Archive

Submission | Inquiry into impediments to business investment | May 25, 2018

Australian Chamber members have consistently expressed concern that policy makers often do not implement policies that are in the long-term interests of our country. This heavily weighs on confidence, and therefore investment. Economic studies consistently show policy uncertainty negatively impacts business investment. If businesses are unsure what the future policy landscape looks like, their return projections will be uncertain too. This, in turn, will lower the investment a business makes. This is why policy leadership is so important in encouraging businesses to invest.

Submission | Regional inequality in Australia | May 25, 2018

Regional Australia cannot be thought of as one homogenous area. Nor can regional Australia necessarily be thought of, or referred to, as a remote area. Characterising or stereotyping areas as such leads to incorrect analysis and poor policy outcomes.   For instance many regional towns and cities are in very close proximity to the major state capital cities. The causes of regional inequality are complex and the Australian Chamber does not profess to capture them all in this submission. We would note however that inequality of opportunity in towns and cities outside of the major state capitals is likely a significant...

Submission | The Effect of Red Tape on Occupational Licensing | May 2018

Submission to the Senate Select Committee on Red Tape May 2018 The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Select Committee on Red Tape on the effect of red tape on occupational licensing. The Australian Chamber has maintained a strong interest in occupational licensing and various reforms in this area over the years. With over 70 associations and chambers as part of our network, our members cover most areas of occupational licensing including in the important licensed areas of plumbing, electrical and construction. This submission sets out the case in support of...

2018-19 Budget Announcements

Summary of  key announcements made in the 2018-19 Budget.  Topics include: Taxation Health Mature Age Australians Tourism Industry Assistance Education and Training Sustainability

Budget Summary 2018-19

The Australian Chamber called for the 2018-19 Budget to be about more than tax and the next election. While there are some measures that tap into our three priorities for the Budget, we remain concerned about the lack of genuine structural budget repair.

Submission | JSCOT inquiry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership | 20 April 2018

The Australian Chamber welcomes and supports the government’s efforts to secure the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP11). It is a regional agreement with consistent rules and approaches that apply to a number (but not all) of our major trading partners. This consistency adds value to Australian business.

Submission | 2018 Review of the model WHS laws: Australian Chamber Submission

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Australian Chamber) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the 2018 Review of the model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws. This review is an opportunity to examine the operation and content of the model WHS laws to ensure they are operating as intended in those jurisdictions who have implemented them. The Australian Chamber continues to support the process of harmonisation. Harmonisation was and is widely welcomed. Industry commends the ongoing efforts to eliminate inconsistencies and duplication in WHS legislation across States and Territories but acknowledges more work is still needed. We maintain that the model WHS Act,...

Activities & Achievements | January – March 2018

The first quarter of 2018 has seen the Australian Chamber busy advocating on tax reform, skills and training, and energy, as well as leading the counter-argument to the ACTU’s campaigns against business. We have been busy in our political engagement, hosting, networking and meeting with all sides of politics as we advocate for members. We featured prominently in the media. This included my appearance on the ABC’s Q&A program, where I put the Australian Chamber’s case for business in debate with ACTU Secretary Sally McManus, prominent economist Chris Richardson, former AiG head Heather Ridout, and Crikey founder Stephen Mayne.

Submission | Clarification, simplification and modernisation of the consumer guarantee framework | April 2018

The Australian Chamber considers that the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) is working well and provides an appropriate balance between the needs of consumers and businesses. The Australian Chamber continues to believe significant changes should not be made to the ACL. The ACL should not be overly prescriptive or restrict mutually beneficial transactions between buyers and sellers. Overly prescriptive and onerous protections will result in increased costs for businesses. This will increase prices for consumers. The Australian Chamber supports the continuation of a principles based consumer guarantee framework to ensure it has the flexibility to adapt appropriately to transactions involving different...

Australian Chamber International Trade Survey | 2016

The Australian Chamber’s National Trade Survey is an annual survey that gauges the attitudes of Australian international trade businesses on key trade issues. The National Trade Survey 2016, the third instalment of the survey, was conducted by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of South Australia’s Australian Centre for Asian Business. The quantitative component involved questionnaire responses from 202 international trade businesses, while a subsequent qualitative component involved 27 in-depth interviews with individual respondents. Respondents were surveyed across seven categories: the profile of Australian international traders; the issues the most mattered to traders; administration; trade finance; the use and understanding of free trade...

Australian Chamber International Trade Survey | 2014

The Australian Chamber International Trade Survey has been designed to identify and understand the issues relating to cross border transactions faced by Australian businesses. A total of 314 businesses were surveyed, across every state and territory, representing different business sizes and across all industries. Firms were broken down according to their employee size in order to categories the cohorts as small, medium or large. Small: 1 – 19 employees Medium: 20 – 199 employees Large: 200+ employees Additional detail about respondents can be found in Appendix I. The ACCI National Trade Survey was distributed through ACCI’s state and territory based chamber of commerce and...

Submission | Fair Work Commission Minimum Wage Panel Annual Minimum Wage Review 2017-18

This submission has been prepared by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Australian Chamber) in consultation with our members to assist the Expert Panel (Panel) in conducting and completing its 2017-2018 annual review of the national minimum wage (NMW) and modern award minimum wages (AWR 2017-2018). The Australian Chamber recommends an increase in the National Minimum Wage and award wages not exceeding 1.9%.

Australian Chamber-Westpac Survey of Industrial Trends | March 2018

The Australian Chamber-Westpac Survey of Industrial Trends has been conducted for nearly 50 years. It provides a timely update on the manufacturing sector and insights into economy-wide trends. The March Quarter result shows further gains in manufacturing output. While new orders advanced there was some loss of momentum early in 2018, translating into a consolidation in employment and less intense use of overtime.

Submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers | 30 January 2018

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Australia’s largest and most representative business organisation, has approached this inquiry from the perspective of the foundations businesses need to survive and thrive in the modern, global economy and therefore generate and participate in paid work opportunities. We have also tackled the question of the policy settings needed to ensure Australia will be an attractive place for investment and employment in a global marketplace, creating flow-on business opportunities for SMEs, local jobs and revenue for the benefit of the community as a whole. Any consideration of the future of work in Australia must be predicated on supporting the future for...

Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth | February 13, 2018

There is no such thing as the “digital” economy. We need to recognise that there is only the economy in a digital world. Technological change is a constant but it is increasing and will be disruptive to traditional ways of doing things, including the global trade in goods and services. Australia needs dynamic policy settings that recognise that the increasing availability of access to cloud based computing, high speed broadband, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and the internet of things will all challenge our previous thinking.

Managing Australia’s Migrant Intake | 2018 -19 Migration Program

The Australian Chamber welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Department of Home Affair’s consultation process into the Migration Program for 2018-19. The Chamber has maintained a strong engagement with migration policy over many years, providing a highly considered and evidence-based viewpoint on the business impacts of migration policy. The needs of business and the broader community must underpin Australia’s migration program.  This submission sets out the case in support of maintaining permanent skilled migration at a similar level to the current cap and seeks that the Department return to a system where it was possible for permanent migrants to...

Australian Chamber Constitution

Submission | Response to In Home Care National Guidelines

The Australian Chamber welcomes the opportunity to provide input to the Department of Education and Training’s revised In Home Care National Guidelines. Given the importance of child care policy, the Chamber has maintained strong engagement with the Government over many years, providing views on business impact. This submission does not set out to provide detailed commentary on every aspect of the In Home Care National Guidelines; rather it takes a high level approach.

Australian Chamber – Tourism: 2018-19 Pre-Budget Submission

As the peak body for businesses operating in tourism, Australian Chamber – Tourism recommends the 2018-19 Budget include initiatives to support tourism growth in order to contribute to Australia’s future economic and social well-being and importantly spread the benefits across the country.

Activities & Achievements | October – December 2017

During the quarter the Australian Chamber campaigned on issues vital to business including rising energy costs, migration and tax cuts. We released our Pre-Budget Submission calling for government to ensure expenditure is efficient, strategic and futureproofs employment, trade and investment. We worked to ensure changes to migration rules consider the impact on business and funding certainty with the Skilling Australians Fund. We successfully opposed attempts to reverse penalty rate reform