31 January 2023
Outdoor News
This monthly newsletter is shared with the broader outdoor industry, members and non-members of Outdoor NSW & ACT in the Outdoor Industry. To receive more regular and informative news, become a member today.
From the CEO's Desk
It's only January and we are already running... I can feel this is going to be a good year of progress already. We have already started some of our committee meetings and forums and everyone has brought a great deal of gusto to the conversations. As Malala Yousafzai once said "The best way to solve problems and to fight against war is through dialogue."
To view the conversations you can be part of this year, select 2024 Discussions from the drop down list on this page.
A reminder that all outdoor businesses and organisations need to complete 3 things before 11th February for the future of the industry....
1) The Outdoor Census (closes 11th February) and aims to capture essential industry data for the benefit of advocacy and collaboration with agencies. Click here to complete it today.
2) Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has opened the 2024 Skills Priority List (SPL) Stakeholder Survey. It gathers insights into the skills needs of the Australian workforce and the outdoor industry needs to be included Skills Priority List – Stakeholder Survey (dese.gov.au)
3) NATCORR are working with the Bureau of Meteorology on the gaps of weather forecasting for the outdoor industry. Help co-design what this can look like by responding to their survey.
Please grab a cuppa and sit down to respond to these 3 important things as nothing can be done if the issues aren't known.
Enjoy the newsletter and have a fabulous February!
Lori Modde
CEO, Outdoors NSW & ACT Limited &
The Australian Outdoor Industry
QUICK REFERENCE LIST
2024 DISCUSSIONS TO BE PART OF...
RTO & VET Forum
- Bimonthly forum on training and education in Outdoor Leadership, recreation, tourism and therapy.
Senior Leader Forums
- Operational discussions about risk management and challenges when leading teams.
Land Manager Forums
- Where the land managers discuss similar access, maintenance, customer licensing and much more and how it relates to Outdoor Leaders & Operators.
Outdoor Industry Connect & Share Forums
- Every Friday 10am we hold an opportunity for the industry to connect and discuss topics of interest.
Outdoor Industry Happy Hours
- Every Friday at 4pm we have a casual conversation about ideas, opportunities or downloads of the week.
Links to attend the relevant forums can be located in the membership portal.
NEW CONTRACT LAW STARTED 6 DEC 2023 !!!
The engagement of an individual on a fixed term contract after this date will subject to:
- The fixed term contract period being no more than two years
- A prohibition on successive fixed term contracts being entered into where the total duration of the successive engagements extends for more than two years
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An employee not being engaged on either:
- three consecutive contracts for the same or similar work; or
- a second fixed term contract which follows on from a previous contract that had already been extended or renewed or where the second contract contains an option for renewal or extension.
There are some exceptions, but please seek your own legal advice if you think this new law will impact you.
2024 EVENTS CALENDAR
See the information below on the 2024 events planned and to view the ONSWACT Calendar.
REMINDER: DRAFT SNOW
GUIDANCE NOTE
The information contained in the Draft Snow Guidance Note has been gathered through a variety of skills and experience from members of the Backcountry Committee of Outdoors NSW & ACT Limited (ONSWACT) and using the format of the original Victorian Snow Good Practice Guide.
The document is now asking for widespread sector consultation and comment to improve the document prior to submission to the Outdoor Council of Australia. Please look at content, layout, applicability, gaps and any other areas you see that will improve the ability to minimise harm in our back country activities.
We would like to thank Outdoors Victoria for their involvement in this process and also allowing us to use the original Victorian Snow Good Practice Guide as a basis for this guideline.
Click here to view the Guidance Note and provide your feedback prior to 25 February 2024.
CURRENT GRANTS AVAILABLE
ACT Club Enhancement Program
Closing Date: 09 Feb 2024
Provider: Sport and Recreation Services (ACT), Chief Minister, Treasury & Economic Development Directorate (ACT)
This program provides assistance to ACT sport and active recreation clubs, district associations and State Sporting Organisations to further develop the services and programs.
ACT Tourism Product Development Fund
Closing Date: 12 Feb 2024
Provider: Chief Minister, Treasury & Economic Development Directorate (ACT)
This program provides assistance to for new infrastructure and/or experiences that attract more visitors and/or lead to increased visitor length of stay and increased visitor spend.
2023 CONNECT & SHARE SUMMARY
Members now have access to their Summary list of all Connect & Shares held in 2023.
- Industry Updates | 8 episodes
- Incidents & Risk Mgmt | 7 episodes
- Regulation & Legislation Updates | 8 episodes
- Marketing & Promotion Opportunities | 6 episodes
- Education & Research | 6 episodes
- Outdoor Events | 4 episodes
- Other topics from MTB to the Referendum | 8 episodes
JOBS & SKILLS COUNCILS UPDATES
The new Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) are a network of not-for-profit organisations established to bring together employers, unions, educators and industry leaders to identify the skills needed for local industries and to develop strategies to meet those needs.
ONSWACT is on the Industry Advisory Council for Humanability: the JSC for Aged and Disability, Children’s Education and Care, Health, Human Services, Sport and Recreation. While we also work with SkillsEquipped: the JSC for Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality.
ONSWACT is currently working with them on the removal of the wage subsidy for trainees in Outdoor Leadership and the reinstatement of Roping qualifications in TAFE's in NSW.
Membership Options
for non-members
You can now pay by the month for your membership to help with cash flow and if you are not a member yet, you can commence a 7-day trial period and access the membership portal before paying to join. This enables you to see if you can benefit from your Outdoors NSW & ACT Membership.
JOBS AVAILABLE
Client Manager - Outward Bound Australia
We are seeking a highly motivated Client Manager to join our team. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and maintaining relationships with our clients, ensuring their satisfaction and retention. The Client Manager will be the crucial link between clients and OBA Program Coordinators. Your role involves maintaining strong client relationships, ensuring program readiness, and supporting business development activities.
https://www.outwardbound.org.au/oba-community/outdoor-education-jobs/
Various Casual Roles - Australian Outdoor Education
What happened in January?
The Outdoor Census is probably the most important thing to hit our inboxes in January. This survey asks anyone connected with the outdoor industry to participate and contribute their data to empower the industry. Without knowledge of the volume and needs of the industry, we cannot be as effective as we could be. Therefore, we urge ALL industry organizations to participate. Make sure your organization is included.
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Outdoor Industry MasterClass
OPENS FOR REGISTRATIONS
With thanks to Destination NSW, the MasterClass is confirmed for Port Macquarie, NSW, from 18-19 July, followed by an Outdoor Educators Forum on 20 July. The MasterClass is ideally suited for middle to senior management and the forum is for any outdoor educators from pre-school to high-school.
Platinum & Gold tickets are now open. If you have qualified for either of these options, you will have received an invitation by email from us already. Make sure you claim your ticket, if you haven't already.
As at 31 December, all members who have achieved a PD Score of 500 or 350 received a significantly discounted pass to the MasterClass. Those who achieve similar points before 31 March will also have the opportunity on 1 April.
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2024 Outdoor Educators Forum
Confirmed to be held in Port Macquarie, NSW, it will follow the Outdoor Industry MasterClass, and be held on Saturday 20th July at The Nature School.
All outdoor educators from pre-school to high-school are invited to the Educators Forum. The EOI for presenters will open in February. Registrations will open in March. Watch your inbox for more information.
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Meetings in 2024
All 62 volunteers should have now received their registration link for their 2024 Meetings. Held monthly, the following committees have their meetings all set for 2024.
Mountain Bike | Trail Bike | Climate Change | Outdoor Education | Outdoor Leaders | Nature Play | Incident Response | First Nations | Back Country.
In addition, there are now 3 new specialised forums that invite attendees:
- Outdoor Education Connect & Share Forums (held quarterly, on the 3rd Tuesday at 3:30pm)
- Senior Leaders Forums (held quarterly, on the 4th Monday at 9am)
- RTO / VET Forums (held bimonthly, on the last Monday of the month at 10:30am)
Check your membership portal for registration links.
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TAFE NSW - Have your say as a community member
After industry engagement closed late last year, community engagement opportunities opened. You can now have your say on TAFE NSW as a concerned citizen by added your thoughts on what TAFE needs to do better in their open survey. You can access the survey here.
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Women in Leadership Program
This program will be asking for submissions in February 2024. If you know of a woman in the outdoor industry that would benefit from some professional development opportunities that could take them from potential to success and would see them achieving great things in the industry, then this program is for them. Watch for more information in February 2024.
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2024 Mountain Bike Symposium
Designed for anyone in the MTB community, this symposium will bring a combination of important topics, research, discussions in relation to the future sustainability of MTB for social, health, environmental and economic benefits. Register your interest below to ensure you don't miss information as it comes to hand.
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Resources for members
Everything you need to know about the new IR laws, legislation that impacts our industry and more are available on the member's portal. Members can login into the membership portal to access over 300 different resources available for your use. We add to this portal every week with content.
You can also search for all the topics presented at the Connect & Share forums in 2023. Members can access it via this link:
https://outdoors.kartra.com/portal/login/index.
Or non-members can join here to get immediate access to the portal:
Forthcoming
Opportunities
Selling Online
Join Destination NSW for this free, half-day Sell Online workshop and increase bookings through online sales and grow online visibility.
When is it?
Tuesday 6 February 2024 @ 10:30am via Zoom
How to Register?
Register via the link below.
Abstracts Extended
PLA NSW & ACT are seeking abstracts for their 2024 Conference in Campbelltown NSW.
PLA NSW ACT Conference
Parks & Leisure Australia state conference will be held 4th - 6th June 2024 this year.
New Research
Snowsports Trauma and Safety from the International Society for Snowsports Safety (ISSS)
Skills IQ Forum
The next Skills IQ Sport & Recreation forum will be held on 22nd March in Jindabyne.
Save the Date
18, 19, 20 July 2024
OUTDOOR INDUSTRY MASTERCLASS for Senior Leaders and Professionals
18 & 19 July - Port Macquarie NSW
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM Forum for Educators of Outdoor Learning
20 July - Port Macquarie NSW
Registrations will be open in February 2024.
For details on partnering with us at this event, email ceo@outdoorsnswact.com.au to receive our 2024 Partnership Prospectus
SUSTAINABILITY SKILLS MICROCREDENTIALS
Very soon, medium to large businesses will be required by law to report to ASIC on their sustainability risks. Be ahead of the curveball and understand more now with this program brought to you by Destination NSW and EarthCheck, the world’s leading sustainable advisory and scientific bench-marking company.
The Sustainability Skills Micro-credentials are:
- Sustainability 101
- Sustainability Management, and
- Sustainability and your Experience Delivery.
Completing these online courses will help visitor economy businesses to:
- Increase operational efficiency and reduce costs
- Increase their sustainability knowledge
- Deliver on visitor demand for sustainable experiences
- Implement practical solutions in their business
- Build a reputation through sustainable action.
Places are limited and free. Successful applicants will be notified by email and provided with log-in details to commence the micro-credentials. Participants have until 30 June 2024 to complete the three courses.
FRIDAY
CONNECT & SHARE FORUMS
Open to only members of Outdoors NSW & ACT, every week at 10am, keep up to date with all you need to know as well as hear from guest speakers on various topics of interest for the outdoor industry.
FRIDAY
HAPPY HOUR
CHATS
Open to anyone in the industry to connect and debrief the week that was, brainstorm ideas, download on challenging situations or just simply connect with like minds across the industry.
What's new in the
Outdoors NSW & ACT Membership Portal
Click here to login and see what's been added for your use
Incident reports and articles, case studies and research, sub-committee activities and much more...
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