No phones, no handlers, no nice snacks: day one in Chalmers' VIP lock-up
As the late lunch break started on the first day of the three-day love-in, the staff rolled out the remnants of the morning's work. A trolley with four large but near-empty hot water urns and a collection of mugs stained by lukewarm coffee.
What was noticeable was what was absent from the trolley. No discarded sandwich wrappers. No waxed paper with chocolate muffin remains. Not even a container of half-eaten Venetian biscuits.
Traditionally, gatherings of the grand, self-important and policy wonks in federal parliament are catered as if an army is dropping by for a week.
But perhaps in a sign of the topic matter, the economic roundtable was focused only on what was necessary to get the collective minds of business leaders, unionists, academics, community groups and politicians thinking. In this case, coffee, tea and some plain biscuits.
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At one point, Treasurer Jim Chalmers – perhaps getting in some training for running a meeting in the federal cabinet room – told those assembled they could get up and walk around to stretch their legs. But none took up the option, focused as they were on the issues at hand.
Without mobile phones (which were left at the cabinet door) or handlers or media managers, it was left to the almost 30 people in the room to work through the agenda put in front of them.
And that agenda kicked off with an issue close to the heart of almost every person on the planet, particularly the current occupant of the White House, a discussion about tariffs.
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