Overview

• The Economic Reform Roundtable convenes in Canberra on August 19, bringing together government, business, union and policy leaders to tackle Australia’s productivity slump.
• Treasurer Jim Chalmers plans to use the summit to shape near-term regulatory changes and feed recommendations into the next three federal budgets.
• A leaked Treasury briefing listing possible outcomes—such as pausing National Construction Code updates, speeding housing approvals and launching a national AI red-tape plan—has fuelled opposition claims of a pre-scripted forum.
• The Productivity Commission’s proposals for corporate tax cuts to 20 percent and a 5 percent cashflow tax remain on the table but face longer-term political debate.
• The Reserve Bank’s recent 25 basis-point rate cut to 3.6 percent and its warning about eroding living standards have increased pressure for decisive policy action.