Yvonne Howie

Government Grant funding between $80,000 and $400,000 to support projects which prevent technology facilitated abuse of women. Projects should be focussed on the prevention of online harm and enhanced safety for women and children. For example projects may: - Aim to change community attitudes and behaviours, - Focus on the perpetrators of technology-facilitated abuse, or - Seek to protect and support women and children. Up to $600,000 of the total funding is allocated to organisations delivering projects that focus on prevention of tech-based abused of First Nations women. Eligible applicants must: - Hold an ABN. - Be registered for GST. - Have an Australian bank account. - Be a legal entity. - Be a non-government organisation, NFP or charitable organisation registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit commission. - Be financially viable. Eligible applicants for priority funding as a First Nations focussed project must: - Be an Aboriginal Controlled Community Organisation (ACCO), or - Be an organisation that is primarily focussed on achieving outcomes for First Nations communities, or - Be an organisation that is partnering with one of these eligible entities. Applications must be submitted by rpm (ACT local time) on 16th December 2024. For more information and to access the online application form follow the link below. If you need assistance with your application or an independent review to increase your potential for success please contact GrantSmart vie direct message.

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Jumped on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) this afternoon to discuss the LNP’s housing plan, released today. Also, considered points of convergence between the Labor and LNP plans, both in focus this state budget week. Check it out, hopefully it offers some interesting analysis. https://lnkd.in/gPiqp-RE #StateBudget #BudgetReply #Queensland #HomeMatters #BetterTogether

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A lot is being said about the new and updated Commonwealth Procurment rules for SMEs. The fact is, while extending the definition to preclude associated entities is great, the definition of SME still doesn’t align with the ATO definition - a definition based on based revenue and not how many people are employed. We have a government with two definitions of the same thing for the convenience of policy setting. The CPR means a firm with 150 FTE direct employees, an unlimited number of subcontractors who are not employees and a revenue of $800m is an SME, whereas for tax purposes, the ATO holds that and Small enterprise has a revenue of <$10m. This policy and quota for SME participation is hollow without a stronger definition of what an SME really is. I fear not much will change with this CPR revision and its targets. Time will tell. Bottom line: if you’re a reporting entity as defined by Chapter 2M of the Corporations Act 2001 - you’re not an SME and shouldn’t benefit from these changes.

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This is an important article on OECD benchmarking, although the ABC presents it in a sensationalist and somewhat misleading way. The really important stuff turns up on screen 11 of a 12 screen arlticle viz (small selections): "Australia does not collect any social security contributions from workers or employers" "When (social security collections are) taken into account, Australia is the ninth-lowest-taxed nation at 29.2 per cent — significantly reducing its total tax burden and putting it well below the OECD average of 34.8 per cent." "If Australia collected the average rate of tax for the OECD, then it would collect an additional $105 billion in tax each year," Mr Grudnoff said. Imagine the good we could do socially with another $105Billion pa. And that's before taxing resource extraction properly. For context, the TOTAL federal budget expenditure 2023 was 682.1bn. link to ABC article: https://lnkd.in/g9YvdqNq

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Great to see The Spinoff Juggernaut series from Toby J Manhire on 1984. Forty years ago New Zealand fundamentally changed. Following Reagan and Thatcher, an economic revolution was unleashed on Aotearoa built upon the ideas of trickle-down economics, smaller government, less regulation and greater corporate power. Change was needed back then but things we see today like wealth inequality, child poverty and a polluting economy are symptoms of an economic system not fit for the challenges of our age. That system was designed and can be redesigned. That's what we are working on! https://lnkd.in/gVjSzYN3

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The New Zealand Government has announced a second phase to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned. The current Inquiry will produce a report that covers the topics laid out in the existing terms of reference by 28 November 2024. A second phase of the Inquiry will then begin, looking into a list of topics announced today by the Government. “While our current terms of reference are broad enough to allow us to look at a wide range of COVID-19 related topics, like mandates, lockdowns, and social impacts such as the impact on education and mental health, we recognise there are specific areas that people have said they would like considered and that’s been reflected in what has been outlined by the Government,” says Chair Professor Tony Blakely and Commissioner John Whitehead. “A further phase of the COVID-19 Inquiry provides an opportunity to complement the work already undertaken by the Royal Commission, and for Aotearoa New Zealand to be even better prepared for future pandemics.” https://lnkd.in/gaUTyr4w

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The Albanese Labor Government has delivered on our commitment to support First Nations arts and the Australian literature sector with new legislation passed by Parliament today. The Creative Australia Amendment (Implementation of Revive) Bill 2024 continues our Government’s reinvigoration of the arts by establishing First Nations Arts and Writing Australia. These two new parts of Creative Australia will invest in and grow First Nations arts practice and Australia’s literature sector – delivering on commitments in Revive, Australia’s national cultural policy. First Nations Arts and Writing Australia will sit alongside Creative Workplaces and Music Australia, both of which are already up and running and delivering support for Australian artists, arts workers and organisations. The creation of First Nations Arts recognises the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia’s arts and culture. Self-determination is important – it means supporting First Nations artists and organisations to tell their stories. First Nations Arts, together with its governing First Nations Board, will allow for autonomy over investment decisions and enhance opportunities for First Nations artists and arts workers. Writing Australia will provide greater investment and support to our writers, illustrators and publishers, who have been historically overlooked and underfunded. That changes now. First Nations Arts will receive up to $52 million for First Nations Arts over the next four years from 2024-25 to support and promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts practice, enhance sustainable career pathways for young First Nations people in the arts and increase opportunities to grow First Nations audiences. It will be overseen by the First Nations Board, which will allocate funds to support and invest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and promote best practice in First Nations cultural protocols and principles. Writing Australia will receive over $26 million for Writing Australia over three years from 2025-26 to strengthen the Australian literature sector and develop further markets and audiences, here and overseas. Through targeted investment and the development of national industry initiatives, it will increase opportunities for authors, illustrators and publishers to create new works, tell new stories and establish a poet laureate for Australia. It will be overseen by the Writing Australia Council. First Nations Arts will commence later in 2024. Expressions of interest for the First Nations Board are now open and can be submitted at the attached link. Writing Australia will commence on 1 July 2025.

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Thought about an application fee for your new members? Last week, Virgin Australia made a significant announcement that will impact both new applicants and current members of their Virgin Australia Lounge. Effective July 1, 2024, a new membership application fee of $99.00 will be implemented. This fee will apply to individuals applying to join the lounge or to members who allow their memberships to lapse for over a month before renewing. For frequent travellers like myself, having access to a comfortable space to unwind or complete tasks before boarding a flight is undeniably advantageous. This recent notification prompted me to ponder the significance of the membership joining and renewal process not only with airline lounges but also for all membership-based associations. Considering the tangible benefits of association memberships, it may be worthwhile to explore the inclusion of an application fee for new members and those dreadfully overdue to renew their membership. Here are a couple of reasons why implementing an application fee could be beneficial: 💡 Cost Offsetting: Processing new memberships involves inherent costs, varying depending on membership criteria. These upfront processing costs can be offset by introducing an application fee, ensuring the association can efficiently manage new member enrollments. 💡 Building Long-Term Commitment: The application fee can foster a more substantial, committed membership base. By imposing a fee for new applicants, the association can discourage transient memberships and reduce membership turnover, a common challenge faced by associations that do not have a joining fee. This can lead to a more engaged and dedicated membership, enhancing the association's effectiveness. 🤔 The introduction of an application fee may stir some discussion among members. However, its potential to streamline the onboarding process, cover administrative costs, and foster sustained membership commitment presents a strong argument for its implementation within membership associations. The team at Association Executive Services are experts in helping Associations maintain and grow their membership. Contact our office to discuss how we can help. #membership #associations #association‍‍‍‍‍‍‍

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Payment Schedules, don’t trip yourself up… Queensland Payment schedules must be provided within 15 business days right ? Nope this is wrong ! One of the tricks for young players is that the Security Of Payment legislation often says, in particular with the Queensland Building Industry Fairness Act, that Payment Schedules must be given before whichever period ends first of the time periods stated in the contract or 15 Business Days. Here’s what the Act specifically says… https://lnkd.in/gk7u9vtz We have a special payment schedule module to help you complete a compliant payment schedule here for all states. https://lnkd.in/gCnepHQk Contact us if you need help [email protected] #adjudication #construction #building #securityofpayment #paymentclaims

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Survey results released by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed that regulation (red tape) is have a moderate to major impact on 8 out 10 small business.[1] According to the ABS there are just over 2.6 million businesses in Australia, most of which are small businesses.[2] Against this context, it is easy to imagine important substantial improvements in productivity (not fewer jobs but being able to do more with the same resources). Imagine an improvement to how and where we regulate that provides a small annual increase in profit of $100 per business. This would generate an increase of at least $200 million every year. The moral is that slight changes are worth pursuing. And, on the other side, even seemingly small and innocuous changes to regulation can quietly and quickly reduce productivity. The quality of regulation is part of the cause of Australia’s mired productivity performance[3], although not the sole factor. And it is a factor truly controlled by Australian Government (Federal, State and Local). In my experience, proposers of new regulation understate the costs of regulation, particularly because they tend to focus in on the measurable. Regulation cost reckoners do a decent job of estimating the cost to government of administering regulation and a reasonable job of the additional direct cost to business of complying. Here, think of regulatory returns, compliance audits, legal advice and doing business in a prescribed way. These can be counted but they aren’t the major issue. The full cost includes the indirect cost. I would describe these as the cost of distracting entrepreneurial effort impacting on how a business perceives its market and how it competes. Its also plain exhausting. A common complaint heard from small business is that regulation adds many hours to their working week. Its hard to be innovative when you are exhausted. Echoing this sentiment is a quote in a case study accompanying the ACCI survey stated: ‘The average small business just wants to get on with it, innovate, grow, and contribute to the economy, yet we are suffocated under an increasingly complex regulatory environment and red tape burden.' [4] The above quote neatly summarises the mechanism through which the hidden costs of regulation arise. So, next time you see the estimated cost of regulation in a consultation document for a new regulation, it is likely to be the tip of the iceberg. The view in this post are personal views and do not represent the view of FTI Consulting. [1] Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2024), ACCI Small Business Survey June 2024. [2] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2024), Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entrances and Exits, August 2024. [3] Productivity Commission (2024), Market sector productivity dashboard. [4] Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ibid, p 2).

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Some very welcome news for anyone that has experienced family and domestic violence in WA, or who works in an organisation that helps prevent it or supports those who have been affected by it: The 2024-25 State Budget announced a boost to extend funding for services, supports, and key system reform initiatives, including: $53.8 million for Family and Domestic Violence Response Teams; $14.2 million for a new Family and Domestic Violence One Stop Hub in the Perth metropolitan area; $6.2 million to establish a dedicated organisation to support and develop family and domestic violence informed workforces; $4 million to expand two rapid rehousing programs and deliver emergency accommodation for victim-survivors in Goldfields; $4.5 million funding for the men's behaviour change program 'Breathing Space' in Maylands and Calista; $3.2 million for the DOJ to provide victim representation and support at Prisoners Review Board meetings; $3.1 million to boost community-based counselling and advocacy services for victims and survivors; $1.9 million to establish a lived experience advisory group to inform policy and service design in FDV; $1.6 million to create a Central Information Point to inform family and domestic violence risk assessment; $490,000 for a two-year pilot of community-based, short-stay, interventions for mothers and babies who are at risk of, or are victim-survivors of family and domestic violence; and $396,000 for the DOJ to undertake consultation on a new family and domestic violence disclosure scheme for victim‑survivors. We'll bring you more news on specific as we get it, as at Whitney Consulting we fully support every initiative that supports the right for everyone to feel safe in their home.

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Much emphasis is placed on job creation and priority industry sectors in Tasmania when considering economic growth potential and the state’s future. This emphasis extends to distinguishing industry sectors between market and non-market producers (private v public) under the assumption that traded-sectors lead to greater efficiency, productivity and innovation and, thus, greater economic growth potential. In Tasmania, of the 291,100 workers as at 30 June 2023, 82.1% were employed in the private sector, compared with 92.0% of the Australian workforce. The largest, fastest growing and increasing share of the private sector Tasmanian workforce is in the health care and social assistance essential services sector comprising private hospitals and health care, residential care and social assistance services. It employs 15% of the private sector workforce, has been growing at an average rate of 4.8% per annum and has increased its share of the total workforce by 2.7 percentage points since 2013. The recently released ABS Industry 2022-23 publication provides insights into the economic and financial performance of Australian and state market (non-public) industry and change over time for a range of variables such as operating profit, industry value added, wages and salaries, and total income for each industry according to the Standard Economic Sector Classifications of Australia (SESCA). Given the focus on jobs in Tasmania, this InSummary provides an analysis of the change in employment by industry in Tasmania since 2013 and identifies those sectors which are driving new job creation in the state and thoughts on what to expect into the future. https://lnkd.in/gsYdqG37

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$BB1 - Lodge Partners Pty Ltd has initiated research coverage on BlinkLab Limited (ASX:BB1). Lodge have initiated with a valuation of $1.30, multiples higher than the current share price of $0.285. BlinkLab are developing a #smartphone-based application (app) which makes it easier to diagnose #neurodevelopmental conditions such as #Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (#ADHD) in children. ASD is a developmental condition of the brain which affects 1 in 36 children in the USA. Direct and indirect costs of caring for children and adults with ASD in the USA was estimated at US$268bn in 2015. Currently, diagnosis of ASD is often done with a two-part questionnaire which is time consuming, and the first part of the questionnaire has a high number of false positives. BlinkLab’s app simplifies the procedure by generating results in less than 30 minutes. It works by using real-time detection of stimulus-evoked facial expressions while the child is watching a video. The data is captured and analysed for various biomarkers such as eyeblink conditioning and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle. It is intended that the BB1 app will be used to diagnose children ages 18 months to 72 months. To organise a meeting with our CEO and Co-Founder Henk-Jan Boele please reach out to [email protected] Anton Uvarov PhD MBA Brian Leedman Richard Hopkins

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