Small Business Friendly Program · Report

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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING                                              11 APRIL 2023


   •   These businesses are significant and active contributors to the overall wellbeing and
       prosperity of the region.
   •   Noosa Council’s ability to engage and deliver services to its business community is a critical
       factor in the future success of the Noosa Shire economy.

Small Business Friendly Charter

The Charter outlines the principles that Council commits to as an organisation to enhance the
operating environment for small business. The Charter’s commitments are:

   •   We will actively communicate and engage with small business.
   •   We will raise the profile and capability of small business.
   •   We will promote and showcase small businesses.
   •   We will develop and promote place-based programs for small business.
   •   We will support small business resilience and recovery.
   •   We will measure and report on our performance.

The Charter aims to bring a new awareness to the work Council is already doing in supporting small
businesses and provides a platform and framework to guide continuous improvements across the
organisation.

The Small Business Friendly Councils initiative encourages Councils to support small business
through:
   •   Effective communication and engagement.
   •   Raising small business profile and capability.
   •   Supporting resilience and recovery.
   •   Simplifying administration and regulation (reducing red tape).
   •   Ensuring fair procurement and prompt payment terms.
   •   Promoting placed-based programs.
   •   Promoting and showcasing small business.
   •   Measuring and reporting on activities.
Benefits

The Small Business Friendly initiative features & benefits include:
   •   Supports cultural change across Council to be a more business responsive organisation.
   •   Information access & sharing including online collaboration across Councils’ via a
       communities of practice of other SBFC’s.
   •   Reporting on Council’s small business friendly activities.
   •   Showcasing & sharing Council’s achievements.
   •   Provides support and tools to drive continuous improvement.
   •   In addition, the program also provides Noosa Council with acknowledgement as a ‘small
       business friendly’ council, in recognition of the work that it has already undertaken in support
       of this sector of the economy.

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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING                                                11 APRIL 2023


   •   Reaffirms the importance of, and value that small businesses bring to our shire.
   •   Provides access to a dedicated point of contact within the Office of the QSBC to seek
       immediate advice or information.

Signing the Charter will enhance the operating environment for small business by:
   •   Engaging the whole organisation, not just the customer service team or a specific function in
       a collective and integrated approach.
   •   Creating a journey of continuous learning and improvement.
   •   Connecting Noosa Council with other Local Governments and other organisations to share
       knowledge and ultimately improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all member
       organisations.
Council has continued to reduce red tape through the Noosa Plan. When the Noosa Plan was
introduced levels of assessment were reduced for many uses, making it easier for business in
centres for example to change between uses.

Reporting

As a signatory, Council will be required to report back to the QSBC with a progress update tracking
our small business friendly activities and achievements. Contained within the Charter are a number
of requirements Council would be expected to address. Many of these requirements are already
standard reporting procedure for the Economic Development branch of council and are not
considered overly burdensome.

As a mechanism for continuous improvement, many of the Charter's tasks can be considered ‘good
practice’ and embraces systems and processes that Council is already addressing to ensure that
engagement across all directorates is easier for the small business community.

Alignment with Council Strategic Priorities

The SBFP initiative aligns with the activities identified in the endorsed Noosa Shire Economic
Development, Smart Biosphere Strategy 2021 – 2030.

Growth enabler              Priority Action
Encouraging                 Explore the opportunities and benefits of adopting the Queensland
Entrepreneurship &          Small Business Friendly Councils Charter to guide quality engagement
Innovation                  between Council and the business community



Organisational Implications

Although championed and led by the Economic Development Team, for the initiative to be successful
the following requirements are necessary:

   •   Support from Noosa Council’s Executive and Leadership Team
   •   Support from Council Officers across all departments that deal with small businesses
   •   Establishment of a cross-council working group/s to assist with an Audit of existing small
       business friendly initiatives; identify current Small Business friendly activities; identify areas
       of improvement and initiatives to embed and maintain a small business friendly culture across
       the organisation.

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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING                                             11 APRIL 2023


      •   Co-ordination, administration, and reporting will be the responsibility of the Economic
          Development team.
 The Executive team and Senior Leadership has been briefed on the Charter and its significance
and impact on their respective branches.

Next steps

      •   Once the signing of the Charter has been endorsed by Council, Economic Development
          Officers will arrange with the QSBC Office for the official signing with the Mayor, the
          Queensland Small Business Commissioner, Dominique Lamb, and the Minister for
          Employment and Small Business, Hon. Di Farmer MP, at the Queensland Small Business
          Friendly Conference being held in Maroochydore on April 28, 2023.
      •   A project brief will be prepared for a cross Council Audit, Gap Analysis and Development of
          a Small Business Friendly Strategy.
      •   Economic Development Officers will continue to work on economic development related
          SBFC projects, including cross council liaison on approved initiatives.

A Draft Project Plan (attached) has been prepared and will be subject to further refinement.
Previous Council Consideration
Nil
Finance
There are no direct budget implications associated with Council signing the Charter itself. This
project will require some resourcing for administration and coordination of an audit and future
strategy and will be subject to budget considerations. This will be provided through Economic
Development as normal business as usual.

As a continuous improvement program, Small Business Friendly initiatives identified in the future
audit and strategy will be resourced by relevant departmental budgets.

Budget of $35,000 has been allocated in 2023/24 Economic Development Budget for the co-
ordination of a cross Council audit, gap analysis and strategy.

Current initiatives being delivered, or planned to be delivered within existing Council programs and
budgets include:

      •   Economic Development Business E-newsletter
      •   Fast Five Small Business Video showcase
      •   Business Support Panel
      •   Peregian Digital Hub
      •   Pilot Placemaking Project
      •   Disaster Reconstruction Co-ordinator
      •   Business Disruption Officer for Infrastructure Projects
More initiatives are outlined on Attachment 3 - Noosa Council Small Business Friendly Activities
2023
Risk & Opportunities

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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING                                                  11 APRIL 2023



The Small Business Friendly Charter is not legally binding.

However, the signing the Charter may create an expectation amongst the small business community
that Council will seek to deliver on commitments beyond that of the Charter causing potential
reputational risk to Council should community expectations not be met.

This risk is considered low and will be mitigated through a considered and clear Media and
Communications Plan, developed in partnership with Council's Communications Team, indicating
that in signing this Charter, Council:
- is reaffirming its existing and long term commitment to small business
- is already delivering and will continue to deliver on Charter requirements
- is committed to continuous and integrated improvement in support of a Small Business Friendly
philosophy across all parts of Council

In addition, local Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations will be well briefed on the
process from signing of the Charter through to implementation.
Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
The Small Business Friendly Program has been referred to the Presidents of the Chambers of
Commerce/Business Associations for comment, who will be consulted widely throughout the entire
project.


Internal Consultation
Departments/Sections Consulted:

 X   Mayor                         Community Services                          Corporate Services

 X Councillors                 X Director                                  X Director
                               X Community Development                     X   Financial Services

 X   Chief Executive Officer   X Community Facilities                      X   Fleet

     Executive Support         X Libraries & Galleries                     X   ICT

                               X Local Laws                                X   Procurement

                               X   Waste & Environmental Health            X   Property

                                                                           X Revenue Services


     Executive Services            Environment & Sustainable Development       Infrastructure Services

X    Director                  X Director                                  X Director
 X Community Engagement        X Building & Plumbing Services              X Asset Management
 X Customer Service            X Development Assessment                    X Buildings and Facilities
X    Governance                X Economic Development                      X Civil Operations
 X People and Culture          X Environmental Services                    X Disaster Management
                               X   Strategic Land Use Planning             X Infrastructure Planning,
                                                                               Design and Delivery