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Sunny skies return for tourism

Could Australia’s beleaguered tourism sector finally see some light at the end of tunnel? That’s the clear message from this week’s big travel sector profit results and a new report from Access...

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Sexual harassment takes its Toll

It was just another typical day at the office for the senior executives at Toll Holdings. A typical day at the office which involved asking their female colleagues to leave the room before donning...

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SMEs aren’t getting a fair go from the FWO

Almost on a daily basis I get an email from the Fair Work Ombudsman trumpeting the Ombudsman’s latest prosecution of a small business.Even in the midst of the deluge of emails my inbox receives each...

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The myth of a lack of consumer confidence

There’s a lot of talk about a lack of consumer confidence in the retail sector but in a week of disappointing profit announcements there were two retailers defying the downturn, New Zealand retailer...

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Does anyone care about the carbon tax anymore?

Over the past couple of weeks both the Small Business Minister, Brendan O’Connor, and his opposition counterpart, Bruce Billson, have popped by the SmartCompany offices for a chat. One issue both...

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Red tape riddle

It’s the case of the mysterious red tape.As soon as there are moves to cut red tape for business it seems equal amounts of onerous regulations arrive to replace it.Back in April this year at the...

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Action needed on bungled Business Names Register

The Federal Government cites the creation of a national Business Names Register in May as one of the ways it has cut red tape for businesses. Unfortunately the reality is far different, with businesses...

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Franchises need carrots as well as sticks

This week the great and the good of franchising were all in Canberra for the National Franchise Convention which finished up yesterday with the presentation of SmartCompany’s Franchise Innovation...

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Payroll tax should be scrapped, not increased

“It’s a penalty for employing people”, “it’s a scourge” these were the reactions I got on the topic of payroll tax when I spoke to a group of SME owners and founders this week at a meeting of the...

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The need for social media guidelines

Businesses are stuck. Everyone has read about the benefits of using social media but at the same time it seems that every week brings a new social media fail.There was the livestock business with the...

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The great company tax cut swindle

This week has been all about company tax, starting off with the Federal Government’s announcement that it will collect company tax payments on a monthly basis and ending with the Business Tax Working...

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Does Tinkler have any friends left?

Nathan Tinkler lost his bid for control of Whitehaven Resources yesterday after he fell short of the votes needed to oust the miner’s board and there’s no signs the coal magnate will be able to get...

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If there’s a discrimination claim: Who you gonna call?

If a discrimination claim by an employee is not stressful enough for a small business to deal with, there are now a range of different laws and agencies businesses have to deal with.The duplication...

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Exporters as rare as hen’s teeth

“I've never found the government support for export assistance to be particularly useful.”That’s what Pat Boland, the co-owner of industrial tool manufacturer ANCA, told me when I interviewed him just...

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The problem with Abbott’s small business promise

Tony Abbott was preaching to the converted at the Menzies Research Centre Small Business Round Table hosted by CPA Australia yesterday morning.He entered the room to a spontaneous round of applause and...

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Is being a mum relevant to business?

Carolyn Cresswell has only just been awarded the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year award but already the debate has started over whether it is relevant that Cresswell is also the mother of...

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Banking lobby should back SME banking code of conduct

Yet another parliamentary inquiry into banking has recommended a voluntary code of conduct for small business lending to be developed by the Australian Bankers' Association. It was one of 20...

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Resilient jobs data could delay more rate cuts

It wasn’t the news we were expecting to hear.The unemployment rate actually dropped yesterday, falling from 5.3% to 5.2% despite, or perhaps in spite of, analyst predictions that unemployment would...

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The Christmas Grinch of retail

As Christmas approaches, those jingle bells are jingling and, once again, cash registers are ring, ring, ringing.It has been a tough retail environment this year, with the collapse of Retail Adventures...

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SMEs shouldn’t be unpaid tax collectors

Research released yesterday revealed the cost to small business of meeting its GST compliance obligations is roughly 50% higher in Australia than in comparable overseas jurisdictions.The research by...

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