The Federal Government's  Jobs and Skills Summit has come to a close with more than 30 immediate initiatives in place, and a white paper recommending further measures to come.

ADIA participated in several roundtables with MPs and other stakeholders in the lead-up to the Summit, to ensure members’ interests and concerns were effectively represented at the event.

The Summit addressed labour shortages, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the job market, and pathways to broaden the skillset of those entering the workforce, while maintaining the Labor Government's commitment to ‘full employment, productivity growth, and equal opportunities for women’.

Thirty-six initiatives are in motion following the Summit last week including:

• An increase in the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease widespread, critical workforce shortages;
   
• Extending visas and relaxing work restrictions on international students to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour, and providing additional funding to resolve the visa backlog;
   
• An additional $1 billion in joint Federal-State funding for fee-free TAFE in 2023 and accelerated delivery of 465,000 fee-free TAFE places; and
   
• A one-off income credit so that Age Pensioners who want to work can earn an additional $4,000 over this financial year without losing any of their pension.

You can read the outcome of the Jobs and Skills Summit, including immediate actions and areas for further work here.

ADX Brisbane Update

There are now more than 2,000 registrations for our first ADX event in Brisbane.

If you are planning to host your clients while you are in Queensland, consider the ADX Opening Breakfast. Our keynote speaker, Gus Balbontin, an alternative futurist, investor and adventurer is sure to inject enthusiasm and adrenaline into the audience before they hit the exhibition floor. Register for tickets and table discounts here.

I encourage you to invite your Queensland contacts (use our script and collateral here) to experience your brand in the ADX environment and see all you have to offer.

If you would like to get in contact about the Jobs and Skills Summit or other advocacy matters, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email.

It has been a busy few weeks on the advocacy front including a General Council meeting, virtual roundtables, and face-to-face meetings with Federal Ministers.

Meetings with Federal Ministers

ADIA had the opportunity to meet one on one with several Ministers in the new Labor Government at an ALP forum in Sydney last week.

Topics for discussion included an introduction to ADIA, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule, aged care reform, and the Australian Jobs and Skills Summit.

We also had the opportunity to share the concerns of our members as reported in the latest ADIA Member Survey including supply chain issues, labour shortages, staff recruitment and retention, and the ongoing business impacts of COVID-19.

We had productive one on one meetings with:

Minister for Health and Aged Care - the Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Aged Care - the Hon Anika Wells MP
Minister for Small Business - the Hon Julie Collins MP
Minister for Social Services - the Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
Minister for Indigenous Australians - the Hon Linda Burney MP
Minister for Early Childhood Education and Youth - the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP
Assistant Minister for Indigenous Health - Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy

Meetings were overwhelmingly positive, with MPs receptive to the work of ADIA and open to ongoing collaboration as we work towards our advocacy goals.
 

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)

ADIA attended the ACCI General Council meeting in Canberra last week. Along with some internal matters, the main focus was industry feedback and concerns in the lead-up to today's Australian Jobs and Skills Summit. Key solutions to ADIA member concerns were discussed, including immigration (both permanent and temporary), apprenticeship funding, and expansion of vocational training.

Minister for Skills and Training, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP was in attendance to receive feedback and share the Government’s hopes for the summit.

ADIA also attended the ACCI Small Business Roundtable with Minister for Small Business, the Hon Julie Collins MP. While the content was similar, the small business perspective provided alternative viewpoints and solutions including HECS relief, technology investment, and rental/housing alternatives.

ADX Brisbane Registration Update

With eight weeks to go until ADX Brisbane, there are currently more than 1,800 registrations for the first-time event. At 26% of target, registrations are slightly higher than the eight-week mark for ADX Sydney, and on track to reach the benchmark set for the first Brisbane event.

The exhibition promises to showcase the latest in dental technology, equipment, and service to a new audience of dental professionals who may not have experienced ADX previously.

As a valued member of ADIA, I encourage you to invite your networks to experience Australia’s premier dental event. You can access useful marketing assets here.

ADX Melbourne Exhibitor Update

Following the recent exhibitor ballot, I am pleased to announce ADX Melbourne booths have sold out. If you missed out and would like to join the waitlist, you can do so here.

The city will be full of excitement that weekend, with the event coinciding with the F1 Grand Prix. If you are interested in attending or hosting your key clients at the race on Sunday, you can register for tickets here.

We look forward to continued collaboration both with Government and external stakeholders. If you have an issue you would like to raise on behalf of the membership, please do so via email.

ADX Melbourne to Coincide with F1

The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix 2023 dates were announced this week and will coincide with ADX Melbourne.

ADX Melbourne dates have been set for quite some time with the event locked in for 30 March - 1 April 2023.

While this is great news for attracting visitors to Melbourne, it does mean accommodation will likely sell out.

I encourage you to book your accommodation for ADX ASAP.

If you would like further information, please don't hesitate to contact me via email.

The ADX Brisbane CPD Program is Live

$149 member / $199 non-member per day ticket

Held at Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from 27 to 29 October, these are three days you can't afford to miss!

A new domain name format has been introduced in Australia. Current .au domain name holders (.com.au, .org.au, .net.au, .edu.au etc) have less than eight weeks left to reserve their existing domain name in the new format.

There is concern among industry associations that awareness of the roll-out is particularly low in the business community. Find everything you need to know below.

On 24 March the .au Domain Administration (auDA) introduced the new system allowing anyone with a connection to Australia, such as businesses, associations, and individuals, to register a new category of domain name.

Instead of URLs ending with .com.au, .net.au or .org.au, the shorter .au name can now be registered. For example, adia.org.au could be adia.au

Australian businesses have until 20 September 2022 via the Priority Allocation Process to register their equivalent .au domain name before it becomes available to the general public.

The implications of your business name domain being registered by another party are clear.

Opportunistic domain purchases could result in the need to pay much higher prices to secure your own business name at a later date.

More concerning still, a party operating online with your business name in a .au domain opens the door to fraud, leaving your customers vulnerable to scams.

Follow the instructions on the Fact Sheet and register your new .au domain with your current registrar. See the list of accredited registrars here.

Aged care reforms a key focus in Parliament

Federal Parliament is back in session for the first time under the new Labor Government.

Oral health in aged care is a key focus of ADIA so it is encouraging to see aged care reform top of agenda for the Albanese Government this week. Two aged care bills were presented in the House of Representatives yesterday.

The Aged Care Amendment (Implementing Care Reform) Bill 2022, requiring a registered nurse on-site 24/7 at aged care facilities was read twice.

The Aged Care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response) Bill 2022, containing nine measures to implement urgent reforms to the aged care system passed the Lower House and is due to be debated in the Senate today.

Read the announcement from the Department of Health and Aged Care here.

If you would like further information or to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email.