City of Rockingham is one of the first local governments in Western Australia participating in the Small Business Friendly Approvals Program.
The program, led by the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), aims to streamline the process of obtaining business licences and trading permits from local government authorities.
It is part of a package of initiatives to accelerate regulatory reform to support economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to improve approvals processes for small business in areas such as health, planning and building.
The City’s involvement in the program comes after a competitive Expression of Interest process, and follows signing the SBDC’s Small Business Friendly Local Government Charter in mid-2020.
Through the program, an independent facilitator is currently guiding the City as it investigates and reviews a number of its small business application processes.
With more than 5600 registered businesses in the City of Rockingham, Mayor Barry Sammels said the City was committed to delivering improved outcomes for the Rockingham business community.
“The City of Rockingham is excited to have partnered with the SBDC to go through the Small Business Friendly Approvals Program.
“Throughout the process, we have been exploring and challenging the current status of our small business application processes.
“Importantly, our involvement in the program fulfils two key aspirations of the City’s Strategic Community Plan including actively pursuing tourism and economic development, and delivering quality leadership and business expertise.
“While the process is yet to be finalised, the City will soon consider the outcomes from the program.”
