The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell is encouraging Australians to support indigenous businesses, as the nation celebrates NAIDOC Week 2020. “The indigenous business sector is one of the fastest-growing in Australia,” Carnell says.“Supply Nation data shows the number of indigenous businesses is growing by 12.5 per cent each year. Indigenous business… Read more »
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell says too many small businesses are getting a raw deal from their phone and internet service providers, following a spike in the number of small business customer complaints in Q1. Fresh data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s (TIO) office reveals a 28% hike in small… Read more »
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described the upcoming Federal Budget as “the most significant since the second world war”, writes Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell. The COVID crisis has plunged Australia into the worst trading conditions we have seen in living memory, Small businesses are among the biggest casualties, but they… Read more »
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell has welcomed legislation passed in the Senate to implement the Payment Times Reporting Scheme, requiring big businesses to be transparent about their payment times. Prior to the coronavirus crisis, late payment times were already crippling small businesses. Independent research by East & Partners on behalf… Read more »
As Victoria endures the second wave of COVID-19, it’s downright devastating for the small businesses at the coalface of this crisis writes Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell. To have been through the first round of restrictions, only to have to close or significantly reduce your operations again a couple of months… Read more »
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has been inundated with complaints from business owners on the ill-treatment they have received from major insurance companies. Carnell says her office has received an avalanche of complaints from business owners since launching her Insurance Inquiry last week into the practices of insurance companies. “My… Read more »
Small business advocates have welcomed the government’s announcement of the extension of the JobKeeper scheme. Small business owners and their champions have met the announcement of JobKeeper 2.0 with appreciation, suggesting the revamped and extended scheme will allow small businesses to remain viable during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. “We know the vital role small to… Read more »
More than a third of small business owners are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic 26 per cent are most concerned with cash flow or finances. 9 per cent of businesses are worried about attracting and/or retaining customers 7 per cent are concerned they aren’t spending enough time with family. COVID-19 is the number one business-related… Read more »
With the windup of the government’s ‘free childcare’ option, many Australians will now be struggling with how to afford to keep their kids in care. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell says the government should be looking for new ways to support women and small business owners during the crisis. Carnell… Read more »
The Australian Banking Association has announced the major banks have been in discussion with APRA and ASIC to extend existing COVID-19 relief to allow further deferrals of mortgage repayments past six months. Customers with reduced incomes and ongoing financial difficulty due to COVID-19 will be contacted by their banks and, if they cannot return to… Read more »
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, says small businesses looking for assistance on the road to recovery post-COVID-19 should head to the My Business Health portal. As businesses emerge from hibernation Carnell says business owners will find valuable information on how to re-open or ramp up their business to make the… Read more »
New research by NBN Co has found digitisation is a key driver for small business success. A recent survey suggests a behavioural shift to shopping online is driving a small business boom. The Behavioural Change Survey of over 1000 Australians revealed almost half (49 per cent) of respondents had increased their online shopping during the… Read more »
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