THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell has called for regulatory reform in the franchising sector that "encourages genuine cooperation between franchisors and franchisees and effectively punishes bad behaviour".

Ms Carnell said the Parliamentary Joint Committee report, Fairness in Franchising, highlighted a systemic lack of transparency and accountability in franchising and a breakdown in the operating relationship of many franchise models.

“One of the services we offer is assistance with franchising disputes, and we hear firsthand the issues that are affecting franchisees and franchisors every day”, Ms Carnell said.. 

“There is a need for urgent action in reforming the franchising sector to create a level playing field for franchises and franchisors.

“The franchising sector is worth more than $180 billion to the Australian economy and the 97,000 franchised businesses in Australia employ close to 600,000 people," she said.

“This is why it is important to strike the right balance between regulation and allowing small businesses to grow and prosper.”

The Federal Government has opened the next stage of consultation on the future regulation of the sector and is seeking feedback on the draft Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) by December 6, 2019.

“The release of the RIS gives the franchising sector the chance to create meaningful reform -- it’s critical that small businesses in the franchising sector get involved in this consultation process to ensure their voice is heard,” Ms Carnell said. 

“Small businesses that want to have their say on the future of the franchising sector can access the RIS online and make a submission.

“It is essential we see effective and timely reform in the franchising sector that is squarely focussed on fairness and creating mutually beneficial business relationships.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

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THE iQ Group Global has announced its equity crowd-sourced funding platform Capital Labs has launched a new investment offer, driving a new era in Australian Healthcare.

One of the first ASIC authorised equity crowd-sourced funding (CSF) platforms in Australia, Capital Labs only partners with companies launching technology and innovations that have a positive impact on Australia’s future. For investors, Capital Labs provides access to early-stage retail investment opportunities in innovative companies and technologies in a variety of sectors for as little as $100.

Capital Labs is excited to announce its partnership with Greenfield MC Global, a medicinal cannabis enterprise focused on the development and distribution of pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis products for the Asia Pacific region.

“At Greenfield MC Global, we strive to help shape this new era in patient care,” Greenfield MC Global chairmand and president Arjun Chhabra said.

“We are delighted to partner with Capital Labs to invite retail investors, who believe it’s time for change in Australia and the Asia Pacific, to participate in this raise,” he said.

Part of bioscience investment enterprise The iQ Group Global, Capital Labs backs innovative companies with a unique full-service crowdfunding raise offering, including investment banking, marketing and advisory services.

George Syrmalis,  iQ Group Global CEO, said the offer aligns with the core mission of Capital Labs.

“Capital Labs is a platform for Australians who believe in investing in positive change,” Dr Syrmalis said.

“Providing retail investors the opportunity to fund companies bringing meaningful innovations to market in sectors alongside life science, Capital Labs exemplifies our commitment to innovation,” he said.

The Greenfield MC Global offer is live now, closing on December 12, 2019. 

https://capitallabs.com/greenfieldmc  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJMNvRF_gg&feature=emb_title

About The iQ Group Global

The iQ Group Global is a group of companies that find, fund and develop bioscience discoveries to create life-changing medical innovations. The group’s flagship innovation is the Saliva Glucose Biosensor, the first non-invasive replacement for finger-prick blood glucose testing for people living with diabetes. www.theiqgroupglobal.com.

About Greenfield MC Global

Greenfield MC Global is a licensed medicinal cannabis importer and distributor in Australia, with expanding operations in cultivation, research and distribution in New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines and other Asia-Pacific markets.

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“THERE WAS more good news for the housing market today with the release of figures showing that the value of owner occupier home loans has reached its highest since July of last year,” Shane Garrett, chief economist of Master Builders Australia said. 

“The latest figures indicate that the seasonally-adjusted value of lending to owner occupiers reached $14.24 billion during September, an expansion of 3.2 percent compared with the previous month and up by 5.6 percent compared with a year ago. The value of new home lending was up by 0.8 percent during the month,” he said. 

“The news around the housing market has been largely positive over the past six months and the new figures out today add to the unfolding good news story,” Mr Garrett said. 

“Confidence has been in short supply across the economy over recent times with the subdued state of domestic demand reflecting this.

“The state of the housing market has a huge impact on people’s willingness to spend and invest. The continued improvement in the housing market will assist in this respect,” Mr Garrett said. 

“We still need more from all levels of government so that demand in the economy can be bolstered. Earlier today, the Reserve Bank trimmed its short-term growth forecasts for the Australian economy.

“Part of the problem is that new infrastructure projects are not hitting the ground quickly enough. This is causing economic recovery to be delayed unnecessarily,” Mr Garrett said. 

During September, Tasmania saw the largest increase in the number of owner occupier home loans (+10.3%), followed by Western Australia (+5.6%) and the Northern Territory (+3.6%). There were also increases in Queensland (+3.5%), New South Wales (+1.8%), Victoria (+1.8%) and South Australia (+1.0%). The ACT was the only market to see the number of owner occupier loans drop during September (-1.8%).

www.masterbuildersaustralia.com.au

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BRISBANE students will be encouraged to consider engineering and other STEM careers when they roll out their problem-solving skills today. 

The year 9 students from Coorparoo Secondary College, St Laurence’s College and Kelvin Grove State College will program Lego robots, discover chemical processing, and how engineering is used in environmental management on a mine site. 

The event is being conducted at Coorparoo Secondary College by the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA). 

“These practical tasks are linked to current classroom learning and help join the dots between classroom theory and the practical application of maths and science,” said Katrina-Lee Jones, director skills education and diversity with the Queensland Resources Council. 

“It also helps them understand the variety of careers available in the resources sector, and how to step onto these career pathways. 

“We are facing a critical shortage of engineers particularly in mining and we hope that these students will be encouraged to consider this vital and rewarding occupation.” 

QRC is the peak representative body for Queensland ‘s resource sector. The Queensland resources sector provides one in every five dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in seven Queensland jobs, and supports more than 14,400 businesses and community organisations across the State, all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass. 

The QMEA is a partnership between the QRC and the Queensland Government under its Gateway to Industry Schools program. It has 74 schools throughout Queensland. 

www.wrc.org.au

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