paul mallett is a strong advocate for the army of care economy ‘sole traders’ working in Tasmania delivering essential support to clients on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and My Aged Care (MAC) packages. paul believes the ‘sole trader’ workforce is emerging as the hidden backbone of the community care sector.

paul calls on all tiers of government to develop and deliver a support package to care economy sole traders. The package would seek to provide: greater sustainability for small providers, particularly those operating in rural and remote areas; a better quality of life for sole traders leading to less burnout, and more secure income; a stronger, more diverse, localised care workforce particularly in regions with workforce shortages; and it would keep funding local instead of flowing only to large interstate corporates.

paul calls for a suite of supports to help sole traders run sustainable micro-businesses and address the following issues:

• Low Business Literacy: Many sole traders know how to deliver exceptional person-centered care for but struggle with operating ” the business”.  Managing tax and super withholdings, cash flow, compliance, marketing, and reporting are common challenges.
• Isolation: Sole traders often work alone, with little access to networks, mentors, or professional development.
• Funding Gaps: No clear supports for ‘micro-enterprise development’ within the current NDIS or aged care ecosystem as the available supports focus on larger providers.
• Burnout and  Sustainability Risks: Poor admin and business skills mean they undercharge, overwork, and risk financial stress or burnout.

Given this paul advocates for a support package that includes

1. Integrate business skills into TasTAFE. Embed micro-business units into Community Services Cert III/IV so graduates leave with a basic business toolkit: budgeting, invoicing, how to quote, how to register an ABN, and where to get advice.
2. Micro-enterprise start-up grants or vouchers. Small targeted grants or vouchers to pay for things like, insurance, professional accountants, websites, branding, business advice. This would be similar to startup incubators for small businesses, but tailored specifically for sole trading carers.
3. Practical business development hubs. Establish regional Care Micro-Enterprise Hubs — either standalone or co-located with Neighbourhood Houses, TAFEs, or community services,  to provide: Free or low-cost training in bookkeeping, invoicing, tax, GST, insurance, legal basics; workshops on pricing, marketing, customer service; and digital literacy (using online booking, rostering, client management apps).
4. Mentoring and peer networks. Fund local peer networks where sole traders meet, share tips, and troubleshoot problems together. Match new micro-providers with retired businesspeople or established operators for practical mentoring.
5. “Back Office” shared services. Develop cooperatives or social enterprises that offer shared back-office support: payroll, invoicing, scheduling, compliance paperwork — so sole traders can focus on care. For xxample: a local not-for-profit could run a “Care Collective” that sole traders subscribe to for admin help.

Inspiration

WA Microenterprise Project — WA’s Individualised Services (WAiS) has run pilot programs supporting micro-enterprises for people with disability and sole traders, providing templates, coaching, and shared learning. Tasmania could adapt similar models.