The Morrison Government’s common sense and practical approach to removing job-destroying regulation and unnecessary red tape will make it easier to get on with business and create new jobs, Business Council President Tim Reed said.

“The speed and strength of our recovery hinges on the ability of business to get back on their feet, invest and hire new workers but one of the main obstacles they face is poorly designed and inefficient regulation.

“We thank Assistant Minister Ben Morton for listening to the concerns of business and acting on areas that we have long highlighted as a serious drag on productivity, investment, innovation and job creation. The pandemic has brought these into sharper focus.

“Unnecessary regulation was one of the first things to be jettisoned during the pandemic in areas such as delivery curfews for supermarkets, approval times for projects and retail trading hours.

“The long-term removal of these handbrakes on the economy will benefit all Australians. Red tape is not only a burden on business, ultimately it is a cost to consumers.

“We applaud the move to embed a deregulation agenda in government and the recognition that removing any unnecessary obstacles to job creation, while keeping people safe, is a fundamental part of the recovery.

“Speaking at a Business Council event today, the Assistant Minister announced a new regulator performance role at the heart of the government that will help ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to regulators across the Commonwealth and guard against the creep of regulation.

“Every dollar of taxpayers’ money we spend from now on must be geared towards getting people back to work or making it easier to create new jobs. 

“We also welcome today’s announcement of practical action to join up services for medicines and medical services to ensure people can have the quickest possible access to medicines and medical technology.

“These will make a difference along with the measures to streamline agricultural levies, childcare approval processes and streamlining voluntary private sector action to support emissions reductions.

“In addition to the deregulation measures today, we also welcome the government’s exemption from fringe benefits tax for employer-provided retraining and reskilling for workers who are deployed to different areas of a business.’’