Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell. Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell has weighed in on the debate around the research & development tax incentive (RDTI), calling for a new, industry-specific scheme for businesses focused on software. In a submission to the Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology in December, Carnell noted the RDTI “in its current form is unsuitable for software development”. Indeed, businesses that used the incentive for software research have in the past been ordered to repay funds received under the scheme. Either eligibility requirements for software technology need to be changed, Carnell wrote, or a new software-specific initiative should be introduced.