State and Territory Governments should move quickly to legislate Automatic Mutual Recognition of licences as prioritised by the Federal Treasurer today.
“The Treasurer’s ambition is a sensible one and will loosen the red tape for hundreds of thousands of businesses operating in critical industries such as building, electrical and plumbing,” ACCI CEO James Pearson said.
“ACCI has worked closely with government for many years on how red tape for licensed occupations can be reduced while at the same time preserving those requirements that keep customers safe and the quality of workmanship high.”
“Achieving Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) was identified by ACCI as a key recommendation in our submission to the Australian Parliament on addressing red tape in licensed occupations.
“ACCI’s network includes most of the organisations that operate in the licensed trade areas. They have long identified AMR as a clearer path to achieve immediate impact on red tape and is much more achievable for some industries than a national licence.
“Any progress in reducing red tape in licensing beyond AMR can only be achieved through close consultation with each industry.
“Industry knows what is best to achieve the right balance between cost to business and the cost to the industry’s reputation and customer safety and assurance. We must be careful not to set licence requirements too low.
“Getting that balance right is critically important and needs to be assessed on an industry-by-industry basis.”
