The slashing of red tape and administrative burdens is good news for electrical contractors says NECA chief executive Suresh Manickam.

“Small business is the lifeblood of the Australian economy and the electrical communications and contracting industry plays a large role in its growth,” Suresh said.

“More than 90% of businesses within our sector employ less than 25 staff, compared with the national average of just over 70%.”

Suresh was commenting after the release of the Federal Government’s Annual Red Tape Reduction Report, which highlighted decisions to reduce regulatory impacts on business of $2.5Billion over the last year.

“We are pleased that the Federal Government is listening to the concerns of our sector via our representations, policy submissions and our overarching policy manifesto.

“While progress has been made, there’s plenty more work to do to assist the small and medium enterprises of our sector.

“Items such as payroll tax harmonisation, threshold harmonisation, security of payments, the alignment of reporting timeframes and the introduction of sunset provisions are opportunities for the Government to further reduce red tape for electrical contractors.”