When the economic reform roundtable ended in August, Jim Chalmers rightly called reversing Australia’s productivity slump “the holy grail” for solving the nation’s economic malaise. Yet nearly 100 days on from the three-day event the Albanese government’s second-term agenda to boost productivity, growth, and living standards remains disappointingly threadbare. The momentum for substantive reform the roundtable was meant to spur appears to have stalled.
The summit forged consensus among business, union, community and government leaders about important changes such as streamlining environmental approvals for major resource and energy projects. However, the government may struggle to get its overhaul of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (which Labor had already committed to) through the Senate this week before parliament rises for the year.
Loading…