About Karyn Starmer
Karyn Starmer is a second career journalist working in print, radio and digital media after completing a Masters in Journalism.
Karyn began her working life as a financial markets trader for an international bank but wandered away from Sydney in search of a better life balance.
Passionate about the challenges of the changing media landscape, building a thoughtful, intelligent voice is at the heart of all her work.
Living the best of both worlds, Karyn has lived on the South Coast since 1999, but calls Canberra her second home and spends a lot of time on the Kings Highway.
All Articles
News
High-flying Canberra start-up ONTHEGO (OTG) has entered administration, a victim, its founder says, of the global pandemic. OTG CEO Mick Spencer has confirmed the appointment of an administrator in what he says is a proactive step to secure the company's future. "OTG is still an actively trading company, our factory in Canberra is still open, our staff are still employed,"...
News
Icy winter frosts are making a regular appearance and our heaters are well and truly on, so that means it is nearly time for Canberra CEOs to pull out their thermals and woolly socks and get ready for a cold night sleeping out for the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout. A national event held by the St Vincent de Paul Society...
News
The ACT's new Labour Hire Licence scheme, designed to secure fairer conditions for workers and weed out dodgy providers, comes into effect on 27 May 2021. As part of a range of strict new measures, the Labour Hire Licensing Act 2020 will require all ACT labour-hire providers to hold a licence and demonstrate ongoing compliance with industry standards and workplace...
News
How do you connect people in a fragmented world, and what are the challenges facing Canberra businesses right now? These are the questions the Canberra Business Chamber recently considered in a major shake up of the services it offers the Canberra business community. Canberra Business Chamber chief executive officer Graham Catt says like so many businesses, the chamber had to...
News
With the Federal budget done and dusted for another year, the winners and losers identified and analysed, most of us have moved on. But there is a small section of the Canberra business community who will be feeling particularly happy with this year's budget - our technology firms. The announcement of a $1.2 billion digital spending package is good cause...
News
New ACT labour-hire laws designed to protect contract workers and weed out dodgy providers are set to come into force later this month. Under the new laws, labour-hire providers in the ACT will need to apply for licences to operate as part of a range of strict new measures designed to better protect workers. The new laws come in response...
News
Canberra infrastructure and renewables development company Elvin Group has announced the installation of Australia’s first commercial urban large scale-based utility battery. The 5 megawatt-hour battery will have the capacity to service the average energy needs of approximately 5,400 households for an hour. It will also stand ready to pump power into the grid in the event of a shortfall, making...
Expert Advice
After a year of disruption and hard slog, most Canberra businesses are slowly beginning to see the light of day. But after everything businesses have been through, lawyers and financial advisors are reporting more owners are thinking beyond this year or next and considering their life beyond business ownership. Snedden Hall & Gallop's senior associate and succession planning specialist, Emily...
News
The ACT economy has again demonstrated solid economic growth with good results across most indicators for the first quarter of 2021. While all states and territories are showing positive results, the recovery is looking especially strong for the capital. Bendigo Bank Head of Economic and Market Research David Robertson says the outlook for the Territory is particularly optimistic but says...
News
As a company whose roots began in construction, Geocon is keenly aware of the prevalence of men’s health issues in the construction industry. With research showing that workers in the industry are at high risk of experiencing some form of mental illness, and men comprising 80 per cent of Geocon's construction workforce, a partnership with Menslink was an easy fit...
News
Thinking back to when the words 'contact tracing' and 'lockdown' were not part of our everyday language, those little pixelated squares called QR codes could be seen on product labels, but were by and large ignorable. Fast-forward to 2021 and governments are mandating we use our smartphones to scan them, sharing our personal details at every venue we enter and...
Expert Advice
Small businesses struggling with debt have been offered a lifeline through reforms to small business insolvency rules. The changes to Australia's insolvency rules were designed to assist with restructuring and relieving the debt burden of small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes, including a new debt restructuring process and a simplified liquidation process, will apply to incorporated small...
News
One year ago, Glenys Beauchamp was Secretary of the Department of Health, preparing for her upcoming retirement after nearly 40 years in the public service, including nine at Secretary level. It had been a stellar career: as one of the first women to head a Commonwealth department, Beauchamp is the recipient of the Public Service Medal for her work co-ordinating...
Expert Advice
Complaints, and those making them, can be hard to deal with at the best of times, from tiresome retirees with nothing better to do except wage a personal war against their local government, to customers whose level of entitlement and expectations exceeds any business' ability to deliver. But when it comes to workplace complaints, managers need to be particularly savvy...
News
Sixty years ago, Canberra was a very different place to the modern thriving city it is today. Just 50,000 people lived in the nation's capital, Lake Burley Griffin was still an idea, and the town centres of Woden Valley, Belconnen and Tuggeranong were yet to be planned. In a city full of promise, one of Canberra's long-standing law firms opened...
Local Leaders
Being a child of parents who are born overseas can often seem like a cultural juggling act. The desire to fit in at school while under pressure at home to continue the traditions and language of their parents can often create tension. Baker Deane & Nutt conveyancer Ida Lam was born and bred in Canberra, but the challenge for her...