As I continue my attempts to be released from an agreement with the South Australian Government that I do not wish to be bound by, I ask the public to consider the circumstances that led to this situation.

In 2025, I started a petition calling on the Premier and the Minister for Small and Family Business to assist in delivering a fair settlement and resolving the dispute surrounding a government program that Jacksons Supplies was encouraged to participate in. (Involving our Wood Guy brand)

That petition has received a modest number of signatures. Some petitions attract thousands and still produce little change. Ours gathered only a few dozen supporters. Yet even that small level of public attention helped bring visibility to an issue that had previously been confined to internal government correspondence and closed processes.

Our involvement with this particular program with the South Australian Government began in 2017 when Jacksons Supplies — a small family business — received a cold call from a government department promoting a mutual business venture program that was described as delivering public value while also providing a fair return for our participating business. Acting in good faith, we committed time, resources, and capital based on assurances provided by uniformed government staff.

What followed was not the program we were led to expect.

Over time, since 2017 the situation devolved into a number of disputes involving serious concerns about governance, oversight, and the way problems raised by our business were handled. Despite engaging through official processes and mediation pathways, the matters remains unresolved and we remain bound by an agreement that prevents the issue from being fairly and properly addressed.

One of the most difficult aspects to understand is how a situation like this could develop and continue for years within a state government program. Numerous administrative layers, oversight bodies, and uniformed personnel operated in proximity to the program throughout that time, many of them were people we trusted and worked alongside as “trusted business partners” for years. Yet despite this environment, the issues experienced by our business appear to have gone unrecognized or unaddressed until significant damage had already occurred.

This raises a simple but important question:

How can a program involving multiple levels of government oversight reach this point without earlier intervention?

The purpose of raising this publicly is not simply to revisit any disputes. It is to seek clarity and accountability about how these circumstances were allowed to occur and what steps will be taken to ensure similar situations cannot happen to other small businesses in the future.

Small businesses are often encouraged to work with government programs that claim to deliver public value and community outcomes. Those businesses must be able to trust that proper governance and oversight will exist when problems arise. 

I continue to work with various levels of government across a range of programs, without issue. Based on that experience, I believe that:

• Jacksons Supplies should be released from the agreement that is currently preventing this matter from being addressed openly.
• An independent and fair negotiation process should be facilitated by the SA Government so that the dispute can be resolved constructively, transparently and finally.
• Clear answers should be provided regarding the governance and oversight failures that allowed these circumstances to develop.

If the South Australian Government promotes itself on integrity in public administration and support for local businesses, then addressing these questions openly would strengthen that reputation rather than diminish it.

I respectfully ask members of the public, and those in positions of leadership, to consider the issues raised in this petition and support efforts to bring this matter to a fair and transparent conclusion.

Please sign the petition to promote a fair outcome for everyone involved.

Sincerely,
 Bill Jackson
 Office Administrator
 Jacksons Supplies / Wood Guy Brand