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The Morrison Government has announced they will invest $1 billion into the Australian defence industry to help create jobs in SMEs and stimulate the economy. In his announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package is estimated to support around 4,000 jobs across Australia and help many small and medium sized businesses in the defence-industry […]
The NSW government has unveiled a $45 million grant program for small businesses and not-for-profits affected by the NSW and Victorian border closure. Eligible businesses along the NSW and Victorian border can apply for the Southern Border Small Business Support Grant from 8 September to 18 October 2020 via the Service NSW website. Premier Gladys […]
While the small business sector has been hit dramatically by the effects of COVID-19, they may also be our ticket out of economic distress. Small and medium sized businesses employ 4.8 million Australians (44 per cent) and are a major GDP contributor (57 percent). Employment growth in small businesses accounted for approximately 60 per cent […]
A deal to sell the company behind some of Australia’s most popular milk brands to a Chinese firm has been called off. Lion Dairy and Drinks – home to Big M, Dare Iced Coffee and Yoplait yoghurt – was to be sold to Chinese company Mengniu Dairy as announced by Japanese company Kirin in November […]
This article was guest authored by Mark Lenhard, CEO of Invoice2go. The past few months have presented some of the toughest challenges many Australian small business owners and contractors have, and perhaps will ever, face. From extended lockdowns and social distancing restrictions to customer disruption and economic hardship, much of the small business community’s attention […]
It’s good news for Sydney-based businesses after the announcement that Vivid Sydney will be returning for 2021. This will be the 12th year the award-winning light show will run, with it being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Jan Mackenzie is the Head of Operations at Cafe Sydney – a rooftop restaurant on […]
The Australian Parliament returns today after a 10 week coronavirus break, with JobKeeper and JobSeeker up for discussion. For the first time in Australian parliamentary history, the sitting will take on a hybrid meeting structure with many members expected to join via video conferencing. In late July, the Government announced that both the JobKeeper wage […]
University of Melbourne-based researcher and entrepreneur, Professor Roland Bammer, and his clinical colleagues, Dr Shalini Amukotuwa and Dr Julian Maingard from Monash Health have released sobering findings on the extent to which patients with time-sensitive medical conditions, such as strokes, may have missed out on treatment by avoiding hospitals throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Their latest […]
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) have warned that a surge of scams and malicious cyber security threats have hit businesses since March 2020. We explore what this means for SMEs and how you can protect your business. What are the major cyber security risks facing SMEs? Research from the ACCC revealed that business email […]
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has accused Google of releasing “misinformation” about the Federal Government’s plan to make them bargain with Australian news companies over payments for news content. Last month the ACCC delivered a draft code of conduct (the draft News Media Bargaining Code) governing bargaining between Google, Facebook and news media […]
Many businesses are unsure about whether they should ask employees to return to the workplace. We’ve taken a look at the different approaches that some companies have taken. What are some of the current approaches to returning to the workplace? Marie-Anne Lampotang, General Manager at Stone & Chalk in Sydney, noted that many start ups […]
Among the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, gig workers now have the option for broad insurance coverage thanks to Australian insurtech startup. Research has shown that gig workers are among the workers most impacted by the pandemic, with almost 70% saying they are now entirely without income. Over half of gig workers have lost […]
On Monday 17 August, the Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade John Barilaro announced a $12 million Going Global Package to bolster the export capabilities of eligible NSW businesses. “Helping home-grown businesses succeed in the global marketplace is more important than ever before and here in NSW we have some of […]
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has implemented changes to the JobKeeper employee eligibility rules with immediate effect. The key change to the JobKeeper rules is that the previous 1 March 2020 employee eligibility date has been updated to 1 July 2020. This means that there is now a larger catchment of people eligible for JobKeeper. […]
A new study has shown that finding a job in Australia is twice as competitive as the beginning of the year, despite the job market improving. With the unemployment rate being the highest it has been since 1998, many Australians now find themselves searching for work. The study by LinkedIn shows that while the job market […]
Without customers, there is no business, and retaining and attracting loyal customers has never been so important, with the coronavirus outbreak really testing the sustainability, agility and adaptability of many companies. We often talk about the importance of customer experience and service, but what exactly are the secrets behind achieving it, particularly this year with […]
In the months following the onset of COVID-19, startup incubators are being asked to prove their worth to funders, or risk being discontinued. With the Australian economy continuing to contract and greater financial pressure being put on both the private and public sector, funding to entrepreneurs seems to have taken a back seat. James Alexander, […]
Significant reforms to the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) process has resulted in long approval delays for Australian startups raising capital from foreign investors. Many Australian startups raising Series A & B rounds often have to rely on foreign investors to complete their rounds as they are often larger than what local investors can allocate. These delays […]
A solution to corporate sustainability is possible and begins with smart technology, writes Nick Martyniuk, CEO at WePower. Digital advancements in the energy industry are helping smaller businesses match the sustainability efforts of the big end of town by reducing carbon emissions and energy expenditure. Giant organisations like Amazon, Facebook and Google are investing heavily […]
Personal/carer’s leave must now be ‘calculated by reference to an employee’s ordinary hours of work’, reverting to the method of calculation prior to August 2019. On 13 August 2020, the High Court of Australia changed how paid personal/carer’s leave under the National Employment Standards is to be accrued (see Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd v AMWU […]
