Office of Fair Trading Smart Business Bulletin

July 2010

Welcome to the July edition of the Smart Business Bulletin, linking Queensland businesses with fair trading information and tips.

Message from the Minister

July not only marks the start of a new financial year, but this year also signals the transition of a number of regulatory functions from the Office of Fair Trading to the Commonwealth.  These transitions are just some of Council of Australian Governments (COAG) projects currently underway to ensure a more streamlined approach to regulation.

We will continue to update you on our remaining COAG reforms through this e-bulletin, the OFT website, and where possible, information sessions or direct mail.

For more information on COAG and its plans for reform, visit www.coag.gov.au 

What's in the news?

Before you donate, check the organisation is legit

Have you ever wanted to donate but weren't sure your money was going to the right place?

The Office of Fair Trading's new online register allows you to check if a charity is registered to fundraise or if an association is incorporated in Queensland.

Dodgy Brisbane painter ordered to pay up

In a win for registered builders, a dodgy Brisbane painter was recently ordered to pay more than $10,000 for falsely claiming he had a Building Services Authority licence and failing to register his business name. This prosecution by the Office of Fair Trading acts as a warning to other operators who might try to work around the system to undercut those people doing the right thing, or to make their dodgy deals harder to trace.

Features

What's fair got to do with it?

On 1 July consumers gained greater powers when it comes to standard form contracts (contracts where consumers have limited or no option to negotiate, such as gym memberships, mobile phones and credit cards).

If you believe a contract term is unfair, you can contact the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC), or for contracts relating to financial services, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).

For more information on Unfair Contract Terms law and who it applies to, visit

www.accc.gov.au or

www.fido.gov.au

Not new… just improved.

Fair Trading's annual forms update

Fair Trading's annual forms update is now complete, with one major improvement – you can now save a partially completed form for later!

It's easy to tell if you're using an up-to-date form with the correct fee information – just look for "Effective from 1 July 2010" in the top left hand corner, under the form name.

Trade measurement goes to the Feds

On 1 July 2010 Fair Trading passed the trade measurement baton to the National Measurement Institute, Australia's peak measurement body.

For more information on the transition to the national system, visit
www.measurement.gov.au

Consumer credit goes to the Feds

Responsibility for the regulation of consumer credit passed to the Commonwealth on 1 July 2010.

If you have not yet registered for a credit license you will need to stop providing or facilitating consumer credit immediately and contact the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for advice.

The Queensland Government will continue to regulate the interest rate cap.

Get involved in Queensland Week 2011 – sponsorships now open

Queensland Week is a special time for all Queenslanders to celebrate what's great about our State.

Each year, a range of diverse activities are held that involve families, businesses, schools and a range of community groups throughout the State, each celebrating Queensland's people, places and achievements.

The Queensland Government is offering sponsorships up to $10,000 to help you get involved in Queensland Week 2011.
 

Business tips

Not… happy… Jan… The scam targeting small business

Queensland businesses are being targeted by a fake fax claiming to be from Yellow Pages. The fax offers to make company details available on Google Maps.

Fake Yellow Pages websites also form part of the scam, designed to make you part with your money.

For information on fax back and other scams targeting businesses, visit our 'common scams' page.

Fair Trading drives good business practise in the car rental industry

More than 500 car rental businesses were invited to attend free information seminars in Cairns, the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Proprietors were given advice and information to help them ensure their business complies with the law, particularly in relation to advertising and business management practises.

For more information, visit our 'car rental' page.

How smart is your incorporated association?

A new guide is now available to help Incorporated Associations run smoothly. The 'Incorporated Associations Smart Business Guide' covers everything from financial management, to running meetings, to your association's rules.

You can view or download a copy from our website.

Hard copies will also be available for order from the Queensland Government bookshop in the coming weeks.

Don't get brought down by advertising

When it comes to advertising we've seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. But at the end of the day there is just one golden rule… don't be misleading.

For information on how to ensure your advertising is ok, visit our 'advertising and marketing' page.

Ipswich selected for early rollout of NBN broadband network at Springfield Lakes

Media Release

8 July 2010

NBN Co announces next rollout locations

NBN Co, the company established to design, build and operate the national broadband network, today announced 19 locations for the next stage of its rollout on the mainland. These second release sites comprise 14 new locations and five sites adjacent to existing first release sites.

The new sites are:

Victoria

– Bacchus Marsh, South Morang (Melbourne);

Queensland

– Brisbane (inner north), Springfield Lakes, Toowoomba;

NSW

– Riverstone (western Sydney), Coffs Harbour;

South Australia

– Modbury, Prospect;

Western Australia

– Victoria Park (Perth), Geraldton, Mandurah;

Northern Territory

– Casuarina; and

ACT

– Gungahlin

The five existing locations getting an additional, adjacent rollout site are Minnamurra/Kiama Downs (Kiama) and Armidale in NSW, Townville Qld, Brunswick in Melbourne, and Willunga in South Australia. As the whole township of Willunga is already part of the rollout, the nearby area of Seaford/McLaren Vale will be the adjacent site.

Initially each site will see the network rolled out past approximately 3000 premises, but the exact area to be covered will be determined after further discussion with local authorities to ensure local considerations are factored into the final decision.

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley said: "We have selected these second sites to build upon the work we are doing in the first release sites and to progress the rollout in areas of future network growth."

"These sites have been selected based on a range of criteria including engineering and construction requirements, network design and the level of existing broadband infrastructure. The engagement of local government and the receptiveness of communities to broadband initiatives were also factors taken into consideration," Mr Quigley said.

The NBN Co network design is based on a series of building block or modules. The basic operational module covers approximately 3000 premises. These modules are replicated into a fibre serving area or FSA. FSAs are in turn linked by fibre, or aggregated, to feed into points of interconnect where the network traffic is handed over to the Retail Service Providers.

"The first and second release sites are the areas from which we can expect to see future rollout – extending and expanding the network. We will also see the announcement of additional release sites as the national rollout ramps up," Mr Quigley said.

The first release sites were announced in March this year. Following detailed design work, NBN Co expects construction to commence this month in the first release areas. Construction in the second release locations is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2011. A three-stage rollout in Tasmania has been previously announced, with NBN Tasmania to officially launch its stage-one services later this month.

PM at Springfield today defending her new policy on asylum seekers

Prime Minister Julia Gillard made an announced inspection today of the City of Ipswich Springfield development, west of Brisbane accompanied by local Federal Members Bernie Ripoll and Shayne Neumann.

She defended her new policy on asylum seekers.

Ms Gillard inspected the 2760 ha development which is the largest master planned community in the southern hemisphere and will ultimately be home to 86,000 people.

Aerospace and defense hub approved for Amberley

A CENTRE for excellence in aerospace and defence support services next
to RAAF Base Amberley is a step closer following preliminary approval
granted by Ipswich City Council.

Mayor Paul Pisasale and council's planning committee chairperson Cr
Paul Tully said the state government could now move forward with
detailed planning for the Aerospace and Defence Support Centre
(ADSC-A) which would provide a huge boost to the Ipswich community by
increasing the diversity of skills in the workforce and would generate
up to 3500 new jobs.

"This site next to RAAF Base Amberley has the potential to position
Ipswich as the Seattle of the southern hemisphere by creating a
central hub for aviation excellence led by high technology aerospace
and defence contractors," Cr Pisasale said.

"Ipswich is gaining a well-earned international reputation for
creating the world's best master planned communities. This approval is
for the first master planned high technology employment hub which will
support defence," he said.

Cr Paul Tully said the state government could now move forward and
submit detailed development applications for the centre.

"The approval includes a master plan for the ADSC-A and special zoning
to unlock the full potential of the site.

"Suppliers to the industry will be able to plug-in to the emerging
opportunities the centre will provide, including a full range of
support services for the base via aircraft taxiway, roads and other
essential infrastructure.

"The recent building program at RAAF Amberley is rapidly positioning
the base as a mega base in Australia," Cr Tully said.

-ENDS-

PM announces new policy on asylum seekers

Say goodnight Tony Abbott!

Jim Carden needs to come clean on who was responsible for Brisbane Airport traffic shambles

Jim Carden, BAC Executive Manager


The clowns responsible for yesterday's removal of drop off and pick up spaces outside the Brisbane domestic terminal never expected such fierce public opposition.

It took less than 24 hours for lavish servings of humble pie to be consumed by the faceless decision-makers at the Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Jim Carden, the BAC Executive Manager who is normally the airport media tart when good news is being announced, was apparently lying low leaving it to Rebecca McConochie to field all the difficult media enquiries.

So, who did authorise yesterday's traffic changes which created more havoc than a strike by air traffic controllers?

Jim, if it was you, why don't you come down out of your ivory tower and confess your involvement rather than making good people like Rebecca McConochie look foolish when she vehemently justifies the changes on Brisbane radio one morning and defends their abandonment the next day.

Today, Rebecca announced another pending BAC disaster with plans to scrap the existing zebra crossing linking the carpark and the airport terminal in favour of an overhead pedestrian bridge link.

Does this mean that passengers using the drop off / pick up facility will have to cart their heavy bags up a set of stairs or queue up, to use a new lift?

Either way, you can be sure when commuter anger overflows next year as a result of this looming disaster, Jim Carden will stay locked up in his office leaving difficult media interviews to underlings like Rebecca McConochie.

As for Rebecca's other announcement today that there are no plans by BAC to charge drivers to use the existing drop off / pick up facility at Brisbane Airport, obviously the matter has already been considered by the BAC.

And if making more money is involved, you can be sure this brilliant money-making idea will never be far from Jim Carden's mind.

After all, if you put a mouse in front of a cat, you know what will eventually happen.

Fools at Brisbane Airport Corporation are at it again!

World First: Car parking spaces closed to create more parking!

Qantas passengers are fuming this morning with the Brisbane Airport domestic drop-off area becoming a complete shambles after the normal passenger loading zones were blocked off with witches hats.

This is part of an unannounced trial to make drivers aware there are parking spaces available beyond the pedestrian crossing linking the carpark and the domestic terminal.

The resulting chaos has been inconveniencing all Qantas passengers arriving at the airport since first light including those using taxis.

Whoever dreamed up this idiotic trial should be summarily dismissed by the BAC and given the Dunce of the Year Award.

Airport users can only hope that it is not the BAC's Executive Manager Jim Carden who is responsible for this mess.

Jim has been responsible for some memorable decisions and pronouncements in the past.

The BAC must think drivers are all idiots.

Up until today, drivers who were unaware of available parking spaces beyond the pedestrian crossing would have become aware of those spaces when they drove off.

If Jim Carden is not personally responsible for this mess, he should find out who is and take the appropriate action.

Brisbane must be the only airport in the world where those in charge actually think that by blocking parking spaces they can improve car parking availability!

In terms of stupidity, this decision easily outranks the Yes Minister episode where the newly-opened hospital had no patients - to save money!

If Jim Carden really wants to solve the airport car parking problem, his next idea will be to cut aircraft departures and arrivals by half.

Wow Jim - all your problems would be instantly solved with such a brilliant idea.

The sooner Jim Carden steps in and abandons the latest BAC parking trial, the sooner some sense of normality will be restored to the Brisbane Airport.