For many, Access Canberra has probably only recently appeared on your radar (maybe a business licence renewal or revenue matter). It certainly seems to have entered the Canberra regulatory environment without too much fanfare.
We thought it might be worthwhile sharing some information about it though because, in reality, the arrival of Access Canberra would appear to be the beginning of a bright new era for Canberra’s regulatory system.
Launched in December 2014, the purpose of Access Canberra is to provide better access to ACT Government regulator services. The phrase “one-stop-shop” gets thrown around often but perhaps here, we’re seeing the beginnings of that very thing.
From Revenue to the Environment Protection Office, Gambling and Racing Commission to Canberra Connect, it is all now being managed by Access Canberra.
There is a brilliant website with clearer information and a user-friendly interface, and some modern and efficient shopfronts (the Gungahlin Service Centre is particularly impressive).
In addition to accessibility though, there appears to be a true commitment to efficiency. A coordinator can help you organise an event in Canberra and take care of many (if not all) of the necessary registrations in one go.
There will be more coordination of dreaded site-inspections with a view, over time, of leading to risk-based compliance.
Finally, there would appear to be a willingness to talk about regulations that simply don’t work or don’t make sense.
What does this mean for Canberra businesses? Maybe not yet the demise of the dreaded “R” word: Red Tape. But clearly a more cost-effective, efficient and less stressful model for compliance.
For more information, or for help with any business regulation matters, contact a member of our business services team today.