B2B Magazine Issue 122 December 2016

122 DECEMBER 2016

B2BMAGAZINE.COM.AU

ANDREW SYKES RSM DETERMINES YOUR CUSTOMERS' WORTH (p.12)

Tony LoPilato moves to Gillespie Group (p.20) COVER STORY (p.15)

Village Building Co. the changing face of the construction industry

SCA ACT new president Tim Maly (p.8)

CONTENTS

ISSN 1833-8232

15

COVER STORY

Village Building Co. the changing face of the construction industry

PUBLISHER'S NOTE 3 Time to take a deep breath …

by Tim Benson SMART BUSINESS TIPS 3 Smart Christmas admin tips

by Smart Business Guardian UPFRONT 4 Separation and formalising your property settlement

by DDCS Lawyers FEATURE 6 Dealing effectively with disruption - Convergence 2017 8 Strata Community Australia ACT going from strength-to-strength 10 Ever wondered who is growing our indigenous plants?

12 The fine art of determining a customer's true worth

by RSM 20 Tony LoPilato brings 30 years experience to Gillespie Group ADVICE 23 ACCOUNTING Will you enjoy the summer holidays as much as your team?

by RSM 23 BOOKKEEPING Single Touch Payroll & four things that business owners should know

by Tailored Accounts 24 BUSINESS LAW Social media and small business – with great power comes great responsibility

by Bradly Allen Love Lawyers 24 CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS Even entrepreneurs need a holiday

by Fifo Capital 2

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CYBER SECURITY Phishing season or the weakest link

by Cordelta 25 INSOLVENCY Corporate denial and the case for commercial pragmatism

by Vincents 26 INTELECTUAL PROPERTY Use it or lose it – not just a wild goose chase

by Moulis Legal 26 RECRUITMENT Is temping and contracting the ‘new normal’?

by HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide 27 STRATA MANAGEMENT Where to turn for advice on strata matters

by Vantage Strata 27 WEBSITES Why is User Experience (UX) important?

by Synapse Worldwide A2B: ASSOCIATIONS TO BUSINESS 28 Good year and good cheer for Canberra business G2B: GOVERNMENT TO BUSINESS 30 Celebrating two creative capitals BUSINESS NETWORKING 32 B2B @ MPS Travel + Tours - launch party 33 B2B @ Sweatworking 2016 Bradley Allen Love’s corporate physical challenge event 34 B2B @ Tee off for Tara 2016 FGD Golf Day

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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 DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY

Kasra Yousefi kasra.com.au 02 61128195

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, misrepresentation or any other cause.

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE

TIME TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH …

M

erry Christmas to you all.

I find it interesting on my travels to other Now is the time to slow countries in our region, down and take a deep that people that have so breath. Ok, all together little can have so much and now. 1 2 3 in … and 1 2 3 4 5 6 out. that we are prepared to pay That felt good right. Yep, it did. So why so much to try and have a don’t we take the time during the year little of what these people to stop and smell the roses. To take the take for granted every day. deep breathes and to appreciate the fortunate lives that we have? Maybe it’s because we are always trying to achieve something, rather than live in the here and now. We are always working towards that sale, or finish line or completion date … or magazine deadline. And we are always wanting that car, house, job that is slightly better than the one we have. Funny, for a group of people that live in the top one per cent of the most fortunate people in the world. Yep we don’t have much to worry about – yet we seem to stress out most of our waking hours.

I think we have a lot to learn from cultures that live in the here-andnow. From people that can appreciate what they have and the people that they have around them. I find it interesting on my travels to other countries in our region, that people that have so little can have so much and that we are prepared to pay so much to try and have a little of what these people take for granted every day. Things like good weather and clear water, fresh fruit and wild birds and fish. Maybe there is a lot to be said for slowing down, for appreciating the things that we have and for sharing our time our time and resources with others. So, now is the time to make New Year’s Resolutions. Mine is to see value in the people and life that I currently have. Ok, one more time with feeling 1 2 3 in … and 1 2 3 4 5 6 out.

Finally, thank you to everyone associated with B2B Magazine. My wife Liz and daughter Alexandria. My good friends, you know who you are – and especially Kasra and Termeh who make the complicated, and deadline driven, business of magazine publishing, a breeze.

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

Smart Christmas admin tips Kristin Miller General Manager Smart Business Guardian The silly season is upon us and all business owners are likely to see this influencing their operations. We may potentialy see a decrease in effectiveness as our clients, suppliers and staff start to wind down.

With this in mind, we have come up with a few tips to help us get through the last few weeks of the year and prepare us to start the new year afresh • Staff Christmas Parties - for those who are responsible for organising these, take care. Choose something fun, but appropriate. Staff, remember it is still a work function. Have fun but make sure to behave appropriately (you don't need photos on social media of a Xmas party gone wrong) • Plan for the break - not all your customers will be taking a break. If you are providing services, make sure you can manage expectations and service delivery over this period. Make sure you have backup arrangements in place. (Also if you have office plants or animals - make sure they are taken care of!)

• Look to the Future - Before finishing off for the year spend some time looking towards the future. Reflect on what you achieved in the last year and what you want to build on next year. Set some goals. Schedule some time for planning early in the New Year.

Mostly enjoy your Christmas break if you are taking one. Rest, recover and come back enthused.

We wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

(02) 6162 1928 49 Phillip Avenue, Room C205, Watson, ACT 2602 smartbusinessguardian.com

UPFRONT

Separation and formalising your property settlement

By Chloe Curran

H

ave you recently separated from your partner? Have you formalised your property settlement by way of a Consent Order or Financial Agreement? This article explains why you should formalise your property settlement.

If you do not formalise your agreement you leave yourself open to a property settlement claim being made against you in the future. Say, for example, you separate from your partner, divide your assets by agreement but do not formalise the agreement and six months later you receive an inheritance. You are at risk of your former partner making an application to the Court seeking a “second bite” of the property pool. If they made that application, the Court would take account of the value of all assets at the time of the Court Hearing. Any additional assets acquired following separation or any increases in value to property or superannuation will

form part of the property pool available for distribution between you and your former partner. Similarly, if your former partner sells an asset following your separation the pool of assets to be divided between you is reduced, potentially to your detriment.

While there are time limits for formalising your property settlement, a person can apply for leave to make an application for ‘out of time’ if they can satisfy the Court that hardship would be caused if their application was not heard. So, you cannot assume that you are not at risk even if the time limit has expired.

Another reason to formalise your agreement is to receive tax concessions.

If you have agreed to keep the family home as part of your settlement you will be exempt from having to pay stamp duty on the transfer of ownership from your joint names to your sole name if your property settlement has been documented

in a Consent Order or Financial Agreement.

Stamp Duty exemption may save you thousands of dollars.

Sadly, if you have not formalised your property settlement and your former partner does not do what they promised they would do, there is little recourse available to you.

Whereas, with a Consent Order or Financial Agreement, you can apply to the Court to enforce the terms of the Order or Agreement.

DDCS Lawyers can provide specialist advice regarding your family law matter. If you would like to discuss your situation, please contact us on (02) 6212 7600 or mail@ddcslawyers.com.au Chloe Curran is a Lawyer of the firm.

18 Kendall Lane, New Acton, Canberra phone (02) 6212 7600 mail@ddcslawyers.com.au www.ddcslawyers.com.au

F E AT U R E

Dealing effectively with disruption Convergence 2017

“Good change occurs when people feel like they are on the journey together, It’s about getting out of the ‘business as usual’ mindset and working together to explore innovation and disruption in a positive way.”

B

rexit, Trump, cloud computing and the smartphone revolution are just a few of the major disruptions we’ve seen in recent months and years. Big shifts like this have an impact on everyone, and businesses have to develop the skills to adapt.

“Modern organisations need to respond to social and political transformations as well as digital disruption,” says Sonia Irwin, founder of Redgrass Communications and creator of Convergence, the Asia–Pacific region’s only dedicated change management conference.

“All over the world, people are speaking up and demanding change, and organisations have to be flexible enough to deal with the social consequences of that, as well as the fast pace of technology.”

But if change is managed badly, the results can be disastrous. “Take the example of

management and the best ways to integrate them into our working lives.

“Handling complicated change is a key theme at Convergence 2017,” Sonia says. “Asset management consultants Helmsman International will be helping us navigate the murky waters of complexity, and I’m really looking Colin Ellis, Author of forward to Dr Mervyn "The Conscious Wilkinson’s practical Project Leader " workshop on culture, complexity and chaos.

Leadership expert and author Zoe Routh will also be joining us to talk about creating and sustaining influence, which is essential when dealing with difficult stakeholders.”

“We’re incredibly lucky to have former Royal Australian Navy Commodore Martin “All over the world, people are speaking up and Brooker sharing his lessons from the front line, Colin Ellis showing us how to be a ‘conscious’ demanding change, and organisations have to be flexible project manager, and representatives from enough to deal with the social consequences of that, as well Defence Force Recruiting and IP Australia giving us their insights on cross-sectoral as the fast pace of technology.” collaboration. But one of the areas of Convergence 2017 that is generating the most this year’s census,” Sonia says. “The concept leaders in an array of different disciplines. With interest is our new focus on neuroscience. We’ll was admirable – bring the census online to 40 speakers, 3 full-day workshops, 5 streams be looking at the different ways our brains reduce costs and improve reporting. But the of masterclasses and an ideas marketplace, deal with change, and how we can use this to project broke down during delivery, leading to the conference will give delegates all the tools motivate others to change.” negative comments on social media, a senate they need to manage change successfully in the 21st century.

“Good change occurs when people feel like they are on the journey together,” Sonia says.

“It’s about getting out of the ‘business as usual’ mindset and working together to explore innovation and disruption in a positive way.

Helping organisations reach that point is really the key focus of Convergence.”

Award-winning journalist and World Press Tickets are now on sale for Convergence 2017, Institute Fellow Ginger Gorman will facilitate and places are filling fast. Sonia is also about a Convergence panel examining how different to launch a user-driven digital showcase that cultures and points-of-view can be harmonised allows participants to connect with speakers for optimal change, while internationally before and after the event. renowned futurist Tim Longhurst returns after For more information on Convergence 2017, his highly regarded keynote at Convergence visit convergenceaustralia.com.au.

Photography: Richard Tuffin 2016 to share the latest trends in change 6

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enquiry and a lack of trust in the ABS. Poorly managed change always costs you something, whether it’s money, time, or intangible assets like trust. But successfully implementing change can be difficult because you need to be on top of a large and extremely diverse range of skillsets.”

That’s where Convergence 2017 comes in. Held at the National Museum of Australia on 7–9 March 2017, Convergence showcases the latest change management research and expert insights from thought

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Our experience is your advantage.

design: kasra.com.au

Strata Management / Facilities Management / Building Management

The Pier by Doma Group – Proudly managed by Vantage Strata Telephone: 1800 VSTRATA (1800 878 728) Email: info@vantagestrata.com.au Office:“The Griffin”, Cnr. Giles & Jardine Street, Kingston ACT Postal address: P.O Box 4259, Kingston ACT 2604

Strata Community Australia ACT going from strength-to-strength

T

im Maly, Managing Director at LJ Hooker Strata ACT, recently took over the mantle of Strata Community Australia ACT President.

This is Tim’s second stint as he was also president in 2013/14.

Tim says that he has worked in the strata business for over a decade, and that he is passionate about his work and this rapidly expanding industry.

One of Tim’s and SCA ACT’s major focuses during his term will be taking the strata industry to the next level of professionalism.

“SCA has just signed an agreement with RMIT to become a national education partner. This means that we will be working with RMIT to develop a university degree in strata management,” Tim outlined.

“This will give additional comfort, to the owners of units, that the people that are managing their assets have the best possible qualifications in their field.”

Current training for strata managers is focused on real estate sales and not strata management.

Another of Tim’s focuses for 2017 will be to open membership of SCA to owners.

“SCA currently has memberships for strata management firms and suppliers 8

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By Tim Benson

to the industry. In 2017 we want to open membership to owners,” Tim said.

“This would mean that unit owners could join SCA and have access to lobbying, implementing changes to legislation, and to executive committee training for members of their body corporates,” Tim explained.

SCA ACT, in collaboration with their suppliers, are planning to run at least two executive committee training sessions in 2017.

Tim is also keen to build a strong relationship with the ACT Government.

“I would like to see ACT Government listen to, and get more involved with, the strata industry.

“I believe there is a need for changes to legislation in relation to developments that combine both commercial and residential units. There needs to be flexibility in arrangements so that commercial and residential interests can be considered separately,” Tim stated.

Tim says that demand for units in the ACT is strong and growing with up to 20,000 units being built in the next 5-7 years.

“To gear up for this growth in the industry we need well trained strata managers.

Therefore, the SCA is leading the charge to

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increase professionalism in the industry,” Tim explained.

“I would like to thank, and recognise the service of, outgoing SCA ACT President, Chris Miller, and I look forward to working with the new SCA ACT Council in 2017,” Tim concluded.

Tim is a born and bred Canberran, who attended St Edmunds College and the University of Canberra. He is committed to ensuring that unit owners in Canberra are in very safe hands, if their Owners Corporation is managed by a member of Strata Community Australia (ACT).

Tim Maly President – Strata Community Australia (ACT) Mobile: 0447 820 032 www.stratacommunity.org.au

Photography: Lindi Heap

F E AT U R E

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F E AT U R E

Dickson Wetland

Warren at Parliament House 20th Anniversary

Ever wondered who is growing our indigenous plants?

W

arren Ganter Saunders (native began the first mass production of native and the Australian National University and plant ‘guru”), John Finch (sales plants in seedling cells or Viro-cells®. He has recently done archaeological surveys manager) and Richard Ploog was also part of the early planting crews on his home country along the Maranoa (senior horticulturist and led by Keith Layt and his son Brendan who River and at Mount Oak community near drummer for Australian band The Church) pioneered the use of planting drills.

Bredbo. During the 2000s he also taught are the core crew at South East Natives, based in Pialligo ACT. You may not know these three gentlemen, but you You may not know these three gentlemen, have probably seen their handiwork throughout our but you have probably seen their handiwork throughout our beautiful bush capital and beautiful bush capital and beyond. beyond. Warren Ganter Saunders and his intrepid crew have been collecting seeds, In 2000 Warren and his crew developed didgeridoo at the ANU School of Music and growing native plants and planting them the crystal gun for injecting water crystal and plays at the occasional party or pub with his on farms, gardens, parks, sub-divisions and fertilisers into planting holes to increase plant band Rollerdoor. roadsides since 1995 and have planted survival rates.

Warren has made over 200 didgeridoos in-excess-of 15 million. Arguably, he He has also been involved with and exported them to England, Germany, has grown more of our regions planting hundreds of acres of Ireland, Norway and Chile. In 1993, four of his indigenous flora than any Saltbush plantations around instruments were sold to British singer Sting other individual. Some of the Wagga Wagga and Ardlethan and in 1994 one went to Irish band Hothouse projects he has been involved in an attempt to drought Flowers. Most recently he was seen playing with include: proof grazing properties. for Pedro Zwahlen the new ambassador at • Dickson Wetland Warren and his crew the Swiss embassy with local elder Jandemarra • David Street Wetland can plant between 1,000 Wall and an alp horn player.

• Majura Primary School and 10,000 plants a day each!

• Valley Ponds At present, he is working on • Brigalow Street Bluebells developing a gun to shoot plants into Warren’s passion is to go bush and he difficult and remote country. has moulded his profession around Warren is of indigenous decent this with the goal of protecting and is a Gunggari. He was born water, soil and air quality, in Mitchell, in the Maranoa whilst creating beautiful and district of southern outback biodiverse landscapes.

Queensland. His second Richard and Roley John collecting plants He came to Canberra cousin is rugby league collecting bushfood in 1984 as one of the first superstar Jonathan Thurston indigenous recruits at and he grew up in Roma Auger and Crystal Gun the Royal Military College, Queensland playing with the Duntroon and graduated from nephews of legendary player the Australian Defence Force Artie Beetson. He was “initiated” at Academy with a Science Degree in its Yam Daisy the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1992 in first graduating class of 1986. Finding the presence of Ernie Dingo and has met the Army wasn’t for him, he and been influenced by prominent resigned but remained in Aboriginal leaders such as Reg Canberra and joined the public Saunders (first indigenous service where he worked Army officer), Charlie at the Australian National Perkins (Freedom Ride, first Botanic Gardens and as Aboriginal to graduate from a volunteer for Greening university), Bob Randall Australia and Landcare. (singer, poet and leader) and You can contact Warren (0418 641 306), In 1995 he set up the 2009 Australian of the Year, John (0412 181 576), Richard (0424 540 725) or Canberra office of Sydney firm Mick Dodson. email them at southeastnatives@outlook.com Abulk, started by Todd Layt of He is still active teaching for botanical surveys, landscape design and Ozbreed fame, who with John Vella Hoary Sunray indigenous arts and crafts at schools, horticultural advice, bushfoods, native seeds, from Leppington Speedy Seedlings the National Museum of Australia plants and plant out.

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F E AT U R E

The fine art of determining a customer's true worth Andrew Sykes, Director of RSM Australia

How does a CLV determine a customer's true worth?

B

ack in 1956, legendary old-school management consultant Peter Drucker declared that the purpose of any business was all about creating a customer. But six decades later, too many business owners still misunderstand a customer's true worth - the true lifetime value of those customers responsible for buying their products and services.

It’s only once you calculate the lifetime value of a customer (CLV) that you can ascertain the expected profit over a lifetime of transactions with your business. It’s only once you know the estimated CLV of each customer that you can decide how much to you need to invest on marketing to win that customer’s business, and then retain them as a long-term customer.

Equally important, the CLV will give you a much better idea of whether there’s sufficient future value from certain types of customers to warrant doing business with them.

What are the key metrics to a customer's true worth?

To the uninitiated, the best way to determine CLV is to take the Average Monthly Revenue per Customer and multiply it by the Average Gross Margin per Customer and then multiply that by the Average Retention Rate.

Monthly Revenue x Gross Margin x Retention Rate This is what we think a customer is worth in gross profit terms over the average lifetime of buying goods and services from us.

Let’s look at each of these elements in more detail.

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1. Average monthly revenue per customer: Represents how much you expect the average customer to spend with you in a month.

The workings Take the average customer sales size and multiply by the number of times you expect a customer to buy from you in a month.

2. Average gross margin per customer: Represents the difference between the sale price and what it costs you to produce, or sell (before overheads).

The workings You buy an item for $60 and sell it for $100.

Average gross margin is $40/$100 or 40 per cent.

3. Average retention rate: Represents the number of months you’ll trade with a customer.

The workings For the purpose of this calculation one month = $900 Here’s a simple example: ABC Stationery makes an average gross margin of 25 per cent per customer per average monthly spend of $100.

ABC Stationery expects to retain a new customer for three years or 36 months.

Average customer has a CLV of $900, eg $25/month x 36 months.

The beauty of a CLV calculation is it lets you second-guess how much it will cost to win and retain customers so you can decide whether it’s worth the investment.

F E AT U R E

“It’s only once you calculate the lifetime value of a customer (CLV) that you can ascertain the expected profit over a lifetime of transactions with your business”

“...the CLV will give you a much better idea of whether there’s sufficient future value from certain types of customers to warrant doing business with them.”

How do you gauge the financial impact?

It’s only once you understand the value of each customer, that you’ll be able to identify the: • Right marketing spend • Discounts to reward customer loyalty • Time spent on customer satisfaction If you have bothered to ascertain customer worth using the Customer Lifetime Value formula explained above, answering these three questions will be a lot easier.

Let’s look at each of these elements in more detail.

1. The right marketing spend: By reworking the CLV equation you’ll fully understand the cost to your business.

If your CLV is $500, you already know you need to win at least 10 new customers to cover your cost.

Given that you’ll want a return on your investment (ROI), you may benchmark campaign success against 40 new customers for 40 x $500 or $20,000 return.

2. Discounts to reward customer loyalty: Given that average Gross Margin per Customer is an important input to CLV, the lower the margin - the lower the value of the customer will be over time.

3. Time spent on customer satisfaction: This has a direct correlation with increased CLV. Everything being equal, the longer a customer is retained the more gross profit they’re likely to generate. For a better understanding of your ROI, compare the cost of any new initiative to how much it increases CLV. Should you wish to explore how knowing the average CLV of your client base can inform business strategy, please contact Andrew Sykes, Director of RSM Australia, on 02 6217 0333 or andrew.sykes@rsm.com.au.

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02 6162 1928 49 Phillip Avenue, Room C205, Watson, ACT 2602 smartbusinessguardian.com

COVER STORY

Village Building Co. - the changing face of the construction industry

Photography: Kasra Yousefi

It’s no great secret that the building and construction industry has long been known as a male dominated industry.

A

report from April 2016 by the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency on Gender composition of the workforce: by industry* shows females made up just 5.3% of full time employees in the construction industry, while males made up 80.4%.

Locally based Village Building Co. is one major player bucking this trend.

Four out of the nine senior leadership team at Village are female, and out of all employees, 50% are female. It’s a move toward greater gender equality that can only be a positive step for the industry. *Source www.wgea.gov.au

So, just who are Village Building Co.?

And why the change toward greater gender diversification?

Village is Canberra’s own award-winning full integrated property development and construction company, which this year celebrates 28 years in business. To date Village has built communities, not just in Canberra, but around Australia providing over 14,000 dwellings and 4,000 houses.

Village Building Co. is and always has

The company’s philosophy is to ensure amenities such as parks, playgrounds, wetlands, bicycle tracks and sculptures are included in its developments, to provide a sense of community, and to provide value for money housing to Australians.

The business has seen some major changes this year with an injection of fresh talent by way of Travis Doherty who, after commencing with Village as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in July 2015, was formally appointed as

Four out of the nine senior leadership team at Village are female, and out of all employees, 50% are female. been a Canberra based company, but it has grown immensely over the past 28 years, having now built thriving communities in Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Brisbane and Coffs Harbour. And there’s more to come.

CEO in June 2016.

Travis is passionate about building, construction and development, and aspires to respect and leverage the company’s rich history and heritage, but also add to it the experience he has gathered working in large

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COVER STORY

“Our strategy is to maintain a diversified portfolio of projects; geographically across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia and different types of projects such as land, house and land, townhouses and apartments. ”

Travis Doherty Chief Executive Officer corporates both in Australia and abroad including the National Australia Bank, Ernst & Young and Simplot Australia.

Travis moved his family, wife Sarah and children Archie and Isabelle, from Melbourne to Canberra for the role and says they have settled in well. Travis says Canberra is now home and they feel part of the local community.

After five months in the CEO role, Travis says he wants Village Building Co. to be Australia’s best mid-tier property development and construction company.

“Our strategy is to maintain a diversified portfolio of projects; geographically across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia and different types of projects such as land, house and land, townhouses and apartments. And of course, with a healthy mix of recurring income streams that are not subject to the ups and downs of the property market. A great example is the Big Banana Fun Park, a joint venture we have operated for nearly eight years,” says Travis Doherty.

Travis says Village Building Co. is highly committed to gender diversification in the industry, something which is also supported by the Master Builders Association of Australia who strongly support increasing the number of women in all occupations in the industry.

“I strongly believe that having a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the community that we operate is fundamental to the success of any business. And all the data proves it. Gender diverse organisations outperform those organisations that are not.

“I am absolutely committed to diversity and am extremely proud to have attracted a number of talented women to our business,” Travis continued.

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Village moves forward with Travis with a strong management team of nine, four of who are female in diverse roles across financial management, sales, marketing and communications, people and culture and executive management. In August this year the company appointed a new Chief

Melanie Andrews Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary Financial Officer and Company Secretary in Melanie Andrews.

Ms Andrews came to Village direct from 18 years with CIC Australia Ltd, and prior to that Land and National Development.

Melanie had previously been on the diversity committee of the ACT Property Council.

She is passionate about enhancing the role of women and providing support to them in the workforce, and says this was part of her motivation to enter the Telstra Business Women’s Awards in which she was a finalist in 2015.

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“I really enjoy the fast-paced commercial environment of the property industry. Property is a very broad and complex industry with loads of challenges, but also provides the opportunity to create communities and affordable lifestyle options that have an impact on the most significant purchase of most people’s lives,” said Melanie Andrews.

“Village has a great culture and everyone has a lot of energy and an appetite for change, so it’s exciting times ahead,” Melanie continued.

Positivity toward working in the property and construction industry is something echoed

by Melanie’s female counterparts at Village. Her colleague Kylie Chapman was appointed Village’s General Manager, People and Culture, earlier this year, and her responsibilities include people and culture strategy, policy and processes, workplace health and safety and industrial relations strategy.

“The construction industry is unique and very different to the media industry where I’d spent the previous 14 years of my career. I hadn’t dipped my toe into the construction industry before – but I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Kylie Chapman.

“It’s really exciting to be working in an industry that helps define the landscape.

Kylie Chapman General Manager, People And Culture Things are constantly evolving and innovation is encouraged. Every day brings something new and the people who are involved in the industry are fantastic – they are passionate about what they do and always aim to be the best they can be.

“We have a fantastic workforce at Village with a rich mix of beliefs, backgrounds, talents, capabilities and ways of living. We’re always encouraging diversity and gender equality,” continued Kylie.

Village Building Co.’s General Manager, Sales, Marketing and Communications, Kate

COVER STORY

“Gender diverse organisations outperform those organisations that are not. " Photography: Paul Chapman - developingagents

with their time and expertise to enable me to get up to speed as quickly as possible,” continued Kate.

Rounding out the female contingent of Village Building Co.’s management team is Rebecca Mikkonen, Executive Manager who has been integral to the smooth transition of

“And Clare Gilligan is Project Director for our large South Jerrabomberra project.

Clare has extensive history with CIC and Australand, and is one of the best in the business.

“It’s an exciting time to be a part of this Canberra business success story, and we

Photography: Kasra Yousefi

Freeman, says she was attracted to her role at Village because she was looking to take on a new industry.

“I jumped at the opportunity to work in such a dynamic field that is still so heavily reliant on people. With so many industries being automated, I'm excited to be in an

Rebecca Mikkonen Executive Manager

industry that creates something for people by people. And to be building homes, people's sanctuaries, is a real honour. I respect that enormously,” said Kate Freeman.

“The primary challenge for me has been the industry learning curve and really understanding property development and construction. Fortunately for me, Village has a 28 year history and many of the pioneers of our business, including our founder Bob Winnel, are still part of it today and many are colleagues of mine on the Management Team. They have been extremely generous

Maree Harman Acquisitions Manager

Clare Gilligan Project Director South Jerrabomberra project

Travis into the role of CEO this year.

“Typically, our industry has been male dominated, though under Travis’ leadership and commitment to equity and diversity, we are experiencing growing opportunities for talented women to join our team in senior management positions.” said Rebecca.

“We’ve got some of the strongest and most knowledgeable women in the industry on our team. Maree Harman, our Acquisition Manager, is very well known in Canberra and was a valuer for 19 years before joining us,” said Travis Doherty.

are looking forward to a very bright future,” concluded Travis.

For more information on Village Building Co. visit www.villagebuilding.com.au

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P/ 6279 4200 www.aulichcivillaw.com.au

Preserving wealth, values and wishes.

• Wills • Testamentary Trust Wills • Guardianship guidelines • Self-Managed Superannuation Nominations • Enduring Power of Attorneys • Superannuation Binding Death Benefit Nominations • Enduring Power of Attorneys •Advance Care Planning Contact Lisa Barlin, Partner or Erin Taylor, Senior Associate from Aulich Civil Law

lisa@aulichcivillaw.com.au

erin@aulichcivillaw.com.au

F E AT U R E

Tony LoPilato brings 30 years experience to Gillespie Group

T

ony LoPilato has seen many changes during his thirty plus years in the accounting profession. One thing that hasn’t changed in all that time is the enjoyment he finds in the relationships he builds with clients.

“My primary focus is to assist all my clients, from individual taxpayers to small and medium sized business owners. Having owned and managed my own business I understand the issues that confront business owners,” Tony said.

Tony is excited to have joined the team at Gillespie Group and is looking forward to being able to offer his clients all the advantages of a full service accounting and financial planning firm.

“Having financial planning, mortgage broking and risk insurance as in-house offerings for our clients means that I can be sure my clients have every need covered,” Tony explained.

Tony has strong ties to Canberra, and the Canberra business community, having spent

services. As with all his clients, Tony takes a hands-on approach to the family business.

“I regularly visit my clients, usually early in the morning or in the evening at their premises. By attending their premises I can

“My primary focus is to assist all my clients, from individual taxpayers to small and medium sized business owners. Having owned and managed my own business I understand the issues that confront business owners.” gauge things that I would not normally notice if the client came to my office,” he said.

Tony was inspired to become an accountant while working in his first job outside of the family business – working at the Fyshwick Markets. A conversation with one of his colleagues led him to study accounting in year 11 and 12 and he hasn’t looked back.

“Having financial planning, mortgage broking and risk insurance as in-house offerings for our clients means that I can be sure my clients have every need covered.” all but two years of his life living in Canberra.

He has been married to Teresa for 26 years and has three children, the youngest of whom just finished year 12 at St. Edmunds College. Both Tony and Teresa have a family background in business. Tony’s family operates LoPilato Brothers, a construction business that has been operating in Canberra for over 50 years. Teresa’s family own and run Franco’s of Canberra – a hairdressing salon that has operated from the same location for more than 60 years.

After starting work in the family business at a young age, Tony is now actively involved in all aspects of their accounting and taxation work, as well as providing business advisory 20

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Tony has a passion for helping those in the community who are in need. “I believe that it is important to give back to the community.

I can use the skills and knowledge that I have to assist community groups improve their

He is a firm believer in the importance of being a good listener. Building relationships with his clients is very important, and part of this is making sure you listen to what the client needs. “I listen to their needs, and have empathy. Most business owners want to talk to someone who understands their business,” Tony outlined.

Family and community are very important to Tony and he is actively involved in many community organisations. He has volunteered with Hartley Life Care for 30 years and has also been involved with v, the Italo-Australian Club, and Community Services #1 as well as a number of sporting clubs, both as treasurer and coach.

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systems and operations.” Tony’s involvement in sports came about through his children but he believes that children learn much more than just how to play a sport. “Sport also teaches kids life skills and resilience.”

Tony’s strong community focus is welcomed at Gillespie Group, who are already actively involved in a number of community and sporting organisations.

Tony is passionate about the services he can offer his clients. He loves being an accountant and business advisor and considers many of his clients to be friends as well. His many friends would also tell you that he is passionate about food – cooking, eating and talking about it.

Tony LoPilato CA Gillespie Group Phone 02 6260 4994 Fax 02 6260 4995 Mobile No. (0429) 107 926 Tony.LoPilato@gillespiegroup.com.au 68-70 Dundas Court PHILLIP ACT 2606 PO BOX 6126 MAWSON ACT 2607

Photography: Tim Benson

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ADVICE 23

Will you enjoy the summer holidays as much as your team?

23

Single Touch Payroll & four things that business owners should know

BUSINESS LAW

24

Social media and small business – with great power comes great responsibility

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

24

Even entrepreneurs need a holiday

CYBER SECURITY

25

Phishing season or the weakest link

ACCOUNTING BOOKKEEPING

by Sally Colquhourn, RSM

by Harry Hoang, Tailored Accounts

by Mark Love, Bradley Allen Love Lawyers

by Jane Lombard, Fifo Capital

by Stephane Millot, Cordelta

INSOLVENCY 25

Corporate denial and the case for commercial pragmatism

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 26

Use it or lose it – not just a wild goose chase

RECRUITMENT

26

Is temping and contracting the ‘new normal’?

STRATA MANAGEMENT

27

Where to turn for advice on strata matters

WEBSITES

27

Why is User Experience (UX) important?

by Tony Lane, Vincents

by Shaun Creighton, 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 Sally Colquhourn

Will you enjoy the summer holidays as much as your team?

It’s a typical scenario for many business owners. An employee puts in an application for annual leave for a tropical break to Hawaii. You smile as you put yourself in their shoes imagining yourself lying on the beach with a cocktail and then reality hits and you start to think how it will impact you and your business. Your immediate concern is having the manpower to cover your absent employee but there are many other factors that you also need to consider. These include the following six areas.

Six Questions To Keep In Mind With Staff Annual Leave 1. Increased wages? Will you have increased wages due to the need to hire a casual replacement or pay current staff overtime rates?

It’s important that you are aware 2. Is it over four weeks? How many weeks has the employee at all times of your employees’ accumulated? If it is over entitlements. If you do not have a four weeks you may end up paying holiday leave at a provision for leave entitlements in higher rate to that when the employee earned it. your financial statements or records 3. Is leave loading applicable?

Are you required to pay then how do you know what leave loading?

4. Are your calculations correct? your liability is?

Have you correctly calculated the actual leave entitlement in days and dollar value?

5. Is your tax up to scratch? Have you applied the correct tax?

6. What about unused leave? Are you required to calculate a provision for any unused Leave in the accounts of the business?

Do You Know What Your Liabilities Are? The factors above may put considerable pressure on a business’ cash flow if they are not addressed. It’s important that you are aware at all times of your employees’ entitlements. If you do not have a provision for leave entitlements in your financial statements or records then how do you know what your liability is?

Annual leave and Long Service Leave entitlements may vary from state to state and depend on any Workplace Agreements that may be in place.

You should ensure that you are using the correct governing legislation or agreement when calculating leave entitlements. The differences in these mainly relate to Long Service Leave, they are associated with quantity and time i.e: when do the obligations to accumulate Long Service Leave begin and how many weeks is the employee entitled to.

Plan Now And Avoid Future Pressure-Cooker Situations Do you know what employee leave will cost you in the next 12 months?

And if not how can you expect to take that well-earned break that you have been dreaming about.

Our Business Advisory team can help you reach your preferred holiday destination stress free. We are happy to assist you should you have any questions or concerns regarding your leave obligations.

Contact Sally Colquhourn, at RSM Australia, on 02 6217 0323 or sally.colquhourn@rsm.com.au.

Single Touch Payroll & four things that business owners should know Single Touch Payroll (STP) is now becoming compulsory for businesses, which have minimum 20 employees. You are required to implement the new system from 1st July 2018. Here are few check points to that may address your concerns: 1. Your STP readiness: If you have 20 or more employees on 1st April in a later year, you will commence reporting under STP from the next 1st July. It means you will have around 3 months to organise your systems & procedures to meet requirement of STP. You should check with your software provider NOW to ensure they are STP if you plan to have 20 employees in the next 6-12 months. As a XERO Gold partner, Fortunately, ATO does not require we can confirm that XERO will be compliance with STP. business to PAY the withholding 2. Your transaction accuracy: & super amount at the same Here is the information you need to report to ATO via time we do payroll just yet. In STP: Payment to individuals/ contractor; Gross Pay/Ordinary the future, it might become a Time Earnings (OTE); PAYG & compulsory for business to pay Super. Currently, we conduct series of reconciliations to PAYG & super at the same time reconcile tax withheld & Super payable amount before reporting of payment for employees. to ATO by using BAS. However, you could not change the transaction before submitting by using STP. ATO has given opportunity to make correction after lodgement, however, we can see a big mentality shift to adapt with the change.

3. Your payment timing: Fortunately, ATO does not require business to PAY the withholding & super amount at the same time we do payroll just yet. In the future, it might become a compulsory for business to pay PAYG & super at the same time of payment for employees. By using STP, ATO wants to get all that information ON or BEFORE the date when the amount is required to be withheld. It is possibly the time you make payments to your employees.

4. One positive thing: Lastly, we are glad that STP will replace end of year payment summaries which could save your accountant at least 1 day of work per year.

At Tailored Accounts, we ensure that our client is well informed about the change in legislation, Super Stream, STP & much more updates are coming. If you feel unsure of these changes, feel free to contact us for consultation.

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

CASH FLOW SOLUTIONS

by Mark Love

Social media and small business – with great power comes great responsibility

Even entrepreneurs need a holiday

The increasing use of social media has had a profound effect on the way that people do business. The ability to reach a large market for low cost and engage with customers and potential customers in real time can have a major positive impact on your business.

However, with the benefits also comes the risk from both Consumer protection laws against improper use and loss of rights.

There are legal risks to be aware misleading and deceptive conduct of before using social media for apply to social media. Importantly, your business, three pertinent legal risks being: these rules don’t just apply to your • Copyright; • Defamation; and own content; they also extend to • Misrepresentation.

Many social media websites third party content that you share have terms and conditions that affect the ownership of copyright. on your social media channels Some sites stipulate that any or content left by third parties. copyright in content is lost once it is uploaded; so once you have published this material online, you have not only lost practical control, but often legal control. Any value that you may have had in the copyright is effectively dissipated.

You must also be careful to ensure that any social media posts are not defamatory. There is an obvious risk with social media, in that content can be spread instantaneously and reach a potentially global audience; carrying significant damages as well.

Finally, consumer protection laws against misleading and deceptive conduct apply to social media. Importantly, these rules don’t just apply to your own content; they also extend to third party content that you share on your social media channels or content left by third parties. Where you allow the content of third party posts to remain on your page, you can be taken to endorse the views in that content and subsequently be held liable for them.

Every business should establish strategies to mitigate its risks. Where your social media involves a lot of user content and customers actively engaging with you, it is crucial that you draft appropriate terms and conditions for: • sourcing materials for publication; • vetting of what is published in your name; and • ascertaining what rights you lose from the terms of the platform you use to publish.

As a natural consequence, be sure to monitor your accounts regularly by staff trained for this role so that inappropriate content can be removed sooner rather than later. Where you hold user’s personal information, it is advisable that you have a clear, well-drafted privacy policy that sets out your responsibilities and obligations. If you don’t have any of these measures in place, you should establish strategies before a Facebook post or Tweet comes back to haunt you.

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 Jane Lombard

When you’re running your own business and you’re in the thick of keeping everything running smoothly; taking a holiday might be the last thing on your mind. Or maybe it’s something you’ve considered and you concluded that it would be more stressful than just keeping your nose to the grindstone. But it’s generally Set strict limits on your holiday acknowledged that there are a lot of positive benefits that a break can offer work. If you need to stay in for both you and your business. touch, try to limit it to something If your stress levels are on the rise or even just plateaued at a general with minimum impact on high, then taking a break away from it all can make a massive difference. your ability to take a physical And the physical impact of giving your mind as well as you body a rest and emotional break. means that you will feel energised and invigorated. Your mind in its rested state will be become a more agile problem solver, and you’ll be able to think creatively around challenges and new opportunities. In addition, a much-earned holiday gives you a great opportunity to reconnect with that key support team: your family and loved ones. Always a worthwhile investment for everyone involved.

There are lots of positive side effects from taking holiday but how do you stop it having a negative impact on your business? Well, it won’t surprise you to hear that planning is key.

1. Identify the time you want to take time off in advance and make sure you let your customers know.

2. If you have staff then decide who will be the key contact for your customers while you are away, otherwise work out a contact process for general enquiries vs. emergencies.

3. When it gets to your actual time off make sure you have effective out of office communications in place to set expectations for anyone making contact.

4. Plan your cash flow carefully to make sure funds are available while you are not.

5. Identify any bills that need to be paid or outgoing expenses that need to be managed to make sure you are paying everything on time: including your staff.

6. Set strict limits on your holiday work. If you need to stay in touch, try to limit it to something with minimum impact on your ability to take a physical and emotional break. For example, consider checking your email once a day, in the evening, and set aside half an hour to respond to any emails or enquiries.

Taking a break doesn’t mean you need to be out of the office for a month. You could give yourself a well-earned rest for a long weekend or a few days away. Running a business is a big job and the endless working days and 24-7 pondering of the next opportunity can tire out even the most energetic mind. So why not start planning your next holiday and look forward to enjoying the benefits it brings?

P 0408 226 841 E jane.lombard@fifocapital.com PO Box 3269, Weston Creek ACT 2611

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CYBER SECURITY

INSOLVENCY

by Stephane Millot

Phishing season or the weakest link

by Tony Lane

Corporate denial and the case for commercial pragmatism

Phishing is the action of exploiting human nature in order to acquire information for the purpose of identity theft, financial fraud or obtaining unauthorised access to sensitive information.

A phishing attack is typically delivered in the form of an unsolicited email designed to lure a user into visiting a web site or to open an attached document. Typically, the link or document attempts to install malware on the user’s system.

Once a victim clicks on a link or opens a document, a chain of events is put into action which can lead to a serious data breach, including intellectual property theft, ransomware, and financial loss.

Attackers are not only looking at stealing credentials and financial information, but are also looking to infiltrate companies’ infrastructure to gain an undetected persistent foot hold within the core of the organisation.

The Verizon 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report (DIBR) indicates that “The majority of phishing cases feature phishing as a means to install persistent malware”. This is also known in cyber security as an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT).

Phishing is a very effective way of attacking an organisation as it targets their weakness link, the human being. It is extremely successful because it exploits one of the fundamental attributes of the human psyche: trust. It is part of our evolutionary process and we have built our society on the basis of trust.

Technology is relatively ineffective at preventing people exploiting trust.

Humans are the weakest link in the security chain and it does not matter how much effort and money organisations have invested in technology to secure their information, it only takes one person to make it irrelevant.

Organisations can be assured that threat actors will be looking at the weakest link within their organisation.

The most effective method to mitigate against phishing attacks is to learn through experience, to give users the opportunity to learn how to recognise and how to react to phishing attacks by conducting realistic phishing attack simulations.

The purpose of a phishing attack simulation is not to lay blame on individuals but to enhance their ability to recognise and to respond to real world phishing attacks, thereby increasing the security posture of their organisation.

An effective phishing attack simulation should be delivered periodically and at all levels of the organisation. This campaign would include: • An organisation-wide simulation to determine the overall level of phishing awareness of the organisation; • Targeting a selected group of users based on their role, such as system administrators; and • Targeting to specific individuals with high responsibility within the organisation.

Various scenarios should be considered to reflect sophisticated and targeted real world phishing attacks, and should include emails, phone calls, lost media, and fake web sites.

By developing a phishing attack simulation program, an organisation can provide their employees with the best chance to counter modern cyberattacks and significantly reduce their risk exposure.

I was recently contacted by a professional colleague asking that I meet with a director of a company facing reasonably serious financial problems.

The problems themselves were not insurmountable. The issues had been identified at a stage where there was still a range of options able to be deployed. Money was available to satisfy debts (or a goodly Corporate denial – the refusal portion of them), and there was every possibility of the company to acknowledge the existence recovering its profitability and continuing long into the future. of the factors driving, in this However, financial difficulties are almost always symptomatic case, financial distress – is of other underlying issues – in many cases deep-seated emotional, mental, family – the list is long. Rarely is it the case that and based in irrationality. bills go unpaid through a simple decision not to pay. Scratching the surface often identifies contributors, if not the cause. The question constantly demanding the attention at initial conferences is ‘do you scratch and if so, how hard’?

Whilst many spruik the virtues of corporate recovery and restructure, without the ability to identify, understand and address the drivers of financial difficulty, there is perhaps little to be gained from implementing a rescue package. In the long term, unaddressed underlying causes tend to manifest themselves in similar (read: repeat) symptoms. This is not always the case, but experience dictates it’s preferable to rely on better management than luck.

Clearly then, the efficacy of any restructuring arrangement (be it formal or informal) rests with addressing the causes of the financial dysfunctionality. So much would appear obvious. However, gaining traction with those who direct and manage companies facing the spectre of insolvency can often be difficult – especially if the reluctance is rooted in corporate denial.

Corporate denial – the refusal to acknowledge the existence of the factors driving, in this case, financial distress – is in many cases deep-seated and based in irrationality. Such a position is also rarely overcome with logic.

The most thoroughly reasoned rescue package is often rejected due to an apparent inability to fathom the issues associated with the restructure.

Issues such as shame, a sense of personal failure, isolation and a plethora of others often drive an inability to engage.

For a corporate rescue to be truly successful, it must be owned by those ultimately responsible for its implementation. If the best outcome that can be comprehended and implemented is paying the debt in full, no matter what the financial risk, then so be it. No doubt other stakeholders in the transaction would share that view.

Stephane Millot -Principal Consulant P 02 6162 4112 - security@cordelta.com www.cordelta.com

Tony Lane is a Registered and Official Liquidator at Vincents.

For more information, contact Vincents on (02) 6274 3402 www.vincents.com.au

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

RECRUITMENT

by Shaun Creighton

Use it or lose it – not just a wild goose chase

Is temping and contracting the ‘new normal’?

Australian trade mark law provides mechanisms where a registered trade mark can be expunged (removed) from the trade mark register if the mark in question has not been used in the preceding three year period [although a non-use application cannot be made unless five years have elapsed from the filing date]. This ground exists under section 92 of the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) (the Act).

What constitutes use?

The volume of use required to defeat a non-use application has been considered by the Courts. Here, even a single bona fide use of the mark in the relevant period has been deemed to be sufficient to resist an application for removal (Woolly Bull Enterprises Pty Ltd v Reynolds [2001] FCA 261).

It is common for one party to authorise another party to use a trade mark. Examples here include franchise agreements, distribution agreements, sponsorship agreements and licenses from a holding company to a trading company.

Until recently, it has been unclear whether a trade mark owner is “using” that mark where it grants a right of use to a third party licensee. The Court has clarified this position. However, that position is the classic legal answer of “it all depends on the application of the facts to the matter”.

Not just a wild goose chase In the recent case of Lodestar Ansalt v Campari America LLC [2016] FCAFC 92 the parties were in dispute over whether Campari’s licence agreement which permitted an Australian wine producer to use Campari’s “WILD GEESE” and “WILD GEESE WINES” trade marks amounted to “authorised use” of these marks pursuant to section 8 of the Act. Here, the Court held that “authorised use” required that Campari maintain a level of control over its trade marks.

In a decision likely to leave Campari bitter, the Court held that despite Campari having a valid licence agreement for the wine producer licensee to use the Wild Geese trade marks, the level of control set out in the agreement was not sufficient to establish authorised use pursuant to the Act. Accordingly, Campari’s Wild Geese trade marks were removed from the Trade Mark Register on the grounds of non-use. This was despite the marks having been used by Campari’s licensee.

Lessons learned This case identifies and highlights a requirement to draft robust control mechanisms in any IP licence agreements. Such control provisions must enable the owner of the trade mark to exercise control over how the relevant trade mark is used.

Avoiding the bitter taste Moulis Legal’s lawyers have extensive experience in providing specialist intellectual property legal services. This includes conducting (and defending) trade mark non-use proceedings. We are able to assist in drafting / negotiating a wide range of IP licence and commercialisation agreements, which includes suitable control provisions.

Contact Shaun Creighton on 02 6163 1000 or shaun.creighton@moulislegal.com to discuss how we can assist with your trade mark and legal requirements.

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by Jim Roy

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Twenty-three per cent of organisations now employ temporary and contract staff on a regular ongoing basis, up from 16 per cent in 2009.

Estimations vary but the consensus is that around 30 to 40 per cent of the workforce is now a temporary, contractor or freelancer.

While non-permanent employees are nothing new, the recent rapid rise in this form of working is. Permanent headcount freezes in recent years, a rise in projects and the attractiveness of a flexible workforce that can be released at short notice without financial penalty are some factors A short-term temporary or contract behind the new popularity of this long-standing method of worker will successfully complete employment.

The on-demand and asthe duties required in order to keep needed nature of temporaries, your workplace operational. In fact, contractors and freelancers also makes them far more costprofessional interim candidates effective than keeping skills unessential to the day-to-day with high levels of skills and operation of an organisation inhouse. As a temporary employee experience are available to fill is only paid for the hours worked, even the most specialist roles. employers keep a tight control on their staffing costs and productivity at optimum levels.

Such workers are also used to cover annual leave. After all, every organisation has staff they cannot do without. When one of these employees takes annual leave – such as during the Christmas period – a temporary employee can fill their void.

A short-term temporary or contract worker will successfully complete the duties required in order to keep your workplace operational. In fact, professional interim candidates with high levels of skills and experience are available to fill even the most specialist roles.

And it’s not too late to hire a temporary candidate to fill a staff member’s absence this Christmas. The very nature of temps means they are available to fill your short-term needs at any time. Let us know the skills and experience you need, and we can line up a suitable candidate.

A temp can also help alleviate any pre-Christmas workload pressure.

Many organisations gear up for one last push of activity before the festive season takes over. If your team has projects to complete and deadlines to meet before Christmas, an extra resource can help ensure work is finished on time.

Finally, if you are considering your career options for 2017, it’s worth considering temporary and contract assignments. A temporary assignment can give you experience in new areas and allows you to make new contacts.

You work with new groups of people, in new organisational cultures and sometimes in new industries. This will give you a confidence boost, add additional experience to your CV and help you determine your next move.

At Hays we’ve been supplying temporaries and contractors for 25 years.

Jim Roy, Regional Director A Level 11, 60 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra D 02 6112 7663 | E jim.roy@hays.com.au

STRATA MANAGEMENT

WEBSITES

by Chris Miller

Where to turn for advice on strata matters

by Sam Gupta

Why is User Experience (UX) important?

Many readers of this column may be aware that for the last few years I have held the position of President of Strata Community Australia in the ACT. Towards the end of November just past I made the decision to step aside in order to concentrate on other priorities.

Reflecting on my years as president over the past couple of weeks, it occurred to me that although the gig was taxing enough, the majority of my time was spent promoting the industry and rubbing shoulders with my professional colleagues, with scarce little engagement of the wider community of unit owners and Executive Committee’s. SCA is the peak industry It was encouraging to hear the SCA body for Body Corporate board of directors give a mandate for greater engagement with owners and and Community Title committee’s and I understand that Management in Australia. the incoming president will have some exciting announcements in the near future to that end.

Engagement, however, is a two way street and I have come to suspect that part of the reason the punters have such little direct contact with the SCA is simply because owners of strata titled units are not familiar with the various organisations that exist as potential resources to assist them. In speaking with many owners in the past year or so since starting Vantage Strata, it is clear to me that there is considerable confusion in the community regarding the purpose of some of our advocacy groups, peak industry bodies (such as SCA) and government departments.

I have therefore taken the chance to shed some light on these organisations, what they do, and how to contact them.

First and foremost I would be remiss if I didn’t give Strata Community Australia Limited (SCA) a good plug! SCA is the peak industry body for Body Corporate and Community Title Management in Australia. Membership includes body corporate managers, support staff, committee members and suppliers of products and services to the industry. SCA proudly fulfills the dual roles of a professional institute and consumer advocate.

Phone: 02 9492 8250 Another useful resource is the Owners Corporation Network, which is essentially an advocacy group made up of people who own within strata titled properties. This organisation exists purely for the benefit of owners and does not generally provide advice or support for strata managers or contractors.

Email: president@ocnact.org.au Justice & Community Services (JACS) is the government body responsible for overseeing and regulating the Unit Title laws in the ACT. The department also serves as a resource for members of the community who require advice or assistance with strata matters.

Phone: 13 22 81- Access Canberra Contact Centre

Steve Jobs once said: design is not just what it looks like or feels like, it is how it works. Every user is different and so is every website or app. In many cases, the engagement and interactivity boils down to one thing; how userfriendly it looks and feels to your users. User experience (abbreviated as UX) is exactly that; how users feel while using with your digital product. It is why Apple became Apple.

Design and interface play an important role. It’s not just usability— it’s about taking it to the next level. It is about understanding who the users are, what are they looking for, Users feel comfortable when they how are they behaving and being feel they are in control. Empower able to design your website or app to respond accordingly. UX is more them with functionalities. Keep about intuition and emotional the user interface simple and connection with the user.

Here is a three step process user- friendly. Don’t restrict users you can follow to improve user experience: for the sake of it. Let the back-end 1. Identify Two things you need to identify programming do its bit. Guide them are— who the user is and what by providing visual feedback for each device they are on. What you’re your user group demographics? interaction. Anticipate their actions What are their perceptions? Take time to clearly identify the traits of and try to make their life easy. your users.

2. Understand Understand what are they looking for, their expectations, what they are used to. They will have different expectations on mobile devices versus personal computers. A 20-year-old user is likely to behave differently to a 40-year-old user. Take the time to understand their behaviour and what drives them.

3. Empower Users feel comfortable when they feel they are in control. Empower them with functionalities. Keep the user interface simple and user- friendly.

Don’t restrict users for the sake of it. Let the back-end programming do its bit. Guide them by providing visual feedback for each interaction.

Anticipate their actions and try to make their life easy.

There is a reason, even after so many years, Google’s front page has just one simple search option in the centre of the page. Perception is reality and experience is everything. Keep your interface consistent throughout the website or app.

If you are looking to improve the user experience of your website or application, opt for our free 1 hour consultation to get started.

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 4259, Kingston ACT 2604.

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

Good year and good cheer for Canberra business Photo: Andrew Sikorski

F Robyn Hendry CEO Canberra Business Chamber

ollowing a period of relatively diminished business confidence and constrained investment and spending, 2016 was a positive one for the Canberra Region, culminating in strong retail sector results, record visitor numbers and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

For the Canberra Business Chamber, the business optimism was reflected in high member participation in events, activities and programs over the year.

The Chamber was pleased to welcome a significant number of new members during the year, with membership growing by 10 per cent.

A large part of the Chamber’s focus over the past 12 months has been on trade and helping local businesses increase international market share.

The Chamber led successful and well-attended Trade Missions in partnership with the ACT Government to Singapore, the United States and China. In addition, the Chamber signed a MoU with the Singapore Business Federation and Wellington Chamber of Commerce to make these important trade

Canberra BusinessPoint assisted over 800 people through workshops, phone and web enquiries and consultations, with a 98% satisfaction rate from workshops. partners and neighbours, who have been brought even closer with the commencement of direct international flights, more accessible to Canberra Region businesses.

A new Diplomatic Connections program was established to leverage the significant regional advantage

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of having trade experts with current market intelligence based in our city.

ACT’s outstandingly successful export businesess were once again honoured at the recent Chief Minister’s Export Awards. Congratulations to all the winners and particularly to the ACT Exporter of the Year, WildBear Entertainment.

Other key achievements for the Chamber included: • Development of a blueprint to guide ongoing development of our city. Destination 2030 maps out where we want to go and how we plan to get there.

• Delivery of the Choose Healthier local business pilot project. This program identified how business can help tackle the challenge of obesity in our community and the support and resources required to facilitate effective involvement.

• Launch of the Deloitte Small Business Survey which will provide a longitudinal study of business sentiment and conditions in the ACT. • Connecting local companies to opportunities worth more than $75 million through the Light Rail Business Link Program.

• Delivered in partnership with the ACT Government, the Brand Canberra Program continues to promote the region and its businesses.

The Chamber made a broad range of submissions and engaged with government to influence policies for the benefit of the sector. This

included facilitating a review of current ACT procurement and tendering processes to improve outcomes for businesses in the Canberra Region.

Over 150 members were assisted through the Chamber’s Workplace Relations Hotline Advice service. Members were updated and received Modern Awards, Pay Rate Summaries and other advice. Project work was conducted on behalf of members on Enterprise Agreements, Workplace Investigations, Individual Agreements and several members were represented in the Fair Work Commission.

Canberra BusinessPoint assisted over 800 people through workshops, phone and web enquiries and consultations, with a 98% satisfaction rate from workshops.

Thank you to everyone who participated in a Canberra Business Chamber event or gave of their time and knowledge to help us develop positions on key issues during the year.

All of the Chamber team look forward to an equally productive 2017 and wish everyone a happy and safe holiday.

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

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CHIEF MINISTER’S MESSAGE

Celebrating two creative capitals Photo: Sam Halstead

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ANDREW BARR Chief Minister | Treasurer | Minister for Economic Development | Minister for Tourism & Major Events

oung, vibrant, smart and innovative are all well-used descriptors of Canberra. But they also perfectly describe Wellington, our cool capital sister city from across the ditch.

Canberra and Wellington have much in common. We are two of the most liveable cities in the OECD, both cities leverage business opportunities that extend from the seat of our respective Federal Governments and both cities have large knowledge-based economies that attract smart and talented people from across the world.

There are already significant cultural and economic ties between Australia and New Zealand and I am passionate in wanting to extend these links and promote Canberra to the world.

Earlier this year, Canberra and Wellington officially became sister cities after direct flights by Singapore Airlines brought the cities closer. Now is the time to get to know each other and explore the possibilities in tourism, culture and business.

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The ACT Government committed to strengthen ties through a Canberra Week in Wellington initiative, designed to showcase Canberra to our new sister city and promote stronger business ties.

The South Island earthquake forced us to postpone many of the events, but the idea of Canberra Week was to showcase the best of our city, from bacon and beer to the arts and our world class higher education and research sectors. It gave me the opportunity to personally offer Canberra’s support to our sister city, which the Mayor appreciated. The full program will be rescheduled next year.

The Canberra Week idea offers excellent networking and collaboration opportunities for government and businesses alike. Most importantly, events such as this mean business delegates spend time on the streets of Wellington selling our city directly to the people of Wellington.

The partnership is a two-way agreement and on the weekend before Canberra Week was due to occur, Wellington’s A-League

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team – Wellington Phoenix – played at Canberra Stadium, while representatives from Wellington City Council have been regulars in Canberra.

Events such as Canberra Week sow the seeds for a strong partnership that will have significant benefits for both cities long into the future.

The strength of this partnership between two creative and agile cities will be centred on the people and the connections that are built in all sectors.

Let’s embrace our sister city and build a long lasting and rewarding bond.

MIN EER 5 Artist’s impression Artist’s impression | MIN EER 5

NETWORKING

MPS Travel + Tours - launch party National Press Club of Australia Photography: Tim Benson To share these photos go to: facebook.com/b2bmagazinecbr

David Campbell

Call today 0413 602 459 david@ddkcampbell.com.au www.ddkcampbell.com.au B 2 B I S S U E 12 2 32

Coach, Speaker, Trainer and Celebrant

My passion is to support businesses/ entrepreneurs who are seeking to achieve their best.

As a John Maxwell certified coach, I can offer you workshops, seminars, keynote speaking, and coaching, aiding your personal and professional growth through study and practical application of John Maxwell’s proven leadership methods.

Working together, I will move you and/or your team or organisation in the desired direction to reach your goals.

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My Services are not bound by location, I am capable of reaching any organisation anywhere.

I am also an authorised Celebrant in the Canberra region. My background as a retired Naval Officer provides a unique understanding of ceremony and celebration. I enjoy working with couples as they prepare for or continue in their marriage.

David Campbell

NETWORKING

Sweatworking 2016 - Bradley Allen Love’s corporate physical challenge event PHOTOGRAPHY: TIM BENSON AIS - Outdoor Synthetic Field To share these photos go to: facebook.com/b2bmagazinecbr

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Tee off for Tara - 2016 FGD Golf Day Photography: Tim Benson Gold Creek Country Club To share these photos go to: facebook.com/b2bmagazinecbr

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