An eight-year-old's dream of running her own cake stall was left in tatters after she was ordered to shut down the small kiosk over a missing permit.
Western Australian mother Kim Macdonald helped her daughter Mischa fulfil what she described as her dream of opening a makeshift stall.
Mischa's stand, set up at Perth's Hyde Park on a weekend earlier in October, sold her homemade chocolate crackles, cups of cordial and artwork she had created herself.
She displayed a sign telling customers that a portion of earnings from the two dozen sweets she sold would go to people who are experiencing homelessness.
But Mischa's dreams were 'momentarily crushed' when she was asked to present documentation.
'While we sought permission from the delightful owner of the Hyde Park kiosk before selling her two dozen sweet treats, it never occurred to me that she would require an official permit,' Mrs Macdonald wrote in an opinion piece for The West Australian.
'That point was hammered home by an official from a stage show at the park that day, who demanded to see a permit before brusquely shutting her down, warning the breach risked having the entire event cancelled.
'Watching it get closed down by bureaucrats because she did not have a permit is one of [the] more frustrating experiences.'
A Perth mother has revealed how her eight-year-old's dream of running a cake stall was crushed after she was forced to shut down due to a missing permit
Mrs Macdonald said her daughter was inundated with support from visitors and locals who were confused by the 'heavy-handed rebuke'.
Before the closure, Mischa had sold the chocolate crackles for about $1, as well as 50¢ cups of cordial, paper chains and cat pictures drawn on Bunnings paint swatches.
She accepted payments using an electronic card reader, which Mrs Macdonald said allowed her daughter to open her first bank account and learn how money moves.
Mrs Macdonald said Mischa's confidence grew as customers bought her goods.
The mother said she was not only frustrated by the situation, but believed permit requirements could discourage entrepreneurial thinking.
'It points to a potential change in our national character, with Australia at risk of becoming so overregulated, sanitised and risk-averse that there is no tolerance for initiative,' she wrote in her column.
'Encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation should be a national priority, given Australia is currently suffering low productivity growth and weakening business dynamism.'
Mrs Macdonald said her daughter was not alone, claiming many children and charities had seen their endeavours shut down because of permit issues.
While she noted her daughter was addressed by an event organiser, she claimed councils are usually the ones calling the shots on permits.
She said bureaucracy, such as permits, was discouraging children from developing initiative and business skills.
'Let children learn to run a business before bureaucracy teaches them not to bother,' she added.
