{"id":10570,"date":"2025-03-05T16:59:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T06:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenlifeindustryqld.org.au\/?page_id=10570"},"modified":"2025-05-06T16:38:37","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T06:38:37","slug":"support-for-small-business","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/greenlifeindustryqld.org.au\/our-work\/support-for-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Support for Small Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Support for Small Business<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoin Now<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSee the Benefits <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Greenlife\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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What\u2019s the problem?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Queensland horticulture is worth around $1 billion annually, making it one of the largest parts of the agriculture sector, however many Queensland greenlife industry growers and retailers are being squeezed like never before.<\/span><\/p>

In fact, we are seeing the longest sustained period of low business confidence in the past 30 years.<\/span><\/p>

In many cases, our costs are growing faster than our plants. A new survey shows greenlife businesses face a double whammy in soaring input costs and a subdued economy. What\u2019s more, almost half of the industry\u2019s operators expect their profits to decline further over coming months.<\/span><\/p>

When greenlife businesses fail, it affects more than just a family and their employees. The market becomes less competitive, corporations gain more market power, and customers are forced to pay more for the plants they buy.<\/span><\/p>

Even though our industry is worth billions, the vast majority of greenlife businesses are small and medium enterprises who do not have the capital reserves or supply chain power to navigate an increasingly complex trading environment.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Brisbane\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Greenlife Industry Qld is doing our bit to tackle the problem, including:<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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  • alerting members to changes in legislation, regulation and the operating environment<\/li>
  • working side-by-side with program partners to help nursery owners build their business resilience, both by improving productivity and reducing costs and risks<\/li>
  • scanning for government grant and assistance programs and communicating opportunities to production and retail nurseries<\/li>
  • lobbying for lower taxes and less red tape on small and medium greenlife businesses<\/li>
  • representing the industry and individual businesses on specific issues and challenges<\/li>
  • introducing nursery owners to new greenlife buyers<\/li>
  • educating nursery owners about how government procurement works and helping them apply for local and state government contracts<\/li>
  • helping nursery owners to develop succession or exit plans<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    What is Greenlife Industry Qld\u2019s position?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    1. Support QLD Growers <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We believe independent growers and retailers are critical to keep Queensland horticulture competitive and sustainable. Smaller businesses deserve special policies and special support.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    2. Cut Red Tape for Greenlife \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We want all levels of government to drastically reduce the red tape<\/strong> which is slowly strangling small businesses. 91% of Greenlife Industry Qld members said government over-regulation is a constraint on their business. Fire ant compliance is a significant red tape burden, but regulations are a concern across the board.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    3. Lower Power Costs for Growers <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We need the Queensland Government to do more to alleviate the cost of power<\/strong> for small businesses. For their size, growers use a lot of power, and we are paying now for years of government inaction to stabilise electricity prices. While the Federal Government is responsible for national energy policy, the Queensland Government must invest more wisely in both regional power generation and transmission infrastructure. Co-investing with nursery businesses to implement more on-farm generation and storage would make Queensland horticulture more sustainable, and take pressure off our already struggling power networks.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    4. End Payroll Tax for Growers <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Payroll tax is a major drag on medium businesses, and acts as a disincentive for successful small growers. Growing plants is a labour intensive exercise, and payroll tax unfairly penalises our industry in particular. Payroll tax is a tax on jobs and a plan must be developed to phase it out<\/strong> and, over time, abolish it completely.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    5. Cap Land Tax for Small Business <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    The burden of land tax on small businesses must be addressed<\/strong> by capping increases and implementing phased assessments.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    6. Establish a Greenlife Industry Small Business Growth Fund<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    We call on the Queensland Government to establish a Greenlife Industry Small Business Growth Fund<\/strong>, a state or federal co-investment fund to support small nursery businesses with modernisation projects, site expansion, workforce development, and entry into new markets (e.g. export, urban greening, online retail).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    7. Boost Nursery Productivity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    51 % of Queensland nursery growers say they have not experienced any productivity improvements in the past five years, due in large part to the extra input costs and wage increases they are incurring. 82% of growers say they would appreciate more support to increase efficiencies and implement productivity-saving technologies into their businesses. We call on the Queensland Government to provide funding to support digital transformation in the greenlife industry<\/strong>. This may include grants or co-contributions to aid in digital adoption projects such as online sales platforms, inventory management systems, customer engagement tools, digital marketing and e-commerce training. This would improve competitiveness and help smaller nurseries reach broader markets.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    8. Simplify Government Procurement <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Only 4% of small businesses in Queensland agree that it\u2019s easy to sell to government. Government procurement programs say they favour small and medium businesses by applying a weighting to SMEs, but in reality we do not believe this is effective. Government buyers need to be more transparent in their dealings<\/strong> and they must make applying for government work simpler and less time-consuming.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    9. Lower Insurance Costs for Growers <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Insurance is becoming unaffordable for greenlife businesses, especially those based in Queensland\u2019s northern parts. Governments need to step in to address the market\u2019s failure<\/strong> and either work with insurancers to create affordable coverage, or invest in reinsurance pools to bring premiums down. Stamp duty must be abolished on insurance premiums.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    10. Strengthen Horticulture Apprenticeships<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Both the State and Federal Governments need to increase support for horticulture apprenticeships and traineeships<\/strong>, including financial incentives for growers to hire and train apprentices. They should provide funding support for partnerships between industry and TAFE to ensure training programs are relevant and include on-the-job learning.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    Latest News<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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