Page 1156 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 7 May 2014
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To put that into a local context, a residential builder in the ACT needs to have seven licences at a commonwealth level in order to operate a business in the construction industry. The state-based or territory-based regulation and licensing burden is 40 pieces of licensing and registration—40. That is one of the highest in the country. It shows just how prohibitive it can be to operate a business in the ACT.
Just yesterday we saw this government attempt to substantially increase the red tape and administrative burden on builders in the ACT by removing some of the exempt provisions when it comes to amendments to plans with a development application. For a government that continues to claim to be reducing the red tape burden on businesses, particularly in the construction industry, yesterday’s attempt to pass the planning and development bill was simply an opportunity to whack it all back on—and then some.
The difficulties that exist within the construction industry are well known and have been well articulated in this place on numerous occasions. More broadly, small and medium business operators are sick and tired of the hurdles the government places in the way of them owning and operating their businesses, creating employment and creating opportunities.
Let me just highlight some of the difficulties from this term alone and issues that I have been involved in. We have the instance where ACT NOWaste sought to prevent businesses from opening an account at the tip. This places an administrative burden on businesses as far as their cash management goes, and there is a need to ensure that, should a driver or an employee of the business turn up at the tip to dispose of rubbish, cash or a credit card facility is made available to that individual to be able to dispose of rubbish at a government facility. Previously it had been a fairly straightforward and easy to operate system where you could open an account, as you would for any supplier or service, in the way that is generally undertaken in business, and get a monthly invoice. One simple payment to one organisation once a month is a much more commonsense approach to dealing with businesses in the territory.
Recently I have had businesses raise the issue of roadworks, which are often delayed and take considerable time to be undertaken. When they are conducted in business areas such as Fyshwick, the example that I am going to highlight, along Canberra Avenue, it can be exceptionally difficult for passers-by’s vehicles to access parking in the area businesses operate from. There is an impact that the roadworks and road closures, as they have occurred on a rolling basis, have had for the turnover of these businesses. It means that cash flow is tightened and jobs are potentially lost. The government’s response is: “We will delay completing the roadworks till later in the year so you can open your doors again.” It does not stop the pain; it just moves it.
Recently I had a constituent raise the issue of commercial rates. Andrew Barr was very quick to say they were removing ineffective taxes. I am going to speak here of an instance in Braddon where a constituent owns a unit in a commercial complex. It has no electricity and no water or sewerage connections. It is not eligible for a garbage collection service. In fact, in size it is only 2.4 metres by about 5.4 metres—big enough to, say, park a car on. It is merely a space of concrete in the basement of a building; yet it is being levied almost $1,900 a year in rates and charges—because it is
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