A high performing regulatory system helps create quality jobs in Victoria. It protects vulnerable people and the environment. And it gives consumers the confidence to make big purchases like a home, and businesses the confidence to invest in our state.
Victoria already has a robust regulatory system which embeds legal requirements for regular assessments of the impacts of regulations on businesses and the community. This helps us to ensure the regulations are necessary and deliver their intent at least cost.
The 2020-21 Budget provided $75 million over four years for regulatory reform to support the state’s economic recovery. This included the $40 million Regulation Reform Incentive Fund to support Victorian regulators and local governments to reduce red tape, speed up approvals, simplify processes and deliver up to $200 million in annual ongoing benefits when fully delivered.
An additional $10 million was provided in the 2022-23 budget for the Business Acceleration Fund, which is being used to further reduce red tape, enabling established businesses to operate more efficiently and to help new business open sooner. Projects supported from this fund will bring the total benefits delivered from the two funds to around $325 million.
Industry roundtables
In 2021 and 2022 the Victorian Government heard directly from business groups and councils through a series of industry roundtables that helped to identify priority areas. As a result, a number of initiatives were commenced to:
- Create simpler and faster approvals
- Create easier processes for dealing with multiple areas of government
- Improve small businesses dealings with state and local government
- And to reduce the regulatory burden on businesses.
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Regulatory Reform Funding Announcements
The Victorian Government is removing more red tape by delivering initiatives to enable established businesses to operate more efficiently and to help new business open sooner.
Regulation Reform Incentive Fund - Department and Regulator Initiatives |
Portfolio |
Improving heavy vehicle permits |
Roads and Road Safety |
Simplifying Victoria's Food Safety Program (FSP) requirements |
Health |
Online wildlife control applications |
Energy, Environment and Climate Change |
Online portal to streamline Traditional Owner approvals |
Planning |
Improving access to information for building consumers |
Planning |
Upgrading DEECA’s planning referral system |
Planning |
Online heritage applications and payments |
Planning |
Heritage user dashboard |
Planning |
Digitising early childhood assessment and rating processes |
Early Childhood |
Improving the Skills First enrolment process |
Early Childhood |
Online Early Childhood Education and Care provider approvals |
Early Childhood |
Expand FoodTrader to include more businesses |
Health |
Streamline business licencing and registration systems |
Government Services |
Work and Development Permit (WDP) enhancements |
Government Services |
Abridged death certificates |
Government Services |
Improve effectiveness of Working With Children Checks (WWCC) |
Government Services |
Electronic Working with Children Check credentials |
Government Services |
Improved permits for the Traffic Management Industry |
Roads and Road Safety |
Codify low risk development applications to DTP |
Transport Infrastructure |
Bringing forward investment in agriculture |
Agriculture |
Online portal for heritage forms and submissions |
Planning |
Ready to work package: improving digital experience for worker screening |
Government Services |
Centralised website for public notices |
Government Services |
Modernising digital licensing platforms |
Health |
Agriculture RegTech program |
Agriculture |
Streamlining registration approvals |
Assistant Treasurer |
Digitising national police checks |
Police and Emergency Services |
A single online portal for human services applications |
Disability, Ageing and Carers |
Improved planning approvals involving transport infrastructure |
Transport Infrastructure |
Digital Improvements to BLA/CAV licensing and registration systems |
Government Services |
Incentivising low-harm proposals for heritage properties |
Planning |
Streamlining Liquor Licence Renewals |
Government Services |
Minerals Licensing Optimisation |
Resources |
Online driving instructor applications |
Public Transport |
Online BSP applications |
Public Transport |
Simplifying the registration process for disability workers |
Disability, Ageing and Carers |
Online interactive forms for builder registrations |
Victorian Building Authority |
Removing barriers to prove identity |
Government Services |
Self-Service Online Licence Approval |
Agriculture |
Regulation Reform Incentive Fund - Local Council initiatives |
Portfolio |
Better business toolkit |
Nillumbik Shire Council |
Lodgement portal and integration toolkit |
Banyule City Council |
Digital applications - health and community laws |
Knox City Council |
Digital permits for the most common business applications |
City of Melbourne |
Online platform for businesses to manage their interactions with councils |
Merri-bek City Council |
Development of back-end system and online portal for all business enquiries to council |
City of Yarra |
Streamlining and digitising permit processes to improve customer experience |
City of Stonnington |
Addressing information to activating unused property |
City of Yarra |
Developing guidelines and factsheets for businesses to navigate council permit requirements |
Merri-bek City Council |
Planning file digitisation |
Banyule City Council |
Digital planning development applications |
Mansfield Shire Council |
Pilot program: Amendments to planning policy to promote growth in activity centres |
City of Casey |
Development of CRM to help businesses needing multiple approvals |
Maroondah City Council |
Consolidating council systems to help businesses needing multiple approvals |
City of Kingston |
Digitisation of planning files |
City of Hobsons Bay |
Streamlining Business Support |
Glen Eira City Council |
Skip Bin Permit Applications and Business Account. |
City of Boroondara |
Digitisation of Planning Files |
City of Boroondara |
Customer Driven Digital Planning |
City of Ballarat |
Customer Experience Transformation Project |
City of Darebin |
Online Smart Forms |
City of Greater |
Planning Digital Transformation |
Hume City Council |
Digitising of Planning and Building Files |
Moonee Valley City Council |
Digitisation of Statutory Planning Files |
City of Monash |
Digitisation of Hard Copy Planning and Building Files |
Murrindindi Shire Council |
Smart Forms for Businesses |
Murrindindi Shire Council |
Digitising of Planning and Building Files |
Borough of Queenscliffe |
Visual Footpath Trading Policy |
City of Stonnington |
Application Guidelines, Checklists and FAQs |
Wodonga Council |
Digitisation of Historical Files |
City of Yarra |
Digitisation of Planning Files |
City of Melbourne |
Business Acceleration Fund - Department and Regulator Initiatives |
Portfolio |
Streamlining low and medium risk quarry approvals |
Earth Resources |
Quarry approvals coordinator (the Coordinator) |
Earth Resources |
Heavy Vehicle Structural Assessment Permit System (HV- SAPS) |
Roads and Road Safety |
Enable immediate generation of biodiversity offset and impact assessment reports for planning permit applications |
Planning |
Labour Hire Authority - Licensing and reporting simplification project |
Industrial Relations |
Improving the efficiency of regulatory compliance for the use of chemicals in Victoria’s agricultural industries |
Agriculture |
Review of permit arrangements for on-road outdoor dining |
Roads and Road Safety |
Planning for agricultural growth project 1 - Smarter land use data |
Agriculture |
Enabling automatic assessment and registration of life events. |
Attorney General |
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Registry and Information System (ACHRIS) eLearning modules |
Treaty and First Peoples |
Digitising regulatory oversight |
Victorian Building Authority |
Streamline and standardise application processes for some business licences |
Better Regulation Victoria |
Business Acceleration Fund - Local Council Initiatives |
Portfolio |
Uplift and integration of Service Victoria’s licensing as a service |
Maroondah City Council |
Online planning and business hub |
Hume City Council |
Rollout of existing automatic approvals to additional councils |
Melton City Council |
Business process mapping and improvement |
Moira Shire Council |
Planning system digitisation |
Mansfield City Council |
Development of model provisions for roadside trading and other permits |
Maroondah City Council |
Develop model provisions for asset protection and two other permits |
Melton City Council |
Planning permit digitisation |
Hume City Council |
Digitisation of files |
City of Greater Geelong |
Digitisation of historical records for ownership transfer of food and health businesses |
Knox City Council |
Digitising building permit and related files |
Darebin City Council |