Issue 149 - The Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.

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12 | COMMITTEE COMMENTAsian Century White Paper – What it means to our future leadersThe recently announced Asian Century White Paper maps Australia’s engagementwith Asia in the next decade. AustCham Young Executives Co-Chair Patrick Daley– as part of the next generation of leaders already working in Asia, responds withwhat that means to him.It seems that about once in ageneration, Australia and Australianssee fit to remind themselves ofAustralia’s geographical reality.Australia is located near, and increasinglymore closely related to, reliant on andinvolved in Asia.The release of the AustralianGovernment’s White Paper titled “Australiain the Asian Century” in October thisyear, again signals a new attempt to mapa path by which Australia can best takeadvantage of the opportunities presentedby Australia’s relationship with Asia.This is of course not a newphenomenon. One may recall theKeating government’s focus on increasedengagement in Asia. However, Asia’seconomic (and particularly China’s)accelerated economic advancementover the last 20 years, along with thecorrespondingly greater impact that Asianow bears upon global economics andinternational relations makes Australia’smost recent attempt to grapple withthe reality of Asian power and influenceparticularly important. What once was adiscretionary change in policy direction,has now become a necessary andunavoidable realignment.Asia is an increasingly importantregion, and it is in Australia’s interest tohave a clear and detailed strategy throughwhich to engage that region.So how does it rate? Does the WhitePaper give new direction and insighton Australia’s Asian potential, or is itsimply an exercise in making sweepingmotherhood statements and setting outvague aspirational goals?At first glance, it is easy to beskeptical. Certainly, discussion of“deeper connections”, “new developmentopportunities” and “maximizingprosperity”, while inoffensive in themselves,do not provide a clear roadmap to asuccessfully Asian focused future. Likewise,the White Paper ticks many of theexpected boxes, the importance of focusededucation and training, infrastructure.(importantly including communicationsinfrastructure), tax and regulatory reform,foreign investments, relationships with keyregional players. But it would be difficultto assert that the White Paper presentsanything new and innovative that has notbeen covered in previous policy initiativesby this and previous governments.Furthermore, many of the issues thatthe White Paper discuss, such as risingincome in Asia, demographic shifts bothin Australia and in Asia, and Australia’scomparative advantage in resource andsome agricultural industries, are issues thatthe majority of Austcham’s membershipwill be familiar with and, where necessary,have developed strategies to deal with.But to my mind, the White Paper is farfrom a wasted exercise.The breadth of the Paper’s subjectmatter necessitates a treatment of thatsubject matter which may seem shallowand/or undeveloped. Likewise, theWhite Paper correctly identifies areas ofimportance for Australia’s future in Asia,such as the need to continue productivitygrowth, lower the cost of doing business inAustralia and train young people in Asianlanguages and culture.However, the true value of the WhitePaper is that it provides for a refocusingon the challenges of the coming AsianCentury. If Australia is to continue tothrive and develop, it must meet thesechallenges, and many different sectionsof the Australian community, both withinAustralia, throughout Asia and elsewherearound the globe, must develop anddeploy strategies to meet these challengesas they pertain to them.Certainly, as a member and chairpersonof the Australian Young Executivescommittee, the opportunity to move toHong Kong, and my continuing involvementwith and support from Austchamhas reinforced the need for a deeperunderstanding of Asia’s cultures, languagesand peoples. The development of thisunderstanding will be an unavoidablechallenge for future Australian leaders ofpolitics, business, industry and education.The White Paper brings this challengefirmly in to view, and at least for a shorttime, makes it a central topic in theAustralian national conversation. It is abase to build from, and should be thelaunching point for more detailed policyinitiatives, as well as projects from withinthe business, educational and scientificcommunities.Because, once in a generation is notgood enough. The conversation must becontinuing. The Asian Century is hereand now. Australia is advantageouslyplaced and has a unique set of strengthswith which to meet the coming decades,but in order to best use those strengthsAustralia and Australians must maintain acontinuing awareness of the reality of theAsian Century and the effect it will have onAustralia as a nation. While not giving anyendpoints, the White Paper does at leastprovide for a good start.Patrick Daley is an Associate of Haley & Co.CORPORATENEWSNEWSTelstra AppointmentTelstra recently appointed Tim Chen asthe new President & Group ManagingDirector.Mr Chen, 56, was previously Beijing-basedpartner with international private equityfirm GL Capital Group. He held seniorexecutive roles for international firmsincluding Microsoft, Motorola and AT&T BellLaboratories. He joined Telstra as a member ofthe Board of Directors in March 2012, havingbeen identified for his technology, strategicand business experience working with privateand public sector organisations.“Tim’s appointment increases the focus andurgency in growing our presence in Asia andrealising the significant revenue opportunitiesin the region,” Telstra CEO David Thodey said.“We know that having deep insights intothe Asian environment across our leadershipteam is a strategic advantage as we lookto strategically grow our regional interests,particularly in Network Applications andServices and expanding with our pan-Asiancustomers.”
COMMITTEES IN ACTION | 13CPI Committee: The NewEngineering Contract (NEC)On 13th November, the Construction, Property& Infrastructure Committee hosted a breakfastwith Mr. C.S. Wai, the Permanent Secretary forDevelopment (Works) and Mr. S.M. Ho, Chairman of theTask Force on NEC3 Collaborative Contracts, to discussthe current and future use of the NEC on Governmentprojects in Hong Kong.The NEC is a construction contract that differs fromthe standard form contracts presently in use in HongKong in that it expressly requires both parties to actin the spirit of mutual trust and co-operation. It alsoprovides a framework for the early identification andresolution of issues and disputes.Mr. Wai noted the considerable support withinGovernment for the NEC and its more frequent useon Government projects, noting that the first NECpilot public works project was completed withoutdispute, ahead of programme and within budget. Mr.Ho emphasised the underlying co-operative natureof the NEC and the cultural shift in attitudes requiredto effectively implement the NEC. Various concernswere noted by participants, including the risk of overmodification of the NEC, the proper role of externalconsultants on a Project based on partnering principles,the considerable resources required to project managean NEC based project and potential legal issues.It was encouraging to note Government’scommitment to the exploration and implementationof a collaborative based contracting system. The CPICommittee extends its gratitude to Mr. Wai and Mr. Hofor attending to share their views and experience of theNEC form of contract.- Phillip Rompotis, Stephenson HarwoodCPI Committee: Breakfast update on the on the HKInternational Airport ExpansionMr Kevin Poole was the guest-ofhonourat a breakfast session withthe Construction, Property andInfrastructure (CPI) Committee members lastmonth. He was invited to present and discussthe proposed 3rd runway expansion project atHong Kong International Airport and to providea status snapshot of the present approvalprocess and related challenges.After introducing the project, Mr Poole gavea detailed overview on traffic development and growth in aviation in Hong Kongand the wider Pearl River Delta. In particular he made reference to the changes inflight and passenger profiles against initial expectations at the time of the airport’splanning and construction. Hong Kong is a victim of its success. He also presentedthose projects which are currently under construction such as the Midfield Terminaland the Western Airfield enhancements. Furthermore he explained the drivers for thelatest status of the 3rd runway layout and the adjacent Terminal Pier development.He also provided details about the Terminal 2 refurbishment and future link to thenew Pier.The subject of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process was discussedin some detail. Mr Poole explained why this issue is currently in the press andrepresents a significant challenge within the approval and acceptance process. Healso mentioned the Social-Environmental Impact Study, which is a request by anumber of social representation groups, who question the present approach of theimplementation and scale of the airport expansion.All members agreed that Hong Kong’s specific profile and role as a historical traderoute hub depends on infrastructure projects such as Hong Kong InternationalAirport, which are a crucial element of Hong Kong’s sustainable growth.The challenges facing the present and future workforce market, in particular inthe construction sector, were also discussed. Mr Poole confirmed that the airportexpansion will have a major demand for workforce especially after the landreclamation during construction of the Terminals and airfield infrastructure.- Caspar Baum, EC HarrisMovember update!We had some great interest in theinaugural year of Movember in HongKong with some great individual andteam efforts in raising much needed funds forthe Hong Kong Cancer Fund.Hong Kong Cancer Fund is Hong Kong’slargest cancer support organisation, providing free information,professional guidance and peer support to anyone living withor affected by cancer.You can still donate to this very worthwhile cause bygoing to the AustCham Hong Kong Movember Network pagehttp://hk.movember.com/mospace/network/AustChamHKwhere you will find links to teams and individuals includingAustCham Board Directors Andrew Steadson and Phil Ingram(please see after shots below…) and sponsoring them andothers for their Mo growing efforts!Movember will be back in2013 so please get involvedor sponsor a friend next yeartoo!- Andrew Quinlan, AustChamPeople Forum: The hidden connectionbetween employment and social mediaWith the proliferation of online social media networks in recent times,it is essential for employers to put in place policies to govern theiruse in the workplace. This was my theme at a recent People Forumbriefing on “The hidden connection between employment and social media”."Social media can no longer be ignored by employers in today's world but theydon't need to be intimidated by it".The use of online social media in connection with HR presents someinteresting challenges and real problems: misuse of social media duringor outside of work to the damage or disadvantage of employers; staffwho have been dismissed after posting inappropriate comments aboutcolleagues; and the fine line between public and private lives. There aresubstantial legal issues lurking beneath each of these examples includingquestions like: is it lawful to vet a job applicant using social media sites?How much is too much social media at work and how do employersrestrict or monitor its use? How should employers manage reputationalrisks associated with its use?Ellen Cheng, HR Legal Director Intel Semiconductor (US) Ltd’s Greater AsiaRegion, co-presenter at the briefing, gave the attendees insight into whatIntel does in relation to online social media. It was very interesting to hearIntel’s 3 (simple) rules of engagement for use of online social media and howthey and the Hi-tech industry generally view Social Media in the work place.- Hong Tran, Partner, Mayer Brown JSM
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