Business Council of Australia

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) is an industry association that comprises the chief executives of more than 100 of Australia's biggest corporations. It was formed in 1983 by the merger of the Business Roundtable – a spin-off of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia – and the Australian Industry Development Association. The organisation is headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Sydney and Canberra.

Its stated goal is to give the business community a greater voice in public policy debates about the direction of Australian society.

History

AIPL/AIDA

The Australian Industries Protection League (AIPL) was established in Melbourne in January 1919 as a successor to the Protectionist Association of Victoria.[1] James Hume Cook, a former federal MP and ally of Nationalist leader Billy Hughes, was appointed secretary of the organisation in 1922 and held the position until his death in 1942. He represented the league at the British Empire Economic Conference in Ottawa in 1932.[2]

According to Peter Cochrane, its members were "first and foremost, advocates of high, even prohibitive, protection; they possessed a profound belief in the virtuosity of the small business enterprise and the necessity to furnish it with a financial and political superstructure".[3][4]

In June 1951, the AIPL was renamed as the Australian Industries Development Association (AIDA).[5] Hosiery manufacturer George Foletta served as the organisation's president from 1951 to 1956.[6]

Post-merger

The Business Council of Australia was formed in 1983 from a merger of AIDA and the Business Roundtable. [7]

Structure

Board

The board oversees the council's secretariat, committees and task forces, makes recommendations about membership and appointments, and proposes policies.

Board members, as of March 2021, were:[8]

Former presidents include Catherine Livingstone, Tony Shepherd, Michael Chaney, Hugh Morgan, Roderick Carnegie and Arvi Parbo.[14]

The secretariat works on policy, research, communications and administrative support.

The Strong Australia Network was established to lobby for regional businesses,[15] and BizRebuild to help businesses damaged by floods or bushfires.[16]

Policy

The council's policy agenda has included plans to reform post-secondary education,[17] cut rates of personal and company tax,[18] and strengthen enterprise bargaining.[19]

Members help develop policy through committees and special-issue task forces.[20]

Membership

As of 2021, members of the council were:[21]

See also

References
  1. "Guide to the Records of the Australian Industries Protection League". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  2. Hancock, Ian (1981). "Cook, James Newton Haxton Hume (1866–1942)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. Melbourne University Press.
  3. Cochrane 1980, p. 117.
  4. Cochrane, Peter (1980). Industrialization and Dependence: Australia's Road to Economic Development, 1870-1939 (PDF). University of Queensland Press. ISBN 0702214884.
  5. "New Watchdog for industry". The Age. 14 June 1951.
  6. Worrall, Airlie (1996). "Foletta, George Gotardo (1892–1973)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 14. Melbourne University Press.
  7. "Competitiveness key to world economy". Canberra Times. 12 August 1983.
  8. "Board". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  9. "Tim Reed". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  10. Hutchinson, Samantha. "Meet Bran Black: how Macquarie Street's Mr Nice Guy got the BCA gig". AFR. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. "New leaders backed for Business Council board". Mirage News. 11 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  12. "Danny Gilbert AM". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  13. "Alison Watkins". Business Council of Australia. 1 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  14. "Previous BCA Presidents". Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  15. "About Us". Strong Australia Network. BCA. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  16. "What is BizRebuild?". BizRebuild. BCA. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  17. "Education and skills". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. "Tax". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. "Modern workplace relations". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. "Structure". Business Council of Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  21. "Membership". BCA=. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
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