❓ Mrs Godfrey asks about the progress of the Business Local program. Mr Templeman responds with positive results, including increased business advice, turnover, capital injection, and job creation.
AnsweredQoN 15Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
BUSINESS
LOCAL PROGRAM
15. Mrs G.J. GODFREY to the
Minister for Small Business:
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN :
Mr Speaker!
Mrs G.J. GODFREY :
Sit down!
The SPEAKER : Thank
you for doing my job, member for Belmont!
Mrs G.J. GODFREY :
This government reformed the delivery of small business advisory services by
creating Business Local, which commenced operations on 1 July 2015. Can the
minister please provide an update on its progress?
LOCAL PROGRAM
15. Mrs G.J. GODFREY to the
Minister for Small Business:
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN :
Mr Speaker!
Mrs G.J. GODFREY :
Sit down!
The SPEAKER : Thank
you for doing my job, member for Belmont!
Mrs G.J. GODFREY :
This government reformed the delivery of small business advisory services by
creating Business Local, which commenced operations on 1 July 2015. Can the
minister please provide an update on its progress?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Belmont. Mr Speaker, if I could just
quickly indulge the house. On behalf of every member of this house I put on the
record our appreciation of the superhuman effort of all our emergency response
volunteers and career firefighters over the summer fire season. It has obviously
been exceptionally difficult and they are still fighting a fire today in Bibra
Lake. We also pass our respects and best wishes to the guys in Tasmania who are
having a very tough day again today.
In 2013 we did a comprehensive review of the small business centre
program across Western Australia. We want to try to do a little bit more—a
little bit more professionally and a little bit more effectively—in the
role of government providing small business advice to anyone with a small
business to help develop the business from inception to a big business idea. We
resolved to change the system into the Business Local program, with 12 separate
regions across Western Australia. As a result, the change from the small
business centre program to the Business Local program has seen a massive shift
from resources being tied up in bricks and mortar and administrative costs into
actual delivery of business advice to small businesses. Now, 90 per cent of
funds to the program go directly to giving positive and professional advice to
small businesses across the state, which has seen an increase of 66 per cent in
the numbers of business advisers that have provided advice through the
organisation under the umbrella of the Small Business Development Corporation.
In the first six months, advisers have seen almost 3 000 businesses. It is only
early days, but indicatively at this stage it is reported that they have
generated an additional $16 million of turnover in those 3 000 small
businesses, and they have reported through those small businesses reporting
back through the system that nearly $5 million in additional capital has been
injected into those small businesses all over Western Australia as a result of
the advice they have been given. Obviously, it has also created jobs. They reckon
that through the investment advice they have been given through those small
business advisers, they have created an additional economic impact to the state
totalling around $25 million. That is a good return for taxpayers and a good
result for small businesses. I know a few people knocked it at the time and
said that it was not going to work, but at the end of the day what small
businesses want is professional, timely advice from a professional organisation
that gets out and meets them face to face, rather than them having to turn up
to bricks and mortar buildings where all the taxpayers' money has been
spent on providing infrastructure rather than services. It is a great result
for small business and we will continue to do everything we can to support
small businesses across Western Australia.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, your turn!
quickly indulge the house. On behalf of every member of this house I put on the
record our appreciation of the superhuman effort of all our emergency response
volunteers and career firefighters over the summer fire season. It has obviously
been exceptionally difficult and they are still fighting a fire today in Bibra
Lake. We also pass our respects and best wishes to the guys in Tasmania who are
having a very tough day again today.
In 2013 we did a comprehensive review of the small business centre
program across Western Australia. We want to try to do a little bit more—a
little bit more professionally and a little bit more effectively—in the
role of government providing small business advice to anyone with a small
business to help develop the business from inception to a big business idea. We
resolved to change the system into the Business Local program, with 12 separate
regions across Western Australia. As a result, the change from the small
business centre program to the Business Local program has seen a massive shift
from resources being tied up in bricks and mortar and administrative costs into
actual delivery of business advice to small businesses. Now, 90 per cent of
funds to the program go directly to giving positive and professional advice to
small businesses across the state, which has seen an increase of 66 per cent in
the numbers of business advisers that have provided advice through the
organisation under the umbrella of the Small Business Development Corporation.
In the first six months, advisers have seen almost 3 000 businesses. It is only
early days, but indicatively at this stage it is reported that they have
generated an additional $16 million of turnover in those 3 000 small
businesses, and they have reported through those small businesses reporting
back through the system that nearly $5 million in additional capital has been
injected into those small businesses all over Western Australia as a result of
the advice they have been given. Obviously, it has also created jobs. They reckon
that through the investment advice they have been given through those small
business advisers, they have created an additional economic impact to the state
totalling around $25 million. That is a good return for taxpayers and a good
result for small businesses. I know a few people knocked it at the time and
said that it was not going to work, but at the end of the day what small
businesses want is professional, timely advice from a professional organisation
that gets out and meets them face to face, rather than them having to turn up
to bricks and mortar buildings where all the taxpayers' money has been
spent on providing infrastructure rather than services. It is a great result
for small business and we will continue to do everything we can to support
small businesses across Western Australia.
The SPEAKER :
Member for Mandurah, your turn!
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