The call comes in the wake of the escalating ‘supermarket war’ between the two giants, with Coles committing to cut prices on a range of fruit and vegetables while Woolworths continues to maintain its fixed low prices on similar items.

According to Food Conect founder and spokesperson Robert Pekin, “the market dominance of Australian supermarkets has meant increased pressure on our farmers to provide cheap fruit and vegetables. The result is a mass exodus of farming families walking off the land at the rate of five per week.”

“With 2012 being the Year of the Farmer, I urge Australian citizens to ask themselves who grew their food and whether those farmers were paid a fair price for their hard work.”

As farmers markets, farmer-direct enterprises (often called CSA or community supported agriculture) and local food businesses proliferate, Food Connect and CERES Fair Food are leading the charge on what could be described as new form of agri-social enterprise that supports ecologically sustainable farming practises while paying farmers as much as 40 cents in the retail dollar for their produce.

“As a result of fair farm-gate prices hundreds of farmers in Queensland, NSW and Victoria have stayed on the land,” says Pekin.

“In stark contrast, the last twelve months has seen 30 Queensland dairy farmers abandon their farms as a direct consequence of the milk price wars initiated by the supermarket duopoly.”

The jointly issued release calls on the ACCC to hold the duopoly to account, declaring that “predatory pricing practices are not only illegal, but un-Australian.”

Rural communities in decline

According to Michael Cebon, founder of ethicaljobs.com.au and formerly of Global Trade Watch), in the past forty years:

• production has doubled while the value of production has stagnated
• farming’s contribution to the national economy has plummeted approximately 90%
• farmer’s costs have doubled
• median farmer incomes have dropped approximately 30%
• farmer debt has tripled
• 45,000 farms have disappeared
• farm and rural employment has dropped approximately 20%
• the price of bread has increased at double the price of wheat
• the price of beer has increased at triple the price of barley
• the price of steak has increased 45% over the price of cows
• consumer prices for milk have increased 75% over farm-gate prices

Yet in the same period, share prices for Woolworths and Wesfarmers have increased almost ten-fold.

“With growing global concerns about food security, the ACCC and local, state and federal government need to put pressure on the major supermarkets to end a war where both farmers and consumers have been proven to consistently lose,” says Pekin.

“We call on more Australians to vote with their forks, and help to create a food system fit for the future. If we don’t act now, we risk compromising our food security and it will be our children who will wear the costs down the track.”

The same applies in just about any market, including the mobile device ‘gold rush’. It’s not the gadget makers alone who are striking it lucky — millions of entrepreneurs who develop innovative accessories for mobile phones and tablet computers are raking it in, too.

In 2011, the global market for mobile phone accessories was an estimated $34 billion, according to New York’s ABI Research and will rise to $50.2 billion this year.

Out to grab his share of that pie is Alon Tamir, a Melbourne entrepreneur who has set up a full-fledged studio with goal of designing and building exciting new accessories under the umbrella brand of Wallee.

StudioProper has just released an iPad accessory that allows motorists to mount the tablet computer on the back of a seat, instead of holding it in their hands all the way. Called the Headrest, it turns any car into an entertainment hub by attaching the mount to a car seat with a simple turn and click movement.

Entertainment hub for the car

The Headrest is crafted from anodized aluminium — just like the iPad and other Apple products — and can swing out to a central position between the two front seats, and be switched between landscape and portrait, for versatile viewing.

“Instead of uncomfortably holding the iPad in your lap in the back-seat of the car, we’ve created a perfect mount that lets you lock it into your car’s headrest. You can multitask or just sit back and enjoy the ride,” said Tamir. “The great thing about the iPad, is that it can transform into so many things. You can use it for a wide range of entertainment and productivity uses.”

Tamir says he sought to create something new in an iPad accessory market “filled with copy-cat designs.”

“So we wanted to create something new, which has never been done before. Our designs exist to make the iPad experience more enjoyable,” he said.

The Headrest is not Tamir’s first iPad accessory. He previously released the Pix and Stix — a set of guitar picks and capacitive drum sticks that can actually be used on the iPad. The Headrest, fully designed and made in Australia, is available for $39.95 with free shipping around the world.

AAAI is asking angel investors, individuals and groups who provide capital to start-ups to complete the National Angel Survey before next Monday, 16 January.

The results from the survey will be revealed at the upcoming National Angels Conference in Melbourne on 29 February.

Angel investment is a rapidly growing source of funding for Australian start-ups, said Bentleys director Heath Shonhan.

The survey will “monitor that growth in order to foster the angel community and help AAAI inform future practice and policy,” he said.

Shonhan also indicated that the survey results will contribute to comparative studies of investment across different countries.

Bentleys, the accounting and finance network, is conducting the survey in tandem with AAAI.

The organisations are eager to see how the 2011 results stack up against those from 2010. The participants in that survey said that they invested more than $3 million in about two dozen companies, and more than half of individual and group investments were in seed and start-up companies.

Ruth Drinkwater, CEO of AAAI, said that she expects the life science sector will predominate among investments, in addition to related sectors like agribusiness and medical equipment.

The results from the survey will be informative to the angel community, entrepreneurs, big business and government groups alike, said Drinkwater.

“By better understanding what makes angel investors tick, we can all learn how to best leverage their expertise to benefit new companies, entrepreneurs and society in general,” she said.

To complete the 2011 National Angel Survey, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RMZ3YG2.

For such prophecy seekers, IBISWorld has come up with its annual, and laboured, report on which industries will fly in 2012, and which will be grounded.

In a surprising turn, the diamond and gemstone mining industry will see a fresh sparkle this year, after five straight years of decline, driven in the main by global factors. In fact, IBISWorld is predicting a huge 36.7% growth for the sector, reflecting a tremendous recovery.

Other sectors that will see a smart uptick are autos and three relatively new but vibrant industries — online education, biotechnology and e-commerce.

Conversely, the industries that are expected to register negative growth are iron and steel, construction, cotton ginning, cut flowers and paper. Iron and steel is likely the biggest loser with a nearly 15% projected decline in revenues.

Here is a snapshot of industries that will fly:

Diamond and Gemstone Mining

For five years, the industry suffered lower volumes and lower prices because of global economic conditions. For an industry that exports 90% of its production, a rising Australian dollar hardly helped. But a sharp rebound is at hand — a 36.7% jump to $599.9 million.

“The revenue rebound will be driven by stabilising prices and higher production levels, which are forecast to increase by 39.5%,” said IBISWorld General Manager (Australia) Karen Dobie.

Automobiles

Motor vehicle manufacturing will grow 14.3% to over $11.9 billion this year but the recovery will only be partial. This is because it still will not regain pre-global financial crisis levels, falling short by $5 billion.

Key drivers for the industry are a more diverse range of products including more environmentally friendly vehicles and a rise in exports for the first time in three years.

Online Education

IBISWorld expects revenue from Australia’s online education industry to increase by 10.6% in 2012 to just under $4.9 billion.

High-speed Internet services, government support of students, efforts to expand access beyond the typical school-leaver demographic and a wider and increasing acceptance is powering the growth of online education.

“The growing trend towards re-skilling for working adults and lifelong learning for retirees is expected to support continued growth in flexible methods of study, including online education,” Dobie said.

Biotechnology

With many Australian companies “approaching commercial readiness,” and receiving increased global investment, IBISWorld expects biotech revenues to grow 10.3% to over $2.4 billion.

IBISWorld expects growth to be driven by “continuing economic uncertainty” as leading “global investors search for low-risk opportunities like commercial-ready technology that Australia has on offer.”

E-commerce

Australia’s steadily rising online shopping industry is expected to grow 10.2% this year to $10.4 billion, still representing only 5% of the total retail sector.

Growth of e-commerce, from $7 billion in 2007, has “been due to consumers becoming more comfortable with shopping online, and more major retailers launching online stores,” Dobie said, listing computer and electrical items as the most common online purchases.

Here is a snapshot of industries that will fall:

Iron and Steel

Weaker global economic conditions and a strong Australian dollar will see exports plunge by more than 45% over the coming year. Overall, the industry will shrink 14.9% to $7.6 billion.

“Domestic demand is simply not strong enough to compensate for the rapid declines in international exports – leading industry players to reduce production levels,” Dobie said.

Also, the introduction of the carbon tax in 2012 will push many producers offshore.

Building & Construction

The Institutional Building Construction industry is expected to decline as governments cut spending on new construction, stimulus spending on the refurbishment of primary schools ends and major current projects are completed. In 2012, industry revenue is expected to fall 9% to $10.3 billion.

Cotton Ginning

Australia’s cotton ginning industry will decline 7.7% decline to $2.5 billion. This decline is mainly because of last year’s high, aided by wet weather. Overall, it will be a return to normalcy with production expected to touch 1,109.5 kilotonnes.

Cut Flower Growing

Flower growers are expected to face another tough year with IBISWorld forecasting industry revenue will fall 4.3% to $297.2 million — nearly half of its value a decade ago.

“The industry has experienced a restructuring of its customer base with an increasing percentage of production being sold through supermarkets and convenience stores rather than florists, Cut flowers are also a highly discretionary item and conservative spending is expected to keep demand weak through 2012,” IBISWorld said.

Pulp, Paper and Paperboard Manufacturing

Australia’s pulp, paper and paperboard industry will fall 3.7% to $3.1 billion, thanks to rapidly expanding use of electronic devices such as tablet computers. It also will be hit by continued high prices of woodchips, eroding the domestic industry’s competitiveness.

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: Rick Hooper

This podcast features a chat with Rick Hooper, CEO of Barefoot Power, a highly lauded company that distributes clean and renewable energy products, including solar panels and LEDs, in underdeveloped communities in Africa and Asia. Here, Hooper talks about the business model that defines Barefoot Power and his efforts to expand the company’s outreach.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

Almost half of UK consumers responding to Ovum’s survey said that social networking platforms have adversely affected their use of email services.

But wait, there’s more. A cool 40 per cent blamed Facebook for a decline in the use of voice fixed services, 34 per cent said they made fewer mobile phone calls due to you-know-who, and 29 per cent said the number of text messages they send was heading south.

Ovum telecoms senior analyst and report co-author Mark Giles commented: “The results of our survey show that social media is negatively impacting all forms of communication provided by telecoms companies.”

And it seems that the whipper-snappers are behind the shift in usage.

“The trend is being driven by younger age groups.”

“While it could be argued that younger users will change their habits with age and trend towards the habits of older users who are more reliant on traditional forms of communication, it would be naive to assume this.”

“This is because players such as Facebook are constantly innovating, and are likely to increase their communications capabilities.”

Similarly chatty report co-author Neha Dharia commented: “Telco voice and messaging revenues and telcos’ increasingly outdated pricing models are coming under pressure as a new wave of substitution threatens to sweep the telecoms market.”

“The functional development and increasing availability of social networking platforms on mobile devices is seeing communication via social media eat into more traditional forms of communication.”

So what’s Ovum’s solution to the telcos’ pickle? The analyst outfit reckons more inclusive minutes and lower-priced SMS are the way forward. Meanwhile, some operators have sought to charge a levy on applications that make a meal out of their revenues and bandwidth, such as WhatsApp, Skype and Viber.

Dharia added: “Other operators seem to be utilising a wait and watch approach to social media applications, with some stating that there has been no impact on revenues.”

“However, their stance is likely to change in the future as the battle for voice and messaging heats up.”

After she served as a consultant for several child care guides, it was only a matter of time before Curtin delivered a neonatal iPhone app kicking and breathing into the digital world.

The aptly named Midwife Cath gives parents advice on an array of infant care topics such as breastfeeding, bathing, mastitis, reflux and skin condition.

“In the technological age we live in, Midwife Cath is far more convenient than carrying around thick baby books,” said Curtin, of Melbourne, on the eve of the release. Curtin herself was the midwife consultant for Kaz Cooke’s parenting books, Up the Duff and Kidwrangling, before developing the app.

Curtin’s product has already earned the endorsement of some notable footy WAGs: Rebecca Judd (married to Carlton legend Chris Judd) and Erin Maxwell (wife of Collingwood defender Nick Maxwell). Mrs. Maxwell deemed the app “a life saver” and considered Curtin to be “as much of a necessity as baby wipes and nappies” after she assisted her during her pregnancy.

While Midwife Cath isn’t a fix-all solution to parenting (it’s still no substitute for changing those icky nappies — sorry mums), Curtin sees the convenience of having all the collected information together as its chief selling point: “At 2am when you’re holding a screaming baby, a one-click app is a lot easier to use than Google!”

Image by 2nd Street Photography

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: PayPal Australia’s Adrian Christie

In this podcast, Adrian Christie of PayPal Australia talks to Leon and Garry about the exponential rise of online shopping in Australia. With growth rates as high as 400% in the past year, Christie presents his analysis of how thousands of businesses, large and small, are adjusting their retail operations to meet this growing trend.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

The Australian cloud computing and storage company Ninefold has launched the Cloud Booster Program and announced startup hubs Pollenizer and Startmate as its first partners. These have since been joined by Innovation Bay and AngelCube.

The new program aims to help Australian startups supported by Pollenizer, Startmate, Innovation Bay and AngelCube by offering them free cloud computing and storage credit up to a year.

“Ninefold is an Australian business helping Australian business,” stated Peter James, Ninefold’s Managing Director.

“We’re really excited to launch The Cloud Booster Program as further evidence of our ongoing commitment to the local startup ecosystem,” he added.

Worth $2,000 per month for each startup, the Ninefold Cloud Booster Program gives the opportunity to the chosen startups to reduce a major infrastructure cost. They will also be involved in Ninefold’s marketing campaigns as well as receive set-up technical consultations.

“During the first twelve months of a business, it can seem like finance only goes one way – out,” said Phil Morle at Pollenizer.

“By providing free cloud computing and storage to our Australian companies for one year, the Ninefold Cloud Booster Program allows fledgling web businesses to develop their ideas with the help of our mentors and without worrying about things like hosting or infrastructure,” Morle added.

Startups are also assured that their data will be residing in Australian servers, decreasing latency and increasing speed.  They will also benefit from Ninefold’s customer service which provides support via emais, live chat, twitter and phone, as well as no maintenance fees or lock-in plans.

“By partnering with The Ninefold Cloud Booster Program, startups can launch and then scale more easily and quickly, removing crucial bottlenecks in the early stages,” said Niki Scevak of Startmate.

More partners may be expected to be announced in the future, as Ninefold is working towards adding more communities to its Cloud Booster Program.

Photo by Jamison_Judd

The award of $2 million, granted by the Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, will go towards funding the development of OpenWhispir, whose cost is estimated at $4.5 million.

The platform is intended to enhance capabilities in crisis and event management, the company announced in a media release. By employing crowd-sourcing and facilitating connections between public and private communities, OpenWhispir will enable the tracking of emergencies and other breaking events in real time as they unfold.

Jeromy Wells, the CEO of Whispir, said he was honoured to be recognised by the government and that the award attests to Whispir’s innovation.

“We have always believed in the Whispir Platform, its capabilities and industry-leading reputation in Asia-Pacific,” said Wells.

Founded in 2001, Whispir’s cloud technology is aimed at organisations communicating among employees and customers using a variety of technologies including email, SMS, mobile and social media.

The company currently has offices in New Zealand and the UK in addition to Australia. Mr. Wells said that he hoped the funding would allow the company to further expand into Europe and the United States.

“Being selected from such a highly competitive arena is a validation of the quality of the current Whispir Platform, our understanding of the market’s needs, and the insight and expertise of the Whispir team,” he said.

The Commercialisation Australia program awards innovation grants to creative enterprises based on merit. The program has a five-year funding amount of $278 million through 2014.

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: Antonette Golikidis

Antonette Golikidis is the founder of Little Innoscents, which manufactures baby skin care products (including lotions, oils and creams) that are made from wholly natural and organic ingredients. In this interview, she shares some background on Little Innoscents: how her experience as a mum has informed her business and how she strives to keep her brand sustaining the baby market.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

Only one year after it was launched by Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr, the Dream Shield program is already being recognised for its social impact.

The program, which seeks to help indigenous businesses by raising their awareness to intellectual property issues, has just won the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) award for Social Responsibility.

Run by IP Australia, the Dream Shield program impressed the judges for its social contribution and impact in the Australian indigenous business community.

According to Senator Kim Carr, “IP is one of the most important aspects of a successful business. It can be t competitive advantage that helps a business grow domestically and overseas.”

“There are approximately 6,000 indigenous businesses in Australia. Dream Shield is a great example of this Government’s commitment to helping these businesses grow,” he added.

By protecting their IP, indigenous businesses can profit from their culture and products.

Photo by babasteve

Talking Business is a podcast review of the Australian economy, presented by seasoned business journalists Leon Gettler and Garry Barker, produced in association with the RMIT College of Business. It features interviews with prominent business leaders and expert analysis from RMIT academics.

Interview: Gabby Leibovich

Gabby Leibovich has established himself at the forefront of the online deals industry in Australia with two very popular sites, CatchOfTheDay and Scoopon. In particular, CatchOfTheDay has grown exponentially since Leibovich started the business five years ago, when he began selling excess merchandise out of his garage.

In this podcast, Leibovich explains the business model that he believes has allowed him to weather the GFC and pinpoints the challenges that traditional, physical department stores must now face.

Press play to listen.

Talking Business Podcasts on iTunes

Garry Barker and Leon Gettler both have established careers with The Age newspaper, where Garry Barker is its Technology Editor, and Leon Gettler is a Senior Business Journalist. Gettler also works freelance on a number of other publications.

Ho and his team, Native Tongue, have been promoting Mandarin Madness, an educational gaming application, at TechCrunch Disrupt Beijing, a conference devoted to startup launches.

Of the 7 billion humans now present on the planet, over a billion speak Mandarin, the largest of the Chinese language dialects. And as China emerges as Australia’s major trading partner of the 2000s, choosing to learn Mandarin today can be seen, to put it mildly, as more than just a curious hobby.

But that doesn’t mean that serious language learning has to be boring, says Ho.

“We know that gaming has a high level of engagement,” he says. “So we take the best elements of gaming and apply it to education.”

Mandarin Madness uses a matching method of pairing Chinese characters with picture representations to build vocabulary. The gaming isn’t exclusively for English speakers, either: since it relies on visual cues rather than translations to drive the learning process, the app is entirely first-language neutral.

The core of Native Tongue consists of Ho, technical engineer James Drucza and the ubiquitous Kym Huynh. Based in Melbourne, the team originally won the first Startup Weekend competition held in Australia in May, when they developed the initial prototype for Mandarin Madness in just 54 hours. Since September, they’ve worked full-time to bring it to market.

The TechCrunch network is known for its focus on the latest programs and products to be released in the digital realm.  The Beijing convention is the first such TechCrunch event to be held outside of the US.

According to Native Tongue, Mandarin Madness will be made available for the iPhone and Android in several weeks. Meanwhile, the team plans to apply the educational gaming platform to other languages.

“We want to create addictive experiences that engage the user to keep coming back and playing the product, which will aid them to learn a new language,” Ho says.

Blogging for your business… or blogging as your business!

FREE WEBINAR

When: 16 November 2011, 12-noon
Where: At your laptop, Mac or PC!
Cost: Complimentary*

Learn from a commercial blogging phenomenon.

Darren Rowse is one of the world’s most successful professional bloggers.

In 2002, he “stumbled” across a book on blogging. Within five years, his ProBlogger blog was listed as number two on Technorati’s most favourited blogs list and number 40 on its most linked to list. His blogs generate around 85,000 page views… wait for it… a day!

They also generate over $20,000 in total ad revenue a month (and that’s before affiliate and product sales) from his one man office in outer-suburban Melbourne.

Why should you care about blogging?

• Are you a business owners and want to harness the power of blogging?
• Have you been given the task of blogging within your organisation?
• Are you a hobbiest with big dreams for your blog?

We know at Anthill that there is only one way to guarantee traffic to your website.

And that’s to create compelling, remarkable, shareable content. And the easiest way to start is by blogging. Yet, blogging doesn’t need to be so hard!

Why choose this topic as an Anthill webinar?

Hundreds of thousands of Australians turn to Anthill to learn about about development tools, techniques and tactics.

In the niche realm of online marketing, Anthill has become quite an authority.

What’s a webinar?

Okay, we admit it. Anthill has been a bit late to discover the wonders of the webinar.

If you’re a technical Luddite (or just strange and backward), according to Wikipedia:

A webinar is a neologism, short for Web-based Seminar, a presentation, lecture, workshop or seminar that is transmitted over the Web, specifically a portmanteau of web and seminar, to describe a specific type of web conference. A webinar can be collaborative and include polling and question and answer sessions to allow full participation between the audience and the presenter.

If words like ‘neologism’ and ‘portmanteau’ get you confused, a webinar is simply a way to login, join a vibrant and instruction online-seminar, pose questions and participate in online learning.

How does is work?

Simply click the register button, follow the prompts and you’ll be sent reminders and login details when the time is right. Don’t put this off. Register now!

When: 16 November 2011, 12-noon
Where: At your laptop, Mac or PC!
Cost: Complimentary*

Click here to register.