Quorum Speech: Measuring New Horizons, ESG, Social License to Operate and Public Relations in 2022

Perth Media spoke this week about modern, and critical, Public Relations. Thank you to Quorum for the invitation to present the Thought Leadership piece, detailing some of the PR disasters of the past 10 years.

The mining industry’s reputation has been tarnished by Rio Tinto’s destruction of Juukan Gorge rock shelters, in Western Australia, on 24 May 2020.

Interestingly, a quick survey of the room (this week) found 18 of the 36 people, were recorded as being ‘less favourable’ to Rio Tinto, post Juukan Gorge, and 18 of 36 were also ‘less favourable’ towards the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge. The other people in the room declined to vote. No one was recorded as being more favourable or neutral to Rio Tinto and the whole Australian mining industry, post Juukan Gorge.

Rio Tinto’s website reported: “In allowing the destruction of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters to occur, we fell far short of our values as a company and breached the trust placed in us by the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the destruction of a site of such exceptional cultural significance never happens again, to earn back the trust that has been lost, and to re-establish our leadership in communities and social performance.”

ESG was recently ranked by EY (the consultants) as the number 1 risk to the mining industry. - Cate Rocchi, Managing Director Perth Media.

Events: 85% of Marketers Say They Are Essential

There are so many reasons why PR organises events, along side marketing teams. For starters, it creates original content, generates momentum, builds relationships and inspires journalists to learn and write stories about your organisation.

Hosting events is one of the many ways Perth Media attracts media attention for your company. This is a slide which is part of an education presentation to Quorum in Perth on Tuesday morning. Explaining why PR is important. - Cate Rocchi

Professional Membership to PRIA (Public Relations Institute of Australia)

Great to network with our industry association and learn about modern public relations best practice. - Perth Media Team

Investor Relations Work Continues

New investment brochure completed for Bryah Resources. This is an example of what Perth Media does for its clients.

Perth Media News

As Western Australia experiences increasing business activity, Perth Media’s clients are releasing more news. Here are our top recent results:

1.         A successful Media Conference, organised by Perth Media, for Blockhead Technologies in August, 2020. Perth business reporters saw $300,000 of gold bullion on display.  A presentation was made by Blockhead CEO Greg Leach, and representatives from ABC Refinery also attended. Coverage included Stockhead -  Gold Fraud is on the Rise but New Tech Is Helping Stomp it Out, S&P Global, Miningnews and Business News featured New Tracing App for Gold.

2.          Acuris and Stockhead covered Bryah Resources ongoing results and deal making while Paydirt featured the junior explorer substantially in its annual Diggers and Dealers Preview edition.

Source: ABC Refinery

Software Company – Blockhead Technologies – and Australian gold processor ABC Refinery enter partnership to trace gold bullion.

Adapters: New Empowering Communities Program Begins at Sudbury House

Virginia Aden, Chief Executive of Sudbury Community House

Photo: Perth Media‘s Sophie Minissale

Mirrabooka-based Sudbury Community House, in Perth, has an innovative new empowering program to encourage public contributions and engagement.

Budding entrepreneurs, local firms, socially-minded people and those skilled in arts and crafts such as cookery and embroidery will have a role to play in the new five-year Empowering Communities Program in Sudbury House.

Virginia Aden, Chief Executive, says the new initiatives take a holistic approach that can lead to successful treatment of mental health issues, alcoholism, drug dependence, crime and domestic violence.

“It’s about humanising people who need help the most,” she says. “We are trying to move away from a deficit model of poverty and helplessness. We want to empower people to have a strength-based approach to make them respect and believe that every individual is more than capable of contributing to their own development and wellbeing and that they have the solutions to their problems. Sudbury House just needs to offer support.”

Already, a student from Perth Modern School is utilising modernised kitchens at Sudbury House to prepare edible cutlery as part of a project targeting mental ill-health.

Ms Aden is excited by the developments happening so early in the life of the program, which launched in July this year.

 “Just seven per cent of our running costs at Sudbury House come from public funds,” says Ms Aden who revitalised the 33-year-old facility after her arrival in 2011. “Seventy per cent of our clientele are refugees and migrants. When they arrive, they already have been traumatised in refugee camps.”

Sudbury House's main source of income is a modern early learning centre run by qualified staff catering for infants from six weeks of age to six years. Revenue generated by the facility's Learning and Development Centre pays for open-door services that include the drop-in centre, support groups and an information and referral hub.

Yet it is not enough to meet demand for services that Sudbury House provides as an organisation in the not-for-profit sector.

To rectify that scenario, the centre successfully applied for funding from the Department of Communities’ Empowering Communities Program, and received $1.5 million for distribution over the next five years to 2024. Funds will:

·         Stage year-round activities in The Mirrabooka Square, to raise awareness of partner organisations and demonstrate the community’s self-belief.

·         Act as an incubator for small groups to meet in safety to discuss day-to-day needs, supported by mentoring, coaching, computers and photocopying.

·         Hold annual workshops to share community ideas about evolving needs. Some will be developed into programs, supported by partner organisations.

·         Tackle unemployment by registering local skills such as cooking, artwork, craftwork, dance and music; then look at micro finance and social enterprise.

·         Offer grants to five community members to help plan and implement poorly resourced grass roots projects and ideas affecting streets and suburbs, with a view to raising finance.

Ms Aden says Sudbury House demonstrates that problems are manageable by collective action. “Let’s start a conversation that leads our people to their own solutions, giving them a solid base from where they can flourish and grow into their place in the community. We can literally give power back to these people,” she says.

“Our Sudbury family includes people of Aboriginal descent with whom a strong relationship has been respectfully built through their Elders.”

Ms Aden said program outcomes would be measured against impact, not attendance in hope to address two critical questions – have we changed anyone’s life and are they any better off?

Ms Aden oversaw the transformation of Sudbury House from a single room drop-in centre with a childcare annexe on the verge of closure in 2011 to a thriving community hub whose presence is so important to many. Ms Aden has worked with the peak body, Linkwest, and the Department of Communities (formerly known as Department of Local Government and Communities) to see SCH take shape as a multi-purpose facility renowned for a welcoming atmosphere.

This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WA Business News exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.

Perth Media Testimonial: Public Relations Campaign for Advanced Energy Resources on Refurbished Wind Turbines ‘Results Speak for Themselves’

On 19 June 2019, Perth Media ran a campaign on behalf of Advanced Energy Resources (AER).

Founded in 2006, AER is a WA electricity generator and retailer focused on supplying 100% renewable energy to its customers by 2025. Construction of its 3.5MW wind, solar and battery project will power GMA Garnet’s wet plant operations 40km south of Kalbarri in WA, a region of generally weak electricity network coverage.

On Perth Media’s successful media campaign, AER business development manager Steve Wall said: “When we announced our Australian-first 3.5MW Wind/Solar/Battery hybrid project to supply a mine in the Mid-West, we were determined to gain maximum exposure for our success.

“Cate and her team worked quickly and enthusiastically to ensure our story was embraced by a large number of industry, regional and general media outlets – including requests for interviews.”

Funding of $3 million by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Federal Government’s renewable energy programs manager, furthers its Advancing Renewables Program by commercially trialling AER’s back-to-back inverter technology. This, and the use of refurbished turbines, is a world first.

“Perth Media displayed a good understanding of AER’s business and the renewable energy industry in WA. The results spoke for themselves.” - Steve Wall, business development manager of Advanced Energy Resources.

Perth Media Expands Team, Client List and Opens New Nedlands Office in Perth

PERTH: Media content and public relations firm — Perth Media Pty Ltd — has opened a new office in Nedlands in line with continuing expansion plans.

The development is the latest news in a series of organic growth milestones for the Perth-based small business.

Perth Media managing director Cate Rocchi said: “Perth Media has, to date, been a small operation but we have consistently built powerful global profiles for our clients through tailored integrated media and communications services.

“We act in an advisory, creative and media service capacity and have a strong network of journalist and broadcast partners and connections, so are uniquely placed to deliver global-standard media management services in the sectors of finance, mining, renewables and agribusiness.”

Perth Media was established in 2015. It rebranded from Cate Rocchi Communications which began in 2011.

Major clients include: resources companies Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL), VSUN Energy and Bryah Resources (ASX: BYH); urbi; Partners in Grain; and Rockcliffe winery.

The Perth Media team now includes editor/writer Torrance Mendez (formerly of The West Australian).

“Our team — which has welcomed high calibre artists, photographers, former reporters and film makers — produces some of Australia’s best, most consistent media content for corporates,” Ms Rocchi said. “It has taken many years to assemble productive working relationships with such a talented and professional group. We have also been careful to grow our business conservatively, so quality has remained excellent.”

Perth Media values include: staying true to the principles of integrity, authenticity and clarity; continuous improvement; and innovative thinking.

“We remain focused on improving media outcomes for our clients and enjoy the challenge of mixing social and traditional media as we embrace the communications of the future,” she said.

The company’s current list of services are: script/copy writing, investor relations management, content creation, blogs, photography, videography, social media strategy and delivery, infographics, strategic media advisory and support, campaign research, publicity, global TV, radio and press coverage, media training, CV writing and speech writing. Packages are available.

“We know how to achieve publicity and we will give clients authentic advice on which stories and media services they need to reach their customers,” Ms Rocchi said.

Perth Media Pty Ltd is now located at 47 Hampden Road, Nedlands, Perth. For the next four weeks (until November 15, 2018) the company is hosting some rarely-available media release writing sessions ($350) and media presentations, by appointment. There are only eight slots available. Terms and conditions apply.

There are other key developments ongoing such as a website rebrand, which will be launched in 2019.

Contact

Cate Rocchi

0428431699

cate@perthmedia.com.au

This story has also appeared in Perth Media’s Adapters column that features in Western Australian Business News.

New Perth Media Office: 10/117 Broadway, Nedlands

Come in and see us!

To celebrate our new office opening!

For the next month, we are offering exclusive Media Release writing services. For $500 (plus GST) we can draft a tailored media release/blog for your company/organisation with one of our experienced consultants.

Bryah Resources Testimonial for Perth Media: 'Management Well Prepared for Live Interviews'

Picture by Jess Wyld Photography, Perth Media recommended photographer.

'Cate Rocchi at Perth Media has been engaged by Bryah Resources since prior to its listing on ASX in 2017. 

'We have found Cate to be a dynamic and enthusiastic advocate for our company across all media channels. Cate’s extensive network of media contacts has allowed us to receive a huge amount of mainstream media coverage in what is a very difficult and crowded marketplace. This would not have been possible had we not had her promoting our story.  She has also been very helpful in getting management trained and well prepared for live media interviews. We are delighted that we have Perth Media managing our Public Relations.'

Neil Marston, MD of Bryah Resources (ASX:BYH)

Thanks Neil!

Interviews secured included publications such as Miningnews.net, Paydirt, The West Australian, WA Business News, and ABC Radio.