{
 "id": "au-state-support-index",
 "cc": "au",
 "lang": "en",
 "kind": "index",
 "title": "Australian State Small Business Support Index 2026",
 "h1": "Free business advice and start-up money in every Australian state and territory, 2026",
 "question": "What free advice and start-up money does each Australian state and territory offer someone starting a small business from unemployment?",
 "unit": "hours",
 "unitLabel": "hours of free business advice",
 "axisName": "Start-up money from the state",
 "computedAt": "2026-09-26",
 "stats": {
  "n": 4,
  "median": 3,
  "min": 0.75,
  "max": 4,
  "p25": 1.69,
  "p75": 4,
  "mean": 2.69
 },
 "byAxis": {
  "Advice only": {
   "n": 4,
   "median": 3
  }
 },
 "coverage": {
  "named": 8,
  "read": 8,
  "published": 4,
  "notPublished": 4,
  "unreadable": 0
 },
 "headline": "Where a state or territory states it, free advice for a new small business runs to a median of 3 hours (range 0.75 to 4, 4 of 8 jurisdictions), read from each government’s own pages on 26 September 2026. None of the eight runs a general start-up grant for new businesses.",
 "rows": [
  {
   "label": "New South Wales",
   "url": "https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/business/small-business-advisory-program",
   "group": "Advice only",
   "display": "4 hours free · no state start-up grant or loan",
   "value": 4,
   "sentence": "up to 4 hours of business advice in person, online or over the phone, each financial year",
   "readAt": "2026-09-26",
   "sha": "8be90dbc810deba4"
  },
  {
   "label": "Victoria",
   "url": "https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/business-mentoring",
   "group": "Advice only",
   "display": "45 minutes free · no state start-up grant or loan",
   "value": 0.75,
   "sentence": "One free 45-minute general business advice session and business action plan per business.",
   "readAt": "2026-09-26",
   "sha": "80f32dd70d148aff"
  },
  {
   "label": "Tasmania",
   "url": "https://www.businessadvice.tas.gov.au/new_business_support",
   "group": "Advice only",
   "display": "2 hours free · no state start-up grant or loan",
   "value": 2,
   "sentence": "The New Business Support Service connects those intending to start a business, or those who have had an Australian Business Number (ABN) for less than 12 months, with advisors who can provide up to two hours of free business advice.",
   "readAt": "2026-09-26",
   "sha": "94626a603ab36a5a"
  },
  {
   "label": "Australian Capital Territory",
   "url": "https://www.act.gov.au/business/get-help-and-advice/canberra-business-advice-and-support-service-cbass",
   "group": "Advice only",
   "display": "4 hours free · no state start-up grant or loan",
   "value": 4,
   "sentence": "Both new and established businesses can get up to 4 hours of free tailored business advice on:",
   "readAt": "2026-09-26",
   "sha": "be9b24b4bb886d89"
  }
 ],
 "notPublished": [
  {
   "label": "Queensland",
   "url": "https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/support-services/financial/grants/schedule",
   "reason": "states free advice without a number of hours"
  },
  {
   "label": "Western Australia",
   "url": "https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov.au/business-advisory-service",
   "reason": "states free advice without a number of hours"
  },
  {
   "label": "South Australia",
   "url": "https://business.sa.gov.au/services",
   "reason": "states free advice without a number of hours"
  },
  {
   "label": "Northern Territory",
   "url": "https://nt.gov.au/industry/business-support",
   "reason": "states free advice without a number of hours"
  }
 ],
 "methodology": "Every row is a sentence quoted word for word from the named official page, read on the date shown and pinned to a hash of the page text we read. 4 of the 8 sources we could read state the figure; 4 do not and are listed as not published, never filled in. One row per state and territory: its official free business advice service, with the free hours when the official page states them, and any state grant, loan or training program a new business could use, each quoted from the official page. A jurisdiction with no such program on the pages read is recorded as none, never filled in. The index figure is free advice hours; jurisdictions whose page gives no number of hours count in coverage, not in the median.",
 "url": "https://pontia.xyz/au/datasets/au-state-support-index/",
 "citation": "\"Australian State Small Business Support Index 2026\", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/au/datasets/au-state-support-index/ (read 2026-09-26)",
 "license": "https://pontia.xyz/terms/"
}