Winton Shire Council becomes the 36th council to join the Small Business Friendly Councils Program

Small businesses across the Winton Shire are set to benefit from council joining the Small Business Friendly Councils (SBFC) Program.

Minister for Employment and Small Business Di Farmer welcomed Winton to the growing network of councils that have joined the Small Business Friendly Councils Program.

“Small businesses are the heart and hubs of our local communities and are crucial to our $14.5 billion COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan,” Minister Farmer said.

“They are our families, our friends, our neighbours and they keep our communities strong.

“It’s fantastic to see so many councils have committed to the Small Business Friendly Councils Program, with many others lining up to join them.

“When a council joins the Small Business Friendly Councils family, they are pledging their commitment to support small businesses in their communities and help the local economy thrive.”

Winton Shire Council Mayor Gavin Baskett said Council was signing the charter to commemorate the essential contribution small businesses make to the local community.

“Small businesses keep our town going and are the backbone of our community. We’ve been experiencing a boom in tourism and without our business owners working as hard as they do, this wouldn’t be possible,” Mayor Basket said.

“We’re looking forward to working together to develop programs that can showcase our small businesses and simplify processes to alleviate pressure where we can.”   

Winton Business and Tourism Association President Hylton Ward said co-signing the charter with Council was an important step for the association to ensure all parties are working together to support for small business.

“Partnering with Council to maintain and develop programs that will support our small businesses is an exciting step for our association,” Mr Hylton said.

“We’ve been working hard to build support networks between businesses and now we can work directly with Council to continue doing so.”

Queensland Small Business Commissioner Maree Adshead, who co-signed the SBFC charter with Winton Shire Council Mayor Gavin Baskett, and Winton Business and Tourism Association President Hylton Ward said the co-signing of the charter marks a commitment to a collaborative journey to benefit small businesses across the region.

“The signing of this charter between all parties ensures greater connectivity will be fostered to enhance the operating environment for small businesses and to provide the opportunities small business needs to thrive,” Ms Adshead said.

The Commissioner said the Small Business Friendly Councils Program aims to build a community of like-minded people who want to ensure their small business community is flourishing.

“When a council joins the SBFC family they learn what other organisations are doing to support their small business community.

“We facilitate a network of collaboration, showcase small business friendly activities and support a variety of communities of practice – all of which are helping our SBFC family share their experience and learnings, and to fortify their connections.”

The SBFC Program has been developed by the Small Business Commissioner and aims to recognise and encourage large organisations to actively support small businesses to recover and build resilience following disaster and economic challenges.

There are currently 36 SBFC across Queensland. When an organisation signs the SBFC charter they are pledging a commitment to:

• communicate and engage
• raise small businesses profile and capability
• support resilience and recovery
• simplify administration and regulation (red tape reduction)
• ensure fair procurement and prompt payment terms
• promote place-based activities.

Find out more about the Small Business Friendly Councils (SBFC) Program at www.business.qld.gov.au/qsbc or by phoning 1300 312 344.