aCE talentNET redesign #5

I’ve been wanting to update you on this for some time… but you know what? I’ve nothing to update you about because Design VIC have not got back to me since the post entry (10/7/08), and nor are they acknowledging receipt of follow-up emails either…
how very disappointing I must say.

The potential for this exercise to be beneficial all round is enormous, but, given the nature of the beast, I cannot do it on my own. Maybe I’m pushing the envelope by asking for stuff that they are not actually ready to deliver, maybe they can’t access a designer who is capable in this type of Service Design yet and maybe they are therefore at a loss as to what to do… but it would be good if they shared the maybe’s!

My aCE colleague Deirdre Gruiters pointed out to me the other day that “I am ahead of my time” and to be honest, that is an accusation I have quite often had levelled at me over the years. And you know what, I think it’s right!!

So… this little journey will not be continuing for the time being, unless I hear back from Design VIC and we get back on track…
how very disappointing…

Government Grants – Taking it for granted

Dominic Pelligana for TheAge.com

The Australian Federal Government announced a new range of grants and funding initiatives in May as part of the 2008 budget to improve innovation and technology development.

The new programs focus on the environment and climate change, with the greatest emphasis on carbon and decreasing emissions through a new ‘clean business strategy’.

However, the new grants do not replace the Commercial Ready program, which was discontinued this year.

This currently leaves a large gap in grant funding for many Australian companies and creates doubts on how to progress with grant and concession funding.

So what is left for the small to medium enterprise market?

There are still many grants available, but deciphering the new changes and when these programs will be released can take some time to research and understand… read on…

I wonder how many of these Blue Collar Billionaires started off with grants, or at the very least borrowed from someone, to take the next step…
what are you prepared to do to realise your life design?

Australia’s most important small business event

The 2008 Virgin Blue National Small Business Summit, organised by the Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA), will again bring together leading business figures and senior parliamentarians
to discuss and review the significant challenges and opportunities facing Australia’s dynamic small business sector.

In this important full-day Summit, delegates will gain new insights about major changes which are impacting on small and medium-sized businesses.

Leading business and political identities will outline the impact of the changes to the trade practices act, tax reform and regulatory reforms, the transformation of business being driven by e-commerce innovations, the convergence of telecommunications and the Internet, franchising and retailing trends and opportunities, marketing trends and developments and gain important information about the economic and business outlook for small business.

To find out more, click here…

ATO wins PSI (income splitting) test case

*Update* 12 May 2008

The ATO has provided an important commentary on a recent legal test case covering independent contractors using discretionary trusts and companies. Click here for more information.

[Originally posted 14 January 2008]: In a major win for the ATO, the Federal Court has supported the ATO when it stopped two independent contractors from splitting their incomes under PSI rules. What are the tax implications for independent contractors? For ICA summary and comment, click here.

Paying independent contractors on time

Independent Contractors of Australia advice…

According to the Adelaide Advertsier (26 February), the Minister for Independent Contractors has announced that new legislation will be introduced to require government departments to pay small businesses and independent contractors within 30 days of invoice or be charged penalties and interest. This is a positive development that will have particular impact in the IT sector for example. For more details, see the original press release here.

Certainly in our experience, the government has not always been very good at paying on time… so being able to know charge penalty interest is a step in the right direction. But will they accept the charge?
hhmmmm that is the question…

It’s About Time: Women, men, work and family

The women, men, work and family project was launched by Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward in 2005. It examines the relationship between family responsibilities and paid work.

Striking the balance between paid work and family life has become more than a “barbeque stopper” – it is one of the major challenges facing families, employers and governments.

HREOC released a discussion paper, Striking the Balance: Women, men, work and family in June 2005.

The project builds on the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission’s previous work on paid maternity leave and the Pregnancy and Work Inquiry by examining the broader issues for Australians who seek to combine paid work and family responsibilities.

At the heart of efforts to “strike the balance” between paid work and family and carer responsibilities is the issue of time.

It’s About Time: Women, men, work and family is the final paper of this project.

It’s About Time draws on material provided through 181 submissions from individuals and groups and 44 consultations and focus groups held around Australia throughout 2005 and 2006. HREOC heard many personal stories during the consultations and focus groups and spoke to employers, employer groups, employees, unions, community groups, parents, carers and children.

Despite a decade or more of economic growth and prosperity, many Australians say they are not living the lives they want. They feel pressured, stressed and constrained in the choices they can make, particularly at key points in their lives.

Family relationships top their list of priorities, but the demands of paid work increasingly undermine the time that people have to care for their children, parents and other family members.

While a large number of workplaces have family-friendly policies, many others do not.

The cost of not finding solutions to this challenge can be immense, particularly for individuals who are forced to take poorer quality paid work in order to meet their dual responsibilities or who have to drop out of the labour market altogether.

There are also costs for employers, particularly in industries with skills shortages, and costs for the economy as a whole in terms of workforce participation and productivity.

The aim has been to broaden the work and family debate to better include men’s role in family life, include forms of care other than child care (such as elder care and care for people with disability) and to highlight the relationship between paid work and unpaid work.

It’s About Time makes the case for a new framework to support a balance between paid work and family responsibilities. This new framework recognises changes in caring needs and responsibilities across the life cycle, addresses equality between men and women and reflects a “shared work – valued care” approach.

It proposes a series of changes to legislation, workplace policy and practice and government programs to support this new approach.

Making this new framework a reality requires commitment from governments, employers, communities, families and individuals because, in the end, striking the balance between paid work and family is a shared responsibility.

These proposed changes to legislation will most certainly affect your organisation in time, possibly sooner rather than later.
How committed and open will your organisation be??
Will it be ready to share the responsibility?….

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