Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. State-by-State Guide to COVID-19 Restrictions Ahead of Holidays As Australia plans to reopen in time for Christmas and the New Year, authorities are reminding people to follow the COVID-19 restrictions that remain in place. Over the… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. Australia Bounces Out of Recession As Economy Grows 3.3% Australia’s economy grew by 3.3% in the third quarter as it rebounded from its first recession in nearly 30 years. This rebound in Q3 GDP reversed around… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. South Australia Now Open to Victoria Since 12.01am on Tuesday, the border with Victoria has been reopened, allowing travel between the two states. Victorians entering South Australia are still required to fill in an online permit… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. Australia Opens Up More Borders in Domestic Travel Australia will lift more internal state border restrictions in a boost for tourism as new COVID-19 cases slow to a trickle, while the first vaccines could be available… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. 6-Day Lockdown Ordered in South Australia The state of South Australia will begin a 6-day lockdown at midnight on Wednesday, with schools, universities, bars and cafes closed. Only one person from each household will be allowed… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. No locally acquired cases for the first time since Feb! Great news this week for Victoria who recorded 12 days with no new COVID-19 cases, and the rest of the country as Australia recorded its third… Read more
As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic is not just a public health issue, it’s also caused lockdowns and financial worries on a global scale. Small businesses are not strangers to the impacts of the pandemic. In a survey by the International Trade Centre (ITC) among 1,200 businesses in 109 countries between 20 April and 4 May, the pandemic has strongly affected 60% of the businesses. The results of the survey… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. Victoria Reports No COVID-19 Cases For Fifth Straight Day Victoria, Australia’s coronavirus hotspot, reported zero COVID-19 cases for the fifth straight day as states started easing regional border restrictions. This increases the prospects for a faster… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s updates and some ideas that will help us all overcome this crisis. Construction & Manufacturing Wage Increase Employees covered by awards will have base rates increased by 1.75 per cent, however, these increases to award wages begin on three different dates for different groups of awards: Group two… Read more
More and more people are leaving their office jobs and setting up an online business these days, especially because of COVID-19/ Running an online business offers a way for you to work from home and be your own boss. It may sound like an overwhelming process, but many entrepreneurs find it fulfilling. Here are some tips to increase the chances your small online business will be a success, and you’ll… Read more
Networking can be a key way to keep your business growing. Regardless of your industry or business size, it is hard to ignore the benefits of forming professional networks for potential partnerships, expanding your client base, and scaling up. However, while we are all constantly reminded about the importance of networking, reaching out to grow your network isn’t the same now thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social restrictions to prevent… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Federal Budget 2020 Released The Federal Budget was released earlier this week. Here’s a quick rundown of the key points: This budget is based on economic assumptions including that there will be a COVID-19 vaccine rolled out by the end of 2021. Asset write off – businesses… Read more
The Federal Budget was released on Tuesday 6th October. This article has a good summary of the “Winners and Losers” of the Budget. You’ll also find a recap of the key points below. Key Points: This budget is based on economic assumptions including that there will be a COVID-19 vaccine rolled out by the end of 2021. Tax cuts for workers – more money in pockets for more Australians. JobMaker… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. $800m Digital Business Plan to Drive Economic Recovery The Australian Government has announced a Digital Business plan to enable businesses to take advantage of digital technologies to grow their businesses and create jobs in the wake of COVID-19. PM Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the… Read more
The Australian Government announced that JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments will be extended, with changes starting on 28 September 2020. Below is a rundown of the changes to expect on these support schemes. Changes to JobKeeper The JobKeeper scheme will continue until 28 March 2021. The extension of the scheme will operate in two separate periods: Extension 1: 28 September 2020 to 3 January 2021 Extension 2: 4 January 2021 to… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Queensland Border Zone Extensions from October 1st Queensland’s border zone will be extended to 5 local government areas in NSW starting October 1st. These areas include: Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes councils. South Australia-NSW Borders to Open at Midnight South Australia will reopen its… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Melbourne’s Roadmap to ‘COVID Normal’ A staged plan to ease Melbourne out of tight COVID-19 restrictions has been released. Stage 4 restrictions will remain in place for another two weeks with some minor changes, and will start to ease further from 28 September. The final step should… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Australia To Extend Bankruptcy Protection Rules Until End of 2020 Australia will extend its temporary insolvency and bankruptcy protection rules until the end of this year, providing businesses a lifeline to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The rules, which were first introduced in March and originally… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. COVID-19 Cases in Victoria Fall to Seven-Week Low Victoria, the epicentre of Australia’s second wave of COVID-19 infections, has reported a significant drop in the number of new cases, reaching a near two-month low. This is good news as the total lockdown in Melbourne is set to… Read more
Since the government announced the $70-billion JobKeeper program to support businesses and their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, many small- and medium-sized businesses and non-profit organisations heavily relied on this scheme to stay afloat. According to a recent survey by the Australian Institute of Company Directors on the impact of COVID-19, over 40% of the respondents reported reliance on JobKeeper payments. 47% of SMEs indicated that the JobKeeper Scheme had… Read more