Australian economy stories
Higher housing and wage pressures are keeping Australian inflation too hot for the Reserve Bank to rule out another rate rise as soon as November.
Population growth and tight supply are pushing 10 suburbs towards the million-dollar mark, with Queensland and Western Australia dominating the list.
Weaker demand and rising wage costs are leaving most SMEs in a holding pattern, with few planning to add staff over the next year.
The award will send the ARM Hub founder to Stanford, bolstering efforts to push AI into Australian manufacturing and policy.
The honours highlight a sector under tighter scrutiny yet still adding more than AUD $13.6 billion to Australia's economy and employing 50,200 staff.
As SMEs demand faster lending and integrated tools, banks risk losing ground unless they cut red tape and modernise their platforms.
Weak lending to software and other asset-light firms is, Colter Bay says, dragging on productivity as Australia's credit flows into property.
AI adoption could lift earnings for software and cybersecurity groups even as businesses trim staff and automation threatens more jobs.
AI fears have not dented demand for coders, with Australia's software and applications programmer workforce reaching a record 216,000.
Australian businesses face tighter cash flow as overdue invoices jump to a six-year high, reinforcing expectations the RBA will hold rates at 4.35%.
The contract puts more than 70 airport systems under one roof as Perth's new terminal moves towards an expected 2031 opening.
Rising costs and weaker spending left many small firms under pressure, even as national SME activity still managed quarterly growth of 0.6%.
Cost-of-living pressures are leaving many staff with little real wage growth, even as most remain in jobs they see as secure.
Global rivals could capture most of the value from local AI start-ups unless investors and customers act fast, King River Capital warns.
A shortage of specialist support is leaving ageing bulk-handling machines at Australian mines and ports at risk of costly export delays.
More than a quarter of owners fear the economy will worsen their strain as tax time and compliance pressures erode productivity and sleep.
Many Australian firms are failing to turn AI pilots into scalable gains because scattered tools are outpacing governance and business context.
Despite inflation and interest-rate pressure, most small firms are boosting marketing and AI use to win customers and protect revenue.
Small firms risk falling behind unless they adopt AI for practical gains, as SMEC AI says many are still confused by the technology.
New data show Kiwi small firms generating less per hour than peers in Australia and the UK, as rising costs squeeze margins.