Open letter to Minister
To WA Small Business Minister Jackie Jarvis.
Minister,
My family own and operate a small family business in Midland, WA.
Small business has long been referred to as “the backbone of the Australian economy”. It’s no secret many are now struggling.
So, how come “small business” did not appear once in the WA Treasurer’s 2026–27 Budget speech on May 7?
Not once.
The deputy Premier spoke about households, housing, health, transport, construction, manufacturing and infrastructure.
But she did not mention small business once.
I then visited your WA Small Business Development Corporation website to see what support or direction was being offered to small business after the state Budget.
There is no mention of the state Budget on the website, nor any new WA small business initiatives.
In fact, if one types “budget” into the website, the first page fills with articles explaining “What the federal Budget means for small business”.
Meanwhile, pressures on small business continue growing.
State and federal governments are now extending extra public holiday penalty rates onto weekends.
Bank card surcharges are being removed. Fuel levies, delivery fees and supplier surcharges continue piling up alongside insurance increases, utilities and rising public holiday labour costs.
And eventually, all of it ends up in the same place: the small business sponge.
Even the WA Budget’s so-called “Small Business Growth Grants” total just $1.4 million. Is this seriously to be shared across 250,000 WA small businesses?
Having attempted to access this grant myself for equipment needed for Coeliac Australia certification, I can say the process appeared designed to be impossible to navigate, something effectively confirmed on the program help line. Eventually, even I gave up.
It feels like modern small business policy exists more in media releases and websites than in the operating environment small businesses face every day.
Minister, if small business is “the backbone of the Australian economy”, why is it missing from the conversation?
Given the WA Budget delivered a $3.5 billion surplus while WA still maintains the highest payroll tax rate in Australia, why was no payroll tax relief offered to small business?
Also, given there is not one new measure for small business in the recent WA Budget, and that small business relies on you as its representative within state government, what initiatives did you and your department put forward that were not implemented by the Premier in the May 7 state Budget?
And in your role as the West Australian steward of the National Small Business Strategy where you can formally lobby the federal government on policy, what were you advocating for us behind closed doors federally?
After reading this draft, my 10-year-old son Adam simply said to me, “Can’t stand up without a backbone.”
Kevin Bartholomew
Commercial Bar and Kitchen Midland
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Memories of the perch
Dear Echo News,
I found the article ‘Extinct’ fish found in the Helena River (Echo News, May 29) about the rare pygmy perch very interesting.
In the mid and late ’50s, as youngsters, we would fish in the pools, you could call them billabongs, in the Helena River from the bridge on Military Road through to Quebec Street, West Midland.
I remember the perch used to be in large numbers.
There was also another fish we called long toms and they were about 150mm long and 5mm round.
I don’t know what we did with them, probably kept them in jars.
I do remember both species were very plentiful and very easy to catch.
Glad to see the perch are still surviving although rare.
Hopefully the other species are still around.
M Warnock
Stoneville
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Kalamunda Future Forest
Dear Echo News,
City of Kalamunda’s draft Future Forest policy is back before council this month.
The overwhelming feedback provided through the public consultation appears to have been overlooked and the policy still provides an exemption in full for tree removal on ‘residential use land’.
Meaning the majestic marri and jarrah trees amongst our residential blocks will have no protection under this policy, unless their proposed removal is the consequence of a subdivision or development.
Even then, the policy provides little incentive for retention, offering replanting and offset payments as a suitable canopy safeguard – a concept flawed when you consider the many years it takes for a newly planted specimen to provide the shade, amenity and habitat value of its 100+ year old ancestors.
We urge councillors to request additional amendments – if approved as is, the consequence of this draft Future Forest policy will mean continued loss of mature trees on residential land and a greater cost burden on the city to replant on public land if our canopy target is to be achieved.
Will the lasting legacy of this council be an era where our suburbs are turned into treeless, characterless, urban heat sinks?
Or will these councillors be the proud architects of a new era in which the value of mature trees in our home in the forest is recognised and meaningfully protected?
Hannah Lill
Kalamunda Tree Canopy Advocates
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Kalamunda disregards residents
Dear Echo News,
Thank you C Dornan, Wattle Grove (Echo News, June 12) for highlighting the blatant disregard of Kalamunda councillors to do what local residents elected them for.
Didn’t they get the message when over 59,000 submissions were received opposing Alcoa’s bauxite mining in our beautiful jarrah forests?
Yes, the Harry debacle is just another environmental cock up.
The ugly high plastic barriers in Jorgensen Park are a disgrace and will severely restrict the movement of wildlife which relies on this park to be a safe haven.
I appeal to families, if you want your children to see magnificent sights at night-time, do a tour of Kanyana Wildlife.
The entrance fee goes towards rehabilitating wildlife which has been saved from the destructive claws of incompetent councils and developers, all approving destruction for monetary gains.
R Le Serve
Gooseberry Hill
