National Red Tape Survey – March 2014

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s first National Red Tape Survey was published in 2012. Its aim was to examine the costs and complexity of regulatory compliance in Australia from a business perspective. Now in its second year, the survey seeks to further investigate and measure the impact of regulation on the Australian business community.

Results from the 2014 survey reveal that regulatory burdens remain a pressing concern for industry. A majority of respondents believe the amount of red tape has increased over the past 12 months, with almost two thirds considering their industry to be over-regulated. Disturbingly, almost 40 per cent of respondents reported that the impact of regulation had prevented them from making changes to grow their business. Moreover, over half of those surveyed stated they were unable to pass on the cost of regulation to consumers, leaving the cost to be borne by the business.

A total of 839 businesses were surveyed, representing different business sizes and across all industries. The majority of businesses responding to the survey had between 1 and 49 employees, clearly representative of the small and medium business sector.

The 2014 National Red Tape Survey was distributed through state and territory based chambers of commerce and selected member industry association from 11 November 2013 to 10 December 2013.

Download the full survey results below.