[Source: Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS]

Where is the consideration of the needs of families at the Albanese Government’s Economic Reform Roundtable?

Families are only mentioned once in the material released by Treasury prior to the three-day talkfest, which is meant to set the agenda for the future of our nation – but seems blind to the needs of mums and dads sitting around the kitchen table trying to balance family budgets.

There needs to be less cabinet table and more kitchen table as we plan for the future of our nation.

Dominated by union executives, representatives of progressive think-tanks and big business, many of whom benefit directly from big government, the Roundtable was absent of input on behalf of families struggling to make ends meet.

"We need to tackle cost-of-living pressures by opposing reckless net zero policies that drive up power prices”, Mr Shelton said, “yet the Roundtable seems blind to these needs”.

Rather than pie in the sky proposals for four day working weeks, we should be fighting to make housing more affordable by through cutting red tape and releasing more land.

We cannot continue to grow the number of federal public sector employees at the current rate and expect to raise taxes to pay for this.

Family First is promoting a better solution that would include:

• Fighting inflation – Cutting red tape, reducing government expenditure, boosting gas and energy production and releasing land for housing.
• Reducing Debt – Putting state and federal governments on a pathway towards fiscal responsibility by tackling government debt.
• Ensuring Family Friendly Tax Policies - allowing mums and dads to split their income for tax purposes