This opinion article by Business Council of Australia President Geoff Culbert was published in the Herald Sun on 28 October 2026.
I grew up near Ringwood and began my career in Melbourne when Victoria was rightly regarded as Australia’s business capital and an economic powerhouse.
It was a place of ambition and enterprise. Victorians were proud of that and I certainly was.
The Business Council’s latest Regulation Rumble rankings show how far we have fallen.
Victoria has finished last among the eight states and territories for ease of doing business…again…for the third consecutive year.
Victoria ranks last for property taxes, seventh for payroll tax and business licensing, and has slipped from fourth to last in one year on planning.
Victoria also has the highest unemployment rate in the country, showing the real impact of being the worst place to do business in Australia.
And our report shows why that is with excessive red tape, costly regulation and uncompetitive taxes holding back businesses of all sizes.
Before a café can pour its first coffee, they must have 34 licences, approvals or regulatory processes. Why are we making it so hard to get ahead in the coffee capital of Australia?
Why would a business choose Victoria when it is easier to succeed elsewhere?
South Australia has topped the rankings for four years, with more competitive payroll tax settings and fewer licensing requirements. Victoria can learn from what works.
Regulation has its place as workers deserve safe workplaces, and consumers deserve protection, but other states are showing there are better approaches.
Victoria has legislated planning reforms that could speed up approvals, but the main changes won’t begin until October 2027.
Other states aren’t standing still. We need Victoria to turn things around, not just for the benefit of Victorians, but for the good of Australia’s economic prosperity.
As the nation’s second-largest economy, Victoria accounts for nearly a quarter of Australia’s economic activity and if Victoria continues to fall behind, so does Australia.
The next state government, whichever party forms it, must make restoring business confidence and growth, for all businesses, an absolute priority.
It should commit to cutting red tape by 25 per cent by 2030, cut payroll and property taxes, pull back on unnecessary licensing and improve planning approval times. Victoria must set an ambitious goal to be known once again as Australia’s business capital, and our country needs that too.
It was a place of ambition and enterprise. Victorians were proud of that and I certainly was.
The Business Council’s latest Regulation Rumble rankings show how far we have fallen.
Victoria has finished last among the eight states and territories for ease of doing business.
Again, for the third consecutive year.
Victoria ranks last for property taxes, seventh for payroll tax and business licensing, and has slipped from fourth to last in one year on planning.
Victoria also has the highest unemployment rate in the country, showing the real impact of being the worst place to do business in Australia.
And our report shows why that is with excessive red tape, costly regulation and uncompetitive taxes holding back businesses of all sizes.
Before a café can pour its first coffee, they must have 34 licences, approvals or regulatory processes. Why are we making it so hard to get ahead in the coffee capital of Australia?
Why would a business choose Victoria when it is easier to succeed elsewhere?
South Australia has topped the rankings for four years, with more competitive payroll tax settings and fewer licensing requirements. Victoria can learn from what works.
Regulation has its place as workers deserve safe workplaces, and consumers deserve protection, but other states are showing there are better approaches.
Victoria has legislated planning reforms that could speed up approvals, but the main changes won’t begin until October 2027. Other states aren’t standing still.
We need Victoria to turn things around, not just for the benefit of Victorians, but for the good of Australia’s economic prosperity.
As the nation’s second-largest economy, Victoria accounts for nearly a quarter of Australia’s economic activity and if Victoria continues to fall behind, so does Australia.
The next Victorian government, whichever party forms it, must make restoring business confidence and growth, for all businesses, an absolute priority.
It should commit to cutting red tape by 25 per cent by 2030, cut payroll and property taxes, pull back on unnecessary licensing and improve planning approval times.
Supporting business must be part of the solution to the challenges facing Victoria.
Small businesses in our suburbs and regional towns are the backbone of local communities. Large businesses help anchor entire industries.
Businesses generate the economic activity that creates jobs and wealth for Victorians.
That same activity delivers the tax revenue to fund schools, hospitals, roads and essential services.
Victoria must set an ambitious goal to be known once again as Australia’s business capital, and our country needs that too.