What if Labor gets productivity right this time?
It was music to economic ears on Sunday when the treasurer said the focus of the second term of the Albanese government would be productivity with an eye on inflation. Robust productivity growth usually takes care of inflation; nevertheless, damn straight!
It was brave because it's a hard sell for a Labor government. To many, it means longer hours at work while the boss takes home the extra profit. I'm the daughter of a fitter. At the end of a day in a dirty workshop, I know my dad couldn't have worked harder, and he certainly didn't believe that if he had, his pay cheque would have been bigger. In other words, productivity is often associated with industrial relations changes. Remember WorkChoices?
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