Berbisnis di Austarlai itu pada dasarnya mudah. Secara hukum, semua warga boleh melakukan usaha sepanjang sesuai dengan aturan yang berlaku. Aturan bisnisnya juga lebih sederhana karena semua serba terang dan jelas. Namun, bagi umumnya pendatang Indonesia, berbisnis di Australia itu cenderung dipahami sulit. “Itu karena keterbatasa informasi,” ujar pengacara sekaligus pengusaha Konfir Kabo. “Semua aturan sebenarnya sudah ada asal mau riset dan baca,” tambahnya.
Masalahnya memang pendatang Indonesia itu cenderung “malas” untuk mendapatkan sendiri informasi tentang apapun. Mereka ingin agar ada orang lain yang bisa menjelaskannya. Dalam dunia bisnis, peluang itulah yang kemudian ditangkap oleh para konsultan yang meliputi akuntan, lawyer, dan penasehat bisnis. Penasehat pun bermacam-macam sesuai kepentingan atau masalah yang dihadapi seperti urusan pajak atau bea cukai. Memang, mendapatkan informasi yang tepat itu sangat mahal nilainya.
Diakui Konfir ada saja pengusaha yang melanggar aturan karena ketidaktahuan ataupun kesengajaan, dan mereka kena batunya. Ada tiga macam hukuman bagi yang melanggar aturan sesuai tingkat kesalahananya: denda, penalti, dan penjara. Untuk menghindari hal semacam ini, forum semacam IBC menjadi sangat penting. IBC dapat menjadi melting pot di antara pengusaha untuk berbagi informasi dan memperluas networking. Konfir sendiri merupakan salah satu pendiri IBFM yang berubah menjadi IBC dan pernah menjadi ketuanya pada 2012.
Harapan Konfir, organisasi seperti IBC dapat mempunyai fulltime staff agar roda organisasi bisa berjalan maksimal. Berkaca dari organisasi sejenis milik negara tetangga seperti Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABS), mereka bisa sangat aktif karena ditunjang staf yang memadai. Dengan organisasi yang mapan, MABS bisa secara rutin mendatangkan pembicara yang bonafid baik dari Malaysia maupun Australia, membuat para anggota menjadi aktif, dan membuat lobby mereka di Australia semakin kuat. Dengan adanya staf, organisasi bisa mengurusi berbagai kebutuhan anggota dan timbal-baliknya, anggota dengan kesadaran mau berkontribusi, setidaknya untuk membayar iuran dan mengikuti program yang ditawarkan. Organisasi bisnis Israel (AICC), Amerika Latin (ALABC), China (CAF), dan India (IACC), bisa menjadi contoh yang baik. “Makin kuat organisasi bisnisnya kian kuat pula lobbynya,” ujar pendukung berbagai kegiatan budaya Indonesia itu.
Pemilik Kabo Lawyer itu berharap, dengan organiasi bisnis yang semakin aktif dan kuat, lobby Indonesia di bidang sosial dan kebudayaan di Australia pun akan kian menguat.
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Doing Business in Australia is “Easy”
In essence, doing business in Australia is easy. In a legal sense, all citizens should do business within the applicable rules. The business rules are simple because they are clear and straightforward. However, generally for Indonesian migrants, doing business in Australia tends to be difficult to understand. “That’s because of the lack of information,” said lawyer and businessman Konfir Kabo. “All the existing rules are already there if you’re prepared to research and read,” He added.
The problem is Indonesian migrants tend to be “lazy” about obtaining information for themselves. They want someone to explain things to them. In the business world, the accountants, lawyers and business advisors then capture the existing opportunities instead. Advisors vary depending on the interests or problems encountered such as taxes or custom affairs. Therefore, getting the right information is invaluable.
Konfir admits that employers that break the rules whether it be due to ignorance or deliberately are punished severely. There are three kind of penalites for those that violate the rules due to an oversight: fine, penalties and imprisonment. To avoid this type of thing, forums such as IBC become very important. IBC can be a melting pot for entrepreneurs to share information and for networking. Konfir himself was a founder of IBFM which later became IBC and he was chairman in 2012.
Konfir hopes organisations such as IBC can have fulltime staff so that the organisation can perform at its maximal capacity. This would reflect similar organisations from other countries such as the Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC), which is really active due to an adequate number of staff. A well-established organisation, MABC regularly hosts bona fide speakers from Malaysia and Australia, making the members more active and making their lobby in Australia stronger. With the staff, the organisation can take care of the various needs of its members and conversely, its members are also eager to contribute, at the least to pay their fees and join the programs offered. The Israeli business organisation (AICC), Latin America (ALABC), China (CAF), and India (IACC), are also good examples. “The stronger and increasingly powerful business organisations also lobby,” said Konfir, who is a strong supporter of Indonesia’s cultural activities.
Kabo Lawyer’s owner hopes, with a business organisation that is incresingly active and strong, Indonesian lobbying in social and cultural affairs within Australia will continue to grow.
Photo: Ineke Iswardojo
