This holiday season is a great opportunity to support small businesses.
We believe small businesses and family enterprise are the economic life blood of the country and we want to see them prosper.
The best way to ensure competition and the security of our economy is to support small business and family enterprises by shopping local.
In the lead up to this holiday season it is important to visit our local shopping strips and small businesses when thinking about Christmas preparations and Christmas presents.
While you are doing your bit by shopping local, the Commonwealth Government is supporting small business with a whole of government approach.
We have
- Appointed a dedicated Small business Minister in Cabinet
- Abolished the carbon tax
- Cut over $2 billion in red and green tape costs.
- Undertaken an independent ‘root and branch’ review of the competition framework
- Reformed the national Franchising Code
- Signed Free Trade Agreements with China, Japan and Korea
- Established the $484.2 million Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Programme, providing practical support for businesses including advice from people with relevant private sector experience; small co-contributions for re-engineering or growth opportunities for business; and connection and collaboration opportunities.
- Provided an additional $304.1 million over four years from 2014-15 to boost the wage subsidy for mature age job seekers, through a Restart Programme.
- Protected the privacy of home based businesses
- Implemented a dedicated small business support line within Fair Work which has received 100,000 calls in 8 months
- Developed a ‘Your First’ employee guide to help time poor small businesses understand what to do when they hire new employees
- Moved to make it easier for small businesses to supply their products and services to Government with a new Commonwealth Contract Suite
- Delivered a new Single Business Service which streamlines the way businesses access in Industry information and services by putting their needs first
- Moved the small business department from Industry to Treasury
Small business operators are now able to rely on advice from the Fair Work Ombudsman, without fear of prosecution should the information provided by the Fair Work Ombudsman be incorrect.
We are
- Extending unfair contract protections for small business
- Deferring by two years the increase in compulsory employer-funded superannuation
- Helping small business attract good workers by providing their employees with access to the Coalition’s landmark paid parental leave scheme.
- Removing from small business the requirement to administer the government’s paid parental leave scheme.
- Protecting the rights of independent contractors and the self-employed
- Working with the financial sector to improve access to small business finance
- Creating a Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman
- Ensuring Government pays their Small Businesses accounts on time
- Cutting the company tax rate by 1.5% as of July 2015