Red tape

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Treasurer Jim Chalmers addresses a press conference after the economic summit.

One thing could bring a lasting boost to productivity, but there’s a risk

We need to unclog the pipes of the capitalist machine.

  • Ross Gittins

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The government is fast tracking assessments to push more housing into the construction pipeline.

AI and a new ‘strike team’ deployed to combat housing crisis

The federal government will fast track the assessment of 26,000 homes held up by delays in the environmental approval process as it tries to meet its targets.

  • Nick Newling
Builder Anthony Malone just got approval to build a home - with 86 conditions.

Anthony is trying to build a house. It comes with 86 conditions

The builder has seen regulations blow out over the years, making it harder to deliver affordable housing.

  • Elizabeth Redman and Kristy Johnson
Are housing standards holding back development?

The rules you must follow when building a home – and how much extra it costs

Ever tighter government rules cover everything from balustrade heights to windows and parking, sparking warnings that well-intentioned rules are strangling housing supply.

  • Millie Muroi
A nation of “regulatory hairballs”: Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood will argue it’s time to cure the nation’s addiction to red tape.

Australia needs to cough up its ‘regulatory hairballs’, declares PC boss

For the next three days, leaders will look at ways to lift living standards. The Productivity Commission says they should start with one area of reform.

  • Shane Wright
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Albanese shies away from reforms as Treasury says company taxes are hurting wages

Business has been pushing for lower tax rates to help companies invest and compete. The federal Treasury agrees while warning the entire tax system is struggling.

  • Shane Wright
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The number of vacancies in the construction sector jumped by 20 per cent over the past three months.

Australia now has 1 million public servants despite government vows to cut red tape

The share of people working in the private sector has slumped to an all-time low, with a record number working in the public bureaucracy.

  • Shane Wright
High-rise apartments like those in Docklands have provided more housing, but have failed to add to the city meaningfully.

Is an extra 40cm the secret to happiness in the bedroom? This economics expert doesn’t think so

If my comfortable home of 20 years were built today, it wouldn’t be up to scratch. But in our quest for better living, have we forgotten what’s really important?

  • Shane Wright
Elon Musk flashes his t-shirt that reads “DOGE” to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White House, in Washington on Sunday (Monday AEDT).

Having battled US bureaucracy, I reckon there’s plenty for Musk to do

There is so much inefficiency in American life. If only Musk would focus his many talents on the real problems, not the stuff of culture wars and conspiracies.

  • Michael Koziol
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Paul Guerra and Treasurer Tim Pallas in March this year.

Business calls for tax reform as opposition slams Victorian government’s ‘pathetic’ economic growth plan

Victoria’s promised economic growth statement, designed to drive economic growth, is not expected to include tax reform. Business and the opposition want more.

  • Rachel Eddie and Kieran Rooney