The Galahs Are Chattering About Productivity. But Can Labor Really Get It Moving?

The chatter is ‘productivity’, but can Labor get it moving?

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers speaks to the media after an early morning run outside Parliament House in Canberra. Lukas Coch/AAP The galahs are chattering about ‘productivity’, but can Labor really get it moving, asks political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN. Former prime minister Paul Keating famously used to say the resident galah in any pet shop was talking about micro-economic policy. These days, if you encounter a pet shop with a galah, s…

The galahs are chattering about productivity. But can Labor really get it moving?

Let's never knock a summit, but let's not be taken in by the suggestion that the planned August meeting, involving employers, unions and the government, will mark some breakthrough moment.

Grattan on Friday: the galahs are chattering about ‘productivity’, but can Labor really get it moving?

Paul Keating famously used to say the resident galah in any pet shop was talking about micro-economic policy. These days it’ll be chattering about productivity.

CPA Australia says PM’s roundtable must explore all options

Accounting association CPA Australia has voiced its approval of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s declaration regarding a productivity roundtable set for August 2025. This initiative aims to involve the business sector and essential stakeholders in tackling the nation’s productivity challenges. CPA Australia Business Investment lead Gavan Ord pointed out that the roundtable represents a positive move towards collaborative problem-solving. The or…

Labour productivity in Australia has stalled. Would tech make a difference?

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers turn their attention to improving productivity growth across the economy, it will be interesting to see what the business community brings to a planned summit in August. Labour productivity (output per hour worked) has barely grown this decade. Much of the focus in the current debate has been on the role of workers (labour) and industrial relations. Less discussed has been low busines…