1.7.2026 - Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026

Ms SPENDER (Wentworth) (10:30): I rise in support of the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 but also to urge the government to go further on it. I welcome the fact that this government recognises that regulatory burden, including unnecessary regulatory burden, hampers the dynamism of our economy. From a productivity point of view, we know that we need to make change here. We also know that, if we don't improve productivity, we do not improve real wages and we do not improve the lives and prosperity of Australians. So I welcome the government's work in this space, I welcome the government's bill in this space, and I welcome other actions the government has taken, including the EPBC reform and moves such as to pause the housing construction code. However, I do think the government needs to go further, and, on this basis, I'm going to be moving an amendment to the motion for the second reading of the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill, because I think that we need to go significantly further. Let me tell you why. The cost of complying with Commonwealth regulation is growing. It was estimated at $65 billion in 2013. It is estimated at $160 billion today. The time that boards spend on risk and compliance has gone from 24 per cent in 2015 to 55 per cent in 2025. In Brisbane, it takes 31 separate approvals to open a cafe. Medical researchers who I speak to are spending up to a quarter of their time writing grant applications rather than engaging in medical research. I've seen firsthand how drone technology is at the forefront of some of these problems because government is slow to make decisions. There's no accountability from many government departments in terms of the speed of their decision-making. When I have spoken to innovative drone companies, drone companies that we should be trying to support and grow in this country, they're telling me they cannot compete with things like helicopter companies, because they have no certainty about how long it will take for the government or the regulator—CASA, in this case—to actually make an approval of their applications. They have no certainty, and this is something I hear time and time again. I speak to businesses looking for foreign investment. They're saying they're waiting up to 18 months for the ATO to make a decision on how an investment would be treated, so the foreign capital just goes away....