC provides full in-house catering services, with friendly, professional staff to ensure your conference or event runs smoothly from the first phone call to the last cup of coffee.

• Ideally located

• Presentation night

• Modern facilities

• Exhibition centre

• Friendly staff

• Art exhibition space

• Seating for up to 180

• Trade shows

• First-class food and wine

• Conference rooms for day hire

• Fully licensed

• Training room facilities

• Complete catering facilities Full-seated dining, finger food for cocktail parties or light snacks for corporate training events

• Full audio/visual facilities and wi-fi

• Wedding receptions

• Full wheelchair access

• Engagement parties

• Available at short notice

• Family reunions

• Ample off-street and on-street parking

www.gpac.org.au BUSINESS NEWS | 36

• Air conditioning, heating and fireplace

the

CRUSH

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

Gourmet Traveller Wine BEST CELLAR DOOR AWARDS The results are in for the Geelong region in the Gourmet Traveller Wine Australia’s Best Cellar Door Awards.

NV OAKDENE SPARKLING BRUT

2013 Oakdene Peta’s Pinot Noir

With a pink-tinged blush and a persistent bead, this delightful sparkling like a fantastic first date. Lifted floral and lemon citrus scents with yeasty characters and bruised apple notes will have you yearning for more.

Garnet in colour, with an intense bouquet of cherry, spice, mocha and smoked meats, leading to sweet cherry, briar and hints of clove.

A delicate fruit driven style with a lively mousse, the lemon citrus flavours give just enough zest and subtle yeast characters with firm acid give the wine overall balance, length and freshness. Enjoy well chilled as an aperitif with someone you like.

The mid palate offers earthy cherry, plum notes, and some spice and whole bunch characters, firm tannins and a long finish. 15% whole bunches, wild yeast and matured in French oak barriques (30% new) for 11 months bottled without fining and light filtration. Enjoy now or cellar for 5 to 9 years.

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

Boasting modern Australian and European cuisine the onsite restaurant and newly opened Mr Grubb café, complement the high standards of this establishment.

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

*****

The leading wine writers in the country have visited every region to determine the star wineries, best tasting experiences and who serves the finest food in Australia’s diverse and evolving wine scene.

Star Cellar Door - Lethbridge Wines Best Large Cellar Door - Shadowfax Winery Best Small Cellar Door - Jack Rabbit Vineyard Cellar Door with Best Food - Terindah Estate Best Tasting Experience - Leura Park Estate Best Additional Experience (restaurant, accommodation and orchid nursery) - Oakdene Vineyards

Save the date!

Austins & Co Wine Sale - 25 & 26 April 2015 Save the Date for the Annual Austins Wine Sale!

With never to be repeated prices, this is the one time of year to get your hands on quality wines at a great price.

Labelled and unlabelled stock will be available. With labelled stock such our 2013 Crue Syrah, 2011 Austins Shiraz and old label Six Foot Six needing to be cleared, be sure to keep this weekend free.

More information will be available closer to the date – so watch this space! www.austinsandco.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 37

ARTS ANZAC legacy lights up City Hall

LIFE FORMS: Linda Robertson + Astrid Stevens + Mary Koniavitis

17 April – 3 May An ANZAC Centenary projection program and RSL flame ceremony will be launched at City Hall in April, as an “incredibly powerful and evocative commemoration of the ANZAC legacy,” according to Mayor Darryn Lyons.

Light projections will be designed for the city centre, with City Hall as the canvas. Two Light Horsemen will carry the RSL commemorative flame.

The event will run between 6pm and midnight from 17 April to 3 May.

STREETFACE 4 If you’ve noticed the faces of young people staring back at you from buildings around Geelong, you’ve noticed STREETFACE 4, a public arts project to promote National Youth Week 10-19 April.

Scattered around Geelong streets on buildings from Corio to Ocean Grove are large images, five metres square, of 15 young people and the positive stories of youth who “live, work or play” in Geelong.

STREETFACE 4 was photographed by Surf Coast freelance photographer, Natalie Evans (www.natalieevansphotography. com) who volunteered her time and skills. streetface4.geelongsocial

11 April to 25 April Linda Robertson’s dynamic exploration of the human form continues in this strong series of oil and graphite drawings that are both classic and contemporary. Astrid Stevens investigates ‘…beauty and life overshadowed by the inevitability of decay’ in layered, mixed media paintings on store mannequins and Mary Koniavitis’ hybrid collages are part animal, part human and focus on socially gendered identities, female stereotypes and metaphors that define the feminine. www.metropolisgallery.com.au

Women of Empire 1914-1918 until 17 May The First World War was a transformative experience for many women. Opportunities to take on new roles and learn new skills saw these women become ambulance drivers, doctors, farmers and fundraisers. They travelled the world, from Cairo to the Western Front, from Samoa to Serbia; or they remained at home, ‘doing their bit’ to keep businesses, farms and households afloat while their men served King and country in faraway lands.

Women of Empire 1914-1918 draws on the personal experiences of Australian and New Zealand women during

BUSINESS NEWS | 38

ARTS the First World War, illustrated by original costumes and accessories from the Dressing Australia Museum of Costume collection.

Jointly presented by Dressing Australia Museum of Costume and the National Wool Museum and touring Australia, New Zealand and other overseas venues, the exhibition is a fitting First World War centenary tribute to the extraordinary Women of Empire.

The poppies made as part of the 1914+ Poppies campaign will be featured as part of the Women of Empire 1914-1918 exhibition. www.geelongaustralia.com.au/nwm

Kelly By Matthew Ryan

their downfall. And neither will escape unharmed.

Fast moving and action packed, Matthew Ryan’s Kelly sheds a new light on Australia’s most infamous cult heroes, brothers of the same blood and name, but with very different perspectives.

Dramatically entwining fact, theory and myth, Kelly is masterfully balanced with light and shade, and the quick-fire banter between the characters resonates with a rough but irresistible brand of Australian humour. www.gpac.org.au

Bethany Arthouse Film Festival 2015: Folies Bergère 14 April

15 – 18 April Ned Kelly is about to hang for his crimes, but his final night in prison is interrupted by the arrival of his brother Dan, disguised as a priest. Supposedly killed at the siege of Glenrowan, Dan is intent on moving north to Queensland and forgetting his past. To do so, he needs Ned’s blessing and forgiveness. But the last time they saw each other, Dan tried to shoot Ned dead.

So begins a brutal confrontation by two titans of Australian history. Facing the sins of their past, each blames the other for

The Bethany Arthouse Film Festival is a major fundraiser for Bethany, providing vital funds for a variety of programs offered to the Geelong and Warrnambool communities through Bethany Community Support.

The first film of the 2015 festival, Folies Bergère, tells the story of long married 50-somethings Brigitte and Xavier, prize cattle breeders in regional France. Life is good, but the departure of their children from home throws Brigitte’s world into flux, as she finds herself locked into routine. She keeps hoping for something else, something more.

A party held by students on the adjoining property accelerates this latent crisis and Brigitte impulsively sets off for Paris under the guise of a doctor’s appointment. The city immediately invigorates her, and when she meets a charming Danish gentleman (Michael Nyqvist, As It Is In Heaven, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), she impulsively allows herself to be flattered by his attentions…

Starring Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Michael Nyqvist, Marina Foïs, Audrey Dana, Pio Marmaï, Clément Métayer, Anaïs Demoustier and beautifully performed, Folies Bergère is a deliciously appealing fable about the choices of everyday life, and a reminder that it’s never too late to change. www.gpac.org.au

Top left: ‘Kelly’ Above: Astrid Stevens ‘Old Lace’ Right: Linda Robertson ‘Two Figures’ 2015 Oil and Graphite on Polymer Paper

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 39

THE TECH GUY

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

Windows 10 - free for many

Apple watch

Coming midyear is a leaner and meaner version of Windows as a free upgrade if you’re already using Windows 7 or 8.

Microsoft will also release a special free version of its OS for Internet of Things devices, which Redmond’s Terry Myerson reckons could well find its way into ATMs and ultrasound machines. Windows 10 will take 6.6GB less space, will re-install faster and make it easier to be rid of bloatware. To achieve those goals, Microsoft is using “Wimboot” disk compression to reduce system file and app sizes and the OS will check your system RAM and other parameters before installing it. You’ll also be able to create your own backup and restore on PCs, tablets and Windows phones.

Just weeks away now, if you’ve been hanging out for your Apple Watch, here’s some advice. If you’re planning to listen to music on the Apple Watch while you go running, you may need to rotate the song list. It will have 8GB of built-in storage and there are set limits on how much media you can store.

2GB is available for music so, around 200 to 250 songs from the iTunes Store. There’s also just 75MB of space for photos.

And the remaining 6GB of memory? Well, there’s the operating system and app caches, but the rest is likely reserved for what’s coming down the pipeline. Keep in mind that there is plenty of competition out there, with Motorola’s highly regarded Moto 360 alongside Samsung, LG and ASUS to name a few.

BUSINESS NEWS | 40

THE TECH GUY We’ve done it before, slaving away cooking pancakes over a hot stove only to receive a lukewarm response to your plain pancakes. Now, you can impress the family with custom-designed ones using this robotic pancake printer called the PancakeBot. It combines a hot plate and a patent-pending batter dispensing system to effectively “print” out pancakes virtually in any shape you can imagine from photographs, illustrations or simply traced. Whilst not cheap at $299, you’ll have bragging rights in your street and a huge wow factor in the kitchen.

Robotic Pancake Printer

The long awaited local launch of the US-owned TV and film streaming service Netflix commenced a few weeks ago, with packages from $8.99 through to $14.99 for the hi-def premium. The uptake already exceeds half a million Australians and has sent a shock wave through competitors like Foxtel and Presto who are dropping prices to try and keep up, much to the chagrin of loyal subscribers who have been paying up to $100 for a service thus far and they are not happy. With 1,500 titles available so far and a total library including House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, and of over 3,000 on the way, there is rejoicing because at last there is serious competition in this country.

Make any instrument sound

Netflix is here This gadget not only emulates multiple instruments, but it adapts to the musician’s skill level as talents progress. The Artiphon Instrument 1 also serves as an input device for a truckload of music-making apps (like GarageBand or Animoog) on iOS, and thanks to a USB and Lightning jacks, can fill in as a MIDI controller, too. And if you’re looking to make a custom instrument for specific results, the Aritphon app will allow you to do just that, in addition to serving up an arsenal of different music-making options. Need a piano? Yup. A violin? Sure thing.

Ditty might sound like a sea shanty, but it’s a new messaging application that takes dull text messages and turns them into a shareable video, with onscreen lyrics. The app, made Zya, is one of the few so far that can be used in Facebook Messenger. Here’s how it works. Look through the track offerings, type in a message up to 70 characters and, within seconds, the app generates a personalised song to match your lyrics. You can then send your “ditty” through Facebook Messenger or download to use with Instagram or whatever you’d like. The app (available for iOS and Android) comes loaded with about 10 open domain songs (including the operatic “Hallelujah”) and lets you buy some more current hits (like “Feel So Close”) for US$0.99 each. Now that’s how to get your message through.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 41

Message singer

COMMUNITY Rod Payne, Karingal Board; Andrew Marty, SACS Consulting; Daryl Starkey, CEO Karingal; Stan Corner, Business Technology Specialists.

Building a stronger community over breakfast Last month, more than 70 representatives from Geelong’s business community gathered for the first Karingal BacLinks Breakfast for the year at Mercure Geelong. Guest speaker, Managing Director of SACS Consulting and Organisational Psychologist, Andrew Marty, discussed the importance of good corporate social responsibility (CSR).

With over 25 years of human resource management and consulting experience, Andrew spoke to guests about the proven business benefits of CSR, which he defined as “an organisation’s commitment to behave ethically, embrace diversity and improve quality of life for staff, their families and the broader community”.

“CSR pays off in terms of reputation. CSR pays off in terms of internal issues such as attraction and retention of staff. CSR pays off in terms of job productivity,” said Andrew.

Karingal BacLinks Manager, Joanne Forssman, said it was fantastic to hear the value Andrew placed on CSR, which is at the core of the work of Karingal BacLinks.

“The idea of CSR makes sense to so many businesses, but it does require planning and time to do well, so it is something that can be pushed to the back burner,” said Joanne.

“Karingal BacLinks prides itself on offering businesses an opportunity to participate in good CSR in the most efficient and effective way possible by identifying a relevant and worthwhile need, matching up the right business and arranging all the details of a corporate volunteering day.”

Sponsored by Business Technology Specialists and held at the

Mercure Geelong, Karingal BacLinks breakfasts offer a unique networking opportunity for their business members to meet with likeminded businesses, listen to interesting and relevant guest speakers, and catch up with the latest community/business news.

Member businesses are offered a free double pass to each breakfast, which can be used by two representatives from your business, or one business representative from your business plus a guest from an interested organisation. Non-members are also welcome to attend at the cost of $30 per head, however you will need to register with Karingal BacLinks on 5222 7445.

Remaining Karingal BacLinks Breakfast dates for 2015 are as follows: Tuesday June 2 Tuesday August 25 Tuesday December 8

Hot off the press: Old Geelong Jail to re-open its cells!

It has been many years since inmates (of the non-spooky variety) graced the cells of the Old Geelong Jail, but all that will change in early June when some of Geelong’s most prominent business professionals swap their suits for stripped overalls to do some hard time! Of course, it is all for a good cause with the new ‘inmates’ to walk free once they sign up new Karingal BacLinks business members. This unique event is not to be missed! For further details visit http://www.baclinks.org.au/projects-events

BUSINESS NEWS | 42

It’s the season to plant your local native varieties The Geelong Community Nursery is now open to the public, selling local native plants that are best planted at this time of year.

Karingal’s Australian Disability Enterprise Karingal Kommercial operates the nursery, providing employment opportunities for people with a disability. The nursery includes plants suitable for home gardens, commercial landscapers, large properties, revegetation projects and farm planting.

“Those who visit the Geelong Community Nursery will be playing a role in helping Karingal to achieve its vision of a fully inclusive community where people with a disability live the life they choose,” Karingal Kommercial Manager Lisa Couper said.

“Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or new to gardening, visit our team at the nursery who can chat to you about the various plants we have available.”

Plants – priced from $2 – are propagated from seed or cuttings collected from the local area resulting in thriving plants.

The plants are indigenous to Geelong and surrounding regions, suited to local climate, rainfall and soil conditions. By selling these plants, the Geelong Community Nursery is promoting the conservation of the Geelong region’s local flora. The use of indigenous plants has numerous benefits, including providing food and habitat for local wildlife.

To see if the nursery has plants to suit your needs, visit 212-216 Swanston Street, South Geelong (opposite Little Creatures).

Karingal Kommercial can also provide competitive quotes for contract growing for medium to large projects.

The nursery is a joint partnership between Karingal and Barwon Water. When Karingal Kommercial took over the day-to-day operations in December 2013, the nursery had produced more than one million indigenous trees, shrubs and grasses for revegetation, landscaping and restoration projects, while it had also hosted hundreds of community groups.

Geelong Community Nursery is open weekdays from 8.30am to 3pm.

Treat Mum to a Gourmet Gift Pack

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

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

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 43

Next stop Geelong for beyondblue roadshow

Fight Cancer Foundation charity of choice for Take 2 Markets

The beyondblue roadshow will visit Geelong in April as part of its 50,000km nationwide tour promoting the importance of good mental health. The roadshow aims to help people all over Australia to identify the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety and how to get help and support.

Geelong’s Fight Cancer Foundation Recycle Shops are once again the ‘charity of choice’ for the Geelong Take 2 Market days in 2015. Geelong’s premier women’s recycled fashion event will hold its first market for the year on April 11 between 10am and 3pm.

beyondblue, the Geelong Chamber of Commerce and the City of Greater Geelong are inviting local business owners and managers to a free Heads Up business breakfast to promote the importance of mentally healthy workplaces.

Take 2 Markets is described as the ultimate destination for market shoppers and sellers of quality fashion clothing, shoes and accessories. It’s for the fashion savvy, looking for quality at a bargain price.

Why are mentally healthy workplaces important? Because at any given time, one in five employees are likely to be experiencing a mental health condition, untreated depression results in over 6 million working days lost in Australia each year, and because research shows each dollar invested in creating a mentally healthy workplace returns $2.30 (headsup.org.au).

“We’re delighted to partner with Take 2 Markets,” says Barb Speldewinde, Manager of Fight Cancer Foundation’s Geelong West Recycle Shop. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our extensive range of women’s clothing and accessories and highlight the work of Fight Cancer Foundation.”

As well as promoting a positive, productive workplace culture and minimising risks to employees’ mental health, mentally healthy workplaces can lead to increased productivity, improved staff engagement and enhanced staff retention. Come along to the breakfast to learn about the simple, practical actions businesses can take to promote a mentally healthy workplace.

Hosted by Johanna Griggs, the breakfast will be held in the Hopetoun Room at The Pier on Cunningham Pier on April 21 at from 7am to 9am. Presenters include The Hon Jeff Kennett AC, Chairman beyondblue, Bernadette Uzelac, CEO Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Ford, WorkSafe Inspector, Psychosocial Practice and Patrice O’Brien, beyondblue Head of Workplace Engagement.

Places are limited so please register your attendance by visiting www.beyondblue.org.au/geelongbreakfast

The first Take 2 Market for 2015 will be held on Saturday April 11 and the second on Saturday August 29 at Geelong West Town Hall in Pakington Street from 11am to 3pm.

Both of Fight Cancer Foundation’s stores will be represented at Take 2 Markets –pick up a bargain and support fellow Australians living with cancer.

Volunteers needed for a much-loved local service Red Cross is calling on local men to sign on to help brighten the lives of some older men in the community.

As part of Red Cross’ work to support older people who are at risk of social isolation, Red Cross has been running the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) for more than 20 years.

With 44 per cent of Geelong’s population expected to be over 65 by 2021, social isolation is a risk area that

BUSINESS NEWS | 44

people like Red Cross Volunteer, Gerhard Foll, are working to overcome. The CVS matches elderly people with Red Cross volunteers like Gerhard for frequent one-on-one local visits, helping maintain older peoples’ wellbeing through social connections.

Gerhard has been visiting elderly people in Geelong for an amazing 22 years as a Red Cross CVS volunteer. As one of the longest-serving community visitors in Victoria, he knows how frequent visits with a familiar face can boost older peoples’ wellbeing. “Often men in aged care are in the minority, being surrounded by female residents and care workers,” he says.

“That’s why my visits are especially important to my male friends there, because they can connect and relate to me well.”

Gerhard has been fortunate to visit a diverse range of elderly people over the years. “From visiting a farmer to a priest, I can only say it has been a very rewarding 22 years.”

With male volunteers currently in short supply, Red Cross Programs Officer, Lauren Carroll, is grateful for volunteers like Gerhard supporting elderly men with community visits. The CVS scheme has recently expanded, allowing more volunteers to connect with more regular visits and Lauren is currently looking for male volunteers to visit elderly men in the Greater Geelong area. For more information about Red Cross’s work with the elderly or if you are interested in volunteering contact: Lauren Carroll on 5223 8700 or lcarroll@redcross.org.au

Lung cancer leading cause of cancer death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

“Importantly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also have a lower chance of survival following diagnosis. It is important that we address this disparity in outcomes by working with the community and health professionals to improve knowledge and care for Indigenous Australians,” Professor Zorbas said.

Cancer Australia is working to address the disparity in lung cancer outcomes with the release of its Lung Cancer in Our Mob handbook, developed for health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to help them support Indigenous Australians suffering lung cancer. It endorses the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, explains medical information in plain language and encourages culturally appropriate patient care and sources of support to the patients, their family and the community.

Lung Cancer in Our Mob also addresses the biggest risk factor associated with lung cancer, smoking. Forty-two per cent of Indigenous Australians are reported to smoke on a daily basis, compared with 16 per cent of non-Indigenous Australians.

While that rate has improved from 49 per cent in 2002, current smokers are around nine times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who have never smoked.

The handbook supports health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to help prevent lung cancer, improve knowledge of the symptoms and support people through the lung cancer treatment pathway.

The Lung Cancer in Our Mob handbook is available online, and pre-orders are currently being accepted for printed copies at canceraustralia.gov.au

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, with Indigenous Australians 70 per cent more likely to die from lung cancer than non-Indigenous Australians, according to Cancer Australia.

Geelong woman on Victorian Honour Roll of Women

Speaking on National Close the Gap Day, Cancer Australia CEO, Professor Helen Zorbas, explained that lung cancer is the most common cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than non-Indigenous Australians. It accounts for one in six of all cancers diagnosed in Indigenous Australians and the incidence is higher in men and in people living in more remote areas.

Rosemary joins Australian of the Year Rosie Batty, and the late Lynne Kosky, a Minister in the previous Labor Governments, on the Honour Roll, which recognises the achievements and contributions of remarkable Victorian women who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in their field of expertise, interest or endeavour.

Rosemary Malone, CEO Gateways Support Services, is one of 22 new inductees onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

Since its inception in 2001, the Victorian Honour Roll of Women

Tickets $60 per person

Building a Better Geelong

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RPORATE STYLEGUIDE 1. CMYK STACKED VERSION (ON WHITE BACKGROUND) 1. CMYK STACKED VERSION (ON WHITE BACKGROUND)

AFTER COMMUNITY HOURS

2. CMYK HORIZONTAL VERSION (ON WHITE BACKGROUND) Commercial Photography 2.

CMYK HORIZONTAL VERSION (ON WHITE BACKGROUND) Commercial Photography Staff portraits Staff portraits Product shots Product shots Marketing shots Marketing shots Events & Functions Events & Functions Weddings & Portraits Weddings & Portraits

Above: Maxwell Collins team who have been sponsoring for all of the 11 years.

Left: Putting competition (Girls team: Helen Hill, Judy Wilson, Georgie Sanders, Maxine Campbell)

has acknowledged and celebrated over 500 extraordinary women and the long lasting contributions they have made to Victoria and nationally throughout Australia.

Rosemary’s induction recognises her 30-year contribution to the disability and community services sector.

“It’s a great honour to be nominated, and it’s wonderful to be part of a group of women that contribute to a wide range of community activities,” Rosemary says.

“I’m very fortunate for the support from my parents, husband, children and the great people I work with.”

A word about May… The MAYDAY Appeal is Geelong’s Appeal – and it’s back this May! Can you take the MAYDAY challenge and commit to donate $1 a day during May? That’s less than the price of a daily coffee!

Led by MAYDAY Ambassadors the BayFM Morning Crew: Hayden and Milly, The MAYDAY Appeal raises valuable funds for the Geelong community and aims to raise $2,000 a day in May for Give Where You Live.

Register your business, organisation, group or school to take a MAYDAY Donation Tin and place it where everyone can see it. Why not take the MAYDAY Challenge and pop a dollar in the tin each day? To register for a Donation Tin, or set up your own MAYDAY Challenge fundraising page email mayday@givewhereyoulive.com.au or phone 5229 4364.

Teeing off for local disability support service Over 15 local business teams teed off at Barwon Heads Golf Club as part of E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE Gateways Support Services 11th Annual Golf Day on theSTYLEGUIDE 20th of March, organised by E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE STYLEGUIDE the Gateways Auxiliary. The day raised $17, 025, which was an outstanding $2,555 more than year.

The event has been sponsored by Maxwell Collins for all eleven years, and the orange capped team were once again front and centre, ready to battle it out on the course for a very worthy cause.

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

Gateways is a local community organisation that supports over 1300 children and adults who have a disability/additional need and their families in the Western division of Victoria. Gateways operate from several locations, including Geelong, Warrnambool, Colac, Camperdown, Hamilton, Western Melbourne and Melton.

The golfers raised money to support some of Gateways’ much-needed programs that fall outside the scope of NDIA funding. It was a fantastic day out with a terrific result – and for those that didn’t take the honours on the course, at least they could bag a win during the evening’s live auction.

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Golf Day Shines in a sea of diamonds!

Over 100 ladies hit the 13th Beach Golf Links for the sold out Duffs Jewellers Diamond Golf Classic for Give Where You Live helping to raise in excess of $25,000 for the Geelong community, supporting Geelong’s most vulnerable people.

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Bill Mithen, CEO Give Where You Live said “Thank you to all individuals and businesses who supported this year’s Duffs Jewellers Diamond Golf Classic for Give Where You Live. We are extremely proud to have raised over $25,000 for the Geelong community that will go towards assisting the lives of Geelong’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged people” Thanks to Naming Rights Sponsor, Duffs Jewellers, the winners of both the 18 and 9 hole Classic competitions walked away with a pair of diamond earrings valued at $600 each. To reserve a place in next year’s event please email events@ givewhereyoulive.com.au or phone 5229 4364.

Photography by EL Photography

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1. 9 Hole competion winners - The Galahs - Pam Hansen, Pam Hill, Glen Gault & Lindy Tomes 2. Ann Lynch, Rhonda Fatone, Sue Holmes & Deb Nicholls 3. Cheryl Egberts, Karen Egan, Alyson Simmon & Bette Collings 4. Deb Fowler, Sophie Holloway, Susie Robinson & Catherine O’Brien 5. Team Fagg’s Mitre 10 - pamela Brewin, Libby Mason , Jan Fagg & Mary Armstrong

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The Business Awards Buzz is Building

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It was an awards preview of a different kind when the Geelong Business Excellence Awards hosted the Geelong Chamber of Commerceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March After 5 at the Geelong Arena last month. Over 350 guests created a big awards buzz as the business community looks forward to what the 2015 Geelong Business Excellence Awards might bring.

There were some exciting variations to the usual After 5 format that also gave guests plenty to talk about, including the 23 expo tables featuring the businesses of Award sponsors, 2014 Award entrants, Chamber corporate partners and Chamber members. But it was Truffleduck who almost stole the show with food stations including an amazing cheese board display, pie station and a sushi stand.

Registrations are now open for the 2015 Geelong Business Excellence Awards and the Awards Presentation Dinner will be held on Thursday 20th August.

The next After 5 that is also the Geelong Chamber AGM will be hosted by Geelong College.

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1. Mardi Falconer, Kelli Finlayson and Deb Nash 2. Paul Whyte and Rick Powell 3. Elyce Fullwood and David Postill 4. Fiona Trotter and Martin Carter 5. Grant Hore and Richie Almond 6. Roderick Insurance team

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7. Chris Davies, Scott Aquilina and Cameron Stante 8. Dan Bingham, Lisa Bingham, Bernadette Uzelac and Graeme Ott 9. Sally Nicholas and Daniel Sapsead 10. Shelley King and Hugh Bowman 11. Simone McKenzie and David Muller

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BOOKS

Bearing Witness Peter Rees Through his vast archive of work, we know what Charles Bean was thinking as he so famously witnessed and reported on World War I. Australia’s official historian of the Great War, CEW Bean captured the horrors and the heroes of Gallipoli, and is set to come alive again on television screens as the central figure in the new Australian drama, Gallipoli. He defined how those back home saw the war, how, as a nation, we remember it and much of how we see our national identity now has been influenced by this most influential of 20th Century Australians. But who was Charles Bean? In Bearing Witness, Peter Rees goes through the work to the extraordinary story of the man himself and it makes for fascinating, deeply moving reading.

The Woman Who Lost Her Soul Bob Shacochis The 2014 Pulitzer Prize finalist, this is Shacochis’s first book in ten years.

The Woman Who Lost Her Soul pulls readers into twisted tales of romance, espionage and vengeance and, piece by piece, builds a complex and disturbing story about the coming of age of America in a pre-9/11 world. Set over fifty years and in four countries facing different wars, The Woman Who Lost Her Soul is National Book Award winner Bob Shacochis’s magnum opus that brings to life, through the mystique and allure of history, an intricate portrait of catastrophic events that led up to the war on terror and the America we know today.

Kolynsky Heights Lionel Davidson The book that came in from the cold; this much celebrated spy thriller on the Faber backlist is repackaged and reissued and well worth revisiting.

A Siberian permafrost hell lost in endless nights, the perfect setting for an underground Russian research station. It’s a place so secret it doesn’t officially exist; once there, the scientists are forbidden to leave. But one scientist is desperate to get a message to the outside world. So desperate, he sends a plea across the wildness to the West in order to summon the one man alive capable of achieving the impossible...

Alfred Hitchcock Peter Ackroyd Alfred Hitchcock was a strange child. Fat, lonely, burning with fear and ambition, his childhood was an isolated one, scented with fish from his father’s shop. Afraid to leave his bedroom, he would plan great voyages, using railway timetables to plot an exact imaginary route across Europe. So how did this fearful figure become the one of the most respected film directors of the twentieth century?

As an adult, Hitch rigorously controlled the press’s portrait of himself, drawing certain carefully selected childhood anecdotes into full focus and blurring all others out. In this quick-witted portrait, Ackroyd reveals something more: a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashes a once-used tea cup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life.

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