‘We have a mandate to act': PM throws open doors to bolder agenda
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has thrown open the doors to a more daring economic reform agenda, convening a summit later this year to kickstart Australia's stuttering economy.
As he set guard rails for his upcoming negotiation with US President Donald Trump on tariffs, Albanese revealed he would bring union and business bosses together in August to chart a path to a more prosperous society after years of flatlining living standards and productivity.
The government did not speak of the roundtable before its election win, the size of which has spurred calls from economists, think tanks and some MPs for Labor to consider broader reform to tackle issues such as reducing the reliance on income taxes.
'The commitments the Australian people voted for in May are the foundation of our mandate, they are not the limits of our responsibilities or our vision,' Albanese said in his first major speech since his generational 94-seat win.
'We want to build the broadest possible base of support for further economic reform … Our government has secured a mandate to act.'
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Holding the economic summit, as Labor did in its first term on industrial relations policy, could hand Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers more authority to pursue bolder policies than those it took to the election.
Chalmers has been emphasising the productivity problem since the election, while Housing Minister Clare O'Neil and assistant minister for productivity Andrew Leigh have both recently taken aim at red tape, suggesting a new focus on growth after facing criticism for allegedly over-regulating and over-spending last term.
Labor ministers have stressed their policies on childcare, school funding, green energy and housing were already ambitious, but they have faced calls to examine major issues such as the GST, property taxes and the company tax rate.
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