With the recent release of the 2018-19 Federal Budget we sought insight from Federal Member for Fairfax Ted O'Brien on what impacts we might feel as business owners and community members of the Sunshine Coast. The following snapshot has been provided to highlight the main changes. For more information on the Budget click here. 

To download a copy click the link here: Budget Summary for the Sunshine Coast

News from our Silver Sponsors Garland Waddington Solicitors:

The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) recently held its annual awards ceremony at the Innovation Centre, spotlighting the best and brightest students in the areas of Arts, Business and Law. 

In keeping with their deep and ongoing commitment to recognising and celebrating excellence in the community, Garland Waddington proudly sponsored awards for the highest achieving students in the subjects of Tax and Estate Planning and Property Law.

Partner, Brendan Bathersby had the privilege to present the awards on the night to Meg Lucas and Katie O’Connor and congratulated all award recipients at this year’s Faculty of Arts, Awards Business and Law and Prizes Ceremony 2018.

Garland Waddington enjoys playing an active role in our community whether through providing legal assistance or financial support to worthy causes or encouraging staff to be part of one of the many community projects and industry associations we support each year.

"We are proud to add value to the broader community and to make a positive difference to the lives of others."

While television shows like The Brady Bunch and Modern Family make entertaining viewing, the reality is that once-harmonious blended families can soon turn into warring parties if a parent or step parent forgets to update their will.

Ken Waddington a Partner at Garland Waddington Solicitors, Maroochydore, reminds us that many Australians wills were often out of date and failed to reflect current family circumstances.

Public Trustee data, cited in the “Having the Last Word” report1 by The University of Queensland, showed that complexity of the family relationship was a trigger in 62 percent of disputes over estates.

New spouses or partners, separation or divorce and the addition of step families were all listed as factors likely to lead to a will challenge.

Close to 6 percent of families in Australia include step children, and determining who gets what under a will is often based on the extent to which children are seen to be children of both parties.

Factors such as the length and timing of the relationship, the age of the step children at the time, and the degree of active parenting all come into play when will-makers decide how to apportion their estate.

“One of the major grey areas in the past has been whether a step child of a de facto relationship could make a claim against the estate of their step parent,” Mr Waddington said.

Changes to the Queensland Succession Act, made in June this year, have now made it clear that the meaning of ‘step child’ includes the child of a party to a de facto relationship.

“This means that a step child to a de facto relationship is eligible to make a claim against the estate of their step parent – but only if their step parent and biological parent were in a relationship at the time of their death.”

Mr Waddington indicated that estate matters could become complicated if parties in a de facto relationship with step children or joint children had failed to revise their wills, dying with out of date wills listing ex-partners or biological children as sole beneficiaries.

“For example, in certain circumstances, adult children from a previous relationship could claim against the estate of their step parent, regardless of whether or not they had been a part of the new blended family or had a close relationship with the step parent.”

“Just another reason why it’s so important for people to update their wills to provide clear direction on how they want to provide for their partner, step children and biological children from current and past relationships,” he said.

For more information in relation to a family law matter or to obtain professional advice, visit www.garlandwaddington.com.au

Lizzie joined the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network in 2017 when she returned to work after taking time off to have her first baby. Lizzie felt that the SCBWN was a perfect organisation to facilitate her transition back into the business world.

As a finalist for Young Business Woman of the Year in 2013 she decided to enter the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Awards as a way of showing her gratitude to everyone who had supported her throughout her career. It also allowed her to show her continuous commitment towards improving and achieving. Since 2013, Lizzie has gone on to build her business, 'Lizzie Heneberg Consulting', in which she is passionate about helping business owners plan and write clever communications to clearly express their business messages.

Lizzie is also a mother of one gorgeous girl and soon to be mother to another little bundle of joy due in April 2018. Along with her husband Eli she enjoys getting outdoors with their dog Dexter by either stand up paddle boarding or doing yoga. They love calling Sunshine Coast their home, Lizzie explains “I grew up here and have traveled the globe and every time I come back I fall in love with the place all over again. I also find this region is very conducive to small business success with lots of support and energy.”

As the SCBWN Marketing Chair, she hopes to help the network share more incredible stories to connect and inspire more dynamic business people across the Coast and to be a part of real, positive change and support across the region.

Being a guarantor for a family members or close friend is not as simple as you think!

It is very easy to understand why when asked to go guarantor by a member of your family or a close friend (“the borrower”) who wants to buy a home, that you would be willing to go guarantor.

But there are risks that you should be aware of if the borrower is unable to meet loan payments because of unforeseen circumstances or relationship break downs, as these factors may impact on your own financial commitments or opportunities you may wish to take up in the future.

One of the most common types of guarantee security for home loans is a security guarantee which means that instead of giving the person you are going guarantor for money to put towards the deposit, you give the equity the use of that has accrued in your property.  The loan to the borrower is secured using both the property being purchased and your own property.

The purpose is often to reduce the amount being borrowed to less than 80% of the proposed purchase price so that the borrower can avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance.  This will assist the borrower greatly, but there are no direct financial rewards for you.  It is very important to realise there is a lot of responsibility attached to becoming a guarantor.  For example, if the borrower is unable to afford the repayments, you will be responsible for paying off the remaining amount of the loan, or have to sell the property you used as security to repay the debt.

If you as guarantor want to sell your property in the future you may not be able to rely on all the equity in your property to secure a new property as an amount equivalent to the amount secured under the existing property as the guaranteed amount would need to be secured against the new property.

If  you want to sell the property outright and for example go travelling (and not invest in a new property straight away) an amount equivalent to the amount secured under the existing property would probably have to be held in a term deposit for the term of the borrower’s debt, or until the borrower’s property is sold.

Other points to consider when going guarantor are:

• If the borrower defaults and you are required to make the repayments, but are not in a position to do so, it will affect your credit rating;
• Even if you are not making repayments on the borrower’s loan, when applying for credit, a financier will most likely include the maximum potentially guaranteed amount when considering your application, and this may affect your chances of obtaining the credit.

We very strongly recommend that you seek independent advice before becoming a guarantor.  There could be other options worth pursuing which may assist the borrower but reduce your responsibility or liability.

For more information, contact Lyn Colautti, Paralegal, (07) 5443 4866 or lcolautti@gwlaw.com.au

Does your website stack up ?

Do you know the legal requirements and responsibilities of running an online business?  Does your website comply with Australian legislation?

Below are the three most important legal aspects that you should be aware of.  Check to see how your website fares.

Do you have a Contact Form on your website?

If YES then you are collecting personal information eg. email address.  Your website needs a PRIVACY POLICY.

A Privacy Policy states how you will keep all personal information safe and secure and that you will not sell it without permission. Since almost all websites have contact forms, most websites should have a Privacy Policy. So that should be your first priority.

Having a Privacy Policy will also increase consumer confidence and trust in your operations.

Do you publish information or provide advice on your website?

If YES then people could rely incorrectly on your information or advice and your website needs a WEBSITE DISCLAIMER

You never know, the information you publish could be out of date; any advice you offer may be misused or misinterpreted by your visitors; and so on. Again, most websites are providing information, so you should probably have, at least, a general Website Disclaimer to protect yourself and your business.

Do you sell goods and/or services on your website?

If YES then your website should say you comply with Australian Consumer Law and provide refund, warranty and shipping information in TERMS & CONDITIONS

In addition you also need to include a statement that you comply with the Australian Consumer Law. Not all websites sell goods and services, so you might not need to post Terms and Conditions. But the ACCC is cracking down on e-commerce sites in Australia and starting to issue penalties to non-complying websites. So don’t get caught out if you sell goods and services online.

Note:  the above information is not intended to be, and should not be, interpreted as constituting legal advice.  

For more information on website compliance, click here.

Thank you to Jane Cluff from Felicity Jane for this blog.

 

Dr Grace Jones - Acupuncturist

My name is Dr. Grace Jones, I am a nationally registered acupuncturist and the owner and director of Acupuncture with Grace, an integrative acupuncture and Chinese medicine practice in Maroochydore and Buddina on the Sunshine Coast. I am incredibly passionate about helping people from all walks of life improve their health, through a combination of modern Western and traditional Eastern treatments tailored specifically to each individual patient. I am highly trained and passionate in the areas of women’s health, fertility & IVF support, pregnancy support, pain management, and stress/emotional support. My greatest love is in helping people to gain a sense of wellbeing they didn’t even realise was possible, and I look forward to helping as many people reach this as I can.

Phone: 0400871960
Email: grace@acupuncturewithgrace.com.au
Website: www.sunshinecoastacupunctureclinic.com.au

Kathy McKenzie - Fire Up Coaching

FIRE UP Coaching® leads the field when it comes to Leadership Training, Accredited Coach Training and coaching individuals to reach their potential. As a Registered Training Organisation (22458) we offer unique training programs both accredited and non-accredited to develop the individual potential that often lies latent in organisations. We can deliver full qualifications or customised programs of any length. We work with you to design the solution that will best fit with your strategy and budget.

Our flagship programs are our Diploma of Leadership Coaching and Mentoring (22233VIC) and Certificate IV in Business and Personal Coaching (10547NAT) both which align with the International Coach Federation (ICF) core competencies and are the most comprehensive and practical accredited coach training programs in Australia. FIREUP is also an ACTP (Accredited Coach Training Provider) with the International Coach Federation (ICF) training program.

Both our programs are unique in that we utilise a coaching conversation model called REACH which was originally developed by FIRE UP Coaching for Queensland Health but is now integral to all our coaching programs. The REACH Model has been acclaimed by many of our clients as superior to any of the previous models they were using. It is sophisticated enough to allow conversations of depth in any context, and has particularly been embraced by our health, education and emergency services organisations. We also utilise the power of whole brain thinking, positive psychology, neuroscience and strength based approaches to inspire our students and take them to new expanded levels of awareness.

T: 1300 347 387

www.fireup.com.au
Mobile 0409686772
Skype kathymckenzie

Anthea O'Sullivan-Kovacevic

Anthea is the owner of Signal Fox – Antenna, Internet & Mobile Phone and her company fixes 4G, WiFi and mobile phone signal problems. They’ve been installing and repairing TV antennas and WiFi systems across the Sunshine Coast for over 10 years and their technician has 22 years’ experience in the IT and Radio Frequency Engineering fields.

Anthea believes that everyone deserves to have strong and reliable signals all day, every day, in their homes and offices.

Signal Fox’s diversity of services range from repairing TV antennas, to boosting mobile phone signals in the home/office, to installing wireless internet systems for homes, large holiday resorts and everything in between! Not only do they have an incredible technician, but Signal Fox only use the best technology available right now to improve or boost the signal for your TV, mobile phone, 4G internet, WiFi, digital radio and networking.

With wireless and NBN internet technology rapidly advancing, Signal Fox can come in and make these new technologies work smoothly in your home or office. Their cutting edge equipment and experience makes these problems a thing of the past when you deal with Signal Fox.

If you’ve got radio frequency tech problems at home, in your office or in your investment/rental properties, be sure to connect with your SCBWN member Anthea; she can help you optimise your signals to work at their optimal capacity, which will make your life run smoother with effective technology.

SCBWN Special Offer: Anthea and her team at Signal Fox are offering FREE WiFi Health Checks for SCBWN members in their homes or offices located within a 40Km radius of Sippy Downs.

www.signalfox.com.au | 5414 9030 | admin@signalfox.com.au

Getting to know Anthea – Our famous five questions:

Q: Favourite place on the Sunshine Coast? A: Currimundi Lake

Q: Who inspires you and why? A: Sir Richard Branson. He loves being an entrepreneur that makes a difference in so many people’s lives

Q: What does success means to you? A: Success to me means having a good work/life balance, happy & healthy kids, a great marriage and happy, successful friends. I’ve succeeded!

Q: One wish? A: There’s enough food on this planet, for every single person on it. My wish is for Governments to take an active role in food being distributed more evenly.

Roelie Schrijnders-Schmidt

My name is Roelie Schrijnders-Schmidt and I am the owner and manager of FITIN20. A completely new concept of fitness for Queensland, but with well over 5000 studio's in Europe a proven extremely effective method to get fit, treat injuries/back aches and shape your body fast. We use German technology to help activate your muscles that you can't reach with a normal workout, this way you can fit up to 6 hours of weighted workout in just 20 minutes. Perfect for after work or during lunch breaks, and it will leave you with more time for work or leisure. We also have programs that effectively fight cellulite and injuries.

Besides managing Fit in 20, my husband and I are also owners of THOR Aerial Photography. We deploy drones to take pictures and video from the sky, but also incorporate ground footage for corporate promotional videos and wedding videos. I manage the client contacts and edit all the footage into creative clips.

I also work as a veterinarian in Caloundra. While life gets hectic with three (completely different) businesses and a young family, I enjoy the combination of developing three types of creative thinking: managerial for Fitin20, artistic for Thor Aerial and diagnostic as a veterinarian. As I am still growing in my position as managerial director, and I have learned that I love to get inspired and learn from other positive role models in business. I am excited to meet other women in business to network and socialize with.

Yogita Ridgley - Traveling With Me, Myself and I 

I educate and inspire woman of all ages to TRAVEL SOLO. My mission is to teach them how to, Travel Smart, Travel Safe and Travel Solo. My motivation behind this idea is not just for people who are young and single, it is also for those who are married, divorced or widower. Traveling help's you to keep learning, growing and challenging you to meet the Real, Authentic you. Solo Traveling is the best way to get out of your comfort zone.

Services I offer on my site www.travelingwithmemyselfandi.com

(1) Blogs with loads of ideas on how to Travel Safe Travel Smart Travel Solo.
(2) You can BOOK Hotels, Flights, Car Rentals, Guided tours, Cruises, Travel Insurances and Travel Guide Books.
(3) Personalised and Free itinerary to suit your travel style and your budget.

Email: me@travelingwithmemyselfandi.com

Note* if you book with me you are NOT going to pay more, it will cost the same if not cheaper then booking with Travel Agents

Provides opportunity to transform life and business

What do you get when you bring together an enthusiastic group of 20 budding business owners, nearly 20 high calibre guest speakers and acclaimed business mentors, more than 15 hot business topics and a coordinator to make it all happen over a 13 week period?

Why, it’s the Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network ‘Reflections Business Mentoring Program’ of course!

Garland Waddington is enjoying being part of this year’s dynamic and interactive mentoring program through providing mentor support and also a guest presentation on business and commercial law.

Partner at Garland Waddington, Brendan Bathersby, said the program is an excellent opportunity for Mentees to be matched with popular, skilled and accomplished Mentors who are excited about supporting and challenging their Mentees.

“It’s a privilege to be part of such a well-coordinated program,” Mr Bathersby said.

“The Mentees are all very keen and enthusiastic. Many of the Mentors are recognised nationally with some being well-known internationally in the business world with most of the Guest Speakers being international presenters”

The program includes a schedule of hot topics including (but not limited to): understanding your purpose, both life planning and business planning; having the right people in your team; team health and wellness; power of positive mindset; taking your business from ‘home-based’ to a ‘global enterprise’; maximising sales; understanding the success formula; how to handle basic HR & IR issues; systems; growth; legal requirements and structures; time management and understanding your finances. The mentees are using each week a fantastic workbook “Transform Life & Business – 140 characters at a time” which covers many aspects of real life insights into life and business.

Mr Bathersby said that the Mentees are particularly dedicated to their own success and to the success of others.

“It’s humbling to be working with such a remarkable group of career-focussed people and budding business owners,” Mr Bathersby said. “Many of the Mentees have been in a particular career or business for a while but they are keen to diversify, start a new project or kick start their business in order to make their business even better.” The mentees have all expressed the significance that this program has had on their life and business from the opportunities and knowledge provided to them by the Mentors and Guest Speakers over 13 weekly sessions every Monday afternoon.

“The SCBWN are to be commended on the program and the opportunity it provides for its members. It truly is a program designed for successful businesses seeking to grow and take things to the next level or anyone wanting to improve upon their career development.”