LEADING food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) are urging Australians to take action on food waste as part of the fourth annual Think.Eat.Save campaign, taking place across Australia on July 25, and save billions of dollars.

Think.Eat.Save events taking place nationwide will see some of the nation’s top chefs – such as Neil Perry, Maggie Beer, George Calombaris and Matt Moran – business leaders, politicians and celebrities unite to address the urgent issue of food waste, which is currently costing Australians up to $8 billion each year.

Founder and CEO of OzHarvest, Ronni Kahn, said the aim of Think.Eat.Save2016 is to bring attention to the alarming amount of food wasted in Australia and around the world, where roughly one third of food produced for human consumption (approx. 1.3 billion tonnes) is wasted or lost along the way.

“The current global and local food waste statistics are alarming,” Ms Kahn said. “We urgently need change to happen now to ensure a sustainable food system for future generations. This year at Think.Eat.Save we are urging Australians tomake a dish using their leftovers, giving life to food that would otherwise have been wasted.

“These small efforts to reduce food waste create positive change and inspire others to take action about the urgent issue of food waste and food security.”

Members of the public are encouraged to get involved by making a personal pledge to change their eating behaviour and reduce food waste via #PledgeAPlate.

You can pledge a plate by making a meal out of leftovers, rescued or saved ingredients, taking a photo and uploading it on social media with the hashtag #PledgeAPlate and fundraise via www.pledgeaplate.com. Those participating are then encouraged to nominate someone else to take part via social media.

“To achieve a sustainable world, we need to transform the way we produce and consume our food – particularly as populations grow and climate change lowers agricultural productivity,” said UNEP Spokesperson Naysán Sahba.

“The Think.Eat.Save campaign sends the clear message that every individual can make a difference, and save themselves money, through simple measures to reduce food waste. We thank OzHarvest for championing the campaign in Australia and beyond.”

To mark the national Australian campaign to reduce food waste, OzHarvest will host 11 events across the country, feeding over 15,000 thousand people a free, delicious and hearty hot meal made from rescued produce and educating people about reducing food waste.

#PledgeAPlate Campaign Toolkits will be made available from July 25 at www.pledgeaplate.com for businesses and schools to take action and get involved in the Think.Eat.Save campaign.

The national food waste reduction campaign is supported by Woolworths and Glad.

NATIONAL THINK.EAT.SAVE PUBLIC EVENTS

DATE & TIME: Monday, 25 July from 11.30am – 2.30pm (major cities)

CLICK HERE FOR FULL LOCATION LIST

Sydney event: Martin Place, Sydney

Adelaide event: The University of Adelaide Goodman Lawns, North Terrace

Brisbane event: St Stephen’s Cathedral, Brisbane

Canberra event: Petrie Plaza

Gold Coast event: The 4217, 10 Beach Road, Surfers Paradise

Melbourne event: The State Library of Victoria, Melbourne

Newcastle event: Wheeler Place, Newcastle

Perth event: Forrest Place, Perth CBD

Regional Areas: Cairns, Sapphire Coast, Armidale

For a full list of events and information, please visit www.ozharvest.org

Follow us on Twitter @OzHarvest or Facebook or call 1800 108 006

Social media tags: #ozharvest #thinkeatsave #pledgeaplate

@UNEP #SaveFood #UNFAO #FoodWaste @FAOKnowledge @FAOnews @save_food_news

AUSTRALIA’s national resource industry employer group, AMMA, congratulates ministers Michaelia Cash, Josh Frydenberg and Matthew Canavan on their reappointment/appointment to portfolios critical to the future of Australia’s resource employers, employees and communities.

AMMA chief executive Steve Knott says Senator Cash has proven to be an extremely knowledgeable and consultative Minister for Employment who brings a strong appreciation for the resource industry and its importance to Australia’s economy and living standards.

“Since taking on the employment portfolio less than 12 months ago, Minister Cash has successfully secured the passage of the first, and long overdue, amendments to Australia’s workplace relations laws in more than three years,” Mr Knott says.

“The minister has also made highly regarded appointments to the Fair Work Commission (FWC); simultaneously improving the proportion of women in the tribunal to one-in-three commissioners. The modernisation of the FWC is a work in progress and AMMA encourages Minister Cash to continue to ensure government institutions better reflect the gender composition of the Australian community.

“As Minister for Women, Ms Cash has also championed gender diversity in the resource industry, maintaining Labor and Coalition government support for AMMA’s Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA), including funding hundreds of women to complete its innovative e-Mentoring program.”

The resource industry is now looking to the government to drive further, vitally important workplace relations reform that the preceding parliament was incapable of legislating.

“Resource employers want to see the government deliver its election commitments to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) and return to sensible and balanced laws for union entry into workplaces,” Mr Knott says.

“The industry is also eagerly awaiting a response to the Productivity Commission’s December 2015 recommendations to fix pressing problems with Australia’s workplace relations framework.”

Mr Knott also welcomes the appointments of Senator Matthew Canavan to the Resources and Northern Australia portfolio, and Minister Josh Frydenberg to the Environment and Energy portfolio.

“AMMA looks forward to working with Senator Canavan to ensure that the resource industry can continue to attract investment and generate ongoing employment and economic benefits for the nation,” he says.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Minister Frydenberg in his new Environment and Energy portfolio. Mr Frydenberg has proven to be a proactive and consultative minister who understands the importance of a diverse energy mix to Australia’s future prosperity.

“The resource industry also thanks Minister Greg Hunt for his global leadership on the environment and will maintain a collaborative relationship with him in his new key portfolio of Industry, Innovation and Science.”

www.amma.org.au

ends

SCOTTISH Pacific Group (ASX:SCO) is pleased to announce it has been admitted to the Official List of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and that its ordinary shares will commence trading at midday today.

“Today is a major milestone for management and for our 260 staff. It is a celebration of Scottish Pacific’s long history of working with the business community to provide the flexible working capital requirements they need to grow,” Scottish Pacific Group CEO Mr Peter Langham said.

“Our management team has spent many years at Scottish Pacific and will continue to provide strong direction for us, as we strengthen our offering within Australia and New Zealand,” he said.

Scottish Pacific Group is the clear market leader in the SME finance sector, with more than 1600 clients in Australia and New Zealand, handling more than $10 billion of invoices each year and providing debtor and trade finance funding exceeding $800 million.

Based on the listing price, Scottish Pacific Group will have a market cap of over $440m.
The 38 employees who have been with the business for 10 years or more (more than 10% of staff qualified, highlighting Scottish Pacific’s position as an employer of choice) were invited to witness today’s listing.

Operations Support Officer Mrs Anita Roopra, who joined Scottish Pacific more than 25 years ago, was given the honour of ringing the bell on behalf of all staff.

Scottish Pacific Group comprises three main brands: Scottish Pacific Business Finance, www.scottishpacific.com, FactorONE, www.factorone.net.au, and Scottish Pacific Tradeline www.sptradeline.com.

Scottish Pacific Group (ASX:SCO) is the largest specialist provider of working capital solutions for SMEs in Australia and New Zealand. Established in 1988, the business has full service bases in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Auckland, London and China. Scottish Pacific was voted by brokers Best Cash Flow Lender 2016, 2015 and 2014 in The Adviser’s annual Non-Bank Lending Awards; and named Best Trade Finance Provider 2015 at the international Trade Finance Global Excellence Awards.

www.sptradeline.com

ends

OVER 200 procurement professionals will gather for the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Australasia Conference and Awards 2016 on the 27^th and 28^th July 2016 at the Park Hyatt, in Melbourne, Australia.

The conference will see speakers from Coca-Cola Amatil, Siemens Ltd, New Zealand Defence Force, University of Sydney and others to discuss and explore the latest procurement and supply chain landscapes, examine emerging technologies, and discuss the growing focus being placed on the need for soft skills.

This is the 12^th Annual CIPS conference to be held in Australasia. The conference is open to anyone who has an interest in procurement and business and ideal for those who wish to engage in lively debates and network with procurement colleagues from the Australasia region.

Speakers at the conference will include:

• Cath Hill - Group Marketing and Membership Director, CIPS
• Chris Sullivan - Chief Procurement Officer, Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA)
• Patrick Rehm - Head Of Supply Chain Management, Siemens Ltd Australia
• Jaydeep Solanki - Director – Global Purchasing & Supply Chain, General Motors Holden
• Dr Jason Bingham - Head Of Procurement NT, Northern Territory Government

 
The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (Australasia)
The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is the world’s largest procurement and supply professional organisation.  It is the worldwide centre of excellence on procurement and supply management issues.  CIPS Australasia has thousands of members and participants in the procurement community around the world. CIPS Australasia clients include Rio Tinto, Air New Zealand, Spotless, Woolworths and the New Zealand Defence Force. The activities of procurement and supply chain professionals have a major impact on the profitability and efficiency of all types of organisation and CIPS offers corporate solutions packages to improve business profitability. 
http://www.cips.org/en-au/

@CIPSAustralasia

ends