Deregulation Policy Division
Deregulation Policy Division assists the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Senator the Hon Penny Wong through providing policy advice and support directed at reform of poorly performing government operations and regulation.
Reform efforts encompass both Commonwealth and cross-jurisdictional (Commonwealth-State) regulation with the objective of reducing costs to government, business and the community and, more generally, improving interaction between government and the public.
At the Commonwealth level, Better Regulation Ministerial Partnerships, between the Minister for Finance and Deregulation and Ministerial colleagues, are proving to be an effective vehicle for reform. Partnerships completed to date have:
- substantially reduced the length and complexity of product disclosure statements for a range of financial services products;
- improved the efficiency of processes for assessment of new health technologies;
- reduced compliance costs for businesses importing excise equivalent goods; and
- established centralised security clearance arrangements covering all Australian Public Service employees and contractors.
A range of additional Partnerships and related reforms are currently underway.
Cross-jurisdictional regulatory reforms are being taken forward through the Seamless National Economy National Partnership (SNE NP). Under the SNE NP, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Business Regulation and Competition Working Group (BRCWG), chaired by Ministers Wong and Sherry, is addressing ways to improve regulatory quality in national markets in areas of shared Commonwealth and State responsibility. The SNE NP was agreed to by COAG on 29 November 2008, and encompasses 27 deregulation priorities, eight competition reforms and ongoing reforms of regulatory processes.
Deregulation Policy Division provides the secretariat to the COAG BRCWG and undertakes a range of policy and administrative functions to support the working group, its regulation reform agenda and Minister Wong in her capacity as BRCWG chair.
Contact for information on this page: deregulation@finance.gov.au