Business Advice

The small business ombudsman could have its name changed if the federal government acts on a recommendation put forward by an independent review that was released yesterday.

The Labor government also says it would work with relevant stakeholders and the states and territories to establish new centres where there are none.

"The Labor Party and Senator Patrick in particular (among others) need to remember that political point scoring comes at the expense of others," writes Peter Strong.

The Tasmanian government will fund a new small business incubation program in this year’s state budget, in a move welcomed by small business advocates. 

The federal government is expanding its SME Recovery Loan Scheme, removing requirements for businesses to have received JobKeeper this year or to have been affected by flooding.

During a live Q&A panel on Wednesday evening, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg sought to reassure small business owners that there is "light at the end of the tunnel" of the current lockdowns.

Soon Scott Morrison will face questions about job discrimination against the unvaccinated and the rights of employers to protect their employees.

Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie has called the opposition “shameful” for voting down an amendment to a COVID-19 response bill that would have made JobKeeper payments public.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended his government’s response to climate change, repeating the line that ‘technology and not taxes’ would address the climate emergency.

Bruce Billson is calling on the federal government to ‘reactivate’ temporary insolvency protections to help SMEs survive ongoing lockdowns.

The government has time to settle a position on vaccine mandates across workplaces and more broadly. But the US experience shows the politics are potentially toxic, especially for conservatives.

Despite the constant demands for the restoration of JobKeeper, the government is holding fire and instead trying to gauge the scale of the economic hit of Sydney's lockdown to the wider economy.