Acknowledgement

The Shire of Esperance acknowledges the Kepa Kurl Wudjari people of the Nyungar nation and Ngadju people who are the traditional custodians of this land and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and we extend that respect to other Aboriginal Australians today.

Thank you

Thank you to the following working group members for their contribution to the Shire of Esperance Small Business Friendly Approvals Program

Department Program participant

Office of the Chief Executive

Shane Burge, Chief Executive Officer

Events Neroli Logan, Manager Development and Statutory Services – Project Lead

Planning Richard Hindley, Manager Building, Planning and Land Projects

Building Kelly Waight, Senior Development Officer

Environmental Health

Communications/Marketing

Governance

Assets

Information Technology

Economic Development

Corporate and Community Services – Business Improvement

Small Business Development Corporation

Chantel Spittle, Coordinator Environmental Health Services

Christiane Smith, Manager Marketing and Communications

Sarah Walsh, Coordinator Governance and Corporate Support

Simon Russell, Manager Asset Development

Bradley Cartledge, Senior IT Officer

Trevor Ayers, Manager Economic Development

Paul Trichet, Business Improvement Analyst

Annette Brown, Senior Project and Engagement Officer

The Small Business Development Corporation would like to thank the local businesses who shared their own experiences to help identify improvements to the current approvals processes required to establish and grow a small business in the Shire of Esperance.

Welcome from the Small Business Commissioner

Since the announcement of the pandemic in 2020, governments and businesses have navigated the complexities of doing business in an unprecedented era. This has required the development and acceptance of a new set of learnings to manage and live with COVID-19, both for our communities and those we do business with.

Our WA regional local government partners and their businesses were swift to adapt to the many challenges presented during a period of uncertainty and change. This included intrastate border closures to mitigate the spread of the virus to regional communities, followed by an influx of intrastate tourism, supply issues, and a shortage of workers to meet demand.

What has become evident during the Small Business Friendly Approvals Program (‘Approvals Program’) is the willingness and ability of these local governments to leverage off opportunities that spark innovation and lead transformational change.

Working in partnership with the Shire of Esperance we experienced the energy of a forward-thinking local government that is determined, through its Economic Development Strategy, to sustainably capitalise on a dynamic combination of natural and man-made assets.

Poised to welcome new business investment and encourage existing business growth, the Shire made the most of the Approvals Program by identifying improvements within existing application and approvals processes to support this time of change and opportunity.

I commend the courage of this team, the Executive Leadership Team and Elected Members, to confront the challenges of designing and implementing reforms that will guide small businesses as they navigate the approvals required to not only meet regulatory obligations, but successfully operate within an environmentally sensitive, and much-loved part of the world.

David Eaton Small Business Commissioner Chief Executive Officer Small Business Development Corporation