Month: January 2020

Netball NSW is delighted to welcome Valour Sport on board as the organisation’s Official Sportswear and Merchandise Partner for the next three years.
The partnership, which will also see Valour become the kit and merchandise suppliers to the NSW Swifts and GIANTS Netball, will commence from this season.
As well as NSW’s Suncorp Super Netball teams, Valour will be kit suppliers to the QBE Swifts Academy, the GIANTS Netball Academy and the NSW State Teams who will represent the state at the 2020 National Netball Championships in Tasmania.
Valour will also oversee production of merchandise for major Netball NSW events such as the HART Junior and Senior State Titles.
Netball NSW CEO Carolyn Campbell welcomed Valour to the Netball NSW family earlier today.
“We had strong interest when we went to market for an apparel supplier and Valour emerged as the best fit, as determined by our panel,” Campbell said.
“We have some of the best athletes in Australia, and indeed the world, in our teams and pathways at Netball NSW and it’s important they feel comfortable when competing at the highest level.
“Valour are innovative and very accommodating when it comes to meeting the needs of our athletes.
“We are delighted to have them with us and are looking forward to a very productive working relationship.”
Valour spokesman Matthew Knight said the company was equally excited about the new partnership.
“Valour is passionate about supporting and encouraging athletes of all abilities across the sporting landscape,” he said.
“Valour is proud to be entering into this partnership with Netball NSW as it provides our company with an opportunity to work with a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to empowering athletes of all ages to play netball.
“Netball NSW is a natural progression in Valour’s pursuit of supplying highly technical sportswear to professional and grassroots athletes.
“In association with Netball NSW, Valour will continue to redefine the standards of modern sportswear by offering Netball NSW athlete’s the very best in functional and technical apparel.”
ABOUT VALOUR
Since 2009 Valour have designed, manufactured and supplied high performance sportswear and sports uniforms to over 1,000,000 young athletes. Valour’s reputation in the sportswear industry for constant innovation in sportswear fabric and design is unsurpassed.
In 2012 Valour’s Company Directors established Talon Global. Talon is a 2000m2 state-of-the-art manufacturing facility created to produce Valour’s industry-leading sportswear.
Visit valoursport.com.au for more information.

In response to the devastating bushfires, the Morrison Government has today announced a comprehensive suite of measures to immediately support impacted small businesses.
This initial package responds to the needs expressed by small businesses on the ground and at the small business roundtable last week which saw chambers of commerce from fire affected regions, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia come together with the Government to discuss the impacts of this natural disaster on small business.
This comprehensive package will make it easier for those who have suffered direct fire damage, or have been indirectly economically impacted following the bushfires, to get back on their feet.
This package deals with the challenges we know small businesses in these areas are facing, and will continue to face. Our immediate priorities for small businesses include grant funding, concessional loans, tax relief, a dedicated and single contact point to help them access the support that is available, and financial counselling services that are targeted to help small and family business owners deal with the emotional and financial challenges they face.
Grant funding
To build on the disaster recovery grants put in place by state governments, the Federal Government will provide top-up grants to eligible small businesses and non-profit organisations under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
This program is uncapped and means that businesses and organisations that have sustained damage as a result of the fires can access up to $50,000 in grant funding (tax free).
Concessional loans
As well as extra support announced already for families and communities to help keep spending in local stores, the Federal Government wants to ensure small businesses have cashflow to run their operations.
The Federal Government will boost the value and concessions for small business loans, also on offer to farmers, primary producers and non-profit organisations, under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
To provide maximum flexibility for eligible businesses, loans of up to $500,000 will be offered for businesses that have suffered significant asset loss or a significant loss of revenue. The loan would be for up to 10 years and used for the purposes of restoring or replacing damaged assets and for working capital.
The loans will be available with a repayment holiday of up to two years, with no interest accruing during this period. The subsequent interest rate would be set at 50 per cent of the ten-year Commonwealth government bond rate (currently around 0.6%).
The Government will be seeking the agreement of the states to provide these loans under harmonised, consistent terms and eligibility criteria.
Dedicated, single contact point
The Government will deliver $3.5 million to establish the Small Business Bushfire Financial Support Line as well as to fund 10 additional financial counsellors with the ability to provide advice to around 100 small businesses a day.
We want to ensure small businesses have access to the information that they need, when they need it. The Support Line will be staffed by small business specialist financial counsellors who will be able to provide information on the assistance and support available to small businesses in bushfire affected regions.
The Support Line, which will be staffed by trained financial counsellors, will provide information on the assistance and support available to small businesses in bushfire affected regions.
While the specialist Support Line is being established, businesses can visit www.business.gov.au or call 13 28 46.
The Commonwealth will also provide support as required to Recovery Centres that are being established by the states in fire-impacted regions. These Centres will be a one-stop-shop for small business owners and operators to ensure they have access to immediate expert support.
Local economic development plans
The Federal Government will work with local and state governments, business groups and other community organisations to develop Local Economic Recovery Plans.
These plans will be locally developed and locally-led to ensure the focus in each community is on the infrastructure and assets they need to rebuild.
Tax relief
The Commissioner of Taxation has agreed to provide a range of assistance measures to businesses in identified bushfire-impacted postcodes to help to alleviate cash flow pressures and assist these businesses with their recovery efforts.
In particular, taxpayers in impacted postcodes will now have until 28 May 2020 to lodge and pay business activity statements and income tax returns. Impacted businesses that pay their Pay-As-You-Go Instalments quarterly are also allowed to vary these instalments to zero for the December 2019 quarter and claim a refund for any instalments made in the September 2019 quarter.
These measures will assist small businesses with much-needed cashflow support during this difficult time.

Women seeking fertility treatment can now apply for a $500 rebate under the NSW Government’s $42 million election commitment to cut costs for IVF services.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the NSW Government is also expanding publicly supported IVF services in three public hospitals, making fertility treatment much more affordable for up to 6,000 women.
“The NSW Government’s commitment of $42 million over four years will dramatically cut out-of-pocket expenses for women struggling to conceive,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Fertility treatment can be a long, expensive and emotionally difficult process so I hope that this extra support will give women more choices and ease the financial burden.”
NSW publicly supported IVF clinics will be expanded at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Westmead Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Women, increasing access to lower-cost IVF treatments.
The NSW Government will also establish Australia’s first state-wide fertility preservation service at the Royal Hospital for Women, providing cancer patients with the greatest hope of having a family in the future.
Out-of-pocket expenses at some clinics for IVF can cost $5,000 or more per cycle but will now be significantly reduced at NSW publicly supported clinics as a result of this initiative.
Women can lodge a claim for the $500 rebate for pre-IVF fertility testing taken from 1 October 2019.
NSW residents can claim the rebate regardless of where in Australia they received the fertility test via Service NSW.
IVF pre-screening tests are used to understand the cause of the fertility problem and inform whether a woman is likely to experience a positive result and go on to conceive a baby.
One in every 22 Australian babies are now born via IVF – about one in every classroom.
For more information go to www.health.nsw.gov.au/affordable-ivf.

The NSW Government will coordinate the clean-up of residential and commercial properties destroyed by bush fires this season, at no cost to residents, so they can start rebuilding and communities can begin healing.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said work is already underway to clear insured and uninsured properties.
“The threat of bush fire is far from over this summer, but we need to help people across the State to rebuild and recover as quickly as possible,” Mr Barilaro said.
“The NSW Government will shortly appoint major contractors to do the clean-up, who will be encouraged to engage local contractors wherever possible.
“This work will include containment and removal of asbestos contaminated bush fire impacted materials, removal of all dangerous debris, including destroyed materials and hazardous trees and removal of concrete slab foundations.
“Cleaning up eligible destroyed properties will ensure that these costs are not deducted from funds available under residents’ insurance policies for rebuilding. For the uninsured, it’s one less thing to worry about.”
Clean-up arrangements coordinated by the NSW Government will include:

• The appointment of contractors in the South and the North to clean-up bush fire impacted properties.
• Costs for clean-up will be covered by the NSW Government in partnership with the Federal Government.
• Where insurance companies have commenced clean-up works for safety reasons these will continue.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government will work with insurance companies to ensure that any policy holders who have already had clean-up work completed will be at no disadvantage.
“I know people are anxious to have their properties cleared as soon as possible and with more than 2,200 homes destroyed it is a mammoth task, which is why the NSW Government has hit the ground running with the clean-up effort,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Impacted owners wanting their property cleared through this program need to call Service NSW on 13 77 88 to register their details and provide consent for access to their land.”
Details regarding the appointed contractors and clearing of commercial properties will be announced shortly.
Further information is available at: www.service.nsw.gov.au