Commissioner a plus for business

IT was announced recently that Queensland would see the establishment of a Business Commissioner to cut red tape and to provide a direct contact point between business stakeholders and government on matters of economic efficiency.

As any business owner knows, no matter your size, the regulatory burdens and requirements for local, state and federal governments regarding the myriad of compliance issues take valuable time away from simply trying to run your business, so any step towards simplifying, streamlining or reducing red tape is a positive one, especially if the intent becomes a reality.

In these times, on the back of a GFC, natural disasters and increased cost of living, business owners need assistance.

One major way to assist business is to streamline regulatory compliance issues so we may instead focus on growing our businesses.

This strengthens the economy which in turn leads to more employment, and a positive business and consumer outlook.

The office of Business Commissioner should therefore be one all business owners are aware of.

It will operate within the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and the role will liaise with peak business bodies such as CCIQ, other Chambers and business groups to actively cut regulatory burdens for business.

The commissioner also has a mandate to cut red tape across government, ensuring all departments have a strategic agenda for minimising the regulatory burden.

Furthermore, prior to implementing any new law, government departments will undertake a Regulatory Assessment Statement – meaning they must prove publicly that the point of the proposed regulation outweighs the imposition of doing it - in other words that the benefits outweigh the costs.

The compliance burden (both in terms of time taken to understand the compliance requirements and then to comply, as well as the associated financial burden) has over time, increased.

Let us hope this is a real step towards actively reducing the red tape and compliance issues we all face.