Good morning Teodor,

Over the past ten days the Back Australia campaign has shown beyond doubt that our nation has the skills, the resources and the people to be world leaders across a range of industries.

So what, if anything, is holding us back?

That is what we asked Australia’s biggest resources firms and the answer is anything that’s holding us back.

In a world where speed, flexibility and adaptability are more important — and moving faster — than ever before, it is vital that industrial giants can quickly respond to challenges and grasp opportunities.

This means not leaving nation-building projects clogged up in the courts because of environmental laws that are hijacked by activists or the taxpayer-funded Environmental Defenders Office.

It means a tax system that is streamlined and simple and internationally competitive.

It means workplace laws that drive productivity in the industries of the future instead of being built around the antiquated practices of the past.

And of course it means reliable and affordable energy.

Today the Big Australian itself, BHP, lays out its multi-point plan for the resources giant and others like it to thrive in a 21st century world.

President Geraldine Slattery says this includes accelerating environmental approvals, building enough energy to power industry growth, and embracing automation and artificial intelligence. 

“There’s a global race going on to attract capital and investment, where success increasingly depends on being innovative, productive, and quick to market. It’s a race Australia has the ability to compete in, but only if we can accelerate the things that unlock productivity and in doing so strengthen the nation’s economic resilience,” she told this masthead. 

“If Australia can align our tax, energy, and skills policies to the pace of global markets, investment will follow – and so will opportunity, jobs and prosperity.”

All of this is just the latest chapter in the story of Australian industry, which has always been among the most innovative in the world.

And, as long as we continue to innovate and evolve, it is a story whose final chapter will never be written.