Category: 3. Business

Australia’s sharemarket has surged to nine-week highs on the back of strong commodity prices and a rebound in the heavyweight financials sector, lifting the leading indices.

The S&P/ASX200 gained 62.6 points on Tuesday, up 0.71 per cent, to 8,822, as the broader All Ordinaries advanced 58.6 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 9,138.5.

Only four of 11 local sectors ended the session higher, but solid gains in the materials and financials sectors launched the market to its best day of the year so far.

The Australian dollar was buying 67.11 US cents, up from 66.98 US cents on Monday at 5pm.

Question:

Mr Alex Yeo: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry in view of the recent closure of a health product and foot reflexology business (a) whether the Ministry has plans to strengthen consumer protection measures for consumers who purchase high value packages from businesses that have knowledge that they are or will become insolvent; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider taking further action against the executives or directors of such companies.

Written Answer by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1.           Under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act 2003 (CPFTA), it is an unfair practice for a supplier to exert undue pressure or influence on a consumer to enter into a transaction, or to accept payment for goods or services when the business knows that it will not be able to supply the goods or services. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore can take enforcement action against such egregious suppliers. Consumers who encounter these unfair practices may approach the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to seek redress.

2.           The Government also works with CASE to empower consumers and help them make informed purchase decisions. In addition, CASE has a scheme that accredits businesses committed to fair trading practices and claims on unused prepayments in the event of business closure. Consumers are encouraged to engage CaseTrust-accredited businesses where applicable, especially when transactions involve significant prepayments.

3.           In March 2025, the Government convened an independent Consumer Protection Review Panel led by CASE President Melvin Yong and former judicial commissioner Ms Foo Tuat Yien to review key consumer concerns, including the adequacy of existing protections for high-value package purchases. The Panel, comprising industry stakeholders, legal representatives and academics, is expected to publish its findings and recommendations later this year. The Government will study the Panel’s recommendations and consider the necessary additional measures.

Question:

Mr Lee Hong Chuang: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (a) what further measures, if any, will the Ministry be taking to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adapt to the growing global emphasis on sustainability and green technologies; and (b) what further plans does the Ministry have, if any, to help these SMEs remain competitive in international markets while meeting environmental standards.

Written Answer by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong

1.           The Government is committed to supporting our businesses, including SMEs, to prepare for a low-carbon economy and address the opportunities from rising demand in green technologies, products and services.

2.           In May last year, EnterpriseSG launched the SME Sustainability Hub, a one-stop digital platform to help SMEs access relevant support and resources as they navigate their sustainability journey. The key resources available for SMEs include:

a.      Assistance to meet the environmental requirements and standards of financial institutions and corporate customers. For example, the SME Sustainability Reporting Programme (SRP) and Sustainability Reporting Grant (SRG) are schemes that help SMEs build foundational sustainability reporting capabilities.  

b.      Training and capability-building programmes – Under the Enterprise Sustainability Programme (ESP), SMEs can access a series of sustainability playbooks and training courses on key topics, including decarbonisation and sustainable finance.  

c.      Funding support – For example, the Enterprise Development Grant (EDG) supports SMEs in developing sustainability strategies, products and services, and adopting green technologies to grow their businesses.

3.           The Government is working closely with the Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) and industry to continually review our suite of support measures and schemes for SMEs, to enable Singapore businesses and workers to thrive in a low-carbon future.

Australia’s financial watchdog has banned a husband and wife from managing corporations for the maximum allowable period after the failure of their agribusinesses — one of which was linked to disgraced former NSW MP Daryl Maguire.

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) said Jimmy Yang, also known as Jimmy Liu, and his wife Freda Feng were the directors of three agricultural companies between 2004 and 2025.

Mr Yang was also the director of a personal services company in the same time period.

ASIC said the pair failed to act properly and meet their obligations as company officers, including when Mr Yang offered incentives to Mr Maguire, who was the Member for Wagga Wagga between 1999 and 2018.

Mr Maguire was forced to resign as a result of a corruption inquiry in 2018.

The commission also found Mr Yang and Ms Feng:

• Failed to ensure UWE Hay, United World Enterprises, Griffith and SMU Holdings complied with their statutory obligations to the Australian Taxation Office
• Failed to maintain and keep adequate books and records for UWE Hay and United World Enterprises
• Improperly used their position to withdraw company funds from UWE Hay’s bank accounts without explanation for the use of the funds
• Improperly used their positions by permitting loans to be made from UWE Hay and United World Enterprises to other entities
• Improperly used their positions to allow United World Enterprises to enter into an agreement to sponsor a work visa in exchange for United World Enterprises receiving a financial loan
• Improperly used their positions to sell a vehicle owned by United World Enterprises and use the proceeds to purchase a new vehicle for UWE Hay, and
• Failed to prevent UWE Hay and United World Enterprises from insolvent trading.

ASIC said at the time of its decision, the companies owed a combined total of nearly $57 million, including almost $111,000 to the ATO, $6,500 for employee entitlements, as well as “significant debts to small businesses in the agriculture industry”.

Mr Yang and Ms Feng are both disqualified from managing corporations until December 17, 2030, and have the right to seek a review of the decision through the Administrative Review Tribunal.

In this edition of New Energy Expert Insights, we sat down with Alan Fenelon, Chief Executive Officer of Solar Energy Robotics, to discuss the automation of solar installation and maintenance.

Solar Energy Robotics

Solar Energy Robotics (SER) is an Australian company delivering advanced robotic solutions for the solar energy sector. SER designs and manufactures specialist robotic systems in-house where unique local needs demand innovation. SER is also the Australian partner for Sunpure Technology, a partnership focused on introducing and supporting utility scale install and cleaning solutions to Australia.

This dual capability makes SER unique in Australia – able to innovate locally, leverage global best-in-class systems, and deliver end-to-end robotic solutions that give utility-scale solar projects a decisive competitive edge.

Alan Fenelon is the Chief Executive Officer at SER. He brings more than twenty-five years of experience in mining technology and renewable energy.

What are you seeing in the Australian solar robotic market?

Australia’s solar robotic market is nascent. There are no existing solar farms in Australia that currently use robotic cleaning. In part, this is due to an underappreciation of the impact of soiling on projects. Unlike their international counterparts, most Australian developers do not collect data on soiling. As a result, Australian developers do not fully understand the impact of soiling on operational efficiency and so do not consider incorporating robotic technology into the project during the planning phase. More simply put, nobody requests autonomous cleaners to be ‘designed in’, therefore they never are. And a retrofit is always a compromise.

• “I think the big variable in there is that no one is really looking at soiling data”

SER endeavours to target this persistent gap in Australia’s market by introducing a localised and fit for purpose robotic solution. The technology itself is highly mature and reliable, and robotic solar cleaning solutions have been available globally for nearly a decade. From a hardware and software standpoint, these systems are scalable, cost effective and field proven. The real issue with maturity lies within the Australian market. The barrier isn’t technological; the barrier lies in the lack of consideration given to integrating automation during the design and development phases of solar projects.

SER is actively working to shift this mindset, advocating for cleaning systems to be considered in the project planning phase.

What role do you see solar energy robotics playing in shaping Australia’s solar robotic market?

SER has two strands of business. On the one hand it develops and manufactures solutions end to end that target specific operational gaps in the local market where competition is scarce. On the other hand, SER partners with market leaders Sunpure Technology for the volume-based utility scale solar energy market.

All SER’s range of autonomous cleaners offered are waterless and self-sufficient. They are designed to be permanently installed on site in most cases. In its own product suite, SER adopts the concept of a literal and metaphorical ‘chassis’, one that is configured to various use cases without having to redesign anything from scratch. It makes for more effective client support too.

Due to its relationship with Sunpure Technology, SER is now placed to also offer module installation robots as a wet rental and or outright purchase. Automation of this task  has the ability to reduce over half of the investment and duration associated with module installs. It’s also more accurate and much safer because there is almost zero manual handling.

Why would a developer use a robot over a human?

Robots provide logistical and financial benefits to developers.

From an operations and maintenance (O&M) and Life of Farm perspective, robotic cleaners boost performance and daily yield by ensuring soiling does not occur on solar panels. Soiling is the accumulation of particles and debris on the surface of solar panels, which reduces the energy production of the panels. By installing robotics into a project (a one-off installation), the developer avoids the ongoing complexities of traditional labour (for example, workplace health and safety risks and training requirements). Further, as robotics technology can be designed into a project during the planning phase, developers have a unique opportunity to better design solar farms to maximise operational efficiency in ways not possible with human labour forces.

Financially, robotic cleaning significantly reduces labour dependency and capital costs, providing developers with an accurate, upfront investment that leads to long-term savings across the entire operation and maintenance of a project. For example, individual robots can clean semi uninterrupted solar rows up to 2 kilometres, offering a level of efficiency unmatched by traditional labour.

How do you anticipate the role of human workers changing as automation becomes more prevalent in the solar industry?

Although automation will impact certain workforces, it will also encourage skills to be reallocated across the new energy industry. In the specific case of solar cleaning and installation, there is already a shortage of labour, and so the impact is fairly localised. However, when automation moves beyond solar cleaning into broader operations and maintenance activities (where there is a larger workforce), the impact will be more noticeable. The answer may be to transition that workforce into new roles focused on managing, maintaining, and optimising robotic systems.

Are there any technical limitations or challenges that automated systems face in solar maintenance, and how are these being addressed?

The biggest limitation for robotic cleaning solutions is deployment onto already designed and operating solar farms. Retrofitting automation into existing layouts, especially when those layouts have not been designed with robotics in mind, is technically nuanced, costly and compromise heavy.

In design stages, there are virtually no limitations on implementation. It simply requires intentional design choices to accommodate robotic technology. A sympathetic design sees longer, less interrupted arrays. Footprint permitting, it might be as simple as relocating inverters and some services to achieve this. When ‘designed in’ the cost tends to be less than 1% of the capital cost of the project overall. The client has a zero impact, technology solution for the least investment.

They achieve Every Panel Every Day (EPED) cleaning with zero associated effort and thus derisk the Life of Farm in soiling terms; achieving a highly predictable 0.5% soiling loss versus the anomalous and much higher losses when it’s left to nature and some intermittent cleaning.

In reflecting the 0.5%, highly predictable and de-risked soiling losses, the even more obvious upside is that the optimised farm does not have to be as large. Think of the ~20% reduction of savings achieved if you could deliver the same, consistent energy from a smaller footprint. Less trackers, less panels, fewer inverters, shorter projects with fewer people and less real estate.

The future

What are the most promising technological advancements in the automation of solar panel maintenance?

The most promising technological advancements are developing a robotic system that can, while carrying out cleaning, monitor the condition of the installed solar panels. There is a clear synergy in condition monitoring while solar panels are being cleaned and maintained. The next step in the industry is to combine the benefits of solar cleaning with continuous, ongoing solar monitoring.

What excites you most about the future of solar and automation?

The most exciting part about the future of solar and automation is the huge potential for innovation. The benefit of having no active installations in Australia is that every installation is a step into the future. The sheer number of potential installations leaves an enticing space for the deployment of new robotics technology.

Other than that, the future hopefully holds increased installations of solar robotic cleaners, which ultimately boosts Australia into a cleaner, more sustainable and more efficient future.

Published on 13 January 2026

Yass Valley Council has launched a New Year recruitment campaign to encourage more people to consider a career in local government and fill a range of vacant roles across the organisation.

As one of the largest employers in the Yass Valley LGA, employing almost 200 people including casual staff, the campaign aims to attract more skilled and motivated people – particularly locals – to join Council, to build rewarding careers while supporting the local Yass Valley community.

The recruitment drive follows a four-month staff consultation process that reviewed and modernised roles and management structures. The review ensured that Council is well positioned to deliver essential services and meet community needs into the future. Many roles have remained unfilled over the past year, meaning that the recruitment campaign will fill existing vacancies within already approved staffing budgets.

Gayleen Burley, CEO Yass Valley Council, says the changes mark a positive step forward for Council.

“This is an exciting time to join Yass Valley Council. Our new senior leadership team is focused on creating a supportive workplace with strong career development opportunities, competitive employment conditions and work that makes a real difference to the community.

“We value the contribution of all our staff members. While some roles have been restructured, we are committed to supporting affected staff through redeployment and ongoing employment opportunities.”

Council is recruiting to support major projects planned over the coming years, including upgrades to the Yass water network, development of the Parkwood community on the ACT/NSW border and initiatives that support sustainable growth and economic development across the region. The opening of the new Crago Mill Council Offices in the early autumn will provide a state-of-the-art office environment for Council employees.

(Picture: Yass Valley Council Learning & Development Team at the Careers Fair)

Council is aiming to attract the best people – particularly locals – who are passionate about making Yass Valley a great place to live and work. Opportunities are available across a wide range of areas, from corporate roles in Finance, HR, Planning, Economic Development and Media, to outdoor and operational roles in Water and Wastewater, Roads, Open Spaces, Waste and Infrastructure. Positions will suit all experience levels, including management roles, entry-level positions and apprenticeships.

Vacancies will be advertised progressively throughout the year. 

People interested in working in local government and contributing to the future of Yass Valley are encouraged to monitor the careers section of the Yass Valley Council website and Council’s social media channels for upcoming opportunities.

Find the latest vacancies at:

Careers at Council

Why work for Yass Valley Council – Webpage

Why Work for Us – Pamphlet(PDF, 9MB)

Yass Valley Council – LinkedIn

Yass Valley Council – Facebook

Yass Valley Council – Instagram