News

Landspeed Records co-owner Blake Budak recalls one of his first customers when they opened the store above Gus's Cafe in Civic in 1994. "I remember a customer coming in and saying his personal collection was bigger than what we had in our shop. We had a couple of hundred CDs and some vinyl records and that was about it," Budak...

ACT plumbing firm Water Tight Canberra has scooped the 2019 Telstra Business Award for Australia’s top Small and Succeeding business. Announced on Thursday night, the awards, now in their 27th year, celebrate and showcase Australia’s best in business. Of the 21,000 companies that entered this year, only four were selected as national winners. The Telstra Awards said Water Tight won...

Lawyers from across Canberra gathered for the ACT Law Society's Government Law Drinks on 7 November, hosted by Meyer Vandenberg. The quarterly gathering is a welcome opportunity for lawyers to expand their networks and meet key people in the ACT. The guest speaker for the Spring event was Department of Health General Counsel Jackie Davis. Ms Davis spoke on leadership...

Crisis. It’s often what leads a person to come into contact with the law, which is why Michael Kukulies-Smith says holistic solutions to legal issues are essential. Michael is a partner at Kamy Saeedi Law (KSL), a leading local law firm that doesn’t just believe in what the law is. KSL believes in what the law can be and how...

Showing young Indigenous Australians how an accountancy degree can equip them to continue to care for the land, as their forebears did for many thousands of years, will help close a stark gap in Australian society today. Of about 200,000 accountants across Australia, only 67 are Indigenous people. If this one gap can be addressed and narrowed, more gaps are...

An idea born in the ANU's robotics labs two decades ago has grown into a world-leading Artifical Intelligence company that's picked up this year's major Chief Minister's Export Award. Seeing Machines creates enabled driver monitoring technology, measuring and tracking a driver's eye and head position and movements. The data can feed into advanced driver assistance systems and assess whether the...

Canberra-based health clubs and aquatic facilities owner Viva Leisure Limited has continued its exceptional march across the nation’s eastern states, acquiring eight fitness centres in Queensland. The latest acquisition adds an estimated 10,000 members to the high-flying, innovative fitness operator and comes just two months after Viva Leisure completed an acquisition in regional Victoria. The Queensland centres are in Aspley,...

In a town erroneously believed by outsiders to be all about government, it's remarkable how many businesses continue to grow generation upon generation. Now the Canberra Business Chamber is looking for the yarns that tell the history of our business community. There's Cusacks, who have been selling furniture since the second decade of last century, enduring everything the local economy...

In just three years, Belle Property Kingston has grown from four staff to 26. It’s not just their growth that’s impressive, it’s their performance. While still a relatively young franchise, Belle Property Kingston won two awards at the National Belle Awards held recently in Sydney. Out of 80 offices nationwide, Belle Property Kingston placed second for the total number of...

Employees can now take their wage theft claims to the ACT Magistrates Court instead of having their cases dragged out at the Fair Work Commission after new laws were passed in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (24 September). The Courts (Fair Work and Work Safety) Bill 2019 will now allow ACT magistrates to hear small wage-theft claims under $25,000 after...

Women can do more to celebrate their achievements. That's the message from Canberra Women in Business as they open nominations for their annual awards this week. Canberra Women in Business President Peta Swarbrick says, “We need to join together and recognise some of the extraordinary businesswomen we have here in the ACT". “Women are often juggling busy lives while managing...

It takes courage, persistence and resilience to run a business. Last night’s 2019 Telstra ACT Business of the Year awards recognised the capital’s best. With around 29,000 businesses in the ACT, it’s no mean feat to be on stage at these awards, now in their 27th year. Winners at last night’s gala event, held at Gandel Hall at the National...

Innovation and service – and a boundless commitment to the Canberra community – have helped Independent take out a swag of awards at the Real Estate Institute of the ACT Awards for Excellence. As well as the Innovation and Community Service awards, Independent collected the Marketing and Communications Award and the prized Large Residential Agency of the Year Award. Independent...

At the height of a rampant Ebola outbreak in 2014, Freetown, Sierra Leone was described by Aspen Medical's Dr John Gerrard as "the worst affected city, in the worst affected country in the worst ever epidemic of the worst disease known". But rather than retreating in horror from a virulent epidemic, medical staff from the Canberra company headed straight towards...

We’re all worried robots will take over our jobs one day, but what about when robotics actually help improve our quality of life? One doctor passionate about leveraging robotic technology to improve patient outcomes is Dr Damian Smith – skilled orthopaedic surgeon and a pioneer of robotic surgery in Australia. And we’re lucky to have him right here in Canberra....

Canberra’s Viva Leisure, a leading Australian health club owner and operator, has recorded more than $33 million in revenue in the last financial year. This is Viva Leisure’s first financial results release following a successful listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in June 2019. The fast-growing fitness provider had net profit after tax (NPAT) of $3.2 million, an 8.2 per...