BRIMBANK: Business boost for St Albans
The State Government says that it is backing small businesses in St Albans to grow, providing support to local multicultural traders and precincts.
Natalie Suleyman (pictured), Minister for Small Business and Employment, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt joined the community at the annual St Albans Lunar New Year Festival to announce support for the St Albans Business Group Association.
The $200,000 grant will support St Albans Business Group Association to host the annual St Albans Lunar New Year Festival until 2027, as well as delivering a week-long event as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival for the next two years, starting with St Albans Westside Wanders in March 2025.
The Association will also host engagement nights involving over 120 traders over the next two years, with each event to include awards for traders.
Now in its 27th year, St Albans Lunar New Year Festival attracts around 100,000 Victorians each year to celebrate the community’s cultural heritage and showcases Southeast Asian culture and traditions, featuring rides, traditional food, music and entertainment.
The project is funded under the Government’s $17 million investment to support multicultural traders and precincts. As part of that investment, $2 million was invested to support multicultural traders’ associations, so they can work directly with the local businesses and communities.
Multicultural businesses play a crucial role in thw economy – they create employment opportunities, strengthen the vibrancy of our business precincts across Victoria, and build connections to diverse local communities.
Victoria is proudly home to over 718,000 small businesses, and over a third are owned by migrants. The new year is the perfect time to shop small and support local businesses, with that support flowing into the state’s economy.
“The St Albans Lunar New Year Festival has been an important community celebration for almost 30 years, and we are delighted to help it continue, celebrating the proud multicultural spirit of St Albans and supporting local businesses,” Ms Suleyman said.
Ms Stitt said: “It is great to lock in the St Albans Lunar New Year Festival for another three years, the festival celebrates the community’s proud Asian culture and drives people to the area helping the local economy and multicultural businesses.”
St Albans Business Group Association President Sebastian Agricola said: “The assistance from the Victorian Government is invaluable. It is a huge boost for the St Albans town centre, empowering businesses to embrace digital media and host our inaugural business award.”