Weekly news from the Bellingen Chamber – 14 July 2020

Business link-up – Wednesday 15 July

Join us on Wednesday at 8am to connect with other business owners.  No special guests this week, so the conversation can cover whatever topics you would like!
Click here just before 8am to join (or to join by phone please call 02 8015 6011 Australia and enter the meeting ID: 558 434 683

Meet the Mayor update

I have contacted Bellingen Shire Mayor Dominic King to invite him to be the special guest at one of our Wednesday morning Zoom meetings and have now heard back from him. We are working on a date, and I will continue to follow up with him and let you know when we have a confirmed date.

Fair Work Commission pay rates review

The Fair Work Commission has announced a 1.75% increase to minimum wages. This will apply to all award wages. Note that the increases take effect in three stages, with the first group effective from 1 July 2020, the second group effective from 1 November 2020 and the third group effective from 1 February 2021.
For full details of which awards fall into each group and all other changes to awards please visit the Fair Work website.
You can also sign up to receive email updates so that you can keep up to date with changes that relate specifically to your industry.

Welcome to our new members!

We have been pleased to welcome 33 new members over recent months, including 3 in the last couple of weeks. It is very encouraging to see that businesses are recognising the value of Chamber membership, and we look forward to connecting with you more closely. As you know, we’ve also refreshed our board with five new board members.
All of this means that we need to take the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve achieved and plan where we should be focusing our efforts over the next 12 months.Please look out for information about how you can contribute to our understanding of what our priorities should be. And remember that this organisation is here to serve your needs – the value you get out of your membership depends on you helping us to identify priorities.
In the meantime, please email me with any ideas you have, or consider joining our Members Only Facebook Group to be part of the conversation.

Bellingen Community Markets are back!

Welcome back to the Community Markets on Saturday, 18 July.
The Chamber of Commerce has booked a stall at the markets – this will give us an opportunity to promote what we do and get your feedback.
We hope to see you there!

Pat Conaghan mobile office visiting Bellingen

Pat Conaghan will be in Bellingen on Wednesday, 29 July between 10am and 3pm and is inviting people to make appointments to meet with him. Click here for information on how to request an appointment.

Meet the members – Hilary Cadman

What is your business?

My main business is technical editing, mostly in health. It’s a great job because you can do it from anywhere – all you need is a computer and an internet connection. I also have a side business creating online courses to help fellow editors to use technology.

How has the pandemic affected your business?

Initially it had quite an effect, and my work slowed right down, but now it’s back to normal and I have work booked up for a few months. I’ve only had a couple of jobs related to COVID – editing an information leaflet on the pandemic, and giving a webinar on risk communication.

What prompted you to join the Chamber?

I joined the Chamber when I moved to Bellingen in 2012, to meet other local business owners. I joined the Board a few years later, to represent people working from home. Recently, I’ve taken on the job of Secretary, so one of my tasks is producing this newsletter.