For this project, BETA collaborated with Safe Work Australia to adapt existing return to work materials for use by supervisors in Small and Medium Enterprises and undertook a literature review, stakeholder consultation, and data analysis.

This report is based on the findings of a survey conducted nationally over 6 weeks in early 2022 with 1,007 small business owner participants. The findings indicate that there are high levels of mental ill‑health within the small business sector, suggesting a continued need for...

This report is the second in an ongoing longitudinal study by auDA. The study provides an in-depth exploration into the online experiences of Australians to understand what they value, their most significant challenges and identify opportunities that will support improvements in online outcomes for Australians.

The impacts of natural disasters on small and family businesses can be devastating and can include damaged and destroyed assets and reduced production and revenue streams. This inquiry looks at existing education and engagement practices, with respect to promoting small business disaster resilience, and makes...

The Payment Times Reporting Act 2020 (the Act) has been in operation for over 12 months, with 8,885 reporting entities reporting under the scheme and 16,801 payment times reports received to the Register by 30 June 2022. This first update provides a summary of reports...

Researchers sought feedback from more than 1,500 Australian consumers and more than 400 small business owners about their online needs and challenges. The research found that most consumers feel that the Internet has a positive impact on their lives. However, the research also found consumers...

This research paper examines how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access debt finance in Australia.

The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO) commenced operations in March 2016, operating under the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Act 2015 (Cth). This review contends that the next phase for ASBFEO is one of consolidation and maturation of efforts and approach...

Affected communities need long-term support far beyond what many disaster relief volunteering organisation can often commit to. This project explores the phenomenon of support before, during and after disaster (specifically the floods in Townsville and North West Queensland), focusing on organisational support for staff to...

This paper calls for an overhaul of the current approach to Indigenous economic participation through business creation. It outlines a practical model for remote Indigenous communities that harnesses the fundamental principle of supply and demand, and what the authors identify as the three foundations of...

The purpose of this research was to better understand the landscape of where small businesses are at in terms of cybersecurity. In particular, awareness of cyber security, attitudes to cyber security, actions and intentions around cyber security, the extent to which small businesses are trading...

A framework is proposed in this report for analysing the impacts of trade and trade policies on women that policy-makers can use in order to ensure that trade and trade policies in their country support women’s economic empowerment.

This paper examines whether, in light of the advances in technology and digital take-up rates, the benefits and compliance cost savings of applying accounting income to determine tax liabilities for small business now outweigh previous arguments that rejected such proposals.

The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across the economy and business sector, but for small businesses these shocks can be more challenging to deal with, with fewer resources to draw from. This report covers findings from the 2020 BCEC Small Business Survey including the...

This report outlines how a dramatic re-shaping to the structure of Australia’s economy has largely benefited big corporates and the financial sector, at the expense of family-run and small businesses.

This inquiry has found widespread market failure in regards to the availability and affordability of essential small business insurance products.

The economic crisis caused by lockdown measures in response to COVID-19 has distorted the Australian economy. The economic costs of lockdowns have not been equally shared across the country. This paper outlines five key pieces of evidence that lockdowns, rather than freezing the economy in...

The Australian government is making changes to our insolvency framework to better serve Australian small businesses, their creditors, and their employees. The changes will introduce new processes suitable for small businesses from 1 January 2021, reducing complexity, time and costs for small businesses.

This review report provides an update on Queensland’s economic and fiscal estimates over 2019-20 and 2020-21 that incorporate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to date.

What future lies ahead for cities and communities beyond the coronavirus pandemic? In this eBook, Canadian-based economic geographer and urban scholar, Shauna Brail, looks at lessons from lockdown and creative approaches to reopening and recovery.

This paper provides a summary of the initial impacts of COVID-19 on the self-employed based on data from the 33rd ANUpoll which collected information from 3,155 Australians over the period 14-27 April 2020. It is the first longitudinal survey data on the impact of COVID-19...

This position paper details ASBFEO’s findings and makes a suite of draft recommendations to be finalised before a full report is handed down at the end of March 2020.

This survey asked small and medium-sized companies (defined as those with annual revenues of $1million to $100 million) what their unique needs and challenges were in the current operating environment.

The review report details the findings from a comprehensive investigation of the experiences of small and family businesses that have claimed the Research and Development Tax Incentive (R&DTI). It recommends this important incentive be retained, and a suite of reforms made to the way the...

When running a small business, there are many challenges that can affect their mental health, including long work hours, social isolation, customer demands, cash flow issues, work-life balance, job insecurity and a lack of administrative support. This guide outlines actions that can be used to...