Tasmanian Business Reporter March 2019

MARCH 2019 

T A S M A N I A’ S L E A D I N G B U S I N E S S P U B L I C A T I O N . C I R C U L A T I O N 12,000 M O N T H LY 

City Deal sets scene for future 

TASMANIA is the only state in the 

country with two City Deals, after the 

signing of a $1.43 billion package for 

Hobart. 

Confirmed projects in the deal include 

the long-awaited Bridgewater 

Bridge replacement and funds to 

realise Macquarie Point as a worldclass 

science, tourism, culture and 

arts hub. 

After the runway extension at Hobart 

Airport, $82.3 million will be 

spent on border services, including 

customs, immigration and biosecurity 

at the airport to capitalise on Tasmania’s 

tourism appeal. 

Deal Dollars 

• $82.3 million to support direct 

International flights at Hobart 

Airport 

• $450 million to support Antarctic 

and Southern Ocean infrastructure 

• $130 million to reduce traffic 

congestion including a Derwent 

ferry service 

• $30 million towards affordable 

housing supply 

• $461 million for Bridgewater 

Bridge replacement 

Demand 

for super 

solution 

By TOM O’MEARA 

PRESSURE is mounting for a solution 

to Tasmania’s unfunded superannuation 

liability to unlock about 

$430 million extra investment in the 

state annually. 

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry and respected 

economist Saul Eslake are demanding 

action. 

TCCI Chief Executive Officer Michael 

Bailey said it was time for the 

Government to tackle “the elephant 

in the room”. 

“Premier Will Hodgman and 

Treasurer Peter Gutwein have done a 

great job in getting our state’s books 

back into balance, now is the time to 

take the next step,” Mr Bailey said. 

“This year, about $300 million 

will be spent out of the budget paying 

superannuation to retired public 

servants. 

“This is forecast to rise to about 

$430 million a year by 2030 as 

more public servants on the scheme 

(which closed to new entrants in 

1999) retire. It won’t be totally extinguished 

until about 2070. 

“In this day and age it is absurd 

that the Government is paying the 

equivalent of an extra 3000 nurses, 

teachers and police to retired public 

servants.” 

In 2016, a Legislative Council 

inquiry examining the issue found 

that there were 9261 former public 

servants receiving an average 

annual gross pension payment of 

$31,302. 

The inquiry made no substantive 

recommendations on how to deal 

with the issue. 

Continued Page 2 

How TCCI 

Membership 

Benefits your 

business 

JOIN TODAY 

FROM AS LITTLE AS $399 

Funded by Business Working for Business 

1300 559 122 

www.tcci.com.au 

The Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry is an independent membership 

organisation funded by Tasmanian businesses. 

TCCI provides valuable support to its members through 

advocacy and a range of programs and services including: 

• Customised membership to achieve 

your business objectives 

• Training and workforce development 

• Workplace relations advice and solutions 

• Networking and promotion 

• Workplace health and safety 

• Networking and promotion 

• Training and workforce development 

• Events 

SOUTH 

Industry House 

309 Liverpool Street 

Hobart 7000 

NORTH 

The Old Post Office 

68-72 Cameron Street 

Launceston 7250


2 Tasmanian Business Reporter - MARCH 2019 

NEWS 

Tassie contracts let StLukes wins awards trifecta 

Local jobs 

in the wind 

GOLDWIND has appointed 

Crisp Bros & 

Haywards for a major 

tower supply contract for 

its $300 million Cattle 

Hill Wind Farm. 

Twenty per cent of 

the tower components 

required for the 48 turbines 

at the Central Highlands 

development will 

be manufactured by the 

Haywards team in an $8 

million deal. 

Goldwind Managing 

Director John Titchen 

said a number of Tasmanian 

project partners 

were working to make 

the construction of the 

wind farm possible. 

Hazell Bros is undertaking 

the full civil and 

electrical works for the 

project while Gradco is 

completing over $10 million 

of road upgrades in 


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Tasmania’s business newspaper is published monthly by the 

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is distributed 

to businesses in Tasmania as well as key decision-makers. 

Circulation: 12,000 

BUSINESS 

Haywards has won an $8m contract to build 

towers for Goldwind. 

the region to facilitate the 

development. 

“Alongside our major 

project partners are many 

local subcontractors and 

suppliers that are critical 

to the construction of 

the project,” Mr Titchen 

said. 

Haywards has also 

been engaged by Hazell 

Bros for a $4 million 

contract to assist with 

the production of tower 

foundations for the turbines. 

Construction of 

Cattle Hill Wind Farm 

started in mid-2018 and 

is expected to be fully 

operational in late 2019. 

Progress was temporarily 

halted by the Central 

Highlands bushfires 

in January. 

About 120 staff are 

back working on site, 

with up to 150 expected 

during peak construction. 

Managing Editor: Tom 2O’Meara 

0418 135 822 

Editor: Becher Townshend 

0418 370 661 

Advertising and Special Projects 

Gil Sellars 0448 901 371 

gil@thetrustedmediaco.com 

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BUSINESS 

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TASMANIA’S 

St.LukesHealth has 

been named Australia’s 

number one private 

health insurer for 

customer satisfaction 

at the Roy Morgan 

Awards. 

It’s the third 

consecutive year the 

not-for-profit health 

fund has claimed the 

title. 

CEO Paul Lupo 

said the fund was 

committed to its 

promise to help 

members stay healthy, 

get well, live better and 

deliver peace of mind. 

“We are extremely 

humbled that our 

members have 

acknowledged the 

service and products 

we deliver as the best 

in Australia,” Mr Lupo 

said. 

“Members continue 

to invite us to partner 

with them in their 

health journey, with 

membership of the 

fund continuing to 

To see your business here, call Kerri on 0419 750 267 or email kerri@thetrustedmediaco.com 

Demand for super solution 

From Page 1 

Mr Bailey said that if 

a solution was agreed on, 

the forecast recurrent expenditure 

could be better 

invested in infrastructure 

and essential services 

like health. 

As Treasurer in the 

Groom Government, former 

Premier Tony Rundle 

had the foresight to 

set up a fund in the 1990s 

to cover this cost. 

“On Mr Rundle’s original 

plan, by 2017 this 

fund would have funded 

the superannuation costs 

from outside the budget,” 

Mr Bailey said. 

“Unfortunately, those 

funds were spent by Premiers 

David Bartlett and 

Lara Giddings during the 

Global Financial Crisis, 

leaving us in the situation 

we are today.” 

The cost could be par- 

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Tasmanian 

business 

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Head of customer care and delivery Helen Cowley, left, head of brand 

and communications Grayson Genders, vice-chair Mel Lukianenko 

and communications and member engagement coordinator Rochelle 

Galloway. 

grow steadily. 

“As private health 

insurance customers 

are increasingly look 

tially offset by the sale of 

non-key assets, he said. 

“In the past, it has been 

accepted wisdom that assets 

should only be sold 

if the money is going to 

be reinvested into new, 

productive infrastructure,” 

Mr Bailey said. 

“However, given the 

recurrent cost to the budget, 

and the 50 year tail, 

there is a very good argument 

to be made that sale 

funds should be set aside 

to help offset the cost to 

the budget of the superannuation 

liability. 

“For example, the sale 

of non-core assets like 

the Motor Accident Insurance 

Board wouldn’t 

cover all of the cost, but 

if the proceeds were invested 

in a similar way to 

the one-off Mersey Hospital 

sale funds, the funds 

could be drawn down 

Your Partner 

in Print. 

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Now incorporating 

THE CRAFT LIVES ON. 

around for a better 

deal, they are finding 

that St.LukesHealth, 

as a member-centric, 

over a period of, say, 10 

years and offset against 

the annual super bill. 

“This would reduce the 

annual drain on the budget 

for the next decade.” 

Mr Bailey said all options 

needed researching, 

with one more radical 

option being legislation 

to retrospectively cap entitlements 

under the defined 

benefit scheme. 

“The Government’s superannuation 

liability is 

the biggest threat to the 

future prosperity of the 

state, it’s time a solution 

was found and finally acted 

upon,” Mr Bailey said. 

Mr Eslake raised similar 

concerns in his 2018 

Tasmania Report in December, 

saying the issue 

was a significant blemish 

on Tasmania’s strong financial 

scorecard. 

“For several decades 

not-for-profit fund is 

proving to be the right 

fit for their health care 

needs.” 

the unfunded super liability 

will continue to 

represent a constraint 

on Tasmanian Governments 

flexibility and a 

source of risk to future 

budgets,” Mr Eslake 

said. 

“In particular it means 

that present and future 

Tasmanian Governments 

have less scope 

than the governments of 

other states and territories 

for borrowing even 

at the present relatively 

low interest rates in order 

to fund worthwhile 

infrastructure investments.” 

Tasmania’s liability is 

the biggest in Australia 

and is the reason why 

Tasmania doesn’t have a 

AAA rating, which forces 

the state to pay higher 

interest rates on borrowings.


Tasmanian Business Reporter - MARCH 2019 3 

NEWS 

Small businesses face staff challenge 

Skilled workers wanted 

ATTRACTING and retaining 

skilled staff and filling apprentice 

and qualified tradespeople 

positions remains the greatest 

challenge for the state’s small 

business owners. 

That’s the key finding of 

a new study by Tasmanian 

Leaders’ Alumni. 

Graduates of the leadership 

program recently surveyed 

more than 130 businesses representing 

a variety of sectors 

including agriculture, hospitality, 

tourism and retail. 

A summary of conversations 

have been released in a 

document titled: What stops 

us? Small business: overcoming 

obstacles and seizing opportunities. 

Businesses reported exciting 

opportunities existed in the 

growth in tourism numbers to 

the state, online sales growth 

and leveraging the development 

of trusted brands and opportunities 

internationally. 

The highlight for small 

business owners and operators 

included forming bonds and 

being part of a local community, 

flexibility of lifestyle and 

family life and creating strong 

and real relationships through 

the business. 

One of the most significant 

challenges identified by small 

businesses surveyed was 

skilled staff and apprentice attraction 

and retention. 

Building resilience and 

wellbeing was deemed important 

to guard against the 

ups and downs of operating a 

small business. 

The significance of research 

and planning as well 

as accessing support outside 

the business sector were also 

highlighted. 

Government assistance for 

small business should include 

support through finance and 

education and incentives to 

employ people, respondents 

said. 

“The aim of this document 

is to inform future work supporting 

small business in Tasmania 

as well as feedback to 

the small businesses surveyed 

as part of the Thinkbank process,” 

general manager Angela 

Driver said. 

“Thinkbanks are held annually 

with a select number 

of Tasmanian Leaders alumni 

to address a topical issue for 

Tasmania and are designed 

and conducted to give those 

involved practical ideas and 

tools to develop their organisations 

and more widely the 

state.” 

The report is available on 

the Tasmanian Leaders’ website. 

Silos eatery 

judged top 

newcomer 

Grain of the Silos food director, chef and TV personality 

Massimo Mele. 

LAUNCESTON’S Grain 

of the Silos restaurant 

at Peppers Silo Hotel 

has won Gault&Millau 

Australia’s New Restaurant 

of the Year award. 

Peppers Silo Hotel 

General Manager, 

Paul Seaman said the 

independent award, 

presented in Sydney in 

early February, recognised 

the restaurant team’s 

ability to create a dining 

space and menu unlike 

any other. 

Grain of the Silos 

opened in June 2018 as 

part of the $25 million 

redevelopment of the old 

Kings Wharf silos into a 

boutique hotel. 

The kitchen is led by 

head chef Peter Twitchett 

and food director and TV 

personality Massimo Mele. 

“This award win is 

testament to the hard work 

and passion that has gone 

into creating, sustaining 

and growing Grain of the 

Silos,” Mr Seaman said. 

“Our chefs have 

met each farmer, each 

maker, and each talented 

Tasmanian who brings 

something extraordinary 

to the restaurant’s ever 

changing list of dishes.” 

Gault&Millau Australia’s 

team of qualified 

restaurant reviewers 

evaluated more than 850 

restaurants across all 

Australian capital cities 

and major regional areas 

last year to choose the 

best of the best. 

WANTED 

Business 

movers and 

shakers 

• Promotions 

• Appointments 

• Awards 

• Celebrating 

success 

Share the news 

with the 

Tasmanian 

business 

community 

Send your news 

snippets, with a 

high quality photo, 

to TBReditorial@ 

fontpr.com.au


THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 


National grid on election agenda 

INFRASTRUCTURE 

Australia’s inclusion of 

Tasmania’s Marinus interconnector 

project on 

its list is vital for the 

state. 

Tasmania is poised – 

with proper and immediate 

funding from both 

the Commonwealth and 

State Governments – to 

play a significant role in 

the national electricity 

grid. 

The next step is the 

feasibility study for 

Marinus, through the 

Australian Renewable 

Energy Agency. 

The TCCI will be 

chasing this, placing this 

project and the issue of 

Tasmania’s place in the 

national grid as a Federal 

election issue. 

Energy security is becoming 

one of the most 

important issues for the 

whole of Australia. 

Last month Adelaide 

experienced a record 

week of hot weather – 

which in turn put enough 

pressure on the South 

Australian grid to cause 

blackouts. 

Days later, Victoria experienced 

a similar situation 

with the heatwave 

impacting the grid to the 

extent that traffic lights 

Michael 

Bailey 

TCCI Chief Executive 

were out and that state’s 

residents were told not 

to use dishwashers, dryers 

and other high energy 

use appliances. 

What is interesting 

about this is, as well 

as frustrating from the 

point of view of earning 

revenue for the entire 

state, Tasmania had 

more than 400 megawatts 

of latent energy it 

could not transport over 

ABOVE: Taraleah is just one power station to be upgraded in the 

Battery of the Nation project. LEFT: A second interconnector, Marinus, 

is vital for Tasmania’s economic future. 

Basslink, because the 

cable was already at full 

capacity. 

This is just one example 

of why the second 

interconnector, Marinus, 

is so vital – a second cable 

capable of carrying 

1200MW. 

With Marinus, existing 

wind power developments 

will double 

and even more 

crucially, the development 

of “pumped 

hydro” hinges on the 

second interconnector 

becoming a reality. 

Pumped hydro has the 

potential to double the 

current Tasmanian generation 

capacity. 

Over the next 10 to 

15 years, Hydro Tasmania 

has the opportunity 

to rollout the pumped 

hydro projects which 

could add upwards of 

2500MW to the grid. 

Names like Lake Margaret, 

Lake Rosebery, 

Lake Murchison, Lake 

Cethana, Lake Rowallan, 

Great Lake/yingina and 

Lake Echo already hold 

great history in energy 

generation – but there 

could be up to 4800MW 

of pumped hydro attached 

to them. 

Factor in that every 

600MW will cost $1.5 

million to build, there 

could be a $900 million 

investment on just one of 

the sites. 

And with that investment 

comes jobs – construction 

at the sites, improved transport 

infrastructure and engineering 

of many and varied 

disciplines. 

With the overall project 

time being over a decade 

that means future longterm 

jobs for Tasmanians 

of all ages. 

The TCCI is calling on 

both sides of politics to 

commit to this critical infrastructure 

project. 

With development lag 

times of development – 

for example, a full year of 

manufacture in a European 

factory to make a cable – 

we need the commitment 

now. 

Tasmania can truly become 

“The Battery of the 

Nation” and the TCCI 

will be fighting for that 

outcome. 

Directors promise to win back trust 

THE resignations of 

NAB’s chairman and chief 

executive in the wake of 

the royal commission’s 

final report is the first acknowledgment 

of the 

changes expected in corporate 

culture to restore 

community faith. As dramatic 

as they were, the resignations 

were not enough 

to make the community 

believe this change will 

happen. 

Poor cultural practices 

in institutions have be- 

ANGUS ARMOUR, AICD 

managing director and 

chief executive officer 

come entrenched over decades. 

Commissioner Kenneth 

Hayne’s report is 

an important catalyst for 

change, and if our institutions 

want to regain public 

trust, they must respond 

positively. As the peak 

organisation focused on 

building the capability of 

Australia’s community of 

directors, the people who 

must take ultimate responsibility 

for corporate 

behaviour in this country, 

the Australian Institute 

of Company Directors 

strongly supports positive 

change and intends to lead 

this process. 

While Commissioner 

Hayne recognised that 

the underlying structure 

of our system of boards 

and management is sound, 

he was critical of the approach 

taken in financial 

services in three respects: 

• a prioritisation of 

short-term profit over customer 

and stakeholder interests; 

• a system of bonuses 

and rewards that can 

encourage unethical behaviour; 

and 

• a lack of insight into 

corporate culture and 

challenge of management. 

A recurring theme in 

the Hayne report is that 

boards and directors need 

a significant shift in intensity 

in their oversight of 

non-financial risk to mitigate 

the risk of further 

misconduct. 

This will require boards 

to invest more time and 

energy on the key questions 

and challenges in 

their organisation, without 

involving themselves in 

the day-to-day management 

of the organisation. 

While the AICD 

strongly endorses Commissioner 

Hayne’s view 

that directors consider the 

interests of all stakeholders 

when acting in the 

best interests of the company, 

evidence before the 

Commission rightly has 

the community questioning 

whether this occurs in 

practice. 

That requires working 

with all stakeholders in 

the pursuit of long-term 

value creation. 

Market participants, 

including institutional investors, 

need to be prepared 

to shift their focus 

from purely short-term financial 

metrics that have, 

on occasion, resulted in 

perverse outcomes. 

• This article first appeared in 

The Australian, 18/02/2019. 

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Fanfare for future proofing 

I FOUND myself standing 

an inch taller on 

February 17 when the 

new Toll vessel – Tasmanian 

Achiever II – 

was officially named in 

Burnie. 

A sausage sizzle and 

face painting marquee 

on the wet deck mixed 

with the sounds of a 

brass band set the scene 

for familiar faces (and 

their families) of the Tasmanian 

logistics scene 

to witness the successful 

launch of a bottle of 

Tassie bubbles and shatter 

into a million pieces 

– successfully ticking off 

the “good luck” superstition. 

Prime Minister Scott 

Morrison and Premier 

Will Hodgman, along 

with mayors, chairmen, 

captains and other titles 

mixed with all on board 

and sang the national anthem 

with pride. 

It was one of those moments 

when the industry 

comes together to pay 

homage to a moment in 

time that showcases just 

how important the ship- 

Brett 

Charlton 

Agility Logistics 

ping and logistics world 

is and how the commitment 

to prepare for the 

future is being invested 

in heavily by those that 

cater for the growth in 

trade. 

Adding about 46 per 

cent additional capacity 

to the Toll service, there 

is no question that these 

new vessels (the Tasmanian 

Achiever II and the 

Victorian Reliance II) 

will go a long way to “future 

proof” Tasmania. 

Coupled with the 

Searoad’s investment 

of last year and another 

new vessel to come as 

well as the new TT Line 

vessels in coming years 

the question of capacity 

should be a moot issue 

for a few years at least 

– in fact, if we are complaining 

about capacity 

in 10 years’ time then we 

are having a great growth 

problem to consider. 

Again acknowledging 

the great work going into 

the securing of the freight 

task for Tasmania – over 

coffees and whiskies 

around the state, the conversation 

invariably turns 

to pricing. 

The costs of Australian 

wages (crew and terminal) 

along with investment 

returns ($172m of 

new vessel) will need to 

be recovered and constant 

increases in costs in fuel 

mixed with infrastructure 

surcharges etcetera, 

will be the narrative by 

the commercial arm of 

the carriers across Bass 

Strait. 

However, prices for 

airfares drops when there 

are spare seats. It will be 

an interesting year for Tasmania 

and I am confident 

whatever the questionable 

outstandings are, the bottom 

line is that Tasmania 

is in a better place with 

two shiny new green ships 

going across the 369kms 

of H2O and salt that is our 

natural moat protecting us 

from the congested highways 

of the big island. 

TOP: The new Toll vessel Tasmanian 

Achiever II. 

ABOVE: PM Scott Morrison visits the 

bridge of the vessel during it’s naming 

function in Buirnie . 

Action plan for market access help 

THE Australian Government 

has launched an 

action plan to help primary 

producers and other 

businesses tackle trade 

barriers around market 

access, to help them get 

their goods into international 

markets faster. 

Just like we do in Australia, 

international governments 

have the right 

to protect their country’s 

biosecurity and environment 

but excessive protection 

and delays without 

reason are extremely 

frustrating to our exporters. 

Non-tariff barriers are 

being addressed under 

the action plan with the 

establishment of a ded- 

Sally 

Chandler 

Tradestart Adviser 

icated website - www. 

tradebarriers.dfat.gov.au 

– with an in-built function 

to report trade barriers. 

I am very pleased to 

advise I have had my first 

success using the website. 

A client’s market access 

problem with China, 

which had been going on 

for many months, was 

addressed and fixed. The 

client now has market 

access for that particular 

product which will allow 

the export of many millions 

of dollars’ worth of 

the product over the next 

few years. 

It’s a fantastic outcome 

which shows the 

new plan and website do 

work. 

Naturally, some issues 

will take longer than others 

to fix and some may 

be very hard to solve. 

Australia has 22 Agricultural 

Counsellors 

employed in selected 

countries who work with 

those importing countries 

to remove technical 

barriers to trade. 

Our technical experts 

and trade officials in both 

Australia and offshore 

can only work as fast as 

the importing country allows 

progress to occur, 

but the additional assistance 

and focus of the action 

plan which supports 

closer collaboration between 

government and 

industry is extremely 

welcome. 

For international trade and investment assistance contact the 

TCCI’s TradeStart Adviser, Sally Chandler, at sally.chandler@ 

tcci.com.au or phone 1300 559 122.




Our health is worth insuring 

Paul 

Lupo 

CEO, StLukesHealth 

IN Australia, we have 

come to expect that we 

can access health treatment 

straight away. 

However, sometimes 

accessing healthcare 

means having to wait for 

treatment, especially for 

those Australians without 

private health insurance. 

Each year on April 

1, health funds across 

Australia release their 

new premium rates for 

the coming 12 months 

and naturally consumers 

question whether they 

are receiving value for 

money through their private 

health insurance. 

And it is a hard decision 

to make. The true 

cost of maintaining your 

health is not simple to 

calculate as you cannot 

foresee the need for, and 

the potential cost of treatment. 

For example, a simple 

hip replacement could 

cost you $30,000. 

In comparison, if you 

have comprehensive car 

THE end of 2018 and the 

start of 2019 saw a number 

of legislative changes 

in the realm of employment 

law, including but 

not limited to – 

• a further decision 

regarding the case of 

Workpac Pty Ltd v Skene 

[2018] FCAFC 131. 

In light of the potential 

“double dipping” that 

may have resulted from 

this case where a casual 

employee successfully 

argued they were a permanent 

employee the 

Government has chosen 

to step in. 

The concern from employers 

here was that an 

employee could potentially 

receive the casual 

loading as well as the 

benefits of permanent 

employment. 

The Government says 

they will introduce regulations 

that make it clear 

that this “double dipping” 

cannot be claimed. 

• From October 1, 

2018 all regular casual 

employees covered 

by Modern Awards will 

have the right to request 

that their employment 

be converted to perma- 

insurance and you decide 

to change to third-party 

insurance you know your 

potential loss is limited 

to the cost of replacing 

your car. 

According to Private 

Healthcare Australia’s 

Annual High Claims 

2018 Report, private 

health insurers paid 

more than 17,000 claims 

with benefits exceeding 

$10,000 for people aged 

under 30. 

The highest claim for a 

private health insurance 

member under 30 was for 

a 16-year-old male with 

gastrointestinal bleeding 

with a cost of $221,195. 

Despite the high potential 

costs of healthcare, 

many young Australians 

do not see the value in 

private health insurance 

and live by the belief that 

“it won’t happen to me”. 

While wage growth 

has stagnated and household 

debt is at an all-time 

high, the rise of buy-now, 

pay-later services is tout- 

Be aware of changes 

Abbey 

George 

Workplace Relations 

nent employment. This 

followed the insertion 

of a standard casual conversion 

clause into 85 

Awards on July 5, 2017. 

• On December 12, 

2018 the Fair Work 

ed as an alternative solution 

to those requiring urgent 

healthcare. 

Buy-now, pay-later 

schemes are increasingly 

being promoted by some 

health providers, particularly 

optometrists, dentist 

and fertility clinics, 

meaning that high-value 

purchases – or access to 

You can contact TCCI on the Helpline on 1300 765 123 or the TCCI on 1300 59 122 or workplacerelations@tcci.com.au 

In 2018, St.LukesHealth paid more than $9 million on preventative dental services. 

Amendment (Family 

and Domestic Violence 

Leave) Act 2018 took effect. 

This means that the 

Fair Work Act 2009 now 

also includes a provision 

that employees are entitled 

to unpaid family 

domestic violence leave 

as part of the National 

Employment Standards 

and applies to all employees 

from December 

12, 2018. 

The amendment follows 

on from the introduction 

of unpaid domestic 

violence leave 

into Modern Awards in 

August 2018. 

As it is now also contained 

in the National 

Employment Standards 

this means that even employees 

not covered by 

a Modern Award will be 

able to access the leave. 

• In January 2019 the 

Fair Work Amendment 

(Repeal of Four Yearly 

Reviews and other Measures) 

Act 2018 (Amending 

Act) revised s 188(2) 

of the Fair Work Act 

2009 which now allows 

the Fair Work Commission 

discretion to address 

“minor technical or procedural 

errors” from preventing 

the progress of 

an Enterprise Agreement 

to approval. Previously 

any error at all meant the 

Enterprise Agreement 

concerned could not be 

approved. 

• February 2019 saw 

the Fair Work Ombudsman 

commencing its first 

legal action involving 

the new “reverse onus of 

proof” laws which can 

into effect on September 

15, 2017 via the Fair 

Work Amendment (Protecting 

Vulnerable Workers) 

Act 2017. 

This means that if an 

employer does not meet 

their record-keeping or 

pay slip requirements 

and can’t give reasonable 

justification as to why 

this is the case, they will 

need to disprove wage 

claims made in a Court 

(rather than the employee 

having to prove an underpayment 

took place). 

The amendments also 

saw an increase in penalties 

for “serious contraventions” 

of workplace 

laws, increased 

penalties for breaches of 

record-keeping and pay 

slip obligations, strengthened 

the Fair Work Ombudsman’s 

powers to 

collect evidence in investigations 

and introduced 

new penalties for giving 

the Fair Work Ombudsman 

false or misleading 

information or hindering 

or obstructing Fair Work 

Ombudsman investigations 

to name a few. 

treatment – can be made 

instantly. 

Private health insurance 

provides peace of 

mind that when something 

does go wrong, you 

will be covered and have 

access to care in a timely 

manner. 

There is a growing 

concern that young Australians 

without private 

health insurance risk 

becoming trapped in a 

cycle of debt to cover 

treatment, whether it be 

through credit cards, personal 

loans or buy-now, 

pay-later programs. 

Health insurers offer 

general treatment cover, 

which provides members 

Labourers at highest 

risk of injury at work 

Craig 

Hortle 

Workplace Health & Safety 

THE Safe Work Australia statistics 

for 2016 -17 help organisations 

understand what the potential of 

serious risk is in their occupation 

and industry. 

According to the information, 

some businesses fall victim to more 

injuries than others. 

Here is a list of the most common 

injury-plagued occupations per one 

million man hours worked: 

• labourer – 16.5 injuries per 1 

million man hours worked; 

• community and personal 

services workers – 11.1; 

• machinery operators and drivers 

– 10.8; 

• agriculture, forestry and fishing 

– 9.5; 

• construction – 8.1; and 

• manufacturing – 8.0. 

If your business or industry is 

involved in any of these areas it 

would be wise to ensure that you 

have a robust workplace health and 

with benefit for dental 

and optical services. 

In a growing number 

of cases, insurers provide 

“gap-free” options 

meaning the member is 

left with no out-of-pocket 

cost. 

In 2018, St.LukesHealth 

paid more than $9 million 

on preventative den- 

tal services on its Super 

Extras general treatment 

product, with 95 per cent 

of members having no 

out-of-pocket costs associated 

with their care. 

Consumers are entitled 

to ask their dentist, optometrist, 

health insurer 

or hospital about any extra 

money they may have 

to pay for treatment. 

This is called informed 

financial consent and 

will ensure that you do 

not receive any financial 

surprises. 

If you have private 

health insurance and are 

considering the value of 

your product when you 

receive your rates notice, 

I challenge you to think 

hard about the value and 

security your cover provides. 

If you are not receiving 

value and don’t feel your 

level of cover is working 

for you, speak to your 

health insurer and ensure 

you are getting a product 

that is suitable for your 

lifestyle and financial 

needs. 

Without it, could you 

afford to finance a significant 

health event or 

afford to be incapacitated 

for an extended period 

while waiting for 

treatment in the public 

system? 

safety management system in place. 

This would include having a 

system of performing job tasks 

safely. 

The types of documentation 

needed could include: 

• safe operating procedures; 

• workplace inspection; 

• safety audit; 

• safe work method statements; 

• hazard and risk identification 

procedures; and 

• training in job tasks and safety. 

The time off for serious injury 

claims increased by 32 per cent 

and the amount paid out for serious 

injury claims increased by 39 per 

cent. 

This occurred while the 

frequency of a serious injury per 

million man hours fell by 28 per 

cent. 

This clearly indicates that the 

use of a safe system of work is 

imperative. 

For more information contact Craig Hortle or Janelle Whitehouse at 

the TCCI on 1300 559 122 or safety@TCCI.com.au




Super system on the mend 

By WAYNE 

DAVEY 

CEO, Tasplan 

Super 

OVER the past 12 

months there’s been a lot 

of focus on the country’s 

$2.7 trillion super industry, 

with first a Productivity 

Commission report 

into the sector, followed 

by the Final Report of 

the Royal Commission 

into Misconduct in the 

Banking, Superannuation 

and Financial Services, 

and most recently 

some significant legislative 

changes. 

The Productivity 

Commission investigation 

into super efficiency 

and competitiveness 

in the sector found that 

overall, Australia’s super 

system needs to adapt to 

better meet the needs of a 

modern workforce and a 

growing pool of retirees 

who are being harmed 

by structural flaws in the 

system, particularly the 

high rates of unintended 

multiple accounts and 

underperforming funds. 

Worryingly, the report 

found about one third of 

super accounts (about 10 

million) are unintended 

multiple accounts which 

can erode a typical Australian 

worker’s balance 

by six per cent or 

$51,000 by the time they 

reach retirement age. 

The majority of these 

accounts are opened by 

default in the early stages 

of a person’s working life 

when they’re more likely 

to be switching between 

jobs or industries. 

Perhaps of most concern, 

the regressive nature 

of these multiple 

unintended accounts sees 

younger and lower-income 

members affected 

the most. 

Another worrying 

trend exposed by the report 

is the high instance 

of excessive and unwarranted 

super fees across 

many funds. 

While reported fees 

have trended down, a raft 

of high-fee products remains 

entrenched in the 

system. 

More recently, after almost 

a year of hearings 

and deliberations, the final 

report from the Royal 

Commission into Misconduct 

in the Banking, 

Superannuation and Financial 

Services Industry 

was released. 

Of the 76 separate 

recommendations 

made by Commissioner 

Hayne, a number directly 

concerned super. 

From a consumer perspective, 

some of the key 

recommendations relating 

to super included: 

• banning the hawking 

of super and insurance 

products; 

• that a person should 

only have one super 

fund; 

• banning employer 

inducements (to nominate 

particular funds as 

default funds, or having 

employees join a particular 

fund); 

• ensuring financial 

advisers who aren’t independent 

disclose this 

to clients in a prescribed 

format; 

• banning grandfathered 

commissions 

which are attached to 

some bank and insurance-owned 

super funds; 

• The overhaul of bosses’ 

pay so that incentives 

are more aligned to 

non-financial risk; and 

• an overhaul of the 

culture of the regulators. 

The good news for 

consumers is it hasn’t 

...there’s still a lot 

more to be done but 

it’s encouraging that 

real progress is being 

made. 

just been all talk, and no 

action. 

In early February, 

the Federal Parliament 

passed new laws which 

gives the Australian Tax 

Office greater power to 

consolidate inactive and 

low-balance accounts. 

It also bans exit fees 

and imposes a three per 

cent fee cap on accounts 

with $6000 or less. 

While the Government 

was unsuccessful in their 

attempts to make life insurance 

opt-in rather than 

opt-out for young people 

and low-income earners, 

inactive super accounts 

will no longer be charged 

life insurance fees. 

As evidenced by both 

the Productivity Commission 

and the Royal 

Commission, there’s still 

a lot more to be done but 

it’s encouraging that real 

progress is being made in 

improving the operation 

of Australia’s superannuation 

system. 

OUR MEMBERSHIP 

OPENS DOORS 

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Are you with a local, 

trusted super fund? 

They are. 

They’re with Tasplan. 

1800 005 166 | tasplan.com.au 

The trustee of Tasplan Super (ABN 14 602 032 302) is Tasplan Pty Ltd (ABN 13 009 563 062). 

AFSL 235391. © 2019 Tasplan Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.


Toll’s vote of confidence 

NEWS 

Jeremy 

Rockliff 

Infrastructure Minister 

THIS month saw the arrival 

of Australia’s newest and biggest 

cargo ship, the 210-metre 

Tasmanian Achiever II, at the 

Burnie port. 

The 20,000-tonne Tasmanian 

Achiever II will increase 

Toll’s Bass Strait carrying capacity 

by 40 per cent. 

This is a massive increase 

in capacity, and together with 

Searoad’s recent investment 

in the SeaRoad Mersey II, this 

will allow Tasmanian producers 

and businesses to export 

more of our highly sought 

after products in both the national 

and international markets. 

This private sector investment 

in Bass Strait freight 

capacity is also a huge vote 

of confidence in the Hodgman 

Liberal Government’s 

management of our economy 

and its job-creating, investment-friendly 

policy action. 

It is no secret Tasmania has 

highly sought after products, 

from our premium agricultural 

produce, to our raw earth 

mining exports. 

Both these industries support 

thousands of jobs, many 

of which are located across regional 

Tasmania. 

Toll’s investment will also 

ensure that Tasmanian businesses 

and communities have 

another important link for inward 

goods for the continued 

operation of their businesses. 

Toll Group’s investment 

recognises the strength of 

our economy and export 

sector, and the Tasmanian 

Achiever II is part of Toll 

Group’s $311 million investment 

in two new ships 

and wharf upgrades to Port 

of Burnie and Webb Dock in 

Melbourne. 

Data from the Australian 

Bureau of Statistics on International 

Merchandise Exports 

shows that Tasmanian 

exports during the 2018 calendar 

year were the highest 

Premier Will Hodgman, left, Toll Group Chairman John Mullen, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japan Post First 

Executive Officer Taneki Ono at the official naming ceremony for the Tasmanian Achiever II on the Burnie wharf. 

since ABS records began. 

In the year to December 

2018 Tasmania exported 

more than $3.78 billion in 

goods and produce, an increase 

of 14.6 per cent compared 

to the previous year. 

Leading Tasmanian export 

sectors were metal and mining 

industries, followed by 

our world class agricultural 

products. 

The Hodgman Liberal 

Government will continue to 

implement initiatives to create 

jobs and boost economic 

growth in Tasmania. 

We have a target to grow 

the farm gate value of the 

agricultural sector to $10 

billion per annum by 2050, 

and targeting a 50 per cent 

increase in new mining ventures 

over five years. 

You’re our 

number 1 

That’s why you have voted us 

Australia’s number 1 

in customer satisfaction 

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Customer Satisfaction Awards 

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We can come to you, just ask us how! It’s Easy! 

stlukes.com.au 1300 651 988 

* #1 Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards: Private Health Insurer of the Year – 2016, 2017 & 2018. St.LukesHealth ABN 81 009 479 618


NEWS 

Program a boost for 

leaders of the future 

TWENTY nine of Tasmania’s 

brightest leaders have celebrated 

their completion of the 

latest Tasmanian Leaders Program. 

Those who finished the 

2018 program say they are 

now equipped with refined 

skills, new knowledge and 

increased motivation and are 

ready to enact positive change 

for Tasmania. 

Places in the annual program 

are highly sought after 

and only granted to participants 

demonstrating a high 

degree of potential and passion. 

Over 11 months last year, 

the 2018 participants came 

together monthly to explore 

challenges and opportunities 

for Tasmania in areas 

such as community, business, 

economics and government 

through seminars, case studies, 

field trips and retreats. 

The program enhances each 

participant’s leadership capacity 

while prompting them 

to develop a vision for Tasmania’s 

future. 

“I have felt great privilege 

in being selected in a program 

that has challenged my 

perceptions and given me the 

opportunity to become better 

educated on issues facing 

Tasmania,” said graduating 

participant, Donna McDermott 

- the acting power station 

manager at Hydro Tasmania’s 

Tamar Valley Power Station. 

“Throughout the year my 

confidence levels have increased 

and I have learnt to 

extend myself, ask questions 

and have conversations to 

broaden my awareness and 

networks.” 

Australia Pacific Airports 

(Launceston) manager of 

planning and development 

Ilya Brucksch-Domanski said 

the programs had encouraged 

greater mindfulness and in- 

vigorated his sense of community. 

“TLP challenged us to consider 

other people’s view.” 

TLP 2020 will be open to 

new applicants on June 1, 

2019. 

For more information visit 

www.tasmanianleaders. 

org.au. 

2018 graduates 

Cassie Arnold, pitt&sherry 

Leigh Arnold, leigharnold.com 

Phil Beeston, S. Group 

Ilya Brucksch Domanski, Australian 

Pacific Airports (Launceston) 

Paris Buttfield-Addison, Secret 

Lab Pty. Ltd. 

Samuel Cairnduff, Tasmanian 

Symphony Orchestra 

Anne Carey, TasNetworks 

Sarah Coulson, Tasmanian 

Health Service 

Waqas Durrani, Federation of 

Ethnic Communities’ Councils 

of Australia (FECCA) 

Andy Fist, Kooee Snacks 

Jenn Heggarty, Tasmanian 

Leaders 

Alison Hugo, On Your Bike 

Tours Launceston 

Jason Imms, LIVETILES 

Tim Jordan, Degree C 

Justin Legg, Lester Franks 

David Lenel, pitt&sherry 

Chris Love, Big Blue Co Pty 

Ltd 

Donna McDermott, Hydro 

Tasmania 

Hannah Moloney, Good Life 

Permaculture 

Jarred Moore, UTas 

Martin Moroni, Private Forests 

Tasmania 

Kate Owen, Futago 

Jess Robbins, Tasmanian Way 

Jessie Stanley, Office of the 

Coordinator-General 

Grace Walsh, Multicultural 

Council of Tasmania 

Carolyn Watson-Paul, Henry’s 

Ginger Beer 

Ally White, Department of 

Education 

Insp. Gary Williams, Tasmania 

Police 

Absent: Sam Halliday, Department 

of Health and Human 

Services. 

Tasmanian Leaders Program 2018 participants celebrate their graduation. 

Awards 

seeking 

women 

miners 

THE 2019 Tasmanian Women 

in Resources Awards have 

been officially launched to 

recognise exceptional female 

talent in Tasmania’s resources, 

mining and manufacturing 

businesses. 

The annual awards are hosted 

by the Tasmanian Minerals 

and Energy Council in conjunction 

with the AusIMM 

Women in Mining Network 

Tasmania and include seven 

categories across trades, manufacturing, 

non-executive, 

engineering and professional 

services roles. 

Two categories also recognise 

the importance of gender 

diversity champions and 

workplace programs in supporting 

women to pursue resource 

industry careers. 

WIMnet Tasmania chairman 

Ted Bradshaw acknowledged 

the role of the awards 

in strengthening female participation 

in non-traditional 

industries. 

“The Tasmanian awards 

are now in their sixth year 

and they help to showcase the 

ambassadors and role models 

that can inspire more women 

to consider the attractive career 

opportunities available to 

them in the mining, manufacturing 

and resources sectors,” 

he said. 

A judging panel will announce 

this year’s Tasmanian 

award category winners at a 

ceremony in Hobart on May 

30. 

Category winners go on to 

represent Tasmania in the National 

Women in Resources 

Awards to be announced in 

September. 

Selection criteria and entry 

information is available 

from the TMEC website 

at http://tasminerals.com. 

au/2019-tasmanian-women-in-resources-awards 

Award nominations close 

March 31, 2019. 

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EVENTS 

Richard, left, and Rob Clark of Westerway 

Raspberry Farm. 

Dr Josie Kelman, Derwent Catchment Project, 

left, and Veronica Youd of The Shingles 

Riverside Cottage. 

Leanne Masters of Hug A Horse, left, and Cally 

Lyons of Rathmore. 

What: 

Derwent Valley 

Gazette relaunch 

Where: 

Star & Garter Hotel, 

New Norfolk 

When: 

Tuesday, February 12 

2019 

Lyons Liberal candidate Jessica Whelan, left, Jonathon 

Heather, office of Jane Howlett MLC, Greg Hudson, Lions 

Club of New Norfolk and Anthony Edwards, Cancer 

Council/Relay for Life. 

Derwent Valley Gazette fishing writer Adam 

Rice, left, and Rodney Dunn of the Agrarian 

Kitchen. 

What: 

Strong Australia 

Network business 

luncheon 

Where: 

Hotel Grand 

Chancellor Hobart 

Stephen Cahoon of Sense-T, left, Rod Bender 

of Norske Skog and Geoff Atkinson of 

AusIndustry. 

BUSINESS 

2 

Phil Hudson from the Business Council of Australia, 

left, David Speers from Sky News Australia and 

Gemma Daley from the Business Council of 

Australia. 

When: 

Thursday, 

February 14, 

2019 

BUSINESS 

YOUR QUICK GUIDE TO SERVICES AND PRODUCTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS 

HOBART’S BEST RANGE OF 

QUALITY ERGONOMIC FURNITURE 

FOR THE HOME AND OFFICE 

TCCI CEO Michael Bailey, left, Bob Gordon from 

MyState Bank and Mark Wilsdon from MONA. 

We specialise in high quality ergonomic chairs, 

alternative seating and electronic sit/stand desks. 

Flair Office Furniture has been providing quality, affordable office 

furniture to homes and offices throughout the Hobart region 

for nearly 15 years. We’re a locally-based, family-run business 

specialising in all types of products, so why not visit us today to 

see our fantastic range? 

www.flairofficefurniture.com.au 

Phone 6234 1127 

260 Argyle Street, 

North Hobart 

To see your business here, call Kerri on 0419 750 267 or email kerri@thetrustedmediaco.com


PROPERTY MATTERS 

Demand for city office space 

Scott Newton 

Property Matters with 

Knight Frank 

Knight Frank Hobart’s office sales and 

leasing specialists Hayden Peck and 

Richard Steedman give an update on the 

Hobart of the office sector in this month’s 

feature article. 

THE recent release of the 

Property Council of Australia’s 

Office Market Report 

2019 provides further evidence 

of Hobart’s thriving 

property market. 

Recording a vacancy rate 

of only 5.9 per cent ranks it 

as the third strongest capital 

city office market in the 

country, behind Melbourne 

(3.2 per cent) and Sydney 

(4.1 per cent) with all other 

markets significantly weaker 

with Canberra 11.0 per cent, 

Brisbane 13.0 per cent, Adelaide 

14.2 per cent, Darwin 

17.2 per cent and Perth 18.5 

per cent. 

Hobart’s CBD office market 

vacancy rate of 5.9 per 

cent indicates that the market 

has tightened considerably in 

recent years, down 3 per cent 

from 8.9 per cent in 2015 and 

is significantly stronger than 

the national average of 8.5 

per cent. 

The A-grade sector is the 

tightest, with a vacancy rate 

of only 4.9 per cent, B-grade 

9.1 per cent, with C- and 

D-grade 6.0 per cent and 6.1 

per cent respectively. 

Hobart’s low office vacancy 

rate is a function of three 

key factors, being minimal 

speculative development; 

competing property uses and 

increased demand. 

Historically, new supply 

within Hobart’s market has 

been demand driven, with 

new office accommodation 

The new Parliament Square is indicative of the development of pre-committed office 

accommodation in Hobart. 

primarily resulting from 

pre-commitment by major 

tenants with very little speculative 

development. 

This is in part due to an 

economic rental generally 

being required to ensure an 

appropriate return to the developer. 

Improved economic conditions 

has resulted in greater 

competition within our market 

from competing property 

uses, in particular from the 

tourism/hotel sector. 

This has resulted in an increase 

in the underlying land 

value of key sites within our 

city, rendering some older 

office buildings and/or their 

sites to have a higher and 

better use than offices, such 

as visitor, residential or student 

accommodation. 

As a result, a number of 

older office buildings have 

been demolished or converted 

to alternative uses. 

This in effect represents a 

replenishing of Hobart’s office 

market stock. 

Strong economic growth 

in Tasmania in recent times 

has resulted in new demand 

for office accommodation 

with net absorption, ie increase 

in area occupied, recorded 

at 1,178sqm for the 

year and a total of 6,465sqm 

over the past two years. 

We have seen a strong increase 

in demand from small 

businesses new to our market, 

with many seeing great 

opportunity within our confident 

and growing market. 

We have also seen new 

demand from the education 

sector, particularly Registered 

Training Organisations 

for international students 

with a number of organisations 

setting up business 

in Hobart over the past two 

years. 

This new education demand 

has resulted in associated 

services also opening 

within the CBD such as immigration 

and travel agencies 

and other professional 

services targeting international 

students such as lawyers 

and accountants. 

With very little new office 

market stock, i.e. new buildings, 

forecast to come online 

in the short to medium term, 

and growing demand for Hobart 

office accommodation, 

this should see a further reduction 

in the vacancy rate 

which will likely translate 

into rental growth. 

PROPERTY VIEW 

MARCH 2019 

HOBART’S STRATEGIC MEGA SITE 

103 Melville Street & 159 - 163 Harrington Street, Hobart 

For Sale by Expressions of Interest 

• Knight Frank has the privilege to 

present what will be the largest and 

most significant CBD development 

site available to the market for the 

foreseeable future. 

• Situated on the Northern edge of the 

CBD only 250 metres from Hobart’s 

central retail block, this site represents 

an opportunity that is truly unique. 

• Proposed zoning change will allow for 

45m building height*. (STCA). 

• 2 year Leaseback from settlement. 

• Land area: 1.179 hectares. 

• 2 titles. 

• Offering includes 3 heritage terraces. 

• Existing main structure 6374sqm*. 

• Existing Car Spaces: 120*. 

* approx 

Outline indicative only 

Outline indicative only 

Scott Newton 0409 186 261 

Hayden Peck 0412 766 395 

BRIDGEWATER INDUSTRIAL HUB 

16 Crooked Billet Drive, Bridgewater 

For Sale by Offer 

• Single level Industrial building. 

• A good lease in place to 2023 with annual fixed 

increases and two (2) ten (10) year options. 

• Solid building construction, and in an area with 

low vacancy and with easy access, the property 

presents a quality investment to hold. 

• Total land area of approximately 2265 sqm. 

• Lettable area of approximately 474 sqm (including 

mezzanine). 

• Net rental of $48,458. 

• Inspections strictly by appointment. 

“STRELLEY FARM” 

66 Prosser Road, Richmond 

For Sale by Private Treaty 

• 170ha of arable, irrigated, Coal River Valley 

land over 6 titles. 

• Access to SEIS Stage 1 and Stage 2 water. 

320 megalitres of storage capacity. 

• Highly suitable for horticulture, viticulture, 

and intensive cropping. 

• Zoned Significant Agriculture; Municipality of 

Clarence. 

• Bordering the historic village of Richmond 

• 5 minutes from Hobart Airport, 20 minutes 

to Hobart CBD. 

• All improvements are in excellent condition. 

Ian Reed 0419 670 501 

Ian Reed 0419 670 501 

Michael Crisp 0438 597 128 

5 Victoria Street, Hobart 54 Cameron Street, Launceston Shop 8, 48-54 Oldaker Street, Devonport 

P: 03 6220 6999 P: 03 6333 7888 P: 03 6424 3568

Tasmanian Business Reporter March 2019

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