Less productive coffee shops lead to more expensive coffee.
Should it be a natural conclusion then, a less productive Country leads to a more expensive one.

Or maybe it’s this way:

A shortage of coffee shops leads to overcrowding, and more expensive coffee

In the latter scenario, profits are high due to factors such as supply and demand, and a Government controlled wages system designed to suppress workers profits, which in turn benefits Capitalist private enterprise. Divide and rule from above.

So yes, productivity is necessary to supply needs on all levels, but whose needs are satisfied when supply side is squeezed?

Talk about productivity to somebody living in a tent in a park, (or school ground).

Prioritising productivity over the more fundamental concern of good Governance, to solve the day to day survival issues of people in our communities, requires professional input and ability at a higher level of Governance, and surely, this is the major problem Australians are faced with, (whoever an Australian is that fits the description currently).

All is confused and the rabble are growing restless waiting for the winds to change back to a favourable direction

When are these old Tories going to get over the fact they lost the last election, and its Labors time in the sun. The article simply regurgitate 'Noalition' talking points, with a liberal dose of criticism of Labor. Rubbish Chalmers and Albanese all you like, but take one look at the alternative, Taylor and Dutton. Oh my god, pants on fire!

Graham, "You're A Racist". For even daring to put "rental" and "immigration" in the same para, Dutton was smeared nationally. Guardian, Crikey, SMH, Age, AFR, ABC, Brisbane Times, many more, all piled on.

We don't do Productivity in this country, Graham. We do Quantitative Peopling instead. Which is mostly fake Education Exports.

Despite shipping our iron ore and fossil fuels at a fraction of the Qatar or Norway levies, we can skip industry renewal. Instead, Chalmers offers the miracle of Net Zero Industries and Renewable Energy Superpower.

Ross Garnaut has got a lot to answer for. He knew his "Superpower" book was blancmange for Albanese Labor. He just didn't care.

I never take notice of government budgets: they are boring attempts at bribing particular parts of the herd. I can't say that I have experienced any effect of any budget on my everyday life. I 'budget' all the time - spending and saving within my means, with my own money.

As Graham says, this one and all the rest, past and future, are about 'caring' (with money that is ours, not the government's) but not about 'productivity' - which provides the money for the 'care' (bribery).

Chalmers is a chump, not to be trusted with tea money.

No government that practises climate quackery, deliberately makes electricity and gas dearer, spends money on 'caring' (bribery) like NDIS, $30 billion a year on 3% of the population, tossing money at crap educators - just to name a few - should be having anything to do with a budget for entire country and its population.

Agree with most of this, Graham. I don't think we need to pay more tax for the social services we need, just ensure the big multinationals earning a quid here pay the same tax as Aussie firms. That done and the age pension is fully funded by those players.

NDIS needs root and branch reform and the elimination of fraud and gaming the system so that those with genuine need aren't shafted by the crooks. Or those with a two-fee system, one for Medicare and a much higher one for NDIS!

Productivity is tied to the cost of energy and energy dependant production and automation. We need to reinstall cooperative capitalism for the quite massive increase production that came with business model.

And to that end we need to transition ASAP to home grown nuclear energy. As MSR thorium that comes with energy prices as low as 3 cents PKWH, or MSR nuclear waste burners that bring prices down to much less all while guaranteeing dependable, clean, safe, carbon free, green energy!

We need to do the latter ourselves to get out from under the energy barons' control and price gouging! Government funded and facilitated energy co-ops would be my choice as the most cost effective and productive!
Alan B.

When reading GY's article I thought "what if the communists knew what they are doing in destroying productivity" of course they do know what they are doing if they are communists.

Some have described productivity as creating those things that are primary life sustaining produce preferably with a long shelf life.

If you create 10 days of food today then you can survive for 10 days without producing. If Australia creates 10 days of food today then Australia can spend 9 days "caring". Or helping the cared to be more productive or by investing in more productive capacity.

Otherwise we are creating misery.