Business News

Mental illness in the workplace is costing the economy $60 billion a year, claims a counsellor who specialises in treating business leaders. Gabriel Edwards (right) is the founder of Breathing Space Counselling Practice. She says senior management has a duty to make workplace mental health and wellbeing a priority. “CEOs …

Aussie small businesses are overcoming stiff competition by getting tech savvy, according to a new global report. It also found that, despite various challenges, the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is in “good health” globally. The State of Small Business Global Report comes from TradeGecko, in collaboration with Golfdale …

Ombudsman Kate Carnell has welcomed the Labor party’s commitment to three key changes to legislation on unfair contract terms. Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Ms Carnell described Labor’s announced changes to unfair contract terms as “in line with our submission to the review currently being undertaken by …

The Labor party wants to criminalise wage theft in Victoria and NSW. But some are warning it could be unconstitutional. According to MSN, two legal experts from the University of Melbourne suggest a new criminal offence would not deter employers from underpaying workers. In their research paper, Melissa Kennedy and …

Coca-Cola Amatil will no longer distribute plastic drinking straws and stirrers in Australia. Instead, the company says, it will stock fully recyclable and biodegradable FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) accredited paper straws. Group Managing Director Alison Watkins says the decision is another step forward in the company’s efforts to reduce single-use …

Kate Carnell has welcomed Labor’s policy announcement to overhaul jobactive, which she says is letting small businesses down. In a recent statement, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman was scathing about the employment services system. “(It’s) not meeting the needs of small business operators in Australia,” she said. …

PGGM and Shell say they’ve “joined forces” to look at participating in the controlled auction for sustainable energy provider Eneco. Eneco and its shareholders’ committee announced the start of the privatisation process in December last year. ‘A platform for growth’ In a press release, the consortium praised Eneco’s achievements in …

Master Grocers Australia (MGA) has praised Minister Kelly O’Dwyer for taking “prompt action” in stopping double dipping for casual employees. In 2018, a federal court decided a casual worker employed on a regular basis could claim annual and sick leave. The employer had therefore breached the Fair Work Act, the …

Safeguarding against Christmas shoplifting is crucial, says Checkpoint Systems, if retailers are to protect their profit margins at this crucial time of year. The retail inventory management specialist – which describes itself as “Australia’s leading expert in the manufacture and supply of retail loss prevention and merchandise management solutions” – …

As Christmas approaches, Australian small business owners are compromising their personal wellbeing to deal with business pressures, claims Westpac. Such pressures include cash flow, compliance and regulation, according to Westpac’s new Small Business Report, in collaboration with Deloitte. Main findings 58 per cent of small business owners said they expect …