News

Hardship support still uneven for small business borrowers, FCA report warns

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:40:46 GMT

Financial Counselling Australia says hardship support across banks, other lenders and debt collectors remains inconsistent, with its Rank the Banks, Other Lenders and Debt Collectors 2026 report finding the major banks continue to rate ahead of many other credit providers. The report, published by the FCA in July 2026, examines how financial counsellors rate creditors' responses to customers experiencing financial difficulty.

CPI release tomorrow will be watched by borrowers and retailers

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 02:38:26 GMT

Summary: The ABS is scheduled to release the June 2026 Consumer Price Index on Wednesday, 29 July 2026 at 11:30am AEST.

Insolvencies remain concentrated in construction and hospitality

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:27:59 GMT

Summary: ASIC’s latest corporate insolvency update says 12,819 companies entered external administration in the first 11 months of 2025–26. The most common industries were construction, accommodation and food services, other services, retail trade, and professional, scientific and technical services.

Regional Pulse Survey seeks business input for Southern NSW and ACT planning

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:14:59 GMT

Summary: Regional Development Australia Southern NSW and ACT has opened its Thrive Regional Pulse Survey, seeking input from people who live, work, volunteer, invest or participate in communities across Southern NSW and the ACT. The survey is designed to capture local insights on regional conditions, priorities, opportunities and challenges, with optional sections including topics such as transport and logistics. RDASNA says responses will help build regional intelligence and support future planning, collaboration and decision-making.

New Australian laws targeting subscription traps and unfair trading practices

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Sun, 19 Jul 2026 07:55:54 GMT

Summary:
New federal laws will ban a range of unfair trading practices, including subscription traps, hidden fees, drip pricing and manipulative online sales tactics. The reforms amend the Australian Consumer Law and are due to commence on 1 July 2027, giving businesses a 12-month transition period.

NSW offers business advisory support for Great Western Highway closure impacts

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:07:37 GMT

Summary:
Small businesses affected by the closure of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass can register for free, tailored business advisory support through Service NSW. The highway is closed in both directions for urgent road repairs, and the NSW Government has announced support for impacted small businesses and councils across the Blue Mountains and Central West. Advisory support is available from 9 June to 9 September 2026. Eligible businesses can receive up to three hours of free one-on-one advice, delivered online or by phone, plus access to local networking events once details are released.

Small business confidence fragile as wage rises and Payday Super hit cash flow

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 05:01:49 GMT

Small business confidence remains fragile despite signs that broader business sentiment has improved from recent lows. For many owners, the pressure point is no longer just rising supplier costs, but the combined effect of higher wages, cautious consumer demand and tighter payroll cash flow.

Treasury consults on discretionary trust tax changes

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 04:17:11 GMT

Summary: Treasury has released consultation material on reforms affecting discretionary trusts and capital gains tax concessions. Treasury says all 2.7 million active small businesses would remain eligible for the 50% active asset reduction, and more than 90% of active businesses would remain eligible for all four existing small business CGT concessions. Media reporting says the consultation has raised concern among small business and investment groups, with submissions due 31 July 2026.

Telstra outage: business customers told to document losses

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 03:41:41 GMT

Summary: Telstra business customers affected by last week’s national outage may need to lodge a complaint and provide evidence of financial loss to seek compensation. The outage disrupted mobile services, digital payments, transport systems and emergency calling, with Telstra and regulators facing scrutiny over network resilience. Reuters reported the incident was linked to software/time-synchronisation faults rather than malicious activity.

South Australia launches $50,000 grants for businesses hit by algal bloom

court.sayer-roberts@smallbusinessnetwork.org.au (Court Sayer-Roberts) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 04:07:09 GMT

The South Australian Government has opened applications for the Algal Bloom Small Business Support Grant, offering grants of up to $50,000 to eligible small businesses directly impacted by the state's ongoing harmful algal bloom.