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Social responsibility

This ABC story about Pearcedale Hardware is a must-read story for all small business retailers and every Australian who cares about or relies on small business retail

Pearcedale Hardware is closing today and the ABC has published a deep-dive into why:

The cost of doing business

Published

For many residents in the quiet township of Pearcedale, the local shops are the heart of the community.

On this weekday, the complex an hour’s drive south-east of Melbourne is beating strong.

Shoppers exchange cheerios across the car park and small talk about the impending rain as they bustle, car keys in hand, between the 13 shops.

…

The shop was their retirement plan. They hoped to rebrand it and work towards selling it, believing they could get a few hundred thousand dollars.

But they say things began to look shaky when their lease lapsed in 2019, and the owners wouldn’t sign a new agreement with them.

They were on a month-by-month arrangement, when in May this year their property agent emailed them a new leasing agreement.

“[I was in] disbelief. I couldn’t believe what they were asking,” Adrian says.

The landowners were tripling the rent — from $29,687 a year to $88,638 a year.

Be sure to read the whole story.

There are many good landlords out there who go above and beyond for their small business tenants. There are also plenty of landlords who suck.

This story is a reminder that we small business retailers sign our leases, accepting the terms and conditions, accepting the risk.

When a lease goes to month-to-month, that’s what it is. We need to manage our business with that expectation and do our own planning, rather than relying on a decision from the landlord.

I appreciate it can be difficult and challenging. But, it’s best we expect the worst and plan for it, to protect ourselves and our business as much as we can … because, too many landlords do suck.

Retail is fundamentally changing in ways we can see and, more importantly, in ways we cannot see. We have to be as far ahead of that curve of change as we can be. This means disrupting your own businesses.  Running a shop with one prime source of income (the shop) is an out of date model. we seen to diversify as to what people buy, how they buy and the locations they buy from in the retail world today. This approach spreads the risk.

Back in the day, opening the front door of your local shop was the key marketing activity. Not now. Not for many years.

I have been in the situation of the folks at Pearcedale Hardware, facing a massive rent hike. I said no thanks. I am lucky to have a diverse business such that closing one shop would not hurt too much. But … I evolved the business to be that, to not rely  on one location.

I appreciate many local small business retailers don’t feel they can do that due to capital, local situation or other factors. But, there are ways to insulate your business from the impact of a massive rent hike. The time to seek those ways out is long before you need to … and that is the core point I’d make today.

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Ethics

If you have a moment to do some good …

If you have time and are able, I’d appreciate you helping a remote community in Aurukun, Queensland. Janelle from Cape York Partnership reached out earlier this week asking for old magazines. here is her note:

Good afternoon My name is Janelle and I work in a very remote community called Aurukun where most of the community is on Centrelink and struggle to live day to day as food is very expensive here. It is a community that has many barriers and issues that impact on all the community people I work in CDP which requires anyone on Centrelink to come in and see us, at times this is very busy and means sitting and waiting for extended periods of time. I am approaching you to see if there is any chance of being given some of the old magazines ie That’s Life, Take 5, Australian Geographic, Football, Hunting anything like that. Also any old basic Crossword/Find a work type magazines as well, kids too. It doesn’t matter to them if they are months old it will just give them something to look at while they sit and wait and then we could pass these onto the Aged Care Centre for the patients there. I hope that this is possible and wait to hear back, much appreciated Janelle

I spoke to Janelle and discovered they could use plenty more than old magazines. They can use pencils, colouring books, kids toys and gifts, too.

Rather than send returns, we sent a bundle of current issue magazines from each of my shops and 30 Beanie Boos and some colouring sets. I mention this as an example of what any newsagent could do if they would like to help this organisation.

I appreciate we all get calls daily for help from local and other groups.

This message from Janelle resonated.

If you can help, I am sure the Aurukun community would appreciate it. Here iOS the address for sending any donations:

Janelle Ainsley
C/- CYE
508 Kang Kang Road
Aurukun 4892
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Social responsibility

News Corp half price magazine offer exclusive to Woolworths

I was told about this offer just as it ended, a half price offer for News Corp. magazine titles at Woolworths supermarkets. Newsagents should think of this next time a News Corp. representative claims newsagents are important to them. I can’t recall an offer like this from News Corp. to encourage shopping in newsagencies.

If News Corp. values newsagents, it needs to do better.

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magazines

Newsagents not to blame for missing and late newspapers and magazines

In Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland in recent months newspaper and magazine distribution has become even more unpredictable than usual.

Too often, newspapers and magazines arrive late in newsagencies. Sometimes, they don’t arrive at all.

This is not the fault of the newsagent.

Talking to the newspaper and magazine companies you get the feeling they don’t see it as their fault, either. They point at those they contract with.

Newsagents find it almost impossible to get assistance that resolves the problem of late and completely missed newspaper and magazine deliveries.

The distress the situation is causing for affected newsagents is considerable.

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magazine distribution

As retailers we have a trust obligation to our customers

There is a newsagent who has access to limited edition product sold to them on the basis that they place it in-store for customers to purchase but who, instead, places the product almost immediately in eBay, selling for two and three times the retail price.

I understand the appeal of making two or three times the gross profit, yes it really is that much. I do not understand the breach of supplier terms and the breach of trust with shoppers.

We will find out soon enough if their behaviour negatively impacts their own businesses or other newsagents who also purchase from the supplier. Yes, that is the risk here, that all newsagents are lumped together and judged based on the actions of one.

The value of limited edition product is the foot traffic it can attract and the joy of shoppers able to purchase it from you. This is more valuable long term than the repyutational damage that will come if you keep the product and sell it yourself for two or three times retail.

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Ethics

The Great Resignation could be a thing, something we need to consider

The Great Resignation is more than a glib phrase, it reflects a movement unfolding and being discussed worldwide in businesses, governments and elsewhere.

It’s a Covid thing in that people have had the work from home experience of flexible hours, no commute, enjoying the local community more and a closer family embrace.

A Great Resignation trigger is when a business asks / demands employees return to the office. It gives plenty, apparently, pause for thought about other employment options.

If this plays out as some think it could, local businesses that have benefited from more people working locally could continue to flourish as businesses call people back in.

Here’s a scene-setting story from CNBC:

Here is a news.com.au story:

Click here to access an ABC story about this from a few days ago.

I don’t know if The Great Resignation will be a big thing here in Australia or not. But I do think it is interesting to read about and consider how it could play out in the context of our local businesses. I kind of think it could be welcome disruption.

Now, thinking about this in the context of the newsagency software company I own. Mid last year we made it clear that we would not be requiring people to return of the office. Indeed, we have hired several new team members located interstate because they were perfect candidates and they wanted to work from home. These personal experiences make me think The Great resignation may not be great. It may be a thing, but not great … because workplaces will be flexible, especially small business workplaces if they can.

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Social responsibility

Covid rapid antigen tests banned in Western Australia

With newsagency stationery supplier GNS providing access to an approved Covid rapid antigen test product for sale in newsagencies, it’s no surprise there is strong interest from newsagents. But, there has been surprise, from myself included, in news that the use of rapid antigen tests is banned in Western Australia by direction of their Chief Health Officer.

I mention it here following contact today from several newsagents in Western Australia.

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Social responsibility

Banks really don’t want over the counter business

I went to the bank at 11am Monday for an over the counter transaction onto to discover that they were closed Monday and Tuesday. I went at 11am because they had started closing at 1pm. Now, it seems, closing Mondays and Tuesdays is a thing.

The only reason I go to this brand is because our local branch closed as did the next branch we went to.

Anyway, I got there yesterday, waited in line for 30 minutes only to be told that type of transaction needs to be done in the city. It’s not a complex transaction, but it does require a branch authorisation,  which they, apparently, can no longer do.

…

At one of my shops, we deposit cash every few days using the cash deposit ATM – when the machine is working. Currently, because we have been keeping records – the ATM has a downtime of more than 50%. When we approach people in they branch they say it’s nothing to do with us.

…

These are my recent local branch banking experiences. I have heard of worse from plenty of others in local small business retail.

The local bank branch network in Australia was unique, a point of difference for our country. I think it’s now lost forever.

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Social responsibility

The obsession with supporting jobs impacted by economic changes in pursuit of reducing carbon emissions is ignorant and selfish

It frustrates me seeing some in the National Party and some in the media raving on about necessary support for jobs that will be lost if Australia pursues reasonable carbon emission targets.

They bleat and moan that we have to support the miners and others who will have to re-train.

It’s pathetic really.

Here in the Australian newsagency channel we have been going through and dealing with extraordinary structural change, loss of core income, loss of core shopper traffic, all in plain sight and all without a cent of government support.

While more recent changes have come about because of worldwide disruption to the print media model, the bigger changes began in the late 1990s when the Howard federal government took away protection for local small business newsagents, protection put in place by the federal government, in support of big business mates in supermarkets and a national convenience store chain.

Yes, the federal government took away protection, sliced off a ton of business newsagents relied on and they did this without any compensation to newsagents whatsoever.

The miners have seen the mess of climate change worsening for decades. Smart people in that industry prepared. It’s only the laggards complaining now, wanting government cash to protect them, when they should have been better prepared themselves.

It appalls me that the government may chuck billions at helping a relatively small number people / businesses adjust to a world chasing reductions in carbon emissions considering the history of the federal government forcing structural change on our newsagency channel and offering absolutely no support whatsoever.

I guess the situation speaks to how the Liberal and National politicians see small businesses compared to big businesses. The thing is, through their actions and inactions, we know they do not see us.

I have been writing about the failure of the Liberal / National Party coalition federal government to appropriately support local small business newsagents on whom they imposed deregulation and took away considerable business value. This, for example, from 2005, offers some background:

Newsagents and pharmacists are two forever-protected species as far as the coalition is concerned. 

This is a quote attributed to Joe Hockey, the former Minister for Small Business in the Howard Government.  It’s on Page 12 of the Perspective insert in the Australian Financial Review (Dec 30 – Jan 4).

Joe Hockey and his colleagues demonstrated their commitment to newsagents through their years in office by:

  1. Facilitating the elimination of exclusive newspaper and magazine distribution territories without compensation for taking away from newsagents this century-old right.
  2. Driving newsagents to enter into new contracts with publishers and permitting this to be done by newsagents negotiating on their own behalf and not using professional negotiators.
  3. Allowing poor leadership of newsagents at the time to wipe off more than $100 million dollars of value of newsagent businesses without compensation.
  4. Permitting a contract relationship for newspapers and magazines which deregulated one side of the transaction and left newsagents with an expensive and inefficient system which was designed for a regulated marketplace.
  5. Permitting the 865 Government owned Australia Post retail outlets to become more and more like newsagents, moving into areas traditionally serviced well by newsagents.
  6. Refusing to intervene in 2004 when Australia Post was engaged in what I’d consider grossly unconscionable practices when newsagents tried to establish an alternative bill payment network.
  7. Refusing to respond to newsagent representations in 2004 about an unfair magazine distribution system which operates at a loss for many newsagents.

Joe Hockey is wrong about newsagents.  The Coalition has not demonstrated any concern for newsagents other than hollow words.

My point is that it looks like people in dinosaur climate-impacting sectors are about to be showered with cash by the federal government for reasons that were as relevant to the small business newsagency channel a few years ago. If it happens it speaks to government support for big business mates over small business retailers.

In fact, the situation newsagents had to deal with were bigger in that they were government created. Newsagents played no role in the changes coming about.

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Newsagent representation

Pet Circle targets local petfood shop with Google ad campaign

The big Pet Circle business has been targeting local small business The Petfood Warehouse with ads that specifically name The Petfood Warehouse.

Google permits this, a business naming a competitor in an ad. This is what one of the Pet Circle ads targeting The Petfood Warehouse looks like:

 The headline of one Pet Circle ad says: The Petfood Warehouse – Fast Delivery + Free Shipping.

 The headline of another Pet Circle ad says: Petfood Warehouse | Low-Priced Pet Food Online

If you click on either ad it takes you to the Pet Circle website.

I can understand how a shopper may think they are shopping at The Petfood Warehouse when they click on the link. The headline suggests that it is an ad for The Petfood Warehouse and the ad presents when you do a Google search for The Petfood Warehouse. But this is an ad for Pet Circle.

Why does this matter, why am I writing about it at the Newsagency Blog? fair question. The Petfood Warehouse is a customer of the POS software company I own, Tower Systems. I feel for their situation as I went through the same thing last year. The Google keyword Tower Systems was targeted by a company that used it in their ad heading promoting POS software. No, it was not a newsagency software company. People searching for us were presented their ad with our name in the ad headline text – which is exactly what has been happening with The Petfood Warehouse.

This all matters here because it can happen to you. Beware. keep your eyes open. I know of one business it happened to and their online sales dropped from 25 a day to 5 a day when this happened.

Pet Circle is not the local small business serving the Illawarra like The Petfood Warehouse.

I’m not saying Pet Circle is a bad business. But, I am raising a concern that they are paying to use the name of a competitor of theirs in a apparent move to see people looking for that business to shop at Pet Circle.

In my opinion, it sucks that Google permits this type of advertising, where a competitor uses the name of another business in a headline for an add to effectively pass the ad off as being for the other business.

I am all for competition, fair competition. Local small businesses do not have the marketing budget for expensive Google campaigns. I think any Google ad that uses the name of a competitor to divert eyeballs and clicks is unfair, inappropriate.

Maybe the best way to deal with businesses that squat on a competitor’s business name like this is to click on their ads. A higher ad spend for no revenue will soon get the attention of those in control of their ad budget.

Being a local small business is challenging, in the physical world as well as online, as this issue shows.

Hopefully, the folks at Pet Circle will change their approach. I have lobbied them to do this, in support of the family that owns The Petfood Warehouse.

Footnote: LegalVision makes some interesting comments about this type of advertising.

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Ethics

Newsagency / LPO may close due to vaccine status

The Guardian has a story about Merrigum newsagency / LPO and their position in relation to the vaccine for Covid.

The tiny town of Merrigum in regional Victoria may lose its only post office because its operator has refused to be vaccinated for Covid-19, citing her “freedom of choice”.

Angela Spedding has operated the Merrigum post office and newsagent for more than six years.

On Tuesday, in a post on social media, Spedding said she had been told by Australia Post that the post office would have to close if she had not booked in to receive a vaccine by the end of the working week, and she would also have to cease delivering mail.

Australia Post denied Spedding had been told to close the office, but said she had advised them it would close from Thursday after discussions about her compliance with state health orders.

Reads like crazy stuff. But the Facebook page for the business supports the story.

I have been told by Australia Post that if I haven’t booked in by Friday 15th the Post Office will close. As it is my choice to not get vaccinated the mail will be transferred to Somewhere. As for your street mail they have another contractor but where it will go I have no idea. I apologise for the inconvenience this will cause for you all but it’s my freedom of choice.

It’s not an Australia Post thing. No, the Department of Health has ordered that everyone working in an essential business has to have had had their first vaccine dose by October 22.

If it was up to me, vaccination would be mandatory for all except those with a legitimate medical exemption. The risk posed by the unvaccinated because they want the right to choose not to be vaccinated is too big for their ignorant stupidity to put those too young or those who cannot be vaccinated at risk.

This is not the first business in this situation and it will not be the last. Unfortunately, each story is fuel to the bonfire setup by ignorant anti-vaxxers.

UPDATE: The business owner has advised Australia Post that they have booked their vaccination appointment.

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Social responsibility

The turmoil of newspaper delivery for a regional newsagent under new News Corp arrangements in Victoria

Victoria is in the middle of considerable changes to newspaper distribution let by decisions of  News Corp.. While change can be challenging, as we have seen in Queensland and New South Wales, the newspaper distribution experts at News Corp. are certainly expert at the botch up. Newsagents are suffering, enduring higher costs and upset that they are letting their long-term customers down.

Here is the experience of one regional newsagent in Victoria in dealing with the Herald and Weekly Times:

The Herald and Weekly Times replaced the reliable transport company they had used for decades to deliver papers to us and many newsagents in regional Victoria. Under the new transport company arrangement, it has been a nightmare.

Previously, papers for home delivery were delivered between 2:30am-3:30am, giving us time to unload, wrap and deliver by 6:30am. This meant deliveries were done when there was less traffic on the road. Delivery people are working longer hours and are delivering to homes in a less safe situation given more traffic on the road later in the morning.

Newspaper home delivery drivers are angry and threatening to leave. Customers are disadvantaged with later papers, often coming after they have left for work.

Circulation people at the Herald and Weekly Times have been disinterested. They tell newsagents to be patient and that what newsagents are experience are teething issues. For the first couple of weeks this could be the excuse, but months in, it is no excuse at all. To be fair to them, maybe they are saying all they can given the company’s decisions.

The Herald and Weekly Times people set the OH&S standards that newsagents are consistently unable to meet now because of their failure to deliver newspapers on time. The consistent failure puts delivery drivers and the public at risk.

The failures of this change in newspaper delivery transport arrangements is impacting the mental health of some in our channel. Yet, management at the Herald and Weekly Times, and their masters at News Corp. headquarters in Sydney appear disinterested. It feels like the News Corp. financial situation is all that matters.

I get that News Corp. wants to cut costs. But to do so in a way that even more burdens are shouldered by local small business retailers reflects a lack of ethics, it represents poor social responsibility.

I tell newsagents who tell me about the challenges relating to getting newspapers on time for home delivery to quit newspaper home delivery. There is no upside. What you make today in real terms from newspaper home delivery is less than a couple of years ago. Few newsagents genuinely profit from it. It is a distraction to other parts of the business that should be experiencing double-digit growth, and which make you happier.

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Ethics

Solomon Lew calls for only vaccinated Aussies to be allowed in malls

Premier Investments  Chairman Solomon Lew said yesterday that once Victoria and New South Wales are out of lockdown, only vaccinated people should be allowed in shopping malls:

“It’s our strong preference that the government mandates that all persons entering a mall be vaccinated and temperature checked as well,” Mr Lew said.

Mr Lew said he would not be comfortable sitting down in a food court next to someone who was unvaccinated, and noted it was important the onus for enforcing the rules was placed on shopping centre owners as it would not be practical for each store to have its own marshals checking customers’ vaccination status.

“The centre owners have an absolute responsibility to ensure that the venue is not only safe for the entire family shopping experience, but to ensure that our retail staff have nothing to fear by trying to earn a living working in retail stores,” he said.

I have two shops in Westfield centres. Both shops have been open throughout the pandemic. I know of plenty of small business retailers who have been open throughout. I see no reason to block access to only the vaccinated. Our stringent protocols for staff and customers have, so far, maintained a safe workplace and shopping experience.

It is disappointing that media outlets are giving Lew’s opinions a run today without speaking with the many small business retailers who have been open throughout the pandemic.

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Social responsibility

More calls to boycott the Herald Sun

Allied to the protests in Melbourne this past week has been an increase in calls for people to boycott the Herald Sun, with some referencing similar calls in the UK re The Sun.

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Ethics

Another day of political lobbying by the Herald Sun

Rather than report news, like the coming out of lockdown roadmap released by the State Government yesterday, on the front page, the Herald Sun today runs another front page splash designed to anger Victorians. This looks like interference by a foreign company to me. This lockdown is a result of failures in NSW, a state with a government supported by News Corp and festered by people not following lockdown rules, something I could argue egged-on by News Corp.

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Ethics

Did Herald Sun ‘reporting’ play a role in the Richmond protests yesterday?

I live in Richmond Victoria, a street from where some of the violent protests occurred yesterday, once street away from some disturbing footage you can see in this video:

We have media outlets in this city that have, in my opinion, played a role in encouraging unrest that has played a role ‘encouraging’ the protests.

The Herald Sun has run story after story about the lockdowns, personalising attacks agains the premier. They preference appears to be for opinion, to encourage a set of views, more so than reporting. You only have to see today’s front page to see that in action.

This front page story, Dan’s slow road, is not journalism. The so-called slow road is the road agreed by national cabinet – but there’s no reference to that on the front page.

I am angry at the personal risk I and my neighbours faced yesterday. While the major confrontations were one street away, there were protestors on my street, as well as police. There were also helicopters directly overhead. It was a tense few hours.

The coffee shop I go to had hundreds of protestors outside, closing with police. I can only imaging how they felt.

The actions of the protestors effectively caused us to be barricaded in for the day given how the local streets were barricaded.

I am tired of selling this nonsense published baby News Corp., tired that their newspapers are no longer newspapers, that they are political lobbying pamphlets.

I support free speech. But to dress this up as front page news is ridiculous. News Corp. should focus on news on the front page and restrict opinion peddling to their opinion pages – and they should label them as such.

Do I think the Herald Sun played a role in what we saw yesterday in Victoria? It is hard to say, specifically. I do think the Herald Sun has played a role in encouraging unrest and disrespect.

Footnote: the protest was in Richmond because the police decided to stop the trains at my local station. This decision caused the city planned protest to relocate to my suburb. I would like to understand why the police thought shifting a protest from an empty CBD to populated suburban streets was a good idea.

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Ethics

Amazon promoting Covid vaccination

Here is a flyer being distributed by Amazon, in boxes of products, in recent deliveries here in Melbourne. I was surprised when I first saw it, but then realised that this is a government flyer. It’s not something I have noticed being offered to online retailers.

Here is an example of vaccination encouraging collateral published by newsXpress for use by its members.

There is no obligation on newsXpress members to use this. However, given the engagement by some major retailers, there is kind of an expectation in the community.

I have tested the video and the feedback was encouraging, with people liking the focus on doing this for the kids.

I am not posting here saying businesses should push a pro vaccine message. But, for me, it feels right given that easing of restriction settings does connect with vaccination targets being met.

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Social responsibility

JobSaver program changes damage the program, hurt small businesses

When. announced in July this year by the federal government and NSW government, the JobSaver program was claimed to be an easy offer of financial support ro small businesses in NSW impacted by the latest Covid lockdown. It was simple, until last week.

Late Friday last week, the NSW government announced changes to the program, imposing red-tape obligations on businesses that will hinder their access to funds. The folks at Nine Media have the story:

Red tape nightmare: JobSaver changes stun struggling businesses

Struggling businesses relying on income support to survive lockdown fear jobs will be lost in a sea of red tape created by the NSW government after it unexpectedly tightened eligibility tests around its JobSaver program.

Small and medium businesses receiving payments from the JobSaver scheme were surprised by emails on Friday afternoon from Service NSW informing them they would be required to check their operations meet turnover eligibility criteria for every fortnight from September 10. This followed an extension of the scheme as COVID-19 lockdowns continue.

The request stunned businesses, bookkeepers and accountants as they grappled with requests from clients unaware this would be required.

…

Institute of Certified Bookkeepers chairman Matthew Addison said there had been discussions about proving companies had kept their employees on the books, but the requirement to recalculate turnover declines was unexpected.

“It is just unreasonable,” Mr Addison said. “I had a heart attack on Friday [about the notice] … They don’t quite understand that while, yes, we are in a digitised world and a digital accounting system, businesses are not focused on getting their revenue numbers into the system, they are just focused on keeping the door open.”

I have heard from several retailers over the last few days about the changes. They are frustrated that the government has changed the rules mid-lockdown, imposing a time obligation on them and introducing uncertainty. I helped a couple of them craft complaints to the state and federal governments about this. I also made my own approaches to each.

Several who contacted me claimed that the government wouldn’t make a move like this against big businesses.

I have done my own research, looking at was announced in July and what was sent our late Friday. The rules have changed.

The changes are such that some retailers may feel it’s not worth reapplying.

To me, the changes seem unnecessary at the moment. What was wrong that required this change now? There was no warning. No reports of anything being broken.

It’s as if the federal government and NSW government have decided that small businesses are not that important to them. But, hey, at the next election they will spit out the usual backbone of the country guff.

JobSaver should not have been touched until after NSW was out of lockdown. And then, review, consider, and change if necessary for next time.

Footnote: I am aware that late last night the state government announced a delay to implementation. What I have written above still holds true. Any changes should come after this current lockdown is over.

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Social responsibility

Should retailers take a stand on vaxxed or unvaxxed in their shop?

There was noise on social media this week when some retailers said they would welcome anyone to their business, vaxxed or unvaxxed.

Vaccination is a vexed (sorry) issue. You’re damned if you speak up and damned if you do not.

I can understand retailers say they welcome anyone as it presents as inclusive. I can also understand retailers saying they prefer shoppers to be vaccinated, especially if they have family and loved-ones who for some reason cannot currently be vaccinated.

While I am not a fan of fence-sitting, I think with this issue we are better off saying nothing because saying something will attract fringe-dwellers and these folks can be demanding, nasty and distracting. I know a retailer who said anyone is welcome and then found tribes of fringe dwellers on their social media doorstep.

By all means have a view for yourself and those who work in the business as it is your workplace and you have obligations. However, I don’t see how that can extend to customers when the government itself does not have a view.

For sure I want everyone who can to be vaccinated, and urgently. If I was in government with the authority, I’d try and find a way to force that, for the health and safety of the community. I’d tie it to some funding or benefit, as happens already in child care. But, I am not in government and owning a shop does not give me the right to dictate what my customers believe, no matter how much I see my shop as my little kingdom.

So, for me, I’ll have my wish and hope that everyone who can gets vaccinated while, at the same time, serving anyone who comes into the shop. And, while doing this, the shop will remain clean, happy and as Covid safe as possible with masks, hand sanitiser, free face masks and the other steps in place that have kept us safe and trading so far.

Covid has a long long way to go I think. This vaxxed and unvaxxed can shop here pitch is another pot-hole on the road that, when we look back on it, will be a small distraction.

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Ethics

Berejiklian leadership failure by cancelling Covid press conferences

For weeks now the premier of NSW, Gladys Berejiklian has been warning that the Covid situation is expected to peak in early October, that this is when the hospital system will be under the most stress.

This morning, the Premier announced that she and her political colleagues will no longer run daily Covid press conferences.

This is an appalling decision in my opinion. Cutting opportunity for scrutiny at the time it is most needed speaks volumes and crushes trust. The decision also sends the message that infection is no longer the story, opening it up to people to be less vigilant.

The NSW state government failed to appropriately deal with the latest Covid outbreak. Their decisions relating to reducing infection were weak, late and not backed with appropriate regulations and infrastructure. These failures let Covid infections increase – landing NSW where it is today, with an outbreak at a point that the government appears unable, or unwilling, to control.

Even yesterday, when the Premier was announcing plans to open up, she made it clear that local businesses would have to do the heavy lifting to check Covid vaccine status if they wanted to trade. This is yet another pass of of the buck by a government that is a master of abrogating responsibility.

It is right at this point, at the expected peak of Covid infection rate and hospitalisation, that people in the community crave leadership, they crave faith that it will be okay at some point in the future we can see. But, rather than provide that leadership, the Premier of NSW has decided, for some reason, to go into hiding.

The announcement today will negatively impact community confidence, consumer confidence. It also reduces the opportunity for scrutiny, which weakens democracy. This announcement today is bad for business. I am surprised that the Premier and her cabinet don’t see or understand this.

Right now, confidence is fragile. It needs support, from political and community leaders, for it is this confidence that fuels economic activity.

With the Premier Berejiklian and her state government going into hiding, it will be up to local small business more than ever to comfort and lead, through offering safe and easy shopping, connecting with the local community and helping keeping the wheels of commerce flowing. I see so many local small business retailers doing this every day. They should be proud of their service and the comfort this provides.

The announcement today by the NSW Premier to reduce opportunity for scrutiny would usually be ripped apart by news outlets. I have my doubts that will happen given the lobbying role News Corp and Nine Media outlets seem to play for the conservative side of politics.

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Social responsibility

A start-up local community newspaper closed when a big competitor offers free ads

Mackay Local News launched in February this year following the sudden closure of the Daily Mercury by News Corp.

Established by local business people, the Mackay Local News quickly filled a gap, an interest in genuinely local news.

A few days ago, the folks behind the Mackay Local News decided to close. I’ll let them explain, in their own words:

Mackay Local News newspaper ceases publication

The directors and shareholders of Mackay Local News Pty Ltd announced to staff on Thursday September 2 that the paper would cease publication immediately.

 

The directors and shareholders of Mackay Local News Pty Ltd announced to staff on Thursday September 2 that the paper would cease publication immediately.

Despite being recognised as the best quality newspaper based in Mackay, with the highest content of local community news, views and sport, and with the largest staff of any local publication, the directors believed the market was entering a destructive ‘media bloodbath’.

Advertisers had been approached by competitors with offers of ‘free ads’.

Rather than reduce quality or participate in a destructive media war, the directors believed this to be the fairest outcome for all involved.

The directors would like to thank the thousands of locals who regularly bought, read and responded to the paper, and the tens of thousands who visited the FREE mackaylocalnews.com.au website, as well as the local businesses who showed real dollar support by advertising their wares and services at a fair and reasonable price.

Mackay Local News was first published in February 2021, in response to vocal local concerns about the sudden closure of the Daily Mercury by foreign controlled News Corporation in June 2020, and protests about their paywalled website.

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Ethics

News Corp rejects outback Queensland and offers of help from newsagents

The ABC has this story:

News Corp confirms newspaper distribution will cease to much of outback Queensland

For some regional Queenslanders heading to buy a News Corp Australia paper from their local newsagent this weekend, the purchase will be one of their last.

News Corp has confirmed it will stop delivering its titles to certain parts of regional Queensland after September 26 and following more than three months of lobbying from concerned newsagents.

News Corp wrote to select newsagents in March informing them it planned to cease physically distributing eight mastheads including The Courier-Mail, The Australian, and The Daily Telegraph, due to the “very high cost” of distribution.

Longreach newsagent Rob Luck said he offered a range of solutions to the media company to try to reverse the decision.

However, on Thursday afternoon he received an email from News Corp confirming it would go ahead with its plan of ceasing distribution after September 26.

Towns further west than Charters Towers in the north, Emerald in central Queensland, and in some parts of the state’s south-west will be affected.

Distribution will cease in the regional centres of Longreach and Mount Isa.

Charleville in the state’s south-west will remain unaffected, after News Corp organised a cheaper, alternative freight arrangement.

Residents in impacted towns will no longer have access to a physical daily newspaper covering state, national, and international affairs.

Consultation just for show, says newsagent

In June, News Corp’s managing director for Queensland and News Regional Media, Jason Scott, visited Longreach to meet with concerned newsagents.

Mr Luck, who has owned one of Longreach’s two newsagencies for 26 years, said he was told “the door is ajar” but was sceptical there was any intent to reverse the decision.

“It took from March to mid-June for someone to come and I will, in inverted commas, use the word ‘consult’ with us,” Mr Luck said.

Read the whole story published by the ABC  as it provides details of offers of help from newsagents.

News Corp’s decision is all about money, as its shareholders would want.

Why politicians pander to News Corp. is beyond me. In my opinion, the company is a bully, using its media pulpit to tell us what to think and our state and federal governments what to do. I’d go further and say that some days in their papers it reads to me like political interference. Thankfully I don’t watch the trash on Sky News.

Here News Corp. is just after receiving additional government funding, turning their back on outback Australians.

Given the continued slide in over the counter sales and the decline in real terms of margin, maybe it is time to stop stocking News Corp titles. I am sure Harvey Norman would put the catalogues in their locations.

10 likes
Ethics

Why is the federal government funding Job Saver in NSW yet no similar program in ACT or Victoria?

From mid July in NSW, through the state government, the federal government has half funded Job Saver. This is essentially a re-branded version of Job Keeper, made for NSW, but no other state or territory, apparently.

Given extend lockdowns in the ACT and Victoria, it does not make sense to me that the federal government would not put in place similar arrangements.

Here is the announcement about the NSW program from the federal treasurer’s page:

Small and medium business support payments

From week four of the lockdown, the Commonwealth will fund 50 per cent of the cost of a new small and medium business support payment to be implemented and administered by Service NSW.

Eligible entities will receive 40 per cent of their NSW payroll payments, at a minimum of $1500 and a maximum of $10,000 per week.

Entities will be eligible if their turnover is 30 per cent lower than an equivalent two week period in 2019.

The new small to medium business support payment will be available to non-employing and employing entities in NSW, including not for profits, with an annual turnover between $75,000 and $50 million.

To receive the payment, entities will be required to maintain their full time, part time and long term casual staffing level as of 13 July 2021.

For non-employing businesses, such as sole traders, the payment will be set at $1,000 per week.

Businesses can register their interest from 14 July 2021 at Service NSW.

The assistance will cease when current lockdown restrictions are eased or when the Commonwealth hotspot declaration is removed.

I am drawing attention lion to this today in response to contact from several retailers doing it tough in lockdown with almost no support available for their businesses.

The Covid situation in Australia right now flows from NSW failures to suppress the Delta strain. Their approach, endorsed by the federal government, has placed us where we are. It is for this reason I think the federal government needs to step up and provide base level funding for businesses with even a modest decline. Doing so would be a boost to business owner and consumer confidence, which is something the country needs right now given the prospect of another recession.

I appreciate this is a political topic. It is also a personal topic for businesses owners in Victoria and the ACT, as well as business owners elsewhere that sell into NSW, ACT and Victoria. One WA based business owner I spoke with 2 days ago is down almost 70% because their customers on the East coast are not ordering. It is stories like this that make it a federal government issue.

If only there was leadership for average people and small business owners, and not just the big business groups.

14 likes
Social responsibility
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