The NSW Business Connect program, which has provided free advice to over 60,000 small businesses, is being discontinued, sparking widespread criticism.

Council of the City of Sydney

The Business Connect program in New South Wales, which has offered free, tailored business advice to more than 60,000 small businesses, is being discontinued by the government. The program's closure is attributed to budget constraints and concerns about duplication with a new, yet-to-be-detailed initiative.

The decision has drawn criticism from small business owners and has become a point of contention in ongoing political negotiations over workers' compensation reforms. As businesses face a significant rise in workers' compensation premiums, the fate of Business Connect is now linked to broader legislative discussions in the State Parliament.

NSW government axes Business Connect program

Helping her young clients find their confidence, paediatric speech pathologist Rita Shamoon originally found hers with the help of Business Connect. As a small business, it's always nice to have that support or contact person to refer to when there's a moment where you're unsure or confused. The service has assisted more than 60,000 businesses through offering free, tailored business advice from independent advisors in one-on-one sessions. Karleen Cardona also tapped into the scheme when she launched South West Sydney Virtual Assistant 10 years ago. Starting a business was new to me and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing so I needed someone that had that background knowledge. But as their connections grow, Business Connect is being cut off. It's a real shame, it was a real bridger for small business. It really got those start-ups and small businesses up and running. The last thing any responsible government should do is axe Business Connect on the eve of Small Business Month. By all accounts, the program has been a success. So why is it being axed? The government has provided two reasons. One is money, even though it only costs a comparatively small $10 million per year. The second is duplication, arguing a new program will offer similar but not identical assistance. One thing's for sure though, it has become a pawn in a political fight over workers' compensation. As businesses stare down a 36% rise in workers' comp premiums and legislation remains stuck in State Parliament, Labor is trying to make a deal with the opposition. We could solve two problems at once. We could get workers' compensation reform through and through a course of those conversations, if there's an opportunity to save Business Connect, we would look to take it. This is blackmail by the Premier. Over 300,000 businesses in New South Wales pay workers' compensation premiums. They are skyrocketing. We need these reforms to go through. Lachlan Kennedy, 10 News.

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