Western Sydney based businesses are in danger of missing out on an accounting revolution by failing to respond to the changes caused by digital disruption.

In our recently released report, Harnessing the ‘bang’, stories from the digital frontline, Deloitte updated its analysis of the impact of digital disruption to show it is accelerating and affecting businesses large and small across Australia.

In our view, the next 12 months will be a watershed for private businesses adapting to digital disruption.

Recent research* shows 66% of businesses are still not using cloud technology. Many may not realise how much this technology has improved in the past few years and the positive impact it can have on how they run their business.

Deloitte Private has heeded its own warnings about digital disruption of the professional services sector by redefining the way it delivers accounting and tax services, via the launch of Deloitte Private Connect.

Time to embrace disruption

It would have been easier in the short term to have done nothing and hoped for the best, but we decided to take a leadership position because we don’t want our clients to miss out on this revolution.  With Deloitte Private Connect we have positively embraced the disruption to the accounting and tax profession on account of cloud technologies and created an offering that transforms the way business owners experience accounting services.

Deloitte Private Connect combines shared ledger accounting, automated bookkeeping and benchmarking, an online portal and dashboard as well as many other digital technologies, to redefine the way our private clients work with us, in real time, on any device.

Every business owner dreams of spending less time in the business and more time on the business.

Less time on day-to-day transactions, paying staff and suppliers and scrambling to balance the books. More time on the bigger picture and the things that helped them succeed in the first place. Until now, that's been easier said than done. Deloitte Private Connect is changing all that. It represents a fundamental shift in the accounting and tax function for our clients and for us.

How does it work?

We took a transformative approach to the design of Deloitte Private Connect, creating an ecosystem built around a family of business apps.  These apps automatically populate an interactive dashboard enabling business owners to quickly review key metrics in real time.  Based on the particular needs of their business, clients select from compatible apps conveniently grouped into simple categories such as staff, customers, marketing, product, money, etc.

Core to Deloitte Private Connect are two apps:

Transact automates bookkeeping. Invoices are digitally scanned and authorised for online payment while business owners digitally sign tax returns, approve BAS statements and year end accounts, raise queries and store documents securely online.

Analyser enables business owners to access live financial reports and business analytics, including profitability, cash flow, growth and trend analysis. Key performance indicators can be customised, live ‘what-if’ analysis performed and alerts set up to keep on top of the metrics that matter.

In a breakthrough for the professional services sector, Deloitte Private Connect is based on an online subscription payments model and fixed monthly fees.  We recognised that fixed monthly payments make it easier for our clients to manage their cash flow. We have adjusted our business model and workflow management accordingly, to provide our clients with certainty, as well as best in class services.

We believe that Deloitte Private Connect sets a new benchmark for what individuals and family businesses should expect from their accountant; the best cloud technologies and the best of Deloitte at a compelling fixed, monthly price.  We are giving our clients what we know they want – real time to do what really matters to them. Real business in real-time.

Contact: 

Michael Stibbard, Deloitte Partner

(02) 9322 3510

mstibbard@deloitte.com.au

*Source: Cloud Computing in Australia, report by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Mayor’s Winter Sleep Out at Bella Vista Farm Park

Help raise funds and awareness to support homeless people in The Hills.

Event Details

About this event

Residents and business people from the Sydney Hills are invited to experience what it's like to sleep rough at the Mayor's Winter Sleep Out at Bella Vista Farm Park on Saturday August 23.

Mayor Byrne has backed the initiative of the Community Foundation of North Western Sydney (The Foundation) which is seeking to raise money and awareness to support homeless people in The Hills.

"Many residents are surprised to know that we do indeed have a problem with homelessness in the Sydney Hills," Mayor Byrne said. "It will certainly be a tough night for us out in the cold, but it's something I hope many people participate in."

The Foundation's President Gailsusan Clarke said that women and children seeking crisis accommodation were most in need.

"There are a lot of women and children that need accommodation as a result of domestic violence, often caused by drug and alcohol abuse," Ms Clarke said.

"The Mayor's Winter Sleep Out is all about helping as many people as we can through funds raised on the night."

One of the major drivers of the initiative, local businessman Jim Taggart, said that he was willing to have an uncomfortable evening for a good cause.

"If I have to have a night of discomfort then it's a small price to pay to get the message out and to help people," Mr Taggart said.

"I'm happy to be a part of this and I hope that the community really gets behind this and supports it by either coming on the night or making a donation."

Two ways you can participate:

You can sleep out in Bella Vista Farm’s historic packing shed for a tax deductible $200 donation – this offer is limited to the first 50 participants. 

To really rough it, you can sleep outside the shed for a tax deductible $100 donation.

Click Here to sponsor the Mayor Michelle Byrne

REGISTER NOW

Every person has a story…

Novotel Sydney Parramatta would like to introduce their newest and possibly most entertaining member of staff, Carl Herve, the hotel’s new Revenue Manager. Carl joins the hotel, with his passion for life, kind heart, humorous banter and musical talents.

With an immense background in the hospitality industry and atlas of world knowledge, Carl has proven to be a resourceful asset to Novotel Sydney Parramatta. His interest in travel and hospitality began at a young age, while living in Africa with his parents and brothers until the age of 16 years old; however it was not until back in his home country, France that he explored the opportunities of the hospitality industry.

Luckily enough for his career, France is also home to Accor, headquartered in Paris, the hotel group own, operate and franchise 3,600 hotels on 5 continents representing several diverse brands, from budget and economy lodgings to luxurious accommodation in exotic locations. This allowed for great career opportunities and it was at Novotel Caen France, where Carl’s training started as a Food and Beverage attendant before trying his hand at Reception in Ibis Marseille and Housekeeping department at Sequoia hotel, Paris, a 1000 room hotel.

After studying, Carl landed his first contract with Sofitel Montpellier, a luxury brand under the Accor umbrella, working at Reception before moving onto Ibis Barking, London. During his time in London, he worked as a Team Leader in Front Office, Reservations and Revenue. It was at his time at Ibis, that his interest in Revenue, strategic planning and the operations behind the scenes started. This led him to his role as Director of Revenue at St Regis, French Polynesia, before back to Paris as a Cluster Revenue Manager for Marriott.

However it was at the Marriott, France, where the story got even more exciting, as this is where his love story with Australia began. Carl met his lovely partner, Suzie, an Australian expat working in Reservations at the hotel and had been living in France for the past ten years. Back in Australia now and both working for Accor again, the couple patiently await the arrival of their first child.

What more is there to the well travelled Revenue Manager; it would have to be his musical talents. Singing and performing from a young age, Carl has many memories and stories to tell his new child. During his travel, he has recorded music videos and performed in bars and clubs using his stage name ‘Frank Lukani’. He describes his most memorable experience to be his performance of Cold Play’s Viva La Vida in front of 6,000 patrons at Caen Stadium, France.

From starting in the office at Novotel Sydney Parramatta, he has entertained with his random sing a longs, stories of his travel, abundance of delicious French crepes and a laugh you could probably hear echoing down Church Street. To experience and view his musical videos please visit ‘Frank Lukani Official’ on Facebook, Sound cloud and YouTube. Also make sure to check out his other creations, Novotel Sydney Parramatta’s Weekend escape package at www.novotelparramatta.com.au

“Conference at PARKROYAL Parramatta this winter and take advantage of our all INCLUSIVE 

$65.00 Winter Package which includes complimentary parking, data projector, free Wi-Fi and so much more.

Speak with the most experienced Meetings and Events Team in Parramatta today on:  

02 9685 0339 or email events.prsyp@parkroyalhotels.com." 

Offer valid until 31st August 2014.               

We have opened Stage One of our Richmond Road upgrade one month early and $7 million under budget.

Richmond Road is a key arterial road for Sydney’s North West Growth Centre. We have fast tracked the upgrade because of its importance to supporting new housing and job creation in Western Sydney.

Stage One provides two lanes in each direction and will slash travel times for Western Sydney motorists travelling on Richmond Road between Bells Creek and north of Townson Road at Marsden Park.
We have allocated $96 million for Stage Two of the upgrade which began this week and is expected to be progressively opened to traffic by the end of 2016.

Source: NSW Government

Construction will begin next month on a 340-space multi-storey commuter car park at Sutherland Station.

The free and untimed commuter parking spaces are part of more than $30 million worth of upgrades at the station, which also include a new lift and recently completed interchange upgrade.

Sutherland is a key interchange station for locals and commuters in the Illawarra, and these works will go a long way to help customers connect and move easily between different transport modes.

St George and Sutherland have been big winners under our Transport Access Program, with upgrades underway along the Illawarra Line. A major station upgrade is underway at Waterfall Station, with another huge upgrade announced at Oatley and Arncliffe and a commuter car park extension underway at Rockdale.

Source: NSW Government

In the third of our series on Rebuilding NSW, Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner discusses the proposed plans to fix regional infrastructure. 

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve regional roads, provide access to world class health facilities and secure water supplies for our regional and rural communities.

Source: NSW Government

The number of buses with Opal climbs to 1,700 from next week as we switch on the service for every bus in the Eastern Suburbs.

The latest Opal roll out covers 580 buses which carry more than five million customers every month from areas including Randwick, Maroubra, Watsons Bay, La Perouse and Mascot.

This week 220 Transit Systems buses went live with Opal across 80 suburbs including Liverpool, Greystanes and Parramatta and Punchbowl Bus Services have gone live across 35 suburbs including Hurstville, Roselands and Bankstown.

Customers have taken more than 25 million journeys with Opal with 400,000 cards issued and thousands more signing up every week.

Source: NSW Government

The first section of the M5 West Widening Project will open to motorists in the next fortnight and is on schedule for final completion by the end of the year.

The $400 million project to widen the M5 West by a lane in each direction will cut congestion and improve travel times for motorists in South Western Sydney.

In the next fortnight, we will open to motorists commuting eastbound a third lane for a stretch of four kilometres from the Camden Valley Way eastbound entry ramp to the Georges River Bridge, Liverpool.

Shortly after, we will open an additional lane westbound, which will extend from Georges River Bridge in Liverpool to the Beech Road exit.

Source: NSW Government