News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs.
Below are snippets of all the media releases we received from Oct 6 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Greystar Expands Student Housing

Australia, Oct 6: Greystar has begun operating the first five properties in its A$1.6 billion Australian student accommodation rollout under the new Accolade by Greystar brand, bringing 4,084 beds across six properties (including a Melbourne site taken over in July) into operation across Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra. The company aims to double its Australian bed count within two years and reach 10,000 beds under management by 2027, leveraging its global portfolio of 100,000+ student beds. “This is the start of our journey to be one of the biggest and best student accommodation providers in the country,” said Bernadette Chai, Managing Director at Greystar. “We are aggressively pursuing that goal, with bold ambitions to double our beds under management within the next two years. As one of the biggest student accommodation providers in the world, we are proud to bring that global scale and proven expertise directly to the Australian market.” Properties feature shared amenities, gyms, study areas and entertainment spaces, with further upgrades planned. The move aligns with the Australian Government’s 2026 National Planning Level, which adds 25,000 international student allocations. “The Australian government’s decision to welcome 25,000 more international students next year is an acknowledgement of their vital contribution to the Australian economy and society generally,” said Bernadette. “We are focused on delivering high-quality, purpose-built student communities that help students thrive throughout their time studying in Australia.” Accolade’s launch adds 70 staff, with plans to double the team across property management, sales and residential services.

Postie Safety, Stamps

Sydney, Oct 7: Australia Post says Posties are injured by third parties on the road at least five times a week, with 280+ injuries in the past financial year; common causes include failing to give way, tailgating, corner-cutting, unsafe overtaking, distracted driving, and not checking footpaths on scooters/bikes. Measures include reducing the motorcycle fleet, expanding electric delivery vehicles (eDVs), and upgraded telematics. “Every day, our team members are out in communities delivering for Australians, but increasingly, they’re also being put at risk by unsafe driver behaviour… Our priority is to deliver for all Australians whilst ensuring the safety of our team members, so they return home to their families safely each day. However, road safety is a shared responsibility, and we urge all drivers to keep an eye out for our Posties,” Russell Munro said. Drivers are urged to keep phones out of reach, slow at roundabouts, check mirrors/blind spots, reverse cautiously, maintain safe gaps, and never drive drowsy or under the influence.
Australia Post has also launched the Journey to Wellbeing stamp collection with Beyond Blue, featuring artworks by Blue Voices members Jacqueline Mepstead (Presence) and Malise Banks (Sunflower Sojourn). “At Australia Post, we are proud to use our network to help start conversations about mental health… The Journey to Wellbeing stamps are more than beautiful designs,” Nicky Tracey said. “At Beyond Blue, we know that small, everyday actions can make a big difference to our mental health… Together, we’re sending a clear message: mental health matters,” Georgie Harman AO said. “Art has become a daily practice that helps me shift into a more positive and creative space,” Jacqueline Mepstead said. “Being part of this stamp collection means a lot to me… I hope these stamps spark conversations,” Malise Banks said. Available now at participating Post Offices, via mail order, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps.auspost.com.au/stamps

Millennial Pet Bonds

A new Budget Direct survey of 1,000 Australians finds millennials depend on pets more than any other generation, with over 71 per cent of 28–37-year-olds getting a pet for companionship and close to 40 per cent solely for mental health. Nearly 15 per cent acquired pets specifically as support animals. “Like many pet owners, it’s clear that millennials consider their pets as part of their family. But the fact that almost 15% acquired their pets solely to be their support animal shows how emotionally important they are to this group,” a Budget Direct spokesperson said. “We share such a special bond with our dogs and cats and this really shows just how much we value companionship. Whether it’s social quality play time with the pet or taking them on walks in the park or beach, there’s no doubt about the happiness and contentment our furry friends provide.”
Cat owners were more likely to cite mental health reasons (nearly 30 per cent) than dog owners (25 per cent). Overall, more than 60 per cent of Australians own a dog versus 31 per cent who own a cat. Support animals offer emotional stability for conditions like anxiety or depression and rely on companionship rather than specific training. Nearly 30 per cent of respondents said their oldest or only pet came from a shelter, and 19 per cent were gifted their pet. For full results, see the Budget Direct Australian Pet Survey.

Adobe Holiday Forecast

Sydney, Oct 7: Adobe forecasts U.S. online holiday sales of $253.4B (Nov 1–Dec 31), up 5.3 per cent year over year, with 10 days topping $5B. Cyber Week to reach $43.7B (up 6.3 per cent); Cyber Monday $14.2B (up 6.3 per cent), Black Friday $11.7B (up 8.3 per cent), Thanksgiving $6.4B (up 4.9 per cent).
Mobile to drive 56.1 per cent of spend ($142.7B, up 8.5 per cent). Buy Now Pay Later to $20.2B (up 11 per cent), including $1.04B on Cyber Monday (up 5 per cent) and $761.8M on Black Friday (up 11 per cent); 79 per cent of BNPL via mobile ($15.6B, up 8.3 per cent).
Discounts up to 28 per cent; best days—Nov 27 for sporting goods; Nov 28 for TVs, toys, appliances; Dec 1 for electronics, apparel, computers. Shoppers expected to trade up to higher-ticket items in several categories.
Category leaders: electronics $57.5B (up 4 per cent), apparel $47.6B (up 4.4 per cent), furniture $31.1B (up 6.5 per cent). Faster growers: groceries $23.5B (up 9.2 per cent), cosmetics $8.4B (up 9.1 per cent). Big surges versus Jan–Aug averages: power tools up 1,060 per cent; home security 1,050 per cent; TVs 915 per cent; refrigerators/freezers 910 per cent; smart home 615 per cent; wearables/health and gaming also spike.
Hot sellers expected: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X; games including Donkey Kong Bananza, Elden Ring: Nightreign, Madden NFL 26, NBA 2K26, EA Sports FC 26, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7; toys such as Disney Stitch Puppetronic, Labubu Dolls, MrBeast Lab Toys, Fisher-Price Little People, LEGO, Mini Brands; devices including iPhone 17, Pixel 10, Galaxy S25, Oura Ring 4, Kindle Colorsoft, DJI Osmo Pocket 3, Dyson Airwrap Multi Styler.
AI and social: generative-AI shopping traffic expected up 520 per cent (peaking 10 days pre-Thanksgiving); common uses include research, recommendations, deal-finding, gift inspiration. Social’s share of online revenue up 51 per cent; affiliates and partners up 14 per cent.

Windows 10 Deadline

Sydney, Oct 10: With Windows 10 support ending in mid-October, TeamViewer analysis of 250 million anonymised sessions (July–September 2025) shows over 40% of connection endpoints still run Windows 10, highlighting urgent upgrade needs across businesses and consumers. “In a few days, two in five endpoints will no longer receive patches and updates, leaving them exposed to vulnerabilities. Companies and individuals need to upgrade to a newer, supported operating system as soon as possible. Keeping your systems up to date is one of the most effective ways to protect individuals and businesses against cybersecurity threats,” said Jan Bee, Chief Information Security Officer at TeamViewer.
To ease migrations, TeamViewer’s Digital Employee Experience (DEX) adds a Windows 11 Readiness Pack to audit device fleets in real time (CPU generation, TPM, Secure Boot), flagging devices ready to upgrade, those needing remediation, and those due for replacement. Post-upgrade validation confirms configuration and compliance to ensure successful rollouts. “Our solution gives IT teams the clarity they need on which devices are ready to upgrade, where issues are, and confidence that everything is compliant once the upgrade is complete,” said Adrian Todd, Vice President Product Management at TeamViewer

Smartsheet Names CEO

United States, Oct 6: Smartsheet has appointed technology veteran Rajeev Singh as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board, succeeding acting CEO Sunny Gupta, who continues as Executive Chair. Singh, formerly of Concur and Accolade, is tasked with driving the company’s next phase of growth and innovation as Smartsheet advances its Intelligent Work Management strategy with agentic AI. “The Board and I were deeply impressed by Rajeev’s vision and his extensive experience in building and scaling iconic software companies,” said Sunny Gupta. The company said Singh’s SaaS scaling expertise will be pivotal as it undertakes a multi-year transformation. “I am incredibly excited to join the Smartsheet team,” said Rajeev Singh, adding that his immediate focus includes engaging customers, partners and employees while accelerating AI investments to strengthen Smartsheet’s position as the essential platform for intelligent work.