Austrailia/New Zealand Small Business News Round-up – 12/03/2008

Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from Australia and New Zealand:

• Cost Rica aims to be the first carbon-neutral country in world: … to commit to carbon neutrality, joining Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, and Costa Rica. Though the small … for Costa Rica. According to Dobles, greener business practices will ultimately lead to a greener …
• Business failures down by 36pc: Fewer New Zealand businesses are failing than three years ago, with the youngest companies showing the biggest improvement in survival rates. A review of 100,000 business records by credit reporting agency Dun and Bradstreet shows…
• Return of the tax break: Michael Cullen once said Labour was “philosophically opposed” to tax cuts. However, the Government’s pruning of the company tax rate from 33c to 30c shows it is taking a slightly more pragmatic approach to business tax. The company…
• Wozniak trashes iPhone and MacBook Air: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has slammed the iPhone and the new MacBook Air as poorly designed..
• Companies looking after their world: New Zealand businesses are spending more time and money considering the effect of their activities on the environment and the communities in which they operate. “Stakeholder reporting”, or sustainable development reporting, is…
• Commission to stay out of mobile roaming prices: The Commerce Commission is recommending prices for mobile roaming not be regulated. Roaming allows subscribers of one mobile network to use their mobile telephone handset on a different mobile network to make and receive calls.
• Work laws stop companies expanding: WORK Choices and employment laws are the second largest hindrance to a company’s expansion, a new survey shows.
• Unions wants wage support from Rudd: TRADE unions are hoping the Federal Government backs their claim for a $26 a week hike in the minimum wage, despite calls from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for wage restraint.
• Skill shortages biggest business hindrance: CONTRARY to what the former Coalition Government led people to believe, Work Choices and employment laws are the second largest hindrance to a company’s expansion, a new survey shows.
• Women do it differently: IT IS in the regional areas of Australia where women are taking up the challenge of starting and operating their own businesses, research shows.

As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.

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