Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre
Ms WEBB – Mr President, it is my pleasure to speak today about the Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre and its valuable work supporting local businesses.
Tasmania has nearly 40 000 businesses across the state and over 95 per cent of those are small businesses with fewer than 20 staff. These small businesses are resilient. Tasmanian businesses, compared to other states and territories, have the highest survival rate, with almost 70 per cent of businesses operating in 2016 still operating in 2019. According to Business Tasmania’s statistics report, in June 2019 the Kingborough local government area had 2554 businesses, of which 2499 – or 98 per cent – were classified as small businesses.
You can see why the Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre plays an important role supporting our community. In talking about the enterprise centre I also want to particularly make mention of the two people who sit at the heart of the support that it provides – advisers Scott Dufty and Kerry Muller. Under the stewardship of Scott and Kerry, the Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre is like a local business partner.
The enterprise centre is run by a board of directors with representatives on that board from businesses, local government, and the community sector. It is supported by the state government and the Kingborough and Huon Valley Councils, so it can offer a free service to local businesses or intended businesses.
It is designed to help with key decision-making and maximising their potential. Advisors Scott and Kerry are independent, resourceful and experienced business people who understand the nature of running a small business in Tasmania, from starting a business, through all the aspects of running a business, to helping existing businesses reach their maximum potential.
Scott and Kerry are happy to jump in at any stage of operations with advice on planning, financial forecasting, government support programs, and compliance requirements like GST and insurance. They do not just support businesses. On many occasions Scott and Kerry have assisted my office with constituent queries and their advice is invariably comprehensive, professional and on-point. Mr President, the importance of staying connected has come to the fore during COVID-19, and facilitating connection in the local business community is something that the business enterprise centre is well placed to do.
The centre hosts business networking events and workshops in Kingston and Huon throughout the year, and it has been my pleasure to attend a number of these in recent months. In March, I joined the sold out International Women’s Day dinner hosted by the enterprise centre. More recently, I attended Transforming Kingston, an event that was co-hosted by the enterprise centre and the Kingborough Council, outlining plans for the revitalisation of Kingston’s central business district.
In May, I joined the networking evening hosted by Rob Mulross and Kelvin Markham at Island Curries where, as an added bonus to networking, we were able to sample their excellent produce. This is just one of a longstanding series of regular networking events supported by the enterprise centre. So many small businesses in Tasmania are owner-operators with little opportunity potentially to connect with peers. These events are important in giving local businesses the opportunity to talk to other business operators in a relaxed, social environment about how they are managing and innovating through change.
Scott and Kerry in the enterprise centre have been particularly busy with support for business during the COVID-19 pandemic. In every newsletter the centre has provided updates about available training and support, as well as specific information on accessing and complying with COVID-19 government grants and funding such as JobKeeper. Personalised support has been provided to businesses looking to adapt in response to changing COVID-19 restrictions.
For example, the enterprise centre worked with a local restaurant where sales exploded when they adapted from exclusively dine-in to takeaway and local delivery models. The business needed guidance to set up online ordering and delivery systems and required more staff for their expanded operations. The centre helped them to connect to a similar business that chose not to pivot, and so had excess staff who were able to help fill the gap.
Scott and Kerry were also able to help a successful market-based business build an online store, when COVID-19 restrictions had first closed their opportunities at Salamanca Market. With a little guidance and the centre pointing them in the right direction, that firm changed the way they ran their business and were up and going. In the past, they were importing products from Melbourne but they decided to set up their own home-based workshop manufacturing their own products. The business also set up a successful website and now has plans to extend their workshop and their online store.
Mr President, I am going to end with a quote from another business helped by this service and which sums up the value of the Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre and the value it holds for our community.
Having a capable person via face to face then phone to direct us to the solutions we need has been invaluable. The knowledge that someone is there when we need direction really helps us to cope in a pandemic.(TBC 11.20.24)
I thank the board of the Kingborough and Huon Business Enterprise Centre and the dynamic duo of Scott Dufty and Kerry Muller for everything they do to empower local businesses and to help the Kingborough and Huon communities to thrive.
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