Finance

Over the course of a decade, just 3.9% of $1.2 billion in funding has gone to student-led startups with a team of women founders. Mixed-gender startups received 1.8% of funding.

The instant asset write-off scheme will cover purchases worth $30,000 and will expand to medium-sized businesses, according to amendments passed in the Senate that significantly expand a plan put forward by the Albanese government.

Cash payments above $500 should be banned to help curb the shadow economy, according to CBA CEO Matt Comyn, who outlined a bold suite of economic reform suggestions for the federal government at a banking summit on Tuesday.

"Confused or unclear communication" can cause unnecessary stress for business owners and individuals who owe tax, says Inspector-General of Taxation Karen Payne.

The ATO said it is committed to improving its communications to taxpayers about debt using the guidelines provided by the Ombudsman and Inspector-General.

Senator Pocock said a message he regularly hears from small businesses is that they want to be suppliers to the government rather than recipients of government grants.

Small businesses could be forced to shutter if Australians on minimum and award wages receive a pay rise, the opposition has warned.

The Queensland government's Advance Queensland initiative has allocated over $5.5 million in grants to 56 local SMEs.

Tax cuts are not a substitute for much-needed wage boosts and Australia's lowest-paid workers cannot have their pay go backwards during a cost of living crisis, the Treasurer says.

Zega Intelligent Cookware has entered voluntary administration two years after it launched its first products. 

Under proposed procurement policy changes, large companies that wish to bid for government contracts will first have to meet some gender equality conditions.

Monthly business insolvencies have risen to a level not seen since 2015, as a long-expected landslide of corporate collapses hits the Australian economy.