The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) today agreed to a streamlined forward agenda that will ensure the effective implementation of national reforms.
These reforms focus on issues of national strategic importance, shaped by five themes:
* a long-term strategy for participation;
* a national economy driven by our competitive advantages;
* a sustainable and liveable Australia;
* better health services and a more sustainable health system for Australians; and
* closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage
The Prime Minister said today's agreement builds on the strong history of reform achieved through cooperative federalism.
COAG acknowledged that success will require strong buy-in from leaders of government at all levels with a greater focus on implementation and delivery.
To achieve this, the Commonwealth and the States and Territories have committed to prioritising the passage of legislation to give effect to agreements reached by COAG.
New COAG Ministerial Councils
COAG will reform its system of Ministerial Councils so that emerging national issues can be addressed promptly without jeopardising COAG's longer-term agenda.
Under the new system, enduring issues of national significance will be addressed through councils with a long life (Standing Councils), while critical and complex issues will be addressed through councils with a limited life (Select Councils).
The Standing and Select Councils will assist COAG in developing a sustained and collaborative reform agenda for long-standing challenges while providing the flexibility needed to address urgent challenges as they arise.
The new arrangements will put a greater emphasis on implementation in a tighter relationship between COAG and its Councils. There will also be an increased focus on performance and delivery.
Long-term Standing Councils will be established in the areas of:
* health;
* community, housing and disability services;
* school education and early childhood;
* tertiary education, skills and employment;
* transport and infrastructure;
* police and emergency management;
* law and justice;
* federal financial relations;
* energy and resources;
* environment and water;
* primary industries and
* regional Australia
Shorter-term Select Councils will be established to cover:
* homelessness;
* workplace relations;
* climate change;
* immigration and settlement;
* women's issues; and
* gambling reform (which has been previously established and will continue)
These new councils clearly outline the priorities for COAG in the 21st century and the format for addressing them.
Separate ongoing bodies known as Ministerial Legislative and Governance Fora will manage ongoing legislative and governance functions where they are outside the scope of Standing Councils.
Building a Seamless National Economy
COAG today welcomed the release of an independent report by the COAG Reform Council (CRC) on the progress of the National Partnership Agreement to deliver a Seamless National Economy.
The report found that good progress has been made in 21 of 27 deregulation priorities and six of eight competition reforms, with seven regulatory reforms and one competition reform completed.
Since the report was finalised, a further six regulatory reforms have been completed or reached the implementation stage.
Recognising the good progress being made in implementing the Seamless National Economy reforms, COAG agreed to bring forward its final completion date from June 2013 to December 2012.
Given the high priority all governments attach to boosting productivity and the competitiveness of the economy, COAG has asked for options to be developed for a further wave of regulatory and competition reforms.
COAG must continue to drive national competition and regulatory reform to improve Australia's economic productivity through a clear, prioritised agenda of reforms.