FOREWORD THINKING FOREWORD THINKING
MARK UNWIN, AGCSA CHIEF EXECUTIVE
AGCSA member survey critical component in FWC submission
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n what has been a hectic first few months of 2018, the AGCSA has continued to progress well with a number of initiatives underway that will deliver benefits to our members as we move through the year. First though, some important news following on from my note in the last edition (Volume 20.1 – January-February 2018) relating to the proposal put forward by parties representing licensed and registered clubs to the Fair Work Commission. As mentioned, this action is pursuing an amendment to various industry employment Awards, including the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award and the Hospitality Award, and has proposed changes to conditions and penalty rates. The AGCSA, on behalf of all members and state associations, is preparing a submission for presentation to the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission in July, to outline our concerns with the proposed changes and present our committed opposition to changes that will impact our members’ working conditions. In mid-March, the AGCSA sent out an important survey to members designed to assist us in understanding the potential impact these changes may have on course maintenance and turf management employees. The information collected will be primarily used to develop a submission to protect conditions and penalty rates within the Awards. In order to understand the impact of proposed changes to the employment Awards, it is vital that we receive as much information as possible. Therefore I would ask if you haven’t already done so to complete the survey prior to the end of April so that we can collate and prepare our submission in early May.
AGCSA
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AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 20.2
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On to lighter topics, and the end of March saw another successful AGCSA Future Turf Managers’ Initiative (FTMI) completed in conjunction with Gold Partner Textron Golf. The 20 attendees from Australia and New Zealand spent three days in Melbourne, learning from industry professionals and keynote speakers on topics including leadership, management, budgeting and communication. A full wrap of another very successful programme will be featured in the May-June 2018 edition of ATM. Our thanks must go to the attendees for their enthusiastic approach, the four superintendent mentors (Leon Hennessy, Travis Scott, Lincoln Coombes and Leo Barber) for their continued advice and guidance, and of course to Textron Golf/ Jacobsen for their commitment to developing our future course superintendents. Just prior to the FTMI, the AGCSA team spent time over in Wellington, New Zealand as preparations continue for the Australasian Turfgrass Conference and Trade Exhibition (2429 June 2018). In conjunction with an impressive range of speakers and topics for the event, the venues that our education sessions, networking functions and trade exhibition will be hosted in are first-class and should make for an outstanding conference. Registration numbers are very strong early, while the trade exhibition is nearly sold-out. If you haven’t yet registered we encourage you to act quickly to ensure you don’t miss out on your preferred workshops or seminars. A range of information and resources is available on the dedicated conference website – www.atc2018.com – including a Conference Justification Resource Kit for members looking to commence conversations with their club about attending.