Council reforms backed

THE Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) has reiterated its call for local government reform. But the peak business body says the reform must be undertaken properly with efficiencies and savings demonstrated that would benefit ratepayers and the economy.

The TCCI welcomed the recent release of two independent reports supporting local government reform in Tasmania.

The Southern Tasmanian Councils Authority (STCA) has released a structural reform options paper designed to reduce costs, improve advocacy and promote a more productive economy.  This follows the release of a report by Deloitte Access Economics commissioned by the Property Council, suggesting that savings of 10-35 percent could be achieved by council amalgamations, if implemented with community support.

“There is a wave of consensus building in the business sector and growing support in the broader community that we need re-assess the way local government services are delivered,” TCCI CEO Robert Wallace said.

“While the TCCI fully supports council amalgamations, ultimately there has to be clear community and investment objectives in order to design the right reform and implementation plan.

“The TCCI is currently undertaking a project that will seek broad community input into the desired objectives of council reform, as well as detailed financial modelling of amalgamation options. This modelling will be independently verified and the TCCI is currently seeking financial sponsors interested in having direct input into the project,” Mr Wallace said.

The project report should be available in February next year.

TCCI chief economist Mark Bowles said that both the STCA and Access Economics papers suggest that much greater savings can be achieved through changing council boundaries rather than shared service arrangements.

“Deloitte Access Economics suggests that that efficiencies of scope, scale and specialisation will drive social benefits through better governance and service delivery.

“Undoubtedly, re-drawing council boundaries can achieve better value for ratepayers, improve service delivery and strengthen the power of local government advocacy,” Mr Bowles said.

Strong business growth for Liferaft Systems Australia

LIFERAFT Systems Australia (LSA) has secured $4.5 million worth of new contracts since 30 June this year to supply its marine evacuation systems to companies in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Managing director Mike Grainger said he was very pleased to secure these contracts given current global economic conditions and the strong Australian dollar.

Liferaft Systems’ Mike Grainger with Premier Lara Giddings following the announcement of the new contracts.

No to Tax on Carbon

TASMANIA’S peak employer body, the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) has joined its national counterpart in opposing the Federal Government carbon pricing legislation.

Tasmania’s situation demands cooperation by all

By ROBERT WALLACE

TCCI CHIEF EXECUTIVE

THE challenges now confronting the Tasmanian economy demand that all political interests put aside their differences and work co-operatively to ensure a better future for the State and its people.

While strong debate and a critical examination of government policies, development proposals and business operations is essential, the current climate dictates that there is little room for political posturing and points’ scoring.

State is feeling the pain

TASMANIA is feeling the pain of economic adjustment as the State comes to grips with the impact of changing market forces, a high Australian dollar and necessary Government budget cuts.

This is highlighted by the results of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (TCCI) latest Tasmanian Survey of Business Expectations which shows that business confidence in the Tasmanian economy has fallen to its lowest level since the survey began in 1995. At the same time, the outlook for the Australian economy has improved.

Hotel operator buoyant about the future

WHILE much has been written and said about the Tasmanian economy and business expectations, Hobart businessman Lloyd Clark is pretty buoyant about his business’s future.

The Lenna of Hobart hotel has undergone (and is undergoing) significant refurbishment works.

Social media a shot in the arm or a pain in the rear?

By CRAIG HARDING BEc, Dip EM, AMAMI

EVERYONE has heard of social media. You can’t even turn on the television or radio without hearing about Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or MySpace.

To many in marketing and communication, social media is a shot in the arm, providing new technologies and media and it has leveled the playing field, particularly for organisations that may not have enormous budgets. For others, it’s nothing more than a pain in the proverbial. It means that we’ve had to learn a whole lot of new things, not to mention unlearn many old habits. Above all it means we have to be able to think and respond in ‘real-time’ and know our way around digital technology as well as we do a design studio, printing works or newsroom.

First and foremost, participating in the social web means building brand recognition. Social media can be used not just by individuals, but by companies and their brands, emergency services, pubs and restaurants, banks and so on. It’s the brand recognition that leads to improved linking to your website.

But of course it’s not just about the technology, but what you do with it that matters.

Social media is all about building relationships. All marketing and communication is about building relationships. Social media offers tools and platforms to get the job done, but they don’t replace the one-on-one interaction necessary for being successful. And, relationships take time. At our consultancy, we live by the adage that it’s never about the technology, but always about the people.

In some senses, everyone’s an expert and no one’s an expert. Social media ‘experts’ continue to come out of the woodwork. Many can talk the talk but not walk the walk! Knowing how to tweet doesn’t make you an authority on social media.

Some things never change. Yes, there’s been a paradigm shift away from conventional newspaper and broadcast communications and towards more direct engagement. But the basic rules of communication, public relations and marketing practice still apply. Good old-fashioned business ethics continue to rule the day! Knowing who you want to impact, the value your organisation brings and understanding the other person’s needs before you get in touch continues to be mission critical in all marketing efforts.

Social media is more than Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. While these forums are extremely important, social networks make up only part of the social media ecosystem. Email lists, web forums, user groups, photo and video sharing services, podcasts, social bookmarking sites and niche online communities are all part of the social media mix. It’s important to seek out where your customers interests lie and get involved in conversations on their turf. As I said, it’s all about building relationships.

In marketing and communication, it’s not one thing you do, it’s everything you do. The most successful campaigns are those where all program elements work together. Social media, direct mail, email and traditional advertising and public relations and face-to-face communication should all work in tandem. Social media should not and cannot stand alone. Rather it should be integrated into all campaign elements.

But bear in mind that while digital media is growing exponentially and is already crucially important in our communication, it is still relatively early days. A recent Australian study determined that only four per cent of Australians trust digital advertising and only nine per cent of people look out for digital advertising. Only eight per cent like to follow brands on Facebook and four per cent like to follow them on Twitter.

On the flip side of this, 43 per cent of Australians will ‘actively recommend a brand they like to others’ and 58 per cent are also open to following and receiving information from brands they like.

Next month in the Tasmanian Business Reporter I will provide some statistics on social media usage and takeup.

* Craig Harding is Marketing Director at strategic communications and marketing consultancy Corporate Communications (Tas) Pty Ltd. Corporate Communications is able to advise clients on how to best incorporate social media in their marketing and communication activities.

Export gain in Austrade changes

TASMANIAN export industries could access new markets as a result of major changes being made to Australia’s international export and investment body Austrade.  This follows a comprehensive review of the organisation undertaken over the past 12 months.

Businesses see success of sustainability approach

By JAMES McKEE*

SUSTAINABILITY is a word that is often bandied about and can mean all manner of things but it really is quite simple: Can we sustain what we are doing for the long haul whatever time frame that might be for your business?

Luck a factor in workplace safety for many

MANY Tasmanian businesses are very lucky that they have not had a death in the workplace or a serious occupational health and safety incident, says the managing director of Tasmanian company Injury Prevention & Management (IPM).

Martyn Bradfield