Home truths on housing target in leaked Treasury advice
Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget.
Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings."
A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings.
It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target.
Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious.
The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million.
Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty".
Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities.
But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity.
The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle.
While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute.
The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer.
Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget.
Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings."
A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings.
It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target.
Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious.
The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million.
Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty".
Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities.
But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity.
The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle.
While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute.
The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer.
Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget.
Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings."
A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings.
It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target.
Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious.
The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million.
Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty".
Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities.
But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity.
The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle.
While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute.
The accidental release of government department advice which warned Labor was not going to meet its housing target and urged them to raise taxes, has not rattled the treasurer.
Independent advice from the Treasury department, which was unintentionally sent to the ABC, reportedly contained subheadings which said the federal government's promise to build 1.2 million homes by 2029 "will not be met" and called for "additional revenue and spending reductions" to achieve a sustainable budget.
Though he acknowledged Treasury's advice had been sent "in error", Treasurer Jim Chalmers said such incidents could happen from time to time.
"I'm pretty relaxed about it to be honest," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"Treasury advises governments of both political persuasions - that advice can't be always adequately captured in the subheadings."
A 2025 report from the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council - another independent government advice body - in May warned Labor would fall short of its goal by about 300,000 dwellings.
It followed a report in March commissioned by the Property Council of Australia showing the government needed to build another 462,000 homes to meet its 2029 target.
Asked if the government regretted putting out a housing target, Dr Chalmers said his government needed to be ambitious.
The government has also attempted to address its bottom line by reining in spending on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and proposing an increased tax on super balances above $3 million.
Dr Chalmers has pledged to strengthen Australia's economy ahead of a trip to South Africa, where he will meet with his counterparts from other G20 countries as they deal with "extreme global economic uncertainty".
Economic ties with countries like Indonesia, Japan, the UK and Germany could be strengthened as leaders discuss capital flows, supply chains, critical minerals and issues within their own communities.
But domestically, one of the key focuses of Labor's second-term economic agenda will be to boost productivity.
The agenda of an economic reform roundtable, to be held in August, has been finalised with Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock set to kick off day one, Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood to lead day two and Treasury secretary Jenny Wilkinson to head day three.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley claimed the government was "ignoring some of the very levers that matter most" in the productivity puzzle.
While Dr Chalmers acknowledged he could not invite every industry, he said there would be many opportunities for people to contribute.
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5 hours ago
- Sky News AU
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Former Treasury Secretary Ken Henry has urged Australia to 'prepare ourselves for the worst,' cautioning that while he hopes the government can avoid lifting the nation's tax-to-GDP ratio, the argument for doing so is now 'much, much stronger'. Mr Henry made the comments at a tax reform roundtable hosted by independent MP Allegra Spender on Friday, where he outlined the need to reduce reliance on income tax and flagged concerns about the growing economic burden on younger Australians. 'Tax reform packages must be revenue neutral, and I suggest that we should be thinking about designing the tax system that would do least economic damage as we lift the revenue-to-GDP ratio over time,' Mr Henry said. 'I can understand that some people don't want to quantitate that prospect, but we've been aware of the need to avoid that prospect for 23 years since the first intergenerational report was published in 2002 and the case for having to lift the tax-to-GDP ratio is much, much stronger, but I still hope we can avoid it.' Mr Henry, who served as Treasury boss from 2001 to 2011, said the current tax mix was too heavily dependent on personal income tax and offered little fairness between generations. He argued the system should do more to support productivity growth, warning that bracket creep – where inflation pushes workers into higher tax brackets – placed disproportionate pressure on the young. 'We need to reduce reliance on bracket creep,' he said, adding that boosting productivity was essential for raising wages and lifting national revenue without further tax hikes. Mr Henry also didn't shy away from politically sensitive areas, calling for reforms that could improve housing affordability. He said the government should be open to examining negative gearing and capital gains tax concessions for property investors. 'Anything that makes housing more affordable,' he said, should be on the table. In a stark assessment of Australia's preparedness for a changing global economy, Mr Henry said the tax system was no longer suited to today's challenges. 'The current tax system is not fit for today's increasingly dangerous times,' he said. 'I used the word dangerous quite deliberately.' He also raised concerns about high corporate tax rates deterring overseas investment, while suggesting that politically favoured sectors were under-taxed. Ms Spender, the Member for Wentworth, echoed Mr Henry's concerns and said younger Australians were bearing the brunt of a tax system stacked against them. 'We have a tax system that taxes people most heavily when they are young and under most financial pressure – paying off student loans, trying to buy a house, starting families, paying childcare – and less when they can afford it,' she said. 'Young people are the group that can least afford it.' Speaking ahead of the roundtable, Ms Spender said her goal was to make tax reform more relatable to the broader public, even if that meant stepping outside her comfort zone. 'We're actually doing lifestreaming on YouTube. I've been doing some slightly cringe-worthy Instagram videos on tax reform recently, just trying to bring more people into this conversation,' she said on ABC Radio National. 'Because tax matters to all people, it influences our country, but it's sometimes pretty hard to get your head round and I do want people to be able to get informed.' Ms Spender said Friday's discussion was part of a broader push, with Treasurer Jim Chalmers set to convene his own tax roundtables in the coming weeks. 'The Treasurer has now opened the door to tax reform,' she said. 'I feel that tax reform has the opportunity to help Australia solve some of its biggest problems like sluggish productivity growth, like the fact that young people can't get ahead, like the fact that we need to make this climate transition as cheap as possible. 'But to be honest tax hasn't really been on the table until now.' Treasurer Jim Chalmers has welcomed Ms Spender's initiative, saying he would 'obviously listen to and respect the views put forward'.
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
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Labor staffers could help change the nation. But there's a reason they're leaving
When old friends spot former Labor staffer Dean Sherr around Parliament House these days, they tend to say the same thing. 'In Canberra, people always say to me 'you look really relaxed',' Sherr says. Sherr left government last term, but in the months since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured a generational election victory and a sweeping mandate to change Australia, scores of senior Labor staff have followed him out of their jobs. Faced with a choice between helping to run the nation for three more years in a building that demands gruelling work hours, or a more stable life with less travel and vastly better pay, Labor lifers and recent recruits alike have decided to get out. 'It's a very difficult lifestyle for anyone to maintain,' says Sherr, who was a media adviser for Albanese and now works at boutique business consulting firm Orizontas. 'It's an amazing opportunity, but you make a lot of sacrifices and there's no doubt that it wears you out pretty quickly.' In past years, Coalition staff have done the same thing, capitalising on their ties to former colleagues still in government. The opposition's smaller ranks after the most recent election mean many staff have involuntarily lost their jobs too. But the recent departures from government show the flow to the private sector is bipartisan. When Katharine Murphy, a press gallery veteran and long-term political editor of the Guardian Australia joined Albanese's office as a press secretary last year, it appeared to be a coup for the prime minister's team. But in June, Murphy – who was well-liked by her former colleagues in the media – left her post with the government. Albanese also lost another high-profile recruit from the press gallery, former Channel Ten reporter Stela Todorovic. Other departures from the prime minister's office include advancer Prue Mercer, strategic communications director Katie Connolly, senior advisers Phoebe Drake and Lachlan McKenzie and media adviser Irene Oh. 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Little wonder then, that after an election period, people are taking stock of their lives, deciding they want to see their families, or go on holidays and figuring out an escape route. Quitting after the election also makes financial sense. Under the law for parliamentary staff, those who leave their jobs during an eight-week window after the election can walk away with a severance package five times what they'd otherwise get. It is 'life-changing' money, one former Labor staffer says. And life outside politics can be even more lucrative. Loading While some staffers are seeking to become members of parliament, many former aides instead find jobs in government relations, lobbying or public relations that often pay better than what the Commonwealth pays MPs, let alone staffers. A ministerial chief of staff in federal politics will generally earn around $250,000 a year, for example, with senior advisers taking home around $170,000. 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Despite the horrendous hours and relentless pressure, everyone spoken to for this story described working in politics as an unforgettable honour, an emotional roller-coaster that can be become borderline addictive. 'You have some pretty amazing highs and some pretty horrific lows,' says Liddell, who left politics after Shorten's gutting 2019 election loss. Sherr says that while the opportunity to work for a Labor government was 'the job of a lifetime'. The accompanying lifestyle he can do without.
The Age
8 hours ago
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Labor staffers could help change the nation. But there's a reason they're leaving
When old friends spot former Labor staffer Dean Sherr around Parliament House these days, they tend to say the same thing. 'In Canberra, people always say to me 'you look really relaxed',' Sherr says. Sherr left government last term, but in the months since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese secured a generational election victory and a sweeping mandate to change Australia, scores of senior Labor staff have followed him out of their jobs. Faced with a choice between helping to run the nation for three more years in a building that demands gruelling work hours, or a more stable life with less travel and vastly better pay, Labor lifers and recent recruits alike have decided to get out. 'It's a very difficult lifestyle for anyone to maintain,' says Sherr, who was a media adviser for Albanese and now works at boutique business consulting firm Orizontas. 'It's an amazing opportunity, but you make a lot of sacrifices and there's no doubt that it wears you out pretty quickly.' In past years, Coalition staff have done the same thing, capitalising on their ties to former colleagues still in government. The opposition's smaller ranks after the most recent election mean many staff have involuntarily lost their jobs too. But the recent departures from government show the flow to the private sector is bipartisan. When Katharine Murphy, a press gallery veteran and long-term political editor of the Guardian Australia joined Albanese's office as a press secretary last year, it appeared to be a coup for the prime minister's team. But in June, Murphy – who was well-liked by her former colleagues in the media – left her post with the government. Albanese also lost another high-profile recruit from the press gallery, former Channel Ten reporter Stela Todorovic. Other departures from the prime minister's office include advancer Prue Mercer, strategic communications director Katie Connolly, senior advisers Phoebe Drake and Lachlan McKenzie and media adviser Irene Oh. All up, more than 10 people left Albanese's team of around 50. Despite recent departures, the prime minister's office said a majority of staff across the government were female. The departures haven't been limited to the prime minister's office either. Penny Wong lost her long-term chief of staff Thomas Mooney – rumoured to have ambitions of a political career in South Australia – and media boss Caitlin Raper. Health Minister Mark Butler's chief of staff Nick Martin is gone. Brigid Delaney, a popular former Guardian columnist and co-creator of the hit Netflix series Wellmania, who has worked as a speechwriter for Labor frontbenchers Katy Gallagher and Tanya Plibersek, left to focus on her own media career. Plibersek's chief of staff Dan Doran has moved on, as has Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth's deputy chief of staff Lanai Scarr, a one-time political editor for the West Australian. 'This job is brutal,' said one former staffer, echoing numerous others who sometimes used more colourful language. One former senior staffer working in the corporate sector said that while working in politics, she would often pull 75- to 100-hour weeks. Life in the private sector is a comparative breeze. Those hours are consistent with working under both Labor and Coalition MPs. The 2021 Jenkins review into parliament's workplace culture found stressed and overworked employees were a risk factor for inappropriate behaviour and creating a toxic work environment. There have been several high-profile workplace cases in the years since, but the Albanese government has created an independent Parliamentary Workplace Support Service to assist staff and a parliamentary standards commission to confront bad behaviour by MPs. The former staffers mentioned in this piece either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment, but in either case there is no suggestion they were exposed to a toxic work culture. The long hours are often a product of ministers and staffers trying to manage the demands of politics, the media, and policy reform at the same time. Ryan Liddell, a former chief of staff to ex-Labor leader Bill Shorten, says the pressure to be constantly plugged in makes living a regular life challenging. 'As a staffer you normalise things like spending Christmas lunch on the phone to the boss while your family hands you beers,' says Liddell now running his own government relations firm Principle Advisory. 'You basically lose track of the weekends. On Sunday, you might wake up at 6.30am instead of 5.30am.' Little wonder then, that after an election period, people are taking stock of their lives, deciding they want to see their families, or go on holidays and figuring out an escape route. Quitting after the election also makes financial sense. Under the law for parliamentary staff, those who leave their jobs during an eight-week window after the election can walk away with a severance package five times what they'd otherwise get. It is 'life-changing' money, one former Labor staffer says. And life outside politics can be even more lucrative. Loading While some staffers are seeking to become members of parliament, many former aides instead find jobs in government relations, lobbying or public relations that often pay better than what the Commonwealth pays MPs, let alone staffers. A ministerial chief of staff in federal politics will generally earn around $250,000 a year, for example, with senior advisers taking home around $170,000. A government relations professional at a major corporation can earn over $320,000, several sources said on condition of anonymity to discuss their pay. In some sectors, that will also come with a range of perks unavailable to political staff: free private health insurance and gym membership, media subscriptions, travel and an entertainment budget to boot. Already, a few of the Albanese government's former staff have landed in high-profile corporate roles. Todorovic, the former Channel 10 journalist, began as local media director for PsiQuantum, the Silicon Valley quantum computing start-up that Labor has committed hundreds of millions to in loans and investment. After 14 years with Plibersek, Doran, her chief of staff, is headed to the Commonwealth Bank as general manager of government affairs. Liz Fitch, who quit as Albanese's press secretary last year, is now head of government affairs for Australia and New Zealand at Microsoft. Loading The ranks of Australia's major corporate players, from the big four banks, to Qantas, mining companies, and the like, are filled with people who have experience working on both sides of politics. Where former Labor staff see opportunities that match their skills, some integrity experts see a red flag. Chair of the Centre for Public Integrity, Anthony Whealy, describes lobbying and the flow of senior government and bureaucratic figures into the industry as a 'very nasty disease' that 'needs a good vaccination'. 'The government is not doing that well because it's falling into the habits that governments so often do, of complacency and then wanting to shut itself off from proper accountability and transparency. That's a worrying trend and I think it'll only get worse,' the former NSW Court of Appeal judge says. Former staffers dispute the notion of a neatly revolving door between politics and the private sector. Some, particularly those whose party has been thrust into opposition, can spend months finding work. 'Some staffers tend to have a bit of exceptionalism and think they'll automatically get a job by virtue of working for the PM,' one anonymous former Labor staffer says. In the end, staffers often stumble into the corporate world because it's the best offer outside of politics. Companies, especially those working in highly regulated environments, value ex-staffers' resilience and knowledge of the politico-media landscape. Loading And after years working in the pressure cooker of politics, staffers tend to be desperate for something lower stakes. 'In politics, if you miss something, or drop the ball, or make a mistake, it could be a scandal, it could be front page news, or get dredged up by the opposition,' says Sherr. Despite the horrendous hours and relentless pressure, everyone spoken to for this story described working in politics as an unforgettable honour, an emotional roller-coaster that can be become borderline addictive. 'You have some pretty amazing highs and some pretty horrific lows,' says Liddell, who left politics after Shorten's gutting 2019 election loss. Sherr says that while the opportunity to work for a Labor government was 'the job of a lifetime'. The accompanying lifestyle he can do without.
