Industry Issues
V.E.T. Training is Dead
Forget about V.E.T. Courses – look to Higher Education instead Slowly the stories emerge about college recruiters stalking disadvantaged people at Centrelink, offering $50 cash and a laptop if they sign on for a ‘free’ Vocational Education and Training (V.E.T.) course. What happened next is astounding. The government would pay the college in full for…
Read MoreVale Eric Robinson. Live Production Pioneer
JPJ Audio chief Eric Robinson died on November 11 from complications with cancer. He had just turned 67 and had retired to Port Douglas. Eric was the best known pioneer of Australian live production, having taken control of Jands in 1970 from its founders. Eric and the Mulholland brothers Paul and David drove Jands hard,…
Read MoreWhy Sydney Uni wants to demolish Seymour Centre
Theaters are in short supply and if Sydney University has its way, the Seymour Center will be demolished in favor of a subway station. The University previously shuttered the Footbridge Theater on Parramatta Road more than a decade ago. Losing the Seymour Center would sever its links to the performing arts. The University wants the…
Read MoreTax Break for Small Business
The $20,000 accelerated depreciation provision in the 2015 Federal Budget is a dream come true for many CX readers who buy equipment. The provision allows you to buy as much as you like, provided no one item of equipment is valued at more than $20,000. With most moving lights, line array elements and screens costing…
Read MoreMinimum Technical Skills
Sound and Lighting Technicians: what should they know? By Julius Grafton What skills should an entry level entertainment technology worker possess once ‘trained’? Last month we had over 400 experienced crew complete a lengthy survey, and now we have a draft set of skills – one for audio; and one for lighting. The survey revealed…
Read MorePush out the Cowboys. Why we need ACCREDITATION
Our lead news story in December CX shows at least one government events department thinks we should work for nothing. They didn’t just decide to cut their sound and lighting budget by 75%. Someone is prepared to do the work. My solution is to accredit legitimate operators, using an industry scheme. It would be simple…
Read MorePaying for Contractor Compliance
A reader contacted me at deadline with this cracker tale. It seems some venues are now outsourcing compliance. Enter the new era, with Smartek. This is fully owned by Barrington Group Australia (Barringtons) and has its roots in a standalone computer system going back to the mid 1990s. One of the first major instances of…
Read MoreHills restore SVL call-centre
Today Hills SVL dealers received a most welcome email, after a solid slew of gripes about the decentralised call centre approach they adopted when harmonizing SVL with other formerly separate Hills divisions. Typical of the complaints here at CXMAGBLOG was this: “I called Hills today and asked for Sales. They had NO IDEA what…
Read MoreCrestron in Australia
Crestron’s news release puzzled us here in the CX newsroom. Our weekly staff lunch at the Willoughby Pub was abandoned as we went into deep analysis. A weeks reflection, and some inquiries failed to lift the fog of confusion about this. Let’s review it line-by-line. We’ve italicized the words from the release. This year Crestron…
Read MoreHills acquires APG
Contractor audio has a new number one Hills have acquired Audio Products Group (APG), an Australian and New Zealand supplier of professional audio products, for A$15 million. APG will now join the roster of Hills audio brands in one greatly expanded distribution firm known simply as Hills. Hills and APG both operated heavily in the…
Read MoreWhat Woodie Wanted
Talking about male cancer issues is REALLY freaking boring. I know, I track what you click. If I write about a punk who runs a crap festival and rips off crew, you click 28 x more than if it is about men stuff. Especially THIS man stuff, cancer of the gland that helps you ejaculate.…
Read MoreLighting Suicides – horrifying trend
Main picture: Jeffrey Merryweather, above left. Why do good people do the worst thing? “As a mother to receive a phone call at 3am to tell you that your beloved son has committed suicide is the most horrendous thing that can happen. I am the mother of Jeffrey Merryweather and he was very special.” Before…
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