The Outdoor Media Association (OMA), which represents major outdoor advertisers including oOh!media, JCDecaux, QMS, goa, Bailey and TorchMedia, says a ban on junk food advertising in Queensland will cost jobs and won’t improve health.
QLD Health Minister Steven Miles has announced that “unhealthy marketing” will be phased out of more than 2000 government-owned or leased outdoor advertising spaces, including billboards, bus stops, train stations and road corridors.
“Junk food advertisers target kids, we know that, and obesity in childhood is a leading indicator of obesity in adulthood,” Miles told the ABC.
OMA CEO Charmaine Moldrich says the restrictions on junk food ads will cut about $34 million of annual Queensland Government revenue from Out of Home (OOH) advertising and threaten the job security of those employed in OOH and the food and grocery industries.
“Simply removing one type of ad won’t improve the health of Queenslanders. At 6% of the total advertising market, a ban targeting Out of Home advertising only is likely to see advertising dollars shift to other channels rather than disappear altogether. A collaborative approach that draws on the expertise of advertisers and the food industry will ensure a more sustainable and effective way forward.”
Perth printer Printline closes down
Digital printer Printline has shut its doors in Perth and called in liquidators to wind up the business - the second industry liquidation announced this week.
The company, which relocated in 2017 to its current address in South Street, O’Connor, specialised in digital printing, including large format and signage, as well as vehicle wraps, scanning and graphic design services. Its client list included the Fremantle Chamber of Commerce.
An ASIC notice said the decision to close the business was taken on Monday and David Spencer of Business & Insolvency Solutions in Fremantle has been appointed liquidator. Spencer has been contacted for comment.
Australian businesses hit hard by email scams
Australian businesses reported more than 5,800 scams with losses exceeding $7.2 million in 2018, a 53 per cent jump compared to 2017, according to the ACCC’s Targeting scams report.
Much of this increase is due to the $3.8 million lost to sophisticated ‘business email compromise’ scams. When combined with losses reported to the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network, these scams cost Australian businesses over $60 million.
“Scammers are hacking business email systems and impersonating the intended payment recipient. The scammers request changes to bank account details so that the business makes the payment to the scammer instead of the legitimate business,” said ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh.
“Depending on how long the scammers get away with this and how large the transfers are, this scam can be devastating to a business’s bottom line – to the extent of forcing small and medium businesses into closure.”
This scam targets businesses of all sizes and even small local sporting clubs and community groups. Any organisation that transfers money via bank accounts is a potential target. Scamwatch has even received reports of the hackers intercepting house deposits that have been sent to conveyancers, real estate agents or law firms.
Visit www.scamwatch.gov.au to learn more.
Kate Carnell tells ATO to back off on debt recovery
Small Business Ombudsman Kat Carnell says the Australian Taxation Office used 'excessive means' to recover debts while tax disputes were under still appeal before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
“We found ATO debt recovery action occurred in at least 12% of cases before the AAT, severely impacting a small business’s resources to prosecute its case and carry on its business,” said Carnell (pictured right).
“Strong forms of debt recovery action by the ATO, such as garnishee notices, can destroy a small business because it effectively strips funds from a small business’s bank account.
“Consequently, the small business is not able to pay wages, rent, suppliers or bank loans and the follow-on effects of this - bad reputation, no credibility and potential bankruptcy – is significant.
“Small businesses taxpayers in dispute with the ATO now have the option of a simple, fast and cheaper external review through our new Small Business Concierge Service," Carnell said. "Our case managers help them understand the AAT process, they get an hour with a small business tax lawyer at a cost of $100 and an additional hour free if they decide to go ahead with the appeal.”
ABC TV’s Four Corners has reported that the ATO rated its staff on how much money they collected.
Digital billboards make you a better driver, say outdoor advertisers
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| (photo: OMA) |
Outdoor advertising industry group the OMA says world-first research shows roadside advertising on digital billboards can actually improve driver performance.
The study, conducted by independent road safety research institute the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), measured driver behaviour in the presence of two digital billboards in real-world environments.
Drivers were unaware of the study that captured video data of vehicle movement around two intersections in Queensland. Data was captured during morning and afternoon peak-hour traffic and at night-time over a four-week period, both with and without a digital billboard present.
The locations measured, on the Gold Coast and in Gladstone, were selected because they had no existing sign but had approval to build a digital billboard during the study. This allowed researchers to capture data on driver behaviour before and after a digital sign was installed.
Researchers found ‘lane drift’ either improved or was unaffected after the sign was installed, stopping over the line improved in all but one instance and no crashes occurred.
“Although we considered the introduction of a digital sign at an intersection would probably reduce driver performance, this study showed that it is sometimes possible for a digital sign at an intersection to operate with no negative impact on driver performance, and even, in some cases, to improve it,” said Dr Paul Roberts, Principal Researcher for the ARRB.
“We were already confident that well-designed digital Out of Home signs were safe, but we were surprised to learn that our signs can actually help improve driver performance, probably because they encourage people to look up from in-car distractions,” said Charmaine Moldrich, CEO, Outdoor Media Association (OMA).
“We hope this research prompts governments around Australia to streamline dwell time regulation of Out of Home signs, given they can improve driver performance.”
