Business Council of Australia

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

On Wednesday, the Business Council hosted a roundtable with The Australian to discuss the challenges driving Australia’s flagging productivity and competitiveness. BCA Chief Executive Bran Black, Wesfarmers CEO Rob Scott, bp Australia country President Lucy Nation and Cochlear CEO Dig Howitt were all in attendance. They agreed that robust reform is needed to reverse Australia’s underwhelming productivity performance over the past decade. A national conversation about how we can turbocharge productivity to strengthen Australia’s economic growth and global competitiveness is vital. The BCA’s latest productivity report outlines key areas where reform is most needed, including our taxation system and workplace laws. Business is prepared to address Australia’s flagging productivity, taking a pragmatic and collaborative approach. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3Z76gK5

Our latest report, ‘Australia’s flagging productivity and competitiveness,’ shows that to match productivity performance in the last decade, Australia’s current productivity rate needs to quadruple to 2 per cent every year until 2030. Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black says productivity is critical to, “People feeling as though they’ve got more money in their back pockets.” That's why the BCA is calling for widespread reforms to boost Australia’s productivity and maintain our high standard of living. Read the full report here: https://bit.ly/3ZcVe78

On Thursday, the Business Council and AmCham Australia held the Inaugural AmCham-BCA AUKUS Pillar II Advisory Group Meeting at Gilbert + Tobin in Sydney. These meetings between senior leaders from Australia and the US are critical to ensuring both nations can leverage the opportunity from AUKUS Pillar II and the technological advancements it will bring. The BCA remains committed to identifying opportunities for the Australian economy as this major initiative is rolled out. Pictured: BCA Chief Executive Bran Black and AmCham CEO April Palmerlee 🇺🇸🇦🇺.

Closing the gender pay gap is a priority of the Business Council of Australia and the latest data in the Gender Equality Scorecard, showing a narrowing in the pay difference is a step in the right direction. Employers are taking this seriously and the new Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Setting Gender Equality Targets) Bill 2024 will provide an incentive for greater targets and actions on achieving gender pay equity. There is clearly more to do, and the BCA remains committed in bridging the gap, by assisting more women in senior leadership roles and better pathways into traditionally male-oriented sectors. Ongoing consultation with Government will be key in making sure this Bill assists in closing the gender pay gap and providing better equal opportunity. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4fY3s8T