Page 3 - The Outdoor Showman July-September 2020

VSG President’s Page VSG
President’s Report
THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN 1
PO Box 36
Ascot Vale Victoria Australia 3032
Telephone: (03) 9376 8544
Fax: (03) 9376 0505
Email: vicshowmen@gmail.com
Office:
Shop 1. 157 Mt Alexander Road Flemington VIC 3031
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 9.00am - 4.00pm
Office Bearers 2020 PRESIDENT
Elwin Leroy Bell Jnr.
VICE PRESIDENTS
Aaron Pink
John Roberts Adam Reardon Bob Brown Jnr. Clayton Taylor Jamie Pickett Travis Taylor Stewart Watkins Brady Phillips
Josh Allan-Reardon
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Broderick Pavier James Quay
Eli McDonald
Ron Trevor Annette Calder Kyle Quay
Michael Miller Charlie Miller (Bris) Andrew Quay
SECRETARY
Eileen McClure
TREASURER
Terrence Moon
TRUSTEE
Marjorie Chant
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Peter Short
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Justine Sinclair
Dear Members, Friends and Readers,
Spring has finally arrived and Melburnians will be looking forward to hopefully their last few weeks in stage 4 lockdown.
Traditionally September is an exciting time for our Members, as many of you would have been preparing for the Royal Melbourne Show and the start of the Victorian Show run.
Not this year.......
2020 has proven to be a very challenging year, however we have been able to continue to work hard advocating for our Members, addressing industry matters with some significant progress which we are grateful for.
Firstly, it was a great relief to Showmen across Australia to
hear that the federal government announced a $36m recovery package to support Agricultural Shows throughout the country, big and small.
It certainly gave me some hope knowing that through this recovery package Agricultural Shows will make it to the other side of this pandemic, as their survival is critical to our survival.
However, it is also critical that the Travelling Show Industry is supported and our Members get to the other side with them.
The Hon. Bill Shorten MP continues to be a great friend to our Industry during this time and has introduced us to many Australian state and federal ministers.
With his help we’ve managed to reach out to the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud, who understands our industry and our many challenges. With the help of all the Guilds and Associations in Australia we may be able to secure a national support package to benefit all Showmen and women.
There is also plenty of lobbying and meetings being conducted, seeking support across a broad range of industry matters; from vehicle registrations in Victoria with the Minister for Transport, Roads and Road Safety, the Hon Ben Carroll who’s advocating on our behalf in Victoria, to the Queensland Treasurer and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning
the Hon. Cameron Dick and the Hon. Grace Grace, Minister for Industrial Relations and Education.
We were also very grateful for discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister the Hon Michael McCormack and Sal from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) as we appeal for support with special vehicle permits to transport our equipment across this great country.
The Insurance Council of Australia are assisting us with matters relating to insurance for our class 4 & 5 amusements and working closely with industry brokers to negotiate with underwriters.
Former Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria Chief Executive Paul Guerra continues to be a friend of the Showmen in his new role as CEO of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry encourage our Members to join the Chamber. The membership fee has been waived in 2020 to support businesses here in Victoria.
The Victorian Showmen’s Guild FaceBook page continues to posting regularly; so be sure the join us and follow this page for news and updates on our progress.
We are staying positive and looking forward to seeing all of our fellow Showmen in the near future. Let’s stick together, work together and support each other in any way we can.
Stay safe and stay well.
Elwin Bell Jnr. President