Business Victoria services
Workshops
Small Business Victoria has twenty six practical, low-cost workshops covering all the essentials of business success such as business planning, marketing, digital skills, finance, employment, productivity and business continuity.
Small Business Bus
The Small Business Bus visits Melbourne and regional Victoria as a 'travelling office on wheels'. It offers friendly, professional assistance from an information officer and expert advice from an experienced business mentor.
Other support
Increased support is being provided to help farmers make decisions, including through:
- Dairy Australia's Tactic for Tight Times and Taking Stock programs
- The Rural Financial Counselling Service, which provides free financial counselling to a range of rural clients experiencing financial hardship.
Increased support is also focusing on ensuring the health and wellbeing of farmers and communities, including through:
- Mental Health First Aid Training, which is giving the community valuable information about mental health issues and where to get help for themselves, their friends or family
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
- For further information about the support that is available, please call 136 186.
The Victorian Government has announced a $11.4 million package, including $5.2 million of industry funding, to roll out of further support for our dairy farmers. This incorporates a specific $1.5 million government assistance package to ensure there are more services available to dairy farmers experiencing emotional and financial stress.
$4.5 million has been set aside to support affected farming communities and the Victorian Government will consult on how these funds are best spent. For more support services visit Agriculture Victoria's Support for dairy farmers page.
Farm Debt Mediation
Victorian law provides that a farmer in default on a farm debt must be given the opportunity by the creditor to participate in a mediation conducted by the Victorian Small Business Commission. Farmers can also initiate this process. A creditor cannot pursue any legal avenues to recover its security interests when this process is underway.
Farmers with other commercial disputes
The Victorian Small Business Commission provides a quick, low cost dispute resolution service for small and medium businesses (including farmers) in a commercial dispute with another business. Any type of commercial dispute can be referred to the Commission, and there is no constraint on the size of a business or the amount in dispute. Referring a commercial dispute to the Commissioner can lead to quick, pragmatic resolution of the problem and avoid matters escalating to litigation. The Commission's service has high resolution rates and high customer satisfaction ratings.
Contact the Victorian Small Business Commission on 1800 878 964.