SME Lending Pressure: Banjo Loans and BOQ’s second-tier lender say more SMEs are borrowing just to keep operating, not to grow—cashflow flexibility matters more than headline rates as costs rise and customer payments slow. Cashflow Buffers: SMEs are seeking revolving facilities and reserves to handle wage pressure, energy, insurance and supply delays. Construction Apprentices Incentive (QLD): Queensland’s Tradie Start program offers eligible small construction businesses up to $16,000 to hire a first apprentice, with extra support for older apprentices and priority groups. Cyber Compliance Push: CyberCert’s free SMB Cyber Resilience Summit series (starting Brisbane July 28) offers certification credits and targets SMEs supplying government with cyber controls. ASIC Levy Backlash: Financial Advice Association Australia calls ASIC’s projected levy rise “crippling” for small businesses, warning costs could exceed $5,000 per adviser. AI “Answer Gap” for Local Firms: Snowball Productions finds Australian businesses are missing from nearly half of AI responses to everyday queries, with Reddit cited more often than local sites. Frontline Workforce Friction: Research highlights how rostering and pay disputes force frontline managers into constant on-the-fly decisions, driving unplanned overtime and hurting worker wellbeing. Night-Time Economy Boost (VIC): Melbourne’s night-time economy is fastest-growing, with food driving most new venues and jobs. Telstra Outage Fallout: Telstra admits warnings about a server issue before the July 8 outage, with a Senate inquiry probing how documentation and maintenance failures contributed.