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Editor's Message
FOR the past two years, when one of the Gold Coast's companies made a significant achievement, we were always happy to report it. We pride ourselves on being able to showcase just how competitive Gold Coast businesses are: around the country and around the globe. This month, without wanting to blow our own trumpet too loudly, it's our turn to be acknowledged. The July winners of the Gold...
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Growing Pains
The key to maintaining the Gold Coast's unique lifestyle
PETER Trathen is the Property Council of Australia Gold Coast committee chairman and the managing director of City Pacific Project Management. Mr Trathen says the challenge facing the Gold Coast is to maintain growth while not destroying the lifestyle that makes the region one of the 'greatest places on earth to live'.
A key to this...
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Food Gaint
TWO Gold Coast companies have announced their listings on the ASX.
Retail Food Group Ltd, a company associated with franchises Donut King and bb's cafes, was announced on June 22, while developer and body corporate management leader Samtay Group has sold its body corporate and strata management business to the listed Australian Institute of Property Management Limited (AIPM).
Retail Food...
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Coast company first on Queenslands Top 400 list
Local businesses in front and predicting strong growth
LEADING Gold Coast privately owned companies are predicting a strong 10.33 per cent growth in revenue and an 8.43 per cent increase in jobs growth over the next 12 months. The annual BDO Kendalls survey of the top 400 privately owned firms in Queensland, released last month, shows continued bullish optimism despite widespread concerns...
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Passenger numbers heading sky for the sky
PASSENGER numbers at Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) airports continue to head skywards, with figures released last month showing strong growth at all three airports for the 2005/2006 financial year.
Managing director Dennis Chant says QAL airports have recorded a 9.8 percent increase in passenger numbers over the past 12 months. Monthly passenger figures for June 2006 also showed growth...
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Architectural workshop brainstorms Paradise Point
A FIVE day intensive workshop involving Australia's leading architects, urban designers and town planners last month kicked off the detailed design stage of Marsim development at the top of Paradise Point. They were joined by two of the United States' most prominent architects, Philadelphia-based DPZ head designer, Ludwig Fontalvo-Abello and renowned New York architect Walter Chatham
The...
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Cross border collaboration to support boat-building industry
A MAJOR supply chain research project aimed at improving the global competitiveness of the boat-building industry on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and northern New South Wales is underway. The main focus of the project, expected to take about 18 months, will be to initially define the existing supply chain in areas including inputs, costs, distribution and constraints, and then identify...
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Outrigger named Tweed Business of the Year
OUTRIGGER on the Beach at Salt has won the Tweed Business of the Year Gold BEX Award.
Outrigger was judged the 'best of the best' in the Tweed Business Excellence Awards - otherwise known as the BEX Awards, a shire-wide initiative of the Chambers of Commerce. This year's awards attracted a record 160 entries, that were judged against comprehensive criteria by senior staff at the Southern...
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Tweed Coast resorts gear up for global tourism expo
NEW Tweed Coast resort Twin Towns Service Club, operators are gearing up to host the travel industry's most influential decision makers as the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) prepares to hold its 2007 annual convention in the region.
Salt Village last month hosted a visit from ATEC managing director Matt Hingerty and general manager Gary O'Riordan when they visited to scout...
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Gold Coast Business News sets sail alongside Tall Ships with award
The July winners of the Gold Coast Business Excellence Awards ranged from Tall Ships, to your very own Gold Coast Business News magazine
AFTER profiling a broad range of businesses in its monthly editions, Gold Coast Business News has been recognised as the star 'Emerging Business' on the Coast - taking out the category in the July Business Excellence Awards.
Managing director Camilla...
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Distillery trumps international competition again
A GOLD Coast Hinterland distillery has again shown the rest of the world how to make quality spirits and liqueurs. Tamborine Mountain Distillery was given a three gold star award for its Australian Bush Herbal Liqueur at the prestigious International Taste and Quality Institute (iTQi) awards in Belgium.
The liqueur is the result of two years of experimentation with Australian native leaves,...
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New venture getting locals addicted
THE Gold Coast's own Michelin star chef, Meyjitte Boughenout, and his wife Debbie are extending their distinctive Absynthe gourmet food experience from Q1 to Circle on Cavill. In addition to the highly acclaimed Absynthe restaurant at Q1, the pair has opened Absynthe Bakery at Circle on Cavill, providing the only true French patisserie encounter on the Gold Coast.
The Absynthe brand name...
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Butt out - it's in the rough
Non smoking rules have polarised the business community, but it is the golf course where the laws have caused the greatest concern
QUEENSLAND Golf Clubs and their members have found themselves in a bunker over the smoking laws that were introduced into Queensland on July 1.
Under the laws, golf clubs wanting to cater to smokers while also allowing them to have an alcoholic drink, must...
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Wesley Weight Management Clinic opens on Gold Coast
WESLEY Weight Management Clinic has made its first foray into the Gold Coast - opening its doors last month at Brockway House Specialist Medical Centre in Southport.
The Southport clinic in Queen Street is the company's fourth centre to open in South East Queensland. The organisation first began its operations in 1999 and now has offices in Milton, Brisbane, Clayfield and Southport. The...
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Tunnel vision
A GOLD Coast public relations specialist has her sights set firmly on the road ahead - the $2 billion North-South Bypass Tunnel (NSBT) in Brisbane. Consultant Simone Holzapfel of PR newcomer Shac, is adept in communications pertaining to large-scale infrastructure. Ms Holzapfel gained considerable experience with Leighton Contractors, one of Australia's largest mining, construction and...
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Working smarter to keep in front globally
Competition hots up among Gold Coast exporters
CHANGING market trends and a fiercely competitive global marketplace means the Gold Coast's exporting companies must continually push forward with new product development and be receptive to change.
But with that change often comes criticism. Wes Moxey, chief executive officer of Riviera, one of the Coast's biggest exporters, has hit back at...
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Trade away
Austrade and KPMG announce new alliance
AUSTRADE and KPMG have announced a new alliance agreement that will create an expanded business services network to encourage and assist Australian businesses entering international markets. This alliance leverages the expertise and global networks of both Austrade and audit, tax and advisory firm, KPMG, and will provide expanded services, support and...
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Chocolate Graphics sponsors Emma Snowsill
BURLEIGH-based Chocolate Graphics International has announced it will sponsor Emma Snowsill, world champion triathlete and Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
Ms Snowsill is travelling the globe sporting the Chocolate Graphics logo as she continues to demolish the competition. She will be seen by over 3.7 billion people in her races and the telecasts of her events by the end of 2006. The...
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Trina Hockley - leading the way
HTR director Trina Hockley's world revolves around open communication - the source of true leadership
MULTI-COMPANY director Trina Hockley once turned a modest shearing supplies company in Western Australia into a million-dollar-a-year enterprise.
Fast forward 18 years and the director of HTR (Hospital Television Rentals) has successfully transformed the once publicly listed HTR back to a...
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Leaders wearing 'green coloured glasses'
Robin Maini, discusses the disconnection between leaders' views and that of the workforce
HAVE you ever been told about a decision made by your senior management and asked yourself "How could they be so out of touch?" Well, you're not alone.
It appears management generally makes decisions with a very sheltered view of what's really going on in the organisation; particularly when it comes to...
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Coast businesses calling
Small businesses have a new one-stop Government hotline
A NEW one stop business hotline to provide a single government entry point for small business has been established by the Beattie Government.
Small Business Minister Chris Cummins says the hotline will ensure that businesses receive the most appropriate support available.
"It will also reduce the 'run around' often experienced in...
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Casuarina Town Centre secures Coles
PLANS for a long-awaited supermarket at Casuarina Beach have moved a step forward with developer Consolidated Properties locking in a deal for a Coles-anchored convenience centre as part of its proposed $650 million Casuarina Village town centre development. Consolidated managing director Don O'Rorke and partner Kieran Cox have secured a commitment from Coles for a 2500sqm full-line shopping...
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Be alert this financial year
Small businesses are being warned to be wary of scams
BUSINESSES, in particular small businesses, are being urged to scam-proof their operations this financial year, making themselves more alert and wary of common scams. Fair trading minister, Margaret Keech, says the start of the new financial year is the perfect time for businesspeople to take steps to scam-proof their businesses.
"At...
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Dramatic changes ahead for retail industry
Award winning furniture retailer shows innovative ways in retail
THE owner of new Robina outdoor furniture retailer Billy's, Will Ramsay, predicts that changing consumer needs and increasing desensitisation to advertising will result in significant changes for the retail industry over the next five years.
Mr Ramsay's study of consumer decision making in the retail environment has led to a...
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SBA Grants for five small businesses
Two Mudgeeraba small businesses were among five Gold Coast companies to receive grants through the Small Business Accelerator (SBA) program
INNOTEK Australia has scored $4,000 to develop a marketing and communication plan, while Signart Creations was granted more than $1,000 to develop a growth plan and undertake a training analysis.
Innotek manufactures and distributes electronic dog...
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Wine industry a bankable investment
WINE Industry Development Minister Margaret Keech has told a parliamentary estimates hearing Queensland's wine industry is a bankable investment, but needs finance sector support to achieve long-term growth and prosperity.
She has said the same to a group of financiers at a function at Sirromet Winery last month, held to demonstrate the industry's potential.
Participants were later taken...
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Phoenix companies under fire
Ian Bisson of Hynes Lawyers assesses ASIC's new Assetless Administration Fund
NOT every new corporate venture succeeds. So it is sometimes necessary to utilise the protection afforded under the Corporations Law. When a company is liquidated any interested party, including the former directors, can pick over the carcass for any valuable remains - which by then are selling at bargain basement...
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Marketing a destination
How perception tracking research can help map out a marketing strategy
An eight-month comprehensive research program, aimed at understanding the perception gaps between what people think about Surfers Paradise and how the destination is developing, has been undertaken to help guide the management and marketing of the destination into the future.
The research, commissioned by Surfers Paradise...
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How to market innovation
Claes Loberg, creative director at Cocojambo explains to market a new product or service you need to understand the buyer's motivation
INNOVATION can be either inventing something new or bettering something that presently exists, but the one thing that is consistent in both scenarios is the approach needed when marketing it. You have to communicate the points that are motivationally relevant...
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From prop to top
Naomi Healy talks to the brain behind the bid, Gold Coast Titans managing director Michael Searle
You don't have to be a rugby league fan on the Gold Coast to know who Michael Searle is. As the managing director of the Gold Coast Titans, and the man who, with Paul Broughton, fought for eight years to win the licence to see a Coast team enter the NRL competition in 2007, his status is almost...
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Calling inventors and innovators in the Northern Rivers
Great opportunity for those people with new ideas,inventions or innovations to enter
INVEST Northern Rivers (INR), the investment-attraction arm of the Northern Rivers Regional Development Board, has launched its 2006 INR Technology and Innovation Award program.
The program has been designed to help identify new inventions, emerging technologies and innovations and to encourage and...
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Innovation City
Coast companies conquering the world
INNOVATION is one of those 'buzzwords' being used in so many ways at the moment that it is in danger of losing its true meaning. Quite simply, innovation is change that adds value, or in business terms change that makes money.
People may mistakenly associate innovation with invention. But it's more than that. While innovation can be a groundbreaking idea...
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Innovation in water purification
ANTI BIO founder and inventor David Telfer has discovered a water purification technique that could one day ensure developing nations have clean drinking water.
With mentorship from local business identity Terry Morris, Mr Telfer was encouraged to diversify earlier techniques he had designed using micro electronic technology to emit sound frequencies in beer lines in bars, giving the beer...
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Innovation in sport and leisure
TEENAGERS Jack Hockley and Ben Lukoszek this year launched their company Grom Biz: a start-up company focused on delivering world-class innovative products to the skate-boarding and surfing markets. The pair manufacture, market and sell their flagship product, the Scriber: the first skateboard in the world with turnable steering. The skateboard is a conventional size, but has adjustable...
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Innovation in education
EDUCATIONAL Software Solutions Company, EDUSS, has gained international recognition following the installation of its software solutions in more than 2000 schools and 10,000 homes throughout Australia.
The same solutions have also been installed in more than 500 schools and 1500 homes in countries including the United States, Philippines, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom....
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Innovation in health care
USING Bluetooth technology for medical monitoring has resulted in a successful marriage of medicine and telecommunications for Alive Technologies. With more than two decades of experience in the design and manufacture of heart and other health monitoring services, the team at Alive Technologies is saving lives with wireless mobile phone and internet technology.
Patients can wear the...
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Innovation in creative arts
JOHN Cox's Creature Workshop is a world-leader in the design and fabrication of fantasy creatures, monsters and realistic animals.
The static or articulated characters are mostly used in films, television commercials and theme parks, winning the company international acclaim.
The most notable accolade is John Cox's 1995 Academy Award for Visual Effects for the movie Babe, for which he...
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Innovation in marketing
GRASS Ads has developed a new method of creating grass advertising at sporting events: by using robotic technology. The fully transportable method has been used by sponsors to advertise at major sporting events around the world, including golf, international cricket, NRL, international rugby tests, the State of Origin, V8 Supercars, the Commonwealth Games and gridiron in the United...
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Innovation in communication
AUSTRALIA has often been referred to as a 'broadband backwater', but an innovative company is set to remedy this by providing its customers with world-class, high-speed broadband technology.
Silver Communities (Silver) is a company founded by leaders in the Queensland property industry to provide a solution to a growing demand for integrated information and communications technology...
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Innovation in business
B-FREE is the world's first software product to link accounting, internet and electronic banking information for micro and small business.
The Australian software company is dedicated to the development of innovative, simple and easy to use web-based accounting products for small businesses, financial advisors, accountants and employees.
There's no double entry bookkeeping, no confusing...
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Money Spinning Music
What started as a lark has become a lucrative money spinner for London Music Group
THE Ashmore based London Music Group has combined humour with tunes to conquer the international jingle market. Director Wazza Bray revealed to Alison Fletcher the company's catch cries.
Why a jingle business?
"It all started about 17 years ago on the banks of the Murray River. I was wandering to my...
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Judgements, defaults, bankruptcy
Life can be tough at times, but past financial problems shouldn't stop you buying a new home or refinancing your existing home
Gold Coast-based financier Loanz Pty Ltd has loan products especially for those who have experienced financial difficulties and have been shunned by traditional lenders.
Loanz director Jonathan Lee says in the past persons with adverse credit history have been...
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Selling your business - the clock is ticking
National Business Sales CEO Patrick Lui comments on the time that it takes to sell a business
FOR business owners who have attempted to sell their businesses by themselves or through a business broker I can totally understand how frustrating and challenging the exercise can be.
On average, most of you may have spent three to six months selling your business and some of you may have even...
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Innovative investing
Andrew McLauchlan of McLauchlan & Partners says now is the time to assess your investment portfolio
IT HAS only been one short month since the financial year ended, but it already seems like a distant memory. That frantic push to access tax effective investments is behind us and there is no need to worry about it until the 28th of June next year. Right? Wrong. Now is the time to take...
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Asbestos: beware
Napier Blakeley director Alastair Walker explains how to understand and mitigate the risk of asbestos
WITH headlines highlighting compensation claims, it can be safely assumed that the general populous has an inkling of what asbestos is and the risk it poses to health.
While asbestos use and application has been banned, asbestos-containing materials (ACM) may still, however, be found in situ...
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Calypso Bay
Northern Gold Coast is amongst the first major new housing projects to be connected to a dual water supply system
THE billion dollar Calypso Bay waterfront residential development on the northern Gold Coast is amongst the first major new housing projects to be connected to a dual water supply system which will see re-cycled water used in addition to the mains supply. Deputy Mayor and local...
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Latitude development secures prime Coast location
Prominent developer Latitude Development Group has secured prime office space in the $500 million Southport Central development
LDG has paid $580,000 for a 130 square metre office in the heart of the Gold Coast CBD which overlooks the Broadwater. The purchase comes as LDG cements its headquarters on the Gold Coast after more than a decade in Byron Bay where it has developed some of the...
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Prime Tweed retail/commercial space for sale
PRIME retail and commercial space in the heart of the rejuvenating Tweed Heads CBD has been released to the market, marking a new era for the town.
More than 300 square metres of high profile, ground floor commercial space has been released in the $94 million Harbour Tower development on Wharf Street following the completion of the Tweed CBD's latest development landmark.
It is the first...
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Prime industrial land released
THE FIRST prime industrial sites to be rolled out in Gaven Central Business Park, the Gold Coast's latest industrial subdivision, have been released to the market.
On completion, the estate, located on Kingston Drive with uninterrupted exposure to the Pacific Motorway, will comprise 31 lots ranging from 1920sqm to 47,000sqm.
The 11 fully-serviced stage one lots range in size from 2,231sqm...
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Building winners
Coast developers scoop UDIA awards
GOLD Coast developers continue to lead by example after taking out eight of the 13 major Queensland Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) annual awards at the Brisbane Convention Centre last month.
Delfin Lend Lease won three awards for their integrated Varsity Lakes project. The developer took out the Queensland State President's Award,...
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$23M for Varsity Central development
VARSITY Central is continuing to attract record commercial growth following the sale of a high-tech office development by BRB Group to a Sunshine Coast property group for $23 million.
The sale of Silver @ The Exchange, to Reed Funds Management, reflected a 7.5 per cent yield.
It follows hot on the heels of Silver attracting blue chip anchor tenant IBM, which has taken up almost an entire...
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Community banking on Varsity Lakes
VARSITY Lakes business leaders and local residents have formed a steering committee to determine the feasibility of a Bendigo Community Bank branch. The plan has the support of Delfin Lend-Lease and Bendigo Bank.
Chairman of the steering committee, Chris Gregory, says that the Community Bank branch, in time, should return significant funds from the bank's profits back into the Varsity Lakes...
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Madison release Riverwalk's grand finale
ROBINA Land Corporation (RLC) has started work on its latest project, Madison on Riverwalk, the first of four development projects that will create the third and final stage of Riverwalk.
Madison on Riverwalk, due to be completed by May 2007, is a $5 million project comprising 18 two-bedroom apartments targeted specifically at end users. RLC expects the apartments will appeal to permanent...
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Blue chip sale underpins commercial strength
ONE OF the largest en globo deals ever achieved on the Gold Coast has demonstrated the unprecedented strength of the Gold Coast commercial property market. The sale last month of a 60-hectare industrial parcel in the Brisbane-Gold Coast corridor shows the commercial sector demand is still increasing.
Leading Australian boating identity Bill Barry Cotter, Maritimo's chief executive officer,...
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Purchasing Paradise
Surfers Paradise apartment values soar
A NINE year analysis of Surfers Paradise high-rise apartment resales has shown continued growth, at an increase of 7.8 per cent per annum, spiking to 14.6 percent in 2004, pointing to the positive effects of the tourism hub's rejuvenation.
The research, compiled by PRDnationwide Gold Coast corporate office covered 7,622 settled apartment resales from...
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Understanding Y
The challenge of attracting and retaining staff in a talent-short market
The need to gain a competitive advantage is something which companies struggle with every day. In light of the current talent shortage, astute employers are realising that the key to gaining an edge over their competitors is to employ and retain high-calibre people into their business. Yet how do you do this in a highly...
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Armed youth
Training program - assisting Gold Coast youngsters to create careers
The first students in an innovative international training program undertaken by the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort graduated last month - armed with the skills to pursue a career of their choice.
The unique program was initially developed in Thailand and has since been implemented in select locations around the world...
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Older Queenslanders take on apprenticeships
Employers are learning to recruit, retrain and support older staff
More Queensland adults are realising the benefits of taking up an apprenticeship, with a growing number signing up, particularly in the traditional trades areas currently experiencing skills shortages. Since 2001 the number of adults entering into some apprenticeship areas, including electrical and construction, has doubled...
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Record levels of women in the workforce
MORE women than ever before have a full-time or part-time job in Australia, says the Minister for Workforce Participation, Dr Sharman Stone. "Over the last 25 years the level of women in the workforce has increased dramatically by more than 12 per cent to 57.4 per cent in May 2006 - a record level in Australia," said Dr Stone, speaking at a National Group of Working Women's Centres...
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Eat up
Residents and visitors invited to savour dining on the Coast
THE Gold Coast's growing reputation as a city at the forefront of contemporary cuisine and quality wines has been celebrated with the release of its first Food, Wine and Dining Guide - an essential read for all residents and visitors to the Gold Coast. The free guide is the first to be produced for the Gold Coast and will showcase...
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Surfing a wave of delicacies
The Gold Coast will host a smattering of food and wine events this August.
A FEAST of the very best in Gold Coast food and wine will be on show during this month-long celebration of the good life. The Tastes of Gold Coast Festival serves up a smorgasbord of our vibrant lifestyle and demonstrates what makes the area one of the most culturally diverse destinations to live, work, play - and eat....
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A cracker Christmas
With Christmas just 20 weeks away, now is the time to start planning your end of year celebrations
IT'S AN age-old cliche that Christmas seems to come around faster every year.
While the festive season may be the furthest thing from your mind right now, it really will be upon us before you know it.
It's a season with a limited number of dates available for pre-Christmas celebrations, and...
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Effective planning for business growth
Queensland Series
PETER Switzer, author of five best-selling business books, small business editor for The Australian and ABC radio presenter will be guest speaker of the Queensland series Effective Planning for Business Growth.
The series, launched in conjunction with the Department of State Development, Trade and Innovation will be a power punching look at what is at the core of highly...
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UDIA sustainability Ecovillage lunch
DR TANYA Plant, special projects manager of UDIA QLD will present EnviroDevelopment, a scientifically based branding system designed to make it easier for purchasers to recognise and, thereby, select more environmentally sustainable homes and lifestyles.
She will be joined by guest speakers from The Ecovillage at Currumbin, the 2006 UDIA Awards winner of Excellence in Environmentally...
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Schoolies 2006
A corporate blackboard
LIKE it or loathe it, the annual Schoolies festival is here to stay, with the event set to attract large-scale corporate sponsorship in 2006. Commercial partners are being sought for Schoolies 2006, the Beattie Government-sanctioned event set to inject around $50 million into the Gold Coast city economy.
In 2005, the state government signed a one-year contract with...
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Boating for beginners
Cruising the Coast without the costs
AN INNOVATIVE new local charter boat service that brings luxury boating within the reach of most families has begun operation on the Gold Coast. Launched at the start of this month, Club Cruise is offering a magnificent fully licensed 32-foot sports cruiser valued at over $340,000.
The company will provide a range of charter options to suit private,...
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