Australia has been through so much in the past few months – drought, fires, and now COVID-19, all of which have had a devastating impact on the community and the economy. Throughout it all, Westmead healthcare workers have been on the frontline, treating and caring for our community when they are at their most vulnerable.

Westmead Hospital Foundation would like your support in thanking the work of our Doctors, Nurses, Researchers, and Allied Health teams.

In the last few days, we have received so many messages of support and good wishes for those on the frontline during the pandemic. And despite many community members and donors finding themselves doing it tough, they still want to help our healthcare heroes. As one of our donors put it:

“I just wish I could buy all your nurses and doctors a cup of coffee, and let them know how fantastic they are.”

Your donation will enable the Foundation to provide our Doctors, nurses and other frontline staff with a cup of coffee made fresh in the Hospital’s food court.

Westmead Hospital Foundation, CEO Joe Conneely said, “In the current climate, we thought it important to support our healthcare professional’s health and wellbeing, and what goes down better that a free coffee or tea?”

All donations to the Westmead Hospital Foundation go directly to our frontline staff. You can be assured that 100% of your donation will directly support Westmead Hospital Healthcare staff.

You can make your donation by visiting https://westmeadhf.org.au/coffee/

Minister for Transport Andrew Constance recently announced the start of the tender process to build almost 50km of new metro railway tunnels between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD on the Sydney Metro West project.

The NSW Government has called for expressions of interest for the mega project’s first two major infrastructure packages – the delivery of twin tunnels between Westmead and The Bays.

“Now more than ever, infrastructure projects like Sydney Metro West support jobs, communities and the economy – Sydney Metro West will create more than 10,000 direct new jobs and 70,000 indirect jobs, with thousands of these jobs being generated by these new tunnelling contracts,” Mr Constance said.

“These contracts will require tunnellers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, concrete workers, truck drivers, labourers and security guards.”

The first of four mega tunnel boring machines are expected to be in the ground before the end of 2022.

Expressions of interest have been called for the first two tunnelling contracts from Westmead to Sydney Olympic Park and from Sydney Olympic Park to The Bays.

“Sydney Metro West is a truly once-in-a-century city shaping project that will forever change how we get around Sydney,” Mr Constance said.

“Just as importantly, the construction of this mega project will create many thousands of new jobs and support families across Sydney.”

The Sydney Metro West project will deliver a new underground driverless metro railway from Westmead to the city, doubling the rail capacity of this corridor and cutting travel times to around 20 minutes between Parramatta and the city.

“Perspective will get us through this chapter.” Ben Crowe, mindset coach and director of Mojo Crowe, explores the challenges he has seen those he’s coached overcome when confronted with events that are out of their control.

In this wide-ranging interview, he provides actionable insights on how to find perspective, adapt to ever-changing circumstances and grow through adversity.

Watch the full interview here.

Macquarie has been providing Business Banking solutions for over 30 years and provides SME clients with tools and strategies to grow and develop their business. You can get regular updates by subscribing to the monthly newsletter, Strictly Business by visiting macquarie.com.au/businessbanking. If you would like to find out more about how Macquarie can support you to take your business further, call Sam McCarthy at our Parramatta office on 0417 518 724 and be connected with one of our banking specialists.

This information has been prepared by Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 237502 (“Macquarie”) for general information purposes only. This information does not constitute advice. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. No member of Macquarie accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect, consequential or other loss arising from any use of this information.

Infrastructure NSW are currently seeking feedback during the design and planning of the new Powerhouse, to ensure the Museum benefits and enhances the local community. The feedback shared during this early phase of planning will help shape the future of the Museum.

Engaging with key stakeholders and local community is an integral part of the planning process, however given the current circumstances of COVID-19 Infrastructure NSW will not be holding public meetings.

The community's feedback is important so Infrastructure NSW have created other ways to share feedback and talk to the project team:

Email: powerhouse.parramatta@infrastructure.nsw.gov.au

Phone: 1800 679 121

Complete their online survey

For more information on the planning process, view the presentation Infrastructure NSW have been delivering throughout the engagement process or visit their website. 

Western Sydney’s leading business news service is growing its international reach.

Statistics from the international publishing platform, ISSUU, shows that Western Sydney Business Access (WSBA) is growing its international readership base.

WSBA is published by Access News Australia Pty Ltd (ANA), which also publishes Central Coast Business Access (CCBA).

ISSUU statistics show readership of WSBA come from the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, India, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Ireland and New Zealand. Outside of Australia, WSBA is most read in the USA and Canada.

WSBA publisher Michael Walls said the readership results where pleasing and demonstrated the value of publishing strong original content.

“Access is fortunate to have among our contributors some very talented journalists with many years’ experience and this enables us to serve our markets well in terms of publishing relevant and interesting content,” Mr Walls said.

In these challenging times of Coronavirus Western Sydney Business Access (WSBA) is taking steps to ensure readers and clients continue to have easy access to Western Sydney’s leading business news service.

“We are mindful of following the Government's social distancing guidelines, while maintaining our relationship with the regional business community and our loyal reader base,” said Mr Walls.

From the April edition and until further notice the distribution of printed copies of WSBA will be reduced and WSBA will be primarily distributed to readers digitally.

This means that WSBA will be created as usual and posted as a downloadable PDF at www.accessnews.com.au for easy viewing 24/7, as has always been the case.

Further, each edition will be broadcasted to more than 50,000 carefully targeted Western Sydney residents and business people via Facebook, LinkedIn and direct email links.

WSBA has engaged the services of respected media agency Happy Hippo Media to develop the social media campaigns for WSBA.

“We are confident that our new online distribution model will result in even more readers of WSBA,” Mr Walls said.

“As the global pandemic eases, we will resume normal distribution of our newspaper. We wish all Western Sydney residents the very best in these challenging times.”

Feel free to contact WSBA at any time at info@accessnews.com.au. To view the online edition go to www.accessnews.com.au.

Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies program shines a spotlight on Australia’s most outstanding private businesses and the exceptional performance that drives them. 

Companies are evaluated against global benchmarks for success, across the following areas:

• Strategy
• Culture and Commitment
• Capabilities and Innovation
• Governance and Financials

Throughout the process Deloitte will guide each company and provide you with the tools to take your business to the next level.

Eligibility criteria

Companies who want to apply must meet the following criteria:

• In operation for more than three years with financial documentation
• Privately Owned Enterprise
• Revenue greater than AUD$75 million in the most recent year of business
• Headquartered in Australia

The following companies are ineligible:

• Public companies
• Foreign multinationals and their subsidiaries
• Credit unions/insurance companies/banks/co-ops
• Charities and not-for-profit organisations and their subsidiaries
• Government-owned/public sector agencies
• Partnerships

Contact

For more information and to find out how you can nominate your company, click here.

Bankwest Stadium injects $1 million into Parramatta’s local economy every time it holds a major event. Recent research commissioned by City of Parramatta found that Bankwest Stadium has had a large economic impact on the City in a very short time.

The report ‘Bankwest Stadium – Bolstering the local economy’, is a snapshot of Parramatta’s future. Since opening in April 2019, the 30,000-seat venue has cemented itself as Sydney’s new home of entertainment and sport, and is attracting a new, ongoing wave of visitors to Parramatta – all of whom are spending money.

The research, conducted by reputable agency, Micromex Research, included a survey of more than 600 people who attended one of three weekend sporting matches at Bankwest in June and July last year. People were asked a range of questions, including how they got to Parramatta, what they thought of our City, and how they spent their money. Not only was their spend positive, but their experience of the City and the new Bankwest Stadium rated highly across all areas.

Key findings from the research include:

• Visitation to Bankwest Stadium has a direct link to a positive, incremental spend in the Parramatta area before and after a match.
• Bankwest Stadium has played a significant role in shaping positive perceptions not only of the stadium itself, but of Parramatta as a leisure and recreation destination.
• There is a higher spend amongst patrons who take public or active transport to and from the stadium than those who drive.
• A significant portion of the respondents were unable to rate the range and quality of cafes, restaurants, bars and clubs in Parramatta, suggesting there are growth opportunities for this sector.

In an effort to leverage the increased visitation in Parramatta and support local businesses, City of Parramatta Council is upgrading lighting along a critical pathway to ensure stadium goers can safely and easily access Church Street’s dining options before or after a match. Council is also involved in promoting matches to the City’s corporate businesses in an effort to generate higher economic activity.

Overall, the three sporting matches generated a combined estimated $2.92 million for the local economy, with approximately 57 percent of this generated pre and post-match outside the stadium. Among the highest rated criteria were pre and post-match safety (mean ratings of 9.06 and 8.77 out of 10 respectively), and the range of cafes/restaurants/ bars/clubs available (8.73 out of 10). Significantly, 88 percent of patrons indicated their visitation at Bankwest Stadium positively influenced their perception of Parramatta as a leisure and recreation destination.

The first major piece of new infrastructure in a City that is undergoing considerable transformation, Bankwest Stadium offers local businesses a first glimpse of the widespread economic benefits still to come.

To read the full report, please visit investparramatta.com.au.

This year Westmead Hospital Foundation celebrates 30 years of fundraising for health care and research at Westmead Hospital.

In 1990, a small team of clinicians and researchers passionate about furthering their work in Western Sydney began the Foundation. Today, 30 years later, the professional fundraising team at the Foundation continue this work – advocating for Westmead’s world leading health care and research, and the impact it has in our community and globally.

Over this time Westmead Hospital Foundation’s core mission has remained unchanged - raising funds to support Westmead Hospital’s clinical services through state-of-the-art medical and surgical equipment, new technology, research and patient care.

Through the generous support of individuals, community and corporate donors the Foundation has continued to fund life-saving medical and surgical equipment, ground-breaking research and scholarships for further education of our clinicians for the people of Western Sydney and beyond.

In October 2020, the new Central Acute Services Building will open and will increase integration between Westmead Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney. It will host several adult and children’s services, including emergency, pharmacy, imaging and state-of-the-art operating suites. The new facilities and services will improve health outcomes and experiences for our patients, carers, families, staff, students and communities.

Westmead Hospital Foundation’s fundraising support programs are needed more than ever to support the continued growth and expansion of services at Westmead Hospital now and into the future.

Businesses today recognise the benefits of giving staff the time to give back to the community in small and meaningful ways. Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney offers this opportunity to your business through its group volunteering program, Meals From The Heart.

You’re invited to step into our kitchen for a night and cook fresh, nutritious meals for seriously ill children and their families who call our House a home-away-from-home.

Rachael from Aryzta, international food business, and Meals From The Heart participant says:

“Supporting RMHC Greater Western Sydney’s Meals from the Heart corporate volunteering program gives our team a sense of community and an opportunity to give back in a small, practical way to families who are going through the toughest time of their lives. The Meals From The Heart nights give families a time to come together in a warm, friendly environment over a home-cooked meal… that they didn’t have to prepare! It allows parents to spend time with their seriously ill child and their other children and simply enjoy a family dinner, together.”

The program provides the families staying at the Westmead House with a delicious hot meal, three nights a week. Families find comfort in hearing laughter in the kitchen and enjoying dinner that’s been served with a smile.

Tanya-Lee, mum of Codee, who stayed at the House for 241 nights says:

“The Meals From The Heart dinners were always such a highlight when we were there. Especially when you’d had a long day on ward, the last thing you wanted to do was cook dinner! And the kids always enjoyed the company of the people who came.”

Western Sydney businesses, rally your teams together!

For your next corporate volunteering day, why not come and cook a Meal From The Heart?

Click here to book or contact the RMHC Western Sydney team at:

E: supportingGWS@rmhc.org.au

P: (02) 9806 7111

Welcome to 2020 and what promises to be another exciting year in the legal world!

Recent events and the attitude of legislators and regulators means that more than ever this will be a year where businesses need to understand the rules that govern the conduct of their operations and take action to comply.

The Headlines

Headlining this years annual legal update are issues relating to:

• the Corporations Act and the tougher maximum penalties that apply
• the Australian Consumer Law and some record-breaking fines that indicate a resolve to enforce the law
• automatic rollover clauses and potential remedies for small business
• excessive surcharge clauses – what is appropriate and what isn’t!
• social media and the need for businesses to actively monitor and moderate comments and posts on their social media accounts as part of their risk management strategies

The Takeaway

Whilst some of the changes have been operational for some time, nevertheless they remain topical as we are still finding businesses that are either falling short of these requirements or missing out on taking advantage of changes that are beneficial, and with the adverse consequences highlighted by recent court decisions, now is the time to be proactive!

CORPORATIONS ACT - Tougher maximum penalties & the ‘why not litigate’ mantra of ASIC

In response to the Banking Royal Commission, Parliament passed amendments to the Corporations Act which came into effect on 13 March 2019.

The effect of these changes is to significantly increase the maximum civil and criminal penalties which apply to breaches of the Corporations Act.  READ MORE>

AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW - Record breaking fines

2019 saw a continued trend of record-breaking fines imposed against companies for breaches of the Australian Consumer Law.  READ MORE>

AUTOMATIC ROLLOVER CLAUSES – What are your rights?

During 2019 we received many enquiries from small businesses looking to get out of contracts with “automatic rollover” provisions.

An automatic rollover provision is a clause in a contract which provides that the contract will automatically renew for an additional term unless one of the parties opts out by giving notice to the other party of its intention not to renew. These clauses raise concerns for small businesses.  READ MORE>

EXCESSIVE SURCHARGE LAWS – Beware!

Does your business charge consumers a surcharge for processing credit and debit card payments?

If so, changes to the Competition and Consumer Act in 2016 mean companies are prohibited from charging customers excessive payment surcharges.  READ MORE> 

SOCIAL MEDIA - Be on high alert as to the risks!

An important decision was handed down in 2019 by the New South Wales Supreme Court in Voller v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (and others) which is highly relevant to any business which uses social media to promote its activities.  READ MORE> 

More Information and Contacts

As this is intended as a brief synopsis only, we would be pleased to discuss with you any questions arising and provide such other advice or assistance as you may require. In that respect, please contact a member of our Commercial Law Team including:

Stewart Gough E: stewartg@matthewsfolbigg.com.au P: 9806 7483

Phillip Brophy E: phillipb@matthewsfolbigg.com.au P: 9806 7452

Douglas Brown E: douglasb@matthewsfolbigg.com.au P: 9806 7408

Edward Choi E: edwardc@matthewsfolbigg.com.au P: 9806 7432

Best wishes for 2020.

Stewart Gough, Principal