Plan to appoint ‘deregulation tsar’ to thin out NSW’s red tape

A red tape-slashing government tsar would be appointed and Ministers told to scrap an old regulation for any new one they introduce in a fresh plan to help NSW business owners cut costs.

A powerful deregulation tsar will be tasked with slashing $1 billion in red tape under a re-elected Coalition government in a bid to cut the cost of doing business.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that in a two-year deregulation blitz, Ministers would be required to offer up an old regulation that could be scrapped if they are proposing any new red tape.

Mr Perrottet has also committed to creating 1 million small businesses in NSW by 2030.

It can also be revealed that if the Coalition is re-elected, departmental bosses will be forced to present regulations for the chopping block.

A new “Red Tape Commissioner” will be appointed, tasked with delivering $1 billion worth of red tape reductions.

The Coalition will introduce red-tape slashing measures like the deregulation tsar and the plan to scrap two regulations if MPs wasnt to introduce a new one if they government is re-elected. Picture: Brendan Read

As part of the slash and burn, licensed industries required to keep registers – like tow truck operators and property agents – will be able to move their registers entirely online.

Community boards like strata schemes will be able to hold virtual meetings.

Around 203 changes to be made will be made to shift processes online, including reforms allowing certain documents to be lodged electronically.

Micro and small businesses will also be offered $1000 for professional advice to grow their operations.

And if re-elected, the Coalition would boost the amount of money government agencies spend with small businesses in procurement contracts by more than $2 billion.

It comes after small businesses across the state united in a plea for help ahead of the state election, with new research showing 30 per cent would be forced to shut if nothing was done to improve trading conditions.

Cutting red tape would benefit cafe owners like Liza Chehade, who runs Homage in Parramatta. Picture: Richard Dobson

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the plan will help recession-proof “millions of businesses and jobs”.

“Australia faces strong economic headwinds ahead with the dual challenge of inflation and interest rates hitting families and small businesses and NSW needs a government with an economic plan,” he said.

“We can’t allow NSW to stall and unfortunately that’s what will happen under Labor who have no plan to support small business and the 1.8 million NSW people that work for them.”

Treasurer Matt Kean said if re-elected, the Coalition would establish industry taskforces to make life easier, starting with small business and local government.

HomeMaker Central CEO Bill Gremos has spent over 30 years in the retail business and says it’s never been harder to be a small-business owner.

For Mr Gremos, high energy prices and rising costs of living have seen consumers tighten their belts, leaving small business owners in the lurch.

Bill Gremos. Picture: Bob Finlayson.

“There’s been difficult times over the years, ups and downs and recessions but now is among the difficult times,” he said.

He said red tape can be a headache for his business.

“There’s a lot of things they could get out of the way,” he said.

“Every time governments come up with a new solution to a problem that did or didn’t exist it often creates more problems.”