Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to put on record my support for and, indeed, strong praise of the small business advisory service that is being run under the auspices of the Wynnum and Districts Chamber of Commerce. We all know that small business is the lifeblood of this country; it is the major employer. It is not only the life but also often the soul and the hub of many of our community areas, and the Wynnum and Districts areas, particularly the suburbs of Wynnum and Manly, are no lesser examples of that than many other areas across the country.

Wynnum is a very old suburb of Brisbane. It has a long tradition. It is on the bay side of Brisbane, and a lot of small businesses there have developed out of the fishing industry and also the tourism industry. People might buy fish and chips, have a cup of coffee or take a tour on the bay. The Wynnum and Manly areas have a strong tradition of small business in the Brisbane city area, and I think that is testament to this very successful tradition.

The Wynnum and Districts Chamber of Commerce was the only chamber of commerce to be a beneficiary of a $100,000 grant from the federal government to set up a small business advisory service within the Brisbane city area. This is a very important service that is being provided not just to my electorate of Bonner but across the whole city. Within Bonner itself, this service is significant. We have many small businesses. There are around 4,000 small businesses that have fewer than 20 people and there are 12,400 microbusinesses that employ no-one at all. So it was very important that this particular area received a service that could provide many of the supports that are currently missing for small business, particularly for people who are just starting up a business or who are finding it difficult to keep their business going during this financial crisis.

Mentoring, planning, planning advice and development services, loans and banking products, marketing plan preparation, legal services, accounting services, leasing guidance, regulatory compliance advice, staff training programs and seminars are all being provided through this service, under the excellent management of Peter Baines. In fact, a total of 454 businesses have been assisted.

Businesses do not necessarily run just in the normal business hours of the day and therefore the people who run them are very busy people and their time is often stretched, What is very special about this service is that these people can access it by ringing or visiting the unit at a time that suits them. They can pick up the phone and talk to somebody who has some level of expertise and knowledge and will be able to assist them.

I am particularly pleased about the business ambassadors’ program that is being run along the lines of the Golden Gurus, which was suggested at the 2020 summit. (Time expired)