Waratahs stumble into the Super Rugby finals

Christian Woods
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Waratahs stumble into the Super Rugby finals

Over the weekend the Waratahs stumbled into the Super Rugby finals, going down 40-31 against the Brumbies and losing second place to the Lions from Johannesburg. Earlier the Rebels had lost to the Highlanders, but a bonus point for finishing within 7 points ensured that the Brumbies could not possibly overtake them. They were pushed out of 8th spot by the Sharks from Durban, who finished level with the Rebels on the ladder but 16 ahead on points for/against.

The Waratahs are the only team from the Australian conference to make the finals, although the Rebels and Brumbies came 9th and 10th respectively, with the same win-loss ratio as the Sharks. They came third on the ladder as the conference winner with the fewest points, and will face potential trips to Johannesburg and then Christchurch to play in the final.

The Super Rugby finals will feature the Crusaders playing the Sharks in Christchurch, the Lions hosting the Jaguares, the Waratahs welcoming the Highlanders to Sydney and a New Zealand derby between the Hurricanes and Chiefs. These will be a series of unpredictable games, with only the Crusaders looking safe after an absolutely dominant season.

The Lions hosting the Jaguares will be interesting, as the Argentine team broke into the top 8 on a hot streak that saw them make a clean sweep of the Australian and New Zealand teams they faced on tour, then dominate the South Africa conference in the lead up to the international break. Since then they have stumbled, but still have the game to beat the Lions.

The Waratahs have only won 1 out of 4 games against New Zealand sides this year, although the 3 defeats were all very close. The 1 win was against the Highlanders in Sydney, however, where the locals had an emphatic 41-12 victory. They will be looking for a repeat performance this weekend without their inspirational skipper Michael Hooper to kick off their Super Rugby finals campaign.

The Hurricanes and Chiefs game is something of an anomaly, as on points they should have finished 2nd and 3rd behind the Crusaders, but have been knocked down by the conference system. The Chiefs beat the Hurricanes in Wellington over the weekend in a dress rehearsal for the Super Rugby finals, and will take a lot of confidence from that game.

Best ways to create a modern look in your home

Mike Smith
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Best ways to create a modern look in your home

Houses are popping up faster than ever and from so it is easy to lose the individuality of your home. We all want our homes to be works of professionally crafted art but most of the time we lack the budget or the interior designer understanding to do so. Creating a modern look in your home doesn’t have to be a difficult task and can separate you from the other little boxes without breaking the bank.

There are many different ways to make a space look elegant in your home. Here are just some of the best ways to get started on your own work of art.

Materials

The materials you use in your house set the tone and style that you are trying to achieve. Brightly coloured plastics achieve a post-modern look. If you’re trying to achieve a modern look, monochromatic materials should be used.

Stainless steel balustrades accompanied with glass are a great addition to an indoor or outdoor setting that can give your home that extra push of modernism. The stainless steel wire balustrade is also a viable option if glass isn’t appropriate for your household (if you have children!).

Crown moulding

Crown moulding offers an elegant modern look that is simple to envision and accomplish. If the space between your roof and wall doesn’t have crown moulding it can look bland, tacky and just cheap. Crown moulding gives an extra level of depth to your home.

It is also a very cost effective measure to add modernism to your home if money is of the essence. The wider your crown moulding is the more modernistic look you can achieve. Depending on your style taking into consideration the width of your crown moulding is crucial to tie your home together.

Paint

Painting and colouring a room is one of the most important steps in creating your own unique living space. The colour of the walls usually decides the remaining colour palette for furniture and other accessories.

To achieve a modern look make sure you choose appropriate colours. A good colour scheme for modern styled houses at the moment is monochromatic.

Lighting

Lighting in your home usually lacks personality and your own personal spin. Replacing stock standard ceiling lights and fans with new modernistic elements can bring your home to life.

A modern lighting experience isn’t just limited to ceiling devices. Having table lamps and floor lamps in multiple rooms can transform any bland room into a modern piece of art.

Furniture

Furniture is usually the largest investment in any room. Choosing the right type and style of furniture is crucial in tying together the theme of your household.

If you’re after a modern look, stay away from Victorian era styled pieces in your household. Having older styled furniture in a room modern paint, walls, lighting and materials would be offsetting and make the room feel muddled.

For a modern look a large monochromatic coloured lounge chair accompanied with a metal coffee table is a rising trend for modern houses.

There are many factors that can give a room a certain feel and theme. If you take into consideration these areas mentioned you are sure to achieve a modern look in your home.

Ultimately your budget affects all decisions made but the modern look doesn’t have to be expensive. Detail and smarter options can make modern easy and give you that individual flair that your home needs.

Donald Trump sides with Putin in denial of US election meddling

Christian Woods
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Donald Trump sides with Putin in denial of US election meddling

Standing alongside Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump has insisted that there was no reason to mistrust his Russian counterpart.

Regarding allegations that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 US presidential elections, Donald Trump has sided with Vladimir Putin in casting doubt on the evidence presented by US intelligence agencies, which has in turn prompted a backlash back in the United States.

In a meeting where Donald Trump was facing pressure from critics, allied nations and even his own aids to take a hard line with Russia, the US President failed to mention a single critical thing regarding Vladimir Putin or his regime.

Donald Trump instead criticised the “stupidity” of US policy, drawing particular attention to the FBI investigation of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Three days ago a US prosecutor announced an indictment of Russian spies for hacking into the network of the Democratic Party.

Donald Trump’s behaviour at the media conference with Vladimir Putin prompted a wave of criticism back in the USA. Apparently the White House has gone to great lengths to dispel suggestions that the President is unwilling to challenge Mr Putin.

Former CIA chief John Brennan called the President’s behaviour “treasonous” while the meeting was called a “tragic mistake” by long time Trump detractor Senator John McCain. Mr McCain went on to say that it was “one of the most disgraceful performances” by any US president in history.

When asked if he believed the findings of his intelligence agencies, which allege that Russia helped Trump to win the 2016 presidential election, Mr Trump insisted that he was not convinced it was definitely Moscow that interfered.

Trump said that his Russian counterpart was “extremely strong and powerful in his denial”.

Hours following the summit in Helsinki, Mr Trump took to Twitter to disclaim that he has “GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people”.

He also reasoned that because Russia and the USA were the “two largest nuclear powers” that “we must get along!”

Trump went on to say that he blamed the “foolishness” and “stupidity” of US foreign policy for souring relations with Russia to their worst point since the cold war.

Mr Putin has shared Mr Trump’s sentiments, also speaking about the importance of both countries working together. He at one point interrupted the conference to hand Mr Trump a soccer ball, no doubt in reference to the recent FIFA World Cup games in Russia.

How can call centres manage their customer data?

Alexis Powell
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How can call centres manage their customer data?

With every passing day, the pressure on companies to keep customers happy is increasing. For the same reason, outsourcing is preferred by businesses. To exceed customer expectations, every outsourcing contact centre collects customer data.

Customer confidence always gets impacted whenever companies fail to manage sensitive data. As per a report, 64% of customers don’t waste even a minute in cutting the ties with the company whenever classified information gets compromised.

To maintain the business’s credibility, it is paramount to manage customer data to avoid any breach.

Do you really want to manage customer data up to the perfection? Have a look at the following tips that will surely help you regarding the same:

Make the data privacy policy transparent

Well, no one can deny this fact that trust is one of those strongest pillars on which businesses of all sizes stand. Keeping your customers in the dark simply means you are betraying them, which, in turn, leads to a high customer attrition rate.

It is imperative for every outsourcing contact centre to make the data collection policies transparent. This is because customers have every right to know how their personal data will be used. To leave an everlasting impression on customers, it is highly important to ensure that customers always get updated about the new changes made in the data privacy policy.

Collect what you really need

What is the most effective way to manage customer data? ‘Collecting what business really needs.’

Moreover, collecting only the crucial data not only helps in streamlining processes but also builds customer confidence.

Gathering vital information could help in protecting customer data, which, in turn, helps to bolster the business’s reputation. On the other hand, asking for too much information may give a reason for customers to switch to a competitor.

All in all, it is significant for every lead generation call centre to find out how much data is required to keep the success ball rolling.

Don’t take security for granted

To ensure a long-term association with customers, it is very important to ensure that customer data doesn’t get compromised. Usually, customers provide their personal information from contact numbers to resident address because of the implied trust. Hence, the ball is in your court to keep all the sensitive information safe. Owing to this, you can bring encryption technologies into play.

To build customer confidence, it would be highly beneficial to let customers know what technology you are using to ensure the security of their data.

Apart from that, it is imperative for every outsourcing contact centre to ensure that agents don’t ask for any sensitive information over social media platforms. All confidential data should be communicated via secure channels such as email, telephone and sms.

Provide top-notch training

Customers tend to appreciate that you’ve put effort into collecting and protecting their data. But this doesn’t mean much if your agents don’t aren’t doing their jobs correctly. There are many reputed BPO firms that have a BYOD (bring your own device) policy to boost the agent’s job satisfaction level.

This policy allows the agents to do their work by using their personal electronic devices.

However, it’s important to provide training in such a way that it helps agents in understanding the importance of customer data. It’s even better when you ensure that agents have all the required software training to avoid risking a security breach.

Moreover, you can also make some necessary changes in the BYOD policy to enhance data security. However, be careful of giving your agents too much freedom in using their own devices, less it affect their job performance.

Final thoughts:

Throughout this article we have discussed a few vital tips that will surely help in managing customer data in call centres.

It is imperative for business owners to understand customer data utilisation and to ensure they are have policies in place to protect said data in the event of a breach.

Apart from that, it is also useful to keep abreast of data privacy laws so that you are always one step ahead.

Moreover, it would be beneficial to cut down on unnecessary data collection. This aspect could reduce the pressure of managing large amounts of customer data.

For more information, you can reach us in the comment section.

How to properly maintain and store electric water blasters

George Papdan
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How to properly maintain and store electric water blasters

Heavy-duty machineries, like cars, require proper care and maintenance to not just ensure that they’re running properly but also to ensure that they are still safe to operate. Commercial electric water blasters that are suited for personal and/or residential use might not seem hardcore enough to be considered heavy-duty machinery, especially when compared to petrol water blasters, but they are complex enough to require more than just baseline maintenance.

Maintenance and storage for water blasters

Most models usually come with a manual supplied by the manufacturer that includes a maintenance guide among other things. Generally, proper care for water blasters is divided into two main categories. The first deals with operational safety and involves steps to be taken before and during using water blasters. The second deals with off-season maintenance, which involves maintenance work during long-term storage when water blasters aren’t expected to be used, like during winter. Those two steps will be detailed in the following.

Operational maintenance for electric water blasters

Electric water blasters are composed of several interlocking parts and components that need to be checked and taken care of individually before using them. Even parts that might seem small and insignificant can cause you a lot of headache or worse, actual injury, if their conditions are not up to par. Some of the common steps performed before using water blasters include:

  • Inspect the rubber ‘o rings’ on the ends of the high pressure hose and see if there’s any visible wear on them. Worn ‘o rings’ are one of the most common cause of leakage on water blasters. Due to the high pressure involved in water blasters, a leak could cause you actual injuries so replace any worn ‘o rings’ if there are any.
  • Pressure washer nozzles get replaced all the time since different nozzles serve different purposes. Ergo, always check that you’re actually using the right nozzle for the job and that particular nozzle is secured in place.
  • Always keep the nozzle open when the water blaster’s running. Pressure will build up inside the hose otherwise, which might damage the water blaster.

Maintenance and storing guide after using water blasters

Proper care for electric water blasters involve more than just simply turning it off and keeping them stored in your garage. Some of the components in water blasters, like the hose and the ‘o rings’ are thankfully easily replaceable so if any of those components are showing visible wear, don’t hesitate to replace them. Some of the tips for maintaining water blasters after usage and during storage include:

  • Turn the pressure washer off first before cutting off the power source.
  • Squeeze the trigger until all pressure is released and there are all leftover water has been drained out completely.
  • Remove the detergent tank and clean it thoroughly with water to ensure that no chemicals are left and that the water coming out of the intake is clear.
  • Detach the gun from the hose and clean it with water like you did with the detergent tank.
  • Detach the house from the water blaster and again, clean it thoroughly with water.
  • Remove the power cord from the water blaster and store it on its designated place on the water blaster. Do the same thing with the high pressure hose.
  • Store the pressure washer and all of its disconnected components somewhere that won’t be ravaged by the weather and the extreme cold.
  • Try to check your water blaster from time to time and give it a go during an extended off period to see if it’s still working properly.

Specific models might come with unique maintenance procedure but the common steps outlined above should work with most models as they use the same basic structure and design. Because private and residential use of pressure washers are far from a regularity, maintenance of water blasters, especially electric ones that have a reputation of being easy to use is rarely a priority. Like any tool though, proper care and maintenance need to be taken to ensure longevity.

France beat Croatia to win the World Cup!

Christian Woods
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France beat Croatia to win the World Cup!

Overnight France beat Croatia 4-2 to secure the FIFA World Cup for the next four years. The French have been building nicely and winning comfortably throughout the knockout stages while Croatia have struggled through three regulation-time draws, despite having the softer path to the final. In the end exhaustion caught up with them, and France secured its second World Cup title.

Croatia started the match with a flurry of attacking flair, seemingly desperate to score early points before their three 120-minute games leading up to final caught up to them. France, however, found themselves awarded a free kick to Antoine Griezmann close to the box, and the ball deflected off the head of semi-final hero Mario Mandzukic for an own-goal against the run of play.

Croatia swiftly struck back, rewarded for their attacking efforts after Ivan Perisic scored from the play after a poor free kick from Luke Modric. An accidental handball from Perisic then saw Griezmann take another free kick, which he scored without any help from Croatia. France beat Croatia 2-1 in the first half despite only having 40% possession, and Croatia were looking tired.

Croatia again tried to blitz France to start the second half, interrupted only by a brief pitch invasion. The French defence again stood firm, before a counter-attack from Paul Pogba resulted in him scoring his team’s third. Kylian Mbappe added insult to injury, shooting a fourth past the tired Croatian defence and goalkeeper.

Hugo Lloris then made an absolute mess of a completely normal play, with the French kicking the ball back to the keeper. Mandzukic, who can never be accused of giving up, chased the pass which inspired Lloris to try and dodge him to gain more time. The kick from the French captain and keeper went straight to Mandzukic, who slammed it into the net to give his country a glimmer of hope.

The French then played very defensive football, secure in their 2 goal lead, and strangled the Croatians out of any hope of recovery. In the end France beat Croatia 4-2, and secured the title of best team in the world.

Excellent e-commerce customer support is your ticket to success

Beatrice McGraw
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Excellent e-commerce customer support is your ticket to success

There was a time when customer support was quite easy. Not because it was easier to solve customer queries, but at least you knew that every consumer that walks through your store’s entrance could be helped. Years back, that was the only place prospects would show up to ask for help.

As time passed on, many new technologies came into existence that improved communication without feeling the need to enter a store physically. It started off with postal letters, phones, emails, live chats and social media. Currently, there are countless ways customers can reach out to business owners for help.
From this the significant questions that arise are, how vital has customer support become in the 21st century, and how can you set an active customer support platform?

The basics of customer support

Customer support doesn’t require any bag of tricks. It’s a simple process of helping out your consumers by answering their questions or solving their problems. The more you respond to your customer’s questions, the better chances you’ll have of improving your rate of client retention.

As you can see that many business leaders are focused on promoting customer support, this process has been alive for as long as customers and businesses were present in this world. That also includes the customer loyalty card scheme, which was introduced in the late 18th century.

However, the way customer support is processed has changed significantly over the years. If we take a look back at the 19th century, customers could only receive help by walking into a store physically. After the invention of telephones, consumers could call a store to ask for help. Eventually, by 1960, businesses started opening call centers to manage all the load. After that, a couple of the most effective ways came to life that are still being used till this day, email and live chat. Other channels that are also being used are social media and in-app support.

Interaction with your customers boosts your chances of leaving a reasonable footprint on their hearts. If you fail to impress them in your first chat or call, you may scare off the prospect and also encourage them to write a poor in-app or social media review that’ll damage your reputation.

How to do customer support

“Answer Questions, solve problems, and make people happy.”

Yes, that’s pretty much all you need to do! Chances are, the next time a person needs to buy a product that’s available at your store, they’ll come back. It really doesn’t matter what you sell; the truth is that not all products are 100% and chances are a problem will arise every once in a while. Apart from that, many business owners will also come across customers that need to be taught how to use a particular product.

Either way, they will require your help at some point. It’s an excellent opportunity for you to answer their questions, solve their problems and bring a glowing smile on their faces.

However, you’ll come across many grumpy and dissatisfied customers who will simply take out all their frustration on you, especially if you fail to help them as you can’t solve every problem. It’s merely part of the process, and you’ll have to live with it. Many will understand by visualizing your efforts even if you fail, but you can’t win them all.

The best way to always be prepared for the worst is by knowing all your products and services well. This will help you in being able to respond positively, even though you can actually help or not. Also, look for ways to assist your customers to find solutions themselves, so you don’t have put your whole day in this process. You can create an FAQ page or a resource center that is filled with all the essential information related to your goods and services.

Patience is a crucial element that’ll make sure you always remain calm and polite to the first person and the 50th one asking the same question in a row. This behavior takes time to develop, but you’ll get the hang of it soon.

Where to do customer support

Now that you know the importance of customer support, where do you plan on answering all the questions? Here are a few places you should focus more on to provide customer support;

In your store

The internet is flooded with thousands of blogs and articles stating that the traditional methods of selling products in a physical store are fading out. Almost all of these posts suggest businesses to go online and start e-commerce stores. Without denying that fact that online stores are adequate, by looking at the current retail sales and people still driving their cars up to the nearest Walmart, we can conclude that retails stores are nowhere close to going out of business. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the people waiting outside an Apple store, a Microsoft store or a Sony Store the night before they are about to launch their flagship products.

The thing that made these stores maintain a high walk-in ratio is their active customer support. I still remember people visiting their nearby Samsung outlets when their Galaxy Note 7 was recalled due to a battery issue. All of them walked back home with another mobile or their money back.

Digital media

Email users are expected to cross the 4 billion mark. Therefore this channel of communication can’t be ignored. The contact form available on your website can easily be used by customers to contact your business.

Though this method isn’t considered a real-time means of communication, you can still manage to answer all queries in no time. Regardless of your location, all you need is an internet connection, a smartphone or a laptop to respond to customer’s emails.

It’s true that emails are more comfortable to handle as you can take care of them smoothly and one at a time, but if your account gets overflowed with queries, this may lead to many customers having to wait. However, thanks to AI technology like chatbots, you can get a customer support service developed that’ll speed up the process with pre-written messages.

On the other hand, you are going to need live chat support to deal with your website traffic. This source is currently considered the best option as you can instantly provide answers to questions and also engage with them to sell your product or service. According to Abdul Mannan ”There are many ways to make a business flow and improve, but the crucial one is customer support – the CTO of ExportHub.”

Wrap up

Customer support is crucial in earning your prospect’s trust, and believe me, without trust your e-commerce business is going nowhere. Therefore, If you want your e-commerce business to excel, you need to start by proving an excellent customer service. – Try it and experience your business growing in all aspects.

Do you really need a property inspection?

Mike Bhagat
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Do you really need a property inspection?

When you look for a property as an investment or as your home, the first thing you check is the price. Price is a major factor that influences property buying decisions. The next is the condition and suitability of the property.

Yes, a property is a huge investment and no one would like to pay that huge amount for a property which has potential problems or heavy upcoming repairs.

How to be safe than sorry in a property deal?

There are enough horror stories of property buyers who bought a property that looked fine from outside but had serious issues. These issues can be easily missed during a regular property inspection because they are not so obviously visible.

However, it is important for every property buyer to access the property for any existing problems or that may occur in future.

One of the smartest ways to do that is by opting for a house inspection also known as property inspection. It is always advisable to bring in property experts and let them evaluate the property for any defects.

Property Inspections. Do you really need them?

Yes, you do. Pre-purchase building inspections are absolutely advisable. It is not about a few hundred dollars when you are making an investment as huge as a property.

They are certified and professional house inspectors who can examine the condition of a property and ensure it is structurally accurate without any hidden problems.

They provide an extensive property report with detailed description of faulty areas and also include suggestions for further evaluation. There are several things that house inspectors check during a house inspection in Melbourne, like:

Structural elements

Window alignment, construction of visible foundation and blowing of the structure.

Electrical structure

Light fixtures, proper function of circuit breakers and the type of visible wiring.

Interior and exterior surfaces

Condition of exterior paint, properly working electrical outlets and correct the ground material.

Roof surfaces

Damage chimneys, properly working gutters, clear vents and situation of shingles.

Safety

The condition of stairs, fire sprinklers, garage door openers and working state of fire alarms.

Basement

Walls and floors, solid foundation and signs of any water damage.

Cooling and heating system

The condition of a water heater, fireplace, air conditioning and furnace.

The property inspection report helps you determine potential issues in your shortlisted property. A building inspection in Melbourne is quite common and most of the property offers are made with an inspection clause. Means, failing the property inspection will terminate the offer.

Here are a few other reasons why a house inspection in Melbourne can be a profitable deal:

Evaluate Cost of Repairs

When you inspect a property yourself, you don’t dig into property’s structural, mechanical, and electrical systems. That’s also because you can’t see them directly. At first glance, a property may look perfect but the real issues may be hiding from what you see. Easy and cheap looking repair may also turn into a huge expense.

When you opt for a pre-purchase property inspection, you can be aware of hidden issues and cost of repairs. It is helpful to set that budget aside.

Provide an Unbiased Report

Property inspectors act as a buyer agent rather than a seller agent and they help you make the right decision. It is essential to have a trained professional involved. House inspector conducting quality building inspection has no hidden motives. They strictly inspect a building to determine the condition. Therefore, you can be assured, you will get an unbiased opinion.

Ensure Government Compliance

While buying a new home, the last thing you want to deal with is getting into any kind of conflict with government regulations. During a house inspection, the inspector will check the property for government compliance. This can include minor things like smoke detectors being properly wired into a home’s electrical system.

Identify Safety Issues

Safety is everyone’s priority. A house inspection ensures you the safety of a property before you or your tenants move in. It will reveal whether the house is free of substances such as asbestos, mildew, cracks and other dangerous items. Determining the safety problems can help you make a wise decision.

Don’t Risk Your Property Investment For a Few Hundred Dollars!

An extensive house inspection can give a peace of mind that you are getting a good deal. It helps you make the important decision of buying the right property. If you are looking for property inspections in Melbourne, 360 Degrees Property Inspections can be a good choice. They are a fully insured house inspection service and their prices are quite competitive.

Make sure, whenever you sign up for an inspection service, ask for an accurate and informative pre-purchase building report. It is delivered within the 24 hours of the inspection.

Preview of the World Cup final 2018

Joseph Wells
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Preview of the World Cup final 2018

With Belgium and England crashing out of the World Cup semi-finals, France and Croatia will go head to head on the world’s biggest stage in the 2018 World Cup Final in Moscow on Sunday night.

France hit their peak

France were one of the heavy favourites leading in to the World Cup, and with the likes of Lloris, Pogba, Dembele, and Griezmann reaching their peak performance in their last match against Belgium the small nation of Croatia may face an uphill battle.

France hadn’t looked as strong as they should have during the group stages considering their super star line up, but in their recent knock out stages these players have shone and proven why they are the heavy favourites going in to the final. With huge amounts of skill and discipline to this French side they are expected to smother Croatia in one of the more one sided matches in the tournament.

Croatia may be the under dogs, but…

With a population of just 4.2 million Croatia have come through against all odds and made it to the World Cup final for the first time in history. This has come as a shock to many football fans around the world, but people forget some of the power houses that have come out of the small nation of Croatia.

Real Madrid and Croatia’s captain, Luka Modrić, has been the go to player for Croatia during this year’s World Cup. With 2 goals and 1 assist in 6 matches Modrić is definitely the base and play maker in this Croatian side and could make all the difference in the 2018 World Cup final.

Could there be an upset?

Many people consider this Sunday’s World Cup final already decided with France being the heavy favourites to be lifting the trophy in Moscow, but some may forget the hard work and determination Croatia have shown to reach the biggest stage of them all.

In the group stages beating Iceland in the 90th minute to top their group (along with a 3-0 rout of Lionel Messi’s Argentina), going to penalty shoot-outs in thrilling matches against Denmark and the hosts, Russia, and beating the great young squad of England on Wednesday morning in extra time.

Croatia may just have the guts and determination to take it all the way and have a major upset against the European giants that are France. But it is unlikely, especially considering that Croatia have played the equivalent in time of an entire extra game more than France during the knock-out stages.

 

Treasury secretary John Fraser to be replaced by Philip Gaetjens

Christian Woods
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Treasury secretary John Fraser to be replaced by Philip Gaetjens

John Fraser, the Federal Treasury Secretary, will resign from his position on July 31 after spending 3.5 years as the chief economic bureaucrat in Australia.

Mr Fraser was first given the job by then-PM Tony Abbott, having served under the last treasurer Joe Hockey and the current treasurer Scott Morrison.

The pending retirement of Mr Fraser was revealed by PM Malcolm Turnbull in a statement made to the media.

Of Mr Fraser, Mr Turnbull said that he has “led Treasury to new heights”, citing particular progress in the areas of “corporate and personal income tax reform”.

Mr Turnbull went on to say that Mr Fraser “strongly supported” Government approaches to “help repair the budget”. He also said that he has acted as “a trusted adviser” to himself as well as the Treasurer and related ministers regarding “economic matters”.

Mr Turnbull then thanked Mr Fraser for “his service to the Australian community and our economy”.

The Prime Minister also said that his recommendation to have Philip Gaetjens replace Mr Fraser had been accepted by the Governor-General.

Mr Gaetjens served as the secretary to the NSW Treasury between the years of 2011 and 2015. He previously served as a senior executive working for the Commonwealth Treasury as well as the Department of Prime Minister and the SA Department of Treasury and Finance.

Mr Turnbull noted that Mr Gaetjens had recently left his position as chief of staff for Scott Morrison, a role that was also held with the former treasurer, Peter Costello.

Labor was quick to criticise the new appointment, making the claim that the Liberal party, and Mr Morrison especially, were politicising the Treasury.

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen said that Mr Morrison “did not bother to consult with the Opposition” regarding the new appointment. He said that the Treasury was “a fine institution that deserves the best people” and not “constant politicisation” by Mr Morrison.

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