Anti-Innovation Government?

03 Apr Anti-Innovation Government?

Dear Here to Help,

Government awarded me a substantial grant to pursue my innovative idea. I poured my heart and soul into my project and developed it to a stage where it was ready to launch. Then, I came in for a nasty surprise. Government was forcing me to jump more hurdles!
How on earth does government approve my innovative idea, give me money to work on it, then suddenly decide that there are more rules that I need to conform to, which it never told me about?

They could have told me about those rules at the beginning, when I was developing my idea. But they wait till I have spent all the grant money, and most of my own money, on the idea and NOW they tell me their other rules. The only way I could do this is to go back to the beginning and start again!

But I am 2 years and a load of money down the track and I can’t afford to start again. I have poured my heart, soul and finances into this project and I just don’t think I can go back to the beginning because government gave me new rules I never heard of!

Thank you for your question.

That’s a really hard thing to happen.

It’s a hard response. Government is not a single entity. We have local, state and federal government. Each level of government has departments and agencies. They don’t always communicate as well as they should with one another.

It would be great if successful government grants came with a “how to” guide to help you engage with government. This could include things like:
• Common regulations and requirements for different types of innovators and entrepreneurs (manufacturing, IT, etc)
• Which departments are responsible
• Key contacts in relevant departments
• a concierge service that helps entrepreneurs/innovators interact with government

As a first stop, I would go back to the department that awarded you the grant. Usually, you will have received an email from them – have you tried replying to that email and asking them for help?

There are a number of services and organisations dedicated to helping small businesses, that might be able to help you:
• NSW small business concierge
• Hunter IF
• I2N
• Business Centre
• Service NSW
If you are not based in the Hunter, there are similar organisations across Australia.

It may be useful to consult my previous articles about engaging with government – sometimes you have to push back and patience is key.

Good luck!

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in Hunter Local, April 2024. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.