2016 Victorian Architecture Awards Shortlist Revealed

  The Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter has announced the shortlist for the 2016 Victorian Architecture Awards. From 198 entries, 14 juries carried out an extensive schedule of site visits and have shortlisted 70 individual projects across 15...

How to spot a dodgy business!

  TV show Kochie’s Business Builders is set to produce a series of videos to help you spot and protect yourself from dodgy phoenix operators. What is a phoenix company? A phoenix company is one that closes up by going into liquidation. It then starts trading...

Hemp at the heart of Western Australia’s first eco-village

The project manager of Western Australia’s first eco-village, partly built with hemp, believes the finished product will add weight to the growing push for it to be widely used in the construction industry. Which could see it roll out into mainstream furniture...

Exporters to USA receive major windfall

  With a resurgent economy and a weaker Aussie dollar, the United States is well and truly back on the radar of Australian exporters as the world’s largest economy and by far the largest consumer market. And exporters to the market received a major shot in the...

Business Confidence jumps again in April

  Good news for Members, Roy Morgan Research’s Business Confidence rose again in April (up 6.4% to 123.1) and has now risen 12.5 pts over the last three months since a 2016 low of 110.6 in January. The rise in Business Confidence comes after more improvement on...

2016-17 Budget Summary

  TARGET PRACTICE The 2016-17 Federal Budget is a budget of targets – broad targets to boost business and innovation and the narrow revenue targets of the wealthy and multi-nationals. It’s a big, long-term crafted budget designed to give enough pre-election glow...

Casual employees and dismissal

  All AFA Members who employ staff on a casual basis should know that their entitlements including their dismissal rights, change over time. Casual employment is becoming increasingly popular in Australian business with a whopping one in five employees classified...

Managing Your Credit

  Acme Furniture Assemblers (Acme) had a lucrative contract with a manufacturer of premium flat-packed furniture, Larceny Pty Ltd (Larceny). Acme was contracted to install shop displays for Larceny in the showrooms of national furniture retailers, and complete...

AFA Member exhibited to rave reviews in Milan

AFA Member Fabio Biavaschi exhibited and launched his MEK COLLECTION, which includes a chair, stool/side table and the new bookcase during Milan Design Week 2016 at iSaloni Fiera Milano Rho PAD 18 – stand C02-C06 last April and the AFA looks forward to seeing...

Senate Threat to Company Tax Cuts

  The Australian Financial Review – Page 1/4 : 2 June 2016 Original article by Phillip Coorey Roy Morgan Summary The Parliamentary Budget Office estimates that the Federal Government’s proposal to progressively reduce the company tax rate to 25 per...

Australian Economy Growth

  National accounts data show that the Australian economy expanded by 1.1 per cent in the March 2016 quarter, and by 3.1 per cent year-on-year. However, wages grew by just 0.4 per cent and 1.2 per cent respectively, while there was a 2.6 per cent decline in...

End of Financial Year is coming

  The end of the financial year is an important and busy time for AFA Members especially those who are small business owners. Completing bookkeeping, tax returns and begining planning for the new financial year. Putting the hard work in each financial year can...

Look after your outdoor furniture in winter

  This image is possibly a bit extreme for most of Australia, however it is winter and we found some handy tips on how to look after your outdoor furniture: Aluminium: Aluminium outdoor furniture can be left out year round. However, make sure all the water is...

Entries close for 2016 AFIA &;amp; ACE Awards

  The2016 AFIA ( Australian Furniture Industry Awards) and ACE ( Australian Contemporary Emerging Designer) Awardsnominations have closed. The increase in nominations will make it very difficult for our Judges to shortlist from a wonderful selection of entrants....