CCIWA’s Policy & Advocacy team has a proven track record of championing policy that will grow and diversify the economy.
At any one time, we’re working on new policy papers, submissions to government reports and inquiries or responding to issues raised by CCIWA Members.
Here’s a snapshot of our policy work over July and August 2024.
Policy Highlight:
In August, CCIWA released its latest report Capturing our Future: Why Carbon Capture is critical to Australia’s Energy Transition. The 12-month inquiry highlights the need to pursue carbon capture as part of Australia’s decarbonisation effort. Using WA Government predictions as a baseline (published in 2023), we have estimated that carbon capture presents an $80 billion opportunity for WA.
Chevron’s Gorgan gas plant.
Carbon capture is the process of removing carbon dioxide from the air before it reaches the atmosphere, trapping it and securely storing it in geological formations. The carbon dioxide can be stored permanently or repurposed for other uses. For this reason, it not only serves as an opportunity to decarbonise our own industries, and support our regional neighbours to do the same, but it also serves as a catalyst for developing new areas of industrial and economic opportunity.
Western Australia is already home to several world-leading carbon capture projects, including Chevron’s Gorgon Carbon Capture system and the Mount Keith Direct Air Capture geological site.
Seizing the carbon capture opportunity – and the benefits that it yields in terms of mitigation and in building economic opportunity – largely depends on it being recognised and given full support by governments and the community as a pivotal and legitimate part of Australia’s decarbonisation strategy. It needs significant investment, funding certainty, the right regulatory levers, and political will to ensure it achieves wide-scale adoption and deployment. Importantly, it also needs the backing of the community.
The full report can be found here.
Focal Point:
Over the past two years, the Federal Government has introduced the most transformative and radical industrial relations changes we’ve seen in a generation. Sadly, our predictions were right, and we now risk being dragged back to the bad old days when the unions held our economy to ransom.
A raft of reforms from the Closing Loopholes Bill recently came into effect, including changes to casual employment. These changes will have wide-reaching impacts on small and family businesses and have the potential to reduce the number of casual roles available to those who want them.
Ultimately, by changing the power base to benefit the unions, the Federal Government has created an environment where strike action and bad-faith players can thrive. We’ve seen evidence of this with the recent CFMEU debacle, and industrial action at Fremantle Port.
In early August, we hosted Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash, Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations. CCIWA Members highlighted a raft of significant changes, including same job, same pay; right to disconnect; multi-employer bargaining and an emboldened union movement as the more significant issues impacting WA businesses.
We continue to keep track of the recent tranche of industrial relations changes and are keen to hear how these changes are impacting your business.
In other Federal policy areas:
- We provided a submission to the Senate’s Inquiry into the Nature Positive Stage 2 and attending the public hearing in Canberra to voice our concerns. We hold the view that the framework proposed will place a handbrake on future investment in Western Australia.
- We also prepared a submission to the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024, where we highlighted that the Government’s proposed Core Skilled Income Threshold missed key occupations in critical shortage.
- We also provided a submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources consultation on green steel industry opportunities. The key message here was the broader policy conditions, such as approvals and industrial relations, need to strike the right balance to underpin these new emerging areas of opportunity.
In other State policy areas:
- We provided feedback to the State Government’s Draft Waste Strategy 2030, reinforcing the need for consumer education, clear and simple language, cutting red tape, and better data to underpin industry collaboration on waste.
- We also provided input into the State Government’s Digital Ecosystem, outlining the need for more digital infrastructure across the State, improving the government’s digital interface, and better regulations.
- We attended the Construction Leave roundtable, hosted by KPMG on behalf of the State Government, and provided a voice for business at that event.
In the Media:
“Western Australia simply cannot risk being dragged back to the days of union chaos that strikes at the heart of our economic infrastructure. It’s not only our State that deserves better. Our nation deserves better.”
CCIWA CEO Chris Rodwell in The West Australian, August 19, 2024
To find out more about what we stand for, visit our Advocacy page.
