High flyers
After 20 years in politics, former Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson retired and took on the role of executive chairman of the Franchise Council of Australia. He talks to Alex Malley, chief executive of CPA Australia, about life after Canberra.
Alex Malley: Bruce, in my dealings with politicians over the past decade or so, you were one of the most balanced and reasonable and I think you’ll be a loss to the House. Was it hard to walk away after 20 years? Bruce Billson: It was. I loved what I was doing but due to circumstances, I couldn’t continue to do what I love. And what I loved was working hard to energise enterprise and be a strong voice for small-business men and women, who I admire. You contributed to the victory of the Abbott government in 2013. How did the change to the Turnbull government impact you? Well, with a change of leadership, the team decided to bring forward a new captain and it’s entirely within the skipper’s domain to choose the team around him or her. I wasn’t part of that [change] in the role I had been very effective in. But that’s life. There’s no bitterness from me. Politics is politics and that’s the way it played out. It gave me and my family cause to think about the extraordinary opportunity afforded us, to be among the handful of people shaping the direction of the country. And then we took stock – and the opportunity to think about what was next. We arrived at the decision that 20 years in public life, seven elections in a marginal seat and the relentless effort required to carry out that work well was something we felt we had done and it was time to think about new directions. What have you learned about people from your 20 years of experience in Opposition and in government? The world is won by people who turn up. You’ve got to take your place. You’ve got to have your voice heard, participate in debates and help shape decisions. I see that very much in public life from whatever side of politics people come from and I admire that commitment. But I also see it in community-minded citizens who have valuable input and a very important contribution to make to the direction of the country.
People often stay in a role too long but you probably left earlier than later… When you stay too long, you become ornamental. Some of the technological changes that are happening have enormous social policy and public policy implications. You need to stay relevant and up to date. You have to be ready to grow and learn and not settle into some comfortable view that you may have formed years ago where you just parrot the same things. It’s a dynamic world and you need to adjust and evolve and innovate. My new role in leading the Franchise Council of Australia is energising. I’m a great believer in franchising – there is no better model where you can be in your own business but not on your own. You can bring all of that commercial acumen, energy, passion, capital and local market knowledge and apply it within a framework where others have helped develop the business model, systems, customer referencing and profiling, supply chain and pricepoints. This is why a new business starting out in franchising is infinitely more successful than one that starts out on its own. What are the challenges in the franchise industry? One is clearly the concerns that have arisen around underpayment of staff. I’m also hoping that we can find a way to simplify the machinery of workplace relations. I think the complexity is serving only the big unions and the big industry associations and not enough weight is given to the needs of small businesses. It’s clear the passion is still there... My convictions haven’t changed. I’m absolutely thrilled to be the CEO of HubHello, a technology-enabled social impact business that’s the Airbnb of social services. It’s really helping people work through the snowstorm of government programs and opportunities to support their families. All the compliance, eligibility and subsidy criteria are difficult to navigate. We take all that hard work away to help people be their best selves. That’s exciting.
And I’m an advocate of improved finance for business. Finance is the oxygen of enterprise; starve that off and you diminish your entrepreneurial capacity. Finance is about facilitating ambition and helping people achieve their objectives. And in small business, that finance is mighty expensive, it’s hard to get and it’s not helpful for economic growth. So I’m happy to be working with some great people to create Judo Capital – a disruption to banks. It’s about getting finance to Australian SMEs on terms that are reasonable and it’s about banking as it should be, based on real relationships with knowledgeable bankers who can get alongside small businesses and be their ally. I imagine that you’re now home a lot more and can spend more time with your family. It has been a delight. The kids love the fact that Dad is around. I used to try to convince myself that quality time was what mattered. I think that’s still partly right. But, you know, quantity of time with your family is also very important.
I’m probably working as hard as I was in public life but I’m home most nights now. When Jeff Kennett was once asked why he wasn’t in federal politics, he said: “You’re never home.” At least when you’re operating in the same state where your house is, you get to spend time with your partner when you get home at night. It might be late but you’re there. It might not be the chance to have dinner together; it could be a late return after a function or a business event but at least you’re home and that’s great reassurance. My family is loving that. And if anyone asks me if there’s a comeback on the horizon for a 50-year-old former Cabinet minister, it’s usually my family who answers that question.
“The world is won by people who turn up. You’ve got to take your place. You’ve got to have your voice heard.” BRUCE BILLSON