Home topics news Expert News Opinion Expert Aussie start up founders react to the budget Loren Webb April 4, 2019 These Aussie start up founders share their thoughts on the Federal Budget reveal earlier this week, giving us an insight into how SMEs are going to be affected – the positives and the negatives. Carl Hartmann, Co-founder at ShortLyster “The part of Mr Frydenberg’s speech most relevant to the startup sector was his announcement to increase the Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) by $60 million. The EMDG grant is a really important mechanism that helps support Australian companies export their IP to the rest of the world. It has been essential to achieving the first wave of global expansion for local exporting businesses. The $60M will certainly help drive successful outcomes for Australian companies. “On the flipside, if we keep companies here, we need to ensure they have the resources they need to build products locally. Therefore, we still need to make sure we have sufficient skilled migration policies to meet the demand for jobs that remain on Australian soil. “With regard to increasing support for female entrepreneurs, anything that promotes diversity in this space is welcomed by the startup community. As entrepreneurship comes from all people regardless of gender or race, investing in a policy that promotes inclusiveness is great. “Overall, while the EMDG grant is welcomed, if core issues facing startups (such as attracting local talent, and ensuring local funding is available) remain unaddressed, then more work still