As Australia enters the back half of 2021, it is reasonably safe to assume the country is closer to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic than it is to the.
Small businesses exempt from competition law when collectively bargaining with suppliers
ACCC chair Rod Sims. Source: AAP/Dean Lewins.
Small businesses can now collectively bargain with their suppliers over issues such as prices and conditions without first needing the consumer watchdog’s approval.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) class exemption kicked in last Thursday, allowing 97% of businesses to collectively negotiate with their suppliers, processors and customers without the ACCC’s authorisation.
Previously, businesses needed to apply for exemptions that were granted on a case-by-case basis through an ACCC authorisation process.
This new class exemption removes the need for most small businesses to use that process, reducing the time and cost of making negotiating contracts.
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Ombudsman launches Review of Discretionary Mutual Fund proposal
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson has today launched a Review of the Discretionary Mutual Fund proposed for small businesses in the amusement, leisure and recreation sector unable to secure essential insurance coverage.
Mr Billson says the self-generated review, will build on ASBFEO’s Insurance Inquiry as well as ongoing feedback from the Australian Amusement, Leisure and Recreation Association (AALARA) on behalf of its members – many of which face imminent closure without adequate insurance coverage.
“Our country shows that we all love so much are facing a bleak future because small businesses, such as ride-operators, cannot get insurance coverage,” Mr Billson says.