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The COSbulletin
February 2016 Edition
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Small business the key to the Economy
The Council of Small Business Australia's (COSBOA) MicroEconomic Challenge held on 09 December 2015 reinforced and invigorated the message that small business is crucial to growing and sustaining the Australian economy. Throughout the day small business owners and their supporters heard from government and industry leaders and regulators, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Justice Iain Ross from the Fair Work Commission (FWC), to name but a few. "The MicroEconomic Challenge has been a great opportunity to empower the small business community; however, it is clear that there remains frustration with the current status quo in certain areas of small business legislation and we will continue to see to it that these areas are addressed by industry bodies and regulators," concluded Mr Strong.
COSbulletin shares the following articles to keep you informed and engaged in the debate on competition: "For too long our competition policy has been decided by laissez faire economists and the boards of Wesfarmers, Woolworths and Telstra." Click here to read the full article online. In the area of competition law, we will continue to take a strong line on cartel conduct, anti-competitive conduct and practices, and where we can, misuse of market power,” Mr Sims said. Click here to read ACCC's article. "Why unnaturally big is always bad for business" by Peter Strong Click here to read the Smart Company article. |
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Connect
Join the pre-Summit conversation through social media channels:
Enquiries Sane Event Group
T: 02 9553 4820
It was somewhere up the country in a town built from rock and scrub
That they formed a little business, it was called The Thinker’s Hub
It was a place for all to meet and enjoy some beer or cake and tea
And from the owners’ clever son some fancy repartee
He could argue about politics or philosophy and sport
While the owner made a living from selling coffee by the quart
And the owners’ daughter challenged all the men to change their point of views
About the modern world and women as they sipped upon their brews
This business opened every day and was popular and keen
But then Westfields moved into town and completely changed the scene
Those big landlords who lived elsewhere needed money in their bank
Their practices were hardly fair in fact they were quite rank
They tricked the local aldermen to only see their views
They met the town planners and then applied the screws
They quickly got approval to build a huge monstrosity
They called it architecture but it was more like an atrocity
It was just an ugly eyesore in the middle of the town
The locals didn’t visit it and wished they’d knock it down
The locals went to The Thinker’s Hub where the culture was so rich
The big landlords took offence and worked on a tricky switch
They convinced the council that things weren’t what the people need
They showed them fancy made up stats and the Mayor rapidly agreed
So all the carparks in the town were moved quickly underground
All the bus stops and the taxi points were now in the malls compound
The streets were made to go one way mostly to the mall
Then Coles moved in and for the town the writing was on the wall
The local supermarket that was there for over 60 years
Found their customers couldn’t get a park that was anywhere called near
The butcher’s shop found itself isolated from the town
The green grocer noticed that no one seemed to walk around
The people had been forced into that monstrous mall
The landlords blamed the local businesses when bankruptcy took a call
They said that the consumer preferred the fancy new slap dash
It was the small business’s fault if they weren’t good enough to get the cash
But the Thinker’s Hub it seemed Ok as people liked its style
See the owner owned his own carparks which he knew were quite worthwhile
The other shops and premises that were near that Thinker’s Hub
They seemed to trade quite OK it was a local business club
But the landlords did not like that as they needed all the trade
They appealed to the council about the unfairness that this made
“Why our shareholders expect more from us and I want my bonus too”
They dropped their prices to drive a wedge and make a blow or two
They tried to drive other shops to ruin, the baker, newsagent and the pub
Who could not compete on prices so couldn’t make the rub
If all those shops had to close then higher prices would be fudged
But the shops near the Thinker’s Hub they refused to budge
The other shops that had closed down now reopened near that Hub
It was a vibrant happening place, plus a new nightclub
The landlords took exception as they were the ruling class
They decided to make an offer to this underclass
They offered the Hub’s owner more than a million all in cash
The Hub’s owner only laughed, then gave them a tongue-lash
“I value culture more than wealth and people more than brass
Take your mongrel greedy ways and stick it up your arse’
The locals cheered, the Mayor resigned a new one was chosen soon
A Mayor with a belief that from bullshit was immune
He showed the landlord for what he was a lying scheming shark
The landlord had no real ticker and moved to another mark
So The Thinker’s Hub continued on it’ll always be around
Entertaining people with feet firmly on the ground
But is this story possible can the ruling class be beat?
Hopefully they can and save our culture and our main street
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