This year, BREED in collaboration with WSI TAFE NSW will be delivering workshops for small to medium and home-based businesses. All workshops will be delivered by business professionals and focus on key activities to help you grow your business.

These 2.5 hour workshops will be hands on sessions and will focus on a range of business related issues.  Topics throughout the year will include; Social Media, Photo and Video Editing, Microsoft Office and WordPress.

The eBusiness Series kicks off in June with the Social Media Suite where you will learn: 

• How to optimise your Facebook page to boost engagement.
• How to use Twitter to enhance your business.
• How to use Google Plus and set up your own business page.
• How to manage your LinkedIn account and engage with your network contacts.

To see the full program, and to learn what each session entails download the eBusiness 2015 Calendar here.

For more information,please contact BREED on 9853 3200 or www.breed.org.au

The Federal Treasurer, Mr Joe Hockey, handed down the Commonwealth Government’s 2015/16 budget on Tuesday, 12 May 2015.

Small businesses with aggregated annual turnovers of less than $2,000,000 received special attention in this year’s budget.

Highlights for small business owners:

• 1.5% cut in the company tax rate, down to 28.5% from 1 July 2015
• 5% tax discount for unincorporated small businesses, capped at $1,000 per individual per year
• Immediate write-off of the cost of assets bought and first used in the business, or installed ready for use, between 12 May 2015 and 30 June 2017, subject to a cap of $20,000 per asset.  This measure applies to both new and second-hand assets but does not apply to acquisitions of horticultural plants, primary production assets, software created in-house, capital building works or assets leased out to another party (including super funds)
• Capital Gains Tax rollover relief for changing the legal structure of the business from 1 July 2016 (e.g. CGT will no longer be payable if changing from say a trust structure to a company structure)
• Fringe Benefits Tax exemption if providing employees with more than one work-related electronic device, even where the devices provide similar functions (e.g. a tablet device and a laptop).  Currently the devices have to provide substantially different functions to qualify.  The exemption is to apply from 1 April 2016.

Measure for start-up businesses:

• Introduction of an immediate write-off for start-up expenses, including for legal and accounting advice and establishment costs paid to professional services providers

Work-related car expenses:

• From 1 July 2015, there will only be two acceptable methods for claiming motor vehicle expenses for work-related travel through your personal income tax return.  Claims will be accepted using a rate of 66 cents/km up to 5,000km, regardless of the size of the vehicle.  Alternatively, calculation based on actual expenses multiplied by a business usage percentage determined by keeping a detailed logbook will also be acceptable.  The one-third of operating expenses and 12% of vehicle cost methods will no longer available.

Find out more details on the government’s plan for small businesses, and other areas within our comprehensive Federal Budget Report 2015-16.  

Click here to access our Federal Budget Report 2015-16.

In partnering with LexisNexis® Capital Monitor, our experts have analysed the 2015 Federal Budget, with a focus on: business taxation, education, employment, health, infrastructure, not-for-profits, property & fund management, private clients and social services.

Should you wish to discuss the budget measures in more depth or better understand how they apply to your plans or circumstances, don’t hesitate to contact Moore Stephens.

Contacts

St.George Foundation has joined a local fight to save an innovative educational program assisting youth in Sydney’s West.

Once a week local young people from Mt Druitt in Sydney's West get the opportunity to spend a day out of school at a local Learning Ground Behavioural Change Management Centre. Here they attend a program built around fostering relationships with children and giving them a sense of self-worth.

The centre has only one paid employee, and one volunteer, but due to lack of funding has been fighting to keep its doors open.

St.George Foundation has granted $25,000 in funding towards this great local initiative, which will see the program continue for some of the centre’s youngest members.

Leona Fell, Head of St.George Foundation says the Mt Druitt Learning Ground Younger Persons Project works with the most seriously disadvantaged families in low socio-economic environments.

 “The Foundation has funded this program because it has a proven ability to really help local families, with school principals in the area reporting how children who attend Learning Ground return to school as much better students,” says Leona.

“In the past five years 188 young people who were suspended from school have attended Learning Ground and returned to the classroom.”

Children who previously refused to go to school also changed their minds after attending the centre.

Learning Ground co-founder, Margaret Bell, has been tirelessly campaigning to save the centre, and says the $25,000 grant from St.George Foundation will enrol 25 new families.

“We’re grateful for the grant because it will assist some of our younger members aged 8 - 13 years from any one of the 11 suburbs in Mt Druitt who are most ‘at risk' of disengaging from school,” Margaret said.

“60% of the take up is expected to be from children of aboriginal background from at least seven schools in the area.” 

Domestic Violence is a sad reality in today’s society and unfortunately is a regular feature in the news we read or watch. We hope that one day, this won’t be an issue, that one day there will be no more domestic violence, however until that day comes, women and children will continue to need help escaping their lives of violence and support as they rebuild their lives for a safe and independent future.  

Parramatta Mission’s Thelma Brown Cottages provide a home away from home and a safe environment for women and children escaping domestic violence every day.

Thelma Brown Cottages (TBC) is one of only 3 domestic violence refuges in Sydney that accommodates for larger families, particularly those with 5 or 6 accompanying children. TBC is also different from most refuges in that women are provided with a self-contained apartment with their own bathroom and kitchen allowing them to be a family and face their difficult journey together with dignity.

Women and children supported by TBC are offered support and access to services to help them transition into a strong future. Children are supported through the process of continuing their education and support services are accessed to help victims work through the trauma they have experienced. TBC provides a temporary home and help women and children find their own accommodation, supporting them step by step as they rebuild their lives. The support received at TBC is in such high demand there is rarely a day an apartment is empty.

We are always needing help to make sure the TBC apartments are ready for their new residents. Items including new pillows and bed sheets are always in demand, as are the basics that help us care for our home such as mops, buckets, brooms, clothes airers and pegs. 

If you would like to help TBC in preparing the apartments for women and children please contact Parramatta Mission’s fundraising team today by emailing fundraising@parramattamission.org.au

TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute (TAFE SWSi) has been judged to be the most innovative and excellent training organisation in its development of the local logistics and warehousing workforce.

At a glittering ceremony last Friday in Melbourne, the National Transport and Logistics Industry Skills Council (TLISC) presented TAFE SWSi with the Innovation and Excellence in Workforce Development (Logistics and Warehousing) Award for its “innovative partnerships with the industry together with its quality teaching”.

TAFE SWSi Head Teacher – Transport & Logistics, Wetherill Park College, Ed Tarabey, said this was “not just any award”.

“This award aligns so perfectly with our focus on providing job ready graduates from an award winning, industry aligned training organisation,” he said.

In its official statement on the award, the TLISC praised TAFE SWSi’s workforce development initiatives.

“TAFE SWSi’s Transport and Logistics team has built a reputation for responding effectively to the needs of industry through innovative partnerships and quality education and training,” the statement said.

“These ongoing partnerships with leading dynamic supply chain organisations such as DHL, Johnson & Johnson, De Lorenzo and Sydney Water have demonstrated that SWSi’s programs are aligned with rapidly changing and diverse industry needs.

“The investment in developing these partnerships with local employers and job agencies in the south-western region of Sydney has paid off and is demonstrated in the high post-program employment rates and the many students returning to build on their initial qualification to successfully achieve career advancement.

“TAFE SWSi is a public training organisation providing opportunities which often prove life changing for students who are drawn from one of the most ethnically diverse and disadvantaged regions in Australia.”

TAFE SWSi Institute Director, Peter Roberts, congratulated TAFE SWSi’s Transport and Logistic team on winning such a prestigious award.

“Our customer first approach means that we match the right training solutions to all our customers in the transport and logistics area,” Mr Roberts said.

“TAFE SWSi’s industry-experienced team works hard to ensure that our students are equipped with the skills employers and modern workplaces demand.

“I am proud to say that each year we work closely with our community to help build the productivity of our region’s workforce.”

TAFE SWSi is one of Australia’s largest training organisations and has an enviable reputation for providing high quality skills training across a range of the business disciplines which are vital to growing the local, regional and state economies.

More than 21,000 students are enrolled across nine colleges in more than 400 education and training courses ranging from certificate courses to university degrees and industry specific programs.

TAFE SWSi also provides training for more apprentices than any other RTO in NSW and was awarded the 2013 Australian Large Training Provider of the Year at the Australian Training Awards.

For more information about TAFE SWSi courses please visit www.SWSi.edu.au or call 13 79 74.

From left to right: Laurie D’Apice (TLISC Board Chair); Jon Northorpe (TLISC Board Member); Terry Saunby (TAFE SWSi Director Manufacturing & Transport Faculty); Edward Tarabey (TAFE SWSi Head Teacher Transport & Logistics); Olivia Milligan (TAFE SWSi Logistics Teacher); and Robert Adams (TLISC CEO)

With an athletic design and a number of new features including daytime running lamps, rear combination lamps, parking assist system and rear monitor standard across the range, the all new Camry is confident and captivating.

Additional options are available on other models including 18” alloy wheels, moonroof, pre-crash safety system, lane departure alert and more.

To book a test drive or enquire, please contact us on 8488 8797.

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Click here to download the full Domestic Violence Action Plan.

Click here to download a one-page summary of the Domestic Violence Action Plan.

The Dyldam Parramatta Eels will today officially launch the club’s Domestic Violence Action Plan (DVAP), a first for a national professional sporting club in Australia.

The Eels believe that while living free from violence is everyone’s right, reducing violence is everyone’s responsibility. 

As a sporting organisation, the Eels take the opportunity to use our country’s passion for sport as a vehicle to promote positive community change.

The DVAP is a living document, designed in its initial form to:

•    Engage on the national level with Domestic Violence groups

•    Raise awareness within the Parramatta Eels community

•    Raise awareness throughout all levels of the club

•    Offer support to Board, staff and players identified as being impacted by family violence

•    Include our commitment in the code of behaviour for all Board, staff and players

•    Ensure all opportunities within the club are gender equal

At this afternoon's Round 10 Eels v Warriors game at Parramatta’s Pirtek Stadium, both teams will link arms, joined by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator the Hon. Nigel Scullion, officially representing the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, Prime Minister of Australia.

The linking of arms is a show of solidarity for the reduction of domestic and family violence, a symbol that has grown out of the NO MORE campaign in the Northern Territory. 

With the support of its founder, Charlie King, the Eels are lending their voices to NO MORE, which commenced in 2008 after consultation with Indigenous Elders from across the Northern Territory. 

Since then, it has evolved to engage with all levels of the sporting community across
all demographics. The campaign’s aim is to engage with men, as both perpetrators and victims, to take ownership of the issue and work towards a solution. 

“Sporting clubs play an important role in influencing our community, and we’re committed to giving back and helping to build a society where families can be free from violence,” Eels CEO Scott Seward said. 

“I’m very proud to be able to launch this plan, and hopefully it encourages more professional sporting teams to create their own plans and help reduce family violence.”    

The Eels invite all attendees at our Round 10 game this weekend, men and women, to join us in linking arms before kick-off to show their commitment and say: NO MORE.

NSW Premier Mike Baird today announced a major expansion by the University of Western Sydney in the Liverpool City Centre.

"I'm proud to announce the University of Western Sydney will establish a state-of-the-art Higher Education Centre in the heart of Liverpool in 2016," Mr Baird said.

"Liverpool is one of Sydney's fastest growing and most dynamic cities. It's a smart move for UWS to establish a presence in a city where almost half the population is under 30 years old.

"This new centre will further complement the strong education and health sector that is already in Liverpool. The city is at the forefront of health and medical research, with the Ingham Institute's ground-breaking cancer research and Liverpool Hospital one of the largest hospitals in the Southern Hemisphere.

"More than 6,000 people are employed in health and education in this city. I can see a bright future for Liverpool and UWS."

UWS Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover said the Liverpool Higher Education Learning Centre would meet the demand from the young growing city and expand UWS's reach to key locations across Western Sydney.

"The Centre will comprise technology-rich teaching spaces, regionally targeted post-graduate offerings, the Centre for Western Sydney and a 'Launch Pad' Smart Business Centre," Professor Glover said. "The up to 1,000sqm facility will accommodate over 150 students, staff and corporate partners in a flexible and highly-innovative workspace.

"We are delighted to add Liverpool to our network of sites across Western Sydney. Along with providing greater access to the highest-quality education opportunities for people of Liverpool, the Centre will be a pivotal contributor, along with government and industry, to the shaping of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis."

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun welcomed the university to Liverpool, saying the institution had made the right decision to establish itself in the Great South West.

"As the Airport City, Liverpool is seeing unprecedented development and growth across all sectors, including education and research," Mayor Ned Mannoun said.

"Those who get in early will be able to make the most of the opportunities which Liverpool has to offer: a young tech-savvy population which speaks more than 140 languages; a growing population; accessibility by roads and public transport, as well as affordable industrial and residential land.

"This announcement aligns with our vision to create innovative education and employment opportunities through strategic partnerships. Partnerships such as this will enable us to harness jobs and business investment potential from the Airport for our local community."

The University will reveal, over time, more detail about the course offerings this newest of sites will deliver. However the focus will be best-practice teaching and research programs that are both international in outlook and regionally aligned.

“Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from” - Seth Godin.

In terms of our work lives, it’s a sad reality that most people hate going to work and literally count down the days until they can escape by going on holiday!

To me this is a sad reality. At Gallop we think this needs to change and we are all about having fun within the workplace. After all, people tend to spend more time at work than they do at home. It makes sense to create a culture where it’s ok and even encouraged to have fun whilst you work!

So to inject some more fun in YOUR business, here is a challenge from Gallop:

We want  you, our clients, to get creative, get a bit silly and have some fun by creating a music video with your team, your clients, your families, whoever! Show us how you like to have fun, and enter your music video into the Gallop Music Video Awards (nicknamed the GMVA’s)!

We will release the music videos at our end of year bash and let our clients decide on the night who the winner is! All videos must be submitted to us by Monday the 3rd of November… so it’s time to get started if you haven’t already!

We take having fun so seriously that it is part of our company VFP to create “Profitable, efficient and FUN companies that are able to expand working as a team towards agreed upon goals”.

Join in the GVMA’s and you might be surprised just how much fun you and your team will have.

Anthea Papanicola
Head of Client Delivery

Click here to find out more

The Western Sydney Business Connection (WSBC) and WSBC Platinum Partner TAFE WSI are leading a research project to conduct skills audits within the Western Sydney Area. 

The aim of the research is to identify areas of skills shortages or over supply in your local area and potentially influence government policies associated with skills and jobs development.

As a business operating in Western Sydney, we encourage you to take part in this research.

By providing input of your current and future skill needs, your business will have an opportunity to get involved in this inaugural research. You can also opt-in for a customised business report which will allow you to benchmark your organisation’s performance against your competitors.

To take part in the online survey, please type the following link to your web browser:

http://tinyurl.com/WestSydSkillsAudit

The survey will take about 10 minutes to complete. Lonergan Research has been commissioned to run this study.

or scan the following QR Code:         

For any queries please contact Michael Sugg (M.Sugg@wsbc.org.au)