Australians lost $24.4 million to job and employment scams in 2025, with a further $4 million lost in just the first three months of 2026, according to Scamwatch. Behind those figures is a job market where the line between a real opportunity and a fraudulent one has become difficult enough to read that it is now changing how people look for work.

New research from LinkedIn’s Job Search Safety Pulse report finds that two thirds of Australian professionals, 65%, have decided not to apply for a role they were interested in because they were not confident it was legitimate. For 37% of people, this has happened more than once. The effect is not just personal. Every legitimate job posting that gets skipped because a candidate could not verify it is real represents a missed hire for the business behind it.

Fear changes behaviour

The research reveals that questioning whether a job is actually real has become a routine part of the job search process. Sixty-one percent of Australians say they have seen a job they suspected was a scam, one in four have come close to falling for one, and 16% have actually been a victim, rising to 25% for Gen Z job seekers aged 18 to 28.

The pressure of cost of living is compounding the risk. Nearly half of Australian professionals, 49%, say financial stress would make them more likely to take risks when applying for jobs, with 35% saying they would be somewhat more likely to let their guard down under economic pressure. The combination of widespread scam activity and financial vulnerability is creating a job market where caution and risk-taking are happening simultaneously, often in the same person.

Who is most exposed

Gen Z is bearing the greatest exposure. Almost four in five Gen Z job seekers, 79%, have skipped applying for jobs they did not trust were legitimate. That level of avoidance is not just a safety behaviour. It represents a significant portion of a generation opting out of opportunities because the signals of legitimacy are not clear enough.

Brendan Wong, LinkedIn Career Expert, said the sophistication of modern job scams makes them harder to detect than earlier versions. “Today’s job scams are increasingly sophisticated. Because they are deliberately engineered to look authentic and pressure you to act quickly, they can be more difficult to spot.”

LinkedIn platform data shows that scammers frequently exploit early moments in a job search by attempting to move conversations off trusted platforms. Nine in ten reported scam attempts redirect members to personal messaging apps, where accounts are harder to verify and conversations feel more informal. Over half of all off-platform attempts happen in the very first message, before any meaningful context or trust has been established.

The warning signs

For 61% of Australians, two things immediately flag a job as a scam: being asked for upfront fees, or being asked to share sensitive information such as bank details or a passport too early in the process. High-pressure tactics are also a significant warning sign, with nearly half of respondents, 48%, saying that being rushed into a decision quickly shifts a role from an opportunity to a concern.

LinkedIn advises job seekers to pause during early outreach if roles or messages feel rushed or vague, to verify who is behind a role by checking company pages and recruiter profiles, to be cautious of requests to move conversations off-platform quickly, and to report suspicious activity to help protect other job seekers.

For small businesses posting roles, the implication is equally direct. In a market where candidates are routinely second-guessing the legitimacy of listings, the signals of credibility, a verified company page, a named recruiter with a visible professional history, and a clear and consistent application process, are no longer optional. They are the difference between a candidate applying and a candidate moving on.

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The deadline for Australia’s longest-running export awards program is one week away, and three past winners want more businesses to know the application is worth submitting regardless of whether you take home the award.

The 64th annual Australian Export Awards, presented by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission in collaboration with state and territory partners, close on 12 June 2026 at 11.59pm AEST. The program has been refreshed for 2026 with changes to several categories, updated application criteria, and a new streamlined online application portal designed to make the process more accessible for businesses applying for the first time.

Watch the judging tips & tricks workshop recording

One week left

The most significant category change for 2026 is the removal of the standalone e-Commerce category. Businesses that reach international customers through digital or e-commerce platforms are now encouraged to apply under the category that best reflects their core product, service, or industry. The Creative Industries category has been renamed Creative, Lifestyle and Design, and the Technologies category is now Digital and Smart Technologies to better reflect how Australian exporters are operating today.

Thirteen national categories are open for 2026, covering Agribusiness, Food and Beverages, Creative Lifestyle and Design, Digital and Smart Technologies, International Education and Training, International Health, Manufacturing and Advanced Materials, Professional Services, Resources and Energy, Sustainability and Green Economy, Emerging Exporter, First Nations Exporter, Regional Exporter, and Small Business Exporter.

What past winners say

Corbin Halliday, Founder and CEO of Three Warriors, won the Small Business category at last year’s awards. It was the certified organic self-tan brand’s first time applying. He encouraged other businesses to put in a nomination. “Having an Australian Export Award behind us strengthens our credibility and opens new doors internationally,” he said. “The process itself is invaluable, helping you reflect on how far you’ve come and what makes your brand ready for the world stage.”

Rising Sun Pictures, inducted into the 2025 Hall of Fame as a three-time winner, had a similar experience. Executive Producer Ian Cope said the profile that comes with winning has had lasting commercial value. “The awards themselves are such a high-profile award for Australian companies, especially those that are exporting around the world,” he said. “For us, it was just an honour to be represented, but for the business and government and our clients to see that that is recognised, certainly has been something that we were able to lean into and talk about and really shout that from the rooftops.”

The inaugural winner of the First Nations Exporter Award in 2025 was South Australia’s Munda Wines. Managing Director Jess Greatwich was direct in her advice to other First Nations businesses considering applying in 2026. “The application process for the Awards has the potential to be used as a business development tool,” she said. “So, if there are small businesses, Aboriginal-owned businesses, that are thinking about it, I would absolutely recommend it as a business development opportunity as well as a networking opportunity. It’s absolutely unparalleled in that respect.”

Nominations are open until 12 June 2026 at 11.59pm AEST, and eligible exporters can apply through their state and territory program at https://www.exportawards.gov.au/.

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Key Features

• AI Music Generator: Generate unique music tracks by specifying parameters such as mood, genre, tempo, and duration.
• AI Lyrics Generator: Create lyrics that complement your generated music, enhancing the overall composition.
• AI Vocal Remover: Remove vocals from existing tracks to create instrumental versions for various applications.
• AI Stem Splitter: Separate audio tracks into individual stems, allowing for detailed editing and remixing.
• AI Mastering: Enhance the audio quality of your tracks with automated mastering tools.
• Remix & Edit Song: Modify existing tracks by applying different genres and styles, such as House, EDM, Hip Hop, and Lo-fi.
• AI Music Extender: Extend the length of your favorite songs or AI-generated tracks while maintaining consistent style and quality.
• Add Vocals to Music: Transform instrumental tracks into full songs by adding AI-generated vocals in multiple styles and languages.
• AI Cover: Create unique cover versions of existing songs using different vocal styles or celebrity-like voices.
• AI Music Remixer: Apply professional AI-powered style transfer to remix your tracks into various genres.

Who is it for?

• Content Creators: Individuals producing videos, podcasts, or social media content who require original music without licensing concerns.
• Developers: Professionals integrating dynamic, contextually adaptive music into applications, games, or platforms.
• Businesses: Companies seeking to enhance their marketing materials, advertisements, or internal projects with customized soundtracks.

Pricing

• Free Plan: Provides essential AI music tools, including 24 credits per month, allowing users to explore the platform’s capabilities.
• Starter Plan: Priced at $9.98 per month, this plan offers 200 credits per month and includes features like AI Music Generator, AI Lyrics Generator, and a Commercial License.
• Hobby Plan: At $19.97 per month, users receive 600 credits per month, with additional features such as AI Singing Voice Model Training and Advanced AI Song Cover Generator.
• Professional Plan: For $33.30 per month, this plan includes 1,800 credits per month and offers priority support, along with all features from the Hobby Plan.
• Business Plan: Tailored for enterprise needs, this plan provides custom pricing and includes all features from the Professional Plan, along with dedicated support and advanced integrations.

Final Thoughts

Mubert offers a comprehensive suite of AI-driven tools for generating original, royalty-free music tailored to specific needs. Its flexible pricing plans and diverse features make it a valuable resource for content creators, developers, and businesses seeking efficient and customizable music solutions.

Visit mubert.ai for more.

Key Features

• KDP Book Size Calculator: This free tool generates precise trim sizes and dynamic spine widths, minimizing formatting errors and ensuring compliance with KDP’s specifications.
• KDP Cover Maker: A premium feature that enables users to design book covers using genre-specific AI-generated art, premium typography, and an extensive stock library. It supports 300 DPI print-ready PDF exports, essential for high-quality printing.
• Mockup Tool: After designing a cover, this free tool allows users to create 3D mockups suitable for marketing materials on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Amazon A+ Content.
• AI Cover Generation: Users can generate multiple AI-driven cover concepts, with the number varying depending on the chosen pricing plan.
• Preflight Checks: Before exporting, the platform conducts checks to ensure the cover meets KDP’s technical requirements, reducing the likelihood of upload rejections.

Who is it for?

BookCoversLab is designed for independent authors and self-publishers who utilize Amazon KDP for their publishing needs. It’s particularly beneficial for those seeking a streamlined process to create and finalize book covers that adhere to KDP’s specific guidelines.

Pricing

• AI Print ($19.99): Provides a professional print-ready PDF for a single paperback, including AI cover generation (3x) and free social sharing.
• AI Print Pro ($39.99): Offers a KDP print-ready PDF for paperbacks with enhanced compliance, unlimited previews, AI cover generation (10x), one-click bestseller styling, three free revisions, and back cover & spine image uploads.
• AI Author Suite ($59.99): Includes all features of AI Print Pro, plus a KDP hardcover cover PDF, ACX audiobook cover, and support for eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats.
• AI Marketing Suite ($89.99): Comprises all features of the AI Author Suite, along with AI-generated social ad creatives (20), unlimited previews, and additional AI cover generation (40x).

Each plan is a one-time payment with no subscription required. Users can cancel or downgrade at any time, with the plan remaining active until the end of the billing cycle.

Final Thoughts

BookCoversLab provides a specialized suite of tools designed to assist authors and self-publishers in creating and finalizing book covers that meet Amazon KDP’s specific requirements. Its features, such as the KDP Book Size Calculator, KDP Cover Maker, and Mockup Tool, aim to simplify the design process and reduce the likelihood of upload rejections. The platform’s pricing plans cater to various needs, offering flexibility for both occasional and frequent users. For those seeking a comprehensive solution to streamline their KDP publishing process, BookCoversLab presents a focused and efficient option.

Visit bookcoverslab.com for more.

Key Features

• Instant Job Notifications: Users can upload their resumes, allowing Jobnova’s AI to analyze their experience and skills to match them with pertinent job openings. Personalized AI job alerts keep users informed about new opportunities as they arise.
• AI Resume Customizer: This feature enables users to generate tailored resumes and cover letters that align with specific job descriptions, enhancing the quality and relevance of their applications.
• Automated Job Applications: Jobnova’s AI can automatically apply to over 3,000 positions based on user-defined criteria, significantly reducing the time and effort required in the application process.
• AI Agent Support: An AI agent assists users throughout their job search journey, offering support in interview preparation and resume optimization.

Who Is It For?

Jobnova is tailored for job seekers aiming to expedite their job search by utilizing AI-driven tools. Its features are particularly beneficial for individuals seeking to enhance their application materials, automate the application process, and receive personalized job recommendations. The platform is suitable for professionals across various industries looking to improve their job search efficiency.

Pricing

• Basic Plan: Priced at $6.99 monthly or $20.99 when billed quarterly (a 30% saving), this plan includes 50 auto-apply applications per month, daily personalized job alert emails, standard job filtering and matching, 10 credits for AI custom resume generation, and quality customer support.
• Pro Plan: Available at $15.99 monthly or $47.99 when billed quarterly (a 38% saving), the Pro Plan offers all Basic Plan features plus 150 auto-apply applications per month, premium AI-powered job matching with scores, recommendations for the most relevant jobs, early access to hidden job opportunities, 50 credits for AI custom resume generation, and a dedicated customer support manager.

Final Thoughts

Jobnova presents a comprehensive suite of AI-driven tools designed to enhance the job search experience by providing personalized job recommendations, tailored application materials, and automated application processes. Its features cater to job seekers aiming to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their job search strategies. Prospective users should consider their specific needs and evaluate how Jobnova’s offerings align with their career objectives.

Visit jobnova.ai for more.

Key Features

• AI-Powered Form Generation: Users can describe their desired form in plain language, and Makeform‘s AI drafts the questions, structure, and logic accordingly.
• Unlimited Forms and Submissions: The free plan allows for the creation of unlimited forms and collection of unlimited responses, with no credit card required.
• Customizable Design: Makeform offers extensive customization options, including the ability to adjust colors, fonts, and layouts to align with your brand identity.
• Conditional Logic and Calculations: Advanced features like conditional logic and calculations enable the creation of dynamic forms that adapt based on user inputs.
• Integrations: The platform integrates with tools such as Google Sheets, Notion, Slack, and Zapier, facilitating seamless data management and workflow automation.

Who Is It For?

Makeform is suitable for a wide range of users, including:

• Market Researchers: Quickly create surveys to gather and analyze data.
• Event Organizers: Streamline event registration and manage attendee information.
• Human Resources Professionals: Simplify job application processes with customized forms.
• Educators: Develop interactive quizzes and assessments.
• E-commerce Businesses: Implement secure payment forms to facilitate transactions.

Pricing

Makeform offers a free plan that includes unlimited forms and submissions, with no credit card required. For users seeking additional features, the Pro plan is available at $24 per month, billed annually at $290. This plan includes all free features plus:

• Removal of Makeform branding
• Custom domains
• Team collaboration capabilities
• Advanced customization options
• Email notifications
• Premium AI models
• Priority automation
• Unlimited AI analysis
• Custom link previews
• Custom CSS injection
• Inclusion of your own logo
• Advanced form logic
• Unlimited file size uploads
• Premium integrations
• Priority support

Final Thoughts

Makeform provides a user-friendly and efficient solution for creating customized forms without the need for coding skills. Its AI-driven approach, combined with a generous free plan and scalable paid options, makes it a versatile tool for businesses and professionals seeking to enhance their data collection processes.

Visit makeform.ai for more.

The US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, listed Australia among 54 economies in a proposed action that would impose an additional 12.5% tariff on goods that have failed to enforce a prohibition on imports made with forced labour. A further six countries facing the same finding were listed at a lower proposed rate of 10%.

The proposal comes on top of a baseline 10% temporary import surcharge already applying to most Australian goods entering the US. That surcharge was introduced after the US Supreme Court struck down earlier reciprocal tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act in February 2026.

Separate tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act also remain in place for specific goods. Steel, aluminium and copper products face tariffs ranging from 10% to 50%. Automobiles, trucks and truck parts face a 25% tariff. Certain advanced computing chips and products are subject to a 25% tariff. A 100% tariff on certain pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients was announced on 2 April 2026, with exemptions applying to many products.

The forced labour angle

The basis for the proposed 12.5% tariff is an investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act 1974 into whether Australia and other economies have failed to impose and effectively enforce a ban on importing goods produced with forced labour. The investigation covers 60 economies in total.

Key Australian exports including beef, energy, pharmaceuticals and rare earths are expected to be exempt from the proposed tariff. However, Australian businesses whose goods are manufactured in whole or in part overseas should be aware that higher tariffs imposed on other countries may also affect the tariff rates applicable to their products entering the US market, according to advice from the Australian Government.

The de minimis exemption for low-value imports, which had allowed goods valued at US$800 or less to enter the US without tariffs, was suspended from 29 August 2025 and that suspension was confirmed as an extension on 20 February 2026. All goods at or below that value are now subject to specific tariff rates.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trade Minister Don Farrell have formally described the proposed 12.5% tariff as unjustified and inconsistent with the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement. Under that agreement, the US currently pays no tariffs on its exports to Australia.

The proposed tariffs will go through a public consultation process before any potential implementation, with hearings scheduled for 7 July 2026. The Australian Government has said it continues to advocate for open trade and is working to analyse the impacts of the US trade measures on Australian exporters.

What exporters need to know

Australian exporters are encouraged to stay up to date with new announcements and to seek independent advice, including from licensed customs brokers or directly from US Customs and Border Protection. The Australian Trade and Investment Commission provides targeted information and advice through its Go Global Toolkit, which includes webinar recordings explaining the tariff changes.

The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is publishing updates on the latest US tariff measures at dfat.gov.au, and the US Federal Register and US Customs Systems Management Service are the primary sources for new notices on the application of tariffs to specific goods.

The July hearings represent an opportunity for affected businesses and industry groups to make submissions before any new tariff is formalised.

The Federal Budget included a proposal to limit the refundable tax offset under the Research and Development Tax Incentive to companies less than 10 years old.

The RDTI has long provided eligible companies with a tax offset on qualifying R&D expenditure, and the refundable component has been particularly important for early stage companies that are not yet generating taxable income.

The nine organisations that co-signed the letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers are AusBiotech, Pathology Technology Australia, MTPConnect, ANDHealth, Life Sciences Queensland, Life Sciences WA, BioNSW, BioMelbourne Network and ARCS Australia. Together they represent a significant portion of Australia’s biotech, medtech and health tech sector.

Why the sector says it won’t work

The core objection is straightforward. Bringing a medical product to market does not happen in under a decade. The 2025 National Health and Medical Research Strategy Issues Paper from the Department of Health and Aged Care put the average timeframe at 17 years. The 2024 Medical Science Co-investment Plan from the Department of Industry, Sciences and Resources described the process as spanning decades.

AusBiotech CEO Rebekah Cassidy said the proposed change ignores what the government itself has acknowledged about the sector’s commercial realities. “The long timeframes required to translate and develop medical research into health products for patients are not new news. It is well understood by industry and government that bringing these critical health products to market routinely takes well beyond a decade,” she said.

Cassidy described the journey companies take as bridging multiple commercial valleys of death, moving from research through pre-clinical development, clinical trials, regulatory approval and manufacturing scale-up before any revenue from market access becomes possible.

Blindsided and concerned

What has added to the frustration within the sector is that the change came without consultation. Cassidy said the industry was caught off guard. “Our sector has had a longstanding, collaborative working relationship with governments, so we were blindsided by this proposed change which occurred with no consultation,” she said.

The sector is also pointing to its economic footprint as context for why the change is concerning. Cassidy noted that biotechnology has been Australia’s largest value-add export industry outside primary industries since 2016 and supports more than 350,000 jobs across almost 3,000 organisations.

“We are struggling to understand why the government would jeopardise that by making changes that are fundamentally misaligned with long held understanding of the commercial, regulatory and market access realities of this important sector,” she said.

The concern is not abstract. Cassidy said the proposed changes are already creating uncertainty for companies making long-range decisions about where to undertake clinical development programs, with some considering moving those programs overseas.

What happens next

AusBiotech says it has been engaging at the highest levels of government and across parliament since the changes were announced and is asking for an urgent review before the changes are legislated.

Cassidy said the sector is not looking for a fight. “We want to work with the Government to get these policy settings right and at speed so we can give Australia’s biotech, medtech and health tech companies the policy certainty they need to continue to thrive. We just need Government to meet us at the table,” she said.

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Adam Rana and Joseph Tarzia were convicted at the Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on 19 May 2026 after ASIC prosecuted both for failing to hold a director identification number, a contravention of section 1272C(1) of the Corporations Act 2001. Both were convicted ex-parte and fined $10,000 each.

Rana is a director of four companies operating in the construction and civil works sector. Tarzia is a director of 27 companies, many of which operate in the construction industry. Both have until 16 June 2026 to apply to have their convictions set aside.

ASIC said the fines reflect the seriousness of the obligation and are intended as a deterrent to the broader director community. The regulator has now prosecuted 11 directors for the same offence, with total fines exceeding $40,000.

What a director ID is

A director ID is a unique identifier issued to a director after their identity has been verified through Australian Business Registry Services. It is designed to prevent the use of false or fraudulent director identities and to improve the ability to trace directors across companies.

The requirement was introduced in stages. Directors appointed before 1 November 2021 had until 30 November 2022 to apply. Those appointed for the first time between 1 November 2021 and 4 April 2022 had 28 days from their appointment to apply. From 5 April 2022, anyone intending to become a director for the first time must apply before being appointed.

The offence is one of strict liability, which means a director does not need to have intentionally avoided getting a director ID to be found guilty. If the ID is not in place, the offence has been committed. The current maximum penalty is 60 penalty units, which translates to a fine of $19,800.

That is the ceiling the court can impose. The $10,000 fines handed to Rana and Tarzia sit below that maximum but ASIC’s continued prosecutions signal the regulator is actively enforcing the requirement and is not treating it as a low priority.

What directors need to do

If you are a company director and have not yet applied for a director ID, you need to do so through Australian Business Registry Services at abrs.gov.au. The application requires identity verification and is free to complete.

If you are unsure whether you already have one or need to check your compliance status, the same registry is the place to start. Given ASIC’s stated intention to continue enforcement, there is no advantage in waiting.

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Key Features

• Unified Marketing Strategy: Orchestra Ads analyzes your website to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, including keyword themes, content angles, channel mix, ad messaging, and email cadence.
• AI-Driven Content Creation: The platform offers AI-assisted generation of social media posts, email campaigns, and marketing assets, facilitating rapid content development.
• Multi-Channel Publishing: Users can publish content across various social media platforms from a single dashboard, ensuring consistent messaging and efficient management.
• Integrated Ad Management: Orchestra Ads integrates with Google Ads and Meta Marketing APIs, allowing users to create, manage, and analyze advertising campaigns while maintaining full control over their accounts.
• SEO Optimization Tools: The platform provides an SEO toolkit that includes Search Console integration, on-page audits, rank tracking, keyword opportunity identification, and multi-language support.

Who Is It For?

Orchestra Ads is tailored for small to medium-sized businesses, in-house marketing teams, solo operators, and agencies managing multiple clients. It is particularly beneficial for those seeking to consolidate their marketing efforts into a single, cohesive system, reducing the need for multiple disconnected tools.

Pricing

• Starter: €29 per month
• Pro: €79 per month
• Pro+: €149 per month
• Business: €299 per month

Each plan includes various features, with higher-tier plans offering additional capabilities such as AI image generation, AI content briefs, and priority support.

Final Thoughts

Orchestra Ads presents a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to enhance their marketing operations through AI-driven tools and integrated workflows. Its focus on unifying strategy, content, email, ads, and SEO into a single platform offers potential efficiency gains and streamlined campaign management. Prospective users should assess how these features align with their specific marketing objectives and operational requirements.

Visit orchestra-ads.ai for more.

Key Features

• AI-Powered Partner Matching: Utilizing a five-step process, onSpark employs AI to discover potential partners, assess their readiness, and match them based on trust and fit across seven layers of Collaborative DNA.
• Exclusive Contact Database: Subscribers gain access to a comprehensive database of potential partners, facilitating efficient and targeted outreach.
• Deal Structuring and Revenue Tracking: onSpark offers tools for structuring partnership deals and tracking revenue, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the partnership lifecycle.
• Community Access and Networking: Subscribers can engage with a community of professionals, participate in private seminars and workshops, and receive invitations to exclusive VIP events, fostering valuable connections and knowledge sharing.

Who is it for?

onSpark is tailored for founders, creators, event producers, and brands seeking to expand through strategic partnerships. It serves companies aiming to grow without the reliance on paid advertising, offering a comprehensive solution for partnership discovery, matching, deal structuring, and revenue tracking.

Pricing

onSpark operates on a subscription model, providing full access to its partnership platform. The subscription includes AI-powered partner matching, access to the exclusive contact database, and additional features such as community access, value calculator tools, and direct access to Kyle Kane. The subscription can be canceled at any time, with a 30-day guarantee.

Final Thoughts

onSpark offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to facilitate and enhance strategic partnerships through AI-driven processes. Its focus on partnership discovery, matching, deal structuring, and revenue tracking provides businesses with a structured approach to leveraging partnerships for growth. The inclusion of community engagement and direct access to industry experts further enriches the value proposition for subscribers.

Visit onspark.com for more.

Key Features

• Omnichannel Support: Hiver consolidates various communication channels into a single interface, allowing teams to handle emails, live chat, voice calls, and WhatsApp messages efficiently.
• AI-Powered Assistance: The platform offers AI-driven tools such as AI Agents and AI Copilot to automate complex workflows, including triaging, sentiment prediction, extraction, and resolution, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.
• Collaboration Tools: Features like shared inboxes, collision alerts, internal notes, and shared drafts facilitate seamless teamwork, ensuring that customer queries are addressed promptly and accurately.
• Automation and Analytics: Hiver provides rule-based automations to assign conversations, tag them, and handle data entry, freeing up time for faster responses. Additionally, it offers analytics tools to monitor team performance and customer satisfaction.

Who Is It For?

Hiver caters to a diverse range of teams, including customer support, finance, IT service management, and human resources. Its scalable features make it suitable for small businesses seeking to establish structured support systems, as well as larger enterprises aiming to enhance their customer service operations.

Pricing

• Free Forever Plan: Ideal for small teams starting with customer service, this plan includes a shared inbox, live chat, knowledge base, and basic collaboration tools.
• Growth Plan: Priced at $25 per user per month (billed annually), it adds features like internal knowledge base, rule-based automations, analytics, and integrations with tools like Asana, Slack, and Shopify.
• Pro Plan: At $55 per user per month (billed annually), this plan includes all Growth Plan features plus AI Agents, AI Copilot, and advanced analytics.
• Elite Plan: For $95 per user per month (billed annually), it offers all Pro Plan features along with skill-based routing, custom roles, HIPAA compliance, and SSO integration.

Final Thoughts

Hiver presents a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to enhance their customer service operations through AI-driven tools and seamless collaboration features. Its flexible pricing plans and scalable features make it a viable option for organizations of varying sizes and industries. Prospective users should assess their specific requirements and consider leveraging the free plan to evaluate Hiver’s suitability for their needs.

Visit hiverhq.com for more.

Key Features

• Unified Workflow: Gemini Omni consolidates video and image generation processes, allowing users to create high-fidelity content from text prompts or images with synchronized audio and 1080p output.
• Advanced Prompt Understanding: The platform supports detailed scene descriptions, enabling users to specify subjects, actions, camera movements, visual styles, and audio directions for precise content generation.
• Multilingual Support: Gemini Omni accommodates bilingual scene direction, handling prompts in English, Chinese, or a mix of both without translation loss, and respects accent and language choice in audio output.
• Template-Based Creation: Users can select from various templates, such as product ads or social media clips, with pre-filled structural elements like beat count and shot order, allowing focus on message and aesthetics.
• Commercial Use Rights: All renders on paid plans come with full commercial rights, eliminating the need for attribution or additional licensing forms.

Who Is It For?

Gemini Omni is tailored for businesses, marketing teams, content creators, and professionals seeking efficient and scalable solutions for video and image content generation. Its versatile features cater to various applications, including advertising, social media campaigns, product demonstrations, and educational content.

Pricing

• Free Tier: Provides 30 free credits upon registration, allowing users to explore all models and features without a credit card.
• Starter Plan: At $9.90 per month, this plan includes 1,200 credits, suitable for individual creators generating approximately 8 flagship videos or 20 fast-model videos per month.
• Pro Plan: Priced at $24.90 per month, it offers 3,600 credits, ideal for active creators and small teams with daily content production needs.
• Max Plan: For $39.90 per month, this plan provides 10,000 credits, catering to power users and agencies with high-volume requirements.

Additionally, one-time credit packs are available for users preferring a pay-as-you-go approach, with credits that never expire and can be combined with subscription credits.

Final Thoughts

Gemini Omni presents a comprehensive solution for businesses and professionals aiming to enhance their content creation processes. Its unified platform, advanced features, and flexible pricing plans make it a compelling option for those seeking efficient and scalable video and image generation tools.

Visit geminiomni.studio for more.

Key Features

• Live Regulatory Intelligence: Before generating a document, ProPolicyForge searches live regulatory sources, including the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection frameworks, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance, and UK legislation. This approach ensures that every document is current and compliant with the latest standards.
• Sector-Specific Documents: The platform offers over 235 document types tailored to eight industry sectors, including healthcare, construction, hospitality, and education. Each document is customized to the specific regulatory requirements of the sector, ensuring relevance and accuracy.
• Instant Document Generation: ProPolicyForge enables users to generate professionally formatted Word documents in under two minutes. This efficiency streamlines the compliance process, allowing businesses to quickly produce necessary documentation without extensive manual effort.
• Review and Update Existing Policies: Users can upload or paste their existing policies into the platform to receive an updated version with a “What’s Changed” summary. This feature helps organizations maintain compliance by highlighting necessary adjustments in response to regulatory changes.

Who is it for?

ProPolicyForge is designed for UK businesses across various sectors that require up-to-date compliance documentation. It is particularly beneficial for organizations seeking to streamline their compliance processes, reduce manual documentation efforts, and ensure adherence to current UK legislation. The platform serves industries such as healthcare, construction, hospitality, education, and more, providing tailored solutions to meet sector-specific regulatory requirements.

Pricing

ProPolicyForge offers a subscription-based pricing model with different tiers to accommodate various business needs. The “Policy Starter” plan, priced at £49 per month, includes 10 essential health and safety documents suitable for sole traders and small contractors. For more comprehensive compliance needs, the “Compliance Builder” plan offers 24 documents covering a broader range of requirements.

Final Thoughts

ProPolicyForge provides a comprehensive solution for UK businesses seeking to maintain compliance with current legislation. Its sector-specific, live-regulatory intelligence-driven approach ensures that organizations can efficiently generate and update policies tailored to their industry requirements. By offering instant document generation and review features, ProPolicyForge aims to simplify the compliance process, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations while ensuring adherence to legal standards.

Visit propolicyforge.com for more.

Key Features

• Enhanced Performance: Composer 2.5 demonstrates superior performance in long-running tasks and complex instructions, making it more reliable for sustained development work.
• Advanced Training Techniques: The model has been trained using targeted reinforcement learning with textual feedback and a substantial increase in synthetic tasks, leading to improved coding capabilities.
• Improved Collaboration: Composer 2.5 offers a more intuitive communication style and better effort calibration, facilitating smoother collaboration between developers and the AI assistant.

Who is it for?

Composer 2.5 is tailored for software developers and development teams seeking to integrate AI assistance into their coding workflows. Its enhanced capabilities are particularly beneficial for those working on complex projects requiring sustained focus and intricate task execution.

Pricing

• Standard Mode: $0.50 per million input tokens and $2.50 per million output tokens.
• Fast Mode (default): $3.00 per million input tokens and $15.00 per million output tokens.

Additionally, Composer 2.5 includes double usage for the first week.

Final Thoughts

Composer 2.5 represents a significant advancement in AI-assisted coding, offering enhanced performance and improved collaboration features. Its refined training methods and user-centric design make it a valuable tool for developers aiming to streamline their coding processes and tackle complex tasks more effectively.

Visit cursor.com/blog/composer-2-5 for more.

Key Features

• Instant Dictation: Activate Blip AI with a hotkey to start dictating in any application, including emails, code editors, and chat platforms.
• Action Mode: Initiate commands like drafting emails or answering questions hands-free by saying “Hey Blip,” streamlining tasks without manual input.
• Smart Cleanup: Automatically removes filler words and corrects mid-sentence edits, ensuring the transcribed text is clean and professional.
• Cross-Device Sync: Seamlessly synchronize transcripts between devices, allowing for consistent access to your dictated content.
• Multilingual Support: Supports over 99 languages, enabling users to dictate and translate text in multiple languages.

Who Is It For?

Blip AI is tailored for professionals seeking to enhance their productivity through efficient voice-to-text conversion. Its features are particularly beneficial for software developers, content creators, freelancers, and remote workers who require quick and accurate transcription across various applications.

Pricing

As of June 2026, Blip AI offers a lifetime deal starting at $49 through AppSumo, providing access to its features without recurring fees. This pricing structure is accessible for individuals and small teams looking to integrate voice typing into their workflows.

Final Thoughts

Blip AI presents a compelling solution for those aiming to improve their typing speed and efficiency through voice dictation. Its integration with various applications, intelligent features, and cross-device synchronization make it a versatile tool for diverse professional needs. While some users have reported minor issues, the overall positive feedback suggests that Blip AI is a valuable asset for enhancing productivity.

Visit blipai.app for more.

Key Features

Dokie AI offers a comprehensive suite of tools to enhance your presentation creation experience:

• AI-Powered Presentation Generation: Input a topic, and Dokie AI generates a complete slide deck with professional layouts and compelling content.
• PPT Beautification: Upload existing presentations to have Dokie AI enhance their design, correct layouts, and apply professional styling while preserving your original content.
• PDF to PPT Conversion: Convert PDF documents into editable PowerPoint presentations using AI-powered layout analysis and content extraction.
• Speaker Notes Generation: Automatically generate detailed speaker notes and talking points for each slide to assist in confident presentation delivery.
• Real-Time Preview and Editing: Preview your presentation in the browser and make edits on the fly, with the option to export to PPTX when ready.

Who Is It For?

Dokie AI is tailored for business professionals, educators, marketers, and anyone who needs to create presentations efficiently. Its user-friendly interface and AI-driven features make it suitable for both beginners and experienced users seeking to enhance their presentation creation process.

Pricing

Dokie AI offers a free plan that provides users with a set number of credits to explore its features. For those requiring additional functionality, paid plans are available, offering more credits and advanced features. Specific pricing details can be found on their official website.

Final Thoughts

Dokie AI presents a robust solution for professionals seeking to create high-quality presentations with minimal effort. Its AI-driven features, including automatic slide generation, design enhancement, and speaker notes creation, aim to save time and improve the overall quality of presentations. While user reviews are generally positive, with many highlighting its efficiency and ease of use, it’s advisable to explore the platform personally to determine if it aligns with your specific needs.

Visit dokieai.com for more.

People have always used search engines to find businesses. But increasingly, they are turning to ChatGPT to do the same thing, asking it to compare products, suggest service providers and help them decide what to buy.

OpenAI has now opened that environment up to advertisers, giving businesses a way to appear in those conversations at the moment someone is actively working through a decision.

The ads are clearly labelled and kept separate from ChatGPT’s answers, so users always know what is paid and what is not. According to OpenAI, users also have control over how their data is used for ads, which the company says is central to keeping the experience trustworthy.

For small business owners already running ads on Google or Meta, this is a new channel worth understanding. The mechanics are different, and so is the opportunity.Getting your account set up

To get started, head to OpenAI’s advertising page and sign up for access to Ads Manager. Once your account is created, you land inside the dashboard where all campaign creation and management happens. OpenAI has built step by step Help Centre resources directly into the tool, so you do not need prior experience with a new platform to find your way around.

image via ads.openai.com

The setup process is designed to be accessible. If you have ever built a campaign in Google Ads or Meta Business Manager, the structure will feel familiar. If this is your first time running digital ads, the in-platform guides are there to walk you through it.Building your campaign

Inside Ads Manager, you set your campaign goal, budget and audience. The key difference from traditional search advertising is how targeting works. On Google, you bid on keywords. On ChatGPT, your ads are matched using richer context signals, meaning the platform picks up on what someone is actually trying to figure out, not just what words they typed.

image via ads.openai.com

That makes it worth thinking carefully about where your customer is in their decision when they are most likely to see your ad. Are they comparing two options? Looking for a local provider? Trying to understand a product category for the first time? Defining your goal around that moment will make your campaign more relevant and more effective.Writing your ads

Once your campaign is configured, you add your ad content. You can either bulk upload your details or create ads directly inside the tool. Because ads appear alongside a conversation someone is already having, the messaging needs to feel relevant to that context rather than generic. Clear, direct copy that speaks to a specific need will work better than broad brand awareness messaging.

Keep in mind that the ad is clearly labelled, so it is competing for attention on its own merits. Users know it is paid. That means the ad needs to offer something genuinely useful or compelling to earn a click.Once you go live

After launch, Ads Manager lets you track results, make edits and adjust performance over time. Like any new channel, the first campaign is as much about learning what works as it is about immediate returns. Pay attention to what resonates and refine from there.

ChatGPT advertising is still in its early stages. Major brands including Best Buy, Lowe’s and VistaPrint are among the first to test it. For small businesses, starting with a modest budget while the platform matures is a sensible approach. The channel is new, the audience is growing, and getting familiar with it now puts you ahead of most of your competitors.

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Australian shoppers are still opening their wallets. Average basket spend sits at $142.07 in 2026, roughly in line with $144.69 in 2025 and up from $137.90 in 2023. But the tolerance for a poor experience has shrunk considerably. According to Shippit’s 2026 State of Shipping Report, 68% of shoppers say they are unlikely to return to a retailer after a bad delivery experience, up from 64% last year.

More than half of Australian shoppers, 52%, say their delivery expectations have risen directly because of Amazon, a sharp jump from 31% in 2025. Among Millennials and Gen Z the figure is even higher, at 57% and 55% respectively. Amazon, Temu and Shein are forecast to control 36% of Australian ecommerce this year, and 82% of retailers say they are concerned about that growing dominance.

Rob Hango-Zada, co-founder and joint-CEO of Shippit, said the stakes have never been higher. “Costs are rising, consumer expectations are hardening, and global platforms are growing their share with every year that passes,” he said.

What shoppers actually want

When shoppers were asked what would persuade them to choose a retailer, cost-effective delivery came first at 40%, followed by fast delivery at 34%, click and collect at 23%, online inventory visibility at 22% and easy returns at 21%.

Returns are a particular sticking point. One in four consumers say they will not shop with a retailer that does not offer free or easy returns, and a further 21% say they would be hesitant. Yet only 11% of retailers currently offer free returns, down dramatically from 49% in 2018. The proportion offering easy returns more broadly has recovered to 70% in 2026 after falling to 58% in 2025, and 25% of retailers list it as a core investment priority this year.

The promise gap

One of the more striking findings in the report is the gap between what retailers say at checkout and what they actually deliver. The average transit time for a delivery in Australia is now 2.2 days, and 94.1% of all deliveries arrived on time in 2026. But retailers are still advertising 5.2 days at checkout, a three-day gap that is quietly undermining consumer confidence before a purchase is even made.

Two in three consumers say an accurate delivery date before purchase is essential or very important, and 38% say it makes them more likely to buy. Yet only 7.2% of retailers currently offer accurate delivery estimates at checkout.

Hango-Zada said closing that gap has to become a priority. “The gap between what retailers promise at checkout and what they deliver is the biggest conversion killer in ecommerce today,” he said.

How to win it back

Graham Jackson, CEO of Fluent Commerce, said the opportunity for local retailers lies in the things large marketplaces cannot easily replicate. “Local retailers can win where marketplaces struggle: trust, service, and local immediacy. That means faster and more reliable delivery to local postcodes, clearer delivery promises, convenient collection options, and truly easy returns, paired with brand experience and loyalty that marketplaces can’t replicate,” he said.

AI investment is rising, with 35% of retailers putting money into AI and automation in 2026, up from joint-second priority last year. Retailers expect the biggest returns from personalisation, conversational AI, fulfilment automation and predictive analytics. But the report flags a structural problem: two in three retailers rarely or never use delivery data to inform their operations, which limits what any AI investment can actually achieve.

Hango-Zada said the retailers making progress are not waiting for conditions to improve. “The retailers making ground aren’t waiting for conditions to ease, they’re closing promise gaps, building data foundations, and treating fulfilment as a growth lever,” he said.

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This week’s funding roundup spans data privacy, robotics, email marketing, sports apparel, clean energy and maternal health. Six startups across Australia and New Zealand closed rounds, with raises ranging from $700,000 to $13.6 million.

DataMasque raises US$4 million

Auckland-based data de-identification and synthetic data platform DataMasque has raised US$4 million in a round led by the early-stage fund of Wavemaker Partners, with existing investors OIF Ventures and Icehouse Ventures participating.

The company allows organisations to use sensitive data, including customer records and call transcripts, for AI development without it leaving their own infrastructure. Customers include New York Life, ADP, Best Western Hotels and Resorts, One NZ and TAL. DataMasque has tripled headcount and achieved 6x ARR growth since its seed round in late 2023.

Oscorp Energy raises A$1.3 million

Sydney-based robotics startup Oscorp Energy has closed a A$1.3 million pre-seed round led by European VC Atlas via its AI VB fund, with support from Antler and Antipodean Capital.

The company builds AI-powered vision and robotic systems to identify, classify and remove materials from fast-moving waste streams in real time. CEO Ani Goswami cofounded Oscorp during the Antler residency program in Australia.

Nitrosend raises A$700,000

Adelaide AI email marketing startup Nitrosend has raised US$500,000 (approximately A$700,000) in a seed round led by Eastend Ventures Fund 1, with Archangel Ventures and Aussie Angels also participating.

The platform was founded by siblings Edward and George Hartley, who previously built SmartrMail, an email marketing tool that scaled to six billion emails sent on Shopify before being acquired by Relay Commerce in 2022. Nitrosend is built as an AI-native platform from the ground up.

Nardo raises A$1 million

Sydney-based sports apparel platform Nardo has raised A$1 million in a pre-seed round, with former Socceroo Tim Cahill among the investors and joining as a strategic partner.

Nardo helps amateur sports clubs design, manage and order team apparel. It was cofounded in 2023 by Beau Catley, also cofounder of streetwear label Geedup Co, after a local sports club request revealed how complex the supply chain for team kits had become. The company is targeting expansion into the US, UK and Middle East.

Amber raises A$13.6 million

Renewable energy retailer Amber has received A$13.6 million in funding from the federal government-backed Australian Renewable Energy Agency to expand its vehicle-to-grid program across 1,000 homes.

The program allows BYD electric vehicle owners to use their cars as portable power sources for their homes and sell stored energy back into the grid. Amber’s initial trial involved 50 chargers, with BYD agreeing to warrant vehicles taking part, removing a key barrier to local vehicle-to-grid adoption.

Oli raises A$6.5 million

Sydney-based maternal and fetal monitoring company Oli has closed a A$6.5 million Series A3 round backed by Scale Investors, Clare Ventures and the University of Sydney. The company makes a wireless wearable device that monitors maternal and fetal signals and is currently running pivotal clinical trials across seven sites in Australia and the United States.

The raise brings total private capital to A$13 million, alongside more than A$9.5 million in non-dilutive grants. Oli was founded in 2018 by mechatronic engineer Dr Sarah McDonald following the traumatic birth of her second child. CEO Tara Croft said the funding will support regulatory submissions with the TGA and the US FDA ahead of launch.

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