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.

Diversity and Inclusion Summit Testimonial: 'We got into various key publications and radio with high-value content'

Diversity and Inclusion Summit organiser Tanya Finnie and Ronald Chua, of Red Head Communications, at the summit in Perth last month.

Working for Perth’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion in September, 2022, was a steep learning curve and fascinating experience. We would recommend all decision makers in business and not for profit to attend in 2023, particularly those in resources, technology, education, agribusiness, environmental services and community sectors. This was an enlightening conference and we were proud to promote it to Australian media. Wide-ranging topics covered included neurodiversity, sexual harassment and the impact of good D&I policies to company profits. Research was game changing. - Cate Rocchi (Perth Media)

“Cate Rocchi from Perth media is an absolute gem! She supported us with PR for the inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Summit and went well beyond what was expected. Perth Media’s invaluable support  connected us to the world! Cate took the time to interview various speakers and truly custom media releases and articles. They got the Summit into various key publications and radio with high value content.  We are looking forward to a long relationship with the company’s tailored approach to drive our media campaigns and publicity for our events. We cannot be more delighted with the service!”

Tanya Finnie, Director RedHead Communications and founder of the Diversity and Inclusion Summit

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.

Reaching 40000+ Readers: Perth Media Clients and Partners Feature in WA Business News' Adapters Column

Perth Media clients and partners are continuing to reach 40,000 plus audiences by being incorporated in WA Business News Daily e-news bulletins.

Here are the first couple Adapters, spreading innovative news of Perth Media, its partners and  small business, start-up and not-for-profit clients.

https://www.businessnews.com.au/article/Joondalup-Bike-share-Planning-for-Success

https://www.businessnews.com.au/article/Perth-Media-Official-Partner-for-Energy-and-Mines-in-Perth-June-27-28

The opportunity is only available to Perth Media clients. Terms and conditions apply, it is only for clients on monthly retainers.

Why staff aren't embracing their firm's social media, talking to Google and targeting Gen Z? Emergence Creative Festival 2018 Top Take Homes

Mat Lewis on Top of Emerging Creativity in Margaret River, Western Australia, last week.

1.   Making the World a Better Place. Many of the world's best and brightest creatives are focused on making money but also making the world a better place, proving profits and good deeds can mix. Perth-based social media marvel Ming Johanson has a checklist for new projects. 'Does it serve me, others, my business, and the greater good?' Speakers assisted a staggering number of charities. Jimmy Niggles from the Beard Season, US-based Justin Gignac from Working Not Working, were two who have donated extraordinary amounts of time and effort to great causes.

2. The Google guys from Tokyo, Tim Sneddon and Gene Brutty, (originally from Perth) rocked. Their 20 slide presentation in 20 minutes with gems such as 'uncomfortable is good, stay there' and 'waiting is for the lazy' was only topped by their Artificial Intelligence workshop, with kits. Awesome, inspiring, learnt so much.

3. The gen below the millennials/Gen Z are are into fun, says Neil Ackland of Punkee Media. They  are often watching video without sound, and looking for short/mashable/home-made/funny/quirky clips about random stuff that doesn't have to matter or mean something. Punkee is hiring super young, clever creatives that can write, shoot and edit, at a fast pace. If brands want to target the kids, then make it fast paced and random/funny.

4.  Lightbulb moment. Why aren't staff of the companies/organisations Perth Media works for embracing social media of their employers? Well, aside from the fact it could be crap. 'Because they have their own personal brand, and they don't want to link their brand with your company/organisation because they don't want to hang around for long,' says Perth-based Ming Johanson, who tells it how it is.

Ming Johanson generously shared social media wisdom

5.   Mat Lewis, Erin Molloy and team at Emergence are seriously good at what they do. The room was filled with exceptional global talent, including Chloe Rickard (Jungle Entertainment who just produced ABC's Squinters); international photographer Sam Harris; music industry lawyer Fran Cotton; Phil Bonanno of Facebook and many many more. Unbelievable line-up all in Margaret River. Really, this festival exceeded expectations.

6.  AI as a tool,  linked with google, has a long way to go, but it is coming. It wasn't too clever in demos, but it successfully answered qus about the weather. Lots of ramifications. IE clients can ask google what it thinks of their company. Here is our CEO Cate putting AI Google kit through its paces.

Putting the AI kit together to talk to Google