Victorian Small Business Commissioner Judy O’Connell joins us on the latest episode of the POAAL Podcast. We cover:

  • Very low cost dispute resolution for owner/drivers
  • How mediation works in dispute resolution
  • Resolving disputes over retail leases
  • Other dispute resolution services available to small business owners such as Licensees (including small businesses that have a contract with a government agency)
Click on the player to play this episode of the POAAL Podcast.
Judy O’Connor, Victorian Small Business Commissioner

In this episode of the POAAL Podcast, POAAL’s Bob Chizzoniti discusses some of the issues he has been discussing with individual Licensees from around Australia.

  • Primary sort
  • PO Boxes (metro and rural)
  • Licensees who hold the local mail contract
  • POMS Data Collection Report
  • Morning sort start time
  • Mail Service Payment
  • Dealings with Australia Post
  • Mail service timetable (duty statement)

Maximise the income from your LPO. Understand your LPO payments.

Click on the player to play this episode of the POAAL Podcast.

The POAAL National Office will be closed on Tuesday 3 November for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.

If you need to contact POAAL on Cup Day, phone 03 96544533 and you will be able to leave a message.

Did you know… 

…there was a racehorse in the USA called Postal? The horse had 30 starts for four wins and four placings, with career earnings of $36,284.

The POAAL National Office will be closed on Friday 23 October for the “Friday before the AFL Grand Final” public holiday in Victoria.

If you need to contact POAAL on Friday, phone 03 96544533 and you will be able to leave a message.

Grand Final Friday is a public holiday across the whole of Victoria, including metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Sean Wilson, CEO of Better HR, shares some tips for engaging new staff members, including:

  • Understanding the basics of Australian employment law
  • Defining the employee’s role
  • Pay rates
  • Induction – including the Fair Work Information Statement
  • How to create a list of duties
  • Existing employees
  • Reducing disputes

We also discuss changes to casual retail worker penalty rates that came into effect from 1 October 2020.

Better HR is the new name for Workforce Guardian. POAAL members can access Better HR’s range of services at a discounted rate. Click here to see Better HR’s plans and pricing for POAAL members.

Click on the player to play this episode of the POAAL Podcast.

Workforce Guardian has rebranded as BetterHR – and POAAL members can still access employment relations services and advice at exclusive member-only prices.

The team at BetterHR is available to help protect paid-up POAAL members against the risks of non-compliance with Australian employment laws.

POAAL members can get an exclusive 20% rebate on all BetterHR’s annual plans.

BetterHR provides essential HR tools and advice. Click here to visit the BetterHR website.

NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont joins us on the POAAL Podcast to talk about resolving small business disputes.

  • Role of the NSW Small Business Commissioner
  • How the Commissioner’s office can assist in resolving small business disputes
  • Low-cost mediation as an alternative to legal action
  • Examples of kinds of disputes that the NSW Small Business Commissioner can help resolve – including disputes with government
  • NSW Small Business Month in October 2020

Click here to visit the NSW Small Business Month website.

Click on the player to play this episode of the POAAL Podcast.

Australia Post has announced the last posting dates for Christmas 2020.

Customers sending parcels within Australia will need to post their Parcel Post items by Saturday 12 December 2020 for Christmas delivery.

Customers using Express Post will need to post their parcels by Saturday 19 December for delivery by Christmas.

Australia Post advises that Express Post continues to be the fastest postal delivery option, however the temporary suspension of the Express Post guarantee remains in place.

Go Local First Champion Pru Goward shares some ways that small businesses around Australia are taking part in the Go Local First campaign, and how Licensees can get involved:

  • What Go Local First is
  • The importance of small business to local communities
  • How some small businesses have worked together to promote small businesses in their communities
  • Go Local First in city, suburban, and rural areas
  • Finding local influencers to support the Go Local First campaign
  • Engaging locals and important figures such as MPs to get involved

Click here to visit the Go Local First website. Go Local First is being delivered by COSBOA (Council of Small Business Organisations Australia) – of which POAAL is a full member.

Click on the player to play this episode of the POAAL Podcast.

NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont

POAAL’s NSW/ACT Branch Chairman Bob Chizzoniti recently met with Chris Lamont, the NSW Small Business Commissioner to discuss topics such as disputes over commercial leases, major trends in the postal sector, and industrial relations. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the post office and delivery networks was also discussed – including the surge of parcels resulting from the lockdown.

The NSW Small Business Commissioner is an advocate for small business in NSW. The Commission provides information resources, practical guidance, as well as offering mediation services to help resolve disputes over matters such as small business contracts and commercial leases.

Bob was able to draw upon his lifetime of experience as a small business owner, having owned many post offices over the decades, to explain the operations of postal small businesses.

As the independent representative association for small business owners in the postal and delivery sectors, POAAL will continue to work with the NSW Small Business Commissioner’s office on matters relevant to NSW Licensees.