Our Alliance of Industry Associations (the Alliance) welcomes the opportunity to make this pre-Budget submission to inform the development of the 2026–27 Budget.
We acknowledge and commend the Government for its leadership in convening the Economic Reform Roundtable in 2025. Bringing together business, unions, academia and other stakeholders to focus on productivity, investment and long-term economic reform was an important and constructive step. The Roundtable helped re-establish productivity as a central national priority and created a shared understanding of the challenges facing Australia’s economy.
Since the Roundtable, the Government has taken a number of positive steps to advance reform, including progress in areas such as planning and housing supply, environmental approvals, innovation and skills, and the ongoing focus on productivity as a driver of higher living standards. These actions demonstrate a clear recognition that structural reform is essential to supporting sustainable growth and funding the services Australians rely on.
However, it is also concerning that some disturbing policy proposals continue to receive attention, most notably the cashflow tax, which featured in the final Productivity Commission report released in December. The continued focus on such measures risks undermining confidence in the reform agenda and distracting from more credible, growth-enhancing options.
The Alliance believes that the 2026–27 Budget represents a critical opportunity to build on this momentum and translate reform intent into durable, economy-wide outcomes. While progress has been made, productivity growth remains weak, business investment is subdued, and regulatory and structural barriers continue to constrain economic performance across multiple sectors.
This submission outlines a set of practical, consensus-based reform priorities that the Alliance considers essential to lifting productivity, improving investment certainty and restoring growth in living standards. The proposals focus on four key areas: boosting investment and innovation; reducing red tape through better regulation; improving planning and major project approvals; and progressing comprehensive tax reform. Together, these reforms would strengthen Australia’s competitiveness and support stronger, more sustainable economic growth.
The Alliance looks forward to continuing to work constructively with the Government as it presents the 2026–27 Budget and advances the reform agenda initiated through the Economic Reform Roundtable. We remain committed to supporting policies that help Australians work smarter, improve economic resilience and secure a more prosperous future.
Read the full submission here.
