Page 2514 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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Another classic example is pay parking in Phillip and a backdown from this government. We would have seen apprentice mechanics working in the Phillip precinct paying as much as 20 per cent of their take-home pay per week in car parking. Those opposite will say, “Well, catch a bus.” But for those starting at five or 5.30 in the morning, there are not adequate bus services to service that area. Again, when the Chief Minister scratches his head and says, “Why isn’t business doing what we expect them to?” have a look in the mirror.
Red tape has become one of the catchphrases of every little bit of annoying bureaucracy placed in the way of starting and growing a business. If we were to believe all this government would have to say, we would think that we are working towards reducing red tape. Numerous red tape reduction bills that have been introduced into this parliament have also claimed to be making it easier and more efficient for business. But the efficiencies, as we heard earlier today in the Chief Minister’s comments, go largely towards reducing the burden on government. They make it easier for government to function and very rarely have any material impact on the day-to-day operating of a local business.
Just in the past couple of weeks I have been contacted by a number of businesses that are having extreme difficulty in receiving their licence as a food business. One is a butcher; one is a cafe. The cafe is a new venue, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is even in the electorate that we share down at our local shopping centre at Chisholm. Six weeks before they began construction of their shop fit-out they submitted plans of their fit-out through Access Canberra. They sought advice and no comment was made. When the time came for their final inspection the representative from Access Canberra said, “I’ve had your plans for weeks, but I haven’t looked at them. Oh, and by the way, now that you’ve spent the money and you’ve completed your fit-out, there are a few issues.”
How is that encouraging business or encouraging investment in this city when the goal posts are being moved? Proactive businesses are asking government, asking Access Canberra, for a direction and a way forward, or advice as to whether or not their shop fit-outs are compliant, and they receive no comment until push comes to shove and the investment has been made. It comes at an additional cost to jump through the regulatory hoops that those opposite seek to place in the way of business to make sure that their livelihood can be maintained and that the business can actually open. (Second speaking period taken.) What makes things worse is the fact that most businesses in this town seek to do better by themselves, by their staff and by the community. It should be the responsibility of government and the responsibility of all of us in this place to facilitate that and to actually make it easier for them.
Looking back at the decision to choose OfficeMax as the primary stationary supplier and also the supplier of cleaning products, one of the businesses that have made a representation to me on this issue is actually a supplier of cleaning products and paper products for bathrooms. One of the most concerning things that they raised of this government decision is the fact that they found out not directly from government but in informal, quiet chats with the bureaucrats that they deal with from time to time,
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