auDA has backed, in principle, removing the rule that lets a .com.au match what you sell. Nothing is final. What's proposed, what the petition claims, and what to check.
Deadlines, price changes and new rules for Australian businesses, soonest first.
All key dates
What ASD's eight cyber security strategies mean for a 10-person office, which maturity level to aim for, and a practical first step for each one.
Which cards the surcharge ban covers, who enforces it, and what happens to service fees, weekend surcharges, cash discounts, invoices and terminals.
Cloudflare changed its AI crawler controls on 15 September. Its 'Block' setting now also stops Googlebot and Bingbot. What to check on your site.
digiDirect paid $99,000 over strikethrough prices it almost never sold at. What the ACCC expects from 'was' prices before the Black Friday sales.
Who can hold a .com.au, how renewals and the 30-day grace period work, how to move registrars or sell a name, and whether you need the direct .au.
What the privacy regulator says about entering customer and patient details into AI tools, which businesses the rules cover, and what to check first.
Published hosting prices from Australian and global providers, the gap between intro and renewal rates, and the extras that add to a small business's bill.
Read the guide
Warning signs of payment redirection scams, a five-step check before paying, a bank-details policy to copy, and what to do straight away if you've paid.
Read the guide
A step-by-step guide to turning on two-factor authentication in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero, MYOB and Meta, and what to do when a phone is lost.
Read the guideNews and guides on planning, building, fixing and running a small business website.
News and guides on Google Ads, Meta, search and measurement for Australian small businesses.
News and guides on payroll, accounting, CRM, booking and the software a small business runs on.
News and guides on using AI tools at work: choosing tasks, briefing tools and checking the output.
Scam alerts and cyber security news for Australian small businesses, sourced from official warnings.
The regulatory and cost changes that affect Australian small businesses, explained with sources and dates.
The weekly quiz
Question 1 of 5
From 1 October, which cards will businesses no longer be able to surcharge?
Answer: A. eftpos, Mastercard and Visa debit, credit and prepaid cards
Card network rules stop surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa debit, credit and prepaid cards, online and in person. American Express and UnionPay are removing surcharging from the same date.
Read the story: Card surcharges end on 1 October. Here's what businesses need to do this week
Question 2 of 5
How many reports of ATO impersonation scams did the ATO receive in August 2026?
Answer: C. 3,265
The ATO received 3,265 reports in August, up 36% on July, and almost all arrived by email. The latest emails link to a download that installs remote desktop software.
Read the story: ATO warns of fake emails that install remote-access software
Question 3 of 5
What happens to a branded text sent from a sender ID that isn't on the ACMA register?
Answer: B. It's relabelled 'Unverified'
Unregistered sender IDs are relabelled 'Unverified'. Texts sent from an ordinary phone number aren't affected, and there's no cut-off date to register.
Question 4 of 5
From 29 September, Google Meet's AI note-taking is switched on by default for which Google Workspace plans?
Answer: D. Business Standard and Business Plus
It applies to Business Standard and Business Plus, in scheduled meetings the organiser hosts with three or more people, including the organiser. Business Starter doesn't include Gemini note-taking in Meet.
Question 5 of 5
What's the starting price of the new Mac mini in Australia?
Answer: B. A$1,449
It starts at A$1,449 with the M6 chip. For most office desks, our pick is the M6 with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage, at A$1,749.
Read the story: Should your business buy the new Mac mini? The M6 and M5 Pro compared
A new quiz comes out every Friday with the briefing. Get the Friday briefing by email
Reader poll of the week
Reader polls aren't scientific: they show how readers who chose to vote answered. One vote per reader. Background: Card surcharges end on 1 October. Here's what businesses need to do this week
