THE Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) said it was proud to support The Male Hug, a dedicated men’s mental health organisation founded by IPA member, Tony Rabah.

“We congratulate Tony Rabah and The Male Hug team for such an important initiative in getting men to talk about issues that may be impacting their mental health and wellbeing,” IPA chief executive officer Andrew Conway said.

“I am also pleased to be an ambassador for The Male Hug organisation and its new initiative, Talktober, where I and others taking up the Talktober challenge are committed to call at least one male each day for the month of October.

“The timing is also perfect as it coincides with World Mental Health month,” said Mr Conway.

Founder and CEO of the Male Hug, Tony Rabah, said men were vulnerable to mental illness because of the inherent belief and conditioning that they "just have to ‘suck it up’ and get on with it".

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating and so many men are doing it tough; many have lost their jobs, closed their doors or are just struggling through on a day-to-day basis, unsure of where there next customer is coming from," Mr Rabah said.

“The Male Hug is encouraging men from all fields to not hold feeling or emotions back and to talk to someone.  We would rather a person join our Let’s Chat Buddy Program, than to suffer in silence feeling alone and desperate,” Mr Rabah said.

For more information about The Male Hug and the Talktober challenge go to www.themalehug.com.au or www.themalehug.com.au/talktober

About the Institute of Public Accountants

The IPA, formed in 1923, is one of Australia’s three legally recognised professional accounting bodies.  In late 2014, the IPA acquired the Institute of Financial Accountants in the UK and formed the IPA Group, with more than 38,000 members and students in over 80 countries.  The IPA Group is the largest SME focused accountancy organisation in the world. The IPA is a member of the International Federation of Accountants, the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board and the Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants. www.publicaccountants.org.au

About The Male Hug

The Male Hug is an initiative that seeks to raise the awareness of men’s mental health and promote the open dialogue of this often-sensitive issue. Mental health is an issue that is becoming more prevalent but continues to find degrees of negative stigma associated with it, particularly amongst men. The Male Hug seeks to tackle the stigma associated with men’s mental health as it looks to take its place as a support service for men by providing support and encouraging men to talk in a safe and friendly environment that is free of judgement.

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Master Builders Australia has commended the Federal Government’s expansion of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.

Denita Wawn, CEO of Master Builders Australia said, “The scheme is a proven success story. Expanding it for new homes ticks all the right boxes to help us build our way to economic recovery.

“Thousands of small builders and tradies are staring down the barrel of destruction. This move by the government is going to help save jobs and keep businesses afloat.

“Boosting home ownership and residential building activity are among the most effective ways to fire up aggregate demand, which is exactly what we need right now,” Ms Wawn said.

“Helping people overcome the deposit gap so they can achieve home ownership is important now more than ever.

“It is the single most effective way of building financial security which is fundamental to people’s mental and physical wellbeing,” Ms Wawn said.

“Master Builders Australia called for the government to make this move it in its Pre-Budget Submission and today’s announcement proves that they are listening.

“That’s because expanding this scheme, particularly when combined with HomeBuilder and less restrictive mortgage lending rules, can help the country build its way out of recession,” Ms Wawn said.

“Home building has the second largest multiplier effect in the economy through its supply chain. The building industry is deeply integrated into the economic fabric of this country, more building means more growth and more jobs."

www.masterbuilders.com.au

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THE Federal Government’s $1.2 billion commitment to support 100,000 new apprentices or trainees will boost opportunities for young people and business confidence in the building and construction industry, according to Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn.

"Young people and building and construction businesses will be big winners from this new 50 percent wage subsidy,” Ms Wawn said.

“The confidence of building and construction businesses to take on apprentices has been further shaken by the COVID crisis and the Federal Government’s move help will sure up their commitment to invest in the future of their business and the future building industry workforce.

“We know that the building and construction industry takes substantially longer than the rest of the economy to recover from economic down turn and this 50 percent wage subsidy will give confidence to our sector that it can sustainably continue training its future workforce,” Ms Wawn said.

“Our members need confidence that they can and should continue to invest in the future capacity of their businesses despite the dramatic collapse in demand that we currently witnessing, and anticipate will worsen, particularly over the next 12 months.

“This $1.2 billion investment by the Government is undoubtedly good news but its effectiveness will be blunted without further stimulus to support and activate demand for building and construction services,” Ms Wawn said.

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WITH NEWS this week that the Victorian State Government is keen to return Melbourne to COVID-normal, a quarter of the workforce in high-risk industries such as abattoirs and supermarkets will be tested for COVID-19 regardless of whether they have symptoms or not^[i].

With the Victorian Government wanting to drive up testing rates as case numbers decline, it’s an important opportunity for businesses to consider how they will manage their staff – and their ongoing health and wellbeing - and the potential risk of Coronavirus as the country moves through the second wave of the pandemic.

“Using a business based contact tracing system delivers a greater level of confidence for both the employer and its employees to feel safe within their working environment, to know that should a positive case of COVID-19 be detected, its impact and spread will be managed and minimised,” said Elissa Reid, director of product and safety at Contact Harald.

She said contact tracing solution Contact Harald provides this simple line of defence for Australian businesses operating in high-risk industries, allowing them to manage infections swiftly, and prevent an entire business closure in the event that a staff member becomes unwell.

“At a tipping point in time, where we aim to return the country to a place of normality, what matters most isn’t just the amount of testing, but the speed of communication and tracing to minimise further spread,” Ms Reid said.

When Melbourne was forced into lockdown again in late June, Melbourne business Koko Black felt the pinch immediately, and went on the lookout for technology that would help it operate more safely for staff and safeguard its business continuity.

CEO Nick Georges went on the hunt for a product that would ensure they could manage any outbreak in the lead up to their busiest time of the year, after trialling several devices, they landed on Contact Harald.

“Contact Harald gave us the confidence that as we get closer to Christmas, we’re not going to have an event that pushes us off the rails. Even the staff have more confidence; seeing this tool and the company’s diligence has had a very positive impact,” Mr Georges said.

Using wearable, stand-alone card technology and operating on low-energy Bluetooth technology, Contact Harald provides businesses with the confidence to safely manage their staff’s health by recording card-to-card interactions within a defined facility, Ms Reid said. Contact Harald cleverly determines when two people have been in close proximity of each other within certain set time limits, allowing for easier, faster detection.

Should an individual become unwell, the data stored on the card issued to them while on-site is flagged within the system, automatically matching data to other cards active in the worksite active at the same time. This allows businesses to manage potential health risks, and immediately identify and alert staff to take swift action to isolate, get tested and better manage the health of their own immediate contacts outside of the business.

“Naturally, privacy is a major issue for both businesses and their staff members, so confidentiality was a key focus in the development of Contact Harald,” Ms Reid said. “No personal information is stored on a Contact Harald card, giving both businesses and staff members peace of mind that both their health and their privacy is being protected.”

^[i] Ref 1: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/one-in-four-workers-in-supermarkets-abattoirs-to-be-tested-each-week-20200929-p560bm.html

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