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 Dec 1 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Wine Show Wins

Sydney, Dec 5: The nation’s business events sector came together in Melbourne last night for the Australian Business Events Awards 2025, held during the ABEA Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to recognise outstanding achievements, leadership and collaboration across the industry.
Top honours in the Best Events categories went to Good Food and Wine Show Perth 2025 by Spectapular Events (Best Consumer Show), AIME 2025 by Talk2 Media & Events (Best Trade Show), SXSW Sydney 2024 (Best Conference) and Mega Lekker Escape by Forum Group Events & Marketing (Best Incentive Event). Adelaide Convention Centre featured prominently, being named Venue Team of the Year, Convention / Exhibition Centre of the Year and Best Team in 2025, while MCI Australia’s work on the 76th International Astronautical Congress 2025 secured wins in sustainability, marketing and Best Product or Initiative in 2025.
Innovation and sustainability were also in the spotlight, with Enphase Energy and RX Australia recognised for All Energy Australia, RX Australia’s Reed Gift Fairs Exhibitor Nurturing Program winning Best New Product or Service, and Lüp Events taking out Best Technology Innovation for its facial recognition solution. National Media’s The Workshop @ ArchiBuild Expo was honoured for Climate & Environment Initiative, while The 76th International Astronautical Congress 2025 – MCI Australia received the Social & Cultural Initiative award.
Team and individual accolades went to Forum Group Events & Marketing, AV1, Moreton Hire, Business Events Perth and industry professionals including Georgia Bivens, Meg Watt, Brooke Perry and Virginia Loyola, underscoring the depth of talent driving Australia’s business events sector. The awards underscored the continued evolution and high standards of the industry as it looks ahead to another year of innovation and leadership.

RBA Holds Rates

Sydney, Dec 5: Homeowners hoping for a Christmas rate cut will be disappointed, with all 35 experts in Finder’s RBA Cash Rate Survey™ expecting the Reserve Bank to hold the cash rate at 3.60 per cent in December. Almost all panellists (94 per cent) said the RBA should keep rates steady, while just 6 per cent supported a final hike to close out 2025.
Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder, said Australia’s economists are united in warning borrowers not to expect festive relief, noting pressure from inflation and a cautious outlook heading into 2026. Scott Kuru from Freedom Property Investors said “It will be no surprise to anyone that the RBA will be The Grinch that Stole Christmas, not Santa, this December,” while Macquarie University’s Geoffrey Kingston said the Bank would likely “sit on its hands” this month, with potential rate rises in 2026.
Panel expectations for an early 2026 rate cut have collapsed, with November’s 34 per cent forecast for a February reduction falling to 0 per cent in December, reflecting increasing concern over inflation and shifting economic conditions.

ABEA Backs Collaboration

Sydney, Dec 5: The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has opened its 2025 Conference & Awards at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, welcoming industry leaders, innovators and emerging talent for a program centred on collaboration, capability building and the theme ‘Partner with Impact’. The event brings together national and international contributors to strengthen education, sustainability and knowledge-sharing across the business events sector.
ABEA CEO Melissa Brown said the theme reflects the sector’s current needs and the importance of partnerships in driving best practice and expanding opportunities. Today’s program also marked the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Australian and New Zealand chapter of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), strengthening alignment and global access for members involved in incentive travel and corporate events.
The conference highlighted ABEA’s broader partnership strategy, including its engagement with IFES to support sustainability and capability across Australian exhibition and event suppliers. ABEA’s collaboration with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) continues to foster emerging talent and professional development for future industry leaders.
Formal content from the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO), delivered under ABEA and IAPCO’s Memorandum of Understanding, adds to the conference’s global insights. Collectively, these partnerships reflect a year of significant international engagement and ABEA’s commitment to connecting Australia with world-leading expertise.

What Aussies Searched

Sydney, Dec 5: Aussies turned to the internet in 2025 to better understand the world, explore new interests and satisfy curiosities spanning news, sport, entertainment, food and DIY creativity. The year’s search trends reveal a nation eager to stay informed, entertained and hands-on.
News was a major focus, with Australians seeking updates on topics ranging from “Cyclone Alfred” and “Australian Federal Election 2025” to “Peter Dutton”, “Sussan Ley”, “Charlie Kirk” and “Pope Leo”.
Sport also dominated, as fans followed events such as the “Women’s Cricket World Cup”, “India vs England” and player searches like “Madison Keys”.
Entertainment drove significant search activity, from cultural moments including “Labubu”, “Jimmy Kimmel” and “Kendrick Lamar”, to on-screen interests such as “Belle Gibson” / “Apple Cider Vinegar”, “Adolescence” and “KPop Demon Hunters”. Food trends surged too, with Australians looking up everything from “hot cross bun recipe” and the viral “Dubai chocolate recipe”, to diet-focused searches like “pink salt trick recipe” and “Japanese mounjaro”.
Creative pursuits rounded out the year’s curiosities, with spikes in searches for car tuning, “home improvement”, “how to make hair extensions” and “how to make lava lamps”. Australians also sought clarity on niche or trending terms such as “discog”, “claves” and the viral TikTok query “what is 6 7”.

Insurer Sets Awards Record

Sydney, Dec 5: Budget Direct has been crowned Money Magazine’s 2026 Best of the Best winner in both Best-Value Car Insurance and Best-Value Home and Contents Insurance, cementing its position as a leading value-focused insurer amid rising premiums and cost-of-living pressures. The win extends its streak to eight consecutive years for car insurance (2019–2026) and five straight years for home and contents (2022–2026), and marks its ninth home and contents title since 2017.
The annual Money Magazine Best of the Best awards are considered a key benchmark for consumer value, underpinned by a decade of quantitative analysis of hundreds of providers and thousands of product options. Jonathan Kerr, Chief Growth Officer at Budget Direct, said the recognition reflects strong market validation for a business that has paid out over $1.5 billion in car and home insurance claims in the past 12 months.
“Winning an award once is great, but winning it for eight and five years in a row, through a pandemic and a global inflation crisis, is remarkable and speaks to our core mission,” said Kerr. “When Money Magazine asks, ‘Who is the best-value car insurer?’ or ‘Who is the best-value home insurer?’, their research provides the answer: it’s Budget Direct.”
Budget Direct says it is focused on “decoupling high-quality protection from high premiums” and continues to invest in technology to improve efficiency and keep prices competitive. Kerr added, “Our customers now send us photos via their mobile phones to help us understand the damage to their vehicles. Once we have received the photos, we leverage AI-driven machine vision, to make the claims process faster and easier for our customers. For home insurance, we’re constantly working on how we can process more claims quickly, and if we can do that better than our competitors, then this leads to a more efficient business and contributes to our competitive pricing.”

Costly Christmas Parties

Sydney, Dec 3: A new national survey by job site Indeed shows 73 per cent of Australian workers—around 8.8 million people—plan to attend their work Christmas party this year, despite mixed feelings about the tradition. More than a third (36 per cent) say they dread their end-of-year event, while 63 per cent feel obliged to attend and 48 per cent would prefer a day off instead.
The financial burden is also significant, with employees expecting to spend an average of $141 on outfits, transport, childcare and gifts—totalling an estimated $1.59 billion nationwide. A majority (61 per cent) believe employers should compensate staff for out-of-hours celebrations, reflecting shifting expectations around the cost of workplace social events.
Workers overwhelmingly prefer relaxed, low-cost gatherings such as BBQs or picnics, with 47 per cent saying these formats make them more likely to attend. More than half (57 per cent) feel more excited about this year’s celebrations, a change linked to companies scaling back and opting for simpler, budget-friendly events.
Lauren Anderson, Workplace Expert at Indeed said: “Australians still value the chance to get together socially at the end of the year, but they want celebrations that feel enjoyable, not draining. Our research shows that rather than a flashy party, people generally prefer events that are considerate of their time and budgets.”
She added that easing financial strain and offering relaxed, daytime formats helps boost attendance and reduce pressure, making celebrations something workers genuinely look forward to.

Google Fined $55m

Sydney, Dec 2: Google Asia Pacific has been ordered by the Federal Court to pay $55 million in penalties for engaging in anti-competitive conduct through agreements with Telstra and Optus about the pre-installation of Google Search on Android mobile phones. The arrangements, in place between December 2019 and March 2021, required the telcos to only pre-install Google Search and not rival search engines, in return for a share of ad revenue generated from consumers’ use of Google Search. Google cooperated with the ACCC, admitted the conduct and made joint submissions on penalties.
“This penalty should send a strong message to all businesses that there are serious and costly consequences for engaging in anti-competitive conduct,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said. “Our market economy is predicated on businesses competing freely with each other, which is why locking out competing businesses in a way that substantially lessens competition is illegal.”
In addition to the penalty, Google and Google LLC have given a court-enforceable undertaking to the ACCC to remove certain pre-installation and default search restrictions from contracts with Android phone manufacturers and telcos. This follows undertakings accepted last year from Telstra, Optus and TPG, under which the telcos agreed not to enter into exclusive arrangements requiring Google Search to be pre-installed and set as the default on Android devices, and confirmed they can now configure search services on a device-by-device basis and work with other search providers.
“Today’s outcome, combined with the undertakings from Google and the telcos, creates the potential for millions of Australians to have greater search choice in the future. Other search tools, including those enhanced by artificial intelligence, can now compete with Google for pre-installation on Android phones,” Keogh said. “Search tools, including those that incorporate AI, are rapidly changing how we search for information, and it’s critical that competitors to Google can gain meaningful exposure to Australian consumers.”

Smartsheet Names CRO

Sydney, Dec 1: Smartsheet has appointed experienced software and business leader Scott Torrey as its new Chief Revenue Officer, with responsibility for all global revenue-generating teams including direct and partner sales, sales operations, customer success and services.
His remit includes optimising the company’s go-to-market engine to accelerate enterprise adoption and ensure a world-class experience across the customer lifecycle.
Torrey brings a strong track record in scaling software businesses, having previously served as Chief Revenue Officer at SAP Concur, where he helped grow revenue into the multi-billions, and as Chief Executive Officer at Payscale, where he drove significant market expansion.
He also sits on the boards of Solvd and the Claremont McKenna College Financial Economics Institute, and has served on the boards of ClearTrip and SAP Concur Japan.
“Smartsheet is on a growth trajectory, and Scott’s leadership will drive our go-to-market success. He is a customer-first leader who is adept at building enduring relationships globally,” said Rajeev Singh, Smartsheet chief executive officer.
“His expertise building a high-performing global sales organisation will be critical as we delight, retain and expand our customer reach.”
“The market opportunity for Intelligent Work Management is immense, and Smartsheet is unquestionably positioned to lead it. I’m thrilled to join the team at this transformative moment for the company,” said Scott Torrey, Smartsheet chief revenue officer.
“My immediate priority is straightforward: to invest in our teams and customers to ensure we are delivering world-class experiences and outcomes. This focus on operational excellence is key to our ability to capture the next wave of growth.”

UniSuper Claims Fourth Title

Sydney, Dec 1: UniSuper has secured Money magazine’s 2026 Best Pension Fund award for the fourth consecutive year, adding to a string of recent accolades that reinforce its position as a retirement leader.
The award recognises the fund’s holistic retirement offering, including its in-house advice service*, extensive online resources, retirement product suite, strong performance and value, as well as ongoing technology enhancements.
Earlier in the year, UniSuper was named market leader for preparing members for retirement and for satisfaction in retirement for the third straight year by global research consultancy CoreData.
The fund also received Money magazine’s 2026 awards for Best Fixed Interest Pension and Best Fixed Interest Super, and last week picked up three SuperRatings honours: Retirement Offering of the Year, Best Digital Offering and Choice Insurance Offering.
UniSuper Chief Marketing & Growth Officer Dani Murrie said the latest recognition will motivate the fund to further enhance personalised retirement journeys. “It’s a tremendous honour to receive Money magazine’s Best Pension Fund award for the fourth year in a row,” Murrie said.
“Our retired members are our most digitally engaged. They’re telling us they want to keep learning and continue absorbing information so they can make informed decisions about their retirement. It’s imperative that deeper personalisation is complemented with informative, meaningful content across different digital mediums—that’s how we can become the Netflix of retirement. Ultimately, as our CEO Peter Chun says, we’re always pleased to win awards, but the most important thing is that they drive us to continue raising the bar for our members.”
The fund’s broader recognition includes Chant West’s 2025 Super Fund of the Year, as well as its Best Fund: Insurance and Best Fund: Responsible Investment titles, Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Super Fund for 2025 and Morningstar’s gold rating for UniSuper’s seven pre-mixed investment options.

Porch Pirate Warning

Sydney, Dec 7: Australia Post is urging customers to stay alert this Christmas period as parcel volumes surge and so-called “porch pirates” target unattended deliveries at homes.
To reduce the risk of theft, Australia Post is encouraging the use of secure delivery options such as free 24/7 Parcel Lockers, collection from local Post Offices, and using the AusPost app or a MyPost account to request parcels be left in a safe place. Customers can also use the app for real-time tracking and delivery notifications.
Australia Post General Manager Group Security, Kevin Zuccato said: “If a parcel is stolen after it has been delivered it becomes a matter for Police, however we’re encouraging customers to consider our secure delivery options to reduce the risk of this happening.
“We know customers are eagerly anticipating the arrival of their parcels, especially ahead of Christmas, so please remain vigilant. Anyone who suspects their mail has been stolen should contact their local police or Crime Stoppers,” said Mr Zuccato.
Chief Executive of Crime Stoppers Victoria, Stella Smith, said: “We see an increase in parcel theft around Christmas, with opportunistic thieves looking for any chance to strike quickly and quietly.
“Simple steps like choosing secure delivery options and reporting any suspicious behaviour can make a real difference. If you have footage of suspicious activity or information about a theft, share it with Crime Stoppers to help prevent further incidents.”