Albo's productivity pitch
The prime minister has begun outlining steps to move the economy from being propped up by government spending to the private sector.
Today, we’re filing from the National Press Club in Canberra, where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has just announced his government will convene a new roundtable in August to tackle the country’s lagging productivity.
In his first speech since Labor’s thumping 3 May election victory, Albanese said he has asked Treasurer Jim Chalmers to organise the event which will include the business sector, unions and civil society to advise on the government’s growth and productivity agenda. He also announced that he has appointed Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy to lead his department.
Three days before he jets off to Canada for the G7, where he will meet Donald Trump for the first time, Albanese said the roundtable will be a “more streamlined dialogue” than the Jobs and Skills Summit held after his 2022 election and deal with a “more targeted set of issues”.
“With two interest rate cuts already this year, there is a growing sense that our economy is turning the corner,” Albanese said.
