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

First of a generation, Spiro Pazios has made his own way
Local Leaders
Like many first generation Australians, Spiro Pazios was urged by his immigrant parents to do well at school and go to university. While unsure of what to do once he got there, Spiro, unafraid of hard work and change, is now one of Canberra's leading orthodontists. Director of Embrace Orthodontists in Manuka and Belconnen, Spiro was born in Adelaide to...
Expand your skills with online mediation training
News
Conflict Resolution Service (CRS) has joined the ranks of online trainers with their accredited mediation training now available in the comfort of your own home. Mediation for dispute resolution is being increasingly incorporated in state and commonwealth legislation to move disputes away from adversarial processes into more collaborative systems. CRS Lead Trainer Ros Lockley says the course is designed to...
Trained to lead, Michael Mahy is a natural team builder
Local Leaders
After a military career spanning three decades, Michael Mahy stepped in to the civilian world joining Synergy Group as an Executive Director in 2018. The well-respected Brigadier and ex-Director of Military Strategy had decided the time was right for a change. Little did he know his skills honed in the Army would assist one of Canberra's leading professional services firms...
Jessie brings Clarity to financing your new home
Local Leaders
It took a sense of purpose and big dreams for Jessie Chen to make some big moves in her life. These same qualities make her stand out in her career with Canberra mortgage broker Clarity Home Loans. Originally from Sichuan in China, Jessie moved to Australia when she was just 17 years old. Jessie says her parents wanted to give...
Experts warn of ongoing problems for property leasing
Expert Advice
Governments have recently moved to clarify procedures for negotiating residential and commercial tenancies during the COVID-19 shutdown, but property managers and lawyers say there are still problems for all parties. The ACT Government, for example, recently released new information to clarify changes to residential tenancies disrupted by the COVID-19 lockdown. The changes include encouraging landlords to reduce rent by providing...
New head of wills and estates offers alternatives to doing business in person
Expert Advice
Vulnerable Canberrans with unfinished legal or financial business who are now finding themselves unable to leave home due to COVID-19 do not need to hit the pause button. There is help at hand says Julia Bridgewater, the new head of the wills and estates team at Snedden Hall & Gallop. "There are many people who have been caught mid-transaction by...
Taking action: addressing the significant issue of workplace bullying
Expert Advice
It isn't only kids who engage in bullying and exclusion – it is also a real and significant issue in workplaces. So significant that since 2014, employees have been able to make an application to the Fair Work Commission to have bullying complaints heard. However, taking legal action is often a distressing and sometimes unaffordable option. Therefore it makes sense...
Local businesswoman endorses small business pathway to a successful career
Local Leaders
If you want something done, ask a busy person, so the saying goes. If that is the case, Nadia Pessarossi must get an awful lot done. "Sometimes life gets hectic and I don't want to miss anything so I have to plan my days carefully," she says. Now an associate partner at Rubik3, one of Australia's fastest growing and youngest...
Canberra recruiter shares tips for finding employment during COVID-19
News
As job losses outpace the spread of COVID-19, Canberrans are finding themselves registering with recruitment agencies or applying for JobSeeker Payment in disbelief at their current situation. Finding work during a time of upheaval and high unemployment is difficult, but not impossible. Recruiters say that to be successful, job seekers need to be both strategic and realistic. Dean Hill, CEO...
Demand still high for public service contractors but there will be a hit from COVID-19
News
At a time of employment uncertainty caused by COVID-19, permanent public servants may be feeling a little more secure in their jobs than many in the private sector, but what if you contract to the federal or ACT public service? Thousands of contractors are used for specialised or professional skills in areas such as broad as IT, engineering, recruitment, communications...
More banks offer loan repayment relief
News
More Australian banks are now offering home and business loan relief to assist both personal and business customers affected by COVID-19. Initially, relief packages were offered only by the 'big four' banks, but more Australian Banking Association member banks have now agreed to participate, including AMP Bank, Bank Australia, Bank of Queensland, HSBC, Macquarie Bank, Suncorp Bank, and Bendigo and...
How will COVID-19 affect your business?
News
Following the statement from the World Health Organisation formally declaring the COVID-19 virus a global pandemic, and the new restrictions announced by federal, state and territory governments, there is growing uncertainty over the impact and length of time businesses will be feeling its effects. allinsure Managing Director Peter Chamberlain says now is the time for business to be looking to...
COVID-19: employers still have obligations to staff working from home
News
Government advice and direction about social distancing appears to be changing daily, and each new direction brings new issues and challenges for businesses, with one of the biggest being around obligations to staff. Snedden Hall & Gallop Senior Associate and Head of Employment Law Emily Shoemark recommends businesses do their homework before they engage with their staff during the current...
Businesses advised: now’s the time to be pragmatic and proactive
News
Professional services providers in accounting, insurance and business support services are urging business to be pragmatic and proactive in order to survive the COVID-19 crisis and protect their businesses. Most businesses have already made changes to adapt to operating in an environment of social distancing but there's more they can do to emerge from the crisis in good shape. Rubik3...
Celebrating 50 years of O’Neill & Brown Plumbing
News
Ask Tony Pantano the secret to building a successful plumbing business and he'll smile and tell you it is simple: make a commitment to deliver the best job possible. Tony's talking about O'Neill & Brown Plumbing, a family-owned company established in Queanbeyan 50 years ago. From modest beginnings, O'Neill & Brown Plumbing has now evolved into one of Canberra’s largest...
Celebrating women who do business differently
News
For a quarter of a century, the Telstra Business Women's Awards program has recognised outstanding women, helped progress their careers and business ideas, and built a support network of like-minded people to learn, grow and connect with. Many of the most successful women in business have one thing in common, they are pioneers who use their own unique business approach...
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