Alpine Business Newsletter - July 2024
2 July 2024
Welcome to the July issue of our business newsletter where you can find exciting news about upcoming events, grants and other valuable resources for your small business!
Mark your calendars for upcoming events, including VHC app and ATDW - Optimising Your Listing by Tourism North East and business strategy workshops hosted by Ai Group (delivery partner for Business Recovery Advisory Service)
Check out Alpine Shire Grant Finder - Grant Guru, an easy to use grant searching portal for our community. Funding opportunities of interest may include the Regional Tourism Investment Fund 2024 and Register of Approved Occupational Clothing.
Stay up to date with the latest government announcements and news affecting businesses including an article on how agritourism has helped farmers to continue farming through diversification of income.
Don't forget about the free small business support services currently available via funding from the 2022 Victorian Flood and Landslip including Business Recovery Advisory Service, Partners in Wellbeing and Small Business Bus.
June highlight: that's a wrap on the FY2024 Business Photography Initiative!
A total of 12 businesses participated in this initiative which operated on a first-in, first-served basis. This initiative will deliver each business with a collection of professional images to update their image library for promotional and marketing purposes including updating their ATDW listing. Thank you to all businesses who participated. Keep an eye on the Business Hub for future business photography opportunities.
Thank you for being part of the Alpine Shire business community. Stay tuned to Alpine Shire Business Hub for more updates and resources to help your business thrive.
Upcoming events
VHC app and ATDW - Optimising Your Listing by Tourism North East
Online, Tuesday 16 July 2024 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Join this online webinar to learn more about ways to promote your business online via the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW). For more information and to register, visit the link below.
Victorian Business Recovery Advisory Workshop: Taking Your Business Online by Ai Group
Wangaratta Digital Hub, 21a Docker Street, Wangaratta VIC 3677, Wednesday 17 July 2024 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Online presence is becoming increasingly important for small businesses but what does a good online presence look like in 2024? This workshop aims to provide business owners with the information and tools to improve their online presence and reach their audience. For more information and to register, visit the link below.
Participate in Australian Government Procurement/Contracting Opportunities by Australian Government Department of Finance, in collaboration with Ai Group
Online, Thursday 18 July 2024 11:00 am - 12:00pm
The Australian Government is a large potential market for businesses. In 2022-23 more than 83,000 contracts with a total value of $74.8 billion were awarded to businesses. This session aims to provide an introduction to Australian Government procurement for suppliers. For more information and to register, visit the link below:
An Introduction to Australian Government Procurement for Suppliers
Know Your Numbers (Business Financials) by Ai Group
Online, Thursday 25 July 2024 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
This interactive workshop aims to provide business owners with information to understand how to read key documents including a Profit & loss Statement and Balance Sheet and gain clarity on Break-Even Point, levers of cash flow and tools to forecast cash flow. For more information and to register, visit the link below:
Know Your Numbers (Business Financials)
Grant funding opportunities
Alpine Shire Grant Finder - GrantGuru
GrantGuru is specifically designed to assist local government by offering both staff and our community a easy to use grant searching portal. It has the ability to nominate specific subjects and grant area to receive email updates as and when new grants are released. You can view it here and start searching for grants: Alpine Shire Grant Finder
Regional Tourism Investment Fund 2024
The Regional Tourism Investment Fund 2024 aims to support new and innovative tourism infrastructure projects in regional and rural Victoria that will increase year-round visitation, improve the quality of experiences and increase visitors' length of stay. The fund will deliver three grant streams:
- Stream 1 - small-scale projects between $100,00 and $1 million
- Stream 2 - large-scale projects between 1,00,001 and $5 million
- Stream 3 - accommodation uplift between $500,000 and $2 million
More information about the fund can be found here.
Register of Approved Occupational Clothing
If your business has a non-compulsory uniform, you must register it before your employees can claim tax deductions for the costs of the uniform. Your business may also be eligible for a reduction in fringe benefits fax (FBT) if you provide the uniform to your employees for free or at a reduced cost. More information about eligibility criteria and how to register can be found here.
Industry Growth Program
The program provides an Advisory Service for startups and SMEs undertaking innovative commercialisation and/or growth project within the priority areas of the Australian Government's National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) and help build Australia's manufacturing capability for the future. Eligible businesses will be connected with an Industry Growth Program Advisor to provide specialised advice to support commercialisation and growth opportunities. Two grants are available:
- Grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to support early-stage commercialisation projects
- Grants of $100,000 to $5 million for commercialisation and growth projects
For more information and to review the eligibility requirements, visit here.
Government announcements and news
Backing Business to Create Jobs And Grow Our Economy
New Investment Backing Our Regional Tourism Businesses
Inspiring Investment in Victorian AgTech Startups
Setting More Victorians Up For Digital Jobs Success
Applying First Nations' Approaches to Agriculture Training
Facing closure, these family farms have been saved by agritourism and they want to pass on the know-how
What the 2024-25 Federal Budget means for your business
Key tax considerations for business and individuals in 2024
Employment news
Get set for a minimum wage increase
The Fair Work Commission has announced a 3.75% increase to the National Minimum Wage and minimum award wages. Learn more at 2023 - 2024 Annual Wage Review
Changes to breaks between work periods in the Retail Award
The Fair Work Commission has made changes to the wording of the Retail Award about the pay rate for employees when they don't get the minimum break between shifts. An employee gets a higher pay rate if they work a shift without getting a 12 hour break between their shifts (or 10 hours by agreement). All hours worked without this minimum break are paid at 200% of their minimum hourly rate until they get the minimum break. Learn more here
Changes to the Fair Work Act
There are new workplace laws as part of the Closing Loopholes changes which will take effect at different times from December 2023 to 2025. Stay up to date with the latest news here. You can also download a copy of the timeline of changes.
Business support services
Business Recovery Advisory Service
Business Recovery Advisers provide expert guidance and tailored support to small businesses including:
- Identifying short- and long-term needs to ensure business continuity and resilience
- Creating strategies for business recovery and growth
- Access to other support services including financial counselling and business coaching
Business Recovery Advisory Service is delivered by Business Victoria in partnership with Australian Industry Group (Ai Group). To find out more about the support available, click here.
Alpine Mindset Coaching
Life can sometimes get stressful and overwhelming, making it hard to cope. If you are experiencing any of these challenges:
- Stress and anxiety
- Life changes
- Sleep or concentration issues
- Recovering from natural disasters
- Study or work stress
You can get in touch with Wellways to access 6 free session with a Coach by contacting 1300 921 535 or alpinecoaching@wellways.org
This service is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments under the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Business Victoria Courses & Webinars
Numerous free courses and webinars can be accessed from the Business Victoria website to help you increase your knowledge and skills to run a successful business. You can find out more about what is available here.
Questions? Feedback? We would love to hear from you!
Send an email to economicdevelopment@alpineshire.vic.gov.au
