Page 54 - Print 21 Magazine Jan-Feb 2019

Association News
Latest update from the Printing Industries Association of Australia
PIAA – What’s in it for me?
The PIAA is the peak body of the largest employer group
in the Australian manufacturing sector. Our industry is predominantly SMEs, private companies, and family concerns. The sector has some massive listed entities
as well. We operate in major cities and regional centres.
The industry encompasses the breadth of the economy.
The print and packaging industry is dynamic and constantly evolving. Members engage in a competitive market with no barriers to entry. We
see the print sector compete against foreign imports, continuing energy price inflation, environmental imposts, dramatic increases in paper prices, erratic vocational training delivery,
and an increasingly unstable industrial relations regime.
The year that was
In this dynamic environment, let’s briefly look at examples from 2018 in the print and packaging industry, and by extension, areas where your peak industry association, PIAA, has represented you. Key to a strong industry is a strong, coherent voice representing that industry. Your Board has been proactive
in raising the profile of our industry with policy makers at both Federal and State level.
Andrew Macaulay, CEO, PIAA
A member recently asked me “What is the scope of operations
of PIAA, and how
would you define the organisation?”
To answer that, I will provide an overview of what PIAA does; explain what is a peak industry organisation, what is an industrial association, what scope lobbying has, and how this fits within our industry. This last point is the ‘What’s in it for me’ question.
Your association has been active representing members
in the Fair Work Commission, with the Federal and State Education Departments,
with the Federal and State Environment Departments, with the Federal and State Energy Departments, with the Federal Communications Department, Federal Finance Department and with the Federal Treasury.
PIAA has been successful
in this mission due to the
board coming from industry, being real printers, invested
in the sector, and having a
clear strategy for industry representation. By ensuring that politicians and policy makers know that the industry has one representative voice, we make that voice powerful.
Your Board now has representatives from all States, representing all production niches of our industry, and representing all sizes of operation. All are printers.
Over the course of 2018,
PIAA Directors and staff held meetings with 117 politicians and nearly 190 policy advisors or public servants. These meetings have been with all sides of politics. To be effective your PIAA has to be apolitical. We have met directly with most of the Federal Cabinet and Shadow Ministers, as well as the Prime Minister (both), Deputy PM, Opposition Leader and Deputy.
This year so far one Board member met with the Federal Treasurer to prosecute an argument for better tax and investment rules for our capital-intensive industry. Another member of the new Board assisted in a meeting
with Federal Government about skilled worker visas, while yet another is scheduled to meet with the Federal Energy Minister about print and packaging needs from that portfolio.
PIAA members hosted 70 Federal politicians at Print 2 Parliament! (P2P!) last year
to showcase both the value of print and the issues facing our industry. Positive engagement followed, including in some key industrial relations actions related to the re-definition
of casual employees and the benefits accruing to them.
P2P! was the culmination of the newly aligned State PICA programme, leading into the National Print Awards. All Gold Medal winners from the NPAs were displayed in Parliament House. This raised the profile of print dramatically.
The 2018 NPAs achieved an objective long aimed for by PIAA board and by various State PICA committees. For the first time, the national awards were truly national, as they were judged against winning entries from each State. This has set the foundation for a comprehensive
What does peak industry association mean for me?
A peak organisation is a term for an advocacy group or trade association, or an association of industries. Peak bodies are widely accepted as the legitimate ‘voice’ or representative of a profession or industry, as opposed to organisations that are just a geographic/commercial subset or campaign for that profession. Peak organisations, such as the PIAA are generally established for the purposes of developing industry standards and processes, and to act on behalf of all industry members when lobbying government or promoting the interests of the members.
Peak bodies enable competing companies to meet to discuss common
issues without the risk of breaching the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. This Act outlaws collusion between competitors, and without the umbrella
of the industry peak body can expose business owners to significant legal penalties. This means that industry discussions about pricing, purchasing and market forces can be held without triggering ACCC penalties. It means that PIAA can, and has, provide the ACCC with guidance on what is best for the industry.
PIAA is the peak organisation of the print sector. The Government turns to PIAA to seek advice on policy formulation affecting print. We are the respondent to
the Print & Graphic Arts Award that is registered and regulated by the Fair Work Act. PIAA provides support and advice to employers with employment laws and pay scales, about hiring and firing, and about workplace safety. Where necessary, PIAA represents individual employers in the Fair Work Commission.
As the PIAA is the employer association of the print industry, members are automatically covered by the Federal award rather than the State award, which has substantial benefits to the employer. Members are represented in the Fair Work Commission free of charge as part of their membership.
54 Print21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019