Canberra Business Chamber

By the time you are reading this column, Canberra will have just finished its second annual CBR 31 Days, a program of events designed to encourage visitors and locals to explore our city and take part in some of the many activities on offer. March in Canberra presents a catalogue of different experiences for locals and visitors to enjoy. There...

Significant investment by the ACT Government has secured the ACT's water supply to such an extent that it is unlikely the Territory will need to implement high level water restrictions in the foreseeable future, even in years of drought. The new Cotter Dam wall has increased holding capacity of the reservoir from 4GL to 79.4GL. However, many Canberrans lived through...

Anyone who tried to log on and complete the Census of Population and Housing on the scheduled participation date in August of last year, may have become frustrated and questioned the value of this survey - in some cases with the use of expletives. Hopefully the minor technical difficulties people experienced will not colour their long-term respect for this important...

Photo: Andrew Sikorski Following a period of relatively diminished business confidence and constrained investment and spending, 2016 was a positive one for the Canberra Region, culminating in strong retail sector results, record visitor numbers and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. For the Canberra Business Chamber, the business optimism was reflected in high member participation in events,...

If a business owner were to provide advice to someone thinking about starting their own business, it is likely they would talk about the need to be proactive - you can't wait for customers to come to you, you have to go out and find them. The need for businesses to communicate with and attract customers has essentially kept the...

The achievements of twenty-five local businesses have seen them recognised as finalists in the ACT Chief Minister's Export Awards and they will battle it out for the title of 2016 ACT Exporter of the Year later this month. Exports from the ACT have grown steadily and today there are a large number of local businesses doing extremely well overseas. These...

Our senses are a driving force in shaping our imagination, perceptions and desires. A song can revive a childhood memory, a smell might make us crave a certain food, and an image can help us create a vision of a place we love or would love to visit. Research tells us people better remember what they see than what they...

While Canberra Business Chamber represents and supports businesses of all types and sizes, it is currently prioritizing a number of initiatives designed to impact on the success and expansion of local micro-businesses. Of the 26,000 businesses operating in the ACT, 97 per cent are small businesses employing less than 20 people. Of these, 16,000 are micro businesses employing one or...

If you were in Canberra and anywhere near a radio, newspaper or television on 7 June then you probably know the ACT Government handed down its 2016-17 Budget - much to the interest of the media and public. All government budgets are intensely scrutinised, but perhaps none more so than an election year budget due to the inferences that can...

The recent CSIRO reporting of 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been making headlines across the world. It made headlines as it is a key indicator of global warming with the next major thresholds of 450 parts per million representing the mark for a 2.5 degree rise in global temperature. The threat of climate change...

In November of last year, Canberra Business Chamber was proud to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HMAS Canberra. Under the MoU, the two parties will work together to promote the Canberra Region as a tourism and business destination. HMAS Canberra is the designated flagship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and one of the largest ships ever constructed...

The ACT Government opened a dialogue with the electorate on plans for renewal of the city centre and Northbourne Avenue with the release of a discussion paper in January on this important issue. A focus on revitalisation of the heart of Canberra is welcomed by Canberra Business Chamber, which with partners Property Council of Australia and Canberra CBD Limited,released in...

The ACT has weathered a number of challenging years with a slowing of the global economy combined with a substantial contraction in the employment and spending of the Australian Public Service. A deficit of over $400 million is forecast for the ACT Budget in 2015-16. The strength of the ACT's business sector has played a key role in protecting the...