Problem
Family business owners, sole traders, and casual/part-time workers DO NOT HAVE equal access to mental health employee assistance benefits. Family business owners are treated as second class citizens to big nationals and government employees. These owners are driven to the brink providing the largest tax revenue for government.

Convenient truths are these businesses fund our communities. They employ vulnerable casual, part-time, contract workers (Uber, Labour Hire, and etc) and their families.

Solution
Commonwealth Government should provide mental health employee benefits subsidy to ALL small businesses. If a family business owner purchases employee assistance counselling for their business it should be fully subsidized.

In 2018 the founder of Head Space said 'Awareness is dead' and face-to-face service in local communities will REDUCE costs to government and tax payers.

Personal story
I have lived experience of my real father working for a small company and committed suicide. I have lived experience of my step-father running a small business and putting a gun to his head as the business spiraled out of control. Losing a business, facing hardship is NOT a mental health problem and government should subsidize family businesses, sole traders and treat them as equal citizens.