2 million self-employed
Their interests are our interest
It's your contract: Take control of it!
We say you should control your contract. Here's how. Check for clauses that are:
Red for Stop
Amber for Caution
Green for Go
You can also make use of our Contract Template to design your contract.

Matrixes and template are available here (ICA members only). Not a member? Join here for as little as $55.
You and Your Contract
Charter of Contractual Fairness.

Debate: Suck it up?

Contract problems?
Fixing business disputes
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.
Watching: Self-employed entrepreneurs
Our discussion on enabling innovation
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
Charles Dickens on debt and misery
'Income 20 pounds; expenditure 21 pounds; result misery!'
Bureaucracy can be so confusing!
The perils of designing a traffic sign
Great truths ...
25 great quotations
Our Campaigning
We need unfair contract protections
Defend contractor tax laws
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Scary super stories

Abbott says ATO to administer Super

Super Review and Govt response.
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Harmonised laws have big problems.
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Military Aircraft (JSF)

National Broadband Network
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What the AIG wants
Handy ATO Links
Filing your tax return:
A member's problem
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Handy ATO tax links:
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ATO debt collection: 'Products'
Guide to managing your debt
Not-for-profit tax guide
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Central Banks on Debt
Watching Housing Bubbles
Ken Phillips on the debt equation

ICA Board

ICA Past Presidents
Marie-Louise MacDonald (December 2007-November 2008)
Michael Kelson (April 2007-December 2007)
Angela MacRae (July 2005-April 2007)
Founding President: Bob Day (2001-July 2005)

Current Board 2010
The ICA Constitution requires the election of ten Board members, with four who are independent contractors, up to at least three who are company members, and up to three who are association members. The elected Board can then appoint an additional two members.

President

The Hon Norman Lacy
Former Minister for Educational Services and the Arts, Government of Victoria and former Executive Director ITCRA

Norman Lacy has been President of ICA since November 2008 and a board member from the founding of ICA in 2000. He has been an independent contractor since 1991.

Mr Lacy has been involved in management (corporate and government) for the past 20 years. From 2000 until March 2009, Norman was the founding Executive Director of the Information Technology Contract & Recruitment Association. From 1998 to 2000, he was Managing Director of the Swish Group Limited, one of the early Internet professional service providers in Australia. Prior to this, he provided management services to a range of organisations including the Australian Computer Society, ACIL Australia and Monash Mt Eliza Business School.

In 1991, Mr Lacy established the China Australia Management Centre in Beijing on behalf of the Australian Government through AusAID. Previously, he had been Director of International Programs at the Australian Management College and Manager, Corporate Communication at IBIS - Deloitte, Haskins and Sells. During the early 1980s, he was the Minister of Educational Services and Minister for the Arts in Victoria.

He holds a M.Sc in Management from Durham University Business School and a B.A (Hons.) from Monash University.

Vice-President

Matthew Franceschini
Chief Executive Officer, Entity Solutions

Matthew Franceschini is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Entity Solutions.

A background in recruitment, taxation, accounting and contractor management gives Matthew Franceschini a unique insight into the compliance and governance challenges organisations face when engaging Independent Professionals (IPros) on a contract basis.

After several years with the ATO and Adecco, the vision for Entity Solutions was born whilst Matthew was working for Icon Recruitment where he oversaw 130 contractors and 50 accounts.

Identifying a strong growth in the number of highly skilled, contract based professionals Entity Solutions was conceived as a means to provide services to this burgeoning workforce demographic. It soon became apparent that a market also existed for services to Australian enterprise, providing the means and know-how for corporations to engage with an increasing number of IPros in a risk free, well-governed and compliant manner.

As the CEO of Entity Solutions, Matthew is responsible for corporate governance and business strategy. He plays an active role in developing new business relationships and presenting to Federal Government on key areas of expertise, such as Migration and Australian Workplace Agreements and Reform.

Matthew holds a Bachelor in Economics from Monash University and is a qualified accountant and tax specialist. Matthew is a Director of the Independent Contractors of Australia, Co-Chairman of the Mates of Melbourne and a member of The Executive Connection (TEC).

Secretary

Ken Phillips
Executive Director, ICA

Ken Phillips is co-founder and Executive Director of Independent Contractors of Australia. Ken is an independent contractor operating as his own business, as a researcher, commentator and lobbyist, and consultant on workplace management issues.

Amongst his many activities, Ken is a published authority on independent contractor issues and directs research on related commercial and trade practices issues. His strongest interest is management issues and the development of internal and external relationship building for organizations. Within this framework he promotes the concept of 'markets in the firm'. Through his numerous articles in newspapers and think-tank and academic journals, Ken is known for approaching issues from outside normal perspectives and is frequently sought out for media comment.

Ken was ICA's representative at the 2003 and 2006 International Labour Organisation debate on the 'Scope of Employment Relationship.' (Click here for reports.) The ILO outcomes formed the conceptual basis for Australia's Independent Contractors Act.

Ken has published a book entitled Independence and the Death of Employment. Information about the book is available here.

Treasurer

Michael Moore
Retired entrepreneur of agricultural businesses

Michael Moore is a retired company director with a wide experience in business and the community.

For all of his business life, Michael was very much the entrepreneur. He built one of the largest privately owned poultry breeding business in Victoria before turning his expertise to genetic engineering technology in the cattle breeding industry, breaking new ground in embryo transfer technology. He perfected the DNA technology for animal identification now in use world-wide.

Michael had an active involvement as a director of several listed companies over two decades, first in retail then as a director of building societies. He was a Councillor of Pakenham Shire and Shire President, a Melbourne City Councillor, committee member of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce, advisor to government on agricultural issues and active in agricultural educational institutions, including TAFE.

Michael holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Honorary Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Management). He's been active in the horse racing industry and member of the Melbourne Cricket Club for 50 years.


Board members

Dr Tui McKeown
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University

Dr Tui McKeown is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management at Monash University, Australia.

Tui has a professional and academic interest in contracting/freelance and agency working and is passionate about the need to ensure proper recognition and support for such ways of working. She works closely with leading Australian, UK and EU organizations that support contracting, outsourcing and agency working.

She has undertaken a number of projects for both private and public sector organizations and written for both academic and practitioner markets.

Lyn Prowse-Bishop
Owner/Manager, Executive Stress Office Support and Founder of the Australian Virtual Business Network

Lyn Prowse-Bishop is Queensland's most experienced and well-respected, award-winning Virtual Assistant. Since February 2000, her practice, Executive Stress Office Support, has been providing high quality, confidential remote secretarial and Virtual Assistant support to clients across Australia, the UK, Singapore, the USA and Canada. She has been working as an independent contractor since this time.

Lyn is also the founder of the Australian Virtual Business Network Australia's ONLY source of fully pre-qualified, reference checked and skills tested virtual business operators, providing clients with access to some of the best virtual independent contractor support in Australia.

In 2010 Lyn became host of Australia's first internet radio show/podcast for the VA industry: The Virtual Business Show which replaced the monthly webinar series she had been running since 2008.

Lyn currently serves as Australian representative on international committees looking at standards and certification for the VA industry, and is a foundation steering committee member of the annual Online International Virtual Assistants Convention. Lyn holds the awards of Professional Virtual Author's Assistant (PVAA), Certified Australian Virtual Business (CAVB), Master Virtual Assistant (MVA - first in Australia), VACertifiedEthicsChecked Accredited Secretary Online (ASO), 2008 Australian Achiever Award - Highly Recommended, 2007 Business Achievers Award Winner - Professional Services, 2006 Thomas Leonard International VA of Distinction Award Nominee.

Peter Strong
Principal, Alternative Bookshop, ACT and Executive Director COSBOA

Peter Strong was appointed as Executive Director of COSBOA in June 2010. Peter has spent much of the last 20 years in change management at the business, community and national level. He has worked for the Australian Government and with NGOs, the World Bank and the United Nations. He has worked on national business and employment policy and international projects aimed at assisting countries and regions experiencing substantial economic and social change.

This has included work in China where he has assisted unemployed women start small businesses through the development of a business incubator and business advisory services. He also worked in Turkey with Government and community leaders preparing for that country's entry into the European Community and for coping with the changes coming from industry and enterprise restructuring. He worked in the former Soviet Union on the major structural changes occurring in the early to mid 1990s.

Peter has written several business related publications and represents small business organisations on a number of government and industry advisory groups including the Tax Office, the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission and Treasury.

Peter is also Chairman of the Board for the Bendigo Community Bank branches in Canberra and owns a bookshop in Canberra that employs 5 staff.

James Taylor
Managing Director, Fleets

James Taylor is Director of Australian National Couriers with responsibilities that include IT, OHS and strategy.

After spending seven years with Capel Court Investment Bank, James then moved into the family business and has experience in the retail, liquor, gaming, manufacturing and transport industries.

Currently a member and past president of the Courier and Taxi Truck Association, he is closely involved with independent contractor issues and industrial relations in NSW. He has also been a member of the EntrepreneursŐ Organization for the past 13 years and on the Board of ICA for 8 years.

Steve Harrison
Managing Director, Back Office Biz P/L and former National Secretary, AWU

Glenn Hutchinson
General Manager, Raykon Group WA

Judy Maynard
Managing Director, Odco Contracting Systems Australia P/L

Pola Nadas
Public policy analyst and consultant