Start-ups

Ombudsman welcomes new Minister for Small and Family Business

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 04:02:12 +0000

Ombudsman welcomes new Minister for Small and Family Business admin Fri, 12/10/2021 - 15:02

29 March 2021

The Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has welcomed the new Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business the Hon Stuart Robert MP as announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison today.

“I look forward to working with Minister Robert and his team to help make Australia the best place to start and grow a business,” Mr Billson says.

“Australia is a nation of small and family businesses, who have endured a challenging 12 months.

“It has never been more important to ensure small and family businesses are supported to help lead the nation into recovery.

“Minister Robert has a background in business and therefore has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to own and operate a growing company.

“I’m certain the vibrant and energetic Gold Coast small business community have been keeping Minister Robert, as a local MP, well appraised of the challenges and headwinds they are facing.

“We look forward to working with Minister Robert on small business policy as well as a range of important issues for small and family enterprises.

“I also thank former Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Michaelia Cash for her commitment to supporting the small business sector over the past two years. She has done a fantastic job and I wish her well in her new role as Attorney General.”

Labor’s Startup Year pitch aims to support innovative entrepreneurs

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 03:39:43 +0000

Labor’s Startup Year pitch aims to support innovative entrepreneurs admin Fri, 12/10/2021 - 14:39

14 May 2021

The Australian �Թ�� 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.

Under the proposal, students would have access to loans of up to $11,300 through the HELP system to cover costs while participating in an accredited accelerator program.

Mr Billson says the initiative is an interesting proposal and is looking forward to learning more about it.

“The Startup Year program is a useful and constructive proposal about how we might ensure Australia has a world-leading ecosystem to support entrepreneurship,” Mr Billson says.

“I look forward to learning more about the approach over the coming weeks and working collaboratively to ensure small business are a key focus in Labor’s economic plan.

“We all share the ambition of Australia being the best place to start, grow and transform a business and what this means for our economic prosperity and livelihoods.”

Women recognised as key drivers of business growth on World MSME Day

Toby — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 02:35:07 +0000

Women recognised as key drivers of business growth on World MSME Day Toby Thu, 12/02/2021 - 13:35

25 June 2021

The Australian �Թ�� and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has recognised the rise of ‘womenpreneurs’ and the key role women will play in driving future business growth on World MSME Day (Sunday 27 June, 2021).

World MSME Day 2021, declared by the UN, has identified the evolution of womenpreneurs as one of the Top 10 Trends of the year.

Mr Billson says this is also an emerging trend in Australia, with women-owned women-led enterprises increasing at a faster rate than male-owned businesses.

“On World MSME Day I want to thank all small and family businesses for their vital contribution to Australia’s prosperity, wellbeing and community,” Mr Billson says.

“Female entrepreneurs have been acknowledged on World MSME Day as being a crucial part of the global SME ecosystem who are looking for new growth opportunities.

“In Australia, about 38% of small businesses are owned by women and we are likely to see that number continue to grow.

“In the decade to 2019, of the 171,000 newly established businesses in Australia, two-thirds were led by women.

“Research has found the economic opportunity for Australia by boosting the number of female entrepreneurs to parity with men would be worth between $71 billion and $135 billion to the nation’s economy.”

Resilience has also been listed as one of the Top 10 Trends of 2021 as part of World MSME Day.

“The past 18 months has been incredibly challenging for small businesses, but I have been inspired by the courage and agility shown by our small business community,” Mr Billson says.

“Our �Թ�� Counts report noted ABS data revealing 40% of small businesses have changed the way they provided products and services as a result of the pandemic.

“More than ever we have seen the deep personal commitment it takes to run a small business and I thank Australian small and family businesses for their fighting spirit, hard work and determination.”

View ASBFEO’s World MSME Day video here.