ESG investing in people and the planet

Environmental and social issues need to be considered together for sustainable finance reforms to contribute positively to the wellbeing of the planet and its people.

An eye on Indigenous business

Indigenous owned and run businesses may be worth billions of dollars to the Australian economy, but despite new research into their scope and activities, we still don’t know enough about them.

Innovate and grow

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, is inviting small to medium enterprises (SMEs) working on advanced manufacturing solutions to apply for a self-paced, 10-week, online program that can help them turn an idea into an R&D opportunity.

Merge carefully

The tougher merger laws proposed by the Federal government should boost competition, protect consumers and improve Australia’s economic performance and productivity by reducing the power of corporate oligopolies to dominate markets by force.

Firms behaving badly

Australian authorities have never had the power to break up big businesses that behave badly, but maybe they should, given the power of major corporates and their disdain for fair competition and consumer law.

CSIRO steps up to drive SME innovation

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has announced a $20 million investment to provide small to medium enterprises with greater access to vital research and development opportunities to accelerate their growth.

Understanding the right to disconnect

The ‘right to disconnect’ is coming to Australia and will give workers a break from having to reply to work-related emails, messages, or activities outside of their normal working hours. Will it help stressed Aussie workers find a better work-life balance by setting boundaries between professional and personal time?

Action not words on ESG

While many corporate boards profess the need to engage with environmental and social issues, the public won’t believe it’s any more than another form of public relations if they fail to instigate real reforms that put people and the planet first.

Real news about fake food

From ‘honey laundering’ to fake free-range, food fraud costs consumers billions and betrays their trust in what they feed their families.

Time for change in the workplace?

The relentless march of technology has delivered many labour saving devices but greater productivity has benefited employers more than employees. So will large language models and generative artificial intelligence deliver a golden age of social prosperity or drive millions out of work?

Checkout capitalism

As you pack your own purchases at Coles or Woolworths this week, having paid 50% more for your family’s food that you did a couple of years ago, take a moment to consider the ways Australia’s predatory duopoly dominates the nation’s food supply and exemplify the ‘chokepoint capitalism’ defined by Cory Doctorow.

Zombies in the corner office

Outdated “zombie” perceptions of leadership persist across society despite being repeatedly debunked, University of Queensland research has found.