The NSW Farmers’ Association Government has been awarded $185,310 to support a program empowering women in the Lismore electorate to start and run successful small businesses through the Women in Business Networks (WIBN) grant.
This funding, granted by the NSW Government, will support the Empowering Women in Farming Businesses program to host up to 10 events across regional NSW to provide support to regional, rural and remote women in businesses.
The valuable contribution of women to agriculture
The program recognises the valuable contribution of women to the agriculture sector and aims to provide focused networking and skill development opportunities to further develop their confidence and support systems.
Other communities set to benefit from this project include Armidale, Lake Macquarie, Upper Hunter, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Newcastle, Central Coast, Eurobodalla, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga.
Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP said the WIBN grant would provide more economic opportunities to enterprising women in the Northern Rivers region.
Delivering more opportunities
‘Women make an outstanding contribution to the Lismore community and we are backing the NSW Farmers’ Association to deliver more opportunities for women to advance their agriculture business prospects.
‘More women in business means more innovation, new ideas and greater employment opportunities for people in the Lismore region.’
‘The Minns Government is committed to closing the gender pay gap in New South Wales and this will only be possible if we have more women leading and owning businesses across this state,’ she said.
Despite the prevalence of small businesses in New South Wales, only one-third of these businesses are owned by women. The WIBN grant bolsters the NSW Government’s commitment to support women in small business and entrepreneurs, as outlined in the 2022-23 Women’s Opportunity Statement.
Making connections
The programs will help connect women in small business or those who are looking to start a small business with the right resources and support. They will include training, workshops, networking, peer support and industry mentoring.
Rebecca Reardon, Vice President of the NSW Farmer’s Association, said that women perform a critical function in many farm businesses and developing their skills would unlock greater opportunities.
‘Women traditionally perform administrative-type activities but we’re seeing more and more women looking for entrepreneurial ways to market and sell their farm’s products.’
This round of WIBN grant funding delivered $500,000 to support an additional two projects including:
- ‘Work of Art’, run by Regional Arts NSW. The program responds to the challenges that many women face in trying to establish their creative businesses in regional areas. The project addresses challenges, including a sense of isolation, accessing professional development opportunities, understanding and developing a market and experiencing both the advantages and disadvantages of distance and geography.
- Yinaar Ngaambi-li’ created by the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, is a bespoke accelerator for Aboriginal women entrepreneurs and business owners. The project aims to develop their business capacity through a fit for purpose, culturally considered Business Accelerator Program that enables their sustained connection to business support and professional women role models, mentors and networks.
For more information on this grant, please visit nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/wibn.
