The Deregulation Agenda

The Government has committed to reducing the regulatory burden on Australian businesses, non-profit organisations and consumers. This is consistent with larger commitments to address impediments to Australia’s long-term productivity growth.

The Government has signalled the importance of deregulation by giving it Cabinet-level status and two Ministers (The Minister for Finance and Deregulation, the Hon Lindsay Tanner MP and the Minister Assisting, the Hon Dr Craig Emerson MP). These Ministers have been given the task of driving reductions in the levels of business regulation.

The deregulation agenda is currently underway with the Department of Finance and Deregulation taking carriage of the agenda’s implementation.

Key elements of the deregulation agenda include:

The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR), which was transferred to the Department in December 2007, has a central role in assisting departments and agencies to meet the Australian Government's regulatory impact analysis requirements and in monitoring and reporting on their performance. It also serves a similar role for the COAG in relation to national regulatory proposals.

As part of the Department’s role in reducing red tape in the Australian Public Service, a framework has been developed to assist agencies to achieve an ongoing reduction in red tape. Links to relevant resources and contacts for further information are also available.


Contact for information on this page: deregulation@finance.gov.au


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Last Modified: 14 October, 2008