Many Australians will enjoy Australian seafood this Easter, but it should not come at the expense of proposed new country of origin labelling rules imposing a compliance nightmare for small and family businesses.  

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, is calling for a common-sense approach to new labelling laws currently being considered.  

“Country-of-origin labelling for seafood in hospitality should be simple, useful and proportionate to the seller’s offering,” Mr Billson said.  

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has launched an Inquiry to examine the impact of reforms to Commonwealth procurement rules on small business.

The Inquiry was referred to the Ombudsman by the Minister for Finance, Katy Gallagher.

By Bruce Billson

Originally published in the Herald Sun.

At a time when small and family businesses face headwinds, it’s not too much to ask that their big business customers play their parts by paying their invoices in a more timely way.

Woeful figures just released by the government regulator reveal only three out of 10 big businesses pay their small business customers within 30 days, while almost a quarter take more than 120 days to pay up.

Only three out of 10 big businesses pay their small business customers within 30 days while nearly one-quarter take more than 120 days to pay up, according to new payment times data.

“This is a woeful performance and is bitterly disappointing news for small and family businesses to start the year,” said the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson.

Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Nick Rheinberger.

ABC Illawarra and ABC South East NSW

Subject: Small business natural disaster preparedness and resilience

Natural disasters can be devastating for small and family businesses yet only one in four small businesses have a current business continuity plan, according to the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, has urged small business owners to take time early in the new year to take stock of their mental and financial well-being.

“When you own a small business, it is just as important to spend time working on your business as it is to spend time working in your business,” Mr Billson said.

Originally published in The Advertiser

Originally published in The Advertiser

Opinion piece published in the Herald Sun, 25 August 2022.