Rowan Holzberger Newsletter

05 May 2026

Most small businesses don’t fail because of bad ideas. They fail because the game gets harder… while no one’s looking.

 Since 2022, the Albanese Labor Government has tried to ease some of that pressure. There’s been real, practical relief. Up to $800 off energy bills for around a million small businesses. The $20,000 instant asset write-off extended so operators can invest with confidence And, for the first time, a National Small Business Strategy to actually think long-term about productivity, digital capability, and resilience.

 That matters. Because small business isn’t just “the economy” in some abstract sense. It’s the bloke fixing your car, the woman running the cafe, the family trying to keep the doors open in Logan. 

I know that world. 

I cut my teeth as a contract musterer around Broken Hill. No flash setup. Just a motorbike, a ute, a few good dogs and a mindset: you either find a way to win, or you don’t last.

 Twenty years ago, I moved to the city and ran a construction business in Beenleigh. 

Same lesson, different setting. Margins are tight. Cash flow is king. And problems don’t line up politely.

 Now, as a Member of Parliament, I spend a lot of time listening to small business owners. And what I’m hearing lately is confronting.

 Take chargebacks. A customer pays for a product… then calls the bank and reverses the transaction.

 No real warning. No meaningful recourse. From the business owner’s perspective, the money just vanishes.

 Some operators have told me they’ve stopped taking online orders altogether. That’s how bad it’s getting. 

Then there’s the reputational attacks. Coordinated fake online reviews designed to damage a business. Followed, in some cases, by an offer to “fix” the problem for a fee. 

Even when the reviews are proven false, they often stay up.

 Think about that. You can do everything right… and still get hit from an angle you never saw coming. 

That’s why we recently held a small business forum in Logan. To find out what is really going on.

 Because if we’re serious about backing small business, it’s not just about tax settings and rebates. It’s about making sure the system is fair. Because small business owners don’t expect a free ride. But they do expect a fair go.