The new head of Western Australia’s peak business body plans to challenge future governments to develop a clear vision of the State’s future.
The new head of Western Australia’s peak business body plans to challenge future governments to develop a clear vision of the State’s future.
John Langoulant, who started this week as chief executive of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, has a reputation for being quietly effective.
As a career economist in the Commonwealth and State treasuries, Mr Langoulant sits very comfortably with the chamber’s traditional advocacy of free markets and deregulation.
However, he also wants to elevate the policy debate and ensure public opinion is not left behind by hasty or radical reform.
He believes a vision statement for the State with measurable objectives is an important step in the reform process.
“We need greater clarity on strategies and policies,” Mr Langoulant said.
“We need to set our priorities and objectives.
“You need a framework, otherwise you get drift.”
Mr Langoulant said the challenge was to develop a vision that was more than just a collection of motherhood statements.
It needs clearly defined objectives that can be measured.
“We need to recognise the limitations, that you can’t achieve everything.”
Mr Langoulant is carefully measured in his ideas and opinions, perhaps reflecting his 30 years in the public service.
A graduate of the University of WA, he spent 13 years with the Commonwealth Treasury before returning with his family to Perth in 1987.
He was appointed under-treasurer in 1995 and proceeded to work successfully for the Court and Gallop governments.
He said the modern bureaucrat needed to find a way of working with the government of the day.
“Our role was to advise and provide information on the options. At the end of the day, they make the policy decisions,” he said.
Mr Langoulant takes great pride in the integrity of the treasury and its reputation for impartial professionalism.
That integrity was challenged earlier this year by State Liberal leader Colin Barnett, who said the State budget papers were “dishonest and unprofessional”.
Mr Langoulant responded with a forceful letter that was leaked to media.
“While I understand and accept the nature of political debate, I take great exception to your claims about the Department of Treasury and Finance,” Mr Langoulant wrote.
“They malign very dedicated and conscientious officers who take great pride in the quality of their work, including the preparation of budget papers.”
Mr Langoulant diplomatically plays down the incident now, saying it was just one issue.
However, the underlying reality is that the chamber and Mr Barnett have differed on a number of key policy issues, most notably energy reform and the break-up of Western Power.
Mr Langoulant, like his predecessor Lyndon Rowe, strongly backs the energy reforms advocated by the Gallop Government.
He believes deregulation and greater choice for consumers and business are the best way of ensuring energy costs are minimised.
The relationship between Mr Langoulant and the current government won’t all be plain sailing.
He is critical of its labour market policies and advocates a move back to individual agreements.
“We want as flexible a labour market as possible,” Mr Langoulant said.
The possibility of Labor governments at both a State and Federal level is a particular concern, since Federal Labor has signalled a move toward more centralised regulation of the labour market.
Mr Langoulant will continue the chamber’s traditional push for tax relief, and said that would be possible only if governments exercised more spending restraint.
“The real issue is to get greater control over the expenditure side,” he said.
“That will be a great challenge for both sides of politics.”
He sees Federal-State financial relations, and the overlap and duplication between different tiers of government, as another area in need of major reform.
“It’s one of the last big areas waiting for reform. That is an inescapable fact.”
While Mr Langoulant has no shortage of ideas, he is keen to get input from the WA business community, to hear the ‘grass roots’ views.
“One of my immediate goals is to get out and speak to business,” Mr Langoulant said.
He also recognises that reformers face an uphill battle if they do not attract wide support, with ene
