Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Consumers opt for convenience and money-saving technologies amidst higher cost of living Budget-conscious Australians are redirecting funds towards essential goods and services or savings, and changing their shopping and spending habits in response to cost of living pressures, a new CommBank survey shows. Rethinking taxation for Australia’s future A…  Read more

Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. A survival guide for SMEs in the face of inflation Inflation is a challenge for all businesses, but the sting is especially painful for SMEs. With limited resources, they can find themselves struggling to absorb costs associated with inflation, potentially leading them down the path of price increases and…  Read more

Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. Suncorp forced to pay back $32 million to underpaid employees Suncorp’s insurance arm paid $32m to over 15,800 underpaid staff for not paying them the minimum wage. Read More Australian inflation is stubbornly high. Some countries don’t have that problem There is no one underlying cause of inflation across…  Read more

Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. First Aussie social media platform for business owners launched A new social media platform, called ‘Business Connect’, has been launched in Australia. It is designed specifically for business owners, allowing them to connect with other business owners, share ideas, and access resources. It also provides a platform for businesses…  Read more

Welcome to our Weekly Digest – stay in the know with some recent news updates relevant to business and the economy. The good, bad and indifferent of the Federal Budget: a small-business owner’s view The Federal Budget has both positives and negatives for small business owners, such as tax cuts and increased access to capital, but also increased compliance costs and a lack of support for the retail sector. Read…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australia to deliver first budget surplus in 15 years Australia is set to deliver its first budget surplus in 15 years, with a small surplus of around A$4 billion for the fiscal year ending June and deficit estimates for subsequent years also decreased. Australia to ban public vaping in…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. AFL appoints Andrew Dillon as CEO Andrew Dillon has been named CEO of the AFL, following a year-long search. Dillon started with the AFL in 2000 as an in-house lawyer and has moved on to various other legal and administrative roles. Australia set for budget rebound, signals fiscal restraint…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Why the RBA should not use interest rates to target the housing market or debt A panel reviewing the Reserve Bank of Australia RBA has recommended against using interest rates to target the housing market or address concerns about high levels of debt held by Australians. Collaboration to bring…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Reserve Bank of Australia considers a rate hike The Reserve Bank revealed that it was a “close call” not to raise interest rates at its last meeting due to concerns over inflation and the housing market, but ultimately decided to maintain the current rate of 0.25%. ATO using data-matching…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Federal Court decision shakes up public holiday rostering rules for employers A recent ruling by the Federal Court requires employers to request their employees’ availability to work on public holidays in advance instead of just rostering them to work. Employers must introduce a mechanism for making such requests before issuing any direction to work on public holidays or risk being in breach of the…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australian house prices surge, but experts are divided over whether this is a real recovery The Australian housing market has surged in recent months, but experts are divided on whether it’s a “dead cat bounce” or the start of a real recovery. Lenders offer incentives to attract home loan…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Changes to home-based business expenses Businesses operating from home can claim business-use expenses, including occupancy expenses and running expenses. They can now use the revised fixed rate method of 67 cents per hour for the 2022-23 income year. Find out more here. Get ready for STP Phase 2 Single…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Why Australian banks will come out the other side of the global crisis According to Reserve Bank of Australia assistant governor Chris Kent, Australia’s banks are “unquestionably strong” and are equipped to handle a prolonged period of market strain. The banks are already well advanced on their bond issuance…  Read more

    Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Woolies half-year earnings reveal shoppers changing habits The supermarket chain says consumers are swapping red meat for more “affordable luxuries” such as exclusive cheese brands and ice creams. It’s believed to be part of a trend where people eat more at home instead of going out to…  Read more

  Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. What to do if you can no longer afford your mortgage As rates continue to rise, many Australians find themselves unable to make payments on their home. Learn what to do if your mortgage payment obligations are becoming impossible to meet. Woolworths expands controversial surveillance tool Woolworths is…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Australian trade minister to meet Chinese counterpart next week as relationship thaws Australia and China’s top trade officials will meet to discuss their relationship. The meeting will take place online and will be the first between Australia’s trade minister and the Chinese counterpart in over three years. The hope…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Interest rates are expected to keep rising despite softening inflation Economists generally believe that the worst of inflation is behind us, but they also say that the Reserve Bank will continue to raise interest rates until prices come down. Changes to FBT and providing employees with electric cars Employers…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Some good news for energy prices After recent record-busting increases in electricity costs, some good news is on the horizon – energy prices will lower over 2023 and 2024 once an expected drop in wholesale prices reaches consumers. Rent is coming down in one region According to SQM Research,…  Read more

Photo By Brooke Cagle Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Jobs and retail sales more robust than expected New data from the ABS shows that consumer price inflation picked up in November, leading to higher-than-anticipated retail spending to finish the year. Rent in cities is higher than ever Rent has increased by nearly 15 percent…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. AussieSuper upgrade is still causing trouble AustralianSuper had been struggling with technology issues for two months, with the new member portal and mobile app going live in mid-November. China’s Covid woes could negatively affect Australia’s economy A senior economist warns that China’s surging Covid cases could cause trouble for…  Read more

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward. Many air travellers stranded as airports see busiest days since the beginning of the pandemic A significant portion of the airline workforce is recovering from COVID-19 or the flu, making flight delays and cancellations increasingly common. Doctors urge 4th shot as COVID-19 cases rise again As a new Omicron…  Read more