The NSW Small Business Commissioner will conduct consultation sessions with small business owners and operators in the Wingecarribee Shire on Tuesday, April 20, 2021.
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The sessions will be an opportunity for owners and operators of small businesses and their representatives to share their experiences on the key issues facing local businesses and the challenges in the Wingecarribee Shire.
NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont said the Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope had asked him to take a look at small businesses in Wingecarribee Shire Council after the council went into administration.
"I will be doing some small businesses consultations to assess what the experience of small businesses has been," he said.
"There's no substitute for being on the ground. We will come in on Tuesday and will do sessions in Bowral, Robertson and Moss Vale.
"It's really about talking to grassroots small businesses. I don't want urban legends or myths. I want particular examples of where small businesses may have a concern and conversely where small businesses have ideas and suggestions on how to improve engagement and relationship.
"There's an expectation that we go in and just focus on the negatives but often there are really good ideas as to what the council and the government can do to support small businesses.
Mr Lamont said he also wanted to receive submissions from people who could not make the consultation event.
"We understand that small businesses are busy and small business operators are busy people," he said.
"So there is an opportunity to make submissions in confidence or to be made public through my website.
"It doesn't involve writing a 30,000-word thesis. We've got three or four simple questions.
"That will form the basis of a report that I will share with Wingecarribee Shire Council administrator and the Minister for Finance and Small Business."
While the consultations will be held on Tuesday, Mr Lamont said there was potential to hold more consultations if there was a demand for it.
"It's always hard to gauge what the best way is to consult," he said.
"We're taking the temperature on Tuesday and see how many businesses have the time to meet in person and what we receive online and through industry bodies and business groups in the region.
"But certainly if there's a demand for more sessions, we will be happy to come back and talk to individual businesses."
Mr Lamont said he had received correspondence from small businesses regarding time delays when it came to development applications, building applications and material changes of use.
"We're also hearing about long time frames for the approval of events such as festivals and also a lack of tendering opportunities for small businesses in the area.
"They are the three areas that we are hearing about in a themed sense at this stage but I really want to test those through this consultation process to make sure they are the issues and dig in a little deeper.
"I also want to talk to Viv May and council staff as well to test some of the propositions and evidence that have been put to me through these consultation sessions."
Mr Lamont said the consultation sessions were about achieving improvement.
"It's not about conducting the Spanish Inquisition.
It's about what can the council usefully do going forward to improve their relationship and engagement with small business owners and to remove unnecessary red tape and unnecessary delays that often stifle small business.
"There has never been a better time to remove red tape on small businesses. They've been through drought, fire, floods and a pandemic in the last 12 - 18 months.
"It's really important that all levels of government do everything we possibly can to make life a little easier for small businesses."
The consultation sessions are an independent process conducted by the NSW Small Business Commissioner and is not associated with the Wingecarribee Shire Council.
The feedback will form the basis of a report to the NSW Government.
If you are a small business owner or operator and would like to attend one of these sessions, please register your interest at the links below and our office will contact you to confirm your spot. If you would like to pre-submit a question you can do so during the registration process.
Please register your interest for one session only as places are limited. Each session will run for approximately 1.5 hours.
- Bowral session, 9.30 AM - 11 AM - Bowral Golf Club
- Robertson session, 1 PM - 2.30 PM - Robertson Bowling Club
- Moss Vale session, 4 PM - 5.30 PM - Moss Vale Services Club
If you are unable to attend and wish to make a submission to the Commissioner, addressing what you believe to be the key issues you are facing as a small business in the Wingecarribee Shire, you can do so below using the online form or you can send your submission to commission@smallbusiness.nsw.gov.au.
Submissions will close on May 4, 2021.
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