We wish to bring to your attention a new free service which Ruddicks supports – the Small Business Advisory Service (SBAS) run by the Cancer Council.

The SBAS is a new program designed to assist small business owners and self-employed people affected by cancer. It aims to provide free accounting assistance and small business advice for patients and carers, by matching them with appropriately qualified professionals who will assist on a pro bono basis.

The self-employed people are often the hardest hit financially by a cancer diagnosis. Managing business issues, including debts, tax obligations, succession planning and operational issues becomes critically important in this context. However, with the high cost of cancer, many people simply cannot afford to have these critical issues resolved. Sadly, Access Economics recently estimated the average cost of a cancer diagnosis to be almost $50,000.

We are proud to participate in this worthwhile program as one of the pro bono service providers and encourage you to refer anyone who you believe may benefit from it to contact the Cancer Council, who will then match the request with a provider participating in the CBAS program. Please note that the Cancer Council also has three other pro bono programs currently available to cancer sufferers and their families – the Legal Referral Service, the Financial Planning Referral Service, and the Workplace Advisory Service.

You can find additional information about these pro bono services on the Cancer Council Tasmania website: http://www.cancertas.org.au/support-services/legal-and-financial-assistance.