News
The Government’s recent commitment to an annual 3 percent increase in defense spending for the next decade has been harshly criticised by the Greens citing it will drain billions of dollars from schools, hospitals and the war on climate change. Greens leader Bob Brown said that there was no reason for an increase in defence […]
In order to compete with Three and Optus, Vodafone has launched a new prepaid 3G wireless broadband service. The announcement will mean Vodafone’s 3G coverage will now reach 80 per cent of the Australian population. Helen Tuffy, head of consumer data, Vodafone Australia said the service is for customers wanting prepaid services and wireless internet. […]
The Reserve Bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged at its board meeting tomorrow, despite the deepening recession. Economists have predicted that interest rates will remain at three percent, given that they are already at a 49-year low. Despite the view that official rates may fall as low as two percent by the end […]
Westfield’s quarterly financial report has provided an insight into the thriving sectors of the retail industry, which include cafes and takeaway food outlets. The report was taken of all shops/outlets contained within Westfield centres, and revealed that cafes and takeaway food outlets in Westfield centres, footwear retailers, jewellery retailers and cinemas have enjoyed a surge […]
Spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO) Fiona Fleck has clarified reports about the swine flu, by stating that the only reason the new virus was called swine flu was because “the largest component of this new virus was actually swine flu virus.” As demand for pig products drops, WHO have announced that the swine […]
In light of the financial crisis, Treasurer Wayne Swan has urged banking executives to take a pay cut, in order to win back the trust of the Australian people. Macquarie Bank chief executive Nicholas Moore has today taken a massive 99 per cent pay cut after the bank posted a hefty fall in profit. The […]
Australia has ranked as the ninth easiest nation for entrepreneurs to obtain capital, out of 122 countries, according to the Milken Institute Capital Access Index. The Los Angeles-based institute measures a country’s macroeconomic environment, financial and banking institutions, the development of the equity and bond markets and alternative capital sources such as venture capital, credit […]
ANZ has today announced it’s latest round of free small business workshops in every capital city, in order to help business owners manage and grow their business during the economic downturn. The workshops follow on from ANZ’s $8 billion commitment to small business lending. Industry experts will be on hand to answer any questions posed […]
Cyber criminals are exploiting the global panic created over the swine flu pandemic by selling fake drugs and harvesting credit card numbers. Security experts F-Secure have complied a list of 146 swine flu-related websites that have been registered over the past couple of days that pose a possible security risk. Some of these sites are […]
The COAG yesterday signed off on a plan to have 20 percent of Australia’s electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020. Under the Renewable Energy Target (RET) plan, households and some businesses will have to pay for their renewable energy boost through higher electricity prices. However trade-exposed industries will not have to pay, which has […]
The news keeps getting better and better for first home buyers and investors, as the property market shows resilience in the face of a tough economic climate. Research conducted by The Housing Industry Association (HIA) found that new home sales increased by 4.2 percent to 8,210 in March aided by more affordable property prices. Australian […]
Anyone under 25 is being encouraged to either choose to work or study in a new ‘earn or learn’ scheme implemented by the Government in yesterday’s COAG (The Council of Australian Governments) meeting in Hobart. In order to combat high unemployment among youth, the COAG agreed that people under 20 must be studying or training […]
In order to help businesses protect themselves and their staff from swine flu, the Government have developed a small business kit including a range of tools to help businesses prepare for a human influenza pandemic.
Many small business owners juggle their business with family commitments, and therefore have alot to protect when it comes to insurance. But statistics show many are playing a risky business when it comes to their insurance cover. According to a 2006 survey by the Investment and Financial Services Association (IFSA), less than half of small […]
The Australian media and advertising sector is set for a shake-up with Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google all looking to launch rival trading exchanges for media advertising inventory. The “mini stockmarkets” will include TV and radio airtime, and newspaper and magazine print space, heightening concerns of a reduction in competition as the technology giants will have […]
In a bid to compete with both Yahoo! and Google’s recent small business search marketing offers, McLaren Media, in conjunction with Internet Billboards have launched a new business digital platform for businesses to promote their products and services. The new platform, www.findmerightnow.com.au is the world’s first optimised commercial video search directory. According to Grant McNicol, […]
New home sales have risen for the third straight month, aided by government grants and low interest rates. The Housing Industry Association (HIA) survey found new home sales increased by 4.2 percent to 8,210 homes. HIA chief economist Harley Dale said the project home building market gained a lift from the first home owners grant […]
It seems business confidence is making a comeback, enjoying a moderate increase in the first three months of the year, but the outlook is far from positive according to the National Australia Bank. The NAB’s quarterly survey showed the business confidence index jumped seven points from -31 to -24 for the March quarter, however a […]
I almost choked on my dinner last night when I heard that there are accounting firms out there charging a $45 “handling fee” for their part in forwarding on the $900 stimulus payment. What on earth are they thinking? I have been involved in accounting firms for the past 20 years & I have always […]
My husband and I dared to go camping a couple of weeks ago with our three year old and one year old. It took a couple of hours to put the tent up (I wasn’t much help), it rained most of the weekend and on the second and final night I think I was more […]
