Anja Pannek and David Bushby elected to small business council board, giving brokers a stronger say in national policy
The leaders of two national broker associations now sit on the board of the country’s peak small business body, giving residential and commercial finance brokers a direct seat in national policy debates.
Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) chief executive Anja Pannek (pictured, left) and Commercial & Asset Finance Brokers Association of Australia (CAFBA) chief executive David Bushby (pictured, right) have been elected to the Board of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), the associations separately announced this month.
Both leaders framed the move around a simple point: most brokers are small business owners themselves, and they face the same cost, compliance and staffing pressures as the clients they serve.
Giving brokers a seat at the small business table
COSBOA is a member-based body that brings together industry associations from across Australia to advocate on issues affecting small business owners. According to COSBOA’s membership page, its council members collectively represent approximately 1.1 million small businesses.
The majority of MFAA members operate small businesses, so Pannek’s election will complement the association’s advocacy for members both as brokers and as business owners.
“Mortgage and finance brokers are small business owners, employers and active members of communities across Australia,” Pannek said. “They face many of the same pressures as other small businesses, including rising operating costs, regulatory complexity, productivity challenges and finding and retaining great people.
“Joining the COSBOA Board gives us another opportunity to bring those experiences into the national small business conversation and advocate for practical policy settings that help our members prosper and thrive.”
The election builds on an existing relationship. The MFAA joined COSBOA in 2024, and the two bodies have collaborated on member programs including Cyber Wardens, which provides free cybersecurity education for small businesses, and the She Means Business female leadership initiative.
“Our relationship with COSBOA is built on a shared commitment to helping small businesses succeed. This further reinforces those ties and strengthens our ability to work together on the issues that matter to our members,” Pannek said.
COSBOA chief executive Skye Cappuccio welcomed the election.
“Mortgage and finance brokers are an important part of Australia’s small business community. They run businesses and employ people, while also helping consumers and other small businesses access the finance they need,” Cappuccio said.
For CAFBA, the appointment is as much about broker clients as broker members. The association said Bushby’s seat would bring the commercial finance perspective to discussions on regulatory reform, red tape and access to finance.
Bushby, a former Australian senator and Australian consul-general who has also run a small business, took the helm at CAFBA in October 2023.
Read more: CAFBA boss David Bushby stands on soapbox for brokers
“Our members play a unique role in Australia’s small business economy. Not only are many of them small business owners themselves, but every day they help other Australian businesses access the finance they need to operate, invest and grow,” Bushby said.
“Small businesses are the backbone of the Australian economy, yet access to finance remains one of the challenges many business owners face.
“Commercial finance brokers understand these challenges firsthand. They work directly with business owners, understand their financial needs and help them navigate an increasingly complex lending environment.”
What the board seats mean for brokers
The dual election gives both the residential and commercial ends of the broking industry a voice in policy work spanning red tape, regulation and access to finance – issues that shape brokers’ own businesses and their clients’ borrowing.
“Good policy needs to reflect the realities of running a business. CAFBA members see those realities every day, both within their own operations and through the businesses they support,” Bushby said.
Pannek added she is looking forward to working with COSBOA’s member organisations.
“When small businesses and their industry associations work together, we have a stronger voice. I’m looking forward to contributing the perspective of our members and ensuring mortgage and finance brokers continue to be part of these important national conversations.”
