Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) Bruce Billson has stepped down at the end of his five-year term, with Lynda McAlary-Smith taking on the role from 11 March.
Previously Victorian Small Business Commissioner, qualified lawyer McAlary-Smith will commence a five-year term, and will advocate for and assist small businesses and family enterprises, providing dispute resolution support and low‑cost legal advice, especially in cases involving industry codes or commercial disputes.
Billson welcomed the appointment, calling McAlary-Smith an “excellent choice” given her established network of stakeholders, regulators and policy makers.
“I’m looking forward to supporting the transition and ensuring Australia’s small and family business community continues to have a strong and fearless ally in their corner, an authoritative and persuasive voice, and an advocate of constructive policy measures and initiatives that will help to ‘energise enterprise’,” he said.
“After a record year of assistance requests, ground-breaking analytical and research insights, and real and meaningful progress on many advocacy priorities, including ‘right-sizing’ regulation, improved small business access to justice and the need for more targeted tax reform, ASBFEO has positive momentum that, with Lynda at the helm, will no doubt carry forward and be added to.”
The ASBFEO role was established under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015 to “level the playing field”.
“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,” added Billson.
“Since commencing operations in 2016, ASBFEO 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.
“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.”
ASBFEO’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, it has turned its attention to ‘white tape’ – the administrative and compliance costs accumulating in business-to-business relationships.
“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,” concluded Billson.
“As ASBFEO 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.”
