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NSW BUSINESS CHAMBER LAUNCHES 10 BIG IDEAS TO GROW NSW
10 March 2010
NSW’s largest business organisation, NSW Business Chamber, today released its policy blueprint, the 10 Big Ideas to Grow NSW. The 10 Big ideas to Grow NSW emerged from policy symposiums hosted by NSW Business Chamber during 2009 which involved over 500 business leaders, academics, community leaders and government representatives. Premier Kristina Keneally and Opposition Leader Barry O’Farrell will speak at today’s launch event for the 10 Big Ideas to be held at the Sydney Mint. The 10 Big Ideas, cover the performance of Government, taxation, red tape, transport, infrastructure, Commonwealth-State relations, health funding, regional development, local government, the business environment, education and skills. The 10 Big Ideas is a combination of savings, new spending initiatives and tax cuts. The 10 Big Ideas, whilst providing $1.9 billion in tax cuts, improves the Budget position of NSW by at least $670 million over four years. Specific recommendations included in the blueprint include: - Establishing a Commission of Audit – staffed by local, interstate and overseas experts from the public and private sectors. The Commission would exist for three years and report on every area of government performance and activity.
- Abolish the Office of State Revenue – and commission the ATO to administer and collect NSW taxes on behalf of NSW.
- Establish a Department of Business Growth – to actively remove red tape, attract new businesses and actively support existing NSW businesses.
- Appoint a Small Business Commissioner to provide small business with a dispute resolution mechanism when dealing with disputes with government agencies and big business.
- Hand Hospital Funding over to the Federal Government.
- Create 10 strong super councils in Sydney – replacing the existing 41 metropolitan councils.
- Encourage business and government relocations to regional NSW through the establishment of a $250 million Develop Regional NSW Fund.
- Appoint a Transport Tsar – responsible for delivering full electronic ticketing by 2012 and a traffic and transport demand management strategy.
- Make the HSC more responsive to students not intending to undertake tertiary study – commence a Green Paper and White Paper process thereby encouraging a community debate on vocational education and training.
- Reform the GST formula – ensuring a fairer and simpler distribution of the GST.
“For too long, the debate over the performance of NSW has focused on negativity and complaint. We want to shift the debate to one that focuses on opportunities and solutions,” said Stephen Cartwright, CEO of NSW Business Chamber. “We have set out to identify the ideas and solutions that can help NSW reclaim its place as the economic engine room of Australia. "Our 10 Big Ideas are about embracing a renewed sense of purpose, urgency and energy for NSW. “These proposals, in a monetary sense, are relatively inexpensive or will pay for themselves over time. They are actually less expensive than the cost of missed opportunity that comes from doing nothing. “What these ideas do require is a willingness to question the status quo, a capacity to challenge vested interests and a desire to make decisions based on the broader public good. “There is no copyright on these 10 Big Ideas. Indeed, the genesis of all these ideas has come from others – from our members and the 500 business people, academics and government representatives who participated in the four policy symposiums that NSW Business Chamber hosted during 2009. We hope that both sides of politics take up these ideas and claim them as their own. Mr Cartwright said NSW Business Chamber would, in coming months, release four in-depth policy papers and would be undertaking a road-show of the ideas throughout Sydney and regional NSW. You can find more information at www.10bigideas.com.au.
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