CAFBA chief elected to small-business peak body board

CAFBA highlighted Bushby’s experience as a former senator, Australian consul-general, and small-business owner and added that the appointment would strengthen advocacy on regulatory reform, cutting red tape and improving funding access for businesses.

COSBOA represents more than 50 member associations, with an agenda spanning taxation, workplace relations, and digital capability.

Its policy priorities include improvements to the instant asset write-off and measures to reduce administrative burdens.

Bushby said members’ own businesses and their work securing customers’ finance gave the association a distinctive perspective.

“Our members play a unique role in Australia’s small business economy. Not only are many of them small business owners themselves, but every day they help other Australian businesses access the finance they need to operate, invest and grow,” Bushby said.

“My role at CAFBA gives me insight into both sides: our members as business owners and professionals and, even more importantly, the businesses and customers they support.”

Access to finance

Bushby identified financing difficulties as a major constraint for small businesses nationwide.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the Australian economy, yet access to finance remains one of the challenges many business owners face,” Bushby said.

He added that brokers’ direct dealings with business owners provided insight into the challenges of obtaining funding.

“Commercial finance brokers understand these challenges firsthand. They work directly with business owners, understand their financial needs and help them navigate an increasingly complex lending environment,” he said.

Bushby said the board position offered a channel for those experiences to inform broader policy advocacy.

“Through COSBOA, we have an opportunity to bring those real-world experiences into national policy discussions and advocate for practical outcomes that support business confidence, investment and growth,” he said.

“Good policy needs to reflect the realities of running a business. CAFBA members see those realities every day, both within their own operations and through the businesses they support.

“By working alongside COSBOA and its member organisations, we can help ensure the perspectives of commercial finance brokers and their customers are part of the national conversation.”

The election also places Bushby alongside Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) chief executive Anja Pannek, whose COSBOA board appointment was announced last week.

[Related: CAFBA says major flaws remain in discretionary trust plan]