Business Bytes

The Cancer Council of Australia is holding a national competition and wants young people to help bust some of the myths about skin protection. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and two out of every three people in Australia will have been diagnosed with a type of skin cancer by the time they reach the age of 70.

The competition is open to young people aged 12 to 17. They are invited to submit a short film, an image or a piece of creative writing to dispel one of the 10 myths about skin protection listed on the Cancer Council’s website by clicking here.

Entry details can be found on this website. There are prizes for individuals as well as a school prize, and entries close on 24 September 2010.

National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Week (CP Week) will run from 1 – 7 August 2010.  CCI member, the Centre for Cerebral Palsy, will be focusing on the aspirations of children with CP throughout Western Australia. 

The aim of CP Week is to bring together the wider community to celebrate the achievements of and to help raise greater awareness, understanding and acceptance of CP. There is an opportunity to provide activities and forums for supporters, families and people with CP to exchange ideas, offer insights into living with a disability and to challenge existing philosophies and practices.

Examples of the activities scheduled during CP Week are:

Monday 2 August - Country Services Workshop

Tuesday 3 August - Corporate Breakfast

Wednesday 4 August - Riverview Primary School rallies for CP

Thursday 5 August - A Wheelie Fun Day for Glengarry Primary School students

Friday 6 August - The Early Intervention Gym’s New Look – official opening

Saturday 7 August – CP circus learn circus skills from the professionals

All week - CP Week Community Excellence Awards

For more information on these and the other events, go to www.tccp.com.au.

The Hon. Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Fisheries and Electoral Affairs is scheduled to present a keynote ministerial address at the 5th Annual LNG World organised by marcus evans at the Burswood Convention Centre Perth, Australia on 30-31 August 2010.

Global demand for LNG is forecast to triple by 2030 to meet the burgeoning demand for a clean energy source. LNG is the answer to the new energy world as we move towards clean energy sources. LNG is a thriving industry with worldwide demand growing and Asia Pacific remains the largest market with two thirds of global LNG trade. Established markets like Japan and Korea along with India and China are emerging as major LNG players. With Australia emerging as one of the biggest LNG producers worldwide, it opens doors to new business opportunities and trade. Dynamic changes like new emerging markets, new projects and revolutionary developments in LNG technology and project development are widening the horizons of LNG market.

Speakers include Richard Sellers - Director General, Department of Mines and Petroleum Government of Western Australia, Luke Musgrave - Vice President LNG ExxonMobil, Australia, Bill Tinapple -Executive Director, Petroleum & Environment Department of Mines & Petroleum Australia, His Excellency Mr. Leonid Bokhanovskiy - Secretary General Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and  Benjamin Klooss - Lead Economist, Natural Gas BP.

This conference aims to provide a valuable platform to address key issues in the LNG industry through six well designed and well researched streams on LNG Markets and Projects, LNG Contracts Trading and Pricing, Floating LNG, LNG Technology Advancements and LNG Financing, Risk Assessment and Management

For registration, please contact Cindy Cluny at CindyC@marcusevanskl.com  or call +603 2723 6745.

A Coalition election promise to cut infrastructure funding by hundreds of millions of dollars over the next few years will mean that vital projects critical to the State’s, and the nation’s, economic growth and prosperity may be at risk.

The State’s peak business body, CCI, urges the Federal Coalition not to cut infrastructure funding to WA as part of its efforts to save money.

Any reduction in infrastructure spending could jeopardise much-needed local projects. For example, the roads surrounding Perth Airport, which have long been identified as a logjam, will cost an estimated $600 million, and still remains unfunded.

Better infrastructure is essential to help grow the economy, support new investment and to attract workers to the State.

Addressing infrastructure bottlenecks is even more important for a rapidly growing state such as Western Australia. With WA accounting for over 40 per cent of the Nation’s exports, and leading the country’s economic recovery, it’s time for the State to get the share it deserves.

The need for critical infrastructure such as improving essential services in key growth areas, including the Pilbara, upgrading the South West Rail network and a new Kimberley Port, must be addressed.  

All sides of politics need to better understand the many challenges that local employers face, and work with them to find a solution.

Now is not the time to short-change the state that is critical to the nation’s future success.

The early success of a new Western Australian program giving independence to public schools across the State sets a precedent for governments across the country to roll out similar programs of their own.

A further 64 Western Australian public schools have been granted autonomy under the State Government’s Independent Public Schools initiative. With the program entering its second year, the number of schools taking part has grown to nearly 100.

More than 130 schools applied to gain independent status as part of the program’s second intake.

CCI senior adviser, education and training policy Les Goh said schools across the State, with students from all backgrounds, are already benefiting from being freed up from the strict rules and regulations imposed by the Government and its departments.

CCI has been advocating for school autonomy for a number of years.

“Business encourages governments across the country to take notice of the success of the WA program, and offer the same to their public schools,” Mr Goh said.

“By doing so, governments and education officials will be helping their schools better meet the needs of their students and the local community.”

According to CCI, autonomy is one of a number of key reforms needed to deliver the highest level of educational outcomes for tomorrow’s workforce and ensure students are provided with the skills and training they need to get good jobs.

“As managers of local schools, principals should have the power to develop school culture, manage performance and be accountable for operational issues,” Mr Goh said.

“School autonomy encourages greater innovation within our schools, enhances the status of WA’s public education system and the teaching profession and leads to better educational outcomes for students.”

CCI also believes parents should have more freedom to choose which school is best for their children.

Education Minister Liz Constable announced the 64 schools taking on independent status last week.

Dr Constable said the second intake was almost double the initial 34 and illustrated the willingness with which public schools had sought the opportunity to make local decisions that best suited their community’s needs.

“Parents and school communities are embracing this new initiative and find it allows them to have a greater say in how their school is run,” she said.

“With this announcement of an additional 64 schools, there will be almost 100 public schools in 2011 operating as independent public schools.

“These will have the flexibility and autonomy to make decisions on the ground that meet the specific needs of their students, including recruitment and selection of teachers, education programs and management of their own budgets.

“The second intake represents a wide range of schools from many socio-economic backgrounds - with 25 per cent from the country and 75 per cent from the metropolitan area.”

The Minister said 134 schools had applied for the second intake, illustrating the appetite for increased autonomy.

“Those schools that began operating as Independent Public Schools (IPS) in the first intake have told us that parents greatly value the increased input they have into how their school is run,” she said.

“Principals also report that the freedom to select their own staff has made a big difference to their operations and morale.”

Dr Constable said the new intake would receive extensive training and workshop opportunities in the next five months to prepare them for IPS status.

Other schools, including those that have not been successful this time, will have the opportunity to express their interest in becoming an Independent Public School in a third intake to begin in 2012.

Details on the next intake will be provided to school communities throughout the remainder of this year.

Explore the attitudes and approach of organisations to both gender inequity and female participation in the workforce as the Security 4 Women group present insightful findings to Western Australian SME owners and employees.

Date: Tuesday 27 July 2010

Location: Edith Cowan University Joondalup- 270 Joondalup Drive

ECU Art Gallery (Building One, Room 2110)

Time: 7:30am - 9:00am (Refreshments provided)

Hosted by the School of Management, this free event will involve a presentation by the Honourable Sharryn Jackson MP, as well as a key-note speech on the research paper by gender pay advocate and author Sandra Cook.

To confirm your attendance, or to find out further information, please contact the ECU Faculty of Business and Law marketing department at b&lmarketing@ecu.edu.au or on (08) 6304 2127.

Click here to register or for more information

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship has released the latest bi-annual edition of Immigration Update for the first six months of 2009-10 which provides a summary of current immigration statistics including permanent additions, settler arrivals, permanent departures, visitors, students and business data.

Permanent additions consist of persons who while already in Australia on a temporary basis and are granted permanent residence status and persons who arrive from overseas and are entitled to stay permanently in Australia.

According to this latest report:

- The number of permanent additions was 109,778, a 4.5 per cent decrease over the corresponding period in the previous year.

- Of these there were 90,882 permanent additions under the Migration Program with the Skill Stream accounting for 57,332 of these permanent additions.

- Permanent additions under the Migration (non-Humanitarian) Program therefore rose marginally by 0.6 per cent compared to the same period in 2008-09.

- In addition, there were 8,155 permanent additions under the Humanitarian Program.

- Permanent additions under the Humanitarian Program therefore increased by 23.8 per cent.

Overall, New South Wales remained the most popular destination with 30.4 per cent of permanent additions intending to settle there, followed by Victoria (26.3 per cent) and Queensland (17 per cent).

Western Australia accounted for 14.9 per cent or 18,493 permanent additions of which 11,415 permanent additions came from the Skill Stream.

A copy of the Full Report is available here.

For further information, contact CCI Migration Services (MARN 0318589) on 9365 7521 or email migration@cciwa.com

CCI members are invited to attend the 7th Convention of the International Business Linkage Forum (IBLF), to be held on 2-3 August 2010 at Burswood Entertainment Complex.

The IBLF is an international, member-based organisation that promotes international business, though global membership and annual forums. The 2010 convention, being organised by the Department of State Development, provides a platform for IBLF members and Western Australian organisations to generate understanding, dialogue and opportunities for future business collaboration.

Over the two days of the convention, to be chaired by CCI chief executive James Pearson, you will have the opportunity to network with IBLF delegates. You are invited to attend, free of charge, the panel sessions that have been developed on the following themes:

• Renewable Energy, Mining, Oil and Gas 
• Tourism and Education 
• Agribusiness

These sessions will feature speakers from both IBLF and peak Western Australian industry and government organisations.

Day two of the convention time has been reserved for one-on-one meetings.

To open your invitation click here. For more information and to register your interest to meet with IBLF delegates click here.

For more information about the IBLF visit www.iblforum.com.

For enquiries regarding the convention please contact Dylan Lipinski at dylan.lipinski@dsd.wa.gov.au or on (08) 9222 0503 or 0401 592 005.

Ian McConville has been appointed as Australia’s High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with responsibility also for relations with Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Niger, Republic of the Congo and The Gambia.

Mr McConville replaces Jeffrey Hart who had been High Commissioner since February 2007. He is expected to take up his appointment this month.

In announcing the appointment, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Stephen Smith said Australia’s relations with Nigeria remain close, based on shared democratic values and membership of the Commonwealth. Nigeria plays a substantial role in Commonwealth affairs and is a valued partner for Australia in this forum.

“The most populous nation in Africa, Nigeria is also influential in regional and international affairs and has made a significant contribution to international peace and security. Nigeria and Australia have both contributed police and military personnel to the United Nations Mission in Sudan and the African Union - United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur,” the Minister said.

Australia’s bilateral merchandise trade with Nigeria in 2009 totalled $302 million, with plastic plates, sheets and film Australia’s principal exports to Nigeria, and crude petroleum Australia’s principal import from Nigeria.

Australia’s commercial relations with Africa have grown strongly in recent years, particularly in the resources sector. There are more than 160 Australian companies operating in the minerals and petroleum resources sector in Africa, including in most countries of West and Central Africa.

Mr McConville is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He led the Government’s response to the tragic Sundance air crash in the Republic of the Congo. Mr McConville has previously served overseas as Australia’s High Commissioner to Mauritius. He has had earlier postings to Cambodia and Pakistan.

While Somali pirates demonstrated increased range and capabilities, there has been a relative decline in maritime pirate attacks worldwide for the first two quarters of 2010, according to a report issued by the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

A total of 196 incidents around the world were recorded by the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre, compared to 240 incidents in 2009. This includes 31 vessels hijacked, 48 vessels fired upon and 70 vessels boarded.

During this period, one crew member was killed, 597 crew members were taken hostage and 16 were injured. The use of firearms, including rocket propelled grenades, was particularly marked in the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. Attacks in this region and in the Red Sea represent more than half of the incidents reported over the past six months.

The coast of Somalia remains particularly vulnerable with 100 pirate attacks in 2010, including 27 hijackings.  The number of attacks has decreased compared to 2009 in the most dangerous maritime area of the world.

Attacks in the South China Sea more than doubled in 2010. Incidents in the waters of Malaysia and Indonesia have increased whereas only one attack was reported in the Singapore Straits and one in the Gulf of Thailand. Incidents in Nigerian waters also declined but remain stable on a six-month basis. Many attacks go unreported in this violent piracy hotspot.

The European Council took the formal decision on 13 July that will pave the way for the introduction of the euro in Estonia as of 1 January 2011. Estonia will become the 17th European Union country to share the euro currency.

“Estonia has achieved a high degree of sustainable economic convergence and is ready to adopt the euro on 1 January 2011,” said Olli Rehn, EU Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs.

“We commend Estonia for its long-standing commitment to prudent policies. To ensure that the adoption of the euro is a success, Estonia must pursue its efforts to maintain a prudent fiscal policy stance.   Estonia must now continue with its practical preparations to ensure that the changeover takes place smoothly," Mr Rehn said.

The official conversion rate is set to be 15.6466 kroons per 1 EUR. 

This month’s issue of World Risk Developments, the newsletter of the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC), looks at two issues of international importance – sovereign debt concerns in the eurozone and China's new exchange rate arrangement.

Markets have been repricing eurozone sovereign risk for over a year now, and not just at the periphery. There have been periodic spikes in the spreads of Austrian and Belgian bonds over German bunds and a large wedge – 150 basis points – has opened up between the Italian bond spread and the bund. This is quite different from mid-2008 when the market was essentially saying that all eurozone sovereign risk was more or less equal.

Are the recent movements cause for alarm? According to EFIC senior economist Ben Ford, “None of the core eurozone members is likely to default, but markets are putting them under pressure to tighten their fiscal policies while their private sectors are still stagnant, which increases the risk of so-called double-dip recessions.”

The People’s Bank of China announced on 19 June that it was moving to enhance exchange rate flexibility. This was greeted with widespread applause as it is commonly acknowledged that a stronger renminbi, which greater exchange rate flexibility would allow, would help the world economy in a couple of important ways: by putting the current global economic recovery on a firmer footing, and by promoting more balanced long-term growth. But two things quickly happened to quell the excitement. First, the People’s Bank in the following days hardly allowed the exchange rate to appreciate.

Second, attention turned to the fine print in the Bank’s statement. This noted that no grounds existed for a large currency adjustment and that therefore the exchange rate would remain ‘basically stable.’ The applause quickly turned to scepticism. On 14 July, the forward currency market was pricing in only a 1.7 per cent appreciation of the renminbi against the greenback over the next year. EFIC chief economist Roger Donnelly believes that “such a modest appreciation if it comes to pass will do little to

alleviate trade tensions with Washington or help the process of “global rebalancing”.

The Productivity Commission (PC) has released its Draft Research Report on Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements (BRTAs).

Some of the key findings include:

• While BRTAs can reduce trade barriers and help meet other objectives, their potential impact is limited and other options often may be more cost-effective. 
• Current processes for assessing and prioritising BRTAs lack transparency and tend to oversell the likely benefits. 
• A full and public assessment of a proposed agreement should be made after negotiations have concluded - covering all of the actual negotiated provisions; 
• In determining its approach to particular BRTAs, Australia should: 
• adopt a more flexible approach to the comprehensiveness of agreements, including considering services sector-only agreements; 
• favour arrangements based on non-discriminatory provisions;
• take a cautious approach to provisions on intellectual property, investor-state dispute settlement, labour standards and cultural matters.

The report is available at http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/trade-agreements/draft.

The Small Business Fair Dismissal Code, introduced by the Federal Labor Government in July 2009, has recently been updated to include additional information on redundancy and the right of an employee to have a support person in a disciplinary meeting.

The need to amend the Code was identified further to a number of comments made by Fair Work Australia in recent decisions.

In Mr N v The Bakery (U2009/13348), Senior Deputy President O’Callaghan noted that the employer had tried to comply with the Fair Dismissal Code Checklist, compliance with which should have demonstrated the fairness of the dismissal. However, SDP O’Callaghan concluded that the Checklist was deficient in that it did not adequately cater for the circumstances of the dismissal in this case nor the procedural requirements in the case of summary dismissal. In particular, despite complying with the Checklist, the termination of the employee was considered harsh as the employer failed to provide the employee with an opportunity to have a support person in the disciplinary meeting.

Further, in the decision of Josef v Thought Equity Motion Inc (2009/13284) the respondent attempted to rely on the guide to the Code in asserting that an employer is only required to declare that a dismissal is a genuine redundancy in order to comply with the Code. However, Vice President Watson concluded that the Code did not incorporate the guide and did not deal with redundancy dismissals.

Changes to the Code include:

• A revised preamble that now states "the requirements for determining whether a dismissal was a genuine redundancy are contained in section 389 of the Fair Work Act. The checklist attached to this document can assist in determining whether a redundancy was a genuine redundancy.”
• New questions in the Checklist:
• enquiring whether an employee was dismissed because of a genuine redundancy;
• asking the employer whether it complied with any applicable redundancy consultation requirements;
• enquiring whether, "in any discussion where dismissal was possible, did the employee request to have a support person present, who was not a lawyer acting in a professional capacity" and "if yes, did you agree to that request?"

Members are reminded that the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code is only applicable to National System Employers who employ less than 15 (full time equivalent) employees. CCI recommends that members obtain advice from the Employee Relations Advice Centre prior to any termination of employment in order to assist in minimising any potential risk associated with the termination.

For further assistance please contact the Employee Relations Advice Centre on (08) 9365 7660 or advice@cciwa.com