The Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has floated the idea of a Government-backed approach to small business lending, modelled on the British Business Bank, to improve access to finance for SMEs. Kate Carnell told Dynamic Business that the tightening of prudential requirements by APRA and other regulators globally, following the Global Financial […]
An analysis of the Fair Work Commission 2016-17* report reveals an employer was hit with an unfair dismissal claim every three and a half minutes last financial year, according to Employsure. The workplace relations specialist also found that employers lost 60% of the 14,135 unfair dismissal applications brought against them in 2016-17. Commenting on the finding, Ed […]
A survey of 2000 small, medium and large NSW businesses, undertaken by the state government, has revealed nearly half don’t have measures in place that specifically address mental health in the workplace. Noting that people spend a third of their adult life at work, with the potential for significant mental health impacts, Minister for […]
Nearly 300,000 small businesses have taken advantage of the Federal Government’s $20,000 instant asset tax write-off scheme, according to 2015-16 tax office data. The data was revealed by Minister for Small Business Michael McCormack, who described the instant asset write-off program as a “shot in the arm” for small businesses. “The instant asset write-off is […]
Rapid-growth SME credit bureau CreditorWatch has been acquired by InfoTrack, a leading provider of intelligent search and automated workflow solutions for business professionals. Founded by managing director Colin Porter in 2011, CreditorWatch has, in the ensuing six years, been able to challenge the duopoly held by incumbent credit bureaus Veda (now Equifax) and Dun & […]
Research showing that SMEs are reducing capital expenditure due to rising energy prices has prompted criticism of the state governments by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. The Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, pointed to the latest East & Partners SME survey* of 1280 businesses, which showed that 39.5% of SMES plan to scale back […]
Government moves to reduce regulatory barriers to challenger banks entering the market should improve access to finance for small business, according to Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO). The Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, welcomed news that the Treasury is consulting on proposed changes to the Banking Act, which would remove restrictions on the use […]
Australia’s exporters are more optimistic about the year ahead than they were six months ago. That’s one of the key findings of Efic’s latest Exporter Sentiment Index – a survey of more than 1,200 SME exporters. Nearly half (46%), believe the economy will be better in the next 12 months than it was in the […]
Three in four SMEs (76%) have invested in technology over the last 12 months to boost their innovative capacity, according to research undertaken by cloud accounting provider MYOB. Other key findings from MYOB’s latest Business Monitor, which involved a survey of more than 1000 business owners and directors, also found that: Almost a third of […]
CreditorWatch recorded a 42% increase in its customer base over two years on the way to reaching a major growth milestone, this month: 50,000 customers. Founder and managing director Colin Porter spoke to Dynamic Business about the genesis, success and future of the credit reporting bureau, which launched six years ago. DB: What was your […]
