In early August 2025, Commonwealth, state, and territory Small Business Ministers gathered at Parliament House in Canberra to discuss the next wave of reforms to strengthen Australia’s 2.6 million small businesses.
The meeting was hosted by the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP in her new role as the federal Minister for Small Business. It focussed on focused on boosting resilience, productivity, and digital capability across the small business sector.
The Auctioneers and Valuers Association of Australia (AVAA) has made representations to the Minister to ensure that the auction and valuation professions are part of these ongoing deliberations. With auctioneers and valuers playing a critical role in supporting markets, liquidations, insolvencies, and asset transfers, the AVAA has emphasised that policies must reflect the unique operational and regulatory environments in which its members work.
Key themes emerging from the meeting included reducing regulatory burden, enhancing resilience, supporting digital adoption, and ensuring small businesses are central to policy design, all of which are particularly relevant to the auction and valuation sectors. Digital transformation, including streamlined compliance processes and enhanced cyber security, is vital for auctioneers advertising and conducting sales online, as well as for valuers managing sensitive client data and high-value assets.
Ministers also highlighted the importance of whole-of-government coordination to ensure small businesses benefit from reforms across workforce, regulatory, and economic policy. For auctioneers and valuers, this could translate into improved training pathways, more efficient regulatory frameworks, and stronger recognition of professional standards, areas where AVAA continues to advocate on behalf of its members.
The AVAA welcomes the Ministers’ commitment to keeping small businesses at the forefront of decision-making and will continue to engage closely with government to ensure the voice of the auction and valuation sectors is heard. As the Commonwealth Treasurer convenes the Economic Reform Roundtable later this month, AVAA will continue pressing for reforms that recognise the essential contribution of auctioneers and valuers to Australia’s economy and business community.
The Ministers will reconvene later in 2025 to progress this agenda, and the AVAA will maintain its proactive engagement to ensure members benefit directly from national reform priorities.
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