EnergyAustralia pledges to accelerate the clean energy transition

By Rich Evans EnergyAustralia has reaffirmed its commitment to the clean energy transition with an updated Climate Change Statement. The declaration now features specific emission-reduction targets and a commitment to develop a plan to transition out of coal.

Mark Collette, EnergyAustralia Managing Director, said: “The clean energy transformation is accelerating, with more renewable, storage and flexible energy technology available at lower costs than ever before. Our Climate Change Statement shares our pathway to net zero.”

“Our approach continues to be one of long-term planning, where we consult with governments and communities as we design and deliver our transition – while ensuring our 2.4 million customers maintain access to reliable and affordable energy,” Mark said.

One of the pivotal changes to EnergyAustralia’s climate statement is a commitment to develop a plan for how we transition out of coal. This means an earlier retirement date for Mt Piper power station in New South Wales.

“The energy transition has significant impacts for our power station workers and our local communities. While Mt Piper’s ultimate retirement date will be determined by several factors, we are committed to long term planning and supporting the transition for our workers and our local communities.

“For our customers we need to ensure that we can maintain reliable, affordable and low emissions energy as the system transitions. This is a real-world challenge that we must meet by employing a range of technologies.

“We have, and will continue to make, significant investments as part of our commitment towards reaching net zero emissions. This includes projects such as our carbon neutral gas and hydrogen power plant in New South Wales, Tallawarra B, and the Wooreen battery at Jeeralang in Victoria,” said Mark.

EnergyAustralia’s updated Climate Change Statement is Mark Collette’s first major commitment as Managing Director since his appointment on 1 July 2021.

The announcement is coordinated with the broader CLP Group commitment to an updated Climate Vision 2050 for its regional portfolio, which sets more ambitious decarbonisation targets on the path to becoming net zero by 2050.

Chief Operating Officer, Liz Westcott, has confirmed EnergyAustralia’s commitment to its workforce and the community of the region. The transition process will be transparent with workers and the community as the company moves towards a sustainable future both environmentally and commercially.

“The way we are handling the transition of the Yallourn transition is to ensure we are giving the workforce and the community packages of commitment that they want, that are relevant to them and their needs, we would be using the same process with Mt Piper” said Ms Westcott.

Energy Australia announced in June the proposal for a pumped hydro facility at Lake Lyell and are developing the pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) project at the Mt Piper

power plant site near Lithgow in New South Wales. This is a great example of reusing existing transmission assets and providing opportunities in the energy transition for existing communities.

The Lithgow region is uniquely positioned to play a role in this transitioning energy market with its connection to the largest energy consuming market in Australia. Ensuring that innovation, development of knowledge and skills are part of this transition pathway will help Lithgow’s economy remain relevant in coming decades.

You can read EnergyAustralia’s updated Climate Change Statement at: www. energyaustralia.com.au/climate-changestatement

Anyone that knows me knows I’m a passionate person. I am passionate about real estate, I’m passionate about supporting local business, I’m passionate about seeing this region not only survive the pandemic and challenges we have been through - but more importantly - thrive into the future….

But there is something that I am even more passionate about - Seeing the Panthers bringing home the premiership this Sunday - C’Mon you mighty Panthers!

If you want to get a win with your property sale as well, please give us a call for an obligation free appraisal.

On Friday 17 September 2021, Lithgow City Council celebrated Australian Citizenship Day by holding an online citizenship ceremony for 15 conferees of our communities’ newest Australian citizens.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Australian Citizenship Day. On this day we celebrate the value and significance of Australian citizenship and the privileges and responsibilities it embodies.

Today we welcomed citizens from Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand. “It was an honour to preside over the ceremony today, we are a part of a diverse multicultural region and it’s our Australian Citizenship and values that forms the common bond that unites us.”

“I wish all of these new Australians the very best for the future and congratulate them on becoming Australian citizens,” said Mayor Thompson .

The Mayor welcomed:

Francesco Di Franco

Manohar Jacob

Widya Kaliman

Mark Anthony Legaspi

Jasaveer Singh

Thavy Tres

Juanito Dicdiquin Revalde

Luisita Revalde

John Louie Lafuente Revalde

Jesse Revalde

Pornnapa Pholyiam

Sawairin Yaipeng

Roland Joseph Mc arthy

Kusuma Pholyiam

Paolo Miguel Deloso Lacson

Lithgow City Council’s Waste Education Team will partner with professional organiser Susanne Thiebe from ‘Less Mess’ to present two online waste education workshops to Lithgow residents on 12 October 2021. These workshops are part of Council’s waste education drive to improve resource recovery and reduce waste to landfill in the region.

The online format also allows residents from the regional waste network NetWaste to attend. NetWaste includes 26 Councils stretching from Blue Mountains to Bourke.

Each workshop is 1 hour in duration with a break in between sessions. Residents can do one workshop or both. Workshop 1: Living with Less. Less is more: why we need minimalism in our lives. The ABC of decluttering, organising and sustainable living. Participants will learn the basics of how to tackle clutter and what to do with the oversupply.

Waste. The need for information around meal planning, cooking with leftovers, responsible disposal and avoiding shopping has risen since isolation, shopping restrictions and more time at home. This workshop looks at: • How does food waste happen? • How to make ‘no waste’ an easy habit • Loving your leftovers • What is your meal planning personality?

For more information and to register visit https://council.lithgow.com/waste-recycling/wasteeducation/

Commencing Wednesday 29 September, Lithgow City Council is very pleased to announce that the Tony Luchetti Showground will be hosting a second drive-through testing clinic. Opening hours of this facility are 8AM to 2PM, Monday to Friday and 8AM to 1PM Saturdays. This facility will be operated in close consultation with NSW Health and Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology.

“When I last attended the site with Deputy Mayor Wayne McAndrew I was pleased to see the initial demand for these services”, said Lithgow City Council’s Mayor, Councillor Ray Thompson. It is great to see that the community is heeding the advice of health care professionals and getting tested if in any doubt.”

“Once more, I strongly encourage all residents to get tested if they feel there is even the slightest chance of exposure to a confirmed case, close contact or casual contact”, said Council’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Wayne McAndrew. “Our best protection is immediate testing, isolation and vaccination. If not for yourself, please think of your local community and those living among us who are vulnerable or at risk. I ask all residents to make use of our local testing and vaccination facilities and closely follow the directions of NSW Health.”

Please note that only drive through tests are provided at the Tony Luchetti facility, with walk-in tests still welcomed at Lithgow Hospital.

Lithgow City Council thanks NSW Health and Douglass Hanly Moir for their continued efforts in making the arrangements for this service. For further details regarding COVID-19 testing, please visit https://www.nsw. gov.au/covid-19/health-and-wellbeing/ clinics and https://council.lithgow. com/coronavirus-covid-19/.

It is most important that all residents comply with health orders, maintain all health safeguards, and get vaccinated as soon as practicable.

14-21 hours, 2-3 days/week The Nursery is looking for a motivated, community-minded Manager interested in managing day to day operations, seed collection, plant propagation, training and supervising volunteers, and retail sales. For more information and how to apply, contact Susan Gregory at: • susanatbowenfels@gmail.com or • P.O. Box 492, Lithgow NSW 2790 or • 0487 443 759 Applications will close on Thursday, 14 October 2021 The Lithgow & District Community Nursery is a not for profit organisation established in 1991

Better Business Column by Steve Semmens, The Persuader

Customers are an integral part of any businesses success but with the advance of technology many businesses have appeared to have forgotten how to connect and retain the main reason for their existence, yes, the humble customer. If you are serious about having a successful and sustainable business perhaps you would like to adopt the following concepts?

1Always treat customers as you would like to be treated. When the boot is on the other foot, and you are the customer instead of the supplier, ask yourself how do you like to be treated? Notice how your suppliers service you. Is it a positive and memorable experience or are you just another unimportant number? Before Covid, one of my long term suppliers knew I was flying up to Brisbane for a conference. The owner picked me up from the airport, we had lunch out with his staff, and then he dropped me back to my hotel. How important do you think I felt? How many people did I tell about how well I was looked after? Remember customers are VIP's, Very Important Persons!

2Build a customer focused organisation. Customers like to know that you care, and that your organisation is purely focused on them. This is a critical part of any leaders role, to demonstrate from the top of the company, how to treat customers the right way and enforcing heavy penalties for any staff that breach the loving the customer code.

Customer focused companies invest in excellent customer service training. They encourage their staff to resolve customer issues and empower them to go above and beyond, to not just satisfy a customer’s needs, but to over achieve the clients expectations.

3Create an ultimate experience. Design something that keeps them coming back. As Ken Blanchard suggests, turn them into raving fans who will then spread the word about how fantastic you and your organisation are. You are only limited by your imagination as to how you can creates unique customer experiences which will give you an amazing competitive advantage over your competitors. For example, if I owned a Menswear retail outlet, I would have a VIP package, where I would pick up the customer in a limousine with champagne and snacks and we would provide a personalised shopping experience for two hours. Of course there would be a minimum spend but the marketing power alone from providing such an amazing experience would bring in many new high net worth customers.

4Set high standards of customer service. Simply doing what you say you going to do, delivering on time, cleaning up after completion of a job, or just returning phone calls, will set the customer service benchmark well above what your competitors are providing. Customers will keep coming back and they will spread the word.

5Be a problem solver. Customers are usually looking for a solution to an issue or pain point and if you can provide that at a fair price you will have a happy and satisfied customer. Train and empower your staff to use their initiative to meet the client’s needs if it is within the scope of the organisation to do so. The interaction between staff and customers at the front-line, provides valuable information that can be used for the future strategic directions of the organisation. Customers will let you know when their needs change, what your competition is offering, and suggest potentially new products for development or new markets to explore. Encourage staff to be innovative and creative in uncovering and resolving customers issues.

6Smile. I know, I know, It is obvious isn't it? Just smile. Having a genuine wonderful smile makes so much of a difference especially in hospitality and retail. Yet, so many grumpy business owners or staff interact badly with customers on a daily basis. These same people complain about how tough business is, and how badly behaved or rude customers are. If you are not happy in your current role or the type of business you manage or own then go and do something else. Don't take it out on customers. If you truly wish to connect with a customer you simply smile. Be known for friendly, helpful, and reliable service and SMILE!

In conclusion, customers have so many options now regardless of what industry you are in. You have to ensure your organisation is customer service focused, providing exceptional customer service to all customers. Love and care for your customers and they will support, love, care, and rave about you!

The NFT Ford Classic Car artwork was accepting online bids for nearly two weeks prior on the Lloyds Auctions website with bids remaining conservative until auction day.

“We sold all 50 NFT classic cars with each selling for thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars, the bidding was very spirited,” said Mr. Lee Hames, Chief Operating Officer for Lloyds Auctions.

“It seems to me that NFT digital art is certainly being embraced by Aussies, its new but Australians have locked in behind the NFT art space,” Mr. Hames continued.

“Many of the bidders were a mixture of millennials who understand and embrace NFT technology but are not so sure about the cars, and then there were also classic car enthusiasts that embrace the cars but are unsure about the NFT technology,” Mr. Hames said.

Not only was there the opportunity for bidders to purchase a rare physical Phase III in Yellow Glo which broke records selling for $1.3M under the hammer but they also could purchase the ‘digital verified NFT’ art model of the exact same vehicle that came with some enticing benefits. “The Ford Falcon GTHO Phase II receives so much attention because it is the pinnacle of Australian muscle cars and has consistently held its value over its lifespan since its release in 1971, so they attract bidders including enthusiasts, collectors as well as investors,” said Mr. Hames. Also, up for auction on Saturday was the collection of some extremely rare 1 of

“It seems to me 1 Holdens which also achieved record prices. that NFT digital A 1996 Holden HSV art is certainly VS GTSR BUILD #001 being embraced by Aussies, its new in XU3 Yellah sold for a whopping $1 million under the hammer whilst a HSV but Australians GTSR W1 4 Door Build have locked in #017 sold to a Holden behind the NFT art space,” enthusiast for $750,000. However, in the end it was Ford that took the top honours for the auction. Although negotiations on the W1 Ute that got passed in are expected to exceed the Fords record. “Holdens and Fords continue to appreciate in value, anything of a limited build, celebrity affiliation, significant history or chrome bumpers just keeps going up in value and we urge any Holden or Ford enthusiast, or anyone interested in NFT’s to give us a call right now,” said Mr. Lee Hames.

In economic speak - a fungible asset is something with units that can be readily interchanged - such as money.

With money, you can swap a $10 note for two $5 notes and it will have the same value.

However, if something is non-fungible, this is impossible - it means it has unique properties so it can’t be interchanged with something else.

It could be a house, or a painting such as the Mona Lisa, which is one of a kind. You can take a photo of the painting or buy a print but there will only ever be one original painting.

NFTs are “one-of-a-kind” assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold like any other piece of property, but which have no tangible form of their own.

The digital tokens can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.

Traditional works of art such as paintings are valuable because they are unique.

But digital files can be easily and endlessly copied.

With NFTs, artwork can be “tokenised” to create a digital certificate of ownership that can be bought and sold.

In theory, anybody can tokenise their work to sell as an NFT but interest has been fuelled by recent headlines of multimillion-dollar sales.

On 19 February, an animated Gif of Nyan Cat - a 2011 meme of a flying pop-tart cat - sold for more than US $500,000. A few weeks later, musician Grimes sold some of her digital art for more than $6m. The most famous example is artist BEEPLE who sold a digital composition for US $69,346,250.

Screenworks is now inviting applications from regionally-based screenwriters with original romantic comedy features and series for development and production.

Being delivered in partnership with Hoodlum Entertainment, Discovering New Voices – Romantic Comedy is an exciting three-stage program designed to train undiscovered, diverse and talented writers living in regional, rural and remote Australia with specific skills and then place the final selected participant or project team with Hoodlum Entertainment for up to a month to develop a new romantic comedy project. The program is being supported by the Screenrights Cultural Fund.

Hoodlum’s Chief Content Officer Tracey Vieira said, “The team at Hoodlum are a romantic bunch who love a good laugh and a great cry. We also LOVE stories that have something to say, especially from a perspective that we may not get to see on screens. Combine all that with a Friday night, paired up with your significant other, or besties and maybe a glass of wine with dinner, and what you have is a rom-com that is sure to make you happy-cry, blush and sigh with glee. And that’s what we’re looking for! Romantic stories for features and television series that have underrepresented leads and/or come at story from a unique perspective and that have something to say.”

The program will have three stages. Up to twenty participants will be initially selected to take part in a oneday online workshop on writing romantic comedy with Alexa Wyatt, which will be delivered via Zoom on Thursday 16 December 2021. After a further selection process, up to 10 participants will be chosen for a series of one-on-one consultations with Hoodlum Entertainment executives. At the conclusion of Stage 2, based on the relevance and quality of their work, at least one person or team will then be selected to continue working with Hoodlum for up to a month to either develop their rom com project further or work on another project. The selected person will be paid a Storyliner Award Wage Rate plus travel and accommodation costs.

Screenworks CEO Ken Crouch said, “After the success of our Discovering New Voices: Adult Animation program with Princess Pictures earlier this year, we’re excited to be partnering with Hoodlum on a similar initiative to find fresh narrative voices and perspectives in the rom com genre. We’re confident this new program will uncover previously untapped creative talent in regional, remote and rural Australia. Romantic comedy is a very popular genre and people living in regional areas often have very different perspectives on life from those based in metro areas, so we’re very pleased to be providing a portal for those more unusual and innovative ideas.”

To be considered for this opportunity, applicants must be current Screenworks members who have been resident in regional Australia for at least six months. Applicants will need to submit a treatment of up to 10 pages for an original romantic comedy feature film or TV series along with a statement on their inspiration for the idea and why they would benefit from being part of the Discovering New Voices program.

Applications are now open and will close at 5pm AEDT on Friday 5 November 2021.

For more details and to apply, visit https://screenworks. com.au/learn/discovering-new-voices-rom-com/

The Screenworks and Hoodlum Entertainment Discovering New Voices: Romantic Comedy program is supported by the Screenrights Cultural Fund.

Hi people, it's Leo here.

Maybe you've heard of this new freedom that the government has initiated, it's called a friends bubble.

It lets you see two of your friends as it's three people bubble for kids only, But I bet most of you know this already. My family and I didn't know about this until I was invited to my friend's house and after not seeing a human being (that was not my mum and dad) for a very long time, it was a blast. I definitely recommend doing this, it's great.

The only downside is that you can only have one bubble which means you can't go and visit someone else, you can only visit the same three people. It does suck a bit because of that one condition but I guess it's for our protection in the end, so if anything is contracted we don't spread it.

Definitely do this bubble thing or maybe you're already doing it - either way it's great.

Until next time

Leo Roving Reporter

Amazing gift shop inside - unusual pieces, quirky pots, furniture and seasonal plants

Yes, we are trading during lockdown! All COVID safety measures are being followed on our premises. We also have an online store now available through our website (see below). So if you are not con dent travelling out during lockdown, try our online shop and enjoy contactless delivery to your door.

Jacqueline Emery, CEO of Royal Far West, said “we are honoured to be selected for this incredible donation and with the gift being unrestricted, it means we will be able to use it where we see the most need. After some of the most challenging times for Australian country families, this wonderful gesture by The James G. Boswell Foundation will give hundreds of country kids the chance to thrive”.

Ashley Power, former CEO of Auscott and representing J. G. Boswell Company said, “The Boswell Company is proud of its involvement and relationship with the rural communities it has operated in since 1963 and on the sale of Auscott, we are pleased to provide this gift to say thank you.

“Royal Far West helps young children in rural areas at a most critical stage in their educational and behavioral development, which dramatically changes future outcomes. This is not only an extraordinary benefit for these young people and their families, but also as these young people grow to be part of the community, it supports the growth and welfare of these rural communities for many years to come,” Ashley said.

Pre-retirement Planning

Retirement Planning

De ned Bene ts Super

Daniel Crump Financial Planning can help you: • prepare for retirement • manage your money so that you don’t run out • legally manage your tax and maximise your age pension entitlements. NO HIDDEN AGENDAS. We are not owned by any financial institutions or super funds who might want to bias our advice.

Issue 009 - 30 September 2021 Bill Grattan, Horticulturist

855 Chifley Road, Clarence 2790 Open 5 days, 10am-4pm. Closed Monday & Tuesday Ph: 0400 347 694 williamgrattan@gmail.com

Appointments are now available in Lithgow and Bathurst. To book please call 0418 148 622 or visit danielcrumpfp.com.au for more information.

Financial Planning Column by Daniel Crump

Just in case you missed it, Evergrande is a Chinese property developer that has run out of cash. It is probably going to default on its debt obligations. The big problem is, Evergrande is massive and its finances are entwined with financial institutions right across the world.

Evergrande is one of the three biggest property developers in China with more than 1,300 projects across 280 cities. Much of its growth has been financed by debt. In fact, according to research house Morningstar, Evergrande owes more than US$300 billion, making it the most indebted company in the world.

Now it’s having trouble meeting its commitments and its share price has crashed more than 86 per cent just in the last year.

But it’s not only the Evergrande shareholders and Chinese banks that should worry. Global investment managers like UBS, BlackRock and HSBC have all been buying Evergrande bonds in the past year.

In echoes of the Lehman Brothers failure at the start of the Global Financial Crisis, much hinges on the response of the Chinese government. The collapse of Evergrande would have serious implications for the Chinese economy, and there would be repercussions across the world.

The good news is that China is unlikely to allow this to happen. And because the Chinese State owns most of the banks, they have control.

But the bad news is that even in a best-case scenario, there will be a slowdown in the Chinese residential property sector. China is Australia’s biggest trading partner, and this is already having implications on the iron ore price and the share prices of Australian mining companies.

Markets go up and markets go down, and that should be of little concern to younger investors. But for investors in the Retirement Risk Zone, the years either side of retirement, returns really do matter. Investment losses during this period can have an outsized impact on the success of your retirement.

It’s why there is no place for complacency in a retirement plan. If you are within five years of your planned retirement date, you should engage with your super.

Keep in mind, there are ways investors can manage risk and build certainty for the future.

At Daniel Crump Financial Planning we employ a framework that is designed to balance your short-term and long-term risks, so you can confidently spend today. If you’d like to learn more, give us a call.