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Activities & Achievements 2020 PDF 3.18 MB ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS 2020 2020 has been a momentous year. ACCI has been at the centre of the submissions to boost supply and It has tested and brought out the best Commonwealth’s response from the demand in the October Budget, secured start. We won the argument for wage real increases in spending on Vocational in us, as we confronted first bushfires subsidies to save businesses and jobs Education and Training and argued for a then the coronavirus, and are now and JobKeeper was born. controlled and safe re-opening of trade laying foundations for recovery and and movement of people. We worked with government and industry the new normal. to secure essential health equipment We began to strengthen the case for and supplies to save lives. We worked a more targeted, clear and certain In the shadow of smoke, flames and with unions and other employer groups approach to protecting public health, fear that gripped communities in to change industrial relations laws without hollowing out jobs and ruining temporarily to allow businesses to prospects of millions of Australians who NSW, Victoria and South Australia in keep operating, by changing the work depend on business and a growing Summer, the ACCI network mobilised arrangements for their staff to cope with economy for their standard of living. to help thousands of people whose steep and sudden changes in demand. businesses were destroyed or badly Our employer guides were deployed and re-badged by members throughout our damaged. network and used internationally as a Our website provided practical advice benchmark. for businesspeople to get assistance; ACCI and its members were invited As government restrictions bit hard into to the table with the Prime Minister the viability of businesses across the and Cabinet Ministers and agencies country, we persuaded authorities, with leading the bushfire response; and our evidence, to ease those measures that arguments won direct financial assistance went too far and to take proper account for impacted businesses from the of the vital role of businesses in keeping Commonwealth; State and Territory communities going and supporting the governments. health response. Members came together at our General With Zoom, we re-invented our events Council and Tourism Summit at for members and brought them virtually Batemans Bay on the fire-affected face to face with the people making NSW south coast in an unprecedented decisions affecting the livelihoods of show of solidarity for bushfire affected people in business. businesses. Our work up to June laid the foundation As we were recovering, Coronavirus for the second half of this long year. With our members, we began arrived on our shores. It swept up Chief Executive Officer: negotiating longer term improvements businesses as communities went into James Pearson lockdown and borders closed. to industrial relations laws, made 1 Activities & Achievements EMPLOYMENT & SKILLS Director: Jenny Lambert The key focus has been on mitigating the sent to the Treasurer in May, followed by Skills Needs List, provided comment on impacts of COVID-19 on employment a more detailed submission to the COVID the VET Reform Roadmap initial draft, and skills. The Government recognised Business Liaison Unit (CBLU). This led to a submission to the Department of the importance of skills in supporting the extension of JobKeeper announced Home Affairs on the 2020-21 Migration Australia’s recovery, announcing key at the end of July. Strong advocacy Program and also the Select Committee programs such as the Supporting with the PM also led an extension and on Temporary Migration, highlighting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy expansion of eligibility criteria of the the economic and fiscal benefit of and JobTrainer. We have had frequent Supporting Apprentices and Trainees migrants. engagement with Ministerial Offices, wage subsidy until 31 March 2021. the Department of Education, Skills ACCI continued to prosecute the value and Employment (DESE) and other ACCI held two Employment & Skills of migration to the Acting Minister for federal agencies on key issues including Committee meetings in February and Immigration, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, Vocational Education and Training May. The first was attended by Assistant including the immediate issues facing the (VET) reform, apprenticeships, JobSeeker Secretary of the National Careers migration system in light of Australia’s and overall VET investment. Institute, Grant Lovelock and the national border closures. second by the Chair of the Australian Undoubtedly, one of the most challenging Industry Skills Committee (AISC), Jenny continued her engagement on outcomes arising from the current crisis Tracey Horton. The E&S Committee the VET Stakeholder Committee, is the devastation it has wrought on also held a supplementary meeting with New Employment Services advisory the job market and subsequent rise the Assistant Minister for Vocational, group, Disability Employment Services in unemployment. ACCI advocated Education & Training, the Hon Steve Advisory Group, and the Australian strongly in March for wage support and Irons MP and the Deputy Secretary for Industry Skills Committee. ahead of the June review of JobKeeper, Skills and Training, Nadine Williams in formed an internal working group February. chaired by E&S Director, Jenny Lambert to address the need for an extension for During the period, ACCI made a the hardest-hit industries. A letter was submission to the Review of National ACCI Webinar with the Hon Peter Dutton MP, Minister for Home Affairs, addressing the impact that COVID-19 has on Australia’s federal law enforcement, national and transport security, criminal justice, emergency management, multicultural affairs, settlement services and immigration and border-related functions. 2 Activities & Achievements ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRY POLICY Chief Economist: AND SUSTAINABILITY Ross Lambie We have been active in a range of informed the revision to the 2020-21 Pre- measures, and to begin the development Ministerial and Departmental committees Budget Submission the development of a of policies for the reopening of the and working groups in response to the longer-term policy vision document. economy and driving the recovery. COVID-19 pandemic that are focused on the initial support measures and recovery ACCI’s 2020-21 Pre-Budget Submission ACCI continues to pursue deregulation planning. These include the COVID-19 for the October 2020 Budget was working with the Deregulation Taskforce Business Liaison Unit’s peak bodies forwarded to the Treasurer and his of the Coronavirus Business Liaison roundtable, the Department of Industry, Department on 15 July 2020. It was Unit (CBLU) to identify priorities for Science, Energy and Resources Supply an adjunct to our earlier submission regulatory reform. We have worked with Chain Roundtable and COVID-19 from January 2020, due to the changing members to develop five key areas of Strategic Communications Working situation in the wake of the economic regulatory reform to support a business- Group, as well as the Health Industry disruption caused by the COVID-19 led recovery. Coordination Group. Our advocacy pandemic. The submission focused on contributed to the establishment of the changes the Government can be doing Australian Manufacturing Fund for in the medium-term to set the course personal protective equipment (PPE) for recovery and repair. It concentrated and the extension and expansion of the on initiatives that can be implemented international airfreight assistance this financial year that would enable mechanism to secure supply of critical a more productive and competitive medical/tech equipment. operating environment for business as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 ACCI wrote to the Prime Minister crisis. requesting a freeze on federal regulator fees and levies and received a favourable ACCI is also preparing a longer-term response from the Finance Minister. policy vision with a focus on economic Minister Cormann said he would ask policy and reforms necessary to his fellow Ministers to consider fee restore the economy following the relief at the earliest opportunity where impacts of COVID-19. The aim is to have a sector is adversely impacted by the a suite of policies that will significantly lift COVID-19 pandemic and was directing his economic growth above trend over the department to consult with regulators to next three decades. To ensure Australians assist. have the future living standards to which they aspire, the economy will ACCI also continues its work with the need policies that create the conditions National Bushfire Recovery Agency for sustainable, strong, job-creating on the peak-bodies roundtable. ACCI growth. worked with other peak bodies on the development of programs for, and Throughout the crisis, ACCI has the allocation of funding to, the most been monitoring the impact of the highly affected communities. ACCI also COVID-19 social distancing and trading advocated for counselling to support restrictions, and Government support highly impacted businesses in fire- measures on small business through affected regions and was rewarded with our COVID-19 SME Business Conditions funding for rural financial counsellors. Survey. The first two editions of the survey in April and May coincided with The Economics and Industry Policy the peak of the initial lockdown period Committee meeting was held on 16 June and the beginning of the easing of 2020, with a focus on the post-COVID-19 restrictions. The survey has attracted economic
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