Definition of small business

Small business is defined as a business owned and managed by one or two people who work in the business. It can also include community owned enterprises, such as cooperatives. The business may employ many however the small business will not turn over more than $10m.  This definition maybe amended in future.

 

Principles

The Queensland Greens believe that:

  1. Small Business is an important mainstay of the Queensland economy, employing 50% of workers in the private sector, supporting their local community and economy, and adapting quickly to new challenges.
  2. Traditional classifications of employee and employer may not be appropriate to small businesses.
  3. Governments may need to provide additional supports to small businesses to help achieve compliance with commercial and environmental regulations or to overcome times of economic hardship.
  4. Work-life balance can be greatly improved for small business owners if proper supports and advice is available to help them meet the varied needs of a business.
  5. Government must legislate to protect small business from unfair clauses in contacts with large businesses, e.g. leasing agreements.
  6. Onerous government tendering processes distort the amount of time and risk for small business as opposed to large business or multi-national businesses (eg: Professional Indemnity, access to overseas R&D financed through international markets).
  7. Small business must be able to access venture capital in the emerging collaborative investment system while investors must have some protective regulations.
  8. Federal and state governments must ensure that the rules and regulations for internet search engines are transparent and are enforced so that large business cannot control information flows to the detriment of competition and trade.
  9. Local councils can partner with state governments in supporting small business, family enterprises, home-based businesses, and micro-businesses.


Goals

The Queensland Greens want

  1. To develop an industrial relations system and work safe commission that specifically understands small business and that is empowered to investigate complaints, provide arbitration and conciliation while ensuring adequate protection of conditions for employees and employers, and of occupational health and safety. 
  2. To encourage the growth of those small businesses that provide goods, innovative services and employment that does not erode the eco-systems of our planet, underpinning sustainable economies and industries.
  3. Small business that participate in and strengthen their local communities and economies.
  4. Funding of an independent small business ombudsman office that is empowered to investigate any complaints relating to small business, including government departmental or associated agencies imposts on small business and publicly report those findings annually.
  5. Adequately resourced small business advisory and resource centres including effective phone help lines for small businesses providing detailed knowledge across a range of issues that affect the smooth running of many small business such as taxation, industrial relations, awards, occupational safety and health (OSH), leases, retirement, succession planning, selling their business, management and governance issues.
  6. A small-business legal advice service within community legal centres providing information to small businesses about contracts and other legal matters, particularly those which arise from dealing with large businesses and government tendering.
  7. To increase training opportunities and take-up of new communications technologies by small business including electronic commerce.
  8. The COAG (Council of Australian Governments) agenda to allow Queensland small businesses to participate in and shape a national strategy concerning taxation reforms, planning infrastructure, and telecommunications policy development.
  9. Small business to gain greater access and increased involvement in government purchasing.

Measures

The Queensland Greens will:

  1. Review all current tax and rate imposts on small business in an attempt to assess their impacts on these businesses and make recommendations on changes to these financial imposts on these small businesses.
  2. Create incentives for small business practices, goods and services to become ecologically sustainable such as energy efficiency, accessing 100% renewable, green audits, and seed funding through the proceedings of the carbon tax.
  3. Create an independent small business ombudsman office that is empowered to investigate any complaints relating to small business, including government departmental or associated agencies imposts on small business and publicly report those findings annually.
  4. Work through COAG to achieve an industrial relations and work safe commission that understands small and home based business needs and concerns,  and provides mediation and conciliation while ensuring adequate protection of conditions for employees and employers.
  5. Work through COAG to review, advise, and legislate on insurance companies' policy and practices and the effects of non-payment, conditions and interpretations of policies for the recovery of small business enterprises post-natural disasters.
  6. Adequately resource small business advisory and resource centres, including website and phone help line services, for small business providing detailed knowledge across a range of issues such as state taxation, legalities, industrial relations, awards, OSH, leases, retirement, succession planning, selling their business, management and governance issues like type of business. Mediation and conciliation services for conflicts within small businesses and family enterprises would be provided through these resource centres.
  7. Investigate the feasibility of providing specialised small business legal advisors in community legal centres to give additional resources to small and home-based business to ensure access and advice about contracts, insurances and other legal matters, including those matters that stem from dealing with large business and/or government tendering.
  8. Draft legislation to create a level playing field for small business as we transition to the new economy created under the current Carbon Tax and future Emissions Trading Scheme.
  9. Work with local Chambers of Commerce and Information Technology specialists to increase training opportunities and the take-up of new communications technologies by small business including electronic commerce to help achieve greater business opportunities in a global market.
  10. Ensure ministerial representation and Queensland small business concerns are included on a COAG agenda that shape national strategy for taxation reforms, planning infrastructure and telecommunications policy development, and tourism that arises from federal and state promotional events (i.e. the Commonwealth Games).
  11. Work to establish Queensland-wide networks between small business and the tourism industry, that foster regional communications and the development of commercial strategies that provide employment, training opportunities and sustainable communities.
  12. Encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI)-owned small businesses, by mentoring supports for marketing and employment opportunities. 
  13. Encourage and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander small business owners' involvement in local chambers of commerce including inputs into all levels of government about issues of concern.