Hello members,
It is hard to believe we are halfway through February already.
Work life and family life are both back in full throttle for me, as I’m sure is the case for most if not all of our members. Pleasingly for me, my organisation here in Sydney is working to a hybrid model. When I work from home, I can make coffee exactly as I like it and occasionally take the dog for a walk to clear my head between meetings. When in the office, it’s invaluable to be able to connect with colleagues face-to-face and have those all important meetings by the metaphorical water fountain and not have to worry about turning into a cat on a Zoom call.
In our first newsletter for the year, I explained that we were using the month of January to kick off 2021 in the right way. We spent time talking through the opportunities last year gave us and how we could extend upon our learnings.
One of the big discussion points was, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic. While the vaccine is due to arrive later this year, we recognise all too well that our state borders can close quickly. Many of us are still feeling a little uneasy about booking family holidays or planning for events in the future. As we are committed to the health and safety of our members, event attendees, volunteers and staff, one way we kicked 2021 off the right way was by spending time working through all the necessary precautions to minimise risk.
ACC Australia is introducing several new measures in 2021 to ensure that our events are as safe as possible. We will abide by all the relevant federal, state, and local regulations and protocols surrounding health, hygiene and social distancing. We also have additional measures in place at events such as:
- longer break times to allow for social distancing in queues;
- providing individual meals rather than a standard buffet;
- no handbooks or other physical handouts;
- additional cleaning of high touch areas throughout the day;
- and more.
If an ACC Australia event is cancelled due to a state or national emergency or other COVID 19-related circumstance we have options available for both refunds and event registration transfers. If you would like to view the terms and conditions specifically related to ACC Australia events and COVID-19 please click here.
By clicking on the box link below, you will see our events calendar is well and truly getting full! Registrations are open for the South Australian and Western Australian In-House Counsel Days (NSW and VIC will soon follow), and we also have many education and CPD sessions being conducted virtually. I want to assure our members that you can book an ACC Australia event knowing your health and safety is our top priority and that there are options available if local situations changes.
I look forward to seeing you all, in person at one of our events sooner rather than later.
Justin Coss
ACC Australia President