QUEENALAND Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, will be the headline speaker at Australia’s biggest online renewable energy event on May 6, 2020.

The Stimulus Summit: A Renewables-Led Economic Recovery will bring together state and territory energy ministers, industry and community leaders, and prominent academics to outline a roadmap for simultaneously revitalising and decarbonising Australia’s economy.

“We have to tackle the COVID-19 economic crisis and the climate crisis at the same time or we will lurch from one major problem to another,” said John Grimes, CEO of the Smart Energy Council, a peak national body for the solar, energy storage and renewable hydrogen industry.

“This is Australia’s moment to modernise and grow the economy, create hundreds of thousands of new, future-proof jobs and position Australia as a global renewable energy superpower,” Mr Grimes said.

Keynote speakers at the free online Stimulus Summit (11am-4pm on 6 May) include: 

• Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk;
• State and Territory Energy Ministers
  • Bill Johnston, WA Minister for Energy 
  • Dan van Holst Pellekaan, SA Minister for Energy
  • Shane Rattenbury, ACT Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability;
  • Lily D’Ambrosio, VIC Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change
• Professor Ross Garnaut, Australia’s pre-eminent economist;
• Innes Willox, CEO of the Australian Industry Group;
• The CEOs of the Australian Conservation Foundation, Climate Council, Climate Works, Carbon Market Institute, Farmers for Climate Action and Beyond Zero Emissions; and
• The CEOs of Hydro Tasmania and JET Charge and other renewables industry leaders.

More than 3,000 people have already registered for the Stimulus Summit, which the Smart Energy Council is delivering in partnership with www.reneweconomy.com.au  

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NSW BUSINESSES looking to ease the pressures of COVID-19 are reminded to review their workers compensation needs, as they may be eligible for reduced premiums.

Icare NSW CEO John Nagle said to date more than 14,600 businesses had been in touch to review their policy.

“We’ve been on stand-by during this difficult period to assist our customers with their changing circumstances. So far around 9,000 customers have made contact, or have been contacted by icare, to update their estimated wages and their business activities, which are major drivers of their premium,” Mr Nagle said.

“This is particularly true of customers impacted by social distancing measures in industries such as construction, hospitality and retail, with many needing to reduce staff numbers working at any one time.

“This has helped the majority of our directly impacted customers revise their wages down, leading to premium reductions of $40 million.

“At the same time one in nine businesses have increased their estimated wages, reflecting the upswing in some industries such as deliveries, groceries and cleaning services.”

In addition, icare has helped around 1,900 customers pause a further $38 million in premium payments whilst their businesses are in hibernation or they work through financial hardship.

“As restrictions are eased and ways of working evolve in the coming weeks, we expect to see further adjustments and we remain on hand to help customers during this time,” Mr Nagle said.

“We recognise there is still ongoing change for many businesses across the State and customers are encouraged to get in contact to discuss their individual needs.

“We will continue to balance the needs of our customers with the long-term sustainability of the scheme to ensure it continues to support businesses and their injured workers well into the future.”

NSW icare provides workers insurance to more than 325,000 businesses across NSW and customers are encouraged to contact icare on 13 44 22 to discuss their individual business circumstances.

Further details on COVID-19 measures and impacts are available on the icare website.

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AUSTRALIA'S peak body for research, insights and analytics has unveiled its new name: The Research Society.

The organisation formerly known as the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS), has more than 2000 members and 80 company and client partners, and has been regarded as Australia’s leading research and insights community for 65 years.

Every decision across government, business and not for profit sectors affecting Australians in every aspect of their lives is informed by high quality research conducted by the society's members.  And never more so than right now when high quality up to the minute information is critical to the community.

The Research Society ensures the industry works to the highest standards and protects the interests of Australians who participate, as well as those who design and conduct research, by setting and enforcing a stringent Code of Professional Behaviour, as well as providing ongoing training to the research sector.

The Research Society’s chief executive, Elissa Molloy said the rebrand provided a fresh contemporary look and feel to complement the suite of new ways in which the organisation supports research professionals and partner organisations.

“As the leading Australian research and insights community for over 65 years, we know this is the best time to refresh our look and bring on new services to reflect a changing world and to support our members in their careers,” Ms Molloy said.

“We have some 2000 individual research professional members and over 80 partner organisations that include research agencies and end-client organisations that commission research in commercial and government sectors.

“We provide discounts and benefits to them and include individual membership for their employees. Everything we do at The Research Society is designed to promote, protect, connect and develop members and partner organisations.

“Our rebrand and the raft of new opportunities and services we are introducing reinforces our confidence in the smart creative research industry we support.  New services we are launching over the coming months include:  mentoring, live and on-demand online training, networking and conferences (including digital conferences), accreditation and a new suite of research awards all designed to reflect the dynamism of our industry,” Ms Molloy said. 

About The Research Society

• The Research Society is the leading research association in Australia.
• It supports the careers of research professionals with specialist training and professional qualification (QPR), professional membership, mentoring, networking opportunities and research awards.
• The Research Society partners with research agencies and end-client organisations that commission research, in commercial and government sectors, and provides additional organisational discounts and benefits to them as well as included individual membership for their employees.
• The Research Society is underpinned by a strong ethical Code of Professional Behaviour for its individual members and company and client partners that aligns with the Australian Privacy Principles.
• It supports company partners to certify to globally recognised ISO standards and it has exclusive rights in Australia to the Fair Data program that ensures companies collect, store and use the general public’s personal data and information in line with Australian Privacy and EU GDPR requirements.
• The Research Society is a founding member of the Global Research Business Network (GRBN) that links 45 research associations globally.

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BUSINESS intelligence platform China Money Network has unveiled its new service called the China Expert Network.

Relying on the more than 60,000 registered users across the China Money Network family of websites emanating from ChinaMoneyNetwork.com, the China Expert Network connects multinational businesses with talented 'China hands' who can provide more transparency to a marketplace that often seems opaque.

With a focus on investment and finance, the China Expert Network brings together industry experts and practitioners focused on ESG, special situations investing, technology, startups, cleantech, real estate, media, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing.

"Clients frequently ask for access to the high-level industry experts who subscribe to our platform's data, so the China Expert Network is a new framework that gives our subscribers and our clients a win-win opportunity," said Nina Xiang, founder and managing editor at China Money Network.

"We've structured our service to give our subscribers a high level of privacy and our clients gain an equally high level of compliance."

Subscribers to China Money Network's data and news services can update their profile information to make themselves available as experts for special consulting projects. Ater their expert profiles are selected by a client, a meeting or formal engagement is held wherein the expert is paid for their time and expertise. Clients, in turn, comply with strict compliance procedures to ensure their business and regulatory goals are met.

More information about the China Expert Network is found at https://www.chinamoneynetwork.com/expert-network

About China Money Network

China Money Network delivers primary data for China's primary markets. Subscribers on the platform follow China's smart investments, special situations and technology innovations every day. By tracking China's private equity, venture capital and technology sectors, China Money Network delivers actionable intelligence to its subscribers. We connect the data points to give global investors the tools to execute deals in China, deals that otherwise would simply never take place. The company's Chinese language platform is at www.zhongjintoux.com. China Money Network, founded in 2011 in Shanghai, operates from satellites in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. 

https://www.chinamoneynetwork.com

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