Grants open to help small businesses to boost equipment and productivity

Nicklin MP Marty Hunt, Minister for Small and Family Business Steve Minnikin and All Coast Tyres owner John O’Leary at the launch at Meadow Bake Shop Yandina.

Small and family-run businesses can now apply for new State Government grants aimed at helping them purchase specialised equipment to support growth.

The Business Growth Fund, launched in Yandina on Thursday, is offering grants of between $50,000 and $75,000, with applicants required to match at least half of the total project cost. The fund is designed to help businesses invest in items such as production equipment, advanced manufacturing technology and logistics systems.

Minister for Small and Family Business Steve Minnikin said the grants were intended to give operators a chance to expand. He said he chose Yandina for the launch because Nicklin MP Marty Hunt had been a vocal advocate for small and family-run enterprises.

“We are supporting small and family businesses across the state and, importantly in our regions, with grants to help their growth so they can continue to drive Queensland’s economy,” he said.

“By 2032, Queensland is estimated to have over 615,000 small businesses operating across the state. This represents significant economic potential for Queensland, and the Crisafulli Government is helping small and family businesses to tap into this opportunity.”

Mr Hunt said the high upfront costs of upgrading equipment remained a major barrier for many local firms.

“Small businesses looking to buy, install and complete training to use new equipment face significant costs in time and money that can stop or slow their growth plans,” Mr Hunt said.

“Supporting small businesses to overcome these barriers will help them and the people they support – staff, suppliers and customers – to grow and thrive.”

The government says small and family businesses contribute more than $131 billion to Queensland’s economy and employ more than one million people. • Registrations of interest for the fund close 30 January 2026. Full guidelines are available at www.business.qld.gov.au/growthfund.