Western Australia is a wonderfully diverse place to do business, and our small business community reflects that. According to the 2021 Census undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 32 per cent of WA's population was born overseas - above the national average of 29 per cent.
The Census also revealed that immigrants are often inspired to start on the small business journey – such as members of the Afghan community, among which 28 per cent of that community's workforce are self-employed. Vietnamese born business owners account for 23 per cent of the workforce, while Italians and South Koreans show a similar propensity to self-employment, with 21 per cent of workforce originating from these nations running their own businesses here in their new home of WA.
These numbers tell a clear story. Immigrants are not just contributing to our Western Australian economy: they are building it, one business at a time. And we can see their contribution in all the choices we have at our fingertips. Whether it’s choosing between pho, gozleme, curry or continental rolls for lunch or venturing beyond hospitality to other sectors such as technology, professional services, construction and the arts – entrepreneurs from many nations are shaping produce and service delivery in our state.
With this landscape in mind, my team at the SBDC has made a small but important change to our website smallbusiness.wa.gov.au. To ensure small business information and resources are readily available in the top languages spoken in our state, we have installed instant translation on our website. It’s simple to access – just a matter of selecting your preferred language from the top menu in desktop view, or clicking the ‘hamburger menu’ from your mobile device to translate the text on any page. We are starting with 15 of the most commonly spoken languages other than English in WA, including those spoken by our team, and can add more in response to demand.
This is a development I am genuinely proud of and reflects something I feel strongly about: here at the SBDC we want every small business owner and sole trader in the state to feel they can turn to us - regardless of the language they feel most confident using. For a small business navigating licensing, leasing, employment obligations or dispute resolution, language should never be a barrier to accessing the information they need. Because running a business is complex enough!
For those in our Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities, I also want to remind you that our advisory services remain free, and our team is here to help. You can reach us via phone on 133 140, via live chat on our website, or make an advisory appointment over Microsoft Teams. We also offer access to a free translating and interpreting service by calling 13 14 50.
At the SBDC, our commitment is straightforward: to be the most useful, accessible and trusted resource for small business owners in Western Australia. Ensuring our website speaks your language is one more step in honouring that commitment.
Saj Abdoolakhan
Small Business Commissioner
