- Minister for Local Government
- Minister for Small Business
Faster permits are on track to be the norm for Victorian businesses with more than half of all councils engaged in the Andrews Labor Government’s Better Approvals Project cutting business permit processing times.
Minister for Small Business Adem Somyurek has today written to the 37 councils who are not part of the red tape slashing program and encouraged them to take part.
Of the 79 local councils in Victoria, 20 have completed their Better Approvals Project program and 22 programs are currently under way. The initiative has delivered a 73 per cent reduction in average approval times on multiple permit applications.
The City of Glen Eira completed its program earlier this year and adopted a new process for issuing footpath trading permits which reduced the waiting period for businesses from 126 days to 11 days.
Small Business Victoria works with individual councils to develop tailored programs that are unique to their circumstances and the needs of local businesses.
Other councils that have completed their programs under the Better Approvals Project include:
- Ballarat
- Bendigo
- Corangamite
- Darebin
- Greater Geelong
- Hepburn
- Hobsons Bay
- Kingston
- Latrobe
- Manningham
- Maribyrnong
- Melton
- Monash
- Mooney Valley
- Moreland
- Northern Grampians
- Horsham
- Wyndham
- Yarra
Victoria is home to more than 600,000 small businesses, representing approximately 98 per cent of all businesses in the state and accounting for almost half of its private sector jobs.
By working together with local governments on cutting red tape, the Labor Government is helping small businesses in the state thrive and create more jobs in their communities.
As stated by Minister for Local Government and Small Business Adem Somyurek
“I’m thrilled that more than half all councils in Victoria have taken the initiative to make it easier for small businesses to grow and thrive and I encourage the remaining 37 to sign up to this positive program.”
As stated by Victorian Chamber of Commerce chief executive Mark Stone
“We support the Victorian Government’s Better Approvals Project because it benefits our members and saves small businesses valuable time and money on their business permit applications.”
