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Victorian local councils called on to become small business friendly



Victorian Small Business Commissioner Judy O’Connell is calling on local councils to sign up to a new initiative that will make doing business with local council a lot easier in Victoria. Minister for Small Business the Hon. Adem Somyurek MP has launched the Small Business Friendly Council (SBFC) initiative.

The Victorian Small Business Commission (VSBC) has partnered with local councils to create the initiative, which is a commitment to creating a fair and competitive trading environment for small business. When signing the SBFC Charter, the VSBC and local councils are pledging to:

• pay small businesses within 30 days

• support local businesses in managing the impacts of infrastructure projects

• streamline the approval process when starting a business

• help set up and support local business networks.

“We are carrying out this work collaboratively because local councils play such an important role in supporting small businesses within their local community,” Commissioner O’Connell said. The initiative has the potential to benefit the 600,000+ small businesses in Victoria – businesses that make important contributions by creating jobs, delivering essential goods and services and helping to grow Victoria’s community.

Minister Somyurek said the Victorian Government is committed to making Victoria a small business friendly place and that local governments are an important part of the equation. “We know that red tape can be a barrier to growth for small business and that is why we are working with local government to improve regulatory processes and reduce the time and money small businesses spend on compliance,” Minister Somyurek said.

The City of Yarra, Northern Grampians and the City of Glen Eira are the first councils to sign up to the initiative and the VSBC encourages other councils to follow their lead.

For more information about the SBFC initiative and updates on which councils have signed up, visit the VSBC’s website at www.vsbc.vic.gov.au.

For media enquiries, contact Christine Harris on 03 9651 7619 or at christine.harris@vsbc.vic.gov.au.

More information

For more information visit the Small Business Friendly Councils page.