National Competition Council

National Competition Policy and Related Reforms First Tranche Assessment

Volume Two: Commonwealth, State and Territory First Tranche Progress Reports

April 1999

Commonwealth of Australia 1999 ISBN 0 642 26172 5

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Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Commonwealth .................................................................................... 3 1997 Progress Report .............................................................................................. 5 New South Wales ................................................................................. 55 1997 Progress Report ............................................................................................ 57 1998 Supplementary Information ...................................................................... 183 Victoria .............................................................................................. 195 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 197 1998 Supplementary Information ...................................................................... 265 Queensland ....................................................................................... 277 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 279 1998 Supplementary Information ...................................................................... 343 Western Australia .............................................................................. 355 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 357 1998 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 407 South Australia .................................................................................. 435 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 437 1998 Supplementary Information ...................................................................... 485

First Tranche Progress Reports

Tasmania ........................................................................................... 533 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 535 1998 Supplementary Information ..................................................................... 603 Australian Capital Territory .............................................................. 611 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 613 1998 Supplementary Information ...................................................................... 665 Northern Territory ............................................................................ 671 1997 Progress Report .......................................................................................... 673

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Introduction

The Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments signed three intergovernmental competition policy agreements at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in April 1995. The three agreements are reproduced in the National Competition Council’s publication, Compendium of National Competition Policy Agreements (June 1998). The agreements set out governments’ commitments to a range of pro-competitive reforms called the National Competition Policy (NCP) and related reforms. One of the agreements, the Competition Principles Agreement (CPA), obliges governments to, among other things, systematically review all legislation restricting competition over the period to the year 2000 and introduce competitive neutrality principles, where appropriate, to significant government businesses. Under the CPA, governments report annually on their progress with reviewing restrictive legislation and introducing competitive neutrality, and the Council is required to publish a document consolidating governments’ legislation review reports. State and Territory Governments have undertaken to report more widely than required by the CPA, by outlining their progress against the entire NCP and related reform package. States and Territories published their first progress reports in March 1997. As part of the NCP process, the Commonwealth provides financial transfers to the States and Territories following assessment by the Council that progress against reform obligations is satisfactory. The Council made its first tranche recommendations to the Commonwealth Treasurer in June 1997.1 As part of that

1

The remaining assessments must be conducted prior to July 1999 and July 2001.

First Tranche Progress Reports

assessment, the Council identified several areas where progress had not met expectations. Since then, the States and Territories have addressed these matters and provided supplementary reports covering progress. The Council provided a supplementary assessment on these matters to the Commonwealth Treasurer in June 1998. The material relating to the Council’s 1997 assessment is published in two documents. Volume One documents in full the Council’s first tranche assessment of reform progress, comprising assessment of State and Territory performance (including on matters identified in June 1997 as requiring further work) and assessment of the Commonwealth Government’s performance against its NCP obligations. Volume Two (this document) consolidates State and Territory Governments’ first (1997) progress reports and information provided in 1998 for the supplementary assessment.2 Most States and Territories provided information for the supplementary assessment separately from their 1998 progress reports. Where States provided information covering matters relevant to the supplementary assessment as part of their 1998 progress reports, only those sections containing information relevant to the supplementary assessment are reproduced here. The complete set of jurisdictions’ 1998 progress reports will be reproduced by the Council at a later date. Volume Two also includes the Commonwealth Government’s reports on legislation review and competitive neutrality.

2

The Northern Territory was not required to provide information for the supplementary assessment in 1998.

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