The Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) is equipping small businesses with a new weapon against confusion: Small Business Peak.
This comprehensive resource hub aims to simplify understanding and implementation of the recently introduced industrial relations (IR) changes.
COSBOA CEO Luke Achterstraat said; “The Australian Government’s IR changes introduce a series of complex amendments to workplace laws which will impact casuals, contractors and labour hire workforces. Small businesses need to understand which IR changes apply to their operations, when they come into effect and how to ensure they meet their employer and business reporting responsibilities.
“Small Business Peak provides free access to essential, easy to understand information to keep small business owner sinformed, with step-by-step guides to save time and make it easier for them to apply the latest industrial relations changes,” Achterstraat explained.
The program offers a multi-phase approach:
- Phase 1: A library of downloadable toolkits in plain English. These toolkits explain the latest workplace changes with timelines, checklists, and case studies.
- Phase 2: A dedicated portal for deeper dives. Here, business owners can register for even more targeted information and support.
Small Business Peak will be rolled out in phases with the first stage providing small business employers with a library of resources about some of the IR changes under the Closing Loopholes, Secure Jobs, Better Pay and Protecting Workers Entitlements. The second phase will see a portal for small business owners to sign up and gain even more information and support to navigate the multi-faceted IR changes rolling out into 2025.
The program has downloadable toolkits in plain English that explain the latest workplace changes, with timelines, implementation checklists and some case studies to help simplify complexity. Employers and their employees will have immediate access to information to better their understanding of wage underpayments, changes to casual employment, the minimum wage increase update and changes to the superannuation guarantee.
“We will continue to develop the program, with more downloadable templates and tools coming online all the time. We are particularly pleased to be able to offer AI capability with Small Business Peak. This means busy small business owners can receive speedy responses to their high-level questions with answers they can rely on.
“We chose today, World Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME Day), to mark the hugely significant contributions small business makes in Australia and around the world. We hope our new resource hub will empower and support the engine room of our economy during these complex and uncertain times,” Achterstraat said.
To learn more about Small Business Peak, small businesses are encouraged to visit www.smallbusinesspeak.org.au. To register your interest for phase two please email peak@cosboa.org.au.
Small Business Peak has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations through the Productivity, Education and Training Fund grant program.
2024 Key IR changes Timeline
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