The Morrison Government is building on its support for small businesses by $8 million to extend the Go Local First campaign for another 12 months. The national campaign, which is coordinated by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA), urges Australians to buy locally in their communities as part of our COVID-19 recovery.
Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, said Go Local First is aimed at strengthening local economies and creating local jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘Australia’s 3.5 million small and family-owned businesses are the lifeblood of our local communities and have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 economic conditions,’ Minister Robert said.
‘As we rebuild from COVID-19, the Morrison Government is ensuring small and family businesses can benefit by building confidence in our community to shop locally.’
Minister Robert said the campaign, launched in July 2020, will run throughout 2021 and into next year, highlighting the crucial role small business plays in our nation’s economy, in keeping communities thriving and creating local jobs.
‘The small local businesses we all know and love need Australians to get out there, spending and shopping locally, particularly in Victoria when the current lockdown ends,’ Minister Robert said.
Research showed 78 per cent of those who had seen the campaign said they would spend with small local businesses over multinationals, compared with only 56 per cent of those who had not seen the campaign.
The campaign will build on this success achieved throughout 2020 in encouraging Australians to choose local small businesses when buying products and services to help support local jobs.
For more information, visit the Go Local First website.