A NSW government initiative aimed at helping councils improve their approach to small business has won praise locally.
The regional manager of the Mid North Coast NSW Business Chamber, Kellon Beard, said the Small Business Friendly Councils pilot was a great initiative by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner.
“Small business does it tough with the multitude of regulations to comply with and any assistance they can get to ensure they meet these is welcome,” he said.
“It is great to see that the NSW government is working with businesses and councils to improve their approaches,” Mr Beard said.
Mr Beard is one of a number of people involved in developing the criteria for accreditation and will be working with the councils in the region to get them prepared for this accreditation at the end of the pilot.
The pilot program, in partnership with the Office of the Small Business Commissioner, will be trialled in Parramatta City Council along with Boorowa, Tenterfield and Lismore representing regional and rural councils.
The Small Business Friendly Councils pilot will:
Develop a Small Business Friendly Charter outlining key principles for becoming Small Business Friendly
Provide a diagnostic evaluation tool to assist councils to identify their strengths and weaknesses in becoming Small Business Friendly
Provide a tier recognition system for councils to recognise their efforts in engaging with their small business community
Echoing Mr Beard’s comments, NSW Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright said local councils had frequently topped the chamber’s annual red tape survey as generating the biggest red tape burden for small businesses – beating even the Australian Tax Office.
“Local councils have an important role to play in supporting the success and growth of small businesses, but what we find is a disjointed experience for our members, depending on which local council area they are located in,” he said.
“In fact, the NSW Business Chamber has had firsthand experience of the how councils can vary in their approach to regulation during the chamber’s recent tour of NSW with the southern hemisphere’s largest mobile billboard, the SkyBoard.
“We visited over 60 locations and had responses from councils that demonstrated a wide range of requirements to approve the same activity.
“I commend the Small Business Minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, and the Small Business Commissioner, Yasmin King, for embracing this initiative. The NSW Business Chamber looks forward to making a lasting positive difference to the relationship between councils and small business.”
