Extra help for flood-affected Queensland small business with mental health and wellness support

• Flood-impacted small business owners in Greater Brisbane, Gympie and Ipswich still doing it tough from last year's flood events, will be able to turn to three new small business wellness coaches to reduce stress, overcome challenges, and improve mental health and wellbeing.
• The coaches join a network of six Queensland Government funded wellness coaches appointed in 2022, who have provided support from the Darling Downs to Far North Queensland.
• The new wellness coaches will be supported by the Albanese and Palaszczuk Governments through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), as part of the $14.5 million Small Business Recovery and Resilience Package rolled-out last year.

Three new small business wellness coaches, supported by the Albanese and Palaszczuk governments through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), will provide help to flood-impacted small business owners in Greater Brisbane, Gympie and Ipswich.

The coaches will help small business clients to navigate financial support programs helping to alleviate business-related stress, enabling them to take steps to address issues affecting their mental health.

An additional project officer has also been appointed in Bundaberg, delivering coordination and assistance to the coaches.

Quotes attributable to the Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Murray Watt:

“Small business owners in Gympie, Greater Brisbane and Ipswich impacted by the South East Queensland flood event in February 2022 will benefit from the appointment of the new small business wellness coaches.

“Natural disasters have an impact on the mental health and wellbeing of those affected, and addressing that is a key step for long-term recovery.

“We recognise that operators are still recovering from last year’s flooding events and are still doing it tough.

“I want to commend the remarkable work that the existing coaches are doing, and through this commitment, we are continuing support to sustain their efforts by making more coaches available to service more regions.

“This program will help those hardest-hit to continue their recovery journey so they can get back to doing business and create the positive outcomes that come from that.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business, Minister for Training and Skills Development and Minister for Youth Justice Di Farmer:

“Queenslanders have faced their share of natural disasters and know that when a flood hits it doesn’t just impact physical infrastructure – but our mental infrastructure too.

“The appointment of three new small business wellness coaches will offer sought-after advice and care to flood-impacted small business owners in Gympie, Greater Brisbane and Ipswich.

“These new coaches are in addition to six coaches appointed in 2022 and join the Queensland Government’s network of more than 20 rural and small business financial counsellors across the state.

“The invisibility of the psychological impact of a natural disaster means it can be that much harder to identify and respond to, and this can cause ongoing issues in the months and years after the event.

“Alongside initiatives in the $8.76 million Small Business Wellness Package, we’re committed to restoring balance and enhancing resilience, health and wellbeing for Queensland’s passionate and productive small business owners.”

Further information:

In 2022, a $14.5 million Small Business Recovery and Resilience Package, funded through the DRFA, was developed in response to the 2022 flood events in Queensland, to address medium and long-term recovery and resilience activities for small businesses.

The Small Business Recovery and Resilience Package includes:

• $10 million for the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program for community-based-organisations to undertake flood-recovery projects.
• $2.5 million for Local Economic Recovery grants to impacted local councils to promote local small businesses, attract tourists, encourage locals to be tourists in their own region and to shop locally.
• $2 million for Small Business Support Services, which includes three Business Chamber Queensland business support managers to provide personalised and professional business information; and the three wellness coaches and support officer announced today.

Small business wellness coaches are managed under the Queensland Government’s $8.76 million Small Business Wellness Package, which also includes:

• a $3 million Small Business Support Services Fund to assist small business owners to address stresses such as cash flow, financial planning and minor works
• a state-wide promotional campaign to raise awareness of the mental health, financial counselling, and other support services available
• the Business Chamber Queensland Business Wellness Program, which provides comprehensive online resources to help chambers support small businesses with their mental health and wellness, and;
• the $150,000 Chamber Wellness Fund grant program, providing funding for chambers of commerce to implement their own mental health and wellbeing pilot program or event in their local area.

To find out more about the Small Business Wellness Package visit www.business.qld.gov.au/wellness or contact the Small Business Hotline 1300 654 687.

For more information on disaster recovery go to www.qra.qld.gov.au/recovery

Media contacts:

Minister Watt’s office: Tali Eley 0499 770 772

Minister Farmer’s office: Gary Shipway 0458 090 906