1. How Local Government can create an enabling business environment.
Dana Mason – WALGA Policy Manager, Economics

2. What is best practice?
Role for Government is in enabling and facilitating. LGs should focus on addressing areas of market failure, not competing against businesses.
Economic development activities should form part of a larger, integrated strategy – which is aligned to the broader regional context and linked to a community’s unique competitive advantages.
Collaboration between different levels of Government, business and the community is critical to the success of local economic development initiatives.
Economic development should not be undertaken in isolation - it is a lens for all Local Government activities.
Business friendly environment – encouraging competition and productivity

3. Role of Local Government

4. Economic Development Strategy
Do you have a strategy?
Does it align with key State/Commonwealth strategic documents?
Regional

5. Economic Development Strategy
Does your LG have an Economic Development Strategy?
“I hear little from my Local Government about economic and business development, hoping that the creation of a new Strategic Plan remedies this.”

6. Collaboration with other stakeholders

7. Business friendly environment

8. Where is the sector doing well?
Customer service
Communications

9. “Local Government makes assumptions, rather than consults”
There is room to improve..
Do you believe your LG understands your business?
“Local Government makes assumptions, rather than consults”

10. There is room to improve..
Does your LG provide assistance with compliance?
“It’s a guessing game, where we have to submit an application an see what comes back. ”

11. What would businesses like to see?

12. Considerations for Local Governments
Understand your local business community – different business demographics will have different needs
Communicate on a regular basis – two way information exchange
Customer service approach and attitude – avoid being “the office of no until being convinced otherwise”
Consider the bigger picture – What are the major economic and political trends and how do they impact your local area?
Win-win opportunities - how can you work with surrounding areas, and other stakeholders for mutual gain?

13. How Local Government can create an enabling business environment
Dana Mason – WALGA Policy Manager, Economics