I am pleased to announce, in my capacity as chairman of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), that the COAG Reform Council (CRC) has commenced operations.
The CRC comprises Mr Paul McClintock as chairman, Dr Geoff Gallop as deputy chairman, and Dr Doug McTaggart, Mr John Langoulant, Mr Peter Corish and Ms Helen Silver as members.
The members of the CRC held a preliminary meeting last week to discuss how they would perform the role set for the CRC by COAG. I am advised by the chairman that discussions were productive and that all CRC members look forward to undertaking this new role.
The establishment of the CRC is an important step in the continuing COAG National Reform Agenda (NRA), which encompasses human capital, competition and regulatory reforms, and will help underpin Australia's future prosperity through increasing Australia's productivity and workforce participation.
COAG agreed that the CRC's role will be to monitor progress in implementing NRA reforms and to assess the costs and benefits of reforms referred to it unanimously by COAG. On 13 April 2007 COAG referred a number of proposals to the CRC in the areas of transport, energy and regulation reform, initially for monitoring of progress and subsequently for assessment of costs and benefits. The CRC will provide COAG with annual reports on progress.
The CRC will develop a work program in the coming months to guide its performance of these activities over the medium to long term.
To support its work, the CRC will immediately move to establish a permanent secretariat. It will be advertising for an experienced senior person to head this secretariat, and other secretariat positions, in the near future.
I wish all the members of the CRC well in undertaking their work.