Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Small business operators on Tasmania's east coast will get the opportunity to learn from national retail expert Debra Templar later this year thanks to a federal government funding boost. A travelling expofest will take expert advice and provide support to business owner/operators in towns along the east coast for three days in November.    The expofest, with Ms Templar as the keynote speaker, is one of the extra activities that the Break O'Day Enterprise Centre has been able to organise to support businesses on the east coast in my electorate of Lyons after receiving new government funding of $40,000 from the federal Small Business Advisory Services program.

I was pleased to go to St Helens a couple of weeks ago to congratulate Break O'Day Enterprise Centre manager Nick Crawford and his board chairman Dina McGuiness on successfully applying for the funding. I know it will make a huge difference to the work of the innovative Break O'Day Enterprise Centre. It will enable the centre to organise a travelling expo, seminars and one-one-one training in towns including St Helens, St Marys, Fingal, Bicheno, Swansea, Coles Bay and Triabunna. These business owners do not have the luxury of being able to shut up shop or pay extra staff to cover for the time needed to go to training in major centres. The enterprise centre program will take the information and training sessions to them.

Small business is indeed the lifeblood of regional Tasmania. I thank the minister, Bruce Billson, and his very good team for recognising the benefits that will flow from this project in this part of Tasmania.