Deputy Premier med rel: NSW Government delivers practical help for multicultural small businesses

The NSW Government this month delivered a series of community information sessions that assisted multicultural small business owners find out about the business support services available to them.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Small Business Andrew Stoner said more than 200 multicultural small business owners from Sydney’s West and South attended three free events in Strathfield, Parramatta and Hurstville throughout June.

“These seminars provided targeted support and advice for the Chinese, Korean and Indian small business communities,” Mr Stoner said.

“Interpreters were available at the sessions where advisors from NSW Trade & Investment and the Office of the Small Business Commissioner delivered practical information on establishing and growing a business, exporting, and resolving commercial disputes.

“Some great new initiatives were also announced at the events, such as a new online multicultural portal.

“The portal includes translations of key resources and fact sheets for small business owners into Chinese, Korean, Arabic and Vietnamese – including the Retail Tenant’s Guide and the Retail Tenant’s Small Business Info Kit. These resources are available at http://www.smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au/resources/languages.

“Closer engagement between the NSW Government and the State’s small business communities is essential to help us create a better future for the NSW economy – this month’s seminars have gone towards helping us achieve that goal.

“The seminars have been so successful that I look forward to announcing future events for more multicultural business owners shortly.”

A number of NSW Government representatives also attended the worthwhile events, including the Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Regional Development, John Barilaro; the NSW Small Business Commissioner, Robyn Hobbs; and the local MPs for Oatley, Mark Coure; Strathfield, Charles Casuscelli; and Parramatta, Dr Geoff Lee.

Mr Barilaro said NSW was blessed with a rich diversity of multicultural communities, many of which had a long tradition of establishing and running successful small businesses here.

“Multicultural small business owners and operators make a huge contribution to our State’s economic and cultural development by providing jobs and encouraging investment in the community,” Mr Barilaro said.

“The NSW Government will continue to support NSW’s diverse, multicultural business communities to grow and flourish.”