Geelong Business News 196

ISSUE 196 MAY 2011 $4.50 (inc Gst)

no place for bullying

BUSINESS NEWS GEELONG BUSINESS NEWS FOR LOCAL BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS

CONTENTS

3

Features 12 Suspended Sentences Are we trading justice for jail?

16 No Place for Bullying

Inside the endemic issue of bullyying

22 In the Heart of the City

Why there's hope for Central Geelong

CONTENTS 05 Biz News 10 Appointments 38 Small Biz 41 Gadgets 44 Arts 48 After Hours 51 What's On

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4

EDITOR

I have a confession to make. This month the usually immensely satisfying process of finding a way into the heart of a story has not been such an enjoyable one.

Perhaps this was in part a response to the vacuum of joylessness that is moving house (not to mention the limb-shaking, nauseating, bone aching exhaustion that has all the symptoms of the kind of hangover that follows an all-night party, without all the fun you presumably had while at the party!) But the weariness of a house move is a short-lived thing. What I found myself experiencing was more of a mind fug, a mire of mental exhaustion, frustration and sadness.

The first of the issues that brought on this mental fatigue was this month’s cover story on bullying. You would all have heard the terrible story of Brodie Panlock, and the proposal of new laws in Victoria that would make a 10-year jail term the maximum sentence for serious bullying in this state that have been drafted largely in response to Brodie’s death.

As we sought a way to make sense of what in so many ways is a senseless issue, we looked at the issue of bullying – what constitutes bullying, the prevalence of bullying, why people bully and what can be done to prevent it happening in the first place. These are weighty matters, and I can’t say we found any substantial answers. What we did find, however, was information. We found that there is still a lot to talk about on the issue, and that the act of talking about it just might be the most powerful way of stopping bullies in their tracks.

Along this journey, we spoke to a former Chief Justice of the Family Court and now the Chair of the National Centre Against Bullying, the Hon. Alastair Nicholson, whose passion for tackling bullying in schools was a shining light in an otherwise hard journey.

From one weighty subject, it was straight into another one, the push and pull issue of sentencing in Victoria.

The Baillieu Government strode into power in Spring Street vowing to be tough on law and order. One of the

key policies that attracted vocal support – as well as some perhaps quieter, but strong all the same, opposition – was a promise to abolish suspended sentences in Victoria. ‘About time’ seemed to be the response, particularly from many of our headlinechasing tabloid media outlets, and if you ask most people about how they feel about those convicted of crimes being ‘let off’ with a suspended sentence, there would most likely be a fair majority that wouldn’t be happy about it.

But there are some very serious issues that need to be part of the conversation on the abolition of suspended sentences. The first is that the Attorney-General’s statement that under a Baillieu Government ‘jail means jail’ may sound great at a press conference, however in reality, even now jail doesn’t necessarily mean jail in Victoria, with our prison system already unable to accommodate everyone sentenced to a jail term in this State. Then there is the issue of cost – the very significant financial costs of holding prisoners in jails, and the exponentially more significant costs that come with drug or alcohol addicted individuals, desperately disadvantaged young people, or people with a mental illness or disability becoming entrapped in the prison system for less serious crimes.

The more I read, talked about and learned of this issue, the more I found myself asking whether the move to abolish suspended sentences will actually do anything to prevent the prevalence of crime in our State. Judges hand down jail sentences as a last resort – as a sentence when there is no other option – by removing it as an option, are we really removing some of the justice from the justice system? Are we really a State of blanket punitive punishment? Or do we expect more? Do we expect a system that addresses the causes of crime with at least equal weight as the punishment for crimes?

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BIZNEWS

5

Company vehicles under the spotlight

They may not appear to be natural allies, however the National Institute of Accountants (NIA) has added its voice to the Australian Greens' push to curb fringe benefit tax (FBT) concessions for company sponsored vehicles.

A long and winding road to heritage listing The Geelong region's iconic Great Ocean Road has become the 92nd place on Australia's National Heritage List that lists the nation's most valued natural, Indigenous and historic heritage sites.

It becomes one of only 20 of the nation's most iconic coastal places including the Great Barrier Reef, Bondi Beach, Point Nepean, Kurnell Peninsula and Shark Bay to achieve National Heritage listing.

The Great Ocean Road, that attracted over 7.5 million visitors in 2010, is also one of the nation's greatest war memorials. Construction on the road began in 1919 as a memorial of the war service and sacrifice of Victoria's First World War servicemen and women. More than 3000 returned servicemen worked on the construction of the road for 13 years up to 1932.  The National Heritage listing means the heritage values of the Great Ocean Road, including Bells Beach and the Twelve Apostles, will be protected under national environmental law.

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In its recent submission to Treasury, the NIA recommends the adoption of a fixed FBT percentage that applies to company sponsored vehicles.

"The present statutory method for valuing employer sponsored cars under salary sacrifice arrangements encourages the wasteful use of resources by rewarding drivers who travel a more kilometres, irrespective of how those kilometres are accumulated," said NIA's chief executive officer, Andrew Conway.

"If the Government is serious about reducing the impact on the environment, then a change must be made," said Mr Conway.

The NIA has for a while now been calling for a comprehensive review of FBT regime.

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BIZNEWS

6

Hope springs anew for TCF

Honour in a name In preparation of the first ANZAC landing at Gallipoli (25 April 2015), a geographic naming pilot program has been initiated to recognise local service men and women. Streets in new estates throughout Victoria – including in new estate across Geelong - will be named after people who served in an operational capacity in the Australian and New Zealand defence forces. Streets will also be named after events and infrastructure that have been involved in Australian defence.

The City of Greater Geelong and the Office of Geographic Names are calling for suggestions for local street and locality names.

Names suggested by the local community will be included in the City of Greater Geelong’s final proposal to the ANZAC Commemorative Naming Advisory Committee and the Registrar of Geographic Names.

Residents can send their suggestions and inquiries to either of the below officers:

Australia's $4.5 billion Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) industries have been amongst the hardest industries hit by a decades-long downturn in manufacturing in Australia.

Opening the inaugural Big Green Conference in Geelong last month, Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr welcomed the commitment of workers and business leaders to a stronger, greener industry.

"Climate change is remaking our environment and our economy," Senator Carr said. "We can plant a few trees, but they won't shelter our manufacturers from that reality. Good businesses face the facts and find the opportunities.

Senator Carr was in town spruiking the Australian Government's support of industry. In his speech, he pointed out that almost one in two of Australia's TCF

Ms Leonie Flanagan City of Greater Geelong Council Property Officer

companies already invest in innovation well above the 40 per cent of businesses across all sectors.

According to the Government, initiatives like the TCF Strategic Capability Program, a five year $35 million co-investment scheme to build our capabilities, strengthen supply chain management and capture opportunities in green innovation, are helping to weave a strong future for TCF industries.

"So far, 10 projects have received over $20 million in funding. Godfrey Hirst, for example, has received over $1.8 million to develop a synthetic carpet that can be produced using less water and energy.

Sharcave has received $825,000 to develop a production process for a recyclable synthetic grass product, designed to reduce the volume of synthetic turf being dumped into landfill," Senator Carr said.

30 Gheringhap Street GEELONG 3220 Email: lflanagan@geelongcity.vic.gov.au Ms Minna Muhlen-Schulte ANZAC Project Officer Office of Geographic Names Level 17, 570 Bourke Street Melbourne VIC 3000

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NEWS Building better, cheaper, safer

7

CSIRO helps clinch global car component deal It certainly hasn't been a good month for the Australian automotive manufacturing industry. A small ray of light did appear amongst the gloom however, with CSIRO casting technologies helping Nissan Casting Australia's (NCAP's) win a bid to manufacture components for the Nissan Motor Company's new LEAF electric car in Dandenong.

A study commissioned by the Australian Government's Built Environment Industry Innovation Council has found that 3D building modeling technology has begun to change the way buildings are designed, built and managed - helping to create buildings that are better, cheaper and safer.

Brian Cooper from NCAP said the CSIRO's

advanced

casting

technology offers significant potential future savings.

"Nissan Motor Company's R&D engineers in Japan were highly impressed by the level of CSIRO R&D innovation, as well as the extent of state and Australian Government support available to the Australian die casting industry," Mr Cooper said.

"Australia showed it can compete with some of the world’s leading lowcost countries by combining cost control and technological manufacturing solutions,� said Nissan’s Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing, Toshiharu Sakai

Building information modeling (BIM) provides a threedimensional model that transforms the building design process. The study, Productivity in the Buildings Network: Assessing the Impacts of Building Information Models, found that if BIM was widely adopted it would make a significant difference to national economic performance. Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr said BIM is becoming widely used overseas, describing the report as an important step in promoting its use in Australia where our building network sector accounts for about 12 per cent of Australia's total production - around $355 billion - and employs about oneeighth of Australia's workforce.

"Widespread adoption of BIM will result in cleaner, healthier buildings - both new and renovated - with improvements in material consumption, energy efficiency, carbon emissions and the productivity of occupants. On average, an owner could save up to 10 per cent on the cost of their building," he said.

The CASTvac™ chill vent vacuum valve, developed by CSIRO researchers and Nissan working together through the CAST CRC. Image: Andrew Barcham

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BIZNEWS

Three months - tax free!

Older, wealthier population a boon for healthcare industry PKF Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors' latest annual Business & Population Monitor shows Australia's ageing population, healthcare advancements and an increase in life expectancies will contribute to a rapid rise in the demand for health services.

The Business & Population Monitor special report, entitled Health and wellness -opportunities and challenges, looks at the impact of Australian demographic changes on the healthcare sector.

PKF's National Director, Enterprise Advisers, Matthew Field, said with this growth comes a twin challenge on how governments, businesses and families will cope: "Population ageing and health cost inflation will lead to a major shift in the spending habits of Australians and will present a myriad of business opportunities."

According to the report, in 2009 the healthcare sector became the largest employer in Australia, officially employing around 750,000 people, or nearly seven per cent of Australia's workforce; however, this figure does not include numerous vital smaller sectors, such as alternative

The Centre for Independent Studies declared 6 April as Tax Freedom Day. The wealth generated by Australian individuals (‘working families’) and businesses between New Year’s Day and 5 April, if taken in its entirety as taxation, would have been just enough to satisfy the demands of government at all levels for the whole year. From 6 April, the private sector began working for itself.

It has been worse in the past. In the 1990s, Tax Freedom Day didn’t come until 19 April on average. Unfortunately, the move to an earlier date last year (10 April) and this year is likely to be an aberration, as it resulted mainly from a temporary fall in tax revenue due to the global financial crisis. That fall in tax revenue will be reversed, making Tax Freedom Day later in the years ahead.

therapies and fitness and health providers, which add up to at least another 200,000 people.

"When we look at the healthcare sector, it is clear demand is driven by 'desperation' rather than 'disposable income'. This coupled with Australia's ageing population and an increase in life expectancy implies the health sector can expect substantial growth in the coming decades. The already large industry has the added advantage of being less cyclical than most, which will create an abundance of opportunity for businesses in the years ahead," said Mr Field.

However, there will be challenges - with the demand for health services set to rise rapidly, the ability of Federal and State governments to finance this expansion will be constrained.

In addition, skills shortages will be inevitable.

"The skills shortage in some areas of the health sector are already being felt, particularly with immigration levels falling and given that Australia's nursing workforce is ageing," said Mr Field.

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NEWS Australia’s role in super-sized telescope

9

Australians: big entertainment spenders Australia is the fifth top spender per capita on entertainment and media behind the US, Japan, UK and Germany. In 2009, each Australian aged 15 years and over spent an average of $756 on entertainment and media. Together, Australians spent $17 billion in 2009.

These are findings of a new report, A data picture of Australia's arts and entertainment sector by Dr Sandra Haukka from the ARC Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) at the Queensland University of Technology.

Researchers at the Australian National University are helping to build a supersized telescope that will allow scientists to see deeper into space in the visible light range than ever before.

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) with a primary mirror the equivalent of 24.5 metres in diameter - will produce astronomical images up to 30 times sharper than existing ground-based telescopes.

"It will tell us about the early universe including formation of the first stars and the evolution of galaxies only a few million years after the Big Bang," Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr said.

The ANU - which is developing instrumentation for the $700 million

telescope - is part of an international consortium that will build the telescope in the Chilean Andes.

The Australian Government is contributing nearly $90 million towards the telescope through the Education and Investment fund. The funding will buy Australian astronomers time on the telescope once it is operational later this decade.

“Access to space is increasingly important, not only for national security purposes but also for technologies and activities that underpin national economies and modern-day life, including telecommunications, weather and climate monitoring, natural disaster warning, resource management and navigation,” Senator Carr said.

"The sector underpins cultural and social innovation, improves the quality of community life, is essential to maintaining our cities as world class attractors of talent and investment, and helps create 'Brand Australia'.

"We located a range of impressive facts and figures.

PricewaterhouseCoopers predicts Australia's digital recorded music market will be the fastest growing in the Asia Pacific region over the next five years.

"Just over 30 per cent of people surveyed by the Australia Council for the Arts in 2009 used the Internet to research, view or create any kind of music, writing or artistic performance. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 72 per cent of creative and performing arts businesses made a profit in 2007/08," Dr Haukka said.

"However, Australia continues to experience a large entertainment trade deficit. We imported $2.4 billion in cultural goods in 2009/2010 compared to exports of $540 million. The World Economic Forum ranked Australia 38th in the world for the value of its creative industries exports."

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APPOINTMENTS Oil & Gas

Health Services

Gary Williams has joined Shell Geelong Refinery as Engineering Manager. He is responsible for refinery asset management - overseeing turnaround planning and execution, project delivery, inspection and reliability services. Gary joined Shell from Linc Energy in Brisbane and has more than 20-years experience in the oil and gas industry.

Prior to joining Linc, Gary held a number of senior engineering roles for the New Zealand Refinery Co, ConocoPhilips, HM Forces and Rolls Royce.

Simon Williams has been appointed to the position of Clinical Director Surgical Services. In this key role at Barwon Health, he will oversee all clinical areas within Surgical Services and provide coordination, support and advice to the Executive Director Surgical Services.

Simon, an orthopaedic surgeon of some 20-year standing at Barwon Health, is highly regarded and universally respected. He also holds many senior posts on State and National medical/ professional committees.

Real Estate

Employment Services

Alastair Thomson becomes the third generation of Thomson's to act as a real estate agent with cjkeane&co. With 12 years experience running his own small business in Geelong, Alastair knows the importance of listening to the customer and delivering exceptional service to get the best result possible for your property. He is proud to be able to continue a legacy begun by his grandfather Syd, who purchased cjkeane&co in 1951 and his father Laurie, the cjkeane&co Managing Director.

Encompass Community Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Kara Wyatt to the position of Employment Consultant within our DES Employment Division. Kara has worked with Encompass for the past 2 years as a casual employee with the Youth Division. In this time, she has been studying her Diploma in Disability, and is near completion to receive her certificate. She says, “Assisting people with barriers to employment to gain skills, knowledge and independence is a great motivator”.

Real Estate

Marketing

Jodi Licastro has been appointed the Sales Director of cjkeane&co. This position has been created from a major re structure of the strategic plans for cjkeane. Jodi has been working within the real estate industry for over 20 years. Originally from WA, Jodi moved to Geelong and began working with cjkeane&co. five years ago. Jodi’s new position enables her to implement a new strategy for growth and innovation across the cjkeane&co. network’s 8 offices.

Brand Talk welcomes Jayne McKeon to the brandtalk team. Jayne has a wealth of experience in working with SMEs in business and marketing and understands the importance of brand image in the local market. Jayne will be working in Central and Northern regions of Geelong.

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APPOINTMENTS

11

Financial Planning

Accountancy

Income Solutions is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Terpstra as the new Marketing Manager. Simon is an experienced marketing professional with an established background in marketing and digital communications.

Simon studied at Deakin University obtaining a Bachelor of Commerce and is currently completing a Masters degree at Swinburne University. Simon is looking forward to promoting sensible financial planning that helps clients achieve their financial and lifestyle goals.

Lachie McColl joined WHK this month as a Senior Manager, Valuations & Business Transactions. With more than five years valuations experience at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, specialising in business and intangible asset valuations across a variety of industries, Lachie looks forward to assisting local businesses with their valuations needs. Lachie is a Chartered Accountant, holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Masters in Applied Finance, and a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.

Automotive

Local Government

Geelong City Motors is pleased to announce the appointment of Stacey Jarvis to the role of Marketing Coordinator. Stacey has extensive marketing and event management experience, which will be well utilised in her new position. In addition to marketing and events, Stacey will also be responsible for customer relationship management and she is looking forward to meeting existing and prospective Mercedes-Benz owners.

The City of Greater Geelong is pleased to welcome Jenny McMahon as General Manager Community Services. Jenny holds a Bachelor of Business-Industrial Relations and Human Resources, as well as qualifications in Applied Social Sciences (Child Care) and is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She has had a number of roles in local government, most recently with Maribyrnong City Council in General Manager positions, including Infrastructure Services, Community Wellbeing and Advocacy.

Financial Services

Banking

Leigh Vos has joined Geelong Financial Group as Director of Commercial and Business Finance. Leigh has worked with Westpac Bank for over 20 years as a relationship Manager in Geelong, and is recognised as one of the best in the business. Leigh has a broad range of experience and brings a wealth of knowledge to the growing GFG business, focusing on assisting professionals and businesses in Geelong.

NAB is pleased to announce that Jodi Heath (nee Manion) has been appointed as the Regional Executive for Retail, Geelong and South West Victoria. Jodi brings to the role a wealth of experience in leadership, business management and community engagement. Jodi looks forward to working with her team to ensure NAB provides excellent customer service to new and existing customers.

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FEATURE

SUSPENDED SENTENCES Are we trading justice for jail?

of people in jail in Australia, and with the government now moving to abolish suspended sentences, that figure is set to continue rising.

According to Corrections Victoria, the State’s prisons are housing prisoners at approximately 8 to 10 per cent below full operating capacity.

In order to house the anticipated increase in prison populations, the Government has announced funding for an additional 500 prison beds across the state. But is this the best use of law and order funding and are we looking at real alternatives to prison in Victoria?

"We’ve always had a range of options. I don’t like to use the term ‘alternatives to imprisonment’ because prison, in Victoria, is always a last resort for the judiciary. Options such as fines, community based orders, intensive correction orders, drug treatment orders and others are not necessarily alternatives in the sense that they are appropriate sentences for low to mid-level crime,” Professor Freiberg said.

Crime and punishment are serious issues in every society. As of 1 May, suspended sentences for serious offences have been abolished in the Supreme and County courts in Victoria. The State’s Attorney-General, Robert Clark, said that under the Baillieu Government ‘jail will mean jail’ – a nice line for a TV or radio grab – but what will the abolition of suspended sentences mean for our already crowded prison system, our justice system and the punitiveness of our society?

In line with its pre-election promises to take a tough stance on law and order, the Baillieu Government has also vowed to phase out the use of suspended sentences by the end of the government’s first term, and the current range of community based, correction, custody and treatment orders available to judges when sentencing will be replaced by an allencompassing Community Corrections Order.

"The abolition of suspended sentences will mean that courts will sentence offenders in a clear and straightforward way - with a real jail term, with a Community Correction Order, or with a fine. If a court believes an offence is so serious as to warrant punishment by imprisonment, offenders will be required to serve that sentence in jail. To impose a jail sentence on paper, only to see the offender walk free straight out of court, is no punishment at all and does nothing to deter further offending or build public confidence in sentencing," Mr Clark said.

"With the abolition of suspended sentences, jail will mean jail. This will help rebuild confidence in our justice system and help rebuild the

effectiveness of the sentences handed down in our courts as a deterrent to criminal activity."

The Government is also looking to introduce baseline sentencing for serious offences and statutory minimum sentences of imprisonment for serious injury offences involving gross violence. The Sentencing Advisory Council – the Victorian independent statutory body charged with advising the community, courts and government on sentencing issues – has been requested to prepare advice on both of these measures prior to their introduction.

According to the Sentencing Advisory Council’s projects web page, ‘the government has stated by way of example that a 10 year baseline sentence should apply to the offence of trafficking in a large commercial quantity of drugs, and a 20 year baseline sentence should apply to the offence of murder’. The terms of reference for statutory minimum sentences include ‘a four-year minimum sentence (i.e. non-parole period) to apply to adult offenders, and a two-year minimum detention sentence to apply to juvenile offenders aged 16 or 17’.

Professor Arie Freiberg, Dean of Law at Monash University, is the Chairperson of the Sentencing Advisory Council, and spoke to us about the changing structure of sentencing in Victoria.

“Since around 2004, the Sentencing Advisory Council have recommended the slow abolition of suspended sentences, but on condition that appropriate other sanctions be put in place, and that’s the key in the reform and that hasn’t happened yet,” Professor Freiberg said.

He said that over the past decade and a half, there has been a clear increase in the number

“The first point that I’d make is that we don’t make a presumption that everybody needs to go to jail and everything else is an alternative.

In the lower courts for example, only about 5 or 6 per cent of people get jail sentences. In the higher courts it’s about 50 per cent. So they do use a range of alternatives and one of those in Victoria is the suspended sentence.”

I asked Professor Freiberg how the judiciary and the wider legal community in Victoria were responding to the abolition of suspended sentencing.

“It’s a hugely controversial issue, it has been for decades. The courts and the majority of the legal community are very strong supporters of suspended sentences, but I think the public sees them as offenders walking free, that they’re not getting the jail sentence that they thought they should be getting. But the Government and the previous Government has taken the view that suspended sentences are misleading to the public, and can undermine confidence in sentencing. There’s also a view that many of the sentences that have been imposed wouldn’t have been a jail sentence had there not been a suspended sentence available.

“One of the reasons that prison numbers have gone up is not necessarily because we’re under-utilising alternatives to imprisonment or intermediate sanctions, one of the major reasons is that prison sentences have got longer. That is, I think, an indirect response to courts’ perceptions of the public’s view of crime and punishment. That is perceived that it’s a punitive view and we’re seeing it in the UK, we’re seeing it in the United States and we’re seeing in many states of Australia, that sentences have gone up in some areas appreciably, in most areas marginally, but when you add up all those marginal increases, they

FEATURE do add up to a significant increase in the numbers in prison.”

Outside of imprisonment, judges in Victorian courts currently have a range of sentencing options at hand, with suspended sentences sitting just below imprisonment, with around a third of the sentences in the higher courts having been suspended sentences up to this point. There are Intensive Correction Orders, a combination of community work and close supervision, imposed on only one or two per cent of cases and only available for sentences up to one year. Around 5 or 6 per cent of sentences imposed in Victorian courts are Community Based Orders, combining community work, education and supervision through probation amongst its conditions. In the Magistrate’s Court, around 50 per cent of sanctions handed down are fines. Then there are specialised courts with specialised sentences such as the Drug Treatment Order available to the Dandenong Magistrate’s Court.

Attorney-General, Robert Clark said, “Under the current sentencing framework, courts may make a number of intermediate level orders, including Community Based Orders, Intensive Correction Orders and Combined Custody and Treatment Orders. The Government has committed to replace this confusing array of intermediate orders with a single comprehensive Community Correction Order.

“This will put real teeth back into community based sentences and will mean that where a court decides that a sentence should be served in the community, the courts will have a wide range of powers to impose sentences that are a real deterrent to further offending and address the factors that have contributed to the offending behavior.”

But is the Government (and the previous Brumby Government, which first introduced the legislation prior to the election, for that matter) using this issue for political gain – pandering to the views of lowest common denominator tabloids - or are they genuinely reflecting the opinions of the Victorian public?

And when sentencing, how do the courts truly gauge just how punitive the views of the public really are?

“It’s a problem, because courts are made up of people; they live in the community, they read the newspapers, they listen to the radio, they meet with people and they try to come to some assessment of what the public might believe.

The trouble is that many of those representations as reflected through the media are distortions of what people might really think, and so there is a real skill, a real science in properly gauging public opinion.

“If you read some of the tabloid papers and read some of those surveys, the most common of which are ‘Do you think sentencing is too high, too low or just right?’ Invariably, around the world, you’ll get an answer that around 70 to 80 per cent think that sentencing is too lenient. The reason for that is that when you ask them, people have in mind violent offenders, violent offences - the really dramatic kind of inter-personal violence that is covered on the TV. “The reality is that they are, of course, the vast minority of the offences that are committed compared to the day-to-day offences, which are burglaries, thefts, property offences and the like. People don’t give them much thought.”

A report released by the Sentencing Advisory Council in March 2011, Alternatives to Imprisonment, found that when given a choice

13

between looking to sentencing options outside of prison terms and building more prisons, 25.7% of respondents chose ‘build more prisons’ as their final policy choice, while 74.3% of respondents chose ‘increase the use of alternatives to imprisonment’ as their final policy choice.

These kinds of studies and reports are by their nature, limited, as a reflection of the views of the wider society. What they do, and do well however, is raise questions, serious questions that deserve our consideration in the context of the wider conversation on sentencing.

Responding to the issue of courts seeking to respond to ‘community views’, Professor Freiberg said: “People have mixed feelings.

When you ask them ‘What are the purposes of punishment?’ the very deep, visceral instinctive feelings are that we need to punish people, that the punishment should fit the crime, that people need to be punished because they’ve done harm to others, and that’s certainly an understandable response.

There’s also a strong feeling that we need to send a signal to the community that we should deter others and that we don’t want others to go down that path. “[Last month] we released a paper that basically reviews the literature and says that sending people to prison does not deter others from committing crime, other than in a very, very small range of offences. I think that runs counter to people’s, if you like, commonsensical view, and certainly runs counter to what many judges say, that ‘I’m sentencing you and I’m sending a message to the community that those who are similarly minded ought not to do so’.

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FEATURE

“The other view of punishment is of incapacitation – in that they just want them off the streets for as long as possible. Those are very strong views, but again, when you think more deeply, people say that if they can achieve those results in relation to these cases through rehabilitation treatment or some other intervention, then they are quite prepared to consider it,” Professor Freiberg said.

In Australia, and particularly in Victoria, we have come to see the justice system as more than a system for meting out punishment, we have also come to see the system as having a role in addressing the causes of crime, but with a State that is becoming increasingly punitive, what powers will judges have to look beyond the crime itself and address the circumstances of the offender?

“You need to provide them with the sanctions and services that will support the judges, most of whom, when you sit in court and when you read their judgements, do understand the often terrible circumstances in which people find themselves. Many people’s lives who come before the courts are really, really awful and messy. It’s not bleeding heart, it’s reality; it’s people who’ve come through the child protection system, through the juvenile justice system or [who are] really messed up or on drugs or drinking; whose lives are pretty much out of control. In a recent study we found that 90 per cent of those charged with armed robbery had drug problems and while the courts did say this was not a mitigating factor, when you look at the statistics, which show that something like 45 or 48 per cent of people who are jailed are reimprisoned within two years, that isn’t a statement of a very effective system,” Professor Freiberg said.

It wouldn’t be my preference to build more prisons. Victoria, for a long, long, long time has been one of the jurisdictions with low crime rates, certainly lower than New South Wales and Queensland, and low imprisonment rates. Part of that’s got to do with the lower crime rates, part of that has been to do with a judicial and public culture, which has not gone down the path of a penal, repressive, retributive sentencing philosophy, and we’ve always looked at the whole range of sanctions which would be available. So, whether we’re about to change that, we’ll wait and see.

- Professor Arie Freiberg

“Again, to be fair, we’ve got something like 8,000 to 10,000 people on some sort of community order in Victoria, versus 4,500 in jail. We do use these orders, but the criticism by the community and by the courts is that they’re not properly resourced. They’re understaffed and staff are often inexperienced and there is not a sufficiently intensive service; not enough counselling, not enough counsellors or treatment services for those who might be drug or alcohol addicted or who have other personal psychological problems, of which there are many. So judges are often reluctant to use those because they see those people back pretty soon, and those people say, ‘Well, I

“If services like CISP can help offenders to overcome or better handle their problems, there can be significant benefits for both the offender and the community,” Mr Clark said.

Mr Clark said an evaluation published last year found CISP had been effective in helping to achieve an estimated 20 per cent reduction in re-offending rates for offenders placed under CISP, as well as other benefits. He said the government will also provide $800,000 over four years to continue assistance at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to seek to reduce offending through providing homeless defendants with legal advice and helping them to find accommodation and other services.

The Budget also included a number of youth justice initiatives, such as the $17.5 million Youth Justice Group Conferencing program aimed at directing young offenders into rehabilitation programs and increasing youth justice workers. Minister for Community Services, Mary Woolridge, said an additional $1.1 million is being provided to expand a successful pilot program that uses bail supervision as a strategy to keep young offenders from unnecessarily being placed in custodial care, and $7.6 million for a range of drug, alcohol, health and rehabilitative services for youth justice clients.

There is another very significant factor to be considered in any conversation about sentencing and imprisonment, and that is cost – the obvious financial costs, and the less obvious, social costs.

Economically, it costs the State of Victoria somewhere in the order of $100,000 each year to house a prisoner in jail. To have someone on a supervision order averages a cost of $7,000 per year.

Mr Clark said the funding for the Courts Integrated Services Program (CISP), would give the Magistrates’ Court the scope to arrange drug and alcohol treatment, crisis accommodation, and disability, mental health and other services where the court considers that would help defendants overcome problems and get their lives back on track.

went on the order but nothing happened. I didn’t see anyone, I didn’t do anything and I just went on my way’,” Professor Freiberg said.

There does seem to be a great disparity in the provision of training and services in the community-based justice system compared to the prison justice system.

“You’ve got it absolutely right,” Professor Freiberg said. “That if we devoted more of those services and more of those resources into where it was important in the community, we’d be a lot better off.”

In this year’s State Budget, the AttorneyGeneral announced funding of more than $22 million over the next four years to help the Magistrates’ Court reduce re-offending by offenders with mental health and other problems.

While all of these funding boosts to community based justice programs are welcome and much needed, how far the funding will go to answering an enormous need for justice service outside of prisons will be a very real test of the Baillieu Government’s plans to strengthen law and order in this State. In the short-term, we are looking towards an unquantified increase in prison populations in Victoria. That being what it is, the question then becomes how to plan and resource our justice system for the medium-term?

“It wouldn’t be my preference to build more prisons. Victoria, for a long, long, long time has been one of the jurisdictions with low crime rates, certainly lower than New South Wales and Queensland, and low imprisonment rates.

Part of that’s got to do with the lower crime rates, part of that has been to do with a judicial and public culture, which has not gone down the path of a penal, repressive, retributive sentencing philosophy, and we’ve always looked at the whole range of sanctions which would be available. So, whether we’re about to change that, we’ll wait and see,” Professor Freiberg said.

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16

COVER STORY

No Place for

Bullying

All bullies are cowards. We’ve all heard it said and most of us would probably say it was true, yet bullying has been a persistent aspect of human society for as long as anyone can remember … probably for as long as there has been human society. But it seems that finally the tide may be turning against the bullies in Victorian workplaces. People have had enough.

The impact of bullying is too great. The cost of the life of a person who has done nothing to deserve the treatment they receive is unacceptable.

In Victoria, it has been the case of Brodie Panlock that has taken the issue of bullying from the realm of something that’s always been around that you just have to put up with to potentially a crime that could result in a jail sentence of up to 10 years. Brodie was a 19 year-old waitress at Café Vamp in Hawthorn in 2006 when the repeated bullying she faced from co-workers proved too much to bear. The young woman took her own life. The men responsible and the company that ran the café received substantial fines.

In the aftermath of Brodie’s case, Victorian Attorney-General, Robert Clark, last month tabled legislation – the Crimes Amendment

(Bullying) Bill, 2011 – which, if passed, would provide judges with the option of a maximum jail sentence of 10 years for serious bullying.

The Bill, known as ‘Brodie’s Law’ expands the current offence of stalking to include serious bullying. Under the proposed legislation, any action that causes physical or mental harm to a victim - such as threats or abusive words may fall within the category of stalking. The definition of harm has also been broadened to include self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Similar legislative changes are also slated to ensure bullying victims can protect themselves by taking action such as applying an intervention order.

The Attorney-General says bullying is a serious crime, which should carry a serious jail term.

“Victorian families are entitled to be confident that when their children start out in the workforce, they will be protected from falling victim to bullying,” Mr Clark said.

But will the new laws, if introduced, really protect workers from being bullied? Bullying exists in secrecy and silence. While punitive measures such as the proposed new bullying laws may provide the courts with the option of

heavier sentences for convicted bullies, by the time cases of serious bullying reach the courts, the damage has already been done. If we really want to make a difference to the prevalence of bullying, we have to bring the issue out into the open.

Following the Brodie Panlock case, WorkSafe Victoria received a big spike in bullying reports.

Prior to the publicity surrounding the case, WorkSafe Victoria spokesperson, Michael Birt said WorkSafe was receiving around ten calls a day around bullying. After Brodie’s story first came to light, the call rate went up to around 60 a day and has settled back to between 20 and 30 calls a day. Mr Birt said that 20 to 30 calls a day on bulling was now the new normal, with two or three of those calls each day fitting the definition of bullying.

So what constitutes bullying? According to WorkSafe, it is ‘repeated unreasonable behaviour directed towards a worker or group of workers that creates a risk to health and safety. In most cases, this behaviour is persistent and happens over a period of time.’

“This is not about pay disputes or being told you can’t have holidays around Christmas, that’s not bullying,” Mr Birt said. “Telling a

COVER STORY

person every day that they are [useless] and that their work is [useless], that repeated behaviour is not legitimate workplace practice.

“We’re dealing with humans – it’s not like going into a factory, doing an inspection and saying ‘You need to have a guard on that machine’.

It’s a complex issue and people deal with conflict in different ways. What worries one person may not worry someone else.”

Mr Birt, said there needs to be a wider recognition of the difference between one-off outbursts that occur when someone is having a bad day and repeated unreasonable behaviour that constitutes bullying.

“It would be good to get more queries from employers looking at what they can do to prevent bullying in their workplace, because at the end of the day, it’s the employers that are responsible.

abuse and even physically or sexually abuse those in subordinate positions. Often charming and charismatic around equals or superiors, their bullying commonly goes undetected or overlooked and goes unpunished; their intimidating behaviour is treated as a leadership style. While their victims’ performance at work suffers, bullies are too often promoted up the ladder or find it all too easy to gain senior roles in other companies or organisations.

Mr Birt admitted a lot of people will never report bullying behaviour, preferring simply to leave the workplace and move on. He said there needs to more encouragement for people to speak up, and that means employers establishing and promoting a system that does encourage employees to report on bullying in the knowledge that steps will be taken to deal with it.

“It’s a matter of people having confidence in the system, feeling that they can report these issues and have them dealt with.”

Perhaps then, the introduction of new bullying laws in Victoria may have their most significant impact on encouraging employers and those in management positions to stop turning a blind eye to bullying.

But do bullies ever really change their behaviour, even under threat of harsher court penalties – particularly when we live in a society that seems so often to reward bullying? Are you wondering if that is true – do we reward bullies?

Consider, in the workplace, bullies are usually in a position of power, occupying management roles. They will bully intimidate and verbally

Mr Birt said the commercial implications of bullying for businesses in regional cities such as Geelong should be a serious consideration.

He said word gets around and the reputation of a business can be seriously affected by bullying behaviour directed towards other employees someone will talk to a mate about what they’ve heard about a certain person at a business and

17

they may not want to work there or do business with them as a consequence.

“It’s a complex issue,” Mr Birt said. “While it shouldn’t happen, we need employers to understand what bullying is and we need them to educate their managers and supervisors about what they can do to prevent it.

“By the time someone calls us to report something they’ve experienced or seen, the damage has already been done. The impact on business is enormous. The personal consequences are huge and this sort of behaviour undermines moral in the broader workforce as well.”

So, how do you know if bullying is occurring in your workplace? Some forms of bullying are obvious, however many are not, but signs that bullying may be occurring in your workplace may include a drop in productivity, a rise in absenteeism, higher than usual staff turnover and even work related injuries.

For more information on workplace bullying, contact WorkSafe Victoria on 1800 136 089 or log on to www.worksafe.vic.gov.au.

Help or information is also available from: Beyondblue beyondblue.org.au or 1300 224 636 Suicide Helpline Victoria - 1300 651 251 Lifeline - 131 114.

What is bullying?

Over a number of months, Mark consistently tells his co-worker Brian that his work is not up to scratch. Mark continually threatens to get Brian sacked, tells him that he and his family will end up in the gutter and makes insulting comments about Brian's wife in front of other workers. Brian also heard that Mark posted rude comments about him on his Facebook page. Brian is humiliated and intimidated by Mark's behaviour.

Martin manages a small team in a busy firm.

Joan, the new office manager, gives Martin unrealistic deadlines and targets above those of other team leaders. His productivity suffers when he fails to meet her expectations. Joan criticises Martin's performance in front of others, including his team. Martin's attempts to discuss his concerns with Joan are continuously ignored, as are his attempts to discuss them with senior management. He becomes nervous and miserable at work.

18

COVER STORY

Breaking

the

Power

of

Bullies The Hon. Alastair Nicholson was an Australian judge for 22 years. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia and for 16 years, was the Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. On retiring from the Family Court, he took up the role of Chair of the National Centre Against Bullying - an initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation that is the peak body in Australia on childhood bullying.

Professor Nicholson has been a strong advocate for making bullying a criminal offence, and we spoke to him following the announcement of proposed new bullying laws in Victoria.

“I’ve seen some dreadful examples of bullying in the Family Court. The classic way of doing this is using occasional violence but constant psychological warfare and cutting [victims] off from outside support.”

Professor Nicholson said the issue of bullying for which there is no easy answer, but said he became involved in the National Centre Against Bullying because he believes that bullying not only starts in childhood, but that the behaviour can also be most effectively changed in children.

According to the National Centre Against Bullying: ‘Bullying occurs when a student or group with more power repeatedly and intentionally uses negative words or actions against other students which cause distress and create a risk to well being.’

“It’s usually deliberate and intentional,” Professor Nicholson explained. “Sometimes it’s said that they were only joking, but usually if it’s repeated conduct, it gets beyond a joke. It causes distress for the recipient and it’s unreasonable and unjustifiable.

“With kids, quite often it might be done to a kid with a disability and people with disabilities really do suffer from bullying. It may also be done to an intelligent person or a high achiever, because that’s a good way of bringing them down to the level of those who are bullying them.

“You can’t really pick out who is likely to be the victim. I suppose we’ve all had some experience of that during our lives,” he said.

“Some of the figures are pretty frightening.

There was a declaration made by a number of people in 2007, and they were talking about The Hon. Alastair Nicholson

200 million children and youth around the world being abused. That’s pretty significant when you think about it.”

According to Jigsaw, a community-based organisation that operates the award-winning prevention and early intervention program Solving The Jigsaw, which works on the issues of violence against children, one Australian child in every six is bullied every week. Even more horrifying, by the time they are 20 years old, 60 per cent of bullies will have a criminal record.

So why do people bully others and how do bullies understand their own behaviour?

“Those are very good questions to which I wish I had the answers, because there is a lot of academic work being done on it. But it’s very hard to really get to the bottom it.”

Professor Nicholson said the last decade has seen a sharp increase in the amount of research being conducted into bullying behaviour; it’s causes and effects. He said research is a big focus at the National Centre Against Bullying, with high-level researchers in Australia now working in the field.

“My own view, based on some of the observations I’ve made, is that it’s a lack of respect for the other person’s identity that’s the cause. It’s sometimes a means of improving, or they think they’re improving, their own image by treating someone else badly. It’s a power game, I think.

“Some of the most effective anti-bullying programs that I’ve seen are in a classroom situation, where the kids, on a weekly basis, will spend about forty minutes sitting around in a circle, discussing and each of them being asked to comment on what happened to them in the last week - what it was like and if there was anything worrying them. They will tell what’s worrying them and the others will be asked to comment. So it’s a supportive mechanism and it often brings out kids who are upset about bullying. Sometimes even at home it’s not always easy to find a solution to it, but

COVER STORY this program provides that sort of general support.”

The program Professor Nicholson was referring to is the award-winning Victorian program Solving the Jigsaw. Solving the Jigsaw helps kids learn to manage the growing threats of bullying at school and violence at home and in the community. The program was developed by EASE; a domestic violence support service based in Bendigo, in response to statistic that 25 per cent of children and young people in Australia witness violence in their homes.

Launched in 1997 in two Bendigo schools, Jigsaw today operates programs in more than 80 schools, working with around 20,000 children. Under the program, 650 teachers have taken part in comprehensive training programs.

“I think that sort of program, that’s inclusive, that makes it less likely for some particular individuals in that situation to seek to single out others, because there is a redress if they do because that will be mentioned at the next discussion, which will be the next week,” Professor Nicholson said. “A lot of kids are neither bullies nor victims, but they tend to stand back. When they’re included in things, they can often be very powerful forces to stop it.

“There are ways of handling it, that’s really the point I’m trying to make. In schools, there’s virtually no teacher training in how to handle bully situations and teachers often come to our seminars and tell us that they are there to learn how to deal with bullying.”

Professor Nicholson said that while bullying has probably always existed, the rise in digital communications has made the problem more serious.

“Before the widespread use of internet and mobile phones, you used to be able to get away from it each day at home. Now, there is nowhere to hide. The bullies can send an SMS around the whole neighbourhood, to other schools and associations.

I was bullied too Perhaps the insidious element to bullying is the sense of isolation it creates in those targeted by bullies. It is a feeling some of the most famous people in the world have experienced while growing up. One of the most vocal proponents of anti-bullying programs is the President of the United States, Barack Obama, who admitted in his Presidential Nomination speech to being the subject of bullying during childhood. He told of his large ears and unusual name making him the target of schoolyard harassment.

In March of this year, President Obama once again highlighted the issue at a White House conference on bullying; telling conference delegates that torment and intimidation must not be tolerated.

According to the White House, around 13 million students in the United States, a third of the total number of students attending schools, are bullied each year. The White House conference highlighted the long-term effects of bullying, with students who have experienced bullying said to be at greater risk of falling behind at school, and abusing drugs or alcohol and suffering mental or other health problems throughout their lives.

Parents, teachers and students at the conference were told that kids who were seen as different – because of their race, appearance, clothes, disability or sexuality – were more likely to be bullied.

"If there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not," Obama said.

"Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it's not something we have to accept."

“We saw a horrific example with the Defence Academy exercise. That’s been publicised, and rightly so, because it’s in that environment, but you talk to any of the people involved in controlling this sort of behaviour, and you find that that sort of thing is happening all over the place. There’s really a need for action about it.”

While Professor Nicholson has been advocating for adult bullying to be made a criminal offence for a number of years, he said he has reservations about how quickly the proposed bullying laws have been developed.

“I think they need to think about it a bit – but I think it’s a step in the right direction.”

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Davina Montgomery

19

Amongst the delegates were the families of bullying victims, including the mother of a 13 year-old St Louis schoolgirl, who took her own life in 2006 after experiencing cyber bullying.

"No family should have to go through what these families have gone through," Obama said. "No child should feel that alone."

President Obama is just one of many famous former victims of bullying. Hollywood actors, including Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford, have all publicly spoken about being bullied at school.

Even royalty isn't immune. Kate Middleton was so badly bullied at an exclusive UK school as a 13 year-old that her parents took her out of the school. Kate and Princess William asked guests at their April 29 wedding to donate to an anti-bullying charity as a wedding gift. And the Academy Awardwinning film, The King's Speech showed that serious bullying as a young child left King George VI of England with a distinct stutter.

Literature, film and television are littered with examples of bullying. Charles Dickens wrote about bullying in Oliver Twist, as Oliver and Nancy are both mercilessly bullied by Fagin and Bill Sikes. Roald Dahl - himself a victim of bullying at school - created noxious bullying characters in almost every one of his novels. And today, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books abound with bullies - from the Dursleys, to Severus Snape, to Lord Voldemort. Even The Simpsons has its school bully in Nelson Muntz.

The message in all of these cases: bullies are never the heroes of the story.

20

LEGAL

Tighter laws to regulate workplace bullying Last month the Victorian Government introduced the Crimes Amendment (Bullying) Bill into the Lower House of Parliament, which seeks to widen the scope of existing stalking legislation to incorporate bullying as a criminal offence.

The proposed amendments follow the wellpublicised case of Brodie Panlock, who took her own life after being subjected to vicious workplace bullying at a Melbourne café.

Publicity regarding the government’s hard line stance on bullying serves as an important reminder to employers that they too are implicated in the conduct of their employees in the workplace.

Last year, WorkSafe prosecuted the employees responsible for bullying Ms Panlock, as well as the café owner personally and his company under the Occupational Health & Safety Act. The employees were convicted and fined a total of $85,000. The café owner was also personally convicted and fined $30,000 while his company was fined $220,000.

Public frustration was levelled at the Court’s inability to impose more serious penalties against the perpetrators, such as a term of imprisonment. Accordingly, the proposed law will include bullying under the meaning of ‘stalking’, which carries a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years under the Victorian Crimes Act.

While the proposed amendments will significantly increase the consequences for employees who subject others to bullying in the workplace, employers are equally responsible for ensuring their workplaces remain free of bullying and harassment. As seen in the Brodie Panlock case, employers can be held liable for the actions of their employees, including business owners being personally liable. Under the OH&S Act, employers face fines of up to $215,010 in a personal capacity and $1,075,050 in the case of a corporation for failing, as reasonably practicable, to provide employees with a work environment that is safe and without risks to employees’ health.

The recent publicity regarding the government’s hard line stance on bullying serves as an important reminder to employers that they too are implicated in the conduct of their employees in the workplace. Turning a blind eye to these issues can have serious financial consequences for an employer and personal ramifications for its owners.

Employers should ensure they have policies in place that deal with bullying and harassment in the workplace and the consequences that may follow if the standard is not adhered to. A well considered grievance procedure is also paramount to deal with complaints about bullying and harassment in the workplace and how such allegations will be investigated.

Advice should be sought in relation to the drafting of these policies to ensure an employer’s workplace remains compliant with the OH&S Act.

Jim Rutherford, Principal and Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations Law and Criminal Law;

Rohan Kux, Lawyer

Harwood Andrews’ agreed pricing revolution Until recently, legal costs for providing legal services billed by Harwood Andrews Lawyers have primarily been charged on the basis of an hourly rate or a scale of costs. Criticism that these methods have been rewarding inefficiency and fail to provide certainty to clients about the costs being incurred has been mounting internationally, and lately, nationally. In addition, these methods of charging for legal services have not always captured the commercial value of the solution provided to our clients.

Over the past three years, Harwood Andrews Lawyers has been working with the support of three internationally renowned experts on alternative fee arrangements, John Chisholm (a Melbourne based legal industry consultant who sits on the Harwood Andrews Lawyers management committee), the late Paul O’Byrne and Ron Baker of the Verisage Institute from California.

This work has enabled Harwood Andrews Lawyers to do away with time recording as the primary means of pricing our services. Wherever possible, our clients will be offered price agreements, pursuant to which, we will agree with our clients the price for the provision of all or part of our services before undertaking the work. In reaching agreement with our clients, we will discuss the scope of the work to be undertaken, the commencement and completion times for the work, the outcomes, the value of the work and the payment terms for our services.

pricing more broadly across our practice, Harwood Andrews Lawyers will provide greater certainty to our clients and provide solutions specific to our clients’ needs, whilst ensuring that we continue to maintain the high level of service that our clients expect.

Providing price certainty has always been important to Harwood Andrews Lawyers and many of our services, for example our conveyancing services, preparation of trust deeds and commercial agreements including employment agreements have frequently been undertaken for a fixed price. In adopting agreed

In introducing agreed pricing at Harwood Andrews Lawyers, we will be offering an option to our clients, which has not previously been available in Australia from a firm of our size that offers a complete range of legal services.

We understand that some clients would prefer to maintain more traditional means of costing and acknowledge that there are many matters in which it will not be possible for an agreed price to be determined. We will retain our flexibility to offer our traditional costing methods in these circumstances.

Dan Simmonds Managing Principal, Harwood Andrews Lawyers

RECRUITMENT

21

Think outside the box on skills

Employers will fill skills gaps that have remained dormant for the past two to three years, but they still need to relax their stringent criteria, according to recruiting experts Hays.

In their April-June Hays Quarterly Report, the recruiter notes that the first quarter of the year brought with it an upturn that has fuelled rising demand for skilled and experienced talent.

“More permanent and temporary positions are now available, and there is evidence of new jobs being created to manage increased workloads,” said Nick Deligiannis, Director of Hays in Geelong.

“Even areas that have been dormant for the last two to three years are now seeing vacancy activity again. For example, increased business confidence is creating demand for in-house lawyers as deal volumes and general business activity increase.

“Other examples can be seen in contact centres, where new jobs will be created and replacements made for staff lost during the GFC, as well as in logistics where strategic candidates are sought to capitalise on growth.

Similarly, administration support is now sought for sales teams, as is high-level administration support for senior management.

“For those skills in demand (see the below hotspots list), multiple offers and counter offers are starting to emerge once more.”

Hays warns that while a pool of available and active candidates remains in many areas, their experience or skills do not tally with what employers are looking for, which is why top quality candidates are in short supply.

“Employers got used to a choice of quality candidates during the GFC,” said Nick.

“Despite rising vacancy activity, they still look for candidates who not only technically fulfil their requirements, but who also bring additional aspects to the role such as longevity or specific systems or industry experience.

“For example, demand is high for Accounts Receivable and Credit Control candidates with specific industry experience. Systems Accountants and Mine Accountants with mining or mining services experience and Architects with REVIT experience are other examples of high demand, but short supply.

“As a result of the shortage of specific skills, we advise employers to consider cultural fit, systems training and transferable skills as a way to navigate successfully past the shortage.

"Already there is some evidence of this flexibility, although it is far from widespread.

Examples include office support roles where job descriptions are more adjustable, while in the banking sector many employers are willing to train candidates who match the key criteria but lack the necessary level of experience.

“This flexibility should also extend to industry background. Some companies have already realised that strict industry background requirements limit candidate flow. These employers have started to consider applicants from similar industries or similar backgrounds.

According to the Hays Quarterly Report, the skills in most demand include: • Accountancy & Finance (commerce & industry) • Accountancy & Finance (professional practice) • Accountancy & Finance (financial services) • Architecture • Construction • Engineering • Facilities Management • Information Technology • Property

Hays, the world's leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

22

TAX

ATO scrutiny of SME tax losses Many businesses in the small-to-medium enterprise (“SME”) market experienced difficult trading conditions during the global financial crisis. This has led to a large number of businesses reporting tax losses (in particular across 2008 and 2009). As the economy rebounds, many of these businesses are in the black again, and will now seek tax relief through utilisation of prior year revenue losses.

The tax laws contain a number of integrity rules regarding the ability of a taxpayer to offset current year trading profits against prior year carry forward revenue losses. In broad terms, companies are precluded from obtaining such tax relief where they have not had the same majority underlying owners during the period spanning the year to the recoupment year, or have continued to operate the same business after an ownership control change. Trusts may need to satisfy a number of trust loss integrity rules that assess the continuity of the trust’s controllers or the historic pattern of distributions.

years should “take this opportunity to check those losses to ensure that they are still eligible to use them”.

The WHK Tax Consulting Team specialises in providing tax consulting services to clients in the SME sector, and have expert knowledge in the operation of the often complex tax loss integrity measures.

We can assist your business in confirming eligibility of loss utilisation, or in acting as a representative of your business should you become the subject of an ATO review or audit.

The Australian Taxation Office has recently advised that it is stepping up its monitoring of these tax loss integrity rules with two separate compliance campaigns and will be issuing correspondence in April and May to either: • s elected SME companies via their tax agent who have reported carried forward losses in their 2009 income tax returns in regard to common issues associated with deducting revenue losses; or • s elected SME companies and trusts that generated, deducted or carried forward significant tax losses in the 2008 or 2009 income years, notifying recipients that the ATO may seek further verification of those losses through a questionnaire or a more formal review or audit process where necessary.

The ATO has stated that SME businesses that reported losses in the 2008 or 2009 income

Alex Duonis Tax Director, WHK Geelong office

Readers should not act on the basis of this information as the contents are of a general nature and do not reflect individual circumstances. Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation other than for the acts or omissions of financial services licensees. WHK Pty Ltd ABN 84 006 466 351

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LEGAL

23

Are you an accessory?

Business owners and their employees need to be aware of the implications of acting on behalf of clients who may be contravening misleading and deceptive conduct provisions. Pleading ignorance to your clients' false or misleading representations may not be sufficient to escape proceedings under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (former Trade Practices Act 1974) as an accessory to misleading and deceptive conduct if you aided your client in misleading or deceiving in trade or commerce.

How much do you need to know about your clients' dealings?

There are two diverging views at the appellate level as to the level of knowledge an accessory must have of the principal contravention to be liable.

The first view states that an accessory must have knowledge that the conduct or representations were false or misleading, while the second view states the accessory need only be aware of the facts and circumstances that make the conduct or misrepresentation false or misleading.

It is important to note that the knowledge referred to is not that misleading or deceptive conduct generally is unlawful, but rather the knowledge that the conduct itself is misleading or deceptive.

Case Law In the 1985 High Court case Yorke v Lucas, Treasureway Stores Pty Ltd sold its business to Mr and Mrs Yorke. Ross Lucas, director of Ross Lucas Pty Ltd, acted as Treasureway's agent. The Yorkes brought proceedings against

Treasureway for damages as a result of representations made by Treasureway regarding turnover, which were incorrect. The Yorkes held that Mr Lucas was liable as an accessory, as he passed on the financial information given to him by the vendor. The High Court held that Mr Lucas lacked the necessary knowledge to form the required intent to be an accessory to the misleading and deceptive conduct of Treasureway.

A case which includes reasons based on the second view, ie: that the accessory need only know the facts which make the representation false, rather than knowledge that the conduct was false or misleading, is Medical Benefits Fund of Australia Ltd v Cassidy, where the advertising agency hired by MBF, a health insurance provider, was alleged to have been knowingly concerned in, or party to, the misleading and deceptive conduct of MBF in creating advertisements that claimed the insurer would waive all waiting periods in respect of pregnancy for customers who purchased policies before 30 June 2000.

Waiting periods in fact did not apply to pregnancy anyway. While the primary judge found the advertising agency liable, in the appeal there was division of opinion over whether the accessory need know that the representations where false or misleading.

Moore J in the appeal stated that the only requirement to find an accessory liable was knowledge of the matters 'that enabled the

representations to be characterised [as false or misleading]â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

This second test would be easier to prove, although there is no significant difference between having actual knowledge that the representation was false or misleading or having knowledge of the facts and circumstances that made the conduct false or misleading.

To further confuse the issue of the correct test to apply, Stone J in MBF (above), while finding in favour of the advertising agency, did so because Her Honour held that the agent could not be liable because it did not know that the advertisements were misleading or deceptive; (the first test). A 2010 NSW appeal case CH Real Estate Pty Ltd V Jainran Pty Ltd, also upheld the view that knowledge that a representation is false or misleading is a necessary element to be proved to find an accessory liable.

Summary The above cases show that if a business owner or employee has knowledge that their client is or is likely to be engaged in conduct that is false or misleading they should proceed with that client's business with great caution to avoid allegations of accessory to such illegal conduct. Even where facts and circumstances alone (without actual knowledge of falsity) may suggest false or misleading conduct, businesses need to be wary of being collected in allegations of being an accessory to such activities.

Author: Coulter Roache Layers, Commercial Department.

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FEATURE

25

In the Heart of the City

It’s ‘ailing’ and ‘crumbling’ and consumers are ‘snubbing’ it. It’s full of empty, dilapidated buildings and ‘mall rats’ and there aren’t enough free parking spaces. Local newspapers are on a campaign to save it. You guessed it – we’re talking about Central Geelong, the subject of overwhelmingly negative press and comments in online forums and letters to the editor. No one would deny the area within the boundaries of the Waterfront, McKillop, Bellerine and Fenwick Streets has its problems, but surely it’s not all bad news?

It isn’t, according to new research by property valuers, Opteon Victoria. Presented at the Geelong Chamber of Commerce President’s Luncheon in April, the research delivered what was described by one attendee as “the first quantifiable figures around a hotly debated, emotive issue”, leading to a positive headline for a change: The Geelong Independent’s declaration that “Our CBD is ‘A-OK’”.

According to Richard Jenkins, Research Manager at Opteon Victoria and his co-presenter, Director of Commercial Services, Todd Devine, as at February this year the total vacancy rate for the CBD was 8.3%, down from 11.7% in June 2009. This is despite the expansion of Westfield, which added approximately 17,000 square metres of retail space, or about 90 shops.

“An 8.3% cent total vacancy rate is high, but not a crisis,” Richard says. “The ideal would be about 5%, but if we exclude the large retail spaces (such as Dimmeys and Griffiths) then

vacancies drop to 3.9%. What may also contribute to the perception of very high vacancies is that empty premises with street frontage account for 13.3% of this figure.

“It really highlights a change in retail usage.

Large spaces are becoming obsolete. The problem then becomes what to do with large, empty retail spaces? The trouble is they tend to be high profile buildings, like the KFC building, and that contributes to the hysteria about empty shop fronts. The data shows that small spaces are more easily leased, so can these larger buildings be converted into smaller spaces? How do we work around the heritage issues and difficult proportions these buildings tend to have? If they are no good for retail, is there something else we can do with them?”

As a participant at the Chamber of Commerce lunch noted, “Vacancies in the CBD wax and wane. It’s not stationary; it does change in response to economic pressures and the like.”

Opteon’s analysis supports this, revealing that precincts have evolved over time in the CBD, with food retailers now making up 18% of all Ryrie Street tenancies, particularly around Yarra Street and the cinema area, and a number of real estate firms occupying former retail space in Gheringhap and Ryrie Streets.

Opteon’s research also found that rent in the CBD is “very affordable” in comparison with other regional centres across Victoria, despite landlords benefiting from an average 10% increase in street frontage rents during 2010.

Yields have remained steady through the global financial crisis, ranging between 5-6%.

“Geelong retail rental rates are cheaper than comparable centres such as Ballarat, Bendigo and Warrnambool and that gives businesses a competitive advantage,” Richard points out.

Office space in the CBD also has positives and negatives. Geelong has the fourth lowest office space vacancy in Australia at 5%, but obsolete ‘D’ grade stock accounts for 86% of those vacancies. According to Opteon, alternative uses must be found for this, too.

Perhaps that’s a job for the Central Geelong Taskforce, which met in March to continue working on the “development and revitalisation” of Geelong’s CBD. A mix of Councillors, State Government members, Central Geelong Marketing, police, building owners, retailers, real estate agents, the Chamber of Commerce, the Australian Retailers Association and G21, the Taskforce has a series of subcommittees working on six key themes: parking, safety, promotion, the cost of doing business in the CBD, attracting new business and accommodation.

“Contrary to some reports, the City of Greater Geelong does have a vision for Central Geelong and has been actively pursuing it for the past 15 years,” Mayor John Mitchell wrote in the Geelong Advertiser in December. “Our vision is to expand the role of the city centre beyond exclusively retail to mixed use where arts, culture, residential, entertainment, education and business combine to create a vibrant, active city.”

26

FEATURE

It’s been done before, notably in Scotland’s Glasgow, transformed by the “Glasgow’s miles better” campaign from a city “mentioned in the same breath as ‘knife crime’ and ‘decay’” to the European City of Culture. “Ambling today through a centre of astounding architecture and cool cafe-bars, it’s hard to imagine the bad times ever existed,” states the Lonely Planet.

On our own shores, New South Wales’ Newcastle, often compared to Geelong with its similar industrial heritage and declining CBD, has experienced an arts led revival described as “nothing short of ‘miraculous’.

great initiative that demonstrates how vacant premises can be activated,” says Mark Davis, Central Geelong Marketing Committee Chair.

“It’s important there is a continued focus on property owners to maintain their premises and recent media coverage has been doing this.”

In the angst over retail space, the role residential space has to play in revitalising the CBD shouldn’t be forgotten. Cities need people to live in them, after all.

“Residential development in the CBD so far has, understandably, been on the Waterfront,”

Todd also suggests a change in our mindset on car use. That brings us neatly to public transport and how improvement in frequency and routes could help the CBD. There is little point in discouraging people from bringing cars into the CBD if no practical alternative is provided.

“Public transport can have a significant role to play in solving the perceived problems in Central Geelong, traffic congestion, parking shortages and closed shops,” wrote Paul Westcott of the Public Transport Users Association Geelong Branch in a letter to the Geelong News in March. “However, for that role to be fully effective, bus services have to be competitive with car travel. People who can drive will continue to use their cars if the alternative doesn’t attract them.”

Another issue that won’t go away is that of the “mall rats”, an unhelpful term coined to describe the groups of young people who congregate in the Little Malop St Mall and around the bus port in Moorabool Street.

Long term Geelong resident and former Mayor, Cr Barbara Abley, who is currently in her third term as Brownbill Ward councillor, disputes the “presumption” that the Mall “has been taken over by groups of marauding young people”.

“Just two years ago, the once vibrant Hunter Street Mall was a pretty shabby place, vandalised, empty boarded-up shopfronts, dying. It was depressing and leaving idle what was once valuable property,” wrote Fiona Mackrell in ArtsHub last year. “If you go to that same strip now, it’s buzzing with people. It’s alive. It’s engaged. It’s got lots of little creative projects taking place in and around it … But it’s also got new conventional retailers who have moved back in because suddenly there are people there again.”

Made in Geelong, a program which finds artists, cultural projects and community groups to temporarily use and maintain vacant retail spaces in Geelong, draws on Newcastle’s success, which is driven by Renew Newcastle, a not for profit company established to find short and medium term uses for buildings that are vacant, disused, or awaiting redevelopment in Newcastle’s CBD. Made in Geelong operates from Market Square and recently opened a space in Little Malop Street. The independent, not for profit organisation believes that arts based businesses and creative industries can contribute to the renewal of Geelong’s CBD. “The Made in Geelong program, which is supported by Central Geelong Marketing, is a

says Opteon’s Todd Devine. “There are not too many people who want to live in the CBD because of the lifestyle benefits. In fact, the perception is that it’s probably better to be out of the CBD at night, not in it. But, living in the CBD with the Waterfront on your doorstep is invaluable. The problem is that it costs the same to build a unit in Geelong as it does in Melbourne, so if you can afford a house in Geelong’s inner suburbs why would you buy a unit in the CBD?

“It’s patently not true – but it’s a perception that has attracted a very unwelcome, biased media frenzy,” she says, adding that the majority of Geelong’s young people are responsible and contribute greatly to their local communities.

“Many young and older people use the Mall as a logical meeting place, given its central location and proximity to the bus port.

Generations of Geelong parents and grandparents also have fond memories of the Mall and its close-by streets and lanes as ‘the place to be seen’. Nothing has changed in this respect and Council is keen to promote this highly visible and important area as being an inclusive locale for all age groups.”

“There is a shortage of affordable student housing, though, and Deakin has signalled its intention to increase student numbers in the city to 10,000. This would create a true ‘Univercity’, which could be the impetus required to regenerate the city centre.”

Another issue affecting perceptions of the CBD is the presence of the Community Police foot patrols. Contrary to the opinion of some, Barbara says the foot patrols are not a result of anti-social behaviour, but have been instituted at the request of the community.

According to business owners, car parking remains a major impediment to regeneration of Central Geelong. Opteon cites office firms who have moved into less desirable office space out of the CBD because of parking issues.

“They are not ‘based’ at the bus port, or the Mall,” she says. “I’ve no doubt they are a moderating influence on anybody intent on breaking the law, but they are seen as a welcome presence by most in the CBD, similar to those who patrol on foot in the Melbourne CBD. They provide a great PR service and more often than not are asked for directions to particular shops or the nearest toilets.”

“Landlords are reluctant to spend money on upgrading their buildings if there is no certainty about the car parking attached to their building,” Todd says. “We suggest investigating ways that car parks could be attached to the titles of buildings so that landlords and tenants have certainty about ongoing car park access.”

Barbara believes the Mall has an important role and “great potential in the revitalisation of our City’s heart”.

FEATURE â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some exciting new projects currently in the discussion, planning and funding stage, which will see the establishment of microbusinesses in the Mall, similar to those in other Australian towns and cities and overseas.

With these new businesses opening, our community will see an increase in the numbers of families and others using the Mall space for the purpose for which it was designed,â&#x20AC;? she says.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our role is to market and promote Central Geelong and we have worked hard to deliver programs to bring more people into Central Geelong and to encourage repeat visitation.

[However] attracting businesses to Central Geelong is no one single groupsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility and this has been recognised in the recent media coverage of Central Geelong.â&#x20AC;?

all, 774 responses from the public were considered before the strategy was finalised.

"It's a really extensive community consultation model and that makes for a great outcome because what we deliver with the CBD strategy is the shared vision of the whole of the Ballarat community for the CBD," Ballarat Councillor Craig Fletcher said at the time.

Then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bendigoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CBD Plan, adopted in 2005, which has four themes to achieve its vision of a vibrant, safe, inclusive CBD: reinforcing the CBD as the centre of activity; celebrating heritage and cultural identity; creating an accessible place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; dealing with the various ways that people get to and move around the CBD, whether on foot, by bicycle, public transport or private vehicle; and designing a high quality environment.

So, are we even close to achieving the success of Newcastle and Glasgow? The statistics, including Opteonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, would suggest weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting somewhere. For example, says Mark, in 2001 there were 1150 commercial properties in Central Geelong and in 2011 there are 1421.

To quote the Mayor again, that's roughly â&#x20AC;&#x153;272 new businesses in 10 years, or 27 new businesses every year for the last 10 yearsâ&#x20AC;?.

And, according to data from those controversial parking machines, there are approximately 3.7 million vehicle visits to central Geelong annually, while the total number of visitors has been estimated at 13 million per annum - hardly a â&#x20AC;&#x153;snubâ&#x20AC;? for the CBD. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The issues facing Central Geelong are similar to those facing many cities throughout Australia and internationally,â&#x20AC;? says Central Geelong Marketingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mark Davis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parking, safety and vacancies are an issue for many cities and the Central Geelong Marketing Committee, whose members are stakeholder and business representatives from Central Geelong volunteering their time to determine the activities of the Central Geelong Marketing Committee, is keen to see and participate in robust and constructive discussion around these issues for Central Geelong.

27

Cr Barbara Abley.

That weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not alone with our CBD issues means that inspiration, if not an actual solution, is out there and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to look too far to find it. Twelve months ago, Ballarat City Council launched its Central Business District Strategy, outlining key plans for the CBD over the next 20- 25 years. The strategy was 12 months in the planning and included asking residents for feedback on how they thought the CBD could again become central to the life of Ballarat. In

In Geelong, the next step is called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vision IIâ&#x20AC;?, which will result from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Council, State Government, Deakin and the Committee for Geelong. According to a Council media release, the name â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vision IIâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;acknowledges the completion of the first vision for Geelong which resulted in the transformation of the Geelong Waterfrontâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The aim of Vision II is for the signatories to the MOU, in partnership with the broader community, to identify ideas and opportunities that will provide the momentum for the next 15 years of growth in the CBD,â&#x20AC;? says the Mayor, who is also the holder of a new portfolio created specifically to manage the development of Central Geelong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[It will] build on the priority projects already identified for Geelong.â&#x20AC;?

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keep an eye on those headlinesâ&#x20AC;Ś Judy Baulch

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS WEEK 2011 Employee Volunteering Rewards for all involved BacLinks (Business and Community Links) supports the community by educating, supporting and creating opportunities for business and community to engage with each other for mutual benefit. We do this by coordinating projects that involve employee volunteering, donations of goods and services and the sharing of resources and knowledge. These activities aim to inspire businesses to contribute positively to the community in which they operate and incorporate regular contributions into their strategic plans.

Business involvement in community projects not only assists in-need agencies to achieve goals that can’t be realised without extra resources, but also presents opportunities for employees to enhance their skills and personal development, network with likeminded businesses, and strengthen workplace relationships through positive team building.

GMHBA reaped these benefits recently, when four employee volunteers helped participants from Karingal’s KABLE branch (Karingal Adventure Based Learning Experiences) complete the ‘Sailability’ program on Port Phillip Bay. The GMHBA crew taught KABLE program members correct sailing technique, including how to turn, adjust sails and read wind patterns in a two person dinghy.

All volunteers sincerely expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to their community with comments like “its great to further understand the struggles of others and make a difference” and “personally, I can’t place a value on this amazing experience!”

Rob Rees, Karingal Development Manager-Youth Programs, said that “The Sailability program fits our mission and vision perfectly and we are excited to bring corporate volunteers into the mix to add an extra dynamic to the experience.”

GMHBA, along with many other prominent local entities, including Alcoa, Rotary Club of Highton and City of Greater Geelong, learn about community needs and project opportunities through BacLinks community partnerships and through presentations at the BacLinks 730 Breakfast series. The series allows BacLinks business partners to network with like-minded businesses and hear about support opportunities from guest speakers from both sectors.

To learn how other local businesses utilise the BacLinks service and to get your employees involved in community projects that offer personal development, professional networking and team building opportunities contact BacLinks.

Celebrating Volunteering National Volunteer Week (NVW) will be celebrated from the 9th to 15th May. NVW is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia, and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our communities and to say thank you to the more than 5 million Australians who volunteer each year. It brings volunteering to the forefront and provides a focused agenda for the volunteer sector. The theme is inspirational and aims to encourage more people to volunteer.

Volunteering Australia CEO, Cary Pedicini, said that volunteers make a critical contribution to Australian society. “Volunteers are very high profile during significant disasters, but there are also many millions more who volunteer but are seldom recognised. National Volunteer Week is our chance to salute all volunteers and say thank you for the work they do to make Australia a better place to live.

“Most volunteers do not expect any reward for their volunteering, but a simple thank you to acknowledge their contribution is an important recognition of their achievements. NVW is a great platform for such recognition and Volunteering Australia encourages all volunteer based organisations to ensure that their volunteers are recognised.

“The recently released National Survey of Volunteering Issues found that being accepted as a valuable team member was the most frequently mentioned form of recognition that volunteers said was most important to them feeling valued. National Volunteer Week is an ideal time for organisations to look at how they thank their volunteers and to ensure that they are appropriately thanked for their contribution.”

Volunteering Australia recognises and thanks our NVW – NAB and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Fast facts: • National Volunteer Week began in 1989 • 5.4 million adults (34% of the population) do voluntary work each year •V olunteering continues to grow – in 1995 24% of the population volunteered, in 2000 32% and 2006 35% • Volunteers contribute more than 713 million hours annually • Strongest representative age group is 35-44 year olds

supporting people in business community partnerships

The BacLinks team can be contacted on Ph: 5249 8989 www.baclinks.org.au GHMBA Volunteers benefited personally from their employee volunteering experience.

• 50% of volunteers do so because they believe they are helping others • Volunteer rate is higher outside of capital cities (32% to 38%) • 36% of women volunteer whilst 32% of men volunteer •O n average, GoVolunteer has more than 12,000 volunteer positions listed nationally per month

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Bite-Sized Volunteering Volunteering Geelong has identified a different approach to volunteering that will appeal to skilled professionals, skilled retirees and University students â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bite-Sized Volunteeringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

TAC Business Engagement Officer, Susan Green, has been supporting Volunteering Geelong as they develop this Project Based Volunteering initiative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is clear that skilled professionals have much to offer community organisations as Volunteers but the opportunities need to be well developed and mutually beneficialâ&#x20AC;? Susan said.

Susan has identified volunteering as a fabulous tool to deliver corporate objectives and develop the skills and knowledge of colleagues in her team.

At the same time Susan and her colleagues are providing tangible benefits to the community by provision of professional skills, filling gaps in their limited resources.

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National Volunteers Week 2011 Inspiring the Volunteer in YOU St Laurence, working with businesses and community groups to provide opportunities to undertake their Corporate Social Responsibility.

Corporate or employee volunteering is a commitment by a commercial organisation to encourage staff to volunteer in the not-for-profit sector.

This includes individual volunteer through to team of whole-of-company involvement.

The TAC has long had a Corporate Social Responsibility program linking employees to the community sector where there are opportunities to build leadership capabilities. Susan has been actively involved in the community for some time but it is her desire to use her skills and experience that is driving her current volunteering.

The key components of a Bite-Sized Volunteering project include; s ,INK TO A PROFESSIONAL SKILL SET I E TRAINING PROJECT MANAGEMENT MARKETING

risk assessment etc s 3HORT TERM TANGIBLE PROJECT THAT HAS mEXIBILITY IN THE DELIVERY s 7ORKING WITH A WELL ORGANISED COMMUNITY ORGANISATION THAT HAS CLEARLY identified a need s 0ROVISION OF A DETAILED PROJECT PLAN WITH SPECIlED OUTCOMES s %FFECTIVE EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT Volunteering Geelong in conjunction with State Government Department OF 0LANNING #OMMUNITY $EVELOPMENT "AC,INKS 'IVE 7HERE YOU ,IVE

#OMMITTEE FOR 'EELONG ,EADERS 0ROGRAM AND $EAKIN 5NIVERSITY *OB 3HOP ARE hoping to change the perception of volunteering for it to be more appealing to skilled professionals, skilled retirees and Deakin University Students. The pilot program will see 15 community organisations supported to develop projects that will attract these target audiences.

Through Susanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience, the skills and knowledge that professionals use can often be adapted to fit the needs of small organisations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The principles, framework and structure can be just as relevantâ&#x20AC;? Susan said.

Recently 45 staff from LBW Chartered Accountants in Geelong down tooled their calculators and rolled up their sleeves to partake in an afternoon of Corporate Volunteering and community involvement with the residents from St Laurence Park Retirement Village.

The group commenced the day with a BBQ lunch to become acquainted before breaking into groups to undertake various jobs around St Laurence Park.

Some of the tasks included: s 'ARDENING MAINTENANCE AT 4UCKER #OURT INCLUDING AROUND THE COTTAGES AND the vegetable patch. s 3WEEPING THE WALKING TRACK CLEANING VEHICLES AND MAKING A SCARECROW A range of recreational activities were then made available for the staff to PARTICIPATE IN n ABLY LED BY THE RESIDENTS n INDOOR BOWLS TABLE TENNIS TAI CHI

bocce and bingo. The afternoon finished off with a tour of the Park and Happy Hour.

This initiative provided the staff from LBW Chartered Accountants with a TANGIBLE CONCRETE OPPORTUNITY TO DIRECTLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO AN IMPORTANT part of the local community and gain an understanding of the pleasant lifestyle the residents at St Laurence Park are able to enjoy Earlier in the year Mc Manus Real Estate and the Lara Lions Club spent time at Costa House Aged Care facility putting up a brush fence and planting out a new garden to form a private courtyard at the chapel. Visitors and residents can now visit the garden for quiet contemplation and enjoyment.

St Laurence would like to thank all the volunteers who support our programs and services in working in partnership - â&#x20AC;&#x153;Helping People Help Themselves.â&#x20AC;?

If you would like more information about â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bite-Sized Volunteeringâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; contact Lucinda Tucker or Gail Rodgers at Volunteering Geelong on 5221 1377 or manager@volunteeringgeelong.org.au .

Phone: 5246 4500 www.stlaurence.com.au

30

ADVERTISING FEATURE

NATIONAL VOLUNTEERS WEEK 2011 Call out for enthusiastic volunteers; corporate groups, employee or people looking to lend a helping hand!

Encompass Community Services knows that people with a disAbility and others who may have challenges in their lives can do anything and everything, when given the right support and encouragement. We know this because we have been working with people for over 25 years.

Our Board of Directors, Management, Staff and Volunteers demonstrate a person-centered approach. We focus on social inclusion through encouraging client involvement in the community, promoting choices and client participation in important decision making processes. By including our clients, we encourage independence and help boost their self-esteem.

How do we do it?

At Encompass we work in partnership with our students, clients and their families, to ensure that they are given the right service for their needs. We provide accredited and non-accredited training, day time support and activities, a specialist employment agency and weekend respite care. We develop our programs and services by taking the time to listen to feedback from our students, clients and our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; families. Initiative and imagination is nurtured across the organisation: from Board Members to staff and volunteers - everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideas are welcomed and considered.

How can YOU help?

Encompass Community Services runs a range of programs and initiatives aimed at assisting clients in all our divisions reach their set goals and achieve their potential. Being involved in our programs is a great experience for anyone. The opportunities to get involved as a volunteer include, but are not limited to: enriching the social experience and increasing the self-esteem of the client, helping our staff in their daily routines, assisting our clients during our programs, helping develop numeracy and literacy skills, completing administrative tasks, gardening and farming.

What is in it for you?

Volunteering is an opportunity for you and your family/friends/colleagues to make a difference to the organisation and our clients, to learn new skills, enhance your communication, time management and problem solving skills, gain new experiences and meet new people.

Social Support for Older People DoCare Geelong is a not for profit organization dedicated to providing a range of social support services for lonely isolated older people in the Geelong community.

All our services are provided by our dedicated group of 220 volunteers providing home visiting services, library book services and social group outings throughout the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliff and Bannockburn.

After our usual assessment and client matching process volunteers are often providing a crucial service for a lonely person in the Geelong region within a few weeks.

Without our dedicated group of 220 volunteers DoCare Geelong would not be able to provide 310 older people with the social support that enable them to feel part of the local community.

We are always in need of volunteers that help provide these services, if you have a desire to support an older person to continue living in their own home please give us a call.

If you have an older family member or know of some older person in the neighborhood who would benefit from one of our services, please give us a call to further your enquiry.

Many older people in Geelong speak another language as well as English. We have a number of volunteers with a non English speaking background that may assist them to be part of the local community.

If you speak a language other than English you will be most welcome as a volunteer at DoCare Geelong.

If you have a desire to see older people in the Geelong region enjoy what the community has to offer through pleasurable social events or just meeting for a chat over a cup of tea or coffee, give the DoCare Geelong office a call.

Interested? Then please contact our Volunteer Officer, Olivera Kocovski!

To make further enquiries about our services please give DoCare Geelong a visit at 3/152 High Street Belmont or telephone us on 5298 1053.

You can visit our website www.docaregeelong.com.au for further information.

Phone: 5222 3377 Fax: 5229 6191 Email: olivera@encompass-cs.org.au 400 Pakington Street, Geelong VIC 3220

Web: www.encompass-cs.org.au

DoCare Geelong is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments through the Home And Community Care (HACC) program. DoCare Geelong also receives funding support from Give Where You Live (formerly United Way Geelong Region); many other donations are received from individuals and local organizations. DoCare Geelong is an endorsed Deductible Gift Recipient and donations of $2 or more maybe tax deductible.

Loaned Executives 2011 Give Where You Live (formerly United Way Geelong Region)

For 46 years Loaned Executives have made a commitment to support this community.

Give Where You Live welcomes the team of 2011 Team Leaders

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Give Where You Live Loaned Executives will be visiting workplaces across Geelong to: Â&#x161; thank Workplace Giving Contributors for caring about our community Â&#x161; inform people as to how their contributions are making a difference Â&#x161; encourage others to join their workmates and give a little out of their regular pay

givewhereyoulive.com.au 248 Malop St PO Box 351 Geelong Vic 3220 Tel: 03 5229 4364 -FJHI +PIOTUPO

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Give Where You Live gratefully acknowledges the involvement of these committed individuals and businesses

Proudly Supported by

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32

AIRPORT ECONOMIST

A strong Trans-Tasman relationship There are many reasons for the strength of the Trans-Tasman relationship, and the recent earthquakes in Christchurch show just how deep our ties go. As the New Zealand community was showing great courage in the face of the adversity of the Christchurch disaster, Australian emergency crews were heading over there to help. Likewise, when disasters strike in Australia - from floods, to bushfires - New Zealanders are always the first to offer support.

Firstly, there is the historical significance of our shared experience, particularly in World War I at Gallipoli. ANZAC Day is the one-day of the year that Aussies and Kiwis celebrate together and it reminds us that we have a shared history - we've been together in the trenches in wartime, we have shared backgrounds, and we're down here together geographically.

Secondly, the Australia-New Zealand relationship is kept lively by people ties through frequent Trans-Tasman immigration and a fierce, but somehow at the same time friendly, sporting rivalry. I have noticed it whenever I go to New Zealand, where we Aussies can sometimes get a bit of a hard time unless we can demonstrate some sort of Kiwi connection.

Thirdly, New Zealand and Australia are very proud of many firsts in the world - many of which of course, began in New Zealand. Over a century ago, New Zealand and Australia were the first countries to establish votes for women, and workplace Conciliation and Arbitration, minimum wage laws, trade union acts, and even lesser known but useful innovations like

EFTPOS were also started in NZ (along with bungee jumping, of course).

But even in the world of global trade, the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement between Australia and New Zealand, signed in 1983, was the first bilateral trade agreement of its kind in the world. CER has been described by Chris Nixon, Senior Economist from the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research (NZIER), as "world's best practice as far as economic integration goes".

The CER has really made a difference, as the Australian-New Zealand relationship is as strong commercially as it is from a social/ historical point of view.

From an Aussie point of view, New Zealand is a very significant market, particularly in terms of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which export. New evidence from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows that there are over 17,000 Australian businesses exporting goods across the Tasman, with many Aussie businesses getting their start there as a springboard into Singapore, ASEAN, the Pacific and beyond.

According to Austrade/Sensis research, New Zealand is also the number one destination for our SME exporters. In fact, CER really gave regional Australian small businesses, like the Shepparton-based milk processing manufacturer, Ducats, a real leg up. For nearly a century the company was a domestic business, but it started selling ice creams to Dunedin to take advantage of CER.

Ducats' Linda Mintern said, "We didn't know how rewarding exporting can be, for both the company and our workers. After 83 years of selling locally Ducats may not be selling ice cream to the South Pole, but Dunedin is pretty close!"

The Kiwi market is no small beer though. New Zealand is Australia's 6th largest export destination and the two-way trade relationship is worth A$15 billion in merchandise trade, just under $6 billion in services and two-way investment is worth almost A$111billion.

From a Kiwi point of view too Australia matters and matters a lot. According to Gareth Chaplin, the Chief Economist from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE): "Over 23.4 per cent of New Zealand exports go to Australia, while Australia takes 18.6 per cent of New Zealand's imports; what happens in Australia economically is a big deal to us."

And what happens in China is a big deal to both nations. According to Paul Bloxham, Chief Economist of HSBC, China accounts for 11 per cent of New Zealand exports and a massive 24 per cent of Australian exports. On current trends, both Aussie and Kiwis will be "hugging the panda" for a while yet. The trade pact between CER and ASEAN, known as AANZFTA, will also see closer ties between the TransTasman economies and South East Asia.

According to Chaplin, whilst NZ's economic structure is very different to Australia's, as NZ is not as mining focused, that's changing too.

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AIRPORT ECONOMIST

"We're getting some action in resources, even in coal, and we're becoming more integrated into Australia's resources sector. There's still competition in agriculture and services, but there's collaboration in resources."

Chaplin believes that the food security and environmental challenges like water scarcity provide opportunities for both Australia and New Zealand.

"Australia and New Zealand will supply most of the world in key agricultural sectors in livestock with beef (mainly Australia), lamb (mainly NZ) and dairy. As food security issues matter and food inflation risks occur, Australia and New Zealand will be well placed and an important regional and global player in these sectors."

it be free trade agreements, indigenous enterprises, or tourism branding, Kiwi innovation keeps Australia motivated and vice versa. But as Nixon adds: "Luckily Australians play Aussie rules as well as league and soccer, which helps hold them back in rugby!"

So, knowing when to compete and when to collaborate will keep the relationship strong, it will also allow us both to be stronger in global markets. Given New Zealand's hour of need in Christchurch, Australians and Kiwis will collaborate together. And of course, when the Rugby World Cup rolls around later this year, the Wallabies and All Blacks will be competing

33

like they have for over 100 years, in the best Trans-Tasman tradition.

Tim Harcourt Tim Harcourt is Chief Economist of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) www.austrade.gov.au/ economistscorner. He is also a Visiting Fellow, School of Economics, Australian School of Business, UNSW, Sydney. Thank you to Gareth Chaplin, Chief Economist, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Paul Bloxham, Chief Economist (Australia and New Zealand) HSBC and Chris Nixon, Senior Economist, New Zealand Institute for Economic Research (NZIER) and Catherine Paterson, Business Analyst, Austrade for their comments and assistance.

However whilst CER may be "world's best practice" as far as trade agreements go, that may not be enough in a dynamic and competitive world. Accordingly, Australia and New Zealand have been working on closer integration and with Trans-Tasman "ANZAC" partnerships into third markets. Examples include "Australasian" clean energy missions to Latin America and in the biotechnology sector in the United States. These missions have shown Australia and New Zealand that they have capabilities that allow both nations in many cases to "collaborate to compete."

This unique combination of collaboration and competition is summed up neatly by Chris Nixon as "The Kiwi benchmark". In rugby, Australia has to lift its game, as the NZ All Blacks are the benchmark, so Australia borrows NZ techniques and technology and even has a Kiwi coach. It's the same in business. Whether

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34

EVENTS

From property to charity... it's all here!

David Koch, financial commentator and presenter of Channel Sevenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunrise Program, will head a line-up of expert presenters and exhibitors at the fourth Geelong Property, Wealth and Sustainability Expo at the Deakin Waterfront Campus on May 21 -22.

property, wealth and sustainable products, including WMC Accounting, Housing Investment Australasia, Realestateview, Barry Plant Real Estate, GJ Gardner Homes Geelong, House Buyers USA, Australian Property Investor Magazine and Third Ecology.

Director of the event, Wade Vautier, says the Expo, to be opened by Frank Costa - Business Identity, David Koch and Mayor John Mitchell and hosted by Angie Hilton, is â&#x20AC;&#x153;an opportunity for first home buyers and investors to see all the top Geelong and Melbourne builders and major land developers in our region on one dedicated floor of the Expo.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The level of exhibitors surpasses any past Expos and is of the highest caliber,â&#x20AC;? Wade says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The exhibitors are a whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who of their respective fields and visitors to the Expo will have access to professionals who are regional leaders in their business areas and can share their knowledge.

Sponsored by NAB, Villawood Properties and Geelong Financial Group, the Expo boasts a large variety of exhibitors covering all aspects of

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Expo goers will be able to compare residential and coastal properties and talk to property professionals about buying and selling property, including learning about where to buy now for

future growth, renovating to make money and the pitfalls and benefits of property investing.

They can also gain tips on sustainable living, wealth creation, the legal issues of auctions and private sale, investing in commercial property and property developments and hear expert local speakers on a range of business, property and economic development topics.â&#x20AC;?

Wade says that every year the Expo aims to present inspirational guest speakers and 2011 is no exception. Speakers at the 2011 Expo include Rob Brooker, Head of NAB Australian Economics and Commodities; Mike Walmsley, Geelong Property Advocate; Blake Russell BMT Tax Department; Simon Sutterby, Geelong Financial Group; Mark Sanders, Third Ecology; Rory Costelloe, Villawood Properties; Enzo Bufano, Taylors; Terry Demeo, City of Greater Geelong Planning; David Wilder, WMC Accounting; and Gareth Kent, Preston Rowe Patterson; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a first home buyer, thinking about investing in property, wanting renovations completed in the latest eco-friendly and sustainable products, or simply want to move house, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find all you need to know at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Expo,â&#x20AC;? Wade says.

Local radio station Bay FM is also running the Bay FM Business Award in conjunction with the Expo. The winner will be presented with a plaque by David Koch and receive a business structure review, including spending time with a NAB economist, a commercial lender from Geelong Financial Group and the Bay FM

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EVENTS

Think-tank. To enter the Award go to www. bayfm.com.au The Expo opens from 10 am to 5pm and tickets can be purchased at the door or prepurchased from Geelong Financial Group at 40 Ryrie Street. Entry is $15 for couples, $10 for individuals and children are free. Each guest receives a free copy of Property Investor Magazine (while stocks last), and a free "I love David Koch" lanyard for autographing. There will also be entertainment for the kids on Sunday from 11am to 2pm.

Visit www. geelongpropertyexpo.com.au or call 1300 001 770 for more information.

Buy a bed to help sick kids The 2011 Geelong Property, Wealth and Sustainability Expo’s event charity partner is Business for Beds, which aims to raise money for state of the art electronic beds for the Geelong Hospital children’s ward.

Expo Director, Wade Vautier, who is also the founder of Business for Beds, says the concept of supporting the Geelong Hospital Appeal by supplying children’s beds through a local company has had an overwhelming response from the Geelong business community.

“With Barwon Health supporting the Property, Wealth and Sustainability Expo, the least we could do was offer the same support back in

the way of a practical appeal that targets one of the most used products on the children’s ward,” Wade says. “With the support of Geelong Business News, The Geelong Advertiser, and Bay FM announcements and major businesses in the region kicking this fundraiser off, we now invite other businesses to purchase a bed to help brighten the children’s rooms and give them back some independence.

“Our target is to sponsor 10 beds for the children’s ward. Most of the current beds are manually operated, but the beds supplied by Geelong company, Unique Care, are electric with all the bells and whistles, including height and position adjustment, and finished with battle ship bed heads for boys and pink flowers for girls.”

Unique Care is the largest Australian manufacturer of electronic hospital beds, supplying beds Australia wide, as well as to New Zealand and Holland. The beds for Geelong Hospital cost $2,500 and each will carry an engraved plaque acknowledging the supporting business.

“It’s fantastic that businesses can come together to support the redevelopment of the children’s ward by making a significant contribution via the Business for Beds program,” says Executive Director of the Barwon Health Foundation, Gavin Seidel.

35

WMC Accounting and Geelong Concrete Testing are two of those businesses.

“Our son, who is now in his twenties, was in the Geelong Hospital children’s ward when he was younger,” says Graeme Hole of Geelong Concrete Testing. “We thought it was a good thing to support – you don’t mind donating money when it’s for a good cause.”

David Wilder, partner at WMC Accounting, says the company purchased a bed to give something back to the community. “It’s part of our responsibility as a business to support the community that we’re part of. We felt it was the right thing to do. And it’s a worthwhile thing to do – it has a lasting presence. I hope more people come on board and buy one of the beds. Two and a half thousand dollars is not much when you consider the ongoing effect for our hospital and how many children will be helped."

Geelong entertainment identity, Angie Hilton, was also more than happy to lend her profile in the community as the face of Business for Beds. “There is no cause greater to my heart and with young children of my own, I wanted to be a part of this,” she says.

For information on the Business for Beds initiative, visit www.geelongpropertyexpo.com. au or call 1300 001 770.

36

ADVERTORIAL

Business Events Geelong wins Business Events Geelong was announced winner at the National Meetings & Events Industry Awards 2010.

Business Events Geelong defended the title of best Regional Destination Marketing Organisation, taking it out for the second consecutive year and follows the team’s earlier

Attracting business events to regional locations is becoming more and more competitive across Australia. The large conferences and conventions hosted here are hotly contested for by many destinations, they don’t land here by accident.

success at the Victorian Meetings and Event Industry Awards in March.

centre to be constructed within the Geelong Waterfront precinct.

The award was presented on Tuesday 19 April at the 24th Annual Conference Meetings and Events Australia in Brisbane in front of some 600 business events professionals from across the country.

Cr Harwood said Geelong’s business tourism expertise strengthened the case for a purpose built convention and exhibition centre in Geelong.

Tourism and Major Events portfolio holder Cr Bruce Harwood said the national award was a huge honour and a testament to the hard work the City of Greater Geelong does to attract business tourism to the region.

“Winning the national award shows that Business Events Geelong is an industry leader not only in Victoria but in the whole of Australia,” he said.

“As a key unit within Geelong Otway Tourism, Business Events Geelong works hard to attract corporate events and conferences to our region.”

“We hosted more than 15,000 delegates in the Geelong region during the 2009/2010 year, contributing an estimated $56 million influx to the local economy,” said Cr Harwood.

“Not only have they won the top award in Victoria three times running, now they are on the top of the board at a national level.”

“Congratulations to the whole team for receiving this prestigious award, I know it is welldeserved,” said Cr Harwood.

The City of Greater Geelong is currently lobbying for funding for a 1200 seat convention

“A purpose built convention and exhibition centre is an absolute must if we want to continue to grow and develop this important local industry,” said Cr Harwood.

In accepting the award, Convention Bureau Manager Andrew Hiebl, expressed that “National success for a regional bureau is only possible through collaboration with peak industry bodies such as the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau, Business Events Victoria, Meetings & Events Australia and the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux.”

Roger Grant, Executive Director of Geelong Otway Tourism, was also thrilled with the accolades for his Business Events team.

“Attracting business events to regional locations is becoming more and more competitive across Australia. The large conferences and conventions hosted here are hotly contested for by many destinations, they don’t land here by accident,” Mr Grant said.

“There is a significant volume of work undertaken by our Business Events team to attract and service these events to keep Geelong, The Bellarine and the Great Ocean Road atop the list of preferred destinations for these events and this award is well-deserved.”

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COMMENT

37

Beware the power of social media The avalanche of information shared through social media is not all good news for business.

A story on the ABCís Four Corners program in April showed the very real damage that can be caused by false information spread over the world through social media.

Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, revealed the program that it was social media that led to the Qantas share price collapsing in the wake of the crash that wasn’t – QF32.

Speaking to Four Corners Reporter Sarah Ferguson, Mr Joyce said, “Our investor relations people, with me at the time, said our share price was collapsing. We did a ring-a-round to find out why and some of the shareholders had picked up from social media that was being reported that a Qantas aircraft had crashed in Indonesia”.

Mr Tudehope said that the Qantas experience should be a lesson for all in the business community.

“The Qantas episode underscores the need for corporations, both large and small, to actively engage in social media. Not only is it an avenue to connect with potential clients, but it is also a legitimate and increasingly popular source of news and updates, especially in a crisis.

“We advise our clients, that social media must play a role in much more than just the

marketing department. The widespread dumping of Qantas shares, even before the QF32 incident was reported on by the traditional media, is an example of how social media is changing the game for brand and reputation management.

“Obviously using social media for marketing purposes is exciting, however the financial and brand damage from having your share price trashed as a result of adverse social media commentary is something that can and must be mitigated against,” Mr Tudehope said.

As Ferguson rightly pointed out, “Twitter messages spread saying a Qantas plane had crashed. Mistaken tweets quickly reported as news”.

SR7, an Australian risk management firm, followed the story closely and SR7’s Director of Strategy and Engagement, Thomas Tudehope, believes the Qantas QF32 incident was a clear example of how social media has revolutionised crisis management.

“Twitter can be a dangerous game of Chinese whispers. An innocuous tweet from an Indonesian student spread like wildfire, caused mass panic and dented the Qantas share price.”

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SMALL BIZ

Living the Dream Florida, USA At the moment I am somewhere south of the Bahamas and have started on a journey to get to know the variety of small businesses from across the world.

Over recent days I have once again experienced the wonder of American small businesses (they are called Mom and Pops here because they are often run by a small family team). To build a context: the population of the States is huge; 18 times larger than Australia, and cities the size of Geelong hardly get a mention. Most of the cities are built around high-rise condominiums to limit the urban sprawl. The surprise is that in many places, the local wildlife lives in close proximity to the dwellings. Eagles and manatees can be seen from the restaurant boardwalks. There are a surprising number of people who don’t own a car, as public transport is common and the cost of parking a burden.

Then a Bentley is driven by that has been lowered and has wheels that are more expensive than my whole car…

The business opportunities occupy narrow spaces, in that it only requires a very limited cross section of products to make a viable business. Small businesses are everywhere, in every nook and cranny. A fact that supports this is the low wages of your average worker. A typical wage is in the order of a few dollars per hour and the worker largely relies on tips to supplement this almost slave rate. There is usually an expectation that 18% of the bill is given as a gratuity. This is not wrong or right; just a different way to do things.

On the first day in Fort Lauderdale we were caught in a tropical storm and the iPad decided

that it didn’t like immersion. We visited the local Apple dealer, where there were 14 people working on the shop floor. The shop was a little larger than normal but was bustling with activity. It looked great on the surface, but in reality one staff member took some details and then passed us along to the next, who took the same details down. This sequence was played out four times until we meet the boss. In the end our request was well met, but at the cost of 45 minutes of hanging around. With low wages, throwing staff at the problem seems a good solution but in the end breeds inefficiency.

Remember the Button plan? Again, is this wrong or right, or just a different way to do things?

The small operators are on every street corner.

It might be a shoeshine or a rickshaw or hire scooters, sketch artist, sun tan spraying, hats, jewellery and hundreds more opportunities.

Each segment sliced thin with private enterprise. One young lady had a shuttle bus and had joined into a broader business. She often worked from 5am to 5pm and a 7-day stint was not unheard of. She spoke about her motivation: a much loved seven year-old daughter. The shuttle enabled her to have a good life. This was the essence of enterprise – a person taking charge of their destiny and carving a satisfying existence. However humble the business, the pride emanating from the owners was palpable, the courage a real factor.

Perhaps happiness is not measured by what you have but by what you have earned.

The USA’s social systems are not as protective as Australia’s and people have to make it or suffer. Most make it and have a deep satisfaction in their own enterprise. Many of the people we spoke to have a dream that sees them creating a better exist for themselves in the future. They have a mini business plan that has their business growing and reaping a substantial increase in their standard of living over time. The contrast to this is people who have been displaced and retrenched, but attempt to gain some part time or partial employment – this group were disenchanted with the American dream. Somewhat burnt and disillusioned and scarred by the fall from financial grace, these people see the risk of small business as too scary. When you only have a little, to chance it on a business is a daunting burden, whereas when you have nothing there is no risk.

The businesses that start in Australia tend to consider the risks and ponder the consequences more than necessary, because there is a consequence that can be uncomfortable; whereas in the States, the people tend to jump in feet first. The reason

why that is the case is because there is no socially protective net. You either sink or swim, as there is little alternative.

Walking along the pavement on one of the busiest streets and you see a Lamborghini followed by a Ferrari; and our young lady with the shuttle is not even aware of the ever present gulf between the haves and the have nots. Indeed, it is not a consideration that bothers her at all; for her it is a matter of time and effort. She doesn’t aspire to the milliondollar house and car, but she has her own dreams that she feels confident that, given a little time and perhaps a small amount of luck, she will obtain. The idea of planning is different as well. The people that would talk to us about their businesses were confident that they were on track of their plan; but the plan was often downloaded from the internet and often were little more than articulated aspirations. A typical plan had a few focussing statements with a fill in the blanks with a glossy statement or two.

There were no elements of hypothesising or testing, no tactical analysis and even the strategic analysis was a confusion of personal statements mixed with an odd business phrase or two. Like most business plans, they were just a crutch for confidence rather than a utility.

My expectation of seeing a country wounded and hurt by the global financial meltdown was soon dispelled. I learnt that I was a long way from the truth. It was different; it is a great environment, the positivity and easygoing nature of the people is evident. The dream still lives.

Clint Jennings Australian Business Development Centre www.abdc.com.au

VECCI

39

Baillieu Budget must protect business With Victoria’s traditional competitor, New South Wales, now having a new government, it is vital the State Government uses its first Budget to deliver tax reform to improve Victoria’s business competitiveness.

Victoria does not have the benefit of significant mining royalty revenue that resource-rich states enjoy. For example, in the last year Victoria only collected $47 million in royalties while New South Wales collected $1 billion and Western Australia $3 billion.

This is all the more reason why we must work harder to ensure policies are designed to grow Victoria’s economic and industry base.

In our 2011-12 State Budget submission, VECCI says a new government in New South Wales will pull out all stops to get that state’s economy back on track and Victoria needs to be one step ahead to retain its competitive advantage.

New South Wales business groups recognise they have an opportunity to capitalise on a change in government and are calling for a host of reforms aimed at putting them in the box seat in terms of competitiveness. The New South Wales Coalition also promised, while in opposition, to reduce payroll tax.

If the new Coalition state government implements these reforms, New South Wales will be in a strong position to challenge Victoria’s competitive position.

Our own new state government here must be proactive in improving Victoria’s reputation as a competitive place to invest and do business.

these lines, we’re also calling for the abolition the Motor Vehicle duty charge on new business motor vehicle registration.

To this end, VECCI is calling on the State Government to use its first State Budget to:

-U ndertake a review of ‘Victorian Small Business Tax Competitiveness’ against other state jurisdictions.

-C ut the payroll tax rate to 4.85 per cent by 1 July 2011 and 4.75 per cent by 1 July 2012 and outline a timetable of further reductions to 2015. In addition, the payroll tax threshold should be increased to $700,000, effective 1 July 2012. It’s crucial that this area of state taxation remains competitive against our interstate counterparts.

-R educe from 0.8 per cent to 0.5 per cent the rate of land tax applicable for total taxable landholdings valued between $1 million and $1.8 million, and reintroduce a cap on 2011 land tax liabilities.

-C ut WorkCover premiums by a flat 5 per cent.

We believe Victoria needs to have the lowest average WorkCover premium rate to aggressively attract new investment into the state and encourage existing businesses to expand their operations.

-F reeze for 24 months the indexation of all fees, fines and charges set by regulation.

While the previous Government’s business tax relief measures were helpful, they were offset by these higher costs and other factors such as higher interest rates, a strong Australian dollar and recent natural disasters. Along

-N ot introduce any new taxes or charges, such as the Freight Infrastructure Charge (FIC), or raise existing taxes.

The FIC has been a particularly contentious issue for our members, especially in the transport and agriculture industries, and for any business that exports goods. The FIC, if introduced in July (a decision had not been made at the time of writing), effectively amounts to an export and shopping tax that will hurt Victoria’s international competitiveness and jack up grocery and essential goods prices for Victorian consumers, as well as prices of imported inputs for Victorian manufacturers and builders.

While the State Government has little control over external factors that affect Victoria’s economic performance, it can act to have a practical impact on building competitiveness at home, and we hope to see this in action come Budget time.

40

EBIZ

Get rid of your PC PC’s are so yesterday, making a large power hungry footprint on your desk.

Be gone!

Specially designed for small business the Vostro 3750 laptop is your desktop replacement solution. Sophisticated, powerful and sporting a 17" HD screen, Vostro helps you stay connected and in control with style and confidence.

Connect your colleagues and clients with a full high definition (HD) webcam, array mics and a full pre-installed web conferencing and voice enhancing software. Safe guard your critical data with a built in optical drive and Roxio Creator Starter for password protected data encryption and a finger print reader for added security.

Launch the Dell Support Center with the touch of a button or select optional Dell ProSupport for 24x7 assistance including onsite.

Starting at under a grand with big screen portability, the Vostro 3750 is a fine example of a permanent PC replacement.

Commodore 64 is BACK! There still may be a few of you that owned one of these back in the day and yes, they’re back with a vengeance. $595 buys you the basic model with an 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 chip, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive, which it promises to deliver by "early June" with added premium features like an additional 2GB of memory, a Blu-Ray drive, up to 1TB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth.

However, if you're simply looking for a compact keyboard computer (rather than reliving 1980's nostalgia) there's another option on tap, a likely rebadged thin wedge of a machine that Commodore's calling the VIC-Slim at just $395.

Thin is in!

This one’s so tiny it will fit in your shirt pocket. The newly christened Seagate GoFlex Slim portable hard drive is a performance-oriented, multifaceted drive that's slimmer than your brother’s last smartphone. It boasts USB 3.0 support, a 7200RPM drive with 320GB, a three-year warranty and a price tag that's still being determined.

You'll need the special SuperSpeed USB cable that Seagate includes in order to make contact. In testing, it managed to transfer files at upwards of 40MB/sec when attached to a USB 3.0 system, which isn’t half bad for a drive that's powered via USB and slimmer than a pencil.

It’s available in the States now for around $100, so it should be arriving on our shores soon.

GADGETS

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Quad Core? Crikey!

Intel must be laughing at us mere mortals getting excited about dual-cores in our netbooks. The Chipzilla has just turned out its 10-core Xeon E7 processor family, which can work on 20 simultaneous computational threads and that’s some serious number crunching.

These new E7s are for those dealing with truly data-intensive tasks such as science and intensive video editing.

Pricing for the Xeon E7s starts just under $1000 and climbs up to $5000 per 32nm chip. No doubt we consumers will benefit from this kind of horsepower eventually.

Sneaker Speakers I’ve had homemade speakers crafted from all sorts of unusual objects, but these new sneaker speakers built for a design competition by professional sneaker customiser, Nashmoney, take the cake.

They started out as a regular pair of Nike Air Force 1s and all of the speaker components are built into the sneakers, including the amplifier and the controls.

They are one of a kind but, if you have an old pair of runners, you might like to try.

100GB Discs At last, a serious contender for archiving and tape backup. Panasonic is finally ready to bridge the gap with its new triple layer BD-RE XL discs, set to arrive April 15th in Japan.

Being the first rewritable BDXL is their claim to fame and the latest burners from Pioneer and Buffalo already support the new discs.

You may want to double check your Blu-Ray drive spec sheets before ordering and have a deep wallet because they are $118 each at the moment.

Classy Headphone Amp There are headphone amps and then there's Fiskar's 88 that feature an unorthodox form factor, larger-than-life volume and tone knobs and an array of rear outputs with a Made in Finland badge.

The inclusion of speaker outputs leads us to believe that we're looking at a dual-stage amp or one with far more power than most headphone pushers.

This one’s begging to go into production, don’t you think?

Jon Mamonski

42

ART

Pure gold found at Rainbow’s End The 2011 Alcoa Theatre Season at GPAC continues in May with a powerful tale about love, hope and optimism: Rainbow’s End. From playwright Jane Harrison, author of the extraordinarily successful Stolen, Rainbow’s End is a snapshot of Australian life in the 1950s as experienced by three generations of Koori women.

This powerful tale of family, love and hope features a stellar cast including film and television veteran Lillian Crombie as Nan Dear; popular music performer Christine Anu as her daughter Gladys; and relative newcomer Chenoa Deemal as teenage granddaughter Dolly.

The three women live in a shack on the flood plain of the Goulburn River near Shepparton.

The time is 1954 and the royal visit is creating a climate of ‘queen and country’ pride in the postcolonial world of Menzies’ Australia. Although Nan believes their life on “the flats” represents a certain progress, Gladys is eager to secure a real house and job for Dolly in town.

Rainbow’s End is a story of hope, love and the search for identity and belonging. Most of all it is a celebration of the triumph of human spirit as the three feisty women fight for an equal chance and acceptance in a white community. With music from the period, this funny and moving play has great heart.

Directed by award-winning director Craig Ilott and produced by Riverside Productions, Rainbow’s End skillfully captures the optimistic spirit of these three women as they strive to belong in conservative rural Australia.

“Anu, Crombie and Deemal turn in solidly truthful and engaging performances. Deemal is particularly good as Dolly...” - Sydney Morning Herald “Jane Harrison's warm-hearted drama focuses on three generations of Aboriginal women to spotlight one family's struggle for opportunity... Harrison's characters are made three-dimensional with some interesting quirks.” - Sydney Morning Herald “Led by the ebullient and larger than life Lillian Crombie as Nan and a really fine performance from Christine Anu as her daughter Gladys... Rainbow's End pulls no punches... but nor do they become either a diatribe or dirge.” - Stage Noise Rainbow’s End appears in The Playhouse at GPAC from May 17-21 as part of the 2011 Alcoa Theatre Season. Tickets are available on 5225 1200 or online at www.gpac.org.au

ART NEWS Daisy May 4 – 15 Woodbin Theatre Geelong playwright, Terry Mervin, tackles the sometimes complex subject of dementia in his new work, Daisy, which will premier at Geelong's Woodbin Theatre this month.

"Ultimately, Daisy is a love story about a family working together to get through some big changes in their life," Mr Mervin said.

"We hope that through this work we can foster greater understanding and tolerance of dementia and other related illnesses and enhance the connectedness of people with dementia with the wider community.

"Daisy will challenge our view of people living with dementia - how much of the old Daisy remains; what does she still know; what does she retain?"

43

Commentariat Until June 26 The Geelong Gallery Described as a political cartoonist working in the ceramic medium, Penny Byrne's work covers a range of contemporary issues from the environment, to Australian and American politics and current events.

Originally better known for restoring ceramics as a specialist conservator, Byrne's artistic practice sees her reworking ceramic figurines to create forms that provoke comment for their confronting, witty and unapologetic imagery.

Commentariat, a Deakin University touring exhibition, is described by the artist as a term that has been coined as a combination of commentator and proletariat, and refers to 'the chattering classes' the educated middle class urban dwellers, who comment on politics and the media through blogs and Facebook.

Forget-me-not Productions and Wyndham Community Arts Alliance, in partnership with Alzheimerís Australia Vic will present Daisy at the Woodbin Theatre, 15 Coronation Street, Geelong West. Daisy is proudly supported by Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, The R.E.Ross Trust, Promoshop and Wholewoman.

Tickets are now on sale through Geelong Performing Arts Centre at 50 Lt Malop Street, Geelong, phone 5225 1200 or visit www.gpac.org.au.

Tickets: Adult $26, concession $23.

When lights are low - Christopher Heathcote Until June 5 The Geelong Gallery "The city soaks into you," according to the artist Christopher Heathcote.

Heathcote spent twenty years working in studios in Melbourne's CBD and his work reflects the insistent geometry of the city around him. The measure and proportion of the urban landscape, the configuration of windows, signs, verandahs and doors, the plan of streets, lanes and arcade formed the subject of his work, along with the textures and colours of the city.

Dr Christopher Heathcote is a widely published cultural critic and historian. Originally trained as an artist, for many years he has combined studio work with an academic career. An authority on Australian art since 1930, Dr Heathcote is the author is several books and has also been senior art critic for The Age, Melbourne (1990-94), associate editor of Art Monthly and a consultant historian to exhibitions of Australian art organised by the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. He has lectured in art history and criticism at Melbourne and La Trobe Universities and the Victorian College of the Arts, and he is currently the co-ordinator of the visual arts degree at the Gordon Institute, Geelong.

Christopher Heathcote Musings for Miles 2001-03; oil on linen Courtesy of the artist

Penny Byrne War on terror waltz (detail) 2009. Porcelain figurines, vintage action man accessories, miniature service medal, retouching medium, powder, pigments. Deakin University Art Collection. Image reproduced courtesy of Sullivan and Strumpf Fine Art and the artist. Photographer: Jeremy Dillon, The Photography Department.

ArtMAD May 8 - 31 Wintergarden Gallery From seven artists with varying influences, philosophies and chosen mediums comes artMAD – all of the artists consider themselves to be Modern Art Disciples, hence the MAD. The seven artists, Susan Hayward, Ondra Gangell, Pat O'Connell, Annita Rae, Mirjana Margetic, Jenny Warren and Marion Smith, have a shared aim, to promote awareness of contemporary art in our region.

Painters, sculptors and silversmiths, the artist group have brought together a collection of painted and sculpted works – exploring varying themes on the natural world and mankind’s relationship with it.

44

COMMUNITY

Opening access to the great outdoors and gardening, as important means for people to return to health and wellbeing.

This project not only assisted to improve the grounds, but also provided an excellent opportunity for clients and employee volunteers to share some valuable social time together.

“Karingal Mental Health Support really values the assistance of Alcoa. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Alcoa volunteers to learn about the work we do and work alongside some of the people we support to ‘makeover’ the grounds at our Marshall site,” said Sally Wall, Karingal Mental Health Support Manager.

Projects such as this hands-on volunteering support option are just one of the many ways businesses can provide support to help meet community need.

Horse riding is one way to develop a healthier lifestyle.

It was Backyard Blitz – community-style at Karingal’s Mental Health Service recently when a team of six workers from Alcoa Point Henry descended on the Marshall property to undertake a backyard makeover.

Alcoa volunteers, along with Mental Health Support staff and participants, worked on the front of the site, cleaning up garden beds and spreading mulch, with the aim of improving the experience of those that utilise the service and their families.

Alcoa Point Henry Smelter Operations Manager, Stewart Esdale said, “Encouraging and supporting our employees to volunteer is a key part of our commitment to the Geelong community. It is great to see our employees lending a hand with our long term partner Karingal, to support people with mental illness.”

Recently, Leisure Networks, a committed local organisation that promotes and strengthens the community through sport, recreational and health opportunities for people of all abilities, put out a call for support at the BacLinks 730 Breakfast.

The BacLinks 730 Breakfast Club provides a forum for community groups to educate business of their important work in providing services to the disadvantaged and marginalised in our community and draws attention to agency and client needs.

Mr Rob McHenry, Leisure Networks CEO, and Ms Anna Brown, Healthy Communities Team Leader, addressed representatives of over 30 local businesses on the benefits and needs of the award winning ‘sportsaccess’ program and demonstrated the importance of this program in breaking the cycle of social disconnection and disadvantage.

The program assists primary aged children from families on the Education Maintenance Allowance to participate in sports by providing grants to assist with equipment and clothing costs, membership fees and weekly subs. The program relies on funding and other forms of support to meet these needs.

The sporting opportunities made possible through the program promote health and social benefits, as well as connect whole families into broader social networks that can change their lives forever.

“The sportsaccess program has not just engaged children with their local sporting community, but also encouraged family members to become involved with the club in a voluntary capacity. Schools have feedback that the program has changed behaviour for the better, increased activity levels, dealt with bullying issues and engaged family groups. It just demonstrates that the program affects so much more than just one family member,” Ms Brown said.

The audience, who are all keen to be connected with opportunities to assist their community, had the opportunity to find out first hand how the program works, the short and long term goals, the wonderful outcomes and the vital support needs.

As a result of their presentation, a number of businesses stepped up to find out ways in which to support this wonderful program.

If you want to get more involved in your community but are unsure of what you can do, or how to go about it, please contact BacLinks on 5249 8989, as they have the experience and expertise to connect you into projects that are both manageable and effective.

Karingal Mental Health Support, a recovery focussed program, provides a range of community-based services and programs designed to support people with mental illness as they take the steps towards recovery.

Many of them have had their lives severely impacted on by mental illness, so it is important that they have the support and opportunities they need to reach achievable goals. The program offers social and recreational opportunities, independent living and educational options such as art, music, cooking

Alcoa employee volunteers hard at work at the Marshall site.

COMMUNITY NEWS

45

Get on board local community projects Geelong is home to significant numbers of young people who come from disadvantaged circumstances such as homelessness, family breakdown, poverty, mental health, personal isolation or disengaged from education/training or employment.

The implementation of a community project in 2010, the Street Surfer Bus, has begun to make a real difference to some of these young people. Geelong’s Street Surfer Bus (SSB) is a little hard to miss - the sleek metallic green and silver bus is a great example of local youth, health and welfare services collaborating with young people on a project that has culminated in a resource that provides a safe space for disadvantaged young people to socialise, access information from youth workers in a fun and supportive environment.

Funding and support for the project has generously come from local businesses, philanthropic organisations and the Victorian Police. The project initially involved converting a commercial passenger bus donated by Benders into a mobile youth resource The bus has undergone a complete refurbishment, its interior removed and fitted with modern couches, a Wii game that utilises a large screen attached to the bus exterior, computer equipment, DVD player, sound system, tea/ coffee making facilities, BBQ and an area where young people can talk to a youth worker and access support. The exterior has also undergone a complete transformation professional detailing has given the bus a modern and visually appealing look attractive to young people.

Shane Murphy, the executive director of Barwon Youth, the lead agency in the project is very happy with the finished product. “The Street Surfer Bus project has been an exciting community initiative unique to the Barwon region. The concept originated from existing models across Victoria and various other states.

It provides a means for young people to access youth workers in a space that is neither intimidating nor office-like,” said Mr Murphy.

The SSB currently travels to the Geelong Mall, Corio Village and Waurn Ponds Skate Park, and provides outreach on Friday evenings to some of the region’s most vulnerable young people who may be engaging in unsafe or anti-social behaviours.

There are many ways local businesses can support this truly inspiring community project.

One example is the support of Penny’s Prime Meats in Newtown. Mr Murphy said Henry from Penny’s Prime Meats has been very generous, and his donation of ‘the best barbecue sausages in Geelong’ every week throughout the year is greatly appreciated by the young people accessing the SSB service.

“We now desperately need someone to assist with donating water, fruit and bread - as purchasing these items weekly is eating into the running costs of the project – and I encourage anyone who may be able to assist to contact me at Barwon Youth,” Mr Murphy said.

Further information about the project, please visit: www.streetsurferbus.com

New community service centre The Hon. Mary Wooldridge MP, Minister for Mental Health, Women’s Affairs and Community Services, officially opened the EW Tipping Foundation’s new Community Service Centre in Geelong last month. The new Service Centre will provide a base to coordinate the growing range of support services which the Foundation, through its partner organisation, Vista Community Support, can provide to young people, people with a disability, families and children in Geelong and district.

EW Tipping Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Richard Dent, said, “The Foundation is delighted to open our Community Service Centre in Geelong. We have been providing support services to people in this region for over 18 months and we now have a place where people can come and talk about their services.

Ms Wooldridge said it was a great pleasure to open the centre, saying the centre will provide valuable services to the Geelong community. “This is a great milestone for EW Tipping and it will ensure greater access to important support services for vulnerable Victorians living in Geelong."

For more information about EW Tipping Foundation and Vista Community Support’s support services and employment, call the Community Service Centre on: 03 5228 0100 or go to: www.tipping.org.au

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46

NEWS

BowelScan month kicks off Barwon Health is again teaming up with Rotary clubs in Geelong to help prevent bowel cancer during the annual BowelScan Program in May. BowelScan is a community awareness program, which aims to increase knowledge of bowel cancer and its symptoms and, for the past two years, Barwon Health has been a proud supporter of the program.

During May, BowelScan kits are available at pharmacies throughout Geelong for $10. Rotary volunteers then conduct testing, under supervision of PathCare staff, in a room provided by Barwon Health.

The second most common cancer in Australia, bowel cancer affects both men and women. It is also the second most common cause of cancer death in Australia, but is highly curable if found early.

In 2010, approximately 1% of the BowelScan kits returned (over 20,000) were positive.

A group of Barwon Heads Golf Club members is keen to spread the message about the importance of annual testing.

Last year, among the golfers who regularly compete against each other, one member, Hamish MacGowan, was diagnosed with bowel cancer requiring extensive treatment. This prompted a number of the group to participate in the

Capt MacGowan said he would not want anybody to go through the extensive treatment he undertook over the last 12 months and he regrets not being a regular participant in the BowelScan program over the previous years, as this would have enabled early diagnosis and much easier treatment.

Mr Dunoon said he was fortunate to have an early diagnosis that enabled treatment and complete recovery.

"I urge everyone over the age of 40 to look after their health by participating in the annual BowelScan Program," Mr Dunoon said.

Graeme Hawkins, chairman of the Rotary District BowelScan Program, said this experience was important for everyone in the community because bowel cancer has no obvious symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage, and many sufferers may be unaware they are affected until it's too late.

Mr Hawkins said the support and endorsement of Barwon Health and St John of God Hospital, the owner of PathCare, is recognition of the contribution that BowelScan makes in the early detection and treatment of bowel cancer and the lives that can be extended.

WINE

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WINE

47

How sweet it is (or isn’t!)

The natural grape sugar left in the wine is just one of the factors defining the taste. The natural acid and pH offset the sugar, and the interplay of these elements ultimately determines what you will taste. For example, a Riesling with more residual sugar but high acid may well taste drier than one with less sugar and low acid.

For a long time now there’s been confusion from consumers on how to choose their wine based on what the wineries have written on the label. It’s no one’s fault, the winery uses the label information to educate the consumer, but often the consumer tastes something completely different.

Long winded, flouncy statements about flowers and tropical fruit can confuse people as to what the wine will taste like to them and put them off buying the wine altogether. I’m not sure what the answer could be, but there is an organisation based in the U.S. that has come up with a new idea that may go part of the way to solving the guessing game.

Wines such as Rose have suffered for years from the uncertainty of sweetness. That is, how do you determine exactly how sweet the wine will taste when you get it home? Sure, if you’ve had the wine before you’ll know, but how can the industry encourage you to try something new?

Perhaps you’re missing out on some even better wines. Luckily for the lovers of Riesling, a group of mad passionate industry professionals have invented a scale that is being embraced by wineries and consumers alike.

The International Riesling Foundation was started on the 15th November 2007 in Washington State in the U.S.A. The group states that it: “hopes to improve communications among worldwide Riesling producers and has a main goal of consumer

education, including determining how consumers view Riesling wines and possibly establishing global standards for clarifying how consumers view the sugar levels.”

Well, they seem to have achieved the latter point with their very clever scale. Below is their explanation of how it works.

“Do you like dry wine? Sweet? Somewhere in between? Whatever you prefer, there’s a Riesling for you. Riesling comes in more ‘flavours’ than any other wine. Some are ‘bone dry’, with no discernable sweetness. Others are ‘medium dry’ with a hint of sweet, or ‘medium sweet’ with even more, and some are quite simply ‘sweet’.”

Unfortunately, many consumers still think ‘Riesling = Sweet’, and many Riesling producers don’t give much information on their labels to help consumers know what taste to expect from a particular bottle. That’s why the International Riesling Foundation developed a voluntary Riesling Taste Profile with recommended guidelines for winemakers and a graphic design that we hope many winemakers will use on their back labels to help guide consumers. The design is simple, with an scale from Dry to Medium Dry, Medium Sweet, to Sweet and an arrow indicating flavour.

As not only a Riesling lover, but also a wine lover, I think this is a fantastic development.

Already Australian winemakers are using the scale and hopefully, in time, other varieties will be labelled more clearly using a similar system.

Keep your eyes open for this scale next time you grab a bottle of Riesling.

Adrian Marchiaro When not immersed in his work as Winemaker's Assistant and jack-of-all-trades at the award-winning Witchmount Winery, Adrian presents wine tasting evenings at Lamby's Restaurant + Bar [check on renaming of Lambys to Black Sheep Café?]

eVeRY FRIDaY FROM 5pm

Free Entry, Free Wine Tasting, Free Gourmet Platters For Patrons, Free Live Entertainment Each Week 6th May – Ola! Viva Espana Spanish wines and food with prizes for best Spanish costumes Entertainment: Warm Sands

20th May – Hunting through the Hunter Great wines from Australia’s oldest region the Hunter Valley Entertainment: David Beanlands

13th May – Wines to drink away the winter blues A selection of wines to keep the cold at bay Entertainment: Chic

27st May – The other Great Southern Region Fantastic wines from the cooler areas of southern WA Entertainment: Chic

Stay tuned for info on theme nights, prizes and other offers coming your way..

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AFTER HOURS

Geelong's historic image library online The Hon. Dr Denis Napthine, Victorian Minister for Major Projects and Minister for Regional Cities, officially opened the Geelong Heritage Centre Online Image Library last month at an event that brought together civic leaders, local businesses and history buffs from around the region.

The Geelong Heritage Centre is the largest regional archive in Victoria and its collection includes in excess of 40,000 images from the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Golden Plains Shire and more broadly from the G21 South Barwon region & beyond.

The collection of historic images can be viewed at www.geelongaustralia.com.au/ heritage Hon Dr Dennis Napthine MP addressing the assembled

Cr Kylie Fisher; Kaz Paton (CoGG); Justine Heazlewood (Public Records)

Dr Dennis Napthine MP

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AFTER HOURS

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Left: Mark Beasley (Geelong Heritage Centre); Andrew Katos (South Barwon member) Melody McDonald

Above: Mark Gallon (CoGG); Kevin Krastins; Jennifer Bantow (National Trust)

Patti Manolis (CEO Geelong Regional Library)

Michelle Jackman (Gobble); Mayor John Mitchel

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AFTER HOURS

Three decades and going strong Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC) celebrated its 30th birthday recently with an invitation-only event to thank its founders and long-term supporters, while also launching an endowment fund to help secure its future.

The fund, to be known as Arts For Life, aims to raise $10 million over the next 10 years through bequests, once-off donations and annual contributions.

Donations made through the fund will give GPAC the opportunity to support emerging artists, education programs and cultural activities, provide increased access for groups and present a greater number of performances by leading Australian and international artists.

Celebrated Australian performers including Guy Pearce, Garry McDonald, Nancye Hayes and Max Gillies have leant their support to the fund.

Guy Pearce has spoken of his special bond with GPAC: "My first memory of wanting to perform was being at the theatre with Mum and just wishing I was on stage myself. Being able to join companies like GSODA, GMCC and GAMA were invaluable opportunities to express creativity, learn crafts and interact with other kids and generally grow as a person."

Anne Fuller, member of the first GPAC Trust, John Robb, first GPAC Trust Chairman, and Colin Atkins, member of the Building Committee.

Founding fathers, Colin Aitkens (Building Committee) and John Robb (1st Trust Chairman) GPAC Trust Chairman Tim Orton.

Kevin and Anne Fuller.

Amanda and Bert La Bonte.

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WHATS ON Throughout MAY 2011 Femme Fatale - The Female Criminal Wicked women, seductive sinners, vicious vixens – the female criminal is portrayed in many guises in popular culture, but what do these stereotypes tell us about real women and crime?

From the moment the first female convicts stepped ashore, the brutal reality faced by infamous female offenders such as ‘the man woman murderer’ Eugenia Falleni, sly grogger Kate Leigh, and poisoner Yvonne Fletcher, was in stark contrast to the glamour of the noir seductress and pulp novel siren.

The exhibition examines these extremes, traversing criminological theory, popular culture and true stories of our most notorious female criminals.

Please note: Displaying the reality of documented crimes presents some strong and potentially sensitive material and themes. Visitors can make a choice whether to view this more sensitive content, which will be clearly signed and identified.

Where: National Wool Museum. Details: www.nwm.vic.gov.au

Throughout May

Robert Baines - metal - Pieces from one of Australia's most prominent and influential jewelers and goldsmiths. An Object Gallery touring exhibition and part of the Living Treasures Masters of Australian Craft series. Where: Geelong Gallery.

Details: www.geelonggallery.org.au

Throughout May

Beyond big land - Four artists explore their interpretation of the notion of 'Australia Felix'. Where: Geelong Gallery. Details: www.geelonggallery.org.au

10 May

Moving On Up "From Success to Significance" - 7th Annual Business and Professional Women's breakfast at Skilled Stadium. Guest Speaker: Naomi Simson, the founder and CEO of Red Balloon. Where: Fred Flanagan, Skilled Stadium. Details: www.bpw.com.au

11 May

Geelong Chamber of Commerce May After 5 – Hosted by Nabenet Health. Where: The Silks Room, Geelong Racing Club. Details: www.geelongchamber.com.au

14 May

Cruise for Kids - Cruise to Lorne from Geelong and raise money and awareness for project Dovetail Children's Organisation.

Where: Barwon Valley Activity Centre. Details: www. projectdovetail.org

15 May

2011 RSPCA Million Paws Walk - Raise awareness about animal cruelty and much-needed funds for the RSPCA. Where: Eastern Gardens Circuit. Details: www.millionpawswalk.com.au World Red Cross Day Multicultural concert – Celebrating World Red Cross Day and International Volunteers Week. Where: St Luke’s Uniting Church, Barrabool Road, Highton. Details: www. redcross.org.au

17 – 21 May

Rainbow’s End – Alcoa Theatre Season. Where: Drama Theatre, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

19 May

21 – 22 May

Property Wealth & Sustainability Expo. Where: Deakin University Waterfront Campus Geelong. Details: www.geelongpropertyexpo. com.au

23 - 29 May

Responsible Gambling Awareness Week

24 May

Soweto Gospel Choir - African Grace - Heralded as the most exciting group to emerge in World Music in recent years, twotime Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir returns to Australia with a brand new show. Where: The Playhouse, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

25 - 26 May

Divas - Martine Pavey returns to GPAC to take us on an unforgettable musical journey. Where: The Playhouse, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

27 May – 03 June

National Reconciliation Week - The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2011 is 'let's talk recognition'. 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. 3 June marks the anniversary of the 1992 Mabo decision by the High Court of Australia recognising that indigenous people have a special relationship with the land. Details: www.geelongaustralia.com. au

29 May

Reconciliation in the Park - A family activities Day and exhibition of student art at Geelong's Johnstone Park. Details: www.geelongaustralia.com.au

1 – 4 June

TURNS - Reg Livermore returns for this Alcoa Theatre Season production. Where: The Playhouse. Details: www.gpac.org.au

Another Year – Bethany Arthouse Film Festival presents this Best Screenplay Oscar nominee film from the UK. Where: The Playhouse, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

06 June

20 May

07 June

International Education Seminar Series 2011 - Austrade presents the Latest trends, developments and opportunities in international education. Where: South Wharf, Melbourne.

Details: www.austrade.gov.au/EduSeminarSeries2011

VECCI Briefing on the New Equal Opportunity Legislation. Where: tbc. Details: www.vecci.org.au Sarah’s Key – Bethany Arthouse Film Festival film starring Kristin Scott Thomas. Where: The Playhouse, GPAC. Details: www.gpac.org.au

To publicise your event in GBN’s What’s On in June email: editor@geelongbusiness.com.au

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