Home Articles Minister Brendan O’Connor calls on the ‘Future of Work’

Minister Brendan O’Connor calls on the ‘Future of Work’

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The Minister for Small Business Brendan O’Connor, visited Hub Melbourne, a global network of co-working spaces. Hub Melbourne is the only Australian member of the global franchise that spans 28 cities and has 6,000 members. A Sydney Hub is set to open next March.

The Hub calls itself the future of work.

“Sharing ideas and experiences could mean the difference between a good business concept and a great one, or the difference between success and failure,” O’Connor said, after the visit. “The government is determined to create the environment in which small business can thrive. That’s why we are increasing the instant asset write-off from $1,000 to $6,500 for small businesses from July 1.”

Quality of collaboration

O’Connor said places like Hub Melbourne give small business owners the “chance to collaborate with other small business, to share experiences, make contacts and learn from each other.”

Hub Melbourne opened in March last year with 140 founding members. Since its early success, an expanded Hub, designed in conjunction with architect firm Hassell, recently opened on Bourke Street. It boasts 450 members working in 40 industry categories. Its members include freelancers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, small businesses and educators from diverse sectors including green technology, software, social media and innovation.

Hub Melbourne allows companies including small businesses and freelancers space to work together under a single roof; a community network of ideas and business opportunities. Of course, it is more than just a shared workplace. Hub Melbourne links members to a network of diverse people and ideas, not just in Melbourne but also to any Hub globally. Many see the Hub as the “next step” in the mobility trend seen in workplaces over the past decade.

“It has the kind of energy and creative opportunities traditional workplaces could only dream of providing,” claims Brad Krauskopf, CEO of Hub Melbourne.

Hub’s members include large corporations such as AMP, Deloitte and RMIT, all are looking for hotbeds of new innovation. To them, these technologically advanced co-working communities offer a chance to capture opportunities and ideas outside of the traditional office space and mean fewer overflow costs, said Krauskopf.

Hassell Principal Steve Coster believes Hub Melbourne might be an early example of how the nature of work is changing. Still, to “attract interest it needs to be authentic, welcoming and comfortable, and offer users the ability to make the space their own,” he said.

Hub Melbourne runs an Open House every day at 11 a.m.
If you’re in Melbourne, you may want to drop in and check out the future of work.