7 April 2015
Reform failure not an option
Australians must prepare for a “complete reset” in their approach to economic reform as rapid social change overturns the status quo, the nation’s peak business group is warning in a new campaign to build a consensus for urgent change.
A decade of reform will be needed to make up for lost opportunities, Business Council of Australia president Catherine Livingstone has declared in a call for changes to education, tax and innovation policy to prevent a decline in living standards.
Backed by new research showing that Australians accept the need for change, the BCA is urging a “once in a generation” debate that hears all voices without descending into the “scaremongering” that has marred debates over the past decade.
The research, based on focus groups run by polling firm Crosby Textor, outlines a pathway to reform as 94 per cent of people say the nation needs a “better plan” for its long-term future. But 62 per cent say they do not trust government to manage tax reform well enough to create a better system overall, signalling the pressure on all political leaders to establish the need for improvements before they embark on change.
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