Rethinking Regulation Forum

Centre for Regulatory Studies, Monash Law

Forum Details

Forum Themes

Governments around the world are increasing ‘rethinking regulation’. To many, regulation is more burdensome and intrusive than ever. ‘Rethinking regulation’ is often equated with reducing the regulatory burden on business and within government.

In practice there are several different ways of ‘rethinking regulation’. One method is to continuously improve regulatory processes and remove unnecessary burdens and compliance costs. But little time has been spent so far in seeking a more fundamental understanding about the real objectives of regulatory reform.

This seminar will present a range of views from government, business groups and organisations, consumer groups and regulatory academics. Its purpose is to seek common ground for effective regulatory reform across the disciplines of law, politics, public management and regulatory theory. Speakers will discuss whether the concept of ‘rethinking regulation’ is simply the re-branding of old ideas or a major advance in the way governments should operate.

Program

Speaker profiles

Gary Banks
Gary Banks has been Chairman of the Productivity Commission since its inception in April 1998. He has headed national inquiries on a variety of public policy and regulatory topics, and recently chaired the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business. Gary oversees the newly-established Office of Best Practice Regulation (formerly the Office of Regulation Review) and chairs the inter-governmental Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision.

Dr Alan Moran
Alan Moran is among Australia's best-known economists working in the area of regulation. He has published widely on general areas of regulation and on specific matters including energy, telecommunications and housing regulation.  He has published a book on housing regulation, The Tragedy of Planning, which was launched by Treasurer Costello in August 2006.
Before his present role, he was a senior official in the Productivity Commission and Director of the Commonwealth's Office of Regulation Review.

Rex Deighton-Smith
Rex Deighton-Smith provides specialist advice on policy and regulatory issues to governments, international organisations and the private sector. He previously worked on the OECD's Program on Regulatory Management and Reform, where he contributed to reviews of regulatory processes.  Rex is a former Director of the Victorian Government's Office of Regulation Reform.

Catriona Lowe
Catriona Lowe is a Co-CEO of the new Consumer Action Law Centre, an independent, not-for profit, campaign focused, casework and policy organisation.  Prior to joining Consumer Action, Catriona was a Director at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.  She was the first Principal Solicitor of the legal practice at Consumer Law Centre Victoria and has spent five years in private practice as a litigation lawyer

Dr Michael Keating
Michael Keating is currently Chairman of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal in NSW, and has published extensively in Australia and overseas on public sector management reform. His most recent book, Who Rules? How government retains control of a privatised economy, discusses the relationship between markets, government and society.
In his career Dr Keating has advised governments extensively on regulation and has headed three reviews of regulation for three different governments.

Professor Graeme Hodge
Graeme Hodge is a professor of law at Monash and the Director of the Centre for Regulatory Studies. He was the director of the former Monash Centre for the Study of Privatisation and Public Accountability, and is internationally regarded as a leading analyst on regulation and public sector accountability issues, privatisation, outsourcing, and public-private partnerships.

Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies

The Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies was recently established to provide a better understanding of the nature, extent and implications of the contemporary regulatory environment.

The centre aims to integrate theory and practice through a broad, cross-disciplinary approach by addressing regulatory issues with flexible postgraduate teaching and research programs. The centre is a joint initiative between the faculties of Law, Business and Economics, Arts, Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, and the Victorian College of Pharmacy.

The Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies brings together the wide range of knowledge and expertise within Monash University to provide a focus for teaching and research in regulation. Through the teaching program, we offer a core set of ideas, theories and skills to enable practitioners to analyse and deal with contemporary regulatory challenges.

For more information please visit the Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies