Council of Small Business Organisations Australia

What Council of Small Business Organisations Australia does

Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) is a Canberra-based non-profit industry association founded in 1979 that serves as the national umbrella body representing Australian small business organisations and the broader small business community. Its core activities comprise policy advocacy to federal government, the Treasury, the Fair Work Commission, and parliamentary committees on issues including capital gains tax reform, negative gearing, minimum wage, and the estimated $160 billion regulatory compliance burden (5% of GDP). COSBOA's principal products are its annual Small Business Perspectives Survey and Report (co-produced with Commonwealth Bank, covering 800+ small business owners), the Fair Go advocacy campaign on tax reform (joined by MFAA in 2026), and a Five-Point Productivity Plan announced by CEO Skye Cappuccio. The organisation also convenes a coalition of 27 representative bodies targeting a 25% regulatory reduction by 2030 and partnered with OpenAI in October 2025 to research small business AI adoption and inform local AI policy.

COSBOA operates a membership-based revenue model funded by dues from member small business organisations, with no publicly disclosed pricing or paid premium tiers. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, channelled through direct government engagement, parliamentary submissions, public campaigns, and published research. The constituency it serves is structurally broad — Australian small businesses collectively employing approximately 5 million people — making individual member concentration immaterial. Leadership transitioned in February 2025 with the appointment of Skye Cappuccio (formerly CEO of Optometry Australia), whose agenda reframed the organisation around productivity, digital adoption, and regulatory reform in addition to its traditional defensive tax/wage advocacy stance.

Name

Council of Small Business Organisations Australia

Legal name

Council of Small Business Organisations Australia

Website

https://cosboa.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COSBOA is a Canberra-based non-profit founded in 1979 that serves as the national advocacy body for Australian small business organisations, representing over 800,000 small businesses to government on taxation, regulation, and productivity policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Member Organization Representation: COSBOA represents small business organisations and advocates on their behalf to government and policymakers on issues including taxation, regulation, minimum wage, and workplace policies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

COSBOA is a national non-profit industry association that represents and advocates on behalf of small business organisations and their members to the Australian federal government, Treasury, and the Fair Work Commission. Its deliverables include policy advocacy on taxation, regulation, minimum wage, and workforce matters, the annual Small Business Perspectives Survey and Report co-authored with Commonwealth Bank, public campaigns such as the Fair Go Campaign, and policy frameworks such as the Five-Point Productivity Plan.

Product overview

COSBOA is a representative industry body for small business organisations in Australia, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of advocacy campaigns, research initiatives, policy frameworks, and industry reports aimed at influencing national policy for small businesses. The core activities include the Fair Go Campaign (lobbying on tax reform), annual Small Business Perspectives Survey and Report (research), and a Five-Point Productivity Plan (policy framework).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fair Go Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• Coalition of 27 representative bodies calling for 25% regulatory reduction by 2030
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2026MFAA joined the COSBOA Fair Go campaign, urging mortgage brokers and small business clients to contact their MPs regarding proposed capital gains tax and trust taxation reforms.
• OpenAIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025OpenAI is collaborating with COSBOA to research and support AI adoption among small businesses and influence local AI policies. The partnership aims to promote AI-driven productivity growth and supports OpenAI's expansion in Australia, including opening an office in Sydney.
• Commonwealth Bank of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025CommBank co-authored the 2025 Small Business Perspectives Report with COSBOA, providing research data on small business financial conditions, declining profits, and business owner strain.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Business NSW: State-level business chamber for NSW providing advocacy and advisory services to SMBs. Comparable business model and member base, with primary jurisdiction limited to Australia's largest state economy.
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (CCIQ): Queensland's peak business chamber offering SMB advocacy, policy representation, and business advisory services. Operates the same advocacy-plus-services model as COSBOA but at a state rather than national level.

Direct peers

• Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Australia's largest peak business body, directly comparable to COSBOA in its federal-level advocacy role for businesses including SMBs. ACCI is explicitly referenced as a COSBOA coalition partner on shared policy concerns, confirming overlapping mandates.
• Master Builders Australia: National industry association for building and construction SMBs that combines policy advocacy, member services, and industry research. Comparable as a sector-aligned peak body that mobilises small operators on regulatory and tax reform.
• Australian Industry Group (Ai Group): National employer association representing businesses across industries and a named COSBOA coalition partner. Ai Group operates a similar advocacy, research, and policy-submission model targeted at Australian employers and SMBs.
• Australian Retailers Association: National industry body representing retail SMBs and larger chains. Comparable as a sector-specific peak body conducting federal advocacy on tax, workplace relations, and consumer policy affecting small operators.
• Council of Small Business Australia (COSBA): Separate but closely named Australian small business representative body advocating on similar policy issues (tax, regulation, workplace relations). Comparable membership-funded peak-body structure serving the same SMB segment.

Broad incumbents

• Business Council of Australia: Australia's peak body for large corporations, included as a COSBOA coalition partner on small business issues. Comparable in its federal advocacy function, but focused on ASX-listed and large private enterprises rather than SMBs.

Others

• Federation of Small Businesses (FSB): UK's leading SMB advocacy body offering policy representation, member services, and research. Closest international analogue to COSBOA in terms of membership model, advocacy focus, and member profile.
• National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): US-based small business advocacy organisation with a comparable membership-funded advocacy model focused on tax, regulatory, and workforce policy for SMBs. Useful international benchmark for COSBOA's strategic trajectory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COSBOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/COSBOA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cosboa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Council of Small Business Organisations Australia