Login
iscover
The Queensland government’s Small and Family Business First Action Statement has been welcomed with open arms by CPA Australia.
CPA applauds Qld government for bolstering SME community
07 May 2025
•
8 minute read
CPA Australia has voiced its appraisal for the Small and Family Business First Action Statement released by the Queensland government yesterday.
The accounting body welcomed the statement and said it acknowledged the importance of small businesses to the state and the challenges they were often presented with.
You’re out of free articles for this month
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Gavan Ord, CPA Australia business investment and international lead, said he commended the Crisafulli government for its commitment to the small business community.
“The statement rightly highlights the operating challenges and pressures being faced by small businesses, including the high cost of doing business, regulatory burden, the impact of global uncertainties and digital transformation,” Ord said.
“Small businesses are often forgotten in the conversation about cost-of-living pressures but the financial challenges they face have made doing business increasingly difficult for many in recent years. This is reflected in CPA Australia data, which shows most Australian small businesses are either stagnating or declining.”
The Small and Family Business First Action Statement outlined a clear set of actions and was set to be backed by a $100 million investment over four years.
The statement was published with the approach of supporting small and family businesses by putting the right operating environment for them to thrive in place, according to the Queensland government.
The statement included a clear focus on reducing costly red tape, streamlining government services and fostering innovation.
Steve Minnikin, Queensland Minister for Small and Family Business, said he was committed to meeting the needs of government customers and ensuring that small and family businesses could easily access the information, advice and support they needed from the government to help reach business goals.
“I know from speaking with small and family businesses across the state that government red tape is an ongoing frustration, and inefficient regulation is stifling business growth and competition,” Minister Minnikin said.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that we need to improve the operating environment for businesses. We will do this through measures that improve business cashflow and make it easier for businesses to interact with a more customer focused government.”
According to CPA, the statement had been introduced at a time when SME financial pressures had been exacerbated by increased regulatory burden, creating a “perfect storm” that business owners struggled to manage.
Ord said it was reassuring to hear the Crisafulli government address the challenges of the ageing population, specifically encouraging more young people to take over or create new businesses.
“We encourage the Crisafulli government to place a stronger focus on supporting digital adoption among small businesses. Australian SMEs are falling well behind larger businesses and small businesses in Asia in terms of technology uptake. This gap is undermining their performance and competitiveness,” he said.
“But state and territory governments can’t do it alone. It’s crucial for the federal government and state governments to work together to address challenges being faced by businesses, including how to ease tax and regulatory burdens and provide greater relief and incentives through targeted policies.”
You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member for free today!
