This paper puts forward the Business Council of Australia’s views on how competition and regulatory reform should be pursued and prioritised in order to overcome the problems experienced while implementing the National Partnership to deliver a Seamless National Economy.

The paper nominates six reform initiatives that should be prioritised as part of future competition and regulatory reform efforts:

• lifting regulatory performance to lower costs to business and the community
  
• streamlining environmental assessments and approvals
  
• improving the efficiency of major project development approvals
  
• improving development assessment processes for low-risk, low-impact development
  
• removing unnecessary carbon reduction and energy efficiency initiatives
  
• delivering energy market reforms to increase competition and reduce costs.

The paper also discusses the urgent need to finish existing Seamless National Economy reforms, and proposes a new governance structure to progress future reforms.

Download: Discussion Paper for the COAG Business Advisory Forum