A former Federal politician has taken over the top seat the executive table for the Motor Trades Association of Australia.
Bruce Billson, former Federal Member for Dunkley in Victoria, became the new executive director of the MTAA on July 1.
Billson has a long history of involvement with the motor trades industry.
His old electorate has strong historical links to automotive manufacturing and component production, including businesses supplying major vehicle makers such as Ford and General Motors and during his time as a Federal Member Billson represented the interests of motor trades workers, businesses and their communities across seven terms in the Australian Parliament from 1996 to 2016.
In Parliament he served as the Cabinet Minister for Small Business from 2013 to 2015, which included responsibility for competition policy and consumer affairs, where he earned a reputation for practical, consultative policy-making and deep engagement with the business community.
He also served as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Most recently, Billson completed a five-year term as the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO).
Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC) CEO and former MTAA interim executive director Peter Jones says the appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the national peak body representing Australia’s automotive retail industry.
“Bruce Billson is a leader of rare calibre. He genuinely understands the challenges and opportunities facing the thousands of small and family businesses that make up the backbone of the Australian motor trades,” Jones says.
“His firsthand experience representing an electorate at the heart of Australia’s automotive manufacturing base gives him an intuitive understanding of our industry that few can match.
“Bruce’s collaborative and collegiate approach to leadership is exactly what our industry needs as we navigate a period of significant transformation. The MTAA Board and its members are confident that under his stewardship, our national voice will be stronger than ever.”
Billson says he is honoured to take on the role.
“The motor trades sector is the lifeblood of communities right across Australia – from the family-owned repair workshop to the new car dealership, from parts suppliers to the roadside service operators who keep Australians moving every day,” Billson says.
“Having represented an electorate where automotive manufacturing and component production were central to local livelihoods, I understand deeply what this industry means to working families and local economies.
“That experience, combined with my years advocating for small and family businesses at the national level, has given me an enduring commitment to ensuring these enterprises have a strong, united voice in Canberra and beyond.
“I am genuinely excited about what lies ahead. I intend to engage collaboratively across the industry – with our state and territory member associations, with government at all levels, and with the broader automotive ecosystem – to ensure MTAA continues to deliver real outcomes for the motor trades.”