As part of the National Reform Agenda, COAG agreed to benchmark and report on the regulatory burden across all levels of government, with the aim of identifying unnecessary compliance costs, enhancing regulatory consistency across jurisdictions and reducing regulatory duplication and overlap....

The Productivity Commission's research report into 'Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation' was released in March 2007. The Australian Government asked the Commission to develop a framework to benchmark regulatory regimes and their cost burdens across all levels of government...

The Commission’s final report into chemicals and plastics regulation acknowledges that government intervention to manage risks associated with chemicals and plastics is warranted where benefits materially exceed costs. Chemicals regulations are generally grafted onto (differing) state and...

A report released by the Productivity Commission – Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety – has identified significant differences in regulation and in the actions of regulators across the jurisdictions that are hard to justify. While OHS...

In 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) identified the upstream petroleum (oil and gas) sector as one of many ‘hotspot’ areas where overlapping and inconsistent regulation threatens to impede economic activity, and agreed that the Productivity Commission should undertake a...

The Productivity Commission's report on regulatory burdens on the primary sector - released today - identifies a number of ways to reduce unnecessary burdens on farmers and miners and other primary sector producers arising from Commonwealth regulations. The report - Annual Review of Regulatory...

The Productivity Commission's inquiry report into 'Review of Price Regulation of Airport Services' was tabled in Parliament in April 2007. A price monitoring regime for airport services was introduced at Australia's seven major mainland airports by the Australian Government following an inquiry...

The terms of reference for this inquiry ask the Commission to assess whether price regulation of airport services is required at privatised airports and, if so, in what form this should take. The Commission's inquiry focusses on the core-regulated airports, including Sydney Airport. The...

On 20 February 2002 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer referred harbour towage and related services to the Productivity Commission for inquiry and report. The Commission was to report on: the impact of structural reforms on the provision of harbour towage and related; other measures that...

The Productivity Commission has released two companion reports, benchmarking business regulation across jurisdictions: one on the Quantity and Quality of Regulation, the other on the Cost of Business Registrations.This is the second report and provides estimates of compliance costs for business...