Australia-Korea Business Council Work Promotes Korean President Moon’s Visit to Australia and Meeting with Australian Critical Mineral Miners

Media Work with the Australia-Korea Business Council Continues into 2022

Perth Media Managing Director Cate Rocchi said: “We are delighted to work with this innovative not-for-profit organisation as its Korean and Australian members look to build long-term, mutually-beneficial business relationships.”

To date our work has included promoting a meeting by Korean President Moon and high-level critical minerals miners in Sydney, Australia in December, 2021, and distributing an AKBC report on critical minerals.

“In January 2022, we are researching and promoting a second report into food and beverage trends and we are also looking forward to engaging with many Australian reporters on that growing export opportunity,” Ms Rocchi said.

The Chairman of AKBC is Simon Crean and the Executive Director is Liz Griffin.

Background

https://www.akbc.com.au/news/akbc-media-release-14-12-21/

ABC TV News Report on Critical Minerals

President Moon of Korea, AKBC Chairman Simon Crean and Executive Director Liz Griffin

Central Banks are Buying Gold and Investors Urged to Follow at Sydney Gold Conference

GAIC: Bryah Resources MD Neil Marston with Perth Media Consultant Celia Pozzecco

Global investors should search for investments in quality gold stocks, as equity markets become more uncertain, according to speakers at a Sydney-based gold conference, writes Perth Media's Sydney-based consultant Celia Pozzecco.

Gold has seen a recent increase in profitability, which is a reverse of trends seen previously. 

Speaking recently at the Gold and Alternative Investments Conference (GAIC) in Sydney, John Mulligan - Director, Member and Market Relations, of the World Gold Council - said: "Gold is now back in investors’ minds... The recent rise in the gold price has finally seen it break out of the side-way trading band in which it has been stuck.

"The gold price has finally decoupled from the US dollar which indicates investors are becoming more risk adverse. The US Federal Bank has changed direction abruptly and globally, and central banks are buying gold. Most importantly, the rising gold price is being driven by speculator and investor interest. US dollar strength will not endure, combined with negative interest rates and negative yield-bearing assets. The ‘new normal’ is low interest rates and low yields. This is all supporting gold investment."

“Equity markets appear to be in bubble territory,” Mr Mulligan noted. Gold price is long-term driven. Historically, it is a growth market, not a cyclical market. Gold investment always moves west to east: The People’s Bank of China was a gold seller for many years. Now it is a gold buyer, he said. In 1989, the bank sold 432 tonnes of gold. In 2018, it bought 657 tonnes of gold.

“The Asian century is about to begin…and gold is an indicator of that socio-economic growth in Asia,” Mr Mulligan said. He also said, in 2009, the European Central Bank ceased selling gold. Central banks of developing nations have emerged as substantial gold buyers. This is indicative of a wider acceptance of gold within the financial system. European private investors are buying gold – 2,630 tonnes in the last decade, while Chinese and Indian private investors are driving up global gold demand. Historically, gold production was dominated by a handful of players, led by South Africa. Now, due to advancing technology, gold has a global production base which helps make it a very stable investment.

Another keynote speaker was Egon Von Greyerz, Founder and Managing Partner, Matterhorn Asset Management. His talk was a rather depressing presentation on the current – and future – state of the world’s declining financial and geopolitical health and how, as a consequence, this is driving gold investment.

“I think we’re facing the greatest risk in history…we’re going to have a very tough time in the world,” Mr Van Greyerz said. There is no point in investors waiting for the storm to pass; they have to “learn to dance in the rain”.

This growing risk is all based on the outrageously high levels of global debt – including current debt and unfunded liabilities such as healthcare and pensions. In 2006, global debt was $125T. In 2019, global debt was $260T. Mr Von Greyerz estimates that by 2025, it will be around $20 quadrillion. Combine this with low interest rates and 10-year negative yields and it is "unprecedented in history”.

“The USA, like the rest of the world, will drown in debt, thanks to hyper-inflationary collapse," he said. Investors should think about having a lot more gold in their portfolios “because then you are looking after yourself. The governments will not have enough money to look after you."

“I might sound like a profit of doom and gloom but I’m just looking at the level of risk and you can’t put your head in the sand.”

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: Sudbury Community House

Virginia Aden, Chief Executive of Sudbury Community House

Photo: Perth Media‘s Sophie Minissale

“A huge thank you to Perth Media for an excellent article in the WA  Business News.

From the very first phone call to the article being  published, the process was handled with  respect, care and professionalism. The photographer was so cheerful and engaging, she put me at ease. And, I must confess, I do not take good photos and I had  the best photo ever taken of me!  They do listen. 

The article has helped  raise the profile of  Sudbury House in the community - and with all our stakeholders - with an in-pouring of emails, phone calls, introductions and referrals for potential projects, in partnership and collaboration with other reputable organisations.

I would highly recommend other not-for-profits to take up the opportunity of raising your profile and transforming the way you do business.”

Virginia Aden, Chief Executive, Sudbury Community House

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.

Coming Soon: Perth Media's Adapters Podcast with Torrance Mendez

Perth Media consultant Torrance Mendez, a seasoned professional and one-time news reporter, this week begins a new Adapters podcast series, interviewing small businesses and organisations about their history, products, dreams and innovations.

He will be working this afternoon from our partner recording studio at a Vic Park location.

The first guest is Jackstar Bookkeeping’s Jackie Roufail!

Media Monitoring: Perth Media's Top 5 Recent PR Results

Perth Media continues to log excellent results. Our top five recent include three ASX-listed clients as well as two of Perth Media’s Adapters clients: one utilising our Written Adapters service and the other advertising her brand through our first ever Adapters Film.

 1. Australian Mining Review’s ‘In the Spotlight’ series focused on Renascor Resources Managing Director, David Christensen.

 2. Prestigious global financial publication Acuris/Mergermarket featured Bryah Resources after an interview at Diggers & Dealers last month: ‘Bryah Resources could seek further JV opportunities as manganese strategy advances.’

 3. Adapters Film is up and running. Here is the first: Marina’s Ambrosia short film.

 4. Several clients appeared in Stockhead, including Australian Vanadium Limited, on lower vanadium prices prompting new Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) developments.

 5. Through our Written Adapters product, Raj Singh of RealIQ outlined his novel co-living accommodation developments in India.

- Janine Taylor, Consultant, Perth Media

Adapters: Perth's Real IQ Seeks Investment for Co-living Accommodation in India

Real IQ’s Raj Singh has launched Boston Living

Perth entrepreneur and real estate owner, Raj Singh, is teaming with an Indian property development group to deliver a revolutionary form of co-living accommodation in India that aims to attract Australian investors.

His real estate company, Real IQ in Northbridge, signed a joint venture with INCOR Group of India to provide fresh, purpose-built homes for university students and IT professionals in the teeming sub-continent.

“About 13 per cent of Indians migrate to other states for education, employment or marriage opportunities. That’s more than 150 million people,” Mr Singh says. “About 50 per cent of them are aged 18 to 35, and they need a place to live. Existing rental stock, which is not organised, is grossly inadequate to meet demand.”

Co-living is the answer, he says. For a set fee, tenants get purpose-built apartments with all essentials, including furniture, laundry, cooked food and even Netflix TV.

Two people who may or may not know each other cohabit separate beds in a one-bedroom unit; four people in a two-bedroom unit and, in each case, they share lounge, kitchen and toilet. As well, there are premium studio units for one person, targeted at the business community.

“We’re not selling apartments,” Mr Singh says. “We take the whole building and operate it like a hotel. It’s a new way of tenanting apartments that is more efficient and less costly. And funkier.”

Fully furnished homes will cost 10 to 15 per cent less than what tenants now pay, with the bonus of better locations, services and quality, inclusive pricing and onsite security staff.

Mr Singh says they fill a growing need for good accommodation in bustling hubs of education and technology in the metros of Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The target group is millennials – 18 to 35-year-olds – comprising students and professionals, a significant number of whom hold well-paid jobs with global tech giants.

Real IQ’s joint venture partner, INCOR Group, is one of South India’s most respected corporate houses in real estate. The group services more than 3600 families and INCOR has a penchant for building well-knit and vibrant communities. Through the Omni chain of hospitals, comprising six hospitals with more than 850 beds, the group also has a major presence in healthcare. In view of the considerable unmet need for organised accommodation, INCOR has launched Boston Living, a co-living brand that seeks to create a unique living experience.

Boston Living is renovating a former 260-room block of flats in Hyderabad to provide 500 co-living beds, to demonstrate the lifestyle. A new 500-bed development in Chennai is scheduled for completion in six months, to be followed by another with 1500 to 2000 beds in 18 months. A new 1000-bed complex is planned for Bangalore. Land is already set aside. Boston Living aims to incorporate 15,000 to 20,000 beds of premium co-living by 2023.

Mr Singh plans to fund the project by pitching to Australian institutional investors and high net worth individuals. Australia’s low interest rates will lead investors to diversify into emerging overseas markets, he predicts. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s economy is geared to double in five years’ time, spurred on by regulatory changes to attract foreign investment.

Mr Singh was born and raised in India and has more than 17 years’ experience in real estate in New Zealand and Perth.

He took note of India’s booming economy and spent 18 months researching its property market and tax structures, the latter to provide solutions for investors outside of India.

Mr Singh teamed up with property developer, INCOR Group, where an old friend, Surya Pulagam, was at the helm. They planned co-living projects under the banner, Boston Living, to meet accommodation demands of an increasing number of young people in fast-growing cities.

“Our goal is to get the millennials to switch to co-living from traditional home rentals,” he said.

According to his research, India’s 3.6 million beds in the shared rental market in 2018 will grow to 5.7 million by 2023. Co-living’s 2.6 per cent of rentals will grow to 8.3 per cent in that timeframe.

Nearly 40 per cent of India’s millennial workforce are migrants. About 4.7 million migrant millennials are employed in the service sector across India’s top seven cities, a figure expected to increase to approximately 7 million by 2023. Most of them stay in unorganised rented accommodation.

For more information please email: raj.singh@realiq.org

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

Perth Media Adapters Short Film: Product Direct Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJIs95s0-uw

Here is our first Adapters Short Film for small business, not-for-profits and organisations.

Perth Media's 'Adapters Short Film' Launches with Marina's Ambrosia

Marina Herlihy, of Marina’s Ambrosia, is Perth Media’s first Adapter’s Short Film

Perth Media Adapters are now available as short films, as well as 600-word written columns.

Adapters is a Perth Media brand that profiles news stories about small businesses, start-ups and not for profit organisations in Australia. After one year trialing a successful written content service, the company is extending the Adapters service to video productions - Adapters Short Films.

Marina’s Ambrosia is the first one!

Adapters has profiled many dynamic people driving innovative Australia enterprises so far.

Some of these became subjects in the Adapters print series published online by WA Business News. They gave thousands of readers an insight into the people creating our new work environment.

Perth Media services have adapted and grown to meet rising demand for video production.

“We’re finding more and more clients want to use film to tell their stories and connect to customers ,” Ms Rocchi said.

“So we are offering clients the opportunity to make short videos about their products and services, at a modest fee. Many have tried to make films themselves at home, but found the quality has been poor and they appreciate the input of media professionals. It also saves them time and stress, they don’t have to worry about being amateur film makers now. They can just visit our Nedlands office, talk to an interviewer and our team with produce a fabulous short film.”

Client companies will be able to use videos on their websites and in media releases and social media and YouTube channels, knowing the material is professionally produced and edited.

“We expect our business community will be interested in this service as a means of keeping up with modern media,” Ms Rocchi said. “Client businesses evolve, and we must, too, if we are to offer a comprehensive, useful service.”

Perth Media, which is based in Nedlands, Perth, began in 2015 and is owned by Ms Rocchi, a former finance reporter. Her journalism experience took her from WA and into some of the world’s biggest financial publishing houses in Hong Kong and London.

“I imagine Perth Media will offer more media content services to dovetail with videos,” Ms Rocchi said. “We will be guided by feedback from clients. But what we can say is that we continue to see a big future for video, and we are improving our services to assist our clients connect with their customers and stakeholders.”

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

Adapters: Boutique Business Consultants Illumium Launch in Perth

Paul Clarke and Josh Horneman: Switching On to Modern Business Demands

Perth consulting duo Paul Clarke and Josh Horneman have combined forces to launch Illumium, a boutique consulting practice switched on to the common demands of businesses and organisations.

With a background of running their own businesses, both in the UK and Australia, Illumium is able to relate closely to the many challenges that business owners and organisational executives go through daily from a strategic basis.

Illumium is recognisable from the pragmatic approach taken when conducting their business.

As Mr Clarke explains “If people expect us to turn up in a suit with a briefcase, and a six-step process to success, they’re always disappointed! We simply treat every project as though we are a part of the business we are working with.”

Illumium helps business to achieve their growth aspirations and goals by providing an external perspective to overcome a variety of day-to-day commercial and operational challenges.

“A major differentiator is the investment in our own cloud software solution, VentureCast. We use it to practically and cost effectively provide strategic planning, support funding applications, help with growth planning or to build an internal business case.” said Mr Horneman. “VentureCast, along with our advisory support, is a unique and powerful combination which speaks the language of business, often resulting in light bulb moments for clients, which is great.”

The business benefits from a unique creative flair, thanks to the founder’s unconventional careers. Mr Clarke has been a music composer for artists, film and television for over 35 years and Mr Horneman runs a film and television production company, recently completing a project that stars comedy legend John Cleese.

An awareness of the economic pressures faced by business has led Illumium to identify and unlock funding support for some of its clients, through initiatives such as The Entrepreneurs Programme, ASBAS Digital Solutions, Accelerating Commercialisation, Industry Facilitation and Support Program and Indigenous Business Australia.

“Many business owners are unaware of the various funding pools available to assist them with growth activities. Having up to 50% of a project matched funded is often a light bulb moment and can make all the difference for clients.” Mr Clarke explained. “Utilising the funding available has had a major benefit for many of the clients we work with across diverse areas such as; defence, the arts, construction, technology and indigenous business. It has enabled us to make a real difference in the key areas of strategic, growth and marketing planning, as well as mentoring and other supporting services.”

To schedule a free discovery session with Illumium visit their website www.illumium.com.au