How do you change behaviours in a small workplace? 

Providing a 'fair go' is part of Australia's cultural DNA, but it is also good for business – if you acknowledge the growing body of evidence from high-profile consulting firms like McKinsey and Deloitte.

The consensus from these groups is that companies who demonstrate inclusion through racial, ethnic and gender diversity, to name a few, perform better. But while the commercial benefits of a diverse workforce have been proven for large organisations (who can dedicate sizeable budgets to diversity and inclusion programs), are the same benefits true for small businesses with a handful of staff?

Click here to read the full article.

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 Aisling Osborne or Melissa Chung at our Parramatta office on 0410 310 716 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.

Regional Development Australia Sydney and Penrith City Council invite you to a “Building Export Capability for Small to Medium Enterprises Workshop” to be held at Penrith on 19 October 2018. As part of a series of workshops made possible through funding from the NSW Government, this workshop aims to help aspiring and existing exporters from Western Sydney.

The Building Export Capability Workshop will cover:

• Welcome by Penrith City Council
  
• Workshop content and facilitation by the Export Council of Australia
  
• Case study discussion
  
• Tips for export planning, resourcing, marketing and visiting your target market
  

Who should attend?

• Western Sydney businesses looking to develop a growth plan to extend beyond the domestic market
  
• Aspiring exporters and new exporters from Western Sydney
  
• Existing exporters from Western Sydney that would like an export refresher
  

A new, $100 million retail development will create jobs and investment in Western Sydney while helping secure the future of Australia’s biggest urban park.

The Eastern Creek Quarter – a new retail precinct at the junction of the M7 Motorway and the Great Western Highway – will create around 500 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs

The Quarter, which is being developed by Frasers Property Australia, will be home to supermarkets, specialty shops, and large format retail and ‘big-box’ stores, which might include businesses selling whitegoods, furniture or electrical products.

The land is owned by Western Sydney Parklands Trust and the revenue raised through leases will help secure its financial position as it expands its networks of parks, picnic grounds and recreation and leisure attractions.

Trust Executive Director, Suellen Fitzgerald, said the Western Sydney Parklands was becoming an important driver of not only lifestyle and leisure opportunities, but also economic growth in Western Sydney.

“Western Sydney Parklands is expected to generate $2.2 billion in additional economic activity for Western Sydney by 2031, through its unique range of open spaces and recreation and tourism attractions,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“The Eastern Creek Quarter opens will attract visitors to the region from right across Greater Sydney.

“It is the second Western Sydney Parklands business hub to break ground, with the Horsley Drive Business Park just a few kilometres down the road – Australia’s first light industrial, commercial development to achieve a 6 star, ‘Green Star’ rating.

“The revenue from these business hubs and the others in development provides a sustainable financial base for the ongoing operation of the Parklands and the development of new parks, picnic areas, walking and cycling trails, and recreation and tourism opportunities.

“It will also help the Trust add to the more-than 1,300 hectares of bushland it has restored and planted over the last decade – including large areas of vital and endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland.”

The Eastern Creek Quarter site covers 15 hectares and will be built in up to four stages over five years. It is composed of 50,000 square metres of floor space for supermarkets and specialty shops, as well as ‘big box’ outlets, retailing products such as whitegoods, furniture or electrical products. The first stage due for completion in October 2019.

At more than 5,200 hectares, Western Sydney Parklands is the biggest urban park in Australia and one of the biggest in the world; spanning 27 kilometres from north to south.

Pitcher Partners are pleased to provide you with the latest edition of their national publication - Property of Pitcher Partners. This publication provides insight and commentary on the Australian property market.

In this edition they cover:

• Australian prime residential market
  
• Late cycle or sustained momentum?
  
• Structuring investment in Australian real property – manage investment trusts
  
• Changes to Victorian stamp duty law will impact property development and investment partnerships
  
• Are you risking a tax hit by bundling your block with your neighbour?
  
• 2018 Budget: Denial of tax deductions on vacant land
  
• Property and strategy - linking property investment decisions to strategy

Click here to read the winter edition of Property of Pitcher Partners 2018.

For further information, please contact your Pitcher Partners representative.

Contact

Scott McGill

Partner, Property Group

+61 2 8236 7880

scott.mcgill@pitcher.com.au

Pitcher Partners Sydney

Level 22 MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000

www.pitcher.com.au

Book your Christmas event* by 1^st December for each guest to receive a signature cocktail on arrival plus your choice of:

2 x Member’s Reserve race day tickets (non-carnival) for every guest attending

or

A table of four to dine at Royal Randwick or Rosehill Gardens (non-carnival).

*event min 200 pax

Contact Events By ATC for further information:

P: 1300 729 668

W: eventsbyATC.com.au

E: info@eventsbyATC.com.au

When most people start out in a professional career, their FUNCTIONAL expertise is the primary indicator of their level of performance.

Most are promoted because of this functional expertise. Their value to the organisation is approximately 80% functional skills and 20% human skills (soft skills such as communication and collaboration).

At the point at which that promotion now has them leading or managing other people, the 80/20 rule flips.

The skills they now require are 80% human skills and 20% functional skills.

Many are not very strong in the human skills. Some are talented in some aspects of human skills e.g. in communicating their ideas to a range of people, but are not as strong in delegating or having honest conversations.

These human skills can be learned, and in fact we owe it to our star performers to ensure that they are trained in these skills. Otherwise we promote them, yet set them up for failure.

How do you ensure the people you are promoting are properly equipped with the human SKILLS they will need to succeed in their new position?

World Class Teams one day GREENLINE program is the perfect way start focusing on these skills. They have an upcoming GREENLINE OPEN program at the Mecure Parramatta on Wednesday 17th October.

To LEARN MORE and book your tickets please visit https://greenline.eventbrite.com.au

Landcom has achieved fourth place in the world and third place across the Asia Pacific in the 2018 Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Developer Assessment.

Landcom is the only government land organisation in the world to participate alongside publicly-listed and private companies in GRESB, which assesses environmental, social and governance management and implementation performance.

Landcom Chief Executive Officer John Brogden said he was delighted to see the organisation achieve such a big improvement on last year’s results, in Landcom’s second year of participation.

“GRESB is an independent, globally recognised benchmarking assessment for the real estate sector, which provides participants and stakeholders with valuable, transparent, internationally recognised evaluation of development activities,” Mr Brogden said.

“It also enables Landcom to track our performance against industry peers, reveals best practice trends, and helps us identify emerging issues.”

GRESB Head of Asia Pacific Ruben Langbroek said Landcom had shown strong demonstrative leadership in sustainable urban development.

“Through its projects, policies and processes, Landcom has shown a clear focus on material topics such as liveability, resilience, and environmental quality,” Mr Langbroek said.

“This has resulted in them receiving maximum scores in the GRESB Developer Assessment for social and governance aspects.

“We’re delighted to have Landcom as the first and only government land developer globally to participate in GRESB.”

Landcom Senior Manager of Sustainability Lauren Kajewski said Landcom’s participation was a key part of its Sustainable Places Strategy, which was committed to industry leadership in environmental, social, economic and governance within the development sector.

“Landcom was assessed on how we manage and address material sustainability issues, such as emissions reductions, resilience to climate change, and the health and wellbeing of our people and communities,” Ms Kajewski said.

“This year we received a score of 90 out of 100, compared to 76 last year, placing us third behind internationally renowned Australian companies Lendlease (1st) and Frasers (2nd). The participant peer average was 67.

“Each year we see strong leadership from Australian development companies participating in GRESB, and we congratulate our peers for their continued strong results.

“We’re aiming to improve our performance in 2019, as we embed our Sustainable Places Strategy.”

This year 903 property companies, real estate investment trusts, funds, and developers participated in the Real Estate Assessment, an increase of six per cent on the previous year.

The assessment now covers more than 79,000 assets, of which more than 49,000 reported at the asset level, across 64 countries and represents more than $USD3.6 trillion in gross asset value.

About Landcom

Landcom is the NSW Government’s land and property development organisation. They are a state owned corporation working in conjunction with the private sector to produce quality housing and communities that also delivers social and economic benefits to the people of NSW.

Visit www.landcom.nsw.gov.au for more information.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Western Sydney once again invites you to celebrate Spring Carnival racing in style at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse!

Date: Saturday, 22 September

Time: 12pm-5.30pm

Venue: In the Grand Pavilion Rosehill Racecourse

Tickets: Table of 10 $2200 or individual ticket $220pp

This Race Day Event is the perfect way to enjoy the Golden Rose Day, which features the Group 1 Golden Rose, along with the Golden Pendant.

Catch all the action overlooking the winning post at the Exclusive VIP function in the Grand Pavilion, while you enjoy a delicious lunch, networking opportunities, guest speakers, and private bookmaking facilities.

Tickets available for $2200 (table of 10) or $220 (per person), including:

• Access to an exclusive VIP function in the Grand Pavilion, overlooking the winning post
• 5-hour beverage package including beer, wine, sparkling wine and soft drinks
• Buffet luncheon and afternoon tea
• Guest speakers
• Private betting and bookmaking facilities
• Live and silent auctions and on-site raffles
• Networking opportunities with attendees from the racing and corporate communities
• A racebook to keep track of the day’s action

This is a not-to-be-missed event on the Spring Carnival calendar so giddy up to enjoy the best of Spring Carnival racing while you help families with a seriously ill child.

Click here to book now 

Are you a business that can add value across the social services sector and/or enhance partnerships to alleviate poverty and inequality in NSW? Join NSW Council of Social Services (NCOSS) through NCOSS Connections to work with communities to support people that are experiencing poverty and inequality.

NCOSS Connections brings together businesses, not-for-profit organisations and government to work together towards a NSW free of poverty and inequality.

We are looking for businesses with aligned values who are seeking to:

- Provide high quality, targeted services / products ( IT, Marketing, Financial, Professional Development, etc) to our not-for-profit members to help build the capacity of the social sector and/or

- Connect to stakeholders across the social services and/or government sectors to explore possible collaborations that will alleviate poverty and disadvantage across NSW.

How We Connect

In 2015 NCOSS played an integral part in the development of the $1.1 billion Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF). Through consultations, workshops and networking events, NCOSS Connections brought together key stakeholders including representatives of the social sector, community housing providers, consumers, developers, investors, social housing finance advisors and urban planners for opportunities to collaborate. Through key networking events and participation in a bespoke broker workshops, NCOSS was able to assist in brokering partnerships and in the development of strong and innovative proposals to tender for SAHF Phase 2 funding.

Join NCOSS Connections to link with leaders across the social services and government sectors and gain access to advocacy and policy expertise around social issues affecting NSW.

NCOSS Connections Member Benefits:

- Align your business with a trusted brand and the peak body for the social sector;

- Unique opportunities to engage with government and social sector leaders;

- Promote your product and/or service offerings both targeted at not-for-profit organisations and more generally;

- Validate your brand as a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility

Let’s connect for greater social impact!

Contact us today to discuss how you can be a part of the journey to advocate, collaborate and mobilise for change to end poverty and inequality in NSW.

For more information contact: Susie Saba | Business Development Manager | E: susie@ncoss.org.au | P: 02 8960 7918 | M: 0407 780 787

Book now for Northcott’s 23rd Annual Cricket Gala Dinner.

Date:

Thursday 8 November 2018

Where:

Sydney Cricket Ground

Time:

6pm: Pre-dinner drinks presented by Terry Shields Toyota

7pm: Dinner in the Noble Dining Room

11pm: Dinner concludes

Cost:

Individual $295 inc. GST

Table of Ten $2,950 inc. GST

We hope you can join Northcott for a great event that is attended by over 400 corporate guests, attracts past and present cricketers and importantly raises funds for recreational and social activities for children and adults with disability so they can achieve their goals!

Click here to book now