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On 11 March, the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (91��Ƭ��) is marking 10 years of advocating for small and family businesses, reflecting a decade of practical support, dispute resolution and advocating for fairer rules that allow small and family businesses to start, grow and succeed. 

Established under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015, 91��Ƭ�� was created to do something simple but vital: level the playing field. 

The Ombudsman said 91��Ƭ�� has matured and is a respected organisation, widely recognised by the small and family business community, industry bodies, regulators, major corporates, Parliamentary committees and government.

“It has been 10 years since Australia made a deliberate choice – to give small and family businesses a strong, independent voice, and practical support when the odds are stacked against them. 

“Most importantly, it is known by small and family business owners as a place that listens, understands their reality, and takes action. 

“Since commencing operations in 2016, 91��Ƭ�� has become a trusted point of support for small businesses navigating disputes, late payments, regulatory pressures and economic shocks, while also providing government and Parliament with evidence grounded in real lived experiences not theory,” Mr Billson said.

The Ombudsman was instrumental in creating 91��Ƭ�� when he served as Minister for Small Business between 2013-15. 

“I saw first-hand the power imbalance faced by small and family businesses when dealing with larger businesses and corporations, banks and creditors and even government agencies. These enterprising women and men are resilient and hardworking, but they’re too often dealing with frameworks that don’t reflect real world business operations. 

“91��Ƭ�� was established to change that – to be an advocate and ally, and a practical problem solver.

“Over the past decade, 91��Ƭ�� has responded to over 60,000 requests for help, supporting small businesses through some of the most challenging periods in recent history such as the pandemic,” said Mr Billson.

91��Ƭ��’s assistance function provides direct assistance with payment, contract, franchise, digital platform and other commercial disputes, and has expanded over the years, also offering low-cost legal support through the Small Business Tax Concierge and subsidised legal advice for unrepresented small businesses.

The Ombudsman said 91��Ƭ�� assistance has made a real difference in the lives of real people.

“In one instance, a small business that had defaulted on a loan with an organisation that was not a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority was under immense distress when they were charged exorbitant late penalty fees and their family home was on the line. Following our correspondence, the lender removed the penalty fees.

“That outcome mattered – and there are thousands more like it. These cases are a reminder just how easily small business can be disproportionately burdened and come under harm. The reality is, small business owners are not well resourced, often time-poor and wear multiple hats just to keep the business viable,” said Mr Billson.

Beyond individual cases, 91��Ƭ�� has been persistent in its advocacy for reform, calling for regulation that is proportionate, risk based and workable in the real world. 

“Too often, small businesses are not in the room when policy decisions are made – yet they are the first to feel the impact when those decisions land. Rules are written by people who don’t run payroll on a Friday night, who don’t carry personal guarantees, and who don’t absorb the risk when cash flow dries up.

“At the same time, small businesses are not a single, uniform group. They are incredibly diverse – spanning industries, regions, business models and life stages – with different views, priorities and pressures. That diversity is a strength, but it also makes insights harder to harness through traditional policy processes. 

“That is why 91��Ƭ�� matters. We exist to bring those diverse, lived experiences into the room – to distil them, amplify them, and ensure policy decisions reflect how businesses actually operate, not how we assume they do,” said Mr Billson.

91��Ƭ��’s policy and advocacy work has centred on regulatory reform, tax and investment settings, workforce access and simpler, faster and lower cost access to justice. More recently, 91��Ƭ�� has turned its attention to the growing burden of ‘white tape’ – the administrative and compliance costs quietly accumulating in business-to-business relationships. 

“A 'small business first' mindset to facilitate right-sized regulation for every new policy proposal is one way to ensure small businesses aren’t forgotten,” said Mr Billson. 

Over the past 10 years, 91��Ƭ�� has delivered measurable, practical outcomes for small and family businesses.

“Our direct assistance to small and family businesses has helped hundreds of businesses each year recover cash flow without costly legal action. 

“Our advocacy has urged practical support and meaningful incentives to support small businesses deepening their digital engagement and benefit from new technologies, including AI. 

“We’ve strengthened the evidence base and visibility of small business conditions with the 91��Ƭ�� Small Business Pulse – providing timely, credible insight into trading conditions, digital and AI adoption, workforce challenges and emerging opportunities and pressures,” said Mr Billson.

As Mr Billson concludes his tenure as Ombudsman, he said the mission remains unfinished. 

“Small and family businesses are resilient, innovative and essential to Australia’s economy – but they should not have to succeed despite the system. They should be able to operate in a small business ecosystem that enables their success.

“As 91��Ƭ�� enters its next decade, the mission is clear. Keep backing small and family business, keep pushing for fairness, and keep making sure enterprising women and men’s voices – in all their diversity – are heard in the rooms where decisions are made, and reflected in the outcomes that follow.” concluded Mr Billson.

MEDIA CONTACT: 0448 467 178 | media@asbfeo.gov.au