From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm christinamiot. It's Tuesday, December seventeenth. Carlie Moore Gilbert says the government assistance given to members of the Bali Nine should be offered to other Australians detained in prison camps in countries like Syria. It comes after the five remaining members of the drug ring were returned to Australia after serving twenty years in Indonesian prisons. That commentary is live right now
at The Australian dot com dot au. The government's midyear budget update will reveal an uptick in unavoidable and automatic spending to the tune of more than twenty five billion dollars, But what does that actually mean. In today's episode, The Australian takes a closer look at the Treasurer's unique turn of phrase and we unpack what it says about Jim Chalmers leadership ambitions.
Look, we recognize that a lot of Australians are under the pump.
His is one of the loudest voices in Australian public life and his words arguably carry the most weight for voters struggling under a cost of living crisis.
This is another difficult day for Australians who are already under the pump.
So I think Jim Chalmers has emerged, particularly on Labour's side, as the master of the catchphrase.
Jeff Chambers is the Australian's chief political correspondent.
He uses repetitive language, uses mantras often to simplify what are very complex issues, and repeating the same slogans over and over again.
We see that right through the numbers when it comes to household savings, when it comes to consumption, people are under the pump.
What he's trying to do is make sure that his language is consistent so when the TV news package or the radio package or others reporting on him will reflect that grab. It's a big multi media strategy to ensure that he's getting his simple messaging out to the masses.
The budget is in much better Nick, because getting the budget and much better Nick helps us fund our other priorities. But what really matters here I think when it comes to getting the budget in a much better Nick, our big priorities in the budget are getting the budget in much better Nick. It's a demonstration that we've been able to get the budget in much better Nick.
Jeff has been working on an in depth analysis of Jim chalmers rhetoric with reporter Noah Yim, who poured over hundreds of transcripts to identify characteristics and patterns in the Treasurer's speech.
This captures every transcript Office for Relief since he became treasurer. We went through seven hundred and six transcripts. That's press conferences, that's speeches, that's radio interview, that's TV interviews. I thought it was interesting to analyze similar responses over time to see how she's testing out's deploying and then faving out the use of certain catch feess at certain times.
Jeff and Noah found Jim Chalmers is a big fan of repetitive colloquialisms and corny phrases, which he uses to test the waters with voters. Take, for example, his near constant references to inflation.
We're making progress in the fight against inflation is to take some of the sting out of inflation by managing demanding the economy. Inflation is public enemy number one. Inflation is the dragon we need to slay.
What we've seen with Jim is he does adapt that language as I said with inflation, there's slight tweaking of that language depending on where inflation's at and depending on what they might be seeing in polling or focus groups. There was a famous one that he used, which he dropped pretty quickly, which was saying inflation is the dragon that we need to sleigh. So that one didn't stick. And then I think with things like unavoidable spending, it's
funny language. Some people would observe it as tricky language because that then is linked to higher spending, which they're saying is unavoidable. And then they talk about savings, and they'll talk about in the same breath without separating the two reprioritization and reprioritization is actually sprinkling those savings across other areas that labor uses a priority.
His penchant for hokiness tends to make Jim Chalmers the target of criticism both from his labor colleagues and his political opponents.
I guess for Jim Chalmers, he's taken the reins after almost a decade of coalition rule and he doesn't want
to stuff it up. They had their eyes very much fixated on winning a second term, so there is a lot of internal pressure to do things on like negative gearing, capital gains, company tax, a lot of big bang reform that business, and some in the labor caucus, and obviously the coalition would like to see him embark on and that hasn't happened in terms of the hopiness or colloquial retric in his defense, I don't think the punters at home or the regular household or small business owner doesn't
want to get into the nuts and bolts of really complicated economic policy. So that's what he's trying to do there, and focus groups will show that he is just on a really superficial level. Consider the pretty urbane, suburban, youthful, dad like character, and at forty six, that's quite a contrast to Anthony Albanezi.
Does he care that people criticize the way that he talks.
I think that every politician cares deeply about what other people think of them. But I think when you are so ambitious and when you or you've really got a laser like focus on an end game, which for him would be at some point to become leader, I think that he's going to stick pretty consistently and close to what he thinks will get him there. And what he thinks is best for himself as treasured for the government.
Jim Chalmers can afford to brush it off because his style tends to resonate with voters.
I think what he has on his side is he's not as antagonistic the venom in his retrigue. Even when he's having a crack at the coalition, it's done in a more relaxed calm away, not getting to worked up about things, and I think that resonates with people on
the flip side of that. We are currently in the group of a cost of living and housing crisis, and in a way, if they were to lose next to his election or it becomes a much closer run thing, that there will be some pushback that he could cut through or convey what the government was doing for people and convince them that it was working. I think that's the problem for this repetitive retric At the end of the day, maybe voters will be looking for someone to lash out it or punish.
The Australian's analysis found Jim Chalmers rarely swims outside of his lane. Of the many many public appearances he's made since becoming Treasurer in twenty twenty two, He's only commented on non economic issues on a few notable occasions, and
even then the Treasurer's comments have an economic bent. In August, he branded Peter Dutton the most divisive leader of a major political party in Australia's modern history, but didn't miss his opportunity to defend the government's economic performance.
He divides deliberately, almost pathologically, and that sort of division in our leadership in our society right now is worse than disappointing, it's dangerous.
And more recently he's spoken out about the economic benefits of a ceasefire deal between Israel and her mass militants in Palestine.
He's got one of the great portfolios for someone who would like to move up at some point as leader. Being the treasurer is a busy job and you've got a lot of threads and needles that you need to be in control of. You have the big budget once a year, you have the midyear budget near the end of the year, and a lot of things in between. So you can genuinely sit in that space and not have to weigh in on the government's position on Israel
or anti Semitism. He will ultimately talk about it from an economic perspective, and because his treasurer, you can generally get away with that. I think that speech that he did on Dutton was a much more wider attack, which probably gives some indication to not only his colleagues, but to everyone else out there that he can, when required, take up the fight.
Jim Chalmers prime ministerial ambitions are no secret, and only a select few have parlayed their time as treasurer into a stint in the top job. The question is does this reluctance to branch out help Jim charmers or hurt him.
I always cast one mine back to Tawny Abbot when he won in twenty thirteen. He was consistent, disciplined and stuck on the same messaging, and I think we're seeing shades of Tanny Abbot in Peter Dutton as well. This really is the sort of modern way. I think that kind of tactic can work, because the alternative to that is when a politician or a leader talks too much or talks in too many tangents and can't actually really concisely press home what their message is.
Coming up inside the Treasurer's latest shake up on Monday, Jim Chalmers fronted the press again.
Thanks very much everybody for coming out.
The treasurer unveiled a handful of new appointments to two newly created Reserve Bank boards.
What I'm announcing today is the best combination of existing members and new members. These are first class, first rate people with the right skills and with decades of relevant experience.
The first board will focus on monetary policy. They're the people who set interest rates. Distinguished Australian National University professor Renee Freie McGibbon and former Bendigo Bank boss Marnie Baker have been appointed to that board, alongside existing members including economist Ian Harper, West Farmers director Alice Watkins, former Fair Work Commission President Ian Ross and Carolyn Heuson, who's director of the biotechnology company CSL. The second board, in the
new dual structure, we'll oversee the RBA's governance. That's how it's run. Appointed to the Governance Committee is former Business Council Chief executive Jennifer Westercott Gilbert and Tobin Chair Danny Gilbert, Former Banking executive Swati Dave and Zero chair David Dodie, Reserve Bank Governor Michelle Bullock will chair both boards.
So these are high quality, high caliber people and together they represent the best mix of relevant skills and abilities and experience. I'm very proud to say that women will make up the majority of both boards. And this continues the very substantial progress that we've made. When it comes to appointments in the Treasury portfolio.
Here's Jeff Chambers.
So there's been a few changes, a few tinkers, and this is not a surprise in terms of what's been announced today, but behind the scenes, they'd be just every finger crossed that somehow the new RBA board makeup leads towards a rate cut before the election.
The move to create two separate boards for Monetary Policy and RBA Governance follows a sweeping review of the Central Bank carried out last year. It was co authored by new appointee Renee Fry McGibbon and found the existing board wasn't in a position to challenge decisions made about interest rates by the RBA's governor. Other changes made to the way the Central Bank operates have already come into effect.
That's why the existing board meets less, but why Governor Michelle Bullock is making more public appearances, the historic overhaul looked like it would sail through Parliament, but it was only passed thanks to support from Teal Independence and the Greens after the Coalition withdrew its support. The new board structure kicks in in March, meaning that new committee's first cash rate decision will happen on April one. So is it enough to restore voter's confidence in the RBA.
I don't think households or businesses care much for restructures or new boards. I think they're just hanging out for a rate cut. Obviously, every jurisdiction has a different experience, but that pressure is building. We've still got lower unemployment, a very tight labor market. Underlying inflation is still a concern for the RBA. So it's not a sure thing that we will see a rate cut before the election.
I just don't think anyone cares about that. I think they just expect that the right things are being done and all they're looking for is that announcement on a Tuesday afternoon that their rates have been cut for the first time in years.
Jeff Chambers is The Australian's chief political correspondent and Noah Yim is a Reporter. You can delve into their detailed analysis of the Treasury rehetorick right now at the Australian dot com dot au