Chalmers hits back at critics talking down economic talkfest before it has even begun
As the Greens vowed to use their balance of power in the Senate to drive progressive reforms from the roundtable, Chalmers said that next week's forum would be the start of a three-year drive to increase productivity rather than 'instant policy gratification'.
The roundtable begins on Tuesday with discussions to focus on issues ranging from regulatory barriers to building new homes, the structure of the tax system and recognition of occupational licences across state and territory boundaries.
The government has already ruled out substantial tax reform from the roundtable, especially in contentious areas such as the GST and negative gearing. There have also been criticisms that the roundtable could become a talkfest that will fail to deliver policies to address the nation's slowdown in productivity growth.
But Chalmers said he wanted to push back at critics, many in the Coalition, who have claimed that the gathering will be a waste of time.
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'I feel the effort we've put in, which has been very, very substantial, probably the most intensive period of consultation that I've been involved in, I feel like it's already worth it,' he told this masthead.
'You shouldn't anticipate that we will have every problem solved in the economy at the end of three days of fruitful discussions, but it will be a really important way to inform the decisions of the cabinet.'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the treasurer have at times struck different tones, creating a perception that Chalmers is more keen to use the roundtable to enact bigger reforms, though the pair have not been obviously at odds over any specific policy.
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