Commitments by the State Government today to deliver real regulatory reform and boost the ‘Streamline WA’ process will liberate many WA businesses from the grinding costs and delays of regulatory uncertainty and overreach. It will improve business conditions in our State, delivering on priorities long-held by the business community.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA (CCIWA) has valued its role on the Steering Committee and applauds the State Government’s commitment to addressing the critical issues identified. This is the kind of reform that costs taxpayers nothing, yet makes a real difference to business and delivers major results for the economy.

The package encompasses changes to legislation and regulation to remove needless duplication, speed up low-risk decisions, and advance a single instrument of approval for mining tenements. The measures include an online one-stop shop for key approvals and implementing more accessible plain English guidance to reduce the uncertainty of businesses about government requirements. Further, by increasing transparency about the effectiveness of regulation such as publishing performance data online, regulators will be more accountable for developing and administering regulations into the future.

In April we called on the State Government to “supercharge” Streamline WA and it was a key recommendation CCIWA’s Recovery Reform Roadmap. They have responded by “turbocharging” it. Whichever way you describe it, this is a win for WA businesses. It builds on other priority measures CCIWA has secured during the pandemic response, including payroll relief, planning reforms, steps to streamline environmental approvals for major projects, and expanding the Enterprise Training Program.

CCIWA urges the State Government to commit to an implementation timetable and reporting on the roll out of these measures. CCIWA looks forward to working further with the Government to lock in these critical reforms, including through its role on Streamline WA.

Chris Rodwell

CCIWA CEO