THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, which is the independent advocate for small business, has appointed Bruce Billson as its ombudsman.

Mr Billson, a former federal small business minister, has been appointed for a five-year term commencing on 11 March 11, 2021. He replaces the office’s inaugural ombudsman, Kate Carnell.

The Australian Automotive Dealer Association (AADA) has welcomed the appointment of Mr Billson with AADA CEO James Voortman stating he has “a good understanding of the challenges facing small and family businesses across Australia.”

“We are confident that Mr Billson will be a strong advocate for small and family business, including more than 3000 dealerships which employ 60,000 people,” he said.

“Mr Billson was instrumental in extending unfair contract term protections to small businesses and we look forward to working with him to ensure these protections are fit for purpose.

“He has a good understanding of the automotive sector, having played a central role in working with all of the key industry bodies on advancing the sharing of service and repair information.”

Mr Voortman thanked the outgoing and inaugural ombudsman, Ms Carnell AO, who he said did “an outstanding job at establishing the ombudsman’s office”.

“She was incredibly supportive of efforts to address the power imbalance between dealers and manufacturers,” he said.

Ms Carnell has held the position since 2016.

By Neil Dowling