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There's lots happening for new dispute resolution services for small business people. The Small Business Commissioner (SBC) model is being rolled out across Australia. Explanation of developments.
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The new Cuban revolution.
Watching: The coordinated attack against self-employed in Australia
Do unions hate the self-employed?
Federal tax attack
Sham contracting small problem
Watching: New Technology
Opportunities and new threats for self-employed people
Left versus right: the great debate
Ken Phillips (ICA) and Peter Strong (COSBOA) debate "The Future (or Death) of Employment". Vids are here.
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News Items
The state as an oppressor [12 May 2012]
Since the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 a major quest of societies is for protection against the oppression of the state. This continues today in Australia exampled by the oppressive design and application by prosecutors of OHS laws. Ken Phillips explained why in The Australian on Friday.

Is a shark stalking the global economy? [12 May 2012]
• Why the US economy is facing more rocky times.
• Why the European situation will get worse.
• Greece will fall out of the EU.
• The China challenge to the US.
• Asian demographics and growth.

The Budget: for small business---"Please sir may I have some more?" [10 May 2012]
Background
Around 2.4 million small businesses in Australia. 700,000 are companies. 1.7 million are sole traders or partnerships. Personal tax rates are key to most small business people, not company tax rates.

Budget overview for small business
• Company tax rate cut of 1% will be scrapped. (Comment. Not relevant for most small business people)
• Personal tax rates cut. (Comment. Relevant and positive for all small business people)
• Companies will be able to carry-back up to $1,000,000 in tax losses in 2012/13. (Comment: Relevant for a tiny number of small business people)
• Immediate write-off of assets valued at less than $6,500 and immediate write-off the first $5,000 of a car purchase. (Comment: Relevant for some small business people)
• Small Business Commissioner funded. (Comment: Minor relevance as the Commissioner will have no powers)
• Ken Phillips' associated Business Spectator article.

What they say
• The government (Minister Brendan O'Connor) says 'hey, it's great'
• The opposition (Shadow Minister Bruce Billson) says 'hold on a minute!'
• Big business says it breaches good faith
• 'Neither here nor there' says Council of Small Business
• $8.3 m for small business commissioner

More Information
Attend the Small Business Minister's presentation in Sydney on 16 May (or) watch it live streamed to Qld, NSW/ACT, Vic, Tas SA/NT, WA
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CEO career killer? [8 May 2012]
See if this analysis of a construction company scenario would be a career killer for a CEO.
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Challenges and opportunities of a new work culture [5 May 2012]
Below (24-27 April) we looked at new work cultures, moving from managerial to entrepreneurial. Here's how some people are (in part) responding to this.
• The US state of Maine clarifies contractor issues for workers' compensation. That's positive!
• But in Michigan they can't work out if businesses of 'one' contribute to society or not. I say we do!
• Canadians ask, what motivates self-employed people?
• In the UK there's a discussion around a new 'odd' job culture.
• In San Francisco they're asking if self-employment is by choice or forced.
• But the players in the IT industry are already contemplating a world where everyone is self-employed. Technology itself is a huge driver of this.

Catching the cash economy [5 May 2012]
The Gillard government say that it's out to catch the cash economy. It is targeting the construction sector. We say it is producing huge red tape and won't catch the cash economy. Here's the ATO explaining it as a data-matching process.


Throw rocks at bankers? It worked in Iceland [5 May 2012]
It's a favourite pastime of politicians and many business commentators to 'throw rocks' at bankers. In Iceland this is literally what folks did after the GFC. According to this Bloomberg report, it produced results. But here's a challenge. Could the Internet trigger the demise of banking as we know it? In this video interview, one UK politician discusses this as a real policy possibility.

"Unionised workers have to pay unions dues or they're fired" [28 April 2012]
It's amazing. In Canada "unionised workers have to pay unions dues or they're fired". This is revealed in a video discussion explaining new union disclosure laws that are likely to pass the Canadian parliament. This website explains the laws, as does this article. Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott says he will impose disclosure-style laws on unions if he wins government.
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What enables entrepreneurship? [27 April 2012]
ICA member Luke asks: "I wonder how much heading towards an entrepreneurial society is based on more access to wealth for the middle and lower classes? I suspect the transition from dictatorship/communism to democracy is based on the same thing---the masses having access to more wealth." Watch this 4-minute history of the (economic) world! For Ken Phillips' associated Business Spectator article, click here.

Our shifting thinking: From managerial to entrepreneurial [24 April 2012]
Simon Bridge is Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Ulster. He's written for us before about the change from an agricultural to a Fordist to an entrepreneurial society.

This time, Simon considers the change from a managerial to an entrepreneurial society. The change, he says, is quite profound---particularly for government policies that aim to create economic and jobs growth. The task is not to target favoured entrepreneurs but to target an entrepreneurial economy. This marks a significant shift in thinking.
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Victoria protects construction workers [20 April 2012]
Victoria has introduced a new construction code of conduct. Any company wanting to tender for government work must be code-compliant in all its work. The code is intended to stop huge cost increases resulting from the Gillard government's destroying the ABCC and construction unions again going feral. But the code will also give construction workers some measure of protection from union bullying.

Labor's new approach to small business? [19 April 2012]
The new Federal Small Business Minister has given an interview on Labor's 'new' approach to small business people. You judge if Labor seems to be moving in the right direction! The Business Spectator interview is here.


It's a con: The Federal Small Business Commissioner [18 March 2012]
The Gillard government has announced the setting up of a Small Business Commissioner. But it has no powers. It's just a big talk exercise. Without powers to settle disputes between big government and small business people, it's a waste of resources. Ken Phillips explained this on ABC Inside Business. Ken also explained why the small business corporate tax reductions favour only high income earners at the expenses of low-income earners. Ken's associated Business Spectator article is here.

Major economic reform initiative [12 March 2012]
Bruce Billson is the Shadow Small Business Minister for the Abbott Opposition. In an important speech he's laid out a vision for major economic reform. It's significant because the package of measures starts with the idea of small business as the key to the economy and 'works up'. This is a reversal of the usual thinking that starts with big business and 'pushes down'. Read, in particular, from page 12 onwards. ICA Chairman Norman Lacy congratulates Bruce Billson.

Why the Road Safety Remuneration Bill 2011 (for truckies) is bad law [5 March 2012]
We're highly critical of this new law that will damage self-employed truckies. It will take away their ability to control their contract prices, the essence of being your own business! The Australian Logistics Council has put together an excellent explanation of how new regulations covering trucking will address safety anyway.

Australia bans self-employment [1 March 2012]
New laws being introduced by the Gillard government literally outlaw self-employment in the textiles and clothing industry. The laws declare any homeworker to be an employee. This stops anyone from having a business at home where they make clothing. It's (again) another move in the Gillard government's attack on our right to be our own boss. Further detail is here.

A small business industrial relations system [25 February 2012]
Here's an idea that needs to grow: a separate industrial relations system for small business! The Council of Small Business Australia wants:

• One simple small business award
• The regulator being forced to give binding advice on pay rates
• Genuine 'fair dismissal' processes (no lawyers)

ICA strongly supports this. Here's the Small Business Australia press release and the submission for a small business IR system. Around 88 per cent of private-sector workers are in small business (that's 8.5 million of Australia's 11.3 million workforce).




Join Now!
Click here to become a member of Independent Contractors of Australia. Membership is open to all independent contractors. Two forms of membership are available to individual contractors: affiliate contractor or full contractor membership. Membership fees are $55 for one year (or $110 for three years) for affiliate members and $110 for one year (or $220 for three years) for full contractor members. Further information about the categories of membership and their benefits is available at the link above.