Graham Bradley addresses the AICC Business Luncheon
In his inaugural speech as president of the Business Council of Australia, Graham Bradley clearly marked out his plan for 2010.
Graham Bradley Pic: Henry Benjamin
Bradley spoke to more than 500 luncheon guests drawn from the cream of corporate Sydney at the city’s Shangri-La Hotel.
The business council he heads has been operational for twenty-seven years. He told the room that “Australia is emerging in relatively good shape from the Global Financial Crisis.” He praised the Rudd Government for producing “an effective stimulus package.” He said that he planned to use his term in office to make a contribution not only to our economy but also to our society stating that there was a need for “more Australians to share fully in our nation’s prosperity”. The companies which are members of the Business Council will play a role in opening up employment opportunities for indigeonous Australians
Bradley told his audience that Australia stands on the threshhold of a new exciting era and has an opportunity to underwrite our continued growth and prosperity for the coming decade. He said that unemployment in Australia was currently about 6% “when one in ten Americans is out of work”.
He said he believed Australia was in poll position as the new decade begins for the next economic cycle….”I am very optimistic about Australia’s prospects.” He said the lucky birthright of geograohy and resources is not enough to guarantee economic prosperity. He spoke of Australia’s population being 35 million by 2050, saying that this forecast represents “realistic and manageable growth”.
In referring to the Government’s need to get the country back into the black Bradley pointed out that “it was not how quickly a country gets into deficit that matters but how quickly it gets out of it”. He said that the Business Council has reforms planned for the future singling out a single economy. Bradley questioned why a truck transporting goods from Melbourne to Brisbane has to deal with three separate sets of State laws and regulations.
He said that the tax system was sorely in need of “bold reforms” stating that corporate and personal taxes should be reduced as the current rates inhibit business investments. He did, however, call for an increase in GST.
He called on Australians to accept more responsibility for their own health in order to reduce the demands on the health system. Bradley called for an improvement in the quality of education. adding that a more business-lime management of our educational assets and budgets is needed.
Summing up, Bradley said that the Council has pin-pointed five areas…seamless economy, tax reform, improved infrastructure, more affordable health care and better quality education to be the priorities for 2010.
The luncheon meeting also heard from NSW Minister for Water Philip Costa, recently returned from Israel where he had visited cutting edge companies working in the water management field. He told the meeting of joint projects currently in place and those planned for the future.
Gail Kelly, CEO of Westpac introduced Graham Bradley and Tony Burg delivered the vote of thanks.
AICC CEO Anthony Hollis with Westpac CEO Gail Kelly
Gail Kelly introduces Graham Bradley
Minister Philip Costa (l) listens to Graham Bradley
Graham Bradley. “All current spending should be reviewed and disability pensions may not be the best use of government money”. Please take yourself off your high horse and into the community. Engage with those on the DSP and understand their circumstances before making such naive observations. I hope that people’s reaction to your comments has made you stop, even just for a second, and think. It saddens me when I realise that people like yourself do exist in our world.
I HATE you for what you are doing to the genuinely sick people on DSP and you want to take some of our money away and get us into lower poverty than we are now? Why don’t YOU use some of your own and other rich people like you to help with the disasters that has been happening? We all have put in a donation for the Qld floods. Cut out your own perks. I AM SO ANGRY with you.
Your face looks like a mean hard stone, no empathy, sympathy for those through no fault of their own end up on disability support pension. Tell me where are the jobs? Do you suffer from a debilitating illness as do a lot of other people who are worse off? I can’t believe you would stoop so low to pick on us. There’s a lot of angry people on the Comments from ABC and you should read them. Leave us alone and pick on the rich!