This Week In The Market – 17 August 2021

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In this week’s Market News:

– Tracking our safety performance
– Authorised worker permit template
– Retailer reaping benefits of Cert III
 
Market News
Tracking our safety performance
The MMA has introduced a new initiative to highlight the number of market OHS incidents in each given week. 

Market TV screens now display the total number of OHS related incidents from the previous week to keep safety top of mind and give the market community a safety goal to work towards. 

Incidents included in the weekly tally include speeding, dangerous driving, failure to obey road signage, using a mobile phone while operating a vehicle, failure to wear a face mask when required, and other similar offences. 

Between the 2nd and 8th of August, a total of 123 OHS related incidents were recorded.

We can do better!



We all deserve to work in a safe environment and go home to our families and loved ones at the end of each workday. Let’s all switch onto safety, do the right thing and target zero OHS incidents! 

COVID Restrictions – Authorised Worker Permit
From 11.59 pm tonight (Tuesday 17 August), authorised workers will be required to carry a permit when leaving home for authorised work.
Businesses will need to complete and sign a permit for each employee, which must include:

– Company name
– ABN or ACN
– Company Address
– Trading name
– Permitted industry/activity
– Employee’s full name
– Employee’s date of birth
– Employee’s residential address
– Employee’s permitted role for onsite work
– Employee’s work location address
– Rostered work times for each day of the week

Authorised workers may carry a paper printout or an electronic copy of the permit. 

Victorians living in regional Victoria and entering metropolitan Melbourne for authorised work must also obtain a permit. 

You can download the current permit template by visiting www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/authorised-provider-and-authorised-worker-permit

Current restrictions
The Melbourne Market is operating under stage 4 restrictions.
The following rules are currently in place. 

– Fitted face masks are mandatory and are required to be worn at all times while on market land, in both indoor and
outdoor locations.
– Market cafes are providing a takeaway service only
– Gates 2 and 3 and the P1 pedestrian turnstile are closed, with all vehicle and foot traffic required to come through
Gate 1;
– Only one person per electric vehicle or buggy, no passengers.
– Non-essential market visitors are restricted from entering the market 

We ask you to be vigilant and continue to follow COVIDSafe practices.

– Social distancing must be strictly adhered to; you must keep 1.5 metres from others wherever possible.
– Do not attend the Melbourne Market if you are feeling unwell.
– If you are experiencing COVID symptoms, get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result.

COVID penalties
Market users risk severe penalties for non-compliance for mask-wearing and social distancing.
1st offence – official warning recorded on users file
2nd offence – 24-hour suspension
3rd offence – 14-day suspension

Please do your bit for the market and wear your face mask correctly, and call out those who are not doing the right thing.

Garden of Eden reaping benefits from Certificate III in Greengrocery




Garden of Eden owner Paul Walters has a little more time to spend on other parts of his business now that employee Elliott Roache has taken on more responsibilities around the Colac fruit shop.
 
Elliott is six months into the Certificate III in Greengrocery run by Melbourne Polytechnic, and the results are showing.
 
“He is more confident… whether that be specifically from the course, or he’s just growing in confidence within our organization, it could be a combination of both, but I’m certainly impressed with the stuff that he’s learning,” he said.
 
Having previously worked as a casual through high school, and then transitioning to full-time work at the store during his gap year, Paul offered Elliott the opportunity to take the course and get a recognized qualification for his efforts.
 
“It’s excellent, the course is well set up, it’s structured well, they communicate well, I couldn’t be happier,” he said.
 
Elliott says his knowledge about the industry has definitely increased since starting the course.
 
While the skills he was learning weren’t entirely new to him because of his hands-on experience working in-store, it allowed him to explore them in greater depth with this teacher, he said.
 
Paul is already planning to send more of his employees to take part in the course when the current group of students finish in three months.
 
“I’ll have no hesitation putting a couple of other boys through it in the next couple of years, no problem.”
 
With generous funding options and flexible delivery, there’s never been a better time to upskill your staff. 
The next intake is starting soon, so don’t delay; email Theresa to find out more. 

Undercover Solar Canopy – Parking Bay Relocations
We’re pleased to advise that we’re on the home stretch of the undercover parking canopies, with the steel structures for four of the six canopies in both the north and south courtyards complete.

Construction will now commence on the final middle canopies in both courtyards. 

This means, from tomorrow, Wednesday 18 August, those businesses who were relocated for the past six weeks will go back to their original parking bays under the newly completed steel structures. The final group of parking bays will be temporarily relocated from Wednesday 18 August to Wednesday 29 September.

Click on the image below or visit https://melbournemarkets.com.au/news-events/canopy-project-update/ to view all new parking bay relocations. Remember, MRO’s will be available to assist with any relocation queries.

Once all steel structures are complete, work begins to install over 4000 individual solar panels to the six rooftops, to provide a massive 1.95 MegaWatt Solar PV System to support onsite energy demands. The installation of the solar panels will not impact market operations during trade. 
 
Questions
Please contact customer service if you have any questions about the parking relocation or the undercover parking project.



Shop and Win campaign comes to an end 
The Shop & Win campaign has officially finished! Check out Victoria’s amazing results. 

105 Victorian stores nominated 
– Close to 2,000 entries into the competition
– Over 1.3 million people reached through social media and YouTube.

And nationally, the campaign did even better… 

331 stores nominated
23,282 entries
– Over 4.98 million reached (that’s 19% of Australia’s population!)

Thank you to all the stores who participated in this award-winning initiative! We look forward to sharing the details of our next planned campaign with you soon!



M80 upgrade road closures
There are multiple road closures scheduled over the coming week that may affect your journey to and from the Melbourne Market. 

Hume Freeway closure
The Hume Freeway will be closed between Craigieburn Road and the M80 Ring Road from 8pm, Friday 20 August to 5 am, Monday 23 August. 
Detours will be in place via the Hume Highway, Mahoneys Road, Cooper Street and Edgars Road. 

M80 Ring Road closures
The M80 Ring Road will be closed overnight in both directions between Sydney Road and Edgars Road during the following times:

– 10pm, Friday 20 August to 6am, Saturday 21 August
– 10pm, Saturday 21 August to 8am, Sunday 22 August
– 9pm, Sunday 22 August to 5am, Monday 23 August
– 10 pm, Saturday 28 August to 8 am, Sunday 29 August

Detours will be in place via Mahoneys Road, Edgars Road, Cooper Street and the Hume Highway. 

The images below illustrate both the Hume Freeway and M80 Ring Road closures, including detours. 



Temporary Power Shutdown



On Sunday 22 August various areas of the Melbourne Market will undergo a temporary power shutdown. The shutdown is to allow for crucial maintenance works to be carried out on the inner ring power supply system.

Power supply will be cut for approximately eight and a half hours, from 7:00 am – 3:30 pm.

The following market areas will be affected:

– Buyers’ Walk (all tenancies)
– Administration Building
– All commercial businesses
– Fruit & Vegetable Trading Floor
– Flower Market (including Flower Market Café and APACK).
– Diesel station
– LPG stations 
– Recycling Transfer Centre
– Loading West and recess loading dock
– EFS buildings
– Central Cooling Plant

Warehouses on the outer ring will not be affected by this shutdown. 

To minimise any impact on your business, we suggest the following:

– To maintain cool temperatures within your tenancy, we would recommend not entering your premise during the
shutdown; this means you should reschedule deliveries where possible.
– If you have temperature-sensitive produce, you may need to consider alternative storage options.
– If you have deliveries coming to the site during this time, you will need to alert your driver to the power outage
and have them follow the instruction of Market Relations Officers on site. 
– All electronic equipment such as computers, laptops and point of sale systems should be switched off, and all data
should be saved and backed up before the outage.
– There will be restricted access to internal buildings within the Market due to low light, and most restrooms on-site will be closed. Warehouse 5 & 6 toilets will have power and will be available for use.

If you have any questions, please contact the help desk on 9258 6419.

Industry News
Hort Connections 2021 speaker sessions recorded and online



The Hort Connections speaker sessions are a major highlight of each year’s event. The sessions feature industry experts presenting cutting-edge research and industry development, as well as answering questions on industry issues such as barriers to export, taking business expansion to the next level, quality assurance and consumer-centric branding.

Presenters and audience both contribute to conversations about the future of Australia and New Zealand’s horticulture sector.

This year, Victorian’s missed out on attending the conference due to lockdown restrictions.
If you’re keen to catch up on the 2021 Hort Connections program, all speaker sessions have now been uploaded online and are free to view. 
Go to hortconnections.com.au/speaker-sessions-2021/ 

Melbourne Market Job Board



Do you have a vacancy to fill in your business?
Email submissions@melbournemarket.com.au for the position to be placed on our online job board.
Looking for a new role? Check out the online job board via the button below. 

View full online job board

FRESH PRODUCE BUYER – SCICLUNA’S
A rare opportunity has arisen to join Scicluna’s Real Food Merchants at the Melbourne Produce Market in Epping in this key position as Fresh Produce Buyer.

You will work early morning shift and be responsible for buying fresh produce for our wholesale business. For more details on this or to apply, please visit https://www.seek.com.au/job/53254945

FRESH PRODUCE DELIVERY DRIVERS – SCICLUNA’S
We are seeking enthusiastic full-time Fresh Produce Delivery Drivers to join our lively team. You will be based at our Dandenong South warehouse and deliver fresh produce to our customers in the hospitality industry whilst providing exceptional customer care. Excellent product knowledge and strong experience in a relevant industry and/or role are essential. You will hold a current valid driver’s licence and be responsible for delivery runs around Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula, starting between 3am and 5am, 5 days per week. Weekend and public holiday penalty rates apply.

For more details on this or to apply, please visit https://www.seek.com.au/job/53242789

Ask the MMA
If you’ve got a question for the MMA email it to: submissions@melbournemarket.com.au.

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