The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) deemed itself to have a "good" or "very good" record in minimizing regulatory burdens from its product safety oversight. This review involved two interacting documents – an ACCC self-assessment (bit.ly/2VIsLmK), which included analysis of a stakeholder survey (bit.ly/2M1sc33).
Topics were broader than just product safety, but in that area, ACCC suggested two actions. The first simply would be continuing current work toward minimizing burdens. The second reflects a suggested improvement from the surveys – refining the clarity of language used with the public.
The agency looked at six issues on product safety:
- Avoids Impeding Efficiency: Self-assessment = "good." Survey results = 13% strongly agree, 51% agree, 20% neither agree/disagree, 11% disagree, 5% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers worsened from a previous survey, when they totaled 6%.
- Has Clear/Effective Communication: Self-assessment = "very good." Survey results = 13% strongly agree, 57% agree, 17% neither agree/disagree, 8% disagree, 4% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers worsened from a previous survey, when they totaled 8%.
- Sets Actions Proportional to Risks: Self-assessment = "good." Survey results = 15% strongly agree, 49% agree, 19% neither agree/disagree, 13% disagree, 5% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers improved from a previous survey, when they totaled 11%.
- Streamlines Compliance/Surveillance: Self-assessment = "good." Survey results = 12% strongly agree, 48% agree, 23% neither agree/disagree, 11% disagree, 6% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers worsened from a previous survey, when they totaled 12%.
- Is Open and Transparent: Self-assessment = "good." Survey results = 15% strongly agree, 48% agree, 25% neither agree/disagree, 8% disagree, 4% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers worsened from a previous survey, when they totaled 7%.
- Continuously Improves: Self-assessment = "very good." Survey results = 8% strongly agree, 45% agree, 33% neither agree/disagree, 9% disagree, 5% strongly disagree. The two disagree answers worsened from a previous survey, when they totaled 8%.