News
In a statement from the Shadow Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson has chastised the Federal Government for not providing assistance to small businesses affected by the freeze on the home insulation program headed by Peter Garrett. Support for the army of insulation installers who have lost their jobs is an important initial step, but […]
Companies that keep customers on hold with irritating jingles, the radio or silence could be doing themselves out of business, communications specialist Comscentre says. Small to medium sized businesses are realising first impressions count and are turning to professional custom telephone greetings known as Message/Music on Hold (MoH). “Research has shown that the combination of […]
Aussie has been recognised as one of the country’s top 10 fastest growing franchises in BRW Magazine’s annual Fast Franchises list. The BRW Fast Franchises list ranks companies according to their average annual turnover growth over three years, and as a result Aussie came in at number seven. The magazine also ranks companies by growth […]
Interest rates are expected to stay on hold with quarterly wage growth easing in the December quarter, seasonally adjusted. With total hourly rates of pay, excluding bonuses, rising just 0.6 percent. Coming in under the market forecast of 0.8 percent. The wage price index rose 2.9 per cent from a year earlier in Australian Bureau […]
The government’s National Broadband Network draft legislation has gone up on the Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy (DBCDE) website, but demand for the document has caused the DBCDE site to crash. The legislation is contained in two separate bills and are available from the below links when the DBCDE site is back up. […]
As your small business chugs along, one of the key things to keep in mind is: How many hands are in your pocket? With so many technology-related expenses, there may well be a few. Where middle men were once the cost of doing business – hooking up your phone lines, for example – many vital […]
Workers on Pilbara’s Gorgon Gas project are expected to work for 70 hours a week and for 29 days straight before having a 9 day break. The West Australian revealed yesterday that low-skilled workers such as labourers would get about $150,000 annually and qualified tradesmen would get about $10,000 more. The Master Builders Association Kim […]
Disputes over the $2.3 billion Eagle Downs hard coking coal project in Queensland threatens a billion dollar Queensland Rail (QR) expansion, with Aquila Resources and Bowen Central Coal (BCC) disputing the infrastructure arrangements. Disputes over the infrastructure terms resulting in the use of the Dalrymple terminal in Mackay instead of the expanded Abbot Point coal […]
Business Growth, Sales & Marketing and Cashflow & Capital Raising – Tuesday 23 March 2010 Sydney (9am – 2pm) This interactive half day seminar will enable SME owners, advisors, government and the business community to collaborate and devise “real” solutions to manage the key SME issues of business growth, sales & marketing and cashflow & […]
Deputy Secretary of the National Broadband Network within the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) Colin Lyons has quit, effective the end of February 2010. The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today thanked Mr Lyons for his esteemed work and dedication to the Department. “Col has […]
Global cash flow finance specialist, Bibby Financial Services, expects demand for invoice financing to continue to grow by around 20 per cent this year as small businesses seek better ways to manage their cash flow and more flexible business finance arrangements. Greg Charlwood, Asia-Pacific chief executive of Bibby, reports the company’s Australian business grew by […]
Queensland based florist, Brisbane City Blooms, has today claimed they are Australia’s first and only florist with an online store built for iPhone users. Developed by enflexion, an Australian interactive design firm, the Brisbane City Blooms iPhone interface was created off the back of Flower Store In a Box, a dedicated e-commerce shopfront designed for […]
Last weekend, there was another Twitter security breach — a phishing attack. As the Twitter micro blogging service comes into its fourth year of existence, it is more popular than ever, especially for businesses, which makes it a perfect target for cyber criminals. The nature of Twitter has always meant to be very open, so […]
Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) will hold a series of monthly seminars to enhance the business skills of innovative NSW companies. The first seminar on 23 February focused on intellectual property strategies for entrepreneurs and involved representatives of more than 80 companies. The seminars are being organised through I&I NSW’s Australian Technology Showcase (ATS) […]
Over 16,000 signatures were collected in response to a Federal Government discussion paper on the introduction of an R18+ classification for video games in Australia. The signatures were collected in Electronics Boutique retail outlets across Australia and through the the Grow Up Australia website. “Support for the introduction of R18+ rating has been overwhelming with […]
Australia’s productivity gap is greater now than a year ago, finds new research sponsored by Telstra. According to Telstra, the most alarming figure of the report is what it calls the productivity gap: that difference between the number of organisations that have identified productivity as a priority (76 percent this year and 78 percent last […]
Woolworths has announced the initial 12 locations for the company’s hardware and home improvement competitor to Bunnings Warehouse. Initially the roll out would be across Victoria, with Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden saying the state government would expedite the planning approval for the sites, at Coolaroo, Burnside, Preston, Hawthorn East, Oakleigh South, South Morang, Mornington, […]
Symantec today released the findings of its global 2010 State of Enterprise Security study, with a staggering 89 percent of companies in Australia and New Zealand the target of a cyber attack in the past 12 months. The study found that 42 percent of organisations globally and 43 percent in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) […]
Australia’s economy is predicted to continue on its upswing over the coming years, leading to a boom later this decade. With the BIS Shrapnel Long Term Forecasts update reporting Australia is in the recovery phase after what has been a relatively modest downturn. Unfortunately though, as a result of this renewed growth phase, interest rates […]
As unemployment figures lowered for a third consecutive month, survey results reveal that the upturn is in full swing for Australia’s privately held businesses and employee salaries are on the up. · Over three-quarters (78%) of Australian business are planning to increase salaries in the next 12 months, compared to the global average of only […]
