Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-05-18 Daily Xml

Contents

Small Business Development Fund

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (14:58): My question is directed to the Leader of the Government. How many of the 15,000 new jobs, promised under the government's Northern Economic Plan in January of this year, will be delivered by the $10 million Small Business Development Fund, which had its guidelines eventually released just this week?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Employment, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation, Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:58): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in the small business development grants that were announced by the Minister for Small Business earlier this week. Of course, the central aim of the two components of the fund that were announced is to create more jobs and to create more jobs in northern Adelaide. That is the central aim of these grants. There isn't a figure set down for exactly how many jobs from which particular grants. I know in response to questions that I took on notice yesterday, but I can provide an answer in terms of the rollout of the grants program. I am informed by the minister in another place that applications are open immediately and payments for these grants, upon being processed and assessed, will start to be made from 1 July this year.