Thursday, 18 May 2023

 Natalie SULEYMAN (St Albans – Minister for Veterans, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Youth) (14:15): I rise today to update the house on inspiring stories of women in small business. In Victoria close to 40 per cent of small business owners are women, and one-third of small businesses are run by migrants. We know that migrant women can face challenges when starting or running a small business, and that is why on this side of the house we are very proud to support women to achieve their full potential. I recently joined Migrant Women in Business at the Made by Many Minds expo. I met so many fabulous women who were passionate about business growth and success. The Andrews Labor government proudly funded this program, a one-stop shop which provides migrant women in business with support for legal issues, finance, marketing and so much more. This funding plants the seed for countless startups owned and run by migrant women.

At the expo there were over 100 small business owners, all sharing their skills and knowledge, like Laura Alicia, who runs a photography business. A hearing-impaired photographer, Laura has established a successful business and she has learned to lip-read in English. She is now sharing her expertise and that of other migrant women through the platform. These women are talented and resilient, and when given an opportunity to learn and grow, they generate so much social, cultural and economic value for Victoria. When women are given the opportunity, they will put their hands up and rise to the challenge.

We are a government that proudly stands for equality, rights and empowering women. You just need to look across the chamber to see how out of touch the opposition leader and his team are. On this side of the house women will always have a seat at the table. We are proud to support women in small business because it is the right thing to do and it makes Victoria a better place.