Business news 237

February 2015 ISSUE 237

Quote - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Consumer Electronics Show 2015 Las Vegas

SATURDAY 21 ST FEB gabf.com.au GE E LONG RACECOUR SE

Great Australian Beer Festival Stimulate more than just your taste buds

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tep into a beer lover’s paradise, wander through pop-up bars sampling a smorgasbord of 200+ delightful brews, stroll alleyways to discover surprising happenings, music, art and irresistible entertainment around every corner.

GABF has earned a reputation for stimulating more than just tastebuds.

Vast offering of both visual and performing arts, 3 stages featuring live entertainment, quirky competitions throughout, something for everyone.

LIVE MUSIC Nicky Bomba - one of Australia’s busiest and most highly respected musicians will be joined by his close friends to perform from his vast repertoire with upbeat rhythms of the Caribbean, covering the Calypso, Early Reggae and Ska styles.

The Pierce Brothers have exploded as one of Australia’s must-see up-andcoming live acts.

Australia’s hottest bluegrassers, the Davidson Brothers are fast becoming well known on the world stage for their high powered pickin, fine vocal harmonies and classic humour The Go Set, local punk rock band formed in 2002 and built around founding member and main songwriter Justin Keenan will perform as a trio an acoustic set of Celtic folk with a blend of punk attitude.

The Pheasant Pluckers have been treating audiences to their own unique brand of home grown original alt country bluegrass for a while now. Call it what you like, the music is unmistakably Australian and high energy.

Step into Spyndrift’s carousel of cabaret. This highly theatrical quirky quartet play an intoxicating range of musical styles from dub-ska to circus-cabaret.

Dynamic musical performance

complete with eccentric characters in lavish costumery.

Kelly Auty has honed her voice and performance style into a passionate, graceful and dynamic experience and her tribute to the likes of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, to name a few, will be a feature.

Geelong’s big band, Sweethearts will perform their fusion of styles based around classic soul. Their all girl power show (25 piece) includes a mixture of originals and re worked classic sounds.

Cat Sanzaro – recent QMF Scholarship award winner with her blend of indie folk Uke D’Jour, a 13 piece ukulele, Double Bass, Banjo, Guitar, Sax, washboard and percussion, Kazoo, Harmonica and Jug experience!

COMEDY, CABARET & VAUDEVILLE Doug Chappel and Ethel Chop - Australia’s Polyester donned dowager and blessed with natural beauty and girlish figure, adding another dimension to the cabaret, vaudeville and outrageous satire and hilarious improvisations from Moulin Beige’s mad-capped characters.

FREE SEMINARS Learn all about beer.

Pairing beer with a variety of foods and cheeses See 2014 Masterchef finalists cooking up a treat using craft beers and ciders. (Pics of Emelia Jackson and Renae Smith) The festival is family-friendly with free kid’s activities and runs from 11am through to 7pm. A direct shuttle bus service will operte every 15 minutes from the South Geelong railway station.

Tickets on sale now. For more information visit: www.gabf.com.au

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CONTENTS

18. COVER STORY CONTENTS 7/ Biz News 12 / New Appointments 13 / Inside Word

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indestiguishable from magic.”

26 / Legal

- Arthur C. Clarke

27 / Governance

18. FEATURE

30 / Comment

30. COMMENT

36 / Elevator

40. ARTS

38 / Crush 45 / Community 51 / Books

ISSUE 237 FEBRUARY 2015 Read online at: www.biznewsmag.com.au

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EDITOR

A slow start to something new

“I

.can’t believe it’s February already!” was in an email I received a few hours before I wrote this. The sentiment echoed conversations I’d been having for weeks, where the almost invariable response to ‘Happy New Year’ was, “how hard is to get back into work mode”. I couldn’t help wondering if part of this extended holiday hangover that seemed to pervade through almost every business I spoke to, was a result of what was an extraordinarily busy 2014.

Last year was a hard year, for all sorts of reasons. It was a year marked by uncertainty – political uncertainty, economic uncertainty, consumer uncertainty and a whole lot of business uncertainty about what to do in the face of so much uncertainty.

There was a sense that so many of us were paddling furiously just to stay afloat. Then there is the rapid change of business models, partly in answer to changing market conditions and partly because change is the new normal, and apparently any business that doesn’t embrace change will soon find themselves embracing a closing down sign. That’s what we’re all told, isn’t it? And on top of all that is the additional pressure to become a social media star, with business owners, managers and executives having to schedule Facebook posts, Tweet constantly and come up with a regularly, informative, ‘quality content’ blog that is tied to what they do, without being an advertisement for their business … sound familiar?

Perhaps part of the reason so many of us dragged our collective feet through January was that we don’t want to face another year like last year. The question is what can we do now so we don’t feel that way again this time next year? Well, according to Deloitte Access Economics, there is a significant part of our working week that we could free up simply by getting rid of the dumb rules

businesses and organisations have imposed on themselves – things like having to have three different signatures to purchase Post-It notes, or meetings being held every Monday morning, even when there’s no useful outcomes from those meetings. And it’s a worthwhile point, while the examples I’ve used involve more than a little creative licence, Australian businesses have become very good at building in layers of unnecessary self-imposed regulation that has made them less flexible and less nimble in the face of changing market conditions. Governments at all levels have also heavily contributed to the regulatory burden that can mire business unnecessarily in paperwork and stifle innovation.

But in many cases, the biggest drag on business or organisation innovation is lack of motivation. It’s hard to be creative; to dream about how things could be done differently, if you spend your days ticking off never-ending to-do lists.

So, perhaps if we could have one collective belated New Year’s resolution, it would be to reduce the to-do lists, cut back on the Tweets, the posts and the blogs, moderate the meetings, slash some of the silly rules, and give ourselves back the time to question if doing things the way they’ve always been done is still the best way of doing things, and maybe, just maybe, not just dream of a different way forward, but actually doing things differently.

It might just be a daily walk, or an hour playing with your kids or grandkids, or having a non-work-related lunch date, and taking a break from all that paddling might just make 2015 the start of something new.

DAVINA MONTGOMERY BUSINESS NEWS | 6

Patients Without Borders

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edical tourism is big business, with ‘big’ equating to around $100 billion worldwide. Sure, we’ve all heard the warnings, and the horror stories, and there are some very good reasons why caution should be taking when combining holidays and surgeries. But the indisputable fact is that medical tourism is on the rise, and we are only at the beginning of the curve – and it’s worth noting that it’s not all boob jobs in Korea and dental work in Thailand, there is a steady rise in medical tourism into Australia, with Melbourne’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre, currently under construction in Parkville, reportedly including 50 beds for insured and fee-paying overseas patients.

Australian insurance agencies are responding to the emerging boom industry, with a number of insurers starting to provide cover for medical procedures performed overseas by approved doctors in approved hospitals. According to comparison website, finder. com.au, medical tourism is estimated to be growing at a rate of 20 – 30 per cent annually, and each year 25,000 Australians head overseas to undergo cosmetic procedures.

And, like everything else, our web search habits reveal what we’re thinking, with finder.com.au’s study of online search trends finding that Australians searching online for breast implants in Thailand increased by 27 per cent in December 2014 compared to December 2013. ‘Dental in Thailand’ was the most searched term out of all countries outside Australia for dental work in 2014, while plastic surgery in Korea is the most popular country searched. The Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and India are all experiencing strong growth trends and the Tourism Authority of Thailand has a reported target of 10 million medical tourists by the end of 2015.

Michelle Hutchison, Money Expert at finder.com.au, says up until last year, it was extremely rare to find any Australian insurers willing to provide cover for medical procedures overseas.

“Globally, only a handful of insurers have introduced specialist medical travel insurance cover. Going overseas for a cheaper procedure is nothing new, but we are only just starting to see Australian insurance companies jump on board to offer cover.”

However, as with all insurance, medical tourists are encouraged to read the fine print when considering a policy, do plenty of research and check you’re covered with travel insurance.

But there is more than just a medical bill to be considered when it comes to medical tourism. The sharp rise in the number of Australians travelling in particular to South East Asia for surgical procedures has prompted the AMA to issue a warning to all Australians considering elective surgery overseas.

“Countries like Thailand have some very good surgeons and facilities in place,” said AMA (WA) President Dr Michael Gannon.

“However reports that tens of thousands of Australians are heading to Thailand every year for elective surgery has us concerned. It’s not only cosmetic surgery either – people are going to Asia for dental work or joint replacement surgery. These are major procedures that require a period of follow up with the surgeon involved.

“Australia is fortunate in having one of the safest systems in the world when it comes to surgery. This is not the case in many countries in South East Asia, where patients rely on a regulatory system that is nowhere near as robust as it is here in Australia.

One common problem we are seeing with cosmetic breast surgery is the immediate complication of infection. This often requires a long inpatient stay in a public hospital at significant cost to the Australian public, usually at least 2 operations and 4-6 weeks of intravenous antibiotics, often treating atypical infections,” Dr Gannon said.

“Like many things in life, you get what you pay for.”

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 7

BIZ NEWS

Don’t get excited over jobs numbers, yet

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abour force figures will be a source of interest for anyone with even the most passing interest in the economic health of the nation over the course of the year, and it was nice to see the year getting off to a positive start following the release in mid-January of the ABS Labour Force numbers for December, with the figures showing a decrease in unemployment.

Yes, it was a small shot of good news, but Steve Shephard, Employment Market Analyst at HR and Recruitment specialists Randstad, warned that it’s too early to get excited about about an improving jobs market. Businesses will need to wait until the February numbers to get a clear indication of the market.

“Traditionally, during the holiday period, we have seen more work hours become available for part-time workers, as businesses look to match staff to demand over this peak period – especially in retail, hospitality and tourism,” Mr Shephard said.

“We do usually see an increase in full-time jobs following a high month for part-time employment. However, as ABS classify full-time work as anyone working more than 35 hours, we need to be certain this increase in full-time work is sustainable and cannot be attributed to the fact there were simply more hours available for part-time workers in December.”

He said employers do not tend to start new hires in December and, instead, wait until the New Year and, with recent changes to the ABS methodology for calculating the unemployment figures we still need to be a little cautious about the December numbers and wait for the January and February numbers.

“Outside of the ABS figures, what we are seeing in the jobs market is job ads continuing to grow slowly month on month, especially in the finance and construction sectors. Improving job ads and growth in these key sectors bodes well for the Australian jobs market for 2015.”

Japan-Australia FTA creates new opportunities and some new challenges

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anuary 15th marked the coming into force of the JapanAustralia Free Trade Agreement, with the FTA set to provide significant benefits for Australian industry accessing the Japanese market.

“Today marks a new beginning in Australia-Japan relations with the coming into force of the Japan-Australia Free Trade Agreement,” Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said today.

“The FTA provides significant benefits for parts of Australian industry in terms of access to the Japanese market.

Australian Industry Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said the commencement of the Japan-Australia FTA may benefit Australian consumers through tariff cuts, with lower prices for vehicles and other consumer goods, he warned that some Australian industries, including some domestic manufacturers, will face increased competition and the pressures that flow from that.

“There are a number of clear winners across food and food processing and agriculture generally and it is hoped that those benefits will flow into the broader Australian economy.”

Federal MP for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson, lauded the commencement of the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), as the FTA is officially known, saying the agreement means more than 97 per cent of Australia’s goods exports to Japan will receive preferential access, or enter dutyfree, once it’s fully implemented.

Japan is Australia’s second-largest export destination, and Ms Henderson said that the JAEPA paves the way for a significant boost in opportunities for businesses in a range of industries.

Australian businesses are encouraged to use a step-by-step guide to accessing preferential tariffs on exports to Japan. The guide is available at: www.dfat.gov.au/fta/jaepa/fact-sheets/guide-tousing-jaepa-to-export-and-import-goods.html

Raise the small business turnover threshold

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he Board of Taxation has recommended to the government that the threshold for defining a small business be increased from $2 million to $3 million. Taxpayers Australia issued a statement following the recommendation in support of the recommendation, saying the threshold has not kept pace with inflation.

The current turnover threshold that defines a small business, and which is one of the tests determining access to the capital gains tax (CGT) concessions, is now set at $2 million. The recommendation made by the Board of Taxation is to increase this to $3 million aggregate turnover, with a view to a possible increase of up to $5 million.

“Relief to small business is necessary,” says Moti Kshirsagar, acting CEO of Taxpayers Australia, “as they do not have the same capacity as big business to administer their tax requirements.

“Without increasing the threshold many small businesses that previously met the definition would fall out due to the impact of inflation. Other thresholds are increased from time to time to take inflation into account, so should this threshold.

Mr Kshirsagar said the recommendation from the Board of Taxation was a clear indication that the inclusion of small business friendly Mark Pizzacalla is having a positive impact on the Board.

BUSINESS NEWS | 8

BIZ NEWS

Australian business increasingly exposed to disruptive scenarios

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he fourth Allianz Risk Barometer 2015 has highlighted that Australian businesses face new challenges from a rise of disruptive scenarios in an increasingly interconnected corporate environment.

Business Interruption and Supply Chain risk (47% of responses) remains in the top spot, while Loss of Reputation and Brand continues its rise up the list, moving into second place (35%) in 2015, up from third in 2014.

Other risks that have moved up in the latest list are Intensified Competition (35%), which has rocketed to third from eight last year in the latest survey, and Talent Shortage/Aging Workforce (24%), which has risen to fourth position from ninth last year.

For the first time, Market Stagnation or Decline (18%) has appeared in the top ten on the Australian list in sixth position, while internationally it has fallen to seventh from fifth in 2014.

Other risks that have remained unchanged or fallen down the list in the Australian Allianz Risk Barometer 2015 are: • Natural Catastrophes (24%) – remained in fifth spot; • Market Fluctuations (e.g. exchange rates or interest rates) (18%) – sixth to seventh; • Commodity Price Increases (18%) – seventh to eight; • Changes in Legislation or Regulation (12%) – second to ninth; and • Credit Availability (12%) – remained in tenth spot.

According to Holger Schaeffer, General Manager of Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Pacific, “the growing interdependency of many industries and processes means businesses are now exposed to an increasing number of disruptive scenarios.

Negative effects can quickly multiply. One risk can lead to several others.”

Interestingly, while Cyber Risk has risen to fifth from seventh position on the international Risk Barometer, it has fallen out of the Australian top ten from fourth position in 2014. Despite this local anomaly, there is no question that the risk of cyber crime, IT failures, and data breaches is on the rise. Cyber risk moved up the Risk Barometers of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa and rose into the top 5 on the overall international Risk Barometer for the first time.

Although awareness of cyber risks is generally high and increasing, many companies are still underestimating the potential impacts, according to 73% of responses from Allianz risk experts located around the world. Budgetary constraints are another reason why companies are not better prepared to combat cyber risks.

“Cyber risks are very complex. Different stakeholders such as IT security architects and business continuity managers need to share their knowledge to identify and evaluate threat scenarios.

Knowledge that previously might have been siloed in businesses, needs to be incorporated into one’ think tank’, which can look at risks holistically. The ‘human factor’ should also not be underestimated, as employees can cause IT security incidents, inadvertently and deliberately,” explained Mr Schaeffer.

For the third year in succession business interruption and supply chain risk is the top peril in the International Allianz Risk Barometer, with almost half (46%) of the responses rating this as one of the three most important risks for companies. This aligns closely with the risk assessment in Australia, where BI is also at the top of the list according to 47% of Allianz’s Australian risk experts.

The subsequent impact of a disruption on a company, its suppliers and customers often outweighs the physical damage that caused the disruption in the first place. At US$1.36m, the average business interruption insurance claim is already 32% higher than the average direct property damage claim (US$1.03m).

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BIZ NEWS

Applications open for new Industry Skills Fund

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ederal MP for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson, is urging local businesses in the advanced manufacturing, food and agribusiness, medical technology, mining equipment, and oil, gas and energy resources sectors to consider applying for an Industry Skills Fund grant.

“The fund will provide up to 200,000 training places and skills advice for businesses [nationally] over the next four years, Ms Henderson said.

“This is a new way of providing support to businesses that need to upskill or retrain their employees to enable their business to grow, diversify, adopt new technologies, or take advantage of new market opportunities.

Ms Henderson said that under the Fund, employers would be supported to decide what training is needed in their business, and which training provider they want to work with, to boost their business productivity and competitiveness.

The Fund will primarily target Small and Medium Enterprises

(SMEs) to better position themselves for growth opportunities.

A business will be considered as ‘positioning for growth’ if the business falls into one or more of the following categories: • Diversifying into new or emerging markets and/or; • Adopting new or emerging technologies and/or; • Entering export markets for the first time and/or • Responding to significant new domestic market opportunities and/or; • Repositioning because of market driven structural adjustment.

Businesses wanting support to train workers will be required to make a contribution to the cost of training. The co-contribution rate depends on the number of employees, with smaller businesses receiving higher levels of support.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, throughout the year. Guidelines and more information are available at www. business.gov.au

Policy uncertainty costs Australia on emissions - Cut of only 15%

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new report by energy and emissions market analysts, RepuTex, indicates that Australia’s long-term emissions reduction opportunities are much smaller than previously estimated, with climate policy uncertainty over the last five years leaving the economy with fewer options to cut domestic emissions, and a much higher cost of action.

RepuTex Executive Director, Hugh Grossman, said the report shows that the Australian economy will be able to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions by just 15 per cent on 2000 levels by 2030 - or 300 million tonnes of CO2e - at a cost of A$10.6 billion.

The findings are a significant decrease on the 2008 estimates, which found that Australia could reduce emissions by up to 60 per cent by 2030.

Mr Grossman said that the fall in emissions reduction potential through to 2030 is due to a lack of clear climate policy, which has delayed investment in long-term emissions reductions over the past five years, and extended the economic lifespan for more carbon-intensive technologies.

“The new data indicates that a significant portion of Australia’s earlier 2030 emissions reduction potential has been lost due to delayed investment, due largely to policy uncertainty around the carbon tax, and more recently, the renewable energy target,” Mr Grossman said.

“This can be seen with the return of coal generation to Australia’s fuel mix and the slowdown in renewable energy investment, along with lower investment in building energy efficiency and sequestration projects.”

The government is expected to announce its 2030 emissions

reduction target in the coming months, and is under pressure to announce a 40 to 60 per cent cut in emissions by 2030, leveraging both domestic and international emissions reductions.

According to RepuTex, by 2030 the forestry, industry and power sectors are likely to provide the largest share of abatement across the Australian economy, contributing approximately 75 per cent of all emissions reductions.

Energy efficiency activities will play the largest role in Australia’s emissions reductions, contributing over one third of all abatement through to 2030, with many projects to be ‘negative cost’ therefore saving money over the life of the project.

Meanwhile, the cost of meeting the 2020 emissions reduction target continues to grow. RepuTex’s report comes following the release of figures by the government showing that national emissions fell 1.4 per cent over the 12 months to June 2014, driven by a combination of lower electricity demand and the carbon tax.

While Environment Minister Greg Hunt remains confident that Australia will meet its 2020 emissions reduction target, Mr Grossman noted that electricity emissions have begun to increase after the repeal of the carbon tax, while the cost for industry to implement abatement activities has also increased following the repeal of the carbon compliance market.

“Findings indicate that Australia will be able to achieve a 5 per cent reduction in domestic emissions by 2020, however, the cost of these cuts is forecast to be $5.3 billion, more than double the $2.55 billion allocated to the Emissions Reduction Fund.

The first auction under the new Emissions Reduction Fund will take place in mid-March.

BUSINESS NEWS | 10

NEWS

Barry Cooper, said this was the first survey of its type in Geelong and would be a benchmark for business confidence and trends in the years ahead.

Resilience evident in Geelong businesses

“The ability to benchmark and monitor business trends in Geelong will assist organisations and decision-makers to pinpoint the region’s business challenges and opportunities,” Professor Cooper said.

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he outlook for business in Geelong has been a strong topic of conversation over the past five years, and while locally there has been a pervading sense of cautious optimism, there has, until now, been no data to counteract the widely-held view outside of Geelong that the local business environment is on the brink of disaster.

Now, a comprehensive survey of local businesses views and attitudes, undertaken by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce and Deakin University’s Business School, has shown that Geelong’s business community has continued to show strong resilience, with three-quarters of local firms confident about their own and Geelong’s business future.

The Geelong Chamber of Commerce teamed up with Deakin University’s Business School to undertake the first comprehensive local survey of business views and attitudes. The Geelong Region Survey of Business Trends 2014 found an overall positive business community with a commitment to further improvement.

Chamber President, Kylie Warne, said the survey found three out of every four businesses in the Geelong region expected to improve their financial position in 2014-15.

“Our study discovered 71 per cent of organisations expect their own business activity will increase this financial year, at the very least,” Ms Warne said. “They’re also optimistic about Geelong’s overall business environment, with up to 38 per cent of businesses feeling highly confident about the City’s business sector in 201415. At the same time, 39 per cent say they are likely to employ additional staff this year.”

Deakin University Business School Associate Dean, Professor

The survey also highlighted some of the barriers to business growth in our city; with improved internet performance and access to greater support to ensure economic success is more evenly shared across our business community identified through the survey as broadly held impediments to growth.

“Nine out of ten businesses indicated access to reliable and fast broadband is important. This underlies the urgency with which Geelong needs to have the NBN rolled out across our entire region,” Ms Warne said. “Our business community is ready to take on opportunities the internet promises for growth and development but needs access to first-class infrastructure and service speeds.”

More than half the businesses surveyed were also in favour of a common Geelong brand to help promote the city, while many also want better access to training and development opportunities.

“The study shows Geelong businesses are ready and willing to embrace a new future for the region and want our city promoted as a vibrant centre eager for business investment,” Ms Warne said.

The Geelong Chamber of Commerce commissioned Deakin University’s Business School in September 2014 to survey businesses registered with the Chamber and the Central Geelong Marketing group. The main industry sectors used in the survey are: business professional and commercial services; accommodation and food services; government, education and community services; service trades, electricity, gas, construction and wholesale trade; manufacturing, transport and storage; retail trade; primary industries; and other services.

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“Deakin University’s Business School looks forward to continue working with local business leaders to build the survey into a key information resource for the region.”

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NEW APPOINTMENTS

RESEARCH When Professor Xungai Wang joined Deakin 16 years ago, he was the first fibres researcher at the University. Now, Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) is world class - and one of the biggest research institutes in Australia - and Professor Wang is its new Director. The IFM now supports over 300 people, a 50:50 mix of staff and PhD students. Professor Wang has taken the helm at IFM from Professor Peter Hodgson, who oversaw its flourishing from humble beginnings in the late 1990s and is now turning his energies to building largescale research collaborations for Deakin. Originally from China, Professor Xungai Wang has been intimately involved with the IFM as its Deputy Director and through his own cutting edge research in the fibres area.

Travel

Accounting

Solvency

Tegan Shaw has joined the team at Helloworld Newtown as a Senior Consultant. Tegan has worked in the travel industry for close to 20 years, in Melbourne, Swan Hill and for the past 14 years in Geelong.

She prides herself on providing excellent customer service and is passionate about sharing her love of travel with customers, and helping them create their own dream holidays.

Aled Parsons joins O’Shanassy Chartered Accountant after 5 years working with private and listed companies in public practice, and 9 years in industry accounting. As a Chartered Accountant, Aled has extensive experience working with a diverse range of businesses and issues. He will prove to be a great asset in providing tax and business advice.

Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants are proud to announce the opening of their Geelong Office and the appointment of Scott Andersen as Regional Manager to lead it.

Scott has worked in solvency and forensic accounting fields for almost a decade within Australia and abroad.

MARKETING Multi award-winning local marketing agency Brand Bureau have recently made the shift over to the west. After spending 3 years positioned in their CBD Yarra St location, the team are now residing at 3/67 Pakington St, Geelong West.

Brand Bureau’s clients include commercial, Government, statutory and not-for-profit organisations.

LEGAL Bowman and Knox Lawyers advise Mr Ian Knox has retired from the firm.

Mrs Samantha Reynolds (nee Knox) and Mr Brendon James will continue as Bowman & Knox Lawyers as of 1 February 2015.

TRAINING Mentor HR also has some exciting news – they’ve moved office. Now located at 74 McKillop Street Geelong, Mentor is dedicated to providing dynamic solutions and services for business, people and community.

For all your training needs or to check out their new training facilities, contact Mentor on 1300 218 933

BUSINESS NEWS | 12

INSIDE WORD

navigating a future course The Geelong Chamber of Commerce is leading an initiative to generate greater opportunities for local Geelong business in the provision of goods and services.

“With many new infrastructure projects planned for the Geelong region it is important that local businesses be given every opportunity to be considered in the tendering process,” said Chamber CEO, Bernadette Uzelac.

A local procurement group has been formed to tackle this issue head on. The group is a collaboration of over 12 private and public organisations, including Geelong Chamber of Commerce, Committee for Geelong, G21 Region Alliance, Geelong Manufacturing Council, Enterprise Geelong, Geelong Trades Hall Council, Give Where You Live, Barwon Health, Industry Capability Network and ICT Geelong.

“We are seeking to influence public and private sector procurement practices to ensure a greater emphasis for local content. Awarding contracts to local business retains the economic benefits within our region and, in turn, helps grow the local economy and jobs.” Ms Uzelac said.

Government to review WorkSafe and TAC While Government reviews are often read as pollie speak for job and/or funding cuts, and not without cause, the Andrews Government has reportedly made assurances to the CPSU that employee numbers are not on the agenda. What is on the agenda however, apart from a stated intention to, “to identify opportunities to optimise the effectiveness, efficiency and value of these organisations to the Victorian community,” is yet to be announced.

The statement reiterated the Government’s commitment to the relocation of the WorkSafe head office. The Government has returned the brand of WorkSafe to the organisation that had been retitled the Victorian WorkCover Authority adding, “the review will consider WorkSafe’s relocation to Geelong to ensure that appropriate decisions are made when implementing this change.”

Both organisations were the subject of an Essential Services Commission review in 2012, and while that review was limited to meeting with the chairman/acting chairman, boards and CEOs of the organisations, there was no systemic need for reform at either organisation identified.

A former CEO of the TAC who has served as Chairman of both organisations, James MacKenzie, has been appointed to conduct the review, and given his wide scope of understanding of the organisations, this review may have a broader scope than the 2012 ESC review. Mr MacKenzie will report to Government by the middle of this year.

Victoria continues to have the safest workplaces of any state in Australia, with injury rates improving over the past decade to a record low of 7.37 injury claims per million hours worked in 2013/14.

The statement announcing the review also pointed out that workplace injuries cost Victorian employers more than $1.7 billion each year, and also have a major effect on the lives of injured workers, their families, friends and workmates.

“WorkSafe will continue to reduce workplace injuries through public awareness campaigns, workplace inspections and by consulting with workers and employers to identify the next set of health and safety improvements,” the statement read.

Business in 2015

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FEATURE

2015: What’s on the minds of SMEs?

The good news is that consumers and businesses are still spending... There are customers everywhere; they are just a little more cautious and a lot more mindful of their budgets.

On 19 February, CommSec Chief Economist, Craig James, will arrive in town to present his big picture view of economic trends for 2015 at a business breakfast co-hosted by Crowe Horwath and Business News. The calendar year has had an eventful beginning, with an early rate cut by the RBA, iron ore and oil prices taking a tumble – bringing a win for motorists as petrol fell by around 30 cents per litre – the coal price is yet to rally from its big drop in 2014, and employment data is fluctuating, as is faith in the international markets. The US dollar is in the spotlight, as is Greece pushing back against austerity measures imposed after the bailout. Big questions loom over how local, national and international economic issues will impact on business conditions this year.

While it’s the big picture that dominates the national economic conversation, in reality it is everyday business performance that drives the economy, and particularly here in Victoria, that means the performance of SME businesses. Across 2014, some 437 SME businesses took part in the 2014 SmartCompany – Crowe Horwath SME Directions Survey 2014, and the responses provide a valuable insight into what is on the minds of those behind Australia’s business backbone when it comes to contemplating the year ahead.

Certainty and stability have been short on the ground in recent years, and SMEs will continue having to navigate what are some of the biggest changes in the history of modern business. The digital revolution has changed not only the way we communicate,

but continues to change the way we do business in Australia and increasingly how we sell, how we buy, how we pay for things, how we keep in touch, how we manage information - including sensitive information - and how we manage our accounts, all lives online.

And while an increasingly online world comes with a whole range of advantages – flexibility and portability being key amongst them – it also brings a whole raft of challenges, with everything from limited broadband capability, issues with software performance and digital security, through to the time demands of keeping up with social media, all acting as a drag on the amount of time we have to get on with core business.

At the top of the list of anticipated challenges is cashflow, with 66 per cent of those surveyed citing ready availability of cash as their number one concern, followed by red tape and administration issues. Notable other concerns included legislative change (21 per cent), employee retention (17 per cent) and export strategies (10 per cent), with other problems cited including nervous customers, hiring good staff and climate change, which was found to be a significant burden for tourism businesses affected by unseasonable weather.

Head of Research at Crowe Horwath, Jeremy McPhail, said that there is a general feeling of wait and see across Australian businesses.

“Currently, there is a big transition between the mining-led states and the eastern coast. At this stage, there’s a to-ing and fro-ing

BUSINESS NEWS | 14

FEATURE

about how that transition is taking place, and I think people are uneasy about that right now.

“At the same time, looking at the political environment, there hasn’t been a lot of the budget that has been successfully implemented. There’s a very big feel of ‘wait and see’ among consumers and businesses – waiting and seeing if things improve.

“People are spending money, just not on big-ticket items. So, businesses need to make sure they’re on the right path. Until consumers pick up in sentiment, make sure your clients and customers are happy with what you’re doing. Be confident and you’ll be in a strong position when things pick up.”

And while the sentiment of cautious confidence was a strong one amongst those surveyed, there were those who recognised the opportunities that arise in a slower economy. “[The economy is] rife with opportunities for those that persist and consider the greater community in their business model,” was one comment amongst responses.

One very clear trend that came from the 2014 survey results was that cloud adaptation amongst SMEs is on the rise. Services like recurring subscriptions for software, and accessing data and analytics across business processes has a wide take-up, with users citing benefits such as real-time accessibility of data, increased efficiency and improved business systems.

The power of cloud-based software is undeniable, however, with great power comes great responsibility, and the amount of secure information businesses are responsible for is emerging as a big challenge.

So far, the Coalition government isn’t seen amongst those surveyed as the friend to small business that it was hoped it would be, with 44 per cent of respondents saying they were less satisfied with the direction this government has taken compared to the direction of the previous government; only 14 per cent said they were more satisfied with the current direction of the Coalition government compared to that of the previous Labor government.

The Budget was poorly received by survey respondents, with just under half saying their business outlook was less optimistic after the Budget was handed down, while just 15 per cent were more optimistic about the outlook for their business after the Budget was revealed. Only one in five businesses reported seeing a benefit from the repeal of the Carbon Tax, while 65 per cent said they don’t expect to see a difference. Businesses responded that they don’t believe the government is living up to its promise of substantially cutting red tape and that the current business climate has not changed enough to initiate new business efforts.

To be fair to the Abbott government, however, the government cannot be held responsible for global economic conditions that have suppressed growth in the Australian economy.

That business and consumer confidence responds to certainty however, is also true, and a return to stable government and policy settings that reflect the views of the electorate - and ones less likely to tick off the Senate and the Liberal backbench would be a welcome change.

It would, of course, be a mistake to tie business success too

closely to government policy or performance. As anyone who has had anything to do with business anytime in the past ten decades or so knows, business success tends to eventuate in spite of government policy and performance, rather than because of it.

But what is business success? Is it defined by meeting your goals, or by exceeding them? Is it a level of profitability or expansion? Or is how a business benchmarks against its competitors?

The SME businesses that took part in the 2014 SmartCompany – Crowe Horwath SME Directions Survey were asked about benchmarking, with a large majority (71 per cent) saying they don’t use benchmarking as a measure of business success, preferring instead to set their own measures of success.

Businesses cited reputation, including feedback on social media, customer feedback and the size of their customer base as key metrics used to measure success. While none of these three measures fall within generalised benchmarking tools, they do show a firm focus on customer satisfaction that suggests SME businesses are putting their core business ahead of external commentary – and that is a good sign for businesses and consumers alike. However, there are benefits to be gained from comparing a business to its competitors, including seeing new opportunities to improve, diversify or expand Another area that SME businesses are focused on in 2015 is sales growth. After a tumultuous 2014 and a strengthening sentiment that it’s time to return to business as usual, and that will be the big challenge for many SMEs this year. It’s all very well to say it, or to set it as a priority, but driving real growth is rarely so easy as wishing for it. So far, the domestic picture for the year ahead is a cautious one. Jobs figures are holding steady, but the earnings forecasts have been downgraded. Consumers are spending at the supermarkets and basic necessities, but the big splurge years are but a distant memory, and that means businesses have to work harder to keep sales ticking along.

The good news is that consumers and businesses are still spending. While it might sound like a simplistic statement, it is one that is often lost in commentary on business and the economy. There are customers everywhere; they are just a little more cautious and a lot more mindful of their budgets than they were prior to the GFC. Businesses too are more cautious, are actively seeking value and will not spend where they don’t have to. This creates market opportunities for businesses who provide a good value offering and a high level of customer service, because, let’s face it, in tighter economic times, we all want to know our custom is appreciated, because there are plenty of other options out there.

What is apparent, and a positive sign of resilience in the sector, is that amongst the SMEs surveyed there was an overwhelming commitment to amongst owners to remain working in their business in the years ahead, with most not looking to exit for some years, if at all.

For more information on the 2014 SmartCompany - Crowe Horwath SME Directions Survey, visit crowehorwath.net/au or smartcompany.com.au

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TECH GUY

Consumer Electronics Show 2015 Las Vegas

The Internet

of Things BUSINESS NEWS | 18

JON MAMONSKI THE TECH GUY

I

magine a cold winter’s night, you’re working late and keen to go home. The slow-cooker dinner that you put on in the morning could go burnt and dry, but you’ve already turned the pot’s setting to ‘warm’ on your phone as you leave work.

In the car, you speak the word ‘home’ and the car’s autopilot starts the engine and steers out of the car park as you watch. All the driving is done for you, with sensors and cameras keeping a 360-degree guard on your car as it moves.

Ten minutes from home, you activate the house lights and heating and the TV starts running your favourite show. A call comes in from your partner who is interstate and you have a chat – which you can legally do, because you’re not driving while the car pilots you home.

As you walk towards the front door, the house alarm disarms as it recognises you. The coffee is brewing and dinner is ready.

A futuristic tale you say? All this technology is here right now and was on demonstration at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, attended by 200,000 of the world’s eager tech heads like myself.

Our intrepid tech writer and stalwart of the Business News for over two decades, Jon Mamonski, sacrificed the Aussie summer to fulfil a long-held dream of visiting the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The CES is where the technology of tomorrow comes out to play, and after he put down the virtual reality headset and switched off the drone, he programmed the autopiloted car to hightail it back to the present to tell us just what we have to look forward to – because tomorrow comes oh so quickly these days.

So, what is this new all-embracing technology? Simply put, it is called the Internet of Things (IoT), which is the ability of physical objects to talk to each other – intelligently, like the scenario described. This is the Internet of 2015 and beyond and for business in our region, the understanding of IoT in your industry is crucial and it has already started.

The fact that there is a global system of interconnected computer networks, sensors, actuators and devices, all using the internet protocol, holds enormous potential to change our lives where the physical world is merged with the virtual world and, potentially, every physical object can be both intelligent and networked. Starting now, your organisation needs to consider how the Internet of Things is going to affect what you make, what you service and what you sell. (continued page 21)

Above image courtesy CES International.

TECH GUY

Lord of your Things Have a look around your office and home. How many thousands of dollars are tied up in TVs, mobile phones, office equipment, and the list goes on? Now, consider the billions of people in the world and you can understand how high the stakes are in developing new products for us to buy. It is trillions of dollars in retail therapy for a thirsty world and the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is where 3,600 exhibitors present their ideas for your tomorrow.

It’s a wireless yet very connected world they present, to give you control, often remotely, of your environments at home, work and play.

The cry from technology makers is – ‘to give you back the time you need to be with the ones you love’. So, home appliances do your bidding remotely, smart watches coach your fitness, house and office alarms and video can be accessed from anywhere, your car drives itself and, of course, your office is wherever you are. The Internet of Things (IoT) means everything in your world can communicate with each other and one mobile phone can rule them all. You can be Lord of your Things. Just imagine all your appliances, your car and technology doing your bidding when and where it suits you (but more on that later). Samsung, one of the world’s largest consumer manufacturers, has promised that all of its products will be able to communicate by 2017. All others must follow…

It’s all about 4K Leading the charge at CES this year were the TV makers, all with curved and flat ultra-high definition (UHDTV) 4K sets. To put 4K in perspective, here are the TV resolutions over time: Cathode Ray Tube PAL: 576i - 720 x 576 (gone to the tip)

screens and now, as manufacturing costs reduce, into TV screens.

Most pundits agree that OLED looks amazing and meets industry standards for 4K colour, brightness and definition, but it is still expensive to produce. That said, the South Korean behemoth that is LG has backed OLED as the future of TV and, whilst it is still pricey at $3,500-plus, prices will drop through 2015-16.

Quantum Dot QD technology adds significant colour depth to LED that is similar to OLED but is a more economical manufacturing process. It adds a film of nanocrystals that range in size from 2-10 nanometres.

Each dot, when triggered by an electrical current, emits a different colour depending on its size ranging from ultra violet in small dots to reds in the larger dots. QD also meets industry 4K standards with LG’s nemesis, Samsung leading the fray and has been adopted by most TV makers including Sony, HiSense, TCL and Panasonic, so its future is assured. Needless to say, these makers are still dabbling in OLED. That said, if you seek perfection, OLED from LG is your choice, but if the wallet reigns, Quantum Dot technology will do nicely.

A helicopter view After 4K TVs, the next big thing at CES were drones of every size now in major manufacture and yes, that means prices are falling.

Last year, a quality drone would cost $2,500, now that same quality is down under $1,000, but why would you bother? Apart from commercial video makers, is there a market? You betcha.

As drones become more affordable, thrill seekers, adventurers and now hobbyists of all kinds want a helicopter view of the world.

Just take a peak on YouTube at the drone video of the famous Christmas tree in Corio Bay and you’ll get the picture.

Self driving cars

High Definition: 720p - 1280 x 720 (older plasmas, etc.)

1080p: 1920 x 1080 (most flat screens) Ultra High Def (4K): 2160p - 3840 x 2160 (now $2,000 or less) 8K: 4320p - 7680 x 4320 (affordable in 2017-18) 8K is the equivalent of your eye’s vision capacity (before you turned 50) but will take at least three years to become affordable so, what 4K TV should you buy? As you’d expect, it’s not as straightforward as it should be, because there are two opposing technologies led by LG (OLED) and Samsung (Quantum Dot).

Organic LED For years, OLED, invented

by Kodak and perfected

by LG, has been finding its way into mobile phone

Self-piloting cars found their way to the CES in Las Vegas. Audi set the benchmark for automakers at CES by sending a car - with no driver - from the San Francisco Bay area to Las Vegas. Not to be one-upped, German rival Mercedes-Benz raised the curtain on its own autonomous prototype, a 4.6 metre-long, space-agelooking “living room on wheels.” And while commercial versions of those models might still be years away, BMW and Volkswagen’s self-parking vehicles brought the same automated navigation technology to the show in a more practical way, with vehicles that can hunt down their own parking spots in a large car park. Toyota had futurist Dr. Michio Kaku provide the rationale for its bold hydrogen-powered Mirai.

Meanwhile, the increasingly important cabin tech wasn’t ignored either, with Audi giving a sneak peek of its Virtual Cockpit for the upcoming Q7, and we finally got to see some real-world implementations of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Your next car will work with both platforms, regardless of the make and model.

When you plug your mobile phone into your car’s audio head unit, the screen will look just like your phone and behave accordingly.

BUSINESS NEWS | 20

(continued from page 19) Take a minute to think about how the web has already changed the way you do business with email, purchases, entertainment, the cloud, and on it goes. How are you adapting to the next generation of the Internet? Think about the move from ‘making things’ to how you can service the global network.

Wearables and sticks As expected, there were lots of smartwatches, with the big players – Motorola, LG and Samsung - to the fore. Health trackers, meanwhile, seemed to be everywhere on the show floor and they were only the tip of the iceberg for health and medical tech at the show. Just as the Internet of Things and ubiquitous sensor movement are reshaping the concept of the smart home, we’re finally beginning to see health-focused tech products go beyond wrist-based step counters, with everything from smart toothbrushes to chronic pain relief and stressed muscle relief.

Intel’s new Broadwell chip series, after a long delay, will finally begin appearing in PCs in 2015 and these new PCs are thinner and lighter than ever before, thanks (in cases like the Lenovo) to the incorporation of innovative new materials like magnesium lithium alloys. There was even a “PC on a stick” - Intel’s Compute Stick is a fully fledged Windows PC about the size of a Chromecast.

3D Printers Like drones, 3D printers were everywhere with many manufacturers driving down the cost – a good thing for us consumers – and the variety of objects made, from spectacles to containers to utensils and beyond were dazzling. What had been a $3,000 printer was now a $1,500 printer, and beginner models start from around $650.

Hi-res audio As the quality of video skyrockets, so does audio, with mp3 now being overshadowed by other compression formats of better sonic quality like lossless 24-bit FLAC, APE and wav files. Sony has resurrected the Walkman with hi-res audio in mind and many manufacturers of headphones, amplifiers, speakers and media streamers are getting on board.

Safe as houses And finally, alarms for homes and premises have become affordable, wireless, with clear video and are a breeze to install.

Every place should have one.

Clearly, when objects that are made contain sensors and are networked, that has an impact on how the actual value of that object is produced. In many cases, it is no longer the industrially manufactured product that is the focus, but rather the web-based communication function that users will access as a result.

For “Old Economy” companies, the prospect of remaking traditional products into smart and connected ones is daunting. The new model has major impacts on processes at the corporate level, such as product management and production and sales planning, and given the pace of change on the Internet, the innovations will have to come more quickly.

New web-based business models being hatched for the Internet of Things are bringing together market players who previously had no business dealings with each other.

Through partnerships and acquisitions, Old Economy and New Economy (software-based) companies are combining complementary strengths so they can move quickly into the IoT space. In real time, they are having to sort out how they will coordinate their business development efforts with customers and other stakeholders.

A great example of that was shown at the CES, where nVidia, a chip and graphics company, got together with Audi, the car manufacturer, and developed the pilot driving system. Two Audis, with drivers who looked on, made their way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on autopilot to prove the point.

What we have, then, is a competitive arena full of Old and New Economy companies, all jostling for position and attempting to shape the future.

Long-standing producers in traditional industrial fields, whether they make cars, air conditioners, home gym equipment, or shoes are suddenly not only competing with companies of their own breed; they are also confronting competitors, the likes of which they have never faced before.

The strategy going forward will have to balance two imperatives. They have to protect the turf they already own whilst also pursuing growth through service offerings, often in partnership with service companies that leverage a richer overall value proposition to customers.

Given the reality of limited resources, this puts many (continued on page 23)

TECH GUY Innovative earphone design Fresh from Sweden, here’s the Snap, a new take on earphones with some really useful design features. Adjust the size of the AnchorLoop to keep it secured in your ear whilst the reflector cable makes you more visible. There’s a cable clip, just attach to clothing to reduce friction noise while running and you can wrap up your cable and fasten it in place. Every feature is optimised for making life easier for people on the move in the urban environment that need to be aware of the noise from the traffic surrounding them. The front and back vents are specially tuned to provide a superior full-range sound that is surprisingly good, considering the cost. Be patient, as they will be available as of June 2nd for a remarkable US$30 plus postage at coloud.com.

Curvaceous phone (Pic LG G Flex 2) The CES judges gave the new curved LG G Flex 2 the gong as the coolest phone at the show. The LG G Flex2 boasts sleeker, more stylish curves and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with a fast octa-core 64bit capable CPU for a nimbler and smoother performance. The unique “Self Healing” back cover reduces scratches and fingerprints faster than before.

There’s also a fast Laser Auto Focus camera that enables the G Flex2 to capture precisely and delivers images that rival some standalone point and shoot cameras. The device comes in Platinum Silver and Flamenco Red, and should be available in Australia towards mid-year.

AIRTAME - heralded as the best start-up at CES AIRTAME from Copenhagen, Denmark has received enormous interest for their wireless HDMI dongle. There are reasons why people will choose AIRTAME over the alternatives from for Google and Apple. By using Wi-Fi and the small AIRTAME HDMI dongle, you can stream pictures, games, movies, presentations or whatever’s on your computer to an HDTV in your home, a projector at school or a monitor at work. Imagine that, combined with the PC-to-PC functionality you can present to your colleagues’ computers at your meeting or your students’ computers in the classroom. Stream your desktop throughout the local network and have it pop up in a new window on people’s computers, as well as streaming to a projector or TV.

BUSINESS NEWS | 22

A very popular exhibitor this year was U.S. health company, HiDow, who specialise in reducing muscular pain and stress with TENS devices - Transcutaneous (through the skin) Electrical Nerve Stimulation - as used by physiotherapists. So, how does it work? Older style TENS machines usually have a singular pulse. After a period of time, the brain registers the same stimulus and it progressively becomes less effective. What makes HiDow devices better is that they feature up to18 different pulses that can cycle randomly. The HiDow PainPod is the most recent edition to the line and contains the biggest range of stimuli. Check them out at hidow.com.

De-stress not distress

(continued from page 23) traditional product companies at a crossroads. Every new investment they make can go either to strengthening their product-centric facilities, supply chains, human resources and brands, or to stretching them into the new territory of higher-margin services, looking to achieve that magic balance that maximizes margins and for the Internet of Things to fully emerge, they must go hand in hand.

Today’s Internet of Things – its all about sensors and partnerships

Dell knocks out Mac Air

Traffic and parking control. The city of Barcelona, Spain

Judges at CES agreed that the new Dell XPS 13 was simply the best-designed ultra book in its class. The smallest 13-inch laptop in the world boasts a virtually borderless infinity display and is designed to be the best-performing notebook of its size, featuring the longest battery life of a 13-inch notebook with up to 15 hours of run time on a single charge. The laptop’s optional ultra-sharp Quad HD+ infinity display boasts an incredible 5.7 million pixels, so movies and presentations burst with eyepopping colour and precise detail. The 5th Generation Intel Core processors and solid state drives provide performance and responsiveness, and the remarkably light form factor starts at a mere 1.18 kilos. One of the most exciting and innovative devices Dell has ever produced.

already has sensors embedded in parking spots that tell city parking managers when that space is vacant or in use, and California’s Department of Transportation has for several years had 27,000 sensors embedded in the highways of Southern California.

Health care. Ingestible sensors now send information to doctors about what’s happening inside your body.

According to the developer of one such sensor, Proteus Digital Health, “Your body powers the ingestible sensor. With no battery and no antenna, your stomach fluids complete the power source and your body transmits the unique number generated by the sensor.”

The Walkman is back Sony’s legendary Walkman family gains a new flagship that’s specially made for serious music lovers. The High-Resolution Walkman NW-ZX2 puts the exquisite musical refinement of HiRes Audio right in your pocket, taking you beyond CD quality for an unparalleled listening experience while you’re out and about. Serious music lovers will appreciate a generous 128GB of internal storage – plenty of space for your Hi-Res collection.

Expanded to 256GB (with optional microSD card), there’s room over 1700 songs stored as Hi-Res Audio files (at 150MB/song).

In addition, stamina is boosted by a new high capacity Li-ion battery that boosts playback time to as long as 60hrs (MP3 files) from a single charge. One-touch pairing with NFC makes wireless connection between Walkman and other devices instant and effortless. The new Walkman® NW-ZX2 with HighResolution Audio from Sony is on sale in Australia mid-2015.

Carmakers: Audi is a good example of these new types of partnerships as is the Open Automotive Alliance, in which General Motors, Honda, Audi and Hyundai recently joined forces to use Google’s Android operating system for their vehicles. Google not only has substantial resources and expertise, but also strong consumer brands and numerous related applications (for example, drivers may prefer a car that can sync with their smartphone, music, and apps).

Opportunities Smart, connected product makers are changing how the value proposition is created for customers, how companies compete and the competitive environment itself. These shifts will affect every industry, directly or indirectly. But, more than this, smart products will affect the overall economy, giving rise to the next era of productivity and none too soon.

The past decade has been caught in the spectre of the global financial crisis, leading to internal cost reduction, cautious investment and limited innovation.

The G21 region is crying out for opportunities to reinvent itself into the new world and the Internet of Things is the pathway to that success, with partnerships between the old and the new and our city burghers coming to terms with the new world and those leaders who can drive it.

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 23

FEATURE

Coworking – changing the work dynamic

The concept of renting a space in a shared office is kind of the cool cousin to hot desking, providing a professional working space for entrepreneurs, startups and those who otherwise work from home.

The Geelong waterfront skatepark hosted an open air work day in January. The idea was to bring your laptop down, grab a beanbag, a free coffee, meet a couple of people you otherwise wouldn’t see in your office, and work out in the (thankfully warm) great outdoors.

Titled, ‘This is Coworking’ it was held by StartupCloud, a business incubator and coworking community office space on Ryrie Street, along with the CoGG FLUKE team, and as an exercise in a new concept of office spaces, I went along to test it out.

There’s nothing new about coworking spaces, they are an increasingly common part of the business environment in entrepreneurial cities around the world. The concept of renting a space in a shared office is kind of the cool cousin to hot desking, providing a professional working space for entrepreneurs, start ups and those who otherwise work from home. It might just be a more peaceful environment free from the noise and distractions of home. It might be having a professional space in which to meet and communicate with clients. Or it might just be a way of breaking the loneliness or stagnation of walking into the study / garage every day, with only your own company to look forward to.

For StartupCloud founder, Todd Hubers, it was a move that made sense in a city with a multiplicity of start-ups and self-employed professionals.

“Geelong is small enough for all of us to identify with each other quite well, but that’s not easy to do at networking events, which tend to be almost like speed dating. In a coworking space you are building a community and it’s more personal.”

There were a number of examples of just that on the ground at the open coworking space. Helping to promote the event was Mirrors PR and Events, the start-up of Tammy Walters that operates out of the StartupCloud coworking space. Amongst those tapping away quietly were other coworking converts, who told me it was the solution that worked for them, without the stress of a lease or the bills that would come with their own office space.

“You can see the quality of work people are doing around you, and that builds a sense of trust in them,” Todd said.

For commuters, the wearying repetition of travel up and back to Melbourne or elsewhere is a strong driver to negotiate flexible

BUSINESS NEWS | 24

FEATURE working hours. And for many companies, allowing employees to work at home in Geelong one or more days each week is one way of lowering staff turnover and helping to drive the productive capacity of a happier workforce. And it makes perfect sense, after all, for five-day-a-week commuters, they will spend a staggering 720 hours a year travelling (based on 1.5 hours each way) – that’s the equivalent of 2 working days every week. But working from home doesn’t work for everyone, and the option of a professional space, in the Geelong CBD, can give them the best of both worlds. And more commuters working locally means a greater focus by these professionals on their local environment, their lunch break spend being spent locally, and by extension, a stronger local urban culture.

Currently, StartupCloud is home to Todd’s software company, Alivate, a couple of tech start-ups, a graphic design business, a marketing specialist, a photo booth company and others that are working on launching their own start-ups. It’s a bit like a share house for fledgling businesses, and that’s sort of how it started.

A few friends were working from a garage, but as their individual businesses started to gain traction, it was time to take the leap into an office space. The search began for a shared space, which came with the usual disappointing walk-throughs, but within an hour of the second floor space on Ryrie Street being posted, they knew this was what they were after.

“A friend had come back from London and had told me about coworking spaces and the idea made sense – it was a way of not only sharing the rent, but sharing ideas and all the crosspromotional opportunities that could come with that. So, here I was, looking at starting a coworking space, but I’d never actually been in a coworking space. I made a few mistakes along the way – like partition walls – but there was an intervention and the partitions came down,” Todd said. “We laid the carpet ourselves, with a retired carpet layer showing us how to do it, and it became a bit of co-design for a coworking space.”

The end result is a bright and airy space that seems to hum with vibrancy. A mural that was created by Deakin art students reflects the inner-urban environment. There are seated and

standing desks, couches to chill out on, coffee, tea and mints for break time and a sense things are happening in a way that is more about how we want to work now, rather than how we used to work ten or twenty years ago and just got too busy to change.

The open day on the waterfront was an open house of sorts for the coworking concept in Geelong, and it was interesting to see the range of age groups and varying businesses and industries that had packed a portable office to try out the concept of an open air work day.

IT, tech solutions, graphic design (yes, there were people who actually lugged their iMac down to the waterfront) and PR types were flitting around, while others had walked down to have a meeting in the sun, complete with bean bags, WiFi and free coffee.

This was work; so I sat down to write. Word on the iPad isn’t ideal, but I tapped away. Sure, the wind blowing the pages of my notebook, not to mention hair in my face, presented a few challenges, but not nearly so many as those that came with bringing the kids along. This was the school holidays, and like many working parent households, we were juggling domestic and work duties. With this event advertising a jumping castle and a playground, all we needed was a couple of packed lunches and a chat in the car that this was work, not just a play day.

Anyone who juggles working days with child minding knows that stream of consciousness doesn’t function optimally in a state of perpetual interruption, but the idea was quite brilliant – after all, I wasn’t the only working parent juggling back to work with still school holidays – and here was an option that broke up the day for the kids, but also let me sort through emails, set up meetings and get down some ideas.

And it worked, within limits. But what it did really successfully do was prove a valuable point: when you’ve spent your working days trying to negotiate the distractions of home, having a relatively calm and quiet professional space to go to can be a great motivator to get down to work, and there, I suspect, lies the real appeal of coworking.

DAVINA MONTGOMERY

Partnering with Geelong Business • Food services

• Employment services

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• Donations

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BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 25

LEGAL

EMPOWERING THE VULNERABLE THE NEW REGIME

U Emily Capill, Coulter Roache Estates and Succession Planning

nder the current law, when a person (“the Principal”) requires another person (“the Attorney”) to act on their behalf, because they are either outside of Australia or legally incapacitated, they need to have a Power of Attorney in place appointing the Attorney to act, otherwise no one will be legally qualified to deal with the Principal’s financial and administrative matters.

On 1 September 2015, a new regime will take effect, which will consolidate and refine the current laws pertaining to Powers of Attorney and, importantly, it will modify and create Powers, obligations and offences, which will have the overall effect of empowering Principals and protecting them from misuses of Power by their Attorneys. However, the new regime will not affect the validity of Powers that are already in place.

Impose new obligations on the Attorney In addition to an Attorney’s overarching obligation to exercise the Power in the best interests of the Principal, the Act imposes a further obligation on the Attorney to exercise the Power in a way that is as least restrictive of the Principals’ ability to decide and act and in doing so, to ensure that the Principal is given practical and appropriate support to enable the Principal to participate in decisions affecting him or her. The Attorney must also act in a way that promotes the personal and social wellbeing of the Principal.

The new Powers of Attorney Act 2014 (Vic) will make the following changes:

If the Attorney does not comply with the Act, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has the jurisdiction to revoke the Power and appoint a new Attorney and to make an order for the Attorney to compensate the Principal for any loss caused by the Attorney contravening the Act.

1. Modify and create new Powers

2. Create new offences

Enduring Power of Attorney

The new Act imposes criminal penalties on Attorneys who dishonestly obtain or use a Power to obtain a financial advantage or to cause loss to the Principal or another person.

In place of the Enduring Power of Attorney (Financial) and Medical Power of Attorney, the Act will create a single Enduring Power of Attorney, which will empower the Attorney to deal with either or both of the Principal’s financial and personal matters. This means only one document will need to be prepared by the Principal and this document will specify the powers the Attorney may exercise and any limits on that power.

Supportive Power of Attorney A Supportive Power of Attorney is a new type of Power, which authorises the Supportive Attorney to support the person in making and giving effect to certain decisions. The Supportive Attorney may be empowered to: (a) Access, collect or obtain from any person any personal information about the Principal; (b) Communicate any information about the Principal that is relevant to the making of or giving effect to a supported decision; and (c) Take any action or do anything that is reasonably necessary to give effect to a supported decision, other than a decision about a significant financial transaction.1 Under the Supportive Power of Attorney, the Principal remains the primary decision maker and the Attorney’s role is only to assist him or her with the making of, or giving effect to, the Principal’s decisions.

BUSINESS NEWS | 26

Summary Powers of Attorney are essential for ensuring that you have an authorised person to assist you when you are in need and incapable of making or effecting decisions for yourself.

If you do not have a Power of Attorney in place, and you subsequently lose capacity to appoint an Attorney, the process of applying to VCAT for an appointment of an Administrator and Guardian can be rather costly and unsettling for your family members. Therefore, if you do not have a Power of Attorney in place, we strongly recommend that you consider making one.

For Principals, the good news is that the new regime, which is taking effect on 1 September 2015, will afford greater protection of your interests and increase an Attorney’s accountability.

For Attorneys, the new regime will provide clarification of your obligations and liabilities when exercising the Power.

1

A “significant financial transaction” is defined in s 89(2) of the Powers of Attorney Act 2014 (Vic) and it basically means dealings relating to any investments which exceed $10,000.00, real property, substantial personal property, or security interests.

GOVERNANCE

The big issues that will confront Boards in 2015

W

of change” that are emerging that may impact on the sustainability of your business? Stakeholders – do you know who they are, why you are accountable to them and the means by which you fulfil that accountability? Plan from the outside in, not the inside out.

Sustainability: at the top of the list, raising some key questions we should ask ourselves about our business model. Can we clearly articulate our value proposition; i.e. is our product/ service/business recognised and valued by the markets in which we operate? Do we generate positive cash flows and is this sustainable over the next 3 to 5 years to meet both short and long term commitments? Is our balance sheet strong enough to cope in a short-term downturn in our business – how long could we manage if our revenue dropped 10% or 20%? Where is our business on the life cycle curve – are we still relevant in the marketplace?

Compliance – despite all the political rhetoric about removing red tape, this is not going to go away, so boards must have in place a robust system to not only ensure the organisation’s compliance requirements are being met, but also provide evidence that this is the case. Develop a compliance register and review this on a quarterly basis. Engage external resources to assist in this process if you do not have the capability in house. Participate in industry forums/conferences/meetings to keep the board and management up-to-date on changes in this area. This will also help you enhance your understanding of the changing external environment as well.

Request actual evidence that your compliance obligations have been met, a verbal confirmation is not enough.

ith 2015 still fresh and filled with possibilities, it is an opportune time for boards of both non-profit and for-profit organisations to not only reflect on their organisation’s performance during the past year, but to also think about the main issues that will be front and centre across 2015.

Capacity and capability: the right people in the right job doing the right things. Is the management team capable of delivering the strategic plan? Do management and staff have the headroom to learn and grow as the business and the environment changes?

Do you have the right culture in place and how do you know this is so? Is the infrastructure (facilities, plant & equipment technology, IP) able to support the business strategy?

The external environment – do you know what’s going on out there? What are the key trends in the external environment that should be considered when developing your business strategy – look at these from a political, economic, social, technological and environmental perspective to highlight and access credible data / advice to assist you consider these trends. Are there any “winds

Risk management: what can go wrong, what will happen if it does go wrong and what is the likelihood of this occurring? Firstly, does the organisation have a current risk register and if yes, when was it last updated and, if not, why not? Has the board discussed and agreed on its appetite for risk across all its business activities and responsibilities? Is risk seen as a compliance requirement or an integral part of the way your organisations manages its business? Is risk on the board’s agenda for every board meeting?

Good governance generally addresses all these issues as a matter of course. Boards can easily get caught up in the day-to-day challenges of governing a business, so it is important to take time out to reflect on those matters that are crucial to the long-term viability and sustainability of the business.

Mark C Schultz, Principal, Governance Today www.governancetoday.com

Coulter Roache.

Understanding you.

We needed help protecting our family’s future.

Natalie and Bryan Candy - Lara

Talk to us today about protecting what is important in life. Our experienced Wills and Estates lawyers take a caring approach to estate planning for your family. We work closely with you to understand your needs and goals.

T 03 5273 5273 coulterroache.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 27

VTIC

Strong summer visitation a promising sign for Geelong’s changing economy

S

ummer truly is the time for Geelong to shine. As locals know, the regional city by the bay has much to offer and fellow Victorian, interstate and international visitors alike are discovering Geelong and the Bellarine during this eventful season.

As we dine at our favourite cafes, stroll the waterfront and visit nearby beaches this summer we feel the buzz of visitors who have come to experience some of the region’s greatest features.

How does this benefit the local economy?

Tourism can deliver considerable returns for government, industry and local communities, which is particularly important for a changing economy such as Geelong’s. It brings in visitors who spend money, which creates jobs and sustains communities.

Previously Geelong was seen largely as a convenient stop on the journey from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road.

But now the Geelong region has developed into a destination of its own.

This summer’s highlights include: • Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race along the Geelong waterfront and coast to Bells Beach • A-League Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory top of the table clash at Simonds Stadium, attended by over 20,000 people • Festival of Sails regatta on Corio Bay • So Frenchy, So Chic French cultural festival at Werribee Park • Regional World’s Longest Lunch at Steampacket Gardens • Australian International Airshow at Avalon Airport To complement this, visitors are treated to an outstanding array of hospitality options, with many fine restaurants and cafes, wineries, breweries and picturesque venues for special

occasions on offer. Visitors continue to flock to Geelong’s natural attractions such as the waterfront, botanical gardens and kilometres of outstanding beaches.

Geelong’s close proximity to Melbourne is also a benefit as visitors to events such as the Australian Open Tennis, ICC Cricket World Cup, Australian F1 Grand Prix and raft of year-round cultural events are able to comfortably visit the area on a free day before or after the events.

With this strong visitation and demonstrated growth potential comes government support to improve infrastructure, which will boost and sustain the region’s tourism and events industry.

We welcomed Victorian Labor’s $70m commitment to upgrade Simonds Stadium, which will see the amenity and seating capacity of the stadium increased and enable the holding of more events. The $30m pledge to upgrade the Geelong Performing Arts Centre will also facilitate additions to Geelong’s cultural events calendar.

Tourism’s potential to spur Geelong’s economy is timely, as the region continues to experience difficult economic times; Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for 2014 show that the youth unemployment rate in Geelong was regularly higher than that of both Victoria and Australia, sometimes reaching as high as 27 per cent. Clearly, continued effort is needed to support job-creating industries such as tourism.

Our research shows that tourism could create nearly 9,000 additional jobs for Victoria over the next two years if the right policy settings are in place. We will continue to work with government and industry to ensure Geelong reaps the benefits as our state’s potential is realised.

Dianne Smith, Chief Executive, Victoria Tourism Industry Council BUSINESS NEWS | 28

LEGAL

NEW TWIST TO BRINGING FAMILY PROPERTY PROCEEDINGS

I Dan SimmondS, MANAGING PRINICPAL

n a recent case, the Plaintiff, Donna Nolan, separated from her husband and brought proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland separate to her proceedings in the Family Court.

former wills of Brian and Majella. Donna

Donna and Tony Nolan married in May of 1991 and separated in 2009. During their 18-year marriage, Donna and Tony lived on the family farm, which was owned by Tony’s parents Brian and Majella. Although Brian managed and provided labour on the farm, Tony also spent the entirety of his working life on the family farm.

Despite the Defendants having no intention that Donna was engaged in the common endeavour prior to her separation, Donna had made contributions to the common endeavour. As Donna was no longer able to benefit from the farming enterprise as she previously had, the Court found it was unreasonable for the Defendants to withhold all future benefit from the farming endeavour from Donna.

The proceedings brought by Donna against Tony, Brian, Majella and the company that conducted the family farming enterprise asked the court to recognise Donna’s contribution to the farming enterprise.

Donna was successful in her claim on the ground that she was engaged in a common endeavour with the Defendants, which was the development of the family farming enterprise.

In reaching its decision, the Court had regard to previous arrangements between the parties, as well as the current and

was awarded 50% of the value of the farming enterprise ($405,000) less a deduction of $69,300 for living rent free on the property after her separation.

Contributions to the common endeavour made by Donna throughout her relationship included her role as homemaker for her family, co-borrower and guarantor for farm machinery and vehicles, the use of her wage to help the parties in difficult financial times, and administrative and physical work relating to the farming.

It is important for families to carefully consider how they operate family enterprises and ensure that family members working in the business are adequately compensated for their employment and direct and indirect contributions.

Harwood Andrews is launching possibilities

We work in a collaborative partnership with our clients, to understand their business and bring to bear our expert judgement, to ensure the advice and service we provide is specific and tailored to their needs.

Geelong Melbourne Ballarat Bendigo harwoodandrews.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 29

COMMENT

More than just buying local

A

t the close of 2014, change had established itself again as the constant in Geelong’s development. Major projects continue to provide opportunities for our region and it is crucial that local businesses be given every opportunity to be considered in the tendering process. This also includes being considered for the stages before construction, such as planning and design.

There are lots of great examples of local procurement already happening in Geelong. Three Committee for Geelong members, all from Geelong and passionate about leveraging the future prosperity of our region, share their recent experiences of leading the way in procuring local content in the construction industry.

Ben Hassett, Project Manager for Waurn Ponds shopping centre expansion at Probuild Construction It would’ve been the easiest thing in the world to phone my contacts in Melbourne and bring them all down for the job.

However, given that I’m local, it just makes sense to offer local opportunity, particularly as Probuild wish to establish themselves in Geelong and develop connections.

To use local content on the Waurn Ponds shopping centre job, we had to divide packages up to make them smaller to give to the smaller local contractors, rather than bringing a main contractor out of Melbourne. You’ve got to think a little bit differently and work a bit differently, but I think it’s ultimately paid off in the end.

Initially, it’s a little bit trickier to do it that way. We used two separate plasterboard contractors, we split the building in half, and all of a sudden we’re managing two trades, two sets of contracts, two sets of payments, two sets of managers and, obviously, it’d be easier to get one guy to do the whole thing.

But you’ve got to think outside the square a bit. We came down here with a $50 million shopping centre and some fairly major packages within that probably made some local suppliers

nervous about the size and scope of the job. However, it was about breaking that down and putting it into manageable portions so that it was attractive and manageable to local business, which was a conscious decision that we made. Clearly, we weren’t going to be able to get trades in Geelong that could manage the entire scope. It worked out well in the end and, moving forward, we’ve now made some good local contacts and hopefully we’ve given them the confidence that maybe next time they could handle a larger package through understanding the way we operate. So, it’s about building their companies as well.

If it’s a conscious decision, and managed well, then I don’t think it adds any additional stresses to the job. It’s about breaking the mindset that you’ve got to give one big contract to someone and they’ve got to do the whole job.

We worked with Geelong companies, some of which were finding securing work difficult, and they were really good to us and good in their performance. The encouragement that we’ve received from the local construction unions to support local labour has also been really fantastic.

We’re all the same and trying to achieve the same outcome, but it’s got to be a mindset change. Ultimately, if a Melbourne company is building in Geelong, they should not do what’s considered easy and ring the contact they used in the last job.

It’s vital to support local business, as that’s the key to gaining support to you as a builder.

Damian Armour, CEO Epworth Geelong The construction of the Epworth Geelong hospital is progressing well with 900 jobs created over the 2-year construction period.

Our main contractor, Brookfield Multiplex (BMC), is very clear on Epworth’s expectation regarding the use of Geelong workforce and they have done an excellent job to date awarding the following local organisations with contracts totalling almost $22m:

BUSINESS NEWS | 30

COMMENT Civil works – Norris Plant Hire Fire services – Geelong Fire Steel fabrication – Geelong Fabrications Site office fit out – Polaris Blockwork – FCam Concrete – Local Mix Site office security – Geelong Telephone Co Plumbing connections – Matt Dean Constructions equipment – Tutt Bryant Hire Roofing – Geelong Roofing We’re very focused on encouraging BMC to use Geelong contractors whenever possible and, as illustrated above, they have been very supportive and extremely pleased with the quality of the local organisations. Where locals are unable to provide the full range of services, BMC are encouraging Melbourne-based contractors to use Geelong-based labour. So there’s two tiers to it, with both aimed at using Geelong resources. We are proactive and ask BMC to report on the awarding of contracts to local providers at our fortnightly meetings.

Over 900 people have expressed interest in working for Epworth; many of them are from Melbourne looking to relocate to Geelong.

However, Geelong has a high skilled health workforce, so there will be excellent opportunities for residents of Geelong, many who currently work in Melbourne hospitals. With Epworth recruiting some of its workforce through people relocation from Melbourne, this provides a great economic perspective, as we’ll essentially be contributing to the growth of the Geelong population.

Cameron Healy, General Manager at Norris Plant Hire The industry has changed and Norris has evolved over those years. However, all 65 staff at Norris still work and live in Geelong. We’re now exposed to bigger contracts and clients and, in the last three or four years, it’s become very competitive.

It is extremely difficult to win work and with tight tendering you can never be confident you’ve won a job.

Our work on the Waurn Ponds shopping centre was the biggest job we’ve ever done. It was a new experience with really tight timelines, to get the project over the line. Our team loved it.

We’re now at Epworth Hospital which is a fantastic job for us. It’s great to have companies like Epworth come into our region, and Brookfield Multiplex has been really good. They told us that we had to be competitive and we had to beat the Melbourne based competitors. They took a chance on us and I think it’s paid off.

Hopefully more work will come along and, now we’ve worked with big companies like Brookfield and Probuild, we have proved we can handle the work load.

The Committee for Geelong supports the Geelong Chamber of Commerce in leading an initiative to generate greater opportunities for Geelong business in the provision of goods and services. Our members have suggested some ideas for progressing local procurement in our region, including: • An evidence based approach to research the effects of not buying local. Determine existing procurement processes and

identifying those Geelong organisations that have a procurement policy, and those who don’t • Research why certain projects are awarded to non-local companies and earn from others, such as the experiences of the Barwon Water Alliance. Define what is local e.g. is it a multinational with no infrastructure in the region, or a family business?

• Develop a Geelong region best practice local procurement framework or compact to include local procurement clauses, which Government and industry can use; and develop a process of advance notification of what work is coming to Geelong.

• Advocate for changes in Government and Treasury policies that may limit local content, and develop a Geelong education and profile raising campaign with the message that Geelong is as good as anywhere in Australia.

Rebecca Casson Rebecca Casson is the Committee for Geelong Chief Executive Officer. Follow the Committee for Geelong on Twitter @Comm4Geelong

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 31

TECHNOLOGY

Wireless, An Alternative

T

he astounding array of tomorrow’s technology that was displayed at the Consumer Electronics Show proves, so much of how we work, run our homes and live our lives now and into the future will be enabled by wireless technology. We live and do business in an increasingly connected world.

Gone are the days of being limited to the availability of fixed-line services, and while wireless was once the reserve of keeping executives and field workers in touch with the office, wireless technologies now support an ever-increasing number of devices and applications.

Telecommunications providers have invested widely in improving the presence, performance and functionality of wireless systems, and wireless is now a viable alternative to fixed services.

Take the set up of a new office, for example. You’ve signed the lease, the power’s on, you’ve brought in the furniture and computers, and the kettle is ready and waiting and it all looks fantastic, but the tea room chatter has to wait for the phone lines to go in for voice, fax, EFTPOS, security and data connections, which can mean a wait of several weeks.

Wireless technology can provide almost instant access to phone line services, meaning you get the services you need without the weeks of waiting.

Fixed wireless terminals: These terminals allow businesses to have calls to standard fixed analogue phones directed over the mobile network while they wait for their fixed lines to be deployed.

By overlaying a 1300 number, businesses can maintain their advertised number and have incoming calls redirected if the primary recipient can’t pick up the call.

Fax to email: These systems remove the need for phone lines dedicated to fax machines, and minimise the risk of lost orders

that end up in the paper bin. They also provide an audit trail of communications to and from branch offices and a positive for the organisation’s environmental footprint by reducing paper waste.

Wireless EFTPOS: Most banks now offer wireless EFTPOS units that do not require a dedicated phone line and provide a fast IP transaction service, and for progressive retailers, new tap-and-go payment systems based on near-field communication technologies make the point of sale process even faster.

Wireless security alarm networks: Organisations that implement these networks remove the need to dedicate a PSTN line to their security systems, while retaining their existing alarm panel. Being IP-based, wireless alarm networks can provide better security as the system can be polled regularly rather than being only triggered by events, and help avoid the prohibitive costs of faulty alarm panels triggering security call outs.

Wireless broadband routers or wireless WiFi devices: These devices can link multiple personal computers back to a corporate local area network or the Internet without the need for a fixedline DSL connection or expensive hardware and licensing. For organisations with high bandwidth requirements, some routers can aggregate bandwidth across several SIMs or even carriers to provide the speeds necessary to transport video.

Wireless technologies also provides some nimble options for boosting redundant infrastructure and is often the most costeffective way of keeping the lines of communications not only open, but optimised, with both staff and equipment assets in the field.

While the greatest barrier to broad acceptance is the perception that 3G wireless services are not fast or reliable enough to meet business requirements, the proliferation of quicker, more robust networks is changing this view.

Michelle Synot, Optus Business Communications Geelong

BUNDLE YOUR SERVICES WITH OPTUS YOUR ANDSERVICES SAVE WITH BUNDLE We understand how important cash flow is to your business. So when you sign up for multiple OPTUS AND SAVE products with Optus, like our office broadband, phone lines and value-packed mobile plans, we could We understand how important cash flow is to your business. So when you sign up for multiple help to reduce your costs. products with Optus, like our office broadband, phone lines and value-packed mobile plans, we could help to reduce your costs.

Want to improve your bottom line? Chat to the team at Want toto improve your<Northern bottom line?

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Chat toSynot the team atteam at Optus Business Centre Optus Business Centre Rivers> onto<BCP number>.

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BUSINESS NEWS | 32

MONEY

Successful Succession A quick, how to guide

I

t’s the looming decision that all business owners must eventually make: in order to retire, do I close or pass the business on to a new owner?

Gordon Jenkins Chief Executive Officer, Davidsons Accountants and Business Advisors.

You may decide your business - which has been the heart of your life for so many years and provided for you, your family, employees and community - will pass to a new owner.

The new owner could be a family member, the management team, a competitor or a newcomer.

The disruption at a critical stage of your life will happen. You can’t avoid it. What you can avoid is unnecessary stress and unforeseen complications. The solution is to be prepared, by having an integrated business plan which includes a succession plan. This approach will not only make the inevitable seem part of your normal business life, but it will also put you in control.

Let’s be clear: a succession plan articulates the transition process, it is not a once-off event. A succession plan reflects a process, and this requires careful planning, reviewing and updating, just like any other part of your business.

Davidsons provides the information in this article for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of specific advice or professional consulting of any kind. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.

Times have changed, business has changed.

Systematically planning for a successful transition is now considered so critical to the ongoing success of a business that it is integrated into everyday business practices.

Davidsons has several employees who are authorised representative of Professional Investment Services (No. 245208). Davidsons is a member of the worldwide network of legally independent accounting firms, GMN International.

Every business needs an integrated business plan based on the future growth and expectations of the business. The plan is about the business over the next 5 to 10 years and addresses key areas including

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 33

competitive forces, technology, relationships, employees, and marketing. In terms of succession, the plan will define how the legacy, pride and business relationships that the owner has built will continue on to the next phase.

The plan doesn’t have to be long-winded or take months to pull together. Davidsons works with many clients to develop a practical yet strategic one page plan. Similar to many plans, it’s not the planning that’s important, it’s what you do with it afterwards that gets results.

If you develop an honest, challenging yet achievable business plan, the succession planning becomes an everyday part of the business.

However, we know that sometimes even the most robust plans are impacted by an unexpected event requiring fasttrack succession. Ill health or a sudden, unexpected departure from the business by a key person are examples of such instances.

Succession planning is a fundamental element of operating a successful business.

It’s not just about the next CEO. It’s an approach that continues to develop talent across your business. The succession planning becomes part of your business plan – ongoing, logical and measurable.

When does a business owner need to start thinking about my business and succession planning? The answer is...now. Warren Buffet once said “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

ACCOUNTING

Managing Cash Flow Through Growth

S

Tim Birchall, Manager, Business Advisory, Crowe Horwath

uccessful business owners know the importance of cash flow. After all, ‘cash is king’. Cashflow has also been identified as the top threat for SMEs in 2015 – according to our recent SmartcompanyCrowe Horwath SME Directions Survey.

2. Understand your trade debtor’s days

There is often a gap when it comes to understanding what drives cash flow and, ultimately, how much an owner can draw.

• Review individual clients and exposure.

Renegotiate engagement terms

Many businesses manage a short-term cash flow crisis with knee jerk reactions. This may have been adequate when the economy was booming, however in the current economic climate, any business managing cash flow problems with ad hoc responses will put more pressure on its long-term sustainability, not less.

3. Understand inventory levels and turn over times. Excess inventory is an overlooked source of cash

The only way to assess cash flow is to understand the balance sheet and how much cash it has absorbed or released into the business, together with the preparation of an adequate 3-way cash flow model (balance sheet, cash flow and profit and loss).

• Review purchase and disbursement processes

Working capital is one of the most significant measures of a firm’s ability to support day-to-day operations. Businesses who focus on working capital efficiency reduce their dependence on stakeholders and external funding and may gain a competitive advantage.

If your debtor days are 70 and your creditors are 30 days, you have a gap of 40 days in which the balance sheet is absorbing cash. While creditors are being paid quickly, debtor days have increased by 8. You could consider negotiating new terms with your suppliers, including the use of consignment stock.

The three common components of working capital that drive cash flow are: trade debtors, inventory (including work in progress) and creditors. These absorb and release cash to fund business operations. It is great to make profit, but how much cash profit is left as surplus after its partial absorption onto the balance sheet?

Things you can do to improve your Cash Flow Management: 1. Turn your Profit and Loss Budget into a 3-way Cash Flow Model • Factor in seasonality and determine breakeven points • Test cash flow by performing best and worst case analysis This information is provided under Crowe Horwath Financial Advice Pty Ltd AFSL 238244 and does not in any way constitute advice as each individual investors situation is different.

Advice should be tailored and sought from professionally qualified, experienced financial experts before any action is taken.

• If you are planning for growth, can funding be based on historical cash flow drivers?

• Understand the impacts on your balance sheet

BUSINESS NEWS | 34

• Make this a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) as part of monthly management reporting • Evaluate the historical debtor days and set new targets

• Assess bad debt risks early

• Review inventory levels by line. If there is a build up, this may indicate poor inventory management • Implement strategies to realise inventory

• Understand inventory lead times 4. Creditors • Do you pay early and collect cash later?

5. External funding • Understand the covenants you agreed to when you raised the debt and ensure these are reflected in your 3-way cash flow model • Implement a system so that covenants are reported as part of performance management • If you foresee problems or need cash flow to grow, advise your financiers early. Know where you stand so you can review your options • If you are seeking extra funding, use tools which can analyse your business from a banker’s perspective Qualified business accountants can assist in assessing your working capital position and developing tools including dashboards and three-way cash flow models that help manage your working capital.

FINANCE

That big T word

A

s each year passes, l find myself wondering where the year went and what precious little time we have to achieve what we want to on both business and personal fronts. The bad news is that time flies, but the good news is that we are the pilots, combined with the fact that we all have an equal amount of time each day, week, month or year to do so.

MARTIN CARTER, BUSINESS MANAGER, MORRIS FINANCE

Time is a tool, it’s finite and in great demand, our most valuable resource, one that can be manipulated, shared, divided and saved; but we must learn how to control it, as there are only 1440 minutes in each day.

Time is a tool, it’s finite and in great demand, our most valuable resource, one that can be manipulated, shared, divided and saved; but we must learn how to control it, as there are only 1440 minutes in each day.

Whilst reflecting on that big T word, l thought that it was time that we looked at secrets, selected and simplistic ways to make the most of our time.

1. Realise you’ll feel better if you’re time conscious and get things completed – the reward to having done something well is to have completed it.

2. Break down your time into three groups: essential tasks – work, calls; personal need tasks – exercise, relaxation; and physical requirement tasks - eating, sleeping.

6. Stay focussed and include energy management in your planning – don’t get distracted by the “glitter” that appears and make sure you plan in time segments that you can handle in a physical sense.

7. Slow down and think - don’t make rash or emotional decisions that are taken without giving yourself time out to breathe whilst analysing the consequences and visualising the outcome.

8. Learn to say no - every time you say yes to a request you are saying no to something else, so be selective.

9. Always have a sponge activity ready - an activity that soaks up the time wasters, such as research, reading or replying to emails.

10. Delegate - this can turn out to be cost effective, productive, and morally and culturally positive when used correctly.

11. Cut down on unproductive meetings – make sure that meetings are organised in a specific, measurable and time framed manner.

3. Make time to plan - use 20 minutes a day to plan how you are going to use your time.

12. Reclaim your time – move from doing everything that constitutes the demands, pressures and responsibilities of life to mixing it up doing things you love doing.

4. Tackle the top priorities first – they are the most important, that’s why you ranked them first.

In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking!

5. Try to touch things only once – trust your intuition on making decisions on prioritisation.

Until next month, onwards and upwards in navigating your time plane.

Q: When time is of the essence who can you call on for any of your business finance needs?

A: Morris Finance Ltd, call Abby, Fiona or Stephanie for a tailored business solution today.

TM

WINNER

Family Business of the Year

Whether you’re requiring business finance for motor vehicles, light & heavy commercial vehicles, equipment & machinery, properties or capital raising, contact the experts in intelligent structuring of debt.

Abby Davis

Call Abby, Fiona or Stephanie on (03) 5223 3453 now or go to our website for more information.

TM

Fiona Trotter

1300 4 MORRIS www.morrisfinance.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 35

Stephanie Witcombe

the

ELEVATOR

The Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the peak body for employers in Victoria. Our focus is on leading business into the future: we are committed to protecting and supporting your business and giving you the tools and opportunities to grow.

Since 1967, our Geelong office has worked closely with the local business community to build strong networks and provide a voice for businesses in regional Geelong. Whatever your industry, our team can help you increase efficiency, reduce costs and boost your skills and networks through a range of member services, including: expert advice and information on workplace relations, OHS and human resources; online tools and business templates; training courses and briefing sessions; apprenticeship services; business sustainability consulting; and international trade.

Connect with business people from your area or meet with business leaders and policy makers from around the state at one of our many events held throughout the year.

Get in touch with your Regional Manager, James Gulli, to find out more about what VECCI can do for your business.

20 Little Ryrie Street Geelong Victoria 3220 P: 03 5227 7990 E: geelong@vecci.org.au W: www.vecci.org.au

The ELEVATOR allows businesses the opportunity to give their ‘Elevator Pitch’ to the rest of the regional business community free of charge.

For details see www.biznewsmag.com.au

There is nothing quite like creating something yourself. Elly Broadbent, owner and creator of Print Patch Australia knows this, and she started Print Patch purely to share her love of screen printing with others. At the Waurn Ponds studio, you can have the joy of creating your own design for a t-shirt, apron, tea towel, cushion cover, tote bag, you name it, and seeing it comes to life as you print it.

Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants is a firm dedicated to solvency management, insolvency administration and forensic investigation.

Screen printing is a highly accessible art form, and Elly uses techniques suitable to ages 6 and up, and make for a memorable, different and seriously fun birthday party. Print Patch is for anyone who wants to flex their creativity, either through party bookings, group events, and open workshops. Restaurants and cafes could celebrate an opening or redesign with an apron printing workshop. Or take team building to a new level by creating a new t-shirt design for corporate events.

Looking for something challenging and fun for the kids to do on the holidays? Print Patch also offer a school holiday program.

Our large investment in state of the art proprietary software streamlines all functions leading to efficiencies and savings, which are passed on by way of competitive pricing. Our technology is unrivalled in our profession. With our twice daily online updates, we provide relevant and comprehensive information in real time on current files.

Love the idea but just aren’t that creative?

Let Elly design and print something special for you – at Print Patch, there is no end to the creative possibilities.

Operating in Geelong and with additional Victorian offices in the CBD, Ballarat and Bendigo, we provide the ideal mix of prompt personal attention from experienced professionals, backed up by national research and support services.

We know that dealing with personal or business insolvency can be a very uncertain and stressful time and the pressure is increased when it becomes difficult to obtain reliable and clear information.

We use ‘plain talk’, we give ‘straight answers’ and we get ‘fast results’.

Worells are experts in all aspects of corporate and personal insolvency and accept appointments to all forms of unsecured and secured administrations.

Our forensic experts can assist with valuations, investigations and dispute resolution.

James Crook – Choc Chip Digital and his teams work created in December 2014.

Elly Broadbent

W: www.printpatch.com.au E: printpatch@gmail.com M: 0400136763 A: 8 Bourbon Way, Waurn Ponds Vic 3216

BUSINESS NEWS | 36

Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants Suite 23, Steampacket House 10 Moorabool Street Geelong, Vic, 3220

geelong@worrells.net.au www.worrells.net.au

THE ELEVATOR

CLIFTON SPRINGS BOAT HIRE P/L We hire 4.29m boats for fishing and sight-seeing from the boat ramp at Clifton Springs, which is just a short scenic 22km drive from Geelong.

People use our service as it provides great convenience and saves on many associated costs. For example; when you buy a boat, you have to store it, pay insurance, pay registration costs, and service it every year.

When you hire a boat with Clifton Springs Boat Hire P/L the business supplies you with everything for a great time fishing. We provide all the required safety gear & fuel is included. For added convenience you can hire fishing rods and buy some bait before you head out on your fishing trip.

You don’t need a boat license to hire a boat and you can go anywhere in a 2NM limit.

Our hire rates are very reasonable and set at $60 for the first 2 hours, then just $20per hour after that.

Choc Chip Digital is a web agency that works with consultants and professionals to make them rock online like digital hipsters.

James Crook founded Choc Chip over 10 years ago and works with 100s of businesses each year. From this experience he’s found there are common problems professional individuals face.

Many fail to build an online presence that generates enquiries or brings them direct revenue. Their online reputation is poor and they don’t have systems in place to manage their marketing efforts.

We solve these problems using our unique “Four Pillars to being Digitally Enhanced” method of Profile, Promotion, Products and Process.

Our goal is to triple the number of enquiries you receive online and add totally new income streams for your business.

Our vision is to see professionals leveraging online opportunities like they were born to do it. To save time, earn more, and to feel more confident of their success with every new enquiry they receive.

Call or email us today and let us know what it is you’re struggling with online.

We’ll be able to help.

Road Safety Educators Australia has changed the paradigm in driver training.

We researched driver training for 7 years across the globe, developing a comprehensive and effective training program. We use education not instruction as the basis for training and measure our effectiveness on crash rates post licence.

We have bridged the gap between theory and practice by adding education, performance outcomes, safe processes for every situation with built in safety nets and Australia’s most advanced an effective Novice Driver Training Curriculum©.

We provide effective Novice Driver training programs to Schools, students and parents. We have had a paradigm shift in the way we train drivers to remain crash free. Our training significantly reduces the risks for P plate drivers. Novice drivers trained by our educators have significantly lower crash risk, and we all want crash/ injury free P platers.

Our training is effective for all Novice Drivers irrespective of their learning style, age or demographic. The outcome remains the same, only our delivery changes, and we actively encourage parents to be part of the team as the major provider of driver practice time.

Let’s work together to Drive Safety.

For bookings and any further enquiries;

Phone: 1300 808 841

Phone: +61 411 110 112

Call Mike on 0409 028454

www.chocchip.com.au

www.roadsafetyeducators.com.au

www.cliftonspringsboathire.com.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 37

the

CRUSH

Bringing you the pick of the latest offerings from our region’s wineries

PIGS DO FLY! And they are landing at the spectacular new Flying Brick Cider House in the heart of The Bellarine, home to the fastest growing cider brand in Australia. This very special event will be staged on Saturday, February 28 and is a proud feature of the 2015 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.

2013 OAKDENE BERNARD’S CABERNETS

2014 OAKDENE ‘LY LY’ PINOT GRIS

Deep crimson and with a complex bouquet of red currents, black fruits, tobacco leaf and cedar oak, the Bernard’s Cabernets is a medium bodied red, dominated by red currents and some leafiness balanced by a fine-structured tannin backbone, firm acidity, and elegant, classic, ripe red fruit characters.

Pure, crisp and vibrant with tropical fruits, vanilla and a mineral edge, leading to a savoury, dry finish, lively acidity and a long lingering after taste, the Ly Ly Pinot Gris is like drinking summer.

Pale salmon in appearance with a green tinge, the wine has a lifted bouquet of spiced apple, guava and tropical fruits, with mineral overtones rounded out with barrel ferment characters. Enjoy now, or cellar for the next 2 to 4 years, to gain mid palate weight and complexity.

A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is highly drinkable now, or cellar for 4 to 12 years.

Established in 2001, Oakdene specialises in the varieties best suited to the region: chardonnay, pinot noir, shiraz, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc, and the range includes both still and sparkling wines. The wines are elegant and complex, reflecting the true varietal character of the region.

Boasting modern Australian and European cuisine the onsite restaurant and newly opened Mr Grubb café, complement the high standards of this establishment.

Halliday Oakdene Vineyards Restaurant, Café & Cellar Door cellardoor@oakdene.com.au Phone: 5256 3886 Fax: 5256 3881 www.oakdene.com.au

*****

Hosted by Flying Brick Cider Maker Nyall Condon and Executive Chef Dwayne Burke, celebrate at this iconic, retro-inspired venue as we revel in all things neoteric, diverse and wonderful about an ageless epicurean team - pork and cider. Guests will enjoy: • Canapés, select ciders and a very special 2008 reserve Sparkling Blanc de Blanc from funky newcomer to the Bellarine wine scene Yes said the Seal.

• Magnificent four course degustation featuring free range local pork and an exclusive medley of Flying Brick ciders, crafted onsite. Menu Attached.

• Tickets cost $120 per person all inclusive. Tickets are available only via the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au www.flyingbrickciderco.com.au

Zigfrids Pop Up Cellar Door is Back!

It was such a hit last time that Zigrids have brought back their pop up cellar door – Sunday, 15 February at Zigfrids Dining Hall, 66 Pakington Street, Geelong West. All in one place, pouring wines and telling tales, this is a great chance to meet the people behind the labels, no maps, no traffic, the only thing you have to worry about is which wine you will be taking home. Sample Oakdene Wines, Scotchmans Hill, Lethbridge Wines, D’Sas Wines, Attwoods Wines, Gosling Creek Winery, Marcus Hill Vineyard, Provenance Wines, Dinny Goonan Wines and Ponda Estate. Why not pop down? And if you’re sampling liberally, pop into a taxi on the way home or pop a kiss on the cheek of your designated driver.

BUSINESS NEWS | 38

beer

CRUSH

The Great Australian Beer Festival is coming up on February 21 and will showcase some of the emerging and well known talent from our region. Here are some of our picks, make sure you get along and check them out!

SOUTHERN OCEAN PALE ALE This Southern Bay pale ale makes you want to sit back in the sun and enjoy the good things in life. The warm malt character is shaped by the Australian, UK and German specialty malts that are at its heart. This is balanced by a unique combination of NZ and US hops which provide fruity aromatics with zingy grapefruit notes, giving way to a cleansing wave of bitterness.

An American Pale Ale style with Golden Promise, Wheat, Carapils, Pale Crystal, Munich and Geelong Pale malt varieties, this 4.6% brew can be perfectly paired with fresh seafood and salt & pepper squid – just the brew for summer.

HOP BAZOOKA IPA This is one beer that packs a punch, and we’re not the only ones that think so. Recently judged as the best beer at the Ballarat Beer Festival, the Hop Bazooka IPA has a lot going for it. An exuberant blend of Citra, Galaxy and Stella hops march superbly alongside locally malted barley. Not for the faint hearted, this IPA is a big but balanced beer with an amazing resinous mouthfeel and a solid malt structure that holds it all together. This 5.6% brew holds itself well alongside big flavours and makes a great pairing with spicey foods and game meats.

Southern Bay Brewing has been operating in one form or another since​1988. ​ redominantly it was known as P a contract brewery, using its large brew house and unique tanks and packaging setup to brew beers for companies across the country. It also brewed a couple of its own beers, but nothing you would call craft.

In 2008, the brewery was re-named Southern Bay Brewing Co. Then, in 2012, as part of a re-branding exercise the brewers developed a new range of craft beers, which have become the backbone of the brewery. ​ The result is a brewery that still brews beers for others, but is now placing a greater focus on its own products. The beers produced are award winners and the brewery now has a reputation as a maker of high quality beers. ​ outhern Bay Brewing Co. S ​8​0 Point Henry Road, Moolap VIC Ph: (03) 5248 5710 www.​southernbay.com.au​ Southern-Bay-Brewing

Cockies OCEAN road pale ale Light on bitterness, with hints of luscious fruits and spicy citrus, Cockies Ocean Road Pale Ale has a refreshing clean finish with all the qualities of a classic pale ale. Hops put the ‘bitter’ in beer and Cockies is made with a blend Citra, with aromas of lemon, orange and grapefruit that provides a very clean citrus flavour; Cascade, has aroma of spicy flowers with a very smooth bitterness component; Goldings, shows aroma of mixed citrus and florals and flavours of peach and apricot; and Mosiac, which gives the aromas of tropical fruits and berries.

All this makes for a unique ale that is both flavoursome and sessional, with appealing fruity and herbaceous aromas.

ODYssey calypso pale ale Odyssey Calypso Pale Ale is the mainstayer under the Odyssey Brewery banner - which also includes an award winning Mt Duneed Summer Ale and a variety of small batch brews & collaboration brews. A New World Pale Ale, it is hoppy, yet well balanced, and very moreish. Calypso combines three bold aromatic hops from Oz (Galaxy), NZ (Nelson Sauvin) and USA (Citra) and the big hop punch and assertive bitterness is supported by a biscuity malt backbone.

The beer pours golden amber with a creamy white head and is unfiltered to retain the full flavor of the beer, fresh and bursting with flavor. At 5% ABV, it is also very sessionable.

southernbaybrew

Boy grows up in Geelong. Boy starts to brew beer at uni - the results might have been questionable in quality. Boy learns a lot more about brewing beer.

These days, Master Brewer Jamie Roydhouse wants a bit more than just to brew beers for the weekend. He looks to create appealing aromas, complex flavours, freshness and drinkability in a naturally brewed, preservative free beer that is made with passion for you to enjoy.

Barrabool Hills Brewery 112 Balliang Street South Geelong www.cockiesbeer.com.au A craft beer-lover’s paradise, Odyssey Tavern has fast become a destination experience, showcasing craft beer and ciders matched with tasty seasonal fare & local live music. #73 in the top 100 beers in Australia (2014 Critics Choice Top 100 Beers), Best Beer (2014 Great Australian Beer Festival) and #82 (2015 Australia Day Top 100 Aussie Craft Beers Countdown).

611-621 Surfcoast Hwy, Mt Duneed www odysseytavernandbrewery.com.au Odysseytavernbrewery

Odysseytavern

We have a double pass for the Great Australian Beer Festival, 2 six packs of Southern Bay and a six pack of Barrabool Brewery’s Cockies Beer to giveaway to one lucky Business News reader.

For your chance to win head over to our Facebook page for details or email abbey@adcellgroup.com. au with the subject line BEER! Winner announced and notified Wednesday 18.02.2015

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 39

Desire Riches Love,

BUSINESS NEWS | 40

ARTS

Love, Desire & riches To 28 February This, gents, is what they are talking about when they say, ‘earning some Brownie points’.

After a high successful four-month exhibition in Melbourne, the National Trust’s collection of exquisite gowns and historical intrigue has spent the summer at beautiful bluestone mansion of Barwon Park. Closing at the end of February, the exhibition provides an exclusive look into significant fashion pieces of wedding couture from the 18th to 21st century.

The exhibition’s focal piece is the magnificent pearl-encrusted, ivory silk Valentino gown worn

by Princess Marie Chantal of Greece at her wedding to Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, and also includes rare pieces from contemporary Australian fashion designers Akira Isogawa, Collette Dinnigan and Alex Perry, as well as luxurious and intricate gowns drawn from timeless moments in literature and film. www.nationaltrust.org.au/vic

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 41

ARTS Shakespeare in the Vines: Macbeth

Wot? No Fish!!

13 – 14 February

17 - 21 February

“Something wicked this way comes” as Shakespeare in the Vines returns to Leura Park Estate, with Essential Theatre’s production of Macbeth. Surrounded by vines, the barrel shed and winery enclave provide an atmospheric setting for classic tale of power, superstition and madness to unfold. As the sun sets and dark night approaches, the witches come out to play…

GPAC’s 2015 Deakin Theatre Season kicks off with Wot? No Fish!! The Danny Braverman and Nick Philippou production is a funny and moving true story of love, art, family and fish balls.

In 1926, London shoemaker, Ab Solomons, first drew a picture on the wage packet he gave to his new wife Celie. Then, throughout their long marriage, Ab continued to draw or paint on his wage packet every week.

Revel in the ghoulish drama of Friday the 13th or the romance of Valentine’s Day with award winning wines, ciders, beers and delicious food on offer. The performance will be followed by live music until late. Tickets available only at GPAC. www.leuraparkestate.com.au

Years later, Danny Braverman discovered shoeboxes containing the lost art of his great uncle Ab on more than 2000 wage packets and these gems became the inspiration for Wot? No Fish!! From falling in love, to quarrels about fish balls; audiences are taken on a journey of one Jewish family set against the backdrop of a dramatically changing city. www.gpac.org.au

BUSINESS NEWS | 42

ARTS Metropolis Gallery Summer Salon 12 January - 28 February 2015 Metropolis Gallery kicks off every New Year with a bumper Summer Salon. This year you’ll find works by many artists represented at the gallery, including paintings by Mark Cairns, Amber Daly, Peter Ferguson, Victoria Howlett, Adrian Lockhart, Richard Morrison, Robin Rankin, Steve Salo, Judi Singleton, Sisca Verwoert, Gail Willoughby and more.

Edition prints by contemporary artists Dean Bowen, Jazmina Cininas, Robert Clinch, Graham Fransella, David Frazer, Anita Iacovella, Deborah Klein, Marco and Debra Luccio, Vida Pearson, Deborah Williams and Joel Wolter also feature in this extensive show.

Indigenous paintings and linocuts from Papunya Tula Artists, Hermannsburg Watercolour Artists, Tjala Arts and artists from Utopia and the Torres Strait Islands are also available. www.metropolisgallery.com.au

This month at the Geelong Gallery… #RitzHeritageOverlay – until 22 Feb. Geelong’s iconic and controversial ‘Ritz Flats’ is the inspiration for this newly commissioned installation by street artist Glen Smith referencing the city’s built heritage. Working in the genre for which he is well known, using paste-ups and painted overlays, Smith explores the tension between urban renewal and the quest to preserve architectural heritage.

Early Images of Geelong – until 15 March. Drawings, prints and photographs from the Gallery’s permanent collection that record and interpret the township of Geelong from the mid-tolate nineteenth century.

Arcadia – Sound of the Sea – until 22 Feb. An exhibition of lyrical, richly-textured photographs by John Witzig with largescale ink drawings by Nicholas Harding and psychedelic film footage by Albert Falzon. Geelong Gallery is the sole Victorian venue for this touring exhibition that includes images of local surf culture through photographs from the 1970s of iconic Bells Beach and Torquay. www.geelonggallery.org.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 43

Top left: Summer Salon Above: Summer Salon Below left: Shakespeare in the Vines Below right: Summer Salon

Breakfast with the best in Business The annual Business Technology Specialists Administrative Professionals Breakfast for Give Where You Live is back in 2015.

Hear from Guest Speaker, Kate Gibbs, as she shares her passion for all things food, inspired by her grandmother, Australia’s most loved cooking expert, Margaret Fulton.

Give Where You Live CEO, Bill Mithen, stated, “The annual Business Technology Specialists breakfast is a highlight of the Give Where You Live events calendar and a major fundraiser for our organisation, this year we are aiming to raise in excess of $45,000.

Everyone is welcome to attend the breakfast, so gather a table of girlfriends or your work colleagues and purchase your tickets now as they are selling fast. Give Where You Live would like to thank our Naming Rights Sponsor, Business Technology Specialists, and Gold Sponsor, The Pier Geelong, for their ongoing support of the breakfast.

For further information or to book online visit givewhereyoulive.com.au or phone 5229 4364

International Women’s Day Celebration The irrepressible, controversial and captivating commentator and author, Catherine Deveny, will this year headline the City of Greater Geelong’s Women in Community Life Advisory Committee (WiCLAC) International Women’s Day celebration. Hosted at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club, the night will be held on Friday, February 27 - before the official event on March 8 - and includes the presentation of the inaugural Women in Community Life Award.

This new award is proudly supported by Women’s Health and Wellbeing Barwon South West, and has been designed to highlight the achievements of women in the Geelong region during the celebration of International Women’s Day. Many women contribute incredible amounts of time and energy into their local communities; we would like to recognise and celebrate their passion and commitment. Nominees may be mentors, community leaders, industry leaders, activists, volunteers, teachers, or tireless workers in their local community. Late nominations for this inaugural award remain open.

A silent auction is a great way for guests to pick up a bargain or two, and will raise funds for the Geelong Combined Refugee Action Group (CRAG) to establish a Women’s Fund that will help women refugees with legal expenses, visa applications and also help to maintain the health and wellbeing of refugees and their families.

Guests – and men are welcomed to attend, as the overarching aim of gender equality cannot be achieved by women alone – can enjoy live music, plentiful and delicious finger food, complimentary drink on arrival, silent auction and lolly bar, all with the beautiful bay views provided by the Yacht Club’s incomparable location.

For more information contact womenincommunitylife@ geelongcity.vic.gov.au, or visit the Women in Community Life Facebook page. Tickets are $40 and available at www.geelongaustralia.com.au/events

BUSINESS NEWS | 44

BOOST FOR BARWON LEARN LOCAL PARTNERSHIP The Geelong region has secured a $163,990 grant from the $2.3 million in funding from the ACFE Board’s Partnerships for Access grant program. Announcing the funding at Winchelsea Community House, Minister for Training and Skills, Steve Herbert, said the funding would support Learn Locals to work closer together to better share resources and offer more preaccredited training programs.

“Learn Locals give people who struggle with literacy or numeracy or who need help to reskill the confidence and ability to improve their lives and find work,” Mr Herbert said.

The $163,990 grant was provided to support a new strategic alliance between the 25 members of the Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres, which operate in Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire and the Borough of Queenscliff. ACFE Board Chair, Rowena Allen, said supporting stronger local partnerships is a key part of the ACFE Board’s Learn Local Focusing on the Future strategy.

Ms Allen said a total of 217 organisations are participating in the Partnerships for Access program, including 151 Learn Locals and 66-non Learn Local providers, including community organisations, local government, LLENs, TAFEs and schools.

Geelong Scots win back Vic Championships The Geelong Highland Gathering has won the right to host the Victorian Highland Pipe Band Championships for the first time since the event was moved from Queens Park in 2009.

Deakin University has become a major sponsor of the event, which was nomadic in the years immediately following 2009.

This is the third year the Gathering will be held at its new permanent home at Waurn Ponds. This year’s Gathering will be held on March 1, and the pipe band championships attract bands from throughout Victoria.

A new feature event for 2015 is the exciting and astonishing Birds of Prey demonstrations of mediaeval falconry, with

peregrine falcons, owls, kites, kestrels and eagles involved.

This will add to the attraction of the Gathering, which also hosts the South Pacific Heavy Games Championships, the Western Martial Arts Academies of Australia National Longsword and Broadsword Championships and Highland Dancing Competitions.

There will also be the Scottish Breeds Dog Show, Scottish Country Dancing displays, the 42nd Highlanders re-enactment group, the New Varangian Guard Dubh-linn Branch, also providing mediaeval re-enactments and Clan and Scottish souvenir stallholders, as well as food and other vendors.

One of the most popular innovations in recent years has been the expansion of the children’s programme to include a modified “Wee Highland Games” for youngsters, with haggis hurling and lightweight caber tossing.

For more information visit geelonghighlandgathering.org.au

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 45

COMMUNITY Journey to Work participant, Stephanie, with volunteers, Sarah and Daria from Coulter Roache Lawyers.

Young women offered a helping hand to start their journey Late last year, Karingal BacLinks (Business and Community Links) partnered with Coulter Roache Lawyers and employment provider MatchWorks for Journey to Work; an event that offered young women from disadvantaged backgrounds a series of workshops to help them prepare to enter the workforce.

Approximately 30 young women aged between 16 and 25, who are currently involved in a job placement program with MatchWorks, took part in the Journey to Work event. The participants came from a range of socially disadvantaged backgrounds with many having left school early, which has resulted in significant barriers to seeking and gaining employment.

During the event, MatchWorks employment consultants provided a series of workshops to assist the participants with career guidance, including advice on interview skills and employer expectations. This was complemented with a self-esteem workshop provided by Jacqui McSweeny from the Centre of Excellence and professional presentation advice, including makeup treatments. Each participant also received some work wear and accessories to keep, sourced by the Karingal BacLinks team and Target, with help from Coulter Roache Lawyers.

Workplace Big Day Out. The annual event, presented by BTS (Business Technology Specialists) and sponsored by Davidsons and MatchWorks, provided an opportunity for organisations to sample workplace volunteering, while breaking down barriers between people of all abilities and fostering a greater sense of community.

The volunteers spent the day participating in a range of team activities at Adventure Park alongside program members from Karingal, Encompass and St Laurence. Activities on offer included cricket, bocce, belly dancing, mini golf and archery.

Community partners help create a party to remember!

The faces of Karingal Kommercial supported employees lit up at their annual Christmas party in December thanks to the generosity of Target and Ford.

The Australian Disability Enterprise finished the year with a celebration, which was jam-packed with activities including arcade games, movies, a barbecue lunch and a surprise visit from the Mr Wizzy ice-cream van.

Karingal BacLinks Manager, Joanne Forssman, said it was fantastic to work alongside Coulter Roache Lawyers to help the participants achieve their goal of re-entering the workforce.

A highlight for the supported employees was seeing Santa, who handed out presents donated by Karingal BacLinks partners Target and Ford. Employees were thrilled to receive Ford Performance Team gear, while their Douro Street complex was decked out in Christmas decorations donated by Target.

“The Coulter Roache workplace volunteers did an incredible job mentoring the participants and helping them select suitable outfits, which they also helped source in the lead-up to the event by conducting a clothing drive,” said Joanne.

Karingal Kommercial employs 120 supported workers across three service areas - business solutions, food services and environmental solutions. Each area features a range of products and services in a supportive work environment.

“Thanks to the wonderful support of Coulter Roache Lawyers, participants were given a helping hand in their quest to enter the workforce through newfound confidence, belief in their own skills and ability, a positive outlook and some new outfits to help them feel and look the part when attending interviews.”

A Big Day Out to remember In an example of community spirit at its best, on Thursday December 4 more than 280 employees from local businesses, carers and people who have disabilities joined together for an inclusive day of fun activities at the Karingal BacLinks Summer

Target community relations advisor, Katie Bourke, and supported employee, Craig Mathieson, at the Kommercial Christmas party.

BUSINESS NEWS | 46

AFTER HOURS

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“Every Greyhound Has a Story” We’ve all heard that a picture can supposedly tell a thousand words, but in reality, sometimes the picture tells the story without the need for words. Greyhound Racing Victoria’s Greyhound Adoption Program has been incredibly successful in highlighting the sad fate of racing greyhounds if a home can’t be found for them after their racing days are over.

Renowned Australian photographer, Josh Robenstone, put together the “Every Greyhound Has a Story” exhibition highlighting adopted greyhounds and their unique stories that opened at Boom Gallery in Newtown. The stories these pictures tell are ones to warm your heart, of a new future, a home and a family. And adopted greyhounds have now become the latest trendsetters in the world of pets.

They’re cool, sleek, lazy and fashionable.

The ‘Every Greyhound Has a Story’ photographic exhibition is the first such exhibition showcasing adopted greyhounds and their unique stories featuring the work of renowned Australian photographer, Josh Robenstone. The exhibition was opened by the mayor of Geelong, Darryn Lyons and his partner, Elissa Friday.

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1. Imogen Brough, Jordan, Claudia Brough and Sophie Brough with Monty 2. Adrienne Hare, Sammy Hare and Gillian Costa 3. Monty, looking dapper 4. Darryn Lyons and Elissa Friday 5. Imogen Brough, Sophie Brough and Claudia Brough 6. Tara Miller and Jayde Heywood

BIZNEWSMAG.COM.AU | 47

AFTER HOURS

1.

60 years supporting Geelong Over 200 guests came together at Boom Gallery, Newtown to attend the Give Where You Live 60th Anniversary Cocktail Party celebrating 60 Years of Supporting the Geelong Community last December.

2.

Throughout 2014 Give Where You Live has been celebrating its 60 year history of supporting the Geelong community and its most disadvantage and vulnerable residents. The evening was a celebration of those who had been part of the organisations history including donors, corporate partners, Loaned Executives, volunteers and of course community partners.

CEO Bill Mithen reflected on the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding fathers and whether they could possibly imagine what the organisation they started in 1954 with a simple idea to help those in need could become the loved and respected Geelong icon it is today.

Guests also heard from guest speakers Alice Nash from Back to Back Theatre who spoke of what it Give Where You Live means to community organisations and from Kevin Brown Plant Manager at Ford Geelong who talked about 60 years of supporting the Geelong community through Give Where You Live.

3.

The evening included the draw of the Give Where You Live 60th Anniversary Major Raffle with the lucky winner, Kylie Mackey driving away with a brand new Ford EcoSport Trend valued at $23,990. Give Where You Live would like to thank the eveningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sponsors Ford Australia, Market Square and Target Australia.

Photography by Elisha Lindsay Photography

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BUSINESS NEWS | 48

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE STYLEGUIDE AFTER HOURS

THE E.L PHOTOGRAPHY CORPORATE BRAND

1. CMYK STACKED VERSION (ON WHITE BACKG

Elisha Lindsay (E.L Photography) is a Geelong photographer who was born to take beautiful photographs. Her love for the lens has followed a natural progression throughout each stage in her life.

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Elisha prides her business on being one that is multifaceted and has the ability to meet the needs of all clients. Whether it is commercial, weddings or portraits, E.L Photography can meet the needs of businesses, individuals and groups.

The logo represents the E.L Photography brand and is, therefore, the essence of the E.L Photography identity.

Do not attempt to redraw or rearrange it, or alter the colour in any way. It always, where possible, appears as a colour image.

2. CMYK HORIZONTAL VERSION (ON WHITE BAC Commercial Photography Staff portraits Product shots Marketing shots Events & Functions Weddings & Portraits

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1. Kate Betts, Sheridan Salmon and Kate Kent 2. Jean Paul and Jan Fagg 3. Kerrie and Kevin Brown 4. Dale Parker and Leonie Mitaxa 5. Daleene Kroger, Belinda Lyle and Terry Barrow 6. Bill Mithen, Murray Boyd and Kevin Brown 7. Cynthia Scherer, Cathy Hyland and Mark Hyland 8. Amy Gillett and Alicia Haydon 9. Warren Sharp and Melinda Stephenson 10. John Dearnley, Stephanie Dearnley, Cheryl McKenzie

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Studio - 162 Bellerine St, Geelong elisha@elphotography.com.au 0439 353 958 elphotography.com.au

cool

STUFF

It’s a new year, so it’s time for a make-over with these exciting new products inspired by Pantone’s colour of 2015 - Marsala.

Antique Brown Lattice Modern Rug Zanui www.zanui.com.au

Lyra Hourglass Modern Metal Floor Lamp Artisanti www.artisanti.com

Luxury Leather Washbag Annabel James www.annabeljames.co.uk

NAMIB Armchair BRABBU Design Forces www.brabbu.com

Ships Decanter Annabel James www.annabeljames.co.uk

Amalfi Owl Spool of String with Scissors, Amalfi www.amalfihomewares.com.au

Padoga White Bedside Table Risenn Home and LIfestyle www.risenn.com.au

Ksl Living Coussin Swa Velours Bordeaux Marsala KSL LIVING www.ksl-living.fr

Burgundy Red Mexican Otomi Cushion The Toucan Shop www.thetoucanshop.com

Ksl Living Plaid Réversible Laine étoiles KSL LIVING www.ksl-living.fr

Simply PATCHOULI Soy Candle Buckley & Phillips Aromatics www.buckleyandphillips.com

Leather Moroccan Ottoman Pouf with Silk Reinforced Stitching and Star Detail - Garnet Red Rock Ribbons www.rockribbonsecogifts.com/

BUSINESS NEWS | 50

BOOKS

The Illuminations Andrew O’Hagan Twice nominated for the Man Booker Prize, Andrew O’Hagan has been hailed as the most exciting and serious chroniclers of contemporary Britain. The Illuminations is his fifth novel. It begins with Anne Quirk, standing one evening at the window of her house by the sea, where she sees a rabbit disappearing in the snow. Nobody remembers her now, but this elderly woman was in her youth a pioneer of British documentary photography. Her beloved grandson, Luke, now a captain with the Royal Western Fusiliers, is on a tour of duty in Afghanistan, part of a convoy taking equipment to the electricity plant at Kajaki. Only when Luke returns home to Scotland does Anne’s secret story begin to emerge, along with his, and they set out for an old guesthouse in Blackpool where she once kept a room.

Becoming Westerly Jamie Brisick The incredible true story of Peter Drouyn and his amazing journey from life as a heartthrob champion surfer to the woman he always believed he was meant to be: Westerly Windina. Peter Drouyn was a champion surfer who introduced the concept of the man-on-man competition format. Known for his aggressive yet elegant style on the wave, Drouyn was also a lawyer, heartthrob actor and showman extraordinaire, famous for his eccentric behaviour and ambitious ideas. For nearly a decade now, Peter Drouyn has been living as a woman, Westerly Windina. The surfing community is at once awestruck, sceptical and supportive. And the world is taking notice. Becoming Westerly is a very personal account of two people in one, and the journey it has taken for Peter to become Westerly.

Reaching Down the Rabbit Hole Alan Ropper & B.D. Burrell Like Alice in Wonderland, Dr Alan Ropper inhabits a world where absurdities abound. We tend to think of concepts like perception, thought process and behaviour as responding to our environment. But cases of neurological disorders provide some fascinating insights into what happens when something in our brain changes the way we perceive the world around us, think or respond. Just some of the stories he and staff at Harvard Medical School have endeavoured to treat include a figure skater whose body has become a ticking time-bomb; a salesman who drives around and around a roundabout, unable to get off; a college quarterback who can’t stop calling the same play; a child molester who, after falling on the ice, is left with a brain that is very much dead inside a body that is very much alive; a mother of two young girls, diagnosed with ALS, who has to decide whether a life locked inside her own head is worth living… This is a rarefied world, where lives and minds hang in the balance.

The Strange Library Murakami On his way home from school, a young boy finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. Led to a special ‘reading room’ in a maze under the library by a strange old man, he finds himself imprisoned with only a sheep man, who makes excellent donuts, and a girl, who can talk with her hands, for company. His mother will be worrying why he hasn’t returned in time for dinner and the old man seems to have an appetite for eating small boy’s brains. Beautifully bound and designed throughout, The Strange Library feels like a fable that asks rather than answers questions. It will delight some, and disappoint others; but for me, it was a deliciously curious, evocative and sad tale, a shared fancy from one who cherishes both the tangible and intangible nature of books.

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OPEN DAY 18

MARCH

2015

from 9.15am

UT F E H SHAPING T

E R U

Learn more at www.geelongcollege.vic.edu.au