The Auctioneers and Valuers Association of Australia (AVAA) has reinforced its role as a leading national advocate for auctioneers and valuers through its affiliation with the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), the country’s peak body exclusively representing small business interests.

COSBOA is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most influential “umbrella peak” organisations, providing small businesses with direct access to ministers, regulators, policymakers and parliamentary processes. Representing the interests of more than one million small enterprises nationwide, COSBOA plays a central role in shaping national policy debate across a broad range of economic and regulatory issues.

AVAA has long maintained an independent and credible advocacy profile, engaging directly with governments and regulators on matters affecting auctioneers and valuers, including regulation, compliance, competition, digital transformation and professional standards. Through COSBOA membership, that sector-specific expertise is embedded within the national small business policy framework, ensuring the realities of auction, valuation and advisory businesses inform broader advocacy positions advanced at a federal level.

The relationship enables AVAA to contribute directly to COSBOA’s policy development processes, including expert panels, consultations and formal submissions to government. COSBOA’s advocacy agenda spans critical areas such as industrial relations, competition law, taxation, cyber security, skills and migration, red tape reduction and cost-of-doing-business pressures, all of which have direct and practical impacts on AVAA members operating as independent professionals and small firms.

For AVAA members, the COSBOA affiliation delivers stronger, more influential advocacy without duplicating effort. Rather than individual sectors competing for attention, AVAA’s voice is amplified through a national platform that is routinely consulted by government, invited to parliamentary inquiries and recognised as the authoritative voice of small business in major economic and regulatory debates. COSBOA’s track record in securing tangible policy outcomes, including exemptions, phased implementation of reforms and reduced compliance burdens, highlights the value of coordinated, evidence-based advocacy.

Importantly, AVAA’s engagement with COSBOA is an active partnership, not a passive relationship. AVAA contributes sector intelligence, data and professional insight to help shape policy positions before they are advanced nationally. This ensures that when COSBOA speaks on behalf of small businesses, it does so with a nuanced understanding of regulated professional services and the commercial realities faced by auctioneers and valuers.

Through COSBOA the affiliation, AVAA reinforces advocacy as a core member benefit, ensuring the auctioneering and valuation professions remain heard, respected and influential at the highest levels of national small business policy development.