“REGIONAL Victoria has performed strongly over the past decade. Local leadership and resources have been skilfully blended to create a modern, dynamic and internationally-oriented regional business community,” said VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone.

“Now is the time to build on Victoria’s many regional strengths, overcome emerging pressures and create new employment, trade and investment opportunities.”

With this in mind, VECCI has launched its Victoria Summit 2015 – Regional Victoria. The Summit will bring business leaders across the state together to identify the reform priorities that will support the future growth and prosperity of regional Victoria.

Mr Stone said VECCI’s engagement with regional stakeholders, including local government executives, through a series of seven workshops starting today, will capture first-hand insights on the policy reforms needed to ensure continuing business success across Victoria.

He said although the barriers and opportunities for growth vary across each of Victoria’s diverse regions, common themes VECCI’s regional members have already foreshadowed include the need for reforms that:

• Create jobs, particularly for young adults and displaced workers.
• Strengthen regional infrastructure.
• Enhance regional workforce skills.
• Lower regional business costs and reduce red tape.
• Get more regional businesses into exporting.
• Attract more investment into our regions, including for our high-quality tourism and events industries. 

The Victoria Summit workshops will be held throughout Victoria over the next two months, giving all local businesses and governments the chance to contribute to the Summit’s agenda.
 
Workshops include: Traralgon (28 May); Ballarat (11 June); Bendigo (16 June); Mildura (26 June); Warrnambool (8 July); Geelong (9 July) and Wodonga (15 July).

The workshop program will culminate in the Victoria Summit, to be held in Bendigo (13-14 August 2015), giving regional leaders the opportunity to inform the State Government and Opposition on the policy changes needed to keep their regions growing.

The Victoria Summit recommendations will form the basis of VECCI’s regional business agenda into 2016 and beyond, including for VECCI’s 2016-17 state budget submission and the next federal election.

For further information or to register for your local Victoria Summit workshop, please call (03) 8662 5333 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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A HOME and life management service; a smart phone app connecting healthcare providers and patients and an app that helps the user lose weight are all good ideas but would they make it in the real world?

An ability to apply theory to a “real-world” environment will be a key consideration when Australia’s leading entrepreneurs gather tomorrow (Thursday 28^th) to judge the University of Sydney’s first semester Genesis startup program.

Genesis is a pre-incubator program designed to helping students bring their business ideas to life through workshops, mentoring, networking, funding and prizes provided by sponsors Servcorp, Meteorical and Inspiring Rare Birds.

More than 30 teams enrolled in this year’s first semester program. The seven finalists teams will be given five minutes pitch their ideas to the judging panel. Prizes will be awarded in the categories of “Most Disruptive Enterprise” and the “Best Business Plan”.

Sydney Genesis Final Pitch

Date:                Thursday 28^th May

Time:               5.00 PM to 8.30 PM

Venue:             Darlington Centre

174 City Road, Darlington, NSW

Contact:          Trevor Watson, 0418 648 099 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

                        Cayetana Martinez, 0420 662 942 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Finalists

My Home and Life PA - a home and life management service that coordinates and executes personal admin tasks.

Sonder- an E-ink keyboard adapts intuitively to you. Seamlessly switch between any language, shortcuts or custom icons on your keys.

Get Me There China- a full capacity of services comprised of market entry consulting and trading agency services for businesses seeking to access the China market.

Hapy- a revolutionary B2C app bringing health providers and customers together in a fast, easy, convenient and secure way.

Illicit- a comprehensive youth drug education package to address the shortcomings in the current drug education curriculum.

Shape Up Your Life- an app to lose weight guided by nutrition experts, motivating challenges and personal assistants.

Bonjour Babies- helps make bilingualism accessible to kids and parents online and off-line.

 http://sydney.edu.au/business

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VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone said VECCI welcomes the introduction of legislation to the Victorian Parliament this week to enable the lease of the Port of Melbourne.

"The lease will allow significant funds to be raised to support critical infrastructure initiatives including the removal of level crossings, the building of Melbourne Metro and the West Gate Distributor," Mr Stone said.

"The lease will make Victoria eligible to access the Commonwealth Government’s Asset Recycling Initiative and receive a 15 per cent payment for investment in new infrastructure projects.

"It is encouraging that the lease holder has a clear mandate from government to ensure they maintain and improve the port’s operations, raising efficiency and boosting competitiveness.

"Importantly, port user interests will be protected by the oversight of Victoria’s independent economic regulator, the Essential Services Commission (ESC). The ESC will cap annual tariff increases at CPI to ensure port pricing remains competitive.

"The lease of the port has been a long-term priority for VECCI and we welcome this positive step which will reinforce Victoria’s position as Australia’s premier freight and logistics capital.

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

vecci.org.au

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THE ROLE of smart information and communication technology (ICT) in the design and planning of infrastructure will be investigated in a new inquiry by the House Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications. 

Smart ICT has the capacity to vastly improve the design and planning of new infrastructure and the use of existing infrastructure by allowing for the fast and accurate mapping and modelling of proposed and existing infrastructure. This has profound implications for planning, development, management and maintenance of infrastructure, with significant productivity benefits for governments and the community.

In particular, the inquiry will:
• Identify innovative technology for the mapping, modelling, design and operation of infrastructure;
• Identify the new capabilities smart ICT will provide;
• Examine the productivity benefits of smart ICT;
• Investigate harmonising data formats and creating nationally consistent arrangements for data storage and access;
• Identify international best practice in the use of  smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure;
• Consider the use of smart ICT in related fields, such as disaster planning and remediation; and
• Consider means, including legislative and administrative action, by which government can promote this technology to increase economic productivity.

Committee Chairman Jane Prentice (Ryan, Qld) said the committee believes that smart ICT will revolutionise the planning and design of infrastructure.

“As part of its recent inquiry into infrastructure planning and procurement, the Committee took evidence on technological advances in survey and imaging techniques which have the capacity to significantly increase the speed and accuracy of data collection for the mapping and modelling of infrastructure, making it much more efficient and cost effective, with huge benefits to the community as a whole.”

The committee invites interested persons and organisations to make submissions to the inquiry addressing the above terms of reference. Submissions close on Friday 10 July 2015.

Further information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference and how to prepare a submission can be obtained from the committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/ic or from the Secretariat on (02) 6277 2352.

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INDIVIDUALS or organisations who have participated in the Seasonal Worker Program are encouraged to share their experiences in a new inquiry into the employment scheme. 

The Seasonal Worker Program contributes to the economic development of Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste by assisting Australian employers to access overseas seasonal workers to satisfy labour shortages.

Established in 2012, the Program now provides over 3,000 seasonal workers to horticulture sector employers including growers, contractors, labourers and accommodation providers.

Through this new inquiry, the Federal Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Migration will examine the Seasonal Worker Program and its scope for expansion.

Committee Chair, Louise Markus MP, said the Seasonal Worker Program is an important mechanism that supports development in the Pacific while also meeting identified labour shortages.

“The Seasonal Worker Program benefits Australia’s horticulture industry, increasing productivity in areas of labour shortages. It also provides potential benefits to the participants of the program through skills development, knowledge transfer, and poverty alleviation,” she said.

“As part of the inquiry, we will be focusing on the role of seasonal workers in the horticulture industry and investigate whether the program should be expanded to include other countries and sectors.”

The committee will also focus on:

• how new sectors can benefit from the program;
• how the program affects Australian jobs;
• increasing access for overseas women and youth workers;
• how the program supports development in the Pacific; and
• issues with attracting seasonal workers, including the granting of visas.

The committee would like to hear from all individuals or organisations interested in the inquiry. Submissions will be accepted until Friday 10 July 2015.

Further details about the inquiry, including the full terms of reference and how to make a submission, can be obtained from the committee’s website at http://www.aph.gov.au/mig or by contacting the committee secretariat on (02) 6277 4560 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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PARLIAMENT’s Joint Public Accounts and Audit Committee (JCPAA) today tabled its report into the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) and Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) Major Projects Report (MPR) 2013-14.

Committee Chair, Dr Andrew Southcott MP, said that the DMO MPR constitutes the ANAO’s review and analysis of the progress of selected major Defence acquisition projects managed by DMO, and aims to consider cost, schedule, and capability performance and to function as a longitudinal analysis of procurement projects over time.

“Specific areas of focus in the Committee’s review of this year’s report include some particular projects listed in the ‘Projects of Concern’ as well as broader issues regarding governance and business processes,” Dr Southcott said.

The committee, in conjunction with Defence and ANAO, is now focussed on establishing a mechanism through which sustainment reporting can be better scrutinised.  Sustainment expenditure is currently at approximately $5 billion per annum and predicted to increase significantly over time. 

The committee considers sustainment expenditure to be an area requiring further parliamentary scrutiny on the adequacy and performance of Defence involving billions of dollars in the future and the scrutiny of sustainment expenditure will complement the reporting of acquisition spending in the MPR.

DMO’s abolition and the Department of Defence re-absorbing the DMO’s functions, has added an extra dimension to this year’s review.

“The Committee, along with ANAO, DMO and the Department of Defence, have worked diligently and constructively over the past eight years to progress the MPR to where it is today.  The reforms to the Department are designed to bolster efficiency and they should not result in a diminution in the intensity with which Defence approaches its work. 

"The Committee looks forward to working with the new reformed Department of Defence to produce the same high-quality MPR in the future so as to ensure that the improvement gains made in terms of project acquisition management over the past eight years are maintained.  This also applies to the new sustainment reporting that the Committee, ANAO and Defence are now embarking upon,” Dr Southcott said.

The JCPAA’s report can be found at the committee’s website http://www.aph.gov.au/jcpaa.

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CONSTRUCTION Skills Queensland (CSQ) is advising of a new ‘pre-qualification’ process for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) interested in applying to deliver CSQ contracted programs in the building and construction industry.

CSQ contracts the services of RTOs on an annual basis to deliver a range of training and assessment programs which are outlined in CSQ’s Annual Training Plan.

This year for the first time CSQ requires RTOs to make an initial application to become a CSQ Registered Training Supplier.

Only RTOs that are approved as a CSQ Registered Training Supplier through this pre-qualification process will be invited to apply for CSQ funded training programs when they are released.

Further information for RTOs is available on the Training Procurement page of CSQ’s website www.csq.org.au

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THE Queensland Government could raise much-needed revenue by revamping the way it collects resources royalties from miners, according to a QUT economist. 

Dr David Willis, from QUT Business School, said with the State Government preparing to hand down its first budget in July, it must focus on ways to raise revenue.

"While the options available are limited, the government must relook at the income it recovers from miners and gas producers throughout the state to find the best value for Queenslanders," he said.

"Currently the royalties system is based on the price of a tonne of coal or iron ore. But this is clearly deficient given the miners' strategy of overproducing and oversupplying the market to force prices down to artificially low levels.

"Larger miners with larger shares of the coal, gas and iron ore markets employ this strategy to try to maximise production and market share and at the same time pay less in royalties.

"We are presently running record production numbers but getting record low prices. This suits the big miners but not the state or country. It is hurting Queensland and depriving the government of revenue it needs to fund services."

Dr Willis said an overhaul of the royalty system was a better strategy than simply raising royalties.

"While not advocating raising the royalties level, although there is a case for it, it makes more economic sense to look at a two-tier system for managing this important revenue stream," he said.

"Queensland and the other states need to look at royalties based on an average tonnage shipped as well as royalties per price, with the miners paying whichever is higher at the time.

"Therefore, whatever miners produce past a certain price point, they pay for based on tonnage. This allows for slumps in commodity prices and puts a valuable floor under royalties revenue that doesn't currently exist.

"So if, as is occurring now, miners are overproducing on to a falling demand market, Queenslanders would not be the ones to take the financial hit."

www.qut.edu.au

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