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VALE VANA LEGEND JOHN ATTWOOD

Dear Members,

It is with a very heavy heart we share the sad news of the passing of VANA’s first-ever Legend, John Attwood.

John was inducted as a VANA legend in 2012 as an incredibly successful newsagent always ahead of his time & constantly innovating.

John always had a strong voice advocating for the rights of newsagents within the industry, serving on the VANA Board for over 10 years.

The VANA legend had over five decades of involvement in the industry and was then carried on by his sons Gerard Attwood at Sorrento Newsagency (current VANA Director); Colin at Murrumbeena for 30 years and Greg at Ashburton Newsagency for 21 years.

John’s legacy is profound as a powerful and dominant newsagent that led our industry.

From the VANA staff, VANA members & Directors our thoughts are with John’s entire family, including his 9 children, 21 grandchildren,16 great-grandchildren & 1 great, great grandchild!

Regards,

Yours sincerely,

Chris Pecora | Chairman
Brendan Tohill | Chief Executive Officer
VANA – Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association
NLNA – National Lotteries Newsagents Association

A Business Victoria presentation to VANA regional members

Dear Members,

Victorian Government support for small business

We are pleased to engage with Business Victoria to discuss supports available to help our members run their businesses, grow and thrive.

You can

  • Subscribe to Business Victoria Update Newsletter here
  • Access free courses, webinars, tools, and templates to run and grow your business
  • Access Experts through Workshops and the Small Business Bus
  • Apply for a grant or program support
  • Access business well-being and mental health support
  • Access business information, grants, learning, and advice

Access more details here from a presentation to the VANA | NLNA Gippsland regional members today.

Yours sincerely,

Brendan Tohill | Chief Executive Officer
VANA – Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association
NLNA – National Lotteries Newsagents Association

Congratulations Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on winning the 2022 Victorian Election.

Congratulations Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on winning the 2022 Victorian Election.

Victoria’s peak Association for newsagents, VANA, has congratulated Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on winning the 2022 Victorian Election.

VANA & the NLNA look forward to effectively working with the Labor Government over the next four years, Brendan Tohill CEO VANA/NLNA noted.

“We congratulate Premier Daniel Andrews and the Labor Party on winning the election and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Government to advance the interests of newsagents in Victoria.

“Businesses are the heart of our communities right across Victoria. With 86 per cent of Victorians employed by the private sector we know that when business does well, Victoria does well and business will play a critical role in our future prosperity.

“It’s been a very challenging few years for business and we look forward to the Labor Government implementing the business focused policies they committed to during the campaign.

“We need business to be put front and centre to drive economic growth by turbocharging the industries that will set us up for success. This includes strengthening jobs and skills, ensuring Victoria is the best place to do business, driving the economy and growing our regions.”

We need to constantly remind the Government of small business and it’s needs especially newsagents that have been so severely disrupted.

Yours sincerely,

Brendan Tohill | Chief Executive Officer
VANA – Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association
NLNA – National Lotteries Newsagents Association

Advocacy | Liberal government announces ConnectVic

Advocacy | Liberal government announces ConnectVic

Dear Newsagents of Victoria,

VANA has been working with the Liberal Party for over six months on the initiative of ConnectVic, an election promise from Liberal Party leader Matt Guy.

A physical network of ConnectVic hubs across metropolitan and regional Victoria, in partnership with established small business shopfronts starting with newsagencies, will ensure Victorian government services are more accessible to people throughout the state, and support existing retail businesses.

Leader of the Liberal Party, Matt Guy, said the Liberals and Nationals’ ConnectVic initiative was a real solution to make everyday life easier for all Victorians.

Launched yesterday at one of our new members, Julie Tran, at East Boundary News & Lotto in East Bentleigh, the proposal from the Liberal party is that ConnectVic will be an in-house kiosk offering services such as renewal of driver’s licence, topping up of public transport pass, passport renewals and a myriad of other services that will drive the public into newsagents.

The Liberal Party will invest $300 million into this initiative, with the main benefit being a huge increase in footfall for our industry. Obviously, The Liberal Party will need to win the State Election in Victoria on Saturday for ConnectVic to be implemented.

A huge thank you to Julie Tran that made her newsagency available to networks Ten, Nine, Seven, ABC, Sky News and 3AW all of yesterday morning.

Yours sincerely,

Brendan Tohill | Chief Executive Officer
VANA – Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association
NLNA – National Lotteries Newsagents Association

Useful information and tips from Business Victoria

Dear Members,

Business Victoria has sent some information out which you may find useful in your business.

Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program

The Victorian Government has announced a flood relief package to support Victorian businesses incurring significant direct flood damage during the Victorian flood events that commenced in October 2022.

The Small Business Immediate Flood Relief Program includes one-off grants of $5000 to support thousands of businesses, with additional support available through a new dedicated Business Relief Service.

Apply now

5 wellbeing and mental health tips for small business owners

Small business owners are some of the most resilient and committed people in our community. But resilience is not a trait you either have or don’t have. It’s something you can develop over time.

Read Dr. Sadhbh Joyce’s top tips to support the wellbeing and mental health of small business owners and their employees and find out how you can access the $99 Mindarma app for free through Business Victoria.

Read the article

WorkSafe’s OHS Essentials Program

The OHS Essential Program is a free service that assists small and medium businesses build knowledge in health and safety. WorkSafe is currently running a unique opportunity in developing leadership skills for employers. To participate, email: ohsessentials@worksafe.vic.gov.au.

To hear from businesses that participated in the program or to apply online visit the WorkSafe website.

Learn more

Improve your work/life balance with the Business Planning Tool

Work smarter, not harder, with the free Business Planning Tool.

Find the tools, advice and support you need to improve processes, learn new skills, or find great staff so you can spend more time working on your business instead of in it.

Try it out

Network with Victorian business owners

Looking for a place to network with other Victorian small business owners and operators?

Join our Facebook Group ‘I am a business owner in Victoria, Australia’ and connect with over 28,000 members of Victoria’s small business community.

Join the community

I trust this information helps and have a great day!

Regards, 
Marissa Williamson | HR and Business Executive
NLNA – National Lotteries and Newsagents Association