Monday, October 25, 2004

New Business Forum good for big business

Below is a press release from Clover Moore about a new business/council forum. While this sort of thing is needed, small business people still lack an effective voice. A simple way to end a lot of the excess bureaucratic load being placed on small businesses would be for Council to survey them about the ten most onerous and unnecessary council measures they suffer. Then a working party could analyse these and put forward changes designed to support small business instead of opressing them. Anyone want to take it up?

The press release:

Council has been working with major City business groups to create a forum to cooperatively advance the City's interests. It is the first time that the City of Sydney and the CBD business community have come together in such a coordinated way.

Our CBD is the commercial centre of Australia. About a quarter of Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stems from Sydney and many residents live in the inner city to access employment.

Founding members of the new City of Sydney Business Forum are the Australian Retailers Association (NSW), the Committee for Sydney, the NSW Urban Taskforce, the Property Council of Australia, the State
Chamber of Commerce and TTF Australia (Tourism & Transport Forum).

The founding business organisations have also nominated high profile individuals to represent various sectors in the CBD, including general business, commercial property investment, residential development,
small and large retailers, transport and communications, architecture, planning and heritage and the cultural and entertainment sectors.

We have identified five priority issues for the Forum to work on initially–the transport needs of the city, the economic and growth needs of the city, city amenity, sustainable development and development and planning issues.

The City of Sydney Business Forum recognises that the city represents business as well as residents. The Forum complements the community forums we are holding across the wider City of Sydney.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What a legend SMH 26 October

The former Kings Cross nightclub owner, convicted tax cheat and all round colourful guy, Abe Saffron, is to be immortalised by a Kings Cross Arts Festival legends plaque on Darlinghurst Road in November. Saffron is one of eight Kings Cross luminaries to receive the honour, including pianist Marie Francis, vocalist Barbara James and journalist Harry Stein.

"Abe's plaque is to commemorate the contribution he made to Kings Cross in regards to music and employing musicians and paying them the right money," said the Kings Cross Art Guild president, Robyn Greaves. But what of the former Roosevelt Club and Carousel Cabaret owner's past?

"He made an enormous contribution, we're not interested in his other activities." The contributions of Saffron and his fellow legends will be marked by a ceremony on November 13.