Overview

• The three-day, closed-door talks bring about 30 leaders from business, unions and civil society to Canberra to feed ideas into upcoming budgets.
• RBA governor Michele Bullock is presenting on the bank’s downgraded productivity assumption to 0.7% a year, underscoring the urgency for reform.
• Regulatory streamlining is a central focus, with business urging a 25% cut to red tape and leaked Treasury advice canvassing faster housing approvals, a pause to National Construction Code changes and an AI plan to trim environmental assessments.
• Budget pressures are front of mind, with NDIS spending flagged for further restraint and an electric‑vehicle road‑user charge under consideration to replace declining fuel excise revenue.
• The Productivity Commission is backing a package to spur investment — a 20% company tax rate for most firms and a 5% cashflow tax with instant write‑offs — while critics question the process and Nationals senator Matt Canavan hosts a public counter‑forum on energy prices.