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the australian farmer
drive down those prices if businesses are being burdened by a record level of red tape at both the state and the federal level in every state across the country.” Mr Grigg says apart from the debilitating business costs, he is concerned with the human costs of what many consider out of control regulation. “The rules question your own integrity, judgment, and sense of responsibility,” he says. “We're guilty until proved innocent. The right balance is no longer there” “It’s as if we don’t know how to look after our- selves and our employees. Our sense of personal control is damaged. The impact is degrading.” Countrywide Engineering manufactures steel structures and agricultural machinery as well as equipment used in telecommunications and avi- ation. Like any manufacturer, costs of materials and other inputs are high as is labour – hence, all overheads need to be monitored closely to ensure reasonable margins. Mr Grigg says he sees the impact of government rules and regulation across Countrywide’s oper- ations. “Recently a minor construction project in Can- berra was delayed by extended site safety offi- cer checks on our equipment and then a repeat
of the exercise on a locally-hired crane,” he says . “It slowed down a simple and non-dangerous job needlessly.” Mr Grigg fears that major national projects are af- fected by the mindset of regulation. “Everything ends up being over-engineered. It destroys our competitiveness internationally. It af- fects our country’s economic sovereignty.”
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