BID eNewsletter: 4 March 2009 

General Enquiries: Phone 1800 244 650 • Email: business.mailbox@act.gov.au

 

This newsletter provides current news and events on the programs and activities the Business and Industry Development Branch of the Chief Minister’s Department delivers to the ACT business community.

AWARD CEREMONY FOR CHINESE TEACHERS FROM THE MI YUNG
DISTRICT IN BEIJING

A significant milestone has been achieved by ACT company ACTET Gateway. A first group of Chinese English teachers from Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE) has undertaken teacher training in the ACT over the past three weeks. The training program was initiated by ACTET Gateway as a result of the ongoing relationship it has built with the BIEE following successful participation in the 2007 Trade Mission to China, led by Chief Minister, Mr Jon Stanhope.

At the end of the training program, Mr David Dawes, Deputy Chief Executive of the Business and Projects Division (CMD) presented certificates to 16 Chinese teachers, after successfully up-grading their English teaching skills in Canberra.

APRIL MALAYSIA-VIETNAM TRADE MISSION

Planning is well underway for the 10 day ACT trade and investment mission to Malaysia and Vietnam from 14–24 April 2009. The mission will be led by the ACT Chief Minister, Mr Jon Stanhope MLA.

While this is the first ACT Mission to these countries, Malaysia is already a key market for a number of local companies, so the mission is a chance to further build on established commercial relationships, as well as create new opportunities. The delegation is spending 4–5 days in each country.

The mission is delivered in partnership with Austrade. The ACT Government supports company participants by absorbing the cost of Austrade's professional business matching services. The Chief Minister, where appropriate, attends business matching meetings to support ACT companies and also hosts a number of networking events to bring together mission participants and potential customers. The Chief Minister also holds high-level government-to-government meetings.

An Expression of Interest (EOI) process has commenced inviting ACT businesses to participate.

Further information may be obtained by calling one of the Business and Industry Development Branch’s trade and investment client managers on 6205 3051 or 6207 1641.

$25 MILLION LOCAL INITIATIVES PACKAGE FOR CANBERRA COMMUNITY

Treasurer Katy Gallagher MLA has announced a Local Initiatives Package which will support $25 million worth of capital projects over two years. It will support a range of tradespeople in the Canberra region such as builders, plumbers, roofers, painters, electricians, plasterers and landscape specialists.

‘The global financial crisis and the slow down of the Australian economy understandably present uncertainty and this package provides some vital confidence and certainty to the industry,’ Ms Gallagher said.

‘The Bill allows local industry to plan ahead with some certainty, it utilises the potential emergent capacity in the industry, and importantly, it gets these vital works underway now, rather than waiting until the next Budget or the one after,’ she said.

NEW SUPPORT FOR CREATIVE CANBERRANS

Chief Minister and Minister for Business and Economic Development, Mr Jon Stanhope, has welcomed the announcement by the Commonwealth that a new consortium will deliver the Creative Industries Innovation Centre.

The Minister for Innovation, Senator Kim Carr announced that the University of Technology, Sydney would lead a consortium of leading universities, companies and agencies to deliver this $20.7 million initiative.

‘The University of Canberra is a key member of the successful consortium and this bodes well for the development of our local creative businesses,’ Mr Stanhope said.

The Creative Industries Innovation Centre is one of a number of innovation and enterprise centres established by the Australian Government to improve the productivity and competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises.

The ACT Government assisted the University of Canberra with the development of its proposal. It is expected to mesh well with other business development initiatives supported by the ACT Government.

ACT EXPORT CENSUS PROJECT KICKS OFF

The Business and Industry Development Branch has announced the selection of Melbourne-based company McKinna et al to begin work on the ACT Exporters’ Census. The project aims to build an accurate profile and database of the ACT exporter community which will also be used to inform policy and program delivery. There will be opportunities over the next few months for the ACT business sector to have significant input into the project. McKinna is using interviews, focus groups and database extraction methodologies to complete the information gathering phase of the project. The project is due to report in late May 2009.

RETAIL EXCELLENCE AWARDS

On 2 March 2009 the Chief Minister launched the inaugural ACT Chief Minister’s Retail Excellence Awards in association with the ACT & Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Retail Traders Association of the ACT and Region.

The 2009 Awards celebrate the achievements and innovation of retail businesses in the ACT in six categories: Customer Service; Best Store Display; Technology: Innovative Marketing; Training and Product Range.

An awards dinner to announce the winners will be held in May this year, with local winners moving on to represent the ACT as finalists in the National Retail Awards.

For further information please contact the ACT & Region Chamber of Commerce by phone on 6283 5200.

TRADE COMMISSIONER APPOINTED FOR WASHINGTON DC

Mr Brendhan Egan from Austrade Canberra has accepted the post as new Trade Commissioner for Washington DC at the end of April 2009.

Brendhan has been with Austrade since 2002 and was the ACT and Region Manager for Austrade through the period of the ACT Government trade missions to India and China in 2007.

Before taking up his new position, Brendhan will attend the ACT Exporters Network Breakfast on Thursday 5 March to talk more about his role and the type of support and assistance ACT companies can expect from the Austrade’s Washington Post.

If you would like to register or obtain further information on the Exporters Breakfast, email Brooke Anderson at the Canberra Business Council on: brooke.anderson@canberrabusinesscouncil.com.au.

EXPORT AWARDS NEWS

The Business and Industry Development Branch participated in an Austrade video conference with other states and territories in February to discuss the mechanics of the 2009 Export Awards Program. There is some move to amend category criteria to involve smaller companies in some of the categories and also some category changes to include new sorts of service businesses. These moves are welcome in the ACT as they would increase the appeal of the Export Awards locally. An announcement on the timing of the ACT Export Awards will be released shortly. The 2009 ACT Export Awards are being delivered in partnership with the Canberra Business Council.

ScreenACT

ScreenACT’s manager, Brendan Walsh is moving on and finishes up on 6 March to take up a position with a local production company. Brendan has been with ScreenACT for around two years and during that time he has established ScreenACT within the business sector as a small and energetic agency to promote business development in the local film and digital media sector. The Canberra Business Council, which manages ScreenACT with financial support from the ACT Government, is taking steps to find a replacement. In the interim Shannon Wilson will be the ScreenACT Manager until the position is filled. We wish Brendan success for the future.

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES WITH SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT

The Business and Industry Development Branch met with representatives from International Enterprise Singapore (IE) in late February to discuss investment facilitation programs. IE is the lead agency under the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry and is tasked with facilitating outward investments. The meeting explored possible future Singapore trade missions to the ACT with particular interest in renewable energy, ICT and water utility sectors. The Business and Industry Development Branch also gave IE an overview of ACT Government business attraction incentives and programs, such as: the Strategic Project Facilitation Program; the Investment Facilitation Program; and Business in Focus Month.

WATER AND BUSINESS

The Business and Industry Development Branch is continuing to liaise with representatives of the construction sector to discuss water conservation options. The most recent meeting between the Housing Industry Association (HIA), ACTEW and the Business and Industry Development Branch in mid February discussed issues such as Permanent Water Conservation Measures for the construction industry and best practice water use and climate change initiatives including the HIA GreenSmart Program. The HIA and Master Builders Association are also conducting a pilot project to accurately measure the amount of water used in building a residential home in the ACT.

CAPITAL REGION DEVELOPMENT BOARD (CRDB)

The Business and Industry Development Branch attended the general meeting of the Capital Region Development Board (CRDB) meeting in Jindabyne on 23 February. CRDB is jointly funded by the NSW and ACT Governments and helps regional communities across the Australian Capital Region to conceive and manage small development projects in regional communities. With the Australian Government’s move to establish Regional Development Australia and various sub level groups, much of the discussion focussed on the new arrangements and the mechanics of winding up CRDB. The ACT Government is working with the Australian Government to establish RDA ACT with an MOU currently in drafting stage.

InnovationConnect (ICon)—ADMIN BANDIT ONLINE

ICon grant recipient, Admin Bandit, launched its software product Admin Bandit Online on Monday 23 February. Admin Bandit Online is a package targeted at volunteer treasurers to manage the finances and cash control for community groups, sporting clubs and non-profit organisations. The Business and Industry Development Branch Director Mr Ian Cox, representing the Chief Minister, attended the launch and addressed the crowd on the range of services offered by the Business and Industry Development Branch and Admin Bandit’s various connections to enterprise development programs delivered by the ACT Government.

INFORMATION SESSION ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS WITH AUSINDUSTRY

The Business and Industry Development Branch recently took part in an information exchange session with the ACT and Region Office of AusIndustry. An outcome of the meeting included an informal agreement to better share programming information, and to better coordinate referrals of ACT businesses to appropriate ACT and Commonwealth program channels. It was noted in the meeting that there were several potential ACT companies who could benefit from the Commonwealth Government’s R&D Tax Concession.

LESANZ ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The 2009 Annual Conference of the Licensing Executives Society of Australia and New Zealand (LESANZ) is being held in Canberra from 2 to 4 April 2009.

An excellent line up of national and international speakers on successful innovation and commercialisation, including topics on: technology transfer models; IP conflict resolution; social entrepreneurship; engagement with China; indigenous commercialisation; capital raising; and negotiation skills.

The conference will provide an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas, meet new people and form new business relations.

To register to attend, or for further information on the above conference including workshops being held, visit the LESANZ website at: www.lesanz.org.au External Link

CLIMATE CHANGE BUSINESS ACADEMIC ROUNDTABLE

The fourth meeting of the ACT Government’s Climate Change Business Academic Roundtable was held at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems on 3 February 2009. The Roundtable was established as an outcome from Weathering the Change (action 40) and plays an advisory role to the Government on climate change issues and local businesses. The issues discussed at the February meeting included frameworks for energy policy in the ACT; opportunities for the business community as a result of growth of the ‘green economy’; greenhouse gas reduction strategies. The Business and Industry Development Branch is inputting information to the Roundtable on local capabilities in renewable energy, sustainable water systems, green buildings, waste and recycling.

DEPARTMENT OF INNOVATION, INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH (DIISR)—ICT FORUMS

The Business and Industry Development Branch participated in a series of ICT Forums on 28 January and 12 February arranged by the Federal Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research to discuss issues and policies of interest to SMEs in the ICT industry. Ten local SMEs were represented over the two sessions participating in discussion centred around the Gershon Review and barriers to SME entry into the government ICT procurement market. The Australian Government intends to consult with SMEs from other jurisdictions as part of its policy development process which will inform, amongst other things, the Gershon recommendation that Government integrate its ICT and SME policies so that they are mutually reinforcing.

INNOVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL OFFICIALS MEETING IN CANBERRA

The ACT Government participates in the Commonwealth States and Territories Advisory Council on Innovation (CSTACI), a body originally set up by the previous Government to advise on innovation and science policy matters. CSTACI met in Canberra in early February with the main business item being Australian Government’s response to the Culter Review of innovation policy and programs (Venturous Australia) released late last year. The Australian Government is due to release its response to the Cutler Review in the form of a White Paper in the middle of 2009.

FURTHER INFORMATION ON MATTERS IN THIS NEWSLETTER

For further information on any of the above news items, or to make an enquiry, please contact us by—

A full description of the Business and Industry Development Branch’s programs can be viewed at: www.business.act.gov.au

If you would like to receive up-to-date advice as soon as it is released, join our 'Business Mailing List'. To join, click on the following link: