CEBIT AUSTRALIA, the largest and longest running business technology event in the Asia Pacific region, has launched CeBIT BLACK, a VIP program to connect the C-suite of Australia’s leading enterprise and government organisations.

Whilst CeBIT Australia has delivered inspirational and informative business intelligence to nearly half a million attendees over its 15 year history, CeBIT BLACK will create an exclusive invite only engagement opportunity for tier one enterprise technology leaders and a limited number of enterprise level technology providers.

CeBIT BLACK will welcome over 200 of Australia’s most influential technology leaders on Thursday 28 April at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, providing them with a unique learning and networking opportunity.

Harvey Stockbridge, Managing Director, Hannover Fairs Australia is excited to launch the dedicated CeBIT BLACK program.

“We recognise that the requirements of elite Australian businesses, and the enterprise and government level technology suppliers they engage, require a distinct event to cater for their needs.

“CeBIT BLACK will be held the week prior to the CeBIT Australia exhibition and conferences, and will feature presentations by Kathryn Parsons, CEO of Decoded from the UK, plus Scott Monty, Crisis Communication Strategist will join us from the US. The Hon Anthony Roberts, Minister for Industry, Resources and Energy, NSW Government will also present at the event.

“We believe events like this will assist the growth and productivity of services across the business technology landscape,” concluded Mr Stockbridge.

Registered attendees are from AGL, AMP, Bank of Queensland, Bupa, Caltex, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Cochlear, Deutsche Bank, Network Ten, Nokia, NSW Government, OFX, PwC, Qantas, Red Cross, Samsung, Twitter, Uniting Care, Veolia, Water NSW, Westpac, Woolworths and more. Job titles include, CIO, CTO, CEO, CMO, CISO and Heads of Digital.

The event will be emceed by ABC personality James O’Loghlin, and feature keynote speakers, entertainment and a charity auction in aid of The Smith Family.

CeBIT Australia: 2-4 May 2016, Sydney Olympic Park

www.cebit.com.au

THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) says retailers are being forced to wear unreasonably high acceptance costs on credit cards as a result of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s unequal regulation of companies providing card payments.

ARA Executive Director, Russell Zimmerman, says some cards cost retailers more than twice as much in fees to accept than others, leaving retailers with no alternative than to pass these costs on to consumers through a surcharge to be able to continue accepting these high cost cards.

“For many years, unequal regulation of payment cards has caused headaches for retailers,” Mr Zimmerman said.

“While the cost of accepting some cards has been reducing due to regulation, accepting other cards has remained unjustifiably high -  an issue that has caused confusion for both retailers and shoppers.

“It is simply baffling why the RBA chooses to regulate certain payment companies, but not others. The ARA is calling for the RBA to apply the same rules to be applied on all payment schemes,” he said.

Unregulated card companies include American Express, Diners Club, and China Union Pay, who as a result, set the price of accepting their cards so high that retailers are forced to surcharge shoppers who use these cards instore.

“Surcharging is not a positive experience for retailers or customers and should be avoided, however, this can only can be done for low cost, regulated cards,” said Mr Zimmerman.

“The ARA has been pushing for reforms of card regulation and will continue to lobby the Government and RBA on this issue for a better outcome for both retailers and consumers.

“In the interim, it’s important for retailers to be aware that they may be contacted by unregulated payment companies in an attempt to have them absorb their excessive costs and asking them to help protect their market position.

To date, the ARA has been able to reduce costs for retailers on the three regulated payment schemes - EFTPOS, Visa, and MasterCard.

About the Australian Retailers Association:

Founded in 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is the retail industry’s peak representative body representing Australia’s $293 billion sector, which employs more than 1.2 million people. The ARA works to ensure retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

For more information, visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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A CUT in the company tax rate could see Australians worse off by an estimated $1600 each, according to economic modelling to released at the Melbourne Economic Forum today.

The modelling, undertaken by Victoria University’s Centre of Policy Studies, reveals that the cost to government revenue from a company tax rate cut outweighs benefits that could eventually flow from increased foreign investment and higher wages.

“The cost to revenue from a company tax rate cut would add to pressure on government to reduce spending in areas such as health and education and income support, or to raise personal taxes,” Dr Janine Dixon, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre of Policy Studies, who will present the modelling results said.

Dr Dixon, who undertook modelling for last year’s National Reform Summit, said a company tax rate cut amounted to a transfer of government revenue to foreign investors – but that those investors were expected to invest more in Australia, making workers more productive and driving up wages.

Any new investment, however, would take time and a large share of future company profits would accrue to the same foreign investors.

“Our modelling results for the impact on national production, as measured by GDP, are similar to Treasury’s, but this is not a suitable measure of national benefit,” she said.

"The right indicator of national benefit is the impact of a company tax rate cut on national income and that’s clearly negative.”

Presentations on tax reform from leading economists Professors John Freebairn, Ross Garnaut, and Beth Webster and John Daley from the Grattan Institute were also on today’s agenda.

The Melbourne Economic Forum is a joint collaboration between Victoria University and the University of Melbourne. It is run in association with the Australian Financial Review.

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ON THURSDAY this week, the House of Representatives Agriculture and Industry Committee will travel to Sydney to conduct a public hearing for its inquiry into agricultural innovation.

The Committee will hear from a range of stakeholders, including representatives from universities, industry, and farming peak bodies.

The Committee will also take the opportunity to visit the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, at the University of Sydney.

Committee Chair, Rowan Ramsey MP, said, "We’ve heard throughout our inquiry that automation is going to have a significant role in the farms of the future. We look forward to seeing firsthand some of the projects at the Australian Centre of Field Robotics, including research and development into robotics and intelligent systems that could have very important applications in agriculture."

Thursday’s public hearing will be the final hearing for the inquiry.

The hearing will be held in The Refectory, Level 5 of the Abercrombie Building, at the corner of Abercrombie Street and Codrington Street, University of Sydney:

Thursday, 14 April 2016
10.00 am - Australian Farm Institute (Submission 85)
10.30 am - Ag Institute Australia (Submission 73)
11.00 am - NSW Farmers (Submission 45)
11.45 am  - The University of Sydney (Submission 40)
12.15 pm - Australian Centre for Field Robotics (Submission 94), Dr Lindsay Campbell (Submission 31), United States Studies Centre (Submission 39), The Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering (Submission 43)
2.15 pm - Professor Brian Orr (Submission 30)
2.45 pm - John Deere
3.15 pm - NNNCo Pty Ltd (Submission 34)
3.45 pm - Dr Aharon Arakel (Submission 77)
The public hearing will be webcast live at: http://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Parliament

Further details about the inquiry, including submissions received and the terms of reference, can be obtained from the Committee’s website at: www.aph.gov.au/agind.

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