Attributed to BCA Chief Executive Bran Black
The Business Council welcomes today’s announcement by the New South Wales Government to cut red tape, streamline planning approvals, cut the upfront cost of building homes, and make it easier to do business in the state.
These are exactly the kinds of reforms we have been long calling for in our annual Regulation Rumble report. It is terrific to see the NSW Government responding with practical measures to reduce unnecessary costs and delays for businesses.
Our report identified the high cost and uncertainty of developer contributions as a key barrier to investment, so reforms to simplify the system and reduce upfront costs are a particularly welcome step towards getting more homes built in NSW.
Equally, making it easier for a small business to open its doors, renovate its premises or extend trading hours without navigating reams of costly and lengthy red tape is a win for business owners and their customers alike.
When businesses spend less time and money navigating unnecessary regulation, they have more capacity to invest, create jobs and offer more competitive pricing.
NSW has already made progress this year, moving up one place in our planning rankings as earlier reforms start to come down the pipeline. This latest announcement has the potential to build on that momentum and help NSW pull further up the rankings.
The state of NSW is demonstrating the kind of ambition we want to see from all governments across the country. We now need to see every level of government step up to the plate, embrace meaningful reform and commit to a national goal of reducing the cost of regulation by 25 per cent by 2030.
Ultimately, cutting unnecessary red tape isn’t just about making life easier for businesses. It’s about lowering costs for consumers, delivering more homes, creating more jobs and improving living standards for all Australians.