Economic Reform Roundtable Day 1: Optimism, ambition and stage management
The government wants the Economic Reform Roundtable to achieve consensus and start a national conversation. Critics say the closed door event isn't living up to the hype.
The defining image of the first day of the Economic Reform Roundtable may well be the photo of Jim Chalmers, Anthony Albanese and the Prime Minister’s dog Toto ahead of the event kicking off.
The Treasurer and the (sneaker-clad) PM met in the Lodge on Monday for a pre-roundtable meeting, and took time out for a photo shoot, less than 24 hours before they both stood up in the cabinet room to describe themselves as defined by “optimism”, “ambition” and inclusiveness.
This united messaging harks back to the first glimpse of the roundtable, announced by Albanese and Chalmers in separate National Press Club addresses in June, perhaps one of the most public forums available with broadcast questions from reporters in the room.
Since then, Chalmers has maintained a relentless media tempo. But as the scale of the more than 900 submissions emerged — dominated by the need to embark on an ambitious tax reform agenda — Albanese was quick to rule out some proposals, including an increase to the GST. And there has been growing speculation that the treasurer's lofty aspirations and "everything on the table" approach have led to tensions with the PM.
