year in review 2008–2009 year in review 2008–2009 Representing NSW Business Chamber in the Hunter Hunter Business Chamber ABN 9608 3977 459 PO Box 607 Hamilton NSW 2303 99 Selwyn Street, Mayfield East , NSW 2304 p 4969 9600 f 4969 9620 [email protected] www.hunterbusinesschamber.com.au www.nswbusinesschamber.com.au 2 contents President’s message 3 Board of Directors 4 CEO’s Report 6 Organisational structure 7 The Work of the Chamber 8 Financial performance 10 Committee Members 11 New Members of the Chamber 13 Members of the Chamber 16 3 from the president A decade ago innovative business people created what Not least of these are the we now know as Hunter Business Chamber whose job transport interchange for they described as helping to create the climate in which Glendale and the revitalisation business can prosper. of the regional capital’s central business district. That is not an easy task but again this year, as I am sure you will see reflected in the pages of this document, the Recent good news also from Chamber has met the challenge. the NSW Government about continued structural support Our Chamber reaches back more than 120 years to its for the Port of Newcastle roots and throughout its history the organisation has and its capacity to service a range of import and export responded proactively to change to ensure the best industries also signals further growth. opportunities exist for business. The amalgamation of the former Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of I extend on your behalf the appreciation of the Chamber Manufacturers was one such response at the turn of to the Chief Executive Officer, Peter Shinnick and his this century. staff. This is a small team of committed professionals who deliver much for business. We are fortunate to In this year under review the Board has focussed on have them. maintaining its high level of service to members but also brought about governance changes to ensure the We are proud to be affiliated with the NSW Business organisation is best equipped to move forward. Chamber and I acknowledge their support over the past 12 months. A number of local business people A new style of Board with fewer directors and more represent our Chamber, as well as the Hunter Region, focussed organisational and member committees and on the NSW Business Chamber Council, and solidify our taskforces are some of the highlights of these changes. linkages to the lead business representation organisation in the State. Many member companies have felt the squeeze of tremendous economic change and the Chamber has I take this opportunity to thank those who serve on responded with an increased number of special events, Chamber committees. Their names appear later, and functions, programs and support services to help our we acknowledge them here as we all owe them much. members through these troubled times. To my fellow Directors who give freely of their time and expertise I say thank you for your participation and Clearly, the region can and will succeed if its guidance for business in the region. infrastructure is strong, refreshed and targeted and as you will see in these pages many transport infrastructure projects have been the focus of our attention. The extension of the F3 into the Valley – The Hunter Expressway, has long been a major goal for business and Karen Howard our hard work, in concert with other groups, paid dividends President this year with the announcement of Federal funding for the work. There is much left to do and so a win for the region such as this is not only satisfying but stimulating and encourages us to work for other goals also. 4 board of directors As at 30 June 2009 Karen Howard Managing Director NineWays Business Centre President Bradley Wilson Brett Derwin Richard Anicich Managing Director Director Partner AOK Health Pty Ltd Newcastle Commercial Finance Pty Ltd Sparke Helmore Lawyers Senior Vice President Vice President Katie Brassil Andrew Geddes Paul Murphy OAM Group General Manager Principal Civil Engineer Managing Director External Affairs Centennial Coal GHD Churchills Carpet Court 5 Jennifer Nichols Colin Scott Ross Taggart Managing Director Director Managing Director HDB Town Planning and Design Hobbies Australia Taggart Partners 2008-2009 highlights > Net increase in Chamber membership from 955 to > Chamber active in campaign to further upgrade the 990 companies; highly successful Newcastle Airport; > Federal Government responds positively to Chamber > Chamber supports initiatives to invest further in lobbying for funding of $1.2 billion extension of F3 defence related establishments and opportunities in from Lake Macquarie to Branxton; the Hunter; > NSW Government agrees to cut payroll tax in > Chamber actively lobbies on behalf of member response to business lobbying; companies for improved recognition under the Federal Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction > Chamber members vote to upgrade Constitution Scheme; including > Chamber endorses the construction of Tillegra Dam - Restructure of Board to secure the region’s water supplies and as a vital infrastructure element for future growth in the region; - establishment of two groupings of committees; Board (internal) and Member Committee (members > Chamber makes significant submission to the services and interest areas) Infrastructure Australia program; > Chamber names Lake Macquarie developer, Jeff > Chamber releases Hunter Regional Transport McCloy, as the 2008 Business Person of the Year and Strategy for business; honours other individuals and companies with seven other awards; > Chamber leads business stand to support mining, energy and port sectors. > Chamber is among leader groups that lobby for and win support from the NSW Government for a redevelopment plan for the Central Business District of Newcastle; 6 from the CEO 2008-09 was a difficult business The services provided by the Chamber’s member year, but the poor outcomes committees were heavily promoted. Strong policy in other regions in Australia positions were developed on infrastructure, Defence and were not played out to the business issues including the Hunter’s transport priorities, same extent in the Hunter. the Defence White Paper and the NSW and Federal The reasons were straight Budgets. The Chamber’s voice is heard by Government, forward including the strength exemplified by the announcement of funding for the of the region’s resources sector Hunter Expressway – the culmination of more than 10 and the flow on to subsidiary years lobbying by the community and business groups. industries, our lean and highly productive workforce, the impact The result of these actions has been a high level of of the Federal Government’s stimulus packages, which member satisfaction – expressed in the Chamber directly benefited the Hunter’s largest business sector survey conducted in March this year – and continued – retail, and the successive cuts to interest rates and membership growth with numbers rising from 955 to 990 the collapse in oil prices – which underpinned consumer representing a 4% net increase during 2008-09. This was confidence and encouraged local buying. supported by the hard work of the Chamber’s staff and I thank them for their effort during the year. Whilst these factors didn’t compensate for the collapse in overseas markets, they ensured that the majority of local The year was difficult for SMEs and in that respect the businesses were able to endure the downturn. They have Chamber was no different. The primary impact was the positioned the Hunter to move forward strongly as the loss of discretionary income and the performance of the Australian and international economies recover. Chamber’s investments. A number of strategies were put in place to address these and they were the constant The Chamber proactively went to our members in 2008 focus of attention of the Chamber’s Finance Committee. and asked what assistance they wanted. The two main Whilst they could not turn around the poor net result for areas identified were an increase in networking events year, the last 3 months of 2008-09 saw the Chamber and flow of information. To that end we conducted returning to profitability. more than 60 networking events during the year that were attended by 3000 companies, and began new Moving forward the Chamber has adopted a leaner relationships with WorkCover NSW, the Hunter Institute structure to better support growth and to continue to of TAFE, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, provide more relevant services to our members. We are and Newcastle City Council providing a range of free and the voice of business in the Hunter, and I encourage you heavily discounted products. to engage the Chamber and take advantage of these services and benefits. The strong relationship with the NSW Business Chamber enabled the Hunter Business Chamber to provide additional services and policy advice as part of your membership. This has proved particularly invaluable with the emerging industrial issues under the Fair Work Act. Peter Shinnick Chief Executive Officer 7 organisational structure The members of the Chamber elect a Board of Directors From time to time the Board appoints special task forces to set policy and direct the affairs of the organisation. The to deal with short-term or specific issues and projects. elected directors are able to appoint directors who in their opinion add particular knowledge, skills and experience in The list of those member companies and individuals areas that are important to members. who have generously given their time, energy and skills to serve on these groups appear later in the report. The elections occur every two years and were held in The Board again thanks them on behalf of the business October 2008. Directors are listed earlier in the report. community of the region. The Board has long had a successful system of committees and task forces through which organisational structures and member’s issues are addressed.