Originally published in The Canberra Times
By Bruce Billson
More and more women are creating new businesses to find solutions to everyday problems.
About 35 per cent of small businesses are owned or led by women.
This is double the rate in the 1970s.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Stephen Cenatiempo.
Radio 2CC Canberra
Subject: 2025-26 Federal Budget, instant asset write-off, insolvency, small business conditions
Stephen Cenatiempo
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson says tonight’s 2025-26 Federal Budget was ‘the sequel’ to last year’s, offering modest targeted measures to help small and family business deal with specific current pain points and headwinds.
The Ombudsman said that struggling small businesses will have to look to and hope for election commitments that present a decisive positive action plan to ‘put some wind in their sails’, lift their prospects for success and to turn around a post-COVID period of tough trading conditions.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Supermarket Inquiry report confirms that the supermarket sector is highly concentrated and unduly challenging for small business suppliers, says the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) is encouraged by the Australian Government’s response to the Murray Review of Security of Payment Laws, and welcomes the announcement of further action to help ensure tradies and subcontractors are paid on time.
Mr Billson said the Government’s commitment to extend protections against unfair business practices to small businesses, will also help address harmful conduct in the construction sector.
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Leon Delaney.
2CC Canberra
Subject: Low cost support to help small businesses resolve disputes and the Small Business Pulse
Leon Delaney
Originally published in The Canberra Times
By Bruce Billson
With election talk building and political announcements starting to roll out, there has not been a more important time for small businesses to be seen, heard and supported.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) has enthusiastically welcomed the Australian Government’s commitment to introduce protections for small and family businesses harmed by unfair business trading practices.
Mr Billson said this commitment will reassure small and family businesses that they can invest, innovate, take risks, compete and create jobs and opportunities without being unfairly ‘done over’ by a more powerful business because there is a ‘gaping hole in the law’.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) has welcomed the expansion of subsidised legal advice for eligible small and family businesses to support more effective engagement in dispute resolution processes.
Originally published in The Canberra Times
By Bruce Billson
The ASBFEO February Small Business Pulse makes it clear that while an interest rate cut may provide some modest relief to financing costs and a slight nudge to consumer demand, the challenging small business operating environment remains in a prolonged tough place.