Aussie Painting Contractor October 2017

Are you robbing your own business?

How to pay yourself properly!

Cleaning up the Construction Industry Noisserped

A health issue that affects millions, from back to front.

Getting unstuck

Make the change you need to thrive

www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS

From the Editor

• Angela Smith • Anthony Igra • Caroline Miall • Jim Baker • Leo Babauta • Monroe Porter • Robert Bauman

EDITOR Nigel Gorman

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Caroline Miall

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Hi Everyone, It’s hard to believe that there is less than 100 days till Christmas. Where has another year gone?

From most reports around the country things are really busy with us getting regular calls for companies looking for staff. The usual mad end of year rush has started early.

One thing I have found talking lately to business owners is that they are saying being really busy is great but they haven’t increased their prices in case they lose work. All I can say is test the market. If you have a couple of months work booked ahead why are you working on a lower rate when you know your work is worth more? Why not spend a month quoting with an increased rate to increase your profits? I’m not saying go stupid I’m saying increase your rate by 10% or even 15% if you have enough work. Do you realise that if you increase your rate by just 10% you will be able to take an extra week or two holidays a year. Do you realise if you charge only an extra $6 per hour you will earn more than $10,000 per year per person working for you? That might be enough for you not to work weekends or even have an extended holiday. Make the most while the work is there, don’t bust your guts for under-priced work. It’s just a thought.

Enjoy the mag this month and have a great October.

Until next month, Happy Painting!!

J. Anne Delgado Nigel Gorman

nigel@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

07 3555 8010

Contents How to get all your DUCKS IN A ROW Are You Robbing Your Own Painting Business?

6

Cleaning Up The Construction Industry

22

a health issue that affects more than one million Australians a year.

9

HERE’S HOW TO PAY YOURSELF PROPERLY…

Summer Family Safety

Noisserped

PREVENTING Skin Cancer for Tradies

25 28

10

20 Small Actions to Create a Fit Environment GETTING UNSTUCK

15

change you need to thrive

31

The Debt Recovery Mindset Glossary of Paint & Painting Term

34 40

Keeping Good Records

43

Industry Idiots

44

Important Contacts

45

Opinions and viewpoints expressed in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine do not necessarily represent those of the editor, staff or publisher or any Aussie Painters Network’s staff or related parties. The publisher, Aussie Painters Network and Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine personnel are not liable for any mistake, misprint or omission.

Information contained in the Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine is intended to inform and illustrate and should not be taken as financial, legal or accounting advice. You should seek professional advice before making business related decisions. We are not liable for any losses you may incur directly or indirectly as a result of reading Aussie Painting Contractor Magazine. Reproduction of any material or contents of the magazine without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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How to get all your

DUCKS IN A ROW

Anyone who’s ever done a painting job will know that it’s important to do things in the right order. You can’t apply the finishing coat of paint before you have done the necessary preparations, like sanding the surface that you want to paint, fix up any cracks with filler, apply the primer, and then go on to finishing with the glossy or matt paint before tidying up.

The same principles apply to developing an Operational Plan which can get all your ducks in a row so you can run a successful business. Broadly speaking, an operational plan is part of the third leg of the ‘Three-Legged Stool’, the area of Production.

Operational planning is such an important tool to manage your resources effectively to produce the outcomes you want. Neglecting this area of business will definitely make your business wobble. Any potential buyer for your business will carefully examine if you have an operational plan that delivers for the business. If they find that your plan is lacking detail or relevance, your prospects to attract the right buyer for your business and get a good price decrease dramatically.

Let’s look in more detail now what your Operational Plan should include, which elements you should cover and what it should focus on.

6 | Aussie Painters Network

1. Productivity To put it in simple terms, productivity is about measuring the efficiency of your staff and the resources you use to deliver your service or produce your product.

This includes your production process, scheduling, lead-time, operating capacity and utilisation ofresources. For example, your operational plan should detail the use of plant and equipment for the various jobs you deliver to your clients, when it’s scheduled to be used, how much it can achieve in a given time frame, and how fast it can achieve it.

Smaller jobs may require less staff and different equipment than big ones. More importantly you don’t want your equipment to sit idle when it can be used on another job to achieve greater productivity.

You also need to include in your productivity measures how much manpower you need to deliver your job.

2. Plant and Equipment Requirements This is a critical area that you always need to keep an eye on. If you’re doing a job using tools that are well past their lifespan, it may result in the job taking longer than expected and achieving a less than optimal result. Your tools could malfunction or drive you completely nuts because they’re not working as well anymore as they did when you first bought them.

You’ll need to specify in your Operational Plan what plant and equipment you need for the jobs you’ve got going, and schedule regular maintenance to keep it working in good order. Of course, when it’s being serviced or repaired, you need to schedule backup in your Operational Plan to cover the short fall.

And when it’s starting to give you more grief than you need, your Operational Plan should include a replacement strategy for this piece of equipment.

3. Quality Control Measures Your whole business can suffer when you don’t keep up the standards that your customers are used to from you.

But how do you know, if that’s the case? Customers may not always tell you that they weren’t particularly happy with the result of your work, they might just go to your competition. So the best thing to do is to include quality control measures in your Operational Plan. You can develop your own measures or use industry standards to make sure yours aren’t slipping.

This means that after a job is completed you review the result yourself and/or talk to your staff to find out what challenges they had on the job and how they got around them without compromising your service standards. This activity needs to be scheduled in your Operational Plan so it doesn’t fall by the wayside.

4. Staff Requirements This area is not just about how many staff you need to do a certain job or run the business, it’s also about how you operate, including: • having communication mechanisms with your staff to let them know what needs to be done when (think team meetings, job scheduling, communication systems); • having the staff mix with the right qualifications, experience, skills and knowledge you need to deliver on your jobs; and • negotiating the hours your staff can deliver at what time for your business and the contracts they’ll be on, be that fully or part-time employed, or on casual contracts.

5. Training and Development Nothing in this world stays the same forever. And so it is with how things are done in your industry. New technology, tools or ways of doing things are being developed all the time and you need to keep up with best practice to stay competitive.

It also means that you need to devote a section in your operational plan to detail further development of the skills and capabilities of your staff, including yourself.

6. Supporting Professional Business Advisers Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. If you don’t want to get blindsided, consider getting some help from professionals in areas that are not your expertise.

This could include a bookkeeper, accountant, insurance broker, solicitor, etc… depending on the industry you’re working in you may need others, too. At certain times in the business cycle, you’ll need advice from professionals and it is good idea to include this in your

Operational Plan. When you schedule and plan for it, nothing will fall through the cracks.

I hope this brief overview on developing an operational plan was useful to you. Have I mentioned that all items in your plan should be costed out? I know this is the part that business owners often find difficult to do, but it is so vitally important that you should get help from your accountant to create a realistic and solid plan.

If you have any questions on how to develop an operational plan that works for you to increase your profits, feel free to arrange a FREE NoObligation Meeting with me. Call my office on 07 3399 8844, or just visit our website at www.straighttalkat.com.au and complete your details on our Home page to request an appointment.

Copyright © 2017 Robert Bauman.

Call Us: (07) 3399 8844

All this needs to find a place in your Operational Plan, otherwise you might find yourself in a tight spot when you least expect it.

2017 October Issue | 7

8 | Aussie Painters Network

Are You Robbing Your Own Painting Business?

HERE’S HOW TO PAY YOURSELF PROPERLY…

Good profit management isn’t as clean cut as ‘what money made is yours’. I get that you’re doing all the ‘hard yards’ and trust me, I want you to enjoy as much of your business profits as possible, but, the money you make in your painting business needs to be managed like a precious commodity. Here’s why…

Overindulging in your business profits can seriously hinder business growth. The profits of your business not only act as financial padding for unexpected business costs but can also be used as investments in future business growth.

If you end up in debt because you didn’t leave enough of a monetary buffer or if you miss out on growth opportunities because you didn’t have money to invest, then you are essentially prohibiting the scalability of your painting business.

It’s important to remember that when you withdraw money from your business as personal income you will be taxed (like we all are). Expenses paid out from your business account (obviously for business purposes) are often tax deductible.

So, the question that remains is, what income options do you have?

You’re the one running the business, where is your cut?

As an “employee” of your painting business you should allocate yourself a salary for the year and pay it out weekly/fortnightly/monthly etc. as you would any of your employees. Why should you miss out on the ongoing benefits of future wealth building with superannuation simply because you are the owner of the business?

Your salary is simply considered a cost of the business. Without you there, you would have had to pay someone else to do your job, right?

The salary you pay yourself should be enough to live (do a personal budget to figure this out). If you can afford to do so, align this figure with

the salary someone else would earn if they were employed in your role.

It’s best not to rapidly increase your salary because this could eat into the money that should be kept aside for the business investment and security purposes I described earlier.

Instead, continue your salary as normal and talk to your accountant about the possibility of paying yourself a ‘director bonus’ at the end of the year. This all depends on your personal situation as to whether this is a good idea based on the business performance in that particular year.

2017 October Issue | 9

Alternatively, you can reassess your salary figure at the end of a year and increase it by the same margin that your profits have increased.

For example, a 5% increase in profits will give you a 5% raise in salary.

Obviously the salary you pay yourself is completely dependent on your individual situation. The key is to understand your business finances (check out The Tradie Show Episode 4) as well as your personal finance! Finding a balance between the two is vital so that you can live comfortably and run your business in the most effective way possible!

The critical part about this is to ensure you, as the business owner, protect the business to be able to take advantage of growth opportunities by keeping profits within the

business, and in addition to that you are looked after as an ‘employee’ of the business by being paid a salary and continue to accrue superannuation for future wealth creation.

Don’t cut yourself or your painting business short by failing to manage your money correctly. You’ll regret it in the long run…

Interested in learning more about your painting business finances?

Come to our live event The Future Tradie. CLICK HERE for more details and to claim your discounted Aussie Painters Network ticket offer of $47; plus bring a friend for free!

Angela Smith

Co-founder – Lifestyle Tradie

“Helping Trade Business Owners Fast-Track Financial & Lifestyle Success”

吀栀攀 瀀漀爀琀愀戀氀攀Ⰰ 椀渀攀砀瀀攀渀猀椀瘀攀 洀攀琀栀漀搀 琀漀 瀀爀攀瘀攀渀琀 瀀愀椀渀琀 眀愀猀琀攀ⴀ眀愀琀攀爀 瀀漀氀氀甀琀椀渀最 琀栀攀 攀渀瘀椀爀漀渀洀攀渀琀⸀

10 | Aussie Painters Network

2017 October Issue | 11

Summer

FAMILY SAFETY

12 | Aussie Painters Network

Each day when you go to work, you’re obliged to check on the safety of your site and comply, for the most part, with best practice and work place health and safety regulations. When trying to relax at home or away, it’s easy to become less vigilant with precautions for ourselves and families. I guess our children think they’re bullet proof and sometimes we believe them! Also sometimes it’s hard to believe in advance the silly things that our normally brilliant children might do!

Summer presents us with a whole lot of issues we can often forget about in the cooler months; things that put our little ones at risk, particularly. Small things, that can become really serious if not prevented; from dehydration and sunburn, to being a few minutes more than expected while a child sleeps in the car.

For one whose usually pretty cautious about the sun, it took a bit of burn in the last couple of weeks to remind me that I can’t skip the sunscreen even if I think I’m not going to be exposed much. It takes only minutes for you or your children to get burnt throughout a good part of the day; as Australians we all know the skin cancer message, but need to remember it better. I actively acquire hats and keep them around the house so there’s no excuse for anyone not to wear them, and am now keeping a large pump bottle of sunscreen at the ready.

On average, 287 people drown in Australian waterways every year, and did you know that males account for 80% of that number? A third of these drowning incidents involve alcohol. Source https:// www.royallifesaving.com.au

If it isn’t too much of a pain, can we change the photo of the bicycle to one of a swimming scene.

Drowning still remains one of the largest causes of accidental death in Australian children. It’s easy to assume that it only occurs when a toddler disappears from view, but I once stayed at a hotel, where a large wedding party staying there had just lost a four year old to the bottom of the resort pool, and it was tragically not noticed as the large group of family and friends played around. At the beach, public pool or home, in groups of families, Know who’s watching who so no assumptions are made about anyone’s safety. And all children should learn how to swim. End of story.

If you find yourself holidaying on a River or inland waterway don’t forget to brief the kids on hidden dangers such as submerged objects, crumbling banks, boats, unpatrolled waterways and currents in seemingly tranquil waters. Shallow diving can cause devastating injuries as told in our December issue

by David for the Spinal Association.

Not forgetting that slipping and tumbles around the pool can also be a bummer; this I know from personal experience after one Christmas night when I was ten, I slipped as I chased my brother around the pool, landing with full impact on my front teeth! Many years of expensive and painful dental work later and I hope you all stop your kids running around the pool!

I am praying that we don’t see another infant being left in a car this summer. There are obviously still those who don’t realise how dangerous this is and that It’s illegal for a

reason. It is going to be an intensely hot season in places. It’s not worth the risk. Plan ahead and never leave an infant in a car unattended.

My partner and I a few months ago assisted a distraught young woman whose cars electric locks failed to open with a six week old inside.Roadside assistance saved the day but it was a few minutes before the baby was clearly in discomfort. Its not worth the risk. Plan ahead and don’t leave a child in the car unattended.

Here’s my favourite, easily prevented, (Summer?) grievance, that I saw on a late night reality show set in an ER… ‘Frozen food injuries!’. Apparently quite the common genre of triage emergency caused when prying apart frozen food with a sharp knife (frozen beef burgers were a large percentage of the offending items).

Then it dawned on me that I had momentarily performed exactly this very stupid task, myself, earlier in the evening for some pieces of frozen mangoes. Fortunately I abandoned the risky behaviour for the microwave. Seeing those injuries now, I vow to always defrost safely!

In our sometimes harsh country, it’s not a bad idea to remain really wary of the sun and dehydration; learn a bit about spiders and snakes - how to identify, avoid and treat any bite; up to date CPR and First Aid courses should really be on our agendas too, especially if we have children. Above all, take care of each other have a safe and happy Summer with family and friends, while remembering a few precautions.

For a spotlight on tradies’ risks in the sun see page 23.

Source: Qld Cancer Council

2017 October Issue | 13

䤀渀猀甀爀愀渀挀攀 昀漀爀

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吀栀攀 猀攀挀甀爀椀琀礀 昀漀爀 琀栀椀猀 瀀爀漀搀甀挀琀 椀猀 瀀氀愀挀攀搀 瘀椀愀 䰀氀漀礀搀猀 漀昀 䰀漀渀搀漀渀 愀猀 眀攀氀氀 愀猀 漀琀栀攀爀 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀渀 愀甀琀栀漀爀椀猀攀搀 椀渀猀甀爀攀爀猀⸀ ㄀㠀 ㌀㔀㔀 ㌀㐀㐀 椀渀昀漀䀀愀甀猀猀椀攀瀀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀渀攀琀眀漀爀欀⸀挀漀洀⸀愀甀 眀眀眀⸀愀甀猀猀椀攀瀀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀渀攀琀眀漀爀欀⸀挀漀洀⸀愀甀 14 | Aussie Painters Network

Cleaning Up The

Construction Industry Australia is one of the ten worst offenders in the OECD when it comes to generating solid waste. The construction industry is a leading contributor, throwing out a third of our gross national pile of (potentially reusable) junk.

In 2001 the Department of Environmental Heritage identified Australia as one of the highest producers of solid waste. More recently, the Productivity Commission found that the Australian recycling rate of 35 per cent was much lower than other OECD countries. For example, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands

and Germany recycle 61 per cent, 60 per cent, 56 per cent and 56 per cent of their waste respectively.

In 2006-2007, the construction and demolition sector accounted for more than a third of Australia’s 43.8 million tonnes of waste. Approximately 43 per cent of construction and demolition waste (81 per cent of which is building rubble) went to landfill.

The industry has been slow to embrace the new paradigms of environmental sustainability. A 2003 survey of the top 100 companies found that the construction and

building materials sector was one of the worst at environmental and sustainability accounting. Only 9 per cent of construction companies surveyed produced separate non-financial reports; the industry average was 23 per cent.

Being eco-efficient doesn’t just minimise waste. Construction companies stand to gain a lot from applying these principles in the design, construction and renovation of buildings. Along with significant environmental benefits, eco-efficiency has social and health benefits for the general public.

2017 October Issue | 15

Perhaps most compellingly for the industry itself, there are financial advantages associated with sustainability and from delivering buildings and the services they provide more efficiently and with less cost.

The first and most obvious avenue to waste reduction involves a focus on the practical processes of building procurement to reduce waste and increase resource and energy efficiency. For example, in relation to improved application of eco-efficiency principles in the design and life-cycle of building construction, there is significant untapped potential for reducing the environmental ‘footprint’ of buildings by reusing and recycling building materials.

Less waste goes to landfill and fewer resources are used.

Secondly, the industry needs to make a “cultural shift” towards ecological sustainability through a reconceptualization of waste as resource (including waste from outside the industry) and a focus on waste minimisation and zero waste practices throughout the life-cycle of building procurement. The culture and behaviour of procurement teams (including financiers and legal advisers, clients, architects, designers, planners, engineers, site operatives, facility managers, construction workers, contractors and subcontractors) can affect waste management practices, including the use of recycled materials. Adequate education, training, information and support structures within the industry could help cultures and behaviours to change.

Using waste from old buildings to construct new buildings and retrofit existing buildings reduces the need to create and transport new materials and products. Manufacture and transport of materials is a significant part of the life-cycle energy consumption of buildings: reducing this reduces energy, greenhouse gas emissions and the building’s carbon footprint.

However, if clients are unaware of the benefits of reused products, or have negative perceptions of recycling, this will in turn affect the behaviours of construction and procurement teams. Therefore, efforts aimed at cultural change must focus not only on procurement teams, but also on clients and the general public.

16 | Aussie Painters Network

A third approach would be legally enforcing adoption of ‘zero-waste’ practices in the construction industry. Planning and regulatory requirements need updating. For example, the current Building Code of Australia does not encourage the use of recycled building materials. Introducing and/ or increasing landfill levies, taxes and reuse subsidies could help improve recycling and minimise waste. Mandating sorting bins for recycling on construction sites, perhaps backed by government funding or provision, would be another important step.

The drive for legislative change is supported by studies which have found that there is not enough pressure on construction firms to create behavioural change. While in the past, legal commitments have mainly been allocated to contractors, research suggests that compulsory measures are necessary to ensure that all project stakeholders play an active role and share commitments to waste control and reduction.

2017 October Issue | 17

18 | Aussie Painters Network

The University of South Australia is about to begin a research project with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and the Shenzhen University in China, ‘Reconsidering Sustainable Building and Design: A Cultural Change Approach’. The project will explore these above issues in detail and develop a best practice model for industry. The research aims to develop a clear pathway to take building procurement teams from present levels of knowledge and practice, towards international best practice and total waste elimination. The project is seeking collaborators for consultation and research (see author’s profile for more information).

Recent climate disasters in Australia and the collapse of the US sub-prime housing market, which spurred the Global Financial Crisis, warn that society must pay sufficient attention to issues of social, environmental and economic sustainability or pay the price. The construction industry needs to adapt, and to play its part in driving this necessary cultural shift.

The area of Occupational Health and Safety has experienced significant improvement in recent years with many construction companies making safety a high priority.

Further change has been embraced to avoid adversarial relationships and a poor contractual culture, which has resulted in improvements in relation to the effectiveness and competitiveness of the industry.

The construction industry has tackled serious problems with its operations and confronted community perceptions in the past. The industry now needs to utilise this ability to foster change to improve sustainability through eco-efficient building and design incorporating zero waste practices.

Aided by research in the area, the construction industry could lead the way to a more sustainable and eco-efficient future for us all.

This article was also co-authored by Professor Frank Schultmann at the Institute for Industrial Production

at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, and Professor Jiayuan Wang, the Deputy Head of the College of Civil engineering at Shenzhen University, China.

This article was first published April 1, 2011, sourced from TheConversation.com and has been reprinted under the Creative Commons Licence.

Authors Keri Chiveralls

Research Fellow, University of South Australia

George Zillante

Associate Professor Building/Construction, University of South Australia

Jasmine Palmer

Program Director: Sustainable Design, University of South Australia

Jian Zuo

Lecturer, Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment, University of South Australia

Lou Wilson

Program Director, Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment, University of South Australia

Stephen Pullen

Senior Lecturer, University of South Australia

The industry has already shown that it is capable of embracing change.

2017 October Issue | 19

Noisserped Have I got your attention?

I thought if I spelt the word correctly, many of you would ignore the article and turn to the next page. Why do I say this you ask? Because it’s a known fact that people who suffer from this have a problem admitting to it and don’t want to discuss the subject. It’s a health issue that affects more than one million Australians a year.

Still not sure what I’m talking about?

Look at the word in a mirror. Yes, that’s right! I guess we all know someone that is, or has suffered from it. Maybe even yourself!

My first encounter.

Over 35 years ago I was sitting next to my wife’s cousin at a wedding function. Great bloke with a wife and a few kids. A couple of years later his wife came home, opened up the garage door and found him hanging from the rafters. Since then I have personally known others that have taken their own lives.

In fact, in the last few years I found out through Facebook, a couple of painters did exactly this. It’s so sad. The problem can be solved, or at least reduced, if: You admit to yourself you have depression and talk to someone about it.

22 | Aussie Painters Network

Be able to recognize the signs of depression in others and either give them support or advise them who they should see.

At present, I know three people that are suffering depression; one being a close family member. So this has been a subject I’ve wanted to talk about for a while but wasn’t quite sure how to approach it, or how to write it. I feel the best way to get the message out there would be to leave it to the professionals and copy and paste an article from the ‘Lifeline Support’ website.

‘Everyone feels sad or down sometimes, especially during tough times.

Feeling sad or upset is a normal reaction to difficult situations. But, if you have these feelings intensely for long periods of time and are having trouble with normal activities, you may be experiencing depression.

Watch: Kate DeAraugo (Solo artist and winner of Australian Idol 2005) talking about her experience with depression.

What is depression?

Depression is more than just feeling sad or low during tough times. People with depression can have intense negative feelings for weeks, months or even years, sometimes for no good reason.

Unfortunately, many people with depression don’t recognize it or get help. But, it is treatable and most people with depression go on to lead happy, productive lives with the right treatment for them.

Some causes of depression • Relationship problems or conflict – e.g. separation/divorce, difficult/abusive relationship • Job loss, especially long-term unemployment • Loneliness or feeling isolated • Excessive drug or alcohol use • Having another family member who has depression • Having a serious physical illness • Changes in how the brain functions • Personality factors – e.g. anxiety, low self-esteem

Causes of depression vary from person to person because of a mix of personal risk factors and difficult life events. It’s also common for people to experience depression and anxiety at the same time.

Signs of depression • Feeling sad, ‘flat’ or down most of the time (for two weeks or more) • Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy (for two weeks or more) • Feeling tired or lacking energy and motivation • Moodiness that is out of character • Increased irritability and frustration • Increased alcohol and drug use • Changes in your weight or appetite • Having problems sleeping or sleeping all the time • Feeling worthless or guilty • Feeling restless, edgy or slowed down • Having difficulty concentrating or making decisions • Thinking repeatedly about death or suicide If you are experiencing a number of these symptoms, you may have depression. It is very important to visit your GP or another health professional for a full assessment and to discuss treatment options.

Helpful tips for treating depression

Taking steps to manage depression is important for your current and long-term health. Depression is an illness that can get worse if left untreated.

See your doctor - Talk to your doctor about how you’ve been feeling to find the most appropriate treatment for you. Your doctor can also refer you to a psychologist or other mental health professional for treatment, sometimes with a rebate through Medicare.

enough sleep. Exercise has been shown to help reduce depression. Take time out to relax and do things you used to enjoy, even if you don’t feel like it now. When you have depression it can be hard to get motivated, but it’s important not to isolate yourself.

Be aware of your feelings - Noticing changes in your mood and thoughts and identifying what situations make you feel good and bad can help to stop negative thought patterns.

Talk to someone you trust - Talking to family, friends, a counsellor, minister or a crisis line, can help you develop an understanding of your situation and help you move forward. There are some very effective treatments through psychologists/mental health professionals that can make a real difference.

Keep safe - You may be having thoughts about dying, that it may be better to ‘not be around’ or you don’t know how much longer you can go on. These thoughts are common when people feel very depressed. If you have these thoughts, get help straight away.

Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat to us online’.

Look after yourself - Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and get

Jim Baker www.mytools4business.com

2017 October Issue | 23

24 | Aussie Painters Network

PREVENTING

Skin Cancer for Tradies

Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. At least two in every three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before they reach the age of 70.

Even during winter and on cloudy days UV radiation can be strong enough to damage unprotected skin and eyes. Working outdoors for most or part of the day can put you at greater risk of skin cancer, including melanoma.

Sun related injuries are common amongst outdoor tradies has a

higher risk of developing skin cancer. Outdoor workers are at an above average risk of skin cancer due to high levels of direct sunlight exposure over long periods of time and they generally receive 5 to 10 times more UVR exposure per year than indoor workers (Safe Work Australia, 2010). During 20002009, 1360 workers’ compensation claims and $38.4 Million in payouts were made related to sun related injuries at work.

(Cancer Council Australia, 2011). http://www.spotscreen.net.au/

All skin types can be damaged by UV radiation. Damage is permanent and irreversible and increases with each exposure. Therefore, the more sun exposure you receive over the course of time, the greater your risk of developing skin cancer. Whenever you are working outdoors it is important to protect your skin and eyes. Cancer Council Queensland recommends the following tips to reduce your risk of skin cancer:

2017 October Issue | 25

Slip – Slip on sun protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible. Choose work shirts with collars and longer sleeves. Clothing that is lightweight, loose fitting and has an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50+ is best.

Slop – Slop on SPF 30+ sunscreen 20 minutes before starting work and reapply every two hours. Protect your lips with SPF 30+ lip balm.

Never rely on sunscreen alone as your only protection from the sun.

Slap – slap on a broad-brimmed hat that covers the face, neck and ears. Caps offer limited protection and are not a good choice.

Seek – seek shade where possible. If you can, work under a portable shade structure and take your

breaks in the shade. Try to work outdoors before 10am and after 3pm and indoors during the middle of the day when UV radiation is at its strongest.

Slide – Slide on sunglasses to protect your eyes. Close fitting wraparound styles are best. Choose sunglasses that have an eye protection factor (EPF) of 10 and state on the tag: AS/NZS 1067:2003 to ensure that they conform to the Australian Standards.

Skin cancer can be successfully treated if found early, however it can be fatal if left untreated. Keep an eye on your skin and be aware of what is normal for you. Every three months, check your skin from head to toe. Use a mirror or ask a family member to help you check

hard to see places such as the back or scalp. If you have any concerns about skin cancer or there are any changes to your skin, talk to your doctor especially if you notice the following: A new spot, or a spot that is different from the ones around it.

A spot that itches or bleeds, like a sore that doesn’t heal.

A spot or mole that changes in size shape or colour.

----------------------------------------------

Caroline Miall

caroline@aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

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27

20 Small Actions to Create a Fit Environment I’ve learned, in the last seven years of getting fitter each year (from a really bad starting point), that when it comes to getting in shape, your environment is everything.

Small things I’ve done to change my environment make my life set up for getting fitter, slowly, gradually, but surely.

Consider two scenarios: 1. Person A has a long work day, gets home, wants to just veg out on the couch watching TV to relax. Is hungry so goes to the kitchen and gets some convenience food (he’s too tired to cook), gets some unhealthy snacks that are in the cupboard. Orders pizza later because it’s easy and there’s nothing else ready to eat besides some microwaveable stuff.

28 | Aussie Painters Network

After gorging on junk food, he’s too tired to do anything else but watch TV. Goes to sleep, gets up, rushes off to work, where there’s junk food all around anytime he gets hungry.

Everyone else is in bad shape so he doesn’t find any motivation to work out. This cycle keeps repeating.

2. Person B has a workout time blocked into his workday, and has a workout partner waiting for him each day, so he won’t fail to do the workout. All his friends are relatively fit and often participate in various fitness challenges together. When they socialize, it often revolves around healthier foods.

At home, he has no junk food, no convenience food, no snacks. No microwave. He has lots of healthy foods, and cooks them in big batches so that when he’s hungry

and tired, the food just needs to be warmed on the stove. He participates in online social networks that revolve around fitness. He has no TV. Which person is more likely to get fit? The person who has his life set up so that he’ll be likely to do the things to get fit.

The kicker, as you probably guessed, is that I am both Person A and Person B. Well, I was Person A and got overweight and unhealthy. Then I changed to Person B and got much healthier and fitter.

It was all a matter of creating the right environment. I’m happy to tell you that the changes aren’t that hard to make, and can be done over time.

Small Actions The following are some ideas you can use to set up an environment conducive to getting fit — I’ve used them all at various times: 1. Get rid of the snacks. Don’t keep them in your house or you’ll be more likely to eat them.

2. Don’t buy convenience food. You’re likely to eat this when you’re too tired to cook.

3. Instead, cook big batches of healthy food once a week. Have it in the fridge, ready to be heated up.

4. Take healthy snacks to work.

5. Create a healthy eating challenge with your coworkers.

6. Join Fitocracy (invite code: zenhabits) and make friends there. Log your activities.

7. Join a running club.

8. Find a workout partner.

9. Set up an appointment with your best friend to go walking or running every day.

10. Get a coach.

11. Set fitness challenges with your friends. Log them online, on Facebook or some other social site.

12. Have a chinup bar in your doorway, and do a chinup every time you walk by.

13. Join a sports team.

14. Have nuts and fruit with you when you’re on the go.

15. Make it hard to turn on the TV (put it in the closet or something).

16. Use a program like LeechBlockorFreedom to shut the Internet down at a certain time each day.

17. Have healthy potlucks with friends or family.

18. Publicly commit to posting body pics or measurements each week on your blog.

19. Make a list of healthy restaurants, or healthy meals at other restaurants, for when you feel like eating out.

20. Park farther away from things so you’ll walk more.

Obviously not all of these will apply to everyone, and they’re just a start of what can be done, to give you an idea.

Setting up a fit environment doesn’t have to be hard, nor does it have to be overnight. But I challenge you to do one of these actions today, and see what happens when you start creating the right setup for a healthy life.

Leo Babauta

a successful ‘simplicity’ blogger and author from California, the creator of top 25 Blog,

ZEN HABITS

2017 October Issue | 29

䌀漀渀琀愀挀琀 䄀甀猀猀椀攀 倀愀椀渀琀攀爀猀 一攀琀眀漀爀欀 昀漀爀 洀漀爀攀 椀渀昀漀爀洀愀琀椀漀渀

30 | Aussie Painters Network

GETTING UNSTUCK Change is never easy. This is particularly true for contractors and small business people. We work hard. We are busy. We are production oriented. Many of us believe that hard work will fix things but sometimes hard work with our shoulder to the grind stone just ends up giving us a sore shoulder.

If your business is not offering the rewards you are looking for, you must strive to make changes.

There is an old contractor joke about the wage and hour auditor who could not find any employees who were not being paid fairly and was talking to the owner of the business following the audit. The owner said, “There is one person with an issue. He works 70 hours a week, does not get overtime, rarely takes a vacation and makes very little per hour.” The auditor replies, “I need to

talk to that person right away.” The owner replies, “You are, it’s me.”

Why is change so hard? It all starts with our own attitudes. You just put in a 10 hour day and tomorrow looks the same, the thought of taking on the task of making things better can be overwhelming. When we are busy doing what is urgent, sometimes we forget that other things may actually be more important but just not as urgent. No one is screaming at you for a plan or new approach. People are screaming at you to finish their job, do an estimate or some other day to day task.

Our network groups were founded on the concept of forcing people to get away from their business for 3 days to work priorities and build long term goals. That old saying, “fail to plan and plan to fail” really does hold true.

Habits can also play a significant role. Think not? Try crawling into bed tonight on the side your significant other normally sleeps on and see how that goes. The problem is just because something is new does not mean it is wrong.

So how can you change your business and make sure you are doing what you need to do? Start with an attitude rebuild.

Denial and indecisiveness play a large role in getting people to change. “I will quit smoking next year, this year has been stressful.”

“I am not into computers, email and stuff.” “Our customers don’t use the internet.” Start envisioning what your business would look like if you made a few changes.

2017 October Issue | 31

Next build some new habits: 1. Schedule just 3 hours of uninterruptable time every week to work on business goals that are not immediate. Turn your cell phone off and close your door.

2. Keep a time card on yourself and determine how you are spending your time. Delegate things that are not a priority to someone else and substitute business building and planning time.

3. Do a brand analysis. Search yourself on the web (from another computer) and see how you come up. Are you on all the free listings?

Do a survey and see who would people recommend in your area?

Are you in the top 3? Are your trucks wrapped and visible?

4. Visit other contractors from trades other than yours and see how they do things. Mechanical contractors, drywall, air conditioning, flooring, etc. will not see you as a competitor. See if your systems are ahead or behind theirs.

5. Consider hiring some younger people into the organization. Their computer and tech ability will be better and can bring some new insight.

6. Consider hiring a consultant or a best practices group to take a look at your business. If you do hire

32 | Aussie Painters Network

someone, make sure they are used to working with small businesses.

May be you can find a successful contractor in a different trade and ask him to review his business and you review his.

7. Have a financial planner help you with a financial plan. One of the problems contractors have is they tend to tie all their net worth up in the business. If the business fails or hits hard times, they are not diversified enough to survive.

Worse yet it is hard for them to retire as they have no other income sources.

Last but not least, build a long term vision. Project what you would like your life and business to look like 10 years from now. Too many business owners think they will sell their business for a lot of money and retire. Such a plan includes two basics flaws. One, contracting businesses are hard to sell. Two, retired business owners get bored when they don’t have anything to do. Be realistic about your goals.

Start with some simple questions.

Five years from now: What would you like your work week to look like?

WHAT WILL YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS BE AT THAT POINT?

What changes in personnel will you have to make, to make this happen?

What outside interests do you have that will keep you happy and active?

One of the things I really like about contractors is that they are alive, active and working at it each day.

I was at social gathering recently and many of the people there were government workers. They were all counting the days until they retired and it seems that most of their life was about working to retire. They plodded to work each and every day with little control of their own domain. Heck, live to work and work to live. Enjoy both.

Change your business. Make the changes you need to make it more rewarding.

---------------------------------------------Monroe Porter is president of PROOF Management a firm that teaches seminars and runs networking groups for painting contractors. Several Aussie painting contractors travel to the US each year to participate in his programs.

www.proofman.com

2017 October Issue | 33

The Debt Recovery Mindset

34 | Aussie Painters Network

This is perhaps the most important article I have written because it points out what needs to be in place in your own mind before you try to get your money back. Most contractors do not have the right thoughts and attitudes when pursuing bad payers. The mindset is too passive and assumes that the power relationship is such that the contractor has no power and the Non Payer holds all the cards.

If that is how you’re thinking you will not be too successful in getting your money. You need to clearly understand and pursue the value of your work, be determined to fight to get it back, and accept the reasonable expense in doing so.

Let me explain what I’m talking about by giving you two recent examples of how Contractors Debt Recovery handled two matters:

Example 1 An earthmoving contractor carried out work on an hourly hire basis over 39 days, and invoiced the head contractor $46 000.00 for the work. The head contactor did not pay a cent and insisted that the earthmover chase the property owner for payment as there had been a “stuff up” saying it was not their project anymore and they had not been paid. The earthmover talked to the owner who provided a copy of the funds transaction showing that the head contractor had been paid in full for his work 3 weeks previously!

Then for his efforts he also received a fine from the local council for $3000 for carrying out unauthorised work!

How infuriating.

Contractors Debt Recovery prepared and adjudication application and submitted a copy to the head contractor.

Within 48 hours $44 000 was transferred to the earthmover’s account. [$2000 held on another job]. Contractors Debt Recovery also challenged the fine in court. We prepared a submission to the council setting out the case why the fine should be withdrawn. A day before the court case was due to be heard, they withdrew the fine.

The opening position was a $46 000 debt and a $3000 fine. The closing position was $44 000 in the bank and no fine. Total time for both outcomes; about 10 months.

Example 2 A plumber had been called in to a block of strata units to fix water leaking into the ceiling of the ground floor unit.

As usually happens the investigations revealed the root cause to be a leaking sewer pipe on level 2. There was extensive damage to the walls and fittings of both units. The plumber carried out the work, including a full bathroom refit, with the full knowledge of the owners and the strata manager. On completion an invoice for $18 000 was rendered. After much delay the strata paid $10 000 and told plumber to ‘get stuffed’.

Contractors Debt Recovery took the strata to adjudication and got a determination for the full amount owing. We then registered the judgment in court. The strata refused to pay. We then wrote to the Director General of the De-

partment of Fair Trading arguing that the strata managers were in breach of their own Act as regards the running of the strata scheme.

This didn’t work but was done to put pressure on the managers. It also distracted from the fact that we had got a garnishee order from the court to take the money out of the strata’s account.

But there was a hitch.

The strata held accounts are held in Trust. They are Trust accounts.

These accounts cannot be garnished. But given it was a court order the bank set aside the money until expiration of the agency period. So 4 months later the plumbers received a cheque for the whole amount owing plus all costs and interest.

Total time for outcome; 6 months.

Now just think about the determination and ‘stick to your guns’ mentality that was required to get these payments. Without the right mindset this would not have been possible. But it was worth it, even on a purely ‘justice-hasbeen-donetaught-them-a-lesson’ level. There are three key things you need to get clear in your own mind when chasing your payments.

Keep the FULL VALUE of your work front and centre. Accept that you are STARTING A FIGHT and you will have to be determined to do what it takes to win It’s going to COST YOU SOME MONEY to get your money and there is no guarantee of success

2017 October Issue | 35

Let’s take a closer look at each:

KEEP VALUE FRONT AND CENTRE All too often a contractor is ready to accept a huge cut in payments simply to get any money back. I once spoke to an electrician who was owed $120 000. Before we even started he said “I’ll take $60 000.” I said to him “Well I’ll get $120 000, give you $60 000 and keep the rest” He didn’t know what to say. Now I wasn’t serious, but it really highlights the difference in attitude doesn’t it.

You must keep the full value of your work upper most in your mind as the amount you are pursuing.

If you are already willing to make compromises before you start you will not recover anywhere near as much if at all. The reason you are too willing to settle for so much less is because you are not fully appreciating the value of your work and also because you are assuming you can’t get it all.

This is stinking thinking. Get rid of it now.

Spend some time giving a full appreciation of what you have done for your client. Chances are you have helped your client out of a jam and really added value to their business, or delivered an outcome for them. Take the plumber in example 2. His work meant that the damage to the structure of the building was stopped. Two people had renovated bathrooms which increased the value of their properties.

I once heard of a refrigeration mechanic who went out on a Sunday

36 | Aussie Painters Network

to a wedding which was outdoors and in summer. The mobile cool room had broken down. He charged $750.00 for an hour’s work. He knew about value. Because of his work, two hundred people got to have a great lunch and the married couple had a memorable day that would otherwise have ended in disaster.

YOU’RE STARTING A FIGHT Ok now you may think you’re a reasonable and fair person that just wants to be paid for the work.

Surely this is not too much to ask.

The mistake you will make is assuming that your non-payer is also a reasonable person who will be swayed by your appeal to ‘fairness’ and ‘reasonableness’.

Wrong.

Your non payer is unfair and unreasonable and you are going to have to get into a fight for your money. This means that your debtor will fight back with letters full of untruths, or lawyer’s correspondence, or complete denial.

Now if they had not paid him, he might have been prepared to settle for $400.00. But why? He delivered great value.

If you start by chasing the full value of your work you now place the onus on your client to justify pushing that value down. That will be hard work. And it is your job to make it as hard as possible. If your client offers you $30 000 for work that is worth $85 000 always ask how they possible got to that value. Set out what you did for them, and the cost of labour and materials. And the most important thing; the benefits your work delivered for the client.

Once you start thinking about your work in this way, you will never start by cutting value again. You start by going for every cent.

You need to accept this at the outset and prepare mentally for a clash of wills. You also need to accept that victory may be fast but it also may not be. It may take months. Promise yourself that you will do what it takes to win. Winning payment disputes takes time and effort and emotional energy. You need to prepare for this. I have often seen clients who want to bail out at the first sign of a fight. You may as well not start if that’s your attitude. Most non payers have found that contractors do not fight hard or for long. So they withhold money and assume that by putting up a bit of a fight you will eventually go away.

The good thing about this is that when these scumbags come across a contractor who just keeps coming they just don’t know what to do... it’s all a bit new and scary. And that is about the time you get paid.

So accept that you’re starting a fight, put the hard hat on, and charge out of those trenches.

䴀礀 䠀漀甀爀氀礀 刀愀琀攀 䌀愀氀挀甀氀愀琀漀爀

眀眀眀⸀洀礀琀漀漀氀猀㐀戀甀猀椀渀攀猀猀⸀挀漀洀

38 | Aussie Painters Network

IT’S GOING TO COST YOU SOME MONEY You can spend 8 months chasing your money by sending your debtor faxes and emails. This is pretty cheap to do, but does not get you any results most of the time.

So you need to accept that you will need to spend a reasonable amount to have the fight to get your money. I have emphasised that it must be a reasonable amount. I do not advocate that you throw so much money at the issue that you threaten the survival of your business or impose great hardship on yourself.

I don’t suggest that. I do believe that there comes a time when you must cut your losses. But what I am saying is that you need to accept that there will be some expense.

You should give some thought to what you are prepared to invest.

It is common for many contractors to refuse to invest anything in recovering payments. But that is not a realistic view. Of course companies like Contractors Debt Recovery charge fees to recover payments, so this might seem self serving. But it is a basic fact that most of the time a contractor won’t recover money without investing some cash to do it. As long as it is reasonable, then it is a vital ingredient.

A final word on costs.

Most of the time you will not recover the full value of what you are owed. There will be a shortfall of the value of work and the amount you are paid. As I write this there is a civil contractor who is owed $112 000. We got him a deal with the debtor to pay $109 500. That’s not

bad going. But the fact is the civil contractor spent money to engage us to get that money, and also has accepted a bit of a deduction [$2 500] to get the deal settled.

The way to think of that is as a fine to yourself for failing to do a better job on the issue. Let’s say that the total cost of chasing a payment and the deductions pushed by your debtor totals $4500. You should think of that as a $4500 fine on your business for not having the systems and decisions in place to have dealt with that problem earlier.

When I look back at a payment battle I see contractors whose contracts are poorly written, or who that they cop for not doing the right things sooner.did not quote properly, or hard enough. That shortfall is the fine

The point of this is to put a dollar value on these mistakes to motivate you to fix them for next time.

If you can accept that the failure to have a written agreement cost you $4500 then you’ll do something about it. But if you put all the blame on the debtor then you will never change. It’s probably true that the debtor was a bloody minded bastard. But the fact is you let it happen to some extent.

Put a price on your mistakes and learn from them. It is often said that “You get what you think about most”. So only think about getting every dollar owed to you, and get your mindset right before the fight.

Anthony Igra

For more great articles and video information about dealing with payment problems go to www.contractorsdebtrecovery.com.au

or call us on 1300 669 075

2017 October Issue | 39

Glossary of Paint & Painting Terms

Pp POWDER COATING MATERIAL A coating material, usually containing pigments, resins and other additives, that is applied in the form of a powder to a suitable substrate after cleaning to give protection in the period before and during fabrication.

PRETREATMENT The chemical treatment of unpainted metal surfaces prior to painting.

PRIMER The coating material used to provide a priming coat.

PRIMER SURFACER A pigmented material, essentially a thin filler and/or sealer, designed particularly for smoothing up slightly uneven substrates in preparation for the subsequent application of a coating system.

PULLING UP The softening of a coat, the application of a subsequent coat, to such an extent that it makes brush application difficult and in extreme cases causes an objectionable intermingling of the two coats.

PUTTY A dough-like preparation that is applied by a knife and that normally hardens on exposure to air.

Rr

RAIN SPOTS Defects on paint film caused by raindrops, which contain small amounts of mineral substances. Also, flat spots or a discoloration in a dried film resulting from newly applied paint being rained on before it has set-up.

RECEDING COLORS Colors which give an illusion of withdrawing into distance such as cool colors in which blue predominates.

PRIMING COAT The first coat of a coating system applied to a prepared surface.

REDUCE To decrease or lower the viscosity or consistency of a product by the addition of a solvent orthinner.

PRINT RESISTANCE The ability of a coating material to resist taking on the imprint of another surface placed on it under normal conditions of practical use.

RELATIVE HUMIDITY The scientific method for expressing the amount of moisture in air. It is expressed in percentage and is an indication of the proportional amount of moisture that could be absorbed or held at that temperature.

PULLING Excessive resistance to the movement of a brush during the application of a coating material due to its viscous nature.

RESIN Synthetic or natural material used as binder in coatings.

Can be translucent or transparent, solid or semi-solid.

40 | Aussie Painters Network

RESPIRATOR A mask worn over the nose and mouth to prevent the inhalation of toxic pigment particles, which may be suspended in the air during operations.

RESISTANCE WELD PRIMER A coating material that is applied to an unpainted metal substrate for temporary protection against corrosion and that does not have to be removed prior to resistance welding.

RETARDER A substance added to slow down a chemical or physical change. A slowly evaporating solvent may be added to a coating material to delay the set of the film after application and to improve the application properties or to give a better film, such as one with improved flow.

RICH Usually used in connection with deep, dark or warm colors such as reds and/or browns.

ROLLER COATING A process by which a coating material is applied mechanically to sheet metal that is passing between horizontal rollers, one of which is kept coated with a film of liquid coating material.

ROSIN The resinous material obtained from the various pine trees and containing principally abietic acid. Wood rosin is a type, which is obtained from the stumps or other dead wood, using steam distillation. Gum rosin is obtained from the sap, which exudes from the living tree.

Ss

SAGS Excessive flow, causing runs or sagging in paint film during application.

SANDING An abrasive process used to level a coated surface prior to the application of a further coat.

SANDING SEALER A coating material that has the special property of sealing or filling but not necessarily obscuring the grain of a wooden substrate. When dry the surface is suitable for sanding.

SAPONIFICATION A defect resulting from attack on a binder by alkali.

SCUFFING Very light abrading with a fine abrasive paper of a dry coat prior to application of a subsequent coat.

SCUMBLE GLAZE A transparent preparation used in the scumbling process.

SCUMBLE STAIN A semi-transparent stain for application over an opaque groundwork of paint.

SEALANT An organic or silicone-based material capable of providing a flexible, impermeable barrier between two surfaces.

SEALER A product used to seal substrates to prevent materials from bleeding through to the surface, to prevent reaction of the substrate with incompatible topcoats or to prevent undue absorption of the following coat into the substrate.

SECONDARY COLORS A mixture of any two primary colors. For instance, primaries blue and yellow when combined give green, a secondary color.

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Any Terms that are identified within the painting & decorating industry as “defects”, images; possible cause; solution and prevention methods are provided.

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More of “S” next month...

Glossary of Paint & Painting Terms 2017 October Issue | 41

42 | Aussie Painters Network

眀眀眀⸀氀攀愀搀⸀漀爀最⸀愀甀

Keeping Good Records Let’s face it, keeping good records makes good business sense. Everything you read about small business is spruiking how important it is to keep good records.

With so many programs to help a small business keep on top of their records, there really is no reason to let it lapse. If you have a skilled bookkeeper at your disposal, the cost of that service is returned tenfold in the pain and stress prevented.

While record keeping is not the most glamourous of tasks, keeping on top of it will make running your business much easier.

And...the Australian Tax Office (ATO) requires you by law to keep good records.

Why should you keep records?

No, it is not so the ATO can make your life more challenging!

Here are four great reasons to keep records: 1. To provide written evidence of your income and expenses.

2. To help you or your tax agent prepare your tax return.

3. To ensure that you are able to claim all your entitlements.

4. In case the ATO asks you to prove the information you provided in your tax return.

What should you keep?

There are a number of categories you have to keep records for (now

we are in the age of “the cloud” all these items can be stored online) : Income tax and GST: Sales records sales invoices, including tax invoices, sales vouchers or receipts, cash register tapes, credit card statements, bank deposit books and account statements.

PAYG withholding for business payments - records of amounts withheld from payments where no ABN was quoted, copy of any PAYG withholding voluntary agreements, records of voluntary agreement payments all PAYG payment summaries, including PAYG payment summary, employment termination payments.

Purchase/expense records: purchase/expense invoices, including tax invoices, purchase/expense receipts, which include an ABN, cheque butts and bank account statements, credit card statements, records showing how you worked out any private use of something you purchased.

PAYG payment summary – employment termination payments, annual reports.

Year-end income tax records: motor vehicle expenses, debtors/creditors lists, stocktake sheets, depreciation schedules, capital gains tax records.

How long to keep records?

For most records, you have to keep them for five years from the date you lodge your return.

Payments to employees - tax file number declarations and withholding declarations, withholding variation notices, worker payment records, PAYG payment summaries, annual reports, super records, records of any fringe benefits provided.

Fuel tax credits - records of fuel acquired, records of eligible and ineligible fuel use, records of claim calculations, records of any loss, sale or disposal of fuel.

Don’t be caught out. Be prepared.

Sandra Price

www.pbks.com.au

2017 October Issue | 43

The Industry

Idiots

44 | Aussie Painters Network

Important Contacts Aussie Painters Network www.aussiepaintersnetwork.com.au

Ph. 0430 399 800

National Institute for Painting and Decorating www.painters.edu.au

Ph. 1300 319 790

Australian Tax Office www.ato.gov.au

Ph. 13 72 26 / Ph. 13 28 65

Award Rates www.fairwork.gov.au

Ph. 13 13 94

Fair Work Building & Construction www.fwbc.gov.au

Ph. 1800 003 338

Mates In Construction www.matesinconstruction.com.au

Ph. 1300 642 111

Workplace Health and Safety Contacts Comcare WorkSafe ACT Workplace Health and Safety QLD Victorian WorkCover Authority WorkCover NSW SafeWork SA WorkSafe WA NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Tasmania

www.comcare.gov.au www.worksafe.act.gov.au www.worksafe.qld.gov.au www.vwa.vic.gov.au www.workcover.nsw.gov.au www.safework.sa.gov.au www.commerce.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe/ www.worksafe.nt.gov.au www.worksafe.tas.gov.au

1300 366 979 02 6207 3000 1300 362 128 1800 136 089 13 10 50 1300 365 255 1300 307 877 1800 019 115 1300 366 322

www.actcancer.org www.cancercouncil.com.au www.cancercouncilnt.com.au www.cancerqld.org.au www.cancersa.org.au www.cancervic.org.au www.cancerwa.asn.au

(02) 6257 9999 (02) 9334 1900 (08) 8927 4888 (07) 3634 5100 (08) 8291 4111 (03) 9635 5000 (08) 9212 4333

Cancer Council Australia ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA

2017 October Issue | 45