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Business Fucilitation
The Government should not usurp business's role in making and implementing business decisions. But the Government can play an important supporting role by fostering an attitude change within its Policy Branches and Departments. Civil servants should not see their role merely as regulators but more as supporters and partners for business. The key areas in which initiatives could be taken to achieve this goal include ensuring transparency in the content and enforcement of existing rules and regulations, more user-friendly immigration procedures and the inclusion of specific commitments to facilitate business in the Government's Performance Pledges.
Better and More Service Statistics
Statistics provide both the Government and the business community with vita} information needed to make day-to-day decisions. A considerable range of statistical information on services is currently available covering areas such as trade and inward investment in services. However, new and more detailed statistics on service products, sector operating characteristics, outward investment and service productivity would also be valuable. The Census and Statistics Department has been asked to assess the options for improving the available statistics without imposing heavy additional reporting burdens on business.
Investing in Education and Training
Meeting Today's Needs
We are committed to giving greater emphasis in the school curriculum to those areas that are important to the practical needs of the service industries. The Curriculum Development Council includes members from the academic and business sectors and keeps the school curriculum under constant review to ensure it meets the changing needs of the service-led economy. As a result of the Council's continuing efforts, Travel and Tourism has recently been included in the school curriculum. The Council intends to include Electronics next year. We have commenced a review of the curriculum for pre-vocational schools. and are about to commence a review of how we provide vocational education The and training. We expect to complete the reviews by mid-1996. recommendations arising from the reviews should point the way forward for a longer term strategy which will take full account of the needs of our service industries.