Tradie awarded $8,000 after being unfairly dismissed for running over boss’ pet galah

Emma Elsworthy SmartCompany, February 25, 2022 Crackers the galah was sadly rundown at a property in Queensland, sparking the Fair Work case. Unsplash/Gozha Net A young tradie has won $8000 in compensation after being sacked for reversing a vehicle over his boss’s beloved pet galah Crackers. Queenslander Blake O’Keeffe brought the application to the Fair Work Commission, who found he …

Hacktivists back Ukraine to wage cyber offensive against Russia

An image posted by Anonymous online where the collective declares its support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Chris Griffith Technology Reporter The Australian, March 1, 2022 Dark web hacktivists including the Anonymous collective have thrown their full support behind Ukraine, attacking Russian government websites, banking and transport services, media outlets and infrastructure. Posting on Twitter, Anonymous claims to …

Missiles, not emissions, the hotter threat

ADAM CREIGHTON US President Joe Biden. Picture: Saul Loeb/AFPThe Australian, February 28, 2022 For years we’ve heard how climate change was the No. 1 threat facing the world. For Kevin Rudd in 2007, it was the greatest moral challenge of our time. For Joe Biden last June, it was the biggest threat to US national security. Within a week, Russia …

Russia’s Putin gambles that the West is weak

Tony Abbott Tony Abbott as prime minister speaks during a national memorial service to honour victims of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Picture: AAP The Wall Street Journal/The Australian,  February 28, 2022 “The bullying of small nations by big ones, the trampling of justice and decency in the pursuit of national aggrandisement, and …

Number of Covid-19 active cases in Western Australia soars passed 5000 as new restrictions introduced

People are urged to get vaccinated. Picture: Tony McDonough/NCA NewsWire Angie Raphael Reporter @AngieRaphael NCA NewsWire/The Australian, February 28, 2022 A raft of tough new restrictions will come into place this week when Western Australia brings down its hard border, including a limit of 10 people for home gatherings. As WA’s number of active cases soared passed 5000 on Monday, …

Business owner fined $14,000 over “despicable” abuse of JobKeeper scheme

Stephanie Palmer-Derrien SmartCompany, February 23, 2022 Source: Unsplash/Marjan Blan. A Queensland business owner is facing a $14,000 penalty for allegedly requiring an employee to repay his JobKeeper payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. The business owner also repaid the worker in question more than $6200 in unlawfully reclaimed wages, after what a judge called a “callous and despicable” breach of trust. …

Government urged to invest in small business digital skills in next month’s budget

Eloise Keating SmartCompany, February 24, 2022 CPA Australia senior manager of business policy Gavan Ord. Source: supplied. The federal government has an opportunity in next month’s budget to invest in the digital capabilities of the nation’s small businesses, and help those businesses catch up to their Asia-Pacific counterparts, according to CPA Australia. The peak accounting body is calling on the …

Are you a T.W.A.T? How the pandemic created a new cohort of hybrid workers

Emma Elsworthy SmartCompany, February 24, 2022 TWaT is a term for those working in the office on the middle three days of the week. Source: Unsplash/SHTTEFAN. Are you now working full-time back at the office… or are you a T.W.A.T? Before you type me an angry complaint, know that it stands for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — it’s an acronym …

Small business goes ‘whoosh’: how middle Australia drove Covid recovery

It’s not politicians, and it’s not the big corporates driving the post-pandemic recovery … it’s plumbers, carpenters, electricians and builders. Here’s how middle Australia took its future into its own hands. By BERNARD SALT The Australian, February 24, 2022 It is a data set that doesn’t ­receive the attention it ­deserves. Business Count is prepared by the Australian Bureau of ­Statistics …