Ms LAWRIE - 2005-02-09
What practical assistance is our government giving Territory business to back them to grow, and how has this assistance been received by the business community?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her question. Yes, certainly, this is a government that is backing small business, and it is great to see small business across the Northern Territory doing well.
We have just heard from my colleague, the minister for Infrastructure and Planning, showing record commitments in capital works budgets, with 95% of them going to Territory businesses. All those businesses in Winnellie and Berrimah are doing very well.
With the last budget, my colleague, the Treasurer, cut payroll tax; the biggest tax cuts in the Territory’s history. The Northern Territory …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: …is the lowest-taxing jurisdiction for small business in the country. Not bad, I reckon. There are some practical impacts as well.
We went to the last election, after having consulted with the business community on specific initiatives. One of those was some up-skills program workshops to show business and enable them, as they were entering the growth phase, how they could maximise the benefit from the growth in their business. I am pleased to say that our business up-skills program has been a great success. It has been offered for the last two years and has been warmly received by business across the Territory. Workshop topics include: Starting a Small Business, Business Structures and Tax, Introduction to Bookkeeping, Developing Business Plans and Marketing.
Mr Dunham: Getting out of town before the posse.
Mr HENDERSON: Since 1 July 2004 … The member for Drysdale again. He doe not have a positive bone in his body. This is a good news story for the Northern Territory …
Mr Dunham: It is a fairytale.
Mr HENDERSON: He says it is a fairytale. Well, let us tell that to some of the 350 businesses which have actually benefited from these workshops and have acclaimed them loudly.
Since 1 July, 46 workshops have been held across the Northern Territory, at a cost of $260 000 a year, and more than 350 Territory businessmen and women have attended the workshops to date. That is not a fairytale, that is a government backing small business and helping them to grow.
The success of the workshops have been Territory-wide: 94 attendees in Alice Springs, 25 in Tennant Creek, 91 in Katherine, 64 in Darwin and 77 in rural and remote areas. This is the fairytale! Of the people who have attended the workshops, 85% have expected to improve or change some aspect of their business as a result; and 83% said they learnt something new about running a business in the Territory.
I put on the record my thanks to the hardworking staff in my department who deliver these workshops. They have been widely acclaimed across the Territory. Along with record capital works projects, budgets, record tax cuts, we are assisting Territory business to grow through programs in the up-skills area.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Karama for her question. Yes, certainly, this is a government that is backing small business, and it is great to see small business across the Northern Territory doing well.
We have just heard from my colleague, the minister for Infrastructure and Planning, showing record commitments in capital works budgets, with 95% of them going to Territory businesses. All those businesses in Winnellie and Berrimah are doing very well.
With the last budget, my colleague, the Treasurer, cut payroll tax; the biggest tax cuts in the Territory’s history. The Northern Territory …
Members interjecting.
Mr HENDERSON: …is the lowest-taxing jurisdiction for small business in the country. Not bad, I reckon. There are some practical impacts as well.
We went to the last election, after having consulted with the business community on specific initiatives. One of those was some up-skills program workshops to show business and enable them, as they were entering the growth phase, how they could maximise the benefit from the growth in their business. I am pleased to say that our business up-skills program has been a great success. It has been offered for the last two years and has been warmly received by business across the Territory. Workshop topics include: Starting a Small Business, Business Structures and Tax, Introduction to Bookkeeping, Developing Business Plans and Marketing.
Mr Dunham: Getting out of town before the posse.
Mr HENDERSON: Since 1 July 2004 … The member for Drysdale again. He doe not have a positive bone in his body. This is a good news story for the Northern Territory …
Mr Dunham: It is a fairytale.
Mr HENDERSON: He says it is a fairytale. Well, let us tell that to some of the 350 businesses which have actually benefited from these workshops and have acclaimed them loudly.
Since 1 July, 46 workshops have been held across the Northern Territory, at a cost of $260 000 a year, and more than 350 Territory businessmen and women have attended the workshops to date. That is not a fairytale, that is a government backing small business and helping them to grow.
The success of the workshops have been Territory-wide: 94 attendees in Alice Springs, 25 in Tennant Creek, 91 in Katherine, 64 in Darwin and 77 in rural and remote areas. This is the fairytale! Of the people who have attended the workshops, 85% have expected to improve or change some aspect of their business as a result; and 83% said they learnt something new about running a business in the Territory.
I put on the record my thanks to the hardworking staff in my department who deliver these workshops. They have been widely acclaimed across the Territory. Along with record capital works projects, budgets, record tax cuts, we are assisting Territory business to grow through programs in the up-skills area.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016