Dear Committee Secretary,
Cut red tape, address worker shortages, and abandon net zero to support businesses in regional and rural Australia
The purpose of this letter is to share research and analysis conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) with the Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth (the committee) as it conducts its inquiry into Creating Sustainable Economic Growth in Rural and Regional Australia.
This submission addresses specifically the term of reference regarding the ‘opportunities to promote and support Australian rural and regional small and medium businesses in domestic and international markets through enhanced branding, labelling and certification of products and services’.
The tight parameters of the terms of reference provided by the committee means that there are many initiatives that would meaningfully create and expand economic growth in rural and regional Australia but are not likely to be considered by the committee. In addition, there are many policies currently in place that restrict the economic potential of regional and rural Australia that will likely not be scrutinised by the committee due to the narrow nature of the terms of reference.
Alongside the IPA’s analysis of potential branding, labelling and certification changes, this submission contains analysis of broader issues facing regional and rural Australia, and of issues that should be considered by the committee when exploring ways to create sustainable economic growth in those areas of the country.
The IPA suggests that to achieve this goal, the federal government should look into ways to cut red tape, address acute and persistent worker shortages, and abandon the policy of net zero emissions by 2050.
