Joan Pease’s community update, State Member for Lytton
Small business is the backbone of our economy. It’s often where we find our first job, and it’s always the first to support local events and pitch in to help our community. Small businesses make a vital contribution to our economy, employing many Queenslanders. Small business represents over 97% of businesses state-wide and they employ around 44% of all private sector workers.
In the Bayside we have over 6,500 small businesses. This month rather than awarding a ‘Bayside Business of the Month’, I want to acknowledge ALL Bayside businesses. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and are a vital part of the Palaszczuk Government’s economic recovery plan.
I want to remind Baysiders that by supporting local businesses, we are supporting not just the shopkeeper but our broader community. Shopping locally translates into more local job opportunities. It translates into more support for our local businesses, community groups and schools.
I was thinking about the significance of small business recently and it occurred to me that the Bayside has a particularly remarkable range of small businesses. I realised I hadn’t had the need to venture outside of our local community since the previous Parliamentary Sitting! Because all the things that are important to me are close to home. Here in the Bayside, our small businesses cater for everything from fine dining to takeaway. From dentistry to tyres to physiotherapy to tarot readings to eyelash extensions! It truly is incredible how diverse our small businesses are and I feel so lucky to have everything I could ever need at my doorstep.
But how do we maintain such a vibrant small business community? It is only with the support of locals that these businesses can survive, and thrive. So let’s make it our business to support local businesses. Go somewhere local you haven’t been before. And shop locally!
I’m launching a ‘Go Local’ Lotto to encourage Baysiders to shop locally. Any Baysider who shops locally can drop their receipt in the box out the front of my electorate office. Don’t forget to write your name, number and address on the back! Alternatively, you can email your receipt to my office at [email protected]
There are weekly draws with 4 prizes to be won, each consisting of a $100 voucher for a local small business of the prize-winners choice. The Lotto will be drawn each Monday in September. Be in it to win it!
I also want to remind our local businesses about the range of support available to help you through these challenging times, such as the 2021 COVID-19 Business Support Grants for lockdown-impacted businesses, and the COVID-19 cleaning rebate for businesses that have been listed as exposure sites. Visit www.business.qld.gov.au for more information.
The ‘Go Local, Grow Local’ initiative aims to help Queensland businesses promote their products and services, and encourages Queenslanders to support small businesses in their community by shopping locally. I have a range of ‘Go Local, Grow Local’ posters available in my electorate office and I encourage our local businesses to stop by and collect some posters to display in your shopfronts.
