Labor to mentor small business to success

Labor will: 1. Establish a Small Business Champions Unit (SCBU) that will act as advisors to small business and advocates for small business within government. 2. Within the SBCU establish 6 mentors whose job it is to support small business through their early interactions with government agencies. Three positions will be based in Darwin and Palmerston with a position in Alice Springs / Tennant Creek, one in Katherine and one focussed on remote businesses. 3. Provide an additional $1 million for Business Innovation Support Initiatives (BISI) to encourage innovators in small business across the Territory. 4. Provide start up assistance and seed funding for small business to assist in commercialising new and innovative ideas and develop local “Angel Investor” groups in the Territory. 5. Assist and advise small business to joint venture with larger companies. 6. Ensure the information and data needs of small business are highlighted in the work of Labor’s Independent Research and Data Unit. 7. Expand the number and type of small business training and professional development programs. 8. Set up a small business focussed Energy Smart and Water Smart program to help reduce business costs. 9. Ensure infrastructure expenditure is broken up into smaller packages that give small businesses a chance to bid for the work. 10. Special small business focussed roundtables in each regional centre annually and twice a year in Darwin and Palmerston.