The New South Wales government is ending funding for its Business Connect program on September 30, eliminating a service that provided free business advice and was independently evaluated as returning up to three times its cost to the economy.
The $10 million annual program supported a sector that contributes $535 billion in sales and employs 1.8 million people across NSW. Since 2017, Business Connect has provided one-on-one advice to more than 60,000 small businesses and helped create more than 40,000 new jobs.
Under the previous model, Service NSW business concierges would triage enquiries and refer clients to subject-matter experts with local knowledge. The replacement system will see concierges handling queries without expert backup.
Martin Rogers, CEO of Realise Business—a not-for-profit that delivered Business Connect across Sydney—said the change would leave vulnerable operators without meaningful support.
“Just over a week ago, Premier Chris Minns admitted the program is effective—but dismissed it as ‘not absolutely essential,’” Rogers said. “For small business owners, that’s simply not true. If jobs, growth, innovation and preventing business failures are truly priorities, then cutting Business Connect makes little sense.”
The program’s advisor-led model placed experienced business professionals in local communities, helping businesses through significant challenges, including COVID-19 pivots, natural disaster recovery, and growth planning.
Success stories included Narooma Bridge Seafood, which repositioned from a boatshed into a successful retail deli operation.
Jonathan McIlroy, CEO of Enterprise Plus, which delivered the program in regional NSW, warned of particular impacts on rural communities.
“In regional NSW, where communities are already recovering from fires, floods and rising costs, Business Connect advisors have often been the difference between survival and closure,” McIlroy said. “Removing that support risks hollowing out main streets that are only just finding their feet again.”
An independent NSW Treasury review confirmed the program’s benefit-cost ratio of up to 3:1, with 97% of NSW businesses classified as small businesses.
