Picture caption: Federal Minister Murray Watt (at right), Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations of Australia, and Andrew McKellar, Chief Executive Officer, ACCI recently at major ACCI event in Queensland.
BIA members are supported in their day-to-day/here-and-now business needs – whether this be complications with a boat sale, a standards query, a planning matter or indeed an employment issue – by a range of help, guidance and advice available from the BIA team which encapsulates decades of real-life marine industry experience in all these areas.
However, when it comes to the wide range of issues faced by BIA members, boating industry experience alone is not always the solution as often the pitfalls of getting something wrong can be significant, both for the business and potentially the employee.
In recognition of this, BIA has maintained for many years a partnership with the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). ACCI leads on policy discussions at the Federal level concerning economics, education, skills and employment, health, sustainability, trade and international relations, tourism, work health safety and workplace relations.
On 15 August, I enjoyed the opportunity of attending a National General Council Meeting of ACCI, engaging with National CEO’s and Business persons alike, discussing and hearing about several key workplace topics, including;
- Small Business and Workplace relations
- Employment, Education and Training
- Tourism
- Trade, Economics, Industry and Sustainability.
As pictured, Federal Minister Murray Watt, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations of Australia presented several topics the Labor Government has been focusing on since they came into office, including; CFMEU recommendations, pay increase reforms, reductions in Fairwork disputes, creating of some 990,000 jobs, working to manage and reduce inflation, increasing the ‘made in Australia’ campaign, jobs and skills and job security for workers.
The next round of meetings will be in Canberra during November 2024, the BIA Ltd shall be representing members to learn and engage with business professionals, ensuring we communicate up-to-date information on policy and legislation for members. Please keep an eye out for our partnered release on Workplace Relations and Employer Guides.
BIA is directly engaged with ACCI on a number of committees where the combined influence benefits the boating industry across a range of National and State Government issues relevant to the boating industry; such as getting Boatbuilding and Shipwright trades on the national Apprenticeship Skills Priority List, advocating to improved legislative outcomes for boating or recognition of boating’s role in tourism from sailing charters in the Whitsundays to houseboats on the River Murray, and Safe Work Australia’s crane licensing review and much more.
BIA’s partnership with ACCI is bolstered by a long-standing collaboration with the Business NSW, the business chamber in NSW, that provides small business support across all States in key areas, including employment law. This is delivered via the Workplace Advice Line, available to members as part of their membership, providing a 30min call with a Business NSW employment law specialist.
Via its partnership with Business NSW, which distils the policy guidance into day-to-day business advice, BIA members benefit from the role ACCI takes in representing and advocating for all businesses, of all sizes, sectors and needs. The additional membership of ACCI that BIA maintains then provides access to the policy development and influence level, thereby supporting BIA members with both a voice that helps shape legislation, as well as one that then makes sense of the outcomes, of direct benefit to member businesses.
See you on the water
Andrew Scott
