Small businesses could save time and lift productivity by using artificial intelligence in daily operations, according to a report from The Tech Council of Australia. The research estimates the average small or medium-sized business could gain $136,000 a year by adopting AI broadly to cut administrative work such as payroll and rostering. Only one in four such businesses currently use the technology, and five per cent use it broadly. Kate Cornick said a significant gap exists between what AI could deliver and what small businesses receive.
Childcare chain Shared Beginnings has entered administration, with administrators now controlling its seven centres in Queensland, Victoria and the ACT. Owner Finexia Financial Group said the centres had been operating at a loss and that all other options had been exhausted. All centres remain open, and Finexia has committed to honouring staff entitlements. Administrators Bill Karageozis and Nick Keramos of DVT McLeods have been appointed to find suitable buyers. The collapse comes amid a wave of early childhood service closures across the sector.
New South Wales Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has suspended Clarence Valley Council for three months. He appointed John Rayner, an experienced local government executive, as interim administrator to run the council during the suspension. Hoenig said the appointment was needed to restore the proper functioning of the council. The council had asked the Office of Local Government for an external investigation into ongoing problems with its operations, administration and financial management. The suspension follows the sacking of general manager Laura Black after a mayoral ballot was mishandled last month.
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Workers at the Whyalla Steelworks in South Australia have been underpaid as hundreds prepare to leave after accepting redundancies. Administrators KordaMentha say a switch to a third party payroll service caused underpayments, including unpaid super. The company says the super gaps have been paid and off-cycle pay runs are underway for affected workers. About 250 people have reportedly accepted redundancies and will finish from Friday, after more than 500 jobs were lost. Negotiations to find a new owner continue, with a sale expected by year's end.
Receivers for the collapsed Cue Clothing and Veronika Maine retail brands will close 26 more stores as they prepare a possible sale. A small shortlist of potential buyers has made non-binding offers, but the closures will go ahead regardless. Stores in New South Wales will be hit hardest, while Perth loses a Cue store in Cannington and a Veronika Maine shop in Claremont Quarter. Receivers said closures start immediately, with timing varying by store. Staff will be moved into remaining stores where possible.
Receivers FTI Consulting say 26 stores across the Cue Clothing and Veronika Maine brands will close across Australia, starting from Thursday. Shoppers can keep buying until stock runs out, and staff will be moved into remaining stores where possible. FTI said the closures followed feedback from buyers on which stores they wanted, with a common group not being sought. Cue Clothing Co entered voluntary administration and receivership on September 15. Debts totalling $55 million were reported, with the Australian Taxation Office and Scentre Group among major creditors.
More than half of the remaining stores of womenswear chain Cue and Veronika Maine will close from Thursday, as receivers look for a buyer. Twenty-six of the 46 stores in Australia and New Zealand will shut. The Sydney-based chain entered voluntary administration in September, citing overhead costs, after nearly 60 years in business. Receivers Kate Warwick and Vaughan Strawbridge of FTI Consulting said potential buyers were not interested in a common group of stores, so those will close. Timing will vary by store and depend largely on stock levels. Team members will be redeployed to continuing stores where possible.
Edge Early Learning will close its last Canberra childcare centre, Ngunnawal, on Wednesday 14 October. Administrators said they found no viable offers to buy the centre, and families received only two days' notice by late-night email. The Ngunnawal closure is one of 11 Edge centres across Australia that will shut. Administrators said Goodstart Early Learning has agreed to acquire 31 centres, while 22 others are subject to offers from six buyers. Families who paid fees in advance will receive refunds by the end of October.
Administrators say Queensland caravan maker Australian Off Road may have traded while insolvent since at least June 2023. The company owes creditors $14 million, and nearly 50 customers stand to lose $2.25 million paid toward caravans never built. Administrators allege possible offences by directors Russell Evans and Steve Budden, who have not yet responded to the claims. Director Russell Evans has proposed buying the business out of administration. The administrators have referred the matter for further investigation and will report to the corporate regulator, ASIC.
The first of more than 250 workers accepting redundancies at the Whyalla steelworks will finish this week. The permanent closure of the blast furnace last month will cut the direct workforce from 1,700 to 1,200. At least 300 contractor roles will also be affected. Australian Workers' Union organiser Shane Karger expects about 270 direct employees to accept genuine redundancies by the end of this month. The final number is expected by November. Jack Taylor, a 30-year-old who has worked at the site for 10 years, accepted a redundancy and plans to seek mining work.
Families of children at several Edge Early Learning centres in Brisbane have been told their centres will permanently close within two days. The childcare provider entered voluntary administration in late August, and administrators KordaMentha ran an urgent sale campaign, but no viable offers were received for the Kelvin Grove centre. Parents were told staff can collect belongings on Thursday, and refunds for advance payments may take until late October or later. Administrators say they have contacted nearby childcare centres, some of which have places available. Goodstart Early Learning recently agreed to acquire 31 Edge centres, conditionally.
Used car dealership chain OzCar has collapsed into voluntary administration, closing four NSW dealerships and leaving 90 workers without jobs. The closures affect sites in Penrith, Cardiff and Gosford, along with the company's headquarters in Lansvale. The remaining 12 franchise dealerships in NSW, Queensland and Victoria will keep operating. The collapse follows a $50,000 fine from NSW Fair Trading, which also fined three directors $11,000 each over unfair sales practices. The regulator alleged OzCar pressured customers into contracts and sold poor-quality vehicles.
