Be part of the team delivering one of the biggest earthmoving projects in Australian history.

CPB Contractors and Lendlease Joint Venture (CPBLL JV) is recruiting for the bulk earthworks project that will move around 25 million cubic tonnes of earth to make way for Sydney's new airport.

Positions are available for experienced operators of earthmoving equipment, such as scrapers and tipper trucks. Service crews for a large fleet of earthmoving equipment are also available, including plant mechanics, auto-electricians, light vehicle mechanics, boiler makers, servicemen, refuelers and apprentice mechanics. Relevant experience, the right attitude and an interest in construction is highly preferred.

Meet the CPBLL JV recruitment team at an information session to learn about the project and submit an application on Tuesday, 10 December. Two information sessions will be held at the Western Sydney International Airport Experience Centre beginning at 4pm and 5pm.

Please bring your curriculum vitae with details of any relevant experience. 

Click here for further information.

The average Australian will spend $25 a head on Christmas lunch this year. Please “set an extra place” by donating $25 today.

This year Parramatta Mission will be hosting a Christmas Day Lunch at Meals Plus. They would like to create a space for people to come together and share a meal – those who may be alone or isolated, or who are part of the Parramatta Mission community. Last year they had over 500 people for lunch, but are expecting around 1,000 people to come this year!

Click here to find out more, make a donation, volunteer or to become involved.

By Matthews Folbigg Lawyers

Recap

By way of refresher from our article earlier this year:

• new whistleblower legislation commenced on 1 July 2019
• it modified laws relating to corporations, the banking industry and insurance companies in order to:

(a) provide significantly stronger protections to whistleblowers who make disclosures about matters such as corporate misconduct (e.g. fraud), criminal activity, or any other conduct that represents a danger to the public or financial system

(b) expand the scope of persons who may make protected whistleblower disclosures and the circumstances in which these disclosures may be made

(c) permit and protect anonymous disclosures

(d) impose substantial civil and criminal penalties on any breaches of whistleblower protections (such as disclosing the whistleblower’s identity and/or causing the whistleblower detriment through victimisation)

• the protection obligations apply to all disclosures made on or after 1 July 2019 even if the disclosure relates to suspected conduct occurring prior to that date

Mandatory Policy

Critically, the legislation requires that all public companies and large proprietary companies MUST have in place a compliant whistleblower policy by 1 January 2020 with a “large proprietary company” being a proprietary company that satisfies 2 of the following 3 criteria:

• $50+ million in consolidated revenue
• $25+ million or more in consolidated gross assets
• 100 or more employees

Mandatory Terms

In order to be compliant the policy MUST include (amongst other things) information about:

• the protections available to whistleblowers
• how and to whom protected disclosures may be made
• the ways the company will protect whistleblowers from detriment
• how the company will investigate the content of protected disclosures
• how the company will ensure fair treatment of other employees mentioned in protected disclosures that qualify for protection
• how the policy will be communicated and made available to employees

Disclosure to Staff

Any company that is required to have a compliant whistleblower policy MUST advise their employees of the existence of, the contents of, and the means to access, the policy.

Penalties

Fines of (currently) up to $12,600 can apply for non-compliance with the mandatory policy requirement (and this continues to apply for each year that this requirement is not met).

Action Required

Given the approaching deadline businesses MUST:

• determine whether they are obliged to have a compliant whistleblower policy in place
• if so, ensure it is in place by 1 January 2020 and alert all employees to the existence and contents of it

Given the increased scope and gravity of the new whistleblower legislation, businesses are strongly encouraged to seek legal advice as soon as a protected whistleblower disclosure is received.

More Information

Please call the leading employment lawyers in Parramatta, the Matthews Folbigg Workplace Solutions employment law team on 9635 7966 to speak with one of our employment lawyers if you require any assistance or advice.

Article By

Stewart Gough, Principal	Peter Doughman, Senior Associate

Over 40 businesses took part in Western Sydney’s first Indigenous Meet the Buyer Strategic Matching event held at Penrith Panthers on October 29. 

Jointly run by Yarpa NSW Indigenous Business and Employment Hub (Yarpa Hub) and Western Sydney Business Connection (WSBC), the event connected local Indigenous businesses with WSBC Members and major project proponents across Western Sydney such as Multiplex, Lendlease, Featherdale Wildlife Park, Campbelltown City Council and Sydney Zoo.

Attending Indigenous businesses took part in a number of 15 minute face to face meetings with matched buyers, giving them an opportunity to pitch their services or products.

WSBC General Manager, Amanda Brisot, said "There will be billions of dollars invested in infrastructure and major projects in Western Sydney over the next 10-20 years and we need programs in place to ensure that local Indigenous businesses get a piece of that pie. We are also finding that many of our members are looking at ways to better engage with local Indigenous Businesses. We see this event as a very practical way to facilitate these outcomes".

“The Meet the Buyer event was a huge success with many of the buyers commenting on the excellent calibre of suppliers that they were matched with. We expect many local Indigenous Businesses to secure ongoing work as a direct result of the event,” Amanda said.

James Christian, CEO of the NSW Aboriginal Land Council highlighted the importance of events like this.

“These events are crucial for small business owners because it gives them the support and opportunity to link up with organisations that they may not otherwise have a chance to connect with.”

“We hope by providing a platform like this, Indigenous businesses in NSW will be able to grow and become a major part of the state’s economy,” James said.

Parramatta Connect, Great River City Light Rail and Industry Capability Network (ICN) are pleased to invite you to join the Parramatta Light Rail subcontractor forums.

The $2.4 billion Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a 12 kilometre, two-way light rail track.

Parramatta Connect (CPB Contractors and Downer Joint Venture) has been engaged to complete the construction of the light rail track, roadworks, stop platforms, and transport interchanges at Westmead, Parramatta CBD and Carlingford. Great River City Light Rail consortium (CAF Rail Australia and Transdev), will supply the light rail vehicles and operate the network, build the depot, light rail stops and power systems.

Upon its completion, the light rail will transport 28,000 people every day to key destinations, new communities and essential services. It is expected to open in 2023.

As part of Parramatta Connect and Great River City Light Rail’s commitment to the local community, local subcontractors and suppliers are encouraged to register their interest in participating in upcoming opportunities for the project.

During the forum, an overview of the project will be provided including details of works packages and the procurement process. Those in attendance will be provided with an opportunity to network with the project team and other businesses to better understand available opportunities.

Due to the expected high level of interest in the project, attendees are limited to a maximum of two representatives for your organisation.

Event Details

Both events will have the same presentation, so please register to attend only one of the forums below:

Forum 1

Date: Friday 6 December 2019

Time: 7.30am for 8am start to 10am

Location: Parramatta (venue information will be provided upon registration)

Register for this event

Registration closes at 5pm Tuesday 3 December 2019.

Forum 2

Date: Wednesday 11 December 2019

Time: 7.30am for 8am start to 10am

Location: Parramatta (venue information will be provided upon registration)

Register for this event

Registration closes at 5pm Friday 6 December 2019.

Please contact Thuy Ho (tho@icnnsw.org.au or 02 9927 3100) for queries regarding the forums.

The NSW Government has committed the largest investment in planned maintenance at public schools in the history of NSW. A record $1.3 billion is being spent on an ambitious delivery program, focused on employing local businesses and contractors across the state.

To assist in addressing regional school maintenance issues and at the same time provide work for local trade’s persons and suppliers across the Greater Western Sydney region encompassing South Western and South Western Sydney, over $100 million is being invested to upgrade and maintain our school infrastructure.

Given this record spend by School Infrastructure NSW, you are invited to a free Asset Management Unit industry breakfast briefing on November 29. This will provide information to existing and new contractors on how you can get involved.

If you are from any of the industries/trades below, click here to find out more or register to attend the briefing: 

• Architects, Engineers, Project Managers
• Building services
• Building works
• Carpentry and joinery
• Construction works
• Fencing
• Landscaping
• Metal work
• Painting
• Roof sheeting and roof plumbing

Whenever baby boomers get together socially, two topics will almost certainly come up in the conversation – aged care and, thanks to today’s globalised world, where their children are living. You can bet that at least one of those children will be living overseas, possibly in the USA or the UK. For Australians living overseas, a major issue that often arises is how to handle the tax treatment of a change in residency.

If you thought tax in Australia could get complicated, it gets more challenging when you’re an Australian who becomes a US resident.

There are a few key considerations you need to keep in mind if you’re an Australian who’s a US resident for tax purposes:

• Residency
• Superannuation
• Investments such as property and managed funds
• Gifts to American residents
• Inheritances

Click here to read Pitcher Partners full article that explains the tax intricacies that Australians who become US residents need to consider.

For further information please contact your Pitcher Partners representative.

Contact

Daniel Sparks

Partner, Private Business & Family

Advisory, and Tax Consulting

daniel.sparks@pitcher.com.au

+61 2 8236 7712

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Blacktown City Council is launching its Business Success Program in February 2020.

This exciting new program is a series of affordable business education workshops to provide skills and knowledge to help local businesses succeed and grow. The program is proudly sponsored by CGU Insurance as part of its commitment to supporting the local community.

The workshops will be presented by Jeremy Carter of Rapport Leadership International. Some workshops will feature specialist industry guest presenters, providing additional industry perspective and expertise.

“At Blacktown City Council we’re committed to being a more approachable and valuable resource for business. The Business Success Program is just the beginning, and we believe it could be a real game-changer for a lot of businesses, providing top notch business education that is practical, relevant and made easy” said Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM.

The cost of attending each workshop will be just $25. Registrations are now open at www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/business.

For further details, contact Blacktown City Council’s Economic Development team on (02) 9839 5914.

Who are the three most valuable people in your business? What would happen to your business if just one of them left?

In any business, people are your greatest asset. Yet, we tend to take more care of our capital assets than our human assets. We insure them adequately, maintain them well and have back-up power and a contingency plan so that interruptions are minimised.

In the current competitive climate, replication of your products and services is relatively easy for your competitor to do. What is much more difficult is to replicate your people, the relationships they have developed with your customers and the cohesion and therefore morale of your staff.

You know who your best people are. These are your highly experienced people who have unique knowledge or skills, they have formed strong relationships and therefore influence with your customers and their colleagues enjoy working with them. There would be an enormous gap if they left your business.

Yet we often take very little proactive action to keep these valuable people, nor do we often have a back-up plan if they do leave.

Keeping Your Best People

What can, in fact what should you do, to keep your best people engaged, thus making it less likely they will be lured by your competitors?

People become, and stay, engaged when they feel motivated to do their best work and when they feel appreciated for their contribution to the team and the business.

It is therefore critical that you know precisely what motivates each person in your team.

Is it ensuring that they have interesting and challenging work? Is it knowing that they will have the resources to do their job? Does the group of people they are working with on the project motivate them? Is it knowing that their ability and willingness to do a variety of tasks increases their job security?

Motivational Drivers

Each person has 3-5 strong motivational drivers and when you know these you can ‘push’ these drivers and thus help the person to become, and to remain, strongly motivated.

When people are highly motivated, they do their best work and they feel a high level of satisfaction. They are highly engaged and are unlikely to seek work elsewhere.

There is a pertinent quote: ‘We go where we are wanted, we stay where we are appreciated.’

Often your best people achieve exceptional results, autonomously and quietly. They don’t demand resources or feedback, while others who are less competent and less confident can demand much of your time and energy.

As a result, it is easy to unwittingly take your best people for granted, and eventually, they feel unappreciated and become open to approaches from your competitors.

Jim Collins in his book ‘Good to Great’ said that for a business to succeed you should ‘get the right people on the bus’. The secret you then need to know is how to keep those people on the bus.

To ensure you retain your best people, understand motivational drivers and get the best out of your staff, BOOK NOW for our Breakfast Leadership Masterclass – How to Stop Competitors Poaching Your Best People.

This dynamic 2-hour workshop, held in partnership with WSBC, will be brought to you by Diana Tapp from World Class Teams.