Is your business being brave and making real change?
Following the Federal Election, incoming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s immediate commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme of Be Brave, Make Change have brought into sharp focus the priority business and governments have placed on closing the gap between our First Nation peoples and non-indigenous Australians. But how often do we see this commitment translate into meaningful action? In his opening address at the WA launch of National Reconciliation Week, Western Australia’s Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti spoke of the Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy and his government’s commitment to better outcomes for Aboriginal people in
Embracing the spotlight: how to make an interview your own
With consumption of news at an all time high in Australia, there would be few in business that underestimate the importance of a positive interaction with the media. But at the same time, news organisations and journalists remain in the unenviable ranks of the most untrusted professions in the country, making those media interactions even more crucial when it comes to a maintaining a company’s good reputation. Some would say the media mistrust is simply a by-product of the age of social media and self-publishing, where false information is often weaponised as ‘fake news’, and opposing viewpoints are easily dismissed as political
Federal Election 2022: On the Western Front
Federal elections mean enticing voters with big promises and big spending. Our Pandemic Election will be no different in that sense, but vastly different in others. While we currently have no polling date, and the Federal Budget being handed down on 29 March, unofficial campaigning has begun for both parties. Policies regarding emission reduction targets, healthcare promises and, of course, the roadmap out of this never-ending pandemic have already been outlined. Every State and Territory have seats crucial to each party, and WA is absolutely no exception. Yet the West will play a unique role in this election, either assisting the
True to label: how the new retail investor has changed investor relations
No one would have believed that the COVID-19-induced ASX nosedive of 2020 would transform into a precedent-breaking bull run. Record low interest rates, coupled with massive stimulus spending, saw many enter the financial markets for the first time. It also saw the ASX’s regulatory body, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), undertake an ambitious structural shift – the true to label project – to protect the emerging classes of investors and demand that ‘the product must do what it says on the tin’. Here are five issues that caught our eye — and why they matter to ASX-listed companies and
Public speaking: worse than death or an opportunity to impress?
If asked to complete this sentence: “Public speaking is…” you might not be surprised to find that “worse than death” is a common response. For many it is the number one fear and a phobia – one by the name of glossophobia, actually – that ranks ahead of the fear of snakes or heights. What might surprise you however is to discover how many famous people, including politicians like Sir Winston Churchill or actors like Laurence Olivier and Nicole Kidman, hated public speaking. Fear of public speaking is not ideal for people in these positions but of course they had little choice
International Women’s Day: milestones matter but there’s a long way to go
It's been 111 years since the first International Women's Day was celebrated, and while equality remains a priority, we still are struggling to close the gender gap. The day, celebrated around the world each March 8, is recognised as a day to celebrate social, economic, cultural, and political gains and achievements of women, while also signifying a call to action in accelerating gender parity and equality. The impetus for IWD began in the early 1900s, building on the 'radical ideologies’, unrest and critical debate that had seem women march and protest in major cities demanding voting rights, better pay, and equality before the
How trends in engagement are changing for 2021
As we eagerly leave 2020 behind and cautiously step into 2021, Senior Consultant, Sarah-Jane Dabarera, reflects on the themes in community relations for the year ahead. Culture and heritage 2020 has set the scene for an increased focus on culture and heritage in 2021. The Black Lives Matter movement, Australian deaths in custody and the destruction of sacred sites at Juukan Gorge have resulted in increased focus and scrutiny on genuine engagement with Traditional Owners. The recently released amendments to the Aboriginal Heritage Act, issued by the WA Government, will require renewed effort in making agreements and strengthening relationships with Traditional Owners. Black
Why is the internet telling you to drop WhatsApp?
There's a lot of noise on social channels right now from people who are switching from WhatsApp to other messaging services. The move seems to be driven by the (wrong) assertion that changes in WhatsApp’s user policies mean the app will begin pushing personalised information about you to its parent company, Facebook. Now, I’m not a huge supporter of Facebook’s grip on our personal data (or indeed what it has done with that data in the past), but the changes it is making do not mean your personal information will be any more compromised than it already is on WhatsApp -
2021 Conversations That Matter
As we embark on 2021, the world finds itself at a major turning point – politically, economically, technologically and socially. What’s next? It’s never easy to predict, and especially so this year! For businesses and communication experts, the best way forward is to reflect and learn from the year that was – the lockdown; the economic and social impacts; the devastating bushfires; the disruption of everyday life. The events of 2020 transformed how we communicate. We asked some of Perth’s best communication experts to look back on 2020 and give us their predictions for 2021. A purpose-driven focus With lots of social justice issues
Five steps to make community engagement less scary
Let’s face it, engaging your community can be daunting. Our Stakeholder Engagement specialist, Sarah-Jane Dabarera shares five steps you can take to help shake-off the fear and embrace the process of community consultation. 1. Talk to your community If you’re concerned about how your community might respond, it could seem counterintuitive to just get out there and talk to them, but this is the best place to start. Starting a conversation with a few individuals first may assist your understanding of community concerns and issues. Early conversations with a sample stakeholder group can improve your research and build the case for more detailed
The Bench: Simon Millman
Unfiltered, unguarded and sometimes unconventional, The Bench shows WA’s politicians as you’ve never seen them before. Cannings Purple’s Peter Klinger caught up with the Member for Mount Lawley, Simon Millman to discuss a wide range of topics, including his childhood in Melbourne, moving to Perth, getting involved in UWA’s Student Guild and taking his first steps into the legal world. Who Is Simon Millman? Simon Millman is a proud long-term resident of Mount Lawley, where he lives with his wife, Tara and their two sons. Simon shares a brief summary of his life, including his life before politics - heading legal firm, Slater and Gordon's Industrial Relations
WA’s renewable hydrogen future more than hot air
Western Australia (WA) is set to play a leading role in the development of renewable hydrogen infrastructure, facilitated by amenable State Government policy settings and the establishment of bodies like the Western Australian Renewable Hydrogen Council to facilitate industry engagement.
The numbers that matter: State Budget 2020-21
As Australia faces record levels of debt and deficit in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Western Australian Treasurer Ben Wyatt today bucked the trend to post a $1.2 billion surplus in the State Budget, followed by surpluses in the range of $363 million in 2021-2022 to $1.5 billion in 2023-2024. Buoyed by high iron ore prices, which enabled Western Australia to bank $8.4 billion in royalties in 2019/20, the coffers are well placed to support the State’s economic recovery and combat the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. The Budget assumes that Western Australia’s borders will remain closed until April 2021. Importantly,
Federal Budget 2020-21: analysis and insights
From ‘Back in Black’ to a more than $966 billion budget blackhole in 2024, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has handed down the most significant budget in Australian history. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has provided $257 billion in direct economic support to cushion the blow and strengthen the recovery. The 2020-21 Budget commits a further $98 billion including $25 billion in direct COVID-19 response measures and $74 billion in new measures to create jobs. The 2020-21 Budget is focussed on measures to stimulate a private sector-led recovery that drives economic growth and employment, as well as trying to
COVID-19: breaking down the latest economic stimulus package
Nearly $190 billion - or close to 10 per cent of Australia's GDP - has now been pledged to the country's economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
The Bench: Liza Harvey
It’s going to be a big next 12 months for Liza Harvey MLA, as the Opposition Leader and the WA Liberals gear up for a State Election to be held in mid-March 2021.
The 268 Podcast: is Facebook really listening in on me?
It's a disconcerting feeling - receiving targeted Facebook advertising that aligns frighteningly closely with a topic you've just been talking about.
Don’t shoot the messenger: our world relies on it
The rise and rise of messenger apps seemingly knows no bounds. And it might only just be getting started.
When WeWork doesn’t work – what next for the property sector?
As WeWork's woes dominate the headlines, questions abound around what they mean to the co-working space and the property industry as a whole.
Don’t underestimate the impact of live events
Want to make a splash with clients and stakeholders? There’s a lot of value in a live event – despite the challenges — writes Emma Britton. In a world where we connect online at an ever-quickening pace, hosting a live event or holding a face-to-face catch up can seem … outdated. It’s inconvenient. You have to juggle calendars. People might not show. Why host an event when you can blast out an EDM to your contacts to get your message across? Why bother with networking when you can sit at home and tweet (or even pretend you were at the function
Why your 2018 plan should start with doubling your share price
Will 2018 be better than 2017? Even if 2017 was a corker, you’d be expecting that your management team will be saying ‘yes’. Continuing on the same path is not a strategy, in the same way that hope is not a strategy. Yet it is staggering how many companies don’t have a coherent strategy to communicate to their stakeholders. Sure, they might have a management team in place and a core business that is humming. However, many can’t articulate where they see their business going or what it will look like in one, three or five years’ time. Often the plans for creating value
Drums of activism start their beat as AGM season nears
It is that time of the year again, when the leaders of the majority of public companies have the opportunity to showcase their annual efforts to their investors and provide an insight into the prospects for the future. As the bulk of AGMs get underway this month, corporate services Morrow Sodali offered advice to business leaders on how best to engage with shareholders, including activist shareholders, using New York-based fund manager BlackRock – the world’s largest investor with more than $US5 trillion of assets under management – as a profile case. In the report, Morrow Sodali chairman John Wilcox said shareholders like
How do you sell your project to government?
Government Relations Director Richard Harris looks at how to talk up a new business project to a busy government audience. New business projects have long been the lifeblood of the WA economy. But getting community and government support for these projects is becoming more difficult as members of the public and special interest groups become more active and sophisticated in their use of communications tools in opposing developments. More than ever, it is critical for project developers to view stakeholder communications at the core of their activities rather than as a “nice to have” add on. And the evidence is that good communications from