RESOLUTION SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Mediation services provided by the NSW Government are helping small businesses resolve disagreements that threaten their future, Minister for Small Business John Barilaro announced today.

“The bottom line is that disputes cost time and money that can cause mums and dads running a small business a great deal of unnecessary stress,” Mr Barilaro said.

“To relieve this burden the NSW Government is providing confidential mediation and dispute resolution services.

“The strength of mediation is that everyone involved is guided through practical options so collectively they can view the problem more constructively to develop a way forward.

“In 2014, 17,450 requests for assistance were received and of these most were resolved without the need for a court decision.

“In the majority of cases a resolution was reached for free at the informal stage of the process, without the need for formal mediation or legal channels.

“Problems are often not as daunting once people have more information and the strategic or procedural advice to help them think about a creative solution.”

Small businesses and large organisations interacting with them can work with an impartial party to talk through business problems and this helps them consider:

• If information is missing;
• If there is an alternative way to look at the situation;
• Who or what may be influencing the situation;
• What is the most commercial way to think about the problem; and
• How they may have contributed.

Business disputes vary considerably, some examples include:

• Disputes between tenants and landlords about leases, rent or maintenance;
• Disputes between business operators and suppliers; and
• Disputes between business operators and government agencies or local councils.

To find out more about the dispute resolution and mediation services available visit http://www.smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au/solving-problems