Federal Election

The Federal Election was held on Saturday 21 May. It is expected that the Australian Labor Party will be able to form government and Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.

We are providing regular updates on the key policy initiatives we have advocated for, as well as providing access to podcast discussions and other election resources.

The key themes that we focused on for this election were:

support for business to respond and adapt to an era of uncertainty
enabling long-term, sustainable economic growth and transformation.

"With Interest" podcast

Tune in to our special edition series of the CPA Australia "With Interest" podcast. Join us as we discuss key policy announcements and how they could impact business and accounting professionals in the lead up to the 2022 Australian Federal Election. Subscribe via your preferred podcast platform to ensure you don't miss an episode.

Our key policy priorities

Transforming Australian business

• Efficient, cost effective, improved regulatory design. Businesses have been through substantial change and uncertainty in the past two years, meaning government should reduce burden, and delay or stop additional regulation or fees where it can.
• A skills plan for Australia – one that targets and attracts talent to reduce current and future shortages. Australian businesses need access to skilled workers and need the announcement short-, medium- and long-term initiatives to achieve this.
• Investment in building small business, including capability, resilience (especially in the face of increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters), and digital and cyber security capacity.

Sustainability and society

• Develop clear pathways for industries to transition to Net Zero.
• An increased focus on sustainability reporting and assurance to improve stakeholder confidence in such disclosures and give business better information to consider in their decision making.
• Support the development and adaption of technology that reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet and beat our target.
• Adopt a more ambitious GHG emissions target on the condition that it includes a plan showing how businesses and the community will be supported in helping to achieve this target.
• CPA Australia’s vision for Australia includes a fair and equitable society, and a call on government to prioritise removing policies that create disadvantage.

Shift to a digital future

• A co-ordinated implementation plan to complement the digital economy strategy 2030.
• Further initiatives to modernise business interactions through increased investment in digital infrastructure, including the Australian Business Registry Services.
• Increased investment in building the community’s digital capability to help shift towards a digital future. This should include continued and increased incentives for less technology-capable businesses to invest in technology and cyber security, while also upskilling and attracting a skilled workforce.
• A better ecosystem for start-ups and innovative businesses to succeed.

A prosperous Australia

• Commit to long-term policies that drive transformation and prosperity.
• Support greater access to affordable professional advice so people can make better decisions about their business, investments, savings and future.
• Support policies that will strengthen Australia’s economy, build technological advantage, improve the efficiency of the tax system, and help protect the economy against global disruptions and climate change.