SA Franchisees adds their voice to the Small Business Commissioner debate

South Australian Franchisees have voiced their concerns amongst the debate on the Small Business Commissioner Bill 2011, which is due to be presented in the Upper House of the South Australian Parliament this week.

According to Steve Wright, Franchise Council of Australia Executive Director, the current SBC Bill is not same as the one originally represented to the public for consultation earlier this year.

“It now includes de-facto franchising legislation, which will be an extra hindrance for small business in South Australia. SA already trails the rest of the nation in terms of business confidence. This can only make a bad situation worse,” says Wright.

Kurt Muller, Cartridge World Master Franchisee, says the Government should be assisting small businesses, not adding more obstacles.

“As a master franchisee based in South Australia with franchisees also in Victoria, Tasmania, West Australia and Northern Territory, I believe that if the South Australian Government was to pass this legislation it will add further complications to our business by adding additional legal fees, red tape and paper work in an already very challenging business environment,” says Muller.

“The Government should be focused on assisting small business to get on with the job of creating employment, growing business, and kick starting the economy, not adding additional road blocks when the current Franchise Code of Conduct offers all stakeholders consistent, national guidelines and protection.”

Outside Concepts’ Jock Dean believes the legislation will add costs for small businesses in South Australia.

“My initial concerns with the Bill is that it may well decrease the value of my franchise, because there is the potential of the whole system being devalued because of the new layer of laws that would be imposed by it being passed,” says Dean.