VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone said VECCI has welcomed today's announcement by the State Government of a $50 million commitment to widen the Tullamarine Freeway from Melrose Drive to Melbourne Airport.

"This follows Victorian Labor's pledge to proceed with the project if elected to government, so the bipartisan support for this vital infrastructure project is a win for our state," Mr Stone said.

"This project will create 200 construction jobs and improve reliability and cut travel times for residents and businesses who rely on this crucial road.

"We also welcome the Federal Government's $200 million contribution to the project.

"The bipartisan support is an acknowledgement of the importance of Melbourne Airport to our state, for Victorians, as well as for business and recreational travellers.

"VECCI is pleased another of our Taking Care of Business state election agenda priorities has been adopted by both major parties for the good of our state."

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The Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) is the most influential body for employers in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

vecci.org.au  

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said retailers are hopeful that the upcoming Christmas trading period will be better than last year with three quarters of retailers (75%) expecting a small yet solid growth in Christmas sales.

According to the latest Deloitte Retail Review survey, there appears to be genuine optimism about Christmas trading regardless of retailers expectations that sales growth isn’t likely to exceed a modest 5 percent.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said it wasn’t surprising that two out of three respondents believe Christmas trading is a “critical’ or “very important” trading period.

“For some retailers, Christmas trade can make up to 60 percent of yearly sales – meaning the festive season is an extremely important time for retailers to make up for what has been a tough year in business.

“This time last year the ARA and research partner Roy Morgan Research released an official pre-Christmas sales forecast of $42.2 billion expected to go through retail tills from mid-November 2013 to 25 December 2013. This figure was later confirmed at an actual pre-Christmas spend of $43 billion.

“The ARA’s forecast was almost bang on – and we are expecting our pre-Christmas figures for the 2014 trading period to be even higher. We will be releasing our official pre-Christmas figures next week.

“The Deloitte Retail Review survey provides some interesting information around expectations for online growth which continues to be greater than overall retail sales. The majority of retailers with an online presence are predicting Christmas growth of between 1 percent and 10 percent, which possibly reflects a maturing of the level of online retailing compared to a few years ago.

“It’s great to see that 83 percent of retailers are predicting higher online sales than last Christmas and over half (51%) of these are expecting 10 percent growth in digital sales. 

“Disappointingly, however, the survey revealed that retailers believe they will need to cut margins by discounting this Christmas. The good news though is that 49 percent of respondents said that they expect modest increases in margins, meaning retailers might not need to discount as much as they have done in previous years. It’s certainly a positive sign that the ‘slash and burn’ style discounting around Christmas is less likely this year as retailers fight to protect margins,” Mr Zimmerman said.

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Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $265 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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AMMA, the Australian Mines and Metals Association, welcomes a decision by the full bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to stop a union from trying to undo important workplace safety measures regarding employer drug and alcohol testing policies, specifically the employer’s use of both urine and oral/saliva testing procedures.

In the full bench appeal of DP World Brisbane and Others vs Maritime Union of Australia, the FWC has clarified that:

• Employers have, as they must always have, capacity to determine the form of testing (urine, oral or a mix of both) that will best manage safety risks in their individual workplaces.
• Deputy President Anna Booth fell into ‘significant error’ in her earlier decision trying to limit the use of urine testing on the basis that it is ‘unjust and unreasonable’.

The decision is significant for all mining, construction and other resource related workplaces that have responsibly used breath, oral and urine testing for more than 30 years to minimise potential harm to employees and others, in addition to removing a known safety risk.

“Resource industry employers take an uncompromising, professional and rigorous approach to managing occupational health and safety risks in their workplaces,” says AMMA chief executive Steve Knott.

“Workplace safety relies on vigilance and clarity on the duties and obligations of both employers and employees. Today’s decision is a positive development for safer workplaces throughout Australia.

“Mining, oil and gas employers have long been at the very forefront of managing health and safety risks, and reducing fatalities and injuries globally. Countless safe work initiatives benefitting millions of people have been developed through our industry.

“The industry is very proud of what employers and employees do every day to make our workplaces safer and makes no apologies for not compromising on taking the best possible approaches to potential safety risks.”

AMMA’s longstanding view is that the Fair Work Commission should not have the power to diminish any organisation’s capacity to meet their OHS obligations and how, based on professional advice and expertise, they manage safety.

This critical point will be pursued by AMMA in its advocacy on much needed future workplace relation reforms designed to ensure employers’ rights to manage effectively are not eroded by erroneous claims by third parties.

www.amma.org.au

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SIX finalists will present at QUT today (THURSDAY 6 NOVEMBER) for the chance to win the G20 Global Business Challenge and $100,000 in prize money.

The Challenge, a business competition for universities and business schools, is being run by Brisbane's three universities, QUT, The University of Queensland (UQ) and Griffith University along with the State Government.

The competition, being run in the lead up to the G20 Global Leaders' Summit, tasked teams from the world's top graduate schools and universities with developing an "innovative solution to use, recycle and/or manage water to achieve beneficial large scale impact".

Forty teams representing 18 countries submitted entries, and the six finalists will today present their ideas to a panel of judges of Australian and international business leaders.

The finalist teams represent the University of Pennsylvania/Berkley/UQ, University of Warsaw, Memorial University Canada, Nottingham University UK, UQ, and Griffith University

QUT Graduate School of Business Executive Director, Bob O'Connor, said after the volume and quality of entries, it was an achievement in itself to reach the finals.

"Judges have been hugely impressed with the innovations teams have devised in an effort to find a sustainable solution to what is a global problem," he said.

"The new technologies and ground-breaking business and financial models finalists have developed can lead to credible projects that could one day solve a critical water issue within communities across the world."

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner this evening, held at Room Three Sixty at QUT's Gardens Point campus.

The first-placed team will receive $100,000, with $15,000 to the second-placed team and $10,000 to the third.

Team presentations will take place today from 8am to 4pm, in Room P421, P Block, at QUT's Gardens Point campus.

Team finalists are:

AFK Studios, representing the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania, and The University of Queensland

Nasa, representing The University of Queensland

Impacts Solutions, representing Griffith University

Team Memorial, representing Memorial university of Newfoundland Canada

BIOrangers, representing: Warsaw School of Economics, Polish Japanese Institute of Information Technology in Warsaw, Warsaw University of Life Sciences Poland

Aquor, representing: University of Nottingham UK.

More information on the G20 Global Business Challenge can be found at www.g20gbc.org

www.qut.edu.au

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VICTORIA's peak tourism industry body has encouraged Rolling Stones fans to take the opportunity to enjoy the array of cultural, culinary and natural attractions the Macedon Ranges region has to offer this week, despite the cancellation of the band’s concert.

“People planning a weekend in the beautiful Macedon Ranges can still enjoy so many wonderful restaurants, galleries, national parks and golf courses and we encourage them to take this opportunity to explore the region,” said Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) Chief Executive Dianne Smith.

Attractions include:

- Boutique wine cellar doors and fresh farm produce shops
- Restaurants and cafes serving the finest local produce
- Specialist art galleries
- Six public golf courses
- The picturesque Macedon Regional Park, Hanging Rock, Lerdederg Gorge State Park and the Cobaw Ranges 

The area also boasts diverse wildlife, including more than 200 species of birds and a wide variety of mammals, including koalas, kangaroos, swamp wallabies, wombats, possums and gliders.

Ms Smith’s comments followed the rock band’s sudden cancellation of a scheduled concert this weekend due to a band member’s illness.

VTIC commended the Macedon Ranges Shire Council on working to ensure the detrimental impact of the cancellation on local industry was minimised.

The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is the peak body for Victoria’s tourism and events industry, providing one united industry voice.

Tourism and events are growth industries for Victoria and contribute $19.6 billion to the state economy each year and employ more than 200,000 people.

vtic.com.au

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There are only two days left to apply for State Library of Queensland’s inaugural Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation fellowship program.

Four fellowships valued at $15,000 each are on offer to fund research projects relating to Queensland’s experience of the First World War, both on the home front and the warfront.

State Librarian Janette Wright said the fellowship program is a unique opportunity for researchers to explore and create new knowledge about our state’s history and commemorate 100 years since the First World War.

“We are calling for fellowship applications from across Queensland, particularly those that draw attention to the untold stories of the First World War,” Ms Wright said.

“Following the key criteria — relevance to Queensland and the First World War, new knowledge, use of collections, project outcomes and project viability — fellowship outcomes may include anything from a publication, an online engagement activity, a cultural activity or product, a significant acquisition or a curatorial contribution to the John Oxley Library collection.

“State Library is a leading collector of Queensland’s documentary heritage and the fellowship program aims to make these resources more visible and accessible to Queenslanders and the rest of the world,” she said.

The John Oxley Library is a key custodian of Queensland’s documentary heritage and presents a wealth of opportunities for researchers or anyone fascinated by Queensland’s First World War experience to contribute to our state’s history.

Together with the $15,000 stipend, each fellow is allocated a workspace for up to 12 months, access to the John Oxley Library collection and support from State Library staff.

Q ANZAC 100: Memories for a New Generation, is a five year legacy project led by State Library and proudly supported by the Queensland Government, commemorating the centenary of the First World War and Anzac across Queensland.

Fellowship applications close at 5pm on Friday 7 November 2014.

Visit slq.qld.gov.au for more information and to apply.

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said retailers could count on some steady improvement in retail sales over the Christmas period based on 2014 pre-Christmas sales predictions prepared by the ARA and research partner Roy Morgan Research.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said shoppers would spend a whopping $45 billion from 15 November until 24 December, representing a 4.3 percent gain on sales during the same period in 2013 ($43 billion).

“The 4.3 percent growth may result in shoppers starting their Christmas shopping a little earlier this year, rather than leaving it until late December. However, we also know that the week before Christmas will remain the busiest time for pre-Christmas shopping, and therefore the most profitable time for retailers.

“Delving further into the ARA/Roy Morgan figures we are expecting the hospitality, food and household goods categories to experience higher levels of growth this Christmas than apparel. This comes as no surprise as department stores and clothing, footwear and personal accessories usually rely on last minute Christmas promotions for any significant growth in sales during the festive season.

“Looking at the states and territories, the ARA is pleased that all are expected to see growth of between 1.2 percent (WA) and 6.1 percent (NSW), apart from the ACT which may experience a slight decline in sales of -0.4%.

“This time last year the ARA forecasted $42.2 billion would go through retail tills during the pre-Christmas trading period and this figure was later confirmed at an actual pre-Christmas spend of $43 billion. The ARA’s forecast was almost bang on, and while concerns remain over consumer confidence and low jobs growth, it’s fairly safe to say the retail industry is optimistic for a cracker Christmas this year,” Mr Zimmerman said. 

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Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $258 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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PEAK retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) welcomes the Victorian Government’s support in delivering retail training specifically tailored to the Indian market through new funding under the Victoria India Skills Partnership Start-Up Allowances program.

The ARA’s training arm, the ARA Retail Institute, is Australia’s leading retail training organisation.

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said this funding will enable the ARA Retail Institute to partner with India’s peak organisation for retailers, the Retail Association of India, to deliver retail training in the Indian state of Maharashtra over the next three years.

“The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) looks forward to working alongside the Retail Association of India and forging a close relationship to ensure retail success both today and in the future. We are extremely proud to be part of this innovative project.

“The ARA welcomes the Victorian Government’s support in developing trade around skills in retail education, creating a significant skills export opportunity for Victoria and the retail sector.

“The ARA would like to thank the Victorian Government for this $100,000 grant that will certainly help people in India to develop internationally transferable skills in the retail industry as well as enhance the reputation of Victoria’s world class vocation training system,” Mr Zimmerman said.

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Since 1903, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body representing Australia’s $265 billion retail sector, which employs over 1.2 million people. The ARA ensures retail success by informing, protecting, advocating, educating and saving money for its 5,000 independent and national retail members throughout Australia.

Visit www.retail.org.au or call 1300 368 041.

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