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Our commitment to a Small Business Friendly Brisbane

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Council is proud to be part of the Small Business Friendly initiative. Read about our commitment and performance.

Brisbane City Council is proud to be part of the Queensland Government's Small Business Friendly program. The program helps small and family businesses thrive. Find out about our commitments and performance in the areas of community, connection and care. Council's support of this program reinforces our longstanding dedication to making it easy to do business in Brisbane.

For practical support and opportunities, see Business support.

Small Business Friendly Brisbane initiative

We are focused on becoming Australia's most small-business-friendly council, supporting the growth of local businesses. Small businesses drive local jobs, provide essential goods, and help grow Brisbane's economy. We're committed to making business easier and providing top-notch service to support you.

When small businesses thrive, Brisbane thrives. We set clear goals to support small businesses and publish achievements against these commitments for 2025–26.

Our small business commitment and our performance

What we've done:

  • Introduced the Workshop Wednesday program at our Suburban Business Hub to expand opportunities for businesses to access learning, networking and advisory support with 45 workshops/events delivered.
  • Delivered workshops and mentoring at the Brisbane Business Hub.
  • Delivered evening AI webinars during Queensland Small Business Month to provide opportunities for those businesses who can’t attend our regular workshops during the day, with 70 participating.
  • Trained 22 food businesses through the Food Business Support Program.
  • Delivered 4 full day AI masterclasses with 62 businesses participating.
  • Delivered 2 Visual Merchandising masterclasses with 13 businesses participating.
  • Trained 37 solo entrepreneurs through the Maker Entrepreneurship program.
  • Funded scholarships through the Lord Mayor's Multicultural Business Scholarship Program.

What we've done:

  • Our Business in Brisbane Online community was awarded Small Business Friendly Initiative of the Year in the 2026 Queensland Small Business Friendly Awards. It has connected over 6,627 local business owners with information and support as of June 2026.
  • Communicated regularly with small businesses through the Business in Brisbane e-newsletter and printed Business in Brisbane newsletter.
  • Engaged with, promoted and supported 21 not-for profit Brisbane Business Networks.
  • Engaged with 1,445 businesses at the Suburban Business Hub.
  • Established the Business Hotline 133 BNE in 2012, offering 24/7 support for businesses.
  • Maintained a dedicated complaints page with clear guidelines on investigations.
  • Regularly updated policies on local laws, planning, and procurement.
  • Delivered a free Business Resilience workshop at our Suburban Business Hub.

What we've done:

  • Held the 20th Lord Mayor's Business Awards, awarding 12 businesses and business leaders.
  • Recognised the contributions of 4 multicultural business leaders through the Lord Mayor's Multicultural Business Dinner and Awards.
  • Launched the Shop Brisbane Makers online directory to promote high-quality, established makers, boosting sales and awareness.
  • Delivered Growing Precincts Together to promote, support, refresh and activate Stones Corner Village, Hawthorne Road, Wilston Village and Bald Hills Village.
  • Delivered the Shop Local, Win Big at Wynnum Town Centre promotion to encourage and reward local spend during Queensland Small Business Month.
  • To support the almost 300 precincts Brisbane-wide, we added the Shops that Shine Guide to Visual Merchandising to the Precinct Playbook online resource.
  • Delivered the free Vibrantly Vacant art decals program to improve vacant shopfronts.
  • Provided ongoing support to Suburban Retail Precincts including regular email updates about opportunities available from Council and trusted organisations.

What we've done:

  • We published our 2025–26 Procurement Policy and Plan online to ensure transparency and uphold our Small Business Friendly commitment.
  • Maintained 7-day payment terms for small business suppliers.
  • Offer the Better Brisbane Proposal process for market-led proposals.
  • Welcomed 12,440 new Brisbane businesses to introduce support available and provide the right information to set them up for success.
  • Awarded $250,000 in Lord Mayor's Women in Business Grants to 52 female business owners.

What we've done:

  • Held 6 Small Business Roundtables, with input from the Queensland Small Business Commissioner.
  • Participated in the Queensland Government’s Small Business Expo held at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre on Tuesday, 26 May 2026.
  • Partnered with the Queensland Government’s Mentoring for Growth program to offer one-on-one mentoring opportunities to Brisbane businesses.
  • Partnered with the Australian Government’s Digital Solutions Program to host free workshops and fund Digital Action Plans for Brisbane businesses.
  • Partnered with IDCARE and Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) to deliver cybersecurity sessions at our Suburban Business Hub.
  • Published this page to share our small business commitments.

Small Business Roundtable

Council launched the Small Business Roundtable in 2021 to respond to small business needs.

It meets regularly to connect Council officers, industry representatives, and business leaders to address issues and shape small business support.

More information

For more information on Council's small business friendly commitment, email Council.