Author: Mark Fletcher

I was one of the speakers at the VANA State Conference in Melbourne today. Attendance was excellent – around 130 – and diversity of presentations good. The theme of the day was change and how we, suppliers and newsagents, need to embrace change.

My presentation was about being an entrepreneurial newsagent and the challenges we face in navigating the future. While some of what I was controversial, or so I am told, the aim is to get newsagents looking at their businesses differently and understanding the nature of the challenges of this marketplace. These challenges are opportunities, exciting opportunities.

This is the first such conference in Victoria. It is something they have done very well in Queensland for years. Getting newsagents together, out of the business, and talking about business is always valuable.

Type www.newsagent.com.au into your internet browser and see how iSubscribe is conning consumers. This online magazine subscription business is making itself out to be a newsagent. They are not a newsagent.

The ANF seems set to go it alone in representing newsagents if what I have been told is true.  Despite representations from various parties including state associations, the ANF Board meeting this week in Sydney has determined to pursue creating a national association without assistance from or co-operation with with any of the state associations and that this model will be based on commercial as well as traditional association functions.

Newsagents will be reluctant to support the ANF given the association’s past failures in the commercial arena.  Having lead around 3,500 newsagents into Bill Express, the ANF failed to provide timely professional advice and demonstrated a lack of empathy for the financial and emotional cost of the collapse of Bill Express to newsagents.

If newsagents have to make a choice between the state associations and the ANF, if what has been put to me is accurate, newsagents will, in the main, choose their state associations.  The ANF would fail.

Some would say that the ANF has failed already.

I would like a strong national body representing newsagents on policy matters.   Associations have no role to play in offering commercail services as this takes their focus from why they exist.

Victorian newsagents have more nominees for vacancies at VANA than are positions available. The resulting election is an excellent opportunity for newsagents to bring fresh blood to the VANA table and to influence the direction of the VANA Board.

With appalling direction from VANA on the Bill Express matter earlier this year I would expect to see Victorian newsagents support the David Backholer, Ray Burgess, Darren Howe ticket which is pitching on this issue.

Newsagents are not known for engaging industry politics – they leave that for someone else yet they are quick to criticise when things do not go as they wish.

I am disappointed that the Federal Government has not seized the opportunity to stimulate business to business activity with its statement today. I would have liked to see a sizeable investment allowance of, say, 40% for approved capital investment. This would get businesses investing in their businesses and thereby driving a strong flow on through the economy. There are more sectors than housing which could do with government attention.

An investment allowance coupled with accelerated depreciation would stimulate business to business spending, help small business owners reinvent in their businesses and boost the economy including jobs.  It worked in 1976 when Malcolm Fraser introduced the same measures.  They also delayed some tax payments to give businesses cash.  The government could consider this if things get tight.

With an investment allowance and accelerated depreciation in place newsagents could complete a shop fit, but new equipment or undertake other business investment because of the encouragement of the benefits available.

A class at a University in NSW has set a project for its students to research and report on the ANF and, more broadly, the representation of newsagents.  I have been asked questions by several students, some quite insightful.  It will be interesting to see where their research takes them.