Its been a year - what I've heard and what I'm doing to help

Merry Christmas

Exactly one year ago today, the then Minister for Small Business the Hon. Leeanne Enoch MP announced my appointment to the role of Queensland's inaugural Small Business Champion. If only I had a dollar for every time I have been asked where my cape was! When I unpacked the 'champion' kit bag on day one of the job, it was distinctly lacking in the cape and magic wand department.

Running a small business is not easy and while many people at this time of year are winding down for a break, small business is worrying about cash flow, employee entitlements and sales for the new year. For many, the last thing on their mind is a holiday.

The focus of my role is to ensure small business requests are at the front of mind, for all matters in Queensland Government. As an unhindered communicator of small business needs, I ensure I meet physically with businesses/chambers/industry groups every working day.

Some of my role involves thumping the table to ensure Queensland small business gets a fair deal. While some of these meetings are less than glamorous, they are vitally important to ensure Queensland small business can compete domestically and internationally. As a snap shot, I would like to share who I’ve been working with:

1. You – the individual small business owners all over Queensland. You are what I've come to call the quieter voices, busy powering the social and economic fabric of your communities, hearing your experiences has shaped everything I've been able to influence to date. 
2. Chambers of Commerce, Industry Groups, Professional Associations (just to pick a few examples: Chambers of commerce in Cairns, Townsville, Mt Isa, Roma, Brisbane, CCIQ, CAANZ, CPA, Queensland Law Society, EcoTourism Australia, QTIC, Master Builders, Master Electricians, Master Grocers Association, Shopping Centre Council of Australia, COSBOA, Australian Small Business Association, Family Business Australia). 
3. Advisory channels: the Queensland Government Small Business Advisory Council, the Better Regulation Task force, and the Procurement Industry Advisory Group.
4. Federally: the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (Kate Carnell), each of the federal regulators (ASIC, ACCC, ATO, Fair Work etc) as well as my interstate colleagues the small business commissioners.

These are the key issues for small business I am focused on right now:

1. Transparent access for small business to Government spend on products and services. An opportunity to commercially engage with Government not only provides good case studies for Queensland small businesses, but it also provides experience, breaks down barriers and fosters good working relationships on both sides of the transaction. It is very clear that small businesses are not focused on grants, they just want better/equal business opportunities.
2. Ensuring that small businesses who are already generating revenue, employing people, paying tax feel valued in the economy. All of these businesses have been a ‘start up’ at one point and many have innovated to survive the social and economic changes.
3. Making it simple, small businesses bear the full brunt of duplication, complexity and inconsistency in the regulatory landscape and can’t afford to hire dedicated compliance staff to figure it all out. 
4. Business disruption through major infrastructure projects is a growing and potentially disastrous issue. Some local councils are not necessarily enforcing development approval conditions against developers, state and federal governments are not engaging early enough with small businesses prior to major construction works and as a result many suffer and have had to close their doors.
5. Disruptive or non-traditional business models are here to stay and governments at all levels need to enable rather than try to control this phenomenon. The key is getting on the front foot and taking a realistic risk-based approach to ensure these models flourish in a fair competitive landscape.

Being part-time as Champion, I had to carefully contain what was realistically achievable and focus on:

1. Representing all of the 415,000 small businesses in Queensland at the national forum of small business commissioners to ensure our unique challenges and opportunities contributed to the national small business agenda.
2. Advising the Minister for Small Business through the Queensland Small Business Advisory Council and at regular face to face briefings.
3. Advising Queensland Government on opportunities for regulatory reform through chairing the Better Regulation Task force.
4. Advising Queensland Government on procurement from small business promoting cultural change through participating in the Procurement Industry Advisory Group.

I believe Queensland small businesses gained the best value from my participation in the national forum of small business commissioners. This filled a clear gap that had existed for six years. It also created an opportunity to have a genuine influence on the national small business agenda, develop effective relationships with interstate colleagues (and learn from their experiences), develop productive relationships with federal regulators, and Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, and contribute to federal activity affecting small businesses across Australia. Being able to progress common small business issues together has increased our impact and reduced duplication or the possibility of inconsistencies developing.

The Better Regulation Task force investigated the impact of regulation specifically facing the eco-tourism sector, live music and entertainment businesses and start-ups. We initially came up with over thirty ideas to help these industries, but a good third were clearly national issues. The Better Regulation Task force was able to take these issues up directly and discuss with the relevant decision makers in a face-to-face round table that I hosted in Brisbane in September. We then were able to distil our further ideas into seven recommendations which we believe will bring meaningful and practical benefits to small business in Queensland. The Queensland Government is working through these recommendations and I look forward to reporting on its response in the new year.

Procurement remains a challenge, as it does federally and in other states across Australia. This will be a high priority for me in 2018.

But some good news! The work of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman regarding the importance of respecting cash flow and adopting prompt (preferably short) payment terms has started to reap good rewards for small business, both in terms of the invoices they submit to government and to large corporate customers.

I am looking forward to seeing the work of the Better Regulation Task force come to fruition, as well as that of the national forum of small business commissioners and the many other advisory channels I feed into.

Small Business of Queensland, everything you have told me has gone into shaping and influencing something for the better, be it something I've already been able to achieve or something I'm working on for 2018.

Keep up your fabulous work. And keep talking to me about what it is going on in your world.

That's me, signing out for the year.

Maree