News
Apple have announced its latest iPhones at a media event in San Francisco along with an updated version of the Apple TV and 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The new iPhones, the 6s and 6s Plus boast a new 3D Touch shortcut feature that allows users to make different commands by pressing harder and softer on the […]
For a third year running, the Startup Spring festival, hosted by StartupAUS, has returned to Australia following a launch event at Sydney Town Hall last night. Startup Spring is a three-week long, Australia-wide festival of events and activities that aims to celebrate and promote the startup community and to encourage more Australians to get involved […]
250 businesses in Melbourne’s Dandenong region will be audited by the Fair Work Ombudsman as part of a new campaign to check that employers are paying the correct minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, allowances, loadings and providing appropriate meal breaks. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the Dandenong region is home to thousands of businesses […]
After declining or remaining stable for 9 months, Australia’s construction industry expanded during the month of August. The Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI) increased by 6.7 points to 53.8. Readings above 50 indicate an expansion in activity. The expansion has been driven by improvements in the new orders and activity sub-indexes, as well […]
With devices keeping us connected just about everywhere, many of us are struggling to justify the use of the “Out of Office Auto-Reply.” But to what benefit? According to the latest Roy Morgan research, one in five Australian full-time workers now access their work network remotely. The data showed that almost 1.5 million full-time workers […]
In a move that could be regarded as inconsistent with previous rhetoric showing support for small business, the Government has resolved to defer reforms that would strengthen section 46 of the Competition Act with the implementation of an ’Effects Test’. The reforms proposed by Small Business Minister, the Hon Bruce Billson were designed to stop […]
In celebration of 70 years of diplomatic ties since 1945 and to promote continued cooperation for trade and investment, September will be known as ‘the month of Brazil’ in Australia. Australia and Brazil, the Southern Hemisphere’s two largest economies, have shared a strong bilateral relationship that has in recent years become an even more important […]
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) will be targeting up to 90,000 small businesses over the next three months as part of a major compliance operation. The ATO will be obtaining details from 11 financial institutions including American Express, Commonwealth Bank and ANZ for credit card payments received by small business for the 2014-15 financial year. […]
According to the latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the Android OS has shown continued market share losses for the three months ending July 2015. In Australia the Android share has fallen by 10.5 pts compared with a 7.9 pt increase for iOS. Share losses have also been seen across Europe’s largest five […]
If you’re considering buying a new iPhone – it might be worth holding off for a little while longer. On September 9 the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco will play host to Apple’s next event where it is expected to launch the new iPhone 6s. It is also rumoured that the next iPad […]
The NSW Government’s Dispute Resolution Unit (DRU) has handled over 37,000 enquiries over the last three years according to new data. The number of enquiries from small businesses has increased each year over this period. Minister for Small Business John Barilaro said new data shows how the government is sparing small businesses from the burden […]
The Reserve Bank of Australia has left the cash rate unchanged at 2 per cent for September. This will be the fourth consecutive month the rate has remained unchanged. RBA Governor, Glen Stevens said “the economy is likely to be operating with a degree of spare capacity for some time yet, with domestic inflationary pressures […]
After a joint investigation by Fairfax and Four Corners uncovering widespread underpayment of staff by 7-Eleven franchisees, 7-Eleven has said in a statement that it will pursue franchisees to repay money owed to present and former staff. Chief Executive Officer, Warren Wilmot said “the viability of the 7-Eleven system is in no way, never has […]
7-Eleven store owner and operator, Harmandeep Singh Sarkaria will face the Federal Circuit Court over allegations that he underpaid two migrant workers almost $50,000 and created erroneous records for the workers. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) who initiated the legal proceedings has alleged that Mr Sarkaria short-changed one migrant employee from Pakistan $43,633 between 2012 […]
With 270,000 businesses expected to saturate the market in the next five years, many business owners will be forced to accept a sub-standard price or walk away with nothing. According to the Exit Smart Survey conducted by national chartered accounting and advisory form William Buck, almost 80 per cent of business owners are over 50 […]
According to recent PwC analysis commissioned by Google, SMEs have the potential to access an additional $49.2bn in output over the next 10 years by making better use of technology. Commenting on the $49.2bn figure outlined in the Small Business: Digital Growth report, PwC economics partner, Jeremy Thorpe said “that’s how much the Federal Government […]
Telstra CEO, Andrew Penn, has been announced as the most viewed CEO in Australia according to LinkedIn’s 2015 Power Profiles Australia. The power profiles reveal the most viewed CEOs and leaders across a range of industries including technology, finance, internet, human resources, marketing and advertising. Following Telstra’s Andrew Penn at the top of the list […]
The Commonwealth Bank has introduced a Real-time Alerts feature for their Business Transaction Accounts following a new study that revealed small businesses spend more 10 days a year managing finances. According to the survey of over 500 small business decision makers, 75 per cent of the time spent included tasks such as chasing payments, scheduling […]
An online retailer of kitchen appliances including Omniblend blenders, has been ordered to pay a pecuniary penalty of $17,500 for aiding, abetting, counselling and procuring overseas supplier, Taiwan Star International (TSI), to engage in resale price maintenance. The Federal Court of Australia found that TSI sought to induce Omniblend’s competitor not to sell OmniBlend blenders […]
Offering emergency response, crisis and risk management services to government agencies, corporates and not-for-profits, Perth-based Executive Risk Solutions (ERS), were crowned Business of the Year at the 2015 Telstra Business Awards ceremony in Sydney last night. Scott Houston, who served in international conflicts as a former Special Air Services Regiment trooper, established the business in […]
