Business licences and regulation reform

Bureau of Industry Economics report

This report was released in June 1996.

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Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Foreword, Acknowledgements, Contents, Summary

1   Introduction
1.1   Purpose of this report
1.2   Regulatory context
1.3   Definitions
1.4   Outline of this report

2   Explanations for licensing
2.1   Externalities
2.2   Information failures
2.3   Competition and market power
2.4   Paternalism
2.5   Summary

3   When is licensing the best way?
3.1   Net benefits and the characteristics of licensing
3.2   Notification
3.3   Prior approval
3.4   Mandatory nature
3.5   The level of standards
3.6   Summary

4   Removing barriers to entry
4.1   Co-regulation, licensing and entry restrictions
4.2   Other restrictions associated with licensing
4.3   Scope of practice statements and licensed acts
4.4   Summary

5   Standards and codes of practice
5.1 Personal data protection
5.2   Hazardous equipment
5.3   Food premises licensing
5.4   Summary

6   Compulsory contracts
6.1   Economic issues
6.2   Workers’ compensation insurance
6.3 Social security
6.4   Summary

7   Licences and the regulatory context
7.1   Regulatory flexibility
7.2   Voluntary agreements
7.3   Voluntary compliance
7.4   Licence rationalisation
7.5 Summary

8   Implications for Australia
8.1   Restrictions on entry
8.2   Standards and codes of practice
8.3   Compulsory contracts
8.4   Regulatory flexibility
8.5   Summary

Appendix   Regulation reform in Australia and overseas

Glossary

References