Wendy Marsh raised the issue with five state election candidates at Gunnedah's Meet the Candidates event on Wednesday and feels her concerns were not adequately addressed.

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Mrs Marsh said it was all well and good for candidates to say they would fight to lower electricity prices and unlock more funding for farmers - but that doesn't help small businesses now.

"There’s so much out there for farmers but nothing for farmer suppliers, and we are the supplier," she said.

"I’ve made enquiries through financial assistance areas right up through to Barnaby Joyce and there is nothing for small business. Small businesses relying on farmers getting funding then spending it in the local town [isn't enough].

"I know that farms are small businesses and they are doing it really tough … However, there is no funding for small businesses that sell dresses, or books, or fit tyres, or service cars."

Mrs Marsh said small businesses needed to have access to funding to keep them ticking over because "people aren’t spending the money they were a year ago".

"Our business relies majorly on farm work, and farmers, of course, don’t have money to spend on fixing vehicles and equipment," she said.

"It will rain eventually but in the meantime everyone’s got to live.

"There are a lot of shops in Gunnedah with window faces that have got nothing in them, and if business goes from the town then what happens to the town?"

Mrs Marsh said it can't wait, and diversifying was not a feasible solution for many businesses.

"I want something to be done now," she said.

"If businesses have been doing it tough for six months to a year, their surplus figures won’t cover diversification."

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