INTERVIEW WITH CLINTON MAYNARD ON 2GB RADIO SYDNEY

INTERVIEW WITH CLINTON MAYNARD ON 2GB RADIO SYDNEY

18 August 2025

Subjects: Labor’s 5000 regulations, Productivity roundtable

E&OE………

Clinton Maynard

When you have a look at productivity issues over the past now three and a half years, it's not tha tflash. I wanted to talk to Andrew Bragg, Opposition frontbencher, about this - he is the Shadow Minister for Productivity and Deregulation - because he's identified exactly under Anthony Albanese's watch, how much extra regulation we're having to deal with. Thanks for joining me, Andrew.

Senator Bragg

Clinton, how are you?

Clinton Maynard

I'm good. This figure you've released today about the number of new regulations that have been introduced under Anthony Albanese's Government is staggering.

Senator Bragg

Well, 5,000 new regulations, 400 new laws, a cost of $4.8 billion just for the new laws. So, they are killing productivity with their red tape. Everyone in business knows it, and it's really hurting the economy. So, I'm hoping that one of the outcomes of this roundtable this week will be removing some of the rules they put in place in the last three years.

Clinton Maynard

So, 5,000 new regulations. We obviously don't have time to go through all 5,000 of them. What are some of the regulations that jump out at you that we simply don't need?

Senator Bragg

Well, the Future Made in Australia, all the IR stuff that lets the CFMEU make housing more expensive. Then, you've got stupid stuff like telling people what they're allowed to eat at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra.

Clinton Maynard

Hang on, hang on, hang on. What's that about?

Senator Bragg

Well, they made a regulation last year that you can't have any imported food or drink in the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra. So if you go in there, don't take a bottle of water, because you might get arrested.

Clinton Maynard

They inspect what's in your bag!

Senator Bragg

It's crazy, isn't it? And, then there's the more punitive reporting obligations on companies, tax reporting - a whole lot of other things like that. So, the cost of doing business is... And where you're seeing it now is that we're falling down the league tables in terms of our competitive position. So, it's having a real cost.

Clinton Maynard

But this does happen over time. The longer governments are in power, and it certainly happened when the Coalition was in power as well, red tape does grow. How do you reverse the trend? How do you change it?

Senator Bragg

Well, you've got to have a commitment to actually making it easier to do business. And, you've got to look at what are the laws you've got on the books at the moment? How many of them do you actually need? How many of them are actually enforced? One of the things I'd say is I think we're hopeless at law enforcement in Australia. You can walk over the bridge and you can incite violence against Jews, there's no consequences. You can use a management investment scheme or a super fund to send money to the Caymans and steal people's money, there's no law enforcement. You can use AI to steal authors' copyrighted work, and there's no law enforcement. I mean, part of this debate is also about the limits of regulation and how law enforcement would actually work, if at all.

Clinton Maynard

So tell me, given you're going to have everyone sitting down - when I say everyone, the select few - as part of the economic roundtable tomorrow, what do you think they need to look at as a priority? What's the number one thing they should address?

Senator Bragg

Housing red tape. Red tape generally, for small companies. Red tape in the financial and insurance sector, that is drowning in red tape, for example, if you've got financial advisors who are listening to your show, they could tell you that they spend more time filling in forms than they do actually serving people's needs. Those are just a few areas where they could make some meaningful improvements to the country.

Clinton Maynard

Ted O'Brien, the Deputy, the Shadow Treasurer, he's taking part in it. Do you have hope that there will be, at least, the capacity for alternative views to be heard?

Senator Bragg

Yeah. I mean, Ted is a good guy. He's a smart guy. I'm sure they'll listen to what Ted has to say. But ultimately, we're there as a participant. We have to develop our own policies. We're not a lobby group or an industry association. If there are good ideas to come out of this process, then we will adopt them as their own policies. If the government want to move ahead on sensible things, then we will back them.

Clinton Maynard

We'll follow it with interest tomorrow. Thank you, Andrew.

Senator Bragg

Thanks, Clinton. See you.

[Ends]

‍