Strengthen your business after the bushfires and floods
The Strengthening Business program closed for applications on Friday 31 March 2023 5:00pm (AEDT).
If you are an existing client of the program you will continue to be supported by your facilitator until 30 June 2023.
Strengthening Business
What do you get?
You’ll be paired with an independent facilitator. Your facilitator will recommend ways to strengthen your business systems, operations and strategies. The facilitator will help you get back on your feet and identify opportunities to improve your business. They'll provide a roadmap with their recommendations.
Who is this for?
Small businesses located in regions impacted by the 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires and recent flood emergencies.Overview
Strengthening Business provides support to businesses operating in one of the local government areas impacted by the:
- 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires, flood emergencies and COVID-19
- 2022 floods in New South Wales and Queensland.
Strengthening Business offers a facilitation service, which will connect you to a dedicated facilitator who:
- is a local, independent expert, with private sector expertise
- has extensive networks across national, state and local government
- understands your region
- will advise on what it takes to run a successful business in your industry and help you assess the gaps in your business knowledge.
Your facilitator will work with you to address the challenges and opportunities your business now faces in the community. You'll get a roadmap with strategies and goals to achieve in the immediate, medium and long term.
Strengthening Business is provided at no cost to your business. However, you will need to invest your time to maximise your engagement.
To speak to someone about your circumstances, you can contact the Strengthening Business team or the Strengthening Business facilitators in your state:
- Ai Group services customers in Victoria
- Business Australia services customers in New South Wales
- Business SA services customers in South Australia
- Deloitte services customers in Queensland.
Your facilitator will develop a Strengthening Business Roadmap, with recommendations and a plan for the future of your business. The roadmap will identify:
- business opportunities such as new products or services to offer
- potential relocation opportunities
- resources to support you
- marketing strategies you can implement to reach new or existing customers
- opportunities for grants and external funding
- how to build resilience to future-proof your business, such as stream lining services, updating data collection, reskilling your workforce or moving to a digital platform
- opportunities to strengthen your capabilities to move your business forward.
Eligibility
You can apply if your business meets the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria are a set of rules that describe who we can consider for this opportunity. You can apply if you:
- have a current Australian business number (ABN)
- are not a trust. Trustees may apply on behalf of trusts where the trustee is a legal business entity, and must be an incorporated entity. An individual is not able to apply on behalf of a trust.
You must also have been operating in one of the local government areas impacted by the:
- 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, flood emergencies and COVID-19 in New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria
- 2022 floods in New South Wales and Queensland.
These areas have been determined in consultation with the National Emergency Management Agency and relevant state government organisations.
If you're not eligible, there may be other support. To find out what's available in your area, visit the National Emergency Management Agency or contact your local Recovery Support Officer.
Locations for the 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires
- Armidale Regional Council
- Bega Valley Shire Council
- Bellingen Shire Council
- Blue Mountains City Council
- Cessnock City Council
- Clarence Valley Council
- Eurobodalla Shire Council
- Glen Innes Severn Shire Council
- Hawkesbury City Council
- Kempsey Shire Council
- Kyogle Council
- Lithgow City Council
- Mid-Coast Council
- Nambucca Shire Council
- Oberon Council
- Port Macquarie-Hastings Council
- Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council
- Richmond Valley
- Shoalhaven City Council
- Singleton Council
- Snowy Monaro Regional Council
- Snowy Valleys Council
- Tenterfield Shire Council
- Walcha Council
- Wingecarribee Shire Council
- Wollondilly Shire Council
- Adelaide Hills Council
- Kangaroo Island Council
- Mount Barker Council
- Alpine Shire Council
- East Gippsland Shire Council
- Towong Shire Council
Locations for 2022 floods in New South Wales and Queensland
- Ballina Shire Council
- Byron Shire Council
- Dungog Shire Council
- Lismore City Council
- Mid-Western Regional Council
- Muswellbrook Shire Council
- Tweed Shire Council
- Upper Hunter Shire Council
- Balonne Shire Council
- Brisbane City Council
- Bundaberg Regional Council
- Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council
- Fraser Coast Regional Council
- Gladstone Regional Council
- Gold Coast City Council
- Goondiwindi Regional Council
- Gympie Regional Council
- Ipswich City Council
- Lockyer Valley Regional Council
- Logan City Council
- Moreton Bay Regional Council
- Noosa Shire Council
- North Burnett Regional Council
- Redland City Council
- Scenic Rim Regional Council
- Somerset Regional Council
- South Burnett Regional Council
- Southern Downs Regional Council
- Sunshine Coast Regional Council
- Toowoomba Regional Council
- Western Downs Regional Council
Contact
Need help?
Let us answer your question via phone, email or live chat. And if we can't help, we'll put you in touch with someone who can.
- Phone:
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Open Hours:
Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm across Australia
- Website:
Customer stories
Read about real life businesses who have future-proofed their business with Strengthening Business.
Entrepreneurs’ Programme
Strengthening Business is part of AusIndustry’s Entrepreneurs Programme, which transforms Australian businesses by providing access to expert advice and grants.
Our program services will help you to:
- strengthen and grow your business
- connect with the research sector
- get your idea to market
- access grants to make it happen (from $20,000 to $1 million).
At the heart of the program lies the program’s national network of facilitators. Entrepreneurs’ Programme facilitators are local, independent business experts who will work with you on your business.
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