Protect your team and ensure your business complies with the newly commenced Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025. 

WorkSafe Victoria provides small and medium business owners with the tools to navigate workplace mental health obligations without the guesswork.

• Training: Online "Psychological Health Basics" sessions tailored for small and medium businesses 

• Guidance: Understand your employer responsibilities to identify, assess, and control psychosocial hazards under the latest regulations.

• Hazard Solutions: Access practical advice, webinars, and video resources for managing day-to-day workplace risks like bullying, work-related fatigue, aggression, and sexual harassment.

Mental health Coaching for Small Business Owners

Owning a small business can be tough. But you don't have to do it alone.

BeyondBlue NewAccess for Small Business is a free, confidential mental health coaching program, designed to help small business owners and sole traders manage stress, worry and overwhelm.

• 6 free mental health coaching sessions, plus 2 follow up sessions - No GP referral needed.

• Flexible and confidential - Phone or video coaching to fit your schedule.

• Personalised support - Coaches who understand you.

Mental Health Coaching for Workers

BeforeBlue for Workplaces is a free, confidential program to strengthen your mental wellbeing.

If work or life pressure is starting to build, and you want support before it gets worse, help is available.

What you can expect:

• No referrals. No cost. Completely confidential.

• Up to eight sessions with a mental health coach.

• Flexible support by phone or video.

• Personalised support from trained coaches who understand work pressures.

The Worker Mental Health Coaching program is eligible for workers in Victoria who are 18 and over who work for businesses with under 200 employees.

The program is funded by WorkSafe Victoria.

By participating in this program you consent to sharing some information for an independent evaluation by Monash University.

One-to-one support, tailored to you

Running a small business often means managing unpredictable challenges, which can quickly lead to burnout, stress, and overwhelm. Partners in Wellbeing offers tailored, one-to-one Wellbeing Coaching designed to help you navigate the unique pressures of business ownership so you can maintain your health while growing your livelihood.

Why Small Business Owners Should Connect?

• Practical Stress Management: Learn actionable tools and strategies to manage daily anxiety, low mood, and the heavy mental load of running a business.

• A Safe Sounding Board: Gain a confidential, dedicated space to talk through what is on your mind with a trained professional who understands your challenges.

• Ongoing Encouragement: Benefit from regular check-ins that provide accountability and support as you put healthy coping strategies into practice during your busy work week.

• Streamlined Network Access: Save time trying to navigate the mental health system. Coaches provide direct guidance to connect you with Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs or local community services if you need extra support.

The Business Victoria Workplace Wellbeing Hub  provides mental health and wellbeing support resources tailored for sole traders, small businesses, and their employees.

• Immediate Assistance: Direct connections to urgent mental health support services.

• Stress Management: Information on identifying work-related stress, mitigation strategies, and avenues for further support.

• Small Business Support: Access to free resources and services designed specifically to bolster the mental health of sole traders and their staff.

• Workplace Creation: Guidance and strategies to help build safe, supportive work environments where employees can thrive.

• Adviser Resources: Specialized materials for accountants, agents, and industry associations to assist their small business clients with mental health considerations.

• Multilingual Options: Essential workplace wellbeing information and support services provided in languages other than English

StartUp Central Victoria is a collaborative initiative that supports aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs across the Loddon Campaspe region with pro-bono business development resources.

• Free Pre-Accelerator Programs: Access structured, hands-on support to transform early-stage business ideas into viable, scalable ventures.

• Expert Mentorship: Connect directly with highly experienced local professionals and business owners who generously volunteer their time to guide emerging founders.

• Ecosystem Networking: Build meaningful industry connections through regular developer meetups, targeted events, and panel discussions with like-minded regional innovators.

• Robust Regional Backing: Leverage opportunities backed by a strong consortium, including six local government areas, Be.Bendigo, and La Trobe University Bendigo.

Contact StartUp Central Victoria if you'd like to join the next pre-accelerator program, find a local mentor, or attend upcoming ecosystem events.

Resources

StartUp Central Victoria also has a dedicated resource hub for regional founders and business owners to find inspiration, practical advice, and local data.

• Local Founder Journeys: Learn from the real-world successes and challenges of regional startups.

• Actionable Business Guides: Access practical advice on securing grants, scaling growth, and planning your exit.

• Expert Event Recordings: Catch up on past meetups, tech discussions, and industry panels you may have missed.

• Ecosystem Reports: Stay informed on Central Victoria's economic strategies and regional innovation initiatives.

Joining Be.Bendigo gives your small business the tools, visibility, and connections needed to thrive in the Greater Bendigo region. As the premier local Chamber of Commerce, it provides a dedicated platform to elevate your brand, expand your network, and access resources tailored specifically for local business growth.

Core Benefits for Small Business Owners

• Strategic Networking: Build relationships with a diverse community of local entrepreneurs, potential clients, and industry leaders through regular events, the Regional HR Network, and the Young Professionals Network.

• Increased Visibility: Showcase your products and services directly to the community via the active Member Directory and gain region-wide prestige through the annual Bendigo Business Excellence Awards.

• Targeted Support & Resources: Access impactful programs focused on essential business operations, leadership capacity building, and workplace mental health and wellbeing.

• Community Integration: Collaborate with established regional partners and like-minded innovators to ensure your business remains sustainable, supported, and connected to the pulse of Greater Bendigo's local economy.

bebendigo.com.au

Partnering with Destination Central Victoria connects your small business to the peak tourism body for Victoria’s Heartland, directly putting your offerings in front of more visitors. By joining this network, you gain access to the tools, exposure, and advocacy needed to help your business thrive across the Hepburn, Macedon Ranges, Mt Alexander, and Central Goldfields regions.

Why Become a Partner?

• Increased Visibility: Benefit from dedicated regional marketing and PR campaigns designed to drive visitation directly to your door.

• Strategic Support: Access comprehensive industry resources, including vital data, training programs, and business tools tailored for local operators.

• Industry Advocacy: Have an active voice in shaping the region's tourism direction through board representation and ongoing industry engagement.

• Powerful Networking: Collaborate with a united community of local operators and businesses working together to grow and strengthen tourism across Central Victoria.

• Proven Success: Tap into established relationships and expert guidance that local operators describe as an "indispensable part of business success."

destinationcentralvictoria.com.au

The Workforce Australia Local Jobs Program is designed to address local workforce needs, offering key support and resources.

• Job Coordinators: Dedicated contacts across 51 Employment Regions who connect employers with employment and skills services, and hold access to flexible funding for small employment activities.

• Local Jobs and Skills Taskforces: Regional groups that collaborate directly with businesses to develop local solutions for workforce needs and skills training.

• Local Jobs Plan: Regularly updated regional profiles offering local labour market data and insights to help businesses understand employment priorities and inform local initiatives.

• Local Jobs, Local People Grants: Targeted programs designed to support activities that address specific local employment needs and create pathways to ongoing jobs.

Businesses looking to connect with these resources can reach out to their regional Job Coordinator, email localjobs@dewr.gov.au, or call the National Customer Service Line at 1800 805 260.

Business Victoria provides a range of support, guidance, services and skills to start, run and transform businesses.

Tools and templates include:

• Starting a business

• Marketing

• Finance

• Information Technology

• Staff Management

• Risk and resilience

• Events

The Victorian Small Business Commission offers support and information for small business owners can can grow their knowledge and make sure they understand their rights and responsibilities. 

www.vsbc.vic.gov.au

Operated by Business Victoria, the Small Business Bus visits metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria as an 'office on wheels'. It offers friendly and professional assistance. 

Develop your ideas and capabilities with a 1:1 session with a business adviser at the Small Business Bus at locations all over Victoria.

Helpful resources come to you

Whether you're planning, starting or growing your business, the Victorian Government's Small Business Bus can help you to develop your business ideas and capabilities. The Small Business Bus comes fully equipped with expert advisers to provide general business assistance.

Advanced bookings are required as sessions are strictly limited.

Virtual coaching sessions with expert business advisers are also available at a time that suits you if the Bus isn’t in your area.

Melbourne Innovation Centre helps businesses and the entrepeneurs behind them build a smarter, stronger future - with practical learing, tailored support, and a community invested in impact. 

• Mentoring & Support

• Workshops & Courses

• Events & Networking

melbourneinnovation.com.au

Services include:

Digital Solutions Program 

Build your small business's digital skills with expert support, subsidised by the Australian Government. Get up to 5 hours of 1:1 mentoring for $110. Plus free workshops, webinars and online learning across everything from digital marketing to AI and cybersecurity. 

Business Mentoring & Advisory

Mentoring service provide small business owners and startup founders with practical, personalised support that combines advisory, coaching, and accountability to help them make confident, strategic decisions and drive real business growth. 

Agriculture Victoria provides comprehensive farm management resources designed to support financial viability, emergency preparedness, and sustainable agricultural practices.

• Business & Financial Support: Facilitates farm debt mediation and provides access to the free, impartial Rural Financial Counselling Service for decision support and financial information. It also offers specialized resources for new landholders and improving decision making.

• Drought & Emergency Management: Offers drought support, encompassing grants, farm advisory services, and mental health resources. It also coordinates emergency management for bushfires, floods, storms, and biosecurity events.

• Planning & Farm Development: Operates the Agriculture Victoria Planning and Advisory Service and provides online tools and eGuides to help navigate farm developments and rural planning decisions.

• Land, Pasture & Soil: Provides extensive resources for land and pasture management (including feed budgeting and grazing strategies), soil conservation and testing, and farm water management.

• Technology & Energy: Supports innovation through AgTech resources for farmers and promotes on-farm energy efficiency via the Agriculture Energy Investment Plan.

• Chemicals & Compliance: Outlines regulations, licences, and safe usage guidelines for agricultural chemicals, and manages the allocation of Property Identification Codes (PIC) required for livestock owners.

smallbusiness.taxsuperandyou.gov.au

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO)  Essentials to strengthen your small business provides free online learning resources tailored to different stages of running a business:

Business Stages Guidance: Resources categorized by where you are in your business journey, including starting an idea, the initial start-up phase, day-to-day management, making changes or innovating, and eventually exiting or winding down.

Popular Tax Courses: Educational modules covering essential topics such as:

• • Starting a small business

  • Using business money and assets

  • Record keeping

  • Growing your small business

  • Goods and Services Tax (GST)

  • Claiming small business tax deductions

ATO Community & Support: Links to find answers regarding tax and superannuation via the ATO Community, along with quick access to the small business newsroom and ATO social media channels.