Industry group wants next Queensland government to maintain investment in the road network and freeze taxes and charges on business
By Brad Gardner | January, 31 2012
The Australian Industry Group wants Queensland’s next government to maintain strong investment in the state’s road network and to freeze business taxes and charges.
Following Premier Anna Bligh’s announcement Queenslanders will go to the polls on March 24, the Ai Group has released a set of measures it wants enacted regardless of which party wins the election.
The group’s 2012 Queensland Election Priorities report cites the twin challenges of population growth and urban congestion on transport and freight efficiency and says existing assets must be used efficiently along with the implementation of a pipeline of new projects.
“In particularly, additional capacity is required to support movement of up to 240,000 people into the inner city during the two hour morning peak releasing pressure from congested road networks that constrain the ability for business and industry to operate critical local freight movements efficiently,” it says.
The wish list urges the next government to ensure the repair work to thousands of kilometres of road damaged in the 2011 floods continues “as a matter of ongoing urgency”.
The Ai Group says businesses continue to raise the regulatory burden as a handbrake on industry.
Arguing many businesses are reeling from a high dollar, weak domestic demand and global economic uncertainty, the Ai Group recommends: “That the incoming government place a moratorium on increased fees, taxes and charges for business operating in the state so as not to jeopardise Queensland’s post-disaster economic recovery.”
However, the report does not mention how long the moratorium should run for.
Ai Group Queensland Director Matthew Martyn-Jones says the March 24 election represents an opportunity to address the problems associated with the resources boom.
“The past 18 months have been particularly challenging for the non-resource related sectors of industry with manufacturing, tourism and education all feeling the strains of the high Australian dollar,” he says.
“These sectors are large employers and contribute significantly to the economy. Governments need to play their part in the management of the impacts of the boom on these critical sectors.”
The Ai Group document also urges the next government to invest more in skills for non-resource sectors, improve literacy and numeracy in the Queensland workforce and develop policies to improve productivity.
“Queensland industry would like to see policy-makers look to the long term and invest strategically in supporting a diversified economy. Critical to this is strong leadership on innovation and focus on boosting the state’s productivity,” Martyn-Jones says.