Michelle Grattan.
The Startup Year proposal, in Anthony Albanese’s Thursday night budget reply, would offer places for up to 2000 students. The scheme would run for a year, with the opportunity to scale up
Labor’s industry spokesman Ed Husic said the goal would be “to increase the number and scale of new high-growth firms that are creating economic growth, innovation, and good quality jobs for the future”.
Incubators and accelerators exist in a range of universities as well as in the private sector to help entrepreneurs with their startups. The students would be able to get mentoring on commercialisation, financing and business management.
A Labor government would provide support for aspiring young entrepreneurs to spend a business-focused year working with a university or private sector incubator to develop their startup enterprise or idea.