nswbusinesschamber.com.au

Advocacy winsDelivering results for your business

Invigorating Business Representation

Call > 13 26 96

nswbusinesschamber.com.au

Action Outcome

NSW Business Chamber campaigns over several years for a reduction in the payroll tax rate to help businesses. 3

State Government announces in 2008 Budget that payroll tax rate will drop from 6% to 5.5% by January 2011 and will index the threshold to the Sydney CPI. Tax cut will save NSW businesses $1.9 billion.

NSW Business Chamber lobbies for the privatisation of NSW electricity assets to provide revenue for infrastructure priorities. 3

State Government announces partial privatisation of electricity assets; retail arm

NSW Business Chamber calls for restriction on union right of entry into workplaces. 3

Federal Labor pledges to keep current restricted “right of entry” rules in place under their new industrial relations system.

NSW Business Chamber lobbies Federal Government for a support package for flood damaged Northern Rivers businesses. 3

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announces support package for farmers and small business owners and $600,000 tourism campaign for Northern Rivers region.

NSW Business Chamber lobbies State Minister for Roads with three-point plan to relieve pressure on F3 Freeway during accident blockages including allowing traffic to use other side of the road.

3Roads Minister announces $28 million plan to create 19 cross-over points to allow traffic to use the other side of the F3 when an accident blocks the road.

NSW Business Chamber waged a hard fought campaign over several years to secure a reduction in payroll tax from 6% to 5.5%. From January 2009 the rate will drop to 5.75% then 5.65% from January 2010 and finally 5.5% from January 2011.NSW Business Chamber secured this win for the business community through a sustained policy and media campaign including:

43 media releases; >76 newspaper articles; >6 policy documents & submissions; >3 newspaper opinion pieces and; >Dialogue with the Premier and Treasurer. >

NSW Business Chamber estimates that a cut in payroll tax to 5.5% will save businesses the following:

Annual Wages Bill ($)

Payroll tax 2007/08($)

Payroll tax 2010/11($)*

Saving ($)

700,000 6,000 1,500 4,500

1,000,000 24,000 18,200 5,800

1,500,000 54,000 46,100 7,900

*Calculations based on increases in the threshold in line with inflation

Delivering results for your business

Campaign win – NSW Business Chamber delivering on payroll tax

Invigorating Business Representation

Ongoing Campaign – A fairer OH&S systemNSW Business Chamber is running an ongoing campaign to create workplace safety laws that promote partnership between employers and their employees to create safe workplaces rather than an adversarial system.

NSW Business Chamber continues to publicly advocate for:

A more practical approach to duty of care; >

Personal responsibility for safety; >

Reverse onus of proof; >

Right of appeal to a body of peers for employers; >

Removal of union right to prosecute. >

The workplace safety campaign has contained:

Written letter campaign to State Cabinet Ministers and letter >campaign with chambers of commerce network to Premier and Opposition Leader;

Freedom of Information request for Stein Report into >OH&S system;

Dialogue with Industrial Relations Minister; >

Over 20 newspaper articles arguing for fairer workplace >safety laws.

Action Outcome

NSW Business Chamber lobbies the NSW Department of Education &Training for weighted funding to support regional Australian Apprenticeship training delivery

3The NSW Board of Vocational Education and Training announces that training providers will receive a fixed weighting on the base price to deliver Australian Apprenticeship training in regional areas

NSW Business Chamber advocates continued cuts in NSW WorkCover premiums. 3

State Government cuts WorkCover premiums a further 5% from 1 January 2008 saving NSW businesses $110 million a year. Total cuts of 30% since 2005 saving business $758 million a year.

NSW Business Chamber advocates for WorkCover to adopt a more considered approach to prosecutions. 3

WorkCover creates Strategic Prosecution Unit.

NSW Business Chamber’s Australian Business Priorities: Fixing the Federation document calls for appointment of a Federal Minister for Infrastructure to develop a national infrastructure plan.

3Federal Government appoints a Federal Minister for Infrastructure and creates Infrastructure Australia to oversee development of national infrastructure priorities.

NSW Business Chamber’s Australian Business Priorities: Fixing the Federation document calls for a constitutional convention to identity ways of improving the performance of the Federation.

3Australia 2020 Summit endorses a constitutional convention to improve the Federation. Government to report back on idea in late 2008.

Invigorating Business Representation

nswbusinesschamber.com.au

The information detailed within this brochure may be supplied by NSW Business Chamber, one of its related companies, or in association with pre-selected companies and service providers. The information contained in this brochure is current as at August 2008.

NSW Business Chamber Limited ABN 63 000 014 504140 Arthur Street, North Sydney NSW 2060

Locked Bag 938, North Sydney NSW 2059

DX 10541 North Sydney

t > 13 26 96 f > 1300 655 277 e > navigation@nswbusinesschamber.com.au

REP

1772

Keeping business informedThe Rudd Government: overview of business policies“When you change the government, you change the country.” NSW Business Chamber provides a concise summary of what business can expect from the Rudd Government.

2008-09 Federal Budget OverviewNSW Business Chamber provides a summary of the wins and losses for business in the first Rudd/Swan Budget.

Influencing GovernmentAustralian Business Priorities: Fixing the FederationNSW Business Chamber’s national policy blueprint calls for radical reforms to Federal-State relations saying the operation of the Federation had become “dysfunctional” with blame-shifting and demarcation disputes between the Federal and State Governments harming Australia’s capacity to grow and achieve.

NSW Business Priorities NSW Business Chamber’s economic blueprint for NSW lays out a plan to deal with skill shortages, high taxes, red tape, inadequate infrastructure, low growth rates and preparing for climate change.