News

The Federal Government has announced new insolvency rules that will allow small businesses to stay afloat whilst restructuring debts. This new insolvency regime is proposed to start from 1 January 2021, following the lifting of temporary insolvency measures introduced in March 2020. Related: Government extends temporary insolvency and bankruptcy protections Incorporated businesses with liabilities less […]

With brick-and-mortar sales decreasing and e-commerce sales increasing, retailers should be looking to implement new methods and technologies to keep their physical stores relevant and productive.  Baldeep Gill is the newly appointed CEO of Aisleplus, a service ecosystem dedicated to helping physical retail stores connect with the digital world.  While Mr Gill believes that the […]

At Tesla’s “Battery Day” event on Tuesday, CEO Elon Musk announced the production of a US$25,000 electric vehicle (EV) “about three years from now”. Importantly these EVs will be powered by “tabless” batteries that Musk promises will be cheaper and more powerful. The new “tabless” batteries, called 4860 cells, will provide five times more energy, […]

NSW businesses can continue to trade and receive deliveries for 24 hours a day. Until 25 March 2021, businesses can adjust their hours of operation to continue providing food, medical supplies and household goods to the community. In March 2020, the NSW government amended the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and the State Environmental […]

The NSW Government has revealed it has allocated $400m of its $3 billion Jobs and Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to regional projects. Last week, the government announced $2.4 billion in funding, which included $1.4 billion in accelerated funding for regional projects. This brings the total spend so far to almost $1.8 billion for regional projects. Premier […]

Drone autonomy company, Emesent, has announced a new investment from In-Q-Tel (IQT), the investment arm of the US intelligence agency the CIA. The strategic investment will help power Emesent’s expansion into new industries including defence, security, and emergency response. “This investment from In-Q-Tel and the strategic support it offers is a boon for our continued growth and the […]

Working from home has increased the use of residential energy across Australia, leading experts to call for households to switch to renewable sources.  Through April, residential energy in New South Wales increased by 10 per cent, and in Victoria by 12 per cent. Ross Sharman, the founder of EnergyIQ and an integral member of the […]

There are 12 days to go until the Australian Treasury closes public consultation of the Foreign Investment Reform (Protecting Australia’s National Security) Regulations 2020 (Exposure Draft Regulations) and the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Fees Imposition Regulations 2020 (Exposure Draft Fees Regulations). The draft reforms under consultation have been made to give further effect to the major reforms of the Foreign […]

Fewer women are running the country’s top 200 ASX-listed companies in 2020 compared to the last four years, according to the Chief Executive Women (CEW) ASX200 census report released last week.  The report found that the amount of female CEOs of the ASX200 companies has declined from 14 to 10 since 2018. It also found […]

If trade bought prosperity to all corners of the world, then COVID-19 is showing the dark side of an interdependent world. Media interest in COVID-19 is increasingly shifting from the public health aspects of the crisis to the economic consequences of the biggest global pandemic in over a century.  Often the issues involved in fighting the […]

Official ABS figures released today show that the unemployment rate has fallen to 6.8 per cent in August, down from 7.5 per cent in July. This drop contrasts widespread predictions of rising unemployment. Despite stage 4 lockdowns in Melbourne and stage 3 lockdowns across regional Victoria, national employment increased by 111,000 people between July and […]

Alfresco dining will become the norm this summer, with NSW government agencies banding together in a task force dedicated to activating the state’s outdoor hospitality spaces. This announcement comes off the back of the Victorian government’s announcement of a $290 million package for Melbourne restaurants to expand outdoors in a growing national trend to see […]

Qantas will start referring business frequent flyers to lending platform Valiant Finance. This partnership helps Qantas members access working capital, asset finance and commercial loans. It will be enabled by Qantas Business Rewards, the airline’s frequent flyer program for SMEs. Olivia Wirth, Qantas Loyalty CEO, hopes that this move will help support businesses throughout the […]

The NSW Government have committed $160 million as part of the federal JobTrainer program, to help people reskill for jobs in the health, manufacturing and construction sectors. In a statement released on Wednesday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said: “COVID-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge to our State, and Skilling for Recovery complements our current skills […]

The NSW Government have revealed plans for the $3 billion Jobs and Infrastructure Acceleration Fund to deliver more projects and create up to 20,000 more jobs. The fund, that was initially announced in May, will be put towards more than 30 new and fast-tracked health, education and transport and roads projects to be delivered across […]

 Facebook’s Small Business Grants Programme is offering USD $100 million in cash grants and ad credits to small businesses. Up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries may receive a grant. Eligible businesses must: Be a for-profit company Have between 2 and 50 employees as of 1 January 2020 Have been in business […]

Video conferencing technology will continue to be used to witness legal documents such as wills, powers of attorney and statutory declarations. Witnessing via audio-visual link (AVL) can be done through technology such as Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime and Zoom. The witness must watch a person signing the legal document in real time through AVL. They then […]

The Morrison government has announced they will back the construction of a gas-fired power station in plans to prevent an energy price spike for employers and households and help rebuild the Australian economy. “Gas is a critical enabler of Australia’s economy,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement ahead of Tuesday’s speech. “Our competitive […]

The Victorian government have announced a $100 million support package for sole traders to recover from COVID-19, one day after revealing plans for $3 billion in cash grants and tax relief for SMEs. The announcement that grants of up to $3,000 will be offered to 30,000 individuals comes after Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday promised […]

The Victorian Government’s plans to release a $3 billion support package to businesses has been met with apprehension from business owners. On Sunday evening, Premier Daniel Andrews’ announced that the program of support will help businesses preserve jobs and survive the current crisis. “It is an unprecedented set of challenges that business face,” Premier Andrews […]