Additional business support in Marysville and Kinglake Ranges
Thursday 24 February 2011
One-on-one intensive mentoring support and business development assistance will be available to residents looking to start a business in Marysville and the Kinglake Ranges under a new bushfires recovery initiative announced today by the Victorian Government.
The new Business Start Up Program aimed to encourage and support businesses wishing to open in the areas most seriously affected in the 2009 bushfires.
$165,000 is being made available as part of the $1.3 million Small Business Support Program to provide support through business development assistance and intensive mentoring to small businesses in their establishment stages.
This program has been created in partnership with the Salvation Army and Pandora Jewellery and is another example of the government, not-for-profit and private sectors working together to support the bushfire reconstruction and recovery effort.
The Government encouraged people thinking of establishing a business in a fire-affected area to apply for support under the program.
Up to 10 businesses in both Marysville and the Kinglake Ranges will be eligible for intensive mentoring sessions with the Small Business Mentoring Service, which has provided extensive assistance to existing and small businesses since the fires.
Business owners will also be able to participate in workshops where expert information and assistance will be provided to help with initial start up and establishment.
Prospective businesses interested in participating in the program must be looking to start up their business in the Kinglake Ranges (Kinglake, Kinglake West, Kinglake Central and Pheasant Creek) or Marysville and Triangle area (Marysville, Narbethong, Granton, Taggerty and Buxton).
The Victorian Government is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for this program. Copies of the program EOI form are available online at www.wewillrebuild.vic.gov.au or by calling the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.
Expressions of interest close on Wednesday 9 March 2011. The first training session will be held in Marysville on 21 March and in Kinglake on 22 March.
