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Simon Says 
 
 
Farewell Karen Seymore after 24 years, 11 months, 4 days and 34 seconds 
 
This month really saddens me as we farewell Karen Seymore to Griffith University on the 20 July. 
 
Karen started at the Institute on 31 August 1982 when the membership in Queensland was only 1229. As you know Karen has been putting candidates through the Chartered Accountants Program/PY etc for such a long time that she is an Institution within the Institute. From my perspective Karen got me administratively through the PY in 1986 (I would say that I did do some work) and since that time until I joined the Institute Karen and I had always spoken and chatted when we had seen each other on the train or in the street. This makes me think that Karen is a walking history of the last generation of Chartered Accountants and this represents 70% of our total base in Queensland. 
 
Karen is a great administrator, she is a great person and her intentions have always been for the candidates. She is a really good person fair to say she can talk a bit and is fond of a chat, which is why I would like to invite as many of you to have a final chat with Karen on Friday 13 July between 4.30pm and 6.00pm. We are opening up the office so please if you could let Karen know email: karens@icaa.org.au or telephone 07 3233 6510 if you can make it. 
 
We would like to see as many of you as we can. She deserves it, and it is the science students’ gain at Griffith University and our loss, so help us celebrate. 
 
Cheers 
 
 
Simon Grant FCA 
General Manager, Qld 
simong@icaa.org.au 
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State Chairman's News 
 
 
This week I had the pleasure of attending part of the AFAANZ conference on the Gold Coast as did a number of other representatives from our Institute including the President and Chief Executive Officer. Please do not be concerned if you do not recognise the acronym as I am sure many members will be in the same boat! AFAANZ stands for the Accounting & Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand and is the premier body representing the interests of accounting and finance academics and other persons interested in accounting and finance education and research in Australia and New Zealand. AFAANZ has over 500 members comprising academic accounting and finance staff in the Asia-Pacific area region and employees from corporations and professional bodies. AFAANZ is internationally respected with a global network and links to other respected accounting and finance associations  
This organisation and its members are a vital part of the process of educating future Chartered Accountants. As an indication of how important accounting education is to the profession, our Institute together with CPA Australia, the NIA and the NZ Institute are platinum sponsors. 
 
AFAANZ has as its Mission to improve accounting and finance education and research in Australia and New Zealand by: 
 
  • Increasing the quality of academic staff in accounting and finance disciplines
    •  
  • Retaining quality academics in Australia and New Zealand
    •  
  • Promoting the accounting and finance profession
 
The following is an extract from the June edition of the AFAANZ Newsletter: 
 
'The board will continue to work for the members of AFAANZ to address the challenges that lie ahead. On the Australian scene, the recent budget that claimed to substantially increase support for higher education in fact reduced substantially the funding for business education, including accounting and finance. Also it has raised HECS charges for accounting programs to record levels and this comes at a time when there is clearly a substantial skills shortage in the profession!' 
 
As you can see the interests of the profession and AFAANZ are clearly aligned and we will continue to work closely with AFAANZ to ensure that the profession has the right quantity and quality of graduates. 
 
Andrew Arkell 
State Chairman 
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Career progression – is that what people want? 
 
 
'Yes' – would appear to be the resounding answer, according to Members who recently attended the Small Practices Panel and Southside Discussion Forum, held at Davies Knox Maynard at Upper Mount Gravatt. 
 
According to the group, Career Progression sits very high on the list of priorities for young professionals in the Accounting field, when they are looking to remain with their current employer or seeking to make a move elsewhere. 
 
The group discussed a number of factors, which would provide the right environment to support career progression, as it was identified that progression opportunities are generally limited without the following factors in place: 
  • Structure/Framework for progression – a clear picture of the promotional and developmental opportunities that exist within the Firm
    •  
  • Regular Performance Reviews – minimum 6-monthly, and with regular checking in to assess progress
    •  
  • Strong mentoring/coaching programme
    •  
  • Healthy growth of the Firm
 
In addition, the group identified other factors, which need to be in place to underpin and support staff retention, and go hand in hand with the above: 
  • Work/life Balance – this will encompass working hours, location, flexible work practices etc
    •  
  • Culture – people, leadership, environment, firm vision etc
    •  
  • 'Taking the Temperature' – regular surveys to measure staff engagement
    •  
  • Remuneration needs to meet the market
 
It was interesting to note that even though salary is not the main driver for most employees, there is an expectation that remuneration levels must be at market rate. 
 
Whilst the above is not an exhaustive list, and may not in fact prevent a Firm from losing staff, it does provide some guidance in appreciating what employees are truly seeking. When it comes to this time of year and the annual performance (and in some cases salary) review, it is useful to be armed with as much information as possible to successfully set your staff on track for the coming year. 
 
If you are interested in contributing to the Small Practices Panel or joining a local discussion group please contact Penny Ellenger by email: pennye@icaa.org.au or telephone 07 3233 6509. 
 
Cheers 
Penny Ellenger 
Relationship Manager 
pennye@icaa.org.au 
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Chartered Accountants Advisory Group 
Are you facing unfamiliar or challenging professional circumstances, uncertain about a career decision or under pressure to act unethically?  
 
Talk to someone who knows. Contact the Chartered Accountants advisory group in Queensland. This is a confidential and free service, staffed by highly experienced and specially trained senior Chartered Accountants from the local region.  
 
If you have a professional or ethical issue you are unsure how to address, please do not hesitate to call and discuss it with one of the group members.  
 
To be placed in contact with a Chartered Accountants advisory group counsellor for guidance, contact Robina Lawson on 07 3233 6516 or email: robina@icaa.org.au  
 
(The Chartered Accountant advisory group counsellors will not address technical matters or personal issues.) 
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Board & Regional Council Nominations 
Members are invited to nominate for positions on regional councils and/or directorships on the board of the Institute. One third of each of the regional councils and of the board retires by rotation each year. 
 
While all retiring Councillors and Directors are eligible for re-election other members are encouraged to put themselves forward for elections to these positions. Contact your State's general manager to ascertain if there is a vacancy in your region. 
 
Nominations must be lodged with the relevant Regional General Manager by noon on 31 August 2007. Members may offer themselves for election to either or both their regional council and the board. 
 
Regional Councillors and Directors will be expected to comply with the Code of Conduct and accompanying guidelines. Copies of the relevant information can be downloaded from Board and Councils' webpage. 
 
Nomination forms can also be downloaded from the Institute's website. 
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Looking to save on health insurance?  
 
The Institute of Chartered Accountants has recently partnered with HCF to offer discounts on private health insurance to members, their immediate families as well as their staff. This special offer includes an 8% discount on HCF’s premiums, as well as continuity of cover if you are switching from another fund. 
 
As well as enjoying an 8% discount on HCF’s premiums, Chartered Accountants can also benefit from the HCF differences. As a not-for-profit health fund with over 75 years experience, HCF offers more benefits than most other funds.  
 
All HCF Hospital cover includes coronary, intensive and neo-natal intensive care, as well as outstanding private hospital excess.  
 
All HCF Extras cover have generous benefit limits for dental, optical, physiotherapy and chiropractic services. In Sydney you’ll be able to use HCF’s Dental and Eyecare Centres where a wide range of ‘no-gap’ services are available. 
 
HCF can make your health cover choice easier. Simply choose from their hospital and extras products to suit your needs, or remove the guesswork and talk to them about any one of their packages.  
 
If you’re already with another health fund and wish to take advantage of this member offer, switching is easy. HCF will contact your current fund and do most of the paperwork for you. Plus you’ll receive continuity on similar benefits when you're switching from comparable cover with another Australian registered health fund (conditions apply). 
 
For more information about this special HCF offer, visit charteredaccountants.com.au/benefits or call the Institute on 1300 137 322. 
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Preparing for Tax 2007 - a checklist  
 
MYOB have developed a checklist, providing a copy to the Institute to assist practitioners in preparing for Tax time.  
 
Tim Reed, managing director of MYOB, has advised "Over the last year we have done a significant amount of development work on the AE Tax product. Since June 2006 we've released five updates, which addressed issues and added in new features that clients asked for. We did a lot of research with accounting practices (surveys, focus groups, one-on-one discussions, etc) about the enhancements as we wanted to make sure that the product is in line with their needs.  
 
In terms of the software for June 2007, all the core development is complete. We have had a tight focus on quality across all areas, and have implemented a number of initiatives designed to ensure that Tax 2007 is a high quality release. We understand that there may still be some nervousness from the practices who had issues last year, but we are confident that the 2007 AE Tax release will be a strong, quality product. AE Tax 2007 is on schedule to be delivered to clients on CD around 22nd June. For clients who normally download the tax release it should be available a few days before this. MYOB have also developed free webinars for clients on how to install the software and can provide additional IT/technical support and training on the product."  
 
Additional information for practitioners is available from the MYOB website. 
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Have you seen these members? 
In our efforts to ensure we maintain up to date records for all our members, the Institute is seeking your assistance in contacting the following 'lost' Queensland members. If you have knowledge of any of these members can you please contact the Chartered Accountants Service Centre by phone on 1300 137 322 or email:  
Mr Sidney Gould FCA 
Mr Peter Manttan FCA 
Mr Noel Rossow CA 
Mr Peter Bradfield CA 
Mr Mark Bloomer CA 
Mr Stephen Berecry CA 
Mr Marc Denovan CA 
Miss Linda McCarthy CA 
Mr Anthony O'Donohue CA 
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Special offer on Quicken Elite for Chartered Accountants 
 
Quicken Elite has recently joined the Institute's Member Benefits Program, and is offering Chartered Accountants a 20% discount when purchasing a new Quicken Elite product. 
 
Quicken market research has shown that Quicken Elite is the most competitively priced practice management solution in the market.* (*2007 Quicken Elite customer survey) It is ideal for either a sole practitioner who specialises in Income Tax Returns, or a growing practice which offers compliance and consulting services. Quicken Elite is renowned for quality software and is also easy to use. In fact, Quicken Elite has one of the highest lodgement accuracy rates, as advised by the ATO. 
 
For more information on the Quicken Elite offer and other member benefits, visit charteredaccountants.com.au/benefits or call the Institute on 1300 137 322. 
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Chartered Accountants Local News – Queensland 
Contents
     
  1. Simon Says 
  2. State Chairman's News 
  3. Career progression – is that what people want? 
  4. Chartered Accountants Advisory Group 
  5. Board & Regional Council Nominations 
  6. Looking to save on health insurance? 
  7. Preparing for Tax 2007 - a checklist 
  8. Have you seen these members? 
  9. Special offer on Quicken Elite for Chartered Accountants 
  10. New Members
 
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Editor: Wendy Perriman 
Ph: 07 3233 6515 
Email: wendyp@icaa.org.au 
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New Members Admitted in May and June 
 
May 
Jane Addis 
Matthew Allison 
Jarvis Archer 
Daniel Berndt 
Benita Bulijubasich 
James Clarke 
Scott Cobon 
Jonathan Crane 
Melissa Day 
Paul Donohue 
Patricia Dowsett 
Jayne Hayward 
Sally James 
Alison Kemp 
Kwang Leow 
David Lipinski 
Matthew Loveday 
Sarah-Jane MacKenzie 
Radhakrishnan Makkoth 
Matthew Martin 
Matthew Moulynox 
Christopher O'Rourke 
Jennifer Roberts 
Brett Roberts 
Melinda Shaw 
Sarah Spiry  
Lauren Steinheuer 
Jeremy Taylor 
Anne Twine 
Lea van Mastrigt 
Elvina Warda 
Edward Whitehouse 
 
June 
Gregory Borchard 
John Bourboulas 
Sharmaine Bradley 
Clair Corbin 
Daniel Donner 
Tanya Dunk 
Mariam Essof 
Richard Hayes 
Veu Lee 
Ruth Lennon 
Katrina Matheson 
Sean McAlorum 
Peter Neilsen 
John Olive 
Trina Sands 
Amy Sapsford 
Nathan Smeaton 
Christina Tatarow 
Janet To 
Diana Totagiancaspro 
Timothy Brailsford 
Christine Ryan  
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