Tony Abbott calls on business to ‘campaign’ against his opponents
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Version 0 of 1. The Coalition’s pro-business agenda will transform the country within a few years, Tony Abbott has vowed, as he called on the business community to “campaign” against those trying to stop the new government from implementing its policies. Setting out his business credentials in a speech to the Business Council of Australia (BCA) annual dinner, Abbott announced a high-level lineup of business advisers and a broad review of competition policy. “Australia will be quite different in a few years’ time because a Coalition rather than a Labor government has been calling the shots, and calling them with a preference for freedom,” he said. “I am confident that the BCA will continue to tell the government what it should do: repeal the carbon tax, repeal the mining tax, cut red tape and get the budget back under control,” he said. “Even more importantly, I hope that the BCA will campaign against everyone who is trying to stop the government from putting that good advice into practice. “The government’s job is to make it easier for our good businesses to do their best,” he said. “Certainly, when I look at a business audience, any business audience, I don’t see people who exploit workers, rip off customers and damage the environment.” Abbott announced that he had provided state governments with the terms of reference for a broad review of competition policy – on par with the sweeping Hilmer review of the early 1990s. He said it would not just be a review of existing law, but also of the “broader competition framework”. He also announced 11 prominent business people to work with former ABC chairman Maurice Newman on his business advisory council, the immediate past chairman of the productivity commission Gary Banks, chairman of the national Australia Bank Michael Chaney, Linfox executive chairman Peter Fox, businessman Solomon Lew, Bluescope Steel chairman Graham Kraehe, Grocon chief executive Daniel Grollo, BHP chairman Jack Nasser, Telstra chairman Catherine Livingstone, Bega Cheese chairman Barry Irvin and company director Jane Wilson. The group will meet three times a year, with the first meeting before Christmas. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |