News

‘No quick fix’ for supply chain issues: ACCI

The CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) says Australia must support its own industry.

6 May 2022 

In a media interview with the Today Show on 5 May, ACCI CEO Andrew McKellar said there’s “no quick fix” to  the supply chain issues impacting Australian businesses. 

“We’ve got to invest in capacity. We’ve got to look at how we promote industry locally. That’s part of the equation. We’ve got to fix our ports and our infrastructure. Those things can be done,” he said. 

“But equally, we’ve got to focus on how we can encourage the labour market, get more skills and training for young Australians, encourage people back into the workforce, [and] lift participation. There’s a lot of things that can be done there. And we will have to look at also being ambitious on things like migration. That’s got to be part of the solution. So these are the things that the major parties need to be talking about.”

Mr McKellar said that while the fundamentals of the Australian economy are strong, a number of pressures remain. 

“It’s important that going forward, that we do see the major parties putting forward a plan that they can implement in the next three years that will address those critical pressure points,” he said.

The ACCI CEO’s comments come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to deliver 400,000 new small businesses to the economy over the next five years, should the coalition be re-elected this month.