Paula Guino

The ACT Government welcomes the wide range of initiatives in the 2024-25 Commonwealth Budget that will benefit Canberrans and our city. We know that Canberra households have faced significantly rising costs over the past two years. The $300 Energy Bill Relief for every household in the ACT will provide much needed relief for nearly two hundred thousand Canberra households. Across the five jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market the ACT will continue to have the lowest standing offers in 2024-25 after other jurisdictions increased by up to 29% last financial year. The ACT Government will assess further energy bill relief for Canberra households in the June Territory Budget once the ICRC final price determination is known. The redesigned Stage 3 Tax Cuts will provide income tax relief to every worker in the ACT from 1 July 2024. Collectively, ACT residents will benefit the most from these tax cuts as we have a high proportion of pay-as-you-earn taxpayers in the relevant income tax brackets. We welcome the changes to the tax cuts that were designed to support lower and middle income workers to manage cost of living pressures. While rising cost of living pressures have been broad based, households’ ability to deal with these pressures is unevenly distributed, impacting employees substantially more than others. Almost four in every five taxpayers in the ACT will receive a larger tax cut compared to the previous Liberal Government’s plan. We also welcome the HECS debt relief for 57,000 people in the ACT, predominantly providing support to younger Canberrans who have recently graduated. The changes, particularly the fact they have been backdated, are a necessary intervention to avoid unfair outcomes for young workers now and into the future. The ACT has the highest proportion of university level educational attainment in the country so, collectively, Canberrans will be the greatest beneficiaries from these changes. The deeming rates freeze will also provide additional cost of living relief to an estimated 14,500 income support recipients in Canberra. Additionally, the Federal Government’s investment through the Strengthening Medicare fund in partnership with the ACT Government will take the pressure off our hospital system and continue to ensure Canberrans get the care they need when they need it. This investment will strengthen our partnership to make our nurse-led walk-in centres even better, delivering more healthcare workers and more services and ensure we can better support older Canberrans can stay out of hospital and get home sooner. We also support the decision in the Budget to freeze the cost of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The increase of Commonwealth Rent Assistance by a further 10 per cent, building on the 15 per cent increase in last year’s Budget will benefit approximately 7,300 Canberra households.

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South Australian households and businesses are bracing for more cost of living pain from July 1 with SA Water bills likely to be hiked after the Malinauskas Government failed to make an investment in last week’s State Budget to support previously announced land releases. The final SA Water determination for the next regulatory period 2024-28 is due in the coming days and will reveal how much water bills are set to increase from July 1. The former Liberal Government saved South Australian households an average of $200 per year on water bills during the last regulatory period, while small businesses received deductions of approximately $1,350. This is in direct contrast to the former Labor Government, with an independent inquiry finding they deliberately inflated the value of SA Water’s regulated asset base, driving up the cost of water bills for all South Australians. Last week’s State Budget didn’t include any new funding for supporting infrastructure, raising concerns water bills will be hiked to support the development of land releases announced more than 12 months ago. Labor’s much-hyped land releases have hardly been the “fast track” to housing as promised, with not a single house built yet and Renewal SA recently dubbing the Dry Creek site “incredibly complex” adding “there are a range of issues associated with it”.

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South Australian households and businesses are bracing for more cost of living pain from July 1 with SA Water bills likely to be hiked after the Malinauskas Government failed to make an investment in last week’s State Budget to support previously announced land releases. The final SA Water determination for the next regulatory period 2024-28 is due in the coming days and will reveal how much water bills are set to increase from July 1. The former Liberal Government saved South Australian households an average of $200 per year on water bills during the last regulatory period, while small businesses received deductions of approximately $1,350. This is in direct contrast to the former Labor Government, with an independent inquiry finding they deliberately inflated the value of SA Water’s regulated asset base, driving up the cost of water bills for all South Australians. Last week’s State Budget didn’t include any new funding for supporting infrastructure, raising concerns water bills will be hiked to support the development of land releases announced more than 12 months ago. Labor’s much-hyped land releases have hardly been the “fast track” to housing as promised, with not a single house built yet and Renewal SA recently dubbing the Dry Creek site “incredibly complex” adding “there are a range of issues associated with it”.

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The Arrogance Of Market Power We all know that the Aotearoa grocery market is dominated by two players. This recognition has provoked lots of concern, criticism and review. The dominant players may not cause inflation as such but they do not help and their owners profit at supplier and consumer cost. Commerce Commission issued a report today from the wet bus ticket appointment made by the last government. To absolutely no-one’s surprise a year of dithering has made no impression. The Commission is currently considering a further consolidation of market power. They have lots of evidence but will they have the conviction to act? Will this Government back up its rhetoric on competition ? The really striking thing is that in all the concern the dominant players show neither humility nor restraint but plunder away unconcerned.

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Australia is in the world’s top 10 Global brands as announced in the Anholt Nation Brands Index. Australian businesses co-branding with Australia’s Nation Brand can benefit from the power of a global Top 10 brand when taking their exports to the world. Australia has retained its 9th position in the Anholt Nation Brands Index which measures the reputations of 50 countries around the world according to #Exports, #People, #Governance, #Culture, #Tourism and #Immigration & #Investment. Australia ranks 3rd on the strength of its people and increased to 5th position for Governance and 9th for Tourism (improving by 1!), compared to 2023 results. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this result - right across our industries, sectors and efforts to represent and market Australia, its products, services and stunning places. Australian businesses can harness the power of the brand now by registering to access 600+ free assets from Australia’s Nation Brand Toolkit. Learn more about the 2024 Anholt Nation Brands Index ranking here: https://lnkd.in/gNK973Zn Thanks to our Australian Nation Brand team in Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) led by the wonderful Jessica Hamilton FAMI CPM for such great work. #AUNationBrand Australian Tourism Export Council #Australia #Welcoming #Travel #Exports Australia's Nation Brand

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A new free data resource providing timely, high-quality insights about regional visits was launched this week by Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)'s Tourism Research Australia.   The new mobility data, which uses de-identified and aggregated data from several million mobile phones, harnesses technology to provide insights regarding domestic travellers that traditional surveys can’t.   Mobility data is published by TRA monthly, typically within a fortnight of month's end. This complements TRA’s more comprehensive National #Visitor Survey, which will continue to be published each quarter.   The monthly #Data is a fast and reliable source of insights on domestic visitors for the #Tourism industry.   My colleague Grant Ferres outlines that we have been publishing mobility data at a national and state/territory level for several months. He says this week's inaugural release of data for all 76 tourism regions is a continuation along TRA’s path of delivering data at more granular levels of geography and on a more timely basis. We have been able to develop this data for publication thanks to additional funding from the Australian Government   TRA's mobility data model draws on data from a variety of sources, including mobile phone network and GPS data, population data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and inputs from TRA’s own National Visitor Survey. All data is anonymised and aggregated, to ensure confidentiality and privacy is prioritised at every stage.   The free new data resource is published in a user friendly interactive dashboard, which allows users to choose the geographic location and month of interest. The data is presented as a comparison with the same month from the previous year, to assist with understanding changes and trends in visitation.  It will greatly assist Regional Tourism Organisations and Local Governments to understand movement by travellers (ie those who are travelling for day trips, overnight trips).   Mobility data also forms an important and major component of a new domestic ‘big data’ product called Domestic Tourism Statistics (DoTS), which will replace the current National Visitor Survey as the source of official domestic tourism statistics from early next year.     Improving data and insights is a priority of Australia’s national long-term strategy for the visitor economy, THRIVE 2030, and the new data supports Australia’s broader Data and Digital Government strategy.   View the monthly regional mobility data at https://lnkd.in/d7DSHjgU   #DomesticTravel #Travel #TourismStatistics #TravelStats #InformingDecisions #RTOs #LocalGovernment Queensland Tourism Industry Council NSW Tourism Association Tourism Industry Council SA (TiCSA) Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) Tourism Industry Council Tasmania Tourism Top End Tourism Council WA Australian Regional Tourism Ltd (ART) Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW)

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GSEM has submitted a comprehensive proposal to the development of a new Plan for Victoria by the state government, which aims to ensure that we continue to thrive as a dynamic and self-sustaining region. We are advocating for robust policy and action to support the region's ongoing development and prosperity, with our submission outlining several critical areas of focus: - More jobs closer to where people live: Aligning job opportunities with residential growth to ensure that employment is available and accessible to residents. - Better connectivity: Developing transport and infrastructure to better connect communities within the region. - Housing located with services and infrastructure: Ensuring that new housing developments are planned alongside essential services and infrastructure. - Coordinated infrastructure delivery: Establishing a cohesive approach to infrastructure planning and delivery across local, state, and federal levels. You can read our submission here: https://lnkd.in/gczdn_q4 #gsem #greatersoutheastmelbourne #victoria #springst #planforvictoria

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Grant opportunity: Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grants Opened 24/04/24; Closes 05/06/24; $100,000 up to $3M; National This grant supports short-term (up to 3 years), industry-led research collaborations. Projects must: -develop a product, service or process that will solve problems for industry and deliver real outcomes -benefit small to medium enterprises (SMEs) -include education and training activities. To be eligible as a lead applicant you must: be an SME, have an ABN, and be incorporated in Australia and a trading corporation. Your trading activities must be either: -enough to be called a trading corporation -a major, not minor, part of your overall activity. Note: review the budget workbook understand the detail you need to incorporate. #pruesgold #grants #grantwriting

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Innovation from the Board Room One significant challenge Australian companies face is the difficulty in investing in innovation. In his book Invention to Innovation, Larry Marshall outlines the challenges traditional boards can cause. There is a fundamental disconnect between company boards and entrepreneurs. Boards often exhibit a risk-averse nature, valuing established systems and processes, whereas entrepreneurs are geared toward improvement and innovative approaches. This disparity can create conflicts, particularly when clear governance principles are not set from the early stages. Typically, boards demand comprehensive business plans with defined KPIs, metrics, and milestones to approve investments. However, startups and innovative ventures rely more on validating their concepts through lean and agile methodologies. This approach is often misunderstood by larger, more traditional companies. The conservative stance of boards can be a barrier to investing in emerging markets or technologies like hydrogen fuel, which lack extensive market data and traditional investment metrics such as net present value (NPV). To truly harness innovation, boards must shift their mindset and play a more active role in understanding the nuances of innovative ventures. This includes being open to new methodologies, acknowledging the uncertainties inherent in pioneering markets, and fostering a culture that supports continuous improvement and agility. By aligning more closely with entrepreneurial efforts, boards can drive meaningful innovation and ensure sustainable growth within their organisations. What role does your board play in promoting innovative endeavours? #healthcareinnovated #innovation

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What would you do if you were more confident? Come along to a webinar I’m delivering to learn how you can build your Confidence Fitness

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The NSW Budget is saving on bills, moving towards net zero and protecting our environment. $3.5 billion on Climate Change and Energy $3.1 billion to deliver Renewable Energy Zones Plus $2.4 billion for Environment and Heritage Our investment includes: ⚡️$238 million for the upcoming Consumer Energy Strategy 🏡$87 million for energy saving upgrades to social housing 💵$435 million for energy bill rebates 💡$128 million to upgrade roads and infrastructure between Port of Newcastle and Renewable Energy Zones 🦎$75 million to look after our national parks ⚡️$39 million for more workers to conduct biodiversity assessments for renewable energy projects ♻️$43 million to transform the waste and recycling industry 🌳$87 million for environmental grants 🐨And our funding for wildlife continues, including the creation of a Great Koala National Park

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CSIRO recently announced a $20 million investment to provide SMEs with greater access to vital research and development (R&D) opportunities to accelerate their growth.   The funding will support an additional 600 SMEs through its Innovate to Grow program, kicking off with its Advanced Manufacturing cohort.  The ‘Innovate to Grow’ program is designed for companies embarking on early-stage R&D or those venturing into new solutions within advanced manufacturing. Innovate to Grow: Advanced Manufacturing is open to SMEs working in the following sub-sectors: ·        Robotics ·        Additive manufacturing ·        Advanced materials and processes ·        Mechatronics design and engineering ·        Energy storage and battery technology ·        Sensing and detecting technologies ·        Natural products manufacturing ·        Biomedical manufacturing #R&D #funding #innovation #manufacturing #SME Ego Pharmaceuticals, Ronson Gears Pty Ltd, McKinna Group, Doug Hartmann, Suresh Sutrave.

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An interesting read on NBR - National Business Review this morning, which unpacked the first release of data from the 2023 Census. Some key stats: • The Asian population in New Zealand doubled over the last 10 years. • Of New Zealand’s population increase between 2018 and 2023 (just under 300,000), the increases in the Asian and Māori populations were the lead contributors (approx. 154,000 and 111,700 respectively). In addition, the Ethnic Communities Labour Market Statistics Snapshot from the start of this year showed that 650,400 people from ethnic communities in New Zealand were in employment (that is, 22% of all people employed in New Zealand) – an increase of 54,000 from the previous year. The ethnic diversity in New Zealand only continues to grow and, when nurtured, it can have benefits for our country’s economic performance, as well as our social cohesion. These benefits include greater innovation and creativity, a wider talent pool, greater ability to participate in international markets, as well as increased tolerance and cultural exchange. As Minister for both Economic Development and Ethnic Communities, I’m committed to unlocking the economic potential of our ethnic communities, helping them to not only play a part in rebuilding our economy but also to thrive in New Zealand. There’s a lot of upcoming work in government to support this, such as the Ethnic Communities Indicators Report released later this year, the first ever comprehensive baseline report about how ethnic communities are faring and contributing to our economy. Watch this space!

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Intake applications for the inaugural cohort for the Global Growth Accelerator Program: #WesternAustralia #CriticalTechnologies to the #USA 🇺🇸are live - for a limited time! 🌍 Western Australian startups and scaleups building the next generation of critical technologies — from #Robotics to #Quantum, #AI to #EnergyStorage, #AutonomousSystems to #AdvancedManufacturing — are encouraged to speak to one of the Invest and Trade Western Australia team to understand how this program can benefit you. Over a 3-month hybrid program, accelerate your US market entry with tailored support aimed at uncovering opportunities for dual-use applications in defence and space. This program will empower startups to navigate the complexities of the US market, ensuring your solutions are positioned for success across both commercial and public sector opportunities. ⏰ Why now? As the US strengthens its #industrial, #energy, #aerospace, and #defense capabilities, there is growing opportunities for innovative solutions from global allies. With significant funding initiatives and a thriving #dualuse ecosystem in #Austin, Texas, now is an exceptional time for WA solutions to make a meaningful impact in the US. What’s in store? 💡 Kick-off boot camp during West Tech Fest, Australia’s premier tech event 🌐 Virtual workshops with US defence & tech leaders 🤝 1:1 mentorship from industry experts and the #Investor-in-Residence ✈️ Business mission to #Central #Texas, aligned with SXSW 2025 in #Austin 🗓️ #Innovators! Express your interest in participating by November 15th: https://lnkd.in/gsDZh-8p #WA - Let’s scale your tech across the pond! 🌊 Erin Jacobs Alex Bertram 🌏 Kim Wiltshire Krystal H. Philippe Pierson Sonja Montague MacKay James Yuen Peta Arbuckle MVO Lisa Nolan Simone Spencer Linda Dawson Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation Government of Western Australia

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⏲️ Less than two weeks remain to apply to join the cohort for the upcoming Global Growth Accelerator Program: WA #CriticalTech to the #USA 🇺🇸 We encourage startups, scaleups and companies who fit the criteria to reach out for a conversation with us to understand the value this program could bring to your growth strategy in the USA. Erin Jacobs Krystal H. Alex Bertram 🌏 Philippe Pierson Sonja Montague MacKay Peta Arbuckle MVO James Yuen Kim Wiltshire #GTM #DualUse #GovTech #Accelerator

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The 2024-25 Budget outlines our comprehensive plan to build a better NSW. We understand families and households across the state are doing it tough right now, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet. As residents juggle high rents, low vacancy rates and other cost-of-living pressures, they’re also faced with an average moving cost of $4,000 and the prospect of having to pay a new bond before their old one is returned. That’s why we’re investing $6.6 million to develop and deliver the nation’s first Portable Rental Bonds Scheme. Millions of renters across the state will soon be able to move homes and transfer their bond with them. This scheme will give important cost of living relief to renters as they move, ensuring they don’t have to set aside extra money while they wait for their bond to be refunded.

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Congratulations to Minister for Small Business Julie Collins for lifting the Federal Government's procurement targets for #smallbusiness. The targets now require SMEs to receive 25 per cent of all contracts under $1 billion from 1 July. That means small and medium enterprises will receive at least one-quarter of the annual $75 billion pie of contracts from government departments under new procurement rules. The Government is also introducing a 40 per cent target for procurements below $20 million and the exemption threshold, allowing agencies to directly engage SMEs, is being lifted from $200,000 to $500,000.   “The changes we are introducing from 1 July will help to ensure Australia’s small businesses get a bigger slice of government procurement opportunities,” the Minister said. https://lnkd.in/gK8An5mj #Competition #Ausbiz Alexi Boyd Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) Gabby Taylor pCOMZ Communications & Advisory

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Helpful advice on respecting culture in the Sustainable Tourism Toolkit for tourism operators which is perfect to consider in #NAIDOCWeek. The #Toolkit explores how your business can protect, nurture, and share Australia’s unique cultural traditions, diverse multicultural communities and sites. It outlines how to form respectful partnerships with First Nations people, as well as how #Tourism businesses can celebrate the diversity of our multicultural nation. Through this chaper in the kit you can learn how to: 1. Engage respectfully with, and learning from, First Nations people 2. Incorporate First Nations’ cultures and perspectives into visitor experiences in partnership with First Nations Custodians only where permission has been given 3. Respect the cultural and intellectual property rights of First Nations people 4. Embed sustainable building design practices that are sensitive to cultural heritage and the environment 5. Champion the multicultural diversity of your local community. Embracing cultural sustainability can help your business by: • Reaching new markets and expanding your customer base by catering to unique preferences and values. • Fostering creativity and innovation. • Strengthening regional identity and creating unique and authentic experiences. Download the free Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) kit here: https://lnkd.in/dVKV2DVG and you can watch a free webinar on this topic here: https://lnkd.in/gPMN6_wf Thanks to all our tourism colleagues across the States and Territories and Tourism Australia for your contribution on this toolkit!! Happy NAIDOC all - we're so grateful for the care and custodianship of our landscape by our First Nations people over many generations. #SustainableTourism #Sustainability #FirstNations #IndigenousTourism #Respect #Environment #Multicultural Tourism Tasmania Tourism and Events Queensland Department of Tourism and Sport Tourism Council WA Tourism Western Australia Destination NSW South Australian Tourism Commission Visit Victoria Department of State Growth (Tas) Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions Tourism NT Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) Tourism Industry Council SA (TiCSA) Independent Indigenous Tourism Operators Qld (IITOQ) Queensland Tourism Industry Council VisitCanberra Canberra Region Tourism Industry Council Tourism Top End

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The Australian Carbon Farming Industry Roadmap offers a framework for advancing environmental stewardship and economic prosperity. By embracing carbon farming, we can drive positive change while creating opportunities for communities across Australia. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g-2pftme

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