Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello put the importance of small businesses in a nutshell at the government seminar organised by Granville MP Tony Issa.
Mr Dominello was joined by Minister for Small Business John Barilaro, NSW Small Business Commissioner Robyn Hobbs and NSW Multicultural Business Advisory Panel chairman Nihal Gupta to explain government services and to answer questions to the mostly-Arabic business community at the breakfast seminar.
Red tape, employment costs and commercial leases were among the most pressing of concerns nominated by small business owners.
Mr Barilaro, whose grandfather came from Italy before World War II to start his own family business, said “hard work and taking risks” were part of the migrant DNA, which is what drew them to running businesses.
“More than 32 per cent of small businesses in NSW are run by people of migrant backgrounds, but language barriers and complex rules made it difficult for those businesses to deal with governments,” he said.
“As the largest employer of people, small businesses underpin the economy.”
Mr Dominelllo, whose grandfather ran a fruit shop in Eastwood for many years, said it was time to “get past the song and dance” of multiculturalism and realise the contribution people from other countries made to the economy.
“Yes, we can have the festivals, but that is not the limit of multiculturalism,” he said.
Mr Dominello, who had the best catch-phrases of the morning, said governments could help all small businesses with more advice as well as building infrastructure and commercial and residential development.
“A crane in the sky means jobs on the ground,” he said.
But Ms Hobbs also spun a catchy phrase or two, saying small businesses were “the backbone of the community, the heart-beat of the NSW economy’’.
‘’Appointing the Multicultural Business Advisory Panel was absolutely vital,” Ms Hobbs said. “The government wants to assist you to grow your businesses.”
Ms Hobbs and Mr Gupta emphasised that the government had 65 business advisors, some of whom could speak languages other than English, who were “here to help”.
Ms Hobbs encouraged business people to join their chamber of commerce to network and find out information on how to run their businesses.
Parramatta Federal MP Julie Owens also attended to chat to business owners.
SNAPSHOT
- 32pc small businesses run by those of migrant background.
- Language difficulties hinder businesses.
- High business costs challenging.
- Regular seminars for ethnic groups.
- Look out for when Small Biz Bus is in area.
- NSW government hotline 1300 795 534.
