The SBFC Program is part of a state-wide initiative to get all Councils to look at ways of being more supportive of small business and cutting red-tape.

Red tape can be such a burden on small businesses.  Quite often they don’t have the capacity to deal with it so they just give up… so whatever initiative they were planning gets put on the back-burner indefinitely. I am a small business owner and have been in this situation myself.

A recent example of this Council cutting red tape to provide an opportunity for local business is the free outdoor dining trial currently underway in Wauchope and Laurieton – an initiative that came out of Council’s Economic Development Steering Group.  Not only did Council waive the fees, but they also provided assistance with submitting the applications.  

It was really positive to see how excited local shop owners in the Wauchope and Laurieton CBD were. It just goes to show that small, targeted initiatives can sometimes be just as important as the big ticket infrastructure projects.

In addition to cutting red tape for small business, I would like to see local businesses snare more of Council’s procurement.

I would definitely like to see local businesses get more than their fair share of Council’s procurement.  After all, Council is one of the largest employers in the local area and where possible, we should always see locals supporting locals.

There’s an opportunity to look at the procurement policies of other Councils and develop something for Port Macquarie-Hastings that is best practice.”

Rob Turner, Councillor candidate

I attended the Lake Cathie meet the candidates meeting for the upcoming Port Macquarie Hastings Council election.

I commend all candidates on their representations which were most informative.

I do not personally approve of voting in blocks for candidates.

Do yourself a favor if you approve of all candidates in a block party vote individually for them all below the line not in the block form.

Give your local council more power as individuals making crucial decisions for you for the duration of the four year term.

Don’t give them all a voice unless elected individually.

Steve Bryson, Bonny Hills

In his speech to the Master Builders Association last week, Tony Abbott somehow forgot to mention his  greatest achievements.

With all the current talk from the Coalition government about the need for cutbacks on everything, Tony never said anything about the cost of the war in Syria.  It's now at least $2 million per day, perhaps $3 million - that's between $730 million and $1095 million every year.  

The war in Syria does not concern us and will profit us nothing.  We are simply throwing away this money and watching it get burnt.  Malcolm Turnbull is so proud of our participation in this war that he extended our contribution to it immediately after the recent Federal election.  

Obviously, if we can afford to be in that war, then we can afford anything at all. There is no need for Malcolm Turnbull's government to cut back on any spending whatever.  And it's all thanks to Tony Abbott - yet the great man himself won't talk about it, not even modestly.

So why won't Tony Abbott talk about all this, and tell us how good it is?  And since Malcolm Turnbull says that the Coalition owes Tony Abbott an enormous debt, why won't he give Tony Abbott the credit he deserves?

GT Agnew, Coopers Plains