Today’s COAG meeting underlines the need for continued urgency in delivering reforms, Business Council of Australia chief executive, Katie Lahey, said today.

“As we emerge from the downturn, it becomes even more important to strengthen the economy’s productive capacity," she said.

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“Reforms to create a new national regulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, and the linking of infrastructure funding to long-term planning, announced after today’s meeting, will both assist in this aim.”

But Lahey said the BCA wants to see continued focus on previously agreed elements of the seamless economy agenda, designed to deliver uniform business regulation across state borders.

“Progress within COAG remains difficult to assess from outside,” Lahey said.

“The upcoming public report of the COAG Reform Council will be an important stocktake on COAG’s progress in this area.”

The council is expected to release its report on the National Partnership Agreement to Deliver a Seamless National Economy in early 2010.