Andrew McKellar from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) is the latest to add his name to the growing list of business figures lamenting the lack of reform in the budget.
Mr McKellar said the budget left business with a long road to recovery without any significant reform to address chronic workforce shortages and languishing productivity.
“We are without a long-term agenda for Australia to realise its economic potential,” he said.
“With many businesses unable to satisfy the demand for labour,a return to permanent skilled migration to pre-pandemic levels of 160,000 arrivals per year will be insufficient in making up the lost ground over the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Regrettably,this year’s budget doesn’t address some of the more pressing challenges facing the Australian economy,including a far-reaching agenda for tax reform,stronger focus on innovation,and building business investment,supply chain capability and productivity. Presumably,these will have to wait until next year,” he said.