On 12 December 2005 the National Press club hosted a forum on regulatory reform.
The forum discussions were led by:
- Gary Banks, Chairman, Productivity Commission
- Steven Munchenberg, Deputy Chief Executive, Business Council of Australia
- Alan Oster, Chief Economist, National Australia Bank
- Senator Michael Ronaldson
- Wayne Swan, Shadow Treasurer.
In his comments, BCA Deputy Chief Executive Steven Munchenberg spoke about the everyday impacts of government regulation, how red tape is adding a dead weight on business in Australia, and how it is hampering Australia’s competitiveness.
Some of the reasons he identified included the:
- interaction between laws
- constantly changing laws
- multiple and uncoordinated approval processes
- a lack of delineation between the roles of different regulators
- the perverse consequences of their ‘zero tolerance’ attitudes.
Steven Munchenberg called for the introduction of regulatory impact statements and more consultation between regulators and businesses to help address those problems.