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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (15 May) . . Page.. 1575 ..

MINISTER FOR BUSINESS AND EMPLOYMENT

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

Question No. 403

Business Incentive Scheme

MR CORBELL - Asked the Minister upon notice on 8 April 1997:

What processes does the Government have in place to ensure that businesses receiving assistance from the Business Incentive Scheme comply with the criteria they were required to address in applying for assistance under the scheme?

MRS CARNELL - The answer to the Member's question is as follows:

The Government, through the Department of Business, the Arts, Sport and Tourism, monitors the performance of each business receiving assistance. It undertakes this task through the requirement on each business to provide a report on the progress of the assisted project. These reports are required on a six monthly basis for the term of the agreement.

The Department is presently implementing a formal process to ensure that businesses provided with assistance report regularly as agreed in the assistance agreements signed with the Territory.

Prior to instituting the formal process, the project officer involved in assessing and processing the initial assistance application, was responsible for ensuring that progress reports were received from those businesses which received assistance. The Department is now focussing resources to comprehensively monitor businesses approved for assistance through a regular system of follow-up.

The new process will involve each business being sent a reminder notice prior to the date that a report is due. If the report is not received within two weeks of it being due, a further reminder notice will be issued. If still not received within four weeks of it being due, the responsible project officer will telephone the business to ascertain when the report will be received.

Should a business fail to comply with this requirement it will be considered a failure to fulfil the obligations agreed under the terms of the agreement and will result in the Territory terminating the agreement and any obligation by the Territory to provide any part of the assistance which has not yet been given to the applicant and where specified in the agreement, to request repayment of any assistance already provided.

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