On 17 May 2018 the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, granted an airport lease over the Western Sydney Airport site to WSA Co Limited (WSA Co).

As the government-owned company tasked with building the airport, WSA Co has taken over management of the airport site from the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities. This is an important step towards the construction of the Western Sydney Airport, which will drive economic and social growth in Western Sydney via a thriving airport precinct which will stimulate local jobs, attract new businesses and bring new education opportunities.

The Government is working closely with WSA Co to ensure a smooth transition as we assume the role of the Airport Lessee Company (ALC). As the ALC, WSA Co will become subject to a wide range of obligations under the Airports Act 1996 and associated regulations. This includes the Airports (Building Control) Regulations 1996 and the Airports (Environment Protection) Regulations 1997.

The Commonwealth Government will maintain responsibility for several specific activities in relation to the Western Sydney Airport, including the airspace design and biodiversity offsets. They will also continue to facilitate the Forum on Western Sydney Airport (FOWSA).

The grant of the airport lease marks the next stage in the delivery of the Western Sydney Airport, which will play an important part in the wider economic expansion of Western Sydney. 

Campbelltown City Council is committed to creating a local economy that is dynamic, diverse and provides opportunities for residents, visitors, businesses and investors to live, work, play and learn close to home. The creation of a night time economy is an important element in the realisation of this vision and a necessary requirement for the revitalisation of Campbelltown CBD.

With this in mind, Council has commenced work on the development of a Night Time Economy Strategy and Action Plan for the Campbelltown CBD, focusing on the area from Leumeah to Macarthur Square. The project will focus on creating a vibrant, safe and sustainable economy at night.

Take the community survey

Take the business survey

Council would like to hear your ideas on how to create a thriving night time economy. They invite you to share your insights and perspectives on the future of the Campbelltown CBD by completing a quick survey.

Enquiries:

Email: business@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au

Phone: 02 4645 4476

Stage 1 of Parramatta Light Rail is now full steam ahead after planning approval from the NSW Government was received for the project.

Planning approval follows extensive consultation with the community, local businesses and valued stakeholders including Westmead Hospital, the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Western Sydney University, the City of Parramatta Council, Western Sydney Business Chamber and the Parramatta Chamber of Commerce.

Stage 1 of Parramatta Light Rail will link Westmead to Carlingford via Parramatta CBD and Camellia, connecting key destinations including the Westmead Precinct, the new Western Sydney Stadium, the new Powerhouse Museum and three Western Sydney University campuses as well as communities at Camellia and Telopea.

Associated road, traffic and remediation works for the Parramatta Light Rail will take place later this year, with major construction to begin in 2019. The light rail will begin services in 2023.

For more information, refer to the Parramatta Light Rail website or contact us at parramattalightrail@transport.nsw.gov.au

The HSBC Sydney 7s is heading west with the announcement that the 2019 tournament will be played at Spotless Stadium in the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

Having had three successful years at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, the hugely popular tournament will light up Sydney’s west over three action-packed days from February 1-3.

To celebrate the move, and in a first for the tournament, the HSBC Sydney 7s will throw open it’s doors on Friday 1 February with free entry for all fans for the opening day of action.

Fans will be able to cheer on the Qantas Australian Men’s and Women’s Sevens teams as they fight to defend their titles after running out emphatic winners in their home tournament earlier this year.

Sydney Olympic Park will be transformed into a Rugby festival with live bands, rides, interactive entertainment, the kids zone, and plenty of places to eat and drink, coupled with the best Rugby Sevens athletes from across the world doing battle just a year out from the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Fan-favourites that have become synonymous with the HSBC Sydney 7s will return with Dance Cam, Kiss Cam, The Gun show, and Karaoke all to feature again in the 2019 edition. There will also be some new additions and surprises to be announced over the coming months.

Rugby Australia Chief Executive, Raelene Castle said: “This is a great opportunity for families and Rugby fans in the greater Sydney region to come along and experience the fun and excitement of the HSBC Sydney 7s and witness truly world class athletes play one of the fastest growing sports in the world.

“Anyone who has been to the tournament in Sydney will tell you its not just about the footy, Sevens Rugby is the complete package. It’s a chance to get your mates together, deck yourself out in fancy dress and experience all the entertainment on offer.

“There is a genuine international flavour to the tournament which is unrivalled in sport, with fans coming from all corners of the globe to cheer on their teams.

“The major highlight of any Sevens tournament anywhere in the world is seeing the passion and flair of the Fijian fans, and we know that there are large communities of Fijians and Rugby fans from other island nations in Western Sydney who have been waiting for the opportunity to experience the tournament in their own backyard.”

NSW Minister for Sport and Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres said: “Western Sydney is home to some of Australia’s biggest and best major sporting events and some of the city’s most passionate fans, so Spotless Stadium is the perfect home for the Sydney 7s,” Ayres said.

“Beyond all the action on field, the event will also provide a boost to the local visitor economy, with hotels, restaurants and attractions set to be buzzing with visitors from around Australia and the world. I encourage everyone to get their tickets early and start planning an extended stay in Western Sydney.”

HSBC Australia CEO, Martin Tricaud, said: “The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is an exciting competition which brings the great game of rugby to new audiences all around the world. The Australian tournament has become one of the highlights of the world tour and we are looking forward to the event at Spotless Stadium next year.”

Fans are encouraged to take advantage of the early bird ticket offer and register at sydney7s.com.au for the early bird prices. Tickets will go on public sale on Thursday August 23.

The NSW Government invites you to an “opportunities in India event” in Sydney. This event aims to help aspiring and existing exporters to India.

With a rapidly growing population of more than 1.2 billion, India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation within a decade. India’s middle-class population is expected to soar to about 200 million by 2020, generating huge demand for high-quality, protein-rich foods as well as numerous opportunities across a number of different sectors of the economy.

The workshop will cover:

• Welcome by the NSW Government
• India: opportunities for NSW Business - presentation by Rohit Manchanda - Trade & Investment Commissioner for India
• Panel discussion: expert tips on doing business in India
• Q&A

Who should attend?

• Businesses looking to develop a growth plan to extend beyond the domestic market
• Aspiring exporters and new exporters
• Existing exporters wanting an export refresher

Expert Speakers:

• Mr Rohit Manchanda - Trade & Investment Commissioner for India
• Ms Kylie Bell - Director & Oceania Leader, India & ASEAN Business Group and NSW President & National Board Member, Australian India Business Council
• Mr Peter Mackey, Director, International Trade - NSW Trade and Investment

Event details

When: 8.00am – 10.00am, Thursday, 31 May 2018

Where: Level 48, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000

Cost: Free (places are limited), a light networking breakfast will be provided.

Register here

The Australia-China Zhejiang Trade and Investment Forum on 28 May 2018 is a half day event at Sofitel, supported by Austrade, NSW Government, CCPIT, Commonwealth Bank and Hall & Wilcox.

The event will see business matching opportunities, with a delegation of up to 100 CEOs and senior executives from leading Chinese companies in the Zhejiang province seeking investment, trade and business opportunities in Australia. Host of the G20 summit in 2016, Zhejiang is a province of around 55 million people. It represents one of the richest, busiest and most advanced provinces in China.

Business opportunities for both Australian and Chinese businesses will be in: Technology, Services, Energy, Resources, Education, Tourism, Agribusiness, Finance, Investment, Manufacturing and Logistics and Health.

Event Format – Business and Opportunity Matching

The event will include relatively short proceedings, with the bulk of the time dedicated to a business and opportunity matching session.

Chinese Companies Attending

Click here to view the list of companies from Zhejiang attending including the business opportunities.

Register Now

Step 1: Click here to find out more

Step 2: Register your place (limited spaces available)

Asialink Business and the NSW Government are delighted to invite you to attend:

ASEAN Markets: Opportunities for NSW Businesses

Date: Thursday 31 May 2018

Time: 12.00pm for a 12.30pm start to 2.00pm

Venue: Level 48, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place, Sydney

Registration: Click here

Registrations close on Tuesday 29 May 2018

This seminar is designed for businesses looking to develop a growth plan to extend beyond the domestic market. The seminar will provide expert tips on boosting your export capabilities in ASEAN markets.

With a population of more than 600 million and a collective GDP of $US2.5 trillion, the Association of South East Asian Nations now attracts more global foreign direct investment than China in markets beyond the traditional focus on Singapore and Malaysia. Hear from a panel of expert speakers on:

• Current ASEAN markets (overview)
• Emerging opportunities for exporting to fast-growing ASEAN markets
• Starting or refreshing your business export strategy
• Tips on doing business in ASEAN regions

Panellists:

Mercy Simorangkir, Director, NSW Trade & Investment – Indonesia

Mercy Simorangkir is the Director, NSW Trade & Investment for Indonesia based in Jakarta. Mercy works towards growing NSW trade and investment with Indonesia with a focus on the sectors of infrastructure and sustainable urban development, innovation and technology and education and training.

Cherriyln Neo, Director, NSW Trade & Investment – Singapore

Cherriyln Neo is the Director, NSW Trade & Investment in Singapore, dedicated to growing NSW business with Singapore. Sectors of focus for NSW in Singapore are infrastructure investment, ICT/healthcare/fintech investment, and healthcare and financial services export.

David Albaiceta, Director, NSW Trade & Investment – Malaysia

David is an MBA educated professional with 15 years’ experience in healthcare logistics in the Asia Pacific region with a proven record managing teams and projects successfully. David was employed in Thailand and China for Tractus Asia, a consultancy company providing advisory services for Economic Development Organizations working to attract FDI flows to or from Asia. He has acted as an advisor to the investment promotion agencies of the governments of Spain, Australia (Victoria) and Mongolia; as well as The World Bank, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.

Cost:

Asialink Corporate Member/ Chairman’s Circle/ Leaders Program Alumni: $33.00

Non Member: $55.00

For further information please contact Shirlin Liu on x.liu@asialinkbusiness.com.au or 03 9035 3088.

Avid outdoor enthusiasts once again made their way to Rosehill Gardens for the 2018 NSW Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow.

Showcasing all the latest and greatest caravans, motorhomes, and a wide array of outdoor and camping accessories, the Supershow did not disappoint its fans.

Making its Golden Jubilee this year, the exhibition is the largest event of its type in Australia, and the largest expo held at Rosehill Gardens each year. Attracting around 60,000 attendees over the six days, the 300+ exhibitors occupied 35,000 square meters of exhibition space.

Operating from twelve food and beverage outlets, five of which were custom built specifically for the expo, the venue was well equipped and prepared to accommodate an event of such size.  Working alongside the NSW Police, Roads and Maritime Services and Parramatta Local Council, the event and operations teams adhered to a comprehensive Traffic Management plan ensuring thousands of vehicles had access to free parking and a smooth traffic flow over the course of the six days of the show.

Complementing the exhibition’s daily catering production was a 50^th Anniversary Celebration cocktail reception for 350 people held in the Hive, with guests served first class catering by our award winning Executive Chef and team.

Rosehill Garden's audio visual team worked with the client to provide overlay of the precinct so that announcer messages and background music were distributed to all areas of the site, an undertaking that enabled attendees to move around the site without difficulty and be across event updates. An overwhelmingly successful large-scale show, the whole site was reverted back to its core business and was race day ready within five days post event. No mean feat by any standards.

The Australian Turf Club look forward to welcoming back the NSW Caravan Camping Holiday Supershow again in 2019!

By Darrin Mitchell, Senior Associate, Insolvency Restructuring and Debt Recovery Group, Matthews Folbigg Lawyers 

Following on from Matthews Follbigg's article on the Safe Harbour provisions recently introduced, Credit Managers should also be aware of the proposed additions to the Corporations Act 2001 (“the Act”) that attempt to create further reforms for companies in financial stress.

The reforms are known as the “ipso facto” provisions. Don’t let the Latin term confuse you as it simply means “by the mere fact”.

An ipso facto clause is commonly the phrase used for a term in a contract that should a certain event occur, then another act can follow. Credit Managers would be aware of their own terms of credit and goods/services supply which (should) include ipso facto clauses. These clauses can include allowing for cessation of the agreement, or at least some modification, should an insolvency event occur that affects the solvency of the customer, such as liquidity issues leading to administration and/or liquidation.

A company under financial stress may wish to implement some form of restructure which allows for a trade-on of business and may include the appointment of an administrator. The ipso facto clauses within the company’s supplier agreements may result in the termination of the contract of supply, leading to the demise of the company as it can no longer obtain its core products and so defeat the intended reforms.

The recent provisions to the Act allow for a stay on the implementation of the stop supply provisions available to the creditor should the company enter into some form of administration or other scheme of arrangement. The stay does not affect a decision to stop credit to the company, only the supply of goods and/or services. The stay would cease if the company was placed into liquidation therefore allowing the creditor to then enforce the terms of its agreement.

Whilst these provisions allow for a company in financial difficulty to attempt to trade out of its position, creditors should be aware of their inability under the Act to turn off supply of their goods and/or services to the company and manage their debt collection process as they would prefer. Credit Managers should also be aware of the possibility of claims for preferential payments should the company continue to trade then go into liquidation.

The reforms are in their infancy and whether or not they will be successful or have any real positive effect is yet to be seen, so creditors should take constructive steps early to protect their position and interests.

The above summary is designed to give creditors a general idea of the recent reforms to and the continuing provisions of the Act that may impact upon them and debt collection processes employed by them. Any specific advice on the ipso facto reforms or preference claims received can be discussed by contacting the team at Matthews Folbigg.

Matthews Folbigg's comments on the Safe Harbour reforms can be reviewed here

If you would like more information or advice in relation to insolvency, restructuring or debt recovery practice and procedure, contact Darrin Mitchell on 02 9806 7428 or by email or a Principal of the Matthews Folbigg Insolvency, Restructuring & Debt Recovery Group:

Jeffrey Brown on (02) 9806 7446 or by email

Stephen Mullette on (02) 9806 7459 or by email

Making Western Sydney Greater is a collaborative project between William Buck, St.George, Western Sydney University and Western Sydney Business Connection.

Our sixth survey will target Western Sydney business owners and managers and identify issues specific to the region, helping to drive positive change.

The four organisations leading this research will use the results to contribute to and influence discussions on NSW Government policy regarding workforce skill and employee training.

When you participate you’ll get priority access to all of these resources, as well as a full copy of the research report.

To be involved, email research@williambuck.com