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Regulation for Australia's federation in the 21st century

Chairman's speech

On 3 November 2006, the Chairman Gary Banks, who chaired the Taskforce on Reducing the Regulatory Burden on Business, gave a presentation to the 2006 Melbourne Institute/The Australian Social and Economic Outlook Conference 'Making The Boom Pay: securing the next generation of prosperity' held at The University of Melbourne.

See also

  • Contents

Australia's regulatory problem
Nationally incoherent regulation
Economic activity is increasingly 'national'
Imperatives for reform

Who should regulate what?
Geographic scale or coverage
Interjurisdictional spillovers
Variation in citizens' needs and preferences
Administrative costs
Knowledge about 'what works best'
The implications

Mechanisms for achieving national consistency in regulation
Referral of powers
Cooperative national standards
Mutual recognition
Problem areas remain

Why do problems arise - and persist?
A 'regulate first' culture
Bad regulation 'sticks'

Four areas to focus reform efforts
Better regulation-making processes within jurisdictions
Better regulation-making across jurisdictions
Reviews of regulatory 'hot spots
Ensuring regulation remains appropriate over time

Summing up: regulatory governance for the 21st century

References