COVID-19 Business Update – 16 December 2020

State-by-State Guide to COVID-19 Restrictions Ahead of Holidays As Australia plans to reopen in time for Christmas and the New Year, authorities are reminding people to follow the COVID-19 restrictions that remain in place. Over the months, states and territories have continuously changed travel and social restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. You may check this guide for a state-by-state breakdown of which restrictions remain in place in…  Read more

A Guide to Business Recovery in a pandemic world

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

COVID-19 Business Update – 9 December 2020

Australia Bounces Out of Recession As Economy Grows 3.3% Australia’s economy grew by 3.3% in the third quarter as it rebounded from its first recession in nearly 30 years. This rebound in Q3 GDP reversed around 40% of the decline during the first half of the year and it is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by mid-2021. Australia Stocks Extend Rally to 6th Day The Australian stock market finished…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 2 December 2020

South Australia Now Open to Victoria Since 12.01am on Tuesday, the border with Victoria has been reopened, allowing travel between the two states. Victorians entering South Australia are still required to fill in an online permit form, to get pre-approval. Masks are also mandatory for people in allied health and residential care, and the state is rolling out its QR code mandatory check-in system for businesses and venues. Meanwhile, Premier…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 25 November 2020

Australia Opens Up More Borders in Domestic Travel Australia will lift more internal state border restrictions in a boost for tourism as new COVID-19 cases slow to a trickle, while the first vaccines could be available in March. Queensland will allow visitors next week from New South Wales and Victoria, after closing its borders in August. Meanwhile, NSW will ease restrictions on arrivals from Sydney on December 1 and will…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 18 November 2020

6-Day Lockdown Ordered in South Australia The state of South Australia will begin a 6-day lockdown at midnight on Wednesday, with schools, universities, bars and cafes closed. Only one person from each household will be allowed to leave home each day, and only for specific reasons. Under this latest lockdown, wearing masks is mandatory, outdoor exercise is banned, aged-care facilities will go into lockdown, and most factories will close. Weddings…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 11 November 2020

No locally acquired cases for the first time since Feb! Great news this week for Victoria who recorded 12 days with no new COVID-19 cases, and the rest of the country as Australia recorded its third day without a locally acquired case nationally for the first time since late February. COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Results from Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine trials are exciting, immunology and infectious diseases experts say, as early data…  Read more

Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy extended

The Australian Government has extended and expanded the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy, to include medium-sized businesses who had an eligible apprentice in place on 1 July 2020. This may be of particular interest to employers who are not eligible for the JobKeeper extension. What is the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy? The Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy is part of the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Economic Response.…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 4 November 2020

The end is hopefully in sight. Things are slowly getting back to normal. Victoria Reports No COVID-19 Cases For Fifth Straight Day Victoria, Australia’s coronavirus hotspot, reported zero COVID-19 cases for the fifth straight day as states started easing regional border restrictions. This increases the prospects for a faster return to normal. Last week, Victoria allowed restaurants and cafes in Melbourne to reopen after over 3 months under stringent lockdown,…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 28 October 2020

This week’s update on the economy, the latest government announcements and any changes to government stimulus on the table. Australia Starts Fourth Quarter on Stronger Economic Footing Flash Australia PMI signals faster output growth in October as COVID-19 restrictions loosen. The IHS Markit Flash Australia Composite PMI, covering both manufacturing and service sectors, increased from 51.1 in September to 53.6 in October. This marked the fastest increase in private sector…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 21 October 2020

Weekly update for our Clients 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 blue-collar and service workers who must be physically present to do their…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 14 October 2020

Weekly update for our clients 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 elements of these reforms include: From 1 July 2021, when a person changes jobs, their super account will…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 7 October 2020

Weekly update for our clients 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 that make new investments will be able to write off the entire cost in one year, rather than…  Read more

Federal Budget 2020: What it means for you

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

COVID-19 Business Update – 30 September 2020

This week’s update on the economy, the latest government announcements and any changes to government stimulus on the table. $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 almost $800 million scheme…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 23 September 2020

This week’s update on the economy, the latest government announcements and any changes to government stimulus on the table. Queensland Border Zone Extensions from October 1st Queensland’s border zone will be extended to 5 local government areas in NSW starting October 1st. These areas include: Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes councils. South Australia-NSW Borders to Open at Midnight South Australia will reopen its borders to New South…  Read more

How Small Businesses are Boosting Sales During COVID-19

We started 2020 with optimism and hope that this year was going to be better than the last– but then, COVID-19 happened and brought sudden massive changes worldwide. It has disrupted the way we interact, shop, work, and transact. Businesses of all sizes have been plunged into darkness, with some even having to shut completely. Meanwhile, others managed to find dynamic solutions to shelter their businesses from the harsh impacts…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 16 September 2020

This week’s update on the economy, the latest government announcements and any changes to government stimulus on the table. 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 be reached by late…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 9 September 2020

As always we wish our clients well, you are never far from our thoughts. Australia To Extend Bankruptcy Protection Rules Until End of 2020 Australia will extend its temporary insolvency and bankruptcy protection rules until the end of this year, providing businesses a lifeline to recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The rules, which were first introduced in March and originally due to expire on 30 September 2020, indicate that…  Read more

COVID-19 Business Update – 2 September 2020

There is still hope we can see our clients in person before the end of the year. 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 end on 13 September. Details on…  Read more

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