Griffith City Council joins innovative 'Small Business Friendly Councils' program

Monday September 22, 2014

Griffith City Council has joined the ground-breaking, innovative new program called Small Business Friendly Councils (SBFC), designed to increase the number of councils working proactively with small businesses.

Developed in partnership with The NSW Office of the Small Business Commissioner (OSBC) and the NSW Business Chamber, SBFC is a first for Australia, giving councils willing to make small business a priority the opportunity to be recognised as ‘Small Business Friendly.’

The program was launched on Wednesday September 17 at the Casula Powerhouse and 36 NSW councils have joined up so far.NSW Small Business Commissioner Robyn Hobbs visited Griffith the following Thursday and Friday to meet with local business representatives and Council staff to discuss the program’s goals and benefits.

Griffith Mayor John Dal Broi said Council was eager to join this exciting new initiative.“Council has already put into place an Economic Development Assistance Package to help boost development in our community and we were very interested in this new program that will cater to helping small businesses in our community thrive and prosper,” Mayor Dal Broi said.

General Manager Brett Stonestreet said by committing to the SBFC program, Griffith City Council commits to a charter, which includes several benchmarks geared to fostering and supporting small businesses.

“There are also five key commitments that lay the groundwork of how we can work with the Griffith Business Chamber to ensure we maximise the opportunities SBFC offers and ensure we fulfill the promise of being ‘Small Business Friendly’,” Mr Stonestreet said.

NSW Small Business Commissioner Robyn Hobbs (pictured right at Council with Mayor Dal Broi and Mr Stonestreet) said the SBFC program is a welcome initiative for the approximately 683,000 small businesses in NSW.

“Small businesses are the powerhouse of the NSW economy and it is vital we ensure they have ample opportunity for growth and sustainability through improved relationships with government,” Ms Hobbs said. “Working effectively with small business operators should be a priority for all NSW councils. Through the SBFC Program, the OSBC and NSW Business Chamber will work more closely and collaboratively with councils so they are better placed to support and promote their local small businesses.”

According to the Minister for Local Government The Hon. Paul Toole MP, 36 councils have signed up for the SBFC Program, ranging from large metropolitan councils to small regional councils.

“Councils who sign up to the SBFC Program will have the opportunity to review their procedures and practices in dealing with small businesses, make improvements where needed, explore new initiatives, and share ‘small business friendly’ strategies with other councils,” Mr Toole said.

NSW Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright described SBFC as a great opportunity for councils to demonstrate their commitment to the lifeblood of their communities – small business owners and their employees.

“The NSW Business Chamber has members across all local government areas in NSW and by highlighting some of the good, and often simple, initiatives that some councils take to make it easier to do business in their area, less proactive councils might be encouraged to lift their game,” Mr Cartwright said. “The SBFC Program is the first step in highlighting that more can be done to enhance the relationship between councils and business for the benefit of local communities.”

36 Participating Councils