REGULATOR LEADERSHIP COHORT
COMMUNIQUÉ
16 JULY 2025
The Regulator Leadership Cohort reconvened on 16 July 2025.
Cohort Chair, Clare Savage, opened the meeting with an Acknowledgement of Country and by welcoming recently appointed Treasury Secretary, Jenny Wilkinson PSM, acting Finance Secretary, Richard Windeyer, senior officials from Treasury and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and invited heads of regulators and guests.
The Treasury Secretary provided an opening address that focused on the Government’s productivity agenda, the upcoming Treasurer-led Economic Reform Roundtable in August and the important opportunity it provides regulators to put forward concrete and tangible commitments to boost Australia’s productivity growth. The Secretary encouraged regulators to be ambitious and specific in their response letters and noted that the Roundtable will consist of 3 themes: Economic Resilience, Productivity Enhancement and Growth and Budget Sustainability.
Treasury Deputy Secretary, James Kelly, expanded upon the need for regulators to consider the three themes outlined in the Secretary’s address when considering their responses and encouraged regulators to examine the international landscape for transferrable opportunities. Mr Kelly encouraged regulators to look beyond the immediate response of legislative change and resourcing constraints and instead look for opportunities to streamline processes and better use data and technology, including AI, to be more effective and efficient.
Moving forward with the agenda the Chair welcomed the Deputy Chair of the Productivity Commission, Alex Robson and Productivity Commissioner, Barry Sterland PSM. Mr Robson, and Mr Sterland spoke to the Productivity Commissions 5 Inquiries (5-Pillars). Mr Sterland thanked members for their leadership role and valuable contributions to the inquires to date. The Productivity Commission acknowledged that much is being done by regulators already to increase efficiency and the Inquiries seek to further identify how government can achieve better regulatory outcomes and whole of system uplift.
Acting First Assistant Secretary, Kelly Wood, spoke to the importance of information sharing among regulators and the potential for standardised approaches to improve efficiency. Ms Wood provided an update on the work being led by the Department of Finance to deliver the Government’s Regulatory Reform Agenda, including to progress an omnibus bill focused on the streamlining information sharing between regulators.
The Regulator Leadership Cohort will next meet in September to continue their discussion on how they can support the Government’s productivity agenda.
Secretariat support is provided by the Risk, Claims and Regulatory Reform Division of the Department of Finance. If you would like further information, please contact APSRegulatoryReform@finance.gov.au.
