The 2021-22 Federal Budget is a balancing act between a better than anticipated deficit ($106 bn), an impending election, and the need
to invest in the long term.
It is also a human budget (cynics would say voter focussed), with $17.7 billion dedicated to aged care, more money in the pockets of low
income earners, the COVID vaccine rollout, $2 billion for mental health, a women’s economic package including a child care subsidy increase
and funding to prevent violence, and a Royal Commission into defence and veteran suicide.
KEY FEDERAL BUDGET INITIATIVES
Running a small business has always been personal. Every sale, every setback, every sleepless night - it all comes back to the same person: the owner.
A staggering 93% of small business owners reported higher costs this year, while 64% saw profits fall. Taxes, wages, and insurance top the list of pressures, with taxes ranked as the number one cost by half of respondents of a recent report.
Australia’s small business sector has always been defined by its resilience - but the latest Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) and CommBank Small Business Perspectives Report 2025 shows that resilience is being tested like never before.
