THE Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, is encouraging all Australians to take part in Diabetes Australia Walk to Work Day on October 7, as outlined in a letter of support received this week.

The Prime Minister noted that as diabetes is one of the most serious health challenges facing our country, there are “no more excuses” in taking steps to improve our health and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, or to help manage the condition.

Diabetes Australia CEO, A/Professor Greg Johnson said there was extensive evidence highlighting the effectiveness of physical activity in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“Researchers have found that people with largely sedentary lifestyles are 30-50 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with people who are moderately physically active every day,” he said.

“A daily dose of physical activity, such as walking to work, is a good way to reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”

Walking regularly is the simplest and most practical way of increasing your daily exercise, and starting on the path to a healthier lifestyle.

A small change can make an enormous impact — just by getting off the bus, train, or tram a few stops earlier, or walking to your first appointment of the day instead of taking a taxi, you can make a real difference.

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Diabetes Australia for promoting ways of prevention, and encouraged all Australians to take part in Walk to Work Day and to make it just the first step in a lifelong journey to better wellbeing.

www.walk.com.au

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THE Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA) today expressed comprehensive support for the findings of the inquiry by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell, which examined the effect on Australian small businesses of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal’s Contractor Driver Minimum Payments Road Safety Remuneration Order 2016 - commonly referred to as the RSRT.

CEO of COSBOA, Peter Strong, says the Association and its members are also concerned that a tribunal of well-paid commissioners, such as the RSRT, could get things so wrong.

“A legal system that is funded by government and aims to improve safety on our roads must not fail. Yet this tribunal has helped destroy small transport businesses run by honest professionals and has created a toxic environment with dire mental health outcomes for self-employed individuals and families. There has been no improvement in road safety, and in fact, it may be argued the opposite has occurred,” says Mr Strong.

COSBOA notes a process called ‘vicarious liability’, where an employer can be held criminally responsible for an unsafe workplace – which includes where mental health is negatively affected.

The RSRT tribunal has failed the vicarious liability test, but is protected from any repercussions. COSBOA calls on the Australian Human Rights Commission to use its powers to investigate the behaviour of tribunal commissioners and the parties involved in the process because tribunals cannot be above the law.

Mr Strong continues, “There are individuals and families suffering the consequences of poor behaviour and carelessness from lack of due diligence. The process that was the RSRT must never be revisited. If nothing else, the RSRT showed that road safety will improve with industry involvement, not by regulating payments.

“This inquiry also shows the worth of the ASBFEO, without whom this failed process would be hidden from the public eye. This failure of legislation and regulation should be front page news,” concludes Mr Strong.

For the full report into RSRT by ASBFEO, please click here.

COSBOA is concerned to note that New South Wales is now considering a similar approach to the RSRT. Click here to read more.  

To view an article by Peter Strong on the issue, click here, COSBOA has written about RSRT before – see here for more.

Visit www.cosboa.org.au.

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TOURISM for all: people with disabilities, senior citizens and families travelling with small children, and sooner or later all citizens will appreciate the advantages of universal accessibility. This is why UNWTO has chosen to celebrate World Tourism Day 2016 on the theme of accessible tourism. Official celebrations will take place on September 27 in Bangkok, Thailand.

For the last quarter–century World Tourism Day, held annually on September 27 , has aimed to foster awareness of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic impact. This year’s official celebrations will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on the theme of ‘Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility’.

Reaching universal accessibility in tourism is a shared responsibility of all parties involved in the tourism value chain, as well as a business opportunity for companies and destinations.

“Everyone has the right to access leisure and tourism services on an equal basis. Yet 1 billion people around the world living with disability, along with young children, seniors and persons with other access requirements, still face obstacles in accessing fundamentals of travel such as clear and reliable information, efficient transportation and public services, and a physical environment that is easy to navigate.  Even with modern technologies, those with visual, hearing, mobility or cognitive impairments are being left behind in many tourism destinations.” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his official message.

“All of the world’s citizens have the right to experience the incredible diversity this planet has to offer. Therefore, it is highly important that all countries and destinations, as well as the industry, promote accessibility for all in the physical environment, in transport systems, in public facilities and services and in information and communications channels”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

“This year's theme, ‘Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility’, is a challenge for Thailand and the world to recognize the necessity of accessibility in tourism and to accommodate everyone anywhere they may travel to (…) We have to understand the theory of Universal Design (…) As the world of travel and tourism is an expanding industry and the number of travelers increases every year, we have to ensure that travelling the world has to is as safe and seamless as possible,” explained Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourism and Sports of Thailand.

The official celebrations include a ‘Tourism and the Media’ session held on 26^th September at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, and a full-day conference the following day. During the event, experts on accessibility and tourism will exchange views and best practices, addressing the need to work in cooperation to advance in the ‘Tourism for All’ agenda.

Creating an adequate policy framework for specific business development strategies, the need to increase awareness and capacity building targeting both decision makers and tourism professionals are some of the topics to be addressed during the conference. Andrew Stevens, Asia Pacific Editor of CNNMoney, will moderate this discussion.

The conference will also address innovative strategies in the development of accessible tourism infrastructure, products and services which add value to destinations and enhance their competitiveness on the global tourism market. A number of best practices will be featured with the aim of emphasizing the value of investing in accessibility.

The celebrations of World Tourism Day 2016 are being held in collaboration with CNN, UNWTO media partner.

Official Webpage of the World Tourism Day

Programme of the Conference

Research on Tourism for All

World Tourism Day Communication Kit

Official Messages

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THE latest insights into the meetings sector will be aired in Brisbane as staff from Australia’s convention bureaux convene for their 27^th annual flagship meeting from September 7-9.

To be held at the Emporium Hotel in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, the Association of Australian Convention Bureaux (AACB) Conference is attracting leading bureau staff and industry representatives from around the country.

The conference theme of “Collaboration: Better Together” will focus on collaboration within and outside of the sector along with the latest ideas and thoughts on professional development, innovation and research.

This year’s event is being hosted by the Brisbane Convention Bureau, and General Manager Rob Nelson said the event featured an impressive line-up of presenters.

“We’re delighted to hear from experienced industry leaders such as Mantra Group CEO Bob East, AEG Ogden CEO Harvey Lister, Star Entertainment Group Queensland Managing Director Geoff Hogg and Emergent CEO Holly Ransom,” Mr Nelson said.

“We’ll also receive presentations from Brisbane’s Chief Digital Officer Cat Matson and Peak Teams Director Ian Schuback.

“We’re looking forward to hearing industry insights from the experts and taking the opportunity to network with our industry peers.”

AACB CEO Andrew Hiebl said: “Convention bureaux, as true public-private partnerships, by their very nature rely on successful collaboration.

“In order to bid for business events or market a destination, convention bureaux must work closely with their stakeholders in the tourism and events supply chain as well as governments at all levels.

“Australian convention bureaux are global leaders from a bidding and marketing perspective. It is essential we continue to support a strong culture of leadership and staff development that ensures bureaux remain internationally competitive.” 

The annual staff conference helps drive knowledge transfer and the professional development of bureau staff. It provides a unique opportunity for competitors in the same industry to network, share ideas, discuss trends and issues and work collaboratively on growing the overall business events market in Australia.

www.brisbanemarketing.com.au

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