This paper outlines a vision for a pro-employment, small-business friendly, simplified and responsive workplace relations system. It proposes review and reform of the Fair Work Act, which the authors argue is increasingly unfit for purpose and puts undue burden on small business operators.

The Australian small businesses community is under pressure from rising costs, putting its significant contribution to the economy at risk. This report brings together research from various sources to examine the challenges and pressures facing the sector, providing detailed insights and proposed interventions across key areas including energy, workforce and cyber security.

This research explores new frontiers in gender equity research by focusing on motivational factors and behavioural insights to understand why businesses, particularly small businesses, may act (or not) to close the gender pay gap and to tailor policy tools. The report offers a firm-level analysis of the gender pay gap and investigates how cultural norms...

Australia is at risk of sliding towards a 'big corporate' economy and needs to take urgent action to reverse the direction. The report asks policymakers and regulators come together to put small and family businesses first and create the best environment in which they can thrive and succeed.

This report questions whether payroll taxes affect firm growth by examining a recent cut in South Australia’s payroll tax rate for small businesses. The tax cut may have been counterproductive because it introduced a sharp increase in tax rates for firms with payrolls between $1.5m and $1.7m which made it less attractive for firms to...