events

Business After Hours 7 July: Hosted by Transurban Hills M2 Motorway and held at North Ryde RSL Community Club. Find out more about "Keeping Cities Moving" and driving economic growth. Invitations are available from our website - RSVP by email, phone 9807 4999 or fax 9807 4988 by this Thursday 3 July.

Business Breakfast Workshop, Thursday 17 July: Making Google Pay. Booked out!

Ryde Business & Technology Expo 6 August: Would you like to exhibit at our Expo? Exhibitor packages have been released by Expo Edge. Click here to read more and download your exhibitor information.

Office of Industrial Relations Seminar: the OIR in conjunction with RBF, NRMPCC and Ryde Chamber of Commerce is holding a series of seminars from July to November this year. The OIR runs these seminars all over NSW, and until now there has not been a dedicated series for businesses in the Ryde area. The first seminar will be held on 30 July 2008: Industrial relations in NSW - Rights and responsibilities. More information and booking form is available on our website.
Free • Duration: 3 hours, 9am - 12noon Wednesday 30 July at Dunmore Lang College
Bookings must be made with the OIR. Phone (02) 9020 4612 or download the booking form and fax off.

business of the month

Jackson & Rowe Real Estate is our June Business Of The Month. Managing Director Stephen Jackson is our newest Forum member, having joined us at our June Business After Hours. Jackson & Rowe has been keeping buyers and sellers in Ryde happy for more than 40 years and its market presence and activity consistently rank it in the top 10% of real estate agencies practicing in the Ryde Council area. Jackson & Rowe specialises in residential sales and management - give them a call on 8878 1900. More information here.

RBF membership renewalsad

Happy new financial year everyone! Membership renewals are in the process of being issued so keep an eye on your inbox over the next few days. Renewals will be emailed by our bookkeeper Trish Schwartzkoff (email cellas@tpg.com.au).

sponsorship opportunities

We have two events this year for which we are seeking sponsors:

• The Ryde Business & Technology Expo on 6 August 2008. Held in conjunction with Expo Edge, the City of Ryde and Stamford Grand North Ryde. Seeking silver sponsors for the event and a sponsor for our community room (so we can offer emergency services,community groups and charities a stand at the Expo). There will be a LOT of publicity throughout the City of Ryde and beyond for this event - a fantastic opportunity to get your logo on all material and advertising for this event. Contact Sabrina on 9807 4999. If you would like to exhibit we are taking pre-bookings for exhibitors. Click here for more info.
• The 2008 RBF/Toga Hospitality Charity Golf Day to be held on Thursday 13 November at Ryde Parramatta Golf Club. Seeking a sponsor to support the dinner for golfers and their guests. Proceeds from auctions and other fundraising events associated with the day will go to The Shack Youth Outreach. We want to make this event the best charity golf day in Ryde - to find out more contact Sabrina on 9807 4999.

member news

New contact details and website for PC PowerTech. Mac Vosoughi has a new email address - mac@pcpowertech.com.au - and a sparkling new website: www.pcpowertech.com.au.You'll find more information on Mac's maintenance, networking and repair services there as well as an enticing array of new computers and laptops you can buy at great prices directly from Mac.

Launch of new Commonwealth Bank Branch at Macquarie Centre: You're invited to the launch of CBA's new
branch at Macquarie Centre North Ryde. Branch Manager Natalya Rowe says, "We’ve been working hard to make your banking experience the best it can be, and would like you to be one of the first to see the results. After all, it’s your branch too."
When and Where: 5.30pm, Wednesday, 23 July, 2008. Commonwealth Bank, Macquarie Centre North Ryde, Shop Uc1, Level 1, Macquarie Shopping Centre
RSVP: Kate Anderson, Friday, 4 July, 2008, Macquarieshoppingcentre.nsw@cba.com.au or phone 02 9887 0733
Drinks and canapés will be served. Dress code: Smart

Pollies for Small Business 2008: NSW Business Chamber’s annual Pollies for Small Business event will be running again this year from 11 August to 16 August 2008. Last year, 83 federal and state politicians took part in the program, including the Premier and Opposition Leader. Would you like to have a politician as a volunteer worker in your business for an hour or two? The publicity is fantastic - talk to Sabrina Ferguson on 9807 4999 about the opportunities in the Ryde area this year.

Optus Connecting Communities Grants program: Last week Optus launched a new grants program to reduce social isolation and reconnect disengaged youth around Australia. Please feel free to pass this information on to any Not-For-Profit organisations you think may be interested in applying. Visit optus.com.au/grantsprogram.

Sponsorship for Macquarie University's Relay for Life: Relay For Life is a Cancer Council NSW fundraising event where teams of 10-15 people raise money and take turns overnight to walk or run around a local oval. The event involves camping on-site overnight and enjoys a community festival atmosphere with bands, entertainment and family activities. Macquarie University is holding this event for the first time on Saturday 21 September 2008 and is looking for sponsorship from companies and/or individuals. Money raised goes to the Cancer Council NSW to assist in its research, support and education campaigns - a fantastic cause as I'm sure we all know somebody who has been touched by cancer. To find out more, click here to download sponsorship information or contact Melissa Ramsay on 0403 921 874 or via email; m_l_r@bigpond.net.au for more details

Hong Kong and Guangdong business - free seminar: Invest Hong Kong will join hands with Guangdong Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation to organize an investment environment seminar at the Westin Hotel in Sydney on 29 August 2008. The objective is to promote Hong Kong and Guangdong Province to Australian investors.The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office cordially invites you to join the seminar For further details, please visit www.overseaspromotion.com/hkgd2008.
Registration from 9.30am, Seminar 10.00am - 12.30pm, Lunch 12.30pm - 14.00pm
Venue: Heritage Ballroom Westin Hotel, 1 Martin Place, Sydney
Registration is FREE - Register now atwww.overseaspromotion.com/hkgd2008
By phone: 1300 789 845 By email: melanie@intermedia.com.au

Winter Snuggler rates at Stamford: Don't let the winter chills get you down... with an offer this Hot it's time you put Stamford Grand North Ryde on your winter "wish-list". From only $175* per room per night, unwind in luxury accommodation with Buffet Breakfast for two in Parrot's Brasserie the next morning, and to keep you snug as a bug - a Stamford Winter Beanie each to take home. Book Online Now | Call 02 9888 1077 | reservations@snr.stamford.com.au

Your invitation to NSW Enterprise "Wine & Workshop": Macquarie Technology Business Incubator invites you and a friend to a fantastic networking event on 10 July. Drinks at networking at 5.30pm, Workshop from 6.00 - 7.30pm. Grab a glass of Wine and ‘A Taste of the Enterprise Workshop’. This "Successful Business Builder - Seminar Session" provides a structured analytical process - participants learn how to identify and evaluate commercial opportunities. Book your place now with MTBI's Business Development Manager Jennifer Holt: phone 98509713 or email jholt@mtbi.com.au by Monday 7 July 2008.

nsw business chamber news

NSW State wage decision 27 June 2008- The state wage decision not only allowed for increases to award rates. It also established for the first time a state minimum wage which applies to employees who are not under the federal system and who are award-free.

This means that (except for a small number of highly paid adults, or adults who are under a training arrangement or disability wage) there are no adult employees in NSW who are not subject to a statutory minimum wage. Today's decision established a (adult) State Minimum Wage of $552.70 per week (or $14.55 per hour for an employee employed on a part-time basis) which applies today (27 June 2008).

The NSW Minimum Wage applies to employees

* who are not covered by a state award or a formal industrial instrument; and

* whose employer is not in the federal system.

The NSW Minimum Wage does not apply to employees

* whose salary is in excess of $101,300

* who are covered by a state award or formal industrial instrument

* who are employed by a federal system employer.

A federal system employer is

* a constitutional corporation

* an employer in the ACT, Northern Territory or Victoria

* the commonwealth or commonwealth authorities.

Employees of federal system employers are subject to a federal pay scale (derived from a state or federal award) or the (adult) Federal Minimum Wage. It is $13.74 per hour or $522.12 for a 38 hour week.

ABC Q&A Program - Sydney - be part of the audience: The ABC television network would like to invite you to be apart of the studio audience for their Q&A TV program. Q&A is a program which puts punters, pollies and pundits together in the studio to thrash out the hot issues of the week.

It doesn't matter who you are, or where you're from - everyone can have a go and take it up to our politicians and opinion makers. Energetic and opinionated - Q&A brings Australia's egalitarian and larrikin spirit into the studio - with your help.

Q&A is hosted by one of the ABC's most respected journalists - Tony Jones. As host of Lateline, Tony is master of the political interview, but on Q&A he'll be handing the microphone to you.

All you have to do is visit the website www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda and click "Join the Audience".

A page will come up requesting some information for ABC to contact you. You will then receive an email, usually the next day, giving you a couple of choices of when you would like to come and take part. ABC encourages people to come in pairs, or even in groups.

Q&A goes live to air on Thursday nights at 9.30pm. ABC usually asks the audience to arrive at its ABC Sydney Ultimo studio at about 8.15pm. Tony Jones addresses the audience at 8.30pm. ABC seats everyone at about 8.45pm, and then the fun begins! An MC/comedian warms up the crowd for about 20 minutes, and then it goes live to air at 9.30pm.

NSW Business Chamber IR Alerts:

National Employment Standards - click here.
Award Modernisation - click here.

NSW Business Chamber Business Connect - latest edition available here.

NSW Business Chamber events - click here to see a list of all current events. Bookings should be made directly with NSW Business Chamber.

RBF Members are eligible to take advantage of programs and information offered by NSW Business Chamber. Call Sabrina Ferguson on 9807 4999 if you have any questions.

If you have any items you'd like to publicise to other members - special offers, upcoming seminars you're holding, open days etc - please email the Forum to have them included in our next Newsletter.

If you're not a member of Ryde Business Forum and would like to join us, click here to go to the membership page on our website and download the membership form.