News

Canberrans definitely ended 2017 on a high. So far, we've been named the best place to live in the world, the third best place to travel to in the world, and now it seems we may be the best place in Australia to run a small business. This is according to a small business report released by digital accounting software...

The popular and distinctive Hotel Hotel in the Nishi Building in New Acton will change hands from 1 March with Molonglo Group selling the hotel and the hatted Monster kitchen and bar businesses to the Hong-Kong based Ovolo Hotels. Hotel Hotel's new name is yet to be decided but the new owners are promising few changes to the business that...

Around 400 solar batteries have been installed in Canberra homes and businesses with the ACT Government hoping the third stage in its grants program will see that number doubled. Six companies have been successful in winning more than $3 million in grants under the Next Generation Energy Storage program which subsidises Canberra households looking to store solar energy to use...

When musing about what will happen to your stuff if you were to die, naturally or through misadventure, would you mull it over in your head and then maybe make some notes on your phone, tablet or computer … or even draft an email, text or Messenger message? If you have done this or would consider doing it, then you...

Government consulting is big business in Canberra, with over $1 billion going to the big four consulting firms in the past three years. The main reason for this is that the Federal Government continues to look outside of its 250,000-strong workforce for additional support and expertise. One local public-sector consulting firm that is taking on the big four is Callida...

Humanitarian crises, war-zones, complex emergencies and disaster-affected areas are all in a day's work for local Canberra systems engineering company ECLIPS. ECLIPS, formerly 'Sea Box International', supplies modular products and engineering services across Australia and the world for a broad range of uses. The company was established a decade ago and now supplies to clients ranging from defence, emergency and...

Rita Joyan is hardly ever idle. In fact, when I caught up with her, she had just finished a worldwide business tour. After spending most of her childhood under troubling circumstances, Rita is perhaps engineered not to waste a single second of her life. She is a big-picture thinker, much like her parents who fled their homeland of Afghanistan when...

Nominations are now open for the 2018 ACT Women's Awards and the ACT Women's Honour Roll, recognising the achievements of female champions in the local community. The 2018 ACT Women's Awards recognise exceptional women in three categories: ACT Woman of the Year, ACT Senior Woman of the Year (60 years plus), and ACT Young Woman of the Year (16 to...

Lonely Planet's announcement of Canberra being named as the third best city in the world to visit in 2018 caused the usual Canberra-bashing across social media, but for many of us who live here, such an accolade is not surprising. This recognition is a result of a decade of transformative work. Canberra has fundamentally changed from the small, insular country...

Owners of large commercial buildings and shopping centres have been doing it for years and reaping the benefits of cheaper utilities such as gas and electricity. Isn't it time owner's corporations in Canberra got in on the ACT? What we are talking about is 'embedded networks'. So, what is an 'embedded network'? According to the Australian Energy Regulator: In some...

Canberra pharmacist Elise Apolloni is a woman with a message and a mission to improve the physical and mental health of her community, and beyond. The 29-year-old co-owner of Capital Chemist Wanniassa was named the 2017 Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year at a gala dinner in Melbourne last week, accompanied by her husband Dean, who is also a...

The owner of and driving force behind the success of Jamala Wildlife Lodge and the National Zoo and Aquarium, Richard Tindale, has been recognised for his pioneering work in the region's tourism industry. He won the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Award at the recent Canberra Region Tourism Awards at the National Museum of Australia. "The dedication of Richard, his...

There is no question that the Canberra Region is expanding and changing - usually for the better, as recently evidenced by our city being named one of the top three places in the world to visit in 2018 by Lonely Planet. However, without a plan for our future, change is likely to be ad hoc, fragmented, and possibly delayed. Without...

With more than 16,000 people declaring bankruptcy in Australia every year, it is possibly a lot more common than you would think. However, considering how easy it is to apply for a credit card, personal loan or other forms of finance, it can be very tempting for people to overcommit themselves and spend more than they can afford to repay....

An Indigenous entrepreneur and community leader, a mothers' health and exercise pioneer, a youth dance educator and a charity board member and fundraiser are in the running to be named ACT Australian of the Year. The nominees for the 2018 ACT Australian of the Year Awards have been announced with the winners to be named on Monday, 6 November 2017...

What are the first words that come to mind when you hear the words 'legal firm'? I bet they're not 'Respect', 'Care' or 'Compassion'. You would be forgiven if the first words you thought of were more along the lines of 'Callous', 'Ruthless' or 'Money-hungry', as these terms probably represent what has been most peoples' experience when dealing with law...