Australia’s peak body for small business advice says the decision by the West Australian government to boost funding for its Small Business Centres with a $500,000 increase in this year’s budget, shows leadership worthy of the national stage, according to Business Enterprise Centres Australia chairman, Jack Hughes.
“Western Australia is currently the envy of many other states over its resources boom, but a string of decisions by Premier Barnett show WA is strengthening its economic foundations for the future by creating a new dawn of hope for its small businesses,” says Mr Hughes.
“The decision to appoint Simon O’Brien as a dedicated Small Business minister and now this extra funding to support the state’s 25 Small Business Centres puts WA in its own league when it comes to finetuning the economic engine room which is the small business sectors.
“Other states will do well to note this move which, along with the Federal Government’s BEC Initiative Program, has strongly reversed the national trend of cuts to this crucial sector in the name of short term savings.”
Western Australia has 19 Small Business Centres in the regions and six in metropolitan areas providing essential services to start up and established small businesses. In this state, Business Enterprise Centres supported by the State Government are called Small Business Centres. They are known as Business Enterprise Centres in other parts of the country.
“We believe the Minister for Small Business, Simon O’Brien, deserves accolades for this budgetary decision because it is a clear investment in economic vibrancy for the whole community,” says Jack Hughes.
“The flow-on effects of supporting small business are innumerable through job and wealth creation.
“What’s more, Small Business Centres are major, community capacity builders that yield dividends far greater than their operational investments, underlining the WA government’s wisdom and foresight in this move,” he says.
ENDS
CONTACT: Jack Hughes, national chairman, BEC Australia on 0408 837 032 or jack@becnt.com.au
Tags: funding, Small Business Support, WA
