Productivity might be the word on everyone’s lips – but it isn’t the cause of many of the problems experienced by workers in Australia today, writes Lisa Heap.

Productivity might be the word on everyone’s lips in the lead up to the Albanese government’s economic reform roundtable.

However, weak productivity isn’t the cause of many of the problems experienced by workers in Australia today nor is increasing productivity the solution.

Rapid inflation after the pandemic, combined with rising interest rates and slow wage growth, left many Australian households struggling to afford necessities.

The Reserve Bank’s blunt strategy of raising interest rates to slow the economy and control inflation post the pandemic both misdiagnosed the drivers of inflation and harmed Australian workers, who struggled to manage increased mortgage repayments and other debts.

Meanwhile, the root causes of Australia’s post pandemic crisis –rising corporate profits, unjustifiable price hikes, and

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