B2B Magazine Issue 118 August 2016

118 AUGUST 2016

B2BMAGAZINE.COM.AU

CYBER IS THE FIFTH DOMAIN Is you SME cyber secure? (p.11)

SME GATEWAY – THE INTERMEDIARY FOR SMES AND GOVERNMENT Accessing 320 SMEs & 4,800 professional service providers (p.10)

ACS CANBERRA BRANCH

2016 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Drones, Droids and Robots COVER STORY (p.19)

Conference program inside

NEW ADVICE COLUMNS: CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS by FIFO Capital (p.29) CYBER SECURITY by Cordelta (p.29)

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CONTENTS

19

ISSN 1833-8232

COVER STORY

ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference

Drones, Droids and Robots PUBLISHER'S NOTE 5 Positive outlook for the Capital

by Tim Benson SMART BUSINESS TIPS 5 Can you automate key tasks?

Are you using software / apps to work smarter not harder?

by Smart Business Guardian UPFRONT 6 ‘Presenteeism’ and the cost to your organisation

by PCA people 7 Are you building your change capability?

by Redgrass Communications 7 Why use a Mortgage Broker?

by Gillespie Group 8 DDCS Lawyers growing partnership

by DDCS Lawyers 8 SCA welcomes plans for drones to carry out building safety checks

by Strata Community Australia PROFILE 10 SME Gateway – the intermediary for SMEs and Government FEATURE 11 Cyber is the fifth domain of conflict after land, sea, air and space 12 Canberra region job market update - On the rise!

by HorizonOne 14 Business remains bullish amid political and economic uncertainty

by RSM 16 Business ideas that don’t cost the earth

by ACT Smart 24 Braddon’s Black Sheep – bucking the trend

by Tim Benson ADVICE 27 ACCOUNTING Misleading conduct on social media

by RSM 27 BOOKKEEPING The “love” story between accountants and bookkeepers

by Tailored Accounts 4

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BUSINESS LAW Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements – four quick tips

by Bradly Allen Love Lawyers 28 BUSINESS SUSTAINIBILITY The business of adapting to climate change

by Actsmart business recycling. energy. water.

29 CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS 7 Tips for Improving Your Cash Flow

by Fifo Capital 29 CYBER SECURITY Ensure the right person is steering your security program

by Cordelta 30 INTELECTUAL PROPERTY International Trade and Intellectual Property

by Arete Group / Moulis Legal 30 RECRUITMENT Voluntary staff turnover rises – what’s making them go?

by HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide 31 STRATA MANAGEMENT Survive the Winter Blues (and Mould!)

by Vantage Strata 31 WEBSITES How to WOW your customers?

by Synapse Worldwide A2B: ASSOCIATIONS TO BUSINESS 32 CANBERRA BUSINESS CHAMBER Chamber paying major attention to micro businesses G2B: GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS 34 CHIEF MINISTER’S MESSAGE Positive outlook for Canberra businesses BUSINESS NETWORKING 36 B2B@CBC Business After Business Networking with Hays Recruitment 37 B2B@AECOM Lunchtime policy forum: Future Transport and Logistics for Canberra and the Region 38 B2B@CAPO 2016 LAUNCH

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EDITOR / PUBLISHER Tim Benson editorial@b2bmagazine.com.au 0402 900 402 02 6112 8175 PUBLISHED BY Man Bites Dog Public Relations ABN 30 932 483 322 PO Box 4106 Ainslie ACT 2602 b2bmagazine.com.au ADVERTISING B2B Magazine advertising@b2bmagazine.com.au 0402 900 402 02 6112 8175 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Termeh Garmestani termeh@b2bmagazine.com.au 02 6112 8176 PHOTOGRAPHY

Andrew Sikorski: Art Atelier art-atelier.com.au DESIGN Kasra Yousefi kasra.com.au 02 61128195 Page 34 photo: freepik.com LEGAL NOTICE Man Bites Dog Public Relations (‘MBD’) owns the copyright in this publication. Except for any fair dealing as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cwth), no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission of MBD. MBD has been careful in preparing this publication, however: it is not able to, and does not warrant that the publication is free from errors and omissions; and it is not able to verify, and has not verified the accuracy of the information and opinions contained or expressed in, or which may be conveyed to readers by any advertisement or other publication content. MBD advises that it accepts all contributed material and advertisements contained in this publication in good faith, and relies on various warranties and permissions provided to it by the persons who contribute material and/or place advertisements. Those warranties and permissions include that neither the material and/or advertisements are misleading, deceptive or defamatory, and that their use, adaptation or publication does not infringe the rights of any third party, or any relevant laws. Further, MBD notifies readers that it does not, nor should it be understood to endorse, adopt, approve or otherwise associate MBD with any representations made in contributions and/or advertisements contained in the publication. MBD makes no representation or warranty as to the qualifications of any contributor or advertiser or persons associated with them, and advises readers that they must rely solely on their own enquiries in relation to such qualifications, and be satisfied from those enquiries that persons with whom they deal as a result of reading any material or advertisement have the necessary licences and professional qualifications relating to the goods and services offered. To the maximum extent permitted by law, MBD excludes all liabilities in contract, tort (including negligence) and/ or statute for loss, damage, costs and expenses of any kind to any person arising directly or indirectly from any material or advertisement contained in this publication, whether arising from an error, omission, b2bmagazine.com.au misrepresentation or Facebook: @B2BmagazineCBR any other cause.

Twitter: @B2BinCanberra

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE CAPITAL

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e might not have a mining industry but we have something even better in Canberra: we have the Capital of Australia with Parliament, major government departments, national cultural institutions and five universities. Not bad for a population of less than half a million. And guess what? The public service doesn’t go through boom and bust periods. Under all colours of Federal Government, it has continued to grow. This growth industry is great for Canberra. As it grows, we require more population and highly trained people to take up well paid positions. These people in turn require somewhere to live and send their kids to school and undertake training, buy food, entertainment to relax etc. etc. etc. They also become a great export for Canberra. If they stay for a while and then leave they take their stories of what a wonderful place Canberra is to rest of Australia and the world … As a citizen of Canberra I need no convincing that it is a great place to live. As the Capital we are a showcase city for Australia. We are very privileged to have such fabulous infrastructure and institutions with such a small population. Yet I think that many of us take it for granted.

When was the last time you went to the Australian National Gallery, National Library, Film and Sound Archive, National Portrait Gallery, National Gallery of Australia or National War Memorial? I wouldn’t be surprised if there were many Canberrans that have visited more international museums and galleries than their national museums in their own backyard – and considering nothing is more than 30 minutes away in Canberra that is not so good. How many Canberrans holiday at home and make a couple of weeks of visiting our national institutions and other attractions? Not many. I’m not suggesting that we don’t travel to the great destinations in our regions (snow, surf and Sydney). Or that we stop traveling overseas for rest and recreation.

I am suggesting that we remember that we have institutions and attractions in Canberra that Australians and international visitors trek here to see – and they are less than 30 minutes from your door.

There is a feeling I’m picking up, from the many local businesses that I speak to, that the Canberra economy is going pretty well.

Tim Benson, Publisher Send all comments to: editorial@b2bmagazine.com.au

Can you automate key tasks? Are you using software / apps to work smarter not harder?

Kristin Miller General Manager Smart Business Guardian Welcome to the future. It's pretty cool. If you find there are things that you are repeating over and over again in your business, have a look around and see if there are options available to automate them. There are so many cool tools available to us now in a range of fields to help collate ideas and improve work processes.

Here are five examples for you to have a look at:

1. Bookkeeping Look at the new features offered by Xero, MYOB and Quick Books. Don't forget to also look at the newer Add-Ons that work with these.

2. Inventory Management Vend or Kounta 3. CRM and Project Management Insightly or Salesforce.

4. Communication Skype or Viber 5. Organisation Evernote, Trello or Dropbox Start searching to see what you can find that suits your business. There are solutions out there waiting to help you.

For more details, feel free to give us a call.

(02) 6162 1187 49 Phillip Avenue, Room C205, Watson, ACT 2602 smartbusinessguardian.com

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5

UPFRONT

‘Presenteeism’ and the cost to your organisation

By Sandy Gibbs

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shot up to a staggering 57.5 days per year!

That’s close on 12 working weeks!

We know how hard it can be to Many businesses have such a narrow focus get out of bed on a chilly morning, on absenteeism; a key performance measure more so if you are feeling less than ideal. often implemented organisation wide, that However, more often than not employees presenteeism is missed altogether. To identify are choosing to go in to work. Whether it’s presenteeism, it requires managers and team dedication to the job or fear of increasing leaders to be well-tuned to their staff and workloads; here’s why going to work sick isn’t each individual’s behaviours. Quite often going to help your career or organisation. managers become so caught up in day-to-day Presenteeism is when an employee is operations they fail to see the subtle cues physically at work yet not productive. We’ve displayed by employees, thereby missing the all seen and experienced it. You’ve powered symptoms and causes of presenteeism. through the day on a half So what can be done A simple place to start is to tank struggling to focus. to combat presenteeism? focus less on the number of days Why we do it is often A simple place to related to who we are and employees are absent and instead start is to focus less turn your attention to the overall on the number of how we feel about our job. Whilst this dedication wellbeing of your employees who are days employees are may be seen as there, plus energy levels at work. absent and instead exceptional organisational turn your attention to citizenship; the cost to business can be huge. the overall wellbeing of your employees Recent studies found that on average who are there, plus energy levels at work. an employee takes four days sick leave per Have clear measures and know what year, but when reporting how many days daily output looks like. If individual output they lost while on the job, that number capability is not known, how do you know nd we all thought absenteeism was a problem!

when productivity is down? This is when the business needs to be responding to and supporting that employee.

From a well-being perspective, consider sanity days ; one paid day per quarter, for staff to complete those little chores that mount up or to "just be". This isn’t added to annual leave or long weekends, it’s a day for the individual. We see everyone 100% refreshed after taking these days. Think about it – four days versus many unproductive ones.

Is presenteeism an issue in your organisation? Know your people.

Sandy Gibbs Branch Manager PCA people a division of DFP Recruitment

T: (02) 6257 1010 http://www.pcapeople.com.au/

UPFRONT

Are you building your change capability?

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omplexity and disruption is the name of the game. The catchcry in response is the notion of agile and flexible workplaces. However, trying to play catch-up to a new mode of working is very hard in a large organisation.

“The questions that come to mind when I hear that we need to be innovative, adaptable and agile is that while this sounds like a great place to be, most organisations are still trying to keep their change programmes and core functions on track. While it’s important to move to a future state, I’m also thinking about how we keep our head above water with all this change” said Sonia Irwin, founder of Convergence Australia.

Sonia Irwin, through her start-up consultancy, Redgrass Communications and her creative work Convergence 2016, has a wealth of experience in tackling large change management programmes.

Sonia is now focused on creating conversations on optimising organisational change through educational events, networks, and strategic change and marketing advice to both government

agencies and businesses nationally.

“One of the things we are looking at for Convergence 2017 is how to implement change successfully when your organisation brings in consultants and contractors” said Sonia. “We’re really keen to have a conversation around this, and I am very excited with the panel line up that is forming to tackle this question.

How do you get the balance right?”

Another area of interest for Convergence is the application of both Agile and Innovation and what it means to change capable organisations. “Most recently, the local chapter of the Change Management Institute, of which I volunteer, held a fascinating discussion with David Hazlehurst, acting Deputy Secretary at Industry, Innovation and Science. One of the core messages from the event is that happy people are more likely to be innovative. It was a really good conversation around the application of Agile, being innovative while also changing the organisational culture. We are taking this conversation further at Convergence 2017, as there was so much more to talk about”.

"What we are Sonia is now seeking sponsors seeing is a range of and speakers for methodologies being Convergence 2017. co-opted to help with “What we are change, bespoke seeing is a range solutions evolving, of methodologies and some significant being co-opted to shifts in thinking help with change, bespoke solutions about how to keep people on board for evolving, and the change journey" some significant shifts in thinking about how to keep people on board for the change journey. There are also some really exciting thought pieces and technology that will be coming to market soon. Convergence will play a part about building awareness and conversations around these new ideas.”

If you are interested in speaking/ sponsoring Convergence 2017, please contact Redgrass Communications at info@redgrass.com.au.

Why use a Mortgage Broker? By Julie Peters

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hen it is time to purchase your first home, buy a new home or even refinance an existing mortgage most people head to whichever bank they already use, without any thought of using a mortgage broker. Some may never have heard of a mortgage broker while others may have heard the term but not know what a mortgage broker does, or how using a broker can benefit them.

So, what can a mortgage broker do for you that a bank lender can’t?

The biggest advantage a mortgage broker can offer you is choice – they are not tied to the offerings of one bank but instead have access to hundreds of loans offered by many different banks and financial institutions. This means you are likely to be able to negotiate a better loan through a mortgage broker than a bank lender could offer. Imagine trying to compare all those loans yourself! A mortgage broker will work with you to find the loan that best suits your needs – at no cost to you.

Your broker will also prepare all the loan paperwork, and keep in contact with the lender to make sure your loan is progressing, saving you time. Using a mortgage broker does not mean that you can’t have a loan

with your existing bank. We can work with your bank to secure the loan, complete the documentation and follow up with the bank at all stages of the approval process.

At Gillespies we go a step further – our focus is on building relationships and growing with our clients. When you approach us for your home loan our focus will be on helping you obtain the loan you need but we also look at your financial situation as a whole.

Does having a loan mean that you should have income protection or life insurance policies in place? Is there scope for salary packaging some of your mortgage costs? Do your current financial goals need reviewing to ensure you are in the best financial position for your stage of life?

Building a relationship means that as you grow and change, we will be with you. We will know your background and financial goals and be able to help you meet your needs whether that is your first home loan, refinancing, taking out life insurance, or even planning for retirement.

For all your mortgage broking needs contact Julie Peters on 6260 4994 or at julie.peters@gillespiegroup.com.au

Photo: Tim Benson

Phone: 02 6260 4994 68-70 Dundas Court Phillip ACT 2606 gillespiegroup.com.au

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7

UPFRONT

DDCS Lawyers growing partnership

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n early July, Canberra’s leading relationship lawyers proudly announced the appointment of Rebecca Tetlow as Partner of the firm. Rebecca joins founding Partners Julie Dobinson, Phil Davey, Lois Clifford and Di Simpson in leading the award winning firm.

Rebecca has been with the firm since 2012 and played an integral role in developing the firm’s Wills and Estates practice. As Canberra’s only Accredited Specialist in Wills and Estates (NSW), Rebecca’s knowledge and expertise in this area are unmatched.

Rebecca thoroughly understands the importance of providing thoughtful and considered advice, ensuring her client’s wishes are clearly planned, stated and executed.

When asked why this is important, Rebecca stated her experience has shown her there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” approach to estate planning. Rebecca explained that, “each client has a unique set of circumstances - with their own family dynamics and personal priorities and values at play. One of the aspects of my job that I enjoy the most is listening to clients about what is important to them and then working with clients to find the solution that is best for them.”

Rebecca also builds strong relationships with other professional advisors, who consistently recommend new clients to Rebecca for her expert advice. “I strongly believe in the importance of working closely with a client’s other professional advisors – such as accountants or financial advisors, to ensure that my clients get the best outcome,” she said.

Rebecca’s passion for relationship law extends to her growing practice in elder law issues, where she is currently the Chair of the ACT Law Society’s Elder Law and Succession Law Committee. Rebecca said that in her practice, she has been saddened to come across a number of instances of abuse against elderly people. “This is a troubling issue that, as a society, we are only just starting to grapple with. I want to see all members of our community, including seniors, valued and protected. I hope to contribute, in some way, by assisting with the response by law makers and the legal profession,” Rebecca said.

DDCS clients and the firm itself, will benefit from the expertise, leadership and commitment to client service excellence that Rebecca provides. As Partner, Rebecca looks

forward to contributing to and strengthening the firm’s existing legacy, particularly in the areas of Wills, Estates and Elder Law.

Rebecca Tetlow can be contacted on (02) 6212 7600 or estates@ddcslawyers.com.au 18 Kendall Lane, New Acton, Canberra phone (02) 6212 7600 mail@ddcslawyers.com.au www.ddcslawyers.com.au

SCA welcomes plans for drones to carry out building safety checks

Erik Adriaanse (FCPA) (FPS) National President and Director Strata Community Australia Limited

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he peak organisation for Australia’s $1.2 trillion strata property sector is supportive of drones being used to inspect high rise residential apartment buildings across the ACT.

But, they call on local authorities in the ACT to lay out a plan to ensure regular drone use doesn’t open the door for “peeping Toms”.

“With over 26% of the population now calling apartments and units home, drones could mean big savings for strata communities nationwide when checking on things like window safety and structural integrity storeys above the 8

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By Erik Adriaanse

ground,” Strata Community Australia “While we are comfortable that the National President, Erik Adriaanse said.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) can On the flipside, leaders say strata property regulate safety we are very clear on the fact owners must have that they cannot regulate assurances their rights “Australia’s property future privacy so we urge will not be left up in lies storeys above the ground councils to prioritise this the air with the arrival matter immediately.” so it makes sense we have of hovering recording “The question on solutions available to allow devices to city skylines. the lips of all owners savings to all owners within Strata Community will be ‘is Big Brother Australia (SCA) is the these communities” watching?’ and peak industry body managers need to help for Body Corporate and Community overcome this doubt by keeping owners Title Management in Australia. and residents informed about their “Australia’s property future lies storeys community’s day to day maintenance plan.” above the ground so it makes sense we have SCA urgers owners who are unsure about solutions available to allow savings to all the presence of a drone outside their building owners within these communities,” Erik said. to contact their manager if they feel that “This technology, paired with the right their privacy is being compromised. safety and privacy guidelines has the potential to monitor and maintain these high density areas at a more efficient level that can be achieved at the moment and we simply must support that.”

But with the proposed widespread use of drones flying among high rise buildings comes the general feeling of concern for P +6209 1504 privacy and SCA Australia supports the call M +61 418 641 988 for strict guidelines to be placed on their use. www.stratacommunity.org.au

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PROFILE

SME Gateway – the intermediary for SMEs and Government

Photo: Kasra Yousefi

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s CEO of SME Gateway, Stuart Althaus, runs an organisation that that has completed over $180 million in client projects for Government and Defence clients, and has access to over 320 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and more than 4,800 professional service providers.

SME Gateway is a Tier 1 Australian Prime Contractor with a fully collaborative SME delivery structure that overcomes the key issues of risk associated with single organisation capability, proven track record, multiple skills resourcing, internal controls and management of resource delivery and a single point of contact and contractual responsibility for clients.

“We provide an organisational approach to the provision of project delivery, professional technical services and practitioners to Government by Australian SME companies.

We are not a labour hire organisation but an independent Prime providing true capability and management through our SME companies and taking responsibility for tasks and task outcomes,” Stuart explained.

Stuart is an experienced CEO, Senior Executive and Company Director specialising in Information Communications Technology (ICT) and strategy. His career commenced as an Army Officer and continues on after 38 years as an active Army Reservist working in Army Headquarters. Stuart’s 10

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background has spanned successful and large international and domestic projects and covers many areas of program and portfolio management, technical project management, procurement, governance and business process redevelopment. He is also involved with a number of Boards including Karralika, a Canberra based drug and alcohol rehabilitation organisation.

“I am proud to be leading a team at SME Gateway that is responsible for providing access to some 15 panels providing business for well over 300 SMEs across Australia.”

SME Gateway currently has active projects providing a wide range of capability including Professional Engineers, Project Management, ILS, ICT and general support services to Defence and Government agencies both State and Federal.

The skills and experience of the capability provided by SMEG Member companies range from domain experts, doctorates, in-depth government and commercial experience resources, to junior recently qualified personnel.

“This range of capability and experience allows us to provide our client with the full range of assistance from strategic/ policy development to individual or team support personnel,” Stuart outlined.

SME Gateway has extensive experience with Commonwealth public sector

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clients in strategic planning, business planning, workshop facilitation, change management, communications and procurement processes across the many areas of the member organisations.

Stuart said It is an exciting time to be working with Government both inside and outside Defence. “Defence is in a process of enormous change and we are placed exceptionally well to be able to service the many requirements that are coming from within noting FPR, the movements of the various capability groups and also the large procurement projects under way.”

SME Gateway has steadily grown over the past 12 years with a significant increase in membership and revenue in the last 12 months. It was Initially established as a cooperative, and has now morphed into a highly recognised organisation that allows for quality allocation of resources, tender responses and value for money.

“We are largely reliant on the expertise of our member organisation. To that end, we recently established a member Advisory Board from which we take input directly and apply it to the operational requirements.”

SME Gateway has recently undergone a major change in staff, infrastructure and systems. “The team environment at SME Gateway is extraordinary and whilst it has been relatively difficult during this process of transition, the team dynamics has been nothing short of fantastic,” Stuart said proudly.

Stuart said the support from the parent group, FTS, has also been invaluable providing guidance, governance and strategic development throughout. This relationship provides SME Gateway with a range of support that would not necessarily be part of a standalone organisation.

“We intend to continue to grow and provide exemplary service to both our members and Departments and Government Agencies,” Stuart concluded.

Stuart is a cycling tragic who enjoys travelling and photography. Stuart lives in Canberra with his partner Adrienne and has two adult children one of whom is has followed his father’s career in the Army.

SME Gateway Pty Ltd P: +61 2 6295 7111 M: +61 411 883 203 Office Suite 101A, First Floor, Riverside Plaza, 131 Monaro Street, Queanbeyan NSW 2620 www.smegateway.com.au

F E AT U R E

Cyber is the FIFTH DOMAIN of conflict after land, sea, air and space

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rowing up in a rough neighbourhood in Adelaide’s west, Matt Wilcox, founder of cyber security company Fifth Domain, formed the belief that standing-up for oneself was a necessity and a right.

Today, Matt has built a company based on that belief. He founded Fifth Domain after years of working for the Federal Government in cyber security.

“I realised the cyber security problem is too large to be tackled by the authorities alone. Instead, individuals and organisations must take responsibility to defend themselves against cyber intrusions, if not for their own sake, then the sake of Australia’s collective interests,” Matt stated.

The boom in the cyber security market corresponds to the increasing cost of cyber-attacks.

“The global annual spend on cyber security is expected to double in the next five years from $100B to $200B,” Matt said.

Investment is being made to counter the costs associated with a data breach - business disruption, reputation harm, remediation fees and now emerging regulatory penalties.

Think-tank Ponemon Institute puts the average cost of a data breach in Australia at roughly $168 per compromised record (information identifying an individual that is destroyed or stolen), and the average number of compromised records per breach at 19,663.

These potential costs are justifying the current growth in cyber security spending.

drafted the Notification of Serious Data Breach – Privacy Act amendment that will require any business with an annual turnover of greater than $3Million – or any organisation that provides a health service, brokers personal information, or holds credit information – to report a serious data breach of personal privacy to the Privacy Commissioner and individuals to whom the data breach relates. This sends a strong signal to the Australian public that cyber security is a serious issue requiring everyone’s vigilance.

“The problem for SMEs is that they do not have the budget nor in-house expertise to implement expensive and extensive cyber security solutions,” Matt said.

Often SME resources such as technology and staff are focussed towards delivering core-business outcomes and not cyber security. Nor are highend cyber security technologies and professional expertise suitable or within

In April this year, Prime Minister Turnball presented the National Cyber Security Strategy, encouraging ASX100 companies to conduct a cyber health-check in order to understand their security status ... but 77% of all cyber-crime is targeted against SMEs. “Cyber security is a much as problem for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) as it is big business,” Matt outlined.

In April this year, Prime Minister Turnbull presented the National Cyber Security Strategy, encouraging ASX100 companies to conduct a cyber health-check in order to understand their security status, an important pre-requisite before signing up to cyber insurance. But research by cyber security giant FireEye shows that 77% of all cyber-crime is targeted against SMEs. Hacker motivation is that SMEs have more digital assets to target than an individual consumer has, but less security than a larger enterprise.

In addition, the Federal Government has

budget for SMEs. Consequently, SMEs are stuck between being too small for the majority of existing market solutions and too large to avoid hacker attention.

Fortunately, SMEs can mitigate significant cyber risk by implementing basic cyber security measures. Measures such as encryption, staff training and incident response planning can reduce the cost of a cyber security breach by one third. Implementing these measures require a change to people and process more than technology.

“At its core, cyber security is a people problem demanding a people solution,” Matt explained.

Photo: Kasra Yousefi

Fifth Domain are a people-centric cyber security company. Fifth Domain has helped organisations achieve mature cyber security postures with minimal changes to technology and instead focussed on staff awareness and training to use technology more securely.

Fifth Domain’s Cyber Security Coaching Services are a hybrid of traditional consulting and training. After conducting a Cyber Security Health Check of your business, Fifth Domain can help coach your staff replace bad security habits with good, so that cyber security becomes part of your workplace culture. After all, for the foreseeable future the most powerful technology in the cyber battle will continue to be the human mind.

Fifth Domain wants to learn about your business. If you would like to learn more about cyber security coaching for your business then send an email to info@fifthdomain.com.au

T: (02) 6045 9024 13 East Row, Canberra ACT 2601 fifthdomain.com.au

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F E AT U R E

Canberra region job market update -

On the rise!

By Simon Cox

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anberra has seen an increasingly buoyant employment market strengthening throughout the 2016 financial year with continued growth in most corporate areas. The return to form of Government recruitment activity since the beginning of the 2015 financial year has been substantial. Whilst the Government recruitment market has switched on in the typically rapid ‘tap on - tap off’ style they are renowned for, the private sector has been steadily improving and there are very positive signs for the year ahead.

Let’s break down the facts and have a look at some numbers…..

National Outlook Growth in jobs advertised are up 7.8% on last year across all industries and states (SEEK Employment trends, May 2016), despite significant drops in mining and related employment in WA. Overall, unemployment has a slow trend down (ABS, July 2016) but is only slightly down on the same time last year despite positive hiring activity particularly in the corporate sector.

But the big news from SEEK is that

impacted overall job advertising, which is up 25% in the ACT (SEEK, 2016).

As the market gained momentum through the last financial year, we observed there has been a broadening of the types of opportunities available. Private sector activity has been increasingly positive and much of this work has been new permanent hires.

Whilst the Government recruitment market has switched on in the typically rapid ‘tap on - tap off’ style they are renowned for, the private sector has been steadily improving and there are very positive signs for the year ahead.

Government job advertising is up a massive 52% on May last year (SEEK Employment trends, May 2016), and naturally this has a huge impact on our region. ABS job vacancy surveys indicate an overall increase of 8.4% on last year including a massive 26.2% increase in Government job vacancies (ABS, May 2016).

Business confidence also appears to be on the rise with a recent SEEK survey finding 70% of employers anticipate increasing business activity in the next year. Accordingly, these employers are looking at their staff capacity with: • 40% of organisations to increase permanent headcount this FY, compared with 20% last FY • 21% of organisations plan to increase their temporary/contract staff headcount Our Region To repeat, the big news is Government has turned it on with job advertising up 52% nationally from May last year. This has 12

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Additionally, whilst the majority of our work continues to be specialist recruitment in niche technical areas, there is considerably more work in broader, non-specific work areas. Key areas of growth include: • General Administration and Corporate Support • Procurement and Contract Management • Program, Project and Policy support/administration • Project Management, Project Delivery Some other key highlights include: • Consulting firms locally confirm reaching record numbers with EY above 300 staff locally and the fastest growing firm in Canberra, Synergy, hitting 130+ in record time.

• Our busy scribing desk received 250% more work than the previous financial year….A clear indicator of the increased permanent hiring in Government • The election caretaker period had the smallest impact ever, potentially

B2B M AGA Z I N E.CO M . AU

because it occurred in June/July – Canberra’s busiest time for recruitment.

Where to from here?

Our view is that activity stimulates new activity. With recruitment activity plus business confidence on the rise, Canberra will continue to see steadily increasing recruitment activity throughout the financial year. We will also start to see significant talent shortages in not only all the usual technical niche areas, but spreading into mainstream recruitment as well.

Potential hitches?

The only potential hitches are: • Short term hiring freezes in Government through the post-election shuffling of Minister chairs (e.g. the Department of Immigration and Border Protection has just announced an immediate hiring freeze on all staff) • Further trimming of APS numbers through merging organisations and targeted job cuts.

• The ACT Government election may have an impact on overall business activity for a short period around this time

Sourcing talent is a science, not a sales game

Please contact Simon Cox Director at HorizonOne Recruitment on 02 6108 4878 or simon@horizonone.com.au Level 1, 27 Torrens Street, Braddon www.horizonone.com.au

F E AT U R E

Business remains bullish amid political and economic uncertainty RSM thinkBIG 2016 survey reveals challenges and strengths for Australian SMEs

G

rowth predictions by the small to medium sized business sector are surprisingly bullish in a year that has been riddled with political change, creating uncertainty for many business owners, according to RSM Australia’s thinkBIG 2016 findings. thinkBIG found that 69 % of business owners expect to grow in the next 12 months. This compares with 68 % of business owners who anticipated growth in 2015 and 64 % in 2014.

Further, 49 % of SME owners reported actual growth over the last 12 months, which is in line with 2015 and up 3 % from 2014.

At the other end of the spectrum, 20 % reported a decline in revenue, up from 16 % in 2015 and in line with 20 % in 2014.

A strong sales pipeline is the biggest contributing factor to optimism with 46 % of businesses reporting an

Expected business growth up from 64 % (2014), 68% (2015) to 69% (2016) increase in their pipeline. However, this does not account for all of the businesses that anticipate growth.

Andrew Sykes, partner of business advisory, RSM Australia, said, “The survey results demonstrate that, while many companies can forecast growth, only those with strong business fundamentals “Overall, these growth in place can actually deliver predictions are more that growth. In 2015, 68 % of respondents predicted growth bullish than expected. over the next 12 months but, This is probably being a year on, we can see that only 49 % actually achieved it. driven by the low“Overall, these growth yield, low-interest predictions are more bullish than expected. This is probably rate environments being driven by the low-yield, globally, which mean low-interest rate environments globally, which mean that that businesses can businesses can borrow to borrow to expand expand with a very low cost of servicing the debt.” with a very low cost of When it comes to servicing the debt.” business funding, cash 14

B 2 B I S S U E 11 8

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F E AT U R E

"thinkBIG has measured the pulse of the Australian SME sector since 2005. It benchmarks business growth, business planning, exit planning, superannuation and the impact and uptake of technology. Over 350 business owners participated in the 2016 study, providing insights into how Australian SMEs feel about their business and what keeps them awake at night." is still king for more than three quarters of businesses, with 77 % planning to fund their business through cash flow. Bank debt has increased, with 29 % of businesses funding operations through debt this year compared with 22 % in 2015. Slightly fewer businesses choose to reinvest profits to fund the business.

Andrew said, “In some sectors trading banks are winding back their lending for the moment, often demanding property as collateral. This is inhibiting expansion for businesses that don’t have strong fundamentals, and 17 % of business owners expressed concern about access to capital.

“Additionally, the skills gap continues to be a barrier to growth for 35 % of businesses, followed by management time (33 %) and lack of market opportunity (25 %).”

Despite the challenges, business owners remain optimistic about their prospects for growth and 84 % say they agree or strongly agree that their business is successful.

Andrew said, “The most recent Federal Budget has delivered some proposed benefits for the business sector, most notably the accelerated deduction for investment in plant and equipment. However, without a shift in personal tax rates, the changing corporate tax rate is just a cash deferral mechanism rather than an outright saving for business owners.

On the positive side, some 90,000 businesses will be added to the sector grouping thanks to the increased turnover threshold from $2 million to $10 million annually. And three million businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million now qualify for special relief.”

You’re invited!

thinkBIG Business Seminar For further insights and analysis please come along to our interactive thinkBIG presentation.

For more information, contact Emma Molloy on Emma.molloy@rsm.com.au or call 02 6217 0350.

Download your copy To download a full copy of the report, head to: rsm.com.au/thinkbig thinkBIG has measured the pulse of the Australian SME sector since 2005. It benchmarks business growth, business planning, exit planning, superannuation and the impact and uptake of technology. Over 350 business owners participated in the 2016 study, providing insights into how Australian SMEs feel about their business and what keeps them awake at night.

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B 2 B I S S U E 11 8

15

t a h t s a e d i s s e n i Bus h t r a e e h t t s o c t ’ n do RE VENTION CENT N O C L A N IO T A N

PTEMBER 2016 THURSDAY 1 SE

10AM - 6PM

FRE E EV ENT

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND

WORKSHOPS

Join Canberra’s business community at this dynamic and unique event. Come along for free and enjoy the following benefits:

Free workshops include topics on key industry challenges and the latest industry trends.

• See the latest products and find the right sustainable solutions for your business • Get up-to-date with best practice, standards and corporate responsibility • Discuss your needs with the Actsmart team • Save time and money

THE MAIN STAGE The Canberra Business Chamber Main Stage will provide interactive interviews and speakers throughout the day.

NETWORKING FUNCTION Register your attendance at the free networking event being held 4pm-6pm to talk to exhibitors, environmental professionals and for your chance to win an iPad. Light refreshments will be provided.

Pre-registrations close COB 30 August 2016.

Visit actsmart.act.gov.au for further information and to register for the Expo, workshops and/or the networking event.

Featuring guest speaker Barry Du Bois Star of the Ten Network’s The Living Room

and Register y n attend a for ent Expo ev to e a chanc d a win an iP

m a r g o r p p Worksho

RE VENTION CENT N O C L A N IO T A N

PTEMBER 2016 THURSDAY 1 SE

10AM - 6PM

TIME

WORKSHOP

DESCRIPTION

11:00am – 11.30am

Energy and water rebates for small businesses

Find out how you can join more than 500 businesses in the ACT that are benefiting from reduced energy and water bills. This workshop will draw on case studies and provide plenty of tips to improve your energy and water efficiency. The Program offers rebates of up to $5000 to eligible businesses.

11.45am – 12.15pm

Implementing an organics collection system in the workplace

Organics are a large component of many businesses’ waste.

This workshop will highlight the importance of actively engaging your business in the introduction and maintenance of a food organics recovery service.

12.30pm – 1.00pm

Meet the champions – Q&A with Actsmart Business award winners

Get up close and personal with winners of Actsmart Sustainability Awards and hear how they implemented changes to their business or event.

2.00pm – 2.30pm

Online tools for sustainability

This workshop will showcase the free online tools that are available to your business and the community to help you to be more sustainable and save money.

2.45pm – 3.15pm

Solar for businesses

Explore solar options for your business and have your questions answered by experts and business representatives.

Hear about: • Configuration and installation options • Emerging technologies and trends • Financing options for solar investment • How solar can benefit your business

3.30pm – 4.00pm

Solar battery storage for homes and small businesses

The ACT is leading the world on renewable energy. We’re making energy smarter through battery storage, ‘the next big thing’ in supplying renewable energy. Find out how your business or home can get involved in the largest roll out of batteries in the world (outside of Germany) in this workshop.

4.00pm-6.00pm

Networking

Register your attendance at the networking event to talk to exhibitors, environmental professionals and for your chance to win an iPad. Light refreshments provided.

To register your attendance to one or more of the workshops go to actsmart.act.gov.au and follow the prompts. Pre-registrations close COB 30 August 2016.

actsmart.act.gov.au

kasra.com.au -16-2

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ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference

Drones,Droids and Robots Tuesday, 23 August 2016, National Convention Centre #acscancon @acscanberra

Photo: Supplied

Photo: ACS

Dr. Tim Turner Chairman of ACS Canberra

Design: B2B Magazine

Anthony Wong President of ACS

“Danger, Will Robinson! Danger! Danger!”

Not exactly my first memory of a robot (I think the Daleks have that honour), but perhaps my first memory of a robot helping a human out.

Or was it Rosie, the house maid in the Jetsons?

Anyway, the idea of helpful robot servants has been around for a long time! The theme for this year’s ACS Canberra Branch Annual Conference is “Drones, Droids, and Robots”, which we’ve adopted from the National Science Week theme.

We’ve compiled a list of great speakers who are going to talk about how robots, automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence will be influencing our work and professional lives now and into the future.

Within the conference we’ll look at questions like: what should we be teaching our children

about what it means to work? How is leadership changed by an automated and possibly autonomous workforce? What issues must we consider when attempting to build systems that are expected to run unsupervised?

Our gala conference dinner will be worth staying on for too. We’ll be hearing from our Chief Minister and also recognising the significant and special contributions that have been made by IT professionals in the ACS in Canberra over a long period of time.

I hope that through hearing what these industry and thought leaders think about a more automated future, we will all not have to rely on our ‘friendly automaton’ protecting us as the robot in Lost In Space did for Will Robinson all those years ago.

On behalf of the ACS I would like to take this opportunity to welcome delegates to the 2016 ACS Canberra Conference. For a number of years our Canberra Branch has hosted this event which brings together delegates from all over the country to discuss issues of importance to our profession, and this year is no different.

The conference theme of Drones, Droids and Robots is fitting given the increasing prevalence of autonomous technology in society. Earlier this year I was able to attend the Consumer Electronics Show in the USA and wrote at the time that cars are rapidly becoming computers on wheels. With these developments it becomes imperative to discuss the importance of

professionalism and ethics in the technology field.

As we rely more than ever before on autonomous systems for protection, we must be assured that those professionals designing and creating systems are doing so in a manner which keeps the public interest at the forefront. As the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector the ACS has a leading role to play in promoting and defining professionalism in ICT. By attending the ACS Canberra Conference, you are indicating that you are willing to be a part of shaping the future not only of our profession, but also of our country. I want to thank you for joining us as we undertake this important work, and I look forward to meeting you at the 2016 ACS Canberra Conference.

Suites 8 - 9, Royal Life Saving House Level 1, 26 Napier Close DEAKIN ACT 2600 Telephone (02) 6143 5503 General Enquiries: acscanb@acs.org.au www.acs.org.au

Drones and robots courtesy of Greg Farrugia - Photo: Kasra Yousefi

ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference - Drones, Droids and Robots

PULL-OUT

Photo: Kasra Yousefi

Welcome messege

Programs Conference - Tuesday, 23 August 2016 Conference - Tuesday - 23 August 2016 - Drones, Droids and Robots AM

8:30

9:00

Arrival Tea & Coffee

9:00

9:05

Conference opening (Ballroom) - Conference Chair, Dr Tim Turner

9:05

9:25

Conference Address (Ballroom) - Data Fuels Innovation and the Digital Economy; But who owns and controls Data?

Anthony Wong - President, Australian Computer Society

9:25

10:15

Plenary Keynote (Ballroom) - Drones, Droids and Robots - Which one are you? Jon Cumming - Chief Digital Officer, ACT Government

10:15

10:35 Tea & Coffee Break and Exhibition (Gallery Foyer)

10:35

11:15

5 Minutes 11:20 PM

12:00

Security (Derwent Room)

Leadership (Fitzroy Room)

Education (Murray Room)

The Future of Work (Swan Room)

Data Management (Torrens Room)

Security leadership

Rise With The Machines

The art of the possible

Nano-satellites Space Constellation

Data Quality matters for machines too!

James Turner

Zoe Routh

Dr Maria Milosavijevic

Flavia Nardini

Chris Bradley

Security and Privacy in Social Media Networks

The New IT leader

STEAM the sport of robotic competitions

Drones as a service

Even drones need privacy

Ambarish Natu

Gill Savage

Chris Hamling

Mark Stevens

Glen Bell

Change over

12:00

12:40 Lunch (Gallery Foyer)

12:40

1:30

5 Minutes

1:35

2:15

5 Minutes 2:20 3:00 3:20

3:00

Plenary Keynote (Ballroom) - DDR, IWAR, HIoT – what more do you need to know?

Dr Trish Williams -CISCO Chair and Professor of Digital Health Systems, Flinders University SA Change over Professionalism (Derwent Room)

Leadership (Fitzroy Room)

Education (Murray Room)

Analysis and Design (Swan Room)

Data Management (Torrens Room)

Development of robotic mower

Soft Skills Development for professionals

Introducing Computer Science as a school subject

Requirements Enoughness

Database Design for Reference Data

Denver Bunzel

Anna Perdriau

Tim Bell

Haydn Thomas

George Mouratidis

Robots - they can’t care or repair

We’re not robots!

Female participation: Where are they?

Mystery

WTF* is Analytics

Richard Lucas

Sharyn Csanki

Dr Therese Keane

TBA

Lloyd Robinson

Change over

3:20

Tea & Coffee Break and Exhibition (Gallery Foyer)

4:00

Puzzle Out SFIA - Adapt and survive

So, you want to be a Leader? You can!!

Heart and head Canberra Girls’ Network

Agile Product Ownership and the Role of the BA

Drones as a tool for ubiquitous data collection

Louise Smith

Michael Hawkins

Su-en Williams

Mia Horrigan

Dr Alexander Hall

5 Minutes

Change over

4:05

4:55

Plenary Locknote (Ballroom) - Robotics, AI and the future of work: Public policy in the second half of the chess board Miguel Carrasco - Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group

4:55

5:15

Conference Address - Robotics and the Future of Work - Andrew Johnson - CEO, Australian Computer Society

5:15

5:30

Closing Remarks - Dr Tim Turner - Conference Chair

5:30

7:00

Cocktail reception (Gallery Foyer) - Social networking drinks

7:00

10:00 Gala Dinner - Conference Dinner Address (Ballroom) - Andrew Barr MLA, ACT Chief Minister

Post-Conference Workshops – Wednesday 24, Thursday 25 and Friday 26 August 2016, contact DAMA Management on 0414 911 923 or President.canberra@dama.org.au ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference - Drones, Droids and Robots

Conference Plan

Conference Facilities Disabled Facilities: All public areas of the Convention Centre are accessible by wheelchair. Lifts are located in the foyers and provide access to both levels of the Convention Centre, and to the top level of the car park.

Toilets: Male and female toilets, including disabled access toilets are located in the foyers on both levels of the Convention Centre.

Smoking: The National Convention Centre is a smoke free venue. Smoking is not allowed inside the building.

Wireless: Wireless Internet is available free to conference delegates

Streams Overall Theme The conference theme of Drones, Droids and Robots is drawn from National Science Week. It’s application to our conference focuses on drones, droids and robots and also wraps up ideas like automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence, sensors and the internet of things, the data that arises from those sensors and autonomous machines and its analysis. We also explore the ethical issues around machine learned decision making and the behavior of autonomous machines.

The streams that arise within this broad scope are: • Security – to what extent can we rely on automated/autonomous machines for security and what threats to autonomous/ automated machines pose to our IT infrastructure?

• Professionalism – what are the ethics of setting autonomous machines to participate actively in our society?

• The Future of Work – how will our jobs change as machines and autonomous software agents perform more and more of the ‘routine’ elements of all jobs?

• Analysis and Design – to what extent are classical methods of understanding requirements for (work) systems changed by the introduction of automated entities in the workforce/work systems?

• Data management– automatons and sensors generate unimaginable amounts of data constantly.

How do we cope with that data burden?

• Leadership – Are we heading to a future where teams of people are led by robots/autonomous entities?

• Education – how can drones, droids, and robots be used as a part of the educational process? What do people need to know to be able to create, maintain, use and optimize the exploitation of (autonomous) drones, droids and robots?

Photo: Kasra Yousefi

ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference - Drones, Droids and Robots

Sponsors - Gold

Callida Consulting is a rapidly growing Canberra-based consultancy firm with over 60 experienced consultants dedicated to providing independent and professional services to the public sector in the areas of ICT consulting, financial management, assurance and audit, and management consulting.

Our success is underpinned by our corporate values that enable us to focus on delivering quality outcomes for our clients and developing and supporting our consultants.

We have assisted a number of agencies to measurably increase value from their ICT investment, and to manage the change associated with ICT-enabled projects.

As a Department of Defence employee you will enjoy experiences that, as a civilian, you simply wouldn’t find with any other organisation. You will work with a diverse group of women and men who are dedicated to protecting Australia and our national interests, carrying out work that has true purpose. We offer opportunities for work across the career spectrum including graduate, internship, cadetship, traineeship, undergraduate sponsorship and work experience placements. See our website for more information http://www.defence.gov.au/graduates/

Sponsors - Silver Education Services Australia (ESA) is a not-for-profit company owned by all Australian Education ministers. ESA develops shares and deploys nationally-owned education infrastructure and resources on behalf of ministers, and provides technology based services to school, higher education, and vocational education and training sectors.

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Take your career to the next level with IT training from Canberra Institute of Technology, the region's premier and largest vocational education and training provider. CIT offers courses for all skill levels in areas including software development, games programming, systems analysis and design, testing, networking, cyber security and CISCO certification.

UNSW has been proudly educating the future leaders of the Australian Defence Force here in Canberra for half a century. UNSW Canberra is a multidisciplinary college with undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs and research available in Business, Management, IT, Engineering, Humanities, Science and other areas.

The Research School of Computer Science at ANU believes in the power of computing technologies to help solve diverse problems and transform industries. Our education and research programs combine knowledge and understanding of computer science and technology alongside experiential learning. Students are accredited through the ACS upon graduation.

The University of Canberra is a high-growth, emerging university that values innovation and collaboration. It is a university with a global focus and strong international links, including partnerships with universities around the world. The University has strong emphasis on work-integrated learning and produces some of the country’s most employable graduates.

Exhibition booth

SME

ACS Canberra Branch 2016 Annual Conference - Drones, Droids and Robots

F E AT U R E

Braddon’s Black Sheep

bucking the trend

By Tim Benson

Photo: Michelle Kroll

S

haun O’Brien, chef, entrepreneur and founder of Black Sheep Bar & Grill in Braddon is not very trendy ...

Traditionally a ‘black sheep’ is an outcast and a pariah.

Shaun has deliberately decided to stand out from the flock by not following fads and trends in the hospitality industry.

Shaun brings nearly 20 years’ experience in hospitality and as an entrepreneur, to the Black Sheep Bar & Grill in Braddon.

“Canberra has become too focused on trends. The problem with trends is that they come and go. The Black Sheep has no theme or trend but a goal of maintaining high levels of service and good quality food

"Not being tied down gives us the freedom to follow our inspirations. We aren’t tied to styles or themes. We have the freedom to adapt to new technologies and styles" and beverages,” Shaun said.

Shaun says the new Bar & Grill hasn’t laid down a strong theme but has focused on food and drink they are proud to be associated with.

He also says the label ‘modern Australian’ gets used too liberally.

“We could be called ‘modern Australian’ – for me ‘modern Australian’ is a rich tapestry of cultures and food and in that there isn’t one particular trend. I don’t want to be tied down to one particular thing. We don’t aim

Photo: Michelle Kroll

24

B 2 B I S S U E 11 8

B2B M AGA Z I N E.CO M . AU

to do everything, but the things we do we aim to do them the best we can,” Shaun explained.

“Not being tied down gives us the freedom to follow our inspirations. We aren’t tied to styles or themes. We have the freedom to adapt to new technologies and styles.”

One example of this on the menu is the Savoury Pork Brûlée.

A ‘brûlée’ is traditionally a dessert.

But Shaun is doing it with Pulled pork – braised for 12 hours. The Juices become the cream and then caramelised sugar is put on top.

Shaun is an experienced chef but started as a kitchenhand and has worked in small restaurants to large hotels.

He started his apprenticeship at Gus’s Café in Civic.

“Steve and Janice set my foundations for business and cooking,” Shaun said.

“They were a massive inspiration. The biggest things I learned from them were to hard work and foster a good team culture.”

Shaun believes that If you are going to do something then

you should do it properly.

“I believe that you can achieve amazing results if you have the right people around you.”

Shaun is returning to hospitality after a five-year break. During that time he experimented in online marketing.

Mainly online retail fashion.

“I built up a couple of online retail stores and sold them as ongoing concern. There is a lot that goes into it. When it comes to online marketing there is a lot that goes into it to make it look easy,” Shaun explained.

Shaun’s goal, with the Black Sheep Bar and Grill, is to establish a fun environment for people to hang out and relax - and this extends to his team.

“A passion for me is training and upskilling the people that I have on board. When people come onboard I try and find out what makes them tick.

I believe that if they prosper in their endeavours then we both benefit. Whether this aligns with a competitive hospitality environment, I’m not sure,” Shaun laughed.

F E AT U R E

Photo: Kasra Yousefi

Photo: Michelle Kroll

Photo: Michelle Kroll

"There has been a bit of a gin resurgence. We have a variety of gins showcasing local distilleries"

"The food is modern Australian. The grill is extensive. One exciting menu item are the Cape York ribs – Cape York Ribs and a jug for $20 – with our special Black Sheep BBQ sauce" Black Sheep Bar & Grill in Braddon is open from 11am everyday till late Monday to Friday with the kitchen closing at 9.30pm. They are open for breakfast at 8.30am on weekends.

The bar has a gin focused menu showcasing local distilleries and hosting live music on Friday and Saturday nights, and tap beer for lazy Sunday afternoon sessions.

“There has been a bit of a gin resurgence. We have a variety of gins showcasing local distilleries,” Shaun said.

Shaun says the food is harder to define.

“The food is modern Australian.

The grill is extensive. One exciting menu item are the Cape York ribs – Cape York Ribs and a jug for $20 – with our special Black Sheep BBQ sauce,” Shaun announced.

“We also do handmade desserts.

The one we are proudest of at present is the ‘Sweets Board’.”

Shaun says the Black Sheep Bar & Grill is a real family affair.

“I want to thank my family and the rest of the team for all

their support and hard work. I particularly want to thank my brother-in-law Tim, my mum, my sister Kelsy and special thanks to Ben Marshall and Thea Harper from Bare Artefacts” Shaun reflected.

The Black Sheep Bar & Grill in Braddon is open for business.

“You can come here as a destination for a drink or for dinner or hang out with your friends having coffee and cake,” Shaun concluded.

B2B M AGA Z I N E.CO M . AU

From left to right: Ben Marshall, Eddy Marshall and Shaun O’Brien

The Black Sheep Shaun OBrien 02 6257 8990 132/24 Lonsdale Street www.braddonsblacksheep.com.au B 2 B I S S U E 11 8

25

ADVICE ACCOUNTING

27

Misleading conduct on social media

BOOKKEEPING

27

The “love” story between accountants and bookkeepers

BUSINESS LAW

28

Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements – four quick tips

by Andrew Sykes, RSM

by Harry Hoang, Tailored Accounts

by Mark Love, Bradley Allen Love Lawyers

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY 28

The business of adapting to climate change

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

29

7 Tips for Improving Your Cash Flow

CYBER SECURITY

29

Ensure the right person is steering your security program

by the Actsmart team, Actsmart business recycling. energy. water.

by Jane Lombard, Fifo Capital

by Ken Hendrie, Cordelta

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 30

International Trade and Intellectual Property

RECRUITMENT

30

Voluntary staff turnover rises – what’s making them go?

STRATA MANAGEMENT

31

Survive the winter blues (and mould!)

WEBSITES

31

How to WOW your customers?

by Shaun Creighton, Arete Group / Moulis Legal

by Jim Roy, Hays Recruitment Experts Worldwide

by Chris Miller, Vantage Strata

by Sam Gupta, Synapse Worldwide

ACCOUNTING

BOOKKEEPING

by Harry Hoang

by Andrew Sykes

Misleading conduct on social media Businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on social media as a marketing tool and way to interact with existing and potential customers.

Although social media draws many benefits for businesses and customers alike, it needs to be treated like traditional forms of advertising in that comments and Business owners are accountable opinions are not false, misleading for the posts and public or deceptive. Importantly, business owners are responsible comments made by others on for the content on their pages, irrespective of who published it. their social media pages.

Consumer protection laws apply to social media in the same way they apply to any other marketing activities.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) may require businesses to substantiate any claims that may be false, misleading or deceptive on their social media pages.

To avoid breaching any consumer protection laws, business owners should consider the following: Do not allow misleading claims in comments Business owners are accountable for the posts and public comments made by others on their social media pages. Therefore, it is your business’s responsibility to monitor comments to ensure they are not false or likely to mislead and deceive consumers.

Monitor social media accounts The amount of time you dedicate to monitoring your social media will depend on the size of your business and the amount of followers you have.

Consider establishing ‘house rules’ or a Social Media Policy that applies to the behaviour expected from your staff and social media followers. Ensure it is featured prominently on your page and available internally. Followers who breach any of these rules should be blocked from your page.

Responding to misleading comments Businesses can choose to respond to false or misleading comments instead of removing them but it may not override the false impression made by the original comments. In most cases, it is safer to remove these types of comments as soon as you become aware of them.

While it is important to be aware of any potential risks of utilising social media and to have a Social Media Policy in place, there are many benefits to online marketing platforms and tools. Such as the ability to quickly develop, target, execute and analyse your own digital campaigns.

As the costs are more affordable and the nature of social media marketing allows you to make changes as you adapt to realtime customer intelligence it can, not only keep you on par with competitors, but can enable you to compete with industry leaders.

At RSM, we understand change can seem overwhelming and we are more than happy to answer any questions you may have around how to best harness the power of social media for your particular business needs.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Andrew Sykes, Director of Business Advisory at RSM, on andrew.sykes@rsm.com.au or call 02 6217 0333.

The “love” story between accountants and bookkeepers Most people assume that bookkeepers and accountantsget along very well. The reality, however, is they tend not to share a lot of information with oneanother.Bookkeepers and accountants should dance around with each other to realise the best possible outcomes for their clients. But why are such harmonious and effective relationshipshard to achieve most of the time?

Many bookkeepers limit their job scopes to bookkeeping, so they prepare the books their way and hand them over to the accountants who will “fix them”. At the same time, many accounting firms don’t equip their staff with various software skills which can help with identifying and solving issues. The lack of communication is another issue. We have had clients who had to act as intermediaries between their accountantsandus.

One of my clients sent us a long e-mail to explain, on behalf of his accountant, the issues with his books. Several back-and-forth e-mails ensued such thatwe realised that it would have been more efficient if his accountant had communicated with us directly. Our client subsequently invited us to his year-end meeting with his accountant and what was initially an “issue”turned out to be a matter of miscommunication.

Many relationships between bookkeepers and accountants aren’t strong because both parties are not familiar with one another, and most importantly, there is a lack of trust. Here are my tips on ways to strengthen the bookkeeper-accountant relationship: 1. Keep the roles of accountants and bookkeepers separate.

If there are overlaps, a lack of clarity will result; 2. Maintain regular communication. Clients should organise joint meetingswith both their bookkeepers and accountants at the start, middle and end of the financial year; 3. Work towards the best interest of the client by using best practices, being upfront about the pros and cons of each software, and tailor solutions to fit the client’s business environment; 4. Plan ahead so that all parties are less stressed when deadlines approach.

Aim for a year-end tax preparation by April so that you leave enough room to make adjustmentstoyour clients’ accounts before 30 June; 5. Lastly, sharing is caring. All of us have limited time and skills, so let’s work with one another. We often invite experienced accountants to facilitate training and workshopsfor our staff on different topics such as tax accounting. In return, we send our Xero experts to other accounting practices to update their staff on new software features.

At Tailored Accounts, we build strong, serious, and sustainable relationshipsamong our clients, our clients’ stakeholders and us.

We live in a sharing economy, so let’s work towards a successful marriage between bookkeepers and accountants!

Harry Hoang is CEO of Tailored Accounts "The Accounts Department of Small and Medium Business" www.tailoredaccounts.com.au

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BUSINESS LAW

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY

by Mark Love

Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements – four quick tips These days, information is can be the most valuable asset a business can own – so how do you protect it when entering into a new business partnership? Confidentiality or Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) are used in a wide variety of business relationships, where protection of one or both sides’ confidential information is essential, whether it’s customer and contact lists, design concepts or logo material, employee data or the protection of non-patented inventions being presented to a manufacturer or new investor.

Here are four quick tips to keep in mind when crafting an NDA for your business.

1. Define the confidential information appropriately Your first question should be what information needs to be protected?

The key to a successful and enforceable NDA is an accurate and comprehensive definition of what information is confidential and covered by the agreement. If you are intending to “open your books” then it should be an exhaustive definition that covers all business information disclosed in the course of negotiations, the relationship or for the purpose of the collaboration. Without a definition, you may have difficulty enforcing the parameters of the NDA in a later dispute.

2. Permitted purpose You should specify the purpose for which the confidential information is being disclosed and can be used. This will limit the recipient’s use of the confidential information to that prescribed purpose. Any other use for any ulterior purpose will be a breach of the agreement, with liability consequences.

3. Disclosure to employees If you are disclosing information to a company or entity, then the information will often need to be shared with the directors and/or employees of that entity. An NDA can ensure that the original recipient is held responsible for the actions of their employees and others in possession of the confidential information and place limits on who can receive the information, minimising the potential distribution of your confidential information.

4. End of the agreement Consider the “end-game” – NDAs should make clear what happens to the information at the end of the business relationship, whether this occurs upon the expiry of a fixed term on a certain date, or when certain conditions are met. Details to cover here include the return or destruction of any confidential information still in the possession of the recipient and a continuing obligation to not disclose.

The above tips are designed to minimise the risk of your confidential information being released to the general public and to give certainty to the contracting parties. If you are considering a business collaboration or commercial joint venture, we recommend that you seek professional advice on whether an NDA is an appropriate mechanism to protect your information.

Mark Love, Legal Director, Business Law 9th Floor, Canberra House, 40 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra ACT 2601 E: mark.love@ballawyers.com.au T: 02 6274 0810 | www.ballawyers.com.au

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by the Actsmart team

The business of adapting to climate change As a business, is it worth checking out how your business can get climate ready? Getting climate ready includes reducing your energy use, energy costs and training staff to build resilience to climate change.

It is worth checking out what the Government has on offer to help you adapt. This includes free, easy-to-use resources, tools and ideas. It includes access to technical experts who will visit your business on site and assess ways you can become more sustainable, with many changes potentially no or low-cost. Free workshops are also available.

Our local government is a leader with climate change. Not only a leader locally and nationally, but internationally. Its climate change work is bold because climate change requires ambitious and innovative solutions. Right now.

But is climate change the sole responsibility of government? The reality is that businesses have an important role to play in helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is everyone’s responsibility—at work, at home and in the community.

Despite progress towards its ambitious and legislated targets, the ACT Government needs to ramp up efforts to reduce long-term greenhouse gas emissions, in part because of the high level of historic greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. And we need to work together to build resilience to the increasing warming trend that will continue for decades, causing even more extreme weather and variability in our climate.

The facts are indisputable.

A recent World Meteorological Organization report suggests, for example, that 2015 was the hottest year globally on record, with temperatures 1˚C above pre-industrial levels and 0.76˚C above the 1960–1990 average.

Our own experience in Canberra is further direct evidence that our weather patterns are increasingly variable and unpredictable: 1. January 2016 was our wettest in 20 years, with almost double our average rainfall.

2. While we had our coolest January day since 1995, temperatures were still above average, with six days reaching at least 35˚C. 3. Above-average temperatures extended into February, March and April.

4. In June the Bureau of Meteorology reported that we had just recorded our warmest autumn on record.

To enable the Canberra community to adapt to these unavoidable changes, the ACT Government is preparing the ACT Climate Change Adaptation Strategy: Living with a Warming Climate. It has 22 actions to help us adapt to current and future climate change challenges. It identifies priorities and coordinates our work so we build resilience.

While Canberra is kicking big goals with climate change, this does not mean we can be complacent. We need to keep moving forward, together.

We live in a beautiful city—a city that has been ranked more than once as the best place in the world to live. Let’s keep it that way.

For more information on the draft ACT Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and to find out what you can do to take action, visit www.environment.act.gov.au or www.actsmart.act.gov.au.

For more tips, information and resources visit the Actsmart Sustainability Hub (actsmart.act.gov.au) and follow us on: Facebook: Actsmart – Canberra Twitter: @SustainableCBR Contact number:13 22 81 Email: actsmart@act.gov.au Actsmart – helping your business make changes for a sustainable future.

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CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

CYBER SECURITY

by Jane Lombard

7 tips for improving your cash flow They say cash is king. Find out how to give yours the royal treatment.

There’s a golden rule in business you’d be smart to learn now: No matter how much you sell, if you don’t collect the money, you’re going to go out of business. As business owners, we often get so wrapped up in selling our products and services that we forget to take the time to ensure we’re managing our cash flow and receiving the money for those sales. But when it comes to your bottom line, you’d be wrong to simply focus on total sales dollars: You also need to focus on the cash collection of those sales.

Which is where Fifo Capital has made all the difference.

To help get that money in the door, here are seven tips for improving your cash flow: 1. Require a down payment on projects so that your As business owners, we often customers fund the project, not you. get so wrapped up in selling 2. Set your terms to be payment in full upon completion. Don’t our products and services that extend out 30 or 60 days after we forget to take the time to you’ve completed your work.

You don’t get to use your hard- ensure we’re managing our earned cash until payment is received from your clients, so cash flow and receiving the get it as soon as you can. money for those sales.

3. Negotiate terms with your vendors for 30 days or more so you have an opportunity to complete the work, bill your customers and receive payments prior to paying your vendor.

4. Have a collection process in place, and follow through. When your customers delay payments, they’re using your cash. You need to ensure that you’re being diligent in collecting from your customers.

5. Set up a line of credit at your bank that you can use in case of emergency. Often, lenders rates will be less than the late fees your vendors will charge. This line of credit will help you cover a lapse in cash flow for short periods of time.

6. Factoring of your receivables allows you to sell your receivables and get cash now instead of waiting 30 or 60 days.

7. Minimise the amount of draws you take personally from your business.

Each dollar you take from your company reduces the amount of cash flow you’ll have available for the business to grow.

Here’s one last tip: Don’t ever think you’re too busy making sales and working in your business to worry about your cash flow.

Take the time to analyse your business’s cash flow to locate - and make some small changes that will have a big impact on your cash flow.

Remember, your cash flow is not the same as your profits. You can have a profitable business, but a negative cash flow. Prepare a monthly cash flow statement to ensure that you don’t get caught unexpectedly without enough cash to handle your day-to-day operations.

If you need help preparing a cash flow statement, or for more tips on cash flow management - please contact us here...

P +61 408 226 841 E jane.lombard@fifocapital.com PO Box 3269, Weston Creek ACT 2611

by Ken Hendrie

Ensure the right person is steering your security program Cyber Security attacks are on the rise at the same time as budgets for IT programs are undergoing cost cutting and efficiency measures.

Now more than ever, businesses need to carefully consider their security expenditure to maximise the return on investment. Like any other area of the business, it is critical that the security program is in step with the overall strategy and function of the business.

To achieve this, it is important to engage a security professional that not only understands cyber security, but understands business operations and the specific objectives and functions of your organisation.

The application of cyber-security is a risk management process that primarily focuses on critical information and systems of the business as the key assets. The characterisation of what information and systems are critical, is derived from the purpose and function of the organisation.

A mature security program understands what is most If your security program does important to the business and prioritises security not align with your business expenditure based on a sound risk management and return function and objectives, you on investment approach. It is are wasting money that could this process, often neglected, that is critical to achieving be better spent elsewhere appropriate protection for your business; that is the security controls put in place match the risk appetite and tolerance of the business. The success of this approach is highly reliant on the competence and experience of the security personnel running the program.

A highly qualified and experienced security professional will help your business save money in the long term by: • Targeting your security investments towards the assets that are most important to the business; • Understanding the threat environment of your business and spending on controls that are the most efficient and effective at reducing security risk; • Implementing solutions that provide long term benefits instead of stop gap solutions; and • Implementing a security program that supports the business rather than hinder its critical functions. The sign of a good security professional is one that can create or increase business opportunities through the security program.

If your security program does not align with your business functions and objectives, you are likely wasting money that could be better spent elsewhere. Before committing to procuring individual services such as penetration testing, I highly recommend that you get a security professional to first design an appropriate security program.

Over the coming months the Cordelta security team will be providing advice on different aspects of business security.

If you would like us to cover a specific topic let us know.

Ken Hendrie, Executive Level 1, 72 Dundas Ct T 02 6162 4112 | security@cordelta.com

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

by Shaun Creighton

The Australian Financial Review recently contained two articles which highlighted the growing importance of intellectual property in international trade.

The first article was titled “China rival US as biggest wine market”. This article referred to Australian wine exporters benefitting from the free-trade agreement and the growing demand for wine among China’s middle class.

Wine exports to China are reported to have risen by 50% in the past 12 months to $419 million for the past 12 months.

The second article titled “Flying forward, once again”, detailed the story of Chinese sporting shoe brand Feiyue, including how international expansion plans have been restricted by a third party securing trade mark rights to Feiyue in France.

These articles confirm that as part of the process of importing or exporting goods, legal services may be required in relation to: • international trade considerations, including a possible need for regulatory advice and services; • intellectual property considerations, including obtaining preuse infringement advice and securing protection rights in multiple jurisdictions; and /or • commercial considerations, including drafting and negotiating suitable contractual arrangements between importers / exporters / manufacturers / distributors.

Moulis Legal is already known for expertise in international and commercial transactions.

From August 2016, Shaun Creighton of ARETE Group joins Moulis Legal as a new Partner of the firm. Shaun will bring a wealth of commercial and intellectual property law experience to the growing Moulis Legal practice, supporting Moulis Legal’s international and blue-chip client base in Australia and internationally from Canberra and Brisbane offices.

On joining Moulis Legal, Shaun Creighton commented that “commercial transactions increasingly have complex international and intellectual property considerations. Joining Moulis Legal allows us to combine our international, intellectual property and commercial law expertise. This is an excellent fit for our clients now and into the future. Personally and professionally, I am delighted be joining a progressive law firm that has outstanding people providing high quality legal services for an interesting and diverse client base”.

Moulis Legal is one of the world’s leading trade and regulatory practices, listed as one of Australia’s Top 20 law firms by Chambers and Partners in 2015, with individual lawyers ranked at the top of their profession. Founding partner Daniel Moulis is annually identified by Who’s Who Legal in its listing of the ten top trade lawyers in the world, and lawyer Alistair Bridges is presently ranked as one of Australia’s “Top 20 Associates to Watch” by Chambers and Partners.

Contact Shaun Creighton or Daniel Moulis to discuss your international trade, intellectual property or commercial legal requirements.

Shaun Creighton: (02) 6163 1000 shaun.creighton@moulislegal.com Daniel Moulis: (02) 6163 1000 daniel.moulis@moulislegal.com

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by Jim Roy

Voluntary staff turnover rises – what’s making them go?

International Trade and Intellectual Property

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RECRUITMENT

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Voluntary staff turnover has risen in 29% of organisations over the past year. That’s one of the many findings in our recently released Hays Salary Guide, which shows that just 14% of the 2,752 organisations surveyed, representing over 2.6 million If employers do not respond to employees, reported decreased current market conditions, turnover staff turnover during the past 12 months. The remaining 57% said it will continue to rise as employees stayed the same.

The increasing number of walk out the door to a role offering resignations suggests that people better career advancement, salary, are far more confident in the job market. They are aware that more benefits or work-life balance. permanent and contract roles are now on offer, and they know that demand is rising for highly-skilled professionals.

There are three key factors behind the rising staff turnover rate: 1. Confidence strengthens: Based on our survey almost two-thirds of employers (64%) experienced increased business activity over the past 12 months, with 70% expecting further increased activity in the year ahead. Staff levels are up too, with 39% increasing permanent headcount during the last 12 months – outstripping the 21% who decreased it.

2. Cost consciousness still prevails: Despite this positive activity, cost consciousness remains in vogue with 16% of employers offering no salary increases over the last year. Those employees who did receive a salary increase found that their wallets were not that much heavier. This is despite 82% of employers saying that salary and benefits have a major or significant impact on their employer brand – at a crucial time when skill shortages will make their presence felt again.

3. Employees respond to employers’ lack of action: It’s time for employers to recognise that times are changing. If employers do not respond to current market conditions, turnover will continue to rise as employees walk out the door to a role offering better career advancement, salary, benefits or work-life balance.

According to the Hays Salary Guide, projected salary increases for the year ahead are not that much better. Perhaps that’s why 41% of employees say they’ll take matters into their own hands and ask for a pay rise in their next review. Another 25% are as yet undecided about popping the salary question.

This means that employers need to be prepared for salary pressure. As soon as a few employers in a particular sector or industry start to use salary to compete for top talent once more – and they will – those at the back of the pack for salary increases will be the first to experience even greater levels of turnover.

Get your copy of the 2016 Hays Salary Guide by visiting www.hays. com.au/salary, contacting Hays in Canberra or downloading The Hays Salary Guide 2016 iPhone app from iTunes.

Jim Roy, Regional Director 5th Floor, 54 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra T 02 6112 7663 | F 02 6257 6377 | E canberra@hays.com.au

STRATA MANAGEMENT

WEBSITES

by Chris Miller

Survive the winter blues (and Mould!)

As the nation’s capital lurches its way towards the end of another cold winter, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the sun will soon reappear.

As a self-confessed sun seeker, I find it difficult to find anything much positive to say about the chilly weather. One exception, however, is the pleasure of escaping from the cold at the end of a long day into my nice warm apartment; curtains closed No one wants to have and ducted heater working on overdrive.

Most apartment dwellers in this part of the country a mushroom patch in will probably have faced issues of condensation on the lounge room! windows during this time of year. During the past couple of years, I have noticed a marked increase in the number of my clients who have raised this as a serious problem, often leading to build up of mould and the growing of all kinds of fungus inside living areas. No one wants to have a mushroom patch in the lounge room!

Following a great deal of enquiry into this problem, I was surprised to find that the issue is more prevalent in newer buildings, which are constructed to a higher energy efficiency standard.

The problem arises when the warm air inside of an apartment makes contact with the very cold glass, which is being affected by the low outside temperature.

The result is condensation.

The fact that new buildings are better insulated and sealed from the outside elements means that the warm air is trapped inside. Ironically, the best way to deal with this condensation is to open the windows to create a source of ventilation.

Although many owners identify the condensation as a potential “building defect”, it is more often than not simply a feature of our climate, I was surprised to find that the issue combined with better quality of insulation practices and double is more prevalent in newer buildings, glazed windows.

The ACT Government has which are constructed to a higher made information available to assist members of the public to energy efficiency standard. deal with condensation in their homes. Follow the below link for further details, or feel free to contact Vantage Strata and speak to one of our team. http://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/hcs/publications/fact_sheets/ mould-and-condensation In the meantime, try to keep warm!

For further information, please contact Chris Miller, Managing Director M 0400 376 208 or 1800 878 728 The Griffin, Corner Giles & Jardine Streets, Kingston PO Box 5044, Kingston ACT 2604.

by Sam Gupta

How to WOW your customers?

I often say, customer service is the best form of marketing. Customers are the reason we are all in business. Love them or lose them, it’s really that simple. Don't let digital marketing fool you. It doesn't matter Be it online or offline, it all starts what or where or how you are marketing, from the promise you make via the fact remains that 100% of your customers are people and every customer your sales and marketing efforts. has his or her own perception about your product/service.

What are you offering? How does Be it online or offline, it all starts from it compare to your competitors? the promise you make via your sales and marketing efforts. What are you offering?

Why should customers choose How does it compare to your competitors?

Why should customers choose you? you? And most importantly, And most importantly, why would they why would they recommend recommend you to people they know?

The opportunity to meet or exceed you to people they know? expectations are generally at the point of contact. The point of contacts can be categorized into four stages 1) Pre-sale 2) Sale 3) Post-sale and 4) Support/ Warranty. I believe if you can WOW a customer in 3 out of these four stages consistently, you can turn a customer into a fan. So, let’s explore these stages.

1. Pre-sale Stage: Pre-sale is all about listening to the customers and understanding their requirements. The best way to exceed expectations at this stage is by paying attention to the little things that matter to them and to ensure that you understand their priorities correctly. Do not try to sell, instead try to help them in the most genuine way.

2. Sales Stage: At this stage, customers want to know if you can deliver what you promised. ‘Would you like fries with that?’ is not about exceeding expectations, it’s just an up-sell. This stage is about answering any questions they may have, about explaining the steps required and about building and reassuring confidence in their decision. When the sales cycle is long, many customers forget why they made the decision they made, so make sure you take the time to go over things again if needed.

3. Post-sale Stage: This stage is about delivering what you promised. Timely delivery and keeping customers in the loop (without getting annoying) is the key. Remember, nobody likes losing control. Even after the delivery, it’s always a good idea to check-in with them and ask how it’s going. You don’t have to go over the top. Simple things work.

4. Maintenance/Support/Warranty Stage: Depending upon the type of business you are in, the strategy for this stage will differ from one to the other. When things break down, it disrupts the rhythm of your customers and cause inconvenience. Most reasonable people will still look beyond that and understand that things don’t last forever. Try to take control of the situation and keep in constant communication with the customer. Where possible, make things easy for them. Support should be just that.

Make your customers smile. Great customer service will turn your customer into a walking advertisement.

Sam Gupta is the managing director of Synapse Worldwide.

Sam would love to hear your thoughts on this advice column.

Tel: 1300 785 230 Email: admin@synapseworldwide.com Web: www.synapseworldwide.com.

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A S S O C I AT I O N S T O B U S I N E S S

Chamber paying major attention to micro businesses ROBYN HENDRY

CEO CANBERRA BUSINESS CHAMBER

W

hile Canberra Business Chamber represents and supports businesses of all types and sizes, it is currently prioritizing a number of initiatives designed to impact on the success and expansion of local micro-businesses.

Of the 26,000 businesses operating in the ACT, 97 per cent are small businesses employing less than 20 people. Of these,

other people in business and potential clients.

Through their investment in the Small Business Initiative, new businesses, start-ups and business intenders will also be eligible for discounts on training workshops and Chamber membership.

This is all about building a solid base and turning someone’s good idea into a legitimate and prosperous business.

Of the 26,000 businesses operating in the ACT, 97 per cent are small businesses employing less than 20 people. Of these, 16,000 are micro businesses employing one or two people. These small businesses are the engine room of our economy.

16,000 are micro businesses employing one or two people. These small businesses are the engine room of our economy.

For its size, the ACT has an impressive number of businesses who are major national and global players. Most of these probably developed from small roots, and at one stage were simply one or two men or women pursuing an idea they believed in.

The Chamber wants to help others with a good idea build the foundations that will help them run a sustainable small business and perhaps grow in the future if this is their goal.

Beginning this month is the Chamber’s new Small Business Initiative, which is aimed at those who are starting out in business, intending to start a business or have an idea for a business. For just $99, this package will provide a suite of programs to support businesses transition through to the micro business level.

In collaboration with CBR Innovation Network and associated business support programs, the Chamber will help those new to business by providing access to fundamental business training and advice as well as the support of mentors.

Opportunities will be generated for those on their ‘start-up’ journey to connect with 32

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Businesses who have reached the ‘micro’ level – have one or two employees – are being recognised through a new Chamber ‘Micro Business’ membership level designed specifically for them. This membership will make it more cost effective to join the Chamber and reap the value associated with membership.

The Chamber has recently kicked off construction of its new Member Lounge.

When businesses are starting out or only employing a small number of people, their office may be in their home or an affordable alternative. This can make it difficult to conduct meetings vital to their ongoing business and expansion.

Canberra Business Chamber is developing a business lounge for the ACT. The CBR Region Business Lounge will be located in the Chamber’s current building on Northbourne Avenue. It will provide parking, coffee, private meetings rooms, printing and Wi-Fi. The lounge will provide CBC members with a space to network, hold meetings with potential clients, and expand their capacity to secure business by partnering with others.

Canberra Business Chamber is positive a centrally located business lounge will help ACT and region businesses collaborate,

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For just $99, this package will provide a suite of programs to support businesses transition through to the micro business level. be more productive and grow.

In addition, it has the potential to solidify Canberra’s place as the region’s business centre by expanding the reach of local businesses into the region and drawing regionally based businesses to the ACT. Keep an eye out on the Chamber’s social media channels for updates on progress. We plan to keep you informed and provide images as construction of the Business Lounge moves forward.

Contact the Canberra Business Chamber Team: Phone: 02 6247 4199 Email: info@canberrabusiness.com Web: www.canberrabusiness.com

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Just would like to thank you for your time and work you put in. I like and can relate to your ideas and that is giving me more confidence with my business that I haven't had previously.

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CHIEF MINISTER’S MESSAGE

Positive outlook for Canberra businesses

ANDREW BARR

A

CHIEF MINISTER | TREASURER | MINISTER FOR URBAN RENEWAL | MINISTER FOR TOURISM AND EVENTS

ll the signs point towards our city experiencing a period of growth in the coming months – which is a major opportunity for our business community to prosper.

The ACT’s unemployment level fell again in June – bucking the national trend and maintaining our status of having the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

The report notes that the ACT has ‘genuinely continued to prosper across a pretty dangerous period’ successfully ‘ducking and weaving as the local economy has avoided the bullets being fired at the Federal level.’

The ACT Government has kept the city going by stimulating our economy – including investment in major infrastructure projects

Employment growth has been positive for thirteen consecutive months. The 1.5 per cent growth in employment, with 3,100 new jobs created through the year, is stronger than the Budget estimated outcome of 1 per cent employment growth.

Employment growth has been positive for thirteen consecutive months. The 1.5 per cent growth in employment, with 3,100 new jobs created through the year, is stronger than the Budget estimated outcome of 1 per cent employment growth.

This is great news for Canberra families – but it’s also good news for our economy. It demonstrates that despite years of cutbacks within the Australian Public Service, jobs are being created in new industries.

The latest Deloitte Business Outlook for the June quarter highlights the success of the ACT Government in steering the economy through a period of uncertainty for our city.

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to create jobs outside the federal public service. The latest infrastructure project, stage one of Canberra’s light rail network, will create thousands of new jobs and will bring new investment into our city. We’ve attracted major international employers including IKEA, Costco and Qantas to boost our economy, and we’re supporting our universities, Canberra’s largest nongovernment employer, to create jobs that play to our strengths as a smart city.

The Deloitte analysis demonstrates that the ACT Government has been successful in managing the local economy and keeping Canberrans in work. In any other Australian

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city when the major employer cuts jobs, the Commonwealth steps in, but not in Canberra. We’ve had to look after ourselves and the Deloitte report shows we’ve been successful as ‘the local economy didn’t ever come close to going into recession.’

This is a remarkable difference to the experience Canberra felt in 1996, when similar job losses sent our economy into recession.

The Deloitte report says that ‘it is no longer true to think of the ACT as a purely domestic-focussed economy’, citing this growth in our tertiary education sector.

This environment, coupled with a slowdown in job losses at the Commonwealth level, will give our city a chance to grow. With direct international flights about to open up our horizons in the coming months, I’m confident that our economy will continue to diversify.

Collaboration with like-minded professional partners leads to success

T

he ACS Canberra Branch has been hosting an annual conference for 24 years consecutively now. Each year, the branch is proud to showcase the activity, innovation, leadership and clear thinking of professionals working in the IT industry in Canberra and around the nation.

Over the last several years, the ACS Canberra Branch has been working with other IT-related professional associations to ensure that the program is filled with leading thinkers in multiple

areas of the IT industry and to bring a wide-range of thoughtful IT professionals together to network, collaborate and grow.

This year, we’ve had the largest group of cooperative partner professional associations to date. Our long-standing conference partners DAMA have participated again, offering insightful workshops to interested parties on the day after our conference. Our now regular conference partners InTEACT and WIC have contributed hugely again this year, ensuring

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that the practicing industry is connected to the educators of our future professionals and that our considerations maintain a proper gender balance. InTEACT also have workshops after the conference. This year we’ve also worked closely with IIBA and AIM to introduce streams focused on their professional areas within IT. The ACS Canberra Branch thanks these partner organisations for their support and enthusiasm in organising this year’s conference and welcomes the members of these organisations to day.

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This document is issued by Motor Trades Association of Australia Superannuation Fund Pty. Limited (ABN 14 008 650 628, AFSL 238 718) of Level 3, 39 Brisbane Avenue Barton ACT 2600, Trustee of the MTAA Superannuation Fund (ABN 74 559 365 913). Motor Trades Association of Australia Superannuation Fund Pty. Limited has ownership interests in Industry Super Holdings Pty Ltd and Members Equity Bank Limited. The information provided is of a general nature and does not take into account your specific needs or personal situation.

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For more information on conference spaces at Abode Hotel Woden visit abodehotels.com.au/meetings