Archive for February 15th, 2008

CEDA Transport Infrastructure: National Priorities

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 15th of February, 2008

In between my new role at Mycause, I attended a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) discussion on transport infrastructure.

The program included two guest speakers, Eric Keys, Principal of the consultants Booz Allen Hamilton and Nick Dimopoloulos, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Transport Commission. Both speakers discussed the need for an integrated and national approach to transport through federal leadership in the creation of a strategy that looks across all transport modes and incorporates freight and passenger movements with a nationwide perspective.

While the Federal Government has created Infrastructure Australia to examine transport bottlenecks, there is still a failure to recognise the need for federal leadership in regard to public transport infrastructure. This despite the economic and inflationary repercussions of congestion, the negative impacts on housing affordability due to a lack of infrastructure and the greenhouse emissions caused by car dependency.

A national transport strategy followed by the availability of Federal funding for public transport infrastructure is urgently required to ensure the future sustainability of not just our local communities but of the entire country.

Online fundraising for charities through Mycause

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 15th of February, 2008

One of the challenges of being a local Councillor is the need to balance a career with council duties. While in terms of time commitment the role may lean itself to a full-time position, the reality is that the current council allowances are insufficient without being augmented by another income.

This is particularly challenging for younger councillors who are often at the beginning of their careers and need to juggle work and council commitments. Unfortunately this appears to be one of the reasons why younger people are severely underrepresented within local government.

I have recently accepted a marketing position at MyCause to assist in establishing partnerships with the non-profit sector and to raise community awareness about on-line fundraising and charitable events.

The Internet presents a number of opportunities for the community and non-profit sector, through allowing these organisations to directly reach people through the use of websites, emails and other technologies. While over two-thirds of Australians have some form of Internet access, Australian organisations have been relatively slow in realising the potential of the Internet, particularly when compared to European countries or the US.

This role at Mycause will allow me to merge my marketing career with my interest in the non-profit and community sectors. For more information on Mycause please visit www.mycause.com.au.