EP#259 ~ Unpacking the National Small Business Strategy with the Minister

Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose ~ Episode #259
Broadcast date: 25 Mar 2025
Host: Alexi Boyd, Small Business Advocate & Policy Advisor
Guests: Hon Julie Collins MP, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

The national small business strategy was released by the federal minister the Hon Julie Collins MP in Feb 2025. Treasury’s media release described as a Strategy to support Australia's nearly 2.6 million small businesses by streamlining processes, reducing duplication, and ensuring small businesses are front and centre in policy decisions.

It’s signed by all of the state and territory Small business ministers who promised to work more collaboratively together.

It was a rather quiet media release. Those that did take notice namely the professional associations like CPA Australia panned it as being a motherhood statement, lacking in detail and failing to solve any of the problems facing small businesses right now.

If small businesses are so critical to government policy, why do we continue to see a lack of action and practical solutions? What’s the purpose of having a framework that doesn’t offer anything new for Small business nor guarantee a more stable and predictable environment in which they can operate?

It’s the middle of budget week there’s a looming election. In her first long form interview on the national small business strategy, The honourable Julie Collins MP joins us today to unpack, explain and answer the critics’ concerns.

1. Tell us about the national small business strategy and why it’s so unique compared with what the government has done previously supports more business?
2. The positives in the report are that it acknowledges what’s currently not working and the driver behind the strategy which is harmonising regulation across the states. It’s also a set of principles on which future small business strategies can be built. Can you take that a step further and suggest what sort of regulations will be targeted as a priority?
3. Will the tangible policy changes that this strategy will hopefully bring out be led by the federal government or by states?
4. This report was described in the press release as ground breaking but has left a lot of the leaders in small business wanting. It speaks to motherhood statements without Indicating measurable outcomes. And there’s plenty of things that Small business has been asking for over the years. Would you agree there was a missed opportunity here to offer more practical actions in the strategy?
5. Small business moves fast and the environmental factors like the economy which small businesses must react to, even faster. Given the pace of small business evolution in Australia, why are the key decision makers, the small business ministers only meeting every 6 months?
6. Would you consider a working group that includes peak bodies in small business part of this process to really advise on what’s critical to small businesses in a more timely manner?
7. The success of this strategy heavily relies on cohesive approach by all small business ministers in all states. Given that you are a Labor government do you believe that this will continue with changes of government and changes of ministers.

To find out more about the National Small Business Strategy go to the Australia’s Treasury’s website - HERE