A new partnership will see GO LOCAL FIRST and Australian Made work together to help small businesses through the most difficult period since the Great Depression.

TAKE DIRECT ACTION TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS – COSBOA Australians are urged take direct action by going local first to get small businesses through the pandemic as various assistance programs, like JobKeeper, payroll tax arrangements, and changes to the commercial tenancy code, come to an end or are reduced. “The end of September was always going to be a milestone as various assistance programs, like JobKeeper and loan deferrals come to an end or are lessened,” said COSBOA President Mark McKenzie. “Assistance from Government and banks were welcome to give small businesses a hand during lockdowns, but nothing Government can do will replace customers walking through the door. “Now as these programs wind back, we need Australians to take direct action and GO LOCAL FIRST. “People need to walk into their local small businesses, book a local tradie, or make an order online with a local small business,” said Mr....

MORE AUSTRALIANS IN WORK BUT SMALL BUSINESSES STILL NEED PEOPLE TO GO LOCAL FIRST TO CREATE JOBS — COSBOA The Australian Bureau of Statistics is reporting today unemployment has decreased as businesses are again adding staff, however, with small businesses having lost ten times as many jobs as big business, people still need to GO LOCAL FIRST. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the economy added more than 110,000 jobs in August, with the unemployment rate having declined to 6.8 per cent. The impact of stage four restrictions in Victoria has been laid bare as other states have seen improvements in employment, while Victorian businesses continue to have to lay off staff. COSBOA Chair Mark McKenzie said, “For most of the country, it’s refreshing to see businesses adding more staff to their books, as restrictions are eased and life begins to return to normal. “The impact of....

With our economy struggling under multiple lockdowns, and as we grapple with the pandemic’s economic implications, the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia recently undertook a study of Australians’ travel plans over the coming six months into the Christmas period. Our research found that just over 1 in 10 Australians have travel planned over the holiday period, and more than half said they are unlikely to travel at all in the next six months. Of our 2,000 respondents, three quarters had not made travel bookings, while a whopping 89 percent said they have no plans to travel for the holiday period or were unsure about travelling. This has certainly caused alarm bells to sound for tourism operators around the country, especially with local economies forced to rely on domestic travel just a year after last summer’s devastating bushfires. Given borders will be closed to international travellers until at least....

LOCKDOWNS HITS VICTORIAN HOSPITALITY AS NATIONAL RETAIL TRADE IMPROVES – COSBOA Fresh data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today shows Victorian café and restaurant spending has declined by two thirds on the February 2020 figures, as lockdowns continue to hit the hospitality industry. Spending in June fell to $238.9 million, compared to $615.1 million in February this year.  Nationally, hospitality saw better results with an increase of 4.9 per cent. This comes as the national seasonally adjusted retail trade estimate rose 3.2 percent in July. COSBOA Chief Executive, Peter Strong said, “There are some promising signs but it’s important to remember that retailers are a long way off where they were 12 months ago. “Retail small businesses are a huge employer of Australians, especially young people. If retailers thrive, communities thrive – partly because they give young people a start in the workforce. “Border closures and other restrictions....

Investment downturn is a warning on depth of COVID-19 impact: COSBOA    The fall in Australia’s business investment pipeline revealed in Australian Bureau of Statistics data makes it clear the economic challenges from the COVID-19 downturn are far from over, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) said today. The ABS quarterly business investment survey released today showed capital expenditure fell 5.9 per cent in the June quarter. Overall the business investment pipeline for the 2020-21 financial year appears well in excess of $10 billion lower than the previous year. Investment by Australian businesses in equipment, plant and machinery fell 7.6 per cent in the June quarter following a fall of 3.1 per cent in the three months to March. COSBOA chief executive Peter Strong said the capital expenditure pipeline played a big role in supporting small businesses who support investment rollouts with their services. “While some parts of....

A MILLION AUSTRALIANS OUT OF WORK SHOWS IMPORTANCE OF HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES SURVIVE — COSBOA The Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting today that a million people are out of work, available to work and actively looking for work shows there is a significant ongoing risk to business survival in Australia, the Council of Australian Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) said today. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today showed the economy added almost 115,000 jobs in July, but the unemployment rate crept up to 7.5 per cent. The ABS said a million people were out of work but available to work for the first time, and the number of people employed was half a million lower than in March. Today’s data reflects the impact of the Stage 3 lockdown restrictions in Victoria. The impact of the Stage 4 restrictions will not be seen until next month’s ABS labour....

DATA ON JOB LOSSES IN EARLY 2020 AN OMINOUS SIGN FOR AUSTRALIAN TOURISM   Data that shows almost 22,000 jobs were shed in Australia’s tourism industry in the March quarter compared to the previous year is a stark warning on the scale of destruction facing the sector in 2020, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) said today. Analysis by the Australian Bureau of Statistics released today captures the impact of the December 2019 and January 2020 bushfires, and the beginning of international travel restrictions and lockdowns associated with COVID-19. The number of filled tourism jobs in Australia fell by 21,900 from March 2019 to March 2020 while the whole economy added 243,900 jobs in that time. COSBOA chief executive Peter Strong said the job losses showed the Australian tourism sector was already under enormous pressure at the start of 2020 and Australians should urgently consider how they can....

REVENUE DECLINES AND FALLS IN HOUSING APPROVALS SHOW BUSINESSES UNDER CONTINUING PRESSURE   Economic data released today shows the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on small businesses through revenue declines and an ongoing downturn in housing construction, the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) said. Almost half of all businesses (47 per cent) reported declines in revenue last month in a survey published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Separately, housing construction approvals fell to an eight-year low, according to ABS data. COSBOA chief executive Peter Strong said, “This data from the ABS shows the magnitude of the impact that this pandemic is having on small businesses. “The revenue impacts are widespread across industries. It’s a reminder that hundreds of thousands of businesses are in a deep hole, and there’s a long way to go in this recovery. “That’s why it’s important for Australians to support small businesses....

Backing small business will ensure ongoing support for surf clubs around Australia – COSBOA    Supporting small businesses by choosing to shop with them in-store or online can contribute to iconic community activities such as Surf Life Saving Clubs, The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) said today. Small businesses are an important source of funding for Australia’s community sporting organisations, and with many of them doing tough because of the Covid19 pandemic, their local surf and other sports clubs could be facing funding pressure. COSBOA chief executive Peter Strong said: “If we don’t support small businesses right now, what we will lose is our community and the essence of what we value locally.” Mr Strong said without the sponsorship of small businesses, many local sporting groups and surf lifesaving clubs would miss out on important financial support. “Sports and the beach are a huge part of our weekends....