SPEECH
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson.
Speech to COSBOA National Small Business Summit
I particularly want to acknowledge Matthew (Addison), Luke (…
… Family and Domestic Violence Leave All full-time, part-time, and casual employees can access 10 days of paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave. The full 10 day leave entitlement is available immediately - it does not need to be accumulated like annual leave. It also doesn’t increase …
… for whom, self-declared, their business is their full-time endeavour, take home less than average total weekly … for those people. They’re working their tails off every day. The average age of a business owner is 50, not 45 where … our small business owning fraternity are under the age of 30, half what it was in the 1970s. 70% of small businesses …
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ASBFEO Live
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson welcomes the Government’s commitment to lowering costs for businesses through least cost routing.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has released the Payments System Review…
… least cost routing. “The Treasurer’s urging of the RBA’s Payment Systems Board to consider mandating the dual-network … is a game changer. “It is a clear statement that the time for strongly worded letters to financial institutions to … “The Government has committed to consider changes that may be necessary to promote least cost routing, particularly in …
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News
ASBFEO Live
… Line caters for the needs of small business owners who may be visually impaired through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). TIS can be contacted on 13 14 50. The Information Line also provides … Line caters for the needs of small business owners who may be visually impaired through the Translating and Interpreting …
… which traditional sources of information and point-in-time surveys often miss. “Our approach is different to other … such as hospitality. It is uncertain whether this will be a sustained improvement. Many customers are still being … and the Personal Property Securities Register. “Extended payment times and terms are weighing on small business …
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Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Tom Elliott.
Radio 3AW
Subject: Insolvency figures, small business conditions…
… across Australia are up 17% in the 12 months to June 30 just gone. In Victoria the figures are even worse. … pressures on businesses. It’s a fairly challenging time anyway. You touched on interest rates, input costs are … I'd like to think it's front of mind. I guess my job every day is to try and make sure that small and family businesses …
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ASBFEO Live
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has welcomed ASIC’s announcement that they have cancelled or suspended Australian credit licences for failing to be a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (…
… or suspended Australian credit licences for failing to be a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority … matters themselves. In the period 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021, 24 licences were cancelled. “AFCA provides … dispute resolution to small businesses, saving them time and money by significantly reducing the need for …
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News
ASBFEO Live
… were twice as many small business owners aged between 30 and 49 as there were aged over 50. Today, only 8% of … paperwork after they’ve been running their business all day, surrendering more time with family and time to reset and … workplace obligations to employees, meet tax reporting and payment obligations in a timely way and pay small business …
Report
… on each state and territory. Key findings for the year to 30 June 2023 The number of small businesses increased in all … and territories except Victoria. Victoria’s decrease can be attributed to a decrease in the number of small businesses … There were 482,836 small businesses in Queensland on 30 June 2023, representing 19% of all Australian small …
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… language. Some content (such as images, videos) may not be accurately translated due to the limitations of the … telephone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Information Line is open from Monday … telephone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The Information Line is open from Monday …
… were 849,075 small businesses in New South Wales (NSW) on 30 June 2023. These accounted for 34% of all Australian small … Accessed 15 January 2024 Table 1: Small business in NSW, 30 June 2023 Download data Source: Based on Australian … There were 594,855 small businesses in Greater Sydney on 30 June 2023, representing 70% of all small businesses in …
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TRANSCRIPT
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Jac Underwood.
Radio 2BS Bathurst
Subject: Small business owners…
… afternoon. Bruce Billson Jac, you're just saying that to be nice, but it is a treat to be with you and your audience. … was about 17% of small and family business owners under 30. Well that's, that's 8% now and that's really quite a … 51 and you have only 7% of your business owners aged under 30. And when you look at the statistics behind that, and we …
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ASBFEO Live
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Lisa Millar.
ABC News Breakfast
Subject: 14 Steps to energise enterprise, tap-and-go merchant fees, digital platform disputes, small business…
… a group of Australians that need their personal best every day and, in some cases, needing to be world class every day. … bit of breathing space as they tackle a really challenging time. Lisa Millar So, what are you saying, the credit card … got about 8 per cent, Lisa, that are under the age of 30. It was 17 per cent in the ‘70s. So, we really think you …
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ASBFEO Live
… complaints. Internal dispute resolution processes may be managed by the processor’s complaint handling officer. … manage independently. The mediator will decide the date, time, and place that the mediation will take place and the … you of their costs. In general, the mediator has a half-day rate and a full-day rate, with the length of time for the …
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.
…
… 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 … wait for years and years for supportive action at this time of significant economic and cost of doing business …
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Op-ed
ASBFEO Live
By Bruce Billson.
Published in the Western Advocate.
More needs to be done to support and recognise small businesses.
A RECENT Westpac study found almost half of the people starting their own business are motivated by the dream…
… The obstacles entrepreneurs face 30 September 2024 By Bruce Billson. Published in the Western … big business to small business and ratings for big firms' payment performance. The recent US presidential debate … did not make a profit and three-quarters of full-time self-employed people earned less than the average total …
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Op-ed
ASBFEO Live
… Submission to Payment Times Reporting Rules Amendments 2024 Date Fri, 08/16/2024 - 12:00 File 240819 SB Payment Times Reporting Rules 2024 - Treasury consultation exposure draft.pdf pdf 212.89 KB Summary Payment Times Reporting Rules amendments … Payment Times …
Submission
… Small businesses and industry associations don't need to be a partner of the Hub to book a space. The Hub is located … along with the following details: Name Date Time to and from Phone Email Space request (please specify … Visitors must return access passes at the end of each day. Please note that the Hub is not for use by …
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TRANSCRIPT
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Luke Grant.
Money News 2GB/3AW/4BC
13 December 2022
…
… Insolvency laws Luke Grant There probably needs to be a change to the system to help business avoid insolvency … lot to the economic vitality of the country, but it costs time and money. And so, this restructuring process was … of the fact that the business owner has invested much time, possibly a lifetime in the business, that the employees …
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ASBFEO Live
… outcomes. Read your contract/agreement before signing and be aware of interest rates and penalties for non-payment. If you are unsure of anything, ask for more … should get in contact with the ATO. You can also set up a payment plan if your debt is under $100,000. Phone: 12 28 66 …
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TRANSCRIPT
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Rick Hind.
ABC Radio Darwin
Subject: What is ASBFEO and what does it…
… relationships, they might also mess with the attached payment facility that's there and spend our money pimping … money for substations, all the cabling, the equipment, our time. I want to make sure that the developer is good for … if we do things on trade credit, on terms like ‘pay us in 30 days’ we might not get paid. So that's coming up as an …
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ASBFEO Live
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Bruce Billson, is encouraging small businesses to adopt eInvoicing as a more secure and faster way of getting paid.“There are real opportunities for small business in engaging with…
… what is a vital part of getting paid, replacing what can be a tendinous, mundane and error-prone activity.” Mr Billson … vulnerable to invoice substitution scams – also called payment redirection scams or business email compromise - … people with all the critical information to execute the payment,” he said. Mr Billson welcomed the Australian …
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Media Releases
ASBFEO Live
TRANSCRIPT
Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson interview with Leon Delaney.
Radio 2CC Canberra
Subjects: How small business can prepare for a…
… you a couple of bucks back, which is the equivalent of a day or two of what you pay to access our communications … had a direct loss. It's the same with banking services. Payment platforms went out late last week for a lot of the … and we touched on that in the report. If you're a time-poor small business owner, you don't really want someone …
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ASBFEO Live
… were 15,431 small businesses in the Northern Territory on 30 June 2023, representing 1% of Australian small businesses. … 2024 Table 1: Small businesses in Northern Territory, 30 June 2023 Download data Source: Based on Australian Bureau … the Territory’s small businesses were in Greater Darwin on 30 June 2023. The areas with the highest number of small …
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… with another business or government agency. This may be offered at 2 stages: Stage 1 (Preliminary advice) to help … so not all matters will be eligible for support. A co-payment of $100 is required from the eligible small business … in an ADR process to resolve their dispute; the length of time parties have been in dispute and any attempts that they …
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Opinion piece by the Ombudsman Bruce Billson.
Originally published in the Canberra Times.
Small, family and farming businesses should urgently make sure they are not caught out by the 3G switch-off which is now scheduled to take place on 28…
… is an awful lot of technology and equipment used every day that's actually enabled by 3G. Quite understandably, … thinking about what the piece of kit actually does and the time-saving or technology-enhancing way it allows us to get … bookings and payroll, could stop working. At risk may be security systems and cameras, tablets, telephones in …
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Op-ed
ASBFEO Live
Originally published in The Canberra Times
By Bruce Billson
Over the past five years there have been 13 declared natural disaster catastrophes.
The devastation caused to our communities by these terrible floods, storms, cyclones and…
… fearsomeness so early in the season ... Businesses can be directly damaged or wiped-out, or they become an indirect … businesses have a current business continuity plan. It is time for small business to be prepared for natural disasters. … owner or leader out of the business for a period of time. An inquiry I conducted into the impact of natural …
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Op-ed
ASBFEO Live