Master Grocers Australia CEO Jos de Bruin was named 2016 Council of Small Business of Australia (COSBOA)’s Small Business Champion at the Vodafone National Small Business Summit.
Mr de Bruin was presented his award by Kate Carnell, Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman and a respected member of the small-business community.
COSBOA Chairman Paul Nielsen bestowed the honour to Mr de Bruin for his dedication to small business and his work surrounding competition policy, in particular section 46, The Effects Test.
“Jos is most worthy of the accolade of the COSBOA Small Business Champion for 2016 for the terrific work he did in marshaling 23 industry associations, representing 900,000 businesses and other interested parties, together with government, to discuss the most necessary changes to competition policy recommended in the Harper Review,” Mr Nielsen said.
“The implications of the changes to Section 46 cannot be understated and will have far-reaching effects for small business over the next 20 years.
“Jos works tirelessly to bring together the interest groups. COSBOA and small business owe him a great debt of gratitude.”
Section 46, if enacted, will assist the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to act quicker and regulate the behaviour of dominant businesses, which is to the detriment of the market.