Annual Report 2024

The Commission is pleased to publish its 2024 Annual Report outlining the Commission’s activities and services delivered throughout the year. 

In 2024 the Commission continued to tailor its services to meet emerging needs with ongoing challenges relating to rising input costs, compliance burdens, staff shortages, weaker customer demand, and an uncertain economic outlook impacting small businesses.   

During 2024, the Commission saw a dramatic rise in the number of enquiries relating to digital platforms and services. Over the course of the year, the Commission worked to support better outcomes for small businesses that rely on digital platforms to conduct their business. The Commission launched the Digital Platforms Hub which helps businesses navigate common challenges, and continued its advocacy to support better outcomes for small businesses. 

During the year, the Commission also managed more than 2,000 mediation applications. Demand for the mediation services remains high, with applications for mediation holding at levels more than double prior to the impact of COVID-19. 

The advocacy work of the Commission saw the publication of key policy reports, including the Rightsizing regulation report which examined small business experiences with regulatory policymaking. Throughout the year, the Commission amplified the voice of small business through delivery of policy submissions and recommendations to inquiries and other reviews. 

More information about the work of the Commission over the past year is now available in its 2024 Annual Report. 

The report reflects efforts of the Commission staff to help small businesses, resolve disputes and advocate for a policy and regulatory environment in which small businesses can flourish. 

The annual report was tabled to Parliament under the Small Business Commissioner Act 2013.