Head to Head does small business

This week’s topic: The City should give preference to local small businesses whenever possible in awarding its government tenders.

Peter Whitehead
Well, yes, City of Sydney should make sensible management decisions. Council benefits from assisting local companies. Prosperous businesspeople vote, and influence people, and contribute generously to campaign funds. Oops, there’s the rub.

When does patronage become bribery? Lovely for hard-working locals to attest ‘by appointment to the City of Sydney’ or ‘official suppliers to –’, but becoming less warm and cuddly pre-election when contracts are up for renewal and the usual donation is expected.

Not that our independent incumbents could be guilty of that sort of Major Party misbehaviour. The tendency of power to corrupt can be resisted. Silly to make tendering a lottery to avoid suspicion of favours. More modern to make government open and accountable.

Remember the time when Ms. Moore spoke of transparency? Before she wore Lord Mayoral robes. Before she was responsible for implementing her promises. In office the baggage of previous administrations weighs heavily in the tangle of existing contracts and statutory commitments. Best policy is not always immediately possible – if ever.

Clover would be delighted to find local businesses that make light-rail carriages or have the expertise to supply or lay kilometres of tracks. Perhaps a local quarry could be reopened to provide sandstone kerbing in place of granite [does anyone know who has that contract and why?]. The distinctive character of a city comes from the vigorous productivity of local business.

Since the Olympic brouhaha Sydney has been sucked into the attempt to appear world-class rather than proudly be itself. Our bien pensant bourgeoisie prefer to be well thought of rather than well at heart.

Our city councillors plonk ‘world class’ bidirectional separated cycleways in the wrong places at an over-engineered cost.

We spend half a million on drawings by Melbourne’s fashionable Tract Consultants rather than take the advice of local residents about the way they want Fitzroy Gardens.

Better for many reasons to purchase fresh produce locally, at the Fish Markets, say, rather than import frozen crumbed stuff from far, far away. And yet that is not my dyspeptic recall of the catering at recent Town Hall functions.

Andrew Woodhouse
Sydney Council owes nobody nuthin’.

And it shows. Council’s ignorance and arrogance is only equalled by its negligence. It refuses to insist on compliance with ban on streetscape rollerdoors, denying neighbouring small businesses (employing less than 50) an enticing and profitable streetscape. We’re left with black holes of Calcutta-type frontages.  I’m no slum-dog millionaire but I’ve been to Calcutta and I know my comment does not insult them.

This small-c council negligently approves more small bars and even more pubs and clubs. These cannibalise day-time economies for night-time economies, leaving residents, who are unfairly pilloried within massive missives on the editorial pages of this paper and described as ‘serial objectors’ wanting ‘exclusive rights’ and ‘middleclass morals’, with one option. They vote with their feet. They simply shop elsewhere. And no, Mr Opinionator/Editor, they won’t be moving to Pymble. They have a right to live in their chosen environment.

Yet when our investment market implodes, small businesses play Oliver Twist begging for handouts and preferred treatment.

Well, what has small business done for my local area, Kings Cross? Not much, frankly. Tacky souvenir shops, bad ads, anti-resident opening hours, cheap marketing, a poor shop mix, an on-street sex industry, lack of self-compliance and a non-effective liquor accord – really a Faustian deal – all mean one thing. Small business is not always better business.

Council is right to insist on a merit-based system of awarding tenders. It has a statutory legal obligation to us the best bang for our buck from whatever source. This certainly does not mean giving small business more of my hard-earned rates just because they are small.  Perhaps they’re small because they’re poorly managed, lack basic skills or services and are here today and gone tomorrow.

Small businesses forget the prime principle that they would cease to exist but for locals’ patronage, unless they want every precinct slashed and trashed by outsiders like Kings Cross is.

Council is not obligated to small business any more than it is obligated to big business. Its prime obligation is to all rate-payers.

After all, whose council is it?