THE chief executive of national resource industry employer group AMMA (Australian Mines and Metals Association) has used a major national conference to call for an end to the ‘political and policy stalemate’ that is preventing the workplace relations reform that Australia needs to be productive and globally competitive.

In his opening address to around 200 resource industry leaders at the 2015 AMMA Resource People National Conference in Perth, chief executive Steve Knott pointed to competitive challenges and overregulation as key reasons for urgent workplace relations reform.

“In the second decade of the 21^st Century, genuine job security comes from working in a productive and competitive enterprise. It doesn’t come from intrusive overregulation of the workplace that serves only to push third parties into the employment relationship and create headaches and costs for employers,” Mr Knott said.

AMMA’s national conference, which is the only resource industry event dedicated to workplace and employment matters, comes after a year which saw at least $80 billion in new resource project investment slip through Australia’s fingers.

At the same time, resource employers are facing greater workforce challenges arising from a drastic low point in the commodity price cycle, productivity issues and heightened competitive pressures.

“It must be better understood that if major projects in our country don’t go ahead, or are lost to international competitors, this not only costs jobs, but decades of potential government revenues will also be foregone,” Mr Knott said.

“Fortunately, Australia still has some competitive advantages. We have great human capacity, innovation and vast natural resources that could still fuel the developing world.

“With the right support in other areas of regulation, such as workplace relations, the resource industry can bring more jobs, more royalties and more opportunities to Australia.”

Mr Knott warned that the current politicking taking place in Australia was failing to stimulate greater economic prosperity and job creation, and called for all parliamentarians to engage on the Productivity Commission’s draft report on Australia’s the workplace relations framework.

“The inertia on meaningful, necessary changes is costing jobs, costing investment dollars, and costing economic opportunities for our country.  With parliament resuming next week, there is an opportunity for our politicians to engage in meaningful discussions on workplace reform,” he says.

“The Productivity Commission’s draft report has fallen short of the systematic reform we so desperately need. The Fair Work laws and institutions need an overhaul, not a ‘repair job’.

“Nonetheless, the report does address some important issues for the resource sector and, if we can drown out the predictable scare campaigns with reasoned debate, it can still be a catalyst for meaningful discussions on our nation’s future.”

www.amma.org.au

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THE House of Representatives Economics Committee will conduct its second and third public hearings for the inquiry into home ownership in Sydney on Thursday 6 August and Friday 7 August 2015. 

The Chair of the committee, John Alexander said that ‘we have now received more than 50 submissions to this very timely inquiry and a number of these contributors and other experts have been invited to provide further evidence to the Committee in Sydney. All Australians deserve a fair chance to own a home and we look forward to further discussing the challenges that many prospective buyers face in today’s very competitive housing market at these hearings.’

Public hearing details
Macquarie Room, NSW Parliament House, Sydney
Thursday 6 August 2015
9.15am     Reserve Bank of Australia
11.00am    Australian Prudential Regulation Authority
11.45am    Australian Bankers’ Association
12.30pm    Lunch
1.30pm     Curtis Associates
2.15pm     Law Society of NSW
3.00pm     Urban Taskforce Australia
3.45pm     Mr Saul Eslake
4.30pm     Close

Macquarie Room, NSW Parliament House, Sydney
Friday 7 August 2015
9.15am    Insurance Council of Australia and Genworth Mortgage Insurance Australia Ltd.
10.00am   Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals
10.45am   Mr Christopher Moore
11.15am   Mr John Symond
12.00pm   Lunch
1.00pm    LF Economics
1.45pm    Dr Judith Yates
2.15pm    Mr Andrew Skinner
2.45pm    Close

Members of the public are welcome to attend.
The proceedings will be audio webcast live on: www.aph.gov.au/live

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THIS Wednesday, August 5, the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) will release three new research reports from its National Rural Issues program in Canberra.

The National Rural Issues program aims to consider themes that cover multiple industries and in areas where industry and government leaders need independent advice to help inform their roles.

Authored by some of Australia’s leading rural industry experts from organisations like the CSIRO, the Australian Farm Institute and various universities, the reports highlight lessons which will help inform the future positioning of the Australian agricultural sector. The reports include:

• ‘Australian Farm Business Performance – insights from effective farm business managers’ contributes to an improved understanding of farm business performance across selected Australian agricultural industries. It provides insights into how highly effective producers analyse and innovate in their businesses to achieve their goals.
• Geographical Indications of Origin have so far only been used for wine in Australia. However the ‘Provenance of Australian food products – is there a place for Geographical Indications?’ argues that there is reason to seriously consider potential advantages of such a tool for regional development. For example this tool has facilitated the promotion of premium wine and associated tourism in Queensland, a state not normally associated with wine production.
• ‘Collective Bargaining in the Agricultural Sector’ examines why Australian farmers seem to underutilise the provisions of competition law which would enable collective action in purchasing and selling. The report analyses the factors impacting the uptake of collective bargaining opportunities across a wide range of food products. It suggests how farmers could improve their bargaining position in the future.

Two other pieces of research will be released on Friday August 14 ; one that synthesises the big-picture 15 to 20 year agricultural sector megatrends, and the other considers factors that will influence Australian farm competitiveness in the global marketplace.

EVENT DETAILS

WHEN: 3pm – 5.30pm, 5 August 2015 (followed by drinks and canapés), with media interview opportunities with RIRDC and report authors
WHERE: The Boat House by the Lake (West End Room), Grevillea Park, Menindee Dr, Barton, ACT
  

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GROWING a small business in NSW is now easier following further cuts to red tape that has saved NSW business operators more than $815 million and provides the business confidence to build your own business without obstructive regulation.

Minister for Small Business John Barilaro and Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Victor Dominello said the red tape reforms deliver a key election commitment that exceeded the original $750 million target by June 2015.

“This is a forward thinking, customer-focused approach by the NSW Government to provide a stronger foundation for small businesses to invest and grow in NSW,” Mr Barilaro said.

“Scaling back red tape allows the mum and dad business owners, who mortgage their homes and take the risks, to grow their businesses and create more jobs,” he said.

Mr Dominello said the focus of the NSW Government is on improved regulation rather than more regulation.

“By utilising technology, innovation and information sharing, there has been a substantial reduction in the amount of regulation in NSW, resulting in social and economic benefits for the community,” he said.

Key reforms include:

• Extending the validity of light vehicle safety inspection reports, or pink slips, from 42 days to six months generated $101 million in cost savings;
• The Opal Card integrated ticketing delivered $44 million in cost savings; and,
• Service NSW Digital Migration Project, e.g. driver licences delivered $39.8 million in cost savings for residents and businesses.

Last year over 93 reforms generated $326.4 million in cost saving measures.

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