The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson met with Australia Post today in a collaborative effort to resolve issues with delivery of perishable goods to support small business food producers.

Mr Billson described the first meeting with Australia Post as productive, saying he is looking forward to working closely with Australia Post and all relevant stakeholders to ensure small businesses can continue to count on essential delivery services of their products.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says insurance premiums will be more affordable for small businesses in Northern Australia, under a new Federal Government scheme to launch next year.

Mr Billson welcomed plans for a reinsurance pool to be backed by a $10 billion Federal Government guarantee to cover cyclone and flood damage across Northern Australia from July 1, 2022.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has welcomed the Australian Government’s $1.2 billion investment in the nation’s digital future, including the 30% tax offset for the video game industry.

Mr Billson says the investment will encourage greater digital adoption by small and family businesses, to ensure they are globally competitive.

“This significant investment will support small business growth and go some way to unlocking the commercial gains that can be made through digitisation,” Mr Billson says.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says small businesses in dispute with the ATO will get a fairer go, under new rules proposed by the Australian Government.

Mr Billson welcomed the pre-Budget announcement, giving the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) greater powers to pause or change debt recovery actions applying to a small business in dispute with the ATO.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says the Federal Government’s 2021 Budget is a clear acknowledgement that small and family businesses are central to the nation’s economic recovery and future prosperity.

The Budget includes several new, extended and enhanced measures to support small businesses including:

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson has welcomed plans to establish a new mandatory Franchise Disclosure Registry, saying it will provide prospective franchisees with vital information needed prior to entering into a binding franchise agreement.

Mr Billson says the national registry, to be released next year, will require franchisors to lodge disclosure documentation about their franchise annually. These documents will be publicly available through the registry.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says the Startup Year initiative proposed in Labor’s budget reply could contribute to Australia having a world-class ecosystem for entrepreneurship.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese’s budget response included a pitch for Startup Year, a program helping up to 2,000 of the nation’s most promising entrepreneurs commercialise their ideas and university research.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says small business tradespeople will be able to meet the demand for their skills wherever they are in Australia under new laws passed by the Senate.

The Australian Government’s Mutual Recognition Amendment Bill 2021, will make it easier for skilled workers to take up jobs across states and territories, without having to obtain a new licence for the same type of work in another jurisdiction.

Small and family businesses are benefiting from a significant boost in consumer sentiment, with new research revealing 93% of Aussies prefer to buy products made in Australia.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says while small businesses have faced more than their fair share of challenges in the past 12 months, the consumer-led rush for Australian made products has been a welcome unintended consequence of the pandemic.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says the significant reforms to the Franchising Code of Conduct announced by the Australian Government today will help level the playing field across the franchising sector.

Mr Billson says the reforms to the Code, which come into effect from 1 July 2021, will go a long way to addressing the power imbalances that often exist between franchisees and franchisors, particularly when disputes arise.