Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

The government has announced that it will be providing over $4.7 million to the Rural Financial Counselling Service to support small regional businesses facing hardship during COVID-19. As Senator McKenzie is well aware, this additional support for our regional communities is set to benefit hundreds of small businesses. What this funding will do is assist small businesses to access the immediate assistance they need to assess their financial position; identify their options; and implement plans to keep afloat, improve their long-term financial viability and navigate that road to recovery.

The government has also established a professional services fund to ensure businesses can access specialist third-party advice such as financial planning, specialist taxation, legal and accounting. And this, of course, is part of the assistance in terms of the government's $1 billion COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund.