Hopes
The
The
BONUS INTRA MELIOR EXI ENTER GOOD, EXIT BETTER
TGS.QLD.EDU.AU
THE NORTH’S LEADING ACADEMIC SCHOOL
04 TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR RETIREMENT STRATEGY
common SMSF
14 ATTRACTING SKILLED TALENT IN 2023
PVW Partners focus on employee drivers to attract and retain staff.
16 SUCH IS LIFE
Timing the property market with Shannon Willcox of Northern Realty.
17 MOVERS, SHAKERS & CHANGEMAKERS
Updates from the local business community.
18 TOWNSVILLE’S EVENTS SEASON
Council’s investment into sport and cultural events brings economic growth to the region.
20 CERTAINTY IN UNCERTAIN MARKETS
Menninger Capital explains the value of investing conservatively but unconventionally.
22 THE ENVIRONMENTAL GOOD GUYS
The local land management company providing veterans with a purpose.
25 BEEFING UP OPERATIONS
Pure Produce reinvigorates the regenerative farming model for NQ.
26 PLAN NOW FOR TAX SAVINGS
Coutts Redington talk tax strategies as we approach the new financial year.
27 BIGGER FISH TO FRY
The Ingham seafood shop and café giving travellers a taste of NQ.
28 EXPLORING NEW MARKETS
The locally founded real estate agency achieving state-wide growth.
30 DRIVING WORKFORCE GROWTH
Unpacking the suite of free resources to connect North Queensland’s employers and job seekers.
31 MEN’S CLINIC BRINGS NEW SERVICES TO THE CBD Verve Men’s Clinic on a mission to recharge men’s health.
32 DEVELOPING A CYBER FIT CULTURE
Guest Contribution article by Miranda Mears from Cyber Sense.
ABN 77 899 099 507 M. 0415 908 896 www.bdmag.com.au EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
E. info@bdmag.com.au CONTRIBUTORS Kate Banville, Meghan Boland, Julie Johnston, Laura Kaye, Luke Lum, Rebecca Rojahn FRONT COVER Nicky Busetti, Photography by Phil Copp, Phil Copp Photos BDMAG PHOTOGRAPHERS Phil Copp, Phil Copp Photos DESIGN Mak Media PRINT Hastings Printers
We acknowledge the Bindal and Wulgurukaba peoples as Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate and pay respect to Elders past, present and future. BDmag is committed to providing a media platform that is diverse and inclusive.
All contents of BDmag are subject to copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The views and opinions of the authors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of print, the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or subsequence
or
from reliance on information in this publication. BDmag is printed on
This issue, we decided we were doggone up to the challenge of working with animals for our front cover image. Admittedly, there were some treats involved as an incentive, but our handsome cover model, Chad, was a ‘very good boy’ indeed and sat patiently alongside his human, Nicky, while our fabulous photographer, Phil Copp, got the perfect shot. Don’t be fooled thinking Chad is the star of this story, it’s Nicky who saw the paw-tential for a doggie day-care, and has not only continued to grow a successful business, but is now working to standardise the industry with accreditation courses to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and canine clientele.
Like Chad, I’m easily motivated by food, so I very much enjoyed my recent visit to Wild Local in Ingham. I can confirm they have a huge range of fresh, succulent seafood, and our family had plenty of options to choose from at the café during our recent road trip. With their previous location in a flood zone, the Zaghinis have endured more than their fair share of hardship in business, but their passion for providing a great customer experience and eagerness to collaborate with other operators will no doubt make a positive contribution to the Hinchinbrook region. If there’s something topical or a burning issue that affects North Queensland’s business community that you’d like us to delve into, you can drop us a line at info@bdmag.com.au.
Enjoy the April issue!
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Have you ever pondered the idea of taking a more active role in your future and setting up a self-managed super fund (SMSF)? As our needs change, we have seen more and more people taking control of their retirement strategy and making their own investment decisions by setting up a SMSF. But many are still apprehensive, so let us debunk some of the myths surrounding SMSF and look at the considerations for setting one up.
Like most investment strategies, many of the most successful SMSF members start well before retiring age. SMSF members have complete control over their investments and can tailor their investment strategy to meet their specific financial goals. The earlier you can start planning for retirement, the better position you will be in when the time arrives.
It is often believed that SMSFs are only beneficial to those who have a balance of more than $1 mil. This not the case. SMSFs are more flexible and offer a range of investment options, providing members with greater flexibility to invest in a diverse range of assets, such as shares, property, and bonds.
SMSFs can be more cost-effective than retail or industry funds, as members can minimise costs by making their own investment decisions and administering the fund themselves. SMSFs may also receive tax benefits, including a lower tax rate on contributions and investment earnings, and the ability to access tax-free pension income.
There is perhaps more truth to this "myth" than the others, but that's what professionals are for. While SMSF members have complete control over their investments and can tailor their investment strategy to meet their specific financial goals, this may seem too daunting for some. That’s why SMSF members can seek professional advice on their investments and overall financial strategy.
By actively managing their own financial future, SMSF members can have peace of mind and a greater sense of control over their retirement savings. All in all, with the correct guidance from an advice team, a SMSF is an invaluable asset to the retiree and those approaching retirement.
If you would like to discuss your superannuation and how Morgans can assist with SMSF solutions, contact us on 07 4725 5787 or email townsville@morgans.com.au
Disclaimer: This is general advice only and is made without consideration of an individual’s relevant personal circumstances.
A local work health safety consultancy is offering businesses personalised support to keep their safety compliance programs running smoothly.
Building on his extensive professional experience, Bruce Irvine, experienced safety consultant and Director at Safetyhut Pty Ltd, completed the Advanced Diploma for Occupational Health and Safety. Bruce’s company incorporates tailored, userfriendly services to simplify safety compliance for Australian and New Zealand businesses.
“At Safetyhut, we understand the importance of maintaining a safe work environment for our clients. That’s why we offer a wide range of safety software solutions all under one roof, designed to help your organisation stay compliant and mitigate risk,” says Bruce.
Bruce has a variety of experiences, including time in the Navy and the mines. These different roles showed him the necessity of safety compliance.
“I was in the Navy back where they kept you safe so you could shoot guns... and then I went into mining, and they kept you safe so you could dig holes... There are always tools available, but people don’t always know what to do,” Bruce says.
Bruce’s passion for accessible and easy work safety compliance also comes from his experience in working across seven hospitals in healthcare security.
“I was a Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator. I became the only Australian awarded the Medal of Distinction from the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety.”
But one thing continued to inconvenience him.
you advice, point you in the right direction. We can log into the software and have a look and see how you’re going,” Bruce says. Incorporating diversity into his products is also an important part of Bruce’s business, developing the Safetyhut studio to tailor safety videos to each company.
“We have Safetyhut studio which is going to be like a Shutterfly for safety; you’ll be able to buy all sorts of products there. Things like people from different ethnicities doing different things in different uniforms.”
Clients can take images and videos and upload them into the Safetyhut Dropbox.
“We can do actual production for you,” says Bruce.
“With onboarding videos, we’ve completely reshot all the fire ones with different backgrounds. You can send over a polo shirt, and we’ll redo the fire and safety video in that. We’re also looking at using software called Colossus which is AI driven, making it easy and affordable to quickly make videos for businesses.”
Bruce’s motivation for safety is carried into the foundation of Safetyhut and what it offers clients, with the belief that safety needs to be tailored to everyone.
“It needs to be driven by someone that’s excited about what you do as a business, whether it’s a small fish and chip shop or a Tier One organisation,” Bruce says.
“Safetyhut is focused on people, not things. People are the most important.”
This background gave Bruce insight to what clients look for when creating safer workplaces and why he designed Safetyhut to be a ‘facilitator’. With Safetyhut software including Workhub and Ezy Sign, there are also Safetyhut documents and support.
“If you need something for HR and WHS, we will source it for you and help you to deal with it. We don’t become your safety person or your HR person, but we support you. We can onboard and offboard, give
“ I was always looking for software to assist me, but I could never find it,” says Bruce. “It always frustrated me.”
As a busy professional with young children, Nicky Busetti’s love of dogs, coupled with a strong sense of guilt, led her to create a family business that provided a fun and enriching environment for the dogs and made her feel good as a pet parent.
Dogtopia Retreat launched in 2016, with just four dogs in attendance in one facility, with all five members of the family working in the business initially. It has now evolved into two centres with an average of over 70 dogs per day, plus a multi-service vet clinic with over 40 team members. Nicky’s son, Colby, works full-time in the business as a manager while her husband and two other children are still intrinsically involved.
“For me, having a young family, I always felt like when I dropped the kids off to day-care, I knew they were safe, and I’d get updates during the day. As a full-time working mum, that was quite comforting,” Nicky says. “Whereas with the dogs, I always felt guilty about leaving the dogs at home. I’m in the animal industry, I’m in it because I love animals, but my dogs are stuck at home.
“I would get home at six o’clock at night after picking the kids up from day-care, bath them, feed them, it’s now nine o’clock, I’m exhausted, I’ve got to walk the dogs, but I don’t do it.”
With a background in accounting, it was during Nicky’s time working for Greencross Vets founder, Glen Richards, that she became involved in the animal industry. During her time as an Operations Manager for Greencross, she saw an opportunity for a doggie day-care.
“When Greencross moved their Hyde Park clinic to its current location in the Woolcock Centre, there was a space behind there that I felt we needed to utilise,” Nicky recalls.
“I went to Greencross with the idea of a doggie daycare, and they said they weren’t interested. I then proposed to them that I, personally, would lease that space off them and we would run the day-care independently.”
While not a new concept, Nicky wanted to take the doggie day-care model and elevate it to the next level to create an enriching experience for the dogs, not too dissimilar to human childcare. The business was a huge risk, especially for something Nicky admits is a luxury experience and not a necessity for pet parents.
“It probably took us about two years to break even and there were so many learnings to be had in those initial stages,” she says.
“I thought I knew about animal behaviour, and I thought I knew about what we needed to do to cater
Image credits: Phil Copp Photosfor pet parents, but I didn’t. For example, doggie day-care is not for every dog. In those early stages, it was about learning how to create an experience for the dog where the dog is happy, not because the owners want it to be there, and they feel bad for leaving it at home.
“It’s about the safety and welfare of the dogs and the safety of our staff. We’re dealing with pack animals, and we must respect that we can’t humanise these dogs, we have to let them be dogs and cater to their needs.”
Fast-forward three years and Dogtopia Retreat is thriving; pup-tronage is consistently full, paving the way for a second facility at My Pet Hub in Kirwan. The one-stop veterinary and doggie day-care facility was built from the ground up by Nicky in partnership with VetPartners.
There are no signs of business slowing down for Nicky either, with the original Dogtopia Retreat in Hyde Park moving into a new premises, just 1100 metres up the road to 337 Woolcock Street and joining with business partners, Roy Walker and Dr Gina Walker. Moving to a new facility has not only provided a chance for Nicky to apply all the lessons once again, but also an opportunity to shake up the industry.
“Roy, one of the original Operations Managers at Greencross, and I had a conversation about how we see just how in-demand doggie day care is. It’s an industry that doesn’t have a lot of governance and regulation behind it,” Nicky explains.
“Together, we started another company called Petcare Agency. With that, we see the opportunity to open doggie day-care centres nationally. Moreover, what we’re really hoping for is to be able to work with the industry to get some guidelines on how they should be run, how we make them safe, and most importantly keep them enriching and enjoyable for the dogs attending.
“Part of bringing in those standards is also getting training and courses for dog handlers. We’ve established a three-level doggie day-care specific dog-handling course, with levels one and two being taught online and providing the foundations to doghandling.
“Level three, which is currently under construction, will be having placement at Dogtopia Retreat in the new facility on Woolcock Street and we’re working on getting these courses nationally accredited.”
Nicky says that she wants to see Petcare Agency as part of the conversation in making the industry safer for all parties involved. It is after all, she says, one of the most challenging but rewarding jobs you can have.
“ Pet parents love bringing their dogs to day-care. These people will do anything for their animals. As a pet parent, it’s so much more comforting knowing that your dog is excited to go to day-care, knowing they’ll have a beautiful and enriching experience than if they were stuck at home.”
V8 Supercars legend and Snowy River Caravans Ambassador James Courtney proved he can wow a crowd on and off the race track at the Townsville Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Mercure Inn in February, held as part of the Grand Opening celebrations for Regent RV Townsville.
In a candid chat, moderated by BDmag Editor Julie Johnston, James shared stories of the highs and lows he has experienced in his personal life and career, before being joined by Regent Caravans’ Group Marketing Manager, Jessica Ferro, to share insight into the return on investment a brand ambassador can provide a business. Guests mingled afterwards for autographs and photos with James, and Safetyhut’s Bruce Irvine won the lucky door prize of a signed James Courtney poster.
Image credits: Josh Brnjac
Queensland Country Bank held a function at Mount Isa Civic Centre as part of Mount Isa’s 100 year celebrations. Queensland Country Bank started as the Isa Mine Employee’s Credit Union in 1971 and has been proud to grow with the city of Mount Isa over the last 52 years.
Image credits: Vida Images
At Ray White Munro & Co, owners Errol and Jools Munro have dedicated themselves to creating an office culture that values hard work, transparency and accountability, which has resulted in a tight-knit team who pride themselves on delivering customers the best possible property experience.
“If we want our customers to ‘feel’ an experience they cherish, it makes sense that happy and healthy staff are going to help deliver that,” says Jools.
“We’ve been very intentional about building a positive culture that equips our staff with industry expertise and enables us all to grow as individuals and as a team.
“Monthly meetings at Munro & Co aren’t like your standard office meeting. Each team member takes a turn at choosing a local business to order from for our Family Lunch, which is followed by a guest speaker to inspire our team to grow personally and professionally.
“Then it is time for the team challenge, which varies from an individual to team activity. In the past we’ve made gingerbread houses, carved pumpkins, built spaghetti bridges, and currently we’re each working on an embroidery kit!”
Jools, who is well known for her vivacious personality, says that while their team activities are quite the hoot and bond the team, it’s the daily processes and discipline which provide the framework for success.
“We’re definitely a team that embraces play, and while we don’t take ourselves too seriously, we are serious about our work,” she says.
“To truly deliver exceptional customer service in a fast-paced industry like real estate, it has been
essential to implement processes and take a disciplined approach to how we operate. This enables staff to feel good about accomplishing their tasks and achieving great results.
“Our property managers are capped at 90 doors, which gives them adequate time to professionally manage and improve properties with a minimum of four routine inspections per year, and to maintain regular communication with the landlords.
“Sales Perfect weeks are created for each individual agent to help them achieve their goals, and we prioritise time daily in our calendars to complete calls, so our clients can trust that we will call them back when we say we will!”
It’s a strategy that is paying off, with a growing number of Townsville residents and interstate investors entrusting the Munro & Co team to sell or manage their properties.
“Building a strong office culture cultivates a productive work environment, and our team are always looking for ways to improve and strive for more,” says Jools.
“Our New Business Team has consistently increased the number of rental properties they bring in each month, and have obtained 116 new rental properties this financial year to date.”
“Errol and I had a strong vision for how we wanted to build our agency with a focus on people, and we are so proud to come to work every day with a team that offers a professional, forward-thinking and trustworthy approach to solving people’s real estate needs.”
Building a strong office culture cultivates a productive work environment.
Hopes the Defence Strategic Review will deliver on ‘aggressive system overhaul’.
By Kate Banville
Delayed, downsized and defunded projects are among the biggest concerns for businesses bidding for defence contracts, but there’s an even more pressing point as the Australian Government considers its biggest military shakeup in decades –‘the bureaucratic red tape has to go’. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was handed the final version of a Defence Strategic Review by former Defence Force Chief Angus Houston and former Defence Minister Stephen Smith in February. By May – and in time for the latest budget – an unclassified version is expected to be made public.
Citing the need to ‘be informed by intelligence and strategic assessments of the most concerning threats which challenge Australia's security’, the government has even more to contend with since the report was commissioned in August 2022.
Defence Industry stakeholders argue this is exactly why an aggressive approach to contract procurements is needed.
“I'm hoping that the review provides some clarity and certainty in the government's direction,” says Anthony Smith of Dyadic Consultancy.
“For some of the larger companies that I've spoken to, for them to be able to invest the sorts of money that needs to be invested, they need more certainty around some of those larger projects.”
“Because it would seem in the last couple of terms at least, Defence has been short-term goal orientated.”
Image Credits: Department of Defence
Anthony referenced multiple projects which could directly benefit North Queensland's economy, including the long-awaited LAND 400 project to secure hundreds more armoured infantry fighting vehicles, which would require servicing for up to 30 years.
The major overhaul of Army Aviation has also opened the door of opportunity for North Queensland with its Brigade Headquarters to be based at RAAF Base Townsville. This comes amid the largest shakeup of its fleet in two decades with Defence set to replace its underperforming European Tiger and Taipan helicopters with Apache and Black Hawk helicopters from the US.
The war in Ukraine has given ammunition to those arguing Australia needs to become more agile in how
it responds to protecting the nation in more ways than just Defence funding.
Former Army Engineering Officer Rob Sutton founded Mirragin – a technology company which specialises in robotics, artificial intelligence and drones.
He says the Defence Strategic Review presents a rare opportunity to disrupt antiquated government processes across multiple industries.
“An artificial intelligence system that can count and categorise soybeans for example, could be the very same technology used for detecting missiles that might be aimed at our cities,” he says.
“An investment in that technology for defence purposes not only protects critical infrastructure but also benefits the economy because it's benefiting those other sectors as well.”
His remarks followed a stark warning from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation in February which revealed Australia was facing an unprecedented challenge from espionage and foreign interference.
Then there was the announcement of Australia’s first Cyber Agency to fight against mass cyber attacks by state-sponsored hackers and criminal gangs.
“This will be a very wide-ranging report with the possibility of some significant disruption,” Rob says.
“The threat environment has changed significantly. And technology has changed significantly, and we need to move a lot faster.
“We need to take some risk now to invest in sovereign industries so we’re not reliant on overseas supply chains.”
“So, there’s a lot of opportunity to develop technologies that are useful in agriculture, in mining and in defence.”
“Our team can talk you through our options to determine what is most suitable for your situation.
“selectability’s in-person counselling is delivered from our mental health hubs in Cairns, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay and Rockhampton and we offer telehealth services across regional Queensland.
“We provide a safe, judgement-free space for you to discuss any issues or concerns, understand your thoughts, feelings, emotions or behaviours and explore opportunities for growth and change.”
Now boasting more than 40 APHRA registered clinicians (and counting!), selectability’s team of mental health professionals is diverse, covering a range of specialties and treatment areas.
“Our growing team has allowed selectability to expand its treatment areas and therapeutic offerings to include art therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, and dialectical behaviour therapy.
Are you looking for support to improve your mental wellbeing and better cope with everyday life? selectability’s clinical team can connect you to the support you need.
Using a contemporary, evidence-based approach, one of selectability’s mental health professionals can help you develop strategies to understand your feelings and build resilience.
Acting General Manager, Kate Stevens, says selectability’s counselling and therapeutic services are available through a number of sources.
“We offer a range of different referral pathways into our services from private full fee paying, NDIS to the Carer Gateway program,” Kate says.
PATHWAY ELIGIBILITY
“If you are looking for someone to talk to, reach out to selectability and let us connect you to the support you need.”
Carer Gateway Currently in a caring role (no referral required)
Connect to Wellbeing Relevant concession card / mental health treatment plan from your GP (GP referral required)
EAP+ Your employer must be registered with selectability (no referral required)
Medicare Mental health treatment plan from your GP (GP referral required)
NDIS NDIS plan (no referral required)
Private (full fee) We accept all referrals (including self-referral)
Veterans ADF personnel / family (relevant referral)
WorkCover WorkCover claim (GP referral)
“At selectability, we are passionate about supporting regional Queenslanders to improve their mental wellbeing.”
Many organisations are experiencing the challenge of attracting talent in a depleted talent pool. It can be tempting to throw our hands up and claim it’s hopeless. But as Plato said a couple of years ago, ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ The tight labour market has created the opportunity to create a competitive advantage.
To leverage competitive advantage, we must consider several questions. Do we understand what employees are looking for? Does our workplace embody the desired factors? And how do we promote those factors in the market?
So, what are employees looking for? Our research and experience in working with a range of businesses and other organisations reveals several themes. Today’s employees are looking for a workplace that enables them to balance work and life commitments, provides a career pathway, and embodies a culture that aligns with their values. Oh, and the job has to pay well. It’s not all about the warm and fuzzy. The current cost of living pressures has seen remuneration as a significant motivator for changing employers. But money aside, there are things you can do to become an employer of choice.
Today’s workforce is looking for flexibility. At PVW Partners, 65 percent of employees are on some form of flexible work arrangement. This flexibility includes remote working, compressed hours, parttime hours, and the ability to ‘purchase’ extra paid leave. Employers may be concerned that having people working from home could negatively affect productivity. However, most evidence suggests that productivity often increases when performance expectations are clearly understood. Lack of career development opportunities is another top reason why people leave employers. New employees start assessing their future in the
organisation during the onboarding phase. PVW Partners recently took on seven new team members and dedicated a week to onboarding and setting them up for success. Well-structured onboarding programs clearly show the trajectories that employees can take through the organisation. Presenting career trajectories needs to represent more than a political stunt. The modern employee has been to the puppet show, and they have seen the strings. Employees must see how progression works and the realistic time frames involved. If you are serious about creating employee career pathways, you will have a learning management framework. New employees need to see how they will acquire the knowledge, skills and experience that will enable them to progress in the organisation. Creating career pathways and aligning a learning management framework is easier said than done, and in the case of PVW Partners has been a four-year journey.
Mediocre management and poor cultures ranked as factors one and three when explaining why employees left a job (pay was number five).
Consultant Bill Marklein summed up culture nicely:
Employees won’t stick around long in a workplace where they are trying to survive each week. Managers play a substantial role in leading and creating the culture through the policies and systems they implement, the behaviours they role model and their willingness to act on the poor behaviour of others. When PVW Partners came into existence six years ago, the Partners recognised that creating the right
‘Culture is how employees’ hearts and stomachs feel about Monday morning on Sunday night.’L–R: Chelsea Rowse, Ashley Gealy, Ben Flanders, Samantha Crossley and Samantha Maccarone
culture would be critical to building a successful practice. They diligently identified the values underpinning the culture – values enabling employees to feel a sense of belonging and achieve their potential. As Partner Greg Peel identifies, “an organisation’s culture can be fragile and needs to be consistently monitored, attended to, and nurtured.”
Many organisations now have a section of their website dedicated to potential candidates, explaining their careers and what the organisation is like to work for. Additionally, including references to the organisation’s culture can also be beneficial. A challenge with this approach is that every organisation has access to words, and many of us have become cynical about marketing hype. It is easy to say that Millennials are just job-hoppers. However, research has found that many Millennials claim that organisations over-promise and under-deliver on the employee experience described at interviews and onboarding. So, if you are promoting it, be sure you can deliver it.
Arguably, word-of-mouth is the best kind of marketing. When current employees refer candidates to your business, you deliver on your Employee Value Proposition. PVW Partners has formalised this process through an employee Recruitment Referral Program (RRP). A RRP payment is payable to employees who refer a successfully placed candidate to a role within the firm. As Stephen Covey stated, ‘put first things first’. Being an employer of choice requires that what you offer aligns with what employees want. Therefore, we suggest you start by defining your Employee Value Proposition and then identify the gaps between the current and desired experience. As PVW Partners has found, it’s not an overnight process but is worth the effort and creates a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
It is commonly understood that life doesn’t wait for us, and the same holds true for timing the property market.
The most talked about factor involved in property is profit. However, finances are only the tip of the iceberg, with lifestyle and future plans playing arguably a bigger part in your decision making.
“Property is meant to serve you, for whatever purpose you deem fit,” says Shannon Willcox, Sales Agent at Northern Realty.
For example, you may need to upsize for your growing family, downsize as your children leave the nest, or maybe you just need a change of scenery. Although they are generally exciting times, these factors arguably take priority and rarely align with property market movements.
Sometimes, unfortunate circumstances can force your hand in terms of decision-making with property. Separations, forced re-locations or the passing of family members are life-changing events that may create adjustments to your property journey. They too, never wait to ‘time the market’ and usually require quick decision-making. Whatever the situation, make the timing work for you and your unique set of circumstances.
“‘Home is where the heart is’, is a saying for a reason,” says Shannon. “The emotional impact of selling your home can take its toll and engaging an Agent can
create a degree of separation between yourself and the emotional grind involved in the process.
“Chat to your Real Estate Agent about your wants and needs – we are humans too, we get it!”
Your Real Estate Agent should guide you through this process, to achieve the best outcome across a variety of factors. This includes things such as appropriate settlement times, market preparation on your behalf and a smooth, hands-off selling process. There is more that goes into property than a purchase price and a Real Estate Agent can negotiate the other factors on your behalf.
So, remember that your property journey needs to align with your life journey, not the other way around.
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An innovative new networking concept, The Table NQ , has launched in Townsville with rave reviews from attendees of the inaugural event. Hosted by dynamic duo Ruth Guice and Jools Munro, Table NQ is a facilitated monthly event which enables business professionals to connect in a comfortable environment void of awkwardness and anxiety. If you are looking to forge new business connections, check out their socials for information on future events.
Formerly located in Kirwan, Australian Nutrition Centre has rebranded to Hello Health and moved into the newly refurbished premises on Barlow Street, South Townsville (opposite Dean Park). Functional Medicine Practitioners James and Emma Jensen say the central location will offer greater convenience for customers, with comfortable consultation rooms to discuss their health and wellbeing, and dedicated retail space for nutritional supplements.
After struggling to find effective skincare for himself, Thomas Willcox has launched his own line of products designed specifically for men. Made in collaboration with dermatologists and industry experts, Severan Skincare aims to provide quality skincare for men that really works. Hailing from Bowen and now residing in Townsville, Thomas’ mission is to destigmatise male grooming and encourage men to take pride in self-care.
Townsville North Queensland is Up for Unexpected , with the new tourism brand launched by Townsville Enterprise at the International Media Marketplace in Sydney at the end of February. The presentation included an unexpected song by home-grown talent, Trent Bell, which is now available for streaming. The brand and tagline were created after 12 months of research and led by a steering committee of marketing experts, and will form the basis of marketing campaigns to welcome visitors to the region.
Townsville’s events season is kicking off with the first of a series of high-profile sporting events and cultural experiences taking over the city this year.
The city will play host to the inaugural North Queensland Toyota Cowboys v Redcliffe Dolphins NRL game, an exhibition by Australia’s foremost woodfired potter Len Cook and some of the country’s best stand-up comedians for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow – all in April.
These events are just the start of a whirlwind series of experiences headed to Townsville this events season, cementing Townsville’s reputation as the arts, culture and events capital of Northern Australia.
Mayor Jenny Hill says Townsville City Council has invested heavily into arts, culture and events in its 2022/23 budget, providing $45.6 million towards bringing events, sports and culture to the city.
“This $45.6 million investment reflects Council’s role as a promoter, funder and facilitator of arts and culture across the city,” Cr Hill says.
“We have attracted national and international-calibre brands like Aston Villa Football Club, Queensland Ballet and the Supercars Championship to Townsville, giving us a platform to showcase our beautiful city to new national and international audiences.
“In February the Queensland Reds chose Townsville to kick off the first game of their Super Rugby Pacific campaign and will play another game at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in May.
“We are committed to fully leveraging on the opportunities that hosting these world-class events provides to the city.
“Council’s vision is to grow Townsville, and to do that we must put our best foot forward so we can compete with other cities across Australia and the world.”
Cr Hill says events held at Queensland Country Bank Stadium alone generated close to $25 million to Townsville’s economy in 2022.
“Our friends at Townsville Enterprise have crunched the numbers on the economic impact of attracting world-class sporting and cultural events to Townsville, and the figures really do speak for themselves,” Cr Hill says.
“The effort that is put into bringing events like Super Rugby to Queensland Country Bank Stadium is well worth it, with visitors outside the region attending events at the stadium contributing about $24.9 million to the local economy last year, with more than 250,000 locals and visitors attending events at the stadium during that time.
“These figures go to show just how essential Townsville’s role as the arts, events and sports capital of Northern Australia is in boosting our economy and keeping our locals in sustainable jobs.”
Townsville will be host to a series of major events this events season, including the North Australian Festival of Arts and its music festival Tropic Sounds, the Townsville 500, Ephemera, and more.
Cr Hill says these major events not only provide an economic boon to the community, but they also provide important activation of community spaces across Townsville.
“Whether we’re designing an event ourselves or working with organisers to bring major events to Townsville, it’s always essential that we look at how we can activate our city centre and our suburbs,” Cr Hill says.
“The importance of visitors spending at local businesses cannot be overstated, which is why Council is continuously working with business owners to ensure events are held in spaces that support activation.
“This helps to support and boost the income for businesses like our restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues and retailers.”
“Council is focused on growing Townsville through world-leading placemaking that provides a national and international platform to the city, and we’re doing that through the design of our events and through working with local businesses to ensure each location is brought to life with an array of food, tourism and entertainment options.”
To see events coming up across Townsville, visit Council’s What’s On Townsville website.
The past year was a tumultuous one for investors. Now, with the seemingly entrenched economic challenges of mounting inflation and rising interest rates, many still harbour fears of a much speculated, long overdue stock market correction.
Menninger Capital Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Smith, says there is one category of investors that hold no concerns should a stock market downturn occur in 2023 – Value Investors.
“The future of the stock market is inherently uncertain, and it is difficult to predict with accuracy what will happen in the coming months and years,” explains Matthew.
“Value investors have a long-term investment horizon and tend to buy stocks when their share price has fallen, and make money as they increase in value over time.
“As opposed to growth investors, who pay attention to whether an industry or sector is growing or shrinking, value investors tend to focus on the
intrinsic value of a stock and how it compares with its past performance and the industries surrounding it.”
One of the key points of difference that Menninger Capital offers clients is the opportunity to invest in Marathon Consolidated Ltd, which partners with carefully selected Public Unlisted Companies to drive exponential growth in revenue and earnings.
“Marathon’s objective is to partner with the companies in which we invest by providing long-term patient capital, and help them reach their growth potential through Menninger Capital’s corporate advisory capabilities,” says Matthew.
“We typically join the existing board and have an active level of engagement with the business and management. We have acted as a sounding board on matters from developing corporate strategies to major transactional events such as mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings and bank re-financing.
“As a result of identifying their intrinsic value, our partnership approach and corporate advice, we’ve
Using their unconventional partnership approach, Menninger Capital has successfully identified the intrinsic value in companies and provided corporate advisory services to enable them to reach their growth potential and deliver superior investment returns for Menninger Capital clients.
Western Australia’s leading food and packaging supplier since 1949, MBL Food & Packaging has over 50 employees and is a leading supplier to the Butchery, Meat Processing, Bakery, Food Service and Packaging sectors.
On 1 November 2022, MBL completed the acquisition of South Coast Food Service, who have operated in the Esperance region for over 60 years. This is a key step towards the vision to be a leading food and packaging supplier in Australia and delivers on the stated strategy of growth by acquisition.
Since Marathon Consolidated Ltd’s initial investment in 2018, net profit growth 2018–2023 is on track to achieve a 4,592% increase of $55K to $2.5M.
Property Vine Ltd (PVL) is a public company based in South East Queensland with real estate businesses in short stay accommodation, management letting rights, property sales and property management throughout the state.
With strategic input from Menninger Capital, PVL was incorporated and commenced acquisitions in September 2019, now boasting over 850 apartments and 71 employees.
PVL maintained profitability during the pandemic through exposure to corporate and permanent guests and diversified geographies, recording a 28% increase in revenue from FY20 to FY22 of $6.6M to $8.5M.
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seen many of Marathon’s investment companies grow significantly to create long lasting shareholder value. Through Marathon, we’ve been able to deliver superior investment returns for our clients, which has outperformed stock market investment results.”
Across the business, Menninger Capital demonstrates a value creation by identifying and executing on the dynamics of change.
“Change is the one constant in business and markets, and the catalyst and conduit for risk and return,” says Matthew.
“We identify, study, understand, value, and create change for our clients with a long-term focus on the future, whether that be through offering investment management or corporate advisory services.”
National Tyre Traders (NTT) is a young and dynamic company that was established in Townsville in September 2020 with a goal of setting up a network of tyre stores to service customers along major transport corridors between connecting towns and cities.
Menninger Capital initiated the purchase of four long-standing and well-regarded tyre businesses to commence operations from Townsville out along the Flinders Highway, and purchased an additional store in Mount Isa in May 2021, which has achieved a ten-fold increase in sales since acquisition.
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Enhance your investment potential Investment Funds Management Corporate Advisory Philanthropic Services Start a conversation. www.menningercapital.com +61 7 4728 8000 21 bdmag.com.au
“Our clients seek a trusted partner to get them from a current state to future state with a unique advantage and approach, and our purpose is to help others harness the financial and strategic value of change.
There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of The Vegetation Guys. The business is almost as elusive as the company’s founder and CEO, Daniel Fairweather.
A local vegetation, land and environmental management company, The Vegetation Guys are also indigenous and veteran-owned, have a 50:50 maleto-female employee ratio, hold some lucrative private and government contracts in North Queensland and have experienced extraordinary growth from its inception in 2019 through to present day, employing over 150 staff.
“We work with all the major contractors for Government, Defence and Councils, and a lot of the work we do is because of word-of-mouth, ‘use these guys because they do the job, and they can do the environmental job too.’ Those that are looking for us, will find us,” Daniel says.
“The difference between us compared to other companies is that we do it from an environmental mindset. When we clean and clear an area, we use, if any, the lowest amount of chemical we can, we make sure it doesn’t flow into waterways and we make sure that what we do has an environmental positive effect.”
Experiencing rapid growth in its first three years of operating, Daniel says that while the environmental and land management might be the physical work they do, it’s not the core purpose of the business.
“Yes, we’re an indigenous and veteran owned, environmental management company with equal participation but none of that is what we originally
set out to create. It’s just what happened. Our original start was to help veterans find something to do, other than sit at home, drinking, taking medications or feeling suicidal after being discharged,” Daniel says.
“For me, I didn’t feel like I had the support from the various agencies to help me find purpose with my life outside of the military. I was lucky that I had people around me who helped me through the darkness and gave me ideas that helped me find my way. That’s what we do now, we’re helping veterans find purpose within themselves and for a lot of veterans, being a mentor is not very hard but finding somewhere to do that is.
“What we do is provide that place for veterans to connect with our indigenous youth and have a conversation about their journeys. They come out to one of our sites, work on traditional lands with the youth, use their hands to work together, learn from each other, and that’s how we create that bond that helps our youth and veterans find that purpose again.”
Having lived many lives as a garden nursery attendant, radio announcer, security specialist and a stint in the Defence Force, Daniel prefers to remain out of the spotlight and let the work they do speak for itself. That is not to say he sits in a plush corner office, supervising from afar.
“My job is not just as a manager or a supervisor, but also as a mentor. I’ve got a job to mentor the youth that are working for and with us and I think that’s the difference, is the for and with us, which is different to a company that says you work for us, not with us,” Daniel explains.
“That’s the fundamental difference I’ve seen, everyone on our team has valuable input into any discussion we have. Everyone has different experiences and backgrounds and to understand that we need to listen to them because if they don’t ask, then we don’t know and if we don’t know, we can’t ask.”
Daniel continues, saying it’s up to him and his management team to lead by example, something he attributes to his time in the Special Forces where he learned to utilise the resources at hand, rather than hope and plan for what might be available.
“If you lead by example, everyone else will fall into step because you’re showing the way that it can be done, others will jump in and help, at least the ones who are wanting to be there and work with us. Noone is above or below anyone else in the company,” he says.
“Anyone who is in management or supervisory positions still needs to have all the qualifications for the equipment on the ground and needs to know how to use it. If you have the qualification, but don’t know how it works, you’re not going to be able to spot a hazard if something goes wrong.”
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“It’s about education. Educating the teams and the individuals about what’s right and what’s wrong. What we want to achieve is a sustainable workplace and environment. To do both of those, we need to have our youth and our veterans wanting and choosing to be there, on board with what we do and why, and working together to create that culture. It needs to be authentic.
“For businesses, if you’re going to say you’re environmental, be environmental from an authentic and holistic approach, don’t just pick and choose. People are starting to become more aware of it, so if you’re not doing it correctly, you get found out very quickly. That will be more damaging to your company than not doing anything.”
businesses aim to implement more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, Daniel says that it needs to be done from a holistic point of view, something that he strives for with The Vegetation Guys.L-R: McKellar Black, Jessica Thompson, Tyler Baira Tapim Staff attending a workshop on how to control Yellow Crazy Ants, which are a biosecurity threat if unmanaged.
When Luke St George, the Director of Pure Produce Regenerative Farms, purchased his first property in 2010, there were certain things about the conventional method of farming that just weren’t sitting well with him.
Lancewood Station, which has a 4.5km frontage along the Burdekin River, was predominantly used by Luke to produce hay crops.
“We farmed there pretty intensively for six years and we were farming conventionally, with big inputs of synthetic fertilisers and all the herbicides,” Luke explains.
“We were producing good crops, but over time we were watching our yield come down and our inputs going up and up. The fertiliser reps just kept telling us to use more product, we saw a lot less water infiltration, we were irrigating much more than we did at the start.”
The rising cost of production led Luke to go on a research journey around 2016-2017, where he stumbled across regenerative farming practices. While not a new practice, regenerative farming is having a re-emergence as industrial farming practices are blamed for a range of problems within the agricultural sector.
“Before we sold Lancewood in 2019, we started experimenting with regenerative practices, knocking back inputs of chemical fertilisers, went to a mixed species crop and followed the key principles of regenerative farming and saw changes pretty quickly and for the better,” Luke continues.
“I knew at that stage we were on the right track. We ended up selling Lancewood and purchasing more property at the
bottom of Hervey’s Range which is where Pure Produce Farms is today.”
The regenerative farming model was implemented from day one, and Luke says the benefits have been huge across the board.
“We’ve seen a huge improvement on water infiltration, organic matter levels started to climb, the nutrient density of our crops started to climb, and it’s all due to the increased soil biology.
“The more biodiverse the soil is, the more active it is, creating a healthier plant and the plant in turn can store more carbon in the soil and build the organic matter in the soil.”
The aim of Pure Produce farms is to provide a nutrient dense beef line that is of a high eating quality and bred to withstand the tropical climate.
“We’ve spent about 12 years producing a genetic line of beef that is basically a Tropical Angus,” Luke says.
“Once we had the beef sorted out, we turned our attention to the biodiversity of the crops. What we’re really focussing on now is measuring and improving the nutrient density of the plants which then transfers into the beef. In time, we’re going to have a beef product that will be higher in nutrients than what you would get in a conventionally farmed animal.”
The paddock-to-plate operation ensures quality control over the product is consistent.
“Doing everything ourselves gives us the power to ensure our product is the best it can be,” Luke says.
Luke sees potential for scalability, although he notes that competing for large commercial contracts is not the aim. Rather, he believes
that encouraging other producers to farm in this way will improve the overall quality of product in the industry, which benefits consumers, producers and the environment.
“Regenerative farming is a longterm investment. Early stages will present a lot of challenges, finding the right feed mix, controlling pest infestation on the livestock, managed grazing… but once it’s all set those outlays can become virtually nil.
“Much of our early costs came from the trial-and-error. Now that everything is in place, our operation should prove itself to be quite profitable.”
Regenerative farming is a holistic and sustainable approach to agriculture that aims to improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and promote ecological balance. This creates a self-sustaining and resilient agricultural system that is better for the environment and provides more nutritious food.
With the end of the financial year fast approaching, Coutts Redington Director, Greg Redington, recommends NOW is the time to look at what actions you can take before 30 June 2023 to reduce both your personal tax and business tax and grow your wealth.
“By reviewing your business profits and personal income for the nine months to 31 March 2023, we can estimate your profits for the entire 2023 financial year and develop some initial tax planning strategies to reduce both your business and personal tax,” says Greg.
“Bear in mind this needs to be done well before 30 June to allow enough time to implement any tax saving strategies that may be of benefit to you and your business.
Depending on your business structure there may be different options available to help reduce your tax.”
Key priorities are likely to include:
Maximising your superannuation contributions
Reviewing whether you can still allocate trust distributions
Ensure you have kept accurate and complete motor vehicle logbook records for at least 12 weeks
Bringing forward deductible expenses
Managing capital gains
Using a company to cap your tax at 25% or 30%
Ensure you pay your employee superannuation contributions before 30 June 2023
Seeking professional advice and tailoring a strategy to your individual needs can potentially save you a significant amount of money in tax,” says Greg.
“Those savings can be put to good use to help you reach your financial goals, whether that be to reinvest in the business, purchase an asset, or enjoy a holiday. "Our experienced team at Coutts Redington are here to assist with your tax review, as our focus is on you and your business.”
Reduce your home loan
Top up your super
Save for a holiday
Upgrade your car
Deposit for an investment property
The information contained in this article is intended to be general and is not personal financial advice.
Dom and Bec Zaghini have had to wade through plenty of floodwater since they started selling fresh cooked prawns on the side of the highway fifteen years ago, but their passion for the Hinchinbrook Shire’s people and produce has led them to higher ground in the heart of Ingham to open their newly expanded seafood shop and café, Wild Local.
“For over 13 years, the business traded as Wild Local Prawns on the south side of Ingham, selling fresh seafood and fish and chips,” says Bec.
“The old shop served us well, but its biggest downfall was that it was the first building in Ingham to flood.
“Losing trading days to floodwaters and clean up days was not sustainable, so relocation was always on the agenda.”
When a flood free building in the heart of Ingham with ample parking became available, the dynamic duo jumped at the chance to move their business and expand their offerings to cater not only for their loyal customers, but for travellers seeking a taste of North Queensland.
“It’s all about celebrating the diverse range of fish, seafood, fruits, coffee, ice cream and condiments that our pristine tropical environment is famous for,” says Bec.
“We know that travellers are looking for somewhere for the whole family to eat, use the toilets and buy some fresh seafood to take with them for their dinner.
“It’s so exciting to see the original fish and chip experience expanding and showcasing more local menu items to customers.”
Bec says they have full confidence in the investment of their new shop, and are committed to playing a role in putting Hinchinbrook on the map.
“There is a renewed optimism in regional towns post-Covid, with people seeking new lifestyle opportunities, and we’re expecting to see the return of interstate and international visitors to regional Queensland this tourist season,” she enthuses.
“For the visitor to our shire, we really want to wow them with hospitality and freshness, so they have a really great memory of their time in North Queensland.
“When you come to Hinchinbrook, you can’t help but be impressed with this natural beauty and people with heart who will greet you.
“We are passionate about our region, care about our visitors and are looking forward to collaborative projects with other like-minded businesses.”
“The new shop has a huge fresh seafood display, a fish and chip menu, café with daily lunch specials, and an ice creamery,” Bec says.
An award-winning real estate agency founded in Townsville is poised to become one of Queensland’s premier agencies, empowering franchisees to reach their potential and deliver exceptional service to local markets.
With a background in civil construction that required a significant amount of travel, Andrew Acton took his father’s advice to turn his hand to real estate, and soon found himself embarking on a new career path.
that enables agents to grow and flourish in their career. Explore Property Townsville now boasts some of North Queensland’s leading agents, including Dean and Stephanie Dank, Karyn Voevodin, Emma Nancarrow and Brett Snell, with several more established names joining. Andrew says it is the calibre of people in his team that creates a successful agency.
“I'm the classic example of someone who came from a different industry and started as a real estate agent, but I had a solid understanding of the industry as my father, Warren, was a successful commercial agent in Townsville,” Andrew says.
“I was operating a real estate business with a wellknown national brand, which was a very strong business.
“I grew into an office owner and helped agents build their careers. Life takes you on a journey sometimes and my path has evolved into a broader leadership role, but at heart I'm just an agent who helps people, as I always was,” he says.
“Despite the success with that brand, I felt that on the corporate level there was a lack of understanding of agency and agent practise, and I had a nagging feeling that there was room to create a different kind of group, which led me to founding Explore Property in 2014.”
As the business grew, Andrew soon discovered his passion for mentoring and providing an agency
“The real estate industry is ever evolving with technology to help agents better serve our clients, but at the end of the day, it’s just a tool that complements peoples’ skills.
“ Working in a great environment can make a big difference to your life. We have a history of helping people grow, learn and have fun along the way.”The locally founded real estate agency achieving state-wide growth.
“Whilst we are technology driven, we firmly believe that people are the heart of our business so we have a focus on people both internally and externally, and I think that’s what makes us stand out from the rest.
“Along the way Explore Property has been awarded Queensland Agency of the Year by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland, and Australian Agency of the Year by the Australian Real Estate Institute.
“No other Townsville or regional Queensland agency has ever won the Australian Agency Award, so it is a real credit to the team we have, our corporate structure and the results we are delivering for our clients.”
Recent years have seen the Explore Property Group build on its success and expand its footprint beyond Townsville.
“Townsville is our heart and soul, its where we started and where we’ll continue to have our Head Office based, but we have big plans to grow across the city and beyond,” says Andrew.
“The strength of brand has definitely helped our growth, and while we still have more market share to evolve into across regional Queensland, we now have a firm focus on sharing the brand in the South East corner as well.
“We are a new generation of real estate agencies that empower our people to reach their potential, and we are transparent, honest and connected to our communities.
“Regardless of market conditions, we as a company will be here to be the best agents we possibly can be and will be here for the long term serving our communities.”
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“We operate as a franchise and have 10 offices in Queensland and two in Western Australia.”
By Julie Johnston
A suite of resources has been launched to connect job seekers and employers across regional North Queensland in a bid to achieve better outcomes for workforce growth and a sustainable talent community.
The Jobs North Queensland Resource Kit has been developed by Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland (RDA TNWQ) through the Jobs Townsville North Queensland Committee (JTNQ), with the support of the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT). It encompasses five local Government areas including Townsville, Burdekin, Hinchinbrook, Charters Towers and Palm Island, taking into consideration the significant workforce links to the north-west Queensland region.
The jobs portal is a key element of the resource kit, providing employers with a free and efficient way to post job vacancies and to search the talent pool to find employees with suitable skills. Job seekers can search and apply for regional jobs quickly and easily, with dedicated resources showcasing the region’s attributes, key industries and case studies to attract people to live and work in North Queensland.
Wayde Chiesa, the Chief Executive Officer of Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland, says the resource kit aims to boost workforce economy by tackling geographic attraction, career development and influence, workforce participation, and modernising the process of job advertising and application.
“Townsville and North Queensland are facing one of the tightest labour markets in recent history with unemployment at 2.2%, lower than both state and national averages,” he says.
“There is no one silver bullet to solving this jobs challenge. A multi-faceted approach that encompasses attraction, influence, participation, and process is the key to bolstering the workforce economy, particularly for small businesses, and with a pipeline of major projects just announced on our doorstep it is essential that we continue to support and retain skilled labour.”
• JobsNorthQueensland.com.au A free regional jobs portal connecting job seekers and employers across regional North Queensland.
• LiveNorthQueensland.com.au
A liveability website designed to attract and retain talent in the region.
• A Resource Guide for Employers which includes tips for accessing hidden talent in our region, contacts for HR support, training, hiring support and access to grant funding.
• Regional stories and case studies showcasing the incredible career opportunities in the north.
A General Practitioner and Urological Surgeon have renovated a 1940s building into a new medical clinic that aims to improve the sexual health of men in North Queensland.
Currently serving as a General Practitioner at The Family & Diabetic GP Clinic in Hyde Park, Dr Jonathan “Jonny” Fenton has partnered with Urological Surgeon Dr Philippe Wolanski to open Verve Men’s Clinic, focusing on men’s health and erectile dysfunction.
“Our mission is to recharge men’s health in North Queensland,” says Dr Jonny.
“Erectile dysfunction affects men of all ages, however until now, new and investigative treatments for this issue have never been available to regional Queenslanders.
“Verve Men’s Clinic normalises the conversation around erectile dysfunction and argues that men’s health is just as important and easily-treated as other ailments that people may present with to their doctor.”
These safe and emerging therapies will be on offer alongside revolutionary non-surgical cosmetic treatments for men’s intimate health.
“At present, men in Townsville and the greater North Queensland region have to travel to Brisbane to seek out these popular long-lasting, reversible and doctoradministered injectables to improve penis size.”
To bring their vision to life, Dr Jonny has purchased 68 – 70 Denham Street, a historical building which has the distinction of being the former premises of Townsville politician, Sir Arthur Fadden, who served as Prime Minister for just 39 days in 1941.
Dr Jonny says they were attracted to the CBD location as a hub for specialised medical services, and were able to benefit from Townsville City Council grant funding to modernise the historical building.
“There are a multitude of other professional medical and allied health services moving into the city. It’s changing the way people view the city centre and it’s rejuvenating it with a new group of professionals,” says Dr Jonny.
“With the new West End State Hospital coming, medical businesses are beginning to consider the city side of the railway line. The bonus of course, there are lots of untapped old buildings, begging to be restored and reused.”
The renovations include the demolition of the interior 1980s fit out to reveal the building’s original four metre high ceiling and cornicing, and a medical clinic fit out with two consulting rooms and one treatment room. The clinic is currently taking enquiries and expects to be open for patients in July 2023.
I recently passed three workers perched on a roof wearing harnesses – that were NOT attached to anything. Every business owner would immediately ‘get’ the possibilities of this scenario, but could the same be said for the cyber security risks?
Australia has seen a 600% increase in cyber security attacks since COVID-19. According to the Australian Institute of Company Directors Sentiment Index, cyber security is the number one issue keeping Australian directors up at night. It affects business continuity, resilience, market participation and reputation management.
Historically, cyber security has been seen as an IT issue, today it is everybody’s business, and is a multifaceted workplace safety challenge that requires a comprehensive approach that includes strong governance, risk management and a Cyber Fit Culture.
Recent high-profile breaches such as Optus and QUT were not caused by sophisticated attacks. Rather, they were the result of a perfect storm of systematic failures in governance, information management and people.
If you want to protect your business and reputation, preserve customer trust and be able to demonstrate due diligence and fiduciary responsibility, you need to be Cyber Fit.
95% breaches caused by human behaviour
LET’S LOOK AT three areas WHERE YOU WILL GET THE
1
FOR YOUR BUCK.
GOVERNANCE
cyber security sit in your board discussions?
Cyber Fit Culture starts at the top. There needs to be as much attention on cyber security as there is on finances and workplace health and safety. Things to consider include but are not limited to setting the cyber risk appetite, reviewing optimal skills matrices, allocating budget, establishing reporting and KPI requirements, identifying scope and context for information security management systems and defining roles and accountabilities.
33% employees that feel prepared to identify and respond to a cyber threat
2
POLICIES – Do all policies contain cyber security elements?
Cyber security does not sit to the side of business, it is horizontal across every single element of your business. Policies need to be contextual, and data driven to be effective. Things to consider include but are not limited to identifying and analysing assets and information, compliance requirements and risks. Understanding and data drives robust policies and to guide for example how data is handled, secured, and accessed as well as how incidents will be responded to and what regular assessments will be done to assess effectiveness of controls.
CULTURE – Is everyone in the organisation cyber fit?
A company’s culture is critical to protecting against cyber threats. A strong culture of cyber security can help to create a sense of shared responsibility and ownership for protecting data and systems and can foster a culture of vigilance and awareness. While technology and policies can help to mitigate risk, it is ultimately up to individual employees to put those policies into practice. This requires a workforce that is trained, informed, and engaged in the company’s cyber security efforts, with a culture of openness and clear channels of communication.
