As part of our ongoing advocacy efforts, the Tamworth Business Chamber recently convened a Federal Election Roundtable to shape a strong and unified business voice ahead of the next federal election.

The roundtable brought together approximately 30 Chamber members representing a cross-section of industries and sectors. Together, they identified the most critical federal policy priorities to drive growth, investment, and long-term prosperity in our region.

We are pleased to share the key outcomes from these discussions.

Priority Areas & Agreed Policy Focus

From the conversations held during the roundtable, five key themes clearly emerged as top priorities for our business community. Members then voted on the most impactful actions under each theme, forming a focused agenda that reflects the collective voice of Tamworth’s business sector:

1. Resilience and Competitiveness

• Tax reform to enhance certainty and drive business confidence
• Visas for skilled migrant workers, with targeted access for regional areas to address workforce gaps

2. Sustainable Growth and Innovation

• Reduce red tape and green tape to streamline regulation across industries
• Link minimum wage growth to productivity, not CPI, to support sustainable wage outcomes
• Ensure even distribution of federal funds, with a strong focus on regional equity

3. Future Ready Workforce

• Increase federal funding for social capital development, especially in education and workforce training
• Adopt a balanced federal approach to childcare, improving affordability and availability
• Relax industrial relations legislation to boost participation from both youth and older Australians

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‍4. Infrastructure and Investment

• Improve housing affordability to support regional workforce attraction and retention
• Invest in regional infrastructure, including:
  
   
  • Sporting and performing arts facilities
   
  • Water security and resilience initiatives
 
• Introduce federal incentives for industry investment, such as expanding instant asset write-offs
• Address compliance-related delays, particularly around planning and project delivery

5. Policy Certainty

• Commit to long-term tax reform that transcends election cycles
• Undertake industrial relations (IR) policy reform to promote flexibility and competitiveness
• Provide stable and consistent policy settings, supporting long-term business planning
• Reform processes for policy change, especially under minority governments, to enable progress on key reforms

Engagement with Local Candidates

Ahead of the Federal Election, all local candidates were invited to meet with the Tamworth Business Chamber President.

We were pleased to welcome Laura Hughes, Brent Larkham and Wendy Wales to our office, where they engaged in productive discussions and listened to feedback from our recent member roundtable.

We have since followed up and presented the key outcomes of the roundtable to them, with several of the identified priorities forming the basis of discussion at our recent Meet the Candidates Forum. This ensured that the concerns and opportunities raised by Tamworth’s business community were front and centre in the dialogue with local federal election candidates.

It’s vital that the next federal government listens to regional voices and prioritises the reforms needed to drive prosperity, support job creation, and ensure Tamworth remains a regional powerhouse.

If you would like to contribute to future roundtables or learn more about our advocacy agenda, please contact us at:

📧 operationsmanager@tamworth.org.au
📞(02) 6766 4810