Hearing Business Alliance represents, supports and promotes small to medium, independent hearing care businesses.
We are an inclusive organization,
and our Member businesses are owned by Audiologists, Audiometrists, and others
providing hearing health care to Australian communities.
Why did we create an alliance of independent, small hearing care businesses?
We had no voice ... we changed that
Hearing Business Alliance represents, supports and promotes small to medium, independent hearing care businesses.
We are an inclusive organization,
and our Member businesses are owned by Audiologists, Audiometrists, and others
providing hearing health care to Australian communities.
Why did we create an alliance of independent, small hearing care businesses?
We had no voice ... we changed that
Seminar 2020 - Small Business Success in a Changing Environment

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of our
28-29 February 2020 Melbourne Seminar
Our Guest Speakers - from business management, finance, law, a chamber of commerce, the hearing care industry, and government - offered guidance and answered all our questions about the challenges and opportunities we faced as the changes to the HSP and NDIS approached in 2020.
All the hearing aid manufacturers supported and sponsored us, and all three Professional bodies endorsed with CDP points.
Thank you to our generous sponsors for assisting us to provide this Seminar at a reasonable cost to our Members
Platinum: Sonic - Sonova - Starkey
Silver: Bernafon - Gain Hearing Network - Hearing Check - MED-EL - Oticon - GN
Bronze: Advanced Bionics - Signia - Widex
Dinner Sponsor: GN

DAY 1 - FRIDAY 28 FEBRUARY, 2020
1000 Registration will commence from 1000
1200 Lunch and Networking
1300 Jane MacDonald, HBA Executive Officer
Welcome to our Seminar
1305 Kate Carnell, AO, Australian Small Business and Family
Enterprise Ombudsman - Keynote Speaker
Small Business Challenges - Keeping Ahead of Change
1335 Kathy McEwan, Branch Manager, Communities of Practice, NDIA
Changes to Hearing Services under NDIS after 1 July 2020.
Is your Business Ready?
Melissa Clements, Deputy Registrar, NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission
Sarah Hawke, Branch Manager, Participant Outcomes Branch,
Department of Social Services
1405 Matthew Cartledge, Director, Hearing Services Program
Management Section
Will your Business be HSP-compliant by 1 April 2020?
1515 Afternoon Break
1545 Andrew Nelson, Blue Ocean Strategy Australia - Strategy,
Innovation and Business Advisory Service
Seminar Objectives and Actions
1600 Stephen Logan, SJL Business Consulting Pty. Ltd.
Strategies for Business Success
1700 Close of Day 1
1900 Pre-dinner Drinks
1930 HBA Seminar Dinner - sponsored by GN

DAY 2 - SATURDAY 29 FEBRUARY, 2020
0830 Morning Coffee and Tea
0900 Daniel Wright, FlowGetic - Executive and Business Coaching
Creating your own Economy
1030 Morning Break
1100 Adam Phillips, General Manager, Australia Arab Chamber
of Commerce & Industry
"Sales" is not a Dirty Word
1230 Lunch and Networking
1330 Katie Bryan, Propeller Advisory - Business & Corporate Advisors
Understanding the Financial Impact of Change
on your Business
1415 Corinna Dowling, Special Counsel, Barry.Nilsson.Lawyers
Legal Implications of Change and Protecting your Business
1500 Afternoon Break
1530 Andrew Nelson, Blue Ocean Strategy Australia - Strategy,
Innovation and Business Advisory Service
Strategic Planning - What's your Plan?
1645 Don MacDonald, HBA Chairman
In Closing - Thank You
APPROVED CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) POINTS
ACAud: up to 9.25 points. Approval No. 202007
AudA: up to 9.25 points. Approval No. CPD1920 054 (Fri: Category 1.1 - 3.5 points. Sat: Category 1.1 - 5.75 points)
HAASA: up to 4.75 points. Approval No. CPED 2018-2020 / 2020-006
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Ms Kate Carnell, AO
Ombudsman, ASBFEO
Small Business Challenges - Keeping Ahead of Change
Some of the unique perspective of Ms Kate Carnell, Australia's "independent advocate for small business owners."
Kathy McEwan, Branch Manager
Communities of Practice, NDIA
Melissa Clements, Deputy Registrar
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Sarah Hawke, Participant Outcomes Branch
Department of Social Services
Changes to Hearing Services Under NDIS after 1 July 2020. Is your business ready?
-
What is changing for the Hearing Services Program and clients of HSP?
-
Arrangements for specific cohorts such as children, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Island peoples, and people with complex hearing needs
-
Eligible services under the NDIS
-
Who can provide services under the NDIS
-
Registration process for providers who have not been previously NDIS-registered
-
Changes to certification and verification.
Matthew Cartledge,
Director, Management Section
Will Your Business be HSP-Compliant by 1 April 2020?
-
The key legislative and contractual changes
-
Timeframes for implementation of the changes - 1 October 2019, and 1 April 2020
-
Particular requirements that apply for device supply, claiming and private services
-
Supports available for providers
-
Requirements for record keeping - Privacy and confidentially requirements
-
What constitutes a notifiable data breach and the required actions
-
Requirements relating to digitisation and destruction of records - Cloud services.
Andrew Nelson
Blue Ocean Strategy Australia
Seminar Objectives and Actions
-
What to expect from the remainder of speakers during the seminar
-
How to maximise what you take home from the seminar
-
Things to consider about your business whilst you listen to the remaining speakers.
Stephen Logan
SJL Business Consulting
Business Success
Strategies for Business Success in the Hearing Market
Daniel Wright
FlowGetic - Executive and Business Coaching
Creating Your Own Economy
-
Creating your own economy
Adam Phillips
General Manager Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Sales is not a Dirty Word
-
Provide options for clients for services and products
-
Be comfortable discussing costs and different levels of products
-
Be confident imparting information to clients to enable and empower them to make informed choices
-
Why “Sales” is not a dirty word.
Katie Bryan
Propeller Advisory - Business and Corporate Advisors
Understanding the Financial Impact of Change on your Business
Financial Impacts of Change
Corrina Dowling
Special Counsel Barry.Nilsson. Lawyers
Legal Implications of Change and Protecting your Business
-
Obligations under modern awards when implementing workplace change
-
Implementation of practical tools to manage change
-
The redundancy process.
Andrew Nelson
Blue Ocean Strategy Australia
Strategic Planning ... What's your Plan?
-
Find, test, prioritise and commercialise new revenue, profit and growth opportunities
-
How your people and advisers can help you flourish in tackling those challenges and take advantage of the opportunities
-
Devise a Strategic Planning Framework: Customers - Culture - Cashflow - Capital - Collaborators.
Seminar 2020 Guest Speakers' Biographies
Ms Kate Carnell, AO - Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO)
Kate Carnell is the inaugural Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), commencing in March 2016. Kate brings extensive experience and knowledge to the role of Ombudsman, having run her own small business for 15 years before becoming ACT Chief Minister in 1995 for a five-year period.
Prior to her appointment as the inaugural ASBFEO, Kate held the position of CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which represents more than 300,000 businesses across Australia. She has also served two years as CEO of beyondblue, four years as CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, four years as CEO of the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) and three years as CEO of the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI).
A Pharmacist by profession, Kate was the inaugural chair of the ACT Branch of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006 for her services to the community through contributions to economic development and support for the business sector, knowledge industries, the medical sector and medical technology advances.
Kathy McEwan - Branch Manager, Communities of Practice National Disability Insurance Agency
Kathy is the Branch Manager of Communities of Practice within NDIA. which is accountable to research, develop and provide subject matter expertise and support for participants in identified cohorts. The COP Branch works closely with Service Delivery and Performance and Pathway Branches that require the implementation of specific services, considerations or pathways. These cohorts include Hearing, Autism, Mental Health, ABI, Muscular / Neuro Degeneration, Inclusion Strategies (Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander, CALD, LGBTQIA+), Mental Health and Communities of Practice. The COP Branch is facilitator for leading problem resolutions and empowering stakeholder groups to tackle independently. The team influences prioritising NDIA strategy and policy by providing insight of defined participant cohorts, leading to shared outcomes and overall workload efficiencies.
Kathy has a background in Nursing and for the past 25 years has held senior leadership positions in the Not for Profit and government sectors. As a result of this Kathy has a breadth of knowledge of a range of community, disability, youth and family, out of home care and primary care service sectors and their systems. Kathy describes herself as a change manager, always with an eye on quality and continuous improvement with the customer / client / participant / person at the centre of all she does. Since joining NDIA Kathy has held positions as Service Delivery Director - Victoria, Regional Manager - ACT, and Branch Manager Communities of Practice - National Role.
Melissa Clements - Deputy Registrar, NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Melissa has held a wide range of policy and service provision roles in the disability area. This includes work supporting people with disability and their families, oversight roles with the NSW Ombudsman, and policy and program responsibility in NSW public education for students with disability. In her current role, she assists the Registrar in determining quality and safety of disability services and supports, through the registration and regulation of providers in the expanding NDIS market
Sarah Hawke - Branch Manager, Participant Outcomes, Department of Social Services
Sarah is the Branch Manager of the Participant Outcomes Branch in the Department of Social Services, which works closely with non-government and government stakeholders to understand and improve the experience and outcomes of people receiving government funded disability services, with a particular focus on hearing, autism, mental health and early childhood intervention.
She has worked in community disability support and brings a deep understanding of the NDIS. Sarah has a background in law and for the past 10 years has held senior leadership positions in government.
Matthew Cartledge - Director, Program Management Section, Hearing Services Program
Matthew Cartledge Is the Director of the Program Management Section of the Hearing Services Program. He commenced his public service career working at The Canberra Hospital. Following several years as the hospital Customer Relations Officer, he was promoted to EL1 Investigator for the Community and Health Services Complaints Commissioner. In April 2000, Matthew transferred to the Department of Family and Community Services to facilitate organisational development following Machinery of Government changes. In 2003, Matthew was promoted to an EL2 position in the Department of Health and Aged Care to manage the Aged Care Approvals Round - a complex annual tender like process. In 2005, Matthew transferred to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Roles in DVA included Senior Director of the Contracts Advisory Unit, Director of Gallipoli Projects, Executive Officer to the Secretary, and over 12 months Acting Assistant Secretary for Anzac Centenary and Planning. In 2016, Matthew transferred to the Ministerial and Parliamentary Branch of the Department of Defence. His broad experience is an example of the diversity of opportunity available in the course of an Australian Public Service career.
Andrew Nelson, Blue Ocean Strategy Australia
Andrew has extensive experience across many industries and throughout Asia-Pacific, North America and EMEA countries on the design and implementation of portfolio initiatives that drive and deliver business strategy. He works to help businesses achieve commercial success through the integration and combined application of strategy with culture and innovation.
Andrew has qualifications in a Bachelor of Business, Economics and a Diploma in Music Composition. He has extensive experience in business, including as CEO of Rivalry Productions for almost 10 years, Director of Raiseups Australia Pty Ltd for seven years, Advisory Board Member of Smile.com for three years, Director of National Strategic Accounts at Deloitte Australia for four years, Marketing Director of BDO Australia Ltd, Director of Client Service Mellon Australia Pty Ltd and Consultant with Mercer & Predecessor Companies for thirteen years. His portfolio has included some iconic brand businesses such as AAMI and Toyota and included overseing the insurance, investment, accounting, administration, compliance and communication operations of many.
Stephen Logan - SJL Business Consulting
Daniel Wright - FlowGetic - Executive and Business Coaching
Adam Phillips - General Manager Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Adam is a proven successful Board level business leader in global business. He has more than 20 years’ experience in commerce, ranging from whole of industry analysis, to company commercial strategies and business plans (in start-up, turnaround and mature state scenarios), to delivering large budgeted revenues.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) in 1992, he’s built more than 20 years’ experience in global business, including 10 years with Etihad airlines. He has a smart commercial mind, is strong analytically and is a clear thinker who can take complex business issues and translate to simple to understand concepts for action.
Adam is an engaging leader who understands how to energize and engage teams to get the job done, delivering both bottom-line benefit and grow people. He is a natural communicator, and further honed from successfully working and living in six countries (Australia, Bahrain, UAE, Malaysia, Thailand and France) and linking closely with more than 20 across Asia, Middle East and Europe.
Katie Bryan - Propeller Advisory - Business and Corporate Advisors
Corrina Dowling - Special Counsel Barry.Nilsson. Lawyers
Corrina is a special counsel on the Barry.Nilsson.Lawyers' Insurance & Health team and is based in their Melbourne office. Corrina specialises in employment practices liability (EPL) claims. She has both in-house and private practice experience as an employment law and workplace relations lawyer, and has assisted her clients on a wide range of employment issues, including:
Unfair dismissals - Restraints of trade - Bullying - Unlawful discrimination - Employment agreements - Transfers of business and redundancy - Adverse action (general protections applications) - Award and agreement interpretation.
Over the years Corrina's clients have included small family owned businesses, multi-national corporations and not-for-profits, across multiple industries including retail, aged care, education, and government.
"There is a human interest element to this area of the law - it’s all about people. It’s also a dynamic and evolving area of law, which makes it both challenging and stimulating." Corrina has appeared in the Federal Court, Fair Work Commission, the Industrial Relations Court (SA), Australian Human Rights Commission, as well as other Tribunals. She holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Business, Graduate Certificate of Law and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.