- Small Business will be in the spotlight across Queensland in May with 41 regional organisations to run events as part of the Palaszczuk Government's flagship Queensland Small Business Month.
- The organisations, through the Government's Regional Networker Grant Program, have been awarded grants to host regional events and activities in support of regional small businesses in their communities.
- Queensland Small Business Month (QSBM) is a support event for the more than 473,000 small businesses that account for 97 per cent of our state's business sector.
Throughout May the Palaszczuk Government will run a jam-packed program of business focused events and activities right across Queensland as part of Government's flagship Small Business Month.
The month showcases the diversity of Queensland's small business sector and provides small businesses with the opportunity to connect with local resources and networks to respond to business challenges and opportunities.
As well as offering face-to-face events, in 2023 the Palaszczuk Government has cleared the way for more businesses than ever to participate by delivering an expanded Queensland Small Business Month online, increasing the number of events delivered online or outside of standard business hours so more small business owners can join in.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer:
"May is all about recognising how our small business owners make the amazing happen … it's about loving your local and supporting them.
"Queensland Small Business Month helps small businesses increase their networks and make valuable connections that can make all the difference when it comes to finding support and growing a business.
"That's why we have an entire month of events and activities, online and in person, happening across the state.
"The Regional Networker Grant Program is, as the name suggests, targeted towards regional and remote areas of Queensland, ensuring more have access to support and information relevant to their local industry, community and region. It has been an exciting response with 41 regional organisations receiving government grants of up to $2000 to run stakeholder events.
"Businesses can log into a range of online sessions, including small business fundamentals, growing your small business, and managing your cyber health."
Grant recipients include:
- Gympie Chamber of Commerce is planning to hold a business breakfast for local businesses, high schools, UniSC, TAFE and other educators, to facilitate discussion around the local skills shortages businesses are facing and how the educators can help close the gap by providing the needed skills training.
- Longreach will host a Building Confident Women in Rural Business event which will feature an interview panel of women in business, telling stories of achievements, challenges, sharing learnings with other women who want to start a business how to get going.
- Destination Scenic Rim has plans to host a networking event with a guest speaker. who is a business coach.
- Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council is aiming to run a workshop to bring together key agencies that support economic development in remote Indigenous Communities providing targeted support to local Indigenous Businesses.
- Lockyer Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Tourism proposes a progressive networking afternoon, where attendees will move through multiple locations across the valley, visiting the local businesses, encouraged to mingle and move into a new group every location, sampling local produce and products along the way and networking with fellow business owners.
- Malanda Chamber of Commerce Inc is proposing a targeted networking evening with a guest speaker to highlight business engagement ideas and opportunities for farm and town businesses to interact more effectively.
- Chinchilla Community Commerce & Industry Inc. wants to run a Western Downs Regional Business Summit (WDRBS) empowering people with knowledge, so they can make financial decisions that are integral to their lives and businesses. The Summit is a single-day diverse offering professional development event targeted to support businesses from Sole Traders through to Medium Enterprises.
