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Federal government announces growth and productivity summit to be held in August

Productivity will be in the spotlight later this year, with transport associations preparing for the summit at Parliament House

The federal government has confirmed its focus on fostering growth and productivity in the nation with the announcement of a new growth and productivity summit to be held later this year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told the National Press Club that the summit will be held in August to tackle ways to improve productivity.

“I have asked the Treasurer Jim Chalmers to convene a roundtable to support and shape our government’s growth and productivity agenda,” Albanese says.

“At Parliament House in August, we will bring together a group of leaders from the business community, the union movement and civil society.

Albanese says this summit will be a more streamlined dialogue than the Jobs and Skills Summit, dealing with a more targeted set of issues.

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“We want to build the broadest possible base of support for further economic reform,” he says.

“Our plan for economic growth and productivity is about Australians earning more and keeping more of what they earn.”

The announcement comes after the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) last week responded to the Productivity Commission’s initial consultations on five productivity inquiries, calling on transport to be a key focus of productivity measures to boost the nation’s supply chains.

By increasing access for longer truck combinations, the ATA says this could reduce the industry’s operating costs by $13.6 billion over the years to 2050 and save households more than $400 per year on everyday purchases.

The ATA recommended that the government should look to build the industry’s workforce by providing financial support to apprentices undertaking driving operations apprenticeships and to allow drivers to complete a short driver training course supported by state governments, trucking industry associations or major companies. The ATA says the driver’s first employer should receive a hiring bonus.

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