News and Updates

The Hunter Business Awards was once but an ambition for us as an organisation. This year, it became a reality. Looking back to the Business gala awards night still excites me and it probably will for the few months (or even years!) to come.

We may be a little biased, but we think IGNITE Alliance is home to some truly extraordinary people and we love seeing them do great stuff in the community. The latest of these achievements comes from our Martech Manager, Jamie Sy, who has just been accepted on the University of Newcastle's (UoN) External Advisory Group (EAG) of the Discipline of Computing and Information Technology (try saying that 5 times fast).

Myths are everywhere. They’re in culture, folklore, homes, offices, and even in our taxes. The Australian tax system is constantly evolving with amendments and updates. And while many changes are for the good, it can get confusing at times causing myths and wrong notions to come about.

There is a long line up of changes awaiting Australian businesses and taxpayers in this season at the Australian Tax Office has announced some major changes to tax laws and policies. Some of these include tax cuts, an announcement of assistance from the government and changes to rules on sharing economy practices.

Research and development has an image problem. For a lot of people, when a conversation turns to R&D, we tend to think of people in lab coats and safety glasses, pouring blue liquid in beakers into test tubes full of bubbling pink stuff. But when you think of R&D, you should be thinking about money. Here's why.

Gone are the days that Marketing was a one-way conversation. For decades, getting a message out was mostly through channels that didn’t allow for much interaction. Audiences’ interactions with TV ads, print, outdoor billboards, radio and newspapers were practically the same: companies telling them what they had to offer.

Launching a start-up company is like a game of snakes and ladders: sometimes you get the right combination of ingredients like a great team, a kickass idea, and the funds to climb those ladders. Sometimes it seems like the world is pitted against you and the snakes have loaded the dice!

Here are some quick updates on the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) and results from Austrade's survey to businesses who have applied for the grant scheme in the last grant year. 

The CEO Sleepout has raised money to help thousands of Australians for over a decade, but it's so much more than just one night. They aim to bring an end to poverty, and this year I decided to sleep rough with other leaders in Sydney.

As the end of the 2018 financial year is almost upon us, we have made a detailed list below of measures that can be undertaken prior to the 30th June to minimise this year’s income tax payable and get yourself ready for the end of financial year.!