STOP

ISSUE 66 October 2016 

FOUNDED IN PARRAMATTA 

WWW.WSBA.COM.AU 

Available free at 250 strategic 

drops points and online 

i 

Let s 

STOP 

BULLYING 

Brett Murray’s 

global crusade P12 

SPECIAL 16-page 

venues guide - LIFTOUT 

Check your business 

credit score - P2 

Watts McCray’s 

new CEO - P19 

NEW Jobs section - P 34 

Insight is more valuable than hindsight. 

Together, we’ll anticipate every angle in a deal 

and transform your business for the future. 

 

harness synergies and mitigate 

 

Anticipate tomorrow. Deliver today. 

© 2016 KPMG, an Australian partnership. All rights reserved.VIC N4491ENT

NEWS 


OCTOBER 2016 

STUDY REVEALS WHICH BUSINESSES ARE BANKABLE 

SEEKING WORK-LIFE BALANCE 

Oran Park work hub a success 

6 

9 

PARRAMATTA COULD MISS OUT 

Office space shortage a barrier 

BLACKTOWN CBD COMES ALIVE 

Council is creating a new vibe 

4 

8 

16 

Most owners don’t 

know credit scores 

By Michelle Pozo 

MONEY 

IF it gets measured, it should matter. 

That’s the message from KPMG’s 

Leanne Hegarty, in response to research 

which found 93 per cent of small business 

owners had never checked their business 

credit score. 

MYOB and the online small business 

compliance obligations and delivering on 

their business proposition,” she said. 

“Often issues that don’t have an immediate 

impact are put on the back burner. 

It becomes an issue with immediate impact 

when they apply for finance and a financier 

levies a higher margin or declines their 

request.” 

Sydney Hills Business Chamber Treasurer 

Stephen Waite said it was important 

for a business to know how “bankable” they 

were. 

“To find out your credit score during 

the process of applying for credit/debt may 

FAULTY TALES COMES TO TOWN 

Acclaimed show from Leura 

COMPETITIVE ADVANATGE OF FBs 

Tips for implementing the model 

19 22 

NEW CEO FOR LAW FIRM 

Karen’s strategy for Watts McCray 

PUTTING DIGITAL TO WORK 

How to ride the new waves 

CUSTOMER SERVICE TRENDS 

Justin Herald’s BIG 4 no-nos 

30 

37 

Connect with us 

facebook.com/AccessNewsAustralia 

youtube.com/AccessNewsAustralia 

linkedin.com/company/3278807 

twitter.com/AccessNewsAus 

ROUND TABLE ON DISRUPTION 

Experts on what works and why 

MAKING THE NETWORK SOUP 

The fundamentals remain the same 

TIPS FOR REMOTE WORKERS 

Be connected anywhere, any time 

32 

39 

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Sales: Graham Maughan, 0431 557 791 

Editor: Michael Walls, 0407 783 413 

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of trade outlined by the publisher. 

Cameron Poolman 

lender, OnDeck, conducted the research, 

which included a survey of 380 small-tomedium-sized 

business owners. 

OnDeck Australia CEO Cameron Poolman 

said the credit score was an important 

indicator of a business’ health. 

“Knowing their score means that business 

owners are in a much better position to 

look at funding options for activities such 

as growing the business, hiring staff, buying 

stock or smoothing out cash flow. 

“A business credit score is used by lenders 

such as OnDeck, as part of our process 

for assessing loan applications.’’ 

Ms Hegarty, a KPMG Enterprise Unit 

Partner, said an owner’s inability to access 

financial resources could delay the growth 

of their business. 

“If it is measured, it can be changed or 

influenced,” she said. “The business can 

strategise what it needs to do to improve its 

credit score and understand the implications 

of a suboptimal score on the overall 

business goals.” 

However, Ms Hegarty wasn’t surprised 

by the survey results because a credit score 

was not something that affected the general 

operations of a business. 

“Small and medium-sized enterprises 

are fully occupied satisfying their current 

Leanne Hegarty 

be too late. If a business knows its credit 

score now, they can put processes in place 

in order to improve it if need be.” 

OnDeck is giving away 10,000 credit 

scores through the Know Your Score 

website. 

Mr Poolman encouraged all business 

owners to jump online and spend a minute 

or two checking their score. “It’s totally free 

and won’t impact on your credit rating.” 

Mrs Hegarty said access to OnDeck’s 

free credit score online was a great start. 

“Start with the data and then seek advice to 

turn the data into information which can be 

acted upon. 

“Understanding the health of the business 

and how to influence it is imperative. 

If your business is your livelihood, why 

wouldn’t you keep it as healthy as you can.” 

How bankable is your business? 

93 per cent of the 380 small-to-medium 

business owners surveyed have never 

checked their credit scores. 

Business credit scores are a key indicator 

used for assessing credit or loan applications. 

OnDeck is giving away 10,000 credit 

scores checks through the Know Your 

Score website (www.ondeck.com.au/ 

knowyourscore) 

New river festival at Penrith 

ATTRACTIONS 

THE Nepean River will be brought to 

life with an exciting program of River, 

Environment, Art and Lifestyle activities 

with the inaugural Real Festival in 

Penrith from November 4 - 5. 

The Real Festival is a two-day celebration 

of food, music, art and mindful living 

and it’s an opportunity for residents and 

visitors to explore and enjoy the Nepean 

River. 

The festival offers different experiences 

over the two-day program; relax on Friday 

evening with great food, music and entertainment, 

then be inspired to take care of 

your health and the environment through 

workshops, talks, tours and activities on 

Saturday. 

Penrith Mayor John Thain said he is 

delighted to see the Nepean River being 

activated in this way. 

“Our community told us they’d like to 

see the Nepean River used for more activities 

and events. Their feedback has helped 

to inform the concept and design of this 

festival,” Mayor Thain said. 

“This festival explores four key themes; 

river, environment, art and lifestyle. These 

themes form the acronym for the event 

name and have inspired the program of 

activities, entertainment and experiences 

over the two days. 

“We look forward to delivering this innovative 

event for our community, welcoming 

new visitors to the region and showcasing 

our beautiful Nepean River throughout 

the event.” 

The Real Festival is a free community 

event held at Tench Reserve, Penrith NSW 

from November 4 -5. Event details at www. 

realfestival.com.au 

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3

NEWS 

Office space shortage a barrier 

COMMERCIAL 


PARRAMATTA could be missing out on 

the growth that it desires due to a lack of 

vacant office space, a report into the office 

market in the city has found. 

Knight Frank’s quarterly report, its September 

Office Market Brief, said office vacancies in 

Parramatta are expected to remain limited over 

the next three years. 

The local market will undergo significant 

“rejuvenation” over the next five years as large 

developments are completed, the report said. 

However, the next two significant developments 

already have pre-commitments to lease 

entire buildings. 

Western Sydney University will lease the 

26,000 square-metre first stage of 

Parramatta Square and the NSW 

Department of Education will 

lease the 25,000 square-metre 

105 Phillip Street site. 

Knight Frank Associate 

Director - Office Leasing, 

Alan James, said there 

is currently no A-grade 

office space available in 

the CBD 

“The down side of the 

low vacancy rate means 

there are limited options for 

companies looking to expand 

or move into Parramatta, 

without having to pre-commit 

to the new developments,” 

he 

said. 

“This means they will need a lead time of 

at least 18 months to two years for the office 

space to become available. 

“The talk about town is all about driving 

business out to the west but a lack of properties 

is stopping that growth.” 

As a result, the report said, there was a 

greater demand in the B-grade office market, 

increasing rental rates and pushing down incentives 

such as owners contributing to fit-outs. 

This in turn reduced the viability for companies 

to move into new premises. 

Knight Frank Managing Director - Sydney 

West, David Morris, said in general, this is not 

encouraging movement and growth but rather 

encouraging people to lock down and stay 

where they are. 

“Demand and supply are both low, which 

is unusual, but only because demand is being 

suppressed by the lack of choice and the rising 

costs of relocation.” 

While the “relative tightness” of the market 

in Parramatta has led to rental 

growth, the report said sales 

activity had remained sta- 

ble over the 12 months 

to September with a 

total of five properties 

selling for more than 

$5 million. 

The most re- 

cent A-grade build- 

ing sale, 18 Smith 

Street, et, sold in August 

for $84.8 million. 

Mr James said limited 

Alan James, David Morris 

stock was being brought to the market to be 

sold because building owners who were achieving 

stronger yield on their assets were preferring 

to hold on to their properties. 

The report said infrastructure development 

across Western Sydney is also “gathering traction”, 

to cater to the growth in population, jobs 

and the number of dwellings expected from 

the Parramatta Road Urban Transformation 

Program. 

Parramatta Light Rail construction will 

start in 2018 and take four years to complete, 

work on the WestConnex is expected to be 

finished by 2019 and the Sydney Metro North- 

West will include eight new railway stations 

and 4000 commuter car parking spaces. 

The report said Parramatta City Council 

has proposed draft zoning and planning control 

amendments in response to forecast growth 

which could provide an extra 48,760 jobs and 

20,300 dwellings. 

Parramatta Square 

The Walker Corporation will 

develop the three largest stages 

of Parramatta Square. These 

include: 

The Aspire residential tower. 

Stages 4 

and 6, which will 

include about 110,000 square 

metres of office space across 

two proposed p commercial tow- 

ers and retail podium (expected 

to be complete about 2020). 

Stage 3, at 153 Macquarie 

Street, is a proposed 35,000 

square metre, 16 level A-grade 

office tower with extra retail 

and childcare facilities 

(expected to be 

complete about 

2019). 


New serviced 

apartments 

meet demand 

PENRITH 

SIXTY-one serviced apartments 

will be built in North Penrith, 

providing a boost for local 

tourism. 

Penrith City Council has approved 

an eight-storey apartment 

block for 15 Engineers Place, 

which is situated in the ‘Urban 

Plaza’ precinct of the Thornton 

development. 

Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown 

said the $19.8 million development 

is a much needed facility to support 

Penrith’s thriving tourism industry. 

“Penrith currently has 1.3 million 

visitors annually and we are 

working to double that figure, by 

2025,” Cr McKeown said. 

“A recent study showed that 

more tourist and visitor accommodation 

was desperately needed to 

support the growth of this industry 

in Penrith. It will also lead to 

a range of benefits for the region, 

including the creation of new jobs.” 

The serviced apartments have 

been designed by DKO Architecture 

for St Hilliers. 

They are situated 70 metre s 

north of Penrith Station and 

include a café, conference room, 

gymnasium and two levels of car 

parking. 

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NEWS 


Dominos Pizzas seeks 2,500 Dominoids 

“Due to the overwhelming success of the desserts in the coming months.” 

GROWTH 

launch of our new menu we are hiring new 

‘Taste the Colour’ is Domino’s biggest 

team members to join Domino’s stores across menu shake up in seven years and will be 

Australia,” Mr Meij said. 

rolled out to Australia and New Zealand in 

Off the back of Domino’s Pizzas biggest “We have a shortage of approximately three phases, with phase two set to launch 

menu launch since 2009, the company 

has announced the need to hire an makers, store workers, delivery drivers, store launch in early 2017. 

2,500 roles to fill – everything from pizza just before Christmas and phase three to 

additional 2,500 new team members. managers and franchisees. It’s an exciting time “We have a lot of exciting technology 

CEO Don Meij says new “Dominoids” at Domino’s and we are seeing some incredible 

early results from the new menu.” 

this is complementing our menu of new 

rolling out in the coming months and 

(staff members) are needed to keep up 

with customer demand and train up for 

Mr Meij said the feedback from the new products. We saw Zero Click launch only a 

the next phase of the Taste the Colour Taste the Colour menu had exceeded the couple of weeks ago .” 

menu. 

Company’s expectations. 

Last month Domino’s announced plans 

Mr Meij said the menu launch was 

“The momentum we are experiencing off to nearly double its store count in Australia 

putting food innovation at the heart of the the back of the new menu launch is exciting and New Zealand over the next five years 

business and the company was looking to and we only expect this to continue as we after delivering a record profit, strong total 

add thousands of new team members to add other new phases to the Taste the Colour network sales and same store sales growth. 

keep up with demand. 

menu, including even more pizzas, sides and Visit: www.dominos.com.au 

$130M logistics centre to proceed 

Historic partnership sealed 

PARTNERSHIP 

By Red Dwyer 

A 

PARTNERSHIP between AMP Capital 

and Cosentino Australia will see the first 

stage of the $130 million Crossroads Logistics 

Centre, at Casula, go ahead. 

The Crossroads Logistics Centre is owned 

by investors in the AMP Capital Diversified 

Property Fund. 

Once complete it will accommodate about 

79,000 square metres of high-quality warehouse 

and office space across three precincts. 

Cosentino Australia is part of the Cosentino 

Group is a global, Spanish, family-owned 

company that produces and distributes high 

value innovative surfaces for the world of 

design and architecture. 

The group currently distributes its products 

and brands to more than 80 countries, directly 

controlling and managing its facilities in over 

20 countries. 

The property fund’s manager, Kylie 

O’Connor, said the logistics centre would 

become a key plank in its industrial property 

offerings. 

“Once complete, Crossroads Logistics 

Centre will become the cornerstone of our 

industrial and logistics portfolio,” she said. 

The building, at the crossroads of the M5 

and M7, is expected to be completed in the first 

quarter of 2017. 

WESTMEAD 

THE brightest minds will be united as 

part of a historic partnership between 

the University of Sydney and Westmead 

precinct partners. 

The partnership announced last week 

includes an initial commitment by the 

University of Sydney to contribute more 

than $60M for new education facilities, 

upgrades to existing spaces and new 

academic programs and initiatives. This 

is on top of the university’s annual $35M 

staffing commitment to the precinct. 

The funding boost will ensure clinicians, 

students and researchers at Westmead 

Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at 

Westmead, Westmead Institute for Medical 

Research and the Children’s Medical 

Research Institute will be able to continue 

to meet the health needs of western Sydney 

and beyond. 

The new facilities and programs will 

support expanded expertise and educational 

opportunities in areas like data 

sciences, engineering, physics, business 

management and the social sciences. 

The investment is one part of the 

$3.4B earmarked by government, universities 

and the private sector for investment 

at Westmead over the next decade, 

including new commercial and residential 

facilities and development of the Parramatta 

Light Rail. 

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5

NEWS 


Smart work hubsters want balance 

OPPORTUNITY 

By Red Dwyer 

GROWTH in membership of the Oran 

Park Smart Work Hub Small signals business 

owners are increasingly seeking a 

better w ork-life balance. 

Since it opened in November 2014, the 

hub’s membership has grown fivefold, albeit 

from a small base, from 15 to 80 plus small 

business owners. 

STAY 

MERRY. 

The hub, located at Oran Park Podium, 

offers local entrepreneurs the opportunity to 

embrace technology and new opportunities 

to work smarter in a professional environment 

closer to home, with the many advantages that 

brings. 

“The stories that really touch me are the 

ones where people say, ‘I can collect my children 

from their sporting event and I’ve never 

been able to do that before’,” said the Smart 

Work Hub’s Becky Pascoe. 

She said the majority of people who use 

the hub are small business owners who are just 

starting to grow their business. 

“The more people that we get here, the 

more value it seems to add to our 

members and create a real buzz in 

the space as well. 

“A lot of members might not 

actually realise the value of the collaboration 

at the hub until they get 

here. 

The hub, also, is a welcome alternative 

for residents who make the arduous 

daily commute to the Sydney 

CBD, or elsewhere, for they have 

the flexibility to conduct business in 

a space which provides high-speed 

wi-fi, flexible work spaces, meeting 

rooms, and presentation facilities. 

Mayors across 

the region 

COUNCILS 

COUNCILLOR Stephen Bali has been reelected 

Mayor of Blacktown City Council 

and Councillor Tony Bleasdale will be his 

deputy. 

In a 10-five vote along party lines, Labor 

Councillor Bali enters his third term as Mayor 

of Blacktown City, defeating Liberal candidate, 

Councillor Linda Santos. 

“Being elected for a third term as Mayor 

of Blacktown City is a great honour and I 

sincerely thank the Councillors of this city for 

their faith and trust,” he said. 

Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali and deputy Mayor 

Tony Ble 

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Penrith 

Penrith Council has elected unopposed 

both Councillor John Thain as Mayor of Penrith 

and Councillor Tricia Hitchen as Deputy 

Mayor. 

Councillors congratulated Cr Thain and 

Cr Hitchen and spoke of bipartisan solidarity 

with doing what needed to get done to ensure 

Penrith grows in a sustainable and positive 

manner. 

“It is more important than ever that 

Council works strongly together to mark 

and enhance our destiny as the New West - a 

strong regional city servicing greater Western 

Sydney,” Councillor Thain said. 

Hawkesbury 

The election of the Mayor of Hawkesbury 

for the 2016 to 2018 Mayoral Term and 

Deputy Mayor took place at on September 27. 

The new Mayor of Hawkesbury is 

Councillor Mary Lyons-Buckett and the new 

Deputy Mayor is Councillor Barry Calvert. 

Recent changes to legislation provides for 

the Mayor to hold the position for a two-year 

term and Council resolved that the Deputy 

Mayor also hold the position for the same 

period. 

Hills 

NEWLY-elected Mayor of the Hills Shire, 

Clr Yvonne Keane, has described her vision to 

ensure the Hills develops as an inclusive, connected, 

creative and spectacular community. 

Mayor Keane said that throughout her 

time as Mayor, she will focus on key priorities 

with the community firmly at the centre. 

“Each one of us is unique and deserves the 

opportunity to live a wonderful life,” she said. 

Clr Robyn Preston has been elected 

deputy Mayor. 



7

NEWS 

Bringing Blacktown CBD to life 

By Red Dwyer 

THE VIBE 


Food Truck 

Friday sells out 

ATTRACTION 

CAN Blacktown become a powerful magnet 

attracting the much-needed vibe to 

boost the experience – and economy – 

of the CBD? 

Blacktown City Council believes it can 

meet the challenge. 

Council’s opinion is that it can attract the 

required investment and jobs to provide a 

stronger and more successful identity for the 

lacklustre city centre. 

This could be accomplished by focussing 

on specific industries and providing activities 

targeting young people within these 

industries. 

“Health and education are two industries 

where opportunities exist to facilitate jobs 

growth in the Blacktown City Centre,” a 

council report said. 

Council said research confirmed that 

attracting such groups of people required 

“place activation” focused on providing 

regular activities, such as night markets and 

themed events. 

“We are in the process of developing 

place activation initiatives for the Blacktown 

City Centre as a first step.” 

The basis for council’s confidence is 

based on the findings of an initiative, Magnet 

Cities, undertaken by finance and consulting 

firm KPMG, in the United Kingdom. 

The 300-page document looked at 

reinvention programs which government organisations 

around the world were doing to 

attract people to their cities, and the types of 

people who could stimulate a local economy 

“The Magnet City concepts are useful 

Popular: Food Truck Friday in Blacktown CBD 

as we move to establish a stronger identity 

for the Blacktown City Centre as part of our 

overall vision,” the council report noted. 

This [Magnet Cities] philosophy tells 

us that capital works infrastructure, in itself, 

will not attract the specific groups of people 

we want experiencing and contributing to 

the city centre. 

“We need to understand and make some 

decisions on our comparative economic 

advantages with the objective of strengthening 

the presence of an industry sector in our 

city centre. 

The $700 million expansion of Blacktown 

Hospital was a catalyst creating opportunities 

to use education to specialise in 

specific forms of health service/care and to 

facilitate jobs growth in the CBD. 

“There is a strong link or correlation between 

having a strong and powerful city image 

and reputation, and the success of a place 

in attracting entrepreneurs, visitors, tourists, 

students and securing new investment.” 

Council said this was a strategy component 

it had yet to implement, but had identified 

as part of its planning. 

MORE than 10,000 people packed 

Blacktown’s Village Square for the 

first “Food Truck Friday” event. 

Formally known as Blacktown 

Night Markets, the first Food Truck Friday 

drew a huge and popular response from 

residents and local sh opkeepers. 

It will now become a regular event until 

the end of 2016. 

“Blacktown residents obviously voted 

with their feet and their stomachs,” said 

Blacktown City Mayor, Stephen Bali 

“All but three of the 43 food trucks sold 

out completely, which proves the idea was a 

success. 

Mayor Bali said the Food Truck Friday is 

part of a wider council plan to revitalise the 

Blacktown CBD. 

“For some time we have been working on 

plans to bring Blacktown alive,” he said. 

Local pizza shop owner Vince Vumbaca 

from Renee’s Pizza said he was eagerly anticipating 

next week’s event. 

“We had one of our best nights ever on 

Friday,” he said. “The food trucks brought 

thousands of hungry people into the CBD and 

we were flat out keeping up with the demand.” 

Mayor Bali said the huge turnout proves 

that with the right mix of attractions, Blacktown 

City Council can be a vibrant, family 

friendly place. 

The Friday night event will continue until 

the end of December, when a decision will 

be made about whether to continue into the 

next year. 

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NEWS 

Faulty Tales comes to town 


ORIGINAL story lines and a modern 

twist will have audiences at the Waldorf 

Parramatta Apartment Ho tel 

laughing out loud at the parody of 

the British classic Faulty Towers in December. 

The writer and star of Faulty Tales, 

Matt Barry, has been playing Bazil for 19 

years and says it’s important to keep the 

scripts original since the audience already 

knows the piece so well. 

“It’s more powerful when it’s totally 

original,” he said. 

“We make it relevant to the audience 

and bring in modern references to technology 

like iPads and current Australian 

politics. We do that with a wink and a nod.” 

The French antiques dealer Mrs 

Peignoir from the original sitcom, for 

example, became drag queen Mrs Painoir. 

“Bazil didn’t realise that she was a 

he. The show had a lot to say about the 

current debate on gay marriage but in a 

light-hearted way,” Mr Barry said. 

Mr Barry said while the show had a 

solid script, he was increasingly writing in 

the opportunity for the actors to improvise 

because the audiences loved to be 

involved in the show. 

“Most of our audiences are very raucous. 

We run little routines with them all 

night,” he said. 

Until now, Faulty Tales has been performed 

in the Blue Mountains, primarily 

at the Waldorf Leura Gardens Resort, as 

well as at corporate events. 

Mr Barry said the show was moving to 

Parramatta for a mini-season for the first 

time and encouraged audiences to come 

along. 

The Faulty Towers gang 

“We look at the audiences and there’s 

definitely a business community involved 

here as well, so we’ll be tweaking the show 

for that audience.” 

Mr Barry said he enjoyed the “intimacy” 

of the show. 

“People ask me why don’t you move 

to a bigger venue but I think about the 

Fawlty Towers restaurant and it only held 

about 30 people,” he said. 

“I come and talk to the audience after 

the show, that’s awesome. It’s so good to 

meet so many nice people.” 

NSW/ACT Revenue and Sales Manager 

for the Waldorf Apartment Group, 

Daryl Walker, said the show was hilarious. 

He said he was impressed with how 

the actors were able to stay in character for 

the entire night. 

“It’s not just the performance but the 

actors’ interaction with the crowd from 

their first arrival. They made you feel part 

of it, it was like a real hotel in a way.” 

Mr Walker said the Waldorf ’s Exacta 

Restaurant, which could accommodate 

about 70 people, would host the show. 

“This is the beauty of it, you sit down like 

you are in Bazil’s restaurant.” 

Mr Walker said the show would 

provide a good afternoon or night out and 

something different for those looking for a 

place to hold a corporate Christmas party 

or social gathering. 

Faulty Tales, presented by Boxboards 

Theatre, also stars Marnie O’Mara and 

Kathleen Leary as Cibil; Troy Lennon and 

Mike Tasma as Manwell; and Uma Dobia 

and Yyani Cook-Williams as Pollie. 

Treat for audiences 

What: Faulty Tales. 

Where: Waldorf Parramatta Apartment 

Hotel, 110-114 James Ruse Drive, 

Rosehill. 

When: Friday lunch, December 2 

to December 16, and Saturday dinner, 

December 3 to December 17. 

Tickets (include a three-course 

lunch or dinner): Adults $99, Children 

$55 (children under four free) 

Bookings essential: www.trybooking.com 

Details: 8837 8000, www.waldorfparramatta.com.au 


Retirement 

village approved 

A 

MULTI-million 

dollar retirement project 

in Bella Vista has been approved with the 

first stage expected to be completed by late 

2017. 

The Aveo Group’s project, on the corner of 

Old Windsor Road and Norbrik Drive, comprises 

449 independent living units over 10 buildings of 

heights ranging from 4–9 storeys, as well as a 144 

bed residential aged care facilit y. 

The project also includes various communal facilities 

including a multifunction centre, library, restaurant 

and café and wellness centre. 

The cost of the project, designed by Jackson Teece 

architects, has not been disclosed. 

Aveo has retirement facilities in Western Sydney at 

Camden Gardens and Casula. 

Salvos site 

for sale 

THE Salvation Army has on the market a 

2439-square-metre site with significant redevelopment 

potential on a busy thoroughfare through the 

Parramatta CBD. 

The site includes three properties at 32 Smith Street 

and 93-95 Phillip Street – a prominent corner – is used 

by the Salvation Army as an office and church hall. 

The site, zoned B3 Commercial Core, has redevelopment 

potential of 28,046 square metres with a height 

limit of 120 metres. 

For sale elsewhere in the Parramatta CBD is the 

historic Perth House built circa 1841 and located on 

a 368-square-metre site, at 85 George Street, in the 

corporate sector of the CBD. 

Novotel Sydney Norwest 

1 Columbia Court 

Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 

Accor Plus not accepted 

Terms and Conditions apply 

Christmas Party Packages 

from $67 per person 

Christmas Day Celebrations 

$150 per adult 

$100 per teenager (13-17 yrs) 

$50 per child (4-12 yrs) 

Children aged 3 & under are free 

For bookings call 02 9634 9634 

www.novotelnorwest.com.au 


9

NEWS 

EVENT CENTRE 

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Labor’s Council 

success a big 

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By Di Bartok 

ELECTIONS 

THE Baird government needed to “work 

harder” in communicating with the community 

after council elections in Western 

Sydney delivered a stinging blow to the 

Liberals. 

So says Ray Williams, MP for Castle 

Hill and the Premier’s lieutenant in Western 

Sydney, who has downplayed the swing away 

from the Liberals by decl aring it as “a settling 

back” to Labor after his party’s massive wins 

in the area at the 2011 and 2015 State elections. 

In, Blacktown in particular but also Liverpool, 

Campbelltown and Penrith, Labor won 

back seats from the Liberals in the September 

10 elections held in councils that had not 

amalgamated. 

“We had reached the high water mark in 

Labor heartland and now there is a shift back,” 

Mr Williams told Access. 

But he did concede that there were “lessons 

to be learned” in voters turning away 

from the Liberals and delivering the best 

results for Labor in local government in close 

to 10 years. 

However, he did not put as much emphasis 

on unpopular government policies such as 

the lock-out laws, the greyhound racing ban 

and council amalgamations as much as media 

commentators and politicians from both sides 

did in the election aftermath. 

“When it comes to council amalgamations, 

I don’t think that was such a big issue in 

the community, who just want decent roads 

and to have their garbage collected,” Mr Williams 

said. 

“And there had been five years’ consultation 

with councils. As for the greyhound ban, 

the report on widespread cruelty gave us no 

choice but to close the industry down. 

“With the lock-out laws, made when 

people had died from coward punches, young 

BRIEFS 

$250M distribution centre 

THE Toll Group plans to build 

a $250 million state-of-the-art retail 

distribution centre at the Prestons 

Logistics Estate. The 32,000 square 

metre distribution centre for apparel 

retailer, Specialty Fashion Group, will 

be built by LOGOS Group. Fitted with 

advanced automation technologies to 

enable fast and efficient distribution to 

customers, the facility is said to be one 

of the first in Australia specifically designed 

to cater for the growing retail e- 

commerce market. The Prestons facility 

would enable Specialty Fashion Group 

to get products to stores and customers 

faster than ever before. “Currently, 

Specialty Fashion Group sells a garment 

a second in Australia,” said Gary Perlstein, 

CEO, of Specialty Fashion. “We 

have worked with Toll to create a supply 

chain solution that enables our omni 

channel strategy across all brands for a 

streamlined and memorable customer 

experience,” he said. The state-of-theart 

technologies would enable the site 

to manage high volumes efficiently and 

quickly, dispatching products for faster 

delivery and reducing overall costs per 

unit. The Prestons facility will employ 

Mike Baird 

people have thanked us, saying they now feel 

safe on the streets at night.” 

But Mr Williams said the government had 

to educate the public more on its policies, and 

bring the community with them more. 

“Good government is not a popularity 

contest - it is about making tough decisions for 

the community,” he said, echoing the words of 

Premier Baird. 

He said the Baird government would be 

known for making those tough decisions as 

well as delivering more infrastructure that 

NSW had seen in decades. 

“This state is the best place on earth bar 

none and we are ahead of other states in 

infrastructure and money spent on hospitals,” 

he said. 

The party recorded its best result in 

Blacktown in more than a decade, picking up 

an extra three seats in the local government 

election. 

In Blacktown, Labor went from seven 

councillors to 10, the first time this has happened 

since 2004. The Liberals went from six 

to five councillors. 

Incumbent mayor Stephen Bali said Labor 

had an 11 per cent swing in Blacktown. 

He said state and federal issues including 

the ban on greyhound racing, Badgerys Creek 

Airport and the lack of investment in Blacktown 

had factored into the results. 

around 120 warehouse operators and 

is expected to dispatch more than 90 

million units annually. Construction is 

expected to be completed in October 

2017. 

48-storey hotel 

CORONATION Property and Karima 

Group plan a 48-storey hotel on the 

former site of St Andrews Uniting Church 

and the church’s hall, at 2-10 Phillip Street 

in the Parramatta CBD. Both properties 

are listed as items of local heritage significance 

and will be incorporated within the 

design. The proposal will include commercial 

sites on the lower levels, including 

cafes and restaurants, and about 330 units. 

$150 million project 

THE $150 million Narellan Town 

Centre is due for completion late 2016, 

with the overall development expected to 

be completed mid-2017. The expansion 

will double the mall’s floor space from 

35,000 square metres to 70,000 square 

metres. The expanded town centre will 

create an estimated 1750 jobs open and 

rival other major shopping centres in 

the area, including Macarthur Square in 

Campbelltown. 


DESIGN FOR PARRAMATTA SQUARE’S 

PUBLIC DOMAIN REVEALED 

HOW TO START A 

SMALL BUSINESS 

PROGRAM 

This FREE 10 week program is designed to provide 

practical advice and training to participants looking 

to start a small business for the first time, typically 

as a sole trader, and improve success rates 

particularly during the first 12 months of setup and 

operation. 

Delivered in partnership with the TAFE Western 

Sydney Institute, each weekly session will be 50% 

lecture material and 50% Q&A. Classes will target 

practical rather than academic skills. 

All trainers are accredited TAFE trainers and 

experienced industry professionals. 

When: 6pm-8pm, Tuesdays 11 Oct – 13 Dec 

Venue: TAFE Parramatta Campus, Shop 1B, 69 

Phillip Street, Parramatta 

Materials: TAFE Western Sydney Institute 

will provide all course materials including a 

participation certificate at the conclusion of the 

program. 

For more information and to register visit http:// 

bit.ly/2dg0dOn 

Enhanced concept designs have been revealed for the 

public domain at the heart of the $2 billion Parramatta 

Square urban renewal project. 

The release of the plans follows extensive community 

consultation undertaken during October 2015 when 

residents and stakeholders provided valuable feedback 

on an initial Draft Concept Design. 

“The community have told us they want flexible places 

to meet and relax, the provision of public art, and 

spaces for entertainment and events. 

“With designs for all of the buildings on Parramatta 

Square now known, it was important to revisit the 

public domain to ensure it meets the needs of 

residents, workers commuters and visitors to our City, 

and aligns with Council’s vision for a preeminent civic 

and ceremonial space at the heart of our CBD,” City of 

Parramatta Council Administrator Amanda Chadwick 

said. 

The Enhanced Concept includes the following design 

features: 

WHAT’S ON 

PARRAMATTA LANES 

Tuesday 11 to Wednesday 14 October, from 5pm 

Various locations 

Take a journey through Parramatta’s laneways and 

discover a world of tempting delights. From gourmet 

street food and boutique beer gardens to live music 

and art installations—uncover new and surprising 

performances around every corner. 

Visit parramattalanes.com.au 

» A ‘digital carpet’ paving treatment that will not 

only demonstrate Smart City initiatives but also 

be a beacon for visitors attracted to the innovative 

feature at the entrance to Council’s landmark civic 

and community building at 5 Parramatta Square; 

» The digital carpet can be designed to be interactive 

and can incorporate: 

– Innovative paving design to generate sound and 

power 

– Spectacular lighting displays 

– Public art installations 

– Holograms 

» A series of ‘billabongs’ (water pools) at 5 

Parramatta Square that can be turned on and off as 

required to not only encourage kids’ play but also 

react to the heat of the day as a cooling mechanism; 

» A grove of Cabbage Tree Palms with “Smart” 

shading structures and seating. These “Smart” 

structures can incorporate digital art, cooling 

mechanisms and solar-powered USB charging. 

» Grassed terracing to Church Street at 8 Parramatta 

Square, also known as Aspire Tower, and grassed 

zones near 4 and 6 Parramatta Square; 

» Flexible spaces for people to meet, relax, picnic or 

dine; 

» Logical pathways for commuters, workers and 

students passing through Parramatta Square; 

» Event spaces to stage markets, citizenship 

ceremonies, key celebrations, graduation 

ceremonies, festivals and recognition events; 

» Art and design features to respect the unique 

Aboriginal and Colonial heritage of the area 

The forecast $36.5 million budget for the public domain 

will be funded from the development of Parramatta 

Square, at no cost to ratepayers. 

The concept design was created by 4² – a design team 

including award-winning firms James Mather Delaney 

Design (JMD), Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL), Tonkin 

Zulaikha Greer (TZG) and Gehl Architects, Denmark. 

PARRAMATTA DAY 

Saturday 29 October, 2pm-8.30pm 

Experiment Farm, Harris Park 

Celebrate Parramatta’s birthday with live music, 

historic tours, kids’ activities & workshops and 

Farmers Market stalls! In the evening cheer on local 

talent at PARRAVISION, with MC Darren Percival, 

followed by a fireworks finale. 

Visit parramattaday.com.au 

www.cityofparramatta.com.au 

Content on this page is sponsored by City of Parramatta in the interests of informing residents and businesses of Council initiatives and events. Any views expressed on this page are not 

necessarily those of WSBA, now does WSBA accept any responsibility for claims made on this page. 


11

TIME WITH 

Brett Murray, CEO Make Bullying History Foundation 


From VICTIM to VICTOR 

Michael Walls 

By WSBA Editor 

TIME WITH PROULY SPONSORED BY 

“ 

if I could change one thing, 

I’d change men.” 

- Brett Murray 

Brett Murray competing in a triathlon 

AS the CEO of the Make Bullying History 

Foundation, Brett Murray speaks to lots 

of children. 

He speaks to them at schools everywhere; 

in privileged areas, in not so privileged 

areas and everything in between. He loves it. 

It’s his passion and his calling. 

And while the areas he visits might change 

the insidious effects of bullying don’t. Bullying 

doesn’t discriminate. 

Brett is on a crusade to end bullying. His 

own story is inspirational. A classic tale of 

victim transforming into the victor. 

Many people still don’t get the whole bullying 

thing. But the statistics tell the sad reality. 

Take a minute and let these numbers sink 

in: Australia is number three in the world 

for High school bullying, number two in the 

world for teen suicide, suicide being the number 

one killer of males 15 - 24 in Australia. In 

80% of all suicide cases bullying is the number 

one contributing factor. 

So, Australia is second IN THE WORLD 

for teen suicides and in about 80 per cent of 

these cases bullying was significant in influencing 

a young person to end their own life. 

And it’s not just schools and teenagers 

that are affected. Workplace bullying costs the 

federal economy in excess of $36B PA in lost 

productivity. 

I was privileged to sit down with Brett for 

this interview on the eve of the make Bullying 

History Gala Dinner at Novotel Parramatta 

on October 29 to explore his motivation and 

passions. 

WSBA: Thanks for spending time with us 

Brett. Can you tell us please a little about your 

background and how you ended up as CEO of 

an anti-bullying organisation? 

Brett: Briefly, being a victim of massive 

bullying through high school, which affected 

my educational journey, i.e. left school early, I 

decided to make something of my life, turn it 

around and try and help stop any other young 

people from suffering as I did. My life’s journey 

has seen me become a state rep or State 

Champion in 5 different sports, now I’m the 

only anti-bullying triathlete in the world, I’m 

married to an amazing woman with 3 incredible 

children, a multiply published author and 

co-founder of Make Bulling History Foundation 

with my wife Terrisa and CEO of the 

organisation. We’re just getting started! 

WSBA: What drives you each day to help 

others in their quest to end bullying? 

Brett: It is my passion for people, to inspire 

them to achieve their dreams, fulfil their 

potential and be their best, that’s what drives 

me. To leave a legacy and make a positive difference, 

a real difference in our world. 

WSBA: If there is a model for business 

success how would you define it? 

Brett: There are no shortcuts. Just like in 

triathlon, there is no secret to success, it’s hard 

work, consistency, integrity, and tenacity. Never 

give up. The harder you work, the luckier 

you get. Integrity is important, if you try and 

cut corners, you will get found out, just like in 

training, you want the results, put in the hard 

work. we’ve been around long enough now for 

people to realise we are the real deal, we really 

do care, we have the runs on the board. It takes 

a while to become an overnight success. And 

above all, do what you are passionate about, 

people pick it up, and it’s infectious. 

WSBA: What are the qualities you are 

most attracted to in staff, colleagues and business 

partners? 

Brett: One of the biggest qualities is 

humility, if someone blows their own trumpet 

too loud it’s distracting. I like confidence 

though, and real humility has a respectable 

confidence with it. There has to be passion, 

and I think above all, wisdom and integrity. 

Wisdom to make the right choices, integrity, a 

track record of making right choices. 

BOOK NOW: MAKE BULLYING HISTORY GALA DINNER P15 

Brett speaking with media 

WSBA: How do you wind down, or maintain 

sense of balance in your life? 

Brett: We as a family cherish family time, 

so hanging out watching movies, spending any 

time together with the family we all love. Going 

to new places together, beaches in Summer, 

a good restaurant, great coffee, and as business 

people, rewards. The harder you work, the 

more you need to reward yourself. At least 

two weekend trips away per year in between 

the family holiday I think is essential. What’s 

the point of working so hard and sacrificing 

so much to create positive change if you don’t 

experience any reward? As humans, even with 

the best intentions, you will soon burn out. 

WSBA: Please describe your greatest life 

lesson, or most influential turn-around moment. 

Brett: My biggest life lesson, turn around 

moment, was sitting down with my wife 

Terrisa, at a Coffee club, and talking out our 

vision. We’d decided to grow, the cause was 

obviously bigger than us, so we needed to go 

to the next level. The decision was made to 

become a charity, Terrisa explained what our 

logo would be and I having a little drawing 

talent drew it up on a napkin, we still have it. 

It represented visually what we are all about, 

standing together as a community helping empower 

others. Listening to Terrisa, being brave 

enough to risk everything and step up into the 

next level of productivity, action, education 

and influence, being willing to be challenged 

to grow and stretch, that was the biggest turn 

around. The life lesson in it all, the whole 

journey is that you can’t do it alone. 

WSBA: If you could have dinner with 

anyone, dead or alive who would that person 

be and why? 

Brett: I’d love to have dinner with Abraham 

Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Nelson 

Mandela and Sir Richard Branson. All real 

courageous leaders who stood their ground 

with courage and conviction. I can’t do the 

first three, but who knows, maybe I’ll get the 

chance to dine with Sir Richard one day! 

WSBA: Your favourite book? 

Brett: I really enjoyed Paul Barry’s ‘The 

Rise and rise of Kerry Packer, Also Pardon 

me I’m Prospering by Kevin Gerald, Leadership 

Promises for every day by John Maxwell 

something I read daily, and The Power of right 

Believing by Joseph Prince. 

WSBA: Your favourite movie? 

Brett: Being a state Champion - Boxer 

Rocky III, followed closely by Rocky Balboa 

(Rocky 6) and Braveheart, and I love the 

Bourne Movies as well. 

WSBA: If you could change one thing 

about the world today, what would that be? 

Brett: I would change.... MEN! If I could 

have an impact on men, help dad’s be better 

Fathers, better husbands, better Gentlemen, 

better leaders, better businessmen, by better I 

mean more integrity, more faithfulness, more 

present with their children, more committed 

to agenda’s other than themselves. I’d change 

that! Globally. 

Brett with Make Bullying History supporters, Paul Gallen and Mick 

Brett speaking to school students 

Ennis from the Crounulla Sharks 


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13

Century 21 

North 

Western 

has turned 

PINK 

in support of 

Pink October, 

2016 

Azeem Khan - Principal 0478 075 377 

QUAKERS HILL 1, 2 DOUGLAS ROAD 

CENTURY 21 NORTH WESTERN 9837 1300 

SMARTER.BOLDER.FASTER 


INVITATION TO 

Make Bullying History Gala Dinner 

Reduce bullying in schools by 

up to 70% within 12 months. 

Saturday, 6.30pm, October 29, 2016. 

Novotel Parramatta. 

$120 per head or $1000* per table of 10 

(* if purchased prior October 17) 

Australia is top #3 in the world for the most number of teenagers that commit 

suicide because of bullying. The Make Bullying History Foundation is making an 

impact and have reduced bullying in some schools by up to 70% in 12 months 

- but they need your support to continue to do so. 

The night will include a delicious two course dinner, drinks, a charity auction 

 

To book or for more information, please call Michael on 0452 446 443 or email 

michael@mkgevents.com.au to secure your seats. 

MAJOR SPONSORS 

DESIGN, GRAPHIC ART, QUALITY PRINT. MADE EASY 

www.makebullyinghistory.org 


15

By David Pring 

BF 

FAMILY 

BUSINESS 

WESTERN SYDNEY 

Welcome 

Welcome to the October edition of Family 

Business. Featured articles include tips 

that are not always as complex or expensive 

to improve & protect your business from cyber-attacks. 

Senior generations & planning 

for succession – there are options for those 

interested in evolving the next gen. Running 

a family business can have its challenges 

but family businesses have strong competitive 

edge. If you would like to discuss this 

month’s feature topics please feel free to 

contact me on 9455 9996 or davidpring@ 

kpmg.com.au 

Why FBs have a competitive advantage 

Doing business with family can be difficult, 

but family businesses have unique opportunities 

compared to other companies – 

once they have proper structures in place. 

It isn’t a secret that some of the most successful 

businesses in the world were started by families. 

BMW, Cargill and Johnson & Johnson are just 

some of the bigger names that are either owned in 

part or have a family presence to this day. 

In Australia, family businesses range from 

local shops to large operations such as Linfox 

and Visy. In fact, family businesses represent 

about two thirds of the overall Australian business 

community. 

KPMG Enterprise Partner Dominic Pelligana, 

who is actively involved with Family 

Business Australia, says running a family business 

is complex – but it has strong competitive 

advantages. 

“I always say the family business system 

is the optimal model for running a business – 

but it comes with an asterisk,” he says. “That 

asterisk is making sure you have a strategic 

plan for the business – and the family.” 

Embedded values make 

a stronger culture 

Think about what it takes to get a traditional 

business up and running. It requires a 

core set of values – a principle to rally behind 

and a shared vision to strive for. In a traditional 

business, the founders often deal with a 

number of partners, or investors, who all want 

a say. With a family business, the values and 

ethos are embedded from the start. 

“They’re usually genuine values, and the 

purpose isn’t just to make money – it’s to solve 

a problem or fill a niche. It’s almost like their 

intent is stronger,” Pelligana says. 

The KPMG Family Business Survey 2015 

recorded a rise in the number of family owned 

small-to-medium enterprises using Family 

Constitutions to document their values. This 

effort means family businesses are able to 

play the long game, integrating two powerful 

systems – family and business. 

“They’re more willing to invest in ‘patient 

capital’ – that is, spending that takes a while 

to realise value – and take long-term views,” 

Pelligana says. 

Bringing the family on board 

When it comes to handing over a family 

business to a new generation, some tension 

can arise. This is often due to different approaches 

to strategy and risk. 

The KPMG survey revealed 49 percent 

of first generation founders are ‘prospectors’ 

and more willing to take on necessary risks. 

However, it also found 50 percent of those in 

the second through to fourth generations are 

‘defenders’. They want to protect the business, 

and introduce more advanced and professional 

systems and processes. The founder of 

the business can be resistant to that change. 

However, that generational shift can also 

be an advantage. Handling customer accounts 

takes on a new life, as sons and daughters 

continue the legacy set down by the previous 

generation. 

“People who work in the family business 

could get a higher salary elsewhere. But they 

understand the money is going back into the 

business, creating a legacy for their family. 

When customers see that loyalty, they know 

they’re in good hands,” Pelligana says. 

Family tension is normal 

Often, people in family business can mix 

emotion with their work – perhaps feeling 

as though they aren’t running things correctly 

– leading to tensions. 

“This is exacerbated when you overlay 

the family lifecycle (generational change and 

attitudes) with a normal business lifecycle 

(growing pains and the need to reinvigorate 

strategy),” he says. 

The KPMG Family Business Survey 2015 

found that CEO performance worsens when 

they reach over 70 years of age. However, 

the founder may find it difficult to hand over 

control. 

But this tension can be advantageous. 

When the second generation attempts to 

improve the business with systems, processes 

and governance, they’re not working from 

step one. They understand the business, that 

perfection is made over time, and the improvements 

are brought by a team who have 

been close to the business for years. 

It is the second generation and its 

ability to professionalise the business and 

family which can set a smooth transition 

to the third and future generations. 

A lasting legacy 

Another key advantage family businesses 

can embrace is legacy knowledge. 

“Often in a corporate business, the same 

mistakes are made twice because the people in 

charge leave and knowledge isn’t passed down. 

The clear advantage of a traditional family 

business with multiple generations is that this 

knowledge ‘stays in the family’,” Pelligana says. 

It’s important to remember there is no secret 

formula to a family business. Each family 

business is unique in its needs. 

Therefore, having a solid business structure 

and strategy, ensuring proper governance 

and guidance, and giving each family member 

a part to play means family businesses can harness 

their competitive advantage. 

Get the basics right, and family businesses 

can not only thrive – they could sustainably 

outpace the competition. 

ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED 

BY DOMINIC PELLIGANA – 

KPMG PARTNER ENTERPRISE, 

AUSTRALIAN PRACTICE 

It’s not what you see, but how you see it. 

Together, we can take a fresh perspective. 

Whether you’re an innovative start-up or thriving business, 

KPMG Enterprise can help you take the next steps to growth. 

To learn more, contact David Pring on 9455 9996. 

Anticipate tomorrow. Deliver today. 

© 2016 KPMG, an Australian partnership. All rights reserved. VICN4491ENT 


BF 

FAMILY 

BUSINESS 



FB tips for improved cyber-security 

SECURITY 

PROTECTION from cyber-attacks is crucial 

and yet, insists Paul Reilly, not always 

as complex or expensive as you might 

think. 

Barely a day goes by without a cyber-attack 

or other incident hitting the mainstream 

press. Recently we have seen a number of 

high-profile cases with large companies such 

as TalkTalk and Sony Pictures. 

What is not reported with the same gusto 

is the impact of cyber-attacks, breaches or 

incidents on individuals or family offices but 

that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening. 

Most attacks stem from organised criminals 

simply looking to make money, whether 

by siphoning through payment systems or by 

targeting decision-makers through ever more 

sophisticated spear-phishing emails. 

Many assume that they will know if they 

have been hacked — not so. A successful hack 

may sit undetected, with unrestricted access 

to systems and data, for months and in some 

cases years. 

When considering cyber-security in the 

family office context, the focus is often on 

expensive and sophisticated technology solutions, 

but the margin of vulnerability is often 

greater when it comes to people and process. 

What are they releasing online, particularly 

on social media, and could the aggregation 

of that data create a fuller picture which 

may be used to target family members or their 

interests? 

This came to light recently when a wellknown 

businessman spent millions of dollars 

on physical security only to have his daughter 

post photos on social media which held 

metadata, including time and location details, 

providing a possible target pack to any nefarious 

individuals. 

Cyber-security can be seen as too expensive 

and complicated, but this need not be the 

case: improving your security does not need 

to be focused on advanced, hi-tech solutions. 

It incorporates how you communicate 

with your advisers, employees and family 

members and it is how you make payments or 

confirm your travel plans. 

• Identify what is most valuable to you 

and the power that any personal or 

sensitive information could have if it 

fell into the wrong hands. 

• Assess your degree of exposure. Do 

not forget to include social media 

and the ‘internet of things’. Once you 

“ 

Identify what is most 

valuable to you and the 

power that any personal or 

sensitive information could 

have if it fell into the wrong 

hands.” 

- Paul Reilly 

have highlighted your risks, the next 

stage is to look at ways to mediate 

these. 

• Ensure the fundamental security 

controls such as firewalls, anti-virus 

software, secure configurations, security 

logging and monitoring are all in 

place and updated. 

• Consider the email system you are 

using. Many family office employees 

simply use their personal email accounts 

for correspondence. Not only 

does this make it harder for you to 

manage security but also, as families 

have found out to their cost, should 

that employee leave they own and 

take away all the personal data, often 

including bank details and passport 

copies, which has been emailed to 

them over the years. 

• Make sure two-factor authentication 

is switched on where available. Combining 

a password with a verification 

code, this simple step could have 

helped to prevent the many naked 

celebrity photos hitting the internet 

in 2014. 

• Review your processes and who 

actually needs access to what information. 

If your bank always telephones 

to voice authorise payments, 

consider replicating this within the 

family office. 

• Do not forget that people are key 

players in the effectiveness of 

cyber-security. Agree social media 

ground-rules with staff and family 

members. It is impossible to be 

completely secure and safe from 

trying, however, it could be a good 

way to involve the next generation 

and make the most of their skills 

and knowledge. 

By taking a positive and proactive approach 

to managing cyber-risk, you can get 

ahead of the risks and put yourself on a stronger 

footing to proceed with confidence. 

ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED BY PAUL REILLY - KPMG MANAGER, UK PRACTICE 

Succession planning & the senior generations 

ACTION 

“FOCUSSING on the next generation 

does not remove the need for the older generation 

to play their part”. 

When families start to focus on their 

succession plans, there are many 

helpful options available for those 

who are interested in developing the 

next generation. However, this process inevitably 

raises the question of balance between 

the generations. 

This was clearly stated by a next generation 

member who asked: ‘Why is succession 

always about us?’ 

She continued: ‘Why are we always the 

problem when, let’s face it, no matter how well 

educated I am or how many next-gen courses 

I’ve attended, succession isn’t going to happen 

until the seniors let go of power? I cannot 

take what has not been offered. At worst, my 

generation is only half of the problem.’ 

She has a point. The seniors need to 

decide, for example, if they are financially 

secure independent of their stake in the family 

enterprise. 


If they are not, they are unlikely to let 

go. But, even if they feel they have enough 

in financial terms, they also need to decide 

what they will do after they stop devoting so 

much time to the family enterprise, including 

enjoying whatever reputation and status this 

bestows. 

These challenges cannot be solved entirely 

by investing more time and money in preparing 

the next generation to take over. At least 

as much effort needs to be invested in helping 

the seniors face up to the emotional and financial 

challenges they will encounter in the next 

stage of their lives. 

In reality, family members will often find 

that the answers they need in succession planning 

depend on what the other generation 

decide to do. Often: 

• Seniors feel they cannot plan retirement 

until the next generation make 

up their minds about whether they 

want a career in the family enterprise. 

• The next generation wants to settle 

down but can’t get an answer from 

seniors who are not yet ready to 

commit to succession and retirement 

planning. 

• The next generation are too young 

to make choices but feel under pressure 

to do so because this suits older 

parents who want to know what is 

happening. 

Age and adult development trajectories 

add to the inter-generational dynamics of an 

enterprising family. 

Transitions tend to be smoother when 

both generations are in sync, meaning each 

generation is at the age and stage to make the 

personal changes in their lives that are at the 

heart of succession planning. 

For example, the transition between 

seniors aged 60-70, who are looking to build 

a structure for retirement, and a next generation 

aged 35-45 is likely to be easier than if 

the next generation is 19-25. 

The 19-25 stage of life involves exploring 

options for the life you want (where to 

live, relationships, career options), so settling 

for a role in the family business may seem 

unattractive when there are still many other 

avenues to explore. 

However, as mid-life approaches (35- 

45), there is a stronger inclination to make 

choices and have a more established life 

structure. 

Transitions in a family enterprise are 

easier if well timed and family members and 

advisers should pay heed to the demographic 

reality of a family when planning the succession 

conversation. 

If the different generations of the family 

are not in sync it might be better to nudge 

the process along, rather than putting people 

under pressure to have discussions and make 

decisions prematurely. 

It also helps both generations ease into 

the conversation if they understand the wishes 

of the other. On the basis that a problem 

shared is a problem halved, here is an agenda 

for the generations in a family enterprise to 

start the discussion — together: 

• What do you enjoy about your current 

stage of life? 

• What do you find tough or dislike? 

• What would you like to ask the other 

generation? 

• Is there any advice you would offer 

them? 

• What do you think the other generation 

are concerned about, given their 

age and stage? 

• How do you think they feel about the 

succession process? 

ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY KEN MCCRACKEN – KPMG PARTNER, UK PRACTICE 

17

Growth 

looks 

 

 

 

Together, let’s turn your aspirations into reality. 

Our advisory professionals can help your fast-growing 

company set the foundations for sustainable growth. 

kpmg.com/au/enterprise 

© 2016 KPMG, an Australian partnership. All rights reserved. VIC N13988PE 


BF 

FAMILY 

BUSINESS 



New CEO puts people first 

By Michael Walls 

WSBA Editor 

EXECUTIVE 

LEADING family law firm Watts McCray 

has a new CEO. 

The firm has seven offices located 

across Sydney, including two in Western 

Sydney at Norwest and Parramatta. 

Incoming CEO Karen Appleby has a 

background in HR and business management. 

Her appointment is a reflection of the focus 

that Watts McCray directors are placing on 

employee engagement. 

Ms Appleby moved to Australia with IBM 

Canada and completed an MBA at Macquarie 

University (MGSM). She also has a psychology 

degree and studied ‘Leading Professional 

Services Firms’ at Harvard. 

A resident of the region, she has held positions 

in telcos, financial services firms and was 

CEO of a tax law firm. 

“Watts McCray has made a conscious 

decision to appoints someone who doesn’t fit 

the typical mould of a CEO,” she told WSBA. 

“I think traditional CEOs have specialised 

in finance and have come from a different 

environment. With the shift to an individualised 

focus in professional services, the need 

to invest in your people and their motivations 

becomes increasingly more important.” 

People focus: Incoming Watts McCray CEO Karen Appleby 

think traditional 

“I 

CEOs have 

specialised in 

finance and come 

from a different 

environment.” 

- Karen Appleby 

Karen is unique in that she makes up a 

small proportion of the 17.3% of women 

CEOs in Australia (Workplace Gender Equality 

Agency, 2015, Gender pay gap biggest in 

manager ranks). In addition, regardless of 

gender, it is rare to find a CEO with an HR 

background. This demonstrates Watts Mc- 

Cray’s commitment to focus on their people. 

Ms Appleby says her career hasn’t always 

been planned. 

Karen Appleby outside the firm’s Norwest office. 

“There’s a bit of drift (career wise). Watts 

McCray approached me based on my accomplishments 

I had at my prior law firm, both 

financial and people results,” she said. 

“A lot has been planned though. I knew 

if I wanted to progress to senior roles within 

HR or another profession, I needed to go 

further in my education and develop my 

business acumen to a higher level.” 

Watts McCray has five permanent office 

locations – Canberra, Erina Fair, Norwest, 

Sydney and Parramatta as well as two 

serviced offices located in Brookevale and 

Frenchs Forest. 

The firm is well established in the Parramatta 

and Sydney locations. The Norwest 

office is a relatively recent opportunity for 

Watts McCray and the firm is keen to capitalise 

on its investment. 

“We want to make the most of this investment 

and meet the needs of the people in this 

area – the local community – to help them 

with regard to their family issues that they 

may be encountering,” Ms Appleby said. 

Ms Appleby believes that there is currently 

a trend for the bigger firms to try and 

be all things to all people. This approach is 

proving challenging for them to sustain. 

“They are learning it is difficult to be 

everything to everyone and sacrifices have to 

be made. They may be able to attract recent 

graduates initially, however as years pass, 

these individuals want to be able to grow and 

develop with a variety of mentors and leaders 

who will invest in their future. Watts McCray 

offers a unique employee value proposition 

in this regard. This attracts high calibre, 

ambitious and results driven solicitors. This 

differentiation and specialized focus was one 

which attracted me to the position at Watts 

McCray. It not only allows our employees to 

invest in themselves but it also allows them to 

deliver customised advice and guidance to a 

wide variety of clients.” 

In terms of style Ms Appleby is about efficiencies 

and maximizing opportunities from 

situations that may not have been thought of 

as being an opportunity. 

“Gaining strengths from efficiencies is 

important. I think changing your view to a 

different lens and considering challenges as 

opportunities helps employers size the value 

added improvements and allows a clear focus 

on efficiencies. 

“I think teamwork is really important in 

all industries, looking horizontally rather 

than vertically in silos. This is inclusive of 

the executive team that I work closely with. 

From finance to HR to Marketing to IT, it is 

vital that we are all aligned and working as a 

team.” 

On a personal level she believes in continuous 

learning. 

“There will always be difficult times and 

challenges in your life. So when life gets difficult, 

I’ve found the best thing to do is ask 

yourself a simple question, ‘What is this trying 

to teach me?’ Every challenge we take has 

the ability to trip us. 

“I believe that when these challenges 

come along the best way to face them is to 

adjust your stance. Don’t go to battle with 

them, let them help you learn and figure out 

what you are meant to take away. This is true 

lifelong learning.” 

Visit www.wattsmccray.com.au 


19

Legal solutions 

delivered differently 

Watts McCray Lawyers – legal specialists for 

individuals, small to medium and corporate 

enterprises that require tailored legal solutions 

delivered differently. 

To know more go to www.wattsmccray.com.au 

 


OCTOBER 2016 

SPONSORED BY KNOW MY BUSINESS 

Jason Ince 

Adpost Group 

Matt Lawton 

Five By Five 

Madhu Chaudhuri 

Mortgage Broker 

Manuel Martin 

The Alternative Board 

Michael Walls 

Access News Australia 

Neil Alexander 

Prismatik 

Hardeep Girn 

Know My Business 

Nic Baines 

ANART Chair 

Patrick Wright 

Wright Video Content 

Charlotte Long 

KARI 

DiSrUpTiOn 

8-page 

SECTION 

What it really means 

The Access News Australia Regional Roundtable is an invitation-only forum of influential people 

that have an interest in developing business excellence, exchanging ideas and networking. The 

ANARR meets in a private board room setting. Following is an edited transcript of the latest 

Round Table session which was held at KARI headquarters, South Sydney.

DISRUPTION AND CHANGE 

The Round Table in Action 

Nicole Baines: Welcome everyone to 

this round table on the subject of disruption. 

I thought we’d start with introductions. So 

Michael would you like to start? 

Michael Walls: My name is Michael 

Walls. I’m a journalist and publisher. I publish 

this newspaper, Western Sydney Business 

Access and another called Northern Sydney 

Business Access. We also do a conference and 

seminar guide. My background’s in journalism. 

I spent time at Newscorp and Fairfax and have 

worked for universities managing media and 

publications. We’ve been doing this Round 

Table for some time now and they’re very 

powerful in terms of getting information to the 

public. So thank you all for coming today. 

Nicole Baines: Wonderful. Matt, would 

you like to go next? 

Matt Lawton: OK. So I’m Matt Lawton. 

I work in a family business, essentially started 

by my father in 1979 in the UK. UK called 

Five By Five. My brother and I took that over 

about 10 years ago. So now we’ve got about 

100 people globally, with offices in the UK, 

Los Angeles and Sydney. 

Nicole Baines: Wonderful. Thank you. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Sorry. What does 

Five By Five do? 

Matt Lawton: We’re a marketing services 

agency. 

Nicole Baines: Patrick? 

Patrick Wright: Hi. I’m Patrick Wright. 

As you can tell, I’m a POM. I met a good Australian 

girl and been here for just over 4 years 

and I’ve just got my Australian Citizenship. 

I am in video production. Well, in the UK, I 

made television for 10 years for the BBC and 

all the networks across Europe, and then business 

and educational videos and films. When 

my wife said: It’s time to go to Australia, I didn’t 

have to think about it. After about a year, I 

amassed an amount of equipment and kit and 

now I offer video for the online space for small 

and medium sized enterprises basically. And 

I’ve worked with Hardeep over a few months 

in that capacity. So yeah, video for business 

and all aspects of production. 

Nicole Baines: Thanks Patrick – Hardeep. 

Hardeep Girn: Hardeep Girn, Managing 

Director for 2 brands that come under my 

group. The first brand is Know My Business 

which helps companies to get introduced to 

other organisations. It’s an organisation that’s 

been around for 4 years now, but just in the 

last 2 years had quite a bit of growth. And, as 

part of that, I have been using media in quite 

an effective way to open up opportunity for 

lots of different types of organisations. So this 

type of format works really well to be able to 

get to know different businesses. And what 

we do is build relationships with companies 

and then extend out those relationships while 

we’re introducing one company to another. 

Nicole Baines: Nic Baines. I am here 

today representing the Know My Group. I’ve 

worked with Hardeep for the last 2 years and I 

have been invited to facilitate a couple of these 

Round Table sessions as well as do a bit of 

work for him on camera. Neil? 

Neil Alexander: Hi. I’m Neil Alexander. 

I’m here representing Prismatik where I’m the 

General Manager. I’ve also invested in quite a 

number of businesses, including health care 

companies called Care Compass and Hos- 

Portal as well as a retail analytics company 

called MACtelemetry. 

Nicole Baines: Good. Thank you. 

Manuel Martin: I’m Manuel Martin. I’ve 

got a couple of businesses. I’ve got a consulting 

business called Franchisors to help the 

Franchisee. And today I’m representing The 

Alternative Board which basically is a business 

that brings in SMEs owners together, once a 

month, into a Boardroom. And basically I’m a 

Chairman, we run a meeting, everybody talks 

about their challenges and issues and we come 

up with solutions. And I also do some business 

coaching as well as part of that project. So 

thanks for having me. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I’m Madhu Chaudhuri. 

I’ve been invited by Hardeep. So this is 

my first. I’m actually a very successful Mortgage 

Broker. This year I’ve just won the State 

and the National Award for my group which 

is owned by NAB. I’ve been going for about 

10 years independently. I do commercial and 

residential broking. I’ve also run a child care 

successfully for a charity. I’m the Secretary of 

a large Indian charity for the last 17 years. Big 

on my own community – trying to support it. 

Michael Walls: Well done. 

Nicole Baines: Charlotte. 

Charlotte Long: Hi guys. My name is 

Charlotte Long and I’m the Marketing & 

Events Coordinator for KARI. So for those of 

you that may not know what KARI does, we’re 

an Aboriginal foster care service provider – 

one of the largest in Australia. I support a lot 

of the work that my colleague, Mia, does – she 

couldn’t be here today – which is all the funding 

and the partnerships for KARI. So through 

all of my marketing and events work, I support 

her with the funding so that we can keep doing 

all of the great things that we’re doing with 

the programmes for our children and young 

people. 

Nicole Baines: Very good. Thank you. 

And Jason? 

Jason Ince: Good morning all. Jason 

Ince is my name. My company is The Adpost 

Group. We’re printers and distribution – just 

based here at Alexandria. Been in it for 28 

years. We offer general and commercial print, 

as well as letterbox distribution and addressed 

mail. And we do a lot of the Councils and the 

RMS. We’re Dandy Badges. We’re the Fridge 

Magnet Factory. We still make button badges. 

Patrick Wright: I think button badges 

should come back into fashion actually. 

Nicole Baines: So does Jason. 

Jason Ince: Yeah. You can always judge 

someone’s age by the way they react when 

they see a button badge. 

Nicole Baines: OK. So now we know 

who’s in the room, we’ll get started with our 

discussion today. And so, doing some research 

for this topic, I discovered that the term “Disruption” 

was coined in the 90s by a Professor 

at Harvard University. They did a number of 

different studies into this theory. And they’ve 

come up with 2 main ways that a Disruption 

occurs in the marketplace. One is that there is 

some invention or some product that answers 

a brand new need in the market. So there is no 

incumbent in that space. It’s a brand new entry 

into the market and it’s seizing an opportunity 

that exists that nobody else has jumped on. 

And the second is this other concept of coming 

in at the bottom end of an existing market, 

establishing relationships with clientele that 

are at the bottom end, that somebody – the 

incumbent in that space - doesn’t really want 

to address anymore because it’s not so profitable. 

And then slowly but surely once they’ve 

grabbed a hold of that market, they increase 

the service offering, increasing the profitability 

and grab market share that way. So those 

are the 2 theories of Disruption. And then 

we’ve got the concept of Change as a whole. 

And I know from the conversation at the last 

round table, that we had a lot of talk about 

Change as opposed to Disruption. So they’re 

2 very different concepts. I’d just like to open 

it up now and hear what you guys think about 

these terms and how you would define them 

yourself. And I thought we might start with 

you, Hardeep. 

Hardeep Girn: I think the focus has been 

probably in the mainstream, there’s a lot of 

Disruption from the technology perspective. 

And everyone’s got now smart devices and got 

access to information to be able to make more 

informed decisions far quicker. But I think it’s 

actually far beyond that. I think it’s actually 

related to people’s ability and desire to change 

the norm. And that doesn’t necessarily just 

involve technology. So, there’s a great appetite. 

The government talks about innovation. And 

I think there is just an economic outcome 

from Disruption that people believe in. So 

whether it’s Uber doing it, Air BNB – there’s a 

lot of stories that you hear from Silicon Valley 

that they’re providing a mechanism to be 

able to pull people together. So it just means 

Continued on 

page 22 



Continued from page 22 

that people are now talking more often. The 

down side with that is that they’re actually 

talking on different matters in different ways. 

So segmentation of messaging is not just 1 or 

2 main channels. It’s actually very fragmented 

now. So, what it’s meant is you need lots and 

lots of money to go across the different channels. 

So, to me, Disruption is different ways of 

doing things, and the Change Management 

associated with that. But it’s a very challenging 

environment to actually make that difference 

in a very wholesale manner. 

Matt Lawton: You spoke about Uber 

there. And I think they are a good example of 

how tech has changed that whole landscape. 

But I always think it’s very interesting, when 

people have their first Uber experience, they 

don’t talk about the App. They talk about: 

Wow, the car was clean and the driver was on 

time. And like, they were polite to me. And I got 

a bottle of water. So it’s the human experience. 

Actually taxis could have done that – right? 

So the technology was the Disruptor. But 

actually equal to that, and probably more so, 

is the thought that Disruption has come from 

the experience which is down to the human 

aspect. And I think probably that’s the main 

reason why they’ve catapulted way beyond 

their competitors – because they got that bit 

right. Anyone can build an App. 

Patrick Wright: I think if you lose sight of 

what the value is in the service that you provide, 

that’s when you’re ripe for Disruption. 

Matt Lawton: Technology tempts you 

into losing sight – yeah – because that’s the bit 

where all the focus is on, and the product. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I actually did not use 

Uber here. I’ve got kids who are in their 20s 

and they use Uber. And I kept saying: No. I just 

want to use a taxi because that’s what I’m used 

to. It’s my comfort zone. But I went to LA in 

April and I was forced to use Uber. I was just 

amazed. And I only use Uber now, to an extent 

that I actually allow my female daughter to 

come back from late night parties with friends. 

And then Uber sends me the link. I know 

exactly where she is at whatever given time. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: The why is the connection 

– you know – the constant connection. 

Also the Uber drivers, like you know 

Matt said, very human. They’re friendlier 

people than taxi people. 

Matt Lawton: Well, some of that may be 

down to human nature. But the other part is 

that they’re accountable. So there’s a mechanism 

that makes them accountable. But it’s 

all driven by the fact they realised it was a bad 

experience – not about the App. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yeah, definitely. But, 

you know, just the safety element of letting 

my daughter be in a taxi versus an Uber is just 

enormous. You know. It’s again, like you said, 

the human experience. 

Patrick Wright: I think – I suppose 

technology – I think television’s gone through 

this. I speak from the video perspective and it’s 

massive. It is massive for business – and obviously 

that’s why I do what I do – is the change 

is – my disruption was independent television 

production and the changes in technology – 

there were 3 things that I said that promoted 

Change: technology, cultural and economics. 

For cultural, you can also say “politics” with 

a small “p” – and the growth of video – well, 

video online – and how massive it’s become. 

Early on when – I mean YouTube – how old 

is YouTube? Can anyone tell me how old 

YouTube is? 

Jason Ince: I’d be guessing it’s not even 7 

years old. 

Patrick Wright: 11 years old, February 

the 14 th . It’s 11 years old this year. But for the 

first 5 years, you couldn’t watch YouTube 

unless you were on a wired desktop. Now you 

can watch it anywhere in the world. Now the 

Change that happened in television was going 

from the technology of the equipment – going 

from big tape to little tape, to big cameras to 

digital and tapeless. But even in the early days, 

I know the BBC and a lot of their... – they 

couldn’t monetise YouTube. This is not going to 

work for us. So businesses ran away from online. 

It was quite crazy. But the big significant 

Change – the Disruption – was cultural. It was 

driven by people, because millions of people 

started watching it. And then ... Everyone said: 

hey hey, this video online – it might be a good 

thing. It wasn’t because all the technology was 


Nicole Baines, Hardeep Girn, Patrick Wright and Matt Lawton 

in place a long time ago. But the technology 

had to be fine-tuned and a lot of different players 

had to come on board. And the software – 

I mean the iPad’s only 4 years old. But still the 

tipping point was cultural. 

People now because the technology is 

good, are watching broadcast quality video on 

their phones. 

Nicole Baines: We’re wedded to it. 

Patrick Wright: And that’s the tipping 

point. And it’s gone absolutely ballistic. So, it’s 

similar to the Uber because the service had to 

provide – well, the technology was there, but 

until it provided a great service that was useful, 

it still wasn’t going to work. But then it did. 

And then – and then the rest is history. 

Nicole Baines: That’s a good point. 

Patrick Wright: I think cultural. Because 

when you listed the 2 points – technology as 

Hardeep said – but I thought the grass roots 

or backfill, that’s where you can also provide 

the cultural change. So either .... technology or 

culturally. But the culturally could be political, 

with a small “p”; or it could be based on a 

service. It’s all – that’s the grass roots of it. And 

that’s where you can’t make that happen. That 

has to happen itself. When I see people say: Oh, 

can you make me a viral? No, because you don’t 

make the viral. The people make the iit go viral. 

Nicole Baines: Interesting that you bring 

TV up. On Friday I was having lunch with 

a group of people from the Media from The 

Discovery Channel. And they were talking 

about the Change in advertising, and how 

a lot of TV is now being pre-recorded. And 

so, people are fast forwarding TV ads. You’re 

not watching TVCs anymore. And so, how 

do you then – as a business who traditionally 

advertised using a TV commercial, how do 

you make sure people are watching your tv 

commercials? That’s a challenge that industry 

is facing right now. And so, the answer is what 

you’ve just said: it’s content. It’s got to be 

culturally significant. It can’t be as they said, a 

“spray and pray” advertisement any more. It’s 

got to be an ad that is of interest, that people 

want to watch. And that does not have to be 

delivered through the television. That can be 

delivered through YouTube or Facebook or 

some other medium. 

Patrick Wright: I mean a few years 

ago now, online – online marketing would 

overtake TV marketing – certainly in Australia 

and most of the places around the world. 

But the point you make there: advertisers are 

absolutely in fear, and broadcasters are because 

there’s massive amounts of money – far 

more money than I will ever touch – is being 

moved. Some marketeers, some of the bigger 

companies are saying: We can’t prove our stats 

and everything via online because Google have 

tied up the analytics. I said: Well, we want some 

independent analytics. But the evidence is massively 

out there – that it’s successful. 

Michael Walls: So what does that say 

about the future of television, Pay TV? 

Patrick Wright: It’s monopoly has been 

doomed for a long time. I mean even with 

things like Netflix and everything because 

even when I was beginning in television, we 

were already looking at how is it going to 

change and adapt. 

Nicole Baines: I think that’s the point. It’s 

Change. Change is inevitable. The question 

is how do we, as business people, how do we 

handle that? How do we respond to that? How 

do we shore up the foundations of our own 

business so that we’re ready to – well, we’re not 

going to fall apart at the first sign of Change. 

And so, these guys from Discovery on Friday, 

I asked them: Well, what are you doing? And 

they said: Well, we’re doing a lot more of in-show 

advertisement. Instead of the old traditional 

10, 15 second TVC that sits in between the 

programmes. You’ve seen them. The slide-out 

ads that pop up in the middle of a TV show. 

Product placement. Matt, would you like to 

comment? You do a lot of work in the marketing 

space. What’s your thinking on this? 

Matt Lawton: Well, you’re right. I mean 

clients are chasing targeted audiences and 

they’re fragmenting. So, that media challenge 

is becoming increasingly more difficult. You 

can’t grow your own audience purely organically. 

You have to put paid spend behind it. 

But, as Patrick said, you don’t have to pay as 

much as you once used to, to generate that 

event – as long as your content is adding 

value, be that through sharing knowledge, or 

entertaining, or leveraging celebrity and fame 

somewhere. You know. That’s now our job – is 

to take a brief from a marketer who has an 

objective and for us to take from the infinite 

options that are out there and present them 

with a strategy that meets their budget, meets 

their timeframe and – you know – it’s become 

a much more dynamic industry to be part of. 

Michael Walls: Do you see value in television, 

radio, Pay TV, newspapers, mags? 

Matt Lawton: Well, we’ve got a client who 

is just about to launch their product in Australia. 

They’re a tech company. They’ve been 

selling for 7 years in the US. They launched 

2 months ago in the UK. Their strategy, 

you would think, would be to launch purely 

digitally. They’re a consumer product. They’re 

putting all their money into television. 

Michael Walls: That’s an audience. 

Matt Lawton: They found that television 

delivers an instant return for them in the US. 

And I’m very interested to see how that goes. 

But I mean they are spending money with us 

in PR and social. But it’s broken the mould. I 

had to adjust to their thinking. 

Michael Walls: A different market to 

America 

Matt Lawton: Well, I see a lot of similarities 

actually, between the US market and the 

Australian market. Well the product as well. I 

mean they’ve actually filmed their Australian 

TV commercial in the US, using Australian 

actors that were hanging out in LA trying to 

find work. 

Michael Walls: Is that right? 

Jason Ince: Is it a “buy now” product, 

though? 

Matt Lawton: Yeah. 

Jason Ince: It’s not an awareness product. 

Patrick Wright: The caveat with online 

– certainly for video – and why they might do 

that is, making the TV commercial and going 

to TV, 90% of the work is done, whereas you 

can make the same commercial and put it 

online, but you can’t force people to watch it. 

You’ve got to do the marketing as well. You’ve 

got to get the distribution. You’ve got to do the 

Continued on page 24 

MY VIEW 

“Everyone’s now 

got smart devices and 

access to information 

to be able to make informed 

decisions far 

quicker. But I think 

it’s actually far beyond 

that. I think it’s related 

to people’s ability 

and desire to change 

he norm.” 

- Hardeep Girn 

“So the technology 

was the disruptor. But 

actually equal to that, 

and probably more 

so, is the thought that 

disruption has come 

from the experience 

which is down to the 

human aspect.” 

- Matt Lawton. 

“But the big significant 

change – the 

disruption – was cultural. 

It was driven by 

people, because millions 

of people started 

watching it.” 

- Patrick Wright. 

23



social media and everything like that. 

Jason Ince: You have control. 

Patrick Wright: It works when you’ve 

got that – you’ve got to get people watching 

it. That’s why they say: Make me viral. Well you 

can’t. 

Matt Lawton: The one thing TV still does 

is provide a level of validation and security. 

Hardeep Girn: Absolutely, yeah. 

Jason Ince: Authority. 

Matt Lawton: To a product, yeah. Like, if 

you’re on TV, you must be legit. 

Nicole Baines: Yeah. Right. That’s interesting. 

Hardeep Girn: Well, this is one of the 

reasons why I wanted to bring a number of 

you into the room is: a lot of people say: newspapers 

are dead. A lot of people say that print 

distribution is dead. Yet you guys are successful 

in what you do – Jason and Michael. 

With other people around the room, you’ve 

got Charlotte representing a Not For Profit 

organisation using digital channels; so it’s fit 

for purpose. 

Michael Walls: It’s about audience I 

think, Hardeep. It’s about – you said before 

your client there – it gives authority – right – 

essentially because they’re on TV. 

Hardeep Girn: And I think you remember, 

around the beginning of last year we did 

a television commercial ourselves. And it was 

cheaper to have that on a mainstream TV 

network than it was to actually do a digital 

marketing campaign. 

Michael Walls: That’s interesting. 

Hardeep Girn: And so, the tipping point 

has already happened a number of years ago in 

that. But, you know, that’s an opportunity for 

the Not For Profits to go mass market. It’s still 

not targeting by segment. But the programmes 

and the viewers in that particular programme 

– or in Jason’s case, a particular postcode – is 

going to be that segment that you’re aiming 

for. 

Michael Walls: I’m super intrigued by 

the way these things start. You mentioned 

YouTube. They didn’t start that with the idea 

to become billionaires. The same as Facebook. 

They didn’t start that and say: Oh geez, let’s 

just be the richest, you know, man under 30 on 

the planet. I don’t think it started like that. He 

started just some idea, some cool thing and 

believed in it, got some breaks and learnt as he 

went along the journey. 

Nicole Baines: So that’s the gap in the 

market. So that’s what I started by saying: 

there’s a gap; there’s a need. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Can I suggest? I’ll 

tell you about my story as a mortgage broker. 

I’m an accidental mortgage broker. But also 

for me, because I wanted to work around my 

children, I worked from home. So for years 

I started only working 9:30 to 2:30, because 

those were my working hours. I could not 

go and visit people in Sydney. I was cooking 

dinner and I was taking them to swimming 

lessons and music lessons. So my work hours 

still stayed the same till date. 

Michael Walls: But you didn’t set out to 

be that? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I did not set out to 

be the biggest mortgage broker. But what I 

did do was put in process Disruption because 

what I’ve got is cloud based technology. I’ve 

got staff in Sri Lanka, in India, in Melbourne. 

I mean these are people organically, as I came 

along. They said: We would like to work with 

you. I said: I can teach you what I do. And that’s 

exactly how my business has grown. 

So I now have a model which is not main 

street, you know, city slicker, mortgage broker. 

And I was absolutely surprised that I’m doing 

the same volume as people who have those 

blue suits and sit in the City. 

Patrick Wright: Maybe that reflects 

that, because of all the technology – i.e., the 

internet and everything else – that allows the 

cultural to take control, which is again across 

all businesses. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: So – exactly – my 

need was my hours. That was not flexible. 

So – and I did not know how to leverage and 

all that kind of thing people talk about. So it’s 

very organic. And it’s around the need. And 

it’s seeing also that, you know, I was a very 

good fit in my community. So that’s really 

where I focussed. That’s my ideal client. And, 

you know, as their numbers grew, my numbers 

The Round Table in action 

grew. So again, I did not know how to market 

myself. Somebody told me 2 years ago to start 

LinkedIn. So I’ve now got 2 LinkedIn profiles 

because I was using LinkedIn like Facebook. 

I’ve got friends from school on one profile and 

on another profile.... 

Michael Walls: You’ve sort of made the 

path you’ve gone along. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yeah, exactly. So, you 

know, I think just seeing where it fits really 

well within yourself. 

Patrick Wright: But saying that – that’s 

really interesting you say that – using LinkedIn 

like Facebook. until about 4 years ago it was 

business. Well, let’s do business; let’s do business. 

Now it is – I wouldn’t say “like Facebook” – 

but it’s like social media, but it’s business media. 

LinkedIn has become more of a socially 

business media. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: And really successful. 

Patrick Wright: Well, I just think people’s 

lives – and especially as we take control of our 

lives, because we can because of technology 

again – and then the internet’s main key role 

in there is that we’re hooked into society. And 

I think those boundaries are blurring. I mean 

you see it on LinkedIn now where people 

– and especially charities are it was all just 

hard-nosed business realistically years ago, but 

then charities became involved, the more, you 

know, positive campaigns became involved 

and it’s like: Oh, this is something we do. That’s 

really good. 

Nicole Baines: So it’s not integrated now? 

Patrick Wright: Well, I just think people’s 

lives – and especially as we take control of our 

lives, because we can because of technology 

again – and then the internet’s main key role 

in there is that we’re hooked into society. And 

I think those boundaries are blurring. I mean 

you see it on LinkedIn now where people – 

and especially where you think charities are 

– well, it was all just hard-nosed business realistically 

years ago, and now it’s actually – and 

then the more charities became involved, the 

more, you know, positive campaigns became 

involved and it’s like: Oh, this is something we 

do. That’s really good. And then you start to 

think: RU OK? And things like that – we put 

everyone there. 

Nicole Baines: We might just pick up 

on that point around the charities because – 

KARI – you’ve obviously got a very different 

message to most of us here. And we’re talking 

about Change in the message management 

space here. How are you using different forms 

of communication at KARI right now to get 

the message out? Do you want to just say a 

little bit more about what KARI does, as well? 

Charlotte Long: So there are a few different 

audiences that I have to deal with in my 

every day. We’ve got our community audience 

which is made up of our carers and our 

community in the South West Sydney area, in 

the Sydney Metro and also in Penrith. And a 

lot of that is community members who come 

through our programmes. We’ve got a lot of 

early intervention programmes for the community. 

And then we have programmes and 

events that we run for the community that are 

all free, like our Unity Day event which is like 

a community event where people can come 

and enjoy the day but also get access to resources. 

The community is one of the biggest 

audiences that I have to deal with. And that’s 

mostly through our Facebook page. So that’s 

where I deliver all of the messages about the 

programmes we’re doing for the community, 

to the community. And that’s where they actually 

see what’s been happening, if they haven’t 

been able to attend. 

Nicole Baines: And Charlotte, other than 

the manpower involved, is that all free? Are 

you paying for any of this Facebook stuff, or is 

this all done completely free using groups and 

things like that? 

Charlotte Long: At the moment it’s 

all free. And we’re experimenting with paid 

posts. But that’s specifically for our Carer 

Recruitment posts that we do. So we use our 

Facebook page to recruit new carers. And 

those posts are the ones that we’re trialling 

being paid so that we can get a bigger reach 

for them. But at the moment everything else 

is free. We have LinkedIn and we have Twitter. 

Twitter doesn’t really have much impact on 

us directly in terms of reach and engagement. 

We put things up and we get tagged in things. 

And that’s really great when we get mentioned 

and people can see who we are and what we 

do. LinkedIn – it’s started to grow. I’ve been 

with KARI since January. So we’re starting to 

post more actively and actually think about 

what we’re posting on there. But that audience 

is more like the corporate audience. But it’s 

also one where they’re less engaged through 

LinkedIn at this stage. So it’s not really a big 

driver for us. A lot of the communication is 

face-to-face where we meet people at events 

or have people come along to the events that 

we run and make them see for themselves 

programmes that we showcase. 

Nicole Baines: So is it fair to say, then 

that technology is assisting you to take your 

message out there. But really, it’s about 

leveraging the power of the community. And I 

think that’s a big changing trend as well – that 

we are definitely building followings. There’s 

more movement type marketing, rather than 

product based marketing. There’s a movement 

around a community – and that’s certainly 

what KARI does. 

Charlotte Long: Yeah, definitely. 

Nicole Baines: You talked about a database 

before? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yes. I was just saying 

that – again, just starting off, I actually engaged 

about a year and a half ago a social media expert. 

So she set up my Twitter, Facebook and 

LinkedIn. And she was managing everything. 

It was absolutely going nowhere. About – so 

I was told, you know, that I should write 

content. So I would give her the content. She 

would publish it once a month. There was just 

no engagement from my clients. So, what I did 

is, I brought someone in-house. It was again, 

accidental. Somebody who came in to sell 

insurance in our business. She said: I can see 

you’re not going anywhere with your social media. 

I love this space and can I manage it for you. I 

said: Great. Let’s trial it. We’ve done in the last 

6 months what we’ve never done in the last 2 

years – ‘because I now blog daily on LinkedIn. 

Because I did not get the support when I became 

a broker, I decided whatever I’ve learnt 

from myself and my clients, I’m going to share 

it for any broker. 

Nicole Baines: You’re talking about 

knowledge sharing? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yeah. So I share 

everything. My ideas and whatever I’m doing 

– it’s on LinkedIn. So I’ve got a really good 

interaction with my – you know – sort of professional 

community. I’ve got a lot of validation 

from my peers and a lot of people are now 

coming directly to me saying: Can we work 

with you? That’s on a professional basis. But 

my clients are not on LinkedIn, and neither 

they are on Twitter. My clients are saying, you 

don’t have a Facebook page. Why don’t you put 

this on Facebook? So the last 2 months – again, 

getting someone else to do the writing is not 

your – it’s not your voice. People don’t relate 

to it, if they’ve interacted with you and you get 

someone else to write it. 

Patrick Wright: Paid content. Yeah. Paid 

content. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Paid content is not 

working. 

Patrick Wright: It’s a difficult game. 

Nicole Baines: Communication certainly 

has changed. Jason, have you got anything to 

say about industries changing? You are in a 

changing industry and, as Hardeep said: print’s 

out. We’re finished with print. Everything’s done 

digitally now. What have you got to say about 

that? 

Jason Ince: I find it really interesting 

about Disruption, because ever since we got 

out of the caves, Disruption’s been there. 

Nicole Baines: Exactly right. 

Jason Ince: Yeah. And it’s funny how it’s 

a new word. It’s just business industry cycle 

used to get 100 years. You know. Then, say, in 

the industrial revolution, we got 70. And then, 

you know, come after WWII, we got 50 years. 

Then we got 20 years. And now we’ve got 5. 

That’s what it comes down to. 

Patrick Wright: That’s right. 

Jason Ince: Industry has 5 years before 

there’s a big change. And you look at these 

kids go to Uni. By the time they’ve finished 

the course, the first 3 years they wasted because 

what they learnt doesn’t exist anymore 

or technology or a computer system’s taken 

over. So, but from change is Change. And it 

really comes down to the mighty dollar. It’s 

finding cheaper ways to do things, how to 

automate. You look at the print industry. Technology 

really in offset printing is the same as it 

has been since the Chinese invented it. 

Patrick Wright: Oh, the Germans will 

have something to say about that, won’t they? 

Jason Ince: Sorry? Yeah. 

Patrick Wright: The Germans might have 

something to say about that. 

Jason Ince: It was the Chinese. They just 

forgot they invented it. But you sort of look 

at it like – go back just 15 years ago. There 

were whole industries. There was pre-press. 

There was more money in chrome lux proofs. 

So people would pay $800 to fix a spelling 

mistake. And then you’d drive over there. 

They’d write on it. You’d go back. You’d make 

more film. There were 20 guys in the film 

room – you know – still only 2 guys at the 

printing press waiting to print it. That whole 

industry has gone. There is no such thing as 

film pre-press. All that trade – it’s now PDFs, 

it’s now you know straight to press. So – and 

once again, it’s just automation. Everything 

is getting cheaper. And that’s how we are as a 

society. And I think Australia’s got a big problem: 

we’re too expensive in everything we do, 

compared to the rest of the world. But I think 

the world is changing back to localisation. 

We’re coming back. China’s not interested in 

us. We’re nothing. You know. They’ve created 

their own consumers. They’re tightening up. 

They’re increasing prices. And I think we’re 

going to have a flip back that we go back to our 

local communities and one day, someone’s 

going to say – you know – China, I need a 

boatload of fridges. And they’re going to say: It’s 

3 grand a fridge. And we’re going to say: Bugger. 

Bugger that. We only sell them for 1200. 

Nicole Baines: Start again. 

Jason Ince: Start again, make a factory, 

learn how to make a fridge and sell them for 

$1500. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I love how you think. 

Exactly my words, you know. Yeah. That there 

is no need for making everything so, you 

know, pricey and – you know – everything is 

supposed to be expensive and it doesn’t need 

to be. It should be collaborative and people 





don’t need to make 25% profit on everything. 

Patrick Wright: But this is because the 

internet now has shined a light on that. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yes. 

Patrick Wright: We were blind to this 

10, 20 years ago. We didn’t see it all. It just 

happened. And we were suckers and saying: 

The fridge is going to cost me $1200. I’ll pay 

$1200. Now we’re: Hang on a minute. If I do a 

little bit of research, like that’s rubbish. It doesn’t 

need to cost that much. And that’s what’s happening 

now is that light is being shined on all 

products and people are saying – and I think 

that’s why there’s this grass root and people are 

saying: things have got to change. And it’s driven 

grass roots. 

Nicole Baines: That is one of the drivers. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Also, we don’t have 

full time jobs in the next generation. So people 

are going to earn less. They should consume 

less. 

Nicole Baines: So, if they’re the driving 

forces for Change and if Change is inevitable, 

as business people, what do we need to have 

in place in order to be able to cope with that? 

Manuel? 

Manuel Martin: A different perspective 

to this whole thing. OK? And it comes back 

to what you’re saying. Change actually starts 

from within each of us. We’ve talked about the 

effects of everything so far. But the reality is, 

for me, a connection is really a progression. 

So, when you connect from a neurological 

mindset level, it’s the core fundamental principle 

of what for me Change is. So for me, it’s 

really understanding what drives us and what 

gives us value. For me, connection is about 

when you connect with someone’s values 

and whatever – your values are all different. 

Alright? That’s the beauty of this world. And 

it’s – for me, a connection is progress. OK? 

From a deep sensed inner self of understanding. 

So, as business owners, how we connect is 

to really understand what we want in the first 

place, what are our goals and dreams in the 

first place that’s driving us to be here today? 

Once that happens, the connection will then 

be basically understanding what’s a psychographic 

– what does a customer mean? What 

are they looking for? And it’s really the connection 

of what their mindset wants. It’s a little 

bit deeper than normal. This is all great – what 

we’re talking about. But for me in a coaching 

business or from a consulting business – and 

I’ll go back to Franchisors again – the mindset 

of a Franchisor is very different to the mindset 

of a Franchisee. Even though the Franchisor’s 

survival depends on the Franchisee and vice 

versa, we find that there’s a very different level 

of playing field. It’s different. So, for me, how 

you bring this together through coaching and 

consulting is to understand my client’s mindset. 

What is driving them? And that’s where 

I think we need to spend a bit more time. 

Neuroscience is showing this time and time 

again after how we’re involving. Our brains are 

evolving – constantly evolving. Now, we’ve got 

a new brain nowadays. You know. Just really 

think – the thinking brain needs to come into 

play 

Ṁichael Walls: What are those differences 

you mentioned? Like what are the key 

psychological drivers, differences, between 

Franchisee and Franchisor? 

Manuel Martin: A big thing. A corporate 

mentality versus a mum and dad mentality. 

You know. On one end you have in some 

cases a multinational which is looking at the 

Balance Sheet. 

Patrick Wright: Subway. 

Manuel Martin: Yeah. On the other end, 

you have a mum and dad who’s looking at the 

next week – how to make things work. You 

know. Balancing family life to realities of marriages 

and everything else going on. 

Michael Walls: The priorities are totally... 

Manuel Martin: Totally different. 

Michael Walls: Right. 

Manuel Martin: But the alignment factor 

needs to be that the Franchisor, which really 

relies on the Franchisee, needs to understand 

what is driving the Franchisee from a deeper 

level than just profitability. It’s a bit more than 

that. All of us as well. So that’s what I’m trying 

to bring this into. Let’s think about the deeper 

self. 

Nicole Baines: How do we go about 

equipping business people to understand and 


Round Table in action 

use that as a strategy in their business, to drive 

Change and cope with Change? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: The most important 

part for me is your brain. To understand how 

we can actually empower ourselves to utilise 

our brain more, for our coaching communities, 

is to understand that there is a process 

in place. And I come from the Indian background. 

And, you know, traditionally speaking, 

about meditation and understanding – 

really peace. You know. Because chaos will not 

get anywhere. We need to have inner peace 

for us to even progress. So, from the way I 

would say that is to mix business with mindset 

study – understanding empowering factors 

like really answering fundamental questions 

of who you are, why you’re here for, understanding 

your big “why” precedes anything 

to do with business planning strategies and 

concepts – which is important. But the reality 

is, even before that, you need to understand 

us as human beings to understand why we’re 

here doing things. 

Nicole Baines: This came up in the last 

one as well. The exact same topic. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: So does anybody in 

the room know Dandi Pani? 

Michael Walls: No. Who’s that? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Well, Google it. He 

used to be a monk. 

Michael Walls: He used to be a monk? 

He’s not a monk anymore? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: He used to be a 

monk. He’s not a monk any more. But he’s 

gone into business and coaching. And I can 

tell you that I actually meditate every day. 

Patrick Wright: I used to meditate when I 

was a teenager. I should get back to that. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: And I can only say 

that having worked with a monk... 

Patrick Wright: When you’re talking 

– and about your successes from the conversation, 

it just happened to just emerge 

– the word that came to mind was well that’s 

Karma, because you did it just honestly. And 

it’s like: well, wasn’t that just Karma coming 

back to you. And it’s an interesting point. And 

the point you make is – yeah, you’re absolutely 

right because the negative effect of this massive 

global communication, massive instant 

... of everything is the pressure of the world 

which is wrong 

Nicole Baines: Now, I want to hear from 

Neil about this because one of the things 

that he said to me the other night – we were 

talking about his main business – and then he 

said: But I’ve got this passion... And he lit up. He 

literally lit up when he spoke about it. 

Neil Alexander: Just to speak to some of 

the topics that have come up… I think from 

the thought leadership point of view; clarity 

of purpose is something you can get from 

meditation. And in our business, we give all of 

our staff a sponsored 10 days paid leave to go 

and do a 10-day meditation retreat where you 

don’t get to talk for 10 solid days. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Can I go and work 

for you? 

Patrick Wright: Awesome. 

Nicole Baines: Well, Patrick, you have to 

go and do that. 

Neil Alexander: So I mean we ... really 

believe in that sort of clarity of purpose and 

from that comes thought leadership and from 

that comes success. 

Nicole Baines: Wow. 

Neil Alexander: People follow people 

who know where they’re going. Right? 

Because most people are looking around for 

leadership especially in today’s media world 

where you’re getting bombarded by a thousand 

different streams. Yeah, we’ve lost this 

curation that used to come from traditional 

media. And now we just have too much from 

everywhere. And it’s like: How do you pick? 

So, that’s challenging. And I guess speaking 

back to earlier – like how do you make that 

relevant? How do you make traditional media 

relevant in today’s world? It’s about bridging 

that gap between traditional media and 

the digital environment. To be able to allow 

people to switch easily from one to the other. 

And whether that’s QR codes or some other 

technology that allows you to flip between the 

hard copy and the digital world, I think that’s 

quite important. But yeah, genuine passion 

shines through. 

Nicole Baines: What was the driving 

force behind what you’re doing with care 

Compass. 

Michael Walls: I want to know what it is 

he’s doing. 

Nicole Baines: Yeah. So tell us about Care 

Compass. 

Neil Alexander: Care Compass is a 

platform that’s designed to bridge the gap 

between the health care establishment and 

patients, to allow the patients and the establishment 

to connect to each other in a low 

cost, frictionless environment. So, you want 

to be able to communicate with them before 

surgery and after surgery. Before surgery, 

you want to prepare them. You want to know 

about, and take away, any of the fears or 

concerns they have. You know, remind them 

of the things that they need to do in advance, 

to bring the things that they need into the 

surgery. And then afterwards, of course, 

make sure that the care is delivered in a more 

consistent, longer term, longitudinal care kind 

of approach. At the moment, post-surgery 

you get maybe, if you’re lucky, one 15-minute 

interview with your surgeon, you know, to 

take it up. 

Patrick Wright: While you’re still under 

anaesthetic, usually. 

Neil Alexander: Well no. We’re talking 

about post-surgery. So you come back in for 

your check-up 1 or 2 weeks afterwards. Things 

like septicaemia, may well present well before 

that. So if you can look for – and this is what 

Care Compass does - is it looks for precursor 

symptoms. And it allows you to identify 

those early and get somebody back in so that 

you can save their life in time, instead of them 

presenting back to Emergency. And the core 

reason why I wanted to do this is because I did 

a lot of work through Roche Pharmaceuticals 

in the National Health Service. 

Matt Lawton: National Health Service. 

Neil Alexander: Care Compass is a 

platform that’s designed to bridge the gap 

between the health care establishment and 

patients, to allow the patients and the establishment 

to connect to each other in a low 

cost, frictionless environment. So, you want 


MY VIEW 

“Change actually 

starts from within 

each of us. We’ve talked 

about the effects of 

everything so far. But 

the reality is, for me, a 

connection is really a 

progression. So, when 

you connect from a 

neurological mindset 

level, it’s the core fundamental 

principle of 

what for me change 

is.” 

- Manuel Martin 

“People follow people 

who know where 

they are going” 

- Neil Alexander 

“I think with the 

Not For Profit we 

need to not be afraid 

of change, but embrace 

it.” 

- Madhu Chaudhuri 

25



to be able to communicate with them before 

surgery and after surgery. Before surgery, 

you want to prepare them. You want to know 

about, and take away, any of the fears or 

concerns they have. You know, remind them 

of the things that they need to do in advance, 

to bring the things that they need into the 

surgery. And then afterwards, of course, 

make sure that the care is delivered in a more 

consistent, longer term, longitudinal care kind 

of approach. At the moment, post-surgery 

you get maybe, if you’re lucky, one 15-minute 

interview with your surgeon, you know, to 

take it up. 

Patrick Wright: While you’re still under 

anaesthetic, usually. 

Neil Alexander: Well no. We’re talking 

about post-surgery. So you come back in for 

your check-up 1 or 2 weeks afterwards. Things 

like septicaemia, may well present well before 

that. So if you can look for – and this is what 

Care Compass does - is it looks for precursor 

symptoms. And it allows you to identify 

those early and get somebody back in so that 

you can save their life in time, instead of them 

presenting back to Emergency. 

And the core reason why I wanted to do 

this is because I did a lot of work through 

Roche Pharmaceuticals in the National Health 

Service. 

Michael Walls: So, who’s your customer 

in that space? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Asthmatics like me. 

Neil Alexander: So the customer or the 

people who are driving the change are. This 

is a bottom-up strategy. So it’s driving change 

through adoption. So what you do is you work 

through private practice to start with, where 

they recognise the value of the perception of 

care, which is distinct from the provision of 

care. 

Patrick Wright: Do you make a video? 

Do you make a video that explains that? 

Nicole Baines: So let’s hear from Neil. So 

the other day you were saying to me: it’s not 

a cheap exercise to innovate, certainly. And 

we heard that from the Newcastle group as 

well – but you’ve got to have money. You can’t 

innovate for free. But also, you said, there will 

be a market out there, like the plastic surgeons 

who genuinely do care about their patients’ 

outcomes. And this is going to improve patient 

care at the end of the day – right? 

Neil Alexander: That’s an interesting 

example. In plastic surgery, there’s obviously a 

considerable amount of money available. And 

so, you can afford to care. 

Nicole Baines: Isn’t that interesting? Can 

afford to care. 

Neil Alexander: And so, where the quality 

of service is what determines whether or 

not you get your next job, being perceived well 

is critical. Caring and actually being perceived 

as caring – which are 2 very different 

things – right? Even if you do care, if you’re 

not perceived as caring, that really makes a 

difference. So I think that most doctors and 

health care practitioners actually do care. 

They’re not perceived as caring because the 

face of the institution gets in the way. And 

they can’t go outside the bounds of that for a 

variety of reasons. And so, bridging that gap 

to the customer, it bridges the gap between 

the customer and the supplier. It bridges the 

gap and makes it seamless and painless. That’s 

what I want to do between patients and the 

health care community. 

Michael Walls: So the model is: you find 

a health clinic. 

Neil Alexander: Yep. 

Michael Walls: Then you go in there and 

you say…..? 

Neil Alexander: Well, it’s more about 

differentiation. So, what doctors are being - 

they’re actually quite competitive. They want 

to do a good job. They want to do a better job 

than their peers. They want to drive the thing 

forward. And so, if you can give them all of 

the power, whether it’s media, medicine or 

whatever it is – it is the power of data and what 

data analytics allows you to do... 

Michael Walls: The value to the practice 

is? 

Neil Alexander: The value to the practice 

is – well it’s multiple. So, right now they have 

a Duty of Care to keep track of their patients. 

However, they’re just not able right now to do 

that at a very high fidelity or a high resolution. 

Patrick Wright, Matt Lawton and Michael Walls 

Alright? So they can’t do multiple... 

Matt Lawton: Is there any legislation issues/obstacles 

in the way, though – because of 

their doctor: patient privilege they can’t do a 

lot of things that you’d like them to do. 

Neil Alexander: Well, absolutely. Data in 

the health space is quite tricky. And there’s a 

bunch of really interesting technologies that 

have come along – for instance, Blockchain, 

which you use in one of your start-ups, allows 

you to switch the dynamic on its head. Right 

now, all our data from a health care perspective, 

and many other perspectives is owned 

by institutions. All these different institutions 

own pieces of our data. And we don’t have 

control of it. Flipping that dynamic on its head 

is something that I’d really like to see happen. 

I’d like to see all of us be able to manage and 

control our data from our mobile devices that 

are fully capable of doing that, and be able to 

provide validated qualified data to an institution 

and revoke that data as and when you 

choose to. That, I think, is super critical – and 

that’s mission critical to changing the dynamic 

in the health care space – because access to 

data is problematic. Data is very deeply personal. 

And so, being able to provide data when 

you present, on your mobile or whatever it is, 

and be able to aggregate that data and provide 

it to a single institution that can provide care 

that is very nuanced to your particular conditions. 

And then having moved on or gone 

away from that institution or provider – to 

revoke that data. 

Patrick Wright: So, we carry our data 

with us? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: You do. 

Neil Alexander: With us in terms of the 

control but not with us in terms of where 

the data is actually stored. We want to have a 

distributed data store, which Blockchain does 

extremely well. 

Nicole Baines: So, if that’s the – if that is 

what is possible – so we’ve heard about why 

and how Change is driven – that it can be 

personal, it can be economical, we want to 

get more efficient in our businesses – how do 

we fund it? So, as a small business, how do we 

fund innovation? How do we fund Change? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Collaboration. 

Nicole Baines: We can provide an 

environment where people are encouraged to 

meditate, learn, do whatever. But how do we 

fund it? Charlotte, you’re in a Not For Profit. 

How do you guys fund the Change that you 

need. 

Charlotte Long: So a lot of our outof-home 

care programme is government 

funded. But all of the extra things that we do 

that makes KARI so special aren’t government 

funded. So my colleague Mia goes out 

there and meets the people in organisations 

that have a vested interest in what we do and 

genuinely want to be a part of it. There has to 

be a desire to be involved and an understanding 

of what we do and wanting to be part of 

the change. And then, from there, building 

a relationship with these people. It’s a long 

process. It’s not an instant return. But when 

people get to see what we do and what we’re 

about and where the funding is going and the 

change that they can be a part of, then that’s 

when we get funding. 

Hardeep Girn: What I found really interesting 

with KARI is the reinvention with the 

new brand that you came out with. And so, 

what was, really dated collateral that in some 

cases actually didn’t list all the services that 

you provide. 

Charlotte Long: Yeah. 

Hardeep Girn: So to me, Disruption can 

actually be down to improving the strength 

of the brand and actually then reaching out to 

different segments. That was a well-executed 

campaign in what you did, and how you did 

that based upon lining up with some of the 

filming that we did with Know My Life, but 

also the events for NAIDOC week. 

Charlotte Long: Sort of the shot in the 

arm 

Ḣardeep Girn: Well, taking the opportunity 

out to the market. And so, other organisations 

in the corporate space were saying: Well, 

hang on. These guys are actually doing things in a 

very professional manner. It wasn’t just as dated 

as what it was, when it was first started. 

Nicole Baines: So Matt, you do quite a 

bit of work in the launch space – new product 

launch. You’ve got a client at the moment 

doing camel milk, I believe. How are they 

funding that activity? That’s obviously a brand 

new product in a brand new market. How do 

you establish a market? How are they resourcing 

that? 

Matt Lawton: He’s gone out and sourced 

private investment. So he’s an entrepreneurial 

minded guy. He’s got a certain amount of 

money to get him a certain distance down the 

road. And then he’s got small wins in place, 

proof of points. So then he’ll go out and seek 

more investment that he needs. 

Nicole Baines: Are you aware of organisations 

that can assist businesses with finding 

equity, finding investment in that way? 

Matt Lawton: I’m sure there are. Me, 

personally, I don’t know. 

Nicole Baines: Manuel, do you know? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I do. 

Manuel Martin: Oh various. 

Nicole Baines: You do? Go ahead. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: There’s a lot of collaborative 

funding. And now, because banks 

are not supportive of small business, there’s 

a whole explosion. What I’ll do is, over the 

next week or so, I’ll try and put everything 

together. I’ll circulate for anybody’s, you know. 

There’s Muller. There’s Thin Cats. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: Yes. It’s actually a UK 

based company that has come to Australia. 

Nicole Baines: So, what kind of organisations 

are they? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: So these are all, you 

know, crowd funding – people that have got 

investors. So if you want $40,000 to do say an 

ad campaign and you’re a small business – you 

don’t have – but you have a good idea and you 

have a sort of a business plan which is part of 

what I help, you know, small business do, saying: 

Let’s write this down; do you think you can 

repay this money in 12 months, 18 months; you 

know – what if you can’t? What is the exit? So 

we work all this. We present to these companies. 

You can get money from 8%, 10% to 

12%, 16%. 

Nicole Baines: Of the value of your business, 

or the campaign? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: No. 

Nicole Baines: Wow. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: So there is a lot of 

options out there, purely because banks only 

want the blue chip, the million-dollar company. 

So – and especially in Australia, what is 

the main business now the fact, you know, that 

manufacturing is not there. It’s small business. 

Patrick Wright: This is it. That’s – and 

that’s where the disconnect is now with a lot 

of the way we all work. A lot of people are 

smaller businesses. And it’s like they used to 

say the UK is a nation of shopkeepers. Well, 

it’s like in a way Australia is a nation of selfemployed 

people. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: It is. 

Patrick Wright: There are more people 

self-employed than employed in Australia. .... 

Nearly. It will get there. But the problem is, 

is there’s a massive disconnect because now 

the corporate entities – the big business and 

corporate – is completely devoid of the small 

business, including the banks who are doing 

their own thing. And that’s – you’re absolutely 

right. And there’s a disconnect culturally as 

well as there is in a business sense. Interesting. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: And that’s a big part 

of my success. I kind of help them, you know, 

sort of buy a business if they don’t have the 

money, you don’t have a house. I’ve got a landscaper. 

And he says: You know what? There’s 

summer coming. I want to employ one person. I 

want to get another truck. But banks will not 

talk to him because he doesn’t have a property. 

So he’s like: Can you get this money? 

I said: Yep, we can get this money. But, you 

know, you need to put in a little bit more 

thinking than ordinarily people do. 

Jason Ince: It’s the return for the bank. 

If you think of it from a bank’s point of view: 

why should I lend money at risk if I make no 

money. It’s that simple. The interest rates are so 

low; the risk is so high. I might as well not lend 

the money. Then you’ve got places like Japan. 

It’s a negative interest rate at the moment. 

They are trying to get money out. They’re 

happy to put their money anywhere. Then 

you’ve got China. Well that’s more getting 

their money out before they get caught. 

OK. That’s a little bit different. And then, it’s 

funny. You’ve got all these people here with 

suitcases ready to buy. And you look at so 

many business people trapped. Like you think 

of – there’s 80% of businesses out there that’ll 

never sell, if they want to sell, because they’ll 

never get a buyer – even if they could get a 

buyer. When you actually work it out they 

might be even a very good business – profitable, 

paying themselves a good wage, everyone’s 

getting paid, money’s accumulating. But 

by the time you add the debt, by buying the 

business, buying the building, buying the assets 

– whatever – now you’ve added a debt to 

the business – now it can’t sustain debt. Sure, 

that guy’s owned it for 20 years, 30 years, 40 

years, 5 years. He hasn’t got the debt level. 

But as soon as we buy it, we’re now putting a 

return onto it. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: But that’s what I’m 

saying: the days of 20%, 25% return are history. 

And the sooner people understand that 

that is not necessary to be a good business – 

just to have enough, you know, sort of a return 

– positive return of, you know, 4% or 5%, you 

can sustain that over the next decade. But you 

cannot sustain a 20% return. 

Michael Walls: Do you find that people 

are buying businesses now? Trying to sell a 

business – is that getting harder? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: No. No. It’s there. 

But, you know, that’s part of what I would do 

is coach the person who’s buying the business 

saying: You can never replicate what an existing 

person is doing because he’s done it in a very 

different financial environment. His market was 

different. You need to learn to do it differently if 

you want to survive and grow that business. 

Nicole Baines: And Manuel, you look like 

you’re going to jump out of your seat. 

Manuel Martin: Yeah, I agree with you. 

But I think, again, going back to funding, it has 

to be a conscious choice of the actual business 

owner in the first place before internally 

again about a percentage of that – how do you 

spend your profits? You can do it in different 

ways – reinvesting into the business, you can 

pay down your loans or you can go and buy a 

Merc. Whatever you want to do. It’s a choice. 

So really again, taking the ownership of funding 

or – me – I think that, you know, we’re 

going to make a conscious choice of business 

owners and talk to our clients about actually 

doing that themselves in the first place – putting 

away money for Change – putting away 

their own internal budgets to align a certain 

percentage that has to be there for... 

Nicole Baines: Hardeep, you talked about 

some of the big accounting firms and what 

they’re doing in this space at the moment to 

ensure that they continue to move forward. 





Do you want to elaborate a little bit more on 

what you were saying? 

Hardeep Girn: Well, the technology has 

shifted, where they’re placing their emphasis 

now. It’s not just services. But it’s about, using 

software to be able to make it easier so that, 

potentially bookkeeping and other things, 

whilst they’re being disrupted, they actually 

want to get ahead of their curve and actually 

try and you know give better reporting to their 

clients. But I think it comes back to the servicing 

part. And I think Matt mentioned it also. 

In terms of the patient side of things, what 

Neil you mentioned. In the past it used to be 

business to consumer. And then, in our own 

business we work in an environment which is 

business to business. But the focus now is with 

a lot of the companies that are putting the 

customer first – whether it’s customer centred 

design or other kinds of concepts – is it’s consumer 

to business. So, if that control is there 

for that consumer to actually say: Look, I want 

my cab based upon my ability to call it and see it 

and know who the driver is, or, I want my doctor 

to be able to be accountable to tell me this blemish 

on my hand – I need to be able to get it assessed 

before I go into a medical surgery – or a clinic – 

that level of control is the really exciting part. 

And it comes back to traditional media as well. 

If somebody says: Look, I’ve got a PDF; I need 

to get it printed out in Perth – like the story that 

you told us the other day, Jason – the means 

were there to be able to get it done with relationships. 

But also the technology to actually 

get it printed at the point – when somebody 

flies from Sydney to Perth and it’s on their 

desk when they arrive. 

Nicole Baines: Waiting for them. 

Hardeep Girn: That’s service to me. The 

technology makes that service better. I think accountants 

are going to have to a think about this 

because the industry changed underneath them. 

There’s regulation there in terms of advice. 

Nicole Baines: But one of the big 4, you 

were saying, has actually engaged to set up a 

whole division dedicated to disruption. 

Hardeep Girn: That’s right. Ernst & 

Young have – again, that concept of stepping 

ahead – have created a division that’s outside 

of the physical boundaries of their existing 

head office. And they’ve tasked them to 

actually disrupt themselves. So rather than 

the industry telling them that this is where it’s 

heading, they want that Disruption to actually 

occur internally, for them to put some Change 

Management around there, to actually go out 

and make it different. 

Nicole Baines: So they’re establishing a 

culture of Disruption internally? 

Hardeep Girn: That’s right. Ernst & 

Young have – again, that concept of stepping 

ahead – have created a division that’s outside 

of the physical boundaries of their existing 

head office. And they’ve tasked them to 

actually disrupt themselves. So rather than 

the industry telling them that this is where it’s 

heading, they want that Disruption to actually 

occur internally, for them to put some Change 

Management around there, to actually go out 

and make it different. 

Nicole Baines: So they’re establishing a 

culture of Disruption internally? 

Hardeep Girn: Yeah. Correct. The Group 

CEO could actually end up reducing the 

workforce and say: Well, the overheads are 

no longer required over here. Economically, it’s 

better to actually go down this path and to come 

out with something that’s going to be the future 

statement. 

Matt Lawton: It may be that they actually 

end up changing the type of workforce. So if 

you think about the big consulting companies 

around the world – right – the only way that 

they make money is by selling hours. And the 

more hours at the highest possible rate that 

they can get away with. Right? So if you can – 

and I guess.... 

Hardeep Girn: But to your point, though, 

it’s about value. If you add more value, you can 

charge. 

Matt Lawton: Well, what they want to do 

is they want to transition to a more product 

based sale where it’s a value – it’s value pricing. 

So when you buy a product, you put a price 

on it. The cost of delivering it, because it’s 

technology based, is incrementally smaller or 

exponentially smaller, the more you deliver it. 

And yes, I guess ultimately, you know, if you 


Nicole Baines and Hardeep Girm 

can shrink the number of actual people hours 

that you have on it the better. But I guess, to 

go back to how do you fund Disruption – how 

do you fund that change – and, you know, 

what do you do from a small perspective – you 

know, it’s all very good and well if you’re Ernst 

& Young. 

Nicole Baines: Exactly. You have a whole 

division. 

Matt Lawton: You have your whole 

division – right? Which is interesting – and 

remind me to come back to that in terms of 

education. But, I guess investors want 2 things 

– right? They want to see that – they’re greedy, 

right? They want the big win. But then they’re 

also kind of you know like miserly at the same 

time in that they want to see that you, as the 

Disruptor or the person with the idea, can act 

local but think global. Right? So they want 

to make sure that you can work within your 

means, address your market, move forward 

on teeny tiny amounts of money, so that they 

know that at least they’re going to get a bang 

for buck for whatever they put in, but then 

know that there’s a big payoff if you can get the 

scale that you need. 

Hardeep Girn: An interesting company 

is Flipout. Flipout as the trampoline place for 

kids started 3 and a half years ago by somebody 

with $300 going out to the car park and actually 

asking for some of that space. So now, 3 and 

a half years later, that person now lives in the 

UK, has got 57 of these locations around the 

world. He’s got a rapid return on investment 

and he’s growing more quickly. He launched a 

couple of weeks back 7 locations in 1 week. 

Nicole Baines: Isn’t that amazing? 

Matt Lawton: Actually I really like that – 

and you put up a good point there about the 

timeframe. I see a lot of people see Disruption 

as happening overnight. And like business, it 

doesn’t happen overnight. Nor does Disruption. 

I mean look at Facebook. You can look 

at any of these things. It took time. It took a 

lot of time for them to get where they are and 

become global players. And I think people 

forget that. 

Nicole Baines: Very good. Well guys, we 

have run out of time. So we’re going to wrap 

up. We’re going to go around the room and 

you each have 1 minute to say whatever you 

would like to say on the topic of Change and 

Disruption. So you might like to talk about 

something you’ve learned, you might like to 

talk about some advice or a tip that you’ve got 

for business – whatever you’d like. You’ve got 

one minute each. Neil, do you want to start? 

Neil Alexander: For big businesses, disrupting 

themselves is the way to stay relevant 

in the marketplace. I think the big players in 

the space are going to be healthcare and education. 

They are ripe for Disruption. Anybody 

who moves to disrupt themselves first, as the 

big 4 are doing, is going to be a winner in that 

marketplace. Not only will they cannibalise 

their own business, but they’ll cannibalise that 

of their competitors who move slower. 

Nicole Baines: That’s good. Thank you. 

Manuel? 

Manuel Martin: For SMEs – mainly just 

to understand in the first place why they exist 

– because of Disruption – the Disruption or 

any Change is really relevant based on their 

own values and beliefs. So, actually clearly 

establishing their reasons for what they’re 

doing this for and also understanding who 

they’re serving as well, at the same time – their 

customers. 

Nicole Baines: Fantastic. Thank you. 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I want money to be 

accessible like food. That’s like my driving 

thing, you know. Like the value of money 

is so overrated. So I just want it to be plain 

and simple out there for anybody who needs 

it and not more than what you need. You 

know. Like taking the greed away and just 

working through the system and bringing 

the change into the big banks, forcing them 

– which is what is happening with crowd 

funding. But I think more and more people 

who want this for their customers will bring 

about change. There’s a lot of thought going 

into the FinTech space, but I’m hoping that I 

can see it. 

Nicole Baines: Good. Charlotte? 

Madhu Chaudhuri: I think with the Not 

For Profit we definitely need to not be afraid 

of change, but embrace it and think about how 

any Change or Disruption that comes our way 

can be used to our benefit, rather than being 

afraid of what it might mean. 

Nicole Baines: That’s great. 

Jason Ince: Just following that, it’s business 

– small business people have got to stop 

worrying about change and just seeing how 

they can sort of be the change maker in their 

industry – like accounting. Then they’re 

forced to because bookkeeping is more automated 

now. Billing hours are less. So they’re 

coming more consultant based. And wouldn’t 

it be great to be the market leader in change 

in our industry - .... kill our own industry – 

but we happen to be the shareholders in the 

change. 

Nicole Baines: That’s great. 

Michael Walls: Newspapers are not dead. 

Nicole Baines: That’s all you want to say? 

Thank you. Well said. 

Michael Walls: That’s all I’m going to say. 

Matt Lawton: Well, the reason they’re not 

dead is because there are people who like to 

consume news by holding something in their 

hand that isn’t an iPad and accessing it in that 

way. So as long as you’re meeting a consumer 

need and you’re in a particular niche – because 

I think niche is king – that’s one thing we 

probably haven’t talked about. 

Matt Lawton: Having a niche focus and 

then layering in your values to make sure 

that, as a small business even, you can make a 

change and become famous for what you do 

today. 

Michael Walls: And that’s what I say. Like 

that’s the way that works. It’s a niche. It’s a narrow 

one, but it’s built on quality and content. 

Matt Lawton: You know, when people 

get in your head around the internet, arms are 

being thrown up, and people are saying: Well, 

you know, TV’s dead, well TV has probably 

never been stronger. But there are threats to 

TV. They’ve just had to rethink the way that 

they provide their content and structure their 

businesses. For larger businesses, I would say 

equally that, for larger businesses to survive, 

they need to breed entrepreneurship within 

their organisation culturally. And I think that’s 

something that takes a lot of courage at senior 

level to implement and is a genuine challenge 

for corporates. 

Nicole Baines: It’s almost allowing permission 

to fail to be part of the culture really, 

isn’t it? 

Matt Lawton: Well that’s become a bit of 

a cliché, hasn’t it? 

Nicole Baines: Have a crack. Have a go. 

Matt Lawton: Yeah. And I think – actually 

I think Australians are actually culturally pretty 

adept at that versus other cultures. I mean 

Patrick you might agree with that. Certainly in 

the UK, people are hesitant. I think the US is a 

very very conservative business culture. 

Patrick Wright: I think, to follow on from 

that, change always does happen. And like the 

bicycle was invented centuries ago but we still 

have them. And they change. And like, with 

the papers, the press, I agree with you. Everything 

is still there. Just because something 

new comes along, the old isn’t always dead. It 

changes and adapts. And I think that’s the new 

moral. But from what I’ve taken from today is 

I need to go home and meditate. And from my 

perspective – and it’s the why – I really enjoy 

to tell a story and I enjoy to tell that through 

the medium of video, whatever the story. And 

I think – and when I ask ..., I think it really 

does help that engagement – that communication. 

It’s a catalyst. It’s not the magic bullet. It’s 

a catalyst – a part of that Disruption – and I 

think that’s where it could be used as best. But 

I think embrace – you know – it says embrace 

and adapt is – and that’s one of the things 

that people said a long time ago. But I think 

because – sorry? 

Patrick Wright: As Jason said, this has 

been happening forever – like that model of 

it was 100 years, now it’s 50 years, now it’s 

5 years. That’s because the rate of change 

and adaption is much, much quicker and a 

lot of people are slow to pick it up. There’s a 

lot of things in Australia, coming from the 

UK, is that the issue with all the unions and 

everything – it’s like: Oh this is like the UK 

in the 70s. And this is like the UK. And there 

is this little bit of a time warp of things – the 

slowness of change, the slowness to be able to 

adapt to that – I think some of that is – there 

could be a few ostriches in Australia thinking: 

embrace it, embrace it. The slow make-up 

of the mass media and the individual media 

I think is part of that. And I think a lot of 

companies are thinking, you know: But 

we’ve doing it like this for 50 years. Oh, that 

might not work, going forward. I think that it’s 

important to be fluid and prepared to say: 

What can we do to that? And not fearing the 

fact that – and not expecting it all for free, I 

think, is a fair option because ....: We want to 

do all this, order this stuff, but we’ve just got no 

money. Oh, OK. It’s not about the money, but 

you need to invest in Change. Invest – if it’s 

people and resources – but invest in adapting. 

I think that’s what see and it’s specifically in 

Australian businesses. And I agree with you: 

there isn’t a Tall Poppy Syndrome, but there 

is almost an I’m Alright Jack Syndrome where 

we’re just: We’re infants, we’re here. It’s like: 

OK. And that’s a danger that a company – a 

competitor – will come up behind them and 

say: Well, we did all this thing. Oh right, OK. 

And then they become successful. So, I think 

adapting and embracing is a ... really – and 

meditation. 

Nicole Baines: Thank you. Hardeep? 

Hardeep Girn: I’d like to summarise that 

Change and Disruption is really about having 

better relationships with people around 

you. So, be it better customer service, or if it’s 

healthier lifestyle back home, Change and Disruption 

to me is just summarising that you’re 

having a better relationship with somebody. 

And it might be that it’s a new person that 

you’re having a better relationship with. Or 

you’re taking a relationship away from one organisation 

and making it your own. So I think 

that’s the key. The key is the relationship. 

Nicole Baines: Very good. 

Michael Walls: Can you add your thing? 

Nicole Baines: Would you like me to? 

Michael Walls: Yes. 

Nicole Baines: I would like to say that 

Change is where growth comes from. And I 

think if you don’t want to stay stuck where you 

are, you have to embrace Change and go with 

it. And to do that, you need education. You 

need to learn something different. You need 

different people in your life. And you need a 

vehicle to take that Change forward. And for 

most of us, that vehicle is our business. Thank 

you all for being here today. I hope you’ve all 

taken something away. Fascinating. A lot of the 

same things from our previous round table discussion 

on this topic have come up again today. 

Hardeep Girn: Thank you to KARI for 

the venue. 

Nicole Baines: Alrighty. Thank you all for 

being here. Please spread the word about Access 

News Australia, KARI and Know My Life, 

Know My Business. 

27


REGIONAL ROUND-UP 


NORTH WEST 

WSU-Navitas venture 

EDUCATION provider, Navitas, has 

signed a joint-venture contract with Western 

Sydney University. The company runs education 

programs in Australia and internationally. 

More than 40,000 jobs 

A RAIL connection linking Western 

Sydney to Badgerys Creek Airport would 

deliver more than 40,000 jobs for the region, 

preliminary figures commissioned by the 

Western Sydney Rail Alliance, show. 

Swire gets approval 

SWIRE Cold Storage Pty Ltd has approval 

for the construction and operation of 

a warehouse, distribution and office facility in 

Blacktown. 

Frasers buys site 

FRASERS Property Australia (formerly 

Australand) has exchanged contracts to acquire 

a 10-hectare site adjacent to its Eastern 

Creek Business Park from Hanson Concrete. 

The site complements the company’s previously 

developed 100-hectare Eastern Creek 

Industrial Estate. 

Council wins awards 

BLACKTOWN City Council was a joint 

winner in the Innovation in Special Events 

Category and Highly Commended in both 

the Reporting to Your Community and Excellence 

in Communication categories, in the 

annual RH Dougherty Awards in the local 

government sector. 

Five-star complex 

WORK is expected to begin in the new 

year on the “five-star” Hills Entertainment 

Centre, McGraths Hill, to include10 cinemas 

and a mix of a hotel, pub, restaurants, fast 

food, and retail complex. 

500 new jobs 

THE NSW government has approved a 

proposal to amend planning rules to rezone 

around 47 hectares of land at Mamre West, 

from rural use to be used for industrial 

employment purposes paving the way for up 

to around 500 new jobs for Western Sydney. 

The land is near the proposed Western Sydney 

Airport. 

Two properties sold 

A single-storey property leased to Hux 

Grill for seven years, at 78-80 Henry Street, in 

the Penrith CBD, has been sold for $2.3 million. 

A two-storey building at 76 Henry Street 

was sold for $2.7 million. 

SOUTH WEST 

Warehouse sold for $2.35m 

WARIN Nominees has bought an1893- 

square-metre warehouse, in Pembury Road, 

Minto, from Andrew and Phillip Ellis, for 

$2.35 million. The building leased by CVS 

Springfield 

Collaborative deal 

PROPERTY fund group Logos, in collaboration 

with apparel group retailer, Specialty 

Fashion Group, to build a retail distribution 

centre, at the Prestons Logistics Estate 

Jobs for 100 people 

CATHOLIC Healthcare has purchased 

land at Casula to build a stateof-the-art 

seniors facility to broaden 

its services to South-West Sydney. The 

facility, Catholic Healthcare’s first in the 

region, is expected to employ more than 

100 local people. 

Club buys land 

MOOREBANK Sports Club has purchased 

14,000 square metres of land at 

Gregory Hills to cater to the growing population 

of the region. A DA has been submitted 

to Camden Council and the club license 

submission has been submitted to the state 

government. The anticipated construction of 

the club could be completed within three to 

five years. 

Submissions considered 

DEPARTMENT of Planning and Environment 

is considering submission regarding 

the Campbelltown-Macarthur Regional City 

through urban renewal, land release and new 

infrastructure 

Factory sold for $3.2m 

A LARGE free-standing 1277-squaremetre 

factory, at 169 Military Road, 

Guildford, has been sold for $3.2 million. 

The property, situated on five individual 

titles, has three frontages to a 4062-squaremetre 

site. 

CENTRAL WEST 

Mirvac buys site 

PROPERTY firm, Mirvac Group, has paid 

$47.6 million to ISPT for a 1950s manufacturing 

and production facility fully leased to 

electronic and systems group Thales Australia 

Limited, at 274 Victoria Road, Rydalmere. 

Over 11 bids were received from offshore 

and local investors for recently refurbished 

22,734-square-metre building which sits on 

a 36,540-square-metre site. Thales has a lease 

expiring in 2020. 

$260m project approved 

GREATON (formerly Zhengtang Group) 

has received development approval for its 

$260 million Oxford Central project including 

254 apartments, at 30 – 42 Oxford Street, 

Epping. Greaton, which purchased the 5170 

square-metre site from Grocon in January 

2016, expects to start construction in January 

2017. 

Sicilian site auction 

THE Sicilian restaurant site, at 292- 

298 Church Street in the Parramatta 

CBD will be auctioned on October 18. 

The site area is 789 square metres and 

zoned B4 Mixed-Use. The property has a 

gross income of $400,000 annually. 

CMRI wins award 

CHILDREN’S Medical Research Institute 

(CMRI), at Westmead, won The Excellence 

in Work, Health and Safety award at the 26th 

Annual Western Sydney Awards for Business 

Excellence for its work in creating a safe and 

healthy environment for its staff. 

Eureka pays $85 million 

EUREKA Funds Management has bought 

the refurbished 12,000-square-metre A-grade 

office and retail building, at 18 Smith Street, 

in the Parramatta CBD, for about $85 million 

from Atlis Property Partners. 

$28 million facelift 

The $28 million facelift of Rosehill Gardens 

Racecourse has been completed. The 

upgrade includes a new multi-functional function 

space as well improved spectator access, 

seating and function capacity. 

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29

INTELLIGENCE 


Putting digital technology to work 

NEW WAVES 

By Steve Hallam and 

Rob Collie 

NEW technology waves are 

changing businesses – the way 

they operate and compete. 

Digital is one of these technology 

waves and Australia is in the 

midst of it. 

What is digital and 

how does it affect 

your business? 

Digital is one of the six technology 

eras we’ve seen, running 

in 10-year cycles since the 1970s, 

characterised by exponential growth 

and connectivity. 

The disruptors enabling the digital 

era are mobile, cloud computing, 

analytics, social media and wearables. 

While the digital era is proposed 

to run from 2010-2020, the 

next wave of technology – exponential 

– is already emerging, through 

artificial intelligence, sensors, home 

automation, driverless cars, digital 

money, quantum computing and 

3D printing. 

Technologies of both the current 

digital era and future eras are 

changing the underlying economics 

of business. 

Businesses have been previously 

set up on economies of scale but are 

now moving toward economies of 

scope. In other words, the focus is 

shifting to the variety of products 

offered rather than the output level 

of one product. 

Digital and exponential technologies 

make it possible for business operations 

to be enhanced by efficiency. 

More so, it is imperative businesses 

use the technology available to improve 

all aspects of their operations, 

from sales, service and marketing to 

products, processes and collaboration. 

Or risk being left behind. 

The ‘digital imperative’ means 

the focus of competition is moving 

away from products to services and to 

customer experiences. The complexity 

of delivering customer experience 

is becoming cheaper and people are 

willing, and wanting, to customise 

their experience at mass levels. 

Integrating digital 

into the bricks and 

mortar experience 

In a retail context, physical 

stores and digital experiences are 

merging. Organisations with a retail 

footprint need to understand if and 

how digital business models will 

integrate with their physical stores. 

This is to say, a store can’t have 

a digital model for the sake of it. 

The increasing focus on customer 

experience is forcing businesses to 

start thinking about how to create 

feedback loops to gain insights from 

customers about what is or isn’t 

working; and how to do it at scale. 

Deloitte’s first piece in a Retail 

Trends series, Technology in Retail, 

explores how digital disruption 

has allowed customers to redefine 

their shopping experience, with the 

power to choose when, where and 

how they acquire their goods and 

services. 

Uber is a perfect example of 

combining the concepts of asset 

efficiency, customer experience and 

feedback loops. T 

he Uber business model creates 

opportunity out of excess capacity 

- people become more efficient 

in using their car, an unutilised asset 

that for most people, most of the 

time, sits around idle. 

The experience factor comes 

into play through Uber’s rating 

system, in which the driver rates you 

and you rate the driver – an inherent 

feedback loop based on artificial 

intelligence. 

These concepts are all reflective 

of the digital era and the forthcoming 

exponential era changing 

the way businesses operate and 

compete. 

Is your business 

prepared to ride the 

waves of technology? 

It may feel as though the pace of 

change is fast or even speeding up, 

but these trends and business model 

changes are not new. 

Most of the technologies of 

the upcoming exponential era 

have been around for a while. For 

example, 3D printing was invented 

in the 1980s but only now has 

the technology that underlies it 

become cost efficient. 

Australia is one of the highest 

adopters of personal technology, 

such as smart phones and fitness 

devices. 

Deloitte’s 2016 Media Consumer 

Survey found that 86% of 

Australians own a smartphone. 

But we are one of the laggards in 

adoption of new business models 

and technology in a business 

context 1 . 

The latter could be attributed 

to the commonly accepted observation 

that in an economic sense 

compared to countries like the 

United States or United Kingdom 

we are about five years behind. 

However, this can actually play 

to Australia’s advantage, enabling 

us to learn from the mistakes of 

others and to determine the direction 

in which we are heading. 

Regulation plays an important 

part in a country’s ability to adopt 

new business models as it gives 

confidence to that model; but ultimately 

as new technologies come 

through, we need to keep the right 

level of momentum and progress. 

The difficulty is to understand 

when to move across the different 

technology curves. It is possible 

for businesses to get ahead of the 

curve by thinking about technology 

trends over the long-term, 

how they have impacted business 

and will continue to do so. 

1 The Collaborative Economy: Unlocking the 

power of the workplace crowd 

Steve Hallam is a Deloitte Digital Partner 

and Rob Collie is a Deloitte Private Partner 

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COMMENT 


Our evolving EDUCATION CITY 

PARRAMATTA 

By Geoff Lee 

State Member for Parramatta 

PARRAMATTA is rapidly evolving to become 

Western Sydney’s education city. 

Education and heath sectors are two 

of the most important industries in Western 

Sydney. They comprise of high-knowledge 

high-value jobs and make up a large part of 

the economy with significant potential for 

future growth. 

Now that we are realising significant 

investment from public and non-government 

sectors, it is the right time to capitalise on 

major educational projects within the Parramatta’s 

CBD. 

Significant capital investments in infrastructure 

are being delivered in the heart of 

Parramatta’s CBD. They include over $100 

million to build the first public vertical primary 

and secondary schools, $120 million to 

build Western Sydney University’s new CBD 

campus, the relocation of the Powerhouse 

Museum to Parramatta and the decentralisation 

of 1,800 Department of Education staff 

from Sydney to Parramatta. 

Western Sydney University CBD campus 

will open in 2017. It has been described by 

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barney Glover, as 

“one of Australia’s most digitally infused and 

technology-rich teaching and research spaces.” 

The building will accommodate 10,000 

students – with international students making 

up 50 per cent of enrolments. The CBD Campus 

will be linked by light rail to their larger 

Rydalmere campus. 

Over $100 million will be invested into 

Mike Baird, Geoff Lee and Amanda Chadwick, Parramatta City Administrator 

the first vertical public primary and secondary 

schools in Australia. Opening in 2019, these 

architecturally-designed buildings will house 

flexible learning spaces. 

They will be the flag-ship schools for the 

21 st Century. Equipped with the latest technology 

they will facilitate modern teaching 

and embrace new student-centred pedagogies 

to excite and inspire learners. Early works 

have already started on the schools. 

These developments see Parramatta 

evolving into a STEM (science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics) Education 

City - disciplines that will grow in demand 

well into the future. 

The relocation of the Powerhouse Museum 

to Parramatta complements this with 

the new purpose built facility described as 

“our answer to the Smithsonian” by NSW 

Premier, Mike Baird. 

These new facilities also complement 

University of New England FutureCampus 

in Parramatta, TAFE Western Sydney, and 

The University of Sydney’s new investment at 

Westmead Hospital. 

New England’s FutureCampus in Parramatta 

is a technology driven campus servicing 

students throughout Australia. Also leveraging 

new technologies and advanced and 

flexible learning models are TAFE Western 

Sydney and a range of vocational education 

and training providers. 

In close proximity and connected by light 

rail, The University of Sydney has a committed 

$60 million investment in new teaching, 

research and clinical areas at Westmead 

Hospital. 

This is the first stage of a larger $500 million 

plan to expand the Westmead campus of 

The University of Sydney. 

The natural convergence of educational 

institutions in Parramatta will change the 

culture of the city, open up new opportunities 

for the growing education industry, and 

making Parramatta known for its educational 

focus. 

Parramatta’s demographics will change 

through tens of thousands of primary, 

secondary and tertiary students visiting and 

studying in the CBD every day. 

Students will add vibrancy and youth to 

the city and turbo-charge the café-culture. 

More families and young professionals will 

also settle here. 

Success breeds success. 

As a successful education city we will 

become the destination of choice for education. 

This will deliver more opportunities for 

business, for individuals and for the community 

as a whole. 

In the past I have said that Parramatta can 

be to Sydney what Boston is to New York. 

Not competing, but complementary powerhouses 

of economic development with their 

own competitive strengths. 

I look forward to seeing greater investment 

in education in Parramatta, as another 

step in driving significant socio-economic 

benefits in Parramatta. 

Parramatta as an ‘Education City’ is one 

more piece in the global-city puzzle that 

makes Parramatta the ‘Capital of Western of 

Sydney’. 

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31

COMMENT 


You’re the ingredient in Network Soup 

FUNDAMENTALS 

By Hardeep Girn 

BUSINESS today hasn’t changed much 

from business 30 years ago. 

Sure technology makes it much more 

efficient, but the fundamentals remain – 

people know your brand and you know your 

product. Put another way, for people to do 

business with you, that need to know, like and 

trust you. 

Marketing channels have been through 

significant fragmentation over the last 10 years 

with social media giving people the ability to 

receive messages based on their interests. 

To quote Stephen Scheeler the Managing 

Director of Facebook Australia & New 

Zealand (at American Chamber of Commerce 

September 2016): “We don’t have just one 

application, we have 1.7 billion”. 

To illustrate the point, he asked the audience 

to start Facebook on their phones and 

pass it to the person beside them. It sure became 

a talking point when most people in the 

room, felt like they were exposed in public. 

And with the fragmentation of messaging 

so too have been the development of 

networks. You name it, there’s a network for 

everything. Websites such as Meetup support 

networks that cater to a variety of broad and 

eclectic interests. 

Being in a network has become more 

than just a place to pick up new work. These 

interest groups build collective followings of 

people sharing other common goals such as 

technical know-how, business education and 

playing golf. 

By not being part of these networks, you 

miss out in more way than one. The social 

aspect is vital. Yes, you are there for a purpose, 

however if no one can relate to you, your selfinterest 

can be detrimental. 

Through our membership of over 40 

networks, we have found relationship building 

a passion and the core to our own service 

proposition. 

But without being part of the ‘club’, it’s 

near impossible to land great outcomes. It 

may be time consuming, especially as you may 

need to focus on servicing your clients, but 

without you, the networks can’t survive and 

you don’t set yourself up for your own future 

needs. 

Business education and self-development 

are areas we’ve found many business owners 

and senior management lack strong skills. 

There are very few true leaders and those in 

business from the smallest operation to the 

largest fail to address areas where they under 

perform. 

Interestingly we’ve found these limitations 

in the market place, when business owners are 

seeking new business 

through ineffective 

networking. 

Sure you need 

to keep a pipeline of 

sales activity going, 

but by not addressing 

your ability to land 

larger work through 

lack of confidence is 

a hidden problem in 

many businesses. 

Our clients have 

grown to include 

networking bodies 

seeking new members. 

And through 

our mission, to add 

value at every introduction, we can see the 

missing ingredient is sometimes you! 

The opportunity to develop new skills, 

new business and new friendships may take a 

few tries, but relationship building goes hand 

in hand with your own personal brand. 

We recently entered the South Sydney 

market and to build a relationship, we didn’t 

try to sell a single thing. Instead we developed 

a number of ways we engaged. 

• Joined the South Sydney Chamber. 

• Filmed interviews with local businesses. 

• Commercially engaged with local 

suppliers. 

• Sponsored a South Sydney Business 

Roundtable discussion. 

• Presented at a South Sydney Chamber 

event. 

• Sponsored a Family Business Australia 

event. 

In all initiatives above we either reinforced 

our presence in a network, or created a network 

(e.g. our South Sydney suppliers). In doing so, 

our brand strength, reputation and confidence 

in the region increased. This has now started to 

develop into a pipeline of new business. 

Self-development and brand reach hasn’t 

just touched small business, but also the 

Enterprise customers have caught on to their 

failings. 

The Australian banks have received their 

fair share of reputational damage with scandals, 

greed, and recently cross/up selling. In 

ending this commentary, it’s worth referencing 

what Brian Hartzer, the Westpac CEO 

now says about business. “It is impossible to 

convince someone of the value you’re adding 

if they don’t trust you” (at Australia-Israel 

Chamber of Commerce September 2016). 

The focus for the bank seems to be the 

branches will seek to address customer needs 

rather than which products they recommend. 

In short, Westpac has realised they have 

treated customers as sales targets, rather than 

having a closer relationship with them. 

In effect they’re trying to create their own 

network. As crazy as it may have once sounded, 

and against the bank’s claims that branches 

will get smaller, maybe we should all get ready 

for coffee mornings, business networking and 

educational seminars at the local bank branch 

in the near future. 

Know My Business helps businesses fast 

track their business development and sales 

efforts by introducing them to their targeted 

clientele. Utilising their extensive business 

network and high tech business matching 

systems, Know My Business has the answer 

to Australia’s fastest growing business need. 

Start the conversation by calling 13000 IN- 

TRO (1300 046 876), emailing sales@girn. 

com or visiting www.knowmybusiness.com.au 

Hardeep Girn is managing director of Know My 

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BusinessLIFE 

UNSUNG HEROES • LEGACY BUILDERS • NETWORKERS 

How to TURN IT OFF 

In search of the elusive work-life balance 

www.wsba.com.au 

Following is an excerpt from John Drury’s 

new book: ‘IN TEGRATE – Why work-life 

balance is a myth and what you really need to 

create a fulfilling lifestyle” 

THE first of December 1913 was a muchanticipated 

day. 

In an automobile factory in Highland 

Park, Michigan, Henry Ford’s dream of 

producing an affordable motorcar for the 

masses was about to become a reality. 

Through the introduction of a moving 

assembly line, Ford was able to reduce the production 

time for each Model T car from over 

12 hours to one hour and 33 minutes. 

Within three years, the cost of each vehicle 

fell drastically from over US$850 to US$300. 

Over 15 million Model T cars were produced 

and purchased between 1913 and 1927 by the 

emerging middle classes. 

A new era of industrialisation was ushered 

in across the USA and the globe. The idea that 

work could be done more efficiently as procedures 

were automated and streamlined soon 

inspired changes across all industries. 

The cry for an eight-hour day for workers 

had been growing louder through the late 

1800s. On 5 January 1914, the Ford Motor 

Company took the radical step of doubling its 

employees’ pay to US$5 per day and cutting 

their shift length from nine hours to eight. 

Over the next two years, productivity and 

profits rose dramatically. Critics were silenced. 

Hopes were stirred. 

A vision emerged of an efficient, industrialised 

world of work that enabled increasing 

prosperity and leisure time for everyone. In a 

world where even the working classes could 

own a house and a car and enjoy a good lifestyle, 

the possibilities for high achievers were limitless. 

Fast forward to today 

Ian has recently been promoted to Chief 

Operating Officer for a large multinational 

company in Sydney. 

He has responsibility for a division that 

operates throughout South-East Asia, and 

he reports to global managers based in New 

York and London. Ian is highly respected for 

his technical skills and his dedication to the 

company. 

He has worked hard to build his career, 

spending several years with his young family 

based in Asia, before returning to Sydney when 

the eldest of his three children hit primary 

school age. 

Ian is drowning in the increased workload 

and responsibility. He regularly wakes at 4:00 

am in a cold sweat, anxious about the implications 

of pending decisions. He leaves for 

work at 5:00 am and arrives home after dark 

most days. He sees his children for 30 minutes 

before bedtime and on weekends. 

When he is home, he is not particularly 

present due to stress and the constant need to 

check his smartphone for numerous emails 

coming at him from around the world. He 

describes his typical work day like ‘being in 

the midst of a cyclone’, with his head down, responding 

to the demands swirling around him. 

He does not feel in control of anything. 

Every now and then he tries to snatch a moment 

to look up to gain some perspective. He 

is dreading the extra travel to Europe and USA 

as part of his new role, on top of his regular 

trips across Asia. 

When Ian reached out to me for some 

leadership mentoring, he did so as a last resort. 

He felt like he was failing both at work and at 

home as a partner and as a parent. 

He had put on over 10 kilograms in six 

months because he was continually eating 

unhealthy food at odd hours, and had no time 

to do physical exercise. 

He felt he had no choice but to resign and 

be demoted to a role where he could feel that 

his whole life was not totally dominated by 

work. 

Chances are, you can relate to Ian. Do you 

often wonder if you will ever have a day when 

you get everything on your list done? Do you 

panic when you see your phone ring? Or worry 

that you’re never around to celebrate your 

children’s birthdays? 

“ 

Passion means you are 

likely to find it difficult to 

turn off your brain when 

you leave work. Passion 

means your mind will 

often be solving business 

problems in the night or 

when you are driving the 

car.” 

– John Drury. 

Whether you are a small business owner or 

in a position of leadership in a corporate career, 

life in the second decade of the 21st century is 

busier than ever. The technological advances of 

the last century have transformed every aspect 

of our working world and our domestic lives. 

Yet instead of working fewer hours, with 

more time for family and friends, most of us 

report the opposite. 

I see so many talented and passionate 

people, like Ian, with good levels of success 

in life and potential for much more. They are 

what we describe as ‘high achievers’. However, 

somewhere between age 35 and 55, these high 

achievers hit a wall. 

They start to experience what I call ‘the 

curse of the juggle of life’. They start to juggle 

many aspects of their life, including their 

career or business, their partner, their partner’s 

career or business, their 2.3 children, two sets 

of family and friends, and aging parents—all 

while struggling to stay fit and healthy, safe and 

financially secure. 

All these balls are very hard to keep in the 

air, so is it any wonder that we forget how to relax 

and replenish emotionally? That our stress 

levels start to increase? 

Most of us today feel overwhelmed, as 

though we are surviving rather than thriving, 

struggling to manage the boundaries between 

work and the rest of our lives. 

Many of my clients have a level of anxiety 

that underpins much of their world. Some 

wonder if they really have what it takes to cut it 

in this crazy 21st-century, 24/7, 365-day-a-year 

marketplace. 

Work–life balance is a myth 

The most talked-about and well-publicised 

strategy recommended to manage our frantic 

Author John Drury 

lives is ‘work–life balance’. This term originated 

sometime during the early 20th century 

with regard to improved working conditions 

and shorter working hours. It was meant to 

describe the idea that there should be reasonable 

balance between work and the rest of our 

lives. It implies that like a seesaw, there is an 

optimum point of balance that will work for 

each of us. 

So what would you think if I told you this 

is all a myth? That work–life balance doesn’t 

actually exist? And that in trying to chase this 

dream we are actually making ourselves sick? 

Most high achievers are passionate about 

their business, their careers, and their success. 

Yet passion and drive are the enemies of balance. 

By definition, if you are passionate you 

are going to always be out of balance. 

Passion means you are likely to find it 

difficult to turn off your brain when you leave 

work. Passion means your mind will often 

be solving business problems in the night or 

when you are driving the car. 

High achievers are often made to feel 

guilty by the concept of ‘work–life balance’. 

They might even be viewed as workaholics by 

the majority of people for whom work is a job: 

just a means to income. 

A 2013 Gallup Report indicates that up to 

70% of the American workforce is disengaged 

at work, i.e. less than passionate. 

The concept of ‘work–life balance’ may 

have been well intended, but it is unhelpful 

in the 21st century. It pits work against life, 

creating an unnecessary conflict. Work is part 

of life, not against life. 

There is no seesaw that needs to be in balance. 

Rather, each of us has a whole life, every 

segment of which needs to be integrated in 

such a way that we can prosper and flourish. 

To purchase your copy of INTEGRATE 

go to http://johndrury.biz/author 

To purchase the eBook Kindle version 

search ‘Integrate – John Drury’ on www. 

amazon.com.au 

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33

JAWS benefits 

include: 

JAWS 

Connecting the Western Sydney jobs market 

Jobs Available Western Sydney (JAWS) offers the only 

platform that solely focusses on matching job seekers 

with employment opportunities in Western Sydney. 

JAWS achieves results like no other job advertisement 

options; at an affordable cost. The nature of job posting 

allows job seekers to easily interact with the jobs they 

are interested in. 

Employers have a unique method to find staff, allowing 

them to see interested people first hand. JAWS has 

posted over 3,000 jobs inside Western Sydney since its 

inception in late 2013. The of JAWS formula is easy to use 

and highly interactive. 

One of the most unique aspects of this platform is the 

ability for our fans to ‘tag’ friends and family to specific 

jobs; offering employers a more targeted advertising 

solution and new age recruitment opportunities that 

other online and offline services cannot deliver. 

Visit www.jobswesternsydney.com.au today 

and discover a more effective way to reach 

the region’s best job applicants 

Major Sponsors 

• JAWS website is updated 

EVERY day with new job 

opportunities available. 

• JAWS Facebook page has 

over 29,000 fans. 

• JAWS is supported by two 

of the region’s leading 

newspaper groups – 

Western Weekender and 

Western Sydney Business 

Access; ensuing that the 

brand is well promoted at 

all times. 

• Advertisers can select 

from packages that 

include social media 

and traditional print 

advertising. 

• JAWS offers value for 

money compared to 

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of job advertising. 

• Gets real results that you 

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• Many businesses use only 

JAWS when advertising 

available jobs. 

• It is modern recruitment; 

JAWS gives the employer 

more control. 

• JAWS newsletter database 

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www.jobswesternsydney.com.au 

Fun Piano Teaching Position In Parramatta 

Working Weekday afternoons: 

Role: Teaching piano to 

beginner adults and children 

face to face. 

The role is suited to someone 

who: 

• Has studied instrument for 

over 6 years 

• Preferably has teaching experience and confident with 

communication of music techniques 

• Friendly personality 

• Loves to show the fun side of music to beginner and 

adult students 

• Presentable 

We are close to transport and can discuss further details. 

Please email through resume to careers@shinemusic.com. 

au and if you are reliable, resourceful and willing to be part of 

something special, grab a pad and a pen and call this number 

NOW!: (02) 80912310. 

You’ll be required to leave a voicemail message (no longer 

than 2 minutes) and it should contain the following information 

in order: 

• Name (Spell surname) 

• Contact phone number 

• Position you are applying for 

• How you heard about this position 

• Tell us 3 great things about yourself 

Chef/ Cook - Hawkesbury 

• Passionate about food 

• Experienced 

• Reliable 

• Hard working 

Does this sound like you? Then the 

Ugly Mug team want to hear from you! 

We are looking for an enthusiastic, creative 

chef or cook to work and have a hand 

in running our large, busy and new café kitchen. Ugly Mug 

Coffee House has already established itself in the Hawkesbury 

and are now ready to expand. The Ugly mug offers a different 

and up bet café dining experience. 

Roles of chef or cook may include: 

• Managing a busy kitchen 

• Setting menus and food pricing 

• Ordering and monitoring supplies 

• Weighing and costing goods 

• consistency in plating and presentation 

Attention to detail and being able to work with a team is a 

must. We want someone with creativity and passion to help us 

further expand our Ugly Mug name and create amazing food to 

lift dining experience for our customers. 

If you possess all of the above, please send a resume and 

cover letter to: 

info@uglymug.com.au 

amy@uglymug.com.au 

Administration Assistant/Receptionist – Penrith 

Full time Traineeship 

Would suit school leavers or someone looking for an opportunity 

to work in administration. 

The Western Sydney Business Centre has been giving business 

advice locally for over 28 years. Every year we help many 

businesses in all areas that they require assistance with. In just 

the last 12 months we have seen over 1,200 businesses for 

advice making our Centre Western Sydney’s premier business 

advice and training provider. 

We have won all industry awards recently, boasting advisors 

that are the best in Australia and constantly challenging 

themselves and clients to reach greater heights. 

In short, we provide business advice, run many training 

programs and workshops and work collaboratively with key 

partners which strengthen our services. 

YOUR SKILLS 

We believe that not everyone is hired based on qualifications 

or years of experience. We are looking for a proactive and 

motivated person with the right positive attitude, a helpful 

nature, and most importantly, someone who represents the 

points below: 

• A people person who loves to listen as well as communicate 

• The type of person who is always bubbly and has a 

great energy 

• Is outgoing, organised and gets things done 

• Love helping people to achieve their dreams 

• Familiar with Microsoft office and the use of databases 

• Self-motivated, proactive, shows initiative and loves 

responsibility 


• Can work alone as well as part of a great team 

• Is keen to be a part of a team that achieves more than 

its competitors constantly 

• Can handle following systems and procedures 

• Is enthusiastic, passionate, and driven 

Keep reading if you believe you fit the desired skills above. 

WHAT WE WILL PROVIDE 

We understand that people are our business, so as a highly 

valued member of our team, you will be provided with: 

• a high energy and busy working environment 

• the opportunity to grow with further development 

pathways 

• a supportive and strong team orientated approach 

• up-to-date office systems and software 

• a clean a spacious work environment 

• offices with close proximity to food and transport 

options 

• regular chances to grow your skillset 

YOUR ROLE 

You will be joining an award winning and respected team 

of advisors and administration staff. As our Administration 

Assistant/Receptionist, you will: 

• Enjoy the role of being trusted with keeping clients 

happy and making them feel welcome in every contact 

they have with our Centre 

• love taking ownership and being responsible for some 

of our Centres marketing, including social media 

• be understanding when receiving all feedback from 

our clients, and ensure that their expectations are always 

being met 

• proactively update and maintain our systems that enable 

you to perform any tasks required by you in your 

role 

HOW TO APPLY 

If you fit all of the above criteria, please forward your 

resume john@wsbusiness.com.au and tell us why you are the 

right person for this role. School leavers looking for a fantastic 

opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Please do not call the office. We will contact you for a first 

round phone interview if you sound like the person we are 

looking for to help our Centre grow. 

Service Technician – Fire Specialist 

– Penrith And Surrounds 

We are looking for the best in the Industry to join us. Experience 

a go-ahead company that is committed to its employees 

growth and progression in the industry. 

Control Fire Protection pty ltd are looking for a passive 

fire specialist to become part of our team. As a service technician 

you will form an integral part of delivering a high level of 

customer service. 

Day to day activities will see you carry out inspections, 

testing and installating fire doors, light weight construction and 

passive fire repairs to commercial, residential and industrial 

premises. 

As the role is highly autonomous you will need to be self 

motivated and have the ability to problem solve. You need a 

current drivers licence and strong work ethic is a must. Industry 

or carpentry experience a bonus. 

Benefits: 

• Competitive salary 

• Company car 

• Superannuation 

• Corporate uniform 

• Company i-pad 

Email geordie@controlfireprotection.com.au to apply. 

Sales Director - Penrith 

Western Sydney Publishing Group 

The Western Sydney Publishing Group (WSPG) has a 

rare opportunity for a Sales Director to join our Penrith-based 

team. 

WSPG publishes one of the most successful independent 

newspapers in the country, The Western Weekender, as well as 

the Blue Mountains Record and a range of specialist publications. 

Working alongside the Managing Editor and reporting 

directly to the CEO, this is the first time this role has become 

available in more than five years. 

This role involves: 

• Managing the day to day operations of the sales team 

• Developing sales strategies and executions that assist 

in meeting weekly targets 

• Managing relationships with key agencies, clients and 

stakeholders 

• Conducting regular one-on-one and group training 

with members of the sales team 

• Working alongside the Managing Editor to ensure the 

integrity and excellence of the newspapers 

• Juggling our traditions in print advertising sales with 

the digital evolution 

The successful candidate will: 

• Have excellent written and verbal communications 

skills 

• Have a high level of energy, dedication, and an unrelenting 

drive to succeed and win. 

• Have extensive sales and management experience 

• Have excellent computer skills particularly with Microsoft 

Office 

• The following attributes would be beneficial, but are 

not a requirement: 

• Experience in media sales 

• Experience with the Pongrass management system 

• Knowledge of the Penrith area and surrounds 

Send your CV and cover letter to troy.dodds@westernweekender.com.au. 

LEADING HAND / SERVICE TECHNICIAN 

Upto 75K + Super 

Inner-West, Sydney 

• Fantastic company culture, parking provided, NO 

weekend work, room for career progression 

• Immediate start available 

• Must have a strong carpentry/building background 

and min 3 years experience 

• Must have good written and verbal communication skills 

• To apply please send your resume through to nataliec@constructive.net.au 

Apprentice/Jnr Trades Assistant - Blacktown 

Our Blacktown based glass and 

glazing business is looking for a full 

time apprentice/Jnr Trades 

Assistant to assist our Glazier with 

the installation of shower screens, 

splashbacks, balustrades, pool 

fences, shop fronts and all aspects of 

the glass trade. 

No experience needed, on the 

job training provided. 

Overtime and Saturday work available. 

We are wanting someone that is keen, enthusiastic, reliable 

and is looking for a full time position. 

Must have drivers licence, steel cap shoes, able to operate 

power tools and be fit and strong. 

Contact Tracey Dixon 

96220472 

0406223902 

info@dixonsglass.com.au 

Barista/ Wait staff - Schofields 

WE ARE EXPANDING!!! 

The Ugly Mug team is looking for an 

experiences and friendly faced barista to 

join us in the opening of our new café in 

Schofields. You must be capable to work 

in very busy fast passed conditions and a 

master at multitasking. 

Must haves: 

• Experience in busy café 

• Knowledge of coffee and recipes 

• Friendly personality 

• And experience in waiting 

Desirable qualities 

• Recipe knowledge 

• Capable in coffee art 

Attention to details and working as a team is a must! We 

want someone with personality to serve our thirsty coffee loving 

customers 

If this sounds like you and are ready for the challenge, 

please send resume and cover letter to: 



Wait staff 

The Ugly Mug Coffee House in Richmond is looking for 

some new energetic wait staff to start working soon. The Ugly 

Mug is a very vibrant busy café and if you are ready for the 

challenge come down and see us! 

• Some experience needed 

• Will need to be available weekdays and weekends 

• Friendly and personality 

• Able to communicate well with customers 

• Must work well in a team 

If this sounds like you and are ready for a challenge, please 

send your resume and cover letter to: 



35

When it comes to money, what animal are you? 

People with Dolphin preferences 

like harmony, peace and purpose. Dolphins 

are more interested in “what could be” than 

“what is”. The Dolphins core needs are 

possibility, purpose and authenticity. Oprah 

Winfrey displays Dolphin preferences. 

People with Owl preferences like 

knowledge, possibility and analysis. 

Like the Dolphins, Owls are more interested in 

“what could be” than “what is”. The core needs of 

Owls are competence, possibility and maximising 

opportunities. Bill Gates displays Owl preferences. 

People with Monkey preferences like spontaneity and 

flexibility. They act on their impulses and find highly 

structured plans and situations restricting. Monkeys 

like to take advantage of new opportunities quickly. 

Donald Trump displays 

Monkey preferences. 

People with Labrador preferences like order, 

closure and stability. They excel in managing 

and maintaining proven structures and 

systems. Labrador’s core needs are loyalty, 

responsibility, and belonging. Warren 

Buffett displays Labrador preferences. 

Our Clients 

Carnegie Financial Planning specialises in providing advice and 

financial solutions to: 

• Business Owners, 

• Professionals and 

• Private Clients. 

Our vision is to empower our clients with the tools and 

strategies to achieve their life and wealth goals. 

To do we need to know and understand what’s important 

to you and what you value. We use the Money Personality 

Questionnaire to help you understand yourself and how you 

make money decisions. 

We get to know what drives you to work, to spend, to save, to 

borrow, to risk, to laugh and cry. 

All of these things signpost your Wealth Journey. Knowing 

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We operate only on a fee for advice basis with the option 

of engaging us for specific issues or as part of an ongoing 

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Financial Planning 

Financial Planning is about delivering 3 things for every client: 

Hope 

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Plenty, knowing that you have “enough” to live the 

way you want to. 

Get to know us 

Find us on Facebook 

Like us and Join our Community 

Visit our website 

www.carnegiefin.com.au 

Watch our Wealth Education Videos. You’ll find links to Sheila’s YouTube Channel 

on the Wealth Education Page @ www.carnegiefin.com.au 


FEATURE 


Undesirable customer service trends 

By Justin Herald 

MY BIG 4 

THE whole notion of customer service, 

and I mean proper old fashion customer 

service seems to be disappearing quickly. 

Gone are the days when you are 

blown away by someone’s effort to go way 

above and beyond to give you an experience. 

Most people don’t say anything anymore 

when they are treated badly as they think that 

there is no outcome if they do. 

Sadly this has led us to now accept bad 

service as the new norm. 

Well I for one am a bit over the mediocrity 

and I think it’s time for a change back to 

proper service. 

There are four customer service styles that 

seem to be rampant today out in the marketplace 

which I want to highlight and hopefully 

eradicate. 

Your business grows when your customers 

get treated right. This isn’t rocket science, it’s a 

fact that unfortunately a lot of business owners 

and their staff are not getting. 

The Ninja Service 

The ninja service is probably one of the 

most common types of service we all experience. 

Like a ninja, ninja service is when you 

don’t even realise that service has even been 

there or a part of your experience when dealing 

with someone. 

Every few days I stop at the same service 

station to fill my car up with fuel on my way to 

taking my daughter to school. 

I am yet to have had one word said to 

me by the person behind the counter. Not a 

“hello”, not a “how is your day”, not a “that 

will be $63 please”, not even a “thank you”. 

NOTHING!!!! 

I would have been there at least twice 

every week now for over two years and been 

served by the same guy so one would assume 

that he would remember me but still I get 

nothing. So he is a customer service ninja. He 

does everything by stealth. 

Problem is, as a customer I am not only 

after what I purchase, I am also after an experience. 

A good one not a bad one! 

The Skeleton Service 

The skeleton service is very easy to spot. 

That is when you just experience the bare 

bones of service. You know, where it’s evident 

but just. 

This is happening all the time and it is my 

belief it is due to either lack of training or staff 

are being trained in basics of service by people 

who don’t really understand what consumers 

really want and like. 

Recently I went to my local food supermarket. 

Now this place is huge. There are 15 

check outs. The problem is they never have 

any open. This particular day I was there picking 

up something for dinner there was just one 

register open with a lady working her butt off 

to get through the monstrous line of shoppers 

lining up. 

Down the other end was the “self-serve” 

checkouts which most supermarkets are 

trying to get us all to use. This is where I had 

a problem. There are 10 “self-serve” registers 

there but they had 3 staff telling the customers 

which register they should use. 

Now as I have been on this planet for a fair 

while now, I’m pretty sure I can see what register 

was available to use. Not only where there 

three staff members there, in all their wisdom 

they closed five of the “self-serve” registers so 

that line up was huge as well. 

When I questioned one of the staff members 

as to why they were shut she said “that’s 

so we don’t get too many people through here 

at one time”. HUH??? Well if they didn’t want 

too many people there, wouldn’t it be smarter 

to take two of those three staff and open 

up a proper register for them to SERVE the 

customers? 

Skeleton service is a croc and should be 

stamped out of all businesses. 

The Fool’s Gold Service 

Back in the gold rush, fool’s gold was 

everywhere. Whilst it looked like real gold, 

not until it was tested could it be proven if it 

was real of fake. 

This is how a lot of us have a customer 

service experience these days. Whilst 

everything maybe going well in our dealings 

with someone, not until there is an issue or 

something tricky pops its head up do we see 

what the person is really like in the service 

realm. 

This normally happens when dealing 

with a “service department” over the phone. 

They have been trained to do things a certain 

way, which in a perfect world would be 

awesome, but the reality is all customers are 

different. 

Then when a customer wants a better 

outcome or feels like the level of service 

needs to be better the true nature of the 

level of service is seen in all of its ugly 

colours. 

Service isn’t just for those customer who 

are perfect. It is also there for those who 

can be a right royal pain. True good service 

is what will win them over and calm them 

down, not fake fool’s gold service. 

The One Size Fits All Service 

The one size fits all service experience 

happens to most of us every day. You know 

when you go somewhere and you are met by 

an employee who just spits out the same old 

same old rhetoric? “Hi, how’s you day going”, 

“the weather is nice today isn’t it”, “oh I 

like that colour on you” blah, blah, blah… 

As stated before, customers are after 

experiences, engagement and to be really 

appreciated. 

The fact is, the customer today one thing 

more than ever before….CHOICE! Unless 

we genuinely look after our customers and 

treat them well and service them to the hilt, 

they will find someone else that does. 

This is why staff training, and I mean 

proper face to face training and none of this 

online training garbage, comes into play. 

Businesses who recognise that staff need 

to be constantly update in the skill of service 

are the ones who are kicking big goals. 

Every time I spend time with staff in a 

business that has engaged my services to 

train their staff, the sales results the following 

week increase due to the staff paying 

more attention to their customers. 

So there you have it. Those are my four 

customer service styles that need to go. I am 

sure you could think of some more but if we 

all concentrate on treating our customers 

how we ourselves like to be treated when 

we are spending our own $$ then I am sure 

things would change for the better 

Justin Herald speaks at over 100 conferences each 

year on business growth and creating customer 

experiences. He also is in high demand as a staff 

trainer. 

www.JustinHerald.com 

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37

TECHNOLOGY 


Business benefits of the iPhone 7 

By Jennifer Vella 

REVIEW 

SHOULD you make the switch to iPhone 

7 or iPhone 7 Plus for your Business? 

iPhone’s have been around since 

2007, and growing each year, with over 

150 million units sold last year alone. 

They have remained consistent with their 

products and platform, with the idea of creating 

a seamless customer experience. 

If you have an iPhone 6s or earlier, or using 

an Android or Windows – use this information 

to help you understand if moving to the 

iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus will help your business 

grow and be more productive. 

Let’s start with the number one complaint 

about most smart phones: battery life. Unable 

to go through a standard business and make it 

to dinner, without the battery dying? 

Emails, calls, social media and the habit 

of turning on the screen to check the time all 

mean that most business people can’t afford to 

be without their smart phone. 

The iPhone 7 has an embedded A10 Fusion 

Clip, which gives it the longest battery life 

ever in an iPhone. Up to two hours more per 

charge, compared to iPhone 6s and double the 

battery life of iPhone 5. 

You may have read the iPhone 7 is waterresistant, 

but what does that mean to your 

business. 

It means that you can spend more time 

doing your business, from the ability to be at a 

job site in the rain, working by the pool, or just 

not having to worry about spills or splashes. 

3D Touch is an under used and rarely 

talked about feature. Now there is a simple but 

powerful new dimension to multi-touch tool 

to allow your business to get more done in less 

time with ISO10. 3D Touch recognises how 

deeply you press the display. 

For example, when pressing deeply on calendar 

you see what is coming up next in your 

calendar in a new widget form. This enables 

you to quickly see what is planned for the rest 

of the day without actually having to open the 

calendar application. 

If your business had developed a customer 

or internal application, 3D Touch can also be 

integrated to make the application for ease of 

use and efficiency. 

More widgets have also been added to 

your today view, which is just a swipe away 

from the home screen. 

This can be customised, so with the same 

ease and swiftness, you can access what is 

important to you; like mail, calendar, weather, 

stocks, reminders, maps, and other applications. 

More and more businesses need use the 

camera for work, especially tradies. An entirely 

new camera enters the picture. Not only is it 

better quality with 12MP, the major benefit 

is the Optical Image Stabilization – for those 

with shaky hands, or just wanting to take 

photos quickly, you no longer have to worry 

about the blur. 

The audio has also been updated. This 

has been very controversial as Apple have 

removed the headset port. There are pros and 

cons to this. 

It would be very frustrating to many 

people who use headsets regularly, for both 

personal and business. 

To combat this Apple have included an 

adapter in the box, so your standard headset is 

plugged into the same port. 

If you want to use the headset and charge 

the iPhone at the same time, you will need to 

sit tight. 

Apple have designed AirPods that pair not 

only to your iPhone, but any device with your 

Apple ID such as your MAC or iPad. 

This means you join a webex on your 

MAC, or take a call on your phone, seamlessly. 

This is also an automatic process, so 

you will not need to waste time in Bluetooth 

settings. 

To use such a powerful new device, 

get connected on Australia’s fastest mobile 

network, with Telstra 4GX. Use this suberb 

SmartPhone and Telstra’s fantastic network to 

help your business thrive. 

Jennifer Vella is Marketing Director at Telstra Business 

Centre West Sydney | Nepean & Hawkesbury 

Liverpool 

Small Business 

Expo 

What to expect 

p 

Business - Local Businesses with the aim of creating commercial 

activity and transaction 

Advice - Get to know your local business with over 35 stalls exhibiting 

Service - Understand and learn about local business by listening to 

keynote presenters 

We'd like to welcome you to the 

2016 Small Business Exchange Expo. 

Our theme for this year is simply 

Business - Advice - Service. 

When: 

W 

Time: 

Social Networking Event: 

Where: 

Wednesday, OCTOBER 12, 2016 

11am-5pm 

5pm start till 7pm 

Country Comfort 

2415 Camden Valley Way, Casula NSW 2170 

Sponsors: 

For more details visit: www.liverpoolchamber.org.au | Contact: 1300 242 623 


TECHNOLOGY 


Tips for working remotely 

WORKPLACE 

By Linda Music 

THE boom in digital technology, 

including the growth of the 

Cloud and its associated services, 

has made working remotely 

a very real alternative to the daily 

commute into the office. 

While some employers are fearful 

of letting their staff work from 

home for fear that “loosening the 

reins” will mean less productivity, 

the reverse is actually true. 

A 2013 study by McCrindle Research 

shows that people are more 

productive working from home than 

in an office environment. 

Another benefit to employers 

is that it increases staff satisfaction 

which results in a lower staff turnover 

rate. That is, staff who are given 

the flexibility to work from home 

are more likely to stay longer in their 

employment. 

One of the biggest hurdles to 

working from home in the past 

was the lack of technology which 

saw the need for remote workers 

to come into the office on a 

regular basis. However, with today’s 

technology, that hurdle has been 

surmounted. 

“The most important thing that 

businesses need to understand is 

that while workers don’t all need to 

share a common work space, they 

do need to work as one, regardless of 

their individual locations. The way 

to do that is to ensure that you have 

the right technology to fit your business,” 

said Steve Sebbes, Director of 

the Telstra Business Centre, Hills 

and North West Sydney. 

“Our business centre aims 

to provide the right technology 

solutions to ensure that staff, both 

internal and external, are connected. 

We provide them with access to the 

latest technology including voice, 

instant messaging, web and video 

conferencing as well as advice and 

support in cloud technologies.” 

Steve explains that when working 

remotely it is critical to remain 

connected to the business and lists 

some ways to do this: 

Internet and email access 

People who work away from the 

office, whether at home or on the 

road, need fast and reliable internet 

access. 

“Our business centre can offer 

you the best plans whether you 

manage one remote staff member or 

a fleet of remote workers.” 

Remote access to 

services and the Cloud 

Working remotely requires technology 

which allows for access to 

company documents and resources. 

The best way to do this is through 

Cloud Collaboration. 

“In its simplest form, Cloud 

Collaboration is a system that allows 

employees to access and share data 

which is stored in the cloud, or in 

other words, outside the company 

firewall,” Steve said. 

“However, cloud collaboration 

means more than just sharing data. 

An effective cloud collaboration 

service also includes video and web 

conferencing, instant messaging, IP 

telephony and more. 

“A business that wishes to offer 

remote working as a viable option 

needs to consider how its staff will access 

important information without 

the to-ing and fro-ing of emailing, 

faxing and return trips to the office. 

This is where cloud collaboration 

services are the perfect solution.” 

Audio and web conferencing 

Another option that is available 

for remote workers is audio and web 

conferencing. These help to bridge 

the gap between the businesses and 

their remote staff as well as providing 

alternative options to keep in 

touch with clients. 

If you wish to discuss how you 

can make working remotely a success 

for your staff and your business, 

contact the Telstra Business 

Centre on 1300 721 400. 

Linda Music is marketing consultant for 

Telstra Business Centre, Bella Vista. 

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39


WHAT THEY SAID... 


“Obviously Penrith will be increasingly 

and naturally a significant growth and jobs 

centre, the same with Campbelltown, Camden 

and Liverpool – all are natural growth 

centres.” – Angus Taylor, federal Assistant 

Minister for Cities on the growth of the 

region. 

“This upgrade means Rosehill Racecourse 

will rival other first-class racing 

facilities like Randwick, Flemington and 

even Royal Ascot.” – Troy Grant, Deputy 

Premier and Minister for Racing, the 

$28 million facelift of Rosehill Gardens 

Racecourse. 

“We’ve spoken about Badgerys Creek being 

a game changer. Well, we will see that this 

precinct is too.” – Toni Averay, director of 

planning, Liverpool City Council, on the 

release of the Georges River Precinct draft 

masterplan. 

“What we know is that airports are a 

unique opportunity to build industry clusters 

and the most obvious clusters are logistics 

and advanced manufacturing.” – Angus Taylor, 

federal Assistant Minister for Cities 

on the growth of the region. 

“Digital is one of the six technology eras we’ve seen, running in 10-year cycles since the 1970s, characterised by exponential growth 

and connectivity.” – Deloitte. 

“We are seeing an unprecedented influx of 

private investment in Penrith city. The value of 

development applications determined almost 

doubled, from $589 million to $1.2 billion, in 

the last financial year.” – Clr Karen McKeown, 

Penrith Mayor, at the State of the 

Cities – Penrith. 

“The [Sydney] CBD will always be the financial 

and cultural centre … but growth will 

be in the western central districts of Parramatta 

and Blacktown.” – Lucy Turnbull, Chief 

Commissioner, Greater Sydney Commission, 

at the Australia-Israel Chamber of 

Commerce. 

“PARRAMATTA is rapidly evolving to 

become Western Sydney’s education city.” – 

Geoff Lee, State member for Parramatta. 

“The most important thing that businesses 

need to understand is that while workers don’t 

all need to share a common work space, they 

do need to work as one, regardless of their 

individual locations. The way to do that is to 

ensure that you have the right technology to 

fit your business.” -Steve Sebbes, Director 

of the Telstra Business Centre, Hills and 

North West Sydney. 

Marketing channels have been through 

significant fragmentation over the last 10 

years with social media giving people the 

ability to receive messages based on their 

interests. “ – Hardeep Girn, Know My 

Business. 

“There is now strong demand and interest 

in commercial development.” – John Surian, 

MD, Raine & Horne Commercial Parramatta, 

on commercial projects rather than 

mixed-use and residential development.in 

the city’s CBD. 

“With the phenomenal growth of Western 

Sydney, the potential growth of [Parramatta] 

is enormous.” – Iwan Sunito, CEO, 

Crown Group. 

“The stories that really touch me are the 

ones where people say, ‘I can collect my children 

from their sporting event and I’ve never 

been able to do that before.” Smart Work 

Hub’s Becky Pascoe. 


41

ENTERTAINMENT 


Puspa Lal Acharya and Chandra Acharya 

William Le and Sophie To 

Vanna and Ly Heang Seang 

Who Speaks For Me explores language 

RIVERSIDE 

DISCOVER the unexpected stories of 

Western Sydney in an intimate multilingual, 

multi-generational storytelling 

show, Who Speaks For Me? 

Through personal narratives and photographs, 

Who Speaks For Me? explores the 

vagaries of language – the powerlessness of 

those who do not have it, the nuances lost 

in translation, and the sometimes hilarious 

consequences of misunderstanding it. 

Who Speaks For Me? includes the story of 

Cambodian mother, Ly Heang Seang, who 

was so desperate to get her driver’s license that 

she sat for the written test a total of 31 times 

before succeeding. 

Throughout her story, Ly Heang Seang 

comes to rely on her son, Vanna, for communicating 

in English including facilitating meetings 

with his school principal and at a later 

stage, providing the words to assist Ly Heang 

Seang to triumph over workplace bullying. 

The production also includes the story of 

Vietnamese refugee, Bà Quôc Viêt, who fled her 

homeland by boat with her daughter Sophie To, 

and arrived to a celebrity welcome in Sydney. 

Famous in Vietnam and parts of southeast 

Asia for her cooking expertise, Bà Quôc 

Viêt never let a lack of English get in her way, 

especially when it came to communicating 

with her ‘favourite’ grandson William who was 

born profoundly deaf and learnt to speak only 

English. 

These and other irresistible stories will 

be accompanied by rare photographs from 

private collections and will take the audience 

to the heart of the migrant’s journey. 

Co-directed by master storyteller and 

photographer William Yang, and writer and 

producer Annette Shun Wah, Who Speaks For 

Me follows their critically acclaimed collaborations 

Stories Then & Now, Stories East & West 

and In Between Two. 

Performance 4a is the only professional 

arts company dedicated to making exceptional 

contemporary Asian Australian work for all 

audiences. 

It strives to engender greater cultural 

diversity in Australian performing arts by 

producing cross-artform theatrical works of 

the highest quality. 

Who Speaks for Me? is the first collaboration 

between Performance 4a and the National 

Theatre of Parramatta, bringing to light 

the stories of Western Sydney often hidden 

because of language and culture, yet integral to 

the vibrancy of the region. 

National Theatre of Parramatta and Performance 

4a will present the world-premiere of 

Who Speaks For Me? from October 12 to 15 at 

Riverside Theatres. 

Dates: 

Wednesday 12 October 7:30pm – Preview 

Thursday 13 October 7.30pm – Opening 

night 

Friday 14 October 7.30pm 

Saturday 15 October 2pm and 7.30pm. 

At 4pm, an Artist Talk will be held with the 

cast and co-directors discussing the process 

of making Who Speaks For Me? Free, 

bookings essential. 

Tickets: Adult $37, Concession $32, 30 

& Under $27. From the Box Office (02) 8839 

3399 or www.riversideparramatta.com.au 

Venue: Riverside Theatres – Corner of 

Church and Market Streets, Parramatta 


GOODlife 


Greatest vintage of the last 20 years 

2014 CHABLIS 

By Darren Harris 

HUNTER River Chablis; if you are as old 

as I am you may remember this (as well 

as glorious Hunter River Riesling and 

White Burgundy) made by Lindemans 

in the 1960s and 1970s. 

But they all had one thing in common. 

They were not made from the classic grape varieties 

that spawned their names. Times have 

changed and now protectionism and labelling 

laws require wine labelling to be accurate. 

Chablis is, of course, a wine region in 

France. Here the grape variety is 

Chardonnay, not Semillon that made 

up most of Lindeman’s Hunter whites 

of yesteryear. 

Chablis is at the northern extremity 

of the fabled Burgundy region of 

France, not too far south of Paris. 

It is a charming town whose vineyards 

date back almost a millennium nium 

with the Cistercian Monks of Pontigny 

Abbey thought to have planted the first 

Chardonnay grapes in the 12 th century. 

The wines are known for their 

fresh, mineral, saline palate often with 

mouth puckering acidity in their 

youth. That makes them the perfect 

wine to match with oysters. 

But when they age, Chablis 

can take on a new dimension finding 

a honeycomb and nutty richness 

that marries well with seafood like 

scallops and lobster. 

The 2014 Chablis have 

started arriving in Australia and 

I 

can tell you it is an outstanding 

vintage. Many are saying 

the best of our lifetime. 

It is certainly a classic 

vintage full of the mineral 

and citrus characters 

that make Chablis such a 

wonderful food wine. The 

acidity is quite high adding a 

lip-smacking saline freshness 

that is hard to resist. 

Chablis has three levels. 

Villages are the generic wines 

of the region. These wines 

are 100% Chardonnay and 

can be a blend from different 

sites within the region. 

Premier Crus are the 

next level up. There are 

17 different which can be 

further broken down into 

smaller groups. 

These vineyards are the mainstay of Chablis. 

Their location is on the lower hills and 

each site produces a wine of slightly different 

style depending on the aspect, slope and 

microclimate. 

Premier Crus can only be form a single 

vineyard and aficionados can recognize the 

style of each vineyard from vintage to vintage. 

At the top of the tree are the Grand Crus. 

There are 8 Grand Crus and these occupy a 

crown of land on the high hills on the right 

bank of the Serein River. 

These are wines of depth, concentration 

and power. Once again they are all 100% 

Chardonnay and all from a single vineyard. 

The most famous is Le Clos – a wine of serious 

power and ageing potential. 

Normally, serious Chablis drinkers 

gravitate to the Grand Crus but 2014 is such 

a terrific vintage that the Premier Crus are 

really where I find the sweet spot. 

The wines are mostly in the $45-$65 range 

and for that you get a stunning bottle with 

almost a thousand years of history behind it! 

You’d have to try hard to go wrong in 2014 

but a few makers producing hard-to-find and 

exceptional wines are Domaine Collet, Domaine 

Alain Geoffroy and Vignobles Dampt. 

All three have a range of Chablis vineyards 

with several different Premier Crus to allow 

you to taste and compare. 

I’d suggest you try two different wines 

side by side to really get an idea of what 

Chablis is all about. With summer around the 

corner now is a great time to stock up. 

What you don’t drink this summer 

will age gracefully in the cellar for at least a 

decade. 

Darren Harris is managing director of Grand Millesime, 

specialist importers of fine French Wine. Visit 

www.grandmillesime.com.au 


43

CHILDSCENE 


Why make-believe play is important 

LEARNING 

By Tracy Gleason 

Professor of Psychology, 

Wellesley College 

VISIT any preschool classroom 

during free play and 

you will likely see a child 

pretending to be someone 

else. 

Make-believe play is a ubiquitous 

part of early childhood. 

And beyond being fun for kids, 

pretending and other kinds of 

imaginative play are also believed 

by some to be critical to healthy 

child development. 

Research has found a relationship 

between pretend play and a 

child’s developing creativity, understanding 

of others and social 

competence with peers. 

As a psychologist who studies 

imaginary play and childhood 

development and is no stranger 

to the preschool classroom, I have 

met many children for whom an 

imaginary friend or impersonation 

of a character is more than 

just an amusing pastime. Such activities 

often reflect what children 

have on their minds. 

So how might imaginary play 

lead to benefits for kids? And does 

imaginary play make for more 

socially astute kids? Or is that 

that kids who more socially adept 

tend to engage in this kind of play 

more? 

Pretending and learning. Sarah Joy/Flickr, CC BY-SA 

Learning to think from 

different perspectives 

Imaginary play could encourage 

social development because children 

are simultaneously behaving as 

themselves and as someone else. 

This gives them a change to 

explore the world from different 

perspectives, and is a feat that 

requires thinking about two ways 

of being at once, something that 

children may have difficulty doing in 

other circumstances. 

You can imagine how this could 

be a part of a child’s developing 

social abilities. 

For instance, if a child is pretending 

to be a mother, he or she 

must imagine what it would feel like 

if the baby cries or doesn’t behave. 

If a child is pretending to be the 

family dog, he or she needs to figure 

out how to communicate with the 

“owner” without speaking. 

The child who creates an imaginary 

friend has the opportunity to 

explore all the nuances of friendship 

– without having to manage the 

unpredictability of another person’s 

behavior or risking the friendship 

ending. 

The child who impersonates a 

superhero can play out and achieve 

goals such as helping others and performing 

daring rescues. 

This kind of power is not easily 

found in early childhood. Getting to 

be the hero and taking care of others 

must be a nice change from being 

taken care of and ordered around. 

Learning the delicate 

art of negotiation 

When children play these makebelieve 

games with other kids, they 

must constantly consider their own 

behaviors and signals to send clear 

messages about what they are doing. 

And they also have to pay attention 

to signals coming from other 

participants in the game and learn 

how to decipher them. 

This kind of communication 

also happens in real-world interactions. 

But within the world of 

fantasy play, successful coordination 

requires extra attention to all of 

these details. 

Children must engage in sophisticated 

levels of communication, 

negotiation, compromise, cooperation 

and coordination to keep the 

play moving forward. 

In fact, some research suggests 

that children engaging in social 

pretend play spend almost as much 

time negotiating the terms and 

context of the play. 

This might come in handy as 

they grow up and manage the rules of 

neighborhood games of Capture the 

Flag, the division of labor on group 

projects in high school and the benefits 

associated with a first job offer. 

Are the benefits of play 

correlational or causative? 

The studies that connect pretend 

play to all of those positive outcomes 

are correlational. 

In other words, a socially astute, 

competent child might be more interested 

in pretend play, rather than 

pretend play making a child more 

socially astute. 

Alternatively, some other 

variable, like parenting, might be responsible 

for connections between 

engagement in fantasy and getting 

along well with others. 

In fact, Angeline Lillard, a 

prominent scholar in the field, 

looked at dozens of studies with her 

colleagues, and found little evidence 

to support the idea that pretend 

play causes positive developmental 

outcomes. 

Instead, these authors assert, 

pretending might be one route to 

these outcomes. Or both pretend 

play and positive outcomes might 

be supported by other factors, 

such as the presence of supportive, 

encouraging adults, play that focuses 

on positive, pro-social themes, and 

the characteristics of the children 

themselves, such as their intelligence 

and sociability. 

At the same time, the researchers 

are also quick to point out that 

children love to play and are motivated 

to do so. 

Adults who want to foster 

perspective-taking, empathy, negotiation 

skills and cooperation would 

do well to think about how lessons 

related to these skills could be 

embedded in the materials, themes 

and general content of children’s 

imaginative play. 

THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED 

AT WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM.AU 

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CHILDSCENE 

Giving today’s kids a flying start with 

early education will be crucial to helping 

them fill the gap left behind by retiring 

Baby Boomers. Kevin Conor Keller/ 

Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 

Baby Boomers, be nice 

to your grandkids: they 

may save Australia 

Brendan Churchill 

Research Fellow, University of Tasmania 

Lisa Denny 

Demographer/PhD Candidate, 

University of Tasmania 

THE problem with Australia’s population 

ageing is not that there are too many older 

people – it’s that there are not enough 

young people to support them. 

That presents many challenges to Australia’s 

continued prosperity, which are becoming 

more apparent by the day as more Baby 

Boomers, born between 1946 and 1965, reach 

retirement age. 

So what’s the solution? As our research 

in the latest volume of the Australian Journal 

of Social Issues shows, Australian kids – from 

those still in nappies through to children aged 

up to 11 – may yet come to the Boomers’ 

rescue. 

As the last of the Baby Boomers exit the 

labour market, their grandchildren will arrive. 

This generation will arrive to a labour market 

in desperate need of tertiary educated, highly 

skilled professionals. 

Those young Australians will stem the 

economic and fiscal impact of Australia’s 

population ageing as the Baby Boomers retire, 

helping governments to keep paying the bills 

for costly health and welfare programs. That’s 

why we’ve dubbed this generation “Generation 

Thank God You’re Here” (TGYH). 

Who belongs to Gen TGYH? 

Generation TGYH are the children born 

in a baby boom that began in 2003. They are 

being born to Generation X and also some 

Generation Y women who typically delayed 

motherhood by compressing their critical 

childbearing years. 

In contrast to their Boomer mothers, these 

women delayed childbearing because of education 

and employment opportunities. 

Generation TGYH will be bigger than 

their parents’ generations. Between 2003 and 

2012, more than 2.8 million TGYH babies 

were born. 

However, recent fertility data from the 

Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that 

the baby boom of the 2000s may be over. The 

data suggests that many Gen X women are 

completing their families and are unlikely to 

have more children in the future. 

This slowdown in the fertility rate, and the 

resultant decrease in the number of children 


being born, further highlights the importance 

of Generation TGYH. 

What ‘Sandwich Generation’ 

parents can do to help 

The timing of Generation TGYH’s entry 

into the Australian workforce – just as the last 

of the Baby Boomers retire – is perfect. And so 

too is its size. 

This generation will be big enough to replace 

over a quarter of million Baby Boomers, who will 

be near retirement age when the Gen TGYHs are 

ready to enter the labour market in 2020. 

So if we want today’s babies and young 

children to serve Australia well as adults, it’s in 

our interests for current and future governments 

to help them grow to their full potential 

– especially by focusing on early childhood 

development and education. 

Many adults working today belong to what 

has been called the “Sandwich Generation”: 

parents whose time is squeezed between raising 

children and looking after ageing parents. 

Those older workers have a vested interest 

in investing in future workers including Generation 

TGYH, as that investment will indirectly 

influence the strength of the Australian 

economy in the future – including their own 

standard of living in retirement age. 

Should governments fail to recognise the 

importance of this coming generation, they 

may leave a group of young people without 

adequate education and skills to succeed the 

Baby Boomers. That risk is real. 

Brotherhood of St Laurence research has 

shown that more than a quarter of all young 

Australians in the labour market are either 

unemployed or underemployed. This should 

be a warning to governments about the effects 

of failing to prepare young people for their 

futures. 

The current government is preparing the 

next Intergenerational Report for release in 

early 2015. As Treasurer Joe Hockey has indicated, 

that report will: 

create a framework that will help define 

the destiny of the federation white paper, the 

tax white paper and the budget next year … 

it is a document that will begin the national 

discussion about where our economy must go. 

We can only hope that the report kickstarts 

a national discussion about what all of 

us – governments, communities and families 

– can do to give today’s kids a flying start to 

get them ready to fill the employment and 

economic gap left by the Baby Boomers. 

THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED AT WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM.AU 

45

HEALTH 


Science is in: gardening is good for you 

PREVENTION 

By Chris Williams 

Lecturer in urban horticulture, 

University of Melbourne 

THE science is in: gardening is good 

for you. As the weather warms and days 

lengthen, your attention may be turning 

to that forgotten patch of your backyard. 

This week we’ve asked our experts to share the 

science behind gardening. So grab a trowel 

and your green thumbs, and dig in. 

“That’s all very well put,” says Candide, 

in the final line of Voltaire’s novel of the same 

name, “but we must go and work our garden.” 

I studied this text at high school before I 

became a gardener and professional horticulturist. 

We were taught that Candide’s gardening 

imperative was metaphorical not literal; a 

command for finding an authentic vocation, 

not a call to take up trowels and secateurs. 

In fact, Voltaire himself really believed that 

active gardening was a great way to stay sane, 

healthy and free from stress. That was 300 

years ago. 

As it turns out, the science suggests he was 

right. 

The science of therapeutic 

horticulture 

Gardens and landscapes have long been 

designed as sanctuaries and retreats from the 

stresses of life – from great urban green spaces 

such as Central Park in New York to the humblest 

suburban backyard. 

But beyond the passive enjoyment of 

a garden or of being in nature more generally, 

researchers have also studied the role of 

actively caring for plants as a therapeutic and 

educational tool. 

“Therapeutic horticulture” and “horticultural 

therapy” have become recognised treatments 

for stress and depression, which have 

served as a healing aid in settings ranging from 

prisons and mental health treatment facilities 

to schools and hospitals. 

Gardening and school 

Studies of school gardening programs – 

which usually centre on growing food – show 

that students who have worked on designing, 

creating and maintaining gardens develop 

more positive attitudes about health, nutrition 

and the consumption of vegetables. 

They also score better on science achievement, 

have better attitudes about school, 

and improve their interpersonal skills and 

classroom behaviour. 

Research on students confirms that 

gardening leads to higher levels of self-esteem 

and responsibility. Research suggests that 

incorporating gardening into a school setting 

can boost group cohesiveness. 

Gardening and mental health 

Tailored gardening programs have been 

shown to increase quality of life for people 

with chronic mental illnesses, including anxiety 

and depression. 

Another study on the use of therapeutic 

horticulture for patients with clinical depression 

sought to understand why gardening 

programs were effective in lessening patient 

experience of depression. They found that 

structured gardening activities gave patients 

existential purpose. Put simply, it gave their 

lives meaning. 

In jails and corrective programs, horticultural 

therapy programs have been used to 

give inmates positive, purposeful activities 

that lessen aggression and hostility during and 

after incarceration. 

In one detailed study from a San Francisco 

program, involvement in therapeutic horticulture 

was particularly effective in improving 

psychosocial functioning across prison 

populations (although the benefits were not 

necessarily sustained after release.) 

Gardening has been shown to help improve 

the lives of military veterans and homeless 

people. Various therapeutic horticulture 

programs have been used to help people with 

learning difficulties, asylum seekers, refugees 

and victims of torture. 

Gardening and older people 

As populations in the West age, hands-on 

gardening programs have been used for older 

people in nursing homes and related facilities. 

A systematic review of 22 studies of gardening 

programs for older adults found that 

gardening was a powerful health-promoting 

activity across diverse populations. 

One study sought to understand if patients 

recovering from heart attack might benefit from 

a horticultural therapy program. It concluded: 

[Our] findings indicate that horticultural 

therapy improves mood state, suggesting that 

it may be a useful tool in reducing stress. 

Therefore, to the extent that stress contributes 

to coronary heart disease, these findings 

support the role of horticultural therapy as an 

effective component of cardiac rehabilitation. 

Horticulturist and nurse Steven Wells 

talks about his work at Austin Health. 

While the literature on the positive effects 

of gardening, reflecting both qualitative and 

quantitative studies, is large, most of these 

studies are from overseas. 

Investment in horticultural therapy 

programs in Australia is piecemeal. That said, 

there are some standout success stories such 

as the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden 

Foundation and the work of nurse Steven 

Wells at the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre 

and beyond. 

Finally, without professionally trained 

horticulturists none of these programs – in 

Australia or internationally – can take place. 

THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED AT WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM.AU 

Be breast aware in October 

CHECKUP 

MY name is Maria Silvestri and I am 

the owner of a Bricks & Mortar Store 

called Heavenly Curves at Wetherill 

Park. 

I am also an Accredited Breast Prosthesis 

and Specialist Bra Fitter, so every day I see the 

effects of what Breast Cancer does. 

I want to educate women in particular 

when they come into store for a Bra Fitting 

that whilst we are fitting you for your bra that 

you become comfortable with us and also 

within yourselves to make sure that you are 

checking on a regular basis. 

I also get asked the question about, if I 

have implants do I still need to check, the 

answer is YES, YOU do. 

So, how long has it been since you have 

really looked at your breasts? 

Become familiar with your breasts, 

because everyone’s breasts look and feel differently, 

you need to start looking and feeling 

your breasts on a regular basis please. 

Now this goes for men as well, yes men do 

develop breast cancer too. 

Like women men have breast tissue and 

can develop breast cancer although not as 

common as women but with statistics of men 

diagnosed under the age of 75 being one in 

1,258 with currently 12 men diagnosed a year 

and women currently one in 8 under the age 

of 85. 

So what should you be looking for? 

1. A new lump in your breast or underarm 

(armpit). 

2. Thickening or swelling of part of your 

breast. 

3. Irritation or dimpling of your breast 

skin. 

4. Redness or flaky skin in your nipple area 

or your breast. 

5. Pulling in of your nipple or pain in your 

area. 

6. Nipple discharge other than breast milk. 

7. Any change in the size or the shape of 

your breast. 

8. Pain in any area of your breast, up near 

your shoulder and under your armpit as well. 

So, please ensure you get into a routine to 

check on a regular basis, or like our Facebook page 

for a monthly reminder both Ladies and Gents. 

www.facebook.com/heavenlycurves 

Or Ladies make an appointment for a 

Bra Fitting and get a free 3 Step Breast Check 

Shower Cards while stocks last kindly supplied 

by The Sydney Breast Cancer Foundation 

Ḣere are also some events you can 

support, or some ideas to hold an event to 

fundraise as well. 

Sydney breast Cancer Foundation – Friday, 

October 14 2016 

http://www.sbcf.org.au/events/index. 

cfm#event51 

SO BRAVE Calendar Launch in store @ 

Heavenly Curves 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

events/633884793438251/ 

Mc Grath Foundation Signature High Tea 

http://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/ 

signaturehightea 

Hold a Girls Night In or Pink Breakfast 

http://nbcf.org.au/fundraise/explorefundraising-opportunities/ 

Pink Ribbon Motorcycle Ride 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

events/1745592042347384/ 

Support local support groups 

https://www.facebook.com/PinkFinssCharity 

https://www.facebook.com/camdensurvivorsbreastcancer 

http://www.bci.org.au/support 

I also would like to give the 

Acknowledging the following foundations 

for information supplied in this editorial. 

www.bcna.org.au 

www.sbcf.org.au 

www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au 

www.ncbf.org.au 

If you know anyone that has had breast 

surgery then please give them our details, we 

have a private and personal room for breast 

form fittings, post-surgical bras, pocketed bras, 

swimwear, lingerie, active wear and more in 

store. Just give us a call to make your personal 

fi tt ing appointment. 

Maria Silvestri is owner - Accredited 

Breast Prosthesis & Specialist Bra Fitter 

Heavenly Curves. www.heavenlycurves. 

com.au 

Maria Silvestri 


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Corporate 

Conferences, 

Weddings, Sporting 

and School Groups 

• One-stop Travel 

Management 

Company where we 

ensure whichever 

State you depart 

from, you travel in 

supreme comfort 

Call us now on 1800 627 746 

or email info@elitetravel.com.au 

www.elitetravel.com.au 


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