The Small Business Development Conference NEIS Awards

Transcript of video message presented to The Small Business Development Conference Gala Dinner and Awards, Melbourne 

Good evening, everyone.

It’s a great pleasure to join you by video message tonight to celebrate the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.

I am disappointed I could not be there in person and I look forward to meeting you all another time.

I come to my role as Minister for Employment with a varied background, including as a proud Western Australian, and an employment and industrial relations lawyer.

As a Senator for Western Australia, I am well aware of the importance of jobs in local communities.

I have spent many rewarding hours assisting constituents and working with local businesses and organisations to boost employment opportunities. 

Now as Minister for Employment, I am keen to push forward with the Government’s priority of building a strong and prosperous economy that promotes workforce participation and helps more job seekers to find and keep a job.

The best form of welfare is a job and the Government is committed to policies which help people into work.

The simple fact is that under this Government, more Australians are in work than ever before.

It’s clear that jobactive and NEIS are delivering by ensuring job seekers are becoming job ready.

You will all be aware that NEIS is 30 years old this year.

Each year NEIS helps up to 6300 job seekers to establish their small businesses.

More than 150 000 people have been assisted across Australia since the program started.

The scheme has been a terrific success story for thirty years, because it is effective in helping people to realise their dreams in business.

With this success of NEIS, it’s absolutely fitting that you are celebrating your success of NEIS with an awards presentation.

These awards are a terrific way of recognising excellence, inspiring others to do their best, and sharing best practice.

I commend everyone who has been nominated.You should be very proud of the work you do, and how you are helping job seekers into self-employment.

Having a job means a pay packet and improved self-esteem, and even has physical and mental health benefits, as well as improving the wellbeing of family members.

And getting people into employment, whether it is as an employee or as a small business entrepreneur through NEIS, is great for local communities and for the national economy.

So well done to everyone involved.

I wish you all well with your future activities to get people into employment through the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme.