Occupational licensing is government regulation of the conditions under which someone can legally practice an occupation. The requirements can relate to education attainment, experience, personal character, residency, and payment of membership fees to professional industry bodies. In Australia, many occupations require a license to legally operate, including doctors, lawyers, electricians, hair dressers, weed controllers, and [...]
After years of government red tape reduction programs that have failed to halt the explosion of regulation, it’s time for a radical new approach. Here are five principles the government should follow to dramatically reduce the burden of overregulation currently costing the Australian economy $176 billion a year: eliminate the need for approvals and replace [...]
A new book by RMIT scholars Dr Darcy Allen and Dr Christopher Berg, ‘Australia’s Red Tape Crisis’ brings together contributions from economists, philosophers, politicians and legal experts to explore the economics, politics and culture of over-regulation, and defines a path for overcoming Australia’s red tape crisis. The book is being launched by the Institute of [...]
A new report from the Department of Industry has found that the Australian entrepreneurship downturn is worse than previously thought. Earlier this month the IPA’s new report on entrepreneurship, Reigniting Australia’s Entrepreneurial Flame, found that there were 15,000 fewer new businesses created in 2016 than in 2003 and a fall in business entry rate of 16 per cent. This finding, which was based on analysis of the ABS business counts data, is [...]
As in so many industries, the so-called “sharing economy” has brought seismic change to the tourism market. The rise of platforms such as Airbnb and Stayz has seen a massive expansion in short-stay accommodation, offering guests everything from a blow-up mattress in somebody’s living room to a 10-bedroom holiday house. Consumers have been the biggest [...]
New research by the Institute of Public Affairs explains why the Turnbull Government’s proposed changes to consumer lease regulation would amount to unnecessary red tape. The rental of household goods and appliances is an industry worth an estimated $596 million. Like all financial services providers, lessors are required to abide by responsible lending practices under [...]
Australia's economic prosperity is under threat through red tape. The IPA's Matthew Lesh explains why this is, and what we can do to change it.
The IPA's Daniel Wild explains the full scope of Australia's red tape problem. For more on this issue, read Daniel's new report: https://ipa.org.au/publications-ipa/research-papers/barriers-prosperity-red-tape-regulatory-state-australia
Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs has today released a new landmark report, Barriers to Prosperity: Red Tape and the Regulatory State in Australia, authored by IPA research fellow Daniel Wild, which highlights the extent of the red tape crisis in Australia “Red tape in Australia has reached a crisis point. Urgent [...]
Australia has experienced 26 years of unbroken economic growth. However, this aggregate figure masks stagnant wages growth and a deterioration in the living standards of many in the Australian middle class. The central cause of this deterioration is low and declining levels of business investment, which is approaching historic lows. Overregulation and red tape are [...]
