Activities & October-December 2016 Achievements October-December 2016 Highlights CEO: James Pearson This quarter the Australian Chamber hosted several major events to connect our members with leading figures in business, politics, government and media. The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed the Australian Prime Minister the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP addresses guests at the Chamber Business Leaders Dinner in November. The gala Business Leaders Dinner. event, sponsored by MYOB, CareSuper, the Australian Made Campaign and 3 Degrees Marketing, attracted more than 360 members heard briefings from Treasury Secretary John Fraser on members and guests at the National Gallery of Australia. the state of the economy and former Foreign Minister Bob Carr on the implications of Donald Trump’s election. The Australian Chamber Business Leaders Summit in October hosted leaders from across the chamber network in Canberra We welcomed Campbell Page, Laureate Australia, National Heart to discuss issues including workplace relations, infrastructure, Foundation, Pfizer, Sanofi and Telstra as newBusiness Leaders tourism and vocational education. The event, sponsored by Google Council members, bringing the total to 45. Australia and Fairfax Media, concluded with a cocktail reception at Parliament House attended by dozens of members of Parliament. We welcomed to the team Paul Cristofani (Director of Work Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Policy), Scott At our Annual General Meeting in November, President Terry Barklamb (Director of Workplace Relations Policy) and Haidee Wetherall and Vice President Jeremy Johnson were reappointed Whiteley (Trade and International Affairs Project Adviser). We also to their positions. At our November General Council meeting farewelled several staff. Urbis Chief Economist Nicki Hutley, Shadow Assistant Treasurer the Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services the Hon Kelly Former Foreign Minister Bob Carr, Treasury Secretary John Fraser and O’Dwyer MP and Australian Chamber CEO James Pearson at the Business Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive Ian Harrison at the November Leaders Summit. General Council meeting. www.acci.asn.au | [email protected] | 02 6270 8000 | Twitter: @AusChamber Working for business. Working for Australia October-December 2016 We met with minister Greg Hunt and shadow ministers Anthony Economics and Industry Albanese and Joel Fitzgibbon to discuss company tax, working Director: Jenny Lambert (acting) holiday makers, regional economies and innovation. The December-quarter Australian Chamber-Westpac Survey We represented members in a Government roundtable on research of Industrial Trends, launched at Parliament House, found that and development, in Australian Taxation Office consultations on Australia’s manufacturers finished the year strongly and were the introduction of single-touch payroll and in Australian Bureau of looking to increase investments in equipment and buildings Statistics discussions on labour statistics in 2017. Board members met with Philip Lowe, the Governor of the Employment, Education Reserve Bank of Australia, to offer a business perspective on the state of the economy. and Training Director: Jenny Lambert We gained member input into our Pre-Budget Submission to Treasury, our submission to the Productivity Commission’s review The Australian Chamber launched our refreshed higher education of productivity and our submission to a review of funding for the policy, outlining the nine principles that should guide funding for Australian Securities and Investments Commission. the sector. We are working with the Federal Government to optimise the design of “Housing affordability will not be addressed its youth employment program, JobActive PaTH. We have met by political point scoring around negative with government officials, joined stakeholder engagement sessions and gearing or capital gains tax.” facilitated feedback from members. Graham Wolfe, Housing Industry Association We had close contact with the offices ofministers and assistant ministers, including Simon Birmingham, Karen Andrews and Jane Prentice. We gave evidence to a Senate committee investigating the VET Student Loans program, and have begun chairing the Federal Government’s VET Student Loans Advisory Group. We collaborated with other employer groups to encourage the Federal Government to increase its investment in apprenticeships and traineeships. We spoke at panel sessions at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s Industry Summit. We judged the National Training Awards and participated in the National Career Education Westpac’s Andrew Hanlan and the Australian Chamber’s Jenny Lambert Roundtable in Darwin. We joined a forum on technical and vocational presented the findings of the Australian Chamber-Westpac Survey of education and training in Korea. Industrial Trends at Parliament House. “A failure to plan is a plan to fail. Unless “Payroll tax is a tax on jobs that holds we get higher education funding settings businesses back from growing and creating right, graduates won’t be able to grasp the more jobs.” opportunities ahead.” Deidre Willmott, CCI Western Australia James Pearson, The Australian, December 14 www.acci.asn.au | [email protected] | 02 6270 8000 | Twitter: @AusChamber Working for business. Working for Australia October-December 2016 We gave evidence to a Senate committee investigating the VET We participated in government consultations on the Government’s Student Loans program, and have begun chairing the Federal policy for protecting vulnerable workers and new registration Government’s VET Student Loans Advisory Group. requirements for employers taking on working holiday makers. We have taken a place as an employer representative on the We made a submission to parliamentary inquiries into corporate Disability Employment Reference Group. avoidance of the Fair Work Act, proposed changes to paid parental leave and the Racial Discrimination Act, and appeared before “Engaging local industry on projects like naval a Senate inquiry into proposed restrictions on pay secrecy. We shipbuilding that occur over extended periods also made a submission to the Productivity Commission on superannuation. not only helps retain the nation’s industrial skills base and job creation, but also boosts We have connected with former minister Bruce Billson to facilitate confidence for local industry to continue to member engagement in his consultation with small businesses on behalf of the Fair Work Commission. invest in advanced capability.” Tony Dixon, Australian Steel Institute “Reducing high penalty rates on Sundays to be in line with Saturdays will make it easier Workplace Relations for businesses to open for longer, hire more Director: Dick Grozier (acting) and Scott Barklamb (incoming) people and give them more hours of work.” Our advocacy efforts on the Australian Building and Construction James Pearson, Sydney Morning Herald, November 27 Commission contributed to its return, which will improve productivity and respect for the rule of law on construction sites. Work Health and Safety In the Fair Work Commission’s Four-yearly Review of Modern Director: Jennifer Low (acting) and Paul Cristofani (incoming) Awards we argued against the ACTU’s claim for 10 days of paid For National Safe Work Month in October the Australian Chamber leave for people experiencing domestic violence, explaining that conducted a panel discussion, “Facts and fallacies behind mentally domestic violence is a community issue that requires a community healthy workplaces”, which is available for download on the Safe response. We also opposed a union proposal that the Commission’s Work Australia website. Minimum Wage Panel set a medium-term minimum wage target. We have taken the strategic decision to elevate our representation We represented Australian employers at the International Labour on the board of SWA to CEO level, with support provided by the Organisation, including at an Asia-Pacific meeting in Indonesia, in Work Health and Safety Director. The CEO’s first board meeting a meeting to discuss violence in workplaces and in a working group took place in Melbourne. revising labour force surveys. We continued to ensure effective industry influence in several “Employment law can be hard for many regulatory forums, including SWA (on agricultural chemicals and business people to get their heads around, veterinary medicines labelling, the regulation impact statement for especially given complex and overlapping diving, high-risk work licensing, working in heat, older workers and migrant workers, and the Review into the SWA itself) and the anti-discrimination, unfair dismissal and Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency. We have also engaged general protection laws.” in the proposed reforms affecting the National Industrial Chemicals James Pearson, Daily Telegraph, November 12 Notification and Assessment Scheme. www.acci.asn.au | [email protected] | 02 6270 8000 | Twitter: @AusChamber Working for business. Working for Australia October-December 2016 Trade and International Australian Chamber – Affairs Tourism Director: Bryan Clark Manager: Steve Whan The recommendations from a parliamentary inquiry into the Trans- Australian Chamber – Tourism informed debate on the Pacific Partnership aligned closely with our proposals for greater Government’s changes to the tax paid by working holiday makers through our submission to a , which included consultation and evaluation of outcomes. Senate inquiry research