ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS October- December 2019 Activities & Achievements A A C The Australian Chamber is Australia’s largest and most representative business network. Our vision is to make Australia the best place in the world to do business – so that Australians have the jobs, living standards and opportunities to which they aspire. Our purpose is to mobilise the ideas, influence and passion of people in business to achieve policy outcomes in the national and international interest. Our membership includes all state and territory chambers of commerce and over 70 industry associations. Together we represent hundreds of thousands of businesses in every state and territory and across all industries. Ranging from small and medium enterprises to the largest companies, our network employs millions of people. We focus on issues that impact on business, including economic reform, industry policy, energy, trade and investment, workplace relations, work health and safety, and employment, migration, education and training. We give Australian businesses a platform to advocate for free trade and open markets and influence policy decisions affecting business in national and global forums. W business. W Australia. Activities & Achievements CEO REPORT The safety and well-being of people working in the private sector was our focus during Safe Work October. ACCI has led the way in securing government, business and union support for practical measures to improve work health and safety outcomes for people in small businesses. We can all be safety champions, for ourselves and our colleagues. To make it easier to do business, we need smarter rules and regulations, not more. ACCI has been at the heart of the government’s ongoing project to cut red tape to free up businesses to better meet the needs of the communities we serve. The appointment of our Trade Director, Bryan Clark, to Minister Ben Morton’s Deregulation Taskforce was another endorsement of ACCI’s thought leadership in Trade, on which so much of Australia’s prosperity depends. The impact of years of drought was compounded by bushfires that unsettled millions of people in our south eastern capitals and terrified regional communities. ACCI and our members encouraged people to use their purchasing power to support drought affected communities and help fire affected businesses get back on their feet. The growing economic impact of disasters reinforced our calls for policies to respond to public and business needs, boost business investment and manage the nation’s finances wisely. We set out a comprehensive plan in our Federal Budget submission; and we lobbied to make sure that, in the implementation of the recommendations of the Financial Services Royal Commission, we make it easier, not harder, for small business to access the finance they need to operate and to grow. Chief Executive Officer: Unfortunately, people in businesses were let down badly when the Senate James Pearson rejected the Ensuring Integrity Bill. The upper house gave the green light to lawless unions to intimidate people who don’t have the money or the muscle to withstand them. With our strong support the government re-introduced the Bill, and we committed to redouble our efforts with members to persuade the Senate to make it law. We kept up pressure on the federal and state and territory governments to increase their investment in vocational education and training. We campaigned with members across several fronts, with political leaders, senior officials and businesses. We secured a seat at the table for industry and worked hard to put in place effective funding and governance to train Australians for the jobs of today and tomorrow. 1 Activities & Achievements EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND Director: TRAINING Jenny Lambert The key focus this quarter was once again on the Vocational ACCI held our quarterly Education, Employment and Education and Training (VET) sector reform agenda. Training Committee meeting in October which was attended Leveraging the key message from the Morrison Government by the Assistant Minister for Vocational Education, of their commitment to delivering high-quality skills and Training and Apprenticeships the Hon Steve Irons MP. vocational education system, the Australian Chamber continued to actively engage with the Minister’s Office ACCI also met with the Department of Employment, and the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Skills, Small and Family Business regarding the Review of Family Business (DESSFB) regarding the progress of reform the Skilled Migration Occupation Lists, which underpins initiatives, including the VET Stakeholder Committee, Australia’s skilled migration program. With the most national careers institute co-design and national skills significant potential changes to the skilled occupation lists commission workshops where ACCI is represented by Jenny revealed in the most recent Traffic Light Bulletin, the Lambert. Chamber continues to provide members input in this process ensuring that their interests are represented. We continue Further, we made a formal submission to the Productivity our advocacy for a major review of the Australian and New Commission Review of the National Agreement for Skills Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) and Workforce Development (NASWD) and engaged with and met with representatives from the ABS to encourage Commissioner Jonathon Coppel to highlight the key areas of greater action on this issue. improvement needed within the VET system. The Australian Chamber engaged with various other VET stakeholders Jenny continued her engagement on the Disability including the newly appointed Skills Commissioner and the Employment Services Advisory Group, Industry Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). The Chamber advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment and the also provided formal submissions on input into the Co- Collaborative Partnership on Mature Aged Employment. design of the National Careers Institute and the National Skills Commission and Skills Organisations in addition to a submission to the Educational Council’s Review into Senior Secondary Pathways. Morning tea with the Hon Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business. James Pearson, CEO, ACCI, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash & Dr Jeremy Johnson AM, Immediate Past President, ACCI. 2 OCTOBER- DECEMBER 2019 ECONOMIC AND INDUSTRY POLICY Chief Economist: AND SUSTAINABILITY Ross Lambie Our Economics and Industry Policy Committee meeting was this reform will need to be business-led, so close engagement held on 14 October and included round table discussions with the Federal Government on related policies is important. at Parliament House with the Assistant Minister on Deregulation, Ben Morton, Minister for the Environment, ACCI’s Board and Chief Economist met with the Reserve Sussan Ley, and Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Bank Governor, Dr Philip Lowe, at the annual luncheon in Infrastructure, Alan Tudge. Members appreciated the early October, and with the Treasury Secretary, Dr Stephen opportunity for the open discussions with the Ministers on a Kennedy, and his senior executives in November to discuss range of issues, including regulatory reform and the progress the state of Australian economy and exchange views. Both of the deregulation taskforce, environmental regulation meetings were highly informative and provided senior and the emergence of the circular economy as a priority bureaucrats with the opportunity to hear about how small for the Government over the current term of Parliament, and medium-sized businesses are dealing with challenging infrastructure development through the City Deals program economic conditions. and adjustments to the immigration targets. The team coordinated a roundtable between members and As a result of the EIP Committee meeting, Minister Ley the Treasury Taskforce responsible for implementing Hayne participated in a Business Leaders Council event on the Royal Commission recommendation 1.7 – Abolition of Circular Economy in both Sydney and Brisbane, with the latter Point of Sale credit exemption. The meeting has resulted in also being attended by Trevor Evans, Assistant Minister ongoing discussions with the Taskforce and the Treasurer’s on Waste and Recycling. With policy development around office to minimise the cost and regulatory impacts on retailers the circular economy still in its early stages, Minister Ley and financiers of implementing the recommendation. appreciated the frank views and advice of Members. It is clear The Secretariat extensively engaged with members on policy priorities for the 2020-21 Budget in the preparation of the ACCI’s Pre-Budget Submission. This Submission included recommendations to expand the mandate of the Deregulation Taskforce, extend the instant-asset write-off for the first $50,000 of all investments in plant and equipment by small businesses, and to grow the circular economy by committing funds from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to mobilise private investment in waste management, recycling and more efficient use of material. We continue to engage with key Ministers, the Shadow Ministry and bureaucrats in support of our key policy priorities. Over the quarter, we have also been active in representing industry on a number of government and non- government working groups and committees, including the ACCC Performance Consultative Committee, ATO Small Business Stewardship Group, and NAB Small business