Have your say: How can we unite the small business sector?

An alliance of small business organisations has been formed to present a united front on policy issues of mutual interest. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), Kate Carnell, says the group will be making joint submissions on the Federal Budget and other consultations, in the interest of uniting the small business sector. […]

Message from the CEO: Monday, May 9

Last week, we commended Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison for recognising the important role small to medium businesses play when it comes to creating jobs for Australians into the future. Given the high proportion of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the retail sector, the proposed business tax cuts outlined in the budget provide a more […]

Message from the CEO: 18 March 2016

Much has been made of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ figures showing the nation’s unemployment rate fell from 6 to 5.8 per cent in February (released Thursday), but the unemployment rate doesn’t specifically tend to affect retailers, the number of job vacancies is far more significant, because labour demand has a profound effect on cash […]

Fire safety workshops for Queensland small businesses

The Office of Industrial Relations, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are running free workshops to cover a range of work health and safety topics, including:• Basic safety management system• Risk management• Safe work procedures• Safe work method statements (for high risk construction work)• Basic risk management for manual tasks• Incident and emergency response• Hazardous chemicals• Health and wellbeing• Injury management and return to work• Monitor […]

Distress and humiliation suffered after adverse action

The Federal Circuit Court has found The Monitoring Centre (TMC) took adverse action against their general manager who had made a workplace complaint when the company asked employees to provide negative feedback about the general manager and ultimately used this feedback to terminate her. The former employee made a formal complaint against the director’s wife, […]

Message from the CEO: 15 January 2016

The jobs figures released yesterday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics were very welcome news for the economy, and for the retail sector. The ABS reported that 312,000 more Australians were in work in December compared with the same time 12 months ago, with most of those people finding full-time work. Additional Australians in work […]

Message from the CEO: 16th October 2015

Analysts were saying that the next move in interest rates would be upwards and we saw evidence of that this week – not from the Reserve Bank, but from Westpac, which announced a 0.2 per cent increase in its variable rate mortgage. It’s not the first bank to nudge its rates upwards, but it is […]