The Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) welcomes the Federal Government’s commitment to work closely with the Franchise Sector on the ongoing evolution of the Franchising Code of Conduct to support the success of franchisees and franchisors.
Minister for Small Business the Hon Julie Collins and Independent Reviewer Dr Michael Schaper have both acknowledged the Code is “generally fit for purpose” and the proposed enhancements to reduce red tape, simplify compliance, and remove duplication make sense.
As the ACCC’s submission to the Independent Review shows, franchising complaints were under 200 for FY23, and just over 200 for FY22, down from 1000 in FY15 — that represents a complaint rate of just 0.02% for Australia’s franchise units.
Quotes from Brendan Green, Chair of the FCA:
“The FCA thanks the Minister for Small Business the Hon Julie Collins for her ongoing commitment to working closely with us to ensure the changes to the Code deliver what’s intended rather than resulting in any unintended consequences for franchisees and franchisors.”
“The FCA’s position continues to be that evolution and refinement is needed to ensure the Code is fit for purpose in the rapidly changing business landscape. Many of the recommendations to be adopted address the changes the FCA has called for, including simplifying disclosure requirements, compliance, and red tape.”
“We applaud the Government’s commitment to supporting Australia’s franchisors and franchisees to grow and strengthen their business. We do not believe that a licensing regime is the best path to achieve this and look forward to working with the Government and the Treasury Taskforce in their considerations.”