Business News September 2013

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ISSUE 222 SEPTEMBER 2013

FEATURES 12. From Sports to Medicine 16. Money, Money, Money 20. Carbon Revolution 26. Mental Health

CONTENTS 4. Editor 5. Biz News 10. New Appointments 19. Business of the Month 23. Governance 28. Legal 29. Tax 30. Legal 31. Small Biz 32. VECCI 33. Insurance 34. Travel 37. Masters Games 38. Tech Guy 40. Arts 42. Community

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BUSINESS NEWS | 3

EDITOR

Just when you think you’ve seen it all…

It was the election result we were all expecting; a big swing to the right and Prime Minister-elect Abbott hailed as the conquering hero. But will we get the stability the nation needs?

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or our new PM-elect and the Coalition, victory must be sweet. The swing was on early and it was a belter. Sarah Henderson’s solid victory in taking Corangamite, formerly the nation’s most marginal seat, was something of a barometer for results across the board.

cannot shore up an ongoing alliance amongst the minor parties and independents (he may need up to 7 additional votes in the upper house to secure a majority), the task of changing legislation could be long, painful and, ultimately, unsuccessful. As happened to Paul Keating after the 1993 election, even a government with a strong majority can find themselves stymied in the Senate.

Power unchecked is a dangerous thing, but so is uncertainty, as we have seen over the past three years of fraught politics.

There are always a few surprise stories and this time it was Clive Palmer, whose big push in the weeks leading up to polling day payed off, with not only himself all but assured of taking the QLD seat of Fairfax, but his party also likely to claim two seats in the Senate.

What we can safely say about the Senate results is that, so far as they have been determined, they have been entirely representative of a voting population who is wary of placing too much power in too few hands. Australians, it seems, remains a nation of political skeptics.

There was no doubting that it was the Coalition’s day and the message from the electorate was a clear vote in favour of stability. Unfortunately, that message was diluted by the wish for a check to absolute majority in the Senate. And we all know to take care when it comes to wishes.

Yet I can’t help but wonder if the Senate result isn’t a failure of democracy. In Victoria, it took 36 counts to fill the six Senate seats, in what was a protracted and highly convoluted process of distributing preference votes. It was this preferencing system that delivered the Motoring Enthusiast Party their first Senator (no offence intended Mr Muir, you are probably a top bloke, but even you must be surprised) even though he gained a tiny minority of the primary Senate vote.

When parliament resumes, possibly as early as mid to late October, the big policy promises of repealing the carbon and mining taxes, the implementation of Direct Action, the ubiquitous Turn Back the Boats policy and the (a.k.a.

Operation Sovereign Borders) and the institution of the Coalition’s upscaled Paid Parental Leave Scheme, will all have to pass through a Senate controlled by a collection of independents and minor parties, all with a unique opportunity to run their own agendas.

Tony Abbott will not only have to engineer his very own Coalition of the Willing amongst seasoned negotiators like Independent, Nick Xenophon, he will also have to tackle unknown quantities such as Motoring Enthusiast Senator, Ricky Muir from Victoria, and Wayne Dropulich, an Australian Sports Party Senator from WA. If our new PM

If we really believe that every vote counts, then Senate elections need to be run on a first past the post system – a single vote for a single candidate – ending the back room preference deals.

Just when we thought we’d seen the back of instability in the capital we find ourselves with a Senate divided along uncertain lines. If Mr Abbott is determined to push his policy platform through the parliament before the Senate is reconfigured in July 2014, he may well have to trigger a double dissolution election.

Davina Montgomery

ISSUE 222 SEPTEMBER 2013

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BIZ NEWS

Boost for local community mental health access The Barwon region will be among 5 pilot sites for a new Victorian Government initiative aimed at improving access to mental health services. The pilot will test whether having one single regional provider assessing the needs of people experiencing a mental illness will help to both streamline the existing system and help prevent patients falling through the cracks.

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inister for Mental Health, Mary Wooldridge, announced that five service providers will trial a new $2.5 million initiative to make it easier for Victorians to access community based mental health care.

Making the announcement, Ms Wooldridge said that the pilots would trial a catchment based intake assessment model. From 1 July 2014, organisations funded to deliver Mental Health Community Support Services will be required to accept all referrals from a single intake assessment provider within their catchments.

“These five pilots, operating over the next 12 months, will critically inform the full rollout of the new catchment intake assessment model, ensuring people with a mental illness receive the care they need, when they need it and within their local area,” Ms Wooldridge said.

outreach support, day programs, care coordination and bed based services. Ms Wooldridge said the reform also aims to improve the continuity of care for people with a severe mental illness and their carers and families.

“We know that people with a mental illness require more than just health care and often require assistance with other services such as housing, human and employment services.

“These pilots will test the best approaches and mechanisms for triaging for urgency, need, risk and eligibility, taking into account the broader needs of the person and their family.

“These pilots will test the best approaches and mechanisms for triaging for urgency, need, risk and eligibility, taking into account the broader needs of the person and their family.”

The service providers will receive approximately $450,000 each to run the pilots, with Pathways Rehabilitation and Support Services running the Barwon region pilot.

“These service providers will develop and test new models for assessing the needs and treatment requirements of people with a mental illness,” Ms Wooldridge said.

She said the initiative is aimed at delivering better management of access to the range of Mental Health Community Support Services, which includes home based

“This initiative places an emphasis on addressing the needs of the person at the start of their treatment to ensure opportunity for long term recovery and enable people to live independently in the community.”

The assessment of people experiencing a mental illness has been a serious concern for many years.

With one in five Victorians likely to have a mental disorder in any given year, the need for a more responsive assessment procedure is clear.

Member for South Barwon, Andrew Katos, said, “The accessibility of outreach support programs and referral services in our community is extremely important and I am delighted that the Victorian Coalition is trialling this initiative to improve access to community mental health services in our region.”

BUSINESS NEWS | 5

BIZ NEWS

Sustainability Directory launched A new Community Sustainability Directory, designed to help people track down ‘green’ businesses and community organisations in Geelong, was launched last month.

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uture Proofing Geelong funded the Geelong Sustainability Group to build a database of environmentally conscious community groups, initiatives, courses, events, publications, websites, projects, services, businesses and professionals.

With the information collated, the Geelong Sustainability Group extended the scope of the project to create a directory, which could be distributed through the community.

This resource includes not-for-profit community groups, projects and social enterprises working towards a sustainable future as well as accredited ‘green’ businesses.

Sustainability portfolio holder, Cr Andy Richards, launched the directory on behalf of the City of Greater Geelong.

“This is a fantastic initiative that will provide some practical help for people looking to reduce their carbon footprint or get involved in community projects. The directory will cut out the time required to track down businesses that are ecofriendly and environmentally aware.

“I am sure this directory will be a

valuable tool for many people in the community and I am sure it won’t be long before it’s a go-to guide for everything ‘green’ and sustainable in Greater Geelong,” Cr Richards said.

The listed businesses are sorted into two categories: Eco Businesses – Producers, suppliers or retailers of products or services that are: local; organic or chemical-free; used in home food production; involved in recycling, reuse or repair; promoting sustainable consumption.

Businesses – Suppliers, installers or retailers of products or services that assist householders to reduce their carbon footprint by offering: sustainable building and landscape design; rated building products; low energy lighting; renewable energy; energy or water efficient household products; licensed or certified green tradespeople.

Copies will be available at future Geelong Sustainability Drinks sessions, Foodskil 2 & 5 café, and various Neighbourhood Houses in the Barwon network. Mail orders are also available. More information at: www.geelongsustainability.org/ directory

Vic businesses looking to grow In a surprising result, Victorian businesses are the most likely of all Australian states to expect to increase their ‘Level of Investment’ over the next 12 months. This was the finding of the latest Roy Morgan Business Single Source Survey, with a net proportion of 5.5% of Victorian business intending to increase their business investment over the coming year.

Businesses in Queensland and Western Australia, by contrast, are only marginally more likely to intend to increase, rather than decrease their ‘Level of Investment’ in the same period, with a net proportion intending to increase of only 0.6% and 0.5% respectively.

Tasmanian businesses are more likely to expect to decrease, rather than increase, their ‘Number of Employees’ over the next year, indicating a poor outlook for unemployment in the state. NSW businesses are less likely to expect a net increase in ‘Number of employees’ (net +2.1% in NSW against +2.9% nationally).

Queensland, WA and Victoria businesses are the most likely to expect to increase employee numbers in the next 12 months (net proportion increasing employees of 4%, 3.7% and 3.6%).

Nigel Smith, Director of Business Research at Roy Morgan Research, said, “The end of the mining super-cycle has clearly impacted on the investment intentions of businesses in QLD and WA for the next 12 months. However businesses in both these states are also the most likely to be intending to increase employment levels, which may see these state economies continue to grow, excluding the direct effect of the mining slowdown.

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BIZ NEWS • Risk-taker – they aren’t afraid to take the plunge with business decisions others might consider precarious or uncertain.

What’s in your entrepreneurial DNA?

• Self-starter – they are proactive and persistent, they’re full of initiative and have no problems getting things going in business or thinking ahead.

New research from Commonwealth Bank has uncovered what makes Australian entrepreneurs tick and what influences them the most, by exploring the seven distinctive qualities that form the foundation of the entrepreneurial mindset. In partnership with organisational psychologist, Kirsty Bucknell, CommBank surveyed 475 Australian business owners and senior decision makers to reveal which of the seven entrepreneurial types are most dominant in Australia.

According to Kirsty Bucknell, the strength of each trait influences how an entrepreneur conducts their business.

“The successful entrepreneur will have strengths across all seven of these factors. Knowing your personal strengths means you also know where you need support from others,” said Ms Bucknell.

“While it’s evident there are people out there prepared to take a risk and compete, there are fewer reporting strengths in learning from their experiences and stepping up to bring new ideas to the market.

Being a ‘risk taker’ (24 per cent) and ‘competitor’ (20 per cent) were the two most prominent areas of strength. Less prevalent were ‘achiever’ (15 per cent); ‘individualist’ (15 per cent); ‘innovator’ (10 per cent); ‘learner’ (8 per cent); and ‘self-starter’ (8 per cent).

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“Our research shows that often these less common strengths are the ones that contribute most to an entrepreneurial mindset,” she said.

he seven traits are defined as:

Aimed at helping entrepreneurs to enhance their business, the ‘What kind of entrepreneur are you?’ psychometric test is freely available on the CommBank Entrepreneur’s Hub.

• Individualist – they make their own rules, their own decisions and don’t like following orders, preferring the freedom to seek out and explore their own unique methods and approaches in business.

• Learner – they’re always looking to grow and independently build their knowledge from experiences such as business successes and failures, and are most engaged when they’re learning.

• Achiever – they like to score goals and set the bar high with challenging tasks and then work exceptionally hard to ensure they get there.

• Competitor – they fight to be the best and aren’t shy about wanting to win or going up against opponents in business.

• Innovator – they love novelty and creativity, they actively seek out and gravitate towards new ideas, fresh approaches and different methods, frequently merging concepts and always testing the boundaries.

Michael Cant, Commonwealth Bank Executive General Manager of Corporate Financial Services, says it’s critical entrepreneurs understand their core strengths to help optimise their business skills.

“It’s clear from our study many entrepreneurs share similar qualities, however, there is always one trait that shines more brightly and it’s this trait entrepreneurs need to be most aware of to ensure they are harnessing their business potential.

When it comes to the people who have the biggest influence in the journey to becoming an entrepreneur, the research found family and parents have the biggest influence according to 38 per cent of entrepreneurs. Interestingly, a further 28 per cent claim one or more of their immediate family is an entrepreneur. Other major influences include business (16 per cent) and industry peers (14 per cent).

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BUSINESS NEWS | 7

BIZ NEWS

Aussies’ taxdeductible giving doubled to $2 billion It seems that we Aussies are a generous bunch when it comes to donating – although it doesn’t hurt that philanthropy is tax-deductible in this country. According to the The Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies’ Giving Australia report, Australians gave $2.21 billion in 2010-2011 in taxdeductible gifts.

The residents of South Yarra’s 3141 postcode were Victoria’s highest givers – giving close to $25 million, and across the state, women gave a higher proportion of their income than men.

Workplace giving schemes up 44 per cent to $33 million, and when it comes to the most generous professions, it was found that ministers of religion give the highest proportion of their taxable income at 2.29 per cent.

The average national percentage of income donated in Australia is 0.35 per cent.

Australia’s growing culture of giving has overcome the two-year GFC-induced blip in our steadily rising donations to charity, with the 2010/2011 figures showing we gave twice as much as we gave in 2002/2003.

The figures are contained in the annual Giving Australia report produced by QUT’s Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies (ACPNS) based on the from the Australian Taxation Office data.

Victoria’s 1,282,260 gifting taxpayers claimed $599.57 million in tax-deductible donations in 2010/11, making them the second highest givers after NSW’s $860.15 million.

The gifting taxpayers of South Yarra gave $24,914,656 coming in as the state’s highest giving postcode, compared with NSW’s top giving postcode, Darling Point 2027, which gave $34.5 million, but a long way ahead of Queensland’s highest giving postcode, the Gold Coast’s 4217 postcode which topped the state with $9.3 million.

NSW’s 1.54 million gifting taxpayers led the country in total donations. They

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claimed $860,154,291 in donations, making up 38.8 per cent of the national total with an average donation of $556.44 compared to $461.47 nationally. A NSW postcode, 2027 - Darling Point, also topped the country with $34,470, 178 in donations from an average claim of $13,334.

ACPNS director, Professor Myles McGregor-Lowndes, attributes the growth in Australia’s culture of charitable giving to a number of factors.

“The devastation of the Queensland floods and cyclone Oswald prompted a lot more people to give - another 390,000 people claimed tax deductions for donations bringing the total to $4.79 million or 37.93 per cent of taxpayers who claimed charitable tax donations.

“We have become more affluent; charitable organisations have consolidated and professionalised and are using more sophisticated fundraising techniques, including workplace giving programs,” Professor McGregor Lowndes said.

“Also there are some high-profile philanthropists acting as peer leaders, such as Clive Berghoffer, Chuck Feeney, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.”

The ATO figures show more women give to tax-deductible causes than men, with 39.02 per cent of female taxpayers compared with 36.91 per cent of male taxpayers claiming for donations.

“Women also give a greater proportion of their income - 0.39 per cent for women compared with 0.33 per cent for men.

The average taxable income for men was $59,689 and $39,580 for women.”

Professor McGregor-Lowndes said the growth in private ancillary funds (PAFs) had not been matched by an increase in money distributed by them. PAFs were established in Australia in 2001 and are similar to the US’ private family foundations in that one family can give and control the fund, but must distribute a certain percentage to recognised taxdeductible recipients.

New technology business incubator Shining out from this year’s gloomy announcements affecting manufacturing, September 20 will see the launch of the Merevik Business Incubator to help Geelong businesses grow.

With a passion for technology, innovation and local business, software developer Todd Hubers is launching a Business Incubator, Merevik, to support the creation of new technology companies and encourage investment in Geelong from local and out-of-town investors.

“I’ve got some big announcements which will accelerate the ICT industry in the region,” Todd said. “That’s in addition to our $25k seed investment program, which will send a wake-up call to IT students to start thinking seriously about what the next big thing on the web might be.”

As part of the launch, Merevik is hosting a Media Ready workshop with Media Connection’s Linda Reed-Enever to assist local businesses to employ the power of the media in their business.

“Linda brings with her over 15 years of PR and Marketing experience and understands the rural lifestyle from growing up in regional Victoria,” Todd said.

“Education and knowledge-sharing will be a key part of what the incubator is about.”

Todd hopes that Merevik will kick start an entrepreneurial culture, particularly in the youth of Geelong, building businesses and creating new jobs.

“It’s exciting to see what people can create these days with some time and a computer,” Todd said.

“We had 924 new PAFs established in 2010/11, 103 more than the previous year, which distributed $304 million in for the year ending June 2011, down from $321 million in 2009/10.

The free launch will be on Friday, September 20 at 5 pm. Food, drinks and presentations will be provided. Bookings are essential: Merevik.com.au.

“There was also a change in where the PAF money was bestowed: environment, international affairs, sports, recreation and cultural organisations were the greatest beneficiaries, with a drop in support for health, education, research and welfare recipients.”

To find out more, or to arrange an interview, contact Todd on 0424 320 575 - ryrie@ merevik.com.au or Linda on 0433 149 319 - linda@mediaconnections.com.au

SEE HOW AN EDUCATION GIVES you A WORLDLY PERSPECTIVE. Deakin Information Evening Geelong Waterfront Campus Wednesday 11 September 2013, 6–8 pm Parents of VCE students and mature-age students are invited to attend a free information evening held by Deakin University and The Gordon.

Join us for an expo, presentations and light refreshments.

Separate presentations for parents and mature-age students will be held. Find out about: • • • • • •

the VTAC application process courses, prerequisites and extra requirements costs, financial assistance and key dates transition to further study and life on campus student support services pathways between The Gordon and Deakin.

Register online at deakin.edu.au/infoevening

Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

Would you like to be better informed about further study options?

NEW APPOINTMENTS Accounting

Food Services The Managing Director of P & R Food Services, Peter Mullen, is pleased to announce the appointment of its first General Manager in Glenn Scott. Glenn is the former CEO of the Victorian Country League, is an experienced marketing and management consultant and spent two years as General Manager of the Supercats.

Cathy Korbut has joined the team at Jovic Accounting as a full time receptionist and client services. Cathy brings 8 years’ experience in customer service and is currently studying her Certificate III in Business. Cathy will be a wonderful addition to the team and looks forward to exceeding the expectations of all clients and associates.

Disability services

Hospitality

Pathways Rehabilitation & Support Services Ltd welcomes Brad Keating as Manager Clearwater Property Care.

Clearwater is a not for profit Australian Disability Enterprise that has provided professional quality cleaning and gardening in Geelong for the past 19 years. Brad brings a strong background in commercial cleaning and business development.

Executive Chef Norbert Bell from The Pier Geelong brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to The Pier. With over 35 years of experience travelling around the world including Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and all over Australia, Norbert’s dishes have a distinctive international flair and unique edge.

Sport & Recreation

ACCOUNTING O’Shanassy Chartered Accountant is pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Malibiran as Administration and Accounting Assistant. With a great reputation for high levels of customer service and attention to detail, we are excited to welcome Karen to the team and look forward to the contribution she will make.

Brendan Parker has been appointed as General Manager of Geelong Lawn Tennis Club. Brendan has over 10 years’ experience within the sport and recreation field, including Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre, YMCA Victoria and CEO of Calisthenics Victoria.

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NEW APPOINTMENTS Recruitment

GENERAL INSURANCE

Chris Russell has joined the Crowe Horwath (formerly WHK) General Insurance Team, bringing over 5 years experience in Business, Commercial Property, Plant & Equipment, -Professional Indemnity, Public Liability, Marine Cargo, Caravan & Boat, Travel, Vehicle, -House & Contents, Landlords and Hard to Place Risk.

Rodney Bed has joined Crowe Horwath (formerly WHK) having worked within the finance sector for 35 years in particular with CBA as Executive Manager Corporate Financial Services. where he supported business clients in Geelong, Ballarat, Western District and Surf Coast region. He has gained vast commercial experience in varied economic conditions.

Funeral Services

Engineering Marcus Cowie has been appointed General Manager of Austeng. Marcus has over 20 years experience and was formerly Austeng’s Service Manager. His recognised qualities in the area of problem solving, organisation and project management make him ideal for this role.

Julie Stabernack has been appointed as the Operations Manager for Kings Funerals & Louise King Funerals by Women.

Julie is a Geelong resident with a strong background in organisational processes and HR systems. Julie welcomes the opportunity to work with a Geelong family owned business meeting the needs of the Geelong community.

Accounting

Town planning Simon Loader recently joined Tract Consultants as a town planner, after five years with the City of Greater Geelong.

Simon has previously worked on the Armstrong Creek Urban Growth Area and the Jetty Road Growth Area, and is now responsible for the Fyansford Green development.

Simone McCallum has joined Jovic Accounting in a part-time role as Client Services and PA to our accountants, together with administration support.

Simone returns to accounting after taking time off to raise her young family and brings with her 20 years of experience working in accounting firms in Geelong.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 11

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A new take on chronic disease management

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Just as the NASA space program pioneered so many technologies that are now part of our everyday lives, the advances in biodynamics and injury recovery treatments developed through sports medicine are now revolutionising medical treatments for our ageing population.

r Hugh Seward is a general practitioner and a sports physician. For thirty years he was the club doctor at the Geelong Football Club and, during that time, he experienced many of the advancements developed to assist injury recovery and reduce joint inflammation in athletes. Now he is bringing this specialised experience into general practice at the Newtown Medical Centre, with two new programs aimed at improving the treatment of chronic disease.

“Because I have an interest in sports medicine, and I’m a sports physician as well as a GP, I thought this would be a good combination of two different disciplines. I have tried to identify issues from within the general practice population that related to sports medicine that I could treat.”

This first of these new programs is a unique exercise program that has been jointly developed with an exercise physiologist, specifically targeted at chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.

“A lot of work has been done on the use of exercise and the prescription of exercise for people who generally, by the nature of those conditions, fit into the older bracket of the population,” Dr Seward said.

“One of the things that we’ve done is to develop exercise programs for people in that group, starting with patients within this practice, but not holding it exclusively for them, and combining the skills of a sports physician and an exercise physiologist and running small groups to provide an additional way of helping people with those conditions. They already have a lot of medications and other specialist medical services, but it’s certainly been identified that exercise can make a big difference to those conditions.

“We’ve been running this now since the start of the year and we’ve seen some terrific changes in those people in their quality of life.”

The program operates out of a small exercise room and gym within the practice. Each patient is assessed individually, and then is put into a small group to go through the program. The exercises are simple and designed to be done at home, with many based around basic equipment like fit balls and resistance

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bands. Once the group has gone through the program, they are invited back every three months to follow up on their progress and make any adjustments or corrections as their fitness and agility improves.

This is a whole of person, whole of life approach to treatment, rather than treating a specific illness or condition – which is becoming more important as we continue to live longer lives.

“What medicine has tended to do is to break people up into what conditions they suffer from. This practice brings all of those conditions together to deliver care, and this is also providing a total health care experience. That’s the program that we have running for people with chronic conditions, with people aged from their 50s to their 90s..

Dr Seward said some of the results from the program so far have been phenomenal.

“I’ve had one gentleman who had always walked with a stoop and used a walking stick. With the posture and balance work, as part of the exercise program, he is upright and he’s discarded his walking stick.

“I’ve had another lady who used a walking frame who was able to discard the frame because her balance and her strength got better. This is not miracle working. It sounds like miracle working, but it’s just taking the opportunity to do something new for people, identifying with exercise physiologists where their specific deficits are and slowly working on them. It does make a difference.

“From a quality of life point of view, we have made a difference for people. One lady said to me, ‘It’s helped me physically, emotionally and socially.’ And I asked why it had helped her socially and she told me that she had built up a connection with another couple of people in her group and they would go for a coffee afterwards. That helped her engage with the program and want to come each week.”

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones, and we already know the benefits of regular exercise on not only physical health, and certainly mental health, but also on confidence and resilience and self-reliance – all of those things that, in the past,

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FEATURE we have tended not to associate with medicine. More and more we are coming to understand that all of these factors play a part in a person’s wellbeing and their ability to cope with the challenges of living longer.

through a special filter, it goes into the joint. The process takes about half an hour, but it’s using the patient’s own blood products, and it appears to now be developing some reasonable evidence behind it. We’ve certainly been very pleased with our results.”

“Enhancing these older people’s independence is really important. We are looking to improve their fitness, to promote some weight loss and to improve their medical conditions,” Dr Seward said.

The process is not a new one, having been available in various forms for about ten years, but this is the first time the treatment has been publicly available in Geelong. Dr Seward said a number of the AFL footballers have had this sort of treatment for their knee joints particularly, albeit under a slightly different commercial process.

“We are now looking at other groups that we might be able to engage with exercise programs within the framework that we’ve developed, and are looking at people with chronic pain and also people with back conditions. We are exploring that at the moment.”

The second new service being instituted practice is a little more high tech than fit balls and resistance bands. First developed within sports medicine and now becoming more widely available, is the use of platelet rich plasma injections to treat arthritic joints and tendon inflammation.

by Dr Seward in his

Just in case your thoughts are skittering away to the now infamous supplements program at the Essendon Football Club, or worse, Lance Armstrong’s blood doping revelations, rest assured this is a very different process.

“I’ve had one gentleman who had always walked with a stoop and used a walking stick. With the posture and balance work, as part of the exercise program, he is upright and he’s discarded his walking stick.”

“In the past we’ve relied on steroid injections. Now there are some other alternatives. For quite some time, the patient’s own blood has been used to inject into some of these conditions. There are a number of refinements of that process now, and the one we’ve chosen to use is platelet rich plasma,” Dr Seward said.

“Someone might have chronic arthritis of their knee. They’re beyond getting relief just from an anti-inflammatory or from Panadol, but not ready yet for a knee replacement. Once again, the exercise program is important for them to improve their muscle strength, but using this platelet rich plasma as an alternative to inject into the arthritic knee joint, it appears to settle down some of the inflammation and some of the arthritic activity within that joint.

“The process is that the patient is assessed, then we take their blood, it’s processed in a centrifuge and spun down to separate out the portion of the serum that we wish to use. We take that off and it’s spun down again and further refined, and injecting

“Yes, it is. This is using people’s own blood and it is quite legal in the sporting sense – it is approved

by WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency). That’s important for people who do participate in competition sport to know. This is not blood doping, as only 3 – 5 ml is being injected, which is now regarded as quite acceptable.”

It is thought that the cells that are removed from the blood enhance the repairing process and help to reduce inflammation within joints or tendon injuries such as Tennis Elbow and Achilles tendon problems.

“When America took up their space program to fly man to the moon, there were lots of spin offs in things that were discovered and invented that have helped broader society,” Dr Seward said.

“Similarly, when you take sports people and their endeavours to achieve, in legitimate ways, maximal performance, a lot of the processes helping them along the way – be it sports science or sports medicine – have been able to have that spin off for the general population. This is probably one of those that’s been able to advance because lots of sports men and women were happy to explore it and got benefit from it.”

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BUSINESS NEWS | 13

A LIFE, LESS ORDINARY Derbyshire Naturally Beautiful Homes is changing perceptions when it comes to designing and building new homes.

With its recently completed Barwon Heads ‘Beach Cottage’, Derbyshire has designed and built a home that needs to be seen to be believed. Inspired by a client’s affection for the archetypal 1920s fisherman’s cottage, the Barwon Heads Cottage is characterised by a distinctive custom design that incorporates imaginative use of light and space, while also achieving a seven-star sustainability rating.

In its first open house weekend, more than 300 people came through the innovative Barwon Heads home. Many expressed surprise at the sense of space achieved for a house with such a small physical footprint.

– OPEN HOUSE open to the public 1pm - 5pm weekends until Sunday 6th October

“Everyone was amazed at the premium build quality and design flair displayed in every facet of the home,” said Noel.

“Visitors to our open house were surprised when they found out that it was only 19.8 squares,” said Noel.

“What it means is that home owners don’t have to forego a beautiful garden in order to attain a feeling of space on a smaller block.”

The Barwon Heads home at 100 Hitchcock Avenue Barwon Heads, opens to the public weekends until Sunday 6 October from 1pm to 5pm.

Contact Noel on 5221 8409 to find out more about Derbyshire’s award winning homes.

98 Pakington Street Geelong West, Victoria 3218 Ph: 03 5221 8409 Fx: 03 5229 7433 Email: info@derbyshire.com.au www.derbyshire.com.au

COVER STORY

Money, Money, Money Establishing a new business - or growing or reinventing your current one - usually requires extra funds, but finding the cash can be a daunting task. Questions about which bank or equity provider to choose, or whether to approach your friends and family, or mortgage your home, are overwhelming for most of us, given the risk involved. However, once you start looking, you may be surprised at how much help is actually available - and how a change of thinking can sometimes get you what you want. If you take an entrepreneurial approach, you will find that there are a myriad of ways to grow your business.

F

or start-ups, options for accessing funds usually begin with family, friends, your savings, or mortgaging your home. But there are other options to consider, such as angel investors, bootstrapping, or collaborating with other businesses to create moneymaking opportunities. The coordinator of Geelong’s newly launched Small Business Smart Business program, Liz Grant, says that money is only a means to an end and she always asks businesses what they want it for.

Here are some examples:

“The businesses that are seeking money are actually after a specific outcome, which they can often get by looking at the question in another way,” Ms Grant said.

Use your credit card or take a home equity loan.

For instance, if a business needs a strategic plan, Small Business Victoria runs strategic planning workshops, or Ms Grant can provide contacts who can prepare a business plan at a reasonable price. Mentors can provide experienced advice through either the Small Business Mentoring Service (four sessions at $80 each), or Enterprise Geelong (City of Greater Geelong), which offers two free mentor sessions to businesses registered in their visit program. Small Business Victoria also offers access to Ibis World, an online research database that can assist in researching potential markets, which can be used as evidence of the viability of your business idea to financiers.

In business language, this approach is known as bootstrapping – or making the most of stretched resources – and it is a common strategy for new businesses.

Bootstrapping is a means of starting a new venture through highly creative acquisition and the use of (sometimes other people’s) resources. Bootstrapping relies greatly on networks, trust, cooperation and the wise use of existing resources, rather than going into debt or giving away equity.

16 | BUSINESS NEWS

Bootstrapping for product development: Develop the product at night while working elsewhere.

Turn your customers into researchers for you.

Bootstrapping options for business development: Forgo, reduce or delay your compensation.

Bootstrapping options to minimise the need for capital: Buy used equipment instead of new.

Coordinate purchases with other businesses (mutual purchasing of goods).

Share business premises with others or run your business out of your house.

Employ relatives or friends at non-market salaries.

Bootstrapping options to meet the need for capital: Pay employees with company shares (give employees some ownership).

Delay payment to suppliers.

Barter under-utilised products or services with other firms.

Bootstrapping could involve someone working for you without pay, but who you give a percentage interest in your business; or it could be as simple as asking for help through a network of like-minded people, found through your local government economic development unit, for instance. It could also include making a deal, such as selling licences

COVER STORY or rights to foreign markets in advance, or offering your technical expertise in return for investment. The key factor to understand is that no matter what approach you decide to take – even if you are using all your own resources - your business must be underpinned by a well thought-out and researched business plan that includes a risk mitigation strategy.

“People don’t just invest in ideas,” said Ms Grant. “You need a really good plan that includes risk mitigation, to cover situations such as customers not buying, or infrastructure costing more than expected. All banks, investors, angels and grant providers need to see this.

“There is no such thing as free money,” Ms Grant added.

“You need to have a fully formed idea about what you are offering and you have to be realistic. To make your business a success, you will have to work hard. But this is not new. It has always been like that.”

network for Geelong, which should be operating by early 2014. Formal angel networks operate successfully in a number of Australian towns and overseas. They consist of private individuals, who typically have been successful entrepreneurs, who group together and invest in the early stage of start-ups.

Angel investors seek ideas and screen them. They generally contribute between $10,000 and $50,000 each, meaning that a group of five or six investors could invest up to $300,000 in one venture.

Ms Bakes is working with Enterprise Geelong, the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, the Committee for Geelong, Deakin University and others, to bring together potential investees and deals. She expects there will be a focus on high tech ideas coming out of Deakin.

“There is no such thing as free Ms Grant said that savvy investors tend money. You need to have a fully to look for four things: a good idea; a formed idea about what you are great plan; lots of energy and passion; offering and you have to be realistic. and a background of tenacity, where To make your business a success, you have persevered against the odds.

She also stresses the importance of you will have to work hard. good legal advice and a contract, once But this is not new. It has always you have reached any deal. been like that.”

Honorary Professor of Entrepreneurialism in the School of Business and Law at Deakin University, Professor Howard Frederick, added that, particularly for start-ups, the role of family investment, or “informal investing with aunty” should not be underestimated.

“I recommend that people develop a kitchen table pitch and that they consider the motivations of family members before they do the pitch,” Professor Frederick said. “Some people will be altruistic and some will want to make money out of it.”

Professor Frederick warns, however, that safeguarding yourself – and your family relationships – is just as important in this type of negotiation as in any other. “You need a written agreement so there is no misunderstanding, and to treat them a bit like strangers,” he said.

Retaining your business independence – and not giving family any voting rights or roles as Directors is also advisable.

If possible, he advises avoiding a repayment schedule, in favour of timing your repayments to your cash flow. If you belong to an ethnic community, you may have additional opportunities to source funding from within this community.

Another strategy could be to get an equity partner who provides you with investment, and a ready-made mentor.

These are known as angels – and they do exist!

According to Dr Marcus Powe, Entrepreneur in Residence at RMIT University, angels can either be informal or part of a formalised group, which may be more risk averse. Dr Powe recommends three ways to find informal angels. Firstly, approach your accountant, who may have wealthy clients looking to invest. Secondly, join networks such as industry associations, and identify the “movers and shakers” - the biggest and most successful players. Thirdly, explore through the expat scene.

“Expats who have been successful overseas often come back and invest in Australian business,” Dr Powe said. “You can investigate expat networks, such as the Sundowners’ group in Vietnam, and create relationships with members while they are overseas. This is especially useful if you are looking at exporting, with the biggest opportunities being in Asia where there are large networks of Aussies.”

Business advisor and newly appointed Enterprise Geelong Board Member, Philippa Bakes, is currently part of a team looking to establish the first formal Angel Investors

Banks remain an important source of funding, especially for more established businesses. If you are a start-up, it is still worth chatting with a bank, for the benefit of their feedback and advice – and the possibility that they may be able to assist. With start-ups generally being more risky, the bank may reach for extra security or wrap tighter financial obligations around an arrangement, such as more regular financial reporting.

Banks generally look at whether the applicant has been in business and can demonstrate a cash return, and they look to see if projections are solid, including sales and costs of goods. The pricing of interest rates depends on the customer, the length of the loan, the quality of the asset and the strength of the business plan, so just asking about interest rates is not the best approach.

Professor Frederick says that banks provide comprehensive support, including payroll and international advice, and generally provide a relationship, getting to know clients and asking questions.

Banks are typically looking for the three ‘C’s when considering whether to lend: •

Capacity to repay;

•

Character and capability (good management); and

•

Collateral (security).

For new businesses requiring less up-front investment, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) could be another option. This program offers small business training, business mentors and financial assistance for up to 52 weeks. To be eligible, applicants must be registered with a job services provider or a disability services employment provider.

Crowdfunding could be another way to fund your business. While very popular in the United States, in Australia most crowdfunding is in the cultural sphere (music, film or books), or in community/ social enterprises. In the business crowdfunding model, businesses need to offer investors a return, and Australian legislation only allows shares to be made available to qualified investors.

Dr Powe believes that crowdfunding for business is emerging in Australia, and that pressure could result in changed legislation. “Australia is risk averse and highly regulated. That is one of the reasons we survived the GFC,” he said. He does, however, caution that, without changed

BUSINESS NEWS | 17

COVER STORY

Resources for businesses seeking funding Victorian Business Hotline, tel: 5223 2104 (all business assistance enquiries).

Small Business Smart Business www.smallbusinesssmartbusiness.com.au The Small Business Institute (Victoria) tsbi.com.au Business Victoria - www.business.vic. gov.au Small Business Mentoring Service www.sbms.org.au Enterprise Geelong (Business visits and mentoring), tel: 5272 4888.

Geelong Chamber of Commerce, tel: 5222 2234.

legislation, over time, Australians could potentially set up overseas, using overseas models in crowdfunding, to overcome Australian barriers.

For more established businesses seeking to grow or reinvent themselves, there are broader options, such as venture capital or private equity investment, offered through private equity firms, or there are government grants.

When approaching private equity, unless you have the skills yourself, Ms Bakes suggests using an accountant or advisor to help draw up your business plan, to increase your chances of success. “You need a really good business case. You need all the numbers to add up,” she said.

“Typically, private equity will want to sell on an investment in three to five years time,” she added. “However, you may be able to come to a deal, where, for instance, you could sell 30 per cent to a private equity fund, so you can keep the rest of the business for the longer term.”

In relation to grants, identifying what is available or if you are eligible, and preparing the application, can be daunting, but it could be worth the effort.

Geelong has received $24.5 million in extra funding this year, as a result of manufacturing job losses, so there is significant money available. However, it is very important that you check your eligibility before you invest your time and money in the application. Speaking directly with the grant provider and other business advisors is an essential first step.

Grant finder - www.australiangovernmentgrants.org/ one-time-renewable-grants.php

The government is extremely rigorous in its decision-making processes and competition for funding grants is fierce. Ms Grant says that applicants need to: include administration in their costings; be prepared to undertake more reporting than needed by the banks; and be able to meet a timetable.

Australian Association of Angel Investors (AAAI). aaai.net.au

“Most grants have a key focus on jobs and the economic well being of a region, rather than on the purchase of equipment, for instance, that may only benefit a sole trader,” she said.

Crowdfunding – pozible.com.au; kickstarter.com New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS), Centrelink, DEEWR.

Major grants available for Geelong businesses Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF) - Ausindustry http://www.ausindustry.gov.au/ Manufacturing Productivity Networks http://www.business.vic.gov.au/ industries/manufacturing The Department of State Development, Business and Innovation - http://www. dsdbi.vic.gov.au Regional Development Victoria www.rdv.vic.gov.au Enterprise Connect www.enterpriseconnect.gov.au Grow your Business www.business.vic.gov.au

There is a plethora of grants available from local, state and federal sources.

One of the first places to go for information should be the business.vic. gov.au website, which has a Grants and Assistance page, listing grants by industry and type. The small business mentoring service (sbms.org.au) can also provide advice about grants, as can the Small Business Smart Business program, the Victorian Business Hotline and the Federal Government’s online grant finder.

The most significant grants available to Geelong businesses are the $24.5 million Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF), for which the first round closes on 26 September. There are also grants for specific sectors, such as the Manufacturing Productivity Networks, for which the second round closes on September 13. There are the ‘Grow your Business’ grants, offered through Business Victoria, and the ‘Industries for Today and Tomorrow’ program, offered through Regional Development Victoria.

With all the funding options that are available, finding the way forward for your business will require tenacity, focus and the confidence to approach potential investors or collaborators.

“Being an entrepreneur is a mind-set,” Ms Grant said. “Everyone who is running a business is an entrepreneur. To be successful, you have to have stepped out.”

Claire Whiteley Claire Whiteley is a writer and PR specialist with over 15 years experience, in sectors ranging from tertiary education, finance and transport, to government bodies and UNESCO. Claire currently manages Reach PR - a Geelong-based PR consultancy - helping businesses, research organisations and government agencies to get their message heard in the right places. www.reachpr.com.au

18 | BUSINESS NEWS

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

Experience & Knowledge Whitehead Advisory is a Geelong based business advisory firm started by Stuart Whitehead in 2012.

Whitehead Advisory provides strategic and performance consulting advice, financial modelling and transaction support services to small to medium sized clients in and around Geelong.

O

ver the past fifteen years Stuart has worked in senior roles at Deloitte, 333 Capital and Andersen providing corporate advisory, performance improvement and financial modelling services to public and private clients. He provided advice to Boards, management teams and banks. Having moved back to Geelong with his family in 2009, Stuart started the firm in response to a local demand for business advisory services. Being based in Geelong, Whitehead Advisory can service clients throughout Western Victoria.

Stuart has a breadth of industry experience including agribusiness, retail, wholesale, manufacturing, transport, property and construction. Stuart has advised businesses across the entire life cycle including start-ups, growing businesses, under performing and distressed businesses and businesses being disposed of. Client size ranges from start-ups with no revenue to turnover of c.$100m.

•P erformance Improvement (releasing value from a business using process and strategic initiatives),

Whitehead Advisory provides assistance to boards, shareholders or management teams of businesses experiencing any of the following circumstances:

•F inancial modelling (development and auditing of financial and operational models)

•G rowth – wanting to improve internal controls and understand funding requirements

• Performance

Management (development and implementation of practices to plan, monitor and intervene in performance)

• L ack of visibility over financial forecasts/scenarios

•T ransaction support (assistance with the preparation and execution of buying or selling a business)

•U nderperformance – a deterioration in earnings or cash flow/ assistance with stakeholder management

Whitehead Advisory’s services include:

• Corporate activity – acquisition or disposal of assets/divisions

• Business

case preparation and review (for strategic/growth/ capital expenditure initiatives) From the office in Myers St in Geelong CBD, Whitehead Advisory currently assists clients with matters including financial modelling to assist with quantifying funding requirements and to assist with banking relationships, debt refinances, capital investment frameworks, organisational restructures, project management assistance and financial reporting and process improvements.

Whether a business is experiencing headwinds, looking to grow or to exit, every business should retain an independent corporate adviser. An appropriately experienced adviser can create and preserve value for clients in many ways including; • Identification of performance improvement initiatives

• Provide advocacy to stakeholders during tough times

• Develop and implement strategies for growth

• Guide businesses through corporate transactions

Whilst ideally these benefits could be sourced internally, the reality is that not all businesses have the capacity or capability within their workforce.

Whitehead Advisory prices its service competitively ensuring clients can access advice at an affordable price that presents clear value and return.

The team at Whitehead Advisory include experts in financial and strategic analysis, financial modelling, data management and cloud-based accounting and stakeholder management. If you would like to discuss your business’ circumstances, please come in for a no-obligation meeting to see if we can assist.

A Geelong boutique corporate advisory firm specialising in: • Financial Performance Improvement and Management • Financial Modelling • Transaction Support • Turnaround and Restructuring

Commercial Advice & Assistance

P 03 5229 1400

Level 1, 27-31 Myers St, Geelong

E contact@ whiteheadadvisory.com.au

whiteheadadvisory.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 19

FEATURE The one-piece carbon fiber wheel, making the world’s best cars better

A world first, born in Geelong

B

Just in case you believe everything you read or hear in the mainstream media, here’s another good news story about manufacturing in Geelong. Carbon Revolution is an innovative high-tech manufacturing business born in Geelong – producing the world’s first one-piece carbon fibre wheel that is set to revolutionise the automotive industry. ack in 2003 – 2004, two engineering students and two of their advisors embarked on a project that would change their lives.

Ashley Denmead and David Dellios were engineering students at Deakin University at the time and signed on to Formula SAE, an automotive competition and international event run by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

Matthew Dingle was an engineering lecturer providing advice to the Formula SAE team. Brett Gass was also involved from the start of Formula SAE and, along with Matt, supported the team with technical advice. Brett has extensive experience in the automotive industry, including some time with Formula 1.

Their mission was to build an entire car that was as light as possible. The four engineering and automotive enthusiasts understood that wheels are the most important weight in the car, because they’re constantly rotating, speeding up, and slowing down.

Design Director at Carbon Revolution, Dr Ashley Denmead, said the group focused on creating the lightest wheels possible.

“We thought we should use the most efficient material possible, which is carbon fibre composites.”

Ash, Matt, Brett and David followed this path, creating lightweight carbon fibre wheels for a few years from 2004 to 2007, after which time the project finished up. Realising its potential and not wanting the venture to fizzle out, Ash and Matt decided to commercialise the idea and test its capability as a product for people to purchase.

Carbon Revolution Pty Ltd was formed in 2007 and the four men became Directors of the company.

20 | BUSINESS NEWS

Three of them remain on today; Ashley Denmead is Design Director, Matthew Dingle is Director of Technology Development, and Brett Gass is Engineering Director. David Dellios has since left the company to pursue a different path.

To help with commercialisation, the fledgling company received a $60,000 early stage commercialisation grant from the Federal Government. Subsequently, they received small grants from the Victorian Government to help fit out their current manufacturing facility, located at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus.

The most significant government funding they’ve received to date was a $1.8 million Green Car Innovation Fund grant for 2011 and half of 2012.

CEO Jake Dingle explains how this government grant was a turning point for them.

“That was really the basis on which we went from being four guys in a shed to being a viable technology start-up,” he said.

It meant they were able to employ people, invest in tooling, and take it from a prototype speculative process to something that had been proven. They were able to prove the process and the technology – but it wasn’t industrialised at that point.

Jake joined Ash, Matt and Brett in 2008, a year after the business was established, and became CEO a couple of years later. Since 2008 the business has grown from being the four founders to now having 40 staff, with offices in California, US and Frankfurt, Germany.

Carbon Revolution has successfully created the world’s first one-piece carbon fibre wheel, which halves the weight of conventional steel and aluminium wheels. Jake believes their product will ultimately replace steel and aluminium wheels.

FEATURE “We call it a disruptive technology or displacement technology. It’s something which we are aiming for very high volume production, so it does displace what’s there at the moment,” Jake explains.

In the early stages, it’s a high performance and high efficiency technology to a small market, but Jake said the long-term market is “massive in its potential”.

Dr Denmead led me through the manufacturing facility next to the Carbon Revolution office, where I was stepped through the manufacturing process in laymen’s terms.

Carbon fibres, which are flexible and fine like hairs, are stitched into a fabric and placed onto rolls. Then they are cut into shapes so they can fit into a three-dimensional mould. The mould is then injected with resin and ‘cooked’ until it goes hard. What emerges is a one-piece carbon fibre wheel, ready to paint.

“When we mould a wheel it comes out to size and tolerance, and we don’t have to machine it,” Jake said.

What I saw was the pilot line, which is basically the process of proving that the technology and manufacturing process works.

The medium-term plan is to extend the facilities at Deakin University Waurn Ponds campus and build a large-scale Carbon Revolution manufacturing facility that will produce 250,000 wheels per year and employ 300 people. The bulk of these jobs will be for manufacturing, but there will also be new roles in research and development and engineering.

The company is currently in the midst of raising the $25 million in capital needed to fund the first stage of the new facility. The plans, as they currently exist, are to begin building early 2014.

By 2015 they expect to be producing up to 50,000 wheels per year, which will employ about 120 people. By the end of 2017 the full 300 jobs should be rolled out. The facility will be about 6000 square metres, located on a hectare and a half. This means the team can move from their old converted wool shed into a purpose built manufacturing facility.

What are the benefits of staying in Geelong? Being a traditional manufacturing region, Jake said Geelong already has a pool of manufacturing talent to draw from, with a lot of the people coming from Ford and Avalon. They also have a close-knit relationship with Deakin University, who are their landlords. Dr Denmead described the relationship between Deakin and Carbon Revolution as collaborative.

Halving the weight of conventional wheels has obvious benefits on energy consumption and, ultimately, the environment. Carbon fibre composites don’t corrode and are far less susceptible to fatigue than metals, so they also don’t need to be replaced nearly as often.

“What we’re doing here is proving that everything we put into a big factory is 100 per cent feasible and produces a certain amount of wheels per day or year,” explains Dr Denmead.

Halving the weight of conventional wheels has obvious benefits on energy consumption and, ultimately, the environment. Carbon fibre composites don’t corrode and are far less susceptible to fatigue than metals, so they also don’t need to be replaced nearly as often. However, it’s not just the finished product that has a positive impact on the environment; the whole manufacturing process is efficient.

“It’s a very low energy consumption process to create the wheels… it’s an improvement at every step,” said Dr Denmead.

To make a metal wheel, you have to heat the metal at hundreds of degrees until it’s a liquid. Temperatures to create carbon fibre wheels are very low in comparison. Painting and coating aluminium wheels also requires a very heavy chemical etching process, because paint doesn’t stick to aluminium very well. Jake said this doesn’t apply to carbon fibre wheels.

The Carbon Revolution team are currently operating out of a building that was converted from an old wool shed, with a temporary portable office. From these facilities they are producing three to four carbon fibre wheels per day, which is restricted only because of the space they have.

Despite their space limitations, they are already experiencing huge success in their growth markets offshore. Wheels are being shipped for aftermarket consumers in limited numbers for owners of Porsche, BMW M3, Audi R8, Lamborghini and McLaren MP412C within Europe, Japan and North America.

However, Carbon Revolution is also working closely with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs – otherwise known as car manufacturers) in Europe and North America, to ensure that the significant efficiency benefits offered by this technology are available to vehicle manufacturers globally. Presently there is no competition from cheaper labour countries. The only type of competition is emerging from European companies that are trying to build prototype wheels to pass testing.

“To our knowledge no one else is at our stage of commercialisation, but there’s certainly no reason to become complacent.

Competition will come, so we have to stay ahead,” Jake said.

Jake said it’s hard to quantify how big a benefit it is having access to Deakin’s research and development pool of talent.

“As a CEO I see huge advantages in being able to have research and development capability, that is not all a fixed cost in the business. We have a very strong internal technical and engineering capability, but are able to add significantly to it through the relationship with Deakin.”

Carbon Revolution also takes on Deakin students for part time work, who the company than can then employ once they’re qualified. There are six Deakin PhDs in the company, of which Dr Denmead is one. There are another ten engineers, most who have gone through Deakin.

At a time when the manufacturing industry in Geelong is contracting, it’s remarkable to see the growth of this business.

Already the business is having a huge positive impact upon the local economy. While there are no exact figures, Jake said that of the $10 million investment that has already gone into the company, the vast majority of that money has been spent locally.

All their tooling and all their painting is currently done off-site, so their activities indirectly employ far more than the forty current Carbon Revolution staff.

The raw materials – carbon fibre – are purchased offshore, but only because they are not currently made here. However, this could be set to change, with raw material suppliers of carbon fibre and resin showing strong interest in coming to Geelong, because of the volumes Carbon Revolution will be consuming in the coming years.

So the business is also generating supply chain opportunities for carbon fibre and resin manufacturers in Geelong. A local supply base would lower the overall cost of the wheels too.

“If we can reduce our costs by 30 per cent, we become much more competitive and there’s much more chance for doing more manufacturing in Australia rather than having to go offshore to be competitive,” Jake said.

Courtney Buchanan BUSINESS NEWS | 21

DEA0601 Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B

LEAD WITH A DEAKIN MBA AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW.

Deakin’s MBA isn’t your typical business degree. With a strong focus on leadership development through experiential learning, opportunity follows our students long after they graduate.

Taught by industry professionals and leading academics, our 5-star MBA will give you a commanding business edge through a combination of innovative learning, insightful course content and experiential opportunities.

For a truly international experience, you can join our study tours to India, China or the USA. Or you can prepare to lead in the new world by undertaking a voyage from the old world on a tall-ship from Tasmania as part of our Audacious Leadership unit.

Of course, an MBA wouldn’t be truly worldly without flexible learning offered both on and off campus, with the opportunity to fast track and tailor your degree to suit your lifestyle.

If you’re ready to lead your world, take the first steps by visiting Deakin.edu.au/MBA

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27/08/13 6:26 PM

GOVERNANCE

A Board member’s duty statement

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In this new age of ever-increasing age of compliance and regulation, the Business News welcomes governance expert, Mark C Schultz of Governance Today, to the contributing team. Each month, Mark will explore issues of good, and not so good, governance – with a particular emphasis on the not for profit sector.

hilst the not for profit sector has many unique characteristics, the principles and practices of good governance apply, at the core, equally across both the NFP and commercial sectors and are equally appropriate for organisations of all types and sizes.

When we employ staff, a fundamental component of the recruitment and selection process is the clear articulation of the duty statement, so that all parties readily understand the expectations of the role - before the employment arrangements are finalised. The same process should apply with the appointment of a Board member. Whilst the relationship may be different from a legal perspective, it is important both the organisation and the Board member have clarity around duties, responsibilities and expectations of this important role. Listed below are the key components of a Board member’s duty statement.

In undertaking the role of a board member, each individual must: Act honestly and in good faith at all times in the interests of the organisation.

Ensure there is an appropriate separation of duties and responsibilities between the board and the CEO. Ensure the independent views of board members are given due consideration and weight. The chair is responsible for this aspect of good governance. All board members have the right to be heard and the obligation to contribute. It is one of the roles of the chair to make sure this happens as part of the board’s culture.

Have rights as well as responsibilities.

Board members have a number of rights that can assist them to undertake their roles, if necessary, and these include: - the right to inspect the records of the organisation - the right to take copies of documents - the right to request independent professional advice on matters deemed necessary to support good governance principles and practices - the right to secure appropriate indemnity insurance

Carry out their duties in a lawful manner and ensure the organisation carries out its business in accordance with the law.

- the right to expect that officers of the organisation and fellow board members will tell the truth at all times in all dealings of the business

Avoid conflicts of interests.

Continue to learn and develop.

Be diligent, attend board meetings and devote sufficient time to prepare for board meetings.

The decision to accept a role on an NFP board brings with it considerable expectations and requirements in relation to duties and responsibilities. The acceptance of such a position should not be taken lightly, because there are dire consequences for board members who breach their duty. This responsibility stays in place for up to seven years after a person ceases to be a director.

Observe the confidentiality of non-public information acquired in the role as a board member. A fiduciary responsibility is generally held to be of the highest level and encompasses legal as well as moral, ethical and community standards.

Be loyal to the board, abiding by board decisions once reached.

Not do anything that in any way denigrates the organisation or harms its good name. Board members are the public face of the organisation and must act and behave accordingly.

Meet regularly to monitor the performance of management and the organisation. The determining factors are effectiveness and results, not the number and type of meetings or how long each meeting goes for.

However, the principles of good governance are not onerous or outside the capability of the ordinary man – act in good faith, fulfil your duty of care and always act in the best interests of the organisation and good governance will become part of the organisation’s culture. And that’s the best result you can achieve for all stakeholders

Mark C Schultz www.governancetoday.com

BUSINESS NEWS | 23

Notice the difference a NOT-FOR-PROFIT financial service provider can make to the public sector, their families and friends.

The Australian Public Service Benevolent Society (APS Benefits) is a not for profit organisation

that provides a wide range of financial services to all government department employees and contractors, their families and friends. Having been in existence for over 100 years, the APS Benefits family has earned the trust of over 27,000 members and clients now offering the following financial and personal services listed below:

APS Tax & Accounting

Richard Ferraro at APS Tax, Accounting and Business Services is an experienced CPA taxation accountant. Whether it is setting up a business, managing your superannuation fund or just obtaining quality service, Richard can help you.

APS Financial Planning

Timothy Foster provides access to advice and information on the important financial decisions we all face, whether it be superannuation, investments, pre and post retirement planning, life insurance, gearing, disability and trauma insurance, managed funds or savings plans.

APS Mortgage Broking

Sam Athans treats every mortgage as if it were his own. He has access to 20 mortgage lenders and has over 40 years experience in banking. Let us do the leg work for you.

APS Insurance (General Insurance Broking)

Danielle Rowe heads up our insurance broking team and is a salaried employee of APS Benefits.

With over 15 years experience in the industry, Danielle has access to products that include home and contents, motor vehicle, boat/caravan, landlord, public liability, income protection, life, disability & trauma insurance. The next time you receive your insurance renewal notice or want insurance for the first time, call Danielle on 1300 131 809.

APS Personal Loans

The APS Benefits personal loans team can assist members to obtain an unsecured loan, or they can apply online at www.apsbs.com.au. Either way, loans can be approved within 24 hours.

APS Funeral Cover. Adult & Child Cover Available.

APS Benefits Membership Coordinator Jesse Clarke can assist members to gain immediate funeral cover up to $15,000 for adults and $7,000 for dependent children (aged 2 to 15 next birthday). Do you have cover in the greatest time of need? Call us on 1300 131 809.

APS Savings

APS Savings Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of APS Benefits and offers a Fixed Term Investment product. Ask Sam Athans about the interest rate on offer and you will be pleasantly suprised. The term can be 6 months, 12 months or 24 months. Call us on 1300 131 809.

APS Wills & Estates

Phil Lambourne from APS Wills & Estates has over 25 years experience as a lawyer. Phil can help you with wills, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration. Is your will up-to-date?

Have you reviewed your will recently? It affects more than just you!

Further to this, APS is owned by its members, so any profits are channelled back to members.

Help spread the word by introducing new members and APS will send you, your nominated charity or your staff social club $50 for each new member you nominate. For more information call us on 1300 131 809 or visit www.apsbs.com.au.

PROUDL Y NOT FOR PROFIT Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd Level 1, 16-20 Howard Street (PO Box 326) North Melbourne VIC 3051 Toll Free 1300 131 809 Phone (03) 9322 2000 Fax (03) 8327 8200 info@apsbs.com.au ABN 64 077 846 809

AFSL No. 244115

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Tax & Accounting Setting up a business or managing your superannuation fund Individual, company & trust income tax returns Business Activity Statements (BAS)

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Personal Loans Need an unsecured personal loan?

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Need cash for a car, holiday or school fees?

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Funeral Cover Instant cover up to $15,000 Guaranteed acceptance Only $2.60 per week Childrenʼs funeral cover only $39 per year for $7,000 of cover

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Wills & Estates

General Insurance Broking Home & Contents, Motor Vehicle, Boat or Caravan Landlord, Public Liability, Professional Indemnity & Business Packs

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Fixed Term Investments 6, 12 or 24 month fixed term investment Compound your interest Provide a regular income stream Interest Rate Card available upon application

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Mortgage Broking We find the best lender to suit your needs Let APS do all the paperwork Benefit from over 40 yearsʼ experience Re-finance options available

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Financial Planning

Wills & Powers of Attorney tration Estate Planning & Estate Adminis Do you have a will?

.a www.apswills.com

ly?

Have you reviewed your will recent

u

www.apsfinplan.c

om.au

Superannuation & In vestments Pre & Post Retiremen t Planning Life Insurance, Incom e Protection Disability & Trauma Insurance

1300 131 809 Level 1, 16-20 Howard Street, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051

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

Australian Public Service Benevolent Society Ltd

Breaking Throug

beyondblue will urge Australians to recognise the symptoms of anxiety this Mental Health Week (October 6-12). beyondblue Chairman Jeff Kennett AC said over two million Australians live with anxiety, but many are unable to recognise the symptoms and don’t get help because they do not know they are experiencing a treatable condition.

“Anxiety is even more common than depression, with one in four Australians experiencing anxiety at some stage in their lives,” he said.

“Anxiety is different from stress, which everyone experiences occasionally. When anxious feelings happen for no apparent reason or continue after a stressful event has passed, it may be a sign of an anxiety condition.

“Research tells us anxiety is a growing problem – increasing by 40% in the last four years according to Roy Morgan data. However, beyondblue research shows only 12% of Australians view anxiety as a major mental health problem.”

Mental Health Week

To find out more, visit www.beyondblue.org.au/anxiety

OCT 6th - 13th Every year, 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety. One in five Australians are or have lived with a mental illness or disorder.

Mental Health Week aims to activate, educate and engage Victorians about mental health through a week of interactive events across the state, including community festivals, art exhibitions, music, theatre and seminars.

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

26 | BUSINESS NEWS

I am the snowballing worries that become an avalanche in an instant.

MY NAME IS

Feel familiar? Visit beyondblue.org.au

ugh The Barriers Your Skills, Our Network WCIG WCN is a leading and experienced provider of Disability Employment Services, specialising in engaging with and assisting clients with mental health issues.

Our Geelong and Corio service provision covers a broad and supportive range of inclusive strategies to assist our participants not only to gain paid employment, but to sustain their position and cope with their day-to-day challenges inside and outside of the workplace.

WCIG WCN works to a Wellness Strategy and Recovery Oriented Practice framework of support. Wellness Strategy focuses upon the individual, and actively allows them to tailor the approach to their mental health challenges. We also provide linkages to other support services where necessary and facilitate therapy sessions with a qualified psychologist.

Our staff members at WCIG WCN are trained in Mental Health First Aid and related support tools and are also supported by a Senior Practitioner.

Creating partnerships for employment for people living with a disability Visit or call us any time between 9pm and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Geelong (03) 5249 5855 Level 2, 65 Brougham Street, Geelong VIC 3220 Corio (03) 5245 3008 Unit 1001, Corio Shopping Centre, Bacchus Marsh Road, Corio VIC 3214

Counselling Greater Geelong At Southern Victoria Counselling Services, we provide counselling for individuals, couples, families and groups.

We begin with a personal one on one assessment then plan a suitable program depending on the specific needs of the client. The preferred method of therapy is the Person-Centred approach together with Mindfulness techniques, which helps highlight each person’s selfawareness. Through this practice, the client can begin to take the initiative for his or her own decisions and future events.

Child therapy is also catered for with a strong emphasis on listening to and watching a child play. Sand-play therapy is an effective way for the child to focus more on a certain issue, as there are fewer distractions.

Group therapy for couples, individuals and work place associates using mediation techniques is another approach we offer. A substantial benefit is gained participating in group therapy as clients realise they are not on their own.

Southern Victoria Counselling Services Marcia Doyle

Qualified Counsellor & Psychotherapist For Appointments p: 0499 088 119 e: marcia@svcounselling.org

www.svcounselling.org Covering the Greater Geelong Region.

BUSINESS NEWS | 27

LEGAL

Frankenstein or Salvation: the Evolution of the Implied Duty of Trust and Confidence The law in Australia has, for a number of years, grappled with the existence of an implied duty of trust and confidence within an employment relationship.

T

he implied duty of mutual trust and confidence is a concept derived from the English court system, which is yet to fully crystallise in Australia. The duty requires both employers and employees to conduct themselves in a manner, and not to without reasonable cause, do anything which is “likely to destroy or seriously damage the relationship of confidence and trust” between the employer and employee. Now well established in the UK as being implied into all employment relationships, the duty is not one that is expressly stated in an employment contract, but rather may be an implied term of the employment relationship.

The Full Court of the Federal Court has found that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia has breached its implied duty of trust and confidence to a senior employee. The Bank’s breach of the implied duty arose when the Bank made the employee’s position redundant, without consulting with the employee or considering possible redeployment opportunities.

In the Bank’s case, a claim could have been avoided had the Bank consulted with the employee regarding possible redeployment opportunities and also postponed taking the drastic action of immediately withdrawing the employee’s email and phone facilities without notifying him. Consideration of possible redeployment options and consultation with affected employees is part of the usual process for employers when seeking to make a position redundant, and failure to consult with employees about possible redeployment options could in fact result in a possible damages claim by an employee.

Confused by Workplace Laws?

The implied term of trust and confidence is not confined to situations involving redundancy. In the UK, examples of breaching the implied duty of trust and confidence includes actions such as bullying, imposing excessive workloads or failing to properly investigate workplace complaints.

Some courts in Australia have rejected the duty of trust and confidence, finding that the employment relationship is sufficiently regulated by contract, awards and legislation.

To provide a wide scope to a duty of trust and confidence would, in the view of some courts, have an unsatisfactory consequence of making the courts the forum for a detailed review of routine management decisions.

It is likely that the Commonwealth Bank will appeal to the High Court regarding the Full Court’s decision. Presuming the Commonwealth Bank appeals, pending a decision from the High Court, employers must remain vigilant in considering their duties and obligations to employees beyond those set down in legislation or the written employment contract and give thought to what a duty of trust and confidence may include.

Any employers wishing to obtain further information or clarification as to what this recent case means for their workplace should seek advice from a specialist workplace relations lawyer.

The information contained in this article is general in nature and should not in any way be construed as legal advice. You should not act on any information contained within this article before first seeking specific legal advice.

Rohan Kux Senior Associate, Dispute Resolution and Litigation, Workplace Relations

Jim Rutherford Principal, Accredited specialist in Workplace Relations

Get specialist advice you can rely on.

• Advice on ever changing workplace laws • Assistance with redundancy and termination issues • Preparation of workplace / employment agreements • Protect your business from former employees • Assistance with OH&S prosecutions • Help to avoid and defend discrimination claims • Advice on workplace law compliance regime • Assistance with workplace investigations

Sonia McCabe, Associate

Jim Rutherford, Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations Law

70 Gheringhap Street Geelong t. 5225 5225 28 | BUSINESS NEWS

Monique Hutchinson, Lawyer

Rohan Kux, Senior Associate

www.harwoodandrews.com.au

TAX

The next big step: Hiring an employee Hiring your first employee marks an important milestone in any business. This milestone adds a new dynamic to a business and is a stressful decision that business owners very rarely make with 100% certainty.

Considering the need to start employing staff typically means the business is in a strong position. The challenge is to keep the business in a strong position after hiring someone. Staff can provide you the opportunity to complement your skill set and grow your business. This typically allows you time to focus on what you do well.

As a business owner, your reasonability increases when you employee staff. There are some fundamental considerations to assess before making the decision to hire. These include: Cashflow Employees are expensive, especially the talented ones. Overheads can grow quickly once you recruit additional staff. Once the decision is made to employ someone, it is not easy to remove the employee. Therefore, you need to ensure your business has the available cash flow to meet your payroll obligations, which can also include Worksafe insurance, PAYG, superannuation and even payroll tax.

Delegation can be very hard for business owners and be mindful that your employees will make mistakes. The advantage of employing someone is that you can share the increasing workload, so be ready to sacrifice some control. Remember, your employees may have different ways of doing things, which may be better than the current approach.

Seek professional advice

Know their role Develop a position description and be sure you clearly understand what responsibilities are to be assigned to your new employee. This includes identifying how long it will take for them to complete their responsibilities and if a full time or part time employee is needed.

Your new employee must be the type of person who will improve your brand, not hinder it.

Don’t settle for second best Your new employee must be the type of person who will improve your brand, not hinder it. It’s likely that business is going well because you are exceptional at what you do and you do not want to jeopardise this. Hiring an average employee may solve a short-term problem, but mediocre employees typically cost the business in the long run and take a lot of time and effort to manage.

Before hiring staff, you should seek professional advice and have an honest discussion regarding the impact an employee will have on your business. We can assist in these discussions, which may include cashflow modelling and guiding you through the employment process. There may be other alternatives to employment, such as contracting someone to achieve a particular outcome.

Remember even the best entrepreneur cannot successfully grow a business on their own.

Administration and responsibilities Be ready for significant red tape. As an employer, you are responsible for providing a safe workplace and complying with various legislation including minimum wage, the national employment standards, occupation health and safety and both commonwealth and state taxation requirements. You will be responsible for paying their wage, while meeting PAYG and superannuation payments on behalf of your employees.

Invest the time and let go Employees are a significant investment for any business and will be one of your biggest assets. Be prepared to spend the time to develop, coach and mentor your staff. It is important that employee morel is high, as an employee with three years’ experience will be a lot more productive than a new employee.

Paul Robson Principal, Crowe Horwath (formerly WHK) This article provides general information only, current at the time of production.

Any advice in it has been prepared without taking into account your personal circumstances. You should seek professional advice before acting on any material.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation (other than for the acts or omissions of financial services licensees) in each State or Territory other than Tasmania.

BUSINESS NEWS | 29

LEGAL

The role of Capital Gains Tax in family property settlements Family Law deliberations can be complex and, at times, hard to fathom for the parties involved. Amongst many others are potential capital gains tax liabilities to be taken into consideration.

U

nder Section 79 of the Family Law Act 1975, the Court has jurisdiction to make such orders as it considers appropriate, altering the interests of the parties to a marriage in their property.

As part of its deliberations, on the question of property settlement, the Court will make findings as to the assets and liabilities of the parties.

Where a capital gains tax (CGT) liability has already been assessed, or is about to arise following the sale of a matrimonial asset prior to the property settlement, this liability will be included in the pool of assets and liabilities for division between the parties.

However, if, at the time of the property settlement, the disposal of property is not envisaged, the question arises as to whether the Court should take account of potential tax liabilities.

The inclusion or otherwise of such a liability will, of course, affect the net value of the asset pool and the division of that pool between the parties.

This issue was clarified in the 1998 decision of Rosati v Rosati. In that case, in the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia held that although there was a degree of confusion and possibly conflict in the reported decisions as to the proper approach to be adopted, there were certain general principles that could be applied.

circumstances of the case. These circumstances may include the method of valuation applied to the particular asset, the likelihood or otherwise of that asset being realised in the foreseeable future, the circumstances of its acquisition and the evidence of the parties as to their intentions in relation to that asset.

2. If the Court orders the sale of an asset, or is satisfied that a sale of it is inevitable, or would probably occur in the near future, or if the asset is one which was acquired solely as an investment and with a view to its ultimate sale for profit, then, generally, allowance should be made for any CGT payable upon such a sale in determining the value of that asset for the purpose of the proceedings.

3. If none of the circumstances referred to in (2) applies to a particular asset, but the Court is satisfied that there is a significant risk that the assets will have to be sold in the short to mid term, then the Court, whilst not making allowance for the CGT payable on such a sale in determining the value of the asset, may nevertheless take that risk into account as a relevant consideration requiring a general, non-specific adjustment between the parties pursuant to section 75(2) of the Family Law Act 1975. Under that section, the Court may make a general adjustment in favour of one party or the other to recognise the prospect of a future liability, as distinct from actually incorporating that liability specifically in the asset pool. The weight to be attributed to that factor will vary according to the degree of the risk and the length of the period within which the sale may occur.

4. There may be special circumstances in particular case which, despite the absence of any certainty or even likelihood of a sale of an asset in the foreseeable future, make it appropriate to take the incidence of CGT into account in valuing that asset. In such a case, it may be appropriate to take the CGT into account at its full rate, or at some discounted rate, having regard to the degree of risk or a sale occurring and/ or the length of time which is likely to elapse before that occurs.

In Rosati v Rosati the trial judge ordered, among other things, that the husband pay out the mortgage debt on the former matrimonial home, which was already in the name of the wife.

In order to do this the husband would be obliged to sell other assets, but the trial Judge did not make any specific orders as to which property should be sold, leaving that decision to the husband.

The trial Judge did not turn his mind to the possibility that a CGT liability would arise in the hands of the husband upon the necessary disposal of his assets, in order to meet his obligations pursuant to the court orders. As a result, the husband appealed.

On appeal the Full Court held that the following general principles applied: 1. Whether the incidence of CGT should be taken into account in valuing a particular asset varies according to the

30 | BUSINESS NEWS

Richard Hogan Special Counsel, Coulter Roache Lawyers

SMALL BIZ

Do I want to get Gokked?

Even after decades of exploring business models and relative market positioning, this business development expert found there was one type of business that eluded his understanding – the business of fashion. He spent a day in the hands of a successful fashionista trying to understand the principals of style.

H

ere is this dude on TV again. He is Gokking everything – making some determination of whether this is the right fashion combination or whether the person has crossed the line and become gauche.

When it comes down to it, is style advice really just it just a fancy sales pitch?

So I called Olga Tolkatcheva. Olga is a fashion designer and owner of Eclipse Fashion Bags and has a range of accessories that are, I am reliably informed, to die for. Olga started her career in Russia and was designing for the European market.

This is an extremely demanding industry and one that quickly spits out all but the best. She was successful to the point of being able to move to the highly lucrative American scene.

Her main skill is in leather garments and accessories and, after a few years designing for the USA market, she moved to Australia for family reasons. She is now focussing on handbags.

Australia is a challenging market in that it is tiny in comparison to the international markets and the tight market niches are tiny. So a designer has to be flexible and skilled.

those that were oblivious. Interestingly, it wasn’t a matter of budget so much as effort and consciousness.

Next was our travel around looking through shops. We did go through various outlets and I surprised by the variety of products. I would go into one shop and say, what I thought, were all the right things, only to be told by Olga that the items I highlighted as examples of good fashion style were in fact plastic knock offs. I could have sworn the articles were made from leather, but Olga made me dig into the label and see the truth.

When it comes down to it, is style advice really just a fancy sales pitch?

Olga’s forte is the creation of great designs, and by adding quality leather materials and high standard manufacture, she crafts top accessories.

Okay, I get it she’s a wiz.

I convinced Olga to take a day off and step me through this confusing fashion stuff. I needed wisdom and a skilful eye to interpret what was going on… and loads of patience.

In the end, she gave up on me trying ‘to build a fashionable look’ from individual elements and took me to Country Road, where she showed me how this store arranged things so the displays weren’t just made from quality items, but were arranged into outfits that would link together. Someone could buy a top from here, and could be guided to, or with a little skill find, the matching accessories and come up with a good fashion ensemble.

Our time was divided into three sections; the first was a general discussion, this was followed by some simple observations and, lastly, we walked through some of Geelong’s retail outlets.

I was beginning to see how things link to build a coherent picture. It took a long day of patient explanation and example, but I was beginning to get the hang of fashion… although when Olga left, so did the fashion sense, because the comfortable old ski top start to call to me and say, “Function is more important than form.”

Fashion is obviously subjective, but in Olga’s terms, it is about a coherent and consistent message. When items fit well and blend in the right way, then there is a noticeable difference.

So, back to the question that started this exercise. Was Gok a skilled fashion guide, or just a salesperson? I still can’t answer that, but I recognise that he certainly has more skills than I.

(I looked down and saw the mismatch of colours and a fleecy top that I used last ski seasons. I hope she didn’t notice.)

With her tutelage I could see people walking passed that had style. Still distinctive and definitely not robotic, but there was observable difference in those that considered fashion and

CLINT JENNINGS Thinker on big ideas for small business

BUSINESS NEWS | 31

VECCI

Time for the Federal Government to get on with business VECCI is calling on the Federal Government to keep its ongoing focus on the economy and business conditions by implementing the national reform blueprint, Getting On With Business, prepared by the national business body the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

W

ith the federal election having decided the country’s leader, the Government now has the responsibility to move forward with implementing crucial reform in key areas including tax, jobs growth, trade liberalisation and infrastructure.

Despite the best efforts of the business sector over the last decade, competitiveness and productivity have declined.

VECCI strongly supports a whole-of-government reform agenda targeting five national priorities aimed at reinvigorating the private sector.

As outlined in Getting On With Business, the national priorities include: a stronger economy; raising productivity and competitiveness; accessing global markets; better functioning institutions and supporting small business.

underpinned by business confidence and economic stability.

Building the capacity of the private sector must be the central operating principle of the Government. Victoria needs the Federal Government to back business so it can get on with creating jobs and prosperity.

Issues VECCI is pursuing on behalf of our members are reflected in Getting On With Business and include: • Responsible economic management and fiscal discipline • An acceleration in the pace and breadth of regulation reform • Continuing support to build new trade opportunities for Victorian businesses in key emerging and traditional markets • Employer-focused training reforms • Strategic investment in infrastructure Significantly, Getting On With Business profiles the support needed for small business. During the election campaign, VECCI promoted the issues identified through the Small Business, Too Big To Ignore campaign, calling on both the Coalition and Labor to commit to the key priority areas.

These reforms will contribute to a positive economic environment that will encourage growth, leadership and innovation across the sector.

The blueprint highlights the need for reforms such as a reduction in the company tax rate, a focus on the quality of the education and training system, harmonisation of existing regulations across states and territories and the adoption of a regulatory culture that understands the business process.

These reforms will contribute to a positive economic environment that will encourage growth, leadership and innovation across the sector. This environment would be

The BIG 4 You Can’t Ignore priorities issues as raised by small businesses include: cutting red tape, simplifying the tax system, making it easier to employ people and building better infrastructure. The campaign amplified the voices of the thousands of small businesses across the country that voiced their support for these key issues in the lead-up to the election.

We will continue to urge the Federal Government to act on Getting On With Business, which is critical to the growth and success of the Victorian business sector.

Mark Stone VECCI Chief Executive

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INSURANCE

As in business, as in life Everyone in business knows; to succeed a business cannot exist in isolation. Businesses are microcosms of the communities we live in, which is why looking after your business needs a holistic business approach.

I

t can be easy to be trapped into focusing so much energy on the day-to-day operation, you forget to step back and look at the big picture.

When it comes to risk management and insurance, trying to work through the myriad of different options and available policies – let alone figuring out what is and isn’t good value – can be complex, frustrating and very time consuming, which is why too many businesses are either inadequately covered, or paying too much for policies with overlapping coverage.

For businesses lacking the appropriate cover, the risks of illness, fire, theft, flood or litigation are very real, and can seriously disrupt, or even permanently damage, the business.

Just as you cannot perform at your best without looking after yourself and minimising risks to your health and wellbeing, neither can your business.

Things happen. When disaster strikes, you want to know you are comprehensively protected, so you can get back to getting on with your business as soon as possible.

Tresidder Insurance Group specialises in insurance for business. It understands the best Insurance Portfolio should work like an invisible security system, quietly providing peace of mind, but not distracting you from the business of doing business.

For a business to be its best, it needs the people who work in and around that business to be at their best. Tresidders has a long history of promoting health and wellbeing in the local community.

From October 18 – 20, Tresidder Insurance Group will present the GO Bike Expo 2013, held in Melbourne’s Alexandra Gardens.

Managing Director of Tresidder Insurance Group, Brad Tresidder, has a long-running association with Bicycle Network Victoria and the Group has partnered with the GO Bike Expo since 2010. Displaying the business’ commitment to proactive health management and promotion, Brad has also been recently appointed President of the Geelong Lawn Tennis Club, is on the board of the Barwon Sports Academy and is the Geelong Region representative on the Tennis Victoria Council.

This approach flows throughout the business, and it’s a winning approach – as shown by one of his key staff recently being awarded the Catlin London Educational Scholarship.

This month, Luke will be flown over to the UK and receive invaluable exposure to the international insurance market and of course enjoy a holiday at the end of it all!

It’s all about the big picture and taking a holistic approach. As in life, as in business – work hard, enjoy what you’re doing and support your community.

Brad and his team at Tresidder Insurance Group have over 20 years commercial and corporate insurance broking experience.

They have built a reputation for providing objective advice and creative insurance solutions.

Look out for the first in a series of business insurance columns from Brad Tresidder in the October edition.

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

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

Members of

www.tresidders.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 33

TRAVEL

Himalayan Glamping ‌ and the Tardis

An inveterate traveller and former Global Publisher for Lonely Planet, Richard Everist has seen the check-ins and departure lounges of more airports than he cares to remember.

But he also has an extraordinary collection of travel stories to share, and we are chuffed that he will be sharing them with you in each edition of the Business News.

34 | BUSINESS NEWS

TRAVEL

T

he air is cool and crystalline. I’m savouring that invigorating travel moment where excitement meets a slight edge of anxiety. What lies outside the airport doors? Will reality match the hype? Will my bag appear on the carousel?

As the airport doors open and close I can see taxi touts waiting behind a rusting blue barrier. Will David Sonam, my local friend and guide, be there? If not, how tricky will it be to find the Snow View Hotel, where I am meant to stay?

Thirty minutes later, the crowd is thinning. Most of the bags have been collected. In fact, it’s down to three people looking anxiously between each other and the hole in the wall from where the carousel emerges. But then there are three thuds on the other side of the wall and a moment later three bags, including my pack, appear.

I grab my pack and head quickly for the immigration officer at the desk by the door. I’ve gone three steps when I have to stop. It’s difficult to describe the sensation. I’m light-headed and winded. I feel like I’ve just run up three flights of stairs, not taken three steps. But my puffing is not accompanied by any muscle tiredness. It’s just a lack of air.

And then my mind clicks. Lack of air - Doh! Less than two hours ago I was in Delhi, which is near enough to sea level, and now I am standing in Leh, Ladakh, at 3500 metres (11,500 feet). Of course, I knew Leh was high and I knew there would be an impact – but I didn’t expect that I would be slammed like this…

Two nights later, on my third morning in Leh, I climb the stairs to my hotel room and I feel almost normal when I get to the top. I am definitely not a Collingwood football player on a preseason camp (and by the way, the Collingwood camp in Utah is only at 2100 metres) but my body is slowly adapting to the altitude.

Leh is a fascinating town, and I walked around (slowly) yesterday, but I feel like the adventure starts seriously today.

David is waiting downstairs with Tsering, our driver, and a remarkably good-condition Toyota Avanza, a station wagon / people mover… it’s more like a four cylinder Tardis actually.

It will take us from life in the 21st century to life in the middle ages. It will take us from television and refrigerated beer to a gathering of nomads celebrating a Buddhist ritual with home made beer (chang) straight from a bucket! It will take us from one end of Ladakh to the other. It will take us from bottom to top to bottom – from the banks of Indus River at 3000 metres to the highest motorable pass in the world at 5600 metres (18,380 feet) – and down again.

that Ladakh should have been anything other than a mountainbound oasis – but its strategic location on the Indus River has made it disproportionately important and wealthy. The fact that the surrounding mountains are home to flocks that grow the world’s finest cashmere wool, and the valleys that grow the world’s most wonderful apricots didn’t hurt either.

When most people think about travelling in the Himalayas, the image that comes to mind is the popular Nepalese trek to Mt Everest. In fact, the Himalayas cross or run alongside five countries - India (including Ladakh and a number of other regions), Nepal, Bhutan, China and Pakistan – and the unique circumstances in each country and region make the Himalayan travel experience strikingly different in each one.

Himalayan trips can range from luxury car-camping expeditions in Ladakh, to old-style, fully-serviced trekking in Nepal (with a team of sherpas, cooks and porters), to luxury car tours that link 5-star hotels in Bhutan, and to hard-core expeditions in North-East India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland).

Ladakh Today, Ladakh is heavily militarised and the borders with China and Pakistan are still tense and frequently deadly. The Indian Army is a massive presence. This is both good and bad. The good side is excellent schools and hospitals and an incredible network of sealed roads. The sealed roads completely change the logistics of getting around. Ironically, they can quickly get you off the beaten track.

There are some spectacular walking treks in Ladakh and, like Nepal, a number can be tackled independently. The popular routes all have small hotels at strategic intervals. There are also full-service treks, although they will often be run by Nepali sirdars (trek leaders) and sherpas.

A car-camping expedition in Ladakh is like a fully-serviced Nepalese trek, except you travel from one luxury campsite to the next by car… Some call it ‘glamping’. In some of the most spectacular parts you can add in day walks if you like.

If you do decide to travel to Ladakh, and finances allow, you are faced with a terrible dilemma. Drive between luxury campsites and, perhaps, tackle some day walks? Or walk, and walk? There are some crucial relevant factors to consider: fitness, sore feet, hot weather, cold weather, thickness of mattresses…. And so on.

Anyway, my choice, as is already clear, was in favour of the Tardis - I mean the Toyota!

Ladakh is a collision point between continental plates (Indian, Chinese, Central Asian), between mountain ranges (most notably the Himalayas and Karakorams), religions (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity), and cultures (Indian, Kashmiri, Chinese, Tibetan, Nepalese, Central Asian, and even European).

Perhaps the only disadvantage to travelling by car in a place like Ladakh is that the sheer volume of sights that you pack in to a day can be overwhelming. So it is critical that you pace yourself and allow time to just sit and absorb. The days that I spent at Tso Kar, a high altitude lake in eastern Ladakh, gave me a chance to let my overloaded brain catch up.

These widely varied cultures have all left their mark in the gene pool, the art and the religion of the country, although the most obvious visual impact to an outsider is of Tibet and Buddhism, such that Ladakh is often referred to as Little Tibet.

But you can never trust a Tardis. Walking into the hills behind the lake, we came across a broad valley dotted with the tents and camps of nomadic Tibetans and their flocks of goats.

They had gathered for an important Buddhist festival. By the end of the day, my brain was so full of sights and people and faces it felt like it was bursting.

Given the crazy ruggedness of the mountains and the height and danger of even the easiest passes, it seems ridiculous

BUSINESS NEWS | 35

TRAVEL

Nepal Nepal offers the greatest range of Himalayan experiences: from full-service trekking with tents and support staff, to individual treks between (more or less) comfortable teahouses. Nepal also has a complete representation of all the major Himalayan ecosystems – from the jungle-clad foothills to the high-altitude desert of the Tibetan Plateau.

There are increasing numbers of luxury lodges in Nepal, but although these lodges definitely have their place, on the whole the best experiences are based around camping, and tent-based treks.

Bhutan Tourism in Bhutan has been managed to maximise the number of high value tourists and to minimise the overall impact of tourism. The government has achieved this by setting a minimum daily tariff of $200 per person per day.

Although the Bhutanese mountain views are not as extravagant as those in Nepal, the scenery is still superb. The opportunity to observe and interact with a fascinating, unspoilt Buddhist culture, while enjoying luxurious accommodation is priceless, and cannot be matched anywhere else in the Himalayas.

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland For many years the fascinating North-East Indian states – Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have been out

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HIMALAYAN… GLAMPING of bounds because of separatist movements, and special permits for travellers are still required. Fortunately, although there are stress points, the region is currently peaceful.

Very few people visit and the infrastructure is primitive – so any journey will be a genuine adventure expedition. The rewards are views and scenery on a par with Bhutan, wildlife (including elephants and rhinos) on a par with Africa, and an extraordinary cultural melting pot of Nepalese, Bhutanese, Sikkimese, Assamese, Tibetans, Burmese and Bangladeshis.

Somewhere, a Tardis is waiting for you.

Richard Everist Richard Everist started work with Lonely Planet in its early days, and spent his last five years with the company as Global Publisher. He was the CEO of Peregrine Adventures, before moving to Geelong. These days, he runs Around the Sun travel with his wife, Lucrezia Migliore, organising trips to the couple’s favourite corners of the world.

MASTERS GAMES

Geelong business community a winning team When the festival of sport and social activity that is the 14th Australian Masters Games rolls into town this October, the Geelong business community will play a significant role in the event’s success.

H

osting Australia’s largest multi sporting event is no easy feat – but corporate Geelong has delivered in all aspects, with Games director, Ian Fitzpatrick, overwhelmed by the local support.

“From the Games Advisory Board, to the Games patrons, through to the sponsorship program, we have had outstanding support at every level,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“An organisation like Deakin University, for example, has helped shape the Games in every way. Vice-President Enterprise, Kean Selway, has chaired the advisory board, the university is a major partner of the Games, and they have run a recruitment campaign across their staff, alumni and students to deliver Games entries as well as volunteers to the Australian Masters Games. We are thankful for this support at every level.”

“The Games is a great opportunity for Geelong and we look forward to delivering a great experience for all participants,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

Other local organisation to partner with the Australian Masters Games include City of Greater Geelong, Adcell Group, Avalon Airport, EMC Group, Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Give Where You Live, GMHBA, Go Traffic, Jack Rabbit, St Laurence, TAC, Thrifty and We Manage IT.

To find out more about the 14th Australian Masters Games, and the above activities visit www.AustralianMastersGames.com.

“This strong local support is one of the key benefits of hosting a major event like the Games outside of major metropolitan cities,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

Enter the Games – 50-plus sports on offer for all abilities, for those aged 30 years and over. Enjoy the sport of your choice, plus access to the full social program that goes with Games entry. Enter online now at AustralianMastersGames.com before entries close.

And no doubt the best is yet to come for the local business community when thousands of participants from all Australian states, as well as 200-plus international participants from 11 countries converge on Geelong.

For those businesses not yet involved, it is not too late.

Join the Give Where You Live CEO Challenge - Give Where You Live CEO, Bill Mithen, and Australian Masters Games Chair, Kean Selway, have challenged all Geelong heads of businesses to take them on at an indoor rowing challenge to take place at the Avalon Airport Games Village at Kardinia Park on Tuesday 8 October from 5:30pm. Your challenge is to raise the entry fee of $300 to join in the 250m indoor rowing challenge; or raise $1,000 to go straight into the Grand Final with Bill and Kean.

Register yourself or your boss by contacting Alice on 5229 4364.

Attend the Regional Cities & Sporting Events – A Great Fit forum – Sport and Recreation Victoria will be hosting a one-day forum on Tuesday 8th October to coincide with the Games. The forum creates an opportunity for senior people from the sporting events industry, in particular state and national sporting organisations, event owners, as well as state and local government event and tourism teams to enjoy an entertaining day of information sharing and networking around the theme of staging successful sporting events in regional areas.

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THE TECH GUY

The Tech Guy

Nokia dumped its OS in favour of Windows Mobile. Our Tech Guy, Jon Mamonski road tests the latest Nokia Lumia 925 to see if it does indeed challenge the iPhone.

your upcoming appointments, while the People tile will display the profile pictures of your contacts.

For all the heavy Office users, the Office Hub will give you seamless Office file compatibility that no other phone system can replicate. Future firmware updates should also improve battery performance that for now needs attention.

Windows Mobile 8 real iPhone competition Smartphones are now a right, not a privilege, for anyone over the age of 10. As Android phones begin to cast a long shadow over the iPhone juggernaut, what does Windows Mobile 8 have to offer?

Nokia phones once ruled the mobile world, until the iPhone appeared. That sent all manufacturers scurrying back to the drawing board and, for Nokia, the big decision was to drop its own Symbian operating system and bank on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile OS. Was it the right decision?

Nokia has been refining and improving its Windows phones with each new model that tempts customers where plastic just doesn’t cut it.

With the Lumia 925, Nokia has decided to aim higher with an aluminium frame, giving the phone a premium design.

The 925 is thin at 8.5 mm and weighing in at 139g, those who slip it into a shirt pocket will barely know it’s there.

Windows Mobile 8 gives you a home screen with Live Tiles that provide real time info, like the Calendar tile that shows

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Under the hood, the Lumia 925’s Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus dual-core processor has a clock rate of 1.5 GHz and the graphics chip is the Adreno 225.

For browsing, you get Internet Explorer 10 for mobile and the Lumia 925 is equipped with everything needed to ensure a fast internet connection with LTE support, a GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, DLNA, mobile hotspot functionality and Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n and 5 GHz so it will take off when you hit the pedal.

The big point of difference with a Nokia premium phone is the built in camera, packing an optical image stabilization system with a floating lens and a sixth lens element for low light photography. The system memory is 1GB, with a whopping 16 GB built in storage for lots of photos and video.

The best part of the Windows Mobile OS, particularly for iPhone users, is no iTunes file transfer headaches.

At last you can add photos, music, video, documents whatever you want, directly to your phone. You are out of iTunes jail.

The Lumia 925 is a well-designed, thin and light smartphone with a bright AMOLED screen and a versatile camera. There’s lots of free Nokia apps as well for navigation, music, photos and heaps more.

Highly recommended.

THE TECH GUY

It’s time to get tough

Flash watch Regular readers know of my passion for watches; the flashier, the better.

TokyoFlash’s watches aren’t known for their subtlety, but the Kisai Blade sports is a custom-made turbine-style lens and cleverly uses tube LEDs that rotate, like an airplane propeller, to tell time.

The LEDs operate in three different modes. Turning uses a constant cycle to light up hours and minutes, while Animation turns your wrist into a rave with constantly spinning diodes. In case

you’re wondering how it displays the finer minutes, Flashing mode slowly flashes the minute hand at the standard five minute intervals, and four dots indicate minutes one through four.

The timepiece uses a USBrechargeable battery that can go a month between charges and is available with red, blue and green LEDs, and gold, silver and black bands; there’s a leather band option, too. If the Blade strikes your fancy, it comes with a price tag of US$159.

Lost your luggage?

If only somebody would invent a device that travels with your luggage so you could track it on your smart phone. Good news, Trakdot Luggage has done just that. Like all those movies where you’ve seen pseudo tracking devices on cars, the Trakdot automatically transmits its location via a quad-band

GSM chip and triangulation so you know where your vegemite is at all times. Cost is around US$50, including a luggage tag and batteries (good for two weeks of use) and you’ll also need to pay $US9 for the activation and $US13 for the annual service fee, but still, better than lost luggage.

BMW electric

BMW has finally pulled the covers off of its new electric car, the i3, for a likely entry price point of around $53,000.

The basic wheels will run for around 160 kilometres on a charge, while going from 0 to 100kph in seven seconds on a 22kWh battery, with the 170-horsepower electric motor pulling a relatively

light 1.18 tonnes. For an expected $59,000, you’ll be able to nearly double the range, thanks to an optional 34-horsepower two-cylinder backup motor. That’s about the same price as the Holden Volt, which is available now.

The BMW i3 will arrive in Europe in November and we’ll see it hopefully next year.

For years, Panasonic has been the leader of industrial strength laptops, so naturally they have taken the same approach with tough tablets that can withstand being dropped and getting wet, as well as being handled by medicos and field workers of all shapes and sizes.

The all-new Panasonic FZG1 Toughpad is the world’s thinnest and lightest (1.1 kg), fully-rugged 10.1” tablet running Windows 8 Pro. It’s powered by a third generation Intel Core i5 vPro Processor with an allweather military standard IP65 dust and waterresistant design.

The 10.1-inch screen sets a new benchmark for outdoor viewable tablets making it ideal for fieldwork outdoors. With a resolution of 1920 x 1200, this tablet

can be used to view high definition documentation and images and the capacitive, 10-finger multitouch display and digitizer pen makes it easy to respond in real time.

The Toughpad FZ-G1 tablet features integrated Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and optional 3G mobile broadband, which will offer quick access to applications and data that could significantly improve performance and results.

The flexible configuration port gives you USB 3.0, HDMI, optional dedicated GPS, serial, ethernet, MicroSD or a second USB port. Additionally, the FZ-G1 battery promises a healthy eight hours of runtime per charge.

There’s nothing quite like it and it’s simply ideal for constant use on the job.

Make a dumb TV smart Smart TVs will set you back heaps of dollars more that their dumb TV counterparts, so Google has a new device called a Chromecast that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and gives you access to webbased content, including ABC’s iView, SBS, YouTube and so on.

There are plenty of media boxes you can buy, but Chromecast is backed by Google whose relationships with content

providers and developers mean that the Google Cast technology powering it will see lots of new apps and video/movie access for years to come.

How much I hear you ask?

Around $70-$90 is the current asking price and while you can pick up one from the States via eBay, I suggest you look for the Australian offers to get around the US 110 volt issue.

BUSINESS NEWS | 39

ARTS

ARTS

Landscapes in Time 8 September - 6 October Throughout September, Woodbine Art presents an exhibition of paintings by renowned Victorian artist, Carolyn Fells. ‘Landscapes in Time’ is a collection of atmospheric landscapes that are imbued with a sense of mystery. Carolyn leaves it up to the viewer to discover their own responses to her vision of the landscape, where a winding road or river, a misty morning, or reflections of light combine to interpret seasonal changes.

Carolyn has had numerous solo exhibitions and selected group exhibitions. Her work is held in public collections including National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, Monash University Museum of Art and other major private collections.

Woodbine Art, Daylesford Road, Malmsbury T: 03 5423 2065 E: woodbine.art@gmail.com

BIFB at AGB Doc Ross: 37 On till 15 September This is a collection of portraits of thirty-seven people affected by the Christchurch earthquake and their stories edited down to just as many words as there were seconds of shaking.

New Zealand photographer Doc Ross has traversed, surveyed and captured society through the lens in all its altering seasons and environments since the 1980s. The diversity of his subject matter is clearly evident and purposeful, but the underlying desire to capture contour and light remains consistent throughout. A clear vision in the pursuit of fleeting moments where the mundane becomes monumental or the bleak comes to life, and at the core a sense of isolation in the transience of existence is ever present in his work.

He says, “It is impossible to say exactly how long the earth shook for on 22 February 2011, as it was different for us all depending where we were in the city. However thirty-seven seconds was a pretty good general figure. Thirty-seven seconds doesn’t sound very long, until you start to count it out – suddenly it seems an eternity, when time stands still but the earth heaves and shakes violently.”

He asked each of his subjects to sit totally still and support their heads while a thirty-seven second exposure multiple image portraits were made of them.

Some people moved a lot, while others were frozen to the spot, reflecting the way people reacted differently to the violent shaking.

Unlike a normal portrait where the photographer would spend a great deal of time making many pictures to get everything right, here everything was left to chance, and only the one picture was made.

Each person was then asked to write their experience of those thirty-seven seconds of shaking in exactly thirty-seven words.

Ludmilla Meilerts Red Fowers 1961 Oil on canvas 61 x 51 cm

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“It is my hope that these unmasked, intense and revealing portraits, along with those condensed experiences of the moment our city changed forever, will remind us how affecting an event like this is.”

He has exhibited in London, Melbourne, Sydney, and New York and regularly in New Zealand over the

ARTS past 15 years. His work is held in private and public collections and libraries throughout the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and Christchurch Art Gallery.

This exhibition is part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2013 Core Program.

Mars Gallery, Art Gallery of Ballarat www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au

Ludmilla Meilerts (1908 – 1997): Flowers 07 – 21 September The life and artistic journey of Ludmilla Meilerts (1908 – 1997) is reflected in the originality and strength of her paintings.

Her intense personal struggle after fleeing her home in post-war Latvia to becoming a notable Australian artist is a larger than life story of resilience and determination.

Metropolis Gallery is proud to present Ludmilla Meilerts: Flowers, focusing on works from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Meilerts’ long and successful artistic career spanned five decades and included most genres of art, but she returned again and again to the simple, honest statement of a vessel holding flowers. Arrays of Christmas Lilies, Chrysanthemums, Roses, Tulips, Poppies or whatever flowers were in season at the time were collected and painted.

Her mastery of colour and the glowing sensation of light passing through translucent petals resulted in the creation of many wonderful floral works.

She completed most paintings in a single sitting of about two hours and avoided any reworking of the immediate sensation.

in select regional areas with The Velvet Curtain Tour.

With blues music in his DNA, an influence largely from his father’s record collection, DIESEL has blended all styles to come up with a truly unique sound, punctuated with his distinct guitar playing and vocals.

Alongside the hits and rarities, people have grown to expect from an artist of longevity, DIESEL blends his influences by also playing tracks from Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Neil Young (to name a few…). Combined with the unique theatre environment, it makes for an allencompassing musical experience.

The Playhouse Theatre, GPAC www.gpac.org.au

Who’s who portrait prize 14 September – 06 October Education Gallery.

The Who’s who portrait prize is a student exhibition that celebrates Geelong identities.

Honouring Jules Francois Archibald’s connection to Geelong, the Who’s who portrait prize aims to encourage and inspire young local artists to celebrate people from the region — their identity, history, creativity and culture — through portraiture.

Geelong Gallery www.geelonggallery.org.au

The Haunting Of Daniel Gartrell 28 September Under an ochre sky something happened at Mt Ragged. The incident inspired celebrated bush poet Daniel Gartrell’s most analysed poem - the final verse has never been published. Now an enigma, Gartrell lives as a recluse in the suburbs and his only contact is with his daughter. Gartrell is at home, thinking very oblique thoughts when an emerging actor from Bondi knocks on his door.

Ambitious and optimistic, he has been cast to play Gartrell in a biographical movie and in his research for the role, is ready for anything... or so he thinks.

Audiences are sure to experience a journey that stretches their senses, hits their funny bone and delivers a poignant message for all.

Wyndham Cultural Centre, Werribee www.wyncc.com.au

LEFT: !"#"$%&'()*++,)) Oil on linen 20 x 20 cms.

Around 170 selected entries will be exhibited in the Education Gallery at the Geelong Gallery with many more published in the Geelong Advertiser during the course of the exhibition.

BELOW LEFT: Lilac Sky 2013 Oil on linen 20 x 20 cms.

LEFT: !"#"$%&'()*++,)) Oil on linen 20 x 20 cms.

Entries close Friday 30 August.

BELOW LEFT: Lilac Sky 2013 Oil on linen 20 x 20 cms.

Geelong Gallery www.geelonggallery.org.au

All breathing in heaven Meilerts is represented in many Australian private and public collections — Gracia Haby, Louise including the National Gallery of Victoria, Jennison, Stephen Art Gallery of NSW, Tasmanian Museum Wickham and Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Western Australia and regional Galleries at La 17 August – 13 October Trobe Valley, Bendigo, and Portland Geelong region artists program. in Victoria and Gosford in New South Bringing together collage, drawing and Wales.

TO BE OPENED BY PETER CORLETT OAM, SCULPTOR photography, this exhibition reveals the Metropolis Gallery, Geelong AT shared 11AM interest in the intersection ON SUNDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER, 2013 artists’ www.metropolisgallery.com.au between the animal and human EXHIBITION DATES: 8TH SEPTEMBER – 6TH OCTOBER, 2013 worlds. Combining humour with acute observations of both wild and domestic Harbour Agency Diesel animals, theSCULPTOR works present imaginary The Velvet Curtain Tour TO BE OPENED BY PETER CORLETT OAM, worlds, highlight the plight of endangered TH ON SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER, 2013 AT 11AM 14 September species, or pay homage to relationships TH EXHIBITION DATES: SEPTEMBER – 6TH OCTOBER, 2013 The use of With a career spanning 25 years 8(35 with domesticated animals. singles, 13 albums, and six ARIA awards) early 20th century postcards of Geelong, and record sales edging one million, drawings of the region’s Hooded Plover DIESEL the journeyman of music is on birds and imagery of the Barwon his way to some very special venues, wetlands adds a distinctly regional focus.

Paintings by Carolyn Fells from Woodbine Art’s Landscapes in Time Exhibition.

BUSINESS NEWS | 41

COMMUNITY

Local schools the real winners Support for healthy eating initiative grows

School-grown vegetables will soon be appearing on the menu at Whittington Primary School, thanks to the support of GMHBA employee volunteers who assisted with the rejuvenation of four much needed vegetable patches at the local school.

S

chool-grown vegetables will soon be appearing on the menu at Whittington Primary School, thanks to the support of GMHBA employee volunteers who assisted with the rejuvenation of four much needed vegetable patches at the local school.

Volunteers were engaged through Karingal’s initiative, BacLinks, to work alongside primary school students for the day to rejuvenate the existing vegetable gardens, in line with the school’s healthy eating policy. They added organic mushroom matter, removed weeds, planted vegetable seedlings and then covered the entire area with mulch. They also got to work invigorating existing garden seats that are adjacent to the vegetable patch with a fresh coat of paint.

“Whittington Primary is a friendly, community-based school that is determined to give its students the best possible start to their school education. We wanted to help rejuvenate the vegetable gardens, healthy eating is absolutely essential for children’s’ development,” said GMHBA Health Insurance Chief Executive Officer, Mark Valena. “The project also doubled as a great team building activity for our employee volunteers.”

Schools join forces to make a difference

Tallis St Primary School, part of the Northern Bay Prep to Year 12 College, also received a garden makeover, thanks to volunteer students from Geelong College and Tallis Street Primary School.

A

lthough the government has made a significant investment in renovating some of the existing buildings, there had not been provision for the surrounding grounds at the primary school.

Geelong College Year 12 prefects voiced an interest in taking on the community engagement project in response to a call for support from Northern Bay College.

“A fun, safe and clean play area is essential for all schools and we are proud to be involved in improving the play environment for the students at Tallis St Primary School,” said Daniel Mahon, Deputy Principal, Head of Senior School at Geelong College.

“This project will also double as a great learning opportunity for our students to mentor a younger generation.”

Now that the gardens are complete, the primary school students will look after and nurture the vegetables to maturity.

Once the vegetables are harvested, it is hoped the students will use the produce to prepare a meal for their families in the school’s commercial kitchen.

Student volunteers spent the day at the Tallis St Campus planting hardy, drought resistant plants and shrubs, applying mulch over established garden beds and assisting with the spreading of soft fall under the play equipment in the playground.

Whittington Primary School Principal, Barrie Speight, said the school community is overjoyed with the response to their call for support.

Toni Wilson, Principal at the Tallis St Campus northern extended schools hub, said the school community is overjoyed with the response to their call for support. “In line with our health and well-being strategy, we want to make the children’s play area a pleasant and fun place to be,” Mr Wilson said.

“Our community programs are very important to us and our school is unique in its approach to supporting not only the students, but the wider Whittington community through our healthy eating initiatives like the breakfast and lunch program in the school,” Mr Speight said.

The breakfast program, supported by the Red Cross, provides breakfast for up to 40 students a day who, for various reasons, may not be able to access food at home on any particular day.

The lunch program provides each student at the school with a two-course nutritious lunch every day. The program is supported by the Food Bank, the Gwyneth Raymond Trust and Second Bite - a food redistribution organisation that identifies sources of nutritious surplus fresh food and produce that would otherwise go to waste.

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These two examples highlight the mutual benefits that can be realised from community volunteering facilitated by Karingal’s initiative - BacLinks. Find out more about how you can contribute to community in a meaningful way by contacting the BacLinks team on 5249 8989 or visit www.baclinks.org.au.

COMMUNITY

Major grants to promote rights of people with acquired brain injury A major research grant program has been launched by Public Advocate Colleen Pearce to enhance the rights and wellbeing of people with an acquired brain injury (ABI).

The launch of the grant program has been made possible by a $400,000 donation by a private sponsor and coincided with Brain Injury Awareness Week (held in August).

The focus of the research will be on the experiences of people with an ABI in the criminal justice system, as well as access to support under DisabilityCare Australia.

“This grant program is a unique opportunity to improve the lives of Victorians with an acquired brain injury whose disabilities make them some of the most vulnerable citizens in the state,” Ms Pearce said.

Grant applications can be for a minimum of $50,000 for a oneyear project and up to a maximum allocation of $250,000 for a three-year project. Ms Pearce said grants would be awarded for research that can bring about long-term change.

“The needs of people with an acquired brain injury have often been overlooked,” she said. “Innovative projects are needed to address this human rights issue.”

The Office of the Public Advocate is calling for grant applications by community organisations, research bodies and the disability sector. Applications can be accepted from organisations based outside Victoria. However, interstate applications must still demonstrate the project’s relevance and impact for people living with an ABI in Victoria.

Flying Brick hit the track for the annual Variety Bash Annual children’s charity fundraiser, the Variety Victoria Bash car rally, has taken place from August 20 – 31 during a magnificent trip, travelling the road from Echuca to Broome.

Now in its 23rd year, the Variety Bash has covered over 87,000kms and the event is Variety’s largest fundraiser – with $1.25 million raised in 2012 and an even bigger target for 2013. This year Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula were well represented in the 23rd Variety Bash by a team from Flying Brick Cider Co. This is the first time Flying Brick Cider Co. has participated in the Variety Bash, with the crew comprised David ‘Flyde’ Sharp, Peter ‘Tarna’ Sharp, Jock ‘Travers’ Whiting and John ‘Action’ Fenton. The crew travelled the 12 days in an original 1979 Holden Commodore VB SLE, nicknamed ‘Flying Brick’.

More than 80 thirty year-old cars join the Variety Bash entourage, with stops along the way to provide a helping hand and empower children with special needs. The 2013 journey travelled the renowned Savannah Way, which connects Cairns, QLD to Broome, WA. Director of Flying Brick Cider Co, David Sharp said that in addition to friends and family, local business support had been fantastic, with Winter & Taylor Holden, Drysdale Tyrepower and Westpac Geelong all helping to get Flying Brick on the track.

“Research projects that will ensure people with acquired brain injury are supported to benefit to the fullest extent from DisabilityCare Australia are also sought,” Ms Pearce said.

Grant applications close November 1, 2013.

For more information, including timelines and key selection criteria, visit the Office of the Public Advocate website: www. publicadvocate.vic.gov.au

Brown Paper Bag Day World Food Day, Wednesday 16 October 2013 Put your money where their mouth is Please donate what you would normally spend on your lunch on World Food Day, Wednesday 16 October and help FEED GEELONG All funds raised go to FEED GEELONG supporting people in need across Geelong.

Register at feedgeelong@givewhereyoulive.com.au or 5229 4364 feedgeelong.org.au Proudly supported by

BUSINESS NEWS | 43

AFTER HOURS

Photos by Elisha Lindsay - EL Photography

Small Business Festival Launch The launch of the Geelong Small Business Festival marked the beginning a monthlong focus on what it takes to succeed in small business.

positive, many participants were small business owners who congratulated the City on providing quality presentations and events,” said Cr Harwood.

Throughout the month of August, across 40 business events, 18,000 participants took part in the 2013 Festival.

“There were a number of occasions where business owners attended multiple events, which shows how helpful the topics discussed really were.”

City of Greater Geelong Acting Mayor, Bruce Harwood, said the City had received positive feedback from many participants.

“Feedback was extremely

“I’d like to thank contributing hosts, the State Government and Enterprise Geelong for supporting the Festival.”

Jen Hawood

Coralie, Caroline, Fredricke

Geoff Browne Vic Small Bus Commissioner, Keelie Hamilton COGG Bruce Harwood Dep. Mayor

Daniel, Lisa, Brooke, Erin

Paul Robinson, Christine Silvestroni

44 | BUSINESS NEWS

Black Sheep’s

only

2 Course Dinner Special Book at Black Sheep Restaurant on Wednesday or Thursday nights and you will receive a delicious 2 course sharing dinner for only $29 p/p. With menu carefully selected and prepared by head chef Dwayne Bourke, this is an offer not to be missed.

Bookings essential, call us today to book your table.

National Wool Museum, Cnr Moorabool & Brougham Sts, Geelong 03 5223 2536 I manager@blacksheeprestaurant.com.au www.blacksheeprestaurant.com.au Black Sheep Cafe & Restaurant Offer not to be used in conjunction with another offer and is unavailable in the months of November and December.

Black Sheep C A F E & R E S T AU R A N T

Proud supplier to GrapeCrushers 5223 1141 • www.randalls.net.au

eVeRY FRIDaY FROM 5pM Free Entry, Free Wine Tasting, Free Gourmet Platters For Patrons, Free Live Entertainment Each Week Friday 6th September—Spring is here!

Can you feel that spring in your step? Perhaps after a taste of some delicious sparkling wines Entertainment: Warm Sands

Friday 20th September—It's local pride!

Show your support for the local football finals by sampling some of the best wines this region has to offer Entertainment: Warm Sands

Friday 13th September—Gold Diggers Arms Selection Sample some great wines on offer from this historical Newtown pub Entertainment: Chic

Friday 27th September—That September feeling Traditional football feast, hearty red wines we will get you ready for the Grand Final Entertainment: Chic

(03) 5223 2536 | Cnr Moorabool & Brougham Sts, Geelong | manager@lambys.com.au | www.lambys.com.au

lambys bar & restaurant | lambys grapecrushers

Management reserves the right to refuse entry | Minimum age 18 | Photo ID required

GET THE EDGE WITH YOUR NEXT FUNCTION

6-8 Eastern Beach Rd, Geelong 3220. (03) 5222 2666 enquiries@edgegeelong.com.au www.edgegeelong.com.au

Edge Geelong

@EdgeBarGeelong

credo.GT.05.12

Edge can cater for every occasion - casual to corporate, extensive or exclusive

AFTER HOURS

Rockin out at Blues Train launch Normally, you might expect a website launch party to be a rather sedate affair – a few canapÊs, perhaps a glass or two of bubbly and the obligatory short speech with website preview on a big screen.

The launch of the new Blues Train website was nothing of the sort, however, with Hugo T. Armstrong front and centre of a rocking party.

With live performances by the Jimi Hocking Band, Wayne

Jim, Jonathan, Barry

Brett, Adam, Mick, Ross, Brenton

46 | BUSINESS NEWS

Jury with Ise and Nathan (Blue Eyes Cry), Alister Turrill and special guest performer Chris Wilson, there was plenty going on to keep the crowd entertained.

Executive Director of Geelong Otway Tourism, Roger Grant, was the guest speaker, introducing the brand new website of the iconic Blues Train.

The event was held at The Basement @ Trades Hall in August.

Chris, Desiree, Hugo

Ann and Martin Millar

Photos by Elisha Lindsay - EL Photography

AFTER HOURS

Commercial Photography Staff portraits Product shots Marketing shots Events & Functions Desiree and Tony Wood

Weddings & Portraits

Hugo

“In the air, on the ground, in the studio.”

Studio - 162 Bellerine St, Geelong elisha@elphotography.com.au 0439 353 958 Chris, Richelle, Cindy, Jim, Hugo

elphotography.com.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 47

AFTER HOURS

New Campaign Unveiled!

Bill Mithen, CEO of Give Where You Live unveiled Geelong’s leading philanthropic orgnaisation’s 2013 – 2014 fundraising campaign to the public on Tuesday, 30 July at the Waterfront Kitchen, Deakin University Waterfront Campus.

The evening outlined the organisation’s fundraising avenues for the forthcoming financial year bringing together individuals, corporates and community organisations to ‘Build a Better Geelong’.

Bill Mithen stated “In 2013 - 2014 there will be ample opportunity for individuals, businesses and major corporations to contribute to our annual fundraising campaign. We will once again have a full calendar of events and activities that will include both the ‘Feed Geelong’ and ‘MAYDAY’ appeals. We

will continue our Workplace Giving program which has now become one of the most successful programs of its kind in Australia. This year we look forward to expanding our partnerships with the thousands of small and medium businesses that make up a thriving segment of our local economy. Our new ‘Businesses Investing in Geelong’ or BIG Program is a simple and cost effective way for small businesses to make a ‘BIG’ difference.”

The event drew a crowd of close to 200 people including City of Greater Geelong Mayor Cr Keith Fagg and representatives of major sponsors Ford, Shell, Alcoa, Fagg’s Mitre 10 and TAC as well as founding members of the Give Where You Live BIG program and present the 2013 Loaned Executive team.

Barry Fagg, Barton Van Laar, Davin Collinson, Andrew Lawson

Craig McCarthy, Ashleigh Gutteridge, Alicia Hayden, Reyan Fe

Dan Furlan, Keith Fagg, Heather Fagg

Tom Kowal, Scott Grace, Sally Bailey

48 | BUSINESS NEWS

Mara Brandisch, Jacqui Blincoe, Genni Briesea

Photos By Trevor Cooke Photogrpahy

Sue Cartwright, Emily Bogue

Michael Reed, Mark Sanders, Barton Van Laar

AFTER HOURS

Rob Birch, Sheridan Salmon, Mark Sanders, Mark Edmonds

Brendan Dwyer, Luke McEnervy

Jeff Morgan, Elwyn Thom, Brian Thom

BUSINESS NEWS | 49

WHAT’S ON

Tim Clarke and ‘Caltago’

03 – 17 SEPTEMBER

11 SEPTEMBER

Parenting as a Team The Parenting as a Team program is a four-week parenting program that explores the value of working together and moving in the same direction. It looks at recognising and combining your strengths, supporting each other, sharing the load and decisions, developing a family approach to issues and complimenting each other’s parenting style. The program will run on 3, 10 and 17 September.

Charmaine Wilson - Spirit Whisperer Meet The One: the most talented psychic in Australia.

The Winner of Channel Seven’s Hit Series The One and Australian Psychic of the Year...

Pakington Street, Newtown Email cwolfe@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

Charmaine Wilson will give her audiences a chance to connect with those who have passed over in order to give messages of peace and love to the living. This remarkable medium is bringing her special gift back to GPAC. Don’t miss Charmaine Wilson The Spirit Whisperer.

Drama Theatre, GPAC www.gpac.org.au

11 October Innovic Opportunity Café At this stimulating one-day session you will learn how to innovate new products and services, nail the idea-to-market process, get the IP basics and woo investors. This is a dynamic, action-packed day for entrepreneurs, start-ups and anyone interested in creating new businesses or enhancing their current business. Tickets for the full day including lunch are only $77.00.

Bookings at www.trybooking. com/DJIH

50 | BUSINESS NEWS

12 September Walk away with your own Marketing Plan Attend this workshop to learn the six key pathways to business growth and how to incorporate them into an action based marketing plan. You’ll also learn: how to target your marketing expenditure so every dollar counts; smart hints and tips to fuel business growth; how to leverage all of your marketing activities, to create synergy that boosts

your bottom line; why it’s important to measure your marketing activities and smart ways to go about it.

The workshop is facilitated

by Brand Bureau. Attend to be newly inspired, hear what works for others and to network with other participants.

Geelong Conference Centre www.trybooking.com/58408

12 SEPTEMBER Bellaire Primary School 50th Birthday Preview Celebration Concert Bellaire Primary School is celebrating its 50th Birthday and invite all past staff, past students and past parents to attend our Preview Show. The Bellaire PS 50th Birthday Preview Celebration Concert will be held at The Arena on 12 September.

Come along and share in celebrating the history of this local school that you have been a part of. Show starts at 11:30am. Tickets for the Preview Show are on sale now. For more information contact Helen Weston and Jess Hanson on 0411 716 410.

Purchase tickets (03) 52 435 203 The Arena, Geelong

17 SEPTEMBER Geelong’s Grand Variety Concert Some of our region’s finest performers including two Divas (Jocelyn Mackay and Shirley Power) give it their all in this glitzy glamorous variety night!

Tickets can be purchased by credit card over the phone 52 511 998, or at any City of Greater Geelong Customer Service Centre.

Potato Shed, Drysdale Email potatoshed@ geelongcity.vic.gov.au

19 – 22 SEPTEMBER Australian Showjumping Championships The Australia Showjumping Championships run over four magnificent days at Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre.

Friday events will include exciting team competition between New Zealand and Australia and on Sunday the Australian Champions in the three age divisions will be decided.

There will also be an extensive trade village available,

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WHAT’S ON

Photos by Berni Saunders

1996 Atlanta Olympian Russell Johnstone aboard ‘Borealis Centurian’ food court and four rings of showjumping at all levels.

Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre www.asjc.equestrian.org.au

22 SEPTEMBER ST Mary’s Tennis Club Geelong Inc. Open Day Join us as we celebrate the opening of our new courts at Thomson Reserve, Godfrey Street, East Geelong on Sunday 22 September 12pm – 4pm. Come and learn to play tennis under our new professional coach, Keith Bone. BYO tennis racquet, activities, FREE BBQ, and lots more.

Thomson Reserve, East Geelong www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ events

03 OCTOBER Seniors Festival: Police Band Concert Enjoy a performance by The Victoria Police Show band.

Music includes jazz, swing, contemporary pop as well as music from musicals and light opera. There will be two performances, 11am and 1pm.

Wyndham Cultural Centre, Werribee www.wyncc.com.au

05 – 12 OCTOBER

06 OCTOBER

Australian Masters Games The Australian Masters Games is a biennial sporting event that is regarded as one of the premiere and largest participation events on the Australian sporting landscape... and in 2013 Geelong will host the 14th edition of the Games.

Andrew Love Cancer Centre Pink Ribbon Ride 2013 Pink Ribbon Ride, is a Motorcycle Ride leaving Peter Stevens 21 Mercer Street Geelong riding around Bellarine, back to Upper Hearne Parade Geelong for light family entertainment.

Expected to offer over 60 different sporting options the Games will attract close to 10,000 participants.

The Australian Masters Games provides an occasion to make the wider community aware of the benefits of sport; encourage and engage the Masters sport demographic in ongoing activity that is beneficial to their long term health and wellbeing; encourage a positive active lifestyle in the community that is balanced with social outcome and opportunities; reaffirm with all levels of sports administration the importance of mature-aged sports people who are seeking opportunities to participate; and demonstrate the myriad of attractions of sport: skill, achievement, competition, social interaction, and satisfaction.

Various venues across Greater Geelong www.australianmastersgames. com

This is an annual event raising money for The Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

All proceeds to Andrew Love Cancer Centre. All Motorcycles Welcome.

Eastern Park Geelong www.geelonghospitalappeal. org.au

06 OCTOBER Geelong Waterfront Makers and Growers Market The Geelong Waterfront Makers and Growers Market features local produce, gourmet treats, art and handcrafts from regional makers and growers.

The market, on the lawns of Steampacket Gardens, is held on the first Sunday of each month from 9am – 2pm (Autumn/Winter) and 9am –

3pm (Spring/Summer).

For more information on how to become a stallholder please view the Geelong Central Rotary Club website.

Steampacket Gardens, Geelong www.geelongcentral.org

08 OCTOBER Marketing Basics Workshop Small businesses that succeed know the importance of marketing.

Marketing is the key to letting people know you exist, so it pays to know how to do it. However, alongside traditional marketing channels such as print, magazines and newspapers an array of online options that are changing the way we market.

Join us and learn practical tips and ideas on which marketing tools are best for your business.

Bookings are essential for this heavily subsidised workshop. Event ID#9565.

Geelong City Hall www.business.vic.gov.au/ workshops-seminars-andevents

BUSINESS NEWS | 51

Commercial and Corporate Asset Protection and Business Succession Tax, Superannuation and Trusts Estate and Succession Planning Intellectual Property and Franchising Workplace Relations and Employment Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Local Government and Public Sector Building and Construction Property, Land Development and Leasing Planning and Environment Family Law Wills and Probate

Dedicated / Reliable / Talented / Community Connected (03) 5225 5225

70 Gheringhap Street, Geelong

harwoodandrews.com.au