by Tim Sayre | Oct 16, 2024 | Uncategorised
At the completion of the 2024 Candidates Forum, a number of community questions went unasked.
These questions were sent to the candidates after the event, with a request to have replies by COB Monday.
Questions may have been combined to remove any duplication, while others may have been reworded to enable all candidates to answer.
Below are the replies from Alan Corbett, Bree Watson, and Tom Smith, the only candidates to respond to your questions, broken up into the 8 different categories.








Labor Incumbant Mr Tom Smith responses were submitted at a later date and as yet have not been fact checked. Chamber reserves the right to remove any informaiton that has been deemed incorrect, once fact checking has been completed.
Responses from Mr Tom Smith
by Tim Sayre | Feb 19, 2024 | Uncategorised
by Tim Sayre | Jul 21, 2023 | Uncategorised

Fantastic start to the day
Diversity – it’s a funny word that people often have a hard time defining, particularly if they don’t have any experience with it in the workplace. Some think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, while others see it as a tick box in the latest iteration of political correctness.
The Queensland Government’s vision for inclusion and diversity recognises under-represented groups including but not limited to women, people with a disability, First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, the JGBTIQ+ community, young people, and old people.
At the Chambers most recent breakfast, diversity in the workplace was our hot topic, and a packed room heard how broadening into a diverse workforce can not only help a business reduce issues of staff shortages but can open a workplace up to a raft of new ideas, experiences, and

Peter Jordan and Kevin Rooney from maxima
ways of thinking.
The focus was on the areas of disability and immigration, and Peter Jordon from Maxima, spoke about the willingness of people to work – they just need an opportunity.
The person who has struggled to come to Australia, or the person who has been passed over because people have been unable to separate their abilities from a disability, might be able to do much, but not all of what you’re looking for in an applicant.
On the flip side, they will turn up every day, they will contribute everyday and will bring a spark of excitement to the workplace. They are working and are productive, making something of their lives, because they were trained by an employer willing to look outside the box.

A full house
This collates with what I hear – business owners have told me that you don’t want someone who has all the certificates under the sun, just someone with the right attitude.
Attitude is everything – we can train them on the rest.
Well, now’s the time to put your money where your mouth is!
The other comment that stuck with me was that people are often quick to discount themselves out of applying for a position. Applying for a job can be daunting for anybody, so it might be time to look at our processes and selection methods to encourage a wider, more diverse applicant pool.
A quote that’s often attributed to Einstein is “everybody is a genius – but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live it’s entire life believing it is stupid.”

Thanks to Nathan from TrippleM for our business card draw
Diversity in any organisation is essential, and not from a government tick a box type of way, but in the benefits from a richness in workplace culture, a depth and breadth of ideas that come from a variety of views, experiences, and challenges.
Diversity should be embraced in the workplace as a way of ensuring our businesses continue to grow and prosper.
So, the next time you’re writing out a new vacancy to put on seek, take a moment to think about how you might tweak your processes, and open yourself to a more diverse world of applicants.
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For information about sponsoring a person to be employed for a specific role, please access this link: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/employing-and-sponsoring-someone/learn-about-employing-migrants
Please note that sponsoring a person for employment is quite different from employing a migrant.
The person who assists clients of Bundaberg Neighbourhood Centre will provide free advice to clients regarding their visa concerns/questions. All advice is free. When someone wants to apply for a visa, the responsibility of payment of fees rests with them (and the employer if they are sponsoring someone).
Brian who is a Registered Migration Agent will be providing an information session on Employer Sponsorship Visas – Temporary Skills Shortage Visa -subclass 482 on Friday 25 August. This would be a great opportunity to learn more about sponsoring migrants.

Thanks to our speakers –
Kevin Rooney
NDIS Team Leader
E: [email protected]
Victoria Hansen
Industry Workforce Advisor
E: [email protected]
Sue Hansen
Multicultural Youth Engagement Officer
Project Officer (DFV / Sexual Assault / Sexual Abuse) – Multicultural
Multicultural Program Co-ordinator – CAMS (Acting)
E: [email protected]
by Tim Sayre | Apr 28, 2023 | Uncategorised
Politicians like to say that Small Business is the lifeblood of the community, so this Small Business Month, lets prove it by donating to Lifeblood this May.
We are encouraging all businesses, big and small, to roll up their sleeves and donate vital blood or plasma at least once this month.
Grab your staff, their families, your friends, and anybody else you can think of and donate this month. Even if you haven’t been in a while, or haven’t been before, now is a great time to get back or get into Lifeblood and help them with the amazing work they are doing, saving lives each and every day.
When you go in, let the friendly staff know your part of the Chambers blood drive and they will put your donation against our combined tally.
Lets get giving this Small Business Month!!