$8.76m wellbeing package to support Qld small business

After a challenging year of floods, inflation and cost-of-living pressures impacting their trade, small businesses in the Sunshine State have been feeling the pressure and the Small Business Wellness Package and campaign have been launched in order to provide wellbeing resources on top of financial assistance if required.

The wellness package would see new wellbeing coaches located in Cairns, Mackay, Townsville, Toowoomba, and North and South Brisbane (six new coaches in total), join the existing statewide network of over 40 rural, tourism and small-business financial counsellors.

The expanded network of counsellors and coaches will provide free, independent, confidential, one-on-one support to address the stressors and psychological support needs of small-business owners.

The package includes a $3 million Small Business Support Service Fund to assist with alleviating stresses for small-business owners.

Queensland Mental Health Commissioner Ivan Frkovic said the small-business wellness coaches will help business owners identify the source of business challenges and put in place strategies to move forward.

The Queensland Mental Health Commission is contributing $1.21 million to this valuable program to extend the six wellness coaches to three years until 30 June 2025.

Queensland Small Business Commissioner Maree Adshead said recent research commissioned by Beyond Blue and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) confirmed the direct link between financial distress and mental wellbeing.

Created in partnership with the Queensland Mental Health Commission, the Queensland Small Business Commissioner, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland, the package is part of the government’s $14.5 billion economic recovery plan to keep businesses open.

The joint federal and state Government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement also provides $800,000 to support three extra coaches in 2022–23, reducing to two coaches in 2023–24 for South-East Queensland local government areas impacted in the February 2022 floods.

To find out more about the Small Business Wellness Package, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/wellness or contact the Small Business Hotline 1300 654 687.