RCCIWA Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy – COVID 19
Since the impacts of COVID-19 started to dramatically impact in Mid-March RCCIWA has had several key focus areas to ensure our members were well supported in a meaningful way and to try and ease their workload and pressure.  Advocating to all tiers of Government to ensure our regional voice is heard in all decision-making processes and that priority issues are communicated appropriately was one of them. Below is a highlight of just some of the meetings, forums and activities we have be involved with to ensure the voice of all regional business communities has been well communicated over the past few months. This will continue to be a priority for RCCIWA.

• RCCIWA Regional Impacts Surveys
  Our series of surveys on the economic impacts of COVID 19 on our regional businesses have been very well received and the data gathered has been broadly communicated and distributed. We have conducted five to date. By having this ongoing timely data, we have been able to gauge the changing impacts on our regional businesses as well as identify issues not being addressed. The value of this data cannot be underestimated. We are sharing the information collected with government departments and agencies from all three tiers, various stakeholders and also to our members - and the information is being utilised to help form polices and actions to minimise the negative economic impact this pandemic is having. The survey results and data collected is being widely distributed and referred to. We now have over 165 different Government contacts and departments who are requesting this survey information. We will open survey six in August some time – we thought we would just give your members a bit of a break. Thank you to all of our members who have shared this survey and encouraged their members to participate – it has been appreciated and their views are being heard and acted on.
• RCCIWA – Member of the State Advisory Recovery Group
  As you are probably aware, RCCIWA is a member of the State Recovery Advisory Group  with 25 other representatives from industry and community associations and bodies. The Premier hosted the inaugural workshop in mid-June we were also joined by several Ministers, Directors General, and key senior public sector personnel. The key objectives for the five-hour workshop was for the 26 stakeholders to provide feedback and comment on the Draft Impact Statement and to assist the Government with the development of their State Recovery Plan. It was an important and very constructive meeting and RCCIWA ensured that the views of, and impact felt by our regional business communities were contributed well. For more information about the State Recovery Advisory Group and the Plan for Recovery read here.  
• JTSI – Industry Development Team Engagement
  Attended regular fortnightly meetings with Stephen, Dan and Fiona from Industry Development with the Dept of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation. Great and useful conversations focusing on the policy framework and activities that will encourage more local procurement and local content for State Govt projects and purchasing, which is a key priority for this Government as part of the Recovery Plan.
• Federal & State Treasury Updates
  Regular online meetings with representatives from State Treasury, Federal Treasury, the Reserve Bank and the Federal Government’s COVID team to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on regional businesses. They were particularly interested in our survey results.
• Working Groups and Round Tables
  • Member of the State Governments COVID-19 Food Service and Hospitality Working Group
  • Member of the State Governments COVID-19 Food Supply Working Group
  • Participated in the Workforce Skills and training Ministerial Round Table Meeting. All three of these group will contribute to the State Recovery Plan
• Western Australian Advocacy for Consumers of Energy Forum
  RCCIWA Invited to be a member of the Western Australian Advocacy for Consumers of Energy Forum (WA ACE Forum) which has been established to provide broad based representation of consumer views in a central forum, allowing issues to be raised and for consumers to share in the development of products and solutions for the energy sector.
• Economic Regulation Authority Consumer Consultative Committee
  RCCIWA continued contributing as a member of the Economic Regulation Authority Consumer Consultative Committee (ERACCC). ERACC meets three or four times each year, and includes representatives from a range of consumer and industry organisations. Participation in ERACCC allows members to inform the ERA about issues that affect both the groups they represent and consumers more generally. The ERA also uses the committee to inform consumers about its own work.

RCCIWA Exclusive Member Benefit – Animated Advertising Material
We are excited to share that we are currently working on developing professionally designed marketing collateral to raise our members profile with an aim to increase their membership base. We want to deliver more members to our members.  We agreed to proceed with this in February, however COVID 19 saw us delay the start somewhat. We have allocated a budget of $10,000 and secured the services of Lomax Media to deliver an animated product and accompanying stills and graphics for you to use via your various communication and media platforms. This is a direct member only benefit and we are delighted to be able to deliver this to our members.

What’s Involved?

• RCCIWA will confirm agreed key messages via consultation with all members
• RCCIWA have engaged Lomax Media to produce an animated advertisement for web and TV use, as well as three stills graphics.
• RCCIWA will fund the production of the marketing materials.
• Each member can personalise each item with their own logo, at their own costs (see attached doc for details). This is their choice. If a member would like unbranded material, we can deliver that.
• The material is designed to encourage local businesses to join our members
• We are producing three different voice over versions, one with Chamber of Commerce, one with Business Network and one with Business Association to ensure all of our members have the right message.

Messaging
We are in the early stages of working on the key messages and whilst we have had some feedback from members, I am keen to find out from you what you think are the key reasons a businesses should join your organisation. I would also love any suggestions for an overall encompassing strapline. This is what we have come up with to date.

Key Benefits (please send through any you have)

• Connection/Connectors
• Amplify your Voice
• Increased Business/Building Business
• Information
• Networks/Networking
• Business promotion
• Resources
• Support
• Influence
• Business growth
• Profile
• Business Voice
• Training/advice/education
• Guidance

Strapline Suggestions (would love yours)

• What are you missing out by not joining in?
• Your voice for business
• We are your business superpower
• Here for Business
• Connected and Informed
• Your business is our business
• Working every day to help you grow
• Together we Grow
• Building Businesses
• Together is Better
• Your partner in business

Please see the attached member agreement form. If you could complete this and send it back to me at ceo@regionalchamberswa.com.au  at your earliest convenience that would be great – then we can get going!

A Note of Thanks To Our Members from Anne Driscoll – Director General Of DTWD
Dear Kitty

This is just a brief note to sincerely thank you for your contribution to the Review of Skills, Training and Workforce Development conducted by Michelle Hoad, Terry Durant and me over the five weeks leading up to the end of June. The Review team were very grateful for your kind gesture of hosting the meeting and inviting your stakeholders to join in and provide valuable input.

Would it be possible for you to forward this message to them so they are also aware of the importance of their contribution?

We were overwhelmed by the considered perspectives that our stakeholders brought to our conversations and in written submissions. Over the period we met with over 200 stakeholders in 70 meetings. We also received written submissions and attended Ministerial roundtables. There were many consistent themes in the discussions as well as a number of insightful reflections and suggestions – along with some great best practices worthy of expanding.

There are many actions that flow from these meetings.  Members of the Review team and staff of TAFEs and DTWD are in the process of following up with businesses and other stakeholders on specific immediate undertakings.  There are also a host of longer term projects that we will need to collaboratively work on with various industry sectors.  Action plans are being finalised for these. 

Some of the feedback arising from discussions was quickly harnessed and is reflected in the recent announcements by the Premier and Minister Ellery last week i.e. free skill set training for those displaced through COVID to enable transition to areas of possible jobs growth. Feedback that courses should be cheaper has also resulted in a further 39 courses having major fee reductions of up to 72%. This is on top of the 34 courses announced with significant fee reductions at the beginning of 2020. Also aligned to your feedback, there is now an incentive for employers to engage displaced apprentices and trainees whose contracts.  Information about these new initiatives are in the attached media release. Read the full media statement here.

The full report was finalised and provided to the State Recovery Controller on  30 June 2020.  The report, setting out the information conveyed by industry, community members, unions and RTOs will be considered by Government.  I anticipate that further information on the report and response by Government should be available in August.

Thank you again

Anne Driscoll

Director General

Department of Training and Workforce Development

NDIS New Provider Virtual Information Session for RCCIWA Members – 6^th August 2020
RCCIWA will be hosting a member’s information session to be delivered by the NDIS. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) would like to invite prospective service providers in WA to attend an information session on registering as an NDIS provider. Providers are vital for the delivery of NDIA services, providing life-changing supports to thousands of people with disability across WA and generating wide-ranging economic and community benefits. Opportunities exist across a wide range of support categories. This session will be held via videoconference using Microsoft Teams and will be great information to pass on to your members. Details on how to log into the session will be forwarded to attendees prior to the session date. If you would like to attend this session, please RSVP to ensure you receive these details. More information and RSVP details can be found here.

RCCIWA Administrative Items

• Emmi Taylor is currently updating our membership contact list. If you have any changes to your contacts or would like to add any people, please email Emmi at admin@regionalchamberswa.com.au
• Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and share our page with your members.
• Please also let us know about any activities, initiatives or events you would like us to include in our weekly newsletter. We love showcasing a great idea, program or event that one of our members is delivering. If you have something you would like us to share – please send through the details to Emmi.
• Any events you would like added to our events calendar on our website. If you have a specific logo for that event -could you also send that through, and we will include it.
• Our member portal is live – so please send through any operational documents you are happy to share with your fellow members to Emmi at admin@regionalchamberswa.com.au