Mobile businesses, like food trucks and outdoor fitness trainers, are now able to move more easily across local council boundaries to do business, following reforms to slash red tape.
Under the new Mutual Recognition Scheme, councils can recognise each other’s approvals for mobile businesses. Once mobile businesses have approval to operate in one council area, they may request recognition across multiple LGAs, without needing to duplicate the process for each new council area.
Until now a mobile business wanting to move from one park or street to another, that happens to be in a different LGA, would face multiple new forms, waiting periods and application fees in each council area. Now a food truck providing an environmental impact statement, food safety plans and business registration would only need to submit that detailed information once.
Councils will have the discretion to not recognise approvals from other councils if they don’t want to, but they are encouraged to take advantage of the new scheme, which include the ability to require local conditions to be met.
This is the latest push from the NSW Government to cut red tape and costs in order to boost vibrancy across the state. Outdoor operators including food trucks, market stalls, buskers and fitness trainers play an important role in boosting vibrancy and economic activity. This reform will reduce their administrative burden and allow them to meet demand where it exists.
This responds to the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner’s Review of regulatory barriers impeding a vibrant 24-hour economy, which recommends further reduction in red tape to unlock vibrancy across the state.
The Mutual Recognition Scheme builds on the following vibrancy reforms under the State Government including supporting more than 20 local councils planning Special Entertainment Precincts, ending single serial noise complaints, extending trading hours for venues that host live entertainment, reducing red tape around entertainment and outdoor spaces, scrapping the 5km sign in rule at clubs and rolling out $14.9 million in Uptown Grants to support entertainment hubs.
NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham, said that mobile businesses should be mobile, not stuck in unnecessary red tape that stops them moving across imaginary lines.
“This is another classic example of unnecessary rules getting in the way of fun and economic activity. We’re on a mission to cut this kind of red tape wherever we find it,” Graham said.
“These mobile businesses bring colour and life to our streets, they bring people together and allow businesses to meet changing trends and behaviours. Mutual Recognition is about allowing them to do that without burying them in admin.
“Councils are our key partners in the vibrancy agenda – so we’re happy to also ease their paperwork burden through this reform.”
NSW Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig, said that councils play an important role in building community connections and making public spaces open and inviting to all.
“We should be doing what we can to encourage this and that’s why the government has introduced the Mutual Recognition Scheme,” Hoenig said.
“For mobile businesses it means fewer hoops to jump through with council approvals. For councils, it means less paperwork with the added benefit of making it easier to run events and activate public spaces.
“The scheme has been designed in close consultation with councils to be flexible and adaptive to local needs.”
