Regulation remains one of the most persistent battlegrounds between business and governments in Australia. We have to find a better way to keep things fair, whilst still managing to reduce the regulatory constraints on business performance. As industries struggle to comply with the increasing amount of red tape, many see regulation as a threat that reduces profitability, discourages investment and damages competitiveness.

Our society, however, cannot exist without an effective regulatory system. A smart and proactive position towards regulation can help businesses engage with government and move the regulatory debate in a direction that would be more beneficial to their own operations. Rather than struggling against new legislation, businesses should be looking for opportunities to use it to their advantage. 

This month on Open Forum we are looking at Regulation as a Business Opportunity and Driver of Innovation.

• Understanding the commercial environment from the perspectives of the regulator and the regulated. How different is the view?
• Getting your ideas, what can your organisation contribute to the debate?
• Asking, just how serious is the Australian Government about regulatory reforms?
• Which sectors of our economy would most benefit from an improved legislation framework?
• How can you maximise technology to help your businesses leverage their regulatory response?
• Can Australia become a ‘regulatory pacesetter' in the global market through a more responsive, outcome-oriented and flexible regulatory regime?
• What would an open and transparent regulatory system look like?

If compliance is part of your everyday life, share your experience and tell us about what you think. Your participation in a constructive dialogue between industry, government and the citizenry may make the difference between reforms which are an opportunity rather than a curse.

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2008 GAP CONGRESS ON REGULATORY AFFAIRS - FINAL REPORT

• GAP Congress Report [1] (PDF, 1.04MB)
• Red Tape "Threat to Growth"? [1]- by Victor Perton

2008 GAP CONGRESS ON REGULATORY AFFAIRS - KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

• "Second Track" Processes [1] (Dr Ian Watt AO, Department of Finance and Deregulation, Australian Government)
• Cloud Computing [1] (Martin Duursma, Citrix Systems)
• Managing Risk in a Web 2.0 World [1] (Craig Scroggie, Symantec)
• Privacy and Citizen-centric service delivery: Can it co-exist? [1] (Alan Bennett, EDS)
• Standards as alternative instruments of regulation [1] (John Tucker, Standards Australia)
• Australia as a Pacemaker: Regulating for Competitive Outcomes [1] (John Martin, ACCC)
• Competition regulation in telecommunications [1] (David Quilty, Telstra)

RECOMMENDED REGULATORY BLOGS & FORUMS

• Talk Openly: Better Regulation Forum with special guest The Hon. Lindsay Tanner MP [1]
• Accountability, partners in the value chain and trans border data flows: looking elsewhere [1] - by Malcolm Crompton
• Better regulation and regulatory reform needs to involve everyone, including the citizen [1] - by Matthew Tukaki
• 3 Excellencies [1] - by Keith Besgrove
• Why I learned to love regulation [1]- by Patrick Callioni
• Regulating for Better Infrastructure [1] - by David Quilty
• How Regulators Can Learn From Business [1] - by Joe Tripodi
  A Fairer Approach to Risk Equalisation [1] - by John Rashleigh
• An Image Makeover for Regulation [1]- by Peter Fritz
• If you can't beat them... [1]- by Patrick Callioni
• What we need today [1] - by Martin Duursma
• Regulations, Hammers & Nails: Not Just Reform or Reduction, but Reframing the Reasons [1] - by Steve Blume
• The lesson history affords us when looking at regulation [1]- by Matthew Tukaki
• The path to prosperity through deregulation [1] - by Lindsay Tanner
• What governments should do [1] - by Patrick Callioni 
• We're governing the life out of innovative organisations [1] - by Stephen Wilson
• The curse of the rule maker. But there's a lesson in it [1] - by Malcolm Crompton
• A national information policy? [1]- by Nicholas Gruen
• The ALRC Report on Privacy [1] - by Peter Ford
• Contemporary democracy and the shift in power from bureaucracy to business and individuals [1] - by Peter Fritz
• Emissions Trading in the age of IT, how will it affect your business? [1] - by Simon Hayes
• A Market Price for Carbon, However... [1] - by Tim Hanlin