Part 8/10:
Finally, the conversation scrutinizes recent efforts by Australian political parties to address productivity. The coalition government’s upcoming "productivity roundtable" is viewed with skepticism, recalling similar initiatives post-2022 elections that yielded limited tangible results. Since then, Australia’s productivity has reportedly fallen to a 20-year low, raising concerns about the effectiveness of such forums.
The speakers criticize the current approach as largely superficial—a PR stunt—arguing that entrenched issues like stagnant productivity, a high level of public sector jobs, and persistent deficits remain unresolved. There’s a suspicion that the real intention behind these initiatives may be to justify tax hikes rather than enact substantively transformative policies.