AS THE WORLD deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) is offering its WAVE push-to-talk service free to critical industries in Australia and New Zealand until the end of June 2020.

The offer will enable essential organisations to benefit from the capabilities the service delivers to mobilise frontline workers and unify group communications across multiple technology users.

As the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic, commercial, emergency and volunteer organisations are at the frontline of the response, helping to keep the country safe. Motorola Solutions anticipates that many responding organisations do not have immediate access to instant push-to-talk communications they need to mobilise volunteers and other frontline personnel.

“The most important use of technology right now is helping essential organisations and frontline personnel to work more safely and efficiently,” Con Balaskas, managing director A/NZ for Motorola Solutions said

“We are working closely with our partners and customers throughout Australia and New Zealand to provide technology and our support to help them deliver their essential work.”

WAVE connects teams by enabling push-to-talk functionality across phones, radios and computers ensuring users have access to individual and group calls, texts, location and mapping services and secure communications. 

Further information about the offer is available here.

Details

The WAVE service is being offered free of charge for the next three months ending on June 30, 2020. Included in the offer and WAVE PTX Mobile Applications Licences for between five and 50 users and two Dispatch Console Licences. Normal terms and conditions apply (number of subscriptions may be restricted).

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SERVICESEEKING has crunched the numbers on their top 20 categories in April 2020 againt March 2020 to determine which tradies won and lost during Covid-19.

While job volume across the platform was down by 15 percent versus the prior month, Jeremy Levitt was surprised to see several key categories grow during the pandemic as home owners and renters alike fixed up property maintenance issues at home to make lockdown easier to bear. 

The April 2020 v March job data shows:

• Air conditioning and heating jobs up 152.38%
• Paving jobs up 99.51%
• Asbestos removal jobs up 87.12%
• Rubbish removal jobs up 67.85%
• Fencing repair jobs up 62.46%
• Electrical services jobs up 53.83%
• Roofing jobs up 37.52%
• Concreting repair jobs up 30.02%
• Carpentry jobs up 24.61%
• House Painting jobs up 9.57%
• Plastering jobs up 9.18%
• Plumbing jobs up 6.47%
• Handyman jobs up 2.45%
• Cleaner jobs down -3.06%
• Removalist jobs down -10.37%
• Renovation jobs down -15.55%
• Pest control jobs down -16.71%
• Tiling jobs down -22.39%
• Gardening jobs down -26.81%
• Flooring jobs down -58.09%

Jeremy Levitt, co-founder of find a tradie website, ServiceSeeking.com.au said, "We saw a dramatic fall in large renovation jobs month on month, down more than 15 percent, which we think may preceed a fall in property prices.

"Property owners typically pull back on renovating when their confidence falls," he said.

 "However, we saw the Covid-19 'nesting' phenomenon in full effect, with locked down home owners and renters increasing their spend on property maintenance categories like electrical services, roofing, airconditioning servicing and rubbish removal."

www.serviceseeking.com.au

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AS THE PEAK national body for caravan and camping, Caravan Industry Association of Australia is supporting the domestic initiatives recently announced by Tourism Australia to stimulate the domestic tourism market with the release of their Live from Aus initiative.

There are more than 710,000 RVs currently sitting idle throughout Australia, with an estimated 18 million Australians who are connected to the caravan and camping lifestyle, who have been cooped up in their homes.  This audience in particular will be eager to hit the road and explore once restrictions ease and will be key to reinvigorating tourism businesses and regional communities in all parts of Australia. 

Association CEO, Stuart Lamont said, “We realise the immense pressure that tourism operators are under right now.  The last few months have been traumatic and it looks as through international tourism is still a way off.  This will add to the pressure being felt by those tourism businesses who largely cater to an international market.

“We see an immense opportunity for the caravan and camping sector to help activate these businesses again through the dispersal of domestic caravan and camping visitors into regions hit hard by the loss in tourism dollars.

"It has also been encouraging to see the recent easing of restrictions in some states and territories.  While it doesn’t yet provide the detail to plan with certainty, travellers can look forward to a time when they are once again able to move freely around the country and experience our unique culture, natural beauty and amazing food and drink."

Caravan and camping would normally contribute more than $21 billion annually to the Australian economy, to be able to reactivate this market will go a long way to helping Australia heal.  Data out of Tourism Research Australia for 2019 showed that Caravan and Camping is Australia's favourite holiday accommodation, accounting for more nights than any other type of accommodation for leisure. 

"Tourism Australia’s readjusted focus to stimulate the domestic market is very strategic move to kickstart the recovery process for many hurting businesses," Mr Lamont said.

"Caravan Industry Association of Australia is very supportive of this shift and looks forward to being part of this journey to see travellers back on the road enjoying themselves and celebrating our wonderful home country."

www.caravanindustry.com.au

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THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has commended Lex Greensill for following through on his promise not to provide supply chain finance to late paying businesses.

“We welcome Greensill’s public statement today, reiterating its position that it will not allow its supply chain finance facilities to be used by Australian clients which extend payment terms to SME suppliers beyond 30 days,” Ms Carnell said.

“Greensill has also confirmed it will discontinue the use of supply chain finance facilities who misuse its products by pushing out payment terms.

“It is clear from media reports this week, Greensill’s statement is in relation to its dealings with contractor UGL, owned by construction firm CIMIC.

“UGL has reportedly extended its payment terms to its small business suppliers to 65 days from the end of month the invoice is lodged, offering supply chain finance to those that want to be paid earlier and are willing to take a discount on the invoiced amount," Ms Carnell said.

“This is an example of clear misuse of supply chain finance as outlined in our recently released Supply Chain Financing Review. Practices such as this are harmful to small businesses, especially in the current challenging environment.

“As recommended in our final report on our Supply Chain Financing Review, federal legislation requiring small businesses to be paid in 30 days is the only way to drive meaningful cultural change in business payment performance across the economy," she said.

“Last year the Prime Minister said the government would introduce a rule requiring businesses with commonwealth contracts to pay their suppliers within 20 days. That’s certainly a step in the right direction and can’t happen soon enough. 

“In the meantime, large businesses extending or in some cases suspending payments to small businesses are on notice that this behaviour is unacceptable and may rule them out of future federal government contracts.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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