FROM THE HELM - Volume 1: Number 4  

Newsletter Topics Chinese F.T.A Still A Long Way Off TAFE Students Up-Skill Progarm 2006 Boat & Adventure Show New Australian Dealer for Hatteras and Benetti Increased Protection For Boat Buyers Super Choice - Is Your Business Ready? Buyers Dig Deep At Gold Coast Show ADP Payroll Solutions

CHINESE F.T.A IS STILL A LONG WAY OFF

Association President, Charles Dickson met with senior representatives from the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday, July 20 to discuss implications of the proposed Free Trade Agreement between Australia and China.

The FTA was first mooted by Prime Minister, John Howard during his recent good will visit to China.

Ric Wells, Head of the China FTA Task Force stated that the first substantive meeting between Chinese and Australian government officials is scheduled for the end of August. This will take the form of a broad exchange of information and identification of issues of concern to both sides.

Wells stressed that he doesn't know how long the FTA negations will take. "It's more important that we end up with commercially viable outcomes for Australia, rather than forcing an agreement within a clearly defined deadline" he said. "There are some very real sensitivities in relation to our manufacturing sector and we need to be careful in dealing with these concerns. The negotiations could take years; as many as we need to achieve the right outcomes"

Relative wage rates are only one issue. Issues to surface so far include the issue of business licenses to Australian companies, protection of intellectual property rights and lack of transparency in business dealings.

Other concerns include legal ramifications surrounding enforcement of contractual obligations, issues regarding repatriation of profits and allegations of fraudulent certifications in relation to certain international quality standards.

Wells requested that industries with a vested interest in the FTA Agreement with China should make written submissions as soon as possible, outlining their concerns and stating the issues that should be addressed by the Federal Government during the FTA negotiating period.

"We don't want to conclude an agreement with China, only to find that a vital piece of information was overlooked because nobody raised it until it was too late," he said.

---

Employment, Training and Industrial Relations Minister Tom Barton congratulated 40 Gold Coast TAFE students who successfully completed the institute's inaugural boatbuilding "up-skill" program at the end of June.

Mr Barton said the program was developed for boatbuilding industry workers without formal qualifications or qualifications specific to the industry.

"These 40 graduates can now use their formalised training to apply for a nationally-recognised qualification in Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction," Mr Barton said."

"This initiative means employers who have qualified tradespersons are able to employ and assign new apprentices to those qualified people. This means more apprentices and more jobs for Queensland."

The program has been funded from the Queensland Government's innovative $1 billion three-year SmartVET strategy that targets skills development and skills shortages in the state's industries.

Among the 40 students who completed the program were four mature-aged students with a hearing impairment - Mark Pahl of Nerang, Neville Pahl of Elanora and Terry Fidge and Max Herbert of Oxenford.

TAFE institute director Deb Daly described the four men's effort as remarkable.

"It is very unusual to have four students with a hearing impairment in the one class. It was an absolute pleasure to assist and support these students with their study needs," Ms Daly said.

Gold Coast TAFE assisted the students by organising a sign language interpreter who attended all the classes with the students.

Due to the success of the program, the "up-skill" program will be offered in semester two, starting in July.

Anyone interested in obtaining information about boatbuilding programs at Gold Coast TAFE should contact customer service on (07) 5581 8300 or visit www.goldcoast.tafe.qld.gov.au.

---

PLANNING has begun for the 2006 Gold Coast Boat and Outdoor Adventure Show following the success of the inaugural event held from July 8-10.

Event Director, Mark Harvey of Showtime Events said a 2006 boat show date will be announced shortly, after consultation with exhibitors and research into the most desirable available dates at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The three-day show involved more than 100 exhibitors occupying 15,000 square metres of floor space, around 250 boats and a well-received program of free entertainment and outdoor lifestyle seminars.

Harvey said the show was a huge success and exhibitor feedback has been extremely positive.

"The quality of visitors was high, with plenty of genuine buyers as well as lookers. This was evident in the number of vessels sold, with several of them at more than $100,000, and requests for follow-up demonstrations.

"The majority of exhibitors have requested additional space for next year.

"The show's success proved there was a need for a venue in the Gold Coast region to display boats up to 10 metres. It's here to stay and will definitely become a signature event for the city and one of Australia’s most popular boat shows," he said.

---

Geoff Lovett International Pty Ltd has been appointed as the exclusive Australian dealer for the Hatteras range of Sport Fishing boats and Motor Yachts built in the USA.

They have also been appointed as the authorized Australian agent for the luxury Italian built range of Benetti Composite Motor Yachts. Benetti builds from boats ranging from 30 to 70 metres and is the largest builder of luxury Motor Yachts in the world. Benetti and Hatteras are a welcome addition to the Geoff Lovett International portfolio.

---

A new accreditation system is being developed for Queensland's marine brokers to provide boat buyers with more certainty and confidence when making a major purchase.

The Queensland State Government provided a $5000 grant to the Boating Industry Association of Queensland Limited (BIAQ) with a grant to help the establish the accreditation system.

There are 55 brokers registered with the BIAQ, but there are believed to be that many again practicing throughout Queensland with no ties to any industry body.

Minister for State Development Minister Tony McGrady said, "I am not suggesting that any of these non accredited brokers are dishonest but rip offs do occur and that is a concern when trying to strengthen the industry’s credibility." Mr McGrady said there are more than 192,000 registered boats in Queensland.

"The marine industry is growing, employs more than 7000 people and contributes more than $1 billion a year to the state's economy.

"It’s extremely important that we work to raise standards across the board and I commend the BIAQ for taking the lead in this process."

BIAQ Executive Manager Barry Hibberd said the grant would enable the organisation to conduct a training needs analysis as the first step in designing a suitable training and accreditation program.

"We envisage being able to deliver the training via a self-paced CD to ensure all brokers across Queensland will be able to take part," he said.

"Once accredited, we hope to heavily encourage buyers to use these brokers for their own peace of mind and to ensure our high industry standards are maintained."

The BIAQ was funded under the State Government’s Leadership and Management Program.

---