Page 49 - Print21 Magazine Jan-Feb 21

Association News News updates from the printing industry
Batting for Print
Andrew Macaulay, CEO of the Print and Visual Communication Association, says the new year will give printers some predictability, with the association continuing to advocate for print at the highest levels
As we all come back from Christmas holidays, it is worthwhile to reflect on what a long strange year 2020 was. We were barely into the year, when pandemic lockdowns started impacting business and social activity.
It is easy to forget the total confusion that March through June brought to business decision making. Over time
we became used to social distancing regimes, involuntary lockdowns, and voluntary testing if flu symptoms were evident. We also started to be able to discern a pattern of behaviour in the edicts of State premiers, some less rational than others.
It was never truer than in 2020, that PVCA is “the voice
of our industry”. Your Board and CEO were at the forefront of discussions with State and Federal Government from
the beginning of February through to the closing days
of December, ensuring that printers were considered
in all policy decisions. It is noteworthy that print and packaging in Australia, unlike in New Zealand, remained open (or exempt from mandatory closure) during all shutdowns. Even from the extended
and arbitrary shutdowns in Victoria.
Being exempt from mandatory pandemic closure whilst the rest of the economy was shutdown presented many printers with a Solomonic decision. To stay open with
no or dramatically reduced customers, or to shut until
the customers were allowed
to open again. Without government assistance, this decision would have been brutal. JobKeeper, which PVCA had a role in advocating for, helped cushion some of this problem, but JobKeeper
Businesses have changed: Andrew Macaulay, CEO, PVCA
“Your Board and CEO were at the forefront of discussions with State and Federal Government from the beginning of February through to the closing days of December.”
will not go on forever. As we saw with Queensland in late December, nervous premiers still make arbitrary decisions that damage entire sections of State economies. Printers who serve the tourism industry in Queensland continue to operate under this Damocles sword.
From March, PVCA delivered weekly webinars to the whole of industry, not just members, and specific bespoke advice
to members, on industrial relations options for printers. We ran these webinars for as long as there was demand,
and restarted whenever
there was any change in the
IR landscape. Flexibility of workplace management, and certainty in decision making for employers, was critical to business continuity planning, a
key service provided to PVCA members.
PVCA also ran weekly webinars on how to access government assistance programmes and funding,
and also on mental health, as well as establishing a mental health hotline for all in the print industry. This 1800 line has been heavily used, and we continue to encourage all in the industry to take advantage of it, whether that is directly or by referring colleagues who may need it.
The National Print Awards programme was a positive
note in 2020. Members of industry engaged in the
virtual format that PVCA developed to overcome event restrictions. This positive innovation allowed all State PICAs, the NPA itself and the Print2Parliament! to be run. Involvement was ten times that of physical events, with many printers holding social gatherings at home to celebrate their staff and their creativity. PVCA will incorporate this innovation into ongoing National Print Awards, so
that the reach of the events continues to broaden.
We encourage all in our vibrant industry to enter the 2021 National Print Award programme. Entries are open now, and this gives you a valuable platform to promote your brand, your quality production and your employer of choice status widely.
One aspect of our economy that the pandemic affected was elections run for registered organisations by the AEC. Many of these have been delayed
due to Covid-19 impact, and PVCA’s was one of those. AEC has deferred our elections into the new year. By the time this article goes to print, the notice of election should be issued.
In 2020, PVCA held virtual meetings with all federal
stakeholder ministers (including the prime minister and attorney general), all federal shadow ministers and all relevant state ministers
and shadow ministers. We
also worked closely with
the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to ensure that their submissions to government aligned with printers’ requirements. As was evidenced at Print2Parliament! this contact ensured that
PVCA and print and packaging have direct and constructive engagement. The needs and voice of printers and packaging employers are heard in government policy formulation.
Your representatives on our industry superannuation fund, Media Super, board continue to ensure that the interests of all members of that fund are preserved. This stewardship
is an important part of the
trust between employers and employees, and is one reason why print employees have such long average careers with employers.
The new year 2021, particularly with voluntary inoculations on the horizon, returns our industry, our economy and our social interactions to a more predictable path. Many businesses have changed irreversibly, having adapted operations to deal with shutdowns and staff who could working from home.
Last year, despite government assistance such
as JobKeeper, was brutal on SME businesses, and our print sector was not immune to this downturn. I pause as I write this, taking a moment to wish those print businesses that made the decision during 2020 to wind up operations the very best in their future endeavours. Some brilliantly creative printers have left our industry in 2020, and we all wish
them well. 21
Print21 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 49
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Voice of our Industry