Sussan Ley has addressed the AI Group where she continued her pattern of saying a lot of words without actually adding any meaning to the debate (for context productivity was an issue under the Coalition which also had a deliberate policy of stamping down on wage growth. So what exactly does Ley mean by any of this?

Over the past week, the Treasurer convened a national Economic Reform Roundtable. 

It was a welcome conversation. 

But let’s be clear: after three years in office, Labor has only just started talking about the importance of productivity and meanwhile, much damage has already been done. 

Australia’s productivity has gone backwards. 

In fact, in just the last three years our productivity under this government has fallen by more than 5 per cent. 

Why does that matter? 

Because productivity is not just a line on a graph, it is the foundation of rising incomes, better services, and a stronger future. 

When productivity stalls, living standards fall. 

Since the Coalition left office living standards have plummeted by around 6 per cent. 

Australians are working harder, but getting less in return. 

The cost of living is rising and home ownership is slipping out of reach. 

Too many people feel like they’re running harder just to stand still.

That Australian promise – if you work hard, play by the rules and do your best for your family, you can build a better life – feels distant for many. 

We must do better, and we can do better.

Under my leadership the Coalition will be constructive where we can and critical where we must. 

We will back genuine reforms that lift national productivity and prosperity. 

But we will not accept empty gestures or policy drift.