Small Business Friendly Program · Report

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