Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Lately, economists have been talking about a “K-shaped” recovery from the current recession. As this article in The Conversation explains, this kind of recovery happens when different parts of the economy recover at different rates. White-collar workers who can more easily work remotely may have an easier and faster path to recovery than… 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. Proposed Superannuation Reform Measures The Government has announced that it will spend $159.6 million over the next four years to implement a number of reforms to the superannuation system that will save fund members $18 billion in fees and other costs between now and 2030. The key… 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
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. South Australia-NSW Borders to Open at Midnight South Australia will reopen its borders to New South Wales at midnight, after NSW recorded another day with no community transmission. This means NSW residents entering SA will no longer have to undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine. From midnight, 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 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
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. 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
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
The JobKeeper Payments Amendment Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on Wednesday 26th August. We appreciate your patience as we process these changes. This Bill introduces the extension of the JobKeeper scheme that was announced last month. The proposed rate changes will see the current $1500 per fortnight payment drop to $1200 for full time workers. and $750 for those working less than 20 hours per week from… 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. Victoria’s State of Emergency extended for 18 months Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the State of Emergency will be in place for 18 months and lockdown restrictions will be extended beyond September. Businesses in Victoria that are struggling can access the state’s Business Support Package. Get… Read more
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Cashflow Boost and JobKeeper Audits The ATO has announced that it will be actively conducting audits on the cashflow boost JobKeeper scheme. If you receive contact from the ATO to review your JobKeeper eligibility, you will be required to provide documentation as proof that you meet the eligibility criteria.… Read more
The ATO has released further guidance on the recent changes to the JobKeeper scheme in relation to the timing of an eligible employee. From JobKeeper fortnights commencing 3rd August, fortnight 10, the key date for eligible employees has changed to 1 July. In the past, an employee had to be on the books as of the 1st of March in order to be eligible for the JobKeeper wage subsidy. This… 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
Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update. Australian Borders Remain Shut Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that international border closures were unlikely to lift before Christmas, as the country reported a record single-day surge in COVID-19 deaths on Monday. However, drastic lockdown measures in Melbourne appear to be working, as the rate of daily… Read more
7 August 2020 You may have heard the news that Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has announced the government will expand the JobKeeper scheme again. This comes a few weeks after announcements of JobKeeper 2.0 to start at the end of September. Below is a roundup of what has been announced and what we expect to see, but please note that this is not legislated yet and is still subject to change.… 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. Support for Victorian businesses As you have probably heard, the Victorian Government has announced updated restrictions for Melbourne and regional Victoria to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Stage 4 restrictions started from 6pm on Sunday 2 August for metropolitan Melbourne. Stage 3 restrictions are in place… Read more
As small business owners look to operations after COVID-19, there are some important business questions to ask. These questions will help you determine what adaptations you want to keep, whether your business model is working, and if there are additional changes you want to make to keep your company operational through future economic downturns. It’s not always fun to do this sort of examination, but the answers to these questions… Read more
We hope that you and your family are well. On 21 July 2020, the Government announced that JobKeeper would be extended to 28 March 2021, but it will have reduced payments to employers and it will be harder to qualify to receive it. All employers wanting to claim JobKeeper payments from 28 September 2020 will need to reassess their eligibility again and prove that their turnover has declined based on… Read more