Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Small Business and Minister Assisting on Deregulation, Senator Sherry. Can the minister outline to the Senate how the Gillard government’s regulatory reform agenda will benefit small business and the economy and create jobs? Can the minister outline to the Senate the types of savings that will flow from this bold government reform program?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for the question. In addition to the decisive actions that were outlined by my colleague the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator Wong, in terms of protecting the Australian economy and indeed highlighting the comparative strength of the Australian economy, a recent World Bank report has rated Australia in the area of start-up for business and ease of doing business as a top 10 country out of 183 economies surveyed. Notwithstanding what is a good assessment, the Gillard Labor government is determined to ensure that doing business in Australia becomes easier. We are assisting small business by reducing red tape. Part of that is the government’s COAG Commonwealth-state agreement on deregulation. It is a central economic reform.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has noted that Australia is one of the front-running countries in the OECD in terms of its regulatory reform practices. Through the ministers on the Council of Australian Governments, the government is working closely with the states and territories to deliver reforms in 27 important areas of economic regulatory activity through what is known as the seamless national economy. Establishing a seamless national economy, overcoming the differing rules and regulations that exist from state to state and territory to territory and addressing unnecessary and poorly designed regulation reduce business compliance costs.

Several of the reforms are already operational. For example, the standard business reporting simplifies preparation and lodgement of business activity statements, making it easier for business but particularly small business. In many cases the actual benefits of these reforms have been quantified. We are looking at an approximate annual benefit in the range of $2 billion to $3 billion. (Time expired)

Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister report on how the COAG regulatory reforms are progressing?

Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Slowly.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Through you, Mr President, I did hear that fairly inane interjection from Senator McGauran. They are progressing well. Senator McGauran, for your information, through you, Mr President, we actually have a reform agenda. We are actually undertaking reforms, unlike your government, which sat on its hands—or for a number of years sat under the doormat, in your case. We actually have a reform agenda, Senator McGauran.

Around one-third of these 27 priority regulatory reforms are operational: standard business reporting, a national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals, a national system of trade measurement and the implementation of national regulation of trustee corporations. That sat around for 80 years. You did nothing in almost 12 long years; we are introducing national trustee regulation in this country. Other reforms will shortly be operational. (Time expired)

Dana Wortley (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the minister aware of any alternative policies to the Gillard government’s reform agenda?

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Normally I could be pretty brief because there are not any alternatives from the other side. As I have indicated, for 12 long years the Liberal and National parties did nothing in this reform area. They are a policy-free zone. They made little if any attempt to tackle the complex regulatory duplication—the web of regulations, often contradictory, that exist between the states and territories. They did nothing in almost 12 long years.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Absolute nonsense.

Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting on Deregulation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Name a reform, Senator Abetz, that you tackled in this area in 12 long years. Through you, Mr President, he cannot name one. I challenge him; he cannot name one. Where red tape and regulatory reforms were identified, they were swept under the carpet—or, in the case of the National Party, the doormat. They just swept the reforms under the carpet, ignored them and did nothing. As usual, the National Party opposed— (Time expired)