South Australian Small Business

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:07): My question is to the Minister for Small and Family Business. How is the Malinauskas government supporting South Australian small businesses?

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (15:08): I thank the member for Gibson for her question and acknowledge her ongoing support of local businesses in her electorate. We know that small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy in South Australia. That is why two years ago the Premier undertook to have a dedicated small and family business portfolio. It is a portfolio I am very proud to have.

This government wants our small and family businesses to thrive. We have heard just now from the tourism minister about all the events that are bringing Adelaide and South Australia alive. We have just had a record-breaking festival season that has had a huge impact on our small businesses in hospitality and retail. They drive up foot traffic, they bring dollars into our local businesses and are one way of us supporting small and family businesses.

We are also further committed to supporting small and family business operators and that is why this year we will be supporting a new small and family business week. I am excited to unveil the 2024 Small Business Week program today. Small Business Week will be running from 29 April to 3 May. The program boasts a packed program of free in-person and online workshops, webinars, tours, and networking events, all designed to support our state's small businesses to grow and develop.

The week-long program will include more than 30 events being held across metropolitan Adelaide and also in our regions, including the Adelaide Hills, Yorke Peninsula, the Mid North, Eyre Peninsula, the Riverland and Kangaroo Island. For those who run or work in one of South Australia's 155,000 small businesses, Small Business Week is the perfect opportunity to connect with others. It is an opportunity to learn from experts and be inspired to take their businesses to the next level.

This year's theme will be 'Helping You Get on with Business', and a highlight of the week is the free full-day Small Business Expo that will be held at the Entertainment Centre on Thursday 2 May. Alan Kohler will be in attendance as the keynote speaker and will share his insightful analysis of Australia's economy and the outlook for South Australian small business owners in particular. It is a session that is not to be missed.

Expo attendees will receive tailored advice and referrals to appropriate supports and services through the Small Business Commissioner's Gov to You exhibition. Gov to You aims to connect business owners with representatives from across a wide range of government agencies, industry associations and partner organisations, all in the one convenient location.

Small Business Week will conclude on 3 May with the continuation of the Malinauskas Labor government's highly successful Women in Business program, with an immersive learning day for female business owners and leaders that will be held in the Adelaide Hills again, Mr Speaker, at Paracombe Wines.

These events will be complemented with a suite of online resources that will allow business owners access to the information they need when they need it. These resources will be published throughout the week and will remain accessible to small businesses via the resource centre on the Office for Small and Family Business website: www.business.sa.gov.au. The full program is now up on that website. I hope it will be a great success and I hope it will be of significant assistance to our small business owners. Of course, it comes off the back of other successful programs, including the Women in Business program, our fundamentals program, our cyber program, and many more in support of our small businesses.