The Australian Pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale of Architecture

  The Design Files this week checks out Australia’s national pavilion in Venice, which was designed by Melbourne based Denton Corker Marshall, and was constructed last year. Within this structure is a new exhibition, ‘The Pool‘, designed this year by young Sydney...

Wood is Wonderful

  SELF-confessed lover of wood, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk headed for the Australian Forestry Standard exhibit when she visited FURNITEX & design 2016 in Brisbane in July. Pictured with AFS Ltd CEO Simon Dorries, the Premier remarked on the...

Australian Projects Shortlisted in 2016 WAF Awards

  The shortlist for the 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards has been announced. More than 300 projects from 58 countries have been shortlisted. Among them are 24 Australian projects and additional international projects by Australian practices. This year, the...

A Chapel in China Appears to Float at High Tide

    In the coastal town of Beidaihe near Beijing, there’s a beautiful white chapel that’s both art installation and religious space. Designed by Vector Architects, the Seashore Chapel looks like it’s floating on water – but only when high tide comes around....

2016 AFIA &;amp; ACE Winners Announced

  We would like to congratulate all the winners of the 2016 Australian Furnishing Industry Awards (AFIA) and the Australian Contemporary Emerging (ACE) Design Awards. With more incredible designs and quality craftsmanship on show than ever before the judges had a...

Do you use Xero?

  If you use Xero, AFA Members may be interested to learn that The Commonwealth Bank and Xero have upgraded their data-sharing capabilities. The new automatic bank feed service, which has been available to small businesses since late June 2016, has already more...

Superstream is now compulsory for all AFA Member Employers

If you employ people, it is now compulsory to use SuperStream to pay super contributions to your employees. What is SuperStream? SuperStream is the new data standard you need to use to pay super contributions for your employees electronically. Under the new data...

Adelaide Furniture Closure

  The AFA was saddened to hear that an Adelaide furniture business that traces its history back to 1861 will close its doors for the final time in six months. Le Cornu was originally founded as a cabinet making business in Adelaide in 1861 and since 2008, has...

Do you use Google’s services?

 A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 37.9 per cent of Australians aged 14+ (7,427,000 people) used Gmail in an average four weeks during the year to March 2016. Meanwhile, 37.6 per cent (7,362,000 people) used a Microsoft email account during the...

NSW TAFE Amalgamations

  The New South Wales Government is streamlining the state’s technical and further education sector, with 10 TAFE institutes to be amalgamated. Training Minister John Barilaro says bureaucratic excesses must be curtailed. He added that it is intolerable...

The Demise of Credit Cards?

 ANZ Bank CEO Shayne Elliott has predicted the disappearance of credit cards in Australia within the next decade. The bank announced on 14 July 2016 that it has chosen Google’s Android Pay for contactless payments in Australia. Bendigo & Adelaide Bank...

Understanding Tariffs for Import and Export

 Before AFA Members think about importing or exporting a product, you need to understand how it is classified for customs tariffs and duty in each market of interest. The Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding system is generally referred to as the...

Greg Natale

 After a busy time at FURNITEX & design and working with QIDA, Greg Natale launched his new furniture range. He posted on Instagram” So pleased to launch #GrangeXGregNatale with @nealewhitaker,@vogueliving and @domoaustralia.”   Using in-house...

Scam Email Alert

  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is warning AFA Members to watch out for scam emails that claim to be from the ACCC but in fact contain links that can infect your computer with malware. In the past week, several businesses have reported...