Business Council of Australia

On Wednesday, Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black and Director of the Australia-India CEO Forum Jodi McKay attended the Government's launch of the new Roadmap for Australia's Economic Engagement with India. The BCA welcomes the Roadmap which outlines the priorities of the Australia-India relationship including: 👉 Growing and diversifying the economic relationship 👉 Supporting education and skills providers 👉 Accelerating efforts on energy and critical minerals The BCA is pleased to be the secretariat of Australia-India CEO Forum which contributed to this process and continues to play a key role in the trade relationship. By facilitating meaningful conversations between Australian and Indian business leaders, we can improve our commercial outcomes and investment opportunities. Anthony Albanese Penny Wong Don Farrell Robert Spurway

The Business Council is pleased to appoint GrainCorp Managing Director and CEO Robert Spurway as the new Chair of our Macroeconomic Committee. 🔗Read more here: https://bit.ly/43fevr1

On Monday, Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black addressed the 9th Australia-Canada Economic Leadership Forum.

The Business Council has released its Pre-Budget Submission, calling to enhance economic growth through private sector-led recovery. Getting our policy settings right will deliver more jobs and higher wages for Australians after our weakest period of economic growth in 30 years, outside of the pandemic. Supporting businesses will ultimately secure our economy and prosperity, enhancing the lives of Australians. 🔗Read more here: https://bit.ly/4jVSp2E

In The Australian Financial Review, Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black writes about the role business can play in addressing Australia's skills gaps crisis. 🔗Read the full opinion piece here: https://bit.ly/40SuQPr

On Thursday, the Business Council was joined by Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor MP at Parliament House and engaged with BCA members about their priorities going into the Federal Election. As we approach the Federal Election, conversations like this are critical to addressing the nation's biggest challenges. That's why the BCA launched our Big Five Questions, a blueprint for practical, long-term reform. Solving these questions is key to securing Australia's future with a resilient economy and better living standards. We thank the Shadow Treasurer for outlining to the BCA and its members the priorities of the Coalition. 🔗Read more here: https://bit.ly/3CNu0eO

On Wednesday, the Business Council was pleased to host a dinner with our members, at which Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered the keynote speech. This was a fantastic opportunity for BCA members to discuss their priorities with the Treasurer ahead of the Federal Election. This event coincides with the BCA’s release of our Big Five Questions, a list of the nation’s biggest challenges that we must address to secure our long-term economic prosperity and living standards. 🔗Read more here: https://bit.ly/3CNu0eO Geoff Culbert Bran Black

With the release of the Business Council’s Big Five Questions, BCA Chief Executive Bran Black joined Deborah Knight on Money News to discuss our policy solutions ahead of this year’s Federal Election, including how we can ease the cost-of-living. 🔗You can read the full interview here: https://bit.ly/4jKKg0L 2GB

The Business Council is urging all sides of politics to address these five key questions ahead of this year's Federal Election. The BCA’s Big Five Questions are backed by policy ideas that must be considered if we are to boost living standards and create a business environment that drives economic growth. It's time for practical, long-term solutions that tackle the real problems facing Australians. 🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/3CNu0eO

Last week, the Business Council hosted a roundtable with The Australian Financial Review to discuss the ongoing issues of Australia’s skills gap crisis. BCA Chief Executive Bran Black, Monash University Vice-Chancellor Sharon Pickering, SEEK Chief Executive Ian Narev and Endeavour Energy (NSW) CEO Guy Chalkley all gave insights in what are the critical challenges and policy solutions needed to alleviate the problem. All agreed that developing a highly skilled workforce to meet the growing and changing demands of industry was imperative to Australia’s long-term economic growth. The proposals discussed included: 💡Boosting high school completion rates 💡Providing accredited careers counsellors across all high schools 💡Raising the reputation of TAFE colleges 💡Offering comprehensive on-the-job training. Australia needs a coordinated approach to addressing the skills gap crisis. Failure to do so will ultimately worsen our economy, productivity growth and living standards. 🔗Read more here: https://bit.ly/3PZVili