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The benefits of collaboration between Australian and Canadian universities was the focus of a recent breakfast, organised by the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Queens College, at the University of Melbourne.   The breakfast featured President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Victoria, Jamie Cassels QC, discussing the importance of collaboration with Australians. Professor Cassels, and his delegation, recently finished a tour of Australia focused on developing partnerships with universities, governments, and industry. The breakfast was part of the CACC’s ongoing efforts (https://cacc.com.au/news/what-the-nhl-can-teach-australians-about-diversity/) to improve connections between Canada and Australia across all economic sectors, including higher education. Canadian universities are key partners for Australian Universities. For example, Monash University (my school) has a strong relationship with the University of British Columbia, and the University of New South Wales works closely with the University of Toronto.   “Australia and Canada have two of the best university systems in the world and have similar foundations,” said Stewart Gill OAM, Master of Queens College. Professor Gill has been a long-time champion of efforts to improve collaboration between the two countries, and was recently appointed as Ambassador to Australia for the Association of Commonwealth Universities.   “There is much to be gained in terms of fostering student mobility and research projects particularly in areas of common interest in peace and reconciliation, gender issues and climate change,” Prof Gill continued. “There is also much to be learned through sharing best practice, creating new joint programs and sharing curricula through Australian-Canadian partnerships and forums in which institutional knowledge and resources can be shared and multiplied.” Attendees at the breakfast, representing most of the major universities in Melbourne, heard about University of Victoria’s particular expertise in research on aboriginal and indigenous cultures (https://www.uvic.ca/research/learnabout/home/strengths/indigenous/index.php). Researchers are working with Indigenous communities and organisations in Canada...

The CACC was proud to welcome the Australian High Commissioner to Canada, Her Excellency Natasha Smith, to boardroom briefings in Sydney and Melbourne to discuss the bilateral relationship between Australia and Canada, especially trade and investment.  She highlighted the key features of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and its benefits for Australian and Canadian businesses. Her Excellency said the connection between the two countries was strong and deep.  The first ever Canadian Trade Commissioner arrived in Sydney in 1895, and 2020 would mark 80 years of having High Commissioners in both countries. PICTURED: H.E. Natasha Smith with Mike McGrath, Managing Partner CMO for PwC. The bilateral trade and investment relationship is also strong and enduring.  But despite this, the CPTPP was the first full free trade agreement struck between the two counties. “The CPTPP is the ‘gold standard’ of trade agreements,” she said. Quoting Jim Carr, the Canadian Minister of International Trade Diversification, Her Excellency described the trade agreement as a bridge that governments build and then it was up to individual businesses to use the bridge. She said the CPTPP opened up new opportunities for businesses across the 11 countries that were part of the agreement. “The agreement provides significant tariff reductions and eliminations that will benefit Australian businesses. Beef is a key example, within five years all tariffs on Australian beef into Canada will be eliminated and wine tariffs have already disappeared with ratification.” Her Excellency said one of the biggest advantages to the agreement was the freer flow of people between the countries to support business growth, through temporary entry commitments. PICTURED: Jack Cowin - CACC Patron, Angela Bogdan - Consul General of Canada to Australia, H.E. Natasha Smith, Minh Dao - Co-Chair CACC Events Committee and Doug Carmichael - CACC President. “I personally...

Did you know the NHL is a world leader in efforts to end homophobia in in sport?  Perhaps even more surprising, hockey’s leadership is largely due to the work of hockey hard-man Brian Burke and his family (Burke is Canada’s politer version of Australia’s Eddie McGuire). The former Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames executive, and his son Patrick, helped found an organisation called You Can Play after Brian’s other son died in a car accident. Brendan Burke was gay and never felt welcome in hockey.  Since 2012, You Can Play has become the world leader in efforts to promote the inclusion of LGBT+ people in sport. On a recent tour of Australia, they shared their secrets around how they inspired the NHL to lead. The visit was organised by the CACC in partnership with the Canadian Government, as well as, Monash University, NAB, Salesforce, and Amnesty International. You Can Play’s tour was designed to inspire Australians, particularly our major sport organisations, and shift the thinking that Australians are doing enough to combat discrimination in sport.  The contrast between Australia and Canada is stark This year every NHL team held LGBT+ Pride events (e.g. Pride Nights) and many teams also sent players to march in local Pride Parades. The NHL’s leadership has inspired other leagues, including Major League Baseball and the NBA, to also join the Pride party. In contrast, just one Australian professional male sport league (AFL) and one team (either St Kilda or Sydney Swans) hold annual Pride Games. Participation in Mardi Gras has also been limited.  During the Australian tour, You Can Play’s team spoke to nearly 300 sport leaders, government officials, and LGBT community leaders at events, meetings, and seminars, including training sessions in Sydney hosted by Cricket Australia/NSW and in Melbourne hosted by Rugby Australia/Victoria, such...

On December 30, 2018 Canada entered into the widely discussed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) along with six other nations within the Asia-Pacific region. The trade agreement, once fully implemented, will bring together approximately 500 million people from across 11 nations including Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, to provide preferential access to markets across four continents.  In both Canada and Australia, there has been extensive discussion among business operators, the media and the general public about the trade agreement and its impact on Canadian and Australian businesses. But what does the trade agreement actually mean for the citizens of these 11 countries? How will it change the way we do business or invest? And, specifically, what does it mean for both Australia and Canada – two countries with uncannily similar histories, growth and cultures despite the oceanic distance?  Tell me simply, what does the agreement do? In simple terms, through the agreement, trade and investment rules are simplified to ensure trade is fairer, more predictable and helps reduce the number of logistic resources required. The agreement seeks to offer foreign direct investors enhanced protection, predictability and transparency for their investments. The agreement also provides greater access to fast growing markets across the four continents – North America, South America, Asia and Australia. So, what does the agreement mean for Australia and Canada? Canada itself has accomplished a significant feat as a result of entering into the CPTPP agreement. Canada is believed to be the only G7 nation with free trade access across the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, putting it in a truly unique place on the global stage when it comes to trade and investment. From a Canadian perspective, the agreement is expected to inject $4.2 billion into...

The refrain of ‘O Canada’ was sung out by Canadians and Australians alike as the Melbourne community of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce (CACC) marked Canada Day. The CACC’s Melbourne Committee celebrated the occasion with a night of fun and frivolity, including a Canadian trivia quiz that got everybody into the spirit. There were plenty of new faces and a sense of shared enthusiasm among the crowd. Major raffle ticket prizes, including tickets to the Melbourne production of the hit Broadway musical Come From Away and a return airfare to Vancouver with Air Canada made the evening particularly special for attendees. Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of Gander, Newfoundland, a small town in Canada that opened its doors to thousands of aircraft passengers who were stranded as a result of the incidents of 9/11. Martin Croft, Associate Director of the Melbourne production, described it as a show like no other. “It is a story about something wonderful that happened out of such an awful tragedy,” he said. “It is about humanity and bonding people together and reaching out to others in a time of Crisis.” Lynn Hewitt was the lucky raffle winner of tickets to Come From Away. “I had wanted to see the show so badly and I am so happy that I will now be able to see it,” she said. Air Canada provided a return airfare from Melbourne to Vancouver as part of the raffle draw. Sarah Constable, from Air Canada, said there were some natural synergies between the airline and the CACC. “We both help to bring Canadians and Australians closer together,” she said. “We both connect Canadians living in Australia connect with their far away home and foster growth and expansion between the two countries.” “Air Canada is proud to be...

O Canada, we threw a great party in honour of thee! It was a capacity crowd at the CACC’s Sydney Canada Day celebration on July 1st where attendees enjoyed an evening of networking, vying for incredible prizes and sipping on some tasty Niagara-on-the-Lake wine. And while we didn’t have any Mounties in attendance, we did have a couple of Moose onesies! It doesn’t get much more Canadian than that, eh? The festivities were kicked off with opening remarks by CACC CEO, Melissa Wharton, and by esteemed guest, Angela Bogdan, Consul-General of Canada in Australia. Bogdan’s remarks highlighting Canada’s reputation for inclusion and diversity where echoed by Martin Croft, Associate Director, discussing the Canadian musical sensation, Come From Away—that is having its Australian premiere in Melbourne in July. Come From Away is not only representative of Canadian theatrical talent that has had great success on the world stage but its story is the true embodiment of what some would refer to as “a Canadian sensibility” and the country’s legacy of helping those in need during an international crisis. PICTURED: Angela Bogdan, Consul General of Canada, Australia Thanks to our generous donors and congrats to our lucky winners of tickets to three amazing Canadian performances: Come From Away, Cirque du Soleil’s Kurious, and Just for Laughs. Other guests were rewarded for demonstrating their Canadiana trivia prowess with a myriad of Canadian delights (including a coveted bag of All Dressed chips!). PICTURED: Martin Croft, Associate Director - Come From Away Special thanks to our Canada Day event sponsor, Air Canada, who provided the ultimate door prize—a return flight on Air Canada between Sydney and Canada—won by Leah Tulloch, from CACC corporate sponsor Altus Group. PICTURED: Sarah Constable, Air Canada, Leah Tulloch, Altus Group and Doug Carmichael, CACC President. It was a fun evening...

From Dumbledore to Yoda, mentors are a part of our culture. So much so that they are some of the best-known film and television characters. They are responsible for guiding the hero through their journey or putting them on a path of self-discovery. One might find themselves wondering, do I have a mentor in my life? Who would I consider a mentor? What is a mentor? Typically speaking a mentor relationship is voluntary on both sides but can occasionally result from a relationship between a manager and their team. The idea behind the concept of mentoring is somewhat charitable with the more successful, senior member of the duo passing on information they have learned to someone who will benefit from their experience. Likewise, a mentee has the opportunity to collaborate with the mentor and contribute a different perspective. Mentoring is more than just giving advice to someone. It is about motivating and empowering the mentee to be able to identify and achieve their own goals. As a mentee, you can hope to change and achieve your goals more quickly and effectively than working alone. Additionally, you will gain access to a broader network, which can benefit yourself and others. It is essentially a chain of passing on information and best practices. This allows the benefits to be more widely spread. It’s about sharing knowledge, skills and life experience. So become a Luke Skywalker today and sign up. To participate in CACC’s Mentoring Pilot Program, powered by Thread, please email your expression of interest to mentoring@cacc.com.au – please state in subject line if you are a Mentor or Mentee.  

An effective mentoring relationship has the potential to create successful leaders and the odds are you have benefited from such a relationship throughout your career.  Perhaps at various points in your career, you have also been a mentor in some capacity, even if informally. Typically speaking a mentor relationship is voluntary on both sides but can occasionally result from a relationship between a manager and their team. The idea behind the concept of mentoring is somewhat charitable with the more successful, senior member of the duo passing on information they have learned to someone who will benefit from their experience. Likewise, a mentee has the opportunity to collaborate with the mentor and contribute a different perspective. Although many people may have had an informal mentoring experience, there can be great benefit from goal setting through formal mentoring. This allows the opportunity to enhance your people and leadership skills as you work with individuals at different points in their careers. You can learn fresh perspectives from future members of your profession and increase your profile. Mentoring is more than giving advice, it’s about collaboration and empowerment. It’s a chain of passing on information and best practices, spreading the benefits more widely. So empower yourself to empower someone else and sign up to be a mentor today. To participate in CACC's Mentoring Pilot Program, powered by Thread, please email your expression of interest to mentoring@cacc.com.au - please state in subject line if you are a Mentor or Mentee.