Julie Collins: Let’s make this silly season a small business season
The Minister for Small Business urges Australians to take some time to support their local small businesses this Christmas shopping season.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and terrific to spend some of it in Adelaide.
The South Australian capital is playing today to a meeting of the country’s Small Business Ministers today — my fifth in two-and-a-half years as minister.
We are coming together because we recognise the importance of working across levels of government to deliver for small business, which is why we are working today on a national small business strategy as part of our wider small business agenda.
Since coming to government, Labor has been proving itself as the party of small business with more than $640 million in practical and targeted support delivered in this year’s budget.
We are providing further targeted energy bill relief of $325 to around one million eligible small businesses through the Energy Bill Relief Fund, which builds on the $650 rebate that was provided last financial year.
We’re also helping small businesses get online and stay safe while doing so, investing more than $60 million to support them in building their digital and cybersecurity capabilities.
We’ve updated the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, so small businesses can get a bigger slice of the $75 billion in contracts the Australian government spends every year.
Unfair contract terms are now illegal thanks to our action, so small businesses can negotiate fairer agreements with large partners.
We’re strengthening this vital sector by extending access to free mental health and financial counselling support for small business owners, with more than $25 million invested in these programs since we came into government.
And importantly, we’re taking action to help small businesses with their cash flow by investing more than $33 million in a series of new reforms to improve payment times. This includes naming and shaming big businesses that fail to pay small businesses on time, and praising businesses that do the right thing.
These are just some of the measures our government has put in place to help the millions of small businesses operating at the hearts of communities right across our country.
But you don’t have to be a minister to support small businesses.
As you finish your Christmas shopping this month, take some time to support your local small businesses.
Your support won’t stop at just the till – a strong small business sector means stronger communities and a stronger economy for our country.
Australia’s small businesses are the engine room of our nation’s economy.
They employ more than 5 million people, and contribute more than $500 billion to our nation’s economy every year.
That’s billions of reasons to make this silly season a small business season as well.
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