Politics
Bags banned: South Australia to ditch plastic in cafe and retail trial
Plastic straws, single-use coffee cups and plastic bags of all types will no longer be supplied in select areas within South Australia under…
Government releases timetable for banking royal commission recommendations, following criticism it is ‘dragging its feet’
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has issued a timetable for the government’s dealing with the recommendations from the royal commission into bank…
“WorkChoices 2.0”: Furor as Coalition backbenchers call for SME unfair dismissal exemption
The federal opposition has accused the Morrison government of trying to “resurrect” WorkChoices as a political fight brews over the future o…
Open rates got you down? Here’s why new spam laws could benefit SMEs
In 2003, Facebook wasn’t yet imagined, Twitter was still three years away and the iPhone was four years from launch. It wasn’t even poss…
The Coalition has pledged to put downward pressure on gas prices — but it won’t achieve much
By Tony Wood, Grattan Institute
“The Liberal-National government will help secure gas supplies, put downward pressure on prices and enc…
“Logical step”: Unfair insurance contracts targeted in busy week for Treasury
Extending unfair contract terms to insurance, restricting cash payments and reforms to the way businesses handle consumer data are on the ag…
Jail time for wage theft: Government moves ahead with plans to criminalise worker exploitation
The federal government will move ahead with plans to criminalise serious worker exploitation within the “next month or so”, as argument …
Government plan to reduce energy prices could leave businesses worse off
In 2018, as part of the federal government’s ‘big stick’ energy policy, energy retailers were told to deliver fairer pricing to their…
Company director crackdown: New laws tighten rules for business owners
The government has moved to tighten the rules around director resignations in a bid to crack down on backdating and company abandonment.
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Government’s $2 billion SME finance fund critiqued by Productivity Commission
The Productivity Commission has taken a swipe at the federal government’s $2 billion investment in SME financing, warning taxpayer interve…
