Recommendation 1 (para 2.84)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government:

• provide leadership on the issue of alcohol taxation by establishing clear policy objectives for the taxation of alcohol; and
• progress the reform of alcohol taxation, including:
• introduction of a single volumetric tax rate across all alcohol products, to be phased in to allow reasonable adjustment;
• enactment of legislative changes to enable monthly settlement of alcohol tax liability for big businesses and quarterly settlement of alcohol tax liability for small businesses, with the Australian Taxation Office to be granted discretion to further extend settlement periods based on trading terms.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.86)

The committee recommends that the Australian Taxation Office move toward the provision of online services as expeditiously as possible, to facilitate applications for manufacturer and storage licences, as well as movement permissions, in respect of excise equivalent goods.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.88)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government and COAG support the sale and supply of alcohol through consideration and implementation of evidence-based policies that aim to reduce red tape and promote job creation, and business growth and investment, including:

• recognition of Responsible Service of Alcohol certification acquired interstate, whether through online or face-to-face training;
• streamlining and simplification of liquor licencing systems to reduce the number and types of licences/permits to a minimum viable level;
• allowing packaged alcohol to be sold in convenience stores, petrol stations and supermarkets;
• abolishing restrictions on trading hours for liquor stores;
• shifting resources toward targeted enforcement of existing regulation, rather than a blanket approach of increased regulation for all licensees;
• developing liquor licensing fees based on empirical assessments of risk, rather than social perceptions of risk.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.63)

The committee recommends that Commonwealth, state and territory governments review their tobacco control measures, with a view to:

• identifying opportunities to reduce the red tape burden on small retailers; and
• identifying and eliminating regulatory measures that are not evidence based.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.64)

The committee recommends that Commonwealth, state and territory governments develop and implement an appropriate framework for alternative nicotine delivery systems.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.65)

The committee recommends that the Department of Immigration and Border Protection provide an explanation to justify the requirement for re exportation of tobacco products on which drawback is claimed, failing which the requirement should be eliminated in a timely fashion.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.21)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government expedite its review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth), as required under section 522A of that Act, by bringing it forward to 2018.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.23)

The committee recommends that the 'water trigger' be removed from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

Recommendation 3 (para 2.25)

The committee recommends that uranium mining not be included as part of the 'nuclear actions' matter of national environmental significance in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

Recommendation 4 (para 2.33)

The committee recommends that the Australian, state and territory governments re-commit to the One Stop Shop initiative.

Recommendation 5 (para 2.42)

In the context of a One Stop Shop approach, the committee recommends that the Australian Government investigate ways in which environmental assessment and approval processes could be consolidated into the remit of a single regulator.

Recommendation 6 (para 2.52)

The committee recommends that, if not already implemented, the Council of Australian Governments pursue the adoption of a risk-matrix based on international standards, with capacity to incorporate general risks and specific risks.

Recommendation 7 (para 2.64)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government re‑introduce legislation to repeal section 487 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

Recommendation 8 (para 2.70)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government amend the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) to remove Land Councils' ability to veto applications for exploration and/or mining licences.

Recommendation 9 (para 2.72)

The committee recommends that, if not already implemented, Commonwealth, state and territory governments should develop guidelines to assist proponents to clearly identify the costs/benefits of proposed projects, including shared economic benefits such as royalties, to landowners and other stakeholders.

Recommendation 10 (para 2.74)

The committee recommends that, in conducting their next review of land access, state and territory governments consider a statutory right to royalties for freehold landowners whose permission is sought for environmental assessment and approval purposes.

Recommendation 11 (para 2.92)

The committee recommends that state and territory governments review land access policy, legislation and regulation:

• to identify opportunities to facilitate the conversion of leasehold title to freehold title; and/or
• to remove regulatory oversight of activities on leasehold land, to put it on the same basis as freehold.

Recommendation 12 (para 2.100)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government initiate an independent review into the impact of the Deregulation Agenda on the Department of the Environment and Energy.

Recommendation 13 (para 2.103)

The committee recommends that state and territory governments explore options for facilitating reasonable access to existing Aboriginal heritage surveys.

Recommendation 14 (para 2.108)

The committee recommends that Commonwealth, state and territory governments review departmental policies and budgets to support the conduct of site inspections by decision-makers during the environmental assessment process.

Recommendation 15 (para 2.109)

The committee recommends that Commonwealth, state and territory governments investigate options for the greater utilisation of local knowledge and experience, including through the employment of local decision-makers.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.11)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government publish without delay the red tape reduction reports for 2016 and 2017.

Recommendation 2 (para 227)

The committee recommends that the Department of Health investigate the merits of allowing private health funds to fund out-of-hospital care.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.28)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review cost drivers for private health insurance, to identify and better manage their ongoing effect on the cost of private health insurance.

Recommendation 4 (para 2.30)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government consider ceasing regulation of the prostheses market, apart from maintaining standard consumer protection.

Recommendation 5 (para 2.52)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, streamline the identifiers issued to healthcare practitioners for practice purposes.

Recommendation 6 (para 2.60)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, develop a standard template and associated guidelines, including reasonable timeframes, to streamline ethics and governance approval processes for clinical trials across Australia.

Recommendation 7 (para 2.67)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government place licensing requirements for the supply, ownership and operation of diagnostic imaging equipment on the agenda for consideration by the Council of Australian Governments.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.19)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government reconsider its commitment to the Pharmacy Rules and investigate options to enhance competition in the delivery of pharmaceuticals listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with priority given to consumers rather than pharmacy owners.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.26)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government investigate options to align the payment of Goods and Services Tax with business practices, to enable small businesses to better manage cash flow issues.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.28)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government:

• investigate the extent to which community pharmacies are exposed to unnecessary costs as a result of government policies in relation to the supply of pharmaceutical benefits; and
• implement measures to ensure that community pharmacies are not inadvertently exposed to costs arising from wholesalers'  compliance with regulatory requirements.

Recommendation 4 (para 2.46)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government develop a centralised electronic system for the PBS Safety Net, similar to the Medicare Safety Net.

Recommendation 5 (para 2.47)

The committee recommends that the Department of Health consider the proposal for two new digital portals to track the prescribing and dispensing of medicines; and to trade, track and supply pharmaceuticals on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and the Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Recommendation 6 (para 2.58)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments:

• investigate and consider options for progressing uniform medicines legislation; and
• review restrictions on ownership of pharmacies and whether they serve the interests of the public rather than established owners.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.16)

The committee recommends the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, expeditiously work toward reducing the regulatory burden in the Family Day Care sector, including by removing limits on the number of educators in each service.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.31)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, promote and/or develop an evidence‑base for staffing ratios and staffing qualifications in early childhood education and care, as a quality component of the National Quality Framework.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.32)

The committee recommends that, following establishment of the evidence‑base for staffing ratios and staffing qualifications in early childhood education and care, the principles of the National Quality Framework be reviewed to ensure they appropriately reflect the evidence-base.

Recommendation 4 (para 2.33)

The committee recommends that, in reviewing the principles of the National Quality Framework, Australian, state and territory governments recognise that formal qualifications are not the only prerequisite for the provision of high quality child care, as this can also be provided by parents.

Recommendation 5 (para 2.40)

The committee recommends that the Department of Education and Training provide a detailed annual report to the Department of Jobs and Small Business, to provide greater transparency about red tape reductions in early childhood education and care.

Recommendation 6 (para 2.68)

The committee recommends that the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Jobs and Small Business report in greater detail on the regulatory effect of implementing the Child Care Subsidy, including in relation to the Activity Test.

Recommendation 7 (para 2.69)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review the objectives of fee assistance to ensure that it is actually targeting maternal workforce participation and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.51)

The committee recommends the Council for the Australian Federation, in close consultation with relevant stakeholders, renew its efforts toward occupational licensing reform, with a starting presumption against licensing.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.52)

Subject to its retention, the committee recommends that occupational licensing be based on specific, measurable outcomes and the identification of best practice models for occupations throughout Australia.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.53)

The committee recommends the expansion of automatic mutual recognition based on the objective of increasing labour force mobility.

Recommendation 4 (para 2.54)

The committee recommends the Council for the Australian Federation commission a study into the health and safety benefits of occupational licensing, to strengthen efforts toward reform.

Recommendation 1 (para 2.27)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government, through the Council of Australian Governments, initiate a review of Commonwealth and state-based regulation affecting the private education sector, to identify opportunities for regulation and red tape reductions.

Recommendation 2 (para 2.28)

In conjunction with Recommendation 1, the committee recommends that the Department of Education and Training review the findings and recommendations of the 2013 Review of Higher Education Regulation Report, to assist in the identification of deregulation opportunities for the higher education sector.

Recommendation 3 (para 2.30)

In conjunction with Recommendation 1, the committee recommends that Australian governments consider the effectiveness of a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to regulation and explore options to implement better risk‑based regulation.

Recommendation 4 (para 2.32)

The committee recommends that the Department of Education and Training, in conjunction with the Office of Best Practice Regulation, review its Regulatory Impact Statement processes, to improve identification and quantification of regulatory compliance costs in the private education sector.

Recommendation 5 (para 2.55)

The committee recommends that the Department of Education and Training schedule a two-year review of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability, including audit options to ensure the consistency of quality data collection.

Recommendation 6 (para 2.65)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government initiate a five-year review of the Regulator Performance Framework, to identify opportunities to improve Commonwealth regulators' performance.

Recommendation 7 (para 2.75)

The committee recommends that the Australian Government review the assumptions underpinning the 25 per cent loan fee and if they are not substantiated with statistical information, take action to abolish this fee.