Welcome to the first Hobsons Bay Business e-Works update for 2024!

We hope it's been a great start to the year, and that you and your staff enjoyed a well-deserved break over the festive season.  With a full schedule of events and workshops now booked in for the first half of the year, we are excited to support our business community with a varied mix of upskilling and networking opportunities.  

Sign up to our upcoming events below and don't forget to mark your calendar for the  International Women's Day event on Thursday 7 March 2024.
All local business professionals are invited to come together for our first business networking session for the year. 

Join us at Hobsons Bay Farm and have a coffee by Hippy Chick Coffee on site, as we network throughout the morning. 

Tuesday 6 February 2024 | 7.30am to 8.30am

Hobsons Bay Farm
21 Drake Boulevard, Altona 3018


After the success of the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD) event, we are excited to announce our 2024 event will be in collaboration with City of Maribyrnong.

This lunchtime event features keynote speaker Julie Hirsch. Julie is an award-winning social entrepreneur and innovator, recognised as Telstra’s Victorian Business Woman of the Year and named on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

Thursday 7 March 2023 |12pm to 2.30pm

Seaview Williamstown
71 Morris St, Williamstown

Cost: $40

Lunch and first drink are provided along with door prizes and entertainment as you take in the stunning views of Port Phillip Bay.

With plenty of time to network, you will leave energised and inspired after sharing stories with other local businesses.  

Get your tickets here!

If you are interested in donating a door prize for this event, please click here. 

Know someone who wants to start a business and don't know where to start? This workshop delivered by Business Victoria is the first step. 

This workshop will aim to arm potential business owners with information on different business structures, how-to information to register a business correctly, and the opportunity to create a business plan to start your business off in the right direction. 

Tuesday 20 February 2024 | 10am to 1pm

Altona Civic Centre
115 Civic Parade, Altona 3018


Through Pitch Your Project funding, Council have partnered with Explore Australia to deliver the Experience Hobsons Bay Bus Tour. The tour will run Tuesdays and Saturdays until April 2024.

With tickets costing just $10, the tour is designed to be an affordable add-on to other local experiences. 

The tour will be supported by media with the aim to attract intrastate, interstate and international visitors.  With pick-up points in the CBD and Williamstown, the tour is easily accessible for visitors. 



To help combat the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) impersonation scams and make it easier for the community to identify their legitimate SMS communications, the ATO will be removing hyperlinks from unsolicited outbound SMS by Tax Time 2024. 


Want to increase your online visibility? Join the Digital Solutions Program today.

The Digital Solutions - Australian small Business Advisory Services program works with small businesses to make the most of digital tools. As part of the program you receive government-subsidised 1:1 mentoring, workshops, and courses for all your digital needs.

Intellectual property (IP) rights protect your ideas, inventions and brands. IP Australia is the government agency that administers IP rights and legislation for patents, trade marks, design rights and plant breeder's rights (PBR). Visit the small business resources and tools page to help you manage your IP.


The Business Renewables Buying Group provides education and support for medium to large electricity consumers to transition to renewable electricity.

The program also provides facilitation for businesses to procure renewable electricity as part of a group and benefit from increased scale. 

Victorian businesses interested in mapping their transition to renewable energy are invited to a free webinar on Thursday 22 February from 11am to 12pm. 

To find out more, you can register for the webinar here. 


Click on the links to find out more: 
The Partners in Wellbeing Helpline is a free, confidential service offering small business owners and their employees one-on-one access to trained wellbeing coaches, financial counsellors and business advisors. Call the Partners in Wellbeing Helpline on 1300 375 330 for assistance between 9am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends. A live chat function is also available on the website. 

For a list of other resources available visit the Mental Health in Business webpage.