SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO BE HEARD

HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE OF SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT IN NSW

YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Small business support is back on the agenda, with NSW Small Business Minister Janelle Saffin confirming a new advisory service to replace Business Connect. A 90-day review, led by Mark Bouris and supported by Service NSW Business Bureau, is now underway to design a service that is practical, accessible and built for today’s small business challenges.

This is your opportunity to have a direct say in what that support looks like.

Complete Survey
Complete Survey
Make a submission
Make a submission

📅 Consultation closes: 11:59pm, Sunday 19 April 2026

This platform is for small business owners to share their voice, tell their stories, and speak up for the support they want.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the My Business, My Voice campaign, especially the small businesses who shared their stories, the journalists who amplified them, and the community champions who helped raise the profile of small businesses across NSW. 

On the back of your support, our lobbying in July and August helped secure a commitment from Premier Minns to refund support for small businesses when they got a bipartisan deal for Workers Compensation reform.  Your public support helped guarantee that commitment. 

In short…..Your voice mattered.

SHARE YOUR STORY
SHARE YOUR STORY
EXPLORE WHAT'S AT STAKE
EXPLORE WHAT'S AT STAKE

  • After 8 years, Business Connect in its current form and is being defunded

  • For over 30 Years both sides of government have provided free, independent, tailored business support - until now

  • No more free, independent, tailored advice for small businesses

  • It’s being replaced by a generic scripted concierge service

  • There will be fewer resources and support  

WHAT’S CHANGING

WHY IT MATTERS

Small businesses are a vital economic driver for NSW, comprising over 873,000 businesses that represent 97% of all businesses in NSW. They contribute over $530 billion to NSW's annual sales & service income. They also employ 1.8 million people.

A graphic showing a small business icon and the text '873,000 small businesses in NSW, comprising 97 percent of all NSW businesses.' Business Connect (Service NSW) Program will be affecting these business owners with their policy change.
Infographic showing 1.8 million people employed by small businesses in NSW, representing 43% of the state's private sector workforce.
Map of the world highlighting Sydney in Australia, with statistics indicating 29% of people are regional, 71% are in Sydney, and 35% of NSW business owners were born overseas, along with a handshake icon.
Graphic showing annual sales and service income of $535.6 billion contributed by NSW small businesses, with a line graph and dollar sign icon.
Infographic showing $75.9 billion annual wages and salaries paid by small businesses in NSW to employees.

Source: NSW Small Business Annual Report 2024

Removing Business Connect cuts off access to:

  • Tailored 1:1 Advice

  • Experienced Business Advisors

  • Support During Isolation and Change

  • Relevant Learning Events & Tools

Instead, businesses are left with:

  • Generic scripts

  • Centralised portals

  • No personalised follow-up

This isn’t the future of small business support. But you can help shape what it becomes.

SPEAK UP - ADD YOUR VOICE
SPEAK UP - ADD YOUR VOICE