Welcome

At Merit Partners we like to share our knowledge and expertise, strive to build long term client relationships, and guarantee results that add value.

Specialising in advising owner-managed businesses, government and public companies, Merit Partners is committed to meeting the goals and objectives of the corporate community.

Make the call today
Experienced staff are waiting to assist you
Responsive to your every need
Invest in your future
Take action now

Partners for life

Creative Territory wins national award for Cyclone Carlos work

Creative Territory continues its trailblazing efforts in winning another national award. Congratulations to Tracy Jones and her team – they’re sure going places! Read more...

CPA – New Committee Members

Merit Partners is proud to announce the successful election of Valentin Markez and Hwei Yuin Yong to the CPA NT branch committee.  They continue Merit Partners strong support of the professional accounting bodies in the Northern Territory.

Merit Partners proud Sponsor of the 2011 East Arnhem Shire Conference: Strong Communities, Strong Futures

On the 12 of October Merit Partners attended, as sponsor and participants, the 2011 East Arnhem Shire Conference: Strong Communities, Strong Futures.

The 2011 Conference was a premier event of the Local Government Week bringing Stakeholders and Local Government Industry together.

The Conference consisted of a variety of forums and exhibitions aiming to promote new innovative ideas and increase productivity in remote Arnhem Land and beyond. A key feature was the Launch of the first Northern Territory Reconciliation Action Plan. Speakers of great calibre, such as Timmy Djawa Burarrwanga,  Djapirri Mununggirritj, John Kundereri Moriarty AM and Ted Egan AO, participated in the Conference.

The Conference plenary included a number of forums and a breathtaking keynote by Dr Jeff McMullen AM who spoke about the importance of preserving land and culture and how society can learn from the indigenous custodians of the land.

Merit Partners was delighted to be the Silver Sponsor of the 2011 East Arnhem Shire Conference. The event was a great opportunity to share business ideas, innovation and contextual issues related to Local Government and to develop healthy and positive associations and partnerships.  The Conference was attended by over 200 delegates from all tiers of Government, Community and Private Sector.

Welcome to our new starters

Sarah Lane, Lysa Hoang, Tendai Gwanzura, Bradley Hector, Don Wanigaratne, Benny Huan, Jack Wong, Lavania Vankrisappan & Wan Jin Lim.

Theodore Morning Tea – Thank you to donors

On Wednesday 10th August Merit Partners hosted a morning tea for Darwin based businesses who very generously donated their expertise and services to establish and administer the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust.

The trust has raised over $350,000 in cash and together with the value of the in kind donations, the total donations would be approximately $400,000.  So far the funds have been distributed via Vouchers $100,000, tied donations$42,500, community group grants $52,000 with $148,000 left to distribute.  

The representatives of the Darwin businesses were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Trustees of the Fund on behalf of the people of Theodore. Those present enjoyed delicious tarts from Kurts Cake and fruit for morning tea while Anne Chater & Liz Schoecraft (Theodore residents) told their personal stories.  Images of the devastating floods were displayed and Anne & Liz personally thanked all present and distributed gifts in appreciation of their efforts.

We add out heartfelt thanks to the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations:

• Clayton Utz – Margaret Michaels & Kim Packer
• Creative Territory – Tracy Jones
• Izennah.com – Izennah Hogan
• KPMG – Clive Garland, Denys Stedman, Patience Mutsimba and Lyka Zarate
• Merit Partners – Rosemary Campbell, Tamara O’Sullivan & Khia Marriott
• NAB – Katy Chin
• Quickprint – Tony & Magdalene Coleman

Darwin Airport Charity Golf Day – Friday 5 August

Merit Partners was proud to sponsor and participate in the Darwin Airport’s Charity Golf Day on Friday 5 August down at Marrara’s Darwin Golf Club. All funds raised will be utilised to subsidize the purchase and installation of a mobile pool hoist for Carpentaria Disability Services.

The Carnivale themed day saw bright colours, balloons, face painting and classic Carnival knock-em-down games all in the name of Charity, with the Merit Partners booth on the 8th hole raising over $900 in support of Carpentaria Disability Services.

There were also plenty of golfers walking around at the end of the day supporting Merit Partners with our trusty logo painted on faces. For every face that had the Merit Partner logo Merit Partners donated $1.

Many thanks to Andrew Bridge, the Golf Doctor for donating a half-hour golf lesson with a golf pro in conjunction with our business card & raffle prize.

Congratulations to all the winners and grinners of the day.

Please see attached.

Bring your children to work day

Merit Partners recently gave employees a break in their working day with a Bring Your Child to Work Day, on Thursday 14 July 2011.

The directors invited staff to bring their children in for the morning for a meet and greet (let’s call it a Corporate Play Date), giving Merits employees the opportunity to show their children where and with whom they work, and giving the Merits employees without children an opportunity to release their inner child. With entertainment, face painting and balloon animals provided by Chantal the Fairy, and topped off with a fruit and chocolate and fairy bread laden morning tea, much fun and laughter could be heard down the hallways of the Merits floor. We think the kids enjoyed themselves too!

It was great to see so many potential future accountants running around!

Merit Worthy, not just in numbers!

The 2011 Annual ICAA Tri-Sports challenge saw another great night of competition this year with another great turnout from each of Darwin’s big four firms - Merit Partners, BDO, Deloitte and KPMG – at the Top End Indoor Sports Centre on Friday 15 July.

Securing a win in all three sports – soccer 4 - 3, netball 35 – 22 and cricket 100 – 19 - Merit Partners did well to uphold the defending champion title, tallying up a third year of victory!

Thank you to the Institute for organising the event for another year and to all the players and supporters of all firms who made it such a great night!

Our very own Hero Rosemary Campbell

Darwin woman to be honored as a Queensland Disaster Hero
6 June 2011

A Darwin businesswoman will be honored as a Queensland Disaster Hero by Premier Anna Bligh in Rockhampton tonight.

Accountant Rosemary Campbell went to the aid of her former home town Theodore, which was devastated by the floods in December and January.

The partner of Darwin firm Merit Partners established the Theodore Flood Recovery Appeal, raising $320,000 and giving a helping hand to local residents and businesses.

Rosemary said while the award recognised the many people who donated to the appeal in cash and in kind.

“The floods devastated many parts of Queensland and I wanted to do something to help my old home town,” she said.

“With the support of people across Australia, we’ve been able to help Theodore come back to life.”

Theodore was completely evacuated as the flood waters rose, with few in the town escaping the devastation. Virtually every business went under, thousands of hectares of crops were destroyed and residents were forced to come home to a sea of mud.

Using Facebook to promote the appeal across Australia, the Theodore Flood Recovery Trust used an innovative approach to help the town. Much of the money raised was given to local residents as vouchers that could only be redeemed in local businesses.

“Our goal was to maximise the benefit to all of Theodore, helping both residents and businesses and keeping the money in the town. Without a viable business community, Theodore would suffer a double blow from the floods,” Rosemary said.

Click here to view the NT News article

One of our directors Steven Lai profiled in Taxation in Australia magazine.

Steven was recently profile in Taxation in Australia magazine. Click here to read the full profile and interview.

A nice Break from the Office

On Friday the 10th of June, a portion of Merit Partners staff enjoyed a nice fun afternoon in the sun at Lake Alexander. The social club organized a team event before the end of financial year dinner with Life Be In It.  The teams were selected by Life Be In It staff with competitive results.  It was great to see all teams taking on the “stress less” attitude. The games included: – removing a bucket of water from the middle of a circle with only a piece of rope; back yard cricket; 4 way tug-a-war; 4 way volley ball and more. A big thank you to the social club for going out of their way to organize this event and for Life be in It staff who helped make this a day full of fun activities and providing Merit Partners with a great afternoon together.

Congratulations David Gomez!

Merit Partners is pleased to note the appointment of Mr David Gomez, as a member of the Corporations and Market Advisory Committee (“CAMAC”). CAMAC members are appointed based on their knowledge and experience in business, financial markets, law, economics or accounting.  David is looking forward to applying his legal, accounting and regulatory background to assist the committee in making recommendations to the Minister. His appointment has been effective since 23 May 2011 for a three-year term.

The CAMAC committee was established under Part 9 of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 to provide a source of independent advice to the Australian Government on issues that arise in corporations and financial markets.

Merit Partners were proud to sponsor “Da Heat”

Hoops 4 Health Aboriginal Corporation (H4H) is a health promotion charity based in Darwin, Northern Territory. The Organisation is governed by a Board of Directors, all of whom are Indigenous people who reside in the Northern Territory. Hoops 4 Health, programs and facilitators use the sport of basketball as the vehicle to advocate for the continued improvement of the lives of Indigenous youth, children, families and communities. The tournament was played from 4-7 July at the Darwin Basketball Association in Marrara.

Merit Partners were proud to sponsor “Da Heat” – a team that entered the competition with one of the members an employee of Merit Partners, Rohan Cropley.

The team played really well, with this Grand Final report telling the story:-

Highlight reel, Deba George led JJ Balaz to the win in the H4H NAIDOC Basketball Tournament.

The Queensland team won 101 to 88 against local Darwin team Da Heat (Merit Partners sponsored team).

The game was a tight affair until the final quarter when Mark Moseling hit a couple of threes and broke the game open.

First quarter Da Heat gained an 8 point lead with some sweet shooting from Rohan.

Travis Ellis, Rohan and Matthew kept Da Heat in the game until the four quarter when the fresh legs of the JJ Balaz proved to be the defining factor.

Indigenous Work program

Merit Partners are pleased to announce our new aboriginal work experience program.  If you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent and would like to gain work experience in an office environment, learning administrative, financial, bookkeeping and accounting skills, please call us to obtain more information on our work experience program.

NOW is the time to check that you have NOT exceeded the various superannuation contributions caps.

General

The concessional cap is $25,000. Examples of concessional contributions are Super Guarantee contributions, salary sacrifice or contributions you intend to claim as a tax deduction.

• Exception
  For contributors aged 50 or older, the cap is $50,000 for the 2010/11 and 2011/12 financial years.
   

General

The non-concessional cap is $150,000.  Examples are personal contributions for which no tax deduction is claimed or excess concessional contributions.  NB contributions may be eligible for government co-contribution.

• Exception.
  Contributors who turn 65 during the financial year or older (but less than 75) can increase contributions, to a maximum of $450,000 within any 3 year period.
   

Penalties

For amounts contributed in excess of the concessional cap, an additional 31.5% tax is payable.  NB contributions in excess of concessional cap become part of the non-concessional cap amount.

For amounts contributed in excess of the non-concessional cap, an additional 46.5% tax is levied.

Welcome our New Starters

Lorraine Marsh, Tamara Thornton & Jenni Dexter

Baby News

Congratulations to Sandrina and Adrian Disney on the safe arrival of their baby boy. Aiden Marques Disney was born a healthy 6.9 pounds on the 30th March 2011. Mother and baby are doing well and we wish Sandrina all the best on her Maternity Leave and hope she enjoys every minute of it.

Merit Partners very own Cowboy!

Rhem Schroeder one of Merit Partners tax employees has a passion for the Rodeo scene in Darwin and also all around Australia. This is his story:

2011 is my Rookie Year on the Australian Professional Rodeo Association (A.P.R.A) Tour. Winning $1,150 in the Steer Wrestling (pictured) and $480 in the Rope & Tie at Clare Rodeo in SA, helps put me back in the top 15 and top 5 (Rookie) standings for these events, . The top 15 for each event at the end of the year qualify for the National Finals on the Gold Coast in January.

We all wish Rhem the very best in pursuing his rodeo passion and you can follow his progress on the Pro Rodeo website.

Blood Donation

On the 13th, 14th & 15th of April of Merit Partners Staff braved their fears and made their way to Casuarina Red Cross Blood Donation Office. After hearing there was a quite large shortage of Blood Australia wide we decided to donate before Easter for what can be and usually is quite a busy time for blood emergencies.

Pictured are the brave blood donors from left to right:

Back : Brooke Singh, Chris Pearce, Neil Gerrard, Valentin Markez, Vannessa Gill, Tom O’Shaunessy – Front: Merianne McLean, Ochie Sanchez, Emma Pickett, Elisabeth Tan and Margaret Seccafien
Absent : Barb Hogan & David Gomez

Well Done Guys!

New staff member

We would like to Welcome Khia Marriott to our team at Merit Partners as our new receptionist

Merit Partners has turned 7!!

The directors and staff at Merit Partners shared and enjoyed a delicious morning tea on the 27th of February to celebrate the birthday of Merit Partners turning 7 years young!

Congratulations for Candice Thomson (pictured left with Amin Islam & Ochie Sanchez (pictured right with Steven Lai) for their well committed 7 years service to Merit Partners.

Congratulations for Candice Thomson and Ochie Sanchez for their well committed 7 years service to Merit Partners. 

View photos from the celebration below (click on the thumbnails for larger view)

Back to Work (School)

After a good Christmas holiday break for the team at Merit Partners we welcomed everyone back with a team Challenge. The ‘Back to School’ Theme was a good chance for everyone to get back into work for the year and have a bit of fun!

The teams consisted of Amin’s Amigos (orange), Rosemary’s Rascals (purple), Kennon’s Crusaders (red) & Steven’s mean Green Fighting Machines (green).

Some of the games included: relay races with puzzles and questions along the way, a very large blow up ball race, which team could build the tallest tower out of a piece of sticky tape, straws and a paper plate, and also giant games of connect four, Chinese checkers, jenga and pick up sticks. Congratulation to Amin’s Amigo’s for taking out the win.

A very BIG thanks to the teams for organising costumes and getting into the spirit of the day, ‘Life Be in it’ for organising the team games and to the Social club for organising the fundraising lunch and co-ordinating the entire event. Also, well done to the teams at Merit Partners who attended  for getting involved and making it a great day of fun and laughter.

On the same day before our afternoon of fun, the social club decided to have a shared lunch which turned into a fundraiser for the devastating floods of Queensland recovery efforts. We are happy to announce that a total of $553.60 was raised for the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust. This increased the total donations made by Merit Partners staff which was matched dollar for dollar by Merit Partners.

In-kind donations of professional services received by the Theodore Recovery Appeal top the $15,000 mark.  

Rosemary Campbell Director, Merit Partners, on behalf of the trustees for the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust, would like to thank the following generous businesses for providing their time and expertise free of charge:

• Colemans Printing (www.colemanprint.com.au) for printing the vouchers and application forms
• Izennah.com (www.izennah.com) for the graphic designs and visual communications including the logo, vouchers, brochures & letterhead KPMG (www.kpmg.com.au) for auditing the financial accounts
• The donations of these services mean that all donations are able to help the people of Theodore rebuild with no money being used for administration.

 

Support the community of Theodore devastated by Queensland floods by donating to the Theodore Recovery Appeal trust. Every little bit helps and donations over $2 are tax deductible. Contact our office or see our website for information on how to donate.

 

Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust

A small country town of Theodore is just one of many Queensland communities shattered from the recent floods.

Rosemary Campbell, one of Merit Partners Directors was born and bred in Theodore with her family growing up on a cotton farm. Some of her family members still live there. Rosemary has set up the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust - a charitable trust being administered by  community leaders of Theodore and herself.

“It is only a very small community and my worry is that it won’t be able to compete with the larger communities in Queensland for donations. It would just be so sad to see the beautiful community unable to rebuild after this terrible event through lack of financial assistance. We are all blessed with belonging to vibrant communities so I know you will appreciate how hard it would be to suddenly have your community disappear.” Rosemary said

If you are able to help at all with a donation it would be very much appreciated. Any little bit helps! As a charitable trust it is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient with the Australian Taxation Office. This means that donations over $2 will be tax deductible. It would be also be fantastic to spread the word to your family and friends on behalf of the great people of Theodore.

For those of you on Facebook we have set up a page dedicated to this cause where you can follow the fund raising developments.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Theodore-Recovery-Appeal/172433992794714?v=page_getting_started#!/pages/Theodore-Recovery-Appeal/172433992794714

Donations can be made directly into the trust bank account

Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust
National Australia Bank
BSB 085-933
A/C 18-851-0300

Or

Cheque made payable to Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust sent to
Merit Partners Pty Ltd
GPO Box 3470
DARWIN NT 0801

From the team at Merit Partners and especially from Rosemary, thank you very much for your support and generosity to this worthy cause, and help Theodore rebuild their vibrant community.

Thank You to Creative Territory

A big thank you to Tracy Jones from Creative Territory for her wonderful help and marketing expertise in setting up the Theodore Recovery Appeal facebook site. It is Creative Territory’s innovation, experience and “can do” attitude that makes them a winner. If you are thinking about how to kick start marketing your business this year we highly recommend Tracy Jones at Creative Territory.

Thank You to Clayton Utz

Margaret Michaels, Mark Spain & Kim Packer from Clayton Utz have donated their time and expertise in setting up the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust. Their valuable contribution has meant that all of the funds raised will go directly to the people of Theodore rather than on set up and administration costs. This is another great example of their community spirit.

Thank You to National Australia Bank

The great team at National Australia Bank business banking unit in Smith Street branch have moved heaven and earth to set up the Theodore Recovery Appeal Trust bank account in record time. They also organised the best possible account structure to virtually eliminate any bank fees and charges to ensure that all donations are able to go directly to the people of Theodore.

 

• View previous news articles