Fuel, Compliance, And What Outdoor Operators Need Next

Fuel shortages, shifting compliance rules, and fast-changing marketing and tech are colliding with the day-to-day reality of running an outdoor business. We get practical about what that means for outdoor education providers, adventure tourism operators, and land managers across New South Wales and the ACT, and we share the resources you can act on immediately.

We also come back to a core issue we see everywhere in the outdoor sector: people are stepping into leadership without being shown how to lead. That’s where confidence drops and decisions get harder, even for capable, caring professionals. We explain why the Pinnacle Leadership Programme exists, what mentorship and structure can unlock, and who should consider applying for the next cohort.

From there, we look at the wider operating environment. We talk about fuel conservation messaging and why “there’s more at stake than fuel” for regional tourism, regional jobs, and the small businesses that rely on travel. We outline ways to support the pledge campaign, and we flag two major business changes: Superpay Day from July 1 and the end of credit card surcharges from October 1, 2026. We also point you to industry tools and updates, including the Jobs and Skills Australia training pathways dataset, dirt jump facility planning guidelines, outdoor industry standards, and key dates for upcoming masterclasses, conferences, and the NSW ACT Outdoor Industry Awards.

If you want fewer surprises and better plans for the year ahead, hit play, share this with someone in your team, and leave a review so more outdoor operators can find it. What change is most likely to impact your operations right now?

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Welcome to the Outdoors New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, weekly Outdoor Industry Connect and Share Forum. Where ideas thrive, collaborations spark, and our industry comes together to grow. Let's connect, share, and make an impact. This episode is recorded live with our professional outdoor friends and provided post-event as a resource for the outdoor industry.

Leadership Cohort Applications Open

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Good morning, everyone. Welcome to another Connect and Share with Outdoors New South Wales and ACT. Episode 11. My goodness, the year is going really quickly, and it's the 23rd of April, which those that are with us today in person know only too well. May I please acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands of which we all meet today. We've got some in field, some in the office, some around and about. So I'd love to uh acknowledge the traditional owners and pay my respects to elders past, present, and those that are we're working with to educate more about country and our place. A huge thanks call out to Kai for standing in for me last week as I was in the middle of the ocean somewhere. And uh she uh certainly um could easily take on my job on a weekly basis. And uh thank you for all the work she's doing with the Pinnacle Leadership Programme and being our outdoor ambassador. At the moment, she's over in LA singing the tune of all things outdoors, uh, and we'll be back very soon. But uh you'll see her not too far in the distant future as she is our MC for our industry awards, but more on that later. But I do want to share with you that we have opened up the Pinnacle Leadership Cohort Program number three application. So if you know any women that really want to explore their capacity as a leader beyond just outdoor leading, but into leadership roles, then this may be for them. So please, if you uh watch this video and you think of someone as you're watching it, get them in touch and get them to apply.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Something I see a lot in the outdoor industry is people stepping into leadership roles without actually being shown how to lead. They're capable, they care, but they're often figuring it out as they go. And that's where confidence drops, decision making gets harder, and things start to feel a bit uncertain. Because leadership isn't just a title, it is a skill set. That's why we created the Pinnacle Leadership Programme, to give people the structure, mentorship, and practical tools to step into the leadership with a bit more clarity and direction. If that sounds like where you're at, reach out, have a chat, and hopefully we can help you head in the right direction with your leadership journey. Starting August 2026.

Snorkeling Guide Feedback Request

Fuel Shortages And Regional Pledge

New Rules For Pay And Cards

Training Pathways Tool Feedback

Dirt Jumps Webinar And Farewell

Standards Bundle And Employment Guidance

Cancer Council Photo Deadline

Masterclass Topics And Industry Awards

Outdoor Learning Events And NOEX

Wrap Up And Anzac Day Thanks

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Fabulous. So if anyone comes to mind, please tell them to get in touch and apply today. Doesn't start till August, but uh if they get in early, they'll be sure not to miss out. Now, a big call out to those that might use the snorkeling good practice guide. Uh, we just want some people that can come to the table to discuss its appropriate future uh in the AAAS framework. And uh if you are using it or if you do conduct snorkeling activities and uh you don't use it, we really want you to be in touch so we can understand where this GPG fits in the scheme of snorkeling activities. So please, if you do snorkeling, get in touch and we'll give you the next steps on what we're trying to find out from you all. Uh fuel shortages are still on the horizon, um, and we are doing our best to get awareness around our impact as an industry. And uh certainly if you haven't told us already what it is doing to your business, what the impact is, scan that QR code and fill out that survey just so we're aware. But uh yesterday the Australian Regional Tourism Organization released a campaign talking about how there's more at stake than fuel. If everyone abides by the$20 million messages that have been coming out from the federal government, um, certainly they're doing their best to save fuel. But what that is doing to regional locations is certainly impacting economies, uh, employment, um, general activation of our regional communities. So there is a campaign at the moment, obviously building awareness of the situation and the impact on regional areas, but also asking people to take a uh a pact, uh a pledge to make sure they come back to regions as soon as uh this does all uh subside. So um, if you want to jump on board, you're more than welcome to uh visit the Australian Regional Tourism Network's uh website, download the toolkit, and uh get involved. But um certainly interesting conversations as we progress in this uh current crisis, where it will lead and uh what impacts it will make to our industry. Um you can see here I've done a video which I'll share with you. Hi, I'm Laurie Mode. I'm currently the CEO of Outdoors New South Wales and ACT, as well as the chair of the Outdoor Council of Australia. We recognize the importance of fuel conservation and the national effort that is underway. But at the same time, we ask for recognition of how important outdoor education, outdoor recreation, our adventure tourism industries play in our community because there's more at stake than fuel. As the Australian Regional Tourism Organization has indicated, we need to work together to understand what is at stake. When travel slows, regional communities are often the first to feel it and the hardest hit. So we're encouraging Australians to continue to support regional areas, and that might be taking a pledge to come out at a time that is more convenient, more timely in what we're seeing right now. As one trip can make a real big difference. We encourage you to get outdoors, get adventurous, and be part of nature as we know the benefits of what that can provide our physical and our mental health. We also ask you to consider not reacting and cancelling some of those important outdoor education opportunities, your recreation opportunities, and manage it as best as you can in this current environment. But come back as soon as you physically can. Even if it's not right now, we ask you to make that pledge because we know how impactful regional businesses in our sector and our industry play for the greater good of Australia. So thank you and see you in the regions. So the whole campaign is asking for everyone to either record a video of similar nature or uh just expose the campaign on their social media. Okay, changes coming. So the first one is around Superpay Day, which is the first of July. So for those businesses that uh have employees, your super needs to be paid on the day that you give them their pay. So this is now a rule by the ATO as of the 1st of July. So get ready for those uh cash flow challenges that certainly will come after being complacent of only paying each quarter. Um, the second one there is a really important one for everyone to know from the RBA. And from the 1st of October, there is to be no more credit card surcharges. So this is uh RBA regulating the banks, which means that it then affects us because, as you probably know, as a business, we can only pass on the fees that we get. In a credit card surcharge as a business, you have an obligation to only pass on the fees that you are charged. So once this comes into effect, you won't be charged uh credit card surcharges, which means a business cannot charge a credit card surcharge from 1st of October 2026. So if you want to jump onto the RBA website for any information, it will certainly um steer you in the right direction for that. Or reach out here and we'll be more than happy to assist. Uh, the training skills, uh, sorry, Jobs and Skills Australia has just released their training occupation pathways. Um, I would love you all to have a look at this if you're in the vet system or if you're an employer that looks at people coming from the VET system to have a look at this tool and um and provide any commentary that you might see if it's applicable, if it needs change. Um certainly I've indicated some already some changes that need to happen with this tool, um, and I'll certainly be working with my friends at SkillsIQ and uh human ability to pass that through. Um, so it is a new tool, it is a data set, uh a database of all the pathways that exist in jobs and skills in the country. Uh, you can scan that QR code, it'll take you straight to that data set platform. Feel free to navigate it and provide us any feedback you might have in relation to this tool. Dirt jumps. This is probably more for our council friends and uh land managers, but Blue Sky Trails has just developed the dirt jump facility planning guidelines. So this is a great tool for those that uh might be looking at legitimizing some of those uh areas that have been developed by kids over time in areas unused, but also if they are looking at some mountain bike facilities in their location. So this webinar is on the 6th of May at 12 o'clock. It is free to be part of that webinar, so you can go to the Blue Sky Trails website and uh register via there. But a good tool, no doubt, for those land managers. This is a bit sad, but we wish Malga and the team at Mulga all the best as they wind up their operations. So Malga Bicycle Tours has come to a close as of this week as they step into retirement. But as they say, our direction may be changing, but our appreciation for the journeys that they've shared with the people that they've shared them with will always remain. And uh, what a great uh nine years they had touring the country with their participants. We wish them all the very best, and uh, Mulber have been great contributors to our work here at Outdoors New South Wales and ACT. So a big thank you to Mark and uh and uh wish them all the very best. Uh, this is a reminder we've had this up a couple of times, but the outdoor industry standard set is now available through Standards Australia. Uh, a group of curated standards and ISO standards have been put uh together that relate to our industry. Uh, courtesy of the Outdoor Council of Australia with a nice little members price. So that price there gives you access to 35 different standards. So you can either download them on your mobile app for$121, or you can have all the standards for$650 as you see on your screen there. So a great offer, and uh maybe not all of them are relevant, but certainly a couple will be, and uh, it's a lot better value than buying them individually. Also, the reminder about the employment guidance for the outdoor industry is in your members portal for members only. Uh, it is for all of your employees, but also for employers, it gives a really good guideline for both employer and employee on all the different things that need to be considered when it comes to the outdoor industry. And last reminder, because this is closing next week. If you haven't got your images in to win some great prizes with Cancer Council, uh now's the time to get those photos out. Let's showcase our fabulous activities, let's showcase your business, let's showcase the outdoors. So, if you can get your images in, these images will be used far and wide by Cancer Council as well as the outdoor council of Australia. We just want to make sure that they are sun safe and uh we'll be using them for lots of different promotions from this point forward. So, not only can you win prizes, but you'll be adding to the database of amazing imagery of outdoor experiences. So please get your images in before the 30th of April. Now, our events are coming up. I can't believe we'll be heading into May next week, and uh we have Jervis Bay hosting us for an amazing four days. Now, the first couple of uh days will be the outdoor masterclass. Now, if you got uh some significant points in your in your scoring, uh you would have received an email from us with your discount code to apply your discount. Uh we reward our members for keeping engaged and you earn points every time you do certain things with us, including opening secret emails and uh also pinpointing on things in your membership portal that are very important. So your score will then save you money in activities like this. So please don't uh disregard that email, go back to it, use that code. Umb still get access even if they haven't quite accumulated that score, and uh those tickets are now on sale. But to give you an idea of what we're going to cover in the masterclass, we try to bring together all of the topics that make incredible impact on any business for the following two years. So we've really looked at what's going on, and of course, we're watching the fuel uh situation with interest, and we've got some spare spots in there to deal with uh things like that. But what we're programmed in already is around e-safety. It is an area that I continually see that we are not compliant in our industry. So that workshop will uh help you get on top of e-safety, uh, cybersecurity, and protection of your data. Uh also automation and using AI, yes, it does actually impact your operations. It does create efficiencies. And I've got a couple of examples of some of our businesses that have managed to redeploy two staff members out of administration and into money creating roles in organizations in small businesses. So just purely by using automation. Marketing, always a challenge as marketing platforms grow, uh, our algorithms change, our opportunities increase. So marketing in 2026 is very different to even 2025. So we've got the specialists coming to talk to you about really what that means and what you've got to do with your marketing in 26 and beyond. Sustainable practices is also on the agenda. Um, how do we use sustainable practices, which we know we probably do uh one of the industries of the best? So, how do we use that and support our business growth in that? And what are we doing to measure or to communicate in that area? And we do have a couple of um uh, I suppose, concurrent sessions happening, one for tourism, one for education. So, in the tourism one, we're gonna be having Destination New South Wales come along and talk to us about all the things that they are doing and that you can get involved in. And the other concurrent session, the education one, we're going to be having the Duke of Edinburgh International Award updates. So a lot going on in those two days. Don't miss it. It's going to be a great couple of days in Wallamite at Jervis Bay. That second day, that evening, we're going to be hosting the very first New South Wales ACT Outdoor Industry Awards. These are now open for applications. They do close on the 10th of May. So you've got a couple of weeks to get all your ducks in a row. Download the uh the questions, uh, prepare them, and then you can put them into the form on the website, and we'll be celebrating that night on the 16th of July with the winners. So here's all your categories that you can choose from, whether it's individual categories or business categories. Something there will certainly suit you and what you do in the industry. But we'd love to see a whole assortment from all across the industry be represented in these awards. The education awards will then be through to the National Outdoor Education Awards and awarded at NOAC this year in September. So yeah, get involved and start looking at how you can benchmark against other organizations in the industry. And don't forget the judges are going to be compiling some feedback which might be of use for you and your business growth. So here's the dates for you. We're open now, they do close on the 10th of May. The judging period will go right through to the 31st of May, where we'll release the finalists. That's when the people's choice voting opens. So get rally all your troops, all your customers and your friends and relatives, and uh you can vote for the finalists in that. And then there's the Judges Deliberation Day on the 9th of June, where we discuss who takes out the gong. Two days following in Jervis Bay will be the outdoor learning conference. And this is the third time we've run this event specifically for educators and facilitators of outdoor learning. So these are the people that are getting kids outdoors more often, whether it be in a school setting or in an off-campus setting, and uh it's about sharing practice. This is a very practical conference, it's about showcasing what you do, what's worked, learning from each other, and guiding more people in doing lots more in the outdoors. So here's a real draft of what's going on. It gives you a bit of an idea, but uh it's going to be held at the Trinity Grammar Field Studies Center. So that is going to be the first topic and showcasing that wonderful uh venue that we will be uh in. And uh Tim will share us all about the challenges and the wins and the opportunities that that that uh site has presented. There is a heap of breakouts as you can see, whether it be all ages or preschool setting, primary school setting or a secondary school setting, uh, and different connect and share opportunities right through to having a keynote address on the Saturday. I'm not going to tell you who, that's a surprise when we launch it. And uh we all wrap up on the Saturday afternoon. The next event after that will be NOEX. So it's a national outdoor education conference held in Cairns. It'll be from the 26th of September through to the 1st of October. Now I think the early bird registrations do close on the 30th of April. So if you are looking at coming to that, uh might be an opportunity to get in before the 30th and grab your early bird ticket. Significant savings uh are applied. Thank you for and so I think that is the wrap by the looks of it. I thought I had another slide, but that is all of the information we have for you today. I will stick around, we'll find out what's going on in the industry and about. And uh, we look forward to seeing you all next week. So have a great week, everyone, and uh all those veterans out there. We thank you very much for your service, your continued uh connection to our safe well-being of Australia, and uh wish you all a fabulous Anzac day. Thank you very much, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 20:35

Thank you for joining the weekly Outdoor Industry Connect and Share Forum, brought to you by Outdoors New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory, your peak body for the outdoor industry. Together with our members, we're shaping the future of the outdoors. See you next week for more insights and collaboration.