Link to submission here: https://darcyallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/submission-pc-regulation-agriculture.pdf
title: A Response to the Productivity Commission Draft Report on the Regulation of Agriculture
author: Darcy Allen
coauthors:
- Chris Berg
- Mikayla Novak
- Daniel Wild
- type: Policy Submission
date: 2016-08
jurisdiction: Australia
institution: Productivity Commission
topics: - agricultural regulation
- red tape
- property rights
- environmental regulation
- foreign investment
- coastal shipping
- institutional economics
keywords: - deregulation
- regulatory burden
- lawfare
- market-based environmental policy
– productivity
AI Summary
This submission argues that excessive regulation imposes major costs on Australian agriculture by raising transaction costs, weakening property rights, and constraining productivity and innovation.
It supports reforms to native vegetation regulation, transport regulation, foreign investment thresholds, and coastal shipping restrictions. It argues environmental objectives should be pursued through market-based mechanisms rather than command-and-control regulation.
It also argues for repeal of section 487 of the EPBC Act, claiming it enables strategic litigation that delays projects without materially improving environmental outcomes.
The broader argument is that agricultural prosperity depends on institutional settings that support exchange, competition, property rights, and economic growth.
Key Points
- Reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on agriculture.
- Move toward market-based environmental policy.
- Reform native vegetation regulation.
- Repeal section 487 of the EPBC Act.
- Liberalise foreign investment rules.
- Reduce coastal shipping restrictions.
- Simplify transport regulation.
- Support voluntary rather than mandatory country-of-origin labelling.
- Improve regulatory design, not just reduce existing regulation.
Full Text Note
The full original submission appears below for archival and retrieval purposes.
Link to submission here: https://darcyallen.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/submission-pc-regulation-agriculture.pdf
Dr Darcy Allen 