City of Parramatta in collaboration with Western Sydney University's Launch Pad have two great Masterclasses coming up in October:

Startup Masterclass #1 – Pitching Your Business

Date: Wednesday 5 October

Time: 5.00pm to 6.30pm

Speaker: Entrepreneur and investor Jamie Pride

Learn how to package your business idea and communicate it well for the investor. There will be a time for Q&A and networking with other like-minded founders. Spots are limited. Click here to register. 

Startup Masterclass #2 – Making Your Business Investment Ready

Date: Wednesday 12 October

Time: 5.00pm to 7.00pm

Speaker: Entrepreneur and investor Jamie Pride

This masterclass will dig deep into what investors are looking for and arm you with lots of practical tips and tools to get investors over the line. There will be an extended time for Q&A and networking over drinks. Spots are limited, so register now to secure your place. 

By Diana Tapp, CEO of World Class Teams

Most business negotiations are a 'tug of war'. Each side pulls until the other side gets tired of competing and says yes to the best position the negotiators believe they can get.

People talk about 'creating win-win' outcomes. However, the truth is that most business negotiations end up being a compromise, which is in effect 'lose-lose'. The objective becomes not losing too much!

When genuinely achieved, win-win outcomes strengthen relationships because no one feels manipulated or backed into a corner. They increase trust, and when you know how to achieve them consistently, they add value to your business, help you stand out from your peers, and dramatically increase your reputation as a leader.

Negotiating win-win outcomes enables you to achieve optimal results with less frustration and stress. However, while the concept may be simple, the process is often complex. That's why we're running our next micro-learning – The Art of Negotiating: How to Make Every Deal a Win-Win.

In this live-streamed micro-learning workshop, you'll discover:

• How to lose your fear of negotiation
• The four steps to follow to make every deal a win-win
• How to successfully negotiate and influence up with senior leaders and demanding customers
• The old styles of negotiation you must immediately unlearn
• How to get what you want without manipulating or tricking people

WHO IS IT FOR

Middle Managers, Team Leaders and Supervisors who want to:

• Build stronger relationships with clients, colleagues and their team
• Deliver lasting, quality solutions
• Influence up and get what you need, for yourself and your team
• Establish trust so that the other party feels respected and heard
• Create genuine win-win solutions
• Resolve conflict and keep stress at bay
• Negotiate your way to success

WHAT'S INCLUDED:

• 45-minute live-streamed workshop
• 15-minute live Q&A
• Printable Action Pack with tools, techniques and templates
• 30-day access to a recording of the session

BOOK NOW:

Tickets are $87 per person. Click here to register your seat.

Powerhouse announced a four-year partnership with ground-breaking production company Co-Curious (producers of critically acclaimed drama Here Out West), to showcase and celebrate the stories of Western Sydney, titled In The Room. Powerhouse has commissioned Co-Curious to develop four connected 20-minute films using Co-Curious’ unique model of development and production, which supports writers to bring stories to life with their own sense of authenticity. The commissioned films will premiere at Powerhouse Parramatta in 2025.

This innovative collaboration will provide a platform for writers and film makers from diverse backgrounds across Western Sydney. This major commission will ensure diverse voices, stories and Western Sydney histories are embedded into Powerhouse Parramatta. Once completed, the films will be acquired into the Powerhouse collection.

Applications to be part of the program are now open, for more information visit here.

“Co-Curious is thrilled to be embarking on this exciting new partnership with Powerhouse designed to support, celebrate and showcase the stories of Western Sydney. Our model supports writers from under-represented backgrounds to develop and deliver rich culturally significant stories demonstrating the lived experience of contemporary Australia. This important collaboration will provide a platform for writers to tell their stories with scale while focusing on the diversity of the histories and stories of Western Sydney,” Co-Curious CEO Annabel Davis said.

“We are excited to be announcing our first major commission for Powerhouse Parramatta. In The Room will support Western Sydney storytelling, bringing new voices to the screen sector and supporting a vibrant screen culture. Powerhouse and Co-Curious share a fundamental commitment to developing under-represented talent and sharing the diverse stories of the communities of Western Sydney. We look forward partnering with a leading cultural organisation that is working in unprecedented ways to tell new stories,” Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said.

A smorgasbord of street food, live music, outdoor karaoke, and free desserts are just some of the treats on offer at this year’s epic Parramatta Lanes as the flagship event celebrates a decade of fun.

This year marks the festival’s 10th anniversary, with a jam-packed and free four-day program of eats, beats, and art, from Wednesday 12 October to Saturday 15 October.

“Our much-loved Parramatta Lanes event was created to highlight the diversity and vibrancy of our city and tempt people who work in the CBD to stay after dark. It has truly achieved its goal,” City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Donna Davis said.

“Lanes has grown year-on-year and is now our flagship event bringing together amazing food, music and art in the heart of Western Sydney. This year’s program features some of the best bits of the past ten years with some added extras to mark this wonderful milestone. If you’ve never been to this incredible event, this is the year to lose yourself in Parramatta Lanes.”

Over four nights, local restaurants, food trucks and pop-up stalls will offer some of Sydney’s most delicious and Instagrammable dishes across ten sites. Newcomers Tokyo Lamington, Firepop, The Pharoah BBQ, Pocket Rocketz, Satay Bros, Burger Head and Hyderabad House will join old favourites including Butter Parramatta, Lilymu, Koi Dessert Bar and Mrs Wang’s Dumplings.

There will be a mix of music on show, including Parramatta Lanes regulars and locals DJ Levins, Bodega Collective and Planet Trip & Beat Kitchen Records. Some of Western Sydney’s best talent will take to the stage including rapper Mung Mung, Mike Champion, Nicole Issa, Liyah Knight, Good Pash, Rainbow Chan, Boy Soda, Jade Kenji, and DJ Fried Pork Chop.

Visitors can make their own musical contributions with an outdoor karaoke stage set up in Parramatta Square – complete with disco ball and multilingual song selection. If singing isn’t your thing, over in Centenary Square, you can join a drumming circle playing beats as the sun sinks each night.

Across the City, it will be hard to miss Fantastic Planet by Parer Studio’s larger-than-life glowing ‘humanoid’ inflatables, as they loom over crowds and peek around corners. Visitors can also interact with 3D-printed model avatars known as ‘Flower People’ created by Parramatta Artists’ Studios alumnus Kalanjay Dhir.

You can’t have a birthday without cake, and Parramatta Lanes will be sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. A dessert giveaway in Centenary Square will offer mouth-watering baked treats from a different vendor each night.

Archie Rose is toasting the occasion with two bespoke Parramatta Lanes cocktails – ‘Red Centre Negroni’ and ‘Espresso Martinique’ – incorporating native ingredients like riberry and strawberry gum. Renowned multidisciplinary artist and Parramatta Artists’ Studios alumna Rosie Deacon has created bright and cheerful street banners marking a decade of Parramatta Lanes.

On Friday 14 October, a special Diwali event will take over Centenary Square to mark the Festival of Light. International Bollywood actress and model Kangan Sharma will emcee the night which will include local dance groups and entertainment.

There will be a stage dedicated to featuring Western Sydney artists at Parramatta Lanes. This is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s CBD Recovery Grants in association with City of Parramatta Council.

Parramatta Lanes was recently awarded the RH Dougherty Award for Innovation in Special Events at the Local Government Week Awards, recognising its creative approach to adapting the event post lockdown.

Parramatta Lanes is a free event. To find out more information, visit atparramatta.com/lanes

Parramatta Lanes

Wednesday – Saturday, 12-15 October, 5pm to 10pm

Free event

There is no doubt what motivates the thousands of Australians who ride in Great Cycle Challenge each year – knowing that fundraising for cancer research can save children’s lives.

Great Cycle Challenge is now in its 10th year and has raised more than $34m for the cancer research being done at Children’s Medical Research Institute. Every October participants choose how many kilometres they want to ride then ask their friends to sponsor them. Every rider has the same mission: to fight kids’ cancer.

Mum, Sheridan, has learnt in the last six months just how vital research is. In April, her four-year-old daughter, Quinn, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

“I noticed this spot on her neck, then one on her armpit, then a rash all over her back,’’ Sheridan said. “When I Googled the type of rash I was seeing – leukaemia came up and I had a bit of a panic attack. I nearly fainted at that moment, but I knew I just had to get her to hospital.’’

At first all Sheridan wanted was for Quinn to be cured, but then when she saw the impact of chemotherapy, blood and platelet transfusions, and lumbar punctures she realised that more still needs to be done for kids with cancer.

Quinn is now one of the faces of this year’s Challenge, to inspire the riders.

“The only way they know how to treat Quinn is through research. We have signed Quinn up to be part of a trial to learn about the impact of chemotherapy on her organs. At the beginning, you think ‘right let’s just get rid of this cancer’ but then you realise these drugs are having a huge impact on her body. Whatever we can do to help the researchers find out more about that, we will do.’’

Cancer researcher at Children’s Medical Research Institute, Dr Daniel Bucio-Noble, has participated in Great Cycle Challenge for the last three years and greatly appreciates the Australian public’s support.

“It has been a great channel to raise funds for cancer research but also to communicate to wider audience the work that we do at Children’s Medical Research Institute to combat cancer,’’ Dr Bucio-Noble said.

“Our institution depends greatly on funding from the community. The work that we do in the lab is very important to understand this disease, and it would be impossible without the support of the Great Cycle Challenge. We are very thankful for that.’’

The Great Cycle Challenge can be done anywhere, anytime throughout October! You can hit the road or do it inside on an exercise bike. You choose how many kilometres you aim to ride and how much money you’d like to raise to help kids like Quinn.

Register at greatcyclechallenge.com.au

Following the recent federal election which returned the Labor party to power for the first time in 9 years, focus turned to the question of what changes the government was likely to make to the existing workplace and industrial relations landscape.

During the election campaign, federal Labor promised to focus on increasing worker protections (including workers in the ‘gig economy’), simplifying the enterprise bargaining system, improving workplace productivity, and increasing immigration pathways for skilled workers.

In advance of announcements about these changes, the government held a Job and Skills Summit on 1 and 2 September 2022. The summit was attended by representatives from a range of stakeholders including the government, business/industry, and trade unions.

Areas of Focus

The areas of focus of the summit (and its resulting outcomes) consisted of:

• a better skilled, better trained workforce
• addressing skills shortages and strengthening the migration system
• boosting job security and wages, and creating safe, fair and productive workplaces
• promoting equal opportunities and reducing barriers to employment
• maximising jobs and opportunities in our industries and communities

Within each of these areas, summit attendees considered potential immediate outcomes, areas for further work, and complementary existing commitments.

Flagged Industrial Relations Changes

Of these specific areas of focus, a substantial majority of the summit was dedicated to the highly contentious and political subjects of workplace protections and industrial relations. As expected, the summit resulted in limited consensus on these subjects.

Despite this lack of consensus, the government proclaimed the summit a success, and announced the following immediate and forthcoming workplace and industrial relations changes.

Enterprise Agreements

In the area of industrial relations, the government announced plans to implement the following immediate changes to the existing enterprise bargaining system within the Fair Work Act:

• simplifying the procedures involved in bargaining and approving enterprise agreements;
• removing unnecessary complexity around the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT);
• empowering the Fair Work Commission to provide practical assistance to parties during the bargaining process; and
• simplifying the process for terminating enterprise agreements that have passed their nominal expiry dates.

Workplace Protections

In addition to these planned enterprise agreement changes, the government also announced plans to immediately introduce the following workplace protections into the Fair Work Act:

• greater rights for employer bargaining representatives and union delegates;
• improved access to flexible working arrangements and unpaid parental leave;
• stronger adverse action, discrimination and harassment protections.

Beyond the immediate introduction of these planned protections, the government announced further future plans to:

• introduce a federal ‘unfair contract’ jurisdiction; and
• implement further improvements to the modern awards system and the National Employment Standards.

Complementary Existing Commitments

The above proposed changes have been announced in light of complementary existing commitments and recent legislative changes, including:

• criminalising wage theft;
• prohibiting pay secrecy clauses, and a corresponding statutory right for employees to disclose their remuneration;
• introducing an objective statutory test for determining whether work is casual or part-time;
• establishing a right to superannuation within the National Employment Standards; and
• extending the jurisdiction and powers of the Fair Work Commission to hear disputes involving ‘employee-like types of work (e.g. workers in the gig economy).

Next Steps

As most, if not all, of the announced changes are legislative in nature, business and industry will need to wait for relevant legislation to be introduced into parliament before the nature and scope of the changes can be clearly ascertained.

Nevertheless, it is anticipated that many of the changes are likely to be reasonably worker-friendly, and that they will pass both houses of parliament with the support of the cross-bench.

Whether the changes result in an increase in enterprise bargaining remains to be seen.

In anticipation of these changes, employers and businesses generally should:

• closely monitor news and industry updates for further reporting about new workplace and industrial relations legislation as it is introduced; and
• seek professional legal advice as such legislation is introduced, particularly in relation to potential compliance issues as between the terms of the legislation and the contents of existing contracts, policies and procedures.

Questions/Assistance

If you have any questions in respect of the above or would like any other employment related assistance, please contact the Matthews Folbigg Workplace Solutions employment law team:

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided to readers for their general information and on a complimentary basis. It contains a brief summary only and should not be relied upon or used as definitive or complete statement of the relevant law.

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation

Your company’s online presence is vital. From attracting and retaining the right staff, building company culture and the all important attracting your ideal customers. If your online presence is not telling your story you cannot compete in any level of business.

Learn from Industry experts how to:

• Market without money
• Maximise partnership opportunities
• Create and speak directly to your ideal customer
• Promote your company culture and attract new staff who are great team fit
• Build a storytelling brand that showcases the solutions you solve
• Promote your customer successes

Become an industry leader and a solver of customer problems.

Be the go-to market leader today.

Under Smart and Skilled* funding upskill and retain key staff by enrolling them into:

BSB40820 Certificate IV in Marketing and Communications

Have your staff skills recognised with a nationally accredited qualification and join our Master Class Experts in crafting a strong business brand.

For further information contact My Skills Australia:

P: 02 8814 8640

E: hello@myskillsaustralia.edu.au

W: myskillsaustralia.edu.au

*Eligibility applies to Smart and Skilled. Training is subsidised by the NSW Government

**Special members only pricing available.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Westmead’s annual dollar matching appeal is happening in October and they are seeking corporate donations to create the biggest impact for families with sick kids! They need your help!

Gift a Night is a 24 hour appeal (October 27th-28th) where corporate partners donate to the pool of funds that enable every dollar donated by the public to be doubled. Ronald McDonald House Charities Westmead offers a unique home-away-from-home service that provides holistic support, including accommodation, meals and learning programs, at a cost to the charity of around $160/night.

Your donation will generate twice the return and twice the impact. Please contact Samantha Devlin at Samantha.devlin@rmhc.org.au or 0421009578 or Matthew Mifsud at matthew.mifsud@rmhc.org.au or 0402623866 for more information on how to be involved.

Join PARKROYAL Parramatta for the most wonderful time of the year!

Host your end of year event in style from AUD99 per person and mingle with canapés, enjoy a set menu or indulge in a delicious Christmas themed buffet. PARKROYAL Parramatta have a range of food and beverage packages to cater to all requirements!

Plus, all packages include a tea and coffee station, DJ, dance floor, lectern with microphone and Christmas theming to keep everyone merry.

To make an enquiry or book your party, contact their Meetings and Events team on +61 2 9685 0339 or at events.prsyp@parkroyalhotels.com. 

Choose from one of the following PARKROYAL Parramatta Festive Packages:

Terms & Conditions

• Minimum of fifty guests per booking applies.
• Minimum spend applies.
• Standard beverage package included in above packages.
• Christmas theming included in the package consists of a Christmas tree, Christmas bon bons and a table centrepiece.
• Subject to hotel availability.
• Inclusive of GST.
• Valid for bookings between 1st October – 31st December 2022.
• A merchant service fee of 0.99% for Alipay, 1.25% for American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Union Pay and 3% for Diners and JCB will be applied to all credit card payments. 

By Diana Tapp, CEO of World Class Teams

At some stage in their career, every leader has been told, "You need to delegate more." But why is delegation so crucial to the people in charge of a team?

Most middle managers, supervisors and team leaders feel the need to do everything themselves. They tend to hang on to all the tasks they did in their previous role AND manage people, so they become burnt out, overloaded and overwhelmed!

Too many managers believe delegating isn't worth the effort. The problem is that they have never learned how to delegate effectively. They don't know how to 'sell' the job to the person and gain their genuine commitment to doing it.

WHAT YOU'LL GET

Learning to delegate well is a win-win-win situation.

Your team members win because they get opportunities to grow and develop. Your company wins because they get more output, increased retention and better-engaged employees. And lastly, you win because it improves your reputation as a leader and puts you in a position where you're in high demand for bigger opportunities.

In this live-streamed training, you'll discover:

• The proven 6-step model for delegating successfully
• How to 'sell' rather than ask your team to complete tasks
• Why you need to implement the critical final step in delegation
• How to be confident the task is being done well without micromanaging
• Avoid burnout for yourself and your best people

WHO IS IT FOR

Middle Managers, Team Leaders and Supervisors who want to:

• Lift up and become more strategic
• Make smarter, longer-term decisions
• Make their job easier, more enjoyable and less stressful
• Create happy, engaged teams that experience greater job satisfaction and boosted morale
• Earn a reputation as a world class leader
• Become the person everyone wants to work for!

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• 45-minute live-streamed workshop
• 15-minute live Q&A
• Printable Action Pack with tools, techniques and templates
• 30-day access to a recording of the session

BOOK NOW

Tickets are $87 per person. Click here to register your seat.