On 11 March, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) is marking 10 years of advocating for small and family businesses, reflecting a decade of practical support, dispute resolution and advocating for fairer rules that allow small and family businesses to start, grow and succeed. 

Established under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015, ASBFEO was created to do something simple but vital: level the playing field. 

Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, gives recognition and applauds women in small and family business ahead of International Women’s Day.  

“More than half a million Australian women say their main job is running a small business, representing 35 per cent of small business owners – the same share as across all business owners nationally, according to the ABS Census. 

Originally published in the Canberra Times

By Bruce Billson

There are signs in the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman's Small Business Pulse that 2026 can be a year of renewal, reinvigoration and reinvestment for the sector.

The February Pulse increased by 0.1 per cent in the three months to February 2026, marking the fourth consecutive quarterly increase.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson is urging the Federal Government to deliver practical, targeted measures in the 2026–27 Budget to reduce costs, restore confidence and remove barriers that are holding back Australia’s small and family businesses.

Resilience, realism and resolve shape the small business outlook

February 2026

Originally published in the Canberra Times.

By Bruce Billson.

Australians value enterprise. We respect people who back themselves, take risks and build something of their own, and provides opportunities and livelihoods for others.

Small business is not a niche interest. It is central to economic dynamism, productivity, living standards, competition, innovation and the strength and vitality of local communities. Yet for many owners, running a small business has become harder than it needs to be.

If you own or run a small business in Australia, chances are you started because you had a passion, a skill, a service, a product, to make a living, pursue a dream, perhaps a sense of contribution to Australia’s economy, doing your bit to add value to your community. You probably didn’t start out dreaming of forms, portals, compliance and reporting obligations, or entering the same information into five different systems.

Originally published in the Canberra Times.

By Bruce Billson.

If you own or run a small business in Australia, chances are you didn't start out dreaming of forms, portals, compliance attestations or uploading the same information into five different systems. You started because you had a passion, a skill, a service, a product, a sense of contribution to Australia's economic prosperity and growth and a community that valued what you do.

Australia’s sole traders — the spirited, self-starting enterprising women and men who power our communities — are far more numerous and diverse than most policy settings recognise. New analysis by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), drawing on customised integrated administrative data in the ABS’ DataLab insights, reveals a vibrant enterprise cohort that has long been hiding in plain sight.

Originally published in The Canberra Times.

By Bruce Billson.

Australia's economic narrative often spotlights big corporates and high-profile startups. Yet, beneath that glare lies a quiet army of sole traders - the smallest of small businesses - who are indispensable to our nation's prosperity and community wellbeing.