Inside this November edition of the quarterly Mackellar business newsletter:
• How to prevent and respond to cyber attacks
• Workplace legislation - what you need to know
• Free workplace mental health training for you and your staff
• Need help? Links to free services to help protect and grow your business
Politics done differently
I’m hearing from business owners all over Mackellar that they’re doing it tough. Not only are bills and insurances rising, but there has also been a rapid rise in the number of cyber-attacks and scams. Sadly, a small business is targeted every 6 minutes in Australia, accounting for 43 per cent of all cyber-crime and losing on average $46,000. As well as the devastating financial loss, there is the mental and physical stress on owners and staff. This is why I’m fighting for greater protections for you and for your business as part of the new SCAMS Bill currently in parliament. Read on for details of two new resources to help you to prevent attacks on your business and how to find assistance if you are scammed - let's work together to help prevent more losses.
In October my team held a business grants workshop, to help locals find and apply for the many grants, rebates and incentives available through the Mackellar Grant Finder. The workshop materials are now available on my business page.
I recently held a construction roundtable discussion to help me better understand the issues facing the industry. It’s clear that the construction industry requires support from all levels of government. Achieving meaningful change will depend on effective collaboration for a bipartisan, long-term solution. During the meeting, we addressed several topics, including workforce supply and retention, housing affordability for workers, rising costs and supply chain challenges, planning delays, land supply, insurance issues and union impacts. I took these issues directly to Canberra in a speech to the House of Representatives on 19th November and will be continuing to advocate for support and change for Mackellar on these important issues.
As we come to the end of the calendar year, I hope that you can take a break over the summer and enjoy all that our incredible area has to offer. Running a small business can be incredibly stressful and demanding. As both a doctor and your federal MP I strongly encourage you to invest in looking after yourself physically and mentally to ensure your long-term good health and success. Detailed below are links to free mental health resources for you and your teams, should you need them.
- Dr Sophie Scamps MP
How to prevent and recover from cyber attacks
Cyber Wardens is a free, online training program that gives small business owners and their staff the knowledge, skills and resources to help protect you from cyber-attacks. You will learn how to:
- Identify and safeguard your business information
- Take simple and effective steps to defend against digital break-ins
- Spot common tricks and scams hackers use to attack small businesses
- Promote cyber safety in your team
Have you been attacked?
Cyber criminals most commonly exploit small businesses by diverting payments, accessing bank accounts, and fraudulently submitting tax returns in their name. Small business owners also experience higher rates of social media account compromise and exploitation than individuals. Responding to an incident often results in up to four lost working days, in addition to the other financial costs incurred. Sadly, more than half of small businesses close within six months of experiencing a cyber-attack.
IDCARE offers small businesses and sole traders:
- An Incident Response Hotline that provides impartial and independent advice: 1800 595 170
Access to an expert advisor who can talk through what your business needs to increase your resilience against the most common threats - Small Business Cyber First Aid - a service designed to ensure peace of mind after a remote access event or other intrusion
- A Health Check that provides an independent and confidential appraisal of your resilience in relation to privacy and cyber security
- Access to an online portal containing details of your assessment, action plans for resilience building and more
- Tailored online content available to anyone needing advice and hints on how to keep their small business secure from threats
Workplace legislation changes – what you need to know
Do you understand your responsibilities?
For full details please refer to the Fair Work Ombudsman. Many of the following new workplace rules came into operation in August.
Casual employment changes. There have been multiple changes to casual employment laws, including how it is defined, the pathway to full-time or part-time employment and employee and employer responsibilities.
Right to disconnect (for over 15 employees now, under 15 employees in August 2025). Eligible employees have a new ‘right to disconnect’ outside of work hours. Employees have the right to refuse contact outside their working hours unless that refusal is unreasonable. This means an employee can refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact from an employer or a third party.
Independent contractors. A new definition of employment has been added to the Fair Work Act to help determine the meaning of ‘employee’ and ‘employer’. This is used by some businesses to work out whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee.
Criminalising wage underpayments. Find out how intentional underpayment of wages by employers can be a criminal offence. These changes start on 1 January 2025.
Unions and registered organisations change. Access detailed information about the changes to right of entry permits and workplace delegates’ rights.
Labour hire changes. Read about new orders that ensure labour hire employees earn at least the same as directly hired employees.
Enterprise bargaining and enterprise agreement changes. Learn more about the updates to enterprise bargaining, and how awards and agreements are made.
Workplace mental health training
The Black Dog Institute is providing free mental health training, funded by the NSW Government, to small businesses across NSW. In just a few hours, get practical tools to help you talk about and support mental health at work.
- Three programs available for leaders, managers, and employees
- Backed by research and delivered by experts
- Flexible delivery options
- Short-time commitment
Book your free training today.
Need help? Free resources to support your business
- Book in an appointment with Service NSW Business Concierge. You are entitled to 8 hours of small business expert advice over 3 years.
- Sign up for Digital Solutions - Optimise your websites, cyber security, invoicing, socials and much more with unlimited training. For $45 gain 4 hours small business help on all digital aspects of your business.
- Gain free financial advice for personal and business finances and cash flow. Talk to an expert from the Small Business Debt Helpline.
- Sign up to the Mackellar Grant Finder for alerts on the many business grants, rebates, incentives, competitions, training programs and more available to you. Find a guide on how to find, apply and win grants here.
- Need free mental health support for you and your team?
- Contract disputes? For free, independent legal help contact the Small Business Ombudsman.
- Need help navigating your legal requirements under new workplace law? Fair Work Ombudsman. Access their online learning portal here.
- Need tax help? Free tax courses and guides.
- Utilise all the federal resources and help available to you and your business, from starting out to closing down.
- Protect your business from cyber-attack Sign up to Cyber Wardens.
Here to help
As your Independent Member, I am accountable to you, the community. It’s crucial that I hear from you so I can raise your concerns when I am in Parliament. I will:
- Listen to your needs on issues that matter to you
- Seek your input on legislation that impacts you
- Raise issues in Parliament
- Work with the government to develop the policy that supports business.
Get in touch
My team and I are here to help. Please email [email protected] or call me on 9913 9566 or message me on - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
