A load of bullocks. Tony Abbott had stoked expectations of the biggest bonfire of regulations in our country’s history. But the prime minister’s widely trumpeted “repeal day” led to the passage of legislation worth just $13m in compliance savings to business. The government devoted most of Wednesday to lower-house debate about redundant laws, as part of its push to remove red tape and ease the pressure on businesses. But opposition MPs ridiculed the worth of the changes, which included the removal of the hyphen from e-mail in existing legislation and the abolition of a 1909 act requiring owners of mules and bullocks to hand over their animals for defence purposes. Abbott told parliament the government had outlined a broad package of changes that would saving businesses and the people of Australia “$720m a year”. Labor denounced the prime ministers first repeal day as smoke and mirrors because the largest portions of the $720m target were not part of Wednesday’s parliamentary debate. The three bills debated and passed by the lower house on Wednesday would ease business compliance burdens by $13m, according to government documentation about the red tape push. The leader of opposition business, Tony Burke, likened the bills to cleaning and vacuuming the spare room – a necessary housekeeping task that was not deserving of excessive praise. Burke said one of the bills to be repealed, the Defence Act 1909, required the owner of any vehicle, horse, mule, bullock, boat, or vessel, or of any goods, required for naval or military purposes to furnish it upon request. Maybe there are small businesses in the mule and bullock trade who have been anxiously waiting for this to be clarified on the statute books, Burke said.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 03:43:22 +0000