Wrap Up of our Red Tape Roundtable

Thank you to everyone who joined our recent Red Tape Roundtable.

The session brought together Women in Business members with Zoe McKenzie MP (Federal Member for Flinders) and Sam Groth MP (State Member for Nepean) for a constructive discussion on the pressures affecting our region’s business community.

Increasing financial pressures of government red tape and policy was the response WiBMPF members said most impacted their current work via our recent Impact Survey and this was an opportunity to take those concerns to our local leaders. Some of the discussions of the session were the cumulative cost burden facing businesses, with wage and superannuation increases outpacing consumer spending. Concerns were raised around extensive and complex tax systems, industrial relations compliance, and mental health and wellbeing support.

We also discussed regional challenges unique to the Southern Peninsula, including difficulties in training, transporting and housing staff locally. Seasonal workforce recruitment costs, limited parking and visitor access, infrastructure constraints (water, sewerage, and aging electrical systems) and the impact of our regional vs. metro classification on grants, visas and payroll tax thresholds that should more accurately align with our regional needs, were key points of advocacy.

The session also explored opportunities for women in business, including leadership pathways, investment access and representation in decision-making spaces. It was great to hear from our MPs that these were areas of focus for them as well.

We appreciate the honest insights shared, the investment of our MPs into the conversation and their offers of continued support for our Association priorities and of individual member issues. Let us know if you’d like us to help make connections! We look forward to continuing to advocating for practical reforms to support a resilient, thriving Peninsula business community.