News
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 […]
Property expert and CEO of property portfolio company Empire, Chris Gray has warned property investors not to delay buying and to take advantage of the current market conditions. Rate cuts and the First Home Owner Grant have seen a surge in first home buyer activity in the market, and investors should use this as an […]
Peter Costello has come out of hiding and has launched a scathing attack on the Federal Government, slamming them over their handling of the financial crisis, along with the infamous stimulus package cash handouts. He said the cash handouts were unlikely to stimulate the economy and will just put the country into even more debt. […]
Airlines and other travel services are operating as normal while awaiting government advice on how to act to prevent the spread of swine flu around the globe. Spokespeople from both Qantas and Virgin Blue have said they will work closely with Australian and international authorities to monitor the signs of outbreak. “There are no specific […]
Virgin King Richard Branson is once again sprouting his words of wisdom across the globe, urging people that now is the best time to make money. Sir Richard, a self-made millionaire, said the economic downturn is a great time for entrepreneurs to start-up a business and they should see it as an opportunity as opposed […]
Swine flu is gripping the globe, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) this morning raising it’s pandemic flu alert level to five. WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan urged all countries to take immediate action.
Thousands of home owners are facing higher interest rates as the big banks move to protect themselves from rising debt and the high cost of borrowing. The ANZ and the NAB have both been hit by the recession, with NAB on Tuesday announcing a 0.9 percent drop in net profit, to $2.66 billion, and the […]
Google Australia has taken the honour of the best place to work, after topping the charts of the BRW’s Top 50 Great Places to work list. The list was based on research conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute Australia which surveyed more than 15,000 employees. BRW said the reason Google Australia is such […]
Retail battery franchise Battery World is thriving in the financial crisis, recording a 20 percent growth in 2008 on the previous year, on the back of a growing number of consumers choosing to replace a product’s batteries rather than the entire product. Battery World general manager James Nixon-Smith said while many franchises had recently recorded […]
The Government’s proposed National Broadband Network could reduce Australia’s carbon footprint and cut consumers’ power bills, according to Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy. At an address at the National Press Club in Canberra, Minister Conroy said that through the network, consumers will be connected to ‘smart grids’ which means they will pay less for electricity through […]
The Federal Government, along with a group of top superannuation industry bodies have agreed to review Australia’s superannuation policies. Superannuation Minister Nick Sherry said the review would look at whether any improvements could be made to the system’s structure, operation and efficiency to boost retirement savings for consumers. “After nearly 20 years of compulsory superannuation […]
The global outbreak of swine flu could be an opportunity for the Australian tourism sector to take advantage of the domestic market, says managing director of the Australian Tourism Export Council, Matt Hingerty. “We often find when there is an issue like this that people don’t stop travelling altogether, they just change their destinations and […]
It seems the “tweets” are slowly fading, with Nielsen Online research indicating that Twitter follower numbers have fallen by 60 percent. According to the research, Twitter users who signed up in one month are failing to return the next month. Nielson Online vice president for primary research, David Martin believes that any new uptake of […]
The Global Poll have announced a new online polling service, designed to allow any person or business to reach a global group of opinion leaders and gain valuable market research. The Global Poll concept was developed by telecoms-industry expert Bruce Mott, to enable people to get instant feedback on a variety of topics, and allow […]
The Commonwealth Bank has announced a new initiative for online small and medium businesses, allowing them to develop, integrate and manage their online shop front, including online payment facilities. Commonwealth Bank eVolve is a transactional services platform designed for small and medium business owners who want a versatile online payment facility as well as a […]
Well it seems everyone is after small business. Big companies are clamouring to target.. well… you guys! And it’s no wonder, as there are approximately 1.9 million small businesses in Australia, representing over 95 percent of all business. In the space of a week, search engine giants Google and Yahoo! both announced search marketing initiatives […]
Following Access Economics Business Outlook report that pointed to the NSW economy as the worst performing in the country, the NSW Business Chamber has today announced a campaign to improve the NSW economy. The campaign, NSW: Reclaiming 1st is aimed at re-energising public policy debate in NSW. “Business wants NSW to lead from the front. […]
