Business Council of Australia

With the release of ‘Regulation Rumble’, Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black joined Patricia Karvelas on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) RN Breakfast to discuss our findings and why South Australia came out on top as the best place to do business in 2024. You can read the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3OFRBAw

In the The Australian Financial Review Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black writes about the maze that is Australia’s payroll tax system. The BCA is calling for a National Reform Fund to incentivise states and territories to harmonise their polices such as payroll tax and make it easier for Australian businesses to operate with less red tape holding them back. See the full opinion piece here: https://bit.ly/4fYjobA

The Business Council released our second edition of ‘Regulation Rumble’ which found that South Australia was the best place to do business in 2024. BCA Chief Executive Bran Black met with Premier Peter Malinauskas outlining the need for states and territories to compete to have the best regulatory settings Regulation Rumble is about starting a conversation about the need for governments to uplift Australia’s business environment to attract investment and improve global competitiveness. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3CVwJTn

International Day of People with Disability aims at boosting the community’s awareness, understanding and acceptance of Australian’s living with a disability. The BCA is focused on amplifying leadership opportunities and greater economic access for people with disability. By having leaders from all walks of life, we create better and more inclusive economy that will support productivity growth. A more inclusive economy has the potential of adding an extra $50 billion to gross domestic product by 2050. That additional boost to GDP would place Australia in the top eight OECD countries for employing people with disabilities. The BCA, along with Coles Group, Woolworths Group, Kmart Australia Limited and Target Australia are part of the Career Pathways Pilot led by the Australian Disability Network which is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS). This pilot is aimed at demonstrating ways that people with disability can enter the workforce and advance their careers.

The Business Council has launched our second edition of ‘Regulation Rumble’ which looks at state and territory regulation, red tape, planning and tax to help jurisdictions assess their competitiveness and win more business investment. Our report found that South Australia came out on top, having the best regulatory, tax and planning settings for doing business in Australia. It is critical that the states and territories learn from each other so that Australia can collectively prosper and increase its global competitiveness. You can read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3CVwJTn

Congratulations to Premier Peter Malinauskas and South Australia for coming out on top of our 2024 Regulation Rumble report, as the state making it easiest to do business. This is, above all, a race to the top, and our report shows there’s scope for all states and territories to focus on what they can do to encourage business activity - so as a nation, we all prosper. You can read our full report here: https://bit.ly/3CVwJTn Business Council of Australia

The Business Council’s upcoming ‘Regulation Rumble’ report is about starting a conversation about the importance of harmonising state and territory payroll tax systems to increase business investment and drive productivity growth. Read the full AFR article here: https://bit.ly/3Zp07tY The Australian Financial Review

Fixing our stalling productivity growth needs to be a national priority. At a recent roundtable, Business Council members bp, Cochlear and Wesfarmers flagged it has become increasingly harder to do business in Australia and win investment. The BCA’s latest report, 'Australia's flagging competitiveness and productivity', shows that our current productivity rate of 0.5 per cent needs to quadruple every year until 2030, just to match our performance last decade. Australia needs cooperation between business and governments to find solutions to make sure we can maintain our high living standards. You can read our full report here: https://bit.ly/4eK7m48

The BCA is hiring for an Assistant Director, Policy. If you’d like to be part of a dedicated, energetic and success-oriented team based in Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra please email a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role and a CV to recruitment@bca.com.au.

The Business Council of Australia and its members remain committed to making Australia a more prosperous nation. I’d like to thank Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott, bp Australia country President Lucy Nation and Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt for participating in a BCA roundtable with The Australian about the current challenges of our stalling productivity growth and competitiveness. Their insights on this critical issue make it clear that there is a national priority in getting productivity moving, which is at a six-decade low. We need a coordinated approach that sees major policy reform and assists in making our economy more globally competitive. The BCA’s ‘Australia’s flagging productivity and competitiveness’ report is a wake-up call that action is needed to keep make sure we can maintain our way of life. Because, if we don’t get these fundamentals right, we risk lower living standards, less investment and economic growth. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/3Z76gK5