Treasurer Jim Chalmers Urges Coalition to Collaborate at Productivity Summit

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has urged the opposition to approach next month’s national productivity summit in good faith, warning that any attempt to politicise the forum could undermine its credibility with both voters and key economic stakeholders. The summit, scheduled for 19–21 August at Parliament House, will focus on themes of resilience, productivity, and sustainability, which Chalmers said reflect the significant challenges Australia is grappling with, including technological change, the energy transition, demographic shifts, and global geopolitical instability. In an interview with Guard

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has urged the opposition to approach next month’s national productivity summit in good faith, warning that any attempt to politicise the forum could undermine its credibility with both voters and key economic stakeholders. The summit, scheduled for 19–21 August at Parliament House, will focus on themes of resilience, productivity, and sustainability, which Chalmers said reflect the significant challenges Australia is grappling with, including technological change, the energy transition, demographic shifts, and global geopolitical instability. In an interview with Guardian Australia’s Australian Politics podcast, Chalmers said the event would consider major economic reforms such as tax policy and strategies to raise living standards. He called on the Coalition to participate constructively, taking aim at shadow treasurer Ted O’Brien and deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley. “If Ted O’Brien comes to the reform roundtable and treats it as an extension of question time, I think that will go down pretty badly in the room,” Chalmers said. “I think a lot of the commentary, whether it’s from Ted O’Brien or Sussan Ley, I don’t think they are by their nature constructive, collaborative types.” The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, will open the summit, followed by presentations from Productivity Commissioner Danielle Wood and Treasury Secretary Jenny Wilkinson. Labor has extended invitations to trade unions, business groups, regulators, and government departments to submit proposals and attend, The Guardian reported. Ted O’Brien will represent the opposition at the cabinet room table during the summit, which will feed into Labor’s second-term agenda, touching on key issues such as skills, workforce pressures, the care economy, and the transition to net zero emissions. Chalmers argued that economic volatility and global uncertainty have now replaced structural stability as the new norm. In this context, he emphasised the importance of cooperative policymaking to strengthen Australia's long-term economic resilience. Earlier this month, O’Brien told the same podcast that economic strength was fundamental to improving household well-being: “Without a strong economy, Australia will become a poorer, weaker and more dependent nation,” he said. The treasurer is also preparing to meet with global financial leaders at the G20 finance ministers’ summit later this week in Durban, South Africa. High on the agenda will be US President Donald Trump’s escalating trade tensions, as well as ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and eastern Europe. Chalmers is expected to hold bilateral talks with counterparts from the UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, and Indonesia. He stressed that open engagement and economic diversification are key to withstanding global shocks. “The best defence against all of this uncertainty in the global economy, all this unpredictability and volatility... is more engagement, not less,” Chalmers said. “More diverse markets, not less diverse markets, and also more resilience in our own economy.” He added that discussions would likely include trade policy, supply chains, critical minerals, and global capital flows; all areas he believes are crucial to fortifying Australia’s economic future.