Nation-leading Business Charter provides a big change for small business

The NSW Government has delivered on another election commitment for small businesses across the State with the launch of the Charter for Small Business.

The Charter gives small business owners a seat at the table and a genuine say in the way government supports businesses across the State. The Charter commits to a stronger partnership with small business and sets out the key principles and actions on the way which the NSW Government will work on with the sector.

The Charter for Small Business is the first of its kind in Australia and reflects the economic and social value that small businesses bring to NSW.

The NSW Government has undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement with peak industry bodies and community organisations to ensure the Charter for Small Business reflects the needs of businesses.

The Charter for Small Business includes six key principles and commitments to support its implementation and application in NSW:

1. Clear and strong focal point to support small business to start, grow and thrive.
2. Stronger engagement on new policy and regulation.
3. Listen and respond to red-tape and other pain points.
4. Boost Government procurement from small businesses.
5. Introduce and report on metrics and identify opportunities for supporting Small Business policy, regulatory and economic settings.
6. Deliver key actions and commitments to timeline.

The Charter for Small Business closely follows on from the Government’s launch of the Service NSW Business Bureau, which is a key source of advice and personalised support for small business. The Service NSW Business Bureau will oversee the Charter for Small Business, to ensure its commitments and actions benefit the sector.

There are more than 850,000 small businesses in NSW which make up 97 per cent of all businesses in the State. NSW small businesses employ 1.7 million people, which is around 43 per cent of the State’s private sector workforce.

For more information about the Charter for Small Business and the Action Plan, please visit the NSW Government website.