Treasurer Jim Chalmers Press Conference on the Outcomes of the Economic Reform Roundtable

Last week, Treasurer Hon Jim Chalmers MP addressed the media after the Government’s highly anticipated Economic Reform Roundtable. The Roundtable covered three main areas of the Australian economy believed to need reform, resilience, productivity and budget sustainability and tax reform.

Chalmers outlined ten areas of consensus, where those invited to the Roundtable agreed on areas the government can reform, these areas include:

• Progress towards a single national market.
• Simplifying trade and tariffs.
• Better regulation and removing clutter.
• Speeding up approvals in national priority areas.
• Building more homes, more quickly.
• Making AI a national priority.
• Attracting capital and deploying investment.
• Building a skilled and adaptable workforce.
• Creating a better tax system.
• Modernising government services.

In reforming these areas, Chalmers stressed there is still a long way to go in reaching the productivity goals desired, and that cabinet ministers will be front and centre, with these reform areas designed to work with them and inform their deliberations.

Chalmers has already begun discussions with fellow ministers on areas to act with urgency, including:

• Working with Minister Farrell on abolishing nuisance tariffs (on 28 August 2025, the government announced a proposal to abolish another 500 nuisance tariffs – media release).
• Asking Minister O’Neil to reduce complexity and red tape in the National Construction Code.
• Asking Minister Watt to accelerate EPBC Act reform, and to speed up environmental approvals on new homes.
• Minister Gallagher has written to major regulators seeking advice on de-regulating and cutting red tape where possible and introducing the ‘tell us once’ principle later this year, which is about not asking people to supply the same information for different purposes.
• Releasing the APS AI plan with Minister Ayres to accelerate the National AI Capability Plan.
• Introducing a road user charge, details to be released later in the year after discussions with Minister King and state and territory treasurers.

The Treasurer also highlighted several areas discussed that will require further work and consultation. These areas include:

• Broad simplification of Australia’s trade system.
• More work on the ‘tell us once’ principle as it relates to the financial sector, and a deeper dive into priority area regulations.
• National Competition Policy and harmonisation of state and territory standards and licensing. This will be discussed at the state treasurer’s meeting on 5 September.
• Faster state and territory approvals.
• Faster Foreign Investment Review Board approvals for non-controversial matters.
• Speeding up approvals through the single front door and exploring options to do this including a potential coordinator general function.
• Exploring prefab and modular housing options, and working with states on planning, zoning and approvals.
• Further consultation on AI and potential legislation, jobs and skills recognition, and modernizing government services.

On tax, the roundtable agreed to focus on three main objectives within the system:

• A fair go for working people, including on intergenerational equity.
• Affordable and responsible ways to incentivise business investment.
• Making the tax system simpler and more sustainable, recognising broader societal pressures such as an ageing population.

Further information 

For more information, please contact Hawker Britton’s Director John Jarrett on +61 434 384 745

See the full transcript of the Treasurer’s press conference here.

Further Hawker Britton Occasional Papers on the activities of the Federal Government are available here.