Spot the spin. “Seven Days” columnist IAN MEIKLE lays bare the tale of two press releases; one from Business Minister Tara Cheyne and the other from Canberra Business Chamber CEO Graham Catt…

TARA Cheyne, the Labor MLA from Ginninderra, was rewarded in her second term with a ministry or five in Andrew Barr’s debt-laden government.

Since November 2020, the 37-year-old former public servant has held the portfolios of Assistant Minister for Economic Development and Minister for variously the Arts, Business and Better Regulation, Human Rights and Multicultural Affairs.

She is a master of business administration, and a bachelor of journalism and of arts. The journalism came as a shock; given his animosity to scribblers everywhere, probably best not tell the chief minister, Tara.

I have interviewed Tara a couple of times on 2CC’s “CityNews Sunday Roast” program and her straight-bat responses to curly questions reminded me of Katy Gallagher when she was an admired local minister. On that basis, I had high hopes, but now, two years into her roles, I sense Tara’s fearlessness is fading. 

I think she enjoys her role as arts minister and has certainly been on the front foot with helping an economically vulnerable community through much of the covid misery. More recently, she has hatched an optimistic plan for the future of arts in this city. Her pluck is a credit. 

As business minister, through the dark days of covid, I didn’t sense a  presence. She seemed to acquiesce to the chief minister’s parsimonious indifference to small business and was mute as desperate business people all around her were wringing their hands. Talk to Tom Adam, from the Phillip Business Community, or Graham Catt, CEO of the Canberra Business Chamber, or to any one of the “CityNews” advertising sales team to know the long-covid “economic lockdown” is still being endured by many small operators. 

Look no further than the latest ACT Budget; there are few ministerial footprints around business initiatives. Catt labelled it “underwhelming”. 

The pity was in recent days seeing Minister Cheyne succumb to the sort of spin that characterises this tired government. 

Here, laid bare, is the tale of two press releases; one from the Business Minister and the other from CEO Catt (in italics). It was in response to new ABS figures attesting to an increase in the number of businesses in Canberra. 

CHEYNE: “Despite a challenging year including a prolonged lockdown due to COVID-19, an additional 2419 new businesses have been created in the ACT in 2021-22, a 7.7 per cent increase – the second highest in the country of any state or territory. 

CATT: The number of Canberra businesses reached a record high in 2021, but in an uncertain economic environment, the nation’s capital also recorded the highest business-closure rate in the country.” Oops! Tara missed that

CHEYNE: “These new businesses are creating more jobs in the ACT, contributing to the government’s efforts to grow our employment base to 250,000 local jobs by 2025.”

CATT: “We must do more to ensure that new businesses survive… In the 2021 -2022 financial year 6700 new enterprises started, but over 4400 closed. And after five years, only 62.5 per cent of ACT businesses were still operating, the lowest rate of any state or territory.”

CHEYNE: During the lockdown in 2021, the ACT and Australian governments jointly funded more than $326 million in support to businesses through the Business Support Grants… The ACT government continues to support businesses through the Canberra Business Advice and Support Service and targeted measures to support the recovery of the tourism industry.

CATT : Despite the impact of covid, lockdowns, inflation and a massive workforce and skills shortage, local entrepreneurial spirit has been strong. Overall, the local business population grew by a net 2400 over

the previous year. The growth continues to be led by small business. Almost all of it occurrs in the micro and small-business sector – those with less than 20 and in many cases no staff,” Mr Catt said.

CHEYNE: As our economic recovery progresses, the ACT government continues to look for more opportunities to make it easier for businesses to open and grow. To this end, the Better Regulation Taskforce that was established to review regulatory and process changes and business settings in the current environment is working with local business to implement additional reforms.

CATT: With 63 per cent of Canberra’s jobs now in the private sector, the ACT economy is becoming more and more reliant on small enterprises for our job and wealth creation. Small business is big business, as far as

the local economy is concerned, and we want as many of them as possible to grow into bigger businesses.

CHEYNE: Since its two-year program was established in June, the Taskforce has delivered the Automatic Mutual Recognition of occupational licences on July 1, 2022 and a new supplier landing page and guide to doing business with the ACT government to make it simpler and easier for businesses offering services [whatever that all means].

CATT: “It is exciting to see a lot of start-ups, but these closures represent a huge amount of lost money, energy, and jobs. The message is clear – that the ACT needs to get much better at supporting small businesses to ensure their long-term survival.”

You can stop spinning now, Minister. 

AND for something completely different: “CityNews” arts editor Helen Musa has been to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and spotted this local delicacy… haggis sausage roll. No lip smacking until after you know that haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach (though now an artificial casing is often used instead). There’s been no confirmation she ate one. 

Ian Meikle is the editor of “CityNews” and can be heard with Rod Henshaw on the “CityNews Sunday Roast” news and interview program, 2CC, 9am-noon. There are more of his columns on citynews.com.au