Statement from Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Mark Stone
 
The Victorian Chamber welcomes the release of the Victorian Auditor-General’s Report on reducing the burden of red tape, which was tabled in Parliament this week.
 
The Victorian Chamber has long championed the cause of red tape reduction, most recently in our 2016-17 State Budget Submission.
 
The Auditor General’s recommendations echo the calls of the Victorian Chamber to increase the level of public reporting on red tape reduction initiatives and to engage with businesses and the community to identify red tape priorities.
 
The report notes that a number of positive practices are being demonstrated by regulators and government agencies, including a sustained focus on red tape reduction; more rigorous assessments of the impact of red tape cuts and improvements in consultation.
 
However, the report also found that more needs to be done to understand how the red tape burden is changing in response to Victoria’s evolving economy, better assess whether past reforms have delivered on their objectives and engage more widely on red tape initiatives across government.
 
The Victorian Chamber will continue to work with the Government, the Red Tape Commissioner and the Commissioner for Better Regulation to reduce the burden of regulation on Victorian business.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established in 1851, is the most influential business organisation in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

victorianchamber.com.au

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IN PASSING a government bill to end sand mining on North Stradbroke Island in 2019, the Queensland Parliament has delivered a trifecta of pain for the state’s resources sector, according to a statement from Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

"In a mere five weeks the Parliament has backed the Palaszczuk Government’s ill-conceived Chain of Responsibility law which has sent shockwaves through industry and it has created open slather for objections in the courts to mining projects, even allowing people or entities in foreign countries to object to a Queensland mining project," QRC chief executive Michael Roche said.

"To cap it off, the Parliament has backed the government’s bill to close sand mining operations with the loss of up to 153 full time jobs in Sibelco’s mineral sands business.

"There will also be a severe flow-on effect with hundreds more contractors and businesses that rely on the Sibelco mine on the island also greatly impacted. 

"Premature closure of the mine and an inadequate economic transition strategy will be a sure recipe for a social and economic disaster for the Stradbroke Island community.

"At a time when the mining sector is under extreme pressure and losing jobs, Queensland cannot afford the luxury of pandering to minority pressure group demands to shut down a mining operation that has proved to be one of the most responsible, productive and durable in the state.

"The reality is that the evidence from elsewhere in Australia proves that economic diversification and transition from an existing major industry in a community is a long-term process.

"It takes many years to be self-sustaining and requires a far bigger transition package than the proposed $20 million. QRC notes that in the state budget, only $2.5 million was allocated to this package before mid-2017.

"Mineral products from Stradbroke Island are exported around the world and are used for a wide range of everyday items with high quality silica used in glass for bottles and windscreens, plasma TV screens and solar panels."

www.qrc.org.au

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THE Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has heralded today’s launch by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry of its key federal election policy platform aimed at boosting Australia’s global competitiveness.

Victorian Chamber Chief Executive Mark Stone said the Victorian Chamber had worked closely with the Australian Chamber in developing the Top 10 in 10: Ten steps towards a more competitive Australia platform.

“Victorian business plays an important role in Australia’s economy and stands to benefit enormously from the policy priorities outlined by the Australian Chamber today,” said Mr Stone.

“Top 10 in 10 outlines recommendations to increase Australia’s global competitiveness through practical measures that encourage innovation, lower business costs, reduce red tape and deliver world class infrastructure.”

“Over the past decade, Australia has fallen from 10th to 21st on the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index, affecting not only our business and economic growth, but also our liveability.”

“We want to see Australia return to the top ten and are seeking a commitment from all political parties to implement reforms that will help us to become more competitive,” said Mr Stone.

The key recommendations outlined in the Top 10 in 10: Ten steps towards a more competitive Australia are: 

1. Give young people a chance to succeed by making it easier for employers to take on apprentices and trainees
2. Ensure government spending is sustainable by reducing it to less than 25% of GDP
3. Help industries grow through workplace regulation that better responds to their needs
4. Let entrepreneurs get on with growing their businesses by reducing government red tape each year
5. Create jobs by allowing employers and employees to negotiate workplace arrangements that best meet their needs
6. Boost incomes by cutting the company tax rate to 25% within ten years through annual reductions
7. Build the transport, communications and energy facilities we need by backing the independent plan of Infrastructure Australia
8. Lower building costs by bringing back the Australian Building and Construction Commission
9. Encourage innovation and value for money by facilitating greater competition in government-funded education, health and aged care services
10. Welcome more international visitors by making visas cheaper and easier to obtain 

For further information visit: www.top10in10.com.au

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established in 1851, is the most influential business organisation in Victoria, informing and servicing more than 15,000 members, customers and clients around the state.

victorianchamber.com.au

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AUSTRALIA’S resource industry employer group, AMMA, strongly encourages Queensland MPs to today vote down proposed legislation that would prematurely end sand mining on North Stradbroke Island in 2019.

“All eyes will be on the Palaszczuk Government today and whether they are truly about ‘delivering jobs now and jobs for the future’, or whether that is just empty rhetoric,” says AMMA executive director Scott Barklamb.

“The transition away from sand mining will impact on the livelihood of hundreds of the island’s best paid employees, both sand miners and those that indirectly rely on the industry.

“The government’s plan to end sand mining in 2019 is highly premature and its failure to undertake a proper regulatory impact statement does not instil a great deal of confidence.

“Any timetable for ending sand mining on North Stradbroke must be supported by a thorough regulatory impact statement and a realistic economic transition plan that supports the island’s residents and community.”

Earlier this month, a Queensland Parliamentary Committee concluded that closing the mine in 2019, instead of the current legislated closure date of 2035, would cripple the island’s economy and community.

Further, Deloitte Access Economics has calculated that ending sand mining on North Stradbroke Island in 2019 (opposed to 2035) would cost the regional economy up to $1 billion.

“A 2019 closure to sand mining risks massively and unnecessarily harming the island’s economic and community well-being,” Mr Barklamb continues.

“This includes significant job losses for the local Indigenous community, which will also lose considerable revenue under an Indigenous Land Use Agreement when sand mining exports from the island come to an end.

“The sand mining employees that can transition to become waiters, baristas or take up other hospitality jobs are going to face a wait before tourism develops to replace mining, and their pay will fall considerably, if they are lucky enough to find a job.

“This is a $1 billion decision that the community of North Stradbroke Island cannot afford for their parliamentary representatives to get wrong.

“AMMA urges state MPs from all sides to today vote down these bills and instead commit to gradually wind-down sand mining over a more sensible timeframe – preferably 2035 but certainly no earlier than 2027.”

www.amma.org.au

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