Business Council of Australia

Australia has a housing supply crisis, and all levels of government need to step up to unlock more homebuilding. In our upcoming 'It's time to say yes to housing' report, the BCA is calling for a number of reforms that will help create more homes across the country. Part of the solution is fixing approval wait times, and putting a bit more scrutiny on local councils holding back construction. As part of the recommendations, we call for council report cards to provide transparency on how long it is taking a council to make decisions. In cases where there is continued underperformance, their approval powers should shift to the state. Projects of significance should also be elevated to state approval level, and builders should have the ability to force a decision (whether yes or no) if councils are perpetually avoiding one. Read more in coverage from The Australian below:

Software updates are one of the strongest defences in your security toolkit 🛠️ Installing updates can fix software issues, address new security concerns, and add new features. Don’t delay – make it a habit this Cyber Security Awareness Month to install updates as soon as they’re available to protect your devices and data. Find out how to update your device at https://lnkd.in/gRhqGP_h

Australia’s prosperity, security and economic future are intimately linked to Southeast Asia.   Thank you to Paul Jenkins and Lea Constantine from Ashurst for hosting Special Envoy for Southeast Asia, Nicholas Moore AO, on behalf of the BCA.   Nicholas has led Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 – a national strategy for greater trade and investment opportunities between Australia and Southeast Asia.    As Nicholas outlined in his seminal report, Southeast Asia is at the centre of global growth, presenting major economic opportunities for Australian business over coming decades, and that, as a bloc, Southeast Asia it is projected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2040, fuelled by favourable demographics, industrialisation, urbanisation, and technological advances.

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and an annual reminder for all Australians to stay secure online and “Stop the Hack”. With cyber threats evolving rapidly, the BCA is working with other members of the Executive Cyber Council to raise awareness of good cyber practices amongst businesses.  Businesses can be prime targets for cyber threats, with every six minutes a cybercrime is reported. The average cost to a business of a cybercrime attack is $46,000, and $97,000 for a business. By focusing on good online habits and promoting a culture of security, Cyber Security Awareness Month aims to strengthen Australia’s digital safety and make the internet safer for everyone.  #StopTheHack, #NCSAM 

Wonderful to join Business Council of Australia and the Indian industry delegation to discuss India's growth and future opportunities for collaboration between both sides. From Mumbai to Melbourne, the India-Australia economic compass points to shared prosperity and we explored new avenues to strengthen our trade, investment, and economic ties. 🇮🇳 🤝 🇦🇺 📍Sydney

  The BCA was delighted to host the first Australian meeting of Indian Minister for Industry and Commerce, the Honourable Piyush Goyal who is visiting Sydney and Adelaide engaging with business and discussing the second stage of the free trade agreement with the Australian Government. The BCA hosts the Australia-India CEO Forum and sees India as a key relationship to increase bilateral investment and trade. Our members Cochlear, Sydney Airport, HSBC, Commonwealth Bank, Western Sydney University, AirTrunk, MUFG, Kearney, BlueScope, BHP, Atlassian and Deloitte, raised a number of issues with the Minister including their future plans, bilateral challenges and significant achievements since the signing of the Economic Cooperation Trade Agreement (ECTA) in 2022. While Mr Goyal is in Australia, the Minister will meet with Tourism and Trade Minister, Don Farrell in Adelaide to progress the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) which is strongly supported by BCA. 

Business plays a fundamental role in furthering Australia’s economic prosperity. The Business Council of Australia on Tuesday held its Annual Dinner, where corporate and government leaders met to discuss how we need to boost productivity and create a more competitive investing environment. BCA Chief Executive Bran Black and President Geoff Culbert both spoke on the need to create a culture that supports the role of successful businesses in any Australian success.   Prime Minister Anthony Albanese provided the keynote speech of the night and outlined his commitment to listening to the concerns of the business community. The BCA will continue advocating for reforms which underpin prosperity for future generations.

BCA Chief Executive Bran Black and President Geoff Culbert will speak tonight alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the BCA 2024 Annual Dinner. As covered in today's edition of The Australian, they will both canvass the need for urgent, real reform on critical economic issues like tax and regulation. They will note that we are already seeing the challenges posed by recent industrial relations changes, and call for a policy agenda which recognises the important role of successful businesses in a successful Australia.

Why clamp down on mergers with less than maximum benefits when the public would still gain from seeing them go through? Our CEO Bran Black wrote in the The Australian Financial Review this week that "there are three standout problems with what the Treasury has actually put to paper" on merger reform so far. See the opinion piece below:

The Business Council welcomes the decision to place the Construction and General Division of the CFMEU into administration. This is a positive first step in making sure the alleged criminal conduct and unlawful industrial behaviour in the union puts a stop at making worksites less productive. We acknowledge the bipartisan support and the inclusion of key amendments the BCA has advocated for, which will increase transparency and accountability of the administration process.