Students Secure Coveted Positions at USC
Last month the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army mark 120 years of service to the country.
Two aspiring doctors from Moreton Bay are thrilled to have been accepted into USC’s Bachelor of Medical Science, among this year’s intake of just 20 students.
Minister for Defence Personnel Darren Chester congratulated the two Services on this significant milestone and acknowledged the almost two million Australians who had served throughout history, many of who were in the Navy or Army.
Leroy Christian of North Lakes and Connor Stewart of Redcliffe each earned an ATAR of 99.60 in their final year of high school to secure the coveted positions, and they are set to begin their studies on this week on USC’s Sunshine Coast campus. Leroy, who was 2020 Dux of Mueller College, said he knew from an early age that he wanted to study medicine, particularly hearing stories from his mother, Parul, who is a specialist doctor. “She would come home from work and tell me about the amazing and very real impact she was able to have on people’s lives and that made a profound impact on me,” Leroy said. Leroy said despite facing challenges caused by COVID-19 and being in the first Year 12 cohort in Queensland to use the ATAR grading scheme, he has remained highly motivated. “My motto is to keep your eyes on the prize and never look back. This idea of always putting your best foot forward and relentlessly pursuing your goals is something that my father Gary instilled in me from a very young age and is a principle that I continue to live by every day.”
Navy and Army Mark 120 Years
Leroy Christian (L) and Connor Stewart (R) starting their medical careers at USC. Photo courtesy of USC.
made this his number one goal, knowing that USC would soon have a campus at Moreton Bay where he could do some of his study while still balancing his extracurricular and social activities. “I am so grateful for the opportunity. Often, in such a competitive field like medicine, it can feel like you are stuck in the mud – struggling to the take that next step towards becoming a doctor. But now, knowing that I’ve made it into the program, I can rise and shine every day knowing that I am one step closer to realising my dreams.” Connor Stewart, a St Patrick’s College graduate, said he had heard great things about USC’s Medical Science program from a former schoolmate who is currently studying the degree.
When USC introduced its Medical Science degree in 2018, Leroy He decided at a young age that
medicine was the right path for him after experiencing surgery when he was in Year 6 and seeing other family members who had been helped by doctors. While he said completing Year 12 from home was difficult at first during COVID restrictions last year, Connor found that creating his own timetable allowed him to focus more on areas where he needed to work harder.
The Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army formed on 1 March 1901, through the amalgamation of the Australian colonial forces following Federation. At the time, they were known as the Commonwealth Naval Forces and Commonwealth Military Forces. Their current titles were officially granted in 1911 and 1980 respectively. This year also marks an important milestone for the Royal Australian Air Force, which will be celebrating its 100th birthday on 31 March 2021.
He plans to live at home with his parents, while studying and will eventually move to the Sunshine Coast and maintain his love of basketball, athletics, soccer and debating. “I would also love to travel and learn about how the medical systems work in other countries because it will be useful to get new perspectives on what I learn at university,” he said.
Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr AO, DSC, MVO, and Private Harrison Nguyen cut the Australian Army’s birthday cake. Photographer CPL Sagi Biderman
280,000 Business Still To Lodge TPAR The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has today confirmed more than 60,000 businesses haven’t yet complied with lodgment requirements under the Taxable payments reporting system (TPRS) for 2019-20. The TPRS is a black economy measure designed to assist the ATO identify contractors who don’t report or under-report their income.
ATO Assistant Commissioner Peter Holt explained that the Black Economy Taskforce estimated that the black economy is costing the community as much as $50 billion, which is approximately three percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The ATO estimates that around 280,000 businesses need to lodge a Taxable payments annual report
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(TPAR) for 2019-20. Mr Holt also clarified that it’s not just businesses that pay contractors in the building and construction industry that need to lodge a TPAR. 2020 was the first year that businesses that pay contractors to provide road freight, information technology, security, investigation, or surveillance services may need to lodge a TPAR with the ATO. This is in addition to those businesses providing building and construction, cleaning, or courier services.
“As any good tradie will tell you, the spirit level is a critical tool to ensure construction work is being done on the level. I like to think of the TPRS as a bit of a spirit level for tax obligations. Our role is to make sure the “bubble” is centred
as much as possible to keep things on the level and fair for everyone”, Mr Holt said.
Businesses who have not yet lodged need to lodge as soon as possible, to avoid penalties as forms were due to be lodged by 28 August 2020 and are now well overdue. Mr Holt added that some businesses may not realise they need to lodge a TPAR but may be required to, depending on the percentage of payments received for deliveries or courier services. “Many restaurants, cafés, grocery stores, pharmacies and retailers have started paying contractors to deliver their goods to their customers. These businesses may not have previously needed
April 2021
to lodge a TPAR. However, if the total payments received for these deliveries or courier services are ten per cent or more of the total annual business income, you’ll need to lodge,” Mr Holt said. “We have welcomed the collaborative way the building and construction industry has continued to work with the ATO to ensure the success of the TPRS, through regular engagement with head contractors across the industry,” Mr Holt said. More information and resources like videos, fact sheets, and webcast recordings, and examples to help businesses and their advisers work out if they need to lodge, how to lodge, and what to report is available at ato. gov.au/TPAR.
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