Minister’s foreword

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the lifeblood of our communities. They drive innovation, create local jobs, and build vitality across NSW.

I understand the pressures that small business owners face. These challenges have only grown in recent years, with post-pandemic and disaster recovery, staffing and supply chain issues, rising costs, and fatigue taking a toll on the small business community.  

As the Member for Lismore, I have seen firsthand the resilience and determination of small business owners, particularly in our regional communities. I am committed to ensuring that government does all it can to support them.

The NSW Charter for Small Business, launched in February 2024, is the NSW Government’s commitment to strengthen the partnership between government and small businesses. Developed in collaboration with industry and community stakeholders, the Charter outlines six principles to improve how government works with small businesses.  

To ensure transparency in this work, Charter Principles 5 and 6 require we report progress against the Charter, and our support for small businesses. This is our first report. It highlights the significant activity across Government that supports small business, as well as some of the challenges that are shaping our focus and cross-government collaboration.  

Over the past year, the NSW Government has taken real steps to support small businesses. The Service NSW Business Bureau, which opened its doors on 25 October 2023, has supported small business through 65,178 interactions with a Business Concierge and over 53,943 hours of business support through advisory services. We supported small businesses through times of crisis such as the Far West power outage and many storm events, and we are boosting opportunities for small businesses to grow through measures to sell their goods and services to the NSW Government and access export markets.

These are just some examples of how the NSW Government is delivering on the promise of the Charter for Small Business.

While we’ve made good progress, there’s more to do. Implementing the Charter is an ongoing process, and we’re committed to continuing this work to deliver real and lasting benefits for small businesses across our state.

I am proud to present this progress report.

Thank you to everyone who has played a role in this important work. Together, we are building a stronger connection between the NSW Government and the small business community — one that supports resilience, growth, and prosperity for businesses and communities throughout NSW.