4m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:35am

Shadow treasurer speaks on roundtable dust-up

It’s been three days of mostly cheerfulness as business, academic and union leaders have sat around the table to chat economic reform.

But as the ABC reported earlier, there was a final-day fracas between Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Shadow Treasurer Ted O’Brien over tax and spending, which the government has played down as the ordinary “to and fro of politics”.

Taking to the airwaves during a break in the summit, O’Brien tells 2GB he was not going to sit in the roundtable and nod his head.

“I’ve been pretty clear in attending Labor’s roundtable I am not there for them, I am not there for the 25 other people in that room, I am there for the 27 million Australians who have been struggling,” he says.

“They have been struggling big time over recent years, and the big reason why Australians have been struggling is the government has been overspending.”

It’s understood O’Brien made a similar comment in the room that prompted the “heated” exchange, which Chalmers disputed as inaccurate.

15m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:25am

Greens accuse government of using autistic people as a ‘political football’

The Greens have lashed the government over a new plan for autistic children, after Health Minister Mark Butler’s announcement yesterday that the government would tip $2 billion into a new scheme to divert children with mild autism from the NDIS.

‘Thriving Kids’ is intended to be running by the middle of next year, and would offer supports to children with autism who would otherwise enter the NDIS, which is designed for people with severe and permanent disability.

But Greens disability spokesman Jordon Steele-John says that program has not been co-designed, “and there’s no lived experience at its heart”.

“It’s political theatre at the expense of our community, Steele-John says in a statement.

“Autism is lifelong. There is no growing out of it. The minister’s suggestion otherwise denies reality and risks stripping people of the supports they need to thrive.

“People are scared, and once again, neurodivergent Australians are being left behind.”

39m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 4:00am

Sathanapally says income tax problem will keep hitting more people

Dr Sathanapally says income that is not from work needs to be lifted, such as superannuation income and income from housing.

She says it’s not that Australia collects more tax than comparable countries, but that the top tax rate kicks in earlier and over time more people are landing in that band due to bracket creep.

However, their costs are also going up, and so people can still be “doing it quite tough” even if they are a well-paid professionals.

She says there was broad recognition in the room that having a conversation around tax at all was difficult, and so having it on the agenda was “terrific”.

“It’s really hard for politicians to make changes to tax without getting really beaten up, even if all the economists and all the experts are saying it’s the best thing for the public interest.”

She says Australia’s tax issues won’t be sorted out in the roundtable room, but there was a good amount of consensus today about where the system is imbalanced.

42m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:58am

Roundtable economist says income tax top of her list of tax issues

We’ve heard that the government isn’t rushing to new taxes beyond its election commitment, but that is what much of today’s productivity roundtable meeting is about.

Aruna Sathanapally from the Grattan Institute delivered an address to the roundtable this morning on its final day about tax reform priorities.

She tells the ABC personal income tax is probably at the top of her list.

“It’s an area where there’s a pretty high degree of consensus around the problems we’ve got in the system,” she says.

“We lean too heavily on taxes on people’s work and employment, and too lightly on income tax you can make pretty much any other way.”

Dr Sathanapally also notes that its a wholly federal tax, unlike some others, making it an easier lever for the Commonwealth to pull.

42m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:57am

Chalmers and O’Brien ‘heated exchange’ was just politics, Gallagher says

So, what happened between Jim Chalmers and Ted O’Brien at the roundtable today that sparked that “heated exchange” we spoke about earlier.

Katy Gallagher, who was in the room at the time, says it was the usual “hustle and bustle” and “to and fro of politics”.

“It was just an interaction like that. Someone who put their political view and, um, and Jim who had to kind of say, ‘Look, this probably isn’t the right place for this. But everything you just said was not correct’,” Gallagher says.

47m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:52am

Katy Gallagher says states to stump up funding for Thriving Kids

Moving on the NDIS changes Mark Butler announced yesterday at the National Press Club yesterday.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has been asked whether it will be the Commonwealth’s expectation that states stump up $2 billion for Thriving Kids.

Gallagher says that is the expectation and the federal government has made a provision for that.

“The system that used to exist outside the NDIS, the therapy centres, the early intervention centres, the areas you went when your child was maybe a bit delayed, needed a little bit of help, but otherwise got back on track, they don’t exist any more, and it’s a problem, and Thriving Kids tries to find that, to reinsert that into our service system,” Gallagher says.

Asked who will run Thriving Kids, Gallagher says it will be a mix between the Commonwealth and states. She says those details however need to be fleshed out.

51m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:48am

Consensus about a road user charge at roundtable: Katy Gallagher

Asked if there’s broad consensus about introducing a road user charge, Katy Gallagher says there’s acknowledgement about ensuring the government had the funds to upkeep roads.

“As our economy transitions to net zero, as people move from petrol to EV vehicles, we need a way to ensure we are funding the infrastructure we need, the road infrastructure we need around the country, and there seems to be agreement on that,” Gallagher says.

Pressed on whether a road user charged is coming for EV drivers, Gallagher says the infrastructure minister is speaking with state ministers about the proposal.

56m agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:43am

Big issues don’t have a ‘magic switch’, Gallagher says

Katy Gallagher says decisions will be made about how to move forward on issues, such a tax, following the roundtable.

The finance minister says however the government is committed at this stage on implementing the policies it took to the last election.

“There’s a lot of shared views in the room, and I think there’s probably some points of difference as well,” Gallagher says.

“There will be outcomes from the roundtable. I don’t think anyone in the roundtable some of the big challenges we’ve been talking about, AI, budget sustainability, productivity in general, has a magic switch,” she says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:39am

Katy Gallagher says there’s consensus intergenerational inequality is a problem

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher is speaking to ABC News about the economic reform roundtable discussions today.

She’s been asked whether Australia’s tax system has a problem with intergenerational inequality.

Gallagher says it is something that has been raised, and there’s acknowledgment that leaders need to examine.

Asked if she thinks there is growing consensus intergenerational inequality is a problem, Gallagher says it is getting harder for younger Australians.

“I think you can look at some pretty clear data that shows it’s getting harder and for younger generations in tax, in other areas. I think there is a responsibility on us to make sure that the systems we have, whether it be tax, or the systems we provide, how we provide services, you know, that we deal with those things, that we don’t ignore them,” Gallagher says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:24am

Ley doesn’t want protesters spreading a ‘message of hate’ at pro-Palestine rallies

Sussan Ley has been asked about plans for a pro-Palestine rally across Brisbane’s Story Bridge.

The opposition leader says while she’s not aware of the details of the protest, she says the Coalition supports free speech and protests.

However, she says it doesn’t support people with “dubious backgrounds and intentions” carrying out their “message of hate” at rallies.

“We had something similar on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. To have those images of an iconic Australian landmark, the harbour bridge, beamed around the world with background messages of hate from these protesters, is not the image anyone wants to send of this country,” Ley says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:18am

Ley says election review will report back by the end of the year

Sussan Ley says the Liberal Party’s election review will be completed by the end of this year.

The opposition leader says Pru Goward and Nick Minchin, who are conducting the review, are travelling around Australia to listen.

“These are two important reviews and our election review will report by the end of this year … and I know that review will give us the answers we seek,” Ley says.

She says the longer-term review looks at the party and organisation, and how to better reflect the values of the Liberal Party.

“We are here for communities, small businesses, individuals, families who work hard, who take risks, who give back, who build this state and this country,” she says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:11am

Coalition supports ‘in broad’ measures to bring NDIS spending under control

The Coalition supports “in broad” measures to bring NDIS spending under control, without allowing children to “fall through the cracks”, Sussan Ley says.

“But that isn’t a blank cheque for the government. And what I want to make clear is that we do want those families to be looked after,” Ley says.

Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston has weighed in on the NDIS announcement. She’s restated her calls for the health minister to release more detail.

“It’s created great uncertainty for [the] families of these children. It creates great distress. So we’re asking the minister to come out and provide that level of certainty,” she says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:08am

Opposition leader refuses to weigh in on Benjamin Netanyahu interview

Sussan Ley has been asked about comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has given an interview with Sky News.

The opposition leader has refused to weigh into the Israeli PM’s comments, but says Anthony Albanese has mismanaged the bilateral relationship.

“I’m not going to go to the individual comments that other prime ministers are making or the particular features of this dialogue at this time,” Ley says.

“But what I am going to say is that Anthony Albanese has mismanaged the relationship, and that mismanagement clearly has consequences. But what matters today is that we work hard together to get the relationship back on an even keel,” she says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 3:01am

Ley says Coalition doesn’t want children to ‘fall through the cracks’ on NDIS changes

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley says innovation hasn’t been a feature of this week’s economic reform roundtable.

Ley says she wants Australia to attract investment and enterprise, and that doesn’t seem to be happening under Labor. She has also used the opportunity to launch an attack over taxes.

The opposition leader says the Coalition will be open to reforms on changes to the NDIS, but it doesn’t want kids to “fall through the cracks” in the transition to Thriving Kids.

“There’s no certainty for those families. There’s no understanding of what it means for those young people who will no longer be covered. So these kids have better not fall through the cracks, prime minister, because we will be watching very closely,” Ley says.

She also attacked the PM for his visit to South Australia, saying the money he’d offered for the algal bloom wasn’t enough.

“We’ve got businesses, we’ve got communities, we’ve got people crying out for assistance. This is not good enough,” she says.

1h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:53am

Sussan Ley and Anne Ruston speak from Brisbane

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has stepped up in Brisbane to talk with Shadow Health Minister Anne Ruston, who has gotten the first say.

Ruston, a Liberal senator from SA, has started by criticising Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit yesterday to South Australia, which is being impacted by a toxic algal bloom.

The senator says the PM didn’t visit the worst-affected coastal areas impacted by the algal bloom on the Yorke Peninsula and hasn’t offered enough money.

“They have allowed it to completely escalate. And now the South Australian coastline and many of our communities and the businesses … are completely devastated,” Ruston says.

2h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:24amStates say they weren’t told about Thriving Kids ahead of health minister’s speech

We’re starting to get some reaction from the states and territories about yesterday’s NDIS announcement from Health and Disability Minister Mark Butler.

For a quick recap, the health minister announced $2 billion to transition children with mild to moderate developmental delays and autism to the Thriving Kids program.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said the minister’s address was the first time she heard of the changes to the NDIS.

She’s urged the federal government to provide more details to reassure families with children on the NDIS.

“Like many state and territories, we heard when the minister made his address yesterday,” Allen says.

“There are many families, particularly many parents, [who] have got many questions and I hope the federal government can move quickly to answer the many questions today,” she says.

WA Disability Services Minister Hannah Beazley says she also became aware of the Thriving Kids announcement at Butler’s announcement.

“We weren’t pre-briefed on that speech or its contents or announcements, but absolutely we’ve been working very collaboratively with the federal government for over a year now in terms of foundational supports,” Beazley says.

NSW Premier Chris Minns says he wants to see the detail and that his state government won’t be signing a blank cheque and committing to anything without knowing how it will work.

Unlike other state leaders, Minns said he heard about it before the minister’s speech, but not a long time before.

2h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 2:07am

Bridget McKenzie says she understands why Ted O’Brien is frustrated at roundatble

Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has responded to reports Jim Chalmers and Ted O’Brien had a heated exchange at today’s roundtable meeting.

Speaking to Sky News, McKenzie says she understands O’Brien’s frustration because she thinks the roundtable has so far been a “show”.

She says the roundtable hasn’t been able to discuss “big ticket items” such as industrial relations, spending cuts, energy and tax reforms.

“I think it’s pretty frustrating, Kieran, to sit and listen to the treasurer talk about fixing the productivity decline, which is at 60-year lows right now,” McKenzie says.

“I can understand Ted’s frustration because it’s all been about the show. We’ve got all the important people around the table, but no real outcomes that are going to shift the dial,” she says.

3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 1:26am

Roundtable agrees that creatives should be paid for work used by artificial intelligence

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) secretary Sally McManus says the focus of today’s economic reform roundtable must be intergenerational inequality.

McManus says house prices have outgrown wages, and capital gains tax and negative gearing reforms should be considered by the roundtable.

She says she believes the ACTU will have “allies” in the room on those matters.

“It’s not acceptable to us at all that they are facing a worse standard of living than the generations before them, and essentially we’re at a time when people have got to step up and take action on this matter, and the biggest part of that, of course, is housing affordability,” McManus says.

Yesterday, McManus said she felt a little lonely in the room. However, it appears she wasn’t alone when it came to regulating artificial intelligence (AI) in Australia.

McManus said there was discussion about properly paying creatives and protecting them from AI.

“That ended up being not a lonely discussion, and one where I think that probably the business community … better understood where we were coming from, and they too don’t want to see outcomes that are bad for their businesses,” she says.

3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 1:04am’Heated exchange’ between treasurer and Ted O’Brien at roundtable on budget repair

Multiple attendees at the economic reform roundtable have told the ABC there was a “heated exchange” between Treasurer Jim Chalmers and his shadow counterpart, Ted O’Brien, over fiscal sustainability, “not unlike you’d see on the floor of parliament in Question Time”.

This morning’s focus has been on budget repair, the care economy, and getting value for money when it comes to government services in areas such as aged care, the NDIS, and hospitals.

O’Brien confirmed the exchange to the ABC, declaring he had told the forum: “The test for the treasurer today is to stop the spending spree which starts with the introduction of quantifiable fiscal rules.”

The ABC understands Mr Chalmers disputed the claims and accused O’Brien of being misleading.

There was broad approval among attendees over the government’s announcement yesterday that it planned to pare back the growth of the NDIS.

3h agoThu 21 Aug 2025 at 12:55am

Analysis: Productivity summit proves disappointing for unions as Labor dismisses ACTU’s ideas

Sally McManus has been feeling a little lonely around the economic reform roundtable this week.

“Sometimes we feel a bit outnumbered,” the ACTU secretary told the ABC at the midway point of this three-day gathering. “Obviously there’s a lot of business representatives there.”

There’s still a day to go, but it’s clear this roundtable is not proving as successful for the unions as the Jobs and Skills Summit held in Labor’s first term.

Read the full analysis from David Speers in the link below.